SEOUL Weekly: The Treasure of Kansong: Part 5

Part 5 of “The Treasure of Kansong: Preserving National Identity through Culture” displays HwaHoeYoungMo, Korea’s unique genre of plant and animal painting. In ancient times, this genre was as popular as landscape and portrait paintings. Koreans believed that flowers, birds, insects, and fish were not only a part of nature, but beings that embodied the divine nature of the universe. By observing, nurturing, and capturing images of these living things in literature and paintings, they sought to learn the mysteries of nature and life while also cultivating their own character.

This exhibition features masterpieces based on plant and animal themes that date from the late Goryeo Dynasty to the late Joseon Dynasty, including pieces by the virtuosos of Korean art history, such as King Gongmin, Shin Saimdang, Kim Che, GongJae Yun Du-seo, GyeomJae Jeong Seon, DanWon Kim Hong-do, PyoAm Kang Se-hwang, and HyeWon Shin Yun-bok.

VENUE: Dongdaemun Design Plaza
PERIOD: Thru Mar. 27, 2016
ADMISSION: KRW 8,000
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Line 2, 4, 5), Exit 1

Enjoy SEOUL on the Go: Download our magazine app for your tablet! (iOS, Android)

AUTUMN AESTHETIC
Forget pumpkin spice lattes – fashion is the best thing about fall

NOT YOUR MOTHER’S HANBOK
Designer In Oh of local studio Inohjudan adds a bit of youthful freedom to Korea’s traditional attire

A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler

• Academics look at Korean pop culture.
• Five Korean novels you should read.
• Suneung Day in Korea.
• The growth of modern Korea in photos.
• Three indie directors are looking at commercial success.
• Suwon Hwaseong at night.
• In case you missed the colors at Naejangsa Temple…
• A reenactment of the Dream of Golden Ruler Dance at Mt. Maisan.
• Gyeongju’s Anapji Pond.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

A Journey to the Modern Seoul City Wall

This exhibit looks at the modern history of Seoul’s old city wall through travel journals, guidebooks, novels, newspapers and music. If nothing else, it gives you a good excuse to visit the scenic Mt. Naksan section of the wall.

VENUE: Seoul City Wall Museum
PERIOD: Thru Feb. 14
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: Dongdaemun Station (Line 1 or 4), Exit 1

Namsan International Kindergarten, SFS open houses

Namsan International Kindergarten, which is operated by Seoul Foreign School, will be holding an Open House event on Wednesday November 18 from 10-11am. This event is for prospective parents of children aged 2-6. To register visit www.seoulforeign.org or contact the school at nik.sfs@seoulforeign.org or phone T. 02-2232-2451~2

Seoul Foreign School, meanwhile, will be holding an Open House on Thursday, November 19 from 9:30-11:30am for prospective parents of children aged 3 – Grade 12. To register please visit the school’s website www.seoulforeign.org or contact it at admissions@seoulforeign.org  or phone T. 02-330-3121

Urban healing paradise, Dragon Hill Spa

For the people of Korea, who bake themselves to relieve the fatigue and the feeling of chill, the Korean Dry Sauna has become one of Korea’s signature cultures and continues its transformation through enlargement and “luxurification.”

Dragon Hill Spa is located in Yongsan, which is the center of Seoul. It represents Korean Dry Sauna’s essence of evolution. It offers the best service to its customers with facilities such as traditional charcoal kiln, sauna, salt room, ice room, jade, red clay pyramid room, family spa, outdoor hot spring pool and many more.

MORE INFO: See this link.

Euljiro, Lightway 2015

“Communicate through Light” is a project to revitalize the lighting industry of Euljiro. Citizens, businessmen, and designers have come together to create a street that lights up with bright installations.

“Euljiro, Lightway 2015” has come about through the effort of businesses, experts on lighting, students, and locals. During the festival, not only will the roads of Euljiro and the Daerim Shopping Center transform into a beautiful display of light installations, but there will also be small music festivals and a variety of different events.

VENUE: Euljiro Street
PERIOD: Thru Nov. 21
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: Exit 6 or 7, Euljiro 3-ga Station (Line 3)

The Jincook

Koreans like to talk of the “season when one’s thoughts turn to hot soup.” They speak, of course, of their longing for hot food that elevates your body temperature on a cold day. Hot, spicy soup and a glass of soju is a true representation of Korean food culture, and you can enjoy it at The Jincook near Gangnam Station. Drop by this weekend for some gukbap and soju!

MORE INFO: T. 02-2051-9882

DigiFun Art: Urban Scape

“DigiFun Art: Urban Scape” aims to show how mobile devices and their various applications, which have become essential to many people the world over, also serve as a new artistic tool for artists, shedding light on new fields that have emerged through the various functions of smart devices. Just as the contemporary British artist David Hockney has been creating and presenting a series of iPad drawings since 2009, portable mobile gadgets allow people to engage in creative activities without being limited by place or conventional tools such as brushes or paint while also fulfilling the basic need for novelty and pleasure. The exhibit features work by a variety of Korean and foreign artists who are integrating mobile technology into their work, including works by the new breed of so-called “mobile artists” or “iPad artists” who create their art using mobile devices.

VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art
PERIOD: Thru Dec. 13
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: T. 02-2124-8800
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station -­ (Lines 1 or 2), Exit 1

Champ Kitchen

As a short-term or long-term expat, it’s hard to keep up your own unique dietary habits. But now you can thanks to Champ Kitchen, founded by three women with a love for exercise and healthy eating. Champ Kitchen is a meal subscription service based on the paleo diet – it’s gotten great word of mouth since its launch, and is already quite famous on Instagram and Facebook.

Champ Kitchen provides a new menu each week. Quality control is top notch. The meals are not ordinary box lunches – the food prepared is restaurant-quality. You can also order vegan meals, which are hard to find in Korea, and if you’ve got food allergies or something you’d like in particular, they take specialized orders, too.

You can make orders online and pick up your meals direct or via Baemin Fresh’s early morning delivery service.

Why not discover what Champ Kitchen is all about today?

MORE INFO: Instagam @thechampkitchen, Facebook: Champ Kitchen. Email: thechampkitchen@gmail.com

Monni Club Tour: Fix

Korean rock band Monni marks the 10th anniversary of its debut with a tour of Korean clubs in Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Gwangju, Seoul and Jejudo. Previous Monni gigs have been at large-scale venues, but this tour gives fans an opportunity to experience the band up-close within the comfy confines of smaller clubs. The Hongdae performance is particularly meaningful to the group as it was in Hongdae that the band made its debut in 2005.

VENUE: Rolling Hall, Hongdae
DATE: Nov. 27
ADMISSION: KRW 44,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-782-9570
GETTING THERE: Five-minute walk from Hapjeong Station (Line 2), Exit 4

RAS-KB: Eastern Seoul Flea Market Excursion

Unbeknownst to many residents of Seoul, both foreign and Korean, there is a 1.5km-long stretch of flea market stalls and shops between Dongmyo and Sinseol-dong where curiosities and treasures of all kinds – whether antique, vintage or just kitsch – are waiting to be discovered. Join the RASKB and excursion leader David Gemeinhardt on a leisurely walk to experience the sights and sounds of Seoul’s largest and liveliest weekend flea market, and possibly pick up some special Christmas gifts. The main focus will be on Korean and other Asian items.

VENUE: Dongmyo and Sinseol-dong area, Seoul
DATE: Nov. 15
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.

Strolling beneath the autumn foliage, Changgyeonggung Palace, Seoul. Photo by Robert Koehler, editor-in-chief, SEOUL.

Seoul Selection’s Free Book Giveaway – Our free book give-away continues! Check out the list in last week’s newsletter here.

Seoul Selection Offline Bookshop Sale – One of the greatest repositories of Korea-related English-language books anywhere, Seoul Selection is offering a 10% sale on any and all books published by Seoul Selection purchased from our OFFLINE bookshop next to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Looking for Translators – Seoul Selection is looking for a few good translators (Korean to English) for general translation work. Those interested should send a resume and cover letter to Kyehyun at atoz@seoulselection.com. Experienced translators only.

Seoul Selection eBooks – You can purchase some Seoul Selection titles in ebook format via Amazon.com (for Kindle) and Apple’s iBookstore. Titles include Ask a Korean Dude, Moon Tides, Doing Business in Korea, Once Around the Sun, and seven volumes of our Korean Film Directors series: BONG Joon-ho, IM Kwon-taek, KIM Jee-woon, LEE Chang-dong, LEE Man-hee, PARK Chan-wook, and SHIN Sang-ok.

Send Your Event Info – If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material at pubco@seoulselection.com by the preceding Friday in order for it to appear in the following Tuesday’s issue.

Freelance Contributors Wanted – SEOUL Magazine needs writers who are fluent in both Korean and English. Writers should have a strong interest in Korean culture and be able to interview Koreans. Send your resume and writing samples to english@seoulselection.com.