SEOUL Weekly: First Full Moon Festival

Feb. 22 (Monday) is the Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar new year.

Namsangol Hanok Village, nestled on the lower slopes of Mt. Namsan, hosts a program of activities to mark this holiday. Activities include nut cracking, a traditional way of warding off boils for the year; the eating of five-grain rice, or ogokbap, to bring good luck; amulet printing; folk games; performances of traditional music and dance; and the highlight of the evening, the burning of the moon house, a bonfire to bring blessings in the coming year.

VENUE: Namsangol Folk Village
DATE: Feb. 22, 5 PM-7 PM
COST: Free, but the nut-cracking costs KRW 1,000
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: Chungmuro Station (Line 3, 4), Exit 3 or 4

Map Banner Special Event

From December, SEOUL Magazine will be offering banner space in our magazine’s Maps & Guides section for the low, low price of KRW 50,000 a month. International visitors and expats make great use of our maps, which include detailed information about Gwanghwamun, Samcheong-dong, Itaewon, Dongdaemun, Hongdae, Gangnam and other tourist destinations. Our packages begin from three months (KRW 150,000, VAT not included). We can also promote your establishments via SNS as well, so please, send your inquiries to sense@seoulselection.com.
website: https://magazine.seoulselection.com
Instagram: @seoul_magazine

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Do It Yourself
Why leave health and beauty treatments only to the professionals, when you can treat yourself on your own?

Makgeolli Gourmet
When you pair rice beer with gastronomy, good things happen

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

• Korean literature: the newest star in the Korean Wave.
• How Korea became a cultural superpower.
• Hologram K-pop concerts are a thing.
• North Korea, meanwhile, is exporting really, really big statues.
• Busan’s historic Ibagu Trail.
• A very beautiful sunrise over Seoul.
• Where to see the spring blossoms.
• Sunrise over a stone pagoda.
• Geumsansa Temple in the snow.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

Seoul International Sourcing Fair

The Seoul International Sourcing Fair is Korea’s longest-running tradeshow in its industry, and the only of its kind to receive official certification from the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. Previously, the show welcomed participation from 502 exhibitors across 659 booths, and welcomed 17,778 visitors from 21 countries. Almost 90% of visitors had the power to buy and 80% of exhibitors expressed interest in participating at the show again.

If you would like to pre-register (free admission) to visit Seoul Int’l Sourcing Fair or wish to know more about the show, please visit the website at www.sipremiumseoul.com.

VENUE: COEX
DATE: Mar. 2-5
GETTING THERE: Samseong Station (Line 2)

Turandot

Korea’s top creative team has put together a musical adaptation of the Puccini opera “Turandot.” Featuring an esemble cast that includes Lee Chang Min of boy band 2AM, the musical has been a hit overseas, winning a special award at the third Dongguan City Musical Festival and selling out at the 16th Shanghai International Art Festival. Set in ancient China, the musical tells the story of Prince Calaf, who must solve three riddle to marry the cold-hearted Princess Turandot. One catch – if he gets one wrong, he will die.

VENUE: D Cube Art Center
PERIOD: Thru Mar. 13
MORE INFO: T. 02-2211-3000
ADMISSION: KRW 50,000-110,000
GETTING THERE: Sindorim Station (Line 1, 2), Exit 1

Mama Mia!

Mama Mia! has been as big a hit in Korea as it has overseas, drawing over 1.7 million people since it debuted in the country in 2004. Based on the songs of ABBA, the romantic comedy takes place on a Greek island where a bride-to-be sends out three wedding invitations to three men in a bid to learn who her actual father is. If you like ABBA, you’ll love this.

VENUE: Charlotte Theater
PERIOD: Feb. 24-Jun. 4
MORE INFO: T. 1644-0078
ADMISSION: KRW 60,000-140,000
GETTING THERE: Jamsil Station (Line 2, 8), Exit 3. The theater is just behind the Lotte Hotel

Diana Krall World Tour

Singer and songwriter Diana Krall comes to Seoul as part of her world tour marking the release of her 12th studio album, “Wallflower.” The Canadian artist, known not only for her voice but also for piano work (and also for being the wife of Elvis Costello), effortlessly moves between genres, including jazz, big band and pop. Her “Wallflower” album includes arrangement of some of the 1960s’ most iconic songs, including selections from The Eagles, The Mamas and Papas and Joni Mitchell.

VENUE: Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
DATE: Feb. 21, 6PM
MORE INFO: T. 1544-1555
ADMISSION: KRW 77,000-154,000
GETTING THERE: Gwanghwamun Station­ (Line 5), Exit 1 or 8

RAS-KB: Seoul: Antiquity Meets Modernity

This RASKB walk through downtown looks closer at the awkward handshake between modern Seoul and the ancient capital of Joseon. Seoul’s central Jongno District has a history stretching back over 600 years, which has led to the formation of many compressed layers of history under the ground you walk upon. Much of it was erased during Korea’s rapid modernisation, and now that the country has hit a sort of stage of “completion,” it is finally beginning to uncover its ancient heritage in methods of varying effectiveness.

VENUE: Jongno, Seoul
DATE: Mar. 5
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.

Bukchon Hanok Village in the snow. Photo by Robert Koehler of 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.