March 26, 2016 / Issue No. 721
Cherry Blossom Season!
Where to go to take in the colors of spring

Early April is almost here, which means the cherry blossoms will soon be blooming. Blue skies, pink blossoms, romantic walks beneath a rain of flower petals…it’s one of the most beautiful times of the year.

Korea’s premier cherry blossom festival is the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival (April 1-10), held in the southeastern port of Jinhae, not far from Busan. In addition to lots and lots of cherry blossoms amid charming, historic surroundings, the festival also boasts military band performances, special markets and a rare opening to the public of the Republic of Korea Naval Academy.

Gyeongju’s Bomun Lake District is full of beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom in early April. There’s an annual cherry blossom festival, to be sure, but what sets Gyeongju’s cherry blossom season apart is its Cherry Marathon (April 9), with full, half, 10 KM and 5 KM runs along the cherry blossom-lined lake. See this link for more details.

In Seoul, there is, of course, the Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (April 4-10), when, it seems, half of Seoul descends on the area around the National Assembly building to stroll beneath its beautiful cherry blossoms. For an extra visual treat, go at night, when the blossoms are lit up.

If you find yourself in the Bukchon/Samcheong-dong area, Samcheong Park and Jeongdok Public Library are also good places to take in the cherry blossoms.

PS: Here’s a list of other spring festivals around Korea, courtesy the KTO.


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


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


FROM SEOUL MAGAZINE

Springtime Mystery

Tongdosa Temple is a garden of tranquility and color


The New Guard of Hotel Bars
See the next generation of luxury at the city’s five-star hotels


AROUND THE WEB

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

 


 

EVENTS

MATA HARI at the Moulin Rouge

The life of World War I spy and legendary femme fatal Mata Hari is brought to the musical stage by an exceptionally talented Korean and international staff that includes Tony Award-nominated director Jeff Calhoun, composer Frank Wildhorn, musical director Kim Nun Jung. K-pop singer-turned-musical star Ock Joo-hyun takes on the role of Mata Hari, the Dutch-born dancer who was executed in 1917 as a double agent working for the Germans. Set against a splendid stage of Paris’ Moulin Rouge, the passionate, beautiful music of Frank Wildhorn will be the highlight of the musical, which has been four years in the making.

VENUE: Blue Square
PERIOD: Mar. 29-Jun. 12
MORE INFO: T. 1544-1591 www.bluesquare.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 60,000-140,000
GETTING THERE: Hangangjin Station (Line 6), Exit 2 or 3

Discounted tickets for Swan Lake

If you’re an expat or tourist, and you haven’t seen Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” this is your chance. The Universal Ballet is offering expats and tourists (and Koreans accompanying said expats and tourists) 20% discounted tickets to its performance of “Swan Lake” at the Universal Arts Center (thu Apr. 3). In order to receive the discount, you should show your passport or alien registration card when you pick up your ticket. The original ticket prices are as follows: R: KRW 100,000, S: KRW 80,000, A: KRW 60,000, B: KRW 10,000.

MORE INFO: Call at 070-7124-1777 or email at amelia2506@naver.com.
GETTING THERE: Exit 4 of Achasan Station (Line 5)

Coffee Expo Seoul 2016

Coffee Expo Seoul, one of the best coffee exhibitions in Korea, will be holding its biggest year on record this April 14 to 17. Doubling the size of last year’s show, which saw more than 33,000 visitors, Coffee Expo Seoul 2016 will be expanding to use both COEX’s halls A and B. The show will once again be co-organized by COEX and the Korea Coffee Association.
Brazil will be featured as the Coffee Expo Guest Country this year, repeating the success of last year’s program which hosted Colombia, one of the top coffee producers in the world. At the marketing stage, Colombian coffee experts educated Coffee Expo Seoul 2015 visitors about food pairings using six different Colombian coffee regions. Brazil will be featuring a number of cultural products related to the coffee industry at this year’s show.

VENUE: COEX Halls A and B
PERIOD: April 14-17
MORE INFO: coffeeexposeoul.com
GETTING THERE: Samseong Station (Line 2)

The Three Musketeers: The Musical

Alexandre Dumas’s novel debuted as a musical in Korea in 2009. Since them, it has been seen by 400,000 fans, enjoying commercial success in not only Korea, but also in Japan, where the Korean production was a major hit. In 2016, it returns to the stage with a new cast and a new energy, but with the same music by Bryan Adams and Michal David, including the theme song, “All For Love.” The lead character of d’Artagnan will be played by one of four different actors: Kai, Park Hyung-sik, CNU and Sandeul.

VENUE: D Cube Art Center
PERIOD: Apr. 1-26
MORE INFO: T. 02-2211-3000
ADMISSION: KRW 60,000-130,000
GETTING THERE: Sindorim Station (Line 1 or 2), Exit 1

Pen Varlen 1916~1990

Pen Varlen was a Russian-Korean artist and educator who was born in Primorsky, or the Maritime Province, Russia, studied art in Saint Petersburg, and spent most of his life in the city. His life and art penetrate not only the modern and contemporary history of Korea such as colonization, division of the nation, war, and ideological conflicts, but also that of Russia, the country which experienced the communist revolution, the Second World War, totalitarianism, the Cold War, Perestroika and Gladnost.

VENUE: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul
PERIOD: Thru May 8
MORE INFO: T. 02-2022-0600
ADMISSION: KRW 3,000
GETTING THERE: 15 minute walk from Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 1

Urban Legends

In celebrating its 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France, Seoul Museum of Art presents Urban Legends, putting forth the outcomes of the exchange program with Palais de Tokyo. Seven international artists selected by the two institutions, crossing over boundaries of gender, nationality and culture, will unfold creative initiatives filled with imaginations based on the urban experience from Seoul and Paris. Their insights from productively misreading the deviating interpretations and misunderstanding caused by limited conditions and environments such as the physical distance between the two cities, psychological and cultural differences, and language barrier create intriguing legends of their own.

VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art
PERIOD: Thru Jul. 24
MORE INFO: T. 02-2124-8800
ADMISSION: Free
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station (Lines 1 or 2), Exit 1

RAS-KB Excursion: The Imjin River: “The Korean War’s Thermopylae”

On 22nd April 1951, the greatest offensive of the Korean War was unleashed: A third of a million communist bayonets surged south. Their key breakthrough point was the Imjin River. Here, for three nights, a brigade fought an army. Then, in a death ride down an enfiladed valley, survivors fought free, but for one battalion, it was too late. The 1st Glosters – cut off and surrounded on an isolated hill – were wiped out in a tragedy that has passed from history into legend.

So immense was this struggle, it was later dubbed “The Armageddon North of Seoul.” The story of a band of outnumbered men, holding a key pass through the hills before being overwhelmed after a last stand, has been compared to Thermopylae, and US general and 8th Army commander James Van Fleet called the Glosters’ action, “The greatest example of unit bravery in modern warfare.”

RAS Council Member Andrew Salmon, author of the double award-winning “To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea, 1951″ will be your guide. He will brief you on both the tactical and strategic pictures, presenting maps, photographs and paintings, as he reveals what it was like to fight China’s awesome “human wave.”

VENUE: Paju, Gyeonggi-do
DATE: Apr. 9
COST: KRW 60,000 for members, KRW 72,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.


 

EVERYDAY KOREANS


Visitors wearing colorful hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace. Photo by Robert Koehler of SEOUL

NOTIFICATIONS

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.

Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Website
Website
Email
Email


SEOUL (March 2016)


Buy Books at Seoul Selection’s ONLINE Bookshop!


SPONSORS














RECOMMENDED


Korean Folk Songs


NEW BOOKS


SEOUL (March 2016)


SEOUL (February 2016)


SNU Korean 3B Workbook


SNU Korean 3B Student’s Book


Commentary on the Dharma of Timeless Zen

Copyright © , All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is: