SEOUL Weekly: ‘Korean Language for Beginners’

Seoul Selection is pleased to announce the release of “Korean Language for Beginners.”

Written by Korean language and history professor Andrea De Benedittis, this book is a complete guide for people who want to learn the Korean language, starting from the very beginning, and learn the alphabet and the correct sounds of vowels, consonants and diphthongs. It was written for people who want an easy but systemic approach to the language. The writer is a non-native speaker who achieved fluency in Korean – he even won a translation award from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea – despite starting from zero. After a few weeks of study, you will start to recognize words, make sentences, and have simple (but miraculous) conversations with other Korean speakers.

COST: KRW 13,900

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

• Han Kang talks about winning the Man Booker Prize.
• The scenic and cultural charms of Incheon.
• Love of K-culture is driving people to learn K-language.
• A trio of Korean films is drawing interest at Cannes.
• An old market in Gwangju gets a bit of the hip.
• Beautiful Bongeunsa Temple at night.
• A Haeundae cityscape.
• Rice paddies at sunrise, Gyeongju.
• A train crosses the river.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

Seoul Jazz Festival 2016

In spring, Seoul’s lovely Olympic Park plays host to the city’s preeminent jazz event, featuring performances by top artists from Korea and the rest of the world. This year’s program stars Pat Metheny, Mark Ronson, Esperanza Spalding, the Nat King Cole Tribute, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jason Derulo and much, much more. Get your tickets now while you’ve still got a chance!

VENUE: Olympic Park
DATES: May 28-29
MORE INFO: www.seouljazz.co.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 125,000-220,000
GETTING THERE: Olympic Park Station (Line 5), Exit 3

Seoul Jazz Festival Royal Night Out 2016

The warm-up event for the Seoul Jazz Festival is a must-see show in and of itself. Really a celebration to mark the 10th year of the festival, this night of music features the best-loved acts of previous years, including Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, English jazz-pop singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum, Norwegian indie folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience and Dutch pop artist Wouter Hamel.

VENUE: Olympic Park
DATE: May 27
MORE INFO: www.seouljazz.co.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 135,000
GETTING THERE: Olympic Park Station (Line 5), Exit 3

Jeong-dong Culture Night

Jeong-dong Culture Night is a romantic trip back in time. Some 29 spots in the historic Jeong-dong district will be opened to the public at night. Some locations will also host performances and other cultural events. Seoul’s old “legation quarter,” Jeong-dong is home to the magnificent Deoksugung Palace as well as old churches, schools, embassies and other historic buildings. Interpreters are available for international visitors. You can also make use of the Myeong-dong Smart Tour app for your mobile device, which provides travel information in English, Japanese and Chinese.

VENUE: Jeong-dong area, Seoul
DATES: May 27-28
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station (Line 1), Exit 1

Seoul Drum Festival 2016

Seoul Drum Festival (May 27-28), is one of the city’s best loved international celebrations. Marking its 18th year, the festival features a wide range of performances by famous Korean and international drummers and even local amateurs. Jojo Mayer & Nerve, Alexis Von Kraven, Aric Improta, Deantoni Parks, Im Yong-hun Band, Easternmost and DJ Konstanine n Tweed are just some of the acts who will take the stage.

VENUE: Seoul Plaza
PERIOD: May 27-28, 2 PM to 10 PM
MORE INFO: T. 070-5057-2722, www.seouldrum.go.kr
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station (Line 1), Exit 6

RASKB Excursion: Daehangno and Hyehwa-dong, an Architectural Walk

During this excursion of Daehangno and Hyehwa-dong, participants will look at a variety of styles of Korean architecture in the 20th century. The excursion will begin around Marronnier Park, which were Seoul National University and its Japanese colonial forerunner, the Gyeongseong Imperial University were located. Several university buildings built during the colonial period still stand, including the former headquarters building which was designed by Park Kil-yong (1898-1943), a noted Korean architect during the colonial period. The Marronnier Park area is also home to three buildings designed by Kim Swoo-geun (1931-86), Korea’s most famous architect. The buildings have ornate brick work and multi-leveled spaces, which typify Kim’s style in the 1970s…(click here to continue)

VENUE: Daehangno area
DATE: May 28
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.
ADMISSION: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members

Sunset over Seoul, seen from Namhansanseong Fortress. Photo by Robert Koehler of SEOUL.

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 sense@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 marmotshole@gmail.com.