Happy Chuseok! There’s plenty to do during the long holiday
Seoul Selection would like to wish everyone a happy Chuseok holiday.
If trends are anything to go by, you may very well be traveling this holiday. If so, have a nice trip. If you’re staying in Korea, however, there’s a lot to do and see.
Seoul Selection Bookshop (T. 02-734-9565), too, will be open on the afternoon of Sept. 14 and the afternoon of Sept. 16. We will be closed on Sept. 15, however.
“Halfy/The Green Frog Who Never Listened to His Mom” Volume 2 of the “English Korean Folktales” series
Let’s read traditional Korean folk tales in Korean and English!
Out of the countless tales that are widely known to many Korean readers, 23 especially colorful and entertaining ones have been selected and edited into 12 volumes. The second volume of the series is “Halfy / The Green Frog Who Never Listened to His Mom.”
1 “Halfy”
Having only one eye, ear, and arm, Halfy suffered from prejudices and taunts from his family and neighbors due to his appearance. Nevertheless, he overcame hardships thanks to his kindness and great strength and grew into a strapping young man. Having reached a marriageable age, Halfy won the heart of the younger sister of O-bok in the neighboring village with his excellent wit and earnest heart. Then he began to undergo changes…
2 “The Green Frog Who Never Listened to His Mom”
Once upon a time, there lived two green frogs, a mother and her son, by a pond. The son always did exactly the opposite of what his mother told him to. Always vexed because of this, the mother frog eventually fell ill and was bedridden. Thinking that her son would do the opposite of what was bidden, before dying, she asked him to bury her by a stream instead of in a mountain…
Price: KRW 13,000.
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Commercially and critically acclaimed U.K. indie rock band The Cribs comes to the comfy confines of Itaewon’s Hyundai Understage. Formed by twin brothers Gary and Ryan Jarman and younger brother Ross Jarman in 2001, The Cribs are one of the most popular indie acts in the U.K.; its last three albums have made the UK Top 10. Regulars at the world’s top music festivals, the group has earned particular affection for its energetic live performances. This performance will feature hits like “Burning For No One,” “We Share The Same Skies” and “I’m a Realist.”
VENUE: Hyundai Understage DATE: Sept. 13 ADMISSION: KRW 88,000 MORE INFO: T. 02-3141-3488 GETTING THERE: Hangangjin Station (Line 6), Exit 3
Park Nohae Exhibit: Angin Caldera
Poet, activist and photographer Park Nohae hosts an exhibit of his photographs of Indonesia. A nation of 18,000 islands, Indonesia – the forth largest country in terms of population – is a land of fire, with the world’s largest number of volcanoes. The volcano is both a giver and a taker, an agent of destruction and revolutionary change that has also produced Indonesia’s rich, fertile land. Park’s photos include breathtaking landscapes and intimate portraits of a people living amidst the volcanoes’ legacy.
VENUE: Ra Cafe Gallery PERIOD: Thru Dec. 28 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: T. 02-379-1975 GETTING THERE: Take bus 7022, 7212 or 1020 from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 3.
Anthony Browne Exhibition: Happy Museum
This exhibit features over 200 original works by renowned picture book illustrator Anthony Browne, including his early works, new paintings that has never been seen before and the works in collaboration with both international and local artists whose expertise is in media art, kinetic art, illustration and paper art. The large-scaled collective exhibition harmonizes with the dreamy video art work, a miniature musical play, a huge kinetic installation and the educational activities. Browne won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration – the highest honor in the world of children’s literature – in 2000.
VENUE: Seoul Arts Center PERIOD: Thru Sept. 25 ADMISSION: KRW 12,000 MORE INFO: T. 02-3143-4360 GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.
SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul 2014
Sharing the “post-museum†vision of Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul is a recurring international survey of contemporary art, with a focus on media art and other art forms that pertain to the concept of media.
The ninth edition of SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul is held in all branches of Seoul Museum of Art under the title NERIRI KIRURU HARARA. The biennale is composed of exhibitions, summer camps, publication projects and programs, all conceived as interdependent components. The Artistic Director and Curator is Beck Jee-sook.
The works and projects participating in Mediacity Seoul 2016 allude, or relay suggestions to the following questions: how to formulate individual and common expectations out of unsought-for inheritances, be it war, disaster, poverty or displacement; how to generate as many versions of futures as possible and imagine plots of radical discontinuity, within the context of South Korea that is marooned in a peninsula-cum-island; and finally, how to enable time-slip into these futures through the language of art and the capabilities of media.
VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art, all branches PERIOD: Thru Nov. 20 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: T. 02-2124-8973, mediacityseoul.kr
Ritual Porcelains of Joseon Dynasty
Since ancient times, there has been a bond that tied us humans to the skies, the earth, and our ancestors. These were our ancestral rites, and we made vessels to present offerings in the rites. These ritual vessels were offered to show thankfulness to the gods and also to be blessed; they were vessels that traversed time and space.
Society in the Joseon Dynasty was based upon Confucianism, which emphasized the importance of memorial services to ancestors. Ritual vessels were thus one of the most essential and significant items in Joseon society. Ceramic ritual vessels were not merely used in ancestral rites but were also appreciated as works of art. They represented the “courtesy” culture of Joseon society.
The National Museum of Korea is therefore pleased to present, for the very first time, a collection of ceramic ritual vessels to enhance public awareness of its beauty and to elevate people’s interest in them.
VENUE: National Museum of Korea PERIOD: Thru Oct. 23 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: T. 2077-949 GETTING THERE: Ichon Station (Line 1)
RAS-KB: Chuseok in Seoraksan
Spend Chuseok in the countryside with the RAS, enjoying the fantastic, unspoiled natural scenery of Inner and South Sorak Mountain. Most tourists visiting Seoraksan National Park go only to the more frequently visited sights of Outer Sorak, and are unaware of the beautiful and remote Inner Sorak range. Inner Sorak is wilder, more natural, and little touched by man– truly an undiscovered natural paradise.
VENUE: Seoraksan National Park, Gangwon-do PERIOD: Sept. 15-16 ADMISSION: KRW 258,000-298,000 MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.
EVERYDAY KOREANS
Geunjeongjeon Hall, Gyeongbokgung Palace. Photo by Robert Koehler of SEOUL.
NOTIFICATIONS
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.
SEOUL Magazine: Rebooted