Jan 29, 2013 / Issue No. 565

 

 

Around the Web

 

Is North Korea cracking down on South Korean cultural products?

 

The Telegraph looks at the North Korean film industry.

 

Speaking of North Korea, it looks like it’s finally on Google Maps.

 

K-pop is boosting Korea’s public diplomacy.

 

It’s difficult being a 20-something in Korea.

 

There are people who apparently enjoy icediving in Gangwon-do’s frozen rivers.

 

Dale goes off to Unheungsa Temple.

 

If you read Korean and want to learn how to take better nighttime photographs, check out this post.

 

What to do when you get stuck in Hoegi Station.

 

Relax in one of Korea’s natural spas.

Events

 

A large collection of American paintings and decorative art will travel to Korea for a rare exhibition titled Art Across America. The showcase is designed to offer an in-depth look into America’s fine art tradition, which spans well over 300 years, since precolonial times. Drawn from the collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Terra Foundation, the show is due to open at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Feb 4 and run until May 19. Afterwards, the exhibition will move to the Daejeon Museum of Art.

 

VENUE: National Museum of Korea

PERIOD: Feb 5–May 19

ADMISSION: 12,000 won

MORE INFO: T. 02-2077-9000, www.museum.go.kr

GETTING THERE: Take the underpass at Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line, Line 4).

 

 

Born in Korea in 1978, Yiruma moved to the United Kingdom at age 11 to study at the Purcell School of Music in London. In 2000, he graduated from King’s College London, and he released his first album in 2001. His music and performances proved incredibly popular in Europe, North America, and particularly in Asia, where his popularity was furthered by his participation on the soundtracks of popular Korean dramas like KBS’s 2006 Spring Waltz.

 

VENUE: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center

DATE: Feb 2, 7pm

ADMISSION: R: 99,000 won, S: 77,000 won, A: 55,000 won, B: 33,000 won

MORE INFO: T. 02-530-0900, www.sac.or.kr

GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429

 

 

Famous for its part in creating the “shoegazing” sound, My Bloody Valentine has had a long and illustrious history. Formed in Dublin way back in 1983, the band was inactive for a long period of time, from the early 1990s to 2007. Since then, the band has given several international performances, and it is even—allegedly—preparing to launch a third album. If My Bloody Valentine’s unique blend of digital reverb, pitch bending, and distortion is to your liking—or if you’ve never heard it before and want to find out more—make sure you book tickets to see them at Uniqlo AX (former AX-Korea) on February 3.

 

VENUE: Uniqlo AX

DATE: Feb 3

ADMISSION: 110,000 won

MORE INFO: T. 02-332-3277,

Tickets: http://ticket.interpark.com/global

GETTING THERE: Gwangnaru Station 광나루역 (Line 5), Exit 2

 

 

The Special Olympics World Winter Games 2013 will take place Jan 29 through Feb 6 in Pyeongchang, the hub of Korea’s winter sports and the venue for the 2018 Winter Olympics. 

About 3,300 athletes and officials from some 120 countries will compete in seven events such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, speed skating, figure skating, and floor hockey. 

Targeting both children and adults with mental disabilities, the global sporting event has been held every two years since 1968 and alternates between summer and winter editions. The winter version was introduced in 1977.

The Games aims to bring a number of important issues to the forefront of international discussion and provides invaluable support for intellectually disabled individuals throughout the world, making a positive impact in countless lives.

 

VENUE: Pyeongchang (Alpensia Resort and Yongpyong Resort) & Gangneung (Indoor Ice Rink)

PERIOD: Jan 29–Feb 6

MORE INFO: T. 033-339-0000, www.2013sopoc.org 

GETTING THERE: Dong Seoul Terminal → Bus to Hyeonggye: 23 times a day, 06:32am–08:05pm, 2h 30m

 

 

 

DATE: Feb 10–11

COST: 248,000 won for members and 278,000 won for non-members

MORE INFO: See this link.

GETTING THERE: See link above.

Everyday Koreans

Walk with the Stars concert held at Olympic Park. Photo by Arnab Sen.

 

 

Notifications

 

Seoul Selection via Ingram – Seoul Selection now has a direct wholesale distribution agreement with Ingram Book Group, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of publisher content. By choosing to allow Ingram to represent our material, we have opened our titles to a wider audience. Our titles will be available for order through Ingram at more than 35,000 distribution channels worldwide. Ask your local bookstore to have Seoul Selection titles available!

 

Send Your Event Info – If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material at book@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 book@seoulselection.com.

We Buy & Sell Used Books – Seoul Selection buys and sells used books in English. Unlike our regular selection of publications that specialize in Korea-related topics, our Used Book section carries books on all subjects. It’s all part of our effort to make life easier for the English-speaking community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEOUL

(January 2013)

 

Korea Witness: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm

 

The Thieves

 

STORYTELLING ASIA Delhi

 

Cours de coreen

 

Arirang of Korea : Han, Sorrows and Hope

 

The Firekeeper’s Son

 

Waxen Wings: The Acta Koreana Anthology of Short Fiction from Korea

 

Two Moons

 

Drifting Away

 

The Neighbors

 

Dangerous Liaisons

 

Padak

Jan 23, 2013 / Issue No. 564

Sure, the weather today might be dreary, but take heart—the February issue of SEOUL is out in a bookstore near you! In this issue of SEOUL, we explore Yeouido’s 63 Building and new IFC, visit Jeju-do for the Daeboreum Fire Festival, talk with Korean model Sung Hee Kim, do some Valentine’s Day shopping, and much, much more. And don’t forget our Goings-On Around Town section, your guide to the month’s festivals, performances, and events.

Around the Web

Is your fan trying to kill you?

Some folk in the Chinese media are clearly not fans of K-pop.

The tough economy has die-hard golfers heading indoors.

Gangnam Style apparently has many different meanings.

Check out the trailer to Park Chan-wook’s upcoming film Stoker.

I had no idea Yecheon had a space center. And I lived in the next town over for three years.

Seeing the East Sea from Bohyeongsa Temple.

Busan’s beautiful skyline at night.

Koee Coffee… yum.

Mt. Maisan covered in snow.

Events

Apple premium reseller Concierge is holding a special seven-day event (Jan 25–Jan 31) at all its shops where you can get great deals on Apple products. Carryover Macs, iPads, and iPods will be offered for 15% off, and display Macs, iPads, and iPods for 30% off.

French pianist Hélène Grimaud is back and presenting a solo recital program from her album Resonances, released in 2010. The album reflects Grimaud’s imaginative approach to this stimulating compilation of masterpieces. Grimaud will bring all her artistic maturity and a perfect balance between intellect and emotion to bear on highly dramatic sonatas by Mozart, Liszt, and Berg as well as Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances.

Since launching her professional career with Daniel Barenboim and the Orchestre de Paris in 1987, she has performed with three generations of conductors, including Kurt Masur, Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Pierre Boulez, Ricardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Jurowski, Fabio Luisi and Andris Nelsons. Also an exclusive Deutche Grammophon artist since 2002, Hélène is one of DG’s most important recording artists, with a string of imaginative and highly successful discs.

W. A. Mozart l Piano Sonata No.8 in a minor, K.310

A. Berg l Piano Sonata, Op.1

F. Liszt l Piano Sonata in b minor, S.178

B. Bartok l Romanian Folk Dances, Sz.56

* Program is subject to change without notice.

American dream pop duo Beach House comes to Korea. Said TIME about them, “Vocals that soar with joy while breaking your heart.”

VENUE: Interpark Art Center

DATE: Jan 23, 8pm

ADMISSION: 77,000 won (66,000 won in advance)

Tickets: http://ticket.interpark.com/global

MORE INFO: T. 02-3445-9650

GETTING THERE: Hapjeong Station 합정역  (Lines 2, 6), Exits 9 or 10. The hall is located in Mecenatpolis.

Locals celebrate Mt. Taebaeksan’s snowy majesty every winter with a festival featuring an international snow sculpture exhibit, winter games like sledding and sleigh rides, and plenty of beautiful winter scenery. KORAIL runs extra “Snow Flower” trains at this time, too.

VENUE: Hwangji Lake/O2 Resort/Mt. Taebaeksan, Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do

PERIOD: Jan 25–Feb 3

ADMISSION: Depends on program

MORE INFO: T. 033-550-2085, http://festival.taebaek.go.kr

GETTING THERE: Take the bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Taebaek. The trip takes three and a half hours.

The Special Olympics World Winter Games 2013 will take place Jan 29 through Feb 6 in Pyeongchang, the hub of Korea’s winter sports and the venue for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

About 3,300 athletes and officials from some 120 countries will compete in seven events such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, speed skating, figure skating, and floor hockey.

Targeting both children and adults with mental disabilities, the global sporting event has been held every two years since 1968 and alternates between summer and winter editions. The winter version was introduced in 1977.

The Games aims to bring a number of important issues to the forefront of international discussion and provides invaluable support for intellectually disabled individuals throughout the world, making a positive impact in countless lives.

VENUE: Pyeongchang (Alpensia Resort and Yongpyong Resort) & Gangneung (Indoor Ice Rink)

PERIOD: Jan 29–Feb 6

MORE INFO: T. 033-339-0000, www.2013sopoc.org

GETTING THERE: Dong Seoul Terminal → Bus to Hyeonggye: 23 times a day, 06:32am–08:05pm, 2h 30m

DATE: Feb 10—11

COST: 248,000 won for members and 278,000 won for non-members

MORE INFO: See this
link.

GETTING THERE: See link above.

Everyday Koreans

Sunrise from Mt. Taebaeksan. Photo by Robert Koehler.

Notifications

Seoul Selection via Ingram – Seoul Selection now has a direct wholesale distribution agreement with Ingram Book Group, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of publisher content. By choosing to allow Ingram to represent our material, we have opened our titles to a wider audience. Our titles will be available for order through Ingram at more than 35,000 distribution channels worldwide. Ask your local bookstore to have Seoul Selection titles available!

Send Your Event Info – If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material at book@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 book@seoulselection.com.

We Buy & Sell Used Books – Seoul Selection buys and sells used books in English. Unlike our regular selection of publications that specialize in Korea-related topics, our Used Book section carries books on all subjects. It’s all part of our effort to make life easier for the English-speaking community.

SEOUL

(January 2013)

The Beautiful Patterns of KOREA 2 : Tile, Butterfly, Dancheong, Jangseok

Im Kwon Taek Collection Boxset

The Firekeeper’s Son

Waxen Wings: The Acta Koreana Anthology of Short Fiction from Korea

Korea Witness: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm

Myeangsim Bogam

Managing Transnational Flows in East Asia

The Thieves

The Neighbors

200 Pounds Beauty

Dangerous Liaisons

Padak