Art • Theater • Concerts • Film • Community • Fitness • Dine & Drink • Nightlife • TRAVEL
Korea awaits! • december 2010 VOL. 3 NO. 3
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A Korean Christmas Printed using 100% soy ink.
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10 Patjuk, the Winter Solstice Snack
Those pesky red beans return in this sweet porridge.
12 The Gecko’s Guy
You’ve been to the bar, but have you met the man behind it all?
16 Journey to the Center of the Gold Mine
Shot by i a n h e n d e r so n
In the early 20th century, reaching Korea’s gold mines was no easy feat.
18 Big Eats in Little Russia
These Central Asian restaurants give you another reason to visit Dongdaemun.
22 Help with the Holiday Blues
Seoul square ice Rink
Ten great tips for staying happy over the holidays.
27 Better Skate than Never Korea’s ice skating rinks open this month.
72 Merry Skimas
Watch out for runaway skis and other hazards on the ski slopes.
Shot by S im o n Bo nd
decemBER 2010 vol. 3 No. 3
24 A M e r r i e r Ch r is t m a s
There’s no excuse to feel bored or go hungry this Christmas after you learn where to find entertaining holiday events and delicious ingredients for home cooking.
60 Ayesha Restaurant in Suwon Stop by this Indian restaurant next time you’re near Suwon Station.
62 Coal Mining and Shamanism in Taebaek 38 Movie Reviews Paul Matthews gives you the scoop on Midnight FM, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and Last Chance Harvey.
Explore this rapidly chagning city and hike Taebaek Mountain.
40 Christmas Books as Christmas Presents Add some holiday books to your holiday shopping list.
42 Good Grub at 3 Alley Pub Sure, they’ve got Alley Kat, but don’t forget to try the food.
53 Twelve Days of Christmas Rocky Mountain Tavern’s Christmas countdown begins!
For information about concerts by pianist Lang Lang (above), Michael Bolton, and Olivia Newton-John, see the Seoul calendar on p. 48.
FROM THE EDITOR
Happy Holidays!
T
he G20 has come and gone and now we’re in the midst of a wonderful holiday season in Korea. Last month I shared some tips for people visiting for the G20, and this month I’d like to share some tips for my many friends who will be spending their first holiday season in Korea.
CEO Executive Editor Managing Editor Assistant Editor
• First, as a general guideline: – Christmas Eve = Our New Year’s Eve while... – New Year’s Eve = Our Christmas Eve • Christmas Eve is a huge date night/party night. Single friends will be whining about not having someone to share the holiday with and partaking of spiked eggnog like crazy. (Actually they just drink soju spiked with beer.) • Christmas is spent recovering from the hangover. • Pay attention to 10magazine.asia/2010-christmas-dinner for the location of places where you can get a traditional Western holiday feast with all the fixins. • New Year’s Eve is likely to be a quiet night spent at home for people with families. Young singles will of course still take it as a reason to drink and party, particularly since this year December 31st is a Friday and January 1st is of course a Saturday off. • The only real Korean custom for New Year’s is the ringing of the bell in Jonggak, which is actually an amazing experience. There will be massive crowds and revelry as the bell is rung to bring in the new year. Consider it Seoul’s equivalent of the ball dropping in New York City. • Be sure to visit 10magazine.asia/2010-new-years for a constantly updated list of parties and things to do on New Year’s Eve. My first Christmas was quite an experience. I arrived December 15th, 1995, so you can imagine that I may have been a tad homesick. Despite the homesickness, I got together with some other newcomers to recreate that Christmas feeling as best we could - and did a pretty good job I’d say. Recreate what you can, which is a heck of a lot more than we ever could back then. Our whole cover story this month is about all of the wonderful ways you can enjoy Christmas in Korea - the light shows, the ice skating and best of all, the food. Personally, this year I’ll be in Vegas. You all enjoy yourselves. S t e p h e n R e v e r e , M anaging E ditor
Sang-tae Kim sangtaekim@10magazine.asia Jai-yoon Kim jaiyoonkim@10magazine.asia Stephen Revere sr@10magazine.asia David Carruth dc@10magazine.asia
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Contributors Aaron Allinson, Tracie Barrett, Michael Berry Simon Bond, Andy Clay, Matthew C. Crawford Matthew Crompton, Samantha Dix-Hill Eli Fehler, Curtis File, Scott Hemsey Ian Henderson, Ciaran Hickey, Melissa Langley Angela Lee, Grace Lee, Min-jeong Lee, Song Lee Sun-kyung Lee, Mike Luedke, Stafford Lumsden Paul Matthews, Rob McGovern, Joe McPherson Charles Montgomery, Pamela Muñoz Robert Neff, Daniel O’Sullivan, Anna Orzel Jacob Roy, Jason Ryan, Hyeon-seung Ryu Brook Sauer, Stacey Siebritz, Jason Teale Barri Tsavaris, Derek Winchester, Lisa Xing
Does the cover look familiar? It’s an adaptation of Norman Rockwell’s famous painting Freedom from Want, which was originally published in the Saturday Evening Post on March 6th, 1943. Expat artist Mike Stewart brings the familiar holiday meal into a more Korean setting, with the grandparents wearing Korean hanbok. We hope your Christmas meal is as delicious as the one on our cover looks!
A Shot of Korean by Stephen Revere
됐어요. [Dwaess-eo-yo] : Don’t bother. (Whatever./I’m not interested.) I’d say this one is used about a dozen times a day by every Korean and you’ll never see it taught in a Korean book. That’s ‘cause it ain’t so polite and Koreans only like to teach you the politest way possible to speak - despite the fact that few people speak that way. There are plenty of nice and super-polite ways to say, “No, thank you” but this isn’t one of them. It could be rude, but that all depends on your inflection and intonation more than the words themselves. Give a Korean friend a few situations where they’d be rejecting someone with this phrase and get them to sample the intonation for you a few times. Then repeat the facial expressions and intonation - and try not to laugh. Bet you can’t do it. More often than not you’ll hear this in the low form, which is used among friends and family: 됐어. (Dwaess-eo.) - Don’t bother. Check out Survival Korean and Survival Korean: Basic Grammar Skills for more Korean lessons from 10’s Managing Editor, Stephen Revere.
4 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Please Recycle This Magazine 10 Magazine December Vol. 3 No. 3 등록번호: 용산 라 00184 (Registration: Yongsan Ra 00184) Address 서울시 용산구 한남동 737-37 1001호 Hannam Building #1001, 737-37 Hannam-dong Yongsan-gu, Seoul 140-893 Phone 02-3447-1610 www.10magazine.asia 10 Magazine is published monthly by 10 Media Inc. © All Rights Reserved.
CONTRIBUTORS Tracie Barrett (p. 69) is originally from Aotearoa/New Zealand but has traveled in 20-ish countries, meeting new people, experiencing diverse cultures and writing as she goes. She first came to Korea in 2001 and keeps coming back. A professional journalist, her Korean credentials include stints editing at the JoongAng Daily and Jeju Weekly and she is also a contributor to the Yonhap News Agency. Bethany Carlson Photography
Bethany Carlson Photography
Curtis File (p. 61) is from St. George, Ontario and enjoys playing piano, traveling and food—lots of it. Before leaving the Great White North he hosted a radio documentary show. He now works as a teacher and a freelance journalist in Uijeongbu.
Ian Henderson (p. 18) hails from the Cape Fear area of North Carolina and has been in Korea for the past two years, keeping his phonics skills well-honed. He can also be found scavenging for bits of the extreme music underground, craft microbrews, and anywhere documentaries are screened. Mike Luedke (p. 66) comes from a place known in Algonquian as “the Good Land”—Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Still grieving the passage of Busan’s beach season, he can now be found playing guitar for his blues and hip hop bands and sampling every brand of sake within reach. Daniel O’Sullivan (p. 43) is a teacher and food blogger from Belfast, Northern Ireland. An ex-Busanite turned Seoul convert, he spends much of his time pounding the streets in search of Korea’s best street food. Join him on his curbside quest at streetfoodie.com.
10 Magazine December 2010 | 5
LETTERS I am a Korean guy living in Seoul and I love reading your magazine. It is really informative about events in Korea. Actually I didn’t know too much about foreigner life in Korea until I started reading 10 Magazine. It is a great way to find out about foreigner events and I can meet foreigners living in Korea. I lived in Australia for two years and I miss hanging out with foreigners. I first heard about the World DJ Festival
from 10 Magazine back in May and I really wanted to go so I went. I met so many people there. It was a lot of fun and I didn’t even know these kind of events existed in Seoul before I read the magazine - and I am from Seoul! I love eating foreign foods and there are many advertisements about that. Reading the magazine also helps me practice English. Thank you 10! Myung-pil Ahn, Seoul Great to hear from you Myung-pil. We’re very happy to see our Korean audience growing. Our original goal is to help foreigners enjoy Korea, but if we could help Koreans learn about foreigners and what’s happening in Korea as well, then we’d be even happier. Tell your friends! *
Win Two Tickets to the Robert Delpire Photo Exhibit by Sending Us a Letter How to Win
1. Type up a paragraph letting us know how you feel about the December issue, especially the events we included. 2. Email your letter to comments@10magazine.asia by December 15th. 3. Excerpts from 2-3 letters will run in the January issue. If your letter is selected, you will be sent two tickets to the Robert Delpire Photo Exhibit (W20,000 value). For more info on the exhibit, please see p. 37.
*
*
Just thought I would send you a message about some wrong Jeju information on your latest October 10 Magazine. The restaurant “El Paso” has long closed down and is no longer in existence. There is however, a restaurant called “Zapata’s” within the neighborhood which is also a Mexican bistro type eatout. It would be wise to take out the El Paso list as I have seen and heard about foreigners wandering about forever looking for the non existent restaurant. Also, in case you are interested, there is another fabulous Indian restaurant in the Sin-Jeju area called “Raj Mahal”. You can probably find it and include it in the next issue. Jenie Hahn, Jeju Thanks so much Jenie! We’ve done the research, and the restaurants have been adjusted as you recommended.
Blog of the Month
Homebrew Korea
homebrewkorea.com So maybe you’re new to this country and you’re looking for a new community to join and something to fill those off hours. Or perhaps you’re an amateur brew master who’s looking for a nice creative outlet for your talents. Or you could be more into the consumption rather than the production side of fermented water, barley and hops. Whatever your pleasure, fans of the brew, we’ve got the blog for you. Homebrew Korea is the passion of beer lover and Bundang resident, Rob Titley. Rob has been at it for over two years now, but he’s picked up the pace in recent months. He provides great coaching to newbies in the beer-brewing world as well as periodic updates on new and interesting beers being added to the Korean beer scene, be they domestic or imported. His blog has become a great place to congregate for beer lovers of all kinds, who discuss both how to brew their own beers and which places serve the best pilsners, ales and dunkels. He’s also become more active with offline meetups and brewing contests. For beer lovers of all kinds, this is the place to congregate and allow some great new relationships to ferment.
Korea by the Numbers
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Amount of beef that Koreans consume on average per year. In Australia, the US and Argentina the comparable numbers are 34, 40 and 67 respectively. Statistics courtesy of Meat & Livestock Australia. Source: mla.com.au
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74kg
Per capita rice consumption for 2009.
35kg Per capita consumption of kimchi.
Tons of kimchi consumed by South Koreans annually.
6 | 10 Magazine December 2010
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THE READER'S 10
Who Is Your Favorite Korean Actor or Actress?
S
o our Reader’s 10 for the month started out just like any other. We threw up the open thread and took plenty of recommendations from our readers, then we compiled them all into a list and put up our online poll. From there people started voting for their favorite Korean actor or actress. And then about a day into our poll, a strange thing happened. Cha Seung-won went from the middle of the pack to a massive lead in no time. It was amazing. How could he possibly be so popular amongst our readers? Upon inspection of the IP addresses of votes we quickly found out that nearly every single vote for Mr. Cha was from Taiwan. Apparently, a Taiwanese Cha Seung-won fan club discovered our little poll and decided to make sure their man was the winner - he ended up with 60% of the total vote. Well, they got their wish, but we recommend you take the #1 spot on this month’s list with a grain of salt. 10
3
8 10. Choi Min-sik 9. Song Seung-hun 8. Jung Woo-sung 7. Jeon Do-yeon 7
6. Song Kang-ho
9
5. Won Bin 4. Lee Sun-gyun 3. Lee Hyo-ri 2. Lee Byung-hun 6 4
1. Cha Seung-won 5 2
1
Make Your Vote Count for Korean Charities We’ve got a HUGE one for our January 2011 Reader’s 10! 10 Magazine is going to be sponsoring charities all of next year. Which ones? You pick the charities! Each of the top 10 charities in the Reader’s 10 will get a 1-page advertisement in 10 next year, and the #1 charity will get 3 different full-page advertisements and W5,000,000 worth of support over the course of the year! Head over to our website to propose your candidates in our open thread until December 5th.* Voting will take place December 6th - 12th, and the winners will be announced in our January issue. * Only fully registered, 100% non-profit organizations in Korea will be eligible. 10 Magazine December 2010 | 7
Advertorial
Celebrating Christmas at Home With Christmas just around the corner, the question on everyone’s lips is what to eat, or rather, where to dine. Hotels and eateries have managed to do a good job of keeping the expat community happy during the festive season with holiday meals, but what about those that want a warm and fuzzy Christmas at home? Easy. Just follow these simple recipes for a hearty homemade feast that will bring all the nostalgia of the season into your home.
Sirloin Roast with Peppercorns and Garlic Roast dishes are always a popular option for festive cooking. They’re easy to cook and can be prepared well in advance, ready to be served as soon as guests arrive. Turkey is the traditional option, but hard to come by in Korea – so try roast beef this time. Red meat is high in protein, omega 3, and kids love it! Ingredients (serves 4 – 6) • 1½ kg piece sirloin/porterhouse • 2 whole garlic bulbs, halved • 2 tbsp mixed dried peppercorns, roughly crushed • 1 tbsp salt flakes • Roasted carrots and parsnips to serve
Method 1 Preheat oven to 200ºC. Brush beef and garlic bulbs lightly with oil. Combine the crushed peppercorns and salt, then rub over the beef. 2 Place the beef on a rack in a roasting dish and add the garlic bulbs. Add ½ cup water to the roasting dish. Roast for 60 minutes for rare, 75 minutes for medium and 90 minutes for well done. 3 Remove the beef roast, cover loosely with foil and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. 4 Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Serve roast with garlic, roasted carrots and parsnips.
French Mulled Wine Nothing goes better with a roast beef meal than a nice glass of red wine, particularly at this time of year. For something really special this year, try Vin Chaud, a fruity flavored French-style mulled wine. Ingredients (serves 4 – 6) • One bottle of red wine • One peeled and sliced orange • Orange zest (optional) • 1/4 cup of brandy • 8-10 cloves • 2/3 cup honey or sugar • 3 cinnamon sticks • 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp ground ginger (alternate spices can be substituted) 8 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Method 1 Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. 2 Warm the ingredients on low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. 3 Ladle the mulled wine over a mug (leave seasonings behind).
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the longer hours of daylight to come. The porridge was used to mark the door of the house, since the color red was viewed as a charm that could repel mischievous spirits. Bowls of patjuk were then offered up to the ancestors and shared with neighbors. After all this tiring work, the porridge itself was finally eaten as the beans contain many nutritional and health benefits. Traditions fade, and “today’s” belief in the patjuk’s ghost-busting power is not as strong as it once was. But the dish is still as delicious as ever, and the seasonal red and white of a good bowl of patjuk will fit right in with your year-end festivities. The Donji FAQ
팥죽
Red Bean Porridge Forget fruitcake—Korea’s end-of-the-year treat is a porridge made of red beans and rice. W o r d s by c iara n h i c k e y, e x e c u t i v e c h e f o f t h e w s e o u l wa l k e r h i l l
I
t seems that wherever I work, there are a few local dishes that make their way into my comfort food zone. You know the ones: they’re usually part of the daily routine or an indispensable part of a holiday or celebration. In my case, such dishes have included West Indian rum cake at Christmas and Turkish breakfast on weekends. Here in Seoul, my comfort foods are spicy udon on Saturdays, Insadong hotteok on cold days, and finally patjuk. I first came across patjuk at work, as we like to serve this at our year-end employee parties, and let me just saythis stuff is popular. Like a great deal of dishes here, it isn’t the most pleasi ng on the eye, but it more than makes up for it in taste. One of the main reasons
10
10 Magazine December 2010
I enjoy patjuk is its remarkable likeness to the breakfast oatmeal I used to have every day before school. Even though they couldn’t look any more different, in taste they seem like long-lost cousins. So where did patjuk come from? Traditionally, this porridge dish of red beans (pat 팥), sticky rice and mini dumplings made with rice powder (sae-al-sim 새알심) was traditionally served on the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice (dongji 동지). It’s quite simple to make: red beans (referred to as azuki beans in Japan) are cooked slowly with sticky rice until they form a porridge. This is then served with the rice balls and maybe even some honey if you’re going for a really posh version. Eating patjuk is in part a spiritual preparation for the upcoming New Year, to ward off illness and bad luck and celebrate
Netizen Picks Netizen Picks Bonjuk 본죽 No matter where you live in Korea, you’re very likely to find a Bonjuk branch close by. Juk junkies come here to slurp on everything from mushroom to octopus and kimchi. Of course, dongji patjuk (W7,000) is on the menu, too. bonjuk.co.kr 1644-6288 The Second Best Restaurant in Seoul 서울서 두번째로 잘하는 집 It may not be the best restaurant in the city, but this porridge shop has a claim to some of the tastiest patjuk around (W5,500). The sweet old lady who runs the shop adds gingko nuts, chestnuts, and big globs of rice cake into the mix along with an ample sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Seoul, Jongno-gu, Samcheongdong 28-21 02-734-5302 Munhori Patjuk 문호리팥죽 You may need a car to get to this restaurant located by the Bukhan River in Yangpyeong, east of Seoul. Start with the patjuk (W8,000) and move on to seafood pajeon (W12,000) and spicy kalguksu (W10,000) if you’re still hungry. Gyeonggi-do, Yangpyeong-gun, Seojong-myeon, Munho-ri 666-6 moonhori.com 031-774-5969
The Mascot of Munhori Patjuk, Moonhori.com
Patj u k
In the past, patjuk was eaten on Dongji, or the Winter Solstice. Most readers probably know what the Winter Solstice is, but fewer are familiar with the ancient Korean lunisolar calendar of which Donji is a part. This was one of the so-called twenty-four solar terms (이십사 절기) or seasonal markers which acted as an agricultural guidelines for farmers. As Dongji is the longest night of the year, Koreans believed that dead souls took advantage of the darkness to hunt people down. The tradition of eating patjuk on Dongji arose as a way to scare away these ghosts with the red porridge.
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IN THE KITCHEN
Micha Richter Cofounder of Gecko’s Terrace
W o r d s a n d s h o t s b y L isa X i n g
German chef Micha Richter helped build his Gecko’s franchise on a childhood spent in the kitchen and a career spent cooking in international hotels.
M
icha Richter is keeping his German sausage recipe top secret. Not only is it his creation, he got an old butcher friend to tweak it when he visited his native country last summer. That’s where the owner of the Gecko’s restaurant chain got his start in the food industry—at the age of seven. “The first thing I remember—I had a hand mixer and I beat the hell out of the egg whites,” laughs Micha, whose grandfather and father were bakers. “My parents had a café, so I always had something to do with food.” Not only that, his kitchen experience now spans three continents—from London, England, to New Jersey, and then Hong Kong—always with jaunts back to Germany in between. In Hong Kong, Micha was working split shifts six days a week, so when he got an opportunity to move to Seoul after his contract ended, he took it. “I had no idea about Korea. Nobody was abroad at that time,” he says. Despite that, he first took a job working at a hotel here. He then met his wife. The two moved back to Germany for seven years and opened a café in Micha’s hometown near Cologne. But, Korea was always in the back of their minds. “We were always visiting Korea—always talked about opening something here.” And that’s exactly what they did. In 1999, Micha and his wife opened Gecko’s Terrace in Itaewon. He has seen the area evolve from a quiet area to a bustling, international neighborhood. “Where the garden is now, there were some chickens running
around. An ajumma used to grow chillis and sweet corn. I was also one of the first white bartenders in Itaewon. My hair—it was blond at some point and I had a long ponytail!” This long-ponytailed businessman had his work cut out for him from the beginning. He would go to work in the mornings to flex his baking muscles honed from childhood, then tend the bar from evening until close—every day for five years. The hard work paid off, though, as Gecko’s has become a household name in Seoul and beyond, serving as a popular watering hole for expats and Koreans alike. “It was a process of five-something years,” he says. “Things started to develop. You put something on the table and get good feedback. So—hard work, trial and error, and dedication.” In other words, “A lot of blood, sweat and tears,” he announces dramatically, with a glimmer of mischievousness. These days, it’s a lot less labor and more fine-tuning for Micha. He has more time to tweak and perfect, like taking his own promotional photos for the restaurants and focusing more on the business side of things. Despite his success, perhaps the secret of Micha’s business plan is the fact that he doesn’t have one. When asked if he has a philosophy to live by, he responds with, “I gave up philosophy a while ago! Every day is different. I used to make some plans. Now, it’s day to day.” The same goes for his future: “(Korea) is an easy place. It’s safe. It’s 24/7. I like it here, but you just never know.”
From Germany to Gecko’s
12 10 Magazine December 2010
1987
1988
1990
1992
1993
Chef at Zweber family restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey, USA.
Chef at the InterContinental Hotel in Cologne, Germany and Hong Kong
Arrived in Seoul, Korea to work as pastry chef at the Intercontinental Hotel
Met his wife in Seoul
Married his wife in Germany and opened the café Richter in Wermelskirchen, Germany
2010
2009
2008
2005
2002
1999
Treated Busan folks to a new Gecko’s right on Haeundae Beach
Opened the Jukjeon Gecko’s just south of Bundang
Opened Jeju Gecko’s, bringing the franchise to residents of the southern island
Opened 7 Bonji beneath Gecko’s Garden in Itaewon
Opened Gecko’s Started Gecko’s Garden, his second Terrace in Itaewon, Seoul, the first of the Itaewon location chain of restaurants and bars
10 Qu estions
E
arlier this year, Shinhan Bank established the first ever banking branch in Korea catering specifically to foreign customers. Soon their Seoul Finance Center location will be coming up on its 1-year anniversary, so 10 caught up with them to find out what sorts of things are involved in helping expats and tourists get quality banking services in Korea. 1. Can you give us a little background on yourself and Shinhan Bank’s operations in Korea? I’ve been with Shinhan Bank for almost 23 years. It’s been great to be a part of such a dynamic Korean company. Shinhan Bank was established in 1982, just 6 years before I joined. In 2006, we acquired Chohung Bank, the oldest bank in Korea. Now Shinhan is Korea’s largest bank in terms of net income and we have 18 million customers in Korea – that means one third of the total population has some business with Shinhan. It may also surprise you to learn that Shinhan Bank is nearly 60% foreign owned. 2. Interesting…I didn’t realize that Shinhan Bank was foreign owned. Who owns it? Well, the Shinhan Financial Group (Shinhan Bank’s holding company) is listed on the KOSPI and NYSE so anyone can own shares. Our foreign shareholders include Korean-Japanese individuals (who together own 17%), the Government of Singapore, Citibank and Macquarie Group but our largest single shareholder is the BNP Paribas Group from France. We have a very strong strategic alliance with them. We sell their investment funds at our bank branches and we have a very interesting project under development with them. Together we are building what will be the two greenest buildings in Korea. You may have seen the construction near Namsan No. 3 Tunnel in Myeongdong. 3. With so many foreign investors, why is Shinhan Bank just starting to target foreigners now? Korea has always been a homogenous society, but now, there are more than 1 million foreigners here representing 2% of the population. We realized that we needed to start focusing on this underserved, yet important and growing market segment. Our branch was launched to lead the way for Shinhan’s foreign
“Brian” Bok-sun Hwang Branch Head of the Shinhan Global Center The only banking branch specifically catering to foreign customers
Shot by C h a r les m o ntgo m ery
14 10 Magazine December 2010
services. We act as the head office for foreigner services for all of Shinhan Bank. 4. Why do we need special services for foreigners? Are foreigners still facing many obstacles with banking in Korea? The Korean government’s banking regulations can be very confusing when it comes to how to apply the laws to foreigners. We’ve seen many situations where banks do not apply the laws consistently to foreigners. At our branch, we understand the rules and how to apply them to even the most unique cases. 5. What are some of these unique cases? Well, we receive a lot of inquiries about the eligibility requirements for credit cards. The rules are actually quite straightforward, although the specific criteria are a little too extensive to
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list here. It just depends on your salary level, job title, and place of employment. Another question we are often asked about is the limits on overseas remittance. The Foreign Exchange Transactions Act allows foreign residents to send up to $50,000 USD (or equivalent) overseas per year although, you may be asked to provide proof of the source of income, at the banker’s discretion, or when sending anything over $50,000 USD. We specialize in banking for foreigners and foreign companies so we are adept at explaining these matters. 6. So you serve both foreigners and foreign companies. What kinds of services are available for foreign companies here? We can support any foreign company in Korea: from small start-ups, to SMEs, to large multinationals. Corporate pension plans are a hot item now for large companies. Start-ups and SMEs that meet the eligibility criteria can apply for our corporate loans. Our clients have found our personalized one-on-one consultation services really useful. In addition, because we are part of the Shinhan Financial Group we have access to all of the group’s resources. With our network of people, products, services, and information, we can be sure to find a solution for you, even if we don’t have the answer in-house. 7. So, how is the Shinhan Bank Seoul Global Center different from other local banks that are also catering to foreigners? First of all, we listen to our customers and take their suggestions seriously. We have devoted one entire branch to give our foreign customers the VIP treatment. In addition, our tellers speak English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean and we have just hired a Westerner to act as our foreign client relationship manager. Plus, we offer online banking in 10 languages. 8. How do you see the banking environment changing in 10 years? Globalization. The whole world is headed toward globalization, and the banking sector is no exception. Currently, Shinhan has 51 networks in 14 countries with plans to continue expanding our global presence. In fact, that is one goal of our global center; in the future, we will be an elite training center for excellent Shinhan staff that we can send abroad to help develop Shinhan’s global network. It is all part of our long-term growth strategy. 9. Do you have any recommendations for people who may be looking to invest their savings in Korea? Right now the interest rate is so low, that if you just keep your money in a basic savings account, you cannot even keep up with inflation. Depending on your appetite for risk, there are several options. More risk means more potential for higher returns. If you are risk-averse, I would recommend time deposits which are guaranteed by the KDIC. But if you can handle more risk, I would recommend investing in some structured equity-linked investment products or indirect investment funds. We have a full line of investment products and can customize a portfolio to help you meet your specific investment goals. 10. So Brian, what do you do when you are not banking? Currently, I am studying Japanese three times a week. I have a lot of time to maintain my English by speaking with our clients every day, but we have a lot of Japanese clients and I want to be able to deal with them personally. More than 20 years ago I spent about 6 months at a Shinhan branch in Tokyo so now I am brushing up on my language skills. Come see me at this time next year and I will explain our products and services to you in Japanese. Also, I love travelling both in and out of Korea. In this fall weather, I love to get outdoors and hike Korea’s beautiful mountains and visit Buddhist temples. Last weekend I visited “Oh Sae Am� with one of our customers. It is easily the most beautiful place in Korea. I love to share Korea’s beauty and warmth with foreigners. Call me if you’d like to hike! 10 Magazine December 2010 | 15
We are delighted to offer a variety of financial services to foreigners (resident and non-resident) including investment in Korean stocks.
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history
Journey to the Korean Gold Mines 50 years after the Californian gold rush of 1849, a group of Americans embarked on a much longer journey for the precious metal—to the gold mines of Korea. W o r d s BY R o b e rt N e ff
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uring the early 20th century, the American-owned Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC) operated some of the richest gold mines in the world—the Unsan mines in northern Korea. These mines were located in the mountainous region north of Pyongyang and were, for the most part, inaccessible except for small paths that clung to the sides of the mountains. Most of the early Western mining engineers and supervisors were from Columbia City, Indiana—the hometown of the OCMC’s founder, Leigh Smith Hunt. Hunt, wanting men that he could trust, hired young
graduates from the local high schools and colleges, promising them good wages if they would agree to serve three years at the mines. For many of these young men, it was their first time away from home, let alone the United States, and they saw it as an opportunity for great adventure. But for many, the journey from the United States to Korea was far more of an adventure than they counted on. The first large group of Indianans departed for the gold mines in January 1901. They traveled by railroad to San Francisco, California, and then sailed to Korea. Nearly all of them had never been to sea before and the voyage across the Pacific was extremely trying—especially the passage from Japan to Chemulpo (modern-day Incheon) aboard the Japanese steamship Kisagawa Maru. One man, Joseph F. Bowlby, declared: God, but I’ll be glad when I get on a piece of ground that won’t move around. I’m going to stay over here till flying machines are invented and cross the ocean in them.
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Top: Korean miners at Unsan gold mine during the winter circa 1920s Next page: Captain Barstow, a member of the mining crew in 1913, Unsan gold mine during the winter circa 1920s Nodaji: Robert Neff Collection
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Much to their great relief, the Indianans finally arrived at Chemulpo, Korea, on February 22nd and the following morning traveled to Seoul by railroad. Arriving in Seoul at 11 am, they once again set off, this time on foot, for the gold mines in the north. Much of what follows is taken from a letter that one of the miners, Albert Deardorff, wrote to his uncle. [With] ten pack mules carrying baggage and “chow” at 11:00 a.m. we started to walk this distance over the hills to the mining camp. We stopped at 3:00 p.m. for dinner and about 8:30 at night, having covered about 20 miles. Such miserable quarters that night I’ll never forget. Eleven of us in a room about ten feet square, how could we sleep? Breakfasted in the cold and walked from six to eight o’clock with two hours rest for dinner the next day. By that time, some before, were just completely given out. I could scarcely drag myself into the room, well I did have help to get in that night. I went to bed without supper, some had it brought to them. After a short rest, I felt better. Vengeance was beginning to rise that day at noon and by night nearly everyone swore he wouldn’t travel another step without a pony, even if he had to pay for it himself and from there on they would cost about 900 (yen). He was obviously exaggerating about the price of the ponies.
900 yen at this time was worth about US $450. Ponies, however, were hard to come by especially at this time of year and in that region, but, as we shall see, not impossible to secure: The guide rode much the second day and some of the other boys rode some. That night the guide hustled over the town and by morning had 21 ponies, each one a pony, one for the guide and two for “chow.� All were stiff and sore. From then on I rode as much as I could except when I was very cold, I walked. Sometimes up mountains and narrow passes we had to get off and walk. The first few days it thawed during the day and I got my feet wet. Then there were a few days it was frozen all day we traveled much of the time in snow but packed hard. It seemed quite cold, coming up here. I had on two pair wool socks, two pairs underdrawers, one undershirt, one overshirt, sweater, vest, coat, and over coat, and then would get cold and stiff after an hour or so riding. For nearly ten days the men walked and rode until they finally reached the gold mines just north of Pyongyang. It had taken a horrible toll upon them. Deardorff noted his own injuries: “I froze one finger, my crippled index finger on [my] left hand, until it is still numb and my feet and several other fingers were frosted some, but don’t bother me much now.� Not all of the men were as lucky—two were confined to bed for at least a week following their ordeal. Over the next couple of decades scores of young men and women made the long, arduous and often dangerous trip to and from the gold mines and their homes in Columbia City, Indiana. The OCMC gold mines in Korea were some of the richest in the world and remained in operation until 1939 when they were sold to a Japanese mining corporation. Shortly after they were sold they fell in to disrepair and eventually flooded. Even today, their hidden wealth remains relatively inaccessible to North Korea.
Open Run 4pm, 8pm Chongdong Theater
R: W50,000, S: W40,000, A: W30,000
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The Rest of the Story Fate is extremely fickle, as our friend Joseph Bowlby soon found out. Apparently having forgotten his earlier pledge not to take to the seas again, in June 1902 he was on a steamship bound for Japan. His ship was struck in the fog by the Kisagawa Maru and promptly sank off the coast of Korea, taking nearly all of its passengers to their deaths. Bowlby was one of the few survivors.
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Expire: December 31, 2010 *Discount good up to four guests * No performance on Monday $IPOHEPOH 5IFBUFS r r XXX LPSFBNJTP DPN
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Big Eats
in Little Russia W o r d s b y I a n H e n d e rs o n a n d s h o t s b y s c o tt h e ms e y
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You may need to pick up a Russian-Korean dictionary for your visit to one of Seoul’s most surprising culinary destinations.
ome days, it’s hard to get excited about another roll of kimbap, and you just want something, well, different. Hidden away in Dongdaemun is the place to get your fix. Unbeknownst to many, there is a pocket of Uzbek, Russian, and other former Soviet nationalities that have set up shop in this spot better known for its Joseon-era gate and clothing market. The district is primarily located in the triangle of alleyways between exits 12, 5, and 7 of the Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Stn. (lines 2, 4, and 5). You know you’ve reached it when signs with Cyrillic script start popping up. Soon after, the people seem a bit out of place as well. Many look like a blend or Eastern European, Slavic or Arab, with the addition of Korean ancestry. One cause of this melting pot was
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Previous page: Russian smoked sausages with peas and salad at Gostiniy Dvor, a popular choice with college students. This page from top: Borscht - traditional beet soup with meat and sour cream; Pelmeni - Russian-style lamb ravioli; interior at Gostiniy Dvor,
the forcible relocation of hundreds of thousands of Koreans from East Asia to Uzbekistan and other Soviet regions in the 1930s. Now, over half a century later, some of their descendents are returning east. The main draw of visiting “Little Russia” is undoubtedly the restaurants. They run the gamut from Halal Islamic fare to Kazakh, to meals straight from Siberia, showing the diversity of the Central Asian influence in the area. Lamb dishes and skewered meat are staples, as well as a myriad of soups, mixed salads and sides. The best starting place for a foreigner would have to be an establishment just past exit 7 in the alleyway running behind it, as they have everything on the menu also written in English. It’s on the second floor with a red sign in flowery script reading гостиный двoр (Gostiniy Dvor, 02-2275-7501). Easier to read is the small white sign on the first floor written in Latin letters. 10 Magazine December 2010 | 19
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Upstairs, although small, seems fit for a Czar. Crystal chandeliers and thick oak tables make for an inviting atmosphere. The variety on the menu is striking and almost everything is worth trying. The most popular dish is hands down the cabbage rolls. A savory mix of seasoned pork, chicken, and vegetables wrapped tightly in boiled cabbage leaves (голобцы, golubtsy) and served with homemade sour cream (сметана, smetana). All the restaurants here have awesome sour cream, and it’s cheap. Not to be missed is the honey cake (медoвик, medovik) for dessert. It’s a flaky, almost sensuous affair. Of course, no visit to a restaurant in Little Russia is complete without the alcohol. Say what you will about the region; people living in a vast, frozen wasteland make excellent booze. Of course, high quality vodka is on hand, and most places also serve pure cranberry juice to accompany it. The most stand-out feature about dining in “Little Russia” is undoubtedly the beer. Most are varieties of one brand, the esteemed Baltika (Балтика). It comes in a variety of styles to suit any palette. The No. 3 is a delicious Czech-style pilsner and the No. 7 is a light and refreshing lager. For a heady brew with a lot more alcohol, the No. 9 is strong and malty and at 9% can catch up with you quickly. However, the No. 6 is my favor-
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ite beer on the peninsula. A traditional Russian style porter, it has a thick body, a dark brown hue, and hints of mocha, caramel, and roasted nuts. It’s a perfect beer in every way. Other notable restaurants include Kazakhstan (Казахста́н, 02-2269-7505), right around the corner from the aforementioned establishment and located on the fourth floor. This is also an excellent starter choice because of the presence of English menus. The interior is more modern and here you are likely to find ethnic Kazakhs drinking and smoking the night away. The menu has a distinctive style not found at some of the others in the area. One noteworthy dish is a mix of lamb and pork stuffed with olives and mushrooms, then baked and topped with a creamy drizzle. For carnivores with an adventurous streak, horsemeat is also served in several dishes: it’s very much like beef pot roast, but a bit gamey. Besides the usual cranberry, this joint offers a variety of juices, from mango puree to “grape-apple” (a translation mistake on the menu that should read “strawberry-raspberry”). They are delicious and make those W20,000 bottles of vodka go down dangerously well. To continue your culinary journey, look for the alley across from Woori Bank next to the Duri Chicken Hof. Down it you will find four restaurants all run by a large family offering similar menus. The last one on the left
Previous page: Golubtsy - cabbage rolls; Kurgan - lamb rissole; Beshbarmak - horse meat and mutton with homemade dough at Kazakhstan. Top: Kazakhstan interior; Bottom from left: Beer and vodka at Kazakhstan.
reads “Uzbekistan Samarikant” in hangul, Самарқанд in Russian, 02-2277-4163). The staff is really friendly and they boast by far the most comfortable seats in the area, with large red plush benches on either side of the tables. The mutton dumplings (манты, manty) are stupendous, especially when accompanied by homemade sour cream. Two more restaurants worth a visit are located down the second street on the left out of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Stn. ex. 12. On your right you’ll see Karavan (карава́н, 02-2279-7780), which as the name suggests is the most Middle Eastern of the neighborhood’s eateries. It comes complete with sand dunes and camels painted on the walls and hookahs with flavored tobacco offering a leisurely end to your meal. Farther down the same street on the left is a restaurant called Tabassum (таъассум, 02-2273-8777), an eatery run by a jovial clan. Besides the restaurants, there are a variety of corner stores in the area where you can pick up international phone cards, cheaply priced liquor, Russian beer (at half the price of the restaurants), and groceries. The cheap and delicious homemade cheeses and sausages shouldn’t be missed. Also, there are a couple of bakeries to be found stocked with delicious bread, flaky meat pastries, as well as more great dairy items. A standout bakery on the same side of the street as Woori bank going from exit 5 to 7 is called хлебo- бу́лочная (Hlebo-Blochnaya). Everything is delicious and cheap. For example, the mutton meat pies are W2,500 and blocks of fine white cheese are around W5,000 each. Other places of interest in the vicinity are clothing stores with unusual fabrics and styles, a Russian billiards hall, and several Noraebangs. The latter may offer more than their name suggests, given that we were chased out with shouts of “No foreigners!” Travelers, be prepared: Korean or Russian is the medium of exchange here, not English, so brush up beforehand. I opted for Korean because my Russian is a bit rusty (translate: nonexistent). Ultimately, a visit to the neighborhood can give you the feeling of having taken a wee vacation to the former Soviet territories, and leave you wanting more, especially as you take a drink of your next watered-down domestic. 10 Magazine December 2010 | 21
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Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Gentlewomen Read on for 10 sure-fire ways to prevent the holiday blues. W o r d s BY Eli F e h l e r , M.A., LMHC
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rom mistletoe to awkward family dynamics, there is often no telling what surprises the holiday season can hold for each of us. Though the winter holidays are celebrated differently in each country and culture, one thing remains true across the board: the holiday “break” is often not as restful and rejuvenating as we would hope it to be. As a psychotherapist (and a human myself), I know how important it is to have rest and time off from the daily grind. Without downtime to reset our brains and bodies, we can become cranky, numb, and frazzled versions of ourselves. On top of normal life fatigue, working in Korea can often compound that exhaustion with long work hours, cultural adjustment, and required late-night socializing (and perhaps a bit too much soju and makgeolli to boot). Whether you are staying in Korea over the holidays or heading home to see family, here are some tips that I’ve found helpful in cultivating rest and renewal:
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Have realistic expectations
Holidays can have a magical and sweet feeling to them, but they can also be bitter and disappointing. By managing our expectations and acknowledging potentially difficult obstacles, we set ourselves up to handle disappointment with more stability and resilience when faced with loneliness, tension, or unwanted green and red holiday socks.
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Schedule free time
Treat yourself to some time alone to do things that re-fuel you. Whether it’s reading a book or watching a movie in bed, make the effort to turn off the world and re-charge your mental energy supply. If you have a break reserved in your schedule, you are likely to enjoy it and reap personal benefits.
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Minimize encounters with draining relatives or acquaintances
We all have someone in our family or social network who somehow manages to get under our skin and take us from contentment to irritation in seconds flat. Though these downer friends and family members cannot always be entirely avoided, their impact can be minimized. By limiting the time and attention paid to these negative influences, you can naturally decrease their impact on your winter wonderland.
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Deck the halls
By decorating your space with familiar holiday items, you can create a sense of rest and familiarity that can help your brain switch gears and relax into the moment. If you are far away from home, gather your friends together and find creative ways to manufacture home holiday ornamentation with whatever materials you can get your hands on.
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Don’t check your work email
If you don’t have to, don’t do it. Seriously. Allow yourself some separation from your responsibilities at work so that you can truly embrace the break from labor. If you are constantly checking your email, you are never allowing your “work brain” to let go of thoughts and stress related to your job.
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Jingle those body parts
We often think of exercising as the opposite of relaxation, but it is a key component to brain health and mental rest. Add some exercise into your routine to clear your head and relax your mind. By moving your body, you are restoring necessary chemicals that your brain and other cells in your body need to operate at optimum function. If you find the gym boring, consider some full contact cookie baking or a snowman-building competition.
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Resist the feeding frenzy
Though many holiday events revolve around food, it is important not to overfeed or over-drink. Unwanted holiday weight gain is reason enough to go easy on the fruit cake. But if you need any extra motivation, remember that good nutrition will fuel your body and brain and give you the energy to get back to work when the vacation is over.
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Make someone else’s holiday feel extra special
fulness to someone else, you also benefit from the outcome. You get to see the pleasure on their face when they receive your generosity and you are reminded that you are capable of making a positive impact on others.
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Be present
Let yourself be right where you are. In our 24-hour Internet-accessible global market, it can be hard to stay in the room where you are. Cut off your mind from work, responsibilities, and stressors that are not with you in the moment and truly be where you are. It’s good for your ability to focus and will make a difference in your relationships.
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Spend time with people who make you feel loved
Call up your favorite friend from grade school or that hilarious head teacher at your school, and soak up a relationship that makes you feel good about yourself. It may sound too simple but the benefits are endless. Being with empathetic and exciting people can actually improve the function and structure of your brain. Plus when the holiday blues hit, it’s best to have a buddy around to take off the edge.
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his holiday season, make a firm commitment to take care of yourself and to come back from the break with more energy…and less holiday hangover.
Though this sounds like a marketing ploy from Toys “R” Us, there truly is a gift in giving. When you take the time to extend kindness and thought-
Eli Fehler, M.A., LMHC, is a psychotherapist at Seoulbased Adaptable Human Solutions (AHSKorea.com) where she provides counseling and training to expatriate and globallyminded local residents. 10 Magazine December 2010 | 23
Shot by Jason Teale
How to Have Fun This Holiday Season
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Stay entertained over the holiday season with a flurry of Christmas festivals, performances and visits to your local ice skating rink
ou’ve probably got your plans all made for Christmas day itself, but what about the rest of the season? If paltry Christmas decorations and the notable lack of Santa Clauses are starting to get you a little depressed, it’s time to discover the hidden Korean side of Christmas. We’re not talking about single Koreans casting about desperately for a date on Christmas day. Rather, it’s a whole spate of Christmas festivals, concerts, performances, and other activities that can keep you busy and bring a smile to your face. It may not be quite as fun as being back home with the hordes of Christmas shoppers, poor service, and crowded airports, but we’re sure you’ll make the best of it.
Christmas Festivals and Activities hough Christmas may not have the religious significance in Korea that it carries in many Western countries, Korean theme parks will still use any excuse to put on a show. Sometimes it can be great fun to see what they get wrong—and what they get right. You’re not likely to see too many nativity scenes in the festivals below, but you may just run into a bevy of questionably dressed Santa Clausettes.
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Through December 25th Everland
Whether it’s Christmas or not, there are few places quite as entertaining as the temple to fun known as Everland. And they do deck the halls for the Christmas season, with two million light bulbs twinkling from the Christmas tree to Christmas Avenue. In addition to the usual rides, Christmas events include an a cappella show, penguin show, snow show, and more. Everland is
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located in Yongin, but you can get there on red bus 5002, which departs from Gangnam Stn. (line 2, ex. 6). Admission price varies. everland.com 02-759-1940
Through December 27th Lotte World
If you think it’s too cold to go to a theme park, you can always go to an indoor theme park—i.e. Lotte World. And you don’t even have to leave the Seoul subway (Jamsil Stn. lines 2 & 8, ex. 4) to get there. This holiday season, Lotte World has parades, performances and various activities planned, including a live band playing at the indoor ice rink. W16,000 - W37,000. lotteworld.com 02-411-2000
December 1st – January 2nd Christmas in Busan: Christmas Tree Festival
A Christmas tree festival in Busan? Well, someone had to do it. Organized around the somewhat nonsensical theme of “Happy
Busan, Christmas Busan,” the festival is divided into twenty sections, including Santa Town, the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Reindeer (hello, Rudolph!), and Vineyard Story sections. You can enjoy tree decoration, buildings and street lamps adorned with Christmas ornaments, carol contests, magic shows, talent shows, and other various events. Suyeong-gu in Busan, a ten minute walk from Nampodong Stn. (line 1, ex. 1). Events are free. Note there’s no English on the website. btcf.kr 051-759-7144
“Happy Christmas” Village at Iseul Farm
There’s a 102-year old church in the middle of the town Iseul. There will be a Korean-style Christmas festival taking place between the church and the village, including a Santa parade and various performances. Head to this small town in Naju, just west of Gwangju, for on amusing Korean take on Christmas. eslfarm.com 061-335-0123
Santa Village at Seoul Land
Get into the Christmas spirit at this theme park focusing on Saint Nick himself. Performances, events and parades are expected. Seoul Grand Park Stn. (line 4, ex. 2). W8,000 – W30,000. seoulland.co.kr 02-509-6000
December 24th – 25th and 30th – 31st Christmas and New Year’s Eve Parties at J.J. Mahoney’s
The one-and-only J.J. Mahoney’s bar at the Grand Hyatt Seoul is a hot pick for partiers this holiday season. The fun includes a best-dressed contest, door prizes including airline tickets, and a live band and DJs. Don’t miss the New Year’s countdown and fireworks on the 31st. 6 pm – 3 am. W50,000 – W70,000. seoul.grand.hyatt.com 02-799-8601 10 Magazine December 2010 | 25
December 25th – 31st
December 23rd
Busan Aquarium
Christmas Matinee Concert
You’ve seen the exotic fish, you’ve swum with the sharks, but have you checked out the Christmas decorations? Christmas under the sea at the Busan Aquarium has everything but a little mermaid. busanaquarium.com 051-740-1711
If you’re in or around Ilsan, get in the Christmas spirit with classic tunes including “Christmas Concerto,” “Silent Night,” and a Christmas carol medley. Goyang Aram Nuri Art Center in Gyeonggi. 11 am. W15,000. artgy.or.kr 1577-7766
Christmas Performances and Concerts hether it’s Beethoven’s 9th or the Nutcracker, there’s a good chance that Western Christmas classics will be found on stage somewhere in Korea. Here’s just a sampling of the performances lined up for the month. For the rest, turn to the back of the magazine for your region’s calendar section.
December 24th
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December 17th – December 25th Nutcracker: The Ballet
You can see this at almost every local performing arts center, but why not splurge a bit on the National Ballet at Seoul’s finest performance hall? Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W5,000 – W90,000. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300
December 18th Handel’s Messiah
Camarata Music presents internationally famous conductor Weston Noble along with soloists Myung-sung Han, Min-jung Shin, Bong-su Kang, and Ryan Goessl. Chungdong First Methodist Church in Seoul near City Hall Stn. W15,000 presale, W25,000 at the door. camaratamusic.com/2010_season
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The 10th Jazz Christmas by Ronn Branton
Christmas carols played by jazz musicians? Believe us, it’s not corny—it’s cool. Ronn even throws in some Peanuts Christmas songs to bring you to a new level of nostalgia. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 8 pm. W20,000 – W60,000. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300
December 25th 2010 Christmas Concert: Yuhki Kuramoto & Friends
Discover a new musician while revisiting old musical favorites. Japanese New Age pianist Yuhki Kuramoto may be more famous in Asia than in the West, but his Christmas concert will not disappoint. Popera singer Kai and clarinetist Kim Han join Kuramoto for a program including Christmas carol songs, classical music, and musical highlights. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 2 & 8 pm. W30,000 – W100,000. sac.or.kr 1577-5266
ou can al most forgive the freezing weather for the simple fact that it brings with it freezing water, otherwise known as ice. Sail out on the frozen stuff with skates akimbo and enjoy one of the many ice skating rinks out there, many of which are quite reasonably priced. When in doubt, go with the Seoul Plaza outside rink. You can’t go wrong for W1,000 an hour (including skate rental!).
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+ = subject to 10% VAT, Ice Skating
ongoing Mokdong Ice Rink
The biggest indoor skating rink in Korea. Open all year. Mokdong near Omokgyo Stn. (line 5). Mon – Sat 2 – 6pm. Sun & holidays 12 – 6 pm. Entrance fee W2,500 - W3,500. Skate rental W3,000 for the first 2 hours. W1,000 for every additional hour. mdicerink.co.kr 02-2649-8454 ex. 6 Lotte World Indoor Ice Skating Rink
Big indoor ice rink at Lotte World theme park. The moving lights create a romantic atmosphere at night. Open all year. In Songpa near Jamsil Stn. (lines 2 & 8, ex. 4). Adults W8,500. Skate rental W4,500. Weekdays 11 am – 10:30 pm. Weekends 10 am – 10:30 pm. lotteworld.com 02-411-4591 ex. 5
December 4th – February 13th Dream Forest Sledding Slope
Well, it’s not quite ice skating, but we bet you’ll still have a great time grabbing a sled and speeding down the slopes at Seoul’s newest park, Dream Forest. Admission to the sledding slope costs W1,000 per hour, with an additional fee for renting a sled. Dream Forest is located 10 minutes by bus from Wolgye Stn. (line 1, ex. 8) and Miasamgeori Stn. (line 4, ex. 1). 02-2289-4001
Starting December 5th Grand Hyatt Seoul ice rink
The Grand Hyatt Seoul has plenty going on this holiday season, including Christmas packages, fireworks, and a New Year’s Eve party at J.J. Mahoney’s. Most anticipated, though, is the Grand Hyatt’s magnificent ice skating rink, which is scheduled to open on December 5th. You can enjoy one of Seoul’s classic skating venues Mon – Thu 12 – 9 pm (W20,000*) and weekends, holidays, and December 22nd to January 30th 10 am – 10 pm (W24,000*). seoul.grand.hyatt.com 02-799-8888 * subject to 10% VAT
Starting December 10th Olympic Park Ice rink
This outdoor rink is located amidst the grandeur of Olympic Park, easily accessible from subway lines 5 and 8. W1,000 admission, with skate rental W1,500. 02-410-1654
December 17th – February 13th Seoul Square Ice Rink
The ice skating rink operated annually by the city of Seoul has returned to Seoul Plaza after a one-year stint at Gwanghwamun Plaza. As always, an hour of fun on the ice can be had for only W1,000, which includes your skate rental (but not gloves, so bring your own or buy them on-site). Skating lessons are also available for W10,000. City Hall Stn. (lines 1 & 2, ex. 7). Weekdays 10 am – 10 pm. Weekends 10 am – 11 pm. seoulskate.or.kr 02-120
December 18th – February 14th Sheraton Walkerhill Ice rink
Near Gwangnaru Stn (line 5). in east Seoul. Weekdays 12- 9 pm, weekends 12 – 10 pm. Price has yet to be determined but will probably be around W20,000/W14,000 for adults/children on weekdays and W30,000/W20,000 on weekends. The Be Active package at the hotel (W208,000) gets you two free passes to the ice rink. 02-455-5000 10 Magazine December 2010 | 27
Home (Food) for the Holidays W o r d s BY A ar o n A lli n s o n
T
he thought of of enduring a Christmas dinner that did not include my mother’s turkey and stuffing was for the longest time a legitimate concern while living here in Korea. Each holiday season would come and go and my friends and I would eventually sniff out places to get turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, or any reasonable substitute. The years of experience from those food shopping adventures were made available to all in 10’s December 2008 Christmas issue by food connoisseur, Mike Berry. Cooking for the holidays is certainly easier than it used to be, but it’s still a matter of knowing where to go. Within a weekend in Seoul, you can certainly outfit yourself with enough to create a Christmas dinner worthy of your parents. Read on to get an introduction to the major shopping locations, or flip to the end for a directory with detailed directions and contact information for the businesses in bold. The place to start your Christmas shopping should be Costco. They carry most cuts of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, canned goods and a great selection of wines, beers and imported spirits. Turkeys will likely be in short supply, but their selection of local and imported ribs, beef and pork more than compensates. Don’t forget the W35,000 membership fee. EMart is another option for searching out foreign foods. Nearly every city in Korea has at least one EMart so they are fairly easy to find. But their prices are a bit higher. Tesco/HomePlus is another option depending on where you live. You may need some help navigating their website (homeplus. co.kr), but their selection of foreign goods, wines and bulk items is worth exploring. The big name department stores are slowly catching on to the needs of the foreign holiday crowd, albeit at a slow and quite expensive pace. Hyundai and Lotte both have decent foreign food collections. But it’s Shinsegae Department Store that has really made a big push to carry foreign brands. It has truly become the best department store shopping alternative. The Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon has gradually become an institution here in Seoul. This year saw a sizable expansion to the store and their selection of products has followed suit. While they don’t have the bulk prices of Costco, they are competitive with any store in the area for meats (especially lamb), baking goods, sauces,
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Derek Winchester
and, of course, the best selection of Indian cooking ingredients on the peninsula. The Haddon House in Oksu-dong is another popular destination for food shopping. Although it’s a little difficult to find, they have a pretty good selection of foreign foods and even stock frozen turkeys. Supplies will be limited so be sure to grab them early. Dandy’s Supermarket and the Hansel and Gretel Deli are located in the basement where the Hannam Supermarket used to be. While the supermarket (and its high prices) is gone, Dandy’s has picked up some of the slack. Butterball turkeys have been spotted there, albeit at a steep price. Alongside Dandy’s is the Hansel and Gretel deli. In addition to an extensive range of deli meats, the store carries Young Spring lamb and one of the largest selections of cheeses in Seoul. Itaewon’s Chef Meili should be your next stop if you are in need of deli meats or cheeses for Christmas. He carries enough high quality meats, fresh breads and European cheeses to make any holiday gathering a decadent feast. Another option is Gavin Meats Korea. Gavin produces fresh British-style sausage, bacon, and other deli delights. No matter how much of a tryptophan-induced slumber you manage to find yourself in, there is always room and time for pies, cookies, or any baked goodies that happen to be offered. Baking enthusiasts in search of the perfect Christmas offering have many more resources available to them. One essential stop is Bangsan Baking Market , which has grown from a few small shops to the baking “hub” of Seoul. There are a couple dozen baking shops nestled deep in the labyrinth of box shops and wallpaper vendors. Many of the shops offer delivery service through their websites, but note that these are Korean only. Namdaemun Market also has a selection of foreign goods in the basement of the DaeDo Jonghap Market. There are a handful of shops selling imported goods including dried fruits, nuts, imported coffees and liqueurs. There are also two floors of kitchenware in the same building for almost any cooking supplies you require. The Pinoy Mart in Haebangchon has also gathered a loyal following of shoppers. For a tiny little shop, they have an impressive array of foreign goods and will do their best to find what you are looking for. They are also the only foreign store to consistently stock Clamato (used in making Christmas Caesars, for you nonCanadians out there). If you are unable to do your own baking, but can’t go without a proper Christmas dessert, Tartine in Itaewon has the perfect way to end Christmas dinner. Their tarts are little pieces of pecan, blueberry, rhubarb and strawberry-drenched heaven. They also carry peasant bread, cakes and cookies, and the only real Nanaimo bars I’ve ever seen in Korea.
T
here is a new name for nirvana when it comes to baked goods in Yongsan and that name is Wing. The Wing bakery just opened this past October. It is located at the entrance to Gyeongridan (aka Veggie Hill) and has a
Left top: the Haddon House, bottom: Ach So Bakery, the next page: Daedo Market at Namdaemun Market
A good home-cooked meal can make you feel like you’re home for the holidays without the expensive roundtrip ticket and awkward relative encounters.
wonderful selection of rye bread, chiabata bread and other wholesome creations. Wing is also a collective enterprise benefiting those with disabilities here in Seoul. That’s not the only option, however. head to Hangangjin for the May Bell Bakery, a little shop offering a great range of breads including unique cranberry rye, focaccia, fougasse and ciabatta. The Ach So bakery in Hannam carries daily German breads including different Brötchen and Roggenbrot varieties. And if you’re around the southern vicinity of Bundang, you will be rewarded with one of Korea’s first French-run bakeries. French expat Joel Vial operates the BTM Bakery, which has recently expanded to include chocolate (a Christmas necessity). For one of the best ryes on the peninsula, call ahead.
O
nline shopping possibilities are always popping up but many are not English friendly. Despite this problem, they offer great deals on food. Here are a few that we recommend: nutsandberries.co.kr: The name speaks for itself. Great prices and amazing selection. dongnamfoods.co.kr: Primarily an importer of pastas and olive oils, Dongnam carries a lot of other everyday items. Delivery is available but all information is in Korean. imegamarket.com: Huge selection of goods. Delivery service is available. ezshopkorea.com: EZ Shop delivers Costco items (at quite a premium) to anywhere in Korea. Their website is English friendly. otth.co.kr: An impressive array of Chinese, Japanese, Italian and SE Asian foods. No English, but click around and you’ll find some good deals. Holiday Food Directory Ach So Bakery In Hannam-dong, located on the north side of the Richensia Officetel, just south of Dankook University. 02-794-1142 Bangsan Baking Market Walk out of Euljiro 4-ga Stn. (exit 6) and walk toward the entrance of the Bangsan Market (entrance #1). Turn left into the market and follow the street for about 150m. You should walk straight into the baking shops. If you get side-tracked, look for the A-Dong Building. The shops are on the northeast side of that building and directly east of the building on the other side. BTM Bakery Located near Sunae Station (formerly Chorim) across from the Lotte Department Store in Bundang. The bakery number is 031-711-9848. Chef Meili’s Deli Located just down the street from Geckos Terrace. 02-794-7024 Costco Locations include Seoul, Busan, Ilsan, Daegu, and Daejeon. costco.co.kr Daedo Jonghap Market See Namdaemun Market. Dandy’s Supermarket (formerly Hannam Supermarket) Located in the Volvo Building in Hannam-dong, in the basement under the Cadillac Dealership. Nearest subway stop is Hangangjin Stn. (line 6). 02-796-2390 EMart emart.shinsegae.com, emartmall.com Foreign Food Mart To find the store, walk down the main street from Itaewon Stn. (line 6, ex. 3) and turn right at the fire station. Keep walking past King Club and it will be on your left. foreignfood_mart@yahoo.com 02-793-0082
COMING SOON
Gavin Meats Korea They have a few locations in Seoul or you can order directly from the website. gavin.co.kr 02-396-0239
MTH #3 GRAND OPENING! DOGIK-DONG DOGOK-DONG MEET DECEMBER MID-DECEMBER
Haddon House In Hannam-dong, from the UN Village, head east towards Oksudong. 02-794-0511, 02-2297-8618 Hansel and Gretel Deli Located right beside Dandy’s Supermarket. 02-749-0120
OPENING!
May Bell Bakery Is located midway between Hangangjin Stn. and Itaewon Stn., across from the Cheil Building and near the Caffe Bene. 02-792-5561 Namdaemun Market (Daedo Jonghap Market) Exit Hoeyhyeon Stn. (line 4, ex. 6) and turn right, heading into the market. Daedo Market is an orange building about 150m down on the right side. Pinoy Mart Head left up the Haebangchon road from Noksapyeog Stn. (line 6, ex. 2) and pass Pita Time. It’ll be ahead on your right. 02-555-5555 Tartine Located just down from 3 Alley Pub in Itaewon. tartine.co.kr 02-3785-3400 Wing Bakery Located at the entrance to Kyungridan, in the old Istanbul location. 02-794-0011
10 Magazine December 2010 | 29
Itaewon
Samceong-dong
Dogok-dong
Mougle Hamilton Hotel KFC Itaewon Stn. exit.1
02-790-7977 116-1 Itaewon-dong Yongsan-gu Seoul 11:30 am – 10:30 pm
SK Leader’s View Maebong Stn. exit.3
Myungseong Market
Samcheong-dong Street
Bar 1010
02-730-7461 31-1 Samcheong-dong Jongro-gu Seoul 11:30 am – 10:30 pm (2:30 – 5:30 pm Mon–Fri Break time)
464 Dogok-dong Gangnam-gu Seoul 11:30 am- 10:30 pm
E dited by DAV I D CA R RU TH and su n k y u ng L e e
DIY Gingerbread Houses
“Wine and the City” Winter Festival
Christmas Package for Daegu Travelers
Treat Yourself to a Five-Course Christmas Dinner
JW Marriott Seoul The Deli Shop at the JW Marriott Seoul presents a multitude of ready-made and hand-selected gift baskets for Christmas from December 1st - 25th, including the popular Gingerbread House (W60,000+ - W105,000+). Prefer to make your own? The two Saturdays before Christmas (December 11th and 18th), the JW Marriott Seoul will hold a gingerbread house cooking class for children taught by pastry chefs. The classes start at 11:30 am and cost W80,000++ per team. marriott.com 02-6282-6738
Hotel Inter-Burgo Daegu Planning on visiting friends in Daegu or just exploring the central city over the holidays? With the Hotel Inter-Burgo’s Christmas Package, you have a more affordable option for traveling in style. Guests from December 23rd – 25th can take advantage of a deluxe double or twin bed with a complimentary Christmas cake, breakfast buffet for two, two bottles of mineral water, half off the sauna and fitness center, and a 10% discount at all restaurants. W180,000++. ibhotel.com 02-425-5678
Astoria Hotel If there’s anything better than a bottle of wine, it’s two bottles of wine, and that’s what you get with this buy-one-get-one-free special at the Astoria Hotel’s Bella Coolla. Available through January 27th, 2011 (the 52nd anniversary of the hotel), order a bot tle of Deakin Estate wine (W49,500), and receive a second bottle for free. Choose from Deakin Estate cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot, or chardonnay. Also throw in your business card for a chance to win a bottle of limited-edition Paul Smith Evian mineral water. 02-2268-7111
Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Give yourself the gift of luxury this Christmas at the Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Times Square. To experience a classy Christmas dinner, head to MoMo Café for a 5-course spread on December 24th and 25th. You can also stay at the hotel through the month of December and January to enjoy the Christmas lights and other festivities. courtyardseoul.com 02-2638-3000
The Christmas Package That’s Right For You
Ritz-Carlton Seoul Mak ing Ch r ist mas plans? The Ritz-Carlton Seoul has you cove re d . T he re’s t he Girls Holiday Night Package with finger food, bubbly, and admission for two to Club Eden (W310,000++). Families can opt for the Ch ristmas Dream Package to get a DIY mini Christmas tree and a Jenga game (W270,000++). Couples will enjoy the Holiday Miracle Package, which includes a romantic dinner for t wo and a hear t-shaped cake with customized message in a superior deluxe room (W330,000++). Available December 17th – 31st. ritzcarlton.com 02-3451-8114
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Head South for the Holidays
Lotte Hotel Busan Busan may still be chilly, but it’s bound to be better than shivering in Seoul! Try out the Lotte Hotel Busan for the Happy Choice (W180,000++), Winter (W189,000++), and Sweet Dream (W280,000++) packages, available from December 1st - 28th. While you’re there, order one of the wine specials and dine on the Grilled Hanwoo Beef Sampler (W95,000++ - W120,000++), Wan Island Raw Abalone Course (W45,000++), or Grilled Jeju Silver Hairtail (W48,000++). lottehotelbusan.com 051-810-6330
+ = subject to 10% VAT, ++ = subject to 10% VAT and 10% service charge
See the Sun Rise on New Year’s Day
Seacloud Hotel The Seacloud Hotel, just next to Haeundae Beach, puts you in position for a stroll on the beach for the first sunrise of 2011. With the 2011 Sunrise Package, yo u c a n e nj oy a Ne w Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner for two (8 – 10 pm) and a tastefully designed calendar. Make reservations 30 days in advance for 5% off and 15 days early for 3% off. A Superior Full Ocean View is W400,000+ on December 31st and W300,000+ on January 1st. seacloudhotel.com 051-933-100
Enjoy the Great Indoors in Busan
Novotel Ambassador Busan Why brave the elements when you can relax with all the luxuries offered at the Novotel Ambassador Busan? Their Christmas package gets you a bottle of wine and fruit in addition to access to the fitness center and swimming pool, 50% off the natural salt spring sauna, and 10% off hotel restaurants. Guests also get 50% off golf, squash, billiards, and table tennis i n t he Rya n & Li l l ia n. Available December 24th – 25th for W230,000. novotelbusan.com 051-743-1234
Italian Christmas Dinner “Tavola di Natale”
Imperial Palace Hotel Treat your tastebuds to “ Tavola d i Nat ale,” a n authentic Italian Christmas d i n ne r, at r e st au r a nt Verona in the Imper ial Palace Hotel in Seoul. Using the freshest ingredients, this sixcourse meal includes halibut carpaccio, ravioli and foie gras with grilled beef tenderloin and steamed lobster as the main dish and a sweet traditional Noel cake for dessert. December 24th - 25th only. imperialpalace.co.kr 02-3440-8000
Ice Skating Rink Set to Open
Grand Hyatt Seoul The Grand Hyatt Seoul has plent y goi ng on this holid ay season, including Ch r ist mas packages, fireworks and a New Year’s Eve party at J.J. Mahoney’s. Most anticipated, though, is the Grand Hyatt’s magnificent ice skating rink, which is scheduled to open on December 5th. You can enjoy one of Seoul’s classic skating venues Mon – Thu 12 – 9 pm (W20,000+) and weekends, holidays, and December 22nd to January 30th 10 am – 10 pm (W24,000+). Skate rental: W7,600 seoul.grand.hyatt.com 02-799-8888, Ice rink: 02-799-8112 10 Magazine December 2010 | 31
Expat News Special Offers This Winter with Citi Cards Citi Cards has some great promotions for travelers and shoppers this winter. From December 1st through January 31st, Citi PremierMiles Card and Delta Air Lines have teamed up to offer customers bonus miles when converting PremierMiles to Delta SkyMiles. For the two months of the promotion, PremierMiles card customers can get an additional 25% SkyMiles bonus when they convert their Citi PremierMiles to Delta SkyMiles. In addition, during December, customers who shop at Shilla Duty Free shops with Citi Cards (excluding Citi BC Cards and Citi Corporate Cards) will get up to W50,000 in discounts on the spot, based on the amount they spend on the card. citibank.co.kr/eng/card.html 02-2004-1004
Bikram Yoga Helps You Turn Up the Heat
New Lounge bu2 Offers Art, Dining and Parties Is it a club or a restaurant? Or is it an art exhibition? How about all three? Try the new venue that just opened in Itaewon. Boutique lounge bu2 combines culture, food, and partying in one place. On weekday nights from 7 pm to 12 am, bu2 becomes a lounge where you can enjoy relaxing music, drinks, and food after a hard day’s work. On weekends (Thursday to Saturday), bu2 magically transforms into a club with various parties. On select days, the lounge is filled with art exhibitions and cultural entertainment which can be enjoyed with the variety of drinks on the menu. bu2 is open every day except Sunday. To find this boutique lounge, get off at Itaewon Stn. (line 6, ex. 2). Walk for 300 m. It will be near the bus stop on the left. 02-3785-3080 bu2lounge@gmail.com
32 10 Magazine December 2010
Don’t let stress overtake your life. Relax your body and mind at a session of the original Bikram Yoga. This scientific form of twenty-six poses will not only relax you but enhance your well-being by strengthening, reshaping, and healing your mind and body during the 90 minutes of the session. Be warned: this is not your ordinary yoga. The room is 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). The heat helps with flexibility and detoxification, as well as improving the immune and cardiovascular systems. Bikram Yoga believes that physical exertion and absence of stress work simultaneously together, so be prepared to work hard. With patience and diligence, watch as your mind, body, and spirit unite to create a state of peace and health. You can push yourself toward a challenging, but very rewarding, experience taught by passionate instructors. Beginners and advanced students are all welcome. Behind the Kyobo Tower building, Sinnonhyeon Stn. (line 9, ex. 7). bikramyogakorea.co.kr 02-532-2101
Edited by K you ngh ee Lim and a ngela Lee
Join the Seoul Convention Bureau on Facebook and Twitter Events and Conventions Seoul is a fast-paced city full of events and festivals. To help its fans and friends stay updated, the Seoul Convention Bureau tweets breaking news about the city and the events taking place there on its Twitter page (www.twitter.com/miceseoul). “Like” the SCB on Facebook (www.facebook.com/miceseoul) as well to gain access to photos, videos, and in-depth news about the city. Networking Connect with businesses and organizations that also follow the SCB on Facebook and Twitter to network for your business or simply to learn more about premier accommodations, cultural at tractions, and meeting venues in Seoul. Promotions Love Seoul? Help promote it and the SCB will reward you! Join the SCB on Twitter and Facebook and you’ll be immediately notified of exciting promotions and giveaways adver tised on their website (miceseoul.com).
Progress in Campaign Against Mandatory HIV Tests It has been quite a month for ATEK. Communication with a major Korean newspaper that had printed a misleading, negative article about English teachers breaking their contracts resulted in the paper running a correction. Also, one of ATEK’s first campaigns, opposing mandatory HIV checks for English teachers, got two major boosts this month. Mandatory HIV testing was lifted for other classes of migrant workers (but not foreign English teachers) and then, on November 16th, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon himself urged Korea to lift the mandatory test for E2 visa holders. ATEK (The Association for Teachers of English in Korea) is a nationwide all-volunteer network for English teachers in Korea. Along with providing help for teachers in difficult situations, ATEK offers information about professional development and advice about making the most of life in Korea. Anyone, Korean or otherwise, can join and contribute. See atek.or.kr/newsletter for info, or join at atek.or.kr/join. 10 Magazine December 2010 | 33
Gastronomic News Big Changes to the Busan Pub and Dining Scene Two big openings are taking place near Haeundae Beach this month. First off, the legendary Wolfhound Pub is opening its second location after years of success and growth in Itaewon. Busan residents will finally be able to get the terrific Fish and Chips, Toad in a Hole or Shepherd’s Pie paired with a perfectly poured pint of Guinness right across the street from the Fuzzy Navel (behind Seacloud Hotel) on the main street running from Haeundae Stn. to the beach.
New Tapas at Between Still can’t get enough tapas? Try the new dishes added to the menu at the Italian dining and tapas lounge restaurant Between in Itaewon. Get started with Arancini (W10,000), a traditional dish from Sicily, which will put your taste buds into a state of ecstasy. The soft mozzarella cheese and meat sauce will remind you of what your mom used to make. Another traditional dish is Enpande (W8,000). Derived from Latin America, this dish is reinterpreted in an Italian style moderating its original strong, spicy taste into a softer and richer flavor. Another much-anticipated item is the smoked Duck Crostini (W6,000). Served with gorgonzola cheese, this dish has a soft and sweet cranberry sauce that harmonizes well with the sweet and spicy mustard. Other additions to the menu include Pork Steak, Spagheti “Grancchio,” and Chocolate Vulcano. 02-795-6164
Third Maple Tree House Opens in Gangnam First there was the beautiful Samcheong-dong location, then there was the Itaewon location right behind the Hamilton Hotel, and now Gangnam has its very own Maple Tree Korean barbecue restaurant. Known for their quality cuts of beef and pork, as well as an expat-friendly atmosphere (read: chairs for everyone and even a wine list), Maple Tree is now accessible to those of you south of the Han River. Their new location is easily accessible from Dogok Station, next to Ho Lee Chow. 02-3461-4468 34 | 10 Magazine December 2010
New Italian Restaurant in Busan The second big Haeundae opening will be up on Dalmagi Hill, where Busan will be getting a key addition to its dining culture. Il Sole will add some of the most authentic Italian food in the country, overseen by Italian owner-operator Rodolfo Patella and his Executive Chef Sebastiano Giangregorio of Antonio restaurant in Cheongdam-dong. The authentic Italian cuisine will blend well with the view of Haeundae Beach from their lovely rooftop patio.
Edited by A ngela Lee and Dav id carru t h
Kobeak Takes Home “Best Business” Honors There are plenty of suppliers out there for restaurants, but it’s not every day that a food supplier is named the “Best Medium/Small Business” in Korea. The Australia/Korea joint venture Kobeak Foods managed to attain this honor when it was chosen by the Australian Chamber of Commerce to receive this award. Supplier to many international franchises like Outback, On the Border, and T.G.I. Friday’s as well as many of your expat owned and operated favorites, Kobeak is growing quickly and hopes to repeat the feat next year.
1831 Brew Offers the Taste of History Who knows what happened in 1831? Darwin began his voyage on the HMS Beagle, Nat Turner led a bloody slave revolt, and the French Foreign Legion was founded. But why bother with historical trivia like that when you can enjoy a real taste of history with the 1831 brew by the Pfungstädter Brewery in Germany? The beer’s name indicates its long history and the ancient recipe still used to make it today. The dark colour and smooth malt flavour of the 1831 create an experience you won’t soon forget. Give a call to Pieroth Impor ts to learn more about their top-selling brand. pierothwines.co.kr 02-711-9171
10 Magazine December 2010 | 35
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December 17th – March 1st
Robert Delpire and Friends Photography Exhibition Enter into the inspired world of French publisher and director Robert Delpire. At the early age of 23, he became the art director and photographer for a publication dedicated to physicians. However, with his natural eye for visual aesthetics, he transformed the medical magazine into an art magazine. A few decades later, he became the head of the National Photography Centre (CNP). Here, he published the first paperback photography book called Photo Poche. It continues to be the top-selling photography series in the world. This exhibition is a tribute to an important 60 years of still and moving pictures. As a guest of Robert Delpire’s world of art, you will have a chance to discover various photographs and a film by Delpire and his friends, including Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson and William Klein. Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). Adults W10,000, students W8,000, children W5,000. 11 am – 5 pm (3 pm on the last day). Closed the last Monday of every month. sac.or.kr 02-710-0765
NATIONWIDE
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Movies
by Pa u l M atthews
Last Chance Harvey Directed by Joel Hopkins It took two years for it to be released in Korea, but finally we can get a glimpse of Last Chance Harvey, a bittersweet tale of mature romance from writer-director Joel Hopkins. Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman), a TV commercial composer, is on the verge of losing his job and is feeling rejected by his family. He flies to London to attend his daughter’s wedding and thanks to some bad traffic and a missed flight he bumps into Kate Walker (Emma Thompson), an airport statistics analyst, who is coping with an overbearing mother and has just been on a terrible blind date. An odd romance starts to blossom. This is a slow-burning film that gently lets you into the lives of the two main characters. Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are delightful to watch, each bringing something special to their performances. It’s good to see a romantic comedy/drama that isn’t just about twenty-somethings. If you’re not a fan of these two performers, you may not be enthralled; but if you are, then this whimsical, melancholic romance will charm and entertain you.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Directed by Oliver Stone Twenty-three years after Wall Street, Oliver Stone brings us back to New York and tries to give his own take on the financial crisis. Once again he invites us into the dog-eat-dog world of the stock market. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) has been released from prison after being locked up for almost eight years. He makes a name for himself as an author, but his estranged daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) still wants nothing to do with him. However, her boyfriend, Jacob Moore (Shia LeBeouf), is more than happy to get involved with Gekko, and together they take revenge on Bretton James (Josh Brolin), the man who drove Jacob’s mentor to suicide. While it was great to see a grizzled, charismatic Michael Douglas back on the big screen, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps failed to hold my attention. Watching a bunch of hateful bankers and Wall Street 38 | 10 Magazine December 2010
traders try to stab each other in the back for two hours does not hold the same charm that it did back in 1987 when the original Wall Street was released. Times have changed, and Oliver Stone’s passion and politics are hidden beneath a rather bland drama. It feels as if Stone’s bark is as loud
as it has always been, but he has lost his bite. The best thing I can say about this flick is that Oliver Stone has managed to squeeze a half decent performance out of the often annoying Shia LeBeouf, but I wouldn’t recommend you waste your money on this mediocre sequel.
Midnight FM
심야의 FM
New This Month (dates are subject to change) Thursday, December 2nd
The Switch USA Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson; dir. Josh Gordon, Will Speck. Sperm-swapping leads to paternal uncertainty in another comedy surrounding artificial insemination. theswitch-movie.com 나는 나비 Korea Flying Butterfly Do-hyun Yoon, Tae-hee Park, Jin-won Kim; dir. Heum-moon Park. Documentary following the journey of the Yoon Dohyun Band as they participate in 2009’s Warped Tour. The Last Exorcism USA Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland; dir. Daniel Stamm. The Reverend Cotton Marcus visits a farm in Louisiana with a documentary team to find a girl possessed by demons, but this evil spiritual being is stronger than ever. thelastexorcism.com The Warrior’s Way USA/Korea/New Zealand Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush; dir. Seungmoo Lee. A cold-hearted Asian warrior assassin gets prepared for the last battle to secure peace and love in a forgotten desert town. iamrogue.com/thewarriorsway 여의도 Korea Yeouido Tae-woo Kim, Sung-woong Park, Su-jeong Hwang; dir. Jeong-woo Song. A man unable to find happiness in life in Yeouido witnesses all the people he has hated dying one after another. Buried USA/Spain Ryan Reynolds, Robert Paterson, Stephen Tobolowsky; dir. Rodrigo Cortés. Paul, a U.S. contractor working in Iraq, wakes up after an attack to find out he is buried 6 ft. deep with only a lighter and an unidentified cell phone. experienceburied.com Thursday, December 9th
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader USA Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley; dir. Michael Apted. Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia in 3D for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. narnia.com The Tourist USA/UK Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany; dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. An American tourist Frank (Depp) visits Italy to mend a broken heart but falls deeply in love with an extraordinary woman, Elise (Jolie). sonypictures.com/movies/thetourist
NATIONWIDE
Directed by Sang-man Kim Sometimes fans can go a little too far when dealing with the object of their affection. Midnight FM takes great pleasure in showing us just how horrible things can get when a stalker turns nasty and decides to involve himself in a DJ’s life. Seon-yeong Go (Ae Su) is ready to broadcast her final late-night music show before taking her mute daughter to the USA for surgery. However, Travis (Ji-tae Yu), one of her regular listeners, has other plans for her and her family and she finds
herself in a life-or-death situation. If she does what Travis says then her family may survive, but if she makes a mistake or plays the wrong music, then things could turn very nasty. Midnight FM pushes all the right buttons that a psychological horror/ thriller should push. Director Sangman Kim racks up the tension as Travis torments Seon-yeong and her family, and he is not afraid to show the rather gor y consequences of Travis’s actions. The plot is a little ridiculous at times, but if you’re willing to go along for the ride, this rather nasty tale
will chill you to the bone and keep you riveted to your seat. Edited by s o n g le e and A n g e la le e Thursday, December 16th
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I USA/UK Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint; dir. David Yates. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the growing power of Dark Lord Voldemort. harrypotter.warnerbros.com Thursday, December 23rd
헬로우 고스트 Korea Hello Ghost Tae-hyun Cha, Ye-won Kang, Chang-suk Goh; dir. Young-tak Kim. A man wishing to commit suicide suddenly starts to see four souls that will change his life. Thursday, December 30th
The American USA George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido; dir. Anton Corbijn. American assassin Jack (Clooney) heads to Italy to complete what he swears will be his last assignment. focusfeatures.com/the_american TRON: Legacy USA/Canada Olivia Wilde, Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund; dir. Joseph Kosinski. The tech-savvy Sam Flynn looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. disney.go.com/tron tba
김종욱 찾기 Korea Find Jong-wook Kim Su-jeong Lim, Yoo Kong, Ho-jin Chun; dir. You-jeong Jang. In this film based on the Korean hit musical, Gi-joon launches a business to help people find their first love. Lovely, Still USA Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott; dir. Nicholas Fackler. A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time. lovelystillthemovie.com 황해 Korea The Murderer Jeong-woo Hah, Yoon-suk Kim, Sung-ha Joh; dir. Hong-jin Nah. Knee-high in debt, a man from Yongbyon is being chased in Korea. hwang-hae.co.kr 심장이 뛴다 Korea Heart is Beating Yoon-jin Kim, Hae-il Park; dir. Jae-geun Yoon. A mother desperately in need of a heart for her sick child schemes to get the organ of a brain-dead woman.
10 Magazine December 2010 | 39
Books Christmas time! The promise of Korean women in stiletto heels twisting ankles in the same snow that halmoni fight with brooms, and the thrill of giving and receiving presents as mismatched as your drunk Uncle Murray’s socks. At 10 Magazine, we want gift giving to work out. To help, we offer the following suggestions for Christmas gift-books that are actually about Christmas (because we’re meta like that).
SLIGHTLY OLDER, SERIOUS PEOPLE:
Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas by John Grossman ($7.65), The title may make this sound like a “Christmas for Goths” t y pe of book , a nd it does delve into the somewhat darker state of Christmas in the 19th century, but it is also a great history book. Including content from his personal collection of Christmas memorabilia, Grossman lays out a Christmas comprised of saints, devils, goblins, and a Santa on whose lap you would NEVER willingly perch a child.
YOUNG CHILLUNS:
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer ($3.99), Little Critter wants to enjoy Christmas, and really wants to get into the Christmas spirit, but details seem to get in his way. He makes cookies for his family, but eats them; he doesn’t buy his parents a gift because there are too many possibilities; and, like all kids, he just can’t get to sleep on Christmas Eve. Vivid illustrations and minimal text make this a great book for younger kids. CHILLUNS:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss ($10.20), There really is no competition here. This is the book that has it all: stealing from children, puppy abuse, heart disease, and a happy ending. The illustra-
Kitsune Maison Compilation 9
Kitsune France/Happy Robot Records T h e r e a l ly go o d thing about compilation albums is the sheer amount of music they throw out for you to peruse and pick. While compilations differ in their relative musical worth and not every tune resonates with listeners, the number of tunes on offer usually means there is always a tune or two of note, and sometimes a whole lot of them! So it is with this compilation, featuring 18 new tunes from a plethora of indie/dance/electro-pop bands (not all of them French) from Kitsune. This is the ninth album in the French label’s ongoing efforts to bring new sounds to a wider audience, and a careful listen should convince any serious listener of their ability to do so just right. Given that it is an omnibus effort, there will inevitably be a few weak points, but the standout tunes really are all that and more. Penguin 40 | 10 Magazine December 2010
tions are brilliant and the story sublime. Dr. Seuss rocks! ADULTS:
The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir by Ken Harmon ($13.57), A mash-up of traditional Christmas stories and noir clichés, The Fat Man tells the story of 1,300-year-old (you’d be crotchety too) elf Gumdrop Coal who is, ahem, “downsized” by Santa and seeks revenge on the parents of naughty children. When a parent dies (watch for a clever shout-out to A Christmas Story) Gumdrop must work his way out of the frame he finds himself in.
CROTCHETY OLD GRANDFATHERS WHO SHOUT “YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!” WHILST WAVING THEIR CANES ALARMINGLY:
Christmas Letters from Hell by Michael Lent ($8.50), A collection of fictional Christmas missives, this book parodies t hose newslet t e r s, now e m ai ls, we all used to receive that painstakingly reviewed the events of the year (“We are glad to report that the DA dropped all charges against Michael, and the kittens seem fully recovered”) and trumped up impossible stories about various family members, usually children. This is best read in spurts, as the newsletters do tend to blend together.
SNSD (소녀시대 Girls’ Generation)
Hoot SM Entertainment After making their Japanese debut with “Gee” this fall, the girls are back in their native Korean for their minialbum, Hoot, an EP that shoves the mod dresses and skinny jeans of yesterday into the back of the closet and busts out the knee-high go-go boots (handguns optional). A combination of noir and surf rock, lead single “Hoot” is as euphoric as the song’s tempo and possibly one of the most musically dynamic songs by the group dealing with boys and their enduring inability to treat them with tact. With references to 70s spy films (minus the cheesy psychedelia), SNSD are either horribly late for the espionage bandwagon or the first to revive a revival. Unfortunately, with only one other song (“Wake Up”) on the album not a contemporary ballad, our visit to nostalgia theater is hampered by the modern inconvenience of pesky fillers. by A n n a O r z e l
Prison’s “Animal Animal” channels an offbeat Kid Creole groove fairly effectively, while Crookers’ “Cooler Couleur” is strongly reminiscent of something Althea & Donna might have delivered. Silver Columns’ “Brow Beaten” sounds like it is lifted directly from the Bronski Beat playbook and is seriously electro-groovy;
Manchester band Hurts lays down a nice f low in the Goatboy mould, and “Your Body Is a Machine” from The Good Natured defines the term “infectious beat.” In fact, there really are only a couple of tunes that don’t make the grade; as far as compilations go, this one’s a winner. by M ic h a e l B e rry
The School
Tech
D
isappointed with the New Medal of Honor? Halo not as good as it used to be? Sick of having abuse hurled at you by 12-year-olds in Call of Duty? The upgrade of Zipper Interactive’s MAG to version 2.0 might be the answer. MAG, or the Massive Action Game, has been out for some time on Sony’s Playstation 3. It’s an online third person shooter (like Call of Duty) and has players join teams of quasi-military figures fighting one another in pitched battles across a variety of maps (also like Call of Duty). All your favorites are there: direct action characters designed to rush in with guns blazing, heavy infantry with rocket launchers and seemingly endless supplies of grenades, and the snipers for those who like to hang back and take out players from a distance (again like Call of Duty). But what sets MAG apart from similar games is that online play isn’t restrict to teams of up to 15. It’s not restricted to teams of 20—or even 50. Indeed, in various modes players find t hemselves i n bat tle with up to 256 players, all online, all at the same time, and all vying for control of the battlefield. The 2.0 upgrade for MAG adds new game
Overseas Accommodation
by S ta ff o r d L u m s d e n
MAG 2.0: Even More Massive An in-game economy and experiencebased rewards and promotions mark the upgrade of this massive multiplayer shoot-em-up.
nationwide
NATIONWIDE
Loveless Unbeliever Elefant Records/ Happy Robot Records Perhaps there are readers out there who actually remember the golden days of the girl groups of the 1960s and their solid presence on the music charts of the time. Groups like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, et.al—their eternal odes to teenage romance left an indelible mark on all later female vocal pop styles. Those groups of yore may be gone, but the spirit and sound they represented is now back in vogue with a finely crafted and stylish debut release from Welsh
sextet The School. Loveless Unbeliever is certain to be one of 2010’s most notable pure pop albums due to its exuberant re-capturing of those perky sixties sounds and the genuine, obvious, respect for the sub-genre it inhabits. Listeners familiar with those warblings of yesteryear might find themselves stepping through something of a time-warp; new ears will be sure to pick up the bouncy insouciance of teenage yearning given new voice for a new millennium. All thirteen fresh and vibrant tracks show that pop music still has some surprises to offer. Even if you’re not really a vocal pop aficionado, it’s pretty hard to find fault with this effort. If you’re a musically nostalgic sort, this will definitely hit the spot! by M ic h a e l B e rry
modes to the already popular Suppression (64 players kill as many of the opposing force as they can before they run out of reinforcements), Sabotage (64 players attempt to infiltrate their enemy’s bunker), Acquisition (128 players attempt to steal the enemy’s tanks) and Domination (264 players struggle for total control of the battlefield) modes. In addition, a new in-game economy has been launched allowing players to buy weapons with points gathered through experience. No more waiting to unlock that sweet .50 cal sniper rifle or fully automatic TEC 9. Add to this a detailed skills tree and MAG starts to feel more like a RPG, albeit with UAVs and rockets instead of hordes of goblins. Finally, MAG rewards those players with experience. As well as the same kinds of level-ups you find in Call of Duty, MAG promotes players to squad leader, platoon leader and ultimately officer in charge, allowing those players to command the battlefield, call in air strikes, mark targets as priorities and ultimately make the hard decisions about who gets left behind. MAG (online only) is available through most good game retailers. The 2.0 upgrade and online play are free of charge, but players wanting to purchase downloadable content (such as uniforms and extra ch a r a ct e r slot s) w i l l need to access the regional Playstation network that corresponds with their disk.
Villa Orchid
Bali
Bali Orchid Villa Available for short or long term rental. Check website and then e-mail or call for exclusive Korea-only low rates. villaorchidbali. com email: vittoriaco@hotmail.com 010-7307-6555
Hotlines Emergency 119 Police 112 Directory Assistance 114 Medical Information Center 1339 This is a 24-hour, nationwide hospital information service available in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.
Foreigner Assistance/Translation BBB 24-hour Language Assistance 1588-5644 KTO Tourism 24-hr Infoline 1330 Korea Immigration immigration.go.kr 1345 Korean Customs customs.go.kr 1577-8577 Seoul Dasan (city info) 02-120
Investment Assistance KOTRA kotra.or.kr Invest Korea investkorea.org
02-3460-7114 02-3460-7545
Korean Banks Shinhan Bank Seoul Global Center 100-768 1st Floor, Seoul Finance Center 84 Taepyungro 1-ga Jung-gu Seoul 02-773-3131 Korea Exchange Bank (KEB 외환은행) keb.co.kr 02-729-0114 SC First Bank (SC 제일은행) scfirstbank.com 02-3702-3114
Major Foreign Banks American Express americanexpress.co.kr 02-2000-8100 Australia & New Zealand Banking Group 02-3700-3100 China Construction Bank ccbseoul.com 02-6730-1718 Citibank citibank.co.kr 02-3455-2114 Deutsche Bank 02-724-4500 Bank of America 02-2202-4500 Bank of China 02-399-0368 BNP Paribas bnpparibas.co.kr 02-317-1700 HSBC 02-311-0060 Websites shown are specifically for the Korean branches of listed foreign banks.
10 Magazine December 2010 | 41
Food Review
World Playground of Pub Grub 3 Alley Pub
W o r d s a n d s h ot s b y J o e m c p h e rs o n
SEOUL Trendy new restaurants may come and go, but quality grub and good brews make the 3 Alley Pub the bar of choice for discriminating expats.
A
s the fancy restaurants pop in and pop out of Itaewon’s restaurant alley behind the Hamilton, the 3 Alley Pub has stood by and watched it all. Though well-known as the watering hole for long-time expats, 3 Alley hasn’t gotten much attention for its food offerings. After all, it’s surrounded by multiple trendysounding restaurants whose names begin with “My” and tend to offer overpriced steak and spaghetti with a fine vintage bottle of Yellow Tail. The 3 Alley guys shrug off all that pretentious foppery and are the antithesis of the mesh-and-lace cafes. Defiantly so. Just check out their blog at 3alleypub.wordpress. com.
Yet they don’t need to advertise that they have some of the best fare in the ‘Twon. German-based, British-adopted and American-perfected, it serves as the EPCOT of pub grub and does it well. The legend started with the Goulash Soup, which is still on the menu. It’s rich, meaty, and ideal for a chilly winter’s night. The Pork Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce is an ample breaded pork cutlet steaming with thick mushroom gravy resting on crispy Teutonic frites. They also have Bratwurst and Smoked Pork Loin dishes befriended with potatoes and sauerkraut, along with a Tuesday night wing special (W300 a piece) and German-style Steak Tartare on Wednesday nights.
The British influence stands out with their Fish & Chips, Chicken Curry, Beef & Guinness Stew and Shepherd’s Pie (which is actually Cottage Pie to purists because it uses beef and not lamb). And there are some interesting Italian dishes, like a Ravioli Salad and Sicilian Vegetable Pasta. Yet the great standout is their Grilled Ribeye. Amidst this local trend of “dryaged” steaks (which are usually wet-aged but unwrapped to dry), the 3 Alley Pub proves you don’t need to fake out the public to make a great steak. A good steak is simple: salt, pepper, and butter (optional). Sauce is only used to cover up mistakes. The 3 Alley Steak is grilled to order with an amazingly tangy herb butter, which enhances the natural beef flavor. Served with smoky sautéed potatoes and a simple garden salad, it’s one of the most satisfying secrets in Seoul—especially with the price tag of W21,500 (W20,000 at lunch). With their ample and balanced array of bottled and pulled beers, the 3 Alley Pub has the optimal pint for whatever ails (ales?) you. And with its amusement park of worldwide pub grub, the 3 Alley Pub continues to be the perfect saloon for wherever you’re from, or wherever you want to be. 10 Magazine reimburses reviewers for their meals and never notifies restaurants that they will be reviewed.
English menu and English spoken Smoking section Veggie pasta and salads One small step Reservation necessary on busy nights, particularly Thursday’s trivia night Has the food to match that beer Closes relatively early for a bar - 1 am W5,000 to W21,500 from snacks to dinners 02-749-3336 Noon – 1 am
From top: Grilled Ribeye; Alley Kat and Kilkenny beers on tap; Pork Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce 42 | 10 Magazine December 2010
116-15 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Exit Itaewon Station (line 6, ex. 1) and walk up the alley behind the Hamilton Hotel. Turn left, and it’s ahead on the right.
FOODIE FINDS
Goulashly Good Boasting nutritious food, generous portions and low prices, Goulash Soup and Bread feels tailor-made for Hongdae’s student crowd. But that doesn’t mean everyone else can’t enjoy it too. Set meals (W3,500 - W5,000) are mixes and matches of bread, rice and salad, with steaming bowls of goulash taking center stage. The spicy Hungarian broth comes brimming with flavorsome parsley and caraway and is packed heartily with potatoes, vegetables and chunks of beef so tender you can cut them with a spoon. Add good service and some free refills, and this goulash student haunt is definitely worth a trip. Opposite Hongdae Playground, beside Smoothie King. 02-325-4471 Words and shot by Da niel O’ Sulli va n
Some Serious Tang You have to come early for the lunch here. Lee Gwang-ho Deungshim (이광호 등심) serves some of the best galbitang in town, but they limit it to 70 bowls a day. And this place gets packed! On chilly winter days you know you need a steaming bowl of galbitang. LGD makes it with Australian wagyu beef, so it’s high quality right off the bat. But they don’t charge wagyu prices. A bowl of the tang goes for just W7,000. Even if they don’t have it, or you’re not in the mood for it, they have some high quality bulgogi. This place is tucked away in Seorae Village. Take the 13 bus from Isu, Seocho or Bangbae Stations to Soraemaeul. 02-536-7675 Words and shot by Joe McPherson 10 Magazine December 2010 | 43
SEOUL DISCOVERIES
SEOUL
Straight Off the Chopping Block Majang Meat Market In central Seoul, at the east end of Cheonggye Stream, sits the largest meat market in the country. This is the Majang Meat Market (마장축산물시장), a cluster of a hundred or more butcher stalls, dealers, and meat-processing shops. The market deals exclusively in beef and pork. Whatever your beef or pork fancy might be, that fancy can and will be satisfied here. Freshness and price are the reasons to shop for galbi and samgyeopsal at the Majang Meat Market. And if you’re seeking harder-to-find meat products this is the place to come. Liver, heart, brains, heads, and tails are only some of the body parts for sale. For English service, try locating Boseong Sangsa (보성상사 02-2292-0970) on the market street that stretches past the train tracks to Gosanja Road (고산자길). Behind the counter you’ll find Violeta, who should be able to meet your meat needs. (Vegetarian reader, if you’re still with me, kindly note that Violeta also sells okra.) You’re probably already wondering about on-site dining options. If this is the freshest meat in town, so the reasoning goes, then the restaurants around here must serve pretty good meat! To reach the vintage food alley, head to the northeast side of the market, on the other side of the road from Cheonggye Stream. Once you enter the alley, you’ll have to walk the gauntlet of extremely tenacious restaurateurs, each competing with the others for your business. You’ll have to take over from this point on since these places all look great to me. A two-person s e r v i ng of g r i l le d premium Korean beef will cost W30,000.
From Majang Station (line 5) head out exit 2. Take a left at Majang-an Street (마장 안길) and continue past the middle school.
Words and shots by M atthew C. Crawford
44 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Steamed ham hocks
G e tti n g T h e r e
Remember Those Things Called CDs? A vast CD collection fuels the auditory excellence at this Hongdae music café.
SEOUL
Doe s a nyone st il l col le ct CDs? Mr. Park, the owner of Café Veloso in Hongdae, does. D id nob o dy t el l h i m ab out computers and torrents and all the music you could ever want free of charge? There must be some valid reasoning behind
his amazing CD collection. Maybe he is worried about Korea’s all-too-powerful corporate oligarchy. Maybe he is worried that if he downloads music without paying for it someone will come knocking at his café door. But he (and we) need not concern ourselves about such things because the audiophiles, musicophiles and sound engineers at Veloso stick with the shiny circular discs. Veloso has lined its shelves with a diverse collection of music from around the world. There is a lot of excellent world music, Korean indie music and new music. You might even hear some ECM label music. Despite being what many musicologists have declared the most important music label of the 20th century, ECM tunes are seldom heard. Veloso’s collection is ever-changing and offers a treat to any sophisticated listener. Veloso has a short request period every night from 9 to 10:30 pm, but this is only ostensibly so. Unless you know what would follow smoothly from a Gianluigi Trovesi track, then you’re better off just sitting back and enjoying the house selections. Veloso also has live music every Sunday, and they often record the concerts. The café would be fine if that were all, but it also has a delectable menu with sophisticated drinks, rather professional for a Korean café. Sip on the most authentic milk chai tea in Seoul while listening to some music you’ve never heard before but will definitely want to hear again. To find this music bar, take exit 1 out of Sangsu Stn. (line 6) and walk straight for 200 meters before turning right on the Parking Street. Take your first left and your second right, and Café Veloso will be immediately on your right. veloso.co.kr 02-323-7798
G e tti n g T h e r e
Words by Jacob Roy and shots by M atthew Crompton
10 Magazine December 2010 | 45
SEOUL CALENDAR Design & Fashion
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December 7th – 12th Design Korea Two themes for this year’s exhibition are “Convergence through Design” and “Good to Great: Design & Brand Power.” These two ideas promote the value of a sustainable future and the ways in which society, economy, and culture are affected by design. COEX Hall D 3rd Floor near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). designkorea.or.kr 031-780-2157
SEOUL
December 8th – 11th Seoul Design Festival This exhibition creates an open discussion for inspiring and established designers to exchange new trends, information, and ideas. COEX World Trade Center near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). designfestival.co.kr December 15th – 19th Craft Trend Fair COEX Hall A 3, 4 near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). craftfair.kcdf.kr 02-398-7921,
Trained at Toni&Guy and Vidal Sassoon Academy in UK
Call to make an appointment 070-4227-6158 / 010-3172-3177 Open 10 am — 8 pm English service available
December 2nd – March 13th Tomorrow Open Archive 29 artists display 100 pieces of drawings, paintings, objects, and installations. SOMA Museum of Art in Olympic Park near Mongchontoseong Stn. (line 8, ex. 1). Tues - Sun 10 am - 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W3,000, students W2,000, children W1,000. somamuseum.org 02-425-1077 December 4th 2004 Art Bazaar/Auction: “Art for Love” The second art bazaar/auction organized by the Myeongdong Art Studio. The organizers hope to raise at least W20 million to give to various charities. Yongsan Exhibition Hall. 1 - 6 pm. koreaiac.com sk-5324@hanmail.net
December 21st – 23rd Seoul International Quilt Festival Booths and contests weaved in together to create this exhibition tapestry of fabric and color. COEX Indian Hall 1st Floor near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). Tues 11 am - 5:30 pm, Wed - Thurs 10:30 am - 5:30 pm. Adults W16,000, students W2,000, groups W12,000, 3 day pass W35,000. siqf.com 031-785-5419
Cut & Paste Design Cut & Paste, the world’s biggest live design tournament, lands in Seoul this month. kunsthalle.com 02-3447-1191
December 24th – January 2nd Seoul Doll Fair Witness a wide variety of dolls come to life: fashion, vintage, clay, porcelain, pottery, and many more. COEX 1st Floor Hall A near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). Dec 24th - Jan 1st 10 am - 7 pm, Jan 2nd 10 am - 5 pm. W3,000 - W10,000. dollfair.mt.co.kr 02-724-7750
December 4th – March 13th Hundertwasser Exhibition Explore the controversial artwork of this Austrain painter and architect. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). sac.or.kr
Art Ongoing Dialogue in the Dark Switch off the sight, switch on the insight. Vertigo Tower in Shinchon. Weekdays 12 – 8:30 pm, weekends 10 am – 7 pm. Closed Mon. W20,000 - W30,000. dialogueinthedark.co.kr 02-313-9977 Through December 7th National Geographic Photo Exhibition The exhibit is divided into four sections. Scenes from Nature take a look at the earth, sea, and sky; The Drama of Life examines scenes from animal life; Tears of the Earth reveals how we are harming the earth; and A Tiny Hope zooms in on eco-friendly lifestyles. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). Adults W10,000, teens W8,000, children W6,000. ngphoto.co.kr 1544-1681 Through February 27th Leonardo da Vinci: The Genius Who Changed The World Discover the 25 secrets of the Mona Lisa. The War Museum in Yongsan near Samgakji Stn. (lines 4 & 6, ex. 12). 10 am - 6 pm. General W15,000, children W12,000. davincithegenius.co.kr 1544-1555 Through March 1st Picasso and Modern Art The exhibition includes Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, and Henri Matisse’s artwork from different eras: impressionism, expressionism, der bliu reiler, and new expressionism. Deoksu Palace 1st & 2nd Floors near City Hall Stn. (lines 1 & 2, ex. 3 & 12). Tue - Thu 9 am - 7 pm, Fri - Sun 9 am - 8:30 pm. W3,000 - W11,000. pam.chosun.com 02-757-3002
46 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Through March 6th Versailles Palace Exhibition See 80 paintings and crafts from the fine art collections of Versailles, France. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 11 am - 7 pm. Adults W13,000, students W10,000, children W8,000. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300
Dripan Art Walk In this Itaewon art walk, the audience moves from venue to venue meeting artists and performers along the way. Starts at 7 pm. dripankorea@hotmail.com 010-2335-4999
December 8th - 14th 2010 Global Art Work Exhibition Become inspired by the photographic works of Mihe Shin and the Hanji artwork of Om’s Studio. KCDF Gallery. 9 am - 6 pm. 02-733-9041 December 8th – 28th CJ Picturebook Awards Celebrating the revolutionary art of picture books. Korea Foundation Cultural Center (Joongang Ilbo Building) near City Hall Stn. (line 2, ex. 9). 10 am - 6 pm, Wed 10 am - 9 pm. Adults W5,000, students & children W3,000. cjbook.org 02-338-6672 December 9th – February 27th History of Calligraphy Special Exhibition Featuring Chang-am Lee Sam-Man. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 11 am - 7 pm. Adults W5,000, students & children W3,000. sac.or.kr December 16th – February 27th Robert Delpire Photo Exhibition Look through the lens of this famed French photographer and publisher. See p. 37 for more info. Hangaram Art Museum at Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). sac.or.kr December 18th – February 25th World Star in Contemporary Art Collaborations with Parckett: from Louise Bourgeois to Damian Hirst. Hangaram Art Museum at Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). Adults W8,000, students W5,000. sac.or.kr
Theater & Dance Ongoing The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy This story of a would-be ballerina who falls for a b-boy street dancer is a genrebending mash-up of break dance and
ballet. Lotte World Art Hall at Jamsil Stn. (line 2). Wed – Thu 8 pm, Fri 5 & 8 pm, Sat – Sun 3 & 6 pm. Closed Mon & Tue. W50,000. showbboy.com 02-2266-3727 Battle B-Boy Romance at a dance tournament serves as the setting for this exhibition of awesome dance routines and soaring aerial moves. B-Boy Theater Samjin B/D B1 in Hongdae. Tue - Fri 8 pm, Sat 6 pm, Sun and holidays 2 & 6 pm. W50,000. sjbboys.com 02-323-5233 Bubble World Though geared toward younger children, anyone can enjoy this creative presentation of bubbles, fans, lighting, and lasers. Myungbo Art Hall in Jongno. Wed 3 pm, Thu & Fri 3 pm & 8 pm, weekends 2 & 4:30 pm (and 8 pm on Sat). bubbleworld.co.kr 02-2263-9742
Fanta-stick This slapstick nonverbal show offers young ones lots of laughs. Conveniently located at the 63 Building in Yeouido. Tue - Sun 8 pm. W32,000 - W50,000. fanta-stick.co.kr 02-789-5664 Jump First performed in 2003, this non-verbal show combines a comic story with martial arts moves and impressive visuals. Downtown near Jonggak Stn. Mon 8 pm, Tue – Sat 4 & 8 pm, Sun 3 & 6 pm. W40,000 – W50,000. hijump.co.kr 02-722-3995 Legend of Flower This romantic tale of two lovers redefines what a performance can be with stunning sound effects, tantalizing aromas, holographs, and more. Walkerhill Theatre at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill. Mon – Sat 5:30 & 7 pm. W60,000 and up. legendofflower. com 02-455-5000
Nori Madang Traditional Performance Korean dancers and singers present you with all the vivid colors and exotic sounds of a traditional performance. At Sokchon Lake Park near Jamsil Stn. (line 2, ex. 3). Sun 3 pm. Free. 02-414-1985 Pan An exciting combination of Korean folk songs, minstrel music, and percussion of all kinds. Gwanghwamun Art Hall. Wed - Fri 8 pm. Weekends and holidays at 2 pm. Closed Mon and Tue. 90 min. W30,000 - W50,000. ghmarthall.co.kr 02-722-3416 Sa-Choom An exciting non-verbal dance performance telling the story of three friends’ coming of age. Tue – Fri 8 pm, Sat 4 & 7:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. W50,000. lovedance.co.kr 070-8249-3023
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Drawing Show Art exhibit or performance? The drawing show is as fun to watch as it is hard to classify. Drawing Show Theater in Daehangno in Seoul (Hyehwa Station, ex. 1). Weekdays 8 pm, Sat 4 & 7 pm, Sun 3 & 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W30,000, children W20,000. cafe.daum.net/drawingshow, drawingshow@gmail.com 02-766-7848
performances almost daily. Refer to website for more details. W50,000 – W60,000. nanta.co.kr 02-739-8288
Through December 31st Snowman A performance that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages about an inanimate snowman that comes to life on a magical, snowy day. HOAM Art Hall (Joongang Ilbo Building) near City Hall Stn. (lines 1 & 2, ex. 9). Tue & Thu 11 am, Wed 11 am & 3 pm, Fri 3 & 7:30pm, Sun 11 am & 3 pm. Check the website for more details on times and dates. W35,000 –W55,000. hoamarthall.org 02-751-9607 December 1st – 4th Love Letter: The Opera Sejong Center near City Hall Stn. (line 1, ex. 3). Weekdays 7:30 pm, Sat 3 & 7:30 pm. W10,000 - W70,000. sejongpac.or.kr December 3rd – 5th La Traviata: the Opera Experience Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata interpreted by famous Korean opera singers. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W40,000 – W150,000. Tue – Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 3 pm, 7:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300 December 4th – January 15th Hero: The Musical In Korean. Haeoreum Theater in National Theater of Korea. W40,000 – W110,000. ntok.go.kr December 7th – 21st Swan Lake Ballet Watch this classic ballet by famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W5,000 – W100,000. Tue – Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 3 pm, 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm. sac.or.kr
20% Discount coupon on page 17 Miso Chongdong Theater presents Miso, a story of one woman’s encounter with love told through traditional dance, percussion, and music. City Hall Stn. 4 & 8 pm. Closed Mon. W30,000 – W50,000. miso.mct.or.kr 02-751-1500
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Nanta This kitchen percussion extravaganza is the non-verbal stage show that nearly everyone sees at least once. Two Seoul locations and
December 8th Carmen: Gala Opera Program includes “Gypsy Song,” “Toreador Song,” and “Air de Fleur.” Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W30,000 – W200,000. 8 pm. sac.or.kr December 16th – 28th Annie: The Musical Winner of 2007’s Best Foreign Musical Award, the new musical Annie returns with a new staff and actors as they sing and dance to upbeat and hopeful songs such as “Tomorrow.” Sejong Center near City Hall Stn. (line 1, ex. 3). W30,000 – W50,000. sejongpac.or.kr 02-399-1772 December 17th – 25th The Nutcracker Watch the magical world of The Nutcracker come to life as we explore the dreams and imagination of the main character Marie. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W5,000 – W90,000. Closed Mon. sac.or.kr December 29th – 31st Street Jam Dance Performance By merging modern, hip hop, ballet,
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SEOUL CALENDAR E di t or’ s Pick
Wintertime in Seoul
SEOUL Through December 12th
Theater and Dance
Imagine you’re on a weekend getaway with your loved one when your mother walks in on you—trailed by her French lover and your father! Is this your worst nightmare? For the Seoul Players, it’s the beginning of a hilarious and entertaining holiday story for Seoul residents. Wintertime by Charles Mee is performed by a diverse cast of 10 actors from Seoul’s foreign community. It will play at Roofers in Itaewon every Friday (8 pm), Saturday (8 pm) & Sunday (5:30 pm) through December 12th. Tickets are W10,000 and can be purchased at the door, although reservations are recommended (info@seoulplayers. com). For more information, visit the Seoul Players Facebook page or seoulplayers.com. Words and shot by Pamela Mu ñoz tango, and more dance genres into one show, this performance gives birth to an honest and forward-thinking story for the audience to enjoy. Arko Art Theaters near Hyehwa Stn. (line 4, ex. 2). Adults W20,000, students W10,000. 8 pm. hanpac.or.kr
December 4th Kenyan Jirani Choir Concert The children of Kenyan sings songs of hope and uplift our souls to a musical experience. Grand Peace Palace at Kyunghee University near Hoegi Stn. (line 1, ex. 1). 5 pm. jirani.kr 02-3461-7200
Concerts
Lang Lang Piano Recital Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor Op. 57, Albeniz’s Iberia Book 1, and Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat Major Op. 83. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W50,000 –W150,000. 8 pm. sac.or.kr
Through December 31st Love Actually Concert Every week there is a new performance. Please check the website for more details. Olleh Square. Weekdays 7:30. Weekends 5 pm. Closed Mon. W1,000. ollehsquare. kt.com 1577-5599
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48 | 10 Magazine December 2010
December 2nd A Year-End Concert with Beseto Opera Program includes Giuseppe Verdi’s “Si, Vendetta, Tremenda Vendetta,” Giacomo Puccini’s “Si Mi Chiamano Mimi,” Lucio Dalla’s “Caruso,” and Franz Lehar’s “Meine Lippen sie Kussen so Heiss.” Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 7:30 pm. W20,000 – W120,000. sac.or.kr December 2nd – 5th Kreutzer Sonata A love story about an affair leading to murder with music from Beethoven’s Sonata, based on the novella by Tolstoy. Arko Art Theaters near Hyehwa Stn. (line 4, ex. 2). Thu – Fri 7 pm, Sat 3 & 7 pm, Sun 3 pm. W20,000 –W30,000. hanpac.or.kr December 3rd - 4th Jazz Super Concert The program includes the songs “Devil May Care,” “Mas Que Nada,” “Summertime,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing.” Mapo Arts Center. Fri 8 pm, Sat 7 pm. W40,000 - W50,000. mapoartcenter.or.kr
December 4th - 5th Joon Lee Trio Jazz Concert The set list includes “Body and Soul,” “How Insensitive,” “Stella By Starlight,” and “All Blues.” Welcomm Theater near Donguk Univ. Stn. (line 3, ex. 1). 6 pm. W33,000. welcommtheater.com 02-720-0749 December 5th Elisabeth Kontomanou Concert Be seduced by the voice of this jazz singer. Mapo Arts Center. W30,000 – W50,000. 6 pm. mapoartcenter.or.kr 02-3274-8600 Four Tet in Concert Experimental electronic artist Kieran Hebden is better known by his stage moniker, Four Tet. Idiotape is the opening act. At Club Vera in Hongdae. W40,000 presale, W45,000 at the door. supercolorsuper.com Rookie & Respect Classic Rock Concert Classic rock music from bands of the 60’s to the 90’s (Cream, Led Zeppelin, New Order, Guns ‘N Roses) performed by groups, including Seoul Electric Band, Telepathy, and Yellow Monsters. Held in the playground across from Hongik University (line 2). 4 pm.
Rubber Soul Charity Concert December 4th
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Shots by J as o n R ya n
E di t or’ s Pick
Concerts
Observed on December 1st, World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic. The only such event widely attended in South Korea is Rubber Soul, now in its third year. Last year, around 1000 partiers attended the event and raised just under 11 million won. This year’s proceeds will be split between the Hillcrest AIDS Centre and Meaningful Volunteer’s RYE School Initiative in Uganda. W15,000 covers admission to four of Hongdae’s hottest bars: Club TA, FF, DGBD, and Ting Tings, which will be hosting local bands such as TAcopy, The Geeks, and Plastic Duck Armada. Attendees also receive a Little Traveller doll made by residents at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre, which works with HIV/AIDS charity Little Travellers. 9 pm – late. For more info, search for Rubber Soul 2010 on Facebook. angelbeary2@comcast.net. W20,000 - W25,000. 031-946-2339 December 6th – 7th Olivia Newton-John: 40th Anniversary Live in Seoul This English-born 4-time Grammy winner is one of the top Hollywood entertainers of all time. Most famous for her work in the film adaptation of Grease, she is coming to Korea for two days of unforgettable music and a walk down memory lane. Grand Peace Palace at Kyunghee University near Hoegi Stn. (line 1, ex. 1). 8 pm. W99,000 – W330,000. culview.com 070-4064-7247 December 7th Handel’s Messiah Sejong Center near City Hall Stn. (line 1, ex. 3). 7:30 pm. W10,000 – W50,000. sejongpac.or.kr 02-399-1778 KCO String Quartet Regular Concert Program includes Shostakovich, Schubert, and Schumann. Seoul Art Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W20,000. 8 pm. sac.or.kr December 9th Great 3B Series: Beethoven Presenting great composers, such as Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms. This year Seoul Arts Center is featuring Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in C minor (Op. 80) and Symphony No.9 in D minor (Op.125) “Choral.” Seoul Art Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W20,000 - 40,000. 8 pm. 02-580-1300
New York University. A special guest artist will also appear as an extra treat for the audience! M Theater at Sejong Center near City Hall Stn. (line 1, ex. 3). 6 pm. W33,000 – W44,000. sejongpac.or.kr 02-412-0512 Sejong Woodwind Chamber Ensemble Concert 2010 Annual Concert of Woodwind Chamber Ensemble. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W20,000. 3 pm. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300 December 13th Jeong-mi Song Xmas in Love Concert Selling more than a million copies, CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) artist Jeong-mi Song touches the heart with her heavenly voice. Dong-Kyu Kim, voted Korea’s favorite vocalist, and Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra are performing as well. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W30,000 - 80,000. 8 pm. sac. or.kr 02-322-6369 December 16th Bolshoi State Academic Theatre Solist Gala Concert Conducted by Mikhail Granovsky. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 8 pm. W30,000 –W120,000. sac.or.kr 02-2650-7481
December 11th Uehara Hiromi Concert The program includes Pachelbel’s Canon, “Sicilian Blue,” and “Somewhere.” Mapo Arts Center. 6 pm. W30,000 - W70,000. mapoartcenter.or.kr
December 18th Handel’s Messiah Famous choral conductor Weston Noble leads the Camarata Music Comany in a production of this classical masterpiece. Chung-dong 1st Methodist Church, City Hall Stn. (lines 1 & 2). W15,000 in advance, W25,000 at the door. camaratamusic.com
Prelude’s Merry Jazzy Xmas All the musicians were educated at the prestigious Berklee College of Music or
December 21st Little Singers of Paris Concert A special Christmas gift by the Paris
10 Magazine December 2010 | 49
SEOUL CALENDAR Boys’ Choir. Begin your Christmas early and reward yourself with a concert that has met with endless praise and sold out performances throughout the world. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W30,000 –W100,000. 8 pm. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300
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December 23rd - 25th Shin Seung-hun in Concert This renowned ballad singer, perhaps best-known for the hit “I Believe” from the movie My Sassy Girlfriend, marks the twentieth year since his debut with a three-day concert series. COEX near Samsung Stn. (line 2). W66,000 W132,000. visitseoul.net 02-6000-0114
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December 23rd – 24th Jin-young Park Concert: the Dancer As one of the most prominent entertainment tycoons in Asia, JYP will dance his way onto the stage with his slick moves. Male guests, watch out for your dates! Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena near Olympic Park Stn. (line 5, ex. 3). Thu 8 pm, Fri 11:30 pm. W66,000 –W132,000. 02-2650-7481 December 23rd - 26th Jang-hoon Kim & Psy Gymnastics Stadium in Jamsil. Thurs 8 pm, Fri 7:45 & 11:45 pm, Sat 7 & 11 pm, Sun 6:30 pm.W55,000 - W132,000. ticket. interpark.com 1544-1555
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Seung-chul Lee Concert Celebrate your holiday season to the music of Seung-chul Lee. At the main Jamsil stadium at Sports Complex Stn. (line 2, ex. 7). 7:30 pm. W55,000 - W150,000. ticket.interpark.com 1588-4992 December 24th Ronn Branton’s Jazz Xmas Enjoy this jazzy approach to Christmas music featuring a variety of instruments such as piano, saxophone, bass, drums, and Congas drums. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). W20,000 –W60,000. 8 pm. sac.or.kr 02-580-1300 December 24th - 25th Boohwal Xmas Concert Boohwal, an all-star band that first formed in 1985, is playing a show that will fill your Christmas weekend with real rock & roll music. Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Hall. W88,000 - W110,000. Fri 8 pm, Sat 7 pm. ticket.interpark.com 1544-2498 December 24th - 26th Kyung-min Hong Concert This versatile K-pop singer will perform at Mary Hall at Seogang University near Sinchon Stn. (line 2, ex. 6). visitseoul.net 02-3788-0897 December 25th DJ DOC Xmas Concert Remember the late 90s in Korea? If you do, you must know this hip hop group. Spend your Christmas moving to the beats of this musical trio. Gymnastics Stadium at Olympic Park near Olympic Park Stn. (line 5, ex. 3). 7 pm. W66,000 W99,000. kspo.or.kr 02-410-1114
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Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (lin 3, ex. 5). 2 & 8 pm. W30,000 – W100,000. sac.or.kr 02-318-4301 December 30th - 31st Countdown Fantasy Bands playing on Thursday include No Reply, Daybreak, and Peterpan Complex. On Friday, expect to see Guckksten, The Moonshiners, and Romantic Punch. AX-Korea near Gwangnaru Stn. (line 5, ex. 2). Thu 3 pm - 1 am, Fri 3 pm - 5 am. Thu W44,000, Fri W55,000, both Thu & Fri W88,000. info_english@mpmg.co.kr The Vocalist Concert The comeback of Korea’s top vocalists. Bobby Kim, Wheesung and Gummy are singing together as the year 2010 comes to a close. Jamsil Main Stadium near Sports Complex Stn. (line 2). W66,000 121,000. Thu 8 pm. Fri 6 &11 pm. 02-512-9496 December 31st Michael Bolton Concert When a man loves a woman, he buys her tickets to a Michael Bolton concert. Only for the true romantics. Hwajeong Gymnasium at Korea University near Anam Stn. (line 6). 8 pm. W88,000 - W132,000. 1599-3066 Rain in Concert End 2010 with “Bi” (rain), one of South Korea’s most famous entertainers. Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium near Sports Complex Stn. (line 2). 6 & 11:30 pm. W66,000 - W165,000. 1544-1555 January 11th Sting Concert Former frontman for the Police, solo artist, yoga master, and actor--Sting is a renaissance man whose musical experimentation over the past two decades has resulted in an impressive opus. See him in Seoul as part of Hyundai Card’s Super Concert series at the Gymnastics Arena at Olympic Park near Olympic Park Stn. (line 5, ex. 3). 8 pm. W77,000 - W230,000. ticket.interpark.com 02-3141-3488
Film Ongoing Dinosaurs Alive 3D Want to time warp 4.6 billion years ago when dinosaurs ruled the world? With the cutting-edge technology of CG, you can! 63 Building, 63 Art Hall Digital 3D Film Section in Yeouido. Please visit the website for further details on prices and times. 63.co.kr 02-789-5663 Through December 2010 New Korean Movies with English Subtitles CGV theaters in Gangnam, Myungdong, Guro, and Yongsan. cgv.co.kr 02-120
Family & Community
Xmas Concert “Ho, Ho, Ho!” Featuring Mozart’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” Alan Menken’s “A Whole New World,” and Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal Stn. (line 3, ex. 5). 3 pm. W30,000. sac. or.kr 02-581-5404
Through December 17th Toys for Tots Collection This Christmas, help disadvantaged children in Korea by donating toys, food and clothes. The gifts will go to the Gyeonggido Children’s Halfway House and the Gokseong Project that supports underprivileged bi-racial children living in the countryside. Donations can be brought to O’ngo Culinary School before 6 pm on December 17th. Contact ongo@ ongofood.com to make a monetary donation. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607
Yuhki Kuramoto & Friends The program includes Mozart’s Clarinet Concert, 2nd Movement, a medley of Christmas music from movies (Home Alone, The Polar Express, and Love Actually), and “You Raise Me Up.” Seoul
Through February 28th Children’s Nanta Activity Nanta is the popular non-verbal percussion show. Sessions held several times each day. COEX Atium Performance Hall near Samseong Stn.
(line 2, ex. 6). Adults W13,000, children W20,000. i-pmc.co.kr 02-739-82888 December 25th – 26th Seoul Teddy Bear Convention Hug a teddy bear and learn more about these adorable stuffed animals with free classes, friendship parties & awards, workshops, and competitions. COEX near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). Adults W5,000, groups W4,000. Free for members of Teddy Bear Korea. bearseoul.com teddy@teddy21.com
Education & Conferences
Through December 2nd Seoul International Healthcare Expo Ease your mind from the health dangers of our risky world and reorganize your lifestyle to be safe and healthy. COEX near Samseong Stn. (line 2). General W3,000, preregister for free admission. gohealth.kr 02-2000-6371 Through December 26th Lotte World Xmas Festival Feel the Christmas spirit at the happiest place in Korea! There will be stage shows, band performances, and street performers. Located inside Jamsil Stn. (lines 2 & 8). lotteworld.com Through December 28th Hangul Experience Experience the art of calligraphy. Sejong Center near Gwanghwamun Stn. (line 5, ex. 8). 10:30 am - 10 pm. Closed Mon. sejongpac.or.kr 1544-1887 Through December 31st Kimchi Making Event Want to learn how to make your own kimchi? This event is a great opportunity to create Korea’s staple side dish! Kimchi Academy House in Myeongdong. W30,000. visitseoul.net 02-3789-7961 UNESCO World Heritages in Korea Learn more about the UNESCO intangible cultural heritages and world heritage sites located in Korea through this photo exhibit. Lotte World with access from inside Jamsil Stn. (lines 2 & 8). 02-411-2000 Through January 9th Seoul Festival of Lights Enjoy a majestic show with diverse activities, including a photo zone, fireworks show, ice sculpture exhibitions, and more. Gwanghwamun Gate area near Gwanghwamun Stn. (line 5). korea.net 02-120 December 2nd – 5th Seoul International Invention Fair Join the largest bi-annual invention fair in Asia. This is a great chance to have your ideas and inventions promoted in the Asian market. COEX Pacific Hall near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). 10 am - 5 pm. Free. siif.org 02-3459-2796 December 3rd – 5th Korea Pet Expo For over a decade, this expo has created a safe haven for the growing number of pet lovers to meet, discuss and find food and other goods for their domestic animals. aTCenter Halls 1 & 2 near Yangjae Stn. (line 3). Fri - Sat 10 am - 6 pm, Sun 10 am - 5 pm. kopet.com 031-783-5672 December 16th – 19th Home & Table Deco Fair Get insight into how to improve your everyday
December 22nd – 24th Jewelry Festival You don’t have to be a woman to enjoy all the sparkling jewelry, bridge jewelry, and costume jewelry & accessories on display. COEX Hall A 1st Floor near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). jewfe.com 02-3676-0112
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Sport & Fitness December 11th Santa Sports Festival Santa Marathon (5 & 10k), Santa Walk (3 km), 10 km bike groups of war and ice skating. Olympic Park near Mongchontoseong Stn. (line 8). 9 am. W10,000. santafestival.co.kr December 25th Christmas Marathon 5k, 10k, half, and full to depart from Dorimcheon Stn. (line 2) in west Seoul. Sign up by December 18th. 9:30 am. W15,000 - W25,000. tourmarathon.com 1644-4219 February 6th Full Marathon 5k, 10k, half, and full to depart from the Noreun Plaza in Yeouido. Sign up by January 18th. 10 am. tourmarathon.com 031-919-2446
Dine & Drink Ongoing Korean Cooking Classes and Market Tour Learn authentic Korean cuisine in English from a Korean chef. Classes held at the O’ngo Cooking Studio near Insadong (Nakwon Sangga). After class, tour the market for your ingredients. Classes include dakgalbi (red chili chicken), haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), bulgogi, bibimbap, and more. Mon – Sat. 10 am, 2 & 4 pm. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607
Mexican Mondays W1,000 Tacos*, Specials on Margaritas, Nachos & Tequila Tuesdays W500 BBQ Pork Ribs*
Wednesdays Sports Trivia Night
Thirsty Thursdays W1,500 OB Draft ‘til 10 pm Saturday & Sunday Build Your Own Brunch from 11 - 3 pm *with drink purchase (10-rib minimum)
Put Your Stomach Where Your Mouth Is... Finish our 72 oz (2kg) Rib-eye Steak Challenge under an hour and Sam Ryan's Picks Up The Tab!
Business Hours
Mon – Fri: 4 pm ‘til Late Sat – Sun: 10:30 am ‘til Real Late t TBNSZBO DPN
Korean Night Dining Tour Take a crash course on Korea’s late-night food and drinking culture. Start at Gwangjang Market and continue to historic Jongno 3-ga where you can eat Korean BBQ, drink makgeolli (rice wine) and dine at a pochamacha (tent restaurant). W88,000 per person (3 people minimum) includes tax, food, drinks, and guide. Available nightly from 5 - 9 pm. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607 Korea Taste Tour Experience culture through cuisine! With your culinary guide, visit a Buddhist-inspired Korean restaurant, get a quick tour of Insadong eateries, stop by a teahouse and enjoy rice wine and Korean bar food snacks. W88,000 per person includes tax, food, drinks, and tour guide. Tours are usually Thu – Sun (3 people minimum) 12 – 3 pm. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607 December 4th Thai Cooking Class Take a Thai cooking class at O’ngo Culinary School with a Thai chef. Learn to make a variety of Thai dishes and where you can get the ingredients in Korea. 10 am. W55,000. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607 Winter Homebrewing Class and Beer Tasting Learn the basics of home brewing and sip the suds of some of Korea’s best beers. O’ngo Cooking Studios in Insadong. 2 pm. Contact Jason Lindley at jasonlindley@gmail.com 010-5681-9681
10 Magazine December 2010 | 51
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Every Thursday and Saturday Meeting of the Mindz Language Exchange Want to work on your language skills? This program is your chance to start. Manhattan in Itaewon. 7 – 9 pm. Free. info@iconzmedia.com
surroundings. Transform your home space into a work of art and beauty with the ideas and products displayed at this fair. COEX 3rd Floor Hall D near Samseong Stn. (line 2, ex. 5 & 6). Thu – Sat 10 am – 6 pm, Sun 10 am – 5 pm. tabledeco.net 02-3487-1659
SEOUL CALENDAR December 11th Christmas Cookies for Charity Cooking Class Make a variety of Christmas Cookies at the O’ngo Culinary School for charity. After making the cookies, we will package them so you can share them with friends and family. The profits will go to the Gyeonggido Children’s Halfway House. December 11th, 2010 at O’ngo Culinary School in Insadong at 4 pm. W50,000 per person. ongofood.com 02-3446-1607
Nightlife
SEOUL
Ongoing Club Day The best night to experience the Hongdae disco scene. Buy tickets at participating clubs like NB, M2 and Q-vo. On the last Friday of each month. 11 pm – 5 am. W20,000 gets you into 20 clubs. One drink included. theclubday.co.kr Rhyme Time: Spoken Word and Poetry Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, head to Tony’s Aussie Bar in Itaewon for a literary evening. 8 pm. tonysitaewon. com 02-790-0793 Stand Up Seoul Comedy Night Korea’s finest English language comedians deliver monologues and rants about expat life and other topics. New acts are welcome! 9 pm the first Thursday of every month at the Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon. Facebook: Stand Up Seoul, brianaylward11@ hotmail.com December 2nd First Thursdays Afterwork with G.H.Mumm Copacabana in Cheongdam-dong from 9 pm til 1 am. hskevents.kr December 3rd Headhunterz (World’s Top Hardstyle Artist) Club Heaven in Gangnam near Yeoksam Stn. W30,000 + drink before 11, W40,000 + drink after. clubheaven.co.kr 1644-8466 December 4th Dirty South Presented by 02 Entertainment. Club Rococo between Itaewon Stn. and Hangangjin Stn. B1 of IP Boutique Hotel. W40,000 +drink, presale W30,000 + drink. partyluv.com 02-790-2269 DJ Hanmin Club M2 in Hongdae. clubm2.com 02-3143-7573 DJ Rank from the Netherlands Club Heaven in Gangnam near Yeoksam Stn. W30,000 + drink before 11, W40,000 + drink after. clubheaven.co.kr 1644-8466 December 10th Louie Vega Club Eden at the RitzCarlton Hotel in Gangnam. eden-club.co.kr 02-6447-0042 December 11th Anthony Middleton from Audiofly Club Eden at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Gangnam. eden-club.co.kr 02-6447-0042 Defected In the House Club Volume in Itaewon near the Crown Hotel. hskevents.kr Leon Boller from the Netherlands Club Heaven in Gangnam near Yeoksam Stn. W30,000 + drink before 11, W40,000 + drink after. clubheaven.co.kr 1644-8466 Sauza & Maker’s Mark Cocktail Party DJ Yup, DJ Wu, and a special guest from Japan. New boutique lounge bu2 in the basement of Villa Sortino, Itaewon. 9 pm - 5 am. W15,000 + free drink. partydefinitions@gmail.com 010-4115-5905
52 | 10 Magazine December 2010
December 18th Dubfire Presented by 02 Entertainment. With support by DJ Devil, DJ Sang, and Jieun. Club Rococo between Itaewon Stn. and Hangangjin Stn. B1 of IP Boutique Hotel. W40,000 +drink, presale W30,000 + drink. partyluv.com 02-790-2269 James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem Club Eden at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Gangnam. eden-club.co.kr 02-6447-0042 L.E.T (Low End Theory) Featuring Fenner, J-Path, and Seoul Secret Service with MC D.E, MC Kala, and Mr. Flex. Via in Hongdae. 10:30 pm - 5 am. W15,000 before 12:30, W20,000 after. jungpath@gmail.com Shotek from the Netherlands Club Heaven in Gangnam near Yeoksam Stn. W30,000 + drink before 11, W40,000 + drink after. clubheaven.co.kr 1644-8466 December 24th Ronald Van Gelderen from the Netherlands Club Heaven in Gangnam near Yeoksam Stn. W30,000 + drink before 11, W40,000 + drink after. clubheaven.co.kr 1644-8466 December 31st Yoji Presented by 02 Entertainment. Club Volume in Itaewon near the Crown Hotel. W40,000 +drink, presale W30,000 + drink. partyluv.com 1544-2635
Travel Through December Free Shuttle Bus Call now to reserve a seat on a free tourist bus. Lines go from Seoul - Gyeongju, Seoul - Jeonju and Busan - Gyeongju. 1577-2507 visitkorea@chesstours.co.kr December 5th DMZ Trip This special trip to the DMZ will help you understand the nature and history of this divided nation. Departing at Hongik Univ. Stn. (line 2, ex. 1) & Express Bus Terminal Stn. (lines 3, 7, & 9, ex. 8). W41,000 covers transportation, lunch, and entrance fees. adventurekorea.com 018-242-5536 Skiing & Snowboarding Trip Hit the slopes or frolic in the white snow. Enjoy the winter season up in the mountains. Departing from Hongik Univ. Subway Stn. (line 2, ex. 1) & Express Bus Terminal Stn. (lines 3, 7, & 9, ex. 8). Destination is Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do. W125,000 includes transportation, accommodation, afternoon lift pass and ski and snowboard rental. adventurekorea.com 018-242-5536 December 18th - 19th Gangchon Ski Trip Ride the slopes during the day, hit the sauna in the evening and recharge for the ski party at night with DJs and bands performing. Departing from Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon on Saturday at 8 am. W129,000 includes transportation, ski and snowboard gears, day & night lift pass tickets, hotel, party, and free soju & drinks from 10 pm - 1 am. koreansafari.com 019-542-2955 December 25th - 27th 3 Day Jeju Xmas Trip Why not let the Adventure Korea family take you south to Jeju Island for a change of scenery and a Christmas feast? This is your chance to travel through Korea’s “Hawaii.” Departs from Gimpo airport on Sat, 8:30 am. W460,000, includes roundtrip airfare, 7 meals, accommodation, transportation in Jeju, all entrance fees, English speaking guides and traveler’s insurance. adventurekorea.com webmaster@adventurekorea.com
E di t or’ s Pick
Rocky Mountain Tavern’s 12 Days of Christmas
made Freshly chips potato
December 14th — Christmas Nightlife
SEOUL
Has anyone ever really got ten a par t r idge in a p e a r t re e? Rega rd le ss, Rocky Mountain Tavern has something much better planned for you during the 12 days of Christmas. This special holiday schedule, starting on December 14th and running through Christmas instead of beginning on the day itself, has been a yearly institution at the Itaewon watering hole since 2005. While maintaining the proudly Canadian vibe that it is known for, RMT adds in some extra Christmas fun that should go down well with expats stuck overseas during the holiday season. On Tuesday, December 14th, the twelve-day-long festivities get started with a one-two combo. Along with the weekly mouth-watering wing night with NFL showing on the big screen, Acoustic Showdown finalist Patricia Chamless will be performing a solo acoustic show. That Tuesday will also be the beginning of the Gold Rush special. Everyone who buys a shot of Gold Rush liquor during the 12 days of Christmas has their name entered in a draw for a plane ticket to Thailand worth W400,000. You’ve got to be present on Christmas night at midnight to win, though! Haven’t gotten enough lip-to-lip action recently? Stop by for Christmas Eve Mistletoe Madness to see the walls covered with the stuff from floor to ceiling. A rockin’ line-up of live bands will keep everyone distracted enough for you to sneak a kiss if you’re lucky. We can’t leave out the big day itself, and the pub will keep you wellfed on the holiday with its sixth annual Christmas buffet (W45,000), featuring turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. Even better, there’s as much draft beer and red and white wine as you can drink! Dinner goes from 3 – 6 pm, with live music and more merriment to follow. This one always sells out, so make your plans early. That’s not all, of course, but there’s not enough room to go into detail about the final round of Battle of the Bands on December 17th, the Christmas cartoon night, Sunday PJ parties with eggnog and Caesar specials, or the cover band playing songs by classic Canadian rock band Tragically Hip. Don’t expect to see any pipers piping or golden rings, however. For all of the party details, see the RMT website at rockymountaintavern.com or call 010-5189-2327.
TAKE OUT MON-THU 5PM-2AM
Cheil worldwide 제일기획
Itaewon Fire Station 이태원 소방서
FRI/SAT 4PM-3AM SUN 4PM-2AM
02-794-5598
Hamilton Hotel 해밀턴 호텔
10 Magazine December 2010 | 53
SEOUL DIRECTORY Korean Tours
Adventure Korea adventurekorea.com
Ra Dental Clinic Tufts Dental Clinic
02-569-8745 02-553-7512
018-242-5536
Seoul Automobiles
ghbaenang.com
010-9071-4641
Guesthouse Korea Jongno guesthouseinkorea.com 02-3674-2205 Bebop Guesthouse Hongdae bebop-guesthouse.com, 070-8261-4835 Kim’s Guesthouse Hongdae kimsguesthouse.com 02-337-9894 Namu Guesthouse Hongdae namugh.co.kr 070-8291-4878
SEOUL
Olympic Parktel Jamsil parktel.co.kr/english
02-410-2114
Seoul Backpackers Myeongdong seoulbackpackers.com 02-3672-1972 Foreigner Assistance
NEW CARS FOR LEASE Gyung Bok Agency
010-3524-8260 Gyung Bok Agency Take the wheel of a premium Hyundai with the Gyung Bok Agency’s lease program. 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year leases available. 921-1 Daechi-Dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul. Contact Chief Sales Manager Hank Jo at 010-3524-8260. Insurance
Discover the World’s Best Deal!!!
F L I G H T H O T E L PA C K A G E
ITAEWON TEL: 02.796.9633, 9636 JNCTRAVEL@NAVER.COM
JNC Travel Itaewon Itching to travel? This travel agent offers worldwide discount air tickets, hotels, professional counseling, and package goods. Mon - Fri 10 am - 7 pm, Sat 10 am - 5 pm, Sun 1 - 5 pm. 02-796-9633
ATEK (Association for Teachers of English in Korea) atek.or.kr
Korean Safari koreansafari.com
Seoul Dasan (City Info)
O’ngo Culinary Tours Korean Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Seoul. Tours and classes are taught by Korean food experts. Experience the culture through the cuisine. ongofood.com 010-6661-7769
Seoul Global Center global.seoul.go.kr
02-120 02-1688-0120
Yeoksam English 02-3453-9038 Yeonnam Chinese
02-6406-8151
Seorae French
02-570-6009
019-542-2955
Ichon Japanese 02-2199-8882
Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch raskb.com 02-763-9483
Itaewon/Hannam English 02-2199-8883~5
USO DMZ Tours affiliates.uso.org/korea 02-795-3028 WOW Corea Tour wowcoreatour.com
Museums
Gahoe Museum gahoemuseum.org
02-741-0466
World Jewelry Museum wjmuseum.com
02-730-1610
Kimchi Field Museum kimchimuseum.co.kr
02-6002-6456
Kyung-in Museum of Fine Art Kyunginart.co.kr 02-733-4448
02-739-3337
Medical Services
A Plus Dental aplusdental.co.kr
02-3442-7616
Hus Hu Dental & Skin Clinic hus-hu.com 02-519-8013
Leeum Samsung Museum of Art leeum.org 02-2014-6901 Museum of Korean Traditional Music ncktpa.go.kr 02-580-3130 National Folk Museum nfm.go.kr
t $"3 .0503$:$-& t
INSURANCE For A Free Quote,
Call Byung at 010-3232-0625 or Email: byung625@gmail.com Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance Automobile and motorcycle insurance provided by one of Korea’s most reliable conglomerates. Also available; Life/ Annuities, Business/Fire, Supplemental Medical, Travel Insurance. 010-3232-0625 Hotels/Accommodations
KoreaHotel.com Korea’s version of Expedia. koreahotel.com 4-5 Star Hotels Astoria 02-2268-7111 COEX InterContinental 02-3452-2500 Courtyard 02-2638-3000 Grand InterContinental 02-555-5656 JW Marriott 02-6282-6262 Millenium Hilton 02-753-7788 Renaissance 02-555-0501 Ritz-Carlton 02-3451-8000 Hostels Guest House Baenang Yongsan
54 | 10 Magazine December 2010
02-3704-3114
National Museum of Korea museum.go.kr 02-2077-9000 National Palace Museum of Korea gogung.go.kr 02-3701-7500 Seoul Art Center sac.or.kr
02-580-1300
Seoul Museum of Art seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr
02-120
Seoul National Science Museum ssm.go.kr 02-3668-2200 War Memorial warmemo.or.kr
02-709-3139
Transportation
International Taxi (English Speaking) 1644-2255 Jumbo Taxi Service (more expensive) 02-888-2000 Interactive Subway Map
smrt.co.kr
Travel Agencies
Cosmo.jin Tour cosmojin.com
02-318-0345
Fides Travel fidestravel.co.kr
02-755-5470
Unique Travel Itaewon uniquetravel.co.kr
02-792-0606
Xanadu Travel xanadu.co.kr
02-795-7771
Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine Are you suffering from back or neck pain? Visit the non-surgical spinal specialists. jaseng.net 02-3218-2167 Korea Counseling Psychological Association krcpa.or.kr 02-498-8293 Korea HIV/AIDS Prevention & Support Center khap.org 02-927-4322
WY Dentistry Gangnam Better than your dentist back home. Dr. Yoo is a US-trained and licensed dentist with over 20 years of clinical dental experience serving the expat community since 1996. wydent.com 02-514-5575 Religious
Buddhist Seoul International Zen Center seoulzen.org 02-900-4326 Vairocana International Buddhist Meditation Center 02-735-5347 Jetavana Meditation Center jetavanacenter@gmail.com 02-595-5115 Catholic Bomun 02-928-2049/02-924-2706 Chunma 02-765-0870 Dongducheon 02-928-2049/02-924-2706 Hannam International Church English, Italian, Spanish, French 02-793-2070 Hyewha-dong Catholic Church 02-764-0221 (press 6) Jinjob 02-928-2049/02-924-2706 Keumchon 02-928-2049/02-924-2706 Philippine Center Tagalog 02-765-0870 Pastral Center for Labor English, Vietnamese, Thai 02-924-2721 Salesio Labor Center Tagalog, Daelim 1 dong 02-765-0870 Sung-dong Social Welfare Center Tagalog 02-765-0870 Yoksam-dong Church 02-553-0801 Catholics in South Korea Facebook Group, Annamarie at sunshineamore25@gmail.wcom Islam Seoul Central Masjid 02-794-7307 Protestant Gwanglim Church 02-2056-5732 International Lutheran 02-794-6274 Jubilee Church 02-569-2293 Kumnan Church 02-490-7000 Myungsung Presbyterian 02-440-9000 New Philadelphia Church newphiladelphiachurch.com 02-706-2501 Onnuri Church 02-793-9686 Somang Presbyterian 02-512-9191 Seoul Union Church 02-333-7393 Yoido Full Gospel Church 02-782-4851 Yongsan Baptist Church 02-796-0284
Classes
and guided tours. sanirang.net/about. html, info@sanirang.net Suseonjae Meditation and Deep Breathing Classes jihye@suseonjae.org 019-201-5958 Wise-Up Workouts Lose weight and get lean in less than 30 days guaranteed? Author and creator of the No. 1 gym-free program is now in Korea. 1 to 1 service. Grab the book “Wise-Up Workouts” at www. wiseupworkouts.com 010-4998-8722 Restaurants
American Chili King Itaewon Beefy burgers and chili served up by owner Kevin Cyr. 02-795-1303 Bonji Bistro Just behind Itaewon Hotel and under Gecko’s Garden, Bonji Bistro offers a terrific menu of salads, sandwiches, pastas and classic tapas along with an unbeatable bar. The floor-to-ceiling window door-walls open wide, making it the perfect place to be for their delicious weekend brunch. geckosterrace.com 02-795-9656 The Frypan
SEOUL
Access Consciousness What if the life you imagined was actually possible? Regular classes held in Seoul & around Korea. Contact Nate at 010-6285-6283 or nhkent@gmail.com
02-794-5598
Gallery Through A place you can enjoy Best Meal, Party, Art and People 02-798-1900
Bikram Yoga Gangnam Feel the 105°F heat of the original Bikram Yoga with 90-minute classes taught by passionate instructors. Behind the Kyobo Tower building, Sinnonhyeon Stn. (line 9, ex. 7). bikramyogakorea.co.kr 02-532-2101 Bellydance Lessons with Eshe Morning, afternoon, and evening classes, plus Sunday classes at the Well Being Studio. navah@live.com
Health Focus
Gecko’s Terrace The original Itaewon foreigner hangout, with a comfortable atmosphere, delicious food including great sandwiches, salads and pasta, and English-speaking staff that know how to make cocktails and shots right. geckosterrace.com 02-749-9425
Ballet for children — Ballet stretching — Salsa dance — Yoga for pregnant women
Gecko’s Garden Legendary for its gorgeous home-style atmosphere, Gecko’s Garden has now started offering a delicious buffet, with steaks and pasta made to order. Don’t worry; the tapas menu is also still alive and well. geckosterrace.com 02-790-0540
Fine Art Class Myeongdong 7 -1 pm Fridays. cafe.daum.net/artd 02-771-2026
02-797-9021
yogaBallet77@Daum.net Health Focus Itaewon Dance your days away with a diverse selection of classes starting in November: child ballet, yoga, tae bo, yoga for pregnant women, pilates, diet dance, and even salsa classes. Mon~Fri Open 10 am–10 pm. 124-7 Itaewon-dong, yongsan-gu. 010-9309-9021 International Guides of Korea Courses in ice climbing, rock climbing and more. iguidekorea.com Jai Center for Yoga and Health jaicenter.co.kr 02-3443-9642 Pottery Classes at Yido Academy Gahoe-dong in Seoul. Fri 10 - 12 am. yidostyle@hanmail.net 02-744-0756 Salsa Lessons in English Top Bar near Apgujeong St. Call Crys at 010-4755-4728 Sanirang Alpine Networks This climbing service offers lessons, clinics,
Hamilton Hotel
Itaewon St.
HOLLYWOOD GRILL (3rd floor) Police St.
Hollywood Grill The place for Premier League Football and other sports, Hollywood has a great menu of pizza, pasta and steaks along with darts, foosball, pool and Golden Tee. hollywoodgrill.co.kr 02-749-1659
To inquire about getting a logobox for your business, email us at marketing@10magazine.asia 10 Magazine December 2010 | 55
SEOUL DIRECTORY Naked Grill Terrific Mexican food, salads and steaks, cooked up to order in a trendy atmosphere. hollywoodgrill. co.kr 02-749-1659
Italian
Pancakes Original Story Itaewon Mon – Sat 9 am – 10 pm. 02-794-0508 Pita Time Haebangchon The salads, pitas and pizzas here provide a low-calorie, healthy meal. 11 am - 10 pm. pitatime.co.kr 02-790-8891
SEOUL The Pizza Peel Itaewon Offering fresh classic Italian and Western style pizzas. Enjoy with beer or wine. We are hard to find but easy to remember! Dine in or take out. 02-795-3283 Suji’s Itaewon Great American fare in a New York-style bistro atmosphere. sujis.net 02-797-3698
All day american breakfast
DAESUNG CHURCH
IBK BANK
GYEONGRIDAN NOKSAPYEONG STATION
T.G. Brunch Cafe Chef Choi from Hawaii serves a delightful brunch along with his signature burgers, sandwiches, and more. Wine W2,500 for ladies. Wednesdays wing night: 10 for W3,000. 02-749-8005 Toque Itaewon
Antonio’s Apgujeong Join chef Sebastiano Giangregorio for an authentic Italian culinary experience. Live jazz performances: Tuesday–Saturday, starting at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 1 pm. 93-8 Cheongdam-dong Gangnamgu. antonios.kr 02-3443-4333 Fradia Gangnam Gaze out on a panoramic view of the Seoul skyline as you dine on choice Italian food at this cafe floating on the Han River. fradia.co.kr 02-3477-0033 La Bocca Itaewon We can’t decide whether it’s a cafe, pastry shop, deli, or wine bar, but what we are sure about is that the food is fresh and the taste is divine. labocca.co.kr 02-790-5907 Sortino’s Cucina Itaewon Classic Italian trattoria cuisine in a comfortable, homey atmosphere. 02-797-0488
02-794-3834 02-797-3820
Cafes
Caffé Bene Whether it’s coffee, gelato, or a waffle you’re looking for, you can find it at one of the 400 Caffé Bene outlets across Korea. caffebene.co.kr 02-3438-6888
Copacabana Itaewon For only W29,000 you get all-you-can-eat of 7 different cuts of roasted meat and a tremendous Brazilian buffet. Make your reservations today! 02-796-1660 02-749-0600
Chinese Ho Lee Chow Serving up the best North American-style Chinatown cuisine in Korea since 1998, with 5 convenient locations in the greater Seoul area to serve you. holeechow.co.kr. Itaewon 02-793-0802, Apgujeong 02-514-1730 Jamshil 02-411-0688, Dogok 02-34614468, Bundang 02-711-9071 French La Cigale Monmartre Itaewon 02-796-1244 Le Saint-Ex Itaewon
02-795-2465
Subscribe today! subscribe@10magazine. asia 56 | 10 Magazine December 2010
W i n e B ars Dulce Y Suave Garosugil Stop by this classy Sinsa-dong wine bar for an extensive wine list that won’t break your budget. 5 pm - 3 am. club.cyworld.com/ dulceysuave. 02-515-6750 Vin Ga Apgujeong Immaculate service and a subdued atmosphere make this the wine bar of choice for dinner parties and business meetings. Podo Plaza building near Apgujeong St. podoplaza.co.kr 02-516-1761 Lounges / PUBS 3 Alley Pub Itaewon Rub shoulders with long-term Seoul expats and try your hands at darts or pool in this comfortable foreigner-owned pub. 116-15 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu. 3alleypub.com 02-749-3336
B1 Itaewon One of the most hopping bars in Itaewon on any given night, with guest DJs and a good vibe. 7 pm - 3 am. 02-749-6164 Bar Rouge Itaewon Luxurious wine and tapas bar in the basement of the JW Marriot in Gangnam. Happy hour Tue - Thu 6 - 9 pm. 02-6282-6763
Wang Thai Itaewon Prepared by locally trained chefs, Wang Thai offers only the best of Thai food. Enjoy delicious food in an exotic ambience. 02-749-2746~7
BRAZILIAN
Bulgarian Zelen Itaewon
Bars/Lounges/Pubs
Amigos Itaewon 02-795-9711 On the Border The #1 American chain hits that craving for fajitas, chimichangas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and even margaritas. ontheborder.co.kr Sinchon: 02-324-0682 COEX: 02-565-0682 Times Square: 02-2672-0682 Pancho’s Itaewon 02-792-4767 Taco Amigo Itaewon 02-749-5253 Tomatillo Grill Locations at Jonggak Stn., Samseong Stn., and Yeoksam Stn. tomatillo.co.kr 02-734-9225 Middle Eastern Istanbul Noksapyeong 02-796-0271 Marakech Nights Itaewon Terrific Middle Eastern cuisine from Rhiti Mostaffa, former chef for the Moroccan ambassador to Korea. 02-795-9441 Petra Itaewon 02-790-4433 Thai Buddha’s Belly Itaewon A lounge atmosphere with full bar and cocktails along with great authentic Thai food. 02-796-9330 Eat Me Itaewon Thai fusion dining and lounge, late night kitchen in Itaewon. Relax in the intimate yet casual dining area and outside patio. Sophisticated atmosphere is sure to please. 070-7624-3149 My Thai Itaewon 02-794-8090 Thai Orchid Itaewon 02-517-1135 Thai Garden Itaewon 02-792-8836
TWO GREAT LOCATIONS
Austrian Chef Meili Itaewon
Mexican
Noxa Lounge Noksapyeong 02-790-0776 Villa Sortino’s Itaewon An incredible Tuscan Villa interior matches perfectly with some delicately prepared Italian flavors. Just across from the Itaewon fire station. 02-553-900
B AR SHINCHON TEL:(02)3339733
P IZ ZA ITAEWON TEL:(02)7920007
w w w. be e ro c l o ck .c a
korean Bulgogi Brothers Delicious Koreanstyle barbecue at locations throughout Seoul including Gangnam, Myeongdong (02-319-3351), Seoul Station, and Times Square. 11:30 am - 10 pm. bulgogibros.com Pulhyanggi Gangnam A tasty concoction of traditional Korean dishes and a contemporary slow-food sensibility, plus performances in the evenings. Close to COEX. 11 am – 10 pm. pulhyanggi.co.kr 02-539-3390
Caribou Coffee Popular in America, Caribou Coffee has expanded to Korea with locations at Ewha University, Sinchon, Yangjae, and Incheon Airport. Support fair trade with the Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee sold here. cariboukorea.co.kr 02-3461-5680
Beer O’clock The bar in Sinchon has darts and several sports on big-screen TVs with great food. The Haebangchon location will satisfy your Canadian-style pizza needs. Beer O’clock serves up good times. Sinchon: 02-333-9733 Berlin Noksapyeong Combining a restaurant, cafe and lounge, Berlin boasts a varied menu, plus wines and all types of music. Noksapyeong St. (line 6). 457-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu. awakeinseoul@gmail.com 02-749-0903
Closed Sun.
011-9650-7055
Noxa Lounge Noksapyeong Great home-style Italian cuisine with late night cocktail lounge. 02-790-0776 Platoon Kunsthalle Apgujeong Showcasing underground artists and a fine selection of cutting-edge performances. 11 am – 1 am. Closed Sun. 97-22 Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeondong. kunsthalle.com 02-3447-1191
Bliss Itaewon Fresh beats by DJ Shine and a reasonably priced menu. Itaewon. 4 pm – 4 am. 02-798-1125 BricX Hongdae, Itaewon Chill out at either of BricX’s two locations. Hongdae 6 pm – 5 am, 마포구 서교동 409-1, B1, 02-3141-5571. Itaewon 7 pm – 5 am, 용산구 이태원동 119-10, B1, bricx.com 02-795-5572 The Bungalow Itaewon This quirky beach-themed bar has sand on the floor, swinging chairs, and candle-lit rooms. 02-793-2344 Coffee Bar K Cheongdam-dong A Japanese franchise, they may just have the best bartenders in town. Mon – Sat 6 pm - 2 am. 02-516-1970
Roofers Itaewon Come hang out in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Sample the mouthwatering menu, relax on the spacious rooftop and enjoy numerous expat events. Facebook: Roofers Rooftop Bar. 02-749-2970
SEOUL
Between Itaewon This multi-level lounge serves contemporary Italian and Spanish mains, lunch, brunch and tapas in a sophisticated atmosphere with live DJs and a spacious terrace. 124-7 Yongsangu, Itaewon-dong. 02-795-6164
Rocky Mountain Tavern Itaewon Canadians feel right at home with all the hockey jerseys hanging on the walls and great live music and events, along with some of the best buffalo wings in Korea. Don’t miss the Stand Up Seoul comedy night the first Thursday of each month. rockymountaintavern.com 010-5775-2327
Sam Ryan’s Itaewon This newcomer to the Itaewon scene offers sports fans eight flat screens throughout the bar along with the meanest plate of pork ribs to be found in Seoul. samryans.com 02-749-7933 Scrooge Pub/Dicken’s Lounge Itaewon A great little sports bar with pool, darts, delicious food and plenty of English-speaking staff. 02-797-8201 Seventy Four Cheongdam-dong A beautiful date spot featuring exotic drinks such as cheese martinis, banana mojitos and cuba libres. 7 pm – 4 am. 02-542-7412 So Much More Apgujeong Combining a hip interior design with the hottest music and the coolest drinks. Noon - 2 am. blog.naver.com/ so_much_more 02-3447-7890
IBK BANK
NOKSAPYEONG STATION The Concorde Classic and cozy, this wine and martini bar offers an intimate and timeless atmosphere. Reuben sandwiches, quiche, soups and salads available till 1:00 am. 02-749-1210 Dillinger’s A classic-styled bar with seven beers on tap, great food and drink specials. Come enjoy our large flatscreen TVs, dartboards and Wii games. A great atmosphere for you and your friends. 02-793-7232 Ghetto Vox Itaewon Itaewon’s first art and music space. 용산구 이태원동 132-5 (3rd floor) Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu. ghettovox.com 010-3370-2979 Mike’s Cabin Sinchon This Western bar has a casual atmosphere and holds special events. Near the Yonsei University front gate. 02-325-7808 Monghwan Sinchon Come for the nice décor, live art and music events, and the signature cocktail soju. club. cyworld.com/monghwan 02-325-6218 Monkey Beach Apgujeong Thailand is just a subway ride away if you head to Monkey Beach. 7:30 pm – 5 am. 02-548-7930 Mix Lounge Garosu-gil It may look like a white greenhouse, but it’s actually a bar serving killer mojitos, lychee martinis and more. 6 pm – 3 am.
Tony’s Aussie Bar & Bistro Itaewon Home of W6000 Guinness & Kilkenny on tap. Non–smoking environment with authentic Aussie food, beer & wine with Monday open mic and Wednesday comedy night. tonysitaewon.com 02-790-0793 Watts on Tap Sinchon Check out the parties, language exchange nights, and live music nights. 6 pm – 2 am. club.cyworld. nate.com/wattsontap 02-3142-8439 Wolfhound Itaewon Terrific Irish/British classic food in a true Irish Pub atmosphere, including shepherd’s pie, toad in a hole, fish n’ chips, bangers n’ mash along with Guinness and Kilkenny on draft. wolfhoundpub.com 02-749-7971
To inquire about getting a logobox for your business, email to us at marketing@10magazine.asia 10 Magazine December 2010 | 57
SEOUL DIRECTORY Live Music
Community
Jazz All That Jazz Itaewon
02-795-5701
Cheonnyeondongando (천년동안도) Daehangno (Hyehwa St. Line4) chunnyun.com 02-743-5555 Club Evans Hongdae clubevans.com
02-337-8361
Club Palm Hongdae clubpalm.co.kr
02-336-9016
Once in a Blue Moon Apgujeong onceinabluemoon.co.kr 02-549-5490
Brazilians in Seoul Also known as Brasileiros em Seul, this group meets up on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. alocoreia@gmail.com 010-9631-2133 Gangnam Hills Toastmasters Club Helping you develop oral communication and leadership skills. koreatraining@ yahoo.com 010-8779-1969 Republicans Abroad Monthly meetings, events, and lectures for supporters of the USA Republican Party. kmohay@ hotmail.com 010-8688-9810 Charity
SEOUL
Salvation Army Thrift Store Donate your used goods or shop at the stores. All proceeds support the Adult Rehabilitation Center. nanumistore.org 02-365-7084 Beauty
Oakwood Premier Woori Bank
Proudly supplied by Kobeak Foods©
Clubs
Answer Cheongdam-dong After a shortlived stint as gala restaurant Le Nuit Blanche, the club we all know and love is back. clubanswer.co.kr 02-514-4311 Ben @Blue Spirit Hongdae Great Japanese curry during the day and soju cocktails at night. Hit up the weekend parties. 360-18 Seokyo-Dong, Mapo-Gu. 02-3142-5301 Eden Gangnam New mega club with top DJs, sizzling sound, and model nights. 역삼동 602 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Ritz Carlton Hotel. eden-club.co.kr 010-9913-3919 Function Itaewon The boutique club hidden in the fancy Macaroni Market restaurant. Tue, Wed, Thu 6 pm – 2:30 am; Fri and Sat 6 pm-3:30 am. 737-50 Hannnam1-dong Yongsan-gu. 02-749-9181 Heaven Gangnam The newest member of Seoul’s club scene combines top-notch technology with divine DJs spinning house and electro beats. W30,000 general admission, W40,000 for after club hours. Near Yeoksam St. clubheaven.co.kr 02-3444-4997 J.J. Mahoney’s The drinks don’t come cheap, but this nightclub at the Grand Hyatt is a favorite with the over-30s crowd. 747-7 Hannam 2-dong. seoul.grand.hyatt.com 02-797-1234 Koobar @Blue Spirit Apgujeong Hip music for a classy crowd. 664-11 Shinsadong, Gangnam-gu. 02-518-5115 M2 Hongdae This long-running club is party central for college students. Sun – Thu 8 pm – 4 am, Fri and Sat 7:30 pm – 6 am. Cover starts at W10,000. 367-11 Seogyo-dong Mapo-gu. ohoo.net/m2 02-3143-7573
58 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Hyundai Department Store
Teheranno
Mansion Hongdae This new club pumps out sizzling house, electro, and nu-disco grooves, bringing in quality acts like Roni Size and Goldie. mansionseoul@ gmail.com 02-3143-4037 Mass Gangnam The dance club for the “masses.” 9 pm – 6 am. Sun – Thu W15,000, Fri and Sat W20,000. clubmass.net 02-599-3165 NB Hongdae, Gangnam Supposedly the first hip-hop club in Korea, it has one bar, two stages, and a packed crowd. clubnb.com 02-326-1716 Pulse Itaewon This chilled-out club pumps out danceable tunes in all genres of electronic music until sunrise. Everyday 8 pm – 7 am. Fri W10,000, Sat W15,000. 02-792-6662 Q-vo Hongdae A popular hip hop club with strobes pulsing above the dance floor. Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun 8 pm – 4 am and Wed, Fri, Sat 8 pm – 6:30 am. W10,000 - W15,000. 121-210 Ohoo B/ D 367-1 Seogyo Dong. clubqvo.co.kr 02-3143-7573 Saab Hongdae Fashion-conscious twenty-somethings congregate here for a wide variety of music styles. Weekdays 6 pm – 4 am, weekends 6 pm – 6 am. W10,000 cover on weekends. 02-324-6929 Volume Itaewon A true “music lovers” club, Volume is found in the basement of Crown Hotel. Fri and Sat 9 pm - 6 am. W15,000 - W30,000. Crown Hotel B1 clubvolume.com 1544-2635 Woo Bar Check out the split-level lobby lounge for cool music and exclusive parties. No cover charge. 21 Gwangjang-dong wseoul.com 02-465-2222
English-speaking Staff High light and Low light Cutting Styling Hair spa
COEX
InterContinental Hotel
LINE Line 22 Samseong Stn.
Tokyo Jazz Authentic jazz music performed Mon-Sat, 9:30 pm - 12:30 am by European, American, and Korean musicians. Two minute’s walking distance from the COEX and Grand InterContinental Hotels. 153-44 Samsung-dong. 02-3453-4472 Rock Freebird Hongdae cafe.navercom/ clubfreebird 02-335-4576 Jammers Hongdae jammers.co.kr
02- 325-3914
Just Blues Apgujeong justblues.co.kr
02-542-4788
SoundHolic Hongdae cafe.daum.net/ SoundHolic 02-3142-4233 Massage
Healing Hands Massage Studio healinghands.co.kr 070-7504-8090
Hongik Univ. Line 2 Hongdae St.
Coffee Bean
Samgeori Pocha
Record Mom & Shop Dad
Tony&Guy Whether it’s a cut, highlight, low light, or hair spa that you want, you’re guaranteed to get professional service from the English-speaking stylists at Toni & Guy. Near Hongik University. 02-338-2773 Florists
Oxana Garden You are invited to the botanical life. Enjoy the fresh aroma and the cozy environment these plants will bring to your home. Find the perfect flower among the various options on sale here. Hannam St. (Jungang line). oxanagarden.com 02-798-6787
The Weekly 10 10 Magazine’s Free Weekly Events Email Be the first to know about the hottest events happening all over the country each week. Sign up at www.10magazine.asia/weekly10
CHUNGCHEONG CALENDAR Art
Oyster Complex in Boryeong-si, Cheonbukmyeon. ubtour.go.kr 041-641-9031
Through December 10th Tae-jin Yuk Retrospective Featuring 37 works by this late Korean artist whose work gained international recognition before he passed away in 2008. Daejeon Museum of Art. 10 am – 6 pm. Fri till 9 pm. Closed Mon. dmma.metro.daejeon.kr 042-602-3200
December 17th – 19th Yeongdong Dried Persimmon Festival Join the folks in Yeongdong as they proudly display their prized product, the dried persimmon. Events held at Nangye Gugak Theater and Yeongdong YMCA. gam.yd21.go.kr 043-740-3311
Performances December 1st Uwaga Quartet in Concert Achtung— this quirky German quartet (two violins, a double bass, and an accordion) blend tango, jazz, classical, and gypsy music to form their own distinct style. Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:30 pm. W20,000 – W50,000. djac.or.kr 042-485-3355
December 4th Daejeon Art Orchestra Directed by Seong-gyu Yun, the Daejeon Art Orchestra will perform a mix of classical pieces such as Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 and popular tunes like “You Raise Me Up.” Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:00 pm. W10,000 – W30,000. djac.or.kr 1544-3751 December 6th Richard Clayderman Piano Recital French easy listening pianist Richard Clayderman has been described as “the most successful pianist in the world.” Jeongshimwha International Cultural Center at Chungnam University in Daejeon. 8 pm. plus.cnu.ac.kr/org/jsh/ sub_0301.jsp 010-4517-0135 December 10th – 12th The Nutcracker: Christmas Ballet With the Universal Ballet Troupe at Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 3 & 7 pm, Sun 3 pm. W10,000 – W70,000. djac.or.kr 042-610-2222 December 12th White Christmas Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:30 pm. W20,000 – W50,000. djac.or.kr 016-440-8500 December 14th A Morning of Classical Music With the Bach Solisten Seoul. Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 11 am. W10,000. djac.or.kr 042-610-2222
December 31st Daecheon Sunset Festival The events take place on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, more famous as the location of the mud festival. daechonbeach.or.kr 041-933-7051
CHUNGCHEONG PROVINCE Religious Services Central Presbyterian Church Nonsan 041-736-1002 Presbyterian Church Cheonan 041-675-2008 Central Presbyterian Church 011-382-1862 Gongju Sanseong Church 042-585-8111 Daejeon jungwonh@hotmail.com
Classes Yegok Natural Dye Workshop Okcheongun Dye clothing or make natural soap. yegok.co.kr 043-733-0978
Museums Alcohol Museum: Liquorium Chungju liquorium.com 043-855-7333 Gonam Shell Mound Museum Taeangun Anmyeon Island museum.taean.go.kr 041-670-2337 Jincheon Bell Museum Jincheon-gun jincheonbell.net 043-539-3850 Korea Traditional Architecture Museum Yesan-gun English site: ktam.or.kr 041-337-5877
Hotels/Accommodations New Korea Hotel Asan 041-542-8151 Onyang Hot Spring Hotel Asan 041-543-2141 Cheonan Central Hotel Cheonan 041-564-9100 Yuseong Hotel Daejeon 042-822-9591 The Sky Blue Bird Seosan 011-382-1862 Golden Wave Taean 041-675-2008
Medical Services Konyang International Health Care Center Daejeon kihcc.kyuh.co.kr 042-600-9978 Sun Hospital Daejeon 042-220-8000
Restaurants/Supermarkets
Clara Jumi Kang Violin Recital Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:30 pm. W10,000 – W20,000. djac.or.kr 042-610-2222
Gasan Korean, Cheonan 041-561-9500 Spain House Spanish, Cheonan 041-571-7474 Olive Farms Buffet, Cheongju 043-215-3311
December 17th – 19th 42nd Street Broadway: The Musical One of the famous representations of the dreams and drama of the “Great White Way.” In Korean. Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. Fri 8 pm, Sat 4 & 8 pm, Sun 3 pm. W40,000 – W120,000. djac.or.kr 1588-2532
Barker’s Live Bar Gyeryong Club In Sky 2 Daejeon cafe.daum.net/tjinsky
December 30th Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra Beethoven’s Overture Die Weihe des Hauses and Symphony No.9 Choral Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:30 pm. W10,000 – W50,000. djac.or.kr 042-610-2266
Family & Community Early December Cheonbuk Oyster Festival Cheonbuk
Live Music Venues 042-841-0470 042-223-7117
Bars/Lounges/Pubs Rolling Stones Cheonan 041-562-9824 MJ Cheongju “MJ Bar” on Facebook. 043-273-8366 Road King Cheongju 010-8301-5936 Blue Moon Cheongwon 043-285-0399 Brickhouse Sports Bar & Grill Daejeon “The Daejeon Brickhouse” on Facebook, 010-9867-0921 J-Rock Daejeon 010-4564-7721 Santa Claus Daejeon “Santa Claus 2008” on Facebook, 042-825-5500 Sponge Daejeon 042-471-3373
Daejeon Cook Opens Kitchen to Expats Learn how making Korean food can be as fun as eating it. I have always believed that the way to a country’s heart is through one’s stomach, i.e. that there is no better way to get to know a new culture than through its cuisine. Mrs. Hyekyoung Kim, an outstanding Daejeon cook, feels exactly the same, and hosts a cooking class to introduce foreigners to the best dishes Korea has to offer. Despite my somewhat lacking culinary skills, Hyekyoung warmly welcomed me into her kitchen and patiently guided me through the recipes she had prepared. As we worked our way through haemul pajeon, kimbap and a bulgogi marinade, she explained how her cooking class began. Having lived and travelled all over the world, it was during her time in the States that she developed not only her excellent English, but also a profound empathy for those who live far from home. “I decided that when I returned to my country, I would help any foreigners that I met to enjoy Korea,” she says. Her cooking class began in 2006, when friends from the international community in her peaceful Daejeon neighbourhood began to ask for lessons. These social events gradually developed into a structured cooking class held at a local café. These days however, classes are hosted in Hyekyoung’s own lovely home. During quiet months, class sizes are minimal. However, last summer, she taught a class of about forty foreign exchange students, an experience she describes as “very fun.” Her kitchen is adorned with photographs and postcards from former students, some of whom she has even visited since they left Korea. “For me,” Hyekyoung says, “This class is about sharing my culture and making friends.” She has undoubtedly succeeded, creating an experience infused with the warmth and spirit of good, oldfashioned home cooking. For more information, contact Hyekyoung at hyekim2000@ hanmail.net. Words by Stacey Siebritz 10 Magazine December 2010 | 59
CHUNGCHEONG
December 3rd Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra The Venice Baroque Orchestra is joined by Italian violin virtuoso Giuliano Carmignola for a stirring performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and other pieces. Daejeon Culture and Art Centre. 7:30 pm. W10,000 – W70,000. djac.or.kr 042-610-2222
ch u ngch e ong Disc ov er y
GYEONGGI CALENDAR F o odi e f i n d s
Ayesha: Suwon’s Source for Indian
Art
Theater & Dance
Through December 5th The Trickster With international artists participating in the exhibition, there will be a wide range of artwork, such as video installations and photography. Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan near Gongdan Stn. (line 4). 10 am – 6 pm. Free. gmoma.or.kr 031-481-7007
December 3rd Korea Fantasy Experience the beauty and elegance of the National Dance Company of Korea as the dancers mix tradition with modern sensibility in a sophisticated performance. Pocheon Banwol Art Hall. 5 pm. W10,000. bwart.net 031-540-6213
Through December 12th Hyung-gu Kang Exhibition In celebration of the museum’s 10th anniversary, the drawings of Hyung-koo Kang will be displayed. Yeongeun Museum of Art in Gwangju. 10 – 6 pm. Adults W5,000, students W3,000, children W4,000. youngeunmuseum.org 031-761-0137
December 3rd - 4th Seoul Ballet Theater: The Nutcracker It’s not Christmas if you don’t spend an evening enjoying Tchaikovsky’s stirring music and delightful dancing sugar plum fairies. Ansan Arts Center. Fri 8 pm. Sat 4 pm. W11,000 – W55,000. ansanart.com 031-481-4000
No More Daughters and Heroes Exhibition Examining the distinction between males and females in the modern world. Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang. Jeongbalsan Stn. (line 3, ex. 3). Tue – Sun 10 -6 pm. Fri – Sat 10 -8 pm. Closed on Mondays. Adults W3,000, minors W2,000. artgy.or.kr 1577-7766
With Ayesha around, suburb residents don’t have to commute to Seoul to dine on quality Indian food. Suwon Station offers a wide range of gastronomical options, but Ayesha stands out as one well worth a visit. Mr. Saleem Kang opened his restaurant seven years ago, choosing his newborn daughter’s name, Ayesha, as the restaurant’s namesake. When I visited on a Sunday evening, it was evident that the Indian eatery has remained a family affair, with Mr. Kang’s wife, Jang Jeong-mi, helping in the kitchen, and Ayesha and her younger sister playing behind the register. Ayesha offers a modestly relaxed setting, with simply decorated white walls and only five tables, most of which are often occupied by Mr. Kang’s faithful foreigner clientele. After one hearty meal at Ayesha, it’s easy to see what keeps the regulars returning. What Ayesha lacks in ambience it makes up for in spice and service. The menu consists of your standard Indian dishes, with à la carte options (under W10,000) as well as set meals, large enough to share, for W20,000 each. Set Menu A is a popular choice, including ample portions of juicy Tandoori chicken, rich mutton curry, warm nan and beverages. The palak paneer, a dish composed of spinach and paneer cheese in a curry sauce, is the perfect vegetarian meal when paired with a piece of nan. Indian cuisine newbies will appreciate the mild curries, while veteran lovers of spice can have the heat turned up if they so desire. Fancy recreating Mr. Kang’s savory fare in your own kitchen? Ayesha also boasts a small shop specializing in hard-tofind Indian grocery products. End your visit by stocking up on masala mix, various spices, frozen peas, coconut milk powder, lentils of every shape and color and an array of Indian snacks and canned goods. G e tti n g T h e r e
Take subway line 1 to Suwon Station. Cross to the opposite side of the station using the overhead walking bridge. Take a left at the first alley. 031-247-5150, 010-2685-6998 Words by Barri Tsavaris and shots by Brook Sauer
60 | 10 Magazine December 2010
Woods of Contemplation Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art. 10 am – 6 pm. Adults W4,000, teens W3,000, children W2,000. youngeunmuseum.org 031-761-0137 Through December 26th Forgotten War, Divided Country This collection shows you bloody scenes of war through the eyes of Korean artists. National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon. Seoul Grand Park Stn. (line 4, ex. 2). Weekdays 10 - 5 pm. Weekends 10 -8 pm. Closed on Mondays. moca.go.kr 02-2188-6000 Through December 27th Korea’s Pioneer Steel Sculptor: Song Young-su Appreciate abstract steel sculptures by avante-garde artist Song Young-su. National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon. Weekdays 10 – 5 pm. Weekends 10 – 8 pm. Closed Mondays. W3,000. moca.go.kr 02-2188-6000 Through January 9th Discovery of Human Bodies Incheon Gyeyang Culture Hall. W20,000. 10 am – 6 pm. W20,000. gysiseol.or.kr Through February 20th Theo Jansen “Animals Modular” Exhibition Dutch artist-engineer Jansen uses simple ingredients like cable ties and plastic tubes to create massive skeleton-like structures that use the power of the wind to walk by themselves. Gwacheon National Science Museum. Seoul Grand Park Stn. (line 4, ex. 5). 9:30 am – 7:30 pm. Adults W13,000, teens W8,000, children W4,000. theojansen.co.kr 1566-0329 December 16th – February 6th Vietnamese Art Exhibition Gwangju Museum of Art. 9 am – 6 pm. Adults W500, teens W300, children W200. artmuse.gwangju.go.kr 062-510-0149
December 3rd – 12th
42nd Street: the Musical Watch this version of the Broadway smash hit 42nd Street about a man determined to create an extravangant stage performance during the Great Depression. Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang (Ilsan). Jeongbalsan Stn. (line 3, ex. 3). W15,000 – W80,000. Wed – Fri 8 pm. Sat 3 & 7 pm. Sun 3 pm. artgy.or.kr 1577-7766 December 4th Ballet for Children: Swan Lake Have your children begin the art journey early in their lives as they explore the magical world of Swan Lake. Hanam Arts Center. 3 & 7pm. W20,000. hnart.or.kr 031-790-7979 December 11th Seoul Ballet Theater: The Nutcracker Icheon Art Hall, 4 pm. W30,000 – W50,000. artic.or.kr 031-644-2100 December 17th – 18th Universal Ballet Theater: The Nutcracker Gunpo Culture and Art Center. Fri 7:30 pm. Sat 3 & 7:30 pm. W30,000 – W50,000. gunpoart.net 031390-3501 December 18th Vision “Urichoom” Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon. 7:30 pm. Adults W10,000, students W5,000. ggac.or.kr 010-9174-7779 December 18th – March Aida: the Musical Based on Giuseppe Verdi’s opera. Seongnam Arts Center near Imae Stn. (Bundang line, ex. 1). Weekdays 8 pm. Sat 3 & 7:30 pm. Sun 2 & 6:30 pm. W40,000 – W120,000. snart.or.kr 031-783-8000 December 24th – 26th Incheon Metropolitan Ballet Theater: The Nutcracker Incheon Culture and Arts Center near Arts Center St. (Incheon line). W15,000. Fri 8 pm. Sat 2 pm. Sun 2 & 5 pm. art.incheon.go.kr 032-427-8401 December 24th – 26th Grease: the Musical Enjoy this version of the musical that follows the lives of teenagers in 1959. Incheon Culture and Arts Center near Arts Center St. (Incheon line). W44,000 – W77,000. Fri 8 pm. Sat 2 & 5 pm. Sun 2 pm. art. incheon.go.kr 032-427-8401
December 25th – 27th Korea National Ballet: The Nutcracker Watch this Christmas classic. Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang. W20,000 – W70,000. Sat & Mon 8pm. Sun 2 & 6pm. artgy.or.kr 1577-7766
Concerts December 3rd Jazz Meets Bucheon Bucheon Citizen Center. Jungdong Stn. (line 1 ex. 2). 8 pm. W15,000 – W25,000. bcf.or.kr 032-320-6335 December 4th G.F Haendel Oratoria: Messiah Seongnam Arts Center near Imae Stn. (Bundang line, ex. 1). 7 pm. W20,000. snart.or.kr 031-783-8000 December 10th The Little Singers of the Wooden Cross Concert (Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois) Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang. Jeongbalsan Stn. (line 3, ex. 3). 8 pm. W33,000 – W66,000. artgy.or.kr 1577-7766 December 11th - 12th Juk Lee Concert Anyang Culture Center. 7 pm. W77,000 – W88,000. ayac.or.kr 070-8667-8100
December 16th – 19th Gracias Christmas Cantata Program includes famous Christmas songs such as The Little Drummer Boy, O Holy Night, and Hallelujah. Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang. Thu – Fri 7:30 pm. Sat – Sun 3 & 7:30 pm. W40,000 – W100,000. artgy.or.kr 1588 - 2346 December 17th Buhwal Concert Listen to the reincarnation of true rock and roll with an all-star super line-up: Dong Ha Jung on the vocals, Tae Won Kim on the guitar, Jae Hyuk Seo on the bass, and Je Min Chae on the drums. Pocheon Banwol Art Hall. 8 pm. W33,000. bwart.net 031-540-6213 December 23rd
Ongoing Saturday Performance at Hwaseong Head down to Hwaseong Castle in Suwon for court dancing, folk music, tight-rope walking, and more. Every Saturday at 2 pm. hs.suwon.ne.kr 031-251-4435 Through December 5th Meet Jeongjo’s Famous Ministers A study of the reforms made by the progressive King Jeongjo, who is famous for building Hwaseong Castle in Suwon. Hwaseong Museum in Suwon. 9 am - 6 pm. Adults W2,000, teens W1,000, children free. hsmuseum.suwon.ne.kr 031-228-4205 Pororo Ice Land Experience Children will have fun at this event featuring one of Korea’s most popular cartoon characters. Ilsan Lake Park. Goyang Flower Center. 10 am – 7 pm. Adults W10,000, children W12,000. proroland2.com 1688-6246 Through December 19th Yangpyeong Kimchi Making Experience Make Kimchi as a group and take some kimchi home. W20,000. 8 am – 3:30 pm. ypnadri.com 031-774-5427 Through December 25th
Everland Christmas Fantasy Watch the famous theme park turn into a wintry land of Christmas fantasy. Yongin. W22,000 - W37,000. Check the website for more details everland.com 031-320-5000 Through January 2nd Hello Amazon Experience This “ecoart” exhibition, inspired by the Tears of the Amazon documentary that played on Korean TV recently, attempts to teach children about the environment through education, excitement, and art. KOMACON in Bucheon. 10 am – 6 pm. Adults W10,000, children W13,000. Closed Mon. helloamazon.co.kr 1588-6306 December 16th – 19th Bubble Science Experience Kids can enjoy an interactive time and learn about science with many fun bubble activities. Hanam Arts Center. 10 – 7 pm. W15,000. hnart.or.kr 031-790-7979
Education & Conferences Open Space Project S Traditional Korean drumming. Ansan Arts Center. W10,000. 7 pm. ansanart.com 080-481-4000 December 25th Joy of Christmas with Nan-sae Keum Uijeongbu Arts Center. 5 pm. W10,000 – W40,000. uac.or.kr 031-828-5841 December 26th Su-mi Jo Concert: Morgen Uijeongbu Arts Center. 8 pm. W40,000 – W120,000. uac.or.kr 031-828-5841 December 31st Kenyan Jirani Children Choir Concert The songs of hope. Hwaseong Art Hall. 7 pm. jirani.kr 031-267-8800
Ongoing American Museum of Natural History: Climate Change Festival Not so much a celebration of climate change as an educational program designed to raise awareness of the phenomenon. The Green Zone at Seoul Land in Gwacheon near Seoul Grand Park Stn. (line 4). W2,000. seoulland.co.kr 02-509-6000 Through December 31st The Bible Expo The Good Book is the theme of the art, activities, and exhibits displayed in the spacious Songdo Central Park. Outside of Central Park Stn. (Incheon line 1, ex. 4). W15,000 at the door, W13,500 in advance. bibleexpo2010.com 02-541-1100
The Burger, Plain and Simple When your taste buds are tired of kimchi and kkagdugi, nothing will wake them up like the taste of the grill at The Burger. Just three months old, this establishment brings a 50s style American diner into the 21st century with its modern design and traditional menu. Running the gambit from old fashioned hamburgers to chili-dogs and nacho fries, the food is simple but delicious. Their thick spiced patties are topped with red onions, tomatoes, pickles, crisp lettuce and a thin layer of secret sauce that packs a zesty punch of flavor unmatched by the mayonnaise-drenched burger chains. Though a little on the expensive side (W11,400 for a cheeseburger, Dr. Pepper, and a basket of fries that could have fed two), the money is well worth it for the atmosphere and quality. The Burger is located just outside of Uijeongbu Stn. (line 1, ex. 2), directly across from the Paris Baguette. 031-836-8857 Words and shot by Curtis File
G e tti n g T h e r e
Restaurants
gyeongGI province Religious Services
Grace & Truth Church Anyang, Ansan, and Suwon Sunday 9:30 am, 11 am, 1 pm, grace-truth.org 031-443-3731 Dongsan Church Ansan Sunday 11:30 am, 010-2910-7809 Museums
Central America Culture Center Goyang. latina.or.kr 031-962-7171 Elvis Presley Memorial Hall Paju paju.go.kr 031-948-3358 Face Museum Gwangju (Gyeonggi Province). visagej.org, 031-765-3522 Korean Lamp (Deung-Jan) Museum Yongin deungjan.or.kr/eng 031-334-0797 Waltz & Dr. Mahn Coffee Museum Namyangju wndcof.com 031-576-6051
Cafe Nicolia Bucheon European-style café and wine bar. cafenicolia.com 032-329-0526 La Mia Cucina Ilsan The kitchen is always open at this English-friendly Italian pub with great outdoor seating all set for the summer months. 7 pm – 4 am. 010-2327-8882 First Nepal Restaurant Incheon . firstnepal.com 032-525-8771 Bars/Lounges/Pubs
The Park Bucheon 010-3136-0153 Rhythm & Blues Bucheon 032-323-0161 Frog and Toad Ilsan 010-9950-7399 West Island Ilsan 031-917-2225
Transportation
International Taxi (English speaking) 1644-2255 Jumbo Taxi Service (more expensive) 02-888-2000 Radio
US Armed Forces Network Dongducheon AM 1197/FM 88.3 Pyongtaek AM 1440/FM 88.3 Songtan AM 1359/FM 88.5 Uijeongbu AM 1161/FM 88.5
Jukjeon Gecko’s Yongin Bundang and Yongin expats should be ecstatic to know that the famous Gecko’s chain is expanding south. Near the Shinsegye department store. geckosterrace.com 031-262-9974 Clubs
Club Psycho Anyang bcmusicworld.com
010-7754-0409
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December 12th The Little Singers of the Wooden Cross Concert Seongnam Arts Center. 8 pm. W33,000 – W66,000. snart.or.kr 031-783-8000
F o odi e f i n d s
Family & Community
GANGWON DESTINATION
Coal Mining and Shamanism in Taebaek Though this thousand-meter-high city is a hit with hikers, there’s more than mountain climbing in Taebaek. W o r d s a n d s h ot s b y M att h e w C . Crawf o rd
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e emerged from what seemed like the hundredth pitchblack tunnel of the trip and were rounding a turn in the tracks when I felt a tap on my shoulders, light but persistent. I turned and saw a middle-aged woman peering above the seat. Her eyes lit up with the pride of a local as she explained, “This is the highest rail pass in Korea.” The train was approaching Taebaek, a mining town that, over the past couple decades, has remade itself into a popular hiking destination. Except for its perch at over 800 meters above sea level, Taebaek (50,000 inhabitants) seems much like any other Korean country town. The main street is lined with cheap, flashy micro-boutiques that fill the crisp mountain air with sugary Kpop hits. Further down, one reaches the town’s obligatory Lotteria and then, almost next door, the Dunkin Donuts. There is even a shop called “Phone Skin” which is entirely devoted to cell phone accessories Yet while the town center has been invaded by South Korea’s homogenous hyper-commercialism, there are signs in Taebaek of deeper traditions, like the apothecaries with their piles of dried barks, arrowroot, and yeongji mushrooms. The town also boasts a selection of traditional restaurants. The proprietors are mainly hearty elderly women who make their own distinctive side dishes. Around the train and bus stations are several grilled beef establishments as well as restaurants specializing in folk stews. Especially recommended is Hanbat Shikdang (한밭 식당, 033-5523160), an oyster restaurant at the end of the entertainment lane: try the rice and oysters (gulbap 굴밥) cooked in a stone pot. Taebaek is located near the southern border of Gangwon Province. In the past, Gangwon Province was known for its wild forests full of tigers and for its blisteringly cold winters and heavy snowfall. Its mountainous terrain served to isolate it from normal people at the same time as it attracted Buddhist hermits and political exiles. In more recent history, Gangwon Province suffered the misfortune of being severed by the North-South border drawn up along the 38th parallel and later revised to the Demilitarized Zone. But while Gangwon Province has been geographically divided, the raw, physical existence of the Taebaek Mountain 62 | 10 Magazine December 2010
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1 A view of Korea’s inland sea of mountains, 2 Radish leaves hung up to dry on the wall of Manggeong Temple, 3 Korea’s national flower, the mugunghwa (rose of Sharon), on a shrine below the peak, 4 A glazed dragon head on the grounds of Yu-il Temple, near the base of the mountain, 5 Chonwang Altar on the ridge of Taebaek Provincial Park, 6 A heap of Korean ginseng for sale at Jeongseon market
Range, stretching well up the east coast of North Korea and as far south as Jiri Mountain, reminds us of the folly of political and cartographical divisions. Taebaek is the eponymous city of this range, and a short bus ride from the town center is Taebaek Mountain itself. The paths up Taebaek Mountain lead through haunting forests of pine, up to gnarled thousand-year-old yews that have been polished bonewhite by the wind. From the ridges there are sweeping views of the mountain-vertebrae that span the country. There are also several Buddhist temples and hermitages within the provincial park. Most importantly, Taebaek Mountain is the home of Cheonjaedan, one of the points of greatest ‘spiritual concentration’ on the Korean peninsula. The altar, which is actually a set of three altars formed from stone slabs, is on the northwest side of the park, near Janggunbong (1,567 meters). It is dedicated to Dangun, the mythical founder of the Korean people. Visitors to Taebaek are recommended to visit the traditional Tong-ri 5-day market nearby (held on days of the month that end in a 5 or a 0), or further north, the Jeongseon 5-day market (on dates that end in a 2 or a 7). Taebaek may be visited en route to Gangneung, Donghae, or Samcheok on the east coast, a quiet stretch known for its beaches, seafood, and hospitality. G e tti n g T h e r e It’s easy to visit Taebaek from Seoul. By bus the trip
takes 4 to 5 1/2 hours, with service available from Dong Seoul Terminal near Gangbyeon St. (line 2, ex. 1). One way is W21,300. Trains leaving from Cheongnyangni Station take 4.5 hours and cost W14,600. There are various affordable motels and yeogwan within walking distance of Taebaek Station.
GANGWON CALENDAR Theater & Dance December 14th – 26th Chuncheon Puppet Regular Performance Chuncheon Puppet Theater. W5,000 presale. W7,000 at the door. theatre.cocobau.com 033-242-8450
Concerts
EDITOR’ S PICK gangwon PROVINCE Foreigner Assistance Chuncheon Online Info tour.chuncheon.go.kr/eng
Libraries Chuncheon City Library iccl.or.kr 033-254-3887 Taebaek Municipal Library tbmlib.or.kr 033-550-2755
Ongoing
Amusement Parks Dreamland Amusement Park With a large zoo and plenty of rides, there’s lots of fun to be found at this park at Chiak Mountain near Wonju. W20,000 for adults, W18,000 for children. mydreamland.co.kr 033-732-5800
Museums
Gangneung Mask Drama Witness a traditional mask drama originally performed by slaves. Ojukheon Museum outdoor theater. Every Sat 4 pm. Free. kwanno.or.kr 033-642-1008 Gangneung Traditional Farm Music Ojukheon Museum outdoor theater. Every Sat 5 pm. Free. kwanno.or.kr 033-642-1008 December 1st Baeckryung Opera Gala Concert Baeckryung Art Center. 7 pm. kwbc.co.kr 033-250-7201
Bangsan Porcelain Museum Yanggu-gun bangsanm.or.kr 033-480-2664 Chuncheon Makguksu Museum makguksumuseum.com 033-250-4134 Haslla Art World Gangneung haslla.kr 033-644-9411 Marisorigol Musical Instrument Museum Hongcheon-gun great.go.kr 033-430-2016 Sokbong Ceramic Museum Sokcho dogong.net 033-638-7711 Teddy Bear Farm Sokcho teddyfarm.net 033-636-3680 Wonju Hanji Museum Wonju wjhanji.co.kr 033-731-2323
Hotels/Accommodations
Celebrate the beginning of a new decade with the rays of the rising sun. The first decade of the millennium is passing—how do you plan to celebrate it? For many Koreans, December 31st of each year is the time to head east to see the very first sun of the new year. Gangwon offers an array of various events and activities to help you find the perfect place to embrace the last moments of 2010 and the first moments of 2011 with friends and family.
December 11th Christmas Cantata Baeckrung Art Center. 7 pm. Free. kwbc.co.kr 010-7680-1141 December 17th 2010 “Hopes for Happiness” End of Year Concert This concert includes performances by opera singer Kim Dong-gu and pop singer Insuni. Taebaek Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. W15,000 – W20,000. taebaek.go.kr 033-550-2435
S i g h ts e e i n g S u g g e sti o n s
December 17th Korean Traditional Music Performance (Gukak) Baeckrung Art Center. 7:30 pm. kwbc.co.kr 010-2561-3000 December 23rd Sejong Soloists Christmas Concert CNN called the Sejong Soloists “one of the greatest ensembles in the world.” They will be playing pieces including Brahms’ Piano Quintet. Chuncheon Culture & Art Center. 7:30 pm. W30,000 – W50,000. ccac.or.kr 033-251-3474
Family & Community December 23rd - February 6th Pyeongchang Trout Festival Come enjoy trout fishing with a rod or bare hands along with a variety of other winter fun activities. Pyeongchang near Jinbu Bus Terminal. Weekdays 8 am. Weekends 7 am. W10,000 – W30,000. festival700.or.kr 033-336-4000
Sport & Fitness January 1st New Year’s Marathon Donghae. Sign up by December 28th. 3 pm. korcmc.org
Sunrise Festivals for the New Year
Taebaek City Enjoy a traditional concert, write down New Year’s resolutions and wishes on postcards, and watch colorful wish balloons fly away. If you are curious about next year, there will be a fortune teller to consult. festival.taebaek.go.kr 033-550-2081
Hotel Inter-burgo Wonju interburgo.com 02-425-5678 W Hotel Wonju w-hotel.co.kr 033-742-5454
Medical Services Gangwon National University Hospital Chuncheon knuh.or.kr/html/index.asp 033-258-2000 Gangnam Hospital Chuncheon ekangnam.co.kr 033-240-7000 Hyundai Animal Clinic Chuncheon dog7582.co.kr 033-256-7582 Ye Dental Clinic Chuncheon ccye.co.kr 033-262-2078
Restaurants Acozza Cafe Wonju Classy pizzas served in chic industrial décor. acozza.co.kr 033-766-7999
Gyeongpo (Gangneung): On the white sands of Gyeongpo Beach, find out why Gangneung is one of the best places to see the sunrise in Korea. gntour.go.kr 033-640-5128 Jeongdongjin (Gangneung): This spot is famous not only as the location of the drama Hourglass but also for its rugged natural beauty. gntour.go.kr 033-640-5128 Donghae: The Chuam and Mangsang beaches here host a Korean flag parade and fireworks show. dhtour.go.kr 033-532-2801 Okkye (Gangneung): As well as offering a fine view of Okkye Harbor and Mangsang Beach, the Okkye rest stop hosts a singing contest, fireworks, and more. gntour.go.kr 033-640-5129 Yangyang: There’s an old saying that goes, “If you make a wish as you watch the sun go down at Naksan Beach in Yangyang, it will come true.” sunrise.yangyang.go.kr 033-670-2723 10 Magazine December 2010 | 63
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December 8th Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra Baekun Art Hall in Wonju. 7:30 pm. wjphil.wonju.go.kr 033-737-3820
JEOLLA CALENDAR Art & Design
the changes in the social dynamics of our family. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30pm. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000
Through December 5th Walking Through the Fall Walk through the beauty of the autumn season -- a magical time between the scorching summer and harsh winter -- with photos, art pieces, paintings, and fabric art. Gwangju Museum of Art. 9 am - 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W500, students W300. artmuse.gwangju.go.kr 062-510-0149
December 23rd – 31st Play “Liar” Enjoy a performance with odd lines like this: “Even if for one moment you cannot restrain your laughter then you are not a liar.” Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. Weekdays 4 & 7:30 pm. Thu 7:30 pm. Sat 3 pm & 7 pm. Sun 2 & 6 pm. W35,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000
Through February 13th Ha Jeong’s Special Collection: “Democracy, Human Rights, and Gwangju” Celebrating human rights and anti-imperialism on the 30th anniversary of the Gwangju Massacre, this art exhibition explores the struggle to achieve democracy after the Japanese invasion of Korea. Gwangju Museum of Art. 9 am – 6 pm. Adults W500, students W300. artmuse.gwangju.go.kr 062-510-0149 Moving Pictures Gwangju Museum of Art. 9 am - 6 pm. Adults W500, students W300. artmuse.gwangju.go.kr 062-510-0149 December 20th – 22nd Hanji (Korean Traditional Paper) Exhibition Suncheon Culture and Art Center. 9am. scart.or.kr 061-749-3516
Performances Through December 6th Liar 2 “After 20 years” The Gwangju 5-18 Memorial Culture Center. 7:39 pm. W 25,000 – W 30,000. 518center.gjcity.net 1688-3820
JEOLLA
December 3rd Kim Mu-cheol’s Korean Dance Performance: Lovers under the Moon (月下情人) With a great mixture of wit, humor, and gravity, this performance dances through the past, present, and future and elevates the internalization process and philosophy of body expression. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7pm. Adults W20,000, students W10,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 4th – 5th The Invitation to the Imperial Goong: the Musical Based on a highly popular TV show, also known as Princess Hours, this drama is being turned into a musical. U-Know Yunho is set in the lead role of Prince Shin. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 3 & 7:30pm. W60,000 – W100,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 7th Dance Musical “Be Friend” Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. 7pm. W10,000. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089 December 10th ChonJu Palkyong Korean Traditional Dance Performance The choreography consists of eight scenic images, including day, night, and seasons, set to the background of newly composed traditional music. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30pm. W10,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 11th Cultwo Comedy Show Laugh and have a fun time watching the comedy duo comprised of Tae Gyun Kim and Chan Woo Jung. Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. 3 & 7pm. W33,000 – W77,000. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089 December 22nd Dreaming Tree: Ballet Performance This unique ballet performance explores
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December 15th 2010 Christmas Cantata Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. 7:30 pm. Free. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089 December 16th
Concerts December 4th Jeollanamdo Korean Traditional Concert Featuring a percussion concert, traditional music orchestra, and other regular performances. Mokpo Culture and Art Center. 5 – 6:40 pm. Free. art.mokpo.go.kr 061-270-8484 December 5th Amabile Wind Orchestra Concert Conducted by the famous Young Chan Jeong who has had extensive experience at Saint-Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7pm. Adults W10,000, students W5,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 7th
Richard Clayderman Live Concert in Korea Music lovers will purify their soul when they encounter this poet of the piano -- Richard Clayderman. He will be playing “I Will Survive”, “Winter Sonata”, “Medly Gypsy”, “Ballade pour Adeline”, and many more. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30pm. W40,000 – W120,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 8th Lim Jae-sim Gayageum Solo Concert Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30 pm. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 10th – 11th The Shin Seung-hun Show: My Way Shin Seung-hun will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his show with his 20 best hit songs. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. Fri 7:30 pm. Sat 6 pm. W66,000 – W99,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 11th, 18th, 25th Saturday Gugak Art Stage Mokpo Citizen’s Culture and Athletic Center. 5 pm. jpg.or.kr 061-287-5205 December 12th Dominus Ensemble Regular Concert Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30 pm. W10,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000
Yeosu Hyangilam Sunset Festival Experience a beautiful sunrise against the backdrop of Yeosu’s lush trees and rocks. Yeosu City in South Jeolla. yeosutravel.net 061-350-5752 December 31st – January 1st Yeongam Lake Sunrise Festival Welcome the new year as you watch the sun rise at Yeongnam Lake. Yeongamgun, south of Gwangju. sunrise.yeongam.go.kr 061-470-2255
December 24th Gala Show “Abbagirls” Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. 8pm. W40,000 – W70,000. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089 December 24th – 26th Comic Martial Arts Performance: Jump You’ll cry. You’ll laugh. You’ll be shocked. This is a dramatic comical performance filled with exciting martial arts. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. Fri 7:30 pm. Sat 3 & 7pm. Sun 2 & 6pm. W45,000 – W55,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000
flying, and surprise events. Songjimyeon, Galdu town. tour.haenam.go.kr 061-530-5919
Education & Conferences
The Little Singers of the Wooden Cross Concert (Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois) 7:30 pm. W7,000W20,000. Suncheon Culture And Art Center. scart.or.kr 061-749-3516 Jo Sang-hun’s Janggu (Korean traditional drum) Solo Concert The theme of this performance is to showcase the variety of drum playing. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30 pm. W30,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 19th Rumia Flute Ensemble Concert Suncheon Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. W5,000- W10,000. scart.or.kr 061-749-3516 December 22nd Year-end Korean Traditional Music Party Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7:30 pm. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 28th The Kenyan Children’s Choir of Jirani Concert The performance always begins with the choir shouting, “Jambo, hakuna matata! (Hello, there are no worries!)” and continues to send across a message of hope and love through times of adversity. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 7 pm. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000 December 31st Jin Nam and Hyunbin Park in Yearend Joint Concert Jin Nam and Hyunbin Park join forces to tell the second part of a beautiful story. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 4 & 7:30pm. W55,000 – W77,000. sori21.co.kr 063-270-8000
Ongoing GIC Talks Take advantage of the English lectures by professors, writers, and diplomats that promote communication and intercultural understanding among Koreans and international residents. Topics include a wide range of subjects such as culture, history, politics, and art. There is an opportunity for small discussion groups after the talk. Gwangju International Center. Sat 2:30 – 4 pm. Closed holidays. gic.or.kr 062-226-2733 Through December 19th Korean Peninsula Dinosaur Expedition Explore the lost world of dinosaurs in this 3D live experience show. Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium. 10 am – 7 pm. W13,000. hellodino.com 1688-3693 December 2nd – 4th Business & Realty & Finance Expo Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju. jaetechexpo.com 1599-3398 December 2nd – 5th International Agriculture Technologies Exhibition 2010 International agriculture businesses and organizations gather at this exhibition. Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju. agritex.kr 062-236-0080 December 3rd Wedding Expo Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. 9am. Free. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089 December 17th – 23rd Calligraphy Exhibition Discover the traditional visual art of writing. Sori Cultural Arts Center in Jeonju. 10am – 6pm. sori21.co.kr. 063-270-8000 December 18th – 26th World Jewelry Expo Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju. kdjcenter.or.kr 062-611-2000
Family & Community
Sport & Fitness
December 18th – 19th Lee Eun-Gyeol’s Magic Show: The Illusion He is one of the youngest and most successful magicians in the world. With countless awards under his magician’s hat, he is best known for his 10 minute dove act. Get lost in the illutions of Lee Eun-Gyeol. Chonbuk National University Cultural Center in Jeonju. Sat 3 & 7:30pm. Sun 2 & 6:30pm. W40,000 – W70,000. cnucc.chonbuk.ac.kr 063-270-2089
January 9th Yeosu Expo International Marathon Participate in any one of these marathons: full course (42.195 km), half-course (21.0975 km), 10 km, and 5 km. Yeosu in South Jeolla. Sign up by December 15th. W15,000 - W35,000 ysmarathon.co.kr 061-685-4750
December 31st Baeksu Coastal Road Sunset Event At the Chilsan Gazebo near Baeksu Coastal Road in Yeonggwang (west of Gwangju). ygtour.uokdc.com 061-350-5752 Haenam Sunset Festival Craft and product exhibitions, tasting area, food marketplace, dance performances, family concerts, kite
February 13th Haenam Marathon Haenam in South Jeolla. Full course, half-course, 10 km, and 5 km. Sign up by January 22nd. W15,000 - W35,000 ddangma.com 061-534-9170
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J EOL L A DIS C OVER Y JEOLLA PROVINCE Foreigner Assistance Gwangju International Center gwangjuic.or.kr 062-226-1050
Religious Services Antioch Presbyterian Church Jeonju andiok.kr 063-274-3228 Iri Joongang Church Iksan 063-851-4311 Musangsa Muan-gun 042-841-6084 Andy Clay
Museums
Christmas Shopping in Jeonju’s Hanok Village W o r d s b y A n dy Clay
Jeonju’s Hanok Village offers great Christmas shopping options in addition to the picturesque scenery.
Hotels/Accommodations Gwangju Youth Hostel 062-943-4378 Ramada Plaza Gwangju ramadagwangju.com 062-717-7000
Radio TBS eFM Gwangju FM 98.7 US Armed Forces Network Gunsan AM 1440/FM 88.5 Gwangju FM 88.5
Restaurants/Supermarkets First Nepal Restaurant firstnepal.com 062-225-8771 Tequilaz Gwangju’s first Mexican cantina serves up your south-of-the-border favorites with magical margaritas and, of course, killer tequilas. tequilaz.com Underground Grocers Gwangju This foreigner-run food shop has those hardto-find cheeses, taco shells and other delicacies you crave. 062-232-2626
Live Music Venues Bars/Lounges/Pubs
Rob McGovern
S i g h ts e e i n g S u g g e sti o n s
Jeonju Hyanggyo This 600-year-old Confucian academy is often used as the backdrop for movies, TV shows and music videos. Omokdae The hill above the riverside pavilion of Hanbyeokdang offers a stunning view of the Hanok roofscape, especially picturesque when covered with snow. Oriental Medicine Museum Make soap, get a massage, and find out what you should be eating to stay healthy (hint: probably not turkey).
Art & Travel Cafe Jeonju Open mic nights every Wednesday from 9 pm. Facebook group, 011-9437-0208 Deepin Jeonju Popular expat bar with Texas Holdem on Sundays. 019-9646-1028 Led Zeppelin Art Space Jeonju Hosts underground bands both expat and Korean. cafe.daum.net/k250073 018-607-6321 Speakeasy Gwangju The fun never stops at this fantastic bar owned and operated by honest Irishman Derrek Hannon. 010-4713-3825 San Antonio Latin Bistro Suncheon Suncheon surprises with this Latinthemed restaurant and bar. Facebook group, pyroz@hotmail.com 061-724-2234
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JEOLLA
With Christmas fast approaching, many are on the hunt for suitable gifts to send home to family and friends. If you want an authentic Korean gift—and a great winter’s afternoon of history and culture—avoid the tourists flocking to Seoul’s Insadong and head for the artists’ workshops and craft stalls of Jeonju’s Hanok Village. Savvy shoppers will skip the kitschy gift shops outside the former royal residence of Gyeonggijeon and head along Gyeonggiro until the intersection with a water wheel, a fountain and a few street vendors selling snacks, drinks and candy. Turn right here onto Eunhaeng-ro and follow the little stream down towards the river. This street has several stores selling artwork, clothing, ceramics, traditional fans and other crafts, and the alleyways leading off to the sides are home to quirky little coffee shops and restaurants. Those looking for a taste of old Korea can dine at Damun, a hansik restaurant housed in an authentic courtyard hanok, where W15,000 - W20,000 will get you a table overflowing with delicious Joseonstyle dishes. Ready for more retail therapy? Head down the hill to the row of shops across
from the Traditional Craft Center, where clothing and handmade traditional fans await you. Then, stroll down Suldoga-gil past the hanji and traditional alcohol museums and take a left down Choi Myeong Hui-gil, named after a famed Korean poet whose literary works are celebrated at a museum located part way down the street. This area is a great place to grab unique Christmas gifts. On weekends, everything from woodcrafts to hanji paper, artwork, kitchenware, ceramics, clothing, jewelry and more can be found in the studios here and on the craft market stalls spread out along Eunhaeng-ro. Need a hot drink to warm you up? Numerous options abound in Hanok Village – try the tiny and unforgettable Moonbird Sings Only for the Moon, squeezed between two other shops just past the intersection of Gyeonggi-ro and Eunhaeng-ro, or café-cum-art gallery The Story, behind Gyeonggijeon.
Gochang Dolmen Museum 9 am – 5 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W3,000, teens W2,000, children W1,000. gcdolmen.go.kr 063-560-2576 Iksan Jewel Museum 10 am – 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W3,000, students W2,000, children W1,000. jewelmuseum.go.kr 063-859-4641 Jeonju Oriental Medicine Cultural Center 10 am – 6 pm. Closed Mon. hanbangcenter.com 063-232-2500 Jeonju Traditional Alcohol Museum 9 am – 6 pm. Closed Mon. Free. urisul.net 063-287-6305 Jeonju Traditional Cultural Center jt.or.kr 063-280-7045 Mokpo Natural Museum 9 am – 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W3,000, students W2,000, children W1,000. museum.mokpo.go.kr 061-294-3655 Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum 9 am – 6 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W3,000, students W2,000, children W1,000. doja.mokpo.go.kr 061-270-8480
GYEONGSANG CALENDAR F o odi e F i n d s
Art Through December 5th The Pulitzer Prize Photographs After a popular run in Seoul, the exhibit has moved to the Daegu National Museum daegu.museum.go.kr to give folks in the southern half of the country their chance to relive history. After you’ve seen the pictures, head to the comment corner just outside to tack up a note expressing your feelings. 11 am - 8 pm. Closed Mon. Adults W10,000, students W8,000, children W6,000. pulitzerkorea.com 1588-7890 Through December 14th Jean Dubuffet Art Exhibition Enjoy the artwork of this French painter and sculptor. He strips down the conventional idea of aesthetics and beauty while he humanizes the subjects of his work. Shinsegae Centum Gallery on the 6th floor in Haeundae. 051-745-1508
Shot by B r yc e W e i b l e y
South-of-the-Border Bounty in Busan
In the mood for some Mexican food in Busan? Here are four great picks to satisfy that taco craving. In an alley near Haeundae market is the legendary Taco Senora. Priced around ₩7,000, burritos come with meat or beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and rice. Post-its line the walls telling tales of long journeys just for a taco. Giant servings make up for sparse seating – only five to the counter. Quench your thirst next door at JK Factory, another hidden Haeundae gem. Subway line 2 to Haeundae Stn., Exit 1. Straight ahead and turn right at Enter 6 shopping mall until you see Beauty Zone on the right side of street. Turn left down the alley. Restaurant is on the right.
The open-faced exterior makes for prime people watching at Fuzzy Navel. The energetic bar staff amaze with fire shows and f lying bottles. A variety of favorites such as tacos, burritos and chimichangas come with a spicy side sauce that will make you consider seconds – all under ₩15,000. Subway line 2 to Haeundae Stn., Exit 3. Walk straight for several blocks, past Haeundae Market Street and find it on your left.
It took large cojones to open Taco al Puebla next door to Fuzzy Navel, but some argue that this new restaurant blows away the competition. Burritos come loaded with fresh ingredients and your choice of meat or beans. For an extra touch, tortillas are made crispy just before serving. Full of flavor and priced around ₩7,500, Taco al Puebla is a worthy alternative to its well-known neighbor. Walk approximately 20m past Fuzzy Navel. Go up the stairs on the left. Look right. Restaurant is on the left.
Hello Kimchi is Busan’s newest entry in south-of-the-border dining. The chef boasts 20 years of restaurant experience in the US. It might be the only place that serves enchiladas in Busan the homemade sauce makes them worth the ₩14,000. Kimchi burritos and quesadillas are fusion options, as well as blended maeggeoli and fresh fruit cocktails. Delicious chili, chowder, and chicken corn soups are on the menu to cure winter chills. Subway line 2 to Jangsan Stn., Exit 3. Go straight for 30m and look toward the second floor on your right, above Pizza Bingo.
Words by M ich a el Lu edk e and M elissa La ngley
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Through January 16th Lee Myoung-ho’s Photography Exhibition Goeun Museum of Photography in the Haeundae district. Free. eng.goeunmuseum.org/welcome.php Through February 27th Off the Wall Fifteen exhibitors will have approximately 32 paintings and 18 sculptures on display to illustrate the versatility of clay and architecture. Clayarch Kimhae Museum in Gimhae. clayarch.org 055-340-7004 December 3rd - 7th 2010 Busan International Art Fair Bexco in Busan. Adults W5,000, students W3,000. Free admission on Friday. biaf.co.kr 051-806-1004
Theater & Dance Ongoing The Ballerina Who Fell in Love with a B-Boy This b-boy-meets-ballerina story is a genre-bending mash-up of break dance and ballet. Seomyeon BB Theater in Busan. Mon - Fri 8 pm, Sat 4 & 8 pm, Sun 3 & 6 pm. W40,000 - W50,000. bbtheater.co.kr 051-804-2252 Through December 21st Regular Tuesday Korean Cultural Performances With a different performance every week, you can enjoy a wide range of cultural experiences. Tuesday 7:30 pm. W6,000. ncktpab.go.kr 051-811-0040 Through December 26th Hahoe Mask Dance Drama Performance (Hahoe Byeolsingut) Witness a play that was first performed by merchants in the mid-12th century. The event offers exciting music, a chance to make and sample soju, and hanji (Korean paper) creation. Inheritance Hall of Hahoe Mask Dance Drama Performance in Andong. Performances Sat - Sun 3 - 4 pm. Free. hahoemask.co.kr 054-854-3664 Through December 31st Saturday Regular Performance of Korean Music & Dance Presented by the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Busan. Saturday 3 pm. W6,000 – W8,000. ncktpab.go.kr 051-811-0040 Through January 2nd Phantom of the Opera: The Musical Watch the longest-running musical in Broadway and one of the world’s most successful performances. Keimyung Art Center in Daegu. Weekdays 8 pm, Sat 3
& 8 pm, Sun 2 & 7 pm. Closed Mon. W50,000 - W140,000. kmuartcenter.kr 053-762-0000 December 4th La Boheme: The Opera Program includes “Che Gelida Manina,” “O Soave Fanciulla,” and “Quando Me N’vo.” Daegu Opera House. 5 pm. W10,000 - W20,000. daeguoperahouse.org 053-666-6000 December 10th - 12th Grease: The Musical Watch this version of the cult classic Grease with San-ho Kim, Yeong-pil Park, and Seung-hyeon Son. Busan Citizens’ Hall. Fri 8 pm, Sat 3 & 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm. W40,000 - W70,000. citizenhall.busan.kr 1600-1716 December 15th The Opera Gala: La Traviata Performed by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Eulsukdo Cultural Center in Busan. 7:30 pm. W30,000 - W100,000. eulsukdo.busan.kr 051-853-2341 December 16th - 17th The Marriage of Figaro: The Opera A spectacular performance filled with social satire and the exquisite music of Mozart. 7:30 pm. Ulsan Culture and Art Center. ucac.or.kr 010-2486-0012 December 16th - 19th A Christmas Carol: The Musical It’s not Christmas until you watch Scrooge turn his life around after a visit from the ghosts of the past, present, and future. Busan Citizens’ Hall. Thu 8 pm, Fri 4 & 8 pm, Sat 3 & 7 pm, Sun 2 & 6 pm. W40,000 - W60,000. 1600-1716 December 17th - 18th Aida: The Opera Giuseppe Verdi’s four act opera about a military leader’s struggle to decide between his love for Aida and his loyalty to his state. Geumjeong Cultural Center in Busan. W20,000 - W40,000. culture. geumjeong.go.kr 051-519-5651 December 24th - 26th Rock of Ages: The Musical Rock out to classic rock hits from the 1980s. Busan Citizens’ Hall. Sat 3 & 7 pm, Sun 2 & 6 pm. W40,000 - W120,000. citizenhall.busan.kr 1600-1716 December 29th - 31st Nanta Cookin’: Non Verbal Performance This kitchen percussion extravaganza is the non-verbal stage show that nearly everyone sees at least once. MBC Lotte Art Hall in Busan. Wed & Thu 8 pm, Fri 8 & 10:30 pm. W44,000 - W55,000. nanta.i-pmc.co.kr 051-760-1357
Concerts December 3rd and 8th Richard Clayderman Piano Concert Program includes “Letter to My Mother,” “Winter Sonata,” and “I Will Survive” from this French pianist. 12/3: MBC Lotte Art Hall in Busan. 8 pm. W80,000 – W120,000. mbcarthall.com 16882026. 12/8: Seongsan Art Hall in Changwon. 8 pm. W40,000 – W120,000. sungsanart.or.kr 1688-2026 December 4th Song Yeong-hun Cello Recital Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor op. 38 & Brahms Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major op. 99. Busan Cultural Center. 5 pm. W30,000 – W50,000. culture.busan.go.kr 02-2658-3546 December 7th Soprano Sumi Jo Concert: German Songs Program includes Schumann’s
e di t or’ s p ick
Jump in Busan Ongoing
A non-verbal performance is a great choice for a night out on the town, and the Jump theater operating in Busan means that residents of Korea’s southernmost city don’t have to head up to the capital for a show. It’s been more than 10 years since this martial-arts-based comic show first began, and it’s now performed regularly in Seoul and New York as well as Busan. One reason this show has maintained its popularity for so long is the way the stunts and striking visuals propel the story along. Another are the comical characters including a few bumbling thieves and a family trained in the martial arts. Jump into your seat this month at the IBK Jump Theater in the basement of the Haeundae Grand Hotel. Tue - Fri 8 pm, Sat 4 & 8 pm, Sun and holidays 3 & 6 pm. W40,000 - W50,000. hijump.co.kr 051-744-4885 December 17th Busan Philharmonic Orchestra Concert G. Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection.” Busan Cultural Center. 7:30 pm. W5,000 - W10,000. culture.busan.go.kr 051-607-3111
December 9th Gracias Cantata Concert 3-15 Art Center in Changwon. 7:30 pm. Free. 315art.net 055-286-0315
December 18th Little Singers of Paris Concert You’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven when you listen to these little angels sing in their immaculate white attire. Regarded as one of the world’s most respected children’s choirs, this group has taken the world by storm. Ulsan Bukgu Cultural Art Center. 3 & 7:30 pm. W30,000 - W60,000. Ulsan Culture and Art Center. ucac.or.kr 052-256-8700
December 9th and 11th Kenyan Jirani Children Choir Listen to these children’s melodic message of hope. 9th; South Gyeongsang Province Culture and Arts Center in Jinju. 7:30 pm. gncac.com 1544-6711. 11th; Seongsan Art Hall in Changwon. 7:30 pm. W20,000 - W30,000. sungsanart.or.kr 055-285-9488 December 12th Yiruma White Xmas Concert Korea’s leading new age pianist, Yiruma, presents a beautiful white Christmas concert. Ulsan Culture and Art Center. 8 pm. W40,000 - W60,000. ucac.or.kr 052-228-6111 December 13th Fabrizio Mercurio and Sophie Gordeladze Concert Listen to the beautiful voices of these soprano and tenor opera singers. Hyundai Arts Center in Ulsan. 8 pm. hhiarts.co.kr 052-202-6300 December 14th Jeong-sik Lee Saxophone Concert Program includes “I Will Wait for You,” “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” and “Over The Rainbow.” Seongsan Art Hall in Changwon. 11 am. sungsanart.or.kr 055-268-7900
GYEONGSANG
Der Nubbaum Op. 25-3, Johannes Brahms’ Vergebliches Stanchen Op. 84-4, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ich Liebe Dich. Busan Cultural Center. W50,000 - W120,000. culture.busan.go.kr 051-607-6058
December 21st Sejong Soloists: Christmas Concert Program includes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34 and Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G minor op. 6, Christmas Concerto. Busan Cultural Center. 7:30 pm. W20,000 - W40,000. culture.busan.go.kr 051-607-6057 December 22nd Busan Youth Philharmonic Orchestra: Year-End Concert Program includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E major “Kaiser” op. 73 and Vitali’s Chaccone in G minor. Busan Cultural Center. 7:30 pm. W2,000. culture.busan.go.kr 051-607-3111 December 24th - 26th Peter Pan: Musical for Children Fly your family into Neverland for a magical Christmas night. Donggu Arts & Sports Center. 2 & 6 pm. W44,000 - W55,000. dgculture.or.kr 1599-1980 December 25th - 26th Magic Show: the Illusion Get lost in
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GYEONGSANG CALENDAR Daegu Buy the Book Western This bookstore and café is your source for free yoga, theater, and parties. Downtown Daegu. Open weekends. buythebookcafe@yahoo.com Café Francesco Italian Italian cuisine and good coffee. Near Rodeo Street. 053-252-9625 Dijon French Up-market French and Mediterranean cuisine. 053-422-2426 Hami Mami’s American One of Daegu’s best brunches. 50m from the US base. 8 am – 10 pm. 053-475-5242
the illusions of young magician Eungyeol Lee. Busan Cultural Center (Main Hall). Sat 3 & 7:30 pm, Sun 2 & 6:30 pm. W55,000 - W77,000. culture.busan.go.kr 1599-2535 December 31st Seung-cheol Lee Concert Ring in the new year to the music of Seung-cheol Lee, former member of Korean rock band Boohwal. BEXCO. 10:30 pm. W66,000 - W110,000. bexco.co.kr 1599-2535
Family & Community December 4th BIWA Christmas Bazaar The money raised at this event will help people and organizations around the Busan area in need for almost a whole year. Join this great cause and attend the bazaar that’ll sell handmade craft items and baked goods and offer fun activities and games for the entire family. Haeundae Grand Hotel, Convention Center, Leisure Lobby, 2nd floor. 10 am – 4 pm. biwa-korea.com
Gyeongsang PROVINCE Foreigner Assistance Busan Foundation for Int’l Activities bfia.or.kr 051-898-3740, 051-865-0133 Geoje Foreign Resident Association gfra.net 055-687-9332 Ulsan Global Center 052-229-2810 Ulsan Online ulsanonline.com
Islamic Mosque Busan busanislam.or.kr 051-518-9991 Okpo Joonang Presbyterian Geoje Island 010-2586-7520, 010-3873-1652 Sumgim Presbyterian Church Geoje Island sumgim.org 017-577-3096
Hotels/Accommodations 4 – 5 Star Hotels Busan Lotte Hotel 051-810-1000 Novotel Ambassador 051-743-1234 Seacloud 051-933-1000 Daegu Novotel Ambassador 053-664-1101 Hostels Busan Arpina 051-740-3228 Zen Backpackers 010-8722-1530
Live Music Venues Club Interplay Busan cafe.daum.net/ interplaycafe 051-517-4773 Club Heavy Daegu cafe.daum.net/ clubheavy96 010-2338-1340 Club Metal Boys Gyeongju cafe.daum.net/metalboys 011-9599-8370
Radio
Religious Services
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053-423-4048 The Holy Grill Western Owned and operated by Canadians, the Grill provides expats with fantastic sandwiches, burgers, Tex-Mex and breakfast in a chilled-out environment that feels more like a lounge than a burger joint. Move up to the 3rd floor to catch major sporting events. 053-423-4048 Leo Chow Mexican A decent selection of burritos and tacos. 053-255-7111 Maya Indian Gyeongbuk University. 053-214-1916 Samarkland Russian Daegu station. 053-252-4021 Siji Taco Mexican Spicy tacos at competitive prices 053-791-5050 South St. Western Philly cheesesteaks and cold cuts in Suseong-gu. blog. naver.com/southst105 053-768-7867
Education
Bujeon Church Busan 051-807-3331 Catholic Center Busan bccenter.or.kr 051-441-6403 Hongbeopsa Temple 051-508-3470 Busan busanbuddhism.com/hannarae Hosanna Church Busan hosanna21.com 051-209-0191 Podowon Church Busan 051-333-3736 Shipyungro Church Busan spr.or.kr 051-220-0200 Sooyeongno Church Busan 051-740-4500 Pusan University of Foreign Studies Busan 051-640-3445
December 19th Making Kimchi at Hongbeop Temple Hongbeop Temple in Seondugu-dong. 2 - 4 pm. busanbuddhism@hotmail.com 010-5581-2059
Restaurants Busan Ganga Indian Opposite Haeundae Beach. ganga.co.kr 051-740-6670
Ayurveda Yoga Academy Certification course for would-be yoga teachers in Daegu. Sat 10 am – 7 pm. Call Yatren at 011-9547-5181 Yoga Classes Each 1st and 3rd Sunday from 12:30 – 1:30 pm. Buy the Book Cafe in Daegu. megan.deutsch@gmail. com 010-7794-1218
TBS eFM Busan FM 90.5 US Armed Forces Network Jinhae AM 1512 / FM 88.5 Daegu AM 1080 / FM 88.5 Pohang AM 1512 Waegwan AM 1080 / FM 88.5
2nd Floor Restaurant 3rd Floor Sports Lounge
Bars/Lounges/Pubs Gecko’s Western Perched on lovely Haeundae Beach at the Pale de CZ, you can get all of that authentic Western food you’re used to back home, and you’ll find bartenders who know how to mix a real margarita. 051-747-3069 Kebabistan Russian Uzbeki restaurant serving kebabs, soups and stews. Busan Station. 051-581-4050 Sunset Lounge American Drinks, Western food and fun delivered next to Haeundae. 051-742-2959 Gumi Waegook Cook American Gumi’s original foreign-owned and operated restaurant, serving steaks, hamburgers, seafood, pastas, and German cuisine. waegookcook.com 054-444-3775
December 11th - 12th Busan Xmas Tree Festival Enjoy the holiday season and the new year with food, a deer park, magic performances, and contests with Christmas prizes. Free. btcf.kr 051-759-7144
Busan Aligote Wines, cheese platters, and excellent service. Haeundae. 6 pm – 3 am. aligote-busan.com 051-731-3322 Basement Open mic nights on Tuesdays and parties galore. 011-9294-2391 Fuzzy Navel Great drinks and great Mexican food as well. 011-1757-6349 The HQ Bar Kyungsung’s only foreignerowned bar with sports and dart games. busankart@yahoo.com Rock ‘n’ Roll House Western-style bar with darts and pool and a great view of Haeundae. 051-742-5553 Sosa Bar A cozy latin bar close to Pusan National University. 051-513-0070 Daegu Ping Bar Great drinks, a pool table, and music upon request. Samdeok Catholic Church. 7 pm - 5 am. withhyk@hanmail.net 053-422-7708
December 19th – 26th Guryongpo Specialty Festival In celebration of local specialties, including snow crabs and dried mackerel. There will also be games, music performances, free food sampling, and many other activities to enjoy. Guryongpo Post Office district in Pohang. gmg.ipohang.org 054-276-0760 December 31st – January 1st Homigot National Sunrise Festival Hailed as one of the best spots to watch the sun rise, this festival also includes New Year’s kite flying, Homigot maritime parade, and flying Samjoko (a bird with three feet). Homigot Sunrise Plaza in Pohang. eng.ipohang.org 054-270-2114 December 31st - January 1st New Year Festival in Busan There will be a variety of events and activities as you prepare for the first sunrise of the new year. Yongdusan Park in Haeundae Beach area. english.busan.go.kr 051-888-3396
Education & Conferences Through December 29th Beomeo Temple Stay Program Experience the life of Korean Buddhist monks through tea ceremonies, meditation, and Buddhist services. This program will open your eyes to a new world of peace, serenity, and culture. beomeosa.co.kr/templestay/eng/sub2. php 051-508-5726 Through February 28th Jeju Folk Paintings Exhibition Dong-A University Museum in Busan. museum.donga.ac.kr 051-200-8493
Sports & Fitness December 26th Gimhae Marathon 5 km, 10 km, 20 km, and full course, to depart from Deokjeong Park in Gimhae at 10 am. Sign up by December 10th. W25,000 – W35,000. run1080.com 042-638-1080
JEJU CALENDAR Art December 12th – 16th Halla Calligraphy Exhibit The 9th annual exhibition presents prize-winning pieces from the Halla Calligraphy Exhibit competition. Jeju Culture and Art Center. All day. Free. jejuculture.or.kr 010-3099-2282
Performances
three public broadcasting corporations battle it out as you laugh and giggle throughout the show. Jeju Culture and Art Center. Fri 4 & 7 pm, Sat 2 & 5 pm. W55,000 – W66,000. jejuculture.or.kr 064-710-7605
Family & Community December 31st – January 1st Seongsan Sunrise Festival Enjoy the 18th occasion of this annual event by greeting the new year with the rising sun at Seongsan Ilchulbong “Sunrise Peak” in Jeju. Held at one of the World Heritage Sites, this is a spectacle you won’t want to miss as natives and tourists come together for this unforgettable experience. All day. Free. culture.jeju.go.kr 064-760-4221
JEJU ISLAND Nanta Nanta, the non-verbal performance that got started ten years ago, is a feast for the ears that turns ordinary kitchen pots and pans into a rhythm section. Jeju Media Center in Jeju City (064-727-7800). 90 min. Sun 8 pm, Tue – Fri 8 pm, Sat 4 pm, 8 pm. W40,000 - W50,000. nanta.i-pmc.co.kr 1544-1555 December 1st Heuteun Gut A spectacular performance with traditional percussion. Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. Adults W7,000, students W5,000. jejuculture.or.kr 010-4693-8525 December 8th Jeju Symphonieta Concert Chopin’s Piano Concerto and Britten’s Simple Symphony. Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. Free. jejuculture.or.kr 010-2693-6603 December 10th 2010 Jeju Music Festival Enjoy two different concerts: an amateur concert featuring undergraduate and graduate students and a winter concert showcasing professional musicians. Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. W5,000. jejuculture.or.kr 010-2804-2808 December 11th Halla Wind Ensemble Concert Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7 pm. Adults W5,000, students W1,000. jejuculture.or.kr 010-6798-1155
Religious Services Jeju Anglican/Episcopal Church Sinjeju 010-2500-6780
Classes Woodcarving and Engraving Workshop Jeju Museum of Art. Weekdays 10 – 11:30 am, 2 – 3:30 pm; weekends 10 – 11:30 am, 2 – 4 pm.
Hotels/Accommodations Hotel Lotte Jeju 5-Star 064-731-1000 Jeju Hiking Inn Hostel hikinginn.com 064-763-2380
Medical Services Dr. Chung’s Pediatric Clinic chung56@pednet.co.kr 064-748-1546 Hanna Women’s Clinic hannaobgy.com 064-711-7717 Pyeonhan Dental Clinic e-pretty.co.kr 064-758-2800
Radio Arirang Radio Jeju City: FM 88.7 Seogwipo: FM 88.1
Restaurants Bagdad Cafe Indian. Delicious, authentic Indian food made from local ingredients in a gorgeous atmosphere. Near City Hall in Jeju City 064-757-8182 Dom Jang Japanese. Spectacular sushi in several locations all over the island. The best atmosphere is in Jungmun. 064-738-2550
Lim Dae-heung Clarinet Solo Jeju University Aramuse Hall. 7:30 pm. W10,000. aramusehall.com 064-754-4697
December 18th – 19th The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy This successful New York Broadway show, where street dance meets ballet, comes to Jeju. It’s based on the a love story between a b-boy and a ballerina. Though the circumstances of their different worlds clash, the power of their love prevails. Jeju Culture and Art Center. Sat 4 & 7 pm, Sun 3 & 6 pm. W44,000 – W55,000. jejuculture.or.kr 064-710-7605 December 24th – 25th Gag Raid Watch comedians from the
Island Gecko’s Western. A varied menu of terrific Western food, plus maybe the best cocktails and service on the island. The BBQ nights every weekend will blow you away with ribeye steak, sausages, and more for only W19,000. Jungmun. 064-739-0845 geckosterrace.com The Plate This modern bistro serves up a great American-style hamburger along with other Thai dishes. 064-746-8008 Zapata’s Mexican. Find it behind Burger King near City Hall in Jeju City. 064-722-3369
Bars/Lounges/Pubs Boris Brewery Bull’s Darts Bar Modern Time
064-726-4141 064-759-5559 064-748-4180
Open Mic at the Bottom of Korea Creativity thrives among the community of musicians, artists, and poets who participate in this monthly Jeju event. Jeju Island seems to attract creative types, both Korean and foreign visitors, and the English-speaking community follows this trend. Among the many temporary residents who mostly teach English on the island, there seem to be a disproportionately high number of musicians, artists, photographers, slam poets and other highly imaginative personalities. It is no surprise, therefore, that Jeju has a thriving open mic culture, anchored by a core group of long-term residents supplemented by the “newbies” who come and go. Emcee and organizer Jessie Dishaw said that the nights were resurrected about three years ago and have run fairly regularly since then. The evenings can be extremely random, with the adjective “open” being interpreted as almost anything goes, and the relatively small size of the island’s population ensures a friendly atmosphere for old hands and newcomers. The organizers recently purchased about W1 million worth of sound equipment to be used at Open Mic nights, as well as be available for other events on the island. As a first fundraiser, a cover fee of W2,000 was charged when many of the core regulars outdid themselves at the end of October with “Halloween: A Love Story” – a musical “extravaganza” that proved to be one of the hottest events on the island. The next open mic was held on November 13th but at the time of writing, concrete plans are still in the works for December. The Halloween concert was so popular that a Christmas show may be planned. To keep up to date with just what the Open Mic talent has planned, or to see videos of previous performances, join the “Jeju Open Mic” group on Facebook or contact the organizers at frank_ the_ cowboy@hot mail.com. If you’re on the island when there’s an event planned, you’ll be sure to get an evening of laughter and great entertainment. Words by Traci e Barr ett
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JEJU ISLAND
December 12th “Snow Falling on a Promenade” Concert Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7 pm. Free. jejuculture.or.kr 010-6789-1155 December 15th Mobile Piano Solo Featuring three of Chopin’s nocturnes and four of his scherzos. Jeju Culture and Art Center. 7:30 pm. W10,000. jejuculture.or.kr 011-694-3772
J E J U DIS C OVER Y
NETWORKING CALENDAR E dited by so n g l e e
Friday, December 10th
BCCK Christmas Lunch W hether you’re British by bir th or just curious about what folks do for Christmas in England, this BCCK lunch will have plenty of authentic British Christmas traditions for you to enjoy, including Father Christmas, carols and roasted turkey. Make this lunch extra special by getting 10 co-workers, family and other people that you truly care about to join you at the fully loaded table for a Christmas feast. Plus, don’t miss this chance to become a sponsor of BCCK by attending. RSVP by December 7th. Regency Room, Grand Hyatt Hotel. 11:30 am. W125,000. Non-members W135,000. A table for 10 is W1,200,000. bcck.or.kr administrator@bcck.or.kr amcham American Chamber of Commerce ANZA Ausralian and New Zealand Association of Korea AWC American Women’s Club BCCK British Chamber of Commerce Korea BIWA Busan International Women’s Association CANCHAM Canadian Chamber of Commerce SIWA Seoul International Women’s Association
Thursday, December 2nd SIWA Newcomers’ Meeting A great chance to learn a little bit about the Seoul International Women’s Association and make new friends. Held at the Seoul Club at 10 am. W8,000. siwapage.com Shopping and Teahouse Visit in Insadong Join the SIWA ladies to shop for antiques at Insadong, a great spot representing Korean culture of the past and the present. You can enjoy traditional tea in an old unique teahouse followed by visiting art galleries and shops full
E dit o r ’ s n o te :
of antique items. Lobby of Fraser Suites (5 mins walk from Jongno 3-ga subway station). 10 am. Free for members, non - members W5,000. siwapage.com Friday, December 3rd Misuda Traditional Korean Experience Join in the project to create the beauty of the century! This is your chance to learn how to wear Korean traditional clothes, admire traditional music and learn all about the country’s tea ceremony. Chungmuro Station (line 3 or 4, exit 4). 10:15 am. W35,000. Nonmembers W40,000. siwapage.com AMCHAM Holiday Open House The Christmas holidays are the best time of year to give back to your society. At AMCHAM’s opening house, everybody is welcome to enjoy a Christmas standing buffet, wine, beer and activities for kids. Please bring a pre-wrapped toy or make a monetary donation that will be distributed by the U.S. Marine Corps to the orphanages. RSVP on the website by December 2nd. Club Horizon at Renaissance Seoul Hotel. 6:30 pm to 9 pm. W40,000 or a toy for donation. amcharmrsvp@amchamkorea.org. Saturday, December 4th BIWA Christmas Bazaar The money raised at this event will help needy people and organizations in the Busan area for almost a whole year. Join this great cause and attend the bazaar where you can find handicrafts and baked goods while enjoying fun activities and games for the entire family. Haeundae Grand Hotel, Convention Center, Leisure Lobby, 2nd floor. 10 am - 4 pm. biwa-korea.com Wednesday, December 8th SIWA Coffee Morning Clear away those cobwebs with a good cup of coffee and stimulating conversation with the other SIWA members and guests. Grand Ambassador Hotel. 9:30 am. W12,000. Nonmembers W17,000. siwapage.com
Thursday, December 9th SIWA Ye Clinic Visit If you’re worried about your looks with the holidays coming up, Ye Clinic may be the spot for you. Take a tour of their beauty treatment and anti-aging facilities and gain access to the exclusive Italian restaurant located on the 13th floor, which is usually only open to clinic members. Space is limited, so sign up now. Cheongdam station (line 7, exit 14). 10 am. Free for SIWA members. Non-members W5,000. Lunch cost separate (W15,000). siwapage.com Friday, December 10th AWC Holiday Luncheon This holiday luncheon is a chance to gather toys for orphans. Share your blessings as you count them with this wonderful winter charity opportunity sponsored by your friends at AWC. RSVP by December 7th. 10:30 am. W35,000. Non-members W40,000. awckorea.org, awc.coffees@gmail.com Saturday, December 11th CanCham Christmas Party The Canadian Chamber welcomes Canadians and others for a traditional Christmas Party. Come out for a delightful buffet dinner, wine, games, door prizes and carol singing. Plaza Hotel 22F Diamond Hall. W80,000, group (10 or more) W75,000, children W40,000. Payment should be made by December 8th. canchamkorea.org 02-554-0245 Tuesday, December 14th ANZA Christmas Global Cafe Join ANZA for their Christmas global cafe and enjoy carols sung by Sarah Malone and her young students from the Seoul Foreign School, accompanied by Lyn Woodgate on the piano. Paris Grill Bar and Cafe at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. 10 am – noon. W10,000, nonmembers W15,000. RSVP. anzakorea.com/global-cafe.html To list your event, contact David Carruth at calendar@10magazine.asia or 02-3447-1610
With many expats leaving Korea to spend time with their family and friends during the Christmas vacation, networking events are generally not planned for the end of December. Be sure to check out 10magazine.asia for more event info if you decide to stay in Korea this winter.
NETWORKING CALENDAR
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Merry Skimas Words by Sa m a n t h a Di x-H i ll , I llustration by h y eon - seu ng ry u
I
f you’ve never skied in Korea before I can assure you it’s an experience not to be missed. And if you’ve never skied anywhere before then this is as good a place as any to start. Having said that I’d like to make it clear from the outset that I will not be held responsible for any broken bones or injuries you may suffer whilst doing so. While skiing might be an exhilarating experience, it does not come without its hazards, especially if you choose to swoosh down the South Korean slopes. Those of you who drive in Seoul are already at a slight advantage. You will be used to projectiles appearing out of nowhere and crossing your path with little or no warning. Your reflexes will be sharp and your peripheral vision finely tuned. If like me, however, you are happiest ensconced in the protective bubble of public transport (unless it’s a highly combustible gas bus), you will be at a slight disadvantage. But perhaps I can give you a few helpful tips. To be fair, I’ve only ever skied once in Korea and however enjoyable it may have been it’s not an experience that I’m anxious to repeat. This time last year my family and I reduced our carbon footprint and stayed in Seoul instead of jetting back home for Christmas. We arrived at our hotel in Pyeongchang and I couldn’t help noticing that our room had no beds. All it offered was a small couch and a bare floor. I opened the only cupboard hoping desperately that an enormous bed would come crashing out but all I got was a sad dribble of paper-thin mattresses. Oh, I know you think I’m a spoilsport but I can assure you that after a day of hard skiing you wouldn’t want to sleep on the floor either.
Not to be deterred we grabbed our skis, bought our tickets, and walked f if t y meters to the slopes. I was pleasantly surprised. There were no queues at the ski lifts, the pistes were pristinely prepared, and (new to me) there was night skiing. If one feels so inclined the slopes are open till the wee hours of the morning and you can ski to your heart’s delight with your fellow insomniacs. I could have done with out the melancholic music wailing out of speakers disguised as rein-
deer, but that’s just me. Now here is where my tips may prove invaluable; if you are a beginner, head up to the highest and/or most difficult slope you can possible reach. It will be empty. You will be free to practice to your heart’s content. If you are an advanced skier and a bit of a dare-devil then by all means hang around on the beginner slopes. This is where all the action is. And this is where you’ll need all the nerve you can muster. People will come flying at you from all directions, as will loose skis, poles, goggles and the occasional mobile phone. At one stage a runaway ski narrowly missed my head causing me such distress that sometimes I still sit bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night. I spotted the owner of the renegade ski three hundred meters up the slope shouting into her phone, clearly relaying details of her near-death experience (and mine) to an attentive listener. But don’t take my word for it; head off to the slopes and have some fun. What would Christmas be without some snow and skiing? Just make sure your hotel has beds, and don’t forget your helmets.
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