2018 서울매거진2월 전체(웹용 단면) by Seoul Selection

WINTER SPORTS

ICE SKATING IN SEOUL

PYEONGCHANG & ENVIRONS

Korea is becoming a winter sports destination. Here’s why.

You don’t need to go to Pyeongchang to hit the ice

Explore the sites and flavors of the host towns of PyeongChang 2018

ISSUE NO. 175

ISSN: 1599-9963

W 5,000 / US$ 5.00

FEBRUARY 2018

Jeongdongjin 정동진 At Jeongdongjin, a young girl stands transfixed, as if she wanted more than anyone else to see the rising sun. Her mother, worried her daughter’s clothing might get wet, calls to her, and the girl takes a step back from the water.

Ihn Cheehyuck is a Seoul-based amateur photographer. The iPhone is his usual camera of choice. See more of his work on Instagram at @ihnstaphoto.

The Lens

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EDITOR’S NOTE Publisher Kim Hyunggeun (Hank Kim) Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Copy Editor Anna Bloom Art Director Jung Hyun-young Head Designer Cynthia Fernández Designer Jeong Hyo-ju Advertising & Sales/Producer & Coordinator Ha Gyungmin About the Cover Breakwater near Jumunjin, Gangneung. Photographed by Robert Koehler Address 2nd fl., 43 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03061, Korea / Tel 82-2-734-9567 Fax 82-2-734-9562 / E-mail hankinseoul@gmail.com / Website magazine.seoulselection.com / Registration No. 서울 라 09431 / Copyright by Seoul Selection Printed by (주) 평화당 (Tel 82-2-735-4001) All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the written consent of the publishers.

The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have finally arrived. Korea now welcomes the world for the planet’s biggest celebration of winter sports, an event that also serves as opportunity to introduce visitors — and the sports-watching public overseas — to the scenic beauty, cultural wealth and human warmth of the host province, Gangwon-do, and the host cities of Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Jeongseon. This issue of SEOUL is doing its part, focusing almost exclusively on Pyeongchang and its environs. We explore Pyeongchang and Gangneung’s hot spots, introduce the host region’s unique cuisine, visit some of Gangwon-do’s ski resorts and take a deep dive into Gangneung’s renowned café scene. We even talk with one of the members of Korea’s men’s hockey team to get a personal take on the coming games.

Contents The Lens

Jeongdongjin

Nightlife

Gangneung’s Coffee Scene 44 Gangwon-do’s Ski and Snowboard Resorts 46

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8 Vivaldi Park Ski Resort is one of Gangwon-doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many ski resorts.

Exploring Seoul

Winter Fun From ice fishing in luxury to scaling frozen waterfalls at risk of life and limb, Korea gives you plenty of reasons to get outside in the snow Written by SJ Lee

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Korea has come a long way since its first Winter Olympics, the 1948 games in St. Mortiz, when just three athletes represented the country. Since South Korea’s first ever podium finish in the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, the nation has won 26 gold medals, 17 silver and 10 bronze — a total of 53 medals. Korea has long had a passion for winter sports. Koreans have always taken to their snowy mountains and frozen lakes in winter in search of fun and relaxation. In old photos of the Hangang River in winter for instance, young couples glide across the ice on skates and beaming children push themselves across the frozen expanse on simple wooden sleds. Recent additions, including skiing and snowboarding, have only added to the country’s rich winter milieu. Now, as Korea hosts the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the nation is poised to become an international winter sports destination.

Popular winter pastimes Sledding, or sseolmae, is one of the oldest winter pastimes in the nation. Kids would go to the nearest hill with an empty rice sack to use to slide down. Others used basins used for wintertime kimchi-making to race down the hill at top speed.

Seoulland (T. 02-509-6000): Located in Gwacheon, the popular amusement park also boasts two sledding courses — one for kids and one for big kids, i.e., adults. Ttukseom Hangang River Park (T. 02-444-5358): The temporary sledding hill next to the Hangang River is open until mid-February. Children’s Grand Park (T. 02-450-9311): The sledding slopes are open until mid February. Visitors to the park can also enjoy outdoor games, air bumper cars, inflatable houses and ice fishing.

Sledding is an opportunity for adults to revisit their childhood and share those memories with their children. For kids, it’s an experience they’ll treasure and pass to their kids. It’s this intergenerational bonding that makes sledding so special. Though the days of rice sacks and basins are long gone, and plastic sleds are now easily rented, Seoul now boasts some excellent sledding sites for all to enjoy. Special Feature

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Like everywhere else — everywhere else with snow, anyway — kids love to go sledding.

Several towns in Korea hold ice fishing festivals.

Ice fishing Koreans love to fish. In winter, old and young alike enjoy ice fishing on frozen lakes and rivers. Using a simple, light fishing rod with small, brightly colored lures or jigs, anglers sit at a hole in the ice, lifting the pole every now and then to make the bait look real. The most popular prey is trout, a beautiful fish that can be eaten either raw or cooked. Korea’s popular ice fishing festivals let inexperienced ice anglers try their hand at this fun wintertime activity. One festival, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, regularly draws over a million visitors. So popular it is that the Lonely Planet named it to its list of the “Seven Wonders of Winter” in 2011. Don’t want to rough it? The Ananti Club (www. ananticlub.com), a country club in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, offers the well-heeled the opportunity to do a bit of “glam fishing.” While the goal is the same as ordinary ice fishing, the luxuriously appointed tents make the experience much more comfortable.

Ice skating Ice skating has been a popular winter activity in Korea long before Kim Yuna became a figure skating superstar. Ice skating came to Korea at the beginning of the 20th century. During the colonial era, Koreans and Japanese frequently held speed skating competitions. Three Korean speed skaters even took part in the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, albeit as part of the Japanese team. In the

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: Hwacheon, a small town located in the rugged mountains of Gangwon-do, is one of the coldest places in Korea, but a hot destination for visitors looking to do a bit of ice fishing. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is dedicated to the sancheoneo, a local variety of trout that thrives in the cold, clean waters. The festival includes trout ice fishing, lure fishing and bare-handed fishing (not for the faint of heart!), with fishing zones for expats, children and infants, too. If you’re not a fan of fishing, the festival has other enjoyable programs such as snow sledding, ice sledding, ice soccer and even bobsleigh. Visit their website at www.narafestival.com (available in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese). PyeongChang Trout Festival: The PyeongChang Trout Festival perfectly compliments the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. Trout farming came to Korea in 1965 when 10,000 hatchery eggs from rainbow trout were brought to Pyeongchang from California. Trout is now one of Pyeongchang’s signature foods, both in its raw and breaded-andfried forms. The PyeongChang Trout Festival offers plenty of ice fishing opportunities. There are non-fishing programs, too, including four-wheel ATVs, snow rafting and sleigh trains.

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1950s and 1960s, local police stations would turn sections of the Hangang River into impromtu skating rinks whenever the waterway froze — which it often did back then. Though few could afford skates in the old days, today’s affluence has made ice skating a leisure of the masses. Kids dreaming of becoming the next “Queen Yuna,” young couples on dates or anyone else with the time and inclination can head to one of Seoul’s several public ice skating rinks, lace on a pair of rental skates and hit the ice, all for a very reasonable price. SEOUL’s Exploring Seoul section has more information on Seoul’s ice rinks.

Skiing and snowboarding Living in a mountainous country, many Koreans head to the slopes during the winter season. The art of gliding on snow on underfoot strips of

rigid material such as wood began in Northern Europe several millenia ago. In frosty mountain areas of Korea such as Pyeongchang, too, locals traditionally used wooden snow shoes, or soelpi, to get around when deep snow covered the ground. Korea’s first ski resort, Sinpung Ski Resort near what is now the North Korean port city of Wonsan, opened in 1926. The Joseon Ski Club — the forbearer of the Korea Ski Association — was founded in 1930. Korea now has a total of 21 ski resorts – 201 kilometers of slopes serviced by 137 ski lifts. Located in the heart of Korea’s mountainous spine, the highland province of Gangwon-do offers the best opportunities for snow sports since the rugged terrain yields the most snowfall in the nation. It’s here, in Korea’s “snow country,” that some of the best ski resorts are located, including those hosting many of the events of PyeongChang 2018.

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From diving into ice cold water to scaling frozen waterfalls, Korea offers adrenaline junkies and the merely insane plenty of reasons to leave the house in winter.

Where you go depends on your time, skill level and wallet. Most resorts have ski schools and instructors that speak English for non-Korean guests. Pyeongchang’s Yongpyong Ski Resort, one of Korea’s most popular destinations, is the largest ski resort in the country. One of two resorts hosting events for PyeongChang 2018, Yongpyong expects an even bigger boost in the number of skiers and snowboarders. The High 1 Ski Resort, located on Taebaeksan Mountain in Jeongseong, is renown for its wide range of slopes. The slopes, carved out of rocky terrain, draw skiers and snowboarders of all levels. Located in Gyeonggi-do, the province that surrounds Seoul, Bears Town Ski Resort might not be as big as the ones mentioned above, but it’s still popular among skiers and snowboarders in Seoul as it’s less than an hour away. It has 11 lifts and a decent range of difficulty levels. While many look to rest in their rooms, or even hit the spas after, others look to hit the slopes again during the nighttime, when the snowy fields present a completely different feel and view. Almost all resorts offer nighttime skiing, and some resorts operate their lifts until the wee hours of the morning.

Something a bit more extreme Inspired by their winter sports legends, many young athletes train hard, dreaming of one day standing atop the Olympic podium like heroes such as Kim Yuna and Chun Lee-kyung. Others, however, do what they do just for the kicks. From diving into ice cold water to scaling frozen waterfalls, Korea offers adrenaline junkies and the merely insane plenty of reasons to leave the house in winter.

Polar Bear Swimming Contest Held for the 31st time in January, the annual Polar Bear Swimming Contest is one of the world’s craziest winter activities. Participants from all over descend on Busan’s Haeundae Beach to jump into the frigid sea wearing

nothing but swimsuits. Believing that diving into the cold water will make you stronger during the winter season, more than 2,000 people swim in the icy waters, braving the cold. The BBC was so impressed — or horrified — that it included the event in its list of the top 10 unusual winter sports in 2010.

Ice climbing Perhaps thanks to Kim Ja-in, the world class climber who has not only won a number of gold medals in World Cup events but has also climbed the tallest building in Korea, Koreans are growing to accept climbing as an exciting sport and a fun-filled activity. Some climbers are even taking their sport to another level through the challenge of ice climbing. With heavy emphasis on safety, ice climbers get together to climb icy mountains and cliffs. Frozen waterfalls such as the one in Cheongsong’s Eoreumgol Valley, the site of the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup (Feb. 9–11), and Seoraksan Mountain’s Towangseong Waterfall are especially popular challenges, so much so that some cities and towns have created their own artificial waterfalls for ice climbing. If the great outdoors aren’t your thing, try the indoor ice wall at Kolon Alpine School in Ui-dong, Seoul. The four-story wall of ice is the world’s tallest at 20 meters. With instructors present, it’s a good place to learn the ropes, both figuratively and literally. Sanirang Alpine Networks LLC (sanirang.net) offers classes on ice climbing, too, taught by English speakers.

Winter paragliding in Danyang Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do is known for its majestic paragliding. Most choose to go paragliding in the summer or fall, but some hearty souls take on the challenge of paragliding in winter. It might be cold and windy, but the views of the frozen landscape won’t be soon forgotten.

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You can never be too young to begin skiing.

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ÂŠ Yonhap News

ÂŠ Yonhap News Celebrate the New Year with a dip in the freezing water during Busan's Polar Bear Swimming Contest.

Ice climbing takes stamina and courage.

Phoenix Pyeongchang is one of many ski resorts within easy reach of Seoul.

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Snow golf Koreans love to play golf. So much so that some even play “snow golf” in the winter time. Hitting off smooth, white fairways, golf enthusiasts have found a way to pursue their passion even amid the ice and snow. Some country clubs, including the aforementioned Ananti Club, let golfers hit the links in the snow. While the scenery might change, the goal of the game remains the same, as do the rules. Pro tip — keep your garden-variety white golf balls in your bag and use colored ones instead. You should also avoid using clubs with graphite shafts as they can shatter in very cold weather.

Asia’s next winter sport’s hub? National and local authorities hope the 2018 PyeongChang Games can turn Korea generally and the province of Gangwon-do specifically into one of Asia’s major winter sports destinations. “The hope is that the Olympics can have a lasting impact on the tourism industry here and help South Korea rival Japan — and upstart China — as a winter sports destination,” wrote the New York Times in a February 2017 story on Pyeongchang. Where Korea becomes a major Asian winter sports destination remains to be seen, of course. The country’s mountains are not as high as those in Japan, nor does it get as much snow. Its sky trails are still a bit too easy for more experienced skiers, too. The difference can be seen in the numbers. According to statistics from the Ski Business Association of Korea cited in the New York Times, ski visits to Korea peaked at 6.8 million in 2011–12, while Japan still averages 30 million ski visits per year. Still, by placing the Korean winter sports scene squarely in world view, the Olympics might help make the country a winter destination. And it’s not as if Korea doesn’t have things going for it. “Though South Korea may not spring immediately to mind as a winter sports destination, its welldeveloped resorts and abundance of snow make it a worthwhile choice for keen skiers and snowboarders,” writes Megan Eaves for Lonely Planet. “It’s also one of the few places in the world where you can hit the slopes by day and party in a major metropolis — Seoul— by night.” Ulrike Pertoll, an Italian in Seoul, seconded these sentiments while talking to the New York Times. Noting how close Korea’s trails were to Seoul and the low costs compared to Japan, she said, “Where else can you do that so easily in Asia?”

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The public ice rink at Seoul Square is a winter icon.

Exploring Seoul

서울의 스케이트장

Ice City SEOUL helps you get your skate on this winter

You don’t have to go to Gangwon-do to enjoy winter sports. You don’t even have to leave the city limits, in fact. Ice skating — the art of moving across frozen water on shoes onto which blades have been affixed – is one of Seoul’s favorite winter pastimes, if the crowds at the ice rinks are anything to go by. In terms of skating venues, Seoul’s greatest strength is its diversity — the city has a place for all budgets and occasions. In this issue, SEOUL introduces four of our favorites.

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SEOUL PLAZA ICE SKATING RINK Written and photographed by Romain John

Arguably the city’s best-known ice rink, Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink returns after a year’s absence, when the metropolitan authorities canceled the rink so as to avoid interfering with last year’s political demonstrations that blanketed downtown, including Seoul Plaza. The 2018 edition of the Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink follows, more of less, the concept and design of the 2016 season. The builders have created a space for communication, a place where everyone — regardless of age, gender, national origin or physical ability — can enjoy winter sports. On a loudspeaker, MCs organize raffles and games, bringing skaters together for a bit of fun. The rink is a very participatory experience.

Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink’s design resembles a giant ice floe, one that arrives suddenly in winter but disappears just as quickly in spring. The curved envelopes of the white buildings recall the peaks of an iceberg, while the two ice surfaces — the adult rink and children’s rink — mimic floating ice. The rink also integrates with the surrounding plaza through the clever use of angles and subordinate courtyards. As you glide along the mirrored ice, look around you. High-rise hotels and other skyscrapers surround the rink, but so, too, do buildings of more historical significance. Just across the street is Deoksugung Palace, a vestige of Seoul’s past as a royal capital. In front of the rink is Seoul’s former city hall, a colonialera building now serving as a public library, its austere gray facade in stark contrast with the undulating glass shell of the new city hall standing just next door. This

Exploring Seoul

architectural cacophony of wildly divergent eras and styles captures the rich diversity of a city constantly changing, as constantly on the move as the skaters on the ice below. Admission is just KRW 1,000 an hour â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the price even includes skate rentals. Bring a pair of gloves, though, as they are mandatory on the ice. If you forget to bring a pair, you can rent some for KRW 1,000. You can borrow or rent other items, too, including helmets, socks and hand warmers. You can purchase a ticket at the door or reserve one online. Skating lessons are offered, too. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; these extend to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 30 -minute break every hour. Thanks to the Winter Olympics, the rink will operate longer than usual, running until the closing ceremony of PyeongChang 2018 on Feb. 25.

City Hall Station (Line 1 or 2), Exit 6 seoulskate.or.kr

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Exploring Seoul

LOTTE ICE RINK Written and photographed by Greg Samborski

Lotte World has been a fixture in Seoul’s Songpa-gu area since it was built in 1989. From the outside, it’s clear that there are an array of rides and roller coasters. What you may not already know, however, is that under the giant roof next to “Magic Island” is the world’s largest indoor theme park, and that at its very heart — surrounded by all the rides and an army of employees — is an Olympic-sized ice rink. Considering that there’s also a theme park, aquarium, water park, shopping mall and — lest we forget — the fifth tallest building in the world rolled up nice and tight into one giant complex, it’s no surprise that the Lotte Ice Rink also draws Olympic-sized crowds. Lotte Ice Rink is the largest of the four rinks featured on these pages. Its most distinguishing feature is that it is housed under a massive sunroof four stories high. The space, and the natural light pouring in from the roof, make it feel like an outdoor rink, but with the significant upside that regardless of the weather, be it a scorching summer day or the current trend in the minus double digits, the temperature on the ice will always be comfortable enough that you can skate in whatever you wore outside. Don’t strip down too far though — all skating rinks in Korea mandate that you have long sleeves and gloves for safety reasons. Another appealing design feature of the rink is that you can look down onto it from any of the four floors above, although the best views are from the first floor

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and Lotte World’s indoor balloon ride. Spectators can sit and stand rink-side free of charge. Accessing any of the upper balcony views require that you purchase a pass to the “Adventure” portion of the theme park, a minimum of KRW 22,000. Of course, skate rentals are available at all the rinks, and don’t despair if you forgot your gloves — they sell on-site the cheap knitted ones you find taxi drivers, cashiers and butchers wearing. When the Zamboni comes to resurface the ice, sit down for a leisurely drink or even a full course meal at one of the many rink-side restaurants, as it takes at least 30 minutes for him to make his rounds. This writer would like to re-emphasize that Lotte Ice Rink gets incredibly busy. If you hail from a nation with more than one ice hockey team or have ever skated on a frozen natural body of water, be aware this is a completely different experience. Leave the hockey stick or figure skates at home — public skating here is mostly about holding hands while going in circles. If you go against the flow you will probably get the whistle from an employee.

Jamsil Station (Line 2 or 8), Exit 4 www.lotteworld.com

HYATT ICE RINK Written and photographed by Greg Samborski

Perched just under the iconic Namsan Tower, amongst the embassies and ambassador’s residences, is the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Its curved glass facade looks southward out over Itaewon, Gangnam and the Hangang River, offering up one of the most panoramic views of Seoul. In the winter, the Hyatt transforms their outdoor pool into a skating rink. Arrive sunset, it’s like walking into a winter wonderland, the trees along the rink bejeweled in Christmas lights and city twinkling at you from below. Your heart would have to be colder than the ice to not feel a tinge of romance in the air. Though it costs a pretty penny, relative to the city’s other rinks, to get into the Hyatt’s, the high price of admission ensures that the ice doesn’t feel like Gangnam Station at rush hour. The Hyatt staff warns that the place can get quite busy on weekends, but on this weekday evening, there were less than 20 people on the ice at any given time. After 7 p.m., that number fell to two. When the Zamboni comes and you feel the urge to

warm your fingers and toes, slip through the plastic flaps into the ice-side café. There’s no need to take off your skates. You will find all the usual hot drinks and alcohol beverages. Do as this writer did and try the Irish coffee — the best of both worlds. The café offers a variety of snacks, desserts and basic meals to replenish those energy reserves. If staying warm is a priority, come during the sunny part of the day. Spectators can sit at the outdoor tables under the heat lamps or watch from the more sheltered café. If you’re into photography, the best time to visit is right after the sun sets so you can catch “blue hour.” In the winter, you will typically get a much clearer view of the city due to less particulates in the air. Remember to bundle up extra warm and don’t forget your gloves ... or your loved one.

Take bus No. 3 from Noksapyeong Station (Line 6), Exit 4 http://seoul.grand.hyatt.com

Exploring Seoul

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HYUNDAI LIVE SITE LIGHT UP ICE RINK AT DDP Written and photographed by Romain John

Two Korean icons, Hyundai Motor and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), have teamed up to mark PyeongChang 2018 with Hyundai Live Site Light Up Ice Rink. The recreational ice surface in the sunken square of the DDP, late British architect Zaha Hadid’s futuristic masterpiece, offers an experience that can only be likened to skating beneath the starship Enterprise of Star Trek fame. For just KRW 1,000 per hour, you can glide around one of the pillars of the DDP’s imposing concrete entrance bridge. Though not as large as some of the city’s other rinks, the facility really shines — literally so, thanks to some inspired digital lighting work by Hyundai. Light sculptures and electronic snowflakes fashioned by strategically placed projectors create a magical atmosphere. It’s the perfect spot for a date. Only 50 people are allowed on the ice at any one time. While this means you may have to wait to get on the ice, it also means you’ll waste much less time worrying

Exploring Seoul

about crashing into other skaters. The rink opens at 1:30 p.m., but we recommend visiting after sunset for a more romantic experience. The rink is open until 9:30 p.m. — you can also make reservations online. Opened in 2011, the DDP gave Seoul an internationally recognized architectural monument. Located in the heart of Dongdaemun, the center of Korea’s fashion and design industries, the complex has exhibit spaces, design-related shops, restaurants and cafés, workshops and park spaces, including a section of Seoul’s old city wall. It also boasts several works of sculpture and installation art, most notably a garden of thousands of LED roses, one of the city’s most Instagrammed locations.

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Line 2, 4 or 5), Exit 1

1 3

1. Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink 2. Lotte Ice Rink 3. Hyatt Ice Rink 4. Hyundai Live Site Light Up Ice Rink at DDP

www.ddp.or.kr

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평창

Off the Olympic Trail Gangneung and Pyeongchang give you plenty to do when you’re not watching the Games Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Exploring Seoul

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Korea's highest village at over 1,000 meters above sea level, Anbandegi is one of the highlights of the Olympic Aribau Trail.

Jeongdongjin provides some of Korea's most romantic sunrises.

The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are finally upon us. The host towns of Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Jeongseon embody some of what’s best about Korea, from the beauty of the region’s rugged, wind- and snowswept landscapes to the richness of its local cuisine and the warmth of its people. The Olympic host region is big, the area encompassing two distinct areas: the highlands of Pyeongchang and Jeongseon and the lowland coastal strip of Gangneung. SEOUL introduces some of our favorite spots in both.

Starting the day right with a sunrise Facing, as the name would imply, eastward, the East Sea coast has plenty of spots to take in a sunrise. But Jeongdongjin is probably the best known. And best loved. Directly due east of Seoul, a fact clearly denoted in the village’s name, which translates as “Village Located Due East,” Jeongdongjin was once little more than a tiny mining community, a speck of a town serviced by a whistle stop on the Yeongdongseon Line, a station whose main claim to fame was being the world’s closest

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(Top) BonBon Roastery has helped breath life into Gangneung's old downtown. (Bottom) Once a remote whistle stop, Jeongdongjin Station is now a major travel destination.

to the sea according to the Guinness Book of World Records. As the mining industry declined from the late 1980s, the region’s population decreased and the authorities strongly considered closing the station. In 1995, however, the station — looking forlorn, a solitary pine tree standing in the wind, waves breaking on the beach beyond — appeared in the popular television series “Sandglass.” Tourists began flocking to the station, and Jeongdongjin was reborn as Korea’s most romantic spot to catch the rising sun. Tourism has changed Jeongdongjin quite a bit in the

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The East Sea coast has plenty of spots to take in a sunrise. But Jeongdongjin is probably the best known. And best loved. intervening two decades. Though the station, the pine and the waves still remain, the town has transformed from an almost forgotten stretch of beach into a popular travel destination with the obligatory cafés, motels and

Budnamu Brewery in Gangneung not only serves great food and beer, but also lends the seaside city a keg's-worth of cool.

32 The hit TV series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" made this breakwater in Jumunjin famous.

Exploring Seoul

Jumunjin has a lively fish auction in the morning.

hotels, the most prominent hotel being the Sun Cruise Resort & Yacht, a behemoth shaped like a cruise ship perched on a hill overlooking the sea. On a weekend, visitors swarm the beach at sunrise, so much so that you might want to get there early if you’d like a prime patch of sand from which to watch, doubly so if you’re a photographer with a tripod. Don’t let the crowds and commercialization put you off, though. The sunrises over rocks and broiling sea are still breathtaking, and once the crowds dissipate after sunrise, you’ll have the place almost to yourself. Still, Jeongdongjin isn’t the only sunrise spot in Gangneung. Much closer to downtown is Gangmun Beach, a quiet slice of sand just a short walk south of the better known Gyeongpo Beach, one of the country’s most popular summer destinations. On a weekday, Gangmun Beach is nearly deserted at dawn save for you, the sand, a lighthouse and a breakwater. North of Gangneung proper is Jumunjin, a major fishing port. While the sunrises here are scenic, it’s the morning seafood auction that really sets Jumunjin apart. Fishing boats, just returned from a night’s work on the high seas, unload their catches, which are immediately presented and sold at auction to local restaurateurs and merchants. Sure, you might have to jump over a fish as it’s slid across the auction floor, and there’s always the risk of some octopus squirting water on you, but the sights, sounds, aromas and energy really wake you up. Moreover, a 15 minute’s walk from the port brings you to a beach with a series of lonely breakwaters battered by the crashing waves. Long known to few besides those living in the immediate vicinity, the breakwater beach became a hot destination after it appeared in the hit TV

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series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” Indeed, immediately after appearing in the show, the breakwaters had lines of people so long that one friend of this writer likened the scene to the film “Dunkirk.” Fortunately, it’s nowhere near as bad now, and if you get there early enough, you might even have a breakwater to yourself — just don’t stand at the very end unless you want a face full of sea spray.

Hip Gangneung For centuries, the district of Myeongju-dong was the heart of Gangneung, the city’s administrative, commercial and cultural center, a heritage tangibly reflected in the neighborhood’s wealth of historical architecture, a collection that includes the Imyeonggwan Sammun, an old, simple gate from the Goryeo era and the oldest surviving wooden structure in the country. When Gangneung’s city hall moved from Myeongju-dong to a new home in Hongje-dong in 2001, however, the historic district began to decline, its homes emptying, its businesses closing, yet another example of urban decay. Creativity has breathed new life into Myeongjudong, though. The Gangneung Cultural Foundation has converted some of the district’s spaces into arts spaces such as the MJ Art Center, Sunlight Museum and Myeongju Sarangchae. The old alleyways, lined by vintage homes, now host festivals, concerts and flea markets, a cultural blossoming that has helped put the neighborhood on the social media map. The Korea Tourism Organization made Myeongju-dong’s “hip” status official when it included the community on its list of places to go for the month of October 2017, praising it as a model of urban renewal.

Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm is one of Pyeongchang's best-loved destinations.

No place better exemplifies Myeongju-dong Chic than BonBon Roastery, a café founded several years ago by four film professionals. The café, a renovated mill from the colonial era, exudes cool, the décor vintage and minimal, the publications and crafts on display independent and locally made. Jim Jarmusch looks at you from a poster on the peeling concrete wall. In addition to serving excellent poured-over coffee, the café hosts art exhibits, concerts, film screenings and other events. A short walk from Myeongju-dong is Budnamu Brewery, yet another piece in the growing mountain of evidence of Gangneung's emerging coolness. The pub, a renovated 40-year-old makgeolli brewery, brews craft beer in house in vats visible behind plate-glass windows. It also serves side dishes prepared from local ingredients.

The wind and cold make the Seonjaryeong a bit of a challenge in winter.

Getting high in Pyeongchang No, it’s not what you think. The host of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 PyeongChang Games and the site of many of the mountain-based events, Pyeongchang has adopted the nickname “Happy 700,” a reference to the county’s average elevation of 700 meters above sea level. This rugged highland of towering peaks and alpine plateaus can be as daunting as it is beautiful. The heights and the winds coming off the nearby East Sea make it one of the coldest places in the country, with wintertime temperatures often falling well below freezing. The mountains, winds and sea also conspire in dumping heaps of snow on the community, especially in the Daegwallyeong, a highland ridge that separates the lowlands of the coast from the mountains of the interior. In the old days, the snows would sometimes make the

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roads here impassible, though improvements to the transportation network have made such closures rare. Cold and snowy it may be, but the Daegwallyeong is also a place of great scenic splendor, precisely because it is so cold and snowy. In the mountains, the wind and snow produce surreal “wind flowers,” or nunkkot, icy coverings that drape the nude branches of trees like windswept tunics. The highlands also host wind farms and several large ranches such as Samyang Ranch and Haneul Ranch, both of which provide stunning views of the surrounding mountains, of the seemingly never-ending ridges receding into the horizon. Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch, near Daegwallyeong Rest Stop, is photogenic and easily reached. Warm yourself up after with a cup of coffee at Café 15 near the rotary in Hoenggye-ri. To take in the Daegwallyeong properly, challenge yourself to the Seonjaryeong, a ridge that takes you to a 1,157-meter height overlooking Gangneung and the East Sea. Since you start the hike at 800 meters, it’s not the ascent about which you should worry. What you should prepare for is the snow, wind and cold. It’s a five kilometer hike through biting cold, often deep snow and winds so powerful that even this writer/photographer — a large mammal by anyone’s definition — sometimes found it difficult to move forward. Dress appropriately, and crampons are a must. If you’re a glutton for punishment, try the Olympic Aribau-gil, a hiking trail taking you 131.7 kilometers through the wilds of Gangneung, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon. The trail takes hikers through some of Gangwon-do’s most beautiful stretches of scenery, introducing the region’s rich history and heritage along the way. It’s no walk in the park, however, and if you’re going to do it in winter, go prepared.

The best assortment of accommodations is in Gangneung. Particularly recommended is Haslla Art World (www.haslla.kr), a boutique hotel overlooking the sea. The Alpensia Ski Resort is a great place to stay, too, although it may be booked out during the Olympic period. See the Dining section for info on what to eat in Gangneung and Pyeongchang. High-speed trains now take you from Seoul Station to Gangneung in less than two hours.

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Quest for Olympic Gold Korean national team player Mike Testwuide revives his love for hockey in Korea Written by Wooyoung Lee Photographs courtesy of the Korea Ice Hockey Association

Mike Testwuide has a unique profile. He is an American-born Korean ice hockey player whose name is among the 25 athletes in the South Korean men’s hockey team for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. A natural-born hockey talent from Colorado, Testwuide is now stationed in the new Korean Olympic training center in Jincheon, located about 100 kilometers south from Seoul, to train as an Olympic hockey player. “Being at this facility allows us to completely focus on training without distractions. Basically, it’s eat, sleep, hockey ... repeat. Three of my favorite things,” Testwuide says just three weeks prior to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Becoming a Korean Hockey has been the love of Testwuide’s life since the age of eight, when he played the sport for the first time. The sport led him to venture abroad to the country in which he had never imagined living. The former American Hockey

League star joined Anyang Halla, a Korean professional hockey team in 2013. The 30-year-old hockey player, now playing for another Korean team, High 1, hadn’t even known there was a hockey league here. Coming to Korea, however, turned out to be one of his best decisions. “It has revived my love for hockey and has given me the experience of a lifetime,” he says. Life in Korea began as an unexpected turn but has opened up a new chance to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Soon after he joined Anyang Halla, he met Jim Paek, a former NHL defenseman who was appointed to coach the Korean national men’s team. Paek suggested that Testwuide consider becoming a Korean citizen so that he could play for the Olympic team. Testwuide had concerns with possible negative views he would get from the U.S. and Korea. He faced questions from people in both who wondered why he’d want to play for another country. But he saw no borders in hockey

and soon began studying for the naturalization exam, learning Korean history and practicing singing the Korean national anthem. He earned Korean citizenship and joined the Korean national hockey team in 2015. He currently holds dual citizenships in the U.S. and Korea.

Learning new culture Life in Korea has given him a unique chance to experience a new lifestyle as well. Testwuide learned to love a culture he wasn’t familiar with. “I’m addicted to Korean food and I love how social everything in this country is,” he says. “From coffee shops on every corner, to the abundance of restaurants, to the bar and club scene, you can always be hanging out with friends and having a great time.” He still travels back and forth between Colorado and Seoul. He spends the off-season from April to August in Vail and the rest of the year in Ilsan, where he is currently based. “My hometown in Vail, Colorado, and Seoul are maybe

Interview

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Interview

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang are the first for both Testwuide and Korea. The country gets an automatic entry in the Olympic Games as a host country. Testwuide stresses, however, that the result is also the fruition of the hard work and dedication of the Korean team over the past five years.

two of the most different places on earth so I get a great balance of lifestyles,” he says. “Seoul satisfies my craving for city life while Vail satisfies my love of the outdoors.”

Athletic prowess Testwuide thinks his Korean name, Kang Tae-san, best reflects his identity as a hockey player. He was given the name by Anyang Halla fans who came up with several Korean names for foreign players at the team. “I chose Kang Tae-san, meaning ‘big strong mountain.’ I believe it suits who I am, where I’m from, and how I play hockey,” he says. “I am one of the biggest guys on the team and I play a strong style. I am also from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The name seemed fitting to me.” Testwuide’s strong physique, childhood training as a ski racer and an eye for strategy qualify him to be a solid forward whose main responsibility is to score goals and lead the team for a win. Building the strongest Olympic team Since he and six Canadian players joined the Korean men’s ice hockey team, the national squad has shown remarkable

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results in international games. The team was promoted to the upper-level competition for the first time in 2017 at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship. Previously, it had played in lower divisions, suffering five losses in 2014. The team’s world ranking has surged to 21st, the highest since the men’s hockey team was established in the 1970s. The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang are the first for both Testwuide and Korea. The country gets an automatic entry in the Olympic Games as a host country. Testwuide stresses, however, that the result is also the fruition of the hard work and dedication of the Korean team over the past five years. He says, “We have prepared for this for a really long time and we couldn’t be more excited that the time is finally here. Getting to play on the world stage is truly a dream come true.” The Korean women’s hockey team has also received unprecedented attention, but for another reason. South and North Korea have agreed to create a joint women’s ice hockey team. Testwuide admits he has mixed feelings about the recent decision. “We get to see the women’s team on a

Instagram: @MikeTestwuide

regular basis and know how tight they are as a team. They have worked very hard to get where they are and I know they want to play as a South Korean team,” he says. “I also think it is a bit unfair that it is happening only a few weeks from the games. On the contrary, I think it is an amazing opportunity for the relationship to continue in the right direction between the two nations. I want to wish them good luck and can’t wait to watch them on the ice.” Testwuide feels confident about his hockey and his team more than ever. “I believe I am playing some of the best hockey of my life right now,” he says. The Korean team is scheduled to compete with some of the strongest contenders in ice hockey such as the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Canada in the Olympics in February. “We are going into the Olympics with a winning mindset. We are a confident team and know that we can play with the best in the world. We will most likely be the most prepared team there because we have been able to spend so much time playing together over the last few years. I predict great results!”

Edward Kwon Goes for the Gold In creating new dishes for PyeongChang 2018, the celebrity chef brings together flavors and forms both local and international Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Greg Samborski

There are very few Korean chefs who have been as prominent on both the local and international level as Edward Kwon. He’s one of Korea’s most recognizable chefs, with multiple restaurants, TV shows and guest appearances. He now leads Pyeongchang’s culinary welcome to hundreds of thousands of Olympic visitors. Kwon helped design ten new fusion dishes drawing on local specialties to make dishes that would appeal to a wide range of people, from locals to international travelers and athletes, all while preparing his own new Korean restaurant in Seoul.

Hometown foods, international flavors Pyeongchang is more than just an Olympic venue to Chef

Kwon. Born in Yeongwol and raised in Gangneung, he knows the area well. About a year and a half ago, the province of Gangwondo asked him to make ten dishes to represent Pyeongchang to the Olympics. “I was surprised, and I thought the idea was great so I researched different products,” he says. “Apples, local beef and dried pollock get a twist to be more modern. Once the dishes were finalized, we trained local restaurants in the Pyeongchang area to produce them. Most travelers go to see beautiful scenery or entertainment, but besides that, they go to eat food. As we say, ‘Even sightseeing in the Geumgangsan Mountains is better after a meal!’” The dishes themselves display Chef Kwon’s international

Dining

training and creativity, turning local buckwheat noodles into a pasta, bibimbap into a delicately plated salad, and chocolate, cheese and citrus meld into the guise of one of Gangwon-do’s famous potatoes.

Fusion food for globalized palates Creating the dishes proved to be a challenge. “When they asked me for 10 dishes, I thought it was easy,” says Kwon. “It was not easy at all! I’ve created many menus. This was one of the most difficult to create, even though I grew up there and know the products.” Getting the right balance between the local and the international proved especially difficult. “I felt almost guilty trying to put a twist on the dishes! It felt like things were too Italian, too French, too European,” he says. “It took three months for me to do what I could usually do in a day. I felt like I’m getting older and older. I sent it off and they sent it back — they thought it was too ‘Koreanized.’” Kwon explains that fusion food means you need to know a lot about a lot of things if you hope to make it all come together. In provincial areas, however, residents often find integrating local foods and concepts into international dishes to be, well, provincial. “I asked what [Gangwon-do residents] wanted. They said, ‘Make us pasta!’ I thought, ‘Are you serious?’ The people running these restaurants are sixty, seventy years old and they’re more globalized than me.” In his element Chef Kwon has a new venue for showing off more traditional Korean food, though, in his new restaurant, Elements. Located adjacent to his French restaurant LAB XXIV, Elements serves set menus with remarkable polish and clever twists that still hew to their Korean origins. Soft

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shell crabs from Jeju are fried and plated with water parsley oil and a South Asian-tinged coleslaw. Rice and soup share space with delicate, briny pollock roe dressed with sesame oil but also with a mild, fresh tomato kimchi, while a silky savory egg custard enrobes meltingly soft abalone. While the restaurant caters to a broad range of customers, including solo diners, private rooms are available for groups to enjoy Korean barbecue grilled for them by one of the chefs. Despite the luxurious setting inside the Le Meridien hotel in Gangnam, Kwon made sure to keep the independent restaurant’s prices extremely reasonable.

Respecting the roots In preparing his dishes, Kwon adopts a careful approach to preserve the original flavors of the Korean foods. “I think Korean food should be globalized, but now I think that if you’re proud of the food, you don’t need to touch the original taste and flavor. It’s a risk,” he says. “Maybe some people don’t like it or think that it’s not trendy. Call it ‘Asian’ or ‘Modern Asian’ or whatever, but as soon as you say something is specific, is ‘Korean,’ you need to be very careful.” Kwon reminds us that you should preserve the food’s roots. “Respect where it comes from, the taste and flavor,” he says. “If you just follow the trends, in a few years you’ll end up with no fruit, because the tree has no roots anymore.”

Elements Le Meridien Seoul 엘리멘츠 르메르디앙 서울 Floor F, 120 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, 06124 02-511-4523

Savoring PyeongChang’s Culinary Games Pollack Hwangtae

Hwangtae Hoegwan 황태회관 19 Nunmaeul-gil, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do 033-336-5795

Buckwheat Maemil

Hyundai Makguksu 현대막국수 17 Dongijangteo-gil, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do 033-335-0314

Take a break from the Olympic festivities by fueling up on the region’s signature dishes Written by Gloria Chang Photographed by Robert Koehler

Daegwallyeong-myeon, home to the mountain cluster of Olympic competition venues and the Olympic Stadium, has the coldest average temperature in Korea. Here the wind is so cold, it’s called kal baram, or “knife wind.” It’s perfect weather to naturally freeze dry pollack, the fish of choice on ritual tables honouring ancestors. Pollack is often referred to as Korea’s national fish or gukmin saengseon. In Daegwallyeong, the fish are hung in the open air on wooden stands called

deokjang, where night winds freeze the fish, and dayligh temperatures thaw them slightly. Freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw — this repeated process turns the fish’s meat into a soft, fleshy texture. It’s this naturally freeze-dried state that’s called hwangtae. You’ll find hwangtae — rich in the amino acid methionine — in soups, often as a hangover cure, as methione is believed to help the liver recover from heavy drinking. You’ll also find hwangtae grilled with a spicy, gochujang-based sauce.

Pyeongchang’s signature food staple, buckwheat, thrives in cooler climates at higher elevations. The seeds of the flowers, encased in triangular-shaped shells, are ground into a flour and made into a variety of dishes, including its most famous dish: buckwheat noodles. Without gluten, these noodles are softer, and thus break easily as you bite into them. Buckwheat is also used to make jeonbyeong, a crepe filled

with a deliciously seasoned mixture of kimchi and tofu. Don’t like the spicy kick? Try the baechujeon, a savoury pancake with napa cabbage and spring onions. Buckwheat is also found in a jelly form — muk muchim — sliced and topped with a spicy vegetable salad. There’s not much flavour in the muk itself; it’s the spicy salad topping that adds flavour and zing to the dish.

Dining

Trout Songeo

Pyeongchang Songeo Hoetjip 평창송어횟집 33-21 Songjeongtaekji 2 gil, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do 033-336-2073

Tofu Dubu

Chodang Halmeoni Sundubu 초당할머니순두부 77, Chodangsundubu-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 033-652-2058

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Trout farming first started in Pyeongchang because of its clear, cold waters. Today, there are trout festivals where you can try your hand at ice-fishing and then have your catch cooked up on site. But if sitting out in freezing temperatures over a fishing hole isn’t your idea of delicious fun, head to Pyeongchang Songeo Hoetjip, a short walk from Pyeongchang’s Jinbu Station. Start with a first course of trout sashimi, which is similar in taste, texture, and appearance to salmon. The soft underbelly

portions of the trout are more reminiscent of tuna. Make sure to order the trout fritters or songeo twigim. Wrap the fritters in lettuce with a bit of doenjang paste for a flavour kick. Afterwards, the remaining parts of the fish is used to make a spicy hotpot. We like adding potato noodles, another regional staple. Think pasta with an irresistible chewiness.

Head further east to Gangneung, and you’ll find Chodung Dubu Village, a cluster of about 20 restaurants that specialize in a soft tofu dish called chodung sundubu. Made with fresh soy beans from nearby Samcheok-si and seawater from the East Sea, the tofu is light and soft, and served with a variety of side dishes and sauces. The taste of the tofu is determined by how much sea water is added. Chodang

Halmoni Sundubu is regarded by locals as the most authentic in the making of this special dish. It also does a spicy version of the tofu, eolkeun sundubu, which is very popular.

Beantown You don’t have to search long for a good cup of joe in Gangneung, Korea’s coffee capital Written and photographed by Robert Koehler At the entrance of Amnok Beach is a sculpture of a giant coffee cup, a cup into which three coffee beans are descending from the sky. “Coffee that embraced the sea, Gangneung,” the sculpture reads in big green letters on the cup. What it should really read is “Beware of caffeine overdose,” because if there’s something you’ll be doing a lot in Gangneung, it’s drinking coffee. No town in Korea takes its coffee as seriously as Gangneung. In 2016, the coastal city of then 220,000 had new fewer than 360 cafés, some small, some big, some very big — so big, in fact, that they’ve expanded nationally. Coffee is even bringing the young and creative to previously neglected neighborhoods, these new residents and visitors reviving old alleyways with the arts, crafts and good cups of java.

Amnok Beach’s Coffee Street Gangneung’s best known coffee destination is the socalled “Coffee Street” that lines Amnok Beach. Over 20 cafés, big and small, line the scenic stretch of white sand near Gangneung’s harbor. Enjoy your coffee with views of whitecaps crashing in turquoise seas. Just 30 years ago, the beach was little more than a small seaside village connected to downtown Gangneung by just three buses a day. The isolation — and the ocean views, of course — made it a popular date spot, though, not unlike nearby Jeongdongjin. Proper cafés were lacking, so locals installed instant coffee machines. These proved so popular with visitors that there were soon about 50 machines up and down the beach. The vending machines’ days of preeminence were finite, however. In 1998, baristas opened up Amnok Beach’s first two cafés. More cafés soon followed. In 2009, a popular Korean variety show introduced the beach’s coffee scene to a national audience, and that was all she wrote. Though national coffeehouse chains have entered the mix, independent establishments still account for most of the beach’s cafés. One of the most popular is Bossa Nova (T. 033-653-0038), a stylish concrete structure boasting a roof terrace with ocean views. Pour-over brews are the house specialty. Terarosa flagship store

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Bossa Nova

Chodang Keopi Jeongmiso

Local legends: Bohemian Roasters and Terarosa To many coffee aficionados, Bohemian Roasters and Terarosa are synonymous with Gangneung coffee. Park Yi-choo founded Bohemian in Seoul’s Hyehwadong district in 1988. The Japan-born barista, one of Korea’s first trained coffee specialists, helped popularize pour-over brewing in a country hitherto forced to make do with instant brews. In 2000, Park moved to Gangneung, where the mountains, sea and seclusion allowed him to refocus on coffee. In the nearly two decades since, he’s contributed mightily to Gangneung’s coffee scene, organizing the city’s annual coffee festival, training countless baristas and opening a grand cafécum-coffee factory (T. 033-642-6688) overlooking the sea in Sacheon-myeon, a village on the road to Jumunjin. Several new cafés have opened up nearby. Kim Yong-deok, a former bank manager, founded the coffee roasting company Haksan in Gangneung in 2002. Haksan’s beans proved a hit nationwide, so much so that Kim opened the café Terarosa in 2012. Terarosa now has branches nationwide. The flagshop store (T. 033-6482760), located in Gangneung’s Gujeong-myeon, is a city onto itself, an imposing fortress of brick and concrete with a cavernous, almost cathedral-like two-story space where the main café is located.

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Kaffe Kiwa

Old Is new again Coffee is rejuvenating Gangneung’s historical spaces, too. BonBon Roastery (T. 070-8237-1155), a colonial-era mill-turned-coffeehouse in Gangneung’s old downtown, the Myeongju-dong district, pulls together vintage warmth and the creatively hip. Run by four former movie people, the imminently Instagrammable space has helped turned Myeongju-dong into one of Gangneung’s hottest destinations. Nearby is Gangneung Coffee Workshop (T. 070-88426991), a brick building built by the Japanese army in the 1920s as an armory. In Chodang, a seaside village best known for its bean curd, another old mill has been converted into a coffeehouse. Chodang Keopi Jeongmiso (T. 033-6532313) — “Chodang Coffee Mill” — is perfectly at peace with its small-town surroundings. For something different, try its pound cakes made from puréed soybeans, or kongbiji. Another Chodang café is Kaffe Kiwa (T. 033-652-9898), an old Hanok mansion with a stunning vintage interior where the coffee, brewed from beans roasted by local roasters Hue Bean, comes in beautiful ceramic cups.

Gangwon-do's Ski and Snowboard Resorts No trip to Gangwon-do is complete without trying the local winter sports Written by Marie Boes Korean winters can be harsh. Residents often prefer to spend the season inside in the warm, reminiscing about summer holidays instead of heading out into the cold, while tourists may choose to hop from indoor attraction to indoor attraction to stay out of the cold. Well-developed local transport infrastructure and high-quality ski resorts, however, make the country a good — albeit littleknown — destination for winter sports. The mountains and relative accessibility of Gangwon-do make the province especially ideal for a short ski or snowboard holiday. To miss the diverse and affordable

range of winter sport resorts here would be a shame. Located in the northeast of South Korea, Gangwon-do is home to more than half of Korea’s ski slopes and receives the most annual snowfall, making it perfect for a quick ski getaway. The ski season begins around mid-November and finishes at the end of February, with exact dates announced on each resort’s website in the late autumn. In Gangwon-do alone, visitors can enjoy a total of 128 kilometers of slopes and 82 ski lifts.

Pyeongchang: Phoenix Pyeongchang Phoenix Pyeongchang, located on Taegisan Mountain, is popular due to its high-quality snow, valley-style slopes and extreme snowboarding park. The extreme snowboarding park will also be the location of the freestyle ski and snowboarding competition during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Pricing (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.): Lift KRW 73,000, rental equipment (ski/

snowboard, boots, jacket and trousers) KRW 30,000 - 30% discount for foreigners at Hana Tour concierge desk | T. 1588-2828 Season: Till Jan. 21. Slopes closed after Jan. 21 for the Winter Olympics Opening Times: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.–4:00 a.m. Phoenix Pyeongchang

Pyeongchang: Yongpyong Ski Resort Yongpyong is Korea’s biggest ski resort and receives the highest amount of snowfall. Accommodation situated right next to the ski slopes makes it a great place for night skiing. Skiers and snowboarders can also find entertainment options including screen golf, karaoke, sauna, bowling, shopping and an arcade. Pricing (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.): Lift KRW 76,000, rental equipment (ski/ snowboard, boots, jacket and trousers) KRW 33,000 | T. 033-335-5757 Season: Till Feb. 28. Some slopes are closed during the Winter Olympics. Check the website for more details. Opening Times: 8.30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

Yongpyong Ski Resort

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Hongcheon: Daemyung Resort Vivaldi Park Ski World With slope names including “Funky,”“Hip-Hop” and “Rock,” this resort focuses on young adults and has a lively, “party holiday” feel. Located only one-and-a-half hours from Seoul via one of the resort’s daily free shuttle buses, Vivaldi Park makes a perfect day trip from the city for friends. The park boasts a total of 12 slopes and 10 lifts, including two gondolas. Pricing (8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.): Lift KRW 76,000, rental equipment (ski/ snowboard, boots, jacket and trousers) KRW 60,000 | T. 1588-4888 Season: Till early/mid-March Opening Times: 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.–5:00 a.m.

Daemyung Resort Vivaldi Park Ski World

Chuncheon: Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort Elysian Ski Resort is a deluxe ski park, located only one hour from Seoul and easily accessible via the city’s subway. With its 10 slopes and six lifts, it’s a great resort for beginner skiers and snowboarders. Late opening times also make it popular with those who prefer the slopes after dark. Pricing (9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.): Lift KRW 76,000, rental equipment (ski/ snowboard, boots, jacket and trousers) KRW 59,000 | T. 033-260-2000 Season: Till early March Opening Times: 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.–3:00 a.m.

Jeongseon: High 1 Ski Resort Spanning three mountains, High 1 Ski Resort offers 18 superb slopes for both snowboarders and skiers, including a 4.2 kilometer-long beginner slope meandering down one of the peaks. This family-friendly resort also offers Korea’s first ski school for the disabled. Pricing (8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.): Lift KRW 78,000, rental equipment (ski/ snowboard, boots) KRW 28,000–34,000 | T. 1588-7789 Season: Till March 25 Opening Times: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort

Ski Trip Tips! • First time skiing or snowboarding? Take a one-hour beginner class to learn stopping and turning before hitting the slopes alone. • Make sure to dress appropriately; in the mountains, temperatures can drop to -20°C. • Purchase ski gloves before you depart. Ski gloves are never included in the rental equipment and will be more expensive when buying at the ski resorts. • Most ski resorts have a sauna or jjimjilbang. Why not try one after an exhausting day of fun? • Most Korean ski resorts also offer evening skiing and snowboarding, perfect for practicing on near-deserted slopes. • Book a ski package; it will save you around 40 percent of the total rental cost.

High 1 Ski Resort

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Cinema

Local Titles Compete for Lunar New Year Box Office Crown Studios hope for hits during the financially pivotal holiday season Written by Jason Bechervaise

Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

Twice

“Golden Slumber”

Given the large numbers of viewers in Korea who visit their local multiplex during the four holiday seasons (Lunar New Year, summer, Chuseok and end-ofyear), it’s important for the local studios to capitalize on these periods. Since audiences of all ages watch films during these lucrative periods, it’s important the films attract a wide demographic, a major factor behind the success of “Along with the Gods.” The upcoming Lunar New Year season (Feb. 15–17) looks to be a competitive one with four major studios releasing titles. These will go up against Marvel’s “Black Panther,” to be released on Feb. 14.

Psychokinesis The first of the Lunar New Year releases, “Psychokinesis,” hit screens at the end of January. A studio will not release a film well ahead of a busy season unless they feel it can generate momentum once word gets out. Directed by Yeon

Sang-ho (“Train to Busan”) and starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Shim Eun-kyung, it follows a man who sets out to help his daughter and those around him after acquiring superpowers. Repeating the success of “Train to Busan” — the most successful Korean film overseas and a gargantuan box office hit locally — will be a challenge. But given the film has already been acquired by Netflix, only the domestic box office sales really matter at this point.

Detective K 3 The “Detective K” films have been strong performers for distributor Showbox during the Lunar New Year season. The first two films were box office hits directed by Kim Suk-yoon. His third film in the series, “Detective K: Secret of the Bloodsucking Demon,” sees the return of the famous Joseon detective, played by Kim Myung-min, and his sidekick, played by Oh Dal-su, who investigate a series

of murders during a period of political uncertainty under King Jeongjo.

Age of the Rebellion As period films have performed well during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok seasons, it’s unsurprising that Lotte Entertainment (behind the hit “Along with the Gods”) is also releasing one in the form of “Age of the Rebellion,” directed by Cho Keun-hyun (“26 Years”) and starring the late Kim Joo-hyuk, who died last year in a car accident. The film, which like “Detective K” is set during the Joseon period, follows the author who becomes famous after penning a satirical play. The angry ruling elite seek his arrest, however, and the author finds himself leading an outright rebellion. Golden Slumber CJ Entertainment could have done with any number of titles for the holiday season, but chose the thriller “Golden Slumber,” based on the 2007 Japanese novel of the same name by Kotaro Isaska. Directed by Noh Dong-seok, the film follows a delivery man who is framed for the murder of a newly elected prime minister. It stars Gang Dong-won, widely praised for his small but pivotal role in the critically acclaimed film “1987: When the Day Comes.” All these titles, however, will have to compete against an event taking place away from the multiplexes, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It remains to be seen whether this will have an impact on box office ticket sales.

Arts & Entertainment

Cable Networks Step Up Their Game New programs on TV Chosun, MBN explore a changing and often challenging society Written by Miruh Jeon

“Smashing On Your Back”

Courtesy of MBN

Magazine

Another cable network, MBN, released the new comedy program “Yeonnam-dong 539” in early January. The title of the show refers to the “share house” in which the characters live. The housemates are not friends or family but strangers that are brought together by one common belief — that marriage is simply not worth it. The house brings together people from all walks of life, including a successful business woman, a police detective, a washedup singer and a yoga instructor. Through these characters, the show explores a new kind of lifestyle that encourages people to focus on pursuing their own desires and goals instead of feeling pressured to start a family. Each of the episodes touches on different reasons behind why a growing number of people are choosing to shun marriage and children in favor of education and a career. However, as the show emphasizes, being unmarried doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live alone. You can still have people to depend on and keep you company. This is the first series that the network has produced in three years, and the production team has labeled the series a “situation drama,” a new genre that combines elements of both drama and sitcom. The program consists of only 12 episodes, but the production team is hoping to renew the show for a second season.

Courtesy of TV CHOSEON

Korea’s three major broadcasters — KBS, SBS and MBC — continue to face growing competition as cable networks keep coming up with strong new programs. The network tvN has already established itself as a formidable presence in the world of television, thanks to an array of successful K-dramas and variety programs like “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” and the “Three Meals A Day” series. In fact, the second season of “Youn’s Kitchen,” which began airing early January, met with overwhelmingly positive reviews and boasted viewership ratings of 14 percent on the first week of broadcast according to Nielsen Korea. While other cable networks still have a lot of catching up to do, many of their new programs seem quite promising. Two networks in particular recently released comedy programs that use humor to address some of the most pressing issues that many Koreans are facing today. Just this past December, TV Chosun released a new sitcom called “Smashing On Your Back,” starring actors such as Park Young-gyu, Park Hae-mi, and Kwon Oh-joong. The same production team that oversaw the incredibly popular “High Kick” series are producing the 50-episode series. The show revolves around a man and his family who struggle to get back on their feet after his business goes bankrupt in the midst of a serious economic recession. The series touches on many important issues with which both young and older Koreans are dealing.

“Yeonnam-dong 539”

Music

On DJing in Seoul EDM, funk and hip-hop rule the scene Written by Kristina Manente

Picture this: you’re in a convention hall, there’s Severus Snape taking a photo of Wonder Woman and D.Va from Overwatch. They suddenly all start dancing as a DJ has taken to the stage and is mixing together some anime tracks you can’t help but feel nostalgic about. It’s Seoul Comic Con, and New Zealand-born Marcus Powell has been invited to DJ at a convention that would see over 40,000 attendees. Powell started DJing in 2001 after a stint at the radio station his father managed allowed him to explore music in a hands-on fashion. “I use to hang out with the creative guys who would make all the ads for the radio station and see how they would put tracks and jingles together using different sounds and samples.” Once he got his own PC at home, he started to play around and sort of fell into the profession. “One night a bar manager friend of mine said they needed a DJ because theirs was sick. I played that night, not really

knowing what the hell I was doing... but since I knew music, I managed to keep a club full of people more than happy. I picked up my first residency the weekend after. Then 17 years later, here I am! It was something that just naturally progressed for me.” When he got to Seoul, having found the DJ scene in New Zealand stagnating, he immediately sought out a residency. Clubs in Seoul can be quite exclusive, promoting major talent in the scene to attract partygoers and fans. It’s fiercely competitive. Thankfully Powell had stood out after participating in the Redbull 3Style, a DJ competition held in Korea for the first time in 2012. “I made it to the top sixteen, and even though I didn’t win, being the only foreign DJ turned heads and got me recognized within the Seoul scene.” What is the Seoul DJ scene? “[It] is all about ‘It’s not what you know but who you know,’ and it is one of the most petty, unstable, backstabbing,

egotistical and oversaturated industries there is and Seoul is no different,” Powell explains, though he admits there’s some good people out there. “Big shout out to the Madholic crew and DJs, they really helped me get my name out by giving me guest spots.,” He’s worked alongside plenty of Korean DJs and says that he has a lot of love for many in Seoul. It’s a constant hustle, especially depending on what sort of music you’re playing. For Seoul there’s EDM, hip-hop, the underground scene and then the bar scene. Powell is known as a hip-hop DJ in the capital. “I was a resident at Itaewon’s Made for most of 2017 while also DJing at Living Room and Smash Palace. I still DJ at the latter two. All three places were very different to each other. Made was high-energy club tracks and trap remixes, Smash Palace was more laid back new hip-hop and Living Room is mostly funky old-school hip-hop and funk.” While he says being a DJ in Seoul isn’t all that different than back home, he does remark that “[in Seoul] most clubs hire DJ crews and promoters, so it is more about your group than the individual DJ.” You don’t have a lot of time to impress either. Back in New Zealand, it wasn’t uncommon for sets to be up to five hours long; in Korea the average set length is only an hour. When I asked if he has any amusing stories for me, he laughed. “After DJing for as long as I have I could write a trilogy with all the stuff I’ve seen and done; most of it would need an R18 tag on it. What a lot of people don’t realize in the clubs is that DJs see everything! I think it is safer to leave it at that.”

Arts & Entertainment

Books

Mean Streets Kim Young-ha’s ‘I Hear Your Voice’ is a motorcycle ride through Seoul’s underbelly Written by Barry Welsh

Magazine

meaning he is mute for the first several years of his life. During this time Jae and Donggyu develop a preternaturally close connection with Jae interpreting Donggyu’s thoughts. The two boys are eventually separated when redevelopment spreads through their neighborhood. Donggyu’s father moves him to a new school and house in a middle-class neighborhood, while Jae is left with a drug-addicted and increasingly abusive Mama Pig in the soon-to-be demolished neighborhood of the boys’ childhood. From there the story develops into the narrative of a young, strangely empathic messiah becoming a beacon of light for the disaffected youths living rough on the streets of Seoul or subsisting on lowincome jobs. Kim draws on a variety of influences from Christopher Nolan movies, Japanese manga classics and Herman Hesse, as well as the lives of Jesus, Che Guevara and Malcolm X, to weave an increasingly spiritual tale. Despite the grimness of the lives depicted, “I Hear Your Voice” is a starburst of imagination that twists and turns, refusing to be pinned down. Consistently surprising and ingeniously structured, Kim’s novel is a must-read for all fans of Korean literature.

Multi award-winning novelist Kim Young-ha’s fourth novel to be translated into English is a vicious, violent and disturbing trawl through the underbelly of Seoul in the 1990s and 2000s. Kim’s story of a teenage messiah riding the streets of the Korean capital on a 150 cc motorcycle is populated by homeless kids, school girl prostitutes, violent cops, runaways, drug addicts and biker gangs. Some readers will find the subject matter difficult to stomach; child abuse, rape, assault and murder all feature prominently in often unflinching detail. Despite, or perhaps because of, the story’s exceedingly grim nature, “I Hear Your Voice” (translated by Krys Lee) reveals a writer working at the peak of his powers and displays all of Kim’s virtuosic imagination and storytelling gifts. The narrative is primarily centered on Jae and Donggyu, two disaffected teenaged delinquents and childhood best friends who share an almost telepathic bond, and charts the development of their relationship over the course of two decades. The story begins with an unnamed teenager giving bloody, painful birth to Jae in a bathroom stall in Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal, one of the most bustling transport nodes in the city. Just as the young mother is about to commit infanticide and suffocate her newborn baby, Mama Pig, the cook at a local brothel, sweeps in and saves him. Mama Pig raises Jae as her own, moving him into an apartment owned by a detective where he meets the similarly aged Donggyu. Donggyu suffers from an anxiety-related condition called functional aphonia,

Concerts, Festivals and More THE ARRIVAL OF NEW WOMEN MMCA Deoksugung Thru Apr. 1 KRW 2,000 (not including KRW 1,000 entrance to Deoksugung Palaca) T. 02-2022-0600 City Hall Station 시청역 (Line 1 or 2), Exit 2

“New Women” focuses on women as an intersection of these experiences and discourses that construct Korean modernity: the tension between tradition and innovation, the idea that westernization equals modernization, and the implications of urbanization, imperialism and colonialism. The exhibition pays special attention to the “new women” regarded as “ambiguous and dangerous women who are neither gisaeng (artists who worked as entertainers and courtesans) nor students.” Yielding to external influences from Japan and the West, they formed through processes of selection and exclusion, translation and imitation, making them perfect displays of the country’s complicated and inconclusive “modernity.” The exhibition explores these women who permeated images and narratives of colonial modernity through pop culture and modernist art.

TIGERS IN EAST ASIAN ART: KOREA, JAPAN, CHINA National Museum of Korea Thru Mar. 18 KRW 3,000 T. 1688-0361 Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line or Line 4), Exit 2

The National Museum of Korea presents a special exhibition titled “Tigers in East Asian Art: Korea, Japan, China” on the occasion of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games in collaboration with the Tokyo National Museum of Japan and the National Museum of China. Given that Soohorang, the mascot of PyeongChang 2018, is a white tiger, which has long been considered a guardian animal, the exhibition focuses on the tradition and transformation of the tiger images in East Asian art. The exhibit will present 40 works from Korea including “Tiger Under Pine Tree” and “Tiger Under Bamboo” by Kim Hong-do (1745~1806?), 30 works from Japan including three pairs of large screens each titled “Dragon and Tiger,” and 35 works from China including an ancient weapon ornamented with a tiger design and a terra-cotta figurine of the twelve zodiac animals, making for a total of 105 works.

Previews

100 YEARS OF KOREAN FAIRY TALES IN HANGEUL National Hangeul Museum Thru Feb. 18 Free T. 02-2124-6200 Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line or Line 4), Exit 2

Fairy tales orally passed down from one generation to another over a long time have been written down and adapted for children; these traditional folk tales constitute an inexhaustibly rich genre of children’s literature. This exhibition looks back on the past 100 years or so, when ancient Korean folk tales transmitted as part of myths, legends, folklore and classics were newly interpreted and written down as stories for children. The exhibition is divided into three parts: Part I, “History of Korean Fairy Tales in Hangeul”; Part II, “Transcription of Korean Fairy Tales in Hangeul”; and Part III, “Korean Fairy Tales in Hangeul: Stories of Lives Shared with Others.” They explore respectively a history of Korean fairy tales collected, transcribed and published since the early 20th century; the stylistic and technical characteristics of Korean fairy tales written down as stories for children; and the wisdom of shared lives contained in these stories.

Magazine

MUSICAL ANNA KARENINA Seoul Arts Center Thru Feb. 25 KRW 60,000–140,000 T. 02-541-6236 Nambu Terminal Station 남부버스터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5

The third production of Russia’s renowned musical production team, The Moscow Operetta Theater, the musical “Anna Karenina” is a most up-to-date work of art that is rewriting the history of Russian musicals. Through the character of Anna, the musical Anna Karenina depicts human nature, including family values and love that can appeal to all generations with its artistic insight. With the speedy unfolding of more than 40 musical pieces embracing classical, rock, pop and crossover styles and philosophical lyrics written by Yuli Kim, Tolstoy’s 1700- page long novel was recreated into a two hour-long musical. The performance celebrates the 30th anniversary of the opening of Seoul Arts Center’s Opera House.

LUIGI COLANI BIO DESIGN CODEX SPECIAL EXHIBITION Dongdaemun Design Plaza Thru Mar. 25 KRW 13,000 www.ddp.or.k Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역 (Lines 2, 4, and 5)

Hosted by Aalen GmbH and the Seoul Design Foundation, “Master of Formative Science: Luigi Colani Bio Design Codex Special Exhibition” looks at the life and work of unconventional German industrial designer Luigi Colani. In a career that has spanned over five decades, Colani has designed over 5,000 industrial and consumer products. He is best known for “bio design,” or organically inspired, rounded forms. “Whenever we talk about ‘biodesign’ we should simply bear in mind just how amazingly superior a spider’s web is to any load-bearing structure man has made,” he said in 2007. “From this insight, we should look to the superiority of nature for the solutions. If we want to tackle a new task in the studio, then it’s best to go outside first and look at what millenia-old answers there may already be to the problem.”

PAPER, PRESENT

THE MUSE

Thru May 27 | Daelim Museum | Gyeongbokgung Station 경복궁역 (Line 3), Exit 2 or 3 | KRW 6,000 | T. 02-720-0667

Thru Mar. 11 | Hangaram Art Museum | Nambu Terminal Station 남부버스 터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5 | KRW 13,000 | T. 070-4499-6104

Daelim Museum presents “Paper, Present,” an exhibition highlighting the moments of paper transforming into a sensual medium through the delicate sensibilities of international artists. The exhibition features the works of 10 individual and team artists from various fields that reveal the intrinsic qualities and pure beauty of paper. Paper has served as the starting point of creation in a myriad of areas, ranging from the medium for simple written records to the notebook of ideas for artists. Adding inspiration to paper and transforming it into art, the exhibition “Paper, Present” delivers a unique experience to the viewers in the form of a present.

Have you ever imagined experiencing as Van Gogh did the sun and the warm light of southern France? Or, as if watching a film, observing as Renoir did Parisians as they relaxed? What if you could dip your feet into Klimt’s golden wave? This exhibit sheds light on the muses of five great artists — Van Gogh, Renoir, Caillebotte, Klimt and Matisse — pondering how great these muses must be that they inspired such great works of art. The works of media art on display fuse the masters’ paintings with technology to produce a sensory experience like no other.

Previews

MODERN SPORTS HISTORY EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE PYEONGCHANG OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES

평창동계올림픽 개최 기념 근현대 스포츠 역사 특별전

한국스포츠 Korean Sports, A History Written in Sweat

2017. 12. 05.TUE

대한민국역사박물관 기획전시실

2018. 03. 04.SUN

KOREAN SPORTS, A HISTORY WRITTEN IN SWEAT National Museum of Korean Contemporary History Thru Mar. 4 Free T. 02-3703-9200 Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역 (Line 5), Exit 2

For the Korean people situated in the turbulence of the modern history, sports have often been opportunities to be liberated from dire political and social situations. Many great athletes trained themselves hard to give joy and happiness to their countrymen and women and, indeed, created numerous glorious moments. The history of Korean sports is, in a sense, the entire modern history of Korea itself that strove for glory and honor, eventually achieving it against all odds. The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History hopes this exhibition of valuable memorabilia, photographs and video footage will give you a joyful experience of recollecting or learning about some great moments of Korean sports in the past.

Magazine

FROM CLASSICISM TO IMPRESSIONISM: THREE CENTURIES OF FRENCH ART National Museum of Korea Thru Apr. 15 KRW 6,000 T. 1688-0361 Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line or Line 4), Exit 2

This exhibition examines French art from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia has the largest collection of French art anywhere in the world outside of France. It’s an impressive collection acquired by the Romanov czars and czarinas including Catherine the Great, Russian aristocrats and entrepreneurs. It has long been housed in the storied Winter Palace in St Petersburg and is the highlight of the entire European art collection of the Hermitage Museum. Featuring 89 paintings, sculptures, and drawings by masters including Nicolas Poussin, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Claude Monet, and Henri Rousseau, the exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to sense how the Russians in the 18th and 19th centuries appreciated French culture, and to see quintessential French art from that time.

Expat Buzz GANGNEUNG INSPIRATION Caroline Mars’s art brings together Eastern and Western techniques The exhibition “Gangneung Inspiration” is named after a documentary about artist Caroline Mars in Gangneung, produced by MBC Television in the summer of 2017. Caroline was born and raised in the Netherlands. She studied art in Japan and Hong Kong in addition to her study at the academy in the Netherlands. She has lived in Seoul since 2015 after having lived in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Her work is an interesting combination of Eastern and Western techniques and is characterized by calmness. She works with ink and water colours on rice paper, as well as acrylic paint on canvas. For more information visit her website www.asianelements.nl “Gangneung Inspiration” will be held through Feb. 18 at the Cheong Pooong Gallery (140 Jukheon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do). The gallery is situated in a district with museums, galleries and cultural heritage, not far from Olympic Park, where the ice sport events of the Olympics will be held. During the first week of the Olympic Games, her work will be combined with ceramics of the well-known Korean artist Kwon Soon-hyung, one of the pioneers of modern Korean ceramics, who passed away last year. The Cheong Pooong Gallery also has a nice restaurant serving coffee and brunches, a good place to re-energize after having visited the sports events. T. 033-642-1451

SEOUL EXPAT GLOBAL MEETUP GROUP: NIGHT ICE SKATING IN SEOUL SQUARE RINK Every Thursday Seoul Square Ice Rink We will enjoy ice skating every Thursday night. We will ice skate from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm for 1,000 won. Bring your gloves, or you could rent them for KRW 500. KRW 1,000 www.meetup.com/globalexpats

SIWA: KOKDU MUSEUM AND DAEHANGNO Feb. 1 Daehangno Kokdu are wooden figurines historically used in Korea to decorate caskets (“bier”) for burial. These pieces of art in various shapes of people and animals were thought to safely guide the spirits into the next world. KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

BASS: DRAWN BY THE WIND: SHIN YUNBOK & JEONG SEON EXHIBITION Feb. 1 DDP Come and join the British Association of Seoul for the morning at a charming exhibition of the works by two Korean artists from the Joseon Dynasty. KRW 5,000 to Members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.britishseoul.com

SIWA: MAKGEOLLI BREWING LESSON

Feb. 2 Near Chungmuro Join SIWA and the AWC to learn, taste and have fun brewing makgeolli. Students will go home with a jug of their own special brew. KRW 65,000 for members, KRW 75,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: JIRISAN OVERNIGHT Feb. 3-4 Jirisan National Park We will hike along the highest ridge in Korea, Jirisan National Park, staying at a shelter over 1,200 meters above sea level for a night. There will be two days of stunning sunrises, amazing stars, the moon and sunsets. KRW 98,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SIWA: COEX AQUARIUM Feb. 5 COEX The COEX Aquarium is home to 115 sharks of 17 different kinds which makes it the place where you can meet the biggest number of sharks in Korea. KRW 28,000 for members, KRW 38,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

RASKB: ASIAN BELIEFS: HOW CHINESE ZODIAC SIGNS AFFECT WOMEN Feb. 6 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace

In China, Korea, and other Asian countries, beliefs enable expanding commercial activities, such as fortune telling, match making and shamanistic rituals. Presenting numerous images and a discussion of philosophies, such as Taoism and the Yin-and-Yang-and-FiveElements School of Philosophy, which contributed to the formation of the zodiac signs and related practices including geomancy and feng shui, the Maija Rhee Devine will discuss how Asian beliefs in Chinese zodiac signs continue to impact lives, particularly those of women. Free from members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com

SIWA: INDIAN COOKING WITH AWC Feb. 6 Near Hangangjin Station Almost everyone loves Indian food, so why not learn to make some in 2018? Cooking teacher Srividya Prusty welcomes you to her home for three wonderful cooking classes. KRW 45,000 www.siwakorea.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: SEORAKSAN OVERNIGHT Feb. 10-11 Seoraksan National Park Don't miss this gorgeous hiking and experience Baekdamsa Temple in winter. The hiking will be quite steep and risky for an hour and then quite well-arranged and not too steep for another hour — be prepared with crampons and also for the wind. KRW 88,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: DMZ TRIP WITH NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR Feb. 11 DMZ, Gyeonggi-do This trip takes you to the Imjingak

area and the 3rd infiltration tunnel in DMZ. There will be a North Korea defector on this trip who is working for a foundation helping North Korean youth find jobs. KRW 45,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

RASKB: MEDIEVAL BHUTAN 2018 Feb. 13-22 Central Bhutan Experience seven days in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, with a focus on its people. USD 2,970-3,220 www.raskb.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: WINTER OLYMPICS Feb. 15-18 Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do You can watch the Olympic Games, take part in events happening in town and enjoy skiing and snowboarding. Even if you don't attend any of the Olympic events, you can have fun all four days. KRW 169,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SIWA: WAX MUSEUM Feb. 19 Grévin Seoul Have you always been eager to meet your favorite star? On this tour you will get closer to world-famous movie stars, visit King Sejong who invented Hangeul (Korean alphabet), meet the world’s greatest men who made world history, dive into Korean dramas and take pictures with popular K-pop stars. KRW 12,000 for members, KRW 22,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

BASS: TOUR/TALK ON KOREAN PAPER HANJI CRAFT Feb. 23 Hongik University Come and join the British

PARK HYATT SEOUL

PARK HYATT SEOUL’S STRAWBERRY AFTERNOON TEA SET Offering stunning city views and natural sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows, Park Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge on the 24th floor is offering its afternoon tea set with creative strawberry savories and desserts items. Savories and desserts included in Afternoon Tea set are served on a Korean three-tier ceramic tray. Some truly exquisite homemade items are available including honey rice cake with strawberry foam, and pan-fried squash with the hotel’s homemade strawberry chili paste, which are modern Korean creations. For the dessert items, guests can enjoy a strawberry marshmallow tart and strawberry éclair with makgeolli cream, pavlova, chocolates and more. To complement this sweet afternoon moment, a selection of premium teas, including green tea and Jacksal, or coffee is provided. At KRW 18,000 per person, guests can enjoy an additional glass of champagne. The three-layer ceramic tray, reflecting Korean tradition, was made by the pottery artist Jae Won Lee and inspired by Gangnam, the home of Park Hyatt Seoul. The beautiful shadow of the tray’s Korean frame from the sunlight will add a striking, yet special mood for your perfect afternoon tea time. 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Feb. 4-Apr. 4. KRW 38,000 per person (10% VAT included, no service charge, minimum of two people). T. 02-2016-1205.

Association of Seoul for a morning at the studio of a master craftsman in the ancient Korean paper craft of Hanji. Free for members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.britishseoul.com

SIWA: THE VARIOUS FACES OF GANGNAM Feb. 26 Gangnam Have you ever heard the song Gangnam Style and wondered what Gangnam is all about? On

this tour we will hop in a trolley and learn about and see where kings are buried, find out where the largest underground mall in Asia is located, see the largest temple in Seoul, visit the birthplace of K-pop and many more. KRW 12,000 for members, KRW

‘Hair in its Natural State’

Quno Hair

served as Art Director at London’s renowned Rush Salon and nominated by the Guardian for ‘Best Hairdresser’ EXPAT BUZZ Trained at Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon Academy in UK Color, Perm. Magic Straight & Treatment Highlight &Lowlight...etc English Spoken

Gangnam/ Apgujeong Branch 02-549-0335 www.qunohair.com www.hairandjoy.com

HAIR & JOY

3F, 168-3, Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Lotte Cinema (8F) UNIQLO (1F)

coco bruni About Me

NH Bank

Exit 8, Hongik Stn., Line 2

Magazine

For more info, call Johnny 57

Phone : 02-363-4253 Mobile : 010-5586-0243

22,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

RASKB: ASIAN BELIEFS: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASSIFYING OLD MAPS OF KOREA Feb. 27 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace Old maps are fascinating since they don’t depict the world as we see it nowadays. Dr. Henny Savenije will show about 75 maps (with and without Korea) to show what the West knew about the Korea going back to about 1500. He will also talk about the importance of classifying these maps based on the shape they had from this. Free from members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEWS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––

CINE IN KOREA If you want to take a trip to the cinema but are worried about turning up and the show being sold out, use Cine in Korea, a very reputable website, to book your tickets. www.cineinkorea.com/movie/ index.php

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR EXPATS Know someone who is on their way to live in Seoul? Recommend to them The Arrival Store, a one-stop online shop that sells everything needed to start a life in Korea, from duvets to smartphones. If they order today, they can pay for their goods up to 60 days after their arrival date. www.thearrivalstore. com

www.beautifulstore. The blogs My Seoul Searching (myseoulsearching.com), My Destination Seoul (www. mydestination.com/seoul) and Trazy (www.trazy.com) give upto-date, inspirational advice on traveling and enjoying Korea and its culture. For the latest in art on the Peninsula, we like Blouin ArtInfo for their great modern art coverage. enkr.blouinartinfo.com Angloinfo Seoul, an extensive directory, is a great resource for expats living in Seoul due to its listing of basic, useful info and simple, easy-to-read design. seoul.angloinfo.com WWOOF, the worldwide agency that organizes work placements on organic farms, has launched an organic food delivery service with varied packages available. All food is local and affordable, and the choices change on a regular basis. wwoofcsa.com/products/ Waygook.org is useful for English teachers living in Seoul as a space for sharing lesson plans but is also vital for its non-teaching message boards full of Korea-based knowledge from people living on the Peninsula. Find indie music events: Try searching on Indistreet (indistreet. com/en/korea/), Do Indie (www. doindie.co.kr) or the Korea Gig Guide (www.koreagigguide.com) for listings of local venues, concerts and bands in the underground music scene in Seoul.

The Beautiful Store is a social enterprise that sells old, donated clothing to raise money for charity. If you have anything to give away, please fill in a form on their website,

KOREAN BUZZ WORD

WORABAEL 워라밸 It’s not easy restoring life balance in one of the world’s most overworked countries Written by SEOUL Staff

Worabael is a contraction of a phrase introduced from English — wokeu aen raipeu baelleonseu, or “work and life balance.” The Consumer Trends Analysis Center of Seoul National University included the term on its list of 2018’s ten most important keywords, and it’s easy to see why. According to the OECD, Koreans worked an average of 2,059 hours a year based on 2016 statistics. The number was the second highest among the OECD’s member states, behind Mexico and, as the newspaper Maeil Gyeongje notes, 17.4 percent higher than the OECD average and a full 51.8 percent higher than Germany, the nation with the shortest working hours in the OECD. Even President Moon Jae-in has called attention to the problem, criticizing Korea’s long working hours in a meeting with advisors last year by noting that in no other nation with employment levels of 70 percent or more did people work over 1,800 hours a year on average. According to the government, 355 people died from overwork last year – 320 in the private sector, 35 in the public. Young people entering the work force don’t like this one bit. Millenials want to enjoy their evenings, even if it means getting paid less. In a poll conducted last year at the popular employment website Saramin, 722 respondents were asked to choose between a high salary and free time in the evenings. Just over 70 percent chose having their evenings free. In another poll at the same website the year before, 65.5 percent of the 400 respondents wanted to work at companies with moderate salaries and little overtime, 22.8 percent at companies with low salaries and no overtime and just 11.8 percent at companies with high salaries and lots of overtime.

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58 Somerset Palace Seoul, Suite #306, 2gil 7 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-140 KOREA Telephone: 82(2)735-1135 Toll free: 080-735-1135 E-mail: ipidc@hotmail.com On the web: www.ipidc.co.kr

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IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL’S SWEET SPA PACKAGE CAFÉ TTEURAN Café Tteuran is the first Hanok teahouse in the historic Ikseon-dong area, an increasingly popular neighborhood of old Korean-style homes. It serves medicinal teas made from the best ingredients and excellent red bean porridge and patbingsu made with the finest Korean red beans. Be sure to check out its lovely courtyard garden. 166-76 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu T. 02-745-7420, @café_innergarden (Instagram)

DR. ROBBIN Dr. Robbin offers healthy, delicious salads, pizzas, soups, pasta dishes, coffees, fruit juices and homemade gelato prepared from carefully selected natural ingredients. We use no sugar, butter or artificial enhancers. Try the Green Pasta, served with a bean cream sauce made from local beans and cooked using organic olive oil from Italy. It also uses a sugar-free syrup produced from stevia leaves, a zero-calorie sweetener that’s much sweeter than sugar.

The Imperial Palace Seoul introduces its new “Sweet Spa Package” to help guests get reinvigorated. Guests who reserve a Sweet Spa Package will stay in one of our spa rooms and will receive a complimentary Lush gift set, exquisite handmade chocolate, and refreshing tea to help them fully enjoy their healing time. Thru Nov. 30. Room rates start from KRW 220,000 a Package (not including tax and service charges). T. 02-3440-8000.

GANGNAM-UC RIVERSIDE (GNUCR): NEW HALF-DAY PROGRAMS GNUCR’s new Enhancing Speaking Proficiency (ESP) classes run every day from 9 a.m. to noon. Lunchtime and evening classes are also available and include Korean, Chinese and English. Join the more than 20,000 students who have studied at GNUCR since the school’s opening in 2001. Call for more details or to book a free level test and/or free sample class. GNUCR’s spring session begins on Mar. 6. www.gnucr.kr | Gangnam-gu Office Station

강남구청역, Exit 1 | info@gnucr.net | Kakao: @gnucr |

02-546-3260

SHERATON GRAND INCHEON: STRAWBERRY-HOLIC STRAWBERRY BUFFET At the lobby bar, Bb, of Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel, the Strawberry-holic promotion will take place with a buffet full of sweet strawberries that are also good for skin with abundance in vitamin C. Thru Apr. 15. The Strawberry-holic buffet can be enjoyed at KRW 29,000 on Friday and KRW 39,000 on weekends including the service charge and V.A.T. The members of SP, Club Marriot, and SPG can get 10% additional discount. T. 032-835-1712/1713.

SHERATON SEOUL D CUBE CITY: LOVE IN THE VALENTINE PACKAGE The Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel is presenting a “Love in the Valentine Package” for guests who are seeking for romantic getaway to celebrate the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Feb. 9–14, KRW 330,000 *Exclusive of tax. T. 02-2211-2100

www.drrobbin.com

Magazine

Starbucks Gives Back 2017’s Christmas Red Cup Campaign raises KRW 180 million to help those in need

Starbucks has completed its donation of the money it raised through last year’s Christmas Red Cup Fund campaign (Oct. 28–Dec. 31), a highly successful campaign that netted its goal of KRW 180 million. Symbolizing Christmas at Starbucks, the Red Cup has lent its name to the coffeeshop chain’s annual campaign to raise money to support those in need in local communities. Starbucks has increased the size of the fund each year, starting from KRW 150 million in 2014, the 15th year since the coffeeshop’s founding, to KRW 160 million in 2015 and KRW 170 million in 2016. Last year, to mark the 18th anniversary of Starbucks’s founding, the company set the Red Cup Fund campaign’s goal at KRW 180 million. From Oct. 28 to the last day of the year, the coffeeshop

contributed KRW 18 for every Starbucks planner sold or given away, KRW 18 for every cup of coffee or other beverage sold and KRW 180 for every pack of Christmas beans sold. Over 10 million people participated in last year’s campaign, allowing Starbucks to meet its goal of KRW 180 million before the year ended. Starbucks donated all of the money to 18 institutions and organizations nationwide, including Green Umbrella and the Korea Volunteer Center Association. The money will go to helping those in need in local communities. Meanwhile, Starbucks has joined hands with its customers to contribute to society through various participatory programs. For instance, since 2015, Starbucks has organized the Milk Love Latte Campaign, an initiative promoting the consumption

of domestically produced milk. During the limited-time campaign, Starbucks contributes to a fund KRW 50 for every latte sold. The fund is then donated to neighbors in need. Another example is the Starbucks Community Store in Daehangno, which raises funds by contributing KRW 300 for every cup of coffee or other beverage, every food item or every merchandise item sold. Starbucks has also developed merchandise items with the goal of raising funds to promote tourism and the protection of Korea’s cultural heritage. It also donated the profits, in their entirety, made in all its shops in the Pohang area from Nov. 22 to the end of the year to help Pohang recover from last year’s earthquake.