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Camellia Forest of Wimi-ri, Seogwipo, Jeju 제주 위미리 동백숲 In the language of flowers, the camellia means “I love you more than anyone.” I photographed a romantic camellia forest of the Jeju winter, the blossoms of which seem to become earnest love itself each time they bloom in the cold.
Kang Bora is a Jeju-born photographer who shoots in film to capture an analog feel. You can see more of her work on Instagram at @hiyori_snap.
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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 Myeong-dong at night. 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.
“Explore the district’s nooks — old and new — and give Myeong-dong another chance. It just might surprise you.” So writer Hahna Yoon urges us in the March issue of SEOUL, in which we take a deeper look at Myeongdong, Seoul’s historical commercial heart, a place so mainstream it’s easy to forget what a fascinating place it can be. This month, we escort you through the district’s bustling alleyways, introducing you along the way to the neighborhood’s storied past and colorful present. Also in this issue we’ll visit Gyeongju, where creatives are giving one of Korea’s most ancient cities a youthful makeover. We’ll also talk to North Korean art expert B.G. Muhn about what makes North Korean painting so much more than kitsch pieces of propaganda.
Contents The Lens
Leisure
Camellia Forest
Drinks Up On High in Myeong-dong More than Books 44
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8 Seochon’s Ilsangdabansa serves traditional teas in a modern atmosphere.
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Tea Time In a country crazy for coffee, tea experiences a revival Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Robert Koehler
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Seoul is a coffee drinker’s town, with a seemingly impossible density of cafés and coffee shops. There are sometimes cafés directly across the street from each other, or even right next door. Stand at any random spot in the city, and you’ll almost never be more than a couple dozen meters away from a place to get your caffeine fix. In a country where apartments are the most common form of family housing and space for entertaining and meeting friends isn’t part of home design, restaurants and coffee shops in particular hold a central role for Korean socializing. If you want to hang out with friends, you don’t head to someone’s living room but rather to the local café to sit and chat. Coffee is a prominent part of contemporary social interaction, but that wasn’t always the case. Long before the first indie roaster, chain store or old-school dabang was established, tea held a vital role in Korean culture — a role it’s reclaiming not just as a part of traditional culture but also as a part of modern life and trends, serving up a warm cup to Seoulites always thirsty for the next thing.
History by the cup Tea has an exceptionally long history in Korea and an equally exceptional importance. While coffee only came to Korea towards the end of the Joseon period, tea has been part of Korean culture since at least the seventh century. While the very first tea to arrive on these shores was imported from China, soon tea plants themselves were being established in the lower part of the peninsula for domestic cultivation and enjoyment. From almost the beginning, tea had a strong association with Buddhism. Monks went wild for it, praising it for its ability to both calm and relax people while also helping them stay alert and focused. It was the ideal thing for meditation, and soon temples from Jirisan Mountain on south were raising their own tea plants and producing their own brews. Religious communities weren’t the only ones who loved tea, though, and royalty had its own set of codified tea ceremonies and drank it regularly. The Joseon period marked a decline for tea drinking in the country. With Buddhism’s fall in favor and the
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Mugwort rice cake waffles go well with green tea at Ilsangdabansa.
One of Gyeongju’s hottest places, Bitkkuri proves traditional tea and rice cakes can be cool, too.
rise of Confucianism, tea production fell into decline along with the monasteries, and eventually the tea plant went wild, growing on the mountain sides near the temples. While tea was still consumed, it lost much of its prominence as a crop until cultivation picked up again during the colonial period. Boseong’s lovely manicured terraces of tea bushes date to this period, as do some of the fields in Jeju. After the chaos of colonization and the Korean War, coffee really came into its own as Korean workers looked for something with enough jolt to get them through a busy day as the economy started to boom. Coffee came to rule in the hurried life in Seoul, leading to a twist on the old joke about “northern women and southern men” to emphasize the difference between the busy Gyeonggi region and the more relaxed, traditionbound areas below: “northern coffee and southern tea.”
Turning back to tea However long you brew it, coffee wasn’t strong enough to totally eclipse tea. Particularly around Insa-dong, tea houses became places where people could take a rest from their busy lives and enjoy Korean teas and infusions. Often located in traditional Korean houses, they offered a glimpse of a quieter, more local lifestyle in a space constructed to evoke an antique atmosphere. These tea houses came to be seen as a place where innovation wasn’t the point, a deliberate rejection of trendiness. The idea of visiting a tea house was to experience a return to tradition, not to chase something new. Now, as Seoul becomes bigger and the
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Steven Smith Teamaker offers a wide range of teas.
bustle of daily life starts to wear folks down, people are rediscovering tea houses as a place to slow down and reflect. As a result, tea houses both traditional and modern are gaining in prominence and reaching out to new customers. Tea is coming into vogue, and a new generation of proprietors are happy to introduce old teas to new audiences while also brewing up new ways to drink this ancient beverage. Even coffee shops have had to pay attention, and have increased the quality and variety of their offerings. At its massive new space in Jongno Tower, Starbucks doesn’t just offer premium coffees, but has vastly expanded its tea offerings to include high-end teas prepared at a fancy tea bar by their baristas. Other coffee shops, both chain and independent, have upped the ante by steadily moving towards higher quality teas, a broader range of flavors and styles, and favoring whole-leaf teas over bagged.
A new bag of tricks A rising generation of tea houses is bringing new life to this old drink. Modern tea houses have emerged, bringing together tea and design, and there’s a renewed interest all around in bringing people the highest– quality teas available and serving them in ways to enhance enjoyment and understanding of this ancient beverage. They range from the massively successful Osulloc chain to tiny neighborhood shops, but all are dedicated to making tea part of Seoul’s everyday life. Some specialize in Korean teas but abandon traditional service and spaces for crisp modernism.
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Others are diversifying the tea scene by concentrating on European teas, Chinese teas or teas from other parts of Asia, letting the savvy drinker enjoy everything from authentic Indo-Tibetan chai to a fusion French blends. Almost all of them are experimenting with using tea as more than just an infusion, with the flavors of the little leaf that could showing up in everything from latte drinks to cakes to cocktails. At Ilsangdabansa in Seochon, a limited but carefully selected menu of teas is served using beautiful modern ceramics in a sleek industrial setting. Customers can step up to the wooden bar in the center of the space to watch the staff at work setting up their individual tray of tea, then watch the world go by as they sip on one of the carefully selected whole-leaf teas and snack on traditional tea snacks. Or they can choose from a menu
of light meals and desserts, including mugwort waffles and sweet white bean porridge. In the evenings, both neighborhood folks and visitors drift in to enjoy a range of traditional alcohols and cocktails. Just down the road is Omusa, an old house has been transformed into a cafĂŠ that specializes in tea and tea-infused cocktails in cozy intimacy, all warm wood and dark colors. Other tea houses, like Tea Collective in Apgujeong, have made tea feel modern by going organic and paying attention to the whole experience, from packaging to plating. Warm neutral colors, contemporary ceramics and a range of organic Korean-style teas and infusions including persimmon leaf, green tea and pumpkin invite customers to relax all afternoon and maybe nibble on a tea-infused scone or two.
Steven Smith Teamaker’s futuristic space in Apgujeong-dong brings serious design to the art of tea drinking.
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Hand harvested from wild tea plants — often the descendants of the trees grown to supply temples in the Goryeo period — and then laboriously hand roasted and rolled, the best teas are often not available commercially at all or only in very limited quantities.
Green or black, a trendy leaf Koreans have long been wedded to green teas, and the southern areas produce some of the world’s finest. Since almost the entirety of Korea’s domestic tea crop is consumed before it ever leaves the country, exports are rare and it remains relatively unknown abroad — especially the highest quality teas. Hand harvested from wild tea plants — often the descendants of the trees grown to supply temples in the Goryeo period — and then laboriously hand roasted and rolled, these teas have a distinctive rounded quality, soft and mellow compared to the grassier and more floral green teas crafted elsewhere in Asia. These teas are often not available commercially at all, or only in very limited quantities. Alongside Korean teas, fermented and green teas from China and Taiwan have been treasured for their distinctive flavors and health qualities, and many serious tea students learn as much about these teas and traditions as the indigenous ones. Recent trends have extended the appreciation for quality teas from around the world, bringing a spotlight to styles once considered the province of connoisseurs. Noh Kabkyu, owner of Blue Flower Tea House in Samcheong-dong (disclosure: also the writer’s spouse) knows the reason for the rise in new styles and their effect on tea houses: “These days black tea and pu’erh tea in particular have become really trendy. Koreans are really sensitive to trends in fashion and media, and this can even affect the tea business. For example, on the last season of her show, Lee Hyori drank pu’erh, and now there’s Lee Hyori branded tea and tea sets.”
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“Some tea houses work really hard to follow these trends, and others don’t. Koreans don’t actually drink that much tea, and the teas they like are really changing as more diverse teas become available. Regardless, a good tea house will have its own unique atmosphere and way of doing things,” Noh explains. Even before celebrities were getting in on the action, tea production in Korea has been in the process of diversification, with more interest in locally produced black, yellow and other fermented teas. Although made from the same plant, allowing the leaves to oxidize produces darker, more tannic teas with stronger flavors, including tantalizing whiffs of smoke, leather, flowers, and spices — all attractive to modern palates. Alongside Chinese, Indian and other Asian-produced black teas and European blends, domestic production of fermented teas has increased to meet the desire for locally made versions adapted to the Korean palate.
Blending the best While blending teas, especially black teas, has a long history, artisan blends have become a popular way to show off the tea maker’s skill at combining new flavors. Osulloc, Amore Pacific’s heavy-hitting tea brand, has been combining green and black teas from their fields in Jeju with flower petals and fruit to create their own in-house blends with evocative names that recall the natural beauties of Jeju Island. Revered European brands like Mariage Freres have also been making massive inroads, but so too are some challengers from unlikely places, like Steven Smith Teamaker from the
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Ilsangdabansa looks more like a coffeehouse than a tea shop.
Osulloc brings the tea of Jeju to a national audience.
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Steven Smith Teamaker’s draft teas are a new experience.
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Boseong's green tea fields are one of Korea's most picturesque travel destinations.
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Koreans are learning to think about traditional culture as something that doesn’t have to be static and viewed only from afar, but also a fun and vital part of modern life.
United States. “Because of Smith’s, I have become an enthusiastic tea drinker,” gushes graduate student Henry Kim.“When you first go to its tasting room, the first thing you will try is its popular tea flights that serve your choiceㄴ or a recommended list of different teas.” Their new branch in Apgujeong doesn’t just bring their sophisticated blends of teas from around the world, like their rosepetal infused genmaicha and their smokey English breakfast blend, but also their house-infused milk teas (available in very limited quantities) and silky-smooth nitro teas on tap, a twist on the nitro coffee trend.
‘Traditional culture is trendy now’ It’s not just that tea has found new ways to present itself. Koreans are learning to think about traditional culture as something that doesn’t have to be static and viewed only from afar, but also a fun and vital part of modern life. On a frosty evening outside Ilsangdabansa, Seoulites Eun-gyu and Inez were happy to share how much they’d enjoyed trying tea and tea-flavored cocktails together. Remarked Eun-gyu, “I usually drink coffee, so I had no idea. We just found this as we walked along the street. In Korea there’s so many kinds of traditional tea, so I haven’t tried everything, but most of them are really good. I have no idea about tea, but the tea I drank today was really good.” “I think there’s definitely a trend towards the traditional ways of making tea, and not just tea,” said Inez. “Every part of Korean traditional culture is becoming trendy now as people try to go back to their roots. I think it’s nice.”
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Myeong-dong Old and New A layered neighborhood is full of surprises Written by Hahna Yoon Photographed by Robert Michael Evans
Ask any local in Seoul about their favorite neighborhood in the city and you’re unlikely to hear Myeong-dong as an answer. Notoriously loud and crowded with tourists, the busy city-center is part shopping district, part financial hub. As such, Myeong-dong’s recent development lacks the trending hipster appeal that popularized the likes of Seongsu-dong, Ikseon-dong and nearby Euljiro. It is mainstream and commercial, but Seoulites often forget the rich history buried underneath Myeong-dong’s megastores, overlooking the colorful new venues adding to its depth. Explore the district’s nooks — old and new — and give Myeong-dong another chance. It just might surprise you.
The streets of Myeong-dong are regularly packed with shoppers, tourists and sightseers.
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Myeongdong Kyoja offers up a comforting bowl of handmade kalguksu.
Chinese quarter Myeong-dong’s relationship with China began even before the district was known as Myeong-dong. A historic district dating back to the founding days of the Joseon Kingdom (1392–1910), Myeong-dong was originally called Myeongryebang and then called Myeongchijeong during the Japanese colonial period. Only after Korean independence in 1945 was the district named Myeong-dong, meaning “bright cave.” The Chinese population of Myeong-dong boomed during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). In particular, China’s Qing Dynasty sent over 3,000 soldiers to suppress the 1882 Imo Incident; Chinese merchants followed the army, supplying goods such as silk and
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setting up restaurants in Myeong-dong. Powerful Chinese general and politician Yuan Shikai, who would eventually become the first president of the Republic of China, lived in Myeong-dong for ten years while serving as the Qing Dynasty’s powerful representative in Seoul. His residence became the basis for today’s lavish Chinese embassy, the second-largest Chinese legation in the world. Traces of Chinese history can be found throughout Myeong-dong, especially in the so-called Chinese Quarter, the alleyways in front of the Chinese embassy. Of particular note is Kwanchenru Street — Chinese for “street in front of the government office” — the alleyway that begins at the front gate of the embassy and flanks the Central Post Office until it reaches the intersection in
Exploring Seoul
front of the old Bank of Korea. Although it has changed much over the years, the street is still home to old Chinese restaurants such as Gaehwa, known for its black-bean noodles, or jjajangmyeon, and Ilpoomhyang, known for its seasoned pig’s feet, or ohyang jokbal. The Overseas Chinese Primary School, opened in 1909 by Chinese residents of Korea, or hwagyo, is Seoul’s oldest foreign school and remains one of the most important educational institutions for the Chinese community today.
Religion and revolution at Myeongdong Cathedral Built by Chinese laborers in the 1890s, Myeongdong Cathedral is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Korea and was the largest building in the country at the time of its opening. Few, however, associate the cathedral with revolutionaries, despite the sanctuary’s surprisingly subversive history. At the close of the 19th century, French missionaries urged the construction of a cathedral on Jonghyeon, or “Bell Hill,” one of the highest points in the downtown of the old capital. The building was consecrated in 1898. The neighborhood around the church boomed in the late 1960s as businesses began to set up shop in the area. During the next three decades, the cathedral played an Simply take a look through a window or at the replicas on display outside to find a worthy place to eat.
The dense nature of Myeong-dong necessitates alleys filled to the brim with signs competing for your attention.
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Visitors reflect in the tranquil Myeongdong Cathedral while finding refuge from the busy streets outside.
important role in Korea’s democratization. Pro-democracy demonstrations often took place here because police were reluctant to conduct arrests inside the religious institution. Democracy activist and eventual president and Nobel laureate Kim Dae-jung, himself a devout Catholic, held two famous protests in front of the cathedral — once in 1976 to demand the resignation of Park Chung-hee and again in 1987 to protest the murder of a university student. A visit to the cathedral today can mean anything from attending mass or admiring the architecture to drinking coffee in the church’s latest annex.
Cultural institutions During the 1970s, the district became the go-to for the hottest plays, the best eats and the tallest buildings. Myeong-dong may no longer stand at the avant-garde, but many of the neighborhood’s institutions have played an important part in Seoul’s cultural growth. Before the boom of Daehangno, Myeong-dong served as the city’s main theater district. Built as a cinema in 1934, Myeongdong Theater was the home of the National Theater of Korea from 1957 to 1973, the year the theater moved to its current home on Mt. Namsan. It is now one of three venues used by the National Theater Company of Korea. Although the interior has been completely
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renovated, the building’s Baroque façade has been preserved as a reminder of the venue’s pioneering role in the performing arts. Another historic space is Samillo Changgo Theater. Opened in 1975, the small theater symbolized freedom of expression during a time of heavy censorship, staging experimental works and showcasing young artists. The theater moved to Daehangno, returned to Myeong-dong and eventually closed due to rising rents, but efforts are underway to reopen it. In the late 1960s, restaurants began to capitalize on the scores of people visiting Myeong-dong. Two local institutions are Myeongdong Kyoja and Jangsu Galbi. The former, which moved to Myeong-dong from Suhadong in 1966, is renowned for its knife-cut noodles, or kalguksu. Jangsu Galbi, known for its one-portion servings of grilled ribs, originally opened in 1968, closed and reopened a few years ago just in time for the honbap (“eating alone”) craze. Myeongdong’s main drag, Myeongdong 3-gil, was confirmed as Seoul’s cultural heart when the headquarters of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO opened its doors there in 1967. The street’s name was officially changed to UNESCO Street in 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the commission’s foundation.
Exploring Seoul
K-fashion and a new Myeong-dong Today, as in years past, Myeong-dong is a commercial center par excellence. Storefronts and signs are written in Chinese and Japanese and salespersons welcome you in four languages. While local giants like the Lotte and Shinsegae department stores and major international brands such as Uniqlo, H&M and Zara continue to draw crowds, demand for products by young local designers has been on the rise. To see this in action, visit Åland. Though named for a region of Finland, Åland is actually a local “multishop,” or pyeonjip syap, a store that sells a curated selection of products and brands. Opened in 2006, the shop has proven a hit, its success widely attributed to the young, local designers on whom the store has taken a chance. The four-story building has everything from high-end fashions and vintage apparel to trendy-but-affordable Korean designs. Since its launch, Åland has opened 14 locations across the country as well as a handful of stores in Hong Kong and Bangkok. The success of Åland has spurred the birth of like-minded competitors such as Indibrand, Mixxo, 8seconds and Style Nanda. Speaking of Style Nanda, its flagship store in Myeongdong has become an Instagram favorite. The Style Nanda Pink Hotel, as its called, is a five-story makeup and apparel store lavishly adorned in pink and gold. It’s straight out of a Wes Anderson film. Its beautiful gold elevator takes you to the fifth floor, where you can enjoy beverages at their exceedingly cute Pink Pool Café. Kang Kyung-ha, who manages the location, says Myeong-dong It’s likely that something will catch your eye on one of Åland’s five floors
Fashion meets quirky at Style Nanda Pink Hotel.
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Hotel 28’s cinematic theme is evident from first glance.
has helped give the flagship store an international edge over its Hongdae branch. “We are the first Style Nanda to go for the pink concept, as most of our stores were originally decorated in black,” she says. “And we’re the only venue to have a rooftop café.”
Shop and sleep Korea Tourism estimates that over 6.8 million international tourists visit Myeong-dong annually. Little wonder, then, that the boutique hotel industry has flourished here. Small House, Big Door became one of the hottest hotel names in Seoul for its minimal, white aesthetic and rooftop parties. Spaces such as the Metro Hotel, Hotel L7 and Hotel 28 followed suit. These hotels offer a walk on Korea’s trendy, more design-focused side, and in so doing have become a hit with visiting tourists and staycationing locals alike. One of the hotels best catering to international tourists is Hotel 28, located in the heart of Myeong-dong. Opened in 2016, the cinema-themed hotel is a tribute to its founder, veteran actor Shin Young-kyun. In an interview with J Magazine that year, Shin said, “During the 1970s, Myeong-dong was the center of culture ... I
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Exploring Seoul
would love to take part in making culture the basis of Myeong-dong again.” Not only does the hotel showcase stills from classic Korean films, it also collaborates with other cultural institutions such as entertainment company YG.
Myeong-dong Station (Line 4)
Playing tourist With buildings being bought out by conglomerates and Korea’s relationship to China consistently determining the neighborhood’s crowds, it’s difficult to predict whether Shin’s dreams of “returning Myeong-dong to its cultural center” will come to fruition. Of course, one could also argue that all it takes is a bit of cultural redefinition to claim Myeong-dong as a cultural center. Explore the neighborhood’s alleyways, read up on the historic sites and take part in Korea’s retail economy with some shopping. Let’s call it a cultural day.
Myeong-dong
Shoppers navigate the labyrinth of stalls selling food, clothes, toys, etc.
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Traditionally Hip Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil adds a dash of cool to Korea’s ancient capital Written and photographed by Robert Koehler
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Roastery Donggyeong serves finely brewed coffee in an elegantly retro atmosphere.
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Hwangnidan-gil’s shops ooze personality, making them popular with younger visitors.
Though Gyeongju, the historical capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.–A.D. 935), has long been a popular travel destination, the city was better known for its royal tombs, ancient ruins and Buddhist monuments — all fascinating, to be sure, but nobody’s idea of chic. Over the last year, however, young creatives have been busy turning a 700-meter stretch of old homes and shops near the burial mounds of Hwangnam-dong into one of Korea’s hottest stops, a row of eminently Instagrammable cafés, bookstores, boutiques, gift shops and other trendy establishments that are putting Gyeongju on the social
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Hwangnidan-gil’s establishments harmonize the traditionally sublime and trendily exotic. Think 2,000 years of Korean history meets Brooklyn. media map. The neighborhood, called “Hwangnidan-gil” after the similarly stylish but better-known Gyeongnidangil district in Seoul, is giving the town what it never had before — a healthy dose of cool.
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Hwangnidan-gil has not just one, but two independent book stores.
A little old and a lot of new Hwangnam-dong — or most of it, anyway — is like a film set of a TV program set in the 1970s. Aging tile roof homes and weather-beaten shop façades line quiet streets and meandering alleyways where life moves with the frenetic pace of an especially lazy sloth. The district was best known for the delightful confection to which it lent its name, the hwangnam-ppang, a small, round cake filled with a paste of sweetened red bean, created by local baker Choi Yeong-hwa in 1939. Sold by the box, the pastries are a popular gift.
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At the center of Hwangnam-dong is Daereungwon Tomb Complex, a sprawling park with no fewer than 23 large tumuli, the final resting places of royals and aristocrats from the Silla Kingdom. The park’s centerpiece is the famous Cheonmachong, a massive burial mound that belongs to an unidentified fifth or sixth century king. When it was excavated in 1973, the tomb yielded an archaeological treasure trove of 11,526 artifacts, including a gold crown, a gold girdle and a mural of a white, eight-legged heavenly horse, or cheonma, the only surviving painting from the Silla
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The Daereungwon Photo Studio is a local monument specializing in vintage black-and-white photography.
30 Daereungwon Park has no fewer than 23 large tumuli, the final resting places of royals and aristocrats from the Silla Kingdom.
Exploring Seoul
Cafés like Forest delight with sophisticated design.
Imagine if Seoul’s hip Gyeongnidangil neighborhood and Jeonju’s picturesque Hanok Village had a child, a child that spoke with the distinctive twang of the Korean southeast.
Kingdom so far discovered. The park is a pleasant spot in which to take stroll, especially in the early morning or late afternoon, when the tombs cast lovely shadows in the low-angle light. One especially lovely spot is the giant magnolia tree just behind the enormous Hwangnam Daechong Tomb. Flanked by two smaller burial mounds, the tree possesses a dignity that captivates professional photographers and Instagrammers by the legion. Daereungwon Tomb Complex charges no fee to enter. The park is part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Not your father’s Gyeongju Until just last year, the road west of Daereungwon Tomb
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Complex, running from the Naenam Intersection in the north to the Hwangnam Elementary School Intersection in the south, differed little from the rest of Hwangnamdong – just another aging street in an aging part of town. Indeed, the strip was old even by Hwangnam-dong standards. Because of the proximity of the royal tombs, historical preservation laws prevented local residents and business owners from significantly enlarging their buildings, limiting the neighborhood’s development. The road’s rustic charm and low rents, however, attracted the notice of young entrepreneurs looking for an outlet for their creative energies. A few established businesses on the street. Soon, a few more did likewise, followed by a few more. What is now called “Hwangnidan-gil” was born. The road is now a line of bakeries, bookshops, boutiques, cafés, galleries, restaurants and workshops, some cozy, some quirky and all oozing with personality. Thanks to social media, the street has become a “hot spot” on par with Seoul’s trendiest neighborhoods, drawing over 10,000 mostly young visitors on weekends and holidays. Everywhere, groups of smartly dressed young people pose for selfies in front of fashionably retro storefronts. The click of the camera shutter is omnipresent. Hwangnidan-gil’s establishments harmonize the
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Hwangnam House serves craft beer and Korean pub grub in traditional-but-chic surroundings.
The writer enjoys some roasted fish at Hwangnam House.
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traditionally sublime and trendily exotic. Think 2,000 years of Korean history meets Brooklyn. Giwa Yanggwajeom, a bakery in an alley near the Hwangnam Elementary School Intersection, serves heavenly croissants made from imported French flour and butter in a renovated traditional home decorated with vintage furniture. Hidden in a mostly residential back street of the main drag, Roastery Donggyeong is another repurposed traditional house, this one serving finely brewed coffee in an elegantly retro atmosphere of dark wood and tile. Forest, a cafĂŠ near Naenam Intersection, boasts not only sophisticated minimalist design and wonderful cakes, but also views of the Cheonmachong Tomb. The rooftop space of Cafe Ohi, meanwhile, offers inspiring views of the tile-roofed homes and ancient tombs, making it an utterly delightful place to enjoy a vin
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A major tourist destination, Gyeongju is full of accommodations, from reasonably priced motels near the bus station to major resort hotels near Bomun Lake. If you’d like to stay in the Hwangnidan-gil area, however, try the Hwangnamguan Hanok Village and Hotel (T. 054-620-5000), a collection of traditional homes that serve as guest houses. Dosol Maeul (T. 054-748-9232) serves lavish Korean meals in a Hanok setting.
Dosol Maeul serves fine Korean food.
KTX trains depart Seoul Station for Singyeongju Station (travel time: 2 hours). From the station, take bus No. 50 or 51 to Seorabeol Intersection (travel time: 50 minutes). From there, just walk towards Daereungwon and the Naenam Intersection.
chaud. At night, head to Hwangnam House, an old home that now serves craft beer and grilled squid. Hwangnidan-gil’s delights go beyond the culinary. Two bookstores offer curated selections of independently published books and magazines, including picture books and a somewhat irreverent guide to the regional dialects of southeast Korea. One of the first establishments to open on the road, Baeri Samneung Gongwon is a picturesque craft shop where you can pick up souvenirs such as handmade postcards. Several shops rent traditional clothing, or Hanbok, to visitors. If you’d like a fully retro memento of your visit, Daereungwon Photo Studio specializes in vintage black-and-white photography.
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Not Just Kitsch Professor B.G. Muhn brings North Korea’s hidden art to the outside world Written and photographed by Robert Koehler
The waves thrashing around them, the crew of a small fishing boat point their ship toward a stricken boat in the far corner of the painting. Leaning over the bow, men call to their fellow fishermen in distress, determined to render aid even as their crew mates struggle to keep their own craft afloat and upright in the boiling cauldron of white-capped death. Its a scene that calls to mind the work of Romantic painters such as J. M. W. Turner or Théodore Géricault, save, perhaps, for the North Korean flag that flies from the mast of boat. “There is a strong aspect within North Korean art that you can connect to the European romanticism of the 19th century. Very strong expressions of emotion.” One of the outside world’s few authorities on North Korean art, Georgetown University art professor B.G. Muhn doesn’t deny that there’s a propaganda aspect to North Korean paintings such as the one described above, a depiction of the rescue of South Korean fishermen by their North
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Korean counterparts, an incident little known in the South but considered a historical moment in the North. Still, he explains, this doesn’t make North Korean art merely kitsch. “We all know it’s propaganda art, there is no way to hide that. My interest is, OK, within that subject matter, is that all?”
Not just propaganda No, that’s not all, says Muhn. Though North Korea may be one of the only countries still producing socialist realism art, a genre widely characterized as propaganda art, there’s much more to it if only you look a little bit deeper. “There is a complexity within the simplicity of the art,” he says. “If you don’t understand the country, you can say North Korean art is kitsch. If you know the society more, you’ll find the very delicate nuance of people’s life as well as cultural aspects.” He takes an internal approach to understanding North Korean art. This is to say, to understand the art, he first tries to understand the country, North Korea,
and how it functions. In the eyes of artists and critics trained in liberal societies such as South Korea and the West, North Korean paintings may seem little more than propaganda, but such criticism from the outside is inherently unfair, he says, given how the life experiences of North Korean artists differ so vastly from our own. “Few North Korean artists consider themselves propaganda tools,” he says. “Nor do they understand what they create as propaganda art. That’s what I’m trying to get into.” The motivations that drive North Korean artists differ from those that drive their counterparts in liberal societies. “Here in a liberal society it’s a sense of glory. Most artists, including myself, we work hard for individual glory and individual achievement,” he says. “But in North Korea artists work very hard for the glory of the state and the benefit of the people. If we don’t understand that aspect, then we don’t understand why they are making that kind of expression.” North Korean artists work hard to get the best outcome based on many years
Interview
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Muhn curated the “Contemporary North Korean Art: The Evolution of Socialist Realism” exhibit, held at Katzen Arts Center at the American University Museum in 2016.
of training and severe competition, just as artists do anywhere. “We do more personally, they do more for the public or people. So that’s the difference.”
Pyongyang Art: Chosonhwa Seoul Selection To be published on Mar. 8 292 pages 210 x 270 x 23 mm Available at Amazon and elsewhere
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Chosonhwa Muhn’s particular area of expertise is North Korean painting, or chosonhwa. Chosonhwa is based on traditional East Asian painting, which is to say, the painters use brushes to apply black ink mixed with water to canvases of traditional mulberry paper, or hanji. Though this technique is shared by the nations of East Asia, including the two Koreas, China and Japan, North Korea has developed it in a way very different from those of its neighbors. In South Korea, for instance, practitioners of traditional painting still depict landscapes and flowers like the painters of old, while younger practitioners — influenced by contemporary trends — affect very minute expressions using small brushes with very little water, a technique that, while not photo realistic, is still very detailed. In North Korea, however, artists still use lots of water and color, employing a rendering process akin to oil painting. This allows them to depict three
dimensionality, especially in human forms. North Korean artists have also grown adept at portraying facial expressions in very delicate ways. In a North Korean painting, a smile can carry countless nuances. Even the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il weighed in on this, encouraging artists to seek to bring out inner emotions though individual expressions. Indeed, smiles are ubiquitous in North Korean paintings, be it depictions of smiling laborers building dams, smiling soldiers traveling through the countryside or smiling commuters waiting at a bus stop. Outside critics have condemned this expressive quality as kitsch, as a mere convention of propaganda aiming to beautify difficult labor conditions and living environments. “In part, that’s true,” says Muhn. “But if you know the very essence of their work situation, it’s also realistic. A lot of people smile by cracking jokes [while working], especially sexual jokes. That’s their culture.” In their leisure time, laborers often sing and dance, smiling and clapping. “It’s the artist’s responsibility to depict those moments or not. Smiling moment or not. They try to show the reality of the work environment. In the West, we choose to not to depict the smiling situations.”
Interview
The magma of socialist realism If there’s anyone who would understand the realities of North Korean labor conditions, it’s the North Korean artist. Often called upon to depict historical moments such as the construction of dams and other important public works, artists commonly work, eat and sleep together with the laborers they are painting. Such paintings are typically collaborative works, a unique mode of North Korean art in which many artists work together on a single painting, usually under the direction of a head artist. In one extreme case, 60 artists joined forces in 1996 to create a massive work depicting tens of thousands of people mourning the death in 1994 of North Korea’s first leader, Kim Il Sung. While they live with the workers, the artists make sketches and take photos. When they return to their studio, they use these sketches and photos to produce a charcoal drawing, which in turn is transferred to a canvas of mulberry paper using red oxide powder. The artists then apply ink to the canvas to produce the final painting. Largely cut off from outside artistic influences for six decades, North Korean artists have developed their craft by folding upon itself, resulting in a uniquely North Korean form of socialist realism. Rather than broadening their perspectives laterally, artists have instead reached down deep into the earth, digging for the “magma of realism.” “What they achieve as a result of 70 years of developing realism is their own way of expression, very delicate facial expressions and threedimensionality of form,” says Muhn. “I criticize South Korean scholars of North Korean art who say their art is all the same. This is true, until you see more art. I’ve seen quite a lot of art, and even if it’s realism, [each piece] is distinctly different from one another.” Choe Chang Ho, one of North Korea’s most highly accomplished painters, uses brush strokes
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“If you don’t understand the country, you can say North Korean art is kitsch. If you know the society more, you’ll find the very delicate nuance of people’s life as well as cultural aspects.”
in more abstract ways, for instance, while another lauded painter, Kim In Sok, uses more staccato brush strokes. Even though both were trained a certain way, they have nevertheless found their own modes of expression.
Bringing North Korean art to the world Born and educated in South Korea but now an American citizen, Muhn got hooked on North Korean art after he saw a piece of chosonhwa in the United States. “Like all South Koreans, I was saturated with anti-communist sentiment while growing up, so that means you have a general fear of North Korea,” he says. “This fascination with North Korea started in America, ironically. I saw one piece of North Korean art, of chosonhwa, and I was really struck because it had the leader’s image, that of Kim Il-sung, in the snowy field with his young wife and soldiers. It really shocked me, the fear really overwhelmed me. The way they depicted them was so poetic using oriental painting technique. Wow, what is this? They make this in North Korea? As an artist, I was really impressed by the entire expression. My fear was overwhelmed by my new wave of interest.”
He began researching North Korean art, taking nine trips to North Korea between 2011 and 2018. He put his findings together into a Korean language book, “Pyongyang Art: Chosonhwa,” to be released on Mar. 12. The book aims to help readers enjoy North Korean paintings, to see the many aspects that can be enjoyed. “It’s my job and duty to explain and give guidance to the reader to enjoy this hidden art, this unrevealed art,” he says. “What I want to do is approach my perspective as fair to people, to North Korea, as well as to the people who have a biased idea of North Korean art.” Muhn has also organized exhibits of North Korean paintings in the United States and even in South Korea. This autumn at the 2018 Gwangju Bienalle, he will organize the exhibition “North Korean Art: Paradoxical Realism,” the largest exhibit of socialist realism art ever held in South Korea. “My hope is that this historic project, centered on North Korean art, will be viewed holistically," he says. “I hope this exhibition will bring about active discussion as well as further understanding between the divided countries at this politically charged moment in time.”
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Bridging Cultures and Generations Chef Yeo Kyung Ok of Toh Lim honors his heritage while appealing to modern tastes Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Romain John
Chef Yeo Kyung Ok has none of the airs one might expect from a chef who has both a long lifetime in the kitchen and a fair amount of fame. Despite having achieved star status during his 30-year professional career, he appears relaxed and almost serene, at ease in his kingdom. His restaurant, Toh Lim, has a place of honor in the 37th floor of Lotte Hotel in Myeong-dong. “I started in ’78 and so I’ve worked for about thirty years now,” says Chef Yeo as he looks out the enormous windows to the stunning views of downtown Seoul and the surrounding mountains. “Toh Lim’s food is primarily drawn from Guangdong-style food,
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which is really popular with business people, but also for young people. The restaurant was originally designed with the idea that business people would be our primary customers, but I’ve tried to make it more casual and fun. Some hotels are really stuffy, and I wanted to make this more comfortable.” Indeed, despite the poshness of the surroundings, it’s easy to relax into its modern feel.
Bridging China and Korea Yeo says he didn’t have many options after graduating high school. His father, who was Chinese-Korean,
Dining | Chef Interview
died when he was young, leaving his Korean mother to raise the family on her own. Despite attending Chinese-Korean schools, the connection with Chinese food wasn’t a strong part of his childhood. Yeo recalls, “We ate a lot of mandu growing up, but when I started I didn’t know a lot about other Chinese foods. I didn’t know anything when I started, so I studied it by working in Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. It took at least two to three years just to study the basics.” Chinese Koreans, or hwagyo, were the first to really bring Chinese cuisine to the mainstream in Korea. They didn’t just pioneer new restaurants, though. They created something entirely new by changing the foods from China, adapting them to the tastes and ingredients of Korea, resulting in some of the country’s best-loved dishes. Everyone’s favorite delivery food, noodles in black bean sauce, or jjajangmyeon, is based on a Chinese dish, but turned into a new fusion food in Incheon by the hwagyo community. Another major community of hwagyo was situated in Myeongdong, which is still home to a school and several streets of Chinese restaurants near the post office. Yeo reflects that this history is in danger: “These days it’s too expensive, so we’re losing some of that culture, and the hwagyo community can’t afford to stay.”
Balancing the new and old Chef Yeo isn’t wedded to tradition, but has cultivated a deep respect, balancing traditional flavors and techniques with modern tastes. His soups manage to unite distinctively Chinese elements like wontons stuffed with pork to a spectacularly clean broth with a woodsy scent from the matsutake mushrooms floating gently within. A set of dimsum manages to feel both beautifully traditional and bracingly modern thanks
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to juxtapositions of shape and texture, including a luscious and creamy shrimp dumpling with the briny snap of caviar, or a mushroom dumpling that manages to be both meltingly soft and bracingly earthy, just barely visible under a translucent skin. “Back in the 1990s we were mostly serving a lot of traditional foods, but now it’s changing,” he says. “The good thing is that people who come to the hotel now have lots of experience with traveling and have very sophisticated tastes, so we can make food that appeals on that level.” It’s not just that tastes have changed though, Yeo thinks. “More people are cooking [Chinese food] at home. We used to just eat whatever our family made for us. Now it’s much more about individual tastes. People are still a little conservative, but much more experimental. They want to try the food they see on TV. They’ve traveled more, so they know how different foods are supposed to taste. They’re interested in different flavors, and there’s lots more diversity in how things are cooked. I can make things now that are more subtle, more seasonal,” Yeo says. But there’s more to making great food than just appealing to people’s physical senses. “As people eat, there’s hunger, yes, but the flavors are also enhanced by knowing more about the food. Food has a history, and understanding it makes it better.”
Toh Lim 도림 37F, 30, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu | 02-317-7101/7102
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Delicious Eats on Cool Streets It’s nippy out there, but tasty treats in Myeong-dong are bound to fill and warm up your stomach Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Robert Koehler
Street food is one of the things Korea does best, and there’s no better place to sample its many delights than in the many street food stalls of Myeong-dong. Depending on the area, you’ll find everything from zany fusion foods to old-school classics, and inspiration from both Korea’s past and its international present. Take a stroll and eat your fill.
Traditional fare For traditional treats, the largest run of stalls starts at Noon Square shopping mall and stretches north along Myeongdong 4-gil. The foods here are beloved by Koreans and hold a special place in people’s hearts as the snacks of their childhood. They can serve as everything from a quick snack to a substantial meal. Start with the most representative of all street foods and get a plate of tteokbokki — these rice cakes are simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce along with odeng (fried fish cakes), cabbage and onion. Try them on their own, or get a side of kimbap (rice and seaweed rolls, usually filled with vegetables and meat), sundae (blood sausage) or twigim (fried vegetables, shrimp or squid) to dip in the extra sauce. While you can get it in a takeaway cup, it tastes best right at the stall. If you eat in, the plate is wrapped in a plastic bag to make it easier to package the extras and to reduce the amount of dishwashing for the stall owner. Before you leave, help yourself to a free cup of broth from the fishcakes. Some treats are seasonal and only appear when the air is crisp and cold. Roasted chestnuts, egg bread, and fish-shaped cakes filled with sweet red beans only appear in the fall and winter, and usually disappear when warm weather shows up. Egg bread, a sweet muffin topped with a whole egg, is ideal for carrying around with you to keep your hands and your stomach warm. Fish-shaped breads (called ingo or bungo bbang depending on the exact shape of the mold) are one of the cheapest treats and sometimes can be found in mini-versions or in fancy flavors like custard and pizza.
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Dining | Dining Out
Something new The main stretch of Myeongdong-gil between Noon Square and the cathedral is packed with stalls serving the latest food fads. It’s also the most international stretch, with influences from all over the globe. Deep fried and battered food is available in plenty, from spicy boneless chicken to shrimp and tiny crabs to the famous spiraling “hurricane potatoes.” Cheese is also in vogue, usually as skewers of grilled, cubed Imsil cheese, or as a topping to an array of seafood from lobsters to giant scallops. Chinese and Japanese pan fried noodle stalls are sandwiched between kebabs and grilled steaks. For dessert, chose between a freshly filled cream puff or strawberries wrapped in red beans and rice cakes, or perhaps a German schneeballen. Wash it all down with fresh squeezed orange or pomegranate juice, or a zip-bag cocktail. A few simple etiquette rules will help you navigate successfully. Instead of napkins, most stalls have rolls of toilet paper. Take care of your trash and don’t litter. If the food comes in a bag or in a tub, you can carry it with you, but food served on plates or skewers should be eaten at the stall. This give you access to the wide range of seasonings, and the vendor will snip the skewers down to size as you eat. Also, it helps prevent skewering other pedestrians as you pass. Bon appetit.
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Drinks Up On High in Myeong-dong Hotel bars offer lavish luxury with a view Written by Simon Clarke Photographed by Robert Michael Evans
When it comes to shopping, it’s hard to beat the bang for your buck found in the retail mecca of Myeong-dong. While navigating through the crowds and cashiers is an experience in itself, there’s no better way to cap off a long day then a well-made drink up on high. In Myeong-dong, it’s the hotel bars that lead the charge, offering a bevy of upscale options for cocktails with a view.
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Seoul, SOL Sky Lounge and Bar Located on the 21st floor of the Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel, the SOL Sky Lounge and Bar provides an intimate setting with a stellar view of the Myeong-dong streets below. A wood panelled, U-shaped counter surrounds an assortment of high-end liquors, ranging from aged soju to Japanese sake. Crystal chandeliers sparkle overhead, while cozy booths provide a private place to drink and admire the city lights. There is an undeniable sense of serenity to the venue. Maybe it’s watching the busy streets bustling silently beneath, or perhaps it’s the contemporary Japanese decor. Whatever the reason, this is an all too easy establishment to enter, and a decidedly difficult one to leave. During the day, the SOL Sky Lounge is converted into a breakfast buffet. After hours however, cocktails are the name of the game. The talented staff on hand take great care to make sure that every beverage is prepared with the utmost attention to detail. Should you find yourself peckish after knocking back a few drinks, finger food along the likes of nachos and cheese platters can be ordered late into the night. 21st Floor, 27, Myeong-dong 8-gil, Jung-gu | 02-721-5960 | 8 p.m.–1 a.m.
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Leisure | Nightlife
Aloft Seoul W XYZ Bar Aloft has a clear company mandate — design, music and technology. The W XYZ Bar is a culmination of these elements, providing an ambient space to unwind, eat and indulge in some live music. Comfy couches are stacked with silk cushions. Wine racks are stocked with bottles aplenty from the Napa Valley. A large touchscreen computer provides video games and internet access specifically tailored for tourists seeking new sights around the city. Once a year, an “Aloft Star Competition” held at the hotel supports the discovery and encouragement of new musicians in the early phases of their career. These said musicians will then frequent the venue, performing weekly on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. When ordering a drink, make sure to speak to the friendly bar manager Ippie Okuma. As a winner of the prestigious Barcadi Martini Grand Prix Bartender Awards, his cocktailmaking skills are second to none. His speciality, the rum-infused “Pirates of the Carribean” is a delightfully delicious blue beverage that goes down an absolute treat. Lunch and dinner are also available, with a high-quality menu of burgers, steaks and salads — all of which are tweaked to suit the seasons.
L7 Floating Bar Proudly perched atop the Myeong-dong branch of the L7 Hotel, the Floating Bar’s claim to fame is being one of the largest rooftop venues in the city. The outlook does not disappoint, providing the perfect panorama of Namsan Mountain and the surrounding suburbs. The outdoor patio is both spacious and modern, framed by well-groomed greenery and tables and chairs to spare. There is even a heated footbath, should you desire to soak the day’s stress away whilst enjoying a well-made drink. While the patio may prove a tad too brisk throughout the cooler months, the interior is warmed with a row of fancy gas fuelled fireplaces. Flickering flames contribute to an already calm and comforting atmosphere, in which it is all too easy for “just one drink” to suddenly turn into three. Each Friday and Saturday night, a resident DJ sets up shop, ensuring that weekend evenings are a spritely affair. The dinner menu offers entrees to full-fledged meals, with a variety of palate pleasing options just as lavish as the bar itself. 21st Floor, 137, Toegye-ro, Jung-gu | 02-6310-1096 | 5 p.m.–midnight
2nd Floor, 56 Namdaemunro, Jung-gu | 02-2084-1021 | 11 a.m.–midnight
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More than Books CGV’s Cine Library brings together film and the arts that inspire it Written by Sang-ah Lee Photographed by Robert Koehler
“You are not allowed to bring your bag into the library, you can only have your laptop and writing implement with you,” says the receptionist at CGV Cine Library, Korea’s first film library. “Please leave your identification with us, and we will offer you a locker where you can keep your belongings.” At first, this writer is put out. Is it really worth the extra trouble to visit this library? However, as soon as I step into the library, I have no other choice, or else to change my mind entirely. On both sides of the rectangular space — once used as a film-screening theater — are bookshelves densely filled from top to bottom. Rows of seats and tables occupy the middle, and soft interior lighting completes the mood of the library. CGV Cine Library opened in Myeong-dong
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in 2015. Its mission is to be an exceptional cultural venue of inspiration, relaxation, and communication. “Through the agency of books, CGV Cine Library intends to be a comfortable space for those who love film, art, music, and photography,” says Hyu-ri Kim, a member of the cinema team at CGV Arthouse.
10,600 volumes and more The library houses about 10,600 exquisitely selected books and occasionally holds various talks by film professionals. It is the books that are the real appeal for those engaging in creative occupations as well as movie enthusiasts. The library’s collection includes books not just about films, but also about literature and art, which have inspired film in many ways.
Leisure | Diversions
World literature, books adopted from movies and vice versa, and graphic novels account for 5,565 items of the collection. Hundreds of scenarios, productions designs and storybooks are also available, presenting a more vivid illustration of the film-making process. Art books, accounting for as many as 1,400 of the collection, are also an integral part of the library. There are featured exhibitions as well. The “Books of My Life” section displays a collection of books selected by high-profile Koreans, including popular actors and actresses, directors and critics. You can find your favorite actor’s recommendations, as well as enjoy discovering who recommended the books you love. In another section, there are collections of books chosen by three well-known, international awardwinning directors. They are Lee Chang-dong, the director of “Peppermint Candy”; Park Chan-wook, the director of “The Handmaiden”; and Kim Jee-woon, the director of “The Good, the Bad, the Weird.” This section provides a rare glimpse into the famous film directors’ works through the scores of books selected by them. “Library Talk,” one of the featured programs at the library, enables participants to have conversations with directors, actors and film critics after enjoying a film at the theater. Regarding such diverse features of the
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cine library, Kim says, “CGV Cine Library aspires to be a valuable space enriching the lives of the visitors.” The library is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., but opening hours vary in accordance with occasional changes. Looking up the information online beforehand is highly recommended. The entrance fee requires a little attention. Movie ticket holders of CGV Myeongdong Station Cine Library or CGV Myeongdong receive complimentary admission within 15 days before or after the screening date of the ticket. CJ (CJ One) members receive a 1,000-point deduction. And CGV VIP members and CGV Arthouse Club members receive four complimentary visits a month. Whether you are a movie buff, a bookworm or a big fan of a film master, you will find this library dedicated to film truly inspiring. You may feel a connection with others by seeing the interconnectedness among different fields of art. Or perhaps, new ideas will spring up from this treasure trove of knowledge. This writer now fully understands why the extra care is taken to protect the precious collections of this library.
CGV Cine Library 10th, 11th Floor, 123, Toegye-ro, Jung-gu | 1544-1122 www.cgv.co.kr
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Cheongju: A Traditional Korean Drink Once a drink of the noble class, handcrafted cheongju is Korea’s answer to food pairings Written by Gloria J. Chang
Photographed by Robert Watt
Three years after Julia Melor and Daniel McLaughlin first met over a passion for traditional Korean alcoholic drinks, they discovered that they were no longer just learning together, but teaching others thirsty for knowledge in an area previously only available in Korean. “We realized we were learning so much cool stuff that it would be beneficial to others,” says Melor. It was this pivotal point that led to the founding of The Sool Company, an education company and consultancy that specializes in jeontongju, or Korean alcoholic drinks, with the Australian (Melor) and Scottish (McLaughlin) expats learning Korean to access original research and to communicate with those who handcraft these drinks that are slowly but surely returning to their former glory in Korea and beyond.
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“It’s a very new concept for someone from outside to come to Korea and become a specialist of Korean traditional drinks,” says Melor. Particularly in an area where only the most cursory details of the uniquely Korean process of making these alcoholic beverages were shared in workshops for the general public. “We talk about enzymes,” says McLaughlin. “Or Joseon Dynasty recipes,” adds Melor. One of the challenges in introducing Korean alcohol to an English-speaking audience is choosing the right vocabulary in translation. Or rather, teaching new vocabulary. “In order to have a language that communicates to an audience that doesn’t have the time to really go into the semantics, we prefer not to use ‘rice wine,’ ‘rice beer,’ or anything to do with rice and an alcohol,” says Melor. “We prefer to talk about brewing as a technique to know it’s alcohol, but then using the [Korean] words themselves to recognize what they are.” Jeontongju can be categorized into three groups, and all start with the same process: rice, water and a fermentation starter called nuruk. Unlike wine, where sugars from the grapes are converted into alcohol with yeast, and unlike beer, where grains are cooked and cooled to produce sugars that are then fermented with the addition of yeast in a two-step process, Korean jeontongju goes through a multiple parallel fermentation. While the starch from the rice is converted to sugar from the enzymes in the nuruk, so too is the sugar being fermented into alcohol from the yeast in the nuruk at the same time. Once it finishes its alcoholic fermentation and is allowed to settle, two distinct layers manifest. While the lower, cloudy, sedimentary layer (takju) is diluted and made into makgeolli, traditionally known as a drink for farmers, the upper, transparently golden-colored layer is filtered out to make yakju or cheongju, once only for the royal and noble class. (Yakju by law can only be made with rice, a wheat-based nuruk, and water. Cheongju may include other ingredients, though many small producers will call this category of drinks cheongju to disassociate themselves from the medicinal connotations of yakju — yak means medicine in Korean. When cheongju or yakju is distilled, it becomes soju and thus makes up the third category of Korean jeontongju). Cheongju is stronger in alcohol than makgeolli and can age in a way that makgeolli cannot. And it’s cheongju where The Sool Company sees its future.
Drinks | Column
“When you talk about brewing, especially the Joseon style of brewing, which is usually our benchmark because that was the time of recipe creation, recipe creativity ... cheongju was the drink of the royal class; that’s what people were trying to make,” says Melor. “So when you brew, you always have cheongju in mind. In terms of story, in terms of what is truly traditional and what is the heart and soul of Korean alcohol and what we have lost or what’s missing, that was cheongju. And if we can get back to that, then I think we would have come full circle in terms of reviving what was traditional and what was the entire concept of Korean alcohol.” In fact, it was cheongju that made Melor fall
in love with Korean alcohol and brewing. “It is a very different drinking experience than makgeolli or soju,” she says. “It is very fragrant and complex; it can be beautifully sweet and smooth and floral, but at the same time another type of yakju could be very crisp, almost tart that can be citrus and tangy. Because of this large range of different flavors, it kind of opened me up to a world of different food pairings and different ways for me to drink it.” It’s this range in flavors, aromas, sweetness and body that make it a perfect drink to pair with food. Herewith, three cheongju recommendations by The Sool Company on what to drink and with what.
1. Pungjeongsagye by Hwayang Using their own house-made nuruk, the Pungjeongsagye cheongju is one of the “four seasons” in Hwayang’s product line. Each season corresponds to a different drink: gwahaju in summer, takju in fall, soju in winter, and cheongju in spring. “Try pairing the cheongju with roasted game meats or salads. It has a lighter body and balanced flavor profile that can enhance the aromatics in herbed meats or salads,” says Melor.
2. Gyeryongbaekilju by Gyeryongbaekilju Using an old family recipe, Gyeryongbaekilju’s distinctively aromatic cheongju is infused with chrysanthemum, omjia, azealea and pine needles. It has an alcohol content of 16 percent and is paired best with creamy seafood dishes, says Melor. “It is also a drink that can be enjoyed and appreciated on its own, due to its rich and complex profile.”
3. Cheonbihyang by Joeunsul A Thousand Secret Aromas is the name of this sweet cheongju by Joeunsul, and it refers to the lost cheongju recipes of the Joseon Dynasty. At 17 percent alcohol, this cheongju is the only oyangju (alcohol filtered five times) currently on the market. Smooth, very full bodied, with a complex and lingering finish, this cheongju can be beautifully paired with desserts. Think dark chocolate brownie, says Melor. “It has such a smooth and silky texture, and whilst it is sweet, it also has a lot of complex floral notes that when paired with a rich and slightly bitter dessert, become more pronounced.”
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Mega-stores in Seoul’s Shopping Heart Myeong-dong’s flagship stores combine commerce and culture Written by Kate Carter Hickey Photographed by Robert Koehler With the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games coming to a close at the end of February, eyes are still on Korea as the Paralympic Games continue through March 18. With world media still seeing Seoul as the star, hopes are high that the capital city will be an enticing tourist destination post-games. If you’re visiting Korea, it’s tough to figure out where to start in Seoul. When it comes to shopping, there’s one central shopping destination that always comes to mind, a spot well-known for all things cute and Korean. Fashion, skincare, cosmetics, unique cafés, souvenirs, silly socks, Korean food and street eats—there’s one place that has it all: Myeong-dong.
Line Friends Flagship Store
Make friends with a giant bear at the Line Friends store While KakaoTalk is Korea’s instant messenger of choice, Line Friends are hugely recognizable throughout Korea. There are seven massive Line Friends shops in Seoul alone. Line is an instant messaging app developed by Naver after the 2011 Japan tsunami, when people were having difficulty getting in touch with loved ones. The app has since expanded, taking on mobile payments, music streaming services, news, entertainment, games and even a method for ordering taxis. The app’s emojis, or “Line Friends,” have become so popular that massive brick-and-mortar shops have opened up to sell popular plush toys, stationary and accessories featuring the mascots. You can’t miss the Line Friends store. When you walk by, you’re sure to notice the giant bear (Brown) reaching up about a story and a half. While many Line Friends locations have full-blown cafés, the Myeong-dong location offers no seating. Join the long line by the entrance to snap your first of many Insta-worthy pictures. There are photo zones throughout the multi-level merchandise playground. 9 Myeongdong 8na-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul| 02-318-7942| Monday–Sunday,10 a.m.–11 p.m.
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Shopping
A world less ordinary at Style Nanda’s Pink Hotel In this clear nod to Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel,” you’ll find Style Nanda clothing and the 3CE line of cosmetics. Enter the Pink Hotel through the grand lobby with a faux library on your left and a wall of room keys on your right. The main and second floors feature make-up, the third floor has dressing rooms, and the fourth floor showcased reasonably priced jeans, shirts, bathing suits, jewelry, bags and accessories in its Style Nanda vintage Laundromat. Up on the fifth floor — and sixth floor if the weather cooperates — you’ll find the Pink Pool Café, the dedicated destination of every influencer in Seoul. The café is actually reminiscent of sitting poolside in the 1980s. The café itself offers an extensive menu of coffee, tea, hot chocolates and milkshakes as well as a signature collection of slushies topped with pink, blue or yellow cotton candy. 37-8, Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu | 02-752-4546 | Monday–Sunday,11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Style Nanda’s Flagship Pink Hotel
Innisfree Flagship Store
Sheet masks galore at Innisfree On the main “Food Street” at the north end of Myeong-dong, you’ll find more than one Innisfree location. From the cheap and cheerful to expensive and impressive gifts, you can pick up plenty before retreating to the café to rest up. There’s a large location on a predominant southern corner, but head to the north side for the flagship location with Innisfree’s Green Café and VR experience. If you’re looking for Korean skincare and cosmetics to bring home as souvenirs for friends and family, Innisfree’s flagship store will satisfy all your needs. Innisfree is a Korean company with ingredients responsibly sourced from Jeju Island. The majority of the products include some form of volcanic material from Hallasan Mountain, a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in South Korea. Other unique ingredients found in Innisfree’s skincare lines include Jeju green tea, orchids, honey, aloe, lava seawater and even wine extract. Innisfree’s Green Café serves up aesthetically pleasing coffees, teas, milkshakes and freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. The restaurant and bakery update their offerings regularly, but upon last visit, the healthy soups, salads and sandwiches mingling with divinely decorated desserts made for difficult decisions. 13, Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu | 02-776-0117 | Monday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
These Boots are made for foreigners At long last, the U.K.’s favorite drugstore Boots has opened up its flagship store in Myeong-dong. This location features four floors packed to the brim with local and international snacks, products for hair, skin and body, and cosmetics that foreign make-up junkies have been craving. The store is well-staffed and employees even wear badges advertising in which languages they’re proficient. Talk about foreigner-friendly. Bringing together Korean skincare and cosmetic brands with global names such as Urban Decay, Shu Uemura, Luna and MAC, Boots makes department store brands a little more accessible. Boots also introduced its proprietary brands No7, Botanics, Liz Earle and Soap & Glory. The retail + café trend is not forgotten either. Boots has a K-pop Café on the fourth floor with vintage banquettes and make-up stations so you can apply all your new goodies in style. 43, Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu | 02-779-7045| Monday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Boots
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Tailor-made With over a century of tradition, Chong Ro Tailor carries on with a classic sense of style Written and photographed by Robert Koehler
The writing on the frosted glass of the storefront says it all. “Chong Ro Tailor. Since 1916.” The shop exudes history. In an old photograph on the wall, people in traditional dress sitting in front of the shop in a scene bathed in the sepia tones of yesteryear; a note in the corner says the photo was taken in 1916. A cabinet full of fabrics and cloth lines one of the walls. Hidden next to the cabinet is a shelf with an ancient iron and ironing board, museum pieces from the shop’s first days a century ago. It’s not Savile Row, but it’s as close as you’ll get in Seoul. “My grandfather opened this place in 1916 after learning how to make suits in Japan.” Lee Kyung-joo, the proprietor of this corner of local history, looks every bit the third-generation tailor, smile on his face and impeccably dressed in a striped dress shirt and neatly folded tie adorned with a silver tie clip, an accessory that almost always indicates a man with a healthy appreciation of classic style.
Bespoke comeback: revenge of the Kingsman When Lee Doo-yong (1882–1942) first opened the shop next to the landmark Bosingak Belfry, he became one of only a handful of Koreans making Western-style suits at a time when the local bespoke industry was dominated by Japanese tailors. As few Koreans wore suits at the time, the company initially flourished by making school uniforms, especially for Korean students, who flocked to the shop run by a fellow Korean. By the 1940s, the shop employed over 100 people and operated branches in not only Seoul but also Gaeseong and Hamheung. The founder’s son and the second proprietor of the store, Lee Hye-joo (1916–1996), even entertained dreams of opening a branch in Manchuria before his father’s death in 1942 forced him to put that plan on indefinite hold. In the 1940s, the shop moved from its original location to a spot on Jongno 1-ga. It was here, in the political and commercial heart of the city, that the shop enjoyed its golden years. In the years following Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, the shop counted among its customers political luminaries such as Vice President Yi Si-yeong and the colorful politician Kim Du-han.
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Shopping
Things really took off in the 1970s and 1980s, when economic development fueled the demand for suits. “Fathers would take their sons here as soon as they graduated high school,” recalls Lee. Demand was so high, in fact, that on major holidays, he and his father would spends nights on end working, producing up to 200 suits a month. “We even hoped that work would stop coming in,” he says. Beginning in the late 1980s, however, big companies began making cheap, mass-produced, off-the-rack suits. “Because they were made by big companies, the tailors couldn’t compete,” says Lee. “Young people all bought off-the-rack suits. So tailor shops started disappearing.” Chong Ro Tailor survived, though, supported by loyal customers who appreciated the value of a bespoke suit. “An off-the-rack suit has many owners. A tailored suit has but one owner,” says Lee. “Tailored suits are customized to the body of the wearer. Our suits are made almost completely by hand. They are completely different from off-the-rack suits made by machines.” Though his shop’s customer base includes all age groups, Lee has welcomed more and more young customers over the last several years. He attributes this to pop culture, which has generated a greater appreciation for bespoke suits. “Young people see tailored suits on TV or in movies like ‘Kingsman,’” he says. “And young people like to wear slim-fitting suits, tailored to their bodies.”
Quality doesn’t come cheap Originally trained as an architect, Lee became a tailor at his father’s request. He began learning in 1968, and has been running the shop since the 1980s. During that time, the shop moved from Jongo to Gwanghwamun. In 2010, it relocated again, this time to its current location on the sixth floor of the Supyoro Eulji Business Center near Eulijiro 3-ga Station. Requiring around two weeks of labor, Lee’s suits are not cheap, with prices beginning from above KRW 1 million. Compared to some other tailor shops that boast of lower price tags, that’s a hefty chunk of change. Lee wonders if such low-rate tailors really have their hearts in their craft, though. He says, “You can’t get the best on the cheap.”
Chong Ro Tailor Room 618, Supyoro 45 Junggu Jeodong 2-ga Business Center T. 02-733-6216 | www.bellstreet.co.kr
Magazine
In the January issue, the price of the Ray:Dear Point Care LED thermal light therapy device was incorrectly listed as KRW 120,000. The actual price is KRW 299,000. We apologize to our readers for this error.
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Cinema
A Tiger and an Auteur With his latest film, Lee Kwang-kuk cements his status as one of Korea’s leading indie filmmakers Written by Jason Bechervaise
Courtesy of M-Line Distribution
At the 22nd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) held last October, there were many highlights in terms of the films on show, but for this writer, the most impressive Korean film to premiere was Lee Kwang-kuk’s “A Tiger in Winter,” to be released in local cinemas in March. The film underscores Lee’s rising status as one of the most talented filmmakers in the Korean indie scene.
Learning from a revered auteur Like many directors in Korea, Lee spent his earlier years working as an assistant director under an esteemed or more established filmmaker. In his case, it was Hong Sangsoo. Lee evidently learned a great deal from the famous auteur, having worked on “Tale of Cinema” (2005), “Woman on the Beach” (2006), “Like You Know It All” (2008) and “Hahaha” (2009). He has reflected Hong’s appetite for narrative puzzles in his own work. ‘Romance Joe’ launches Lee’s career Lee’s feature debut came in the form of the critically acclaimed “Romance Joe” (2011), which he also wrote. Although not a hit at the box office, the film travelled to several festivals across the globe, including the Vancouver International Film Festival and Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival, following its premiere at BIFF, a pivotal event in discovering new talent. Enigmatic in terms of its narrative structure, it follows a director who arrives in a new town but — unable to pen a script — he orders coffee. After he tells the delivery girl of his inability to find inspiration for his next film, the girl tells him the story of “Romance Joe,” a
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tale of an assistant director who hears of the suicide of a famous actress. The film certainly bears the hallmarks of Hong with its cryptic plot, its scripting of a director and actress as characters and its use of an ordinary setting. The film’s vibrant aesthetic, however, differentiates it from those of Lee’s mentor. Lee’s second feature, about an actress (Shin Dong-mi) who encounters a detective (Yu Jun-sang) who interprets a dream she had the night before, was a repeat of his feature debut, premiering in Busan in 2014 to a strong wave of critical acclaim that helped it have a healthy run of the international festival circuit.
A different direction Lee’s most recent film, “A Tiger in Winter,” is less of a narrative puzzle and more of a whimsical and engaging drama, a story of a man who is being thrown out of his girlfriend’s apartment while an escaped tiger is prowling Seoul. Dealing with our inner fears compounded by injustices in society, the film is more conventional than Lee’s first two. But shot by Kim Hyung-ku, Hong Sangsoo’s cinematographer, and starring Lee Jin-wook and Ko Hyun-jung, both in top form, “A Tiger in Winter” might have what it takes to perform well in local cinemas, giving Lee the commercial success he richly deserves as one of Korea’s top independent filmmakers.
Arts & Culture
TV
The Return of the ‘Sugar Man’ JTBC gives young people a look at the artists and hits that made today’s K-pop possible Written by Miruh Jeon
Searching for the past The title of the program is a reference the 2012 documentary film “Searching for Sugar Man,” which tells the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what had become of their hero, the 1970s rock icon Sixto Rodriguez. Accordingly, the basic premise of the show is that each of the two hosts tracks down and introduces an artist or group that has largely disappeared from the public eye since their heyday. The identity of the singers is kept a secret, and the audience and the panelists alike are given opportunities to make guesses based on carefully selected hints. Once enough people have made their guesses, the singers make their way to the stage in a grand entrance.
singer Lee Ji-yeon, who debuted in 1987 and stole the hearts of many fans with her angelic voice, and the incredibly popular co-ed group Young Turks Club, who took the 1990s K-pop scene by storm. Fans were not only happy to see these singers back on stage again but were glad to hear that, although their initial music careers did not exactly pan out, many of these artists have had a chance to find their true calling. Lee Ji-yeon, for one, has changed careers and currently runs a restaurant with her husband in Atlanta, Georgia. Though she went through a bit of a rough patch after her music career ended abruptly, she found a way to get back on her feet and is now happier than ever. Some of the other artists that have since graced the Sugar Man stage include Position, Kim Sang-min, Dog and Paran. Watching these artists perform on stage again fills the older audience members with a strong sense of nostalgia, while giving the younger generation a taste of the kind of Korean music that inspired the K-pop songs that they are familiar with today. The highlight of the program actually comes at the end of the show, when the younger K-pop artists on each team put on fantastic closing performances in which they breathe new life into old hits. The two teams go head-to-head in a mini-competition, which has so far produced some interesting remakes that have topped multiple charts. It’s going to be interesting to see which forgotten artists the show brings back in the episodes to come.
Courtesy of JTBC
JTBC’s music variety program “Two You Project — Sugar Man” is back for a second season, and the show is off to a great start with nationwide viewership ratings hovering around four percent. The program is a throwback to an earlier era of K-pop that brought us countless hits that many of us still enjoy today. . The show is hosted by the “two Yous” — Yoo Jae-suk and Yoo Hee-yeol — the same MCs that successfully led the first season of the show. This season, they’re joined by two new members, comedian Park Na-rae and Red Velvet’s Joy. The four members separate into two teams, which consist of not just the hosts but current K-pop singers who join them in the quest to figuring out which “forgotten” singers have decide to return after years of absence.
The hits that built K-pop The first episode featured the legendary
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Music
For Jonghyun Fans create and curate a memorial for late Shinee frontman Written by Kristina Manente
On December 18, 2017, the world lost Kim Jonghyun, the main vocal of K-pop group Shinee, singer, songwriter, producer and artist. Devastated, distraught and searching for comfort, fans began immediately paying tribute to the man, bringing flowers, gifts and endless notes to SMTown at Coex. The makeshift memorial was soon overflowing, post-its wallpapering the outside of the building, and a garden blooming on the concrete in memory of a man who had meant so much to so many. However, after the memorial was repeatedly vandalized and disturbed by pedestrians and the homeless in search of food, fans set up boxes to discourage rifling through the gifts left. The memorial was quickly outgrowing the space co-opted outside, and SM Entertainment soon after announced plans for an official memorial inside the SMTown Coex Artium.
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While SM may have provided the space and the large portraits, excerpts from his book, the clear album cases, and even the famous kazoo and handbells from his concerts, it was Jonghyun and Shinee’s fans who truly made the memorial. Much like the original outside, the memorial is peppered with colorful post-it notes and letters. It’s an endless kaleidoscope sea of thank yous and personal tributes. The walls are awash with the notes from fans, and every day more are added to what little space remains on the walls. “I pretty much go once a week and write a sticky note,” says Carolyn, an American Shawol (the name for Shinee’s fans) who has been living in Seoul coming up on four years. “I think it’s helpful to have a place to leave notes like this, but I personally don’t feel like it ended anything for me,” explains Nicky, likewise a long-term expat Shawol in Seoul.
“I think about him every day.” However both girls agree that the space is well done, SM handled it well, and it serves an important purpose for fans who want to visit. The current memorial is only temporary, with concerns from some fans that a permanent memorial won’t be made available. While there are rumors, nothing official has been stated one way or the other by SM. “Since his grave is a private space it would be nice to have somewhere fans can go when we just miss him and want the appropriate place to grieve and not be judged,” Carolyn explains. “There are tons of people who aren’t [in Korea] who love him, so it would be nice to not put a time limit on when people can visit.” The centerpiece of the memorial is relatively small in size, but its importance cannot be overstated. Encased in glass is a first place “Music Bank” trophy, awarded to “Shinin’,” a title track on the last album Jonghyun recorded. Released at the end of January, Jonghyun’s “Poet | Artist” has been celebrated by fans and the media at large for its musicality, artistry and pep that was so uniquely him. There was little doubt it would hit number one on the charts, but his posthumous wins on music shows present a bittersweet validation for fans. He had asked to be told one thing, and now everyone was doing exactly that. You did well. Jonghyun’s memorial is open from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on the sixth floor of the SMTown Coex Artium until April 30. If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to seek help and reach out at www.lifeline.or.kr or call 1577-0199.
Arts & Culture
Books
Bracingly Unpleasant, Expertly Realized Pyun Hye-young’s “The Hole” is not for the faint of heart Written by Barry Welsh
Magazine
university professor in a deteriorating marriage. The story begins when he and his wife are involved in a car crash. His wife dies instantly while Oghi is paralyzed. When he wakes up after the accident he is released into the care of his mother in law — the only close family member he has left. The doctors are not optimistic about his condition, and at first, he can only communicate by blinking his eyes. Eventually, he slowly, painfully recovers the use of his left arm and hand. What follows is a slow burning, squirm inducing and deeply uncomfortable psychological horror story as Oghi’s mother-in-law becomes increasingly restrictive and abusive. Forced to reflect on his past life and actions, he becomes convinced his mother-in-law is punishing him for mistreating his wife and tries to escape using a variety of methods. “The Hole” is not a novel for the faint of heart, but those who dare will find it an expertly realized — if bracingly unpleasant and frequently claustrophobic — literary experience.
© Arcade Publishing
Since making her debut on the Korean literary scene in 2000 Pyun Hye-young quickly established herself as a writer with a rich, fertile imagination and a uniquely twisted view of the world. One of her translators, Bruce Fulton, wrote in an introduction to her short stories that her work “offers us a surreal, irrational world of chaos and confusion” and is full of “body parts, body fluids, decay, fecundity and lushness.” Fellow novelist Jo Kyung-ran has said that Pyun writes stories about the horror of daily life set against the backdrop of “dark nighttime parks, garbage dumps, construction sites or sewers.” In Pyun’s work, you will find unsettling tales of psychologically disturbed office workers, missing wives, abandoned rabbits, existential dread and post-apocalyptic visions of apartment life. Dysfunctional relationships and the dehumanizing nature of work are recurring themes. She also seems fascinated by the physical frailties of the human body. In “Mallow Gardens,” the occupants of a high-rise apartment become infected with grotesque, body corrupting diseases. In “Corpses,” a man must identify his wife by looking at pieces of a dismembered body. There is a disgustingly tactile quality to these stories that are sometimes so gross you can almost smell the reek wafting off the page. Many of these themes and concerns find their way into “The Hole,” Pyun’s first novel to appear in English translation. Broken bodies, spiteful relationships, loveless marriages and the spiritual toll of a life spent working all feature prominently. Oghi is a moderately successful, middle aged
“The Hole” Written by Pyun Hye-young Translated by Sora Kim-Russell Hardcover: 208 pages Publisher: Arcade Publishing (Aug. 1, 2017)
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Concerts, Festivals and More FROM CLASSICISM TO IMPRESSIONISM: THREE CENTURIES OF THE 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
The National Museum of Korea presents “From Classicism to Impressionism: Three Centuries of the French Art, Masterpieces of the French Art of the XVII– XIX Centuries from the Collection of the Hermitage” in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It examines French art from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. The State Hermitage Museum has the largest collection of French art anywhere in the world outside of France. It is an impressive collection of French artworks that was 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.
2018 F/W SEOUL FASHION WEEK Dongdaemun Design Plaza Mar. 19-24 www.seoulfashionweek.org TBA Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역 (Lines 2, 4, and 5)
Securing its place as a world-class fashion event, Seoul Fashion Week aims to introduce greater diversity into this year’s festival by offering a richer variety of cultural events and fashion shows by leading designers. The Seoul Collection will feature fashion shows of men’s and women’s attire created by 40 of Korea’s top designers. Also, the Generation Next Show, which is now a well-recognized arena for the debuts of up-and-coming designers, will feature 10 fashion shows of 20 brands (two per stage). In addition to the diverse cultural events (designer fashion shows, overseas mentoring seminar, honorary designer exhibition, etc.), Seoul Fashion Week will also offer many auxiliary events, including the opening event, Designer Awards, Networking Party and finale.
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Previews
LAYERS AND SPACES MMCA Gwacheon Thru Apr. 8 KRW 4,000 T. 02-2188-6000 Seoui Grand Park Station 대공원역 (Line 4), Exit 2
“Layers and Spaces” examines the past and present of Korean contemporary print media, centering on the collection of prints at MMCA. “Layers” in the title of the exhibition signifies the printmaker’s plate as a place of expression, while “spaces” symbolizes the crevices or engravings left on the plate, which come to form the prints. This exhibition intends to expand the concept of layers and spaces by centering on these two axial elements that constitute the framework of print media. Presenting over 150 works by approximately 50 Korean artists, “Layers and Spaces” sheds light on artists who, even in the midst of changes, cultivated their own unique art world through their relentless exploration of the expressive methodologies and the process of this exploration developing into their artistic attitudes.
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ALBERTO GIACOMETTI EXHIBITION
Seoul Arts Center Hangaram Design Museum Thru Apr. 15 KRW 16,000 T. 02-532-4407 Nambu Terminal Station 남부버스터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5
Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) was one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. The Swiss artist’s work has also proven remarkably bankable — one sculpture, “L'Homme au doigt,” was sold for USD 141.3 million at Christie’s in 2015, making it the most expensive sculpture ever. This exhibition features 120 of Giacometti’s works, including examples from his early period in Switzerland and his golden age in Paris. His last work, “Bust of Man Seated,” and his masterpiece, “Walking Man,” are on display for the first time ever in Asia. In addition to his sculptures, the exhibition shares some of his paintings, drawings and plaster works.
RALA CHOI: RALA SALON Thru Mar. 4 | D Project Space | Hannam Station 한남역 (Line 1), Exit 1 Free | T. 02-3785-0667
Through his unique works expressed by his alluring use of color and stark contrast with a film camera, Rala Choi has gained many fans all over the world by capturing the trendy moods in a wide variety of areas including the album covers of several famous musicians, brand campaigns and more. Beginning his career as a self-taught photographer, Rala Choi was able to discover his unique style and has continued to experiment with ways to communicate and express emotions in his work by developing methods to look deep into the minds of the subjects.
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HARMONY AND PROGRESS SEMA COLLECTION Thru Mar. 18 | Chungmu Art Center Gallery | Sindang Station 신당역 (Line 6), Exit 9 | Free | T. 02-2124-8955
Though the Seoul Museum of Art opened in earnest when it settled in its current location near City Hall in 2000, its true birth was in 1988, when the museum opened temporarily to mark the Summer Olympic Games held in Seoul that year. This exhibit is based on the museum’s Olympics-related collection, which it began assembling in 2003 and has since enlarged through donations and purchase. The exhibit is an opportunity to look at the Olympics – and Korea during the Olympics - from the point of view of art.
Previews
JEJU FIRE FESTIVAL Jejudo Mar. 1-4 Free buriburi.go.kr Flights to Jeju depart Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport
The 2018 Jeju Fire Festival, a wonderful representation of festivals in Jeju, is featuring a new look in 2018. The festival originated from banggae, the old pastoral practice of setting fire to the mountainous grasslands to control pests and to facilitate the growth of new grass in order to graze animals; this spirit was inherited and developed into the contemporary festival that enthralls visitors every year. In this case, the entire Saebyeol Oreum, one of Jeju’s many smaller volcanic cones, is set alight in a nighttime scene that can only be described as spectacular.
Magazine
WINTER’S LITERARY JOURNEY National Hangeul Museum Thru Mar. 18 Free T. 02-2124-6200 Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line or Line 4), Exit 2
The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is the first Winter Olympics hosted by the Republic of Korea. To commemorate the historic occasion, the National Hangeul Museum presents this special exhibition, “Winter’s Literary Journey.” It introduces 454 works of literature set in winter from all of the Winter Olympic host countries, from France, the first venue in 1924, to China, which will host the 24th Winter Olympics in 2022. The exhibition thus follows the historical journey of the Winter Olympics, starting from European nations, then to North America and onward to China, Japan and Korea in East Asia, exploring the realities of life and sentiments of people in each country as depicted or described in their winter-framed literature.
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Expat Buzz each of us has made our own dishes, we then will sit down for lunch and enjoy them. KRW 65,000 www.britishseoul.com
SPONSORED CONTENT
TOUR BRINGS INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTS TO PYEONGCHANG The provincial government of Gangwon-do invited leading members of Korea’s international community on a tour of the province on Feb. 13, at the height of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In front of Seoul City Hall, Kim Sa-dae, the president of Golden Bridge Worldwide, the company organizing the event, began the tour with a briefing. He also gave the participants with souvenirs and gifts. A three-hour bus ride later and they were in Pyeongchang, which with bustling with reporters and athletes from all over the world. In Medals Plaza, the participants felt the passion of the Olympic games despite the wind and cold, taking in the Culture-ICT Pavilion, Media Facade Show, Robot Murals Performance, corporate promotion halls, the Live Sites and the Mega Store. After Medals Plaza, the group went to the Pyeongchang Festival Theme Park to sample the traditional cuisine of Gangwon-do and enjoy dishes from a variety of nations. The participants then headed to Gangneung to take in the so-called “Cultural Olympiad.” They watched “Cheonnyeonhyang,” a non-verbal performance in which 90 performers from the Gangwon-do Provincial Dance Company bring local myths and legends to life Anyone can make use of the free shuttle bus to Pyeongchang and Gangneung, the eBus, throughout the Olympic and Paralympic games. English, Japanese and Chinese service is provided, too. www.e-busnvan.com
SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: WHISPERING BIRCH TREE FOREST, INJE SMELT ICE FESTIVAL Mar. 3 Inje, Gangwon-do The Seoul Hiking Nature Group heads to the wilds of Inje, Gangwondo, to see the snow-covered
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탐앤탐스 페니 하우스 미니 선물세트
Whispering Birch Forest and take in the Inje Smelt Ice Festival. KRW 32,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup
RASKB: OLD GUNSAN: EXPLORING THE REMAINS OF COLONIAL KOREA
Mar. 3 Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do In this tour, the RASKB will visit some of Gunsan’s historic colonial architecture and learn a bit about Japanese colonial rule in Korea. KRW 45,000 for members, KRW 60,000 for non-members www.raskb.com
BASS: KOREAN COOKERY LESSON: BIBIMBAP AND DOENJANG JJIGAE Mar. 5 Near Anguk Station Come and join BASS for a fun morning where they will learn how to make bibimbap and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). After
SIWA: TEA SHOPS AND TEA HOUSES IN INSADONG Mar. 7 Insa-dong Insa-dong is popular for its souvenir shops, but even more for its tea houses. On this tour SIWA will dive into the world of tea: it will visit a tea museum and learn some hard facts about tea, such as the different kinds of tea and the differences in quality. KRW 8,000 for members, KRW 18,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com
SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: GWANAKSAN NIGHT HIKE Mar. 8, 13 Gwanaksan Mountain Enjoy a night hike up Gwanaksan Mountain, the peak of which offers stunning views of the Gangnam area. KRW 10,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup
BASS: “PAPER, PRESENT” EXHIBITION Mar. 8 Daelim Museum Come and join us at the Daelim Museum where we will visit the exhibition “Paper, Present.” This hugely popular exhibition showcases works by ten international artists who can transform a humble sheet of paper into the most spectacular artwork. KRW 6,000
www.britishseoul.com
SIWA: KOREAN ANTIQUE MARKET DAPSIMNI Mar. 8 Dapsimni An area of 150 shops awaits at Dapsimni Antique Shopping Complex. Your tour guide, Yvonne Stehle, is a trinket hunting expert. She will probably find things for you that you weren’t even looking for. KRW 5,000 for members. Tour for SIWA members only. www.siwakorea.com
RASKB: HONGDAE STREETS WALKING TOUR Mar. 10 Hongdae area Since the mid-’90s, the area around Hongik University has been known for its community of musicians. As Korea’s independent musicians struggled with obscurity, eventually becoming a cultural force in their own right, they redefined how many people view Korea’s culture and music. KRW 25,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members www.raskb.com
SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: GYERYONGSAN NATIONAL PARK & YUSEONG ONCHEON MINERAL HOT SPA Mar. 10 Gyeryongsan National Park The Seoul Hiking Nature Group will hike Gyeryongsan National Park and stop by the famous Yuseong Oncheon natural hot spa village to relax and get vitalized. KRW 40,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup
SIWA: DONGDAEMUN FABRIC MARKET Mar. 12 Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun Fabric Market, a gigantic labyrinth of booths selling fabrics, notions, craft materials, buttons, upholstery, sewing services and more. KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com
RASKB: THE KOREAN WAR REMEMBERED: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Mar. 13 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace Michael J. Devine, a Senior Fulbright Lecturer at Sogang University and an adjunct professor of History at the University of Wyoming, discusses how the Korean War is remembered by the nations involved. Free from members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com
SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: HOLI HAI KOREA AND GEOJEDO ISLAND Mar. 16-18 Geoje-do, Gyeongsangnamdo Experience the southern island of Geoje-do when the camellia flowers are blooming. You can also take in the island’s Holi Hai color festival. KRW 78,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup
SIWA: SEOUL FORTRESS WALL — PART 1 Mar. 20 Seoul Fortress Join SIWA friends for a hike over Namsan Mountain from Gwhanghuimun Gate to Sungnyemun a.k.a Namdaemun. This segment of the Seoul Fortress Wall is 5.5 km and will take about four hours with a lunch break. KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com
The focus of this tour will be the
CONRAD SEOUL
CONRAD SEOUL: ‘BLOOMING DAYS’ PACKAGE FOR A PERFECT PICNIC The Conrad Seoul is offering a special “Blooming Days” Package in March and April in celebration of the best season for spring outings, providing guests with the perfect way to enjoy a picnic in one of Seoul’s most renowned spots, surrounded by spring flowers in full bloom The “Blooming Days” Package includes a one night’s stay in a luxury room with beautiful views of the Hangang River and a refreshing picnic in Yeouido Park. The package features a sumptuous picnic set filled with sandwiches, made fresh each day by the hotel’s chefs, and drinks for two along with a picnic-bag and picnic mat specially designed by the Conrad Seoul. Guests can enjoy their spring outing just steps from the hotel. You can choose the sandwich of your choice from our casual Café 10G with a choice of drink among coffee and fresh fruit juice. Your package also includes free parking service, liberating you from the neighborhood’s traffic and parking jams, leaving you completely free to enjoy the outdoor delights of spring to the fullest. This package is available from March 1 to April 30. Stand-alone picnic sets are also available at Café 10G (KRW 39,000). Reservations & Inquiries: T. 02-6137-7777
BASS: “MASTERPIECES OF THE FRENCH ART OF THE XVII–XIX CENTURIES FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE HERMITAGE”
Mar. 22 National Museum of Korea The National Museum of Korea presents "From Classicism to Impressionism: Three Centuries of the French Art, Masterpieces of the French Art of the XVII–XIX Centuries from the Collection of the Hermitage" in collaboration with
the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It examines French art from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. KRW 6,000 www.britishseoul.com
SIWA: KOJEON ANTIQUE MARKET
‘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
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For more info, call Johnny 61
Phone : 02-363-4253 Mobile : 010-5586-0243
Mar. 23 Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Agnes Lee, the owner of Kojeon Antiques, welcomes everyone in her 2,700 square meter Antique Furniture Gallery in Yongin. SIWA will take a tour around her wellstocked collection of Asian furniture, furnishings, small antiques and accessories. KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com
SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: MYSTERIOUS ULLEUNGDO ISLAND Mar. 23-25 Ulleungdo The Seoul Hiking Nature Group heads to Ulleungdo, the most exotic island with the atmosphere of Jurassic Park with crystal clear turquoise blue water and amazing volcanic scenery. KRW 245,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup
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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
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, 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.
KOREAN BUZZ WORD
RAENSEON JIPSA 랜선 집사 In a busy world, the Internet lets us love pets ... and more. Written by SEOUL Staff
A raenseon jipsa is a person who really enjoys looking at and reading about cats online, despite having no intention of raising a cat themselves. The term is an amalgamation of two words — raenseon, or LAN line, and jipsa, a word that originally meant a butler or servant, but now often used to refer to people who take care of their pets as if the pets — often but not always cats — were the master. If you need proof, consider that as of January, the Instagram accounts of a dog, Jiffpom, and a cat, Nala, had over 10 million followers combined. Raenseon jipsa are usually people too busy or too burdened to raise pets on their own. Lee Jang-hun, a thirty-something office worker who follows the Instagram of a pet, told the Chosun Ilbo in an article in January, “Taking into account my financial situation and how little time I have, I don’t think I can raise a pet while living on my own, and I’d feel bad leaving a pet at home alone. [I follow the account] to gain knowledge and get psychological satisfaction while watching pets raised by other people.” In an age when many overworked and underpaid young people are giving up on dating, marriage and raising children, pets aren’t the only thing being enjoyed via the LAN line. Raenseon yeochin and raenseon namchin — LAN line girlfriends and boyfriends, respectively — are entertainers you like. Raenseon aein, or LAN line lovers, are members of the opposite sex you meet online through dating apps, “lovers” you chat with even if you never meet offline.
“Brighten your Smile, Brighten your Life” International Prosthodontics & Implants Dental Clinic.
CERECTM is a cutting edge CAD/
CAM system for providing all-ceramic restorations in a single visit. Patients receive custom, hand-crafted inlays, veneers, crowns & bridges in our clinic.
Cerec Doctor : One-visit IP&I is a name you can trust.
Dr. Paik, Sung ki
dentistry. Over 6,000 restorations since 2005. Korea’s leading Cerec specialist. Serving our patients with customized, doctor’s hand-crafted restorations.
DDS, MSD, Ph. D Member of American Prosthodontic Society
62 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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SEOUL
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)
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IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL: ENJOY SWEET STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL AT CAFE DELMAR The Imperial Palace Seoul’s Cafe Delmar will hold a Strawberry Festival until April 30. During the Strawberry Festival, customers can enjoy a variety of nutritious beverages made of strawberries, one of the most popular spring fruits in Korea. Prices of these special beverages served during the Strawberry Festival of Imperial Palace Seoul’s Cafe Delmar start at KRW 23,000 per drink (inclusive of tax and service charge). T. 02-3440-8123.
SHERATON GRAND INCHEON: STRAWBERRY-HOLIC STRAWBERRY BUFFET 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. www.drrobbin.com
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At the lobby bar, Bb, of the 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. The promotion is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. until April 15, 2018. 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 percent additional discount. For more information, call T. 032-835-1712/1713.
GANGNAM-UC RIVERSIDE (GNUCR): NEW HALF-DAY PROGRAMS GNUCR’s new Improving Oral Fluency (IOF) 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. www.gnucr.kr | Gangnam-gu Office Station
강남구청역, Exit 1 | info@gnucr.net | Kakao: @gnucr |
02-546-3260
SHERATON SEOUL D CUBE CITY: LET’S PLAY MIFFY PACKAGE The Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel presents the “Let’s Play Miffy Package” for family guests and guests who are a big fan of the character Miffy until April 30. This exclusive room package is designed based on the globally famous rabbit character Miffy. Available for a limited period until April 30 and the price starts from KRW 250,000 (exclusive of tax). T. 02-2211-2100.
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Starbucks, Government Join Hands to Help Vulnerable Find Jobs Training programs and café makeovers to help youth, women returning to work and people from multiethnic families
Starbucks Korea is working even closer with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to help vulnerable groups who cannot find jobs easily. On Jan. 31 at the Seoul Youth Dream Center’s Dream Café in Samseong-dong, Starbucks Korea and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family signed an MOU outlining cooperation to bolster employment opportunities for groups that have experienced difficulties finding jobs, including young people, women returning to work after raising children and people from multi-ethnic families. With the agreement, Starbucks and the ministry will help remodel run-down cafés operated by young people, women from hard-to-employ backgrounds and people
from multi-ethnic families, continuously support of the repair and upkeep of said cafés, and provide specialized barista training. In particular, Starbucks intends to carry out a volunteer coffee training program at least once a quarter, visiting cafés to teach a graduated curriculum based on theory and practice regarding coffee beans, nations of origin, roasting, espresso-making, brewing machines, latte art and other things coffee-related. It also plans to grant those who went through the training program advantages when they seek employment at Starbucks as baristas. Starbucks intends to train some 200 individuals this year. The MOU signing ceremony was also
an opportunity to mark the reopening of the Seoul Youth Dream Center’s Dream Café, which was renovated by Starbucks as a “talent donation” based on a recommendation from the Korea Youth Shelter Association. The Dream Café is Starbucks’s eighth “Talent Donation Café.” The “Talent Donation Café” is a social outreach program in which Starbucks baristas and collaborating companies visit locally operated cafés providing employment to youth, people from multi-ethnic families and other vulnerable groups in order to renovate run-down facilities, redecorate interiors, provide barista training and assist in business operations.