2018 서울매거진 6월 전체(웹용 단면) by Seoul Selection

HOBBY SHARING

GEUMHO-DONG

GUMI

Technology helps birds of a feather flock together more easily

Discover the delights of a much underappreciated neighborhood

Geumosan Mountain was always lovely. Now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool, too.

ISSUE NO. 179

ISSN: 1599-9963

W 5,000 / US$ 5.00

JUNE 2018

Expat Buzz

Above the Clouds at Namhansanseong Fortress 남한산성 운해

It had snowed the day I shot this. Because the humidity had climbed on account of the snow, the city was trapped in a vapor cloud so thick you couldn’t see 10 meters in front of you. At the end of a long wait, however, Seoul came into view for about 10 minutes, and I could shoot the sea of clouds for a short period of time. Seo Jeongmo enjoys urban photography, his work mostly consisting of stills and time-lapse and hyper-lapse videos. For the last five years, he has been photographing weather in the city of Seoul. You can see his work on Instagram: @jongmoseo.

The Lens

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EDITOR’S NOTE Publisher Kim Hyunggeun (Hank Kim) Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Copy Editor Anna Bloom Head Designer Cynthia Fernández Designer Lee Bok-hyun Advertising & Sales/Producer & Coordinator Ha Gyungmin About the Cover Oksu-dong. Photographed by Hwang Sun-young 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.

In this issue, we present to you not just one, but two Geumnidan-gils. How that came about is interesting, if perhaps only slightly so. From the start, we’d planned to feature in our Exploring Seoul section the Geumho-dong district, where a handful of hip establishments have given rise to a so-called “Geumnidan-gil.” As we were researching the story on social media, however, we learned that Gumi, an industrial city in Korea’s southeast, also had a “Geumnidan-gil,” a street of trendy cafés, eateries and shops on the road to Geumosan Mountain. Taking it as a sign from above, we decided to go with Gumi for our Travel section, and with that, June became the month of dueling Geumnidan-gils. Also in this issue, we take a look at how technology is helping us share our hobbies, talk with renowned illustrator Seungyoun Kim, learn about our recently published “Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches” and more.

Contents The Lens

Dining

Above the Clouds at Namhansanseong Fortress 2

It’s a Delicious Day in the Neighborhood 30 Geumnidan Eats 32

ADVERTISING To advertise in SEOUL, call (02) 734-9567 or email seoulad@seoulselection.com or hankinseoul@gmail.com

Korean Keyword

Sohwakhaeng 7

Leisure

Feature

Date Night: Geumho Edition 34 A Neighborhood Café with Pink Surprises 36 Raising the Bar 38

정기구독 안내

Everyone Has Something Valuable to Teach 8

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

Interview I

In Korea KRW 48,000 (for 12 months) KRW 30,000 (for 6 months) Abroad USD 60 (for 12 months) USD 30 (for 6 months) To subscribe to SEOUL magazine or inquire about overseas subscriptions, call (02) 734-9567 or email seoulad@seoulselection.com

Travel

Gumi 40

Drawing History 16 Arts & Culture 48 Interview II

Happiness in the Details 18

Previews

Concerts, Festivals and More 52 Exploring Seoul

Geumho-dong 22

Expat Buzz 56

magazine.seoulselection.com

소 확 행 [小確幸]

Sohwakhaeng People begin to appreciate life’s little pleasures Written by Violet Kim

Sohwakhaeng refers to “small (so) but certain (hwak) happinesses (haeng).” Credit for the original coinage goes to Haruki Murakami; sohwakhaeng first appears in a collection of his early essays, “The Islets of Langerhans.” Murakami describes the joy he derives from neatly rolled-up underwear packed tidily in his drawer as sohwakhaeng. That, or the feeling of tearing into a freshly baked loaf of bread with one’s bare hands — that, for Murakami, is sohwakhaeng. But as he acknowledges, it’s an intensely personal, subjective sort of happiness. And decades later in 2018, Koreans have rediscovered in the concept sohwakhaeng their own small but certain happinesses.

The pleasures of the quotidian Sohwakhaeng is found in the small and humble. It is sense- and matter-oriented—but not necessarily materialistic. It’s a meditative happiness associated with comfort and a sense of calm, with some overlap with concepts like the Danish hygge, a word that refers to the simple pleasures of life, and connotes a feeling of coziness and warmth. Sohwakhaeng, it seems, ties into a wider global trend towards a happiness found through restraint and sustainability, a happiness of minimalism rather than indulgence. It requires slowing down to take in and appreciate details that might once have been dismissed as trivial. At present there are almost 90,000 photographs tagged #sohwakhaeng on Instagram; according to the Kookmin Ilbo, usage of the #sohwakhaeng hashtag increased dramatically in 2018. The tags can be found attached to everyday vignettes: snaps of pets, babies, inexpensive objects, good but not necessarily ‘gram-worthy food, and coffees — things that evoke the pleasures of the quotidian.

Happiness beyond the economy If YOLO was once the definitive mantra for happiness and fulfillment, encouraging a sense of wild abandon, reckless spending, and a carefree attitude towards

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the future, YOLO’s values have been replaced by the quieter but equally powerful, and to Koreans today, more appealing, values of sohwakhaeng. According to a consumer trends report for 2018, published by a team at the Seoul National University Institute for Human Ecology, sohwakhaeng is one of the consumer trends of the year. The report attributes the popularity of sohaekhwang to the response of an optimistic, resilient public looking for the silver lining in a sluggish economic reality — or rather, beyond the low growth to happinesses not defined by money. The popularity of the #sohwakhaeng hashtag might be new, perhaps even reducible to a consumer trend (irony of the indifference to money that the sohwakhaeng way implies notwithstanding). And the term itself might be the creation of one popular novelist’s 1986 book of essays. But the fundamental sentiment that the term appeals to, despite — or perhaps because of — its subjective qualities, is also universal, transcending place and time. It is perhaps not surprising that sohwakhaeng not only has correlates in analogous concepts around the world, but also that it has somehow found resonance in an acutely driven, unabashedly worldly society known for its work ethic. Or perhaps the popularity of sohwakhaeng indicates that a change is in the air. But the beauty of sohwakhaeng is that its small scale and lack of fuss make it available to all. Despite the likely differences between sohwakhaeng originator Murakami and the gluten-intolerant, exercise-hating, commandopromoting person who uploaded that picture of a golden retriever (based on his novels, Murakami seems to favor cats) on Instagram, both of them have found their sohwaekhaeng. In completely different things.

Everyone Has Something Valuable to Teach Skill-sharing platforms change the way people teach and learn Written by Lee Woo-young

Exploring Seoul

ÂŠ Frip

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Participants run through an alley in Seoul in an organized group class by Frip.

Kim Woo-chan has a collection of 10,000 LP vinyl records he has been collecting since his teenage years. The 56-year-old marketer wanted to share the analog experience of listening to old Western pop songs on a turntable. He started having friends over to listen to vinyl recordings, and then organized gatherings with others of his age through the Seoul government-run 50 Plus Foundation that assists 50-something Seoul residents in employment and life. “I also wanted to share interesting episodes and stories related to each song. That’s how the ‘Stories in Pop Songs’ class started,” said Kim. “And around that time, Shareus contacted me.” Shareus is a young Seoul-based start-up launched last year, running the online skill-sharing platform See:Near that allows people like Kim to sign up to share their skills and knowledge with anyone whose interests match. The service is one of the emerging talent-sharing online platforms in Korea connecting people to teach and learn. A new market in the sharing economy has emerged. What’s next for the sharing economy, which evolved from accommodation and ride sharing to co-working and

co-housing space, is skill-sharing. Key sectors in the sharing economy have grown to rival traditional counterparts. The number of Airbnb guests totaled 155 million in 2014 with the average number guests totalling 425,000 per night. It’s nearly 22 percent more than the number of guests staying at Hilton Worldwide hotel chains annually, according to the 2015 report on the growth of sharing economy by the consulting group PwC. The report also estimates that some major sharing sectors such as travel, car sharing, finance, staffing, and music and video streaming, would grow in revenue from $15 billion in 2013 to $335 billion by 2025.

An emerging trend in sharing economy The birth of skill-sharing platforms is a testament to the flourishing sharing economy. In 2016, the world saw the emergence of knowledge and talent sharing platforms such as Skillshare. The US-based online learning platform offers more than 20,000 online classes ranging from cooking to programming available at $12 a month. It lets anyone with skills host classes and invite anyone

Feature

ÂŠ Robert Koehler ÂŠ Robert Koehler

11 LP collecting has come back into fashion, helped along by online communities.

Airbnb has been a leader in the sharing economy, allowing owners of properties such as the Youngrakjae in Seochon to rent to guests.

who is interested in learning them. The start-up, founded in 2010, raised $12 million in venture capital in 2016. Frip is the frontrunner in the sector in Korea. Launched in 2013, the company connects some 3,000 tutors, called hosts within the service, with 6,900 participants a month in a variety of outdoor and indoor activities. The service started attracting sports enthusiasts with class offerings from hiking, kayaking and indoor climbing to Zumba dancing. It recently expanded to include non-sports classes such as make-up lessons, writing sessions and financial investment courses. It boasts some 400,000 registered members as of May, a figure that surged by 231 percent since the second quarter of last year, according to the company. Soomgo, founded in 2015, seeks to “revolutionize” service industries by helping people find “hidden talent” in areas where they need experts’ help. It matches people with the need to learn subjects such as English, Chinese, mathematics or music composition with tutors in their talent pool. For a customized match, the service asks each user detailed questions before pairing them with just the right tutor. For example, an English-language learner will be asked about their current English level,

which components of the language they need to focus on, and their purpose for learning specific aspects of the language. Another newbie, Taling, launched in February 2016, offers some 4,700 classes in more than 150 categories, including Photoshop editing, crash courses in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, Chinese language, drawing, calligraphy and piano lessons. Under the slogan of “connecting every talent in the world,” it has seen a big increase in the number of users, climbing to 54,000 users in April from 6,000 a year earlier.

Make your life more fun Frip’s founder Lim Su-yeol’s search for fun in life became a basis for what Frip is now today. Lim thought Korean lives lacked fun and ways to relieve stress. Finding that a majority of Koreans spent their spare time drinking or playing computer games, he thought they should be offered more options for hobbies. As part of the personal quest to find a solution, he recruited people who would join him on a snorkeling trip to the east coast. “If people could enjoy their spare time, wouldn’t it upgrade their quality of life as well?” Lim

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said in a recent interview with Venture Square. Taling started with a similar idea by its CEO. The founder wanted to do something productive rather than idling on a couch staring at a smartphone screen. Then a student at Korea University, he uploaded posts telling people to join him in his fitness and workout sessions. Such initiatives fall in line with how the US-based online learning platform Skillshare was born. Its CEO and co-founder Michael Karnjanaprakorn, who was also the world champion poker player, thought he could teach his poker skills to others before he turned it into a business. While classes at Skillshare are available online, Korean skill-sharing platforms encourage face-to-face interaction with most classes taking place offline. Such interaction responds to the collectivity and emphasis on community that run deep in the Korean culture. Efforts are still made to keep people engaged with their neighbors and friends on a community level. The Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation and the Seoul-based Hope Institute have launched a program to breathe a sharing spirit into apartment complexes where life becomes increasingly isolating with lack of human interaction. The initiative called “Creating a Happy Apartment Community” encourages residents to share their skills

with neighbors. Several apartment blocks in Seoul are participating in the initiative, inviting residents to meet their neighbors and find out their skills and interests. Classes created include how to make a good gimbap, a Korean rice roll with veggies how to make handmade organic cosmetics and how to play traditional Korean games.

Finding life opportunities Some people discover life opportunities while unlocking their hidden talents, while others find meaningful ways to spend their retirement years. Moon Ye-ram has been teaching makeup skills at Taling since February of last year. “I was trying several things at the time. My major was acting so I was preparing for auditions,” said Moon. “Then I thought I could start doing something new using what I have always been good at.” She has been skilled at applying makeup since middle school, but she never thought about making it more than a hobby. She didn’t have any credentials or an established career that would prove her makeup skills. Then her friend tagged her name in a Facebook post recruiting people with makeup skills. That’s how she began a new career as a makeup specialist. While teaching people via the skill-sharing service, she studied for a certificate in

© Yonhap News Local residents of an apartment complex in Geumcheon-gu get together to raise cabbage on the roof. They will later turn the cabbage into kimchi, which they will distribute to those in need.

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A participant takes a surfing class organized through the skill-sharing platform Frip.

makeup to be officially licensed as a makeup artist. “Now teaching at Taling takes 80 percent of my work time,” said Moon. She offers make-up lessons to people varied in age and professions. Her students are mostly young office workers in their late 20s and early 30s, but she also met unique students, like a teenage daughter and her mother. Teaching opportunities come as a good option for retirees to prepare for their life after retirement. Kim Woo-chan has met seniors in his music class who are concerned with their life ahead. “I met a gentleman who retired as the branch manager of a bank. Retirees are going through the moment of looking back their career and feeling uncertain how to respond to their present situation,” said Kim. “I would like to say sharing your expertise built during your professional career or any skills developed as a hobby can be a nice way to prepare for your life after retirement.”

Accessible lifelong learning Korea abounds with private academies, called hagwon, which play an indispensable part in the lives of people coping with the competitive education system. People devote so much energy and time at hagwon during school years that the very thought of them can become a

psychological burden. Lifelong learning is a necessity, though. Experts say continuing education enriches life by helping a learner cope with the fast-changing world, bringing higher paychecks and broadening job opportunities. Most of working professionals, however, are hesitant to devote time from their busy schedules to learning something new. “I think we are in a transitional period between traditional school education and the need to learn new skills for a professional career in this fast-changing world,” said Lee Byung-hoon, CEO of Shareus. “That’s why people keep looking for ways to learn.” The online learning platforms emerged when people begin to embrace all forms of learning. The businesses have found a niche in the Korean education sector as a substitution for hagwon. Within a short period of time, the skill-sharing services have been able to offer an effortless way to continue learning without burdening already busy lives. Choi A-reum, a 26-year-old office worker, wanted to learn how to invest. But she didn’t know how to invest her monthly paycheck other than putting it in a savings account with a low-interest rate. She said, “I always thought of the stock market as a gamble. But I decided to give it a try.”

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Moon Yeram teaches make-up skills to her students who signed up for her class at Taling.

She looked for stock investment classes at hagwon, but couldn’t find one that could accommodate her busy work life. She said, “It was hard to find a class available during weekday evenings and I didn’t want to travel far for class after work or attend on weekends when I need to rest.” Her colleagues recommended she take a stock investment beginner’s course at Taling. The class, conducted by a young financial expert at a rented study space in the Gangnam area, suited her needs in every way. “It’s close to where I work. The class was so fun with the tutor’s easy explanation,” she said. “Now I understand what business newspapers are saying.” Starting with a small sum of KRW 50,000, she recently made an investment of KRW 500,000 in the stock market. CEO Lee of Shareus said participants could also get life lessons from his senior tutors. “I would like to offer seniors’ wisdom to people,” said Lee. Lee recruits tutors over 50 years old with rich life experiences and expertise. Shareus offers unique courses such as personality tests, Chinese Astrology and calligraphy. Lee believes that retirees are equipped with not only expertise in their fields, but also with insights into life.

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(Top) Lee Du-hee teaches computer programming to students. (Bottom) A student takes a drawing class organized via Taling.

The idea took off from Lee’s personal concerns with career and life. Having worked at an IT company for 17 years, Lee felt anxious about having to find a way to take his career to the next level. He felt talking to someone older than him helped reduce the anxiety he felt towards the future. “What they have is life experience. We have a tutor who teaches calligraphy. She studied painting in college, then immigrated to Argentina to do a fashion business and returned to Korea later in life. She now teaches calligraphy with us. Her calligraphy lessons offer more than just ways to do stylistic writing,” he said. Some senior tutors take more effort in guiding their students in their search for an answer to their life. A tutor who runs a personality test helped one of her participants resolve an issue with his social skills. “She devoted an hour to consulting her student even after the class,” said Lee. “Usually young people are reluctant to talk to seniors because of a generation gap. But sometimes, the life we experience is not so much different.” Lee said he would continue to keep the classes in small numbers so that tutors and students can create valuable exchanges. Lifelong learning may continue as long as we are engaged with those around us.

Drawing History In ‘Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches,’ illustrator Janghee Lee explores the city’s rich but unknown past Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Interview I

“When I go overseas, all the buildings can look similar no matter how carefully I look at them. Visitors here can feel the same way. You should look at these buildings again after learning the stories they contain.” In his new book “Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches,” published in Korea in early June by Seoul Selection, illustrator Janghee Lee shares some of those stories, the tales hidden deep inside Seoul’s cityscape. A columnist and contributor for several local newspapers and magazines, Lee has wandered the city’s maze of streets and alleyways, capturing in his sketchpad the stories and scenes discovered within. By collecting decades of sketches and commentary, his book represents, in a way, a life’s work. He says, “It seems I’ve been writing this since the time I was born.”

Drawing, writing and learning “Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches” is, simply put, an illustrated depiction of Seoul and its past, with the focus on the capital’s historic center, the old town inside the venerable city walls. Lee’s pencil brings to life everything from Seoul’s palaces and fortresses to modern skyscrapers of glass and steel built on historic sites. Accompanying Lee’s illustrations are insightful, often witty comments on history, commentary that goes a long way to presenting readers with a view of the unknown city, a city almost exotic in its mystery. Lee didn’t start off wanting to unearth Seoul’s hidden history. Rather, his historical research was an offshoot of his artistic pursuits. “As I was sketching the city, I became curious about many things,” he says. “How did this building come about? What was it used for? Who passed through here? As I grew curious, I began to search more, to find more books, and when I’d read those books, I’d find the buildings next door had their stories, too, so I’d end up drawing that building, and the building next to that one, and so on.” The book was Lee’s means to learn more. “I’ve wandered around the city a lot, and I thought I knew much about it

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relative to other people. But the more I saw, the more I realized I didn’t know,” he says. “So I wrote this book because I wanted to learn more about Seoul.”

Raising awareness, deepening appreciation In his work, including “Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches,” Lee also sets out to raise awareness of Seoul’s remaining historical sites and the need to preserve them. This is a need that that has not been fully appreciated. He says, “One of Seoul’s biggest problems is that it prioritized development over preservation, especially after the Korean War.” In the chaos of Korea’s liberation from colonial rule and the Korean War, the authorities failed to protect many historically and culturally important buildings from the wrecking ball. Property owners, afraid they might lose rights over their property, often knocked down their own buildings before the government could list them. Though the government has since listed many old buildings, protecting them from destruction, many remain threatened. Lee says, “It seems owners still need a better appreciation for historical preservation.” Lee says government support for preservation efforts are important, explaining that one of the reasons Hanok homes are disappearing is the high cost of their upkeep and repair. Even more important, however, is educating the public. “A lot of people need to know these places exist,” he says, noting the role writers and artists such as himself are playing. Nothing makes a building safer than public interest. “When people know those places exist, it’s difficult to knock them down.”

Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches Written by Janghee Lee Translated by David Carruth Published by Seoul Selection (June, 2018) 344 pages

“I thought I knew much about the city relative to other people. But the more I saw, the more I realized I didn’t know.”

Happiness in the Details It took some sacrifices, but popular illustrator and author Seungyoun Kim made it all come together Written by Hahna Yoon Photographed by Robert Koehler

From the first glance, Seungyoun Kim’s artwork strikes you with familiarity. It’s not just that she is the hand behind package illustrations for brands such as The Face Shop, CJ Minewater water bottles and Primera. It’s that her art reminds you of your own childhood. Not a children’s book illustrator and not a commercial artist, Kim pens and draws picture books out of her graphic studio, Textcontext, in Mangwon-dong where she starts her day with coffee and scrolling through the internet. Among vintage china and color pencils, Kim talks to SEOUL Magazine about being one of the first independent publishers in Korea, her happiest moments as an author and her hobby of attending political protests.

Writing over drawing Kim can’t say she had a particular attraction to art when she was young. In second grade, she had an “art tutor” for two months. “My mom had given an art student in my neighborhood a used refrigerator, and in exchange, I’d go to

his studio for assignments like drawing Mickey Mouse,” she says with a laugh. “If given the choice between art contests or writing competitions, I’d enter a writing competitions.” Her books started with the desire to tell a story. “When I was younger, there were no books for children,” she says. “I would read adult books and since I couldn’t understand everything, I’d skip through for the racy moments or look at the pictures. I later found there was a major discrepancy between what I thought the book was about and what it was really about. Maybe this process of making up stories ultimately helped me become an author.”

First forays into art Despite her initial lack of interest in the arts, Kim began to pursue art academically during her junior year of high school. “When I began looking into colleges, I realized there few options to pursue writing and few career options,” she explains. Around that time, she noticed that some of her classmates

were exempt from the afterschool study sessions: “They told me that they were going to art academy and that allowed them to skip those sessions.” Kim explains that she hated school, so she preferred those art classes. She moved forward with art in spite of feeling behind and disliking the rigor of the classes themselves. Although she was accepted to Hongik University, one of Korea’s top art schools, she insists she “wasn’t good at drawing.”

No crew needed “Even after I got into college, I wondered if I made the right decision,” Kim says. She majored in design because at the time, people didn’t have a clear idea of what design was. She says, “We thought design meant illustrations, film, fashion, typography…” She believed that design would still allow her to express herself and help her discover her true calling. “While I was a student, I did things like attend meetings for making films and making comics, and I interned at Cheil to make a

Interview II

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at Ahn Graphics where she stayed for about a year and a half. “I wasn’t very good at design,” Kim chuckles. “Design requires you to be extremely meticulous. I didn’t want to do that — I wanted to make new content.” Meanwhile, Kim began to look into picture books and seek inspiration. She began to buy foreign picture books — there weren’t too many Korean titles back then — and fell in love with Guillermo del Toro’s films, especially “Pan’s Labyrinth.” “Previously, I had thought of picture books as simply cute and childlike but I began to rethink their potential. ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ really touched me and made me re-evaluate what kind of content I wanted to put in my books.”

“I came to the conclusion I was interested in storytelling and narratives. Later, I realized making picture books would allow me to do that alone — without, say, a film crew.”

commercial. I never thought I would draw,” Kim says. “While graduating, I came to the conclusion I was interested in storytelling and narratives. Later, I realized making picture books would allow me to do that alone — without, say, a film crew.”

Not destined to design After graduating in 2007, Kim got a job

First generation independent publishing Kim freelanced for a year or so, debating whether or not she should go back into graphic design. Finding time to work on her personal projects was a challenge. “Between living life and freelancing, I kept putting off finishing my book.” A friend of hers told her about a government grant provided at the time, one that helped young people pursue their dreams abroad. Her idea to start an independent publisher was approved and she was able to work on her book for a few months. “There were a few indie musicians, but the concept of independent publishing really didn’t exist here,” she explains. “My idea was to publish a book at my own studio and sell rights to the book at the Frankfurt Book Fair. I was really a first-generation indie publisher here.” ‘Fox Hat’ Kim says her first book, “Fox Hat,” published in 2009, was about mother and daughter relationships. She was able to take the book with her, not only to Frankfurt, but across Europe. “The response to my book at fairs abroad was

Interview II

overwhelmingly positive,” Kim says, her excitement still evident. “If I think about it now, it was just beginner’s luck but I began to think, ‘Oh, this is easy!’” Upon returning to Korea, news of her success spread and even her promotional posters for the book were sought after by Gangnam moms interested in interior design. Although it wasn’t sold at major bookstores and couldn’t be easily found online, “Fox Hat” sold over a thousand copies.

Happy moments “While I was writing ‘Fox Hat,’ I had a small studio in Donggyo-dong and when I got an order to a nearby residence, I was so excited that I would deliver the book myself,” says Kim. She counts this period in her career as her happiest. “After everyone telling me I couldn’t make it, I finally felt like I had!” During the next ten years, Kim has continued to work on picture books, producing titles like “Yarn Yarn” in 2011 and “The Opening” in 2016. If she had to pick, “The Opening” would be her personal favorite: “If ‘Fox Hat’ carries the sentiments of my mother, ‘The Opening’ carries the sentiments of my father who passed away when I was younger. Since I don’t have too many memories of him, I really wanted to include the ones I had. In the end, those memories didn’t make it into the book and somehow it was about his memory — not his presence.” Protests and sacrifices Kim says she is inspired by her personal life as well as by people and politics: “I went to the Park Geun-hye protests more than ten times,” she says. “It’s not just my political preference but also something about seeing the spirit of the people. After feeling like I dislike Seoulites, I’ll feel there’s something that connect us at a protest.” To keep ideas fresh, Kim says you need

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constant self-analysis. “If you’re happy for too long or too busy for too long, you lose yourself. Every few years, you need to reevaluate what you do.” She says that her projects can pile up and the deadlines can be stressful. “I found that for me, I was doing too many things I didn’t want to do in order to pursue what I wanted to do. I have made sacrifices like not having a car, not buying a house and putting off having a baby.”

Looking forward Kim hopes that even those who cannot read Korean will be touched by the artwork in her books. “The text really only takes five minutes to read, but if the reader can feel something in the images, I like that too,” she says. Down the line, Kim says she would like still like to make films one day and create a series of picture books. She has ambitions but seems content where she is. “These days, I think about how all

“If you’re happy for too long or too busy for too long, you lose yourself. Every few years, you need to reevaluate what you do.”

the small details fell into place. I have the dog I always wanted, I have the cat I always wanted, I share a studio with my husband.” She smiles. “I don’t go to church but I think about how the Israelites wandered through the desert for forty years. I think if I got everything in one stroke, I never would have realized how precious all the small things are.”

금호동

Geumho-dong A riverside neighborhood comes into its own Written by Tessa Franklin Photographed by Dylan Goldby

The Dongho Bridge and Hangang riverside provide Seoulites a space for rest and relaxation.

Exploring Seoul

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Maebongsan Mountain offers some of the city’s best views of the Hangang River.

Wedged between Dongdaemun-gu and Yongsan-gu and nestled right at the mouth of the Han River’s Jungnancheon tributary, Seongdong-gu is not one of the most recognizable district names in Seoul. To many Seoulites, Oksu Station and Geumho Station are simply mile markers along the morning commute. Though Oksu Station’s raised dome-covered platform, a local icon, is easily visible in passing on the highway, few have taken it upon themselves to explore the neighborhood below. Recently, however, grassroots efforts to rejuvenate what was for decades a sleepy residential corner of Seoul have created a young and laid-back neighborhood feel, a vibe that is drawing more and more visitors through social media buzz.

In between sunrises and sunsets Local photographers know that the peaks bookending Seongdong-gu, Eungbongsan and Maebongsan, offer spectacular sunrises and sunsets with clear views of the Hangang River and Seoul skyline. For early birds, making the pre-dawn trip to Maebongsan is well worth the effort. The slopes of Seongdong-gu’s mountains lead to Hangang Park and Dalmaji-bong Park, with their outdoor activities galore, and the neighborhoods of Oksu-dong and Geumho-dong, with their independent cafés, bottle shops, eateries and fine dining. Seeming custom-made with date courses specifically in mind, the area is an ideal place to spend some time in the sun with friends along the Hangang River and retreat to a nearby pub for evening drinks. Choose a

Exploring Seoul

sport — basketball, badminton, bike riding — or nonsport — kite flying, sunbathing — at Hangang Park or Dalmaji-bong Park. You can even bask in the serenity of traditional Korean architecture at Mitasa Temple, located immediately outside of Oksu Station.

Darak Oksu Local city governments have been launching community revitalization plans to make more efficient use of outdated city infrastructure in eco-friendly ways. One such project, a collaboration of Seoul and Seongdonggu, has come to fruition under Line 3’s Oksu Station. Opening just this past April, Darak Oksu, as it is called, is reminiscent of a Hobbit hole. A “free garden” of vegetation covers an earthen mound housing a children’s book café and open facility for community events. At the time of writing this article, the seedlings were still aspiring to become full, lush foliage, but they are growing with the help of a mirror-like awning designed to harvest sunlight from dim conditions. With the coming summer weather, the landscaping will soon start to take hold, turning into a pleasant urban garden. Considering its close proximity with Hangang Park,

The Hangang has a basketball court and other sports facilities.

The area around Singeumho Station boasts three independent bookstores, including the charming Library of Proust.

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Enjoy a craft beer with views at Chuck’s Tap House.

Darak Oksu serves as a pleasant centerpiece for a hub of leisure activities. When asked for food recommendations, locals point to a modest street outside of Exit 5. It starts with a popular street food vender serving a constant stream of customers and continues down past the elementary school. A bustling Italian-style pizzeria, a wine bar, barbecue joints, chicken and beer, and ddeokbokki. A diverse crowd sits in Bean Plateau (T. 02-2299-5758), many resting from a day spent at the park. The newly opened downstairs features antique upholstered furniture, traditional Western deep green paneling, and a collection of knickknacks and photos that are simultaneously impressive and comforting. Bean Plateau owner Bhyun Mi-Sook is satisfied with the recent transformation. A resident herself, she predicts the neighborhood will continue to be charming and peaceful, its narrow streets and overpass preventing greater traffic volume or excessive development. The changes that have taken place, she says, were requested by residents themselves. “Until about two years ago, business operations closed early and the streets were dark. Businesses were asked to stay open later to keep the streets bright.” This made it easier to walk about at night, drawing the community out to socialize into the late evenings. And so began a virtuous cycle of communitybuilding through local business.

A new generation of entrepreneurs Chang Jinwoo, a chef and one of the architects of Itaewon’s hip Gyeongnidan-gil Street’s amazing

success, has set his eyes on Geumho-dong’s socalled “Geumnidan-gil,” a budding area of trendy restaurants, cafés and bars. Chang has already opened three restaurants in Geumho-dong, and lesser known establishments nearby have appreciated a boost from Chang’s fame by geographic association. Geumnidan-gil stretches from Singeumho Station Exit 3 down to Geumnam Market, and all along the way bold new ideas snuggle in right alongside traditional downhome Korean neighborhood fixtures: a sun-bleached barber shop, a newly opened pastel florist with a sign advertising floral arrangement and baking classes, whole fried chicken behind a glass display, a boldly painted Vietnamese noodle restaurant, elementary school students focused on their water colors in the window of an airy art hagwon, fine Italian dining and wine, a bustling steamed bun corner vendor. Favorable real estate conditions have made the Geumho-dong and Oksu-dong area highly sought-after by twenty- and thirty-somethings, mostly newlyweds and growing families. This influx yielded a considerable demand for comfortable places to relax and eat. Young local entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to create the kinds of spaces and services they wanted to see emerge in their own community. In Geumnam Market, an entrepreneurial program sponsored by the city government, provided 28-year-old Jeff Cho with training and a grant to start his own shop, Mazinga Dark (T. 070-4046-9200). This pub in the center of the market has nearby merchants hooked on the

Exploring Seoul

Slow Steps is a bakery with a free spirit.

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Young entrepreneurs are remaking Geumho-dongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dining scene, as seen at Mokhwa Dabang.

Geumho-dong and Oksu-dong are hilly places, necessitating tunnels.

Coffee Theo serves a proper cup of coffee near the Geumnam Market.

baked chicken. Up the street, Bottle Sauna (T. 02-2232-8689) imports over 60 varieties of beer selected by its owner, Gimm Gunn, who opened the bottle shop in May 2017. Curiosity has gotten the best of the residents. Folks initially shy away from the unfamiliar, but Gimm offers friendly suggestions to help beginners choose. “Business started slow,” he explains, “Many came by just to take a peek. They have since become regulars and good friends of the store.” In keeping with the neighborhood ambiance, Gimm encourages a slower beer culture, where the goal is to savor, not to forget. In April, Ella Hyunjin Kim opened Slow Steps (T. 010-2715-4651), a bright and welcoming bakery next to Geumho Elementary School, to remind us to feel happiness and calm in daily moments. Like others moving to Geumho in recent years, she arrived in Geumho-dong as a newlywed. “I chose Geumho-dong based almost entirely on the location; I was looking for somewhere easy to commute from. I didn’t really consider the neighborhood feel. After warming up and exploring a

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little, I was pleasantly surprised.” She hopes that her shop reinforces the existing relaxed vibes. Even the menu is a free spirit — a base of permanent favorites and a peripheral rotation of items reflecting the mood of the day. A few steps away, beautiful flower arrangements have adorned the window display of City Bloom (T. 02-22331820) since August 2017. “Older locals told me this street would be too slow for business. But actually, customers are on the rise and there are regulars now,” says Jooyeong Son. “There are plenty of things nearby to attract young people, like the bakery and all of the bookstores around.” Independent bookstores are a local pastime on Geumnidan-gil. A black cat basks in the sun in the window of The Library of Proust (T. 010-8988-2682), a small store overflowing with used books and books from smaller publishers. Seosilli (T. 010-4597-1558) reflects the same love for literature, with volumes filling the shelving that covers the shop floor to ceiling. And guests of all ages come to Kamome Picture Books (T. 010-65105065), its bright blue awning featuring its namesake seagull calling particularly young readers to flip through its limitless collection of colorful illustrated books.

More than just vendors, the aforementioned shops are members and hosts of a new and growing community. Many offer regular or one-day classes, such as the bakery and florist, or weekly gatherings, like Kamome Picture Books. Each one of them a piece of Geumho-dong’s genuine character.

Take your time Sunup to sundown, there is plenty for everyone to do and see in Geumho-dong and Oksu-dong. Make a day of it and allow time for unplanned tangents and lengthy breaks. Use the time to unwind, experience the sights and flavors, tour the winding roads, discover a new book and chat with the store owners. But be sure to check the opening hours before heading out — after all, it is still a sleepy neighborhood.

Geumho Station (Line 3), Singeumho Station (Line 5) and Oksu Station (Line 3 and Jungang Line)

Lucia not only sells flower arrangements, but also hosts one-day classes.

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It’s a Delicious Day in the Neighborhood Gourmet Tree brings a bit of France to Geumho-dong Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Romain John

Chef Kim Sung-Mo of Gourmet Tree is a man of few words. Fortunately, he can let his food speak for him. It spins tales of far-away places, age-old techniques, and new ideas, all coming together in a cozy neighborhood bistro. Geumho might seem like an unlikely spot for a culinarily ambitious restaurant to stake a claim. New high rise apartments and chain developments jostle for space with older buildings and the nearby freeway. Gourmet Tree is tucked in among small businesses aimed at serving local families, like veterinarians, greengrocers, and inexpensive coffee shops. The housing might be newer, but the area itself has a homey charm and seems to harbor few aspirations towards trendiness. It’s a world away from some of the glitzier areas of Seoul, but this neighborhood feel is exactly what Chef Kim was looking for. “I picked this neighborhood because I wanted to cook for everybody, for just regular neighborhood people,” says Kim, explaining why he chose to open a French-style bistro in the area. “I thought it was really important to make food for ordinary people to enjoy, not just fine dining. It’s why I went with a bistro concept, and why I picked this area.” Whatever his plans, Chef Kim’s friendly French food fame has spread, especially after being listed in the Michelin guide as one of their “Plate” selections, which serve up high-quality food in less fussy surroundings than their starred restaurants. “At first only neighborhood people came,” Kim says, “but now folks from Hannam, Gangnam and other places have started visiting, too.”

A forest picnic Inside, Gourmet Tree feels warm and inviting, with a dark interior filled with natural materials like stone and wood, with deep greens and browns evoking the feel of being in a forest. The forest theme is

Dining | Chef Interview

really brought home by an enormous tree in the center of the restaurant, giving diners the sense of a picnic both outdoors and intimate. Kim carefully planned the interior to evoke very specific sensations and feelings: “I decided to make Gourmet Tree feel natural, like dining among the trees and stones and grass for a relaxed atmosphere.” The sense of relaxation even seems to steep into the menu, despite the technicality of French cuisine and high standards. Dishes like octopus pasta and pâté could come across as fussy, but Gourmet Tree makes them seem approachable. Even dishes like a glorious duck confit served with pumpkin puree, pickled onions and smoked squid ink salt comes across as less a masterpiece of prickly French technique and indulgence than a kind of magical picnic item.

Fitting France to Korea Chef Kim didn’t start out intending to be a French chef, or even a chef at all. He explains, “I liked cooking from childhood, but I didn’t think to make a job out of it until I really started cooking during my army service. I started studying food and working in Korea, and though I would do American-style food, but ended up switching to French food. I spent a year in France and went to Paris and Lyons. In particular, I remember this beautiful street of bistros in Lyon I used to go to and eat at.” Once back in Korea, he started working on making

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French food that would suit Korean palates, adjusting the seasoning, how much fat there was, modifying stronger tastes and playing up ones Koreans prefered. The French preferences for fat, butter and salt were toyed with until they met local approval, while still maintaining the kinds of techniques that the cuisine relies on and high quality ingredients to make sure everything shines, from tender octopus in a Spanish-inspired pasta to the restaurant’s famed half duck confit, a masterpiece of crispy fat and juicy meat cooked in oil to maintain tenderness. “Of course it’s very technique driven, and technique is really at the base of what we do. It’s technique that helped me figure out how to confit half a duck, rather than just the legs, and that’s become one of our specialties. But flavor always comes first. I try to make food I’d like to eat,” explains Chef Kim.

Gourmet Tree 235 Geumhodong 4(sa)-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 02-2299-0572

Geumnidan Eats

Older dining fixtures can be found at Geumnam Market but near the new high-rise apartments there’s a steady stream of new and hip eateries Written by Cynthia Yoo Photos by Romain John

Juyeonnae Yeontan Gopchang 주연네연탄곱창

This tiny gopchang joint is another local favorite though it’s more popular as take-out than eat-in. What makes their gopchang so popular is that they manage to take much of the funky smell out. This is not easy to do with pork. The kitchen does it by grilling the pork entrails over coal briquettes. If you really don’t like the smell of pork entrails, the marinated yangneom gui is the better choice over the salted sogeum gui. There’s a salt seasoning for the sogeum gui to balance out the fattiness and a choice of greens and seasoning to wrap up a delicious gopchang ssam. But most folks do seem to prefer the marinated yangneom gui. It’s surprisingly mild and has a certain addictive sweetness. If you order take-out, double-up on the buchu-muchim, seasoned chives banchan. You’ll need it for the ssam wrap: Take a green and place upon it a piece or two of gopchang with buchu-muchim. For a challenge, try the makchang or the spicy dakbal, chicken feet.

Seongdong-gu 성동구

117 Geumho-ro, Seongdong-gu 02-2297-0812

Two Thumbs Up 투떰즈업 Seongdong-gu 성동구

270, Dokseodang-ro, Seongdong-gu Instagram: @two_thumbsup_ 02-2291-6677

Opened only last year, this Geumho-dong bakery is the love child of a baker-couple who wanted to serve ppang that would please both their customers and themselves. This small, unpretentious bakery has become wildly popular through its breads both savory and sweet. The couple continues to hone their craft by traveling through Europe and abroad. They enjoyed a jambon baguette sandwich in Paris so much so that now they’re serving it in Two Thumbs Up. Other popular items

include the garlic bread, smothered in garlic sauce, and a demi-baguette filled with sweet adzuki beans and butter. The signature breads might be their mammoth line. It includes the “Bam-moth” filled with chestnut cream made with chestnuts and other nuts, sweet adzuki bean paste and green pea paste. Their “Heuk-kkiri” features black sesame cream. The owners plans to continue fusing Korean ingredients and flavors into their breads. Check their Instagram feed to find out when particular breads are available.

Dining | Dining Out

Flower Service 플라워서비스 Seongdong-gu 성동구

82 Geumho-ro, Seongdong-gu Instagram: @flower_service facebook.com/flowerservicemeathouse flowerservice.modoo.at 02-2299-0713

Burger Fit 버거핏 Seongdong-gu 성동구

17 Geumho-ro, Seongdong-gu Instagram: @burgerfit_ 02-2202-5155

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Celebrated restaurateur Chang Jinwoo and graduates from his entrepreneurship school imagined a restaurant where people could enjoy their meals in style and comfort. It was part of their dream to turn Geumho-dong into Geumnidan-gil, a play on the popular dining scene at Gyeongnidan-gil. This playful style is evident in their naming a barbecue restaurant “Flower Service.” The name reflects the owners’ wish to serve the best quality meat with the friendliest service around. The dainty flower-patterned aprons and stools captures this attitude. The two-story

restaurant, painted stark white, has large views of the greenery outside. It’s not your usual samgyeopsal joint. The signature menu is the five-layer pork belly from Jeju. The cuts are pre-grilled over charcoal made from oakwood. The barbecued meat is deep and juicy and a little chewy from the grilled pork rinds. A popular dish is the “Flower Egg Rice” that features both hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs. Also popular is the ham, cheese and ramyeonfilled “Flower Jjigae” that may be the perfect spicy hotpot to round out the meal.

Located at an apartment arcade, this burger shop has quickly become the local insider fix for burger and fries. The street-level shop has about eight small tables and is popular for its stylish minimal decor. The menu features twelve burgers, ranging from from the basic cheese burger to more “complicated” fare like the rose cream rucola burger. You’ll need a knife and fork to make your way through the cream sauce and rucola greens but it will definitely be memorable. Another sloppy choice might be the chili burger. If you like your burger simple, try the double patty

cheese burger with the chili fries on the side. Each burger set comes with a small side of coleslaw and chili sauce. The fries are, interestingly, a mix of straight and crinkle fries. The avocado burger with its fan of thin avocado slices topping the patty is a popular Instagram choice, but don’t forget to look past the burgers. In addition to the usual fries (cheese, garlic and chili), onion rings and cheese sticks there are salads, shrimp dishes and even wings available. It’s a smorgasbord of deep-fried heaven.

Date Night: Geumho Edition Indulge in the area’s best Written by S. C. Clarke Photographed by Robert Michael Evans

With spring in full swing, there’s no better time to get out and explore the city. While Seoul has its fair share of reliable hotspots, there’s an undeniable charm in discovering something new. Enter Geumho-dong, a small up and coming burb between Oksu and Yaksu stations. Lit by lanterns spilling out from the local temple, its narrow streets are an eclectic mix of both the traditional and the new. Throw in the recently installed Darak Oksu gardens framing the paths beneath the railway tracks, and you have yourself a suburb with a decidedly different urban flair. Be it a date, or an intimate night out with friends, the following are a series of certifiable selections for squeezing the most out of your Geumho experience.

The Hangang riverside

Pre-dinner drinks at Chuck’s Tap House Any respectable evening out always begins with a beer. Located mere meters from Exit 1 of Oksu Station, Chuck’s Tap House is your one-stop destination for those seeking some fancy brews. There are a total of twenty craft beers on tap to choose from, nine of which come straight from the Whasoo Brewery in Ulsan. Should you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all the options, the Yuzu Pale Ale is a safe bet for any palate. Chuck’s outdoor seating provides the perfect place to take a load off, knock back a few well-crafted cold ones and enjoy some company in the warmth of the setting sun. Finger food such as chicken and fried samgyeopsal are available, but for now, keep it low key if you can. The food at our next stop is absolutely worth the wait. 377-5 Seongdon-gu, Oksu-dong, Seoul | 02-2281-3943 | Open 1PM to 2AM

Leisure | Nightlife

kitchen. An extensive wine and cocktail menu has been constructed to compliment the food should you wish to keep the booze flowing freely. 1288 Seoungdong-gu, Geumho-dong, Seoul | 070-8841-4888 | 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily except Sundays

Winding down by the riverside With bellies full of food, craft beer, and fine wine, you might be tempted to call it a night and start making your way back home. But let’s not be hasty! The warmer weather provides one of the area’s best options for capping off your evening — a relaxing riverside stroll. It also doesn’t hurt to get a little light exercise in after putting away all that steak. Entry down to the river can be found by Exit 3 of Oksu station. Bicycles can be rented on the cheap, with designated paths for both pedestrians and cyclists alike. The neon lights of the Dongho Bridge shimmer and sparkle across the Hangang, providing the perfect backdrop for a romantic stroll, or perhaps just a pleasant ambience for snuggling up on a park bench and gazing out across the water. Oksu-dong, Seongdon-gu, Seoul | Open all night

Chuck’s Tap House

Dinner at Mokhwa Dabang By now you should be buzzing from the craft beers downed at Chuck’s, but all that socialising you’ve been doing has likely left you with an appetite. Thankfully, there’s a stellar fine wine and dining restaurant just a short, ten-minute walk away. Prepare thy tastebuds for the criminally underrated Mokhwa Dabang. Mokhwa Dabang is a small, stylish venue that bears a distinctively retro vibe. The checkerboard flooring, green leather seats and ambient track lighting instil a homey, yet upper class atmosphere. High quality service by the waitstaff ensures that your every need is taken care of from the moment you walk through the door. A private, curtained off table is also available for those that might be after a more intimate affair. Head chef and manager Um Sun-young will make sure anything ordered is special, but if you feel like spoiling yourself look no further than the Hanwoo steak. These perfectly seasoned and tender cuts come with a side of shitake mushrooms and a spicy whole grain mustard. For those who fancy their red meat, this is an elegantly prepared dish that you’ll be reminiscing about until your next visit. To watch the magic unfold, you can even watch Um at work from the bar that surrounds his open Mokhwa Dabang

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A Neighborhood Café with Pink Surprises Stylish café mAgnstudio brings fashion chic to Geumho-dong Written by Lee Sang-ah Photographed by Robert Koehler

After a five-minute walk from Singeumho Station, the steep downward slope begins — how lucky was I to step out at Singeumho Station instead of taking Line 3 to Geumho Station, where I would have had to climb up instead of down! — and soon, an exceptionally new, two-story building dressed in gray hues and cotton candy pink stairs on its side arrests the eyes. It’s in this enticing building that Dave Baik runs mAgnstudio — a comfortable neighborhood café in Geumho-dong where you can share ideas and make new friends. Inside, a fashion show video projected onto a wall hints of the concept behind the café. As the CEO of Magnolia Creative Lab, a fashion advertising agency, Baik values sharing ideas with others and wants to run a space of versatile use to connect people in and out of his business. Thanks to the small number of tables and chairs, the café can be easily transformed into a photo shoot location, for example. Most seats are around what Baik calls the “puddle” where colorful cushions are laid out in a circle. This area was inspired by how women did the washing in the past, says Baik. Wives washed clothes together around a brook, and

Leisure | Diversions

they would share their troubles with others; various kinds of information were shared as well. In the café puddle, seats are designed to allow people to mingle freely with others by moving their seats as they like.

Different ideas converging A hot pink chandelier adorned with small objects hangs from the ceiling and signifies the identity of this café and its visitors. When Baik first imported the chandelier, there were no decorations. He and his staff decorated the chandelier with small toys from childhood. Pink was also the color in vogue when he opened in December 2016. “As you can see, the chandelier attracts the most attention. The chandelier is a symbol of different ideas converging here, and I hope that each person who comes here can also share in the same experience,” says Baik. Three menu items stand out at the café. Geumho Hill, also known as a cotton candy latte, is made of fluffy cotton candy that’s melted down by trickling coffee over the top. It’s a sweet thank you to those who make the effort to walk up the hill, says Baik. The recipe is a secret but there are other secrets that

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are often hidden in the coffee itself. Some request an engagement ring or a red rose be placed in the cotton candy before serving to a special someone. Pink Vienna is served with pink cream over hand-dripped coffee. Last but not least, the honey butter carrot cake with extra-creamy cream cheese frosting was so rich and tasty that I’d be willing to revisit this café — even if I had to climb up the hill. A revolving glass door leads you to the outside garden, another Instagram-worthy photo location at this café. The garden wall has been recently painted in green to correspond with fashion-color trends. But it won’t just be the colors that will continue to change with evolving fashion styles; all the details in the café will metamorphose along with it. The chandelier, however, will always remain bright pink as the symbol of the café’s beginnings and mission.

mAgnstudio 36, Geumhosan-gil, Seoungdong-gu @magnstudio Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Raising the Bar Pussyfoot Saloon elevates the Seoul cocktail scene Written by Gloria J. Chang Photographed by Anuj Madan

Even as you descend the outdoor stairs, you feel like you are being transported to another, more beautiful world. Bamboo lines the top of the walls of the courtyard, and floor to ceiling windows lead you into a sleek, sophisticated space where plush blue seats surround one of the most gorgeous bars I’ve had the pleasure of sitting at. “We want you to forget where you are. We want you to think, maybe I’m in Seoul, maybe I’m in Paris,” says general manager and beverage director Bob Louison. Booth seats on the second floor continue the old-fashioned, first class train car design, which was created with the drinks menu in mind. “We hope this bar makes you feel like you’re traveling, you’re having a good time, and discovering new flavors as you travel,” explains Louison.

The Pussyfoot Saloon — so named to keep in line with the train travel theme; pussyfoot is another name for a railroad cop — is the newest addition to Seoul’s cocktail scene and is vying to put the city on the world map for classic and signature cocktails with its knowledgeable service in a decidedly sophisticated and classy style. “I think we’re ahead of the curve in terms of service and hospitality and the drinks we are trying to achieve,” says Wendell Louie, proprietor. This writer couldn’t help but agree. The two men of experience and expertise came together to come up with the concept and execution. Korean-American Louie was looking for another project after the success of Mix & Malt, an American style bar and restaurant that also boasts a nice selection

Leisure | Drinks Column

Negroni

of cocktails, while Parisien Seoul-based Louison is a veteran bartender and bar consultant, and the brains behind Seoul’s Sool Bar Week that brought together local and international drinks experts for masterclasses and events at a variety of bars in Seoul last fall. Cocktails are generally considered an American invention from the late 1700s, though there is evidence it may be the English who invented both the drink and its name. Either way, one can say they disappeared from drinks menus only to return in the late 1990s in New York, their renewed interest spreading to Europe. Asia later followed suit, but it wasn’t until the last five years that they really got started in Seoul with American-style bars popping up. The World’s 50 Best Bars list started nine years ago, with Asia’s Top 50 Best Bars now in its third year of existence. Korea had four bars on the latter list for 2018, announced this spring. And Louie hopes to make both lists with the Pussyfoot Saloon. While plans are to continually expand the drinks list, eventually also adding a food menu, the pair wanted to open with a list of classic cocktails blended with their own signature cocktails. “We want to educate our consumers,” says Louison. “We want to show them, this is how an Old Fashioned should taste, this is how a Manhattan should taste.” In line with that, the cocktail menu doesn’t just list cocktails, but also their story or background, and are categorized by type such as Martinis, Sours, and Fizzes. Here are three cocktails to get you started at the Pussyfoot Saloon. I could not recommend this bar and their perfectly-made cocktails more.

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1 Start your cocktail ride with one of their signature sour cocktails, the Modern Tea Punch. Made with house simple syrup, fresh lime juice, VSOP cognac, and green tea leaves shaken and served in an old-fashioned glass, it is refreshing with a subtle, well-balanced tartness. 2 My go-to cocktail is the Italian Negroni: one part each gin, vermouth, and Campari garnished with orange peel. The peel was so fresh, so fragrant, I thought I might have gone to Negroni heaven. Louison imagines an expanded cocktail list where he might have more than 10 variants of this classic. If he does, I might have to reserve a permanent spot at the bar. 3 Legend has it that the Ramos Gin Fizz (renamed after its creator Henry C. Ramos in New Orleans back in 1888) required 12 bartenders to take a turn shaking the cocktail for a minute each before it got passed on to the next to preserve their stamina for the next order. Shaking time has gone down to 6 minutes now, but the Pussyfoot Saloon has invested in a sharking machine to ensure no arms get too tired in the making of this time and laborintensive concoction. Made with a base of gin, heavy cream, egg white, and fresh lemon juice, it is both lightly refreshing and silky, creamy and elegantly sweet.

Pussyfoot Saloon 657-189 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu Currently open daily 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Though they are planning to close one day a week. Call ahead to confirm.) T. 02 792 5945

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Cool Gumi The natural side of an industrial town draws a younger, hipper crowd Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

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Gumi’s Geumnidan-gil boasts some picturesque shops such as the Japanese restaurant Asoko.

The Geumosan Ollegil is a relaxing way to enjoy the scenery of Geumosan Provincial Park.

The southeastern city of Gumi is best known for its many electronics factories and as the birthplace of late President Park Chung-hee. Less known is that the city — or at least the part of it between Gumi Station and Geomosan Provincial Park, home to one of the most scenic peaks of the southeast — has begun transforming into a destination in its own right. Attracted by low rents and the proximity of the park, young entrepreneurs are moving into the area, setting up trendy, individualist cafés, restaurants and shops catering to a younger, hipper crowd. As many of these establishment can be found on or around

Geomosan-gil Road, some have taken to calling the area “Geumnidan-gil,” a play on Seoul’s famously hip Gyeongnidan-gil district.

The easy way around High and wide, Geumosan Mountain looms over Gumi and the Nakdonggang River valley like a slumbering giant. Unlike many of Korea’s great mountains, which are so integrated into larger ranges that it’s often hard to tell where one mountain ends and the next begins, Geomosan is its own entity, rising steeply from the valley floor to reach a height of 976 meters. The

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Take the cable car to make your hike of Mt. Geomosan a bit easier.

poetically minded have lauded its rugged cliffs and thick forests for ages, listing the mountain among the eight greatest scenic spots of southeast Korea. In 1970, it became Korea’s first provincial park, earning it a special place in the nation’s environmental protection movement. Steep, rocky and high, Geomosan may not be easy to climb (more on that later) but the mountain itself is surprisingly accessible, the park being just a 30 minute walk from Gumi Station. This helps make it a popular leisure destination. Some 3 million people visit a year, including many hikers and picnickers from Daegu,

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Geomosan may not be easy to climb, but it’s surprisingly accessible, the park being just a 30 minute walk from Gumi Station. Busan and farther afield. To give visitors a less strenuous opportunity to enjoy the mountain’s beauty, park authorities created the so-called “Geumosan Ollegil,” an easy walking trail that circumnavigates the scenic reservoir at the foot of

Corea Refreshment Stand was seemingly made for Instagram.

44 Coffee Salon not only serves coffee, but hosts a variety of cultural programs, too.

Exploring Seoul

Get your vintage fix at Sopung.

the massif. Some 2.7 kilometers long, the trail takes just 40 minutes to complete. Though lakeside wooden decks account for most of the trail, one section climbs a steep hill to a scenic overlook where you can enjoy panoramic views of the mountain and reservoir. If you’re going to tackle Geumosan itself, set aside at least three or four hours. While not technically challenging, the hike involves long climbs up stairs and slogs up rocky trails you would’t want to descend in the dark or after the rain. It’s not K2, or even Bukhansan National Park, for that matter, but it’s not Namsan Mountain, either. To make life easier, a cable car takes you roughly halfway up the mountain to a Buddhist temple called Haeunsa and the 28-meter-high Dehye Waterfall, the latter one of the mountain’s most popular attractions, especially in the hot summer. The red cable cars, several decades old, are a pleasantly vintage experience in themselves. Adrenaline junkies may wish to walk the short but treacherous cliffside trail from Haeunsa to Doseongul Cave. The narrow pathway, carved into the cliffs in 1937, brings to mind similarly nausea-inducing walks in China, Spain and elsewhere. Sheltering just below Geomosan’s peak is Yaksaam, a small Buddhist hermitage with a history that stretches back to the ancient Silla Kingdom. The hermitage’s most striking element is its bell pavilion, perched

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atop a narrow granite spire and reached by a narrow footbridge suspended over the chasm. Near the hermitage you’ll find some lovely Buddhist reliefs hewn into the cliffs as well.

Gumi goes a bit hipster Not so long ago, what is now Geumnidan-gil was something of a slum, a neglected neighborhood literally on the other side of the tracks. The creation of the Geumosan Ollegil, however, led to an influx of people, an influx that in turn drew entrepreneurs, especially young ones. “The area behind the station had a lot of fortune tellers, and compared to the downtown commercial area, it was largely run-down and residential, like how Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil was,” says Kim Ga-wi, who for the last three years has run Sopung (190-4, Geumisan-ro), a shop selling ceramics and vintage clothing and goods. “But restaurants and cafés have popped up like mushrooms after the rain, rents have climbed and the neighborhood itself has got some life, it seems.” Compared to similar neighborhoods such as Seoul’s Gyeongnidan-gil or Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil, Gumi’s little slice of hipster heaven is very much a work in progress. This is part of its charm, actually — Geumnidan-gil is still a living neighborhood, where the old and new coexist, where the young couples waiting

Baeki Udong is a little piece of Kyoto in Gumi.

to get into a fabulously Instaready restaurant stand in front of the weather-beaten fishing boat tied to the wall of a neighbor’s home. It’s also very warm and friendly, with plenty of opportunities to strike up a conversation. The restaurants tend toward younger tastes, with several good Japanese homestyle establishments. One of the best is Asoko (T. 054-443-2112), a beautifully minimalist space with white walls and wood furniture where the signature dish is the Hawaiian Roll Katsu, a Japanese pork cutlet and grilled sausage served with rosé sauce, rice, a slice of pineapple and a lovely violet flower blossom. Also Instagrammable is Baeki Udong (T. 010-3397-5362), a branch of the famous Yeonnamdong eatery, where you can enjoy a masterfully prepared bowl of Japanese noodles in a space that looks as if it were just teleported from Kyoto. Other options include — but are not limited to — Corea Refreshment Stand (T. 054-456-8526), or Corea Gyeongyangsik, which serves tonkatsu, avocado salad, bulgogi spaghetti and other dishes in picturesque surroundings; brunch café Deux Ran (T. 054-455-5193); Western-Japanese-Korean restaurant Asoko’s Hawaiian Roll Katsu not only looks good, but tastes great, too.

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Noir Sikdang (T. 010-7478-8791); and Blossom (T. 054-457-3330), an American homestyle joint serving chicken fried steaks, San Francisco-style cioppino and Maryland crab cakes. As you might expect, Geumnidan-gil has a thriving café scene, too. A local institution is Coffee Salon (T. 010-2014-4658), a roastery that also hosts art exhibits and musical performances, conducts flea markets and even publishes an independent magazine. “People who love coffee and people who love culture become my regular customers,” says owner Park Ho-yeong. “I’m working to turn this place into a cultural complex for Gumi, with specialty coffees at its heart.” Another fine café is Coffee Lounge (T. 054-4584081), just across the street from Coffee Salon. Try the Dutch Sunrise, a cup of cold brewed coffee atop fresh orange and lemon, served with a giant ball of ice.

Gumi has its share of moderately priced hotels and motels. If you’d like to stay in Geomosan Provincial Park itself, try the Hotel Geumosan (T. 054-450-4000). KTX trains to Gumi depart Seoul Station (travel time: 1 hour, 17 minutes). Be aware, however, that the KTX stops at Gimcheon-Gumi Station. You’ll need to take a 40-minute connecting bus to Gumi Station. You could take a direct train from Seoul Station to Gumi Station, but this is a three-hour trip.

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Cinema

Inter-Korean Relations on the Big Screen South Korean depictions of North Korea evolve as times and conditions change Written by Jason Bechervaise

North Korean soldiers in “The Seven Female POWS” were conveyed; he was released only when he agreed to edit out the problematic scenes.

Of late, the relationship between South and North Korea has dominated the news wires both home and abroad, though not because of the escalation of tensions that many residents here are accustomed to. Rather, the opposite — the historic summit between South Korean leader Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on April 27 signified a new beginning in inter-Korean relations. But given how quickly things have developed, it underscores the precarious relationship between the two countries along with the wider geopolitical forces involved — much of which has been reflected in Korean cinema.

Anti-communist films From the 1960s through to the 1980s while South Korea was under the autocratic rules of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan, films depicting the North were largely anti-communist features. Securing financing and passing censorship was only possible if North Korean ideology was villainized with little room to humanize North Korean characters. Director Lee Man-hee was arrested in 1965 for the sympathetic way

The turning point: ‘Shiri’ and ‘Joint Security Area’ The blockbuster “Shiri” (1999) was a turning point for the Korean industry as it emulated Hollywood tentpole features while tailoring them to local audiences through its backdrop: inter-Korean relations. Released a year after Kim Daejung became president, his administration seeking to improve the relationship with the North through his so-called “Sunshine Policy,” director Kang Je-gyu attempted to reflect the wider geopolitical climate rather than simply depicting the North Korean characters as communists. Park Chan-wook’s “Joint Security Area” (2000), which hit screens more than a year later, took it a step further with South and North Korean soldiers interacting with each other, forming a friendship, unthinkable in films during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. The fact that these films were hugely successful, breaking box office records, reflects how the national sentiment in the films resonated with audiences. Since then, inter-Korean relations has been tackled in a number of films, including “Welcome to Dongmakgol” (2005), “Secret Reunion” (2010), “The Berlin File” (2012) and more recently, “Steel Rain” (2017). While the relationship between the two countries is still conveyed as volatile, there is a continued emphasis on portraying North Korean characters as protagonists rather than merely depicting them as villains — though the government in North Korea

and its ideology is typically portrayed as an enemy.

Upcoming features: ‘The Spy Gone North,’ ‘In-rang’ and ‘Take Point’ Going forward, it’s a particularly interesting time in how North-South Korean relations will be projected on screen with three major films dealing with the subject being released this year. Yoon Jong-bin’s thriller “The Spy Gone North,” starring Hwang Jung-min as a South Korean spy sent to infiltrate the North in the 1990s to obtain evidence on their nuclear weapon plans, is set to be released this summer following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Rather intriguingly and seemingly well-placed given current developments, Kim Jee-woon’s “In-rang,” which is based on the 1999 anime “Jin-roh: The Wolf Brigade” by Hiroyuki Okiura, is set in the future. South and North Korea have agreed to set up a unified government, and a task force is formed to counter terrorist opposition. Starring Gang Dongwon and Han Hyo-joo, the film should be released this summer. Later on in the year, Kim Byung-woo’s “Take Point,” featuring Ha Jung-woo and Lee Sun-kyun, about a group of mercenaries who try to apprehend a high-profile North Korean official, is also to hit screens. Given how rapidly developments on the peninsula are changing, it’s possible that some of these films might seem at odds with the current situation. But if relations are set to further improve in the long-term under Moon Jae-in’s administration, it’s likely that North Korea-themed narratives in South Korean features will also continue to evolve.

Arts & Culture

Streaming Disruption Netflix makes waves in the Korean entertainment industry Written by Miruh Jeon

It’s hard to deny that Netflix has revolutionized the way we consume media, and the deep-pocketed streaming service provider is giving conventional broadcasters here in Korea a run for their money with several new original series that have been generating lots of buzz. The global streaming giant, which boasts over 125 million subscribers around the world, first made its way to Korea in 2016. But it wasn’t until last year when Netflix released director Bong Joon-ho’s critically acclaimed film “Okja” that Koreans started to recognize the service as a game-changer and a serious rival to domestic networks. Since then, Netflix has announced the release of multiple original series right here in Korea, which include two variety programs and one K-drama series.

‘Busted!’ From the creators of hit variety shows like “Running Man” and “X-Man” comes Netflix’s first-ever original Korean variety program. This crime-solving variety show is packed with suspense, drama and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. With a star-studded cast led by Korea’s top MC Yoo Jae-suk, “Busted!” (범인은 바로 너!) follows a team of detectives that find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery that they must solve by tackling a series of puzzles and riddles. The team, which includes actors Ahn Jae-wook and Park Min-young as well as idol stars Sehun and Sejeong, comes across a new case each episode and must ultimately figure out the answer to the big question — what happened to Project D? ‘YG FSO’ For those of you who have been craving

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a really good sitcom, “YG FSO” might be just what you’ve been looking for. Netflix has teamed up with the country’s top talent agency YG Entertainment for its upcoming sitcom-variety series “YG FSO” (Future Strategy Office) (YG 전자). This new series features Big Bang’s Seungri as the head of the Future Strategy Office, which is a newly formed department that houses the agency’s troublemakers. Over the span of eight episodes, Seungri and his team will strive to regain their footing in the company. Other YG Family members that viewers can look forward to seeing in the series include Sechskies’ Lee Jae-jin and writer-turned-tv personality Yoo Byungjae, who has made a name for himself with his successful stand-up comedy venture. You can also expect special guest appearances by other YG favorites, including K-pop groups BLACKPINK, iKON, and Winner.

‘Kingdom’ In addition to variety programs, Netflix is getting ready to launch a new K-drama series later this year. Writer Kim Eunhee and producer Kim Seung-hun have teamed up for a new original series titled “Kingdom,” which is a zombie thriller set in the Joseon era. The show not only boasts an enviable cast, including actors Ju Ji-hoon and Bae Doona, but also one of the most well-respected storytellers in the Korean entertainment industry — writer Kim Eun-hee. She has an impressive track record, which includes big hits like “Signal” and “Three Days.” “Kingdom” is an action-thriller that follows the story of a crown prince who is sent out on a mission to look into

an inexplicable epidemic that’s been spreading across the land. He soon finds out that the plague is actually a full-fledged zombie epidemic that is threatening his very own kingdom. Make sure to keep an eye out for these new shows on Netflix.

Music

Are Idol-Making Reality Shows An Exploitive Bust? “Mix Nine” cancellation reveals contracts mean nothing Written by Kristina Manente

Last month, YG Entertainment released an official statement apologizing for the cancellation of the debut of the final group from JTBC’s “Mix Nine.” The reality show, much like “Produce 101” or “Idol School,” had trainees from multiple agencies competing for a spot in a new idol group, voted on by judges and the general public. YG Entertainment head Yang Hyun-suk went to different agencies specifically to search for trainees and idols with what he called “hidden potential,” giving them a shot at a Big 3 project group. But when the debut of the final “Mix Nine” group kept being put off and off, fans were beginning to fear the worst. So when the official statement was released, it wasn’t a surprise, but it was disappointing. The disagreement stemmed from the contract, which was already set, but YG Entertainment wanted to re-negotiate.

The agency, best known for groups BIGBANG, 2NE1, and iKON, suggested a three-year contract with the group releasing an album each year. Promotions would be split domestic and internationally equally between YG and their original respective agencies. Not surprisingly, the original agencies weren’t keen on this, expressing it would be quite difficult to follow this contract. They were also upset as it was drastically different from what was originally negotiated. As such, they asked to keep the duration shorter, as stated in the original contract, which was four months plus an overseas performance. However, YG Entertainment reportedly refused to yield and cancelled the project altogether, disappointing not only all the fans of the show that had voted, watched, and were anticipating the “Mix Nine” debut, but all the

trainees who had worked through the reality show gauntlet with the promise of YG-backed promotions. YG’s statement in itself reveals the dark exploitive underbelly of the industry, basically admitting they used the trainees’ dreams for good television: “The original aim of the show ‘Mix Nine’ was to unearth those desperate to achieve their dreams of being a singer despite the harsh environment and to increase awareness through good opportunities of those in other agencies who have already debuted but haven’t succeeded yet.” Yang argued that the show hadn’t been popular enough to warrant the heavy cost of producing and promoting “Mix Nine,” but is that not the job of a producer? With the over-saturation of idol group shows, it’s not a surprise that one would ultimately fail to make good on their word. Perhaps it’s time to end these shows that do nothing but overwork the already overworked to put money in the pockets of executives who won’t even follow their own contracts.

Arts & Culture

Books

The White Book Nominated for the Booker Prize, Han Kang’s latest novel asks if literature can heal real-life tragedy Written by Barry Welsh

Korean novelist Han Kang became an international literary sensation after the English translation of her novel “The Vegetarian” was published in 2015. It was not the first of Han’s books to be translated into English. A short story/novella called “Convalescence” appeared in 2013, but had little impact. “The Vegetarian” was a different story altogether; strange, horrific, compelling and difficult to ignore. Han’s novel was showered with praise and garlanded with accolades. When it won the Man Booker International Prize in May 2016, it announced the arrival of both a novelist with a unique voice and a talented translator on the stage of world literature. The novel, which had sold modestly before, suddenly found its way onto bestseller lists around the world. This success was followed by controversy over the quality and style of translation by Deborah Smith, the novel’s young British translator. Korean academics who looked at the English translation argued that it diverged from the original text too significantly to be considered a true translation. The controversy was widely reported and served to highlight contentious issues around the nature of literary translation. Smith and Han have continued their collaboration with two more English translations of Han’s novels. “Human Acts,” published in 2016, tells a series of interconnected stories centered around the Gwangju massacre and its aftermath in Korea in the early 1980s. Like “The Vegetarian” before it, “Human Acts” earned rave reviews and further solidified Han’s reputation as a vital voice in world literature. The

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success of Smith and Han’s most recent collaboration, “The White Book,” has once again pushed them back towards the center of world literature. It was announced in April that “The White Book” was on the short list for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize alongside novels from France, Hungary, Spain, Iraq and Poland. Han’s novel, just called “White” in Korean, is absolutely deserving of its place on the shortlist. It is a singular work from a unique writer pitched somewhere between poetry and memoir. Written and set in Poland’s capital Warsaw and inspired by the brief life of an older sister who died shortly after birth, “The White Book” is many things at once — an act of literary restoration for a sibling who never had a chance to live, an homage to a city, and a rumination on the theme of “white.” Han’s novel asks a similar question to Ian McEwan’s “Atonement” — can literature, storytelling and imagination recuperate real-life tragedy? Readers may find the answer in “The White Book.”

“The White Book” Written by Han Kang Translated by Deborah Smith Published by Portobello Books Ltd Hardcover: 128 pages Available at Amazon

Concerts, Festivals and More SEOUL BAMDOKKAEBI NIGHT MARKET 2018 Yeouido, Banpo Hangang Park, DDP, etc. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday thru Oct. 28 Free www.bamdokkaebi.org

A place that opens at night and disappears by morning: welcome to Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market, a new type of space that incorporates a variety of concepts and exists for only a finite amount of time. Seoul Bamdokkaebi Market has been reborn in a new location and with a new culture, specialized products and operational system. You’ll find booths selling handcrafted goods, stages hosting cultural performances of all kinds and lots and lots of food trucks. If you like to eat, welcome to paradise. Come and create some timeless memories at this market festival — one of Seoul’s greatest attractions. Markets can be found at Yeouido Hangang Park, Banpo Hangang Park, the DDP, the Cheonggyecheon, Oil Tank Culture Park and Cheonggye Plaza.

THE ART OF AARDMAN ANIMATIONS: WALLACE & GROMIT AND FRIENDS Dongdaemun Design Plaza | Thru Jul. 12 | KRW 15,000 | www.ddp.or.kr | Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역 (Lines 2, 4, and 5)

Entitled “The Art of Aardman Animations: Wallace & Gromit and Friends,” this exhibition is a rare opportunity for visitors to become better acquainted with Aardman Animations, a British clay animation studio that has been around for almost half a century. The exhibition features a broad range of content, from some of the studio’s earliest works to a behind-the-scenes glimpse at its movie production process.

INSTRUCTION FOR THE AUDIENCE SEMA BUNKER SeMA Bunker | Thru Jul. 1 | Free | sema.seoul.go.kr | Yeouido Station 여의 도역 (Line 5 or 9), Exit 3

This exhibition is designed to establish the bunker’s discriminative identity and serve as an opportunity for viewers to have new experiences with art by intentionally dismissing any historical approach to deem such a bunker as a vestige of dictatorship or the scars of war. This exhibition focuses primarily on the existential concept of a bunker and intends to shed light on the SeMA Bunker as an underground utopia.

Previews

NOMADIC EMPIRES OF THE MONGOLIAN STEPPES National Museum of Korea Thru Jul. 17 KRW 6,000 www.museum.go.kr Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line, Line 4), Exit 2

The National Museum of Korea, in collaboration with the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the National Museum of Mongolia, and the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum, is proud to hold the special exhibition, “Nomadic Empires of the Mongolian Steppes.” Planned to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Mon-Sol Project, a collaborative academic endeavor between Korea and Mongolia, the exhibition embodies mutual trust that the two countries have built through joint research and exchange. The 550 exhibits include nineteen invaluable treasures that have been designated as Cultural Properties of Mongolia, representing Mongolian history and culture from prehistory to modern times. The exhibition provides a fascinating chronicle of the nomadic empires, which helped to shape world history by serving as a crucial axis for cultural exchange between East and West. We hope that this exhibition will deepen visitors’ understanding of the nomadic empires, thus enhancing their enjoyment and appreciation of diverse world.

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SPECIAL EVENING ADMISSION TO PALACES Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changgyeonggyung Palace Third and fourth week of each month thru Nov. 3. www.royalpalace.go.kr, cgg.cha.go.kr

The palaces’ evening admission is popular even among local Koreans as the tranquil evening atmosphere gives off a different feeling from that of during the day. Evening admission is available from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. — admission hours will change to 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in June, July and August when the sun sets later. For evening admissions, a separate ticket will be required, which will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis; tickets will be also required for visitors wearing Hanbok as the free admission will not be available in the evening. Take note that evening admission will also be restricted from Aug. 5 to Sept. 15.

CHILDREN’S VISIT TO A SWEDISH MUSEUM: I CAN DO IT! Seoul Museum of History | Thru Jul. 8 | Free | eng.museum.seoul.kr | Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역 (Line 5), Exits 6, 7 or 8

The Seoul Museum of History presents Korea’s first interactive exhibition for infants. This exhibition will be a full transposition of the exhibition ”Kan själv!“ held in Sweden. The exhibition, originally developed by Västra Götaland County’s natural and cultural heritage administration Västarvet and the local children, fully manifests Swedish educational philosophy, which values interaction with children outside of competitive educational environments and instillation of autonomy and sensibility.

A GATHERING OF THE THREE BUDDHAS: BUDDHIST HANGING SCROLL AT YONGHEUNGSA TEMPLE National Museum of Korea | Thru Oct. 28. | Free | www.museum.go.kr | Ichon Station 이촌역 (Jungang Line, Line 4), Exit 2

This exhibition provides an opportunity to view the large-scale Buddhist hanging scroll of Yongheungsa Temple that can only rarely be seen even at the temple. Presenting the Yongheungsa Gwaebul alongside its storage case, sculptures of arhats with humorous facial expressions, “Painting of Guardian Deities” and “Painting of the Fifth King of Hell,” the exhibition invites visitors to appreciate the legacy of Yongheungsa, an ancient temple with a thousand years of history.

DONG GANG INTERNATIONAL PHOTO FESTIVAL Yeongwol, Gangwon-do TBA Free www.dgphotomuseum.com

Dong Gang International Photo Festival has been held every summer since 2002 in Dong Gang Photo Village, which became Korea's first socalled “Photo Village” in 2001. Korea's representative photo festival both in name and reality, the event encourages the participation of photographers from both Korea and abroad. The festival also makes an excellent excuse to visit the beautiful town of Yeongwol, deep in the mountains of Gangwon-do, and experience the Donggang River, one of the country’s most spectacular waterways.

Previews

Exhibition <AD> MMCA Seoul

Akram Zaatari. Against Photography. Exhibition introduction

The exhibition offers, through the work of Akram Zaatari, a critical and poetic interrogation on the status of photography as we knew this medium until the erruption of the digital world. The Arab Image Foundation was created by artists as an alternative type of institution after the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Through its history AIF has amassed over 500,000 images from the Middle East and North Africa. The exhibition presents photography beyond images, as a tool to narrate history. Co-organized by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), with the K21 Nordrhein-Westfalen and the Sharjah Art Foundation as partner organizations. Period May 11 – August 19, 2018 Venue MMCA SEOUL, Gallery 5 Artists Akram Zaatari Entrance Fee 4,000won(For all exhibition at MMCA Seoul) Program schedule & Contact & Location www.mmca.go.kr/eng

MMCA Deoksugung

Birth of the Modern Art Museum Art and Architecture of MMCA Deoksugung

Exhibition introduction

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Deoksugung venue of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, as well as the 80th anniversary of the building’s original construction in 1938, from a designed by Japanese architect Nakamura Yoshihei. To commemorate these occasions, MMCA organizes this special exhibition to explore the history of its modern art collections. Also, for the first time, the museum is showing the original architectural drawings and related documents that were discovered in Japan in 2014. We hope that this exhibition will enhance our visitors’ appreciation of the treasures of Korean modern art that have survived the turmoil of history to become invaluable cultural assets for everyone to enjoy.

SWEDEN CONNECTION Seoul Arts Center’s Jayu Theater Jun. 15–17 KRW 20,000–30,000 T. 02-6196-1619 Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Sweden in 2019, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Skånes Dansteater present a choreography exchange project with its premiere performance in Seoul in 2018. Skånes Dansteater is a dance company and dance production theater based in Malmö, Sweden. The company’s experimental and innovative ideas, coupled with the talents of its international choreographers and dancers have been broadening the artistic and social function of dance to a new horizon. For this exchange project the two companies, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Skånes Dansteater, will each select a choreographer to serve as a visiting choreographer who will create a new performance for the other company. The new works will be performed in both countries and then continue on to tour performances in other locations.

Period Venue Artists

May 3 – October 14, 2018 All Galleries at MMCA Deoksugung An Jungsik, Ko Huidong, Oh Jiho, Kim Whanki, Park Sookeun, Lee Jungseob, and more Entrance Fee 3,000 won (includes entrance to Deoksugung Palace) Program schedule & Contact & Location www.mmca.go.kr/eng *Close on Monday

MMCA Gwacheon

Special Exhibition for Donated Artworks of MMCA 2010–2018 Exhibition introduction

Special Exhibition of Donated Works displays artwork donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art since 2010. The exhibition is organized in two sections. The first section features paintings, drawings, and prints that express themes such as humankind, nature, and urban landscapes. Reinterpreted and expressed from the artists’ point of view, over 40 works on display provide a glimpse into our society and our time. The photography section, which accounts for the largest proportion of donated works, includes about 30 pieces by 20 artists who are part of the modern and contemporary history of photography in Korea. Period April 25 – December 16, 2018 Venue Gwacheon Circular Gallery2 Artists approx.. 47 artists Entrance Fee Free Program schedule & Contact & Location www.mmca.go.kr/eng

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*Close on Monday

Expat Buzz THE MUCKLESHUNTER Jun. 2 Broughtons Club, British Embassy The Muckleshunter is a ceilidh, a big party, featuring good food, good drink and Scottish dancing. It is kilted (for Scots), non-formal event. KRW 70,000 www.britishseoul.com

SIWA: YANGJAE FLOWER MARKET Jun. 4 Yangjae-dong Located in Yangjae-dong in Seochogu, this enormous market sells all kinds of garden supplies, from pots and soil to flowers and trees. Real and artificial items are sold from both wholesale and retail vendors. KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

YEOL: WHY NORTH KOREA IS NOT A “COMMUNIST” COUNTRY, OR THE UNNOTICED BIRTH OF NORTH KOREAN CAPITALISM Jun. 4 Seoul Museum of History Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov discusses capitalism in North Korea. North Korea is commonly described as a “Stalinist country.” This is not wrong, since North Korea was indeed once a near-perfect example of a Stalinist society. However, the last 25 years have seen the emergence and steady growth of the North Korean market economy. Its switch to a market economy was largely a result of a spontaneous grass-roots development which was grudgingly tolerated by the establishment elite. Free eng.yeol.org

RASKB: THE GREEN HILLS, RECONSIDERED: KOREA'S ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY IN WORLDHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Jun. 5 This lecture aims to situate the environmental history of Joseon Korea (1392–1910) in comparative and transnational perspectives. Its goal is to show how environmental-historical topics help elucidate features of Korean history that, to this date, have been underemphasized or ignored. Free for members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: YEONINSAN PROVINCIAL PARK AND NAMISEOM Jun. 6 Gyeonggi-do Enjoy a hike in the untouched valleys of Yeoninsan, Gapyeong, followed by a visit to Namiseom Island, a popular scenic spot. KRW 38,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SIWA SOCIAL: SPRING LUNCHEON Jun. 6 Conrad Seoul Say farewell for the summer at SIWA’s annual Spring Luncheon at the Zest buffet restaurant at Conrad Seoul. Enjoy friends, food, wine and great raffle prizes. KRW 65,000 for members, KRW 85,000 for non-members

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: ULLEUNGDO ISLAND AND DOKDO

GRAND INTERCONTINENTAL SEOUL PARNAS

TAKE-OUT BINGSU FOR ONE Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas offers “Take-out Bingsu for One” from May 1 to Aug. 31. This menu was first introduced by Grand Deli, the hotel’s patisserie, last year. The dessert was a great success with office workers and customers due to its convenience and affordable price, and some customers ordered more than ten bingsu at a time to take-out. This highly popular dessert will be offered again at Grand Deli this year. Grand Deli offers two kinds of “Take-out Bingsu” this year: Classic Red Bean Bingsu and Ice Flake Mango Bingsu. Classic Red Bean Bingsu is the most popular menu option. Its ice flakes are made of frozen milk, and it is topped with red beans boiled with oligosaccharide for four hours, bringing out their subtle sweetness. Along with the red bean paste, this bingsu is topped with real honeycomb, toasted rice called nurungji, mixed grain powders, injeolmi, and handmade Korean sweets called Hangwa. The Ice Flake Mango Bingsu is a perfect choice for customers who want to enjoy the flavor of mango, since its frozen-milk ice flakes are topped with fresh mango cubes. The prices are KRW 10,000 for Classic Red Bean Bingsu and KRW 15,000 for Ice Flake Mango Bingsu (service charge and tax included). Inquiries and Reservations Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas 1F Grand Deli, T. 02-559-7653 ISLAND Jun. 8-10 Ulleungdo Island

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peaks. KRW 245,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

RASKB GOES TO THE BALL GAME Jun. 10 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace You may have attended an American professional league baseball game, but if you have never experienced the unique excitement of Korean baseball, then you are in for a special treat. KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members www.raskb.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: JIRISAN, SARYANGDO Jun. 15-17 Jirisan and Goseong Visit three spectacular spots: Jirisan Mountain’s highest peak, Cheonwangbong; Goseong’s dinosaur footprint park; and scenic Saryangdo Island. KRW 105,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: DMZ TRIP WITH NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR Jun. 17 DMZ On this tour, not only will you visit the inter-Korean DMZ, but also hear stories about North Korea from a North Korean defector. KRW 45,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

RASKB: TECHNIQUES USED IN ROYAL PORTRAITURE DURING THE LATE JOSEON DYNASTY Jun. 26 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace Dr. Doo Hee Chung details both the artistry of traditional Korean portraits as well as the techniques, skills, and materials used to create them. Attendees will see images of both

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sides of the existing royal portraits, as well as an actual portrait replica on silk canvas, and learn about the creation of these artworks and the history behind them in detail. Free for members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com ————————————— REGULAR EVENTS —————————————

SEOUL TOASTMASTERS Every Thursday 7:15 p.m. Jongno We won’t teach you to make great toast, but if you want to learn to speak in front of people and get over your fear of public speaking, consider Seoul Toastmasters. Jongkak Station (Line 1) Exit 10, TOZ study center KRW 6,000 for all attendees www.seoultm.org

LEARN CERAMICS WITH SARAH’ MICS

Want to learn the art of ceramics? Ceramic designer and former Emirates flight attendant Sarah Kang offers a full range of classes for adults and children, including introductory workshops, in English. Basic classes include the “wheel and hand-building” class and kids’ pottery class. Regular classes meet once or twice a week, while one-day classes are held every Saturday. You will learn the skills to produce your own functional or artistic ceramics. Reservation required. KRW 70,000 (one-day class) T. 010-9515-3180

SEOUL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

The Seoul Shakespeare Company is the city’s only English-language theater company devoted entirely to performing Shakespeare’s works. See their website for audition and show information. www.seoulshakespearecompany.org

THEATRE AMOEBA

Theatre Amoeba is an international physical theater project created in 2002. Amoeba’s ambition is to create, educate and exchange

MILLENNIUM SEOUL HILTON

MILLENNIUM SEOUL HILTON’S NEW OAK ROOM HOT HAPPY HOUR Spend your happy hours at Oak Room, Millennium Seoul Hilton’s traditional English-style bar, eating, drinking and having a great time with friends and colleagues. The Oak Room offers a delicious snack buffet of sumptuous dishes from Saturdays to Wednesdays, and a barbecue buffet on Thursdays and Fridays. The Oak Room Snack Buffet Hot Happy Hour and Oak Room BBQ Hot Happy Hour are offered from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and diners will receive unlimited refills of Heineken draft beer or wine while they feast. The Happy Hour buffets offer great value, priced at only KRW 49,000 per person. The Oak Room Happy Hour Buffet includes pork crisp with wasabi and garlic mayo; smoked chicken wrap sandwiches; creamy chicken triangle sandwiches; pizza; beef meatballs with tomato sauce; spinach and onion quiche; chop steak; Korean fried chicken; and Korean-style yaki noodles. This buffet is offered Saturdays to Wednesdays. The Happy Hour BBQ Buffet includes barbecue skewers; chicken, beef and lamb skewers; minced kebabs and beef mini sliders; beef, chicken and pork sausages; fish, prawn and calamari on a stick; assorted dipping and steak sauces; fried sweet potatoes; and soft rolls. This buffet is offered on Thursdays and Fridays only. Your choice of local draft beer or red or white wine are included with the buffet. Enjoy unlimited refills during the Happy Hour buffet. All for just KRW 49,000. Sit back with friends and colleagues as you enjoy great ambiance, great drinks, and delicious food For reservations or inquiries, please call the Oak Room at T. 02-317-3234. Tax and service charge are already included in the quoted price.

through intercultural performances and rigorous workshops around the planet. www.theatreamoeba.org

SELF-STUDY KOREAN CLASSES Every Tuesday at 4 p.m. You Are Here Café Bring your Korean books and any questions you may have to this café in Hongdae every Tuesday. A teacher from talktomeinkorean.com will be present to provide free assistance as you practice your fluency and ask questions. Talk to Me in Korean suggests that you RSVP before attending, as space is limited. Free Hongik University Station 홍대입구역 (Line 2), Exit 3 www.talktomeinkorean.com

WEDNESDAY COMEDY NIGHT Every Wednesday Tony’s Aussie Bar and Bistro Ever thought about taking your humor to the next level and trying stand-up? Tony’s Bar has a supportive and encouraging crowd that makes it the perfect atmosphere to give performing a try. With its limited space and comedian fan base, Tony’s is always filled with people who know what it feels like to try and make a room of people laugh. Free www.facebook.com/pages/TonysAussie-Bar-Bistro/ Noksapyeong Station 녹사평역 (Line 6), Exit 1

MAGPIE BREWERY CLASSES Offered monthly Magpie Brew Co. in Gyeongnidan and Hongdae Learn how to brew your own beer while acquiring some history and insight into what makes this beverage so tasty. Participants can choose to take just one introductory class or take the full-month course, which includes four classes. KRW 50,000–180,000 www.magpiebrewing.com

THERAPIST’S COUCH

The And of All Buts Written by Jiaying Lim

Ever had a conversation or interaction that left you feeling drained and sapped of mental, emotional, and physical energy? Until we get to process these exchanges with someone we trust, sometimes we just cannot pinpoint the actual reason or reasons for our subsequent lethargy. To what we may not consciously recognize, our bodies react and our minds feel. The people around us each play roles in our lives. They are our spectators, our cheerleaders and our booers. Themes emerge were we to reflect on past interactions. Where these themes present is not so much through the content of what was said, but rather how the content had been conveyed. Imagine yourself bursting with excitement to share an experience and being met with a pinprick. You: I repainted the walls over the long weekend. Pin owner: It looks pretty splotchy by that corner. Detractors are practiced masters skilled in slipping in implicit, subtle contradictions to what we share. Even though these words may not be overtly negative, they nonetheless deflate us, in addition to invalidating our past as well as current opinions and experiences. You: I love this restaurant’s pasta. Pin owner: Yeah, it is so easy to prepare, I can make this at home. The concept of our “self” is one of the most

fundamental in psychology, and in so, indicative of how essential a role our self-concept plays in our lives. And what happens in an exchange between several people is a chain of actions and reactions that occur to protect our “self” against that of another, leading to a round of unobtrusive belittling of subjective experiences and stinging pinpricks. We have all been there before; it doesn’t feel good to be in a conversation with a “but” friend who constantly negates our subjective reality, ergo us. It only takes a mere switch of word to turn things around on their head. This simply calls for compassion and kindness to transform a “but” butt into an “and” sentiment. You: I repainted the walls over the long weekend. Friend: That sounds like quite the project. How much time did you take? You: I love this restaurant’s pasta. Friend: We can come here again the next time we catch up. It often feels like a great load off our shoulders when we hear responses aligned with how we view our “self” and when we feel like we are being heard with respect. Instead of lying in wait to pounce, negate and deflate, how about trying to add onto someone’s experience and being in the next conversation you have?

Jiaying Lim is a licensed clinical and registered psychologist with Couchology, a private practice in Seoul. For more information, visit www.couchology.com or like Couchology at www.facebook.com/couchology/

‘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

For more info, call Johnny Expat Buzz

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

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)

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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NETWORK

GANGNAM-UC RIVERSIDE (GNUCR) CELEBRATES 17 YEARS, 20,000+ STUDENTS GNUCR first opened its doors in June 2001. Since then, more than 20,000 students have studied English, Chinese, and even Korean with us. Call today for more information or visit us online at www.gnucr.kr or offline at Gangnam-gu Office Station on Line 7 or the Bundang Line. www.gnucr.kr | 02-546-320 | info@gnucr.net | Kakao: @gnucr

MUSICAL ‘CHICAGO’ PACKAGE Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel is offering two types of musical packages that consist of a cozy hotel room (the Room Package) or a dining experience (Buffet Package) with tickets to the all-time-killer-hit musical “Chicago.” The Room Package comes with two tickets, and the Buffet Package comes with one. The Room Package (thru Aug. 8) starts from KRW 396,000 (inclusive of tax) and Buffet Package (thru Aug. 2) from KRW 171,000 (inclusive of tax). Room Package: T. 02-2211-2100. Buffet Package: T. 022211-1710.

‘BEER FESTA’ AT THE IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL

SHERATON GRAND INCHEON HOTEL: SUNSET IN THE CLUB PROMOTION

Enjoy a cold beer, a trendy cocktail or some excellent barbecue at the Beer Festa, held at the Imperial Palace Seoul Hotel’s through Aug. 31. This year, the theme is a Japanese resort pub. The terrace is open every evening from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Get away from the urban jungle and recharge at the Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel, where you can find spectacular views of Songdo. From exclusive service at the club lounge and beautiful sunsets over Central Park to evening cocktails, the Sunset in the Club promotion presents you with unforgettable memories.

More Info: T. 02-3440-8000. www.imperialpalace.co.kr

Until June 30. KRW 235,000 (Sun-Fri), KRW 255,000 (Sat). T. 032-835-1004

Expat Buzz

Cold Foam Cold Brew a Hit Starbucks sells 500,000 cups of new cold brew beverage in just first three weeks In just three weeks, Starbucks Korea sold 500,000 cups of its new Cold Foam Cold Brew, released on April 17 as part of the coffee house’s summer promotion. Though Cold Foam Cold Brew brings to mind Vienna coffee, the foam that sits atop the coffee is prepared with non-fat milk, meaning you can enjoy the beverage’s rich flavor without worrying about your calorie intake. To ensure freshness, Starbucks makes the foam instantly on making your order. Cold brew coffee has been steadily

growing in popularity since Starbucks first introduced it in March 2016. In the first four months of 2018, the coffee house sold 19 million cups of cold brew coffee, making it the third-most popular beverage behind the Americano and caffé latte and one of the café’s leading iced drinks. Starbucks is continuously developing new cold brew beverages. It currently offers six cold brew beverages: Cold Foam Cold Brew, Cold Brew, Vanilla Cream Cold Brew, Nitro Cold Brew, Nitro Chocolat and Nitro Chocolat Cloud.

Starbucks made its Vanilla Cream Cold Brew, released as part last year’s summer promotion, a regular menu item because of continuous customer requests. Nitro Cold Brew, served from specialized taps after nitrogen has been injected into cold brew coffee, is offered at only 105 shops, but thanks to its continued popularity, Starbucks introduced on April 10 two additional variations — the Nitro Chocolat, with its full flavors of chocolate and nuts, and the Nitro Chocolat Cloud, a softer, sweeter beverage. Expat Buzz

Expat Buzz