SEOUL Magazine 2009 October

OCTOBER

SEOUL OCTOBER 2009

THE BEST SEOUL GUIDEBOOK EVER

2009

TRAVEL & CULTURE

w e N

SEOCHON

SEOCHON

• BUSAN

PERCUSSION PERFORMANCE

DRUM CAT

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA DIRECTOR

CHOE KWANG-SHIK

KOREA HOUSE W SEOUL

BUSAN

Pages 464p Size 150X204X26mm Cover Softcover

• The most comprehensive guidebook to Seoul at 464 pages • Over 400 beautiful photos that bring alive Seoul's scenic charms • In-depth travel info, including helpful tips and history & culture notes • Detailed maps to lead you to the spots you want to visit

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Travel & Culture SEOUL 7

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Contents

20

October 2009 Issue No. 75

eXpLoring SeoUL Aromatic Alleyways in the West With Great Cafés, Hidden Galleries and Rustic Korean Charm, Seochon Makes Case for Historical Conservation

64 TrAVeL Uncovering Busan Korea's Hollywood by the Sea

ArTS 26 performing Feline Percussion at Its Best Drum Cat Stuns Myungbo Art Hall with Ferally Riveting Performance

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Contents October 2009 Issue No. 75

16 Snapshot 18 Streetwise in Seoul Chuseok and the City 28 Cultural Hot Spots Korea House

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32 Hotel Heaven W: Seoul’s Most Beautiful Hotel 36 Seoul Personalities National Museum of Korea Director Choe Kwang-shik 40 Medical Tourism Jahayun Clinic 44 Seoul of Zen 46 City Interview Itaewon/Hannam Global Village Center Director Paul Hussey 47 Oriental Medicine 50 Goings On Around Town Festivals 68 Mungyeong Apple Festival 70 Gwangju Design Biennale 71 Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival

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28 74

72 Eating Out Dalhangari 74 Lifestyle & Leisure Seoul’s 700 Yacht Club 76 Shopping Yongsan Electronics Mall Complex 78 Night Life Margarita Splash 82 Seoul City News 84 Community Page

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Subscribe NOW! Your guide to culture, arts and entertainment in one of the world’s hottest cities! Subscriptions available (at 12% discount) at just 32,000 won a year

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Maps & Guides

Issue No. 75 Publisher Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul Selection President Kim Hyung-geun (Hank Kim) Editorial Advisor Chung Kyung-a Kay Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Producer Shin Jiwon Copy Editor Colin Mouat Event Coordinator Ko Yeon-kyung Staff Reporter Ben Jackson, Irene Park Head Designer Jung Hyunyoung Designers Kim Youngjoo, Lee Bokhyun Kim Minyeong Photographer Ryu Seunghoo Advertising & Sales Kim Yunjung, Koo Yongsung Contributors Alexander Boutilier, Gregory Curley Raimund Royer, Soo Bool Sunim Alexander Paik, Peter DeMarco Address 2nd flr., 138-7 Hwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-210, Korea Tel 82-2-734-9567 Fax 82-2-734-9562 E-mail hankinseoul@gmail.com Website www.seoulselection.com Registration No. 서울 라 09431 Copyright by Seoul Metropolitan Government & Seoul Selection Printed by Prinpia (Tel 82-2-3282-8589 )

Stores where you can purchase SEOUL magazine 1. Major bookstores & their branches: Kyobo Bookstore, Youngpoong Bookstore, Bandi & Luni’s 2. Seoul Selection Bookshop / Online Bookshop www.seoulselection.com • Payments - For credit card payment: please visit our website www.seoulselection.com - For bank transfer: please wire to our bank account Korea Exchange Bank 059-22-01549-1 (Selection) • Subscription Rates Periods

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Cover Model

SEOUL

October 2009 Issue No. 75

Jina A founding member of Drum Cat, Jina has been performing with the show for seven years. She’s won praise for her charismatic stage presence. In fact, during the shoot for this cover shot, we got a real sense of her many charms.

At times bashful, at times bewitching, and at times even full of autumn melancholy, she emanated an allure all her own.

Showing off a softer side quite apart from her onstage charisma, her bright and cheerful personality brought a certain serenity to the shoot.

Photo by Ryu Seunghoo

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Dental Clinic Dentist with the Soft Touch International Dental Clinic English-speaking Dentist

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Snapshot

Seoul's New Cultural District?

The neighborhoods to the west of Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace have gained the collective name "Seochon" (western village). The subject of increasing interest among architects, historians and others, Seochon may be set to become the scene of a concerted restoration and cultural preservation effort. Here we see the colorful Boan Yeogwan, a former inn that that has been transformed into an art space. See "Aromatic Alleyways in the West" (p18) for more details.

Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

16 SEOUL October 2009

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Travel & Culture SEOUL 17

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Streetwise in Seoul

Chuseok and the City No Need to Sit at Home This Holiday Season

T

o say, as is often done, that Chuseok is “Korea’s Thanksgiving” has some merit—both are major harvest festivals in their respective countries. Yet the casual comparison downplays the deep, ancient tradition that sets Chuseok as one of the cornerstones of Korean cultural celebration. While most are obliged to spend this three-day holiday—celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar—with family, those sans blood relations in Seoul will have opportunity to have an experience this national holiday as ample as its longstanding rituals.

The Elements of Chuseok Among the most representative features of Chuseok is, without a doubt, its cuisine. The principal dish is none other than songpyeon, a small rice cake steamed on pine needles. The resulting distinctive evergreen aroma, paired with a selection of songpyeon fillings like sweet sesame, ground mung beans and chestnut paste, makes for a delightful and even thrilling epicurean experience.

The crescent shape of songpyeon has a significance all of its own, in line with Chuseok tradition. While there are a number of theories regarding the origin of Chuseok, many scholars believe the festival began as an ancient shamanistic celebration of the harvest moon, where new harvests were offered to local deities and ancestors. Indeed, even the ganggangsullae dance,

characterized by a circle of women and children dancers, was performed under Chuseok’s full moon.

Along with dance, other Chuseok entertainment includes the folk games of tuho (played by pitching arrows into a jar), archery, tug-of-war and ssireum, or Korean-style wrestling. Games vary from region to region, with sports like bullfighting in southern areas.

Events to Enjoy To try your hand at such traditional sports, visit one of the three palaces that will be open during the holiday: Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung. You may also be just in time for the hourly ceremony of the changing of the palace guard.

Is quiet meditation with a soothing afternoon sip more to your taste? Gyeongbokgung Palace is also holding the final lecture of its traditional tea ceremony series on Saturday, Oct. 3. The lecture will demonstrate charye, a part of the rituals held in honor of one’s ancestors on Chuseok. Call (02) 37003919 for more information. Lectures are in Korean only. If this is an issue, you can seek help at (02) 1330.

For good music outdoors, sail over to the Seoul Forest Starry Night Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3. This series of free Saturday performances at Ttukseom's Seoul Forest has been organized by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The Oct. 3 performance, a poetry recital, will take place at 8pm. Call (02) 3991620~7 or visit www.sejongpac.or.kr/english for more information.

The same evening, a Chuseok Celebration Performance will be held at the outdoor theater of the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts (NCKTPA), located in Seocho-gu. Beginning at 7pm, this performance will present, among other things, the traditional ganggangsullae dance.

Before you set off out of Seoul, be warned that traffic during Chuseok may very well turn out to be your worst nightmare, what with the mass exodus of Koreans returning to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors. But if that doesn’t deter you, well, then let the festivities begin!

Written by Irene Park Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

18 SEOUL October 2009

Exploring Seoul

With Great CafĂŠs, Hidden Galleries and Rustic Korean Charm, Seochon Makes Case for Historical Conservation

20 SEOUL October 2009

S

Narrow alleyways, low roofs, pot plants—a typical scene from Seochon

eoul’s historic neighborhood of Bukchon, with Changdeokgung Palace to the east and the Gyeongbokgung to the west, is one of the capital’s most popular spots. Once a sleepy neighborhood of slowly disappearing hanok—Korea’s traditional one-story houses—it has been subject to protection and beautification programs since early this century. On weekends, its narrow streets fill with locals and tourists enjoying the many art galleries, restaurants and cafés, along with an atmosphere that cannot be found in many other parts of a city where the wheels of redevelopment have been turning fast and incessantly for the past four decades.

But to the west of Gyeongbokgung lies another area rich in hanok, where the contorted alleyways of old Seoul remain.

Dubbed “Seochon”—meaning “western village” and a conscious echo of “Bukchon,” or “northern village”—this collection of neighborhoods stretches to the eastern face of Mt. Inwangsan and the old city walls. And in terms of history, it is every bit as significant as Bukchon.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 21

Exploring Seoul History Around Every Corner Seochon contains more than 300 of the 1,400 hanok that remain within the bounds of the old city walls, many of them tucked behind taller, newer buildings. In several neighborhoods, however, the narrow and winding alleyways of older Seoul survive. Described by some as the “capillaries of the city,” these passages are too narrow to admit cars. Bicycles, cats, pots of flowers and vegetables, playing children, and the occasional hanging laundry are instead their principal occupants.

They are not visible from the outside, and those wishing to discover their charm are best advised to dive into as many random alleyways as possible. The houses themselves are concealed behind red brick walls, features of hanok that appeared in the early 20th century during the Japanese colonial period. Their wooden double front doors, with ornate metal fittings, occasionally open to reveal inner courtyards.

Wihang is a Korean name for these alleyways, and it was in the late Joseon period (1392—1910) that their occupants became known as wihangin. Wihangin are more commonly known as jungin, literally “middle people,” a reference to their position in society between fully fledged literati and commoners. Jungin belonged to a professional middle class of interpreters, doctors, merchants and other positions. In the late eighteenth century, several of them formed the Songseokwon Poetry Society out of a love of poetry composition and the bonds that formed between those that practiced it.

“Songseokwon” means “garden of pine and rock,” and its three Chinese characters—song (松), seok (石) and won (園)—remain carved on a rock in today’s Ogindong. It was here that the Songseokwon Poetry Society used to meet, drink and compose verse. The carving was done by renowned calligrapher Chusa (Kim Jeonghui) in a fat, thick-stroked style, apparently reflecting the influence of Chinese calligrapher and epigrapher Weng Fanggang during a sojourn in Beijing.

Seochon’s rich heritage also has roots in the early modern era: the hugely innovative writer Yi Sang (1910—1937) once lived here, as did Lee Wan-yong, the pro-Japanese government minister who signed the treaty that led in 1910 to the beginning of Japan’s colonization.

Conservation Plans Seochon’s cultural heritage may be rich, but it has not proven robust. Several sites—Yi Sang’s house, the site where King Sejong (1397—1450) was born, and others—are now occupied by newer buildings and indicated, if at all, only by small stone plaques. It was only in late 2008 that Seoul Metropolitan Government commissioned a team of architects and academics to investigate the preservation of Seochon. The area has huge potential for restoration—one suggestion is the development of a historical and ecological walking route by uncovering Baegundong-cheon Stream, a waterway that flows down from Mt. Inwangsan and is currently paved over for much of its length. This route would improve and increase access to views from around Baegundong-cheon down into old Seoul. The area was once famous as one of Seoul’s five most scenic spots.

22 SEOUL October 2009

Not all residents are in favor of preserving these atmospheric neighborhoods. The prospect of redevelopment means probable rises in property value, bringing profit to home owners. Others would prefer to see the bulldozers graze in other pastures. “There aren’t many areas like this left in Seoul,” says Camilo Choi, trading manager of local coffee shop and roasting factory Coffee Gongbang. “Redevelopment could mean losing a part of Seoul’s unique identity.”

It may be places like Coffee Gongbang that add to the case for preserving Seochon and investing in restoration of its hanok. The more visitors come to the area to eat, drink freshly roasted coffee, and relax, the stronger the case for conservation.

Top-Notch Cafés And there are already plenty of good places to eat, drink and nose around in Seochon, especially in the neighborhoods closer to Gyeongbokgung. Across the road from the western wall of the palace is a row of galleries and cafés, culminating with Dimi. This “concept café” bakes its own bread, makes its own pasta dough, and bakes a variety of other cakes whose delicious smell grabs all but the most nasally callous of passersby and pulls them inside for a closer look.

Around the corner, heading straight away from the palace wall, is another road lined with more cafés and the attractive second-hand bookshop Gagarin.

Alleyways lead off this road to the right, producing art gallery KunstDoc and more winding passages with vines climbing overhead. Further north, down yet another alleyway, is the tiny Italian restaurant Recipe.

Reservations must be made in advance to enjoy fine European cuisine in this charming little hanok. Next to the main road lies Sympa, a small shop selling handmade leather items such as bound books and diaries.

Across the main road running north through Seochon are yet more cafés and restaurants, including the aforementioned Coffee Gongbang and the famous Tosokchon, an enormous restaurant complex of linked hanok famous for its samgyetang (a chicken stew with ginseng, jujubes, rice and chestnuts). Further into the neighborhood is Studio Bona, offering pottery lessons.

The most charming parts of Seochon can be discovered by heading northward through these neighborhoods, following a random sequence of alleyways up the hillside. At a certain point, you will find yourself turning the corner to find magnificent views of Seoul spreading out beyond the rooftops.

Historic Altar Another way to approach Seochon is by starting from Sajik Park, situated at the southwestern corner of the area. This is the site of Sajikdan, an altar where various highly important rites were performed by kings during the Joseon era. “Sajik” is a term referring to the god of land and the god of grain. In pre-modern times, Sajikdan was a crucial site of ceremonial state activity, like the Jongmyo shrine to the east. But while Jongmyo is well known, well protected, and on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Sajikdan has not enjoyed such glory in recent years. One Korean

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4 5

1. An armchair awaits curious sitters in one of Seochon’s cafés.

2. No café is complete without a bicycle parked outside.

3. The eave of a Korean traditional hanok roof 4. Sajik Park, with statues of Joseon-era cultural heroes Sin Saimdang and her son Yulgok 5. Seochon’s old doorways open onto inner courtyards.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 23

Exploring Seoul architect expresses his frustration with Sajikdan’s loss of status by describing Sajik Park as a “rubbish dump.”

Restoration of Sajikdan is now underway, though, and the park is nonetheless a pleasant, leafy spot from which to begin a walk exploring Seochon.

Seochon has huge potential for development into a “cultural” district. In this city of constant change, one thing seems certain: the area will undergo change of one nature or another. In the meantime, set aside a long autumn afternoon for wandering its labyrinthine alleyways and enjoying its unique feel.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Places to Eat and Drink • Coffee Gongbang Specializes in coffee roasting and has around ten seats for guests. Tel. (02) 725-9808

• Dimi A gem of a café/restaurant. Party reservations and baking to order also available. Tel. (02) 730-4222, www.cafedimi.co.kr

• Tosokchon Legendary samgyetang restaurant. Long lines can form at lunchtime. Tel. (02) 737-7444

• Recipe

furniture and enjoy the great coffee and lovely view of the palace wall. Tel. (02) 735-9888

http://kunstdoc.com. Open Tue—Sun,

• Goghi

• Pottery Lessons at Studio Bona

Another café/bakery on a quiet side street, near Recipe. www.goghi.kr

The studio is open Mon—Fri, 11am—6pm.

Call in advance to book a lesson. Tel. (02) 733-8610

Things to Do • Gyeongbokgung Palace Seoul’s main palace marks the eastern boundary of Seochon. Admission: 3,000 won, less for concessions. www.royalpalace.go.kr

• Daelim Contemporary Art Museum

Irresistible little Italian restaurant, barely big enough to accommodate a baby elephant.

Reservation required. Tel. (02) 736-7301

Specializing in photographic art, Daelim Museum is also located in an interesting modern building. Tel. (02) 720-0667, www. daelimmuseum.org

• ’S

• KunstDoc Gallery Contemporary art gallery. Tel. (02) 722-8897,

11am—6pm.

• National Palace Museum of Korea Everything you want to know about Joseonera royalty and more. Tel. (02) 3701-7500, w w w. g o g u n g . g o . k r. O p e n Tu e — F r i , 9am—6pm; weekends and holidays, 9am—7pm. Closed Mon. Admission: free until end of 2009.

• Follow an improvised route through the alleyways. No reservation necessary.

Getting There Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3. Head north out of Exit 1, 2, 3 or 4 and explore!

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Don’t even try pronouncing the name of this café. Just sit on its stylish Scandinavian

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9

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• Sajik Park

1. Tosokchon 2. Coffee Gongbang 3. Dimi 4. ’s 5. Goghi 6. Recipe

24 SEOUL October 2009

2

11 3 Gyeongbokgun g Stn., Line 3

7. Studio Bona 8. Daelim Contemporary Art Museum 9. KunstDoc Gallery 10. Gyeongbokgung Palace 11. National Palace Museum of Korea

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Performing arts

Feline Percussion at Its Best Drum Cat Stuns Myungbo Art Hall with Ferally Riveting Performance

D

on’t let their name fool you—the ensemble of Drum Cat will not be serenading you under the moonlight with a song about beautiful days of the past. Nor will it distract you with the kind of formulaic plots or slapstick theater prominent in other famous performances in Korea like “Nanta” or “Jump.” Instead, Drum Cat captivates audiences with pure energy, making for a refreshing and even cathartic show to watch. Hence the title of its performance: “Free Your Soul.”

Relax—This Has Nothing to Do with Andrew Lloyd Webber Drumcat’s performance looks more like a glam rock concert than an Andrew Lloyd Webber production. The truth is that this show is neither concert nor musical, but rather something far more special: a dynamic showcase of finesse, musicality, and technique by an extremely talented group of female percussionists. The surprisingly wide range of music performed by this percussion ensemble is further augmented by flashing lights, drum line choreography, rock star outfits and a great deal of synchronized hair tossing.

All of the numbers in the performance were composed or otherwise arranged by Drum Cat. Most fall into one of two categories: upbeat pieces that require speedy, meticulous technique either in drumming or choreography, or selections that often include background instrumentals in order to bring out the melodic aspects of genres such as swing, Latin, and even house. In either case, the music is constantly and tirelessly driven by the powerful, beat-surfing rhythms of the women on their drums, creating a nonstop rush of energy and excitement.

But the most apparent feature distinguishing this show from others is its all-female cast. Director Shin Young-sam says that he wanted to showcase drumming in a softer, more feminine way. To pull off the difficult task of soothing down ferociously beating drums, the cat metaphor comes into play. In several moments throughout the show, the women dance or slink across the stage with fluid, seductive movements, only to switch in the blink of an eye to rigid, powerful postures while lashing out speedily at their drums. The constant alternation between grace and raw power displayed by these women can be likened to that of a restless cat at night.

26 SEOUL August 2009

3,000 Hits Purr Minute Such juxtapositions can be seen in “Solo 1,” where team leader See-do switches from flashy drumming mixed with stick twirls and juggling to suddenly pouncing on the drum and hitting lightningfast, powerful beats. As you watch her unleash hell onto the snare drum, it comes as no surprise to see her slender, agile arms bursting with well-defined muscles. During “Space Cat,” pairs of women share three panels of drum kits and circle each other as they perform—much like two cats about to battle. This dialectic of movement between grace and power is especially entrancing because it matches the type of beat being produced on the drum, together creating a visually and aurally stimulating experience.

Overall, for a percussion concert, Drumcat does a surprisingly adept job keeping each of the 12 numbers making up the show fresh and original. In every moment of the performance, the women of Drum Cat show off their impressive skills on the snare drums, tom-toms, xylophones, drum kits, timpanis, bass drums and even the violin. How good are they at drumming? One of the women claims that she has been clocked at 3,000 hits per minute.

Confident Spunk Although this show is primarily concerned with making music, it is the talent and attitude of the women that make it truly unique.

They all radiate a certain wild, charismatic stage presence and character—especially See-do, who moves with purpose and showmanship. Since most people have only seen percussionists in orchestras, marching bands or drum lines, it is a delightful surprise to see drummers who aren’t confined to a suit or uniform. The Drum Cat women sport sexy clothes, crazy hairstyles, knee-high boots and bright smiles. Their choreography has them reaching over, under, and around each other to hit the drums—all while tossing their hair back together to the beat. The women rarely fail to hit a beat or land a movement off time, and they all give off the same confident spunk.

In this way, Drum Cat ultimately keeps true to what it actually is: a drum line—albeit one that is sexier and more fun than most.

Drum Cat has performed in several places in Europe to great reviews, most notably at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. After performing several concerts in Korea, Drum Cat has finally settled down to perform twice a day on an open run. The show features music of many types and is suitable for all ages. Drum Cat’s “Free Your Soul” is performed at Myungbo Art Hall, which is located in Chungmuro. More details are below:

Written by Alexander Paik Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Additional Information

Dates: Open run from Sept. 18, 2009 Times: Mon—Sat, 2pm & 8pm; Sun and holidays, 2pm & 6pm Price: R 50,000 won, S 40,000 won Website and Ticketing Information: www.drumcat.co.kr or www.myungbo.com Telephone: (02) 2274-2121

Getting There

Drum Cat is being performed in the Gaon Theater at the Myungbo Art Hall in Chungmuro. The Gaon Theater is located on basement level 3 of Myungbo Art Hall.

The best way to get to Myungbo Art Hall is to take the subway to Uljiro 3-ga Station, Lines 2 & 3. Walk straight out of Exit 8 toward the first major intersection. Once you reach the corner, Myungbo Art Hall should be immediately to your left. If you are traveling on Line 4, you can get off at Chungmuro Station. Walk straight from Exit 7 for about five minutes. Once you cross two intersections with traffic lights, the theater will be immediately to your right. Myungbo Art Hall is next to a Coffee Bean and a KFC.

Cultural Hot Spots

A Little Korean Elegance on Mt. Namsan Korean Traditional Culture Alive and Well at Korea House

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hop, skip and a jump from the hustle and bustle of Chungmu-ro and Myeongdong is Korea House, an island of tradition and tranquility. This writer likes to think of it as the Mt. Namsan version of Samcheonggak—an oasis of Korean traditional elegance in a ppalli ppalli (“Quickly! Quickly!”) world. It’s certainly a place that lends itself to slowing down to appreciate the finer things in life, like the crisp autumn breeze rustling through the trees, the leaves as they turn color, the relaxing cry of the wind chimes hanging from the roof eave, or your reflection in the goldfish pond.

Part restaurant, part cultural hall and part Korean-style garden, Korea House— operated by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation—has played a key role in preserving and transmitting Korean tradition to foreign visitors since 1980, when the current complex was built. Whether it’s taking in Korean traditional dance over dinner, making your own kimchi or simply strolling about the garden, Korea House offers the visitor a culturally enriching experience in an enchanting atmosphere. The recent completion of its Chwiseongwan Hall, a multi-story cultural experience center, provides visitors with even more hands-on opportunities to experience Korean traditional culture.

Wood and Tile

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1. Gifts for sale in Korea House’s souvenir shop 2. Floor seating for a meal in one of Korea House’s Korean pavilions

Korea House is hidden away on the lower slopes of Mt. Namsan, right before Namsangol Folk Village (to which it is attached via a hidden passageway in the back). During the reign of King Sejong the Great (r. 1418—1450), it was the location of the home of renowned scholar Park Paeng-nyeon. After the Korean War, the site was used as a government-run VIP guest house for high-ranking foreign visitors before, in 1980, master Korean woodworker Shin Eung-soo was brought in to build a Korean-style hanok complex for use as a cultural center. The result was absolutely magnificent—graceful curved roof lines, grand Korean halls, elegant pavilions, hidden gardens, and even a lovely goldfish pond. Even if you give the restaurant and cultural programs a miss, it’s worth visiting her just to walk amidst the charming landscaping, especially in autumn, when the leaves turn and Mt. Namsan transforms into a riot of color.

Fit for a King...Or At Least His Cook The success of the Korean historical TV drama “Daejanggeum” (also known as “Jewel in the Palace”), the tale of a palace cook in the Joseon Dynasty (1392—1910), has inspired the already well-regarded restaurant of Korea House to new heights with its “Daejanggeum Jeongsik” (“Course Meal of Daejanggeum”). This meal harmonizes Korean royal palace cuisine with the tastes of a health-conscious public.

Warm and cold dishes alternate to stimulate the taste buds, while ingredients are carefully prepared in accordance with the principles of yin and yang and the five directions, producing an eye-catching medley of colors. All is served on the finest white porcelain tableware within a relaxing Korean-traditional environment.

The Daejanggeum Jeongsik has 14 dishes, not including dessert. At 250,000 won per person, it’s not cheap. But then again, cuisine this good never is.

Korea House offers cheaper dinner courses at 57,200 won to 99,000 won. Lunch, meanwhile, costs 15,000 won to 45,100 won. Meals are accompanied by Korean traditional music. Lunch is noon—2pm, while dinner is 5:30—7pm and 7:20— 8:50pm (6:30—8pm on Sunday). Reservations required.

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Dancer Kim Joo-hee of Korea House’s Traditional Performing Arts Troupe does a whirl in the courtyard.

Cultural Hot Spots

Canopy above Korea House courtyard. Traditional weddings are often performed here.

Korean Performing Arts Korea House is more than just good food and pleasant scenery. It is also home to a 156-seat traditional arts theater, which hosts regular performances of the Korean traditional performing arts. Shows include such jewels of Korean music and dance as samulnori (Korean rural percussion music), the Fan Dance and the Monk Dance.

Daily performances are timed around dinner: the first show is 7—8pm and the second one is 8:50—9:50pm (8—9pm on Sunday).

Bulgogi, Kimchi and More The recently completed Chwiseongwan Hall, a state-of-the-art cultural experience center, allows visitors a more interactive experience. As food is one of the most important (and popular!) aspects of culture, the center offers two classes in Korean cooking. The first lets you try your hand at preparing two of Korea’s signature dishes, bulgogi (marinated beef) and kimchi (which requires no further introduction). Classes are offered in groups of two to 44 and are taught by qualified experts. Class time is noon—1:30pm every day, and the fee is 55,000 won per person. Reservation required.

The other class allows students to make whatever dish they’d like. Classes are for 15 to 44 students and are offered 9—10:30am and 3—9pm. Admission depends on what you’d like to prepare.

The Perfect Souvenir In the basement of the Chwiseongwan Hall is the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation cultural products shop. If you’re looking for something to bring back home, this is a good place to go, especially if it’s high-quality art you desire. Most of the products on sale were produced by master Korean craftsmen and include paper craft, metalwork, jade, textiles and lacquer goods.

Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

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Dancer Kim Joo-hee feeds a bit of kimchi to Korea House palace cuisine researcher Lee Mi-kyung, who teaches the kimchi-making class.

Getting There

Korea House is a short walk from Exit 3 of Chungmu-ro Station, Lines 3 & 4.

Additional Information For additional information, including reservations, call (02) 2266-9101~3.

Rak-Ko-Jae

Boutique Hanok Guest House

“Spend a night amid the splendor of Hanok”

Rak-Ko-Jae in Andong 695 Hahoe Folk Village, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong-si, Kyungsangbuk-do Tel. 054-857-3410, 3411 Fax. 054-857-3419

Charges of Reservation: Ahn, Young H. 010-5286-1855 (EN), Park, Sun Sook 010-6297-9677 (JP) e-mail: yha@hsfd.co.kr

Hotel Heaven

W

Seoul’s Most Beautiful hotel

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he first time I saw the W Hotel was from the road far below, on the way out to Gangwon Province on a December morning. It gleamed blue in the winter sunlight, as if an enormous shard of sapphire had plummeted out of the sky and lodged itself into the flank of Mt. Achasan. The next sighting was nine months later, from a winding woodland road in early autumn. The W looked straight out across the sparkling river, the mountainside rising behind it in a wall of green. Who cared if it wasn’t right in the middle of Gangnam?

Is there anybody who wouldn’t go a little farther out of the city center for a setting like this?

Location, however, is far from being W Hotel’s only defining feature. Its stunning design, both interior and exterior, simply leaves Seoul’s other hotels in the dust. The outside is all about clouds and circles, a cool blue glass façade that changes color at night to perch like a 14-story glow-fly above the black ribbons of water and asphalt at the foot of the mountain. The inside is utterly immaculate, with every object, every piece of furniture and fitting and line and curve and surface and letter and number designed or selected with obsessive attention to aesthetics. Anyone with a life-threatening allergy to bad design should seek asylum at the W and spend the rest of his or her days here.

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1 2 1. A stunning view of the river from WooBar 2. Inside the spa

Unparalleled Bar Glamour W’s lobby—the Living Room—blends seamlessly into WooBar, the first floor lounge bar that doubles as the center of the hotel’s night life. Open from 10am to 2am every day (3am on weekends), WooBar is lined on one side by the longest bar in Korea, while the opposite side rises to the newly designed mezzanine area. On the far side, a floor-to-ceiling glass wall extends WooBar’s space out over the river, the Seoul skyline and beyond.

A large, partially hatched stainless steel egg encases the hotel’s in-house DJ when he starts playing from 9pm every day. The ovular theme continues in the chairs and cushions strewn around WooBar, adding to the unique ambience created by the retro curves of its interior dimensions and lighting. If somebody had designed an international space hotel in the 1960s, this is how it would have looked.

To the east of WooBar lies Namu, W’s “contemporary Japanese” restaurant. To the west are Kitchen, a loft space-esque “modern interpretation of a barn” and Pantry, offering shelves loaded with fine wines, chocolates, pastries and much more for those who have come to the W in too hedonistic a frame of mind to confine themselves to gym sessions and spa treatments. Completing W’s trio of restaurants is Tonic, located next to the gym and swimming pool, which serves W’s own healthy versions of Korean dishes and offers a slightly lighter dining experience than the set courses of Namu and Kitchen.

Exquisite design and sophistication permeate every aspect of W’s eateries, from Kitchen’s intriguing maze of tangled branch spheres to Namu’s antique furniture and wide wooden floorboards.

WooBar: the longest, most recognized bar in Korea

Travel & Culture SEOUL 33

Hotel Heaven

How to take a bath in style

1 2 1. Sunbeds and skyscrapers 2. Part of the enormous, gorgeous Extreme Wow suite

Chic Korea No shortage of architects and designers was involved in creating W Seoul—its structures and spaces are the work of Studio Gaia, RAD and Tony Chi, while even the hotel’s staff uniforms are the work of top designers Barbara Battaglini and Wook Jun Jung. Every object in each of the hotel’s 252 rooms is carefully chosen—and available for purchase by guests.

Room interiors fall into four categories, each with a distinctive aesthetic code: Wonderful Rooms in red and white; Fabulous Room Scents in blue and white; Cool Corner rooms with red, rounded furniture and an abundance of interactive media; and Fabulous Room Spas in three soothing shades of gray and spa baths next to more floor-to-ceiling windows to maximize enjoyment of the W’s stunning views.

W’s crowning glory is the Extreme Wow suite, a breathtaking 13th floor space that is only marginally smaller than Siberia and every bit as cool. Extreme Wow is populated by an embarrassment of designer furniture in red and white, which once supported Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera, though no trace remains of them. Did Beyoncé recline on these beautiful red sofas or wallow in this stand-alone marble bath? Did Christina, late on a sleepless night, get up and make instant noodles in the kitchen or stumble into the stylish tangled creeper structure in the lounge?

W Seoul’s other amenities—the Away Spa, the fitness center, swimming pool, event and meeting room—are what you would expect for a hotel of its class, but they once again obliterate all local competition with their breathtaking design. Gleaming copper bathtubs rarely seen outside the realm of fantasy, glowing circles of light hanging from the elevator ceilings, the unexpected saccharine kaleidoscope of an old-style sweetshop, and giant, cascading urinals that could have been stolen from an art museum are just some of the whimsical surprises that await a casual explorer of the hotel.

W Seoul is certainly one of the city’s most expensive places to stay. But if you experience a lapse in financial prudence for just one night, make sure you spend it in this masterpiece of chic design.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

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More Information

W Seoul offers a series of events, promotions and packages all year round. For more details, call (02) 2022-0000 or email wseoul@whotels.com, www.wseoul.com

Getting There

Shuttle buses to W Seoul depart from Gangbyeon Station, Line 2, opposite Techno Mart and Gwangnaru Station, Line 5, Exit 4 or 2.

The first bus is at 6am and the last at 11:20pm.

Call (02) 465-2222 for more information.

Airport limousine buses run between the Walkerhill Hotel (just next to W) and Incheon International Airport at twenty minute intervals, costing 14,000 won one way and taking between 1hr 40min and 2hrs.

Seoul Personalities

A Space of Communication National Museum of Korea Director Choe Kwang-shik

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perating one of the world’s largest museums is no easy task. Choe Kwang-shik, the directorgeneral of the National Museum of Korea, would be the first to tell you that. Still, the former director of Korea University Museum and respected scholar of ancient Korean history has overseen an amazing period of growth in the museum, with attendance and revenue up and the institution itself transforming from a mere repository of antiquities to a general cultural complex. With this year marking the 100th anniversary of Korea’s museum system, Choe has been hard at work organizing a series of special events and exhibits celebrating the museum’s role in protecting the nation’s proud cultural heritage.

The CEO Museum Director Since taking over as director in March 2008, Choe has been lauded for bringing a CEO’s touch to the administration of the National Museum. This might surprise some, given his background as a professor of ancient Korean history and director of a university museum. Still, the results speak for themselves—Choe boosted museum revenue despite doing away with admission fees to the museum’s regular exhibits.

Explains Choe, “As a CEO, you’re dealing with money and organization. This is not an academic position; it’s a CEO position. You have to bring money in, make plans and build organic relationships with other institutions.”

One of the most important tasks of the job, he stresses, is getting funding. Take, for instance, the events marking the museum’s 100th anniversary. “This 100-year anniversary project isn’t really budgeted,” he says. “We had to get a lot of sponsorship from outside sources...When I was director of Korea University Museum, too, I had to find outside sponsorship, such as from the city. For example, we wanted to do an exhibit on Goguryeo history. We needed one billion won. But what kind of university has that kind of money?”

The same goes with the centennial celebrations. “We have a basic budget,” Choe explains. “We want to bring in this much (holds out hands widely), but we only have funds for this much (narrows hands).” This

requires a lot of talking with outside sources, including major corporations, to secure sponsorship.

Bringing In the Foreigners Choe is keen to boost the number of foreign visitors to his museum. You’d think the flagship museum of a nation with several millennia of history should have no problem drawing visitors. Unfortunately, since its 2005 move to its current location in Yongsan, the museum has gotten something of a snub from tour groups.

Explains Choe, “Back in the old days, when we were at Gyeongbokgung Palace, we got a lot of foreign visitors since we were on a tour course. But here in Yongsan, we are a bit apart from everything else.”

Another problem—especially for tour groups—is the sheer size of the facility. The National Museum of Korea is the largest museum in East Asia and the sixth largest in the world, covering some 28,500 square meters. This, of course, is a good thing, but it can be daunting, too. “Most tour companies prefer to spend one hour—two hours maximum—at a museum,” says Choe. “To see this museum properly, however, you need several hours. So we end up getting a lot of individual travelers (rather than tour groups).”

This year, the museum hopes to bring in some three million visitors, including 300,000 foreigners, or 10% of the total. Basic conveniences are provided, such as an information system in English, Japanese and Chinese. But Choe is thinking beyond that to building linkages with the foreign community. “We are setting up a system to hold seminars with foreigners,” he says.

“We have a program for families of diplomats in Korea.

We have programs for foreign students. On Vietnamese Independence Day, we invited Vietnamese families and held a performance of Vietnamese arts.”

Choe stressed the role of the museum as a place of understanding. “Foreign spouses who immigrate to Korea are, after all, Korean,” he notes. “The museum is a good place for them to learn about Korean history...English teachers, too, need to understand Korea and Koreans to teach properly. They can do this through textbooks, of course, but if they come to the museum, they can see what they should learn for themselves.”

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Seoul Personalities

As director of the National Museum, Choe has worked hard to break people’s preconception of museums as dark, stuffy (and boring) places full of nothing but old stuff.

Instead, he views the museum as a place of communication.

profile overseas exhibitions, including a much-lauded exhibit of artifacts from ancient Egypt that concluded in August.

Learning about Korea

A Space of Communication As director of the National Museum, Choe has worked hard to break people’s preconception of museums as dark, stuffy (and boring) places full of nothing but old stuff. Instead, he views the museum as a place of communication. He explains, “There are three parts to communication: popularization, digitalization and internationalization.” As for the first part of that equation, Choe has succeeded beautifully by making entrance into the museum’s regular exhibit free. But he’s done more than that—he has added cultural facilities and programs such as theaters and folk performances so that, in his words, “people can come to the museum and see more than just artifacts.”

He also stresses that the museum is a place in which families can communicate. “Friends and families and coworkers can come here and talk. You can’t communicate during a concert, after all.”

Digitalization is also important, Choe says.

“Nowadays, people like to visit a homepage before they go anywhere,” he observes. In the case of the Smithsonian Institute of the United States, he notes, there are ten times as many visitors to the museum system’s homepage as there are to the actual museum itself. In the case of the National Museum of Korea, however, the numbers are roughly equal, indicating that the online side of operations needs improvement.

Finally, there is internationalization. In fact, at the time of this interview, Choe was preparing to visit Los Angeles to coordinate with museums in that city. “We need not only to send out our artifacts, but to bring artifacts from outside in,” he says. And indeed, the National Museum has conducted a number of high38 SEOUL October 2009

Choe stresses that unlike the museums of some other nations, the National Museum of Korea is focused primarily on Korea, making it a great place to learn about the country. “To understand Korea, you have to visit the museum,” he says. “In the British Museum, for instance, everything is from other countries. But in the National Museum of Korea, you can learn about Korea in a relatively short period of time. It’s visual, so you can easily understand. And it’s a landmark. France has its Eiffel Tower. Japan has its Mt. Fuji. Korea has its National Museum.”

Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Additional Information

T. (02) 2077-9556. Website: www.museum.go.kr Getting There: Ichon Station, Lines 1 (Jungang Line) & 4, Exit 2. Walk 150m toward Yongsan Family Park.

100 Years of Korean Museums

To celebrate the centennial of Korea’s museum system, the National Museum of Korea is hosting “Yeominhaerak” (thru Nov 8), a special exhibit that roughly translates as “Sharing Enjoyment with the People.”

The exhibit is divided into two parts. The first part features some 120 works that have been passed down since Emperor Sunjong founded Korea’s first national museum in 1909. The second part features hard-to-see treasures currently being displayed in overseas collections, including the 15th century painting “The Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land” (Tenri University Library, Japan) and an 11th century gilt-silver ewer and basin (Boston Museum of Fine Arts). The highlight of the exhibit, however, is “Cheonmado” (“Painting of Heavenly Horse”), a 6th century painting that has been kept in special storage since it was discovered in Gyeongju’s Cheonmachong Tomb in 1973.

The museum will also host a "Grand Museum Festival" on Oct 10—18.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 39

Medical Tourism

TAKINg ON DEPrESSION ThE NaTural Way Jahayun Clinic Uses Korean Traditional Remedies to Combat Modern-Day Blues

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lack dogs, despair, sinking, melancholy, gathering clouds, crushing weights, downward spirals, rock bottom—the many images used in attempts to express feelings of depression come together to form a miscellaneous and unappealing pile. Resounding deafeningly in the confined space of one mind, such feelings remain inaudible to those outside. How can they be conveyed across the gap between the self and the others? Are they even worth communicating?

Different societies have hugely different ways of identifying, understanding, classifying and attempting to cure the phenomenon to which we commonly refer in modern English as depression. While 19th century Abyssinians employed bands of musicians and treated individuals afflicted by melancholy to several days of ecstatic dance and drink parties, today’s industrialized societies often concentrate on the gray matter of the brain itself, developing medication to rectify the nervous malfunctions they identify as the cause of depression.

Holistic Approach East Asian medicine, meanwhile, takes a characteristically holistic approach to the disorder, seeking to identify environmental factors in the life of the patient that may be linked to physical and emotional imbalances. As always, the concept of gi (氣, better known in the Anglophone world by its Chinese pronunciation, qi) is fundamental to the East Asian understanding of depression. But in Korea today, Western medicine is widely practiced alongside Korean traditional medicine and the contrast between their two

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approaches is as evident in the field of depression as anywhere else.

“In Western medicine, depression is approached from one of two angles: counseling or medication,” explains Dr. Lim Hyeong-taek. “In Korean traditional medicine, there is a very strong concept of the mind and the body being one.” Depression is understood in Korean traditional medicine both as a symptom of and a factor affecting the overall state of the body and mind, via the concept of gi. Korean terms such as giul refer both to symptoms of depression and to a concentration of gi in a particular part of the body (the ideal state being balanced circulation). “The aim of Korean traditional medicine is to find an ideal state of balance and moderation,” says Lim. “Where people are depressed or otherwise unwell due to a lack of energy, it aims to stimulate their bodies and minds and bring them ‘up’; where people are agitated and too full of energy, it aims to calm them down.”

These physical and emotional adjustments can be achieved both through the use of various treatments to rectify imbalances of gi—acupuncture, cupping glasses, incense burning, orally administered traditional medicines, and so on. Lim also uses verbal consultation as a method of determining what environmental factors in the patient’s life may be responsible for his or her emotional and physical imbalances. “Korean traditional doctors are trained to find logical links and sequences of cause and effect between a person’s circumstances and his or her mental state,” he says. Interestingly, Lim often finds himself trying to persuade some of his unemployed patients that they may subconsciously be maintaining their perceived maladies, clinging to an excuse to avoid engaging with society again.

“The aim of Korean traditional medicine is to find an ideal state of balance and moderation,” says Lim. “Where people are depressed or otherwise unwell due to a lack of energy, it aims to stimulate their bodies and minds and bring them ‘up’; where people are agitated and too full of energy, it aims to calm them down.”

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Medical Tourism

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1. Tea and incense 2. Cupping jars—surprisingly refreshing

Are You Really a Teapot?

Among the information on Jahayun’s website is the assertion that “the primary cause of all illness, disorder in life and disharmony lies in not knowing one’s true nature.” When asked to elaborate, Lim takes a range of tea-making utensils and lines them up on his desk.

“People are born with different natures,” he says. “But our society tries to encourage everybody to be like this.”

He points to a handsome teapot at one end of the row.

“It’s strong, well made, balanced, and performs its function well,” he continues. “But not everybody is this kind of person. Others are like these.” He picks up each of the other items in the row: a round cup, a tea strainer, a pot of thin glass, a handmade saucer.

“I’m forty now,” he says, “but until I was thirty-seven I spent my time trying to be like this teapot. By nature, maybe I’m a tea strainer. But I put lots of effort into trying to plug up my holes and be a teapot—a strong, outgoing leader. Three years ago, I realized there was nothing wrong with being a tea strainer. Society needs tea strainers, cups, glass pots and saucers as well.”

The word Lim uses to describe the nature of a tea strainer translates as “small-hearted.” It is often used to describe men who are circumspect, shy, hesitant, fastidious, indecisive—all qualities opposite to those embodied in what might be described as an archetypal Korean alpha male. Lim emphasizes the need for such characters in society, as good listeners in counseling roles such as his, in jobs that require fastidious concentration such as watchmaking, and in plenty of other roles. “I often need to persuade depressed patients that they don’t need to strive obsessively to become teapots.” he says.

Chromatic Diagnosis In a backlit cabinet on one wall of Lim’s consultation room are a hundred or so small, square glass bottles, each containing two layers of colored liquid. Dr. Lim invites me to choose two. I choose one with turquoise on top and golden orange below. I choose the second,

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cranberry red on emerald green, simply for maximum contrast with the first. I am about to be analyzed: the turquoise—in terms consistent with the principle of yin and yang, another fundamental concept in East Asian medicine—is a negative color and suggests that its selector treats others well. The golden orange color refers to inner nature and apparently suggests leadership and abundance.

Some may find small bottles of colored liquid an inadequate basis for such deductions. It is not easy to know what to make of things by this stage. After an hour of consultation, conversation, cupping glass treatment and color therapy a certain improvement in mood is tangible. Is it because of the treatment itself, or simply the experience of pushing aside other concerns and being listened to and treated for a while? The mysteries of “complementary” medicine remain as unsolved as ever.

But anyone feeling depressed would be well advised to book an appointment at Jahayun.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

More Information As well as depression, Jahayun’s nervous and mental health department offers treatment for insomnia, chronic fatigue, pent-up resentment (hwabyeong), hypersensitivity, headaches and other afflictions. Its other departments specialize in using Korean traditional medicine for dieting, skin care, gynecological health and infertility.

Opening hours: Mon, Fri 9:30am—6:30pmTue, Thu 9:30am—8pm, Wed 2pm—6:30pm, Sat 9:30am—4pm&, Lunchtime: 1pm—2pm, Tel. (02) 3448-7575 www.jahayun.com&

Getting There

Gangnam-gu Office Station, Line 7, Exit 3. Walk straight for 10 min to Hakdong Junction. You will see the Cine City building diagonally opposite. Jahayun is on the second floor of the KMD Building, just next door to Cine City.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 43

Seoul of Zen

Who is the Owner of the Land?

There is no other place to sit than where you are always sitting.

Sitting in the Palace of Nirvana, you, deceived by false shadows, are wandering outside.

When could you see your true self?

What is the substance of the shadowless shape?

It is said that there is fire in water and water in fire.

How could you know the substance without realizing this principle?

As it can change into any shape, you should realize the unchanging in the changing and not be deceived any more.

Anxious to know who is the owner of a patch of the wide fields, you can't know who is the owner because you can't see.

If you want to see the high mountains and the wide fields, you can see them only when your eyes are closed and not when they are open.

Written by Master Soo Bool Sunim of Ahnkook Zen Center Translated by Boo Ahm (Song Soo-kyong) 44 SEOUL October 2009

City Interview

Facilitating Multicultural Understanding Itaewon/Hannam Global Village Center Director Paul Hussey

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iving in Seoul poses challenges to both the newly arrived and veteran residents alike. That’s where the Itaewon/ Hannam Global Village Center comes in. Located on the fifth floor of Itaewon’s Hannam Building(a.k.a. the International Clinic Building), the center is a place where foreigners in the Itaewon area can come when they experience difficulties. Director Paul Hussey, a seven-year resident of Korea, summarizes the role of the center. “It’s a community center for foreigners,” he says. “It’s a place for foreigners to come when they have daily living problems...We help them out. That’s our main function.”

In addition to being a help center, the Itaewon/Hannam Global Village Center is a venue for education and multicultural understanding. It provides free Korean classes for foreigners and English classes for Koreans and nonEnglish-speaking foreigners. It conducts cultural activities, including occasional cooking classes and short excursions.

Hussey even holds regular daily living orientations to help, for instance, incoming English teachers adjust to their new surroundings.

All Nationalities and Walks of Life If there is one characteristic that defines Itaewon, it’s multiculturalism. This is reflected at Itaewon/Hannam Global Village Center. When asked what the most common complaint from visitors is, Hussey explains, “We get a really diverse group of people, so we never get the same question twice. It’s diverse not only in terms of nationalities, but in terms of professions. We get everyone from migrant workers to embassy staff and corporate elite.”

While the questions may differ, the root causes behind the difficulties are often the same. Hussey says that generally speaking, there are two major reasons for the troubles resident foreigners experience. The first is communication, or more precisely, inability to communicate. “People know what they want to do, but they don’t know how to go about it,” he says.

“With problems between employers and employees, for instance, 90% come down to problems with communication.”

Later, he notes, “Not being able to communicate is frustrating."

The other problem is systemic differences between Korea and their home nations. Explains Hussey, “Things do not work the same way in Korea as they do elsewhere. There are systemic differences. We provide information on where to go.”

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Resolving these two issues is key, says Hussey. “Most of the time, when you know how things work and you can communicate, things get resolved.”

Language Exchange The center’s free language classes have gotten a good response. Says Hussey, “Classes are always full, and there are always people on the waiting list.” There are seven classes at five levels, with interest in the low beginner level being particularly high. The classes, which meet twice a week for an hour and a half each time, reflect the needs of the community.

“Most students are just trying to learn survival Korean,” says Hussey. “Classes move slowly.”

Potential as a Multicultural Venue Originally from the Calgary area of Canada, Hussey taught English in Ulsan and Ilsan before going on to graduate school at Seoul’s Yonsei Univeristy. It was at Yonsei that he first got into the helping-foreigners business, assisting foreign students at the school’s registration office with visa matters and other bureaucratic necessities. A resident of Itaewon’s Haebangchon neighborhood, he has grown to appreciate Itaewon’s unique multicultural charms: “Usually, when foreigners live together, they form enclaves. But in Itaewon, there are so many people from so many places. It would be a good place for people to learn about many different cultures...It’s developing on its own. It has good potential.”

He is hoping to reflect this in the future growth of the center, too. “Currently, we’re focusing on getting foreigners to understand Korean culture," he says. "But in the future, we would like to focus on cultural exchange, on breaking down barriers.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Itaewon/Hannam Global Village Center is on the fifth floor of the Hannam Building, a short walk from Exit 2 of Itaewon Station, Line 6.

Hours: 9am to 6pm, Mon—Fri. T. 796-2459~60.

Homepage: http://global.seoul.go.kr/itaewon Written by Robert Koehler Photographs by Ryu Seunghoo

Oriental Medicine

Deficiency Patterns in Oriental Medicine Part 2: Blood Deficiency Syndrome

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n the last article we introduced Yin deficiency syndrome, which is one of four main deficiency syndromes described in traditional Oriental medicine.

Yin deficiency is understood as a heat condition that is caused not so much by true heat but rather by a lack of moistening and cooling functions. It results in symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes.

Strictly speaking, blood is a Yin component of the body. It nourishes all cells and organs and helps to sustain the myriad physiological and mental processes that go on in the body.

In Western medicine, blood is considered to be a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances, such as nutrients and oxygen, to the cells and transports waste products away from the cells.

Human blood is made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid called blood plasma. Plasma, which comprises 55% of blood fluid, is mostly water (90% by volume) and contains dissolved proteins, glucose, mineral ions, hormones, carbon dioxide, platelets and blood cells themselves. Instead of looking at things at a cellular level, Oriental medicine focuses on the body as a whole.

Blood is viewed simply as the red fluid inside the blood vessels that provides nutrition for the body. Sufficient nourishment will guarantee the normal functioning of all body tissues and can be evidenced by a healthy glow to the skin, the cheeks, hair and nails.

According to traditional Oriental medical philosophy, blood originates from food essence and jeong (精; stored in the kidneys, Jeong is the essence of life associated with the growth and development of the body) in three distinct ways. In the first, digested food is turned into food essence by the transforming functions of the stomach and spleen. These organs are integral to the formation of blood; however, the blood is not considered to be fully formed until it is transported upward to the lungs and mixes with the air that has been inhaled. The second and third methods of blood formation are from jeong. Jeong supports the bones to sustain healthy marrow. In turn, the bone marrow produces blood. Modern Western medicine teaches that the bones and marrow are the most important bloodproducing organs, a perspective that concurs with this second method of blood formation. In the third way, Jeong goes to the liver to be transformed into clear blood.

colored red or brown. In addition, clinical manifestations of blood deficiency may occur following a long illness.

The physical symptoms related to blood deficiency may include dizziness, fatigue, headaches with lightheadedness, floaters, or shortness of breath.

Usually the face pales, and the tongue loses its pinkish hue and also becomes pale. The weakened ability to nourish and moisten the system will result in numbness or tingling in the limbs, constipation, dry skin, dry mouth, and dry and brittle hair, as well as light menses for women.

Additionally, blood deficiency or abnormal circulation results in mental disorders on various levels. For example, deficiency of the heart-blood or liver-blood may bring about symptoms of mental restlessness, which include heart palpitations with anxiety, insomnia, excessive dreaming, and poor memory.

To cope with a blood deficiency syndrome, nutrients supplied by the diet are quite essential. Blood-building foods include vegetables like spinach, artichoke, cabbage or celery; grains like rice, barley, corn or oats; nuts and seeds, like almonds or black sesame; fruits like apricot, avocados or grapes; all kinds of beans; and especially all kinds of red meat, as red meat is considered a strong tonifying food.

Therapeutic treatment for blood deficiency syndrome in Oriental medicine is based on specific herbal remedies. A recipe commonly administered in such cases could be the “Decoction of Four Ingredients” (Samultang, 四物湯), which is made up of sukjihwang (Radix rehmanniae), danggwi (Radix angelicae sinensis), baekjagyak (Radix paeoniae alba) and cheongung (Rhizoma ligustici).

For severe forms of blood deficiency due to internal or external blood loss or pernicious anemia, patients are advised to consult a Western medical specialist in addition to their Oriental medical doctor. This will optimize the possibility that the best solution is found for each individual patient.

Symptoms Related to Blood Deficiency Blood deficiency may result from dietary imbalance that affects the production of blood, but it could also be a result of blood loss due to excessive menstruation or internal bleeding. Such problems may be indicated by stool that is colored black or red, and urine that is

Dr. Raimund Royer (raimundroyer@jaseng. co.kr) is Korea’s only “Western” Oriental medical doctor and the medical director of the Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine’s International Clinic (www.jaseng.net).

Travel & Culture SEOUL 47

Event Calendar 10 SUN

VIDEOVIDE&0 — Park hyun ki

4

- Time and Space in Modern Korea, Viewed from Postcards (Chuncheon National Museum)

11 - Jang Bo-yun: K's Slide (Brain Factory)

MON

5

- The 12th Seoul International Dance Festival (throughout the city) thru 24

12 - New York Philharmonic— Asian Horizons (Seoul Arts Center) thru 13 - SIDance 2009: The King's Dance (Seoul Arts Center) thru 13 - PAMS (National Theater of Korea) thru 16

TUE

6 - Tea Music (Seoul Namsan Gukakdang)

13 - PAN "2009 Noreum Machi" (Seoul Namsan Gukakdang)

18

20

- Picnic on the City (KT&G Sangsang Madang) - VIDEO:VIDE&0 (Arko Art Center)

- Beyoncé I Am, Tour in Seoul 2009 (Olympic Park) thru 21

25 - Canada Art Circus: ID (Incheon)

26

27

- 10th Kang Dong-Suk’s Hope Concert (Seoul Arts Center)

Rain—Legend of Rainism in Seoul

48 SEOUL October 2009

WED

14

1

- Elodie Dornand De Rouville— Instant-Mirror (Samtoh Gallery)

2

2

*For detailed info on some events, go to “Goings On Around Town.”

Purple letters indicate closing date of event. -Ed

THU

FRI

SAT

3

- Chuseok Performance: ‘No More, No Less’ (NCKTPA)

Long Running Performances, Exhibits and Events Performances

The Phantom of the OPERA—Photograph courtesy of Charlotte Theater

8 - 14th Pusan International Film Festival (Busan) thru 16 - 46th Hwaseong Cultural Festival (Suwon-si) thru 12

15 - Asia Music Festival (Sejong Center for the Performing Arts)

9

10

- 2009 The Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival (Haenam-gun & Jindo-gun) thru 11 - Rain—Legend of Rainism in Seoul (Olympic Park) thru 10 - Seoul Design Olympiad 2009 (Jamsil Sports, Seoul downtown) thru 29

16 - The 6th Jarasum International Jazz Festival 2009 (Jara Island) thru 18

- 2009 D. Festa (Daehangno Area) thru 18 - 2009 Dream Concert (Seoul World Cup Stadium) - 2009 Ssamzie Sound Festival 11th (Imjingak)

- Feng Zhengjie— Floral Life (Die Galerie)

- Nobuko Imai Viola Recital (Kumho Art Hall)

29 - The Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall (Kumho Art Hall)

23 - Kimchi Love Festival 2009 (Gyeonghuigung Palace, Seoul Museum of History) thru 25

30 - Seoul Ballet Theatre— Wave of Emotions (Gwacheon Citizen Hall) thru 31

- Seoul Performing Arts Festival 2009 (throughout the city) thru Nov 21 - The Phantom of the Opera (Charlotte Theater) thru Aug 8, 2010

Art Exhibitions

17

- 2009 Gwangju Design Biennale (Gwangju) thru Nov 4 - In the Flower Garden (63 Sky Art) thru Nov 15

- 5th Busan Fireworks Festival (Busan) - Luchino Visconti Retrospective (Seoul Art Cinema) thru Nov 1

- Discovering Asia's Grace in Life through the Classroom (The Korea Foundation Cultural Center)

22

- The World Festival of National Theaters (National Theater of Korea) thru Nov 4

- The Life and Painting of Jeong Seon (National Museum of Korea) thru Nov 22

Events

24

Luchino Visconti Retrospective

- 2009 Mungyeong Apple Festival (Mungyeong-si) thru Nov 8 - Seoul Grand Sale (throughout the entire city) thru Nov 25

- Grand Mint Festival 2009 (Olympic Park) thru 25 - Marathon: Nike+ The Human Race Seoul 10K (Yeouido Park) - Mr. Big Concert (Olympic Park) thru 25

31 - Alexander Melnikov Piano Recital (Sejong Center for the Performing Arts) - Taekyun Battle (Insa-dong Culture Plaza)

Feng Zhengjie

Travel & Culture SEOUL 49

Upcoming Events

PREVIEW Seoul Design Olympiad 2009

2008’s Seoul Design Olympiad has helped to transform people’s understanding of design with the message that everything around us counts in some way as design. This year, the Olympiad is back to show the direct link between design and economics by giving examples of design transforming individual and public life. Highlights of this year’s exciting program include the World Design Market 2009, an exhibition of the 2009 winners from Copenhagen’s biyearly Index Awards for life-improving designs, and a “Corporations and Organizations Exhibition” showcasing the work of Korea’s most successful design companies. p.59

Luchino Visconti Retrospective

One of the greatest film directors Italy has ever produced, Luchino Visconti was the standard bearer for neo-realism, a new genre that originated in Italy. His 1942 film “Ossessione” is considered the earliest example of what is generally known as postwar neo-realism, and he stood out from fellow directors thanks to the way he incorporated elements of traditional Italian culture into his works. This October’s screening of ten Visconti films is a rare chance to glimpse part of the history of 20th century art and appreciate the best of Italian cinema. p.61

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic— Asian Horizons

This Seoul concert is the first in the New York Philharmonic’s inaugural international tour under the leadership of Alan Gilbert, who began his tenure as Music Director in September 2009. The Oct. 12 concert will feature Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, with Gilbert conducting and Korean violinist Choi Yeeun making her debut with NYP. Oct. 13 will see Gilbert conducting and German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann as soloist, playing Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. p.53

50 SEOUL September 2009

2009 Dream Concert

Make your way to Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam on Oct. 10 to have your mind blown, your eyes dazzled and your ears serenaded by a constellation of no fewer than 15 of the brightest stars in Korean pop today. Big Bang, 2PM, Super Junior, Jewelry, Girls’ Generation, MC Mong, SHINee, 2NE1 and 4minute are among the stellar performers lined up to send ripples of pop power radiating out from this icon of World Cup architecture. p.55

Beyoncé—I Am... Tour in Seoul 2009

International pop legend Beyoncé is back in Seoul, two years after breaking box office records with her 2007 concerts here. Rolling Stone magazine has proclaimed that now is the era of Beyoncé, while Billboard magazine chose her as its Woman of the Year in 2009. Come to Seoul’s Olympic Park on Oct. 20 or 21 to hear this legendary tentime Grammy Award winner with global record sales of 75 million wowing Korean audiences once again, together with the mysterious lady known as Sasha Fierce. p.55

Tango Seduction

Welcome to the world of tango! The world’s widest, deepest ocean separates Korea from Argentina, yet the passion and attraction of this Argentinian dance’s rhythms and melodies transcend national boundaries and cannot be expressed by mere language. Argentinian tango legend Gustavo Russo leads 20 top artists, dancers, musicians and singers in a performance of unparalleled eroticism. p.54

Gimje Horizon Festival

The horizon is where the sky meets the earth, where the golden green of autumn rice fields meets the infinite blue of Korea’s September skies. Gimje has a special place in the history of Korea’s all-important rice cultivation, being home to the highly advanced 15th century irrigation facility of Byeokgolje. The festival will feature a variety of performances, traditional artistic and cultural events, ricethemed attractions, farming culture exhibitions and much more. p.60

The King’s Dance

Louis XIV (1638—1715) may be history’s most famous dancing monarch, practicing daily on stage for three hours and deriving his appellation, “The Sun King”, from his role as the god of the sun, Apollo. But this prancing French regent was predated by 150 years by the Korean king Yeonsan. As well as being a skilled politician, Yeonsan was a talented dancer known in particular for his rendition of the Cheoyongmu masked dance, and "The King’s Dance" is composed of court dances and music from the Joseon era during which he reigned. p.56

Kinetic Korean Music Group 'Yien'—Urban

For the last five years, kinetic gugak (Korean traditional music) group Yien has been experimenting with overlapping art forms to create a unique sound of its own. This October, the group is to finally release its long-awaited first album, “Urban.” The album launch event takes place on Oct. 15 and 16 at KT&G Sangsang Madang Live Hall, in Seoul’s alternative culture capital, the Hongdae area, and promises to be an unforgettable musical experience. p.56

The Life and Painting of Jeong Seon

Jeong Seon (1676—1759), also known by his brush name Gyeomjae, is a hugely important figure in the history of Korean painting. Over a career spanning almost fifty years, he traveled far and wide and is said to have painted his characteristic landscape and portrait paintings every day.

This exhibition at the National Museum of Korea marks the 250th anniversary of Gyeomjae’s death and features 142 of his paintings, including some series on display for the general public for the first time. p.53

Extreme Taekwondo Musical: TaTa in Buddha

“TaTa in Buddha” is the world’s first-ever taekwondo musical.

While the Cirque du Soleil astonished Las Vegas and the world with its “circus” performances, Paek Jae-hyun aims to take the very same world by storm with this musical—and his ultimate aim is to take Las Vegas itself. p.54

Seoul International Bakery Fair 2009

The ultimate event for bread lovers, cookie-philes, biscuit aficionados and cake maniacs. Anyone of any significance in the global baking industry would be ill-advised not to turn up at Gangnam’s COEX this October for Seoul International Bakery Fair. This year’s special themes include food safety—look forward to organic, low-trans-fatty acid and low-sugar products. p.61

Nike+ The Human Race 10K

The world’s largest-scale 10K running event, Nike+ The Human Race takes place in more than 30 cities worldwide on the same day, Oct. 24. In Seoul, footballer Ji-sung Park, figure skater Kim Yuna and hip hop group DJ DOC will each lead running teams as part of an effort to get youngsters into running shoes. There is also a chance to participate virtually by running 10K anywhere you like— search online for Nike+ Human Race for further details. p.61

The 5th Performing Arts Market in Seoul

Since its establishment in 2005, this annual event has aimed to promote distribution and overseas expansion of Korea’s performing arts. This year’s theme is “From Creation to Distribution”—the aim being to think of creation and distribution together and create programs for works that will be made in the future, too. Events such as an exposition with display booths, a one-to-one “speed dating” session for theater and festival programmers, production companies and producers, and a round-table conference on the world’s performing arts promise to make this a productive fixture on the performing arts calendar. p.55

Travel & Culture SEOUL 51

Goings on Around Town

Tea Music Yearning for an Old Friend Namsan Gugakdang. Oct 6, 5pm & 8pm

The Spirit of Korean Traditional Music in Tea

T

ea-drinking rituals are found throughout the world. From picking the leaves to brewing and drinking, the tea-drinking ritual is a ceremony with celebrated mystical qualities. In Korea, tea and music have a special spiritual relationship.

The Korean Creative Music Society’s Tea Music, or “Da’ak,” organized by Seoul Selection, explores the intricate relationship between Korean music and the ancient art of tea-brewing. It is inspired by the affection for tea in the traditional and contemporary worlds, and it introduces a new form of the traditional Korean aesthetic in the 21st century.

“Da’ak” is a theatrical performance that combines dance, calligraphic art, and the tea ceremony with an awe-inspiring musical performance featuring traditional Korean instruments. The performance includes the daegeum (a large Korean flute), danso (a small bamboo flute), gayageum (a 25-string instrument), yanggeum (a Korean zither) and geomungo (a six-string instrument).

“Da’ak” will be performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Oct 6 at 5pm and 8pm. To get a free ticket, send an email to director@ seoulselection.com. Be sure to include your name, the number of people attending, and the time of the performance you’d like to see (5pm or 8pm). We have 300 tickets, which will be given on a first come, first serve basis. Please confirm your ticketing information by e-mail once you receive it.

52 SEOUL October 2009

GETTING THERE Chungmuro Station, Line 3 or 4, Exit 4.

Namsan Gugakdang is located within Namsangol Hanok Village, on Mt. Namsan.

Museums Time and Space in Modern Korea, Viewed from Postcards Chuncheon National Museum

Thru Oct 4

Free (033) 260-1500 It takes two or three hours from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Chuncheon. Take the bus No. 7 or 9 from there.

The Kundika and the Cult of Avalokitesvara À

Fine Arts Gallery II, National Museum of Korea

Thru Oct 11

Free (02) 2077-9504 Ichon Station, Lines 1 (Jungang Line) & 4, Exit 2.

Walk 150m toward Yongsan Family Park.

Metal Craft

Cheongju National Museum

Thru Oct 18

Free (043) 229-6300 It takes about two hours to get from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Cheongju by bus. Transfer to bus No. 821, 822-1, 826 and get off at Docheong. Transfer again to bus No. 861 or 862 and get off at the museum.

Korean Museum, 100 Years in Remembrance

(02) 3704-3155 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1 or Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Walk along Samcheongdong street. The museum is located on the left.

Green bus No. 11 is available.

Da Vinci's Science Invention in Future Gwacheon National Science Museum

Oct 23, 8pm

Classical Music New York Philharmonic— Asian Horizons Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center

Oct 12—13, 8pm

R: 280,000 won, S: 230,000 won, A: 150,000 won, B: 80,000 won, C: 40,000 won (02) 6303-7700 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5.

Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

Cheong Gye Cheon Museum

Thru Nov 22

Free (02) 2286-3410 Wangsimni Station, Lines 1 (Jungang Line), 2 & 5, Exit 7.

Transfer to maeul bus No. 3 or 8. Get off at Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation.

Lee Ri-ja Special Exhibition— Hanbok, Joining Line and Color National Folk Museum of Korea

Oct 21—Nov 30

Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center R: 90,000 won, S: 70,000 won, A: 50,000 won, B: 30,000 won 1588-1555, 1588-7890 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5. Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

10th Kang Dong-Suk’s Hope Concert Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center

Oct 26, 8pm

R: 70,000 won, S: 50,000 won, A: 30,000 won, B: 20,000 won (02) 720-3933 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5.

Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

2009 Korea International Music Festival Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center

Oct 27—30

Dynasty: 100,000 won, VIP: 70,000 won, R: 50,000 won, S: 30,000 won, A: 20,000 won, B: 10,000 won (02) 744-8060~1, www.kimf.or.kr Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5. Walk 5-10 minutes or take shuttle bus, or bus No. 12, 4429.

Kathleen Battle in Seoul

Opera House, Seoul Arts Center

Oct 29, 8pm / Oct 31, 7:30pm

The Life and Painting of Jeong Seon

Seoul, The City of Movies

Werther seat: 70,000 won, Charlotte seat: 50,000 won, Albert seat: 30,000 won, Opera seat: 20,000 won (031) 828-5841~2 Uijeongbu Station, Line 1. Take a cab from there.

Adults: 11,000 won, Youths: 10,000 won, Kindergartners: 9,000 won (070) 8631-5061, www.davincikorea. co.kr Seoul Grand Park Station, Line 4, Exit 5.

Free (02) 2077-9000 Ichon Station, Lines 1 (Jungang line) & 4, Exit 2.

Walk 150m towards Yongsan Family Park.

Free (02) 2077-9487 Ichon Station, Lines 1 (Jungang Line) & 4, Exit 2.

Walk 150m toward Yongsan Family Park.

Oct 22—23, 7:30pm / Oct 24, 3pm, 7pm

Michael Hoppe—Romance

Sep 29—Nov 8

Thru Nov 22

Uijeongbu Arts Center

Thru Mar. 1, 2010

Special Exhibition Gallery, National Museum of Korea

Fine Arts Gallery, National Museum of Korea

Opera: Werther

Opera: Turandot

Opera House, Seoul Arts Center

Oct 15—17, 8pm / Oct 18, 5pm P: 340,000 won, VVIP: 280,000 won, VIP: 230,000 won, R: 150,000 won, S: 100,000 won, A: 80,000 won, B: 50,000won, C: 30,000 won 1544-9373, (051) 740-5750 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5.

Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

Nobuko Imai Viola Recital Kumho Art Hall

Oct 22, 8pm

R: 30,000 won, S: 20,000 won, Students: 8,000 won (02) 6303-7700 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 7. Walk 200m in the direction of Seodaemun.

VIP: 250,000 won, R: 210,000 won, S: 160,000 won, A: 100,000 won, B: 50,000 won (02) 548-0733 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5. Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

The Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall Kumho Art Hall

Oct 29, 8pm

R: 30,000 won, S: 20,000 won, Students: 8,000 won (02) 6303-7700 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 7. Walk 200m in the direction of Seodaemun.

Free

Travel & Culture SEOUL 53

Goings on Around Town Alexander Melnikov Piano Recital

Modern Dance: TODES

The Phantom of the Opera

Oct 31, 7pm

Thru Mar 25, 2010, 8pm (Mon—Thu) / 5:20pm, 8pm (Fri—Sat)

Thru Aug 8, 2010, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 8pm (Sat) / 2pm, 7pm (Sun & holidays)

Sejong Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts VIP: 70,000 won, R: 50,000 won, S: 30,000 won, A: 20,000 won (010) 3817-7214 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.

Dance 12th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance 2009)

Seoul Arts Center, Sogang University Mary Hall, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center, venues throughout city

Oct 5—24

Admission depends on program (02) 3216-1185, www.sidance.org

Ballet: Esmeralda

Main Hall 'Hae,' National Theater of Korea

Oct 8—9, 8pm / Oct 10, 4pm

VIP: 100,000 won, R: 60,000 won, S: 40,000 won, A: 30,000 won (02) 2280-4114 Take shuttle bus at Dongguk Univ. Station, Line 3, Exit 2, or take yellow bus No. 2 at Exit 6.

Canada Art Circus—ID

Walkerhill Theater, Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel R: 90,000 won, S: 70,000 won (02) 455-5000 Gwangnaru Station, Line 5, Exit 2. Cross the road, turn left, and take the hotel shuttle bus.

Musicals Seongnam Arts Center, Seongnam-si

Oct 9—Nov 4, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7:30pm (Sat) / 3pm (Sun) VIP: 110,000 won, R: 77,000 won, S: 55,000 won, A: 33,000 won (031) 783-8000 Imae Station, Bundang Line, Exit 1.

Extreme Taekwondo Musical: TaTa in Buddha

'KB Haneul Youth Theater,' National Theater of Korea Oct 20—Nov 27, 8pm (Tue—Thu) / 5:30pm, 8:30pm (Fri) / 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm (Sat) / 2:30pm, 5:30pm (Sun) VIP: 50,000 won, R: 40,000 won, S: 30,000 won (02) 3674-1010 Take shuttle bus at Dongguk Univ. Station, Line 3, Exit 2 or take yellow bus No. 2 at Exit 6.

Thru Oct 25, 7:30pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7pm (Sat) / 5pm (Sun, no performances on Mondays)

Modern Ballet: Seoul Ballet Theatre—Wave of Emotions Gwacheon Citizen Hall

Oct 30, 8pm / Oct 31, 5pm S: 30,000 won, A: 15,000 won (02) 3442-2637 Gwacheon Government Complex Station, Line 4, Exits 10 & 11.

Tango: Tango Seduction

Chungmu Art Hall

Nov 10—13, 8pm / Nov 14—15, 3pm, 7pm

R: 88,000 won, S: 66,000 won, A: 44,000 won (02) 318-4304 Sindang Station, Line 6, Exit 9. Walk 50m in the direction of Dongdaemun Stadium.

Photograph courtesy of Charlotte Theater

Theater 8th Off-Daehangno Festival Samilo Changgo Theatre

Oct 7—Nov 29, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7pm (Sat) / 3pm (Sun) Adults: 20,000 won, Students: 15,000 won 1544-1555, 1588-7890, http://club.cyworld.com/ off-festival Myeong-dong Station, Line 4, Exit 10. Walk straight and turn the corner. The theater is located on your left.

Youth March Artium, COEX

Thru Oct 25, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7pm (Sat) / 2pm, 6pm (Sun & holidays, no performances on Mondays) R: 70,000 won, Other seats: 30,000 won (02) 738-8289 Samseong Station, Line 2, Exits 5 & 6.

All Shook Up

Chungmu Art Hall

Thru Nov 1, 8pm (Tue, Thu, Fri) / 4pm, 8pm (Wed) / 3pm, 7:30pm (Sat) / 2pm, 6:30pm (Sun & holidays, no performances on Mondays) 'All Shook Up' Seat: 120,000 won, R: 90,000 won, S: 70,000 won, A: 50,000 won (02) 2230-6624~6

Spring Awakening Doosan Art Center

Thru Jan 10, 2010, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7pm (weekends, no performances on Mondays) R: 80,000 won, S: 60,000, Stage: 50,000 won (02) 744-4011 Jongno 5-ga Station, Line 1, Exit 1. Walk 30m along 5-ga Pharmacy alley.

54 SEOUL October 2009

Peak—VIP: 130,000 won, R: 110,000 won, S: 80,000 won, A; 50,000 won, B: 40,000 won / Regular—VIP: 120,000 won, R: 100,000 won, S: 70,000 won, A: 50,000 won, B: 40,000 won (02) 501-7888 Jamsil Station, Lines 2 & 8, Exit 3. Walk straight beside Lotte Dept. Store and cross the road. Walk straight and turn right.

Namhan Sanseong (Namhan Fortress)

Big Top Theater, Global Fair and Festival 2009 Incheon Event Hall

VIP: 100,000 won, R: 70,000 won, S: 50,000 won, A: 30,000 won (032) 471-8600 Central Park Station, Incheon Line. Walk 300m.

Charlotte Theater

Marat / Sade Arko Art Center

Oct 8—18, 8pm (weekdays) / 3pm, 7pm (Sat) / 3pm (Sun) 20,000 won (02) 741-3586 Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exit 2. Turn left and pass Marronnier Park. The center is located on your right.

The World Festival of National Theaters

2009 Dream Concert

Thru Nov 4

5,000 won (02) 6747-2017, www.dreamconcert.kr World Cup Stadium Station, Line 6, Exit 2.

National Theater of Korea

Admission depends on program (02) 2280-4115~6, www.ntok.go.kr Take shuttle bus at Dongguk Univ. Station, Line 3, Exit 2, or take yellow bus No. 2 at Exit 6.

Seoul World Cup Stadium

Oct 10, 6:30pm

Culture and Art in Seoul Plaza Seoul Plaza

Thru Oct 10, 7:30pm

Free / Schedules will be posted on website (02) 120, www.casp.or.kr City Hall Station, Lines 1 & 2, Exits 5 & 6.

6th Jarasum International Jazz Festival 2009

2009 D. Festa

Jara Island, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do

Daehangno Area

Oct 16—18

Oct 10—18

Admission depends on program (02) 741-4188 Hyehwa Station, Line 4.

5th Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS)

Concerts

National Theater of Korea

Oct 12—16

On-site registration required (02) 742-8191, www.pams.or.kr Take shuttle bus at Dongguk Univ. Station, Line 3, Exit 2, or take yellow bus No. 2 at Exit 6.

Seoul Performing Arts Festival 2009

Rain—Legend of Rainism in Seoul Gymnasium, Olympic Park

Oct 9, 8pm / Oct 10, 6pm

Admission depends on program (031) 581-2813~4, www.jarasumjazz.com Jamsil Station, Lines 2 & 8. Transfer to bus No. 7000 and get off at Gapyeong.

Beyoncé—‘I Am’ Tour in Seoul 2009 Gymnasium, Olympic Park

Oct 20—21, 8:30pm

Standing/R: 176,000 won, S: 1320,000 won, A: 88,000 won 1566-1369, 1544-6399 Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3.

Standing/VIP: 165,000 won, R: 132,000 won, S: 99,000 won, A: 77,000 won, B: 44,000 won 1544-1555 Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3.

Arko Arts Theater, Daehangno Arts Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center, Myeongdong Theater and Namsan Arts Center

2009 Ssamzie Sound Festival 11th

Oct 13—Nov 21

Admission depends on program (02) 3673-2561~4, www.spaf.or.kr

Grand Mint Festival 2009

Non-Verbal Mask Play: Bahnhof 'The Other' Theater

Oct 22—Nov 15, 8pm (weekdays) / 4pm, 7pm (Sat) / 4pm (Sun, no performances on Mondays) Adults: 20,000 won, Students: 15,000 won (02) 764-7462 Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exit 2. Go straight. Turn left along Marronnier Park and then left again.

En Attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot) Sanwoollim Theater

Thru Nov 1

Adults: 30,000 won, Univ. Students: 20,000 won, High School: 15,000 won (02) 334-5915, 5925 Sinchon Station, Line 2, Exit 1. Transfer to bus No. 273 or 7011. Get off at the Sanwoollim Theater bus stop.

Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park, Imjingak, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do

Oct 10, 12pm

25,000 won, (02) 422-8211 www.ssamziesoundfestival.com Nokbeon Station, Line 3, Exit 1. Board bus No. 909 or 9710 and get off at Munsan Bus Terminal. Transfer to bus No. 100-94 and get off at Imjingak.

Experience the present and future of Korean music at Ssamzie Sound Festival. Every year, the festival selects “hidden masters” from among the most experimental and creative up-and-coming musicians, with the aim of producing new generations of outstanding singer-songwriters. SSF is based on a unique slogan each year, creating novel and high quality performances. And the festival is not simply confined to music: each year’s concept is applied to art and fashion too, making SSF unique among Korean festivals. Unlike other festivals that attempt to put as many visiting foreign artists as possible in their lineups, SSF concentrates on Korean performers, making it a the ideal place to get a taste of Korean creativity at its very best.

Olympic Park

Oct 24—25

One day—55,000 won, two days—88,000 won (02) 322-0014, www.grandmintfestival.com Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3.

Close your eyes and imagine a music festival that is grand, cool and refreshing. The result may well be something like Grand Mint Festival 2009. Taking place over two days in Seoul’s picturesque Olympic Park, which is home to some rabbits, GMF will comprise several stages: Mint Breeze Stage, Club Midnight Sunset, Loving Forest Garden and Café Blossom House. The lineup includes such artists as The Black Skirts, Monni, Seoul Jeonja Eumakdan, Oh Ji-eun, Alice in Neverland, Bulldog Mansion, Heum, and many more. This festival aims for a placid but refreshing “picnic” atmosphere, while challenging the concept that festivals are exclusively for bands by including solo and instrumental artists in its lineup.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 55

Goings on Around Town Mr. Big Concert

Gymnasium, Olympic Park

Oct 24, 7pm / Oct 25, 6pm Standing R: 110,000 won, Standing S: 99,000 won, R: 110,000 won, S: 88,000 won, A: 66,000 won (02) 540-1225 Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3.

Chungmuro Station, Lines 3 & 4, Exits 3 & 4. Walk 200m along the alley between Dongguk Univ.

Culture Contents Complex and Maeil Business Newspaper bldg.

Korean Dance Taekwon Martial Arts Dance—The Moon Main Hall 'Hae', National Theater of Korea

Oct 16, 7:30pm / Oct 17—18, 4pm

R: 50,000 won, S: 30,000 won, A: 20,000 won (031) 230-3312~4 Take shuttle bus at Dongguk Univ. Station, Line 3, Exit 2, or take yellow bus No. 2 at Exit 6.

PAN "2009 Noreum Machi"

SIDance 2009—The King's Dance

Seoul Namsan Gukakdang

Oct 12—13, 8pm

Oct 13, 8pm Kim Chang-wan Band—Take a Bus Chungmu Art Hall

Oct 28—30, 8pm / Oct 31, 7pm / Nov 1, 5pm 60,000 won (02) 2230-6601, 1544-1555 Sindang Station, Line 6, Exit 9. Walk 50m in the direction of Dongdaemun Stadium.

Jim Brickman—Beautiful World

Sejong Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Nov 1, 8pm

VIP: 100,000 won, R: 80,000 won, S: 60,000 won, A: 40,000 won, B: 30,000 won (02) 3463-2466 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.

Korean Music Chuseok Performance: ‘No More, No Less’

Byeolmajiteo, National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts

Oct 3, 7pm

5,000 won (02) 580-3300 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exit 5.

Transfer to green bus No. 12 or 4429.

Tea Music

Seoul Namsan Gukakdang

Oct 6, 5pm, 8pm

Free (E-mail to director@seoulselection.com for reservation.)

56 SEOUL October 2009

30,000 won (02) 323-2257 Chungmuro Station, Lines 3 & 4, Exits 3 & 4.

Walk 200m along the alley between Dongguk Univ. Culture Contents Complex and Maeil Business Newspaper bldg.

The title of this work is a term used only for the most skilled performer in a traditional troupe of strolling players. Noreum Machi this time, however, is a group of highly skilled performers of Korean traditional percussion music. Their music features neither melody nor singing: all they have to communicate to the audience is their passion. The only instruments they use are hourglass drums and gongs. Add this to shamanistic chants and acrobatic dances, and you have an electrifying performance that gives an unforgettable taste of Korea’s traditional rhythms and popular entertainment.

Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center

R: 50,000 won, S: 35,000 won, A: 20,000 won (02) 3216-1185, www.sidance.org Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5.

Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12, or bus No. 4429.

Art Exhibitions Utopia

Painting CasAntonio Restaurant

Asia Music Festival

Sejong Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Oct 15, 7:30pm

VIP: 80,000 won, R: 50,000 won, S: 30,000 won, A: 20,000 won, B: 15,000 won (02) 399-1721 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.

Kinetic Korean Music Group 'Yien'— Urban KT&G Sangsang Madang

Oct 15—16, 8pm

Adults: 25,000 won, Students: 15,000 won 1544-1555 Hongik Univ. Station, Line 2, Exit 5. Turn left and go two blocks. Walk through the Walkable Street on your right. Cross the road and go straight. The hall is located next to Luxury Su.

Sound of Enrnity, 'Jongmyojeryeak (Royal Shrine Music)' Jeongjeon Hall, Jongmyo Shrine

Oct 16—17, 10:30am

Free (for those who have paid to enter Jongmyo: 1,000 won), (02) 580-3300 Jongno 3-ga Station, Line 1, Exit 11, or Lines 3 & 5, Exit 8.

Thru Oct 8

Free (02) 3444-0914 Itaewon Station, Line 6, Exit 2. Turn left at the second corner. The restaurant is located at the 2nd fl. of Amigos bldg.

Lee Ufan—Sculpture Sculpture Kukje Gallery

Thru Oct 9

Free (02) 733-8449 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1 or Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Walk along Samcheongdong Street. The museum is located on the right.

Feng Zhengjie—Floral Life Painting Die Galerie

Thru Oct 10 Free (02) 3447-0050 Gangnam-gu Office Station, Line 7, Exit 4. Walk in the direction of Cheongdam Intersection. Turn right at the Mnet bldg. alley. Walk 50m and turn left at the KUHI restaurant alley.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 57

Goings on Around Town Lee Joo-won— Meet Unexpectedly on the Road Acrylic on Rice Paper Gallery EM

Thru Oct 10

Free (02) 544-8145 Cheongdam Station, Line 7, Exit 9. Walk 10—15 minutes.

Spectrum

Modern Art Main Exhibition Hall, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Sep 25—Oct 10

Adults: 3,000 won, Youths: 2,000 won, Children: 1,000 won (02) 399-1151~4 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.

Suh Yong-sun—San, Su Painting Lee C Gallery

Thru Oct 10 1,000 won (02) 3210-0467~8 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1. Walk along Samcheong-dong Street. The gallery is located on the first floor of Soowarae on your right.

Hwang In-son ˘

Modern Art Chungmu Art Hall

Thru Oct 11

Discovering Asia's Grace in Life Through the Classroom Photography The Korea Foundation Cultural Center

Thru Oct 16

Free (02) 2151-6500 City Hall Station, Lines 1 & 2, Exit 9. Walk 5 minutes.

This photographic exhibition, featuring about 300 photos taken by some 20 photographers from South Korea and eight other Asian countries, including Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, showcases examples of the elegance of Asia as discovered by chance.

Designed to enhance understanding of cultural diversity in Asia, the exhibition will be accompanied by various events, including documentary screenings, a hands-on exhibition of Asian classrooms, information on national days in Asia, and meetings with the photographers. The exhibition is a part of the "Development of Materials for Democracy, Human Rights and Peace in Asia" project, co-organized by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) and the Office for the Hub City of Asian Culture under the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Free (02) 2230-6628~9, 6678 Sindang Station, Line 6, Exit 9. Walk 50m in the direction of Dongdaemun Stadium.

2009 Kumho Young Artist Modern Art Kumho Museum of Art

Sep 24—Oct 18

Free (02) 720-5114 Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Go straight and pass Gyeongbokgung completely. Turn left and walk along the palace wall. The museum is located across the street on your right.

Picnic on the City

Street Art, Workshops, Seminars & Performances Gallery, KT&G Sangsang Madang

Thru Oct 18

Free (02) 330-6223 Hongik Univ. Station, Line 2, Exit 5. Turn left and go two blocks. Walk through the Walkable Street on your right. Cross the road and go straight. The hall is located next to Luxury Su.

VIDEO:VIDE&0

Media Art Arko Art Center, Arts Council Korea

Thru Oct 18

Adults: 2,000 won, Youths: 1,000 won (02) 760-4607 Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exit 2. Turn left and pass Marronnier Park. The center is located on your right.

The Three

Painting Gallery Imazoo

Thru Oct 16

Jang Bo-yun—K's Slide

Photography & Installation Art Brain Factory

Sep 24—Oct 11

Free (02) 725-9520 Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Walk along the west side of the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace. You will find Brain Factory on the corner at the first traffic light.

Elodie Dornand de Rouville— Instant-Mirror Modern Art Samtoh Gallery

Sep 25—Oct 14 Free (02) 3675-3737 Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exit 2. Turn around and walk for one minute. The gallery is inside the Samtoh bldg.

58 SEOUL October 2009

Free (02) 557-1950 Yeoksam Station, Line 2, Exit 3. Walk straight and turn left. The gallery is located behind rgw Posteel bldg.

Green Utopia Modern Art Savina Museum

Thru Oct 24

Adults: 2,000 won, Youths: 1,000 won (02) 736-4371, 4410 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1. Turn left at the exit.

Turn left again in front of the post office.

Ian Woo—Flux Technicolour Painting Watergate Gallery, Seoul

Thru Oct 24

Free (02) 540-3213, 2332 Hakdong Station, Line 7, Exit 1. Walk straight and turn right at the intersection. Walk 50m.

Seoul Design Olympiad 2009

Design Jamsil Sports Complex and its vicinity, downtown Seoul

Oct 9—29

Park Ki-ill—Heartbeat

Free (02) 3705-0062~4, http://sdo.seoul.go.kr Sports Complex Station, Line 2, Exit 6 & 7.

Sep 25—Oct 24

Dale Chihuly— Sculptures in glass and Drawings

Painting Gallery 4 Walls

Free (02) 545-8571 Hak-dong Station, Line 7, Exit 1. Walk straight and cross the road at the intersection. Turn right and go straight. The gallery is inside of Imperial Palace Hotel.

Painting Gangnam Space, Gallery Hyundai

Oct 6—25

Free (02) 519-0800 Apgujeong Station, Line 3, Exit 2. Walk 500m. Turn right and walk 600m. Turn left and walk 800m past the LG Fashion shop.

Trip to Myself, Paintings of Lee Byoung-yong Painting National Museum of Contemporary Art

Thru Oct 25

Free (02) 2188-6038 Seoul Grand Park Station, Line 4, Exit 4. Take the shuttle bus from there.

Photography Gallery M

Oct 22—Nov 4 Free (02) 2273-5066, 2277-2437 Euljiro 3-ga Station, Lines 2 & 3, Exit 11. Turn left at the corner and walk 4 minutes.

Glass Art Lotte Art Gallery, 9th fl. of Lotte Avenuel

Thru Oct 31

Free (02) 726-4428 Euljiro 1-ga Station, Line 2, Exit 7.

Cheongju International Craft Biennale

Swedish Footprints

Thru Nov 1

Oct 21—Nov 7

Craft Biennale Cheongju Arts Center

Jung Jae-ho—Father's Day

Korea On Foot Photo Exhibition

Paintings, Textile & Ceramic The Korea Foundation Cultural Center

Throughout exhibition period—Adults: 25,000 won, Youths: 15,000 won, Children: 10,000 won / One day—Adults: 8,000 won, Youths: 4,000 won, Children: 3,000 won (043) 277-2501~3, www.cheongjubiennale.or.kr It takes four hours to get from Seoul to Cheongju by train. Transfer to bus No. 711, 714 or 721 and get off at Cheongju Gymnasium.

Free (02) 2151-6500 City Hall Station, Lines 1 & 2, Exit 9. Walk 5 minutes.

Stan Douglas—Klatsassin

Adults: 5,000 won, Students: 3,000 won (02) 737-7650 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 7. Walk in the direction of Seodaemun. Turn right at the alley between the Salvation Army Hall and the Seoul History Museum and walk 300m.

Modern Art Mongin Art Center

Thru Nov 1

Free (02) 736-1447 Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 2. Take maeul bus No. 11 in front of KT bldg. Get off at the Samcheong-dong Community Service Center.

Kaleidoscope 2

Art Exhibition by Koh Sun-im and students of various nationalities Gallery La Mer

Oct 28—Nov 3

Free (02) 730-5454 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 6. Walk along Insa-gil and turn right at the Insa-dong Intersection. Walk 30m. The gallery is located on your right.

Portraits of Shoes, Stories of Feet Modern Art Sungkok Art Museum

Thru Nov 8

Flexible Aura Modern Art Brain Factory

Oct 15—Nov 11 Free (02) 725-9520 Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Walk along the west side of the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace. You will find Brain Factory on the corner at the first traffic light.

2009 Gwangju Design Biennale

Design Biennale Gwangju Biennale Hall, Gwangju Museum of Art

Thru Nov 4

The Great Exhibition of French Photography

Photography Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Center

Thru Oct 29

Adults: 9,000 won, Youths: 7,000 won, Children: 5,000 won (02) 3448-1060 Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5.

Walk 5—10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12, or bus No. 4429.

Throughout exhibition period—Adults: 20,000 won, Youths: 15,000 won, Children: 10,000 won / One day—Adults: 9,000 won, Youths: 5,000 won, Children: 3,000 won (062) 608-4114, www.design-biennale.org It takes about three and a half hours to get from Seoul to Gwangju by express bus. Take a cab from there. It takes 10 more minutes.

In the Flower Garden Painting 63 Sky Art

Thru Nov 15 Adults: 12,000 won, Youths: 11,000 won, Children: 10,000 won (02) 789-6363 Yeouinaru Station, Line 5, Exit 4. Walk 80m in the direction of MBC. http://www.63.co.kr/home/63CITY/main.jnp

The Imaginary Line

Media Art, Installation Art Gallery Hyundai

Oct 15—Nov 15 Free

Travel & Culture SEOUL 59

Goings on Around Town (02) 734-6111~3 Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1. Walk along Samcheong-dong Street. The gallery is located on your right.

070-7555-1138, www.undergroundartchannel.net Hongik Univ. Station, Line 2, Exit 4. Turn right and walk straight. Turn left at the Street You Want to Walk. Turn right along Hongik Galbi. OFF°C is located on your left. www.undergroundartchannel.net

Paik / Kang—Multiple / Dialog ∞

Gimje Horizon Festival

Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do

Oct 9—13

Free (063) 540-3031~6, http://festival.gimje.go.kr It takes two hours to get from Yongsan to Gimje by KTX. Take the shuttle bus at Gimje Station.

Plastic Arts, Video Art, etc.

Rampcore, National Museum of Contemporary Art

Thru Feb 7, 2010

City_net Asia 2009 Modern Art Seoul Museum of Art

Sep 30—Nov 29

Adults: 700 won, Youths: 300 won, Others: Free Weekdays: (02) 120, Holidays & Nights: (02) 2124-8800 City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 1, or Line 2, Exits 11 & 12. Walk 5 minutes.

Jean Prouvé

Design Daelim Museum

Free (02) 2188-6000 Seoul Grand Park Station, Line 4, Exit 4. Take the shuttle bus. http://www.moca.go.kr

A Garden of Paintings Painting The Bank of Korea Gallery

Thru May 9, 2010

Free (02) 759-4881 Hoehyeon Station, Line 4, Exit 7. Turn left through the alley beside Outback Steak House. Go straight until you see the main street. The gallery is located across the street.

Thru Nov 29

Adults: 4,000 won, Students: 2,000 won (02) 720-0667 Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 4. Walk 5 minutes in the direction of the Blue House.

Re-Discovery

Modern Art SOMA Museum of Art

Thru Dec 6

Adults: 3,000 won, Youths: 2,000 won, Children: 1,000 won (02) 425-1077 Mongchontoseong Station, Line 8, Exit 2. Inside the Gate of Peace, walk 200m to the right.

Festivals 46th Hwaseong Cultural Festival Hwaseong Haenggung, Yeonmudae, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do

Oct 8—12

The World Disabled People's Culture & Art Festival in 2009 Seoul Plaza

Oct 16—23 Free (02) 969-0420, www.dpicf.or.kr City Hall Station, Lines 1 & 2, Exits 5 & 6.

5th Busan Fireworks Festival

Gwangan-ri Beach & Gwangan-daegyo Bridge, Busan

Oct 17

Free (051) 888-3392~5, www.bff.or.kr It takes three hours to get from Seoul to Busan by KTX. Transfer to Busan Subway Line 1. Transfer again to Line 2 at Seomyeon Station and get off at Gwangan Station or Geumnyeonsan Station.

Free (031) 228-2624, http:// shfes-eng.suwon.ne.kr Suwon Station, Line 1.

Transfer to bus No. 2, 7, 7-2, 8 or 13 and get off at Jongno Intersection (Hwaseong Haenggung).

2009 Mungyeong Apple Festival Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Oct 9—Nov 8

Free (054) 550-8265, www.mgapp.com It takes three hours to get from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Mungyeong by bus.

The Soul of Chun Kyung-ja Painting Seoul Museum of Art

Thru Dec 31

Adults: 700 won, Youths: 300 won, Others: Free Weekdays: (02) 120, Holidays & Nights: (02) 2124-8800 City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 1 or Line 2, Exits 11 & 12. Walk 5 minutes. http://seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr/

UAC 2009 Relay Show Project Underground Art OFF°C

Thru Jan 31, 2010 Free Donation

60 SEOUL October 2009

2009 The Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival

Usuyeong Tourist Site, Haenam-gun & Nokjin Tourist Site, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do

Oct 9—11

Free (061) 286-5251, www.mrdc.kr It takes more than three hours to get to Mokpo by KTX from Seoul's Yongsan Station. Take the shuttle bus to the venue from Mokpo Station.

Kimchi Love Festival 2009

Gyeonghuigung Palace, Seoul Museum of History

Oct 23—25

Free (submit your application for "Best Kimchi Cook Contest" online) (02) 557-7180, 7190, 731-6714, www.kimchifestival. org Seodaemun Station, Line 5, Exit 4. Walk 300m.

2009 Chrysanthemum Festival

Hampyeong Expo Park, Jeollanam-do

Oct 29—Nov 22

Free (061) 320-3364 It takes four hours to get from Seoul to Hampyeong by bus.

Other Events Seoul Grand Sale Throughout the city

Sept 26—Nov 25 Cinema Week: Oct 11—17, Palace Week: Oct 18—24, Beauty & Health Week: Oct 25—31, Night Shopping Week: Nov 6—14, Hotel Week: Nov 15—25 (02) 3788-0888, www.seoulgrandsale.com

Men’s Tennis: 2009 Samsung Securities Cup Challenger

Cheongchun Bulpae (Youth Unvanquished)

Oct 24—Nov 1

Every Sunday thru Oct 18

Olympic Park Tennis Court (02) 420-4285

Taekyeon: Taekyeon Battle Insa-dong Culture Plaza

Thru Oct 31, Every Saturday, 4pm (02) 733-2469, www.tkbattle.com

Indie Space

Adults: 7,000 won, Youths: 4,000 won (02) 778-0366 Myeong-dong Station, Line 4, Exit 10. Walk straight and turn the corner. Go straight and you will find Joongang Cinema. Indie Space is the third theater inside.

Luchino Visconti Retrospective Seoul Art Cinema

Oct 17—Nov 1 Adults: 6,000 won, Youths: 5,000 won, Seniors: 4,000 won / Schedules will be posted on website (02) 741-9782, www.cinematheque.seoul.kr Jongno 3-ga Station, Lines 1, 3 & 5, Exit 5. Walk straight for 5 minutes. The theater is located in Nagwon Arcade.

Cinema Exciting Movie Rides at the Museum Seoul Museum of History

Every Wednesday Night (7pm); ask for free tickets at the ticket counter from 6:30pm (02) 724-0114, www.museum.seoul.kr Seodaemun Station, Line 5, Exit 4. Walk 300m.

2009 Amazing Korean Table— World Feast of Gastronomy

Throughout the entire city (Lotte Hotel, Insadong, Hongdae and other venues)

Oct 28—Nov 1

(02) 3788-0825, www.amazingkoreantable.com

Seoul International Bakery Fair 2009 Hall C, COEX

Oct 29—Nov 1 7,000 won (02) 6000-1076, 1109, www.siba-expo.com Samseong Station, Line 2, Exits 5 & 6.

Mexican Film Festival Provincial Screening Sep 25—Oct 25

Marathon: Nike+ The Human Race Seoul 10K Yeouido Park Culture Square

Oct 24, 4pm

http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikerunning_ humanrace-ko_KR?tags=race_day

Cine Cube

Nov 5—10 Admission depends on program (02) 783-6518~9, www.aisff.org Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 6. Walk 5—10 minutes.

Gwangju: (062) 224-5858, Jeonju: (063) 2823176, Daegu: (053) 425-2845 (02) 741-9782, www.cinematheque.seoul.kr

The Metropolitan Opera HD Live— Puccini's ‘Madama Butterfly’ Megabox, COEX

Thru Oct

20,000 won 1544-0600 Samseong Station, Line 2, Exits 5 & 6.

14th Pusan International Film Festival

Haeundae Beach & Nampo-dong, Busan

Sports

Asiana International Short Film Festival

Oct 8—16

Admission depends on program 1688-3010, www.piff.org It takes three hours to get from Seoul to Busan

by KTX. Take the subway to Haeundae Station, Dongbaek Station, or Centum City Station.

PAN Gwanghwamun Art Hall

Wed—Fri, 7:30pm / Sat—Sun, 4pm VIP: 50,000 won, R: 40,000 won, S: 30,000 won (02) 722-3416, www.ghmarthall.co.kr Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 1.

Walk 10 minutes along the Sajik Park and turn right.

Samulnori uses four percussion instruments to create unique Korean rhythms. Pan, a traditional performance supervised by samulnori founder Kim Duk Soo, features samulnori and other traditional musical forms in a modern arrangement, so that audiences can join the performers and enjoy themselves even more. Catch a glimpse of the very spirit of Korea itself in the pulsating beats and entrancing dances of Pan—a mind-blowing sensory experience.

Dates & venues above are subject to change.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 61

Goings on Around Town

Regular Events Sachoom Sachoom Theater (Nagwon Arcade), Tue—Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm, 7:30pm, Sun 4pm

e,¡¸ Miso¡ Korean Traditional Stage Chongdong Theater, Daily (no performance on Mondays) 8pm

50,000 won sachoom.co.kr (070) 8249-3023, www.lovedance.co.kr Jongno 3-ga Station, Line 5, Exit 5.

R: 40,000 won, S: 30,000 won, A: 20,000 won (02) 751-1500, www.chongdong.com www.koreamiso.com City Hall Station, Line 1 or 2, Exit 1.

Traditional Performing Arts Korea House, Mon—Sat 1st show: Dinner 5:30pm, Performance: 7pm, 2nd show: Dinner 7:20pm, Performance 8:50pm, Sunday show: Dinner 6:30pm, Performance 8pm

Nanta Nanta Theater (Jung Dong A&C / Woolim Cheongdam Theater), Jung Dong: Mon—Sat & holidays 2pm, 7pm, 8pm, Cheongdam: Tue—Fri 8pm, Sat 3pm, 7pm, Sun & holidays 5pm VIP: 60,000 won, S: 50,000 won (02) 739-8288, www.nanta.co.kr/en Jung Dong: Seodaemun Station, Line 5, Exit 5.

Cheongdam: Gangnam-gu Office Station, Line 7, Exit 4.

35,000 won (02) 2266-9101~3, www.koreahouse.or.kr Chungmuro Station, Lines 3 and 4, Exit 3 .

Saturday Regular Performance National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Sat 5pm A: 10,000 won, B: 8,000 won www.gugak.go.kr (02) 580-3333, www.ncktpa.go.kr Nambu Terminal Station, Line 3, Exit 5. rs Korean Folk Performance for Visitors National Folk Museum, Sat 3pm

R: 50,000 won, S: 40,000 won (02) 722-3995, www.hijump.co.kr Jongno 3-ga Station, Line 1, Exit 15.

Break Out Jongno Cinecore Theater, Tue—Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm, 8pm, Sun & holidays 6pm

Free (02) 3704-3114, www.nfm.go.kr Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3.

Walk 15 minutes from Exit 5.

R: 50,000 won, S: 40,000 won (02) 722-3995, www.yegam.com/breakout/eng Jongno 3-ga Station, Line 1, Exit 15.

Drawing Show Drawing Show Theater, Tue—Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm, 7pm, Sun 3pm, 6pm

Pungnyu Hanmadang Theater Pungnyu, Korea Heritage Cultural Foundation bldg., Every Friday, 7:30pm

30,000 won (02) 789-5663, www.drawingshow.com Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exit 1. Turn left and go two blocks before passing Starbucks.

Free (02) 3011-2178~9, www.chf.or.kr Seolleung Station, Line 2, Exit 8. Walk in the direction of Gangnam-gu Office. The theater is located next to Ramada Hotel.

Seoul Namsan Gugakdang Regular Performances Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, Wed, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 5pm

Drum Cat MyungBo ARTHALL Sep 18—Open Run, Mon—Sat 2pm, 8pm, Sun & holidays 2pm, 6pm

Adults: 20,000 won, Youths: 10,000 won (02) 2261-0515, www.sejongpac.or.kr/sngad Chungmuro Station, Lines 3 & 4, Exits 3 & 4.

R: 50,000 won, S: 40,000 won (02) 2274-2121, www.drumcat.co.kr Euljiro 3-ga Station, Lines 2 & 3, Exit 8.

PAN — The Korean Traditional Performing Arts directed by Kim Duk Soo Gwanghwamun Art Hall, Wed—Fri 7:30pm, Sat—Sun 4pm

Noreum Machi—Sori Gut Club Joker Red Every 3rd Saturday of each month, 7:30pm

VIP: 50,000 won, R: 40,000 won, S: 30,000 won (02) 722-3416, www.ghmarthall.co.kr Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 1. Walk 10 minutes along the Sajik Park and turn right.

Adults: 10,000 won, Youths: 5,000 won (02) 323-2257, www.noreummachi.com Hongik Univ. Station, Line 2, Exit 5.

Fan Yang’s Bubble World Fanta-Stick Myungbo Arthall, Tue—Fri 2pm, 4:30pm 63 Art Hall, Open Run, Sat—Sun 11:30am, 7:30pm 8pm (no performances on Mondays)

Fan Bubble Any Yang’s BeatNight d Melodic at theWorl Museum Melodic Night at the Museum Myungbo Arthall, Tue—Fri 2pm, 4:30pm Myeong Dong Art Center, Seoul Museum of 3pm, History, Sat—Sun 11:30am, 7:30p7pm, Tue—Fri 8pm, Sat m Sun 3pm Every last Friday of each month, 7pm 28,000 won Free (Ask for won, free tickets at the ticket VIP: 50,000 R: 40,000 won, S: counter) 30,000 won 2263-9741~2, www.bubbleworld.co.kr (02) www.museum.seoul.kr (02)724-0114, 318-6004 Euljiro 3-ga Station, Lines 2 & 3.

Walk frois Seodaemun Line 5, 300m.

Euljiro 1-ga Station, Line 2, Exit Exit 4.

6. Walk The50m center located on the 3rd flr. of the UNESCO House.

28,000 won 50,000 won (02)6401-5959, 2263-9741~2, www.bubbleworld.co.kr (02) www.fanta-stick.co.kr Euljiro 3-ga Station, Lines 2 &4.3.Walk Walk80m 50minfro m Yeouinaru Station, Line 5, Exit the Exit 8. of MBC. direction

62 SEOUL October 2009

Jump Jongno Cinecore Theater, Mon 8pm, Tue—Fri 4pm, 8pm, Sat 1pm, 4pm, 8pm, Sun & holidays 3pm, 6pm

Travel & Culture SEOUL 63

Travel

Uncovering

Busan

Korea's Hollywood by the Sea

Opened for traffic in 2003, the Gwangan Bridge (knicknamed the "Diamond Bridge") is Korea’s longest bridge and one of Busan’s most recognizable landmarks.

64 SEOUL October 2009

Haeundae Beach, the “Korean Riviera”

T

he high-pitched roar of a Ferrari echoes through the air as flashes from paparazzi cameras burst like disco strobe lights. Fireworks light the sky above fans screaming at the sight of their favorite star walking down the red carpet. Although it sounds like a scene from an “A-list” film festival like Cannes or Venice, the Pusan International Film Festival, or “PIFF,” as most people call it, takes place every year in Korea’s second largest city.

Around 40 feature movies are filmed in Busan each year, making it the “Hollywood of Korea.” But don’t be fooled—the city has much more to offer than just movies. The secret is out, as many past festival-goers have discovered: Busan is a destination that should top any traveler’s list.

Although at first glance Busan may look like most other big cities in Korea—a sea of cookie-cutter concrete and glass apartment towers frosted with neon lights—pulling back the covers on the famed film festival and the neighborhoods that host its venues reveals the distinct essence of this vibrant port city.

Center Stage During the festival, Busan’s star shines brightest.

Other cities like Seoul can only stand behind the velvet ropes and watch with envy as all eyes focus on their younger sister in the South. The PIFF venues are concentrated around two distinct city neighborhoods: Haeundae in the east and Nampodong in the west.

In Busan’s ritzy Haeundae neighborhood, red carpets roll as five-star hotels swell to capacity.

Glamorous is the word on everyone's tongue. A makeshift open-air theater next to the yacht club,

below the Trump Tower apartment complex, screens the festival's opening and closing movie premieres. It feels like a scene out of a James Bond movie. Looking out over the multi-million dollar yachts, you half expect to see a tuxedo-clad 007 come riding up on a sleek black jet boat, just in time for the premiere.

From the High Life to Port Life Across a bridge and over the lustrous mountains of virgin green that cut Busan up into clusters of archipelago-like neighborhoods lies the gritty portside neighborhood of Nampo-dong, host to the PIFF's other main venue. In this island of a neighborhood, the glitz and glamour of Haeundae all but fade away, overpowered by the smell of saltwater and the personalities of those who make a living from the sea.

Ajumma at the outdoor market on the docks hawk the day’s latest catch, wearing bright pink or yellow rubber boots and smocks below hanging fish air-drying in the rafters above. Fish entrails mix with dirt and water around their feet, creating a muddy ocean stew. You can almost smell the rust oozing down the sides of the fishing boats docked around the port. Fishermen repair their nets or catch a midday nap.

Movie in the Market A few blocks away from the docks is Gukje Market. There, as seagulls fly overhead, burly, paleskinned Russian sailors from icy northern ports like Vladivostok or Kamchatsky, who surely sport tattoos of anchors or buxom blonde beauties, go on

Travel & Culture SEOUL 65

Travel

Busan by night

the hunt for cheap black leather jackets, electronics, and good times.

Also in the market are wiry, sun-kissed Southeast Asian sailors from places like Saigon or Manila, competing with locals for bargains on ginseng and trendy fashions while rubbing shoulders with busloads of Japanese students snatching up cell phone charms, notebooks, and pencil cases emblazoned with the smiling faces of Korean pop stars.

Although completely safe, Gukje Market feels uncannily like the set of a mafia movie where two separate clans fight for territory and the right to run the port. It would seem natural to hear a director yell, “Cut, that's a wrap,” or to see a movie camera or boom swing over your head for a sweeping shot as you walk through the maze of stalls.

1 2 1. Nampo-dong dried seafood market 2. A game of baduk in progress

Street Theater Between the dock and the market is PIFF Square, home to the first movie theater in Busan (at least, that’s what one local told me) and the historical heart of the festival. Once you are there, standing invisibly in the middle of it all and observing the hypnotic dance of port city life, it’s clear that the most interesting movie at this year’s festival is the one that takes place every day on the streets of Busan. It's Korean cinema at its best!

PIFF at a Glance Every October, after the tourists have finished brushing summer beach sand from their feet, this laid-back village of four million by the sea welcomes in the fall by throwing Korea’s—and, purportedly, Asia’s—largest cinematic gala.

The festival offers much more than just Asian cinema. Pak Do-sin, responsible for the festival's film program, adds that there are also “lots of other films directed by worldrenowned filmmakers” from non-Asian countries, which will satisfy even the most ardent cinephile.

•Official Name: 14th Pusan International Film Festival •When: Oct. 8—16, 2009 •Venues: PIFF Square in Nampo-dong, PIFF Village in Haeundae •Number of Screens: 36 at six theaters (almost 270,000 seats) •Number of Films: 355 from 70 countries (record number) •Participating Guests: over 10,000 from 55 countries •Expected Number of Visitors: over 200,000 •Website (includes program details and more): www.piff.org

66 SEOUL October 2009

Where to Buy Tickets • Via the internet at www.piff.org.

• ATMs in GS25 convenience stores across Korea.

• Busan Bank (windows, ATMs, phone banking).

• Jagalchi Fish Market: Korea’s largest fish market and one of Busan’s top tourist attractions. Just point to the fish you want swimming in the tanks on the ground floor, and they'll cut it up and serve it raw at one of the second floor restaurants. Take Line 1 to Jagalchi Station.

* PIFF TIP: Did you know last year’s opening film sold out in one minute and 30 seconds?

It’s possible to buy tickets the day of the show, but popular movies sell out quickly.

For English Speakers • All films will have English subtitles.

• An English-speaking call center will be open for questions or complaints (see website for details).

• For the first time, foreigners can make ticket reservations (with or without a foreign ID number) online at www.piff.org.

A Few Program Highlights • Opening Movie: Good Morning President, directed by Jang Jin (Korea) • Closing Movie: The Message, directed by Chen Kuo-fu and Gao Qunshu (international premiere) • Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award: Bollywood’s legendary producer/director Yash Chopra is this year’s winner. Several of his movies will be shown.

• New Currents: An audience favorite and the only international competition section featuring the first or the second feature films by future leading directors of Asian cinema.

• Flash Forward: The same as New Currents, but for non-Asian Filmmakers.

• Korean Cinema Today & Retrospective: This section presents the year’s best features by Korean directors of today and yesterday.

• The Filipino Independent Film Special • Ani-Asia 4: Screening Asian animation features.

• Midnight Passion: Showing horror, sci-fi, and cult classics.

club in the basement of the Haeundae Cosmo Tower is one of the hottest spots to dance the night away to the latest party anthems.

Where to Sleep • Zen Backpackers (010-8722-1530, www. zenbackpackers.com): With its central location in Seomyeon, this hostel is halfway between the two PIFF venues, with easy access to both subway lines.

• Westin Chosun Busan (051-749-7000): What c o u l d b e b e t t e r t h a n l o o k i n g d ow n o n Haeundae Beach from your hotel room? Luxury comes at a price, though.

Getting There

Where to Drink • Around a Coffee Table (010-6279-0111): Sip your espresso in this vintage-style caféand gallery. Try the homemade yogurt, but leave your cigarettes at home in this smoke-free café. Kyungsung Univ. Station, Exit 5. Below Dunkin Donuts.

• Fuzzy Navel (011-1757-6349): Next to Seacloud Hotel in Haeundae, this popular watering hole also serves up some of the city’s best Mexican food.

• Club Maktum (051-742-0770): This thumping

• By Plane: There are a number of daily flights from Seoul to Gimhae Airport in Busan. Airport buses are available from Gimhae to the main train station in Nampo-dong and the Haeundae hotels.

• By Train: A number of high-speed KTX trains leave from Seoul Station every hour. Travel time is 2hr 40min, and the cost is around 100,000 won R/T. Make sure to get your tickets early if you’re traveling on Friday or Sunday evening.

Written and photographed by Peter DeMarco

Where to Eat • Pork Soup Alley: No visit to Busan is complete without eating Busan’s signature dish of dwaeji gukbap, or pork soup. Take Busan Subway Line 1 to Seomyeon Station, Exit 1. It’s a five-minute walk behind the Lotte Hotel and Department Store.

Around a Coffee Table

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Festivals

Malic Magic When It Comes to the Crunch, Head for Mungyeong Apple Festival (Oct 9—Nov 8)

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mong acres of apple orchards in the foothills of Korea’s Sobaeksan mountain range lies the city of Mungyeong.

Famed for the quality of its agricultural products, Mungyeong is also home to a jaw-droppingly large number of skilled traditional craftspeople, an abundance of cultural heritage, and a clean environment that draws tourists by the tens of thousand on weekends. This autumn, from Oct 9 to Nov 8, Mungyeong will put on a festival to share with the rest of the world one of its most cherished products— the apple—creating the perfect excuse for a trip out of Seoul and a reminder of what the word “fresh” really means.

Core Industry Mungyeong Apple Festival is a month-long celebration of the mighty fruit, during which both committed apple lovers and the simply curious descend upon the mountain city and engage in every act that can legally be performed with an apple. Events include a national Mungyeong apple photography competition, an international apple science seminar, a Mungyeong apple show and exhibition, an apple-picking experience, apple stacking, peeling and eating competitions, apple fishing, an apple quiz, apple wine and juice tasting, pet and wild flower experiences, a large apple market where local apple farmers will sell apples picked the very same morning they are sold, and a large number of other events.

Shin Hyun Kook, the mayor of Mungyeong, explains crucial factors behind the area’s unparalleled apple excellence. “Firstly, our climate is ideal for apples,” he says. “The large difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures here leads to a higher sugar content, 68 SEOUL October 2009

giving sweeter apples. Secondly, our apple farmers work extremely hard. They study the best cultivation methods, practice constantly, and have even invited experts from Japan to visit Mungyeong and give advice.”

The mayor is a strong advocate of agricultural technology, and he hopes to bring Mungyeong to the forefront of environmentally friendly apple production. “This means forbidding the use of herbicide altogether, halving use of pesticide from around 20 sprayings per year to 10 or fewer, and searching for new varieties of apple,” he says.

To this end, Mungyeong has established an apple institute.

Apple-cultivating citizens gather each week for education, while an apple pollen bank stores pollen to be used for artificial pollination—bee populations have declined here as they have elsewhere.

Jam and Juice Growing apples is only the beginning of the story, however. On the outskirts of the city is a small industrial complex full of gleaming stainless steel vats and inscrutable machinery. Thanks to these facilities, built with investment from the city of Mungyeong, farmers can press, squeeze, dry, filter, boil and package extra added value from the fruits of their labor. In combination with an attractively designed range of packaging, these items greatly increase the variety of produce available from Mungyeong, as well as making great gifts to bring back from here. Delicious, cloudy apple juice, apple jam, dried apple, apple gochujang (red chili paste) and apple vinegar are among the processed products on offer.

Mungyeong is far from being simply an oversized orchard. The thousands of tourists who make their way here every weekend for much of the year may start the day with a glass of cloudy apple juice, but the range of activities they can follow it with is wide and diverse. “Mungyeong is about halfway along the old Joseon era (1392—1910) road from the southeastern part of Korea to Seoul,” says the mayor, “and perhaps the best-preserved remaining part of the road is here, at the Mungyeong Saejae pass.” The pass and old road constitute a popular attraction, and their clean environment allows the holding of occasional “barefoot walking” events, adding to the feeling of closeness with nature. “The mountains are another key element to tourism here,” Shin continues. Hiking remains one of Korea’s most popular weekend activities, and Mungyeong’s proximity to the stunning peaks of the Sobaeksan range is another draw for tourists.

A Hotbed of Master Craftsmanship The abundance of other attractions here includes a disused railway where tourists can ride “railroad bicycles,” a coal museum, Mungyeong’s unique wood-fired ceramic kilns, hot springs, a “zip line” complex, and a shooting range. The tourist infrastructure, meanwhile, is first-rate, and accommodation options are continuously increasing.

Last year saw the opening of a deluxe resort, while lowerbudget guest houses abound.

Another remarkable feature of Mungyeong is its uniquely high concentration of master craftsmen, two of whom are government-designated “intangible cultural assets.”

Visitors to Mungyeong can watch these ar tists demonstrate their sublime skills in areas such as p o t t e r y, t r a d i t i o n a l papermaking, and the hammering of brass dishes and cutlery. The city holds a traditional tea bowl festival in early May. The use of woodfired kilns here, and the irregular licks of flame that result, give unique and unpredictable color changes to the glaze of many pots, an effect known as yobyeon .

Apples are one of five famous agricultural products boasted by Mungyeong. The others are omija (Schisandra chinensis , a sour, spicy East Asian fruit resembling a red currant), pyogo mushrooms, wild vegetables (sanchae ), and pork and beef from pigs and cows fed yakdol , a pulverized stone that gives healthy properties to the meat of the animals that consume it. The famous vegetable category includes local Korean leeks, alternatively called “paokcho .”

This translates as “roof-breaking grass” and is a reference to the dramatic reversal of certain varieties of male flaccidity that this plant allegedly brings about. An ideal place to enjoy a meal of sanchae bibimbap (rice mixed with mountain vegetables) and a glass of omija wine is at Mungyeong Sanchae Bibimbap, a first-rate restaurant behind the youth hostel near the Mungyeong Saejae pass.

Mungyeong’s delicious, healthy food, fresh air and abundance of things to do make it an ideal place for a weekend break, especially during this autumn’s apple festival.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographs by Ryu Seunghoo and courtesy of Mungyeong Apple Festival Promotional Committee

More Information

Mungyeong Sanchae Bibimbap. Tel. (054) 571-3736 Mungyeong City. http://eng.gbmg.go.kr Gyeongsangbuk-do Province tourist information (including Mungyeong). Tel. (054) 1330 (in English, 24 hrs a day) Mungyeong Saejae Youth Hostel. Tel. (054) 571-5533, www.saejae-yh.co.kr STX Mungyeong Resort. Tel. (054) 460-5000, www.stxresort.com

Getting There

Express buses to Mungyeong leave Seoul from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal approximately once every hour, from 6:30am until 8pm. The journey takes around two hours. Driving to Mungyeong from the capital takes two hours or more, depending on the traffic situation on the way out of Seoul.

Some of the refined agricultural products Mungyeong offers Travel & Culture SEOUL 69

Festivals

Clued Up in Gwangju (Thru Nov 4) 2009 Design Biennale Draws Style Gurus from Across the Globe

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he southwestern city of Gwangju, famed for its delicious watermelons, is also wellknown for its Art Biennale. This year, however, Gwangju is once again hosting a designbased counterpart to the famous art fixture.

Under the theme of “The Clue,” the Gwangju Design Biennale opened for the third time on Sep 18, 2009, inside the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Center. Over the course of the event, which continues until Nov 4, some 519 designers and 376 companies from 48 countries will exhibit almost 2,000 works.

Built upon five themed exhibitions—clothing, eating, living, enlightening and enjoying—the biennale attempts to pinpoint the relevance of each theme to Korean culture and design.

In addition to the five main themes are three projects aimed at addressing contemporary social issues: Design to Save, based on sustainability; Design to Care, focusing on care and consideration for the increasing number of elderly people in society; and Design to Share, a project developing connections with the historic village of Yangnim-dong.

Leading international artists and designers will exhibit works, some of which were created specifically for the Gwangju Design Biennale.

Among them are German automobile designer Peter Schreyer; Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake; one of the world’s most prolific designers, Karim Rashid; and famous furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue. There will be also be artists from different genres, including Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk and the poet Hwang Ji-woo The ultimate aim of the biennale is to lay the foundations for a new design culture through the reinterpretation of manifestations of traditional Korean culture by international artists and designers. This event is one of the biggest in the Korean design world.

Suggests clues for understanding the shapes, spaces and locations of Korean residential culture. 글 [geul]—Enlightening—學 An exploration of Korea’s unique script, hangeu , in the context of everyday life. 소리 [sori]—Enjoying—樂 Exhibitions focusing on the traditional sung music genre of sanjo and technological developments in the production of sound.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Design Biennale

Five Themes All five themed exhibition curators are highly talented and interesting individuals, and what they produce this September in Gwangju will definitely be worth making the trip to see. 옷 [ot]—Clothing —衣 Studying elements of traditional Korean clothing, from traditional costumes to haute couture, and documenting these elements as artistic objects in themselves. 맛 [mat]—Eating—食 A search for the design values in Korean culinary culture that improve taste, flavor and beauty while considering health and spirit.

70 SEOUL October 2009

집 [jip]—Living—住

More Information

www.design-biennale.org Tel. (062) 608-4114 Gwangju is the main city of Korea’s southwestern Jeollanam-do province. This region is famous as the agriculturally richest part of the peninsula, and it also boasts the best food. Nearby Mt. Mudeungsan is one of Korea’s top hiking locations.

Getting There

KTX trains run daily between Yongsan Station (in Seoul—not Seoul Station) and Gwangju.

The journey takes three hours, and trains depart roughly every two hours. An adult single standard class ticket costs 35,900 won and can be booked online through the Korea Railroad website, www.korail.com.

2009 Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival (Oct 8—11) Celebrating One of Naval History’s Greatest Victories

C

o-hosted by the province of Jeollanamdo and the counties of Haenam-gun and Jindo-gun, the 2009 Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival celebrates the miraculous triumph at the Battle of Myeongryang, when war hero Admiral Yi Sun-sin led 13 Korean ships to victory over an enemy Japanese fleet of 333 ships. The four-day festival, to be held from Oct. 8 to 11 in the area around the Myeongryang Strait (also known as the Uldol Strait), is highlighted by a spectacular recreation of the battle. Visitors will get a chance to see the battle unfold before their very eyes, almost as if they were watching a football match at World Cup Stadium.

13 vs. 333 When the Japanese invaded Korea in 1592, Admiral Yi Sun-sin proved a godsend to the Korean side, routinely defeating larger Japanese fleets and thereby cutting off supplies to the enemy. In 1597, however, Yi was arrested on trumped up charges of treason, and the Japanese used his absence to trounce his successor and virtually annihilate the Korean navy. When he was restored to his position, Yi had a tough road ahead of him—the once proud Korean navy had been reduced to a mere 13 ships. For him, though, 13 ships was enough. In the ensuing Battle of Myeongryang, fought in the narrow Myeongryang Strait on Oct 26, 1597, his tiny fleet met a Japanese force of 333 ships off the southwestern tip of Korea and completely shattered it, using the local terrain and currents to great effect. Deprived of their supply lines, the Japanese were once again forced to halt offensive operations.

Rallies and More On the day prior to the start of the festival, some 100 cyclists will hold a bicycle rally between the statue of Yi Sun-sin in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun and the Myeongryang Strait some 470km away. The rally pays tribute to the trials and tribulations Yi faced prior to the great battle. The festival will also feature a national competition of the gangangsullae dance, a regional specialty typically performed on the Chuseok holiday. Teams

from all over Korea will perform not only the traditional dance, in which women form a rotating circle beneath the full moon, but also “fusion” versions of the dance.

Other events includes parades (especially a reenactment of Yi Sun-sin entering town), concerts and hands-on cultural programs.

Battle Reenactment and Local Participation The event you won’t want to miss is the Battle of Myeongryang reenactment, which will start at 10:30am on Oct 11. The performance will take place in the area around the beautiful Jindo Bridge. The massive reenactment features about 100 boats owned by local fishermen, with a total crew of 3,000 men—no small sacrifice on their part, given that it's the height of the fishing season. In fact, some 95% of local residents participate in the festival in one way or another.

Local Sites While you’re in town, you can take in the wonders of the so-called Namdo region,

which encompasses the far southwestern corner of the Korean Peninsula. Sites include the beautiful Buddhist temples of Daeheungsa and Mihwang-sa and the scenic island of Jindo. Throw into the mix some of the finest food in Korea, and you’re set for an outstanding weekend.

Written by Robert Koehler Photographs courtesy of

the Great Battle of Myeongryang Festival

More Information

(061) 286-5251, www.mrdc.kr

Getting There

Most of the festival activities take place along the Myeongryang Strait, near the Jindo Bridge.

To get there from Seoul, take the KTX from Seoul’s Yongsan Station to Mokpo (travel time: 3hr 30min). There are shuttle buses to the venue from Mokpo Station.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 71

Eating Out

Dalhangari

Keeping It Simple Key to Outstanding Korean Cuisine

72 SEOUL October 2009

A

ccording to Jung Hyunok, the owner of Dalhangari, the key to creating high-quality Korean cuisine is to keep things simple. “It is natural food,” she said. “You don’t want to change the taste of the food too much.

You’ve got to keep things relatively simple. And don’t forget the character of the ingredients.”

mixed rice, but where Dalhangari really excels is its jeongsik —Korean course meals. Jeongsik will cost you a pretty penny at many other eateries (especially in the Samcheong-dong area), but here, the Hansang Charim meal will set you back a mere 30,000 won, while the larger Special Table meal goes for just 55,000 won.

Since it opened little more than a year and a half ago, Dalhangari has developed an enviable reputation for good food at reasonable prices in a refreshingly unpretentious atmosphere—which it does, as Jung explains, by adhering to the cardinal rule of keeping things simple, letting the unique colors, aromas and tastes of each ingredient do their work. The result is an array of dishes that are wonderfully basic and will keep you coming back for more. “You can eat here and it will never get old,” says Jung. “It’s like food you’d have at home.”

This writer and a coworker sat down for the Hansang Charim, which consisted of four courses—a starter of hobakjuk , or pumpkin porridge, followed by some jeon (fried Korean delicacies), a simple salad, and chadol , or sliced Korean beef brisket. In keeping with the restaurant’s philosophy, all was simply prepared with a minimum of artificial taste enhancement and a maximum of nutritiousness...as it should be. Jung explains, “There is a reason for eating food. It’s not just for eating, but for maintaining the body.” It’s for this reason that the restaurant has become a favorite of the neighborhood’s more health-conscious silver foxes.

As this writer’s mother is New York Irish and his wife Mongolian, it’s not exactly like food he’d have at home, but the point stands.

Unpretentious? In Samcheong-dong?

Keeping things simple begins with the décor.

Dalhangari avoids the pitfall of taking itself too seriously.

Indeed, step inside, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think you’d mistakenly walked into a café (which, in point of fact, it was, prior to its conversion into a restaurant).

Colors are subdued but still cheery, and there’s a distinctively open, breezy feel to it all. Unlike “traditional” traditional Korean restaurants, seating is at a common Western table with chairs, not a low table with floor cushions. For the weary traveler, you couldn’t get less burdensome. The first thing that comes to mind, in fact, is the restaurant’s namesake—dalhangari , or “moon jars,” were round, white porcelain jars crafted for the royal court, lauded for their beautiful, unadorned simplicity.

Food...It’s About More Than Just Taste Dalhangari’s menu is surprisingly extensive, covering most of your favorite Korean standards. Many single diners order the bibimbap (8,000 won), an old favorite of

Despite the simplicity and low cost, Dalhangari doesn’t skimp, either in quantity or quality. The chadol , for example, was plentiful and prepared with the highestquality Korean beef. What sets Dalhangari apart, though, is the side dishes. They aren’t especially many, but the dishes are full and the edibles fresh and tasty. About the side dishes—called banchan in Korean—Jung beams with obvious pride. “The key to Korean food is the side dishes,” she says. “These days, many places skimp on the side dishes. But this isn’t really Korean food. We put a lot of effort into the side dishes.”

Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Getting There and More Information

Dalhangari is located in Samcheong-dong, in a corner alley just across from the Prime Minister’s Residence.

See the Samcheong-dong Map in Dokkaebi Maps and Guides. Reservations for groups of up to 40 available. Rooftop space available, too.

T. (02) 733-7902 Travel & Culture SEOUL 73

Lifestyle & Leisure

Current Affairs Getting Nautical—and Social—at Seoul’s 700 Yacht Club

“A

boat is like a plane on its side,” says David. “One wing sticks up, and the other is the keel down below.” We are standing on a narrow, low-slung boat that David Halloran and Harold Shim, the club chairman, will be sailing from Mokpo to Jeju Island in October. “We’ll be sailing a hundred or so miles off shore, and everyone else will be in bigger boats, so we hope to have a big speed advantage,” he continues. “This boat isn’t made for going that far out, though.” The white sliver of a boat suddenly looks like an oversized surfboard with a sail stuck on top, bobbing gently up and down in the calm Hangang River next to the 700 Yacht Club’s clubhouse as David talks of four-meter waves and shattered fiberglass hulls.

74 SEOUL October 2009

On a late summer Saturday afternoon, the 700 Yacht Club’s members and their friends have turned up to race small sailing boats, eat and drink together and generally enjoy socializing. Yachting aside, their clubhouse location is the perfect place to enjoy dinner and a few drinks as the sun goes down. Built on a barge moored on the northern bank of the Hangang, just south of Seoul World Cup Stadium, it has a rooftop terrace offering sublime and quiet views of the sun setting over the river and the cityscape beyond. A row of expensive imported and Korean cars occupies the dusty parking lot on the riverbank above. The day’s racing consists of three heats and one final, followed by a race between a boat of Korean professionals and another crewed by a handful of 700’s club members.

Multi-National Membership Earlier on, David is found crouching with two fellow Brits around a red, supine survival suit. It is one of two that he acquired from eBay in preparation for the MokpoJeju trip. Snatches of conversation including the word “overboard” drift out from the group. His fellow crouchers are another David, who imports Bentleys into Korea—and has sold 250 in two and a half years—and Andy, who is about to return to England after eight and a half years in Korea, leaving a top position at a leading English school firm. They reel off the nationalities of other members: Indian, many from Germany, Canadian, American, Korean, British, Polish... Everyone is welcome, they emphasize.

Inevitably, the three Brits are drawn in the same heat as three Germans, and inevitably, this means that an international incident occurs. “Contact” has taken place, for which the Brits are penalized (the Germans won the race regardless—also inevitably). A query is registered with the club commodore, who is busy honking on a claxon while hoisting and lowering a variety of small flags to communicate with the boats out on the river. No one takes the whole thing seriously, including the British yachtsman who fell into the river and is now in need of some dry cigarettes.

room for growth,” he says. Yachting is a prime example: several club members emphasize how the wide body of the Hangang is still chronically underused in the daily lives of Seoulites, drawing comparisons with the busier yet narrower metropolitan waterways of Europe.

Marcus is also the first person able to explain the club’s numerical name. “700 is our target number of members,” he explains. “We have 70 at the moment, but new people are joining at the rate of about two a week.”

No Elitism Despite the tendency to associate yachting with rare degrees of affluence, not a whiff of cigar smoke or exclusivity hangs in the air at the 700 clubhouse. There’s no denying that some members fall into the “high flier” category when it comes to profession, but nobody is kept out or made to feel unwelcome. “This club is much more member-driven than certain other clubs in Korea,” emphasizes Michael Chung, another member. “The members themselves make things happen.”

At almost 5 million won a year, membership is not dirt-cheap. But, explains Andy, this allows members to use any of the club’s nine boats whenever they want to.

Sailing lessons also come as part of the membership deal, and the social aspect of being a member is also appealing, as anyone who has spent an afternoon and evening at the clubhouse, looking out over the river, will testify. Members also take part in yacht races around the world—destinations so far have included Singapore, Canada and Phuket, Thailand, and this winter, members will be heading for Australia.

Written by Ben Jackson Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

More Information

www.700yachtclub.com.

Tel. (02) 376-5616 / (011) 9192-9820

Getting There Untapped Potential Later on, Marcus, the club commodore, is free to talk. He works for the consultancy firm Accenture and, after living in Malaysia and Singapore, came to Korea in 2002. “Although the Korean economy is more developed than those countries, the leisure scene still has massive

Come out of the World Cup Stadium subway station, Line 6, Exit 1. Head clockwise around the stadium and south through Pyeonghwa ("peace") Park toward the Nanji section of the Hangang Riverside Park. 700 Yacht Club is the easternmost of three barge-based clubhouses due south of the blue raised expressway loop, at Sangam Marina (Sangam Seonchakjang).

Travel & Culture SEOUL 75

Shopping

Digging Up Deals Yongsan’s Sprawling Electronics Mall Complex Offers Great Bargains

Touting Technology If you’re left scrambling on any given weekend for a place to scoop up the latest gadget at an unbeatable price, the goliath sprawl of Yongsan Electronics Mall Complex is where you’ll find it. In fact, if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, chances are it doesn’t exist. A bold statement indeed, but with over twenty buildings housing more than five thousand shops, it’s a pretty safe bet that whatever it is you’re on the hunt for can be found here within its walls. Given the sheer size of the complex, the enormity can be a little daunting and leave some feeling a little overwhelmed. But don’t let that deter you—all areas are clearly marked, so with a little effort, you will soon get your bearings and be off shopping at your own comfortable pace.

Broadly divided into I’Park Mall, Seonin Mall, and Nanjin Mall, Yongsan has long since cemented its reputation as Seoul’s preferred venue for both techies and newbies when it comes to the latest technological offering or those hard to find, near-obsolete electronic contraptions.

Everything from appliances, stereos, computers and peripherals to office equipment, mobile phones, video games, software, videos and CDs is housed under the complex’s gleaming façade.

And with so many places to poke around for stuff, the competition remains fierce. Everywhere you look you’ll hear shopkeepers touting their merchandise to passersby. But this all adds to the experience. While some may perhaps find it offensive, at the end of the day you end up walking away happy because you grabbed yourself the best deal the city has to offer. People don’t come here for the ambience. Instead, they shop around Yongsan to find the latest high-tech gear at the lowest prices.

An Endless String of Choices The moment you get off at Yongsan Station, you are met with a trail of buildings stretching as far as the eye can see. First off, you’ll likely enter the towering I’Park Mall, a colossal complex replete with restaurants, cafés, a movie theater, and, of course, dizzying streams of electronic outlets for your perusing pleasure. It’s truly a sight to be reckoned with. The selection of electronics alone takes up five floors. It could very well take you the entire day to comb through only a fraction of what its myriad stores have to offer. And this is before you even reach the host of other malls a stone’s throw away.

Computer buffs had best head to Seonin Mall, where you’ll find every trinket imaginable. You can literally assemble a computer by hand here with all the selection. It should be noted that visitors here are often experienced computer users, and trying out products is not always accepted.

Nanjin Mall is another good place to begin from.

Its central location makes it an easy point of reference. Divided into ten blocks, it offers products for purchase at very affordable prices. Employees here are also quite helpful and let you try out different products before buying. You can find MP3 players, computers, mobile phones, videos and countless other items.

With all this variety, visitors have no choice but to keep returning again and again to keep their gadgets up to date. And if you do tire of shuffling around on the hunt for better deals, you can always pop in for a movie at CGV or a bite to eat at I’Park Mall to rest your bones. Another option

is the string of eateries in front of Seonin Mall that serve up all kinds of dishes. It’s a good place to grab a bite before setting off again.

Haggle Me This, Haggle Me That Yongsan is the place tech gurus head to for parts. There’s good reason for this—sifting through components and other miscellaneous items, you'll find that Korean-made products can cost up to 20% less here than at other stores found around the city. Imported items can be as much as 50% cheaper.

If you’re familiar with the area, you will already know that bargaining is the way to go. Granted, this method varies depending on where you look, as some stores operate like traditional shops, selling name brands at fixed prices while providing warranties. However, with a little digging, you will find shops with no set prices. This is where haggling becomes commonplace and can find one walking away with the best deal the city has to offer.

Although some would argue that its rival Techno Mart is a better option, Yongsan not only trumps it in selection but also in price.

Bargaining is welcomed in some areas, and shopkeepers have been known to include accessories as part of the deal at no extra charge.

As Seoul becomes more and more globalized, modern stores selling digital appliances and electronic gear are sprouting up all over the place. Yet with all this growth, Yongsan will always remain a favorite in the minds of veteran shoppers who prefer the traditional experience of negotiation and combing through endless selection over settling for meager offerings at a fixed price. Then again, this should come as no surprise. Who likes walking away feeling as though they got the short end of the stick?

Written and photographed by Gregory Curley

More Information

Store hours are from 10am to 8pm. Note that smaller shops tend to keep sporadic hours. Also, many shops in the area are closed on the first and third Sunday of every month.

Getting There

Take Subway Line 1 straight to Yongsan. You may either walk through the train station to the Terminal Shopping Center or walk around at ground level to enter the market.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 77

Night Life

‘I’ve Nevada Cocktail This Tasty’ At Hongdae’s Margarita Splash , Alexander Boutilier Finds an Outpost of Las Vegas Refreshingly Free of Fear and Loathing

78 SEOUL October 2009

S

eoul’s Hongdae area is a long way from the Las Vegas Strip, but it shares a spiritual connection with that glittering Mecca of fun. Like Vegas, the clubs and bars of Hongdae offer excitement and allure for locals and tourists alike, seducing all comers with a wonderful mix of music, food and drink.

While the growth of Hongdae is still in its youth compared to Las Vegas, it has taken leaps and bounds toward becoming an international hot spot. And in the eyes of Bobby Seo, it has become ripe for the arrival of some of the true style of Vegas.

Orgasms of Color, Rainbows of Light Hongik has its share of lights and sparkle, but Seo has brought a real luminous glow to the street in front of Hongik University. By opening the interior of its establishment outwards, Margarita Splash makes the whole street a part of itself. The vibrant primary colors of the takeaway drinkware line the walls behind the bar, illuminated by the pulsing, shifting cast of the LED panels on the wall. The crisp white walls act as screens to catch and reflect this light, along with that of the LED-embedded tabletops, creating waves of illumination that spill out, drawing in partiers like barflies to a flame.

Seo lived and studied in Vegas, along with his business partner and chef Tony Hwang.

Together, they became steeped in the lore and culture of the Strip and vowed to bring some of that excitement back with them to Korea. Absent the mob connections that tied down so many of the hotels of Vegas, Bobby and Tony found a more innovative way to bring that dazzle and excitement to their enterprise.

Their motto is “Fresh,” with a fresh look, fresh drinks and fresh food. The rainbow of light plays off clean white corrugated walls, conveying that feeling of freshness emotionally. The shiny orange seating transmits a bright citrus sensation, and the open frontage circulates the evening breeze within. A large flat-screen suspended above the bar flashes appetizing images of the fare and lists the house specials. And, of course, the drinkware on display, the tumblers and tall boys, is as functional as it is decorative.

Thirst-Quenching Splash Bombshell Margarita Splash, as the name suggests, serves margaritas—not the staid salt-rimmed drinks of your parents' cocktail bar, but blended and frosted super-long glasses of tasty thirstquenching fun. With the standard lime margarita to start, the selection also includes orange, green apple, mixed berry, pina colada, kiwi sour, and midori sour flavors, all served in either the 750ml or 1.5 liter sizes. The “Don’t Ask” margarita is a bombshell drink with over eight different shots to really keep you on your toes. The drinks will run you 8,000 won for the small and 14,000 won for the large, but they don’t stop at margaritas alone.

Bobby makes sure to stock mojitos, both classic and apple-flavored (8,800 won), served with Travel & Culture SEOUL 79

Night Life

fresh lime (a rarity in Korea). Also available are Apple Martinis (8,000 won), and Tequila Slammers (7,000 won), as well as Jagermeister coolers and bombs. With Red Bull unavailable in Korea, the Margarita Splash Jager Bomb is concocted with the domestic “Bacchus” drink instead, producing a surprisingly similar taste. They hope to add select beer to the menu this fall, particularly those beers that match well with a slice of fresh lime. Of course, there are also various soft drinks (2,000—5,000 won) and fresh “ades" (5,800-9,800 (2,000 won) for the teetotaling set.

Although focused on drinks, they are very proud of the food they serve. Tony Hwang studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York before working at the Mix restaurant in Mandalay hotel—both Michelin-rated restaurants, the Wynn sporting a full Bay and then at the famous Wynn hotel five stars. Tony learned the tricks of experimentation and innovation while there and has introduced a selection of menu items tweaked to tease the palate.

Takeaway Durable Plastic, Progressive Techno Margarita Splash serves burritos (8,000—9,000 won) in four varieties, with the rice steamed in fresh squeezed orange juice and zest for an intriguing sweet-tart tang. I tried the chicken and it was delightful, served with a homemade fusion sauce that combines fresh fruits, onions and Korean red pepper paste. The nachos (6,500 won) are a tasty complement to the drinks, and the onion rings (6,700 won) are fried in a Guinness batter for a deep rich taste. Tony has been working on a few other items as well, including sliders made with braised short ribs, and a tortilla pizza with lemon, butter and a flaming tequila finish. They sound delicious, but as they are just entering the menu now, you’ll have to check out the prices yourself.

A wonderful feature of Margarita Splash is that it is takeout-oriented. While the drink prices are reasonable to start with, the durable plastic tall boys are included in that price, so you can order to go.

With their openness to the street and the takeout offerings, Bobby and Tony have invited all of Hongdae to be a part of something special, and the sight of people enjoying themselves on the street, with a tall margarita in one hand, helps establish a sense that Margarita Splash is the place to be.

More Information Tel. 070-7776-6885 010-3571-6885

Getting There

Come out of Sangsu Station, Line 6, Exit 1 and head up towards Hongik University front gate.

Margarita Splash is on the left after about 500m, opposite Kraze Burger.

80 SEOUL October 2009

The music is loud without overwhelming conversation, diverse and upbeat. I enjoyed a sampling of progressive techno while I visited. The bar was packed with revelers thoroughly enjoying themselves, as well as a constant stream of visitors popping in for a refill. A short time at Margarita Splash, tall orange margarita in hand, turned my after-work blues around, and I found myself caught up in the mood.

Margarita Splash has made a splash, and a believer out of me. The next time you find yourself enjoying some time in Hongdae, wander down along the main road in front of Hongik University’s front gate, past the Krispy Kreme and NB nightclub, pop in to Margarita Splash for a drink, and stay for a bite. Its energy and enthusiasm burst out of its bounds and bring a true touch of Vegas to liven up Seoul’s soul.

Written by Alexander Boutilier Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Great Guide to a Great City Seoul Finally Gets the Guidebook It Deserves with Seoul Selection Guides: SEOUL

Scenic Spots

S

eoul Selection Guides: SEOUL has hit the bookstores. The most comprehensive guidebook to the city of Seoul ever released, SEOUL contains 464 pages of in-depth travel information, helpful tips, background information on culture and history, detailed maps and beautiful photographs. Making full use of Seoul Selection’s vast knowledge of the city, the guidebook is perfect not only for tourists visiting Seoul on holiday, but also for veterans of the city looking for a deeper understanding of the town’s history and culture.

I 15 7 SEOUL'S BEST

14 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES: SEOUL

NTRODUCTION

3

2

1

1 N Seoul Tower p316

Located atop Seoul’s landmark Mt. Namsan, the observation decks and restaurants of N Seoul Tower offer spectacular views of the city, both day and (especially) night. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Incheon and North Korea.

Garden of Changdeokgung Palace p50 2 Rear

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rear Garden of Changdeokgung Palace is breathtaking any season of the year. Seamlessly blending the natural and the man-made, it is the epitome of Korean traditional garden design.

3 Bukchon Hanok Village p69

A quaint residential neighborhood stretching from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Changdeokgung Palace, Bukchon is a maize of quaint alleyways that are home to Seoul’s largest collection of Korean traditional homes, or hanok.

4 Hangang River p221

4

Perhaps Seoul’s most defining topographical feature, the mighty Hangang River is a scenic spot all its own. Cruises provide wonderful views of the city, especially at night, while the riverbanks are lined with parks and other leisure facilities.

5 Mt. Bukhansan p335

If you’re in a hiking mood, the rocky peaks of Mt. Bukhansan offer superb vistas of downtown Seoul. The granite face of Insubong Peak is one of Korea’s most popular rock-climbing venues.

7

6 63 Building p224

Briefly the tallest building in Asia, the golden monolith of the 63 Building offers wonderful views of the city from its observation deck.

5

7 Banpo Bridge p241

At night, the Hangang River’s Banpo Bridge becomes a massive rainbow fountain thanks to the 380 nozzles and 200 lights installed along its sides.

6 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES

36 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES: SEOUL

GWANGHWAMUN AREA 37

The Heart of Old Seoul

The Gwanghwamun area is the heart of old Seoul. In the Joseon era (1392—1910), this was the heart of power in Korea, with its mighty royal palaces, government ministries and official residences. A century later, little has changed— the presidential palace of Cheong Wa Dae looms behind Gyeongbokgung Palace, and many of Korea’s most important government bodies are headquartered along Sejong-no Boulevard in front of Gwanghwamun Gate.

For visitors, the Gwanghwamun area is home to many of Seoul’s top tourist attractions, including the historic royal palaces—full of grand halls, enchanting pleasure gardens and, most of all, centuries of history. In the quaint neighborhood of Bukchon, where Korean tile-roof homes are still the norm, you can lose yourself in the winding alleyways and wonderful traditional atmosphere of old Korea. When you’re finished, stroll through the shops and galleries of Insa-dong, and perhaps have a cup of tea at a traditional Korean tea house. For more history, head to the old legation quarter of Jeong-dong, where you’ll find beautiful old churches and other reminders of Korea’s first interactions with the West.

Highlights include:

Japsang on the roof of the Geunjeongjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Japsang are small animal statues that guard palace buildings against evil spirits and ghosts.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

184 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES: SEOUL

SEODAEMUN AREA 185 Metro

Restaurants & Bars Shops Museums & Galleries Hotels Clubs & Theaters Etc.

HONGDAE MAP

1

M

Line 1

M

Line 2

M

Line 3

M

Line 4

M

Line 5

M

Line 6

M

Line 7

M

Line 8

M

Line 9

1

Kkini Hakata Bunko

ks ur ac Tr sta ain t Re Tr ea (M

Rolling Stones

Live Club Ssam

Rainbow Cream

Sky High

The Post Theater

Bowie Jenny's Bread

Coffee Prince Gopchang Jeongol

Sanwoolim Theater Sukara Café (1F)

Jangarang

Café Suda

Taehwa Plaza Bowling Center

75015 Pomponnette

Ullim (2F) IAN Café (3F)

Stereo

Shim's Tapas

OFF°C

Freebird Togut

Greek Joy Tiki-Ti Watercock

Purgio Apt.

Mapo Lifelong Learning Center

Tourist Information

Cartoon Café

Su Noraebang

Lush

KT&G Sangsang M2 Madang Q-vo Su Noraebang Shoeroom

Gallery Hut!

Myth Hong

Mindeulle Yeongto

Le Tre Campane

e Club Zoo Live

The time to go to Jongmyo Shrine is the first Sunday in May, when it plays host to the Jongmyo Daeje, a spectacular performance of Korean traditional court music and dance. In the Joseon era, the ceremony—a memorial rite to monarchs past—was held five times a year, led by the king and queen. Temporarily suspended during the Japanese colonial era, it

Castle Praha

Zari Soo Jewelry

Seoul Resource Center for Young Women Tyche

Multicultural Museum

3

The Café Roro

Publishing Alley

Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd.

4 Hapjeong Stn.

Bulgogi Brothers Chunggiwa Gas Station a

54 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES: SEOUL

Jongmyo Daeje Rite

Swing Guitar

Bobo Hotel

Hotel Seokyo

stately—when it was first constructed, the shrine’s main hall may very well have been the longest building in Asia. The complex is located to the east of Gyeongbokgung Palace; to the west of the palace was built another shrine, Sajik Shrine (a form of urban planning derived from Imperial China).

2

Eunhasu Dabang

Gaenari Mart

Kyusoodang Wedding Hall Youngbin Wedding Hall

Richemont Bakery

Hongik Univ. Stn.

B-hind

Del Mundo Re Margaux DGBD

Lo

Mulgogi

Dada Bldg.

Hongik Bossam 2F Gamjatang

Jongno Bindaetteok Hair & Joy

Lotte Cinema

Live and Loud

ng

Rolling Hall

Café Alley Jenny's Café

Gamssarong

Live Space V-Hall Club Vera

The Street You Want to Walk

4

405 Kitchen

Maeum

Sapience 7

Ziller Zone

Café Danchu

Witjandari Children's Park

Rainbow Sea

Hole

Coffee Prince 106 Ramyeon

Tora-b Banjiha Lounge

ey

t All

Pa

Old Rock

Design Museum aA

Via Inn Bar

Harlem (NB1) Little Terrace

18gram

rki

Kunstbe

Ska2

Playground

Cup n Plate Anseong Mart

Hongik Galbi

Agio

Spot

Sogno Soundholic Shanti Kaka a Kumar

Ding Dong

Bar Daq Market M I-Gong Come Sta?

3

Zorba the Greek

Café Undo

Louis Vins (4F)

Myeongwolgwan

Ice Waffle

D'Avant

Evans Tool JokerRed FF

Saab Hooper Tinpan

et re

Cellar15 (1F)

UCC Factory

o St ss

Café Kkum (B1)

Bok A'

DD

Mural Alley

Gyahaha

Vinyl Yogi

Sk@

Samgeori Pocha

Ssamzie Market Samjin Pharmacy B-Boy Theater (B1)

Alternative Space LOOP

ca

Ppullalla Gallery

Pi

on Stn.

Sinch

Coffee Lab

Noise Basement (NB2)

Jammers

Yri Café

Kryolan

Live Club Bbang

Far East Broadcasting Co.

Unit

Flower Shop

Geek Live House

Club Badabie

Dongchunhong

Hongik Univ.

Lydian

Music City 2

Sangsu Stn.

Modern Design Museum

Sanwoolim Korean-style Bar

) ley t Al an

Moonji Cultural Institute

Cheolgil Wang Galbisal

• Comprehensive and detailed NEIGHBORHOOD-BYNEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTIONS of one of Asia’s most dynamic cities • BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS that bring alive Seoul’s scenic charms • HELPFUL TIPS to ensure you make the most of your visit • DETAILED MAPS and TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION • CULTURE AND HISTORY NOTES that provide background information and stories to enrich your traveling experience • Information on DAY TRIPS TO INTERESTING LOCALES outside of Seoul, including the DMZ and Korea’s royal tombs • Text provided in FUN-TO-READ AND EASY-TO-USE manner

About the Author GWANGHWAMUN AREA 55

History and Culture

was brought back after Korea’s liberation in TIPS English Tours 1945 and is now held just once a year.

English-language guided tours During the highly ritual-conscious Joseon are given twice daily at 10 am era, the ritual was considered absolutely vital and 3:30 pm. Chinese, Japanese to the nation’s survival and prosperity. and Korean language tours are The dance and music for the rite is given as well. You should call particularly elaborate and features rarely ahead to reserve a spot, however—give them a ring at seen Korean traditional musical instruments.

765-0195.

The music itself was composed in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great (see p409), replacing the Chinese music previously used in the rite. The dance, meanwhile, features 84 female dancers dressed in purple court attire.

Cutting the Spirit of the Kingdom Jongmyo Shrine used to be connected to Changgyeonggung Palace (see p57). In the Japanese colonial era, however, a road was built between the palace and shrine to symbolically sever the spiritual link between the royal family and its ancestors.

Palace and shrine have now been reconnected via an overpass—if you are visiting Changgyeonggung Palace, it’s worth visiting Jongmyo, too, although the closing time of the overpass entrance is a half hour earlier than the main entrance.

A native of Long Island, New York, Robert Koehler has lived in Korea since 1997. Readers of this magazine know him best as the editor-in-chief of SEOUL, Seoul Selection’s monthly travel magazine. Prior to joining Seoul Selection, he worked as a translator for a major Korean newspaper and, before that, an English teacher in the Korean countryside. In addition to this guidebook, he has also co-authored the best-selling walking guide “Seoul’s Historic Walks.”

General Information Hours: 9 am to 6 pm (weekdays), 9 am to 7 pm (weekends, public holidays) Mar to Oct; 9 am to 5:30 pm (weekdays, weekends) Nov to Feb. Ticket sales stop one hour to closing.

Closed Tuesdays Admission: 1,000 won Getting There: Five minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station (Exit 11 of Line 1, Exit 8 of Line 3, Exit 8 of Line 5) Tel: 765-0195 Website: http://jm.cha.go.kr

Housing the memorial tablets of 19 kings and 30 queens, the main hall of Jongmyo Shrine was the longest building in Asia when it was built.

186 SEOUL SELECTION GUIDES: SEOUL

B-Boy Theater C2 The B-Boy Theater presents an open run of the wildly popular nonverbal performance, “Battle B-boy.” This unique performance combines street B-boy dancing with Korean traditional dance and East Asian music for an engaging nonverbal performance that appeals to audiences of all ages.

This performance’s transport of street dancing to the stage has been an enormous success, in large part because of its open, audience-engaging style that energizes all who watch it. • Admission 50,000 won • Getting There Hongik University Station, Line 2, Exit 5 • Tel 323-5233 • Website www.sjbboys.com

Hongdae Club Scene The clubs in front of Hongik University have something of an interesting history. Unlike the clubs of Itaewon, Hongdae’s music and dance clubs often started out as artists’ studios that were later transformed into clubs. Beginning in the 1990s, these clubs provided a much-needed space for Korea’s developing punk and indie music scene, giving them the reputation they have today.

It’s a neighborhood that basks in its alternative chic, and the clubs here have not been without controversy. The performances, for the most part quite tame compared to those in the West, have occasionally sparked outrage from more conservative elements of the Korean public. In 2005, for instance, a local punk group flashed viewers during a popular TV program, leading city authorities to threaten a crackdown on clubs. This never came to pass, as most appreciate the utility of a space to allow independent musicians a place to do their thing. All visitors are likely to find lots of people having fun. • Getting There The “Hongdae” club

SEODAEMUN AREA 187 TIPS

Club Day Hongdae Club Day started in 2002 as a way to promote the neighborhood’s indie culture.

It proved a smashing success and is now the highlight of many a clubber’s social calendar.

Club Day is held on the last Friday of each month. A 20,000 won ticket will get you into 21 of Hongdae’s hottest clubs, with one drink on the house. Participating clubs include (by musical genre):

Electronic

M2: T. 3143-7573 G3 Via: T. 3141-2046 G2 Tool: T. 010-3112-0338 F2 JokerRed: T. 019-345-7122 F2

HipHop

Harlem (NB1): T. 326-1716 E2 Q-Vo: T. 3143-7574 G3 DD Club: T. 011-783-4024 F2 Hooper: T. 336-3445 F2 Saab: T. 324-6929 F2 Hole: T. 011-9122-4028 F3

Mixed

Old Rock: T. 326-1886 G2 Ska 2: T. 010-8004-4635 G2 Myeongwolgwan: T. 3142-1357 F2

Rock

Freebird: T. 335-4576 F3 DGBD: T. 322-3792 G3 Soundholic: T. 3412-4203 D3 FF: T. 011-9025-3407 F2 Live Club Ssam: T. 338-7624 C1 Spot: T. 322-5956 E3

Jazz

Evans: T. 337-8361 F2 Watercock: T. 324-2422 E3

area is reached from Exit 6 of Hongik University Station, Line 2 • Website www.theclubday.co.kr 1 2

3 4

Even foreigners can participate in Hongdae’s Free Market Underpass artwork, near Hongik University Crafts for sale, Hongdae Free Market A very colorfully decorated public bathroom, Hondae Free Market

Purchasing Information Seoul Selection Guides: SEOUL can be found at major bookstores around the country, including Kyobo Book Center, Young Poong Bookstore, Bandi & Luni's Bookstore and Seoul Selection (from which you can also purchase it online at www.seoulselection.com). It will soon be available at Amazon and other major online providers as well.

Travel & Culture SEOUL 81

City News

Mayor of Seoul Decides on 2012 World Design Capital

I

n 2007, Seoul was selected as the World Design Capital (WDC) for 2010, thanks in large part to its “remarkable achievements in design-led development” in recent years. As Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon has been appointed a member of the jury selecting the next WDC for 2012.

The final list of candidate cities for WDC 2012 has now been shortened to just two: Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Helsinki in Finland. Oh and his fellow jury members made the final decision between the two European cities at a meeting behind closed doors in Montreal, Canada, on Sept. 12. The decision will be publicly announced later this year.

Design is an increasingly important theme in Seoul, as the country’s creative industries go from strength to strength and Korean-designed products gain ever higher recognition abroad.

Conquering the World with Kimchi

T

o spread knowledge of the excellence of kimchi throughout the world by developing and globalizing new kimchi dishes, the city of Seoul is holding the three-day Kimchi Love Festival 2009. From October 23—25 at Gyeonghuigung Palace and the adjacent Seoul Museum of History, the air will be filled with the sounds of kimchi: royal kimchi exhibitions, luxury kimchi showcases, kimchi-making experiences, kimchi song performances, kimchi love face painting, cooking king contests, kimchi photo exhibitions and much more.

Perhaps the most titillating part of the festival will be the kimchi design house, which accommodates efforts to cultivate kimchi into a luxury good and a worldwide food. Visitors to the house will be able to see, among other things, an exhibition of new foods made by grafting kimchi onto traditional foods from around the world.

82 SEOUL October 2009

City News

2009 Dongdaemun Fashion Festival

T

he Dongdaemun shopping area is the capital of Korean fashion. Some 400,000 people flow through its malls, stalls and passageways every day, and one million foreign shoppers visit every year. From Sep 2—25 this year, the area hosted Dongdaemun Fashion Festival. This year’s event was based on the theme of “Culture, fashion, business, tourism.”

The annual fashion festival, timed to coincide with the autumn sale period, is aimed at stimulating the economy and boosting tourism in the Dongdaemun shopping area. It kicked off this year with a two-day conference on fashion, attended by invited foreign buyers, at Seoul Fashion Center.

Malls throughout the Dongdaemun area offered a variety of discounts and free gift vouchers, while the main festival was accompanied by street performances such as a fusion music performance festival, a hip-hop and dance festival and a rock festival.

Oh Se-hoon Attracts 2013 UN CITYNET Congress to Seoul

A

t the UN CITYNET congress in Yokohama, Japan, in September, Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon succeeded in getting Seoul chosen as the host city for the next CITYNET congress in 2013. Established by the United Nations in 1987, CITYNET is a network of 116 cities and organizations in the Asia-Pacific region that holds a congress every four years. Previous congresses have been held in Shanghai, Mumbai, Bangkok, Hanoi and Yokohama.

Seoul has been an active member of CITYNET since joining the network in 1989. It has hosted various events for other member cities to participate in, such as the International Seminar on Sustainable Seoul Traffic.

Seoul’s hosting of the CITYNET congress in 2013 is a chance to raise the city's profile and demonstrate its global competitiveness to other cities and states in the Asia-Pacific region.

King Sejong on His Way to Gwanghwamun Plaza

P

erhaps the most universally loved and respected Korean of all time, King Sejong the Great has been allocated the prime spot on central Seoul’s brand new Gwanghwamun Plaza.

Though the plaza itself opened almost two months ago, King Sejong has taken his time about filling the new seat made especially for him there.

In its left hand, the new statue of King Sejong holds the Hunmin Jeongeum, the document that first introduced King Sejong’s revolutionary new Korean writing system, hangeul . Its right hand is held out in a gesture showing how the monarch cherished his subjects---the overall image is that of a sage king. The statue will be seated in its position on Gwanghwamun Plaza on Oct. 9, the Hangeul Day holiday.

Around the bronze statue of King Sejong will be a sundial, rain gauge and armillary sphere, all technological inventions made during the monarch’s enlightened reign. Gwanghwamun Plaza is thus set to acquire an element of education character, provoking yet another surge of interest after the plaza’s initial high number of visitors.

Photographs and images courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Travel & Culture SEOUL 83

Community Page AWC Coffee Morning

19th Fl, Sofitel Ambassador Hotel

Oct 6, 9:30am

Hear the Korean War Abductees Family Union’s story of over 80,000 South Korean civilians abducted to North Korea in 1950.

Cost: 12,000 (AWC members) or 15,000 (non-members).

Continental breakfast is included.

For more details, visit www. awckorea.org or email awc. coffees@gmail.com.

YÉOL Lecture— Developments in Korea’s Contemporary Film Renaissance Seminar Room (2nd Fl), Seoul Museum of History

Oct 6, 10:30am—noon

Darcy Paquet, well-known film critic and creator of Koreanfilm. org, gives what promises to be a fascinating insight into Korean film today. Cost: 10,000 won.

Please register by emailing Young-mi Lee your name and contact details at yeol400@paran. com.

Lunchtime Talk: Britain’s Low Carbon Industrial Growth Strategy Grand Ballroom (1st Fl), Grand Hyatt Hotel

Oct 7, noon

The Rt. Hon. Lord Mandelson, the UK’s First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business and Innovation Skill and Lord President of the Council, is to speak at this BCCK/KCCI joint lunch. Cost: 58,000 won (members) or 68,000 won (nonmembers). Reservations must be made by October 5, by emailing administrator@bcck. or.kr or calling (02) 720-9407.

Friday Night Hui with Kiwi Chamber Oak Room, Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel

Oct 9, 6:30pm—9pm

Meet New Zealanders and others for beer consumption, conversation, etc. Cost: 45,000 won. For more information, contact Lukas Beech at

chamber@kiwichamber.org or (02) 725-3905.

Buffet Champêtre Oct 10

A picnic in a park with the Association des Francophones en Corée. See their website, www.afc-online.org, for more details or email olivier.fidry@ wanadoo.fr.

Night of 1,000 Plays Roofers/Ghetto Vox, Itaewon

Oct 10 & Oct 17, 8pm (doors open 7pm) Come and watch an abundance of 3-minute plays written and produced in by the Englishlanguage theater group Seoul Players and associates. Cost: 10,000 won per night or 15,000 won for both. For more details, contact info@seoulplayers.com.

Seoul Writers Workshop Anthology Launch Party Berlin, Itaewon

Oct 10, 1pm—5pm.

Celebrate the launch of SWW’s 2009 Anthology: Every Second Sunday. Arrive early for free food. Cost: 10,000 won. For more information, see http:// seoulwriters.wordpress.com.

BCCK English Garden Party Sponsored by SC First Bank The British Embassy Residence Garden

Oct 13, 6:30pm—8:30pm

Details are to be announced shortly. Keep an eye on the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea website, www.bcck. or.kr, for further details or email administrator@bcck.or.kr to make an early reservation.

Reservations must be made in advance, and places are limited.

Got English? Support Underprivileged Children Meet at Seoul Finance Center

Oct 14, 1:30pm—5:30pm

Gale International Korea (GIK) is supporting underprivileged

Expat of the Month #1 Alexander Sheykin—Korea’s Only Professional Accordionist

B

eing selected as SEOUL magazine’s FIRST EVER Expat of the Month is no small achievement. But if anybody is up to the job, it’s Alexander Sheykin, the man creating a name for one of the most magical but underrated musical instruments in Korea.

“I came to Korea seven years ago,” says Alex. “I was born in Uzbekistan. Later, I went to study in Kazakhstan, then to the Ural Conservatoire in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Ethnically, I’m completely Russian, but I’ve only lived in Russia for six years. Korea feels like my home now. I love it here. I never imagined I would come to Korea, but I was recruited by some Koreans who came to the Conservatoire around the time I was graduating.

My first job was performing on the accordion at Lotte World. It was a good place to start.”

Alex now lives in Itaewon and is active in many bands, performing most days at various venues around Seoul and teaching the accordion. “The accordion is very popular in most of the countries surrounding South Korea —even North Korea—but not here,” he says. “My mission is to make it popular among South Koreans too. The general image of it here is of an instrument played by medicine sellers on street corners. I like to show people that the accordion is like a mobile mini-orchestra. It can play both chords and melodies and is extremely versatile. It’s great for anything from Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to modern music and jazz. Personally, I like to play genres more typically played on the accordion, like tangos, waltzes and French and Italian styles. I also teach an accordion class, as part of my mission to raise its profile.”

Alex is active in Korea’s Russian community, too. “Once again, the accordion makes my life happy and nice, "he says" Russians love the instrument, so I often play at Russian parties and restaurants here. And I’ve been Santa Claus at the Russian kindergarten in Itaewon for the last three years. They keep me supplied with Russian food!” But Alex loves being in Korea, among Koreans. “People are extremely warm and friendly here.

They’ve treated me as part of the family since I arrived here seven years ago. There is a Korean accordion society, and they love having a professional accordionist in the country.”

Among other performances, Alex plays in a tango-based band with two other Russians and an American, and a Russian folk group.

Alex will be performing at Club Evans (www.clubevans.com, (02) 337-8361) on Oct 25. He also does occasional TV acting, and footage of this, as well as accordion performances, can be found at www.youtube. com/alexacco. Contact details (those seeking lessons are also welcome) and much more await the visitor to Alex’s own website, www.alexacco.com.

84 SEOUL October 2009

children in Incheon by sponsoring a monthly Play Day at after school centers. These are the children who are not fortunate enough to attend academies or receive tutoring.

Yet they are Korea’s citizens of tomorrow who will be expected to thrive in a global environment.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to just have FUN with the children, singing English songs, playing games in English, and sometimes even providing treats, all in an informal setting.

The more volunteers, the more centers can be attended. For more information, send an email to lisasausser@yahoo.com or call (010)7123-8741.

AWC Newcomers Coffee Morning

Belsize Park restaurant, Itaewon

Oct 16, 10am

An opportunity to ask questions and get answers not only about AWC, but all the ins and outs and innuendo of being an expat in Seoul—shopping and restaurant tips, the care and handling of your household help, getting a driver's license, finding a veterinarian—anything and everything. Contact Marianne Trombley at Trom3101@juno. com, (010)3119-6876, or Pam Smith at Pam@psmith.org.

Diwali Gala Dinner Organized by Annapurna Indian Women’s Club

Grand Ballroom, Millennium Seoul Hilton

Oct 16, 7pm

Enjoy delectable, gourmet Indian food by two expert chefs from India and a fun-filled evening of music and dance. All proceeds go toward charities.

Cost: 120,000 won. Dress code: formal/Indian/national. For tickets, please contact Kusum Tayal at kusumtayal@gmail.com.

Daily Living Orientation Session Seoul Global Center

Oct 16, 11am—12:30pm

This is a great opportunity to learn and share your living experience in Seoul with other guests. There will be an informative presentation and a Q&A session with refreshments.

We will also have a lecture by Mr. Andrew Salmon, entitled “Korean Food, Korean People”.

All those who attend will also receive a package of brochures, maps, and guides that will help make your life in Seoul a lot easier and more enjoyable. It is free of charge and anyone is welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by supplying your name and phone number to Heekyoung Han at (02) 2075-4138 or hbreeny@sba. seoul.kr/ hbreeny@yahoo.com.

Tournoi de Tennis Oct 18

A tennis tournament organized by the Association des Francophones en Corée. See their website, www.afc-online. org, for more details, or send an email to olivier.fidry@wanadoo.fr

Jazz Nights at Bella Coolla 63 As a special event for autumn, the wonderful Chungmuro Italian eatery Bella Coolla 63 will mellow out with a bit of intimate and soothing jazz every Thursday or Friday evening.

JFK (Jazz Future of Korea) is a project group formed by Korean musicians active in New York, the home of jazz. Bella Coolla 63 will also be hosting a "Wine and City" event every Thursday and Friday—15,000 won and 20,000 won options will allow you to choose from three kinds of wine, enjoyed over some simple dishes and wonderful jazz. The New Yorkstyle Italian restaurant of Myeong-dong's Astoria Hotel, Bella Coolla 63 merges history, style and great food for the perfect dining experience. For more information, call (02) 2275-7473 or send an email to bellacoolla@naver.com.

Performers Playground The Hive, Itaewon

Every Tuesday from Oct 20th, 8pm—10:30pm

UK theater company Root Experience will start a Performers Playground every Tuesday evening in Seoul.

This will be a weekly workshop for people simply wishing to play with differing styles of performance and theatricality.

The idea is to explore different theatrical ideas and create a shared environment where creativity can thrive. For more info, visit Root Experience’s eponymous Facebook group or www.rootexperience.co.uk.

Santa Fe ANZA Hat Party Grand Hyatt Hotel

Oct 20, 10am

Go and enjoy a glass of champagne and refreshments with the Australian & New Zealand Association of South Korea, and be in the draw to win one of 60 designer hats to wear to the Melbourne Cup Luncheon (Nov 3). Cost: 20,000 won (members) or 25,000 won (non-members). RSVP is mandatory—send en email to anzakorearsvp@gmail.com.

48 Hour Film Project —Seoul Oct 23—25

The 48 Hour Film Project formula comes to Seoul. Form a team, get given a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre on Friday and make a 4—7 minute film by Sunday—what could be simpler? For more details or to register, visit www.48hourfilm. com/seoul.

A Day at the Races with AWC Seoul Race Course Park

Oct 24, bus leaves Seoul Club at 9:15am and departs for Seoul at 4:30pm A last outing to the races before the cold weather sets in! Cost: 20,000 won for AWC members and guests. For more info, visit www.awcseoul.org or send an email to awcsocial@yahoo.com (by Oct 15).

2009 Amazing Korean Table Various

Oct 28—Nov 1

The 1st 2009 Amazing Korean Table (AKT) is a world gourmet festival jointly hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as part of a project to introduce globalized Korean cuisine and Koreanized world cuisines prepared by renowned chefs and young chefs at home and abroad. Based on the concepts of unique cuisine, unique culture and great chefs, AKT features a variety of events such as a Young Creative Korean Chefs Championship, World Master Korean Table, World Master Korean Class, 2009 Amazing Korean Table, Distribution of Korean Food,

Got an item for our Community Page?

Send an email to writer@seoulselection.com

Travel & Culture SEOUL 85

Community Page Delicious Seoul Street Buffet, Korean Slow Food Symposium, a welcome dinner prepared by a professional Korean royal cuisine artisan, and much more. Every international food lover’s dream!

For more information, visit www. amazingkoreantable.com.

Melbourne Cup 2009 Luncheon

Namsan Rooms, 2nd Fl, Hyatt Hotel

Nov 3, 11am—4pm

Hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Association of South Korea (ANZA). Ticket sales for this equestrian extravaganza begin Sep 15 online. Numbers are strictly limited. There will be auctions, sweeps and prizes including best-dressed individual. All proceeds go to charity. Cost: 110,000 won (members) or 100,000 (members). RSVP by Oct 28 by sending an email to anzakorearsvp@gmail.com.

RAS—Tours

The Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic society is conducting tours every weekend this October: Seoraksan National Park and Waterpia (Oct 2—3rd (Chuseok)), Korea’s Scenic

South (Chungmu, Geojedo etc; Oct 10—11), Juwangsan National Park (Oct 11), Yeosu and Suncheon Bay (Oct 17—18), Jeonju (Oct 17), Joseon Dynasty Seoul (walking tour; Oct 18), Ganghwado Island (Oct 24), Hansol Paper Museum and Geumsansa Temple (Oct 25).

Costs vary and reservations must be made in advance. See the RAS website (www.raskb.com) or contact Sue Bae at 011-8880580 or raskb@kornet.net.

SIWA Events

Seoul International Women’s Association runs another month’s worth of activities to help keep bored expatriates from turning to organized crime: a Newcomers’ Meeting (Oct 8, 10am), Bike Riding along the Hangang River (Oct 9, 2pm—4pm), Coffee Morning (Oct 21, 9:30— 11:30am), Trip to Heyri Art Valley (Oct 22, 9am—4pm), Kimchi & Bibimbap Cooking Experience (Oct 26, 10—11:30am) and SIWA Members Art Exhibition (Oct 28—Nov 3, 10:30am—6pm). For more details and to register online, visit the SIWA website at www.siwapage.com.

Foreign Volunteers Needed!

Seoul Global Center

Ongoing

SGC is looking for native Englishspeaking long-term expatriate residents in Seoul to work helping with living information questions asked by foreigners (walk-in visitors/phone call, email), and proofeading materials in English.

Hours: 3.5 hours a day (Mon—Fri 9:30am—1:00pm or 1:00pm— 4:30pm). 25,000 won per day is provided for commuting expenses.

Contact hotline@sba.seoul.kr or Heekyong Han at (02) 1688-0120 (ex 138).

The Great 2009 Canuck Connection CanCham—the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Korea—is offering 30,000 won (towards membership dues for next year) to members who recruit other Canadian professionals to the chamber.

Recruit two members, and you’ll receive a free admission to a CanCham luncheon meeting.

For more info, visit www. canchamkorea.org.

France Express Oct—Dec

The Centre Culturel Français has organized a big program of French cultural events, lasting until December. Attractions touch on everything from exhibitions, concerts, and theater to film and literature. Visit the center’s website, www.france.or.kr, for more details.

Voluntary Cultural Ambassadors Wanted Seoul Global Center / various schools in Seoul

Ongoing

As part of Seoul Global Center’s “Neighbors from Afar” cultural exchange program, volunteers from other countries residing in Seoul create one and a half hour classes on the customs and cultures of their home countries.

They then present the information to Korean elementary school students roughly once or twice a month. If you’re interested in giving some overworked kids a break from maths and physics, why not volunteer? For more information, visit http://global. seoul.go.kr or contact Hyunseon (Chris) Ahn on (02) 2075-4140 or hyunseonahn747@hotmail.com.

Have you locked yourself out of the house?

Don’t worry: Seoul’s hotels have a fantastic selection of packages, promotions and parties this October to keep you anywhere but in your own bed.

Packages

The Sheraton Grande Walkerhill offers a couple of seasonal Full Moon one-night packages, one with breakfast and a free cocktail and one with breakfast and a free ticket to the sensational Russian dance show TODES. (Sep 28—Oct 8; 145,000 won/197,000 won; www. sheratonwalkerhill.co.kr). The W Seoul, just next door, is offering two tasty Chuseok (lunar harvest festival) packages: the W ReWard package for “ladies who are especially stressed in this period”, offering buffet food for two, indoor swimming pool and sauna access for two, plus a 30% Style Lab discount coupon (Sep 27—Oct 9; 249,100 won); and the W sWagger package, offering large amounts of beer, wine and cocktails in the morning to cure your hangover (Sep 27—Oct 9; 290,000 won; www.wseoul.com). All prices exclude tax and service charges.

Dining Promotions

The Grand Hyatt Seoul’s Deli is offering a range of super-deluxe “Chuseok Hamper Sets” that would keep even the most fastidious gourmet quite for a couple of days. Until Oct 4, choose between the “Champagne & Chocolate Truffle Hamper”, the “Italian Feast Hamper”, the “French Wine & Cheese Hamper” and the “Grand Gourmet Hamper”, for only 230,000 won each (excluding tax).

Parties

If there’s one party you don’t miss this month, make it the W Seoul’s W Halloween @ WooBar. From 10pm—4am on Oct 31, watch one of Seoul’s most fashionable venues become one of the most terrifying environments in the world. Luckily, D.I.S.C.O Texas, the godfather of disco house from Germany, will be there to take the edge off things. For more information, call WooBar on (02) 2022-0333 or email wseoul@whotels.com. Club Eden, below the Ritz Carlton Seoul in Yeoksam-dong, is also having its own hell-raising party on the 31st. from 9pm. Details to be confirmed: keep an eye out at www.eden-club.co.kr.

86 SEOUL October 2009

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