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June 12, 2012 / Issue No. 532
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‘Ask a Korean Dude’
An Authoritative and Irreverent Guide to the Korea Experience
KOREA: a country where tradition and rapid modernization meet in a dynamic dichotomy full of seemingly incongruous, yet somehow germane ethnic charms. It is these very elements that truly set Korea apart from its Asian colleagues as a bombastically inclined but strangely endearing little country.
“ Ask a Korean Dude: An Authoritative and Irreverent Guide to the Korea Experience” is a collection of articles from the “Ask a Korean Dude” column Seoul Selection’s monthly travel and culture magazine, SEOUL, ran to answer questions posed by readers regarding aspects of Korean society and culture. Fielding the questions with sincerity and a dash of humor, the “Korean Dude”—frequently making use of his own endearing personal experiences—turned cultural quirks into cultural understanding, providing insight into the workings of Korean culture.
This book is a tool with which you, the foreigner, may come to not only understand the distinctly curious aspects of Korea, but also appreciate the deeply running veins of traditional and modern culture interlaced into this complex—but actually rather simple—society.
Price: 19,000 won
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University Festivals (and Silent Discos), Part II
[Continued from Part I]
The official duration of Festival Week is, of course, a week. However, in reality, it runs to about a week-and-a-half. At my school, one of the student dormitories has an “Open House” event on the preceding Thursday. Also, outings called MTs* tend to happen just before or after the official week.
Somewhere along the way, Festival Week went from being a student-run event to one that is officially endorsed by the universities. The universities compete to have the “best” festivals. Being able to hold fun parties is good publicity for them. To this end, they invite professional performers and have temporary stages constructed for them. The more popular the performer, the more of a public relations coup it is. For example, several years ago, my school invited that most popular of K-pop** girl groups, Girls’ Generation, to come and perform. Unfortunately, it turned into a bit of a fiasco when the overly-enthusiastic audience rushed the stage, causing it to collapse. Girls’ Generation were unharmed, but had to cut their performance short and leave early, leaving the students crestfallen.
Festival Week can be a great inconvenience to teachers. Students might be absent, or come in with a hangover. Students are distracted because they’d rather be taking part in activities than studying in class. After the festival comes to an end, it can be difficult to get the students back into the rhythm of regular classes.
There are all sorts of activities. Food and drink is both prepared and enjoyed by the students. To this end, tents spring up everywhere on the campus grounds. At my school, students from the engineering department construct a massive, two-story bar using, among other things, metal poles and wooden planks. Sporting competitions are held between different departments. Other games include bowling, throwing water balloons at human targets, and a large machine that drops a person into a pool of water if a target is successfully struck.
Many activities revolve around music. As I mentioned before, professional singers are invited to perform. There are also many amateur performances by students: singing, dancing, rapping, and bands with musical instruments. Some are part of auditions programs. Lastly, outdoor dance clubs are set up at night. It was at one of these that I saw one of the most intriguing sights that I’ve seen in a while.
[To be continued ...]
* MT is an acronym for Membership Training. In actuality, there is little training going on. It’s basically a field trip in which there is a lot of drinking and merry-making.
** K-pop is short for Korean popular music. These days, it typically refers to boy bands, girl groups, and a few solo artists.
Written by Richard Stansfield (smaug1004@hotmail.com).
The writer has been living and teaching English in Korea since 1996. The views of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Seoul Selection.
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A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler.
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Ten Tenors
Listening to the voice of a single tenor can be a special experience, if he makes a good job of performing Schubert’s Lieder, for example. In the 1990s, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti struck a rich vein of popularity under the banner of the Three Tenors. Australia, however, has provided the world with the 20-legged wonder that is The Ten Tenors, a supergroup of dashing young men that blows audiences away with renditions of numbers by Queen, Meatloaf, AC/DC, Puccini, Kander and Ebb, Simon and Garfunkel, Ernesto De Curtis, Eduardo di Capua and many more. Don’t miss their visit to Korea, a country where singing is a national pastime.
VENUE: Sejong Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
DATES: Jun 18—19, 8pm
ADMISSION: R: 200,000 won, S: 160,000 won, A: 120,000 won, B: 80,000 won, C: 60,000 won
MORE INFO: (02) 3463-2466, http://sejongpac.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.
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I Musici, 60th Anniversary Celebration World Tour 2012
I Musici, the Italian chamber orchestra, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a Seoul show. The orchestra was formed in 1952 by 12 musicians who graduated from notable Italian music school Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Music. The group is well known for its interpretations of Baroque, Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni. The interpretation of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” is especially loved by many. I Musici’s leader Antonio Anselmi will play a “Four Seasons” solo, and the orchestra will play Ennio Morricone’s “Morricone Suite.”
VENUE: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center
DATE: Jun 15, 8pm
ADMISSION: VIP: 140,000 won, R: 120,000 won, S: 100,000 won, A: 80,000 won, B: 60,000 won
MORE INFO: 070-7434-4502, www.sac.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.
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The Lady of the Camellias (w/ Sue-jin Kang, Marijn Rademaker, The Stuttgart ballet, Korean Symphony Orchestra)
 10 years after two sellout performances at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in 2002, “The Lade of the Camellias” is back, starring popular Korean ballet dancer and Stuttgart Ballet prima donna Sue-jin Kang and Marijn Rademaker. The work is based on Alexandre Dumas’ autobiographical novel and tells the story of a courtesan who loves camellias and demands them from her admirers. Using the music of Chopin, the production creates a distinctive atmosphere of mid-19th century Paris.
VENUE: Sejong Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
DATE: Jun 16—17, 5pm
ADMISSION: VIP: 250,000 won, R: 200,000 won, S: 150,000 won, A: 100,000 won, B: 50,000 won
Tickets: http://ticket.interpark.com/global
MORE INFO: 1577-5266, www.clubbalcony.com
GETTING THERE: Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1 & 8.
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Myths & Legends: Exhibition of Louvre Museum
Flights to Europe from Korea tend to get booked up early in summer, so unless you have time to take a train or boat to Paris, the best way to get a glimpse of the contents of the Louvre is to make your way to the Exposition du Musee du Louvre 2012 at Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul Arts Center. Here, you’ll find 110 works of painting, sculpture and artifacts on a theme of Ancient Greek myths, selected by three experts at the Paris museum. From the two-meter 18th century French statue of Artemis with a deer at the beginning of the exhibition onward, this is a chance to immerse yourself in Western Europe’s artistic interpretations of Ancient Greece.
VENUE: Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center
PERIOD: Thru Sep 30
ADMISSION: Adults: 12,000 won, Students: 10,000 won, Children: 8,000 won
MORE INFO: (02) 325-1077~8, www.louvre2012.co.kr
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.
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Belly Dancing: ‘Asia Raqs International Belly Dance Festival’
 The Asia Raqs International Belly Dance Festival features two nights of tantalizing shimmies from some of Seoul’s and Tokyo’s top belly dancers. Organized by Eshe, a professional belly dancer originally from Canada and now living in Seoul, performers at the events will include Eshe and Navah, Renata, Ya Nur, Belly Move, and Japan’s Faraha, Yildiz, Ayez, Mimi, and Mahila. Both Mimi and Mahila are members of the Japanese troupe Mirage, which won the silver medal at the 2010 Tokyo International Belly Dance Competition. The belly dancers will perform to an eclectic array of Middle Eastern and Western songs and also to live music from the likes of Ken Matsuo from the Japanese Middle Eastern music and Balkan Gypsy music band Alladeen, Gwangil Bae from the Korean world music/folk band Orgeltanz, Ahreum Lee from indie upstarts Juck Juck Grunzie, and Pansori/electronica hybrid band Ninano Nanda. Seoul burlesque troupe White Lies Burlesque Revue will make special guest appearances at each of the shows as well.
VENUE: AAA, Hongdae / Hodge Podge, Hongdae
DATES: June 15 (10pm) / June 16 (9 pm)
ADMISSION: 15,000 won (with 1 free drink)
MORE INFORMATION: www.eshebellydancer.com
GETTING THERE: AAA – Sangsu Station, Line 6, Exit 2. Go straight and turn right at Ska Bar. AAA is located on your right, above Blue Spirit.
Hodge Podge – Sangsu Station, Line 6, Exit 1. Go straight and turn left at 7-11. Hodgpe Podge is located on your right, above 7-11 and Club Evans.
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The Great Green Wall and the Fight against Desertification in China
Desertification is emerging as a central security issue for the world, and specifically for Northeast Asia in the current age. Climate change resulting from a diverse set of human activities is changing the ecosystem of Northern China, leading to the spread of deserts with profound implications for the region and the world. As the yellow sands from Mongolia and Northern China reach all the way to the United States, we must rethink the threat posed to the world by the misuse of land and dangerous misconceptions about the economy.
This seminar highlights the achievements of Future Forest and the project known as the “Great Green Wall,” an innovative approach to stopping the spread of the Kubuchi desert in Northern China through a combination of tree planting, land fixation technology and education in sustainable land management for local people that has proven the skeptics wrong. The “Great Green Wall” is an example of innovation in governance, education, agriculture and technology worthy of emulation and benchmarking that will be highlighted at RIO +20.
VENUE: The Asia Institute
DATE: June 28, 6:30pm
MORE INFO: See this link. GETTING THERE: See link above.
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Old Gunsan: Exploring the Remains of Colonial Korea
Once a small fishing village on Korea’s West Sea coast, Gunsan developed into one of Korea’s most important ports after it was opened to international trade in 1899. During the colonial era, Japanese traders, merchants and farmers settled en masse in Gunsan and the nearby Honam Plain, Korea’s most fertile agricultural region, and the city became especially important as the port of exit for Korean rice exports to mainland Japan. The Japanese left an indelible imprint on the city and, while they left following Korea’s liberation from colonial rule in 1945, their presence can still be felt in the city’s exotic historic architecture.
In this tour, participants will visit some of Gunsan’s historic colonial architecture and learn a bit about Japanese colonial rule in Korea.
VENUE: Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do
DATE: June 17
COST: TBA
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: See link above. |
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Participants at Templestay program at Magoksa Temple, Gongju. Photo by Robert Koehler.
*Click the photo to see a full-size version at our website.
NOTE: If you have a photo you would like to see in our Everyday Koreans section, please sent it to story@seoulselection.com. Photos should be AT LEAST 950px wide. Send a one-line bio, too.
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Looking for Overseas Partners – Seoul Selection is looking for overseas publishing/ advertisement partners for its travel and culture monthly SEOUL. See this link for more information. Those interested are advised to contact Hank at hankinseoul@gmail.com.
Brenda Paik Sunoo’s New Website – Writer and photographer Brenda Paik Sunoo, author of “Seaweed and Shamans,” “Vietnam Moment” and “Moon Tides: Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea,” has opened a multimedia website, www.brendasunoo.com. Go over and check it out now.
Shinhan Bank’s Seoul Global Center – Shinhan Bank has launched its own Seoul Global Center on the first floor of Gwanghwamun’s Seoul Finance Center. This is a branch specially made for foreigners, with financial consulting services for foreigners (individual/group), financial counsellings at your place of work (even for one person) and commemorative events such as special rates on currency exchange and interest rates. For more information, contact Deputy General Manager Jeon at (02) 773-3149 or 010-7275-9006.
 Learn Korean Traditional Dance – Chumsae Dance School is offering lessons on Korean traditional dance. Morning (10:00—11:30, Tue Thu), afternoon (4:00—5:30, Mon Wed) and evening classes (7:30—9:00 Tue Thu) available. Classes are limited to 10 persons each. Tuition is 200,000 won a month. For more information, call ( 02- 762-7731).
Send Your Event Info – If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material to book@seoulselection.com by the preceding Friday in order to appear in the following Tuesday’s issue.
Freelance Contributors Wanted – SEOUL magazine needs writers who are fluent in both Korean and English. Writers should be able to interview Koreans and also have a strong interest in Korean culture. Send your resume and writing samples to writer@seoulselection.com.
We Buy & Sell Used Books – Seoul Selection buys and sells used books in English. Unlike our regular selection of publications that specialize in Korea-related topics, our Used Book Section carries books on all subjects. It’s all part of our effort to make life easier for the English-speaking community.
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Recommended
SEOUL
(June 2012)
And So Flows History
Perfect Game
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New Books
East and West 1 – Confucius and Jesus
East and West 2 – Adam Smith and Deng Xiaoping
Kyujanggak and the Culture History of Books
Ask a Korean Dude – An Authoritative and Irreverent Guide to the Korea Experience
Korean Genealogical Records
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New DVDs
Cafe Noir
Soldier Vol. 1 of 2
Dancing Queen
Tree With Deep Roots
15th Anniversary 2011 YG Family Concert Live DVD
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