June 20, Issue No. 533

June 20, 2012 / Issue No. 533 Seoul Selection at 2012 ALA Annual Exhibition! Seoul Selection is pleased to invite you to booth #358 at the international pavilion of the 2012 ALA (American Libraries Association) annual exhibition. We will be exhibiting from Friday, June 22 to Monday, June 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center, CA. Here is an Exhibits Only Invitation where you may register online to attend the Exhibits for free. Please stop by and meet us! SEOUL July Issue Seoul Marine, Mt. Woraksan and Boryeong and more The July issue of SEOUL, Seoul Selection’s monthly travel and culture magazine, is at the printers and will be out shortly. In this issue of our much more travel-oriented SEOUL, we go yachting at Seoul Marina, head to the wilds of Mt. Woraksan, give you the low-down on the Boryeong Mud Festival, talk with architect Yoo Kerl, and much, much more. And of course, there’s always our listing of the month’s events and our convenient Maps & Guides section. Around the Web A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler. Seoul has asked UNESCO to register Arirang. Can Korea ever accept homosexuals? The soju pack, a must-have Korean travel item? Korean Air learns a lesson in advertising. Chris Backe went to beautiful Bongamsa Temple. Finally, some beautiful weather in Seoul. QiRanger does Rolling X at Everland. Gregory Curley goes to Woraksan National Park. It’s not the Golden Gate, but a fog-covered Gwangan Bridge is still pretty spectacular. Speaking of fog, check out these photos of various (mostly) Korean destinations in the clouds and fog. Events Special Lecture on Korean Culture for Foreigners Hollym Corp., Publishers is hosting a series of special lectures on Korean culture for foreigners this Saturday. The frist lecture, by leading Korean arts expert Yi Song-mi, explores the major works of the master painters of the Joseon Dynasty. The second lecture, by master carpenter Jo Jeon-hwan, presents a comprehensive view of traditional Korean homes, dealing with topics ranging from the cultural and philosophical framework. DATE: June 23, 2:00 to 3:30 (Lecture 1); 3:40 to 5:10 (Lecture 2) VENUE: National Library of Korea MORE INFO: Sign up by sending your name and contact info to info@hollym.co.kr GETTING THERE: 10 min walk from Exit 5, Express Bus Terminal Station, Line 7 2012 DITTO Festival—Nuovo DITTO Directed by popular classical musician Richard Yongjae O’Neill, DITTO is one of Korea’s most exciting and innovative classical festivals, aiming to put its audiences first through programs of easily accessible music. This year’s festival sees six concerts take place, from late June to early July: “For Solo” 1 and 2, “Different DITTO,” “Tchaikovsky Revolution,” “Ditto Odyssey” and “White Night,” held at top venues including LG Art Center, Sejong Performing Arts Center and Seoul Arts Center. Look out for O’Neill’s debut as a conductor, too. VENUE: LG Arts Center, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul Arts Center PERIOD: Jun 20—Jul 8 ADMISSION: Depends on program MORE INFO: 1577-5266, www.dittofest.com Wouter Hamel—The Best of Concert Wouter Hamel, whose first two albums, ‘Hamel’ and ‘Nobody’s Tune’ captured hearts in his native Netherlands and spread like wildfire throughout Europe, Japan, and Korea, is back with his new record, ‘Lohengrin’, after a long and winding road full of surprises; not all of them pleasant. Being confronted with the painful breakup of a 9-year relationship is hard enough. However, when this happens in the same week as the sudden departure of one of your trusted band members, then it just might become too much. For Wouter, however, these challenges were faced head on, and he’s emerged stronger and more determined than ever. Hamel even embraced the opportunity of producing his own album for the very first time, so yet another break up, that with his longtime producer, Benny Sings, was also in the cards. ‘For me it was a huge period of starting over. I had lost my partner. I had lost my pianist. I had to be my own producer. I knew that I had to dig deep and start again, on lots of levels.’ VENUE: V-Hall DATE: Jun 20, 8pm ADMISSION: 66,000 won MORE INFO: (02) 563-7110 GETTING THERE: Hongik Univ. Station, Line 2 & A’REX Line, Exit 9. Go straight out of exit 5, and walk for a block. Take the first main street on your left that will lead you in the direction of the main entrance of Hongik Univ. V-Hall is on the right-hand side as you walk up toward the university. The Great Green Wall and the Fight against Desertification in China 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. RASKB Cultural Excursion: Inner Seorak and South Seorak Rhapsody Spend the Saturday in the countryside with the RAS, enjoying the fantastic, unspoiled natural scenery of Inner and South Seorak Mountain. Most tourists visiting Seoraksan National Park go only to the more frequently visited sights of Outer Sorak, and are unaware of the beautiful and remote Inner Seorak range. Inner Seorak is wilder, more natural, and little touched by man—truly an undiscovered natural paradise. DESTINATION: Mt. Seoraksan, Gangwon-do DATE: June 30 COST: 65,000 won for members, 78,000 won for non-members MORE INFO: See this link. GETTING THERE: See link above. Everyday Koreans Unhyeongung Palace A summer day at Unhyeongung Palace. 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. Notifications 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. Forward this email to a friend Unsubscribe / Change Profile Sponsors Recommended SEOUL (June 2012) Korean Genealogical Records Dancing Queen New Books Reserch on Gobong Gi Daeseung Koreana (Summer 2012) 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 New DVDs Unbowed Yeosu Bleak Night Bloodline Wild Romance Publisher: Hank Kim / Editor: Robert Koehler Seoul Selection reserves all intellectual property rights on information provided in this newsletter. Some event information has been provided by the Korea Foundation. The IPRs are protected by pertinent laws Seoul Selection Web Site: http://www.seoulselection.com e-mail: hankinseoul@gmail.com tel: 734-9567 fax: 734-9563