2018 서울매거진1월 전체(웹용 단면)

STARTING ANEW

Koreans are leaving the office in search of more

ISSUE NO. 174

ISSN: 1599-9963

W 5,000 / US$ 5.00

JANUARY 2018

ARTISTIC EXPLORATIONS

GIJANG

SEOUL visits four up-and-coming centers of the arts

Busan’s hinterland delights with seafood, scenery and sophistication

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Lonely Tree, Olympic Park 올림픽공원 I captured Olympic Park’s Lonely Tree, along with a cloud that looks as if a dollop of cream was added to the sky. When I’m having a tough time, I forget my difficulties when I look at the beautiful sky.

Photographer Bae Yong Han captures some beautifully moody landscapes.

You can find more of his work on Instagram at @_peppermint.b

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The Lens

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EDITOR’S NOTE Publisher Kim Hyunggeun (Hank Kim) Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Copy Editor Anna Bloom Art Director Jung Hyun-young Head Designer Cynthia Fernández Designer Jeong Hyo-ju Advertising & Sales/Producer & Coordinator Ha Gyungmin About the Cover Social Running Crew at Sewoon Electron Plaza roof.

Photographed by Kim Sang Eel

January is a time of new beginnings, for reflecting on the past and reconsidering the way forward. With every New Year, we vow to improve ourselves, to break bad habits and bring deeper meaning to our lives.

Sometimes the efforts stick. Often they do not.

In this issue of SEOUL, we celebrate the month of rebirth by examining the lives of those who have given up stable jobs so that they can begin their lives anew in pursuits more in tune with their talents and aspirations. We also explore some of Seoul’s up-and-coming arts districts, discover Busan’s relaxing Gijang district, talk with the head of a K-pop training academy, visit some local bottle shops, take a dip in the sauna and more.

Address 2nd fl., 43 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03061, Korea / Tel 82-2-734-9567 Fax 82-2-734-9562 / E-mail hankinseoul@gmail.com / Website magazine.seoulselection.com / Registration No. 서울 라 09431 / Copyright by Seoul Selection Printed by (주) 평화당 (Tel 82-2-735-4001) All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the written consent of the publishers.

Contents The Lens

Dining

Lonely Tree, Olympic Park

Hip Beer in an Unexpected Location 44 Neighborhood Bottle Shops

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

Quitting in Pursuit of Happiness 10

Nightlife

Digging for Treasure at Clique Records 48 Wash Away the Cold 50 Wine Endures 52

Exploring Seoul

정기구독 안내

Artistic Explorations

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

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

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Special Feature

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A Winter’s Day in Gijang

Shopping

Hot in K-Beauty this Winter

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Interview

Lee Sol-lim of SOL +plus project

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Arts & Entertainment

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Special Report

Previews

A City That Sparks the Imagination 42

Concerts, Festivals and More Expat Buzz

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Quitting in Pursuit of Happiness Koreans are leaving the office in search of more Written by Hahna Yoon

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A Korean proverb tells us, “At the end of hardship, comes happiness.” In a country that has long valued sacrifice and family over individual self-fulfillment, the pursuit of happiness has a relatively short history. In the past few years, however, there has been a small but significant movement pushing for the “YOLO life.” An acronym for “you only live once,” made popular by the 2011 Drake song “Motto,” YOLO is often understood as a repackaging of the Latin saying carpe diem – “seize the day.” Braving the social norm of following a single career path for life, many of those inspired by YOLO are quitting their jobs to search for a happier life. Some are taking classes on what it means to have a career that’s the right fit for you. Some are reading books on the topic. How has the “quitting time” craze, as it is called, manifested itself in society? What larger impact might the movement have on social happiness? Is living if every day is your last really the best way?

Quitting young Typically in their 20s and 30s, YOLO followers are part of a younger generation dissatisfied with typical working conditions in Korea. With youth unemployment at a staggering 10.6 percent according to

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2016 data from the OECD, some millennials have even nicknamed Korea “Hell Joseon” on a Facebook group that now has more than 20,000 members. Moreover, even those that manage to land a job are not necessarily satisfied with company life. OECD data from 2016 shows that Koreans work the third most overtime hours.

A joint survey by the Korea Employment Information Service and Youth Hope Foundation of those age 19 to 34 found that 85 percent of those in their first job are already thinking of quitting.

Stress and frustration Considering how difficult it can be for young people to find a job in the first place, it is surprising how many new hires actually quit. “When your stress is bigger than your job, it’s easy to understand why people quit,” says magazine editor Young as she discusses with former colleague Sarah – both of whom wish to remain anonymous – about the pressures of working in Korea.

“Crazy work hours, authoritarian bosses under a very strict hierarchy and low wages are just a few of the reasons,” adds Sarah.

A 2016 survey by the Korea Employers Federation revealed that 27.7 percent of new hires quit their jobs

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More and more people are quitting their jobs in order to travel.

within the first year in 2015. Their reasons for doing so echo those of Young and Sarah. Reasons cited in the survey included companies having an outdated view of office culture, work getting in the way of life and being given tasks that the employees felt weren’t right for them.

Lim Soo-jin, who left her job in brand management last summer, laughs when asked about the downside to quitting. “I saw no future in the company I was working for and I had no faith in the leadership there,” she says.

“When you work for a company, money can satisfy you only so much.”

She cites being able to wake up late, being able to

travel and simply having time to herself as the main perks of quitting her job. She knows, however, that she is fortunate enough to have freelancing gigs on the side to help pay the bills. She adds, “I am still ambitious about my career, but having this time off helped me realize that I don’t want to work in brand management any more.”

Big versus small

© Yonhap News

Currently seeking employment at a large corporation, Lim recognizes that when deciding to quit, size matters.

She says, “Sure, quitting your job has become a trend, but it’s also because there are so many small- to medium-sized companies that struggle with insufficient funds and weak leadership that employees simply don’t feel the long hours are worth the effort.”

Korea Employer’s Federation data from 2016 shows that though new hires are quitting their jobs in larger numbers, those at large, sought-out companies such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Lotte are much less keen to do so. At companies with more than 300 employees, the percentage of new hires leaving the company in the first two years ranges was 9.4 percent in 2015, while at companies with less than 300 employees, that number jumps to 32.5 percent.

As a 2017 article in U.S. broadcaster NPR puts it, “For many Korean youth, it’s the dream of a job-for-life with a big conglomerate – or nothing at all.”

The Youth Revolution network kicks off at COEX in January 2016.

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Learning to quit Quitting one’s job could be the first phase in pursuing a happier life. But what does it mean to have a fulfilling job? How can you tell what work you are “meant to do” in life? What if the corporate job you’ve always dreamed of is suffocating you and you have to leave?

To help the newly unemployed from spiraling into an existentialist crisis, there is now even a school called Twaesa Hakgyo, or T-School, offering classes on everything from preparing to quit your job and finding the career that suits you to starting a YouTube channel.

The founder of T-School, Jang Suhan, got the idea of starting the school when he quit Samsung Electronics.

There are 18 teachers at the school and you can sign up for something as intensive as a three-month course or as simple as a one-day class. Jang estimates that approximately 5,000 people have attended his school since its foundation in 2016. “Like everyone else in the country, I studied hard in school. During my twenties, I took the TOEIC and TOEFL and studied Chinese characters to build up my resume and finally

got into a big company,” said Jang in an interview with employment website Job & Joy. “After finally getting into the company, I started to wonder what would make me happy. I think everyone’s reasons for quitting vary a little, but everyone’s just trying to look for a way to be happy.”

Books and more Jang is not the only person profiting from the “quitting time” craze. There are now dozens of books on the topic, including a book by Jang himself entitled “Twaesa Hakgyo.” Similar titles include “Everyday I Decide to Quit My Job,” by Park Young-rok, “I Will Quit My Job and Travel,” by Kim Dae-gun and Kim Tae-hyun and “Dad, Quit Your Job and Study Abroad,” by No Seunghoo. “Gifts for those who quit” has become a popular search term on online shopping malls. Companies like Daehan Gold are advertising gold-plated key and plaque sets for those looking for a gift for long-time employees and more affordable hand cream and soap sets for newhires leaving the game early.

© Twaesa Hakgyo One-day quitting camps give pointers to those hoping to make a change.

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A 2016 survey by the Korea Employers Federation revealed that 27.7 percent of new hires quit their jobs within the first year.

Reasons cited in the survey included companies having an outdated view of office culture, work getting in the way of life and being given tasks that the employees felt weren’t right for them.

Alternative employment With traditional company culture increasingly unappealing to many young Koreans, people are looking outside the box – and sometimes outside the country – for work. According to the job portal Saramin last June, 78.5 percent of Koreans would like to find a job abroad. Some 48,121 Koreans got jobs in Japan alone in 2017, more than double the number who did so in 2008.

Those staying in the country are also coming up with innovative ways to become re-employed. Supported by the government, start-ups are a continuously growing presence. Though some aspects of launching a startup in Korea remain problematic, a handful of startups graduate into full-fledged members of their respective industries every year. More and more Koreans are joining the one-person media craze, too, by creating YouTube channels and podcasts in order to pay the rent.

YOLO in moderation Even those not necessarily quitting their jobs are looking for a way to YOLO. According to an article in the Korea Times last October, the pursuit of hobbies have been on the rise with more adults picking up childhood hobbies such as Taekwondo, arts and crafts and language courses. According to data from the Education Ministry, the number of adults attending arts-related private academies, such as fine arts, music and dance classes, has soared in the past few years. The number has grown fivefold from just 42,000 in 2013 to nearly 200,000 in 2016.

In the past two years, there has even been an emergence of so-called YOLO classes. Oftentimes, these are one-day classes where groups of people come together to go on nighttime walks, bake or arrange flowers. These types of one-day classes are especially appealing to younger people who don’t want their lives to revolve around the workplace but can’t afford to quit their jobs. Travel, another reprieve from the workplace, is also on the rise as more and more Koreans leave the country on holidays. Traveling solo is at an all-time high with 206,000 people buying plane tickets for one in 2015, up fivefold from 2011, indicating that more people are taking time for themselves.

YOLO not for everyone

Books on quitting are best-sellers.

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YOLO and quitting your job reflect the state of the economy, too. Lim Woon-taek, a professor at Kiemyung University, tells Yonhap News, “When the economic condition is unclear, people tend to make radical decisions.”

Professor Kim Nan-do, a consumer studies expert at Seoul National University, predicted YOLO as a

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consumer keyword at the beginning of 2017. He said YOLO and “no one backs you up” would be two complementary trends. “These two are like the two sides of the coin showing how people perceive the current era,” he says. “People have no one to count on except themselves. Such desperateness presents as YOLO Life, a consumption pattern that highly values the present.”

Those opposed to the YOLO lifestyle and in favor

© Yonhap News

Comedian Kim Saeng-min is a critic of the YOLO lifestyle.

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of thriftiness have found themselves a champion in comedian Kim Saeng-min, who has started a popular podcast critical of excessive spending. According to research company Embrain, a growing number of Koreans are opposed to the term YOLO. In a survey reported by Yonhap, 70.6 percent of respondents said the phrase has been too commercialized and 55.9 percent said the concept fosters excessive consumption.

Work-life balance?

Time will tell what to make of the quitting time craze and how much of a dent classes and books will have made on those who chose to be unemployed. The radical decision-making encouraged in a slow economy aside, many quitting new-hires and YOLO-followers are signaling a thirst for change in conventional workplace practices. Will companies be forced to reexamine their policies and make changes to working culture? Will rejuvenated workers come back to the work force with a greater sense of purpose?

Perhaps somewhere between waiting for hardship to end as per the Korean proverb and YOLO is a harmonious balance between work, free time and the pursuit of happiness.

Special Feature

SMALL SCREEN QUITTERS TV celebrities, too, are seeking new life paths Although the word “quitting” often has a bad rep, these famous celebrities took the first step in changing their lives by quitting their television gigs. They are pursuing everything from travel writing to freelance work. Who are they and what do their departures say about the media industry in Korea?

Written by Hahna Yoon

© Yonhap News

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© SBS

© Lifetime

© Yonhap News

Kim So-young Formerly a broadcast journalist at MBC, Kim So-young has received much attention over the past few months. In addition to being an avid fan of the K-pop group BTS and making appearances on shows such as Newlywed Diary 2, Kim has decided to quit to begin anew. She announced that she was leaving MBC by posting a photo on her Instagram account last July. The photo featured the book “Tokyo for Those Ready to Quit Their Jobs: The Business Insight You Develop on Vacation” by Lee Dong-jin. She and her husband, Oh Sang-jin, have recently opened a book café in the Mapo area called Danginri Book Plant.

Sohn Mina Look up Sohn Mina and you’ll find a record of her accomplishments, from being the founder and chairman for Alain de Botton’s School of Life in Seoul to authoring several travel books. One could even credit her with starting the “quitting time” and YOLO trends in Korea. Last summer, on the MBC program “Radio Star,” she said, “Although I acquired a lot of popularity at the company, I got tired of it after working seven days a week for five years.” She first became famous as a broadcast announcer at KBS, a much sought-after position here in Korea. Her career really took off, however, when she followed her heart and quit to pursue her dream job – travel writing.

Park Shin-woo Although it may not be immediately apparently when someone behind the scenes leaves the company, the departure of such people may have a dramatic impact on popular shows.

While you may not recognize the name Park Shin-woo, the producer was responsible for dramas such as “Jealousy Incarnate,”“Angel Eyes” and “King of Ambition.” The news of Park’s departure comes shortly after fellow producer Jin Hyeok also decided to leave SBS. Local news reports that Park is preparing to join hands with another company where he will continue to create material. Television critics worry what could happen to the big-name shows he produced without his talent.

Oh Sang-jin Birds of a feather flock together. Or, perhaps, life is better when you quit together. The public learned a lot about the relationship between Kim So-young and Oh Sang-jin through the TV program “Newlywed Diary 2.” Before that, however, Oh was well known for his criticism of MBC. Oh participated in several strikes, leading to a feud with the company and prompting his resignation in 2013. Since then, Oh has been working freelance, joining YG Entertainment last February and appearing in other TV shows. It was recently revealed that Oh would host the MBC Drama Awards.

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서울의 예술거리

Artistic Explorations SEOUL visits four up-and-coming centers of the arts Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Seoul is a city of the arts and culture.

Almost everywhere you go, you can find spaces dedicated to the arts, from local community centers to sprawling complexes such as Seoul Art Center.

Some areas, however, are more artistically inclined than others. In this issue, we’ll explore four relatively under-appreciated art districts: Dapsimni, Makerscity Sewoon, Changsin-dong and Seongbuk-dong.

The old Sewoon Arcade now promotes the “maker spirit” with workshops, labs and educational programs.

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Kim Sang-seop of Wangnisa works on a block of wood.

Dapsimni Antique Art Street

You never know what you'll find at Dapsimni Antique Art Street.

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Also known as Janganpyeong Antique Market, Dapsimni Antique Art Street is an arcade – six arcades, actually – filled with shops selling antiques. A gritty place in an equally gritty part of Dongdaemun-gu, the market has admittedly seen better days, the lack of customers casting a bit of a pall over the place.

Nevertheless, Korea’s largest antiques market is a fascinating place in which to get lost, an unofficial museum where you can find everything from ceramics from the Joseon era (1392–1910) and stone pagodas to an artisan who carves wooden penis totems.

About 140 shops housed in several large concrete structures comprise the arcade, which developed in the 1980s when antique shops from other parts of the city

Exploring Seoul

such as Itaewon and Ahyeon-dong congregated in the area. Early on, it was a popular with foreign residents and visitors, especially Japanese, who are well-known for their love of East Asia antiquities. Stricter laws on the export of items and a protracted slump in the antiques market have hit the arcade hard, however.

Depending on when you go, you may feel you’re the only one in the place.

Many if not most of the antiques you’ll find are from other Asian countries, especially China. Several shops, however, specialize in Korean items. Yemyeongdang (T. 02-2215-5147) sells wooden items such as furniture and chests, many of its wares dating from the Joseon era.

Sambodang (T. 02-2245-3851) is another place that’s been collecting Korean antiquities for decades, including some beautiful ceramic pieces from the Joseon era. And

if you need a penis totem carved from a block of wood, Wangnisa in Arcade No. 5 is your place.

Compared to Insa-dong, where the antiques shops deal primarily in high-end items and modern crafts made using traditional techniques, Dapsimni’s merchants trade in more reasonably priced items.

Antiquities such as Joseon ceramics may still cost several million won, of course. Most shoppers, however, find you can still find something you like without breaking the bank.

Dapsimni Station (Line 5), Exit 1

Seongsinsa is a good place to find Korean antiques.

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The views from the Roof of Seoul are some of the best in the city.

24 The old boiler room, Sewoon Basement is now a robotics craft lab.

Exploring Seoul

Horangii Coffee serves coffee and Vietnamese sandwiches.

The maker spirit and urban grit meet at Sewoon Electron Plaza.

Sewoon Electron Plaza Not so long ago, many Seoulites considered the Sewoon Arcade as an eyesore, a massive concrete relic from a time that had long since passed. Constructed between 1967 and 1972, the mixed-use megastructure in the middle of Jongno was the center of Korea’s consumer electronics trade in the 1980s. Its merchants and craftsmen were so good, it was said, they could build even submarines or missiles when they got together. By the 2000s, however, many of the electronics merchants had moved out and the arcade was in ill repair. The city even decided to raze the site.

In 2014, however, the city rescinded the demolition order, deciding instead to preserve and rejuvenate the historical building and its surroundings. The Dasi (Again) Sewoon Project aimed to turn the old arcade into a bastion of “maker culture,” a movement fusing technology such as digital fabrication with the DIY spirit – a “convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans,” in the words of U.S. magazine Adweek. The project seems to be succeeding, too, as the old eyesore becomes a hot spot where the industrial and digital become one.

Embodying this spirit, Fab Lab Seoul is a digital fabrication laboratory where you can use 3-D printers

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and other devices to build robots, drones, figurines or whatever else you’d like to make. In the old boiler room is Sewoon Basement, a workshop and classroom run by the University of Seoul where students use robots to make ceramics and other crafts. The old boilers have been preserved, too, creating a space blending the industrial and digital ages.

The rejuvenation of the Sewoon Arcade is attracting a great many artists and artisan, young and old. The Sewoon Makers’ Cube is a space for startups. A couple of trendy new bakeries and cafés have opened up, too.

Horangii Coffee offers not only coffee, but Vietnamese sandwiches, too. Green Dabang is a coffee shop during the day and a wine bar at night.

Not to be missed is the rooftop space. The “Roof of Seoul,” as it is called, is an observatory/cultural space/ urban garden that is open to the public. With views of Jongmyo Shrine, Mt. Bugaksan and the surroundings Euljiro district, it may offer the most inspiring vistas in the city.

Jogno 3-ga Station (Line 1), Exit 12

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Danjiya Noolja's dolls are based on characters in a Park Soo Keun painting.

Changsin Alley Market is famous for its spicy pigs’ feet.

Changsin-dong Changsin-dong is one of Seoul’s most underrated neighborhoods. The gritty hillside community overlooking Dongdaemun is Seoul’s “garment district,” its army of small-scale needlepoint artisans producing much of what is sold at nearby Dongdaemun Market.

Climbing through the tangle of alleyways, you are accompanied at all times by the sound of sewing machines, the sight of steam rising from workshop vents and the woosh of passing motorcycles carrying goods and materials to and from Dongdaemun. Many of the workrooms boast chic signs by Gong Gong Gong Gan (T. 070-7626-5782), a social enterprise with a workshop near the top of the hill where it engages in a variety of social and artistic pursuits, including designing upcycled fashion.

Changsin-dong has an artistic side, too. Nam June Paik, the father of video art, lived in the district for 13 years, from 1937 to 1950. His old home has been converted into a museum, the Nam June Paik Memorial House, which opened in March of 2017. Operated by the Seoul Museum of Art, the restored Hanok hosts exhibits of work by and about the artist and hosts lectures and other educational programs.

Park Soo Keun, one of Korea’s most beloved modern painters, lived and worked in the area for 11 years,

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from 1952 to 1963. Street art pays tribute to the painter, whose work depicted simple scenes of pastoral life. Well-intentioned the installations may be, but a more interesting tribute are the handmade dolls, bags and other handicrafts at Danjiya Noolja, a shop-cumshowroom at the top of the hill. The items are based on “A Girl Tending to an Infant,” one of Park’s best known works. Get a coffee at Dal Café next door, too.

Also at the top of the hill is Changsin Communication Art Workshop Center, a workshop where the Jongno Foundation for Arts and Culture conducts community art programs, including classes on needlepoint, candle-making and other crafts.

The center also has a rooftop observatory offering panoramic views of Mt. Namsan, Dongdaemun Market and Seoul Fortress Wall.

A short walk from Dongdaemun Market, Changsin Alley Market is a vibrant traditional market best known for its s spicy pigs’ feet, or maeun jjokbal. The area is also home to “Little Nepal,” a collection of restaurants and shops catering to the city’s Nepali community.

Dongdaemun Station (Line 1), Exit 3

Exploring Seoul

Media artist Paik Nam June’s old home is now a museum.

Social enterprise Gong Gong Gong Gan engages in a variety of social and artistic pursuits.

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Changsin Communication Art Workshop Center hosts community art and craft classes.

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Seongbuk Young Art Space hosts exhibits by experimental artists.

Seongbuk-dong Seongbuk-dong is a quiet district nestled in the lower slopes of Mt. Bugaksan, the old guardian peak that protected Seoul from the north. Seoul’s well-heeled and foreign diplomats favor the neighborhood for its relaxed vibe, leafy surroundings and inspiring views over the city. As the tranquility also lends itself to artistic pursuits, the area is also home to a couple of museums and other places of cultural interest.

In 2013, the old district health center was remodeled into an arts space named Seongbuk Young Art Space. Focusing on the visual arts, the museum hosts special exhibits by experimental new artists and promotes the local arts scene through participatory programs such as workshops, tours, art and music therapy sessions and community arts programs to help disadvantaged segments of society. In spring, it organizes the Seongbuk Arts Commons, a tour of workshops of young artisans in the area accompanied by performances. The Seongbuk Museum of Art, located further up the road, hosts exhibits of work by Bukjeong Village is one of Seoul’s last remaining “moon villages.”

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Exploring Seoul

more established artists.

Though Seongbuk-dong’s residents are mostly wellto-do, the district is also home to one of the city’s few remaining “moon villages,” or daldongne, workingclass communities formed on hilltops after the Korean War. Bukjeong Village is a picturesque collection of old homes perched on a hill just beneath Seoul’s old city wall. While many of the residents are elderly, young artisans, actors and designers are moving in, too, attracted by the quiet and the cheap rents. They’ve converted some of the old homes into galleries and workshops, adding a dash of youthful creativity to the community.

Hansung University Station (Line 4), Exit 6

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1. Dapsimni Antique Art Street 2. Sewoon Electron Plaza 3. Changsin-dong 4. Seongbuk-dong

Seoul Fortress Wall overlooks Bukjeong Village.

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기장

A Winter’s Day in Gijang Busan’s coastal hinterland delights with seafood, scenery and sophistication Written and photographed by Jason Teale

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Formerly a TV set, Jukseong Dream Church has become a popular attraction for tourists and photographers alike.

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Yeonhwa-ri Port is a popular spot for sightseeing and seafood.

While the idea of spending a cold winter’s day on the coast may not sound like a good time, Gijang has a lot to offer, from hearty seafood dishes to keep you full and trendy cafés to relax in to the tons of warm smiles from the local people. Gijang is an area that is slowly becoming one of the region’s fastest growing spots thanks to its spectacular views and great food.

Catches of the day If you are arriving by train, then you are in a prime location to check out the Gijang Market. Once leaving

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the station, it is a short walk up to the market. This large and mostly outdoor market is widely known for its snow crab and fresh seafood. In years gone by the market had a large variety of delectables, but the popularity of the crab has brought in many tourists.

During the weekend, the market gets really busy with people from all over coming to check out the catch of the day.

However, if you want to find the freshest of the fresh you have to head down to the seaside village of Daebyeon. This quaint village is famous for anchovies,

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Vendors sell a variety of delicious foods at Gijang Market.

but you can find just about anything from the sea there.

What makes Daebyeon great is that you can eat right on the coast in one of the many tents that line the street through the village. Just a few meters away from your table, the ships come and unload their catches. It does not get any fresher than that.

The local favourite is located just on the other side of the post, in Yeonhwa-ri. They have dedicated a whole area to the pojang macha tents, and the seafood is on another level. This is a great spot to try the abalone rice porridge and fresh raw octopus. These tents serve

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Gijang is an area that is slowly becoming one of the region’s fastest growing spots thanks to its spectacular views and great food. up some great food that will keep you warm as you explore the seaside village and feed the seagulls at Juk-do island.

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Glamping has becoming increasingly popular along the coast.

34 CafĂŠ Greetvi has some of the best views in the area.

Popular cafĂŠs like Fred attract patrons from around the area thanks to their great views and trendy interiors.

Exploring Seoul

Trendy young people enjoy the great seaside views along with their coffee.

Caffeinating in style What has really put the seaside villages on the map have been the numerous cafés that have popped up along the coast. These cafés offer unobstructed views of the sea, great design and amazing pastries.

One of the most popular cafés has to be Wave On Café. Located just up from Daebyeon, this café has one of the most unique designs in the area. While the outdoor seating and rooftop may not be the best choice for a winter excursion, the open-concept interior will offer shelter from the chill. This is a very popular spot, especially on the weekends boasting live music lineups that rival some of the hotspots in Seoul.

Not too far from Wave On is another amazing café more suited for staying warm in the winter. Café Greetvi is massive café with some amazing pastries baked on the premises. Much like the other cafés, Greetvi offers a great view of the sea, an open rooftop and an outdoor patio. However, the interior design really sets this café apart. With style and taste, Greetvi offers a very comfortable atmosphere, but like the other seaside cafés, it suffers from their popularity.

If the crowds scare you off, Fred will surely keep you safe. This pet-friendly café is as charming as it is comfortable. It is a “no-kid zone,” so please be aware of that if you are traveling with the family. The reason

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for this probably has something to do with Becky and Seol, the cafés resident canines.

The dogs are amazingly calm as they rarely bark and wander around to greet the customers. This café has almost a Santorini feel to it and is exceptionally comfortable. The lack of children may throw some visitors off, but it also does add a bit of peace and quiet for others. The top floor opens onto a rooftop terrace that seems more fit for a hillside in a warmer climate than a cold afternoon in Korea, but the interior is quite warm and inviting. It is also just a stone’s throw away from the new Hilton Hotel and Yonggungsa Temple.

Seeing the sites The Gijang area is best toured by car, but buses and trains stop regularly at various points along the way.

Having a car out here just makes travel a lot easier and warmer. By far, the coastal road is one not to miss as there are a lot of great sites to see.

Jukseong Dream Church One of the more unusual spots in the area is the Jukseong Dream Church. The church is not a functioning church but a drama set. It was built in the early 2000s for the SBS drama “Dream” and has now become a tourist destination. The sunrise is arguably

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The lighthouses around Daebyeon boast unique themes.

the best time to get a good picture of the church. This is when you will see a lot of photographers lined up along the narrow country road trying to recreate the photos that put this spot on the map.

Orangdae Down the road past Daebyeon Port is another interesting structure. Located on a rocky outcropping, this temple of sorts is a one of the smallest you’ll see but is host to many rituals in the mornings. It is another great spot to catch the sunrise.

Lighthouses One of the more interesting things to see along the coast are the themed lighthouses. If you have a sharp eye, in Daebyeon you will see one of the lighthouses commemorating the 2002 World Cup. Further down the road in Yeongsang-ri, you can find another shaped like a baby bottle. These lighthouses have become tourist spots especially for those wanting to have a baby. Many are easily accessible and your can walk right up and just take in the breathtaking sea views.

Visitors to Jukdo feed seagulls along the bridge to the tiny island.

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Travel

Outlet shopping If you were not impressed with the Gijang market, then surely the ever-growing Busan Premium Outlet Mall might be more to your taste. Boasting major brands, this is one of the go-to spots for many in Busan and Ulsan.

The popularity of this mall can be quite staggering at times. Often traffic is quite bad just getting into the mall.

Fortunately, Lotte has stepped up and built their own outlet mall on the other side of Gijang, just behind Yonggungsa.

Both of these malls offer great deals on popular brands in a more Western-style shopping mall environment. Buses and shuttles leave there regularly so you can get your shopping fix easily.

Gijang has a number of affordable places or motels that a budget-minded traveler can choose from. Also there are a number of hotels located around Yeonhwa-ri. The IW Hotel offers a spectacular view of the beach and is close the Jukdo and the seafood stalls.

If you are looking for something a little more luxurious, the new Hilton Hotel is the area’s premier hotel. Just recently completed, it offers unparalleled service an spectacular views.

Gijang is famous for fresh seafood. Head to Gijang Market and try some fresh snow crab at prices a little better than at Jagalchi. If you are looking for fresh-from-the-ocean delights, try Songjeong Halmae (010-3886-6168, tent #16, on the end).

Located at the end of the Yeonhwa-ri pojang macha zone, it is a local favorite for abalone rice porridge and fresh octopus.

Seoul

The seafood from the Yeonhwa-ri pojang macha zone is some of best and freshest in Gijang.

Gijang It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get from Seoul Station to the Busan KTX station. From there you can jump on the train to Gijang.

Buses leave regularly from Seoul to the Busan. It takes about four hours to get to Busan, depending on road and traffic conditions. Again, taxis and local buses are readily available.

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K-pop With a Social Conscience Lee Sol-lim of studio SOL +plus project is not just an idol scout. She’s an educator Written by Ali Safavi Photographed by Robert Koehler

Despite its location in the Apgujeong, an upmarket ward in the north of Gangnam District, the offices of SOL +plus project are rather unassuming. Hidden behind a generic, cutesy patbingsu café on the third floor of an elevator-less building, this small space houses miniature rooms designed for dance practice, piano playing, vocal training, and singleperson karaoke rooms. In each room and corridor one can see young Koreans going through dance routines, warming up, playing old crooner-pop songs again and again, with dedication and focus.

The unprecedented postponement of the university entrance exam has given some a free day to practice and perfect their chosen craft.

There is very little flash here. Not only at odds with the neighborhood around it, the SOL +plus project studio is also a far jump from the shiny, spot-perfect version presented at the end of the K-pop factory line on weekly local TV shows such as “Inkigayo” and “Music Bank,” and now also around the world.

Lee Sol-lim is equally unassuming.

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For over 12 years she worked at S.M. Entertainment’s academy division, discovering and guiding some of the most well-known performers in K-pop such as Kim Tae-yeon of Girls’ Generation, Lee Jin-ki (Onew) of Shinee, and Lee Sung-yeol of Infinite – names and groups that are second nature to Hallyu fans around the world. After majoring in media communication from Sookmyung Women’s University Lee’s love of J-pop idols took her to Japan. There she learned how to organize and run music events before crossing back over to Korea, where she did the same at Seoulland.

Lee formed ties with people from diverse companies in the country. Her skills as a planner and events organizer eventually brought her to S.M. Entertainment as a talent scout, working with young hopefuls. “I never wanted to be an idol myself, but I did love the music of SoBangCha, H.O.T, and J-pop idols.

Now I am more of a teacher.”

K-pop with a social conscience Her passion shows when she talks about

finding and encouraging young, talented children. In her heart she is not simply an idol scout but instead an educator and a guide, helping her students to be good and socially conscious members of a wider world. “K-pop life is not easy.

A lot of effort goes into this industry.

Many people have asked me to focus on making money, but I want to contribute to society and help young children.”

SOL +plus project regularly sends young groups to play and volunteer at community events in lower income neighborhoods, retirement homes and orphanages. Lee asks the parents of her students to bring food, especially rice, that can be donated in place of the bouquet of flowers they might normally bring to a concert for their children. This is one of the main goals at SOL +plus project, teaching her students to be good, socially conscious people who actively engage with the world around them. This is clearly as vital to Lee as finding the next K-pop idol.

Whereas S.M., a massive conglomerate, is focused on finding the

Interview

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plays a sizable role too.

A large industry Unlike pop industries in the U.S. or the U.K. where the manufactured nature of pop music has traditionally been hidden from those consuming it, young K-pop fans are much more knowledgeable about what goes on behind the scenes, what jobs there are to aspire to and even the different styles attached to the various entertainment companies.

“Nowadays, K-pop isn’t just the idols, and children don’t just dream of becoming singers and dancers,” she says.

“There are diverse roles to be filled in the industry, and finding the next generation of songwriters, organizers and managers is one of the main aims of Sol +plus project.”

© SOL +plus project

© SOL +plus project

next big idol, SOL+plus project affords Lee the chance to take on smaller groups of youngsters, for four months at a time. She interviews each applicant to gauge what ambition they have. Are they simply interested in K-pop for easy fame and fortune or do they have real enthusiasm for the talents they believe they have? If so, Lee wants to give them a chance. Whereas a parent might actively discourage their child from pursuing a pop career, Lee looks for those with the passion for music. This was the situation when she first met Kim Tae-yeon, “Her father asked us to dissuade her, but after talking to Tae-yeon separately I could see she loved the music. I asked her father to let us give her a chance.” Of course, Lee acknowledges that “making it” is not just down to ambition and talent. Luck

Lee sees her company as a K-pop industry academy rather than a K-pop star academy, and with her long list of contacts she can connect her students to the larger entertainment companies in a very practical way.

Lee tells us she and her trainers go through all aspects of a performance with their students. What does the light director do, who is the sound engineer, how does the schedule get made and so on. This, she points out, is very unlike S.M. Entertainment, who would see those questions as superfluous. But in an expanding and increasingly global industry like K-pop, there are many diverse roles to be filled, and this practical knowledge will help those children potentially gain employment in the future.

Interview

“Nowadays, K-pop isn’t just the idols, and children don’t just dream of becoming singers and dancers.

There are diverse roles to be filled in the industry and finding the next generation of songwriters, organisers, and managers is one of the main aims of SOL +plus project.”

K-pop and the world Lee’s time spent in one of the largest entertainment companies in Korea shows when she talks about K-pop and the Hallyu wave of Korean culture that has spread out to many Southeast Asian countries. “K-pop contributes to the power of Korea as a brand internationally. It is the most important part of a larger representation of Korea on the world stage.” For Lee, K-pop is not a true representation of Korea, but she is excited to see that through it people around the world are learning Korean, becoming interested in Korean culture and history and trying Korean dishes. Through the window of K-pop, fans are motivated to come to Korea and to spend time and money here.

For a small nation, the positive impact

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on the economy has been tremendous, bolstering Korea’s GDP year on year.

Lee’s SOL +plus project also takes advantage of this by offering K-pop camps to groups of fans and hopefuls from other nations including China, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. SOL +plus global brings these international fans together with well-regarded idol trainers, and they come and learn in the same manner that Korean youngsters do. At the same time, Lee is keeping an eye out for new talents from other countries. Perhaps this could be seen as opportunistic, but for the earnest fans of K-pop, the chance to come to Korea, to work with people such as Lee and to explore the streets of Seoul must be an unrivaled joy. “No matter the background I want to give a chance to

SOL +plus project: www.solplusproject.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/solplusproject

everybody. The children coming here are ambitious, so SOL +plus project gives them a chance.” This is something that S.M. Entertainment could not, or perhaps would not, offer.

As we go to leave SOL +plus project’s studio, we see a high school student practicing piano on his own, slowly transcribing an old folk hit onto the instrument. He stops and politely introduces himself and tells us he wants to be a songwriter. As soon as we say goodbye he gets straight back to the piano again. “I like being around young people. They have a lot of ambition and that gives me energy to help them. Not just to be idols but to be good people and to contribute to society.”

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A City That Sparks the Imagination Nobel laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio’s ‘Bitna: Under the Sky of Seoul’ is an intimate exploration of a city in perpetual change Written and photographed by SEOUL staff

“The most impressive thing about Seoul is that because it has so many people and a variety of elements, it’s always transforming. When you come back to a certain place six months later, some things have disappeared and new things have constantly been created.

Compared with this, Paris is static and unchanging.

I was talking with director Park Chan-wook, and he, too, said because Seoul transforms so quickly, he doesn’t want to leave, even for a minute.”

At a press conference at the Korean Publishers Association Building in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun district on Dec. 14, J. M. G. Le Clézio expressed his affection

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for the city of Seoul, a city with which the renowned French writer has grown intimately familiar since he first visited it over a decade ago. The winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature’s recently released novel, “Bitna: Under the Sky of Seoul,” is a portrait of the city, its people and places, its beauty and its ugliness.

For him, the Korean capital is a place full of tales.

“Seoul is a place that fully stimulates the imagination.

Seoul let me create stories.”

Seoul through its stories Published in Korean and English editions, with a French

Special Report

edition scheduled for March, “Bitna” is a picture of life in Seoul as experienced by its denizens. Its characters come from a variety of backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the city. Le Clézio unwinds their tales against the city’s rich tapestry of backgrounds, from the glitz of Gangnam to the grit of Yeongdeungpo’s working class neighborhoods. He weaves in many of the city’s landmarks as well, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Bukhansan Mountain, Namsan Mountain and the Hangang River. The result is an exploration of one of the world’s greatest cities, largely as experienced by the writer himself. “All the places that appear in the novel, I visited myself,” he said in the press conference.

“I don’t take taxis. I observed people while taking the subway or buses.”

The eponymous main character, Bitna, is a nineteenyear-old in her first year at university and a recent transplant to Seoul from Jeolla-do, where her parents work in the fish market. As it was for Le Clézio, the city is for Bitna an unfamiliar, crowded and lonely place. By chance, Bitna gets a part-time job telling stories to Salome, a woman with an incurable illness who now spends her days at home, waiting to die.

Bitna’s stories open up a world of adventure for both Bitna and Salome.

Bitna tells Salome five stories in all: the story of Mr. Cho, a retiree who raises pigeons and imagines the home he left behind in North Korea during the war as a baby on his mother’s back; the story of the mysterious traveler Kitty and the messages she delivers to bring once-distant neighbors together in community and friendship; the story of Naomi, abandoned as a baby, and Hana, the woman who raises her, and their encounter with life and death; the story of the singer Nabi, who rises to stardom but falls victim to the greed and lies of the people around her; and Bitna’s own story, about her life in the city and the fear she comes to experience as a result of a faceless stalker.

Each story is layered with diverse themes that have attracted the author’s interest over the years, including Korea’s traditions, religions, history and cuisine, as well as intergenerational conflict, inter-Korean issues and sociopolitical issues.

Le Clézio may not be finished in Seoul, either. He sees many stories to tell in the people he meets on the street. “One morning at 6 a.m. I saw an elderly people picking up waste paper in Sinchon,” he says. “Curious as to where they came from and where they were going, I wanted to follow them. I also want to write novels about a fortune teller I met near Ewha Womans University and about a Seoul taxi driver.”

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Bitna: Under the Sky of Seoul | 빛나–서울 하늘 아래 Author: J. M. G. Le Clézio English edition translated by Brother Anthony of Taizé Korean edition translated by Song Ki Jeong Seoul Selection (December, 2017) 216 pages (English) | 254 pages (Korean) Hard cover, 128 x 188 mm Price: KRW 14,000 Available at Kyobo Book Centre and elsewhere

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Hip Beer in an Unexpected Location Geumho-dong’s Setakso Yeopjip isn’t your average neighborhood bottle shop Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by Romain John

Beer, beer and more beer bottles line the walls of Setakso Yeopjip (“Next to the Laundry Shop”), along with colorful handmade signs, a chalkboard with the names of local DJs, a disco ball and a projector screen. Industrial and filled with the handmade art of its owners, the tiny store is an unexpectedly hip neighbor in an area still filled with old neighborhood businesses and towering apartment complexes, not to mention the dry cleaner next door that helped give the store its name. Even the sign above the bottle shop is a gentle, loving parody, featuring a smiling cartoon woman that visually nods to the signboard of the chain laundry beside it.

The owners, Kyung Min Kim and Yoonmin Cho, smile

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almost as much as their winsome logo, both filled with an infectious enthusiasm for their new venture. While both have day jobs working in the tech and venture capital industry, a love of beer and a superior sense of fun brought them together to create their own side jobs operating a bottle shop in the evenings.

These “beer supermarkets” have been popping up all over Seoul, turning small spaces into miniature specialty beer vendors selling collections of bottled beers from both domestic craft breweries and interesting imports.

Minimalist and sometimes quirky, they’ve spread all over Seoul, but few of them display the kind of verve that Setakso Yeopjip does.

Dining

A serious obsession for a side job According to Kim, “At the beginning, we thought we’d do it just at night as a side job. I like working creatively and using that energy to do things. My day job is helping start ups, so I wanted to do something simple and build a community.”

The two have long been aficionados of beer, but Korea’s beer scene has only recently taken off, and for years the women struggled to get the beers they wanted: “We both like sour beer a lot, but we couldn’t find any here. I found a website that had a kind I liked, but it was in Denmark. I had it shipped over here,” says Cho. Although Setakso Yeopjip has only been open a few months, it’s already turning into a wildly charming neighborhood landmark. Work colleagues, curious locals and residents from the forest of apartments across the street are constantly popping inside to take a look and have a chat.

“Lots of our partners in our other work live around here, but they’re married and maybe have kids and families and babies,”explains Cho. “There’s nowhere to drink or hang out. This way, all the folks around here can swing by our little beer supermarket and get something to take home. It’s a great way for people around here to have some fun. It’s mostly just these big apartments, so there’s not much nightlife otherwise. We like to think of ourselves as the pioneers of ‘Geumlidan Road,’” riffing on the name of Gyeonglidan, a nearby hotspot.

More than just a bottle shop To make the shop more interesting, Kim and Cho have turned the bottle shop into a mini event space, with tastings, dancing, classes and parties. A chalkboard bears the names of amature DJs who played at a recent party, while another one by the register lets patrons request new beers.

“We select our beers based on what we like. We really

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like good design, so if it has a cool label we love to check it out, but of course its taste also has to be good. Because of our small size, we can’t compete with department stores or other major importers on price, but instead we concentrate on getting unique beers that you won’t find other places. When we’re confident in what we drink, we sell it,” says Kim. “If you come into our store, we won’t start off by asking you about styles of beer but with what kind of flavors you like,” Cho says, elaborating on their process of helping people find beer. “Maybe you want to start off with something sweet, or you need a good story. If you like Hoegarden but want to expand into something new, we’ll find you a wheat beer you’ve never tried before or a Belgian ale. If you’re matching it with food, we might steer you towards a Spanish beer. It’s very personal service. We’ve tried every beer here, from the barrel aged beers to artisan ales from small breweries to limited editions.”

The true meaning of beer Kim expanded, “For us, the best thing is that everyone can try the beers and express themselves. It’s so interesting to see how different people drink and think, so we love to hear the opinions of our customers. It creates a community, a relationship.”

They laugh some more, and add, “For us, this is ‘maekmong’ – beer (maek) meditation (mong). We should meditate a lot!”

Setakso Yeopjip 세탁소 옆집 80-1 Geumho-ro, Seongdong-gu 070-4115-1050 | Instagram: @next_to_laundryshop Facebook: www.facebook.com/pg/nexttolaundryshop

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Neighborhood Bottle Shops

If your New Year’s resolution is to eat and drink less, then avoid these neighborhood bottle shops. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Written by Cynthia Yoo

Bottle Sauna 바틀사우나 Geumho-dong 금호동

28 Geumhosan-gil, Seongdong-gu 02-2232-8689 www.bottlesauna.com www.facebook.com/bottlesauna/ www.instagram.com/bottlesauna/

Seoul Gypsy is a newly minted microbrewery, bottle shop and pub in a quiet neighborhood near Jongmyo Shrine. It’s a labor of love from two brewmasters who worked in local breweries, the Hand and Malt and the Amazing Brewing Co. The name Seoul Gypsy comes from their collaborations with various breweries around the country. Like Mikkeller,

Gwonnong-dong 권농동

107 Seosunla-gil, Jongno-gu 02-743-1212 www.instagram.com/seoulgypsy/

© Noe Alonzo

© Noe Alonzo

© Noe Alonzo

Seoul Gypsy 서울 집시

© Romain John

© Romain John

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Curious about craft beer but can’t tell the difference between a lager or ale? Never fear! The folks at Bottle Sauna are only too happy to help. Just like wine sommeliers, beer sommeliers too can suggest food and beer pairings, provide information about the ingredients and flavors of beers, and point both newbies and experienced beer fans to new and exciting brews. There are weekly tastings and events at the shop, so make sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.

Bottle Sauna is quickly becoming an institution among beer fans across the city. The moniker comes from the sauna or mokyotang that it replaced in its original location in Geumho-dong. On its business card, Bottle Sauna describes itself as a beer supermarket, and the wall-to-wall line up of beers from all corners of the globe is solid proof. What sets Bottle Sauna apart from the actual big box supermarkets, however, is that its owner and staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their beers.

Omnipollo and Stillwater Artisanal, the Seoul Gypsy folks want to create innovative and experimental brews with brewmasters across the country. They love to travel and try new ideas, and they hope that their brews will inspire their customers to do the same.

The owners renovated a Hanok themselves, and the cozy little shop has been getting notice by beer aficionados around the city. Take a visit and try their “Backyard Ale” made with a wild yeast starter, found in the back hills of their neighborhood.

Upcoming is their “Oatmeal IPA” inspired by some delicious muesli the pair enjoyed in their European travels. The owner describes the brew as “eating oatmeal with fruit juice.”

In addition to the in-house brews, customers can order from a list of about twelve local and imported brews and a small tapas menu.

Dining

Magnum the Bottle Shop 매그넘 더 바틀샵 Sinsa-dong 신사동

120, Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu 02-512-5271 www.magnumthebottleshop.com www.facebook.com/MAGNUMthebottleshop/

Keg Station is just hitting its one year anniversary in Yeonhui-dong. The owner also runs a taproom in nearby Yeonnamdong and felt Yeonhui-dong was also in need of a “community supported brewery.”

There are no seats to enjoy a pint at Keg Station. It’s a take-out shop only, with local and imported bottles and beers on tap.

Customers can discuss the selection with

Yeonhui-dong 연희동 1Fl, 23, Yeonhuimat-ro, Seodaemun-gu 02-332-7138 www.facebook.com/kegstation www.instagram.com/kegstation_saruga/ Open 10 a.m.–10 p.m., closed every first & third Monday

© Noe Alonzo

© Noe Alonzo

© Noe Alonzo

Keg Station 케그 스테이션

© Romain John

© Romain John

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(30 ml), by taste (75 ml) or by glass (150 ml). A corkage fee is applied to wine and liquor bottles bought at the retail shop. The interior is spacious and warm with brick and industrial steel accents. Since the shop is open late, the tasting room is a great alternative to the expensive pubs and wine bars in the area. A new location is planned to open in Hongdae, so fans across the river can look forward to enjoying the Magnum experience closer to home.

Compared to the new bottle shops and micro-breweries on this list, Magnum the Bottle Shop is an old-timer. But it’s a godsend for folks who love craft beer, wine and spirits. There’s a wide selection of bottles and a tasting room to try out the list with tapas. The store also features books, glassware and other accessories.

A glass wall separates the bottle shop from the tasting room that’s open until 2 a.m. Monday to Saturday. A wine station features 36 wines that can be tasted in sips

the owner, and he’ll bottle-up the brews in plastic bottles available in four sizes, ranging from 300 cc to 1500 cc.

Keg Station’s on tap menu features its brews made in its own brewery in Goyang.

The brews range from IPAs, wheat ales, and pilsners. The line-up changes often so it’s recommended to check their Instagram or Facebook to discover their current offerings. The owner hopes to open a second micro-brewing shop where neighborhood residents can make their own homebrews. His dream is that Keg Station will become a neighborhood institution where residents can come to order brews for special family occasions.

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Digging for Treasure at Clique Records Boutique record store lends flavor and depth to the city’s underground music scene Written by Seoul Staff Photographed by Robert Michael Evans and Clique Records

Venture into the twisting, neon-lit alleyways of Euljiro at night, and you may feel like you’ve wandered into a gritty vision of the future à la Blade Runner, complete with an atmospheric electronic soundtrack. If so, you may not be surprised to discover that tucked into the third floor of an old print factory building is one of Seoul’s most pioneering spaces for independent electronic music.

Clique Records is a vinyl record shop selling new and used releases from both home and abroad. Opened in late 2015, it stocks an eclectic selection of electro, ambient, techno and other genres of electronic and alternative music.

The shop is run by a duo of two young DJs and dedicated record collectors: Odd J (Antoine) and DJ 6TS

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(Curtis). Their motivation to open a brick-and-mortar shop, they say, was “the lack of diversity in the music landscape … it was very difficult to find proper records, and a community started to emerge with this desire to discover more music.” Given that the community was made mostly of underground DJs and musicians, Clique meets their needs by stocking all music purely in vinyl.

Music, not decoration Vinyl’s resurgence despite the digital age is, of course, old news. The nostalgia-fueled vintage aesthetic that has defined the decade so far is epitomized in vinyl records, which offer not only a feeling of possession but also an aural quality that sharply contrasts with tinny digital

Nightlife

streaming. Worldwide vinyl sales reached a 25-year high in 2016 following nine consecutive years of growth.

In Seoul, vinyl sales are driven by both music artists and regular consumers. Clique caters to the former. Its carefully curated stock is the main item on the menu; Clique has no aspirations to become an Instagram hot spot. “We’re very tight on selection. We do not want to be selling records for decoration purposes. This is music, it’s made to be listened to,” says Curtis.

The dedication has paid off. In two short years Clique has expanded by leaps and bounds, not only in their record stock and planning events, but also by adding a listening space/lounge called the Edge earlier this year right next to the record shop. The Edge offers “weekly listening sessions with some of the city’s finest music lovers,” says Antoine, emphasizing the patrons it attracts more than the space itself. Clique also hosts Clique Record Nights, which has welcomed artists such as Antal, Soichi Terada, Young Marco and DK to Seoul for the first time.

But not all of Clique’s sources are from overseas. In fact, Curtis has founded two record labels specifically to press local music for distribution abroad. The first, Braindance Records (its name a reference to the electronic sub-genre of IDM, or Intelligent Dance Music), has

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already had two releases distributed across Europe, the U.S., and Japan. The second, Daehan Electronics, will “focus on re-issues of Korean alternative electronic and experimental music mostly from the ’80s and ’90s.”

Its first release, due in January, will be a re-press of the avant-garde musician Kim Byoung Duk. Clique’s growth is fueled, claim the duo humbly, by their dedicated audience and visitors. The biggest challenge the local scene faced in the past, says Curtis, is that there was “barely any system to the scene.” People with an interest in electronic music had no space or community where they could create output. Now, Clique offers that space, and many of its patrons are regular weekly visitors.

To experience what they’ve found, visit Clique Records any time from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, or check out the Edge’s event schedule online.

Clique Records / The Edge 334-8 Euljiro 3ga, Jung-gu www.facebook.com/cliquerecordstore

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Wash Away the Cold Cure the winter blues with a visit to the jjimjilbang Written by Seoul Staff Photographs by Robert Michael Evans In the middle of winter, no matter how warm your ondol floor heating is, it can still feel like Seoul’s cold is seeping straight into your bones. The dirty city snow, overcast skies and gray landscape might even start to make you feel like you’ve wandered into some post-apocalyptic Ice Age … but before seasonal affective disorder overtakes you, grab your favorite shampoo and head out the door, because there’s one surefire way to feel better in winter: the jjimjilbang!

Public bath houses, or jjimjilbang, are a staple of both “must-do” Korea travel itineraries and regular old Seoul cold-weather life. We’ve collected the city’s top three best and most international-friendly jjimjilbangs below, as well as a few tips to help you get the most out of your experience.

How to Enjoy the Jjimjilbang What to Bring A plastic bath basket filled with your favorite hair and skincare items, as well as a scrubbing towel, a razor, and anything else you might use in the shower. Jjimjilbangs offer shampoo and bar soap for free, but it’s nicer to have your own stuff.

Getting Inside First, take off your shoes and put them in a shoe locker. Take the key and head into the main locker room, where you’ll find a clothes locker that matches the number on your shoe locker key. There, store your personal belongings – including your clothes – and head for the showers. Remember to bring a towel.

Bathing Everyone is required to shower before entering the baths. Once you’re showered and clean, head to the baths and soak as long as you’d like – but if you have long hair, wrap it in a towel or ponytail first. If you’d like, you can then undertake a thorough exfoliation of that dry winter skin back at the showers. Use a scrub towel or mitt, or pay extra to have a professional scrub you down. Be warned – it’ll sting!

Communal Areas Once you’re done at the baths, you can put on your cotton pajamas (provided at entry) and head to the unisex communal areas. There, you can try out hot rooms, massage chairs, and quintessential jjimjilbang snacks like boiled eggs and sikhye (a cold, sweet rice drink).

Dragon Hill Spa

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Nightlife

Where to Go

Dragon Hill Spa 드래곤 힐 스파 The queen of the city’s jjimjilbangs, Dragon Hill Spa is smack-dab in the center of Seoul at Yongsan Station. It was one of the first in the city to cater to international crowds, and remains one of the easiest-to-navigate jjimjilbangs in the country.

Dragon Hill’s highlights include hot rooms constructed with different wellness-promoting materials – charcoal, pine, red clay and salt, to name a few – as well as its picturesque, secluded outdoor baths. Walking outside in the buff in the middle of winter is well-worth the reward of soaking in these hot pools. Meanwhile, the communal areas have family-friendly attractions like an arcade, cinema, yoga classes and a full-sized outdoor swimming pool.

Courtesy of Spa Lei

40-712, Hangangno 3ga, Yongsan-gu | www.dragonhillspa.com | 010-4223-0001 (English) | Admission KRW 12,000 on weekdays, KRW 14,000 on weekends For those who enjoy Dragon Hill’s hospitality, it’s also worth checking out Sejong Club (www.sejongclub.com), a rentable event venue run by the same company, offering themed restaurants on every floor. Further details are available online.

Spa Lei 스파 레이

Courtesy of Spa Lei

Sorry, boys – this one is for the ladies. Spa Lei is a women-only jjimjilbang and spa in glitzy Gangnam, located right next to the shopping-and-café paradise of Garosu-gil. While it’s smaller than Dragon Hill, Lei offers its patrons a luxurious version of the essentials: relaxing hot rooms and beautiful baths, including a sea water bath with water shipped straight from the coast.

Being a women’s spa, Lei offers treatments that target women’s health and beauty concerns (in particular, we recommend the exfoliating facials at the third floor spa).

In the spring, they open a rooftop terrace – though we wouldn’t recommend it in freezing January.

5, Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu | 02-545-4002 Admission starts at KRW 14,000

Siloam Bulgama Sauna 실로암사우나찜질방 Bulgama means “fire pot,” in reference to the stove-like clay huts that serve as hot rooms at many jjimjilbangs.

Siloam has these in spades, as well as heated salt rooms, ice rooms, mineral rooms, infrared light rooms, charcoal cold rooms and much more. In fact, the unassuming ground-level entrance hides five full floors of jjimjilbang entertainment. They’ve also got pressure-jet showers that massage away knots and sore muscles.

49, Jungnim-ro, Jung-gu | 02-364-3944 Admission starts at 10,000 for a daytime bath+sauna pass

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Wine Endures Despite tough times, the city’s top wine bars keep the vino flowing Written by Gloria J. Chang Photographed by Robert Koehler

Fox Wine Bistro

It can be a very sad state of affairs for a wine lover in Seoul. Prices are outrageously high. Particularly if you come from a province (British Columbia) in another country (Canada) where something, somewhere in the process of taxes and markups in provincial government controlled liquor sales results in the highest wine prices in the country, only to arrive in Seoul to find that wine prices are generally about double what they were at home.

How expensive is wine in Seoul? Last year, The Drinks Business, a United Kingdom-based international industry magazine covering spirits, beer and wine, put together a list of the most expensive cities in the world to buy a 750 ml bottle of table wine. Guess who topped the list? Yes, Seoul. Seoul is the most expensive city in the world to buy a bottle of wine.

Why this is the case varies depending on who you ask. Taxes (education, alcohol, VAT), its perception as a luxury drink and low sales that require longer storage time and thus resources are three reasons that come up repeatedly. It’s a bit of a Which came first? The

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chicken or the egg? scenario. Higher prices mean fewer consumers are willing to spend money on wine. But fewer consumers mean those selling wine need to have higher markups to justify the storage of their selections.

Blend in the fact that chaebols have taken over a large part of the importing and distribution channels of wine sales in Seoul and you have a wine market that is marked by two extremes available to the wine lover: cheap, entry level wines if bought at your local Emart and Costco, or the most expensive, most well-known wines (usually French). The mid-range band of quality wines, which is normally where you would find the best selection and reasonable prices for good wine, is missing. When available, they are overpriced and difficult to find.

Big sad sigh on the state of wine culture in Seoul, herewith is our roundup of where to drink good wine – the number of places is incredibly small for a city the size of Seoul – and a few tips on where to buy your wine.

Nightlife

Casa del Vino

Where to Sip Casa del Vino 까사 델 비노 Cheonam-dong, Apgujeong Rodeo Station Don’t let the posh surroundings fool you in this recently relocated smaller venue. No dress code required, just a love and appreciation for good wine. The longest-running wine bar in the city, this very stylishly designed bar has the largest selection of wines by the bottle and by the glass. Quality starts mid-level and goes up, so prices reflect this. The wine bar also has a food menu comparable to the others listed here in terms of price. Wines are served in proper wine glasses and by properly educated staff, all with at least WSET 3 (Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 3 Advanced) wine education.

Magnum the Bottle Shop and Tasting Room 매그넘 더 바틀샵 Sinsadong, Apgujeong Station You’ll fall in love with this wine bar and wine shop. Thirty-six wines on self-serve wine taps for glasses of 30 ml, 50 ml, 150 ml pours so that you can taste before you commit to a full glass or a bottle.

Wines on tap range in quality and thus price – from as little as KRW 2,000 to KRW 30,000. We highly suggest tasting during Happy Hour, which is from opening at 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., when prices are reduced by about 40 percent. The bottle shop doesn’t have the largest selection of wine – you might be more impressed by the spirits selection, – but we absolutely loved the Tasting Room, where in addition to wines by the tasting or full glass, there are delicious cheese and charcuterie plates served from 6 p.m. onwards. Alas, the sad state of wine in this city has led owner James Mollini to make a business decision to turn this Tasting Room into a cocktail bar soon-ish as he looks for another location to move the Tasting Room. So take advantage of this beautiful space and the wines on tap while you can.

Hearth Restaurant 할스 Yeoksam-dong, Yeoksam Station Not a wine bar per se, but an eclectic restaurant owned and run by Korean-Canadian Huck Lee who has such a passion for wine that he offers a nice selection by the bottle and several entry-level wines by the glass. Food is delicious and reasonably priced with a variety of pastas and other foods that are hard to place under one genre – call it Canadian! With an imported oven from Germany, bread is also baked in-house, and the ciabiatta alone is worth stopping by for. Matching the welcoming and relaxed ambience, Huck is also a warm and friendly host.

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Magnum the Bottle Shop and Tasting Room

Sideway Wine Bistro 사이드웨이 와인 비스트로Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam Station Dimly lit but with music blasting – like the kind blasted at clothing stores – this wine bistro has a selection of wines by the bottle and a delicious food menu. Only one red and one white by the glass at above entry-level quality, so the price per glass (KRW 14,500) reflects the higher quality of wine. Wines by the bottle range from entry to mid-level and, of course, a few higher-end wines. If you don’t mind the loud music, or if you want to feel like you’re young and hip, worth a visit for the food and wine.

Fox Wine Bistro 포도먹는여우 Seogyo-dong, Sangsu Station This is probably the coziest wine bar of all and the only one located north of the Han River among our recommendations. On the second floor with a view of the streets in Hongdae, it offers only an entry level white and red by the glass, but a very nice selection of wines by the bottle and a food menu. Owner Suyeon Lee has also recently started a kimchi tasting menu, with a kimchi jjim paired with wine. We know kimchi and wine is a most difficult pairing from personal experience, but Lee says the kimchi jjim and wine pairing is beautiful. We look forward to stopping by again to try it.

Where to Buy Wine prices for the consumer can be very inconsistent as prices are negotiated by volume through each step from importer to wholesaler to retail and restaurants, rather than set by any government body. This means when buying wine, you’ll get the best prices at the larger department stores that can buy in volume. Emart and Costco will provide the cheapest wines at the cheapest prices, but we liked Shinsaegae in Myeongdong for its French wine selection.

Outside the actual shop are wines on sale, which are also inconsistently priced. We’ve found a classed Bordeaux on sale for less than a mid-level Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, for example, at the Hyundai Department store in Sinchon. Smaller shops and restaurants that buy in smaller volumes can find that their wholesale price at which they buy their wines can sometimes be higher than what’s on offer at larger retail stores.

Cave Wine (꺄브와인 & etc) Yeoksam Station A beautiful, smaller wine shop with a nice selection of mid- to high quality wines (and corresponding prices) on the first floor, and a wine bar with a food menu on the second floor.

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Hot in K-Beauty this Winter It’s cold outside. Protect your skin with two trends in K-Beauty right now: high-tech application and safe ingredients Written by Dot Moore K-beauty is an ever-evolving scene of breakthroughs and improvements. The sheer number of options to choose from, plus ever-changing trends, can make it hard to know where to start in building a skincare collection suitable for the season. Here are our picks for the best in K-beauty’s top current trends: technological gadgets for optimal product application and clean, safe ingredients.

New beauty gadgets for winter 2017

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1. Tok Stick KRW 75,000, blog.naver.com/beuon

Tok Stick offers a new take on the derma rolling trend with an innovative design, featuring ultra-thin, hollow point, gold-plated needles that more effectively deliver nourishing ingredients directly into the skin. The ability to load the Toc Stick with your favorite ampoules and serums make it extremely versatile and personalized. Pack this into your suitcase for the ideal skincare travel companion this season.

2. Ray:Dear KRW 120,000, raydear.com

Ray:Dear is a local Korean brand that has put the benefits of LED thermal light therapy into an incredibly convenient,

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small device for at-home use. A firm fixture at K-Beauty expos in 2017 and incredibly popular with make-up influencers in-the-know, this tiny light therapy device claims to minimize fine lines and wrinkles through low-level LED therapy. It’s the perfect pick me up for dull, winter skin.

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Powder Real Mud Mask. The simple solution gives all the benefits of a real mud mask, without the messy removal process – perfect for a winter-evening pampering session!

4. Etete Cutie Stamp Set by Clean Green KRW 55,000, urains.com

3. Royal Skin Mask KRW 4,000, royalskin.com

The Royal Skin Real Mask Series make a small but crucial improvement on your basic paste mask. By simply encasing the paste in a double layer of sheet-mask material, the product remains ultra moist, and cleanup is as easy as removing the mask. A particular beauty-blogger favorite is the Natural Boryeong Mud

Beauty line Etete by emerging brand Clean Green includes an ingenious ampoule delivery system that helps keeps each skincare product application airtight and free from oxidation. A large stamplike sponge is loaded with individual, unopened cartridges of the Etete ampoule solution, so that each use is as effective as a newly opened bottle. Genius!

Shopping

Breakthroughs in simple, safe ingredients

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5. Wishformula Night Night 365 Sea Water Sleeping Pad Mask KRW 28,000, wishformula.co.kr

Wishformula is a quirky Korean brand increasingly known for its use of naturally fermented ingredients. This Night Night 365 Seawater Sleeping Pad Mask helps the skin to retain every ounce of moisture, while also plumping with concentrated sea water, collagen, hyaluronic acid and macadamia oil to soothe. Â

6. Leegeehaam Hyal B5 Ampoule

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7. Purito Seabuckthorn 70 Cream KRW 18,000, purito.co.kr

Carefully following the EWG (Environmental Workers Group) ingredient safety scale and only incorporating ingredients branded level one or two, Purito ensures its products are both safe for the skin and for the environment. This Seabuckthorn Vital 70 Cream is formulated with 70 percent Seabuckthorn extract (a berry rich in vitamin C) as well as orange peel and macadamia seed oils for maximum moisture and enrichment this winter.

KRW 28,000, lghmall.co.kr

Leegeehaam is the original skincare line formulated by Korea’s first ever certified dermatologist, Lee Ji Hamm. The brand is formulated free of parabens, silicones, colorants, alcohol or mineral oils, and this new Hyal B5 Ampoule utilizes five separate types of hyaluronic acids to thoroughly penetrate and hydrate parched skin. The product is also packed with vitamin B5 to moisturize, heal and protect.

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8. A.by Bom Ultimate Time Return Eye Serum KRW 28,000, abybomcos.com/kor

A.by Bom began making waves in the K-beauty scene with their cute sheetmasks, but have gradually expanded their product line-up to include a range of items boasting simple, clean, and effective ingredients. This Ultimate Time Return Eye Serum utilizes

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pharmaceutical-grade ingredients as well as green tea and aloe vera extracts from the jewel of Korea, Jeju Island. The resulting formula is a mixture between a serum, oil and a gel that thoroughly douses the eye area with intense moisture on cold, dry days.

9. BLITHE Golden Apricot Pressed Serum KRW 39,000, myblithe.com

Blithe is a well-loved brand in Korea that has always been proud of its paraben, synthetic dye and fragrance-free formulation. The Gold Apricot Pressed Serum is the latest in their line of highly concentrated, slow-cooled fermented serums, and is infused with 31 percent apricot extract, a blend of powerhouse antioxidants and turmeric to soothe while protecting delicate skin.

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Cinema

Diverse Themes to Feature in 2018 Korean films deal with inter-Korean issues, organized crime and more Written by Jason Bechervaise

Courtesy of NEW

Stock markets and the IMF crisis The world of finance is set to appear in films over the coming year. Choi Kyunghee’s “Sovereign Default” featuring Kim Hye-soo, Yoo Ah-in and French actor Vincent Cassel is set during the 1997 IMF crisis. “Money” starring Yoo Ji-tae and rising star Ryoo Joon-yeol about a stock market scam is also to hit screens this year.

“Psychokinesis”

Trends in Korean cinema are nothing new. Thematically, Korean films are known for their revenge-driven narratives (“Oldboy”), while successful blockbusters are invariably tailored to Korean audiences through locally specific backdrops. In 2015 and 2016, for example, the colonial era was a dominant feature in a number of high profile films including “Assassination” and “The Age of Shadows.”

Inter-Korean relations Looking ahead, there are a range of themes and genres to hit the multiplexes this year. One noticeable commonality is the theme of inter-Korean relations, which is interesting given how it continues to dominate local and international headlines. This year’s major releases tackling this topic include Yoon Jong-bin’s “Black Venus” starring Hwang Jung-min as a South Korean operative assigned to gather intel on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and “PMC” directed by Kim

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Kang-ho as a drug smuggler in Busan in the 1970s. Lee Hae-young’s “Drug War,” a remake of the 2013 Hong Kong crime thriller of the same name, about a detective played by Cho Jin-woong who goes undercover to catch the kingpin of a major drug cartel will also go on release in 2018.

Byung-woo that features Ha Jung-woo as a military contractor tasked with rescuing a prisoner being held at an underground bunker during tense relations between South and North Korea.

Also bracing this subject but in the form of science fiction is Kim Jee-woon’s “Inrang,” a live-action adaptation of Oshii Mamoru’s anime “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.” Set in the near future, South and North Korea are to be reunified. Gang Dong-won plays an officer assigned to quell anti-unification terrorists.

The criminal underworld Films that deal with the criminal underworld readily feature in the nation’s cinematic output. “A Bittersweet Life” and “New World” are merely two notable examples. This year, two crime films will tackle the subject of narcotics, a less common thematic trait found in Korean films. Woo Min-ho, whose “Inside Men” was a critical and commercial hit in 2016, is helming “Drug King” starring Song

Fantasy The fantasy genre will also feature heavily with the release of the second part of the big budget “Along with the Gods” in the summer, and Yeon Sang-ho’s (“Train to Busan”) latest blockbuster “Psychokinesis” about a man who acquires superpowers will be released in time for the lunar new year. Zombies are also on horizon with the release of Kim Seong-hoon’s “Outbreak” set in the Joseon Dynasty.

Lee Chang-dong Much smaller in scale, but among critics perhaps one of the most anticipated films, is Lee Chang-dong’s mystery thriller “Burning,” which is his first film since 2010 about the mysterious relationship between a couple and an arsonist.

Reflecting the breadth of Korean cinema, there is plenty of variety on offer this year.

Arts & Entertainment

TV

Can You Fall in Love with a Robot?

Dramas examine what it means to be human Written by Miruh Jeon

Back in October, a social humanoid robot named Sophia became a Saudi Arabian citizen, becoming the first robot in the world to be granted citizenship.

Although some people label Sophia as merely a “chatbot with a face,” others see her as the first big step towards creating artificial intelligence that will one day walk among us. At any rate, with technology getting more advanced each year, it seems like only a matter of time before robots become sophisticated enough to pass for a person.

This ongoing interest in AI is evident in the wave of new K-dramas that urges us to ask ourselves: how will our relationships with robots change in the coming years? And more importantly, can you have feelings for a robot?

This past September, MBC released a series called “Borg Mom” in which a genius computer scientist creates a robot that looks exactly his late wife.

Overwhelmed by the burdens of being a single dad, Choi Go-bong (Yang

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Courtesy of MBC

Courtesy of MBC

“I Am Not A Robot”

“Borg Mom”

Dong-geun) programs this so-called “Borg mom” to take care his son. But, to his surprise, he gradually finds himself feeling emotionally attached to her and starts to realize that she might be more than just an intelligent computer. As you watch Go-bong experience these strange feelings, you can’t help but ask yourself, is it possible to fall for a cyborg? And what about the other way around?

Since the series ended on December 1, MBC has released yet another AI-themed K-drama called “I Am Not A Robot,” starring Yoo Seung-ho and Chae Soo-bin.

This romantic comedy revolves around Kim Min-gyu, a prominent but lonely businessman, and a woman named Jo Jia, who finds herself in a sticky situation where she has to pretend to be a robot.

Due to an extremely rare condition that makes him allergic to other humans, Mingyu is forced to isolate himself from others and, thus, constantly feels plagued by loneliness. So, as a solution, he decides to order a humanoid robot called Aji-3

to keep him company. However, due to a major flaw in the robot, Aji-3’s developer asks his ex-girlfriend, Jia, to pretend to be a cyborg, and things start to get complicated.

Several other production houses are scheduled to release new shows that explore similar themes. For instance, “Are You Human Too?,” starring Seo Kang-jun and Gong Seung-yeon, is a sci-fi series about an android that’s created to replace a man who has fallen into a coma. Another upcoming K-drama called “Love Like A Human” (working title) depicts the romantic relationship between an ordinary woman and a man with an AI brain.

It’s interesting to see these shows portray robots as self-aware beings that people have to learn to interact and bond with, but what would be even more interesting is to see new programs that go beyond romance and examine the impact of AI on different aspects of society.

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Music

The Problem With Korean Music Award Shows No, you shouldn’t get a trophy for showing up Written by Kristina Manente

or fourth placed group because the judges’ votes are weighed more heavily.

If this is the case, why let fan votes count at all? Why not just make it industry experts who vote for winners, or a panel like the Academy? If the fan percentage ends up not mattering at all, then why bother and just create fandom drama? Because it brings in ratings, I know, and money ...

Twice

Music shows are plentiful in Korea.

Award season makes this even more apparent as award show after award show is broadcasted and fandoms are pitted against one another in battles for awards that rarely end up going to who people voted for.

Let’s just say multiple fandoms, lead by Exo-Ls, petitioned the Blue House, as in the actual Korean government, to abolish the MAMA awards by Mnet because they were outraged by the results and claimed they were unfair based on the votes cast.

It currently has over 20,000 signatures.

As K-pop and Korean music continues to gather interest around the world, the shows need a definite rehaul to not only appear fair and legitimate, but simply, to be better.

Percentage In many award shows, fan voting counts for a large percent of who will end up winning an award. Sometimes it’s quite a large portion, like 30 percent. Other factors that decide the recipient are things like album sales and a judge’s panel. The problem with this is that it’s all arbitrary.

One group could be leading by a very large margin in the fan votes and even album sales, but end up losing to the third

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Paying to vote There is no system I hate more than asking fans to pay money to cast votes for their favorite artists. It’s a money grab.

That’s all it is. There is no merit in it.

Have the money go to charity and only then will I find this method redeemable and bearable.

There is the concern of classism here, that more wealthy fans or those with incredible numbers will always win and outspend their competition. That is an inherent problem with this type of voting, and it always will be. There is no way to make it fair. Just because more money is spent on an artist doesn’t make them more entitled to an award.

If a show requires its voters to pay to cast their vote, that vote should not only be worth more, as there is a monetary value attached, but also, most importantly, it should be honored. If enough people throw enough money into your contest, then their money is not only supporting your show and company, It’s also an agreement that whoever wins this contest should actually be presented the award, allowed to perform, and actually ... be invited.

I speak of the 25th Seoul Music Awards wherein JYJ’s Kim Junsu won the popularity award by paid voting but

was not invited to the show. The show producers explained this was due to a focus on the “major award categories,” which no one, including Junsu, bought.

Pun intended. The furor over this was so great that the mayor of Seoul forbade the show from using the city’s name in future award shows.

Attendance awards In Korea there is something called chemyeon, which best translates to “saving face.” The fear you could offend someone and being eternally concerned about what others think of you is a strong cultural drive here. This even applies to award shows where sometimes artists simply get an award for showing up. Or rather, awards are invented to get certain artists to come and perform, which is the only way certain fandoms will watch.

The Best of Next award, anyone? These shows, and companies, appeal to agencies by making sure everyone they deem important enough is included.

It’s a not-so-secret secret that Korean music award shows will not give awards to artists who do not attend the show.

It’s even in some programs’ rules. And while I understand the desire to have performances of winning songs, imagine if the Oscars or literally any other award show had the rule that you could not be given an award if you weren’t physically there. It’s just dumb.

Award shows are clearly important to give legitimacy and celebrate Korean music domestically and in Asia. However, voting needs to be more transparent, awards need to be more genuine and someone needs to please hire better camera men.

Arts & Entertainment

Books

A Challenging Tale of First Love Choi Eunyoung’s ‘The Summer’ explores same-sex relationships in a not-entirely-welcoming society Written by Barry Welsh

Magazine

too close together or walking too close together and at one point are bullied by a classmate who guesses the nature of their relationship.

The story follows them from high school and into young adulthood. They graduate, leave their hometown and move to Seoul, where Yi-gyeong enters university and Suyi joins a vocational college. It’s here that their relationship is tested by difficult decisions and pretty strangers. Yi-gyeong is drawn to Seoul’s lesbian scene, finding a world she didn’t know existed, while Suyi throws herself into a job as a mechanic. Their story ultimately ends some thirteen years later back where it started in the girls’ hometown. It’s an effective, engaging and touching portrayal of young love, love over time and same sex relationships.

Written in the summer of 2016, it also chimes with trends in Korean and international culture. Around the edges of the central story are examples of male violence towards women – the schoolboys who grope the female soccer players, the male family members who beat a young woman when she is “outed” as gay at a family gathering.

In her writer’s note for the story, Choi states that her intention was to challenge the discriminatory attitude towards minority groups that frequently seem prevalent in Korea. With “The Summer,”’ she has written a story that is both universal and specific in its themes and a fascinating introduction to queer Korean literature.

© ASIA Publishers

Choi Eunyoung’s “The Summer” is equal parts coming of age tale, relationship drama and exploration of lesbian life and dating culture in contemporary Korean society. It’s also a story that taps into the current zeitgeist in its depiction of casual male violence, sexual and otherwise, towards women.

Part of the excellent Asia Publishers series of books, Choi's novella, translated by Jamie Chang, is a rarity in translated Korean fiction in that it investigates queer themes and sensitively depicts same-sex relationships. It tells the story of Suyi and Yi-gyeong, two high school students living in the same small town who cross paths for the first time when they are 18. They first meet when Suyi accidentally kicks a soccer ball into Yi-gyeong’s face, breaking her glasses and giving her a bloody nose. Their attraction to one another is instant and life changing, a revelation that for Yi-gyeong at least quickly and completely changes her way of looking at the world. It’s a great depiction of the lightning-bolt feeling of first love and emerging sexuality.

Many readers will recognize the consuming emotions both girls experience even if they deal with them in markedly different ways. Many readers will also empathize with the sense of burgeoning discovery of one’s own nascent sexuality. As their romance develops, Choi highlights the feelings of fear and isolation that Yi-gyeong and Suyi experience as young gay women trying to navigate their relationship in a small conservative town. A constant atmosphere of paranoia hangs over them as they try to arrange clandestine dates and meetings. They worry about sitting

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Concerts, Festivals and More DRAWN BY THE WIND: SHIN YUN-BOK & JEONG SEON Dongdaemun Design Plaza Thru May 24 KRW 10,000 www.ddp.or.k Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역 (Lines 2, 4 and 5)

Shin Yun-bok and Jeong Seon: Although they focused on different subject matter, both artists fundamentally aimed to depict an ideal Joseon.

The “Drawn by the Wind: Shin Yun-bok & Jeong Seon” exhibition aims to create harmony among centuries-old paintings, people and modern media technology by using cutting-edge media to introduce contemporary viewers to the spirit of Koreans who lived 300 years ago.

This exhibition does not require viewers to attempt to understand it; rather, the exhibition strives to understand them. It is the perfect opportunity to see artworks by two master painters of the Joseon Dynasty and get a glimpse of the stories hidden behind these classical masterpieces through cutting-edge media.

HI, POP Thru Apr. 15 | M Contemporary Art Center | Sinnonhyeon Station 신논현 역 (Line 9), Exit 4 | KRW 16,000 | T. 02-3451-8187

The M Contemporary Art Center’s “Hi, POP” exhibit explores the work of five of the great artists in the pop art movement: Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. It is also a trip back in time when artists were calling for pop culture to take its place in the center of the art world. In particular, the exhibit – the nation’s biggest ever of pop art – boasts the first exhibit in Korea of Lichtenstein’s 60 best works. You can also sign up for a program to make your own tote bag using the silk screen process made famous by Andy Warhol.

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UNHYEONGUNG PALACE AND REGENT HEUNGSEON DAEWONGUN Thru Mar. 4 | Seoul Museum of History | Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역 (Line 5), Exit 6, 7 or 8 | Free | T. 02-724-0154

The purpose of this special exhibition is to give patrons the opportunity to see, up close and personal, artifacts related to Unhyeongung Palace. These artifacts make up the largest collection in the Seoul Museum of History. Since 1993, on at least 10 occasions, the museum has received donations of artifacts housed in Unhyeongung Palace and has now built up an extensive collection of more than 8,000 items related to the palace and Regent Heungseon Daewongun.

Previews

THE W SHOW: A LIST OF GRAPHIC DESIGNERS SeMA Storage Thru Jan. 12 Free T. 02-2124-8973 Bulgwang Station 불광역 (Line 2), Exit 2

SeMA Storage’s special exhibition during the second half of the year focuses on women and graphic design.

This exhibition looks back at the important accomplishments of women graphic designers over the past three decades and illuminates the activities of under-represented women graphic designers. The achievements of women graphic designers have received little attention by the male-dominated approaches to historical research, especially in the field of graphic design, which generally lacks documentation and discussion. Another factor in women’s work remaining anonymous is due to the social circumstances wherein which women graphic designers experience difficulties in advancing their careers beyond certain limits within particular social organizations, such as corporations and educational institutions. This exhibition is the beginning of a long-term effort to document and celebrate the activities of women graphic designers that are different from the male-centered historical perspectives and narratives, which are prevalent in the field of Korean graphic design.

Magazine

MUSÉE DE KAKAO FRIENDS Kakao Friends Concept Museum Thru May 27 KRW 3,000 www.kfmuseum.com Hongik University Station 홍대입구역 (Line 2), Exit 8

The exhibition consists of seven sections, and will provide a great opportunity to see our favorite Kakao Friends from the perspective of artists in various genres, including photography, graphic design, and sculpting.

Thanks to a new, kitschy aesthetic, the Kakao Friends are poised to become cultural icons.

As it has become easy to reproduce pretty much everything thanks to modern-day digital technology, a new parody-based cultural phenomenon revolving around witty and novel ideas has sprung up across various fields, ranging from political and societal issues to even art.

These new spins on old works of art are bringing about a change in popular culture that goes beyond satire and humor, and can easily be appreciated by anyone who enjoys art.

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LIM HEUNG-SOON: THINGS THAT DO US PART MMCA Seoul Thru Apr. 8 KRW 4,000 T. 02-3701-9500 Anguk Station 안국역 (Line 3), Exit 1

MMCA Hyundai Motor Series is an annual exhibition project that the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art conducts in partnership with the Hyundai Motor Company to support leading Korean artists. The artist selected for this year’s iteration of the exhibition is the film director Lim Heung-soon (b. 1969), who won a Silver Lion Award at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.

Lim Heung-soon’s “Things that Do Us Part” is proposed as an open project that invites on-site participation from the spectators to reflect on each individual’s life and history by anchoring on the key words faith, fear, belief, betrayal, love, hatred and ghost that emerge in contemporary Korean history. Lim transforms the exhibition space into film sets, which are categorized by specific periods in contemporary Korean history. Lim will create scenarios of each period along with the interviewees participating in the project, and the process will be filmed and presented at the exhibition.

© Harald Hoffmann / DG

PEACE TOGETHER : UNIFICATION EXHIBITION Thru Feb. 4 | Seoul Museum of Art | City Hall Station 시청역 (Line 1 or 2), Exit 2 or 12 | Free | T. 02-2124-8905

“Peace Together,” an exhibition on Korean unification, will take place at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) from Dec. 5, 2017 to Feb. 4, 2018. Funded by the Ministry of Unification and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the exhibition will cover the tragedy of a divided nation and the division that has lasted more than 60 years.

“Peace Together” will feature art, photos and video and multimedia works. Visitors will be able to see the tragedies of war and division, and the hope of unification that the future brings.

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CHO SEONG-JIN PIANO RECITAL Jan. 10–11 | Seoul Arts Center | Nambu Terminal Station 남부버스터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5 | KRW 30,000–110,000 | T. 1577-5266

“At his finest, Cho’s mix of imagination, pacing, balance and control produced moments of spellbinding sonic art” (The Artsdesk.com, Mar. 12, 2016). Pianist Cho Seong-jin will begin his recital tour across Korea on Jan. 7, with stops in four cities across the country: Busan, Seoul, Jeonju and Daejeon.

In Seoul, he will give a two-day piano recital, performing Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 , Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, Claude Debussy’s “Images, Book II” and Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor Op. 58.

The Chopin Competition winner and Deutsche Grammophon artist is known to sell out tickets within a couple of minutes.

Previews

PLASTIC FANTASTIC D Museum Thru Mar. 4 KRW 8,000 www.daelimmuseum.org Hannam Station 한남역 (Gyeongui-Jungang Line). Then take bus No. 2016.

D Museum presents “Plastic Fantastic,” a unique exhibition showcasing designs born from the artistic imagination of international designers and the unlimited possibilities of plastic. “Plastic Fantastic” illustrates the magical journey of plastic, the substance sometimes described as the 20th century’s miracle material, as it entered the public realm and brought such wide-ranging transformation to our everyday lives.

The exhibition offers an overview of more than 2,700 products, items of furniture, lights, graphic designs and photographs produced over the past half-century via the individuality and innovative spirit of around 40 international creators.

Magazine

HWACHEON SANCHEONEO ICE FESTIVAL Hwacheon, Gangwon-do Jan. 6-28 Free, but particular events may charge a fee www.narafestival.com Bus to Hwacheon depart Dong Seoul Terminal.

In 2011, the Lonely Planet’s writers selected the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival for its list of “7 Winter Wonders.” “For much of the year, the sancheoneo – a species of trout – leads a blameless life in the rivers around Hwacheon, a town that lies in the mountains northeast of Seoul,” they wrote. “When the cold, dry Korean winter arrives, the rivers freeze over and the sancheoneo disappear under 40 centimeters of ice.

And then the trouble starts.” The festival features a wide assortment of events, but the highlights are the ice-fishing and, for the more stout of heart, the bare hand fishing in the icy waters of Hwacheon. The celebration is also a good excuse to explore this wild, rugged piece of Korea.

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Expat Buzz IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL HOTEL

IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL HOTEL: ‘MANYO’ PARTNERS WITH MICHELIN RESTAURANT ‘KAGAMAN,’ OPENS ANEW The Imperial Palace Seoul Hotel’s Japanese restaurant Mayo has strategically partnered with Michelin Restaurant Kagaman in Osaka, Japan to open anew as “Manyo Produced by Kagaman” on Nov.r 20. With 38 years of tradition and luxurious tastes, Kagaman is a premium Japanese restaurant that has earned a star rating from the Michelin Guide. The Imperial Palace Seoul will develop new menus and provide technical support and service training through partnership with Kagaman so customers may experience the special tastes and services of Kagaman at Manyo.

The newly opening Teppanyaki Stage offers lunch courses serving salads, Korean beef and assorted vegetables and dinner courses serving Korean beef and fresh seafood, including abalone, sashimi and white-meat fish. Sushi menus include lunch courses serving steamed abalone for an appetizer, 10 assorted kinds of sushi and Maki rolls and Omakase dinner courses serving fish grilled on stone, clear soup, sashimi and Chef’s specials.

The prices begin at KRW 60,000 for Teppanyaki Lunch Courses and KRW 150,000 for Dinner Courses and KRW 80,000 for Lunch Courses with Sushi and KRW 150,000 for Dinner Courses (all including taxes and gratuity).

Inquiries and Reservations: T. 02-3440-8150 | www.imperialpalace.co.kr

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SEOUL EXPAT GLOBAL MEETUP GROUP: NIGHT ICE SKATING IN SEOUL SQUARE RINK Every Thursday Seoul Square Ice Rink

HIKE, BOMUNSA TEMPLE Jan. 7 Songmodo Island, Ganghwado, Incheon

We will enjoy ice skating every Thursday night. We will ice skate from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for KRW 1,000. Bring your gloves, or you could rent them for KRW 500.

KRW 1,000 www.meetup.com/globalexpats

We will go on a trip to Seokmodo Island where you can enjoy very moderate hiking for a couple of hours with spectacular panoramic views and visit Bomunsa Temple, a hidden gem.

KRW 45,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: NAKSAN PARK, SEOUL FORTRESS, KIM SHINJO NORTH KOREAN SPY TRAIL Jan. 2

RASKB: THE UNTOLD STORY OF HEUNGNAM Jan. 9 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace

Seoul We will hike along the Seoul Fortress Wall, especially the part around Ihwa Mural Village and the North Korean Spy Trail.

KRW 5,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: HWACHEON SANCHEONEO ICE FESTIVAL DAYTRIP Jan. 6 Gangwon-do We will take you to the wonderful Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, which was named one of the seven wonders of winter by CNN and Lonely Planet.

KRW 42,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: SPECTACULAR OCEAN VIEW ISLAND

Ned Forney will share the remarkable and largely untold story of the United Nation’s first humanitarian operation and the largest U.S. military amphibious evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in American history. Ned’s grandfather, the late Edward H. Forney, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was attached to the U.S. Army X Corps during the first six months of the Korean War. As the senior Marine working for Gen. Edward Almond, the commanding officer of X Corps, Forney helped plan the Incheon and Wonsan Landings and was then the evacuation control officer for the Heungnam withdrawal in December 1950.

Free for members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com

SIWA: WHANKI MUSEUM IN BUAMDONG Jan. 11 Whanki Museum

The Whanki Museum exhibits the work of Kim Whanki, a beloved 20th century painter of the first generation of Korean abstract artists. The museum also exhibits the works of today’s contemporary Korean artists.

KRW 7,000 for members, KRW 17,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

ice is almost 20–40 centimeters thick.

KRW 38,000 www.meetup.com/ seoulhikingnaturegroup

SIWA: ICE SKATING Jan. 15 Grand Hyatt Hotel

Winter season is a great time to visit a warm Korean bathhouse.

Dragon Hill Spa has taken centuries of Korean traditional treatments and brought them under one roof. The spa provides a spa “outfit” (shorts and shirt), two small towels and a numbered bracelet that is used to purchase optional services, drinks or food.

The tour coordinator will show the group all the areas of the spa, then you can choose where you want to spend your time.

KRW 12,000 for members, KRW 22,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

The Olympic Games in Pyeongchang are just around the corner – it’s time to have a closer look at the numerous Olympic sports! One of the most popular is ice skating: there is figure skating as well as ice hockey as well as speed skating. Ice skating may look smooth and easy when you watch the athletes performing, but beyond this look there are many years of practice and hard work. So let’s get active and try it ourselves!

KRW 26,000 for members, KRW 36,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com

AWC: BEAT THE WINTER BLUES AT THE FLOWER MARKET Jan. 16 Express Bus Terminal Station Join us for a morning of flower shopping (or just inhale the fresh flower scents) and lunch to brighten up your day. Preregistration is required.

Free awcsouthkorea.com

SEOUL HIKING NATURE GROUP: MOUNTAIN TOP LAKE HIKE & ICE FESTIVAL Jan. 20 Sanjeong Lake, Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do Sanjeong Lake is a stunningly beautiful lake surrounded by mountains with a view of North Korean mountains from the peak.

The lake is located halfway up the mountain with water so clean the

SIWA: DRAGON HILL SPA KOREAN SAUNA Jan. 22 Dragon Hill Spa

RASKB: MAKING RECORDS OF ALL KINDS OF KOREAN MUSIC, 1906: THE EARLIEST COMMERCIAL KOREAN MUSIC RECORDINGS AND THEIR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Jan. 23 Second floor Residents’ Lounge, Somerset Palace This lecture will include a demonstration of early sound recording technologies, both playback and recording technologies using period equipment. It will also include sound clips of several extant 1906 Victor Korean recordings.

Free from members, KRW 10,000 for non-members www.raskb.com

BASS: AGM AND COFFEE MORNING Jan. 23

YONGSAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SEOUL

YISS OPEN HOUSE

Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) is hosting an open house for parents of prospective students entering kindergarten or first grade in August 2018. The open house will take place on Friday, January 12, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. in the school’s auditorium.

Dually accredited by WASC and ACSI, YISS is a private, K-12 school in the heart of Seoul offering an American curriculum to the international community. Our state-of-the-art facilities include a makerspace lab, two libraries, two gymnasiums, a 500-seat auditorium and an indoor aquatics center.

Parents interested in attending the open house should register at yis.to/ openhouse. For more information, call 02-797-5104 or email apply@yisseoul.org.

‘Hair in its Natural State’

Quno Hair

served as Art Director at London’s renowned Rush Salon and nominated by the Guardian for ‘Best Hairdresser’ EXPAT BUZZ Trained at Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon Academy in UK Color, Perm.

Magic Straight & Treatment Highlight &Lowlight...etc English Spoken

Gangnam/ Apgujeong Branch 02-549-0335 www.qunohair.com www.hairandjoy.com

HAIR & JOY

3F, 168-3, Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Lotte Cinema (8F) UNIQLO (1F)

coco bruni About Me

NH Bank

Exit 8, Hongik Stn., Line 2

Magazine

For more info, call Johnny 65

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

British Embassy Our January coffee morning will be combined with our Annual General Meeting. In addition to our usual refreshments and chat with friends, we'll review our activities over the last year, the money we've raised, the donations we've made and look forward to 2018, voting in our new Committee and discussing planned events.

Free to members, KRW 5,000 for non-members www.britishseoul.com

AWC: TEA CEREMONY Jan. 24 Hagajae Museum Learn about the Korean Tea Ceremony at this beautiful museum. Pre-registration is required. awcsouthkorea.com

SIWA: KOKDU MUSEUM AND DAEHANGNO Feb. 1 Kokdu Museum and Daehangno The Kokdu Museum opened in 2010 in the Dongsung Art Center in Seoul. This museum houses over 20,000 kokdu figurines. The Standing Exhibition Hall houses kokdu from the Joseon Dynasty.

Each sculpture is unique and reflects the customs and culture of the period through the various types, production styles, forms, expressions and movement of the figurines. Daehangno is a “college town” area famous for its proximity to many universities, similar to the Hongdae area. Daehangno is home to over 300 theaters for musicals and plays.

KRW 5,000 for members, KRW 15,000 for non-members www.siwakorea.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEWS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––

CINE IN KOREA If you want to take a trip to the cinema but are worried about

turning up and the show being sold out, use Cine in Korea, a very reputable website, to book your tickets. www.cineinkorea.com/movie/ index.php

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR EXPATS Know someone who is on their way to live in Seoul? Recommend to them The Arrival Store, a one-stop online shop that sells everything needed to start a life in Korea, from duvets to smartphones. If they order today, they can pay for their goods up to 60 days after their arrival date. www.thearrivalstore.com The Beautiful Store is a social enterprise that sells old, donated clothing to raise money for charity.

If you have anything to give away, please fill in a form on their website, www.beautifulstore.

The blogs My Seoul Searching (myseoulsearching.com), My Destination Seoul (www. mydestination.com/seoul) and Trazy (www.trazy.com) give upto-date, inspirational advice on traveling and enjoying Korea and its culture.

For the latest in art on the Peninsula, we like Blouin ArtInfo for their great modern art coverage. enkr.blouinartinfo.com Angloinfo Seoul, an extensive directory, is a great resource for expats living in Seoul due to its listing of basic, useful info and simple, easy-to-read design. seoul.angloinfo.com WWOOF, the worldwide agency that organizes work placements on organic farms, has launched an organic food delivery service with varied packages available. All food is local and affordable, and the choices change on a regular basis. wwoofcsa.com/products/ Waygook.org is useful for English teachers living in Seoul as a space for sharing lesson plans

KOREAN BUZZ WORD

SUNSAK 순삭 Here one second, gone the next Written by SEOUL Staff

The word sunsak is a contraction of the Korean phrase sungan sakje, which means to delete something right away. Sungan means “moment” and sakje means “delete.” Like so many slang terms nowadays, it comes from the world of online gaming, referring to when you kill or capture an enemy character as soon as it is created.

When several people gang up on another to kill him or her quickly, the victim has suffered sunsak. On popular community websites such as DC Inside, the term applies to when a moderator erases a spam or troll comment almost as soon as it is posted.

Nowadays, the word for delete, sakje, is being used more and more in meatspace, where it has come to assume the wider meaning of “to disappear.”

For instance, when your weekend flies by and Monday rolls around, you can say, “Jumal-i sunsak dwaetda,” which means, “My weekend disappeared .” When tickets for popular concerts sell out immediate, they’ve sunsak’ed. You can use sunsak when spaces for popular university classes fill up immediately, too. When your credit card company takes your salary as soon as it is deposited, your paycheck, too, has suffered sunsak.

but is also vital for its non-teaching message boards full of Koreabased knowledge from people living on the Peninsula.

Find indie music events: Try

“Brighten your Smile, Brighten your Life” International Prosthodontics & Implants Dental Clinic.

searching on Indistreet (indistreet.com/en/korea/), Do Indie (www.doindie.co.kr) or the Korea Gig Guide (www. koreagigguide.com) for listings of local venues, concerts and bands

in the underground music scene in Seoul.

CERECTM is a cutting edge CAD/

CAM system for providing all-ceramic restorations in a single visit. Patients receive custom, hand-crafted inlays, veneers, crowns & bridges in our clinic.

Cerec Doctor : One-visit IP&I is a name you can trust.

Dr. Paik, Sung ki

dentistry. Over 6,000 restorations since 2005. Korea’s leading Cerec specialist.

Serving our patients with customized, doctor’s hand-crafted restorations.

DDS, MSD, Ph. D Member of American Prosthodontic Society

66 Somerset Palace Seoul, Suite #306, 2gil 7 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-140 KOREA Telephone: 82(2)735-1135 Toll free: 080-735-1135 E-mail: ipidc@hotmail.com On the web: www.ipidc.co.kr

Expat Buzz

SEOUL

NETWORK IMPERIAL PALACE SEOUL: MANYO PRODUCE BY KAGAMAN GRAND OPENING

CAFÉ TTEURAN Café Tteuran is the first Hanok teahouse in the historic Ikseon-dong area, an increasingly popular neighborhood of old Korean-style homes. It serves medicinal teas made from the best ingredients and excellent red bean porridge and patbingsu made with the finest Korean red beans. Be sure to check out its lovely courtyard garden.

166-76 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu T. 02-745-7420, @café_innergarden (Instagram)

DR. ROBBIN Dr. Robbin offers healthy, delicious salads, pizzas, soups, pasta dishes, coffees, fruit juices and homemade gelato prepared from carefully selected natural ingredients. We use no sugar, butter or artificial enhancers. Try the Green Pasta, served with a bean cream sauce made from local beans and cooked using organic olive oil from Italy. It also uses a sugar-free syrup produced from stevia leaves, a zero-calorie sweetener that’s much sweeter than sugar. www.drrobbin.com

Magazine

The Imperial Palace Seoul Hotel’s Japanese restaurant Mayo, in partnership with Michelin Restaurant Kagaman from Osaka, Japan, opened anew as “Manyo Produce by Kagaman” on Nov. 20. Kagaman is a premium Japanese restaurant that has earned the star rating more than two times from the Michelin Guide with 38 years of tradition and luxurious tastes. To celebrate the renewal, Manyo will host a blowfish promotion through Feb. 28.

The prices begin at KRW 60,000 for Teppanyaki Lunch Courses and KRW 150,000 for Dinner Courses and KRW 80,000 for Lunch Courses with Sushi and KRW 150,000 for Dinner Courses (all including taxes and gratuity). T. 02-3440-8150.

SHERATON GRAND INCHEON: LITTLE CHEF PACKAGE The Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel offers the Little Chef package, full of memorable moments with family members in a comfortable room to welcome the upcoming winter season. The package includes a rental service of a children’s wooden kitchen play set in the room and a set of colored clay for the lovely “Little Chef” and their parents to try out various food modeling.

GANGNAM-UC RIVERSIDE (GNUCR): NEW HALF-DAY PROGRAMS GNUCR’s new Enhancing Speaking Proficiency (ESP) classes run every day from 9 a.m. to noon. Lunchtime and evening classes are also available and include Korean, Chinese and English. Join the more than 20,000 students who have studied at GNUCR since the school’s opening in 2001. Call for more details or to ask about GNUCR’s free open classes. www.gnucr.kr | Gangnam-gu Office Station

강남구청역, Exit 1 | info@gnucr.net | Kakao: @gnucr |

02-546-3260

SHERATON SEOUL D CUBE CITY: ALL ABOUT STRAWBERRIES What’s special about this year’s “All About Strawberries” promotion is that the Lobby Lounge Bar will be transformed into an art gallery featuring the globally famous rabbit character Miffy. Along with the Miffy Gallery, you can enjoy more than 30 kinds of sweet strawberry desserts and snack items.

Fri.–Sun. and public holidays thru Apr. 30 | KRW 49,000 per person. | T. 02-2211-1740

Thru Feb. 28 | Starting from KRW 178,000 (service charge and V.A.T. not included) | T. 032-835-1004

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Learn Korean Now! Want to learn Korean? Don’t know where to begin?

Start learning with Korean language books from Seoul Selection!

New

“Essential Korean Idioms” outlines the meaning and usage of idioms used in everyday speech in Korean.

The book contains 30 units, and each unit features ten idioms in four exercises, a dialogue, a warm-up quiz, practice questions and an interview activity.

New

SURVIVAL KOREAN CRASH COURSE Your Frienly Guide to Student Life in Korea

ESSENTIAL KOREAN IDIOMS 300 Idioms to Upgrade Your Korean

Written by Irene Schokker, Lauren Kies and Rachel van den Berg 152p / KRW 7,000

Written by Jeyseon Lee, Youseon Lee 240p / KRW 17,000

Written by an American who fell in love with his Korean wife and came to settle in Korea, this is a book on essential Korean words and phrases. Filled with fun and useful conversations, a dictionary, culture tips and illustrations, this book is a perfect way to learn Korean.

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO KOREAN Essential Words and Phrases Written by Chad Meyer, Kim Moon-jung 308p / KRW 14,800

“Survival Korean Crash Course ” is a practical Korean language guide written by three exchange students from Leiden University in the Netherlands, which runs the only Korean Studies major in Europe.

As “Your Friendly Guide to Student Life in Korea,” the book is a friendly, fun read, like the writers are personally sharing their stories of life in Korea to a good friend.

This book is a complete guide for people who want to learn the Korean language, starting from the very beginning, with the alphabet and the correct sounds of vowels, consonants and diphthongs. It was written for people who want an easy but systematic approach to the language.

KOREAN LANGUAGE for Beginners Written by Andrea De Benedittis 180p / KRW 13,900

Online Bookshop www.seoulselection.com | bookshop@seoulselection.com | T. 02-734-9565

Korea’s Biggest Starbucks Opens in Jongno

Starbucks’ Jongno branch offers unique brews and experiences

Korea’s finest branch of Starbucks has opened in the heart of Seoul.

Starbucks’ Jongno branch opened on the first and second floor of the landmark Jongno Tower on Dec. 20. The new shop is the product of 18 years of knowhow accumulated by Starbucks since its debut in Korea, reflecting all the characteristics and functions of the coffee provider’s premium shops. It also offers many new services that truly set it apart.

One of only four Starbuck Teavana Inspired shops in Korea, the Starbucks Jongno branch offers the herbal teas “Teavana Blueberry Bliss” and “Teavana Citrus Lavender Sage.” Teavana Blueberry Bliss bends sweet blueberry and green rooibos, while Teavana Citrus Lavender Sage brings together lavender with the fresh scent of cirtrus. Both use a siphon

brewing system, which perfectly extracts the flavors of the ingredients.

The Starbucks Jongno branch also offers visitors a rare chance to compare its Starbucks Reserve small-lot brews. The shop offers two options: Origin Flight and Brew Comparison. The Reserve Origin Flight allows customers to try three eight-ounce cups of coffee brewed from three kinds of Reserve beans, chosen by the customers themselves, using one brewing machine. The Brew Comparison, on the other hand, lets customers try three cups of coffee brewed using one kind of Reserve bean, but using three kinds of brewing machines.

The Starbucks Jongno branch presents seven kinds of rice-based foods made from Korean agricultural products. Several of the new items are even adorned with

traditional wrappings with cloth used in traditional clothing.

The new branch also hosts a large-scale work of art, a 6.8-meter-high, 2.4-meterwide piece of traditional cloth depicting a siren, the symbol of Starbucks. On her head, the siren wears a floral wreath of Rose of Sharon blossoms, Korea’s national flower. Her lower body, which is that of a fish, is covered in scales shaped like the Bosingak Bell, another local landmark.

The Starbucks Jongno branch is divided into six spaces. Not only do the individual spaces offer unique experiences, but the number six is symbolic as the Jongno district was the site of the Six Official Stores, or Yukuijeon, a prominent market during the Joseon era.

We at SEOUL wish you health, happiness and peace in 2018 Want to lend a hand? Here’s how you can: Join the SEOUL Network!

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T. 02-734-9567 seoulad@seoulselection.com www.seoulselection.com