Underlounge Seoul
Hongdae or Hongik University Area
This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that’s also in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area, Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr.
Club M2
Hongdae
M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Check www.ohoo.net.
Club Heaven
Yeoksam-dong
Located next to the Renaissance Seoul Hotel, Heaven is gaining a reputation as a clubber’s paradise with star DJs and a celebrity clientele. Electronic music is the main menu, with laser light and paper confetti shows aplenty on the side. The club caters to partying at any hour of the night: the “main stage” on the first floor is open until 6:30 a.m., while club hoppers can enter the upper level’s “after stage” after 4:30 a.m. Call 1644-8466.
Cafe Mou
Sinsa-dong
This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations that its owner got from travels to such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. It’s located at the edge of Dosan Park. 650-9 Park View Building, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, near the Cine City Theater in Apgujeongdong. Call (02) 3444-6069.
Naos Nova
Itaewon
A wine bar and restaurant with a design so stunning, that it was featured in several interior design magazines before its doors even opened to the public. Its location across from Namsan Park gives it a wonderful, cool atmosphere. Visit www.naosnova.com (448-120 Huam-dong Yongsan-gu, Seoul) or call (02) 754-2202.
Le Nuit Blanche
Cheongdam-dong
Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is introduced as a posh restaurant, theater and club. Located in front of Hotel Prima in Cheongdam-dong, Le Nuit Blanche offers Cirque du Soleil-type performances at its theater restaurant. World class DJs from all over the world are invited to perform at the club. Call (02) 514-4311 or visit www.lenuitblanche.com.
Platoon Kunsthalle
Apgujeong-dong
Platoon Kunsthalle is a cultural space where visitors can enjoy various facilities, including an event hall, library lounge, art studios and a bar and restaurant. Open from Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. DJ nights on Thursday and Friday from 10 p.m. Located near exit 10 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. Visit www.kunsthalle.com or www.platoon.org.
Gachi
Salsa music enthusiasts can dance the night away here. The beat of salsa music will lead you to the club. To go to Gachi, get off at Apgujeong Line 3 and go out exit 5. After walking past six streets, look for Matilda Club and Bar on the seventh street, turn left and look for Gachi’s red and white sign. Gachi is open from Mondays to Fridays 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday to Sunday, 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. Call (02) 540-7087.
St.102
This hip-hop club often has special parties and performances. There are many Korean homies here with do-rags, dreads and baseball caps turned sideways. Visit st102.cyworld.com. 360-18 Seogyo-dong, Hongdae or call (02) 335-7166.
Moonyang Bar
This place is an Asian-inspired lounge on the third floor of a building on Parking Lot street in the Hongdae area. The stone walls feature photographs and rusted steel plates cover the windows. This place is in Mapo at Seogyo-dong, 366-17. Call (02) 338-1523.
Rocky Mountain Tavern
A down-to-earth place, the club was started by a couple of Canadians. With a spacious, woody bar, the tavern is spread out over two floors. Find it on Itaewon’s main drag across from the International Clinic. Located near exit 5 of Itaewon Station on subway line 6.
Funky Funky
This live music venue features all kinds of music. Depending on the night, they feature funk, punk, rock or pop. Funky Funky attracts an eclectic mix of people. Walk down to the alley with Club Tool on the corner and turn right. Visit clubff.cyworld.com.
Above
This medium-sized wine bar in the alley behind the Hamilton Hotel is one of Itaewon’s swankiest hangouts. The candlelight, tiled indoor pond and the designs on the door seem Moorish. Located at 19-25 Itaewon-dong store 22-ho. Call (02) 749-0717.
Once in a Blue Moon
Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night usually starting at 7: 30 p.m. The place exudes an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere that is perfect for a romantic date. It is located on the street between the Hakdong intersection and the Galleria intersection in Apgujeong-dong. Call (02) 549-5490 or www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.
The Spot
If you like punk or alternative music, then you should hit The Spot. It is a live music venue located next to the playground near Hongik University. The Spot is a small basement bar, and it is a mainly standing room-only place. Visit www.clubspot.co.kr or call (02) 322-5956, (02) 3141-6876.
Casa Del Vino
This dark, intimate bar offers a great selection of wine, and it’s a great place to chill out. It’s near the Salvatore Ferragamo and Prada buildings in Cheongdam-dong. Call (02) 542-8003.
Folk Performances
The Korea House
Open Run
The Korea House will hold a series of traditional performances. The entrance fee is 29,000 won. Each performance includes a traditional Korean dinner. Visit www.koreahouse.or.kr or call (02) 2266-9101. Located near exit 3 of Chungmuro Station, subway lines 3 and 4.
A Sacred Landscape
Royal Gallery
Through April 11
Artist Lim Myung-ock is known for her beautiful sculptural glass works. Lim will be showing three LED works, 26 optic glass works and six stainless works at Royal Gallery, on the 2nd floor of Royal Building, Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul. To get there, get off at Hakdong Station, exit 7 and walk 70 meters. Visit art.royaltoto.co.kr or call (02) 514-1248.
Unguarded Moment
Sejong Museum of Art
April 8-May 30
Photographer Steve McCurry is best known for his iconic photograph of an Afghan girl, which landed on the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. An exhibition of McCurry’s memorable photographs will be held in Seoul for the first time at the Sejong Museum of Art, downtown Seoul. Visit www.mccurrykorea.com.
A Boy Waiting for the Spring
National Museum of Art, Deoksu Palace
Through April 18
The National Museum of Art, Deoksu Palace is hosting a major retrospective of works by Park No-soo, who “brought a unique aspect to Korean traditional painting with the use of vivid and transparent colors, bold composition and the aesthetic exploration of empty space.” Admission is 5,000 won for adults and 2,500 won for children. Visit www.moca.go.kr.
Walking on the Mindscape
Gallery Hyundai
Through April 4
In this exhibition, Nam Kyung-min continues to create indoor landscapes showing artists’ studios and study rooms. These “unreal” landscapes that overlap with actual landscapes are what the artist calls “mind scape.” Visit www.galleryhyundai.com.
Neo Sense: From Illusion to 3D
Savina Museum of Contemporary Art
Through May 23
Amid the popularity of 3D films, the “Neosense” exhibition explores the growing interest in 3D art. The exhibition features a diverse mix of paintings, sculpture, multimedia and installation artworks by 11 artists.
Visit www.savinamuseum.com.
Generation Gap: New World Syndrome
UNC Gallery
Artist YP (whose real name is Yoo Young-pil) is showing a new series of Pop Art paintings at this exhibition. UNC Gallery is located in Sagan-dong, Jongno. Call (02) 733-2798.
Human Affair
Jazzy M.a.s
April 2-7
Jazzy M.a.s. (Multi Art Space) is hosting the second solo exhibition of Son Hyeon-guk. Visit www.jazzyspot.com.
Family Study
Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art
Through May 9
Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art is presenting a new exhibition for spring, “Family Study,” with artworks that tell stories about people’s homes and daily lives. Visit www.gmoma.org or call (031) 481-7000.
Random Access
Nam June Paik Center
This exhibition presents works by the late Nam June Paik as well as the center’s new acquisitions. The title refers to the “possibility of unexpected encounters,” a concept presented by Paik at his first exhibition in Wuppertal, Germany in 1963. The Nam June Paik Art Center is located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Visit www.njpartcenter.kr.
Patricia Piccinini
LeeAhn Gallery, Daegu
Through April 17
Australian artist Patricia Piccinini is showing her works in Seoul for the first time. LeeAhn Gallery, based in Daegu, has brought several works to the space in Seoul at the first floor of Rodeo Plaza in Cheongdam-dong. Visit www.leeahngallery.com. Call (02) 512-2243.
Ode Bertrand
Philip Kang Gallery
Through April 3
French artist Ode Bertrand is presenting her works in Seoul for the first time. Visit www.philipkanggallery.net.
The Same Yet Different
Mongin Art Center
Chung Zu-young’s works will be on display at Mongin Art Center, Samcheong-dong, Jongno. Closed on Monday. Visit www.mongin.org.
Must See Must Have
N Gallery
Arists Kim Byung-jin, Jeong Il-young, Shin Dong-won, Lee Woo-lim and Kim Hyung-kwan are presenting their works in a group exhibition at N Gallery in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Provice. Visit www.ngalleryart.com.
Adjective Life in Nonsense Factory
Art Sonje Center
Through April 25
Ham Yang-ah, who has been working in the Netherlands since 2006, presents new works of chocolate sculptures, multimedia installations and videos at the exhibition on the second floor of the Art Sonje Center. It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Tickets are 3,000 won for adults and 1,500 won for students. Visit www.artsonje.org/asc or call (02) 733-8945.
Horn and Tail
Gallery Plant
Through April 15
Lim Min-ouk’s “Portable Keeper,” a video of performance art from 2009, is being shown at Gallery Plant, Hwa-dong, Jongno. Visit www.galleryplant.kr or call (02) 722-2826.
Hyun―Ki
Through March 28
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of video artist Park Hyun-ki (1942-2000), Gallery Hyundai has organized a retrospective of his experimental works. “Park’s venture with video, the newest and most advanced medium in the 1970s, points to more than an individual artist’s experimental spirit; it carries great significance in the history of modern Korean aesthetics,” the gallery said. Visit www.galleryhyundai.com.
Fog Dossier
Jeuno JE Kim, an artist based in Sweden, worked with curator Che Kyong-fa on a research project that explores people’s relation to history and the different personal and public archives that offer new points of view. Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Tickets are 3,000 won for adults and 1,500 won for students. Visit www.artsonje.org/asc or call (02) 733-8945.
Ku Myeong-seon Solo Show
Gallery Viol
Through April 10
Ku Myeong-seon is holding a solo show at Gallery Viol, located in Wha-dong, Jongno. Visit www.galleryviol.com.
Lee Dong-uk
Opera Gallery
Through March 30
Lee Dong-uk has a solo show at Opera Gallery Seoul. Visit www.operagallery.com.
Creatures of Habit
Jay Gallery & Na Gallery
April 7-17
The International Artists Community’s second show “Creatures of Habit” will feature 24 artists from seven countries ― Brunei, Canada, Chile, Korea, Lebanon, the U.K. and the U.S. The exhibition is being held at Jay and Na Gallery, located in the basement of SK HUB Plaza, near Anguk Station line 3, exit 6.
What We Found in an Abandoned Garage
Gallery Factory
Installations by Jung Su-young and charcoal works by Sandro Setola from the Netherlands are being presented at Gallery Factory. Visit www.factory483.org.
Les Fleurs
Kukje Gallery
Through March 31
Renowned French artist Louise Bourgeois is holding a solo show of flower drawings and sculptures at Kukje Gallery. Bourgeois is considered one of the most important living artists of the 21st century. Visit www.kukjegallery.com or call (02) 733-8449.
Delicious Candle
Coreana Museum of Art
“Delicious Candle” is an exhibition of candles at the open gallery of the Coreana Museum of Art. Visit www.spacec.co.kr.
Educational Theme Park “KidZania”
KidZania
A new concept amusement park “KidZania” offers children hands-on experience of up to 90 different career roles, including a firefighter, police officer, reporter, baker, designer and doctor. All tickets cost 32,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-5110. Located near exit 4 of Jamsil Station on subway line 2.
Family Ballet ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Oulim Theater, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex
May 4-5
Seoul Ballet Theater (SBT) will stage “Alice in Wonderland” this May. The story is based on Lewis Carroll’s classic novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” James Jeon, who is the president choreographer of SBT, focused on entertaining a younger audience when he created this ballet. Tickets cost from 12,000 to 20,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1577-7766. Located near exit 3 of Jeongbalsan Station on subway line 3.
Baseball
Saturday, March 27
Doosan Bears vs. KIA Tigers
Jamsil Stadium at 2 p.m.
SK Wyverns vs. Hanhwa Eagles
Munhak Stadium at 2 p.m.
Samsung Lions vs. LG Twins
Daegu Stadium at 2 p.m.
Lotte Giants vs. Nexen Heroes
Sajik Stadium at 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 28
Jamsil Stadium at 2:15 p.m.
Basketball
KCC Egis vs. KT Sonic Boom
Jeonju Indoor Stadium at 6 p.m.
Ulsan Mobis vs. Dongbu Promy
Ulsan Dongcheon Stadium at 6 p.m.
The Gwacheon Seoul Race Track holds races from 10:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday. Get off at Seoul Racecourse Station, subway line 4, exit 3. For more information, call (02)509-1114 or visit at www.kra.co.kr.