 Erno Rubik talks during an interview with the Time Magazine. / Courtesy of Time.com |
Staff Reporter
Many people have played with the mechanical puzzle turning colored pieces to solve the Rubik's Cube, the invention of Hungarian architect Erno Rubik.
That innovative individual will reveal himself to the Korean public this year.
The Korea Foundation together with the Hungarian Embassy in Seoul has invited Rubik here. "He will come in October," Hungarian Ambassador Miklos Lengyel told The Korea Times.
The ambassador, who personally met Rubik in Hungary to deliver the invitation, said Rubik was excited about his first trip to Korea where the cube enjoys popularity.
The invention of Rubik's Cube is an old story. He invented the first 3x3x3 cube in 1974. It was a hit during the 1980s in Hungary, sold almost 100 million.
Overseas sale began in the 1980s. Once out in the global market, sales picked up quickly in all corners of the world. Yet the popularity quickly died down.
With the assistance of the Internet at the turn of the century, the cube made a comeback.
Nearly 350 millions cubes have been sold worldwide, and almost 40,000 entries on Youtube feature tutorials and video clips of quick solutions.
In Korea, the cube's popularity reached its peak in the 1980s, slowed down and picked up again at the turn of the century supported by the Internet.
Local groups learning to solve the cube have sprung up, including the Korea Cube Association.
In 2006, Korea first hosted an international Rubik's cube championship and as of 2007, Korea held two world and five Asia records.
Described as "a work of art," it also earned a place as a permanent exhibit in New York's Museum of Modern Art, and entered the Oxford English dictionary two years after its invention.
Following the first cubes, Rubik created similar inventions with small alterations, such as Rubik's cylinder, a 3x3x3 cube with flattened corners; Pocket cube, a 2x2x2 version of cube; Domino cube, a 2x2x3 version; and Rubik's Revenge, a 4x4x4 version.
This month, Rubik introduced his new Rubik's 360, a 3-D mechanical puzzle.
He also created other toys and games, but none have become as popular as the cubes.
Born to a poet mother and an engineer father, Rubik had always been drawn to space.
He once said, "Space always intrigued me, with its incredibly rich possibilities, space alteration by objects, objects' transformation in space... I think the cube arose from that interest."
He studied architectural engineering at college and worked as an architect until he became a professor at the Budapest College of Applied Arts.
Rubik's visit this year is special to the ambassador who had "tried hard to persuade" him to come.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the year 2009 is extraordinary for Korea and Hungary, and Lengyel wanted Rubik to be part of the special celebration.
In addition, "We like to introduce an innovative and creative character from Hungary, which is symbolized by this toy," Lengyel said.
"At the same time, I'd like to address him to the younger generation in Korea. They know about Hungarian music, but hardly know it was a Hungarian invention."
Hungary-Korea ties were symbolic in that Hungary was the first communist state to establish formal relations with Korea during the Cold War era. As part of the celebration, a series of cultural events are scheduled in Seoul and Budapest.
The ambassador said Rubik was just one of many innovative minds of Hungary, demonstrated by the number of Nobel laureates with Hungarian roots.
Thirteen Nobel laureates are Hungarian, including Imre Kertesz, winner in literature in 2002, according to Lengyel.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
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