Around Town 2
Traditional
‘Fanta-Stick'
Seoul Fanta-Stick Theater
Throughout 2016
"Fanta-Stick" is performed daily at Seoul Fanta-Stick Theater on an open-ended run. The performance presents original representative Korean music, using traditional Korean instruments to create fusion gugak.
Park Ji-hoon, Lee Seok-jae, Kwon Hyun-soo and Na Jung-suk play the main roles of Jangdan and Saemachi. The show also features Yang Ye-rim, Kim Jee, Kim Sae-jin, Yoon Sung-hwan, Kim Byung-soo and Shin Kwang-hee.
Tickets are from 30,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, visit fanta-stick.co.kr or call (02) 3143-5959.
‘YOULL'
Jeongdong Theater
Through Dec. 31
"YOULL," a dance performance mixed with drama, will be staged at Jeongdong Theater until the end of 2016.
The performance will bring a wide range of traditional modes of expression together, including Korean dance, theater, music and martial arts. By applying the heroic fantasy genre to this production, Jeongdong Theater hopes to broaden its popular appeal. Actors Jeon Jin-hong, Lee Hyuk, Park Ji-yeon and Cho Haneul will play the main roles.
Tickets are from 40,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, visit jeongdong.or.kr or call (02) 751-1500.
‘Geumsijo'
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
Dec. 27
Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra will perform "Geumsijo," a music drama that features traditional Korean orchestral music, on Dec. 27. This is the third time the show has been staged since its premiere in 2014. "Geumsijo" is an adaptation of Korean writer Yi Mun-yol's novel of the same title, which is about an artist who constantly agonizes and reflects over his artistic soul. The show is directed by Hwang Jun-yon and conducted by Jin Seong-su.
Tickets are from 10,000 to 30,000 won. For more information, visit sejongpac.or.kr or call (02) 399-1188.
Museums
‘Baekje Historic Areas of World Heritage'
National Museum of Korea
Through Jan. 30, 2017
Celebrating the 1st anniversary of registration of Baekje Historic Areas as UNESCO World Heritage, the National Museum of Korea holds a special exhibition from Nov. 29 to Jan. 30, 2017.
The exhibition has been prepared in collaboration with Baekje World Heritage Center. It will feature 400 representative cultural assets from the Later Baekje period (A.D 475-678), including artifacts from the famous Mireuksa Temple Site of Iksan. This exhibition will shed new light on the efforts and achievements to reveal the historically and culturally valuable Baekje legacy, such as excavation and restoration projects.
Admission is free. For more information, visit museum.go.kr or call (02) 2077-9454
‘As the Moon Waxes and Wanes'
MMCA Gwacheon
Through Feb. 12, 2017
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of MMCA Gwacheon, it will hold a special exhibition called "As the Moon Waxes and Wanes" until Feb. 12, 2017.
MMCA Gwacheon has acquired 5,800 works of art over the past three decades, which comprise 74% of its entire collection. This special exhibition will focus on its new collections. It will shed light on the lifecycle and destiny of a work of art proceeded by the dialectical course, from the conditions that prompt the creation of an artwork to the production, circulation, acquisition, utilization, preservation, death and rebirth.
Admission is free. For more information, visit mmca.go.kr or call (02) 2188-6000.
‘Timeless Marvels, the Construction of Palaces in Joseon’
National Palace Museum of Korea
Through Feb. 19, 2017
A special exhibition on the construction and renovation efforts for the palaces in the Joseon Dynasty will be held at the National Palace Museum of Korea until Feb. 19, 2017.
Throughout the Joseon Dynasty, there were many construction and renovation projects for the country’s five palaces. This exhibition presents 180 pieces of records, artifacts, and models of the construction projects in the Joseon Dynasty. It will include the Royal Protocol, plaques for the palace buildings, wallpaper from a palace hall, and construction tools. From this exhibition the viewers will be able to learn about the whole process of place construction from decision making and planning to the completion.
Admission is free. For more information, visit gogung.go.kr or call (02) 3701-7633.
The Great Graffiti'
Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum
Through Feb. 26, 2017
Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum is holding the exhibition "The Great Graffiti" from Dec. 9 to Feb. 26, 2017. This exhibition presents the works of five globally renowned graffiti artists: Crash, JonOne, Nick Walker, Shepard Fairey and Zeus. It is the world's first exhibition that features the works of all those artists in the same place. Through this exhibition, the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum aims to introduce Korea to the international trend in art.
Admission costs 10,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 580-1300.
Art Exhibitions
‘David LaChapelle'
Ara Modern Art Museum
Works of David LaChapelle will be exhibited in Korea at Ara Modern Art Museum from Nov. 19 to Feb. 26, 2017.
Titled "David LaChapelle: Inscape of Beauty," the exhibition will feature about 200 works showcasing the broad span of his art, ranging from early pieces to new series never shown in Asia. The artist is known internationally for his exceptional talent in combining a unique hyper-realistic aesthetic with profound social messages. LaChapelle's photography career began in the 1980s when he began showing his artwork in New York; his photographs of celebrities garnered positive attention, and before long he was shooting for a variety of top editorial publications and creating some of the most memorable ad campaigns of his generation. This exhibition of LaChapelle's work will mark his third solo show in Korea.
Tickets cost 8,000 to 12,000 won. For more information, visit aramuseum.org or call (02) 732-1177.
‘Alphonse Mucha, The Pioneer of Modern Graphic Design'
Seoul Arts Center Hangaram Art Museum
Through Mar. 5, 2017
Seoul Arts Center will run a special exhibition featuring the works of Alphonse Mucha from Dec. 3 to Mar. 5, 2017.
Alphonse Mucha is one of the most-renowned Czech artists, also known as the father of modern graphic design. As a graphic designer and leader of the Art Nouveau movement, he elevated commercial art to the level of fine art. In this exhibition, 230 pieces of Mucha's art will be presented, including paintings, advertising posters, illustrations and interior decorations. Works of Korean and Japanese cartoonists inspired by Mucha will be presented in the exhibition as well.
Admission costs 15,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 6273-4242.
‘Musee d'Orsay'
Seoul Art Center
The Musee D'Orsay, one of the top Parisian museums, is bringing to Korea a total of 131 artworks by some of the favorite artists of Koreans — Jean François Millet, Van Gogh, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin. The majority of the works are from the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a focus on Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. It is a part of the "Year of Korea-France Bilateral Exchanges" in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The exhibition will be held until March 2017.
Tickets cost 8,000 to 13,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 720-0766.
‘Hundertwasser — The Green City'
Sejong Art Museum
Dec. 14 to Mar. 12, 2017
An exhibition featuring works of Austrian painter and architect Hundertwasser will be held from Dec. 14 to Mar. 12 2017, at Sejong Art Museum. Hudertwasser is one of Austria's representative artists, who received a wide range of recognition for his colorful and bold paintings and environmentally friendly architecture. He devoted his life to environmental protection and world peace. This exhibition will present around 250 pieces of his art including oil paintings, tapestries and architectural sketches.
Tickets cost 15,000 won. For more information, visit sejongpac.or.kr or call (02) 555-3945.
‘Le Corbusier Special Exhibition’
Seoul Arts Center Hangaram Design Museum
Through Mar. 26, 2017
For the first time in Korea, works of the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier will be presented in Hangaram Design Museum of Seoul Arts center until Mar. 26, 2017.
Le Corbusier is known as the pioneer of modern architecture. He founded the basic theories and principles of modern architecture and city planning, created apartment housing, and strongly influenced the form of housing in cities. 17 of his architecture projects are registered as UNESCO world heritage sites.
In this special exhibition, 500 pieces of his paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and videos will be presented. The visitors will also be able to take a look at one of his representative architectures, “The Chapelle of Notre-Dame-du Haut” through a virtual reality video.
Admission costs 15,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 532-4407
Kids
Cloud Bread
Art Center Tree & Water
The Children's musical "Cloud Bread" as an open-ended run is staged at Art Center Tree and Water at Daehangno.
After the story "Cloud Bread" made its debut in 2004, this story has undergone several adaptations and captured the hearts of countless children and adults through the musical, children's music concert, and an animation series. Min Jung-ki, Lim Su-min, Choi Yun-chung and Lee Dae-eun play the main characters.
Admission is 25,000 won. Children must be older than 2 years. For more information, visit mhicon.co.kr or call 1666-5795.
Sports
KCC Korean Basketball League
Dec. 17
Changwon LG Sakers vs. Goyang Orions
Changwon Indoor Gymnasium
Busan KT Sonicboom vs. Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
Busan Sajik Indoor Gymnasium
Anyang KGC vs. Jeonju KCC Egis
Anyang Gymnasium
Dec. 18
Seoul SK Knights vs. Wonju Dongbu Promy
Jamsil Students' Gymnasium
Busan KT Sonicboom vs. Incheon ET Land Elephants
Changwon LG Sakers vs. Seoul Samsung Thunders
Horseracing
Let's Run Park Seoul
Let's Run Park Seoul holds races from 10:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. It is located by Seoul Racecourse Park Station, subway line 4, exit 3. For more information, call (02) 509-1114 or visit kra.co.kr.