The Korea Times

Using wood, silk to produce traditional sound

Go Heung-gon, 63, Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 42 in traditional music instrument making, put together the “haegeum” or two-stringed traditional instrument in this file photo. / Courtesy of Go Heung-gonBy Kim Ji-sooGo Heung-gon was busy winding silk threads to make a batch of 12 that he would need for the “gayageum” or 12-stringed Korean zither. He worked constantly, even as he answered the phone, received guests and talked at his workshop in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.When more nylon-wrapped steel and brass strings are used in modern-day gayageum, Go keeps on to the traditional method.“The (silk) strings are responsible for the clear sound,” he said.Because he worked non-stop, one is naturally drawn to watch his hands that have done this task for 40-plus years; and you notice one hand is just as big as his face. When you mention this, he goes, “Ah...because I guess I did so much work with my hands,” chuckling a bit.Go works on the strings for the “gayageum” or a 12-string Korean zither in this file photo. T

Nov 16, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Using wood, silk to produce traditional sound

Shows & Dramas

Passing on 'samhae yakju' court wine

Kwon Hee-ja, No. 8 master of “samhae” rice wine makes a batch of raw alcohol in this file photo. She will hold a demonstration of how to make the samhae yakju at the Seoul History Museum Saturday. / Courtesy of Kwon Hee-jaMaster Kwon Hee-ja of clear rice wine to demonstrate on Nov. 15By Kim Ji-sooThe popularity of traditional Korean liquor such as “makgeolli” or soju has prompted interest in Korean traditional drinks. So much so, that Kwon Hee-ja now has more seekers — both Korean and foreign — coming to learn the secret of her family’s beverage, samhae yajku.It’s a good thing because Kwon doesn’t mass produce the family’s 500-year-long secret to brewing the clear rice wine, although word of mouth about its elegant taste got around and the government followed on this ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She hasn’t branched out like artisans in other traditional drinks because it requires a permit and the personnel to do it on a large scale.Since she was designated as a cultural asset for the Seoul Metropolitan Govern

Nov 12, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Noble, street food mix in Hollywood

Korean “ssambap” or rice wrapped in vegetables in small-sized “onggi” or traditional Korean earthenware are flanked by spoons with plums prepared in molecular gastronomy method.By Vivian HanHOLLYWOOD — I have two wonderful friends in the United States. Nam Sujin is a composer who has produced music for “Spiderman 2,” “Spiderman 3,” “Grudge” and other popular movies. She is one of the leading movie music composers in Hollywood. YoungSong Martin is one of most popular event designers who has worked for celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. She is a big name in Hollywood and was the creator of the wedding scene in the wood for “Twilight: Breaking Dawn.”Last year, Nam created an event she calls “Hollywood’s Music Night.” She decided to set it up because of the many young talented performers in Hollywood who don’t have the opportunity to meet famous composers to showcase their talent. This year’s event was more special because our dear friend Martin, CEO of Wildflowe

Nov 5, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Epik High ponders secrets of success

DJ Tukutz, from left, Tablo and Mithra Jin pose in this photo to promote therelease of their 8th studio album “Shoebox.” / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooTopping K-pop charts when you’re over 30 and don’t dance may be a tall order. But there they are — Tablo, 34, DJ Tukutz, 32, and Mithra Jin, 31 of the hip-hop group Epik High — with their 8th studio album “Shoebox” released on Oct. 21. Two weeks after in this fast-changing Korean music scene, “Happen Ending” and “Spoiler” remain on the top 10 list.In their first album in over two years, the three  offer a sophisticated mix between Tablo’s lyrics and nasal-toned rap, Mithra’s chocolate-like rap and Tukutz’s mixing.They have come far compared to their first appearance in 2002Tablo, Tukutz and Mithra all remember this.“We were promised 300,000 won to perform at the amusement park Everland in 2002, and I remember our performance was not even the major one,” said Tablo. There were about 12 people in the audience including

Nov 2, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Epik High tops charts

Shows & Dramas

Nam Hyun Bum's view behind the lens

Nam Hyun-bum, kneeling with his arms crossed, watches as other street fashion photographers shoot a model in Milan in this 2010 file photo.By Kim Ji-soo, Kim Jae-heunNam Hyun-bum, street fashion photographerCourtesy of Nam Hyun-bumNam Hyun-bum looks every bit the pioneer Korean street fashion photographer, wearing a beanie, in-style camouflage pants and a shirt, with a Leica M3-817351 camera hanging casually on his shoulder. Up close, however, he looks a little more serious, with the intense eyes and the hunch of a computer geek, which he once was.At 29, he already has four years of street fashion photography work, including for high-profile clients such as Vogue in the United States, Elle in France, Grazia in Italy and Vogue in Japan.He is usually busy all year round. This year, he started with fashion weeks in Milan in January, followed by fashion weeks in Florence, London, Paris and New York through March. Nam follows the same trajectory for the men’s fashion weeks in the fall.This month, however, is somewhat leisurely for Nam, giving him time to shoot away with his Lei

Oct 26, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

When embroidery becomes art

Thread artist Son In-sook poses with the folding screen titled “A Dialogue With Life” at the Gaepodong Exhibition Center for Yewon Silgrim Art and Culture Foundation in southern Seoul. / Courtesy of Yewon Silgrim Art and Culture FoundationBy Kim Ji-sooThe exhibition center for thread artist Son In-sook is located in the most unlikely place: on the first floor of a four-bedroom apartment in Gaepo-dong, southern Seoul. Son used to live there but now uses the space to show her thread artworks. Son, 63, an artist of threads, creates her unusual works using just needle and thread eight floors up.In the exhibition center, Son showcases her version of Joseon (1392-1910)-era painter Shin Yoon-bok’s “Portrait of a Beauty.” Unlike traditional Korean embroidery, which is done on a blank silk background using only the five traditional colors of red, yellow, white, black and blue, Son’s works recreate a picture’s background on the silk in a calm hue.An up-close look at Son’s handwork including the use ofhuman hair for the woman’

Oct 22, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Beast returns with year's 2nd album

Beast members Lee Gi-kwang, from left, Son Dong-woon, Yong Jun-hyung, Yang Yo-seob, Yoon Doo-joon, and Jang Hyun-seung pose in this file photo for the seventh album “Time.” / Courtesy of Cube EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooBoy band Beast is back with a second album this year to the delight of fans. Members Yoon Doo-joon, Jang Hyun-seung, Yong Jun-hyung, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang and Son Dong-woon looked tired but glad about the special album celebrating their fifth anniversary as a music group.“It’s been a long time since we released two albums in one year. I hope to have a good time with fans,” said the band’s front man Yoon Doo-joon during a press conference at CafeCube located on the first floor of the band’s agency, Cube, in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.Outside, the usual throng of young female fans waited for the chance to see their favorite stars.The special album(“Time”) features the ballad “12:30” written by member Yong Joon-hyung. “We attempted to convey a softer image of the band this time, which is appropria

Oct 19, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Master wood carver wins belated recognition

Small wood furniture master Um Tae-jo works with wood, his lifelong subject and teacher in life, at his workshop in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province in this file photo. He was appointed the Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 55 or small wood furniture making. / Courtesy of Um Tae-joUm Tae-jo says he learned about life through woodworkingBy Kim Ji-sooYEONGCHEON, North Gyeongsang Province —Walking into Um Tae-jo’s factory, one container-like building in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, one immediately comes face-to-face with elaborate, traditional Korean furniture such as a full-length wardrobe, bedding closets, half-sized chests and wooden beds made from pine wood. They’re the type of furniture one would see in various Korean dramas and films. In fact, Um’s works have been featured in Korean dramas such as “Jang Ok-jeong” and the Korean movie “Gwansang” (2013)or “The FaceReader.”The smell of the furniture, of the wood dried over several years, sometimes decades, imbues a sense of calm as one takes in the

Oct 15, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Master wood carver wins belated recognition

Shows & Dramas

Janice Min says K-pop needs authenticity

Janice Min, 44, co-president and chief creative director of the Entertainment Group of Guggenheim Media, speaks on the sidlines of the annual music festival the MU:CON Seoul 2014 on Monday in Hannam-dong, Seoul.Top US entertainment media executive says K-pop should evolve to reach wider audienceBy Kim Ji-sooJanice Min, a top U.S. entertainment media executive said that K-pop is the best known product after Samsung right now, but it needs more authenticity to connect with a wider audience.Min is co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group. In particular, she is in charge of the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, two American entertainment media outlets that extensively cover K-pop.Min was in Seoul to attend MU:CON Seoul 2014, which was held Oct. 6-8 at Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul. MU:CON is an annual event on K-pop organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency. She gave the opening speech on Monday, after which she held a press conference. The Korea Times talked to her additional in a separate e-mail interview. “K-pop,

Oct 8, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Janice Min says K-pop needs authenticity

Shows & Dramas

Lee Keun-bok: profile of traditional roof-tiler

Roof-tilers working with tiles during the restoration work for Sungnyemun Gate, which was destroyed in a 2008 arson attack. Lee Keun-bok is one of the several traditional artisans that took part in the recovery work. / Korea TImes fileBy KIm Ji-sooLee Keun-bok’s eyes were bloodshot; he said he was up all night with acquaintances. As head of the Korean Cultural Properties Craftsmen Association and the nation’s sole-recognized roof-tiler, Lee often travels throughout the nation to attend to both public and personal calls of duty.The roof of “hanok” or traditional Korean houses looks like an open book turned over, as the tiles are laid in a cross-cross fashion. While the carpenters build the edifice, the roof-tilers finish it, creating serene curves on the roof. Roof-tilers have been around for centuries and were responsible for the marvelous roofs of landmarks such as Gyeongbok Palace and Changdeok Palace, which date back to the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).The art of the curve, as roof-tilers like to say, entails dealing with dirt and danger. “Roof-tiling,

Oct 5, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Kim Ji-soo

Read more

Using wood, silk to produce traditional sound

Passing on 'samhae yakju' court wine

Noble, street food mix in Hollywood

Epik High ponders secrets of success

Nam Hyun Bum's view behind the lens

When embroidery becomes art

Beast returns with year's 2nd album

Master wood carver wins belated recognition

Janice Min says K-pop needs authenticity

Lee Keun-bok: profile of traditional roof-tiler

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