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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Travel & Food

State manager controls backstage at 'Hero'

A scene from “Hero” features independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun going through trial after assassinating Ito Hirobumi./ Courtesy of Acom InternationalBy Kwon Mee-yoo“Hero,” a locally produced musical being performed at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong, describes the life of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun.The idea of watching the struggle for independence on stage might not be intriguing at first, but a breathtaking chase scene between Korean independence fighters and Japanese police officers and a smooth transition from video projection to a life-size train carriage will do away with stereotypes.The musical has a cast of 40, however, there are more people back stage, making the show flow smoothly. Bae Ji-yeon, 32, the stage manager of “Hero,” gave an exclusive backstage tour to The Korea Times and revealed the secrets of the show.Bae Ji-yeon, the stage manager for “Hero” looks at the stage from the wings.A new world opened up behind the door saying “Staff Only.” It was four hours ahead of show time, but the stage was b

Nov 1, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
State manager controls backstage at 'Hero'
Arts & Theater

Chung seeks to attract more foreign visitors to NMOCA

Artist duo Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho’s works are on display at 2012 Korea Artist Prize at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of NMOCAChung Hyung-min, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, wants the museum torepresent Korean art and support Korean artists advancing overseas.By Kwon Mee-yooThe National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) is on the way to becoming the key place of Korean art and Chung Hyung-min, 60, named new director in January, is leading the innovation.Chung was an art history professor at Seoul National University before she took the position of the head of the nation’s contemporary art institution. She also led Seoul National University Museum of Art.With her expertise, Chung is ensuring the museum showcases the essence of Korean art and supports Korean artists advancing overseas.“The NMOCA should represent Korean contemporary art and I think it has the collection to do so. However, it was not researched thoroughly or put on display for pub

Oct 31, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Chung seeks to attract more foreign visitors to NMOCA
Arts & Theater

Van Gogh's self-portraits come to Korea

“Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat” (1887),“Self-Portrait” (1887)By Kwon Mee-yooKoreans love Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh’s bold use of color, unique brushstrokes and sentiment in his paintings. This makes the expectations on the coming Van Gogh exhibit higher.Hosted by Hankook Ilbo, The Korea Times’ sister paper, 60 of Van Gogh’s works, including nine self-portraits, will be on display at “Van Gogh in Paris: A“Self-Portrait”(1887). A total of 60 Van Gogh’s works, including nine self-portraits, will be on display at “Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism” exhibition at Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul Arts Centerin southern Seoul, from Nov. 8 through March 24, 2013./ Courtesy of Hankook Ilbo Cultural Project CenterDialogue with Modernism” exhibition at Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, from Nov. 8.This is the second exhibit of Van Gogh in Korea. The first retrospective was in 2007 and drew more than 820,000 visitors. This exhibit sheds light

Oct 29, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Van Gogh's self-portraits come to Korea
Arts & Theater

Choi explores finite and infinite

By Kwon Mee-yoo Choi Jae-eun, a Korean artist based in Japan and Germany, is holding an exhibition titled “-verse” at Kukje Gallery K2 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, exploring the communication between nature and people. Viewers are invited into a dark sky full of stars when they enter the gallery. When observed closely, there are three video screens facing in three directions in the darkened space. Titled “Finitude,” the video features the night sky over Storkow, Germany, as well as the sound of the artist walking around. The eight hour video is played in real time and though the screen might look like a still frame, the sky slowly changes. Born in 1953, Choi moved to Japan in 1976 to study fashion, but seeing works of Fluxus artists led her to become an artist. She is well-known for her ongoing “World Underground Project,” in which she buried paper in 11 different places in seven countries from 1986 and later dug them up to show the different levels of discoloration. She was the first Korean artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan i

Oct 26, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Anish Kapoor, beyond material concerns

By Kwon Mee-yoo Anish Kapoor, the sculptor of the 2012 London Olympics’ “Orbit,” came to Korea with his signature works and pigment series, “Auto-generation” and recent steel sculptures. This exhibition currently under way at Leeum museum is designed to review what Kapoor has done for some 30 years of his artistic career. “We chose works that can represent Kapoor’s lifelong theme of pursuing what is the non-material behind material,” said Tae Hyun-sun, curator of Leeum. “For every material object, there is a non-material condition in it,” and the phrase explores the thoughts behind Kapoor’s works, Tae said. The artist who is holding his first exhibition in East Asia sounded like more of a philosopher who unravels his thoughts in the form of fine art. “Scientific ways are incomplete and we are forced to reflect them philosophically,” Kapoor, 58, said. Upon entering the Ground Gallery in the museum’s Rem Koolhaas-designed building, a giant egg-shaped steel sculpture greets visitors. Titled “Cave,” the 2012 work explores darkness as an origin of creation. “Inside

Oct 24, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

More dynamic 'Phantom' comes to Korea in December

By Kwon Mee-yoo The Phantom behind the mask once again returns to Korea in December. In this 25th anniversary international touring production of “The Phantom of the Opera,” Brad Little plays the Phantom, Claire Lyon, Christine, and Anthony Downing, her fiance Raoul. The three actors visited Korea last week to meet their fans a month ahead of the show and shared their thoughts in an interview. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” has become one of Korea’s favorite musicals since it premiered here in 2001. The show drew more than 900,000 theatergoers for two licensed productions in 2001 and 2009 and a touring production in 2005. Little, 48, a Broadway veteran who has played the role of the Phantom over 2,000 times, already has a strong fan base in Korea since he played the role on the 2005 tour. “This is going to be very exciting and the audiences will see something very different from what it was,” Little said. He jokingly said he is “seven years older” compared to when he performed the Phantom in Korea last time, but he also seemed to have become deeper

Oct 21, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Travel & Food

Performing arts market in Seoul 2012

By Kwon Mee-yoo More than 1,500 people from 53 countries gathered at the National Theater of Korea, located at the foot of Mt. Nam in Seoul to explore the diversity of Korean performances at the 8th Performing Arts Market (PAMS). Organized by the Korea Arts Management Service and the National Theater of Korea, PAMS is the largest performing arts fair in Korea. It introduces selected Korean performances and international works; discusses the current state of the performing arts; and promotes networking of performing arts professionals from across the globe. For this year’s PAMS, 89 organizations — 73 from Korea and 16 from overseas — have installed booths. Four works from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, were showcased as well. The highlight of the event is the PAMS Choice Showcase, which presented a selection of 13 theater, music, dance and multidisciplinary performances in order to help them reach a global audience. International visitors gave a big round of applause to each troupe presented unique shows. The art market will wrap up t

Oct 11, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Chaplin's daughter brings 'Murmures des Murs'

By Kwon Mee-yoo Victoria Thierree-Chaplin, the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, will direct “Murmures des Murs” at LG Arts Center next weekend. The piece is a unique combination of pantomime, dance, magic and circus acts. Thierree-Chaplin is the eighth daughter of the legendary comedian and appeared in her father’s movie “A Countess from Hong Kong” (1966) when young. But she was more interested in theater than movies and created contemporary circus performances after marrying French actor Jean-Baptiste Thierree. Aurelia Thierree, daughter of Thierree-Chaplin, created “Murmures des Murs” with her mother and also appears in the show. Thierree-Chaplin and her daughter first presented “Oratorio” together in 2003 and it received critical acclaim. The two presented their second joint work “Murmures des Murs” in 2011. The title can be translated as “Murmuring Walls” in English and as it indicates, the show is about walls. A wall appears on the empty stage and one story begins from there while another starts when another wall is seen. “Murmures des Murs” revolves around a beautif

Oct 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
People & Events

Kang Ho-dong to return to 'Knee Guru'

Fans of the “Knee Guru,” an MBC talk show in which chubby comedian Kang Ho-dong dresses in colorful Korean traditional attire to talk with leading stars, can expect his return in late November. The network said that Kang will return to the popular program that will begin airing Thursday nights again in late November. “Knee Guru” was a part of “Golden Fishery” aired on Wednesdays, but the show will become independent. The 42-year-old has been absent from all entertainment programs after he voluntarily left following a tax evasion scandal last year. He said he would retire from the entertainment scene, but later shifted his position to a tentative retirement. In addition to “Knee Guru,” Kang has also confirmed that he will return to another popular program, SBS’s “Star King” soon, another program he hosted before going on hiatus. Broadcast insiders are expecting that the comedian may well return to KBS, where he was part of the successful “1 Night, 2 Days” program aired on Sundays. Aside from being a renowned host of these popular programs, Kang is also a successful busine

Oct 8, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Czech museum director seeks cultural exchange

National Gallery in Prague aims to be window of European art By Kwon Mee-yoo Vladimir Rosel, general director of the National Gallery in Prague, visited to attend a symposium hosted by Korea’s National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA) and discuss cultural exchanges with the local art scene last month. Rosel was inaugurated as general director in June 2011. He has an extraordinary career having worked as an investment banker based in London with Bankers Trust, Fieldstone Private Capital Group and Babcock & Brown. He was then appointed as a fine arts lecturer for the National Gallery in the 1980s and maintained contact with the gallery as an active member of the Society of Friends of the National Gallery in Prague. The National Gallery in Prague is the largest art museum in the Czech Republic with a collection of more than 400,000 pieces, attracting about 500,000 visitors a year. The director post was previously held by art historians and critics and Rosel brought a wind of change to the museum despite the objections he faced. “The public was requesting change in h

Oct 8, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
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