The Korea Times

42nd Translation Award Commendation Awards: ’Rivers and Mountains Without End’

Authored by Kim Hoon Translated by Koh Hyo-jin The parking lot guard outside the hospital’s main gate blew his whistle, bringing the incoming traffic to a halt. There was no separate gate to the mortuary in the back, so the funeral procession was leaving the hospital through the front. After executing a hand salute towards the procession’s rear end, the guard let the incoming traffic pass through. I parked my car on the third underground floor of the parking lot and went up to the lobby. The new hospital building had a raw, stinging smell. A few janitors were hunkered down on the floor, rubbing stains off the tiles. The hospital was a conglomerate’s first general unit, built as it entered the medical industry. The clinics were not divided into specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, or pediatrics, but categorized according to diseases specific to a body part or an organ. A sign propped up in the center of the lobby informed which floor one should go to for a particular body part. The Uterus & Breast Examination Room was on the first floor, the Liver Center and Heart C

Oct 31, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

People & Events

61st Commedation Award: ’The Hole’

Authored by Yoon Sung-hee Translated by Patricia Park My parents had been married for thirty years before they left for their first-ever trip abroad. I spent the past month sending out all kinds of letters to radio stations, trying to get them an anniversary present. The following was the winning story. Mom, who worked at a soup house, and Father, who worked at a tire factory, met when they were around twenty-two. Mom, who was having a one-sided love affair with Father, would slip extra pieces of meat in Father’s soup without her boss knowing. Because she placed the stewed meat at the bottom of the bowl before ladling in the broth, no one noticed. Not even Father. Each time he saw Mom’s hands, swollen from all the dishwashing, he thought of his childhood where he would play with a pig’s bladder, blown up like a soccer ball. His body grew exhausted, just as he used to feel after a heavy bout of exercise, and he wished he could curl himself into a ball — two hands clenched between his legs —and go to sleep. One day, when Father was eating by himself and Mom was

Oct 31, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Argumentative artists paint theater ’Red’

By Kwon Mee-yoo The time difference between Broadway and Seoul is shrinking — John Logan’s 2010 Tony Award-winning play “Red” is now in Korea at the Lee Hae-rang Arts Theatre in Dongguk University, Seoul. Upon entering the theater, the audience may feel like they are entering an artist’s studio. Big canvases and buckets are scattered and the smell of oil paint fills the theater. The play is about Mark Rothko, an abstract expressionist known for his color field paintings in the 1950s. After its premiere in London in 2009, the play went to New York the next year, sweeping six Tony Awards. Director Oh Kyung-taek brings keen artistic tension onstage, full of metaphors for life, art and passion for 100 minutes. Veteran actor Kang Shin-il portrays the fastidious painter, while Kang Pil-suk plays his assistant, Ken. Instead of following the chronicle of Rothko, the two-actor play focuses on a significant yet mysterious episode of Rothko — the Seagram murals. In 1958, the painter was commissioned to provide paintings for the Four Seasons, a luxury restaurant

Oct 31, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

’Sacheon-ga’ interprets Brecht through pansori

By Kwon Mee-yoo "It is practically impossible to live nicely. I am too fat to get a job, not even part-time. Per capita income of the nation is $20,000, but I am still hungry. There are many unsold apartments, but I do not have a place to lay my body down. I want to live nicely, but how could I do so in this expensive world," a "sorikkun," or narrative singer recites in a rhythmical tone. This is a scene from "Sacheon-ga," a “pansori” performance staged at Baekam Art Hall through Sunday. “Sacheon-ga” is an original work written by Lee Ja-ram, 32 that adapts Bertolt Brecht's "The Good Person of Szechwan" in the form of pansori. Pansori is a traditional form of narrative music in Korea, performed by a solo singer who plays all the characters in the story accompanied by a drummer. Lee is one of the most prominent young Korean traditional musicians, who completed singing pansori pieces "Chunhyang-ga," "Sugung-ga," "Jeokbyeok-ga" and "Simcheong-ga." Instead of remaining a talented Korean classical musician, Lee has broadened her boundaries by organizing a folk rock band

Oct 26, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Joseon life in court painters’ eyes

By Kwon Mee-yoo The life inside and outside of the royal palace of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) seen through court painters’ eyes is on exhibit at Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul. “The Court Painters of the Joseon Dynasty” features some 110 works of court painters, who worked for “Dohwaseo,” or the Royal Bureau of Painting. These court painters, or “hwawon,” led Joseon’s art scene with literati painters. “The court painters in Joseon were talented in various genres of painting, but they were undervalued due to their social status. We will shed new light on these official painters of Joseon through this exhibition,” Hong Ra-young, deputy director of Leeum, said at a press preview of the exhibit. The court painters were professional artists and worked for royal offices, visualizing the authority and governing ideology, while creating a variety of works following requests by their sponsors. They also pioneered the genre painting, depicting scenes from everyday life. “Famous Joseon artists Gim Hong-do, Sin Yun-bok and An Gyeon were all court painters. They com

Oct 23, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel & Food

Edward Kwon’s restaurant eyes families

By Kwon Mee-yoo Yet another restaurant by star chef Edward Kwon, called The Mixed One, opened in Hannam-dong Friday, one that will mainly target families and foreigners living in the neighborhood. Kwon said the concept for the restaurant comes from modern Californian multi-cuisine. The restaurant will serve a variety of food from the East and West and sometimes creatively combine them. “Hannam-dong is a foreigner-concentrated area with many embassies. I hope The Mixed One will appeal to them with its reasonably-priced food,” Kwon said at a press conference on the restaurant earlier this month. “I think there are no real family restaurants in Korea where a family can come together and have gourmet food in a comfortable setting. I want to provide quality food at affordable prices for families and foreigners.” Kwon was a head chef at the prestigious Burj Al Arab in Dubai and has been leading the globalization of Korean food by presenting contemporary Korean dishes at the Sydney Food Festival, Jakarta Food Festival, 2011 Singapore World Gourmet Summit and Hawaii Food and Win

Oct 21, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Ledecky’s rock musical ’Hamlet’ returns

By Kwon Mee-yoo Janek Ledecky, one of the most popular musicians in the Czech Republic, is better known as composer and writer of the musical “Hamlet.” Korean adaptations of the Czech show have proved successful here since it made its local debut in 2007. The classic tale of revenge by William Shakespeare was reinterpreted through Ledecky’s rock composition. The Czech musician said he did not start with any ambitions in musical theater: “I write songs and record and play them with my band. I was successful in Czech and Slovakia.” Ledecky is in Korea to attend the opening of the musical, which goes on stage at Universal Arts Center, Seoul, from today. His life changed when producer Martin Kumzak asked him to write the music to turn the Shakespearean play into song “if it is not too boring” for him. So Ledecky created the music for the tragic prince of Denmark and the musical was a big success in the Czech Republic, drawing some 10 million in six years after the 1999 premiere in Prague. Ledecky also starred in the lead role of Hamlet in the original production. The musical the

Oct 19, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

K-pop

Girls’ Generation targets global fame

By Kwon Mee-yoo Girls’ Generation reveal their new song “The Boys” today, aiming to hit the world with a powerful, strong image. During an interview prior to their third studio album in Korea and the first-ever maxi single to hit the United States in November, the girls seemed excited to be returning to the local music scene. The nine girls dressed down for the press conference, wearing simple jeans and shirts. They could easily pass for average university students, chatting with one another in a rather free and open atmosphere. However, when the topic got around to music and performance, they made a complete about-face. Beyond girlish image “The Boys,” composed and arranged by Teddy Riley, the celebrated producer who worked with Michael Jackson, is quite different from their previous songs such as “Gee” and “Oh!” Their usual bubbly image is gone and the girls get bold and set out to lead the boys. The song is released in both Korean and English. “It is an energetic song, representing girl power — not only Girls’ Generation’s power, but women overall,” T

Oct 19, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

People & Events

Girls’ Generation to debut in US in November

By Kwon Mee-yoo Korean girl group Girls' Generation will release a single in the United States on the same recording label as Lady Gaga and Eminem. The group's agency SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that the nine-member girl group will release a maxi single including a new song "The Boys" in November through Interscope Records owned by Universal Music Group. Universal Music Group will also release a Girls' Generation album in Europe and South America, making the group's music more global. Girls' Generation will release "The Boys," produced by Teddy Riley, Oct. 19 across the globe through iTunes and other channels. Originally scheduled to be released last week, the group postponed it to promote their music worldwide. On the same day, the group will release their third studio album in Korea.

Oct 12, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

DJ DOC’s music reborn in ’Street Life’

By Kwon Mee-yoo The music of DJ DOC heats up the stage with powerful rap and choreography. However, this is not a concert, but a new jukebox musical “Street Life,” composed solely of the hip-hop group’s songs. Jukebox musicals often go one of two ways — create a new story with the music like “Mamma Mia!” and “All Shook Up” or interweave the life of the musicians in documentary style like “Jersey Boys.” “Street Life” took a middle path. It is a story of three men who love music, but it is difficult to find biographical clues related to DJ DOC members. The story revolves around Jae-min (played by Lee Jae-one and Kim Tae-hoon), Su-chang (Jung Won-young and Lee Jin-kyu) and Hun (Kang Hong-seok and Ra Jun), working at a night club as a DJ, waiter and tout, respectively, who dream of becoming musicians. They make their debut as a group named Street Life, but the music business proves no bed of roses when they meet a greedy manager. Supporting roles such as the mean agency chief, an androgynous stylist and frantic fans pepper the musical with humor. DJ DOC’s songs blen

Oct 12, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

42nd Translation Award Commendation Awards: ’Rivers and Mountains Without End’

61st Commedation Award: ’The Hole’

Argumentative artists paint theater ’Red’

’Sacheon-ga’ interprets Brecht through pansori

Joseon life in court painters’ eyes

Edward Kwon’s restaurant eyes families

Ledecky’s rock musical ’Hamlet’ returns

Girls’ Generation targets global fame

Girls’ Generation to debut in US in November

DJ DOC’s music reborn in ’Street Life’

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