The Korea Times

‘Special Letter’ peppers military service with humor

By Kwon Mee-yoo Stories of serving in the military, playing sports and both of them together are three taboo topics during dates as they generally make women bored. Breaking this idea is the musical “Special Letter,” staged at SM Art Hall in Daehangno, Seoul. In the plot, six soldiers play soccer and it makes the females in the audience as well as the males go wild. Park In-seon, director of the show, said “Special Letter” came from an idea to create a show full of handsome male actors. “The idea of a military musical struck me,” he said at an interview with The Korea Times. Park actually did not serve in the army but as a conscripted policeman instead. “Most of the ideas came from stories I heard from friends. I personally did not know much about the military service and I think it helped me create the show for a general audience.” “Special Letter” refers to two kinds of letters in the musical — the draft notice to report for mandatory military service and the letters of encouragement sent to military personnel. The musical revolves around Eun-hui, a 27-year-ol

Aug 28, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Producer imbues Korean color to math animation

By Kwon Mee-yoo “Team Umizoomi” is a popular animated show for preschoolers airing on Nickelodeon, solving everyday problems using math. Milly, her brother Geo and robot friend Bot work in a team, travelling in Umi Car to settle such daily problems as fixing a watering can. The animation has a hint of Korean culture — the characters fly kites and the patterns on Milly and Geo’s clothes and of the buildings come from traditional Korean designs. Soo Kim, producer and design director of the show, has contributed to its unique atmosphere. “The characters have simple black eyes, just like Koreans,” Kim said in a telephone interview with The Korea Times. Born in Korea, Kim immigrated to the United States when she was a child. She majored in pre-medical studies as most Korean-American children do. However, instead of becoming a doctor, she moved to New York and leapt into the world of animation. She first worked on an MTV animation team before joining children-focused channel Nickelodeon to design for “Blue’s Clues” in 1996. “It was a big draw for me. While working

Aug 24, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Shows & Dramas

Choi Ji-woo ’Can’t Lose’ in romantic comedy

By Kwon Mee-yoo Hallyu princess Choi Ji-woo returns to the small screen as a divorce lawyer in the new MBC drama with the working title of “Can’t Lose,” starting today. Choi is known for portraying tragic heroines with a pure, innocent image in melodramas including the hit “Winter Sonata” (2002). “Can’t Lose” is her first challenge in romantic comedy. This also is the first time Choi will play a married character. “I’ve had the same image for 15 years. Isn’t it time for me to break out?” Choi said with a smile at a press conference last week. “I was a melodrama queen and now I want the title of romantic comedy queen.” “Can’t Lose” is a remake of the Japanese drama “The Sasaki Couple’s Merciless Battle” and features a lawyer couple — Eun-jae and Hyeong-woo — facing their own divorce suit. Unlike other romantic comedies that start from how the couple met each other, “CanLose” begins with the couple married in a rush and now seeking divorce. Choi said that her character Eun-jae at home resembles her ordinary days. “She looks like me at home. All women, they

Aug 23, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Kwon In-su expresses life force in poppies

By Kwon Mee-yoo Pink, purple and blue petals spread softly on “hanji,” traditional Korean mulberry paper, and subtle pistil and stamens in yellow are set in the middle of the flower, for Kwon In-su’s paintings of poppies are full of liveliness. The Korean painter is holding his eighth solo exhibition at Insa Art Center in Seoul through Tuesday. The gallery is filled with energy emitting from large poppies on the wall. Kwon graduated from Seoul National University, majoring in art, and earned his master’s degree at Hongik University. He mainly draws nature, such as trees and flowers. Poppies attracted Kwon’s attention ever since he once saw one on a hillside. Since then, he has been capturing the vivid flowers in Oriental paintings. This exhibition, subtitled “The Moment I Fall in Love,” features some 40 of his newest works, showing the glamorous yet dreamlike beauty of the flower. “The longer I looked at the beauty, the profound harmony of the petals wrapped around its body and the stamens and pistil, which are the roots of life, were enough to be a seduction that I c

Aug 19, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Weekender Gallery shops bring fine art to daily life

By Kwon Mee-yoo Art in galleries may be thought of as difficult to interpret but art gallery shops bring it down to Earth with fun pieces and designs. The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, revamped its shop in July. UUL functions as a part of the modern museum as well as a venue selling various designer and private brand products. The name UUL comes from the words “uri,” meaning us in Korean, and “ultari,” meaning fence. At the store entrance, artist Ahn Kyu-chul’s “The Density of Memory” greets visitors. From a chair and a globe to a pencil and notes, a variety of daily objects hang from the ceiling. The display stand of UUL is made from scrapped doors from the former Defense Security Command, also known as “Gimusa,” which is now being transformed into the Seoul branch of the museum. UUL offers 10 of its own brand products such as mugs, canvas bags and notebooks bearing its logo. The shop also collaborates with Korea’s top artists. Suk Chul-joo’s “New Paradise Scenery in Dream” is printed on a lampshade and the shop plans to

Aug 18, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Others

Miss Korea Chong leaves for Miss Universe

By Kwon Mee-yoo 2010 Miss Korea winner Chong So-ra left Seoul Monday to compete in the 2011 Miss Universe beauty pageant, which will be held at Credicard Hall, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sept. 12. Chong prepared for the international event by practicing arranging her hairdo and makeup as well as perfecting her speech and talent show, all without a trainer, after being crowned Miss Korea last August. “Miss Universe is a big event and I am grateful and thrilled to attend the event as a representative of Korea,” she was quoted by the Hankook Ilbo as saying. The Hankook Ilbo is a sister paper of The Korea Times. She said the most difficult part in preparing for the international beauty pageant was staying in shape and choosing a dress. “If I had more time, I would improve my figure and practice for interviews,” Chong said. The 20-year-old said she wants to show the understated beauty of Korea at the contest. “I am concerned that the judges might not agree with my concept of beauty. I think Korean beauty comes from inner values,” she said. The Miss Universe beauty pagea

Aug 15, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

‘Miracle boy’ Jo performs samulnori with Kim

By Kwon Mee-yoo Images of him playing “janggu,” or a Korean traditional hourglass-shaped drum, captivated some 2,000 audience members at the opening of the MTV Cyworld Dream Festival at AX-Korea in Seoul, July. Immersed in his playing, his earnest yet delighted face showed pure happiness in performing with his longtime role model, “samulnori” maestro Kim Duk-soo. For Jo Jan-hee, 19, it was the first time to play in front of such a big crowd. But he didn’t seem to be nervous. “I enjoyed playing onstage with Kim and was grateful for the people who cheered for me,” said Jo in an interview with The Korea Times. Jo was born to a single mother and abandoned at a hospital in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, as a newborn in 1992. He had congenital hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain,” and Ven. Jahye from Oeun Temple brought him to a child-care facility attached to the temple. The sick boy threw up baby formula and his skin blackened. Some three months later, Ven. Jahye made a trip to Seoul to schedule a surgery for Jo, but she had a car accident and was left a parapl

Aug 15, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Musical ’Organ in My Heart’ celebrates 200th performance

By Kwon Mee-yoo Local musical “Organ in My Heart” celebrated its 200th performance at Hoam Art Hall in central Seoul, last Thursday. Based on the 1999 film “The Harmonium in My Memory,” the show recalls the dim memory of first love. At the end of the play, Jeong Jae-ok, CEO of Credia, thanked the audiences who came to see it. “We hope to continue staging ‘Organ in My Heart’ until it reaches its 2,000th performance,” Jeong said. Actors, including Oh Man-seok, who played the teacher at the premiere in 2008 and now directs the show, and Kang Pil-suk, who played Dong-su last year, came to celebrate the anniversary. Other celebrities were also in attendance. Famed musical actress Choi Jung-won said, “I saw the musical in 2010 and this is my second time. The lovely lyrics and melody of ‘Organ in My Heart’ makes me indulge in memories.” The musical revolves around Hong-yeon, a 16-year-old belated elementary school student. She falls in love at first sight with her new teacher Dong-su, but he has a crush on Su-jeong, the art teacher who is also the school nurse. Singer

Aug 14, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Former Seoul Station turns into cultural space

By Kwon Mee-yoo The former Seoul Station, which halted train services to give way to the KTX in 2004, has reopened as a cultural space. The space is now called Culture Station Seoul 284. The new name commemorates the building, which was built in 1925 and was designated Historical Site No. 284 in 1981. The renovated station presents the “Countdown” exhibition, featuring a variety of works from sculpture to performance art, prior to its grand opening in March 2012. “Seoul Station, where people dashed to take trains, is reborn as a cultural space embracing history and the future,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chung Byoung-gug at the opening ceremony of Culture Station Seoul 284, Thursday. The exterior of the station remains just as people remember it with its signature red bricks and domed roof. The VIP lounge was restored based on old photos of former Presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee that were taken in the room. Ahn Chang-mo, the Kyonggi University architecture professor who oversaw the station’s restoration, said, “We tried to restore t

Aug 14, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Yun takes musical ’Hero’ to New York

This is the third in a series of interviews with the heads of Korea’s top theatrical companies. — ED. By Kwon Mee-yoo The life and story of Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910), a Korean independence activist and Pan-Asian philosopher, will hit New York’s Broadway from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3 through the musical “Hero,” produced and directed by Yun Ho-jin. It is Yun’s second foray onto the international stage and he is confident that he can captivate audiences with technology and a storyline dealing with a patriotic icon and his “Peace of East Asia” philosophy. Some four containers of sets and props, including a life-size railway carriage, left for the United States months ago and the actors are rehearsing at night to adjust to the New York time zone ahead of their arrival next week. “The audiences will be awed by the spectacle of the Harbin Train Station scene where Ahn assassinates Ito Hirobumi and I am positive that the story will impress international audiences,” Yun said in an interview with The Korea Times. Bringing ‘The Last Empress’ on stage Yun, 63, CEO of Acom In

Aug 10, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

‘Special Letter’ peppers military service with humor

Producer imbues Korean color to math animation

Choi Ji-woo ’Can’t Lose’ in romantic comedy

Kwon In-su expresses life force in poppies

Weekender Gallery shops bring fine art to daily life

Miss Korea Chong leaves for Miss Universe

‘Miracle boy’ Jo performs samulnori with Kim

Musical ’Organ in My Heart’ celebrates 200th performance

Former Seoul Station turns into cultural space

Yun takes musical ’Hero’ to New York

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