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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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Arts & Theater

Swan Lake, Turandot reborn in Seoul

Seoul Metropolitan art companies revamp Western classics By Kwon Mee-yoo The classic ballet “Swan Lake” and Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Turandot” spring to new life here in Seoul through two Seoul Metropolitan art companies. The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre (SMDT) will stage “Swan Lake” on April 15 and 16 at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, while Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre (SMMT) presents “Turando” from April 29 to May 25 at the M Theater of the same venue. “The musical ‘Miss Saigon’ is based on Puccini’s opera ‘Madame Butterfly’ and ‘Rent’ is a modern version of another Puccini opera ‘La Boheme,’” a PR representative of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said. “This kind of one-source multi-use is becoming popular in the performing arts field. These works have familiar stories, but require creativity to overcome the barrier between genres.” The SMDT’s rendition of “Swan Lake” is against the backdrop of Biryung and Buyeon, two imaginary ancient countries in Manchuria, north of Korea, and Mangang, a savage tribe. Lim Lee

Apr 6, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Spring opens with abstract expressions

By Kwon Mee-yoo Indulge in Korean abstract art at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) this spring. The Deoksu Palace Museum, an annex of MOCA, is holding an exhibition titled “Abstract It” until May 10, shedding new light on the museum’s vast collection. Yoo Jin-sang, a professor at the Kaywon School of Art And Design, planned the exhibition as a guest curator. The event aims to rediscover the collection of MOCA. “There are some 2,500 works in MOCA’s collection including paintings, sculptures, media art works and more. From them I chose about 70, some of which are being displayed for the first time,” Yoo said. The exhibition presents four sections to reflect the extended definition of “abstraction” — Obscurity/Invisibility; Everyday’s Abstraction; Techniques of Abstraction; Plane of Abstraction or Outside. Dozens of pieces ranging from the early-20th century to present, including those by Korean artists Kim Chang-ryeol and Park Seo-bo, are laid out next to Marcel Duchamp and Louise Bourgeoise. “They are not in chronological order,” said Yoo. “I

Apr 1, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Kim Dong-wan to perform in Hedwig

By Kwon Mee-yoo Kim Dong-wan of Shinhwa and model-turned-actor Kim Jae-wook will take the stage as a transgender rock singer in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” from May. Musical actors Jo Jung-seok and Choi Jae-woong return to play the rocker again and will alternate the role with the two Kims. Production company Show Note said the four actors have distinct colors and thus four totally different Hedwigs will be presented this year. “Lee Gi-na, the director of previous productions of ‘Hedwig,’ knows the show well and has been prominent in finding the individuality of the actors,” an employee of Show Note said. Costumes, make-up and even choreography and lighting will be customized for each actor, maximizing their characteristics. Known for his masculine charm, Kim Dong-wan will be transformed into a tender-hearted, vulnerable singer. “When he decided to act in Hedwig, he read the script and score over and over to understand the character,” the Show Note staffer said. “He made his debut as a member of K-pop group Shinhwa in 1998 and has acted in several TV dramas an

Mar 30, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Shows & Dramas

Wilderness in the raw: Lee ventures to document Serengeti in 3D

By Kwon Mee-yoo His white hair was like a lion’s mane — though he was in the urban center of Seoul, he projected an atmosphere of wildlife in his image. Lee Jong-ryul, 43, is a wildlife documentary director based in Tanzania. He is now stepping up to the next level of documentaries through 3D technology. “The Serengeti is a wild plains ecosystem, which has the largest number of mammals in the world. It is about the size of North Gyeongsang Province, but some 2 million wildebeests have been migrating on the plains for more than 1,000 years,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. He is visiting Korea to recruit staff for the new documentary. Lee first visited Africa in 1996, when he was filming a documentary. He later went on a cross-continental trip with SBS in 1999. He produced MBC’s “Wild Plains, Serengeti” and “Tanganyika Chimpanzee” and participated in “Lion Queen.” “As I have shot programs in Africa for about five years, I became an expert on Africa in Korea, which was not intended,” Lee said. Falling in love with the nature of Africa,

Mar 29, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
K-pop

Maroon 5 coming to Korea in May

By Kwon Mee-yoo Hyundai Card, the organizer of the “Super Concert” series, said Friday that Maroon 5, the five-member American rock band, has been chosen for their 14th Super Concert in May. The Seoul concert will be held at the Gymnastics Stadium in the Olympic Park on May 25, followed by a second at Busan KBS Hall on May 26. This is first time for a Super Concert to be held out of Seoul. Making their debut in 2002 with “Songs about Jane,” the group rose to stardom through songs such as “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved.” Their second album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” was released in 2007 and the band’s single “Makes Me Wonder” was downloaded some 244,000 times in the first week of its release. The group’s two studio albums have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and the band has won three Grammy Awards — Best New Artist in 2005 and Best Pop Performance in 2006 and 2008. The long-awaited third studio album “Hands All Over” was released last September, again sweeping the world with their trendy yet creative music. Maroon 5’s first concert in Korea

Mar 27, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Remembering Lee at Gwanghwamun

By Kwon Mee-yoo “Gwanghwamun Younga,” another big homegrown musical production, raised its curtain Sunday at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, weaving a love story out of timeless numbers written by the late composer Lee Young-hoon. The musical is an ambitious work interpreting songs by Lee through a love triangle, but relies too much on the composer’s personal story and weakens the show despite impassioned performances. The title comes from a song of the same title and “Younga” means love song in Korean. The composer showed enthusiasm in staging a musical with his songs and wrote the synopsis when he was battling colon cancer. The work has finally come to fruition some three years after the composer passed away. This is the first Korean jukebox musical produced with only a composer's songs. Worldwide hit jukebox musicals feature songs by or connected to a particular musician or group, such as "Mamma Mia!" based on Swedish group ABBA's hits or "All Shook Up" with the songs of Elvis Presley. However, like most hit Korean pop songs,

Mar 25, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Films

Kim Hye-soo to star in ‘The Thieves’

Director Choi Dong-hoon's new movie "The Thieves" (working title) will feature top actors and actresses including Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yoon-suk, Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun and rising star Kim Soo-hyun. The movie is a crime thriller revolving around a legendary diamond "Tear of Sun" hidden in a casino in Macau and a group of thieves trying to steal it. Kim Yoon-suk will play the role of Macau Park, who comes up with the whole scheme, while Kim Hye-soo plays a safecracker. Veteran actress Kim Hae-sook and funnyman Oh Dal-soo also join the production of so-called Korean "Ocean's Eleven" (2001). Choi, the director of "Tazza: The High Rollers" and "Woochi," said these actors inspired him when he wrote the script. The movie will start filming in May.

Mar 24, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Travel & Food

Traditional paper morphs into versatile artwork

By Chung Ah-young Appearing as a guest in a recent TV show to support director Im Kwon-taek’s current film, “Hanji,” actress Ye Ji-won showed off her “hanji” (traditional Korean paper) craftwork. In the movie, Ye plays a hanji artist who breathes new life into the tradition and she said the role inspired her to learn the actual process of making hanji. After Im’s 101st film was released, the craft of traditional paper-making and other handicrafts are receiving fresh attention not only because of the master director’s inspiring touch but also for the timeless beauty and practicality such artwork imbues. The paper is now being rediscovered by fulfilling present-day needs. Hanji is made of mulberry trees known as “dak” which are native to Korea. Hanji is a versatile, durable and resilient material that can be oiled or lacquered and made waterproof. As it is breathable, it is said that the paper can be preserved for some 1,000 years. In ancient times, use of hanji was limited to making lanterns, window paper, fans and baskets as the paper was very rare and expensive. But now

Mar 24, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
K-pop

Seoul Philharmonic plays in memory of Japan quake

By Kwon Mee-yoo The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a 20-minute performance prior to their concert today, in memory of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that swept northeastern Japan earlier this month. The performance will be held in the lobby of the Concert Hall at the Seoul Arts Center, southern Seoul. It will start at 7:10 p.m., before the orchestra's "Explorer Series 1," conducted by Leo Hussain at 8 p.m. The mini concert is a voluntary movement by the members, including assistant concertmaster Wayne Lin, violinist Lim Ka-jin, violist Hung-Wei Huang and cellist Joo Yeon-sun. "Material aid is important, but as musicians, the best thing we can share with the people suffering from such a disaster is music," Lim said. "We hope this concert will give support to the quake victims and share the idea with our audience." They will play Tchaikovsky's "String Quartet No.1" movement 2 Andante Cantabile and Barber's "Adagio for Strings, Op.11." The "Explore Series" introduces masterpieces that are seldom played in Korea. The first concert today will feature

Mar 23, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
K-pop

Cho Yong-pil on nationwide concert tour

By Kwon Mee-yoo One of the greatest, iconic singers of Korea, Cho Yong-pil, 61, will hold concerts across the nation from May after a break of about two years. Known for presenting hit songs in a sophisticated manner and on spectacular stages Cho Yong-pil’s performances are sure to thrill audiences spanning generations. The concert is titled "2011 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth Tour Concert _ Song of Wind." He will tour with his band “The Great Birth.” Cho will fill the two and a half hour show with hit songs from "Return to Port Busan" and "Dear My Friend" to "The Leopard of Kilimanjaro" and "The Eye of the Sun." The concert tour will kick off in Seoul at Gymnastics Stadium, Olympic Park on May 7 and continue onto Uijeongbu Stadium on June 4, Cheongju Stadium on June 11 and the Changwon Exhibition Convention Center on June 18. In the latter half of the year, concerts are scheduled at Gyeongju Stadium on Sep. 24, Seongnam Sports Complex on Oct. 1, Kintex Ilsan on Nov. 19, Busan Exhibition and Convention Center on Nov. 26 and Exco Daegu on Dec. 3. The concert venue

Mar 22, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
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