Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Downfall of art dealer tied to chaebol

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s 1964 painting “Happy Tears” vaulted into prominence in Korea in 2007 after featured in a slush fund scandal. / Korea TimesGallery Seomi head arrested for dubious artwork dealsBy Jung Min-ho Hong Song-wonThe head of an upscale art gallery in southern Seoul has been arrested over suspicions that she was involved in selling off expensive artwork that had been ordered to be seized by a court.According to the prosecution, Hong Song-won of Gallery Seomi allegedly sold about 10 pieces from December last year to March at the behest of Lee Hae-kyung, the 62-year-old daughter of Tongyang Group founder, Lee Yang-gu, and wife of group Chairman Hyun Jae-hyun.Lee was put behind bars Tuesday after the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office were issued an arrest warrant for her.The dubious deals occurred before a court confiscated 330 works owned by Hyun and Lee in April as part of a ruling on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.Gallery Seomi president Hong Song-won is accused of selling Claes Oldenburg’s large plush cigar

Sep 19, 2014By Jung Min-ho

AROOND TOWN II

ClubsThe OctagonNonhyeon Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.Club VolumeItaewon Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the "10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul." For more information, call 1544-2635.Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.Club AnswerCheongdam Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs i

Sep 17, 2014

AROUND TOWN I

Dang Thai SonSeoul Arts Center*Oct. 19Pianist Dang Thai Son will have recital at SeoulArts Center on Oct. 19. / Courtesy of Mast MediaAward-winning Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son will perform at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on Oct. 19. He will play Schumann’s “Davidsbundletanze Op. 6,” Prokofiev’s “Visions fugitives Op. 22” and Ravel’s “La Valse.” Tickets cost 50,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-3184 or visit www.mastmedia.co.kr.Vladimir Ashkenazy & Orchestra Della Svizzera ItalianaIncheon Culture & Arts CenterSept. 23Legendary pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazzy will conduct the Orchestara Della Svizzera Italiana in a concert featuring pianist Caroline Doerge. They will play Mendelssohn’s “Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op. 26” and Mozart’s “Piano Concerto no. 21.” Located near exit 6 and 7 of Arts Center Station on Incheon subway line 1. Tickets cost 20,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (032) 818-5665 or visit art.incheon.go.kr.&lsquo

Sep 17, 2014

AROUND TOWN 2

The OctagonNonhyeon Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.Club VolumeItaewon Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the "10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul." For more information, call 1544-2635.Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.Club AnswerCheongdam Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs in Seo

Sep 11, 2014

AROUND TOWN 1

‘Kristijian Jarvi’s Absolute Ensemble & Sarah Chang’Sejong Center for the Performing Arts*Oct. 23-24Violinist Sarah Chang will have her solo concert with the Absolute Ensemble at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul from Oct. 23 to 24. / Courtesy of Koo CompanyViolin virtuoso Sarah Chang will perform with an orchestra, Absolute Ensemble, led by conductor Kristijian Jarvi at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 23 and 24. Tickets cost 70,000 to 300,000 won. For more information, call (02) 796-7078 or visit www.sejongpac.or.kr.Tetzlaff QuartetLG Arts Center*Oct. 2Tetzlaff Quartet, German chamber orchestra which consists of violinist Christian Tetzlaff and Elisabeth Kufferath, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff, and violist Hanna Weinmeister, will perform at LG Arts Center on Oct. 2. They will play Mozart’s “String Quartet no. 15 D-minor K. 421,” Jorg Widmann’s “Jagdquarlett” and Beethoven’s “String Quartet no. 15 A-minor Op. 132.” Tickets cost 40,000 to 80,000 won. For mor

Sep 11, 2014

Korea's best art collections

Choi Jeong-hwa’s “Alchemy” adds colorful twist to Mario Botta’s signature rotunda of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Seoul. / Courtesy of LeeumLeeum, Arario Museum feature wide range of international and local masterpiecesBy Kwon Mee-yooWho collects what is a matter of great importance in contemporary art and people often wonder what is inside the top collectors’ storage.Hong Ra-hee and Kim Chang-il, the two the most prominent art collectors in Korea, unveiled their proudest possessions to the public, which range from internationally renowned artists Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin to leading Korean artists Paik Nam-june and Lee U-fan, at their respective museums. Leeum’s 10th anniversaryLeeum, Samsung Museum of Art celebrates its 10th anniversary with "Beyond and Between,” a special exhibition embracing all three buildings of the private art museum in Itaewon.Hong, the director of Leeum and wife of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee, has been considered as the most influential figures in Korean art scene. Hong sets direct

Sep 5, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

AROUND TOWN

Classical Concerts Los RomerosSeoul Arts Center*Oct. 9 Spanish guitar quartet Los Romeros will perform at Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on Oct. 9. They will play Granados’s “Spanish Dance,” Torroba’s “Estampas,” and Boccherini’s “Fandango.” Tickets cost 70,000 to 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6249-4500 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘Concert & Talk with Chung Myung-hwa’Gyeonggi Arts CenterSept. 26 Cello virtuoso Chung Myung-hwa will perfrom at Gyeonggi Arts Center on Sept. 26. Concert will consist of small talk and performance of popular classical scores like Rachmaninoff’s “Sonata in G minor Op. 19,” Chopin’s “Polonaise Brillante Op. 3,” and Dvorak’s “Concerto in B minor Op. 104.” Located near exit 10 of Suwon City Hall Station on Bundang line. Tickets cost 20,000 to 40,000. For more information, call (031) 230-3200 or visit www.ggac.or.kr. Suh Ye-reeLG Arts Center*Oct. 3 Soprano Suh Ye-ree will perform at LG Arts Cen

Sep 4, 2014

Connecting literature with tourism

Buckwheat field in Pyeongchang, site of the Hyoseok Cultural Festival and birthplace of 20th-century novelist Lee Hyo-seok / Courtesy of Lee Hyoseok Literature Promotion AssociationPyeongchang to host festival for leading 20th-century novelist By Do Je-haeA cultural festival honoring the legacy of Lee Hyo-seok (1907-1942), a leading 20th-century novelist, will take place starting Friday in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.The nine-day event is a unique opportunity to learn about the culture and history of Pyeongchang, which in recent years has become a popular tourist destination ahead of the Winter Olympic Games to take place in the mountainous region in 2018.“We are hoping to establish the Hyoseok Cultural Festival as one of the key cultural activities on the sidelines of the 2018 Pyeongchang Games,” an organizer said.The festival has been an important addition to the cultural growth of Pyeongchang, home to the biggest chamber music festival in Asia, the Great Mountains International Festival & School (GMMFS) led by violin virtuoso Chung Kyung-wha.A traditional dance p

Sep 3, 2014By Do Je-hae

New culture minister to promote national branding

Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kwon Mee-yooNew Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Kim Jong-deok underlined cultural enrichment and national branding as his primary tasks."I will make the people feel the cultural enrichment in their lives, not ending up in mere gesture. I am also interested in elevating Korea's national brand by systematically managing our national image overseas," said the new minister Wednesday, at his first press conference since he took office on Aug. 21.Kim is a design specialist and an expert in public relations and emerged as a dark horse candidate as culture minister in early August, without any background in politics. Kim has an extensive experience in the cultural field ― he worked for an advertising agency, produced the animated film "Wonderful Days" and established Borazone, a venture company specialized in digital contents.He is a visual design professor at Hongik University and dean of Hongik Graduate School of Advertising and Public R

Sep 3, 2014

Making a statement

Joo Hyun-mi smiles during a press confernece in Seoul on Aug. 26. / YonhapVeteran singers’comeback rush is reminder of timeless value of ‘Trot’ music By Do Je-haeAt a time when idol groups are dominating Korean pop, veteran singers are making an unexpected comeback.Joo Hyun-mi, who is celebrating her 30th year as Korea’s foremost ‘Trot’ musician, is renewing attention to a genre that has been losing touch with younger generation of Koreans.Trot is the oldest form of Korean pop music developed in the years before and during Japanese occupation (1910-1945).Since the 1990s, it has been on a downhill as big names like Joo and her contemporaries got older or moved abroad. Trot was widely heard and performed from the 1950s to the 1980s, the period of Korea’s growth into a modern nation after the division of the Korean Peninsula.Trot expressed the love, sorrow and longings of the average Korean during this transitional time like no other genre, accounting for its immense popularity. Many trot masterpieces written during this period reflected th

Sep 2, 2014

Arts & Theater