Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Legislation needed for more active commercialization of traditional culture

By Do Je-hae Korean traditional heritage has served as a useful source for adding diversity to “hallyu” or the Korean wave. Television dramas with traditional themes such as MBC’s 2003 “Dae Jang Geum” (Jewel in the Palace) have been aired across Asia, pulling in $40 million worldwide since it first aired in 2003. The drama is known for its portrayal of traditional culture, including Korean royal court cuisine and traditional medicine. But the industry for traditional cultural products, including clothing, food, crafts and architecture has not seen substantial growth in recent years, according to experts in a recent policy conference. “Right now, the traditional Korean products account for only 10 percent of the entire Korean economy,” said Yoo Dong-hwan, a professor at Andong National University in North Gyeongsang Province, at a National Assembly conference held last week in Seoul. “Selling traditional culture is not just about selling products. It’s also about selling the value of our tradition. So we need to recognize the importance of the industry, particularly its role

Nov 14, 2011By Do Je-hae

Explore Czech culture through photography, animation

By Do Je-hae A dual showcase of Czech animation and photography is attracting much attention among the visitors of the Seoul Museum of History. At the museum, a photo exhibition entitled “Prague Panoramic,” tracing the transformation of the Czech Republic capital through the years, is underway through Nov. 19. As an additional program of the photo exhibition, two selections of contemporary Czech animation short films called “From Year Zero” and “Graffitiger” are being screened inside the exhibition hall. “Graffitiger,” nominated for a student Oscar last year, is a witty and melancholic short story of a lonesome, painted graffiti-tiger that lives on the walls and facades of historical houses of Prague. The city’s filthy streets and corners covered with graffiti are the savage jungle in which the tiger is seeking his way back to his lost love. “Graffitiger, by Czech animation director Libor Pixa, combines real images with computer animation. “This special selection demonstrates how newcomers are exploring rather revolutionary visual styles while using new technolog

Nov 13, 2011By Do Je-hae

Korean traditional dancers tour India

By Lee Hyo-won A Korean dance troupe led by one of the country’s so-called “human treasures” has set off to share local traditions in India this week. Under the leadership of esteemed artist Son Kyung-soon, Yeajon Dance Company kicked off its tour in New Delhi on Thursday and will continue onto Chennai for a second show on Sunday. The program is designed to introduce Indian audiences to various dances including intangible cultural assets. Korea has a unique cultural heritage listing system for recognizing intangible skills that have been passed on through the generations, such as “Salpuri”and “Seungmu.” Son is a holder of intangible cultural assets in dance and professor of dance at Soongeui Women’s College. Her troupe, comprised of Soongeui alumnae, has previously toured other countries including Australia. The company brings a showcase of folk, religious and court dances to India. “We have done our best to present pieces that are easy to understand yet of the highest caliber,” said Son. “Whenever I go abroad for a performance, I am a jumble of emotions: excitement to

Nov 11, 2011

Clubs, traditional and art exhibitions

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized mirror ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you hang out at the bar or in classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik University. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Boutique Club 52 Itaewon Once called Function inside Macaroni Market, Club 52 boasts a chic and modern interior with the DJ spinning the beats for the hippest crowd from the center of the dance floor. Featuring top DJs from both home and abroad, two bars inside the club serving the coolest cocktails including some made with Hendrick’s gin, and a high-class interior, Club 52 is always the place for good times. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for

Nov 10, 2011

Concerts, museusm and theater

Classical Concerts Ensemble Berlin Live in Seoul Seoul Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Nov. 30 Virtuoso ensemble “Ensemble Berlin,” consisting of members from the Berliner Philharmoniker, is set to hold its first national tour starting in Seoul Nov. 30, followed by Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center in Jinju Dec. 1 and Geoje Art Center in Geoje Dec. 4. The ensemble includes violinists Philipp Bohnen, Hwang Sun-young, Martin von der Nahmer, cellist Clemens Weigel, contrabassist Ulrich Wolff, oboist Christoph Hartmann, and bassoonist Mor Biron. Hwang will take part in this tour as the second violinist. Tickets cost 20,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3461-0976. Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra Sejong Center for the Performing Arts* Seoul Arts Center* Nov. 11, 13 The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1951 and now led by maestro Yuri Simonov, will appear with violinist Joszef Lendvay. Lendvay, born in 1974 in Hungary and best known as a violinist mixing classical music with gypsy melodies, will perform “Violin Conce

Nov 10, 2011

Who will take Mnet’s Superstar K3?

Busker Busker, Ulala Session in fierce band competition By Noh Hyun-gi Will it be Busker Busker or Ulala Session? This Friday, Mnet’s “Superstar K3” will decide along with fans which group will win. With a new rule change this season, groups were allowed to enter the contest, and changed the dynamics of the popular audition show. The competition was fiercer than ever where the fans have enjoyed three months of dynamic and inspiring performances, and it’s the groups that are the two finalists. Busker Busker is a three-piece band that was created only five months before the reality show took off. The group has boasted fluency with various instruments and exceptional taste in staging renditions of hit songs. Also, the band’s songs topped the weekly music chart soon after its release on Mnet. The leader and vocalist of the group Jang Bum-jun, 23, has been the heartthrob of females fans in this season; following the legacy of Seo In-guk from the first season and John Park from the second one. So far the band has performed enchanting renditions of Korean female sin

Nov 9, 2011

Medical dramas making comeback to small screen

By Noh Hyun-gi Medical dramas are returning to the small screen. The latest entry is KBS’s “Brain,” which will start Monday. “Brain,” set in a university hospital features four doctors and their mentor, rivalry and love. Director Yu Hyung-gi teams up with script writer Yoon Gyeong-a ;formerly the duo worked together to make the popular KBS drama “God of Study.”“Ms. Yoon and I wanted to tell a story about the human mind; and in Western medicine’s perspective, studying the human mind often means investigating the brain,” said Yu. Actor Shin Ha-kyun plays Lee Gang-hun, a second year fellow motivated solely by ambition to overcome his underprivileged and dark background. Arrogant and greedy, he clashes constantly with Professor Kim Sang-chul, played by experienced actor Jung Jin-young. Professor Kim is a contrast to Lee, an ideal and commendable doctor. “I am not quite sure what (an ideal doctor) means yet. In my eyes, Kim is an idiosyncratic doctor — a really odd one,” Jung said. Kim and Lee will eventually show a true mentor-mentee relationship that is often un

Nov 9, 2011

Birthday tribute to classical music’s ’rock star’

By Do Je-hae "For the pianist, Franz Liszt is a touchstone," Alfred Brendel, a towering piano virtuoso and one of the most respected performers and scholars of the Hungarian composer, once said. The Liszt bicentennial has been the most important theme in classical music this year, with many renowned festivals and concerts organized in his honor. The 19th-century composer, pianist, conductor and teacher was the first classical musician to enjoy rock star status. His flamboyant recitals created a wave of "Lisztomania," a term coined by German poet Heinrich Heine that swept across Europe starting in the 1840s. He was considered by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his generation. Brendel will emerge from retirement to give a special speech on Liszt at the Lucerne Festival to be held from Nov. 21 to 25. This year, the annual music festival in Switzerland is devoted to Liszt, who was born Oct. 22 in Sopron County, Hungary. “Liszt’s music not only awakens all the possibilities that lie dormant within the piano but also demonstrates the

Nov 8, 2011By Do Je-hae

Young producer brings fun, fresh musicals

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with the heads of Korea’s top theatrical companies. — ED. By Kwon Mee-yoo “Have Fun With Shownote!” This line greets visitors to the Daehangno office of Shownote, the theatrical company that staged “Hedwig” and “Le Passe-Muraille” in Seoul. “Most art forms, including movies, books and music, have some kind of medium to reach the audience. However, performance art meets the audience one-to-one,” Kim Young-wook, 40, producer and chief executive officer of Shownote, said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I think such an analogous encounter is the charm of theater in this digitalized era.” Kim studied physical education at Korea University and was an aspiring sports medicine intern at a medical center in Seoul. However, he could not imagine a future there and moved to a sports agency, working with players such as soccer star Ahn Jung-hwan. The company had a division dealing with concerts and performances and Kim participated in those projects too, which later led him to work on the Korean production of “Beauty and th

Nov 7, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Stuttgart Ballet’s new Korean muse

Kang Hyo-jung to headline local production of ‘Onegin’ By Do Je-hae Prima ballerina Kang Hyo-jung, 26, has had the most remarkable year of her career at Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet. After an unexpected promotion to principal dancer in April, she is set to make her local debut in a full-length ballet with “Onegin,” one of the finest dramatic ballets of the 20th century premiered by her own company. Kang and Even Mckie, a fellow principal at the Stuttgart Ballet, will take on the lead roles at the Universal Ballet’s production of “Onegin” at the LG Arts Center from Nov. 12 to 17. While Kang was in Seoul in June to take part in the Korea World Dance Stars Festival, local fans have yet to see her dance a lead role in a full-length production. “Being a principal doesn’t make my life any different, except that I now have more responsibility,” she said at a press conference in June. A rare mix of technical brilliance and emotional expression is attributed to her brisk rise to the rank of principal dancer at the major European ballet company. “It’s just a new beginnin

Nov 6, 2011By Do Je-hae

Arts & Theater