Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Kolleen Park portrays mentally-ill woman in Next to Normal

By Kwon Mee-yoo “Next to Normal,” a Broadway hit revolving around a “normal” modern-day family, will hit Seoul in November. Charismatic Kolleen Park plays the lead role of Diana, a mother struggling with bipolar disorder. Park sang several numbers from the musical, including “You Don’t Know,” “Make up Your Mind,” and “Why Stay?” at a press conference Monday. Though her Korean pronunciation was not perfectly clear, she expressed the despair of an edgy woman who gave everything to her family. Park is an established musical director here, having been involved in shows such as “The Last Empress,” “Rent” and “Chicago.” She became well-known among the general public when she shaped a motley crew into a working choir at a KBS variety show “Qualifications of a Man.” Park said she saw “Next to Normal” on Broadway some two years ago and thought she could return to the stage as an actress as the character Diana. “Though I’m not married and I don’t have children, I feel similar things with my students — some left me while some still stay with me. I will find the emotions

Jul 6, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Royal Jangseogak Archives reopens

By Chung Ah-young The Jangseogak Archives, which hold the time-honored royal records from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), reopened at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province Tuesday. The library has moved to a new building within the AKS compounds to accommodate the increasing ancient collections. It moved to AKS from Changgyeong Palace in 1981. The construction of the new building began on April 6, 2009 and was completed in May this year with some 22.6 billion won in construction costs. “The reopening of ‘Jangseogak’ is meant to recover its dignity as a royal library after it experienced the vicissitudes of Korean history,” Chung Chung-kil, president of AKS, said. Jangseogak is the second largest archive that houses royal documents after Gyujanggak, which holds over 90,000 classical texts from the royal court, along with some 40,000 texts from the private sector. King Gojong planned to build a royal archive to house some 100,000 volumes of books collected from various institutions around the nation, including the annals of the past kin

Jul 5, 2011

Ahn Jae-wook returns with Jack the Ripper

Hallyu star gets back in touch with stage roots in the musical By Kwon Mee-yoo Hallyu star Ahn Jae-wook returns to the local musical scene as Daniel from “Jack the Ripper,” and says he’s happy to get back in touch with his roots on the stage — a place that “never lies.” “The stage is where I started and studied acting. I can have a broader image onstage, different from the bright but wounded characters I played in television dramas,” Ahn said during an interview on Thursday. The 40-year-old returns to the stage to play Daniel in the musical that opened in Seoul on Tuesday. Set in the late 19th century London, the story is about Daniel, a passionate doctor who is driven to catastrophe after a suspicious deal with serial killer Jack. It’s the third time for Ahn to play the lead role since the musical premiered in Korea in 2009. “I feel more of a burden than confidence, though I had played this role before. There always are new audiences who come and see me perform for the first time and I don’t want to hear that I am not better than what they heard me to be

Jul 5, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Five Joseon royal books unveiled

National Museum to hold special exhibition of royal texts from July 19 to Sept. 18 By Chung Ah-young The National Museum of Korea Monday unveiled several books of the “Oegyujanggak” archives of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) that were looted during the 1866 French incursion. A total of 297 volumes of “uigwe” (royal protocols) from the Oegyujanggak archives were flown back home from France in four separate shipments from April 14 to May 27. Since then, the collection has been safely kept in a storage room of the museum. The museum revealed five books and the original silk covers of the books, prior to the opening of a special exhibition of the royal texts from July 19 to Sept. 18. The five books, “Pungjeongdogam Uigwe” (1630), “Jangryeolwanghusungdogam Uigwe” (1686), “Jangryeolwanghugukjangdogam Uigwe” (1688), “Uisosesonyejangdogam Uigwe” (1752) and “Seogweolyeonggeondogam Uigwe” (1831), hold the essence of the royal protocols documenting various rituals. Three of them are the only originals that don’t exist in Korea. “I hope the disclosure of the royal texts will r

Jul 4, 2011

Foreign students indulge in Korean culture

By Chung Ah-young Some 640 non-Korean students attending the summer school of Sungkyunkwan University participated in a Korean cultural event at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Friday. Consisting of 180 students from Singapore, 70 from the United Kingdom, 60 from France and the remaining from countries such as Germany and the United States, the group was taught about iconic Korean symbols, the meaning of the founding spirit as well as the national flag and flower. They also learned about the local etiquette that centers on the traditional value of respecting one’s elders, and took part in hands-on cultural experiences such as wearing “hanbok” (traditional Korean clothing) and tasting local cuisine. Cultural assets such as the 1,000-year-old Koreana Tripitaka and Hangeul (Korean alphabet), the development of the economy through information and technology, shipbuilding, steel and construction fields and historical sites such as royal palaces and museums were other particular topics of note. Kim Yong-sook, an official with the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Pr

Jul 3, 2011

Barenboim to hold concert at DMZ

By Lee Hyo-won Daniel Barenboim, known for his peace-making efforts in the Middle East, will hold a concert by the demarcation line separating the two Koreas on Aug. 15, Liberation Day, the concert’s organizers said Thursday. The maestro, joined by star soloists such as soprano Sumi Jo, will conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of youths from Israel and Palestine. It will be held at Imjingak, a tourist park located by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province and will serve as a finale for a series of performances the orchestra will hold in Seoul. The outdoor performance, titled Peace Concert, will feature Beethoven’s roof-raising Ninth Symphony “Choral.” “The iconic piece will be a special way to fete the country’s liberation and pray for peace on the divided Korean peninsula,” said concert organizer Credia. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule for 35 years, from 1910 until it was liberated on Aug. 15, 1945. This is Barenboim’s first time performing in Korea in almost 30 years. The last time the pianist-turned-conductor was here

Jul 1, 2011

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

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 crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Visit www.ohoo.net. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong subway station Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for unforgetable nights of dancing and debauchery. Reborn after extensive renovations to maintain its reputation of a quality club with a superior sound system, luxurious setting and stylish

Jun 30, 2011

Concerts, museums & theater

Concerts, Museums & Theater The Masters Series of the KBS Symphony Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’* on right for more information) July 6, 8 The KBS Symphony Orchestra will perform with a world-famous British cellist Steven Isserlis, who is known as a philosophical artist. The program features “Cello Concerto No. 2” by Russian modern composer D. Kavalevsky. Isserlis will use his 1726 Stradivarius cello. Tickets cost 20,000 to 60,000 won. For more information call (02) 781-2243. Bolshoi Theatre Soloists Gala Concert Seoul Arts Center* July 1 An opera gala will be held featuring soloists of Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Theatre; soprano Lolitta Semenina, mezzo-soprano Svetlana Shilova, tenor Oleg Dolgov and bass Mikhail Kazakov. The Russian theater’s conductor-in-residence Pavel Sorokin will conduct the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra in staple operatic arias as well as Korean and Russian folk songs. Tickets cost 50,000 to 130,000 won. For more information call (02) 2650-7481. Gianni Schicchi Sejong Center for the Performing Arts* July 6-10 The Seoul Metropoli

Jun 30, 2011

Weekender Defining sounds transcending traditionalism

'Alternative K-pop’ fest to rock up Seoul from July 9 to 23 By Lee Hyo-won K-pop may be reigniting “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in Europe but contemporary Korean classical music has quietly been stirring up a cross-border movement of its own, with ensembles such as Dulsori touring across more than 50 countries. Ironically such troupes have been little known within Korea until the local press took notice of international media coverage of their performances. Locals will have a chance to explore five counter-imported “alternative K-pop” performances at the 2nd Yeo Woo Rak Festival, which is due at the National Theater of Korea on Mt. Nam, central Seoul, from July 9 to 23. The genre may have crept furtively into the international music scene, and though offering moments of graceful serenity and repose, performances are often far from quiet — the double-sided “janggu” drum and bamboo “daegeum” flute bring spontaneous combustion, while the unmistakable quivering of “chang” (Korean operatic vocal) resounds with the Western guitar, jazz piano or quirky modern versions of

Jun 30, 2011

Mother of abstract art to display works in Guangzhou

By Kwaak Je-yup Surrounded by canvases full of Hangeul characters, artist Lee Bo-suk sat in her studio with a proud posture, like a matriarch in a grand family portrait. She said she was confident visitors to her upcoming exhibitions in the Chinese Guangdong province will see the beauty of her works. She will get a chance to observe the reactions herself soon, as she is invited to present her latest works at the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou from July 8 to 26 and Dongguan Guancheng Art Museum, Dongguan, from July 27 to Sept. 1. Painter, installation artist, curator and performing arts producer, Lee has toured the world since 1996 with her body of surrealist and abstractionist works. The two outings to Southeast China are Lee’s 26th and 27th invitational exhibitions. Since 2000, which she calls the beginning of her “late period,” she has adopted Korean themes like Hangeul characters and erotic paintings of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897) artist Shin Yun-bok. All works to be displayed in China have such references. During her formative years as a stu

Jun 29, 2011

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

Kolleen Park portrays mentally-ill woman in Next to Normal

Royal Jangseogak Archives reopens

Ahn Jae-wook returns with Jack the Ripper

Five Joseon royal books unveiled

Foreign students indulge in Korean culture

Barenboim to hold concert at DMZ

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Concerts, museums & theater

Weekender Defining sounds transcending traditionalism

Mother of abstract art to display works in Guangzhou

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