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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Koreas Early Modern Architectural Heritage

By Robert Koehler Chief Editor of SEOUL Magazine. Although it doesn't get quite the attention it deserves in tourist guide books, early modern architecture is an important part of Korea's cultural heritage. Cities such as Shanghai and Qingdao in China, Yokohama and Nagasaki in Japan and Singapore have long been famous for their handsome Western-style buildings, many dating from the early 20th century, the height of Western imperialism in Asia. Visitors to Korean cities such as Seoul, Incheon, Mokpo and Gunsan will find a similarly rich architectural heritage, with cityscapes dotted with neo-Baroque banks, Rennaissance-style public offices and Romanesque churches. It is only recently, however, that national and local authorities have begun taking an active interest in preserving and promoting old Western-style buildings. Broadly speaking, ``early modern architecture'' is defined as (mostly) Western-style buildings dating from Korea's opening in the West at the end of the 19th century to the period immediately following the Korean War (1950-53). As Korea spent a good

Jul 11, 2008

Nebbia Pure in Theater

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter If last year's Cirque du Soleil's ``Quidam'' was all about spectacle, this year's Cirque Eloize's ``Nebbia,'' unveiled at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on July 9, is much purer in theater circus. The Canadian circus troupe presents Nebbia, which means fog in Italian. The means of expressions used in circus shows are intertwined through with that of high theatrical art in an unusual, surreal and tragicomic way. The show collects segments of childhood memories, provoking nostalgia through each episode with diverse characters. Fog took center stage from the beginning of the show, when three performers appeared and started talking about their memories of their families and friends while getting lost amid the fog-laden roads. Then, the show slipped into dream-like stages, blending acrobatic theater and modern circus. In the circus, acrobatics took part of the whole performance and integrated themselves into the narrative flow of the show. The energy that emanated from this characteristic, combined with the multi-disciplined pe

Jul 11, 2008

Retrospective on Comic Artist Ko Woo-young

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Comic strips are not usually considered as ``art,'' or merely seen as ``lowbrow art'' for the masses. The works of even the best comic artists are rarely shown in museums. Now, the Arko Art Center in Daehangno, central Seoul is bringing comics inside the museum by holding a retrospective of the late comic artist Ko Woo-young from July 16 to Sept. 12. ``Ko Woo-young Comics: Never Ending Story,'' features many of Ko's classic comic strips, as well as artworks by artists who were inspired and influenced by his comics. Ko is best known for creating famous comic strips like ``Iljimae'' and ``Samkukji'' (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) that combine historical themes with distinctive wit. He used characters and plots from ancient Korean folk stories in his comic strips, which were published in Sports Daily in the 1970s and '80s. His first serialized comic strip ``Imkeokjeong'' appeared in Sports Daily in 1972. His comic strips are known as social parodies and critical commentaries on society in general. There were no limits to the mate

Jul 11, 2008

Clubs, Traditional Events & Art Exhibitions

Clubs The Circle Cheongdam-dong Located in the upscale Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, it's notorious for turning you down unless you're dressed chic and sleek. Faithful to its name, it has a round revolving floor ― looking for your ``lost'' table gives clubbers the perfect excuse to sit down with a sexy stranger. Located on Dosan-daero near Hak-dong intersection. Call (02) 546-5933 or visit www.thecircle.co.kr. Club Answer Cheongdam-dong This might be the answer to your nightlife. It offers an intimate partying environment with groovy electronic music by star DJs. You can reserve tables and the ones on the second floor provide an open view of the dance floor. Or mingling with the hot bartenders at the open bar might be a fine alternative. Located in Cheongdam-dong across the street from Prima Hotel, near the entrance of Yeongdong-daegyo. Call (02) 548-7115 or visit www.clubanswer.co.kr. Club Evans Hongdae or Hongik University Area This club, located near Hongik University, is great for intimate live performances. The line-up of performers is generally top-notch a

Jul 10, 2008

Concerts, Museums & Theater

Classical Concerts Opera Gala Concert Seongnam Arts Center Sept. 20 Prominent Korean opera singers who are currently based in Europe will perform famous arias from operas by Verdi, Puccini and more. Singers from Germany, Italy and even Austria will offer classical tunes with the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. Visit http://www.mcm-korea.org or call 1588-7890. Located near exit 1 of Imae Station on the Bundang line. 2008 School Classics-Summer Music Seoul Arts Center Aug. 24 The Seoul City Chamber Orchestra will perform tunes like Vivaldi's "Summer" from the "Four Seasons." This is part of the ``School Classic'' series Seoul Arts Center has prepared for an easier approach to classical music. Tickets cost from 15,000 won to 25,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call (02) 780-5054. Located near exits 4 and 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal on subway line 3. Yuhki Kuramoto's Memory of Love Seoul Arts Center Sept. 7 Japanese new age pianist Yuhki Kuramoto is visiting Seoul. Not only will he offer his famous works like

Jul 10, 2008

Paintings Depict Jesus Christ in Korea

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Imagine if Jesus Christ was born not in a manger in Bethlehem, but in a stable during the Joseon Kingdom in Korea. This is exactly what the late master artist Woonbo Kim Ki-chang did in the series of exquisite ``sacred'' ink paintings that depict the life of Christ in a Korean setting. In ``The Birth of Jesus Christ,'' Mary is shown wearing hanbok or traditional Korean dress, while her husband Joseph is wearing the gat or traditional Korean hat. This work is part of the ``Sacred Painting Exhibition of Woonbo Kim Ki Chang'' and is currently being held at the lobby of the CCMM building, Yeouido, Seoul through July 31. Kim had originally created the series of sacred paintings in the 1950s, holding the first exhibition at the Whasin Gallery in Seoul from April 22 to May 1, 1954. The works were made public again in 1984, for the 100th anniversary of Korean Christianity. In an essay he wrote in 1984, Kim said he started creating paintings based on the life of Christ in 1952, while taking refuge at his mother-in-law's house in

Jul 9, 2008

Chill with St. Petersburg State Ballet on Ice

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Fan away the sizzling heat with the St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's ``Swan Lake.'' The 41-year-old ballet troupe will bring the graceful movements of ballet and the speedy footwork of figure skating together with this delightful and refreshing performance. The St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet gave its first performance in 1967 under the direction of Constatine Boyarski. The breakthrough performance still tours worldwide, with the golden rule that it is put up on stage in theaters, instead of ice rinks as are other ``ice shows.'' By offering famous works such as ``Swan Lake,'' ``Romeo and Juliet'' and ``The Nutcracker,'' the show has managed to combine classical ballet with figure skating. The troupe has visited Korea every year since 1998, and has become a must-see performance among children and adults alike, with its beautiful music, gliding footwork and lavish costumes and sets. ``Last year, two works (The Nutcracker and Swan Lake) were on stage but we realized that the Korean audience enjoyed `Swan Lake' better than `The Nutcracke

Jul 9, 2008

90s Film Reborn as Musical Rendition

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Actor Oh Man-seok will return to the stage with a new film-based musical, ``The Harmonium in My Memory'' from July 22. The film (1999) of the same name featuring award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon and hallyu star Lee Byung-hun, will be adapted into the musical show. Oh will alternate playing the leading role of Kang Dong-soo, an elementary school teacher with rising musical star Cho Jung-seok. The role of Yoon Hong-yeon, which was played by Jeon in the film version, will be played by Lee Jung-mi and Jang Eun-ah who starred in ``Mamma Mia!'' According to Show Tic, the production company, the musical rendition will focus on reviving the romantic atmosphere and literary sensitivity of the 1960s on stage as the film did. ``The Harmonium in My Memory'' is also the big-screen adaptation of best-selling Korean novel ``Female Student.'' The story is about the first love of adolescents in a remote village area in the 1960s. It revolves around Kang, aged 23, who is teaching for the first time at the elementary school in the region and Yoon

Jul 8, 2008

Dancers Get Together to Commemorate Critic

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The Arko Arts Center and the Kim Young-tai Commemoration Foundation are holding a special performance, ``My Muses,'' to commemorate the anniversary of famed dance critic Kim Young-tai's death. Kim, born 1936 in Seoul and a graduate of Hongik University majoring in painting, was a talented poet, writer, artist and dance critic. With his vast knowledge of dance and keen eye for discovering new talent, he worked as a judge at numerous dance competitions, including the Dong-a Dance Competition and the Universal-Kirov Ballet Concours. The performance is in recognition of Kim's achievements, especially in the field of dance. It will be held at Arko Arts Theater, where the late critic even had his own favorite seat, Section-Ga Row-L Seat No. 11. The event will indeed be meaningful, for many prominent dancers, or Kim's ``muses,'' who all inspired the late critic, will participate. Kim Ji-young, principal dancer at the Dutch National Ballet, will start the performance by reciting two of Kim's poems, ``My Muses'' and ``Aster.'' Korea Nation

Jul 7, 2008

Drawing Show to Go on Stage

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Forget your previous experiences visiting all those art galleries and painting exhibitions. Watching the ``Drawing Show,'' you will see how much you can benefit from paintings. The Drawing Show, a combination of painting and performance, will go on stage at Ziller Hall in Daehangno on July 11. It is the first time a show how tried to reveal the process of painting on stage. For a 90-minute running time, a total of 10 paintings will be reborn as the stage transforms into a canvas. The audience can get to see how the blank canvas turns into a flamboyant masterpiece, not just looking at it but actually experiencing this tremendous show. The show is based on paintings and also adopts various art techniques such as carving, stamping, frottage, marbling and other new techniques invented by the art director. The show introduces flower drawing, light drawing and luminous drawing. It shows a waterfall painting in which a black and white ink painting turns into a colorful painting with a magic-like dynamic moving waterfall. Reminis

Jul 7, 2008
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