Lifestyle

Busan builds future from cultural heritage of Korean War refugees

An aerial view of Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, which is often dubbed, “Korea's Santorini,” due to the colorful houses built on the hillside / Courtesy of Busan Tourism OrganizationBy Lee Hae-rinBUSAN ― Just a three-hour ride in the KTX “train to Busan” from Seoul is all it takes to get down to the country's largest harbor city, Busan, in the southeastern part of the country. Known as the home of Asia's largest international film festival, with a beautiful seashore and fantastic maritime food, it is one of the most popular destinations for travelers here and abroad. Most of all, Busan is a historical landmark that served as the nation's provisional capital for 1,063 days during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953.If one is already acquainted with Busan's skyscrapers, fancy restaurants and shops along the beaches and is ready to explore more about the city, Busan's “old towns” are recommended for a visit. The towns offer unique historical and cultural heritage that has been regenerated, while still being filled with the stories of both natives and

Tate Modern curator appointed as artistic director for 2023 Gwangju Biennale

Lee Sook-kyung, the newly appointed artistic director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale / Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale FoundationBy Park Han-solLee Sook-kyung, the senior curator of international art at the Tate Modern in London, has been named the artistic director for the 14th edition of the Gwangju Biennale. Slated for April 2023, the event is one of the most renowned contemporary art biennales in Asia.Her appointment marks the first time for a Korean national to organize the exhibition since 2006, when former Seoul Museum of Art director Kim Hong-hee led the event.“As we approach a historic turning point [of the 30th anniversary of the biennale], there are many meanings to a South Korea-born curator with an international presence taking the lead in enhancing an organic link between Korean and international arts,” the Gwangju Biennale Foundation said in a statement.Lee has been active in the international contemporary art curating scene for the past 28 years. Prior to her 14 years of working at Tate, she curated for the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

DAILY FORTUNE - DECEMBER 23, 2021

Egyptian guide offers tours in Korean

Ezzeldin Elhassan Soliman is a veteran Egyptian tour guide with a Korean tour interpreter license. He has guided many Korean tour groups since he first started this job in 1999. Courtesy of Ezzeldin Elhassan SolimanBy Jung Da-min For many Korean tourists who have traveled in Egypt with Ezzeldin Elhassan Soliman, one of the most memorable parts of the trip may have been this Egyptian tour guide's fabulous Korean language skills. For this reporter who visited Egypt from late November to early December, there was an interesting moment when Ezzeldin was giving an explanation of an ancient drawing of a flail, an agricultural tool used for threshing wheat, which is called a “dorikkae” in Korean. The tour group was surprised and amused that Ezzeldin called the flail a dorikkae but got stuck for a moment when asked what it was named in Arabic.Ezzeldin, a 54-year-old veteran guide with a Korean tour interpreter license, has guided many Korean tour groups since he first started this job in 1999. He said it was a miracle that he could be the first Egyptian providing Korean-language

Tracing enthralling theme of light across Tate Collection

John Brett's “The British Channel Seen from the Dorsetshire Cliffs” (1871) is on view in the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art's exhibition, “Light: Works from the Tate Collection.” Courtesy of the TateBy Park Han-solA single lit candle flickers and flutters faintly inside the steel shell of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) television. In Paik Nam-june's “Candle TV,” while the flame represents the beginning of civilization, TV becomes a symbol that has ushered in a new digital era of human culture.This intriguing interplay between natural light and contemporary technology presented in Paik's piece is what marks the beginning of the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art's new exhibition, “Light: Works from the Tate Collection.”“Candle TV, centering on light, visually encapsulates human history from the start of civilization to the present day,” curator Oh Yeon-seo noted during a recent press preview. “The museum placed this work as a poetic introduction to the wide range of displayed works, from traditional paintings to contemporary installations,&rdq

DAILY FORTUNE - DECEMBER 22, 2021

National Museum exhibition compares Asian lacquerware techniques and cultures

Visitors at the exhibition, “Ottchil, the Coated Splendor of Asian Lacquerwares,” at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Monday. The exhibition shows up to 263 lacquered objects from various Asian countries. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonToxicodendron vernicifluum, commonly known as lacquer trees, have been cultivated in Asian countries for centuries. In Korea, some people boil “samgyetang” or ginseng chicken soup with twigs of lacquer tree wood due to their health benefits. Lacquer tree wood is known for its antioxidant properties, which prevents or slows cell damage.The lacquer trees' sap, called “ot” in Korean, can cause allergic reactions in people due to a compound called urushiol, which can trigger rashes.But the sticky ingredient is one of the oldest and most effective natural paints used to create a shiny and glossy finish on furniture and crafts, resulting in a waterproof layer. The plant is also used as a natural ingredient to repel bugs and germs. This traditiona

Singles frustrated by Korea's marriage-centric social norms

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngWhile an increasing number of Koreans are choosing the single life, they are irritated by social norms centered on married people. They are supposed to offer their married friends gifts for various life events, but without any chance of seeing the same come back to them.The Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, recently reported about people who intend to remain single for life. It cited the case of Kim, a 30-year-old office worker who has a group of high school friends, most of whom either are married or are planning to get married.When one of the married friends got pregnant, another friend suggested that they throw a “gender-reveal party” for the friend, which would cost around 300,000 won ($250). Usually prepared by an event company, the party comes with a cake, balloons and other decorations to announce the fetus' gender. Kim said that she already spent 200,000 won for a “bridal shower” and 100,000 won as wedding gift money for that friend. She pointed to endless events that she has to celebrate for the friend,

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei's unapologetic, anti-establishment commentary

Ai Weiwei's “Life Vest Snake” (2019) on view at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's exhibition, “Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future” / Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio, Lisson Gallery and neugerriemschneider, BerlinBy Park Han-solChinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei / Courtesy of Ai Weiwei StudioA 22.5-meter-long serpent floats up by the ceiling of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul, ready to slither away at the slightest provocation. As viewers travel down the hall, they find it almost impossible to take their eyes off the creature hovering overhead with its peculiar blue and red scales.Its scales, they soon realize, are made up of 140 life vests, both small and large. But whose, exactly?When refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are of Syrian, Afghan or Somali origins, arrive on the Greek Island of Lesbos ― one of the busiest crossing points for migration into Europe ― the first thing they do is to take off the very jacket that protected their lives while crossing the ocean and throw it into a massive pile.Ai Weiwe

Immersive artwork recreates elaborate Joseon-era royal banquet held in 1902

A scene from the immersive artwork, “Royal Banquet (Jinyeon): Connecting the Times of 120 Years,” by the National Gugak Center (NGC) / Courtesy of the NGC“Imin Jinyeondobyeong,” a set of standing paintings showing the steps of the performance and rituals of the “Jinyeon” or royal court feast / Courtesy of the NGCBy Park Ji-wonHow did people in the royal palace of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) celebrate key events, such as a crown prince's rise to power or the birthday of a reigning king?Depending on the events, kings threw small or large banquets that entailed choreography, musical performances and other rituals to guarantee prosperity and longevity. Banquets were also designed to flaunt the power and prosperity of the kingdom.The “jinyeon” or royal banquet, became a large-scale event in the later Joseon period, compared to ones that were held earlier, which were smaller. Historic materials such as the “Imin Jinyeondobyeong,” a set of standing paintings showing the different performance sequences of the jinyeon, as well as