The Korea Herald

Korean folktales abound in teen novel

Sept 16, 2015

Expat author Mark Russell dug deep into Korean folktales for his new teen fantasy novel “Young-hee and the Pullocho.” The story follows Young-hee, a 13-year-old who moves to Korea and slips “Alice in Wonderland”-style into a fantasy world. There her brother is taken hostage by a goblin, or “dokkaebi,” and she must enlist the help of Sanshin, the mountain spirit, and other characters from Korean tradition to get him back by finding a magical “pullocho” herb.The book cleverly intersperses the main
Seoul book club to host three rising Korean authors

Sept 9, 2015

The Seoul Book and Culture Club will be hosting a book reading and question-and-answer session with three rising stars of Asian literature. Organized together with ASIA Publishers, the event will see Cheon Myeong-kwan reading from his story “Homecoming,” Hwang Jung-eun reading from “Kong’s Garden” and Yun I-hyeong reading from “Danny.” All three stories were included in ASIA Publishers’ K-Literature series. The three authors will then discuss their works and answer questions. It is the third eve
Migrant centers to compete in Seoul sports event

Sept 9, 2015

More than 1,000 migrants are expected to gather at the Olympic Stadium in Jamsil on Sunday for a citywide sports day.The event, hosted by the Yangcheon Migrant Workers Center, will pitch migrant workers, volunteers and other associates of the city’s seven migrant workers’ centers against each other in a series of sports and games.The event, held annually to promote exchanges between Koreans and foreign residents, drew 800 participants from 20 countries last year. The events include relay races,
GIC offers tour to Jeonju hanok village

Sept 9, 2015

The Gwangju International Center will be running a GIC Culture tour to Jeonju on Sept. 19 to look around its traditional hanok houses.The tour will stop on the way at Geumsansa Temple in Gimje, which still has some features from the ancient Baekje era.On arriving in Jeonju, the first stop will be at Hanbyeok Pavilion to try the local tipple, Moju. After that, there will be a lunch of tteokgalbi, or seasoned pork patties, before the group looks around the city’s hanok village.The hanok village is
Latin American, Brazil Day festivals to hit Seoul

Sept 9, 2015

Two cultural festivals are set to bring some Latin American warmth to northeastern Seoul this weekend.Seongbuk Global Village Center will be hosting a Latin American Festival, while the Brazilian Cultural Center will be holding a Brazil Day festival in nearby Hyehwa. Performers at the 2013 Latin American Festival in Seongbukcheon Fountain Square in Seoul. SQVCSGVC first held the festival in 2011, bringing a mix of martial arts, music and dance performances from countries including Ecuador, Brazi
Poetry to get airing at Seoul, Busan events

Sept 9, 2015

Two events featuring spoken word and other performances will be held this weekend in Seoul and Busan.In Busan, performance art event Poetry Plus will return for a 42nd outing Saturday with around 20 performers, including poetry dance and short stories.Started in 2000, Poetry Plus event gave birth to the Wordz Only spoken word open mic night in the same city, and returned for a 41st show in June after a long hiatus. Wordz Only will be relauched next month with a new format.Work by local artists w
Singers sought for ‘Messiah’ concert

Sept 9, 2015

Fresh from its Autumn Pops Concert on Saturday, Camarata Music Company is seeking singers to join its Camarata Chorale to sing in its signature Christmas performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”The choral work is a common Christmas performance and has been performed by CMC each December since 2009 to more than 1,000 people each year.CMC has an auditioned chamber choir and a general choir, the Camarata Chorale, which is open to everyone, regardless of experience, has been set up to give expats and Kore
Seoul Players lines up ‘Rocky Horror’ show

Sept 2, 2015

Gearing up for their annual Halloween show, Seoul Players are looking for cast members for a shadow cast production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”The auditions on Saturday will be for shows on Oct. 30 and 31.The shadow cast show involves a screening of the movie, with actors acting out the larger than life characters on a stage in front of the screen.Producer Chris Zaczek said last year’s production was a blast.“Performing in it was wonderful. Last year we had one of the most outrageous, co
Busan plays offer ‘Absurdity in the Park’

Sept 2, 2015

The stage area at the Dalmaji theater. (Eunju Jung)In Christopher Durang's “The Actor’s Nightmare,” the central character is thrust unknowingly into a play of which he has no knowledge or script, but in a production in Busan this weekend, he may for once not be the most confused person onstage.The play is one of two one-act performances to be put on by the Busan English Theatre Association in the park in Busan ― the other being Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story” ― but if past performances there are
Irish folk festival to get feet moving in Seoul

Sept 2, 2015

Keen to keep Irish spirits up and feet moving, the Irish Association of Korea will be hosting a festival of traditional Irish music and dance this month.The festival follows on from last year’s Ceilidh, a kind of Celtic dancing event centered on group participation, and helps fill in the gap between the IAK’s St. Patrick’s Day festivals.This year’s festival will be more about showing off Irish traditions than last year’s event.“We are just trying to spread Irish culture and heritage around the w
Talk to explore U.S. mining in Joseon Korea

Sept 2, 2015

The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch will reopen its lectures after a summer break with a presentation on American gold miners in the Joseon era by Robert Neff.After some background on Korea’s reputation for gold and mineral wealth and early attempts at Western concessions in the 1880s, Neff will talk on the introduction of modern gold mining in 1896 by the Oriental Consolidated Gold Mining. He will talk about the community that formed around the concession and the dangers they faced, includin
Concert to bring together Korean, foreign traditions

Aug 26, 2015

Seoul’s Senior Public Diplomacy Group will host a free folk music and dance concert at the National Museum of Korea on Sept. 6.The concert, which brings together performers from nine countries, including Korea, was set up as part of the group’s efforts to promote Korean culture and bring different groups together to celebrate their own traditions.“Initially we held concerts only with Korean traditional performers but since then we began to include dances from other cultures to bring people toget
Exotic Beasts art group to prowl in Busan

Aug 26, 2015

Busan’s creative community is set to get a boost from a brand new creature feature.Exotic Beasts is a new group designed to give artists in Busan and nearby areas exposure through exhibitions and a weekly magazine.The group was started by Jeongmin Lee, who is based on nearby Geojedo Island and illustrates under the name Min the Elephant. She was frustrated with the lack of opportunities to show her work. “I wanted to join some artists group for shows and wanted to be involved in the arts scene i
N.K. film hopes to inspire action

Aug 26, 2015

A new documentary by an expat director sets out to highlight the struggles of people campaigning for change in North Korea, and hopes to inspire viewers to join the fight.Director of “While They Watched” Jake Smith said he had always been fascinated by North Korea, but was inspired to make the film after reading “Nothing to Envy” by Barbara Demick.“I had previously always seen it from an ideological or political angle, but after reading ‘Nothing to Envy’ I saw it from a personal point of view,”
Ulsan expats gear up for sports day gathering

Aug 26, 2015

Ulsan’s expats are set to compete in a sports day Sunday, as the organizers hope to build on the return of the annual event last year.Athletes will compete in soccer and other sports at the event, with teams representing their countries.Ulsan International Volunteer Center, which hosts the event, said the competitors came from a variety of backgrounds, and include multicultural families, migrant workers, English teachers and foreign faculty and students from universities. Participants at last ye