Cool weather brings a flurry of film festivals to Seoul

Despite the cold weather, a series of film festivals are ready to warm the hearts of movie fans in Korea. 

Korea.net would like to recommend some of the most notable of these events. (left: A scene from "Nativity," from Seoul International Family Film Festival)

The 4th Seoul International Family Film Festival runs from October 27 until November 2, and features films for all ages. Organized around the theme of "Family, When It's Love," this festival, features 126 films, including 3-D movies, from 32 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Finland. 

The films are categorized by age, including Cine Jockey and Generation Children for the younger set, and Generation Teenager and Generation Adult targeting those with more mature tastes.  Be sure and check out their "Masterpiece," "Special: Fantastic Czeck!" and "Focus: Shocking Family" selections for a special treat. 

Catch one of the family-friendly flicks at the CGV Songpa, Garden Five and other movie theaters in Songpa district. Tickets to the opening and closing films cost 10,000 won, while admission for other films varies from 3-10,000 won depending on age and film. For more information, please click here to visit their homepage (Korean, English). (right: "Once Upon a Crime")

The 8th Asiana International Short Film Festival has played an active part in the distribution and promotion of local short films. The festival will show 86 films from 31 countries from Nov. 4 to 9 at Cine Cube in Gwanghwamun.  The opening films will be “Once Upon a Crime,” a black and white courtroom drama crossed with a fairytale from the US and “Penicillin,” about a meningitis epidemic in Africa from Germany.  

A scene from "A Trip to the Heart Warming Country of Korea," from the Asiana International Short Film Festival

There will also be showings of David Lynch’s "Lady Blue Shanghai," "Present" by Kim Ji-woon, and Ridley Scott's "Thunder Perfect Storm."  Tickets are 5-7,000 won, and more information about the festival can be found in English and Korean on their homepage.

If you’re really short on time, check out the Seoul International Extreme-Short Film Festival on Nov. 5-14. All the films showcased by the festival are less than three minutes long, many made with cell phone or digital cameras. 

Catch them at venues including the CGV Guro and CGV Shindorim, subway line two, and Daum internet portal. Clickhere to visit its homepage (Korean, English) for more information.

A scene from "City Paradise," an award-winning film from the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival of France

Film and architecture buffs can attend to both interests at the Seoul International Architecture Film Festival from Nov. 11 to 17. Organized by the Korea Institute of Registered Architects, the festival will be held at Art House Momo at Ewha Woman's University. 

The festival is designed to show the history and cultural value of world architecture, to revalue the achievements of Korean modern architecture and to introduce passionate architects through movies.  The films include Im Kwon- taek's "Chihwaseon," Sam Wainwright's "Citizen Architect," and "The Fountainhead" by King Vidor. Tickets are 5,000 won.  More information can be found on the festival’s homepage(Korean only). (right: "Citizen Architect")

All these festivals are being sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The new Korean Wave: Girl groups

The Korean wave is cresting again, this time with a new twist!  Girl groups are finding new popularity, not just in East Asia, but also in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe.

Girls Generation is among the most popular of this new wave of girl groups. Girls Generation, also as known as SNSD, had their Japanese debut in September of this year, and their first single jumped straight to fourth on Japan’s prestigious Oricon charts. In just ten days, their single had climbed all the way to second. When their album Gee was released in October, it immediately jumped to second, before finally becoming the top ranked album on the Oricon chart. 

Girls Generation in Taiwan (Photo: Yonhap News)

In Taiwan, their ‘1st Asia Tour: Into the New World’ on Oct. 16 sold out. About 24 thousand fans showed up for the two shows.

Kara, another Korean girl group, debuted in Japan in August. They also made it onto a weekly top ten Oricon list with their single, “Mister.” The success of Kara, Girls Generation, and other female K-pop acts prompted Japan's national public broadcasting organization, NHK, to air a five-minute report on Korean girl bands as one of their top evening news stories.

(Top) Kara (left) 2ne1 (right) 4minute (bottom) Wonder Girls (Photo: Yonhap News)

Korean girl groups have been the subject of lots of foreign media attention, and both the media and viewers are entranced by the multi-talented performers.  Members of these girl groups must be able to sing, dance, and learn multiple languages in order to become successful overseas and communicate with fans worldwide.  Strong attention has also been paid to styling, and many fans follow the groups as they change their clothing, hairstyle, and overall sense of fashion to express new and different sides of themselves.

Social media has been an essential component of their success, bringing together fans from around the world.

Social media channels, especially youtube.com, have helped spread the fame of Korean pop music by bringing it into homes and handheld media devices worldwide. Music videos, photos, and news articles are actively consumed through social media by overseas fans.

Korea.net conducted a survey on which social media channels fans use to get the latest information on their favorite Korean musicians. Most respondents said Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and blogs were their favorite sources, allowing them quick access to new information, and an easy way to spread their favorite clips and news stories among their friends and networks.

These same contents have also grabbed the attention of international record labels.  Youtube is credited with helping the Wondergirls get their American contract, and 2NE1’s newest song, “Clap your Hands,” has had nearly a half a million hits on the video sharing site, with viewers in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, and England.  With the internet and social media helping to make Korean hits instantly available to a far-flung and diverse audience, the chances that Korean bands will find fame away from home is growing.

Hangul goes hip hop

Hangul has gone full hip hop with will.i.am's new video "Check It Out" featuring catchy Korean words and phrases.

Appearing with Nicki Minaj, the bevy of hangul words include "big shot", "hot", "cool", "impressive", "bring it down", "drinking alone" and "I can't believe it".

The video begins with a Korean man (we presume) who introduces will.i.am and Nicki Minaj in Korean to an apparently Korean audience sometime in the future.

Directed by Korean American Rich Lee, he has also worked on music videos for Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas, The Pussycat Dolls, Norah Jones, Michael Buble and the All American Rejects.

Dr. Pankaj Mohan: an eminent Indian Scholar of Korean Studies, a great Scholar who observed Korea from President Pak Chung Hee age till now.

Seventeen foreigners ― from an Austrian doctor of Oriental medicine to an Indian scholar devoted to Korean studies ― have been selected to become Seoul City’s honorary citizens, Wednesday.

Pankaj Mohan, historianSeventeen foreigners ― from an Austrian doctor of Oriental medicine to an Indian scholar devoted to Korean studies ― have been selected to become Seoul City’s honorary citizens, Wednesday.

They will receive an honorary citizenship certificate Thursday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The 17 foreigners from 13 countries chosen this year raise the number of Seoul’s honorary citizens to 649, since the program began in 1958.

Pankaj Mohan is a historian from India, specialized in ancient Korea including the Three Kingdoms and the United Silla period. Currently, on leave from the University of Sydney, he works as a professor of Korean studies at the Academy of Korean Studies. Seoul Mayor Oh thanked the honorary citizens for playing active roles in the various fields of economy, culture and history. "These people raised the brand value of Seoul and enhanced the city's urban competitiveness. We will do our best to help them feel like Seoul is as comfortable as their hometown and live happily," Oh said through a press release.



Friday, October 29, 2010
2010 Seoul City’s honorary citizens
On October 27th 2010, seventeen foreigners were awarded the Seoul honorary citizenship certificate at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun.
The program Seoul honrray citizenship was initiated in 1958 and the total number of Seoul’s honorary citizens to date is 649.
Honorary citizenship is given to international residents who have resided in Seoul for more than three consecutive years or five cumulative years, in recognition of their contributions to the city and the local community, including being a role model to Seoul citizens as well as other foreign residents, according to the Seoul city government
And the 2010 winners are:
*Pankaj Mohan is a historian from India.
*Peter Bartholomew, vice president of the consulting company IRC (and also a French cruisader in the XIth Century). 
*Raimund Royer of Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine is the first expatriate Oriental doctor in Korea.
*Didier Beltoise , general manager of the Grand InterContinental and COEX InterContinental Seoul.
*Kiyoshi Fujita of Chiben Gakuen, cgiarman of an academic institution in Japan with close ties with Korea.
According to the Notice of Recommendation for Honorary Citizenship of Seoul, the benefits for those honorary citizens are the following:
1.Conferred the medal, certificate and card of Honorary Citizenship of Seoul.
2.Appointed as member of various committees of the city government or invited to official events


3.Exempt from paying admission fees at Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Grand Park and Children's Park.

판카즈 모한, '아름다운 도시 서울 발전 도모할 것'
Professor Pankaj Mohan delivering the Vote of Thanks at the 2010 Honorary Citizenship Ceremony

Journalists come to Korea to build global network

Korean and ethnically Korean journalists from leading media organizations worldwide have gathered in Korea for a more in-depth look at the country, and to discuss ways to further enhance the image of Korea from a non-resident perspective.

The Korean Culture and Information Service, an organ of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, invited 13 overseas Korean journalists as part of the Bethell Fellowship, a program created to bring overseas journalists to Korea. Journalists from six nations, including the United States, Kazakhstan, and China, representing ten different press organizations, attended the carefully organized press event.

The event was designed to build a global network for Korean journalists working abroad to stay connected to news and issues in Korea, and bring them to greater attention worldwide.

The list of invited journalists include Jinah Kim, a Korean-American reporter for NBC News Los Angeles and President of the Asian-American Journalists Association (AAJA), Julie Chang, an anchor for New York’s Fox 5, and Tsoy Vladislav from Kazakhstan’s Channel 7. During the six-day trip, scheduled from October 25 to 30, the visiting journalists were given a brief overview of preparations for the G20 Seoul Summit and its related events by the Seoul Summit Committee. The Committee has highlighted the significance of Korea's role in organizing and hosting the G-20 Summit.

Korean overseas journalists visit the JSA on October 27 at the invitation of KOCIS.

On October 26, the invitees visited the Korean Development Institute (KDI) for an in-depth report on Korea's economic growth and development. At the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, and later on a trip to the DMZ, they focused on Korea's background as a divided nation. On October 27, the journalists toured the National Museum of Korea and enjoyed a variety of cultural programs, such as traditional music performances, to highlight Korea’s cultural heritage.  

Journalists at the National Museum of Korea on Oct. 27.

At the end of their visit, the journalists will participate in an "Images of Korea from Overseas" forum.  The debate will be broadcast on Arirang TV and KTV on Tuesday, November 9.

"This is the first time we have invited Korean journalists from overseas, representing the world’s most prominent media organizations," said Seo Kang-soo, Director of the Korean Culture and Information Service. "It will lay the groundwork for a global network, which will facilitate future collaborations among international Korean journalists to improve Korea's overseas information activities," added Seo.

source:Korea.net

Cheonggyecheon Stream lights up the world

Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon (Stream) is brimming with hope, as it launched a hope campaign prior to the 2010 Seoul Lantern Festival.
This campaign, organized by Seoul City as one part of the “2010 Seoul Lantern Festival” public events, has been encouraging Seoulites to make lamps and ribbons of hope, from Oct. 15. The event, taking place at the Chyeongye Plaza, is running until Nov. 4, the eve of the launch of the 2010 Seoul Lantern Festival.

The program for making lamps of hope is open to the public with the aims of creating one’s own lamp featuring a written personal wish. The one-of-a-kind wish lamps will be showcased at the Seoul Lantern Festival opening on Nov. 5.

An event to make ribbons of hope is also taking place. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, is welcome to write down their wish on one of four ribbons representing Seoul for free. The colors include Namsan green, ginkgo nut yellow, Seoul sky blue, and red.

The launch of the festival will then culminate with a phenomenal light exhibition featuring as many as 15,000 lanterns from 24 countries around the world invited to participate in the extravaganza by Seoul City.

The event, mixing tradition and the modern, as well as Korea and the world, is expected to complement and accentuate the city’s festive mood in time for the G-20 Summit coming up in November and in line with Visit Korea Year.

* Government press release (October 29)

G20 marked by cultural events, global gatherings

With less than 30 days left before the G20 Seoul Summit, Korea is bustling with preparations to greet overseas visitors.

A variety of events will be held to celebrate the G20 as event for everyone, beyond just world leaders and businesspeople.

In central Seoul, a concert will be held at Sejong Cultural Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun on November 7. As many as 3,000 people, including ambassadors and other officials, are expected to attend the concert, which is being supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The National Library of Korea will also hold a series of programs from November 8-12, including a lecture on world literature, an art exhibition, and film screening to mark the upcoming G20 summit.

One of the most notable events is the 2010 Asia Song Festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival will feature 14 top singers and groups from Korea and overseas to celebrate the opening of the G20. The concert will be held on October 23 at the main Olympic Stadium in Jamsil and be aired in more than 30 countries, including Japan and China. Boa, Rain, 2AM, KARA, and other local groups will join an international collection of stars to delight fans.

Top Asian singers perform at the Asia Song Festival which was held in Seoul, September of 2009. (Photo: Yonhap News)

During the two-day summit period from Nov. 11-12, traditional performances and exhibitions will be held for diplomatic delegations and representatives from international organizations. The National Center for the Korean Traditional Performing Arts will hold a special performance of the Jongmyojereak under the title “Korea, the Beauty of Korea” at Yeakdang in Seocho-gu. The Jongmyojereak is part of a royal ancestral rite named “jongmyojere” from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), and is a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage.  The National Theater of Korea will also host a traditional Korean music performance called "Cheong" at its main Hea Hall on Nov. 12.

The leaders attending the G20 Seoul Summit will be able to appreciate the beauty of Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) Buddhist paintings at the National Museum of Korea, which will also serve as the official luncheon venue for the G20 Summit on Nov. 11. The museum is holding a special exhibition titled "Masterpieces of Goryeo Buddhist Painting - A Long Lost Look after 700 Years" from Oct. 12 to Nov. 21. 

Visitors enjoy Korean, Japanese, and Chinese paintings in the National Museum of Korea’s special exhibition on Goryeo Buddhist paintings. (Photo: Yonhap News)

Overseas tourists and representatives from governmental and international organizations will have several opportunities to enjoy Korean culture through a variety of programs, including tour programs run by royal palaces, and two arts festivals at Seoul Art Center: The Korea International Music Festival on Nov. 4-14, and the Seoul Performing Arts Festival from Oct. 2 through Nov. 4.

Meanwhile, the city of Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do will host several events to celebrate the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, slated to take place on Oct. 22-23. 

A scene from the gugak-themed performance "Miso" (Photo: Yonhap News)

One of the main events is the Bomunho Festival on Oct. 20-23. A series of concerts, including orchestral, K-pop, the traditional Korean performance "Miso," and the nonverbal performance "Nanta" will be held at the main outdoor stage at Bomun Lake in the Bomun resort area.