Bucheon World Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo gathers together a wealth of the intangible cultural heritage in an exhilarating festival bringing alive the soul and spirit of cultural masters. The Yeoksam Global Village Center invites you to a special event that provides you an opportunity to experience Korean traditional performance, Hahoe Pyolshin-Gut T’al-Nori, one of Korea’s most traditional folk plays. Experience exciting Korean traditional performance culture! For those interested in the event, please send an email to yeoksam@sba.seoul.kr with your name, nationality and phone number.

Date & Time : October 7 (Thr) 2010 11:30~13:30

Place : Bucheon Visual Culture Complex

Meeting place: Yeoksam Global Village Center

Meeting time : 10:00am

Seats : 13 persons

Fee : 3,000won        

If you have any questions, please contact the Yeoksam Global Village Center at 02-3453-9038~9 or email yeoksam@sba.seoul.kr.

Directions to the Yeoksam Global Village Center: Gangnam station, exit 1, Subway Line 2. Walk straight and pass the Yeoksam Tax Office, Take a right when you reach the Wooribank. Walk until you find the BMS Building. Next to the Pitti Café, we are on the 5th fl of Yeoksam 1 Cultural Center.

Focusing on the theme of “Ancient History and Bright Future,” the 6th Korea-Japan Festival this year is held in Seoul Square and Cheonggye Square for two days, October 2-3, while it is hosted in Roppongi Hill, Tokyo on October 2nd. Subtitled “Understanding Each Other and Sharing the Future,” the festival offers an exquisite opening ceremony showcasing colorful performances; performances include Samulnori (Korean percussion music), Traditional Korean Dance, Bongsan Mask Dance, Ganggang Sullae (a circle dance), Nebuta Matsuri (a fire festival in Japan), a Sumo Contest, J-Pop, and other traditional performances.
During the festival, visitors can enjoy a wide array of exhibitions and experience programs (traditional plays / costumes / musical instruments / pottery, Korea-Japan Festival Information Center, Korea-Japan Local Promotion Hall, and Korea-Japan Food Market).

Date: Saturday 2, Sunday 3 October 2010
Time: 11am – 8pm
Venue: Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Plaza
Cost: Free
Direction: Gwangwhamun Station, Line 5, Exit 5 (walk toward City Hall) or City Hall Station, Exit 4

Additional Events/Exhibitions
At Seoul Plaza:
Traditional Culture Programs: Traditional Plays(Japanese: Kendama, Koma, Daruma Otoshi, Wanage, and more, Korean: Neolttwigi, Jegichagi, Yootnori, Tuho, and more), Traditional Costumes in Korea and Japan (Yukata and Hanbok), Traditional Korean Crafting, Traditional Mask Crafting, Traditional Musical Instruments in Korea and Japan,  Goldfish Nebuta Crafting
Cultural Contents: Comics Shops in Korea and Japan, Comparisons of Saju and Omikuji (fortunetelling in Korea and Japan)
Special Event: Tong (Mutual Understanding) Café

At Cheonggye Plaza:
Traditional Plays
Food Experience: Eating food at street stalls, Yatai in Japan and Jumak, in Korea
Participatory Event: Lucky Apple Tree Event
Exhibition: Large Book Exhibition (comparing the food cultures between Korea and Japan)

For more information, visit the website http://www.omatsuri.kr/

In the season of great harvest, the Seoul Global Center will be holding a special event full of activities including songpyeon making and performances, marking this year’s Chuseok holiday.

Chuseok is the day when families get together, express thanks to ancestors for a plentiful harvest and wish for another good year. In this spirit, the Seoul Global Center prepares an opportunity for foreigners in Seoul to gather together enjoying the holiday festivities.

We look forward to seeing all of you here.

Date & Time: September 18th (Sat.) 13:00-17:00 p.m.

Venue: Seoul Global Center , 3^rd floor of Seoul Press Center

Direction:  Exit 4 City Hall Station (Subway Line 1 or 2) / Exit 5 Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5)

Participants: any international residents in Seoul

Seats available: 70 persons

Activities: various hands-on cultural activities including making Songpyeon (traditional     Chuseok    rice cake), Charye (ancestor memorial service) table setting on Chuseok , etc

For more information, please contact the Seoul Global Center at (02) 2075-4130~1 or email to hotline@seoul.go.kr

The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts is inviting you to a special morning at the court.

DATE: Every Saturday (6 sessions) to 2 October 2010

TIME: 7:30 am

VENUE: Rear courtyard of Myeong-jeong-jeon, Chang-gyeong-gung

Admission : Tickets can be reserved through at http://www.gugak.go.kr
(500 will be admitted per session on a first-come, first-served basis; to inquire by phone call 02-580-3300

Directions: Haehwa station (stop 420),exit 4, walk for 300m. As there is no parking area, please use the public transport.

For more information, please visit: http://www.gugak.go.kr

Here is a list of useful links for expats in Korea.

This information is provided by the Living Advisory Committee of Seoul Global Center.

-  www.korea4expats.com

     one-stop source of information for people moving, visiting, living, working in Korea

- www.seoulstyle.com

      bars, clubs, restaurants, entertainment, culture, shopping and fashion in Seoul

 - www.koreanbloglist.com

      Korean related weblogs written in English

- www.sendmetokorea.com

      a blog where you can see the glimpse of everyday life in Korea through pictures and videos

- www.theyeogiyo.com

      a website for expatriates living in and visiting Korea

- www.prkorea.com/english/aboutvank.html

      a  newspaper that the cyber diplomats  publish for the foreigners residing in Korea 

Hanji Class: Making Korean Traditional Paper

This month at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center there will be a hanji (Korean traditional paper) class. However, unlike other hanji classes we have done in the past, we will not be making any crafts with hanji. Instead, we will be learning how to make the paper itself. Hanji has been used in Korea for centuries. It is all natural, extremely durable, and also very beautiful. In the past it was used to make books, to cover windows and doors to keep out the wind, and was even used to make armor that could stop arrows. These days Hanji is used for mostly decorative purposes such as making dolls, wrapping paper, decorative boxes, and other handicrafts. It will take two classes to learn all about how to make hanji and try making it yourself. Participants will have to attend both classes. The first class will consist of learning how to make basic hanji including the process of removing thin sheets of mulberry tree fibers from water and basic decoration using dried flowers. The second class will consist of making patterned rough hanji using a rubber mold.

Classes: September 9^th (Thurs) – 10^th (Fri) 3:30 – 5:30 pm

Place: Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center

Participation fee: 10,000 won (covers both classes)

Participants: open to all ages

You can sign up by visiting the center or by email or telephone

Tel: 02)796-2459~60 Email: itaewon@sba.seoul.kr

Seoul Drum Festival 2010

This annual festival is held at various venues from September 4th to the 30th, with the main concert performances at Ddeukseom Seoul Forest Park in the evenings of Friday the 24th, Saturday the 25th, and Sunday the 26th. Now in its 12th year, the festival brings together great percussion artists from Korea and around the world.

For more information visit the festival’s English website: http://www.seouldrum.go.kr/english/

Korea International Art Fair 2010

The Korea International Art Fair(KIAF) will be held in Halls A and B of the COEX Mall from September 9th (Thurs) to the 13th (Mon). This fair brings together works from 193 galleries in 16 countries. The featured guest country at this year’s fair is the UK and there will be various programs, including lectures, to introduce British contemporary art. General admission to the fair is 15,000 won. For more information see the KIAF website: http://www.kiaf.org/

AMCHAM Labor Day Picnic

On Saturday September 4th from 11am to 3pm. The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) will be hosting its annual Labor Day Picnic. Tickets are 50,000 won for adults, 35,000 won for children 8-18, and children under 8 can come for free. The venue is the mini soccer field of Misari Park in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi province. There will be shuttle bus service offered from Seoul. For more information see the posting on the AMCHAM website under news and events: http://www.amchamkorea.org/index.php

AWC Coffee Morning

The American Women’s Club (AWC) is holding its September Coffee Morning on Friday the 10th at 10am (check in starts at 9:30). At this month’s meeting the guest speaker will be James Kim from “Concierge K” which is a company that specializes in providing lifestyle management services for expats in Korea. You can learn all about their personalized shopping, travel, and relocation services. The venue for this month’s meeting is the Seoul Club. The cost is 12,000 won for members and 15,000 won for non-members. For more information on this event and others see the AWC website: http://www.awcseoul.org/

Oktoberfest 2010

The Grand Hilton Seoul will be hosting Oktoberfest 2010 on September 10th (Fri) and 11th (Sat) at 7pm. This popular celebration will includ two German bands, great food, and of course unlimited beer. There will also be a raffle with great prizes including Lufthansa air tickets and hotel vouchers. Tickets are 120,000 won. See the contact information below if you have any questions or would like to make a reservation:

Tel: 02) 2287-7456  Email: oktoberfest@mail.grandhiltonseoul.com

SIWA Guided Tour of the Leeum Art Museum

On Friday September 3rd from 10am to 1pm the Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA) has organized a tour of the Leeum Art Museum in Itaewon (near Hangangjin subway station). The Leeum Museum, funded by Samsung, has both traditional and modern arts sections, but because there is only limited description in English it is not easy for foreigners to fully enjoy the displays. However, this tour will be lead by an expert guide, Mr. David Mason, who will explain the displays in the traditional arts section in English. The cost for this tour is 25,000 won for SIWA members and 30,000 won for nonmembers. For more information, and to sign up for this and other SIWA events, visit their website: http://www.siwapage.com/

The autumn semester of 2010 Korean Traditional Music Class for Foreigners starts from Sep. 4.The program will be conducted in English and Korean (with language assistants) and the instruments necessary for the lesson will be leased during the class.

1. DURATION
- Sep. 4 ~ Nov 20 (12 weeks) / 10:30~12:30, Every Saturday
* Costumed final presentation scheduled on Nov. 20 and Korean traditional costumes will be leased for free.

2. PARTICIPATION FEE
- 30,000 won (covering the whole 12-week course)

3. CLASSES
- Janggu (Hourglass-Shaped Drum) Beginner’s
- Janggu Intermediate
- Gayageum (12-Stringed Zither)
- Haegeum (Two-Stringed Fiddle)
- Samulnori (Percussion Quartet, Prerequisite janggu class or janggu skills required)
* Classes are subject to be cancelled due to insufficient participants.

4. APPLICATION
- Period : Aug. 19 ~ Sep. 2.
- First come, first served
- How to: download application form, complete it and send it to baewon76@gmail.com.

For more information and questions, feel free to contact Mr. Lee Baewon (02-580-3054, baewon76@gmail.com) or visit the official website http://www.gugak.go.kr/html/jsp/eng_2006/index.jsp

Synopsis Having once done time behind bars, CHA Tae-sik now leads a quiet life. His only connection to the rest of the world is a little girl, So-mi, who lives nearby. So-mi’s mother, Hyo-jeong, smuggles drugs for a drug trafficking organization and entrusts Tae-sik with the product. When the traffickers find out they kidnap both Hyo-jeong and So-mi. Mistaking Tae-sik for another mule, the brothers that lead the gang—Man-sik and Jong-sik—promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi if Tae-sik makes a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a rival drug ring leader, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s disemboweled body is discovered, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s life may also be in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. Now on the run, Tae-sik pursues Man-sik and Jong-sik. In the process, he discovers that their drug ring operates around kidnapped children. Stumbling upon a factory where the brothers have children’s organs removed to accommodate the drugs, Tae-sik rescues one child just before surgery and becomes enraged at the prospect So-mi may already be dead. Tae-sik prepares for a battle with Man-sik and Jong-sik, putting his own life at risk…source Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Times and locations:

Synopsis
In a follow-up to popular horror film, “Death Bell” (2008), Se-hee is haunted by her step sister Tae-yeon who used to be a promising swimmer but suddenly killed herself in a swimming pool 2 years ago. During the summer vacation, she joins the study camp at school for upcoming college entrance exam with other 30 elite students. On the first night, when Se-hee finds a riddling passage scribbled in the desk, she soon sees a dead girl’s body hung upside down. Then the TV monitors are on and the students watch another friend crushed by his bike in the corridor. Since then, the succession of cruel killings occurs whenever they fail to answer the given questions in time. Meanwhile, the hidden truth behind Tae-yeon’s suicide is slowly revealed and terrified students struggle to death to undo the puzzle before they become the next victim.  Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Times and locations:

Also, looks like I was wrong, there are some final showings (though they are really trickling out) of Moss coming up in the next couple of days: