Happy new year! It would make sense that 2010's first post would be an events post. Without further ado, here goes the best, brightest, or just most interesting things to check out this month. For more about the national holidays of 2010, check out korea4expats excellent page on holidays to look forward. Hat tip to 10 Magazine who provided information about some of the events.
January 1-24: The Hi Seoul Festival continues the winter edition in downtown Seoul through Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun Plaza. I've already blogged about the proceedings, and is worth visiting for an afternoon / evening. Worth seeing: 'Fractal Turtleship', and the ice skating rink in Gwanghwamun Plaza.
January 1-31: The Boseong Tea Fields are lit up with holiday decorations all month long. If you're in the mood to get out of Seoul, check out the celebrations down in Jeollanam-do at http://www.boseong.go.kr/en/.
January 1-31: The Andy Warhol exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art. I've already blogged on the exhibit, and it's worth checking out if you don't mind the bad English explanations. 12,000 won gets you in; City Hall station, lines 1 or 2, exits 1 or 2 are closest.
January 1-31: From Monet to Picasso - masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art are featured in Seoul at the Hangaram Art Museum. Some details from the Seoul Art Center are available here; 13,000 won admission. Take line 3 to the Nambu Bus Terminal, then take exit 4 or 5 and walk about 15-20 minutes. You can also take local buses 12 or 4429 if you're in the area.
January 1-31: Masterpieces of Italian Renaissance Frescoes - 51 frescos by 21 authors freed from the walls they were painted on are now yours for the experiencing at the Seoul Art Center. Call 02-3471-2020 or see http://www.frescoart.co.kr for more information (sorry, but no English for us non-Koreans).
January 9-31: Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice festival - the first area that freezes over in winter, and claiming some of the thickest ice in Korea, over a million visitors will visit this festival over its three weeks. Also known as the Nara Festival. Sancheoneo means mountain trout, which supposedly only frequents the coldest and purest waters in the country. This is the place to try ice fishing with your bare hands - not quite the Polar Bear Plunge, but still something quite daring by nature. Get to the Hwacheon bus terminal via the Dong Seoul bus terminal in east Seoul (Gangbyeong station, line 2), or go with the Adventure Korea group to pay one price and have all the transportation and other things taken care of.
January 12 & 14 - 6:30-8pm: Registration opens for the Seoul Global Center's first evening Korean classes. Absolute beginner classes begin on the 26th and are every Tuesday and Thursday. Running for 8 weeks, the class will cover the Korean alphabet and some basic expressions, vocabulary, and grammar. Register in-person at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center (Itaewon station, line 6); phone and e-mail registrations aren't accepted. For information purposes only, call 02-796-2459~60 or e-mail [email protected].
January 12: The Melting Pot Creative Workshop - get together with your fellow creative souls and shoot the breeze or your ideas for a new Celtic-infused ska band. Roofers in Itaewon - call Simon Magnus at 010-8672-1166 for more.
January 18: Green Day in concert. While it seems overpriced to yours truly, the punk rockers are making a trip to Seoul. Olympic Park, Seoul (line 5 or 8), 8pm, 88,000 won for the cheap seats.
January 22-31: Taebaek Snow Festival - between the Polar Bear run, ice climbing competition, and an opportunity to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt, what more do you need? Leave from Seoul's DongSeoul Bus Terminal, then take a local bus to the entrance to Hwangji Pond. Check out their English website for more.
January 23-24: The Vienna Boys Choir - definitely worth taking a date to, or claiming you sounded like that when you were a little boy. Seoul Art Center, Nambu Bus Terminal (line 3, exit 5), 02-580-1301, 30,000 won and up.
January 28-31: Inje Ice Fishing Festival - just in case the other ice festivals sounded boring, this one promises a bowling and soccer competition on the slick surface. Check out http://www.injefestival.co.kr/ for more, though it's entirely in Korean. According to korea4expats.com, almost two dozen buses a day leave for the area from Seoul, although you'll need a city bus to get to Sinnam, which comes less frequently.
© Chris Backe - 2009
January 1-24: The Hi Seoul Festival continues the winter edition in downtown Seoul through Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun Plaza. I've already blogged about the proceedings, and is worth visiting for an afternoon / evening. Worth seeing: 'Fractal Turtleship', and the ice skating rink in Gwanghwamun Plaza.
January 1-31: The Boseong Tea Fields are lit up with holiday decorations all month long. If you're in the mood to get out of Seoul, check out the celebrations down in Jeollanam-do at http://www.boseong.go.kr/en/.
January 1-31: The Andy Warhol exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art. I've already blogged on the exhibit, and it's worth checking out if you don't mind the bad English explanations. 12,000 won gets you in; City Hall station, lines 1 or 2, exits 1 or 2 are closest.
January 1-31: From Monet to Picasso - masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art are featured in Seoul at the Hangaram Art Museum. Some details from the Seoul Art Center are available here; 13,000 won admission. Take line 3 to the Nambu Bus Terminal, then take exit 4 or 5 and walk about 15-20 minutes. You can also take local buses 12 or 4429 if you're in the area.
January 1-31: Masterpieces of Italian Renaissance Frescoes - 51 frescos by 21 authors freed from the walls they were painted on are now yours for the experiencing at the Seoul Art Center. Call 02-3471-2020 or see http://www.frescoart.co.kr for more information (sorry, but no English for us non-Koreans).
January 9-31: Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice festival - the first area that freezes over in winter, and claiming some of the thickest ice in Korea, over a million visitors will visit this festival over its three weeks. Also known as the Nara Festival. Sancheoneo means mountain trout, which supposedly only frequents the coldest and purest waters in the country. This is the place to try ice fishing with your bare hands - not quite the Polar Bear Plunge, but still something quite daring by nature. Get to the Hwacheon bus terminal via the Dong Seoul bus terminal in east Seoul (Gangbyeong station, line 2), or go with the Adventure Korea group to pay one price and have all the transportation and other things taken care of.
January 12 & 14 - 6:30-8pm: Registration opens for the Seoul Global Center's first evening Korean classes. Absolute beginner classes begin on the 26th and are every Tuesday and Thursday. Running for 8 weeks, the class will cover the Korean alphabet and some basic expressions, vocabulary, and grammar. Register in-person at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center (Itaewon station, line 6); phone and e-mail registrations aren't accepted. For information purposes only, call 02-796-2459~60 or e-mail [email protected].
January 12: The Melting Pot Creative Workshop - get together with your fellow creative souls and shoot the breeze or your ideas for a new Celtic-infused ska band. Roofers in Itaewon - call Simon Magnus at 010-8672-1166 for more.
January 18: Green Day in concert. While it seems overpriced to yours truly, the punk rockers are making a trip to Seoul. Olympic Park, Seoul (line 5 or 8), 8pm, 88,000 won for the cheap seats.
January 22-31: Taebaek Snow Festival - between the Polar Bear run, ice climbing competition, and an opportunity to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt, what more do you need? Leave from Seoul's DongSeoul Bus Terminal, then take a local bus to the entrance to Hwangji Pond. Check out their English website for more.
January 23-24: The Vienna Boys Choir - definitely worth taking a date to, or claiming you sounded like that when you were a little boy. Seoul Art Center, Nambu Bus Terminal (line 3, exit 5), 02-580-1301, 30,000 won and up.
January 28-31: Inje Ice Fishing Festival - just in case the other ice festivals sounded boring, this one promises a bowling and soccer competition on the slick surface. Check out http://www.injefestival.co.kr/ for more, though it's entirely in Korean. According to korea4expats.com, almost two dozen buses a day leave for the area from Seoul, although you'll need a city bus to get to Sinnam, which comes less frequently.
© Chris Backe - 2009
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