What's on in April

A little list of what's on in Korea this month has been collated by me from various resources for your reading delectation.

Some links to the calendars of various magazines first

Daegu Pockets

Busan Haps

10 Magazine

Visit Korea

Here is a selection of events from the huge list on Korea4Expats. Here is a link to the list on their site where each event has its own link to another page with even more info.

• Andy Warhol Exhibition, 12 Dec to 04 April 2010, Seoul Museum of Art
• The Beat - Non-Verbal Show, Fri –Sun 26 Mar-4 Apr 2010, Seoul
• Wearable Art - Batik Exhibition, 1-21 April 2010, KFCC Gallery, Seoul
• KOTRA - Free Korean Classes, 19 April-29 June 2010, Yangjae, Seoul
• World Cinema VII, 19 Mar - 25 April 2010, Cinematheque Pusan
• Tom Jones Concert, 2-3 April 2010, Olympic Park, Seoul
• Ancient Culture of Uzbekistan, to 25 Sept 2010, National Museum
• Miss Saigon, 13 Mar-4 Apr 2010, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex
• The Exciting World of Animation, 16 March - 13 June 2010, Seoul
• Modern Art of Vietnam I , 6 Mar – 15 April 2010 Busan Museum of Art
• Justice for North Korea Demonstration, every Saturday, Insa-dong
• Opera on Film - Turandot, Wed and Sat to July 2010, COEX Seoul
• Seoul City Improv Comedy Show, Sat 3 April 2010, Itaewon
• The Exciting World of Animation, 16 Mar – 13 June 2010, Seoul Arts Centre
• Gugak - Traditional Korean Music Performances, Saturdays 2010, NCKTPA
• RAS April Tours, Saturdays and Sundays, April 2010, from Seoul
• LIG 8th Korea Open Marathon, Sun 4 April 2010, Jamsil Stadium, Seoul
• LoA MasterMinds Meet-UP, Sun 04 Apr 2010, Itaewon, Seoul
• Ball Hockey League Spring Schedule, March-June 2010, Sports Complex
• Korean Contemporary Art Festival, 5- 12 Apr 2010, Seoul Arts Center
• Exhibition: Hakuna Matata, 26 Mar – 18 Apr 2010, Jongno-gu
• Cinematic Classic Concert, 6 Apr 2010, LG Art Center, Seoul
• Contempory Art Festival (KCAF), 7-11 Apr 2010, Seoul Arts Center
• Int'l Artists Exhibition, 7-18 April 2010, Insa-dong, Seoul
• Philadelphia Orchestra, 30 April-1 May 2010, Sejong Center, Seoul
• Free Screening of 63 Years On, Sun 11 April 2010, Insa-dong Area
• Muckleshunter 01 May- Scottish Dance Practices-Wed April 2010, Seoul
• Julio Iglesias in Seoul, Fri 16 Apr 2010, Sejong Center, Seoul
• Traditional Drink & Rice Cake Festival, 18 -23 April 2010, Gyeongju
• Opera:Lucia di Lammermoor, 19-25 Apr 2010, Seoul Arts Center
• Opera: Manon Lescaut, 22-25 Apr 2010, Sejong Center, Seoul
• House of Sharing English Tour, Sun 25 April 2010, Seoul Departure
• Tanz in den Mai - Dance Into May, Fri 30 April 2010, Grand Hyatt

Here is Korea4Expat's baseball schedule for April, covering the whole country.

And K-league fixtures are here

And volleyball

The official site has this list of more traditional festivals.

World Photonics Expo 2010

Period: 04-02-2010 ~ 05-09-2010

Region: Gwangju

Gaya Culture Festival

Period: 04-27-2010 ~ 05-02-2010

Region: Gyeongsangnam-do

Jindo Sea-parting Festival

Period: 03-30-2010 ~ 04-01-2010

Region: Jeollanam-do

Yeoju Ceramics Expo

Period: 04-24-2010 ~ 05-09-2010

Region: Gyeonggi-do

Icheon Ceramics Festival

Period: 04-24-2010 ~ 05-16-2010

Region: Gyeonggi-do

Cheongpungho Cherry Blossoms Festival

Period: 04-08-2010 ~ 04-18-2010

Region: Chungcheongbuk-do

Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival

Period: 04-02-2010 ~ 04-04-2010

Region: Gyeongsangnam-do

Icheon Baeksa Sansuyu Flower Festival

Period: 04-02-2010 ~ 04-04-2010

Region: Gyeonggi-do

Jinhae Gunhangje Festival

Period: 04-01-2010 ~ 04-11-2010

Region: Gyeongsangnam-do

Yeouido Spring Flowers Festival

Period: 04-06-2010 ~ 04-18-2010

Region: Seoul

Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival

Period: 04-30-2010 ~ 05-02-2010

Region: Ulsan

Gwangalli Eobang Festival

Period: 04-23-2010 ~ 04-25-2010

Region: Busan

Goryeong Daegaya Experience Festival

Period: 04-08-2010 ~ 04-11-2010

Region: Gyeongsangbuk-do

Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival

Period: 04-03-2010 ~ 04-06-2010

Region: Jeollanam-do

The Great Admiral Yi Sun Shin Festival

Period: 04-28-2010 ~ 05-02-2010

Region: Chungcheongnam-do

Namwon Chunhyang Festival

Period: 04-23-2010 ~ 04-26-2010

Region: Jeollabuk-do

Hampyeong Butterfly Festival

Period: 04-23-2010 ~ 05-09-2010

Region: Jeollanam-do

Jeonju International Film Festival

Period: 04-27-2010 ~ 05-02-2010

Region: Jeollabuk-do

Jeju Canola Flower Festival

Period: 04-10-2010 ~ 04-11-2010

Region: Jeju-do

Gyeongju Liquor & Rice Cake Festival

Period: 04-17-2010 ~ 04-22-2010

Region: Gyeongsangbuk-do

Mungyeong Traditional Tea Bowl Festival

Period: 04-30-2010 ~ 05-09-2010

Region: Gyeongsangbuk-do

Chris in South Korea, or CISK has a good roundup of what's going on in Korea this month and Matt Kelly has a round up of spring flower festivals on his blog Discovering Korea.

That's all for this month.

Welcome to America town.

Itaewon is a dumping ground for homesick expats. It’s Koreas very own America town.

My first impression of Itaewon when I stepped off the subway was that I had inadvertently gotten on the wrong train and transported myself to a dirty, decaying corner of a western city.

There is a red light district and apparently there are drugs, which people have blamed on the presence of American soldiers. They’re probably right. Although drugs and prostitution aren’t limited to Itaewon, the proliferation of cash laden soldiers would be enough to encourage them to remain.

The amount of westerners, mostly Americans and Canadians is unbelievable and the place feels less like Korea and more like Las Vegas, but without the high rolling casinos and expensive hotels. Itaewon is a single strip of neon encrusted real estate and attracts westerners like moths to a flame.

Itaewon is a few subway stops from the heart of the city centre and you emerge from Itaewon subway station into a melting pot of western “culture”, although there is distinct lack of culture and no hint of kimchi, just walking, talking, western stereotypes.

Accommodation was my first concern. The lonely planet guide says the Seoul motel is the best in Itaewon. Sat on top of a McDonalds at one of the street it couldn’t be better placed to explore Itaewon from and therein lies its only plus point. It really is a horrible little place. It may be the best Itaewon has to offer but it falls short of my very modest standards. It’s cheap, both literally and metaphorically and it’s certainly nasty. Half of the lights in the room didn’t work, along with the TV and the shower and the bedroom floor could be likened to the standing room on a rush hour tube, my partner and I had to take turns standing up! But for 40,000 (28 pounds approx) won a night, what do you expect.


I would recommend hotels in other parts of the city and suggest you look around on the net and find something that suits you. As Seoul has a underground network it isn’t worth settling for anything less than satisfactory, the co-op uljio residence near dongdaemun stadium is much better and still reasonably cheap, it has a kitchenette, TV and internet access in the room (just bring your own computer).

Don’t be under the misconception that I don’t like Itaewon, it is what it is and it does what it does well and I like it for it. The people who live in Korea and come here, do so for one thing, to escape Korea.
I come here to eat western food and drink western beer, speak to western people and buy cheap tacky souvenirs that are aimed at western people, watch western sport and generally be western.

Korea and Seoul have a lot to offer the tourist, centuries of history along with some spectacular architecture and some of the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten but Itaewon isn’t designed for the tourists as such, it’s designed for foreign residents. This is a subtle but important difference.
Itaewon is the eye of the storm so to speak, but this storm has the calm, serene Korea around it and the fast food soaked streets of Itaewon at its heart.

This "ugly, lovely town" was used by Dylan Thomas to describe Swansea but could equally be applied to Seoul’s city within a city. The place could be called a blot on the landscape but it is a haven for expats who need their regular fix of the west.
Itaewon isn’t Korea, not in a real sense. It is of course literally in Korea but that’s where the similarities end, instead Itaewon is a Mecca of all things vulgar, it lacks charm and it’s the home to all that is seedy and disgusting and foreign in Korea. But we like it.

My quest continued, after securing the “best” budget hotel in Itaewon to food. I went to Ali Baba’s, an Egyptian restaurant on the main strip. It’s a small place with seating for no more than about 30 and the food is excellent, I’m not sure how authentic it is but its tastes delicious. The price is also magnificent in its magnitude, extortionate would not be an over statement and here in lies another problem with Itaewon, along with the western comforts come the western prices. Ali Baba’s wouldn't be on my list of places to go again and that’s mainly because of the price.

To wash down my delicious but wallet busting meal we went to a new bar called the Wolfhound, run by 2 Irish guys and 2 Korean guys the place is just as Irish bars in Britain are. It has the obligatory Irish football shirts on the wall as well as a darts board and as much Guinness as you can stomach. The place fills up at the weekends and they show live football and rugby from the UK.

Then there is Gekos, an Itaewon institution that sells the same pub grub as most Wetherspoon style chain pubs in the UK. They do it well here and the fish and chips were a very welcome sight on the menu and tasted as good as I’d hoped they would.

There are numerous stalls and shops selling all sorts of cultural artifacts with the Korean flags on and if you want a fake pair of Ray-Bans or a fake Rolex then this is the place for you.

Itaewon is definitely not the place for authentic Korean culture seekers but it is a welcome respite from Korean culture, if you feel you need one.

Seoul international Marathon 17th March 2007

The 78th Dong-A marathon as it is also known was held yesterday in the South Korean capital. Held the day after St Patrick’s Day there were surely a few spectators who were destined to not make it to the 8am start and of the many who did a few (mostly westerners) looked as though they should have stayed in bed.

The coinciding of the event with the universally celebrated saint’s day was tough luck for some people who I’m sure would have us believe they would have competed if it hadn’t been for the date clash.

From my room on the 16th floor of the Seoul plaza, I had a magnificent view of Seoul and the starting point for the Marathon. From 6am the roads were closed and final preparations were put in place for the start, the weather was fantastic for the thousands of runners taking part, a bright and dry day with a gentle breeze keeping the temperature down a little. The runners started turning up at around 6am and the buzz of excitement and nervousness was in the air.

At 8am the elite runners set off with their ears ringing from a combination of the booming microphone of the compere, who seemed hell bent on getting heard and the mini firework display that signalled the start of the race. The others followed at 5 minute intervals ranked in groups according to their ability. The participants ran south from City Hall under the watchful gaze of Admiral Yi Sun Shin, the Korean mastermind behind the victories against the Japanese navy during their invasions of Korea.

The route, which started at the statue of the Korean hero and finished in the Jamsil Olympic stadium, has been called scenic and personal highlights from competitors in the past have included crossing the Han River and entering the Olympic stadium to see yourself on the big screen crossing the finish line.

The $80,000 first prize and the $300,000 prize for breaking the world record were distant dreams for most participants but there were a few who would fancy their chances.

Two of these hopefuls were Korea’s Lee Bong-Ju and Ji Young-Jun and both were cheered on ferociously by the patriotic crowd in Seoul. Bong-Ju, who finished 5th in this race in 2004 and won the Boston marathon in 2001 will be one of the older members of the elite runners at 36. In contrast Young-Jun at 25 was another Korean hope, with 4th, 6th and 2nd place finishes in this race in the past he was sure to be near the top of the field come 10:07 am.

After doubling back on themselves on the cheonggyecheon stream in the heart of the city, the route then moved south east, near the children’s grand park, past the Seoul forest, finally crossing over the Jamsil Bridge and into the Olympic stadium for a triumphant final lap of the old stadium.

The stadium, which has capacity for around 69,000 seating spectators was built to be the center piece for the 1988 Olympics and took 7 years to construct. It does have somewhat of a chequered past as it was here in 1988 that the infamous Ben Johnson cheated his way to Olympic gold and Sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner won three gold medals and a silver on the track.

The stadium also hosted that year’s football final with the USSR beating the mighty Brazil 2:1 but it was overlooked as a venue for the 2002 FIFA world cup.

The atmosphere around the stadium was carnival-esque with fast food stalls and refreshment stands all ready to serve up Korean treats to the competitors and their supporters after the marathon. The sight of the huge Olympic rings motif on the outside of the stadium must have signalled a long awaited rest was just around the corner for some weary legs, but at the same time also gave a much needed burst of adrenalin to flagging combatants and helped them drag their tired bodies over the finish line. As with all events of this magnitude there were inevitably casualties, some poor souls (forgive the pun) were transported to the stadium via ambulance and hobbled into the stadium to cheer on their running brethren.

With number 3 on his vest Lee Bong-Ju was destined to finish well in the Seoul marathon but his finish was 2 places better than his shirt number suggested, the veteran Bong-Ju Lee crossed the line in 2:08:04 and took the $80,000 first prize, not only that but it was also the fastest marathon time in the world this year. His time put him joint 174th in the all time world marathon times. This isn’t his first entry into the list either, he comes in at 117 too, a feat achieved in Rotterdam in 1998.When you think that only 3 minutes and 17 seconds separate the top 200 times then you realise how impressive it is to even get into this elite field.
The Cheonan native defied the odds to finish ahead of Kenya’s Kirui by a full 25 seconds. Another Kenyan runner Laban Kipkemboi came third, 9 seconds behind Kirui.
The woman’s race was won by China’s Wei Yanan with a time of 2:23:12, again the fastest time this year.

The crowds got a victory on home soil and everyone headed toward the subway station right next to the stadium happy. The station was incredibly but predictably busy after the race and some of the carriages had the distinct odours of pride, accomplishment and sweat. The race seemed to be a success and a good day was had by all especially Lee Bong-Ju who I’m sure celebrated in true Korean style with some grilled meat and copious amounts of soju. Then again maybe not.

Results

Men
1 Lee Bong-Ju KOR 2:08:04
2 Paul Kiptanui KEN 2:08:29
3 Laban Kipkemboi KEN 2:08:38
4 Edwin Komen KEN 2:08:45
5 Jason Mbote KEN 2:10:32
6 Dmytro Baranovsky UKR 2:10:51


Women
1 Wei Yanan CHN 2:23:12
2 Rose Cheruiyot KEN 2:27:25
3 Hellen Cherono KEN 2:29:33
4 Thabita Tsatsa ZIM 2:30:12
5 Worknesh Tola ETH 2:30:56
6 Chae Eun-Hee KOR 2:32:01