Museums in go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 1

In Seoul, there are many more museums other than just Seoul Museum of Art, Leeum, etc.

1. Arario Seoul - It used to be a public bath. But was remodeled to accommodate both Korean and artists abroad.
Add. So gyuk dong 149-2, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-723-6190
www.ararioseoul.com

2. Art Sonje Center - It's a center for modern arts. This place not only features art but also literature, culture, architechs, dance, and fashion.
Add. So gyuk dong 144-2, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-733-8945
www.artsonje.org

3. B-Shop - It is a tiny museum but it has a variety of music related art work.
Add. Ga ro soo gil, Shin sa dong, Gang nam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-3445-4511~2
www.beshop.info

4. Bitforms - Mainly co prised digitalized video work,interactive art, and other media art.
Add. MUE Building, Chung dam dong 93-6, Gang nam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-516-5383
www.bitforms.com

5. Brain Factory - A space for new, fresh artists!
Add. Tong ui dong 1-6, Jong no gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-725-9520
www.brainfactory.org

6. Do Art Gallery - A notable place, Do Art Gallery offers diverse galleries,
Add. Gwan hoon dong 105, jong no gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-738-2522
doart.co.kr

7. Dong Soong - It is well located at the center of other multi arts spaces.
Add. Dong Soong dong 1-5, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-766-3390
www.dsartcenter.co.kr

8. Gana Art Center - One of Seoul's leading art center.
Add. Pyeong chang dong 465-5, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-720-1020
www.ganaart.com

9. Gallery Jung Mi So - It used to be an old public bath. But it was remodeled to hold artists' lectures, performances, and exhibitions.
Add. Gak suk building 2nd floor, Dong Soong dong 199-17, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-743-5378
ww.galleryjungmiso.com

10. Gallery Lumiere - Korea's the very first photo art museum.
Add. Chungdam dong 88, Gangnam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-517-2134
www.gallerylumiere.com

11. Hermes Gallery - Placed on 3rd floor of the "Maison de Hermes" building.
Add. Shinsa dong 630-26, Gangnam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-544-7722

12. Ilmin Gallery - Documentary archives, and other artists' teaching program take place at this gallery. On the 1st floor, there's the famous cafe "Ima" selling waffles and hamburg steak!
Add. Se jong no 139, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2020-2055
www.ilmin.org

13. Ilju Art Center - This center is a media art gallery that's centered around video arts. It has its own media archive providing free art movies, etc.
Add. Heung guk Sang myung building 1st floor, Sin mun no 1 ga, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2002-7777
www.iljuart.org

14. Kumho Museum - Kumho/Asiana Art Foundation is supporting this museum. This art gallery is famous for supporting yet unknown young artists from rural regions of Korea. This gallery also has a space for small classical music concert, 'Kumho Recital.'
Add. Kumho Asiana building 3rd floor, Sin mun no 1 ga 57 bun ji, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-6303-1919
www.kumhomuseum.com

15. Kukje Gallery - Since it opened in 1982, it has been the most famous gallery in Seoul. It also has the famous restaurant, "The Restaurant."
Add. So gyuk dong 59-1 bun ji, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-735-8449
www.kukje.org

16. LG Art Center - Many concerts, performances (dance or artistic), musical, play,and other art performances take place in LG Art Center.
Add. Yuk sam dong 679 bun ji, Gang nam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2005-1538
www.lgart.com

17. Michael Schultz Gallery - This gallery shows many German comtemporary arts and artists and Korean comtemporay arts and artists.
Add. Nature Poem Building 2nd floor, Chungdam 1 dong 118-17 bun ji, Gangnam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-512-6470
www.schultzgallery.co.kr

18. PKM - This gallery helped many Korean artists to be famous. It is graceful yet not too classic, fresh and new yet not kitsch.
Add. Hwa dong 137-1 bunji, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-734-9467
www.pkmgallery.com

19. Rodin Gallery - Rodin's famous "The Gates of Hell," "The Burghers of Calais" can be found at this gallery. This space is also known for exhibiting new and experimental work.
Add. Samsung sangmyung building 1st floor, Taepyungno 2 ga 150 bun ji, Joong gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2259-7781~2
www.rodingallery.org

20. Seomi & Tuus - Song won Hong owns the gallery and even runs it by collecting display work.
Add. Chungdam dong 93-12 bunji, Gangnam gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-511-7305
www.seomituus.com

21. Sejong Center - It's a center of Seoul's art life.
Add. Se jongno 81-3 bunji, Jongno gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-399-1111
www.sejongpac.co.kr

*National Museums
1. National Museum of Korea
Add. Yongsandong 6ga 168-6bunji, yongsan gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2077-9000
www.museum.go.kr

2. National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea
Add. Gwang myung gil 209 bunji, Gwha chun, Gyeong gi do
Tel. 02-2188-6000
www.moca.go.kr

3. National Museum of Art Deoksugung
Add. Inside of Deaksugung, Jeong dong 5-1 bunji, Joong gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2022-0600
www.moca.go.kr

4. Seoul Museum of Art
Add. Mi sul gwan gil 30 bunji, Joong gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-2124-8800
http://seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr

5. Seoul Art Center
Add. Nambu Soonhwanno 2406 bunji, Seocho gu, Seoul
Tel. 02-580-1300
www.sac.or.kr

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 40

<< Seoul in Winter >>
In fact, Seoul doesn't change much when winter comes. Just significant difference can be observed by the street scene (various street food carts comes out on the street and people wear thicker clothes and walk hastily to save time staying outside outside in cold).
However, in this city on cold winter day, it's always sweet to walk around or visit...

1. palaces (as I mentioned already, palaces in Seoul are gorgeous in Fall but also mesmerizing in winter too! especially when they are covered in snow...)

2. art or other museums: Seoul Museum of Arts, Leeum, Science Museum, etc

3. movie theaters: any one in Seoul but especially small ones (such as Sponge House, etc)

4. amusement parks especially when it snows and dark! because they are pretty at night!Also they have special promotions for night admissions and parades at night!

5. Ice Rink or Ski Resorts!! They are typical places to go in winter

6. Jjim jil bang(room)- this is a public sauna room where people can enjoy sauna with friends and families!

7. KT Art Hall (near Seoul City Hall) People don't know much that near city hall, there are lots of things to enjoy. But this hall provides jazz in this city! Definitely placed in the top list of Must See in Seoul! :-)

enjoy this winter scenery~

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 39

<< Skating in Seoul!!! >>
These days, Koreans are into skating!

Skating Rinks in Seoul are...
1. Lotte World Ice Skate Rink
This is one of the most well known Skate Rink in Seoul. It is located on the 3rd Basement floor of Lotte World. Since this rink is inside the building, it is open for all year long. The rink is open for all year long. Usually its open from 10 am to 9:30 pm or later depends on season and special occasions.
The set(admission + skates rental) fee for children is 12,000 won and adults is 13,000. Only for an admission fee is also posted on the website.
*please check website for further information

2. Seoul City Square Ice Skate Rink
This only opens for few months.And currently, it's under a construction again!(last year, it opened from Dec. 6th to Feb. 10th)It was opened from 10 am to 10 pm on weekdays and until 11pm on weekends. Only an hour is allowed for people to skate. Admission fee is combined with skates and helmet rental fee, which is 1,000 won. However to rent a locker and gloves, extra 500 won will be added.
*please visit website: www.seoulsports.co.kr for further information

3. Yeouido Han River Park skating rink
This is also very popular public skating rink. Like the one on Seoul City Square Skating Rink, this one is an outdoor skating rink.
Take subway line #5 and take off at Yeouinaru stn. It is where the Han River public swimming pool is located. Rental fee for skates is 3,000 won regardless of age and gender. Admission fee for children is 2,000 won, students is 3,000 won and adults is 4,000.
contact #: 02-785-1093

4. Seoul Education and Culture Center's Outdoor Ice Skate Rink
This is opened by Seoul Education and Culture Center. It is located in Seocho district. This is open from 9 am to 6 pm.
Rink admission fee for children is 4,000 won, students is 5,000, and adults is 7,000.
It used to open from Nov. 15th to Feb. 29th. BUT, dates and time can be altered so it's the best to contact before using the rink.
contact #: 02-576-2924,2942

5. Mokdong Ice Rink
It is located in Mokdong, Seoul. BUT THIS IS NOT FOR ENTERTAINMENT! This rink has been built to promote winter sports in Korea. This is mainly used for training purposes for sports atheletes and private/group lessons.

6. Taereung International Ice Rink
This is open not only for registered athelets and national atheletes but also for public. It is open from 10 am to 7pm for public. Since this is indoor rink, it is open from Sep. 25th to Jun. The admission fee for children(younger than elementary schoolers) is 3,000 won, students is 3,500 won, and adults is 4,000 won. Skates rental fee is 3,000 won.
contact #: 02-970-0501~3

7. Grand Hyatt Seoul Ice Skate Rink
This is owned and run by Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel. Since it belongs to a hotel, its admission fee is higher than other rinks. However, it also provides many promotions such as free admission on designated dates and discounts for couples, etc. It is an outdoor rink providing beautiful scenery. People can rent a rink for special events too.
contact #: 02-733-8112/3
*Please check Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel website for further information

Check this Out!!! :-) # 3

<< "Garden 5" in April '09 >>
Currently, Coex is the most popular multiplex in Seoul. But, in April '09, it might not be so. Right now, in Songpa, SH Company and Seoul Metropolitan Government have been building the "Garden 5," a huge multiplex. It is already scheduled to be opened in April '09. The scale of this multiplex is about five times as big as Coex. And this not only has entertainment and shops but also residential and business complex.
Commercial of this complex is already out! For sure, this is something that Seoulites should look forward too!!!

Food to Try... in Seoul!!! :-) # 1

<< Street Food and Others in Seoul >>
Seoul's one of the major characteristics is having "street food." Especially starting from fall, many carts come out on the streets loaded with mouth watering food.

So what are the major street food???
1. << Boo-eung uh BBang!(Boo-eung uh=fish Bbang=bread) >>
We call this Boo-eung uh Bbang not because the filling is made of fish but the shape of the bread is fish! This bread is simply made up of bread mixing(flour, butter, water, etc depends on the maker/seller) and sweetened red been paste filing!
And simply eating is the best way to find out why this is the long time favorite street food of Korea~

2. << Hoo-dduk(rice cake) >>
Although the name of this food indicates that this is a rice cake, I would say this is more like bread than rice cake. This is a round bread/rice cake that has sugar, honey, sesame powder, and cinnamon power mix inside. The batter can be made in many different ways depend on who makes it. It can contain rice powder or sweet rice powder making Hoo dduk more rice cake like. However, the batter can be made only with flour very ironic to be called "dduk." The Hoo dduk maker shapes the batter roundly and then put the filling inside the center hole that he or she makes inside the rounded batter dough. Then the maker closes the hole and shapes the filled dough round again. And finally, he or she puts the dough on the hot frying pan and presses it with round presser. So the hoo dduk looks like a fried pancakes with sweet filling inside. Along with Boo-eung uh BBang, Hoo Dduk is a long time favorite winter street food in Korea!

3. << Gooeun(baked) Bam(chestnut) and Gooeun Goguma(sweet potato) >>
When people have to worry over high calorie intakes while eating other street foods, people can simply turn over to comparably healthy street food such as Gooeun Bam and Gooeun Goguma! As they are called, chestnuts and sweet potatoes are just simply baked not adding other extra sweet or salty calorie boosters!Also those vegetable and nuts are known as healthy food! It's not a bad idea to have them instead of sweet or salty other street food if you worry about those extra pounds~

4. << Pojangmacha(a street stationed cart selling street food) Food >>
People can't talk about Korea not mentioning Pojangmacha! Pojangmacha sells a variety of food...
1. << Ddukbokki >>
As many people know already, ddukbokki is string shaped rice cake cooked in red peppered sauce. What's special about it is that each pojangmacha shows different tastes although the name of the food is the name and even looks (well it's always red! almost...)2. << Uh-muk >>
It is fish cake! Although its name sounds weird, it sure tastes great especially in winter! Uh muk made up of fish! Fish is scrambled and shaped into a flat square or round string. And then Uh muk is boiled and cooked in soup(made by pojangmacha owner-usually the soup base contains water, fish, onion,radish,sea weed,etc). People can drink the soup when they eat Uh muk and it's the best to have them in winter!3. << Sun Dae(Korean style Sausages) >>
At first, people would not be able to eat it easily because unlike usual sausages, it is black. However, it is a sausage made of sweet potato starch based noodles stuffed in pig intestine. Most Koreans love it. And when they eat it, they eat with liver (steamed along with sun dae)and others too. They may not be too pleasant to look at but they are healthy food so try them!4. << Gimbap >>
I hope everyone knows about it now. It is Korean style sushi.

5. << Bbopggi >>
I am afraid that it's not so easy to find it nowadays. However, some places, it's still available! It is simple sweets that little kids enjoy (and adults enjoy them when they want to reminisce their childhood).Bbotggi is made up of baking soda and sugar. In a steel dipper, Bbotggi maker puts two or three scoops of sugar and a smaller scoop of baking soda and put it over a fire while mixing them. Then the mixture creates golden colored liquid. Then the maker puts it on the cooling pan and presses it with presser(yes, the same presser for Hoo dduk!) then before Bbopggi hardens, the maker presses different shapes of smaller version of cookie cutters to make a shape on Bbopggi! In old days, it was a tradition that if a person succeeds to cut Bbopggi around thd cookie cutter shape, the successful person gets another Bbopggi! So, it was always a battle betweem Bbopggi maker and Bbopggi buyers!

Days to Celebrate... in Seoul!!! :-) # 2

<< 11/11 Peppero Day :-) >>
Korea especially has more "special" days to celebrate than many other nations.

For example, Korea has White day when guys give candies to girls in return for the chocolates they got on Valentine's day!

And today, November 11th is the "Pepero Day"!

On November 11th, people exchange or simply give one of the most long time favorite snacks in Korea "pepero" to those they love. The day was made by the pepero company(Lotte) because November 11th(11/11) resembles four lined up peperos! (pepero is a long skinny cracker sticks covered in chocolate (well there are few variations though))

Since the birth of the "Pepero day," many people especially students and lovers have fun exchanging and giving out peperos.

It will be a fun experience to try some peperos on Nov. 11th! :-)

<< the History of Pepero... >>
in 1983 - the original Pepero(plain chocolate covered) was born
in 1984 - the Almond Pepero(plain chocolate covered with cracked almond sprinkled)was born
in 1994 - the Strawberry and Flake flavored Peperos were born
in 1995 - the Cheese and Coffee flavored Peperos were born
in 1996 - the Peanut, Hazelnut, and Bulgogi(?) flavored Peperos were born
in 1997 - the Peanut Cream flavored Pepero was born
in 2000 - the Nude Pepero was born
in 2005 - the Black Pepero was born
in 2006 - the Cacao Pepero was born
in 2007 - the Nude Lemon Cheese flavored Pepero was born

Images of different types of Peperos are below...

<< images of the Various Types of Pepero >>

Check This Out!!! :-) # 2

<< Bicycle's Heaven City >>
Gangnam gu decided to install bicycle stations where people can easily borrow bicycles and return them near their destinations. Seoul City Government is saying that by doing this, Seoul's pollution and traffic issues would improve.

Taking Seoul's characteristic: having many up and down turns, Seoul City Government is strategically installing bicycle stations near subway stations, schools, department stores, markets, apartments, and even main freeways and local streets.

According to the Gangnam ward office, it will take a while to make this new project to settle down and get adjusted. However near May of 2009, not only residents in Gangnam gu, but also all citizens in Seoul will easily have access to the public bicycles!

*** and also, many other districts in Seoul are also following Gangnam gu's footstep too!