GSM

Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the new version of its English website:

 english.seoul.go.kr homepage (20140301)
ADDENDUM - WARNING: to new users willing to enjoy the most interactive/participative functions, there seems to be temporarily glitches on the registration page

As you can see, and following current web trends (particularly with websites running on the popular WordPress platform), image rules over text. A very smart and user-friendly choice... which I'm not likely to make anytime soon: if this excuse for a blog is ill-written, it's even more ill-illustrated (now typically, that was ill-written).

Speaking of illustrations: my mugshot appears on Seoul's frontpage. I happen to be a member of the Global Seoul Mate program, like Mimsie Ladner, Hassan Abid, Lua Tsunliong, Kerliza Foon, or Alex Paik... and at least a hundred more not pictured here, but all over the web (e.g. fellow urbanist Nikola "Kojects" Medimorec, or fellow Seoul subway rider Michael "마익흘" Aronson). 

We write about Seoul in English, Chinese, or Japanese, we come from all over the world and all walks of life, and each one of us has their preferred angles (e.g. Seoul neighborhoods, photography, cultural events, Korean food, Korean oral traditions, K-Pop...), but we all have at least two things in common:

• be it as residents or just as distant admirers, we're all Seoulites
• we tend to be heavy SNS users, and some clearly in the hyperactive-pathological range. Which may explain why I'm among the oldest patients in the nuthouse... but hey, I used to develop online services before some of these kids were even born (thinking of it, back in 1993, we had a code name for our statistical category of heaviest users that pretty much sums us up now: "Stakhano-Repetitus").

A bit like in "Bitter, Sweet Seoul", you don't need to see Seoul and its Mayor through rose colored glasses. And if you've seen me palling around with PARK Won-soon*, you also know that, when needed, I can be as critical as I was with his predecessor.

So as the GSM program starts its 3rd year, I renew my initial pledge to You, Dear Reader*: "Seoul Village will remain totally independent, nonsensical, and poorly written".


Seoul Village 2014
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* see "Joint wishes from Seoul City Mayor and Seoul Village Minor"
** see "Seoul Friendship Fair 2012, Global Seoul Mates"

Seoul is... a village

Summing up Seoul in one picture and one word? No can do. Here's my take at the "Seoul is..." series:

You may recognize a few pictures taken here and there over the past 10 years.

Seoul Village 2012
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Seoul Friendship Fair 2012, Global Seoul Mates

My favorite fair is back*! And this year, we may have the perfect weather to enjoy the program.

If you're a newbie, Seoul Friendship Fair proposes a week end of performances from foreign troops (dance, music) around City Hall and Mugyo-dong, but I confess I mostly come for the food, another festival from all horizons. After all, cuisine should be considered a major performing art, shouldn't it?

The full program for this edition (May 5-6) is on the website seoulfriendshipfair.org, along with, this year, food recipes from all over the world. Great initiative... even if the recipes are only available in Korean. Fair enough: I should read Korean, shouldn't I?

By the way: I've just been officially appointed a Global Seoul-Mate thanks to you, Dear Readers, who've been visiting from over 220 countries and territories over the past 5 years. The aim of this program is to help global audiences know more about the city, and that happens to be part of the collateral damage caused by this excuse for a blog. Don't worry, Seoul Village will remain totally independent, nonsensical, and poorly written.

Seoul-ly yours,

Seoul Village 2012
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* see "Seoul Friendship Fair 2011", "Seoul Friendship Fair" (2010)...

UPDATED 20120512