Seoul Summer Beach and Swag

From July 20 to August 9, a giant, free water park will welcome Seoulites on Gwanghwamun Square and Sejongno Park. After drawing about 900k visitors in 2004 and 1.5M last year, Seoul Summer Beach could be even more popular with a 3rd edition featuring pools, slides, and a sand playground. 

Who knows? BTS 'could spend a lifetime watching you swim'

The sandy space will be under a 12 m wide dome that brings more to mind an igloo than a summer beach, and won't allow you to fully enjoy Seoul's most iconic scenery, but sand can be messy, particularly during the rainy season. And hygiene should be less an issue; as a Parisian, I've never dared basking in Paris Plage's sandy stretches. 

I remember chatting with PARK Won-soon about Paris Plage. First meant for Parisians who can't afford going on holidays, this yearly festival covers the expressway along the Seine (now reclaimed by pedestrians) with a beach anyone can enjoy for free. The former mayor was toying with the idea of adapting that other Parisian tradition (following Velib, La Nuit Blanche etc), but it wouldn't make much of a splash along the Han River (too wide a river, riversides more disconnected from the rest of the city, Hangang Park already boasting its own water activities...). 

Gwanghwmun Square and Sejongdaero are much more relevant and impactful for this kind of festivities.

Which doesn't mean that the rest of the city will remain dry: we've seen neighborhood parks transformed into water parks during the summer long before Seoul Summer Beach existed, and there are so many ways of having fun while getting soaked, from the Sinchon Water Gun Festival and its giant water slide along Yonsei-ro to PSY's torrential Summer Swag concerts.

My favorite drenched memory in Seoul remains the day I was caught by a sudden downpour in Jongno-gu. The time to run twenty meters to the closest shelter, I was already totally soaked. Because there was no way a bus or a taxi could accept me, I decided to just walk back home peacefully, simply enjoying the shower with a great smile. 

Of course, as Seoul and Korea well know*, too much water can be dangerous. So enjoy responsibly, and have a great summer.

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* and as PSY also knows now: he was once scolded for hosing his fans with 300 tons of water during a concert in the middle of a drought.

Summer Hit Wave

Sorry Seoul, I was out of town this Summer. Equally glad to miss your crushing, record heatwave, and thrilled to enjoy Paris 2024 and the most spectacular olympics and paralympics.

Rooting for both nations, this Parisian Seoulite was lucky enough to witness 3 gold medals for Korea:

• Archery at Invalides (NB: silver for France):
  
  Little suspense there: as expected, KIM Woo-jin, KIM Je-deok and LEE Woo-seok destroyed all competition, kindly tipping France with one set in a final played under a merciless sun in a postcard setting (the Invalides at 9 o'clock, the Eiffel Tower at 12, the Pont Alexandre III and the Grand Palais at 3).
  

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• Fencing at Grand Palais (NB: bronze for France):
  
  In that very Grand Palais, arguably one of the most spectacular venues of the Games, OH Sanguk, PARK Sangwon, GU Bongil, and DO Gyeongdong had a tougher time defeating Hungary. But nothing could stop the men's sabre squad from claiming gold for the third time in a row, not even that eruption of the stands when Leon Marchand won his race in the middle of the final.

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• Badminton at Porte de la Chapelle Arena (NB: no frogs in sight except in the stands):
  
  Another expected triumph for Korea; this time for AN Se-young who let HE Bing Jiao remain hopeful for two thirds of the first set before switching to cruise mode all the way to victory.
  

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Kudos to Paris, France, and Tony ESTANGUET for pulling out a fantastic event and particularly the most successful paralympics ever. FOMO brought Parisians who skipped the Olympics back for that 'return match', and over 95% of all seats were not only sold but also fully animated, even when audiences weren't allowed to make any noise (a silent 'ola' during blind football games? simply brilliant).

After the 2002 World Cup in Korea, I didn't think I could experience another moment of national communion around such a major sport event, particularly in a city where protesting is the national pastime. I'm happy I was wrong.

Needless to say, in both cases, the magic eventually rubs off, and national unity quickly collapses; but for all their defaults, I'll keep rooting for my two favorite countries. With this gift tee that pretty much wrapped up a smoking hot Summer:

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Year of the Underdog

This is, so far, the image I'd keep from the Pyeongchang Olympics: Lee Sang-hwa and Nao Kodaira enjoying a victory lap together*. Beyond the victory of the Japanese underdog over the Korean double olympic champion, the victory of fair-play and mutual respect, timeless values in sport, even more admirable for a decade-old rivalry in uber-competitive speed-skating. 

'Even more than the joint North Korea - South Korea ice hockey team forced down a coach's throat, the genuine mutual respect between Nao Kodaira and Lee Sang-hwa in speed skating short track can help bring two people together' (20180219 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/965479212130893827)

So in the land of bballi-bballi, in times of over-speeding news cycles, I'd like to pause and enjoy olympics as they were meant to be. And I sincerely hope that Olympic Athletes from Russia will not be allowed to parade under their national flag for the closing ceremony, particularly after the latest doping scandal (in curling, of all sports!).

And don't forget your gift for the new year: the free ebook of my 2007 short story "Year Of The Dog".



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* no, not that obvious one (see "Closing doors at Pyeongchang's Opening Ceremony")

Closing doors at Pyeongchang's Opening Ceremony

If Olympics are always a mix of sports, culture, business, and politics, Pyeongchang definitely amped up the latter. So KIM Yuna, who a couple of weeks ago was bound to be the queen of the night, let KIM Yo-jong steal the show.

The show? For the Opening Ceremony, a giant display - literally - of Korean technology, with a few moments of awe (constellation hologram, drone swarm), too rare sparks of emotion (the maemil Arirang), and the odd comic relief (the Bermuda delegation freezing their bermudas off - a red-nosed flag bearer followed by a limping old timer). The audience was totally obliterated by the LED screens put behind every seat, which contributed to the visual animation but castrated the atmosphere. When the show was over, we discovered their existence, trapped in the final airpocalyptic fireworks smog.

We did get the photo ops (almost) everybody wanted: North and South Korean athletes holding the same flag and carrying one flame, US and North Korean leaders smiling in the same picture.

'Korea together!' (20180209 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/961936005312868352)

'BREAKING - North Korea bombing the US! Well, photobombing to start with (KIM Yong-nam, Mike Pence, KIM Yo-jong at Pyeongchang 2018 opening ceremony)' (20180210 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/962156364960116738)

That last picture probably proved costly: Mike Pence specifically demanded not to be seated as the same table as / close to the DPRK pair, to prevent the kind of photo op disasters that happened yesterday (a boon for KCNA propaganda). Was MOON Jae-in fulfilling a pledge to North Korea? He certainly strained relationships and trust with the US at the worst moment... and added another bromance between Shinzo Abe and the White House.

'Panda diplomacy, Korea style: Moon Jae-in tried everything to mate Mike Pence and Kim Yo-Jong, to no avail. VP not in the mood, left angry' (20180209 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/961971242621374465)

Over three years ago, in a 'twittering baekduology' focus on KIM Yo-jong (see 'Cherchez la femme'), I wondered if she could become "The next Dear Leader or just a Cheer Leader? Kim The Fourth or Jang The Second?" 

Yesterday, we were granted #rareglimpses (sorry James P.!) of her complex personality: all kind smiles when she let Yong-nam seat first or shook hands with Jae-in, yet cunningly confident as she relished victorious firsts on enemy ground. 

And yesterday, the South may have handed KIM Yo-jong a status of stateswoman on a silver platter.

'Lil sis Kim Yo-jong triumphant ahead of meeting ROK minister' (20180209 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/961833877562998784)

'Kim Yo-jong pretty much steals Pyeongchang 2018 the way O.J. Simpson hijacked the 1994 FIFA World Cup. North Korea propaganda claims the first gold of these winter olympics' (20180209 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/961839042487730176)

'Not much emotion, mass synchronization, huge national flags... Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-nam must wonder which side of the DMZ they are tonight' (20180209 - )

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One last gold medal for Korea (the usual one)

Korean broadcasters perfectly wrapped up their coverage of the Rio Olympics by masking the parade of world athletes with the portraits of national competitors they already aired 99% of the time during the whole competition - I actually switched from MBC to SBS because there, that patriotic display filled less than half the screen:

Even when other nations are on screen at Rio 2016, Korea broadcasters manage to show national athletes (20160822 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/767507917016698881)

So once again, Korea claimed the gold medal for national chauvinism on TV, a domain where the country faces much tougher and diverse competition than in archery.

In case you missed the Rio games and the previous editions, here's how it works: 

• all major broadcasters sharing the same rights for the games, the competition among them is all about populism and fueling national fervor
• if a national champion is competing, major broadcasters must also air them live on their dedicated sports channel (and when it's PARK In-bee, throw in that dedicated golf channel for good measure) - when that's a second rate athlete, use the sport channel to rerun the exploits of top tier stars.
• on the last day, when there's 0% chance of medal, start one hour later and replay past medal bouts
• otherwise, may be aired live only universal legends in the very exclusive Usain BOLT - Michael PHELPS league (two more games required for Simone BILES, and Team USA B stood no chance with none of that 1992-dream-team material) - these legends are part of the comfort zone, their presence providing both the 'international' label, and the 'sport domination' alibi
• success basically always relies on the same sports - difficult to grow new vocations without 'training' the audience with a decent pedagogy of Olympic diversity...

Baseball returns to the Olympics for Tokyo 2020, and you don't know what may happen if Korea faces Japan in the finals.

Aaah, Tokyo 2020! Different flavor of ultranationalism there. Today, the Olympic flag was handed to Nippon Kaigi darlings Yuriko Koike (the newly elected governor), and Shinzo Abe, who popped up dressed as Super Mario:

Inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's cameo appearance for London 2012, Shinzo Abe showed up as Super Mario. A weird solo performance (lacking the humor and Bond sidekick), particularly from an elected politician less iconic than British royalty... Imagine Erdogan doing the same for Istanbul 2020. If Abe's less into personal ego than into the revival of the fascist regime, he never misses an opportunity to show his face on an international stage (e.g. featured at the end of each ad of the Japan government's ongoing PR campaign on CNN)

Super Tojo ready for Tojo 2020 - let the Nippon Kaigi games begin!

BREAKING - Shinzo Abe unveils new logo for Tokyo 2020 (Hideki Tojo 2020) (20150911 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/642228805260570624)

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World Cup v. Korean Keg

It's World Cup time again. Which image of the nation do you want to share? These days, I've been given the choice between the worst of Korea's drinking tradition with PSY's Hangover, and the best of Korea's festive culture with a cheerful 'Daehan Minguk'.

*

After 'Gangnam Style' and 'Gentleman', and before 'Daddy' this Summer, PSY released 'Hangover', an abject object compared to which his previous hit almost looks like a work of art (and my take at "Gentlemanslaughter" was already not very kind).

Still not sobering up in its 3rd day, the Park Jae-sang - Snoop Dogg duo reaches 41,339,792 views, 409,066 likes, and 143,408 dislikes on YouTube. This 26.0% "dislike ratio" comes after Gentleman's 16.3% (674,716,081 views so far), and Gangnam Style's 11.1% (2,012,404,672 horse burgers served, and counting).

I don't recommend watching this pathetic video that not only lists all the possible disgraces and 'DON'Ts' in etiquette, but also drills nastily through your eardrums for 5 interminable minutes.


I forced myself to down it in one shot. Shortly after, I had to throw up this tweet:

Embarrassing, annoying, headache guaranteed... PSY's "HANGOVER" with Snoop Dogg even worse than expected twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/475800094483034113

I guess @DanaDeMercurio nailed it by writing "I need those 5 minutes of my life back" in a tweet listed, along with mine and a few others, in an article aptly titled "Psy’s Hangover Gives Some Nausea" (Jeyup S. Kwaak - Korea Realtime / Wall Street Journal 20140609).

Anyway, life goes on in the Peninsula. Between graphic videos down South and colorful propaganda up North:

Hangover, the North Korea edition (feat. neither PSY nor Snoop Dogg)
twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/476207535544733697

*

Needless to say, I prefer the more positive image Korea sends to the world every four years: a cheerful community, united not against anyone or anything, but in a peaceful celebration. And particularly a few weeks after the Sewol tragedy, it was great to see Korean youth take the streets of Jeonju hanok village to perform this friendly flashmob:



At the end of the video, there's an interview of Park Je Chun*, who composed this welcoming 'daehan minguk' with festive Korean rhythms, ideal to alternate with the more 'taeguk warrior' / Western rhythm version made popular in 2002. 

I'm making two cameo apparitions in the same video: at the end for my two cents, and at the beginning, seen shooting the flashmob with my smartphone. Here's the short scene I took:

*

Anyway, go Korea! And please, support responsibly.

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* who was recently named General Commissioner of the Jeonju International Sori Festival, after 3 years as its Creative Director (see "In the zone with Miyeon and Park Je chun")

Dennis Rodman in North Korea (live feed)

The Harlem Globetrotters are in town, and the town is Pyongyang.

According to their official website, "Harlem Globetrotters Make Historic Trip to Bring Smiles and Entertainment to Kids in North Korea ", and indeed, KIM Junior is said to be an avid basketball fan.

Harlem shake v. Gangnam Style? Since it can't get much sillier, here's my 0.3 point shot at the event (on Seoul Village twitter account):

08:56 - More spent nuclear fuel in North Korea: Rodman swimming in Ryugyong Hotel's swimming pool:

09:16 - Dennis "The Worm" Rodman in Pyongyang. To counter cyberattacks from North Korea? 

09:20 - After Google's Schmidt, NBA's Rodman. Kim Jong-un probably shooting a reality TV show: "The Gulag Celebrity" 

18:11 - Basketball diplomacy crisis: no space left on Dennis Rodman for a Kim Jong-un tattoo 

...

Just to prove how successful this PR operation is: we're so much absorbed in the show that we hardly hear North Korean artillery drills. According to Yonhap News*, they targeted Seoul, with "shells loaded with concrete". As if Seoul needed more concrete...

At the end of the day, let's hope Kim The Third won't confuse the buzzer with the red button.


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* "N. Korea conducts artillery drills targeting Seoul: source" (Yonhap News)

May 31, 2002 - May 31, 2012

Ten years ago this very day, 2002 FIFA World Cup kicked off in the brand new Seoul World Cup Stadium. Defending champions France lost to Senegal 0-1, before drawing 0-0 with Uruguay in Busan, and conceding 0-2 to Denmark in Incheon.

I had tickets for each station of the cross, including ICN and CDG: Les Bleus and I shared the same flight back to France. But I never felt sad, because this excuse for a team didn't deserve to go any further.

Furthermore, there was happiness all around. With that growing red wave about to engulf the whole country.

Frankly, in the years and even in the months ahead of that kick off, I really doubted the event could turn out to be a major popular success. Soccer was by no means the national pastime, and you couldn't feel any fervor build up.
Then, on June 4, South Korea won its opening game against Poland - the country's first victory ever in a World Cup. Massive celebrations followed, each time greater and more impressive. Far beyond victories and qualifications, a complete nation was on the streets, sharing moments of pure happiness for the whole world to see.




Dae-han-min-guk. Korea, united in peace. This side of the DMZ at least.

That was 10 years ago.

Whatever happened to that 2002 spirit?

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FC Seoul Expats Day

A perfect weather, a friendly atmosphere, a lively game with five goals... total success for this second edition of the FC Seoul's Expats Day !

Thousands of expats were invited by the club, Seoul Global Center, and 10 Magazine for an afternoon of animation and a K-League clash between FC Seoul and Daejeon Citizens at the Seoul World Cup Stadium (a very special place for me : I attended its inaugural game, the 2002 FIFA World Cup opener - a stunning but well deserved victory of Senegal over France -, or the last confrontation between ROK and PRK) :

Gathering all communities for a festive moment, there's no better way of promoting the club, the league, and the game. The club hosted the event wonderfully, from the organizers backstage to the fans in the tribunes to the players on the field.

Beyond Seoul's own trio of Expats Dejan Damjanovic (three goals for the Montenegrin), Adilson (impressive coverage by the Brazilian), and Mauricio Molina (even in a mediocre day, the Columbian managed to score the final goal), the whole team delivered a very convincing game, leveraging on a strong defense, a swift midfield, and diversified attacks. Daejeon players too felt in a giving mood, offering a few gifts, starting only a few minutes after the kick off with an assist to Damjanovic for his first goal. Park Sung-ho could have played a bit faster to bring more danger, but the Citizens never gave up. Even a little tension at the end of the game didn't spoil the mood : the referee promptly exposed a few cards matching his yellow jersey, and after all, the game itself was not supposed to be friendly.

4-1. This glorious day brings FC Seoul closer to the play-offs (preferably with a ticket for next AFC Champions League - and another K-League title ?), and to a more than ever international audience.

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PS : thanks to Korea4Expats for the tickets !

Daegu 2011 IAAF World Championships

Usain Bolt and Oscar Pistorius are expected to run in Daegu Stadium this summer for the 13th World Championships in Athletics.

Since both athletes have been enjoying enhanced performances for years, let's hope Korea will be spared another Ben Johnson moment ahead of the London 2012 olympics. If anti-doping officials share their hairdos with Sarbi the mascot, the Jamaican and the South African don't risk much : this Sapsal dog sports a colorful mop that completely cover its eyes...

Let's hope competitions can be both spectacular and fair. This stadium deserves more animation than the struggling Daegu FC can provide in the K-League (BTW Korea's pro soccer league is experiencing its worst year ever, plagued by a pervasive game fixing scandal).

Except in marathon, Koreans don't have a strong tradition in athletics, but they are now a top tier power in world sports. Daegu was selected in 2007 ahead of tough competitors : Brisbane and Moscow, who will organize the 2013 edition. Note that just like in Olympics with Seoul 1988 or Pyeongchang 2018*, Korea is again the first Asian country to claim major sports events after Japan (except Formula One**, where petrodollars came first). And regarding the tie in soccer, we all remember how the 2002 FIFA World Cup was split between both rivals to prevent one tragic loss of face.

Anyway, it is very positive for Korea to put "new" cities on the global map : this country is certainly not just only about Seoul***, and Daegu or Pyeongchang reached the global sports stage even before Busan (yes, Korea's second biggest city did organize Asian Games, but that's a regional event and it was held in 2002, in the shadow of the World Cup).

Dae(hanmin)gu(k)!

13th IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011
'Sprint together for tomorrow'
20110827-0904
website : daegu2011.org.

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* Pyeongchang (pyeongchang2018.org
) won logically as the best candidate... even if the bidding team looked more than suspicious (see "Pyeongchang 2018 vs Sejong City 2010 ?").
** see last year : "Yeongam-gun braces for inaugural Formula One Grand Prix"
*** again, for such a big capital, even a G20 Summit is a non-event : "G20 Seoul Summit 2010"

It's raining

A textbook Korean summer if I ever saw one : first the rain, then the heat... after weeks of continuous downpour, the sun is starting its merciless hitting streak, batting a steady 30°C+ for as far as forecasters can see.

But even at the driest peak of the season, soccer players will keep warning me of rain coming : "Bi onda ! Bi onda !" (비온다) is the - very - informal way of saying it's raining, but also a widespread way of alerting a teammate that opponents are coming from behind to try and steal the ball from him.

Korean language can be highly poetic under any circumstances. And very refreshing.

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NB: note that suspensions are still raining on Korean soccer : over 10% of all K-League players have been already involded in a massive fixed games scandal.

Seoul Skate to reopen Ice Rink on Seoul Plaza

After Gwanghwamun Square last winter (see "Winter Sports at Gwanghwamun Square", Seoul Square Skating Rink is back to Seoul Plaza from December (Friday the 17th) to February (Sunday the 13th).

Skating on Sejongno was more glamorous, and city hall remains under scaffoldings, but Seoul Plaza is much wider and suitable for ice skating.

As usual, the idea is to let as many citizens as possible enjoy the ride, which explains the very affordable price.

Operating hours: 10 AM to 10 PM (11 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays).
Cost: KRW 1,000 per hour including rental fee. NB: gloves are compulsory (some can be purchased on site for KRW 500).
Hotline: 02-3210.1267 / 02-3210.1268
Online reservation / cancelation : seoulskate.or.kr (also in English)

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Yeongam-gun braces for inaugural Formula One Grand Prix

The first Korean Grand Prix* ever is expected for October 24, 2010... provided the organizers (KAVO - Korea Auto Valley Operation) manage to get the nod from the FIA.

We wish the 5.6 km long Yeongam Korea International Circuit a better start than Nero Space Center, another gas-guzzling XXIst century oddity in rural Jeollanam-do.

Decibels put aside and recent exotic outgrowths of the franchise notwithstanding, hosting the F1 Barnum remains a honor for a country, particularly as it boasts unprecedented successes in high tech and automotive industries.

Seoul Village 2010

* Korean GP : koreangp.kr

Twice red-faced, after hours

This morning, my neighborhood rooster sang something closer to "go Korea" than to the French National Anthem. He probably caught the rythm during the night : the World Cup gathering at Seoul Plaza was as loud as expected.

Relieved from the shame of watching my fellow citizens reaching the bottom and digging even further with their bare hands (please, President Elect Laurent Blanc, tell me 'change is coming'), I managed to sleep a little bit between the merciful elimination of Les Bleus and the lucky yet logical qualification of the Taeguk Warriors.

It's great to have two national teams to support : like 1994 and 2002, 2010 is a red-face edition for France but a red-devil year for Korea*.

Frankly, I expected either Nigeria or Cameroon to reach the semis or even the final this year, but both wasted their great potentials. A classic for Nigerians in World Cups I'm afraid. Koreans deserved finishing ahead because they played their game and made much fewer mistakes... except of course for the non-game against Argentina.

Even if they only managed to draw against les petits Bleus, Uruguayans will be a tough cookie to crack. And they certainly won't forget to put someone on the far post on free kicks or corners.

Relieved from the "16 강" pressure, I hope Park & co will give it all, have no regrets whatever the result. And that on monday morning, the rooster will wake me to the tune of "saturday night fever".

Seoul Village 2010

* note that both 1998 and 2006 were red-card years for Zidane.

"Be The Reds", But Not Too Red ?

I was maybe a bit too optimistic when I rolled out the "Red carpet for the World Cup" a couple of weeks ago : since then, the North Korean team has probably lost a few supporters in South Korea (and beyond), and Seoul Plaza might not turn out to be the most popular venue.

Following a clash with SK Telecom and other sponsors of downtown World Cup venues, The Red Devils, Korean national team's main supporter group* and a key ingredient to successful World Cup events, decided to focus on only one site : Samseong-dong in Gangnam-gu. Sponsors wanted to regulate the songs (both the timing and content), supporters freedom of speech and independence from sponsors. Ironically, several songs are associated with other sponsors, and the 2002 "Korea Team Fighting" slogan was at the beginning an ad for KTF, SKT's direct competitor. One of the outcomes of this clash could be the creation of a rival group of supporters.

Anyway, World Cup broadcasters SBS accepted the Red Devils' terms, to the risk of inviting more partisans of freedom of speech. And since the venue, in front of Bongeunsa, has become a converging point for demonstrations against LEE's conservative government, political recuperation seemed inevitable. As expected, candlestick vigil organizers instantly called for combo events, like 'come to our demo at 7 PM, enjoy the game at 8'... and shortly after that, Red Devils whistled them offside, like 'true supporters come for football, please don't mix this event with politics'.

I suggest a red card to all players : organizers, sponsors, supporters, broadcasters, and demonstrators.

Seoul Village 2010

* that's the South Korean national team. It always struck me as funny how this nickname for North Korean 'commies' in 1960s ROK propaganda became a symbol of 2000s ROK.

Seoul National University, a league of their own

Korea's most prestigious university, "Seoul Dae", has always been a laughing stock as far as sports are concerned : Seoul National University never leaves the bottom of national rankings in collective sports, and a ten goal deficit in soccer or a twenty run loss in baseball are more than commonplace.

Chosun Ilbo Senior Editor OH Tae-jin nailed an hilarious tribute* to SNU's baseball team, but keeping one's seriousness is not that easy when you consider the bold facts : in 2004, SNU stopped a 199-game losing streak only to start a 56-game losing streak the next match, and personal statistics against this team have not been taken into account in the league standings since 1992.

Now this joke of a team just hired a prestigious coach : LEE Gwang-hwan won the KBO title (Korean pro baseball league) in 1994. Imagine Jose Mourinho taking over the perennial underdog of Portuguese university soccer.

To tell the truth, I find that a bit unfair and disrespectful to essential traditions. Seoul Dae may produce the Korean elite of tomorrow in a campus roughly the size of a small "gu" (Samsung founder's former golf club in Gwanaksan), it may boast an art museum designed by Rem Koolhaas, it still used to be the symbol of meritocracy : a lot of poor students, served a food so miserable you sometimes felt on the wrong side of the DMZ, and not much funding for sports.

But the times they are a-changing. Meritocracy became hagwonocracy nationwide, and SNU starts caring for its image as a sports powerhouse.

Well. "Powerhouse" at least in the meaning "equipped with electricity".

Seoul Village 2010

* "서울대 야구감독 이광환" / "LEE Gwang-hwan Seoul National University baseball coach" (오태진 20100529 - Chosun Ilbo)

Tour de Korea

Last stage* for the 2010 "Tour de Corée" : tomorrow in Seoul, starting with a 5.1 km parade between Olympic Park and Mongchontoseong Station (between 9:50 and 9:59 AM).

A 49.2 km race will follow, with a finish planned at 11:04 at Sejongno Sageori, where the barnum shall pass 8 mn earlier for a loop around Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo via Cheonghwadae, Samcheong-dong, and Jongro. Don't even think about driving your car in the area : come by subway and enjoy the show.

For the 10th edition, this finish on Sejongno mirrors Tour de France finishes on the Champs Elysees (even if in Paris, there's much more than one loop). Last year's winner came from Switzerland (Roger Beuchat).
Seoul Village 2010

* 10 stages overall :
- Jeju (177 km + 1 km parade)
- Gangjin-Yeosu (138.6 km + 4)
- Yeosu-Gunsan (219 km + 6)
- Gunsan-Dangjin (149.7 km + 1.4)
- Dangjin-Cheongju (162.2 km + 9.7)
- Cheongju-Gumi (198 km + 7.5)
- Gumi-Yeongju (144 km + 9.9)
- Yeongju-Yangyang (225.2 km + 9.5)
- Yangyang-Chuncheon (145.5 km + 9)
- Seoul (49.2 km + 5.1)