Korean Hotels Call For Help - The Fifth Star

I recently (and again) complained about the tragic lack of high end Korean restaurants in luxury hotels :

"Every 5 star hotel owned by a Korean chaebol should keep a top Korean
restaurant: that's a key element of the international image." (see "Korean Cuisine Aiming At World's Top Five. China is watching" April 7th, 2009)

The JoongAng Daily just mentioned this issue*, pointing out the fact that only 4 of Seoul's 19 five-stars hosted Korean restaurants.

The newspaper even named names and quoted figures : good points for the Sheraton Walkerhill ("Ondal" restaurant, 40% of the turnover generated by foreigners.), the Lotte Hotel main ("Mungunghwa" - foreigners : 60%), or the Renaissance Seoul ("Sabiru")**... but poor score for the Westin Chosun and its peers, where you may enjoy some Korean food but not in a Korean restaurant. What to say of The Shilla ? Seoul's most prestigious hotel closed "Sorabol" a few years ago. Luckily enough, they at least maintained their fantastic sashimi master at Ariake.

I couldn't agree more with LEE Chun-sik (Sheraton) when he confirms this obvious fact : "Five-star hotels in any countries are responsible for preserving and developing local food and culture".

Why not strip of one star those who dare disagree ?



* "Hotels ask for state help to start Korean eateries" (May 6th, 2009)
** I know, that's only 3 out of 4, but I'm too lazy to check and complete the list.

Hi Seoul Festival 2009 - and beyond

When ? From May 2nd to May 10th
Where ? Five Royal Palaces, Seoul Plaza, Cheonggyecheon
What ? Concerts, exhibitions, food, performances
Questions ? HiSeoulFest.org

Among the good points for this edition :
- popular success : Seoulites of all Gus and nationalities, international tourists... a festive festival (even if interrupted by candle-light activists)
- organization (communication, information, staff...),
- better balance between major sites (ie Gyeonghuigung at last well exploited)
- international food festival (yum)
- weather...

Yet, there's still room for improvement :

* program : culturally less dense than previous editions. The Imperial exhibition in Deoksugung is almost embarrassing..., and Prada Transformer sums it up : a big void space inflated with hype. The event, already dilluted from once a year to once a season, suffered from the global crisis (only two editions for 2009 : Spring and Winter).

* f&b : visitors are invited to salivate at an exhibition on Korean food (Gyeonghuigung), but cannot taste any ! only refreshments available : permanent soda / coffee machines. you don't want palaces to be littered with used cups and napkins, but you must prepare something special. The international food festival is absolutely perfect, but lasts only one day.

* concept : some ingredients and key assets, but it looks as if the city struggles every season to market an event which needs to get its message clear and focus. "Spring", "May Palace", "Global Seoul"... many keywords splashed over billboards, many stimuli and operations, but the big picture remains blurred.


=> It's time to rebalance the festival, take some of the burden off the city's shoulders, and empower Seoul's citizens. After all, this used to be Seoul's Citizen Day. And beyond the city and its people, third parties must also gain visibility. Not just tourists but partners and special guests. You need a stronger concept because co-branding and partnerships can bloom only under a strong Seoul Festival umbrella.

=> Twice a year, Spring and Winter. One could prefer spring and autumn, the best seasons, when the city displays its marvels and gives its best shot for the World to see, but this is about the reality of a city and Seoul can be very cold. And furthermore, unlike in Paris, Seoul winters are very lively because Seoulites know how to cope with it and have great fun in spite of it.

=> The Soul of Seoul, at its very heart : the ancient city and its palaces host the party, but all gus play their part, and each district has a spot around Seoul Plaza, which then fully deserves its name. This is where Seoul meets, unites, shares. In all its diversity.

=> The city should focus on one question : what makes this Seoul Festival a special event everybody is waiting for months in advance ? It could be that special moment of the year when every citizen feels he or she really owns the heart of the city, when some rules change, when what uses to be closed is opened. The SFAC (Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture) obviously follows the right path, but could give more space to "citizen generated contents", beyond Cheonggyecheon. For instance, Seoulites could hold their own festival on a Sejongno closed to traffic : schools as well as individuals would expose their talents (stages for music, poetry, or dance, screens displaying movies and pictures...), and partners partly sponsor a selection of street as well as fine food...

Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement

During the neolitic age, people used to live in thatch roof mud huts by the Han river, facing Achasan, in what is now Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu. They hunted, fished, and made potteries.

Compared to say Dordogne, where natural caves could preserve even more ancient traces of mankind, this site is very much exposed to natural elements. So it's a miracle that artifacts could be preserved. Actually, Amsa Prehistoric Settlement Site was uncovered following a flood (in 1925), and saved from destruction decades later, as an even more terrible catastrophe, urban redevelopment, claimed more land in the area.

The site is now a quiet park with a museum and huts for visitors to experience vintage, pre-apateu Seoul urbanism.

Amsa Prehistoric Settlement (암사선사유적지)
233 Seonsaro / 139-2 Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, ROK 124-052
Tel : +82.2.3426-3857
website : sunsa.gangdong.go.kr


Seoul Village 2009

Seoul loves cycling... even around Gwanghwamun !

A couple of weeks ago I received depressing news from the authority in charge of Seoul's Velib'* and bicycle lanes programs : no, no specific lanes had been planned around Sejongno.

As I feared, the city's most important touristic hub has simply been forgotten and two key touristic projects were not interfaced : the renovation of Gwanghwamun and the development of bicycle friendly Seoul. Anyway, I let them know it would make sense for both projects, as well as for the international image of the city.

I knew this situation couldn't last eternally and that something would be done eventually... but I didn't expect anything that early : yesterday, as he rode his bike along with thousands of Seoulites for the yearly downtown ride, Mayor OH Se-hoon (an occasional triathlete) announced that works would start next month. Gwanghwamun and the whole area around Gyeongbokgung will be ready for this June !

Just a few weeks to survive this dangerous crossroads on my (almost) daily ride...


* see "Seoul Velib'" I can't help but calling it Seoulib'

---
addendum 20090515

More details about Seoul's macro plan (88 additional kilometers by 2014) in today's JoongAng Daily : "City to pave miles of new bike paths". I read elsewhere that cars would give up one whole lane on Sejongno for bicycles. The timing of those announcements couldn't be better : Seoul is hosting the 3rd C40, a conference on Climate featuring 40 major World cities.

King Danjong and Korea's Curse

It's festival season again, and every year, the end of April - beginning of May period is getting more crowded. Beware : all events cannot be as exciting as advertised, and you must brace yourselves for a collection of kitsch decors, not so cute mascots, or noisy and colorful "eebents".

What to think of those corny lantern-sculptures on Cheonggyecheon, for instance ? The Danjong Culture Festival is making a big splash in Seoul for its 43th edition, inviting tourists to the real party : not here, but in front of Jangneung.

That's King Danjong's tomb in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do.

Doesn't sound as "exciting" as the "Ddeokbokki Festival" or Incheon's "Jjajangmyeon Festival" ? Not an easy sales pitch, granted. But beyond the festival and the show, this King's story deserves to be narrated.

To tell you the truth, I didn't know the story until a few days ago. But it struck me as a turning point in Korea's history, the reason why Joseon Dynasty failed lamentably in spite of the glorious heritage of King Sejong. Instead of continuing its spectacular and positive mutation, the country stalled and shut itself down in front of any form of progress. For the benefit of its neighbors.

I guess Danjong, the king who never was, somehow symbolizes this country which didn't happen.

To be fair, Danjong once became a King, but he was stripped of his title soon afterwards, and recovered it only two and a half centuries later (in 1698, under King Sunjong). Proper funerals were eventually performed, along with a yearly day of mourning, which became much later the Danjong Culture Festival.

Danjong didn't die as a King but as a kid : crowned at 11, overruled at 13, wed and overthrowned at 14... and murdered at the tender age of 16 (1441–1457).

Sad ending for a beloved kid whose grandfather believed could eventually become his true successor. This granpa was none other than Sejong. And the great king worried a lot for Danjong because his own successor was too weak. So he built protective walls around his apt pupil : members of his own dream team (the Hall of Worthies), people of trust and sound judgement, who could help him rule the country as well as he did.

Poor Danjong never knew his mother, who died giving birth (he was raised by his grandmother, Sejong's wife), and as feared, he lost his father (Sejong's first son King Munjong), way too soon.

The bad guy in this sad familial saga is Sejong's second son, Prince Suyang (Suyang Daegun) : Danjong's evil uncle became King Sejo in 1455 after forcing his nefew into exile to Gangwon-do.

But don't picture Suyang as just an ambitious man fooling a kid with a one way ticket to a nice resort area : this criminal has a lot of blood on his hands.

In 1453, he destroyed Sejong's first protective shield, murdering the premier and vice-premier (Hwangbo In and General Kim Jongseo), who actually ruled the country. After that, the young king was directly under his spell. He simply kicked him out once he controlled everything.

But loyalists tempted a coup. The new king poisoned Sejong's brother, and in 1456, decapited at the same time 6 leaders and Korea's future. For good measure, he killed about 70 male members of their families, and even Kim Jil, the Judas who betrayed them. Their wives were forced into slavery and prostitution. One newborn was saved... but at a tragic price : traded with a servant's baby.

The 6 leaders were Sejong's second protective shield around his grandson, 6 prestigious ministers who actually carried out most of his outstanding reforms, starting with the creation of Hangeul. Ha Wi-ji, Pak Paeng-nyeon, Seong Sam-mun, Yi Gae, Yu Eung-bu, and Yu Seong-won are referred as the "Sayuksin" or the "six martyred ministers", or even "six bodies who became gods", according to a more lyrical yet unorthodox translation using similar Chinese characters. They were beheaded at "Saenamto", a place in Noryangjin where centuries later, Catholics martyrs would meet the same fate...

Danjong's murder was a little more subtle : because King Sejo wanted his death to look accidental or suicidal, he had him trapped home and pushed ondol heating to a quasi fire. The young heir died of suffocation... and the whole country fell into lethargy.A noble man wrote a beautiful poem about his trip to Gangwon-do : he came to see the king, but met his ghost. No poem was ever written for the country that never was, and no one ever met its ghost. The closest thing we have could be the expression "The Hermit Kingdom".


* Danjong Culture Festival : April 24-26th (same dates as the 2009 Lotus Lantern Festival)

Gonghwachun (Incheon)

Jjajangmyeon a fusion Chinese dish, was invented in Incheon 104 years ago in this restaurant. Well not exactly "this restaurant" anymore, since Gonghwachun left a couple of years ago its original building for this poorly designed monstruosity. Well not exactly "left" : the monument has been shamefully abandoned, and each time I pass by its facade looks more derelict, its painted sign less legible, and the pigeons more at home (see picture).

Some day, Incheon city officials will realize that the original spot was much cuter and had a much higher potential for tourism than the artificial "Chinatown" they "re-created" at the beginning of the millenium... but I'm afraid the new and not improved Gonghwachun is here to stay with its large window panes that help you freeze in the winter and bake in the summer.

To add insult to the injury, they don't even propose the best jjajangmyeon in town. Most mom and pop eateries can compete with this factory.

Yes, I'm not happy. Incheon is losing its charm and its key architectural assets for short term profit. And I'm begging local authorities to stop the massacre and to prevent Seoul speculators from ruining Jemulpo's cultural heritage.

Gonghwachun / 공화춘 (Chinese restaurant)
5-6 Bukseong-dong-3-ga, Jung-gu, INCHEON, ROK
Tel +82.32.765.0571

Seoul Village 2009

Patisserie B

My "boulangerie du quartier" is safely guarded by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Headquarters from across the street, where Naeja-dong-gil and Jusigyeong-gil meet.

Pâtisserie B's owner and chef majored Ecole Lenôtre and it shows : if you want to browse mouthwatering books on "desserts" while enjoying a great "tartelette au citron" with tea or some "truffes au chocolat" with coffee, this is it.

You can also pick up / order a cake that will change you from the usual sponge / cream combo (they do commit some cream cakes though - business is business).



Pâtisserie B (bakery - cafe)
Gyeonghuigungoe Achim / King's Garden block #3, 1F
Naesu-dong 72 bonji, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel : +82.2.739.5532