Monet, Picasso, Rouault, Warhol in Seoul

Michael Jackson + Andy Warhol, Claude Monet + Pablo Picasso... two blockbuster exhibitions will entertain Seoulites during the long winter 2009-2010. Those who want some more fire can also enjoy fauvist George Rouault, or any of the tens of exhibitions running across the capital's museums and galleries, or why not discover "Ancient culture of Uzbekistan" at the National Museum of Korea* (thru September 25, 2010).

Blockbusters work on bankable names and familiar grounds. But when Andy Warhol instals his colorful barnum in Seoul, it goes beyond the MJ / $ / Marilyn / Campbell quartet splashed on the teaser, and reveals more about The Factory and a compulsive collector. This comprehensive retrospective leverages on an earlier exhibition in Paris ("Le grand monde d'Andy Warhol" - Grand Palais - March-July 2009), and on a partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

Likewise, Monet and Picasso are only the tip of the Philadelphia Museum of Art iceberg (which roams the Hangang thanks to the Chosun Ilbo). I guess "Renoir and Matisse" would probably draw fewer visitors to the Hangaram Museum. How many will seize the opportunity and pay a visit to Rouault ?

Anyway, Seoulite artistic tastebuds keep being stimulated steadily. And Seoul, which used to be at best an exhibition stopover on the way to or from Tokyo (ie Basquiat in 1997), is now the final destination for avid frequent flyers.

Seoul Village 2009

WHAT: "Monet to Picasso - Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art"
WHEN: December 16, 2009 - March 28, 2010
WHERE: Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center (Seocho-gu)
PHONE : +82.2.580.1300
WWW: sac.or.kr

WHAT: "Georges Rouault - Le Sacre et le Profane"
WHEN: December 15, 2009 - March 28, 2010
WHERE: Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center (Seocho-gu)
PHONE: +82.2.588.8421
WWW: sac.or.kr

WHAT: "Andy Warhol, the Greatest" ("The King of Pop Art, beyond the Era Andy Warhol, the Greatest")
WHEN: December 12, 2009 - April 4, 2010
WHERE: Seoul Museum of Art (Seosomun branch - Jung-gu)
PHONE: +82.2.548.8690
WWW: seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr and warhol.co.kr.

* don't wait until september and visit before March the INCA exhibition in the same museum.

Business for the Environment Global Summit 2010 in Seoul

Ahead of the 15th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP15) which just started in Copenhagen, Korea has, like every major polluter, worked hard to improve its "green" image.

All chaebols somehow prepared for the event, relying essentially on advertising and PR to embellish symbolic actions. But that's likely to change : most recent announcements do include aggressive plans for the future, it's not only a matter of image but of international competitivity. Furthermore, Korean conglomerates cannot just sit and watch rivals parade in their capital city next year.

Because last August, Seoul was selected as the host for the 2010 B4E Global Summit between April 21 and 23 at the COEX, on time for Earth Day (April 22) and the 2010 Champions of the Earth Awards. The Business for the Environment Summit (b4esummit.com) brings together corporate leaders under prestigious umbrellas : UNEP (the U.N. Environment Program), WWF (the Worldwie Fund for Nature), and UNGC (U.N. Global Compact - unglobalcompact.org).

Seoul also hosted the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit earlier in 2009 (c40seoulsummit.com - April 18-21). The Large Cities Climate Leadership Group can really make a difference at the global level ("50% of the world's population live in cities, which account for 75% of global energy consumption and 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions and at this rate, by 2030, two thirds of the world’s population is predicted to live in urban areas"), and at the local level, Seoul committed to significant objectives for 2020 : -15% vs 2000 for energy consumption, and -25% vs 1990 for greenhouse gas emissions. At the national level, the recently announced targets for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions can sound disapointing : -30% by 2020 compared to business as usual only mean a reduction of 4% compared to 2005 levels... and Seoul can spur competition with other Korean cities considering its considerable weight in Korea.

Mayor OH Se-hoon pointed out several projects :
- Renewable energies should claim 10% of total in 2020 compared to 0.6% in 2004 : photovoltaic power generators everywhere, more solar panels, a boost for geothermal, and even mini hydro fuel cell power plants.
- More responsible constructions : the city is already delivering labels and guidelines for more energy efficient buildings, incentives for green rooftops, and it will also boast an eco-friendly City Hall (judging by its design, people walking on Seoul Plaza will feel like a tsunami is about to collapse on them). Note that major developpers are also considering improvements : Samsung (#10 among FTSE 500 for Carbon Disclosure) wants to reduce energy consumption of its apartments by 20% in the medium term.
- Sounder transportations : bicycles should reach 10% of urban transportation by 2020 (1.2% in 2006), and bike lanes 418 km by 2014. All Seoul taxis (over 72,000) will use LPG, and at last Eco Buses are on their way. NB: again, a denser subway network would also make sense, and definitely more sense than new highways across the Capital.
- More biomass with new parks and the Hangang Renaissance (replacing concrete with green along the Han river : 23% by 2009, 87% by 2020 - ie Apgujeong, Hapjeong, Ichon, Songsu, Yeouido)
- Restoring streams as natural cooling systems : 17 streams recovered by 2010, 35 by 2020 (temperatures dropped -3° celcius for Cheonggyecheon, probably less for Silgyecheon...)
- As we saw ("http://seoulvillage.blogspot.com/2009/08/clean-air-seoul.html"), Seoul later promoted transparency about the quality of air.

Compared to his predecessor, OH has a more pervasive approach, demultiplied at the local level. LEE Myung-bak is uniquely focused on great projects, but I do applaud the brand new project to extend subway networks all across the country... provided it's not just a token to appease railway unions or to please builders and speculators.

Seoul Village 2009

Streaming Seoul 2009

You want to share a 1 to 3 mn long movie about Seoul ? You have until December 31st, 2009 to participate to the Streaming Seoul 2009 video contest.

Applications, details, and freebies on streamingseoul.net

Seoul Village 2009

Winter Sports at Gwanghwamun Square

Gwanghwamun Plaza now hosts many events previously held in front of city hall. If big concerts and gatherings remain on Seoul Plaza, the winter ice rink moved up Sejongno, covering the flowerbed recently transformed into a lifeless field.

The 3 rinks (20x20 m, 20x30 m, 20x50 m) linked with an iceway will open from 10 AM to 10 PM (11 PM on weekends and holidays), and from December 12th to February 15th for a KRW 1,000 admission fee.

But the most striking feature remains the spectacular toboggan under construction in the Northernmost section of Gwanghwamun Plaza. A weird extension to Bukhansan, this short and steep jump pad (34 m high, 100 m long) will host the 2009 FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air Competition (December 13, Seoul Snow Jam on December 11 at 6 PM).

Not very sejonesque... but to celebrate, Bukhansan did exhibit a thin layer of snow on Saturday.

Seoul Village 2009

North Korea's lost won

This is not Pyongyang's first reevaluation, but it's the first time the regime acts so recklessly in that matter.

The population was granted one week to replace their old wons with the new and improved currency. Failure to do so would leave them with almost worthless notes (1 new NK won = 100 old NK won).

Officially, the aim of the game is to crack down abuses from people perverted by capitalism, or at least the little of it which made its way into what was left of the local economy. No one will come with a lot of money without good explanations.

But the actual profiteers of NK's corrupt system (in particular the nomenklatura) already changed their cash into US dollars or Chinese yuans, well ahead of the announcement. The only victims will be those who will opt for transparency.

This measure follows closings of parallel markets, safety valves for populations every day more left to their own devices... or rather lack of.

According to South Korean medias, the country would be on the verge of revolt, and streets littered with old bank notes deliberately torn in the middle of Kim Jong-il's portraits. Military forces received the order to shoot at sight anyone who tries to escape the last Stalinian paradise.

If Pyongyang authorities really want to accelerate takeover from China*, that's a smart move...

Seoul Village 2009 - also on blogules V.F. "La Coree du Nord evalue mal les effets de sa reevaluation"

* see "KIM Jong-il's bridge to nowhere"

CJ Group announces BBGO, an international bibimbap restaurant chain

I expected CJ Group to act as a leader in the promotion of Korean cuisine overseas, why not by leveraging on such assets as Cafe Sobahn, a creative bibimbap concept (see "Korean food aiming at Top 5").

At last, they seem to be willing to deliver the goods : CJ Group announced the launch of a new bibimbap restaurant chain in the US (Los Angeles), China (Beijing and Shanghai), and Singapore. A meal would cost around USD 10, positioning the chain in the family restaurant bracket, but well above fast food restaurants.

Frankly, the brand comes as a disappointment : BBGO (pronounced bibigo) evoques cheap BBQ rather than quality bibimbap... Less fun than that BibimBar in NYC. Maybe BBGO is just the code name : .com URLs are taken for bbgo, bb-go, bibigo, and even bibimgo.

Anyway, that's a major improvement from CJ Freshway's "Welly&", unarguably the Ground Zero of branding. I hope the same will be said about the food and atmosphere : "BBGO" could become an interesting entry point to Korean food.

Bibimbap makes perfect sense : a typically Korean dish, sound food, infinite ways of combining flavors...

Furthermore, CJ starts with "friendly neighborhoods", which could help fine tune the concept before going truly global.

Wishing them the best,
Seoul Village 2009

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ADDENDUM 20091207

Elsewhere on the value chain, Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation and NJ based Rhee Bros. Inc. signed a deal to allow more Korean "farm and processed food products to be sold throughout the United States" ("Korean food to reach more U.S. stores" - Yonhap 20091207).

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ADDENDUM 20120731

bibigo(es) global and opens its first restaurant in London, near Oxford Circus.

Salgotyi Bridge

Researchers from Hanyang University will dig under the pier and along the piles of Salgotyi Bridge (Salgotyi Dari / 살곶이 다리), hoping to find artifacts from the early Joseon dynasty at the very feet of their own university.

Officially called Cheongok Bridge (Cheongokgyo / 천곡교) today, this most particular structure on the Jungnangcheon links the Northern and Southern halves of Seongdong-gu.

I say "most particular" for three reasons : this bridge is unnecessarily long, drawing a diagonal instead of the shortest cut, it's a rather odd feature in a strange place, and it's a very very old fellow.
Why this odd angle ? Maybe Salgotyi is just pointing towards Bukhansan for good karma. Maybe the diagonal reduces the risks of destruction when the stream grows stronger. After all, it was built after an important junction : here, Cheonggyecheon joins Jungnangcheon, which continues Westwards along Seongsu (now home to Seoul Forest) until it reaches the Han river.

Why the strange atmosphere ? This waterway-crossroad is doubled with and almost hidden by a highway-crossroad, and tripled with a railway-crossroad - most people drive by without noticing it, trying not to miss their exits or connections.
- the Southern "riverside" is completely covered by Dongbu Expressway : eight lanes of heavy traffic along the Jungnangcheon
- to the North, Cheonggyecheon's mouth exposes a few rotten teeth (concrete blocks probably meant to break the current where both streams merge)
- until recently the stream was covered with concrete until the end, but another elevated highway was built, covering this mouth with two gigantic arms : Naebu Expressway reaching for Dongbu Expressway, one two-lane-bridge for each direction.
- the "cheek" East of Cheonggyecheon's mouth (Yongdap-dong) is a vast industrial nightmare : a subway car depot, a water treatment plant
- the Western cheek used to be basically a wasteland : the University's backyard under Sageun-dong-gil
- like a Fu Manchu mustache on this disgracious face, Subway line splits over two bridges : Seongdong Bridge for the junction between Hanyang University Station and Ttukseom Station, Jangan Railway Bridge the Songsu Station - Yongdap Station link

... and like a fragile caterpillar at the feet of giant concrete bridges with their impressive piles, a very narrow and flat bridge stretches its small legs (only one meter above the water). From a distance and given the environment, it looks like a derelict concrete structure, waiting to be removed, but Salgotyi Dari was built with stones in 1483 (14th year of King Seongjong rule). During the XXth century, floods damaged the structure and concrete add-ons, but original piles remain.

This monument is already protected, but excavations could cast a new light in this previously forsaken area. Because believe it or not, if you put aside the two expressways, the situation has dramatically improved in the area :

. First, Cheonggyecheon restoration changed the mouth of the stream, now covered with vegetation particularly on its Eastern cheek... where the water treatment plant will be replaced by a big public park.
. The "teeth" breaking the current under the elevated highway host flocks of ducks and cranes which apparently find plenty of food to fish.
. The wasteland on the Western cheek became Salgotyi Park, a small sports complex for local residents.
. New bicycles lanes are full of bikers who can ride along Cheonggyecheon up to Yongdu-dong (Dongdaemun-gu), and all along Jungnangcheon from Dobong-gu / Nowon-gu to the Hangang bike network.
. Just a few hectometers west of Salgotyi Bridge, riverside grows much wider and greener, and the lane passes at the feet of Eungbong-dong hill, with its pagoda on the top and its beautiful colors in the spring or autumn.
. ...

Of course, the overwhelming feeling remains : the place looks more like a dump than a cultural / environmental hotspot. Because Seoul did the same mistake in the early 2000s as it did thirty years before : covering the city with more highways instead of finding more sustainable ways of commuting people.

More lanes are being added up North on the same Jungnangcheon and that's a shame as Seoul must prepare to reduce the number of cars intra-muros. That's a moral and environmental obligation, but also a demographical inevitability.

Maybe there's a pattern in oblique ways to join mainstream.


Seoul Village 2009