Thirteen years ago this month, Kim Chang-dae started the Seoul Hiking Club with one intention: to share the beauty of mountains around Korea with foreigners. What surprised Kim was the lifelong friendships he has made with people from around the world.
One of the most important friendships of his life was made through the club. Kim counts Danish-Korean Christian Rhee as one of his closest friends. The two often have dinner and Kim helped Rhee start his own business in Seoul.
Korea
Chapjae
The semi-transparent noodles in this dish are made from sweet potato, which accounts for their sweetness and stretchability. They’re also sometimes sweetened with sugar. These are the noodles you find served with saucy beef and sesame oil in bulgogi, or mixed with seasonal vegetables in side dishes. The noodles can be served hot or cold.
Noodles are the ultimate comfort food. They come in all sizes (long, short, thin, thick, flat, round, helix, cubes, cut, etc.) and can be prepared in many ways (boiled, braised, sautéed, fried). Through all the noodle’s diversity, one fact remains unchanged: a well-prepared noodle dish will always fill the stomach with a warm feeling. Like a baby after drinking a bottle of milk, you’ll be happy and better able to relax and enjoy life’s pleasures.
Although members of the band On the Spot have been together for less than a year, one would be wrong to consider them rookies. They have been active in Seoul’s music scene for 10 years as soloists, session musicians and as vital parts of other acts.
They’ve eased into their new roles and are currently recording their fourth new song. At the same time, they’re composing and performing around Hongdae and on stage as the house band for the musical, CASH, currently running in the National Theater of Korea.
Photographer Romin Lee Johnson documents the adoption of 13-month-old Liam to Ashley and Kurt. You can follow Liam’s adventure on Ashley’s blog at www.ourhappilyeverafters.com. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Groove Korea. To comment, e-mail opinion@groovekorea.com. — Ed.
Last month the collective Super Color Super organized a stunning show with Mogwai, which brought some 1,300 fans to Seoul’s AX Hall. This month they're back at it again with two great acts, Her Space Holiday and Dan Deacon.
Her Space Holiday
Inspired by a growing global movement that is rocking women's sport, Korea's first roller derby league is close to its first bout. Combining fierceness, femininity and a punk rock aesthetic, roller derby embraces hard-hitting action and plenty of saucy attitude for what could be the baddest brawl this side of the DMZ.
For people new to the game, it's the flashy costumes and flamboyant names (not to mention the prospect of a slugfest) that attract the most attention.
For the past two years, something has been gestating. Nestled deep in Mt. Namsan, it is a sprawling, sinewy beast unlike anything history has ever seen. It had lain dormant, dreaming of itself, and of it’s own inevitable awakening. On Dec. 10, it was unleashed upon the world. For on that day, Sotto Gamba released its first full-length album at DGBD in Hongdae.
For up-to-date information on this journey, please visit http://inthefootstepsofwonhyo.com or http://thethreewisemonkeys.com — Ed.
This monthly column is going to chronicle the many preparations involved in moving my family back to Canada. The endeavour involves a massive number of things, including getting an immigrant visa for my wife (she’s Korean), getting my kid’s English skills up to par, and ensuring we have translations of all relevant documents (birth certificates, immunizations etc.). After two years of planning to move to Ottawa, we eventually decided to move to Toronto, instead.
