K-Pop Art

While we're on the subject, here is a painting by Korean artist Kim Dong-Yoo, called "Marilyn Monroe vs. Chairman Mao," that sold for over $300k at Christie's in Hong Kong in May.

K-Pop

Here is the video for one of the big Korean pop songs out right now. I think it is good, if sappy. But seriously, I legitimately like a lot of Korean music. I'll post others when I find them.

Centers of the World

Apparently I like to live in places that think they are the center of the world. Compare this kangido map, made in Korea in 1402, to this 1976 New Yorker cover.

Update: Typhoon Glenda

Well, as I was getting soaked in Seoul from the remnants of Typhoon Glenda, the North was fairing much worse. At least 150 people have died, but more daunting than this, perhaps, are the North Korean officials who don't seem to have any idea what they are doing--and the looming food shortages.

Well, so much for just talking about the weather. Everything here, it seems, gets political.

I've been out of touch...

Let's see--when last I wrote, I was still unsure about nightlife in Seoul and I was still a virgin (as far as traveling to Japan is concerned) and I had never ridden a rusted, rickety bike through idyllic Korean hillsides. Well, I'm happy to report that I can no longer say any of these things!

On Saturday night, we went out in the Hongdae area of Seoul, which, after admittedly only one night, I think is better than the East Village, the LES, and Williamsburg combined! Well, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but it is a large chunk of real estate swarming with Korean college kids (and a few random foreigners) hopping from bar to club to megaclub to breakfasts of beef and beer at 6:30am! The one major downside: Koreans are Koreans and if you’re not Korean then you’re not Korean, if you know what I mean. But is New York really all that egalitarian? I mean, if you’re from New Jersey, no one will have anything to do with you…

Then, on Monday I flew to Osaka for one night to get my teaching visa (don’t ask). On the plane and at the consulate I met a whole crew of visa-running expats named Sydney, Toronto, England, Idaho, Pittsburgh and San Diego. We went to Osaka Castle [shown above] which was just a tourist attraction. There were no foreigners there; everyone was Japanese. I could feel the latent nationalism. And then I slept in a capsule inn, the rooms of which are just little padded pods. You crawl in and kick off your slippers and close the shade and hope the next guy doesn’t watch TV all night.

Finally, on Thursday and Friday we went to Chucheon, which is sort of a resort town in the Korean countryside. We rode bikes up a mountain, grilled meat, played drinking games—pretty much what you would expect. Pictures to come.

Just wanted to keep my avid readers posted. I start work on Monday. I’ll fill you all in.