Seoul Lights Up for the Holiday Season - Korea.net

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PEOPLE Yonhap Kim Yu-na responds to cheers after winning the Cup of China in Beijing Yonhap Kim Yu-na performs at the women’s free skating gala show in the Cup of China in Beijing on Nov. 9, after winning the competition the previous day. The Cup of China is the third of six events in the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix series Kim Yu-na Set to Dominate Figure Skating World Korean Kim Yu-na is set to dominate the figure skating world as she advanced to the Grand Prix Final. The 18-year-old Korean top figure skater defended her Cup of China title in Beijing on the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit Nov. 8. It was her fifth straight Grand Prix win. In the competition at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, Kim scored 191.75 points, defeating her Japanese rival Miki Ando by 20.87 points. That victory followed her winning the Skate America title in October. With her latest win, Kim has qualified for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to be held in Korea in December. The event is open to the top six skaters after their performances in two Grand Prix events. Dancing to the rhythm of Russian symphony suite Scheherazade and dressed in vivid red, Kim pulled off a sequence of near-perfect jumps except for a single attempt in which she landed in a faulty step. “I performed feeling less nervous than during the short program,” Kim told reporters. “I was confident. Even though I was shaken in one of the jumps, I got good results. I’m glad to have won a chance to compete in the Grand Prix Final.” “Many have played against the backdrop of Scheherazade, but I have tried to lead a performance of my own,” she added, following her performance which won loud applause from the crowd that included a throng of her Korean supporters. Kim, a high school student who was recently granted admission to a top university in Seoul and commands a wide fan base, has won gold in the last five consecutive Grand Prix events she has competed in, including the 2006 Trophee Eric Bompard and the 2007 Cup of Russia. ■ 38 KOREA DECEMBER 2008 DECEMBER 2008 KOREA 39
PEOPLE Moon Young Doo Credia Japanese Artist Focuses on Beauty of Korean Traditional Culture BY PARK MIN-YOUNG STAFF WRITER Watanabe Tsuneko Jang Han-na Shows New Side of Vivaldi BY KOH YOUNG-AAH KOREA HERALD STAFF WRITER Not many people know much about their own traditional culture, and fewer have in-depth knowledge about it. That is why it is shocking and even grateful when a foreigner is so into your culture. Watanabe Tsuneko, a Japanese artist, has more interest in Korean traditional culture than most Koreans. She studied the culture for years and recently published the book “Enduring Traditional Art and Crafts of Japan and Korea.” Her 240-page book is filled with photos and explanations about the two cultures. The first half contains Korean culture in step with the changes of the seasons. The other half is on Japanese culture, talking about Hakata dolls, kabuki and Japanese traditional plays. It was in the late 1980s when Watanabe first set her foot on Korean soil with her husband. She was fascinated by Korea’s cultural assets in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Insa-dong, Seoul. Watanabe was also relieved to see that tradition still remained here — “Enduring Traditional Art and Crafts of Japan and Korea,” by Watanabe Tsuneko even though it was tucked away in deep corners. She decided to write about Korean culture. During the last two years, Watanabe visited Korea often to study and collect items to include in the book. Korean staff helped with the collection. “I am very happy to have made this book through the cooperation between two countries,” she said. “The work done by the Korean staff was introduced in one of Japan’s major magazines and gained a great reputation.” From traditional food and clothing to musical instruments and “Hahoetal,” Korean mask, her collection holds practically every cultural asset in Korea. She added explanations on the history and origin of each item to help Japanese readers better understand. “Japanese readers are shocked to realize that Korean metal craft started in 7 B.C. and that Hahoetal was first made in the 12th century — during the Goryeo dynasty,” Watanabe says. The book contains huge photos and specific details about each cultural asset, including human beings themselves. Watanabe says that she covered both cultures in the book to help both Koreans and Japanese better understand each others’ culture. “I found out that the cornerstone of Japanese traditional culture was influenced by Korea,” says Watanabe. “The Japanese should be thankful for this. Korean traditional culture has left a deep echo in the hearts of the Japanese.” ■ Most of us know the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) from his “Four Seasons.” Even those with only a passing knowledge of classical music enjoy its melodic, hummable score. On the other hand, few know about Vivaldi’s other works. With her new album, “Vivaldi Cello Concerto,” however, Korean cellist Chang Han-na is set to bring to light this side of Vivaldi — which is still largely unexplored, even by the majority of classical music insiders. In June, Chang shrugged off a finger injury amid a sweltering London summer to record seven of Vivaldi’s cello concertos. “I wanted to go back to the beginning of classical music, which was Baroque music, and chose Vivaldi, who was the first to convert the cello from an accompaniment instrument to a solo instrument,” said Chang at a press conference held October in Seoul. Compared to Bach’s serious and rigorous music, Vivaldi’s works are rhythmic and colorful. Chang said that while Vivaldi’s nearly 30 cello concertos were known to sound similar to one another, they can be differentiated by the performer’s interpretation. “I think depending on the performer’s interpretation, a certain tune can enrapture the audience or make them fall asleep,” said Chang. Chang recalled the recording process as being far from easy. Because of the scarcity of existing records, it took Chang and the organizers more than eight months just to find the scores. The concertos were not published while Vivaldi was alive and have survived only in manuscript form. Performing the music was another challenge. Not only were the musicians unfamiliar with the concertos, but the many high-pitched passages made playing it a technical challenge. It is the first time Chang, one of the best classical musicians to hail from Korea, has recorded Baroque. Chang, who won the 5th Rostropovich International Cello Competition at age 11, is better known for performing work by composers like Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Chang, 26, is currently on leave from Harvard University where she is majoring in philosophy, but she said at the press conference that she would also like to study conducting in New York. Conducting, according to the cellist, helped her gain a better understanding of the timbres of different instruments, and the harmony they create. ■ 40 KOREA DECEMBER 2008 DECEMBER 2008 KOREA 41
Page 3 and 4: Opening a communicative space betwe
Page 5 and 6: COVER The Experience of Foreign Stu
Page 7 and 8: COVER The Korea Herald U.S. Enginee
Page 9 and 10: DIPLOMACY Yonhap “Sets of bilater
Page 11 and 12: GLOBAL KOREA Yonhap Ramsar Changwon
Page 13 and 14: GLOBAL KOREA World Ocean Forum 2008
Page 15 and 16: CULTURE Emography on a closet Calli
Page 17 and 18: CULTURE Royal Protocols of the Jose
Page 19: CULTURE Hanbok Artist Makes Style S
Page 23 and 24: ART A scene from “A Ballerina Who
Page 25 and 26: TRAVEL Inje Ice Fish Festival Night
Page 27 and 28: EVENTS Daegu Photo Biennale 2008 1
Page 29 and 30: BOOKS Goguryeo: In Search of Its Cu
Page 31 and 32: SPECIAL SERIES they are perceived a
Page 33 and 34: SPECIAL SERIES 880,000 new jobs wil

Seoul Lights Up for the Holiday Season - Korea.net

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