Chung seeks to attract more foreign visitors to NMOCA

Artist duo Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho’s works are on display at 2012 Korea Artist Prize at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of NMOCA

Chung Hyung-min, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, wants the museum to represent Korean art and support Korean artists advancing overseas.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) is on the way to becoming the key place of Korean art and Chung Hyung-min, 60, named new director in January, is leading the innovation.

Chung was an art history professor at Seoul National University before she took the position of the head of the nation’s contemporary art institution. She also led Seoul National University Museum of Art.

With her expertise, Chung is ensuring the museum showcases the essence of Korean art and supports Korean artists advancing overseas.

“The NMOCA should represent Korean contemporary art and I think it has the collection to do so. However, it was not researched thoroughly or put on display for public viewing,” Chung said.

That is why Chung is reorganizing permanent exhibition halls based on these works. Currently, the main museum in Gwacheon has nine halls with two of them being used for special exhibitions. Chung is reorganizing them to present hidden gems from the collection.

“I think Korean artists are strong in craft, but there was no space dedicated to craft art. So I renovated one of the permanent exhibit halls to a craft art gallery. The same goes for photography and print, which are important genres of modern art but were exhibited with paintings,” the director said. “The museum is archiving architectural works and maybe we could hold an exhibition shedding light on Korea’s contemporary architects.”

Her move came as a part of a bigger plan to specialize the Gwacheon building about a year ahead of the opening of the NMOCA’s new Seoul branch named UUL National Art Museum Seoul.

There was a fire at the construction site in August, creating worries that the completion might be impeded by the fatal accident. However, Chung assured the public that the art museum will open on schedule.

“The UUL was scheduled to be completed by February and open at the end of 2013. The completion is going to be delayed but it won’t affect the opening of the museum,” Chung explained.

Architect’s rendition of UUL National Art Museum Seoul

The UUL is located in central Seoul, right next to Gyeongbok Palace and tourist district Samcheong-dong and has a good accessibility. Designed by Min Hyun-jun, the new museum encompasses Korean history as it includes a 21st century building, the former Defense Security Command headquarters from the 1930s and an office building from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) that is being relocated.

“Buildings from three different times physically co-exist in the UUL and visitors will experience the continuity of time,” Chung said.

The museum should also see an increase of international visitors at the new location. Currently, only 2 percent of the visitors to the museum are foreigners.

“Those who are interested in contemporary art generally visit the Gwacheon location, but the new Seoul museum should attract more tourists,” Chung said. “This is a good time to open a new art museum in Seoul since interest in Korean culture is picking up across the globe.”

Chung aims to research artworks academically and present them in a more comprehensive and popular way for ordinary viewers. “The UUL will also introduce the ever-changing trend of international contemporary art to Korean audiences as well as interdisciplinary art.”

When the UUL opens, the NMOCA will strengthen uniqueness of each branch — the Deoksugung branch will focus on modern art from the early 20th century and Gwacheon will feature more works from the museum’s collection.

The budget of NMOCA allocated for purchasing artworks is relatively small — only 3 billion won for the museum and 2 billion won for the Art Bank. Previous directors of NMOCA bought some works of renowned international artists, but Chung put the budget together solely for Korean artists.

“I see great potential from the NMOCA’s collection. My goal is to enrich the collection and make anyone who wants to see Korean art to come to the NMOCA,” Chung said.

The primary function of the art museum would be exhibitions, but Chung also aims to reinforce the educational and research function of the NMOCA. A research center and storage of the NMOCA planned in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province reflects Chung’s ambition.

“Research is positively necessary in networking with the world’s leading museums and introducing Korean contemporary art to the world,” the director said. “I hope the center becomes a hub of Asian contemporary art.”

People think contemporary art is difficult to understand because they are not used to the system of symbols in the 21st century art, according to Chung. “The phenomenon is normal since it is something currently underway. I think that’s why people have to come and see contemporary art — it portrays ‘our’ life, not the life of someone 100 years ago. Appreciating contemporary art will make their life richer,” Chung said.

Chung’s ultimate goal is to place the NMOCA in the rank of world-class museums. “With the opening of the UUL in Seoul, we will promote cooperation with world’s top art museums and try to stand equally with them,” the director said.

Fire destroys Baekje-era Naejang Temple

Police and firefighters investigate the cause of fire on-scene at Naejang Temple in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday. The main building in the temple was gutted by fire early Wednesday morning. Police presume the fire to have been caused by short circuit problems. / Yonhap

The main building of an ancient temple in the heart of Mt. Naejang, North Jeolla Province, burnt down Wednesday, apparently due to a fire caused by a short circuit.
Naejang Temple’s central building was completely destroyed due to the sudden fire that erupted inside it at around 2 a.m.

Buddhist paintings and a statue of Buddha were among the items destroyed in the blaze.

Police immediately dismissed any links to arson, saying that the fire occurred because of an electrical fault. They said a surveillance camera at the temple showed no intruders in the temple.

“We plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire together with the National Forensic Service,” said an officer.

The fire was first discovered by an employee of a security company, who contacted the security guard at the temple after being alerted by a fire detection system.

By the time firefighters got to the scene, there was almost nothing to salvage. Temple officials tried extinguishing the fire but only managed to prevent it from spreading to trees on the mountain.

Many expressed regret and sorrow for the loss of a national heritage famous for its location amid beautiful scenery. “The temple incident reminded me of the Sungnyemun fire incident. We need measures to protect our cultural assets,” said Kim Su-mee, a citizen.

Poor management of temple buildings and national heritages has been a recurrent problem. In 2008, the Sungnyemun or South Gate of Seoul was gutted by arson. Naksan Temple located in Yangyang, Gangwon Province was also destroyed by a forest fire in 2005.

Naejang Temple boasted of colorful scenery especially in the autumn.

The temple was re-constructed in 1938 after a series of repeated fires. It was first constructed in 636 A.D during the Baekje Kingdom but was destroyed in the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and during the Korean War in 1950. The last time it was reconstructed was in 1958.

The building was vulnerable to fire because the entire building is made with wood.

Naejang Temple itself is not listed as a cultural asset designated by the government but possesses one ― the Joseon copper bell ― in an adjacent building. Important Buddhist assets such as a pagoda preserving the relics of Buddha are also located in front of the main building.

The main building will be rebuilt.

 

Firework Art

Festival of firework art at Busan / Korea

 

 


 


 







Source: Chosunilbo news

Why Does Hair Loss Get Worse in the Fall?

Fall is a particularly trying season for people who are losing their hair. Wide fluctuations in temperature can hamper ample blood circulation to the scalp, and hair loss is exacerbated by other conditions like stress and pollution.

"In the past, balding was considered to be genetic, but now more and more people lose their hair due to stress and other external factors," said Ha Tae-joon of a baldness clinic.

Ordinary people lose around 20 to 50 strands of hair a day, but this rises to 50 to 100 in the fall. Losing more than 100 strands of hair a day may be a sign of balding.

Drinking water can help since dehydration slows blood circulation, causing hair loss and dandruff. Green tea may also be helpful since it makes small blood vessels expand and promotes circulation.

Tuna, anchovies, mackerel and other types of oily fish, as well as lettuce, radishes, green peppers and fruit also strengthen the follicles and improve blood circulation in the scalp. Black sesame seeds, black beans, brown rice, walnuts, kelp, seaweed and laver can bolster the tensile strength of hair.

A good night’s sleep of between seven or eight hours can also stop hair falling out. But the key to maintaining a healthy mane is hygiene and stress release. And regular scalp massages can help new hair to grow by promoting blood circulation. Some people also swear by tapping their scalp gently 20 times or more a day with a brush.

Psy Makes Cover of Billboard Magazine

Rapper Psy will appear on the cover of the next issue of Billboard magazine when the U.S. weekly is released later this week. He posted a picture of the cover on his Twitter account Friday.

The singer of the smash hit "Gangnam Style" is shown wearing a light-green tailcoat and black bow tie while performing the horse-riding dance. The photo is accompanied by the sub-headline "500,000,000 Psy Fans Can't Be Wrong."

Meanwhile, Psy said in an interview with CNN that the lyrics of his next song will be a mixture of English and Korean. He added that will also come up with a new dance routine.

He has been in the U.S. since Oct. 19 promoting his album, including an appearance on the popular ABC talk show "The View" where he performed his signature dance along with Barbara Walters.

As of Thursday, "Gangnam Style" ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 for the fifth straight week behind Maroon 5's "One More Night."

Korean Air's Earnings Soar

 

Korean Air achieved W3.4 trillion in revenues and an operating profit of W313.2 billion (US$1=W1,103) in the third quarter of 2012, the carrier said Thursday. Revenues were up 2.6 percent over the same period in 2011, and operating profit increased 30.5 percent.

It was the second time that Korean Air has exceeded the W300 billion mark in quarterly operating profit since 2010.

Net profit stood at W340 billion, swinging back into the black after three quarters.

Analysts attribute the recession-beating results to an aggressive push to upgrade the carrier's fleet, which led to record-high transport volume. Korean Air has been operating the Airbus A380 superjumbo jets on long-haul routes to the U.S. and Europe since last year.

Increased first and business class custom contributed to improved profitability.


On the other hand , In-Flight Meals Make Korean Air Top Food Exporter:

CJ Cheiljedang led Korean food manufacturers in terms of domestic sales last year, according to figures from the Korea Food and Drug Administration. Next came Nongshim, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Lotte Confectionery, and Coca-Cola Korea.

But among food exporters Korean Air Catering topped the list with W196 billion (US$1=W1,110), according to the KFDA.

Korean Air operates two food processing plants, at Gimpo and Incheon airports, which can produce 50,000 meals a day and process about 20,000 kinds of in-flight meals, including Korean food.

Sixty percent of them are served on Korean Air and the rest is sold to about 40 airlines whose planes make stops in Korea.

Koo Eun-kyung of Korean Air explained that all in-flight meals on Korean Air are counted as exports because they are served in skies over international waters.

White sugar topped the list of Korean export food stuffs until 2009, but it was replaced by in-flight meals in 2010 amid increasing demand for air travel.

Korea's food industry, except for agricultural produce and liquor products, suffers a trade deficit, which rose 29 percent from W3.82 trillion in 2009 to W4.93 trillion last year.

Korean Air Makes Good on A380 Investment:

Korean Air's fleet of Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, have carried more than 400,000 passengers since the nation's flagship airline began operating flights six months ago, it announced Monday.

According to the airline, its five super jumbo jets have flown a total of 409,000 passengers almost 6 million km as of Dec. 16.

Most passengers used the flight route from Incheon to Narita in Tokyo, the first service route operated by the aircraft, which welcomed a total of 141,770 fliers. This was followed by flights to Hong Kong (120,090 people), New York (85,771), Los Angeles (36,903) and Paris (15,475).

The average passenger load of the A380's five routes stood at 80 percent, but this jumped to 87 percent for flights heading to the French capital, or 83 percent for the Big Apple, 80 percent for Hong Kong, 78 percent for LA and 76 percent for Tokyo.

Notably, the number of passengers flying business-class on long-haul routes to New York, LA and Paris has soared in recent months.

Since the jets, which have their entire second floor given over to 94 business-class seats, went into service, the airlines' total number of business-class travelers has risen 41 percent to 27,637 from 19,551 during the corresponding period of 2010. The growth was considerably higher than that of first-class (30 percent) and economy-class (18 percent) seats.

Korean Air is planning to introduce its sixth A380 next year to enlarge its European flight paths. It will buy four more of the aircraft by 2014 with the goal of ferrying 3 million passengers around the world on the fleet annually starting from 2015, it said.

UN Secretary-General Learns Psy's Horse-Riding Dance

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) is taught the "Gangnam Style" horse dance by rapper Psy during a photo opportunity at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. /Reuters-Newsis

Singer Psy met United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday.

Ban then performed the singer's "Gangnam Style" horse-riding dance with Psy during a photo opportunity.