Figure Museum W

Hoarding and collecting. The line is thin in the world of figurines, and it is a difficult task to put the boss of Figure Museum W into one or the other category. Safe to say, he has spent a fortune on figures, which provides to give an unforgettable experience at the museum. Before entering, I am sure few people would imagine that some of the figures are more expensive than Louis Vuitton bags and have more diamonds than Swarovski jewelry. Actually, tucked away on the top floor and easy to miss if you don’t have an eye for shiny and sparkling things, is a miniature car ornamented to the brim with real jewels provided by Swarovski. Just a few meters next to it is a Batman car that was used in the old Batman movies by Tim Burton, bought off the movie producer himself. And in the corner of the same floor is a Bruce Lee-figure with real human hair. If you enter on a humid day, the hair is rumored to go all frizzy.

              

Figure Museum W consists of dozens of these hidden gems that are easy to miss if you do not ask for a guided tour. Luckily Figure Museum W caters to an international crowd with not only Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English, but also Spanish starting about two days before our visit. So even though the official website is currently only in English, most of the staff actually speak English. If you want a personal and informational guide, ask for Mr. Tori Bee who will sprinkle some of his personal opinions on top of the information about the prices, limited availability, production country and story of the particular figures.

      

The museum consists of six floors, each with a different theme. On the top you have cars, Bruce Lee, Gundam and Evangelion figures. Just below there are Avengers, Marvel and DC. One floor is dedicated purely to Japanese animes, comics and games. My personal genre is Street Fighter, so I enjoyed seeing a bust of Akuma/Gouki and an illustration of how Sagat got the scar on his chest from Ryu’s shoryuken, accompanied by the guide’s “Hadouken!” sound effect. As is standard, the museum also has a shop with prices ranging from about 10,000 – 300,000W. I like the fact that they’ve also managed to fit a cafe and board game area into the museum. On top of that, there are some old arcade machines sporting a tweaked up version of Street Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter 2 and some shooters.

           

Open hours: Every day 11AM – 7PM. Closed on January 1st, Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok.
Admission: Adults 15,000 W / Youth 13,500 W / Children 12,000 W
Address: 3, Seolleung-ro 158-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Close to Apgujeong Rodeo Stn. Exit 4
Homepage: www.figuremuseumw.co.kr (Korean)

   

Stanley Kubrick exhibition in Seoul

About three years back, the Seoul Museum of Art hosted an exhibition about movie director Tim Burton. Koreans that I thought had never heard of Tim Burton suddenly got hyped. Instagram and Facebook accounts across the country started to get littered with the wacky and colorful illustrations by Burton. This year, the time has come for Stanley Kubrick to be the well-deserved center of attention for the months to come.

If you have never heard of Stanley Kubrick, then I envy you. You have so many journeys to travel on through Kubrick’s movies. A fan of Interstellar? Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. A fan of recent war movies? Watch the movie that defined one branch of the genre – Full Metal Jacket. A fan of dark comedies? Watch Dr. Strangelove and be struck in awe regarding the fact that it was produced in the beginning phase of the Cold War. Finally, a fan of thrillers? Watch The Shining and let Jack Nicholson visit you in your nightmares.

    

Kubrick was not only a director, he was also a photographer. This is a fact that becomes blatantly evident at the exhibition when you see the technological prowess needed to record scenes such as the “Star Gate”-scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The montage looks magnificent even by today’s standards, even though the movie was recorded almost 50 years ago.

It is also an eerie feeling to stand face-to-“face” with HAL 9000, the primary antagonist from the aforementioned movie. However, I am a man who hates spoilers and who has been shunning Facebook as soon as Star Wars: Episode VII was released, so I will not go into further detail here about HAL 9000.

 

Kubrick’s films have been considered by some to be “among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century”. I strongly recommend both his movies and this exhibition. Do not be taken back by the fact that his first major film was produced all the way back in 1956. These are more or less timeless classics that demand your attention even 60 years later.

Go karting at Korea Kart

One thing I’ve always loved about Seoul is that there are so many activities off the beaten path that you can find if you only search a little bit. Thanks to the staff at InSeoul Magazine I was able to check one unusual sport activity off my bucket list of things to do – namely Go Kart.

If you feel that you have petrol in your veins and want to take Mario Kart into the real world with your friends, a go kart circuit is situated just next to the Jamsil Baseball Stadium. After a 15 minute walk from the Sports Complex station exit 2 on subway line 2 (종합운동장), you’ll discover the go karts with a backdrop of the Han river (see the map below).

Anyone can ride go karts and the only thing you need to wear is a helmet (provided at the location). The procedure is as simple as could be: the pedal under your right foot to accelerate and the left one to break. No need to worry about gears, blinkers, windshield wipers or annoying people in the backseat kicking the driver’s seat. Even as a beginner it is still possible to drift a little bit in the corners, if you have the skill and courage. Bumping into other karts is not allowed and you’d do better to ride the Everland or Lotte World bumper cars if you’re looking for some kind of demolition derby.

The karting sessions are done in sets of 10 minutes. The price might seem on the high side for only 10 minutes, but the force of the steering wheel when turning makes the driver fairly exhausted in the arms, so I felt that 10 minutes was just about the right amount of time.

I was lucky enough to see and get inspired by one of the staff who has been riding karts for more than five years, and boy was he fast! The staff’s love for karting is apparent when you see them tuning the karts in the garage before hitting the tarmac to burn some rubber! Apparently they also have competitions for the pros from time to time. Surely, I will not become a pro, but I highly recommend trying go karts at least once in your life, especially if you bring some competitive friends to tag along.

Webpage: http://www.koreakart.co.kr/

Tel: 02-420-3886

Address: 코리아카트

서울시 송파구 잠실동 1168-1 송파구탄천주차장내            

1-1168 Jamsil dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea

Price: Single seat 10 minutes – 17.000W

Double seat 10 minutes – 22.000W

                                       

Opening hours: Every day except Monday

(Dec. Through Feb.) 10AM – 5.30PM

(March – Nov.) 10AM – 6PM

Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies Application Deadline coming up!

My university, Yonsei University and its Graduate School of International Studies, offering a master's education all in English from a renowned faculty in the central parts of Seoul, has its application deadline coming up on December 12th. Check their website at http://gsis.yonsei.ac.kr/ for more info or comment with questions below. They offer programs in Korean Studies, International Cooperation and International Trade, Finance & Management.

This is how the Dean describes the school:
"Pioneering institutions across all fields have two key common ingredients: a focused mission and great people to fulfill it. As Korea’s first professional school dedicated exclusively to global affairs, Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) has one overriding mission: to enable our graduates to become members of a “Global Corps”.

For those of you who are imbued with international genes but who also want to experience Asia, Yonsei GSIS offers the best of both worlds: immersing yourself in an outstanding interdisciplinary program with hands-on exposure to Asia’s unfolding opportunities and challenges. Within a 100-minute flight from Seoul lies Beijing, Tokyo and Shanghai—four of the most dynamic, historically significant, and culturally diverse cities in Asia.

Whether you plan on becoming an analyst on the cutting edge of risk management, negotiating trade deals, helping the poor, or fighting for human rights and human dignity, GSIS offers you the “first and the best”. And world-class faculty who are dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and mentoring, stand ready to put your ideals into practice." (from http://gsis.yonsei.ac.kr/main/text.asp?mid=n01_01)

Promotional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-LJBegpXp8

KTO Seoul Walking Tour App

Korea Tourism Organization has just released it's Seoul Walking Tour app which will guide you through the sightseeing spots of Seoul. It provides both audio and text information for 16 (and counting!) tourist attractions around Seoul including Gwanghwamun Square, Insadong, and Jogyesa Temple. The voice guide is available in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. The application uses GPS (Global Positioning System) to easily guide visitors through the tourist attractions in downtown Seoul. Seeing that the app is updated regularly by KTO, it seems the app is just going to get better by the day with increased content and sightseeing spots. The app also contains maps and pictures of every travel spot. Try it out for yourself for free by searching for "Seoul Walking Tour App" at your respective phone's app store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=walking.tour.seoul