Anthony Al-Jamie
Anthony Al-Jamie lived and worked in Japan for over 20 years. His in-depth understanding of Japanese language and culture has allowed him to carry out interviews with many of the most renowned individuals in Japan. He first began writing for the Tokyo Journal in the 1990s as Education Editor, later he was promoted to Senior Editor, and eventually International Editor and Executive Editor. He currently serves the Tokyo Journal and Seoul Journal as Editor-in-Chief.
Photographer Bohnchang Koo
Businessman-turned-photographer communicates with his subjects through still-life photography, placing emphasis on sensibility
Korean-born Bohnchang Koo studied at Yonsei University with a major in Business Administration, only to discover that he was not happy as a businessman. When he was younger, Koo enjoyed playing with craftsmanship, but he believed he wasn’t qualified as an artist, so he never insisted on going to art school. After serving the army for three years, he studied in Hamburg, Germany. There, he found his possibilities, talents, and sensibility — a sensibility that was shameful in Korea. Because the students and professors in Germany encouraged his sensibility, he became confident in finding what he wanted to do with his life. What he found was photography. Since discovering his passion, Koo’s works have appeared in over 30 solo exhibitions and he has won three notable awards. Aside from being a professional photographer, Koo was a professor at Kaywon School of Art and Design, Chung Ang University, Seoul Institute of the Arts, and a visiting professor in London Saint Martin School. Seoul Journal executive editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Koo about his photography, how he transitioned from a businessman to a photographer, and what inspirations he gets from other photographers to incorporate into his own works.
U.N. S. Korean Ambassador Oh Joon
Building a Global Community
Ambassador Oh Joon is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. His most recent role at the U.N. was President of the Economic and Social Council, which he served from 2015 to 2016.He currently serves as the President of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Having begun his career fresh out of university at the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Oh has served as a diplomat both within South Korea and around the world. Working as a senior member of the Korean Foreign Ministry, he has worked at the Republic of Korea Embassy in Brazil and Malaysia, and most recently was Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Singapore from 2010 to 2013. He has also served many roles in the United Nations, where he represented the Republic of Korea in many U.N. bodies. He has also served as President of the Security Council in 2014. Seoul Journal Executive editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked with Ambassador Joon about diplomacy, his experiences, and challenges that face our world today.
Chef Ryu's Hybrid Cuisine in Seoul
A Ryunique Dining Experience Fusing Japanese and French Cuisine With Korean Ingredients
Since its opening in 2011, the Seoul restaurant Ryunique has attracted wide attention and admiration in the Seoul dining scene.Through its modern hybrid cuisine, Ryunique has respectively won 27th and 79th place in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and the World’s 100 Best Restaurants. The mastermind behind the restaurant is Chef Ryu, a native Busan and son of a marine biologist.Having started his culinary career at the age of 22, Chef Ryu spent eight years traveling around the world, during which he trained in top-notch restaurants in Japan, Australia and the UK. His international experience is reflected in Ryunique’s hybrid fusion cuisine,which features elements from different culinary cultures with an emphasis on French and Japanese.The aptly named restaurant combines his name –“Ryu”– and “unique.”True to its title, his dazzling dishes enchant customers with something new, original and of course, delicious.Besides Ryunique, Chef Ryu also runs a bistro called Normal by Ryunique. Seoul Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked to Chef Ryu about his restaurant, Korean food culture, and future ambitions.
Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn
From DJ to Director
Joe Hahn is not only the DJ for band Linkin Park, but also directs music videos and movies. Linkin Park, formed in 1996, rose to fame with their debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. Since then, they have won two Grammys and came out with six studio albums with hits such as “In the End” in 2000 and “Numb” in 2003. Hahn co-directed many of Linkin Park’s hit music videos, and most recently directed 2014’s “Until It’s Gone.” Hahn also directed the 2014 full-length feature film Mall. Hahn became the first Korean-American to win a Grammy in 2002 for Best Hard Rock Performance with band Linkin Park. Seoul Journal talked with Hahn about his start in the music industry, balancing his many projects, and his connection to his Korean heritage.
Royal Cuisine Chef Bok-Ryeo Han
Harmonizing different cultures through Korean royal court cuisine
Bok-Ryeo Han promotes popular interest in Chosun dynastic royal cuisine and has been appointed by UNESCO as a National Designated Intangible Cultural Treasure. She is the director of the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine and has won the official commendation of the Minister of Culture. She studied at the University of Seoul,as well as Korea University for Food Engineering, and earned her doctorate in Food and Nutrition at Myongji University. Following after Hwang Hye Sung, who is also a researcher in royal court cuisine, a National Intangible Cultural Asset of Importance, and most important of all, her mother, Bok-Ryeo Han continues to contribute to the cuisine’s reproduction and modernization. At the 2000 Inter-Korean Summit, 2006 APEC regular conference in Busan, and 2010 G-20 Summit in Seoul, she helped develop menus and provided support as a consultant. She also acted as a consultant for the Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace), which is about Korean royal cuisine. She stresses the importance of food in understanding other cultures, especially when the royal court cuisine has become a global phenomenon. She runs two restaurants, ‘Jihwaja’ and ‘Gungyeon,’ and currently offers cooking classes at the Institute for foreigners to participate in and promote Korean cuisine.
Henry Cho
Clean Comedy: Henry Cho’s Break from the Norm
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Henry Cho began his career in stand-up comedy in 1986, dropping out of college in order to pursue his passion. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles but made sure to keep in touch with his Tennessee roots, especially in his stand-up shows. As a practicing Christian, Cho values and performs clean, adult comedy, avoiding racial jokes that may create a negative influence on how the ethnicity is viewed. Cho has appeared on such television programs as Bob Hope’s Young Comedian Special, MTV’s ½ Hour Comedy Hour, and VH-1’s Stand-Up Spotlight. He has also been featured in films like McHale’s Navy, Say It Isn’t So and Material Girls. Eventually, Cho had his own Comedy Central special in 2006 called Henry Cho: What’s That Clickin’ Noise?.In 2011, he had his own show on Great American Country [GAC] called The Henry Cho Show, which was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee. Cho has been given the nickname “Mr. Clean” for his clean comedy, a distinction that sets him apart from other comedians. Seoul Journal spoke with Cho about his experiences as a comedian and what plans he has for the future.
Artist Yun-Woo Choi
Defying Boundaries through Massive Magazine and Newspaper Sculptures
Yun-Woo Choi received a BFA and an MFA in sculpture from Hong-Ik University, and an MFA from School of Visual Arts. Choi was a recipient of the Jung-Ang Fine Art prize in 2007, the winner of the Year in Review award in the Sculpture and Installation category from See.Me in 2014, and he participated in the Anderson Ranch Art Center’s residency program in Aspen, Colorado. His works have been featured in several shows in the U.S. and Korea, including the Chungju International Craft Biennial and the Busan International Biennial. He currently works and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Seoul Journal talked with Yun-Woo Choi to discuss his views on art and his current works.
Chef Akira Back
From Mountain Terrain to the Culinary Domain
Chef Akira Back comes from a background that spans South Korea, Japan and the U.S. and crosses the domains of baseball, snowboarding and cooking. Back was born in 1974 as Sung Ook Back in Seoul, Korea. He pursued his love for baseball at a young age by moving to Japan, where a family friend gave him the nickname “Akira,” as the Japanese name shares the same Chinese characters as “Ook.” In 1989, his father’s business took their family to the U.S., where his snowboarding career began at the age of 15 in Aspen, Colorado. He then spent seven years as a professional snowboarder, where he appeared in extreme sports movies and was featured in the top snowboarding publications. His career then took a new path after studying at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Colorado as a sushi prep cook at Kenichi in Aspen, followed by Austin, Texas and then as an opening chef in Kona, Hawaii. He continued his culinary education by studying under top celebrity chefs and industry leaders including Masaharu Morimoto and Brian Nagao. In 2003, he returned to Aspen as Executive Chef of Nobu. In 2008, he opened his first restaurant — Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge, Chef Akira Back at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The restaurant’s Japanese cuisine has attracted various celebrity clientele including Taylor Swift, P!nk, Kelly Osbourne and Joe Jonas. He has appeared on television in the U.S. on Iron Chef America, The Today Show and The Best Thing I Ever Ate, as well as on South Korea onKBS’s Success Mentor. Chef Akira Back is now going international with Akira Back restaurants opening in New Delhi and Jakarta. Back took a few moments from his busy schedule to talk about his shift in careers and new projects with Seoul Journal.
Chef Judy Joo
Making Korean Food Simple
As the only participant to serve as chef, judge and challenger throughout the Iron Chef series, Judy Joo has made a name for herself in the culinary world. Having worked as Executive Chef at the Playboy Club, and host of the Cooking Channel’s new series, Korean Food Made Simple, Joo’s success has ranged from being the first woman to win Iron Chef UK, a judge on the Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, and a competitor in the Battle Iron Chef UK vs. Iron Chef America. She also regularly appears on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Best Thing I Ever Made, and Guy’s Grocery Games. In her interview with Seoul Journal, Joo discusses how she got her start as a chef, her favorite cuisines, and her upcoming projects.
The Soul of K.Will
The Voice That Brings Tears
Kim Hyung-Soo, also known as K.Will, is a South Korean ballad singer and Radio DJ on 107.7 SBS Power FM. He made his debut with his single “Dream” in A Love to Kill OST in 2006. He has also starred in shows such as KBS TV’s Immortal Songs 2, leaving after winning three times. In 2010, K.Will won the Male Ballad Singer Award at the Republic of Korea Entertainment Arts Awards. Three years later, he won a Music Style Award for Best R&B/Ballad at the Melon Music Awards. In 2015, he won a Digital Music Bonsang at the Golden Disk Awards. K.Willshared with Seoul Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie about his life, recent success, and upcoming projects.
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