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.

Walking into the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center, one is immediately met with crowds of people, waiting in line for tickets with palpable excitement. This year, KCON LA saw over 76,000 attendees - the largest turnout since KCON’s beginnings five years ago. All fans of Hallyu - the Korean wave of traditional and pop-culture - could enjoy different pop-up shops at the exhibition hall, which included everything from Korean beauty products, to cafes where customers could be whisked away in a fantasy straight out of a Korean drama as they are served coffee and tea by beautiful flower boys. KCON goers eagerly received makeovers to look just like their favourite K-pop stars, while next door there was a dance floor where everyone could show off the choreography of famous Kpop songs. At the same time, Youtube stars such as LeenaDproductions, JREKML, and Clothesencounters conducted meetups with fans. The entire hall buzzed with energy. Outside of the hall, fans with premium tickets lined up to high-five famous K-pop singers; the smiles of their favourite idol groups provided them with the energy to beat the LA summer heat.

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.

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.