Cine-Cafe: December Screening Schedule

The EKF Ciné-Café morning screenings are usually held on every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the months at the French Cultural Center, near Namdaemun, and the evening screenings are being held on every 3rd Thursday of the month at Somerset Palace Seoul, in Gwanghwamun. The entrance fee, as always, is 10,000 KRW per person and includes snacks and beverages (tea, coffee, and juice). In December, however, due to the special holiday season coming up, our schedule has changed slighly and there will only be one movie shown this month – once in the morning and once in the evening.

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Wine & Women Korea: November Wine Focus - Wine & Food Pairing

The November Wine Focus on Wine & Food Pairing took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Seoul on November 21, 2006. The guest speaker of November’s event was Mr. Christian Sigouin, Wine Connesouir and Wine Consultant. Mr. Sigouin first gave a brief introduction into the topic Wine & Food Pairing and explained the indicators that can help determine optimal wine and food pairings. Thereafter, Mr. Sigouin presented the six different wines selected for the evening and sponsored by Pieroth Wines Korea. Six special sauces, especially prepared for this event by Spire Group, were available on each table for the guests to taste together with the wines in order to find out to what extend the food chosen can have an impact on the taste of the wine.

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Cine-Cafe: December Movie Screening with KBS

On Wednesday, November 22, 2006, EKF organized a special screening with KBS for our November Cine-Cafe. The KBS made-for-TV movie, “Becoming a Popular Song,” which won a prestigious award during the 11th Shanghai Television Festival in 2005, was screened and we were able to welcome senior KBS producer and former president of the KBS Producer’s Association Mr. Lee Kang-Hyun.   Hosted by KBS and EKF, screening of “Becoming a Popular Song” was held at the French Cultural Center at 9:30 AM. Many of our regular Cine-Café visitors attended the screening and used this chance to ask questions about the Korean movie industry and the popularity of Korean movies throughout Asia. Furthermore, Mr. Lee was also a member of the judging committee during the Shanghai Television Film Festival and could provide some insights on the criteria on which the dramas were judged during the film festival and explain why the drama was chosen for the award.

Beautiful Saturday event with EUCCK Member Companies!

On Saturday, November 04, 2006, ten member companies of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK/ President: Mr. Carl-Johan Hagmann) held a charity bazaar, “Beautiful Saturday,” to raise funds for migrant workers and their families in Korea. The event took place in front of Jongno Tower in Jongno 2 Ga. The event, which was organized by the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF/ Presidents: Mr. Jean-Jacques GRAUHAR and Mr. Dong Hoon JEE) and the Beautiful Store, was joined by 10 EUCCK member companies, namely Adecco Korea, Agfa Korea, British American Tobacco Korea, Cognis Korea, Grundfos Pumps Korea, Hewitt Associates, Novotel Ambassador Gangnam Seoul, Philip Morris Korea Inc., Syngenta Korea, and the local Yoga Center, Beauty Yoga. It was aimed to raise funds for migrant workers in need of support.

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EUCCK November Network Club - Festa Italiana

The Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK) organizes each month a social function called "EUCCK Network Club" for EUCCK members and friends to meet in a casual setting. On November 9, 2006, EUCCK and EKF, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian-Korean Business Association (IKBA) presented - "Festa Italiana," a celebration of Italian culture at the Millennium Hilton Hotel. The event featured a dazzling performance by an Italian Band from Rome with lead singer Elena Bonelli. Ms. Bonelli has performed in major theatres around the world from New York to Europe, and the Far East as well.  As the official voice of the Italian Anthem "Inno di Mameli", recorded during the World Cup Soccer Championship in Korea, Ms. Bonelli has been involved in concerts to promote peace in different areas of the world. November's network club also included a special charity raffle draw where over 3 Million KRW was raised to benifit Anna House, a South Korean charity organization lead by Father Bordo. From the 50 gifts were collected to encourage raffle ticket sales, funds raised will help children who have run away from their homes and are thus without shelter. Anna House also helps the poor, the homeless and those who are affected by Dyslexia. Over 5% of Korean scholastic population are affectd by dyslexia and suffer from prejudice and isolation amount young people. It is, however, possible to recover not only from dyslexia, but also from its major symptioms, prejudice, isolation and social exclusion: So Festa Italiana was successful in not only raising funds to support these programs but also to raise awareness of these problems. In addition to monetary contributions from raffle sales, FILA also donated a Careline Scooter for the organization in support of their programs to help the under privileged. The many prizes collected included a Vespa LX scooter and gifts from Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Bulgari, Swarovski, Loro Piana, Vino Vino, CP Company, La Callas Restaurant, Geodis, Adecco, Banca Intesa, Fine Power Systems, Orbis Int'l Fashion, Novotel Gangnam, Millennium Hilton Hotel, IBIS Hotel, Human Starville, Han Suites Residences, Sortino's Restaurant, Antonios' Restaurant, Asia Chow, La Tavola, Buon Posto Restaurant, Jubilee Chocolates, and Alitalia. The event was also the more satisfying as our jam packed crowd applauded Father Bordo as he became the owner of the brand new Vespa Scooter - Grand Prize of Festa Italiana!! Thank you to all those who came out and participated in Festa Italiana as well as the sponsors who definitely had a hand in ensuring the success of this event.

Cine-Cafe: November Screening Schedule

Cine-Cafe: November Schedule “Spring Summer Fall Winter… And Spring” (Bomnyeoreumgaeulgyeoul Geurigo Bom, 2003‍) By Kim, Gideok Running Time: 105 min. "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring" uses the seasons as the curtains that rise to mark the stages in the life of a child who has grown up in an isolated Buddhist temple. In the Spring, Child Monk indulges in the capricious cruelties of childhood, for which he is reprimanded by Old Monk, who reminds him that only bad karma can result from such behavior. The seasonal door, this time Summer, opens on an infatuated youth of 17, who decides to leave the monastery to be with the one he loves. When Fall comes around, Child Monk, now a 30-year old Young Adult Monk, returns to the temple, racked with guilt over a violent crime he has committed. Eventually, he is taken back to face up to what he has done. After his student's departure this time, Old Monk prepares for his approaching death. Winter has come when, now a middle-aged adult, the former Child Monk returns to find inner peace and to work on developing mental and physical discipline. One day, a woman arrives to leave a baby at the temple, and the cycle of student/teacher searching for spiritual enlightenment begins anew.

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Wine & Women Korea - September Wine Focus

Wine & Women Korea - September Wine Focus Introducing Wines from Languedoc and Bordeaux The September Wine Focus on Wine & Tourism in France took place on Tuesday, September 26, 2006. Mrs. Catherine Germier-Hamel, Co-President of Wine & Women Korea, presented two of the famous French Wine regions - Languedoc and Bordeaux. Wine sponsoring for this event was two-fold: on the one hand Korean wine importing companies, including Global Liquor Trading, Nara Food, and Dongwon Wine Plus, sponsored wines from these regions, which are already available in the Korean market. The remaining wines were given to WWK directly by the French wine makers during a trip through France in August. Hence this was a unique opportunity to taste some exceptional wines that are not yet available in Korea. It is the hope of WWK that through this event, some of these wines will find a Korean importer soon.

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October Cine-Cafe

Cine Cafe: October Schedule Korean Movie Screenings with English Subtitles "La Vie En Rose” (Jangmibit Insaeng, 1994) By Kim, Hong-Jun Running Time: 94 min. Don’t let the title fool you. This movie has nothing to do with Edith Piaf’s song of the same name, other than that Piaf herself was a product of the poor side of the French track. Set in the mid 1980s in Korea, a chaotic time of daily demonstrations by democracy advocates, the film offers an interesting glimpse into the lives of people living in the Garibong area of Seoul. Much of the action is centered in an Eomji (comic book store) where patrons can also watch pornographic movies. The characters include Dong-pal, a trouble-making hoodlum, Gi-yeong, a labor activist on the lam, Yu-jin, a writer with a secret, and the attractive Madame, who owns the store but yearns for a different life in another place.

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September Cine-Cafe

September Cine-Cafe Schedule “King and the Clown” (Wangui Namja, 2005) By Lee, Jun Ik Running Time: 119 min. The film focuses on a pair of clowns, Konggil and Jangseung, who perform comic plays, songs, and acrobatic tricks for aristocrats or commoners during the Joseon Dynasty. In contrast to his later relationship with the insane King Yonsan, romantic feelings between Konggil and Jangseung are strongly implied, but never stated explicitly in the film. After the two arrive in Hanyang (now Seoul), the entrepreneurial Jangseung hits upon the idea of performing a skit that satirizes the king and his famous concubine Noksu. The somewhat lewd and hilarious parody brings them quick fame and piles of cash, but before long it lands them in chains at the feet of the king himself.

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2nd Beautiful Saturday with EUCCK Members in Seoul

Following last September’s and January’s successes of the Beautiful Saturdays in Seoul (September 10, 2005) and Jeonju (January 14, 2006), EKF together with the Beautiful Store (www.beautifulstore.org) is organising another Beautiful Saturday Event with EUCCK Members in Seoul. This year the event should take place on November 4, 2006. The location and order of events will be fixed as soon as we know the number of participating companies.

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Donation of used Equipment, Appliances and much more…

In May EKF made an announcement to all EUCCK member companies asking them for used office equipment (computer, fax machines, telephones, etc.), appliances (i.e. air conditioners, heaters, stoves, microwaves) and other useful items to be donated to the South Korean charity organizations EKF supports, namely SOS Children’s Villages, Aeranwon, Motungii Shwimpteo and Seongshim Dideumdol. Many companies and individuals replied and donated great items, including TV sets, computers, printers, dining sets, telephones, scanners, cabinets, microwaves, etc. The items have been distributed to the organizations above according to their needs.

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New Flooring for Aeranwon

EKF would like to use the amount raised through its WWK wine events to support Aeranwon. The first project that EKF would like to work on with Aeranwon in this regard is the installation of new flooring at their facility, using flooring material donated to EKF by the Swedish company Pergo Korea Ltd. in connection with the Share the Love Campaign 2005.

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DiGiorgio Family Wines Wine Dinner

The first ever wine dinner organized by Wine & Women Korea took place at La Cigale (French Restaurant in Itaewon) on July 25, 2006. The event was organised in co-operation with the Australian wine maker DiGiorgio Family Wines, who provided the wine wines though their Korean importer, Sunbo Liquor Trading, and La Cigale, a French restaurant located in Itaewon.

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EKF Ciné-Café meets Screenplay Writer Kyon Tae Kim

On Thursday, July 20, 2006, EKF organized another special screening with KBS. The movie presented was the KBS made-for-TV movie, “Dad Give us Money,” which is set in today’s Korea and focuses on the trials and tribulations of ordinary people following the burst of the credit card bubble. Hosted by KBS and EKF, the screening of “Dad Give us Money” was held at the Somerset Palace in Gwanghwamun. The event started at 6:30 PM and more than 40 people, mainly foreign expatriates, attended. The highlight of the evening was that the screenplay writer, Mr. Kyon Tae Kim, was able to attend the screening. After the movie, he answered questions from the audience about his drama as well as Korean society and other current hot issues of Korea’s film industry.

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EKF Scholarship Award Ceremony 2006

In keeping with its objective of promoting greater friendship and understanding between Korea and the EU, the Europe-Korea Foundation hosted an award ceremony for the “2006 EKF Scholarship Programme” on Friday, July 14, 2006.

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Donation to Motungii Shwimpteo and Seongshim Dideumdol

On July 7, 2006, representatives of EKF donated 2,500,000 Won to Motungii Shwimpteo and Seongshim Dideumdol, two related organisations that help teenage girls who can no longer live with their families. The money had been raised through EKF Ciné-Café activities since September 2005 and the HA!Man show, which took place on April 8, 2006.

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July Wine Foucus - Blind Wine Tasting

During July’s wine focus it was up to our guests to test their knowledge and expertise about wine. As this was the last wine focus before the summer break, Wine & Women Korea decided to engage its loyal members and participants in a blind wine tasting. The event took place on Thursday, July 6, 2006, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.   For the blind wine tasting, we had prepared 6 different wines, which were generously sponsored by Pieroth Wines Korea. Each wine was presented at a separate table and the guests, which were divided into groups, circulated through the booths and tried to match each wine to three different categories, i.e. wine description, grape variety, and country of origin. After each group had tasted all the wines, the answer sheets were collected and Mr. Dan Schulte of Pieroth Wines Korea revealed the answers to the audience. Meanwhile the group with the highest average score as well as the person with the highest score were determined and awarded great gifts. The person with the highest score won a fantastic bottle of 2001 Barolo BOCG and each member of the group with the highest average score received very practical wine bottle openers, both provided by Pieroth Wines Korea.   The evening was also used to remind the audience of the charitable purpose of WWK. In the beginning of the evening, there was a brief introduction of Ae-Ran-Won. Ae-Ran-Won is a South Korean charity organisation that helps single mothers and underage pregnant girls. The director of Ae-Ran-Won, Mrs. Sang Soon HAN, gave a brief overview of the current situation of single, underage mothers and teenage pregnancy in Korea and introduced the work Ae-Ran-Won is doing to help these young women. Her presentation also included a short introduction of a new aid programme for single-parent families.   Following Mrs. Han’s presentation, Ms. Nicole Risse gave a short briefing on the current financial status of Wine & Women Korea and introduced two different activities that the money raised with this year’s Wine Focus and other wine events will be used for at Ae-Ran-Won.   The first project is the installation of new flooring at the Ae-Ran-Won facility. In connection with the Share the Love Campaign 2005, EKF had received 450 Pyeong (1,500 sqm) of flooring material from the Swedish company Pergo Korea Ltd. The installation of 1 Pyeong (3,3 sqm) of flooring costs 30,000 KRW and the money raised through Wine Focus and other wine events will be used to pay for the installation of at least 55 Pyeong of flooring space.   A second project, if enough money can be raised within this year, will be the support of the new aid programme for single parent families established by Ae-Ran-Won earlier this year. For now, this programme incorporates the following activities: an online community, self-help meetings, case-by-case management, parenting education, mentoring, workshops, discussion groups, financial support, etc. It is hoped that this will help single mothers to become financially independent, enable them to raise a healthy child, increase social acceptance of their situation, provide them with networking opportunities and a social, financial as well as emotional support system. Furthermore, there is hope that this programme will help to increase the number of single mothers that decide to raise their children. To this programme EKF hopes to be able to contribute 5 Mio. Won, which will be used to cover some of the financial aspects, such as medical check-ups, education fees, etc.   At the moment, however, Wine & Women Korea is still very far from reaching this goal and is encouraging its members and participants to continuously join WWK wine events, to learn about and enjoy wine and to contribute to this great cause.   Last but not least, EKF was proud to have Klorane Paris as one the sponsors for this Wine Focus. Klorane Paris is a new cosmetic brand that is currently being launched and the company chose Wine Focus to introduce itself to the public. Besides offering two great prices for the lucky draw, Klorane also sponsored gift vouchers for every guest. Moreover, guests were also able to sample the various products that Klorane Paris offers at the Klorane booth during the event.   Sponsors of the July Wine Focus were: Pieroth Wines Korea, Grand Hyatt Seoul, Klorane Paris, Jubilee, Spire Group, Rene Futurer, Sortino's Italien Restaurant, and Au Bon Pain.

Cine-Cafe Summer Screening Schedule

“Dad Give Us Money” is set in today’s Korea and focuses on the trials and tribulations of ordinary people following the burst of the credit card bubble. A whole new industry of debt collection has sprung up in recent years and, as we follow the experiences of a recently hired collector, we discover the lives of the people the agency is pursuing. One of these is a former ‘salary man’ who epitomises the stresses placed on Korean fathers. In desperation, Bongsoon becomes a contestant on a quiz show. This is a KBS, made-for-TV movie that is a must-see for anyone interested in trying to understand the psyche of some Korean fathers.

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Dynamic Korea Contest 2006 - Co-organised by EKF

For the second year in a row, the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) is joining hands with the Korea Overseas Information Service (KOIS) in organizing a contest for all students currently attending international schools in Korea. The purpose of this contest is to learn about how international students feel about Dynamic Korea and also to bring Korea and Korean culture closer to those young foreigners who view Korea has their host country.   The contest is geared towards students in grade 7-12 and has been expanded from last year’s written essay contest to include photo essays and video essays. The essays must be written in English in response to one of the three essay questions: 1. What makes you relate most to Dynamic Korea? 2. How would you describe Korea’s dynamism? 3. How do you see the future of Dynamic Korea? The contest will be separated into two age groups: Middle school and High school.   The winners from each group will receive fantastic prizes provided by KOIS. Prizes include notebooks computers, DMB cell phones, MP3 players and an encouragement prize of USB memory sticks for 30 students. Promotion of the contest is already in progress through international schools in Korea. The deadline for the Dynamic Korea Contest submission is October 31, 2006. This is a great opportunity for foreign students all over Korea to express their impressions of Dynamic Korea and how Korea has impacted their lives. So send in your essay’s today and have a chance to win great prizes!!   KOIS was established in December 31, 1971 under the Ministry of Culture and Information. Its goal is to help the outside world better understand Korea and its people and culture as well as major government policies.    EKF was founded by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK) as its charity arm in 2001. EKF objectives include strengthening and furthering Korean-European relations by means of cultural projects, charity and fundraising activities and through educational programs.   For more information on the Dynamic Korea Contest 2006 and/or EKF programs, please contact: D’Andre Ma at ekfma@ekf.or.kr, Phone: 82.2.725.0382, or visit our Website at www.ekf.or.kr.

TCC Plush Toy Donation to South Korean Orphanages

The Continuity Company (TCC), the world’s largest provider of retail marketing programmes and member of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK), in cooperation with the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) has donated plush toys, i.e. stuffed animals (The Dog), to six South Korean orphanages in Seoul, Suncheon, Daejeon, and Yangju.

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Kyobo Life Insurance donates books to the SOS Children’s Village

Seoul, Korea, June 19, 2006 – Kyobo Life Insurance donated books to the SOS Children’s Village, Seoul. The books are a great addition to the SOS’s library and will provide the children with further sources to gain knowledge and entertainment. The donation was made through the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) on Friday, June 16, 2006.

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Interview with New EKF Annual Sponsor

New EKF Annual Sponsor The Europe-Korea Foundation would like to welcome Mr. Holger Hirle, General Manager of the Imperial Palace Hotel (former Amiga Hotel) as a new Annual Sponsor of EKF. In a recent candid interview conducted by D’Andre Ma of EKF with Mr. Hirle, we were given some insights into his reasons for joining EKF and the hotel’s current CSR activities. (Ma) What made you decide to join EKF as an annual sponsor? (Hirle) Joining EKF was a two-fold initiative. First, it is our goal to strengthen the relationship between EUCCK/EKF and Imperial Palace. Secondly, Imperial Palace Hotel wanted to make a contribution to a good cause.

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Cine-Cafe June Screening

"Blue Swallow" (Cheongyeon, 2005) By Yun, Jong-Chan Running Time: 133 min. (The Movie will start 15 min. earlier due to the length of the movie.) Blue Swallow presents the life of Park Kyong-won. Born to a poor family in Daegu in 1901, Park had always been fascinate with the idea of flying. She also believed that becoming a pilot was her ticket out of poverty and so, at age 16, she set off for Japan to enrol in pilot school. To achieve her dream, she spent her days studying and her nights working as a mechanic and taxi driver to earn her tuition money. This is how she meets Ji-hyuk, who ends up serving in the Japanese army. In 1930, Park was the only female among the 13 qualified pilots in Japan and the first female pilot in South Korean history. However, Park’s dreams were short-lived. Suspected of taking part in Resistance activities, she is jailed and tortured, as is Ji-hyuk, who confesses in order to save her. In August 1933, Park decides to fly back to Korea in her plane, the Chongyon, taking his ashes with her. But the 32-year never made it back. An hour after takeoff, her plane went down. The cause of the accident was never found. Because there is so little information about her in the record books, the movie has added fictional characters and narratives to tell the story of Park's career and love life

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Wine & Women Korea - June Wine Focus: Wine & Health

In a world where fast food, junk food and fatty foods are of higher consumption than foods that are good for the body, healthy eating and drinking has been a growing concern for most Korean’s and foreigners alike. Hence, it was a priority for Wine & Women Korea to hold a wine focus on this topic. So for the June Wine Focus, held on Monday, June 5th, 2006 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, we did just that!

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Cine-Café with KBS

On Wednesday, May 24, 2006, EKF organized a special screening with KBS for our May Cine-Cafe. The KBS made-for-TV movie, “Destiny’s Curse” based on the novel by Kim Dong-Ri, received favorable reception by Europeans. This remarkable event may possibly be an indicator that Korean dramas are popular not only in Asia but also in Europe. Hosted by KBS and EKF, screening of “Destiny’s Curse” was held at the Raemian Gallery in Anguk-dong at 10:00 AM. More than 30 Europeans currently residing in Korea attended the screening. The producer of the movie, Mr. Young-guk Lee from KBS also attended to present and discuss his drama.

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2006 Information Fair

The 2006 Information Fair, organized by the Seoul Help Center for Foreigners (SHC), was held on Saturday, May 6, 2006 around City Hall. The fair, which is open to foreigners residing in Seoul and local people, was especially immense as it coincided with the Hi Seoul Festival. Although the weather on May 6th was less than cooperative, the event was nonetheless filled with excitement. The event was an outdoor orientation mostly for newly arrived foreign families, but open to all foreign and local people this year. Many foreign and local organizations were involved in setting up booths to provide information and services to foreigners and to ensure more interaction between them both.

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Wine & Women Korea - Wine Focus: Buying and Choosing Wine

The May Wine & Women Korea Wine Focus event on May 10th, 2006 was focusing on Buying & Choosing Wine - A first crucial step in wine enjoyement. Held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Namsan Room, Ms. Shana Kim and Thibault Souchon from the Vine Bar & Restaurant gave a presentation on how to read wine labels and purchasing wines in retail outlets. The wines for this Wine Focus, generously provided by Global Liquor, was simply exquisite. Adding to the excellent tasting  experience for the guests in attendance. The event included light snacks provided by the Grand Hyatt but also heavenly chocolates from Jubilee!  As a special thank you to all our WWK Members, each member attending the May event also received a special dining voucher for La Tavola, sponsored by the Spire Group. Lucky draw prizes were also provided by Rene Furterer, Sortinos, and Spire Group, and Jubilee.  The next Wine Focus will be held on June 5, 2006 on Wine and Health. For registration information, please contact Nicole Risse at nicole.risse@ekf.or.kr or 725-0381.

Childrens Quiz with Dong-A Daily

The Europe-Korea Foundation, in co-operation with Dong-A Daily, has joined hands again organizing the Third Annual Children's Quiz in celebration of Children's Day on May 4, 2006. This year's quiz was published during the first week of May, which is traditionally dedicated to South Korea's Children. The quiz focused on this year's World Cup where children had to find 5 differences in the two nearly identical pictures related to Korea's soccer fever. Winners will be chosen through a lucky draw by the end of May/early June.

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2006 EU FIlm Festival

On behalf of the fourteen participating Embassies of the European Union represented in Seoul, the French Embassy in cooperation of the Europe-Korea Foundation are proud to announce the Second Annual Seoul EU Film Festival 2006 taking place at the Artreon Theatre in Sinchon from May 11 ~ May 17, 2006.

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Cine-Cafe - May Schedule

The Ciné-Cafés take place on every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Samsung Raemian Cultural Center in Anguk Dong. After the movie, everyone is invited to join us for lunch at a restaurant in the area. The entrance fee is 10,000 KRW per person and includes snacks and beverages. Please note that lunch is not included.   The evening screenings are held at the Somerset Palace Seoul from 6:30 p.m. Please note that those wishing to attend the evening screening must reserve in advance. The evening screenings will start at either 6.45 PM or 7.00 PM depending on the movie’s running time. The audience gets to choose which movie will be shown at the following evening screening. The choices are the movies from the following month’s morning showings. The funds raised through the Ciné-Cafés will go to Motungii Shwimpteo, a shelter for young women in Bucheon.   For reservations for the evening screenings, please either contact the EKF office (725-0381) or e-mail anne.ladouceur@gmail.com by Wednesday noon before the screening.   “Welcome to Dongmakgol” (Welkeom tu Dongmakgol, 2005) By Park, Kwang-Hyeon   Running Time:  133 min. (The Movie will start 15 min. earlier due to the length of the movie) Welcome to Dongmakgol provides a totally different view of the June 25 War (the Korean name for the Korean War) as compared to other recent Korean films about that period. Dongmakgol is a very isolated and tiny mountain village deep inside the Taebaek Mountains of Gangwon Province in South Korea, which is why news of the war has not yet reached the peaceful hamlet. The movie begins with the arrival of a wounded U.S. Navy pilot, whose plane has crashed in the nearby hills. Eventually North Korean soldiers, accidentally separated from their unit, as well as South Korean army deserters also find their way to the village. To the villagers, who have never seen a military helmet or a gun, their visitors are people ‘wearing a round gourd and holding long sticks, looking very irritated” – an amusing prologue to a film that portrays the tragedy and absurdity of war. Welcome to Dongmakgol, a collaboration between Korean cinematographers and a Japanese composer (soundtrack), is a mix of humour, action and ‘deeply touching moments’.   “Destiny’s Curse” (Yeokma, 2005) by Lee, Young-Kook   Running Time:  100 min. Destiny’s Curse is a made-for-TV (KBS) movie and is based on a novel by Kim Dong-ri, one of Korea’s best-known authors. The story revolves around the lives of a mother who attempts to thwart the destiny that has been foretold for her son.  The mother is the product of a brief encounter between an un-married village woman and a travelling musician. The woman spent her entire life waiting for her daughter’s father to return but dies without ever seeing him again. Her grandson, is the result of a short-term liaison between her daughter and a travelling monk. Having learned from a fortune-teller that her son would follow his father and grand-father’s travelling lifestyle, the boy’s mother places him in the care of monks when he is 10 years old. Flashbacks give us a glimpse of the past, but the story focuses on what happens when the boy, Seonggi, becomes a young man. The setting of the movie is a village in an era that has long past and provides another view of life in rural Korea among the peasant class.

Wine & Women Korea - Wine Focus: Introduction to Wine and Aroma Tasting

Wine & Women Korea is now in full swing with its first monthly gathering, Wine Focus, held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday, April 12, 2006. Sponsored by Pieroth Korea, Sortino’s Italian Restaurant, La Petite France and Rene Furterer Paris, the event was fun and entertaining.

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Wine & Women Korea - "Wine Around the World" Inauguration Reception

On March 8, 2006, the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) celebrated the successful inauguration of Wine & Women Korea(WWK), a new wine club in Seoul. The inauguration reception held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel was attended by over 300 guests including ambassadors from many countries.   The “Wine around the World” reception featured wine tasting from eight wine-making countries around the world. Opening remarks to introduce EKF and WWK were made by Mr. Dong-Hoon Jee, Deputy Chairman of the European Union Chamber of Commerce and Co-President of EKF, Mrs. Catherine Gemier-Hamel, Co-President of WWK, and Nicole Risse, Co-President of WWK and Director of EKF.  Mrs. Coraline De Wurstemberger, Representative of the International Association of Women in Wine and Presidents of Swiss Women Wine Makers and Ms. Micky Choi, CEO of Wine21, a prominent figure in Korea gave insights into Women and Wine in society. Finally, the Ambassador of South Africa, His Excellency Stefanus Johannes Schoeman, representing the South African booth, added some insightful and humorous remarks as well. The event also featured a champagne reception, a scrumptious buffet, a fantastic cabaret show and many lucky draw prizes. As the date of the event also fell on International Women's Day, every woman received a special gift bag from Rene Furterer.   Wine makers who attended the event all the way from the Beaujolais, Bordeaux and Champagne region of France and from Switzerland made an especially worthwhile trip by meeting with wine importers from Seoul, Korea to build new bridges and forge new ties with the Korean wine industry.     Following the March 8th extravaganza, Wine & Women Korea will hold monthly “Wine Focus” events at the Grand Hyatt Hotel including wine tastings’ and discussions on a variety of topics, i.e. the effects of wine on health, jobs in the wine industry, wine tourism, etc. WWK serves as a great networking opportunity for its members and is welcome to all women and men. Moreover, WWK is non-profit and situated under the umbrella of EKF. All proceeds generated through the club will be donated to South Korean charity organizations supported by EKF.   For more information on Wine & Women Korea contact: Nicole Risse at Nicole.risse@ekf.or.kr Phone: 82.2.725.0381

EKF April Cine-Cafe

The Ciné-Cafés take place on every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Samsung Raemian Cultural Center in Anguk Dong. After the movie, everyone is invited to join us for lunch at a restaurant in the area. The entrance fee, as always, is 10,000 KRW per person and includes snacks and beverages (tea, coffee, and juice). Please note that lunch is not included.

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* Movie Director Jeong Jae-Eun visited Ciné-Café on International Women’s Day

On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2006, EKF showed the movie “Take Care of My Cat”, which was written and directed by one of the few female Korean movie directors, Ms. Jeong Jae Eun. To celebrate this special day, EKF invited Ms. Jeong, who was happy to meet the audience and answer questions about the movie itself and about her role as a female director in the Korean film industry. Ms. Jeong was very open about the difficulties that she sometimes faces as a woman in her line of business, pointing out that many important decisions are still not made during meetings in an office setting, but rather in saunas and other establishments not accessible to female business counterparts. According to Ms. Jeong, this does affect her work at times. On the other hand, she pointed out that the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has been very active in promoting Korea’s film industry for the past eight years, which has led to a strong support for new and talented male and female movie directors and of which she was able to benefit as well. Ms. Jeong’s account was met with a lot of interest from the audience and many of the visitors joined EKF for a luncheon at Min’s Club in Insadong, where the Q&A session was continued.   During lunch, Ms. Jeong also presented her newest movie, for which she is still in the process of writing the screen play. Her next movie, which can be filed under the horror movie genre, will be the portrait of a man in his 40ies who falters under the pressure of his family and society.   “Born in 1969, Jeong Jae-Eun studied film at Korean National University of Arts. Her short works include Coming of Age Ceremony, After School, Yujin's Secret Codes and Girl's Night-Out. With Yujin's Secret Codes, she won the Grand Prize at the Women's Film Festival in Seoul in 1999. Take Care of My Cat is her feature debut. At the 6th edition of the Pusan International Film Festival held in November 2001, both Rotterdam and Berlin conveyed their intention to grant the film an invitation, and after much deliberation it was decided to accept a competition slot from the Rotterdam festival. However the Berlin International Film Festival, which in general subscribes to a policy of only inviting European premieres, decided to break with custom and extend the film an invitation where it was screened in the International Forum of New Cinema. Take Care of My Cat has received the NETPAC award at the Pusan International Film Festival and a Special Mention from the KNF Dutch Film Critics Circle Award.” (Information taken from FilmFestivals.com: http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/fest_content/festivals.pl?ebug=&channelbar=&fest=creteil&partner=&page=films&year=2002&lang=en&film_id=4720).    In the future, EKF will try to organise more opportunities, where the audience can meet the directors of the movies presented.

The Ha!Man Show

Following last year’s successful charity concert, organized in cooperation with EKF, the “HA!Man Show” – performed by the South African cellist Francois Le Roux made a stunning come back to Seoul for an encore performance. The event took place at Arvorig Restaurant in Itaewon, on Saturday, April 8, 2006. The event featured a special South African Buffet and South African wines which were kindly sponsored by the South African Embassy, followed by an exciting 2 hour performance. The event drew a capacity crowed including many children who were endlessly enchanted by the spontaneous performance of Francois Le Roux.

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Join a New Club: Wine & Women Korea

Are you interested in wine and wine culture(s) and have a desire to share your passion about wine with other women? Or would you like to approach wine as a lifestyle and from a feminine perspective? Then we have just the club for you – Wine & Women Korea.   Wine & Women Korea is a wine club by and for women. This is the creation of two women, Mrs. Catherine Germier-Hamel and Ms. Nicole Risse, who would like to share their passion for wine with other women in Korea. The idea for the club came from the realization, which is also supported by many recent studies, that the wine consumption in Korea has enjoyed a constant growth over the past several years. This growing wine consumption has mainly been driven by women. Women are the ones choosing, purchasing and drinking the wine, more often so then men.   Wine & Women Korea will have monthly “Wine Focus” gatherings where one speaker, most often a wine sommelier or wine expert, will talk about different topics. During those events 6 to 8 wines will be tasted and a light dinner will be offered. There will be several special events throughout the year, the first one was on March 8, 2006. This particular event was called “Wine around the World” which marked the inauguration of Wine & Women Korea.   Wine & Women Korea is open for every woman interested in learning more about wine, wine culture(s), and other wine related topics, such as health, jobs in the wine industry, wine tourism, etc. Wine & Women Korea will also provide a great networking opportunity. Although the club is mainly trying to reach women, men interested in wine are invited to join the club as well. The club is non-profit and situated under the umbrella of EKF. All proceeds generate through the club will be provided to South Korean charity organisations supported by EKF.   Members of Wine & Women Korea will enjoy a variety of benefits, including but not limited to reduced entrance fee for “Wine Focus” gatherings as well as discounts at designated restaurants, wine shops, and department stores. A one-year membership is 50,000 Won.    Wine & Women Korea's inauguration reception was celebrated with a special “Wine around the World” event organised in co-operation with a variety of embassies on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2006. At the event, 8 to 10 wine-making countries from around the world introduced their wines. Special features included a fantastic cabaret show and a champagne reception.

EKF Cine-Cafe in 2006

The EKF Cine-Cafe screenings will continue in 2006. EKF does three showings a month, two in the morning at the Samsung Raemian Center and one in the evening at the Somerset Palace Seoul.

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Beautiful Saturday with EUCCK Members in JeonJu, North Jeolla Province

On Saturday, January 14, 2006 Carrefour Jeonju, Syngenta Korea and FAG Bearings joined hands with the Beautiful Store and the Europe-Korea Foundation (EKF) to organise and hold the most recent Beautiful Saturday event in Jeonju City, North Jeolla Province. This event followed a similar event organized by the Beautiful Store and the Europe-Korea Foundation in early September last year in Seoul. The event was held on the plaza in front of Carrefour Jeonju.

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