First Week in Seoul

Downtown Gwangmyeong

Part of an ongoing series about my trip to and discovery of Seoul...

Well it's been nearly a week since I touched down in Seoul and while it is a little strange, I'm thrilled to finally be here.  I don't have much time so I'll give you the basics, I live in Gwangmyeong which is technically in Gyeonggi-do (the neighboring province that encircles metropolitan Seoul, but I am connected to the urban sprawl.  It's an okay neighbourhood, if a little rundown, and I have everything I need.  Job is going well and the school is very nice, food and phone were provided (though I will be upgrading to a better device when I get my Alien Registration Card).  I also get a free apartment but this I don't have too many great things to say about, it's functional and of course a little small but it's not very nice and I look forward to upgrading in the not too distant future but it'll do for the moment.

So what have I done since I've been here?  Quite a bit considering I've worked for 4 days and updated MKC a lot in that time.  On Saturday I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to the Korean Film Archive (KOFA), where I saw Kim Soo-young's wonderful Mist (1967) which was presented by Darcy Paquet (@darcypaquet), who gave a fascinating talk following the screening.  KOFA treated us to dinner afterwards and I also finally got to meet Jason Bechervaise (@koreanjase) who I've been in touch with for some time.  Was a great afternoon/evening and I look forward to more of the same!

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MKC (and I) Are Moving to Seoul!

source: Deiaemeth

Part of an ongoing series about my trip to and discovery of Seoul...

It occurs to me that some of you make not know where Modern Korean Cinema is based.  I initially set up the site in August 2010 while I was living and working in Los Angeles, USA.  But it wasn't until March 2011 that I really started to throw myself into the project, this was when the first Korean Cinema Blogathon came around which was a fantastic entry and contact point for all that was related to Korean cinema online.

Sadly I was forced to leave America at the end of July after a long battle to renew my visa didn't come out in my favour.  It was a difficult time as it meant I had to leave my friends, my job and, most importantly, my girlfriend, who is simply the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I returned to my childhood home at the base of the Alps in Switzerland and set about getting my life back on track.  I was not able to find suitable employment in the country but after seeing MKC really take off and getting offers to write for books and journals as a result of it, it occurred that the best thing I could do would be to follow my passion.

At the end of last year I made the decision to move to South Korea.  I took my time looking for a position as I had a few engagements throughout Europe during the early part of the year that I didn't want to miss such as the East Winds Symposium in Coventry, the Fribourg Intl. Film Festival and the upcoming Udine Far East Film Festival.  But now the stage is set as last Thursday I signed a contract with a school in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul to teach English.  Will be there once the visa goes through, which looks like mid-May.

I am looking forward to meeting so many people in Seoul and across Korea who have been supportive of Modern Korean Cinema and to finally visit a country that has long held my fascination.  I can't wait to attend the country's many great festivals and savour the peninsula's wonderful cuisine.

I hope that the opportunity will only improve the quality of MKC as reviews of major Korean releases will be up sooner (if I can see them in theatres with English subtitles), more accurate and up to date news should be accessible, I will have a chance to cover the Busan Intl. Film Festival and much more.

So I will take this opportunity to thank you all for visiting MKC and for your continued support, none of this would be possible without you.  I am thrilled to be moving to Korea and if any of you want to meet up for a chat, a drink or some 김치, do not hesitate to contact me at pierconran [at] modernkoreancinema [dot] com!

감사합니다!

Korean BBQ with Friends last month in London