Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Immortalized at 86

I am not religious, but I agree, as would any Korean, that Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was an inspirational figure. May he rest in peace.

Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, one of the most revered religious leaders in Korea, passed away Monday. He was 86.

Cardinal Kim was sent to Gangnam St. Mary's Hospital due to his frail condition in July last year and had been reportedly in a critical condition before falling into a coma briefly early Saturday morning.

``Cardinal Kim passed away at 6:12 p.m. Monday while in hospital for his deteriorating health,'' an official of the Catholic Seoul Archdiocese said.``He breathed for himself despite poor lung function due to complications from pneumonia resulting from infirmity. But he didn't feel that much pain when he died,'' Chung In-shik, a doctor at the hospital, said.Medical staffs and officials of the Seoul Archdiocese who witnessed the hour of his death, conveyed his last message, which was ``Thank you.''

The body of the late Cardinal Stephen laying in state at Myeongdong Cathedral, downtown Seoul, Moday, in preparation for a memorial servie. /Korea Times Photo

As the late cardinal left a will donating his eyes and other organs after death, his body underwent extraction surgery, according to the hospital. >>More

``Thank You''

Living through times of war, invasion and political chaos was difficult, but the late Cardinal held ``Pro vobis et pro multis'' (For you and for many) as his lifelong pastoral motto, inspiring not only local Catholics but Korean society and beyond.

Born in 1922 in a poor but devout Catholic family (his grandfather perished in prison for preaching his faith), he lived through the darkest hours of modern Korean history, from Japanese colonialism to civil wars and political chaos.

In this 1989 photo, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, left, exchanges greetings with the late Pope John Paul II at Yeouido Plaza in Seoul, where the 44th International Eucharistic Conference was held. /Korea Times File

In 1968 Kim was appointed cardinal, making him the first ever from South Korea. He was only 46 at the time, and the youngest among the 136 cardinals around the world. With the elevation of his title, he was named Cardinal Priest of S. Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle.

On May 29, 1998 Cardinal Kim left his title as Archbishop of Seoul, ending 47 years of service. Cardinal Kim was friends with neglected minorities, and constantly met with disabled people as well as condemned criminals and the homeless. He was passionate in serving and defending farmers and workers, and later launched the Catholic Urban Poor Pastorals Committee to support the poor. >>More

Sexuality in Joseon

Sexuality in Joseon
Jung Sung-hee; Garam: 312 pp., 13,000 won

The Joseon Kingdom (1310-1910) can be considered the Korean equivalent of the Victorian Age, when strict moral codes dictated society. ``Sexuality in Joseon’’ by historian Jung Sung-hee explores the hushed sexuality of the era.

The book details the prevalent Joseon (and thus Confucian) attitudes, customs and laws concerning marriage, chastity, virginity, adultery and prostitution, among other topics.

Yet interestingly, such a big sex scandal as that of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, would have been nothing. Had Clinton been a Joseon man, he could have had Lewinsky as a concubine in a society where male polygamy was not only accepted but also omnipresent. This sharply contrasts with Korea today, where extramarital affairs are outlawed.

It is a well-known fact that Joseon women were subject to harsh rules of chastity and conduct, both before and after marriage. The author points out that in pre-Joseon times, daughters inherited equally as their brothers. But in the Joseon era, as women lost economic power, they also lost rights regarding marriage and other aspects of life.

Jung argues that sexuality was a means of political control. While she does not reveal anything groundbreaking in suggesting the all-too familiar correlation between sex and power, the book is nevertheless an interesting and well-organized account of Joseon sexuality.

Violist O’Neill Set to Dazzle Fans

This guy has an amazing stage presence. I've also noticed his exquisite taste in shoes.

Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill/Photo Courtesy of Credia

Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill is back to show off a different musical streak. The 30-year-old star musician begins a cross-country tour this weekend to play tracks from his fourth solo album ``Mysterioso’’ (Archiv Produktion/Universal), a Baroque project with the renowned period ensemble Alte Musik Koln.

``If I were to find a main concept to tie all of the tracks together, I would have to say it is the sound world within which the piece exists,’’ said O’Neill in a statement. The album features Baroque classics like Corelli’s Violin Sonata No. 12 ``La Folia’’ and Vitali’s Chaconne in G minor _ which, based on manuscripts, are a special treat for period music purists.

For the recording, the artist modified his viola, a rare Giovanni Tononi from 1699, with gut strings, which are not wound like today’s synthetic steel ones, and used a baroque bow. ``The timbre of the viola is even more mellow, rich and gentle, with gut strings. I am sure that any listener will be able to tell right away how different and mysterious the tone color is,’’ he said.

To capture the life and energy of the pieces, he paid heed to articulations of notes, tempi and hierarchy of beats. The style indeed contrasts sharply with the poeticism of O’Neill’s earlier albums, but his way of liberating a controlled gust of lush emotion and whirlwind colors remains unchanged.

``As classical musicians, we dedicate our whole lives to the pursuit of deepening our knowledge and understanding of the great masterpieces of the great composers of all time… Baroque period practice affects so much of what we do in later periods, including the work of Mozart and Brahms. Those composers had deep respect of the Baroque,’’ he said.

After entering the public spotlight through a TV documentary as the loving son of a Korean adoptee, the violist has been captivating fans with his music. In addition to his best-selling albums and sold-out performances, O’Neill’s stardom was manifested in appearances in the sensational TV soap ``Beethoven Virus’’ and a fashion-icon award ceremony alongside movie stars.

One of the few violists to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Grammy nomination, O’Neill studied at the Juilliard School in New York. While appearing in various halls, he also teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Read my previous interview with Mr. O'Neill. He also published an essay on classical music.

Barbie's 50th Birthday

A model poses with a matching Barbie during a press preview on the eve of the international toy fair in Nuremberg, southern Germany, on Wednesday, Feb. 4. /AP-Yonhap Photo

Mattel's 50th Anniversary Barbie doll displayed at the American International Toy Fair, in New York February 14. The dress is pretty, but she kind of looks like a transvesite (no offense to transvestites) /Reuters-Yonhap Photo

A model wears a Koi Suwannagate dress in the first-ever Barbie runway show during Fashion Week in New York. Love the stockings. /AP-Yonhap Photo

Check out Korean Barbie wearing hanbok.

Metropolitan Opera to Feature Korean Singer in Leading Role

Korean American soprano Kathleen Kim will play a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York during the 2009-2010 season.

Following in the footsteps of sopranos Hong Hei-kyung, Sumi Jo and Shin Young-ok, Kim is the fourth ethnic Korean diva to play a principal role in the world-renowned troupe. According to the Metropolitan Opera’s season announcement Tuesday, Kim will play the role of Olympia in ``Les Contes d’Hoffmann,’’ which will run from Dec. 3 to Jan. 2, 2010.

In the French opera by Jacques Offenbach, the protagonist falls in love with Olympia. Kim will sing the famous ``Doll Song’’ opposite tenor Rolando Villazon, who will star as Hoffmann, and star soprano Anna Netrebko will assume the part of the tragic Antonia.

Kim attended Seoul Arts High School and received her BA and MA at the Manhattan School of Music. She debuted with the Chicago Opera Theater in 2006 as Madame Mao Tse-tung in ``Nixon in China,’’ to rave reviews. The following season, she appeared with the Metropolitan Opera in ``Le Nozze di Figaro’’ and this year in ``The Magic Flute.’’ ``Les Contes d’Hoffmann’’ marks her third consecutive season with the opera

'Hand Phone' Showcases Top Talent

Actors Park Yong-woo, left, and Eum Tae-woong star in the thriller ``Hand Phone.’’ Coming to theaters Feb. 19, the noir thriller shows how personal information in a lost cell phone can be used in all the wrong ways. /Courtesy of SK Telecom

``Paradise Murdered’’ director Kim Han-min brings yet another unconventional thriller, ``Hand Phone.’’ But unlike his previous work, the setting shifts from an isolated island to the big city and, like its title suggests, revolves around every urbanite’s essential hardware, the cell phone

The cell phone, which South Koreans commonly call ``hand phone’’ and thus the title of the film, has appeared without fail in recent thrillers such as ``Seven Days.’’ ``Hand Phone’’ also has the victim running around as the perpetrator whispers orders from the other line. It capitalizes on the familiar anxiety of looking for a charger when the battery starts dying out on an important conversation. It also shows the perils of losing one’s personal information held by cell phones.

The beauty of the film lies in its haunting revelation of the grotesque in things mundane and the unleashing of the latent beast within individuals, including the most docile, under-pressing or unexpected situations. The movie is all about character development, and Park Yong-woo’s (``Once Upon a Time in Corea’’) skin-crawling yet sympathy-provoking performance is the reason for watching the film. >>More

Pianist Yundi Li Back After 6 Years to Give Recitals

Photo courtesy of Deutsch Grammophon

I absolutely love this guy -- his coolheaded phrasings and refined elegance particularly when playing the most stormy pieces. His rendition of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.2, one of my all time favorite works of music, blew me away. I'm so excited he's coming!

Pianist Yundi Li may not have the Mozart-meets-MTV appeal of Lang Lang, who is also 26 and Chinese. But he is nevertheless something of a young Elvis Presley in the world of classical music, as he steals the hearts of fans with his poetic sensibility and boyish visage.

South Korean fans have waited six years for another recital by the superstar, who has been busy touring Europe and North America. Li finally returns to give concerts Sunday at Goyang Aram Nuri, Gyeonggi Province, followed by Seoul Arts Center Feb. 18.

``Traveling long distance can be tiring, but the anticipation of meeting a new audience in a new country and city always greatly excites me and relieves the stress,'' he told The Korea Times in an e-mail interview. ``I'm really looking forward to my recitals in Korea!''

Fans awaited Li's return all the more after seeing his recent ``affairs'' with new styles. In his latest recording for Deutsch Grammophon, the pianist presented an elegant rendition of Prokofiev's fearsome Piano Concerto No. 2. His performance of the piece in Seoul last year received critical acclaim.

For the upcoming recitals, the young Romantic returns to his signature repertoire of Chopin. He shot to stardom by winning the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition in 2000. Aged 18 at the time, he was the youngest ever winner, the first Chinese champ as well as the first to claim the event's top prize in 15 years. >>More