Posts Tagged Seoul
The caffebene, giant Korean coffee chain opened the flagship location in Times Square, NYC, with the Misugaru Latte and its localized menu.
In the great war of coffee in New York City, there’s a new kid on the block. caffebene, renown for the mellow and nutty flavoring of its coffee brand, is setting up shop in Times Square.
caffebene, which originated in Seoul, Korea, is already a booming chain and a favorite hotspot for locals in Seoul. Since its founding in 2008 by entrepreneur Kim Sun-Kwon, the chain boasts over 750 outlets compared to the 381 of the veteran Starbucks. The success of caffebene is largely to due to the stellar taste of its coffees, which is a medium roast blend that is rich in flavor but without the bitterness often associated with other brands. Also popular are the signature beverages like the Misugaru latte, which is a Korean tea-based drink that combines five grains of black rice, brown rice, white bean, black bean and barley. Besides its sweet and salty flavor, the latte is also a famed for its health benefit, which is high in fiber and low in calories. This will be especially attractive to New Yorkers who are typically one of the most health conscious demographics in the US. Each store employs its own pastry chef and baker who prepare crafted menu favorites like the Belgian waffle, caffebene’s signature dish, served in two types of waffles: sweet waffles with sweet pearl sugar and savory waffles with bacon and Parmesan cheese.
Coffee_latte_caffebene
More importantly, caffebene takes the sit and sip atmosphere of its rivals and brings it to a whole new level. All of its stores’ interiors styled like old European coffee houses with subway-tiled walls that boasts flat-screen TVs. There is even separate reading and WIFI-enabled rooms and thus the atmosphere of caffébene is a retrofitted hangout for people who like to relax, drink and be merry. According to founder and CEO Kim this is his favorite part about being a business owner. “I’ve never see people arguing in my coffee shop,” he says. “I just enjoy seeing people having a good time.”
About caffébene;
The Seoul-based coffee franchiser, caffebene, started in April 2008 in Seoul, Korea and has since open 750 stores in the surrounding cities. Each store employs its own chef and baker who prepare fresh menu items each day. Kim Sun-Kwon, the founder and CEO of caffebene believes “trust’ and ‘faith’ are the most important keys to his success of business. He is already planning a second location on the West Coast and planning to open 100 outlets including 50 in Manhattan alone in the States in two years.
caffebene 1611 Broadway New York, NY 10019
“Mind the Gap” by Sun Mu from North Korea at SB D Gallery in East Village on July 16 2011
Posted by SB in ev arts, EV Arts, SB D Gallery, SB in EV Arts on June 23, 2011
“I cannot help being political. How can I ignore the reality of the North, where my parents are still suffering?” by Sun Mu.
Sun_Mu_Oil_Painting
Title: Sun Mu from North Korea
Exhibition Venue: SB D Gallery, 125 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003
Medium: Oil Painting
Exhibition Date: July 16 – August 20 2011
Opening Reception: July 16 2011 from 5-8pm
Quantity: 15 paintings
Curator: Yu Yeon Kim
Sun Mu, North Korean Artist who escaped from North Korea to China, Vietnam, Laos then finally to South Korea, will be presented his paintings to New York City for the first time in history.
Sun Mu’s work has been widely reported by BBC, Time magazine, New York Times, Financial Times and international press when he attended at art college in South Korea last 3 years.
His painting has been echoed his tremendous life dangered experience by hiding himself in jungle for years in Laos then living in materialistic capitalism in South Korea and questioning dramatically different life, ideologies, controlled information and isolation.
His articles are following;
NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/world/asia/21painter.html
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8000769.stm
TIME By Michael Gibb, Monday, Sep. 07, 2009
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919276,00.html
<Biography>
Artist, SUN MU
Born in 1972, North Korea
He studied Fine Art at College in North Korea for 3 years
1998 He flew from North Korea. He risked his life to cross China
1998 – 2002 China and South East Asia
2002 – present: S. Korea
2007 Graduate from Hong-Ik University, Fine Art – B.A degree
2009 Graduate from Hong-Ik University, Fine Art – M.A degree
Solo Exhibitions
2008 Nothing to envy in this World, Gallery Ssamzie, Seoul
2008 We are living in the happy world, Alternative Space Chung Jeong
Gak, Seoul
Group Exhibitions
2009 Shared, Divided, United, Deutchiland-Korea;
Neue Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst, Berlin
2009 Art in Busan 2009, Busan Museum of Art, Busan
2009 Exhibition of hte 9th North Korean Human Rights International
Conference
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
2009 New Acquisitions, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan
2008 Korea Now, artLink, Inc and Sotheby’s, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2007 Sweet and Scary Presidential Election, Chung Jeong Gak, Seoul
2007 We are Happy, Gallery Curiosity, Seoul
“Covenant Journey,” Korea’s first-ever English musical debut in New York City
A Musical That Makes its Audiences Ask “Who Am I?”
New York City debut of Korea’s first-ever English musical, “Convenant Journey” will touch many young hearts and souls in New York City from November 5th to 21st at Gerald W. Lynch Theater.
Gerald W. Lynch Theater (John Jay College) 899 10th Avenue at 58th Street New York, NY 10019
(2010-11-09) Musical, the Covenant Journey, had a grand opening on the November 6th 2010. Professionals from different industries have applauded the musical as refreshing and touching. “We especially liked how the musical dealt with crucial problems like family issues and teenage troubles.” (Sojung Shin, Editor of Metropolitan Opera)
“I have received a personal message – choreography and lighting effects were stunning. The production had professional level of stage equipments and scale. (Korea Tourism Organization)
“Music and message were very good. I would like to watch it again. Joseph’s Dream scene was memorable”. (Laura, Music Director of Redeemer Church)
“The message was very good. My Biblical English name is Joseph and I received much grace as I felt that my life is just like Joseph’s.” (Dong-Ho Song, Attorney, New York Korean Institute Principal)
“My wife and I have been reading story of Joseph from Bible lately and we were especially touched because it showed Joseph’s story.” (Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, Vice President of Downtown Alliance)
“It was the best musical that I’ve seen in my life! The musical ministered to me. (Times Square Church member)
A refreshingly original musical for the future leaders of our nation The Covenant Journey has debuted in America with its opening show at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 5th at the Lynch Theatre, 10th Ave. New York, New York. Its tour will then continue to Philadelphia’s Merriam Theatre from November 26th to the 28th and finally, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center from December 1st to the 4th.
As immigrant parents’s daughter born in the U.S., the lyricist of The Covenant Journey witnessed the suffering and worries of our society through her own familial circumstances and depicted them through the protagonist Karyn. The musical is a dramatization of Karyn’s life that draws the reality of abandoned orphans and drug-addicted youths and plants dreams and hopes in their hearts.
Its music is incredibly sophisticated for a 22 year-old composer’s first work, and its splendid melody and magnificent harmony adds a greater emotional wave to the story of overcoming the family conflicts and teen drug addiction, which are severe problems of our society today. The musical itself seems like a journey of a young man’s dream-come-true for its New York debut has been made possible only after four years of its first showing in Korea. This well-crafted combination of a rookie composer’s genius, heart-moving music and an extremely significant story that addresses and provides an answer to the problems of a family suffering from PTSD and teen drug abuse would be a thoughtful gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The parallel between a well-known biblical figure Joseph and a drug-addicted teenage girl Karyn, whose father suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, identifies the fundamental problem of humanity from two completely different individuals and proposes a possible solution. As most commercial musicals of today delve into delivering a sexual and emotional surge to their audiences, The Covenant Journey is one of the most unique musicals of the recent years that is not too philosophical but still allows its watchers plenty of room to and empathize with the plot and think about their personal experiences.
The Covenant Journey had an unusually successful debut in Seoul COEX Auditorium, Seoul, Korea in July, 2006 with a 93-percent occupancy. With the media’s applause for creating a huge fan base, it had another successful run in GCS Grand Theatre, Gwacheon, Korea in 2008 and 2009 filling over 80-percent of the seats each year. Moreover, its tour in Hong Kong, where the profile was not at all as high as it was in Korea, ended up being a commercial success recording 70-percent occupancy in five showings. Its upgraded features appeared to bring more prominence for the fifteen showings in Seoul Arts Center in 2009 recorded a 91-percent occupancy with weekend sellouts.
Ever since its debut in 2006, The Covenant Journey has been applauded with positive reviews from media, critics, and watchers such as “Impressive story that crosses the past to modern day” from MBN News, Encouraging musical that helps you overcome your conflicts and worries through Joseph’s story” from Financial News, “A musical that holds out a hand to those neglected from their schools and families” from Seoul News. Especially its music and composition have been internationally recognized. George Lizst from Institute of Performing Arts Scream Factory in Germany said, “The Covenant Journey has world-class music. It could go on to West End any moment.” Mark Ward from Cirque du Soleil-Quidam also praised the musical and said, “No other musical did a better job at expressing the problems of the youth.”
On November 5, 2010, The Covenant Journey had their dress rehearsal followed by a reception with VIP guests and press. The first show is scheduled to debut on Saturday, November 6th at 7:30pm and will run until November 21st with a total of 19 performances.
About R.W.C
Remnants With the Covenant (R.W.C) began in 1998 as a gathering cultural exchange and communication for 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean American youth and college students with native-born Korean students. The production company was officially formed in August of 2004 in order to support and cultivate the cultural activities of its young members. Mr. Dong-hoon Han, the representative of R.W.C, received the excellence award for the 2008 Small-Business Culture Awards in acknowledgment of his work toward improving the arts business.
