Yeol releases plans for cultural heritage talks

Doing something for 10 years nonstop certainly shows one’s commitment to a cause.

Yeol, the Society for Korean Cultural Heritage, has been offering English-language lectures on Korean art, culture and history for free since 2003.

The Jongno District-based, nonprofit cultural organization recently announced its schedule for this year’s lectures.

Planned topics range from Bukchon, where there is a cluster of centuries-old hanbok (traditional Korean houses) - to be discussed by Seoul National University Professor Robert J. Fouser - to traditional music known as pungnyu, a speciality of Hilary Venessa Finchum-Sung, another SNU professor.

A third lecture will cover female artists of Korea that emerged in the first half of the 20th century.

The highlight of this year’s program appears to be a field trip slated to take place in November, where David A. Mason, professor of Korean cultural tourism at Kyung Hee University, will take participants to the strikingly scenic Mount Inwang in northern Seoul.

The lectures and trip all start at 10:30 a.m. on the first or second Tuesday of March, April, May, September, October or November, thus excluding months with extremely hot or cold weather.

The venue for the lectures is the second floor of the Seoul Museum of History, while the meeting point for the trip is Sajik Park. Both are in Jongno District, central Seoul.

Those interested should send name and contact information to yeol400@hanmail.net. For further information, call (02) 736-5868 or (02) 735-5878, or visit www.yeol.org.

By Kim Hyung-eun [hkim@joongang.co.kr]