Gangnam Station is one of Seoul's busiest stations. During weekdays, commuters crowd this station on their way to their work at buildings and establishments located near the station.
(I forgot the name of this K-pop girl band)
On weekends, couples and friends wanting to meet up at cafes and restaurants in Gangnam pass through Gangnam Station as well, although some would also get off at Sinnonhyeon Station, which is right next to Kyobo Building.
(Gail, Therese and some Korean guys
giving away free t-shirts)
But with the addition of the Shinbundang Line that connects the Green Line through Gangnam Station, this station even gets more pedestrian traffic every day! And night!
And speaking of traffic, that spot at the main Gangnam intersection, the one next to Exit 11 where Psy's silhouette stands under 'GANGNAM STYLE', the words he made famous with his monster hit, has become a venue for marketing events.
(A very crowded Gangnam Station spot)
A few years back, when I toured my friend Maria around Gangnam one early morning, it was only Psy who welcomed her to the spot. But last week, when I toured my friends Gail and Therese, there were some upcoming Korean actors, and K-pop boy and girl band members, who were promoting an advocacy and giving out t-shirts. And since we were already there, why not join the crowd and get some freebies as well? Ha-ha-ha!
Gail and Therese had fun mingling with the celebrities (we didn't even know their names!), asking for photos with them and their autographs on the free t-shirts. I also got a t-shirt but I didn't have it dirtied with autographs as I plan to wear it during weekends and I don't want my neighbors to think that I don't know how to wash my shirts. Ha-ha-ha!
(A mime in orange)
So, if you're passing through Gangnam Station this summer, you might want to swing around Exit 11. Who knows? You might get a free shirt, too!
I think we have an idea who'd win hands-down.
Not even this MERS scare in Seoul can stop a K-pop concert. On the news, I saw that the TVXQ concert went on at the Olympic Park. The organizers just had to take a lot of precautions in order to prevent the spread of the most notorious virus in Korea right now.
But as I was passing through the Daehangno area in Hyewha-dong yesterday en route to get the banana-cues I ordered from Junila, everyone's favorite vendor at the Filipino market, I was distracted by the cheering and screaming coming from an alley.
I had to make a detour to find out.
It was a flash concert of a K-pop girl group, Mamamoo, whose members were busy entertaining their fans right in under the afternoon summer sun and in the middle of the scariest viral crisis since the SARS years ago.
Although I noticed a few fans wearing masks, I was impressed that they didn't let anything prevent them from watching and lending support to their favorite K-pop group. It just shows that if there's a war between MERS and K-pop, we all know who'd win. Ha-ha-ha!
As I wrote last week, it's actually the best time to come to Korea, and those TVXQ fans and these Mamamoo 마마무 fans must have realized that life goes on in Korea just as long as you take precautions. They weren't just letting any virus scare to come between them and the thing they enjoy most: K-pop!
Last September 2012, it was my first time to watch the launching for the Korea In Motion (KOINMO for short), where excerpts of Korean performances were featured at the show at Cheonggyecheon. Prior to the launch, as a member of the K-Performance Supporters group, I was able to feature the 'behind-the-scenes' story of the KOINMO flashmob at Insa-dong. Although it was a bit hot that weekend, everyone had fun!
At the KOINMO launch last year, some interesting non-verbal performance shows were featured, and as always, they were popular among the crowd. But what was unique among the shows was a Korean musicale titled Hwarang. It stood out among the featured shows because it was a musicale, and the Hwarang actors were exceptionally good singers!
KOINMO aims to promote tourism through the Korean performances in Seoul, where locals and tourists get to enjoy the shows at discounted prices.
(The K-Performance Supporters dancing
at the KOINMO opening)
And to kick off the 2013 KOINMO, another a launching event will be featured at the Cheonggyecheon featured selected Korean performances this weekend.
Non-verbal performances are popular, and I wish they would feature more Korean musicales like Hwarang, which by the way, I recommend to everyone to watch. Here's a link to Hwarang's Korean website:
http://cafe.naver.com/hwarangmjcompany
(The cast of the Korean musicale, Hwarang)
Last year, the K-pop boy band ZE:A was appointed the KOINMO ambassador. This year, MBLAQ will be the new KOINMO ambassador.
(ZE:A receiving their appointment as KOINMO ambassador)
I wonder what's in line at this year's Korea In Motion events. Maybe there'll be another interesting show that I would discover...
