Due to weather conditions, our event originally scheduled for February 20 has been moved to February 28 The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) is thrilled to welcome beloved mural artist Julia Sunah Chon, better known as Kimchi Juice, back for a special Artist Talk about her new KCCDC site-specific mural celebrating Korean culture, identity, and the Lunar New Year! Visitors are welcome to stop by to witness Chon’s creativity in action through February 28, and then join Chon to celebrate and discuss the work’s completion on Friday, February 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the KCCDC.   Chon’s new outdoor mural incorporates natural elements reflecting the KCCDC bamboo garden, traditional Korean games, and a sense of community, all in a fun and engaging visual. The gate leading to the KCCDC’s iconic bamboo stand will also transform into an entryway guarded by a Korean folk art-style tiger. As Chon transitions her art from paper to large-scale murals, these intimate portraits take center stage in a dynamic urban environment.   In her public works and individual art pieces, Chon often explores the relationship between cultural tradition and its effects on generational identity, informing the decisions Asian Americans make to form their identities. Through artwork that prominently conveys Korean aesthetics, Chon merges her ancestry and traditions with the contemporary to narrate the nuances of the Korean diaspora.   The Artist Talk on February 28 at the KCCDC will navigate the story behind Chon’s design and her intentions in combining various Korean icons into a single mural composition. An RSVP is recommended to attend. Visitors can also come in advance to observe the live mural creation through February 28 during regular visitor hours (Monday – Friday, 10 AM – noon and 1 – 5 PM).   Julia Chon is a Korean-American artist and muralist primarily active in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Co. who has participated in DC Walls, the Washington extension of World Wide Walls, the largest outdoor mural festival in the United States. Her murals can be found internationally, and her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York City. Chon’s past clients and collaborative partners include NASA, Apple, the Phillips Collection, and the Smithsonian Institution, which acquired one of her works into its permanent art collection in 2022. She recently completed a 2024 artist residency with the Nicholson Project.   Learn more about Julia’s work at www.juliachon.com or @kimchi.juice on Instagram. Artist Talk & Mural Creation with Julia Chon Friday, February 28, 5-7 PM  Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C.  Free with an RSVP!  RSVP FOR THIS EVENT!

Join us at the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. for an exciting roundtable featuring experts and readers to exploring the works of Korean author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner Han Kang, coordinated in partnership with George Mason University Assistant Professor Hyun Seon Park!   Through expert analysis and reader testimonials, this event will introduce the celebrated works of the author, explore Kang’s key themes and inspirations, unpack the impact of her career culminating in the Nobel Prize win in 2024, and offer a bird’s eye view of Korean literature on the rise globally.   A key aspect of Korean culture’s popularity globally has always been the passion of its fans. In recognition if this, the program will open with a Readers Roundtable of short personal accounts, reviews, and stories from everyday readers whose lives have been impacted by Han Kang’s novels. Fans of her work are invited to apply to take part in this portion of the program, either live in person or through a video entry (advance application is required, at the link below).   Following the Readers Roundtable, cultural and literary experts from George Mason University and the George Washington University will discuss the complex contextual aspects of Kang’s works. This Experts Roundtable will explore how modern life and societal challenges in Korea have influenced the author—and vice versa, as the intense spotlight of a Nobel Prize in Literature attention comes to Korea for the first time in history.   A light reception in celebration of Han Kang’s historic Nobel Prize win will follow the program. Translated editions of Han Kang’s books will be available for reading on site at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. during the event (limited quantities). Sharing Stories: A Readers and Experts Roundtable on Nobel Laureate Han Kang February 27, 2025 | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM The Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. 2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20008 Inquiries: KCCDC yeong0@mofa.or.kr  / 202-939-5685  RSVP FOR THIS EVENT! Session I: Readers Roundtable   Readers who are selected to participate in this portion of the program will be invited to share their experience reading a favorite work by Han Kang, such as a review or analysis, testimonial of the work’s impact, or other personal experience. To apply, please complete our application form to share a brief summary of your experience or planned presentation, which can be expanded for the actual event. All applicants featured at the event will receive a Korean-themed craft kit as thank-you-gift. APPLY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE READERS ROUNDTABLE! Application Deadline: Friday, February 19, 2025 DEADLINE EXTENDED!  Session II: Experts Roundtable Three Korean literature experts will lead a roundtable discussion on a variety of topics. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to engage in an open discussion and share their thoughts on Han Kang's works. Hyun Seon Park, Assistant Professor of Modern and Classical Languages, George Mason University Immanuel Kim, Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies, The George Washington University Young A Jung, Assistant Professor of Modern and Classical Languages, George Mason University Excerpt from Human Acts   ‘Looks like rain,’ you mutter to yourself. What’ll we do if it really chucks it down?   You open your eyes so that only a slender chink of light seeps in, and peer at the gingko trees in front of the Provincial Office. As though there, between those branches, the wind is about to take on visible form. As though the raindrops suspended in the air, held breath before the plunge, are on the cusp of trembling down, glittering like jewels.   When you open your eyes properly, the trees’ outlines dim and blur. You’re going to need glasses before long. This thought gets briefly disturbed by the whooping and applause which breaks out from the direction of the fountain. Perhaps your sight’s as bad now as it’s going to get, and you’ll be able to get away without glasses after all?   ‘Listen to me if you know what’s good for you: come back home, right this minute.’ About Han Kang  Korean author Han Kang was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature for her intensely humane and poetic body of work. Han, 53, made her prose debut in 1993, and went on to international acclaim with her books including The Vegetarian, which won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. She is the first author from the Republic of Korea to win the literature award and only the 18th woman to win. 

Join us for this month's second K-Cinema romance movie, Love Reset, telling the story of No Jeong Yeol (Kang Ha Neul) and Hong Na Ra (Jung So Min), who were so madly in love that they decided to go against both of their family’s wishes and get married. Fast forward two years to divorce, yet a serendipitous case of amnesia gives this nearly written-off couple a second chance at life and love together. A light-hearted romantic romp, Love Reset (2023) directed by Nam Dae Jung is sure to delight (and perhaps set alight) even the coldest of hearts. Come early for Korean snacks before the movie! Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. Not rated. 119 minutes. Love Reset (30일) Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 5:30 PM (seating opens at 5:00 PM)  Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW) RSVP FOR THIS EVENT!

Just in time for Valentine's Day, join us this month for two classic Korean romance films from very different eras, starting with the classic 2001 Korean romantic comedy My Sassy Girl (엽기적인 그녀)! When Kyun-woo (Cha Tae-Hyun) meets an unnamed and exceptionally bold girl (Jun Ji-Hyun), he is shamed into assisting her because the others mistakenly think she is his girlfriend. Once he helps her, Kyun-woo develops a deep sense of responsibility and connection for this sassy girl, which enables him to somehow tolerate her abuses. Based on a series of true stories posted online by Ho-sik Kim describing his relationship with his girlfriend, My Sassy Girl (2001) by director Kwak Jae-yong is perhaps the most famous and successful Korean romantic movie period. Kim's stories were later transformed into a best-selling book which the movie follows closely. Come early for Korean snacks before the movie! Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. Not rated. 137 minutes.  My Sassy Girl (엽기적인 그녀), Director: Kwak Jae-yong Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 PM (seating opens at 5:00 PM)  Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW) RSVP FOR THIS EVENT!

Join us for the second of two K-Cinema screening events in January exploring the importance of family and connection, featuring the timely 2022 comedy-drama Take Care of My Mom (말임씨를 부탁해).   When family members feel more like strangers than a hired caretaker, what is an aging parent to do? Malim (Kim Yeong-ok), age 85 and living alone, finds her independent lifestyle increasingly difficult to maintain. Her son, faced with his own financial and family burdens, is simply unavailable, and Malim’s discomfort is only worsened by the quirky but sincere caretaker he sends. When the Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday brings the family together, tensions finally explode out into the open.   Director Park Kyung-mok's impactful feature debut Take Care of My Mom (2022) confronts the reality of caring for aging parents, a major societal challenge in modern Korea where a rapidly aging population has collided with a low birth rate and relentless economic pressure.   Take Care of My Mom (말임씨를 부탁해) Director: Park Kyung-mok Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 PM (seating opens at 5:00 PM) Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW) Free with an RSVP! Complimentary snacks. In Korean with English subtitles. Not rated. 110 minutes. RSVP FOR THIS EVENT!