Date & Time: Saturday, May 5, 10am – 4 pm 
Location: Korean Cultural Center, 2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

All Day

• have your name written in Korean
• cool off with the latest K-Pop music videos, playing in our digital theater
• learn to play traditional Korean games 
• practice traditional Korean music instruments
• learn about Arirang, Korea’s classic folk song
• pick up free culture and travel materials about Korea
• view the Arirang: 17 Women Artists exhibit (info)

Special Programs Throughout the Day

• 10am-noon (while supplies last) : Turtle Ship-building crafts for kids
• 11am and 3:30pm : Performance by Korean crossover rock band TODA
• 2pm : Taekwondo K-Pop Battle, featuring Taekwondo demos set to Korean pop music
• 1pm (while supplies last) : Try traditional Korean candies: 1pm

Throughout the month of May, Passport DC offers a variety of events to visitors and locals alike in celebration of Washington DC’s vibrant international culture. The Around the World Embassy Tour includes open houses and special activities at more than 40 embassies. For more information about the Around the World Embassy Tour and other events, visit Cultural Tourism DC.

ESWS has sponsored Korean Language Scholarship Program for numerous years to help Korean adoptees better learn and understand their language and heritage and the cultural differences between Korea and other countries.

In addition to Korean language and culture classes, this year’s program includes sightseeing and volunteer opportunities, cultural performances and much more.

This year’s program is taking place in conjunction with Hallym University at their International School in Chuncheon, Korea. Each participant will have the opportunity to experience college life in Korea and to interact with students from other cultures.

Requirements:

1. Eligibility : Korean adoptees with a desire to learn Korean language and culture
Must be 18-year-old or older
Must have completed high school education with diploma
Individuals adopted through the services of ESWS and first-time applicants have first priority.

2. Term Period : July 2 – August 3 2012
- Korean Language Program: July 2 – July 27 2012
- Cultural Program: July 27 – August 3 2012
- Arrival date: between June 27 and June 28 2012
- Departure date: between August 4 and August 6 2012

3. Language Center: Hallym International center, Hallym University in Chuncheon

4. Scholarship: Tuition, accommodation and other activities for the applicants will be paid by ESWS; attendees are responsible for travel to and from Korea.

5. Requirements: – Application DUE MAY 10!
- 1 Self-introductory essay
- 3 self-photos (size: 4 x 5 cm or passport photo)
- 1 letter of recommendation from the adoption agency
- Copy of either the final Graduation Diploma or Certificate of Student ID
- Copy of passport
- Medical report issued within the past 1year (including hepatitis & tuberculosis)

* If you are interested in participating but are concerned about the short deadline, please email ESWS Post-adoption Services at postadoption@eastern.or.kr to inform them of your interest.

• Click here for a downloadable copy of the ESWS program announcement.
• Click here for a printable application form.

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When: Tuesday, May 1, 7:30 PM
Where: Dekelboum Concert Hall of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland Click here for address and directions.
Fee: FREE and open to the public

• Visit the Ensemble’s UMD website for details.
• Click here for a printable flyer.

Enjoy a taste of samulori performed by Sebastian Wang.

The Hepatitis B Foundation is proud to announce the 2012 B Informed Parent Conference. The HBF will  partner with expert health care professionals to provide the latest medical information in a friendly supportive environment. Through presentations by experts in the field, workshops, and interactive Q&A sessions, parents will learn how to  help their childrenas they grow, develop and mature.

B Informed Parent Conference on Hepatitis B
Saturday, May 19, 2012
9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Holiday Inn Express Midtown
1305 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA

Keynote Speakers

• Barbara Haber, MD, Pediatric Hepatologist, formerly of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Currently with Merck & Co.
• Karen Murray, MD, Division Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Seattle Children’s Hospital

Expert Speaker

• W. Thomas London, MD, HBF Medical Advisor and Board Member; Emeriti, Fox Chase Cancer Center

Click here for detailed program information.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! Register for the Parent Conference Now!

Questions? Please contact the Hepatitis B Foundation at (215) 489-4900 or info@hepb.org.

Dates: Saturday, May 5 & Sunday May 6
Time: Both sessions begin at 2 PM
Location: Sackler Gallery Sublevel 2
Fee:  FREE – no RSVP necessary

The Paris Gathering 2012, which will take place in Paris, France from From Friday June 29th to Sunday July 1st, 2012, is expected to continue this tradition of development and maturity, anticipating the participation of over 250 adult adoptees. Local host Racines coréennes and is thrilled to welcome a great number of attendees coming from France and around the world.

From Friday, June 29th 2012 to Sunday, July 1st 2012, Korean adoptees from around the world will gather in Paris, in the great area of Saint –Germain- des- Prés (6e et 7e districts of Paris). Adoptees from more than 15 countries are expected to attend.

Paris Gathering 2012 is a unique and an exceptional event because:

• It is a venue that allows the adoptees – more than 180,000 Korean adoptees worldwide – to share stories, to voice struggles, and to celebrate life together!
• It allows the adoptees to find a place where they can continue their journey of building identity, of searching for a community to belong, and to offer to others and the world the best of who they are!
• It fosters dialogue between adoptees (therefore their families), and actors of the Adoption scene, in France, in Korea and elsewhere!
• It makes the Korean adoptee community known, to the adoptees themselves and to the rest of the world!

Main highlights:

• Thursday, June 28th, 2012: check-in and registering at the welcome booth (houseboat “La Balle au bond”, M* Saint-Germain-des-Prés)/mingling time/welcoming night ‘Black&White’, at the houseboat “La Balle au bond” (dress-code casual, in black&white)
• Friday, June 29th, 2012: film projection at the Museum of the Army (The Invalides) and/or guided tours in Paris-shopping / Reception at the Korean Embassy / ‘Totally Overhype’ Party, at the night-club “The Rive gauche” (dress-code: very very smart)
• Saturday, June 30th, 2012: Conference and panel discussion at the « Théâtre de l’Alliance Française » (M* Notre-Dame-des-Champs) / closing party ‘Be the reds’ (live pop-rock concert, dance show), at the houseboat “Concorde Atlantique” (M* Assemblée nationale); dress-code: smart, with a hint of glamour, wear something red
• Sunday, July 1st, 2012: check-out / walk in Paris / IKAA Convention and Open Leadership Meeting ; in the meantime, open afternoon : take a drink out doors at the houseboat “La Balle au bond”, M* Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and relax !

Registration is online only and will be available starting April 15th. Registration fees double after May 31st, so register early!

• See photos of the Racines coréennes’ team, dedicated for you !! HERE !! (pdf) 
• Download the official Tentative program ! HERE !! (pdf – French) 
• Download the official Tentative program ! HERE !! (pdf - English)

Dutch, German and Italian versions coming soon.

Fees include:

• Registration
• Thursday “Black&White” party: entry pass and buffet
• Friday: entry pass for a film projection
• Friday evening: tombola ticket, lottery schedule at the Korean Embassy
• Friday evening: Korean Embassy, buffet and concert
• Friday night: entry pass for the party “Totally Overhype”
• Saturday: entry pass for the morning conference and the panel discussion in the afternoon
• Saturday evening: entry pass for the closing party “Be the reds” and the buffet
• Sunday : walk in the morning
• Sunday afternoon : entry pass at the houseboat for a drink

Fees do not include:

• Thursday evening: drinks during the « Black&White » party
• Friday lunch
• Friday evening: drinks during the « Totally Overhype » party
• Saturday lunch
• Saturday evening: drinks during the closing party « Be the reds »
• Sunday afternoon : drinks at the houseboat

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company’s Becoming American, will be performed April 5th and 6th at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Center in Washington DC by Korean adoptee Katia Chupashko Norri. Each performance will be followed by a Q&A session with the performers.

Dates & Times: April 5-6, 2012 8:00pm
Location: Dorothy Betts Marvin Center, 800 21st St. NW, Washington, DC
Tickets: $15/$22/$25 available for purchase here.

From the Washington Post:

Dana Tai Soon Burgess knows a haunting image when he sees one. His new work, “Becoming American,” opens with the small, expressionless face of an Asian child beamed onto a screen. As the camera pans out, it appears the child is holding a number, like a preschooler in a police lineup.

Korean orphan K85-869, now known as Katia Chupashko Norri, stood onstage at Dance Place below her own picture Friday night. She’s now 28 and ready to tell her adoption story through dance.

The event features a Korean drum and dance ensemble from the Asian American Arts Center, a group that has performed at Bill Clinton’s inauguration and the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Chip Han, a local beat boxer that won the 2010 Kollaboration DC talent competition, will also be performing.

The event is free. There will be food and activities for all ages to enjoy.

For more information, please go to the event’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/357905750914813/

Kyung-sook Shin, Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize,
to Read and Sign her Bestselling Novel Please Look After Mom
at the Korean Embassy in Washington DC

(Washington, DC – April 2, 2012): The Korean Cultural Center Washington DC will host a public book reading, signing, and reception event with author Kyung-sook Shin on April 13 at 6:30 pm to celebrate the paperback release of her bestselling book, Please Look After Mom.

Shin, a familiar best-selling author in Korea, recently became the first Korean and first woman to receive the Man Asian Literary Prize for the English translation of Please Look After Mom, which is now being distributed worldwide.

In this beautifully written and intensely compelling novel, Shin tells the story of one family’s search for their mother – who goes missing one afternoon on the Seoul subway – that unfolds to reveal the secret lives of mothers.

A free RSVP is required to attend this event. Visit www.Dynamic-Korea.com and for more information and to RSVP. The paperback edition of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

This event is part of K-Literature, which aims to promote Korea-US understanding and artistic exchange by welcoming Korean literary figures to the Korean Cultural Center in Washington DC.

Synopsis

When sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station, her family is awash in sorrow and guilt. As the children argue over the “Missing” flyers they are posting throughout the city, they realize that none of them has a recent photograph of Mom. And when their father reveals that her official birth date is incorrect, they begin to wonder: do they really know the woman they called Mom? Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and in the shattering conclusion, by Mom herself, the novel is a picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love.

About the Author

Kyung-sook Shin is the author of numerous works of fiction and is one of Korea’s most widely read and acclaimed novelists. She has been honored with the Manhae Literature Prize, the Dong-in Literature Prize, and the Yi Sang Literary Prize, as well as France’s Prix de l’Inaperçu. Please Look After Mom is her first book published in English, now set to be published in 29 countries with nearly 1.5 million copies sold in Korea alone.

Review Excerpts

“Intimate and hauntingly spare….A raw tribute to the mysteries of motherhood.” – The New York Times Book Review

“Lovely….Please Look After Mom, especially its magical, transcendent ending, lifts the spirit as only the best writing can do.” – Minneapolis Tribune

“The most moving and accomplished, and often startling, novel in translation I’ve read in many seasons….Every sentence is saturated in detail….It tells an almost unbearably affecting story of remorse and belated wisdom that reminds us how globalism–at the human level–can tear souls apart and leave them uncertain of where to turn.” – Pico Iyer, Wall Street Journal

Interviews Available

Please call us! Korean Cultural Center staff members are available to answer questions and assist you. Contact Lucy Myounghwa Lee at lmhlucy@koreaembassy.org or (202)587-6153.

* * * * * * *

The Korean Cultural Center Washington DC at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, also known as KORUS House, is dedicated to promoting Korean culture in the United States and strengthening Korea-US ties through a variety of exhibitions, presentations, educational programs, partnerships, and support for local events in the Capital area. The center is located at 2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008. To learn more about programs hosted and supported by the Korean Cultural Center, visit us online at www.dynamic-korea.com.