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www.groovekorea.com / April 2014 18 A selection from our editors MUsT READs mUST reaDS The rise of the sandwich Page 36 Only in dreams Page 58 yukari Page 66 Fast-tracking in Tokyo Page 52 Channeling Korea Page 74 To understand the depth of the Korean sandwich problem, it’s necessary to sit and stare at a bad Korean sandwich. Take the Paris Baguette “Lunch Sand- wich”: It’s free of jam, but contains almost every other offense and is represent- ative of what’s available in bakeries all over the peninsula. Thankfully, these five restaurants all bring something special to the table. In her tiny Seoul studio, Korean artist Lee Jee-young packs a multilayered punch that combines painting, sculpture, installation, theatrical performance, videogra- phy and staged analogue photography. Abstaining from all outside assistance — human and Photoshop alike — Lee’s photographs have gained international acclaim for expressing made-up mindscapes that only she can see. Stares can be a bit disconcerting when riding the Seoul subway, so I put in my earbuds, close my eyes and let the relaxing waves of Yukari’s electro-pop take me elsewhere. Yukari is still in her early twenties, but her chilled-out, synth- heavy music is already making waves in Korea’s burgeoning electronic music scene. Conrad Hughes shares the highs and lows of a cultural sojourn in manic Tokyo. From the more diverse beer culture to the more awkward sex culture, either way, he’s happy to be back on Korean soil. The ghosts of seoul Page 48 Though Seoul isn’t unique for its history of gruesome violence, its history with the supernatural might set it apart. Stemming from as far back as the Joseon Dynasty, Koreans and expatriates living in Seoul have reported personal expe- riences with the supernatural. Christine Pickering braved the dark truth for her story on ghost culture in Seoul. Korean-American Mina Oh noticed that there weren’t many Korean-language videos on YouTube, so she threw together a simple Hangul lesson and the video was online in just a couple of hours. The architecture undergrad had no idea that the video would eventually rake in more than 1.5 million views, and thus the YouTube channel Sweet And Tasty was born.
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