As the hot, humid days of Korea‘s rainy season are well underway, how about enjoying a weekend at a pop-up store?

An ID card is all you need to enjoy your favorite Disney shows in cool comfort.

A 5-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit No. 9 on Subway Line No. 2, following the main road to the university, the blue-colored store cannot be missed.

Disney+’s special pop-up store will be showing attendees a variety of shows exclusively offered by the streaming platform. They include “Cruella” (2021) and “WandaVision” (2021), and the Korean series “Kiss Sixth Sense.”

The store runs through Sunday.

Once you pick the series you want to watch and leave your ID card with the staff, you will be given a tablet PC and headphones to use for an hour. You can, of course, decide to watch a different series within that hour.

A special photo zone has been created where you can also print pictures after posting on Instagram with the hashtag “#Disneyplus.”

Celebrating the premiere of the Marvel superhero film “Thor: Love and Thunder,” a small event is underway as well.

If you sign up for a Disney+ subscription at the pop-up store, you can show your subscription to the staff for a chance to receive a free ticket to the “Thor” series.

A total of 20 tickets will be given out daily on a first-come, first-served basis, with one ticket per person. Check with the staff before you subscribe to the platform.

Drink up in traditional Korean ambiance

If you want to enjoy Seoul‘s nightlife with a taste of Korean culture, but you have had enough of soju, consider visiting Bar Oom, located near Apgujeong Rodeo Station.

Opened at the end of April, the bar’s name is a Korean word, meaning “new buds sprouting from grass or trees.”

After passing through a short entrance with pebbles and a stone pathway, four young bartenders will greet customers at the counter, which is decorated in a traditional Korean theme.

The main space where bottles of liquor and glassware are displayed is decorated with the store‘s iconic traditional Korean-style window frame. The bar also has cozy armchairs.

There is a separate room with a poker table for those who want to play card games while enjoying cocktails and whisky. 

The bar has introduced a new set of seasonal cocktails every three months. The signature cocktails are all named with Korean words and use traditional Korean alcoholic beverages as their base.

According to Bar Oom, a new set of drinks for the third quarter of the year will be introduced this Friday.

Visitors can get an idea of what the new set will be like from the bar’s previously sold drink called Dalbodre, which means sweet and soft.

This pink cocktail uses Yecheonju Rum as the base and offers a taste of spring with a mixture of apricot and plum flavors. The cocktail was served on coasters with traditional Korean patterns.

Along with signature cocktails, the bar also serves food to pair with the drinks, including yakgwa, a Korean honey snack.

What memories come to mind?

We are already halfway through the year, and the pandemic is still an influence on our lives. What memories of the past few years come to mind? The exhibition “My Your Memory” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, explores the theme of memory.

The exhibition starts with “Sleep,” a five-hour-long video that Andy Warhol filmed while his friend John Giorno was sleeping. The exhibition begins by examining how memories are stored in the brain while one is asleep. The kinetic sculpture “Fatigue Always Come with a Dream” by Yang Jung-uk was created using layers of wooden panels and plastic bottles, a representation of layers of memories, with a light bulb at the center of the work creating a nostalgic atmosphere.

Thirteen artists and collectives from Korea and abroad are participating in “My Your Memory,” one of the most popular current exhibitions. It consists of three sections -- “My Your Memory,” “Here and Now,” and “That Time, That Place.”

Follow your relaxing trip to the museum with a visit to one of the cozy cafes or restaurants in the area of Samcheong-dong to do your own reminiscing. The exhibition runs through Aug. 7 at MMCA Seoul.

(sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)
(ssh@heraldcorp.com)
(yunapark@heraldcorp.com)