Singer opens Dokdo Art Show in New York

This photo provided by Singer Kim Jang-hoon’s agency, Concert World, shows Kim holding a concert after opening Dokdo Art Show in New York on Thursday. (Yonhap News)

Singer Kim Jang-hoon raised the curtain on Dokdo Art Show at a gallery in SoHo, New York City, on Thursday.

The exhibition directed by Kim, displays photos and a model of the Dokdo islets as well as a three-dimensional video of the islets. About 40 New York students created the model.

Dokdo is the name of Korea’s easternmost islets, which are called Takeshima by Japan, which also claims sovereignty over them. They are located in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

“Many people began to gather an hour and a half early, and about 100 people toured the exhibition prior to the official opening,” his Seoul-based agency, Concert Tour, said Friday. “The show’s location in a heavy-traffic neighborhood and active promotion by students in New York were of great help in drawing a positive response.”

An ad balloon on view at the entrance of the gallery attracted attention.

“Pedestrians looked at Dokdo images projected on the ad balloon with curiosity. They came in and were marveled to see the islets’ model and took its photo,” the agency said.

During the opening ceremony, visitors received Hangeul T-shirts and postcards as souvenirs. Korean food and traditional rice wine were served.

“Korea is a beautiful country surrounded by the ocean on three sides and has about 3,000 islands,” Kim said. “To name a few, there is Jejudo, Ulleungdo and Geojedo islands. Among them, Dokdo is one of the islands loved by many Koreans including me.”

“I have brought it (as a model) here because it’s not easy for people in New York to go there.”

Dokdo Art Show in New York will continue until Nov. 24.

Kim is scheduled to hold an exhibition of Hangeul fonts for New York-based professional graphic designers on Dec. 3. He will then stage a concert in Toronto, Canada. The concert is aimed at raising funds to purchase Korean books to donate to the University of Toronto and also to help resolve comfort women issues. Comfort women are women drafted by Japan to provide sex to its soldiers during the World War II. Japan insists they volunteered to do so.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)