He ranges from the clever (about Kafka here):

Writing such an unimaginable first sentence

and then continuing to cope with that first sentence

is what produced this masterpiece

to the inspirational

Be warned, though

The clip plays a little differently. On some computers the subtitles play automatically and you just watch. On others you just hear the Korean. Which is great if you’re Korean.. but if you aren’t Korean, just click on the interactive transcript button:

Then choose your language to be English (or 영오 if you are on a Korean OS) and the transcript will run below the video.

Kim Young-ha at TEDx

I almost missed meeting Kim Young-ha at TEDx.

It wasn’t until the morning of the actual event that I realized it started at 1PM. Since this recognition occurred to me at 12:18, I was a bit late. Once there, the staff ushered me in to the auditorium so quickly that I did not have time to pick up the little ear-doohickey that would translate things into English. I got into the auditorium and snapped some quick pictures from very far away and through a rail and past several bushy hairdos. A few minutes later, after snapping these shots, I fought my way back out and got the translating device. I heard the end of Kim’s speech from outside, so that the highly amped Korean inside the auditorium wouldn’t overwhelm the speaker in my left ear.

Kim talked pretty generally, at least the part I heard, about the artist in all of us and in creating more than one identity within each of us in order to strengthen that artist. I’m not so concerned I missed all of his talk, because it is supposed to go online with subtitles. Kim was obviously more funny before translation, as on several occasions he had the audience hooting.

As far as I could tell, he was whisked away immediately upon conclusion of his speech, so there was no chance to talk or get an autograph.

This was disappointing, but I decided to stay and hear the other speakers. This turned out to be a wise decision.

When it was lunch break and since I was one of only about 10 obviously foreign faces in the audience, the video woman came to speak to me and when I said I had come to hear Kim Young-ha, she said, “Oh, I think he’s still standing way back over there in the corner.” And, she was right! I went over and introduced myself and we talked briefly.

Kim is slender, surprisingly youthful and was extremely polite. His English is excellent. He was with his wife, who was too shy to be photographed, but Kim allowed me to take a shot. Kim noted that he has just published 13 short stories in Korean which he doubts will be translated quickly. With a laugh he noted that books of translated short stories are not usually very successful in the US. Also, he said, his time in Seoul is drawing short, as he will be soon be going to New York as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. He is also working on a novel which he described as “very dark.” That’s saying something, considering some of the darkness he’s already delivered in his translated work, particularly “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” and “Your Republic is Calling You.” We began to talk a little bit about “Your Republic is Calling You” and then it was time to go back in for the next set of talks.

I’m still feeling the fanboy excitement of this meeting, which is probably undignified for a 50 year old, but what the heck. How often do you get to meet your favorite Korean author?

Kim also showed up for the after-party at the same table as me, but I felt the I had already pestered him enough and let him enjoy his dinner,

Return here on Sunday the 25th for complete coverage…

Today at 12 tickets are available for a TEDx event (30,000 won) in Seoul that will feature Kim Young-ha and Darcy Paquet (who extensively covers Korean cinema at Koreanfilm.org). The event itself will take place on Saturday the 24th at 7 pm in Chae-ee-du Hall, at the U-plex in Sinchon (Near Hongdae). I’ve emailed Kim, and he will be speaking in Korean, but a subtitled version will be put online.

I’ll be going anyway, just to see what I can hear, so to speak (seewhatididthere?), grab some photos and see if I can get an autograph. Full details of the event are below, but in Korean.

오늘 12시부터 TEDxSeoul 행사 등록할수 있네요

함꼐하시고 싶으신 지인이 있다면 오늘 (7/14) 오후 12시 개별적으로 등록을 부탁을 드리겠습니다.

http://tedxseoul.com/wp/event-seoul/117/

“지금, 우리에게 필요한 것은”

새로운 밀레니엄을 맞은지 10년이 지났습니다. 그 흥분과 우려는 점점 바래고 있지만, 우리 삶의 일상은 10년전과는 많은 것이
달라졌습니다. 앞으로 10년 동안 우리 앞엔 어떤 변화가 펼쳐질까요? 모르긴 몰라도 비교할 수 없을 정도의 많은 변화가 있을 것
으로 예견되고 있습니다. TedxSeoul에서는 12명의 연사와 TED 운영자들에게 이 질문을 던졌습니다. “지금 우리에게 필요
한 것은.”

확신 없는 자기 긍정, 성찰의 시간, 예술적 창의력, 내가 하고 싶은 일을 할 용기, 자신의 캐릭터를 쌓아 가는 것, 내가 누구
인지 아는 것, 공동체를 위한 나눔, Think Globally Act Globally, 내 안의 어린 예술가 살리기, 기꺼이
길을 잃기, 우주 탐사, 더 쓰기 편한 모바일 기기, 작고 소박한 것도 살아남을 수 있는 시장, 지식과 통찰력, 따뜻한 우정,
뜨거운 사랑 그리고 자유 등등 많은 대답이 나왔습니다. 이제는 당신 차례입니다. 당신이 생각하는 지금 우리에게 필요한 것은 무엇
인가요.

7월 24일에 열리는 TedxSeoul에서 벌이는 그 뜨거운 대화의 시간에 당신을 초대합니다.

* 일시 : 2010년 7월 24일(토요일) 정오~저녁 7시
* 장소 : 신촌 현대백화점 U-PLEX 12층 제이드홀

> Speakers
김영하 ( 소설가)
고건혁 ( 붕가붕가 레코드 대표)
황상민( 심리학자 )
엄정순(우리들의 눈 갤러리, 화가)
Darcy Paquet (영화평론가)
강호정(생태습지 연구, 과학자)
양수인 ( 건축가)
서 명숙 (제주 올레 대표)

Short talks
유 상준 (UX디자이너)
김영목 (독립영화감독)
정진용, 민원기 (TEDxSeoul 어플리케이션)
임 성범 ( 굿네이버스 적정기술 )