When I was young, I liked magic shows very much. So, one of my dreams was to be a magician. Did you also want to be a magician, just like me? I guess we do not know much about a magician. Did you agree with me? In Culturati of No. 255, we talk with a magician, Lee Gi Seok. Let’s find out about the job, magician.

 Q1. Your introduction, please.

 Hi? I am a magician, Lee Gi Seok. I am not a magician a lot of people know very well. I usually educate aspiring magicians. I produce DVDs related with magic, and develop the content related with magic. I usually work abroad rather than within Korea.

 Q2. What made you become a magician?

 Just like other magicians, my opportunity was simple. Since I was a young a student, I did some volunteer work. One day, when I was a high school student, seniors I knew showed simple magic. People liked this magic a lot. The magic that stole the spotlight was marvelous and I got interested in magic. So, learning and doing magic was one of my hobbies when I was a college student. I wanted to be a professional magician. So, I quit university for magic.

 Q3. What kind of magic do you usually do?

 Magicians can do all kinds of magic but, like sportsmen, magicians have their own major fields. I usually perform all kinds of the stage magic. Among them, I mainly show performances of manipulation by hands.

 Q4. What do you think is the charm of the magic?

 I think there are many charms in magic. First, magic makes people be curious about me and generates communication from people. Second, I can show my magic wherever I go. Third, I can always give people fantastic illusion. There are many other charms, too. I think the biggest attraction of magic is that I can approach to people by performing magic whenever I want to.

 Q5. Why do you say that magic is part of the communication?

 Magic is not real. Dramas or movies are not either. I think people watch dramas or movies to get vicarious satisfaction. The same is true for magic. But magic is more like some plays and musicals. In fact, magicians talk with people and realize fantasies that people dreamed of. Magicians come to unfold fantasies in front of their eyes. I consider seeing the joy from people and satisfying people as communication itself.

 Q6. Do you really want to resolve misunderstanding about a magician or magic?

 People have so many misunderstandings about magic. Magic came to our country not too long ago. So people view magic as special culture. Although people think an actor is a wonderful job, they think that a magician is a unique job. I hope people could accept magic as familiar culture.

 Q7. What were the most difficult things when you changed the course of your life?

 There were two big difficulties. One thing was that I had to throw away what I liked to do.

Particularly, it was tough for me to decide to switch the job and I worried about it for a long time. Second was the strong opposition from my parents. It took a lot of time to persuade them.

 Q8. Why do you mainly perform abroad?

 I did a lot of magic shows in Korea before. In Korea, I used to show magic shows that people liked. However, in foreign countries, I can show magic performances that I like to show to the audiences. And I'm working on making performance that is very unique and does not fit the sentiment of Koreans culture. I like the artistic and emotional magic. But magic in Korea leans to joy only. Foreign countries accepted my preference better than Korea. So I often perform my shows in foreign countries.

 Q9. Tell us what felt when you became the winner at the Asia magic contest hosted by Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques.

 I won a lot of magic contests. I was unconcerned about winning. However, this contest’s meant a lot to me. I felt that I competed with new rookies. I just needed to win in the contest. I felt a lot of tension and made myself fully ready to win this contest. I hardly slept during the contest. So I am too hard. When I won the contest, I thought that I was glad to win.

 Q10. What's your next goal?

 I have been making new challenges every year. I deliver a talk and perform shows abroad. In Korea, I have run a magic academy. I want to establish and spread Korean magic academies throughout the world. My goal is to publicize the Korean magic academy system around the globe. The status of Korean magic has been raised a lot these days. So, now I am eager to let the world know Korean magic.