Hippie Korea, Seoul Drag Parade, HBC Urban Regeneration
Hippie Korea offers tea lecture
Tea has inspired both religions and war throughout history. Korea has a rich traditional tea culture, dating back millennia to the Three Kingdoms era (57 BCE to 668 CE).
Hippie Korea, a community started by expats in Suwon, offers a lecture this Saturday titled “How Tea Found its Way to Korea.” The lecturer, David A. Mason, is an assistant professor of tourism at Sejong University.
The free lecture runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Seoul Global Cultural Center in Myeong-dong.
Visit fb.com/hippiekorea or hippiekoreacommunity.wordpress.com for more information.
Drag queens parade through Itaewon
The first Seoul Drag Parade takes place this Saturday in Itaewon. Participants will gather at The LINK at 3 p.m.
“The route will be revealed on the day,” said organizer Heezy Yang, “because if it gets leaked, anti-queer protesters can prepare to interrupt.”
The parade encourages queer and non-queer participants of all ages to go on a journey of self-discovery and free expression.
The LINK and Rabbithole Arcade Pub in Haebangchon offer after-party events for adults only.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” said Erica Balenciaga, a locally active drag queen. “Some wear lipstick and lashes.”
Visit seouldragparade.com for more information.
Regeneration center reveals HBC history
Haebangchon (HBC) was a much different place long before becoming an expat enclave, before there was HBC Fest, before Korean foodies formed long lines in front of Bonny's Pizza. Previously a military firing range during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, the vacant space became a post-war refugee slum for North Korean arrivals settling in the South.
Haebangchon Urban Regeneration Center offers a free English-language excursion of the area this Saturday morning starting at 10 a.m. Participants visit sites such as Marine Command First Church, Shinheung Market and the 108-step staircase to colonial-era Gyeongseong Hoguk Shrine. The center offers further Korean-language events on May 31 and June 7 and 14.
Visit
to register or call 02-2199-7397.