Jon Dunbar

Zine offers 'Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music'

Korea's indie music scene is perpetually left struggling for recognition. It takes people like Maeng Joo-hee and Kim Yeong-jin to spread the word and raise its profile. The couple operates SUPERSONIC STUDIO, through which they evangelize about Korea's music scene. This includes organizing live concerts and cultural exchange events, as well as zine-making events and publishing their own content to share personal stories about being part of this underrated creative community. They're holding release party on Thursday for their collaborative zine project, the "Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music," created in partnership with Sojanggak, a Seoul-based design and publishing studio. "Unlike the mainstream music industry, Korea's indie scene has grown around small live venues, where musicians and audiences can interact up close," Maeng said. "Festivals throughout the year also serve as important meeting grounds for the community. One of the best ways to understand the scene is simply by connecting with people who are already part of it." The launch event for the 'Totally Biased Guide to

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK So long, TGI Fridays

After 33 years of offering an American-inspired family dining experience, TGI Fridays is leaving Korea. The restaurant presents a fading slice of Americana, and its decline is painfully on the nose, considering what's happening to that country. I decided to break my boycott of U.S. products so I could have one final TGI meal — on a Friday, no less. "Get the potato skins," a coworker said as I was leaving, "they're the only good thing on the menu." Presently, only four locations remain open in Seoul; I chose the one in Lotte Mall at Gimpo International Airport, the TGI Fridays of Korean airports — both peaked in the early 2000s. What's left to say about TGI Fridays that wasn't already said in the 1990s? It just has not been relevant for a long time. There are Korean men doing their mandatory military service right now who are probably too young to remember the restaurant in its prime. In its heyday, TGI Fridays was where Koreans celebrated family milestones, where the workers would probably sing you happy birthday, and where foreigners used to go for burgers that were slightly better t

'Molly Makes a Mess' offers Frankenstein tale for children

Daniel Daugherty has created a monster. His first children's book, "Molly Makes a Mess" tells the tale of Molly, a girl who is brash, brainy and messy. She attempts to deal with her messy bedroom by creating her own monster. And this tale goes disastrously wrong, all told in rhyming quatrains. "This book is a Frankenstein story for kids," Daugherty, an American resident of Jeju Island, told The Korea Times. "It's about creating a 'monster' with the best of intentions in mind. It's about solving a problem that didn't really exist in the first place and, in so doing, causing a new set of problems. Did I mention it's just a silly rhyming poem? It's just a silly rhyming poem." Molly's age is left ambiguous, although the author said the book is aimed at second and third grade English speakers who aren't afraid of encountering new vocabulary. Daugherty self-published the book after running a successful crowdfunding campaign last year. The book is available for purchase online. The book's titular character, Molly is a formidable figure — despite her laziness — and the kind of person who wou

New generation carries on spirit of RAS Korea

Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, the world's oldest Korean studies organization, officially closed down late last year, but a younger generation has stepped up to carry on its scholarly mission and spirit.

Hechyeomoyeo's massive art exhibition returns to Seoul

The Hechyeomoyeo (HCMY) is back in Seoul after a trip down south over the last half-year that took it to Busan, as well as Thailand and Indonesia.

PHOTOS St. Patrick's Day festival in Seoul

Former child prodigy of black metal resurrects solo project Pyha

A mysterious black metal project is being resurrected for one show only this weekend. Pyha was started as a solo project in 2001 by Jang Sung-gun, who was at the time only 14 years old.

'Elbows up, Canada'

"Elbows up." The phrase conjures images of hockey violence, gloves dropped, teeth knocked out.

Hope Booth aims to normalize seeking help in Korea

A hopeful new installation appeared outside The Hangry Plate restaurant in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood following a ceremony on March 9.

St. Patrick's Day festivities planned for Sindorim, Itaewon

It's that time of the year again when Sindorim Station on Seoul Metro lines 1 and 2 briefly goes from one of the most frustrating transfer stations in the capital to its most popular destination.