The Korea Times

Xen Sapphire to host fundraiser for YongsanCats

One of the best music duos in Seoul's foreign music scene almost didn't come together. It started in 2024 when Rob Nichols came to an open mic event at Taco Amigo, located near Noksapyeong Station on Seoul Metro Line 6. After he played his 2018 song "Noksapyeong," the event host, Xen Sapphire, approached him. "As soon as he had gotten off the stage, I said to him, listen, that song, absolutely incredible, makes me cry," Sapphire told The Korea Times. "It's probably one of my top five songs of all time. Could I cover it?" He refused at first, saying the song is too personal for him to share with another singer. She asked him again after seeing him perform it another time, suggesting that they could just do it as a private rehearsal. But Nichols told her not to sing the second verse, which contains lyrics referencing his childhood trauma involving a father who deserted him. "And I said, OK, let's do it. As long as I can just sing a little bit, I'll be happy," she recalled. Afterward, Nichols changed his mind, telling her that she does it justice. "She just makes it her own," he said. "It’s

Jul 21, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Xen Sapphire to host fundraiser for YongsanCats

Global Community

Sinchon skate shop hosts Korean punk zine fair

Spin and Grind, a skate shop newly opened in western Seoul's Sinchon area, is holding a zine fair this weekend. "CUT & PASTE: A Korean Punk & Hardcore Zine Fair" celebrates the history and culture of zines documenting Korea's punk and hardcore scene. A curated selection of zines dating back to the early 2000s will be on display, alongside newly released and reprinted titles available for purchase. "I wanted to inspire more people to start making their own zines," Victor Ha, Spin and Grind's proprietor, told The Korea Times. "I also wanted to archive as many zines published in Korea as possible and create a snapshot of the Korean zine scene as it exists today." The zine titles he's rounded up so far include "Army Life" (2005) by Geeks guitarist Kang Jun-sung, "Red Flag" by Rux frontman Won Jong-hee (2004-06) and "Faithful Youth" (2004-10) by Lee Geon-hee of Busan hardcore band All I Have. There are zines in Korean and English. Some of the zines are closer to full-scale books, such as the photo books "Seoul Punx" (2017) by Jung You-jin and "The More I See" (2011-15) by Scumraid drummer Lee

Jul 13, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Sinchon skate shop hosts Korean punk zine fair

Global Community

History book pits 2 Korean Catholic martyrs against each other

The Korean Peninsula's Catholic history is surprisingly fascinating, even if you're a nonbeliever — like I am. Its history traces back to the 1700s, midway through the 1390-1910 Joseon Dynasty, an isolationist state. Rather than arriving via foreign missionaries, Catholicism was brought to the country by Koreans who discovered it while abroad in China. As it spread throughout Korea, the government tried to stop its expansion, leading to persecution resulting in somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 deaths. This horrific history also led to an unusually high number of saints, with 103 martyred Korean Catholics officially canonized by the Church in 1984. A new book by Brothers Anthony and Han-Yol of the French ecumenical community of Taize analyzes the lives of two early Korean Catholic figures: Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon and Ven. Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop. Titled "Martyr of Blood, Martyr of Sweat," the book presents annotated letters by the two figures, both born in 1821. Most of the correspondence is being published in English translation for the first time, with the letters previously

Jul 5, 2026By Jon Dunbar

History book pits 2 Korean Catholic martyrs against each other

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Nomercy Wurst finally opens

That new currywurst restaurant in front of Gyeongnidan's front gate is finally open, but was it worth the wait? All the people crowding in seem to say so. For the past six months, the brightly glowing but empty storefront has been a landmark of the intersection between central Seoul's Gyeongnidan and Haebangchon neighborhoods. That digital marquee promising to open soon has been taunting residents since last December. Finally, after overcoming an interminable delay in construction, the place opened last month. Despite the big red "Berliner Currywurst" sign glowing prominently, the place is actually named Nomercy Wurst, and it shares ownership with Nomercy Burger over in Itaewon's Quy Nhon-gil area. Nomercy Wurst has several standout dishes, served with what appear to be pretty authentic flavors. The currywurst is a handsome meal, offering up two sausages — Nürnberger and Regensberger pork sausages — served drowning in curry ketchup, with a side of aioli and a helping of pretty good quality sauerkraut. Each plate also comes with a cornichon, plus a chunk of bread that is perfect for

Jun 28, 2026By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Nomercy Wurst finally opens

Global Community

Busan rock band Daisy Gun wants you to put down the phone

When you go to a concert these days, it seems like everyone around you has their cellphone out — capturing what everyone else is recording, messaging friends or maybe just doomscrolling on social media. With the new single "Square Eyes," the Busan-based rock band Daisy Gun takes aim at this culture that is consumed through smart devices. "It's a bit of a political number, and is basically about how people spend too much time on their phones making them susceptible to a whole lot of nonsense," Louis Cilliers, the band's South African guitarist and vocalist, told The Korea Times. "After a few heated arguments about not trusting everything you read online, I started writing the lyrics with the idea of disinformation spreading through social media. People are very comfortable in their echo chambers and are naive enough to believe anyone with a strong enough rhetoric." He added that the lyrics also touch on our overreliance on phones. "There's a phrase in the chorus, 'with square eyes, and a turtleneck,' that references the posture that develops from the overuse of phones," he said. But he wa

Jun 17, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Busan rock band Daisy Gun wants you to put down the phone

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Indie music festival answers Busan's calling

Five music venues across Busan will unite to host over 30 live music acts for the first-ever Busan Calling Music Festival on Friday and Saturday. Although seemingly only in its first year, the festival is actually a rebrand of last year's Debaser Fest, run by Jamie Finn, editor of Debaser Magazine. "I was never super keen on the name Debaser Fest. It was a decision made with deadlines approaching. So, to keep things simple, I named it after the mag," Finn admitted. "We've called it Busan Calling to reflect the aims of the fest, which is to build a bridge between the really underrated Busan music community and other musical places." Finn has been heavily active for years supporting the local music scene across Korea, publishing his own magazine, running a massive English-language Kakao group chat and organizing music festivals. As well as Busan Calling and Debaser Fest, he's also been running Block Party, a similar multivenue event in Seoul, for the last four years. Finn added that planning has already begun for Block Party's return to central Seoul's Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan in Septemb

Jun 15, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Indie music festival answers Busan's calling

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Namsan Deli keeps reinventing itself

Something is different with the menu at Namsan Deli every time I come back. It's been a wild ride since its soft opening last October. It's always been in flux and ready to reinvent itself, and I'm starting to get the impression that that's its permanent identity: a work in progress. I was cautious at first about this deli-slash-bakery-slash-cafe, because sandwich places in Korea can be extremely hit-or-miss. But the more I've explored the menu, the more Namsan Deli has grown on me. Located at the top of a steep road leading up from the Seoul Station area into central Seoul's cozy, quiet Huam-dong neighborhood, with N Seoul Tower looming above, Namsan Deli is in a strange spot. I've had many chances while waiting for orders to observe the foot traffic passing by, and it's certainly much less lively than similar places over the hill, like Haebangchon or Itaewon. This isn't a place where many people walk — it's more of an intersection where cars race by, only stopping if they have to at a red light. The owner, who suitably goes by the English name Sandi, assures me that business is bri

Jun 9, 2026By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Namsan Deli keeps reinventing itself

Global Community

Gongneung-dong, where Nowon has fun

Sick of a long commute out to Hongdae, Itaewon or Gangnam? Are you coming down from the northern parts of the city? You might not have to make a long trip in search of social activities after all, as Gongneung-dong transforms into a hotspot in Seoul's northeastern corner. Located in Nowon District, this low-rise neighborhood is pushed up against the edge of the city, stretching from Jungnang Stream to up the slope of Mount Buram. Gongneung-dong gets its name from the royal tombs in the area, but the area is not nearly as quiet as a tomb. Housing three universities, a military academy, a training complex for Korean Olympians and two UNESCO-listed royal tombs that give the neighborhood its name, the area has had a reputation for being low-key and suburban, yet also well-connected and not overly quiet. Its local businesses are frequently overrun with university students. Gongneung-dong Dokkaebi Market in the area bustles with pedestrians, comparable to some of Seoul's better preserved traditional markets, like Mangwon Market. Three Seoul Metro stations fall within its boundaries: Gongneung

May 23, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Global Community

Coffee roastery brings live music to northeastern Seoul

Seoul's live music scene has mostly been clustered in the west, which is quite a pain for people living in other parts of the city. For those in the northeast, a small cafe in Nowon District's Gongneung-dong has been working to make live music more accessible. Hoi Polloi is not the kind of cafe you'd want to go for quiet time or to study. "We’ve ended up developing the interior space of the shop to be a bit uncomfortable for students to study in — only a couple outlets, the music can get kinda loud, the baking and general barista operations are often loud, our team is all friendly and talkative and we more or less welcome a lively crowd as opposed to a quiet workspace," Chris Rettig, co-owner of the cafe, told The Korea Times. Hoi Polloi, which has been around for about seven years, including under a couple other names earlier on, got its current name after Rettig was listening to one of his favorite bands, The Most Serene Republic, and the song "Anhoi Polloi" came on. "At the time, I actually didn’t know what 'hoi polloi' meant," he admitted. "After some digging, I realized that '

May 14, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Coffee roastery brings live music to northeastern Seoul

Global Community

dbBOOKS holds spring warehouse sale for English titles

The dbBOOKS Welcome to Our Warehouse (WOW) Family Sale has become a twice-yearly highlight for the reading community in Seoul and beyond. Opening its doors to the book buying public for two days, dbBOOKS offers hundreds of thousands of books in English for sale. There are also activities planned, including a panel discussion about Korean literature translation, and a book swap. The expert panel, titled "The Art, Science, and Outlook of K-Lit in Translation," will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday. It features Literature Translation Institute of Korea Managing Director Park Chan-woo, author Lee Suhyeon, author and translator Anton Hur, translator Sean Lin Halbert, Honford Star co-founder Taylor Bradley and book content creator (and Korea Times reviewer) Faye Leung. "To thank our customers for coming to WOW, we like to organize sideline events on the rooftop to make the visit more than just a shopping opportunity," said Katch Hahm, managing director of dbBOOKS, who will serve as moderator. "While we all love K-Lit as readers, we could enhance that appreciation by considering the many things that

May 11, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Jon Dunbar

Read more

Xen Sapphire to host fundraiser for YongsanCats

Sinchon skate shop hosts Korean punk zine fair

History book pits 2 Korean Catholic martyrs against each other

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Nomercy Wurst finally opens

Busan rock band Daisy Gun wants you to put down the phone

Indie music festival answers Busan's calling

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Namsan Deli keeps reinventing itself

Gongneung-dong, where Nowon has fun

Coffee roastery brings live music to northeastern Seoul

dbBOOKS holds spring warehouse sale for English titles

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