The Korea Times

Italian hardcore punk band Golpe skips Winter Olympics to play Seoul

The Winter Olympics are about to kick off in Tadzio Pederzolli's hometown, but the frontman of Milan hardcore band Golpe won't be anywhere near the opening ceremony. Instead, he'll be in Seoul for the start of the band's Korea-Japan tour. "The more I miss the games, the better it's gonna be. Actually I'm gonna spend almost all month away to skip them as much as possible," he told The Korea Times. "It's been five years since they started destroying naturalistic spots and leaving unfinished buildings because of these games to come. Unfortunately a lot of money is involved in these kinds of events and every time something like this is happening in Italy it's a total mess." This East Asia tour has been in the making for a while. At first the band planned to tour Japan only, but the Japanese promoter encouraged Pederzolli to play some shows in Korea. Garrett, the drummer of Korean hardcore band Slant and owner of Sinchon live music venue Baby Doll, offered to book shows in Korea, a nice turn of reciprocity after Pederzolli had booked Slant to play shows in Italy late last year. "I was happy t

Feb 2, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Italian hardcore punk band Golpe skips Winter Olympics to play Seoul

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Biggie's Sports Bar brings excitement back to HBC

Just in time for the Winter Olympics, there's a new sports bar in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood. Biggie's Sports Bar opened late last year and is located in a corner of the former Woori Mart. It's just a little below street level, not quite a half-basement but what co-owners Yong and Sunny call a "1/3-basement." People passing by on the street get a welcoming view of the crowd inside and what is playing on a big screen on the far wall. The interior is a clean, simple rectangle, contrasting with many of the older spaces nearby, described by Korean American Yong as having "quirky layouts." Although the name Biggie's might at first give off a hip-hop vibe, Yong explained the truth behind it. "My nickname in high school was 'Big Head' because I had a big head," he said. "By college, half my friends called me Biggie and the other half Heddie — Heddie Murphy, Heddie Munster, etc." He left those names behind in the U.S., but that changed last summer when friends visiting from Philadelphia called him Biggie in front of his partner Sunny. "Sunny thought it was a fun nick

Feb 1, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Biggie's Sports Bar brings excitement back to HBC

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Tradition meets tomorrow for gugak event at Insa-dong KOTE

Tradition collides with tomorrow at KOTE in central Seoul's Insa-dong neighborhood on Saturday, Jan. 31, where performers will explore traditional Korean music, or gugak, including the vocal narrative style known as pansori. On the ground floor, two DJs will play distinct sets, one blending traditional motifs with contemporary beats, the other layering modern energy over ancient melodies. Meanwhile, the members of Bikabi, a troupe of foreign pansori singers, will lead an interactive pansori jam in the basement. Tab Jones, a producer and DJ from New Jersey, will share the turntables with DJ Rio Anderson, former guitarist of Kontrajelly, who will reinterpret Korean traditional music, weaving together samples collected from electronic percussion and performances by masters of traditional music. "More than just a genre, the philosophy and craftsmanship behind gugak are what made Korean music what it is today," said Cindy Kwak, founder and CEO of Muzikey, the organizer behind the event along with COO and co-founder Garry Kwon. "While the modern industry is often monetized and mass-produced, w

Jan 15, 2026By Jon Dunbar

Tradition meets tomorrow for gugak event at Insa-dong KOTE

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RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK I pity the fool who doesn't try Grandma Piie

Seoul has a lot of great pizzerias, many of which have been highlighted in this Restaurant of the Week column, but one of the most unique would have to be Grandma Piie in Sindorim Station. "The extra i is for extra flavor," says a Reddit reviewer. For those who pass through Sindorim as part of their daily commute, it is widely considered one of the worst stations on the Seoul Metro map. No one can be faulted for having low expectations for a pizza place right here. But this little focaccia bakery defies all preconceptions. When you walk in, right off the platform for Line 1 trains headed north into the city, there's an armada of focaccia pizzas under a display case. The pizza toppings range from traditional — the three-cheese Grandma Piie, the Meat Bonkers! which is basically a meat lover's, a delectable mushroom medley — to slightly more inventive. There's a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast variety, a creamy spinach alfredo, and a jalapeno Hawaiian pizza featuring an almost delicate relish-style pepper topping and a generous smear of Grandma's marinara sauce. For the dip and drizzle

Jan 12, 2026By Jon Dunbar and Emerald Gao

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] I pity the fool who doesn't try Grandma Piie

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How one Korean American helped shape Hongdae’s punk scene — and then disappeared into the woods

It's been over a decade since Paul Brickey — a former army brat, runaway teen, punk, soldier — last set foot on the Korean Peninsula. Now a grizzled mountain man in his early 40s, he's migrated between Korea and the U.S. many times throughout his life. Whether he'll admit it or not, he's one of the most influential voices in Korea's small punk scene, if not the single most important foreign national to have performed in the country's dingiest basement punk venues. Brickey formed his first band while studying at the now-closed Seoul American High School on Yongsan Garrison. At the time, the base had a music room equipped with everything a band needs, and he and his friends played music there as early as 1998. Around 2000, he started his first band ever, named Merge "after a vulgar T-shirt that was sold in Itaewon back then," he told The Korea Times. The very first venue where they performed in front of an audience was Woodstock in Itaewon. Shortly after that, he discovered the Hongdae music scene from the "cooler, older kids," and Merge started playing Tuesday night shows at the venu

Jan 6, 2026By Jon Dunbar

How one Korean American helped shape Hongdae’s punk scene — and then disappeared into the woods

Global Community

Casa Amigo to host 2nd foreign pansori showcase

A diverse group of foreign pansori singers will perform their second showcase of Korea's traditional narrative music genre at Casa Amigo in central Seoul's Gyeongnidan neighborhood on Saturday. Last time these international practitioners of traditional Korean music gathered there, the room filled with both Koreans and other foreign residents curious to see them perform and learn more about pansori. "The reaction from people who came to the last event was very positive, with many asking us to organize another one," Erin Hughes, the main event organizer, told The Korea Times. "That's why we decided to do a second show." Due to the explosive interest in their free concert, the organizers decided this time to charge 15,000 won for entry, which also comes with one free drink. Registered on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, pansori is a genre of musical storytelling tracing its history back centuries. Generally performed by solo singers, called sorikkun, who perform all the roles in a set repertoire of orally transmitted plays, known as madang. Only

Dec 22, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Casa Amigo to host 2nd foreign pansori showcase

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RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK This bar's Puerto Rican-style pulled pork will lift you up

So many people have been talking up the pulled pork sandwich at Uplift Seoul, a bar until now known mainly for its social events and stage performances, including burlesque, drag and live music, but not for its food. Curious, I stopped by on a Sunday evening to sample the culinary work of Rob Hernandez, one of the people running the bar that opened early this year. It turns out that, yes, the place has a menu with four items: two soups and two sandwiches. When I inquired about the pulled pork avocado sandwich, another customer sitting nearby remarked that it was very good. Hernandez himself whipped up the sandwich, which was served in a soup bowl on a bed of ruffled potato chips and a single cornichon, or mini pickled cucumber. He explained that this version is Puerto Rican-style pulled pork, not as sweet as the U.S.-style pulled pork you might be more familiar with. It certainly was savory, its richness soaking into the bread, delivering a delicious burst of flavor with every bite. Although the sandwich contains avocado spread and a few other toppings, the one that stood out the most to m

Dec 16, 2025By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] This bar's Puerto Rican-style pulled pork will lift you up

Global Community

4th RAS youth forum to explore Gen Z's 'K-slang'

The Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea will host an event on "K-Slang: The Echoes of Our Lives," featuring 11 university students who will discuss three slang terms representing their generation on Tuesday. The event is the fourth Youth Panel held by RAS Korea. Beginning in 2022, the format was launched by Seoul Women's University professor David Tizzard, who worked with students to create the event. Last year, he made the presentation a part of his university course, inviting students to put together and promote the presentation. This is the second year that this format will be used. The 11-member team has prepared a lecture that will run for about one hour, along with a 30-minute question period, focusing on three K-slang terms selected by the student participants. One such term, selected by Yoon Seong-eon, is "weh-mo jeong-byeong," which combines the Korean words for appearance and mental illness or obsession, describing an unhealthy obsession with one's appearance. "Recently, 'weh-mo jeong-byung' has become one of the most frequently used slang terms among women in their 20s in Korea.

Dec 5, 2025By Jon Dunbar

4th RAS youth forum to explore Gen Z's 'K-slang'

Global Community

Itaewon Global Village Center hosts 3rd 'Living in Seoul Talk Series'

Itaewon Global Village Center will host the third "Living in Seoul Talk Series" on Dec. 13 to provide basic information to foreign residents of Seoul, including health insurance coverage, tenants’ rights, visa changes and basic labor laws. "With the consistent flow of foreigners coming to Seoul, almost half of the population of South Korea calls this city their home. Seoul has also become the host to a growing number of citizens from different parts of the world," the organizers said in an online invitation. "The talk aims to provide a venue for foreigners to learn the essential details of living in the city to ensure their stay is pleasant and worry-free. It will also be a good venue to meet fellow foreigners and integrate into their respective communities. All foreigners, especially those who hold E (employment) visas, are encouraged to join." People who choose to attend can join any or all of the sessions. This includes the first session in the morning on Korea's national health insurance and other types of private insurance, by Park So-young, a licensed life insurance planner with

Dec 4, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Itaewon Global Village Center hosts 3rd 'Living in Seoul Talk Series'

Global Community

Seoul Comics Week gathers 14 graphic artists, creators, animators

Seoul Comics Week returns for its second year, bringing together some powerful names in the industry during a four-day event hosted at Dice & Comics Café (DCC) in eastern Seoul from Dec. 11 to 14. "The event celebrates the growing creative exchange between Korean and international comic scenes, spotlighting artists who have worked across both K-comics and American comics industries," Joey Croner, owner of DCC and organizer of Seoul Comics Week, said in an online invitation. The VIP list includes about 14 comics creators from Korea and abroad. This includes artists Derek Hunter ("Adventure Time" and "Bat-Fam"), Ryan Benjamin, Agnes Garbowska ("My Little Pony" and "Teen Titans Go"), Jung Min-ku, Lee Jee-hyung, Park Jae-kwang ("Batman: The World" and "Joker: The World"), Danny Kim, Dexter Soy ("Nightwing" and "Red Hood"), Travis Moore ("Nightwing"), Tokitokoro ("Jeff the Landshark"), Kangto Lee and webtoon artist Joanne Kim, as well as writer Jeon In-pyo ("Batman: The World" and "Joker: The World") and comic book legend Bob Layton (creator of the modern "Iron Man," "War Machine" and "Ant-

Dec 2, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Jon Dunbar

Read more

Italian hardcore punk band Golpe skips Winter Olympics to play Seoul

Biggie's Sports Bar brings excitement back to HBC

Tradition meets tomorrow for gugak event at Insa-dong KOTE

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK I pity the fool who doesn't try Grandma Piie

How one Korean American helped shape Hongdae’s punk scene — and then disappeared into the woods

Casa Amigo to host 2nd foreign pansori showcase

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK This bar's Puerto Rican-style pulled pork will lift you up

4th RAS youth forum to explore Gen Z's 'K-slang'

Itaewon Global Village Center hosts 3rd 'Living in Seoul Talk Series'

Seoul Comics Week gathers 14 graphic artists, creators, animators

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