The Korea Times

PHOTOS Music and arts festival rocks the block in central Seoul's Haebangchon

The fourth annual Block Party Music & Art Festival wrapped up its two-day run on Sunday, after a weekend of entertainment across about a dozen venues in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan neighborhoods. Over 100 performers participated, including musicians, actors, dancers, drag queens, shamans, pro wrestlers, pole dancers, a magician and a face painter. This year's event went smoothly, with the venues feeling even more crowded than last year according to many participants. At various times barricades were placed along the main street of Haebangchon, and traffic control workers were deployed. The festival was held in cooperation with Haebang Week. "Block Party 2025 was nuts. Probably the best one yet!!" organizer Jamie Finn said in an online post thanking the festival's staff, volunteers, performers, venues and attendees. "You always bring such great energy and enthusiasm to Block Party but this year, you were CRAZY. Thank you everyone. See you in 2026??" Visit @blockpartykorea on Instagram for more information.

Sep 25, 2025By Jon Dunbar

[PHOTOS] Music and arts festival rocks the block in central Seoul's Haebangchon

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Asian Rockabilly Festival brings rockers together for 2nd 'Rumble in Seoul'

The Asian Rockabilly Festival is back for its second year, bringing together bands and DJs representing Korea, Japan, the U.S. and the Netherlands. Japanese bands the Biscats and the Stompin' Riffraffs are joining five local music acts for the two-night festival. Chief among the Korean acts is Streetguns, the cornerstone of the local rockabilly scene. They're joined by the Hoppers, punk-folk singer-songwriter Jinu Konda, country-rock band Texas Karaoke and ska-punk band Lazybone. Rockabilly is a subgenre of rock 'n' roll, which dates back to the 1950s and originated in the American South. It's characterized by a retro sensibility and style. "To me, rockabilly is rock 'n' roll in its most undiluted form, amped up with teenage hormones — the flash of light off a switchblade, or the bright red lipstick on the kissing lips of a pin-up chick," said Brian Offenther, or DJ BO, one of the four DJs set to perform at the festival. "Picture delinquent kids in the mid-1950s taking blues and country material and putting it to the propulsive whack of a stand-up bass. Equally as important to the sou

Sep 22, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Asian Rockabilly Festival brings rockers together for 2nd 'Rumble in Seoul'

Global Community

Through their lenses: 4 live music photographers on life in pit

Live music scenes the world over are places filled with creativity. But while attention is naturally focused toward the musicians on stage, there are other creative pursuits that are less prominently on display. One group of such creatives is live music photographers, who work tirelessly to document what goes on at concerts. Photographers are the ones who offer a window into the live music world and help keep the memories alive afterward. Each of them has their own techniques, objectives and motivations. Often they work in poor lighting conditions and chaotic environments, with frequent threat of injury or equipment damage. To learn more about life in the trenches at live music events, The Korea Times interviewed four foreign photographers living in Korea who can often be seen snapping musicians at play: Nikki Bell from Buffalo, New York; Blair Kitchener from New Zealand; David Smith from Saginaw, Michigan; and Chewy Thomson from Canada. What gear do you use? Nikki: Nikon D750 with the stock kit lens. Blair: A Panasonic S1 and a Leica SL2-s with 28mm, 35mm and 50mm M-mount prime lenses. I

Sep 17, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Through their lenses: 4 live music photographers on life in pit

Global Community

Geoffrey Lewis finds solace in community on album exploring 5 stages of grief

Partway through putting together his latest mini-album, American singer-songwriter Geoffrey Lewis started to see a pattern in the songs. The new songs he was creating closely mirrored the five stages of grief. Lewis had recently lost two friends, one to cancer and the other to suicide, and his grief influenced him to write the song "Back to Sender." "While reflecting on that, I noticed a unique pattern in the music," he said. "They seemed to cover the five stages of grief, and I think that's what I had been experiencing in the making of this album." The songs go through all five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, from stuttering "d-d-d-d-denial" in the opening track "Kinky D" through the acceptance of "Back to Sender." (Lewis admitted he swapped the songs representing anger and bargaining for the sake of flow.) "We're just constantly going through things and trying to deal with them, in minor ways or major ways," he told The Korea Times during an impromptu interview on the sidewalk in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon (HBC) neighborhood. "I think that I

Sep 15, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Geoffrey Lewis finds solace in community on album exploring 5 stages of grief

Global Community

Block Party to take over HBC for 4th year

Central Seoul’s multicultural Haebangchon (HBC) and Gyeongnidan neighborhoods are turning into festival grounds again for this year’s Block Party, a music and arts festival unfolding simultaneously at multiple locations. Last year, Jamie Finn, the main organizer of Block Party, told The Korea Times he wouldn’t do another festival this year. But time has proven him a liar, and the event, which also doubles as a stealth birthday party for Finn, is back Sept. 20 and 21, offering over 100 live performances at more than 10 venues. "I just can’t stop," Finn admitted to The Korea Times. "I love doing this, and the love that people have for the event means that I can’t stay away. We’ve also got a new team that brought refreshed energy to it. I’m actually really glad that we’ve done it this year. It’s been easier than usual to plan, and I really think we’re finding our rhythm as organizers." This year’s lineup includes many familiar names that have participated in previous festivals, as well as a few unique new additions. This includes singer-songwriter Jang Pill-soon, as we

Sep 10, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Block Party to take over HBC for 4th year

Global Community

Ugandan single mother offers perspective for Hanokers' Refugee Insights program

Hanokers, a refugee-led initiative in Korea, resumes its Refugee Insights program this Sunday with a talk by a Ugandan living in Korea. Christine is a single mother from Uganda who arrived in Korea in 2015, who is currently living at a shelter in Gyeonggi Province. Introducing herself as a “warrior in disguise trying to fight battles with love, courage and hope,” she continues to persevere in life despite carrying the heavy responsibility of supporting herself and her child. At this Refugee Insights talk, she will share her experiences of living in Korea as both a refugee and a single mother. Refugee Insights is a recurring event organized by Hanokers, introducing and sharing the stories of refugees living in Korea with the public. Through these gatherings, Hanokers aims to build a strong sense of connection and establish relationships between refugees and wider Korean society. The event runs this Sunday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at KOTE in Insa-dong. There is no entrance fee, but donations are welcome. Visit hanokers.org for more information.

Sep 3, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Ugandan single mother offers perspective for Hanokers' Refugee Insights program

Global Community

Seoul Gaels to host community day to spread Gaelic football

Gaelic football, often described as a cross between football and rugby, may not be well-known in Korea, but it has a dedicated community of players excited to introduce the sport to more people. The Seoul Gaels GAA Club will host a Gaelic Football Community Day Saturday in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, offering the chance to experience a sport that has been played in Ireland for centuries, but remains new to many in Korea. The free event, running from noon to 4 p.m., is open to all ages and skill levels. Children can take part in fun taster sessions and games, while adults are invited to join a “bring-a-friend” program designed for beginners. Organizers say the focus is not only on sport but also on friendship and cultural exchange. "It’s not just about learning a new game, it’s about bringing people together,” said Neil Timmins, spokesperson for Seoul Gaels. “Gaelic football is fast, exciting and easy to pick up, and we’re excited to share it with the wider community in Korea.” The Irish Association of Korea will operate a booth introducing Irish culture, offering kids a

Aug 31, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Seoul Gaels to host community day to spread Gaelic football

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK New Iraqi restaurant Babylon raises the bar for Middle Eastern dining in Seoul

Seoul has no shortage of kebab stands of varying quality. In smaller supply are more formal Middle Eastern restaurants, and most of the ones I've tried were slight letdowns. Babylon Restaurant, a newly opened Iraqi eatery nestled in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, raises that bar. Babylon is owned by Abdulkareem Adnan, who has been in the restaurant business here in Seoul for about 17 years, working out of a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop in Namdaemun Market called Adnan Kebab. This new restaurant is quite a step up in ambience, offering a comfortable, modern space for customers to actually sit down and savor some pretty fantastic food. The dishes are mostly faithful to the flavors of Adnan's homeland of Iraq, but there are a few cases where ingredients and sides have been modified, either catering to local tastes or based on local availability, such as the sneaky appearance of what may have been chipotle mayo as a dipping sauce — probably not standard in Baghdad. Either way, the food seemed more coherently authentic than the menus at many other Middle Eastern restaurants here. Meals star

Aug 31, 2025By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] New Iraqi restaurant Babylon raises the bar for Middle Eastern dining in Seoul

Global Community

New generation of Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan: 5 great new places to eat, drink, play

Things happen fast these days in central Seoul's multicultural neighborhoods like Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan. The past couple years have seen many heartbreaking business closures. Businesses there don't sink or swim based on profitability or customer demand, but landlords' whims. There are laws that protect their right to do business in a space for 10 years, but in many cases, not a day longer. At the same time, new establishments are opening up, sometimes right in the same spaces. Perch “Things change fast, and while that brings energy, it’s also a bit bittersweet — especially seeing long-time bars close down,” said Yoon Soo-young, owner of Perch. “It makes me feel mixed about where the neighborhood is headed, because I also really value the places and people who’ve been part of HBC for a long time. There’s still a strong local vibe, where bar and shop owners know and support each other.” Perch opened in late 2023, in a space inside a corner of Sinheung-ro, across the street from the former location of Hair of the Dog. It is a cozy place, offering indoor and outdoor seat

Aug 29, 2025By Jon Dunbar

New generation of Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan: 5 great new places to eat, drink, play

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK This restaurant chain's pizza is old school

I'm not going to try convincing you that Pizza School's food is great. It harkens back to an age when the pizza options in Korea were limited and low quality, made with cheap ingredients and some very odd toppings. Yet, of all the pizza chains this description fits, Pizza School is the only one that consistently lights up people's faces whenever its name is brought up. Maybe it's nostalgia? Not for that older era when pizza in Korea just wasn't very good (which can still be found), but for a childhood of pizza parties at school, or right outside your school. To be honest, the apples and sharpened pencil in the logo always slightly repulsed me. Or it could just be that, despite the cheap ingredients, the cost to the consumer also remains incredibly cheap. I still remember my first visit to a Pizza School, probably over 15 years ago — a pepperoni pizza cost a mere 5,000 won. On a recent visit, I found the price has since nearly doubled, up to 9,900 won, but even that's still incredibly cheap compared to everywhere else. At that price, how can you say no? Unless you have enough money to

Aug 17, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Jon Dunbar

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PHOTOS Music and arts festival rocks the block in central Seoul's Haebangchon

Asian Rockabilly Festival brings rockers together for 2nd 'Rumble in Seoul'

Through their lenses: 4 live music photographers on life in pit

Geoffrey Lewis finds solace in community on album exploring 5 stages of grief

Block Party to take over HBC for 4th year

Ugandan single mother offers perspective for Hanokers' Refugee Insights program

Seoul Gaels to host community day to spread Gaelic football

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK New Iraqi restaurant Babylon raises the bar for Middle Eastern dining in Seoul

New generation of Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan: 5 great new places to eat, drink, play

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK This restaurant chain's pizza is old school

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