The Korea Times

Irish community organizes sunrise walk to promote mental well-being

The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) is organizing Solas, a community walking event to promote well-being and raise funds for mental health services. A 5-kilometer walk is set to take place simultaneously in three regions of Korea —Seoul, Busan and Jeju Island — beginning at 4 a.m. on May 31 and continuing until approximately 7 a.m. Participants will meet in the darkness and experience the sunrise together as they walk. "It's beautiful going along the Han River at that time," said Gordon Winthrop, the main organizer and husband of Irish Ambassador Michelle Winthrop. "It's about emphasising that in the darkness there is light, there is always hope. By having that walk starting in the dark and as you continue your 5K walk and get to the end, it's got bright, the sun is up and there's hope." He added that this is not a competitive race. "It's not a run, it's not a sprint, it's not a race," he said. "Everybody's just walking at their own pace for the 5K route. It gives people a chance to meet, to mingle, to talk. With that, what we're trying to emphasize is the need to communicate. If you

May 12, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Irish community organizes sunrise walk to promote mental well-being

Global Community

Ureuk World Music House hosts open stage

The Ureuk World Music House is hosting an open stage event this Saturday afternoon, inviting everyone to sing, dance, play and share in a potluck meal. "This is a time to come together and enjoy sharing our creative spirits with each other, to inspire each other and enjoy the wonder of coming together to share and create beauty," the organizers said in an online invitation. Ureuk World Music House is a hanok (traditional Korean house) located in rural Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. It was founded by American musician Anna Cybele, who bought the property in 2012 and began work refurbishing it into a tiny but world-class center for sharing global musical traditions. It is named after Ureuk, a renowned musician from the sixth century, said to be the founder of Korean musical traditions. While in exile in Chungju, Ureuk created the gayageum, a Korean 12-string instrument. Cybele teased some of the known acts so far, including a Korean performer of Indian kathak dance, country/blues/rock musicians, local Indian grad students and possibly a Chinese music performance. The event starts at 3

May 6, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Ureuk World Music House hosts open stage

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Yene brings Ethiopian flavor, culture to Noryangjin

To most people, southwestern Seoul's Noryangjin is synonymous with seafood, once home to a beloved fisheries market that was demolished and replaced with one much less popular. But there's much more to the area — it is also the hub of Seoul's Ethiopian community. Sadly, large-scale urban renewal has led to their dispersal, but Ethiopians in Seoul keep returning to Noryangjin-dong. One place they gather is Yene Ethiopian Restaurant, an absolute gem of an eatery. In a bustling alleyway, music drifts up from the basement of the building housing Yene. It's definitely not Korean, and it gets even louder as you descend the stairs. Is this a nightclub or a restaurant? Either way, it's a good time. Yene's menu is helpful and well laid-out, with big color pictures of each item and written descriptions in English and Korean. There are separate pages for the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, as well as snacks and two pages of vegetarian options. Visiting on Easter Sunday, we were there for something not on the menu: kurt and kurt saga, two servings of raw beef typically enjoyed by Ethiopians on

Apr 28, 2025By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Yene brings Ethiopian flavor, culture to Noryangjin

Global Community

'Banned Book Club' authors make major statement by canceling US tour

With a heavy heart, American illustrator Ryan Estrada canceled a four-month trip to his home country with his Korean wife and collaborator, writer Kim Hyun Sook. After years of planning, and Kim quitting her day job, they ultimately decided that the United States is no longer a safe place to travel. "All it'd take is for a border guard to even suspect Hyun Sook was attending a book conference to falsely accuse her of planning illegal work and have ICE drag her handcuffed to a concrete cell. Finding out she writes BANNED books might put them in a mood to make things worse," Estrada said in a social media post on March 13. "WHO KNOWS how much worse things will get by the summer when we planned to leave, or while we were there. She wrote her book about living under a dictator to warn us that it was possible. Time has proven that it is, and I don't plan to make her relive it." Estrada and Kim, both Busan residents, gained global recognition with the release of "Banned Book Club," their graphic novel published in 2020 based on Kim's experiences at university in the 1980s when Korea was under

Apr 24, 2025By Jon Dunbar

'Banned Book Club' authors make major statement by canceling US tour

Global Community

DJ Utility Vest offers 'audio pilgrimage' of Korean afterlife rituals

There's a lot of Korean heritage on display in DJ Utility Vest's latest album. Translated into English as "Preparing for the Afterlife," it offers 13 electronic music tracks, as well as five spoken-word pieces taken from interviews, sermons and conversations that dive into spirituality with a distinctly Korean setting. "Over the last few years, I’ve been diving deep into Korean burial traditions, reading up on them, researching, watching documentaries and trying to understand the cultural and spiritual layers," he told The Korea Times. "While exploring all of this, I kept up a longtime habit of hunting for obscure albums, digging through flea markets around Seoul, mostly Dongmyo and Myeong-dong. I collected old cassette tapes, vinyl and Buddhist CDs, and I'm always trying to find sounds that feel dusty, aged and slightly out of tune with the present." DJ Utility Vest takes his privacy seriously, going so far as to not reveal what city he resides in or whether he's a Korean national or foreigner. He hides behind layers of alias and anonymity, the outermost two being his signature: He

Apr 23, 2025By Jon Dunbar

DJ Utility Vest offers 'audio pilgrimage' of Korean afterlife rituals

Global Community

Hechyeomoyeo prepares to wrap up 10th group exhibition with big closing party

The 10th Hechyeomoyeo (HCMY) group art exhibition is wrapping up this Friday after an action-packed 20 days. The exhibition brought together 270 artists — after pledging to cap the number at 200. Each received a space on the wall at Light Gallery in Yongsan District to display their work. The result was a mosaic of all kinds of different art displayed around the four walls of the gallery. According to Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith, the main organizer of HCMY, 120 of the participating artists were first-time exhibitiors. "Two of the artists have been in nine of the exhibitions," he added. "About a dozen have been in less than that but more than a few." The number of new people reflects the openness of the concept, inviting literally anyone to display their work or contribute in some other way. "What I like about Hechyeomoyeo is it's a bit more relaxed, a bit more free-form," said Barend Harris, a British maker of games, illustrations, music and software who displayed his art, as well as performed music during the event's run. He said he preferred the concept to many other art galleries, wh

Apr 15, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Hechyeomoyeo prepares to wrap up 10th group exhibition with big closing party

Global Community

Joep van Rhijn's flugelhorn cannot tell a lie in jazz album 'Between Fact & Fiction'

Dutch trumpet player Joep van Rhijn teams up with Korean pianist Yoonseung Cho on a new 50-minute album that explores the tension between fact and fiction. "It started with just an interest in the discussion about misinformation and different bubbles people are living in," van Rhijn, a long-term foreign resident, told The Korea Times. "That's a very serious topic, but in my opinion in music — or art in general — this tension between fact and fiction is what makes it magical." The eight songs on "Between Fact & Fiction" are pensive, minimalist and gentle, while also displaying the warm sensitivity van Rhijn is known for. Van Rhijn admitted that fact and fiction are a complicated theme to explore using the abstract music of instrumental jazz. "In instrumental music, it's hard to have a storyline which is clear for the audience. I guess it's similar with pictures or paintings in which there is a general mood or feeling and every viewer kind of creates their own story. And that's exactly what I like about music," he said. "The flugelhorn is my voice, it's just a tool, so it can't be dish

Apr 14, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Joep van Rhijn's flugelhorn cannot tell a lie in jazz album 'Between Fact & Fiction'

Global Community

More Canadians in Korea need to register to vote by mail

As the date for Canada's next federal election draws nearer, time is running out for Canadians living overseas to register to vote. Overseas Canadians can apply on the Elections Canada website to receive a voting kit in the mail. Registration remains open until April 22 at 6 p.m. Ottawa time, but with that date just six days before the election on April 28, that's cutting it dangerously close. "We really urge people to apply for their special ballot as soon as possible," said Elections Canada spokesperson Diane Benson. "We need to approve your application, send the voting kit to you and you need to get it back to us by the deadline on Election Day. You have to take into account how long it might take to get through both Canadian and international postal systems." To add your name to the International Register of Electors, you must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on polling day, be living outside Canada and have lived in Canada at some point in your life. You need to show one form of identification, which can include a passport, Canadian citizenship certificate or card or

Apr 9, 2025By Jon Dunbar

More Canadians in Korea need to register to vote by mail

Global Community

Japan's Texas 3000 set to tour Busan, Seoul

A lot of bands have insisted they're absolutely not emo. But Texas 3000 seems to claim the title "midwest emo" despite being located in Japan, far from the U.S. Midwest, and also the fact that their complex, noisy sound defies easy classification. "To be honest, I don’t think any of us have ever listened to emo," Jojo, the band's guitarist and vocalist, told The Korea Times. "Sakiyama, our drummer, loves Tool and Meshuggah, and his Instagram handle is @johnbonhamfreak. Kirin, our bass player, loves Khruangbin, Elliot Smith and jazz fusion. I’m a big '00s-era David Pajo and Jim O’Rourke fan. But we’re a rock n roll band, and our music is definitely emotional." Their music may sometimes sound a little closer to emo, but things aren't always so straightforward or linear. Their sound is a little more versatile rock if an artist took a pair of scissors to it or a looper. Their latest album, "Weird Dreams," released April 2, makes great leaps between genres across five songs. Starting with "Strange Cherry Red," a pretty straightforward alternative rock song, before skipping to hip-hop

Apr 6, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Japan's Texas 3000 set to tour Busan, Seoul

Global Community

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Why are Filipinos raving about this Itaewon chicken restaurant?

FRYb, a small restaurant just south of Itaewon's QuyNhon-gil, describes itself as an "American Fried Bistro." However, members of the local Filipino community have noticed something else about it. Perhaps it's the lowercase "b" in "FRYb," which officially stands for "bistro" but somewhat evokes the name of the iconic Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee. I won't dispute fried chicken's American origin, but a few distinct features in FRYb's menu reveal that this is American food brought to you via the Philippines. Fried chicken and spaghetti are both common foods in the U.S., but paired together? That screams Jollibee. Chicken with a side of white rice and a little cup of gravy wouldn't be too unusual in the U.S., but it is also signature Jollibee. The Korean owner of FRYb stood by his claim that his food is American but added that he's added his own unique style to it. He then added that, yes, he went to high school in the Philippines, so he is certainly familiar with Jollibee. As soon as I heard about FRYb, thanks to a Filipino studying at Sungkyunkwan University, I immediately sought it

Apr 4, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Jon Dunbar

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Irish community organizes sunrise walk to promote mental well-being

Ureuk World Music House hosts open stage

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Yene brings Ethiopian flavor, culture to Noryangjin

'Banned Book Club' authors make major statement by canceling US tour

DJ Utility Vest offers 'audio pilgrimage' of Korean afterlife rituals

Hechyeomoyeo prepares to wrap up 10th group exhibition with big closing party

Joep van Rhijn's flugelhorn cannot tell a lie in jazz album 'Between Fact & Fiction'

More Canadians in Korea need to register to vote by mail

Japan's Texas 3000 set to tour Busan, Seoul

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Why are Filipinos raving about this Itaewon chicken restaurant?

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