The Korea Times

Solas sunrise walk shines light on mental health awareness

In four cities across Korea, more than 200 people participated in the annual Solas sunrise walk on Saturday, bringing local and international communities together for the third time in a nationwide show of solidarity for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Organized by the Irish Association of Korea (IAK), the early morning walk events were held simultaneously in Seoul and Busan, on Jeju Island and, for the first time, in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, aimed at spreading awareness of mental health and well-being, while also raising funds to support mental health counseling services in Korea. In Seoul, about 100 people gathered near Yeouinaru Station on Seoul Metro Line 5 at 4 a.m. wearing green T-shirts for the annual 5-kilometer community walk known as Solas, from the Irish word for "light.” The organizers stressed that the event was about connection, reminding each other that even in difficult times, there is comfort in community and strength in togetherness. “There’s an Irish saying: 'Ní neart go cur le chéile,' there is no strength without unity," Warren Neiland,

Jun 1, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Solas sunrise walk shines light on mental health awareness

Global Community

Incheon's Crocat House hosts group exhibition featuring 6 Korean, global artists

A group of Korean and foreign artists opened an exhibition at Crocat House, a new cultural and arts complex in Incheon that is transforming an old industrial waterfront zone into a platform for exhibitions, performances, pop-ups, seminars, busking and community events. The exhibition, titled "Felt Seams — What the Tide Erases, the Body Holds," tells a narrative in which seams emerge between body and world, memory and image, past and present, private feeling and shared space. Hence, six artists moving through different materials, places and sensibilities trace seams between what is felt and what remains. For Korean artist and curator Sung A Jang, art is less about fixed definitions and more about exchanges between ideas, people and spaces. Having grown up moving between Korea and the United States, she developed a fluid understanding of identity, belonging and place, which strongly informs both her art and curatorial approach. “I’m a third culture kid. I grew up hopping back and forth between Korea and the U.S. I see things as essentially fluid — identity, place, belonging, mediu

May 25, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Incheon's Crocat House hosts group exhibition featuring 6 Korean, global artists

Global Community

Indian actor Anupam Tripathi returns to stage for 'The Third War' in Gwangju

Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, best known for his featured role in Season 1 of Netflix's "Squid Game," is returning to the stage for “The Third War,” an experimental opera and theatrical production. The production is written and directed by Bonn Park, a German Korean playwright and director known for creating immersive and highly imaginative theatrical worlds. The music is composed by Ben Roessler, who has previously collaborated with the director on several acclaimed productions. In an interview with The Korea Times, Tripathi emphasized themes of joy, coexistence and representation, as immigrants are an essential part of the story. “In the play, I’m from the foreigners’ world, and I play a father character," he said. "Our world talks about happiness and joy. We try to present even the smallest things in a joyful way through music, costumes and operatic performance.” "The Third War" is set in a fictional world where magic exists. It explores conflicts between three different nations through perspectives that examine how truth, fiction, fear and propaganda become distorted duri

May 19, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Indian actor Anupam Tripathi returns to stage for 'The Third War' in Gwangju

Global Community

Irish community-led sunrise walk for mental health expands across 4 cities in Korea

The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) will host the annual Solas sunrise walk on Saturday, May 30, bringing local and international communities together for the third time in a nationwide show of solidarity for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. This year, the early morning event takes place simultaneously in Seoul, Busan, Jeju and, for the first time, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Now in its third year, Solas has evolved from a relatively small community gathering into a nationwide awareness campaign focused on compassion, resilience and mental health support. Organizers believe the event’s continued expansion demonstrates a growing recognition that mental well-being is a shared social responsibility. Alan Leavy, chairman of the IAK, said the event's growing scale reflects the strong support for mental health awareness initiatives within Korea’s Irish and international communities. “It is encouraging to see more people willing to come together in support of one another and engage in conversations that can often be difficult but are deeply important,” he said. He men

May 15, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Irish community-led sunrise walk for mental health expands across 4 cities in Korea

Global Community

Global citizens attend peace concert at Chungju's Ureuk World Music House

The annual spring music event at Ureuk World Music House on April 25 once again brought together global citizens under the theme “Open Heart Open Stage.” People sang, danced, played and shared food they had brought, potluck-style. The traditional Korean house, located at the foot of a forested hill in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, is owned by Anna Cybele, a musician originally from New York. As always, it felt like a magical place; rural layers of green hills hugging a gorgeous hanok lovingly restored were brightened by the global artists and guests, coming originally from Korea, the U.S., Canada, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Ethiopia and China. For Cybele, the afternoon was another tale of magic in the fantasyland of Ureuk World Music House. “So many kind and happy people, strangers who instantly became friends, gathered and brought amazing home-cooked food, and sang and danced, and hugged and laughed,” she said. Cybele, a classically trained singer, as well as a raga/jazz/pop-influenced singer-songwriter, opened the concert with her Iranian friend Amir by

May 10, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Global citizens attend peace concert at Chungju's Ureuk World Music House

Global Community

Korean American artist exhibits 'Along the LOVE Road' series in Seoul, Buyeo

New York-based Korean American visual artist Sungmo Cho is returning to his homeland after 14 years, bringing his artworks to exhibit at various galleries across the country. Having moved to New York in 1992, his path has been one of adaptation and transformation. His creative works reflect a lifelong reflection on humanity, shaped by migration, memory and a deep connection to nature. The contrast between Korean and American cultures has profoundly shaped Cho’s artistic identity. He has exhibited widely, with more than 30 solo shows in New York, Korea and Japan, in addition to over 150 group shows in four countries. “Like many immigrants, it’s not easy to live as an artist. You have to work, and everything feels unfamiliar — the culture, the language, even daily life,” he told The Korea Times. He recalls the early years as challenging. Yet, over time, he learned to navigate and embrace the differences between Korean society's collectivist nature and American individualism, gradually forming a dual identity that he now carries with ease. “In America, people don’t care what yo

May 8, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Korean American artist exhibits 'Along the LOVE Road' series in Seoul, Buyeo

Global Community

African writers share global insights on Afropolitanism, Black consciousness at Korea University

Two prominent African writers engaged Korea University students in Seoul in a discussion on Afropolitanism and Black consciousness, offering global perspectives through a “glocal” lens. The seminar, held on March 31 and co-hosted by the Network for Glocal Activism and the Institute of African Cultural Studies in Korea, featured renowned author Ishmael Beah of Sierra Leone and South African linguist and researcher Zukile Jama. For Beah, a memoirist and human rights advocate, writing is a way to reclaim ownership over African narratives. “For many years, our stories have been told by other people,” he told The Korea Times. “Even when well-intentioned, they often miss the context. And without the right context, people form stereotypes and incomplete conclusions.” Beah is best known for his 2007 memoir, "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier," in which he recounts his experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War in the 1990s. The book gained international recognition for its powerful and personal portrayal of war, trauma and recovery. His work has reached

Apr 25, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

African writers share global insights on Afropolitanism, Black consciousness at Korea University

Global Community

Gimpo, 'second hometown' of Bangladeshi Jumma community, celebrates new year with Boi-Sa-Bi festival

The new year is celebrated by Bangladesh's Indigenous Jumma community annually in mid-April, during a three-day festival called Boi-Sa-Bi. Here in Korea, the Jumma community held its own Boi-Sa-Bi year-end and new year celebration for the 21st year on Sunday at Hangang New Town Lake Park in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Organized by the Jumma People's Network Korea (JPNK), established in 2002, and the Gimpo City Foreign Residents' Support Center, the celebration opened with a traditional flower-offering ceremony, a peace march featuring representatives of all 11 Jumma ethnic groups, and a samul nori (Korean percussion) performance by the Kkogume Pungmuldan troupe. The most important traditional festival of the Jumma people, Boi-Sa-Bi is short for Boishuk Sangrai Bizu, a combination of the first syllables of the names for traditional new year festivals of three ethnic groups in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT): Bizu for the Chakma people, Sangrai for the Marma people and Boishuk for the Tripura people. It is observed on the final two days of the old year on the local lunar calendar a

Apr 19, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Gimpo, 'second hometown' of Bangladeshi Jumma community, celebrates new year with Boi-Sa-Bi festival

Global Community

Despite global shipping challenges, ART OnO 2026 fair brings galleries, artists to Seoul

Ongoing conflicts are impacting every corner of the global economy this year, and the art world is no exception. International art fairs have been experiencing an impact through increased shipping prices and delivery delays. Despite these challenges, the third edition of Art OnO fair, which ran April 3-5 at SETEC in southern Seoul's Gangnam District, brought together a wide range of exhibitors from countries including Germany, Japan, Romania, Finland, Russia, China, Switzerland, Thailand and Tanzania, alongside Korea. The widespread disruptions in global supply chains caused by the Middle East conflict made their effects felt at this year's art event, Noh Jae-myung, founder of ART OnO, told The Korea Times in an April 2 interview. “It has definitely affected shipping,” he said. “Prices have increased significantly, and more importantly, delivery times have been delayed. Some galleries struggled to receive their crates on time, but fortunately, we managed to receive everything as scheduled.” Despite these logistical hurdles, Noh said the fair ultimately succeeded in maintaining it

Apr 16, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Despite global shipping challenges, ART OnO 2026 fair brings galleries, artists to Seoul

Global Community

Burkinabé choreographer and dancer aims to heal Korea through movement

Sanou Emmanuel arrived in Korea from Burkina Faso in 2012, carrying more than a suitcase but bringing an entire philosophy of life, shaped by the rhythms and movements of West African dance. Today, nearly 14 years later, he stands as one of the most distinctive and quietly influential African figures in Seoul's contemporary dance scene. He leads a group of four dancers and three musicians, under the performance brand Koule Kan Together, creating spaces where African traditional movement meets contemporary choreography, and where the stage becomes a forum for human connection. “In Africa, dance has always made us be together. When I came here, I could feel people becoming alone. And I could see many suicides. It made me sick. Korea has everything for living, everything to be comfortable," he told The Korea Times, his voice carrying a mix of admiration and concern. "Why do people commit suicide? In Burkina Faso, life is very difficult; it is not a rich country. But I never hear of somebody taking their life. Because the community is there." Originally established in Burkina Faso, Koule

Apr 6, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Bereket Alemayehu

Read more

Solas sunrise walk shines light on mental health awareness

Incheon's Crocat House hosts group exhibition featuring 6 Korean, global artists

Indian actor Anupam Tripathi returns to stage for 'The Third War' in Gwangju

Irish community-led sunrise walk for mental health expands across 4 cities in Korea

Global citizens attend peace concert at Chungju's Ureuk World Music House

Korean American artist exhibits 'Along the LOVE Road' series in Seoul, Buyeo

African writers share global insights on Afropolitanism, Black consciousness at Korea University

Gimpo, 'second hometown' of Bangladeshi Jumma community, celebrates new year with Boi-Sa-Bi festival

Despite global shipping challenges, ART OnO 2026 fair brings galleries, artists to Seoul

Burkinabé choreographer and dancer aims to heal Korea through movement

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