South Korea - The Korea Times

PINNACLE'S ITAEWON Jazz, nighttime cafe and Punjabi vegan pop-up

Pinnacle TheHustler, proprietor of Lit Lounge and your guide to Itaewon's nightlifeBy Pinnacle TheHustlerExperience a whirlwind of captivating events in the heart of Itaewon this June. Linus BBQ, Sit And Sip, and Vivi's Veggie are hosting special events that promise to engage your senses and create unforgettable moments for you and your friends.Linus BBQ: Gypsy Jazz Jam DayJoin Linus BBQ on June 13 from 5 p.m. until closing at 9 p.m. for a captivating evening of Gypsy Jazz. This jam session invites jazz musicians and enthusiasts to immerse themselves in soulful melodies and electrifying rhythms. Bring your instruments or just come and let the music inspire you. As a special treat, participating musicians can enjoy a barbecue sandwich and beverage at a generous 50 percent discount. To support the venue and enhance the experience for everyone, visitors are kindly requested to order at least one menu item each. Parking is available at the Yongsan District Office parking lot. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of this mesmerizing jam session at Linus BBQ.Follow @gypsy_jazz_kr for mor

Jun 7, 2023By Jon Dunbar

[PINNACLE'S ITAEWON] Jazz, nighttime cafe and Punjabi vegan pop-up

Public welcomed to rediscover newly demilitarized land in Yongsan Children's Garden

A house formerly used by U.S. Forces Korea personnel and their families at Yongsan Children's Garden in central Seoul, is dwarfed by Korean skyscrapers in the distance, May 19. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarYongsan Children's Garden opened on May 4 in 300,000 square meters of returned land from a corner of U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan in the middle of Seoul. Inside, visitors can see landscape views rarely glimpsed until now by civilian eyes. A cozy neighborhood in Yongsan Children's Garden in central Seoul is dwarfed by tall Korean buildings in the distance, May 19. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarIt took this reporter four visits to finally make it inside. On the second attempt the day after it opened, a worker at the gate near Sinyongsan Station on Seoul Metro Line 4 explained the reservation system, which is convenient to use, even for foreigners in English. No dates were available for almost two weeks, which is a pretty long wait. Finally, on returning on May 19, I was turned back due to having forgotten my passport. On a fourth visit, I made it inside ― but

Jun 4, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Public welcomed to rediscover newly demilitarized land in Yongsan Children's Garden

LIFE'S OLLE TRAILS 1 How hiking Jeju's 437km of trails changed my life

One of Jeju's native birds sits atop an Olle Trail ribbon, July 25, 2021. / Courtesy of Rachel StineBy Rachel StineWant to know a secret that'll get me canceled on Twitter?When I first arrived on Jeju Island…I hated it.This was not “the Hawaii of Korea” the Immigrant Integration Program textbooks raved about. Twelve months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself staring out the window of a 151 bus, thinking Jeju looked less “Hawaii vibes” and more “abandoned theme park.”Mascot statues, faded and chipped, towered over empty parking lots. The sky was gray. The ground was covered in snow. After almost eight years of living in Korea, I had finally come to this fabled resort island, and it looked like a gutted hotel.I just wanted to go back to Haebangchon.Back in that old Seoul neighborhood, my emergency contacts ― a lesbian couple that owned a sex shop ― were just three minutes away. My neighbors arranged an emergency pet care group when COVID-19 emerged. In that community under N Seoul Tower, I never really felt alone.These days social media

Jun 4, 2023By Jon Dunbar

[LIFE'S OLLE TRAILS 1] How hiking Jeju's 437km of trails changed my life

Hair of the Dog celebrates 8th anniversary

MJ pours a drink at Hair of the Dog in central Seoul's Haebangchon, May 29. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarHair of the Dog, a neighborhood bar located in central Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood, turns eight. That's 51 in dog years, and it's probably even older for a small business in Seoul. There will be an anniversary party this Saturday, offering food, quizzes and raffles. The raffle prizes include gift certificates, bottles of liquor, baseball tickets, hair products and dog treats. A box for raffle tickets at Hair of the Dog in central Seoul's Haebangchon, May 29 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar“If you are looking for a new local, and to make new friends in the community, this is the place for you,” said the proprietor of Hair of the Dog, known to foreign customers as MJ. “Leave your pretensions at the door, come in and find yourself at home.”Over the eight years she's been running the place, she's seen a lot of changes, both to the neighborhood and also in the people frequenting her bar. Many of her regular customers, especially foreigners

May 29, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Hair of the Dog celebrates 8th anniversary

Newly reopened Skunk Hell hosts punk wedding concert

Korean punk musician Jinu Konda and his wife Krista / Courtesy of Jinu KondaBy Jon DunbarMost wedding ceremonies in Korea are done quickly at chintzy assembly-line facilities, but punk musician Jinu Konda and his wife Krista decided that's not for them. Instead, they're having a party this Saturday at Skunk Sindang, a newly reopened punk club previously located in Nogosan-dong, Sangsu-dong and Mullae-dong. “There will be no rings, no vows, no cheesy speeches ― only rock 'n' roll and booze,” Jinu told The Korea Times. The two already registered their marriage on paper earlier this year. Korean punk musician Jinu Konda and his wife Krista / Courtesy of Jinu Konda“Krista and I actually don't like the traditional marriage system because we think it is nothing but another patriarchy bullshit which discriminates women and LGBTQ people's rights, and also limits free civil union,” Jinu said. “Ironically the fact that we both don't like the traditional marriage system brought us together. Every time we talked about things we realized that we have the same 'unpopu

May 29, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Newly reopened Skunk Hell hosts punk wedding concert

LA comic comes to Seoul for Ladies' Night

Stand-up comedian Julie Weidmann / Courtesy of Julie Weidmann By Jon DunbarSome of the funniest women in Korea will take to the stage for Ladies' Night Comedy Show this Friday night.Produced by Kristen Pimley of Stand Up Seoul and Fernando of Dark de Gary Comedy Club, the show features five female comedians from around the world. Headlining the one-night event will be Julie Weidmann, who's traveling all the way from Los Angeles for the occasion. When asked how the organizers convinced her to come to Korea, Weidmann told The Korea Times, “Absolutely no convincing was necessary. I am thrilled to be making my first trip to South Korea and performing in Seoul.”Weidmann has performed at comedy clubs across the U.S., as well as appearing on Sirius XM, Boston Comedy Festival, Coachella Improv/Comedy Festival, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and Plano Comedy Festival. She also stayed busy throughout the pandemic, focusing on her writing and doing online shows. “It was fantastic in the

May 29, 2023By Jon Dunbar

LA comic comes to Seoul for Ladies' Night

RAS KOREA Preserving memories at Cheongju City Archives

A typical village on the outskirts of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in 1976 / Courtesy of Steven L. ShieldsBy Steven L. ShieldsI met archivist Lee Shin-ja of the Cheongju City Archives in a serendipitous turn of events. We discussed an entirely different matter when my history with Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, came up. I was a lad of 20 when I lived in the city for almost a year, back in 1976 while studying the Korean language. Being an avid hobbyist photographer and an inherent anthropologist, I took photos of the city and its environs, places, buildings and seemingly random scenes. The bridge into Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in 1976 with an international flair was always a welcome sight. / Courtesy of Steven L. ShieldsMs. Lee was enthralled and asked if I would share some of those photos with her. I sent some, and soon that few became almost 100 scenes of the city and daily life in the mid-1970s. Ms. Lee facilitated the city archives acquiring my collection, which I gladly donated for their historical records.During my first visit to the archive a few mon

May 28, 2023By Jon Dunbar

[RAS KOREA] Preserving memories at Cheongju City Archives

Jeju-based shamanism researcher documents connection between humans, crows

A shaman altar on Jeju Island is strewn with food and alcohol offerings. / Courtesy of Joey RositanoBy Hallie BradleyContinuing his exploration of Jeju's unique cultural practices, Joey Rositano now presents his latest project, “Scattering,” planned to be a photography book centered around the crow feeding rituals on Jeju Island. Rositano, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, has been living and working on Jeju Island since 2006. Fascinated by the island's shamanic shrines and their worship, Rositano embarked on a journey to explore and document this polytheistic religion, which remains largely unknown even to the local city dwellers of Jeju. This time, drawing on his background in anthropology, Rositano has created a fascinating 150-page “research art” photo book, providing captivating insights into the practice of scattering. “On Jeju Island, in Jeju language there is the term 'keurigi' which literally means the act of scattering. This is a small act, but its full meaning is much bigger,” Rositano told The Korea Times. “In the context of s

May 28, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Jeju-based shamanism researcher documents connection between humans, crows

INTERVIEW How 'bojagi' helped adoptee reconnect with Korean roots

Dawn Tomlinson, a Korean adoptee bojagi artist from Minnesota, poses with her Minnesota Textile Group project at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kwon Mee-yooDawn Tomlinson is a Korean adoptee who found her passion in "bojagi," or Korean wrapping cloths made with fabric strips or scraps, and she sees bojagi as a connection to her Korean heritage. The act of sewing leftover fabric fragments into bojagi resonates with her journey as a Korean adoptee rediscovering her roots, threading together the fragments of her identity."We, mixed-race adoptees, felt like garbage... I have a friend who made himself a very accomplished man who is a mixed-race adoptee. He said when he was young, he lived in the streets and people would call him 'dust of the streets,'" Tomlinson said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday. "I don't have those memories and am really grateful that I don't, but I feel bonded and we (adoptees) are in this together as we could have been the garbage. (In bojagi-making) there is this idea that y

May 26, 2023By Kwon Mee-yoo

[INTERVIEW] How 'bojagi' helped adoptee reconnect with Korean roots

No. of foreigners who feel discriminated against in Seoul drops sharply: survey

Foreigners, dressed in hanbok, the traditional Korean attire, visit Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul in this March 29 photo. YonhapMore foreign residents living in Seoul feel happier than KoreansBy Ko Dong-hwanThe number of foreign residents in Seoul who felt discriminated against by local Koreans in 2022 dropped significantly from two years earlier, according to a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the details of which were released, Thursday.Among the 2,500 foreign respondents, who had been legally residing in the city for 91 days or longer, 38.1 percent indicated that they had experienced discrimination from Korean nationals, down 15 percent from 2020.The survey was conducted from Sep. 15 to Oct. 31, during which surveyors from the Big Data Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Digital Policy Bureau visited the homes of respondents. Most of the foreign residents who felt discriminated against said they experienced such treatment in the workplace, which accounted for 28 percent, while 20 percent said they experienced discrimination at local shops, restaurants or banks.

May 25, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Global Community

Global Community

PINNACLE'S ITAEWON Jazz, nighttime cafe and Punjabi vegan pop-up

Public welcomed to rediscover newly demilitarized land in Yongsan Children's Garden

LIFE'S OLLE TRAILS 1 How hiking Jeju's 437km of trails changed my life

Hair of the Dog celebrates 8th anniversary

Newly reopened Skunk Hell hosts punk wedding concert

LA comic comes to Seoul for Ladies' Night

RAS KOREA Preserving memories at Cheongju City Archives

Jeju-based shamanism researcher documents connection between humans, crows

INTERVIEW How 'bojagi' helped adoptee reconnect with Korean roots

No. of foreigners who feel discriminated against in Seoul drops sharply: survey

Most Read in South Korea