South Korea - The Korea Times

D. Hall perfects stand-up comedy through 'Nunchi'

Stand-up comedian D. Hall / Courtesy of Kyungsu Shin By Rory KellyD. Hall never forgets about who's watching. “I definitely view the audience as a collaborator in having a great evening,” he told The Korea Times. An American living in Korea, Hall says the Korean concept of “nunchi,” introduced to him by friends here, has shaped how he approaches his craft. Remaining critical in new environments and trying to intuit others' feelings without using spoken language is a skill that any foreigner needs, but one that also translates well to stand-up comedy. Overall, it's also allowed him to have more fulfilling experiences in life. His newest comedy special, happening this April, is titled “Nunchi.”Hall started doing stand-up eight years ago, having been interested in the art form for most of his life. His comedy inspirations include a long list of celebrities although he says the funniest jokes always come from family and friends, the people closest to him. He originally

Apr 17, 2023By Jon Dunbar

D. Hall perfects stand-up comedy through 'Nunchi'

Phillies announces last party before move to new location

Phillies Pub in central Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood, April 9 / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarAfter more than 26 years in its current location, Phillies is moving out and reopening nearby. The restaurant-pub has undergone ownership changes many times and gone through a few rebrandings and expansions, but it has been a fixture of central Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood since opening in 1997. Last year, it was announced that the place would be closing its doors on Dec. 31, 2022, when the lease was to expire. All other tenants living in the apartments upstairs have also moved away. Somehow Phillies managed to stay open a few months more as the details were negotiated. But shortly after celebrating its 26th anniversary, a deal has been reached, and Phillies will close on April 17. “It is tough losing the space,” said Jim Cuthbertson, who took over ownership of Phillies in 2011. “There are a lot of great memories. I met my wife and a lot of great friends at Phillies.”Phillies owner Jim Cuthbertson, center, gives a speech during the restaurant-pub

Apr 11, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Phillies announces last party before move to new location

Violinist Big Lux returns to Korea

Violinist Big Lux / Courtesy of Big LuxBy Jon DunbarIt's been over five years since Big Lux last set foot in Korea, but he's happy to be back in a place he considers a “second home.” “The last time I came back to Korea in 2017, even after being gone two years, I couldn't walk down the street in HBC (Seoul's Haebangchon) without bumping into someone I knew,” he told The Korea Times. The violinist is here until the end of the month, with shows lined up so far in Seoul and Busan. His music brings the violin to a variety of musical genres, including classical, jazz, bluegrass and hip-hop, wowing audiences from here to Afghanistan and all the way back to the U.S. Violinist Big Lux / Courtesy of Big Lux“Bowed string instruments ― the violin, viola and cello ― are the instruments that sound closest to the human voice,” he said. “The human voice gives us everything from metal to R&B, hip-hop to opera. It took me a long time to grow into my singing voice so I just used the tools I had to make the kind of music I wanted to hear. It's 2023 ― the onl

Apr 11, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Adolescents with diverse backgrounds invited to Rainbow School for Korean education

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family invites adolescents with immigrant backgrounds including North Korean defectors and children of multicultural families to the Rainbow School offering Korean language and career education programs. A poster for the Rainbow School / Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and FamilyThe ministry said Wednesday that those aged between nine and 24 can apply for entrance. The Rainbow School offers 200 to 400 hours of level-based Korean language education annually as well as programs to help adolescents explore their future careers and attain certificates of qualification such as barista licenses.“As the number of adolescents with immigrant backgrounds has continued increasing, supporting those who have trouble adjusting to their schools has become a very important task,” a ministry official said. According to the ministry data, the number of adolescents with immigrant backgrounds has increased from 249,274 in 2020 to 280,541 in 2022.In a 2021 survey of children of multicultural families, 56.2 percent of the respondents cit

Apr 5, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Adolescents with diverse backgrounds invited to Rainbow School for Korean education

Gwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrects

Jang Bo-in, left, poses with her former boss Tim Whitman at The Alleyway in Gwangju, March 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz By Arlo Matisz“I missed The Alleyway.”Jang Bo-in ― or just Bo to her friends and coworkers ― voiced what so many people in Gwangju have felt for the past two years. As a former cook at The First Alleyway, she may have felt this more acutely than most, but she did something about it. She rebooted it. The pandemic served as a catalyst for a massive downturn in the global economy, and while COVID-19 took lives, the government's response to mitigate the spread of the disease left casualties of its own. Comparative health statistics from the last several years tell the tale of an averted health crisis in Korea, but the strict regulations for the service industry as well as the general drop in demand for face-to-face patronage meant such businesses operated for years in the red. A rational business response to repeated losses is to close.The downtown co

Mar 31, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Gwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrects

Foreigners under 19 to get free admission to royal palaces

An exterior view of Gyeongbok Palace, a royal palace from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Seoul / Cultural Heritage AdministrationForeigners under the age of 19 can visit major royal palaces and tombs without paying admission fees starting next month, the cultural heritage authority said Wednesday.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it has recently revised its rules on visits to royal palaces and tombs to include free admission for foreign minors. The rules will come into force Saturday, it added.Currently, all foreigners are required to pay admission fees when they visit those sites, while admission is free for Koreans under the age of 25."The revision was made in consideration of changes in the social structure, such as the increase in long-term stays of foreign nationals due to international marriages and the influx of foreign workers, and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child," a CHA official said of the reason for the revision, under the customary condition of anonymity. The UNCRC prohibits discrimination against children under the age of 18 regardless of th

Mar 29, 2023

Foreigners under 19 to get free admission to royal palaces

TEMPLE ADVENTURES Haedong Yonggung Temple prospers on Busan's coast

Haedong Yonggung Temple overlooks the sea. / Courtesy of Dale QuarringtonBy Dale QuarringtonSo much about Korea has changed, and so much continues to change. In Korea, there are three different types of temples that can be organized into groups based upon their age. In the first group, you'll find hundreds of historic temples that were built several centuries ago, if not a millennium or more. Then there is the modern type of temple built within the past 100 years. And found between these two groups of temples is the modern temple built upon the foundational grounds of a historic temple site. It's to this group that Haedong Yonggung Temple belongs. Haedong Yonggung Temple, which is also known as the temple by the sea, is located in Gijang County of eastern Busan. The coastal temple is arguably one of the most beautifully situated in all of Korea, and it's undergone numerous changes throughout recent years. It is reflective of the changes that have swept across Korean society both economically and culturally. Haedong Yonggung Temple, which translates to “Korean Dragon Palace Temp

Mar 27, 2023By Jon Dunbar

[TEMPLE ADVENTURES] Haedong Yonggung Temple prospers on Busan's coast

Suwon pizzeria hosts Jamaican patty pop-up

A Jamaican meat patty from Mike's Korean Kitchen / Courtesy of Mike's Korean KitchenBy Jon DunbarCorner Pizzeria in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is hosting a pop-up event this Saturday, selling Jamaican meat patties made by Mike's Korean Kitchen, a social media culinary project. “I just love cooking and know what it's like to not be able to get the things you crave,” said Mike, the guy behind the pop-up. “This popup is just trying to push my hobby to the limits.”On his YouTube channel, founded in 2016, he shows how it's possible to make any food in Korea. His videos cover things as simple as cookies and brownies, as well as frozen foods and TV dinners, basic stuff that foreign residents living in Korea might miss from back home. Missing food from one's home country can be a major cause of homesickness, and finding ways to overcome that feeling can help to improve quality of life while living abroad. “I don't miss any food from America really because I can make it or find a place nowadays,” Mike admitted.A Jamaican patty is a bright golden semicircular

Mar 27, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Suwon pizzeria hosts Jamaican patty pop-up

Multiculturalism campaign kicks off

Sunfull Foundation Chairman Min Byung-chul, front row third from right, attends the launching event of a campaign to encourage respect for multicultural families and foreign residents in Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Lawmakers and some 40 foreign diplomats were also present. Yonhap

Mar 27, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Campaign launched to promote equal treatment for multicultural families

A poster for the Respect for Multicultural Families and All Ethnic Groups in Korea campaign / Courtesy of Sunfull FoundationBy Jun Ji-hyeThe National Assembly Sunfull Committee, together with the Sunfull Foundation, will hold a ceremony at the National Assembly next Monday to launch a campaign promoting equal treatment for multicultural families and ethnic groups living in Korea. Called Respect for Multicultural Families and All Ethnic Groups in Korea, the campaign is also aimed at informing the public of the roles people of different ethnic backgrounds play in Korea's economy and culture.In addition to National Assembly members, ambassadors from 24 countries and deputy ambassadors from 14 countries will participate in the launch ceremony to discuss challenges facing multicultural families and foreign nationals here and also ways to resolve social conflicts.“We will push to ease regulations such as improving employment conditions so that foreign students can get a job in Korea more easily after graduation,” said Rep. Hong Seok-joon from the ruling People Power Party who i

Mar 22, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

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