South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea's aging country music scene and the disappearance of Kimchi Kitty

Jo Young-gil appears on a Korean Grand Ole Opry poster, with Kimchi Kitty on the left. / Courtesy of Jo Young-gil By Martin LimonThe Korean Grand Ole Opry performed on most of the over 50 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) bases spread throughout South Korea from the early 1970s until well into the 1990s. They were a massive hit, playing in the officers' clubs for generals and colonels as well as for senior NCOs, and even in the enlisted clubs for the lonely privates far from home.Jo Young-gil formed the group and he led them through hundreds of performances from as far north as the Joint Security Area (JSA), literally in the DMZ, to as far south as Busan on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula. He's 82 years old now and I recently had the opportunity to speak to him by phone. He still has the verve of youth and even though he modestly claims that his command of English has deteriorated, he still speaks it very well ― unexpectedly, with what seems to be a Tennessee ac

Mar 21, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Korea's aging country music scene and the disappearance of Kimchi Kitty

Local band Oily Rag flies to Japan

Oily Rag plays its very final Seoul show at Rollers Bar, Feb. 25. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarThe year of Bovver has come to an end. The British skinhead, known to his friends only as Bovver, a Cockney word for violence, has left the country after a whirlwind year here. He shook up the local underground music scene, helping to energize it as it emerged out of the pandemic while also making plenty of friends and enemies.“The scene is too small,” he lamented to The Korea Times. “The kids are out studying all the time. I've made a mate in Japan recently, he's 19 and a skinhead. That'd be rare in Korea. The culture of studying in Korea limits the scene. I hope one day more young people can enjoy their youth.”And with that, he's moved back to Japan, where he lived before his year in Korea, and he's taking his band, Oily Rag, with him, for one show this weekend. When asked what he liked about Korea over Japan, he had two quick answers. “In Japan, you have to plan far ahead usually; in Korea, it's very easy to organize a show with short notice

Mar 21, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Latvian-Korean fusion band improvises music

LAproviKO performs at The Studio HBC, Oct. 26, 2022. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarA performer asks the audience to shout out words. Once selected, the word is used to inspire the musicians on stage, and they launch into a new and unique creation. No two shows will ever be the same for LAproviKO, a Latvian-Korean fusion band whose name stands for “Latvia,” “improvisation” and “Korea.” “I think that there are no better or worse words,” said Martins Baumanis, the Latvian keyboard player and leader of the band. “We've had the most mundane words generate the most elaborate and beautiful soundscape or piece. It just gives us a little springboard to start with and I usually go with my first instinct and encourage our band to do the same. I really enjoy the openness feeling of this format and it also makes the audience listen a bit more, as they are a part of the creation process.”The band mixes Western instruments like keyboard and guitar with Korean instruments such as the “gayageum” (zither) and &ldqu

Mar 20, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Latvian-Korean fusion band improvises music

St. Patrick's Day celebration returns to Seoul

A previous St. Patrick's Day celebration in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station / Courtesy of Irish Association of KoreaBy Jon DunbarAfter four long years, the Irish Association of Korea is resuming its St. Patrick's Day festival this Saturday, at D-Cube City by Sindorim Station on Seoul Metro lines 1 and 2. Music, dance, food and culture will be offered from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. A raffle will be held, with prizes including a round-trip flight to your home country and a deluxe hotel stay for two at the Conrad hotel. The lineup of musicians including Ha Reem, Ceoltoiri Craic, Seoul Shamrocks, Rince, Dunnie, Michelle Paris, Rae Bae, Spartan Brass, Honey Jam Sam and Patchwork Road. At 8 p.m., the fun moves to JR Pub in Itaewon for an after-party that will run late. “At D-Cube I will be performing an acoustic set with my friend Rae,” Dunne said. “We will be playing and singing some contemporary Irish hits that will hopefully get the crowd singing along with us, to close out the festival,” said Dunne, an Irish national living in Seoul. “In the evening I will be up o

Mar 16, 2023By Jon Dunbar

St. Patrick's Day celebration returns to Seoul

Promising boxer from Ukraine dreams of representing Korea

Anatolii Yem, right, a teenage boxer from Ukraine who moved to Korea last year after Russia began its invasion of his home country, holds hands with Gimhae Mayor Hong Tae-yong at Gimhae City Hall, March 3. Courtesy of Gimhae CityBy Jun Ji-hyeGimhae City in South Gyeongsang Province is pushing for special naturalization of a teenage boxer from Ukraine who has moved to Korea after Russia began its invasion of his home country last year. Anatolii Yem entered Korea in March last year ― a month after the outbreak of the war ― to live with his parents who had already moved to Korea for work.Yem's ethnically Korean Ukrainian father and Ukrainian mother came to Korea in 2020 and 2021, respectively, with working visas, and settled in the southeastern city.Yem was an experienced junior boxer in Ukraine, having won medals at several international events, including a silver medal at EUBC European Schoolboys and Schoolgirls Boxing Championships in 2019.Fortunately, he could resume training at a boxing gym in Gimhae, but as a Ukrainian national, he can neither join a team nor participate in tourna

Mar 16, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Promising boxer from Ukraine dreams of representing Korea

Wu-Tang's DJ Symphony brings DJing workshop to Seoul

DJ Symphony will bring his DJ workshop to Itaewon's Lit Lounge on March 18. / Courtesy of DJ SymphonyBy Jamie FinnSymphony Taylor, aka DJ Symphony, is an icon in the hip-hop world. The radio star-turned-live DJ has worked with everyone from KRS-One and Pete Rock to Busta Rhymes and Nas. He is best known, however, as the touring DJ for Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and GZA. On March 18, DJ Symphony will return to Seoul to teach his acclaimed DJing workshop at Itaewon's Lit Lounge and spin at an exclusive after-party. First, he talks to us about life on the road, his favorite collaboration and why it's important to nurture future hip-hop stars.For many, the dream of being a DJ and playing bangers to an excited crowd can be appealing. But learning the basics of the craft can be a tricky first hurdle. This is where New Jersey-born DJ and instructor Symphony steps in. Between his California-based DJ academy and his online training courses, DJ Symphony has developed a reputation for teaching wannabe spinners. "It's gonna be a whole lot of fun," explains Symphony in an interview with The Korea Tim

Mar 10, 2023

Wu-Tang's DJ Symphony brings DJing workshop to Seoul

Foreign residents struggle with Korea's 'impossible' body standards

gettyimagesbankBy Ellie GoodwinHaving beauty standards is not unique to Korea. Different countries and cultures have their own sets of criteria to determine what is and isn't 'desirable.' But Korean beauty standards border on the absurd. For women, a slim figure, flawlessly pale skin, distinctive jaw and large, double-lidded eyes are examples of the supposedly attractive ― yet simultaneously unachievable ― features. For men, considerable emphasis is placed on body types, particularly androgynous or chiseled physiques.Camilla, who recently moved to Korea from Australia, spoke about her difficulties relocating to a more image-centric country. “I consider myself a healthy weight. Here, I've been told that I'm fat and that I'd look so much better if I lost weight ― just because I don't look like some K-pop star who weighs less than 50 kilograms,” she told The Korea Times. Unlike its Western counterparts, body positivity is practically non-existent in South Korea, as is appreciation for diversity. The absence of exposure, alongside unrealistic expectations, provokes toxicity f

Mar 7, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Foreign residents struggle with Korea's 'impossible' body standards

Take an early summer vacation with indie band Summer Salt

The two core members of Summer Salt / Courtesy of Summer SaltBy Jamie FinnU.S.-based lounge-indie band Summer Salt has been lighting it up with its summery sound since the release of their 2014 debut album “Driving to Hawaii.” Their lilting guitar sounds have struck a chord with fans who connect with the breezy aesthetic and dreamy lyrics. Ahead of their Asia tour, which sees them play dates in Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, band member Eugene Chung spoke with The Korea Times about their sound, their journey and how they manage to stay so breezy.It's hard not to get lost in the laid-back, beachy world of this Texas-originated band. Summer Salt's warm indie-pop aesthetic and illustrative vacation-friendly lyrics transport the listener instantly to a sandy island setting. But how does the band manage to maintain its cool and breezy demeanor? "I'm glad we're perceived that way," laughs Eugene, drummer and co-songwriter of the band. "Musically, we like things that are not too busy, and that really plays into the easygoing songwriting style that w

Mar 1, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Take an early summer vacation with indie band Summer Salt

Seoul indie-rock band Pop Ents ready to entertain

From left, singer Chorion, keyboardist Joon, drummer Konan, album producer Jaeseon, guitarist Dave and bassist John / Courtesy of Pop EntsBy Jon DunbarThe Seoul-based alt-rock band Pop Ents took aim at self-help grifters, calling out “inauthentic self-help gurus, political grifters and podcast prophets in popular culture” throughout their first full-length album, “Best Seller,” released last September. They even released a small zine titled “How to Win at Life & Unfuck Yourself.”“Dave and I hate a lot of the same people,” John, bassist and vocalist, said of himself and guitarist-vocalist Dave. “This was our way of slandering all of those jabronis while promoting our album at the same time. At its core it is anti-self-help, but if it's helped a couple of people in any way then that is fine by us.”“Self-help grifters really just say one thing to their victims: 'yes, you are the problem!' And their solution to you is a laundry list of the most banal things you could do to basically become less of a weirdo,” Dave

Feb 28, 2023By Jon Dunbar

Seoul indie-rock band Pop Ents ready to entertain

Korea's 'K-Iceberg' continues to grow

The K-Iceberg version 81 contains 783 K-entries. / Courtesy of Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarEven if idol pop isn't your thing, there's no denying that K-pop has found worldwide fame and made a tangible impact on the lives of everyone in Korea. And not just because it's blasted at you whenever you go out in public; BTS alone has triggered an economic effect worth trillions of won. The term K-pop traces back to at least 1999, if not earlier (the first mention I can find of K-pop in The Korea Times is a small mention in a tourism article dated May 31, 2002), and its K-prefix has done a lot of heavy lifting in representing the nation and its hopes, economy and government. "We feel proud of our Koreanness when we see words with that added 'K-'," former first lady Kim Jung-sook said in a government press release that was taken down after her husband Moon Jae-in's term ended last year. So proud, in fact, that the K- has been slapped across almost any commoditized product ― culture, industrial, policy or miscellaneous ― especially if it is promoted globally.K-Boneless Chicken, seen at a restaurant