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Annual badminton tournament for multicultural families kicks off in Goyang

Participants warm up before the beginning of the 2022 National Multicultural Family Badminton Tournament in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 10. YonhapAn annual badminton tournament for multicultural families was held in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, Saturday to strengthen ties and facilitate communication among the families through the sport.Some 370 players and their families from across the country took part in the 2022 National Multicultural Family Badminton Tournament co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, Korea's No. 1 wire service, and the Goyang City Sports Council. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Goyang city government, the Korean Institute for Healthy Family and Yonhap News TV sponsored the event.Yonhap has hosted the event every year since 2010 to promote harmony among families of diverse national and cultural backgrounds in an increasingly diversifying society.Participants of the 2022 National Multicultural Family Badminton Tournament pose for a photo before the start of the event in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 10. Yonhap"The tournament has been held witho

Dec 11, 2022
Annual badminton tournament for multicultural families kicks off in Goyang

State panel begins probe into alleged rights violations of overseas Korean adoptees

Peter Moller, center, co-head of the Danish Korean Rights Group, and Korean adoptee activists pose with an application for an investigation into alleged rights violations of overseas adoptees at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Seoul, Nov. 15. YonhapOver 30 cases of alleged human rights violations suffered by Korean adoptees sent abroad decades ago have come under an investigation, a state truth panel said Thursday.The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said it decided earlier this week to start an investigation into 34 cases of alleged human rights infringement of children in their overseas adoption processes between the 1960s and 1990s.The commission suspects that the human rights of some overseas Korean adoptees were violated through illegal acts, such as kidnapping or document manipulation, during their adoption process.It has been confirmed that a child was recorded as an "orphan" in their adoption document even though they had parents, while another child was adopted under someone else's identity, the panel said.One adoptee sent to Denmark was given information about

Dec 8, 2022
State panel begins probe into alleged rights violations of overseas Korean adoptees

Naturalized Korean among invitees to presidential dinner

Lee Doo-yeon, a civil servant at Iksan City Hall, poses during a state dinner between Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at Yeongbingwan in downtown Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Lee Doo-yeon By Nam Hyun-wooLee Doo-yeon / Courtesy of Lee Doo-yeonLee Doo-yeon, an official from Iksan City Hall, has been gaining attention, following her attendance at a state dinner between Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday. Cabinet ministers, high-level government officials and business moguls of the two countries also attended. According to Korea's presidential office, it invited a number of people who represent the friendship between the two countries to the state dinner, Lee being among them.Lee, 41, a naturalized Korean whose Vietnamese name is Nguyen Thi Bich Thao, came to Korea in 2007 as a marriage migrant. She studied Korean language at university in Vietnam.After working for two years at a local support center for multicultural families, she passed the civil service exam and in 2011 was assigned to the family su

Dec 7, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Naturalized Korean among invitees to presidential dinner

11 students from multicultural backgrounds and teacher awarded for accomplishments

Dignitaries and winners of the 11th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards pose after the prize ceremony at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Monday. Among the dignitaries were, fourth from left in the back row Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook, fourth from right in the back row Ambassador of the Philippines to Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega and third from right in the back row Charge d'Affaires of Colombia to Korea Francisco Alberto Gonzalez. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-jin Eleven talented students from diverse backgrounds and one teacher were recognized for their achievements and exemplary deeds at the 11th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards ceremony, Monday.The awards, given by The Korea Times, are aimed at encouraging students from multicultural backgrounds, who at times experience hardships due to cultural or language barriers.The ceremony, held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, was attended by awardees and their family members, as well as Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook, the judges and representatives of the sponsors includi

Dec 5, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
11 students from multicultural backgrounds and teacher awarded for accomplishments

'Christmas with Camarata' resumes after 3 years

Christmas with Camarata 2018 / Courtesy of Camarata Music CompanyBy Chantal TerblancheAfter three long and grueling years, Camarata Music Company is excited to present once again its heavily anticipated "Christmas with Camarata" concert.With Dr. Ryan Goessl and Martins Baumanis conducting, the concert will include holiday favorites, such as “Jingle Bells,” “Joy to the World,” “The First Noel,” selections from Nutcracker Suite, “O Come All Ye Faithful” and traditional Christmas Carols set with orchestra. This is Camarata Music's largest and most exciting concert of the year.Goessl, who is the resident conductor and artistic director of the Camarata Music Company, told The Korea Times he is extremely excited to bring back the concert after having to postpone for the last two years due to COVID-19. The choir boasts roughly 80 singers and 50 people in the orchestra for this concert.“Camarata Music is the largest international non-profit music organization in Korea, and the world's most diverse music organization,” he said. He fo

Dec 5, 2022By Jon Dunbar
'Christmas with Camarata' resumes after 3 years

Singapore punk band Iman's League returns to Korea for 6th time

Iman's League / Courtesy of Iman's League By Jon DunbarNuriman (Iman) Bin Mohd Nor is finally returning to Korea with his band, Singaporean melodic punk trio Iman's League, for a four-show, two-city tour after more than two years away due to the pandemic. “This year will be our sixth time touring in Korea,” he told The Korea Times. “We made it a point since 2015 to return to Korea every single year. The last time was in 2019. I guess if it's not for the pandemic we would have returned in 2020 and 2021.”Iman recalled their first Korean tour in 2015 was also their first time experiencing cold weather. On later visits, they came in the milder fall season for Zandari Festa 2018, during which Iman's League bass player Ishyam won an award for best bassist of the festival. And in 2019, they were here in the summer for IT'S A FEST, a beach punk festival held on Incheon's Muui Island.

Dec 5, 2022By Jon Dunbar
Singapore punk band Iman's League returns to Korea for 6th time

Outstanding high school students

Future IT expert Hong inspires others with positive energyHong Seok-yeon is a junior at Seoul Information Technology High School. Born to a Mexican mother and a Korean father, she shows a strong interest in her mother's home country.Hong Seok-yeonHong often interacts with other children from similar backgrounds by engaging in various activities in the local community of Latin American immigrants, through which she learns about her Mexican culture.At school, she shows a big passion for the information technology (IT) field. From his early school years, she showed strong intellectual curiosity in IT subjects and has been actively participating in various international programming contests, as well as those hosted by local education offices. With the goal to pursue her career as an IT expert, she entered Seoul Information Technology High School. As she strives to achieve her dream, the hardworking student has already attained several certificates for computer programing. Beyond her scholastic achievements, Hong is popular among her peers thanks to her outgoing personality. She is always

Dec 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Outstanding high school students

Outstanding elementary school students

Cui is diligent high-achiever with strong leadership skillsBorn to Chinese parents, Cui Yun-zhi is a sixth grader at Yangji Elementary School in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. She is an exemplary student with strong leadership skills.Cui Yun-zhiAfter serving as the leader of the school's student representative group in the spring semester this year, Cui was elected class leader for the fall semester. She communicates effectively with her classmates and teachers, while taking a leading role in school volunteer activities.Cui is also a self-driven, diligent student with remarkable grades in all subjects including Korean, English and mathematics. She strives for development in every subject. She is also praised by many for her warm-hearted and thoughtful attitude toward others. She does not hesitate to help classmates in need. Her dream is to become a doctor in the future. Other than her academic achievements, Cui shows respect for the elderly and encourages others to do so too.Mandigo is a well-rounded student with passion in sports and multilingual skillsBorn to a Canadian father and Kore

Dec 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Outstanding elementary school students

Children from multicultural backgrounds are Korea's future

The judges for the 11th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards participate in the evaluation of award applicants online, Nov.21. They are, clockwise from top left: advisor to Woongjin Foundation Sohn Wie-soo; Migrant Youth Foundation Board Chairman and Hanyang University Professor Emeritus Cha Yun-kyung; Park Dae-jin, an official at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's department for multicultural family policies; Cho Jae-hyon, managing director of The Korea Times; Korea Cultural Diversity Organization Chair Jasmine Lee, Seoul YMCA's civil society movement department representative Ju Gun-ihl; Asian Friends Honorary Chairman Kim Joon-sik; and Asian Friends Chairwoman Lee Nam-sook. Captured from ZoomBy Kim Joon-sikIt has been 11 years since The Korea Times established the Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in 2012. I would like to congratulate the winners of this year's awards. Reading your applications, I was very pleased to see you studying hard and engaging in various volunteer activities in and outside of school. The winners of the inaugural awards in 2012 would have probably begu

Dec 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Children from multicultural backgrounds are Korea's future

Outstanding middle school students

Warm-hearted Ramirez Cruz perfectly adapts to life in KoreaBorn to Colombian parents, Jairo Andres Ramirez Cruz first came to Korea from Colombia in 2016 at the age of nine. Six years have passed since he began his school life as a second grader at elementary school. He is now a second grader at Hongik Middle School in Seoul.Jairo Andres Ramirez CruzDespite having spent his early childhood in Colombia, he has adapted perfectly to school life here. In the first few months, he put a lot of effort into learning the Korean language. After he adjusted smoothly to Korea, he displayed leadership as the class president in the fourth grade of elementary school. However, Ramirez Cruz's life has not always been bright. After the divorce of his parents, his father moved to Colombia, leaving him and his younger brother to be raised by their mother. Things became more difficult after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.Despite the hardships, however, Ramirez Cruz never lost hope. He took good care of his brother and helped his mother. In particular, the bilingual student always sup

Dec 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Outstanding middle school students
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