South Korea - The Korea Times

Californian musician brings dream of Estonia to Korea

Macajey / Courtesy of MacajeyBy Jon DunbarLike many readers of this newspaper, Jeremy Macachor moved away from the country of his birth and established a new life in a distant land. For him, that land was Estonia. Macachor, a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer from California who releases music under the name Macajey, admitted that people are often surprised he would move from California all the way to Eastern Europe, to a country where wood-burning stoves are still commonplace. “California ― and especially the San Francisco Bay Area, where I'm from ― has its amazing qualities: the weather, nature, food, my family. I love it there, but I also always felt that something was missing,” he told The Korea Times. “I didn't always know what that thing was, but I always had this deep feeling to go to Europe and I had an inkling I would find what I was looking for here.”Before settling in Tartu, Estonia, he spent time in London studying audio engineering, then moved to Reykjavik, where he interned at Greenhouse Studios, famous for recording Bjork. After some tim

Oct 11, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Californian musician brings dream of Estonia to Korea

Lawmaker calls for Koryoin school in Gwangju

Children eat lunch at a kindergarten in Gwangju's Koryoin Village, March 29. About 40 children are enrolled at the center as of March. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Lee Hae-rinA growing number of ethnic Koreans from Ukraine are settling in the southwestern city of Gwangju this year after Russia began its invasion of their country earlier this year. Their migration has led to a need for public schools to accommodate the children of the new settlers. Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), who is also a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, said Monday that she plans to table a bill to establish a Koryoin school to provide young Koryoin migrants a safer and more stable learning environment. Koryoin refers to ethnic Koreans from post-Soviet states.According to reports Kwon received from the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, the area has been seeing a growing number of Koryoin migrants in recent years, resulting in higher demand for Korean language education.In 2016 and 2017, the city's Gwangsan District, which houses a Koryoin Village, ha

Oct 10, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Lawmaker calls for Koryoin school in Gwangju

Adoption agency denies fabricating documents of Danish adoptees

Peter Moller, co-founder of Danish Korean Rights Group (DKRG) speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Sept. 30. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-jin Adoption agency Holt International has denied allegations that it had forged adoption documents, in response to claims made by a group of Danish adoptees who said their adoption proceedings involved irregularities by Korean agencies.In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Peter Moller, co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group (DKRG), claimed that two Seoul-based adoption agencies ― Holt and the Korea Social Society (KSS) ― fabricated many of the adoption documents of Korean children who were sent to Demark in the 1970s and 1980s.Moller disclosed a letter sent from the KSS to a Danish adoptee in 2016, which stated, “In fact, it (the adoption file) was made up just for the adoption procedures.”The Danish adoptee speculated that Holt, the country's largest adoption agency, had also falsified or distorted documents. He claimed that some adoptees sent overseas by Hol

Oct 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Adoption agency denies fabricating documents of Danish adoptees

How to shoot Seoul Fashion Week

Participants pose outside the DDP at Seoul Fashion Week, October 2019, the last time SFW held in-person events outdoors before the pandemic. / Courtesy of Michael Hurt By Michael HurtShooting street fashion at Seoul Fashion Week (SFW) is one of the most enlightening and liberating experiences a photographer can have. It's also quite easy to do, and at the same time it's really easy to mistake certain small things and miss the opportunity to get some legendary work done.Not all too long ago, Seoul wasn't even a blip on the radar when it came to the global map fashion map. Once SFW moved to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) permanently in 2014, it immediately rose to prominence as a world-class event that actually grew in overseas press and grassroots attention on social media. SFW has become the most widely attended open-to-the-public fashion week on Earth, because of the way the venue keeps the event public in a way that most other fashion weeks across the world find som

Oct 10, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Artist Ru Kim explores 'entanglement through escape' in 1st Seoul solo exhibition

Ru Kim sits at the installation for the “Ecotone: Capacity for Escape” (2022) exhibition, Oct. 1. / Courtesy of Yang Seungwook By Sarah Buhler“Ecotone: Capacity for Escape” (2022) is the second solo exhibition and first solo exhibition in Seoul for artist Ru Kim. The exhibition opened on Oct. 1 with a performance-activation of the installation on display at the exhibition space, Post Territory Ujeongguk. Flooded in blue and green lighting, the performance titled “Interpermeations” featured Kim reading an original text into microphones interspersed throughout the installation stage while two performers, Shin Chaeun, a contemporary-trained dancer, and Nicholas Julian Brahim, a trained Tango dancer, interacted with one another in their own respective styles and with soft, malleable, serpent-like costume sculptures produced by the artist. The text being read served as a type of love letter addressed to the serpent, unfolding over the sounds of a live performance by musi

Oct 7, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Artist Ru Kim explores 'entanglement through escape' in 1st Seoul solo exhibition

INTERVIEW Danish adoptees demand Korean gov't to probe dark past of exporting babies

Peter Moller, co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group pauses during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Sept. 30. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Adoptees say their documents are riddled with misinformation, fabricationsBy Lee Hyo-jin Peter Moller, 48, who was adopted to Denmark from South Korea in 1974, reached out to Korean adoption agency Holt International for the first time in 2011 to search for his roots.Holt initially told the Danish adoptee that he was born in Seoul. But in subsequent letters, the adoption agency said he was actually born in Daejeon. Moller was then told that his biological mother gave birth to him in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province on March 16, 1974, which happened to be the same day she brought him to the adoption agency in Seoul.“How is this possible?” Moller thought. “What is the possibility that a woman who just gave birth to a child could travel across the country to give away the infant?”S

Oct 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

[INTERVIEW] Danish adoptees demand Korean gov't to probe dark past of exporting babies

Adoption agency denies fabricating documents of Danish adoptees

Korean gugak-ska fusion band to tour Australia

The 15 members of Uheeska, which combines ska band Kingston Rudieska and pungmul band Yeonhui Company / Courtesy of Kim Shin JoongBy Jon DunbarUheeska, a collaborative band that fuses Korean and Jamaican folk music traditions, is heading down under for a couple of shows in Australia. Combining traditional Korean gugak music with Jamaican genres like ska and reggae has been done before ― in fact, members of this band were among the earliest to attempt it ― but only Uheeska performs fusion in innovative and exciting ways that take up a lot of room on a stage. Uheeska is a collaboration of Kingston Rudieska, which focuses on the first wave of ska dating back to the early 1960s in Jamaica, and Yeonhui Company, a pungmul troupe featuring an array of traditional percussionists and singers. “Pungmul,” also known as nongak, or “farmers' music,” is an agrarian musical genre consisting of percussionists, singers and dancers who perform a variety of formations that includes dancing and acrobatics. Ska bands are already known for having a lot of members, and Uheeska has e

Oct 4, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Korean gugak-ska fusion band to tour Australia

Seoul mayor's proposal to hire foreign babysitters unrealistic: experts

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a briefing on the city government's plan to improve air quality held at Seoul City Hall, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A recent proposal made by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to allow foreign nationals to work as babysitters seems unrealistic considering the country's wage system, according to immigration experts. The mayor shared the proposal on social media. “Parenting should now be respected in society. And there should be a system enabling mothers and fathers to raise their children together,” Oh wrote on Facebook, Tuesday. “Hiring foreign babysitters is a policy focusing on childrearing. It will be welcome news to those who have been reluctant to employ babysitters due to financial reasons or a lack of supply.” Oh wrote that Hong Kong and Singapore have adopted the system since the 1970s, and both countries have seen a rise in women's economic activities.“It costs two to three million won a month to hire a babysitter in Korea, but it costs 380,000 to 760,000 won in Singapore,” he added, implying that an influx o

Sep 29, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Seoul mayor's proposal to hire foreign babysitters unrealistic: experts

Book Review Korea's coins revealed in new book

A page from “South Korean Coins in the Era of Development” by Mark Lovmo / Courtesy of Mark Lovmo By Steven L. ShieldsNumismatics, the systematic study of currencies, coins and paper money, includes the time-honored hobby of investing in and collecting coins. It is one way to study and learn about the histories of people, cultures and nations. I began coin collecting under the tutelage of my numismatist uncle about 50 years ago when he started me on my first collection of U.S. pennies and miscellaneous coins of the world. He had been a collector for decades before then. My interest is to collect current coinage in an entire series of countries where I have lived or visited long-term. I also enjoy banknote collecting. While many printed resources detailing Korean coins and currency are available, most are in Korean with mixed-script. Those books use particular minting terminology in Chinese characters. Thus, the ability of hobbyists around the world to understand Kor

Sep 29, 2022By Jon Dunbar

[Book Review] Korea's coins revealed in new book

Temple Adventures Seoamjeong Temple presents vivid fall colors at Mt. Jiri

Inside the Geungnak-jeon hall of Seoamjeong Temple in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington By Dale Quarrington With the sweltering summer heat finally coming to an end, and with the autumnal hues not too far off, it's the perfect time to explore Korea and the temples that dot its landscape. Arguably one of the most beautiful places to explore the changing season is Jirisan National Park. There are obvious choices inside the park like Hwaeom Temple and Ssanggye Temple, and there are lesser-known temples like Silsang Temple and Chilbul Temple. But it's Seoamjeong Temple to the far north, and just within the park's limits, that's one of the least visited ― yet most beautiful ― temples in the park.Seoamjeong Temple was built over a 30-year period starting in 1989. The temple is most famous for its Geungnak-jeon cave shrine hall, built by the monk, Woneung, to appease the wandering spirits of those killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. Purpor

Sep 27, 2022By Jon Dunbar

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