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What sense of belonging means to those forcibly displaced

Participants attend the opening ceremony of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Korea representation's online film festival, held at The Seoul Plaza, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-minUNHCR screens six films online to help improve public understanding of refugeesBy Jung Da-min For Jacob Jorgensen, a Korean adoptee brought up in Sweden, finding a sense of belonging has been a lifelong task he struggled for a long time with, while feeling he belongs neither in Sweden nor Korea. But taking part in the filming of a documentary, titled “Belonging,” helped Jacob to define his own sense of belonging.“I did look into the Webster dictionary to get some help with the word 'belonging.' And the first example that is shown in the dictionary of the word belonging in a sentence is this ― Her adoptive family give the young girl the sense of belonging that she had never developed,” Jorgensen said during a press conference after a screening of the film, at Wednesday's opening ceremony of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Seoul

Apr 22, 2022

What sense of belonging means to those forcibly displaced

Seoul takes tougher measures on taxis overcharging foreigners

A growing number of foreign visitors to Korea are falling victim to illegal taxi practices in Seoul, according to the city government. gettyimagesbankBy Ko Dong-hwanAn American traveler in Korea hopped in a taxi at Seoul Express Bus Terminal in the city's southern Seocho District on Jan. 25, to get to Incheon International Airport. Arriving at the destination, the meter showed the fare was 57,700 won ($46) but the driver charged an extra 11,200 won because he claimed he crossed city borders. But the extra charge was illegal: because the airport is inside a “common business zone” shared by the cities of Seoul, Incheon, Goyang, Gwangmyeong, Gimpo and Bucheon and exempt from the country's taxi operation policy that allows taxi drivers to charge customers an extra fee for traveling to other cities. Seoul Metropolitan Government's Taxi Policy Division fined the driver 200,000 won.Another taxi driver on Feb. 9 took a German traveler to the airport, starting from Sinchon Station on Seoul Metro Line 2. The day before, the driver offered the German a flat rate of 60,000 won, to wh

Apr 21, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan

Seoul takes tougher measures on taxis overcharging foreigners

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

This photo shows a greenhouse owned by Koo Jin taek, a farmer in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. He would normally be harvesting the lettuce during the spring season, but this year, he had to destroy the crops due to the shortage of farm workers. Courtesy of Koo Jin-taekSince start of pandemic, only one-tenth of foreign national workers have entered KoreaBy Lee Hyo-jin Koo Jin-taek, a vegetable farm owner in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, would normally be harvesting thousands of heads of lettuce during the spring season, but instead, he had to destroy his crops, as there was simply no one to harvest the perfectly tradable vegetables.“It is literally heartbreaking to have to destroy them. But I have no choice. With only five workers on the farm, it is impossible to harvest the crops,” the 55-year-old farmer told The Korea Times.Koo ― who currently owns 45 greenhouses producing lettuce, chicory and other leafy green vegetables ― initially had nine workers from Cambodia before the COVID-19 pandemic started. But the number has been cut down to three since then. And only recently wa

Apr 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

Stand-up comedian Sang Don Park headlines comedy night

Sang Don Park / Courtesy of Curtis File PhotographyBy Rory KellyA young man walks on stage for the talent show at an international school in Korea. He is expected to show off his beatboxing skills, as he has done in previous talent shows. The school is small ― there are only 40 in the boys' class ― and there is a sense of repetition to the talent show. Frankly, most of the school has already seen the boy's signature moves. He has other skills he could display; he can play several musical instruments, dance and sing. But this time, he has bought no musical equipment with him. It seems that there is to be more beatboxing. The boy raises the microphone to his lips and begins to impersonate his teachers. The crowd goes wild. “When I did impressions of my school teachers that everyone was able to relate to, that explosive laugh ignited a passion inside me,” stand-up comedian Sang Don Park, now an adult, told the Korea Times. Born and raised in Korea, Park began beatboxing and dancing at age 12 and learned several musical instruments, before moving on to performing stand-up com

Apr 19, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Stand-up comedian Sang Don Park headlines comedy night

Foreign residents in Korea forecast to increase to 4.3% of population in 2040

gettyimagesbankKorea's total population has started to decline amid a low birthrate, but the number of foreigners here is forecast to continue to increase, to make up of 4.3 percent of the population in 2040, a report showed Thursday.After peaking at 51.84 million in 2020, the country's total population started to decline in 2021 and will likely further fall to 50.19 million in 2040, according to the report from Statistics Korea.Despite a fall in Korean nationals, the number of foreign nationals who reside here for three months or longer will likely continue to increase on the back of sustained inflows of incoming foreigners.The number of such came to 1.7 million in 2020, accounting for 3.3 percent of the total population. Their proportion is expected to hit 4 percent in 2035 and further rise to 4.3 percent five years later.South Korea is grappling with demographic challenges from its chronically low birthrate and rapid aging.From 2020 to 2025, the number of Korean nationals is expected to fall an average of 0.17 percent per year and will likely further decline 0.33 percent from 2035

Apr 14, 2022

Foreign residents in Korea forecast to increase to 4.3% of population in 2040

Number of students from multicultural backgrounds triples over 9 years

Sool sommelier offers array of Korean traditional alcohols in Itaewon

A view through the front window of Namsan Sool Club / Courtesy of Dustin Wessa By Jon DunbarAs interest in Korea's strong tradition of alcohols ― increasingly referred to as “sool” in English (following the pronunciation of the word for “alcohol” in Korean) ― continues to grow, with more and more breweries, distilleries, bottle shops, sool-specialized restaurants and even sool cocktails emerging, Dustin Wessa considered not just how he could ride this wave, but help direct and develop it. So the American-Canadian sool sommelier opened Namsan Sool Club (NSC) in Itaewon, right at the Gyeongnidan side of the underpass. “We're looking at this upswing in sool interest over the last few years and I'm thinking, 'What's next to keep pushing proper sool?'” Wessa told The Korea Times. “What if you have no clue where to begin? We don't fall in love with whiskey or wine without that one glass, so where are the places to pour that glass? Where's the spot to go sipping through th

Apr 14, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Expat-founded Shuttle Delivery goes above and beyond

Jason Boutte, co-founder of Shuttle Delivery / Courtesy of Shuttle DeliveryBy Jon DunbarWhere would we be in 2022 without delivery services? It's been a rough couple of years for the world, and app-based startups like Shuttle Delivery have been finding ways to hold society together by keeping us eating, for which they are reaping the rewards.“We definitely felt a sense of a mission during the start of the pandemic,” said Jason Boutte, co-founder and CEO of Shuttle Delivery. “We honestly felt relieved that we were bringing value to people.” While the headlines are dominated by Baedal Minjok, Yogiyo and Coupang Eats, it's Shuttle that stands out for many foreign communities in Korea. It may be smaller, but it's founded by foreign nationals and its coverage focuses on areas with higher foreign populations and international restaurants, such as Seoul's Yongsan, Hongdae, downtown and Gangnam, as well as Pyeongtaek, Daegu and Busan. What's more, it's easy for non-Koreans to sign up.“We are so thankful to the foreign community. We wouldn't be still doing well w

Apr 14, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Expat-founded Shuttle Delivery goes above and beyond

Daejeon artists celebrate 10.5 years with art, board games

Members of Daejeon Arts Collective (DJAC) pose at last fall's exhibition. / Courtesy of DJAC By Jon DunbarThe Daejeon Arts Collective (DJAC) is celebrating its 10.5th anniversary this week, with a multidisciplinary art exhibition at Igong Gallery from this Thursday to next Tuesday, and an open house on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The 13 participating artists come from both Korea and around the world, but all of them represent Daejeon or the vicinity. They're contributing diverse art, including paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics, mixed media, installation art and even one board game. “The Daejeon Arts Collective began with an exhibition in the fall of 2011 for foreign artists,” said Rosalie Knaack, the president of the DJAC. “That event quickly grew into a group of foreign and Korean artists working together to open the door to artistic expression. Most of our members are not professional artists. We are working and studying in Korea, but we all have a dri

Apr 12, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Daejeon artists celebrate 10.5 years with art, board games

Ukulele player finds inspiration on his way to buy fresh food

Ethan Hoffman performs "GS25" in his act Le chat au cafe, next to Changdeok Palace in this video released Jan. 31. / Courtesy of Le chat au cafe By Jon DunbarUkulele player Ethan Hoffman moved to Seoul recently, taking up residence in the city center's historic Bukchon Hanok Village. “Nearly every day, I make a point of going out to see it and appreciating the view. There wasn't anything like that to see where I lived before,” said Hoffman, 32, who left the U.S. in 2014 and lived in Yeokgok in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, until last year. “One of my dreams is also to buy and renovate an old hanok.”But the big problem he found with living in Bukchon was the lack of supermarkets nearby. So he picked up his ukulele and wrote a song about going in search of fresh food, finally arriving at the local convenience store, a GS25, which led him to write a song about it and release a music video on March 15. Together with his partner Hana Yu, he created the act Le chat au cafe.

Apr 12, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Korea's first modern magician ventures abroad

A Japanese troupe of entertainers perform at the American-owned Oriental Consolidated Mining Company in northern Korea in the early 20th century. / Courtesy of Joseph Lower FamilyBy Robert NeffSeoul, on Feb. 4, 1884, was extremely cold. The Han River, for the most part, was frozen, cutting the city off from the port in Jemulpo (modern Incheon). Yet, despite the bitter temperatures, the Lunar New Year's traditions were followed ― feasts, offerings and, of course, stone and kite fights. Kites were not the only things overhead. For a little over two weeks a small comet graced the sky over Seoul. What impact this comet had upon the superstitious is unknown. However, for one family, this date was magical: it was the day that Kim Young-ju was born.His was a hard life. We don't know much about Kim's family but we can surmise they were poor. Like so many things associated with him, there is a degree of mystery and illusion, fact and fancy.According to one of Kim's accounts, when he was about four or five, his parents sold him to a traveling Japanese circus that was performing in Seoul. It is

Apr 5, 2022

Global Community

Global Community

What sense of belonging means to those forcibly displaced

Seoul takes tougher measures on taxis overcharging foreigners

Korea's farms hit hard as pandemic leads to foreign worker shortage

Stand-up comedian Sang Don Park headlines comedy night

Foreign residents in Korea forecast to increase to 4.3% of population in 2040

Sool sommelier offers array of Korean traditional alcohols in Itaewon

Expat-founded Shuttle Delivery goes above and beyond

Daejeon artists celebrate 10.5 years with art, board games

Ukulele player finds inspiration on his way to buy fresh food

Korea's first modern magician ventures abroad

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