South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea's Ukrainian residents condemn Russia's invasion

Ukrainians living in Korea hold up Ukraine's national flag and a painting depicting their aspirations for peace and freedom in their home country near the Russian Embassy in Jung District in Seoul, Sunday, as Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiUkrainians residing in Korea condemned Russia's invasion of their country and appealed for active support from the Korean government and people, Sunday. About 200 Ukrainians held a rally near the Russian Embassy in Seoul and said that the Ukrainian community in Korea strongly condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine and is deeply concerned about the threats to civilians.“It has been four days since Russia's outrageous invasion on Ukraine took place in the heart of Europe in the 21st century. Since Nazi Germany's assault in 1941, the most horrific thing has been happening in the capital,” a Ukrainian protester said.“We desperately urge Korean society to support Ukraine, which is struggling desperately to protect democracy. If the Korean government imposes active economic sanctions on Russia quickly, it wil

Feb 27, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji

Korea's Ukrainian residents condemn Russia's invasion

Korea considers granting Ukrainians in Korea stay extension

3 foreign religious activists awarded citizenship as special contributors

Ven. Seollae, left, from Nepal who has helped Nepali immigrants adapt to Korea and promote South Korea's Buddhism culture; Wesley John Wentworth Jr., center, a missionary from the United States who has worked to promote Christianity in South Korea; Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and Sister Cristina Evelina Gal, right, from Romania, who has helped migrant workers and children in South Korea are seen in this photo, provided by the justice ministry Feb. 24. Courtesy of Ministry of Justice The justice ministry awarded South Korean citizenship to three foreign religious activists Thursday in recognition of their long-running contributions to the country, according to government officials.Missionary Wesley John Wentworth Jr. from the United States, Sister Cristina Evelina Gal from Romania and Ven. Seollae from Nepal were given South Korean citizenship as special contributors to the country. They can keep both their original and South Korean nationalities, according to the

Feb 24, 2022

3 foreign religious activists awarded citizenship as special contributors

Punk bands foray into burgeoning hipster enclave

The members of 18Fevers / Courtesy of Jenikah JoyBy Jon DunbarAfter almost three decades, Korea's punk scene remains inextricably linked with the area near Hongik University, known as Hongdae ― but that's despite many attempts to escape and disperse or relocate scene activities.“Hongdae is going through a personality crisis and has been for a while,” Mathew Nolan, guitarist of the punk band 18Fevers, told The Korea Times. “The pandemic just made it worse.”His band is attempting to break free from Hongdae's orbit this Saturday, heading to eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong (no, not Sangsu-dong) for a show. “Seongsu has the reputation of being a hot place with tons of hipster culture like cafes, art galleries, graffiti,” Nolan said. “Apparently it's called the Brooklyn of Seoul ― that could be debatable. But it lacks aggressive and energetic live music.”To fix that problem, he's organizing a show, titled “Punk City: Seongsu,” at the new venue Club Music Space. “I haven't been in Korea that long and really haven't done much in

Feb 22, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Korea Encounters Enjoying 'open and liberalized way of life' as nighttime curfew lifts in 1982

People read about the lifting of curfew, published in The Korea Times Dec. 29, 1982. / Korea Times ArchiveBy Matt VanVolkenburgFrom the 1950s to the 1970s, at 10 p.m., radio stations would begin telling listeners to begin thinking about heading home, and within an hour, public transportation would become crowded as people tried to rush home before curfew began. At midnight a curfew siren would sound, and police would set up barricades in the streets and detain anyone caught outside.This continued in Seoul until Jan. 5, 1982. Before that, the curfew had only been lifted on specific evenings, such as President Syngman Rhee's birthday (in the 1950s), or Christmas Eve, but from that night on, people would be free to move about after midnight for the first time in 36 years.While precedents for the curfew existed in Seoul during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, during which a gendered curfew system allowed men to take to the streets during the day, and women in the evening, South Korea's curfew was first imposed in Seoul and Incheon on Sept. 8, 1945, by the U.S. military government. It was ex

Feb 22, 2022

South Korean robot debuts on 'BattleBots'

Members of Team ORBY pose with their robot, Blade. / Courtesy of BattleBots websiteBy Jon DunbarWhile everyone's distracted with the Olympics in China, Hwang Cheog-gyu shipped his 113.40-kilogram killer robot to Las Vegas, and led Team ORBY, the first-ever South Korean team to compete in “BattleBots,” a long-running robot combat TV series held in the U.S. with competitors from all around the world. His team fielded Blade, a bright yellow battle robot shaped like a Klingon Bird of Prey starship, with a 27.22-kilogram horizontal bar spinner jutting out the front. Picture a souped-up lawnmower blade, but instead of trimming weeds, this weapon whacks robots.Blade has fought two battles so far in the still-ongoing sixth season on the Discovery Channel show, both times ending in colossal losses. In match 1, Skorpios' hammer saw took Blade down mercilessly, and match 2 against Canadian bot Lucky didn't go much better, after one end of Blade's primary weapon snapped off and lodged itself in the arena wall. It's known that Blade has at least one more battle on the broadcast to com

Feb 15, 2022By Jon Dunbar

Children of multicultural backgrounds still face discrimination in schools

Women who migrated to Korea to marry Korean husbands and students from multicultural backgrounds attend a conference organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, at Ansan Multicultural Family Support Center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Feb.7. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Gov't vows to boost efforts to create inclusive educational environmentBy Lee Hyo-jin ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province ― Gu Young-chan, 16, still remembers the first day when he moved to new school a few years ago. He was introduced as a “multicultural child” by his homeroom teacher in front of the whole class. “I immediately saw the uncomfortable looks on my classmates' faces, which made me feel nervous and awkward,” said Gu, whose mother is Chinese and father Korean. Being labeled as a multicultural student on the first day of school was not only unpleasant, but it also made it harder for him to make new friends. “It felt like my classmates were keeping a distance from me,” he said. Seventeen-year-old Yu Jin, also born to a Chinese national mother and Ko

Feb 14, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Children of multicultural backgrounds still face discrimination in schools

Gwangju city gov't plans to provide subsidies to foreign children aged 3-5

gettyimagesbank The city of Gwangju, about 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, is working on a plan to provide child care subsidies to foreign children aged three to five, officials said Monday.Gwangju city government has been working to table an ordinance bill that will expand the child care fee support system, currently only eligible to South Korean children, to foreign children. If the bill passes the city council's voting session next month, the parents of about 150 foreign children in Gwangju will receive 280,000 won (US$234) per month starting in March. About 500 million won is expected to be earmarked for the handouts. (Yonhap)

Feb 14, 2022

Gwangju city gov't plans to provide subsidies to foreign children aged 3-5

Virtual festival to be held in Korea to celebrate Black excellence

Jamaican 13-year-old singer-songwriter Teshae Star / Courtesy of Teshae StarBy Chantal Terblanche"Black history is not just pain and suffering. It is also full of joy and triumph." This is what EJ Asare and other organizers at Black Lives Matter Korea (BLMK) are hoping to impart with the 2nd annual Black Excellence Festival in honor of Black History Month.The event, organized by BLMK's organizing committee consisting of five American women, will be held virtually through Zoom and BLMK's YouTube channel, Feb. 13, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.They will be showcasing singers, poets, educational content, an interactive trivia game and a dance-off. This is the 2nd year of this online festival, following last year's highly successful debut. This year, the event is backed by sponsorship from several Black-owned businesses. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul submitted a video of appreciation for Black historical and contemporary figures. It also has the support and participation of BLM Tokyo.The organizers told The Korea Times that they organized the event this year to show the roots of Black and African histo

Feb 8, 2022

Foreign workers should file year-end taxes

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngWage-earning workers of foreign nationality should file a year-end tax settlement just as workers of Korean nationality do, the tax agency said Sunday. The agency provides various services to support foreign employees in filing their taxes in the country.According to the National Tax Service (NTS), all foreign employees, excluding day laborers, should file their year-end taxes for 2021 by the day on which wages for February this year are paid, regardless of their nationality, length of residency or amount of income. If the salary for February is not paid until the last day of February, the year-end tax settlement should be done by that day. The method and deadline for foreign workers to file their year-end taxes are identical to those for Korean workers. They should submit their income deduction and tax deduction reports, as well as the related supporting documents, to their employers, instead of submitting them to the tax office. Depending on the results of the year-end settlement, employees will either pay more or be refunded for income taxes overpaid

Feb 6, 2022By Yoon Ja-young

Foreign workers should file year-end taxes

Gov't to strengthen support for children from multicultural backgrounds

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai speaks during a briefing on support measures for students from multicultural backgrounds, held at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family By Lee Hyo-jin Korea will strengthen support for students from multicultural backgrounds, in order to establish an environment where all children are provided with equitable access to education and career development. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a set of measures on Friday to increase educational support for students from multicultural backgrounds, as well as to create a learning environment that embraces diversity and inclusion. The measures come as the number of multicultural students has been increasing steadily, despite the overall declining student population due to the nation's low birth rate. In 2021, about 5.32 million students were enrolled at elementary, middle and high schools across the countr

Feb 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

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