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Welfare center for Myanmarese workers wins Minu Memorial Award

Zay Min, center, co-representative of the Myanmar Migrant Worker Welfare Center, poses with his colleagues during the Minu Memorial Award Ceremony held in Seoul, Nov. 16. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin By Lee Hyo-jin A local welfare center supporting migrant workers from Myanmar has won the Minu Memorial Award, recognized for its contribution to enhancing migrant worker's rights and helping them settle in Korea.The Minu Memorial Award was established in 2020 by a group of supporters of Minod Moktan, the late migrant worker and activist from Nepal, to commemorate his death and remember his accomplishments. “Minu” was his Korean name.The annual award ceremony took place at the Seoul Anglican Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Nicholas, Wednesday. The Myanmar Migrant Worker Welfare Center, based in Bupyeong, Incheon, opened in 2019. It is currently run by three co-representatives ― Zay Min, Thaung Tun, and Lee Ju-hee ― along with 32 regional representatives ac

Nov 18, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Welfare center for Myanmarese workers wins Minu Memorial Award

Mandatory virus tests for foreign children raises concerns over xenophobia

gettyimagesbankThe government of the southeastern city of Gimhae has ordered mandatory COVID-19 testing of foreign children registered at the city's daycare centers, raising concerns of xenophobia and possible rights violations.A government memo obtained by Yonhap News Agency showed that the municipality, located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ordered 93 daycare centers to cooperate with preemptive tests of foreign children under their care between Monday and Tuesday.The city government explained the decision was made in light of an increase in COVID-19 cases connected to a daycare center for foreign nationals in the city.As of 2018, foreigners accounted for 4.7 percent of the city's population of some 550,000.The decision prompted backlash online, with some accusing the local government of unscientific and xenophobic administration and potentially infringing on the rights of children and parents by ordering the children to undergo mandatory tests.“This is beyond disgusting,” one English-speaking Twitter user wrote, while a Korean user wrote, “So you can't catch

Nov 16, 2021

Mandatory virus tests for foreign children raises concerns over xenophobia

Entertainment in Korea before K-pop

Itaewon at night, published in The Korea Times Sept. 28, 1988. / Korea Times ArchiveBy Martin LimonWhen I was a young soldier, I would occasionally admit to someone that one of the reasons I kept returning to Korea was for the live entertainment. Invariably, this always astounded them.“You're going over there for that?” “There” in the 1950s and 1960s was a third-world country struggling to rise out of poverty. “That” was a Korean entertainment industry which ― unlike today ― had made little or no impression on the wider world and, as far as most Americans were concerned, may as well not have even existed.When I further added that the live shows were performed in on-base nightclubs complete with lighting, sound systems and dance floors, all in huge ballrooms with seating for up to 100 people, they peered at me suspiciously, wondering if I was delusional. To them, U.S. military activities played out on an austere stage of parade grounds, barracks and obstacle courses, similar to the backdrops they'd seen in comic strips like Beetle Bailey or Sad Sack

Nov 16, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Thanksgiving dinners available in Seoul, Seongnam

gettyimagesbankBy Jon DunbarThere isn't much time left to make arrangements for Thanksgiving food this year, whether you're an American, a Canadian who would rather celebrate late than never, a Korean or anyone hoping to feast on some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and other North American traditional holiday dishes. American Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is coming up next week, and reservations for restaurants and delivery services are filling up fast. Many restaurants are offering dine-in Thanksgiving meals as usual. Seating restrictions and other social distancing measures are still in effect, although they've loosened a bit since last month, especially for those fully vaccinated.The Workshop in Haebangchon will have a four-course Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday starting at 7 p.m., and its sister bar, The Hidden Cellar, is holding another similar dinner on Saturday, Nov. 27. It costs 45,000 won per person, with group bookings for parties of up to eight possible provided that at least four members of the group are vaccinated. Visit fb.com/theewor

Nov 16, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Thanksgiving dinners available in Seoul, Seongnam

Cityscapes Ugly names of Korea's high-rise apartment brands

New replaces old in northeastern Seoul's Gireum-dong, Feb. 3, 2018. / Courtesy of Ron Bandun By Ron BandunConstruction companies here often use English or other foreign-sounding words for apartment brand names, hoping to “exude an upscale, high-end image,” according to a recent Korea Times article. This is something everyone in Seoul has likely noticed, after gazing up at the barren concrete sides of the city's thousands of identical high-rise apartments, which are sometimes referred to pejoratively as “Stalin stacks.” Each one is usually marked with a number and a brand name. A cityscape is reflected in water pooled in an urban renewal zone, Oct. 30. / Courtesy of Ron Bandun But can we really call those names “English”? It might be easier to argue they're Konglish, like the random gibberish text seen on shirts sold for cheap in markets like Dongda

Nov 9, 2021By Jon Dunbar

[Cityscapes] Ugly names of Korea's high-rise apartment brands

No. of multicultural marriages hits record low in 2020 due to pandemic

gettyimagesbankThe number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses fell to a record low last year as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted people's cross-border movements, data showed Monday.The number of multicultural marriages came to 16,177 last year, down 34.6 percent, or 8,544, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.It marked the lowest reading since 2008 when the statistics agency started to compile related data.The number of international marriages sharply fell last year after it grew for the third straight year in 2019. The number also declined below the 20,000 mark for the first time in 2020.The pandemic hit international exchanges and cross-border movements, which drove down the number of multicultural marriages, according to the agency.The proportion of babies born to multicultural families of all childbirths in South Korea hit a record high last year due to the country's chronically low birthrate.The number of babies born to multicultural married couples came to 16,421 last year, down 8.5 percent, or 1,518, from a year earlier, the data s

Nov 8, 2021

No. of multicultural marriages hits record low in 2020 due to pandemic

RAS Korea RAS Korea explores British extraterritoriality

By Steven L. Shields Ernest Bethell / Courtesy of the Independence Hall of Korea Diplomatic missions today enjoy certain legal privileges and protections in their host countries. The properties of embassies are considered sovereign territory of the representative nation. Many will be familiar with the famous sojourn in the Embassy of Ecuador in London of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. British authorities were prohibited from entering the precinct of the embassy offices for almost seven years until Ecuador withdrew asylum and British police were invited into the embassy for Assange's arrest.In times now long past, however, some nations with “world power” status arranged treaties with host countries that were further-reaching than the simple sovereign territory of the embassy properties. Such treaties of “extraterritoriality” were signed with Japan, and later, Korea. The embassy properties were sovereign territory, but the world power countries demanded and received

Nov 2, 2021By Jon Dunbar

[RAS Korea] RAS Korea explores British extraterritoriality

Inner workings of Gwangju Uprising revealed in ex-Peace Corps volunteer's book

An image taken by David Dolinger on the side of the road leading from Naju to Gwangju. The trucks are filled with student activists. The taxi pulled over, and a passenger in military fatigues threatened Dolinger for taking the picture. / Courtesy of DavidBy Jon DunbarIt's been over 40 years, and people's testimonies about the 1980 democratic uprising in Gwangju ― often referred to as 5.18 ― are still coming out. David Dolinger delivers his harrowing eyewitness account of the citizens' movement and the military government's lethal response, in a new book, “Called by Another Name,” published by Goggas World. Dolinger was one of a handful of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) present in Gwangju for most of the 10-day-long uprising. His memories include a tense encounter with a government agent at the side of the highway on his hike in to Gwangju, rubbing shoulders with the activist leaders and then returning after the military moved in to see the bloody aftermath. His association with the uprising leadership resulted in his expulsion from the Peace Corps. The cover of "Calle

Oct 28, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Inner workings of Gwangju Uprising revealed in ex-Peace Corps volunteer's book

Celebrate Halloween in Seoul and beyond safely during COVID-19

Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween at Signature Hotel Seoul in 2017 / Korea Times fileBy Chantal TerblancheYou probably knew already that Halloween takes place on the last day of October, but here's something you might not know: The word itself literally means "hallowed evening," and was previously known to its early European celebrators as All Hallows' Eve ("hallows" meaning saints, those made holy or sacred). All Hallows' Eve (Oct. 31) and All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) both paid homage to saints. The name was eventually shortened to "Halloween."Halloween in Korea is different from how it is known and celebrated in some European countries and North America, as there is not really a culture of trick-or-treating, outside of the occasional English academy party for kids. Adults do however enjoy dressing up and celebrating with their friends, often times spilling into the streets and walking around taking photos with everyone.While Halloween will be a bit different this year with everything in Seoul still having to close at 10 p.m., here is a list of events suitable for foreign residents.Hallowee

Oct 26, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Celebrate Halloween in Seoul and beyond safely during COVID-19

Joseon Images The haunting of Gyeonghui Palace

A palace gate at night, circa 2018 / Courtesy of Shawn MorrisseyBy Robert NeffVisiting a Korean palace in the early morning or late afternoon ― when there are few, if any, visitors ― is a haunting experience. With an active imagination, whispers from the past ― carried by subtle breezes ― can almost be heard and shadows seemingly move as you pass by open doorways and gates. It isn't surprising that many of the palaces are haunted not only by violent histories but also, allegedly, by ghosts.Perhaps the most haunted (at least in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) is Gyeonghui Palace ― the name of which, ironically, means the Palace of Serene Harmony. The palace was completed in 1623 and at one time contained more than 100 structures. Despite its name, almost from the beginning, the palace enjoyed a malevolent reputation. Many thought its location was wrong and altered the geomantic state, resulting in an evil influence upon the city and causing citizens to suffer from pestilence and droughts. Adding to its ill repute was its dark past. The notoriety surrounding this palace was a v

Oct 26, 2021By Robert Neff

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