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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Assimilation programs begin for Afghan evacuees in Korea

Afghan evacuees participate in an outdoor activity at the National Human Resources Development Institute in the central county of Jincheon, Korea, in this Sept. 13 file photo. YonhapThe government on Wednesday started assimilation programs for Afghan evacuees who settled in South Korea in August upon fleeing their country after it was taken over by the Taliban.Various programs, offered by relevant ministries, are aimed at helping them learn the language, get familiar with the culture and more easily assimilate into Korean society.The Ministry of Justice runs the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) with a goal to teach them Korean culture and language, along with sports sessions for children, such as football and taekwondo. The ministry's programs cover a variety of subjects ranging from crime prevention to the understanding of Korean law and financial system.The Ministry of Education focuses on long-term language and counseling programs, both online and offline, especially for kids, and provides the parents with essential information about the Korean education system. "T

Sep 29, 2021
Assimilation programs begin for Afghan evacuees in Korea

Busan Int'l Rock Festival flies to Cosmo's Midnight's room

Cosmo's Midnight / Courtesy of Cosmo's Midnight By Jon DunbarAustralian electronic music duo Cosmo's Midnight is coming back to Korea for another tour, but this time in the form of an online performance streamed for the Busan International Rock Festival. Despite multiple visits prior to the pandemic, this time the band enjoys extra fame, following a collaboration last year with top K-pop group BTS on the song “Fly to My Room.” “This performance is going to be a very special one,” band member Patrick Liney promised The Korea Times. “We've been able to make it extra unique and vibey just for this show.”Characterized by a gushy smooth groove punctuated by vibraslap and woodblocks, Cosmo's Midnight traces its origins back to a remix Patrick's twin brother Cosmo made late at night and titled “Cosmo's Midnight mix.” “From then on (the name) just stuck because it felt natural and the rest is history,” Patrick told The Korea Times. “I have no idea why Cosmo got the cool an

Sep 28, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Holiday in North Korea Michael Spavor finally freed from China

Michael Spavor has lunch in Pyongyang in August 2010. / Courtesy of Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarI started this column in early 2019 in response to Michael Spavor being taken hostage by China in retaliation to Canada's house arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. One of the “two Michaels” held prisoner, “our Michael,” as we sometimes called him, is a former resident of South Korea who moved to China where he could operate various cultural exchanges with North Korea. China is, at least for almost all travelers, the halfway point between South and North Korea ― not geographically but certainly travel-wise, a cruel geopolitical reality ― so by moving there he was positioning himself between the two Koreas, from where he could catch flights to both easily. Now it's clear China's espionage accusation against him had nothing to do with his activities with North Korea or his time meeting the isolated country's leader Kim Jong-un. It seems more likely China just wanted to attack a Canadian with a high enough profile. And by doing so, they eliminated one very useful and un

Sep 28, 2021By Jon Dunbar

Landscape painter makes art 'en plein air'

Tahni Osterman paints a landscape 'en plein air.' / Courtesy of Otahni StudioBy Chantal TerblancheTahni Osterman is not the stereotypical artist with a tortured, manic soul whose depression and cynicism fuels their creativity and need to make art. In fact, she is the complete opposite, finding some of her best inspiration in travel and beautiful sunsets. Art has always played a big role in her life. Her grandfather was a pen and ink artist whose work mainly centered around farm life, buffalo and agriculture. Besides the influence of her grandfather, Osterman had two aunts who would, without fail, give her art supplies for her birthday. With all this artistic influence around her, it seemed like an obvious choice to study art further.Osterman studied illustration through the graphic design program at Oklahoma State University, and she finished up her art degree with a study abroad landscape painting class in Tuscany, Italy. Before coming to Korea she did newspaper and magazine layout design as well as work for a wedding invitation design company. It was in Italy that she fell in love

Sep 14, 2021
Landscape painter makes art 'en plein air'

RAS Korea Sociology in Korea 50 years ago

A view of Seoul, published in The Korea Times Jan. 1, 1970. / Korea Times ArchiveBy Steven L. ShieldsRoyal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea published a unique volume of its annual journal, Transactions, in 1971. The entire issue was devoted to sociology. Specifically, the study was done by six Korean scholars and one American social anthropologist working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project director and the other Korean scholars were at the top of their fields in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The study was focused on the newly emerging urban life that was beginning to take shape in Korea at the time. Villages and single-family dwellings in Seoul, mainly, were being replaced rapidly by apartment buildings. The lives of city dwellers were being transformed, and work life was changing. Even the floor plans of living spaces were being modified. The “madang” (front courtyard), where so much food preparation, laundry and other daily tasks had been conducted, was disappearing quickly. Sociology, too, was a newly emerging field of academi

Sep 14, 2021
[RAS Korea] Sociology in Korea 50 years ago

Migrant groups to lodge human rights petition on exclusion from disaster relief fund

By Lee Hyo-jin Migrants' rights groups here are demanding the government pay COVID-19 disaster relief money to all foreign residents without discrimination, as a vast majority of them have once again been excluded from the financial support program.A coalition of migrants' rights groups stage a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae, July 6, urging the government to provide COVID-19 disaster relief fund to all residents of foreign nationality in Korea. YonhapA coalition of such groups is planning to lodge a petition with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) today, claiming that unequal access to state aid programs is a violation of human rights as well as discrimination based on race and nationality.Starting Sept. 6, the government has been offering a fifth round of disaster relief funds to 88 percent of the population in the bottom income bracket, with a lump-sum payment of 250,000 won ($215) per person, in a bid to ease economic hardships from the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of residents of foreign nationality, the monetary support is offered only to permanent resid

Sep 8, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant groups to lodge human rights petition on exclusion from disaster relief fund

Joseon Images An elegant imposter's visit to Joseon

Jemulpo in the late 1880s-1890s / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWhen William Franklin Sands, a young American diplomat, arrived in Jemulpo (part of modern Incheon) in January 1898, he described the port as “an unattractive entrance to a great adventure.” Sailors from European, American and Japanese warships filled the streets as they traveled from one bar or brothel to another. There were opium dens, beggars, muggings, brawls in the streets and even a couple of murders. It was an adventurous place but it had a fairly large police force to maintain some degree of order.A dozen years earlier (in the spring of 1886), when Jemulpo was much smaller and the buildings were cruder ― it was arguably even more unattractive and daunting. It had a rather small and ineffective police force that tried to maintain order, as increasing numbers of foreigners came looking to make their fortunes ― legally or illegally. Curious things came in and out of the port that year. In early April, 100,000 mulberry trees were brought from China to help start a silkworm industry. A couple of mont

Sep 7, 2021
[Joseon Images] An elegant imposter's visit to Joseon

Children's entertainers release 'Fairy Tale Box' online storytelling series

Paul Matthews drives a bus for the "Three Little Pigs" as part of Jam Box Theatre's "Fairy Tale Box" storytelling video series. / Courtesy of Jam Box Theatre By Jon DunbarFor children in need of entertainment, Jam Box Theatre is releasing a series of short, online storytelling performances. The first video of the “Fairy Tale Box” series was a bilingual rendition of the classic story, “The Three Little Pigs,” released by Jam Box Theatre on Sept. 4. In the video, lasting 15 minutes and 28 seconds, British storyteller Paul Matthews sits in a comfortable chair and introduces the concept of the Fairy Tale Box. “Inside is every story you could ever imagine,” he explains, opening it to reveal a tiny pig figurine. In his telling of the fairy tale, the three pigs live in a farmhouse made of straw, sticks and bricks in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. They move to Seoul where they each live in separate homes, and are terrorized by “Mr. W.” “Children can be a very tough audience

Sep 7, 2021By Jon Dunbar
Children's entertainers release 'Fairy Tale Box' online storytelling series

Koreans support Jincheon County that embraced Afghan evacuees

A boy receives attention from an official as Afghan evacuees who supported the Korean government's activities in Afghanistan arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, Aug. 26. Reuters-YonhapJincheon, a county of some 85,000 residents, about 90 kilometers southeast of Seoul, received an unexpected windfall late last month following media reports that it will provide temporary accommodation to 390 Afghan evacuees brought in from Kabul. In support of the county's decision to embrace the foreigners, people flocked to the county-run online market to buy Jincheon regional specialties, such as rice, other grains and fruit. With the purchase orders pouring in, the officials had to shut down the website for a few days in order to process the deliveries. According to the county, the sales for four days surged to an amount surpassing its monthly average. "I am deeply touched by the grateful hearts that embraced the Afghan people. I hope my purchase will help a little," a customer's comment read on the Jincheon mall website, one of the scores of similar comments that filled the review

Sep 7, 2021
Koreans support Jincheon County that embraced Afghan evacuees

Temple Adventures Tongdo Temple: Home to the Buddha's partial remains

Behind Gwaneumjeon (the Hall of Avalokitesvara) at Tongdo Temple / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington By Dale QuarringtonOftentimes, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to look back at your past and point to the moment you fell in love with someone or something. I first fell in love with Korean Buddhist temples back in the fall of 2003. Having lived in Busan for only a couple of weeks, and feeling a bit more adventurous after finally getting my bearings, I thought I would travel northward to the famed Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province. With all of that expectation and excitement boiling up inside me, it certainly didn't disappoint.Tongdo Temple, which means, “Passing Through to Enlightenment Temple,” in English, was first established in 646 by the famed monk, Jajang-yulsa (590-658). Jajang-yulsa traveled to Tang China in 636 to further his Buddhist studies. When he returned, he brought back holy relics of the Buddha that were given to him by Munsu-bosal,

Aug 31, 2021By Jon Dunbar
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