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French Canadian CEO helps break cultural barriersFrench Tech Community Seoul is hosting a discussion about communication and teamwork across cultural groups, this Thursday. Simon Bureau, founder and CEO of Vectis Corporation, will lead the discussion by sharing his own experiences and offering advice. Vectis, founded in 1998, provides corporate training for Korean companies seeking to improve communication with foreign managers, overseas partners or clients. Bureau also served previously as chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Korea and has published two business books in Korean.The event will be held in English from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in southern Seoul. A limited number of seats are available on-site and the event will also be held live on Zoom. Visit fb.com/FrenchTechSeoul for more information or to register.N. Korean monster movie screenedCollectif Eco-Solidaire is screening the infamous 1985 North Korean monster movie “Pulgasari” this Friday at 7 p.m.Often referred to as the “North Korean version of Godzilla,” “Pulgas

Aug 25, 2020By Jon Dunbar

RAS Korea Cheongju: a historical and cultural gem

The south gate of Sangdang Fortress / Courtesy ofSteven L. Shields.By Steven L. ShieldsTraveling south from Seoul on the Gyeongbu Expressway (Expressway 1, the main autoroute to Busan), cars and buses whiz past a couple of exits for Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The route does not pass through this beautiful provincial capital. Instead, it is several kilometers to the west, heading straight for Daejeon. The same is true for the KTX; the train line has no route to or though Cheongju. Until the government built the newer Expressway 35, Cheongju was accessible from only one expressway exit or overland by ordinary highways. Once known only as the gateway to Songrisan National Park and Beopju Temple, Cheongju has become home to parks, museums, historical sites and cultural arts.For centuries, Cheongju has been an important regional hub. From Baekje times to the present, Cheongju was a center of commerce and government, with an essential regional fortress located in a nearby mountain pass. The city proper was walled, with gates in the four principal directions. Although the walls a

Aug 18, 2020

[RAS Korea] Cheongju: a historical and cultural gem

Dark Side of Seoul releases comic book

The narrator of the comic book "The Dark Side of Seoul: Weird Tales from Korean Lore" welcomes readers to a collection of Korean folk tales. / Courtesy of Shawn MorrisseyBy Jon DunbarThe Dark Side of Seoul, a tour operator providing “ghost walks” featuring the macabre side of Korean history, has branched out with the release of a comic book, offering three stories based on folklore.The stories were scripted by Shawn Morrissey, a heritage interpreter from Canada who works as one of the guides for Dark Side of Seoul, with art done by Tim Bauer.“There is so much content that I'd love to share on the Dark Side of Seoul tour,” Morrissey told The Korea Times, “but there are limitations ― like finding suitable moments to segue into a tale, since the key is to connect a specific location with the content of a tale. It's not easy to incorporate all the tales I'd like to share because of those limitations. I had been contemplating how to share more of this content to a wider audience. So, I had the idea to write a comic book, bridging my love for horror comics and

Aug 18, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Foreign residents go domestic to satisfy summer travel needs

Foreign tourists visit Cafe Sann in Danyang on Oct. 7, 2018. / Korea Times photo by Emma Juno SparkesBy Kyung LeeThailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines are just a few of the popular vacation destinations visited by Korea's foreign residents every year.But with the pandemic and related travel restrictions having grounded summer plans abroad, some people have already embraced exploring Korea ― destinations both near and far from Seoul.Amy Benham had planned this year to return to New Zealand, her home country, as well as travel to a couple of Southeast Asian spots for diving.With both plans shelved until the end of global lockdown restrictions, Benham, a Seoul resident, said living the city life makes one appreciate what attractions the country's other regions offer, especially considering factors like food, outdoor activities and different regions.“There are so many hidden gems in various parts of Korea outside of the cities, I really encourage people to go out [of Seoul] and travel,” she said. “I feel like once you go out of Seoul to areas which are co

Aug 11, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Cityscapes Aquatic dangers in subterranean Seoul

Models pose inside an underground river, April 22, 2016. Places like this become dangerous during rainfall. / Courtesy of Ron BandunBy Ron BandunAs the nation is facing heavy downpour, eyes are turned to river levels and water infrastructure. Although disaster tourism seems distasteful to me, I've returned to some of my usual underworld entrances to see how Seoul handles rain at critical levels. Some of the tunnel entrances are flooded, while others are not, sometimes even in the same tunnels but upstream. It's always strange to see places you've occupied suddenly made inaccessible, in this case by rising waters.The top rule of urban explorers, even above the one about leaving only footprints and taking only pictures, is “When it rains, no drains.” It even rhymes!The city government knows it is true, as you can see in the closure of Seoul's many water bodies, not just the Han River but also Cheonggye Stream and many others like it. The dangers around these waters are swift and unpredictable. And the threat isn't immediate from precipitation alone, but can strike even when

Aug 11, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Mudslide: New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea mourns death of former official

Firefighters search debris during rescue efforts at the resort area in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea is mourning the deaths of Anna Song, 36, its former official, and two other members of her family ― all Kiwi citizens ― after a mudslide triggered by heavy rain engulfed their vacation cottage near Seoul.According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Song, a former director and treasurer of the chamber, was found dead Monday ― along with her mother, 77, and her two-year-old son ― after landslides destroyed their pension in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.“The suddenness and untimeliness of this tragedy is beyond words,” chamber chairman Tony Garrett said in a statement Wednesday. “Anna, you were always positive and at the forefront of many of the activities the chamber was involved in and you were so passionate about your work promoting the Korea NZ Tech relationship, for which your tenaciousness was admired by many.“Beyond what Anna did with the chamber, she was an incredibly committed

Aug 6, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Mudslide: New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea mourns death of former official

'Heukhyeong,' 'jjangkkae' among pejorative terms listed by human rights body

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoCourtesy of National Human Rights Commission of Korea“Heukhyeong,” which means “black brother” in Korean, and “jjangkkae,” a demeaning term some Koreans use to refer to Chinese people, are among the pejorative expressions listed by the human rights body.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said Tuesday that it distributed an education guide to 12,000 schools and other public institutions across the country as part of its effort to tackle discrimination and create a more inclusive society.“Schools should work hard to create an inclusive environment where diversity is respected,” the NHRCK said. “They need to actively respond to the problem of pejorative terms and expressions so that every member can feel secure and a sense of belonging.”The rights group defined “hate expressions” as those that “insult, demean, belittle or threaten” certain individuals or groups of people based on their gender, disability, religion, age or region of birth, saying such expres

Aug 5, 2020By Jung Min-ho

'Heukhyeong,' 'jjangkkae' among pejorative terms listed by human rights body

Kazakh man honored for saving 10 people from blaze

Yuldashev Aliakbar from Kazakhstan, left, poses with Yangyang County head Kim Jin-ha at his office in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of Yangyang County OfficeBy Jung Min-hoA Kazakh man, 28, an undocumented migrant who risked his life to rescue 10 people from a burning building in March, has received an award for his heroic deeds.Kim Jin-ha, head of the Yangyang County Office in Gangwon Province, presented the award to Yuldashev Aliakbar, better known as “Ali” among Koreans, for outstanding bravery.The ceremony was held at Kim's office after the Ministry of Health and Welfare selected him last month as one of the two recipients of the bravery honor, along with Kang Cheol-soo, a taxi driver who rescued a man trying to commit suicide in Seoul in January.Ali came into the spotlight after saving people from a burning apartment at a Yangyang town on March 23. While trying to wake his neighbors and open windows to let the smoke out at around 11:20 p.m., he suffered burns to his back, neck and hands.Despite his bravery, Ali immediately faced deportation after his i

Aug 4, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Kazakh man honored for saving 10 people from blaze

Undocumented hero: Koreans urge gov't not to deport Kazakh man who saved people from burning building

'World Domination 2' features 4 ska bands, 4 countries

TalkBats plays at It's A Fest! at Incheon's Hanagae Beach on June 14, 2019. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarFour bands representing four countries have come together to release a four-song compilation album on the Korean label World Domination, Inc. (WDI). This is volume 2 of the “World Domination” series, this time spotlighting ska-punk bands from Korea, Malaysia, the U.S. and the U.K.“Since four bands from four different countries have come together for this album, we're really happy to have the opportunity for people in other countries to listen to our songs,” said Kim Song-yi, frontwoman of Korean band TalkBats. “We're motivated to try even harder to become a band that stays true to ourselves while improving on our music for everyone who'll listen to us.”TalkBats contributes a song titled simply “TalkBats!” According to Kim, the song is “about how even though we don't know what will happen in our future and we don't know what we want to do, we want to enjoy this moment without any worries and share this fun momen

Aug 4, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Korea Encounters Experiencing beer halls and makgeolli houses in late 1960s

Male customers enjoy a night of drunken antics in a makgeolli house in this illustration that accompanied columnist Ahn Jung-hyo's article from Dec. 28, 1969. / Korea Times ArchiveBy Matt VanVolkenburgIn late 1969, Korea Times columnist and future novelist Ahn Jung-hyo wrote an article about makgeolli houses narrated by a drunken local who had bumped into a foreign tourist, told him to “Throw that damned tourist map away” and offered to show the tourist a “real place”: Octopus House.“We call this place Nowhere-House,” the guide explained. “Means we come here because we don't have no other place to go. Don't have a wife or a girl to spend the evenin' with. Ain't rich enough to go to a bar and you come here. When you're so happy or so blue that you want to go somewhere, ya come here. People come here to complain about their sad life. Folks come here to feel big and happy. On all kinda occasions, you're here.”This was a far cry from another drinking spot explored a year earlier by American columnist Patty Barker, who decided she wanted to