South Korea - The Korea Times

Cityscapes Exploring central Seoul's disappearing Pimatgol area

A masked bartender serves guests at the abandoned Seoul Hotel, March 2008. / Courtesy of Ron BandunBy Ron BandunAnother large section of Insa-dong has been razed for urban renewal. The demolition zone is about the size of a soccer field, with signs at either end marking the historic alley known as Pimatgol. This part of Insa-dong, hidden from view on Jongno by a row of streetside buildings, had a long and humble history.The alley came into popular use by commoners midway through the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. Its name meaning literally “Avoid-Horse-Alley,” it was a shortcut parallel to the capital's main thoroughfare, a way to avoid the traffic and delays caused by horse-transported aristocrats.It remained an efficient route through modern times, and also housed a lot of rustic, affordable businesses ― bars, cafes and one delightful stretch that specialized in grilled mackerel. I'm told it was popular with university students in the 1990s, as you could enter at one end and keep walking until you found your friends.But almost all of it has been wiped out, forgotten by Seoul

Jul 14, 2020

Foreign Line

Seoul Players need directorsSeoul Players, a local not-for-profit, English-language theater company, is looking for directors for its upcoming 10th Ten Minute Play Festival.The festival will run for two weeks in November. During the first weekend, all plays will be performed twice, and audiences will vote for the top plays to be staged on the second weekend. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three plays.The deadline is July 20. People with no experience directing a play are welcome to apply. Visit fb.com/seoulplayers or seoulplayers.org for more information and to apply. EAI seminar probes future of democracy in AsiaThe East Asia Institute (EAI) is hosting an online seminar starting at noon on July 16, titled “The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Democracy in Asia.”The main speaker is Larry Diamond, a professor of sociology and political science at Stanford University, as well as a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution. The seminar will be moderated by Lee Sook-jong, a senior fellow of the EAI and a professo

Jul 14, 2020By Jon Dunbar

INTERVIEW 'Korea's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable'

Korea Immigration Service Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun speaks during an interview at his office in the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 29. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Jung Min-hoGWACHEON ― Without the inflow of foreign workers, Korea is already shrinking.After deaths outnumbered births for the first time in November 2019, the gap has widened since. A chronically low birthrate, which hit an all-time low of 0.92 that year, suggests that the trend is only going to accelerate and that the country will face massive labor shortages in the decades to come if nothing changes.Years of government efforts to reverse the trend have been futile, leaving the country with the difficult choice of enduring the shock of a rapid decrease in the population or turning to immigration.Without immigration, the risk is that the population will continue to decrease and fail to provide enough taxpayers to fund social welfare and medical costs that will grow as the country ages.Cha Gyu-geun, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service (KIS), says the time has come to face that rea

Jul 8, 2020By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] 'Korea's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable'

Korea's pro wrestlers get back into ring

From left: JD Lee, Shiho, Ariel, Gustab and Duncan Solaire / Courtesy of Yoo Dong-woo @baragi71By Jon DunbarCOVID-19 has affected everyone's lives, even pro wrestlers. In the U.S., World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was declared an “essential service” and allowed to continue operating. Although the move was controversial, it goes to show we can't face the pandemic without mental ― and physical ― stimulation.Here in Korea, Pro Wrestling Society (PWS) has been taking every precaution, but they're jumping to get back into the ring in front of an audience ― even if they're not all in the same room. “Just like every entertainment TV show, I believe pro wrestling is one of the essential businesses in sports entertainment,” Shiho the Red Fox, one of PWS' high-flying fighters, told The Korea Times. “It gives people hope and entertainment through showcasing action, storytelling and acting. Pro wrestling is human drama. As long as the proper procedures are followed, sports and sports entertainment can be essential for the sake of people's livelihood.”His gy

Jul 7, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Korea's pro wrestlers get back into ring

More expats have their voices heard in Korea

Members of Seoul city's committee of foreign residents pose for a photo during a meeting in December last year/ Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentCalls growing to accept immigrants as members of societyBy Kim Se-jeong Khalilzade Nihat, an Azerbaijan national and Seoul resident, is a member of a committee run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, in which foreign residents discuss policies relating to them and make recommendations. At an upcoming meeting slated for July 17, Nihat is planning to recommend that the Ministry of Justice run a public campaign promoting the acceptance of foreign nationals as members of society.“I am in the process of getting Korean citizenship. I have a 16-month-old daughter. For Narin, Korea will be her home and her mother tongue will be Korean. But, she is treated differently just because she looks different. I would be very sad to see her rejected and lose opportunities because of this,” the 28-year-old father said as the reason why he wanted to make the proposal during a recent telephone interview with The Korea Times. The committee o

Jul 7, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

More expats have their voices heard in Korea

Foreign tourists to Korea stay shorter, spend less in 2019: survey

Foreign tourists to South Korea stayed shorter and spent less money in 2019 than the previous year, a government survey showed Tuesday. Korea Times fileForeign tourists to South Korea stayed shorter and spent less money in 2019 than the previous year, a government survey showed Tuesday.International tourists stayed an average 6.7 days in South Korea last year, down 0.5 from the previous year, according to the survey of 16,000 tourist arrivals taken by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).The fall contrasts with the prior year's slight gain. Foreign tourists' average stay increased to 7.2 days in 2018 from 7 days a year earlier. Per-capita spending by foreign tourists came to US$1,239 in 2019, down 7.7 percent from $1,342 the previous year.Foreign visitors' spending had been on the decline, with the amount shrinking to $1,482 in 2017 from $1,625 in 2016 and $1,713 in 2015.Tourists from the Middle East were the biggest spenders with $1,697, followed by visitors from India and China with $1,633 and Mongolian travelers with $1,616

Jul 7, 2020

Foreign tourists to Korea stay shorter, spend less in 2019: survey

Holiday in North Korea Dining at Pyongyang's best pizzeria

A "jonghap" or combination pizza / Courtesy of Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarSouth Korean pizza has come a long way over the last decade, but still the best pizza I've ever had in Korea was in Pyongyang in 2010. It was a few days into our one-week visit, and we were scheduled to go to a famous restaurant to try raengmyeon, or cold noodles in the local dialect. But one of the guys in our group, Michael Spavor, had requested we go to a local pizzeria instead. He knew his way around Pyongyang better than anyone, and I trusted that this would be a memorable experience. I recall the ride from the Yanggakdo Hotel, located on an island in the Taedong River in central Pyongyang, took quite a while. It involved a trip down Kwangbok Street, a scenic sunset voyage past some of Pyongyang's most “brutalist” architecture, including the Pyongyang Circus Theater. We saw massive concrete apartment complexes of majestic configurations, interspersed with colorful monuments to the Kim dynast

Jul 7, 2020By Jon Dunbar

EXCLUSIVE Over 41,000 undocumented immigrants leaving Korea under amnesty program

In this March 6, 2020, file photo, undocumented immigrants stand in line to fill out departure cards at the Korea Immigration Service's office in western Seoul. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoMore than 41,000 undocumented foreign nationals living in Korea have left the country ― or have promised to do so in the near future ― over the past six months under a special amnesty program.Korea Immigration Service (KIS) Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun told The Korea Times in a recent interview that 41,176 foreign nationals staying here illegally ― more than 10 percent of the estimated 390,000 ― had left or expressed a willingness to leave between Dec. 11 and June 21.So far, about 30,000 of them have actually departed due to international travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Under the program, which ran from Dec. 11 to June 30, those who voluntarily return to their home countries will be allowed to reenter Korea.According to the KIS, more than half of all undocumented immigrants came from countries whose nationals do not need to get visas in advance before coming to Korea, and th

Jul 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho

[EXCLUSIVE] Over 41,000 undocumented immigrants leaving Korea under amnesty program

INTERVIEW 'Korea's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable'

RAS Korea The next generation of Korean scholars

RAS Korea's recently printed Transactions vol.94 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Steven L. ShieldsFour outstanding Korean high school students were chosen, from among their peers, in the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea's first-ever essay contest. These young people took a bold step and submitted essays on Korean history and culture ― in English. The judges were challenged to choose and rank the entries for prizes. The relevance of the topic, the essayists' development of their arguments and their overall ability to communicate in written English were all considered.The idea to hold an essay contest developed after several young students at Dongducheon Foreign Language High School took the initiative to approach RAS Korea last year with their efforts. These students had read of RAS Korea's financial plight that was published in the Chosun Ilbo in the fall of 2018. Declaring that as high school students they were unable to send money, all they could send was es

Jun 30, 2020By Jon Dunbar

Community builder award honors int'l center head

Shin Gyong-gu, head of the Gwangju International Center, receives the the 2020 Michael Simning Community Builder Award at a ceremony in The First Alleyway on June 6. / Courtesy of Cami IsmanovaBy Jon DunbarGwangju in southwestern Korea has no shortage of community spirit. An annual award for local community builders has been given to Shin Gyong-gu, a professor emeritus of Chonnam National University and director of the Gwangju International Center (GIC).Shin was recognized for his role in community engagement, social responsibility and charity work. He has been with the GIC since its beginning 21 years ago, where he also serves as publisher of Gwangju News. He accepted this year's Michael Simning Community Builder Award (MSCBA) in a ceremony on June 6 held at The First Alleyway pub. “I feel humbled when I'm recognized like this,” Shin was quoted in Gwangju News' July issue. “I want to thank the committee for choosing me for this prize, which I think I do not deserve to receive.”Shin Gyong-gu, head of the Gwangju International Center and recipient of the 2020 M