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SIWA charity bazaar to support local charities

Seoul International Women's Association (SIWA) members, from left, special events chair Melina Bandeira, welfare committee chair Han Sunghwa and public relations chair Jang Sejung. / Courtesy of Kyung LeeBy Kyung LeeOn Nov. 18, the Seoul International Women's Association (SIWA), a multicultural organization, will host its 57th annual Diplomatic Community Bazaar, with 43 embassies, 20 vendors of local enterprises, 10 charities and other international clubs scheduled to participate.Anticipated to outdo last year's bazaar in attendance, activities and funds collected, Monday's event will continue to promote and expand efforts to fundraise on behalf of local charities, according to several SIWA members interviewed, by joining Korean and international newcomers and existing members together through a program introducing multicultural practices, food and entertainment. Other activities that follow include performances by students attending All Love School (ALS), a Korean charity and educational platform for middle school students from multicultural households, as well as Seoul Foreign Scho

Nov 12, 2019

SIWA charity bazaar to support local charities

Banjo player releases music video set in Gamcheon

Banjo player Swanny G, left, leans on a tree stump. A colorful alley in Busan's Gamcheon Art Village is featured in his latest music video. / Courtesy of Swanny G, Ali SafaviBy Jon DunbarThe banjo, although not native to Korea, has been combined to great effect in a recent music video recorded in Busan's hilly Gamcheon Culture Village. The banjo, considered a “hillbilly” instrument in U.S. culture, couldn't be more alien to Korea, but somehow the music and the visuals come together.Daniel Swanson, a former expat resident of Korea, plays the banjo and belts out lyrics under the name Swanny G. His song “Four Wheels” is set to a video of scenes around Busan and Gamcheon, a brightly decorated mountainside village in Busan's Saha-gu that has become a major tourist attraction. Swanson, originally from County Durham, England, didn't pick up the banjo until he moved to Korea and a Canadian friend lent him one. It began a Pete Seeger obsession and led him to play the banjo himself.He spent 2014 to 2016 teaching at an English academy and living in Ulsan, before moving t

Nov 12, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Banjo player releases music video set in Gamcheon

American pastor hosts multicultural fest again this year

Iyewon Church in Seoul's Gangseo District hosted in 2018 its first multicultural festival concert, with the church pastor Tom Kim preparing the event. Provided by Tom KimBy Ko Dong-hwanA Korean-American pastor in Seoul is hosting for the second time a large-scale multicultural festival at his church in Gangseo District, eastern Seoul.The “237 Multicultural Festival” invites foreigners in the country ― from students and migrant workers to members of multicultural families ― this Saturday to the Iyewon Church in the district's Deungchon-dong area.Tom Kim hosted the inaugural event last year. It was a music concert with invited bands, drawing more than 1,400 visitors.This year, at the same venue, the festival, in addition to a concert, has booths for cultural experiences and street food. The free-of-charge event also offers raffle prizes.The embassies of Kenya, Rwanda, Fiji, the Philippines, Sierra Leone and Nigeria will participate, setting up their own booths. GME Remittance, a global remittance service provider based in Seoul, also will participate in the festival with it

Nov 11, 2019By Ko Dong-hwan

American pastor hosts multicultural fest again this year

Vietnamese punk band to tour Seoul, Busan

Cut Lon / Courtesy of Cut Lon By Jon DunbarIn what might be a first, a Vietnamese hardcore punk band is coming to Korea this weekend for two shows.The band name is the Vietnamese word for quail balut, a popular street food, when spelled properly. But without the little accents on the vowels, as would be printed in this newspaper, Cut Lon has cruder meanings.The Hanoi-based band plays thrash and hardcore punk, but it is so much more than that. The Unite Asia punk news website called it “your new favorite band” and said “this band has done everything right.”The four-member group has certainly gained attention for its music videos, in which members wear knitted Pikachu masks. “The Pikachu costume is funny ― we love wearing it on stage, although it's really hot and uncomfortable,” said Sot, the band's guitarist. “In the beginning, we just wanted to have fun and wear something stupid. But then as we started writing music, the Pikachu costume really fit in with the

Nov 5, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Vietnamese punk band to tour Seoul, Busan

'Contemporary Rebellions' podcast explores Korean activism

A scene at the Sept. 21 Climate Strike in Seoul / Courtesy of Austin Headrick By Jon DunbarInternational attention focuses a great deal on Korean cultural aspects, but one area where understanding is less advanced is in Korea's many activist movements. The podcast “Contemporary Rebellions” aims to change that.“While there are many Korean language podcasts covering contemporary political and social affairs, there are few if any in English and there isn't any other podcast covering South Korean social movements,” said Tom Rainey-Smith, one of the team members on the podcast. “So we hope to eventually reach a global audience and communicate how dynamic and vibrant South Korean social movements are.”Rainey-Smith, a foreign resident of Korea originally from New Zealand, began a year of paternity leave recently, and with the extra time he decided to start the podcast. He put out a call on social media looking for others to help him, connecting with Anastasia Traynin, a re

Nov 5, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Cityscapes Tripping over legends in Geoje's abandoned amusement park

The duck sky cycle ride is covered in vines at Okpo Land, an abandoned amusement park on Geoje Island, in 2008. / Courtesy of Ron BandunBy Ron BandunAbandoned amusement parks evoke a lot of interesting emotions in people, even though to me they're one of the less mysterious types of abandonments I visit. But I get it, as there are anthropomorphic faces everywhere, and amusement parks have been used to creepy effect in countless movies and cartoons.The first I ever visited was Okpo Land on Geoje Island, south of Busan in South Gyeongsang Province. A beautiful island, but I crossed the entire peninsula in December 2007 just to visit an amusement park reported to have closed in 1999.Back then, you had to catch a ferry from Busan to Geoje, or you could take a long bus ride through Tongyeong. On my final trip in June 2011, the voyage was made much easier by the opening of the 8.2-kilometer Busan-Geoje Fixed Link, a series of bridges and tunnels.An urban explorer examines the roller coaster at Okpo Land, an abandoned amusement park on Geoje Island, in 2008. / Courtesy of Ron BandunThe park

Nov 5, 2019By Jon Dunbar

[Cityscapes] Tripping over legends in Geoje's abandoned amusement park

RASKB bookstore holds open house this Saturday

Balloons display the name RASKB at the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch office on Daehangno in Seoul, at the first open house held Jan. 26. Courtesy of Steven L. Shields By Steven L. ShieldsWhere is the one bookshop that stocks more English-language books about Korea than any other other? The Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch (RASKB) office on Daehangno in Seoul!The RASKB office doubles as a specialty bookshop. In the early years, the society was alone in publishing a full catalog of English-language books about Korea. Today dozens of global publishers including many university or academic presses, are issuing English-language books. But, the RASKB bookshop is the sole, single-source retailer in Korea for the most extensive offering of books on Korea from dozens of publishers. Titles range from children's books and literature to casual “layperson” approaches to specific in-depth academic research. Indeed, there is something for everyone.Last January, the RASKB he

Oct 29, 2019By Jon Dunbar

RASKB bookstore holds open house this Saturday

Slurpees return to Korea after over 20 years

A Slurpee machine is installed in a 7-Eleven location in Gyeongnidan area in Seoul's Itaewon-dong. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon Dunbar For anyone who has ever craved a Slurpee here, the frozen carbonated drinks are back in Korea. A limited number of 7-Eleven convenience stores across the country have installed machines serving Slurpees."I've been waiting for this to come to Korea for 17 years and now I'm moving back to Canada next month," said Craig, a Canadian resident of Korea.Although it has been possible to find frozen slush drinks at various places across Korea, including at traditional markets, tourist sites and festivals, they are not the same as a Slurpee. Frozen slush drinks are known by many other names around the world, such as Frosters and Slush Puppies, and on the animated sitcom “The Simpsons” they are called “Squishees.” Slurpee is a brand trademarked to 7-Eleven, and an essential part of the convenience store experience in some countries.

Oct 29, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Slurpees return to Korea after over 20 years

Where to enjoy peak fall foliage in Seoul

Foreign tourists take photos under a canopy of color-changing leaves along Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway on Oct 28. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Hallie BradleyPeak fall foliage is upon the peninsula and enjoying the colors should be everyone's top priority. Here is where you should be headed to see beautiful red, orange, yellow and purple leaves or browning silver grass and autumn blooms. Wherever you choose to go this season, make sure to get outside and take pleasure in the autumn sunsets, breezes and colorful fall views around the city of Seoul. Now is the time!Haneul Park in Sangam-dongThis park that sits atop a hill is popular for its field of silver grass that dances in the autumn breeze. It's a gorgeous place to visit but it's just one park in the World Cup Park system. After visiting the silver grass fields, take a walk in Pyeonghwa Park that features yellow and red foliage as well as artistic installations that meld with the natural surroundings. Or, visit Nanji Stream Park, one of the lesser-visited parks in the system. There are trees galore and hidden gardens of fie

Oct 29, 2019

Where to enjoy peak fall foliage in Seoul

Yongsan Legacy Walking through Itaewon in 1968

Itaewon as seen in 1969 / Courtesy of Richard Kent By Martin LimonIn 1968, leaving Yongsan Garrison and heading toward Itaewon, meant walking on a road GIs called the MSR, or Main Supply Route. More often than not, you'd be immediately set upon by a group of ragamuffin boys shouting “Ten Won! Ten Won!” They'd hang around for a while and if you didn't hand them a coin they'd soon lose interest and move on to the next GI exiting the gate.At the first road crossing stood the Coulter Statue, a stone edifice of a U.S. general who'd served during the 1950-53 Korean War and had apparently greatly impressed President Syngman Rhee. Traffic was mild during the day and almost non-existent at night. That would change a few years later when Namsan Tunnel 3 was opened. The Coulter Statue was taken down to make way for a traffic control system.In those pre-economic boom days, the stroll toward Itaewon would not take you through a shopping area. Only an open-fronted fruit stand whe

Oct 22, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Global Community

Global Community

SIWA charity bazaar to support local charities

Banjo player releases music video set in Gamcheon

American pastor hosts multicultural fest again this year

Vietnamese punk band to tour Seoul, Busan

'Contemporary Rebellions' podcast explores Korean activism

Cityscapes Tripping over legends in Geoje's abandoned amusement park

RASKB bookstore holds open house this Saturday

Slurpees return to Korea after over 20 years

Where to enjoy peak fall foliage in Seoul

Yongsan Legacy Walking through Itaewon in 1968

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