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Anthropologist traces 'spooky' sites across Seoul

A tour group visits Gyeonghui Palace. / Courtesy of RASKBBy Peter JuhlHalloween is not traditionally celebrated in Korea, although the elements are in place, from the availability of pumpkins and other gourds and a love of costumes and candy, to the widespread belief in ghosts and demons. A higher proportion of Koreans believe in the supernatural (up to 51 percent in Gallup polls) compared to Americans (32 percent) and Canadians (25 percent). The belief in the paranormal is nearly ubiquitous across Korea, due to a unique combination of cultural and historic factors.Various types of spirits and monsters are thought to inhabit different specific sites, including burial sites and areas “associated with historical trauma,” according to Jennifer Flinn, a lecturer at Kyung Hee University and an East Asian Studies scholar with expertise on the subject.Flinn has been leading walking tours of Seoul's spooky side for years, but this weekend she offers her “Spooky Seoul” tour to everyone through the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB). She will bring participants

Oct 22, 2019

Anthropologist traces 'spooky' sites across Seoul

UK punk legend prepares for 1st Korea tour

Duncan Reid, front row second from right, and the Big Heads pose with the audience at Namba Mele in Osaka during their Oct. 19 show. Courtesy of Sophie PowersBy Jon DunbarPunk certainly no longer seems the music of rebellious youth. The first generation of 1970s-era punks are pushing retirement age and the youth opt for well-manicured, obedient boy bands.Duncan Reid, formerly known as Kid Reid, bassist and singer of 1976-formed punk band The Boys, has lived a lot and established quite a legacy. But he didn't let it go to his head, having parted ways with his band and going out on his own with his new band Duncan Reid and the Big Heads, “the world's best-looking heavy melody power-pop punk band.” “I always used to be called Kid because I looked so young,” he told The Korea Times. “When I got older I was a bit uncomfortable with it as it felt silly at my age!”Reid, now 61, got his start in the London scene surrounded by music greats such as Joe Strummer, Billy Idol and John Cale. Cale, whom Reid performed in support of on his first tour back in 1977

Oct 22, 2019By Jon Dunbar

UK punk legend prepares for 1st Korea tour

HBC Fest returns for fall edition

Lance Reegan-Diehl, center, organizer of HBC Fest, performs at the spring edition of the festival held in June. Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarHae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival returns this Friday and Saturday, presenting 58 individual performances at nine venues throughout the neighborhood, known for its high foreign population.One performer to look out for this year is Jonathan Hunt, an acoustic country/folk-rock performer from Canada. He will be playing at Linus BBQ at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Accompanying him on harp will be John Patrick Starling.“I think I've played HBC fest ever since 2015,” Hunt told The Korea Times. “Twice a year since then including every HBC South.”HBC South is the festival's spinoff event held outside the gate at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where much of the U.S. military personnel who used to populate Itaewon area have been redeployed.“I like playing the festival as it allows me to work on my live performance and get to see other musicians perform,” Hunt said. “Develop friendships as well.&

Oct 15, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Heavy metal music festival returns to Seoul's metalworking district

Sebastian W. Suh performs with metal band Crux at an outdoor festival in 2018. Crux performs at Mullae Metal City this Saturday. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Kyung LeeWhen Singloud Lee launched the two-day heavy metal music festival Mullae Metal City (MMC) five years ago, he had intended to provide a stage for metal musicians to perform on as Hongdae's live music scene was shrinking from venue closures.But the annual festival that started in 2014― back this year for this Saturday and Sunday ― generated a loyal following, attracting bands and audiences from overseas. Lee realized MMC was gradually welding its music subculture to Mullae-dong's long-standing community of metalworkers.“Playing metal on stage is a symbolic expression of all that metal whirring and grinding and sparks flying out of the actual shops,” Lee told The Korea Times. “And through MMC, I intend to introduce new developments every year to remind visitors that Mullae-dong is a neighborhood that has made its living on metalworking.”He is an event planner, entrepreneur and carpenter, and

Oct 15, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Heavy metal music festival returns to Seoul's metalworking district

Foreign TV personalities appointed as ambassadors for Seoul Immigration Office

Lee Seung-taek, CEO of the Creative Convergence of FMG Entertainment (left); Zahid Hussain, Christian Burgos; Seoul Immigration Office head Son Hong-ki; Oogi Hitoshi, Terris Brown, Fujimoto Saori and Shakya Sujan Ratna during the Seoul Immigration Office's appointment ceremony at its headquarter in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of FMG EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaSeoul Immigration Office appointed 10 foreign TV celebrities as its ambassadors on Monday to help immigrants better understand Korean culture and society. The ambassadors, all managed by FMG Entertainment, are Christian Burgos (Mexico,) Terris Brown (U.S.,) Fujimoto Saori (Japan,) Sorensen Joakim Bjorn (Sweden,) Carlos Gorito (Brazil,) Zahid Hussain (Pakistan,) Shakya Sujan Ratna (Nepal,) Oogi Hitoshi (Japan), Kevin Hermanto (Indonesia) and Chamreoun Mang (Cambodia.)The ceremony took place at the office's headquarter in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The ambassadors will teach Korean culture and society to immigrants intending to obtain a resident visa. The ambassadors will also promote the office's diverse social integration p

Oct 15, 2019By Dong Sun-hwa

Foreign TV personalities appointed as ambassadors for Seoul Immigration Office

Speech of Fire enriches Seoul's theater scene

A scene from "Garage" / Courtesy of Robert EvansBy Hallie BradleyThe newest theater company in town, Speech of Fire, has launched this autumn under the leadership of co-artistic directors Lauren Ash-Morgan and Michael Downey. The duo's new company is an effort to create great performances while also connecting to the community in order to foster true human connections in this increasingly digital and isolating age.“We chose the name Speech of Fire because it encapsulates what we are about,” Downey said. “We intend the text of a play to be at the center of everything we do. And of course on stage text becomes speech...we are both text and speech/voice nerds… I guess we have had a focus on that in the last few years in Seoul Shakespeare Company. We've been teaching text and voice both to our casts as part of our rehearsal process, and also to the wider public as workshops and classes. The name comes from a quote by Laertes in “Hamlet,” which shouldn't come as a surprise as both had been part of Seoul Shakespeare Company, which specializes in teachin

Oct 15, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Speech of Fire enriches Seoul's theater scene

Korea Encounters Korea's battle over the 'domineering use of Chinese characters' in 1970

An old style of Korean typewriter, seen in 2015 at a closed university building. Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Matt VanVolkenburgHangeul Day's existence as an official national holiday began only six years ago, reflecting the high regard in which the Korean alphabet system is held. But it was not always this way, even after Japan's control of Korea ended and the Republic of Korea was founded. Attempt to move away from the use of Chinese characters to exclusive use of Hangeul prompted protests in the late 1960s, in part because mastery of Chinese characters was seen as the mark of an educated person.In December 1969, the Supreme Court set guidelines for the exclusive use of Hangeul on property and family registration documents, which was to be implemented in 1970. Government offices were also to be identified by signs in Hangeul.The Korea Times quoted the owner of a Seoul trading company arguing against this in an article dated Dec. 7, 1969, saying it was “nonsense to sweep away all the Chinese names of the key offices now that Korea is striving to enhance her diplomatic and

Oct 8, 2019

[Korea Encounters] Korea's battle over the 'domineering use of Chinese characters' in 1970

Store closure has readers asking 'what the book?'

A sign at the front entrance of What the Book? announces the closure of the bookstore. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarThe used bookstore What the Book? has closed its doors suddenly, shocking foreign residents of Seoul and sparking conversations across local internet communities. The bookstore's website disappeared from the internet and its Itaewon location closed down last month, catching customers by surprise, some of whom had outstanding orders with the shop. A sign at the building front entrance, as of Sept. 28, read “We temporarily close for personal reason. We apologize for the inconvenience you may suffer.” As of Oct. 5, the sign was replaced with a handwritten note that appeared to be announcing its permanent closure, saying “What the Book. Closed Out of B ―.” A sign on the second-floor entrance had notes written from customers, asking about the status of their orders. On a bulletin board, someone posted a paper with a message saying “Are you

Oct 8, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Store closure has readers asking 'what the book?'

Former torture site reopens as human rights museum

This black brick building next to Namyeong Station on Seoul Metro Line 1 used to be a police site used to torture student activists in the 1980s. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarOne of the darker episodes of Korea's modern history is hidden in plain sight. Anyone taking a train south of Seoul Station, either on Line 1 or a commuter train, or driving on parallel Cheongpa-ro or Hangangdae-ro, passes by an imposing but anonymous seven-story building standing near the train tracks.The building features sharp lines, narrow slit windows and black bricks. Its name was pronounced “dae-gong-bun-sil,” which translates to “anti-communist room.” This is where, in the 1970s and 80s, the Korean police brought pro-democracy activists, accused of communism, for interrogation, torture and worse.It is in this building that police tortured student activist Park Jong-chul to death on Jan. 14, 1987. News of this triggered a massive pro-democracy protest on June 10 that year. This ultimately ended Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship and ushered in the Sixth Republic

Oct 8, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Former torture site reopens as human rights museum

Magpie's Ghost gose named Asia's best beer

Beers by Magpie Brewing Co. / Courtesy of Magpie Brewing Co.By Jon DunbarMagpie Brewing Co. co-owner Erik Moynihan admits his brewery's signature Ghost gose-style beer, which just won the top award at a major international beer convention, can be “difficult” at first.The sour citrus taste is not what a newcomer might expect from a beer, especially one that's fresh out of the keg. One may ask, should beer taste that way? Has it gone bad? But that's exactly how it's supposed to be, and after initial apprehension tasters find themselves craving more."Whenever I give it to someone for the first time I always tell them to save their opinion for after they finish at least 3 cm of the beer," he told The Korea Times. "Once your palate grows accustomed to the acidity the nuance of the recipe starts to shine through. We think it's one of the most refreshing beer options out there ― and for customers used to the sour lactic acid fermentations of kimchi and makgeolli, there's something familiar there too.”The Ghost just won the Barth-Haas Champion Beer of Asia award at the annu

Oct 1, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Global Community

Global Community

Anthropologist traces 'spooky' sites across Seoul

UK punk legend prepares for 1st Korea tour

HBC Fest returns for fall edition

Heavy metal music festival returns to Seoul's metalworking district

Foreign TV personalities appointed as ambassadors for Seoul Immigration Office

Speech of Fire enriches Seoul's theater scene

Korea Encounters Korea's battle over the 'domineering use of Chinese characters' in 1970

Store closure has readers asking 'what the book?'

Former torture site reopens as human rights museum

Magpie's Ghost gose named Asia's best beer

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