South Korea - The Korea Times

Tradition meets modernity in youthful takes on makgeolli, hanok

Boksoondoga makgeolli at J.Hidden House in Seoul during a gala event hosted by Young YEOL, the 20s-30s program of Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society. Courtesy of Young YEOLYeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society's 20s-30s group hosts annual benefit gala with Boksoondoga, J.Hidden House.By Lee Hyo-wonAbout a dozen young women and men clad in “hanbok” were spotted near Dongdaemun on Saturday. While it has become common to see selfie stick-waving tourists swathed in colorful silks around historical sites, one seldom sees thoroughly traditional Korean garb such as a costume drama-worthy “nambawi” winter headpiece or vintage men's “dopo” overcoat.“My twin brother and I got our father to lend us his dopo that he got tailor made for marrying our mother over 30 years ago,” university student Hans Lee said at the annual gala dinner for Young Yeol, the 20s-30s chapter of Yeol Korean Preservation Society, a nonprofit under the auspices of the Cultural Heritage Administration.Lee's brother Joon added: “Our father's never worn it

Nov 27, 2018

Tradition meets modernity in youthful takes on makgeolli, hanok

HBC community needs foreign involvement

Charlotte Arribe, sustainable development consultant for UNESCAP / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarThe Haebangchon (HBC) area has been chosen for a 2016-2020 city “regeneration” project aimed at balanced development and community empowerment. But French expat Charlotte Anne Li Chen Arribe was curious about the low level of foreign resident participation, and whether or not it was by choice. Arribe outlined the need and the difficulties to getting foreign residents more involved, at the third and final scheduled foreign community meeting of the HBC Urban Regeneration Center, held Monday night in Onzigonzi, a community space on the edge of Shinheung Market in HBC.Although HBC community-planned events welcome foreigners, they lack outreach to foreign residents and the events are typically held entirely in Korean. Additionally, events are held at inconvenient times for working foreigners. Even this foreign community meeting, starting at 7 p.m., was only abl

Nov 27, 2018By Jon Dunbar

Foreign Line

'Miracle on the Han' figure talksAhn Young-ok was working overseas when former President Park Chung-hee recruited him to return to Korea and help it develop into an industrial and technological powerhouse. Ahn, a chemical engineer and researcher, helped found the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), reversing the brain drain of talented engineers leaving the country. The economic development that followed became known as the “Miracle on the Han River.” Ahn will share his experiences tonight at the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB). The lecture is at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the second-floor lounge of Somerset Palace in downtown Seoul. All are welcome. Non-members pay 10,000 won and students pay 5,000 won. Visit raskb.com for more information.Adoptees host fundraiser dinnerThe Global Overseas Adoptees' Link (G.O.A.'L) is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a fundraiser dinner Dec. 4. Held at the WeWork coworking space in Jongno Tower, downtown Seoul, it features a classical music performance by Denis Sungho, adoptee stories and a screening of a docum

Nov 27, 2018By Jon Dunbar

Foreigners have less chances of landing a job in Korea

South Korean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are finding it hard to even hire foreign workers amid rising wages and sluggish economic conditions, a poll by a local business federation said Sunday.According to the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KBIZ) that checked member companies that did not report hiring foreign nationals with E-9 visas this year, despite having done so in 2017, firms cited the business downturn as the main reason for opting to not hire foreign workers. The survey was carried out on 577 manufacturers from Monday through Wednesday as the number of companies that sought the government's permission to hire foreigners dropped off this year.KBIZ said 38.3 percent of companies said high labor costs had become a burden, followed by 24.1 percent that claimed a generally adverse environment was the reason for not hiring employees.As of January, the country's hourly minimum wage rose by 16.4 percent on-year to year to 7,530 won ($6.20) per hour, from 6,470 won in 2017. The government has set a goal of pushing the base wage up to at least 10,000 won by 2020

Nov 25, 2018

Foreigners have less chances of landing a job in Korea

Russians upset over gang-lynched Russian-Korean boy

Four middle school students who allegedly lynched a peer to death on an apartment rooftop in Yeonsu-gu District in Incheon leave Incheon Namdong Police Station for questioning at Incheon District Court on Nov. 16. YonhapBy Ko Dong-hwanRussians in Korea are upset and bitter after a gang of teenagers allegedly lynched to death an Incheon boy, 14, whose mother was Russian and father Korean.The outrage was evident in online communities frequented by Russian residents here, according to a Russian friend of the victim's mother on a Korean morning radio show on Nov. 20. Some Russians lamented that under Korean juvenile laws, the three male and one female middle school students who allegedly took the victim's life cannot be jailed. “All the Russian parents from our communities are enraged that because the suspects are 14 years old they cannot go to jail,” said Maria, who said she had known the victim since he was a boy, on CBS. She said, “The tallest one among the suspects was particularly close to the victim when they were children” because they used to spend time ea

Nov 23, 2018By Ko Dong-hwan

Russians upset over gang-lynched Russian-Korean boy

22 outstanding foreign residents receive honorary Seoul citizenship

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon puts an honorary citizenship medal around the neck of Ryan Goessl, executive/artistic director of Camarata Music Company.By Jon DunbarLast Thursday, 22 foreign residents of Seoul representing 17 countries were welcomed as honorary citizens of Korea's capital city.At this year's honorary citizenship ceremony, held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Mayor Park Won-soon handed medals and certificates to diplomats and business people, as well as educators and cultural leaders.“The institution of Seoul Honorary Citizenship is a great honor,” said Lakhvinder Singh, a visiting professor from India, as well as head of the Korean Peace Movement and a Korea Times contributor. “It gives you strong motivation to continue with your work against all odds. It makes you feel something great about yourself in your chest.”The title, which confers small advantages such as free entry to city-run museums, is mainly ceremonial, but to those who have dedicated so much of their lives to the community of a city of almost 10 million people, its symb

Nov 20, 2018By Jon Dunbar

HBC Community Agreement survey results shared

Shinheung Market, hidden in a labyrinth of old buildings, is showing signs of a generational change. Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Celeste KrielThe Haebangchon Urban Regeneration Center hosted an English-language meeting Monday to share the results of a proposed “Community Agreement” for members of the Haebangchon (HBC) community, and create a space for community discussion. The meeting was the second in a series run by the center this month to communicate with foreign residents and business owners in the area about various projects being undertaken by the center. They aim to afford residents a better quality of life, to uplift businesses and continue to develop the area into a budding neighborhood of arts and culture.HBC is a particularly interesting testing ground as a model of urban regeneration. While the number of local residents is drastically on the decline, foreign residents have been moving in, with the foreign population accounting for around 16 percent of the total. The proposed agreement, to be completed between 2019 and 2020, will reflect the voices of as

Nov 20, 2018

HBC Community Agreement survey results shared

Prostrating monks call for truth in Myanmar worker's death

Monks and other members of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism prostrate on roads near the Jogyesa in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Monday. They were protesting after a migrant worker from Myanmar died in hospital after falling while fleeing an Incheon immigration inspector at a construction site in Gimpo in August. The protesters hold pickets that read "Hold the Justice Minister Responsible" and "Abolish Employment Permit System." Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwanSeveral Korean monks displayed a rare religious practice on Monday to demand the government investigate the death of a Myanmar migrant worker two months ago. The pro-immigration activists performed the three-steps-and-one-prostration-bow practice, starting from Jogyesa in Jongno-gu, Seoul ― the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Each monk repeated a cycle of taking three steps followed by prostrating on the road. The seemingly excruciating practice continued to the presidential residence Cheong Wa Dae some 1.6 ki

Nov 20, 2018By Ko Dong-hwan

Prostrating monks call for truth in Myanmar worker's death

Check your English ability with 'notorious' Korean college entrance exam

The first page of the English test of the 2018 CSAT. Korea Times photo by Park Si-sooThe English test of Korea's College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT) is notoriously difficult ― so much so that many native English speakers (well-educated adults) have called it a “CRAZY” test after looking through some of the texts and questions put on test takers' desks. This year's test, conducted on Thursday, is said to be “tougher to answer” compared with previous years. Here are sample texts and questions from the 2018 CSAT English test. Check your English ability with them ― and imagine how hard it is to live in Korea as high school students studying for the CSAT. Don't cheat! (You can download all texts, questions and answers here) PS: Test takers were given 45 questions that needed to be answered in 70 minutes. ---------------------------------------------------------Q21. What does “refining ignorance” mean? Q24. Choose the best headline for the below text. Q32. Choose the most logically accurate sentence to fill in the blank. Q34. Choose the most logicall

Nov 16, 2018

Check your English ability with 'notorious' Korean college entrance exam

US scholar defends English section of Korea's college entrance exam

Hundreds of Chinese religious asylum seekers rejected in Jeju

Church of Almighty God members who sought asylum on Jeju Island have all had their requests rejected. The members, after applying for refugee status, moved to cities and counties across Korea where they allegedly joined other CAG members. Photo from the CAG websiteDispute grows over applications from the Church of Almighty GodBy Ko Dong-hwanHundreds of members of a Chinese Christian movement have filed for refugee status on Korea's southern Jeju Island, claiming religious persecution. The Jeju Immigration Office, however, told The Korea Times that so far it has not granted asylum or humanitarian stays to any of the applicants from the Church of Almighty God.China's ruling Communist Party outlawed the CAG more than 12 years ago, labeling it an unorthodox religious cult. Beijing said members of the CAG ― 4 million as of 2014 ― have been involved in illegal activities, including swindling and inciting suicides, and have distorted China's “orthodox doctrine.”In a discussion that stemmed from the 37th regular session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (OHCHR), h

Nov 14, 2018By Ko Dong-hwan

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