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Lightning kills migrant mother in rice paddy

A flooded rice paddy in Inje city in Gangwon Province. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanLightening over Chucheon city in Gangwon Province. Korea Times fileLightning struck and killed a Thai migrant woman working at a rice paddy field during heavy rain in Yeonggwang city.Chansuk Bualoi, 63, was hit by lightning on June 30 in Bongnam-ri village in the city's Yeomsan-myeon district in South Jeolla Province. She was planting rice with four other Thai nationals ― including her younger sibling ― and Han Sang-min, a Korean who owned the field and brought the workers from Gochang city for the day job worth 70,000 won ($63). Han called the emergency rescue service, which took the woman to Yeong Gwang Medical Center. She started breathing again after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation but her brain remained unresponsive. She was then taken to Chusun University Hospital in Gwangju, 50 kilometers east of Yeonggwang, where she died.Bualoi was re-planting rice seeds that had not been properly planted earlier. This can be done only when a paddy is filled with enough water, according to a police

Jul 2, 2018

Lightning kills migrant mother in rice paddy

Woman killed as heavy rain hits Korea

Gov't to speed up refugee screening

Yemeni asylum seekers wait to get human rights counseling at Jeju city community center Friday. Yonhap By Kim Hyun-binThe Ministry of Justice said Friday that it will revise the Refugee Act to prevent fake asylum seekers from taking advantage of its system.It also plans to speed up the refugee application process to quickly screen out people who do not meet the basic requirements.“As part of the international community, we have a responsibility to protect refugees,” a justice ministry official said. “However, we have to reduce the public's misunderstanding. The Jeju government and other agencies are seeking to come up with countermeasures to better cope with the refugee issue.”The move comes amid growing anti-refugee sentiment here over 500 Yemeni refugees who arrived on Jeju in the last couple of months. Critics say they were taking advantage of the island's no-visa program, which was implemented to boost tourism.According to the ministry, the revision will be made

Jun 29, 2018

Syrian asylum seekers face hard life in Korea

Help Syria's General-Director Abdul Wahab, third from left, in front of a truck loaded with medical supplies and other aid for displaced Syrians in Mersin, Turkey. Capture from Help Syria's Facebook pageBasic human rights are beyond reach for undocumented Syrians due to Korea's immigration laws and local bias against Muslims, activists say.By Ko Dong-hwanThe Syrian civil war has displaced over 6 million civilians, two human right activists told the audience after a screening of “Last Men in Aleppo” ― a documentary about the war ― during the 2018 Korea Refugee Film Festival at Seoul Cinema on June 17. The film, winner of the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival,?documents the human tragedy of the war that began in 2011. Abdul Wahab Al Mohammad Agha, the general-director of Seoul-based humanitarian group Help Syria, and lawyer Lee il, from Advocate for Public Interest Law (APIL), were invited to the session to raise awareness about the war and some 1,300 Syrian asylum seekers in South Korea. The pair said they were concerned about Korea, whe

Jun 29, 2018

Syrian asylum seekers face hard life in Korea

Film festival aims to raise awareness of refugees

Seoul's Central Asian enclave undergoes demographic change

Bobur, left, and Shuhrat are Uzbek migrant workers who dress in Uzbek traditional clothes and bake bread like samsa and khachapuri on Central Asia Street. Such baked goods are stuffed with beef or lamb. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukMore ethnic minorities find home in 'Mongolia Town'By Kwak Yeon-sooNear the subway station of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park just west of downtown Seoul, there's a small ethnically diverse enclave along the alleys, better known as Central Asia Street, packed with restaurants and shops displaying signs in Russian.It's a home away from home for ethnic minorities from Mongolia, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries. The neighborhood is often called Mongolia Town as Mongolians are the dominant population in the neighborhood. But the early settlers were Russians and the neighborhood was once known as Little Moscow.A sign hung outside the store reads “All types of groceries are available” in Cyrillic. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukIn the wake of the “Wind of Change” that swept Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and led to

Jun 28, 2018

Seoul's Central Asian enclave undergoes demographic change

Actor Jung Woo-sung criticizes double standard on refugees

Actor Jun Woo-sung speaks at the 2018 Jeju Forum special session on refugees at the Jeju International Convention Center, Tuesday. Jung criticized radicals who called for the repatriation of 486 Yemeni refugees on the scenic southern island, for having double standards regarding refugees. / Courtesy of Jeju ForumBy Kang Hyun-kyungActor Jung Woo-sung expressed worries about radicals who called on fellow citizens to join them to pressure the government to repatriate 486 Yemeni asylum seekers on the southern scenic island of Jeju back to their war-torn home country. Speaking to the 2018 Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, Tuesday, Jung said the Yemenis would become victims of the war if they were sent back to their chaotic country from which they fled in search of hope and a better life. “We, South Koreans, have consistently expressed worries about the repatriation of North Koreans who escaped from their home country,” he said. He was talking about the Chinese government's notorious practice of repatriating North Korean escapees if they are caught in China. “(It's iro

Jun 27, 2018

Actor Jung Woo-sung criticizes double standard on refugees

Foreign Line

RASKB lecture on Joseon royal portraitsKorea has lost much of its heritage, from the royal lineage of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom to the artistic techniques used to capture their images. Few royal portraits survive to this day.? Yeungnam University professor Chung Do-hee gives a lecture for the Royal Asiatic Society on both the artistry of traditional Korean portraiture as well as the techniques, skills and materials used to create them. She will show images of the front and back sides of royal portrait, as well as a replica portrait on silk canvas. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. on June 28 in 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.Seoul Players needs directorsEnglish-speaking theater company Seoul Players is accepting applications from prospective directors who would like to get involved with this November's 10 Minute Play Festival. Applicants should email seoulplayers@gmail.com a resume and a short paragraph about their directing style. Past Se

Jun 26, 2018

Adult lifestyle store Piooda celebrates 1st anniversary in HBC

Piooda, on the main strip of Haebangchon. offers a table and chairs outside for customers to relax or chat with one of the staff members. / Courtesy of PioodaPiooda hosts anniversary eventBy Celeste KrielPiooda, an adult lifestyle store in Haebangchon, celebrates its first anniversary this Saturday with a huge sale and a special event, “Eat, Play, Love” to thank customers for their support in making the one-year celebration possible. Owner Kang Hye-young and her business adviser “Sheri” are excited to welcome new customers as well to explore the store, drink champagne, play games, win prizes and hopefully learn a thing or two about sex positivity. Piooda will make a donation to support victims of sexual violence in Korea for every purchase made.The female-owned store, situated on the main strip of the expat hub, is chic, cozy and welcoming, a stark difference to some other adult stores in the Itaewon area which often seem intimidating at first glance. Kang and Sheri strive to provide a fun, positive and educational experience for all who want to take control o

Jun 26, 2018

Adult lifestyle store Piooda celebrates 1st anniversary in HBC

Hardcore punk band Things We Say reunites

Victor Ha of the hardcore punk band Things We Say thrusts the microphone into the crowd at his band's farewell show at Skunk Hell III on Nov. 14, 2015. / Image by Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarPunk bands never die, they just play reunion shows in perpetuity.The Korean hardcore punk band Things We Say, founded in 2004, played for 11 years before breaking up amicably. Their final show on Nov. 14, 2015, was more of a glorified retirement party with a mosh pit. They also inspired an article on U.S. punk news satire website The Hard Times about the inevitability of band reunions. And they held out almost three years before being pressured into reuniting. “When we called it quits, we all agreed to be open to reunion shows, if there's any good occasion,” lead vocalist Victor Ha told The Korea Times. “We hadn't had a chance to get all together since the last show in 2015. We got back all together last Sunday for the first band practice for the show.”The band includes bassist Seo

Jun 26, 2018

Hardcore punk band Things We Say reunites

Yongsan Legacy Learning English with an American GI

Bill Morgenstein, center right, sits with his Korean students in the late 1950s. / Courtesy of Bill MorgensteinAs the U.S. military relocates out of Yongsan Garrison, Yongsan Legacy aims to archive the living memories of those who served, worked and lived there. This is one of them. ― ED.By Bill MorgensteinThe day the Korean War broke out, four of us went to the Marine recruiting station to volunteer. My friend Lou and I were too young but the other two were accepted. Sadly these brave Marines would both be killed at the famous Chosin Reservoir battle near Hagaru-ri. Eventually Lou would end up in the Air Force and me in the army.In 1957, I debarked at Incheon and along with my good friend Jimmy Anglisano, I anxiously awaited my assignment. After a few days I was lucky to hear I was being assigned to EASCOM (Eighth Army Support Command) in Seoul as an intelligence clerk, working for General Hannigan. After receiving my security clearance (that's a story for another time), I was billeted in a brick barracks (as opposed to the tents in one of the divisions). A few months later a sergea

Jun 26, 2018

[Yongsan Legacy] Learning English with an American GI

Sunday Sounds: Suuns, Protomartyr wow Hongdae audience

Suuns perform at Hana Tour V-Hall on June 17. Courtesy of HighjinxBy Jon SteinLead singer of Canadian art-rock band Suuns Ben Shemie previously told The Korea Times all he wanted from the crowd at his band's first-ever Seoul performance was for people to show up. “As long as there are people in the room, I feel confident we can put on a good show,” he said. Shemie got his wish. The evening of Sunday, June 17, saw a respectable number of people turn up at the HanaTour V-Hall near Hongik University, where the show took place. The audience consisted of a roughly 50-50 mix of Koreans and foreigners, and there was a palpable air of excitement in the air as opening act 3rd Line Butterfly, a longtime fixture on the Korean rock music scene, took to the stage. They started the evening off in fine style, their sound a blend of classic rock and grunge. Lead singer Nam Sang-Ah showcased a truly impressive vocal range, moving effortlessly between piercing wails and hushed emotional ballads, while quick-fingered bassist Kim Nam-Yoon got the crowd moving with his muscular, funky grooves

Jun 23, 2018

Global Community

Global Community

Lightning kills migrant mother in rice paddy

Gov't to speed up refugee screening

Syrian asylum seekers face hard life in Korea

Seoul's Central Asian enclave undergoes demographic change

Actor Jung Woo-sung criticizes double standard on refugees

Foreign Line

Adult lifestyle store Piooda celebrates 1st anniversary in HBC

Hardcore punk band Things We Say reunites

Yongsan Legacy Learning English with an American GI

Sunday Sounds: Suuns, Protomartyr wow Hongdae audience

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