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'We don't want to be misunderstood' - a letter from Yemeni on Jeju

Esmail Alqublani, former Yemeni journalist, sent this letter to The Korea Times from Jeju Island, where he together with other Yemenis is trying to get a refugee status. ― ED. Since the start of the war in Yemen, the displaced people have been searching for a safe life. At first Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries received many Yemenis. And then Malaysia, which became the starting point for Yemenis who came to the island of Jeju and other parts of the world.Now, the war is long and this has made us look for a way of living and working in peace as human beings anywhere. Through United Nations offices and others, we are trying to preserve ourselves and the future of our lives.We are the Yemenis as a people and a state that we have never been enemies of. But there have been many ambitions around our country. The war is the main reason for our displacement and it has consumed the green land in our country and we Yemenis are now on Korea's Jeju Island. We do not want to be misunderstood, and I am aware that we will not be misunderstood, in a civilized and ancient

Jun 20, 2018

'We don't want to be misunderstood' - a letter from Yemeni on Jeju

Yemenis find hope and despair in Jeju

Journalist Esmail Alqublani fled Yemen after receiving threats. Courtesy of Esmail AlqublaniBy Kang Aa-youngMany Yemeni asylum seekers see Jeju Island as something close to the last beacon of hope in their tiring journey for survival and a new life. Esmail Alqublani, 30, is now on Jeju after leaving the Yemini city of Ibb for Malaysia, where he bought a one-way ticket to Korea.“I left Yemen after receiving phone calls from someone threatening to kidnap and assault me,” he said. In that situation, he couldn't do his job as a journalist. “Yemen is not safe,” he said. “It was hard for me to leave but I had to for my life.”A group of Yemenis attend a job consulting session on Jeju Island. Captured from YTNJeju is safer than Yemen but refugees like Alqublani are struggling with a minimum level of subsistence help while their requests for refugee status are under review.As of Friday, Jeju has received 549 Yemeni refugee applications, including from 10 families with children.Joseph Shin, head of a special committee established to resolve refugee issues on

Jun 20, 2018

'We don't want to be misunderstood' - a letter from Yemeni on Jeju

4 in 10 marriage immigrants suffer domestic violence

YonhapAbout four out of 10 female marriage immigrants in South Korea have experienced domestic violence, according to a government report released Wednesday.The report, compiled by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on the basis of a poll of 920 foreign women married to Korean men, also found that about 70 percent of them have experience of being sexually abused.In addition, the proportion of immigrants who were verbally or psychologically abused exceeded 80 percent, the commission said.The survey was conducted between July and August last year. Women from Vietnam accounted for 42.4 percent of the surveyed, followed by China with 29.4 percent, the Philippines with 11.4 percent, Japan with 6.5 percent and Cambodia with 3.6 percent. They have lived in South Korea for an average of 16.37 years. Over 70 percent of the respondents didn't have an occupation, while 60 percent didn't have their own income.According to the report, 387 respondents, or 42.1 percent, said they have suffered domestic violence. Of them, 147 people were threatened with violence at home, while 77 others w

Jun 20, 2018

4 in 10 marriage immigrants suffer domestic violence

Shade Seoul grows and goes international

A Shade Seoul event features performance artists Grebnallaw at Cakeshop in Itaewon, April 15, 2017. / Courtesy of Chris Thunderhawk TzitzisBy Celeste KrielFor most countries celebrating Pride, June is officially known as international Pride month when the LGBTQ community and allies around the world come together to celebrate themselves and their communities, to increase visibility and just enjoy who they are.While this year's Seoul Pride event takes place a month after most other countries, the LGBTQ collective Shade Seoul will be in Shanghai and Beijing next week to heat up the celebration, and will bring a Pride afterparty to Seoul in July.Five years after the very first monthly event hosted by Shade Seoul, then known as V.O.G.U.E _ a party focused on voguing and ballroom culture _ the collective has grown consistently and its events have become known for providing an inclusive space for unabashed self-expression, fresh music, inclusiveness and a strong non-discriminatory policy. Racism, sexism, classism and homophobia are not tolerated at these events.“We tried to create a n

Jun 19, 2018

Anarchy in the DMZ: music fest rocks for peace

Glen Matlock, former bassist of the Sex Pistols / Courtesy of Glen Matlock By Jon DunbarSeveral types of firearms are restricted in the DMZ, but Korea's indie music community is bringing a different kind of weapon the signatories of the 1953 Armistice never would have imagined: a Sex Pistol.Glen Matlock, the founding bassist of legendary U.K. punk band Sex Pistols, will perform on Sunday at DMZ Peace Train Music Festival in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province.“I don't know too much about the whole thing but I thought it would be good to come and see for myself,” Matlock told The Korea Times. “You get all these second-hand reports in the paper and everyone has these vested interests, and it would be nice to see what's going on on the ground _ and lend my voice and name to the quest for world peace and rock out a little bit.” Now a solo musician, he is also expected to collaborate with Korea's own first-generation punks, including Crying Nut and Cha-Cha of No Brain. “Ex

Jun 19, 2018

Anarchy in the DMZ: music fest rocks for peace

'City without border' hosts World Cup for migrants

Thai football players and cheerleaders at the World Cup in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, celebrate after winning the tournament on June 17. Ansan Migrant CenterBy Ko Dong-hwanWhile the World Cup in Russia captures global attention, a different international football tournament kicked off in Ansan last weekend. Instead of national athletes and armies of cheering crowds, migrant workers from 11 countries in Korea took to green fields for their own World Cup.The Ansan Migrant Center in Gyeonggi Province hosted its 16th annual Ansan World Cup. The one-day event attracted some 500 players competing in football and volleyball. There were 16 football teams and eight volleyball teams from Nigeria, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Uganda, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Cameroon, Liberia and the Philippines. To cheer them on, 500 multi-national fans turned up for the tournament. “Atmosphere during the event was beyond friendly,” Ansan Migration Center chief Park Chun-ung, who has been directing the event since its inception, told The Korea Times. “It was outrageously exciting and cheer

Jun 19, 2018

'City without border' hosts World Cup for migrants

Cityscapes Exploring Songdo, Korea's incomplete futuristic dystopia

A plaster Jesus is crucified in Songdo's Central Park as part of the Bible Expo in 2011. / Courtesy of Ron BandunBy Ron BandunIt's not every day you see a city being born, unless you live in Songdo, an island metropolis built on reclaimed land in southern Incheon. Songdo is not Korea's first attempt at building a utopian city, nor is it even the latest. Touted for its “car-free” design (despite now sporting a Starbucks drive-thru) and cutting-edge waste-disposal infrastructure, the fairest thing we can honestly say is it's still an incomplete project.Songdo is built on former mudflats reclaimed by humanity, wrenched from the clutches of migratory birds that once stopped here for rest and sustenance.Songdo International Business District is seen through the haze early from the mainland in the morning of Dec. 3, 2013. / Courtesy of Ron BandunThis East Asian Manhattan rose out of the sea, spoiling the sea view of mainland southern Incheon, once a resort area with motels, golfing and an amusement park. The park is long since abandoned and demolished but the motels are a good

Jun 19, 2018

[Cityscapes] Exploring Songdo, Korea's incomplete futuristic dystopia

#WithRefugees hits Seoul with films, music, stories

Scenes from "The Unforgotten," with Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, top, featured as the film's narrator. UNHCRBy Ko Dong-hwanA United Nations-led global movement to embrace refugees worldwide, “#WithRefugees,” hits Seoul on June 25 for a week-long schedule of films, musical performances and guest visits by celebrities and refugees.The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR's Seoul representatives said it is the only week-long event in the world following World Refugee Day on June 20. #WithRefugees began in April in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. It spread and inspired people worldwide to create offline events or campaigns on social media. These included a football match between refugees and journalists in Senegal, a film screening in central Oslo, a refugee art exhibition in San Salvador and a refugee community garden work day in Kent, Washington. #WithRefugees will be marked in cities across South Korea, including on Jeju Island, where the number of asylum seekers from Yemen recently spiked, and Seoul.The campaign will begin with UNHCR Seoul releasing on Instagram and Facebook Korean

Jun 19, 2018

#WithRefugees hits Seoul with films, music, stories

Refugee fears grip Korea

Foreign Line

Bellydancers, indie bands shake it upBellydancers will accompany indie bands for the eighth "Shake It Up" this Saturday. Bellydancer Hye-in and dance troupe Navah come together with indie bands Nametag, Taccoon and Rough Cuts at The Convent (formerly Freebird Cosmic Live) near Hongik University. The show starts at 9 p.m. and costs 15,000 won. Visit fb.com/navahbellydance for more information. Nepali singer rocks DongdaemunSinger Neteesh J. Kunwar from Nepal comes to Seoul this Saturday for a "Seoul Mandu Night" concert at the New Cheonji Hotel near Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The singer-songwriter and loop artist became a sensation in his home country after appearing in a heartfelt talk on YouTube channel The StoryYellers about his violent past in a motorcycle gang. Also performing is Dawa Tamang, and DJ C-Man will keep the after-party going all night. The show starts at 10 p.m. and entry costs 20,000 won. Visit fb.com/NepzPartyRockersInKorea for more information. Korea vs Mexico watch partyLooking for a good place to watch Team Korea try to beat the odds against Mexico? The World Cup g

Jun 19, 2018

Film festival aims to raise awareness of refugees

A scene from "Last Men in Aleppo" By Ko Dong-hwanThe fourth annual non-competitive film festival founded to raise awareness of refugees in Korea was held on June 17.The small-scale festival at Seoul Cinema in Jung-gu featured three back-to-back films each followed by guest speakers in group-visit (GV) sessions. With its thematic catchphrase “Meet and Greet,” this year's festival first screened “Last Men in Aleppo,” a 2017 documentary about the Syrian civil war. Directed by Firas Fayyad, the movie follows three founders of White Helmet ― an organization of ordinary citizens who rush to sites of military strikes and attacks in the hope of saving lives. The voluntary rescuers, torn between horrific scenes of reality and their own commitment, ask themselves whether to flee their country or stay and fight for it. The movie won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards in March this year. Guest speakers were Abdul Wahab from Help Syria, a Korean civic aid group

Jun 18, 2018

Film festival aims to raise awareness of refugees

Syrian asylum seekers face hard life in Korea

Global Community

Global Community

'We don't want to be misunderstood' - a letter from Yemeni on Jeju

Yemenis find hope and despair in Jeju

4 in 10 marriage immigrants suffer domestic violence

Shade Seoul grows and goes international

Anarchy in the DMZ: music fest rocks for peace

'City without border' hosts World Cup for migrants

Cityscapes Exploring Songdo, Korea's incomplete futuristic dystopia

#WithRefugees hits Seoul with films, music, stories

Foreign Line

Film festival aims to raise awareness of refugees

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