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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

US photographer reveals 'Behind the DMZ'

Alecia Janeiro, center, poses in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang in 2017 with her guides Jeong-im, left, who she met in 2015, and Jeong-hwa. / Image courtesy of Alecia JaneiroBy Jon DunbarSitting around someone's living room looking at their vacation photos sounds like a drag. But there's a twist: that living room is Haebangchon hot spot Living Room, the trip was to North Korea and the photographer is U.S. expat Alecia Janeiro.She visited the North in 2015 and 2017, entering five cities _ Pyongyang, Gaeseong, Sariwon, Wonsan and Sinuiju.“I was one of the few Americans allowed on the train to cross the border from Dandong to Sinuiju,” she told The Korea Times. “I also traveled to Wonsan by minibus, so I've seen a fair bit of Kangwon Province on the other side.”Janeiro, who's lived in South Korea nearly nine years, decided to share her photos publicly in an exhibit titled “Behind the DMZ,” aiming to dispel the numerous myths about travel to the reclusive North.“I want to show people that much of what they have been told about visiting the North

May 22, 2018
US photographer reveals 'Behind the DMZ'

Haebangchon turns up the volume for bi-annual music festival

This year's HBC Festival is dedicated to John Redmond, a longtime expat musician and Korea Times contributing writer. Redmond passed away on May 12. / Courtesy of HBC FestivalHaebangchon turns up volume for HBC FestBy Jon DunbarResidents, drivers and music lovers be warned: Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival returns this weekend. HBC and nearby Gyeongnidan will burst at the seams as the free festival takes place at 12 venues. HBC Festival generates enough foot traffic between venues that the police usually show up to control the crowds and direct traffic. The schedule starts Friday evening and continues on Saturday, with only a couple events scheduled for Sunday, including an open stage at Hidden Cellar. This year features the usual mix of expat and Korean musicians, performing solo and in bands. The genres on display include rock, country, punk, jazz, funk and blues, played in 82 separate performances. Some of the notable foreign acts include “in-law country” singer-songwriter John Patrick Starling, Jennifer Waescher and Tracy Scott, among dozens more. The Korean acts include

May 22, 2018
Haebangchon turns up the volume for bi-annual music festival

Hippie Korea, Seoul Drag Parade, HBC Urban Regeneration

Hippie Korea offers tea lectureTea has inspired both religions and war throughout history. Korea has a rich traditional tea culture, dating back millennia to the Three Kingdoms era (57 BCE to 668 CE).Hippie Korea, a community started by expats in Suwon, offers a lecture this Saturday titled “How Tea Found its Way to Korea.” The lecturer, David A. Mason, is an assistant professor of tourism at Sejong University. The free lecture runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Seoul Global Cultural Center in Myeong-dong. Visit fb.com/hippiekorea or hippiekoreacommunity.wordpress.com for more information.Drag queens parade through ItaewonThe first Seoul Drag Parade takes place this Saturday in Itaewon. Participants will gather at The LINK at 3 p.m. “The route will be revealed on the day,” said organizer Heezy Yang, “because if it gets leaked, anti-queer protesters can prepare to interrupt.”The parade encourages queer and non-queer participants of all ages to go on a journey of self-discovery and free expression. The LINK and Rabbithole Arcade Pub in Haebangchon offer a

May 22, 2018

Korea shows appreciation of migrant workers

A visitor to a 2003 exposition held for migrant workers and their family members in Korea tries a food served by members of migrant communities who are donned under their country's traditional costumes. / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanOne of the young visitors to an exposition for migrants' communities in Korea receives a hand painting from one of the attending migrantsMigrant workers in South Korea received an appreciative boost over the weekend, with special events being held for them and plans announced to woo more laborers from overseas. About 1,200 foreign workers from small-to-medium sized companies across the country joined a May 19 fete organized by the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) for the migrants. The workers' rights watchdog held the event at Everland, one of the country's signature theme parks located in Yongin. The fete was held to encourage the workers and offer them a chance to meet others from different countries and understand diversity in the workplace.Ambassadors and officials from 11 embassies, including East Timor, Mongolia, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, attended

May 20, 2018
Korea shows appreciation of migrant workers

Seoul underground: Exploring alternative dance music in Korea

Cakeshop in Itaewon / Photo by HusumuBy Jon SteinWhen most people think of Seoul nightlife, a certain image comes to mind: huge, ritzy superclubs in Gangnam or Hongdae, the kind of places that boast elaborate light shows, strict dress codes and expensive bottle service, all to the sound of K-pop remixes and commercial EDM. But there's another side to the city's party scene. Over the last few years a thriving dance music underground has sprung into existence, transforming Seoul into one of Asia's premiere destinations for DJs and dance music aficionados alike. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the city's most interesting underground dance music venues are found in Itaewon. Pistil, located in a basement a stone's throw away from Itaewon Station, is a small, intimate space that caters primarily to fans of deep house, though it will occasionally host DJs playing other styles (such as techno or disco). Speaking of techno, fans of this harder, darker form of dance music are spoilt for choice in terms of Itaewon clubs. The neighborhood is home to three excellent techno institutions ― Beton Br

May 16, 2018
Seoul underground: Exploring alternative dance music in Korea

Hip-hop duo Epic Beard Men tour Seoul, Busan

B. Dolan (left) and Sage Francis of Epic Beard Men / Courtesy of Epic Beard MenBy Jon DunbarRapper Sage Francis returns to Korea for concerts this Friday and Saturday. He last toured Korea in December 2014, performing in Daegu and Busan, but this time he's in Seoul and Busan, and he's bringing his co-collaborator B. Dolan, the other half of the hip-hop duo Epic Beard Men. “This time I get to play with B. Dolan rather than doing it totally solo, and that's exciting for me,” Francis told The Korea Times. “He is an absolute beast and I'm lucky to have him as a friend and rap partner. The tour we're on right now is giving us all the practice we need to smash whatever stage you guys put us on.”Francis, active in Providence, Rhode Island, is a poet, rapper and spoken word artist. Born Paul William Francis, he got his moniker when reading lyrics to his first girlfriend, and she told him, “Damn, kid, you're a sage.” “I had no idea what it meant,” he recalled, “but I did know that the letters worked great as a graffiti tag. Fortunately I'm

May 16, 2018
Hip-hop duo Epic Beard Men tour Seoul, Busan

Cityscapes Abandoned US base turned into chemical dump

A closed U.S. military base in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, is open to public access on May 12. A truck reportedly stopped at this bend in the road last Dec. 2 to dump unidentified chemicals.By Ron BandunIt was just me and this wild boar, on top of an isolated hill. I was at an abandoned U.S. military base, far from the nearest human being. It was in Paju along the Western Corridor stretching northwest of Seoul, early last December. The boar rushed forward, not quite charging, just coming closer to squint at this strange bipedal trespasser. It stayed in the brush, not stepping onto the path. It was a little smaller than a Jindo dog with stubby legs and I didn't see tusks. Boars make a distinctive noise when they move, their short legs sounding like two soldiers marching in lock step at a very fast pace. Before seeing the boar I thought two soldiers were chasing me. I stopped at the top of the hill, where there was a tall silo with a ladder I could climb if things got desperate. I scared a couple deer that ran off toward the boar. My back no longer up against the figurative wall, I unzipp

May 16, 2018
[Cityscapes] Abandoned US base turned into chemical dump

KIXFF calls for filmmakers for 48-hour challenge

Cast and crew of the KIX48 "Group Project" winner of Best Actor and Best Use of Elements at the 2017 48-hour film project awards show off their certificates at the screening party held last Sept. 23 at Emu Artspace in Seoul. / Courtesy of KIXFFBy Celeste Kriel“Write. Shoot. Edit. Finish at all costs!” This is the tagline for the “KIX48 Film Challenge,” a 48-hour film challenge hosted by Korea International Expat Film Festival (KIXFF).KIXFF is calling for teams to sign up for this year's 48-hour film festival, which kicks off on June 22 when teams will receive their assignment, and ends June 24 when teams have to deliver their completed films. All teams who have been able to complete the challenge will have their films screened at Emu Cinema in Gwanghamun on June 30 and July 1.The deadline for pre-registration is June 15 and costs 60,000 won via bank transfer. However, teams can show up on the day and pay 70,000 won at the door. Students with a valid ID get a 50 percent discount. The kick-off venue is Hidden Cellar in Haebangchon. KIXFF is a non-profit film com

May 15, 2018
KIXFF calls for filmmakers for 48-hour challenge

International divorces hit 6-year low in South Korea

By Kang Aa-youngThe divorce rate among multicultural couples has been on the wane for the past six years. A compulsory pre-marriage educational program for international couples is helping, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. According to the Ministry of Justice and Statistics Korea, the divorce rate has been gradually decreasing after hitting a high point in 2011. A total of 7,100 couples were divorced last year, a fall of about 38 percent from 2011. “Thanks to the educational program for international marriage couples, the rate has been dropping since the program was introduced,” said a Ministry of Justice official. The number of people seeking visas for marriage immigrants has also been falling, according to the report. The number has fallen about 44 percent from 15,979 in 2011 to 8,933 last year. The pre-marriage program is a requirement for those who want to get married from seven countries: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.The Ministry of Justice plans to expand the program using other educational sources.

May 15, 2018
International divorces hit 6-year low in South Korea

Global center preps foreign residents for disaster

By Jon DunbarSeoul Global Center offers its “Disaster and Safety Class for Foreign Residents” this Thursday. The free course is full-day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is taught in Korean. The course is divided into three sections: disaster assessment, disaster response and first aid. Korea is vulnerable to various natural and manmade disasters. Several prominent building fires last year ended many lives. The southeastern region has also been rocked by earthquakes, most notably Gyeongju in 2016 and Pohang in 2017. Although neither quake was lethal, they exposed the country's unpreparedness for such disasters. Participants learn what to do in case of emergency, such as evacuation procedures and how to report the situation to the authorities. They also can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use a defibrillator. The class is held on the ninth floor of the Seoul Global Center building. It is near exit 6 of Jonggak Station on Line 1. Visit fb.com/sgcnewsroom or call (02) 2075-4160 for more information or to register.

May 15, 2018
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