my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Global Community

Restaurant of the WeekKorean Temple AdventuresLaughing through HistoryKorea Encounters

Frederic H Dustin, King of maze, passes away

Frederic H Dustin is hard at work surrounded by cats in this 2015 photo. / Courtesy of Robert NeffBy Robert Neff On the rainy morning of May 5 (Children's Day), Frederic H Dustin, the doyen of Jeju Island's expat community and the founder of Kimnyoung Maze, passed away after a long battle with health issues.Born in Bellingham, Washington, on Jan. 12, 1930, he joined the military in 1951 and arrived in Korea on Easter Sunday 1952. After completing his service, he went back to school and obtained his degree, then returned to Korea as an English teacher, first at Yonhee University (now Yonsei) and then later at Chung-Ang University. In the early 1960s he worked here as a gold miner. It was hard work and paid very little but, according to Dustin, it was one of the greatest periods of his life. It was hard to get a straight answer out of him for the sudden change of occupations ― depending on his mood and audience, he sometimes attributed it to the unwanted advances of a young woman who followed him from the United States and other times he confessed he just got tired of teaching. An inju

May 8, 2018
Frederic H Dustin, King of maze, passes away

Hikers to visit forest

By John RedmondSeoul International Hikers (SIHC) will walk through an acacia forest in northern Seoul on Saturday.Participants will follow the trail through the acacia forest, dropping by some cultural sites and parks while hearing about Korean traditions and history.The group will then exit the small forest and enjoy a local meal nearby.The hike will take about three hours, covering approximately seven kilometers.“SIHC strongly recommends that participants wear good hiking shoes and be prepared for a range of possible weather conditions. For instance, you may want to pack a raincoat, a waterproof hiking jacket and an extra pair of socks and T-shirt in a plastic sealed bag, as well as a light snack ― sandwiches and fruits ― and a bottle of mineral water for you to drink during your hike,” state the organizers.Newcomers should provide basic contact information beforehand in case of emergency.Participation costs 3,500 won and the meal afterward will cost 10,000 won to 20,000 won.The group will meet at 10 a.m. inside exit 3 of Seokgye Station on lines 1 and 6. Part

May 8, 2018

Women's group to raise funds for refugees

TNKR holds a matching session on April 28 to pair defectors with tutors. TNKR will hold orientations for new volunteers this weekend. / Courtesy of TNKRBy John RedmondWomen's group Lending Ears will hold a charity picnic Sunday on Yeouinaru, raising funds for Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR). From 1 to 5 p.m., guests can enjoy snacks, music, friendly conversation, games and coloring books together ― all while supporting a great cause.Organizers will provide picnic blankets, mats, music, coloring pages and supplies, cards, Jenga, snacks and Polaroid photos for 2,000 won extra.TNKR is a Seoul-based NGO that provides free English tutoring for North Korean refugees. Casey Lartigue Jr. and Lee Eun-koo established the group in 2013.Over the years, 360 North Korean refugees have studied with TNKR's almost 800 volunteer tutors and coaches. Members of Lending Ears are TNKR tutors.A small donation of 5,000 won or 10,000 won is requested.Participants will meet at exit 2 of Yeouinaru Station on Line 5. This event is child- and pet-friendly.Search Facebook for “Sunday Picnic With Len

May 8, 2018
Women's group to raise funds for refugees

IAK members to walk for suicide awareness

By John RedmondThe Irish Association of Korea (IAK) invites residents to partake in the Darkness into Light (DIL) walk at Yeouido Hangang Park on Saturday. The DIL is a 5km walk/run aimed to raise awareness about suicide and measures for prevention of suicide and self-harm. It is operated by Pieta House, a suicide counseling center founded in Dublin in 2006 that offers free counseling to those suffering from suicidal ideation, those who have been bereaved by suicide and people who are engaging in self-harm. The walk started in 2009, with around 400 people in yellow DIL T-shirts walking a 5km course in Dublin's Phoenix Park. This year, DIL will have roughly 180 venues across Ireland and worldwide.Last year 180,000 participants helped promote suicide prevention and tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.The IAK is a nonprofit volunteer group that promotes Irish culture in Korea through events catering to Irish residents and also giving Koreans and others the opportunity to experience and learn more about Ireland.The walk begins at 4:15 a.m.Visit dil.pieta.ie or facebook.com/DILSeo

May 8, 2018

RAS Korea offers tea-making temple tour

By John RedmondAn image of Hwaeom Temple in South Jeolla Province / Korea Times fileBrother Anthony, president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korean Branch (RASKB) will host a tea-making, temples and food excursion to Mt. Jiri this weekend.This annual trip offers a unique opportunity to participate in tea-making processes, and taste fresh tea in the beautiful surroundings of Mount Jiri, as well as sampling local delicacies.The group will meet at 8 a.m. at Yongsan Post Office outside Sinyongsan Station on Line 4 and catch a bus to South Jeolla Province, where they will have lunch near Hwaeom Temple. Founded in 544, Hwaeom Temple is one of several temples claiming to be the place where tea sent by the Chinese emperor was planted in Korea.Groves of wild tea grow on the hillside surrounding the temple. Participants will meet tea master Hyoam there in his small tea garden.“After arriving we will first drink some tea, then learn briefly how the fresh shoots used for tea-making are picked. It takes most people a day to pick a couple hundred grams. Time being limited, we will then work t

May 8, 2018
RAS Korea offers tea-making temple tour

Photo, video contest focuses on Korean alleys, food

“Korea Through the Lens" is the title of this year's contest. / Courtesy of Corea Image Communications InstituteBy Kang Aa-young, Jung Min-hoTaken some interesting photos and videos of Korea during your trip here?The Corea Image Communications Institute (CICI) has started accepting submissions for a photo and video contest about Korean alleys and food.The contest is open to all non-Koreans who live in Korea or who have been to Korea. Koreans also can enter.Submissions should be sent to the CICI between July 2 and 16. The winners will be announced on Aug. 29. Prizes include business class airline tickets and luxury hotel vouchers.The organization, which is devoted to improving Korea's image overseas, held the first contest last year as part of its annual Culture Communication Forum.For more information, visit www.coreaimage.org.

May 8, 2018
Photo, video contest focuses on Korean alleys, food

Seoul offers free offices to foreign entrepreneurs

The Seoul city government is offering free offices for six months and to provide incubation programs for foreign startups. / Captured from the Seoul Global Center websiteBy Kang Aa-youngThe Seoul city government is offering free offices for six months and to provide incubation programs for foreign startups in Korea. The program, run by the Seoul Global Center and the Seoul Business Agency, is accepting applications until June. 4. It will give office space at three centers, in Jongno, Gangnam and Yeouido starting from July. 1. Those selected may extend their stay once for six more months, depending on performance evaluation.The center will provide quarterly business coaching, one-on-one mentoring with specialists in various fields as well as special lectures and meetings. Candidates must be foreigners living in Korea and planning to register their proposed business in Seoul during the incubation period or who have started a business within the year before the application date.For more information, visit the Seoul Global Center website (global.seoul.go.kr) or call 02-2075-4112.

May 7, 2018
Seoul offers free offices to foreign entrepreneurs

Korea Encounters Korea Times goes go-go dancing in 1971

A March 21, 1971, photo in The Korea Times shows two long-haired dancers, describing the male as “in a trance, far from reality and absorbed in his own special world.”  / Korea Times fileBy Matt VanVolkenburgIn the 1950s Western-style social dance gained popularity in Seoul, but, lacking experience with such contact between the sexes, many Koreans perceived it as lewd and decadent. After Park Chung-hee's 1961 coup, numerous men and women of the “dance tribe” were paraded before the public and prosecuted by military tribunals.By 1969, however, restrictions had lifted and a variety of venues for listening to live music appeared in Seoul just as American-influenced rock and soul music began to gain popularity. The freestyle dancing that accompanied this music had evolved at the Hollywood club Whisky A Go Go, where crowds were led by dancing “go-go girls,” a practice that first appeared in Korea at clubs for U.S. soldiers. The first Korean go-go troupe, The Spookies, was formed in April 1968 and, after meeting “godfather of Korean rock&

May 1, 2018
[Korea Encounters] Korea Times goes go-go dancing in 1971

'Severed finger' exhibition focuses on foreign workers' rights

A passerby looks at a poster for foreign workers' rights, torn deliberately to depict a hand with a severed finger. / Courtesy of Ideot.By Kang Aa-youngWorkplace human rights abuses of foreign workers are in the spotlight in time for May 1, Labor Day. The Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers began a poster exhibition for foreign workers, starting Tuesday. Some posters depict representations of the maimed hands of foreign workers hurt in industrial accidents. The posters will be displayed at the center until May 15.The posters mainly call people's attention to the human rights of foreign workers, who face difficulties in communication and cultural and institutional differences, as well as infringements on human rights in the workplace. Marketing agency Ideot designed and made the posters.“Foreign workers in menial jobs are in poor work environments with delayed paychecks and physical abuse from their bosses," a spokesperson from the center said. "They are often exposed to industrial accidents or sometimes workplace illnesses that come later. The posters represent extreme cas

May 1, 2018
'Severed finger' exhibition focuses on foreign workers' rights

British singer to perform in Korea

U.K. singer-songwriter Dua Lipa will perform at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul on Sunday. / Courtesy of Dua LipaBy John RedmondU.K.-based dark-pop singer-songwriter Dua Lipa will perform at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul on Sunday as part of the Asian leg of her world tour.Named “The Self-Titled Tour,” the year-long world tour series began in Europe last year and will include Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Poland and North America, before concluding in Europe.Lipa was born in London to Albanian parents from Kosovo.At an early age, the singer attended Sylvia Young Theatre School before moving to Kosovo with her family. Lipa grew up listening to her father, singer Dukagjin Lipa.Her musical career began at age 14, when she began covering songs by other artists and posting them on YouTube.In 2015, Lipa signed with Warner Music Group and released her first single.Her self-titled debut solo album was released in June 2017 and spawned seven singles, including two U.K. top-10 singles “Be the One" and "IDGAF" and the U.K. No.1 single “New Rules,” which also reached

May 1, 2018
British singer to perform in Korea
previous page
212213214215216
next page

Most Read in South Korea