Global Community

(1735) Public restroom

Pinoy site launches in Seoul

A screen shot of Pinoy SeoulBy John RedmondA website aimed to provide useful facts and information about life in Korea for members of the Filipino community was launched recently in Seoul by Philippine national Nash Ang.Titled Pinoy Seoul, the site in both English and Tagalog covers a diverse range of topics and information relevant to Filipinos living, studying and working in Korea.The site also features local and overseas news, scholarship program information, travel advice and articles put together by the Filipino community.Ang, a former scholarship recipient for a master’s degree program in film at Korea National University of Arts, spoke with The Korea Times about the site and the Filipino community in Korea. Nash Ang at his desk in Seoul / Courtesy of Pinoy SeoulWhen did you start Pinoy Seoul?I started Pinoy Seoul while working as an International Correspondent of Seoul City Government though Seoul Global Center in 2017. Prior to this, I was a scholarship recipient of masters in film at Korea National University of Arts and somewhat a successful artist. I traveled to film

South Korea 'false promise land' for illegal Thai workers

Illegal workers visit the Immigration Office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, in 2003 on the first day of a registration period for illegal aliens wishing to extend their stay. / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanThais prefer South Korea as the best place to work overseas illegally, but for many Korea has become “a false promise land” for aliens and sex workers from the Southeast Asian country.Thailand’s employment department said more than 1,100 Thais tried to enter Korea without a valid visa last year, according to the Bangkok Post, Friday. Most did not acquire a legal working visa as recommended by the Thai government, but instead turned to employment agencies.The next most-popular countries for illegal Thai workers were Malaysia, Bahrain, Russia and Qatar, employment department chief Anurak Tossarat said Thursday.Thai ambassador to South Korea Saran Charoensuwan revealed last year that the number of Thai workers coming to Korea had doubled in the previous three years. He said the Thais were “attracted by high salaries that can amount to 30,000 baht ($930) a month

(1734) Height and nutrition (II)

(1733) Height and nutrition (I)

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Grandson reveals 'untold story' of Hungnam Evacuation

Ned Forney, lower left, visits the Hungnam Memorial on Geoje Island with Hungnam refugees and descendants in May 2017. Photo courtesy of Ned ForneyBy Jon DunbarIn late 1950, U.N. allied forces overran most of North Korea. But when China entered the war, they found themselves cut off from the South. Thus began the Hungnam Evacuation, codenamed Christmas Cargo, from Dec. 15 to 24. “It was not simply another Dunkirk,” said Ned Forney, grandson of Edward H. Forney, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps who served as evacuation control officer during the evacuation. A fleet of ships transferred 105,000 soldiers from the North Korean port city of Hungnam to safety down south. The military leaders were persuaded to help the desperate North Korean refugees there, evacuating an additional 100,000 civilians facing certain death. One Merchant Marine ship, the SS Meredith Victory designed to carry less than 60 people, managed to carry 14,000 all at once, a Guinness World Record. There was barely room to sit, but some women needed to lie down so they could give birth, increasing the head

North Korean refugees to speak on plight

By John RedmondNorth Korean refugees will give their accounts of the North’s human rights abuses on Jan. 6, at an event co-hosted by the Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) Global Education Center in Seoul, Stepping Stones and the KAL Abductees' Repatriation Committee (KALARC).Featured speakers include Lee Tae-won, a North Korean refugee whose wife and son were repatriated to North Korea on Nov. 28 last year, Ji Hyeon-a, a North Korean refugee author who was repatriated to North Korea and a victim of a forced abortion there, and Hwang Cheol, the South Korean son of Hwang Won who was abducted by North Korea in 1969.Others are Kim Hyeong-soo, co-founder of Stepping Stones based in the U.K. and a North Korean refugee whose mother died in a prison camp after she was repatriated, Tony Docan-Morgan, professor of Communication at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, and Casey Lartigue Jr. and Eunkoo Lee, co-founders of TNKR.“The three main speakers will present personal cases demonstrating the way North Korea has abused the individual rights of its citizens as well as those of a

Foreign Community events Jan. 3-9

Camarata Chamber auditionThe Camarata Music Company, a nonprofit organization bringing together Korean and foreign singers, is holding auditions for its 30-member Chamber Singers choir. Auditions begin Thursday and run until Jan. 17. Visit facebook.com/CamarataMusic for more information or to schedule an audition. Shade X Femme with YaejiYaeji, an up-and-coming bilingual singer and producer who wowed house music fans last year with her whispery album “Godmode,” appears at Cakeshop in Itaewon this Friday. She shares the DJ booth with various local DJs. Visit facebook.com/shadeseoul for more information. Hwacheon Sancheoneo FestivalThe acclaimed ice-fishing festival of Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province, kicks off this Saturday. Attendees are invited to jump in freezing cold water to catch fish with their bare hands. Various other attractions and events are available, including ice sculptures and winter sports. Visit narafestival.com for information in seven languages. Captain Rock at Jebi DabangJebi Dabang is a cozy venue in Sangsu-dong, western Seoul, known for its intimat

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