Global Community

British chamber to host charity ball

British Ambassador to Korea Charles Hay welcomes guests at last year’s Christmas lunch hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. / Courtesy of John RedmondBy John RedmondThe British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK) will hold its 40th anniversary Christmas lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Friday.The festive event expects 450 guests from Korean, British and international communities, and will include a charity auction and raffle. Funds raised will contribute to the donations BCCK gives to causes such as the Myongdo Welfare Center, which supports the mentally and physically disabled, Angel’s Haven which operates nurseries, youth and senior welfare centers, and the BCCK Chevening Scholarship.A Chevening Scholarship provides one Korean student with the opportunity to study in the U.K. for a year regardless of academic specialization. The prizes at a previous event raised more than 50 million won for local charities. This year’s event will feature a traditional Christmas lunch menu, music from the Dulwich College Seoul

(1712) Fishing (II)

(1711) Fishing (I)

Seoul City recruiting foreign interns

Foreign students learn taekkyeon, a tradition Korean martial art, as part of the Seoul Global Internship at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Training Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 28, 2010. / Korea Times fileBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo Seoul City is recruiting 30 foreign students for an eight-week internship program that will begin in January. Foreign undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a university in Seoul are eligible for the 21st Seoul Global Internship. The internship will begin on Jan. 2 and continue through Feb. 21.Successful applicants will work at city-affiliated offices, collecting and analyzing policy data, hosting international events and handling other administrative work. They will work six hours a day for five days a week with a daily payment of 45,180 won. Since 2008, the annual internship program has recruited foreign students here during summer and winter vacations. A total 588 students from 78 countries have participated.More information, visit seoul.go.kr or global.seoul.go.kr or call Seoul City’s multiculturalism division at 02-2133-507

Foreigners left in the dark during Pohang earthquakes

A family is on the way home Friday morning from a public sports facility that held hundreds of residents displaced by the earthquake that hit the southeastern port city of Pohang on Wednesday. / YonhapBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo Seconds after a powerful 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Pohang on Nov. 15, millions of smartphones across the country vibrated with a push notification and belted out a nerve-racking “bee” sound.Koreans instantly realized what had happened and braced for possible shock waves, which reached as far as Seoul nearly 300 kilometers from the quake’s epicenter.Foreign residents got the emergency notification simultaneously, but many weren’t prepared because the information was in Korean. Aldo Zelig Uy Tong“I got the message but I didn’t feel the urgency instantly because it was written in Korean,” said Aldo Zelig Uy Tong, 30, a Filipino student at Seoul National University. “I don’t understand Korean enough. So I had to use Google Translate to figure out what it said.” Raimon Blancafort, a Spanish

(1710) To be even with someone

ECCK, EU delegation to host innovation day event

The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) and the delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea will co-host the 2017 EU Research and Innovation Day at the Four Seasons Seoul tomorrow.The conference is aimed at introducing cutting-edge research and innovation policies of the European Union (EU) and European countries, promoting excellence in science, technology and industry to Korea and expanding networks between the participants.More than 300 experts representing the EU, European embassies, scientific institutions and academia as well as Korean and European businesses in the field of research and innovation are expected to participate in the event.Under the theme “Innovation for a climate resilient and resource efficient economy,” the agenda includes presentations and panel discussions on topics ranging from EU strategies, Korea-EU cooperation and renewable energy.The day will offer opportunities to hear from industry experts, including representatives of BMW Korea, Ernst & Young, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Schneider Electric Korea, Siemens Gamesa Renewa

Seoul's most famous expat hangout to close

Master Jung pours beers at Seoul Pub in Itaewon during the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup. / Courtesy of John RedmondSeoul’s most popular and famous expat hangout, Seoul Pub, is set to close its doors for the last time in over two decades, Sunday.Centrally located in Itaewon, across the road from the Hamilton Hotel, Seoul Pub was for years Seoul’s most popular bar, blending a patronage of English teachers, U.S. military personnel and businessmen, offering affordable beer, pool and entertainment from the manager, Master Jung.It essentially paved the way for more European-style pubs, thanks to former manager Gunther Kampf, who went on to open the original 3 Alley Pub. Its low-key, no-frills atmosphere became a magnet for foreigners tired of the cowboy bars catering to a U.S. military clientele.First opened in 1996, the popular premises saw its popularity peak during the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup, as did many now defunct international bars.Five years later, Itaewon would see a boom in foreign-owned and -staffed bars and restaurants, sparking interest from developers a

U.S. artist exhibits in Seoul

Aaron Cossrow poses with his artwork at the opening of his Itaewon Paradise exhibition at Living Room in Haebangchon, Saturday. / Courtesy of John RedmondBy John RedmondAmerican artist Aaron Cossrow is currently exhibiting his unique take on Seoul nightlife-inspired art titled “Itaewon Paradise” at the Living Room in Haebangchon, Seoul, for three weeks.The Philadelphia native who majored in industrial design at the University of the Arts has blended a graphic novel style illustration with locally inspired scenarios, peppered with faces and characters that frequent the not-so-travel-guide-friendly side of inner Seoul life.Spending much of his time observing the late-night areas of Seoul, Cossrow brings locals and foreigners to an almost alien existence. The bars and restaurants in his pictures are like spaces from another planet.The Korea Times spoke with Cossrow about his work and inspiration on the opening night of his exhibition.Q: How would you describe your art?A: The art is an illustrated documentation of Itaewon, through the lens of a distorted fantasy. The art is a

'Storyteller' offers tour of old Seoul

By Jon DunbarJay Kim, center, poses in Mapo-gu, Seoul, with foreign touring musicians who came to Korea for the Zandari Festa, Oct. 2. / Courtesy of Jon DunbarJay Kim, a travel blogger and “job nomad,” found a unique way to celebrate 40 journeys around the sun this weekend. She’s offering a free tour of the Seochon and Buam-dong area northwest of downtown Seoul.“I want to show the neighborhood where I grew up and some thoughts about my culture and history,” she told The Korea Times. “This country was so busy making modern infrastructure (hardware) such as expressways, nice roads, public transportation, high-rise buildings, modern government facilities that not so many people use, but we never learned how to make content (software).”Kim, born in 1977 in Busan, spent her teens and early 20s living in Buam-dong and nearby Pyeongchang-dong. But after bad luck with university admissions, she moved to Paris to Ecole Superieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD) to study fashion, beginning her new life of international adventure and language