Global Community

Seoul Players present Halloween special

Actors perform at last year’s Rocky Horror Shadowcast. / Courtesy of Robert EvansBy John RedmondThe Seoul Players present the 7th Annual Rocky Horror Shadowcast at Club Freebird near Hongik University in western Seoul, Friday and Saturday.Billed as one of Seoul’s top must-see Halloween traditions, the Horror Shadowcast is an event where a movie is screened, while at the same time performers act out and dance to the movie on a stage.In Rocky Horror tradition, audience participation is very much encouraged, as is dressing up.Another activity, known as riffing, is where audience members call back to actors on stage.“During a normal show, an audience will sit quietly and watch the show. Not so with Rocky. Callbacks are highly encouraged from the audience throughout the show,” the organizer said.“Our Rocky Horror Shadowcast does differ from other productions. Due to the policy of the venue, we are not allowed to bring items such as toilet paper, rice or toast into the club, and for safety’s sake there will be no throwing of items at the cast members.&ld

Yongsan to host beer fest

By John RedmondParticipants enjoy last year’s Great Korean Beer Festival. / Courtesy of Media Para.The Great Korean Beer Festival 2017, Korea’s first and largest craft beer festival, will be held at Yongsan Electronics Shopping Mall Oct. 27 to 29.The festival will host 18 craft beer breweries and eight global food companies from across the peninsula.Yongsan Electro IPA, specially brewed to celebrate the festival, will be launched and can be sampled on site.In particular, the festival is organized with the Yongsan Electronics Market Association to revitalize the shopping area and develop local tourist attractions.The event also offers other unique programs such as live music performances, the chance to see new IT gadgets up close, a 100 won auction of electronic products and discounts.This year’s festival will offer craft beers from all over the country including Seoul, Busan, Jeju Island and Gangwon Province.Guests can also sample international beers from the U.S. and Czech Republic and learn about beer from brew masters.A wide range of international foods available

Author recalls growing up on Yongsan Garrison

Samia MountsBy Jon Dunbar As U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan continues to relocate, its far-reaching effects on the surrounding society are emerging.Samia Mounts grew up and went to school on the base, later writing the young adult novel “Frunk the Skunk,” uniquely set on post at the Seoul American High School, published in 2008 by 4N Publishing.Mounts moved to New York where she sings and acts under the stage name Samia Xi, but returns to Korea often.On Oct. 30, she will share the experiences that inspired her to write, in a talk with Yongsan Legacy, a collective of historians working to unearth the cultural contributions of USAG Yongsan.“When you live on a military base, there is a constant flow of people going in and out,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Every school year brings a new social circle and new opportunities to reinvent or redefine yourself. All of this has prepped me well for a life in the entertainment industry in New York. I have Yongsan to thank for that.”She moved with her family to Seoul aged six in 1989

(1691) Bitcoin (III)

Job fair for expats due Oct. 31

By You Soo-sunA job fair for foreign residents will take place Oct. 31 in Seoul.The annual event will be held at COEX in Gangnam-gu between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Around 60 companies and 2,2000 expats are expected to participate.Beginning in 2014, the Seoul Global Center has hosted the event with Seoul Business Agency (SBA), a business-supporting institution, to provide expats with career opportunities and companies a chance to hire foreign employees who can help them expand their businesses abroad.In 2015, 49 companies and 2,082 foreigners participated, with 50 landing jobs.In 2016, the numbers rose to 63 and 2,120 and 65 foreign residents succeeded in finding a job.This year, 60 companies seeking to expand their services to the foreign population here and abroad will participate. They will be offering company information and some will also conduct onsite one-on-one interviews.There will be other services available including aptitude tests and interview and resume-building consultations from Kookmin, Dongguk and Chung-Ang universities.  Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTR

(1690) Bitcoin (II)

(1689) Bitcoin (I)

Immigration service reservations now just clicks away

Mobile reservations can be made for immigration offices by accessing the "Hi Korea" homepage. / Captured from "Hi Korea" homepage By Chyung Eun-juLong lines at the immigration office in Korea were a frequent inconvenience for many foreigners.Now they are a thing of the past. With just a few touches on a mobile phone, people are able to make reservations and avoid waiting in line.The Ministry of Justice said Wednesday the mobile reservation system is available by accessing the “Hi Korea” homepage, www.hikorea.go.kr. There is no need to download an app.Mobile reservations can be made for immigration offices in locations including Seoul, Incheon, Nambu District, Busan, Yangju, Cheongju, Ansan, Sejong, Goyang, Cheonan and Pyeongtaek.The reservation service is available in three languages -- Korean, English and Chinese. 

Incheon foreigners suffer legal services shortage

China Town in Incheon / Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationBy Ko Dong-hwanIncheon is failing to cater for its rising population of foreigners because the city does not have enough designated lawyers to meet the demand.The international port city on Korea’s west coast has just nine designated lawyers to help 61,254 foreign residents (as of September).This was an increase of nearly 4,000 from 2015 when the Ministry of Justice introduced the policy to help foreigners nationwide with a total of 201 dedicated lawyers spread across different cities.Most foreigners in Incheon are laborers, who often face legal issues like filing complaints about unpaid wages, signing rental contracts or immigration matters.“We need additional lawyers for foreigners who have language problems and experience disadvantages due to lack of legal knowledge,” an Incheon Migrant Workers Center official said.One of the Incheon’s designated lawyers for foreigners said, “We are inundated with requests from the justice ministry’s call center to help foreigners on legal i

(1688) PIN Number