Global Community

US punk band to burn through Seoul, Busan

Pop-punk band Burn Burn Burn / Courtesy of Burn Burn BurnBy Jon DunbarBurn Burn Burn (BBB), a pop-punk band from Seattle, hasn’t been to Korea before, but they’re already friends with half the punk scene here. They’ll play four shows here this weekend in Seoul and Busan with local punk band …Whatever That Means (WTM).Last year, before ever meeting, the two bands collaborated on a split album titled “Blowing Minds & Melting Faces” on WTM’s label World Domination, Inc. (WDI). They finally met when WTM went to the western U.S. on tour and the two bands played together.“It’s super fun doing that kind of stuff purely through email and then being able to put a name to a face when you meet a few months later to play shows together,” said Adam France, BBB’s lead guitarist.The team-up led to further intercontinental collaborations, with Korean band Full Garage following a similar tour route earlier this year through the U.S. as WTM and releasing a split 7” vinyl record with U.S. band Crab Legs on WDI as well as BBB&r

South Africans to honor Heritage Day

People celebrate at last year’s Nanji Braai event for South Africans. / Courtesy of Thembinkosi Tera MkonkoBy John RedmondThe South Africans in Korea Network (SAKorNET) together with the South African Embassy will celebrate South African Heritage Day with an event at the Nanji Hangang Park and Camping Site in Seoul, Saturday.The annual event called “Nanji Braai” and is in line with the Braai4Heritage initiative, one of SAKorNET’s flagship events.September is regarded as Heritage Month and South Africa celebrates Heritage Day on Sept. 24. However, due to embassy schedule conflicts and travel concerns, the event was pushed up to Sept. 16.“We were going to have the celebration on Sunday, but many of our members would have found it difficult to get back to their place of work by Monday as they live all over Korea,” said Raymond Manzini from the South African Embassy.“So we decided on a Saturday, but that also was a problem because of an embassy event in Busan.”The day will showcase South Africa’s diverse culture through attire and foo

(1672) To fool, trick, or deceive someone

Awkward encounters at men's toilets in Korea

A scene from the political romance TV drama “Big Thing” (2010) on SBS, in which Go Hyun-jung (left) portrays a male toilet cleaner who accidentally meets Kwon Sang-woo and hides behind a corner enclosure.By Ko Dong-hwanMen’s toilets in Korea have been places of embarrassment and the subject of debate for years, especially among non-Koreans, because of women cleaners there.Whenever females enter, wearing rubber gloves and holding brushes to scrub urinals and toilet seats, male patrons cannot help feeling embarrassed.The cleaners, mostly ajumma ― Korean jargon for tough middle-aged women ― apparently cause serious mental discomfort to men who cannot handle the awkward situation.Some patrons are philosophical with the attitude that the women are simply doing their jobs. But other patrons claim the presence of the women is violating the men’s human rights.“I haven’t seen this trend in other countries, but the fact that women clean men’s toilets, while men are busy urinating, is a violation of basic human rights,” said South African Francois

(1671) Why didn't you call or text me?

South Asian residents to speak on needs

By You Soo-sunSeoul city will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the needs of foreign residents from South Asian countries, Saturday.The meeting, to be held at the Seoul Global Center, will likely attract around 100 Seoul residents. Foreigners from South Asia may apply to participate by calling 02-2075-4117 or emailing donghoon@seoul.go.kr by Thursday.Since 2000 the city government has held town halls two to three times a year to enable their policies to reflect the needs of Seoul’s growing foreign population. According to the city government, 400,000 foreigners reside in the city, up from 260,000 in 2008.The town halls have laid the groundwork for many policies including issuing debit cards, opening job career fairs and establishing schools for foreigners.Each meeting has focused on a particular subject or the needs of those from a certain region. Last year, meetings were held separately for Taiwanese, Mongolians and Indonesians.The upcoming meeting will focus on people from South Asian countries including Nepal and Bangladesh. The city government estimates Seoul has 5,000 So

Chinese urge suspension of 'Midnight Runners'

By Jung Min-hoChinese living in Korea said they will ask a local court to suspend the screening of the movie, “Midnight Runners,” which they claim mischaracterizes them as “poor, vicious criminals.”Dozens of Chinese staged a protest near Seoul’s Daerim Station, Sunday, urging director Kim Joo-hwan to take down the movie immediately and make a public apology over the negative depiction of the Chinese.Poster of Midnight RunnersTheir demand comes at a time when tension is building between the two countries over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system here to defend against North Korea’s nuclear threats.The story is about two police trainees who witness a Chinese gang kidnapping children for organ trafficking. In the film, the Daerim District, a neighborhood predominated by Chinese, is portrayed as a dangerous area where even police have lost control.“I think depicting Chinese as criminals and their town as a crime-ridden area really crosses the line,” Park Ok-sun, the director of a special committee of more than 40 Chinese groups

(1670) Television and film

Korean, French schools to strengthen cultural exchanges

By You Soo-sunA Korean and a French school are rolling out new programs to strengthen ties among their students, with their first sports exchange event slated for Friday.  Seocho High School and the French School of Seoul both located in Seocho-gu in southern Seoul, will hold their first official sports exchange, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, a French lesson will be provided by a French Embassy employee, and ongoing lessons will be offered for two hours each week until December.The two have actively collaborated to promote interaction among their students, these two events being among the many cultural exchange programs the schools have hosted in the past few years. “Being located near Seorae Village, a French village where a huge French population resides, we wanted our students to develop a global mindset,” said Lee Jae-hyo, Seocho High School vice principal, explaining the purpose of the two schools’ activities.Lee also explained that although the sports competition is a new event, the schools have had many smaller events of its kind. In May last year,

(1669) No smoking zone (II)