South Korea - The Korea Times

Taiwan punk band set to tear up Seoul, Daejeon

Taiwanese punk band Youth Tear Bomb is coming to Korea for two shows in Seoul and Daejeon this weekend. "Toward the end of last year, we started writing new material, and I suggested to the band that we tour Korea — not just to perform at local live houses, but also to spend time together like a band trip, since we rarely get that outside of rehearsals and shows," said Leo Chen, the band's vocalist and guitarist. The tour is the result of the band's friendship with Smoking Goose, a Daejeon-based melodic punk band that has toured Taiwan several times. "We’ve known Smoking Goose for around eight years and have often helped them arrange shows in Taiwan," Leo said. "Thanks to their support, we got the opportunity to do our first-ever international tour." Though he hasn't toured overseas, Leo said he's been to Korea three times so far. "I’ve seen quite a few live house shows there," he said. "The independent music culture in Korea is really fascinating and left a strong impression on me. And of course — the food! It’s one of the things our band is most excited about. Honestly, the Ko

Jun 16, 2025By Jon Dunbar

Taiwan punk band set to tear up Seoul, Daejeon

BWAHAHAHAHA 15 'An Astonishing Piece of Work'

An unavoidable aspect of Korea’s modernization is that much of it happened in the context of its colonization which lasted from 1910-45. However, the text I'm looking at was published in 1916, and the situation it describes appears to precede colonization. It’s thus a window into the era between when Korea’s ports were opened to trade in 1876 — when foreign technology and influence began to enter the country — and the colonial era. The joke describes a family learning about a new technology — photography. What’s most interesting is what’s associated with it. The biggest surprise is that the figure depicted as having the most knowledge and understanding of new technology is the father, while the younger generation is clueless. This is counterintuitive today, when it’s taken for granted that the younger generation are experts in new technology and older people are the clueless ones. It is perhaps less surprising that the figure who’s knowledgeable about new technology is a man, and that the capital is depicted as the center of modern technology in contrast to the coun

Jun 13, 2025By G.S. Hand

[BWAHAHAHAHA 15] 'An Astonishing Piece of Work'

Low applicant turnout delays Seoul’s foreign nanny program

The Seoul city government has received fewer applications than expected for its new foreign nanny program, raising concerns that services may not be available to residents until at least late summer. The sluggish uptake highlights the complexities of addressing Korea’s deepening demographic crisis, as the city tries to ease the child care burden on working parents amid plummeting birthrates. The program’s struggles could worsen challenges for families seeking affordable child care, potentially limiting workforce participation and further depressing fertility rates over time. As of Wednesday, only about 70 foreign residents had applied, according to officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government — well short of the city’s goal to recruit enough workers to serve 300 households. Of these applicants, approximately a dozen has completed training required to work as caregivers so far, officials said. As a result, those eager to use their services will likely have to wait until August, according to officials. Originally, city officials planned to complete work training between April and

Jun 12, 2025By Jung Min-ho

Low applicant turnout delays Seoul’s foreign nanny program

Activists condemn new foreign nanny program as ‘abusive, discriminatory’

Geumseong Shrine ritual carries on, but Museum of Shamanism moves back to original home

A public "gut," or shamanic ritual, will take place at Geumseongdang, a shrine that for several years housed the Museum of Shamanism. The ritual will be performed by a preservation society focused on shamans and musicians, continuing an annual tradition at the site. The ritual was held regularly until 1979 and was revived around 2010 by Dr. Yang Jong-sung, who learned everything about its established procedures from the shrinekeeper. Although the museum’s formal agreement with Eunpyeong District has ended, the district requested that the ritual still be held this year. However, it was postponed from its original date in May to June, to prevent it from being politicized ahead of the snap presidential election held on June 3. The museum has since moved back to Yang’s private residence in Seongbuk District, where the project first began in 2013. “I would like to go out and have a bigger space in which to share my knowledge and materials with other people,” Yang said. The move comes after the district chose not to renew a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Originally, the district h

Jun 9, 2025By Jack Greenberg

Geumseong Shrine ritual carries on, but Museum of Shamanism moves back to original home

RAS Korea kicks off lecture program with look at Allied POWs in WWII Korea

After its half-year in limbo, Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea announced its return in May and presented a full slate of upcoming lectures and excursions. Most of the names are RAS Korea regulars, which should come as no surprise, as RAS Korea seeks to reestablish itself and work with some of its most reliable figures representing the world's oldest English-language Korean studies organization. As RAS Korea restarts its activities, VanVolkenburg, one of its remaining officers, took on the task of organizing lectures and cultural excursions. “It’s great to see the hard work of president Denny Park and office manager Joanne Hong in securing funding and legal registration pay off and bring the RAS back to life, though it took longer than expected," he said. "We wanted to have a list of upcoming activities when we relaunched, so it was a rush to find speakers and excursion leaders. I’m thankful to those who committed so quickly, but the short notice for the first lecture made it difficult to schedule, so I decided the easiest solution was to dust off and expand a presentation I gave

Jun 9, 2025By Jon Dunbar

RAS Korea kicks off lecture program with look at Allied POWs in WWII Korea

Zaneedle encourages consumers to mend, decorate, upcycle old clothes

At some point, nearly everyone needs to deal with a small tear in cloth or fabric. However, there are some use this moment of necessity to create art and send a fashion message. While the world is increasingly dominated by fast fashion and mass production, a small Korean social venture called Zaneedle is pursuing sustainable clothing culture one stitch at a time, teaching consumers how to creatively mend, decorate and upcycle their old clothes. Zaneedle offered several events as part of Korea Craft Week from May 16 to 25. One of these was a May 20 workshop at central Seoul's Trevari Anguk cafe, an English-language event run by Erin Hughes, a British "visible mending" designer at Zaneedle. “Visible mending is about extending the life of clothing instead of throwing it away,” she explained. “You use bright threads or fabric patches to make the repair part of the design; it’s mending with style and intention.” For the workshop, she helped both Koreans and foreign nationals to create talismans based on the pollack, which is in Korean tradition is believed to bring good luck to a n

Jun 8, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu

Zaneedle encourages consumers to mend, decorate, upcycle old clothes

Itaewon fashion brand Labeless redefines boundaries

In the pulsing cultural crossroads of Itaewon, where global influences mix with local color, a quiet but confident voice in fashion has been taking shape. Labeless, a boutique fashion brand founded by three close friends — DY, Minwook and SUKEEM — is creating clothing that transcends the norms of gender, age and style. More than just a label, the trio describe Labeless as a philosophy of freedom, self-expression and community. Their bond runs deep. Friends for years, they share a history rooted in creative exploration and a deep love for their neighborhood. "In our 20s, we lived in Itaewon and spent a lot of time here, not knowing exactly where life was taking us," said SUKEEM, who leads the brand’s visual identity and design. "But we always felt confident that whatever we did together, it would be fun and meaningful." From these humble beginnings, Labeless was born. The idea came to life in a now-closed café in Hannam-dong called Ways of Seeing, where the three would gather with nothing more than a notepad and pen to trade wild ideas, like starting a brand of designer spacesuits

Jun 7, 2025By Nilesh Kumar

Sunrise walk brings light to mental health awareness in Korea

Before dawn on Saturday, nearly 150 people wearing green T-shirts gathered near Yeouinaru Station near the Han River for the second annual 5-kilometer community walk known as Solas, from the Irish Gaelic word for "light." Organized by the Irish Association of Korea, the walk aimed to raise awareness of mental health and well-being, while also raising funds to support mental health counseling services in Korea. The event was timed for the end of Mental Health Awareness Month 2025, emphasizing the importance of compassion, community and openness in breaking stigmas around mental health. Ambassador of Ireland to Korea Michelle Winthrop said in her welcoming remarks that mental health issues like depression affect countless individuals across all walks of life. Evidence shows that one of the most effective steps a person struggling with such problems can take is to talk about it. Yet for many, opening up feels difficult or even impossible due to stigma and misunderstanding. “We’re here not only to encourage people to speak out when they’re struggling but also to foster a culture of a

Jun 3, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu

Sunrise walk brings light to mental health awareness in Korea

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Don't forget about Fat Cat

It can be hard to keep up with the ever-changing turmoil of Haebangchon's restaurant scene, especially as old favorites disappear and flashy new places open up seemingly overnight. I've teased Bonny's Pizza about its reputation for people lining up out front, but these days the biggest queues are in front of Taco Stand. On more than a couple occasions, I've been cruising along Sinheung-ro trying to decide where to get food, especially on a busy weekend afternoon when the multicultural neighborhood is bursting with people, and increasingly I come back to one dependable little place: Fat Cat Food & Drink, where there is never a line and not much of a wait. Run by two "HBC Cat Guarians" (sic), Fat Cat is primarily a sandwich place. I've worked my way through five of the seven main sandwiches, usually going for the chicken pesto, tiger beef or roast beef. On my last visit, I finally had the pulled pork ahogada, and it was instantly my favorite. Served on a baguette, it features very pleasantly tangy pulled pork. As "ahogada" means "drowned" in Spanish, this sandwich is intended to be dipped

Jun 2, 2025By Jon Dunbar

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Don't forget about Fat Cat

RAS literature club bridges cultures by turning pages

The dissolution last December of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea shocked its members, as well as the Korean studies community and many others who thought it would be around forever. In the months after it was dissolved, the torch was still being carried by some satellite groups, including the Youth Dialogue Program and the Korean Literature Club, both of which continued meeting on a monthly basis. The Korean Literature Club was founded as a special interest group of RAS Korea in the winter of 2011-12, during Brother Anthony of Taizé's first term as RAS Korea president, and with the initiative of scholar Robert Fouser. Over the years, several different members have stepped up to lead the group. Since last August, it has been led by Jeremy Seligson, a long-term foreign resident of Korea, with assistance from scholar Peter Juhl. "The RAS Korean Literature Club may be the longest-lived public group of its kind in Korea," Juhl told The Korea Times, citing its openness and its focus on Korean literature translated to English. Under Seligson's guidance, the group has shifted from classics

Jun 1, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu

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