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Creative writers' group Standby celebrates 1st anniversary

Standby, a creative writing collective that meets monthly at Eulji Space in downtown Seoul, celebrated its first anniversary with a public open mic event on March 29. As part of the celebration, the group released a free zine showcasing members' creative writing. The event also featured screenings of prerecorded narrations from members currently based in Canada, Germany and the U.S., highlighting the group's global connection. Standby is more than a name — it’s a metaphor for the contemporary, deeply connected creative energy that pulses through this collective of writers, artists and dreamers. Founded by a group of mostly international residents in Korea, it organizes monthly "You and Your Page" open mic events, creating a space for writers — seasoned or new — to share, listen and belong. One of the key figures in this community is Alex-Andrei Ungurenasu, a Romanian Canadian writer and educator based in Dunnae, a township in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province. A former youth poet laureate of Windsor, Canada, Ungurenasu brings a thoughtful and inclusive approach as one of the group

Apr 21, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu
Creative writers' group Standby celebrates 1st anniversary

ExclusiveILO says Korea’s new foreign nanny program ‘contrary’ to its equality rules

Korea’s new foreign nanny program launched last month for residents in Seoul is not aligned with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) equality principles, its representative said. In a recent response to inquiries from The Korea Times about the program — through which holders of certain visas can gain employment here as domestic workers for less than the minimum wage — the ILO official said it would be in violation of multiple conventions that guarantee the right to equal treatment. Among them is Article 6 of the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention that ensures the right of domestic workers to enjoy fair terms of employment in the same way as those employed for other types of work, including the same minimum wage, the official said. The convention defines "domestic work" as work performed in or for a household or households. This comes after the announcement by the Ministry of Justice and the Seoul Metropolitan Government that holders of one of four visas ― D-2, D-10-1, F-3 and F-1-5 ― can apply for permission via the outsourcing service firm EasyTask to work as dom

Apr 20, 2025By Jung Min-ho
ILO says Korea’s new foreign nanny program ‘contrary’ to its equality rules

MORNING CALM TALES I love the smell of tear gas in the afternoon

I got my first real whiff of tear gas on my way to my buddy Ken’s wedding in April 1991. Actually, it was more than a whiff — I thought I was going to die. We had a mini-break at school, and I’d just returned from a few days exploring Incheon's Ganghwa Island. I arrived by bus back at Sinchon in western Seoul on Saturday. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to the subway station for the short ride downtown to Ken’s wedding near City Hall. Unbeknownst to me, I had just missed a massive demonstration in and around the Sinchon Rotary — a chaotic five-way intersection linking four major universities: Yonsei, Ewha, Sogang and Hongik. Riot police buses rimmed the rotary, their windows covered in steel mesh to block rocks and Molotov cocktails. Dozens of riot cops in gray-padded uniforms and samurai-style helmets manned key intersections and subway entrances. Still blissfully unaware, I descended into the subway station — right into an invisible wall of tear gas. The deeper I went, the worse it got. Within seconds, my eyes were burning, throat closing, brain screaming, "What is hap

Apr 18, 2025By Jeffrey Miller
[MORNING CALM TALES] I love the smell of tear gas in the afternoon

New visa aiming to address labor shortage faces fierce backlash

A visa system introduced this month to address labor shortages in regions outside of Seoul is facing strong backlash, with concerns that the influx of migrant workers could threaten jobs for Korean citizens. A petition calling for the abolition of the E-7-4R visa garnered more than 72,700 signatures as of Thursday after being posted on the National Assembly’s petition site on March 20. The request is currently under parliamentary review, as required for all petitions that collect 50,000 signatures or more. Also known as the region-specific skilled worker visa, E-7-4R is designed for foreign nationals who have been working in government-designated regions where the issue of falling populations is particularly serious, according to the Ministry of Justice. If E-9 and E-10 visa holders stay in one of the designated areas for at least two years and meet certain skill requirements, they will become eligible to change their visas to E-7-4R, which would allow for a longer stay, the possibility of inviting family members and potentially an easier path to permanent residency. The petitioner, su

Apr 17, 2025By Jung Min-ho
New visa aiming to address labor shortage faces fierce backlash

HBC Art Club features 31 Korean, foreign artists at 'Conception' exhibition

Joseph Song is a Korean animation producer who once worked on major overseas titles, but found himself overwhelmed by the intensity of studio work. “It was so hard for me,” he told The Korea Times. “After all that hard work, having to be by myself again to work on personal stuff was draining.” Despite the demands of his day job, he remained committed to his passion for creating comics. Every Friday night, he would stay up to work on his comic projects, sharing new updates. But the isolation of solo creation wore on him. “I was working on my comics on the side as a personal project," he said. "So, every Friday night, I committed myself to work on my comics, and I posted every Friday night. But it was so hard for me, you know, to have to be myself alone, working on my stuff after all that hard work." Around that time, back in early 2023, he talked with his friend Tahni Osterman, also an artist, and they started holding gatherings at a small space at Sinheung Market in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon (HBC) neighborhood on Fridays. Ultimately, this became HBC Art Club. Ove

Apr 17, 2025By Bereket Alemayehu
HBC Art Club features 31 Korean, foreign artists at 'Conception' exhibition

BWAHAHAHA 9 'He Ate Soybean Pulp but He Said He Ate Pork'

“Bwahahahaha” is a weekly column that explores the roots of Korean humor through the joke book “Kkalkkal Useum,” originally published in 1916. The joke I’m translating today is quite gross, but I find something endearing in it. The main character wants to look like more of a high-roller and big shot than he is. That may not be the nicest of human motivations, but who can’t relate? He fails completely and becomes a figure of ridicule, but to my mind the fact that his flaws are relatable keeps the ridicule aimed toward him from seeming too mean-spirited. It reminds me of the boss from the TV show “The Office” — someone else desperate to look big. Although most of the jokes in “Kkalkkal Useum” stage a conflict between two characters of unequal status, this one is unusual in that it shows two friends of equal status — the conflict is between what the man really is and what he pretends to be. The various foods and drinks mentioned represent a contrast between cheap and expensive. Soybean pulp (or “biji” in Korean) is a byproduct of tofu production and would have b

Apr 15, 2025By G.S. Hand
[BWAHAHAHA 9] 'He Ate Soybean Pulp but He Said He Ate Pork'

Hechyeomoyeo prepares to wrap up 10th group exhibition with big closing party

The 10th Hechyeomoyeo (HCMY) group art exhibition is wrapping up this Friday after an action-packed 20 days. The exhibition brought together 270 artists — after pledging to cap the number at 200. Each received a space on the wall at Light Gallery in Yongsan District to display their work. The result was a mosaic of all kinds of different art displayed around the four walls of the gallery. According to Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith, the main organizer of HCMY, 120 of the participating artists were first-time exhibitiors. "Two of the artists have been in nine of the exhibitions," he added. "About a dozen have been in less than that but more than a few." The number of new people reflects the openness of the concept, inviting literally anyone to display their work or contribute in some other way. "What I like about Hechyeomoyeo is it's a bit more relaxed, a bit more free-form," said Barend Harris, a British maker of games, illustrations, music and software who displayed his art, as well as performed music during the event's run. He said he preferred the concept to many other art galleries, wh

Apr 15, 2025By Jon Dunbar
Hechyeomoyeo prepares to wrap up 10th group exhibition with big closing party

Joep van Rhijn's flugelhorn cannot tell a lie in jazz album 'Between Fact & Fiction'

Dutch trumpet player Joep van Rhijn teams up with Korean pianist Yoonseung Cho on a new 50-minute album that explores the tension between fact and fiction. "It started with just an interest in the discussion about misinformation and different bubbles people are living in," van Rhijn, a long-term foreign resident, told The Korea Times. "That's a very serious topic, but in my opinion in music — or art in general — this tension between fact and fiction is what makes it magical." The eight songs on "Between Fact & Fiction" are pensive, minimalist and gentle, while also displaying the warm sensitivity van Rhijn is known for. Van Rhijn admitted that fact and fiction are a complicated theme to explore using the abstract music of instrumental jazz. "In instrumental music, it's hard to have a storyline which is clear for the audience. I guess it's similar with pictures or paintings in which there is a general mood or feeling and every viewer kind of creates their own story. And that's exactly what I like about music," he said. "The flugelhorn is my voice, it's just a tool, so it can't be dish

Apr 14, 2025By Jon Dunbar
Joep van Rhijn's flugelhorn cannot tell a lie in jazz album 'Between Fact & Fiction'

Global beer brewers gather in Seoul for KIBEX 2025

Domestic and foreign breweries and beer lovers came together at COEX in southern Seoul for the Korea International Beer Expo (KIBEX) 2025, Thursday through Saturday. This year, KIBEX once again serves as a three-day international all-you-can-sample bar for industry leaders, brewers and suppliers to "day drink," and showcase the newest trends and innovations shaping the beer industry, including special national pavilions from the United States and Brazil. Since 2019, the event’s ongoing influence has been promoting and shaping Korea’s evolving taste in alcoholic beverages, as well as celebrating its collaboration within the international beer community. Adam Dulye is the executive chief of the Brewers Association, a U.S. national association representing small and independent craft brewers. Since 2020, the association has been bringing over brewers from the U.S. who’ve been exporting or are interested in exporting to the Korean market. This year’s KIBEX showcases seven breweries and 40 different styles at the dedicated U.S. pavilion, offering samples to thirsty attendees with cr

Apr 11, 2025By Andrew White
Global beer brewers gather in Seoul for KIBEX 2025

Rights advocates warn of rising anti-immigrant politics

Is ultranationalism gaining ground in Korean politics? Human rights advocates are growing increasingly concerned following a political feat by a once-fringe figure earlier this month. Lee Kang-san, 35, of the Liberty Unification Party — a hard-right minor party with no seats in the National Assembly — garnered more than 32 percent of the vote in the April 2 by-election for the top post at the Guro District Office in Seoul. One of his central pledges was to deport what he referred to as “all the illegal aliens.” In his official campaign brochure sent to voters, Lee emphasized that his top policy priority would be putting “citizens first.” “If I get elected, I will prioritize solving the problem of illegal immigrants. Guro District is home to more than 50,000 foreigners, and the issue of public security has been rising due to illegal immigrants,” he said. “As the head of the district, I would collaborate with police and immigration officers to deport them. I would also apply AI technology to security cameras to analyze behavior patterns and movements to effectively detect

Apr 10, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Rights advocates warn of rising anti-immigrant politics
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