Global Community

(463) Fashion trends (I)

Late Father to get citizens award

By Yun Suh-young A well-known Korean catholic priest who died last year after 8 years of volunteer work in Sudan will receive an award recommended by the public. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security announced Tuesday the list of 24 citizens who will receive citizen-recommendation awards in mid-July. The awards are given to people who contributed to society through volunteer work, donations, and good deeds against all odds. Incepted in February, they are aimed at allowing ordinary citizens to choose and award for their own heroes. The late Father John Lee Taeseok will receive the highest medal of the Mugunghwa Order. Lee became well known to the public after the documentary “Don’t Cry for Me Sudan” about his dedication to Sudanese people was released last September. Lee died of cancer in January 2010 at the age of 49. Among other winners of the citizen-selected awards is Hwang Geum-ja (87), a victim of sexual labor under the Japanese military, who donated 100 million to a scholarship committee. Kim Yong-chul (89) has also been honored in recognit

Foreign students key to successful globalization of Seoul

By Kim Young-jin Foreign students will play a key role in shaping Seoul into a global city where all cultures live comfortably together, representatives of an international student forum said. The assessment came out last Friday when some one hundred international students kicked off a summer-long program organized by Seoul City aimed at forging policy suggestions for the metropolitan government. “This forum will serve as a conduit for foreigners to express their grievances without fear or favor,” said Kaymi Ng, a Malaysian serving as president of the forum, on the sidelines of its opening event in southern Seoul. “We will channel the problems to the relevant parties so they can be addressed as soon as possible. At the end of the day, Seoul needs to be globalized and this is a good way for that to happen,” said the 31-year-old law student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Tens of thousands of international students currently reside in Korea and are considered a key part of the nation’s effort to become more globally-oriented. The Seoul International Stud

Foreign surfers admire Korean spirit

By John Redmond Surfing, a sport often associated with southern California or Hawaii, enjoys a very large global following, with enthusiasts spending every minute of their spare time in pursuit of the perfect wave. Now that fever has hit Korea and taking coastal cities by storm. Sponsored by the City of Busan and co-sponsored by the Korean Surfing Association (KSA) and a large number of local surf industry companies, the 3rd Annual Busan Mayor's Cup International Surfing Championship got underway at Haeundae beach last Saturday. In adverse weather conditions and attended by a large contingent of international surfers including president of the Thailand Surfing Association (TSA), Chanin "Joob" Aiyarak and famous Japanese surfboard shaper Toshiro Oyama, Deputy Mayor of Busan Baek Seung Taek officially opened the competition. Though the waves were small, spectators on the beach cheered their friends in the water. The international event was eventually postponed to Sunday as larger swell was forecast. The weather however turned for the worse but this didn’t dampen the

(461) Gangnam U-Street (I)

(460) Personality (II)

New Zealand wines straight from the vine

By Agnes Yu The “New Zealand Wine Festival” offering the finest of Kiwi wines will take place at the Grand Hyatt Seoul this Saturday. Hosted by the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the event will present an array of superior wines from 16 of the country’s exceptional vineyards, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. At the Poolside Waterfall Garden of the hotel with both indoor and outdoor facilities, welcoming faces, a lazy afternoon and a crisp, chilled Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region present the best surroundings for guests to wash it all down. “We hope to build upon the success achieved over the last two years and offer guests a chance to sample many of New Zealand’s cool premium white wines in a beautiful outdoor garden setting,” said Peter Thomas, chairman of the Kiwi Chamber. Considered a New World wine country, New Zealand has over 500 wineries scattered throughout the North and South Islands, many of them small, artisanal and independently run. Oenophiles appreciate the Chardonnay and select red wines from the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions, but the Sau

Expat DJ creates app for Korean ESL students

By John Redmond For many English teachers in Korea, finding new and interesting teaching content can often prove a little challenging. With advances in technology, popular expat KBS radio show personality John Valentine has combined his music/songwriting skills and teaching experience to create a unique app for users. As co-host of “Good Morning Pops” airing from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on KBS 2 FM, Valentine has written and performed songs enjoyed by fans of the show since 2000. Using music as an avenue to teach English, he has created an app called “Pops English” that allows users a range of options that include the performance of the song, background information and spoken word content of the lyrics. “The ‘Pops English’ app is designed in a way that users can purchase for a very small fee my songs one at a time. When a user downloads one song on a smartphone, it comes with a package of options. I explain the background of the song and what it means. I play the song on my guitar and sing the lyrics. I also simply read the lyrics without music so that the user can h

Expat troupe takes brutal look at love in some girl(s)

By Kim Young-jin For those tired of sugar-coated romantic comedies that pull the heartstrings but only skim the surface of the complexities of love, the Probationary Theatre Company (PTC) has just the prescription. Opening this Friday in Hyochang-dong, Seoul, the expat-run troupe will stage “Some Girl(s)” a comedy that takes an unflinching look at love in a postmodern world without falling into the sentimental mush so prevalent in mainstream culture. The production will be staged for a three-week run at the newly-opened White Box Theatre near Hyochang Park station, the only venue in Seoul exclusively for English-language theatre. Penned in 2005 by Neil LaBute, known for bold dissections of contemporary mores, the play tells the story of a young novelist who gets a case of cold feet and travels around the country meeting up with ex-girlfriends in a bid to find the perfect woman (who he may have already broken up with). Often regarded as a brutally honest look at the mistakes young men make on the way to manhood, the play received critical acclaim another success

(459) Personality (I)