Global Community

(353) Social issues: aging population (I)

IAK to hold fundraiser at Wolfhound

By Connor O’Reilly The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) will hold an end of year fundraiser in the Wolfhound Irish Pub in Itaewon on Dec. 18. The fundraiser, called “An Irish Christmas,” will start at 7:30 p.m. and continue until midnight. The IAK is looking to raise funds to continue hosting community events for Irish and non-Irish in Korea next year. The IAK is best known for organizing the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival in central Seoul over the past decade. Members participate on a voluntary basis and include people from Ireland, Korea, and other parts of the world. Members have backgrounds in business, education, scientific research and the arts. The organizers explained that the IAK is a community group and anyone is welcome to join. According to them, this event, “An Irish Christmas,” is both a fundraiser and a way to build awareness about who the Irish Association of Korea are, and the work that we do in the community,” according to a statement on the website. The year 2011 plans to be a busy one for Irish people in Korea. Both the Asian Gaelic Games champions

A fundraiser to help southern African students

By Ines Min Namibia, the world’s second least-densely populated country after Mongolia, may seem like a distant land to many. For one native English teacher in Seoul, it’s a second home. A fundraiser to help southern African high school students is being held at 8 p.m., Dec. 24 at Roofers in Itaewon. The event is a launch ceremony to help establish a new charity, which aims to improve the educational environment of a small village in Namibia, in southern Africa. Founder Jeremy Polio, 32, is a former Peace Corps. volunteer who spent two years in Gosen teaching English. A return visit to the village earlier this year, and steady communication with his friends and former students, led to his realization that something needed to be done to help. ``It’s still a poor community and I spent two of my better years there. I still think a lot about it,’’ Polio said in an interview last week in southern Seoul. ``But there’s not a lot that I can do that’s tangible,’’ he said, considering some of the dire circumstances the community members face, including the wide reach of HIV/AIDS.

Tremors to launch CD

By John Redmond The Tremors, one of Seoul’s most popular expat punk bands are to launch their debut CD at Club DGBD in Hongdae along with a string of special guests on Dec. 18 starting at 10:30 p.m. Formed some three years back by vocalist guitarist and songwriter Matt Randel following his retirement from a sporting career that led him to Korea, The Tremors have released the much anticipated “Loving You Loathing You” EP. For years, The Tremors were a staple at Ole Stompers in Itaewon ― in the early days the house stage substituting as a rehearsal studio ― before branching out to play gigs at other local venues, the student neighborhood of Hongdae and lately national tours. Following the recruitment of drummer/vocalist Mike Mayhem, access to a space on Yongsan military post became the rehearsal room of choice where a great deal of the material on the CD was perfected. Around this time the band also made one of many appearances at a battle of the bands. Following a hectic string of live performances the band had written enough material to lay down tracks at Bubblegum

IAC presents online exhibition

By John Redmond The International Artists Community (IAC) presents an online solo exhibition by James Guinevan Seymour titled “Seed” from Dec. 15 to 29. The artist states that the work is about the importance of life. “My work as I have noticed over the past eight years has had the same recurring theme: the circle of life and death. This is mainly a result of personal circumstance that has shaped my ideas on life and death and has left my work with an often somber tone to the untrained eye but it is not all doom and gloom as to me life and death go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other and the presence of death can help remind us how important life is. This presence has helped me to appreciate my life and work even more and reminded me to make more of a conscientious effort to make the most of my everyday life and work and especially to enjoy the moment,” Seymour states on the promotional material. December marks the first anniversary of the formation of IAC. Over the past year, the group has been involved in organizing five major exhibitions in Seoul.

(352) Wintertime

(350) Weather forecast

(349) Combat (II)

Foreignline

Bangsan Market tour Chef Garrett from Tartine Bakery & Cafe will lead a tour of Bangsan Market ― the baking Mecca of Seoul Saturday (Dec. 11) from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Bangsan Market, located in central Seoul, can meet most of the baking needs of the expat community, and more. In addition to seeing everything related to baking, your charming guide will show you gift packaging and wrap, wallpaper, paint, crown molding, door pulls and wrought iron work, flooring, carpets and lighting fixtures, occasional chairs and outdoor furniture and sewing machines and repair. It is one of the most inclusive markets in Seoul. This tour will be fast and action-packed and no shopping until the tour is over so that you can see as many places as possible. The group will meet at Tartine for coffee and bread and will receive a Pie Gift certificate, then it is off to the subway for our short trip to Bangsan Market. The trip costs 30,000won [VAT included]. After the tour, you may want to have lunch with chef Garrett at a so-long-tong restaurant after the tour. So-long-tong soup is a hot

RMT holds Battle of Bands

By John Redmond For those tired of the cold nights, near-empty bars and the usual crowd, Rocky Mountain Tavern (RMT) a Canadian Bar is in the middle of a Battle of the Bands that started a two weeks ago and will hold the winners round on Dec.17. The Battle of the Bands concept is not new by a long shot. But with the massive influx of musical talent from abroad, local bar owners have seen a strong need to showcase these bands, resulting in a healthy mix of local and expat shows. By far the most popular “Battle” was the first one staged at Ole Stompers in Itaewon a few years ago that was won by power pop Korean trio Galaxy Express. One of the main organizers of that event was Cain Barriskill who is now back home pursuing an M.A. Since then, “Battles” have become a regular event with the influence of a greater Korean presence and more professional attitude by expats, aware of the tight musicianship of their Korean counterparts. Also, nowadays it’s not unusual to see bands that boast both Korean and expat members. Friday night’s winner at RMT, Mirror House, is a band