Global Community

(294) Places to visit ― Han River IIII

(293) Places to visit ― Han River III

The Seoul Photo Club broadens membership

By Aaron Raisey Photography is an extremely popular hobby in Korea for locals and expats alike. Any walk along popular spots like Insa-dong or Cheonggye Stream in Seoul will illustrate this. As an English speaker in Korea though, it is often difficult to hook up with people who share your interests, and with whom you can discuss issues, engage in the odd activity and obtain information relevant to your pastime. For the many expats in this country keen on photography, the Seoul Photo Club (SPC) provides the ideal source as well as an outlet. Don’t let the name fool you. Though starting out as a Seoul-based club, the society has evolved to provide a focus for foreign photographers from all over Korea. We have members from as far south as Jeju Island, to as far north as the DMZ, and all points in between. Location is certainly no barrier to participation. So what exactly is it all about? The SPC is an online community for anyone who is keen on taking, sharing, thinking and talking about photographs and photography. The club was set up with the purpose of facilita

Muslim community marks Ramadan

By Kim Young-jin Over a billion Muslims around the world last week began the fasting, prayer and charity that comprise the holy month of Ramadan, and those in Korea were no exception despite the stifling heat. Islam’s holy month began last Tuesday and will last until Sept. 10. During that time, most Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, read the Koran and make charitable contributions. On the lunar calendar, Ramadan begins about 11 days earlier each year, meaning this year it falls square in the middle of a scorching summer in Korea. Kamaldeen Hamid from Ghana admitted the sweltering heat makes the fasting more arduous, but laughed kindly when asked if it might prevent him from observing the guidelines. “The last two Ramadan have been a bit harder. The heat makes working during the day tough. But I don’t think it will be a problem,” said Hamid, who works with cars. Indian man Arif said that while the heat and fasting may be difficult, it is all worthwhile come sunset. “After fasting all day, we can have some food, relax and share community. Iftar gives us a great

Light up your nightlife with HSK

By Agnes Yu Less than a year ago a new and exciting company exploded on the social scene in Seoul and the three men responsible, Frederic Hance, Jackie Wylleman and Jonathan Deforge aim to make HSK Events, the reliable source for everything that’s cool, hip and hot. Their combined efforts encompass a wide range of activities and products ―mainly dedicated to the Asian market ― with an electric synergy to offer their customers a high level of expertise, creativity and execution with an attractive European touch. As a man of vision, Hance gradually planned the development of the HSK structure step by step. After gaining extensive experience in the area of artist management in Seoul (Martin Solveig, Michael Canitrot, Aaron Ross and many others), he succeeded in securing an exclusive promotional contract in Korea with Defected in the House ―one of the biggest labels for house music. This led him to the next stage of his project: becoming a major, influential promoter in Seoul. Artists, DJs, venues, and people; all the ingredients were there for him to organize an event and mak

Burton’s shadowy world brought to life

By Cain Barriskill Humorous yet dark, macabre yet quirky, Californian director Tim Burton has been charming cinema-goers with his bizarre characters and fantastical worlds for well over two decades. Indeed his most recent cinematic contribution, an adaptation of Lewis Carol’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” has been the highest grossing film of 2010 and the fifth highest grossing of all time. Most of us are familiar with Burton’s box office hits which include “Sleepy Hollow,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the animation “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But this summer Seoul has witnessed one of Burton’s more obscure works being brought to life, in the unique form of shadow puppetry. “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories,” written entirely in metric verse, is a collection of bittersweet modern fairytales, penned and illustrated by the director himself. Each story is delightfully twisted and the humor is as black as it comes, as we would expect from Burton, yet the undertones are decidedly sinister and tragic. Like much of Burton’s work, the protagoni

(292) Places to visit ― Han River II

(291) Places to visit ― Han River I

(290) Places to visit ― Yeouido II

(289) Places to Visit - Yeouido I