Global Community

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Bands to perform live at DGBDs near Hongdae

By Cain Barriskill Contributing writer Step into the Hongdae area of Seoul on any given weekend and there is likely to be anywhere from five to fifteen live shows happening simultaneously. Hongik University is surrounded by a myriad of small underground rock clubs and bands from all over South Korea flock there every weekend to display their wares. For some of us, especially the uneducated expat, the difficult decision is not whether to go and see a live show, but which show most deserves our hard earned won. If you’re planning to enjoy some live music this weekend let me make the decision easy for you ― go to DGBDs. This Friday, the famous punk venue has put together a fantastic line-up, and at 5000 won on the door, it’s an absolute bargain. Kicking off the evening’s entertainment is acoustic punk troubadour Johnny Red. At the most recent Haebangchon Festival, the London-born singer and songwriter literally stopped traffic as the crowd filled out onto the street to catch his outdoor performance. After the acoustic artist, things will get a bit louder with femal

NGO raises funds for charity

By John Redmond Contributing writer Last weekend Animal Rescue Korea (ARK) an organization consisting of local and expat volunteers held a fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon. The event, including live music, an auction and sales of vegan desserts and bread, was also to generate awareness of ARK and the work it carries out. ARK is an animal rescue organization that helps find homes for homeless animals. They work with several different shelters and vets trying to match strays with people who will care for them long term. They also help animals with health problems get the care they need and promote spaying and neutering. It's a completely volunteer organization that relies on fundraising and donations to make all of this happen. One of the volunteers selling baked vegan desserts was Kia Veselsky who “Googled” her way to Korea and has been here since February 2006. “Basically, I decided to come after reading about teaching overseas online and decided that I had nothing to lose by trying it. I ended up liking the job and my life here very quickly,” she told

Foreignline

International Fireworks Festival The POSCO International Fireworks Festival will be held at Hyeongsangang River Sports Park, Bukbu Beach in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province from July 23 to 26. This is a festival with exciting water sports during the day and beautiful fireworks over Yeongil Bay at night. Main events include the International Fireworks Contest, City of Light Performance, Fireworks Parade, National Water Sports Contest, yachting, and beach volleyball, as well as participatory events for festival visitors. To get there 1) From Seoul Station: get off at Dong Daegu Station and take a limousine bus, inter-city bus, or taxi to Pohang Bus Terminal 2) From Pohang Bus Terminal: take Bus No.105, 200, or 700 toward Bukbu Beach Hyeongsan River Sports Park From Dong Seoul Terminal (Gangbyeon Station, Subway Line 2): get off at Pohang Bus Terminal (approximately four and a half hours) and take a taxi to Hyeongsan Sports Park. The program includes an Ilwol mythology performance, fireworks parade, Pohang Bada (Sea) International Theater Festival, and Fireworks Art

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(275) OFFICE WORK I

Voter registration drive scheduled for US citizens

By Kim Young-jin Staff reporter A voter registration drive for U.S. citizens will be held on Saturday in Itaewon, Seoul, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot near Gecco’s Bar and Grill. Organized by Democrats Abroad Republic of Korea (DA-ROK), the event aims to encourage voter participation and civic engagement among expats. “Living overseas doesn’t mean you don’t have a say in what happens in your community back home,” Albert Kang, chairman of DA-ROK, said. “We have very involved and concerned expats living in South Korea and by providing this service to the expat community, we are excited to assist in bridging the gap of the opportunity to stay involved.” The event comes less than four months ahead of an important mid-term election slated for Nov. 2. In the polls, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 36 of the 100 in the Senate will be up for grabs in what is seen as a referendum on the first two years of the Barack Obama administration. At stake is control of the House, an important issue as the nation continues to tackle contentious dom

Group of International artists launch website

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff reporter A group of international artists, who are living and working in Korea, have recently created a website to showcase their art. The International Artists Community (IAC), a group of artists from all over the world who are currently living in Korea, unveiled koreaiac.com earlier this month. The website, which is in English and Korean, provides information about the artworks of over 40 artists who have participated in exhibitions with the IAC. It also includes links to the artists’ individual websites and gives details on upcoming events and exhibitions of the IAC and its members. ``It is intended in the coming months to continue to develop the site to provide opportunities for artists to exhibit their work online; to produce a monthly newsletter to members containing news, comments and reviews and to extend the links to other art groups who share the aims of the IAC,’’ organizers said, in a statement. The IAC will be hosting its fourth group exhibition ``Domestic Bliss’’ Aug. 18-28 at Jay Gallery and Na Gallery, located at the

English-language bookstore moves to bigger premises

By John Redmond Contributing writer For those tired of browsing through cramped bookstores offering a limited selection of titles, popular new and secondhand outlet “What the Book?” has moved to a new convenient location on the main street in the heart of Itaewon. What started out as a little bookstore in a residential neighborhood up near the mosque over seven years ago is now a fully fledged competitor in the surging English-language book market. Offering a huge range of titles in vast selection of categories in the new books section, “What the Book?” still boasts an excellent choice of magazines and second-hand books as well as a system for ordering titles not available in the store. This service takes about 10 working days from order to delivery. Manager Chris Chiavetta explained that the move was purely a space issue after outgrowing the previous location up from the fire station. “We needed more space. The second store was really jammed with books and on any given Saturday customers could not walk without bumping into each other. Secondly, I was deathly afr