Global Community

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Seoul’s ‘open mic’ entices hidden talent

By John Redmond Contributing writer With the warmer evenings and South Korea out of the World Cup, local pubs are returning to their regular scheduled events. For performers and lovers of live music “open mic” sessions, a growing trend among expats and locals in Korea, look set to see a new wave of talent. Over a decade ago, “open mic” evenings were held at Woodstock bar in Itaewon on Sunday nights. These gatherings began as poetry readings with the odd solo singer/songwriter performers. Gradually, the event grew to include standup comedians. Seeing the potential, other bars and clubs began to embrace the concept with invitations on social networking site, Facebook, inviting performers and audiences to venues in cities like Busan, Daegu and Suwon. One of the growing venues in central Seoul, hosted by radio presenter and professional singer/ songwriter John Valentine, is Dolce Vita. Around 8:30 p.m. every Thursday night, host John Valentine warms up the crowd with a series of self penned and quirky cover tunes while singers and duos sign up for a set comprising

Foreignline

Canada/US Independence Day BBQ cruise With Canada Day on July 1 and U.S. Independence Day on July 4, July 3 is the perfect date to celebrate the two North American holidays. There will be a Han River BBQ Cruise to celebrate the two national holidays open to everyone who wants to join the celebration from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - people won’t have to show a Canadian or American passport to get on board. The costs are Gallery tickets after June 19 50,000 won and VIP tickets after June 19 70,000 won. Gallery tickets include choice of BBQ burgers (request vegetarian option with reservation), brats, smokies as well as salads, four tickets for freshly brewed Ka-Brew Beer (choice of Golden Ale, Porter, Weizen, Pilsner) or soft drinks. RSVP to hanrivercruise@ gmail.com or events@korea4expats.com. Please include your full name, cell phone number, number of tickets you want, specify type Gallery or VIP ticket - and specify food choice for each person (burger, vegetarian burger, brat or smokie/ chicken choice for VIP ticket This event is for adults only. Some of the procee

British-run agency offers trip to Mt. Geumgang

By Kim Young-jin Staff reporter A Beijing-based company is offering Western tourists a rare opportunity to visit the Mt.Geumgang resort area in North Korea, the site of a reconciliatory tourism project that has become a hot-button issue between the two Koreas. Koryo Tours, a British-run travel agency specializing in North Korea, is offering a 10-day North Korea tour package beginning Aug. 2 that includes a stop at the scenic outer Geumgang area. The package also includes tours of the capital city Pyongyang, the port city of Wonsan, as well as the chance to view the North’s Mass Games, where large groups of performers take part in synchronized performance art. On its website, the agency refers to the outer Geumgang area as “previously a resort operated by Hyundai for visiting South Korean tourists, newly opened to visitors from the northern side.” The South’s Hyundai Asan had developed hiking trails and run tourist facilities as part of an inter-Korean tourism program until 2008, when the reconciliatory project was suspended after a South Korean tourist was shot dea

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Concert to raise funds for orphanages

By Kim Young-jin Staff reporter Five bands will hit the stage at Club FF in Hongdae, Seoul on Saturday to celebrate multiculturalism in Korea and raise money for the cause of equal access to education. Organized by Connect Korea, an education-focused expat group, the show’s proceeds will benefit two orphanages _ the Suwon-based House that Nurtures Dreams and Our House, a North Korean children’s refugee center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The evening will include performances by Korean bands Easy Boy and Rubber Ducky, as well as the RockTigers, who are bound to get the audience bopping with their high-octane brand of rockabilly. Expat bands the Noise and Kachisan will round out the lineup. The latter impressed at the Haebangchon Festival last month with psychedelic, yet catchy, sonic explorations. The funds raised will go toward purchasing computers, books and other learning materials for the orphanages. Connect Korea was founded this year by expats Abhishek Joshi, an Indian research engineer and Gregory Penceis, an American researcher, to address the need for eq

Pool League donates to charity

By John Redmond Contributing writer Members of popular expat pool organization, the Itaewon Pool League, held their winter/spring season banquet offering another sizable donation to charity, last Saturday evening at the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. Speaking at the function, Swiss National Pool League President Bernard Condrau explained how the funds, collected from team memberships, are divided. The league donates every season, two seasons per year, between 1 and 2 million won. In the Winter/Spring 2010 season, it donated 1 million won to Unicef Haiti earthquake relief fund. “The amount which goes to charity depends on the previous season balance to transfer into new season and the number of teams which sign up to the new season, as we keep the team fees per season at 300,000 won no matter how many teams sign up,” Condrau said. The pool league comprises of some 30 teams involving players from over 10 nationalities, shooting pool in pubs on a Wednesday night in the areas of Itaewon and Haebangchon. The league was founded in 2001 and grew from an original eight

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