Global Community

Baseball Star’s Band Misses Out

Former Doosan Bears pitcher Matt Randel's band just missed out on an automatic place in the annual Battle of the Bands competition at Olde Stompers Rock Spot in Itaewon, Seoul, Saturday night. Randel's band the Tremors finished second place to Seoul City Suicides in the annual contest. The winners in each of the three rounds plus the best runner-up will proceed to the Nov. 28 final. Hundreds turned out to cheer on the four bands vying for a shot at the title. The next round is on Saturday, and will feature acts such as Bint Eastwood and the Dharma Club. community@koreatimes.co.kr

Activists Call for Unification of Korean Peninsula

North Korean refugees joined forces with foreigners on the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall from Saturday through Monday, calling for unification of the last remaining Cold War conflict line in the world. A collaboration of pro unification activists ― fronted by Unify Korea 2009 ― staged protests here, calling for the unification of the Korean Peninsula and the ``liberation of North Koreans.'' ``(As a result) I hope more people get involved in the cause,'' said American demonstrator Lauren Walker, an organizer involved with Unify Korea. Three demonstrations were staged. The first began with a march of around 30 people from City Hall to Seoul Station, where they carried out a protest that consisted of chanting and the reading of letters written by activists from around the world, with the number of people attending eventually swelling into the hundreds. ``It's astonishing how close we are to the (North Korea) issue that more people aren't coming out,'' said Walker, lamenting the low turnout. Seoul Station was again the setting Sunday, this tim

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Chamber Looks to Shed Light on NZ Wine

The New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, known as the Kiwi Chamber, is to host an event highlighting the Oceanic country's wine, Monday. Called the ``New Zealand Wine Experience ― 100 percent pure New Zealand wine,'' it will take place at the Seoul Plaza Hotel. The event is designed to introduce the country's wine to both Koreans and foreigners alike. There will be 25 participating wineries and over 110 premium red and white wines available to taste. A New World wine-producing nation, there are over 500 wineries spread out over New Zealand's North and South Islands. The chamber hopes to introduce the country's wine to aficionados who may not be familiar with the range it has to offer. The event takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.kiwichamber.com or e-mail chamber@kiwichamber.com. community@koreatimes.co.kr

Ex-Doosan Bears Pitcher Ready for Battle

By Bryan Kay Staff Reporter Former Doosan Bears pitcher Matt Randel has two aims this winter: seeing his band crowned king of a music throwdown and securing a team for the 2010 Korean baseball season. Randel, frontman in expat band the Tremors, was forced to sit last season out after picking up a back injury in the winter. He is determined to get back on the roster ― but will first bid to win the annual Olde Stompers Rock Spot Battle of the Bands competition, which kicks off Saturday. "We've been gigging quite a bit lately and we've now got a new drummer and everything is going great," said Randel, a self-confessed punk from Portland, Ore. "We're going to give it a shot. We've got a fair number of original songs and maybe two covers, so we think we can have a go at winning. "We're basically a punk band and we like to get really into the music. All of our members are huge punk fans and our music comes from that. "We've really picked it up a bit since our new drummer joined. We're rehearsing a lot and getting more gigs. We started doing Hongdae venues recently, so

Author Seeks to Cast Expats in Positive Light

By Bryan Kay Staff Reporter An American author who is looking to cast foreigners in a positive light hopes his recently published book helps generate a broader Korean outlook on expats. Best-selling American author Scott Burgeson, one of the best known authors in Korea, is attempting to introduce what he says is a new word to the Korean language ― expat ― in his new book. Also known as Wang Baeksu, last month he released his fifth book whose title, originally written in Korean ― ``더 발칙한 한국학'' ― translates to ``More Nasty Korean Studies.'' ``The book is trying to increase understanding between expats in Korea,'' said Burgeson in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. Burgeson, a California native, first came to Korea in 1994, but did not settle here until 1996, when he started to work as an English teacher. However, his primary occupation has always been writing, an endeavor for which he has much to show, having written seven ``zines'' ― self published books ― and five books. The subjects of his most recent works center mostly on foreign nationals in K