South Korea - The Korea Times

US 'K-goth' band collaborates on trilingual song, dreams of touring Korea

Much has been written about the “K-wave.” And Korean popular culture has indeed seen an explosion of exposure in the United States. K-pop bands sell out stadiums, Korean artists collaborate with Western artists and U.S.-based streaming services like Netflix not only have entire sections dedicated to K-dramas, they also help produce and distribute them. On top of all that, the Korean punk band Drinking Boys and Girls Choir recently set a record for the longest North American tour by a Korean act by playing 28 shows over 38 days. But how is all this exposure impacting Korean American (K-Merican?) artists? Allow me to introduce you to past self, a self-dubbed “K-goth” band hailing from Las Vegas. Mixing elements of darkwave and shoegaze, the band has become a favorite in the Vegas goth scene since forming in 2020. The members have adopted the stage names Sung (guitar/vocals), Spektor (bass) and æther (synth) and, in the grand tradition of the genre, percussion is currently handled by a drum machine dubbed “Edgar.” “Spektor and I kept running into each other at auditions for

Aug 3, 2024By Kyle Decker and Fleurette Estes

US 'K-goth' band collaborates on trilingual song, dreams of touring Korea

EXCLUSIVE Korea's powerful labor group seeks to embrace 421,000 undocumented migrant workers

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the country’s two major umbrella labor unions with more than 1 million members, is moving to embrace undocumented foreigners here in an attempt to broaden its coalition, labor officials said.

Aug 1, 2024By Jung Min-ho

[EXCLUSIVE] Korea's powerful labor group seeks to embrace 421,000 undocumented migrant workers

Gov't to conduct inspections to protect foreign workers from heat

The government will conduct inspections of 120 workplaces over the next 10 days to protect foreign workers from heat-related illnesses amid scorching temperatures.

Jul 29, 2024By Jung Min-ho

Gov't to conduct inspections to protect foreign workers from heat

K-LIT REVIEW In 'Greek Lessons,' Han Kang reflects on mysterious power of language

Han Kang’s best-known work "The Vegetarian" took the international literary world by storm when it won the International Booker Prize in 2016. Her subsequent novels "Human Acts" and "The White Book" both received English translations. Due to Han’s growing prominence in the international literary world, her 2011 novel has now been translated into English with the title "Greek Lessons." An unnamed woman enrolls in an ancient Greek course at a private academy. She sits in the classes silently, but studying intently. Whereas in "The Vegetarian," the protagonist Yeong-hye begins refusing to eat meat and gradually stops eating altogether, here the protagonist has stopped speaking, hence her silence in class. The woman’s psychiatrist tells her that her language loss may be due to her mother’s passing or losing custody of her son, but the woman feels the reasons are harder to pin down. Though she has no immediate practical use for the dead language of ancient Greek, she does have a reason for learning it: she hopes to reconnect with her own language by learning a wholly different one. H

Jul 25, 2024By John A. Riley

[K-LIT REVIEW] In 'Greek Lessons,' Han Kang reflects on mysterious power of language

Applications 'pouring in' for Filipino caregiving services

Applications submitted by Seoul residents to hire Filipino caregivers, a service which will start as early as September, have been “pouring in” since the first day of registration, a source told The Korea Times, Thursday.

Jul 25, 2024By Jung Min-ho

Applications 'pouring in' for Filipino caregiving services

Seoul to begin taking applications for hiring Filipino caregivers

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Taejon Burger offers Expo nostalgia and juicy burgers

By John A. Riley Back in 1993, Daejeon (then known as Taejon) hosted Expo ’93, an event that has left a lasting mark on the city: part of the site is now used for filming Korean dramas, such as the 2021 blockbuster Netflix hit "Squid Game." Daejeon still uses Kumdori, the alien mascot of the Expo, as its official emblem. Another smaller but still crucial part of the Expo's legacy is Taejon Burger, which takes Expo nostalgia as its concept. Taejon Burger is nestled in Soje-dong, a refurbished neighborhood that used to house the city's railway employees, and is therefore just a stone's throw from Daejeon Station. The area has now been regenerated, with many of its traditional houses transformed into international and fusion restaurants. Yoo Jun-sang, a successful real estate agent of 13 years, wanted to be part of Soje-dong's regeneration, and his passion for gourmet burgers was the first thing that came to mind. Since many of these businesses took Soje-dong itself as their theme, Yoo wanted a theme that encompasses Daejeon and its modern history. He had visited the Expo back when he wa

Jul 24, 2024

[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Taejon Burger offers Expo nostalgia and juicy burgers

Australian surrealist painter Ben Coiacetto opens solo exhibition in Seoul

Australian-born artist Ben Coiacetto’s first-ever Korean solo exhibition, “Insecure Attachment,” opened last Friday in central Seoul’s vibrant neighborhood of Samcheong-dong. Nine of his paintings, selected from his archive and on loan from private collectors, are on display for the first time in Korea.

Jul 23, 2024By Bereket Alemayehu

Australian surrealist painter Ben Coiacetto opens solo exhibition in Seoul

Travis, King Krule to headline inaugural Have a Nice Trip Festival

As summer gets underway, the festival season takes off. With Korea's festival scene currently exploding, it can be difficult to choose which events to attend. One that stands out for its unique roster of international names — such as Travis, King Krule and Alvvays — is Have a Nice Trip.

Jul 22, 2024By Jamie Finn

Travis, King Krule to headline inaugural Have a Nice Trip Festival

Finnish avant-garde artist invites Korea's introverts to his first Seoul concert

Artist Park Yeon-gyung, who goes by Tasha, has been busy preparing a challenging performance bringing diverse talents to the stage.

Jul 22, 2024By Bereket Alemayehu

Finnish avant-garde artist invites Korea's introverts to his first Seoul concert

'Who are the Kurds and why don't they have their own country?'

The Kurdish people are not well-known around the world, partly because they don't have their own country.

Jul 21, 2024By Jon Dunbar

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