South Korea - The Korea Times

9th Korean Refugee Film Festival kicks off Saturday in Seoul

The 9th edition of the Korea Refugee Film Festival (KOREFF) kicks off this Saturday at CGV Apgujeong in southern Seoul, with screenings of four major films made in Korea and Europe on refugee issues.

Jun 18, 2024By Bereket Alemayehu

9th Korean Refugee Film Festival kicks off Saturday in Seoul

Camarata Music celebrates summer love with Brahms' waltzes

The Camarata Chorale and Chamber Singers are ready to present Brahms' “Liebeslieder Waltzes” this Saturday.

Jun 17, 2024By Jon Dunbar

Camarata Music celebrates summer love with Brahms' waltzes

Over 500,000 English-language books available at Tongbang Books Open House

Tongbang Books is opening its warehouse in Seongsu-dong to the public this weekend. Visitors will be able to browse through its labyrinthine chambers filled with 550,000 English-language books, or 25,000 unique titles.

Jun 17, 2024By Jon Dunbar

Over 500,000 English-language books available at Tongbang Books Open House

FINDING THE SCENE 4 Live music venues all around Korea

This is the fourth part in a series intended to raise awareness of Korea's elusive live music scene and help more people find it.

Jun 16, 2024By Jon Dunbar

[FINDING THE SCENE 4] Live music venues all around Korea

CITYSCAPES Inside Seoul's closed 5-star hotels

The pandemic was bad overall, but it resulted in temporary good things, windfalls, for certain entities at particular times. Delivery companies and vaccine-making firms certainly had their heyday, and then seemed to die out once pandemic restrictions eased. Another group that did surprisingly well during the pandemic was urban explorers. After all, urban explorers are probably the world's best social distancers. One of the biggest changes we've seen during the pandemic was the closure of a lot of hotels, including five-star hotels like the Millennium Seoul Hilton. The Hilton, located not far from where I live, was set to close for good at the end of 2022. The last night of guests staying there would be the night before, meaning the New Year would not be ringed in there. I had visited the Hilton at the start of 2022, curious to see the model train they have running in the lobby, and also hoping to get up to the roof. On that first trip, I failed, but I found something even weirder. I used an old infiltration technique to try reaching the roof. The elevators are activated by keycard, meani

Jun 15, 2024By Ron Bandun

[CITYSCAPES] Inside Seoul's closed 5-star hotels

Nostimo offers Seoul's most authentic Greek cuisine

The cuisine of Greece isn't well-known in Korea, nor are there many Greek restaurants here. The ones that do exist tend to either serve inauthentic, extra-sweetened versions of Mediterranean street food that appeal to Korean tastes, or they make every effort to be as authentic as possible with the ingredients available.

Jun 12, 2024By Jon Dunbar

Nostimo offers Seoul's most authentic Greek cuisine

KOREA ENCOUNTERS Sindang-dong: forgotten history of a gentrifying neighborhood

Ask most people what they think of when you mention the neighborhood of Sindang-dong, and they will reply, “tteokbokki.” As the story goes, the spicy version of the dish was invented there by Ma Bok-rim shortly after the 1950-53 Korean War, and it became popular as a cheap snack for local schoolkids. Ma’s appearance in a gochujang ad in 1996 caused her restaurant — and the Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Street — to explode in popularity.

Jun 11, 2024By Matt VanVolkenburg

[KOREA ENCOUNTERS] Sindang-dong: forgotten history of a gentrifying neighborhood

The Hechyeomoyeo presents over 250 artists at Insa-dong's KOTE

The Hechyeomoyeo, a group exhibition series of artists — Korean and foreign, local and overseas — is returning for the sixth time, this time presenting the works of more than 250 individual artists at KOTE in downtown Seoul's Insa-dong.

Jun 10, 2024By Jon Dunbar

The Hechyeomoyeo presents over 250 artists at Insa-dong's KOTE

KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES Hidden layers of Seonam Temple

As a writer, you’re taught to avoid the usage of cliches in your writing. Cliches like the peeling back of an onion. Or the cliche about the unfolding of a rose. In either case, it would be much easier to simply state that it’s all a process of discovery. And yet, a temple like Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, almost forces you to resort to cliches about onions and roses. There are just so many hidden layers to discover and uncover in and among the grounds at Seonam Temple.

Jun 9, 2024By Dale Quarrington

[KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES] Hidden layers of Seonam Temple

RAS KOREA World's oldest Korean studies group begins its 125th year

Over a century ago, a group of missionaries, diplomats and educators gathered in the modest reading room of the Seoul Union Club. Little did they know, their fledgling Korean studies organization would stand the test of time. In an era when Korea was often overlooked, the notion of studying its history and culture was a novelty. The Korea branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, born from this gathering on June 16, 1900, paved the way for the modern Korean studies movement in universities worldwide.

Jun 7, 2024By Steve Shields

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