Most Popular
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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South Korea to launch space security center under spy agency
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More med professors to take day off each week while govt. urges them to stay
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Hybe refutes Ador CEO Min's denial of breach of trust
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Expat’s children’s book blends lessons on language, patience
A page from “Worth the Wait,” with illustrations by Sol LeeBlending luscious illustrative messages about patience, Ilsan-based writer Georgia Scott has recently released “Worth the Wait,” a children’s book tailored for English teachers here. It will be the first book of a trilogy created by the former New York Times art director, in collaboration with Korean native Sol Lee. “Worth the Wait,” a story about the value of waiting, began when Scott spoke with Sol Lee, a student in Scott’s adult Engli
July 1, 2015
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Alleycon seeks to make Gwangju Korea’s ‘geek capital’
Looking to make Gwangju the geek capital of Korea, Alleycon is returning this fall, with plans to be bigger than ever.The event is in its third year, with 60 people coming to the first one and 225 to the second. Now the organizers are hoping to attract 500 people to this year’s event at the Gwangju Design Center from Sept. 19-20.Alleycon general manager Jordan VanHartingsvelt said that he already had significant interest from outside the city, including people already planning their cosplay outf
June 24, 2015
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'The Clowns' explores the contortions of an outsider coming in
How much should an outsider give up to become part of society’s inner circle? That is the main theme of Kim Tae-woong’s award-winning play “The Clowns,” Busan English Theatre Association’s next production. A translation of the play was published in 2005, but this will be its first production in English.The play looks at the relationship between 15th-century Joseon King Yeonsangun and his court clown Gong-gil. Gong-gil is part of a troupe performing for the king under the ultimate pressure: Be fu
June 24, 2015
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'Mirror Mirror' exhibition to launch expat artists site
Art Network Korea will be launching its website with an exhibition of self-portraits in Seoul to start this week.“Mirror Mirror” will feature work by 15 visual artists from six countries, all looking at self-portraiture from a different perspective. The work includes photography, painting and drawing with a fairly conventional take on the concept, to more abstract images and installations. Exhibition curator Martyn Thompson, who also has work in the show, said he was pleased with how the artists
June 24, 2015
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Ulsan expats run short play marathon
Want to see dozens of plays but don’t have the time? Ulsan expats might find the solution in the Industrial Theater Troupe’s “A Lighter Shade of Black.” Based on an idea by the Neo Futurists theater group in Chicago, the show features 30 plays in an hour.The show is in its sixth edition now ― each one featuring new work ― and continues the tradition of combining light and dark in the title, but also indicated that the mix of plays in this show will be a little less black than the last. “We have
June 17, 2015
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Expat novel looks at the ultimate transition
The expatriate experience is often typified as one of transition. While many settle down in their new homes, others use the time abroad to make a turning point in their lives. But a new novel by Giacomo Lee, written while he was an expat here, looks at the ultimate transition -― death. “Funereal” by Giacomo LeeThe story follows Soobin Shin, a doughnut shop worker looking to step up in the world. She has little luck in her job hunt, until a customer unexpectedly asks her to join him in a service
June 17, 2015
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Korea bloggers take in tour of Hwaseong Fortress
Seoul’s Senior Public Diplomacy Group led 40 Korea-based bloggers, photographers and foreign correspondents on a tour of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday.The Senior Public Diplomacy Group, a Foreign Ministry-affiliated nonprofit organization, to promote the UNESCO World Heritage Site and find out how people from overseas saw it.Participants in the tour also got another chance to take pictures for a photo and essay contest run by the SPDG. The first part of the competition
June 17, 2015
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Hagwon lawsuit calls time on independent contractors
A group of teachers at Chungdahm International, a nationwide chain of English academies or hagwon, has won recognition as employees in a case taken to the Supreme Court.The case entitles the teachers to compensation for unpaid severance pay and other benefits.Chungdahm, which refused to comment on the case, had been treating the teachers as independent contractors, under which those benefits are not provided by the place of work. Chungdahm appealed twice, but the courts consistently ruled that t
June 17, 2015
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Film fest to explore expat experiences
A new independent film festival will kick off in Seoul next week with a focus on the expatriate experience.The Korea Expat Film Festival KIXFF kicks off Thursday, with a lineup of nine feature-length movies and 38 short films, to be played over four days in venues across Seoul.The festival is slightly larger than originally conceived, but co-organizer Kevin Lambert said it had kept its original spirit. Many of the screenings will be held in small expat hangouts.“I think a lot of people are reall
June 10, 2015
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Orphanage volunteer wins Michael Simning award
Chosun University English professor Al Barnum has won the first Michael Simning Community Award for his work volunteering at Sungbin Orphanage. The award was created by a group of Gwangju residents in memory of Simning, a local expat who led volunteering and community events in the city and also started the First Alleyway, a cafe and key meeting point for the city’s expat community. It recognizes people who have volunteered in the city and contributed to the local community.Four others were shor
June 10, 2015
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Jolly V to headline all hip-hop CLASH
Charity music fund-raiser CLASH will return on June 20 with Korean rapper Jolly V headlining the bill.The event, run in aid of Angel House, a home for the disabled, will be the first CLASH event featuring all hip-hop acts.Previous CLASH events have featured a mix of Korean and expat hip-hop and rock, but the organizers decided to refresh the format. However, this does not mean they have abandoned rock.“After two years of using the same format, we decided it was time to make some changes and spic
June 10, 2015
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MERS hagwon closures cause teachers stress
As the MERS outbreak leads to the closures of schools and hagwons across the country, an increasing number of teachers are facing pay reductions or the cancellation of their regular vacations.Hagwons and schools closed after pressure from parents worried about the spread of MERS, which they fear might enter the community. So far all infections have occurred in hospitals, but many hagwons are facing dwindling enrollment ― and falling revenue ― due to parent jitters.Jessi Kidd Carpenter, who works
June 10, 2015
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MERS puts Seoul Global Center activities on hold
The recent MERS outbreak has led to cancellations of classes at Seoul Global Center, as well as on-site counseling run by the center.A Latin American cultural festival to be run in Seongbuk-dong by the Songbuk Global Village Center on Saturday has also been canceled, along with a flea market and concert planned for June 21, also due to concerns over MERS. The events were rescheduled for September.The SGC runs classes mainly on Korean language and areas of business such as tax and corporate law.
June 10, 2015
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Expats remain calm amid MERS fears
Amid deepening concerns over the spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, foreign residents here have remained relatively calm, noting MERS fears have escalated partly due to Seoul authorities’ “clumsy” handling of it and excessive media attention.Some expats pointed out that the government failed to effectively communicate with Koreans as well as foreigners, worsening concerns over MERS, which has killed six of the 87 confirmed cases as of Monday.“Considering how few have actually been a
June 8, 2015
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Busan to host job fair for foreign students
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency will run the Busan Job Fair for International Students with Korean language ability on Friday.About 40 Korean enterprises that aim to tap international markets or need foreign language and cultural competence will run booths to welcome candidates and, in some cases, offer on-the-spot interviews for immediate recruitment at the Busan BEXCO Exhibition Center.“Many foreign students are hired for marketing research in Korea or sales management in their hom
June 3, 2015
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Work limits on F-4 visas pose enforcement puzzle
Most Korean-Americans here did not cross the Pacific to flip burgers, but they might be surprised to learn that it isn’t even an option, based on the Justice Ministry’s latest list of banned jobs for F-4 visa holders.Other jobs on the list include sommelier, postman and gym locker room attendant. The restrictions were introduced in 2010 to protect local manual laborers from competition from ethnic Korean workers from China and other developing countries.But the frequent changing of the list ― th
June 3, 2015
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Camarata to light up stage with ‘Pirates of Penzance’
Modern major generals take note: The “Pirates of Penzance” will be coming to Seoul as the Camarata Music Company’s summer musical stage performance.Set in Victorian England, the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta tells the story of Frederic, who apprenticed as a pirate after his mother misheard her husband’s wish for him to be a ship’s pilot.From there the farce continues. Frederic is to apprentice until his 21st birthday, but he discovers that as he is born on a leap day, this will not happen
June 3, 2015
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Acoustic night in Ulsan strikes charitable note
JJ’s bar in Ulsan will be running its semi-regular “Unplugged Campfire Fairytale Session” acoustic music night Saturday, this time with hopes of raising money for victims of the recent Nepal earthquakes. The performers on the night will be Kenny Freeman, Swanny, Robscenity and Jon Taylor and Jason Duchac from the Elsewheres.There will be a raffle in aid of Nepal earthquake victims at the event, with the top prize being a PlayStation 3 and a selection of games. Other prizes include bottles of spi
June 3, 2015
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Russian scholar to discuss N. Korea reform
Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov will discuss reform in North Korea, and the changes the country is making under leader Kim Jong-un during a talk Tuesday hosted by the royal Asiatic Society’s Korea Branch.Lankov will discuss the idea that, unlike his father who believed that emulating the Chinese path to success was too risky, Kim Jong-un has shown interest in serious change. He will discuss how the household responsibility system is being introduced in agriculture, managers of state i
June 3, 2015
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TOPIK exam applications to open next week
Applications will open Monday for those who want to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean on July 19.Test takers can choose to sit for the lower-level TOPIK I in the morning or the higher level TOPIK II in the afternoon.The TOPIK I test consists of listening and reading sections and runs from 9:20-11:40 a.m. The TOPIK II has a listening and writing sections, followed by a separate reading exam, with the whole test running from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Exam fees differ: TOPIK I costs 35,000 won ($31) and
June 3, 2015