SIWA set to host annual fundraising market

People looking to do some early Christmas shopping will get a chance to help good causes in the process as Seoul International Women’s Association is set to host its annual fundraising bazaar.Now in its 55th year, the SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazzaar has been a mainstay of the local community in the build-up to the festive period, raising millions of won for charity each year.Volunteers mind a stall at a previous SIWA Bazaar (SIWA)It’s traditionally been a place to pick up unusual gifts and

Oct. 26, 2017

Migrant film fest explores ‘Remapping the Borders’

With the ongoing problems facing migrants who cross the Mediterranean and increasingly hostile attitudes to migrants in Europe and the US, times are bleak for the world’s migrants.And for the organizers of the Migrant World Film Festival this weekend, there is much less optimism than when they started out 10 years ago.“Our first festival had the slogan of ‘A World Without Borders, Imagination in Motion,’ which was very positive and progressive. But starting again 10 festivals later, for the 11th

Oct. 26, 2017

Kids get taste of the game at fundraising ‘Hockey Day Korea’

Kids joined national hockey coach Jim Paek and Team Korea Ball Hockey players on a beautiful, sunshine filled afternoon for the second annual “Hockey Day Korea!” at the Jamsil Sports Complex inline rink in Seoul on Oct. 14. HDK aims to promote awareness of hockey in Korea and most importantly, to raise money for charity, this year’s cause being Make-A-Wish Korea, which works to give special experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses. Eric Walsh, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, helped

Oct. 26, 2017

Camarata invites patrons to ‘Fall into Music’

Camarata is inviting guests to join it for a networking night accompanied by food, wine and performances from its chamber singers for its autumn fundraiser on Friday.As well as performances and a standing buffet, the “Fall into Music” event will run a raffle with prizes including return trips to the US and holiday getaways in Vietnam and Korea.Camarata is a registered nonprofit organization set up to provide performing opportunities to people in Korea of various nationalities. It runs an auditio

Oct. 26, 2017

GIC Day to return to Gwangju

With food, performances and activities to get stuck into, GIC Day is returning to Gwangju on Sunday.On the main stage performances from traditional Korean music to Irish folk, belly dancing and a joint Zumba workout.Finger food from 15 countries, from Rwanda and Indonesia to China and Canada, will be available at booths in the main area. Alongside them, culture booths will share traditional games and crafts from around the world.Those who bring their own tumblers will get 50 percent off drinks.C

Oct. 26, 2017

HBC Fest set for fall edition

The HBC Fest’s fall edition will open on Oct. 20 and run through Oct. 21 for a showcase of local live acts.The festival sees bars and cafes in the Haebangchon area of Seoul near Itaewon open their doors and rig up stages for a two-night collection of free concerts. Four venues will open up on Oct. 20 from 9 p.m. – Thunderhorse Tavern, Phillies, Genie Pub and the Hidden Cellar. Another seven stages will be added for the next day, with music starting at 5 p.m. A full list of schedules is available

Oct. 12, 2017

SSC ratchets up the drama with ‘Garage’

Seoul Shakespeare Company will make an uncharacteristically modern return to the stage this weekend with the contemporary play “Garage,” a claustrophobic tale of past grudges.The play starts as high school English teacher David returns to his hometown with his wife for the funeral of his estranged, alcoholic father. While visiting his father’s emptied-out garage, they unexpectedly encounter Brandon, David’s childhood bully. The scenario -- the whole play takes place in the garage -- makes for a

Oct. 11, 2017

Daejeon Arts Collective to host group show ‘Twelfth Night’

Daejeon Arts Collective is holding a weeklong exhibition at the Daejeon Gallery from Thursday. The exhibition, “Twelfth Night,” is a group show by the DJAC, a group of expat and Korean artists. Work displayed at the show includes print work, painting, photography and sculpture from 14 artists, with a performance at the show’s reception on Saturday.“Twelfth Night” was chosen as a catchy title more than a theme, though DJAC president Rosalie Knaack says two artists used it for inspiration in their

Oct. 10, 2017

Itaewon gears up for Global Culture Festival

Itaewon will close its main strip this weekend for the Itaewon Global Culture Festival.The festival is an annual celebration combining live performances with foods and products from various foreign communities.Stalls selling food, craft beer and other items will fill the area between Itaewon and Noksapyeong stations and some of Itaewon Antique Street, with stages at each end.The main festivities will start with a parade at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and an opening concert with pop music headlined by ro

Oct. 10, 2017

Ahn Do-hyun to join Seoul Book Club for Q&A

The covers of "The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher" and the new translated poetry collection by Ahn Do-hyun.Seoul Book and Culture Club will be hosting best-selling author and poet Ahn Do-hyeon on Saturday.Ahn’s main activity is poetry, for which his accolades include the Poetry and Poetics Young Poet Award, the Sowol Poetry Award, and the Baekseok Literary Award. But his best-known work in translation is “The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher,” a multimillion-selling story that has been made in E

Oct. 10, 2017

Expat musicians to show passion, love, volume at Zandari

With Zandari Festa around the corner, several expat groups are gearing up to show their stuff at Korea’s biggest indie music showcase. Zandari, a three-day showcase festival across 10 venues in the Hongdae area of Seoul, will host 120 acts from across Korea and overseas this year.　Among them is Koncept, a US rapper relatively new to the local scene. With three albums under his belt, he was invited to play two shows here in November, but as word got around, he was asked to play more shows and sta

Sept. 21, 2017

Islamic group offers community, piece of home for foreign Muslims

Hussaina Abdullahi, 19, arrived in Korea two years ago from Nigeria after being introduced to the culture through the Korean Culture Center while she was in school. The information she received there coupled with an interest in K-dramas was enough to make her decide to come to Korea for university.“It still doesn’t feel real,” she said. “Coming here was crazy, one of the biggest things I wished for actually happened.” After completing a yearlong language course and now almost halfway through her

Sept. 20, 2017

Seoul City Improv to mark 10th anniversary with show

Seoul City Improv, the city’s first and only English-speaking improvised comedy troupe, will be marking 10 years in the funny business with an anniversary show-slash-party Saturday.The troupe started out performing the kind of short-form improv made famous by “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” but later branched out into other forms, such as long-form improv and musical improv comedy, and SCI will try to highlight all its facets at the show.Seoul City Improv (SCI)SCI has been busy in recent years, acco

Sept. 20, 2017

Southside Parlor to launch Houston hurricane fundraiser

The owner of Itaewon cocktail joint Southside Parlor will launch a fundraising campaign Monday to raise money to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.Robbie Nguyen hails from Houston, which was directly hit by the storm, and his family was among those forced to evacuate. The funds raised will go to help his family and support organizations helping deal with the hurricane’s fallout.The campaign will be kicked off with a launch event at Southside Parlor, which will coincide with the start of a social

Sept. 6, 2017

Latin American group seeks to ‘bridge gap’ between Latin America and Korea

When Juan David Mateo Salazar Castro arrived in Korea two years ago from Colombia, he was overwhelmed with culture shock. Unable to find information on life here geared toward Latin Americans, the 25-year-old set out to fill the void. “I came in the summer and everything was so crazy for me at the beginning. People’s outfits, how they behave, the food. It was really difficult,” he said. After discussing the lack of resources with a friend, they decided to create content to “bridge the gap betwee

Sept. 6, 2017

The unspoken language of tango

It’s Friday night and the Gangnam area is filling up with stylish partygoers ready to dance the night away in one of the many clubs nearby. But just a 10-minute walk from the station through quiet back roads, a group of Koreans and foreigners are strapping on their stilettoes and preparing to move to a different beat -- the seductive art of tango. “It’s a four-minute love story,” said Emilio Andres Araya, who has been teaching tango classes in Korea since 2005. “Dancing tango is telling a story

Sept. 6, 2017

Seoul Book Club to showcase 2 young authors

The Seoul Book and Culture Club is hosting a question-and-answer session with two young authors on Saturday.Chung Han-ah and Choi Eun-young are among the most recent to have their works translated and published in English as part of ASIA Publishers’ series of short fiction by new Korean authors.The two writers will give a reading from their new books before a short interview with host Barry Welsh. Questions will be opened up to the audience for the second half of the event. The covers of Choi Eu

Sept. 6, 2017

Seoul Mayor to host forum for South Asian residents

Seoul Metropolitan Government is inviting residents of South Asia to raise issues and problems they experience living here at a Seoul Town Meeting attended by Mayor Park Won-soon on Sept. 16.Seoul has been holding town meetings for foreign residents of Seoul for about a decade. The aim is for expats to voice their problems so that Seoul can develop policies to address them.  Mayor Park Won-soon (Yonhap)The event will be in Korea with English simultaneous translation. As well as the mayor, South

Sept. 6, 2017