The Korea Herald

Holi to bring the color back to Korea

With spring about to bring some color back to the Korean landscape, Holi celebrations in Seoul and Busan this year are set to beat nature to it. Two separate groups -- through both are called Indians in Korea -- will mark the Indian spring festival famous for its throwing of colored powder, in Seoul on Sunday and in Busan on March 18. Holi Hai in Busan, usually the larger of the two events, will be held on the city’s Haeundae Beach. Last year’s Holi Hai celebrations in Busan (IIK)“People are sh

March 7, 2017

Gwangju Performance Project promises ‘seductive’ cabaret

Expats in Gwangju will gather for a night of cabaret Saturday, courtesy of the Gwangju Performance Project.Previous cabaret nights have focused on music, but this year the troupe is broadening the range of entertainment and adding a “masquerade” theme.“This year I wanted to diversify the lineup a bit, really make sure that we had something for everyone in the Gwangju community,” said Ender Waters, the show’s director.“So I went back to the original cabarets in Paris in the late 19th, early 20th

March 7, 2017

Registrations open for Ulsan Cup soccer tournament

The Ulsan Cup, Korea’s largest expat soccer tournament, is taking registrations for its 10th outing in May.The tournament will take place on May 5 and 6 in the southeastern city. Sixteen teams will play a round-robin tournament in four groups on the first day, with the top two teams going through to the cup knockout stage on the second day.There is also a plate tournament for teams not progressing to the second day. A wooden spoon tournament for the unsuccessful teams will ensure that teams play

March 7, 2017

Treasure hunt inspires EFL adventure book

A historical novel isn’t the most obvious next step from citywide treasure hunts, but organizing two such events inspired Brian Van Hise to pen a story for middle school English learners.“History’s Mysteries: The Missing Years of Gutenberg” is novel for English-language learners that follows two pairs of siblings from Korea and the US as they try to solve a mystery surrounding the German inventor.The idea for the book came from two treasure hunts Van Hise set up, one in Daegu and one in Seoul. I

Feb. 22, 2017

Treasure hunt inspires EFL adventure book

KOTESOL invites speakers for international conference

Korea TESOL, an organization for English education professionals, is inviting presentation proposals for its 25th international conference this autumn. The conference, to be held in conjunction with the Pan-Asian Consortium of Language Teaching Societies, will be held in Seoul on Oct. 21 and 22. The KOTESOL international conference typically attracts about 1,000 attendees from Korea, Asia and beyond. This year’s conference theme is “Why Are We Here? Analogue Learning in a Digital Era.” It is int

Feb. 22, 2017

YEOL to host talk on preserving, moving traditional architecture

This story has been updated to reflect the fact that lunch is no longer offered at the event. — Ed.YEOL, the Society for Korean Cultural Heritage, will continue its lunchtime lectures, this year in partnership with Seoul Museum of History, with a talk on preservation of traditional houses in March.DaaRee Architect and Associates founder Cho In-souk, who has completed work on a Ph.D. in architectural conservation and restoration, will look at the subject from the perspective of preserving authent

Feb. 22, 2017

City supports adoptees’ Korean language studies

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will commence the first Korean language program exclusively for overseas Korean adoptees from next week. The first program of its type will provide free Korean lessons every Monday and Wednesday evening at the Seoul Global Center.The program came about through a proposal to the Seoul City Foreign Residents’ Council, where two overseas adoptees, John Compton and AK Salling, hold positions as council members. The Seoul Metropolitan Government currently offers a va

Feb. 22, 2017

Orientation session for foreign residents offered in Itaewon

The Itaewon Global Village Center will provide a free orientation session Friday to introduce the services and cultural opportunities available for foreign residents in Seoul. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and refreshments. All those who attend will receive a package of brochures, maps and guides.The session will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Itaewon Global Center offices, which are a 200 meter walk straight out of Exit 2 of Itaewon Station.To attend, register at

Feb. 22, 2017

Speech contest to test NK refugees

North Korean refugees will be showing off their English skills Saturday in a biannual speech contest.The contest run by Teach North Korean Refugees, a volunteer organization that helps refugees learn English, will focus this year on the theme “That Moment, My Escape From North Korea.”TNKR founder Casey Lartigue said the “That Moment” concept was designed to give the speakers room for interpretation. North Korean refugee Cherie Yang works on her script with a TNKR coach.(TNKR)“We wanted a topic t

Feb. 22, 2017

Applications open for April TOPIK

Applications have opened for the Test of Proficiency in Korean, to take place on April 16.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. The number of test centers has been expanded to 43, covering all

Feb. 8, 2017

National Gugak Center offers traditional music classes

The National Gugak Center is offering traditional music classes for expats at its headquarters in Southern Seoul.Classes are available for the gayageum, a 12-stringed zither, janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum, and haegeum, a two-stringed instrument played with a bow. The classes run on Saturday mornings from March 4 to May 27. There will be a completion concert at 5 p.m. on the last day of classes.The courses cost 30,0000 won, and applications will be accepted until March 3. Visit https://www.gug

Feb. 8, 2017

Itaewon center to host labor law seminar for E-2, E-7 holders

The Itaewon Global Village Center will be hosting a labor law seminar for people on teaching and miscellaneous professional visas on Friday.Song Jae-ho, a certified public labor attorney at YIO Labor Law Office and a volunteer lawyer at Itaewon GVC, will lead the seminar, tailored for E-2 and E-7 visa holders. The session will cover an introduction to labor-related law in Korea, frequent cases of labor issues and options for how to remedy violations of private rights.The seminar takes place at t

Feb. 8, 2017

Seoul Book Club to host Q&A with Jo Jung-rae

Seoul Book Club is hosting an event with Jo Jung-rae, one of Korea’s top-selling writers, on Saturday. Jo is one of Korea’s best-known living writers, having sold 16 million books. His 1970s short story “The Ice Age” is considered an influential work in Korean fiction, but he is best known for his multi-volume historical epics “The Taebaek Mountains,” “Arirang” and “The Han River.”“I’m pretty excited actually. I’m a little nervous. Jo Jung-rae, he’s an older guy and he’s got this big reputation,

Jan. 3, 2017

Estonians I Wear* Experiment to play in Seoul, Busan

Just months after their first visit, Estonian electro trio I Wear* Experiment is returning to Seoul for shows in Seoul and Busan this weekend.The group is set to release its debut album, “Patience,” on which Johanna Eenma’s graceful vocals lay pop melodies over electronic backing that varies from cinematic harmony to thumping club music.The record will get a local release, as the group recently signed with Korean label Leeway, after performing at the Zandari Festa music showcase in Hongdae in fa

Jan. 3, 2017

Estonians I Wear* Experiment to play in Seoul, Busan

RASKB hosts talk on Korean War, visit to ‘comfort women’ residence

The Royal Asiatic Society will host a talk Tuesday on the Korean War, its outcome and legacy.Titled “The Korean War: Who Won? Who Lost? Who Cares?” the talk will be given by Andrew Salmon, a local journalist and author of two award-winning books on the conflict.In the first half of his presentation, Salmon will sketch out the progress of the war itself and the extensive suffering involved, and explain why it is known as “The Forgotten War.”In the second half, he will discuss the question of who

Jan. 3, 2017

Yeoksam Global Village Center offers free tax advice

Yeoksam Global Village Center will offer free advice sessions on Jan. 17 for expats with tax issues.It is a key month for tax affairs as individual income tax returns are drawn up at the beginning of the year. Appointments, which take place on the fifth floor of the Yeoksam 1 Culture Center, are available from 10 a.m. to noon. To book one, contact yeoksam@gangnam.go.kr with your name, nationality, mobile phone number, preferred time and a brief description of your problem.The center can be reach

Jan. 3, 2017

Jeju Furey answers letters to Santa at orphanages

Jeju Island expats are collaborating to ensure that Santa pays a midnight visit to disadvantaged children this Christmas, in a gift drive covering all of the island’s orphanages.Jeju Furey will be wrapping presents and making midnight trips to leave them under the tree or in the play room at the orphanages, before returning to run fun activities for them on Christmas Day.“Some of us dress up as Santa while we do it,” said Jeju Furey President Daniel Nabben. “You really truly feel like Santa. The

Dec. 19, 2016

Jeju Furey answers letters to Santa at orphanages

Winter camp to help teens get serious about soccer

Expat soccer school International Football Education will be holding a weeklong children's soccer camp in Seoul next month, with tips on taking the sport further for the older players.There will be two daily workshops, one for teenagers and one for younger players, both looking at technical skills and game awareness to improve play.IFE staffer Na Hana said the teen workshops would also include advice for youths who are thinking about a career in soccer, or who want to pursue a soccer scholarship

Dec. 19, 2016

Winter camp to help teens get serious about soccer

Daejeon Writing Group to launch first anthology

Daejeon Writing Group will release its first anthology Saturday, with a book launch event that will also raise money for a local animal welfare charity.The group will introduce work from the book, titled “Fleeting,” with copies available at the event and online.The book has three sections -- poetry, short stories, and short plays -- with an emphasis on poetry. “The wonderful thing about this book is the variety,” said Clare Hartwieg, one of the book’s editors.“The authors come from all over the

Dec. 16, 2016

Daejeon Writing Group to launch first anthology

Daejeon Arts Collective to host group show

Daejeon Arts Collective will be hosting its 10th group show this week, titled “X.” The exhibition will include painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, screen printing, and multimedia pieces.More a digital logic puzzle to challenge visitors to the show, and an augmented reality Android app by Shengen Lim. The app superimposes a video on the display screen when visitors point their device at an image Lim created. Augmented reality image by Shengen Lim, to be featured in this week`s "X" exhibiti

Dec. 7, 2016

Daejeon Arts Collective to host group show