[ASEAN-Korea summit] Multiculturalism binds Korea, ASEAN region

Busan -- As the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit got underway in Busan, a conference on multicultural families in South Korea was held Tuesday. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Institute for Healthy Family co-hosted the 2019 Multicultural Families Network Conference at the Busan Tourism Organization Arpina on Tuesday.More than 100 people attended the event to share their opinions on Korea’s multiculturalism policies, including multicultural families and experts.&ldqu

Nov. 26, 2019

Korean speech contest in Yongsan-gu

A Korean-language speech contest will take place on Nov. 24 at the Multicultural Family Support Center in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.This is the fourth year the contest will be held. Twelve expatriates who pass a preliminary round of evaluation will be invited to speak at the final competition.Participants are to write their own speeches on topics concerning why they love Korea and what about Korea draws them to like it. The occasion will serve as a chance to think about how policies in Korea for

Nov. 12, 2018

[Weekender] The Chuseok experience: It all depends on the family

The big Korean holidays are notorious for daughters-in-law. While their husbands enjoy the luxury of being banished from the kitchen, some women spend several solid days cooking and washing dishes before going back to work. Others married to less traditional families have an easier time. For women from overseas, the language and cultural barriers are another potential issue. “It really depends on the family, if you are lucky, you get a better Chuseok,” said Katherine Corteza, who has spent 12 ye

Sept. 20, 2018

Multicultural lab makes MUSIC with 5G tech

The back of the door in Sungkyunkwan University professor Navrati Saxena’s office is covered in photographs. The pictures are of current and former students, who come from across Asia and sometimes farther afield to study with her, but to Saxena it is something of a family tree.While some now work in industry, others have set up their own labs, and now have their own students.“I always say my Ph.D. students are like my children, and then their students are like my grandchildren, so we are academ

Aug. 8, 2018

Bonding through cuisine: Disabled students learn culinary skills

On a humid July afternoon, a dozen foreign residents descended on the Yongsan Center for the Disabled to help local disabled students in their monthly cooking class.The volunteers came from all walks of life. Some took time off from their full-time work. There were also teenagers from a local international school and stay-at-home parents.“It is a good way to know Korea,” said Cielo, a full-time worker currently on summer break. This was her first visit to the center. “I have only been here (in S

Aug. 8, 2018

Volunteer group confronts English divide

As expenditure on private education continues to soar, a volunteer group is determined to narrow the English divide.Every second and fourth Saturday of the month, Bruce Lee leads a small group of native English speakers to an outer neighborhood in Seoul to offer a free English class for underprivileged children.The nonprofit group, called Beyond the English Divide, is the brain child of Lee. Since its first volunteering session in October 2017, the group’s services have experienced strong growth

Aug. 8, 2018

Yemeni asylum seekers get mixed welcome

Jeju Island has received more than 500 applications for refugee status from people fleeing the war in Yemen this year, most of them coming in April and May via the island’s visa exemption system. But the government’s welcome has been mixed.Faced with the sudden influx, the government has expedited permission for them to work. But at the same time, it has ended the visa-free access Yemeni nationals used to reach Jeju, making future applications more difficult.And official sources have provided al

June 13, 2018

Pen in Ten play festival promises quick fire surprises in Gwangju

If timing is all important in stage drama, there will be no margin for error in the Gwangju Performance Project’s next production.Twelve groups will storm through as many plays in two hours as they compete to win Pen in Ten.“We have a great variety of plays this time,” said Kelly Kim, one of the organizers of the competition. “There are comedies, dramas, even a musical. We hope to make our audience laugh, then cry, then sing.”But the GPP did not want to give more away, saying surprises were part

June 12, 2018

One-off Buddhist talk for English-speaking expat community

Ven. Pomnyun, a celebrated Buddhist monk here, will hold a special talk with the English-speaking expat community in Korea on June 15 for two hours from 7-9 p.m. at the Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul.The occasion is prepared for the growing population of foreign residents in Korea to join in the conversation regarding the recent developments related to South and North Korean relations. A simultaneous interpreter will help run the program.According to Jungto Society, a humanitarian group led

June 7, 2018

Artist’s visit helps pupils dive into drawing

It’s 20 minutes into the class and children’s illustrator Korky Paul is waving his shin in the air. He pulls back a trouser leg to reveal a shock of yellow and red as he exhorts his elementary school audience to come up with drawing ideas.The class is one of a series of workshops last week at Dulwich College Seoul. School visits are something he tries to fit in twice a month over most of the academic year.“You just see what the kids enjoy doing, what they enjoy reading, and what makes them laugh

May 29, 2018

European K-pop fans fervent, but underserved

In June last year, BTS fans in the UK helped raise 3,000 pounds ($4,100) for a billboard in London to celebrate the group’s fourth anniversary. This year they plan to do it again, and are nearing their slightly higher goal of 3,500 pounds.With such a dedicated fan base, it’s a surprise that BTS -- who became the first K-pop act to enter the official albums chart in the UK in October 2016 -- only recently announced its first headline concert in the UK as part of its world tour that will also visi

May 17, 2018

Multicultural celebrations to mark Together Day

Events across the country will be held to celebrate the expat population as part of Together Day.Officially falling on May 20, Together Day was introduced as a nationally observed celebration in 2008, as part of the Act on the Treatment of Foreign nationals.Most areas with a significant population have events, although some are held at other times of the year.One of the biggest is the Global Gathering in Busan. The Busan celebration was started in 2006 before Together Day was created , but has u

May 17, 2018