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

Cultural differences pose no barrier to Korea’s tango community

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

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

Applications to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean on Nov. 19 will open Monday.The test is available in two formats, TOPIK I, which covers levels 1 and 2, and the more challenging TOPIK II, which covers levels 3-6. The test costs 35,000 won for the TOPIK I and 40,000 won for the TOPIK II.  Korean Study materials for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (Paul Kerry/The Korea Herald)There are 47 test centers in Korea, covering all provinces and metropolitan cities except Ulsan and Sejong. The tes

New Filipino association aims to foster a better understanding of Korea’s growing diversity It’s just past noon and the stretch of road occupied by the Sunday Filipino Market in Hyewha-dong is already bustling. Amid clatter of conversations taking place in Korean, English and Tagalog, stall owners selling fresh, homemade and imported goods, try to draw in passersby with friendly smiles.“Hyewha-dong is very popular for Filipinos,” Jambo, 39, said while helping out at a friend’s stall. He arrived

Over a dozen Vietnamese and Korean artists and art groups have gathered for an exhibition looking at the rapid changes the two countries have experienced in recent decades. Hosted by the Korea Foundation to mark the 25th anniversary of ties, “Salt of the Jungle” examines the results of their sometimes destructive urbanization, industrialization and migration.The title of the exhibition is borrowed from the novel by the Vietnamese writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, in which it refers to a flower as white a

Filmmakers after a challenge will be in luck next month, when a 48-hour film event awaits them, hosted by the team behind the Korea Independent Expat Film Festival.KIX48 is designed similarly to the 48-hour Film Project, an international competition that Seoul filmmakers have entered in the past, but is a separate event. Like the other event, crews are given elements they have to include -- in this case, a line of dialogue, a prop and a type of location -- and a deadline for submission. (KIXFF)“

Korea TESOL has opened registrations for its international conference in October.The conference is an annual gathering at which around 1,000 professionals in English education discuss issues and research in the field and develop their skills.Keynote speakers at this year’s conference will be Andy Curtis of Anaheim University and Nicky Hockly of Consultants-E, an online training and development organization. Curtis is an intercultural communications expert and the author of several books who will

Applications to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean will open Monday, ahead of the exam day on Oct. 22.The test is available in two formats, TOPIK I, which covers levels 1 and 2, and the more challenging TOPIK II, which covers levels 3-6. The test costs 35,000 won for the TOPIK I and 40,000 won for the TOPIK II. There are 46 test centers in Korea, covering all provinces and metropolitan cities except Ulsan and Sejong. The test is also available in 72 other countries. Tests outside Asia are he

Seoul Global Cultural Center is hosting a free screening of the Korean film “Sunny,” with English subtitles, Saturday.The 2008 film is set during South Korea’s involvement in the Vietnam War.  Poster for "Sunny" (Showbox)The protagonist is Soon-yi, a young woman whose husband, Sang-gil, is a soldier who leaves his wife for his college sweetheart. After Sang-gil is sent to fight in Vietnam, Soon-yi decides to join a band heading there, performing as a singer with the stage name Sunny, to save her

DAEJEON -- It doesn’t get much better than a cool beer in the heat of the Korean summer. Maybe unless it’s brewed right in your city, just up the hill. Overlooking the Geum River, the Ranch Brewing Co. is Daejeon’s only microbrewery. It started producing craft beers in June. Manned by three people who are all proud to call Daejeon home, the company wants its beer to become a local fixture.“We want to increase the quality of (life of) the people of Daejeon by having better local beer. I believe l

It is 9 p.m. on a weekday and most Seoul dwellers are looking to wind down after a long day of work or study. But in an obscure basement, the night is just beginning -- one of the city’s most in-demand DJs is dropping some “warm Tuesday night house” tracks, and thousands of listeners are tuning in via social media. Seoul Community Radio is an Itaewon-based audiovisual streaming platform dedicated to Korean underground music and culture. Artists play one- to two-hour sets at the studio for live F

Foreign tourists in Danyang (North Chungcheong Province)North Chungcheong Province offers sponsored tour packages for foreign visitorsForeign visitors can have part of their vacation expenses sponsored for a trip to North Chungcheong Province. The North Chungcheong Provincial Office said it has earmarked 136 million won ($120,000) for its international tourism initiative.The province will work with local travel agencies to develop tour packages targeting foreign visitors. Those traveling in the