The autumn semester of 2010 Korean Traditional Music Class for Foreigners starts from Sep. 4.The program will be conducted in English and Korean (with language assistants) and the instruments necessary for the lesson will be leased during the class.

1. DURATION
- Sep. 4 ~ Nov 20 (12 weeks) / 10:30~12:30, Every Saturday
* Costumed final presentation scheduled on Nov. 20 and Korean traditional costumes will be leased for free.

2. PARTICIPATION FEE
- 30,000 won (covering the whole 12-week course)

3. CLASSES
- Janggu (Hourglass-Shaped Drum) Beginner’s
- Janggu Intermediate
- Gayageum (12-Stringed Zither)
- Haegeum (Two-Stringed Fiddle)
- Samulnori (Percussion Quartet, Prerequisite janggu class or janggu skills required)
* Classes are subject to be cancelled due to insufficient participants.

4. APPLICATION
- Period : Aug. 19 ~ Sep. 2.
- First come, first served
- How to: download application form, complete it and send it to baewon76@gmail.com.

For more information and questions, feel free to contact Mr. Lee Baewon (02-580-3054, baewon76@gmail.com) or visit the official website http://www.gugak.go.kr/html/jsp/eng_2006/index.jsp

On July 31st, Korean adoptee organization, GOA’L (Global Overseas Adoptee’s Link), hosted a seminar to introduce adoptees who were interested in acquiring dual citizenship to the details of the process, as well as both the advantages and disadvantages to reinstating their lost Korean citizenship, which will be possible beginning January 1st of next year.

On April 22, 2010, in order to buoy the Korea’s impeding population crisis and retain talented citizens that are being lost due to “brain drain”, the Korean National Assembly passed a revision to the Nationality Law that allows dual citizenship.

The inclusion of adoptees in the revised Nationality Law is thanks in large part to GOA’L’s “Dual Citizenship Campaign”, which began lobbying as early as the fall of 2007 to grant adoptees the right to dual citizenship. Cha, Kyu-Geun from the Ministry of Justice, Kim, Jung-Hwan, a National Assembly member who also sits on the GOA’L Board of Directors, and Dr. Lee, Chul-Woo, a professor at Yonsei University, were also instrumental to the process, working together with GOA’L to be included in the revisions.

Among the benefits of dual citizenship is the right to vote, run for public office, and also easier access to credit or financial services in Korea. Among the disadvantages is the loss of eligibility for scholarships aimed at foreign students, restricted access to foreign schools in Korea for those with families, and restricted access to embassies of their other nationality in Korea. Finally, for a number of cases of male adoptees under the age of 36 who still appear on their birth family’s hojuk, or family registry, some military service may be required. While they will not be forced to serve the normal two year term, they may be required to serve in “civil defense exercises” that Korean males typically continue once a year for seven years even after the completion of their military service.

Dae-won Wenger (43), an adoptee from Switzerland and former Secretary General of GOA’L says that one of the main reasons he will register for dual citizenship is to obtain more rights. Specifically, the right to run for public office, which says he is a possibility in the future. Wenger, who has been in Korea for 7 years and is fluent in his native French, as well as Korean and English, was a driving force behind the Dual Citizenship Campaign. “It’s a fundamental step in the improvement of adoptee rights…We didn’t have a choice. Having the right to choose now, I believe it’s a correction of the mistakes of the past. I think it’s an issue of human rights, to strip a person of their nationality without asking.” He also believes that adoptees’ inclusion in Korea’s Nationality Law revisions will have positive effects in other countries as well. “This step will certainly have a global impact on international adoptees from other countries.”

While Wenger has already decided to claim dual citizenship, most adoptees said they wanted to wait to see how things develop first before applying to reinstate their Korean citizenship, in order to get a clearer idea of what exactly dual citizenship would entail. Adoptees from Denmark, Luxembourg, and Norway are currently not eligible for dual citizenship due to citizenship laws in their respective countries.

Historically, dual citizenship hasn’t been possible in Korea either. Technically, children who obtain foreign citizenship before they are twenty carry dual citizenship until the age of twenty-two, when they must then renounce one of their two nationalities. If they do not specifically claim their Korean citizenship before this age, it is automatically forfeited. In other cases, if Korean citizens gain another nationality, either through marriage or merit, their Korean citizenship is simultaneously forfeited.

Most Koreans who obtain dual citizenship from a more advanced country voluntarily give up their Korean citizenship. Due to this, Korea has been experiencing a great deal of “brain drain,” the phenomenon when a country’s brightest and best, usually graduate or post-graduate students who study at top universities abroad, gain citizenship in those countries.

On the other hand, foreign nationals who choose to give up their own citizenship in order to gain Korean nationality are typically from less developed countries, such as China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In 2009, Chinese citizens accounted for 77% – or 20,700 – of the 26,765 people who either acquired or reinstated their Korean citizenship. Vietnam came in a distant second with 14% or 3,795, and citizens from the Philippines made up the third largest group with 832 people gaining citizenship. Even with over 26,000 foreign nationals obtaining Korean citizenship last year, the decreasing birth rate coupled with the number of Koreans relinquishing their citizenship (last year’s statistic was 22,022), the country is still facing a serious population crisis, a pressing catalyst for the new revision.

Of those that are eligible for dual citizenship next year under the new Nationality Law, there are seven groups that appear:

1. Foreign nationals that are considered “exceptionally talented” in the areas of science, economics, culture, and sports or those who have made a “significant contribution to the country”
2. Koreans that gained foreign citizenship while underage (20) and are proven not to be “anchor babies,” or children whose mothers went to give birth abroad specifically to take advantage of birthright citizenship laws.
3. Korean adoptees who achieved foreign citizenship through the adoption process
4. Koreans over the age of 65 who have foreign citizenship
5. Foreign spouses – under certain conditions, they must live in the country for two years and then pass a naturalization test before they are granted dual citizenship
6. Koreans who gained foreign nationality through marriage
7. Those who relinquished their foreign citizenship in order to maintain Korean citizenship – Korea will recognize dual citizenship if they are able to restore their foreign citizenship before 2016.

Under the new Nationality Law, Korean males who gained foreign citizenship through birthright or marriage may be required to serve their two year service in the Korean military if they are under the age of 36.

A version of this article can be found on the Korea Herald website http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100810000527

Synopsis Having once done time behind bars, CHA Tae-sik now leads a quiet life. His only connection to the rest of the world is a little girl, So-mi, who lives nearby. So-mi’s mother, Hyo-jeong, smuggles drugs for a drug trafficking organization and entrusts Tae-sik with the product. When the traffickers find out they kidnap both Hyo-jeong and So-mi. Mistaking Tae-sik for another mule, the brothers that lead the gang—Man-sik and Jong-sik—promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi if Tae-sik makes a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a rival drug ring leader, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s disemboweled body is discovered, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s life may also be in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. Now on the run, Tae-sik pursues Man-sik and Jong-sik. In the process, he discovers that their drug ring operates around kidnapped children. Stumbling upon a factory where the brothers have children’s organs removed to accommodate the drugs, Tae-sik rescues one child just before surgery and becomes enraged at the prospect So-mi may already be dead. Tae-sik prepares for a battle with Man-sik and Jong-sik, putting his own life at risk…source Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Times and locations:

Here at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center we have built up quite an extensive library of English books, most of which have been donated by other expats. In fact, we recently received

A very generous donation of approximately 100 great books and these have greatly expanded our collection. In total, our library has now has over 400 books including both fiction and non-fiction titles.  There is also a section of books to help you better understand Korean culture, language, and history.  In particular, we have a good selection of Korean language study books to help those who are working on improving their Korean. Anyone can borrow a book from our library. We just ask for a 5,000 won per book deposit from first time borrowers . Feel free to drop by anytime and pick up a good book. Our shelves are now pretty full but we can still accept donations of a book or two. So, if you have some good books just lying around that you think others would enjoy reading, please bring them into the center.

Synopsis
In a follow-up to popular horror film, “Death Bell” (2008), Se-hee is haunted by her step sister Tae-yeon who used to be a promising swimmer but suddenly killed herself in a swimming pool 2 years ago. During the summer vacation, she joins the study camp at school for upcoming college entrance exam with other 30 elite students. On the first night, when Se-hee finds a riddling passage scribbled in the desk, she soon sees a dead girl’s body hung upside down. Then the TV monitors are on and the students watch another friend crushed by his bike in the corridor. Since then, the succession of cruel killings occurs whenever they fail to answer the given questions in time. Meanwhile, the hidden truth behind Tae-yeon’s suicide is slowly revealed and terrified students struggle to death to undo the puzzle before they become the next victim.  Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

Times and locations:

Also, looks like I was wrong, there are some final showings (though they are really trickling out) of Moss coming up in the next couple of days:

Movie of the Month “Mother”

The movie of the month for August is called Mother. It was directed by Jung-ho Bong and screened at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It is considered by many to be the best Korean film of last year.

It is the story of a widow who lives alone with her only son. The son is 28 years old but he is very shy and quiet. A murder is committed, and, although there is no real evidence against him, he is considered the prime suspect. The boy’s mother is determined to protect him and prove his innocence.

◈ Date & Time: Wednesday August 25th at 6:30pm

◈ Place: Itaewon ∙ Hannam Global Village Center

◈ Participants: Open to anyone  (not suitable for youger viewers)

◈ Participation Fee: Free of Charge * Snacks and drinks will be provided.

You can sign up by visiting the center, or by telephone or email.

Tel: 02)796-2459~60 / Email: itaewon@sba.seoul.kr

When most people think of Hongdae, they might conjure up images of clubs, wild Friday nights, live music and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. But Hongdae has more to offer on the weekends than just an impressive club scene. Hongdae, home to Hongik University, the most famous art university in Korea, also has a flair for the artsy, quirky and offbeat. Hongdae is home to flea markets with handmade crafts and accessories on weekend mornings as well as boutiques with unique vintage and contemporary finds.

With spontaneous performances from drum circles and b-boy crews, and some of the best graffiti you’ll see in the city, Hongdae also holds perhaps the largest number of unique cafes per square mile in the Seoul. Kitschy, cuddly and eclectic – you’ll find places to suit all styles. So check out a few of Hongdae’s different cafes to get your java fix while you revel in the atmosphere.

Charlie Brown Cafe

Photo by Fielding Hong

The Charlie Brown Cafe is a franchise coffee shop chain that may not provide the coziest of coffee shop interiors, but instead specializes in a bright, modern design – sprinkled intermittently, of course, with photos, stuffed dolls and relics of your favorite cartoon beagle, Snoopy, and his gang of friends. Namesake comic kid Charlie Brown may actually take a backseat to his canine companion in this cafe, but lovers of the famous comic strip will have plenty to look at in this cute-as-a-button coffee shop.

Drink prices and offerings are similar to those of your standard coffee shop chains, though they may want to rethink the play-on wording of their Americano – “Brown coffee” – something about it just sounds altogether unappetizing. The cafe also offers food and dessert choices, many of which have impressions or chocolate dustings of characters’ images, if you’re not the type to feel guilty for eventually eating Schroeder’s head. While not the most ambient of coffee shops, the atmosphere is quiet enough to study or have meetings without having to sift through the other background noise you get at some of the more famous, popular chains.

The Charlie Brown Cafe can be found by exiting at Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.

Hello Kitty Cafe

	The Charlie Brown Cafe, top, and the Hello Kitty Cafe, above, are decked out with images, stuffed dolls and relics of these popular cartoon characters. By Fielding Hong

Hello Kitty, the cartoon cat that makes even grown women go ga-ga for her cute bow and simple style, has been turned into a lifestyle cafe.

Pink from top to bottom, you cannot miss this cafe located in an alley off of fashion street in Hongdae. Hello Kitty memorabilia is mixed with bows, chandeliers and plush armchairs and benches to provide the most intense saturation of pink and pretty that you’ve likely ever seen.

The motif doesn’t let up an inch: windows in cut-out shapes of the famous kitty give views between one room to the next and mirrors in the bathroom also feature the Hello Kitty silhouette. Even lamps, chairs and toilets in the cafe are unable to escape the pink and bow treatment. Lattes come with the famous feline face stenciled in cinnamon or chocolate and desserts just as pretty as the cat herself are available for those with a sweet tooth. Hello Kitty neck pillows also abound in order for guests to get their maximum pretty pamper treatment on.

To get to the Hello Kitty Cafe, you can go to Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It’s on an uphill alley off of Hongdae’s main drag of shops and boutiques.

Bau House Cafe

Korea hasn’t traditionally been a domestic pet-raising society, but times they are a-changing. Nowadays, more and more Korean families are raising pets in their homes, but for those who have yet to get their fix of puppy loving, Bau House Cafe offers the perfect solution. Bau House, German for bow house (think bow-wow), has been providing a space for dogs and the people who love them since 2000. They eventually moved to their current location in 2004, and on any given day they have between 20-30 dogs running around in the cafe with free rein. The numbers differ from day to day because customers are also able to bring their puppies to join in on the fun and dogs staying in the cafe’s dog hotel are also likely to enter the fray. You won’t find just teacup poodles and Maltese dog that are most commonly seen in Korea, the cafe houses a huge Siberian Husky, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and plenty of other large breeds alongside their more diminutive brethren.

It’s possible you may have to wait for a table, especially if you go on the weekend. Once seated, you can order your standard coffee and tea fare, as well as out-of-the-ordinary milkshakes. The prices for the drinks are slightly more expensive than you might find at other coffee shops, but there is no admission fee to enjoy hours of playing time with your new cuddly best friends.

To get to the Bau House Cafe, you can go to Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It is located on one of the side streets off of Parking Lot Street.

Gio Cat Cafe

	At the Gio Cat Cafe, cats and customers cavort over coffee. By Joelle Pearson

If you think there’s a personality difference between those who claim to be dog lovers or cat lovers, you can see the difference clearly by comparing a visit to Gio Cat Cafe to one at Bau House.

While Bau House has an energetic and sometimes even chaotic energy, Gio Cat Cafe is calm, quiet and cool. While patrons at Bau House romp around with their canine companions, patrons at Gio Cat are content to stroke the glossy manes of the Siamese, Russian Blue and 20-plus other cats that purr beneath their hands. Gio Cat also has stricter rules for its customers in order to ensure control of the kittens’ environment. Only a certain number of guests are allowed in at a time, so like Bau House, you may find yourself on a waiting list, especially on a weekend. Guests should take off their shoes before entering and there is a set of rules that is displayed in several places around the cafe, reminding guests not to feed the cats, pull their tails, wake up sleeping cats, use flash photography or forcefully pet their bellies. While the feline friends at Gio Cat may not clamor for your attention the way the dogs at Bau House do, with a little patience they’ll eventually come to you and curl up in your lap for a catnap.

Gio Cat Cafe can be reached from Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.

Dr. Fish Cafe / Heimdall

The infamous Dr. Fish Cafe is a popular one among expats and Koreans alike, if only for its delight-your-friends-with-this-story factor. The premise of the cafes (there are a few sprinkled around the city) is that customers can put their feet in shallow pools located in the cafes and get “nature’s pedicure.”

In the pools there are swarms of small fish, typically separated into two different varieties – Turkish and Chinese – that nibble the dead skin off of your feet, all while you sip on a refreshing drink and chat with your friends.

Although the time that you spend soaking your feet is up to you, most people see a difference in the softness of their heels after only 15 to 30 minutes. To ensure hygienic conditions, customers are asked to first wash their feet thoroughly in special foot sinks.

To get to the Dr. Fish Cafe, you can go to Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2, and walk toward the front gate of Hongik University. At the three-way intersection, take a left and then a right at the Buy the Way convenience store. Dr. Fish Cafe (Heimdall in Korean) is located on the 7th floor of the building with the Fish and Grill restaurant on the ground level.

Cafe HoHomyoll

Finally, Cafe HoHomyoll might not have any specific themes or gimmicks like the aforementioned coffee shops, but it’s worth seeking out for the cozy, inviting atmosphere alone. Even though it has a full vintage Volkswagen van stuffed inside the cafe, it may still be easy to pass this pleasant coffee shop by as you make your way from Sangsu Station toward the streets full of clubs and bars. The coffee shop, opened by owner Ye-Rang Yoon two years ago, has an unpretentious yet delightfully sophisticated mix of vintage and modern style. The unique knickknacks, many VW-inspired, look to have been thoughtfully and individually placed throughout the interior of the cafe to produce just the right amount of quirk without making the customer feel claustrophobic. If the novelty of having your mocha prepared from inside a gutted VW van isn’t enough, the extensive menu of panini, waffles and quiche doesn’t hurt either. Prices for drinks and food are comparable to other cafes and the ambience is quiet enough that patrons often stay for a lazy afternoon to read, study or catch up with old friends.

To get to Cafe HoHomyoll, go to Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2, and walk about 50 meters. The shop will be on your right and the porch area has a red wagon with two “E.T.” dolls on display.

*For more information about living working in Seoul, please visit the Seoul Global Center’s unofficial blog, www.seoulcityblog.com.

A version of this article can be find on the JoongAng Daily website http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2923988

Plot:  Source http://www.hancinema.net

Movie remade from a popular internet cartoon. The story of the few people who live in a village, and a man who comes to the village for his father’s funeral. He tries to figure out the mystery of his father’s death, but the villagers watch his every move.  Ryu, Mok-hyeong, a member of a small prayer house located in a remote mountain village, is well-respected for his leadership and gift of speech. In order to build a new prayer house Mok- hyeong leaves the mountains to build a new village with the help of his friend, Yong-duk. Many years pass and Mok-hyeong is discovered dead after sharing a bottle of rice wine with Yong-duk. Mok-hyeong’s good for nothing son, Ryu Hae-guk, arrives from Seoul to attend his father’s funeral. Hae-guk soon realizes that the villagers are trying to hide something from him leading him to seek the help of Park, Min-uk, the public prosecutor responsible for his demotion to a local branch during his more reckless past. Hae-guk plans to conduct his father’s autopsy himself, but arrives at his father’s grave only to find his corpse missing. Hae-guk suspects that Yong-duk is responsible.

Times and locations below:

Korean language course at the Seoul Global Center

The Seoul Global Center (SGC) will open its 3^rd term of free Korean classes as follows:

1.  Course Outline

ㅇ Course duration: September 6^th ~ December 3^rd, 2010 (12 weeks)

ㅇ Classroom: Conference room in SGC

ㅇ Fees: Free of charge (The textbook should be purchased by students)

ㅇ Class schedule

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