Personal Banking Seminar for Expats

If you want to learn more about how to manage your money in Korea, come to the Personal Banking Seminar at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center on Thursday October 21st at 7pm.

At this seminar you can get information on opening accounts, making withdrawals and transfers, electronic banking, exchange and overseas remittance, debit and credit cards, as well as other financial services such as automatic utility bill payments and loans.

 English speaking staff from Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) will be coming to the center to talk about all this and more. There will also be a Q&A session during which you can ask any and all questions you may have about money management in Korea. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

This event is free of charge and anyone is welcome to attend. If you would like to attend please give us a call or send us an email.

Email: itaewon@sba.seoul.kr

Tel: 02) 796-2459~60

Directions: Subway Line 6, Itaewon Station, Exit 2 (Walk straight about 100m and look for the Hannam Bldg. on your left.

DATE: Saturday 09 October 2010
TIME: 10:00 a.m. -
COST: free admission – 10% sales to be donated to charity
VENUE: Ginko Tree’s Place – Seorae Village, Seocho-gu

Application period: 01 September to 06 October 2010
Places: 37 sellers placements – first come, first served

For further information, contact the Seorae Village Center ( 02- 2155-8949 or seorae@sba.seoul.kr)

Focusing on the theme of “Ancient History and Bright Future,” the 6th Korea-Japan Festival this year is held in Seoul Square and Cheonggye Square for two days, October 2-3, while it is hosted in Roppongi Hill, Tokyo on October 2nd. Subtitled “Understanding Each Other and Sharing the Future,” the festival offers an exquisite opening ceremony showcasing colorful performances; performances include Samulnori (Korean percussion music), Traditional Korean Dance, Bongsan Mask Dance, Ganggang Sullae (a circle dance), Nebuta Matsuri (a fire festival in Japan), a Sumo Contest, J-Pop, and other traditional performances.
During the festival, visitors can enjoy a wide array of exhibitions and experience programs (traditional plays / costumes / musical instruments / pottery, Korea-Japan Festival Information Center, Korea-Japan Local Promotion Hall, and Korea-Japan Food Market).

Date: Saturday 2, Sunday 3 October 2010
Time: 11am – 8pm
Venue: Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Plaza
Cost: Free
Direction: Gwangwhamun Station, Line 5, Exit 5 (walk toward City Hall) or City Hall Station, Exit 4

Additional Events/Exhibitions
At Seoul Plaza:
Traditional Culture Programs: Traditional Plays(Japanese: Kendama, Koma, Daruma Otoshi, Wanage, and more, Korean: Neolttwigi, Jegichagi, Yootnori, Tuho, and more), Traditional Costumes in Korea and Japan (Yukata and Hanbok), Traditional Korean Crafting, Traditional Mask Crafting, Traditional Musical Instruments in Korea and Japan,  Goldfish Nebuta Crafting
Cultural Contents: Comics Shops in Korea and Japan, Comparisons of Saju and Omikuji (fortunetelling in Korea and Japan)
Special Event: Tong (Mutual Understanding) Café

At Cheonggye Plaza:
Traditional Plays
Food Experience: Eating food at street stalls, Yatai in Japan and Jumak, in Korea
Participatory Event: Lucky Apple Tree Event
Exhibition: Large Book Exhibition (comparing the food cultures between Korea and Japan)

For more information, visit the website http://www.omatsuri.kr/

This movie is about two groups of Korean soldiers, one from the South and one from the North, and an American pilot, who find themselves stranded together in a strange remote village during the Korean War. Although the setting is during a war that actually happened, the story is fictional and it has elements of a fantasy movie.

   ◈ Date & Time:  Wednesday September 29th at 6:30pm

   ◈ Place: Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center 

   ◈ Participants: Foreign residents

    (This movie is not suitable for younger viewers)

   ◈ Participation Fee: Free of Charge  

     * Snacks and drinks will be provided.

You can register in person, by telephone, or by email.

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

                 KBS 1 TV “National Singing Contest”

                                              “Special Day with Foreigners”

Date & Time: September 19th (Sat), 2010 13:00

Place: Special stage at Yeouido Park in Yeongdeungpo-gu

Preliminary: September 13th (Mon), 2010 15:00 at KBS annex open Hall

Participants: open to any foreigner residing in Seoul

Registration period: September 1st – 11th, 2010

Registration: Yeongdeungpo Global Village Center (02) 2670-3800-7

Sponsor: Yeongdeungpo gu District Office International Support Division  (02)2670-3803

For those who are interested in this contest, please contact Daejun Lee at Yeongdeungpo Global Village Center ( 2670-3800 or ledaju@ydp.go.kr)

The Seoul Global Center presents the Foreigners’ Flea Market to expand exchanges between foreign residents and Seoul citizens. We invite you to come and join us in this spirit of sharing and the recycling of used goods. Vendors must be foreigners, and Korean citizens may participate as vendors when accompanied by foreigners. Feel free to register first. It’s totally free of charge.

 ▶ Date & Time: Saturday, September 18, 2010 / 13:00~17:00
 ▶ Venue: Seoul Folk Flea Market (please refer to the map below)
 ▶ Donation: Voluntary donations from the profits will be accepted and given to charity organizations.
 ▶ Application period: August 23~September 16, 2010
 ▶ How to apply: Download the form at the SGC website(http://global.seoul.go.kr), fill it out and
                                 send it to jglim@sba.seoul.kr by email or fax to 02-723-3206

▷ Note

- All the items for sale should be used goods, with the exception of foods. (There is no limit on the quantity of total items for sale, but there should be no more than 30 of the same item.)
- Some goods are restricted from sale, including: New products, goods in stock, animals, plants, medicines, adult materials, illegal reproductions of DVDs and CDs, explosives and certain other items.
 ▶ Tel.: 02-2075-4105(Korean, Japanese), 02-2075-4113(Chinese), 02-2075-4140(English)

Here is a list of useful links for expats in Korea.

This information is provided by the Living Advisory Committee of Seoul Global Center.

-  www.korea4expats.com

     one-stop source of information for people moving, visiting, living, working in Korea

- www.seoulstyle.com

      bars, clubs, restaurants, entertainment, culture, shopping and fashion in Seoul

 - www.koreanbloglist.com

      Korean related weblogs written in English

- www.sendmetokorea.com

      a blog where you can see the glimpse of everyday life in Korea through pictures and videos

- www.theyeogiyo.com

      a website for expatriates living in and visiting Korea

- www.prkorea.com/english/aboutvank.html

      a  newspaper that the cyber diplomats  publish for the foreigners residing in Korea 

Hanji Class: Making Korean Traditional Paper

This month at the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center there will be a hanji (Korean traditional paper) class. However, unlike other hanji classes we have done in the past, we will not be making any crafts with hanji. Instead, we will be learning how to make the paper itself. Hanji has been used in Korea for centuries. It is all natural, extremely durable, and also very beautiful. In the past it was used to make books, to cover windows and doors to keep out the wind, and was even used to make armor that could stop arrows. These days Hanji is used for mostly decorative purposes such as making dolls, wrapping paper, decorative boxes, and other handicrafts. It will take two classes to learn all about how to make hanji and try making it yourself. Participants will have to attend both classes. The first class will consist of learning how to make basic hanji including the process of removing thin sheets of mulberry tree fibers from water and basic decoration using dried flowers. The second class will consist of making patterned rough hanji using a rubber mold.

Classes: September 9^th (Thurs) – 10^th (Fri) 3:30 – 5:30 pm

Place: Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center

Participation fee: 10,000 won (covers both classes)

Participants: open to all ages

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

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

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

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.