Foreigners in Korea

2015 Travel Diary day 2: The Drawing hand | Seooreung | Tea Museum | Makgeolli at Kim Sakkat

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by Philip Gowman on 30 May, 2015

in Food & Drink | Foreigners in Korea | Gyeonggi-do | Heritage | Joseon Dynasty | Seoul | Travel diaries

Myeongdong, Seoul, 30 May. Two hours sleep on the plane, and only another two on my first night in Seoul, means that I’m groggy on Saturday morning. A quick session in the hotel gym doesn’t do much to remedy that. Coffee with The Drawing Hand My brain is gently kick-started by a coffee in the hotel lobby, […]

LSE lecture: Is the multicultural state a doomed project in South Korea?

by Events Editor 24 January 2015

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The cynics will say that multiculturalism in South Korea consists of teaching foreigners how to make kimchi. The upcoming talk at SOAS will examine the matter in a bit more depth. Constructing the Multicultural States in South Korea & Japan: Chimera or Reality LSESU Korean Society Annual Lecture Series 31 January 2015, 14:00–16:00 Room 7.02, […]

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Travelling the length of Korea by motorbike

by Philip Gowman 29 December 2013

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For those who haven’t come across this yet: a project by some bold Kiwis to travel the length of the Korean peninsula, from Baekdusan to Hallsan, by motorbike. The journey took place this summer. Here’s a quick (12 minute) podcast they produced just after they crossed the DMZ into South Korea. and a video documentary […]

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Local Foreigners’ Story: Souvenirs from Seoul Exhibition

by Events Editor 5 December 2013

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An interesting exhibition coming up at Goldsmiths focusing on non-Koreans’ impressions of Seoul: ‘Local Foreigners’ Story’: Souvenirs from Seoul Today, we travel to countries all over the world with great ease. When we begin living outside our usual environment we become foreigners, engaging with our surroundings in new ways depending on where we are, but […]

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John Stark’s shamanistic “Field Work” on show in Milan

by Events Editor 6 October 2013

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John Stark, a British artist based in South Korea, currently has an exhibition in Milan. His paintings are based on his experiences travelling around many of the remote areas of South Korea and exploring the folk culture and landscape – particularly in Yeongyang County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the site of Ilwol san (“The Haunted Mountain”), which is […]

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A new trend in Korean-speaking Brits?

by Philip Gowman 24 August 2013

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As an inspiration to the many British Koreaphiles out there who don’t speak the language, look no further than X-factor winners Little Mix. According to the Chosun Ilbo, a contestant performing a cover version of their song Wings on K-pop Star prompted them to release their own Korean version: Rather more proficient is 영국남자 or […]

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Kahoidong gets a Royal Visitor

by Philip Gowman 27 July 2013

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HRH the Duke of Gloucester has been in Seoul representing the Queen for the formalities which mark the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire on 27 July. With Ambassador Wightman and the veterans minister Mark Francois he met with President Park Geun-hye, who said she was looking forward to her state visit to the […]

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Ten years of The Marmot

by Philip Gowman 24 March 2013

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There’s a nice feature on Robert Koehler of The Marmot’s Hole in the Joongang Ilbo (along with a couple of other bloggers too), marking 10 years of the blog’s existence. Here’s to the next ten.

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Happy 150th Birthday, James Scarth Gale

by Philip Gowman 19 February 2013

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James Scarth Gale – missionary, translator, and one of the founders of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch – was born 150 years ago on 19 February 1863. His birthday has been marked by an upgraded Wikipedia page, a special page with photos on Brother Anthony’s site, and a memorial service at Yeondong Church (which […]

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British diplomat on roller coaster ride with Kim Jong Un

by Philip Gowman 4 August 2012

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According to Mother Jones, the mystery Westerner photographed with Kim Jong Un on a funfair ride in the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground last week was Barnaby Jones, a diplomat with the British Embassy in Pyongyang. Sounds like a change from a normal day in the office.

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Clifford Chance to be the first foreign law firm in Korea?

by Philip Gowman 16 February 2012

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UK law firm Clifford Chance is at the head of the pack as potentially the first foreign firm to get a Korean legal licence from the Ministry of Justice: http://t.co/HcQTKXDz Keywords: General post tags: FTA

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David Kilburn’s hanok featured in Korea.net magazine

by Philip Gowman 21 November 2011

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Congratulations to David Kilburn of kahoidong.com for his hanok feature article in November’s Korea magazine (5Mb pdf download: http://t.co/9PANXC3f) Next, a talk at the KCCUK? And the Korea.net illustrators did a good likeness of you too! And from earlier this year: The fading remnants of South Korea's traditional buildings – CSMonitor.com http://bit.ly/hbBb9N More press coverage […]

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An epic triathlon from Jejudo to Seoul

by Philip Gowman 5 October 2011

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Eccentric or inspirational? Super-fit Brit takes on epic 100-hour triathlon from Hallasan in Jejudo to Namsan in Seoul http://t.co/kwInLV84

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A slice of North London in Seogwipo

by Philip Gowman 4 October 2011

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A slice of North London in Seogwipo: North London Collegiate School opens overseas campus in Jeju-do http://t.co/waEFr82X, 26 September 2011. Keywords: Places: Seogwipo-si

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Don’t do drugs in Korea

by Philip Gowman 16 September 2011

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What kind of idiot tries to smuggle cannabis seeds into Korea in a jar of peanut butter? Martin Uden advises: don’t try it! bit.ly/pmtdKX. Update 28 July 2015: Martin Uden’s ambassadorial blog has now been transferred to the National Archives and can be found here.

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Where to find English muffins in Seoul

by Philip Gowman 7 September 2011

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If you find yourself in Seoul craving toasted muffins with your Earl Grey, contact @ajosshi. A feature on an Itaewon shop catering to westerners. Prominent bloggers are quoted. bit.ly/qelORa

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Frustrating experiences at the new Yongsan Art Hall, Seoul

by Philip Gowman 27 August 2011

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The tragic tale of why I walked out of a show before it even started… http://bit.ly/q1ERFt. Could only happen in Korea (#). Via @Ajosshi

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