Hmmm, Something smells burning.
It smells like rubber.
A boy with sneakers is sleeping with a dirty band on his arm.
They will come back again; pain and sorrow have always been coming back and going away.
But, also, images on a postcard.
Permanent like a ROCK at the bottom of The Ocean,
It can be stormy, rainy, the fact is, nothing moves it.
It brings its own disturbed peace.
By Spooky Washington
A friend and longtime Seoul resident, embroiled in a pension-avoidance fiasco with his employer, recently lamented to me, “Not many people leave Seoul happy.” There are plenty of reasons why this is the case. From unscrupulous employers who think nothing of withholding pay and benefits, to desultory looks from locals in public—ranging from mild distaste to outright disgust—to simply living in a place where yes, there are four seasons, but the two good ones are short and the two bad ones are interminably long, Seoul has a lot to dissatisfy even those of us who decide to stick around for a while.
By J. Lee
Since 9/11, the so-called “Niebuhrmania” has generated fierce disputes among those who claim Niebuhr as their mentor to the point where Paul Elie laments that “a well-turned Niebuhr reference is [their] equivalent of a photo op with Bono (the lead singer of the Irish band, U2).” To many who claim Niebuhr as their intellectual “precursor,” the late sage was a “prophet” who would concur passively with their preconceived weltanschauung without objections. However, Andrew Bacevich challenges such distorted notion when he defines the traits of a “prophet” as “requir[ing] persistence, tough-mindedness, and a commitment to principle… [for t]he prophet tells people not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. He (or she) does not pander or spin or sugarcoat.”
By Stuart Wainstock 
Happening twice a year, the Hae Bang Chon or HBC Festival is set to take place May 29. This year’s HBC will feature musicians from around the world including countries such as Italy, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. With over 50 artists and bands spread out at 10 locations…
By Mizaru
UPDATED BELOW:
On Tuesday, March 9 at approximately 8 P.M., the door of the popular boozing shed HBC 47 Haebangcheon St., Haebangcheon, Seoul was found shattered its small glass pieces in a pile and mixed in with the days’ snow. No suspect perpetrators are known to have come in or left the premises due to the now empty doorway.
*The Editors expect this eclectic establishment to be the source of more mystery, mayhem and musical mastery during the 2010 Hae Bang Chon Fest and accordingly are naming it our choice venue. The HBC motto remains: Live Globally, Drink Locally.
By Jake Reed
Like Bob Dylan said “The times they are a changing.”
If you have walked down the strip in the busy southern Seoul Gangnam district or dined in the heart of foreigner-friendly Itaewon, then you are no stranger to South Korea’s modernity. It also has the highest concentration of Internet broadband users as well as a value-shattering pop culture.
This is a lot to take in given the country’s war torn history and abnormal relationship with its other half. Yet, the proof is evident that South Korea has become a player on the global scale.
By Gabriel Sylvian with Iwazaru
As Korea continues to undergo changes far beyond economic development, there are individuals and groups demanding recognition for those whom were ignored, misrepresented, discriminated and ostracized because they didn’t fit into the traditional Korean mold.
At Seoul National University, the Korean Gay Literature Project is on a mission to bring respect to sexual minorities through literature. Modern poet Gi Hyoung-do is one such figure readers can explore and utilize as a window into Korea’s past.
What follows is a look into his short life and the poetry that he wrote.
By Konrad Kostecki
I remember when I met her. It was a fairly unoriginal introduction—over a drink. In Korea, it was extremely common to meet people in a bar. I can hardly name a friend whom I did not meet that way. It just seemed to be that way—we, as foreigners, had our hangouts, regular watering holes. They were places where we could congregate after work, on the weekend, and get blitzed, bitch about Korea, meet a foreigner-friendly Korean girl and get into an occasional fight.
Writing by Brian Dye & Photos by Jamie Karosa
This past weekend the world DJ festival hit Seoul for it’s fourth birthday! The event brings DJ and musical acts from around the world to perform. For 2010 included Freemasons, Dirty Disco Youth, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Shut Da Mouth, Planet Shiver, Soul Dive and dozens of others.
By Konrad Kostecki
“I can’t take this anymore”…Those were the last words my Korean girlfriend Kathryn uttered to me, the last words I heard her speak to me on the phone. There were a few signs but nothing that could have prepared me for the sudden end. When she would pause breathless on her ascent up a flight of stairs, I had the inkling that something was wrong.
By Jennifer Stevens
Last weekend I found myself pre-drinking in a Hongdae hostel with my new friend Jason. I had met him the weekend before on a group tour of the Seodaemun Prison, and three hours later, we were sharing a second bottle of wine. Two hours after that, we were toasting to our newfound friendship with shots of tequila.
And so is Korea—an ever-changing circle of friends made over large amounts of alcohol. Or so is my experience.
By Kenneth McIntyre
DISCONNECT THE WIRES AND WORK ON BEAMS
I know this whore in Seoul
She is a mercurial sort
Reminds me of a Gregorian chant
Happy
And
Sad
She tells me she feels cheap
And if it was not for the money
There would be no pride at all
By Scoop McDougal
This is an international edition of Big News! But of course, where would we start but right here before wandering the globe for a roundup of recent events. So, in following up on 3WM’s theme about room salon culture…
Seoul, South Korea. Last week the Justice Ministry announced that foreigners who had obtained residency status by marriage will no longer be allowed to work in ‘night-time entertainment venues’, such as massage parlors, hostess bars, noraebang, or any other places that “disturb the social order and ‘good’ social conduct”.
Mizaru |
 Iwazaru |
 Kikazaru |
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