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What’s in this issue CONTENTS I N S I G H T W E L C O M E 06 EDITORIAL: DREAm bIg Korea is rife with opportunities — take advantage of them. 12 KEy pEOpLE Introducing some of the editors, writers and photographers behind the October issue 13 ThE INbOx Opinions and feedback from readers 14 muST READS A selection of our editors’ favorite articles 16 ON ThE COvER 20 WhAT’S ON Festivals, concerts, happy hours, networking and events for every day of the month 24 ThE NEWS North Korea addresses its human rights; Park’s day care pledges collapse with no funds; Ferry regulation limits profits for fishermen; Two soldiers die during torture-training exercise F O O D 34 EvOLuTION, DEvOLuTION, REvOLuTION Eight years into its relationship with Korea, Groove takes a step back to assess the situation. The love’s still there, but we might need counseling. 36 FOOD On the foreign food front, what was once a quest for proper cheese is now just a decision between neighborhood churro shops. Where did this come from? 38 bEER It took half a decade to get off the ground, but Korea has finally one-upped the convenience of public drinking: a craft beer boom, and a brewery scene to go along with it. 40 ARTS In a place where connecting artists and audiences was always a crapshoot, social media has been a welcome game-changer. 42 ENTREpRENEuRShIp Groove explores the challenges, trailblazers and growing viability of foreign-owned startups. 42 EFL EDuCATION As the value of native English teachers starts to drop in Korea, the competition for jobs heats up. 44 NORTh KOREA While Groove was launching its first issue in October 2006, North Korea was occupied by a launch of its own: a nuclear test with irreversible consequences for trade with the South. 46 mEDIA Former Groove editor Matt Lamers weighs in on how English-language media has evolved in the past eight years — and what may never change. 48 OpENNESS Advancing leaps and bounds on the economic front, Korea’s social politics keep many doors shut for women and nonnative Koreans. C O V E R S T O R Y 50 A mETAL bAR FOR ThE mASSES Come for the bands, stay for the sound quality: Thunderhorse is pulling Itaewon’s music scene back on track. 52 ChEWINg ThE FAT WITh gEmmA JANE The blogger behind A Fat Girl’s Guide to Food in Korea talks living kimchi-free in Seoul. 54 ONE EASy LuNCh Bulgur ain’t the coolest grain on the shelf, but what it lacks in sexiness it makes up for in flavor, nutrition and being generally idiot proof. 28 ThE DISAppEARINg FACE OF KIm IL-SuNg With the Great Leader absent from the newly reminted 5,000 won bill, could a 10,000 won note be in the works? 30 pAyINg IN TO pENSION If you’ve been putting off retirement planning for a rainy day, pull up a seat; informed decisions today mean more options in the long run. 32 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4ISSUE 96 Check out our GrooveCast episodes on these stories at groovekorea.com.