Korea Herald 20090318

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COMMUNITY

WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 2009

Expat Living is a section dedicated to the daily living of expatriates. It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To share stories about your life abroad, send stories or story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected] Submissions may be edited for length or clarity.

PHOTO CHALLENGE WINNER — The sun sets near Jongdal-ri, Jeju-do in early March. Sunset silhouettes of Hallasan and the Oreum colonies are viewed from Jimi Oreum. Mario Taradan (www.flickr.com/photos/helje)

In focus: The best time to take photos The Photo Challenge is sponsored by Hyosung Camera (English: 010-7203-9599) and Babo Shirts (www.baboshirts. com). Winners of the weekly competition receive a 50,000 won store credit at Hyosung Camera and a Babo Shirt. To take part in the competition, simply upload your photo at www.flickr.com/ groups/seoulphotoclub — Ed. By Aaron Raisey

The film or digital sensor in our camera reacts to the light that falls on it to produce an image. We all know how important this is, as without light there wouldn’t be any photography. This week we will try to shed some illumination on one facet of the topic by focusing on the area of sunlight, how it affects our images at different times of the day, and perhaps come away with a few tips on how we can use this to our advantage.

Most casual photographers — and we have all been casual photographers — at times think something like “Great! It’s a beautiful sunny day, I’m going to get out there and take some nice photos.” Yes, but to the savvy photographer it’s not as simple as that. Exactly when we take advantage of that light can drastically affect the look and feel of our pictures. Many photographers know about the “golden hours” — the first and last hours of sunlight during the day. During these times, the light is soft and warm; giving a rich glow to colors, especially yellows, oranges and reds. It’s a good time to take some cityscape shots for example, with glowing buildings

against a darkening sky and long shadows adding a dramatic aspect. It’s also the favorite time for landscape photographers, the morning and evening light giving natural colors a warm and vibrant aspect. Oddly enough, the middle of the day can often be the most difficult time to take pictures. On a bright and sunny day the light can be very intense and hard; bleaching the color out of our subjects, creating black unsightly shadows and reflecting off lighter colors so much that it is very difficult to control exposure. A fill flash can be very useful during these times if your subject isn’t too far away, and a little bit of shade or cloud cover can also be very welcome to alleviate these problems. However, this situation can be turned to your advantage if you are willing to try your hand at a bit of black and white processing.

Look for high contrast. On a bright sunny day dark shadows abound, and can often look very effective in a black and white when used creatively. You might even try looking back in your library for those photos that perhaps looked a bit too bright and harsh, and try looking at them again in black and white. When you are out there photographing at different times, try to remember what the subject looked like to you and compare that with the images when you get them home. Often an image has surprising colors or looks much more vibrant than we remembered it in real life. We can use this as feedback into our photography in the future if we encounter similar lighting conditions. However, light is useless of course if we aren’t out there using it. Get out there! ([email protected])

RUNNER UP — A woman waits at Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul in February. Aaron Raisey

March tennis tournament By Matthew Lamers

When Emmanuelle Jourdan and Olivier Mouroux started the first expat tennis tournament in 2003, they were pleased with the response. But when they opened the Seoultennis.com Tournament up to non-French players, the reaction was fervent. Since the beginning, more than 200 players have taken part, making it popular enough to attract corporate sponsorship. “More and more people have heard about this tournament and I get frequent e-mail about getting more information. The website is easy to find on the internet and many expats contact me thought it,” said Mouroux. “Lacoste has been our official sponsor since the beginning; we also have Domaine de Bequignole — French chocolate — and we always are always looking for more sponsors,” he added. Mouroux said the idea came from a desire to build bridges between the fragmented expat communities in Korea. He said the tournament is a great way to meet new people and network. “At the beginning, this tournament was only played with the French community, but I

thought that it would be nice to have other nationalities. This is why we decided to translate the website into English and make all communication in English as well. “I really believe that this tournament is opening many doors among (expat) communities — at the last final we had people from all over the world eating cheese fondue together. It was quite fun,” said Mouroux. “Newcomers meet many people during the tournament and we organize a nice lunch with all the players and family after the final.” Mouroux, 34, from France, has been in Korea for eight years and is the CEO of Asiance (www.asiance.com). The reason for the tournament’s success is probably its flexible structure. The 16 participants are divided into groups of four. There is a quarterfinal, a semifinal, then a championship match. Two players of the same round robin contact each other and are responsible for planning their own match. This formula, according to organizers, allows everyone to schedule games in a very simple way because dates are not imposed as they are in other sports.

The next tournament, the 12th overall, is planned to start March 20. Mouroux said that despite the popularity of Seoultennis.com, there are no plans to expand the tournament because of scheduling difficulties that come with having more than 16 competitors. He did admit that registrations filled up in less than 24 hours for the last Seoultennis.com Tournament in September 2008. If you’d like to join, but March registration is already full, organizers recommend joining the waiting list. They also recommend keeping a close watch on Seoultennis.com for news on the September tournament. There are two tournaments a year, one in March and another in September. Player eligibility is open to anyone. Said Mouroux: “Anyone who plays tennis; level is from average to good; and yes, it is open to women, too.” Tournament champions receive a polo Lacoste shirt and a trophy, which has usually been a Korean vase. For more information, go to www.seoultennis.com or email Olivier Mouroux at [email protected]. ([email protected])

Touch season starts Saturday By Jeremy Burks

Spring weather brings out more than blossoms. Bare legs will be on display next Saturday as the new season of Touch kicks off on Seoul’s Jamwon rugby pitch. The season’s first tournament will feature 12 teams and about 150 players and is the first in the 2009 Korea Touch championship. Over the course of the season, teams will be competing

Benefits of permanent residency By Christopher Dykas

Some may think F-2 and F-4 visa holders have it easy. Compared to other visa classes, though this may be true. F-2 and F-4 visas do not leave one at the mercy of employers and allow holders to circumvent some screening processes — as in the case of some teaching positions — plus they do not require special trips to immigration to add workplaces for short-term or freelance work. They also have a longer period of validity than, say, E-2 visas. For some expats in Korea, these are dream visas. However, if you have one you can still encounter problems. Even if you are living and working in Korea on an F-2 or F-4 visa, there are limitations that come with these statuses when living in Korea longterm. Especially when it comes to contractual agreements, holding a visa status that indicates you are “returning home” at the expiration date can make you appear suspect, and can result

in denial of certain applications. Take, for example, mobile phones. Depending on the company, contract durations range from “no contract” — which can actually still include a mandatory three-month usage period — to one or two years. Many visitors who come in to the Seoul Global Center to get a mobile phone are surprised to learn that they are ineligible to sign up for a year-long contract because of their visa expiration date. Having a “one-year visa” and having “one year left on your visa” are two very different things. As of the beginning of March the rule stood as follows: if you have six months or more remaining on your visa, you can sign up for a year-long contract. Even a single day short of six months — this includes many student visa holders, an E-2 visa holder who has been in Korea for six months and one day or an F-4 visa holder who has been in Korea for 1.5 years and one day — will leave you ineligible. Even if you have every inten-

tion of renewing your visa, many companies have policies against making agreements with those who they do not know for sure can stay in Korea through the end of the agreement. Even if you can obtain a long-term mobile phone contract, some must be renewed upon expiration of the contract holder’s visa. The same can be true for Korean credit cards, certain payment plans for services, and so on. So what could be the solution? If you plan to stay in Korea longterm, roughly on a permanent basis, applying for an F-5 visa — permanent residence — might be an option. This visa is available to various groups of people, including F-2 and F-4 visa holders, E-2 visa holders, and even those without visas. The most upfront benefit of an F-5 visa is freedom from the stipulations of other visas. Upon switching to an F-5 visa, former F-2 visa holders may stay in Korea even if they divorce and former E-2 visa holders may stay in Korea even if they switch jobs or decide to work on

a freelance basis. Other benefits of the F-5 visa include unlimited re-entry into Korea and once you have lived in Korea on an F-5 visa for two years, you qualify to vote in certain local elections. Although this visa has no expiration date and allows you to travel freely in and out of the country, it is important to note that if you plan to stay out of the country for more than a year, you must obtain a re-entry permit, which allows you to stay out of Korea for up to two years. If an F-5 visa holder stays outside Korea for two years, the visa will expire. There are various methods by which you can qualify for an F5. They can basically be divided into two categories: time and money. In August of last year the regulations for obtaining an F-5 visa were relaxed. Now, both F-2 and F-4 visa holders can qualify for permanent residence status after living in Korea on their respective visas for two years. Professionals in some specified fields (for example busi-

ness management or science) who have lived in Korea for three years, or teachers, professors or traders who have lived in Korea for five years, can also qualify. In all these situations, you must live in Korea for the given time period in consecutive years maintaining the same visa status and be under the age of 60. In addition to these requirements, applicants must also prove financial capability. An example would be a proven income of at least twice that of the Korean GNI per capita (which the Bank of Korea estimates to have plummeted to around $18,000 for 2008), as well as other possible criteria (language proficiency, criminal record). For non-residents, foreign investors who invest at least $500,000 into Korea and who hire at least five Korean citizens can also qualify for immediate permanent residency. For more information specific to immigration, the Korean Immigration Service has a multilingual hotline that can be reached by dialing 1345. Also, for more information on this and other topics regarding life in Korea in general, the SGC can be reached at 1688-0120. ([email protected])

for valuable points at each of the six planned tournaments. The championship is an open format with men’s, women’s and mixed teams competing in the same competition and each tournament has an overall champion as well as a bowl winner. “Last year’s form counts for nothing,” said Shane Lowndes, the tournament director. “And even if your team didn’t make it into the first tournament, there will be another chance on

How to apply — It’s a function of time and money — Regulations for obtaining an F-5 visa relaxed — F-2, F-4 visa holders can qualify for permanent residence — Must live in Korea 2 consecutive years — Teachers, professors or traders who have lived in Korea for 5 years can apply

April 11th when we hold the second in the series.” Jamwon rugby pitch is located between Hannam and Dongho bridges on the south bank of the Han River. Interested players, clubs and supporters can watch the tournament from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more details on how to access the pitch, visit www.touchtagrugby.blogspot.c om or e-mail koreatouch@ gmail.com

— Must maintain the same visa status during the period before application — Must be under the age of 60 — Proven income of at least twice the Korean GNI per capita — Other criteria include language proficiency, criminal record, etc. — Foreign investors who invest at least $500,000 into Korea and hire at least five Korean citizens can also qualify for permanent residency