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Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea Times Editorial Reporter

I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.

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Trends

Cancer slows down surgeon's dream to build eco-village on Jeju

Surgeon Hong Seung-jig poses in front of a tree native to Jeju Island, called the “dampatsu” in Korean (Elaeocarpos sylvestirs var. ellipticus), which he had planted three decades ago to commemorate his arrival on the island. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulHong Seung-jig's clinic on his scenic farmland welcomes patientsBy Kang Hyun-kyungJeju Island -- Lee Ok-soon and her husband on Monday visited a small clinic run by surgeon Hong Seung-jig seemingly in the middle of nowhere in Jeju's lush green western town of Aewol-eup. After fracturing her forefoot while gardening in the front yard of her home on the other side of the town, Lee said that she was worried about the possible impact of the injury on her health. The 68-year-old patient heaved a sigh of relief after hearing from Dr. Hong that the minor injury wouldn't develop into a serious health threat. “People of my age get nervous when they fracture something, even if it is a small, minor one, because we know very well about its potential to have a serious impact on our health,” she said. “So, befor

Oct 21, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Cancer slows down surgeon's dream to build eco-village on Jeju
Shows & Dramas

Namkoong Min's fascinating makeover as elite spy agent

Actor Namkoong Min / Courtesy of MBCLee Ha-nee emerges as rom com queen, creating rare rivalry in Friday-Saturday dramas By Kang Hyun-kyungDrama fans these days are faced with a tough choice on Friday and Saturday nights, as two TV channels simultaneously broadcast two hit TV series ― SBS's romantic comedy, “One The Woman,” and MBC's spy action series, “The Veil.”Some digitally-savvy viewers turn to the over-the-top (OTT) service, Wavve, to see the latest episodes of the two TV series. But there's still a decision to make as they have to choose which one they're going to view first.Two talented actors, Lee Ha-nee who plays a dual role in “One The Woman,” and Namkoong Min, who proved to be a versatile actor with his marvelous transformation into an athletic intelligence agent in “The Veil,” have raised the stakes for the rivalry between SBS and MBC in the hot Friday and Saturday night drama time slots. In “One The Woman,” Lee plays a corrupt, aggressive and hilarious prosecutor who feels no sense of guilt in dropping criminal

Oct 18, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Namkoong Min's fascinating makeover as elite spy agent
Opinion

A China strategy

By Kang Hyun-kyungBack in 2011, when China emerged as the world's second-largest economy, replacing Japan, there was a debate among some journalists about the forthcoming U.S.-China rivalry and its possible impact on South Korea.The discourse centered around a burning question about a possible clash between two world powers: What if the two most important countries South Korea relied on ― namely the United States and China ― fight each other over certain issues which are also crucial to South Korea, and their severe competition creates a situation where Seoul has to choose between the two as a business partner?If this hypothetical situation becomes a reality, South Korea's diplomacy will be put to the test. China was (and still is) South Korea's largest trade partner, whereas the United States is its key ally, which the South is heavily dependent on for its security.Back then, foreign ministry officials flatly denied that such a possibility could actually happen. I remember one high-ranking official saying that international relations were not a zero-sum game, and thus, South Korea f

Oct 13, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
A China strategy
Trends

Talent shows become cash cow for news channel

gettyimagesbank Stars're born through TV Chosun shows, while the winners of other shows fade out.By Kang Hyun-kyungTV Chosun has hit another jackpot with its latest K-pop audition show. In its first episode, which aired on Thursday, the cable television channel's audition show, tentatively translated into English as, “Korea's Next K-Pop Star,” hit 16.1 percent in viewership, the highest among recent nighttime TV shows. The first round of the show saw 110 acts, including soloists and groups, competing. Like its previous trot audition shows, contestants who win all 13 judges' hearts advance automatically to the next round, while those who earn six votes or less are instantly eliminated. The judges meet to discuss the fates of the participants who win between seven and 12 votes, and with the consensus of the judges, some are given a second chance to compete again in the second round. A viewership of 4 percent for the rerun of the first episode during the weekend also c

Oct 11, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Talent shows become cash cow for news channel
Books

Ode to strong Korean mothers

This photo taken in 1988 by Jung Young-shin shows a woman walks down an unpaved road all the way to open-air market in Gure, South Jeolla Province, held every five days to buy daily necessities or to sell her agricultural products to earn a meager living. Courtesy of Noonbit PublishingJung Young-shin pays tribute to female farmers in her latest photo book, 'Homeland Mothers,' calling the publication long overdue By Kang Hyun-kyungPhotographer Jung Young-shin / Courtesy of Jung Young-shinJung Young-shin's latest photo book, “Homeland Mothers,” takes readers back to rural and underdeveloped scenes of Korea in the late 1980s. Elderly female farmers with tanned faces living rustic, seemingly primitive lives are captured in the poetic black and white photographs taken mostly in 1987 and 1988. Although they were taken only some three decades ago when parts of Korea were developed enough to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, farmers in rural areas still lived lives that seemed to be far from civilization. Using cows, they plowed their paddies before planting rice. Oil-based machines

Oct 6, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Ode to strong Korean mothers
Books

Hangeul in the age of AI: survival of the fittest?

This image features King Sejong the Great who invented Korean writing system, Hangeul. gettyimagesankThis is the first in a two-part Hangeul Day article series revisiting the meaning of the Korean alphabet in the age of artificial intelligence._ ED By Kang Hyun-kyungYi In-hwa's science fiction thriller “2061”Million-selling author Yi In-hwa's latest science fiction thriller, “2061,” published by StoryFriends, is a futuristic piece featuring the nationalistic theme of “Hangeul supremacy.” Humans and highly sophisticated humanoid robots coexist in a society powered by fully developed artificial intelligence (AI) four decades from now. Some humans and robots marry each other and give birth to hybrid half-human, half-robot children.In this fictional future, self-conscious, self-aware robots are able to express themselves fully. Speaking robots create a new problem in linguistics.Each talking robot has their own vocal transmitting apparatus which is very different from that of humans, making the vast majority of existing scripts, including the Engl

Oct 4, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Hangeul in the age of AI: survival of the fittest?
Books

'Success breeds failure': liberal critic's advice for conservative party leader

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks during a meeting with Korea experts in Washington D.C., Wednesday (local time). He will return to Korea next Monday after wrapping up a week-long visit to the United States. Courtesy of PPPIn his latest book, Kang Jun-man warns of the curse of success, analyzes the Korean public's sympathy toward Samsung's formerly jailed vice chairman By Kang Hyun-kyungKang Jun-man, a professor emeritus of Jeonbuk National University and a liberal political commentator, has advised conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok to move on from being an irresponsible amateur politician to becoming a tolerant and mature politician. “The curse of success and how he can avoid it are what he has to prioritize if he wants to succeed in the political arena,” Kang said in his latest book, titled, “Historical Figures and Ideologies 2: Impertinent Lee Jun-seok.”According to the author, the “curse of success” refers to the fact that what was critical in making a person suc

Sep 24, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
'Success breeds failure': liberal critic's advice for conservative party leader
Trends

Farmer of Seoul's last remaining rice growing region in upbeat mood

Rice farmer Kang Han-sung poses on his farm in Seoul's northwestern district of Gangseo, Thursday. His farm is located in Ogok-dong near Gimpo International Airport, and is one of Seoul's last remaining rice farming areas. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulRice price increases, good harvests, and rising demand for locally produced premium brand rice help urban farmers feel their hard work pays offBy Kang Hyun-kyungFarmer Kang Han-sung, 65, beamed with a smile of satisfaction, while checking with his tanned hands the ripening rice grains of the plants in his paddy, stretching far into the distance in Seoul's southwest Ogok-dong, Gangseo District. “Japanese rice varieties will be disappearing soon, as local Korean rice brands will replace them sooner or later,” he said Thursday, pointing to the plants in his rice paddies. “I mean, the quality of Korean rice has been getting better, and some strains are as good as the preferred Japanese rice, so in the near future, farmers will seriously consider planting premium varieties of Korean rice.” Pleasantly chewy rice

Sep 20, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Farmer of Seoul's last remaining rice growing region in upbeat mood
  • Korea promotes home-developed rice varieties amid boycott of Japanese products
Books

INTERVIEW Wisdom we learned from our seven years in US

gettyimagesbankIn a memoir, author says her family's American dream shattered but their years of struggles were worthwhile By Kang Hyun-kyungA 34-year-old author, who identifies herself only with her pen name Hae-gil, published a memoir this week about her and her parents' seven years of living as legal aliens in the United States, defining the nature of their life in the foreign land as a total failure. In the book, “Back Then, We Shouldn't Have Gone to the US,” released by Daejeon-based small independent publisher txt.kcal, she narrates about her family's shattered American dream, and the wisdom she gained from the years of struggle and harsh living as a second-class citizen. One of the toughest challenges she and her parents had faced was downward social mobility, she said. In Korea, her family was upper-middle class, thanks to her hard-working parents who made a considerable fortune through their business. Her financially stable parents had a nice apartment as well as property in Seoul, enabling their only child Hae-gil to lead an impeccably satisfying life as a film

Sep 16, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
[INTERVIEW] Wisdom we learned from our seven years in US
Books

Korean author's gripping stories fascinate European readers

Author Lee Jung-myung / Courtesy of Lee Jung-myungAward-winning author Lee Jung-myung speaks about his latest novel 'Broken Summer' By Kang Hyun-kyungBest-selling author Lee Jung-myung's daily habits are quite different from those of other Korean novelists. Unlike many other writers, he's not a night owl. Waking up early in the morning, like a full-time salaried worker, he works from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in his studio near his home in Seoul, researching topics that interest him to get inspiration for future book projects, writing stories and editing drafts.Prior to his career transition into a full-time author in 1997, Lee worked as a journalist for daily newspapers and a monthly magazine over a decade.“It's interesting to know that the two-word Chinese characters referring to a reporter means a person who writes. So writers and reporters are basically doing almost the same work,” he told The Korea Times. The soft-spoken man said his career transition was so smooth that he himself didn't have any difficulties in adapting to being a novelist after leaving journalism.Lee is the

Sep 10, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Korean author's gripping stories fascinate European readers
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