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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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Books

Book review: Physician warns of medical misinformation

By Kang Hyun-kyung “How to Use a Doctor” by Hwang Se-won Hwang Se-won's “How to Use a Doctor” published by Raon Books warns of the dangers of self-informed patients' quack remedies for their medical symptoms, saying their self-diagnosis based on medical misinformation could make their condition worse. Using an eatery analogy, the physician urges patients to consult with their doctors if they have questions or are experiencing certain symptoms. “You can see lots of places to eat when you surf the web to find good eateries. Many of the restaurants that pop up there are ones that hired social media influencers to promote their businesses. Their sponsored reviews make it tough for consumers to find real good restaurants,” she writes. “A similar thing happens when we search information about certain diseases or symptoms. The internet is flooded with information but little of it is reliable or verified. This is what's happening in medical fields as people having no medic

Feb 5, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Book review: Physician warns of medical misinformation
K-pop

Stars critical of gov't asked to shut up

Singer JK Kim Dong-uk / Captured from his FacebookBy Kang Hyun-kyungTwo stars have suffered the consequences of their political views critical of the Moon Jae-in administration: One lost his job and the other was criticized by some supporters of Moon. Singer JK Kim Dong-uk, best known for his 2002 mega hit song “Life Sentence,” was recently let go by the Ulsan-based broadcasting company UBC. For the past 10 years, he had been the MC of UBC's evening music show, “Open Art Stage Dran,” better known by the short name “Dran”. UBC fired him on Jan. 26, days after he appeared on a YouTube channel run by right-wing journalists. Disclosing his forced resignation from the TV show, Kim said on social media that he was not convinced by UBC's decision. “I hope what happened to me never occurs again, so that there will be no other victims like me,” he wrote on his social media account on Monday, days after he was laid off. “I thank those who have supported and sent me encouraging messages over the past few days. After news articles about my fo

Feb 2, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Stars critical of gov't asked to shut up
Entertainment

Actress Kim Hye-ri praised as past good deeds come to light

She's beautiful inside and out, exclaim internet usersBy Kang Hyun-kyungActress Kim Hye-ri / Captured image from her Instagram accountActress Kim Hye-ri, 51, was unwittingly brought back in the spotlight as her past good deeds became known to the public, thanks to a recent news article. Kim had taken care of a baby girl born out of wedlock for six months in 2014 to help the baby's dad, Kim Ji-whan, fully focus on his day job without worrying about childcare or the safety of his daughter. Her good deed belatedly made headlines after the father mentioned her support in his recent interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper which was published on Saturday. Kim, founder and president of the non-profit group Association of Single Daddies based in Seoul, said he was able to raise his baby girl Sa-rang, thanks to the actress. He said he made money to feed his baby girl by washing dishes at an eatery near his home while actress Kim took care of his infant daughter from morning till afternoon for six months. He went on to say that the actress' timely childcare support also enabled him to success

Jan 31, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Actress Kim Hye-ri praised as past good deeds come to light
Trends

INTERVIEW 'I was a GI bride'

Choi Moon-ja / Courtesy of Edward HaschkeKorean American marriage migrant says racial discrimination and bullying made her strongBy Kang Hyun-kyungA young woman wailed, as a Seattle-bound ferry departed from the port of Busan and slid into waters on a long voyage in 1954, a year after the bloody Korean War had ended.The woman was Choi Moon-ja, a Korean bride who had just married a Black American soldier who was stationed in Busan during the war. Choi said she was gripped by insurmountable sadness and belated regret for her decision to leave her mother behind in the southern port city. She said she was far from being a filial daughter. Her mother vehemently opposed her daughter's marriage to the American solider, Benjamin Garris, pleading with her to think again. But her pleas couldn't stop her daughter, who had fallen in love with him.Back in the 1950s, Korea was much more homogeneous than it is today, and it was unthinkable for a Korean woman to date a foreigner, especially a Black person. Elizabeth Kim's 2000 memoir, “Ten Thousand Sorrows,” vividly recounts the tragic d

Jan 29, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
[INTERVIEW] 'I was a GI bride'
Sports

Tommy Fleetwood tapped to be TAG Heuer ambassador

Tommy Fleetwood / Courtesy of TAG HeuerBy Kang Hyun-kyungBritish golfer Tommy Fleetwood was named global ambassador for luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer.Fleetwood will be the face of TAG Heuer's Connected Golf Edition luxury smartwatch. The 29-year-old British golfer is a five-time European Tour winner and also a member of 2018's victorious European Ryder Cup. He successfully defended his title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2018 and was the runner-up in the U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills. Fleetwood will work closely with TAG Heuer's software engineers based in Paris to upgrade its golf app by providing his expertise and knowledge of the sport, the watchmaker said in a press release. Tag Heuer expressed hope that its partnership with the British golfer will boost the profile of its already popular golf app and help players around the world discover its new developments.

Jan 15, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Tommy Fleetwood tapped to be TAG Heuer ambassador
Trends

Sharp criticism pits columnist against 'Moon fanatics'

Hong Sai-hwa, author of the 1995 best-seller “I am a Paris-based Cab Driver” and columnist of the liberal newspaper Hankyoreh / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungHong Sai-hwa, author of the 1995 best-seller “I am Paris-based Cab Driver” and columnist of the liberal newspaper Hankyoreh, is a critic from within the liberal camp. In his sharp-tongued style, Hong, 73, has written columns harshly criticizing President Moon Jae-in for his mismanagement of the economy, failure of policies to stabilize real estate and home prices, and worsening social policies among others.His criticisms were also directed at President Moon's deputies and his fandom. He blamed loyal Moon supporters, widely known by the slang term “Moon-ppa” or “Moon fanatics” for having “spoiled” their leader and causing him to lose his sense of direction in major policy areas due to their unconditional support for the political leader, despite a slew of policy failures. Hong's harsh criticism has pitted him against hardcore Moon supporters. “It's true that I

Jan 12, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Sharp criticism pits columnist against 'Moon fanatics'
Global Community

'Dad, I miss you': Teen refugee's tearful tribute touches Koreans' hearts

Wanyiwah, a 14-year-old contestant on KBS' audition show “National Trot Championships,” smiles during a Korea Times interview on Dec. 24. Performing under the stage name Martha Htoowah, she is already a popular singer in Myanmar. Both her parents are from Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulMyanmar's Karen ethnic minority family finds home in Korea with the help of warm-hearted people By Kang Hyun-kyungWanyiwah, 14, took the stage as her name was called as the next contestant on KBS' hit audition show, “National Trot Championships,” which aired on Dec. 5. Representing Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority, the teen refugee shared a tragic story about her father which motivated her to choose the Korean song “Surprise Lily” to perform on national TV. “As you know, the song that I'm going to perform is about the people who miss their loved ones but cannot see them again,” she said. “My dad passed away when I was very young. He's in heaven now. I miss him but can't meet him in person. The song lyrics and m

Jan 7, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
'Dad, I miss you': Teen refugee's tearful tribute touches Koreans' hearts
Entertainment

Actress Lee Young-ae donates 100 mil. won for child abuse victims

Actress Lee Young-ae / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungActress Lee Young-ae donated 100 million won ($92,000) for child abuse victims and frontline healthcare workers fighting to contain COVID-19, according to Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Wednesday.The hospital quoted Lee as saying that she wanted the money to be used for helping abandoned, sick and abused children. Her donation comes as public attention refocuses on the death last October of a 16-month-old baby girl named Jung-in. The actress said she was also determined to donate the money to express her gratitude for heroic healthcare workers who put the lives of COVID-19 patients ahead of their own safety.Lee's donation for child abuse victims and healthcare workers was made public a day after media reports about her and her 11-year-old twins having paid their tribute to the 16-month-old infant who died after habitual abuse from her adoptive mother.Lee and her twins were spotted on Tuesday at the children's cemetery in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, where Jung-in was laid to rest.Lee is a generous actress who underwro

Jan 6, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Actress Lee Young-ae donates 100 mil. won for child abuse victims
Books

Use your evenings wisely to earn side income

'Power of Evening Routine' author says strategic time management key to diversification of income sources By Kang Hyun-kyung“The Power of an Evening Routine” published by Dongyang Books is a guidebook for full-time workers seeking extra income. Author Ryu Han-bin encourages readers to make the most of their evenings after knocking off from their main job by working on something extra ― for money or just for fun.He said he himself was able to successfully diversify his income sources through several side jobs. He works from nine to six as a veterinarian. Once his day-job ends, the author says he uses his evenings to create YouTube content. According to him, editing a video takes six hours in total. He runs his YouTube channel through which he earns additional income by sharing his time management tips. He also earns money as a motivational speaker and an on-call theater actor. “Those who have plenty of free time find it harder to work efficiently. This is because only people taught to manage their time can make the most of it,” he says in the book. “If you set a deadline, it can help.

Jan 6, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Use your evenings wisely to earn side income
Trends

When ethical lapses revealed, stars quit, politicians stay

Star educator Seol Min-seok / Korea Times fileSinger, star educator quit TV shows over plagiarism By Kang Hyun-kyungWhen stars' ethical lapses are revealed, they apologize and drop out of TV shows or films they're shooting to take responsibility for their past misconduct. Sometime later ― usually after a certain period of hiatus ― they stage a comeback at least pretending they're sorry for their past actions. Yet these acts of repentance and taking of responsibility for past misconduct seems to be uncommon in politics. Unlike TV personalities who have been caught out, ethically flawed politicians ― as we've seen in many past nominees for Cabinet ministers ― hang in there, endure the storm and take the helm again once confirmation hearings are over. Star educator Seol Min-seok announced on Tuesday he would quit his TV appearances after local media reported that his master's thesis was plagiarized. In a social media post on Tuesday, Seol, who is also accused of distorting history, made an apology ― or something akin to an apology. “I know many people were disturbed by media repor

Dec 30, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
When ethical lapses revealed, stars quit, politicians stay
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