The Korea Times

'Mr. Trot' sensation delays season finale

In this screen capture from TV Chosun, trot prodigy Jeong Dong-won, left, and singer Jang Min-ho perform together in “Mr. Trot” last Thursday. Seven finalists performed this week but TV Chosun was unable to name the winners on time after 7.7 million people cast votes for their favorite singers during the live broadcast of the show. / Courtesy of TV ChosunWinners will be named Saturday as 7.7 million cast votes in real-time By Kang Hyun-kyungTV Chosun's mega-hit show “Mr. Trot” saw more drama in its final episode on Thursday. As usual, the talent search show aiming to select Korea's next top male trot singer has continued to set viewership records, reaching ratings of 35.7 percent. The figure is five percent up from last week's episode in which seven finalists were chosen based on aggregated scores from judges (who were called Masters in the program), audiences and viewers who voted for their favorite contestants through a smartphone app. On Thursday, “Mr. Trot” also pulled off another, unprecedented record in TV audition show history: It failed to

Mar 13, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Mr. Trot' sensation delays season finale

Books

Left-winger examines 'close but distant' Japan

Gettyimagesbank'Observing Japan' finds mistranslation of diplomatic rhetoric exacerbates Korea-Japan ties By Kang Hyun-kyungYum Jong-soon's “Observing Japan for 30 Years: 18 Reasons Why Korea Will Defeat Japan,” published by Tornado, reveals a new factor that pits South Korea and Japan against each other ― mistranslation.Yum, a self-proclaimed leading expert on Japan, said the two countries' common usage of Chinese characters, ironically, has become a source of a diplomatic rift as some expressions are used completely differently in the two countries. The author, who has lived in Japan for 30 years, founding and running his own business, said President Moon Jae-in's use of the Chinese expression “jeok-ban-ha-jang” in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to remove South Korea from the “white list” last year was misinterpreted and thus infuriated the Japanese public.In a Cabinet meeting on August 2, Moon described Japan's actions using the expression, which translates to “the robber blaming the owner of the house he's burgling.

Mar 13, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Left-winger examines 'close but distant' Japan

Trends

'The worst may be over'

A flea market in Jongno District, Seoul is crowed with visitors on Sunday. Such a scene is rare  in recent days as people shun crowded venues because of the epidemic. / YonhapMedical volunteers bear the brunt of coronavirus battleBy Kang Hyun-kyungPeople of the southeastern city of Daegu were panicking until recently as their city suddenly made the headlines for several weeks since mid February when the nation's 31st coronavirus case was confirmed and became the prelude to an unprecedented public health crisis there. With each new day, hundreds more people were tested positive for the virus which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year.People were suffering from fear and anxiety but this soon turned into anger with many Daegu citizens asking, “Why us?”Even now, the city is still reeling from the epidemic. Kim Dae-hyun, a physician and professor of Family Medicine at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital in Dalseo-gu, however, cautiously presented optimism about the battle against the virus. “The worst may be over,” he said. “People here wer

Mar 8, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Books

Swedish Tax Agency born again

gettyimagesbank'Tax Collector' gives insiders' view of how a once-hated agency came to win taxpayers' heartsBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe Bible gives some insight into the historical perception of tax collectors. In the Gospel of Luke, for example, Jesus sympathizes with the tax collector Zacchaeus, causing outrage from the surrounding crowd. The Gospel also tells of a parable about the self-righteous Pharisee and a self-deprecating tax collector who describes himself as a sinner. Tax collectors were despised, just as the biblical descriptions suggest.There has been little change in the general public's attitude toward the tax service. In many countries, including Korea, people tend to display a “visceral dislike” toward tax agencies. A 2019 public opinion survey of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission shows the National Tax Service was one of the lowest-ranked public agencies in terms of transparency. The book “From Feared Tax Collector to Popular Service Agency” co-authored by Anders Strich and Lennart Wittberg, however, presents a different narrativ

Mar 8, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Trends

Coronavirus, public pressure force churches to shut down Sundays

Two churchgoers at the gate of Sarang Jeil Church in Sungbuk District, Seoul, hold placards urging people to sign a guest book and wear masks. The church pushed for Sunday gatherings despite fears of the spread of coronavirus spread, and accused the government of persecuting its head pastor Jun Gwang-hoon who is being detained while under investigation. / Yonhap3 megachurches willing to house patients in centersBy Kang Hyun-kyungCulture Minister Park Yang-woo met the leaders of United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK), an association of Protestant church denominations, Tuesday, amid fears of the continuing spread of the new coronavirus here.Park asked the church leaders to voluntarily join a campaign to halt mass public gatherings in a bid to help contain the virus. “We are at a crossroads, when it comes to the spread of the virus,” he said. “It could spread further and become harder to contain (if things go badly). I'm here today to ask for help from church leaders to be cautious about public gathering at this critical time and to fully cooperate with the governme

Mar 4, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Coronavirus, public pressure force churches to shut down Sundays

Trends

Panicked shoppers queue up for face masks

People queue up for face masks at Hanaro Mart in Jongno District, Seoul on Saturday. Hanaro Mart headquarters distributed 550,000 masks to its 319 stores in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province over the weekend. Consumers were allowed to purchase up to five masks each. / YonhapInformation gap between Korea, abroad about face mask benefitsBy Kang Hyun-kyungOn Saturday, when I entered the fenced site that houses two grocery stores ― Hanaro Mart, one of the biggest grocery stores in my city, Gimpo, and the aptly named Local Food store, I was struck by a surprising scene. People had formed a long line near the front gate of Hanaro Mart. It was 8:55 a.m., five minutes before the store's opening time. Wondering what it was all about, I asked a young man wearing a Hanaro Mart uniform why there was such a long queue. “Masks,” he said. “People began to wait here from early in the morning for masks.”I had seen people in long lines waiting to buy face masks in photos and TV footage of the southeastern city of Daegu, which was hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. Howeve

Mar 2, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Panicked shoppers queue up for face masks

Health

Historic cathedral suspends Mass

A health worker conducts disinfection operations at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, Wednesday. The Archdiocese of Seoul announced earlier this week that the 232 Catholic churches in Seoul would suspend Mass until March 8 because of the deadly coronavirus. This the first time for the church to suspend services since the first Catholic Mass was held here in 1898. / YonhapSome big megachurches' Sunday worship unaffected By Kang Hyun-kyungKorea's Catholic and Protestant churches have reacted differently to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Earlier this week, the Archdiocese of Seoul announced that 232 Catholic churches in the city would suspend Mass until March 8, in an attempt to stop the spread of the killer virus. Within days, Catholic churches in other parts of the country had joined the move to suspend all public gatherings, including Sunday Mass, for the foreseeable future.However, big Protestant churches are divided about their Sunday worships. The Yeouido Full Gospel Church ― the nation's largest church, with some 560,000 registered members ― had said earlier that it would reduce

Feb 28, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Books

'Superbugs' timely as it has parallels with killer virus

Superbugs refer to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. / gettyimagesbankUS infectious diseases expert warns of deadly bacteriaBy Kang Hyun-kyungMatt McCarthy's 2019 book “Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic” was translated into Korean and published recently by local publishing house Next Wave Media.The work by the American physician and infectious diseases expert couldn't be timelier, as the nation has been grappling with the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Koreans are panicked as the spread of the killer virus shows no signs of abating. As of Friday afternoon, more than 2,000 in Korea had been infected with the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, and 13 had died.With no vaccine existing to tackle the virus, fears are growing. McCarthy says his book is about antibiotic-resistant bacteria called “superbugs,” not viruses. “Some antibiotics can also kill parasites and fungi, but they are rarely effective against viruses,” his book reads. “That's why your doctor is stingy about doling out antibiotics when you have a c

Feb 28, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Superbugs' timely as it has parallels with killer virus

Films

Hong Sang-soo unveils new film at Berlin int'l film festival

Director and screenwriter Hong Sang-soo attends the press conference for the film "Domangchin Yeoja" (The Woman Who Ran) screened in competition on Tuesday at the 70th Berlinale film festival in Germany. / AFP-Yonhap By Kang Hyun-kyungDirector Hong Sang-soo's new film “The Woman Who Ran” was screened at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, Tuesday (local time). It is the seventh movie the filmmaker has worked on alongside his partner, actress Kim Min-hee. “The Woman Who Ran” revolves around the encounters of a married woman (played by Kim) and her three friends, while her husband is out of town on a business trip. Hong's new movie was invited to the film festival's competition section. The director said he wanted to tell the stories of women trying to break out of their daily routines and explore a life very different from their own. “One character flees because she doesn't want to be arrested. The other female character is not satisfied with her

Feb 26, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Hong Sang-soo unveils new film at Berlin int'l film festival

Trends

China's propaganda video pits actress against fellow Koreans

A man wearing a face mask walks past the Catholic Times headquarters in Seoul on Sunday. The newspaper shut down its headquarters and Daegu regional office as some staff, who returned to Korea after a group tour to Israel to visit holy sites, were infected with the coronavirus. / YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungActress Lee Young-ae is being lauded in China for her comforting message to the virus-hit country, but some fellow Koreans are raising their eyebrows at the celebrity's actions. A video featuring actress Lee has gone viral on the internet in China. In the video produced by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Lee conveyed her heart-felt message in an effort to boost the morale of the Chinese public who are now in the midst of a deadly fight for life due to the coronavirus outbreak. “Hello. I am Lee Young-ae who played Dae Jang Geum in the Korean TV series (of the same name),” she said in her message to the Chinese public. Dae Jang Geum, better known by its English title “Jewel in the Palace,” is a 2003 mega hit TV series. It initially aired on MBC and was then exporte

Feb 23, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kang Hyun-kyung

Read more

'Mr. Trot' sensation delays season finale

Left-winger examines 'close but distant' Japan

'The worst may be over'

Swedish Tax Agency born again

Coronavirus, public pressure force churches to shut down Sundays

Panicked shoppers queue up for face masks

Historic cathedral suspends Mass

'Superbugs' timely as it has parallels with killer virus

Hong Sang-soo unveils new film at Berlin int'l film festival

China's propaganda video pits actress against fellow Koreans

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