The Korea Times

Yoga - a make-up of exercise, nature and camaraderie

An image of the outdoor yoga studio at a retreat in Casteo Giorgio, Umbria, Italy/ Courtesy of a participantBy Kim Ji-sooEvery layman's discipline has its heyday. All types of yoga, and yoga-inspired pilates, are highly popular in Korea, as people living in stress-filled times seek to alleviate stress and seek unity of body, mind and spirit. For yoga devotees, going on a yoga retreat is an ideal holiday, one that removes oneself from the mundane and the familiar, to lunge into hours of yoga every day. South Korea's Jeju Island boasts a few yoga retreats, but that is still too close to home, or the familiar and the mundane. There are retreats to choose from in India, the birthplace of yoga, as well as the United States, Portugal, Thailand and Cambodia.One yoga retreat took place in the Umbria region in Italy, which I took part of. The promises of Italian sun, food, the pastoral landscape and yoga tempted this yogi.Italy or Rome is about a 12-and-a-half-hour flight away from Seoul. The Umbria region is about two hours north by drive from Rome, Lazio. There are some winding roads and pi

Oct 5, 2018By Kim Ji-soo

Yoga - a make-up of exercise, nature and camaraderie

People & Events

Lee Jong-ki dreams of making world-class product

Master blender Lee Jong-kiBy Kim Ji-sooOmija ― the berry’s unusual name, vivid blood-red color and nutritional benefits conjures positive images of health and well-being. Also known by its scientific names maximowiczia typica and schisandra chinensis, it is widely used in summer drinks, tea and Oriental medicine.But not many thought it could be made into wine or liquor, except for Lee Jong-ki.Last week, master blender Lee introduced Gowoon Dar, a 52-percent-alcohol distilled liqueur made from omija.“I feel confident about this product,” said Lee, 60, in an interview with The Korea Times, flashing his signature smile and the curiosity in his eyes that has got him so far in the local industry. “I used traditional Korean ingredients and world-class methods for fermenting, distilling, maturing and blending,” he said.Among these steps, blending is the most crucial part.“Blending is an art rather than a science,” said Lee, head of JL Co., consultant and professor. He is also known as Johnnie Lee. He said he draws from his five senses and more than

Jun 20, 2016By Kim Ji-soo

Lee Jong-ki dreams of making world-class product

People & Events

Busan Vice Mayor Cho Don-young shares knowledge on inviting foreign investment

 Cho Don-young, Busan vice mayor for investment policy / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul  By Kim Ji-soo The seaside city of Busan is largely known for its port logistics, good people and international film festival. Lately, it has made news after being named the host for Microsoft’s new data center, which will be built to better service users of Office 365 and the cloud platform Azure.Microsoft Korea said that it will build two data centers, in Seoul and Busan respectively, in the near future.One of the key man behind the move is Cho Don-young, vice mayor of Busan who is also in charge of investment policy. He and the city government are working to turn the city of 3.6 million people into a viable Northeast Asian investment hub.A long-time international salesman, Cho, 68, had served as vice president of Renault Samsung Motors for nine years from 2001 through 2010. In August 2010, he was appointed as Busan’s new investment chief. And before that, the graduate of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University of Southern California graduate

Jun 1, 2016By Kim Ji-soo

Busan Vice Mayor Cho Don-young shares knowledge on inviting foreign investment

South Korea

Ahn Cheol-soo quits NPAD

By Kim Ji-sooAhn Cheol-soo, former co-chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said Sunday that he is leaving the party.“I requested for a bold decision to be taken, but there is a strong will (within the party) to retain the status quo,” said Ahn at a press conference he called at the National Assembly in Yeouido. “Therefore, I have chosen to take a difficult road. I will be the founder of a political force that can change the leadership in government.” He did not elaborate further on how or when this will be pursued.  Ahn’s departure follows an 11th-hour attempt between him and Moon Jae-in, NPAD chairman, to mend their differences before preparations begin for the April 13 general election next year.  In an attempt to stop Ahn from leaving, Moon visited his house late on Saturday, but the two only met briefly.Ahn had requested a national convention be held to revamp the party leadership in order to alleviate deepening factional strife, but Moon rejected this proposal, claiming that it would only cause further

Dec 13, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

Economy

BOK drops 2015 growth outlook to 2.7 percent

The Bank of Korea cut its growth outlook for 2015 and 2016, Thursday, citing sluggish domestic demand and falling exports.The central bank's latest growth forecast for 2015 is 2.7 percent, down from 2.8 percent in July. This is the third consecutive cut since April when the initial 3.4 percent was lowered to 3.1 percent.The figure for 2016 also was scaled down to 3.2 percent from 3.3 percent.BOK Governor Lee Ju-Yeol attributed the cut to weak domestic consumption and declining exports in the third quarter.Exports have been falling every month since the beginning of this year.Amid such circumstances, the bank kept the key interest rate at 1.5 percent for October.

Oct 15, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

BOK drops 2015 growth outlook to 2.7 percent

South Korea

Man sets himself ablaze in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul

An elderly man set himself on fire in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday as the civic group representing former comfort women held its weekly rally. The comfort women refer to the women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan during the World War II.The man, in his 80s, identified only as Choi, set himself ablaze as the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan gathered.The man was rushed to hospital.About 1,000 people were at the site when the incident happened.The incident also comes three days before Korea marks the 70th anniversary of its liberation from Japan. 

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

Man sets himself ablaze in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul

Shows & Dramas

Seo Taiji to sing out on Liberation Day

Singer Seo TaijiIt does not have to be all solemn on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, which falls on Saturday.Top singer Seo Taiji has announced he will perform Saturday and Sunday at Yes24.com’s Muvhall in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, near the Hongik University neighborhood.Seo recently performed at the Pentaport Rock Festival in Songdo, Incheon.The former leader of Seo Taiji & the Boys released his ninth album last year, “Quiet Night,” proving he still reigns in Korean music. 

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

South Korea

Large firms' wages 61.9 pct more than those of SMEs

The average worker's wage at large companies in South Korea is 61.9 percent higher than that paid by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), data showed Wednesday.The average annual wage of large firms amounted to 64.19 million won (US$54,310.86) in 2014, more than the 39.66 million won for SMEs, according to the data on 2,000 local companies compiled by market researcher CXO Institute.The overall average annual salary for the companies came to 44.98 million won, according to the data.Companies whose annual sales topped 1 trillion won paid an average of 64.19 million won to its employees, while those with sales of between 500 billion won and 1 trillion won paid out 54.13 million won, the data showed.SMEs that earned less than 100 billion won in sales per year gave out paychecks of 39.66 million won on average.Companies that paid an average of over 100 million won to its workers accounted for 0.2 percent of the batch, while those with annual paychecks of over 90 million won and 80 million won took up 0.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.By industry, the average salary of oil refiner

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

South Korea

Lotte needs at least 2.5 tln won to unwind circular shareholding

Lotte Group, which is mired in a bitter family fight over control of its sprawling business empire, needs about 2.5 trillion won (US$2.1 billion) to unwind its complex circular shareholding structure, a report estimated Wednesday.Lotte Group does business both in South Korea and Japan and has 416 cross shareholding arrangements that allow its founder and family members to wield a disproportionate amount of power over the group with a relatively small portion of shares.According to the report by market tracker CEO Score, Lotte Group has to dispose of six affiliates' stakes in Lotte Shopping, Lotte Confectionery and Lotte Chilsung Beverage in order to break its cobweb-like shareholding structure.The six include Dai Heung Industry, Lotte Data Communication and Lotte Engineering & Construction, which currently hold a combined 2.46 trillion won worth of shares in the three key Lotte affiliates known to stand at the center of the group's governance, the report said.The cost is the minimum amount of money estimated to be needed to deal with the governance issue and keep the owner family

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

South Korea

Park Yu-cheon of JYJ to enlist on Aug. 27

Park Yu-cheonFans of Park Yu-cheon, an actor and member of K-pop band JYJ, will be disappointed to learn that he will enter the military on Aug. 27.His agency said Park will not disclose details of the day he enters military service.Instead, there will be a fan meeting on Aug. 25.Park will serve as a reservist for two years.

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Ji-soo

Kim Ji-soo

Read more

Yoga - a make-up of exercise, nature and camaraderie

Lee Jong-ki dreams of making world-class product

Busan Vice Mayor Cho Don-young shares knowledge on inviting foreign investment

Ahn Cheol-soo quits NPAD

BOK drops 2015 growth outlook to 2.7 percent

Man sets himself ablaze in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul

Seo Taiji to sing out on Liberation Day

Large firms' wages 61.9 pct more than those of SMEs

Lotte needs at least 2.5 tln won to unwind circular shareholding

Park Yu-cheon of JYJ to enlist on Aug. 27

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