Korea Times Editorial Reporter
Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
When her doctoral thesis was under review at the University of Kansas, the evaluating professors asked Song Kyung-jin where she saw herself in 10 years. She responded that she envisioned working at the United Nations or serving the underprivileged. Now, as the new country representative for the Asia Foundation's Korea office, she has the opportunity to do both.
A perspective is like a compass. It cannot be bought, but is developed and refined over time.
The allure of a short flight and the relatively low exchange rate of the yen has been prompting many Koreans to travel to neighboring Japan. One commercial aptly and happily blares on television these days, “lowest yen in 34 years,” beckoning budget-savvy tourists. Japan National Tourism recently released its June inbound tourist figures, saying that 3.13 million visitors arrived there, with Koreans at 703,300 making up for roughly one quarter of all travelers. I joined the trend for a July trip. The capital of Tokyo was hot and humid, and thronged with many tourists. Its unique energy and vibe were palpable.
YEOJU, Gyeonggi Province — Chon Young-ae had been up writing since 4: 20 a.m. The professor emeritus at Seoul National University (SNU) is in the process of selecting and translating into Korean the entire works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The author of over 60 books has just finished a draft for a book on the gardens of Yeobaek House of Books and two Goethe houses.
Post-pandemic, people are bent on traveling including to Korea. Whether they are coming mainly because of the Korean wave, or hallyu, is always heavily scrutinized and debated.
YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province — It was with renewed attention and mindfulness to nature-based lifestyle and environment — after the COVID-19 pandemic — that we visited Ven. Sunjae's residence in this town about two hours east of Seoul. The nation's first master of Korean Temple Food had mentioned that she held temple food classes in her residence, which she referred to as "togul" or "cave." The monk, renowned for her tireless schedule of lecturing in Korea and overseas, was giving monthly classes on making kimchi on that early June day.
From late April through mid-May, trees are lit in graded shades of green in South Korea. "May was the colour of new leaves" as the protagonist in Hwang Sok-yong's book "Mater 2-10" notes. The verdant hue often paints the background of scenes in director Hong Sang-soo's films, too. The greenery is a familiar phase in seasonal change in Korea, while the rising number of foreign tourists is a surprising novelty. Over 3.4 million foreign tourists visited South Korea in the first quarter, the highest figure since the outbreak of the devastating COVID-19, according to the culture ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization.
I have been keeping up with the discouraging news about Haiti. There is continuing sadness and sorrow for the people there. One wishes to ignore and forget about the situation there and leave it in the hands of amorphous others. However, dwelling upon only happier things in the world would not be facing reality or responsibility.
At a cozy neighborhood near Hongik University in western Seoul, the temperature is below zero and it's Sunday. Still, people are lining up outside a small eatery before the 11 a.m. opening. At Okdongsik, there are only about 10 seats so waiting seems inevitable yet it is still an impressive sight. The small restaurant's main offering,"dweji gomtang" (pork soup, and standard romanization would be "dwaeji"), was recently picked as one of the Top 8 New York City dishes for 2023 by the New York Times.