The Korea Times

Zen meditation a path to find True Self

By Shim Jae-yun As society becomes more complex and competitive, people tend to feel more mental stress. Korea has become notorious for having the world record in the number of people committing suicide in recent years, apparently overridden by various sufferings. As a means of attaining true happiness and even enlightenment, Zen (Seon) meditation is drawing growing popularity here via urban centers, though such contemplation had previously been practiced only by monks nestled in deep mountainous areas. Zen-Master Subul, 59, leader of the Anguk Zen Center, says meditation or Ganhwaseon contemplation is the surest way of directly attaining enlightenment through the investigation of “hwadu,” or the “big question.” “Everything changes at every moment. Nobody can stop change. Only moments exist. No past, no future and no present,” Master Subul said in an interview with The Korea Times conducted to coincide with Buddha’s Birthday which falls today. “But there is something that never changes and exists permanently irrespective of the existence of our bodies in this world.

May 9, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Sports

WTF determined to promote peace through taekwondo

By Shim Jae-yun WTF President Choue Chung-won said the world taekwondo governing body will make its all-out efforts to promote peace through the sport. “As a global sport, taekwondo has been giving hope to 197 member nations around the world. We will unswervingly continue to promote peace and harmony through the sport,” Choue said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. He said the WTF will also strive to spread on the occasion of the upcoming World Taekwondo Championships to be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The tournament has attracted some 1,040 athletes from 149 countries around the world, the largest number ever. After Choue first raised the idea of a “Taekwondo Peace Corps” at an international forum in Leuven Belgium in 2007, he proposed an expanded concept of a “Sports Peace Corps,” involving all summer Olympics sports. As of February 2011, 418 taekwondo instructors have been dispatched to 63 different nations around the world on six occasions to teach the culture and virtues of taekwondo. Each of dispatched team is comprised of four comp

Apr 29, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Others

North Korea offered to co-host ceremony for Chondogyo anniversary

By Shim Jae-yun North Korea has proposed talks to discuss religious and humanitarian issues in time for the April 5 anniversary of Chondogyo, a Korean religion. “The North made an offer on Feb. 2 to hold a joint anniversary ceremony in Seoul,” Yim Woon-kil, the supreme leader of Chondogyo, said during an exclusive interview with The Korea Times at his office in central Seoul. He said the proposal was made by representatives of Cheongwoodang (youth political party), a body of North Korea’s Chondogyo, led by Yoo Mi-young. Yoo is the daughter of the late legendary independence activist Yoo Duk-ryul who was active in North Korea. Pyongyang wants to hold a working-level meeting in Gaeseong, North Korea, to discuss the matter, Yim said. “Given the lingering tension between the South and North, we have yet to discuss details with government authorities such as the Ministry of Unification on whether to proceed with the proposal or not,” he said. In North Korea, religious bodies including Chondogyo are politically motivated, though there are allegedly a huge number of Chon

Feb 28, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Opinion

PyeongChangs dream goes on

By Shim Jae-yun The people of PyeongChang seem full of the dream of hosting the global sports gala that has never been held on Korean soil, prompted by a largely positive appraisal from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on their city’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Games. The IOC Evaluation Commission gave high marks to the city’s preparations, the people’s passion and the government support, as it wrapped up its five-day inspection Saturday. For PeyongChang it was propitious to see heavy snow from the day the IOC delegation arrived here on Feb. 14. Korea has been upping their stake in the bid for the winter games. President Lee Myung-bak visited the small town for face-to-face meetings with the delegates while reiterating the government’s full-fledged support for the bid. Another big name in front of the national campaign was Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics, an official sponsor for the Winter Games. Lee accompanied the delegates for presentations and on-site inspections making the most of his status as an IOC member permitted to have free access to the

Feb 23, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Arts & Theater

Kyungmin College focuses on practical education based on filial piety

By Shim Jae-yun The so-called “hyo” (孝: filial piety) and (忠: allegiance or loyalty) have long been traditional values that are probably most cherished in Korea. These values appear to be in dire need nowadays, when quick-witted selfishness is usually preferred to respect and consideration of others including parents, in particular. The need seems all the more urgent when people are desperate to seek a better school background and more wealth rather than mental and emotional significance. Given this, Kyungmin College is drawing attention as it focuses on hyo and chung alongside highly practical programs for students, in a rare case among domestic higher learning institutes. Departments are meant to provide students with higher opportunities to get jobs after graduation for instance, as a hotel chef, cartoonist or animator, furniture/interior designer, beauty skin care specialist and preschool educator among others. “We are eager to raise human resources capable of contributing to the nation based on the traditional value and state-of-the-art skills and affluent kno

Dec 5, 2010By Shim Jae-yun

People & Events

Mayor Cho eager to make Hadong County eco-friendly town

By Shim Jae-yun Hadong County in South Gyeongsang Province is noted for scenic natural environment as it is cozily nestled on land alongside Seomjin River flowing into South Sea. It is also embraced by Mt. Jiri, the most populous destinations for nature loving people in Korea. Just off Handong is Hallyeohaesang National Park, a 120km-long sea route dotted with numerous islets and historical heritages including those related to Admiral Yi Sun-sin who fought against Japan during the Joseon Kingdom. “Hadong is the only county possessing two national parks in the country,’’ Cho You-haeng, mayor of Hadong County said in an interview with The Korea Times. Recognized for its eco-friendly circumstance, Hadong’s Akyang-myeon district was named a slow city by the Citta Slow International Assembly on Feb. 6, 2009. “The inspection team during a visit to the town commented about the Korea’s first wide tea plantation called “hadong-nokcha” and Daebong persimmons, both of which were presented to the kings during the early Joseon Kingdom,” he said. Dubbed “gift from heaven” the t

Nov 15, 2010By Shim Jae-yun

Sports

Taekwondo fortifying position as official Olympic sport

By Shim Jae-yun Eager to shed still lingering legacies of the past, the national martial art taekwondo is now focusing on further enhancing fairness and excitement of its matches alongside managerial transparency. Toward that end, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has been initiating a package of measures featuring the introduction of the instant video replay, revising competition rules and introducing a stricter accounting system. All these and other efforts came with a 2013 IOC evaluation of taekwondo and other Olympic sports regarding their suitability as a continued part of the official program of the 2020 Olympics in mind. The national sport has been desperate to solidify its status as an Olympic sport in the face of challenges from similar martial arts such as karate, in particular. WTF president Choue Chung-won has been raising the standard for all the reformative projects over the past six years since he took office in 2004, to great success. Fresh from his recent visit to Beijing for the SportAccord Combat Games and Singapore for the inaugural Youth Ol

Sep 8, 2010By Shim Jae-yun

Shim Jae-yun

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