The Korea Times

Fetishism: disorder or preference?

Racing model Choi Yu-jung poses for a photo, wearing black stockings. Some people have a fetish for something black.    / Courtesy of Choi Yu-jungAcceptable unless it is dysfuctionalBy Park Jin-hai, Kwon Ji-youn, Yoon Sung-wonEveryone has his or her own little secret. If you have peculiar sexual inclinations like fetishism, however, beware. If your secrets are revealed, you will be judged not only by people around you but also by the rule of law as well.Sexual fetishism is the state of sexual arousal a person feels toward an object or situation, for instance, certain body parts or articles of clothing.A recent court ruling heated up the debate about whether fetishism is a harmless inclination or a pathological disorder. On March 7, a district court in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, sentenced two men to six and eight months, respectively, in prison, for uploading pornographic video clips featuring adult women in school uniforms performing sexual acts. Under the revised Youth Protection Law, adult pornographic actors dressed in school uniforms are considered underage youth. U

Jun 11, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Chinese version of 'Get It Beauty' is on air

Tips and know-how of Korean make-up in particular those of stars are available to Chinese audience, as “Get K-Beauty” began airing on Friday through one of China’s biggest video hosting websites.The Chinese version of local popular beauty talk show “Get it Beauty” will be uploaded by the Youku Inc. once a week for six weeks, CJ E&M’s channel Onstyle announced Saturday.CJ came up with the program motivated by the Chinese’s’ high demand for beauty tips, such as makeup, hair and fashion from Korea thanks to the hallyu or Korean wave.“The ‘Get it beauty’ had been a success to Koreans, by introducing easy-to-do makeup tips. I hope a similar effect will happen to the Chinese viewers,” said producer of the program.As part of the program, Chinese bloggers will visit big-name makeup artists, exchange their beauty secrets and apply them on site.The first episode of the program will feature “K-pop idols’ doll-like makeup,” while the second one will feature “five-minute speed makeup for career wom

Jun 9, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Chinese version of 'Get It Beauty' is on air

Shows & Dramas

Theater heals migrant women

The theater group Saladboom features a play based on the real-life deaths of a group of migrant women at Gimhae Arts and Sports Center on May 28.The troupe is comprised of migrant wives from Asian countries. / Courtesy of Saladboom'Saladboom' soothes abused migrant wivesPark Kyung-ju, founder of “Saladboom”By Park Jin-haiUnder the mounting stress of the modern age, “healing” has become the most appealing buzzword to people of all ages. This has brought with it various therapies designed to relieve the tensions of everyday lives.However, for migrant wives who struggle to adjust to patriarchal Korean society, healing is just another luxury they simply cannot afford.    For this reason, a theater troupe has emerged as a soulful shelter for “wounded” migrant wives since it was formed in April to offer them an opportunity to try out their artistic talent.“Saladboom” provides various programs including one-month percussion classes for migrant women, who are fleeing from abusive spouses aimed at offering them psychological heali

Jun 4, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Four UN offices placed under one roof

Dignitaries cut ribbon at the opening ceremony of the United Nations premises at I-Tower in Songdo, Incheon, Friday. They include Kilaparti Ramakrishna, at the podium, director of UNESCAP-ENEA, and Han Seung-soo, ninth from left, former prime minister. Song Young-gil, Incheon mayor, and Noeleen Heyzer, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of UNESCAP, are on Han's left. / Courtesy of UNESCAP-ENEABy Park Jin-haiFour offices of the United Nations held a ceremony to celebrate their joint move into the same building in Songdo, Incheon, Friday.Their new home is the 33-story “I-Tower,” which was constructed to host international organizations. The building, completed in February, has emerged as a landmark in the city with its eco-friendly design.The four U.N. offices are the East and North-East Asia Office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP-ENEA), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Asian and Pacific Training Center for Information and

Jun 2, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Jang, 2PM sweep Japan's Oricon charts

Jang Keun-sukA K-pop singer and group took first and second place on Japan’s Oricon music charts on the same day of their new releases.Jang Keun-suk, 25, released his second album “Nature Boy” in Japan, Wednesday, and immediately topped Oricon’s Album Chart.“Even though other famous Japanese singers released albums, Jang ranked top in terms of sales by a large margin,” said a manager of his agency.  This is the third time he has ranked top in Japan, following his debut single “Let Me Cry” in 2011 and first album “Just Crazy” in 2012.  Jang, who has starred in K-dramas “Hwang Jin-i,” “You’re Beautiful” and “Mary Stayed Out All Night,” is popular both in Korea and Japan.The day after the release, he appeared on Nippon Broadcasting Company’s radio program “Jang Keun-suk’s All-Night Nippon Gold,” and talked about recoding the album.   Jang will release two singles from the album, the title track “Nature Boy” and “Indian S

May 30, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Cheap package tours upset Chinese

Chinese tourists look around Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul, in this file photo. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea surpassed the 10 million markin 2012. / Korea TImesComplaints range from fraudulant agents to shopping ripoffs  By Park Jin-hai Korea is experiencing a boom in international tourism, recently achieving a milestone mark of 10 million tourist arrivals, mainly from China and neighboring Asian countries, driven by the attractions of the “hallyu” or Korean wave.But cheap inbound tour packages are threatening to tarnish Korea's image and potentially slow down the global “hallyu” trend.Keen to attract tourists, the government’s tourism agency has worked to advertize the charms of Korea, but less attention is being given to the quality of the tours.Examples of these are the “dirt-cheap” kpackage deals mainly targeting Chinese tourists, in which Korean tour agencies, due to fierce competition to attract tourists, cut deals with Chinese agencies at prices below breakeven costs.“I desired to experience Korea. But I

May 29, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Akdong Musicians to join hands with YG

Akdong Musicians, a sibling duo who won the top prize at “K-Pop Star 2” audition in AprilThe Akdong Musicians, the young brother and sister duo who won “K-Pop Star 2,” will sign up for YG Entertainment.YG announced on Friday they are in the final stages of finalizing a contract with the duo’s parents and expect it to be signed within days.“We believed YG would be the best place to support our music. We’d like to make good songs in a better environment,” said Lee Chan-hyuk, 16, and Soo-hyun, 13.The Akdong Musicians became a sensation here when they sang their self-written songs on the televised music contest. Their songs “Don’t Cross Your Legs,” “You are Attractive,” and “Is it Ramen?” swept local music charts when they were released.“We will play the role of the frame of a picture. They will paint the picture, and we will not add any layers of paints on it,” said Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment.“We will retain their freshness and ingenuity.”As the top prize wi

May 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Filipino wives have opportunity to visit home

By Park Jin-haiMulticultural households with Philippine migrant wives were given a rare chance to visit their families back home, Thursday.The “Homeland Visit Event,” jointly organized by the Korean Red Cross and the Korea Airports Corporation, gave round-trip tickets to 30 households with a total of 111 family members, allowing them a trip home they couldn’t afford because of economic woes they faced in Korea. The multicultural family members will stay in the Philippines from 10 to 15 days and each family also received 500,000 won in cash to use during their stay.“Due to the economic conditions, I couldn’t go to my country and stand beside my father’s death bed. I am so grateful now that I can go and visit my ailing mother for the first time in about 16 years,” said Margarito Gado, a 46-year-old housewife living in Busan who is a beneficiary of the program.The organizers have hosted the event every year since 2010 as a corporate social responsibility program.Under the program, multicultural migrant women and their families that couldn’

May 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Stars have diverse tastes for cars

Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon’s Maybach has a prestigious brand image.Sexy icon Lee Hyo-ri’s Nissan Cube caused a fad for box cars.JYJ Kim Jae-joong’s Lamborghini boasts of speed and power.By Park Jin-haiWhen actress Lee Ji-ah was reported to be involvedin a car accident last month, public attention instantly went to her car.After her short-lived popularity, Lee had barely been spotted in the public eye. Yet the actress was driving an Italian luxury Maserati Quattroporte sedan.Rumors circulated on the internet that it costs 30 million won ($27,000) just to replace her damaged bumper.As everything about celebrities draws public attention, cars are not an exception.Pop icon Lee Hyo-ri is believed to have driven the country’s love for box cars after been seen driving a white Nissan Cube before they were even on sale domestically.The model was dubbed the “Lee Hyo-ri Car,” inspiring a fad for box cars.When a picture of Kim Tae-hee meeting Rain surfaced on the Internet, netizens were quick to note the car she was driving.Although celebrities claim they drive

May 21, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

“Korea Festivals” to span six countries

By Park Jin-hai“Korea Festivals” are taking place in six ASEAN countries until Aug. 23.The Korea Foundation (KF) officially launched the event Thursday with programs to promote Korean culture in Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.The programs will comprise of classical Korean music, fusion music, contemporary dance, speech contests, lectures on Korean studies, and joint performances between Korean and local artists.  The festivals, in their second year following success in Brazil last year, will help boost the hallyu (Korean wave) boom in the Asian region, said an official of the foundation.“After the first festival, Korea’s “soft-power” index, that measures cultural influence, soared to 74.3 in 2012 from 60.7 in 2008,” he said.  The non-profit group has been at the forefront of “public diplomacy,” to heighten Korea’s image in other countries, by holding various events to enhance mutual understanding.    “From last year, we have been carrying out academic and c

May 20, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Fetishism: disorder or preference?

Chinese version of 'Get It Beauty' is on air

Theater heals migrant women

Four UN offices placed under one roof

Jang, 2PM sweep Japan's Oricon charts

Cheap package tours upset Chinese

Akdong Musicians to join hands with YG

Filipino wives have opportunity to visit home

Stars have diverse tastes for cars

“Korea Festivals” to span six countries

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