The Korea Times

Without BTS, fans have fun in Seoul Plaza

K-pop boy band BTS' official fan club ARMY members cheer during “ARMY In Action,” part of the group's global ARMYPEDIA event, held at Seoul Plaza, Sunday. Scanning 2,080 QR codes in seven cities around the world, fans can solve a quiz related to the band and fill out ARMYPEDIA. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiOver 10,000 members of ARMY, K-pop boy band BTS's official fan club, gathered at Seoul Plaza, Sunday afternoon. In the absence of the seven-member band, fans gathered under the banner of “Run Army In Action,” scanned a QR code on the big screen and had fun answering quiz questions about BTS. It is unprecedented for a fan club to come out of cyber space and hold a massive off-line festival. The gathering was part of the band's global event called ARMYPEDIA, which started Feb. 21. Scanning a total of 2,080 QR codes scattered over seven cities around the world, fans could access the quiz related to the boy band, unlock and share video clips and photos of a certain day between its 2013 debut date and the event start date with other fans. The event was designed to cre

Mar 11, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Without BTS, fans have fun in Seoul Plaza

Politics

INTERVIEW Daughter recalls patriot dad's lonely fight for independence

Margaret Chun, daughter of the late independence fighter Chun Myung-woon, poses in front of a photograph of her father, left, and Chang In-hwan, Feb. 23, who attempted to assassinate pro-Japan lobbyist and former diplomat Durham Stevens, at the Korea National Association Memorial Foundation in Los Angeles, Calif. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-hai This is the fourth in a series of articles highlighting overseas independence fighters on the occasion of centennial of March 1 Independence Movement -- E.D.By Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, Calif. ― Gunshots rang the morning of March 23, 1908 at the Port of San Francisco.Two Korean men ― Chun Myung-woon (a.k.a Jeon Myeong-woon) and Chang In-hwan ― were behind the gunfire. The two didn't know each other. Chun, 23, was the first to pull the trigger but his pistol didn't fire. A fistfight broke out with his target, Durham Stevens, a former U.S. diplomat and pro-Japan lobbyist. At the very same site, Chang, 32, shot Stevens twice in the back. One bullet also accidentally hit Chun.The deadly attack took place two days after the publication of a San

Mar 10, 2019By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] Daughter recalls patriot dad's lonely fight for independence

Travel & Food

Legacy of Ahn Chang-ho, KNA revisited

Rosedale Cemetery in L.A. is where 21 Korean immigrants honored for independence activists are buried. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiThe independence movement in the United States went hand in hand with the history of Korean immigrants to America. In December 1902, when Korea's sovereignty was threatened by Imperial Japan, many Koreans looking for safety and to fulfill their dreams departed Incheon Port to set foot on Hawaii. Most of them worked at sugar cane plantations and there were some ginseng salesmen who followed their Chinese partners. But, among the earliest groups of those early immigrants to the United States were also reform-minded young people eager to make their home country a stronger, modern and democratic nation. Phillip Jaisohn and Ahn Chang-ho were two of those ambitious people. Philip Jaisohn, also known by his Korean name Seo Jae-pil, was the first Korean to become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1890, five years after he arrived in San Francisco. After becoming a medical doctor in 1893, following graduation from a medical school in the United S

Mar 7, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Politics

Orange farm workers joined Korea's independence movement in US

Korean Americans, including children and families of Korean independence martyrs, celebrate the March 1 Independence Movement at Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 1. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, Calif. ― Some 200 Korean Americans, including children and families of Korean independence martyrs, gathered at Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, on March 1. They shouted “manse” and avidly waved national flags of both Korea and America to pay tribute to their ancestors. Among those independence fighters were orange farm workers from Riverside, California. They stood up against the Japanese occupation of Korea and fought for the freedom of their mother country from thousands of miles away. “Recalling the works of our ancestors, I cannot even guess how it could be possible at that time. The Korean immigrants, who had been barely living, working over 10 hours a day in plantations and farms, voluntarily donated their hard-earned money for the independence movement,” said Kwon Young-shi

Mar 7, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Orange farm workers joined Korea's independence movement in US

Travel & Food

Korean food goes mainstream in LA

Customers of House of Galbi have Korean BBQ during the lunch hour in Encino, L.A., on Feb. 27. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, Calif. ― At the Line Hotel, one of the trendiest hotels in Korea Town in Los Angeles, a white couple orders a steak that is served with sauce made from blackish doenjang. They amusingly talk about the spellings of the Korean word.A group of young Latinos place bottled soju on the cash counter in the market that looks like it has almost every Korean item including puffed rice snacks that street venders usually sell in Korea. In the area, spas look more like Korean-style public jjimjilbang bathhouses, not luxury beauty services. Walking in the neighborhood near Wilshire/Vermont subway station, one can even see a Korean-language no-smoking sign. A young woman in her car passing by shouts the name of her favorite BTS member “Jimin” in jubilation when she sees an electronic display that bears the photo of the K-pop superstar band on the wall of a tall building. Centering on young Americans, Los Angeles is increasingl

Mar 4, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Others

INTERVIEW 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Ralph Ahn, the youngest son of independence activist and reformer Ahn Chang-ho, holds his father's last photo taken before his death in his home in Mission Hills in L.A. on Feb. 22.         /    Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiThis is the second in a series of articles highlighting Korea's overseas independence fighters to mark the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement ― ED. Ahn Chang-ho's youngest son recalls patriotic father, his legacyBy Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, CA ― Ralph Ahn, 92, the youngest son and only surviving child of independence activist, educator and politician Ahn Chang-ho, better known by his pen name Dosan, has little memory of his father. The youngest child of the activist was unable to meet his father while he was alive, because Ahn had been preoccupied all his life with fulfilling his lifetime mission ― Korea's independence from Japanese colonial rule. “My siblings have told me he was a good father though,” Ralph Ahn said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his home in Mission Hills

Mar 3, 2019By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Politics

Former journalist becomes R&B singer

Singer-songwriter Sobae       /       Courtesy of Ilzo & COBy Park Jin-haiSobae, real name Kim Ji-young, is an aspiring Korean-American singer-songwriter. But one thing surprising fans of her music is her unlikely former career ― she was a journalist. The 26-year-old R&B singer chose to pursue music as a career with her 2017 debut single “Switch Up,” leaving behind her promising future as a broadcast journalist. “Everyone thought it was nuts. They were like why are you doing this right now? I thought about this 100 times,” the artist, a graduate of the master's program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.As a student journalist, she's met various people from gang members to politicians and lawyers to homeless people. When she was in Chicago, she and a camera partner often went to the south side, one of the most dangerous areas of the city, risking her own safety for a good story. She has recorded narrations on the road, and used an editing

Mar 2, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Trends

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Jung Sang-gyu poses with his book “Forgotten Heroes, Independence Fighters.” Courtesy of Jung Sang-gyuBy Park Jin-haiJung Sang-gyu, author and social activist, is an odd man out. People of his age have grown increasingly nonchalant to history as they are busy honing foreign language skills and pursuing higher education. Jung, who studied mathematics and economics at the University of Oregon, renounced his permanent U.S. residency status and chose to join the Air Force to fulfill his military duty. In 2014, while he was serving as an officer, he began to study independence fighters, and a year later launched the “Independence Fighters App.”“I was no different from others before. As an expat student living in the U.S., I had lived fiercely constantly trying to prove myself, competing with other students,” said the 31-year-old Jung who is a working committee member for the Presidential Commission on the Centennial Anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korean Provisional Government. He was determined to come back to his home country

Feb 21, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Trends

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Doh-ol, left, and Yoo Ah-in reach out to the young audiences in KBS talk show and tell why people of today should remember history. Courtesy of KBSInteractive centennial anniversary programs narrow generation gapBy Park Jin-haiIn October 1926, actor and director Na Woon-gyu's silent film “Arirang” premiered, and the Dansungsa cinema in Seoul was filled with the sound of audiences wailing.In Korea's first nationalist film, Na plays university student Young-jin who lost his mind after being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese for his involvement in the March 1 independence protest of 1919 against the Japanese occupation of Korea. When a Japanese collaborator tries to rape his sister, he kills the person with a sickle and gets arrested by the Japanese police, while villagers weep together.Audiences under the oppression of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule sympathized with Young-jin. They wept all together and sang the traditional folksong Arirang, as it was played in the film. In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korea P

Feb 21, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Films

INTERVIEW Lee Jung-jae less flamboyant in 'Svaha'

Lee Jung-jae poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentLee Jung-jae returns less flamboyant in 'Svaha' By Park Jin-haiVeteran actor Lee Jung-jae, who instantly shot to stardom with his silent bodyguard role in 1995 drama “Sandglass,” has starred in many dramas and films, portraying strong and attractive characters in slick black suits.Looking at his recent work, the 46-year-old actor seems to have taken off some weight and become “less flamboyant.” The star of “The Handmaiden” (2010) has appeared in the mega-hit “Along with the Gods” film series as a supporting actor, and in his latest thriller “Svaha: The Sixth Finger,” it seems his focus has been getting viewers to follow the plot, rather than admiring the actor himself. “Viewers always expect something new. So basically, I tend to try new characters. I've received many offers for manly, strong characters like a detective and a secret agent, but I decided to join this film because I thought as an actor

Feb 18, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Without BTS, fans have fun in Seoul Plaza

INTERVIEW Daughter recalls patriot dad's lonely fight for independence

Legacy of Ahn Chang-ho, KNA revisited

Orange farm workers joined Korea's independence movement in US

Korean food goes mainstream in LA

INTERVIEW 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Former journalist becomes R&B singer

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

INTERVIEW Lee Jung-jae less flamboyant in 'Svaha'

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