The Korea Times

Ubiquitous Healthy City conference in Gangnam

By Kwon Mee-yoo The Gangnam District Office is hosting a four-day conference on the promotion of healthcare and medical services among domestic and international cities until Friday at Coex. The fourth global conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) highlights policies for a “Ubiquitous Healthy City” and the district of Gangnam will promote state-of-the-art technologies offered in the area enabling citizens to get medical services ubiquitously. AFHC is a group of Western Pacific cities collectively aiming at the care and promotion of their citizen’s health. Founded in 2004, 158 cities from 11 countries participate in the alliance, holding a general assembly every two years. This year the host district will take the participants to the Yangjae Stream U-Health Park. The park is equipped with RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) technology and visitors to the park can register their information at the visitor’s center. After registration, the center provides healthcare services based on each person’s regular amount of exercise, collected automatically. Fo

Oct 26, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Man caught for firing crossbow for no refund

By Kwon Mee-yoo A man in his 40s fired crossbow at a department store clerk who declined to give him a refund. The Cheonan Dongnam Police Station sought an arrest warrant for a man identified as Hwang, 48, for attempted murder, Monday. Hwang went to the department store last Friday, carrying a crossbow, flammable paint thinners and gasoline to the office and threatened to murder the staff members there. He fired a bolt at an employee and threatened others who tried to disarm him. Police said Hwang had bought some 10 million won worth of clothes three years ago, recognizing them as new products. However, he later found out the products were carried forward from the previous season and asked for a refund. At the time the department store said the goods could not be returned for a refund. The man took the case to court, but recently lost a final ruling. Police confiscated a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder, 14 butane gas canisters, 13 bottles of paint thinners and 32 lighters from Hwang’s car, parked in the underground lot of the department store.

Oct 25, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

Others

Acupuncture advances to aesthetic use

By Kwon Mee-yoo In Oriental medicine, there are meridian pathways in our body ― the route along which vital energy flows ― and acupoints, the energy-concentrated spots suitable for acupuncture. There are eight meridian paths in the face, out of a total 14, and numerous acupoints along the pathways. If the energy on these routes becomes stagnant or blocked, it causes facial trouble such as pigmentation and decrease of suppleness. Cosmetic acupuncture, which is to stimulate the acupoints to ensure the smooth flow of energy through the pathways and overall positive energy, is very “in” at the moment. Lee Eun-mi, chief of the Lee Eun-mi Natural Oriental Medical Clinic in Myeong-dong, Seoul, uses special silver needles to stimulate acupoints in the head, face and neck to reduce face size and wrinkles, as well as perform facelifts along with other benefits. “This is a very simple and painless procedure. The patients can go out to sightsee and shop right after the cosmetic operation with a more beautified face,” Lee said. “The effect is proven and some Japanese tourists co

Oct 24, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Cabbage prices fluctuating widely

By Kwon Mee-yoo Kimchi, probably the representative Korean side dish, has disappeared from many restaurants over the past few months due to soaring napa cabbage prices as a result of a supply shortage. Many housewives have waited in long lines to buy the vegetable at lower-than market prices at state-funded food stands. To bring down the price here, the government and large retailers have imported cabbages from China But it will soon change, market watchers said, as cabbage prices have declined to the previous year’s level as farmers have provided more of the vegetable to the market in recent weeks. Now, it is feared that the price may plunge steeply in the run-up to the year’s end as more cabbages are cultivated and sold in time for the kimchi-making season. The price of the cup-shaped Chinese cabbage dropped to 2,300 won per head at the Nonghyup Hanaro Mart in southern Seoul Friday. It was a significant decline compared to 8,800 won three weeks ago. Analysts say the price is likely to nosedive in December as winter cabbage will be shipped out. The National Agricul

Oct 24, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Appealing faces for each race created

By Kwon Mee-yoo A Korean plastic surgeon Sunday unveiled composite photos of the most appealing female face for each ethnicity. Rhee Seung-chul of Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery published a paper on “Attractive Composite Faces” of various races and ethnic groups in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the journal of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The “attractive” faces were created by composing famous actresses of each country — 13 Africans, 16 Caucasians, 20 Chinese and 14 Japanese. For instance, Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox, and Scarlet Johansson are included in the Caucasian examples, while the African models include Rihanna, Agbani Darego, Yamin Warsame and others. The faces of Chinese entertainers used for the morphed image are Wei Tang, Li Gong, Maggie Cheung among others, while the Japanese sample is a combination of Juri Ueno, Yuu Aoi, Ryoko Hirosue and 11 more faces. According to Rhee’s composite picture, the attractive Japanese face has a relatively long stucture with a narrow chin

Oct 24, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel & Food

Shops not to miss in Coex

Evan Record In Korea, most record shops have closed or merged with bookstores or other shops. Evan Record is one of the remaining big music stores in Korea. Visitors can check out newly released albums and sample them before making a purchase. The record shop has a large selection of various genres and is also a good place for spotting celebrities. (02) 6002-1000 Kinki Robot Kinki Robot is a small but colorful shop full of artsy toys and figurines such as Be@rbrick and Dunny. The store also has the Korean platform toy Ouip, made by Delitoys. The plush toy Uglydoll, created by Kim Sun-min and her husband David Horvath, is also available. (02) 552-3933 W Concept Red Get luxurious brand names at low prices at W Concept Red, an outlet mall in the middle of the city. The two-story shop offers a wide range of high quality items from clothes and shoes to accessories and cosmetics at lower than regular retail prices. (02) 565-8477

Oct 21, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel & Food

Coex ㅡ everything for everyone

The following is the first in a series of articles featuring tourist sites in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, where both domestic and foreign tourists can experience an alluring blend of modern and traditional attractions. — ED. By Kwon Mee-yoo Since it opened in May 2000, more than 500 million people have visited Coex Mall in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, and it has become a place that harbors myriads of memories, untold number of dining and shopping experiences as well as cinematic relevance. Coex is a place where Seoulites, as well as international tourists, meet, eat and fall in love. Couples go on their first date at Coex, while marriage proposals, future plans and promises are made. Some go to watch an entertaining movie, while others enjoy browsing and shopping in between conferences and seminars. Choi Bum-kyu, 23, a junior in the College of Business Administration at Chung-Ang University, says Coex is where he often meets his friends. “Everyone is familiar with the Coex Mall and it is easy to make appointments to meet here,” he said. The mall is accessible from

Oct 21, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

PM draws fire over free subway tickets for elderly

By Kwon Mee-yoo Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik’s criticism of giving free subway tickets to the elderly is drawing a public outcry. People over 65 can ride the subway for free, but the prime minister said it is not proper to give the benefit to all of them, regardless of their wealth. Kim said, “The less benefits for the rich, the better.” He called it “excessive welfare,” implying there will be a cut in the number of seniors who can ride the subway for free. Giving free transportation to the aged is considered a positive welfare program, but it is also seen as one of the causes of the operators’ increasing deficit. According to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, the amount of exempted fares for senior citizens reached 337 billion won last year, about a 50 percent jump from 2005. An increasing number of elderly citizens also burden the free transportation service. When the program was first introduced in the early 1980s, people over 65 took up only 3.9 percent of the population, but they account for 11 percent now and their numbers are expected to rea

Oct 21, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Cadmium octopus actually from China

Deceptive seller arrested By Kwon Mee-yoo A small octopus, called “nakji” in Korean, is sparking continuous trouble for Seoul City. Seoul City regulations have warned that the ink and intestines in the bodies of small octopi are harmful, citing the outcome of research conducted by an affiliate, which showed they contained excessive cadmium. However, the prosecution said Tuesday one of the three octopus samples as domestic catches was from China. The prosecution arrested two sellers of octopus who sold Chinese produce labeled as Korean to some major discount stores by submitting fake certificates of origin. The city had collected nine samples of octopus, one kilogram each, from various retailers including department stores, discount stores and traditional markets. As most of the octopus being sold was from China, they took six Chinese samples and three local ones. However, one of the samples considered domestic turned out to be Chinese, making seven samples from China. Chinese octopi contained a higher amount of cadmium than domestic ones, but those caught in

Oct 19, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

South Korea

Dog owners warned to scoop up poop at parks

By Kwon Mee-yoo Those who do not clean up their pet’s waste or do not have them on a leash at local parks will face a penalty of up to 70,000 won from this week. Seoul City said Sunday that it would clamp down on pet owners for not cleaning up their animals’ excrement in 17 local parks. People must also keep their pets on leashes. Among the parks to be monitored and subject to the fines are Namsan Park, Dream Forest, Ttukseom Seoul Forest, and the World Cup Park. The municipal government inserted an article imposing a 50,000 won fine for unleashed pets and 70,000 won for not clearing up waste in 2007, but the city did not enforce the penalty strongly. “The number of pets in Seoul reached 1.5 million as of last year and there is trouble between park users and pet lovers. We have no choice but to crack down on violators now,” a city official said. The city asks pet owners to walk their pets leashed and with waste bags. “Fierce dogs should be muzzled when brought outdoors as well,” the official added. 공원에서 배설, 애완견 주인 벌금 7만원 부과 이번 주부터 공원에서 애완견의 똥을 치우지 않거나

Oct 17, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Ubiquitous Healthy City conference in Gangnam

Man caught for firing crossbow for no refund

Acupuncture advances to aesthetic use

Cabbage prices fluctuating widely

Appealing faces for each race created

Shops not to miss in Coex

Coex ㅡ everything for everyone

PM draws fire over free subway tickets for elderly

Cadmium octopus actually from China

Dog owners warned to scoop up poop at parks

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