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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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South Korea

Admiral Yis statue to undergo major repair

By Kwon Mee-yoo The statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) standing in Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul will go through major restoration for the first time in 42 years for about 40 days. The statue will be moved away from the square for overall renovation from Nov. 13 to Dec. 22. The admiral from the mid-Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) is one of the nation’s most respected historical figures. He is known for his part in several naval battles and the invention of the turtle ship. The statue of Yi was erected in 1968 in its current spot in the center of the capital. This is the first time for the statue to be moved since it was erected. Seoul City said the four-phased repair project aims to mend the statue while maintaining its original form. The statue currently does not have any supports inside, so experts will put in a structure inside to play the role of a backbone. They will also weld any holes and cracks and replace worn castings. The final process will be making the statue earthquake proof at its base. “We’ve concluded that it is impossible and da

Oct 6, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Brawl of old woman, teenage girl in subway car causes stir

By Kwon Mee-yoo A carriage on subway line No. 2 turned into a fight arena when a young teenage girl talked down to an older woman who savagely assaulted the student in response. The scene was captured by another passenger and uploaded to various websites and YouTube, causing a huge stir among netizens, Monday. The video clip shows the old lady reprimanding the student for sitting cross-legged and the young girl talking back to her. Losing her temper, the old woman grabbed the girl’s hair, pushed her around and threw her on the seat in the car, while other passengers watched the scuffle. At the end of the clip, the teen girl shouted into her cell phone, “I hate Korea, dad!” and swore at the old woman. Then she noticed the person recording the scene and said: “Upload it onto YouTube.” Eyewitnesses explained other details not included in the video. They said the student sat with her legs crossed, wearing shoes smeared with mud and it had stained the old lady’s clothes. She asked the girl to remove her dirty shoes from the seat and the student apologized twice. The ol

Oct 4, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Korean sex trade abroad surges under lax monitoring

By Kwon Mee-yoo More and more Koreans are buying or selling sex overseas in more diverse, bolder, and sophisticated ways, but the government has been negligent in taking action against them. At a National Assembly interpellation session to audit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Monday, Hong Jung-wook of the ruling Grand National Party said that much evidence of the overseas sex trade is scattered on the Internet and some agencies are openly recruiting girls for prostitution. For instance, a tourist agency posted schedules for sex tours — which included information about types and number of times of prostitution, and prices ranging from 1.2 million won to 2.2 million won — on online community websites. Another website recruited Korean women to work as prostitutes abroad, with the ads claiming that women can earn up to 45 million won per month in New York. Rep. Hong visited Southeast Asia, popular for sex trade among Korean men, and found that they were the main target of the prostitution businesses there. He went to three Phnom Penh brothels t

Oct 4, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

High-rise apartments defenseless against fire

By Kwon Mee-yoo The blaze in the 38-story apartment complex in Haeundae, Busan last Friday set off multiple alarm bells that high-rise buildings are essentially defenseless against fires, experts said Sunday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported as most residents were evacuated soon after the fire broke out at 11:30 a.m. in a cleaners’ room on the fourth floor of the Wooshin Golden Suites. However, if the fire had broken out at night while residents were asleep, it could have claimed a lot of lives, they said. High-rise residential buildings lack essential safety features as materials used in their construction are far from fire resistant, and safety regulations here are still too lax. The fire at the apartment complex in the nation’s largest port city laid bare all these risks that could turn living in plush high-rise apartment buildings into a ticket for a fiery death if not addressed appropriately by the authorities, they said. The outer wall of the Wooshin complex was decorated with polyethylene panels covered with aluminum and used polystyrene for heat insula

Oct 3, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
  • Short circuit suspected
South Korea

Asiana to extend mileage validity to 12 years

By Kwon Mee-yoo Passengers of Asiana Airlines will have a longer period to use up their mileage points. The validity of Asiana Airline passengers’ mileage will be extended to 10 to 12 years, from the current five to seven years, Asiana said Thursday. The revised validity applies to all mileage points saved after Oct. 1, 2008, while those accumulated before the date will not expire. For the convenience of customers, Asiana will set aside seats to be exchanged for mileage during both peak and off-peak seasons and offer half-mileage promotions. Under the new plan, extended family members including in-laws can accumulate mileage under a single name. Previously, only spouses and immediate family were able to accumulate mileage together. The airline will also cooperate with 16 affiliates, so customers can use a small amount of mileage points for shopping, movies, hotels and dining out. Korean Air, Asiana’s rival, prolonged the term of validity for mileage points from five years to 10 years in August. They also allowed the accumulation for extended family members.

Sep 30, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

HS Seoul to increase lodgings for Chinese tourists

By Kwon Mee-yoo Seoul City will expand accommodation as part of efforts to attract 5 million Chinese tourists per year by 2014. “We will discuss with the central government to allow no-visa entry for Chinese visitors and reduced documentation for those coming from Southeast Asia under a long-term plan,” Ahn Seung-il, a Seoul City official, said Thursday. The municipal government also plans to increase lodgings for other foreign tourists. The plan includes providing some 16,000 rooms by 2014 by enacting special legislation to promote construction of private accommodation facilities. Seoul will also promote “Innostel,” the city-sponsored renovated of low-to-medium priced accommodation, and cooperate with travel agencies to invite more tourists to Innostel. Sub-standard restaurants are included in complaints from Chinese tourists and the city will designate 100 popular eateries as tourist restaurants to guarantee quality. Tour programs covering major attractions with shopping facilities aim to attract some 100,000 big shoppers from China. The city will also distribute a

Sep 30, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Travel & Food

Spanish chef sees possibility of hansik

By Kwon Mee-yoo Jordi Roca, 32, the youngest of three brothers of the three Michelin star-awarded El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, is participating in the Seoul Gourmet 2010 where he presented dishes from the famed restaurant with a touch of hansik, or Korean food. Roca is known for "perfumed dishes," maximizing the effect of the aroma of food. "People see food first and then smell it. The aroma stimulates the brain and it helps us remember the food," the chef told The Korea Times. He had no experienced of Korean food in Spain and curiosity led him to join the gourmet event here. One of the dishes he devised also added hints of his experience in Korea. "I saw charcoal yesterday and I thought it would go well with my sliced lamb dish, which is cooked with whiskey. The wooden aroma of smoked lamb will suit with the scent of charcoal," he said. His passion toward food and cooking was ablaze despite the unfamiliarity ㅡ on the first day in Korea, he almost cried and sought glasses of water when he accidentally ate too much gochujang, hot pepper paste. However,

Sep 30, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Antique group chief implicated in missing Goguryeo mural

By Kwon Mee-yoo The president of the Korea Antique Association (KAA) has been accused of being involved in the theft of an ancient tomb mural stolen from Jilin Sheng, China, some 10 years ago. According to MBS TV’s PD Notebook program aired Tuesday, Kim Jong-choon, president of the KAA, paid money to grave robbers and acquired the missing mural from them. In 2000, four ethnic Korean grave diggers stole the murals from the Samsil-chong and Jangcheon Tomb No. 1 located in Jilin Sheng, both dating from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668). The murals are known for their powerful lines and color. They sliced the mural with an electric saw and tore it off from the walls of the tombs. The four robbers were sentenced to death, but the whereabouts of the murals are still unknown. The program’s producer tracked down court records and discovered that Koreans were involved in the robbery. The program reported that Kim gave 550,000 yuan (then 85 million won) to the grave robbers and later tried to sell the murals charging billions of won. However, Kim refuted PD Note’s

Sep 29, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Will Seoul Plaza open to Chun Tae-il memorial?

By Kwon Mee-yoo The Seoul Metropolitan Council announced a revised ordinance allowing the freedom of the public to hold rallies at Seoul Plaza without prior approval Monday, but holding any rally will be virtually impossible for a while as it’s full of events scheduled by the Seoul City till February. The plaza is reserved for various special events, including the opening of a skating rink the same as last year, causing conflicts with civic groups that want to hold rallies at the venue. Civic organizations including the Chun Tae-il Memorial Foundation planned an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of Chun’s death on Oct. 30 and 31 at Seoul Plaza, but Seoul City rejected the proposal citing other pre-scheduled events. Chun is a symbol of a labor rights in Korea, setting himself on fire to protest the working conditions of laborers in 1970. The foundation hoped to offer exhibitions and performances in memory of Chun and hold candlelit vigils, while the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the nation’s largest umbrella unions, desired to host a temporary work

Sep 29, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Seven star chefs offer hansik-inspired dinner

By Kwon Mee-yoo Seven top chefs from around the world will show off their culinary skills from Sunday to Thursday. Hosted by the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) and Korean Food Foundation, Seoul Gourmet 2010 ㅡ an upgrade from last year’s Amazing Korean Table ㅡ invited world-renowned chefs and food journalists to the capital to explore the possibility of hansik, or Korean cuisine. The seven chefs are Jordi Roca and Fernando del Cerro of Spain, Michel Troisgros and Bruno Goussault of France, SangHoon Degeimbre of Belgium and Carlo Cracco and pastry chef Luigi Biasetto of Italy. These chefs will teach a “Star Chefs Master Class” on Tuesday and Wednesday, explaining how to choose the best ingredients and maybe some hints about their secret recipes. Those who want to learn on a deeper level, the “Master Class in Depth” on Thursday will feature lessons on Goussault’s “Sous-vide” and Degeimbre’s molecular cooking. The event will be highlighted by the “Seoul Gourmet Grand Gala” on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, a course dinner prepared by six chefs. Other than the Grand Ga

Sep 24, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
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