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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

HS Pimatgol revived on stage

By Kwon Mee-yoo Pimatgol ㅡ the old-fashioned back alleys filled with cozy, cheap restaurants in Jongno-gu, downtown Seoul ㅡ has been demolished, making way for redevelopment projects. However, it’s being revived on stage with a nostalgic appeal to those who miss the relics that have been bulldozed. “Pimatgol Sonata,” playing at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul is a musical portraying a tragic love story from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) with the backdrop of Pimatgol. “I was very worried about the musical at first, as it is a premiere of the first large-scale musical made by Seoul City,” Yoo Hee-sung, director of the Seoul representative musical told The Korea Times. Though the actual alley was demolished due to an urban redevelopment plan, it was brought to the stage by Yoo. The first act is a depiction of Korean traditional culture. On a stage comprising of simplified thatched houses symbolizing Pimatgol, ensembles sing and dance to portray the common people’s life in the alley and traditional percussion music, samulnori, leads a parade f

Sep 12, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Shin denies gambling, fails to convince fans

By Kwon Mee-yoo TV personality Shin Jung-hwan, trapped in the Philippines, admitted to visiting a casino but denied gambling while there, refuting rumors that he had been detained in Cebu for days because of a gambling debt. On his online fan community website, Shin posted a long letter titled "From Cebu” and criticized the media for filing false accusations against him. He posted he slept some 15 hours a day due to a high fever and the influence of medicine. "I feel sorry that I am staying in the hospital for several days which was supposed to have been my vacation in Cebu," he said. He acknowledged visiting a local casino with his party, but said he was just sightseeing, not gambling. "After that, I caught dengue fever and was hospitalized since then. I was shocked by the Korean media for overstating my story," he said. Shin also disclosed a photo of him lying on a hospital bed watched over by medical staff. One of his aides told a local daily that he was discharged from the hospital Thursday afternoon and moved to a hotel in Cebu. “Shin has been moved to a h

Sep 9, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
People & Events

Shin Jung-hwan trapped in Cebu

Detained for gambling debt or sick? By Kwon Mee-yoo Singer and entertainer Shin Jung-hwan, 35, known for his habitual gambling, might have been trapped by his bad habit again, but he has denied he has been involved in any form of betting. The popular TV personality, who was absent for several days from recording scenes for TV programs, was reportedly detained in Cebu, Philippines, because of money he owes to a private loan shark. According to reports, Shin borrowed the money and handed over his passport as collateral. However, he lost all the money while gambling and could not get his passport back. If he actually did use the passport as collateral, he violated the Passport Act and cannot apply for a new travel document at the Korean consulate there. However, Shin has denied the allegations through the Korean Community Association in Philippines. "We met Shin in person and he possessed his own passport. He caught dengue fever and was admitted to a local hospital," a representative of the community said. "He said he would return to Korea sometime this weekend."

Sep 8, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Public education spending lower than OECD average

By Kwon Mee-yoo South Korea’s public education spending per student was lower than the average of other OECD member states, according to the organization’s 2010 edition of Education at a Glance (EAG) released Tuesday (KST). The survey was conducted on 39 countries — 31 OECD countries plus eight others — based on 2008 statistics. Under purchasing power parity (PPP), the conversion index used to compare price levels for different countries, Korea’s per student public education spending stood at $5,437 for elementary schools, lower than the OECD average of $6,741 — for middle schools this rose to $7,860, compared with the OECD average of $8,267. The public education expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) was 7 percent — 4.2 percent from the government and 2.8 percent from the private sector. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) pointed out that the government needs to spend more on public education. “There is little difference in the EAG index in 2009 and 2010, which indicates that the government did not inv

Sep 7, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Mayor Oh requests review of Seoul Plaza opening

By Kwon Mee-yoo Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon requested the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Monday, to reconsider the revised bill on the use of Seoul Plaza that allows assemblies without having to receive prior approval. “Though I respect the city council, I also worry about side effects of the revision and proper use of downtown plazas,” Oh said at a press conference. He suggested reflecting citizens’ opinions through a public hearing, debate and opinion polls. Seoul City said the revised bill violates the authority of the mayor, as the city council chairman had recommended all outside members of a citizen committee reviewing use of the plaza. “The revised bill hands over the administrative power to the metropolitan council, which breaks down the checks and balances,” a city official said. However, the council immediately opposed Oh’s request, claiming it as “anti-democratic.” Councilor Park Jin-hyung of the main opposition Democratic Party who proposed the bill held a press conference Monday afternoon and said, “Seoul City does not understand the principle of democracy

Sep 6, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Another typhoon may hit Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo Typhoon Malou is likely going to head to Korea from its origin near Okinawa. The typhoon, created in waters 470 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, is moving 15 kilometers per hour northwest. “Malou” means agate in Macau, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Friday. It is a relatively small-sized one with the pressure of 1,000 hectopascals near its center and maximum wind speed of 18 meters per second. As the temperature of sea surface on Malou's expected route is on rise, the typhoon will grow stronger, a KMA spokesman said. The typhoon's course is still fluid, but the KMA expects it to affect Korea late Sunday. "The Malou was created in the seas where the Kompasu was originated and forecast to move northward in similar route," the spokesman said. With the typhoon coming, rainfall is expected across the nation Sunday, he said.

Sep 3, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Compulsory education planned for future married immigrants

By Kwon Mee-yoo The government plans to legalize mandatory education about Korea for foreigners who want to marry Koreans, especially women from other countries in Asia coming here through international matchmaking services. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is pushing a new program to make preliminary courses on Korea and its culture mandatory for married immigrants, a move to reduce human rights violation cases in Korea. The move comes after a Vietnamese woman was murdered by her husband only eight days after arriving in Korea to marry him. The government has since cracked down on illegal or unlicensed matchmakers. “They need to understand the reality of marriage in Korea in an objective way before coming here,” a ministry official said. The number of foreigners marrying Koreans is constantly increasing. As of 2009, there were 125,087 and 87 percent of them were females married to Korean men. By nationality, ethnic Koreans from China and Chinese top the list, followed by Vietnamese and Filipinas. The number of foreign-Korea marriages has jumped significa

Sep 3, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Comedian Roh indicted for defaming lawmaker Cho

By Kwon Mee-yoo Comedian Roh Jeong-ryeol, 39, was indicted without physical detention for insulting Rep. Cho Jeon-hyeok of the ruling Grand National Party. The Seoul Nambu District Prosecutors’ Office charged Roh for referring to the lawmaker as an animal. According to the prosecution, Roh said, “Defamation only applies to humans, not animals,” at an event organized by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) in May. Roh made the remark in response to the event’s emcee who said that his criticism of Rep. Cho might constitute defamation of Cho. Rep. Cho had disclosed the list of teachers belonging to unions and other organizations on his website in April, despite the court’s decision that it was illegal to do so. The court later ordered Cho to pay 30 million won per day for each day the list remained on his website, to the union as compensation. Upon the news of the indictment, Roh said that he has no intention of taking back what he said about Cho. “I have already been questioned. There is no change in my position,” Roh said. Roh graduated from Seou

Sep 2, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

State seal maker faces arrest for embezzlement

By Kwon Mee-yoo Min Hong-gyu, 56, former chief of the state seal crafting team, admitted appropriating 1.2 kilogram of gold remnants left over from making the seal for personal purposes, police said Thursday. Police plan to request an arrest warrant for Min on fraud and embezzlement charges. According to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigating the suspicions around the state seal, Min pocketed some 600 grams of gold left from the seal-making process and did not return equipment which contained a further 600 grams of the precious metal, which in total was worth about 35 million won at the then-market price. Police will further investigate what he did with the misappropriated gold. “We suspect him of using the gold for personals seals,” a police officer said. Min fashioned four gold seals around the end of 2007 and gave them to a politician and a professional golfer. The others were sold at around 15 million won. Police suspect the gold for the great seal might have been used in these private ones. The police also found out that the “4 billion won seal of

Sep 2, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea

Entertainers’ union, KBS reach agreement

By Kwon Mee-yoo The labor union of the nation’s broadcasting industry consisting of staffers, actors and singers reached an agreement with the Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) on how to settle unpaid wages Wednesday, just minutes before the union was to hold a press conference to denounce management. Kim Eung-suk, 43, leader of the union, said the broadcaster promised to guarantee an unpaid salary and establish a joint body to improve the outsourcing guidelines. "As all the problems with KBS had been resolved before the press conference, dramas aired on KBS, including, 'Bread, Love and Dreams,' will not be affected by the strike," Kim said. The union had claimed that there were overdue appearance fees and other unpaid wages totaling 4.4 billion won ($3.7 million) as of July. As a result, the union decided to boycott filming outsourced dramas at all three major broadcasting companies last week. The union said though the subcontractors are the first responsible for the unpaid salaries, the broadcasting companies should also take some responsibility. "The major broadca

Sep 1, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
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