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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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Travel & Food

How kimchi changed Africa Yoon's life

Africa Yoon, author of "The Korean," poses with vegetables and “banchan” (Korean side dish) including kimchi. Getty Images / Marco GarciaBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Cover of Africa Yoon's memoir “The Korean” / Courtesy of BlackyoonicornAfrica Byongchan Yoon, a Cameroonian-American activist, unravels her journey from Suzanne Engo to Africa Byongchan Yoon, sparked by kimchi, in her memoir "The Korean."An experience at a Korean grocery store in New Jersey changed her life completely when Yoon was in her late 20s. Back then she gained weight from stress coming from being an activist and when she was trying a sample of Korean cream bread, an elderly Korean woman told Yoon that she was "fat" and she should eat Korean food. Instead of being offended, Yoon asked the elderly woman, whom she later calls "halmoni" (the Korean word for grandmother), to help her and Yoon began to explore a whole new realm of Korean food and its ingredients. "When I ate the kimchi the halmoni gave me, I started to feel all the ingredients of Korean food. I was like feeling the food with all the sens

Dec 15, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
How kimchi changed Africa Yoon's life
Foreign Affairs

Young adventurer lands in Korea during globe-trotting flight

Zara Rutherford, a 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot, lands at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, Saturday, as part of her attempt to fly solo around the world. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooZara Rutherford, a 19-year-old pilot challenging the world record for the youngest woman to fly around the world, landed in Seoul's Gimpo Airport, Saturday, marking her first stop in Asia.She flew the Shark ultra-light plane from Vladivostok, Russia, for six hours before landing in Seoul. The Belgian Embassy in Korea welcomed the Belgian-British pilot at the airport, which was nearly deserted due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. "Today's flight was six hours with five hours above water. (The most challenging part of the flight) was probably coming into Korea because there was a lot of haze and it was harder to see, but that was fine," Rutherford said at an interview with The Korea Times at Gimpo Airport upon her arrival.Rutherford, whose parents are also pilots, stepped inside a plane for the first time when she was just three months old and began learning to fly when she was 14. After graduating from h

Dec 13, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Young adventurer lands in Korea during globe-trotting flight
Foreign Affairs

Indian ambassador shares insights at Incheon Global Campus

Sripriya Ranganathan, ambassador of India to Korea, gives a lecture titled "Life of a Career Diplomat" at the Incheon Global Campus, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Ahn Seong-jinBy Kwon Mee-yooAmbassador of India to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan shared her thoughts on diplomacy and Korea-India relations at a lecture program co-organized by the Incheon Global Campus Foundation and The Korea Times, Dec. 9."As a national project established by the Korean government and Incheon city, the Incheon Global Campus is growing as a pioneering educational model of a shared campus of foreign universities, the Korea's first to nurture the next generation of global leaders," Yu Pyung-ryun, CEO of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation, said in welcoming remarks.The Incheon Global Campus (IGC) is a shared campus for extended branches of prestigious global universities, located in Incheon's Songdo. Currently, the IGC is home to five universities ― State University of New York (SUNY) Korea Stony Brook, SUNY Korea Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), George Mason University Korea, Ghent University Global C

Dec 13, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Indian ambassador shares insights at Incheon Global Campus
Society

'Those who chase thieves join thieves'

The four-character idiom "myoseodongcheo," which describes a situation in which people who chase thieves end up joining thieves themselves, was selected by a group of Korean professors as the idiom representing 2021. Courtesy of Kyosu ShinmunBy Kwon Mee-yoo Korea has gone through corruption in the political and public sectors this year, with people in these sectors deceiving the public altogether, a group of Korean professors said, Sunday.According to Kyosu Shinmun, a weekly journal for professors, Korean professors picked "myoseodongcheo" (猫鼠同處), literally meaning that a cat is with a rat instead of catching it, as the four-character idiom representing 2021. The journal has been releasing phrases describing the social situation of each year annually since 2001.Typically, rats are likened to thieves, stealing crops, and cats catch rats. The situation of a rat and a cat together is abnormal, so “myoseodongcheo" refers to a situation in which those who chase thieves join thieves. The idiom first appears in Liu Xu's "Old Book of Tang," which was written in the 10th-century Tang Dy

Dec 12, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
'Those who chase thieves join thieves'
Politics

Opposition candidate meets former US ambassador

Yoon Suk-yeol, right, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, shakes hands with former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens ahead of their meeting at the party's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Yoon discussed Seoul-Washington relations with Stephens, who served as ambassador here from 2008 to 2011 and currently leads the Korea Economic Institute of America. Yonhap

Dec 9, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Opposition candidate meets former US ambassador
Society

Royal stroll reenacted

Actors dressed in the attire of the Joseon Dynasty's king, queen and royal bodyguards walk in front of Gangnyeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbok Palace, central Seoul, Thursday. The Cultural Heritage Administration is hosting the royal promenade reenactment twice a day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Dec. 24. Yonhap

Dec 9, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Royal stroll reenacted
Foreign Affairs

ASEAN startups awarded for fresh ideas

Pg Khairi of Brunei's startup Mindtrex Academy presents the digital learning platform during the 2021 ASEAN-Korea Startup Week pitch contest, Nov. 29. Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea CentreBy Kwon Mee-yooThe ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) held a pitch contest for startups in Southeast Asia in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation.The contest was part of the 2021 ASEAN-Korea Startup Week, which aims to bridge startups in countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with potential investors and business partners from Korea and worldwide. ASEAN is emerging as a cradle for startups. In 2021, 19 startups in the region gained unicorn status, which refers to valuations of $1 billion or more, among the total of 39 unicorns in the region."Enhancing startup cooperation between ASEAN and Korea is becoming more important. Last October, during the 22nd ASEAN-ROK summit, ASEAN and Korea have emphasized the progress of ASEAN-Korea Startup Partnership Initiative, as well as ASEAN-Korea Centre's activities in business-to-business operation," Kim Hae-

Dec 6, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
ASEAN startups awarded for fresh ideas
Travel & Food

Purple Island, Ungok Village designated 'Best Tourism Villages'

Banwol and Bakji Island of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, known together as the “Purple Island,” have been included in the United Nations World Tourism Organization's “Best Tourism Villages” list, announced Thursday. Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooTwo Korean tourist sites ― the Purple Island and Ungok Village ― made their way onto the list of “Best Tourism Villages” awarded by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The U.N. agency dealing with tourism announced its inaugural “Best Tourism Villages” list during its 24th General Assembly in Madrid, Spain, Thursday. There, the Purple Island of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, and Ungok Village in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, were recognized as outstanding examples of rural tourism destinations.The initiative aims to encourage tourism to rural villages, while safeguarding them and resolving regional imbalances through sustainable development in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. This year, 44 villages from 32 countries were included in the

Dec 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Purple Island, Ungok Village designated 'Best Tourism Villages'
Society

Anti-corruption watchdog extends cooperation with UNDP to spread Korea's policies to developing countries

An Sung-uk, vice chairperson and secretary general of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), speaks during an online meeting with Vietnamese officials, Wednesday. The ACRC extended an MOU with the United Nations Development Programme to share Korea's anti-corruption policies with developing countries through December 2023. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced Friday that it has extended its cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The ACRC first signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.N. affiliate in charge of sustainable development in December 2015 to share Korea's anti-corruption policies with developing countries. With the extension signed Dec. 1, the ACRC will continue to cooperate with the UNDP through December 2023.“I am confident that with the extension of the MOU, Clean Portal, Korea's anti-corruption digital platform, can provide practical help to developing countries to enhance their integrity levels," ACRC Vice Chairperson and Secretary General An Sung-uk said.An

Dec 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Anti-corruption watchdog extends cooperation with UNDP to spread Korea's policies to developing countries
Foreign Affairs

Korea-Africa Foundation seeks to facilitate economic, academic cooperation

Participants of the Korea-Africa Business Forum discuss promoting cooperation in a contactless economy during last year's event hosted by the Korea-Africa Foundation in this Nov. 19, 2020 photo. This year's forum, themed “Integrated Africa, New Era for Transformative Partnership" will be held in a hybrid format on Dec. 9. Courtesy of Korea Africa FoundationBy Kwon Mee-yooDespite the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea and African countries have joined hands to boost economic and academic ties, trying to expand and diversify the layers of cooperation. As of the efforts to improve relations, the Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF), an affiliate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which aims to promote relations with African countries in various fields, will host the Korea-Africa Business Forum on Dec. 9 and the Seoul Dialogue on Africa (SDA), Dec. 10.Lyeo Woon-ki, president of the KAF, said both events are seeking to establish practical partnerships between Korea and Africa, especially in terms of economic cooperation after the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was commenced on Jan. 1 t

Dec 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea-Africa Foundation seeks to facilitate economic, academic cooperation
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