The Korea Times

INTERVIEW A Seoul lady from Japan

Yukika Teramoto released her first solo album “Soul Lady” (“Seoul Lady” in Korean) last month. The title song is about a young woman who comes to Seoul in search of her dreams. Courtesy of Estimate EntertainmentYukika brings '80s Japanese city pop to K-pop fansBy Jung Min-hoCan Korean pop music still be considered “K-pop” if it does not feature a Korean singer?Yukika Teramoto, 27, a Japanese city pop artist based in Korea, believes it can.“I consider myself as a K-pop singer,” Yukika said in an interview at The Korea Times office in Seoul Thursday. “I sing Korean songs, working with Korean staff in Korea. If my music ― which was created by Korean producers who reinterpreted city pop in their unique way ― is not K-pop, what is K-pop?”City pop refers to a music style that was popular in Japan from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. As the name suggests, it projects an “urban feel,” with a rhythmic, funky base that is usually expressed with the minutely chopped rhythms of guitars or synthesizers.Yukika was one of the

Aug 27, 2020By Jung Min-ho

K-pop groups without Koreans

Photo News

PHOTOS Typhoon Bavi is coming

Big waves hit rocks in southwestern Jeju, Tuesday, as Typhoon Bavi approaches the island. The Korea Meteorological Administration says the typhoon, packing powerful winds and heavy rain, will hit Jeju Tuesday night before reaching the country's west coast. YonhapShips docked at Hanlim Port in northwestern Jeju, Tuesday. YonhapShips shelter at Busan Port, Tuesday. YonhapA meteorologist checks the typhoon's projected path at the state-run weather agency's office in Suwon, Tuesday. YonhapMaritime police officers check typhoon preparedness at Gunsan Port in North Jeolla Province, Tuesday. Yonhap

Aug 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Typhoon Bavi set to batter capital area Thursday

Foreign Affairs

Foreign minister apologizes over New Zealand sexual abuse case

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha / Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoForeign Minister Kang Kyung-wha apologized Monday over the handling of sexual allegations against a senior Korean diplomat once stationed in New Zealand.“We received the investigation results from Cheong Wa Dae that there were problems in the ministry's response,” Kang said during a meeting. “The case has become a diplomatic burden for the government, causing concern to the public. I'm sorry.”The statement comes about a month after President Moon Jae-in promised to deal with the case promptly during a phone conversation with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.A local employee at Korea's Embassy in Wellington has accused the diplomat of groping his body parts against his will three times in 2017. The case came to attention after local media highlighted it.Before Ardern's direct request, a spokeswoman at New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told The Korea Times that the New Zealand government was disappointed that the Korean government did not cooperate with earlier requests fr

Aug 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Foreign minister apologizes over New Zealand sexual abuse case

Environment & Animals

INTERVIEW The case for building cities out of wood

The Hangreen, a 19.1-meter building mostly made of wood, stands in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The five-story structure symbolizes the new trend of eco-friendly construction in Korea. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minKorea embraces timber as key construction materialBy Jung Min-hoKorea Forest Service Deputy Minister Choi Byeong-am speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Daejeon. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minYEONGJU/DAEJEON ― For more than a century, concrete and steel have replaced wood as primary building materials, especially for tall structures. But thanks to increasing demand for “greener construction” and technological advances, timber is back in style.The Hangreen, a 19.1-meter wooden building in Yeongju, symbolizes the new trend in Korea. The five-story structure, mainly made of Korean larch, a common tree species here, marks only the beginning of a new era of architecture, according to Choi Byeong-am, deputy minister of the Korea Forest Service (KFS).“Imagine a wooden skyscraper in the heart of Seoul,” Choi sa

Aug 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho

[INTERVIEW] The case for building cities out of wood

Sports

World Taekwondo to send relief supplies to Lebanon after explosion

A taekwondo practitioner places a flower at the explosion site to offer her condolences in Beirut, Lebanon. Courtesy of World TaekwondoBy Jung Min-hoWorld Taekwondo (WT) will provide relief funds and items to Lebanon to support recovery efforts after an accidental explosion of ammonium nitrate killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of buildings there early this month.The sport's global governing body said Thursday that it will send $30,000 and taekwondo equipment to the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation (LTF), which is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the Aug. 4 blast in Beirut.During a recent video call with WT President Choue Chung-won and two council members ― Maher Magableh and Pascal Gentil ― LTF President Habib Zarifeh said 10 taekwondo clubs in the city were destroyed.Upon receiving the report, Choue waived registration fees for all LTF athletes and coaches attending upcoming WT competitions and online training courses until 2021 to lessen their financial burden.He also said WT and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation plan to launch a campaign to raise funds

Aug 23, 2020By Jung Min-ho

World Taekwondo to send relief supplies to Lebanon after explosion

Companies

Korea promotes home-developed rice varieties amid boycott of Japanese products

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoJapanese rice cultivars such as Koshihikari have become increasingly popular among Koreans in recent years as more consumers seek new varieties of this staple food.In a bid to compete with them in “the luxury rice market,” a government research agency has recently developed and released two rice varieties ― Haedeul and Alchanmi ― which aim to overtake their Japanese rivals over the next few years.“Japanese rice cultivars are overpriced and overrated,” a senior researcher, surnamed Roh, at the Rural Development Administration (RDA), told The Korea Times Thursday. “Our task is to challenge the popular perception that Japanese rice is tastier, which is not true. Blindfolded, I bet you would choose Korean rice over Japanese.”In fact, in a blind test last year, 48 percent of participants picked Haedeul over Koshihikari ― a Japonica rice cultivar internationally known for its good taste ― which received 28 percent of votes.In some regions, especially Gyeonggi Province, Korean rice varieties have already started replacing Japa

Aug 9, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Korea promotes home-developed rice varieties amid boycott of Japanese products

Farmer of Seoul's last remaining rice growing region in upbeat mood

Society

PHOTOS Five rescued from bus caught in flood

A bus is caught in floodwaters in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. YonhapFirefighters rescue a woman from a flooded road in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoFive people have been rescued from a bus caught in a flash flood in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.Firefighters said Thursday that they rescued four passengers and the driver from the vehicle, which was caught in floodwaters.YonhapNo one was seriously injured in the incident.As heavy rain continues to wreak havoc in Korea's central regions, including the city and the Seoul metropolitan area, the death toll rose to 16 as of Thursday morning.Yonhap

Aug 6, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Five rescued from bus caught in flood [PHOTOS]

Global Community

Mudslide: New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea mourns death of former official

Firefighters search debris during rescue efforts at the resort area in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea is mourning the deaths of Anna Song, 36, its former official, and two other members of her family ― all Kiwi citizens ― after a mudslide triggered by heavy rain engulfed their vacation cottage near Seoul.According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Song, a former director and treasurer of the chamber, was found dead Monday ― along with her mother, 77, and her two-year-old son ― after landslides destroyed their pension in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.“The suddenness and untimeliness of this tragedy is beyond words,” chamber chairman Tony Garrett said in a statement Wednesday. “Anna, you were always positive and at the forefront of many of the activities the chamber was involved in and you were so passionate about your work promoting the Korea NZ Tech relationship, for which your tenaciousness was admired by many.“Beyond what Anna did with the chamber, she was an incredibly committed

Aug 6, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Mudslide: New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea mourns death of former official

Politics

Law revised to better protect athletes from abusive coaches

National Assembly lawmakers pass the amendment to better protect athletes from violence, Tuesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe National Assembly has passed an amendment to better protect athletes from abuse and violence, several weeks after the tragic death of promising triathlete Choi Suk-hyeon.Under the revised National Sports Promotion Act, sports organization members are required to report violations of athletes' human rights, including physical and sexual abuse, to the Sports Ethics Center. It is in charge of separating the alleged perpetrator and the victim to ensure a fair investigation.If convicted, the perpetrator could be suspended from sport for up to five years. Before the revision, the maximum suspension period was only a year.Choi, 22, a junior bronze medalist at the 2015 Triathlon Asian Championships and an athlete in the Gyeongju City Hall team, committed suicide on June 26 after seeking punishment for her head coach Kim Gyu-bong and team doctor Ahn Ju-hyeon, whom she had accused of years of physical and mental abuse.In her last text message to her mother, Choi asked her t

Aug 5, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Law revised to better protect athletes from abusive coaches

Global Community

'Heukhyeong,' 'jjangkkae' among pejorative terms listed by human rights body

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoCourtesy of National Human Rights Commission of Korea“Heukhyeong,” which means “black brother” in Korean, and “jjangkkae,” a demeaning term some Koreans use to refer to Chinese people, are among the pejorative expressions listed by the human rights body.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said Tuesday that it distributed an education guide to 12,000 schools and other public institutions across the country as part of its effort to tackle discrimination and create a more inclusive society.“Schools should work hard to create an inclusive environment where diversity is respected,” the NHRCK said. “They need to actively respond to the problem of pejorative terms and expressions so that every member can feel secure and a sense of belonging.”The rights group defined “hate expressions” as those that “insult, demean, belittle or threaten” certain individuals or groups of people based on their gender, disability, religion, age or region of birth, saying such expres

Aug 5, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

INTERVIEW A Seoul lady from Japan

PHOTOS Typhoon Bavi is coming

Foreign minister apologizes over New Zealand sexual abuse case

INTERVIEW The case for building cities out of wood

World Taekwondo to send relief supplies to Lebanon after explosion

Korea promotes home-developed rice varieties amid boycott of Japanese products

PHOTOS Five rescued from bus caught in flood

Mudslide: New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea mourns death of former official

Law revised to better protect athletes from abusive coaches

'Heukhyeong,' 'jjangkkae' among pejorative terms listed by human rights body

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