The Korea Times

'Moving' opens Korean-style superhero genre

Actor Zo In-sung in a scene from Disney+ series “Moving” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Kim RahnDisney+'s series “Moving” has been gaining growing popularity here and abroad. The streaming platform, whose performance here had not met expectations, has seen a record number of subscribers since the release of the first seven episodes on Aug. 9. The series, written by famous webtoon artist Kang Full and directed by Park In-je, is based on Kang's 2015 webcomic of the same title. It is about people with supernatural powers and their teenage children who inherited the powers. The parents, mostly former agents at the predecessor of the current National Intelligence Service (NIS) back in the 1980s to 1990s, keep painful secrets.The cast members include some of the nation's top box-office stars, such as Zo In-sung, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Sung-kyun and Ryoo Seung-bum, as well as rising rookies including Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, and Kim Do-hoon. With a large budget ― estimated at over 50 billion won ($37.6 million) ― special effects

Sep 13, 2023By Kim Rahn

'Moving' opens Korean-style superhero genre

Travel & Food

1st Chinese cruise ship arrives in Jeju in over 6 years

Tourists disembarking from Blue Dream Star, a Shanghai-based cruise ship, walk toward the terminal after arriving at Jeju Port, Jeju Island, Thursday. It was the first time a Chinese cruise ship docked in the southern resort island since March 2017, when China virtually banned group tours to Korea in retaliation against the deployment of a U.S. terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) system in Korea. Yonhap

Aug 31, 2023By Kim Rahn

1st Chinese cruise ship arrives in Jeju in over 6 years

Politics

President Yoon's father dies

By Kim RahnThe late Yoon Ki-jung / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol's father, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Yoon Ki-jung, died, Tuesday. The senior Yoon, 92, had been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital recently for illnesses related to old age, according to the presidential office.It said the president stayed by his father's deathbed after attending a National Liberation Day ceremony.“To avoid a vacuum in state affairs, the president decided to hold the funeral for family members only. He seeks understanding for not receiving callers or flowers,” the office said in a text message sent to reporters.This is the second time an incumbent president has lost a parent, following former President Moon Jae-in whose mother died in 2019.The undated photo shows Yoon Ki-jung, center, the father of President Yoon Suk Yeol, with his family. Screenshot from President Yoon's Instagram account

Aug 15, 2023By Kim Rahn

Opinion

Unimaginable climate conditions becoming reality

Rescue operations for missing people are underway at a submerged underpass in the Osong area of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, July 16. Korea TimesBy Kim RahnTwo weeks ago my family took a trip to a resort in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. Planning the trip far in advance, we had no idea that there would be so much rain that week. After having fun at the waterpark, which was still enjoyable despite the rain, our concerns over returning home safely grew deeper as the downpour intensified. Because the resort we stayed in was situated in a mountainous area, my cellphone kept buzzing with text warnings of landslides sent from various nearby local governments, along with heavy rain warnings.The concerns were based on our own experience three years ago during a summer trip to Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. During that trip, we met with torrential rain on our way home. The rainwater on the roads was rising rapidly and forcing us to make a detour while the navigation system was directing us toward a closed road in the middle of a city where we had never been. My family members and I wer

Jul 26, 2023By Kim Rahn

Unimaginable climate conditions becoming reality

Opinion

Accountability comes knocking: more European countries investigate illicit intercountry adoption activities

gettyimagesbank This article is the first in a series about intercountry adoptions. While over 160,000 Korean children have been adopted abroad since the 1950-53 Korean War, it is believed there have been many cases that the adoptions infringed on relevant laws of the sending or receiving countries or violated the children's human rights to know the truth on filiation. The series will review such abuses in transnational adoptions, not only of Korean children but also those in other nations, and receiving countries' move for own investigations. This series is co-organized with Human Rights Beyond Borders. ― ED.?By Ross Oke Ross Oke, general manager of Human Rights Beyond Borders / Courtesy of Human Rights Beyond Borders Defending and advocating human rights requires continuous engagement. One doesn't simply sit back and hope that the U.N. or other hum

Jul 9, 2023By Kim Rahn

Accountability comes knocking: more European countries investigate illicit intercountry adoption activities

Opinion

Gratitude for safe return

Messages of memory are put on desks in a mock classroom set up in the 4.16 Institute of Democratic Citizenship Education in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to commemorate the Sewol ferry disaster victims, April 14, two days before the ninth anniversary of the tragedy. NewsisBy Kim RahnIt is the season of school excursions. My 13-year-old daughter also went on a school field trip for three days last week. She and her friends went to a training center situated in the middle of a mountain area in Wonju, Gangwon Province, about two and a half hours away from Seoul.During the past three years and more, she did not have a chance to go on school excursions or enjoy other travel opportunities with her friends due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So virtually it was her first proper overnight school trip.While helping her pack and hoping she would have a good trip, I also grew excited at the prospect of having two free evenings all to myself. But at the same time, I was struck with a barrage of concerns, mostly about her safety.What if a fire breaks out at the accommodation housing the students? Will emer

May 24, 2023By Kim Rahn

Opinion

Aftermath of school violence

Actress Song Hye-kyo in a scene from Netflix series “The Glory” / Courtesy of Netflix By Kim Rahn Netflix series “The Glory” has become a sensation in the domestic and global entertainment scene. Part 2 topped the streamer's weekly viewership chart for non-English TV shows for two consecutive weeks after a March 10 release. Its heavy theme ― school violence ― was well presented through the tightly knitted plot and stellar performances by star actress Song Hye-kyo and the supporting actors who played her abusers.In recent years, school violence has been one of the most serious social problems in Korea. As social networks have become a strong tool to raise public awareness, more victims have been coming forth via these channels to recount past violence they have suffered, especially when the offenders are well-known public figures. Such revelations have led some celebrities to be ostracized. One

Mar 22, 2023By Kim Rahn

Films

What happened to all those videotapes?

A VHS film plays on an analogue television set which sits among stacks of videotape covers at the Asia Culture Center's special exhibition “To REWIND is Divine!” Feb. 10. Korea Times photo by Saul LathamKorea's fading videotape legacy not forgottenBy Saul LathamNothing lasts forever. The faded cases of old videotapes are a testament to that. Those of us old enough will remember fondly the sound of a videotape popping into a VCR and the distorted lines caused by fast-forwarding through the video. For decades the videotape touched us. But its legacy has faded. The remnants of its cultural boom are scattered. What happened to all those videotapes? For a rare few weeks, visitors to the Asia Culture Center's (ACC) special exhibition “To REWIND is Divine!” experienced a historic collection of videotapes and film memorabilia. They were able to touch and feel decades of videotapes as material and as memory. The exhibit featured some 27,000 Video Home System (VHS) tapes ― a combined volume equivalent to 10 video rental shops ― taken mostly from the remarkable collectio

Feb 18, 2023By Kim Rahn

Books

Gov't issues book on Korean alcohol in English

Munbaeju, a traditional Korean liquor made of grains including non-glutinous millet and red sorghum / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kim RahnThe cover of “Hidden Charms of Korea: SOOL” / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismAn English-language book featuring Korea's traditional alcohol, collectively called “sool,” has been published to help foreigners better understand the unique charms of Korean alcohol.The Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday it recently issued “Hidden Charms of Korea: SOOL.” The book is based on feature articles, interviews and expert contributions posted on the government's foreign language portal, Korea.net.The 112-page book introduces not only famous green-bottled Korean alcohol “soju,” but also traditional liquors that have not been widely known around the world, as well as foods that pair well with the alcohol and Korea's drinking culture. Under the main theme of “Sool-ution,” the book is divi

Feb 13, 2023By Kim Rahn

Gov't issues book on Korean alcohol in English

Entertainment

Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby

Actor Song Joong-ki / YonhapBy Kim RahnActor Song Joong-ki is a married man again and is also an expecting father.The 37-year-old disclosed on his online fan community, Monday, his marriage as well as his wife's pregnancy. The announcement came about a month after his agency confirmed that he is in a relationship with a British woman.“I made a pledge with Katy Louise Saunders, with whom I have shared precious moments, to spend the rest of our lives together,” he wrote. “A new life has also come to us,” he added, implying that the couple is expecting a baby.“We just registered our marriage to start a life as a married couple based on deep trust and love. We will start our beautiful journey and spend our remaining days together.”Katy Louise Saunders / Screenshot from Katy Louise Saunders' FacebookWhen rumors emerged that the heartthrob is dating a woman and his agency confirmed the gossip in December, it was widely believed that the woman is Saunders, who appeared in several movies but has not been acting for some time. She accompanied Song to a pres

Jan 30, 2023By Kim Rahn

Kim Rahn

Read more

'Moving' opens Korean-style superhero genre

1st Chinese cruise ship arrives in Jeju in over 6 years

President Yoon's father dies

Unimaginable climate conditions becoming reality

Accountability comes knocking: more European countries investigate illicit intercountry adoption activities

Gratitude for safe return

Aftermath of school violence

What happened to all those videotapes?

Gov't issues book on Korean alcohol in English

Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby

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