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Kim Se-jeong

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.

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Travel & Food

Best Hotel

 W Seoul-WalkerhillLuxury HotelW Seoul-Walkerhill’s luxury lies in style What makes W Seoul-Walkerhill luxurious is its distinctively upscale decor. Each room, the lobby (Living Room), the bar (WooBar), fitness center (FIT), swimming pool (WET) and sauna (Water Zone) are decorated in a distinctive style.As winner of The Korea Times best hotel brand in luxury hotel category, the hotel has colorful rooms ― with red and white ― creating sumptuous and attractive feel. The sauna and swimming pool show a palette of different colors, creating an exotic atmosphere.The lobby and the rest of the lobby floor are enhanced with wood, including wooden sculptures and a wooden installation. W Seoul-Walkerhill was art collaboration as a whole. The world’s prominent architects and interior designers have worked together to create what it is today. Among them were artists from the Bitform Gallery of New York, Farmboy Fine Art of Canada, Etkin Fitzgerald Studio and Lee Hae-hyo.W Seoul-Walkerhill has 252 rooms including 24 suites. The rooms were designed by Studio GAIA fro

Dec 28, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Victims unsatisfied with agreement

By Kim Se-jeongFormer sex slaves and civic groups have shown dissatisfaction with Japan’s failure to admit its legal responsibility for forcing women into sexual slavery.They also said the Japanese government’s plan to set up a foundation with 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) fund to compensate victims of sexual slavery was insufficient, as money is not the major issue.They have demanded a sincere and direct apology by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.“It seems neither government cares about the victims,” Lee Yong-soo, one of the remaining 46 survivors, told journalists in Seoul on Monday after foreign ministers of the two countries agreed to the terms.  “I don’t count what they have agreed today.”She said Japan says it is apologetic but has not done anything actually, saying she would not accept it as an apology.“What we want is not monetary compensation but a legal one,” she said. “We don’t want money. Those who commit crimes must take official, legal responsibility. I will fight until the day I die.”The Kor

Dec 28, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
  • Korea, Japan reach deal over sex slavery
South Korea

Police find clues for killing in Philippines

A Korean investigator, left, delivers evidence to a Philippine police officer found at the crime scene where one Korean businessman was found dead on Dec. 20 in the Philippines. The evidence includes ammunition for a 22-caliber rifle and a cartridge case for a 45-caliber pistol believed to have been used in the crime. / Courtesy of National Police AgencyBy Kim Se-jeong Korean investigators said Friday that they found key evidence and clues in hunting down the suspects of the recent murder of a Korean man in the Philippines during their investigation there.Four specialists who returned to Korea said they found that the 57-year-old Korean businessman, surnamed Cho, was killed in his home on Dec. 20 in Malvar, a village in the province of Batangas, 73 kilometers south of Manila, after being shot by four bullets out of six fired. The investigators suspect the murder was committed by robbers.During the five-day investigation, the Korean police found live ammunition for a 22-caliber rifle and a cartridge case for a 45-caliber pistol. They also identified the owner of a

Dec 25, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Police find clues for killing in Philippines
South Korea

Lawyers to file suit for release of identities of textbook writers

By Kim Se-jeongLawyers for a Democratic Society, a civic group consisting of progressive lawyers, said Friday that it will file a lawsuit against the government, demanding the release of identities of 47 authors recruited to write the state-authored history textbooks for middle and high schools.“The writers and compilation editors are involved in the making of the textbooks for middle and high schools,” the group said. “The necessity of releasing the list is big for the public interest to secure transparency and justification.”The move came after one of the 47 writers recently resigned from authorship amid a controversy over his qualifications, as he has taught history for only nine months. He had been a commerce teacher for nine years.Also, Choi Mong-ryong, professor emeritus of Seoul National University, quit from the writing team over a sexual harassment allegation in November. Choi was one of the two leading authors.The group also pointed out that even in 1973 the Park Chung-hee regime made public the identities of history textbook writers.Previously, the

Dec 25, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
  • Opposition parties unite to block state history testbook
South Korea

Legal battle set between gov't and municipalities over welfare

Ministry may take legal action against Seoul, Seongnam’s own policiesBy Kim Se-jeong Tension between the central and two local governments over welfare measures might grow into a legal battle.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday that it would file a petition with the Supreme Court to ask it to stop the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) plan to offer money to young jobseekers.It will also seek similar legal action against Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, which also plans to offer subsidies to young residents and set up free postpartum care centers.The ministry said Seoul has allocated a budget for the plan to provide money to jobseekers without prior consultation with it. According to the law, municipalities need to consult with the central government before initiating welfare measures, so as to avoid policy duplication.Seongnam also set aside a budget for its programs although the ministry had refused to give permission for them in prior consultations.“The SMG has violated the law by failing to consult with the ministry. Seongnam is also at fault for push

Dec 24, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Gov't to inspect homes of absent students

By Kim Se-jeong In the wake of a child abuse case that rattled the nation last week, the government said Wednesday it will tighten monitoring of children who drop out of schools, as a means to prevent child abuse.According to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the government will make mandatory inspections of the homes of students who are absent from school for more than seven days without provision of an adequate reason.The move follows a recent case of abuse in which it was discovered that a game-addicted father abused his daughter for two years, keeping her from attending school and not providing sufficient nutrition.The two ministries held an emergency meeting where they decided to enact the measure next month in response to the number of students who are regularly absent from some 10,000 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.Social workers will visit the homes of students who have been reported as truants, and more details will be decided at follow-up meetings, the ministries said.“Every year we collect data on students who drop

Dec 23, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Over two thirds of cancer patients survive

By Kim Se-jeong Nearly 70 percent of cancer patients survive the disease, a survey by the National Cancer Center showed Tuesday.It said 69.4 percent of cancer patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2013 have fully recovered from the disease. Full recovery means living for five years after the first diagnosis.This compares with an average 53.8 percent between 2001 and 2005.“The main contribution to the higher survival rate may be early diagnosis, a decrease of the male smoking rate, vaccinations and changing lifestyles,” an official from the center said.According to the report, 225,343 people developed cancer in 2013. The figure is a slight decrease from the previous year’s 226,216.Thyroid cancer was the most common, found in 42,541 people including both men and women, accounting for 18.9 percent of the total.It was followed by stomach cancer with 30,184 patients, colon cancer with 27,618, lung cancer with 23,177 patients, breast cancer with 17,292 and liver cancer with 16,192.All thyroid cancer patients fully recovered. Prostate cancer and breast cancer patients a

Dec 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Magnitude 3.9 quake hit southwest

By Kim Se-jeongA Korea Meteorological Administration researcher examines a map showing the earthquake that hit southwest Korea early Tuesday. The 3.9 magnitude was the strongest on the peninsula this year./ YonhapThe Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources reported that a magnitude 3.9 earthquake occurred in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, 250 kilometers south of Seoul, at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.The temblor, whose epicenter was about 8 kilometers north of Iksan, was the strongest this year. No casualties or damage was reported.Speaking to a local newspaper, an Iksan resident surnamed Lee, 57, said, “The windows of my home shook for almost 10 seconds, and I even heard a bang.”The quake was felt as far away as Busan and Seoul.A Busan resident also said, “I saw my windows shake for five seconds in the morning.”Fire stations across the country received calls from people who felt the tremor. The North Jeolla provincial fire station said it had received almost 100 calls in the morning.Quakes hitting the peninsula are usually too weak to feel from a distance, bu

Dec 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Magnitude 3.9 quake hit southwest
South Korea

Parents in war to get popular toy before Christmas

By Kim Se-jeong With Christmas less than a week away, toy stores and online shopping malls are bustling with parents looking for gifts for their children.Especially when children want specific toys that are popular, then searching for that toy becomes a “war” as those toys are already almost sold out. Such wars are repeated every year. This year, the toy being fought over is: Turning Mecard.Turning Mecard is a popular children’s cartoon TV series, and the related merchandising is scarce in toy stores. The product line is comprised of transformable toy cars that turn into different forms, such as robots, with only the touch of a finger.“My son wants a Turning Mecard character, but it’s nowhere to be found,” a mother in Mapo-gu, Seoul, wrote on a community website. “Another mother wrote that Home plus in Hapjeong had some so I called, but all were gone.”As the toys disappear quickly from the stores, parents turn to online shops, but they are not easy to find online, either.At Auction, an online shopping mall, Turning Mecard toys acco

Dec 21, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Police chief vows to punish leaders of Saturday protest

By Kim Se-jeongThe National Police Agency Commissioner General Kang Sin-myeong, said Monday that a public gathering held Saturday in central Seoul was not a “cultural event” as stated by the organizers but should be categorized as an “unreported rally.” He also said that those who coordinated the gathering could face arrest and prosecution.Gang said the two leaders of the organizers violated the Law on Assembly and Demonstration. The gathering was led by Kim Young-ho, the leader of Korea Peasants League, and Kim Jeong-yeol, secretary general of the Korean Women Peasants Association.The police said that those who participated in the gathering chanted slogans and distributed fliers, actions that are only permitted during an official demonstration and was therefore required to be reported in advance to police. The organizers previously stated that they would gather in Gwangwhamun Square to hold a cultural event and obtained permission to do this from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.“We did not order the group to disperse during the rally, but it was a cle

Dec 21, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
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