The Korea Times

Oakwood Premier Coex Seoul makes residents feel at home

Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul opened in 2002./ Courtesy of Oakwood Premier Coex Center SeoulOne immediately feels the warm home atmosphere upon entering the Zacharys apartment at Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul.Their twobedroom serviced apartment came furnished, including a kingsize bed, full kitchen, TV and builtin washing machine and dryer but there was more than enough room for their own yellow couch and piano.Floreta Zachary is a professional pianist, and she and her husband, Justin, always travel with the piano.Serviced apartments like Oakwood usually do not allow guests to bring in their own furniture, especially a big one such as a piano, but Oakwood made an exception for the Zacharys.The apartment walls are decorated with Floretas paintings. Her paint brushes, canvases and easel are set aside on the veranda.Floreta cooks for Justin, who has been working for Samsung C&T Corp. for almost three years now. When herhusband goes to work, she performs chores, meets up with friends, participates in a cooking class offered by Oakwood, goes shopping, plays the

May 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Oakwood Premier Coex Seoul makes residents feel at home

Travel & Food

Oakwood, first serviced apartment in Songdo

Oakwood Premier Incheon is the first serviced apartment in Songdo. / Courtesy of Oakwood Premier Incheon  Wayne NakagawaWayne Nakagawa is a retired America pilot for Continental Airlines and Eva Air. Now, he works as an aviation consultant and travels to Korea to train pilots for a Korean carrier every month.He stays at Oakwood Premier Incheon, a serviced apartment located on Songdo International City on the western coast near Incheon International Airport.Hes been traveling to Korea for nine years. Before Oakwood opened last year, he stayed at hotels in the city.He said the decision to move to Oakwood was easy after he saw the apartment. For him, the washing machine and dryer were what he liked most about the apartment. When staying in a hotel, we always had to take our clothes to the cleaners, Nakagawa said. There are many places around here that will clean your clothes, but you have to pay for it (each time.) And its a lot of trouble picking your clothes up.The retired pilot said he also appreciated the apartments kitchen, which is equipped with a stove, full&s

May 7, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Oakwood, first serviced apartment in Songdo

South Korea

8 out of 10 elementary school students receive private tutoring

By Kim Se-jeong Eight out of 10 elementary school students in Seoul received private tutoring last year and each family spent an average of 356,000 won ($329) on this, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Wednesday.The city government said 84 percent of 458,000 city students answered they had private education. In 2007, the figure was 89.9 percent.Although fewer students received private education, the amount spent is on the rise. In 2013, the amount was 335,000 won, up from 280,000 won in 2007.The statistics showed that students spent seven hours every day for private education in 2014, down from nine hours in 2007.Last year, 458,000 students were attending elementary schools in Seoul, a record low since the city started keeping records in 1965.The highest number was 1.18 million in 1982. The number gradually decreased and in 2013, the figure went below 500,000 point for the first time. The decrease is a result of the country’s low birthrate.The statistics are part of SMG’s annual survey on the health and social life of children.They also showed one

May 6, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Some ministries will have new English names

By Kim Se-jeong The government plans to change the English names of some government ministries and agencies that sound strange or puzzling to foreigners.The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs is spearheading the effort, with the help of a 12-man advisory committee.“A consensus was there within the government that there’s no rule on how to name government agencies and ministries in English and that’s how we started this,” a ministry official said, adding that the panel, which was formed in December, is also reviewing the names of civil servant positions.The committee will meet on Friday to draw up a list of ministries and agencies with ambiguous English names and make recommendations. The ministry will then consult with the ministries, according to the official.The Ministry of Strategy and Finance tops the list for a new name, among 17 ministries.“I was confused at first,” one European diplomat said. “It is the Ministry of Finance in other countries. The word ‘strategy’ has no meaning here.”The Minist

May 5, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Five politicians may face probe over PyeongChang Olympics

By Kim Se-jeongChoi Moon-soonA coalition of 50 civic groups has filed complaints with the prosecution against five people, including Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon, demanding an investigation into the preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.In a petition filed on Monday, they claimed the five people abused their authority or neglected their duties in preparing for the Olympics, thus wasting taxpayers’ money and damaging the environment.The other four are Kim Jin-sun, former Gangwon governor and former head of the organizing committee for the Games; Yeom Dong-yeol, a lawmaker for the ruling Saenuri Party representing Taebaek, Gangwon Province; Park Joo-sun, a lawmaker of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy Party who leads a lawmakers’ group supporting the Games; and Moon Dae-sung, a member of the International Olympic Committee and another Saenuri lawmaker.The civic groups accused the five of underestimating the environmental damage caused by the construction of match venues as well as wasting taxpayers’ money.Incumbent Governor

May 5, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Five politicians may face probe over PyeongChang Olympics

South Korea

Commemorative event held for 53 survivors of sexual slavery

Chung Bok-soo, one of 53 Korean survivors of sexual slavery under Japanese colonial rule, who turned 100 years old this year, accepts the best wishes from a student during a commemorative event held at the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongA civic group in Gyeonggi Province held a commemorative event, Saturday, for 53 survivors forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military before and during World War II.The event came three days after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe chose not to apologize to them in an address to the U.S. Congress despite their wishes.The House of Sharing, which runs a shelter for 10 survivors, organized the annual event ahead of Parents’ Day that falls on May 8.This year’s event was special for Chung Bok-soo who turned 100 years old this year.The oldest survivor among the 53 was born in 1916 in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, and was taken to one of the Micronesian islands in the Western Pacific at the age of 16.Chung was coerced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers until returning home in 1945. S

May 3, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Commemorative event held for 53 survivors of sexual slavery

South Korea

Han River parks to go smoke free from July

 By Kim Se-jeong Eleven riverside parks along the Han River will be designated smoke-free zones as early as July, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Sunday.Violators will be fined 100,000 won, but penalties will not be imposed until after a grace period of three to six months.The smoking ban at riverside parks became possible after the city council revised its ordinance last year.All the city’s 11 parks are subject to the new rule ― Gangseo, Yanghwa, Nanji, Mangwon, Seonyudo, Yeouido, Ichon, Banpo, Jamwon, Ttukseom, Jamsil and Gwangnaru.The river parks, more than 40 square kilometers in total, have been a haven for smokers, so the new regulation will likely prompt strong opposition.The city government said the priority is to make the transition as smooth as possible and that it is considering all options.Installing smoking booths is one possibility, but some parks become mobbed in summer.“Moving booths around in this season would be cumbersome,” a city official said. “And if we have booths, what is the purpose of a smoking ban

May 3, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Koreans resentful

By Kim Se-jeong Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s address to the U.S. Congress, Wednesday, has triggered anger and contempt among Korean netizens.During his 50-minute speech, Abe did not apologize for Imperial Japan’s sexual slavery of almost 200,000 women during World War II.“He offered an apology to the dead American soldiers but didn’t say a word about the other crime against humanity it committed. It is absurd,” Song Kyung-yong wrote on naver.com, a web portal.Another user, Kim Min-ho, wrote, “Japan is going crazy after the U.S. ignored what it did to the comfort women.”“The Japanese are criminals who have no idea what it means to be a neighbor and to have peaceful coexistence,” wrote oilk****.“I feel sorry for the ordinary Japanese who are nice and innocent. Their leader makes them a target of criticism,” according to Ki95.Many expressed disappointment at the way the Korean government is handling the comfort women issue.“This is a failure of Korean diplomacy. Korea’s security is in crisis,&rdqu

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Students to hold 'sleeping contest'

By Kim Se-jeong Students at Duksung Women’s University in Seoul will hold a “siesta contest” on the campus today to create awareness of sleep deprivation among those studying for exams.According to Love Recipe, a student organization, winners of the contest, which will take place on the school’s main lawn, will be those who can fall asleep quickly and sleep deeply.The contestants will be given five minutes to fall asleep and the jury will start trying to wake them up using loud noises. Whoever can sleep through the noise will win 50,000 won in cash. The runner-up will be given 30,000 won, and third place a pillow. All participants will be given chocolate or energy drinks.“We were looking for a healthy way to spend time. Going to a club to dance could be an option, but we want something that’s more relaxing,” a representative for the student body said.Between 20 and 30 people will participate in the contest and applications are already closed.The contest is to highlight the problem of sleep deprivation that is prevalent among yo

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

South Korea

Plan to nominate sex slaves for Nobel Prize

By Kim Se-jeong Two women’s advocacy groups will nominate 53 Korean survivors of sexual slavery during World War II for the Nobel Peace Prize, activists said Wednesday.“We are now discussing the plan because we believe the victims deserve the prize,” said an official from the Women’s Forum for Peace and Diplomacy (WFPD), one of the two organizations.She would not elaborate, saying the plan was still in its initial stages. The Korean Women Lawyers Association is the other organization.The announcement was made as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the United States. The victims have urged him to apologize for Japan’s involvement in sexual slavery, but he refused to do so, saying only that he shared their pain.Seeking to have the women nominated for the Nobel Prize is part of the civic groups’ efforts to raise global awareness of the issue. The move is also to recognize the women’s ordeals, to enhance women’s rights, to improve regional peace and to remind Japan that it has never addressed the comfort women issue, accordi

Apr 29, 2015By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

Read more

Oakwood Premier Coex Seoul makes residents feel at home

Oakwood, first serviced apartment in Songdo

8 out of 10 elementary school students receive private tutoring

Some ministries will have new English names

Five politicians may face probe over PyeongChang Olympics

Commemorative event held for 53 survivors of sexual slavery

Han River parks to go smoke free from July

Koreans resentful

Students to hold 'sleeping contest'

Plan to nominate sex slaves for Nobel Prize

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