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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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South Korea

HOTEL LOBBY

 Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s signature restaurant “Feast” will present an Indian food promotion, India@Feast, from March 13-22.A guest chef from Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway will be in charge of menus which include dal makhani, a dish of black lentils finished with cream and ghee, “tandoori lamb chops, lamb chops cooked with Indian spices, gulab jamon,” an Indian milk dumpling with sugar syrup and carrot halwa, grated carrot with sugar, almond and cardamom milk. The lunch buffet will cost 60,000 won during weekdays, while the price is 80,000 won for dinner. On Saturdays and Sundays, the feast will cost 89,000 won and 85,000 won, respectively, with seafood and grilled meat buffet extra. Tax and service charges are included. For more information and reservations, call (02)2211-1710.  Sheraton Incheon Hotel’s Chinese restaurant YUE will present authentic Cantonese food with two chefs from Hong Kong from March 13-22.Two chefs ― Chan Lap Sun and Lee Jam Ho ― will prepare Yunnan fish with ham sauce, abalone

Feb 26, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
HOTEL LOBBY
South Korea

W Seoul to offer 'Hot Spring' package

W Seoul-Walkerhill’s outdoor Hinoki bath tubs / Courtesy of W Seoul-WalkerhillBy Kim Se-jeong Freezing while waiting for a bus or a taxi is an everyday story for many Seoul residents during the winter. However, there’s a place in Seoul where a winter day can be refreshing and warm: the WATER Zone at W Seoul-Walkerhill.The outdoor sauna deck on the third floor of the hotel has two Hinoki tubs overlooking the Han River and the highways that run along. Skyline in Gangnam, southern Seoul is in sight too.Hinoki is a Japanese word referring to a type of tree. Famous in Japan, traditional bath tubs made of the Hinoki tree have also earned recognition in Korea and made it into its hotels.The hot water in the Hinoki tubs protects the body from the icy, often subzero air. Fresh air fills the nose ― the colder the day is, the fresher the air feels at the deck.This warm yet refreshing experience is available through the W Seoul’s “Hot Spring” package throughout the month of March. “Wonderful” room The package includes a one-night stay

Feb 26, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
W Seoul to offer 'Hot Spring' package
South Korea

Heat wave victims expected to double by 2040

The number of people who die during heat waves is expected to double by 2040 due to climate change, according to a government report Tuesday.According to the 2014 climate change assessment report drafted by the Ministry of Environment and Korea Meteorological Administration, seven people per 1 million died in Seoul annually between 2001 and 2010, but by 2040, the number could reach 15.The assessment is the result of collaboration among 155 experts who analyzed more than 2,500 studies done in Korea and abroad.Between 1954 and 1999, Korea experienced the temperature increase by 0.23 degrees Celsius, and 0.5 degrees between 2001 and 2010. The report said the temperature will increase 4 degrees by 2040 if nothing is done now. Even if drastic measures are taken, the temperature will increase 2 degrees by that year, the report said.It also said the sea water temperature near Korea is rising quicker than the global average, and that could bring about a faster rise in coastal sea levels.

Feb 24, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Most parents do not want to cut spending on English lessons

By Kim Se-jeongNine out of 10 parents have no intention of spending less on English education for their children, a survey released Monday shows.The survey results could be seen as an embarrassment for the government, which plans to adopt an absolute grading system for the English section of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) next year in an effort to cut excessive spending on English education.According to the survey of 514 parents by Yoon English School, a private education company, 93.2 percent of the respondents do not want to cut their spending on private English lessons. Only 6.8 percent said they plan to spend less.Under the new grading system, students will receive the same grade if their scores exceed set levels. The ministry said the measure aims to curb household spending on English education.Last year, Koreans spent almost 18 trillion won on private education, one-third of which was for English education.When asked why they do not plan to cut spending on English lessons, 51.8 percent said the importance of English education goes beyond CSAT scores. Almost 23 perce

Feb 23, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Report on flag flying enrages people

By Kim Se-jeong A local daily reported Monday that the government plans to make it obligatory for all buildings to have space to fly the national flag.The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs denied the report by The Kyunghyang Shinmun, which has created a torrent of angry comments toward the government. “So President Park Geun-hye, are you now looking for people to accuse of being pro-North Korea?” a contributor wrote on Agora, a popular website.“Are we living under dictatorship still?” another wrote. “Enforcing people to fly flags won’t make them patriotic. Loving my country is only possible when I feel equal and respected. The first thing the government must do is uproot corruption.”Other comments included: “This must be part of brainwashing,” “I feel like I am living in North Korea,” “Korea is definitely going backwards,” and “This means the government can control children’s behavior at home by enforcing sons and daughters to bow to their parents every morning. Wh

Feb 23, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Nowon district chief takes lead in green energy

By Kim Se-jeongKim Sung-whanNowon District Office chiefSome lessons are learned the hard way. This was the case for Kim Sung-whan, chief of Nowon District Office in northeastern Seoul, when it came to green energy.In November 2011, the district office found asphalt concrete on a road in Wolgye-dong was radioactive and proceeded to remove all 460 tons of the cesium-contaminated concrete. However, it had no place to properly dispose of the waste; the country’s only radioactive waste storage facility in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, refused to accept it citing complaints from local residents. Amid mounting concerns, the local government moved the composite material twice ― first to an old public swimming pool site and then to one of its compounds ― before finally depositing it in a Gyeongju storage facility last year.Money was a big issue in the disposal of the waste. Nowon spent 900 million won ($817,067) to get the cesium out of the concrete. The concrete manufacturer was at fault, but the company had gone bankrupt and could not pay for the disposal.Nowon asked

Feb 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
Nowon district chief takes lead in green energy
South Korea

Teacher is most coveted job for teenagers

By Kim Se-jeong The most coveted job for middle and high school students in Korea is a school teacher, according to a recent survey.The state-run Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training poll showed a preference for the profession in both male and female students. Among elementary school students, female students wanted to be teachers, while male students said they wanted to be athletes.The institute asked a total of 180,402 students ― 73,262 from elementary schools, 62,203 from middle schools and 44,937 from high schools.The percentage of middle school students who wanted to be teachers was 28.3 percent ― 8.9 percent among males and 19.4 among females; as did 24.6 percent of high school students ― 9 percent of males and 15.6 percent of females. Among elementary school students, 17.8 percent of female students said they wanted to be a teacher, while 21.1 percent of males wanted to be athletes.The list of other favored jobs included doctors, scientists, researchers, entertainers, entrepreneurs, lawyers and chefs. Female students also showed a

Feb 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

Lawmakers to debate warning photos on cigarette packs

By Kim Se-jeong Lawmakers will start debating Tuesday whether to make it mandatory for cigarette makers to print photos on cigarette packs showing the dangers of smoking.The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee will review the government’s proposal to revise laws so they require warning photos such as damaged lungs or rotten teeth. Currently, tobacco makers are required only to print a health warning.Observers said there is a good chance the revisions will take place. The government has made 11 unsuccessful attempts to have warning photos on cigarette packs since 2002.“Many committee members agree it’s time for the mandatory warning photos,” said Rep. Kim Sung-ju of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, a member of the committee. “We need to figure out how and when to start it.”But opposition is strong from smokers, who claim smoking is a basic right granted by the Constitution. Lobbying from tobacco companies is also an obstacle.The government has recently taken strong steps to ban or restrict smoking.The Ministry

Feb 22, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
South Korea

More babies abandoned by immigrant mothers

The number of undocumented babies abandoned by immigrant mothers is increasing. These babies are often left vulnerable and calls for the government action are on the rise. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kim Se-jeongThe number of undocumented babies abandoned by immigrant women is on the rise.Most of these mothers are single and stay in Korea without proper documentation. While calls for government support for these babies are rising as the immigrant population increases, the public is still uncertain about how much help can be given from taxpayers’ money. The story of Tang Thi Ngoc Mai, 23, from Vietnam offers a prime example of the difficulties immigrant mothers face. Last Wednesday in Seoul, she gave a birth to a daughter whose father was deported to Vietnam last year when Mai was still pregnant. She and the father were living together but were not legally married. She had a Korean husband before, but he was very abusive, so she ran away from him only two months after arriving in Korea. Now, she is undocumented, with a baby whom she has not named yet. Mai is staying

Feb 17, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
More babies abandoned by immigrant mothers
South Korea

Duksung Women's University professor under sexual harassment probe

By Kim Se-jeong A Duksung Women’s University professor is being investigated for allegedly sexually harassing a female student, police said Monday.The investigation is based on a complaint filed by the university’s acting President Park Sang-im against the professor, whose name was withheld, according to Dobong Police Station.During the school’s internal probe, the professor denied the allegations.According to the police, the professor drank with the student at a bar last year, and after a couple of drinks, attempted to kiss and grope her.After the incident, the professor kept contacting the student through calls and text messages. She reported the case to school authorities on Dec. 24.After an investigation, the school ordered the professor to stay away from her and reported the incident to police.In a statement released Monday, acting president Park wrote, “Based on proof we have collected, I have come to the conclusion that his behavior deserves a police investigation.”It is unprecedented for a school president to file a complaint against a facul

Feb 16, 2015By Kim Se-jeong
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