English fever catches on among K-stars Counterclockwise from the top, actor Lee Byung-hun, left, poses with Hollywood star Bruce Willis during a promotional event for action comedy film “Red 2,” in which Lee speaks only in English. Actress Bae Doo-na, right, waves her hand while posing with Halle Berry at a promotional event for American sci-fi film “Cloud Atlas.” Singer and actor Rain, right, who is known as Jung Ji-hoon, talks with a foreign film crew while shooting American action film “Ninja Assassin.” / Korea Times file'Having fun is crucial in learning foreign language since it’s long race’By Park Si-sooThe Korea-China relationship is closer than ever. Some diplomatic analysts attribute it to President Park Geun-hye delivering a speech in Chinese at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University in June.She spoke in Chinese for only five minutes in the early part of her 20-minute speech, during which she made multiple pronunciation errors. But the “unprecedented” event, given that a head of state normally speaks only one or two sentences in tAug 5, 2013
Icheon ceramics to be on display in US By Kim Ji-sooCeramics from Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, will go on exhibition in October at the America Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in Pasadena, Calif. A total of 180 works including blue, white and grayish-blue powdered celadon produced in the town east of Seoul will be on display for 77 days under the title “Icheon ― the Renaissance of Korean Traditional Ceramics.”During the exhibition, about 200 ceramic products will also be on sale at the museum’s shopping mall, according to Icheon officials. Icheon is known as a ceramics hub in Korea, where there are estimated 420 kilns and about 15 master artists focusing on the blue celadon of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) and the white celadon of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Five master or master-level potters from Icheon will hold a workshop during the event. They are Yu Yong-chul of Nokweon Ceramics, Kim Seong-tae of Songweol Ceramics, Lee Hyang-gu of Namyang Ceramics, Choi In-gyu of Janghwi Ceramics and Jo Se-yeon of Bogwang Ceramics.“The exhibition at AMOCA is significant in that the work from Icheon will bAug 4, 2013
Korea's growing role in international society Chang Won-suk, center, a senior researcher of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), poses with students of the Korean language and literature department at the Taras Schevchenko University of Kiev, one of the most prestigious universities in Ukraine, in July. / Courtesy of AKSBy Chang Won-suk One of my friends once asked me, “Won-suk, do you know what Korean people do not know about themselves?” I had no idea. He explained that firstly Koreans do not know they live in a developed country. Secondly, they do not know that the border between South and North Korea, 35 miles from Seoul, is risky and dangerous. Because I have little knowledge about the second question, I will confine myself to answer the first. It echoes Bill Gate’s recent evaluation that a developed country like Korea does not need to “catch up” with other nations and at the moment the biggest challenge it faces is to create its own way. Gate’s suggestion is in line with my observations and experience. When I visited the Korean language and literature department at the Taras SchevAug 4, 2013
What do you know about Korea? JYP Entertainment came under fire for posting a fabricated photo of K-pop band 2PM’s concert at Tokyo Dome in April, which turned out to be a misleading photoshop work in order to make the stadium appear more crowded than it actually was. / Korea Times fileHallyu backlash, misconceptions in texbooks hurting national imageBy Chung Ah-youngA Vietnamese textbook expert warned that the Korean music industry’s obsession with short-term profit-making may hurt “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in the long-term. Le Thi Thu Ngoc, editor of the Women’s Publishing House in Vietnam, said that the higher the Korean wave rises, the stronger the anti-hallyu sentiment is becoming due to the high price tag on K-pop products, which are popularly consumed in Asian countries.She said that it’s not a good idea to pay little attention to long-term satisfaction of hallyu fans in order to make immediate profits. Her remarks were made at an international conference marking the 10th anniversary of the Understanding Korea Project organized by the Academy of Korean StudAug 4, 2013
Migrants help KEB in marketing Four naturalized immigrants, hired for the retail market development division of the Korea Exchange Bank, have a meeting at their office in Jung-gu, Seoul. From left are Suresh Limbu, Choe Ahrip, Ajima Chaphu, and Liang Zhixi, who came from Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand and China, respectively. / Courtesy of KEBBy Park Jin-haiA lean figure with a friendly smile and greetings. Then he excuses the absence of a member of the special corps of five that he belongs to at the bank.Sitting around a meeting table, they talk about the sales figures with soft but confident voices. They are the first naturalized Korean bankers hired by the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB). They currently work in the retail market development division at the bank’s headquarter office in Jung-gu, Seoul.In an age when the number of expats residing in Korea nears 1.5 million, businesses targeting them are booming. The financial industry is not an exception.Many banks set up special kiosks called “Sunday bank” at the crowded streets of Ansan or Guro-gu and hire interpreters to attend to foreign customerAug 2, 2013By Park Jin-hai
iDEZ GIRLS win K-pop competition in Nigeria iDEZ GIRLS pose at the K-pop dance competition held in Abuja, Nigeria on July 26. They will represent Nigeria in Wonju, Gangwon Province in September. / Courtesy of Jerry AdesewoBy Jerry AdesewoAbuja, NIGERIA ― Nigeria is set to participate at the World K-Pop festival scheduled to be held in Wonju, Gangwon Province in September.The annual K-pop dance competition to select Nigeria’s representative was held July 26 here at the Sheraton Hotels & Tower. Nigeria’s ministers of youth, and tourism and culture and the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria were present at the competition.Ten teams vied for the sole ticket to represent Nigeria, and at the end it was the all-girls team, iDEZ Girls who emerged as champion. They will represent Nigeria in Gangwon, and received Samsung smartphones and an unannounced cash prize.This year’s competition, organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria in collaboration with Arojah Concepts and NTA Entertainment, with products support from Samsung Electronics, was contested by about 30 teams in the preliminary stage held on MayAug 2, 2013
Song Joong-ki to start military service this month Actor Song Joong-ki, 28, will start his mandatory military service on Aug. 27, according to his agency, Blossom Entertainment, Thursday. “I recently got a notice from the Military Manpower Administration. I will be entering the army on Aug. 27. I am truly thankful to all the people who supported me. As I can’t meet every single person, I want to relay my thanks,” said Song through the agency.Song made his debut in the 2008 movie “Ssanghwajoem.” He then went on to gain popularity in several other dramas including “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” and “The Deep Rooted Tree,” before success came in earnest with the TV drama “The Innocent Man,” and the movie “A Werewolf Boy.” Song said, “I will return in two years after serving. Please stay healthy until I return and greet you with a good project,” in his farewell words. Before Song starts serving, he will hold a fan meeting under the heading “Our Story” with his official fan club Ki Aile on Aug. 17.Aug 2, 2013
Period pieces dominate Korean cinema, TV Hyun Bin, left, Kim Soo-hyun, center, and Ha Ji-won, right, are some ofthe stars who will highlight new works set in the ancient kingdoms of Joseon and Goryeo. / Korea TimesBy Do Je-haePeriod pieces known as "sageuk” have been the dominant force in film and on TV this year.The three major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS each started the year with airing new sageuk. In total they will have aired 13 period pieces by the end of 2013, which is more than any previous year in Korean broadcast history.Star actors Hyun Bin and Lee Jeong-jae, and actress Ha Ji-won will make highly-anticipated comebacks in historical dramas in the coming months.FilmsAfter Hyun Bin was released from military service in April, the first thing he did was to announce that he will star in a historical drama for the first time.The 30-year-old had reached stardom through lead roles in romantic comedies such as the 2005 “My Name is Kim Sam-soon” and 2010 “Secret Garden.” Since his debut, however, he has never performed in a period piece either in film or on TV. His first sageAug 2, 2013By Do Je-hae
'Be different' (Interview with Lee Jung-hyun) A scene from singer Lee Jung-hyun’s latest single “V,” the music video of which was directed by Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyung./ Courtesy of AVA Films & EntertainmentSinger Lee Jung-hyun spills beans on lifeBy Park Si-sooA female solo singer in Korea is not usually forthcoming about their romantic life or about wanting a boyfriend. But hallyu star Lee Jung-hyun was direct and frank. At 33, many friends of her have already married or, at least, have a person who they are dating seriously.Yet she is still single and unattached ― officially.“I really want to have a boyfriend,” Lee said with a bashful smile. “I had my last boyfriend three years ago. He was not an entertainer.” She didn’t elaborate. Lee said she doesn’t care much about age, nationality and career; instead she is looking for a person with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment.“Even if I have a boyfriend, I will keep it a secret until marriage,” she said.The veteran entertainer said she finds herself increasingly vulnerable to feelings Aug 1, 2013
Playing hide and seek with her By Oh Young-jinIt turned out to be a game of hide and seek.A group of three reporters asked all kinds of questions to force her to reveal her true color. She avoided few questions but didn’t really give herself away either.In hindsight, I felt I fell for her and became an “accomplice” sabotaging our own mission.I betrayed my two other colleagues. I wasn’t sure they didn’t do the same.At the end of an interview with singer-cum-actress Lee Jung-hyun, I came to know little more than I already knew about her.When I arrived at the newsroom at a bit past 1 p.m. Wednesday, the interview was already under way in our small studio. Besides the two reporters, a video cameraman and a still photographer were also at work. I stepped inside and thrust my hand to her for a handshake.She took it with a soft grasp. It didn’t match the level of strength I had expected from the power dancer she is known to be.Momentarily I suspected she didn’t give it her full strength because she feared it would surprise me, if she did.Or she may have chosen to playAug 1, 2013By Oh Young-jin
