Singing auditions at a crossroads Choi Sung-bong captivated the nation not only for his deep baritone but also for his humble background, growing up in an orphanage when he auditioned for “Korea’s Got Talent” in 2011. / Korea Times fileBy Chung Ah-youngMBC will discontinue its flagship audition show “Great Birth” due to dwindling viewer ratings andapplicants. / Korea Times fileMnet’s “Superstar K” was hugely popular when it was first aired in 2009, generating aspiring K-popsingers. / Korea Times fileWhen the singing contests were competitively created around 2011 to generate aspiring K-pop singers, millions of applicants took to the broadcasting stations to audition for the programs, which they believed to be the gateway to becoming a star.Recently, the popularity of numerous singing audition programs such as Mnet’s “Superstar K,” MBC’s “Great Birth” and SBS’s “K-pop Star” is seemingly falling. More and more viewers are turning away from the shows due to the apparent monotony of simJul 12, 2013
Kim Junsu joined by Quincy Brown on new album Kim JunsuKim Junsu, also known as Xia and a member of a Korean boy band JYJ, invited American rapper Quincy Brown to feature on the title song on his new solo album “Incredible.” Quincy Brown is the son of a famous singer-actor Puff Daddy.Kim and Quincy Brown shared their similar music passion when they first met during the former’s music video shoot in Los Angeles.The video of the title song “Incredible” was created by the same team that made “Tarantallegra” from Kim’s first solo album.Kim will appear on Melon TV on July 15, the release date of his second solo album.Meanwhile, Kim has recently shown his popularity by selling all 18,000 seats for his upcoming concert, “Xia 2nd Asia Tour Concert Incredible in Seoul,” within 15 minutes.Jul 11, 2013
Summer camps for multiracial families Local multicultural family support centers are launching summer camps for multiracial families.The Hwaseong Multicultural Family Support Center in Gyeonggi Province has opened a summer course on “Experiencing Traditional Chinese Culture” for children from multiracial families from July 18 to 25. For applications, call (032-267-8769) or email hmdc8785@naver.com.The Anseong center is launching free summer courses varying from quilting to diet dancing targeting foreign wives from Aug. 5 to 30, every Tuesdays and Thursdays.Applications are only taken directly by the center (031-677-7191).The Uiseong support center in North Gyeongsang Province is hosting a summer camp targeting elementary students from multiracial families on July 29 and 30. For applications, please visit the center (054-832-5440) through July 17.Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province is launching a “Multicultural Family Swimming Camp” for 70 families. Applications are on a first-come first-served basis.For more information, call 054-654-4321.Jul 11, 2013
'We Koreans need to change' Street signs and boards in different languages grace districts in the “Borderless Village” in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photos by Park Jin-haiLeading advocate says migrants are 'not tools'By Park Jin-haiThe “godfather” of migrants says that the country's multiculturalism policies so far have been misguided, and it’s time to change the mindset of the majority."If there exists prejudice and discrimination against minorities, policies should give more attention to the majority to educate them and change their perception toward ethnic minorities. Because, minorities will anyhow try their best to adapt to the society,” said Park Chun-ung, 52, who is leading the Ansan Multicultural Center (AMC) in Gyeonggi Province.Park, a pastor and activist, will work with fellow experts on analyzing how the media portrays ethnic minorities. He and 49 other critics who have either studied multiculturalism or have worked in relevant professions at least three years in May launched a multicultural critics association to that end. “The government haJul 11, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Hospitals seek to open overseas branches By Park Si-soo Two powerful organizations in the country’s medical industry have joined forces to open branches of local hospitals overseas that use their operation systems. Representatives of the Korean Hospital Association (KHA) and the Committee of Future Medical Industry launched a new organization Monday that will dedicate itself to facilitate opening Korean hospitals. Bae Byeong-woo, chairman of health testing equipment manufacturer Infopia, was designated as inaugural president of the organization tentatively named the Committee for Exporting Hospital and Medical Services (CEHMS). The committee was established amid growing frustration among domestic hospitals that the absence of overseas promotions specializing in medical services has hampered their overseas expansion. Bae said the CEHMS will form an extensive network with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, builders and international distributors to provide clients with “one stop” services. He said there was a growing demand for Korean hospitals in developing countries in Asia, the Middle East, AfricaJul 11, 2013
Korean class offered to Singaporean tourism professionals Participants of “Korean Language Training Course,” pose after the opening ceremony on Tuesday at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)’s headquarters. Chung Hae-moon, eighth from left in the first row, secretary general of ASEAN-Korea Center, Leong Yue Kheong, seventh from left, assistant chief executive of STB, and Kim Wan-joong, ninth from left, minister of KoreanEmbassy to Singapore. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea CenterBy Park Jin-haiThe ASEAN-Korea Centre has announced that it will provide Korean language program to Singaporeans in the hospitality and tourism businesses.The center, together with the Singapore Tourism Board, has organized a “Korean Language Training Course” program between July 9 and Sept. 17 at the Board’s Training Centre in Singapore.“ASEAN is the most visited region by Koreans. We hope that the program will further invigorate people-to-people exchange, an important pillar in building connectivity,” Chung Hae-moon, Secretary General of the Center, said at the opening ceremony, at the Singapore Tourism BoardJul 11, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Nongshim guns for Islamic noodle markets By Park Si-soo Nongshim instant noodlesKorea’s biggest instant noodle maker Nongshim exported halal-certified products worth $1 million to Islamic nations during the first half of the year. While the number seems quite small compared with the firm’s overseas sales of $440 million throughout last year, the figure is meaningful, a company spokesman said, in that it was a 54 percent increase from the corresponding period last year. Halal is an Arabic word meaning “lawful” and “permissible.” The certification is conferred on meat and other food products that have been slaughtered, harvested or processed in a way recognized by Islamic (Sharia) Law. It’s not mandatory for Muslim people to consume only halal-certified products, but it’s obvious certified products have a massive marketing advantage in these countries. “Our performance in Islamic regions is still humble, but we see huge growth potential there,” said Chun Jae-ha, the spokesman. “We will soon see a steep sales increase.” The firm expects the sales of hJul 10, 2013
'Hallyu' as messenger for Korean culture Rhie Dong-hie, head of program planning division of the Academy of Korean Studies.By Rhie Dong-hieKorea is known to be the only country to transform itself from a foreign-aid recipient into a donor.The same is happening in the cultural sector. Korea has long been busy importing Western cultures through the United States and Europe, and has been almost a recipient-only country as far as pop culture is concerned.Recently, however, the country has begun to export its cultural products to the outside world, as shown by the “hallyu” or the Korean wave. Korean pop music, TV dramas, and movies are now creating enthusiastic fans in many parts of the world. These Korean cultural products have begun to exert strong influence on people’s lifestyles in a number of Southeast Asian countries including Thailand and Vietnam. The TV drama“Daejanggeum,” better known as “Jewel in the Palace,” even enjoyed great popularity in African countries such as Zimbabwe and Ghana and Iran in the Middle East, where it led to the promotion of campaigns aimed at instillJul 9, 2013
'Some footballers genetically predisposed to fail' Korean defender Kim Young-gwon, right, a moment after his blood betrayed him in the World Cup qualifier against Iran. / YonhapBy Kim Tong-hyungHere’s your midweek update on the stories in entertainment and media you might have missed while reading about how Dwight Howard managed to find a new home before Eric Snowden or because your life is undoubtedly a lot more fulfilling than ours.Sorry, you’re not my (blood) type Choi Kang-heeThe Korean national football team became a lifeless void under the watch of Choi Kang-hee, who spent his final games as manager counting the days like a detainee at Guantanamo Bay.Now back with domestic club Jeonbuk Motors, Choi is showing more passion, launching verbal attacks at some allegedly spoiled players who were representing their country. (And conveniently forgetting to mention that he picked those players himself).An enormous amount of ink and electrons have been spent on his silly feud with Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, whose jabs at Choi on his private Facebook account were leaked and created a field day for reporteJul 9, 2013
Kim Hyun-joong to release 3rd album Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong will launch a third domestic mini-album titled “‘ROUND 3” in late July.His agency KEYEAST announced on Monday that Kim would release six songs with the mini album, and perform for local fans on July 22.Since his last album “Lucky” in 2011, he was absent in domestic music stages for nearly two years. Kim has recently joined the cast for an entertainment program “Barefoot Friends.”The six-track mini album will include the title song “Your Story,” an R&B pop version of the title song “Unlimited” from his Japanese edition album. Other songs such as “‘Let’s Party” and “Unbreakable” will add on some upbeat and Korean features on the new mini album.His agency added that Kim has been working hard on his homecoming act. Jul 9, 2013
