K-pop sweeping Bolivia Bolivian youngsters cheer participants of a K-pop contest at an outdoor stadium in La Paz on May 11. / Courtesy of Foreign MinistryBy Shim Jae-yunAmb. Chun Young-wookK-pop is sweeping Bolivia and playing a positive role in preventing juvenile delinquency.“There is saying that the K-pop phenomenon (in Bolivia) is so hot that it thaws the permanent snow on Mt. Illimani surrounding La Paz, the nation’s capital city,” said Korean ambassador to Bolivia Chun Young-wook.The Korean Embassy in Bolivia hosted a contest for K-pop dancing during the May 8 to 14 Korea Week, which brought together more than 3,500 participants. Some of them travelled for more than 10 hours from remote provinces.“What is noteworthy is that the phenomenon is not temporary one, but has become ordinary and universal culture affecting the daily lives of Bolivian youngsters,” Chun told The Korea Times. Chun is currently in Seoul to attend meetings of heads of overseas missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.He said, “It is easy to see groups of youths practicing K-pop dances in theMay 23, 2013
Jang Geun-suk to appear in Japan radio Actor Jang Geun-sukActor Jang Geun-suk will be broadcasting live in Japanese for two hours on a Japanese radio program on May 30, the Sankei Sports reported Thursday.Jang, 25, will be behind the mic starting at 10 p.m. that day on Nippon Broadcasting’s radio program titled “Jang Geun-suk’s All-Night Nippon Gold.”Other Korean stars have appeared on the show, including the late actor Park Yong-ha and the K-pop group Big Bang, but their shows were recorded before airing.Jang, who has starred in K-dramas “Hwang Jin-i,” “You’re Beautiful” and “Mary Stayed Out All Night,” is popular both in Korea and Japan.In “You’re Beautiful,” he starred with other K-pop stars Lee Hong-ki of FT Island and Jung Yong-wha of CNBLUE. Jang is fluent in Japanese, and appeared on talk shows on Fuji TV and Asahi TV last year.He is also a singer and periodically performs in Japan.During the May 30 radio show, Jang will tell anecdotes about the making of his second Japanese studio album, “Nature Boy.” He will also May 23, 2013
K-education becoming new hallyu Seth Andrew, right, principal of the Democracy Prep Public Charter School, based in Harlem, New York City, has introduced Korean culture and language learning programs. / Yonhap By Lee Gil-sangEducation in Korea or Korean-style education, along with hallyu (Korean wave), is drawing attention all over the world. The movement to learn from Korean-style education started years ago among developing countries, apparently because they thought that education played an important role in the country’s achievement of industrialization and democratization within a short period of time, and thus felt they needed to learn from South Korea’s experience.Education methods adopted by Korean colleges and texts developed by Korean education content developers are being exported to other countries. U.S. President Barrack Obama has often referred to a need for Americans to learn from Korean-style education.Korean-style private institutes specializing in entrance exams have emerged one after another in large cities in the United States. In international academic achievemeMay 23, 2013
What does Korea look like from India? TCA Srinivasa Raghavan, left, editorial adviser of the Hindu Group of Publications, gives a presentation titled “Contemporary Korea: A Media Perspective from India” at a forum organized by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. / Courtesy of AKSTech-savvy, organized but too westernizedBy Chung Ah-young A poll shows that Indian journalists have a “uni-dimensional” view of Korea ― it has fast Internet, wide access to high-technology and is well organized, but it is too westernized.TCA Srinivasa Raghavan, editorial adviser of the Hindu Group of Publications, said that Indian media professionals regard Korea as a hothouse of electronics, IT and mobile technology and admire it for having achieved super-fast social change in just two generations, while reconciling traditional values and modernity.Raghavan gave a presentation titled “Contemporary Korea: A Media Perspective from India” at a forum organized by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province on Monday. The seminar was designed tMay 23, 2013
Cross-cultural communication urged The winners and participants of the Korea CQ Awards pose after receiving prizes from the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) at Banyan Tree, Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Joris Dierckx, chief country officer of BNP Paribas Seoul; Francois Provost, CEO of Renault Samsung Motors; John Prasetio, Indonesian ambassador; Choi Jung-wha, president of CICI; Lee Nam-sik, president of Kaywon School of Art & Design; Gloria Pino, spouse of the Panamanian ambassador; and Aram Cisneros, Panamanian ambassador. / Courtesy of CICICICI honors dignitaries for graduating forum sessionBy Kim Ji-sooFrancois Provost, CEO of Renault Samsung Motors, and Lee Nam-sik, President of Kaywon School of Art & DesignCQ, jointly won the Korea CQ Grand Prize Tuesday.The prize is given by Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), to honor graduates of the Korea CQ Forum. The forum is held twice a year by CICI. CQ refers to five quotients — culture, cooperation, concentration and communication — which CICI President Choi Jung-wha sees as crucial to achieving May 22, 2013
Military becomes blue-chip cultural item MBC’s primetime show ‘Real Men’By Baek Byung-yeulSome Korean men talk as if they would rather die than serve their compulsory military duty again. A cliche about women is that they hate to hear men talk about their army days as much as about football, and hate it most when men talk about the memories of playing football in camo pants and boots.Despite this, it seems Koreans can’t get enough of military-inspired shows on television. MBC television is enjoying impressive audience numbers for its weekend primetime show, “Real Men,” which puts a group of male entertainers through a military boot camp.The biggest star of the show is Sam Hammington, an Australian funnyman with a fluent command of Korean. Putting this goofy foreigner into the thick of Korea’s macho military nonsense has proved to be primetime entertainment.Men and women are equally digging the show, pollsters here say. According to one report, “Real Men” has a share of 5.9 percent of female television viewers among the shows airing in the same time frame and 5 percent ofMay 21, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul
Stars have diverse tastes for cars Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon’s Maybach has a prestigious brand image.Sexy icon Lee Hyo-ri’s Nissan Cube caused a fad for box cars.JYJ Kim Jae-joong’s Lamborghini boasts of speed and power.By Park Jin-haiWhen actress Lee Ji-ah was reported to be involvedin a car accident last month, public attention instantly went to her car.After her short-lived popularity, Lee had barely been spotted in the public eye. Yet the actress was driving an Italian luxury Maserati Quattroporte sedan.Rumors circulated on the internet that it costs 30 million won ($27,000) just to replace her damaged bumper.As everything about celebrities draws public attention, cars are not an exception.Pop icon Lee Hyo-ri is believed to have driven the country’s love for box cars after been seen driving a white Nissan Cube before they were even on sale domestically.The model was dubbed the “Lee Hyo-ri Car,” inspiring a fad for box cars.When a picture of Kim Tae-hee meeting Rain surfaced on the Internet, netizens were quick to note the car she was driving.Although celebrities claim they driveMay 21, 2013By Park Jin-hai
TVXQ completes Malaysian tour TVXQ pose during a fan meeting at Cheongdong, Seoul, May 16. / Korea TimesPop duo TVXQ has successfully completed the Malaysian leg of its world tour, talent agency SM Entertainment said on Monday.U Know and Max put on a powerful performance on Saturday, wowing fans at the Melawati indoor stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.The duo opened with “Rising Sun,” following it with such recent hit songs as “Catch Me” and “Humanoids.” They performed a total of 26 songs including favorites such as “Why” and “Mrotic.”The Malaysian fans waved pearl red neon sticks, and sang along in Korean, SM Entertainment said. The previous day, fans packed the airport to greet U Know and Max at their arrival in Kuala Lumpur.TVXQ will continue the “TVXQ! Live World Tour-Catch Me” performing at five major domes across Japan.May 20, 2013
Korean young writers trying to make it to global scene Novelist Hae Yi-sooNovelist Han Yu-jooBy Chung Ah-youngWhen Korean young novelist Han Yu-joo strolled around small, beautiful villages in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, she found a slew of small bookstores that help sustain its rich culture. She also discovered French people who love reading, are open to other cultures in this region, and who are curious about Korean literature.The 31-year-old stayed for three months last year as part of an overseas residence program at Aix-Marseille University (AMU) supported by the Literature Translation Institute (LTI). When a Korean literary forum took place to celebrate the French publications of Korean books written by Kim Ae-ran, Kim Jung-hyuk and Pyun Hye-young, an audience of some 300 French people packed the hall of a library in the town.“They had no idea about Korean literature but just came to the forum to hear what Korean literature is about. They had no connection to Korean literature, but they were very curious about literature from this small Asian country. They were ready to open their minds to Korean literature,&rdquoMay 20, 2013
“Korea Festivals” to span six countries By Park Jin-hai“Korea Festivals” are taking place in six ASEAN countries until Aug. 23.The Korea Foundation (KF) officially launched the event Thursday with programs to promote Korean culture in Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.The programs will comprise of classical Korean music, fusion music, contemporary dance, speech contests, lectures on Korean studies, and joint performances between Korean and local artists. The festivals, in their second year following success in Brazil last year, will help boost the hallyu (Korean wave) boom in the Asian region, said an official of the foundation.“After the first festival, Korea’s “soft-power” index, that measures cultural influence, soared to 74.3 in 2012 from 60.7 in 2008,” he said. The non-profit group has been at the forefront of “public diplomacy,” to heighten Korea’s image in other countries, by holding various events to enhance mutual understanding. “From last year, we have been carrying out academic and cMay 20, 2013By Park Jin-hai
