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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Recent books-Life

How to LiveRhyu Si-min; Aporia: 344 pp., 15,000 wonOn the heels of his surprising retirement from politics, former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min released a new book, “How to Live.”“Who am I? What am I? How should I live and die? What are the secrets of having a happy and fulfilling life? And what do we need for it? These are inevitable questions not only for young people but also for those who are may be on the last page of their lives,” Rhyu wrote.Such questions might have already been oversold in many forms. However, his background, as a student leader of an anti-government movement under strongman Chun Doo-hwan’s dictatorial administration in the 1980s and an iconic progressive, make the questions still interesting and worth thinking about.Answering philosopher Albert Camus’ questions, “Why not just commit suicide?” Rhyu explores the meaning of life, death and connections between the two. The atheist’s attempt to find answers to these questions does not end up religiously, providing logical and philosophical stimul

Mar 1, 2013
Recent books-Life

Who owns history?

Members of rightwing civic groups burn history textbooks published by Kumsung Publishing, which they claim are “leftist,” in front of the company building in Mapo, Seoul, in November 2008. The education ministry caved in to the pressure from the rightist groups and ordered the publisher to rewrite more than 50 passages in its textbook on modern and contemporary history. The authors objected and took the ministry to court. The long ensuing battle ended last month when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, saying the ministry had no legal right to force changes on textbooks that had already been approved.                             / Korea Times file By Kim Tong-hyungIt was the prophetic British novelist George Orwell who provided the fictitious government in his novel 1984 with the ominous dictum, “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” And as with many of Orwell’s other predictions in that re

Mar 1, 2013
Who owns history?

Exporting literature

Terry Kim, COO of leading literary agency Imprima Korea'Foreign readers want contemporary and universal themes'English translations of “Please Look After Mom” by Shin Kyung-sook“I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” by Kim Young-ha“Tongue” by Jo Kyung-ranBy Chung Ah-youngKoreans have long coveted the Nobel Prize in Literature as poet Ko Un has been nominated for it over the past few years. The hope has created a media frenzy in which journalists wait for the annual prize announcement in front of Ko’s house. Ko might be arguably the most well-known Korean author in the world. But how many of his works which mostly deal with Korean history or abstruse philosophy have been read globally? Korean bestsellers are stories inspired by nationalistic and historic subjects but when it comes to the overseas market, it is totally different. A few successful cases such as Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom,” and Kim Young-ha’s “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” and Jo Kyung-ran&rs

Feb 25, 2013
Exporting literature

Recent books

Paintings in LaboratoryLee So-young; Mojosa: 284 pp., 16,800 wonScience and art have one thing in common — they all start from observation. They also interpret the world we live in, though in different ways. It’s telling that famous scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei also displayed a talent for painting.In this book, art historian Lee So-young explores the connection between science and art, taking a close look at the lives of scientists who had a passion for art. Lee also illustrates how they employed their scientific knowledge in the methods and styles of expression.Vincent van Gogh’s paintings were particularly popular among scientists for a different reason including psychopathologists, who tried to use it in interpreting the master artist’s mental state. His paintings are particularly popular among astronomers who also try to trace when and where Van Gogh painted by researching the skies portrayed in his paintings.Spanish pathologist Santiago Ramon y Cajal won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906 in recognition of his wo

Feb 22, 2013
Recent books

The life and mind of a strongman

Late former President Park Chung-hee, right, watches a regional World Cup qualifying match with his late wife Yuk Young-soo in Seoul in 1969.                                                                                                               / Korea Times file “Park Chung-hee: From Poverty to Power,” Lee Chong-sik, KHU PressBy Kim Young-jinPresidential inaugurations, more than any other political event in a democracy, embody a new moment for a nation as it turns a page and assesses challenges ahead.This will hold true for Park Geun-hye, who on Monday takes office as the first female president in a country grappling with gender inequality, not to mention a stagnating growth outlook and saber-rattling northern neighbor.But as Park takes over Cheong Wa Dae, the country will inevit

Feb 22, 2013
The life and mind of a strongman

17-year-old preaches diversity

Ban writes fairytales of 6 nationsBy Chung Ah-youngThe book titled “Tales of a Small World” consisting of 16 fairytales from six countries is designed to help children attending a newly opened multicultural educational institution Jiguchon International School.Ban Hwi-eunBan Hwi-eun, 17, was one of two Asian students in her class in Australia when she was seven. At first, she felt like an outsider as she was outwardly different from the majority of her classmates.But she remembers she was never bullied, estranged or treated unfairly by her peers or teachers. Rather her school cared more about helping her learn the language and hang out with her friends.After moving from one country to another and back to Korea, her experience is becoming an asset on how to see this society going multicultural.Ban joined a multicultural volunteer group called Global Sarang Nanum or G4W to help immigrant workers and biracial children when  she was 11.She has recently released a book titled “Tales of a Small World,” which consists of 16 fairytales from six countries —

Feb 18, 2013
17-year-old preaches diversity

Recent Books

A History of Korean Publishing IndustryKorean Publishing Science Society: 375 pp., 34,000 wonWhile hundreds of books about similar topics are published every day, this is a rare book about the modern history of Korea’s publishing industry.Rapidly evolving communication technology has forever changed the way people access information, but reading still is the primary source for learning, the book says.Members of the Korean Publishing Science Society collaborated to write about its rocky history from the nation’s first modern newspaper, Hansungsoonbo, to books produced with digital technologies.It shows how content and technologies of the publishing industry have been developed to the current forms, surviving turbulent periods such as strict censorship under dictatorships.In the third chapter out of the three, the authors also write about consumer trends, reading campaigns and how such things changed the industry.Written by the Korean Publishing Science Society: 375 pp., 34,000 won.―JUNG MIN-HOTales of Small WorldBah Hwi-eun; Mimoon Communication: 190 pp., 9,800 wonFol

Feb 15, 2013
Recent Books

The complex identity of in-between

 Korean-American authors confront model minority myth with eye on race and social issues“The Dead Do Not Improve”Jay Caspian Kang, Random House“Drifting House”Krys Lee, Penguin USBy Kim Young-jin The year 2012 saw a number of ethnic Koreans make their mark on the world. Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American, became head of the World Bank. Sung Kim was appointed as U.S. ambassador to Seoul. Koreans impacted the West as well: Psy happened, and the word “oppa” is now a vernacular word.Korean media pored over the rise of the prominent Americans, discussing the political implications, the extent of their Korean-language abilities and embraced them as part of a Diaspora that, at the moment, possesses a strong mojo.While given less attention, two literary voices with Korean roots ― Jay Caspian Kang and Krys Lee ― emerged to add nuance to the chronicling of the Korean experience, which often stops at heralding the country’s dynamic economic growth.As Korea rises in influence, many Korean-Americans, for instance, are doing the same as pa

Feb 15, 2013
The complex identity of in-between

Recent books

No Drama for ThirtiesLee Hye-rin; Sodam Publishing: 328 pp., 13,800 wonIt seems true that being young is painful, especially for 20-somethings facing the current lean job market and soaring university tuition fees. What then lies ahead for future generations when life appears to be getting harsher and harsher?This book is for women in their late 20s who have to overcome social prejudices and low income levels.The author lampoons formulae for “healing” often presented in other media and entertainment, saying it doesn’t understand nor address the root causes of the pain young people face.She explores more realistic approaches that can be taken to face the social situations and difficulties young women are currently facing. She doesn’t offer unhelpful platitudes such as “endure because youth is painful” but instead suggests that they need to sometimes back down a little in the face of irrational or nonsensical situations and hold hands with their rivals. “Cheer up! It’s not enough for those who are hurt. It’s irresponsible because it

Feb 1, 2013
Recent books

What happened to Seomjin River?

Seomjin River in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, has been a continuous source of inspiration for poet Kim Yong-taek.                                      /  Korea Times filePoet hopes for recovery of humanity, romanticismPoet Kim Yong-taek, who is also known as the “Seomjin River Poet,” released “KimYong-taek’s Story of Seomjin River” series.                     / YonhapBy Chung Ah-youngHe was born in a small countryside village near the Seomjin River in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, where he grew up watching his neighbors work, play and eat together. Many things were shared in this community and villagers were intimate like a family.It’s no wonder that poet and writer Kim Yong-taek is nicknamed the “Seomjin River Poet,” because the riverside Jinme Village is a microcosm in which he crafts his ideas and finds energy and inspiration. It is a place where nature and people once coexisted i

Feb 1, 2013
What happened to Seomjin River?
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