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Recent books

A Shy Smile Kim Hyeon-gu; dReamN Publishing: 320 pp., 12,800 won The is a collection of blog posts by a sub-intern at a general hospital, detailing noteworthy happenings in his daily life, from humorous to tragic. His portraits are much rawer when the angle is turned to the doctors themselves. His seniors constantly yell at him for being slow. The nap room looks like a pig sty. Surgeons have hair that looks unwashed for days if not weeks. There are angry patients and guardians who threaten lawsuits. Kim writes from a common-man perspective, possibly to increase accessibility, yet it sometimes undermines the seriousness of the content. There is one reference too many to finger enemas, which may be “icky enough” to induce some chuckles from readers but is no laughing matter for the patients. To his credit, he never shies away from graphic details, making this book worth a glance. It is a welcome departure from the likes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and other beautified white gown-themed TV shows where the subject revolves more around love affairs than the well-being of pat

Jun 15, 2012By Do Je-hae

'NK transition opens door for engagement'

By Kim Young-jin Now is the time for regional players to take coordinated steps to engage North Korea, as its new leader Kim Jong-un seeks to emphasize the economy rather than military might, a scholar says in a new book. The assertion from Moon Chung-in, an international relations expert at Yonsei University, comes as Pyongyang steps up propaganda on improving quality of life as part of its promise to become “strong and prosperous” by 2012. “It is in that moment, the transition from security-first to security-plus-prosperity, that the unity of the North Korean political system will come under strain,” Moon says in “The Sunshine Policy: In Defense of Engagement as a Path to Peace in Korea.” “This should be the focal point of international responses to the transition process.” Pyongyang has taken small steps to reform, bolstering cooperation with China and upgrading plans for special economic zones. But observers warn opening the economy could encourage greater information flow, posing challenges to its authoritarian system. Making matters worse, the North’s isolation

Jun 15, 2012By Do Je-hae

Triumph at Last: a Korean-American Life

From hungry boy to respected businessman By Rachel Lee Everyone’s journey through life is different. Some people find themselves going off the rails and heading in the wrong direction whether they want to or not. Despite the suffering caused by difficult circumstances, those who never give up and fight on against adversity eventually become successful. This proved to be true for Steven Soo Hyun Kim who describes his youth as “destitute” in his memoir “Triumph at Last: A Korean-American Life.” This book is Kim’s personal journey from his childhood in post-war rural Korea through to the present day in which he lives in the United States as a civil engineer and businessman. Pictures of him, his family and acquaintances are included midway through the book. The author was born in Tokyo in 1936 to Korean parents during Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula. When Korea was liberated after Japan surrendered at the end of the Second World War, Kim and his family returned to their homeland, Korea, which faced the challenges of poverty and an uncertain future. After years

Jun 15, 2012By Do Je-hae

Bookstores hang onto nostalgia of turning real pages

In his essay "Bookshop Memories," George Orwell describes bookstores as "one of the few places where you can hang about for a long time without spending any money." That would be awkward on Seoul's "Used Book Street," a procession of cavernous stores along the Cheongye stream that flows through downtown Seoul. The once busy street is lined with narrow shops that are overflowing with passed-on books and have barely enough room to stand comfortably in. Nowadays not many people hang around here for long, and even fewer spend money. The area was once a popular spot for students looking for discount textbooks. But with the rise of large bookstores and online retailers, it now attracts very few customers. At its peak, the street had well over a 100 stores. Today, fewer than 30 remain. Many stores closed around the time of the Cheonggye stream's reconstruction in 2007 when rent in the area went up. The merchants who remain still spend each day among stacks of books in a variety of languages, some of which will never be read again. Jin Hye-sook, 76, sits smiling and neatly made up i

Jun 13, 2012

Recent books

Ven. Daeahn’s Recipe for the Mind Ven. Daeahn; Gimmyoung Publishing: 239 pp., 14,000 won Korea’s temple cuisine is no longer confined to temple grounds. In recent years, the food has been commercialized, with more restaurants specializing in it. More healthy eaters here and abroad are following Korea’s temple “diet.” Against this backdrop, books on temple food have been popular at bookstores as well. This is an easy guide to making dishes with vegetables and other wholesome ingredients for temple diet followers. The author introduces some unique dishes, such as a rice burger. Instead of a meat patty, a thick slice of tofu, mushrooms and other vegetables are placed in between buns made of cooked rice. One can pick up such easy recipes from this book, written by a renowned expert on temple cuisine. Ven. Daeahn, who has been a “bikuni” (nun) since 1986, has written a number of books on temple food and once prepared a meal for U.S. actor Richard Gere during his visit here last year. The author devotes a whole chapter at the end of the book to introduce how the Jogye Or

Jun 8, 2012

An architect's view on Seoul

By Kwon Mee-yoo Everyone longs to travel and appreciate foreign cities with all their senses open, but such inspiration dulls in one’s home city. Architect and travel writer O Young-wook’s “However, I Like Seoul” (Paperstory, 16,500 won) is a confession of his love for the cosmopolitan city with a population of over 10 million. O looks at the city he was born and now lives in with a tender, yet professional glance through seven themes — trace, place, combination, sign, symbol, aesthetics, memory and imagination. He graduated from the department of architecture at Yonsei University and now runs ogisadesign and d’espacio architects associates. The 36-year-old architect has published books on his life in Barcelona, and now turns his attention to Seoul. He characterizes himself as a guy wearing a big red hard hat, from his engineering days. “I hope everyone makes their own story about the town or village they live in and realize how lively and pleasant the city is,” O says in the book. It begins with a hand-drawn map of O’s favorite places in Seoul. “Cities with a

Jun 8, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Tribute to poet who struggled for freedom

By Cho Jae-hyon Kim Su-young (1921-1968) wrote poems to be none other than himself — free from all kinds of suppression in the tumultuous era of the 1950s and ’60s. Human beings — feeble and weak by nature — tend to rely on God, power or money as a means to overcome their weakness and limits. But Kim, who lived a tragic life, relied entirely on himself to transcend all of his grief and agony. For Kim, the poem was freedom, revolution and himself at the same time. Kang Shin-joo, a well-known philosopher who has written a series of books on philosophy and humanities, wrote this long tribute to Kim as he was hugely influenced by him. Kang says he was introduced to Kim’s works for the first time when he was at the lowest point of his young adult life. Since then the poet has been a guiding light for the author. Kim’s poems lent him the courage to refuse to compromise with the world and showed him the path out of darkness. He wrote this book to repay the debt he thinks he owes the poet and say goodbye to him. Saying goodbye means that the author is ready t

Jun 1, 2012By Do Je-hae

Recent books

A Bilingual Code of Korean Labor Law Jung Bong-soo; Joong-Ang Economy: 1,588 pp., 50,000 won Many immigrant workers here struggle with a lower-than-expected paycheck, exploitation and other forms of work-related discriminations and disadvantages due to their ignorance of Korean Labor Law. Many non-Korean heads of foreign-invested firms here also have had limited access to a creditable source of information about Korean law edited in a foreign language, particularly in English. To resolve these issues, Jung Bong-soo, labor attorney at KangNam Labor Law Firm in Seoul, published a Korean-English code of the Labor Law, making it possible for non-Korean speaking workers and foreign business leaders here to deeply learn about their due rights. The book covers 25 laws, the Constitution, and enforcement ordinances at the Ministry of Employment and Labor. “The book includes improved translated legal terms in labor law toward common acceptance according to global standards,” Jung said. His firm recently launched a smartphone application, titled “A Bilingual Code

Jun 1, 2012By Do Je-hae

Dutch library shares digital strategy

By Do Je-hae One of the core policies for any national library today is digitalization of printed volumes and pages. At the forefront of the trend is the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB), or the National Library of the Netherlands. Founded in 1798, the middle-sized library has been conducting projects to digitalize printed volumes from the Netherlands and is also famous for being the headquarters of the Europeana (www.europeana.eu), a multi-lingual portal that acts as an interface to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitized throughout Europe. For national libraries with a modest budget, responding to the digital age has been a difficult task. “Because of budgetary reasons, libraries are faced with a problem of re-designing and re-inventing their mission,” said Hans Jansen, deputy director general of the National Library of the Netherlands, in an interview with The Korea Times. “Our government has made an extra investment in the re-inventing of their missions through directing a focus on digital developments.” Jansen

May 28, 2012By Do Je-hae

Recent books

Doing Business With Koreans; Knowing Korea Will Guarantee Half of the Success for Your Business Chaiy Seo-il; Okdang Books; 255 pp., 15,000 won Failing to understand other cultures may lead to misunderstanding and conflicts in a business situation. This is a practical guide for foreigners doing business in Korea or with Koreans. The author has written the book to help resolve problems that may arise from a lack of understanding of Koreans’ way of thinking and culture. The book provides an easy introduction to Korean history, the social system and business culture, and tips for efficient communication and partnership with Korean business people. The English-language book is written by Chaiy Seo-il, a professor at the School of Business, Korea University. He has consulting experience with many major Korean and multinational companies in marketing strategy and human resources development. The book would be more fun to read if it were more visual, being text-heavy with no photographs. — DO JE-HAE Why UAE? UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Trade: Seoul Selection

May 25, 2012
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