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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.

For those between 30 and 40 ...

By Kim Ji-soo The first thing that catches one’s eye about this book is the title, “Between 30 and 40, How One Should Work.” Amid a plethora of books targeting a larger audience of let’s say those in their 20s, 30s or 40s, this one focuses on that specific age range. It’s a range where your average salaried worker may well face a conundrum about their job or career. It’s also a stage in the usual career path where the worker is in a middle-management position, having to supervise yet be supervised. More importantly, it’s a period in life when angst about a middle-life crisis creeps in, and naturally prompts one to revisit and readjust life’s goals. The author Kim Joon-hee, chief executive officer of Neungyule Education Inc., addresses these concerns. Kim has worked in several other education/publishing companies, serving as chief of Woongjin Think Big Co. (2002-2008). A successful corporate CEO, he also has a background of engaging in student movements when at college. He draws from his life experiences and his long career in publishing, touching on specific situatio

Jul 15, 2011By Kim Ji-soo

Korean poet’s work published in English

By Choi Yearn-hong “Our Encounter” is Kim Kyu-hwa’s first poetry in the English version published in the United States. This poetry book is an addition to the bookshelves of Korean poetry and literature for foreign readers. Increasing in quality and quantity there is room for significantly more. Kim Kyu-hwa has been the publisher of Poetry Monthly (“Simunhak”) since 1977. This writer first encountered poetry in the 1970s. Her personality is comparable to 14-karat gold, not shiny like a one -carat diamond. She always presents decency in life, color and poetry. Her poems reflect her personality, lessof a glossy picture than a black-and-white picture in the 1960s. As a matter of fact, we shared many things in the 1960s. We are nostalgic about when we were in college. Her poem, “Our Encounter,” may represent the book of 50 poems. Under roadside trees Over my narrow shoulder As summer follows Spring, And autumn skies come no time, People gently Walk under trees ... As in that place Falling leaves Drop over my shoulder, Our encounter Is that nature. As trees op

Jul 15, 2011By Do Je-hae

Recent Book

The Survival of North Korea Edited by Kim Suk-hi, Terence Roehrig and Bernhard Seliger; McFarland & Co. Inc., Publishers: 264 pp., $35 A massive amount of literature has been produced in past decades to describe doomsday theories for North Korea. But the secretive state continues to defy declining its industrial output, lagging technology and food shortages to refute apocalypse and extend the Stalinist nightmare. In articles that collectively provide a compact overview on North Korea’s political system, economic health and foreign relations status, the authors argue that the country is unlikely to implode in the near future, considering the role played by the country’s historical and cultural factors and “military first” policy. They provide an interesting take on the fallacies of the collapse scenarios, employed in particular by Western observers, but why they remain as the dominant opinion, and how this has affected the U.S.’s strategy on North Korea. The book also attempts to provide broader perspective on North Korea’s relentless pursuit of nuclear-weapons progra

Jul 15, 2011By Do Je-hae

Recent books

Dangerous Novel Song Su-kyung; Wisdom House: 316 pp., 12,000 won The Joseon’s classical novel “Hong Gil-dong,” the first of its kind written in “Hangeul” (Korean alphabet) by Heo Gyun, features a fictional hero pulling Taoist magical tricks — such as flying — in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The character is often likened to the Korean version of Robin Hood, punishing the evil “yangban,” the noble class, by robbing them to help the poor. Hong was the son of a “yangban” and his concubine born in the mid-15th century. The Confucian state of the time forbade sons of concubines from attaining government positions. As the rigid social hierarchy blocked any opportunity for success, he harbored a grudge against the system and learned Taoist magical tricks in order to punish corrupt officials, stealing their illicitly gained property and distributing them to the underprivileged. This new work, “Dangerous Novel” sheds new light on the original, which was said to be “modified” for public distribution as its original story was more threatening to the basic principl

Jul 8, 2011

Book spotlights Dye, an unsung hero of Koreas modernization

By Chung Ah-young There is a saying that history has neither a beginning nor an end and the act of telling it must be a creative act that entails an arbitrary selection of a starting point, which in actuality is artificial. “Genesis of the Korea-America Friendship” written by Ahn Young-sop might be such a creative outcome. The book puts a new spin on the historical origins of Korea’s relationship with America specifically through the lens of an individual contribution. Consisting of two parts, the book examines the burgeoning friendship between the two countries in the late 19th century in Part 1, while delving into the crucial role of U.S. General William M. Dye, who contributed to modernizing the Korean military and to protecting the ill-fated kingdom from imperial powers in Part 2. Korean history is marked by numerous foreign invasions; Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), the Korean War (1950-53) and the prolonged military and ideological confrontation between the North and South. In the late 19th century, Korea was unable to effectively unite factional intere

Jul 8, 2011

Easing into accessible source of English learning

'How to read The Korea Times' published By Nho Joon-hun There are many reasons why readers pick up The Korea Times in the morning — to get the latest news and information, learn English or simply for pleasure. Oftentimes though, it can be a challenge, also for many reasons — little time in this smartphone-era, not enough proficiency for comfortable reading or, simply it is, as some readers say, a little expensive with all the online news. If we are able to set aside some of the complaints and difficulties, there are certainly more reasons than not to spend a little time everyday fingering through The Korea Times which at 20,000 won a month, including free delivery, is arguably, reasonably priced. That set aside, one man has made it his mission to bring the country’s oldest English newspaper closer to readers, particularly those who are interested and ready to improve their English. It has been a long journey for Lee Chang-sup, the current chief editorial writer of The Korea Times whose smiling mug shot you can catch in his Friday columns. For a span of

Jul 1, 2011

Recent Books

Looking for Korean Traditional Villages Han Pil-won; Humanist: 520 pp., 28,000 won Since the Korean folk villages of Hahoe and Yangdong were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites last year, interest in the traditional sites is mounting. The author and architect has researched the traditional villages for 26 years since 1985. The book is the outcome of his efforts to discover the philosophy and principles that are reflected in the Korean folk villages, getting away from the Western standards of architecture. The book looks at 12 villages from four different perspectives ― thoughts, culture, society and environment ― to display time-honored values. The writer elaborates on how the past generations in Otgol, Hangae and Nakan villages made a good use of space and structure while Seongeup, Hahoe and Ganggol villages have different cultural aspects. Yangdong, Dorae and Daksil villages show distinctive Neo-Confucian lifestyles whereas Weonteo, Oeam and Wanggok villagers live a particularly harmonious life with nature. The folk villages support communication and solida

Jul 1, 2011

Seoul is a human capital city

Cities are the future of humanity: Glaeser By Chung Ah-young As many urbanites tire of their hectic lives in Seoul, they are tempted to go outside the city, seeking pastoral lives in rural areas. However, Edward Glaeser, a professor of economics at Harvard University, takes a different approach toward cities, saying the cities magnify humanity’s strengths. To mark the Korean publication of his book “Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier” (Hainaim Publishing; 544 pp., 18,000 won), he met Korean reporters at the Press Center in Seoul Monday. It is his first visit to Seoul which he says is “one of the world’s great cities.” Through his book, the economist emphasizes the chief role of cities is to expand human strengths. In that sense, his impression of Seoul is remarkable, although Glaeser didn’t have enough time to fully appreciate its value. “The most important thing about Seoul is that it is a human capital city ... The strength of Seoul and the strength of Korea lies in education and culture

Jun 28, 2011

Park Bumshin returns with hardboiled novel

By Chung Ah-young Veteran author Park Bumshin, 65, is back with his 39th novel which coincides with the 39th anniversary of his debut on the literary scene. The new book “My Hands Turn Into Horseshoes” is quite a striking, gripping hardcore story that captures the violence lurking in human desires in modern society. “While I was writing this novel, I killed 11 characters heinously and mercilessly. How couldn’t I tremble?” Park said at a recent press conference in Seoul. “But this is the sheer reality hidden in our society. Violence is the most sensitive

Jun 24, 2011

Recent books

Essential Korean for Business Use Kwon Sung-mi and John M. Frankl; Hollym: 360 pp., 13,000 won As Korea’s economy is increasing its influence around the world, Korean is becoming a language needed for doing business not only for foreigners working in Korea but also for people working with overseas Korean companies. This book offers an understanding of Korean culture through the various situations one may encounter while doing business. It includes numerous expressions that can be used by learners of Korean at all levels and is useful for shorter business trips. The book consists of 15 chapters, ranging from “A Typical Day at the Office;” to “Business Telephone Calls” to “Personal Relations,” “Money Matters” and”Getting Hired and “The First Day on the Job.” The expressions are provided with both a literal translation and an English equivalent. At the end of each chapter, there is a list of vocabulary related to the chapter’s theme and trips that introduce the key elements of Korean culture. Along with the illustrations, MP3 files for the pronunciation of Korean ex

Jun 24, 2011
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