Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Translated book gives adoptees access to post-war Korea

Retired pediatrician Cho Byung-guk / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyungDr. Cho's memoir about Korean War orphans, abandoned children will be published in English in May, shedding light on why they were sent overseas to new families By Kang Hyun-kyungThe cover for “Before Adoption… There Was Dr. Cho”Retired pediatrician Cho Byung-guk, 89, came to understand why some ethnic Korean adoptees search tirelessly for their birth parents and strive to figure out why they were sent overseas to new families, while interacting with numerous adoptees during her five decades of work.“Every year at Holt Ilsan, we had groups of visitors from overseas. They were adopted by parents mostly in the United States and Europe when they were babies, so most of them don't speak or read Korean,” Cho told The Korea Times. Once their stays ― which could be for days or weeks ― end, there is one thing many of these adoptees do: they buy Cho's 2009 memoir, which is written in Korean. “Although they don't understand Korean, they purchased the book and took it home with the hope

Mar 3, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

Translated book gives adoptees access to post-war Korea

Two Korean picture books honored at renowned Bologna Ragazzi Awards

Authors Lee Su-zy and Choi Deok-kyu / Courtesy of BIR Publishing Co. and YUN EditionBy Park Han-solTwo critically-acclaimed Korean picture books have been honored in this year's prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Awards for children's literature, presented at Italy's Bologna Children's Book Fair.Lee Su-zy's “Summer” and Choi Deok-kyu's “Father's Big Hands” earned special mentions in the fiction and nonfiction categories, respectively.The Bologna Ragazzi Awards, which are awarded to international works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and comics each year, are celebrated prizes in the world of children's book publishing, along with the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB).Choi's “Father's Big Hands” is a semi-autobiographical story about a son who grew up under his father's care and is now looking after him as an adult. The book's juxtaposition of illustrations of a father and son switching roles ― giving each other a bath and helping each other to get dressed and eat ― has captivated both young and adult readers al

Feb 24, 2022By Park Han-sol

Two Korean picture books honored at renowned Bologna Ragazzi Awards

2 Korean children's books win prizes at Bolgna Ragazzi Awards

Suzy Lee, author of “Summer” / YonhapTwo South Korean children's books have won prizes at this year's Bologna Ragazzi Awards, one of the world's largest honors for kids' books and illustrations."Summer," written and drawn by Suzy Lee, was listed as one of the three Special Mention works in the Fiction category, the organizers of the awards said Wednesday (Korean time) on its website.In the Non-Fiction section, "Father's big hands" by Choi Deok-kyu was also selected as a Special Mention piece."Summer" is a story about children playing in the water during summer based on Lee's memories of listening to "Four Seasons" by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi.It is the second consecutive year Lee's illustrations have won a Ragazzi award following "The Yulu Linen," co-written by China's Cao Wenxuan."Summer" was also nominated for an award at the biannual Hans Christian Andersen Awards.Choi's "Father's big hands" is his semi-autobiographical story about a son in need of a father's care while growing up, who later ends up taking care of his father as an adult. The Bologna Ragazzi Awar

Feb 23, 2022

2 Korean children's books win prizes at Bolgna Ragazzi Awards

Kim Cho-yeop's best-selling sci-fi novel to be adapted for TV

Author Kim Cho-yeop / Courtesy of HubbleBy Park Han-solKim Cho-yeop's first full-length novel “Greenhouse at the End of the Earth” / Courtesy of Giant BooksBest-selling science fiction writer Kim Cho-yeop's first full-length novel “Greenhouse at the End of the Earth” will be adapted into a drama, the author's agency Blossom Creative announced, Tuesday.Kim inked a licensing agreement with the local production company Studio Dragon, which has produced a string of hit series including “Crash Landing on You,” “Vincenzo” and “Sweet Home.”“Greenhouse at the End of the Earth” is a dystopian sci-fi novel set in the year 2129. Human civilization has succeeded in recovering from the deadly man-made problem of “dust,” particles capable of killing any organism through physical exposure, a problem which plagued the Earth seven decades earlier.The only element left in this society to offer a hint of the horrendous past that shows the true nature of humans and nearly led to their extinction is a mysterious vine know

Feb 23, 2022By Park Han-sol

Kim Cho-yeop's best-selling sci-fi novel to be adapted for TV

INTERVIEW Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

Kim Nae-hoon, the author of “Radical 20s: K-Populism and the Political,” poses before an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSocial issues divide fairness-sensitive 20-somethings: scholarBy Kwak Yeon-sooIn his inauguration speech on May 10, 2017, President Moon Jae-in promised his supporters “equal opportunities, fair process and just results.”This was a message of hope and optimism for young Koreans, who had high expectations for the new administration after the impeachment of scandal-plagued former President Park Geun-hye. However, it didn't take long for them to “turn their backs” on the government as Moon and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) grappled with fairness issues.As examples, the younger generation showed strong opposition to sacrificing some national players to form a unified inter-Korean ice hockey team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018. Then in 2019, the elitism scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family angered you

Feb 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

REVIEW 'Understanding Korean Film' book seeks to tackle invisibilities in K-film translation

A scene from the 2019 Oscar-winning film, “Parasite” / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment By Dong Sun-hwaAlong with K-pop and K-drama, K-film is hitting high notes around the world, with movies like “Parasite” (2019) and “Minari” (2020) writing a new history with their groundbreaking accomplishments. The former is the first Korean film to win an Oscar, while the latter led veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung to become the first Korean to nab an Oscar for acting.In his acceptance speech for the Oscar award for “Parasite,” auteur Bong Joon-ho made a headline-grabbing remark about subtitles, saying that people would be introduced to so many more amazing films once they overcome the “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles.” However, in the eyes of two experts based in England, the English subtitles of most Korean flicks have a deep-rooted issue ― they often play down cultural differences and “naturalize” the lines to cater to English-speaking audiences, hampering them from more deeply

Feb 16, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa

[REVIEW] 'Understanding Korean Film' book seeks to tackle invisibilities in K-film translation

Korean Canadian author's Joseon-era mystery novel gains traction in US

Korean Canadian writer June Hur with her new book, “The Red Palace” / Courtesy of June HurBy Park Han-solThe English-language novel, “The Red Palace,” which deftly brings the genre of historical whodunit books to the 18th-century Joseon-era court, has been a breath of fresh air hitting the bookshelves across North America this year.Penned by Korean Canadian writer June Hur, the gripping narrative is set in 1758, during the reign of King Yeongjo, whose years-long, troubled relationship with his son, Crown Prince Sado, climaxed into the prince's tragic demise, after he was ordered to be locked up inside a wooden rice chest.But rather than delving straight into this tense historical drama through the eyes of royal figures like the king, the crown prince or his wife Lady Hyegyeonggung Hong ― whose detailed memoir, “Hanjungrok,” recounts court life in all its grandeur, political intrigue and bloody revenge ― the book curiously unfolds from the perspective of an “uinyeo,” a female nurse or physician specialized in treating women, whose presen

Feb 10, 2022By Park Han-sol

Korean Canadian author's Joseon-era mystery novel gains traction in US

Myanmarese author's harrowing chronicle of protest published in Korea

The beginning of the year 2021 marked a deadly turning point for Myanmar. While it seemed that an inkling of hope arrived for the Southeast Asian nation gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic with the gradual rollout of the vaccine, the Feb. 1 military coup changed everything.

Feb 7, 2022By Park Han-sol

Myanmarese author's harrowing chronicle of protest published in Korea

US scholar explains Confucianism as time-honored teachings for self-growth

GettyimagesbankIn upcoming book 'Growing Moral,' Stephen Angle untangles misunderstandings about ConfucianismBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe 2015 census released by Statistics Korea presented interesting information about how Confucianism is viewed by the Korean public: unlike people of many other countries who deem it as a philosophy, Koreans consider it a religion. Out of 49 million adults aged 18 and older, the survey found that some 75,000 people identified themselves as believers of Confucianism. Protestants took up the largest proportion with 20 percent, followed by Buddhists (16 percent) and Catholics (8 percent). Although its figure is relatively small compared to those of the top three religions, those who answered that their “religious affiliation” is Confucianism came in fifth, following Won Buddhists. The census and its results made news at that time, mainly because Protestants had replaced Buddhists in the top spot, defying the findings of the 1995 census.For people outside of Korea, however, the results present another intriguing finding that is not discussed much in

Jan 14, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung

US scholar explains Confucianism as time-honored teachings for self-growth

INTERVIEW Naturalist documentarian traces lives of endangered Siberian tigers

Naturalist documentarian Park Soo-yong closes his eyes, recalling his memories of tracing the lives of Siberian tigers, during an interview with The Korea Times at Gimmyoung Publishers in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukPark Soo-yong protects world's last remaining Siberian tigers and their habitatBy Kwak Yeon-sooBefore the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, documentarian and conservationist Park Soo-yong used to spend at least six months every year in the Russian Far East, enduring loneliness and extreme weather conditions ― oftentimes with temperatures of below -40 degrees Celsius ― to study the Siberian tiger, one of the rarest species on Earth.His expertise on tigers led him to publish two books about the animal. Park's nonfiction novel, written during the pandemic, “A Tale of an Old Tiger Named Kkori (working English title),” published 10 years after his first book, “The Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger,” chronicles his relationship to an old tiger. The English edit

Jan 13, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

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