Lifestyle - The Korea Times

How bestsellers have changed during COVID-19 pandemic

The top five bestselling books of 2020 from online bookshop Interpark include from left: “The Having,” “John Lee's Habits to Build Wealth,” “The Property of Money,” “Almond and The Cakewalk Series” and “Stock Market Investing.” Courtesy of InterparkBy Kwon Mee-yooAs people spend more time at home amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, they are turning to books, which brought some changes to this year's book sales trends. The unprecedented situation impacted how readers choose what book to read. Three major Korean booksellers interpreted the interest readers took in education and investment as a response to difficult times as they try to navigate a path towards an uncertain future caused by the pandemic. Kyobo Book Centre, the largest bookstore chain in Korea, identified five key themes related to the popular books of 2020: Pandemic, Aloneness, Contactless, Stock Market and Education. Online bookstore Yes24's summarized the year in five hashtags: #WithCorona, #Homeschooling, #AgeofInvestmentTechnique, #HybridCulture and #Media

Dec 13, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo

How bestsellers have changed during COVID-19 pandemic

Decoding China: Two journalists explore 'China's way'

“The Most Helpful Book about China” by Lee Beul-chan and Oh Ro-ra / Courtesy of Miraebook Publishing Co.By Park Han-solWith its characteristic one-party system, socialist market economy and rigid state censorship, China has long remained a perplexing enigma to Korea, despite the country's geographical proximity and some shared cultural traits. However, China has become more relevant than ever amid the escalating U.S.-China conflict as it is Korea's largest trading partner.From China's COVID-19 response to some of its internet users' angry reactions to South Korean singer Lee Hyo-ri's casual “Mao” comment, the recently published book “The Most Helpful Book about China” delves into the country and its particular mindset.Its authors Lee Beul-chan and Oh Ro-ra, who are journalists covering Chinese affairs, allow the readers to casually approach the otherwise heavy topics of China's political structure, foreign affairs and digital revolution through a total of 62 attention-grabbing stories, with each seeking to answer the question “Why is China th

Dec 1, 2020By Park Han-sol

Decoding China: Two journalists explore 'China's way'

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

“You're So Cool. I Mean it”: A farmer smiles in this 2009 photo which was included in Yang Hae-nam's photo-poetry book “Capturing Winds.” Each photo is paired with a poem. The shy woman eventually agreed to pose for a photo after she initially refused Yang's request to take her picture. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Father, the Breadwinner”: A farmer harvests commercial ginseng on his farm in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province in this 1992 photo. He ensured his children were fed and educated with the income he earned from selling ginseng. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Farmer-Artist”: A ginseng farm in Geumsan is seen in this 2016 photo. Author Yang likened the farm to a work of art, calling it the best installation art he has ever seen. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Bustling Market”: This 1993 photo shows the crowded Geumsan Market. It was once one of the nation's three largest traditional markets as the county is the leading region for primary production of premium four-year-old commercial ginseng. The market has lost its former po

Nov 30, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

What's left in rustic county after 'ginseng rush'

Book answers it all, from K-drama cliches to meaning of 'Gangnam style'

Kang Woosung, author of “Korean Culture Dictionary” and “The K-Pop Dictionary,” speaks during an interview at The Korea Times office in Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul 'Promoting Korean culture should start with respecting other cultures'By Park Han-sol“Why is there a Pepsi logo on the South Korean flag?” “Why do all Korean names have three syllables?” “Why do I get a year, or even two years, older when I land on Korean soil?”These are just some of the hundreds of questions repeatedly popping up daily on the internet that the book “Korean Culture Dictionary” aims to answer in an entertaining yet insightful way.Its author Kang Woosung, 38, who wrote “The K-Pop Dictionary” in 2016, explained in a recent interview with The Korea Times that his new book intends to provide accurate information in English about “how Koreans came to be and why Koreans do what they do.” It also attempts to address important questions that often go unanswered or are n

Nov 27, 2020By Park Han-sol

Book answers it all, from K-drama cliches to meaning of 'Gangnam style'

'Don't be scared. You're not alone'

Han Yu-kyung, author of “The Cancer Center Graduate,” poses at The Korea Times newsroom in Seoul last Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulAuthor shares cancer treatment experiences for those fighting cancer alone By Kang Hyun-kyung“Why me?” Like many other cancer patients, Han Yu-kyung, author of “The Cancer Center Graduate” published by Chamomile Press, kept asking this question after she was diagnosed with cancer last year at a university hospital in Seoul. Her book shares the emotional rollercoaster she had gone through after receiving what felt like a death sentence and how she overcame it, elaborating her experience of treatment for other cancer patients. Han, now 29, had one of the worst forms of stage-four tongue cancer, according to her doctor, and had to undergo surgery to remove half of her tongue. She was shocked and in disbelief, trying hard to figure out what had gone wrong with her. She didn't smoke. She's not a heavy drinker. She has no family history of the disease: none of her family members had tongue cancer. What espec

Nov 18, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Poet shares thought-provoking backstory

Award-winning poet Kim Yi-deum speaks at the 51st Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Awards held at the Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe atmosphere of the 51st Korea Times Modern Korean Literary Translation Awards held on Thursday was very different from that of previous events. It was entertaining and, at the same time, thought-provoking, mainly because of the special guest ― the award-winning poet Kim Yi-deum. Kim, whose poetry book “Hysteria,” was translated into English and won the 2020 U.S. National Translation Award and the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Award, dominated the stage when she read out her poem “Country Whore” for the attendees. Ironically, it was a sad event, too, because what the poet said in her introduction before she read her favorite poem reminded all the attendees of the grim reality that poets and novelists are facing in the digital era. Visually provocative content requiring only a short attention span has pushed lengthy, meticulously crafted literary works out of fa

Nov 13, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea Times translation award recognizes budding talents

Poetic entanglement of love and alienation

“Lonesome Jar: Poetic Fables” written by Jeong Ho-seung and translated by Brother Anthony of Taize / Courtesy of Seoul SelectionPoet Jeong Ho-seung's short story collection published in English By Park Han-solIn a fable written by Jeong Ho-seung, a mother bird tells her son, who was born with only one wing, “If we do not love sincerely, we can never fly. Loving is gaining the other wing. So son, be sure not to lose love.”A collection of Jeong's “children's stories for adults” that muse on the complexity of human existence and emotions with simple yet emotive language has been translated into English by Brother Anthony of Taize and published recently for global readers.Brother Anthony has been translating works of modern Korean literature since 1990. A naturalized Korean citizen from Britain and professor emeritus at Sogang University, he has previously worked on pieces written by So Chong-ju, Ku Sang, Ko Un, among many other prominent authors.Jeong is often named as one of the most iconic lyrical poets in the modern Korean literary scene. Since his

Nov 11, 2020By Park Han-sol

Poetic entanglement of love and alienation

More good news for Korean literature

Author Ha Seong-nan. Korea Times file'Bluebeard's First Wife' made US magazine's top 10 books of the yearBy Park Ji-wonCover image for “Bluebeard's first wife'More good news for Korean literature arrived this week amid a festive mood in the nation's literary circles following the overseas success of several Korean novels and works of poetry. Author Ha Seong-nan's “Bluebeard's First Wife” published by Open Letter was named in the U.S. weekly news magazine Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Books of 2020. This is the second time for a Korean book to have made the list, following Han Kang's “Vegetarian” in 2016.The contemporary fiction book, initially published in Korean in 2002, includes a collection of short stories on various issues in society. “Bluebeard's First Wife,” which is also the title of the book, is about the tension between a married couple created by their secrets. “The Star Shaped Stain” revisits the tragic incident that occurred at the Sealand Youth Training Center in 1999 which killed 19 children and four teachers. It is Ha

Nov 10, 2020By Park Ji-won

Daesan Literary Awards announces four winners this year

The winners of the Daesan Literary Awards are, from left, translator Joo Ha-sun for her Spanish translation of the book “Kim Ji-young, Nacida en 1982”; novelist Kim Hye-jin for “Worker No. 9”; poet Kim Haeng-sook for her poetry book “Are Your Running Errands”; and literature critic Yoo Sung-ho for his book “Art of Lyricism” at the Gwanghwamun Kyobo Building in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe Daesan Foundation announced the winners of the 28th Daesan Literary Awards Tuesday, which gives awards in the categories of poetry, novel, critical literary work and translation.The winners were poet Kim Haeng-sook for her poem collection “Are Your Running Errands”; novelist Kim Hye-jin for “Worker No. 9” (translated title); literature critic Yoo Sung-ho for his book “Art of Lyricism” (translated title); and translator Joo Ha-sun for her Spanish translation of the book “Kim Ji-young, Nacida en 1982.”The foundation wrote in a press release that “Are Your Running Errands” spoke of ord

Nov 3, 2020By Park Ji-won

Daesan Literary Awards announces four winners this year

Korea's disappearing culture captured in photography

A woman smokes through a long, slender pipe called “gombangdae” in this photo taken by Han Jeong-sik in 1980 in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Photographer Han recently released a photo essay collection, “The Highway Beside The Stable,” which sheds light on disappearing aspects of Korean culture. / Courtesy of Noonbit Publishing houseEven bathroom culture changing with the rise of new money By Kang Hyun-kyungHan Jeong-sik's “The Highway Beside the Stable” is a collection of photo essays showing Korea in the incipient stages of urbanization and in transition between the pre-modern and modern eras.The black-and-white photography is the author's personal account of extinct or disappearing elements of culture and his memories entangled with them.With his camera in hand, the retired professor of photography zeroed in on lamps, “touring” realtors (called “ttutdabang” as they popped up for a few days at sites where large housing complexes were to be built, in order to attract clients, and then disappeared once housing contracts

Oct 26, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

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