Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Twisted fate of Korean War hero

Korean War refugees walk down the road in Daejeon City in this 1950 photo.  / Courtesy of Noonbit PublishingPhotobook presents collateral damage, civilians hit hardest By Kang Hyun-kyungA voluminous photobook featuring some 300 pictures taken during and after the Korean War has been published, showing how the war changed the fate of both renowned and ordinary people. “An Unfinished War: The Korean War” was published by Noonbit Publishing Co. on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war on June 25.“The message of this thick book is rather simple. We are against war,” Lee Kyu-sang, founder and president of Noonbit Publishing Co., told The Korea Times. He said the publication is part of his personal effort to right the wrongs of history as South Korea remains “stuck in the past.”Most of the photos used have not been made public before.Lee said he considers the Korean War unfinished as it still affects the lives of people of the two Koreas, noting he tried to present the lingering fallout of the war which has torn the lives o

Jun 26, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Old travelogue revisited

Bak Ji-won's “The Jehol Diary” is a multiple-volume book which detailed his experiences and discoveries during his five-month trip to China in 1780. / Korea Times fileAuthor says 'Jehol Diary' is Joseon's finest literary work By Kang Hyun-kyungJoseon scholar Bak Ji-won (1737-1805) was an academic ahead of his time.Unlike his contemporaries, who were content with the Confucian way of thinking and made little effort to move forward, Bak was creative, inquisitive and open to new ideas and ways of thinking. His strong personality and his pragmatic way of thinking are reflected in his famous travelogue, “The Jehol Diary,” a multiple-volume book which detailed his experiences and discoveries during his five-month trip to China in 1780. He was part of Joseon's delegation sent to China to pay tribute to Qing's Qianglong Emperor on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Park Soo-mil, an expert who has researched Bak and his works for 25 years, revisited the Joseon scholar's travelogue in his new book, “First Step Toward the Jehol Diary: Meet Joseon's Best Literary Pi

Jun 19, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

'I am wrongfully charged'

Imprisoned Choi Seo-won, better known as Choi Soon-sil, will release her memoir “Who Am I” on Monday. / Korea Times fileImprisoned Choi Soon-sil's memoir “Who Am I” to be published on Monday By Kang Hyun-kyungImprisoned Choi Seo-won, who was born Choi Soon-sil, claims that she has been wrongfully charged. She is currently serving an 18-year jail term on multiple counts, including abuse of power and obstruction of justice. In her memoir “Who Am I,” to be published on Monday, Choi, 64, claimed that she became the target of political retaliation, denying the allegations against her.“I'm a victim of political retaliation and have been facing consequences that are tougher than that of the purging of any socialist states. The truth will be revealed sooner or later,” she wrote in the preface of the book. It was reported in 2018 that Choi was working on a memoir in which she planned to disclose her side of truth about the Choi Soon-sil scandal that rocked the nation and triggered the candle-lit rallies calling for then-President Park Geun-hye t

Jun 5, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Why Does Trump Like Twitter? - paradigm shift in understanding global business culture

“Why Does Trump Like Twitter?” by Shin Yong-kyun and Kim Hyun-jeongBy Park Han-solSince joining Twitter a decade ago, U.S. President Donald Trump has posted more than 52,000 tweets to his 81 million followers, disseminating not only his unfiltered personal views, but also official decisions as a head of state. Initially seen as a radical tool, his tweets have now become an important source of information as well as controversy.Why then does Trump prefer Twitter to all other social media as a tool of communication?This is what global marketing experts Shin Yong-kyun and Kim Hyun-jeong seek to answer from a business standpoint in their book, “Why Does Trump Like Twitter?”Kim and Shin, each with over 20 years of experience in global business and marketing strategy, claim that Trump's prolific tweets perfectly represent Anglo-Americans' communicative tendency to be simple and to the point, especially in a professional environment.Twitter, with its 280-character limit (140 in Korean), is a platform that suits their needs for brevity and time efficiency, according t

Jun 3, 2020By Park Han-sol

Why Does Trump Like Twitter? - paradigm shift in understanding global business culture

Japanese pastor, who saved Korea's urban poor, releases photobook

Two children walk on an unpaved road between thatch-roofed houses in Gangchon, Gangwon Province, near Bukhan River, in this 1968 photo taken by Japanese pastor Nomura Motoyuki. / Photo from Noonbit PublishingBy Kang Hyun-kyungJapanese pastor Nomura Motoyuki, 89, is a self-appointed civic ambassador having dedicated his entire life to helping Koreans and Japanese reconcile with each other to move forward from their tragic past. Rev. Nomura, also a photographer and author of three photobooks, has been campaigning for Korea, claiming that Japan owes a sincere apology to its neighbor. “As a national of the country that occupied Korea, I think Japan needs to offer a heart-felt apology to Koreans,” he said in the foreword of his latest photobook titled “Gangchon in Korea” published by Noonbit Publishing, Wednesday.He reiterated his decades-old demand that Japan take measures to mend ties with Korea. Nomura visited Seoul's urban poor in the 1970s to feed the poorest of the poor as his government turned a deaf ear to his repeated calls.The Japanese pastor raised money

May 27, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Japanese pastor, who saved Korea's urban poor, releases photobook

Tech-free childhood captured in photography

Romanian-American artist Mari Calai's son Samuel blows the seeds off a red-seeded dandelion in the woods located in Falls Church, Virginia, in this September 2016 file photo. Calai released a photobook titled “ADAGIO” featuring her son and daughter growing up with nature, last week, five years after the photos were taken. / Photo from Noonbit PublishingRomanian-American artist chronicles her kids growing up with nature in 'ADAGIO'By Kang Hyun-kyungRomanian-American artist and photographer Mari Calai's two children depicted in her recently published photobook, titled “ADAGIO,” are very different from Korean kids of the same age group.Unlike Korean children who rush to test prep institutions once their schools are over and spend several hours there to hone their testing skills, Sofia and Samuel learn from nature. They spend most of their time in an “outdoor classroom” and have free time to explore the world surrounding them.Unlike Korean kids whose lives are inseparable from smartphones as they constantly communicate with their parents and friends th

May 25, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Tech-free childhood captured in photography

'I am Korean yet culturally black'

Cindy Wilson, author of “Too Much Soul: The Journey of an Asian Southern Belle” / Courtesy of Cindy WilsonKorean American author speaks about her journey to find true self By Kang Hyun-kyungCindy Wilson, author of “Too Much Soul: The Journey of an Asian Southern Belle,” was born I Wol-yang in Seoul and adopted by African-American parents in 1975 when she was a few months old. Her name was changed to Cindy and she was brought to America by her adoptive parents the following year. Unlike some other adoptees who have spent a great deal of time and energy to find their birth parents, Wilson has never tried to find her roots. She said she considers her adoptive parents, not birth parents, to be her true family. Raised in Mississippi, Wilson identifies as being part of the African American community, even though she is Asian. In a recent Korea Times interview, she spoke about her upbringing, how it has impacted her journey to find her true self and her book which was published in 2018.Q: You appear to be more outgoing and positive than the other adoptees I've interv

May 19, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Fabulous characters entertain pandemic-weary readers

A scene from Walt Disney's 1998 animated action film Mulan. The box office-hit was based on the Chinese folk tale of the female warrior Hua Mulan. / Korea Times file'Folk Tale Characters' ushers readers to literary creatures By Kang Hyun-kyungShin Dong-hun's new book “Folk Tale Characters” is a readable literary analysis that compares characters of Korean and international folk tales to draw their fascinating, yet unrealistic common nature. These exuberant characters are ordinary people born with extraordinary capabilities, entertaining coronavirus pandemic-weary readers and further ushering them to exciting adventures. Shin, a professor of Korean literature at Konkuk University in Seoul, said he hopes the characters he revisited in his book can inspire readers stressed out amid the lingering pandemic to regain hope and energy in their lives.His new book is also for himself. In the foreword, the author describes himself as a person having lived a life for others while forgoing happiness and personal gain to lead an ethical life. “Regarding an ethical life, I don't m

May 15, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Fabulous characters entertain pandemic-weary readers

Neutral state proposed to cut foreign influence

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, in this July 2017 file photo. / Reuters-Yonhap'Why Japan' shows liberal thinker's worldview By Kang Hyun-kyungHa Jong-moon's “Why Does Japan Want to Conquer Korea?” gives an insight into the direction of President Moon Jae-in's foreign policy and goals for diplomatic footing in East Asia to those who remain clueless about the liberal government's motives. It's an informative piece for those who want to understand Moon's position when he is handling key foreign policy issues related to South Korea's relations with the United States, China and Japan and inter-Korean diplomacy.Despite this merit, the book reveals its limitations with its overly simplistic analysis of complex East Asian affairs and a polarizing worldview that pits Korea against Japan in all areas despite their common ground on the security front which necessitates their cooperation. The author tries to rally support for what he believes is good for Korea's future to ensure its survival as a sovereign state at a time when East

May 8, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Neutral state proposed to cut foreign influence

'Nth room scandal shifted people's focus from victims to offenders'

By Kwak Yeon-sooSexual health educator Cho A-ra / Courtesy of Cho A-raCho A-ra, a sexual health educator and the author of “I Teach Sex Education,” said she has spotted a change in the public perception of online sex crimes over the past few years.She mentioned that the “Nth room” case has made people shift the blame from the victims to the offenders. Methods used to exploit people have become more sophisticated with technological advancements, and the public is now calling for more attention to be paid to the health and safety of victims.The Korean public expressed outrage at the news of the sex crime scandal known as the “Nth room” case which was publicized in March. Victims, including underage girls, were forced to submit explicit and sometimes violent videos of themselves to perpetrators who would share the material in Telegram group chats. An estimated 260,000 users paid for access to the group chats with either cryptocurrency or sexual exploitation videos of their own. More than 309 people accused of online sex crimes related to the case have

Apr 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

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