Lifestyle - The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Author Yun I-hyeong espouses political power of trivial feminine story

Yun I-hyeong / Korea Times fileThe random murder of a 20-something woman by a schizophrenic man in the heart of Seoul in 2016 was a symbolic moment that awakened many young Korean women to the lethality of the simmering misogyny here.Hiding in a unisex public toilet adjoining a bar near the crowded Gangnam subway station, the assaulter in his 30s waited for 30 minutes while six men came and went before stabbing the first female toilet user to death.The random murder case immediately sparked an acute consciousness of the danger of being female, instigating many young women to take to the streets to mourn the death and protest.The ghastly case was a major moment of rebirth for novelist Yun I-hyeong as a female writer who, till then, unconsciously tried to keep her femininity from seeping into her literary works for fear of being bypassed for “feminine frivolousness.”Major #MeToo revelations against highly revered male authors around the same time keenly reminded Yun of her identity as a woman, awakening a feministic voice inside her.“People used to say 'I don't wanna

Sep 28, 2019

[INTERVIEW] Author Yun I-hyeong espouses political power of trivial feminine story

Novelist Gong Ji-young sued for defaming Buddhist leader

Novelist Gong Ji-young. Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungNovelist Gong Ji-young faces a defamation lawsuit.Korea's largest Buddhist sect Jogye Order submitted complaint against Gong to Jongno Police Station in Seoul on Friday for her controversial sharing of an edited photo of the spiritual leader of the sect and the leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) on Twitter. She shared the image featuring a Buddhist monk having the face of LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn who shaved his head weeks ago in protest of the embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk. The photo also had the LKP logo on the wall of the meeting room. The photo was taken during the Jogye Order members' meeting on Sept. 16, 2016. Gong retweeted the edited photo on Sept. 20 with the message, “Let's have fun!”Two Buddhist monks ― Ven. Hyeil and Hosan ― claimed the novelist defamed Jogye Order's spiritual leader Yeha as his face was replaced by the LKP leader.“She is such a renowned novelist and her literary influence is huge. She would have known the defamatory nature of the photo but went ahead with

Sep 27, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Novelist Gong Ji-young sued for defaming Buddhist leader

2019 Seoul International Writers' Festival to kick off next month

President of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) of Korea Kim Sa-in speaks during a press conference in central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of LTI KoreaBy Anna J. ParkThis year's Seoul International Writers' Festival will be held for nine days at Seoul's iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) from Oct. 5 to 13, inviting 32 renowned novelists and poets from over a dozen countries. Under the main theme of “Thousands of Mirrors Reflecting Us,” the festival offers a full schedule of 25 events, including one-on-one discussions among writers, and performance readings. Award-winning authors, including Graeme Macrae Burnet from the U.K., Chandrahas Choudhury from India, Forrest Gander from the U.S, Nicolas Mathieu from France, as well as Shinji Ishii from Japan, will be joining the event. Popular Korean authors, including Bae Su-ah, Han Yu-joo, Moon Chung-hee and Lee Seung-U, among many others, will also take part in the festival.This year's festival marks the eighth installment since it launched back in 2006 as a biennial event. Starting this year, the Seoul Int

Sep 18, 2019By Anna J. Park

2019 Seoul International Writers' Festival to kick off next month

'Biggest Lie' tells stories of women unable to say #MeToo

“The Biggest Lie: I am Happy to be a Woman” by Shin Joong-sun / Courtesy of Shin Joong-sunAuthor delves into what's inside in most marginalized sexual victims' mindsBy Kim Se-jeongThe #MeToo movement, which swept Korea last year and brought down several prominent figures, revealed the dysfunctional side of Korea, particularly in relationships between men and women. Yet, there are still many victims who were not courageous enough to blow the whistle and testify openly about what they went through. They can't even dare to confront their assailants partly because they are too close to them and their revelations could deal a serious blow to other family members. These women are victimized by their fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins and boyfriends.Shin Joong-sun's award-winning book, “The Biggest Lie: I am Happy to Live as a Woman,” tells the stories of women who fall victim to sexual abuse but are forced to stay quiet, instead of speaking out and getting justice. The book, written in Korean, comprises of seven fictional stories, with each story highlighting tragic

Sep 10, 2019By Kim Se-jeong

'Biggest Lie' tells stories of women unable to say #MeToo

Satire comic strip artist dies at 87

This photo shows the transformation of comics artist Kim Sung-whan's character Gobau (the scrooge old man) from 1950 to 2000. / YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungCartoonist Kim Sung-whan, best known for his satirical comic strip “Gobau” or the old scrooge, died of old age Sunday. He was 87.Born in the North Korean city of Gaeseong in 1932, he debuted as a cartoonist at 17. Kim rose to stardom for his four-cut serialized satirical comic Gobau which became a household name. Since it was first published in the Dong-A Daily newspaper Feb. 1, 1955, Gobau continued to run in the newspaper until 1980. After that, his cartoon strips were published in two other dailies ― first in the Chosun Ilbo and then the Munwha Ilbo ― until 2000. Gobau is the longest running comic strip for adults in Korea.The character Gobau is a middle-aged man with a wife and a daughter. The bald man has a long single hair on his head which displays his emotional state. It usually falls over his forehead. If it's straight up over his head, this means he is upset. His hair becomes curly if he is frightened.Kim created

Sep 9, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Happy retiree's guide to fulfilling sunset life

GETTYIMAGESBANK'Be productive until you die,' says author of 'Intellectually-Stimulating Life'By Kang Hyun-kyungFinancial experts have encouraged people to set aside one billion won ($835,000) to lead livable post-retirement lives, which, depending on the person, continues for three decades after they quit their day job. The amount is based on Statistics Korea's 2014 survey of salaried workers.According to the survey, Koreans retire when they are 53 years old on average and the retirees will live another 33 years without income. Considering the average monthly expense for a two-household family living in Seoul is about 2.3 million won, roughly 900 million won is needed for a retiree to live together with his or her spouse without financial stress. Hence the one billion won retirement fund.Jung Sung-hyun, author of “I Want to Lead an Intellectually-Stimulating Life until Death” published by Mento Press, defies the one billion theory, claiming it is trick by financial experts to take advantage of their clients' resources. Jung, 64, put forth the primary tip to avoid becomin

Sep 6, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Happy retiree's guide to fulfilling sunset life

Desolate island born again as gigantic art museum

A colorful road sign, top, on Yeonhong Island, South Jeolla Province, shows directions to the wharf, church and the northwest end of the island. The formerly desolate island has transformed into a gigantic art museum with various art pieces and installations. / Korea Times file photo'Caring Design' elaborates what makes design great By Kang Hyun-kyungThe tiny island of Yeonhong at the southwestern tip of Goheung County, South Jeolla Province, was once a typical island on the wane. Many locals left in search of a better life in urban areas, leaving homes there uninhabited.It was once a thriving island with a booming seaweed business. Through their small seaweed farms, the islanders earned enough money to lead an affluent lifestyle and send their children to school. The good days, however, were brief. Competition heated up as people from outside the island joined the seaweed business with lavish investments, and consequently small seaweed farmers were pushed out of business. Younger people, who deemed their hometown as having no future, migrated to big cities for jobs. Their departure,

Aug 30, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Desolate island born again as gigantic art museum

INTERVIEW 'A Spoiled Child' depicts harsh life under Japan

Lee Moo-ki, a grand prize winner of 2019 Bucheon Comics Awards for his webtoon “A Spoiled Child,” speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Courtesy of Bucheon International Comics Festival (BICOF)'Spoiled Child' author recounts his five-year struggles to produce the finest piece By Anna J. ParkEarlier this month, webtoon artist Lee Moo-ki, 38, received the grand prize at this year's Bucheon Comics Awards, one of Korea's most renowned honors given to comic book or webtoon creators, for his work “A Spoiled Child.” The comic was published on the internet portal Daum and was also printed in book form. The title “A Spoiled Child” is ironic, as the webtoon tells the story of a small village girl, Gannanyi, and her family and friends during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era. The webtoon portrays many tragic and thorny issues, such as wartime forced labor and sex slavery by the Japanese military. During a recent interview with The Korea Times, Lee recounted that he experienced a lot of pressure over the past five years while working on the we

Aug 26, 2019By Anna J. Park

[INTERVIEW] 'A Spoiled Child' depicts harsh life under Japan

'A Farewell to Arms' and 'A Welcome to a New Japan'

A review of Emanuel Pastreich's new book on the climate crisis and Japanese ConstitutionBy Kawanaka YoI have gradually come to accept the unpredictable developments of this confusing world with greater detachment. Perhaps it is a matter of age, or some would say, of maturity. At the same time, I wish to be a person who reaches out to others when they are in trouble. Moreover, in spite of the growing political cynicism in Japan, or perhaps because of it, increasingly I feel an imperative to make myself aware so that I can take action. That is an aim is more easily framed in words than it is acted upon. Despite my efforts to inform myself about the problems of this world, I still find myself struggling to come up with a concrete plan for what I can do. When I was a primary school student, I wanted to choose global warming (climate change) as the theme for my independent summer research project. But my father told me the problem was too big and complicated. He suggested that I should choose something more manageable. I was an introspective little girl with almost no friends at scho

Aug 21, 2019

'A Farewell to Arms' and 'A Welcome to a New Japan'

A tale of doomed love

Professor unveils English novel 'Beyond Division' about two star-crossed lovers By Kang Hyun-kyung“Beyond the Division,” an English novel written by Chung Ang University Professor Hur Mann-hyung, is a tragic story about doomed love. A South Korean man falls in love with a woman from the North, knowing from the very start that their relationship won't lead to a happy ending. Their love hinges on inter-Korean relations, a factor they can't control. The tragic romance story between a South Korean man named Pilsung and his North Korean lover Soon reminds readers of “namnam buknyeo,” a term Koreans use when they compare physical appearances of men and women of the two Koreas. It says South Korean men are physically more attractive than their North Korean counterparts, and as for women, North Koreans are more attractive than southerners. Chung Ang University Professor Hur Mann-hyung releases an English fiction novel, “Beyond the Division.” / Courtesy of Hur Mann-hyungHur said the cultural belief had not affected his novella, noting he drew forbidden love

Aug 16, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

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