Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Clarkesworld expands horizons for Korean science fiction

Clarkesworld publisher Neil Clarke / Courtesy of neil-clarke.com By Jon Stein2019 has been a good year for Korean science fiction writing. Thanks to funding from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), Clarkesworld Magazine, an award-winning online science fiction magazine based in the U.S., has been steadily translating and publishing several short science fiction stories by South Korean authors, bringing their work to a wider international audience.Clarkesworld editor Neil Clarke is no stranger to the joys and challenges of publishing science fiction in translation. The magazine, which published its first issue in 2006, has long been a home for writers from beyond the English-speaking world. To date, Clarkesworld has published over 40 works in translation, including stories from Germany, Italy, China and Korea.This policy, Clarke explained during an interview with The Korea Times, came about more or less organically. “(Chinese-American author) K

Aug 12, 2019By Jon Dunbar

Clarkesworld expands horizons for Korean science fiction

In bookstores, right-wingers gain the upper hand

Five out of the top 10 best-selling books in the fields of politics and society are written by conservative authors or those who are highly critical of the liberal Moon Jae-in government. / Korea TimesBy Kang Hyun-kyungConservative thinkers and right-wingers have dominated the nation's largest bookstore Kyobo Books' weekly best-sellers list. Five out of the top 10 best-selling books in the fields of politics and society are written by conservative authors or those who are highly critical of the liberal Moon Jae-in government. “Anti-Japan Tribalism” co-authored by Lee Young-hoon, a professor emeritus at Seoul National University, and five other authors topped the list, followed by the Korean translation of “The Road to Serfdom,” and independent lawmaker Lee Un-ju's “What I am Fighting For.”Former MBC journalist Kim Sei-eui's “Republic of Korea Seized by Leftists” and libertarian economist Gong Byeong-ho's “Leftist Thinking: Why People Are Drawn to It” also made it into the top 10 list. “The Road to Serfdom,” writt

Aug 11, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

In bookstores, right-wingers gain the upper hand

How Paris became 19th century's canine fashion capital

King of France Louis XV is seen with two dogs in this portrait drawn by Pierre Gobert in the early 18th century. Photo from Papier Publishing HouseAuthor says world history without companion animals is incomplete By Kang Hyun-kyungIn the past decade, dogs and cats have become an inseparable part of the Korean lifestyle. Dogs are Koreans' favorite companion animal and one out of four Korean households lives with them. The booming days for companion animals has prodded money-savvy people to invest their capital in pet-related businesses_ such as veterinary clinics and pet shops selling gifts, clothes, necklets and other fashionable items that people can put on their pets.In Europe, businesses related to companion animals became a niche market that thrived in the 19th century, according to Lee Ju-eun, author of “A Small World History of Dogs and Cats.”Back then, she says, Paris was the global canine fashion capital. “Paris was second to none when it came to dog fashion,” she says. “In Paris in the 19th century, there were plenty of shops selling dog clothin

Aug 9, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

How Paris became 19th century's canine fashion capital

Botox smooths out wrinkles, reduces muscle volume

By Kwak Yeon-sooChoi Eun-jin, the dermatologist at You&I Clinic Gwanggyo/ Courtesy of You&I ClinicBotox, which is cosmetically used to remove wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing muscles, is one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatments in Korea. Widely known as an anti-aging treatment for decades, botox injections block nerve transmissions in the body to smooth out wrinkles and reduce muscle volume. Although it is a drug made from neurotoxin, it is proven to be therapeutic in treating certain muscular disorders.“Botox is one of the most received cosmetic treatments in Korea. It's safe as long as the drug is officially administered and the treatment is operated by a certified dermatologist or a plastic surgeon,” said Choi Eun-jin, a dermatologist.The most common treatment areas for botox are around the eyes, forehead, and jaw, according to her.“Apart from the face area, a growing number of patients are getting botox in their shoulders, calves and armpits,” she said. “Besides the reduction of wrinkles, botox is used to reduce the size of

Aug 8, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo

Botox smooths out wrinkles, reduces muscle volume

Radical feminists, misogynists: why are they so angry?

Anastasia S. Kim, professor of psychology at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of “It's Time to Talk (And Listen),” speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul on Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyungKorean American psychologist says let them talk to end hatredBy Kang Hyun-kyungAnger is a surface-level emotion. What's underneath it is fear and anxiety that has been held and fomenting inside people's minds for years or decades. So even a minor incident can trigger an explosion of deep-seated emotions, causing others to wonder why they have overreacted. Korean American psychologist Anatasia S. Kim said insecurity is a common trait between radical feminists and misogynists, and it pushes them to extremes whenever they feel they are discriminated against. Like Korea, Kim said misogynists and their clash with radical feminists ― with which Korean society is all too familiar these days ― are some of the issues many other countries are dealing with.“This is a very typical dynamic that happens as the oppressed or subjugated voi

Aug 6, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Radical feminists, misogynists: why are they so angry?

Peeking at novels through YouTube

GETTYIMAGESBANKPublishers create YouTube channels to lure millennials By Kang Hyun-kyungPark Sang-young, author of “The Way Urbanites Love” released by Changbi Publishing in July, wanders around Seoul's Itaewon area and other trendy destinations, which were featured in his novels.He appeared in four videos which were uploaded in the publisher's YouTube channel, “Changbi TV.”The Itaewon video went viral, amassing over 10,000 views in just four days.The figure is impressive considering that Changbi's YouTube channel launched in March 2017 and since then their videos have only been viewed around 415,000 times. In the Itaewon video, Park roams the streets and talks about his experiences and how each venue he visits is related to his novel. A small eatery selling ramen 24 hours a day and a gay bar are two of the venues he hit. “The Way Urbanites Love” is Park's second book since he made his literary debut in 2016 when he won a Munhakdongne Literary Award. His new book is a collection of four fiction novels, including the same title fiction which revolve

Aug 2, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Bookstore highlights special side of ordinary people

Inside chocolate bookstore is a huge table with eight seats for social gathering. / Korea Times photo by Jung Hae-myoungBy Jung Hae-myoungLee is selective when it comes to books. She handpicks the books for her bookstore. “If there is any criteria for selecting books, the first and foremost condition is I have to like it, want to read it, or they must be from my favorite authors,” she said. She feels proud of opening a bookstore where the customers trust her selections. “I think finding the identity of this bookstore is very similar to finding my own identity. Opening the bookstore, I am showing part of me. I sometimes feel this place is myself, and I am this space,” she said. “But that is same for all human beings. It is hard to define just one fixed characteristic,” she added. The biggest reward for Lee is getting to know the extraordinary side of ordinary people, like finding hidden gems.“Running this bookstore, I meet many people and among them are those with great potential,” she said. “Just recognizing this potential within

Aug 1, 2019

Bookstore highlights special side of ordinary people

'Buy a book, choose a chocolate'

'Buy a book, choose a chocolate'

Chocolate bookstore illustrated by Kim Seung-tae, is displayed at the chocolate bookstore shelf./ Korea Times photo by Jung Hae-myoungBookshop owner encourages readers to taste exquisite handmade chocolate By Jung Hae-myoung A bookstore full of sweet treats, Chocolate Bookstore is an ideal place not only for children but also for adults. In western Seoul's Yeonhui-dong area, the store offers a selection of handmade chocolates and books that are carefully chosen by the owner. When this reporter stepped inside the shop on Tuesday, a few people were drawing at the big table in the middle of the store. The shopkeeper offered a warm greeting and some chocolate filled madeleines she prepared for her neighbor who also happens to own a bookstore. Lee Sun-kyung opened Chocolate Bookstore in May. Before this, she was running a chocolate cafe “17 degrees Celsius” nearby with her younger brother who studied chocolate-making. Now the brother runs the cafe by himself. “My brother asked me for help. I had no idea about this business before. I learned about chocolate while I was ru

Aug 1, 2019

Bookstore highlights special side of ordinary people

Tolerance spoils ill-minded people

The statue of King Sejong in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul / Korea Times fileExpert critically reviews King Sejong's criminal policy By Kang Hyun-kyungKing Sejong of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), who sat on the throne for over 31 years from 1418 until his death in 1450, launched a crackdown against crime in the last three years of his reign, according to a recent study. Cho Byung-in, a former senior research fellow at Korea Institute of Criminology in Seoul, said he discovered that 550 prisoners were executed during King Sejong's final three years. The figure is nearly four times the average number of criminals who faced execution during his previous 28 years. The capital punishment figure reached its peak with 233 in 1448, the 30th year after Sejong ascended to the throne. Most of the criminals who faced execution were burglars. “The high rate of capital punishment that came later in his tenure is associated with the shift of policy focus from tolerance to severe punishment,” Cho claimed in his paper, titled “A Study of King Sejong's Battle against Burglars” p

Jul 30, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Megachurches in Korea: Why they face calls to be born again

Experts say there is a Korea-specific factor that made once-small churches transform into megachurches within a relatively short time period. Location is one of the common factors that helped the startup churches grow quickly./ gettyimagesbank By Kang Hyun-kyungMyungsung Church, a megachurch in Seoul that is seeing a continued controversy over the father-son leadership succession that happened in November 2017, was once a small church. Rev. Kim Sam-hwan started the church in Myeongil-dong, eastern Seoul in 1980 with a couple dozen likeminded founding members. Church membership grew rapidly during his tenure to reach its current 100,000 registered members, nearly four decades later. The church was mired in controversy in 2014, a year before Rev. Kim retired after over three decades of service as head pastor. Some whistleblowers disclosed the church's alleged hidden wealth worth 80 billion won ($80 million) that had not been made public to the congregation. The revelation came shortly after a senior church member in charge of the church's finances committed suicide, leaving messages fo

Jul 28, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

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