Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Second-class citizens fighting in vain for life with dignity

Best-selling author Cho Nam-ju's “Sakha Mansion” published by Mininum Publishing Group / Courtesy of the publisher'Sakha Mansion' depicts minorities gnashing their teeth at corporate greedBy Kang Hyun-kyungCho Nam-ju's new book “Sakha Mansion” is a report on minorities in the guise of fiction.Released four years after Kim's international best-seller “Kim Ji-young Born in 1982,” the author explores minorities gnashing their teeth at unbridled corporate greed and its fallout on their lives. Tenants of the urban slum housing complex, Sakha Mansion, in the fictional city state are all social outcasts. Illegal immigrants, people with criminal records, sexual minorities and disabled people flock to the abandoned housing complex to live. They are helpless and grappling with the dire reality which forces them to choose between fighting in vain for life with dignity, or accepting the reality that they have no option but to exist as second-class citizens as long as they live there.“Sakha Mansion” begins with the journey of two siblings ― Jin-kyun

May 31, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Second-class citizens fighting in vain for life with dignity

'Sakha Mansion' portrays modern-time untouchables

Cho Nam-ju, author of the international best-seller “Kim Ji-young Born in 1982,” speaks during a news conference for new book “Sakha Mansion” at the Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Minumsa Publishing GroupBest-selling author Cho Nam-ju unveils new fiction By Kang Hyun-kyungCho Nam-ju, author of the international best-seller “Kim Ji-young Born in 1982,” has released her much-anticipated new book “Sakha Mansion” dealing with her signature topic of the marginalized people struggling to assimilate into society. The title of her new fiction was derived from the namesake Russian Far Eastern Sakha Republic. The science fiction story revolves around the death of Soo, an upper-class woman who was in love with a modern-time untouchable man, Do-kyung, before she died. The police conclude Soo was murdered, and consider boyfriend Do-kyung to be a prime suspect. “Sakha is maybe the toughest region for people to live in because of its severe weather conditions,” Cho said during a news conference for the book at the Press Cent

May 28, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Sakha Mansion' portrays modern-time untouchables

Han Kang hands over book to Norway's 'Future Library' project

Novelist Han Kang / YonhapPrize-winning South Korean novelist Han Kang has handed over a novel to the Norwegian public arts project "Future Library," with her writing to remain unpublished and unread for nearly a century.The 2016 winner of the Man Booker International prize for her novel "The Vegetarian" has been chosen as the fifth writer for the Norwegian project along with 99 renowned authors including English writer David Mitchell. Their works will be kept in secret and published a century later on paper made from the trees of a special forest cultivated for the project.At the ceremony held at a forest on the outskirts of Oslo, Norway, on Saturday (local time), the writer handed over a manuscript covered with a white cloth to Scottish artist Katie Paterson, who initiated the "Future Library" project in 2014. Some 200 people including officials from the Oslo municipal government and media attended the event.The novel, titled "Dear Son, My Beloved," will be held in the Deichman Library in Oslo until its scheduled publication in 2114."It's like my script marrying the forest, or like

May 27, 2019

Han Kang hands over book to Norway's 'Future Library' project

What's deep inside consumers' minds

Japanese brand strategist Masato Hosoya'Brand Story' tells businesses to sell touching stories By Kang Hyun-kyungConsumers no longer just consume goods. They consume the stories behind them.To appeal to enlightened consumers, Japanese brand expert Masato Hosoya says businesses need to do some extra work ― they need to sell their stories and present their brands in a way that provokes thought among customers. Hosoya, author of “Brand Story Design,” defines consumers as people who are willing to pay more once certain brands strike a chord with them or meet their needs, such as a desire to learn about something new. No longer satisfied with information given by producers, consumers are eager to know more about products and want to hear touching and inspiring stories.If business leaders or branding experts fail to grasp or fathom this new consumer landscape, the author says their brands are likely to struggle. Hosoya references Sapporo-based confectionery company Ishiya as one of the most successful cases of branding strategy. “In 2013, Ishiya opened three stylish store

May 24, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Author touts stretching for physical, mental health

By Jin Yu-youngLiving in the 21st century has made adults less physically active than ever before: elevators have taken away the need for stairs, public transportation has made walking a nuisance, and long hours at our desk jobs have left our posture mediocre and bodies stiff. After fitness expert Jessica Matthews realized the devastating effects a sedentary lifestyle could have, when members of her family were diagnosed with chronic diseases, she took it upon herself to help others become more active. In her book, “Stretching to Stay Young: Simple Workouts to Keep You Flexible, Energized, and Pain Free,” she explains the scientific reasoning behind the benefits of daily stretching and includes detailed workout plans for readers to easily follow along. The book was recently translated into Korean by Park Seo-ryoung. “Stretching to Stay Young: Simple Workouts to Keep You Flexible, Energized, and Pain Free” by Jessica MatthewsThere are many misconceptions that people have about stretching. That stretching is only beneficial to those already flexible, that we onl

May 24, 2019

Author touts stretching for physical, mental health

'Thriving' unravels secrets of corporate longevity

Oh Tae-heon, author of “Thriving on Core Business: The Power of Japanese Small Companies” / Courtesy of the authorAuthor says stay focused, be stubborn with core business By Kang Hyun-kyungEvery business encounters good and bad days. Some survive, some take a leap forward through crisis and many are pushed out of business. Why do some businesses thrive, while others fall prey to misfortune? Economist Oh Tae-heon, author of “Thriving on Core Business: The Power of Japanese Small Companies” published by Samsung Economic Research Institute, observes long-living companies have some common traits. Sharing his findings from case studies of 30 small but strong Japanese companies, the author says they are found to “stay focused, think outside the box, remain stubborn with their business focus and never waste resources to diversify business” even though their businesses have gone extremely well. Japanese pencil manufacturer Kita-boshi is a prime example showing how the small company with some 30 employees has managed to survive, and even thrive, despite the

May 17, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Thriving' unravels secrets of corporate longevity

'Tatooist' tells of love in concentration camp

By Jin Yu-young Based on true events, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” tells the story of Lale Sokolov and how he survived the horrors of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland during the Holocaust in the 1940s. The author, Heather Morris, got to know Sokolov through a mutual acquaintance and met with him for three years to listen and piece together his narrative. The book was recently translated into Korean by Park Ah-ram. “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather MorrisConditions in the camp were horrible beyond imagination. Prisoners who died of starvation or illness were discarded by the truckload, and arbitrary shootings by the guards were commonplace. “If you [woke] up in the morning, it [was] a good day,” says Sokolov, who describes survival as a daily battle. He recounts a time when he himself was left for dead and thrown onto one of the trucks. If not for his friends who dragged him off and nurtured him back to health, Sokolov would have been burned along with other corpses.In the Auschwitz camp, Sokolov tattooed all of the incoming prisoner

May 17, 2019

'Tatooist' tells of love in concentration camp

Confront your inner demons

By Jin Yu-young With the world population approaching almost eight billion, our diverse and complex societies make getting along with everybody impossible. Even more inevitable is that that some of these people will make us angry and frustrated, bringing out the worst in us. To help cope with such moods, Robert Betz wrote, “It's My Fault Again?” to not only help readers manage difficult situations, but also turn them into learning experiences. Betz is one of Germany's most popular psychologists and has helped over 250,000 people face their internal struggles over the past decade. To date, he has written 10 books. “It's My Fault Again?” was recently translated into Korean by Seo Yu-ri. “It's My Fault Again?” by Robert Betz“Anger is a direct reflection of yourself,” says Betz. When we only see fault in others without recognizing our own inner demons, we relinquish any potential control over a situation. Although we cannot change the actions of other people, we can at least change the way we perceive an outcome. In doing so, we become more

May 10, 2019

'In North Korea' delves into defector's culture shock

By Kang Hyun-kyungIn South Korea, being fat is considered a source of concern. People are obsessed with losing weight because they are taught being overweight is related to many health problems. Being thin or slim is also widely viewed as a prerequisite to attractiveness. Contrary to these views, being overweight is something admirable in North Korea. If you are fat, people would think you are part of an upper-class family. Kyung-hwa, author of the book “In North Korea That I Had Lived” released by the Media Ilda publishing house, said southerners' negative views of being overweight are one of the factors that caused her to encounter culture shock after she arrived in the South. Kyung-hwa is the author's pen name and she declined to disclose her real name as well as other personal information when contacted through her publishing house. In the book, the author, who was born and lived in North Korea for three decades before she escaped to the South in 1998 for a better life, details how the two societies are different by shedding light on their unique cultures and lifestyl

May 10, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

'In North Korea' delves into defector's culture shock

Jung Woo-sung to rally support for refugees

From left, model Han Hyun-min, author Han Kang, and retired professor of philosophy Kim Hyeong-seok on a poster for the Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF). They are this year's SIBF goodwill ambassadors. / SIBFSeoul International Book Fair to be held from June 19-23By Kang Hyun-kyungActor Jung Woo-sung will speak on refugees at the Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF), to be held for five days from June 19 at COEX in southern Seoul.In a press release on Saturday, the Korean Publishers Association (KPA) said Jung, who has been goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since May 2014, will talk about the displaced people under the title of “Refugees, Our New Neighbors” on June 20. The actor has been a vocal supporter of the Yemeni refugees who unexpectedly divided the nation last year when about 500 arrived on Jeju Island to seek refugee status.In February he told a policy forum at the National Assembly that the baseless stories about Yemeni refugees that spread quickly online last year created hatred and Islamophobia. “If you ever me

May 5, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

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