Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Hwang Sok-yong nominated for Man Booker International Award

Hwang Sok-yong / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungHwang Sok-yong, 76, was nominated for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize, three years after Han Kang became the first Korean to win the internationally renowned award in 2016 for “The Vegetarian.”On Tuesday, the selection committee unveiled a long list of 13 works, including Hwang's “At Dusk,” for the award. The fiction revolves around a self-made man Park Min-woo who is serving as director of an architectural firm in Seoul. His life takes a turn after he receives a message from a childhood friend. The Man Booker International Prize selects the finest translated work every year and awards both the writer and the translator. Korean-American Sora Kim-Russell who translated Hwang's fiction into English is also nominated for the award. In 2016, Han Kang and British translator Deborah Smith, who translated “The Vegetarian,” won the prizes together. The committee will unveil a shortlist of six final works on April 9 and the final winners will be announced on May 21. Hwang is one of the greatest Kore

Mar 13, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Hwang Sok-yong nominated for Man Booker International Award

Film posters explore motion picture history

This combined picture shows, from left, the film posters for “Seong Chun-hyang (1961),” “The Love Story of Chun-hyang (1961),” “Yalkae, a Joker in High School (1976),” and “Madame Freedom (1956).” / Courtesy of Yang Hae-namBy Kang Hyun-kyungBox-office hits mirror how Korean society has been evolving over the past century. In his new book “Faces of Movies: Yang Hae-nam's Collection of Korean Film Posters” published by Sakyejul or Four Seasons Publishing, author Yang shared 248 film posters with his knowledgeable interpretation of each film and its role in Korea's motion picture history. “Faces of Movies” gives a rare snapshot of 100 years of Korean cinema history. Director Kim Do-san's 1919 film “Righteous Vomiting” is the nation's first motion picture. The movie is about a son's revenge on his wicked stepmother who took the family's fortune.Yang says censorship and the diffusion of TV sets in the 1970s were two milestone events that prompted the decline of Korean cinema in the 1970s and 80s.He charact

Mar 8, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Film posters explore motion picture history

Japanese author offers tips to deal with abusers

By Jin Yu-young Regardless of our professional network, family members, or circle of friends, we all have people in our lives who directly and, or passive-aggressively verbally attack us. Although it may seem easier to ignore or remove these people from our lives, we oftentimes have no choice but to be in their close proximity and communicate with them on a daily basis. How then, do we, with our words, handle negative comments while maintaining composure?In her book “Ah, I Should Have Said it Like This Then!” Japanese author and leading psychiatrist Tamami Katada arms readers with verbal strategies to respond to offenders. “Ah, I Should Have Said it Like This Then!” by Tamami KatadaHaving graduated from the Department of Medicine at Osaka University and then obtaining her master's degree in Human and Environmental Studies at Tokyo University, Tamami analyses the psychology behind bullies and explains to us why we should not reciprocate in the same manner. The book was recently translated into Korean by Lee Joo-hee.The book is split into five main sections, eac

Mar 8, 2019

Japanese author offers tips to deal with abusers

German authors re-define mid-life crisis

By Jin Yu-young As we age, many of us will experience a “mid-life crisis”: coming into the latter half of life causes us to reflect on our choices in regards to marriage, career and self-care among other things. The hormone-fluctuations that our bodies undergo at this time take in the form of menopause in both men and women and can cause stress, anxiety, and even depression. To put those at ease who may be encountering this, German authors Maxim Leo and Jochen Gutsch put a humorous spin to the mid-life crisis in their book, “Es Ist Nur Eine Phase, Hase,” or tentatively titled “It's Just a Phase, Honey Bunny”. The book received massive popularity for its witty style and essay-formatted anecdotes, leadings to its No.1 spot as a Best Seller on Amazon in Germany in the genres of comfort, humor, health, and family. The book was recently translated into Korean by Won Sung-chul. “Es Ist Nur Eine Phase, Hase” by Maxim Leo and Jochen GutschEach chapter illustrates a moment in the narrator's life that encompasses the “mid-life crisis experi

Mar 1, 2019

German authors re-define mid-life crisis

'Ridiculous' 1970s

A man wearing military uniform cuts a young man's hair in front of others in this undated Korea Times file photo. In 1973, the Park Chung-hee government adopted the Minor Offenses Act banning men from having long hair and women wearing skirts shorter than 17 centimeters above the knee. / Korea Times fileBook lampoons Park Chung-hee eraBy Kang Hyun-kyungAuthor and history teacher Pyo Hak-ryul provides a rare look at economic policy consistency since the 1970s in his new book “Memories of Yushin Dictatorship.” Yushin refers to the 1973 constitutional reform that allowed then President Park Chung-hee to seek re-election. The author says both conservative and liberal governments put economic growth first, and that policy priority has remained intact over the decades. Pyo raises the issue as government change usually entails a shift in major policies. Why have liberal politicians, who took to the streets in the 1970s to bring down Park Chung-hee, emulated his signature economic policies, rather than pushing for their own agenda of redistribution?Pyo, who identifies himself as

Feb 22, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

View yourself as marketable product

Japanese author calls for raising self- worth By Jin Yu-young We currently live in a world that perceives employment as a means to secure our futures: one who has found a job and makes a steady income is seen as “successful” in the eyes of others. Japanese author Takahisa Nagai, however, challenges this notion in his book “How to Sell the Product of Me for a High Price” by claiming that it is not work that determines our fate, but rather, how much we recognize and invest in our own self-worth. The book, originally released in 2018, was recently translated into Korean by Noh Kyoung-ah.Having worked for IBM Consulting in Japan for over 30 years, Takahisa shares personal experiences and gives readers advice on how to raise their self-worth. The book is divided into 10 parts, each explaining how a particular marketing strategy can translate to self-perception. By guiding readers through several concepts including product positioning and risk taking, the author demonstrates how readers can make the most profit by viewing themselves as marketable products. How to S

Feb 15, 2019

Koreans becoming greedy, pretentious

'Republic of Babel Tower' warns of consequences of greed By Kang Hyun-kyungKang Jun-man, a liberal critic and professor of journalism at Chun Buk National University, has released another acerbic book warning that Korean society is heading in the wrong direction and will face the consequences unless its “insanity” is stopped. The sharp-tongued critic claims Koreans are becoming increasingly materialistic and pretentious.“Republic of Babel Tower: How Koreans Became the Poor Living in a Luxury House” addresses a host of problems Korea is grappling with ― from crammed flats that are forcing dwellers to endure inhumane living conditions, to property speculation that polarizes society even further.Kang is a prolific writer who has released dozens of books since he became famous for his 1995 book “Killing Kim Dae-jung” in which he described Kim, who was later elected president in the 1997 presidential election, as a political martyr and a target of conservative scheming. He is very critical of the conservative camp, which left right-wingers hardly convin

Feb 15, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Joseon diplomat tired of interruptive China in 1880s

Lee Sang-jae (1850-1927), in left photo, served as the first secretary of the Korean Legation in Washington, D.C., from 1888 to 1889. He is one of the founding members of the Korean mission established in the United States. The right photo is Lee's book about funeral proceedings. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) unveiled five documents and three old photos related to the Korea mission in the United States./ Courtesy of CHAOld documents about Korean mission to US unveiledBy Kang Hyun-kyungOver century-old documents display the struggle and immense pressure of the founding members of the Korean mission in the United States in the 1880s when sovereignty of their home country Joseon (1392-1910) was in peril amid power struggles among surrounding imperialist countries. In a letter to his family written on April 13, 1888, Lee Sang-jae (1850-1927), then first secretary at the Korean Legation in Washington, D.C., which later became the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States, revealed his determination to better represent his country. “Diplomats from some 30 cou

Feb 13, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

Joseon diplomat tired of interruptive China in 1880s

INTERVIEW In memoir, daughter recounts 'superhero' father

Professor Park Young-shin's father Park Jung-heun poses at his apple farm in North Gyeongsang Province in this undated photo. He died of complications from a stroke in 2010. He was 97. / Photo from Park Young-shinBy Kang Hyun-kyungPark Young-shin, author of “Stories My Father Told Me: A Korean Father's Wisdom for His Child,” said her late father's legacy lives on in every corner of her life. Although he died nearly a decade ago, Park, 62, said her fond childhood memories have inspired her to walk the talk. Her father, Park Jung-heun (1914-2010), encouraged his five children to “work hard, do the right thing, never turn a blind eye to injustice and be there for those who are in need.”“Stories My Father Told Me” is a memoir of her father and revisits stories she heard from him since her childhood. The Korean book was published in 2013, three years after her father died of complications from a stroke. He was 97. Last year, the book was translated into English and the English edition was released in December.Park, also a professor in the Department of

Feb 8, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung

[INTERVIEW] In memoir, daughter recounts 'superhero' father

Hydrogen Society: Book tells why we will end up living in hydrogen-powered society

By Park Si-soo The era of fossil fuels is ending. What will replace them and reshape the world's energy-scape? Solar, hydro, nuclear, bio and hydrogen are just a few fuels mentioned. Against this backdrop, a book betting on hydrogen has just hit the shelves. “Hydrogen Society,” co-written by five journalists at Money Today, a business daily here, explains why humans will end up relying on hydrogen more than other energy sources. First, hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, constituting roughly 75 percent of all baryonic mass. This will allow virtually “everlasting” use of hydrogen as a key energy source and eliminate the grounds for diplomatic/military conflict over energy supply, said the book. Second is its eco-friendliness. The only “waste” from hydrogen-fueled power generation is water. Third is safety. The book explains why hydrogen container explosions are all but impossible. Low efficiency in hydrogen collection, compression and hydrogen-to-electricity conversion are among issues that need to be tackled. But the b

Feb 6, 2019

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