Lifestyle - The Korea Times

'Silk Roads' tracks Buddhism's spread to Korea

By Jin Yu-youngCover of “The Silk Roads” by Peter FrankopanKoreans are taught that Buddhism came to the Korean Peninsula through a Chinese monk in 372 CE when King Sosurim of Goguryeo was in power. Since then, Korean monks have gone to China to learn and bring back the teachings of various Chinese schools of Buddhism. Through the ancient cultural exchange, Buddhism became one of the three major religions in this country today, along with Protestantism and Catholicism. However, little is known about how Buddhism, which originated in India, reached China, from where it would eventually come to be part of Korean culture. Peter Frankopan's “The Silk Roads” (2017) gives an explanation of this. In the second chapter titled “The Road of Faiths,” the author discusses the expansion of different religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism. Focusing on Buddhism, he mentions how the surge of Buddhists also led to an increase in “suptas,” or places of worship on the travel route often taken by these religious practitioners. It is through th

Aug 10, 2018

Vanessa Lee's successful Hollywood journey

Movie costume designer Vanessa Lee makes one of her designs using a sewing machine. For the last 15 years, Lee has been designing, making patterns, suit draping and fitting, foam fabricating and sewing. She is now the owner of Super Suit Factory, which designs and produces specialized costumes. Courtesy of Vanessa LeeBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Pattern maker for movie costume needed.”That job posting in a local newspaper in the United States started Vanessa Mi-kyung Lee, 49, on her career in the Practical FX industry, a special effect produced physically without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques. Ever since she joined Hollywood 15 years ago, Lee has designed costumes for several movies, including “Thor” (2011), “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013), “Darkest Hour” (2017) and a Korean adaptation of “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” (2018).Lee is now recognized as one of Hollywood's most successful and highest-paid movie costume designers ― known as fabricators within the industry. Fabricators are artists with a wide ra

Aug 8, 2018

Vanessa Lee's successful Hollywood journey

'Blacklisted' literary critic dies of cancer

By Kang Hyun-kyungHwang Hyun-san, a literary critic, writer and professor emeritus at Korea University, passed away on Wednesday after fighting cancer. He was 73.Hwang underwent surgery after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer in 2015. Cancer cells, however, spread to other organs later, causing him to resign as chairman of Arts Council Korea (ARKO) in February, three months after he was appointed to the post.Hwang Hyun-san / YonhapHe was hospitalized in July as his health worsened. Hwang was a prolific writer and translator. He was one of the “blacklisted” writers during the Park Geun-hye administration. Last year, he joined 423 intellectuals who endorsed Moon Jae-in as president. He was a popular critic of literary works and had over 400,000 Twitter followers. He earned the nickname “a sharp connoisseur of poems” for his thorough style. He translated several French books into Korean. He was a rare Korean-French translator who didn't study in France. He was a bestseller author and his 2013 essay collection, “Night Teaches Us” (a tentative Engli

Aug 8, 2018

'Blacklisted' literary critic dies of cancer

Books on President's reading list see surge in sales

By Kang Hyun-kyungThe three books President Moon Jae-in read during his summer vacation last week have seen a remarkable boost in sales. The three are Han Kang's “There Comes the Boy,” Kim Sung-dong's “Kooksu” (artists with unrivaled expertise in their fields) and journalist Jin Cheon-gyu's “Seoul and Pyongyang Change Alike Over Time” (a tentative English title). According to Kyobo Bookstore, Monday, Han Kang's novel sold an average of 29 copies a day before Aug. 3 media reports about President Moon's summer book list. Han Kang's “There Comes the Boy”Its sales soared over tenfold afterwards, with average daily sales of 306 copies. The book is about a 15-year-old boy named Dong-ho who lived through the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. Dong-ho is shot dead after standing against the military during the pro-democracy protest, in which bloody clashes between the military and citizens took the lives of thousands. Kyobo Bookstore said “There Comes the Boy” is popular among female readers in their 20s, 30s and 40s. “Kooksu,” also

Aug 6, 2018

Books on President's reading list see surge in sales

'Moneyball' reshapes Korean baseball

By Lee Jae-hyunMichal Lewis's 2003 book “Moneyball” is a must-read for baseball players, coaching staff and even ordinary readers. The critically-acclaimed book details how the small, poor Oakland Athletics baseball club, once a lackluster team full of ragtag players, was able to outperform the star-studded rich clubs. The success formula boils down to Billy Beane's inspiring data-based baseball tactics. SK Wyverns' manager Trey Hillman is the most talked-about manager who has deep trust in data-based baseball. Courtesy of SK WyvernsThe bestseller has had a lingering impact on Korean baseball. Data analysis and use of statistics about players in baseball games have become a critical part of baseball games. SK Wyverns' manager Trey Hillman is the most talked-about manager who has deep trust in data-based baseball. His iconic defensive realignment based on odds drawn from accumulated data about the direction and distance a ball travels from a slugger's bat has earned the nickname “Hillman shifts,” and is said to be one of the key factors that has made the Wyvern

Aug 3, 2018

'Everybody Lies' gives insight into human psyche

By Jin Yu-Young Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's new book “Everybody Lies” reveals shocking insights into the human psyche. After analyzing big data (via Google search engines, social media platforms, online surveys, etc.) the author reveals that the majority of us not only lie to others, but also to ourselves. In the book, Stephens-Davidowitz refers to online search engines as the “Digital Truth Serum,” as behind the privacy of online, anonymous, and anti-human interfaces of the computer screen, we can probe into our darkest inquiries in secret. By examining scores of Google searches, the author discovered many off-record truths including increased child abuse throughout the 2007 financial crisis, the questioned sexuality of many partners in heterosexual relationships, and the hidden political orientation of many members of the public. It is through tracking the patterns of our daily online activity that he found what other social scientists and experts have missed. “Everybody Lies”Using big data, we have the key to the subconscious thoughts of Internet

Aug 3, 2018

'Everybody Lies' gives insight into human psyche

'High-tech sweatshop' in spotlight

Book untangles structural causes of long work hoursBy Kang Aa-young"Who Killed Mr. Kim?"A self-employed worker identified only by his surname Jung has firsthand experience with the tragic consequences of inhumanely long work hours.He saw his coworker die after years of hard work without proper rest. His coworker was last seen alive four years ago at Jung's former workplace, one of the nation's largest companies. Before leaving at the end of the day, Jung saw his coworker dozing off at his desk. He thought it was odd because he had never seen him sleeping like that at work. His coworker was a diligent man who worked late nights all the time. His eyes were bloodshot. Despite hard work and long work hours, the man never got promoted. Arriving at work the next day, Jung was struck by a sense of urgency. He saw ambulances surrounding the company building along with a host of cops and reporters. The man was found dead. He was the victim of what the media called a “sudden death.”“He died from overworking,” Jung told The Korea Times. “I thought it could happen t

Jul 30, 2018

Korean American's journey for cultural identity

Chang-rae Lee, author of “Native Speaker” / Courtesy of Chang-rae Lee'Native Speaker' unravels Korean immigrant who feels alien in USBy Irene SungChang-rae Lee's award-winning fiction “Native Speaker” unravels the Korean-American protagonist's journey to search for his cultural identity while striving to assimilate into the mainstream of American society.Although released in 1996, more than two decades ago, the best-seller still resonates with many immigrants in the United States as it delves into the lingering issue they face _ feeling alien in the country where they were born and raised. “Native Speaker” is the story of Korean-American industrial spy Henry Park, who was raised in New York by his immigrant parents, and depicts his struggles at home and outside his family to narrow the gap between the two cultures, two languages and two worlds. Park is married to Lelia, a speech therapist, who immediately notices Park's conscious and carefully spoken language, how each syllable is so intricately deliberate. Their marriage faces trouble when their s

Jul 20, 2018

Korean American's journey for cultural identity

'Live your own life,' psychologist recommends

By Jin Yu-young “One day when I was stressed out as things didn't go the way I intended. I tried to figure out what went wrong. Soon wisdom came to me and I learned to listen to my inner voice. I'd like to do what I like, rather than what I am supposed to do.” Kokoroya Jinnosuke, psychologist and author of the book “From Now on I would Live My Own Life,” gives readers tips to relieve stress from their lives.As the title suggests, the Japanese author recommends readers live their own lives and stop worrying about how others see them. Kokoroya Jinnosuke's “From Now on I would Live My Own Life”“Gone are the days of smiling just for the sake of others,” he says. In this book, translated by Park Jae-young, the Japanese author provokes a debate about today's society, a place in which many people carry out their lives under social pressures rather than live their lives for themselves. Many of us are caught in an endless and toxic cycle of overwork. We pour everything into our work to the point that we damage our personal relationships and cons

Jul 12, 2018

'Live your own life,' psychologist recommends

Court clears author Shin Kyung-sook of plagiarism

Shin Kyung-sook, author of “Please Look After Mom.” YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoungThe Seoul Central District Court has cleared Shin Kyung-sook of plagiarism over her best-seller “Please Look After Mom.”Essayist Oh Gil-soon sued Shin for plagiarizing her essay for the novel. Oh claimed the plot of a daughter with a mother who is suffering Alzheimer's disease and the sequence of the storyline were identical to that of her essay. But on Wednesday the court said there was not enough similarity between Oh's essay and Shin's novel to conclude that Shin had plagiarized the essay. “Please Look After Mom” is one of Shin's most prominent novels, translated and published in the United States and 22 other countries. It won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2011.The novel illustrates a daughter's struggle to find her demented mother, whom she has lost in a Seoul subway station.