Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Jeong You-jeong's thriller published in English

By Jin Yu-young Crime and thriller author Jeong You-jeong's “The Good Son” has been published in English by global publishing company Penguin Group. This is her first book to be published in English.“The Good Son” marks the second time a Korean author's fiction novel has been published by Penguin with the first being 'The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly' by Hwang Seon-mi in 2013. Even before its official release, “The Good Son” sold out through pre-order sales, indicating high anticipation among readers. Jeong You-jeong, author of "The Good Son" / Korea Times fileThe nurse-turned-writer established herself as a notable author both domestically and internationally. Her “Seven Years of Darkness” was listed by German newspaper Die Zeit as one of the top ten crime novels of 2015. She is known as Korea's leading author in the realm of psychological thrillers and crime fiction. Her novels have been translated into seven languages. “The Good Son” revolves around Yu-jin, a young man who has suffered seizures throughout most of his lif

Jun 8, 2018

Jeong You-jeong's thriller published in English

Koreans' innocent smiles captured in old photos

An old man wearing a beard and a traditional hairstyle of “sangtu” with all of his hair pulled to the top of his head and held by a hair band “manggeon” poses with a big smile in this photo taken by French photographer Laurent Barberon in March 1978.French photographer releases two photo collection books By Kang Hyun-kyungIn Korea, the 1970s and 1980s had been chaotic and turbulent as the death of the military general-turned-President Park Chung-hee in 1979 led to a military coup and ensuing pro-democracy uprisings. Ordinary Koreans, however, were unfazed by such political turmoil and managed to live in peace. Caught in French photographer Laurent Barberon's vintage photos taken in those days, they were seen as carefree and never lost their innocent smiles. Barberon, author of the photo books “Coree Graphies” and “Coree Coloree,” has captured the moments of urbanites and rural residents over four decades between 1973 and 2016. His photos testify to the untold modern history of Korea in the eyes of ordinary citizens. Barberon, 67, said h

Jun 3, 2018

Koreans' innocent smiles captured in old photos

Breathing new life into time stained books

Jaeyoung of JY Book Conservation restores old, damaged books. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukConservator restores memories about booksBy Kwon Mee-yoo"A rainy day like today is not good for a book conservator," Jaeyoung of JY Book Conservation, said in an interview with The Korea Times on a wet day in May. "Humidity affects the amount of moisture in paper and since I mostly deal with very delicate paper, the weather strongly influences my work. I sometimes alter my schedule to do less work on rainy days."JY Book Conservation repairs books and brings back memories of book ownership in the era when printed books are becoming obsolete. E-books have surged in popularity in recent years, but paper books cannot be completely replaced by the convenience of e-books as they cherish memories. A book conservator's role is to keep the memories found in books intact for a long time.There are a few antique bookstores offering book repair services in Korea, but JY Book Conservation is mostly well-known through social media such as Twitter and Instagram, where Jaeyoung shares her procedures.The b

May 31, 2018

Breathing new life into time stained books

Seoul international book fair to open on June 20

Poster for the 2018 Seoul International Book FairBy Yun Suh-young “New Definition” will be the theme of this year's Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) to be held June 20 to 24 at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The annual book fair organized by the Korean Publishers Association marks its 24th anniversary this year, since the event officially became an “international” book fair in 1995 with the approval of the International Publishers Association. The predecessor to the SIBF was Seoul Book Fair started in 1991 and Book Fair started 1954. This year's edition will invite 234 publishing companies from Korea and 91 foreign publishers from 32 countries including the main Guest of Honor Czech Republic which celebrates its 100th anniversary since establishing Czechoslovakia in 1918. “We expect about twice the number of last year's visitors at 100,000. This year's registration for booths exceeded the limit so we had to cut the admission to only publishers,” Joo Iroo, executive director at the Korean Publishers Association, said during a press confe

May 29, 2018

Seoul international book fair to open on June 20

Seoul Station turns into market for independent publishers

Kang Moon-sung, 33, a writer and independent publisher, who published “30-something Jobless Bum's Diary” based on his many years without a job, sells his books at “Publisher's Table,” an independent book market held at the Culture Station Seoul, Sunday. He is one of many independent writers who have sprung up in recent years. / Photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiKang Moon-sung, 33, a long time “jobless” loner who has been writing his little thoughts on his blog, debuted as a writer last year. His book, titled “30-something Jobless Bum's Diary,” published under his pen name Kim Bong-chul in February 2017, on his own expenses, is a compilation of his blog writings. “I have been a loner and social misfit. When I was young, my family was stern and I was bullied at school. After long years staying home without a job, I started writing about my dark, jobless life with some wit. People showed unexpected support and love for my writings and I thought that it might be great if I could publish my story into a book that can give some hope t

May 27, 2018

Seoul Station turns into market for independent publishers

K-pop: much more than manufactured goods

Park Ji-won, a journalist-turned-critic, releases the book “Understanding K-pop in Literary Context.” In it, he said fans look up to their idols not solely for their good looks, aesthetic styles, and powerful dance moves, but also on how they've laddered up to become success figures. / Courtesy of Park Ji-wonCritic offers in-depth analysis about idols, their musicBy Kwak Yeon-sooK-pop artists were once described by some critics as puppets manufactured by the “Big 3” entertainment giants ― SM, YG and JYP. All bands were similar in terms of their synchronized dances and songs. In the eyes of such critics, fans “consumed” K-pop just like daily goods. Park Ji-won, author of the new book “Understanding K-pop in Literary Context,” rebuts such derogatory characterization of K-pop singers. The journalist-turned-music critic says K-pop idols have played mixed roles. Regarding their identity, he says, true they are commercially manufactured idols. However, he goes on to say at the same time Korean pop music has also been used as a tool to he

May 25, 2018

K-pop: much more than manufactured goods

Author touts small companies for job seekers

By Jin Yu Young In a society that so highly correlates happiness with financial security, many job seekers feel the pressure to find work at a large corporation. Big companies are portrayed by many young adults as the icon of job security. In the book “Why I Work at a Small Company” translated by Kwon Hye-mi, Japanese author Ganki Naoto tackles this popular belief. “In terms of the bankruptcy ratio, it's true that smaller companies are more vulnerable to bankruptcy than big companies. This is because the former have relatively weaker business infrastructures than the latter,” Ganki, a professor at Otemon Gakuin University in Osaka, Japan, observes. “However, it should be noted that every company undergoes the highs and lows and this is the case for large corporations, too. We are all too familiar with death by overwork that occurred in some large corporations, albeit the rate is negligible. The popular belief that big companies are more stable than smaller ones is not based on fact.” According to him, after graduation many of his students are emplo

May 25, 2018

Author touts small companies for job seekers

Author offers tips for happy life after retirement

New book asks if you are happy By Kang Hyun-kyungBack in 2002, Oh Jong-nam, then commissioner of Statistics Korea, wondered why Koreans no longer threw parties to celebrate their 60th birthdays, a tradition called “hwangab” to commemorate their longevity. “I realized the disappearance of the 60th birthday celebration was linked to Koreans' extended life expectancy,” Oh, 66, said in a recent Korea Times interview. In 1960, Koreans' life expectancy was 52. In 2001, over four decades later, the figure surged to 76. “Korea's life expectancy would go up further to 90 or so for people my age,” Oh said. “This means that average Koreans have to live 30 years or so without incomes, considering many people retire from their work in their late 50s.”Oh Jong-nam, former commissioner of Statistics Korea, has released a new book _ “Are You Happy?” In this collection of his published columns, Oh says that due to extended life expectancy, Koreans on average will live three decades without income and thus should be mentally prepared for their

May 18, 2018

Author offers tips for happy life after retirement

'White Book' unravels emotional pallet

By Yu Young Jin In “The White Book,” award-winning author Han Kang utilizes unconventional storytelling methods ― she relays the narration in small passages, rendering it almost poetic. Han, who won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 for her book “The Vegetarian,” successfully balances a simplistic format with repeated allegory, and this gives her readers an unprecedented reading experience. Her eloquent voice and clear imagery gives the novel a monochromatic emotional pallet: the readers are neither left in agony nor with joy. Author Han Kang with her book “The Vegetarian” / Korea Times fileThey are only left with an emotion that is difficult to put in words but perhaps explicable by the emptiness we feel in a winter that is cold, nostalgic of the past, and white. “Now and then, the passage of time seems acutely apparent. Physical pain always sharpens awareness,” the author writes. “The migraines that began when I was 12 or 13 swoop down without warning, bringing with them agonizing stomach cramps that stop daily life in

May 16, 2018

Canadian author releases poetry book to celebrate self-love

By Celeste Kriel“This isn't poetry because it's not Shakespeare or Dickens or Goethe or White,” author Magda Ayuk writes in her newly released poetry and prose piece, “Blue Bird.”Ayuk's writing in “Blue Bird” is at once an unapologetic weapon against anti-blackness, an ode to women of color and a soothing balm of self-love for all who need it.Magda Ayuk / Korea TimesAyuk says the first draft of her book was not as bold ― or in her own words as “black” ― as the final published version. But her poetry took a slightly more radical turn after a woman posted a grating review of the first version, saying what Ayuk writes isn't poetry and poetry greats would be turning in their graves reading her work.“People see those people like Goethe as the standard... and if it's not like them then it's not poetry. I have a tradition, my culture has a tradition of poetry but it's not valid to other people if it doesn't fit those standards.”The Canadian author ― of Cameroonian descent ― is currently based in Korea and credits the

May 14, 2018

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