Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Understanding DNA of master brands

By Rachel Lee"The Immutable laws of Master Brands" by Huhh Doo-youngI was recently thinking about the definition of “luxury” regarding brands and the appropriate use of the term. In the minds of consumers, luxury is often associated with high prices and international designers. Those brands we call luxury, including Louis Vuitton and Chanel, are pricey and they are global fashion giants, but what's missing in the description is the brand's innovative technology invented by artisans. Rather than “luxury,” “master” is a more suitable term for those brands that exclusively boast value and heritage, so they are master brands. A few days later, I came across this book “The Immutable laws of Master Brands,” written in February this year, and it clearly explained the understanding of such master brands. The author Huhh Doo-young, an ex-journalist at Seoul Economic Daily and now founder of TechUp, focuses on strategy and innovation of master brands with an in-depth analysis of 20 big names and key factors that led to success. The list includes

Mar 23, 2018

New leader seeks to redefine LTI Korea's role

By Yun Suh-youngKim Sa-in, newly appointed president of LTI Korea, speaks in front of the press Tuesday at a restaurant in Seoul.  /  YonhapKim Sa-in said Tuesday the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) would seek a greater role under his leadership.“What is Korean literature?” he asked in a prepared speech to the press in his first public appearance at a press conference in Seoul.“We’re no longer satisfied with our passive, technical role of supporting translators and exchange programs for writers. As an organization similar to the literary circle’s version of a foreign ministry responsible for all Korean content, LTI Korea will redefine its role."He cited the progress made so far, including last year’s Man Booker Award given to Deborah Smith’s translation of “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang.“For the past 20 years, our institute has been striving to place Korean content on the global stage. The efforts have paid off, such as the winning of the Man Booker Award by a Korean author. However, it’s

Mar 20, 2018

New leader seeks to redefine LTI Korea's role

Feminist book sales soar in wake of #MeToo movement

By Park Jin-haiThe nation-sweeping #MeToo campaign has boosted the sales of feminist books, tackling topics ranging from dating abuses to misogyny.Sales between Feb. 1 and March 12, right after prosecutor Seo Ji-Hyun exposed sexual misconduct in the country’s legal establishment in late January, rose 137 percent from the same period last year, according to Kyobo, Korea’s biggest bookstore chain, Friday.But, it soared to more than double the previous year’s book sales between March 8 and March 12, when the country began hearing a swarm of #MeToo testimonies.Among the consumers, women in their 20s were the majority of customers, making up 43.2 percent of all sales in the category.“It has been a trend that feminist book sales have been slowly increasing, after incidents like the Gangnam murder case and #MeToo campaign,” said Choi Ji-hwan, a Kyobo bookstore official. In 2016, a 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a public bathroom near Gangnam Station by a stranger who later said he did so out of his hatred for women.“But, entering this year ther

Mar 16, 2018

Culinary book elaborates Koreans' eating culture

 Cover of the book "Korean Food 102" / Courtesy of BaramgilAmerican author unveils 'Korean Food 102' By Kwon Mee-yooAdrian MaschoFood is an important part of a culture and Korea is no exception. Korea has a lot of unique food and there is a tradition of having steamed rice with side dishes as a daily meal.A new book "Korean Food 102" gives an introduction to the food culture of Korea from the perspective of an American who lived in Korea for 11 years, complete with colorful and detailed illustrations. Adrianne Mascho, who majored in cello in the States, arrived in Korea in spring 2007, originally just for a year to teach English. "My life in the States was boring, so I came to Korea looking for an adventure. Then I never went back," Mascho said in an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday. "I've always tried to explain Korean food to my family and friends in America and now is my chance to explain how unique Korean food is in detail."She already had some Korean friends from university and visited Korea during a mission trip to Indonesia in 2005, so she was not totally new to th

Mar 16, 2018

How literary world, not show business, became epicenter of #MeToo earthquake

By Kang Hyun-kyungA social media-driven collective action to bring down sexually abusive men occurred in Korea in October 2016, a year before the #MeToo movement hit Hollywood like an earthquake.Novelist Park Bum-shin / Korea Times fileUnlike America, in Korea the shame-based initiative began in literary circles, not in the film industry in which the notorious “casting couch” tradition originated. The decades-old practice refers to aspiring actresses’ trade of sexual favors in order to find a role in the film industry. “Many of us believe the campaign to purge abusive men is a made-in-U.S. idea that began in Hollywood later in 2017,” said Oh Yoon-sung, a professor at Sun Chun Hyang University. “This is misleading. Here in Korea there already existed a sort of collective action to shame sexual harassers even before the similar campaign spread in Hollywood.”Korea’s version of the #MeToo movement began later in 2016 with serial sexual harassment allegations against renowned novelist Park Bum-shin. Silence breakers were aspiring writers and

Mar 8, 2018

How literary world, not show business, became epicenter of #MeToo earthquake

Kim Sa-in named LTI Korea president

By Kwon Mee-yooKim Sa-in, a poet and creative writing professor at Dongduk Women's University, was appointed as the new president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), Monday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the 62-year-old poet will lead the government-affiliated organization which promotes Korean literature overseas for the next three years. Kim majored in Korean literature at Seoul National University and worked for the Writers Association of Korea. He has taught creative writing at Dongduk Women's University since 2003. He started his literary career in 1981, publishing a handful of poetry collections including "Letter" (1999) and "Liking" (2006) as well as review books. Kim also has a variety of experience abroad, making him capable of connecting literary circles here and abroad. He completed the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and spent a year at the Korea Institute of Harvard University as an exchange professor in 2011. He also worked as an adjunct professor at the Minzu University of China. Previous LTI Kore

Mar 5, 2018

Ko Un speaks out on scandal overseas, stays silent at home. Why?

/ Captured from Guardian's website Abroad he denies sexual misconduct, but at home stays mumBy Kang Hyun-kyungPoet, writer and critic Ko Un, 84, denied allegations about his habitual sexual misconduct in a statement sent to British media outlet the Guardian, Saturday (KST). Ko Un / Korea Times fileHis denial, however, caused controversy. The poet has remained mum on fresh allegations that he abused his status in the literary world to sexually harass female writers and publishers. But he was vocal in defending himself against the same allegations in the foreign media outlet. In a statement published in the Guardian article titled “Poet Ko Un erased from Korean textbooks after sexual harassment claims,” Ko said he regrets that his name had been brought up in the recent allegations. “I have already expressed regret for any unintended pain that my behavior may have caused. However I flatly deny charges of habitual misconduct that some individuals have brought up against me,” it read. “In Korea I would simply wait for the passage of time to bring th

Mar 4, 2018

Ko Un speaks out on scandal overseas, stays silent at home. Why?

EXCLUSIVE Scandal-hit poet Ko Un speaks out: 'I've done nothing wrong'

/ 가디언지 캡쳐(서울=코리아타임스) 박시수 기자 = 성추행 논란에 휩싸인 고은 시인(85)이 “나는 잘못한 것이 없다”는 첫 공식입장을 내놨다.영국 일간지 가디언에 보낸 성명에서 그는 “나 자신과 부인에게 부끄러울 행동을 한적이 없다(I have done nothing which might bring shame on my wife or myself)”며 “지금 나는 진실이 밝혀지고, 논란이 잠재워지기만을 기다리고 있다(In Korea I would simply wait for the passage of time to bring the truth to light and settle the controversy)”고 했다.그는 “집필은 계속 할 것(my writing will continue)”이라며 “한 인간으로서 그리고 시인으로서의 명예가 실추되는 일은 없을 것”이라 덧붙였다.이 성명은 영국 출판사인 블루덱스 북스(Bloodaxe Books)의 고인 시인의 담당자인 네일 아슬리(Neil Astley)씨를 통해 가디언에 전달되었고, 지난 금요일 보도됐다.성추행 논란이 붉어진 이후 고은 시인은 국내매체와의 접촉을 피하고 있다. 이런 상황에서 자신의 첫 번째 공식입장을 외신을 통해 밝힌 이유에 대한 궁금증이 증폭되고 있다.가디언 기사 원문: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/02/ko-un-korea-sexual-harassment-claims 

Mar 4, 2018

[EXCLUSIVE] Scandal-hit poet Ko Un speaks out: 'I've done nothing wrong'

Backup baseball player delivers importance of being earnest

Former LG Twins’ infielder Hwangmok Chi-seung slides in safely during his Korea Baseball Organization League game against the Nexen Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, in this 2017 file photo. / Yonhap Cover for Hwangmok Chi-seung’s “I believe in earnest”By Baek Byung-yeul In the world of professional sports, winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.Moreover, fans rarely consider a player who has spent most of his career as a backup.However, when it comes to former LG Twins’ infielder Hwangmok Chi-seung, it’s a different story.Spending his entire career as a backup infielder in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League, Hwang hit only 46 hits with no home run at 185 at-bats in four seasons from 2014 to 2017.Fans had expected he would still be a buffer for the Twins this upcoming baseball season, but Hwangmok abruptly brought the curtain down on his career after the 2017 season, deciding to take over the work of his father-in-law in Japan.After finishing his baseball life, Hwangmok recently published the book, &

Mar 2, 2018

Backup baseball player delivers importance of being earnest

Ko Un - why it took so long for his sexual misconduct to be revealed

Poet Ko Un / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungWhat poet Ko Un, 84, did to female writers, editors and publishers was something shocking. He groped them in front of other members of their groups. According to poet Choi Young-mi, one of the victims who first revealed his sexual harassment, Ko unzipped his pants, masturbated and even yelled at a couple of female writers there to help him satisfy his pathetic sexual desire. Choi said she was in disbelief at what she and her fellow writers saw in the early 1990s at a shanty bar tucked away near Tapgol Park in Seoul.Choi, 56, said young women particularly in the literary circle were vulnerable to Ko’s habitual sexual misconduct. For young writers, she said Ko was a towering figure in the literary world and wielded enormous influence. So no one could have dared to reveal his “sexual indulgence.” “People like him were members of the editorial boards of major literary quarterlies, through which aspiring writers and poets make their literary debut or publish their works. If someone refuses their request to curry favor

Mar 1, 2018

Ko Un - why it took so long for his sexual misconduct to be revealed

Ko Un speaks out on scandal overseas, stays silent at home. Why?

Books