Lifestyle - The Korea Times

40% of Korean adults didn't read a book last year

The reading rate among Korean adults is at an all-time low. / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoNearly 40 percent of Korean adults did not read a book in the past year, government data revealed Monday.According to a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism survey, 59.9 percent of adults said they had read at least one book in the past year, a 5.4 percent fall from the previous year.This is the lowest figure since the government started collecting such data in 1994.Also, a growing number of people think it is unnecessary to read books. Only 59 percent said they did not read as much as they should have, compared with 74.5 percent in 2011.Meanwhile, 91.7 percent of underage students said they read at least one book in the past year other than textbooks, magazines and comic books.Asked what makes it difficult to read books, adults and underage students said the main reason was work (study).

Feb 5, 2018

40% of Korean adults didn't read a book last year

Books that give reality check top bestseller list

Bestselling books are situated in the central aisle in front of the entrance of Kyobo Bookstore in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-young By Yun Suh-young People are reading fewer print publications these days and more digital books, as announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Monday. The report revealed adults’ reading rate of paper books decreased from 65.3 percent in 2015 to 59.9 percent in 2017 while e-book readers have increased from 10.2 percent in 2015 to 14.1 percent in 2017. The average number of books people read annually also shrunk from 9.1 books in 2015 to 8.3 in 2017. It’s not surprising the reading rate of paper books has decreased due to the plethora of online content available these days. But those buying books, whether online, or from offline stores, seem to have a particular preference -- self-help. Not only do people seek solace in these books, they want to know how to deal with the mixed realities of life and work. And it seems the harsher the advice, the more people read. The bestselling list of online

Feb 5, 2018

Books that give reality check top bestseller list

Why do Koreans eat like this?

By Yun Suh-young Cover of the book "Why Do Koreans Eat Like This?"When my foreign friend came to Korea for the first time, it was fascinating to see how amused he was about the culinary culture in Korea. He would ask questions like "Why do Koreans have stainless steel chopsticks and spoons? I've seen wooden and plastic ones in China and Japan but I've never seen this type before!" holding up the chopsticks in fascination. It took him longer to hold them in the right position because they were more slippery than other types.In a typical Korean restaurant with a high turnover rate during lunch and dinner times, they serve meals in stainless steel bowls, or sometimes plastic ones that look like ceramics. The rice and soup come as a set along with a dozen banchan (side dishes) in stainless steel plates. When foreigners encounter this type of setting in a Korean restaurant for the first time, they marvel at the number of side dishes that fill the table and the fact that they are served for free. What's with the use of stainless steel products? Why do Korean restaurants spread out dishes a

Feb 2, 2018

Doctor writes book on patients' right to end life

By Park Jin-hai“Guide to Accept Death as Part of Life (translated)” by  Heo Dae-seogAhead of a new law effective from February 4 that enables terminally ill patients to refuse medical care to extend their lives, a renowned doctor and professor who has watched over some 7,000 deaths in his three-decade professional career has published a book on a patient’s right to choose “death with dignity.”Heo Dae-seog, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital’s hematology and oncology department, has written “Guide to Accept Death as Part of Life (translated),” relating the personal stories of his patients and how their families had to suffer and deal with the issues of their loved ones refusing life-sustaining treatment.“With the new law imminent, many people, including those working in the medical profession, remain in the dark,” Heo said. “I wrote this book to raise the issue and to think together with all people _ patients, their families and medical staff.”According to statistics office data, 75 percent of

Jan 26, 2018

Doctor writes book on patients' right to end life

Western articles shed light on 19th century Korea

By Kwon Mee-yooMiss Roosevelt visiting the Emperor of Korea in Seoul in the Oct. 18, 1905 issue of Le Petit Parisien / Courtesy of National Museum of KoreaWith the development of communications technology, hundreds and thousands of international news articles are poured out every day and reach all across the globe in the twinkling of an eye, making the world smaller and smaller. People know what is happening on the opposite side of the earth. However, over 150 years ago, Korea looked very unfamiliar and exotic to the eyes of Westerners who came here soon after the country opened the door to Western countries in 1876.A collection of articles gives an insight into how Westerners who arrived in Korea in the late 19th century saw the “Land of Morning Calm.”"Journals from the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: Korea Through Western Eyes," published by the National Museum of Korea (NMK), features 75 articles from the 1860s to the early 1900s, which are categorized by major historical events such as Byeonginyangyo (the French campaign against Korea) in 1866, the Eulmi Incident

Jan 19, 2018

Western articles shed light on 19th century Korea

'Fire and Fury' essential to comprehend US politics

By Choi Yearn-hong I love Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” an instant bombshell book in the United States, the most current American political book on President Donald Trump, his family and his associates inside and outside the White House.I chose this book for my political science course, American Government 101. The 151-year-old publisher Henry Holt has never had as great a success as with this book. Trump denied that any interviews or access to the White House staff were granted, but all 200 interviews, including with Trump, have been quoted in the audio book just released.The key interviewee Steve Bannon has stepped down from Breitbart News Network. A key architect of the Trump victory in the 2016 presidential election, he was appointed as the chief strategist in the Trump White House, and then fired. He designed Trump’s first 100 days as president. Wolff was lucky to have Bannon’s rise and fall for this book. Without Bannon’s accounts of Trump and his children and his close associates, this could not have reached its status as the fastest

Jan 12, 2018

'Fire and Fury' essential to comprehend US politics

Understanding mother's love deep inside

By Rachel LeeWhen women give birth and become mothers, they go through a phase when the world seems a more threatening place than they had realized before. And one day, an “aha” moment comes and mothers start understanding how their mothers could happily sacrifice their own lives to care for them and give everything they could. Children do not realise how much love and sacrifice their mothers have given even after they grow up. It is when they actually become a parent themselves, they realize their mother is also a woman who has her own inner life. Mothers also like to sing, dance, dress up and go out just like their kids.“Portraits of Mom,” written and illustrated by You Ji-yeon, tells the story of a 40-something mother Mi-young, a person who does the work of many for free, including raising children and all the household chores, including laundry, groceries and cooking.To her children, Mi-young could seem boring as if she does not know how to spend her free time or have any friends or hobbies. Mi-young is just a mother with messy hair and dry hands and lips,

Jan 12, 2018

Book tracks history of Asian pop music

 This undated photo shows rock band ADD4, organized by Shin Jung-hyeon, third from right, performing at a music hall at the Eighth US Army base in Seoul. / Korea Times fileEighth US Army band shows paved way for K-pop By Baek Byung-yeulA cover for “Sound of Border”Korean music fans might get emotional these days because boy band BTS has been fascinating pop music fans around the world.Those who still remember that many Korean musicians made their musical debut at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul after the 1950-53 Korean War, feel like Rip Van Winkle.The Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) base has been a cradle of Korean popular music, years later labeled as K-pop.The United Service Organizations (USO), a nonprofit established to support the U.S. military and its families around the world, has been organizing entertainment to boost military morale since 1941.It regularly teamed up with American stars to stage comedy shows, concerts and other entertainment for U.S. troops stationed overseas.The EUSA in Korea also had similar entertainment programs. It is not certain wheth

Jan 5, 2018

Making case for 'The Vegetarian,' literary translation

By Kang Hyun-kyungKim Seong-kon, president of Literature Translation Institute of Korea / Korea TimesThe past couple of years have been eventful for late-bloomer Han Kang, the author of the award-winning book “The Vegetarian.” Han Kang, 47, has become a star writer after she and Deborah Smith, the translator of “The Vegetarian,” were honored with the 2016 International Man Booker Prize.The book instantly became an international sensation and shot up on the bestseller list.At home, the once obscure writer among general readers was lifted to a heroine who helped her country end several decades of drought in international literary recognition.Some media outlets depicted Han Kang’s accomplishment as something akin to winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Rosy prospects for the success of Korean literature overseas had peaked for a while. Such a fuss, however, ran short.“The Vegetarian” was back in the spotlight in June last year. This time the reason is something scathing for the writer and the British translator as well. Some experts raised que

Jan 4, 2018

Making case for 'The Vegetarian,' literary translation

Bangudae Petroglyphs in modern Korean poems

By Yearn Hong ChoiArt on Bangudae PetroglyphHow many Koreans know of the Bangudae Petroglyphs? How many Koreans know the reservoir constructed for the city water supply put the petroglyphs under water where they could be damaged? How many know the value of petroglyphs that are 6,000 to 7,000 years old? No monetary value can be ascribed to them because the art on the rock panels is among the oldest in human history. Whaling scenes in the rocks are still vividly beautiful sculptures. The first whaling people lived on the southeastern shore of the Korean Peninsula. We should protect the Bangudae Petroglyphs with all our efforts, but no serious actions have been made. The drinking water supply to the Ulsan people is the prime task over the protection of this prehistoric cultural heritage of humankind.My friend and poet, Lee Geon-chong, organized a unique poetry-art show as a campaign to educate people for protection and preservation of the Bangudae Petroglyphs. I am honored to join 35 other poets he invited for the presentation of their new poems matchable to significant works of ar

Dec 31, 2017

Books