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Poet Choi Yearn-hong receives 2017 Mincho Overseas Korean Literature Award

Choi Yearn-hongPoet Choi Yearn-hong has been chosen as the recipient of the Mincho Overseas Korean Literature Award for his 2015 poetry book, “White Cotton-tailed Deer,” the committee of judges chaired by poet Shin Kyung-rim, announced last week.Choi, a contributor to The Korea Times since his college days in the 1960s is a famed poet in the United States, with poems published in Korean and English. As a more experienced poet his writings have matured. Choi said most often, the best poems are produced by young poets. He, however, “rebukes” such a trend.The award ceremony will be held in Calgary, Canada Nov. 2, where Mincho Lee Yoo-sik resides. He left Korea for advanced studies in Calgary in the 1960s with $200 in his pocket. He is the founding president of the Calgary Korean-Canadian Poets and Writers Group and leader of Korean-Canadian businessmen.  He created the Mincho Literature Award to promote overseas Korean literature. 

Aug 20, 2017

Poet Choi Yearn-hong receives 2017 Mincho Overseas Korean Literature Award

Japanese scholar publishes book justifying Korea's Dokdo ownership

By Park Si-sooNorio KuboiA Japanese historian will publish a Korean book containing ample historic evidence justifying South Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo Island in the East Sea.“Truth of Dokdo” is a Korean translation of Norio Kuboi’s book of the same title published in Japanese in 2014. Dr. Lee Jang-woo, a Japanese teacher at Dongsung High School in Busan, translated the book into Korean.The publication ceremony will be held at a hotel in Busan, Tuesday, with supporters from NGOs working to promote Korea’s ownership of Dokdo.“This book justifies Korea’s Dokdo ownership with historic documents published in Japan,” said Busan Development Citizen Foundation chief Kim Hee-ro.The book contains copies of Japan’s historic maps and declassified military documents in which Dokdo was categorized as a Korean territory, Kim said. Dokdo lies in the middle of the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Korea’s Dokdo ownership has been confirmed with numerous historic documents, but Japan has denied it with fragile ev

Aug 20, 2017

Japanese scholar publishes book justifying Korea's Dokdo ownership

Thriller fiction 'Memoir of a Murderer” released as film

Cover of "Memoir of a Murderer" by Kim Young-ha / Courtesy of Munhak DongneBy Kim Jae-heunPeeking into someone else’s diary is always thrilling. But what if it is the daily record of a criminal?Popular writer Kim Young-ha’s bestselling thriller “Memoir of a Murderer” tells the story of the main character Kim Byeong-soo in a unique way _ in the form of a journal written in the first person. And the book is now to set to hit the big screen.A 70-year old man, Kim, has been killing people for 30 years but he quit 25 years ago. The serial killer did not get caught and avoided any punishment, but now suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.Kim has an adopted daughter Eun-hee, who he has been taking care of since he killed her parents 20 years ago. One day, Eun-hee introduces her boyfriend Tae-joo to Kim, but Kim believes that Tae-joo is also a killer like himself.Kim decides to murder Tae-joo before he kills Eun-hee but the old man has to fight his memory first as it is deteriorating.“Memoir of a Murderer” was published a year-and-a-half after Kim Young-h

Aug 18, 2017

Thriller fiction 'Memoir of a Murderer” released as film

Changes seen in Sejong Books after blacklist scandal

First lady Kim Jung-sook, second from right, looks at a camellia after planting it near the grave of the late composer Isang Yun at Gatow Cemetery, July 5. Kim brought the plant from Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the birthplace of Yun. Tongyeong is famous for its camellias. / Yonhap“A Critical Biography of Isang Yun” by Park Sang-wookBy Baek Byung-yeulWriters critical of the government had to go through a great ordeal during the previous Park Geun-hye administration.The government created a register of nearly 10,000 artists, writers and filmmakers deemed unfriendly to the conservative administration and discriminated against them using the so-called “artist blacklist” when it allocated subsidies and made awards of state events. The blacklist scandal came to light last year and it was part of the massive corruption scandal that removed Park from office in March.The blacklist was also applied in the publishing industry. When the government announced its list of book recommendations called “Sejong Books,” books written by the blacklist writers

Aug 11, 2017

Changes seen in Sejong Books after blacklist scandal

Cartoonist depicts life of former sex slave

Cover for cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's cartoon book "Pool" / Courtesy of Bori PublishingKeum Suk Gendry-Kim Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeulBy Baek Byung-yeulParis-based cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim has penned a new book depicting the life of a former sex slave.Titled “Pool,” (meaning ‘grass’ in Korean), the book sheds light on Lee Ok-seon, who was forced to work as a sex slave for the Japanese army during World War II. When she was forced into slavery she was 16 years old.In the book, Gendry-Kim depicts the life of the former sex slavery victim Lee who now works as a civil rights activist.“It took three years to complete. I named the book ‘Pool’ because we can see grass everywhere,” Gendry-Kim told The Korea Times. “Her life represents a living history which we have to remember.”“Pool” is not her first book about the sex slavery victims.Gendry-Kim’s short cartoon telling the victim’s story was featured at the Angouleme International Comics Festival in France three years ago. Including Gendr

Aug 8, 2017

Cartoonist depicts life of former sex slave

교보문고 온라인 홈페이지 접속 오류로 고객들 불편 호소

(서울=코리아타임스) 박시수 기자, 우지원 인턴기자 = 교보문고의 인터넷 홈페이지가 점검으로 인해 서비스가 중단되면서 온라인 고객들이 불편을 겪고 있다.오전 11시 50분 현재 접속이 여전히 되지 않는 상태다.교보문고 측은 뒤늦게 7일 오전 11시 30분부터 오후 2시까지 2시간 30분동안 서비스 점검을 한다고 밝혔다. 교보문고 측은 "안정적인 서비스를 제공하기 위해 서비스 점검을 하고 있다”며  “최대한 빠른 시간 내에 원활한 서비스를 제공할 수 있도록 하겠다”고 전했다.

Aug 7, 2017

Woo Ah-ji modernizes 'sijo' poems

By Choi Yearn-hongCover of "Star*Guest" by Woo Ah-jiPoet Woo Ah-jiVisiting Busan offered me a chance to meet new poets and writers in the area during the Sixth Busan Literature Festival on June 21-24. During the Festival program, I delivered a keynote speech on nostalgia, a source of my literature , and read five of my own poems, including “Flowers in the Borderland,” in Korean and English, as a Korean-American poet. Then, I met Woo Ah-ji. editor of City Literature, the official literary magazine of Busan Poets and Writers Association, who gave me a copy of her most recent poetry book, “Star*Guest,” in kindness. I found that her poem “Lisbon” (page 70), goes well with my travel poem from Portugal, “Flowers in the Borderland.” Here is “Lisbon” in my English translation, followed by “Flowers in the Borderland.” “Lisbon” Sorrows, growing and spreading over the Atlantic Ocean, During my observation of it at the end of the Continent Afternoon walking in the narrow city streetOnce m

Aug 4, 2017

Historical books on demand with box office hits

A scene from the movie "The Battleship Island" / Courtesy of 1st LookBy Kim Jae-heunHistorical books featuring stories of current box office hits such as “Dunkirk,” “The Battleship Island” and the upcoming “A Taxi Driver” are receiving renewed attention.As the three biggest highly anticipated films for this summer happen to deal with modern historical events, people are reading the books about these topics as the popular movies.The book “Dunkirk,” by Edward Keble Chatterton, was published on the release date of the film of the same name. Chatterton has delicately described not only the psychological status of soldiers who participated in the biggest withdrawal in history, but also civilians who were at the battlefield.There are no German soldiers appearing in the war film and not a single man speaks of his own story. The film “Dunkirk” rather focuses on presenting intuitive emotions of soldiers and the people who prayed for survival as the unrelenting bombs fell from the sky into the sea.Chatterton’s “Dunkirk&rdq

Jul 31, 2017

Historical books on demand with box office hits

GKL Foundation launches literature translation award

From left are Korea Heritage Education Institute President Kim Ji-myung, GKL Foundation Chairman Lee Duk-joo and Kyung Hee University professor Lee Young-jun, introducing the foundation’s new translation award at a press conference in Seoul, Thursday.  / Courtesy of GKL Foundation By Yun Suh-youngThe Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) Foundation has created a new translation award called the "Global Korea Literature Translation Award."The foundation was established in 2014 by the public corporation Grand Korea Leisure Co. Ltd, an affiliate of the Korea Tourism Organization that operates foreigner-only casinos in the country, and is funded by the GKL Co. Ltd.The new award will receive applications for translated works of Korean literature starting Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 this year. Submissions are open only to English translations. After testing the ground this year, the award will expand to include translations into other languages and also increase the prize money in the years to come. At the moment, submissions are open for fiction (short stories or novels over 5,000 words)

Jul 28, 2017

GKL Foundation launches literature translation award

Limited editions exclusively available at samll, independent bookstores

"Record of a Journey to Mujin," left, and "No Longer Human" Courtesy of MinumsaBy Kim Jae-heunMimumsa, one of the largest book publishers in Korea, has released two special edition books only available at small independent bookstores.The publisher announced Saturday they will sell “Record of a Journey to Mujin,” by Kim Seung-ok and “No Longer Human” by Osamu Dazai, at some 130 small bookstores nationwide for the first time.The two special editions cannot be purchased at giant bookstores or online booksellers, which the publisher has printed only two thousand copies of each book.The CEO of Editing Culture Laboratory Eun-su suggested the idea to revive small bookstores across the nation while questioning concentrated discount promotions available only at giant bookstores.Small, independent bookstores have had a difficult time speaking in one voice as each runs its business differently and they are geographically scattered. However, the project has helped minor booksellers to form a network.Mimumsa said this is an attempt to boost traffic at small bookstores by g

Jul 24, 2017

Books