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Book describes life in Korean Army

Cover of “The Accidental Citizen-Soldier” by Young ChunBy Sam PatersonIn 2002 Young Chun, a Korean-American who had grown up in Seattle and Chicago, came to Korea to teach English. He planned to stay for only a year, but as he neared the end of his teaching contract, the Korean government told him he must complete his mandatory military service or face prison. Chun was born in America, holds an American passport, and at the time, spoke almost no Korean, having spent almost his entire life in America. The Korean government insisted, so he went.“The Accidental Citizen-Soldier,” Chun’s memoir of his two years in the Korean Army was released last year, and is available at Kyobo Books in Gwanghwamun and as a Kindle ebook.“I still don’t really believe in luck,” Chun told me in a cafe near Seoul National University, where he now teaches English. But it was outright misfortune, at least in part, that landed him in the Korean Army, along with a hefty series of bizarre coincidences and other inexplicable events.On a routine visit to Korean I

Jul 22, 2016

'Miss Korea' details 60-year history of Korean beauty pageant

The 1959 Miss Korea Oh Hyun-ju is seen during a car parade in Seoul in this file photo./ Courtesy of Hankook IlboBy Park Jin-haiThe nation’s first beauty pageant Miss Korea was born out of the ashes of the Korean War in 1957. It was organized in order to give hope to a war-stricken people and proclaim to the world that Korea was rising back again, according to “Miss Korea,” a new book published by the Korean language daily Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times.Marking the 60th anniversary of Korea’s first beauty pageant this year, the book covers how the beauty competition has evolved with intriguing historical and societal back ground information and unveiled episodes. The 219-page book includes rare black-and-white photographs of very first Miss Korea “Jin,” the competition’s winner; winners’ car parades in the 1960s and 70s; newspaper advertisements and reports; and much more that show the changing fashion and hairstyle trends. Photographs of historically important incidents at the time are also included.Poster

Jul 15, 2016

'Miss Korea' details 60-year history of Korean beauty pageant

'K-Style': Not typical guidebook of Korea

Choi Jung-wha, president of the Corea Image Communication Institute, poses during an interview at a restaurant in Seoul, July 4.  / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kim Jae-heunNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be better known around the world than many other global leaders, including the incumbent South Korean President Park Geun-hye. And perhaps, better known than South Korea itself.When Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) President Choi Jung-wha became an international conference interpreter in the late ‘80s, many foreigners either knew nothing or new very little of Korea. For instance, and when somebody finally recognized the country’s name, he or she would say that the late Kim Jong-il, father of Jong-un, was the country’s president.Choi’s newly published book “K-Style” is not your typical geographical guidebook ― it does not feed readers with the usual information about Korea, such as who the incumbent president is, nor does it bore you with details of the 500-year history of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Instead, the boo

Jul 12, 2016

'K-Style': Not typical guidebook of Korea

Choe Chi-won, great Tang and Silla poet

Portrait of Korean philosopher and poet Choe Chi-won (857-unknown) / Korea Times fileBy Choi Yearn-hongChoe Chi-won (857-unknown) was the famed poet in the Tang Dynasty of China (618-907) and Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-935 A.D.). But unfortunately, our knowledge of his life and works is very limited.I am delighted to find out that Dr. Key S. Ryang, a Korean-American historian who has retired after a long teaching career at the University of Mary Washington has just published a book on the poet.Despite its title, “Koun Choe Chi-won and His Tang Poetry,” published by Chicago Spectrum Press, includes poems Choe had written in the Silla Kingdom after he returned to his home country.While Li Po, Tu Fu and Wang Wei are the best-known Tang poets — all of whom were a generation ahead of Choe — Choe is also certainly a great Tang poet. We realize this when we read Choe’s poems in “Quan Tang Shi: Complete Works of Tang Poetry” (Shanghai, 1985) and his poem in “Tang Shi Guanzhi: No Look Further on Tang Poetry” (Beijing, 1995), which covered

Jul 8, 2016

Chun Kyung-ja lived like flame

Cover of “Brilliant Solitude, Aesthetics of Sorrow” Chun Kyung-jaBy Kwon Mee-yooChun Kyung-ja (1924-2015) was one of the most prominent female painters in Korean modern art history. She lived a life full of ups and downs, personally and artistically."Brilliant Solitude, Aesthetics of Sorrow" (translated title), a critical biography of Chun published by Misul Munhwa, delves into the life of an artist who lived like a flame.Author Choi Kwang-jin is an art critic and former curator of the Ho-Am Art Museum who organized a major retrospective of Chun in 1995. Since then, Choi has researched Chun thoroughly, becoming one of the experts on the artist.Chun's life was not smooth. Born to a conservative family in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, she went to Tokyo to study art despite her father's opposition. She suffered poverty as her family collapsed during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-45) and the Korean War (1950-53).Her first marriage, to Lee Chul-sik, ended in a few years, leaving her with two children. After that she fell in love with Kim Nam-jung, who was marri

Jul 1, 2016

Former anchor speaks on failure

Former MBC anchorperson Choi Il-koo speaks during a ceremony proclaiming a joint strike of the nation’s three TV and radio networks on March 5, 2012, in this file photo. Choi recently released the book “What Is Life About?” telling his life story. / Korea Times file photoCover of former anchor Choi Il-koo’s “What Is Life About?”By Kim Jae-heun Everyone faces hardships at least once in life. For Choi Il-koo, 56, a former MBC star anchor, the decisive moment came in his middle years when he joined the company’s strike, leading him ultimately to resign.Nobody expected such a fall in Choi’s successful career as a respected journalist, but once it began, it got worse, just like the old saying “When it rains it pours.”In Choi’s newly published book, “What is Life About?,” he shares the thoughts and emotions he felt when the former anchorman was forced to leave the company where he had worked for 27 years. Following his unemployment, Choi also filed for bankruptcy after giving a joint guarantee for

Jun 24, 2016

Food trips to Japan with Huh's special travel guide

Cartoonist Huh Young-man holds “mozuku,” a type of seaweed, while travelling Okinawa in Japan. / Courtesy of Gadian PublishingBy Baek Byung-yeulIn the past, many Koreans regarded Japan as a “close yet far neighbor” due to the nation’s colonial history. But nowadays, the neighboring country has emerged as one of the hottest travel destinations for Koreans.According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 4 million Koreans travelled to Japan last year, becoming the second most-visited country following China ― China topped the list with about 5 million tourists.With more Koreans visiting Japan, many travel guides have been released, but veteran cartoonist Huh Young-man’s travel book, “If Japan Is This Delicious,” is noteworthy because it presents a different way of enjoying the country.The cover of “If Japan Is This Delicious” / Courtesy of Gadian PublishingCo-written with freelancer Lee Ho-joon and published in Korean, “If Japan Is This Delicious” introduces “hidden” restaurants and touri

Jun 17, 2016

Food trips to Japan with Huh's special travel guide

Translation work is creative rewriting

Deborah Smith, the English translator of the Korean novel “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang which won the 2016 Man Booker Prize, holds up the book at the Seoul International Book Fair at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapDeborah Smith says love of literature is crucial for translatorsBy Yun Suh-youngDeborah Smith, the British translator of the “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang which won the 2016 Man Booker Prize, said translation of a work of literature is rewriting it creatively in another language.She was visiting Korea to participate in the Seoul International Book Fair which opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday.“Translation is a process that needs varying degrees of interpretation and editorial decision,” said Smith during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday.“Translators know better than anyone that we don’t improve the original. I aim to be faithful to the spirit of the original work, to the letter, as much as I can without compromising the spirit.”Smith said her Korean has improved much since translating

Jun 15, 2016

English edition of Korean labor law book goes on sale

By Park Si-sooThe fifth edition of an English/Korean book on Korean labor law is now on sale.The bilingual “The Korean Labor Law Bible” includes newly enacted articles, in-depth explanations and case examples, said author Jung Bong-soo, a labor attorney and leader of KangNam Labor Law Firm in Seoul. Gavin C. Farrell, a linguistics professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, proofread the book.The first version was published 11 years ago. The author has updated the book with new laws, cases and knowledge he has gained from field experience and academic activities.“It is an essential reference book for any company, large or small, and an absolute must for foreign companies,” Farrell said in a letter of recommendation.Jung, a certified labor attorney, majored in English at Hannam University in Korea and business administration at the University of Maryland. He completed coursework toward a PhD in labor law at Ajoo University.The 1200-page book costs 60,000 won.

Jun 15, 2016

English edition of Korean labor law book goes on sale

'Translating subtitles is like translating poetry'

Na Hong-jin’s “The Wailing”This is the last of a four-part series on the importance of translation in globalizing Korean culture. ― ED. By Park Jin-haiPark Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden”Darcy PaquetDarcy Paquet, an American film critic and translator who has worked on English subtitles for over 100 Korean films, says movie subtitles in English have come a long way.“The situation now is better than, for example, the late 1990s. Some of the films I see are translated quite well. But other times you come across some that don't, which is very frustrating, because the Korean dialogue is interesting but the subtitles are not,” said Paquet during a recent interview with The Korea Times.The Massachusetts native, who has been living in Korea for nearly 20 years, has been introducing Korean films to international movie fans and working on translations of numerous award-winning Korean films.Most recently he worked on director Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden” and director Na Hong-jin’s “The Wailing,” bot

Jun 12, 2016

Books

Books

Book describes life in Korean Army

'Miss Korea' details 60-year history of Korean beauty pageant

'K-Style': Not typical guidebook of Korea

Choe Chi-won, great Tang and Silla poet

Chun Kyung-ja lived like flame

Former anchor speaks on failure

Food trips to Japan with Huh's special travel guide

Translation work is creative rewriting

English edition of Korean labor law book goes on sale

'Translating subtitles is like translating poetry'

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