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American publishes two books in Korean

American scholar Robert Fouser“Conditions for Citizenship in the Future: A Manual of Democracy for Koreans” is Robert Fouser’sfirst book written in Korean.Robert Fouser’s “Seochon-holic”By Jon Dunbar American scholar Robert Fouser just published his first Korean-language book. Only weeks later, he is also publishing his second. The well-known figure in Korean language education and architectural preservation has returned to Korea for a couple months for the publication of his two new books, titled "Conditions for Citizenship in the Future: A Manual of Democracy for Koreans" with Sejong Books and "Seochon-holic" under Sallim Books."The first 20 pages or so (writing) in Korean were very difficult, but it started to flow after that," Fouser told The Korea Times in an interview. "The biggest difference I found was I spend more time thinking about writing style when I write in English, but in Korean I focus on getting my thoughts on paper clearly. I have a pretty clear idea of what 'good English' is, but less of a clear idea of what 'good

Apr 15, 2016
American publishes two books in Korean

Poetry book on Whales by Lee Geon-cheong

Lee Geon-cheongBy Choi Yearn-hong Assume that you find artwork on a rock cliff so long unknown and later find out they were done by artists 6,000 years ago. You cannot believe what you see and touch. Lee Geon-cheong, an outstanding poet and former president of the Korean Poets Association, produced a poetry book “In Front of Bangudae Petroglyphs.” It was my joy to read his work, because it was the first Korean poetry book dedicated to whales, a major figure in the petroglyphs. I visited the same site to produce a whale poem. He made many trips to Ulsan, North Gyeongsang Province, to investigate the ancient artwork on the rock and finally produced a remarkable book. I hope the world will discover, know and protect the Bangudae Petroglyphs, as another poet and environmentalist.“In Front of Bangudae Petroglyphs”I traveled to Peru and saw the Nazca Lines and Petroglyphs. From the trip, I produced a series of poems from Peru which included “Nazca Line” published in the “Literature Consciousness” in its winter issue of 2015. Na

Apr 8, 2016
Poetry book on Whales by Lee Geon-cheong

Book doubles excitement for baseball fans

A spring training game played by the Samsung Lions and the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at the newly built Daegu Samsung Lions Park, March 22. The KBO kicked off its new baseball seasonon Friday.  / YonhapA cover for “Pro Yagu Scouting Report 2016”By Baek Byung-yeulEver since the professional baseball league was established in 1982, baseball has been loved here, becoming one of the most popular team sports in Korea.Starting with six teams, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the country’s top professional baseball league, has made fans laugh and cry with a slew of memorable games through the years. With the Suwon-based KT Wiz joining the league as its 10th team last season, the KBO reached its best attendance mark, garnering more than 7.36 million fans.Even though Park Byung-ho and Kim Hyun-soo left for Major League Baseball (MLB), the new baseball season embarked on its six-month-long season on Friday, and on the occasion of the start of its 35th season, the annual baseball guidebook “Pro Yagu (baseball in Korean) Scouting Report

Apr 1, 2016
Book doubles excitement for baseball fans

Can Korea outsmart big powers this time?

Yoo Euy-sang, ambassador-at-large for geographical naming /  Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk"Justification and Practical Interests of Korean Diplomacy toward Japan"By Oh Young-jin Sometimes history can feel as close to reality as the present.Such is the case with Korea’s 14-year effort to extract reparations from Japan for its 1910-45 colonial occupation.In the lead-up to the signing of the treaty to reset their relations in 1965, Korea was forced to settle for less than what it wanted because it was neither strong enough to have its voice heard nor smart enough to persuade others in the world how the law of the jungle worked in this part of the world.Ambassador Yoo Euy-sang retraces the process of the 14-year negotiations in his recent book, “Justification and Practical Interests of Korean Diplomacy toward Japan,” forcing us to confront the question: Have we grown strong enough to decide our fate?The ambassador does not try to answer the question in his book but it is inevitable to find similarities between now and then. Some facts Yoo puts forward give

Mar 25, 2016
Can Korea outsmart big powers this time?

Korean-Canadian poet portrays hometown

Cover of Lee Sang-mook’s poetical works “Lincoln’s Log Cabin” and “Wild Blue Berry Bush of Mt. Baekdu”By Choi Yearn-hong “Lincoln’s Log Cabin” and “Wild Blue Berry Bush of Mt. Baekdu” were the first poetry books I encountered by a Korean-Canadian poet, although there may be some books before these. I happened to meet Lee when we were ROTC-commissioned second-lieutenants at Youngchon, North Kyungsang Province, in 1963. He was a graduate of Seoul National University College of Engineering, and I don’t recollect our conversations on poetry and literature then. In the mid-1990s, I came to know him as a young poet with “Lincoln’s Log Cabin.” Later, I met him in Seoul at a literary conference for overseas Korean poets and writers. I admired him for his mature late start.Most recently, we met on Facebook. I was delighted to learn of his forthcoming poetry book containing all his poems, including those from “Lincoln’s Log Cabin” and “Wild Blue Berry Bush of Mt. Bae

Mar 18, 2016
Korean-Canadian poet portrays hometown

Finnish TV personality releases first Korean book

Finnish TV personality Taru Salminen, left, and Korean sociologist Lee Yeon-hee set off on a one-year journey to rediscover Finland and write a comprehensive guide to the country. / Courtesy of ViaBook Publisher'Finland, the closest Europe' offers comprehensive guideBy Yun Suh-youngCover of “Finland, the closest Europe”When the reporter first had an opportunity to visit Finland last year, she was curious about the northern European country. So, before heading off, she wanted to gather as much information as she could about the country.First, she visited the Seoul Library, the largest public library in the city, to borrow some books about Finland, but there were none that really focused holistically on the country. There were not even guide books that dealt solely with Finland, and the country was always presented as a package with other northern European countries. The books that did focus on Finland were either a personal essay about the author's experience of living there or a research book on the Finnish education system. Even the bookstores could not satisfy the repor

Mar 11, 2016
Finnish TV personality releases first Korean book

Living simply with 15 objects

Cover of Fumio Sasaki’s “I Decided to Live Simply” / Courtesy of BusinessBooksBy Kim Jae-heunIn the rapidly changing society of the 21st century, people living in big cities like Seoul, Tokyo and New York may suffer enormous stress from making decisions and looking for solutions. Buying goods ― given that it could be small things, from a toy costing a few coppers to furniture worth several thousand dollars ― gives psychological satisfaction and people pile things up at home.Fumio Sasaki, 37, who works for a publishing house, has written a book titled “I Decided to Live Simply.” It became an instant hit in Japan and Korea after its release three months ago.  The author once lived in a 20-square-meter apartment ― full of clothes, a large-screen television, various musical instruments and even antique cameras. He never read books he bought, barely played his instruments and lost interest in outdated costumes. But he kept shopping for things that he did not have.One day, Sasaki found the concept of “extreme minimalism” of Amer

Mar 4, 2016
Living simply with 15 objects

Desert Poems: Hogill Kim's first sijo poetry

“Desert Poems,” Hogill Kim. American Star Books, 2016 / Courtesy of the writerBy Choi Yearn-hongI would like to congratulate  Korean-American poet Hogill Kim for his first book of “sijo” poetry. I have reviewed a few books of Korean traditional poetry, ranging from  “Golden Orioles,” a poem by  Goguryeo’s second king, Yuri, to the works of many other splendid poets from the Goryeo and Chosun Kingdoms in this space and others. A Korean pilot, Hogill Kim   immigrated to the United States and until today continues to write sijo poetry in the same spirit that he had nurtured in Korea. I met him in the early 1980s in Los Angeles, where he is also based.Kim is the first Korean pilot-poet, writing many poems in his native Korean language when he’s not flying  across the sky. He cultivates furrows in the clouds,  from which bloom his beautiful poetic flowers. I remember reading his first book of poetry, “Diary Written in the Clouds,” which was published some 40 years a

Feb 26, 2016
Desert Poems: Hogill Kim's first sijo poetry

성폭행 당한후, 출혈로 인해 핏물로 목욕까지..

/Courtesy of Twitter17살의 쉬린(가명: Shirin)은 변호사가 되고 싶다는 꿈을 가지고 있었지만 IS에 의해 납치되면서 하루 만에 삶이 지옥으로 변했다고 한다.2014년 8월에 자신이 가족들과 살던 마을에서 납치당한 그녀는 “폭행 당할 때마다, 속이 난도질 당하는 것 같았으며 모든 장기가 상처 입은 듯 했고 너무 치욕스러웠다”라고 말한다.강간 이후 피를 흘리는 그녀를 보고 다른 여성이 병원에 데려가 달라고 애원하지만 그들은 아무런 조치조차 취하지 않았다고 한다.그녀의 친구가 그녀를 치료하려고 하였지만 전문 지식이 없던 친구는 그저 연고 밖에 바르지 못하였으며 따뜻한 물을 담은 욕조에 그녀를 옮겼지만 지속되는 출혈로 인해 자신의 핏물로 목욕을 할 수밖에 없었다고 지필 했다.감금돼있는 동안 쉬린은 9명의 IS 남자들과 강제 결혼을 했으며 60살 먹은 할아버지의 애까지 낙태를 하기도 했다고 한다.너무 심한 고통에 자살시도까지 감행했지만 오히려 들켜 더 많은 폭행을 견디며 생활하던 그녀는 9번째 남편을 만나서 그의 도움으로 간신히 탈출하여 독일로 피난을 왔다.그녀의 책에서 “이슬람이 나쁜 것이 아니다 악마는 IS 그 자체이다, 아직도 많은 동포들이 IS의 악마 같은 손아귀 안에서 고통스러워하고 있으며 세계 사람들이 IS를 멈추기 위해서 지금 노력하지 않으며 이 후 폭풍은 결국 유럽으로 밀려들어올 것이다.” 라고 집필하였다.변호사의 꿈마저 접은 그녀는 아직도 난민 캠프에 있는 아버지를 제외하고는 가족들의 생사조차 모른다고 한다.쿠르드 정부는 약 7,000명의 여성과 유아들이 IS에 의해 억류돼있으며 겨우 500명 정도가 그들의 손아귀에서 벗어났다고 했다. 디지털뉴스부@ 

Feb 26, 2016
성폭행 당한후, 출혈로 인해 핏물로 목욕까지..

Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' dead at 89

Harper Lee By Kwon Ji-youn Harper Lee, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 for her book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has died, according to media reports. She was 89.“This is a sad day for our family,” Hank Conner, Lee’s nephew and a spokesman for the family, said in a statement on Friday, according to the reports. “Ms. Lee passed away in her sleep early this morning. Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing.“America and the world knew Harper Lee as one of the last century’s most beloved authors.”The funeral will be private as per her request.“To Kill a Mockingbird” was Lee’s only book until a sequel, titled “Go Set a Watchman,” was found among Lee’s belongings and published. Written in the mid-1950s, the book has since been more widely accepted as the first draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Feb 20, 2016
Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' dead at 89
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