Lifestyle - The Korea Times

'Change maker' creates new rules

Cover of “Change Maker” by Lee Na-riBy Yun Suh-young"When everyone else thought it was a crisis, they saw opportunity." The book's back cover sums up what the publication is about."Change Maker" by Lee Na-ri, a former journalist at The Joongang Ilbo and incumbent executive in charge of new projects at Cheil Worldwide, Korea's largest advertising agency, puts together the stories of 43 innovators from around the world who had challenged the norms to create new paths.In the prologue, Lee defines entrepreneurship as "finding an opportunity, breaking through the limitations and risks, and adding value to the market through innovative thinking and action."Change-makers find out problems that people have overlooked and figure out a solution before no one else does. Change-makers are curious about how the world changes. Change-makers have great people around them who inspire them, give out a helping hand and foster them to become who they are. They have an eye for figuring people out, an ability to discover the jewels around them. Change-makers are used to being rejected and are

Feb 19, 2016

'Confucius Says: A Novel' deals with filial piety

By Choi Yearn-hong Veronica Li, the author, of “Confucius Says: A Novel,” is the youngest child of a couple who immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States and whose last 10 years were a series of continuous struggles with medical care. In addition to her job, she took care of her aging parents in Northern Virginia. Taking care of one’s aging parents, especially when they’re in their eighties, and in the American setting, is not easy. “Hyo,” or filial piety, is the virtue of honor and love for one’s parents. It was taught by Confucius 2,000 years ago, as did the Old Testament, which said “honor and love thy parents.” Confucius extended hyo from familial relationships to social relationships, in the form of “choong” for the king or governor. East Asian nations embrace Confucius’ teachings. The Chinese, Japanese and Koreans value filial piety highly, as much as Confucius did.Li, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, wrote about her simultaneously happy and agonizing years taking care of her

Feb 12, 2016

Activist remembers WW II 'comfort women'

Victims of military sexual slavery, activists and citizens gather in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 10 for the peaceful resolution of the World War II issue. / Yonhap“Every Wednesday for 25 years” by Yoon Mee-hyangBy Kim Se-jeongYoon Mee-hyang’s book, “Every Wednesday for 25 Years ― A Story of the Bold Hope of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Survivors,” cannot be timelier.It came almost a month after the foreign ministers of Korea and Japan announced an agreement on the issue of sexual slavery during World War II. Under the agreement on Dec. 28, Korea’s 46 known survivors of the atrocity will receive care funded by the Japanese government. On the other hand, the Korean government will also take action regarding a girl’s statue that was erected by protesters in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul that the Korean government said is considered a security threat to the embassy. The Korean government also agreed not to raise the issue on the international stage, as the two countries are understood to have resolved

Feb 12, 2016

Activist remembers WW II 'comfort women'

'White Rose Nocturne' full of cliches, provocative ridicules, still addictive

Cover of “White Rose Nocturne” by Lim Ji-inBy Nam Hyun-wooLim Ji-in’s latest thriller novel “White Rose Nocturne” is another compilation of clichéd scenes that day time soap opera fans  will be familiar with.The story features almost every possible component that can play up a provocative storyline -- a conflict between a to-be-mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a hidden truth about a birth, a kidnapping, homosexuality, the heroine’s hidden identity, a sex change and so many other twists coming one after another. And, there are some detailed descriptions of sex.Nonetheless, Lim, a former translator who is releasing her second full-length novel, has been crafty in blending all of those hackneyed elements in this straightforward book.The story centers on the shocking and complicated story of the Seol family. Hong, a lover of the deceased Seol Da-wit (the Korean pronunciation of David in the Bible), is a rich loan shark haunted by the obsession to reflect Da-wit’s dream of being a successful pianist on Seol Yo-han (the Korean pronunc

Feb 5, 2016

'White Rose Nocturne' full of cliches, provocative ridicules, still addictive

Book celebrates 100th anniversary of Yun Dong-ju

Yun Dong-ju, second from left in the front row, with his Japanese classmates from Doshisha University at the Uji River in Kyoto in this 1943 photo. This is known to be the last photo of Yun, taken on July 14, about a monthbefore the Japanese military arrested him for allegedly participating in the independence movement. / YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulThe cover of Yun Dong-ju’s anthology, “Sky, Wind, Star and Poem.”/ Courtesy of Sowadari PublishingOne noticeable move on this month’s best-seller chart is patriotic poet Yun Dong-ju’s (1917-1945) posthumous poetry collection, “Sky, Wind, Star and Poem.”The anthology, published on Jan. 14 by Sowadari Publishing, placed 15th on Yes24, one of Korea’s largest online booksellers, this week. The book is a reprint of the revised edition that was published in 1955 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Yun’s death. The first edition was released three years after he died in 1945.Yun’s collection of poetry soared onto the best-seller list in the first week of the year, though it was only sold

Jan 29, 2016

Revamped Kyobo Bookstore becomes friendly space to book lovers

 By Baek Byung-yeulDespite temperatures dropping well below freezing on Thursday, Kyobo Book Centre in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul was crowded with visitors reading.It has been about a month since the bookstore chain’s flagship store finished its latest renovations on Dec. 15.Among the noticeable changes different from the previous space design are the two huge tables situated at the center of the store. Each table -- 11.5-meters by 1.5-meter -- can accommodate 50 visitors where they can fully occupying themselves with their reading. The bookstore said the tables are made of kauri pine from trees that were submerged in the marshes of New Zealand over 50,000 years ago.“The aim of the renovation is to make the 35-year-old bookstore our customers’ favorite place to visit because they can stay longer,” a Kyobo official said. “The overhaul indicates that we are not just selling books here. Ultimately, we want our offline bookstore to become a cultural space.”In addition to the great pine tables, the bookstore installed sofas, benches and tables at s

Jan 22, 2016

Revamped Kyobo Bookstore becomes friendly space to book lovers

Poet dedicates book to mother

Choi Yearn-hong / Korea Times file“White Cotton-Tail Deer” by Choi Yearn-hongBy Kim Haeng-ja“White Cotton-Tail Deer” is the fifth book of poetry by Choi Yearn-hong, the founding president of the Korean-American Poets and Writers Group.The book was a delight to all Korean-American poets and writers in the fall of 2015. It was well received as a “maple leaf” in the Korean autumn mountain. At the same time, his fourth book of poetry in English, “Adieu, Winter,” was published in the United States. Korean poets and writers celebrated his two books in Korea and in the U.S.Choi has been a distinguished poet since the early 1970s when he was one of three editors of Horizon, the first poetry magazine in the U.S., published in Los Angeles. The other two were Hwang Kap-ju and Mah Jong-ki. Choi was the editor of the first Korean-American book of poetry in the 1970s. He then participated in the “Sea of Light, Kwangju,” an anthology with five other poets protesting the so-called Kwangju massacre in 1980, and “May Burning in Light,&r

Jan 15, 2016

Poet yearns for humanity in 'Wild Apple'

Poet Ra Hee-duk  / Korea Times fileCover of Ra Hee-duk’s “Wild Apple”By Choi Yearn-hong I received Korean poet Ra Hee-duk’s new book of poetry “Wild Apple” translated by Daniel Parker and Ji Young-shil. Ra was a visiting poet at the University of Iowa International Writing Program in 2007. She came to my town under my poetry group’s invitation in 2007 for a poetry reading and to share her views on her poetry.She was born in 1966, graduated from Yonsei University, and made her literary debut in the Korea JoongAng Daily’s New Face Award Contest during her college days. She is now on the faculty of the Chosun University Creative Writing Program. Her poems have been translated into English under the sponsorship of the Korean Literature Translation Institute.I still remember her speech on her youth in a Korean orphanage where her parents -- Christians seeking to carry out the teachings of their religion through communal living -- served on the administrative staff. Ra confessed that the experience of living with orphans had made he

Jan 8, 2016

Poet yearns for humanity in 'Wild Apple'

DR Congo official visits Urim Books

Urim Books CEO Noh Kyung-tae, left, poses with Sebastien Impeto Pengo, deputy governor of TshuapaProvince of DR Congo, holding the recently published an English edition “Speak Forth with the OriginalVoice.” / Courtesy of Urim BooksA regional leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) visited Urim Books, a Christian publishing house in Seoul, to celebrate the release of the English version of the book "Speak Forth with the Original Voice" written by Rev. Lee Jae-rock.Sebastien Impeto Pengo, acting governor of Tshuapa District and former acting governor of Equateur Province, visited the publisher on Dec. 24, 2015, reviewing the book written by Rev. Lee, a Christian author and senior pastor of Manmin Central Church which is an affiliate of the publishing house.One of Rev. Lee's books, "Abraham, the Friend of God," had been listed as a bestseller in the religious section of Kyobo Bookstore for 10 consecutive weeks, according to the publishing house.Pengo and his delegation toured the office of the publisher and read translations of the company's books in French,

Jan 6, 2016

Plagiarism scandals taint publishing world

Shin Kyung-sook, one of Korea’s most popular novelists and author of “Please Look After Mom,” wasinvolved in a plagiarism scandal earlier this year. / Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooThe year 2015 has been a tough year for Korean publishers, especially for literature. There were few new works from established writers and even fewer made it onto the best seller lists.While literature declined, self-help books became popular this year, jumping on the bandwagon of "anxiety" that prevails throughout society.According to a recent lifestyle survey by Statistics Korea, the ratio of the reading public went down to 56.2 percent this year, which is 6.2 percentage points down from 2013. The nation's slowing economy influenced the dent in the popularity of reading as soaring housing prices and sharp inflation resulted in a decrease in spending on books.Despite that, some books have been popular. The winner in the sluggish market this year was "Courage to Be Disliked” by Kishimi Ichiro and Koga Fumitake. This book swept major best seller charts, both online and offline, and

Dec 25, 2015

Books