Lifestyle - The Korea Times

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

Plagiarism scandals taint publishing world

25 volumes of 'Dongui Bogam' summarized in 1 book

Dr. Shim Dong-sup, left, and the cover of “Easy Oriental Medicine” by Dr. ShimBy Kwon Ji-younAccording to Dr. Shim Dong-sup, chairman of the Korean Institute for Electronic Trade and Commerce Promotion (KIETaC), his new book, “Easy Oriental Medicine,” is an abridged version of the “Dongui Bogam”, a series of medical encyclopedia compiled by Heo Jun (1539-1615), a court physician during the reign of King Seonjo of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).“Easy Oriental Medicine” has taken all 25 volumes of the “Dongui Bogam”, added 22 years of his own study and crammed it into an 870-page, easy-to-read book.“This book targets any and everyone, even those without a medical background,” Shim said. “It is written from a Western, epidemiological and natural science perspective. I hope the book will serve as a workaround to the ‘Dongui Bogam.’”The “Dongui Bogam”, the title of which literally translates to “the mirror of Eastern medicine,” is a classic to scholars of oriental medici

Dec 18, 2015

25 volumes of 'Dongui Bogam' summarized in 1 book

English series highlights Korean art

Oh In-hwan’s “Finding Blind Spot” displayed at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul as a part of the 2015 Korea Artist Prize exhibit. / Courtedy of MMCA“Korean Painting: From Modern to Contemporary, 1945-1980s” by Cho Eun-jung“Postmodern Art in Korea: From 1985 on” by Chung Young-mokBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Art Council Korea (ARKO) has completed its 15-volume series on Korean modern culture, covering a wide range, including fine art, theater, dance, architecture and K-pop.“The Korean Contemporary Arts Series,” first published in 2011, aims to introduce and promote Korean contemporary culture abroad and improve cultural exchanges.The two latest and final additions to the series shed light on Korean modern and contemporary art, which coincides with recent international attention to Korean art.The 14th installment of the series, “Korean Painting: From Modern to Contemporary, 1945-1980s,” deals with the history of Korean modern art after the liberation from Japanese colonial rule and how art contri

Dec 11, 2015

Art of aging in modern society

German philosopher and writer discusses Epicurean conceptsWilhelm Schmid, the author of “What We Gain As We Grow Older: On Gelassenheit”/ Courtesy of CHAEKSESANGThe cover of the Korean edition of “What We Gain As We Grow Older: On Gelassenheit” by Wilhelm Schmid. / Courtesy of ChaeksesangBy Kim Jae-heunPeople say age is just a number, but in Korea it is used to define many stages of a person’s life. Age indicates social status, economic power and even marital status. Although, these deductions are not always true, they are often close enough as people of certain ages take certain roles in society here. For this reason, aging is a particularly sensitive issue and many try to oppose the march of time by obsessively purchasing anti-aging cosmetics, dressing younger and learning the trendy dialogue that young people use.German philosopher and writer Wilhelm Schmid’s “What We Gain As We Grow Older: On Gelassenheit,” published in 2014, teaches readers to live with time by adopting the idea of Gelassenheit ― the “feeling a

Dec 4, 2015

Photojournalist tackles prejudice

The son of a refugee from Cote d’Ivoire in his home in Bogwang-dong, Seoul. Kang said he took this photo to thank the refugee for allowing him to cover their story. / Courtesy of Kang Yoon-joongCover of “Camera, Please Take Care of the Prejudice”By Nam Hyun-wooNobody says they are prejudiced about something. When someone talks about an issue pertaining to prejudice, he or she will proudly tell you how they fight against prejudice, and you will never hear them proclaiming themselves biased or being bigoted.Kyunghyang newspaper photographer Kang Yoon-joong’s photo essay, “Camera, Please Take Care of the Prejudice,” calmly tackles the bias that we ― including those reading this, I writing this and Kang himself ― are not prejudiced.In this 326-page book, Kang recalls 16 places, groups of people or incidents he photographed for Kyunghyang newspaper’s “Photo Docu” in recent years. All of these photos and his writings ― including a mine in Taebaek, Gangwon Province; a refugees’ shelter in Seoul; a hospice care hospit

Nov 27, 2015

'Making Ramyeon,' Kim Hoon's random thoughts on life

Author Kim Hoon writes in his workroom. Kim recently published a book of essays, “Making Ramyeon.” / Courtesy of Munhakdongne PublishingThe cover of “Making Ramyeon”/ Courtesy of Munhakdongne PublishingBy Baek Byung-yeulEver since “ramyeon” ― or instant noodles ― was introduced in Korea in 1963, the fast food has become a Korean favorite. Considering the average Korean consumes about 76 packs a year, it is no wonder ramyeon has been hailed as “soul food” for most of them.“The Song of the Sword” author Kim Hoon is no different from other Koreans.In his new book of essays, “Ramyeon-eul Kkeuli-myeo” (Making Ramyeon), Kim writes an ode to ramyeon, describing it as the food that makes him hungry.“I get really hungry for ramyeon whenever I see an actor in the TV commercial make a face as if he has reached Nirvana after gulping down a cup of ramyeon soup,” he writes. (The book’s publishing company, Munhakdongne, said it does not have an official English title yet.)The author, 67, says the rea

Nov 20, 2015

'Making Ramyeon,' Kim Hoon's random thoughts on life

Chart rigging makes dull books bestsellers

Visitors to a bookstore in central Seoul flip through books displayed in the best-seller section in this June 21 file photo.  / Korea Times fileBy Kwon Ji-youn No matter how dreary a book is, more people are bound to read it if it is on the best-seller list.Last month, the Korea Music Content Industry Association (KMCIA) declared war on music chart rigging, pledging to ask the government and the National Assembly to establish a law to root it out. But it appears chart rigging has become a habit of sorts in several other fields, including the publishing industry.On Oct. 19, publisher Geulgilnaru was reportedly caught bulk purchasing one writer’s books to rig best-seller charts in May and June. Duplicate orders were specified for one delivery address, mostly the publisher’s headquarters or a staffer’s home address. Both of the writer’s books made the top 10 on the best-seller lists.“The investigation is still ongoing,” said an official at Geulgilnaru. “Nothing has been concluded as of yet.”The practice is not new in Korea. Bulk

Nov 13, 2015

Chart rigging makes dull books bestsellers

Translation award winners discuss challenges

Winners of the 13th Korean Literature Translation Awards pose for a photo at a restaurant in Seoul before the awards ceremony Wednesday. From left are Seong Cho-lim, Kwon Eun-hee, Andrea de Benedittis, Pascale Roux, daughter of Genevieve Roux-Faucard, and Lee Tae-yeon. / Courtesy of LTIKAndrea de Benedittis, one of the winners of the 13th Korean Literature Translation Award, speaks to the press.Zhang Li Li, one of the winners of the 14th Korean Literature Translation Awards for New Career Translators, speaks to the press.By Yun Suh-youngThe winners of the 13th Korean Literature Translation Awards and the 14th Korean Literature Translation Awards for New Career Translators gathered Wednesday before the award ceremony and spoke of the difficulties of translating Korean literature into other languages."It's always difficult to translate dialects. It sounds awkward when we translate it, so sometimes we have to get rid of it," said Andrea de Benedittis, one of the winners of the 13th Korean Literature Translation Awards. He translated author Kim Young-ha's "I Have

Nov 6, 2015

Books