Lifestyle - The Korea Times

'Adieu, Winter' - simple, charming

By Ed SadtlerChoi Yearn-hongI’ve had the chance to read and review Dr. Choi Yearn-hong’s latest book of poetry “Adieu, Winter,” published by American Star Books in Baltimore. Dr. Choi is the only first-generation Korean-American poet to publish poetry books in both Korean and English, and has been doing so since he arrived at Indiana University as a foreign student in 1968.  He is also the first and only Korean poet to read his poems at the U.S. Library of Congress, which he did in 1994 and again in 2003, by invitation of the then U.S. poet laureates. Is there a poet better qualified to capture the pride, gratitude, longing and loneliness of being Korean-American?Such mixed and sometimes conflicting emotions no doubt arise from the author’s feeling that he is “neither Korean nor American, but trying to be both Korean and American.”All that said, it is the simplicity and straightforwardness of his poems that haunt and charm me. They are divided into four groups, each with its own subtitle: Wayfarer, America, Love Song

Oct 30, 2015

Nobel Prize-winning book accused of mistranslation

By Kwon Ji-younSeen is the cover image of the Korean edition of Prof. Angus Deaton’s book “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality.” / Korea Times fileA local publisher has been accused of having erroneously translated a book written by Nobel Prize winner and Princeton University Professor Angus Deaton. Hankyung BP published the Korean edition of Prof. Deaton’s book, “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality,” with changes and omissions from the English text, as well as an introduction to the work by a Korean economist positioning the book as a counterpoint to Thomas Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century.” However, Princeton University Press said Thursday on its website that: “These changes and a new introduction were not vetted or approved by either the author or by Princeton University Press.” In response, Hankyung BP said the modifications made were merely “editorial,” and claimed that they “condensed long and dull passages that overlappe

Oct 26, 2015

Nobel Prize-winning book accused of mistranslation

Finishing MBA in one day

Cover of “MBA in one day” / Courtesy of Gimmyoung PublishersBy Yun Suh-youngThe title of the book, "MBA in One Day," can sound misleading as it is impossible to complete an MBA in a day. You may scoff at the title, but the author confidently states in the prologue that this book is a comprehensive overview (for non-MBA holders) of what you will learn, or a recap of what you have learned, in the MBA program.Author Ben Tiggelaar, a noted Dutch business management researcher who has researched leadership for 25 years, compiled the content shared during seminars he has held for 17,000 leaders over the past 10 years. This book is a condensed result of those seminars, which were especially popular in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Germany.The book introduces the basic rules of management. Tiggelaar gathered the problems and challenges business leaders face in real life and researched certified and credible models and theories to provide solutions that can be useful. He summarized theories, teachings and advice from more than 40 of the most prominent management thinkers i

Oct 23, 2015

International delegation visits Urim Books

Vincent Pala, second from left, listens to CEO of Urim Books Noh Kyung-tae, second from right, at the Urim Books. / Courtesy of Urim BooksAn international delegation visited Urim Books, a Christian publishing house in Seoul, which owns the overseas company, Urim Books USA Inc. in New York, on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of Manmin Central Church, which is an affiliated organization of the publishing house.The delegation included Vincent Pala, an incumbent member of the Indian Parliament and former Indian Minister of Water Resources, and Bishop Dr. Paul Musafiri Nalwango, who has served as Attorney General, Vice-Minister of the Interior, Minister of Agriculture and Education of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the President of the Pentecostal Association of Central Africa.According to the list of literary works by the number of translations cited in Wikipedia, the Bible continues to be the most translated book in the world.The list also includes the following books authored by Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, senior pastor of Manmin Central Church: “The Message of the Cr

Oct 23, 2015

International delegation visits Urim Books

Book reveals six essential skills of extraordinary entrepreneurs

Amy Wilkinson, the author of the book “The Creator’s Code” / Courtesy of The Business Books PublishingThe cover of “The Creator’s Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs” by Amy Wilkinson / Courtesy of The Business Books PublishinBy Kim Jae-heun Living in the fast-moving IT era, the old sayings of the secrets to success are no longer effective. Whereas a person could achieve his goal by consistent effort before, the world now requires something different. In the book “The Creator’s Code,” author Amy Wilkinson reveals six essential skills of extraordinary entrepreneurs, such as the founders of eBay, PayPal, Airbnb and LinkedIn.Wilkinson, a strategic adviser, entrepreneur and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, interviewed 200 entrepreneurs of companies that made $100 million annually over the past five years. These are companies dominating fields such as technology, energy and media.The author was curious about the secrets of successful businessmen _ how they fought against com

Oct 16, 2015

Book reveals six essential skills of extraordinary entrepreneurs

Poet savors beauty of Korea's nature

Song In-yeup, left, author of “Beautiful Korea!,” poses on the top of Chilgapsan Mountain in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of Song In-yeupBy Baek Byung-yeulThe beauty of nature has been a favorite subject for many poets over many centuries.Former international aid worker Song In-yeup is also a poet who writes about the irresistible splendor of nature. Though he is not a professional poet, he has expressed his impressions of more than 80 destinations around the world in poetry during his days with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and published his first poetry book titled “World Travel, Singing in Poems” in 2013.Recently, Song has published a new poetry book “Beautiful Korea!” a poem collection glorifying the beautiful nature of his motherland.Comprised of 79 poems including introduction and coda, Song explores the mountains and streams on the Korean Peninsula, ranging from Mount Baekdu, the highest mountain on the peninsula, to the southern part’s highest Mount Halla on Jeju Island.“When looking a

Oct 2, 2015

Choi portrays frustrations of suburbanite

Poet Choi Seung-ja / Korea Times fileBy Yearn Hong ChoiThis volume is a translation of Choi Seung-ja’s 1991 anthology, titled “Portrait of a Suburbanite.” Published by Mirae Press’s in the series “100  Prominent Korean Poets” by Mirae Pressseries, the anthology poems that appear in this volume were selected fromincludes four of Choi’s  previously workspublished poems, — “Love of This Age” (1981), “Merry Diary” (1984), “House of Memory” (1991), and “My Tomb, Green” (1993). I, with like many other Korean poets, may remember Choi  Seung-ja’s poems as a uniquely grotesque poetess; whoChoi created a new dark image of poetry inat a her young and tender age. In this article, I quotereview her poem, “Love of This Age, in this space.” ‘Love of This Age’Though you call out, there’s no master in March.At the foot of the Great East Gate, a  grass steeps in secrets. Round the unchanging street cornersInto the houses we habitually slipInt

Sep 25, 2015

Choi portrays frustrations of suburbanite

'Alone time,' shortcut to success

The cover of “The Strength of Time Spent Alone,” by Saito Takashi / Courtesy of Wisdom HouseBy Kwon Ji-younBy 2030, single-person households will likely become the most common dwelling occupancy in Seoul due to the rapidly aging population, low birthrate and weakening faith in traditional family values, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.But people today are afraid of being alone, Saito Takashi claims in the prologue of his book, “The Strength of Time Spent Alone.” They make friends because they do not want to be friendless, and watch television to feel more involved or included.“But how you decide to spend your ‘alone time’ will determine your future,” Saito writes.The book begins with powerful anecdotes about the loneliness that accompanied the author’s youth. He spent 10 jobless years without an affiliation to any school, company or organization before joining the faculty at Meiji University, where he teaches, and was a year late going to college, which made him a “misfit.”He spent most of his time readi

Sep 18, 2015

Scandals reshape publishing world

Shin Kyung-sook  Park Min-kyuBy Kwon Mee-yooIt has been about three months since famed novelist Shin Kyung-sook admitted plagiarizing and the Korean literary circle is still suffering from the aftermath.Shin is one of the most acclaimed and widely read novelists in Korea, who won the Asian Man Booker Prize. She is best known internationally for "Please Look After Mom," which was translated into 19 languages.In June, novelist and poet Lee Eung-jun contributed to online news outlet the Huffington Post, claiming that Shin plagiarized passages of her 1996 short story "Legend" from the Korean translation of the late Japanese author Yukio Mishima's "Patriotism."Shin denied the allegations at first, but later admitted copying phrases partially and publisher Changbi stopped printing the story."I sincerely apologize to the literary writer who raised the issue as well as all my acquaintances, and above all, many readers who read my novels ... Everything is my fault," Shin said in an apology.Korea's top writer's plagiarism and the publishers coping with the issue in a half-hearte

Sep 11, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

How to approach China's super consumers

“China’s Super Consumers: What 1 Billion Customers Want and How to Sell it to Them” by Savio Chan and Michael ZakkourBy Yun Suh-young The 1.3 billion people living in China cannot be ignored in today's world. The influence of that many consumers and the role they play in the global market is immense.As the country opened its markets to global business in the past few decades, consumer trends have also changed."China's Super Consumers: What 1 Billion Customers Want and How to Sell it to Them" by Savio Chan and Michael Zakkour, explores and gives in-depth explanations about the thoughts and behavior of Chinese consumers, including why, where, what and how they buy.The book offers first-hand stories from executives, and bases its narrative on case studies, original research and the authors' own experiences in providing powerful insights about the implications of the Chinese consumer boom.Zakkour is a principal at the global business consulting firm Tompkins International, where he heads the “China/APAC Group” and has assisted more than 250 multina

Sep 4, 2015

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