Lifestyle - The Korea Times

'Chonji,' bribe or virtue?

Members of Haksamo, a group of parents of schoolchildren, burn “chonji” envelopes to advocate a chonji-free Teacher’s Day, which falls on May 15, in Seoul in this 2004 file photo. Giving chonji, or small gifts, gift certificates or cash, to those in authority has been criticized as a practice that has gone from a gesture of gratitude to one that is nothing less than bribery. / Korea Times fileAuthorities crack down on collection of money around Teacher’s DayBy Baek Byung-yeul, Kwon Ji-younOur ancestors gave “chonji,” or small gifts ― usually from the harvest they had gathered ― to teachers in exchange for the knowledge and wisdom their children accumulated. The practice of giving chonji has developed over the years amid claims that the practice has gone from a gesture of gratitude to one that is nothing less than bribery. With the intention of clinching favors, Koreans have presented chonji in different forms, including cash, gift certificates or actual gifts, to those of authority, especially people in charge of personnel matte

May 13, 2014

Keeping shoulder injury-free in baseball

By Song Sang-hoWith the new baseball season starting, there are more and more people visiting ballparks.With over 10,000 teams actively playing in amateur leagues and over a million fans showing up at games so far this year, baseball is the de facto most popular sport in Korea.Baseball as a sport does not require much direct physical contact between players compared to soccer or basketball. It also does not require as much long-lasting strength or endurance. Because of that, the average age of baseball players is higher than other sportsYet, there are risks of injuries while enjoying baseball and, indeed, many professional players suffer injuries.The reason why baseball players are more prone to shoulder injuries has to do with anatomy.Our shoulder consists of four joints, twelve ligaments and more than fifteen muscles and tendons. Being the most mobile joint covering a wide range of movements, it is at the same time open to higher risks of injury than other parts of the body.According to a report by the Korea Baseball Organization, 63.4 percent of newly drafted pitchers every year e

May 9, 2014

Keeping shoulder injury-free in baseball

Returning to pre-pregnancy self

By Jane HanSince my twin girls were born, this column has mostly been about them, the babies, the little queens of the house. So today, I’d like to talk about me, the mom, the 24-hour do-it-all caretaker.Ten months into motherhood, how is Mom?Theoretically and ideally, I should be back to my pre-pregnant self again. People say it takes as much time as you were pregnant to return to your pre-baby shape, weight and everything else.I can see that happening for a lot of new moms these days. They seem to get pregnant, pop their baby out and bounce right back into shape and look as good as ever, almost as if pregnancy never even happened.Well, that’s not exactly the case for this mom here.I still have about five more kilograms of baby fat to shed, under-eye dark circles have taken permanent residence on my face and, most importantly, it feels as if I’m always missing a part of my brain.As weird as it may sound, it’s totally true.I’ve become incredibly clumsy and forgetful. Even as I write this very piece, I’m finding myself getting stuck as I struggle to

May 9, 2014

(279) Peach blossom, Dohwa-sal

By Janet ShinAt this time of the year, you will see florescent peach blossom in the field. Have you ever heard an amusing story about it or dohwa as it is called in Korean? What do you associate with the word “peach blossom”?Peaches are one of the fruit cultivars, colored pink with velvety skin. They have delicate and luscious flesh and flavor. Blossom implies abundance and prosperity on top of its literal meaning. Spring reaches its peak with the blooming of many flowers. While people usually think of cherry blossom when talking about spring festivals, peach blossom has a special affection in many Asian countries.Peaches are highly regarded as a lucky plant to protect people from evil influence and a symbol of vitality and immortality. In addition, they are believed to expel the souls of the dead. That is why they don’t have to be put on an ancestral rites table in Korea.Mureung-dowon, literally meaning source of the river with peach blossom or a legendary scenic spot in China signifies paradise in Asia.Meanwhile, they have interesting indications in saju, fen

May 8, 2014

More career women opt for younger men

TvN’s “A Witch’s Love” is a romantic drama where a 39-year-old successful career woman dates a 20-year old courier serviceman. As drastic as it is, Korean society has changed, witnessing more and more couples with women being older than their male partners. / Korea Times fileBy Park Jin-hai, Yoon Sung-wonKim Seo-young, 39, a high school teacher, married nine years ago. At the time of their wedding, their drama-like love story was the talk of town. “I met him when he was 15. I was teaching students at a high school in Gyeonggi Province,” she said. “Of course, I had never imagined such a romance drama like a love story, a teacher marring her student, could be possible in real life.”Kim, then 24, knew him through a four-week training session for student teachers and after the short stint she returned to her regular life and friends. A few students kept in touch with her through emails, but her husband was not one of them. “One day a message was sent onto my Cyworld, a social networking service, saying that he is my former studen

May 6, 2014By Park Jin-hai

Ways to kill fatigue and enliven body in spring

By Lee Sung-hunSpring is here at last. The weather is warming up and it is even hot sometimes. Everything is bursting with newborn energy. We wish the same for our body as far as life’s vitality is concerned, but some of us are feverish and sluggish with headaches around this time.The condition is not an illness but a natural physiological phenomenon known as spring fever, caused by a reinvigorated metabolism after the winter. But if the symptoms persist for several months, you should suspect chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).The fatigue, despite being common, cannot be quantitatively measured through blood or urine tests. Most people feel fatigued after physical exercise, mental stress or lack of sleep. If you feel, however, overly tired every day, even after ample rest, or feel lethargic for months, you are likely experiencing CFS.CFS is more common among people in their 30s and 40s than the elderly, and among men more than women. Symptoms vary, such as fatigue, light fever, joint pain, throat pain, headache, forgetfulness, short attention span, disturbed sleep and neck pain.Whi

May 2, 2014

Ways to kill fatigue and enliven body in spring

Sedentary lifestyle: is it always bad for back?

By Kim Sang-hyukSitting for a long time hurts your back. It can cause pain in the spinal disk or create abnormal pressure changes in the back.It is the same reason that most patients suffering from a herniated lumbar disk also experience problems sitting down. Sitting is the most harmful posture, followed by standing, prone and supine.However, how many hours do students and office workers stand in a day? Although people know the sedentary lifestyle harms their back, standing up all day long is not the alternative.Office workers who spend most of their day sitting down are particularly vulnerable to back problems resulting from prolonged muscle contraction and sustained body posture.Except for the neutral position, with the back slightly arched backward, long sitting can increase the risk elements, causing low level muscle contraction or changes to intervertebral disc pressure.Long sitting can itself harm your back, but sitting in the wrong position is even worse.Compared to standing, sitting requires an additional 60 percent compressive load on the spine. The spine no longer retains

May 2, 2014

Sedentary lifestyle: is it always bad for back?

(278) How to apply five elements - vocational aptitude 2

By Janet ShinI have taught how to read the profession that corresponds to his or her aptitude by saju. Although there are more in-depth expertise, this practice will help you cultivate your career path with a great enlightenment.The first step is to define the day master, which can be easily acquired by one of your smart phone applications. You can also Google them with relevant search words, such as saju, bazi, feng shui or 10,000-year calendar.Upon keying in your birth year, month, day and hour, you can figure out the day stem (out of eight letters, “palja”), which is the celestial element of your birthday. We call it your day master. Without having trouble to understand the foreign languages, just try to identify the colors. They are classified into five according to the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water.In my previous column, you would have learned about the propensity of water element, here is more information about the rest elements and advanced skills to read the saju in various cases.The wood element pursues a stable life and tries to acquire fam

May 1, 2014

(278) How to apply five elements - vocational aptitude 2

Disabled still face discrimination

Police spray pepper spray at members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) at Seoul Express Bus Terminal, southern Seoul, on Disabled Persons’ Day that fell on April 20. More than 300 disabled people gathered to demonstrate how difficult it is for them to simply get on a bus. / Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo, Chung Hyun-chae, Park Ji-wonApril 20 is the Disabled Persons’ Day in Korea. The day was established in 1991 to raise public awareness about people with disabilities and promote their rehabilitation.In observance of the event last week, some 300 disabled people in wheelchairs gathered at Seoul Express Bus Terminal to protest against the difficulty it is for the disabled to perform even simple activities such as getting on a bus.Unlike previous years, this year’s event was low key because of the ferry tragedy on April 16. The Sewol ferry sank off Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, leaving over 300 passengers either dead or missing.Police moved in to stop the protest saying it was an illegal gathering. The police used excessive force

Apr 29, 2014

(277) Destiny, religion and the value of life

By Janet ShinIn the process of our journey through life, we face many incidents that cannot be evaded though we are utterly abhorrent to them. There are some things we cannot take regardless of how desperately we crave for them.Birth and death can be two of them. There are many others such as the loss of the most beloved person. The quirk of fate would drive you to a hopeless situation.Losing one’s parents early in life, for instance, which leads to an unfortunate childhood then disadvantage in educational opportunity in youth and poverty, are just several examples that no one cannot expect in life.One may encounter the events once or more along the life path that would devastate his or her entire fortune.Death, apparently, is not something we can ward off. There still exist sufferings of basic instinct, such as hunger, physical pain and even thirst.Unwanted accidents may totally change our lives. People, in their times of despair, can think about something that would alter their circumstances.Fatalism is one of people’s beliefs to get over their abject agonies even thoug

Apr 24, 2014

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