Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Love is __?

National institute invites complaints from sexual minoritiesBy Chung Hyun-chae, Park Ji-won, Nam Hyun-wooLove seemed to be a universal concept that embraced all. Recently, however, a national institute released a new definition of the concept that excludes minorities, in particular same-sex partners.The National Institute of the Korean Language (NIKL) came out with a new definition of the word love — a feeling or affection for a person of the opposite sex.According to the institute, which establishes language policies and updates the national dictionary, the concept of love exists only between a man and a woman, except when referring to love for friends, family, inanimate objects or country. The NIKL announced the new definition on March 31.This is not the first time the institute changed the meaning of the word. Love used to be defined as a “feeling or instance of longing passionately for a partner of another sex by being attracted to the partner’s allure.” Five university students asked the NIKL to expand the definition because it seemed

Apr 8, 2014

Protestant church leader Hong accused of greed

CCK Chairman Hong Jae-chulBy Baek Byung-hyeulPastor Hong Jae-chul, leader of Korea’s largest Christian lobby, is touching off controversy with his plans to form a new Protestant church group that will allow member pastors to pass on their jobs to their children. But the children would have to wait as these churches would not impose a retirement age on pastors, allowing them to serve as long as they want, Hong said.Hong, currently the chairman of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), representing more than 45,000 churches with a combined 12 million followers, recently took out advertisements on several vernacular newspapers calling for pastors and churches to join his new group.Critics, including many within the Christian community, claim that Hong’s efforts will further tarnish the public image of Korea’s protestant church, which has been fighting accusations of corruption, greed and suppressing social minorities, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people."Churches in Korea have reached their limits of growth because they are full of modern Phar

Apr 7, 2014

Protestant church leader Hong accused of greed

Coping with baby's first illness

By Jane Han No matter what parents do, babies will invariably get sick at one point or another.For me, that point — fortunately, I must say — came later than most people. But it came as a triple whammy. Three major injuries and illnesses coming on in three consecutive weeks.And these weren’t just regular fever and a runny nose kind of illnesses, but full-fledged rush-to-the-ER kinds of situations.The three-part series began with Baby A on a typical Saturday morning.She was doing her usual 9-month-old thing — pulling herself up to a stand, falling and repeating that about 100 times. The falling has never been a big deal for her, but that day, she somehow landed hard — really hard — on her collarbone.I raced to help her up, but at that point, she was already crying uncontrollably and in severe pain every time I tried to hold her. Baby A and I were both in panic, and that’s when Dad came to the rescue.He quickly got us to the emergency room at a children’s hospital about 15 minutes away. After no less than an hour of paperwork, a prel

Apr 4, 2014

Neck under great stress day and night

By Kim Sang-hyukThe number of patients suffering from neck (cervical vertebra) related diseases is on the rise.In particular, the rate of cervical disk incidence in people in their 20s and 30s is rapidly increasing, threatening the health of young people.Cervical disk symptoms, which are frequent among people in their 40s and 50s, is a degenerative change and mainly results from aging of the cervical disk.As one gets older, moisture inside the disk decreases and it becomes inelastic. Cracks appear inside, causing the hardened nucleus to leak.However, for those in their 20s and 30s, the main cause is either external impact or wrong habits. Some people having such habits unconsciously repeat them even during sleep.The biggest factor threatening the neck is the use of a smartphone or a PC.The problem with their extensive use comes from incorrect posture, although at the same time, we have to admit that it is not easy to maintain a correct posture at that time.People tend to glue their eyes to the screen which forces bending of the neck. Their neck is craned forward and shoulders stiffen

Apr 4, 2014

How to care ingrown toenails

These photos show the foot of an ingrown-toenail patient in her 40s. By inserting an aluminum plate under her nail, it was prevented from growing deeper into the flesh. / Courtesy of Gangdong Kyunghee University HospitalBy Nam Hyun-wooWhen Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin injured his toenail during a game last month, Ryu posted a photo of his injured toe on his social networking service account. Doctors said Ryu might be in for more pain because he has an ingrown toenail.An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the nail grows into the nail bed, causing severe pain, swelling and microbial inflammation. Some patients in severe conditions cannot walk and feel extreme twinges in their feet.According to Professor Sim Woo-young at Gangdong Kyunghee University Hospital, ingrown toenails mostly affect those who cut the toenails too short or wear shoes that do not fit properly.Those are widely known causes of the condition, but it can sometimes occur because of less-obvious reasons.Ingrown toenails usually occur with big toenails and are prevalent among older people.&ldquo

Apr 4, 2014

(274) How to apply the five elements: implication of numbers

By Janet ShinHave you ever tried to figure your lucky numbers? If yes, for what purpose and how did you get it?The lucky numbers differ with countries and their own customs.In most Asian countries, odd numbers — especially one, three and seven — are considered to bring fortune while even ones, four in particular, are the opposite. It is because the former has yang energy, which is believed to emit vital energy with promising influence and the latter has yin. Yin is often regarded as lifeless energy.For example, when people give a monetary gift or donation, they try to make the amount uneven. When they prepare food for an ancestral rites table, food quantity per dish and even that of dishes should be an odd number.Company names, of course, are preferred to have those for the prosperity of business. Samsung, meaning three stars, is definitely meant to be. Cheers and songs also have the triple time beats, such as three-three-seven applause. Among them, seven is regarded as the luckiest because it contains the most intense energy of expansion.Meanwhile, people have taken a di

Apr 3, 2014

(274) How to apply the five elements: implication of numbers

As colorful as candy store

Sex toys and edible underwear are on display at an adult toy shop in Seodaemun-gu, northwestern Seoul. The owner said customers range from those in their 20s to 80s. / Korea Times fileAdult shops evolve from seedy to fun placeBy Park Jin-hai, Kwon Ji-youn, Yoon Sung-wonTwo female customers walk arm in arm, reading the instructions on the back of each item displayed inside a small adult shop that resembles a candy store.“After I visited the store out of curiosity last year, I became a patron,” said Kim Su-jin, one of the pair, holding up a pair of edible underwear at the condom specialty store “Condomania,” located near Hongik University in western Seoul. “I have seen it here when passing by. Since the edifice looks like a candy store, I felt less hesitant to go in,” Kim, the 35-year-old housewife, said. What she usually buys are flavored condoms that come in all kinds of shapes. “Sometimes I come here with my husband when we feel that we need something to spice up our love life,” she added.Minutes later, a couple entered the store.

Apr 1, 2014By Park Jin-hai

What are healthy foods for spring time?

By Cho Ae-kyung I often see people with difficulties waking up in the morning.Although they get enough sleep at night, they still feel drowsy, sluggish and lethargic during the day.Our body adjusts to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. But when we fail to adjust to the rapid weather change during spring time, we can experience a temporary fatigue syndrome.It can be alarming when muscles are suddenly activated after being motionless during the winter and when immunity is weak. Risks to infectious diseases including cold will increase during this time.But before blaming the seasonal change, we need to ask first: Do people in modern society really eat healthy?Mad for Garlic, a garlic themed restaurant chain, and Job Korea, a job hunting website, asked this question to 3,088 adults. Most of them said they know the benefits of eating healthy foods, but they don’t actually practice it.When metabolism and physical activities increase, it becomes important to eat healthy foods full of protein, vitamins and minerals. It boosts energy and helps protect our body

Mar 28, 2014

Walking helps prevent hip fractures

By Song Sang-ho Many health experts say walking is one of the best forms of exercise, not just because it does not require much time, money or equipment, but because it strengthens the muscles by stimulating all parts of the body.A recent study by the Harvard Medical School, which collected the habits of 36,000 men over age 24, showed that jogging helps reduce the risk of hip fractures in men, especially for those over 50.In the study, researchers said the greater the frequency and intensity of walks, the lower the risk of hip fracture. With less-intensive walks, though, hip fractures can be prevented, it added.Men who walk at least four hours a week significantly improved their chances of avoiding hip fractures by 43 percent, compared to those who walk less than one hour a week.For those over 50, hip fractures can occur with a simple stumble and the cure is not easy _ oftentimes followed by many complications. Thus, preventing a hip fracture must be sought over treating it, at all costs. As walking is an easier exercise than most others, the study is a good news for those men o

Mar 28, 2014

(273) Implication of five elements: time and destiny

By Janet ShinAccording to the oriental teaching, every phenomenon in the universe is explained by the theory of yin, yang and the five elements. When we relate it to our destiny, it becomes saju, when it is about face, it is face reading, when it describes human body and health, it is Oriental medicine, and it is feng shui or geomancy referring to geography. Among the various links, time is the most crucial factor to influence our life as a whole.For your easy understanding, you may simply compare them to a week. Sunday stands for yang energy while Monday is yin. And the other five days are the five elements respectively.If you diversify your perspective to macro and micro notions of time, you will learn deeper and more detailed facets of nature.Different from the western understanding, oriental philosophy tries to comprehend everything with integrated approach, even including birth and death. Since both are spontaneous phases of the universal process, humans shouldn’t be afraid of dying as this life is just a part of a succeeding cycle.In this respect, oriental medicine tries

Mar 27, 2014

Others

Others

Love is __?

Protestant church leader Hong accused of greed

Coping with baby's first illness

Neck under great stress day and night

How to care ingrown toenails

(274) How to apply the five elements: implication of numbers

As colorful as candy store

What are healthy foods for spring time?

Walking helps prevent hip fractures

(273) Implication of five elements: time and destiny

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