Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Life is unfair

By Kim Ji-soo In a stunning incident, South Korean fencer Shin Alam saw one second last far too long in her individual epee semifinal against Germany’s Britta Heidemann. She and her coach appealed, and she stayed alone on the piste for nearly 70 minutes sobbing. The appeal was rejected and thrown mentally, Shin lost in the match for the bronze. On previous days, Cho Jun-ho in the men’s under-66 kilogram judo tournament was awarded a win Sunday (KST) only to have it overturned. Cho did eventually take bronze. On Saturday (KST), star swimmer Park Tae-hwan went on a rollercoaster ride of an Olympic scale when he was disqualified in the 400-meter freestyle heat — then reinstated several hours later — and then won silver in the event he was expected to claim gold. The high rate of Korean athletes involved in judging controversies has the country up in arms, in particular, whether the referees are biased against Team Korea. Sports watchers are saying that despite improved performances by South Korean athletes, the prowess of the country’s sports diplomacy has yet to

Aug 2, 2012

(198) Is authority must-have virtue for president?

By Janet Shin The presidential election campaign has heated up by a TV appearance of nonpolitical potential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. He has neither joined a party nor declared he will run. Yet he has been steering the race with Park Geun-hye, according to opinion polls. Ahn apparently hasn’t shown a clear will toward politics and his socio-political inclination is not clearly exposed, either favoring the ruling or opposing camp, conservative or progressive. There is seething controversy among established politicians, mostly negative over his attitude and capability. The great part of them doubt Ahn as a potential presidential candidate saying, “He is just a dangerous political amateur,” “an arrogant aristocrat” or “too naïve.” Park Geun-hye, the clear favorite from the ruling Saenuri Party, who has already announced her presidential bid, is positioned in an antipode. She wields absolute domination in the party by exerting great influence in every election. She has never lacked confidence in her determination, no matter that it might have created an image of lacking

Aug 2, 2012

Soothing seaweed soup with dried pollack ideal for cancer patients

Seaweed soup with dried pollack / Courtesy of Samho media Rich in vitamins and minerals, seaweeds are familiar companions to cancer patients’ diet. The abundance of fiber also makes the ingredient especially useful in curing diarrhea, one of the most common side effects of cancer. Ingredients (2 servings) Rice 200g, dried seaweed 5g, bean sprout 20g, dried pallock 200g, sesame oil, a little salt, pollack stock( whole pollack 6g, onion 60g, green onion 10g, dried red pepper 10g, dried kelp 2g, white radish 40g, water, moderate amount) Cooking 1. Cook the rice after soaking it in the water and make parched rice. 2. Boil pollack stock putting in the ingredients all together. 3. Soak the dried seaweed and make cuts several times. 4. Wash the bean sprouts thoroughly. 5. Stir -fry dried pollack, seaweed, bean sprout with sesame oil. Add pollack stock and boil hard. Put in parched rice and boil one more time. 6. Season with salt. Cooking tip Dried pollack can be softened by simply soaking it into water for 5 minutes. As for whole pollack, however, it is necessa

Aug 2, 2012

Children deserve greater attention

Dear Dr. P, I am a grandmother of a first grade primary school girl. My son and my daughter-in-law had frequent quarrels, and their troubled marriage ended in divorce last year. My daughter-in-law refused to raise her child, so I have been take care of the little girl with my son. However, even since she started school, she has been complaining about her headache and stomachache and refuses to go to school. She keeps saying that she wants to live with both of her parents. Do you think I should send my granddaughter to her mother? Dear Anonymous, I understand your pitiful situation. The number of divorce has increased significantly in recent years, and rearing children of divorced couples has emerged as a big social problem. In Korea, unfortunately, parents are much more reluctant to raise and discuss the matter in court and tend to settle the issue themselves. Moreover, in some cases, parents sometimes feel that their child stands in the way to their own happiness. They view the child as a reminder of an unhappy marriage and may be reluctant to take the role of chil

Aug 2, 2012

Are 'sugar free' drinks sugar free?

By Chung Hee-hyung With the summer temperature reaching a record high level, nothing is more tempting than a can of soft drink in quenching one’s thirst. But increasing concerns on health led consumers to look for alternatives that are just as sweet as large sugary drinks but much lower in calories. Soda companies obliged to their customers’ demand and launched a variety of drinks with labels “no added sugar,” “sugar free” or even “zero calories.” Some manufacturers went further and introduced natural fruit or vitamin drinks to lure even the most health conscious consumers. Experts warn, however, that such labels could be misleading. “Sugar-free doesn’t mean it contains no sugar at all,” said Lee Guen-bae, head of the food inspection division of Shinsaegae Department Store. “It just means the drink has no sucrose, a highly refined pure carbohydrate more commonly known as table sugar. Although sucrose is the most widely used sugar in food and drink, there are countless substitutes that are just as bad.” A case in point is corn syrup, or more precisely high-fructose corn syr

Aug 2, 2012

Beware of excessive sugar consumption

Contraception still in shadows

By Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Bo-eun A couple of weeks ago, Park So-yoen, a 27-year-old department store sales manager, visited Jeju Island for a summer holiday, together with her boyfriend. After a fantastic day sightseeing around the beautiful resort island, the couple ― as many others do ― went to bed together that night. “Of course I thought my boyfriend had a condom, but he just came without saying anything to me,” Park says. “I was taken aback initially, and then I became really upset.” It was the first time she slept with her boyfriend. Before they had sexual intercourse, they had never discussed the subject. After the intense romantic fire waned, they stayed up all night talking about their thoughts on their relationship, marriage, the possibility of having babies and other related matters. “At that point, my boyfriend and I realized sex is not a simple issue and it requires a lot of effort from both partners to prevent possible outcomes that haven’t been planned for,” Park said. In still conservative Korean society, young couples are not as straig

Aug 1, 2012

Dog lovers vs. dog eaters

By Bahk Eun-ji, Jung Min-ho, Kim Bo-eun “Park, Park, wherever you may be, you might eat dogs in your own country, but it could be worse, you could be Scouse, eating rats in a council house (Liverpool).” This chant is heard from jeering football fans in England when Park Ji-sung, who has joined QPR from Manchester United, is on the ball, and underscores the image of Korea as a nation that enjoys eating dog meat. Although the chief target of the song is Liverpool, it’s fairly clear that the song is based on the perceived notion that Koreans are uncivilized because they eat dogs. Koreans’ consumption of dog meat can be traced back to ancient times. Although no one knows exactly when the practice began, some historical clues like a 1,500-year old mural in South Hwangghae Province provides a glimpse of how long it has been a custom of people in this country. The long-established eating of dog meant first encountered a serious challenge when the government left dogs off the list of animals governed by the Sanitary Process of Livestock Products Act in 1978 because of mounti

Jul 25, 2012

Exhibition shows organs devastated by cancers

By Choi Yeong-Jin Choi A pathology specimen is needed to show the essence of surgical pathology, a study that directly looks at the nature of diseases in patients. It is a tissue specimen which shows various diseases in organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidney and bones. Medical science has gone through rapid advances and diseases that once needed surgery can be treated with excisions or non-surgical means. This means that opportunities to see actual specimens of diseases are gradually reduced in proportion to the development of modern science. Human Pathology Exhibition 2012 organized by the Department of Pathology at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, serves as a unique opportunity to see how cancer affects different organs. The 200 organs on exhibit were preserved by synthetic resin technology; they were collected for education purpose after surgery or autopsy at St. Mary’s Hospital. They represent various cancers that affect people around the world. Human pathology specimens have been used in the field of medical education, but they are rarely accessible to the general

Jul 23, 2012

'Maesaengi' soup for cancer patients

Soup with maesaengi and crab meat / Courtesy of Samho Media“Maesaengi” or seaweed fulvescens only grow in uncontaminated water. It is low in calories and contains lots of fiber and vitamins. Also, the smooth texture makes it easy to digest. Adding maesaengi to crab meat soup gives a light finish to a healthy dish. Ingredients: (serves two) You will need 50 grams of crab meat, 10 grams of maesaengi, 50 grams of egg, 5 grams of leek, 20 grams of oyster sauce, 10 grams of cooking wine, salt, pepper, starch, and sesame oil. For the broth, use 300 grams of chicken, bay leaves, whole black pepper, onion, carrot, celery and ginger Method: 1. Wash the crab meat in salt water and drain it. 2. Wash the maesaengi thoroughly three times and squeeze it to drain the water. 3. Put the ingredients for the chicken broth in a pot and boil on a medium heat for 30 minutes. 4. Add the crab meat and maesaengi to the broth then add the egg and boil. Add oyster sauce, sesame oil and leek according to preference. 5. Serve in a bowl. Cooking tip It is difficult to tell whether maesa

Jul 23, 2012

Diagnosis key to treating facial spasm

By Noh Hyun-gi Does your face twitch involuntarily? Or do you suffer from sharp pain that runs through one side of your face throughout the day? These are easily recognized symptoms of hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia that affect middle-aged men and women. Though both are easily recognized, myths surrounding the causes lead many to seek unnecessary and ineffective treatment options. They are neurological disorders that can be treated with surgery; in both cases medication do not promise sustainable improvement. Hemifacial spasm symptoms Hemifacial spasm refers to unintentional movement of muscles on one side of the face. The contractions start around the eye are and force closure of the eyes. Gradually, the spasm affects lower area of the face. Commonly, the eye muscle movements trigger one side of the mouth to move up simultaneously. The symptoms occur during sleep and tend to get worse when the patient is nervous, under stress or in a social setting with unfamiliar individuals. The disorder is more common among women than men. According to Samsung Medica

Jul 23, 2012

Others

Others

Life is unfair

(198) Is authority must-have virtue for president?

Soothing seaweed soup with dried pollack ideal for cancer patients

Children deserve greater attention

Are 'sugar free' drinks sugar free?

Contraception still in shadows

Dog lovers vs. dog eaters

Exhibition shows organs devastated by cancers

'Maesaengi' soup for cancer patients

Diagnosis key to treating facial spasm

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