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Better communication with patients essential for better hospital

By Kim Tae-jong What’s the most important element to make a hospital a top-class one? People may say it’s state-of-art medical equipment or skillful doctors. For Kim Young-seol, dean of the medical school of Kyung Hee University, the answer is rather simple ― the medical staff’s thoughtful care for their patients. “Doctors should first communicate with patients, fully considering their situation, as a first step to offering quality medical services,” Kim said. “That’s the most important factor that makes a high-class hospital.” Patients often feel doctors are unfriendly, which consequently makes them think medical services or treatments are unsatisfying, he said.

Steer your life in the right direction

By Janet Shin One of the charms of saju reading is to compare the similar saju of two people and figure out how their lives unfold differently. I have met saju with affinity in their cycles quite often. We are going to read two saju and you will see both the similarities and differences in their lives. Despite their similarity, the lives usually unfold in different paths, subject to their will and life styles. Different characteristics of day masters and surrounding energies determine the way saju proceeds in individual life. First of all, here is the saju of Angelina Jolie, one of the celebrities who has caught people’s eyes and ears across the globe with all of her activities. Jolie was born with the energy of yin metal, which is often compared to beautiful jewelry. I have said that I can see whether one is beautiful or not by reading one’s saju. It is even read whether the beauty is recognized by others or not. The simplest way is to identify one’s day master and what other elements are around the day master. For example, yin metal (jewelry) and yin wo

Mind humanities center signs MOU with city offices

By Chung Ah-young The Research Center of the Mind Humanities of Wonkwang University in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jeollabukdo Office of Education and Iksan City Government, Wednesday. After being selected as the beneficiary to receive support for the “Humanities Korea” project of the National Research Foundation of Korea on Dec. 1 last year for mind humanities, the institute will conduct research on humanities with 10 billion won from the foundation and the university for the next 10 years. To effectively fulfill the purpose of the research center, the MOU is expected to facilitate the exchange of research staff, support of joint research and various academic events, the center said. The institute officially opened the center by hanging a sign at the office with some 15 research staff on the same day. “Now, the research center is open to the public and is fully geared up to conduct research projects,” Park Kwang-soo, director of the center, said. The mind humanities is a new discipline focusing on researching th

Kang Suk-joo, fourth from left in front row, CEO of Gimpo Airport Outlet

How to grasp energy (gi) around us

The major difficulty in reading one’s destiny, whether by saju, face or palm, is the lack of standardization. This makes it hard to convince others when questioned. Accordingly, it is hard to be formulated as it needs to be understood through the window of our mind. It requires hard work to memorize terminology and theory to constitute the saju and to practice the theoretical learning to actual lives. However the fundamental is to open wide your mind’s eye and cultivate your ability to use it. Otherwise you cannot see the wood for the trees. To apprehend everything around us, whether visible or not, tangible or not, is the key ability to get a true answer. Using the eye of your mind, which is to see the invisible and intangible substantial cannot be achieved overnight. I teach people the symbolic letters of heavenly and earthly energies to constitute your four pillars. But the symbolic letters of yang wood, yin wood, yang water, yin water and so on are literally emblematic letters. While we define yang wood, for example, as a large tree, this cannot explain a person well enough

Enjoy cherry blossoms at Turtle Marathon

Enjoy the blooming beauty and elegance of cherry blossoms covering Mt. Nam by participating in the 405th Turtle Marathon this Sunday. Hosted by The Hankook Ilbo, The Korea Times' sister paper, this monthly event has drawn more than 120,000 people since 1978. Unlike an ordinary marathon, the Turtle Marathon allows participants to move at their own pace, while enjoying the fresh spring air amid natural surroundings. Kang Suk-joo, CEO of Gimpo Airport Outlet, will lead this month's walkathon. The outlet mall will open its second branch at Gyeyang, Incheon on April 28. In celebration of the opening, the outlet will present coffee beans from Paksong, Laos to participants. All participants will be given tomato beverages from Nongshim during the walk. Middle and high school students who participate in the cleanup afterwards will receive certification for two hours of volunteer work. Afterwards at the plaza, Korean traditional percussion music group Harang and fusion Korean quartet Heyya will perform. This month's raffle prizes include a washing machine as well as newspape

Glocalization key to developing Buddhism

‘Buddhism should be approached as Korean studies’ By Chung Ah-young Whether at the heart of a sprawling metropolis or in the deep woods of a serene mountain setting, the touches of Buddhist culture are evident everywhere in Korea. Buddhism has weighed on every aspect of Korean life for the past 1,700 years, and still boasts the largest number of believers here than any other religion. It has a dominant presence in the nation’s tangible and intangible cultural assets, epitomizing a historical heritage that greatly influenced the shaping of Korea. To understand Korean history and culture properly, Buddhism is one of the key factors alongside Confucianism, according to Kim Jong-wook, the newly appointed head of the Korean Buddhist Research Institute of Dongguk University. “The tradition of Buddhism is very long and it clearly exists today. Without Buddhism, we cannot fully understand Korean history,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. But Buddhism has hardly received serious attention as an academic subject in the field of Korean studies, a surprising pauc

Aromatherapy has numerous health benefits

By Kelly Frances Most of us have used a scented room spray or candle from time to time to calm our nerves, enhance the mood, or simply because we enjoy the scent of a well perfumed room. Trendy aromas such as lavender, rose and jasmine are easily recognizable and inspire a plethora of commercial goods. However, most people are unaware of the actual health benefits of true aromatherapy, a practice which dates back to the times of ancient Egypt. Today, the meaning of aromatherapy extends to the holistic practice of using a plant's volatile essential oils to treat body, mind and spirit. Experts advise that quality is critical in order to obtain the ultimate benefit of an aroma. “Many people identify with a scent and turn away when they see the high cost of the oil. They may spend less on a synthetically scented product, but the optimal health benefit is lost,” aroma therapist Christine Choi explains. “Everyone knows what lavender smells like. What people usually don’t know is that lavender oil can help relieve the symptoms of allergies, ease tension and even prevent hea

Romance or scandal (2)

Shin Jeong-ah, who has been at the center of the hottest news upon publishing her autobiography titled “4001,” appeared in a television interview, saying that it was difficult to endure negative publicity. Setting aside personal sympathy for her life with a sudden fall from grace, it is deplorable that she obstinately revealed in detail the personal love affairs she was involved in with political figures. I looked at her saju and though I am not going to read hers in public it seems inevitable for her to ride on the coattails of those in power. Love, obviously one of the most beautiful words in our lives, needs to be away from power or carefully connected, so the purity and fascination can be kept together. We may look at our ordinary lives to compare this. What do you think will make you happy? Most of my clients answer that money would clear all their agonies. Would that be the case? Considering the fact that the majority of them are in their 40s and 50s, seeking answers for middle age crises, it may be for just the limited age group. The answer varies by people

Chondogyo to celebrate Day of Heaven today

By Chung Ah-young This year marks the 152nd anniversary since native Korean religion Chondogyo was established by Choe Je-u in 1860. The foundation day or Day of Heaven falls on April 5 and is celebrated as the biggest festival for Chondogyo believers across the country. To celebrate the occasion, Yim Woon-kil, supreme leader of the religion, encouraged its believers in a statement to concentrate on more spiritual cultivation such as “isinhwanseong” (transformation from flesh (to blood through temperament) and “jeongsin gaebyeok” spiritual awakening) and spread the truth of the religion around the world. “April 5 is the biggest celebration day for Chondogyo. To mark this day, we have to focus on ‘isinhwanseong’ and ‘jeongsin gaebyeok.’ Only through these spiritual disciplines, we can usher in a new era for Chondogyo and our nation,” he said. Yim emphasized the need for harmony in the future by embracing others and to lay the foundation for the peaceful reunification of the peninsula. For reunification, he said Koreans have to strengthen self-determining spirits and purs