Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Cardinal Cheong prays for sweet home in New Year

By Lee Hyo-won In the novel-turned-film ``Fight Club,’’ a broken modern man says, ``We have no Great War. We have no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.’’ Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, 80, is one of Korea’s foremost spiritual leaders fighting for peace in a time when material wealth does not necessarily yield happiness. The Korea Times sat down for an interview with the Catholic leader at his Myeongdong Cathedral office in downtown Seoul last week, to discuss his prayers for the New Year, his new book and current issues. Question: Many Koreans were concerned about your health ever since you were hospitalized in October for signs of a cerebral hemorrhage. How are you feeling these days? Answer: I am feeling better thanks to many people who were worried about my condition. But I cannot say I have no trouble at all in my daily affairs. I’m not a young man anymore, such as when I speak. Q: What can you say about the past year 2010? A: An eventful year has already come to an end, and I think many people in di

Jan 2, 2011

(119) Why saju? It was turning point in my life

``What made you become a saju master?’’ During my saju and face reading lectures at foreign embassies and workshops in Itaewon, I am often asked this question, not only by foreigners but also by locals. While those who seek saju readings may not be curious to know about their reader’s life, those who attend lectures are often more inquisitive. I may be one of the first Koreans to write about saju and oriental teachings, such as face reading and feng shui in English. Saju is regarded as a realm of occult practice or superstition, as opposed to rational systematic knowledge, by most Koreans. Although there are shamans who practice in charms and exorcisms, it is separate from the practice of saju. In that regard, saju is considered a local traditional custom, and is difficult to explain in foreign languages. In fact, some say that English translations of saju are not always appropriate, given the vast differences in history, ways of living and expressions between Eastern and Western cultures. However, to practice saju is to read one’s life and destiny by inferring the

Dec 30, 2010

Tips on how to cope with fatigue

By Yoo Youk-jin Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of patients seeking health check-ups or medical consultations. These patients believe they may have some serious illness such as cancer because they usually did the same work without any difficulty, but now feel fatigue. Actually, tiredness through overwork and stress for a long period of time is the most common reason for chronic fatigue. A person can easily get exhausted at any point in life through an increased workload and stress as strength decreases due to aging. Men usually can handle their given workload even though they are tired. They are suffering from lack of sleep and rest because they are too busy but not because of insomnia. There are no other specific symptoms except fatigue. Fatigue can be managed by taking enough rest and sleep, reducing one’s workload according to age and physical fitness. Depression may be the most common illness that can cause fatigue. Depressed patients can easily become tired without any specific reason and cannot recover even with enough rest. They have depressive mood, lack

Dec 26, 2010

(118) Saju of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

My business card reads: ``The truth of life.’’ I practice saju, or the four pillars of destiny, which is reading one’s life and destiny through the windows of the philosophy. We are given energies from heaven and earth from birth, which are coded through heavenly stems and earthly branches. Saju is used to decode those symbols and read one’s life and fate between the lines. It is a painstaking process, because not only must we face good news, but also the sorrowful aspects in our lives. Studying saju is a sincere consideration of the universe and the human lives within it, and it is also a process of penance to discover the truth of life. In the course of learning, we constantly ask whether our readings are truly right or wrong, and whether we decode the signs correctly. There are many unrevealed truths in our lives, but most people do not seek them until they are in desperate times. Knowing the truth is the key to opening the door not only to happiness, but also to devastating collapse. And we are responsible for whatever consequences the knowledge brings in our life.

Dec 23, 2010

401st Turtle Marathon to be held Sunday

Enjoy the chilly wind and the refreshing early morning sunshine at the 401st Turtle Marathon on Sunday. It will be a great opportunity for those who want to take a refreshing walk through the scenic, white snow-topped Mt. Nam with friends and family. Organized by The Korea Times’ sister company, the Hankook Ilbo, the Turtle Marathon has been held once a month since 1978. Last month, the 400th edition of the event took place with more than 2,000 participants. This year’s last event will be led by Lee Oh-jang, head of the Korea Freedom Federation, a civilian organization that promotes democracy and freedom. After the walk, comedian Lee Sang-yong will host a closing show. There will be a raffle event for prizes such as kimchi refrigerators, bicycles, newspaper subscription vouchers (Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily), hotel vouchers, health beverage Damina 909 (Glamy), cosmetics, meal coupons (The Buffet), movie tickets (Interpark), toilet paper and kitchen goods. All participants will be given beverages from Nongshim and Choco Pies from Orion. There will also be a fr

Dec 17, 2010

(117) Prince William and Kate Middleton

Marriage is one of the most important events in one’s life. It is a sacred union between two people, as well as between two families. In marriage, people carry on their family lineage through an integration of culture and customs. Through their children, they are also combined biologically and mentally, creating a new generation. As marriage is such a critical moment in one’s life, the marital harmony (``gunghap’’ in Korean) between the couple is always reviewed beforehand. It is a practice that dates back to the ancient days of Korean history and there are many records of gunghap for royal marriages from the Joseon Dynasty. During the reign of King Myeong-jong (the 13th king of the Joseon Dynasty), his mother, Queen Munjeong, held actual ruling influence. This was due to the fact that Myeong-jong was only 12 years old when he ascended to the throne. The queen’s brother, Yoon Won-hyeong, also enjoyed political power and was afraid of losing his influence if any change occurred in the royal family. Thus, he encouraged the king’s marriage of a princess, who gave birth to a son _

Dec 16, 2010

(116) Lee Young-hee, a national symbol of liberal intellectualism

Former Hanyang University Professor Lee Young-hee died last Sunday at the age of 81. He was an intellectual activist, liberal thinker, journalism, scholar, pro-democrat and author of the well-known book ``The Logic of Transition Period.’’ His life was filled with a constant resistance against anti-intellectualism and anti-democracy, resulting in his subsequent arrest and multiple imprisonments. ``Fortitude’’ is the word that best represents Lee, and he himself was the epitome of modern Korean history. He was an ideological leader during the pro-democracy movements of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and only regretted that his young followers had to endure difficult paths in order to hear him. The rising youth read his words focused on the troubles of the world and societal problems, but were able to find clarity in his ideas and answers on how to survive during an era of anti-democracy. Coincidentally, I read his saju in one of my classes last month ― one week before Lee’s death. It was my student who brought the saju reading to me, without telling me to whom it belonged. The lesson focu

Dec 9, 2010

Dentist’s advice on implant

By Bae Ji-sook Our teeth sustain an average of 30 kilograms-worth of shock every time we open and close our mouth to chew: imagine the tremendous stress they are under. Koreans, who enjoy cracking ggakdugi (diced turnip kimchi), lollipops or ice cubes, have teeth that are even more vulnerable. The recent changes and variety in diet due to eating greasy food and meat more often, and then ending with cold ice cream for dessert, wages an enormous amount of stress on the teeth. Also, the bone structure is not particularly strong, requiring more people to receive dental treatment at early stages. Dental implants are currently the becoming more popular for patients who seek semi-permanent replacement teeth. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth, according to a Wikipedia definition. Virtually all dental implants in the 21st century appear similar to an actual tooth root (and thus possess a "root-form") and are placed within the bone (end- being the Greek prefix for "in" and osseous referr

Dec 5, 2010

(115) Kim Gu, an activist in a turbulent era

The past few days have made us rethink the painful history of the division of Korea. This small peninsula located in far eastern Asia has survived in the arena of struggle among world powers throughout its history. Looking back on past world wars, Japanese colonization, the Korean War, and domestic ideological conflicts, there have been many independence movements ― but they have all led to the division of the country into North and South. During this turbulent era of Korean history, there was one politician, educator and reunification activist who truly struggled for the real independence of Korea. His name was Kim Gu, and he went to such lengths as to even visit Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang for unification talks, although they failed in the end. Let’s read the saju of Kim Gu to understand more about his life. He was born Aug. 29, 1876. Kim was born with the energy of yin earth as a day master. Yin earth represents crop fields. People with yin earth energy are patient and have few words, because they conserve their energy to be used by others to plant and harvest. While p

Dec 2, 2010

(114) Superstar K: what made dramatic turning point in their lives?

Superstar K, the Korean version of American Idol, or Britain’s Got Talent, ended last month after rocking the nation with heated competition and lots of feedback from the viewers. It may have been just an individual nation’s event, but having one contestant, John Park, who made it to the top 24 on American Idol, also participating in Superstar K, it drew nation-wide attention and the comparison between Park and the other leading contestant, Huh Gak has been made about their different life stories. Park and Huh seem to be opposites in many ways, their personal lives, singing style, appearance, and fan base. I had the chance to meet Paul Potts, British pop opera tenor who won the first series of “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2007, and was able to read his face and saju, when he visited Korea last month. Although Potts has been through much hardship from his youth and struggled to achieve what he longed for, which is to sing, by never giving up and working hard from the bottom up, when I read his face and saju, I was able to see the answer why. Potts was born with yang

Nov 25, 2010

Others