Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Indian exchange student explains how football changed her life

Radha Kumari, center in green shirt, plays football with Brazilian players during the Laureus Sports Award ceremony in Monaco in Feb. 2019. Kumari received a Good Award with the social project led by NGO Yuwa at the annual event, which celebrates empowerment and achievement through sports. Courtesy of Radha KumariBy Lee Hae-rinFor 21-year-old Indian college student Radha Kumari, football is a lifesaver. Kumari, an exchange student at Sungkyungkwan University in Seoul, was able to go on to college after high school thanks to football. Feeling that she is indebted to the sport, she is trying to help school-age Indian girls find new opportunities through football.“Football helped me find a better future for myself,” Kumari said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.At the age of nine, she first started to play football “in a rice field without (football) boots, wearing a long skirt,” thanks to the help of the non-governmental organization, Yuwa. Founded by American business consultant Franz Gastler in 2007, Yuwa, which means “youth” in Hindi, is

Jan 5, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Indian exchange student explains how football changed her life

INTERVIEW Pixar's Korean animator hopes to deliver message of compassion through her work

Pixar Animation Studios senior animator Kim Hye-sook poses with a Buzz Lightyear figurine, a character popularized through the Toy Story film franchise. She has been working at Pixar since 2021. Courtesy of Kim Hye-sook'Animators breathe life into characters like Pinocchio's father, Geppetto'By Lee Gyu-leeGrowing up in the small town of Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, located about 150 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Kim Hye-sook was just an ordinary girl from the country who loved drawing.But when her teacher in middle school, after seeing her drawings, introduced her to possible professions in the animation industry, Kim began to imagine that drawing could become a career for her. About 25 years later, she came to work for one of the biggest animation studios, Pixar Animation Studios, as a senior animator, taking part in the production of the 2022 film “Buzz Lightyear.”“When I moved abroad (from Korea), I started to have more thoughts about empathy and understanding. The language and culture; the confusion and struggles that come from the new environment can

Jan 4, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Pixar's Korean animator hopes to deliver message of compassion through her work

Asians have stronger presence in US law firms

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Yeon-wooIn Netflix legal drama “Partner Track,” Ingrid Yun, the lead character who graduated from Harvard Law School and works as an attorney at a New York-based law firm, strives to climb the partner track in the face of multiple challenges, including stereotypes of Asians and women. “You have no idea how hard it is to be a person of color at this firm,” she says in the series while struggling to succeed despite facing microaggressions.The adversity facing Ingrid in the fictional drama is somewhat exaggerated, according to Yoon Chae, a partner in Baker McKenzie's Dallas office. The Korean lawyer said that misconceptions about Asians and Asian Americans still remain, although they are the biggest minority group in U.S. law firms. “Some believe that Asians are good at math and science, but are not eloquent speakers or writers, which would be a critical misperception for attorneys,” Chae said.“Another stereotype is that Asians value humility over assertiveness and therefore end up appearing less confident to clients and th

Jan 4, 2023By Lee Yeon-woo

Asians have stronger presence in US law firms

Year of Rabbit: prosperity, longevity and wisdom

“Ssangtodo,” a portrayal of a pair of rabbits that symbolize conjugal love and a harmonious family / Courtesy of National Folk Museum of KoreaBy Dong Sun-hwa2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. Given that the rabbit has been emblematic of prosperity, longevity and wisdom in Korea, 2023 is expected to be a time of fertility as well. The rabbit is the fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac, representing east on the compass and 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the clock. The fact that the animal symbolizes February in the lunar calendar ― the month signaling the beginning of farming in an agricultural society ― and that it gives birth to offspring four to six times a year, explain why the rabbit is a beacon of fruitfulness. The rabbit also represents the moon and longevity, as evidenced by a Korean folk tale about the moon rabbit. Koreans have long believed that some white rabbits that make an elixir of immortality using mortars and pestles live on the moon. Many paintings and songs, such as Yoon Guk-young's “Half Moon” (1924), center on these mystical creatures

Dec 30, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa

Year of Rabbit: prosperity, longevity and wisdom

Park Eun-bin, Son Heung-min, Samsung's Lee Jae-yong voted 'People of the Year for 2022'

Actress Park Eun-bin played the lead in the series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” Courtesy of AStory, KT Studio GenieBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Park Eun-bin, soccer player Son Heung-min, and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong have been named “People of the Year for 2022,” according to the recruiting platform, Incruit. The platform announced the results, Friday, of its recent survey on the most high-profile figures in three categories: entertainment, sports, and finance/business. Incruit surveyed 1,333 users from Dec. 19 to 22.Park, who played the lead role in 2022's smash-hit series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” garnered 23.7 percent of the total votes in the entertainment category, followed by K-pop group BTS with 19.8 percent and actor Son Suk-ku with 8.9 percent. When asked why they voted for Park, 46.2 of the respondents cited the sensational buzz she created with the series. The 16-part series scored a 17.5 percent viewership rating and topped Netflix's Global Top 10 chart for non-English language series for an astonishing nine weeks. Son Heu

Dec 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Park Eun-bin, Son Heung-min, Samsung's Lee Jae-yong voted 'People of the Year for 2022'

INTERVIEW VIVE STUDIOS expands world of VR, metaverse and virtual humans

Kim Se-gyu, right, CEO of VIVE STUDIOS, poses with virtual human JZ at his company's headquarters in Gangnam District, Seoul. Courtesy of VIVE STUDIOSContent producer seeks to become software developerBy Dong Sun-hwaNews that Suga of K-pop behemoth BTS would be absent from the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards ― currently known as the MAMA Awards ― due to a shoulder injury disheartened numerous fans back then. Surprisingly, however, they could still see all seven members perform their song, “Life Goes On,” on stage on the day of the event, thanks to VIVE STUDIOS, which brought in Suga as a realistic hologram. The fans later realized that VIVE STUDIOS was the content production company behind MBC's virtual reality (VR) documentary, “Meeting You” (2020), which featured a reunion between a mother and a virtual recreation of her deceased daughter who died at the age of seven. The tearjerker became the talk of the town immediately after it was aired, although it raised ethical concerns for being emotionally manipulative. As of Monday, the documentary has exceeded 33 mil

Dec 20, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa

[INTERVIEW] VIVE STUDIOS expands world of VR, metaverse and virtual humans

Webinar to be held for students seeking to study in US

TOEFL iBT® test is the only English language test welcomed by every U.S. university. Courtesy of ETSBy Jeon Yae-woolThe number of Korean students studying abroad dropped 41 percent in 2021 compared to what it had been two years earlier, before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. But Korean students can now pursue their dreams of studying abroad as the world is opening up its borders again for international students.The United States has been by far one of the most preferred overseas destinations for Korean students. According to the U.S.-based Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Open Doors Report, Korea represents the third-largest source of foreign students matriculating at U.S. universities, comprising 4.3 percent of the total number of international students in the U.S.On a per capita basis, Korea sends the third-most students to the U.S. from Asia. So, why do so many Korean students choose to study in the U.S.?EducationUSA, a U.S. Department of State network of international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories, attributes the reason

Dec 19, 2022

Startup founder launches body positive campaign for those with disabilities

Lee Yu-jeong poses for the camera during a photo shoot in a studio in Seoul, Nov. 2021. Courtesy of Lee Yu-jeongBy Lee Yeon-wooLee Yu-jeong, 32, feels that people stare at her whenever she leaves her house to go somewhere. “It's like a runway,” she says. She thought there were no reasons she should draw other people's attention. She is no different from anyone else, except for one thing: she uses a wheelchair due to a disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease in which bones fracture easily with no obvious cause or minimal injury.It's perhaps due to this condition that people made numerous hurtful remarks to her as she was growing up. Someone once told her, “You are so young. What a pity,” while others said, “Why are you so short?” Another told her, “You are disabled but your makeup looks good.”“Yes, I am different physically, and I'm short. So I couldn't think about my outlook positively. I wasn't confident when taking group photos or looking in the mirror,” Lee told The Korea Times in a recent video intervi

Dec 15, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo

Startup founder launches body positive campaign for those with disabilities

INTERVIEW ‘Single’s Inferno 5’ breakout star Choi Mina Sue talks about true beauty

By Kwak Yeon-soo For the first time, a Korean has won a major international beauty pageant title. Choi Mina Sue, a communications student representing Korea in the Miss Earth pageant, made history by becoming the first Korean to win at one of the Big Four international beauty contests. She beat 85 other contestants from around the world at the pageant's coronation event in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 29. Rounding out the top three contestants were first runner-up Sheridan Mortlock of Australia, second runner-up Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine and third runner-up Andrea Aguilera of Colombia. The environment-focused pageant is one of the Big Four international beauty contests, with others being Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. “It was an absolute honor to represent Korea and be the country's first-ever pageant winner. There has been a negative perception of beauty pageants in Korea. By winning Miss Earth, I hope to bring changes to people's minds. Of course, I need to work harder but I'm proud of what I accomplished,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea T

Dec 15, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] ‘Single’s Inferno 5’ breakout star Choi Mina Sue talks about true beauty

SeoulSETA teachers honored

Winners of the 2022 English Newspapers in Education (NIE) presentation competition pose with judges at the Franciscan Education Center in Jeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. They are Lee Arong, third from left, the first prize winner from Changmun Girls’ Middle School; Kim Jae-hee, fourth from left, the second prize winner from Daeil Foreign Language High School; and Kwon Hyeon-suk, third from left, the third prize winner from Changdong Middle School. Members of the Seoul Secondary English Teachers' Association (SeoulSETA) competed in the annual contest hosted by The Korea Times. Judges are Yang Young-hee, left, chairwoman of SeoulSETA and principal of Jamsil Middle School; Dr. Lee Mun-bok, second from right, senior research fellow of the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation; and Cho Jae-hyon, right, managing director of The Korea Times. Courtesy of SeoulSETA

Dec 15, 2022

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