People & Events

7 figures from key Korean religions to meet pope at Vatican

Pope Francis arrives for a consistory inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday. AP-YonhapBy Park Han-solSeven high-level representatives from religious bodies within Korea will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican City this month to discuss ways to establish and maintain harmony between religious communities.The representatives from the Korean Council of Religious Leaders (KCRL) are scheduled to go on an overseas pilgrimage to a number of holy sites, including Israel's Jerusalem and the Vatican, from Sept. 13 to 21.During this trip, the leaders will meet with the pope on Sept. 19 (local time) to launch a dialogue on world peace and ways the religious circles can cooperate with one another.This year's pilgrimage will be attended by Jogye Order President Ven. Wonhaeng, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, Christian Council of Korea (CCK) temporary chair Kim Hyun-seong, Won Buddhism President Na Sang-ho, Confucianism Director Son Jin-woo of Sung Kyun Kwan, Chondogyo Supreme Leader Park Sang-jong and Association of Korean Native Religions leader Kim Ryoung-ha.The KCRL was estab

제11회 한국다문화청소년상

11th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards

'I'm willing to die for the Pope and the Church,' says new Cardinal You

New Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik receives the red three-cornered biretta hat from Pope Francis during a consistory inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Saturday. AP-Yonhap Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik becomes Korea's fourth cardinalBy Kwak Yeon-sooPope Francis appointed Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, as cardinal, the second most senior position among the ranks of the Roman Catholic clergy after the pope.You is Korea's fourth cardinal following late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan in 1969, the late Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk in 2006 and Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung in 2014.At a consistory held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Saturday, You and 19 other men were named as the Catholic Church's newest cardinals. You was the second to be called after Cardinal Arthur Roche of England, and after receiving a red biretta and a cardinal's ring, he briefly spoke with Pope Francis and shared a hug.“The

Guy Sorman supports Korea's decision to relocate presidential office to Yongsan

French-American columnist Guy Sorman speaks via video call during the 2022 Culture Communication Forum (CCF) held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in central Seoul, Aug. 25. Courtesy of CICI CICI organizes forum under theme of 'Space and Culture Communication'By Dong Sun-hwaGuy Sorman, a world-renowned scholar and intellectual in economics and philosophy, said it was a positive decision for Korea to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul to the defense ministry compound in Seoul's Yongsan District. The French-American columnist, who was an adviser to then-President Lee Myung-bak in 2010, made the remark during the 2022 Culture Communication Forum (CCF), which took place at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in central Seoul, Aug. 25. The Corea Image Communication Institute organized the forum under the theme of “Space and Culture Communication,” inviting experts from around the world to analyze different spaces in Korea and explore the meaning of space in t

Assembly Speaker Kim congratulates South Korean archbishop on coming cardinal ordination

In this Aug. 22, 2021 file photo, South Korean Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik speaks during a memorial mass celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon at the Vatican. YonhapNational Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo sent a letter of congratulations Friday to South Korean Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who is set to be ordained as a cardinal this weekend, calling for his role in raising global attention for peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to his office. You, 70, has been serving as Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons since June 2021, and was appointed as one of 20 new cardinals by Pope Francis in May. He will be sworn in at a consistory at the Vatican on Saturday (local time) to become the fourth South Korean to receive the cardinal red hat. "You's ordination is not only wonderful news for the South Korean Catholic community but also for the whole country," Kim wrote in the letter, saying the event is "more meaningful, as 2023 is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of ties between Seoul and the

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Korean Buddhist culture arrives in New York

Ven. Jeongkwan, right, gives a talk on temple food and offers samples at the 2022 Discover Your Korea event at Grand Central Terminal in New York, Monday, as part of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism's “An Encounter with Korean Traditional Buddhist Culture” program. Courtesy of Cultural Corps of Korean BuddhismBy Park Han-solFrom a one-day Templestay visit to temple food workshops, a number of events celebrating Korea's Buddhist culture are greeting New Yorkers in the heart of the U.S. city until Aug. 29 (local time). Organized by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism under the Jogye Order, the nation's largest Buddhist sect, the “An Encounter with Korean Traditional Buddhist Culture” program kicked off Monday with a temple food session led by Ven. Jeongkwan, as part of the 2022 Discover Your Korea event at Grand Central Terminal.As one of Netflix's “Chef's Table” stars ― who received the prestigious Icon Award Asia 2022 ― the monk was also named a Master of Korean Temple Food by the Jogye Order earlier this year. During the program hosted insi

INTERVIEW Sponsoring dreams of North Korean defectors

Seo You-jin, a lawyer and director of the Nanum & Ieum Foundation, poses during a youth counseling program near Bucheon Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this June 3 file photo. Courtesy of Seo You-jinBy Jung Min-hoIt is easy to assume that North Korean defectors are more satisfied with their lives here than they were before their escape. In South Korea, they no longer have to worry about starving to death or being imprisoned for criticizing corrupt leaders. Yet the reality is more complicated. Here, North Korean defectors struggle with different issues. Some say they feel even more lost than when they were trying to escape a land with no freedom.Lawyer Seo You-jin, 34, the director of the Nanum & Leum Foundation established by the law firm Shin & Kim, said she was one of those who had that same blind notion before she started to truly listen to their voices.“I was surprised to learn that some North Korean defectors tried to kill themselves because of depression. They had motivation for a better future when they risked their lives to escape North Korea. That

INTERVIEW Restoring bilateral ties will boost Korean studies in Japan: professor

Junya Nishino, a professor in the Faculty of Law and Politics at Keio University and the director of the Keio Center for Contemporary Korean Studies / Courtesy of Junya Nishino Japanese professor talks about influence of Korea-Japan ties on Korean studies By Dong Sun-hwaRelations between Korea and Japan have deteriorated to their worst level in years due to Tokyo's imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for the semiconductor and display industries here, in apparent retaliation against a 2018 ruling by the Supreme Court of Korea ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.According to Junya Nishino, a professor in the Faculty of Law and Politics at Keio University in Tokyo, this deterioration in bilateral ties has reduced the number of Japanese students willing to major in Korean studies. Nishino is also the director of the Keio Center for Contemporary Korean Studies, a research institution