People & Events

Korea Times-Hankook Ilbo Spring Concert

The Korea Times and its sister paper Hankook Ilbo will jointly host the 2023 Spring Concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, March 23, starting at 8 p.m.It will be held under the theme “Celebrating Busan City's bid for the 2030 World Expo” in the hope of providing a fresh impetus for the city's campaign to host the event. The concert will also give the audience solace at a time when the nation is in the middle of the hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Award-winning violinist Han Soo-jin will take the stage under the baton of Korean Symphony Orchestra's conductor Hong Seok-won. The program consists of Shostakovich's “Festive Overture,” Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Symphony No.7.A special VIP reception will be held before the start of the concert.· VIP reception: 7 p.m.- 7:45 p.m., March 23 (Thursday)· Main concert: 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.· Venue: Seoul Arts Center, Concert Hall

INTERVIEW From sculptor to surgeon

This photo shows Shim Hyeon-jeong working on her artwork when she was a student at Seoul National University College of Fine Arts in Seoul. Courtesy of Shim Hyeon-jeongFine art graduate dreams of authoring illustrated textbooks for doctorsBy Jung Min-hoSome people are born with extraordinary talent, but struggle to find a way in life to make the most of it. Shim Hyeon-jeong always had an artistic flair, which eventually led her to Seoul National University College of Fine Arts, a prestigious school where she majored in sculpture. Becoming an artist had appeared to be her natural next choice after graduation until she decided to pursue her new dream of becoming a doctor.“It was my little brother with an intellectual disability who motivated me to open my eyes to other fields of study. Taking a psychology class made me wonder whether there could be an answer to why my brother and other people like him think and act differently. That was the first time I thought that I could do something different other than fine arts,” Shim, 37, said in a recent interview with The Korea Tim

Syrian family builds hope through taekwondo at Azraq refugee camp

From left, Syrian refugees Doaa Al-Ayoub, 8, Muhammad Al-Ayoub, 46, Othman Al-Ayoub, 16, and Rena Al-Ayoub, 12, pose in taekwondo uniforms at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, Saturday. The four Al-Ayoubs reached taekwondo's highest grade of black belt at the camp's taekwondo academy established by World Taekwondo and Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation while taking shelter at the facility since 2016. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul'Taekwondo breaks down all barriers between people'By Lee Hae-rinAZRAQ, Jordan ― Taekwondo runs in the six-member Al-Ayoub family from Syria and offers a chance for a better life within and outside the refugee camp where they have lived since 2016. The family fled from a rural village in their homeland Syria to neighboring Jordan at the outbreak of the civil war. While taking shelter at the Azraq refugee camp, established and managed by the Jordanian government and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees 100 kilometers east of the capital Amman, the family found the traditional Korean martial art to be an “outlet in which we feel comfortable”

US journalist spotlighted for promoting March 1 Independence Movement

U.S. journalist Albert Taylor (1875-1948) / Captured from Seo Kyung-duk's Facebook accountBy Dong Sun-hwaAlbert Taylor (1875-1948), a U.S. journalist who played an important role in promoting Korea's March 1 Independence Movement against Japan's forced occupation, is being spotlighted again.Star producer Na Young-seok ― who created popular variety shows including the “Three Meals a Day” series ― and Seo Kyung-duk, a social activist and professor of general education at Sungshin Women's University, unveiled a YouTube video featuring Taylor on Tuesday, marking the 104th anniversary of the 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule over the peninsula.The four-minute clip illuminates the life of the former Associated Press (AP) correspondent who first wired Korea's Declaration of Independence to foreign media despite Japan's strict surveillance.“The Declaration of Korea's Independence says that it represents the voice of 20,000,000 persons, speaking in the name of justice and humanity,” read his 1919 article.Taylor also laid bare the atrocities committed by Impe

Gucci to hold fashion show at royal palace in May after cancellation

This photo taken on June 23, 2021, shows a front yard of Geunjeongjeon Hall, Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Park Jun-gyuItalian luxury brand Gucci will hold a fashion show at a royal place in Seoul in May, about six months after the event was canceled due to the Itaewon crowd crush, the Korean cultural heritage authority said Tuesday.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, a department of its subcommittee in charge of preserving and managing royal palaces and tombs has recently conditionally approved a plan to hold the Gucci Fashion Show at Gyeongbok Palace on May 16 during a recent meeting.The event was originally scheduled for Nov. 1 but was canceled as the country was in grief after a total of 159 people were killed in the crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood on Oct. 29.This Aug. 24, 2022 image file captured from the Instagram of Vogue Korea shows its photo taken at Cheong Wa Dae. Courtesy of Vogue KoreaIf the show is held in front of Geunjeongjeon, the main hall at the palace, as planned, it will mark the first ti

Korea Times - Hankook Ilbo 'Spring Concert': Celebrating Busan's 2030 Expo Bid

Innovative Economy Forum executive director to attend 8th Raisina Dialogue

By Bahk Eun-jiSong KyungjinSong Kyungjin, executive director of the Innovative Economy Forum, will attend the 8th Raisina Dialogue, a flagship global strategic conference of the Narendra Modi administration, on March 2-4, in New Delhi, India. This year's Raisina Dialogue is being held immediately after the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting between March 1 and 2 in New Delhi to maximize its input to the G20 summit this year. India has assumed the presidency of this year's G20 summit.Song is invited to speak at a session on “The Emerging Consensus: G20 and the Development Imperative” on March 3 together with Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Brazil); Naledi Pador, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (South Africa); Alan Ganoo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauritius; and Ambassaor Elisabetta Belloni (Italy). The speakers will discuss the rationale for the G20 to engage in the issue of development, the role of international financial institutions in addressing the needs of emerging economies and ways to avoid disputes between developed and developing coun

Global Elim Foundation seeks wider partnership to support foreign residents, multicultural families

Foreign Minister Park Jin, second row second from left, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, second row third from left, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, back row seventh from left, ambassadors of 24 countries and other dignitaries pose during a presentation luncheon hosted by the Global Elim Foundation in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Monday. The foundation was established to support foreign students, residents and multicultural families in Korea. Courtesy of Global Elim FoundationBy Park Han-solThe Global Elim Foundation, which was founded by Yoido Full Gospel Church to support foreign students, residents and multicultural families in Korea, unveiled on Monday its major projects that will go into effect this year and its plan to establish wider partnerships with government agencies and non-profit organizations.The foundation's presentation luncheon, held in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, invited Foreign Minister Park Jin, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the ambassadors of 24 countries, in addition to foreign residents, migrant workers and multicultural fam

Dansaekhwa master Park Seo-bo diagnosed with stage 3 cancer

Dansaekhwa master Park Seo-bo / Courtesy of Kukje GalleryBy Park Han-solDansaekhwa (monochrome painting) master Park Seo-bo, who is considered one of the seminal figures in the Korean modern abstract art scene, has been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, the artist revealed on Thursday.“I had been a smoker all my life. It was only after experiencing a heart attack that I quit smoking altogether,” the 91-year-old wrote on his Facebook.“I want to spend the rest of my time more meaningfully by focusing on my creative endeavor,” he continued. “I've lived long enough, but there are still things left that I wish to paint … I want to be able to draw at least one more line on canvas.”As one of the founding members of the formative Dansaekhwa movement that emerged in the early 1970s in Korea, Park has been most well-known both here and abroad for his decades-long signature “Ecriture” series.The series began as "pencil-Ecriture," inspired by his three-year-old son's crude penmanship. Park started imitating his son by applying countless gr

Discovering century-old art of traditional shoemaking: Meet artisan of shoe street at Yeomcheon Bridge

Handmade shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at Italy Shoes, his shoe shop located on the corner of Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street in Seoul, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Lee Min-youngThe handmade shoe stores near Yeomcheon Bridge in Seoul have a history dating back almost a century. This block represents Korea's first-ever community of shoe merchants. The shoemakers in the area have passed down their knowledge and skills over the generations, making it a unique example of Korean craftsmanship.Korea Times video by Kim Kang-min, Lee Ka-jinThis road is also a testament to the resilience and dedication of the country's shoe merchants, who have overcome countless obstacles to remain operating for nearly a century.Competition from overseas suppliers of cheaper goods and large retail stores caused a decrease in profit margins for the street's small businesses, making it harder for them to stay in business. Hand-made shoe shops line Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minThere are, however, still around 130 sh