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Upholding integrity of Korean food

Yun Mi-wol is CEO of the Michelin two-star Korean restaurant Yunke in Ginza, Tokyo. / Courtesy of Yun Mi-wolBy Kim Ji-sooCHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province — In the busy commercial Sangnam market district in this southeastern city is Sugeumjae, a fine-dining Korean restaurant. There seems to be a slight mismatch between the neighborhood and the high-end food served in the restaurant. Sugeumjae was created by Yun Mi-wol, CEO and chef of a Michelin two-star restaurant called Yunke in Tokyo, and a kimchi master.As I stepped inside Sugeumjae, I found white-walled dining areas where multi-course meals and a la carte lunch dishes are served, such as “bibimbap,” or Korean rice with vegetables, “galbitang,” or short rib soup, and “sundubu jjigae,” or soft tofu stew. As a solitary eater, I chose to dine a la carte and ordered Korean herb bibimbap priced at 18,000 won.The bibimbap featured a variety of marinated greens and was served with a raw egg in the center and side dishes of cabbage kimchi, pickle kimchi, a small vegetable pancake and soybean st

Nov 4, 2016
Upholding integrity of Korean food

BASF executive wins top chemical award

Cha Kyoung-jin, head of the styrenic foams business at BASF Korea, poses after winning a presidential citation during the 8th Chemical Industry Day ceremony at the 63 Convention Center on Yeouido, Oct. 31. / Courtesy of BASF KoreaBy Lee Hyo-sikA BASF Korea executive won a presidential award for developing eco-friendly thermal insulation materials and techniques, the Korean unit of the German chemical company said Thursday.Cha Kyoung-jin, head of the styrenic foams business at BASF Korea, won a presidential citation during the 8th Chemical Industry Day ceremony at the 63 Convention Center on Yeouido, Oct. 31.He was recognized for his contribution to introducing innovative, eco-friendly thermal insulation solutions and relevant methods to the Korean market while working in the local expandable polystyrene (EPS) industry over the past 28 years, the company said.In particular, he was credited with the design and dissemination of energy-efficient houses, such as 3L House and Passive House, which significantly reduce energy consumption.“Cha has been highly praised for advancing the d

Nov 3, 2016
BASF executive wins top chemical award

SIWA to hold annual charity bazaar

Anne Choe, president of Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA)Justesse Gomis, chairwoman of 2016 SIWA and Diplomatic Community BazaarBy Yi Whan-wooThe Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA) will run an annual charity bazaar on Nov. 14 at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul, the association announced on Wednesday.SIWA, a social club for women from different countries in Korea, said more than 30 embassies, spouses of ambassadors, private companies, welfare organizations and other women’s groups here will participate in the 2016 SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazaar.“The annual bazaar brings SIWA, the diplomatic community and other expat organizations in collaboration to raise money to help the many disenfranchised members in our host country,” said SIWA President Anne Choe.Justesse Gomis, the chairwoman of the bazaar, speculated that the fundraising event will be “the best place to discover wonderful international products in a good atmosphere, but also a great opportunity to help a lot of charities.”Under the theme “Share Cultur

Nov 2, 2016
SIWA to hold annual charity bazaar

Stars help Korean language learners through app

Kim Hyun-sun, CEO of Do More, an online educational company that launched the Korean language learning app “Danbi” in October this year.By Kim Ji-sooThe app “Danbi” launched by Kim Hyun-sun, CEO of Do More, has top Korean pop stars and actors helping users to learn Korean, and may well have been something that many could have thought about.But Kim followed through with the thought. Danbi, which roughly translates into welcoming rain, became available early last month.“There are others that have put into fonts Korean stars’ writings. But my idea was to personalize it more, by carrying the stars’ penmanship, cursive writing on the app. I believed that because K-pop and K-stars lead the Korean wave, many would-be learners of the Korean language can learn it in a fun way,” said Kim Hyun-sun, 30.Danbi was launched in early October, to teach basic Korean language through the handwriting of five top stars such as Luna of the girl band f(x), singer Irene of Red Velvet, Cha Eun-woo of Astro and actors Jin Goo and Han Ji-min.Danbi offer

Nov 2, 2016
Stars help Korean language learners through app

Folk duo hopes to bring love through music

Eiko Hosaka, left, and Laurier Tiernan of Nature Airliner / Courtesy of Nature AirlinerBy Kwon Mee-yooEccentric husband-wife folk duo Nature Airliner is composed of Laurier Tiernan, playing the guitar, and Eiko Hosaka, providing vocals.The bi-cultural folk duo is currently based in Tokyo, Japan, but they have been heading overseas more often in attempts to reach more global audiences.This year alone, Nature Airliner performed in Rochester, Minn. in the United States, London and Essex in the United Kingdom before arriving in Seoul in October to take part in the Zandari Festa."I was born with a rare medical condition called the Marfan syndrome," Tiernan told The Korea Times. It is a genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue and the heart and this is why Tiernan is over two meters tall.The musician walked his first professional runway in Tokyo in March and thought it would be nice to share his story with other Marfan patients."To share the story, I contacted various Marfan support networks across the world. Many children with the syndrome die young and if they see me working a

Nov 1, 2016
Folk duo hopes to bring love through music

Winners of 47th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

Steven D. CapenerThe Korea Times is delighted to announce the winners of the 47th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards.No winner has been awarded the Grand Prize for either fiction or poetry this year.The winners of the commendation awards in fiction are Stella Kim for her translation of Choi Jeong-hwas Denture, Steven Capener for his translation of Kim Young-has Oppa Came Back, and the team of Kim You-jeong and Amy Russ for their translation of Hwang Jeong-euns Where No One Had Ever Been.We congratulate all winners and hope for a greater number of entries next year as Korean literature needs more skilled translators to reach global audiences. The contest was sponsored by KB Financial Group.Grand Prize: none Commendation Awards: Stella Kim (Choi Jeong-hwas "Denture"), Steven D. Capener (Kim Young-has "Oppa Came Back"), and Kim You-jeong and Amy Russ (Hwang Jeong-euns "Where No One Had Ever Been") Judges: Brother Anthony (professor emeritus at Sogang University), Jung Ha-yun (professor at Ewha Womans University) and Min Eun-kyung (professor at Seoul National University) Award c

Oct 31, 2016
Winners of 47th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

Chinese-Korean restaurant owner helps Chinese settle in Korea

Yanbian naengmyeon owner Kim Sung-hak  / YonhapBy Jhoo Dong-chanA Chinese-Korean restaurant owner is helping fellow Chinese settlers adjust to Korean society.Kim Sung-hak, 59, who has operated a Yanbian naengmyeon, or Yanbian cold noodle, restaurant for 14 years in Daelim-dong, southwestern Seoul, is also head of the Chinese immigrants’ community, connecting them with Korean society since 2014. He has also organized a Chinese-Korean folk culture festival for three years in the area.“Yanbian naengmyeon tastes a bit strange to most Koreans at first. But people all eventually love the dish once getting used to it,” said Kim.“I believe Chinese-Koreans are just like Yanbian naengmyeon. Cultural differences do exist between Koreans and Chinese-Koreans. And there are also many people with more negative perceptions about us. But if we frequently communicate with each other, I believe we will someday understand our differences and become close friends.”The third-generation Chinese-Korean first came to Korea in 1995 when he was working as a public servant in

Oct 31, 2016
Chinese-Korean restaurant owner helps Chinese settle in Korea

'My fight will end fast'

Kim Bo-sungBy Jung Min-hoActor Kim Bo-sung, who is scheduled to make his debut as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter in December, said his bout against Tetsuo Kondo will end quickly.“I will knock him out before I start to sweat,” he told The Korea Times. “This is my strategy that everyone knows. Unlike my opponent, whose athletic career stretches back many years, I have just started to train like a professional athlete. So, this is my best chance of winning.”Kim, 50, who has been featured in many action films, will prove his real-life athleticism against the Japanese fighter in the Road FC welterweight bout.For Kim, the good news is that his opponent, 48, is not much younger. But Kondo is not an ordinary man in his late 40s. He played rugby for his high school team, and competed in judo as a professional athlete for 10 years before making his debut as a MMA fighter in 2012. His fight record is 17 wins, 14 losses and three draws.Kim has devoted most of his training to improving his defense techniques to fend off Kondo’s takedown attempts.“Many fight

Oct 28, 2016
'My fight will end fast'
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