my timesThe Korea Times
LifestylePeople & Events

People & Events

Entrepreneur turns hanok into hipster guesthouse

Bae Kook-jin / Korea Times photo by Kim Hyo-jinBy Kim Hyo-jinBae Kook-jin, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, got his guesthouse Sopoong into the highest rankings of travel review site TripAdvisor just about a year after its opening in 2012. Ironically, he is dubious of the worth of such a listing.“It’s merely a matter of feelings,” Bae told The Korea Times. “The rank is off my head. I just wish to offer top-quality accommodations for my guests.”His property is an eye-catching traditional Korean house, or hanok, located in a corner of the traditional but hip Seoul neighborhood of Seochon. And he has not spent a penny on promotion. Fame followed naturally through word of mouth. “I would rather invest money in practical values than in empty formalities and vanity,” he said. The owner’s philosophy is clearly reflected in the interior and equipment of the place.He picked the best-quality wood to build the house, painted the walls with diatomite believed to alleviate atopic dermatitis, furnished it with a fashionable Smeg fridge, Apple PC, and bran

Oct 26, 2016
Entrepreneur turns hanok into hipster guesthouse

Two Korean American chefs turn into entrepreneurs

Angela Lee, left, and Cecilia Lee, co-owners of Roasted Sesame Kitchen, a fast-casual bibimbap restaurant in Los Angeles, pose in this file photo. / Courtesy of Roasted Sesame KitchenBy Kim Ji-soo In the City of Angels — or Los Angeles which is estimated to have the largest Korean diaspora population in the U.S. — two Korean-American women have gone out on their own to open a restaurant serving bibimbap, a Korean rice dish with mixed vegetables. The two are Cecilia Hae-jin Lee and Angela Bong-ah Lee, who opened Roasted Sesame Kitchen in East Hollywood, California.Cecilia, CEO and co-owner, is a veteran food writer with books such as “Eating Korean” and “Quick and Easy Korean Cooking.” She is a restaurant reviewer, regular contributor and photographer for the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Dish. Angela, COO and co-owner, is a doctoral candidate of traditional Chinese medicine at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, and has over 10 years of working on food issues in both New York City and Los Angeles. She also graduated with a degree in

Oct 26, 2016
Two Korean American chefs turn into entrepreneurs

EXO returns in unit group

From left are Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen, the three members of EXO-CBX, shown in a teaser video released on the SMTOWN channel last Saturday. / Courtesy of S.M. EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heun The popular boy band EXO is being spun off to form its first sub-unit, named EXO-CBX, S.M. Entertainment announced Monday.The sub-unit is scheduled to release their first mini-album “Hey Mama!” next Monday. All tracks included on the album will be revealed at midnight on major online music charts such as Melon, Genie, Naver Music and Mnet. The album is also available offline.EXO-CBX consists of EXO members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin, who have been active in various movies, dramas and TV entertainment shows and received much attention and support.EXO-CBX’s debut already grabbed attention last Saturday prior to the talent agency’s official announcement, as they revealed a teaser video titled “HOT DEBUT: EXO’S FIRST UNIT” on the SMTOWN YouTube channel as well as Naver TV CAST plus mobile live streaming platform V App.The title track has a strong influ

Oct 25, 2016
EXO returns in unit group

Top British science body head to lecture at SNU

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society of London for Improving NaturalKnowledgeBy Yoon Sung-wonVenkatraman Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, will deliver a special lecture at Seoul National University this week to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Institute of Basic Science (IBS), the institute said Monday.Ramakrishnan is also a renowned structural biologist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 alongside Tom Steitz and Ada Yonath for revealing the three-dimensional atomic map of a ribosome. This is the first time for the scientist to visit Korea.“Holding a joint conference with the Royal Society, which is leading global basic science, and pushing for cooperation in research is an opportunity not to be lost for Korea’s basic scientific circle,” IBS President Kim Doo-chul said in a statement. “Taking Ramakrishnan’s first visit to Korea as an opportunity, we will strengthen exchange and collaboration with the Royal Society to take a key part in globalizing Korea

Oct 24, 2016
Top British science body head to lecture at SNU

Cooperation on new cancer drug

Mogam Institute President Senyon Choe, right, poses with Y-Biologics CEO Park Young-woo, after signing an agreement at the institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, to jointly develop an immunotherapy treatment for cancer. Both parties agreed to cooperatein developing such drugs, which have fewer side effects, by taking advantage of Mogam’s pharmaceutical technology and anticancer substances discovered by Y-Biologics. Mogam is affiliated with Green Cross Corp., a leading vaccine and blood derivatives maker. Y-Biologics specializes in the development of antibody therapeutics. / Courtesy of Mogam Institute

Oct 24, 2016

Presidential citation

Chairman of the Korean Association in Singapore Noh Chong-hyun, right, receives a presidential citation conferred on the association from Lee Sang-deok, Korean Ambassador to Singapore, at the ambassador’s official residence, Friday. The ambassador delivered the citation to Noh on behalf of President Park Geun-hye. Noh said that the association will use the citation as a catalyst to take more responsibility and make further efforts to create an even better Korean community in Singapore./ Courtesy of the Korean Association in Singapore

Oct 24, 2016

Lee Sun-bin comes to fore after '38 Revenue Collection Unit'

Lee Sun-bin in a file photo provided by her agency, Wellmade Yedang / Courtesy of Wellmade YedangBy Kim Ji-sooOver summer, a surprise hit drama aired on cable channel OCN that had fans glued to the screen. The drama, “38 Revenue Collection Unit,” about city tax officials teaming up with con artists to recoup unpaid taxes from those refusing to pay up, was all but 16 episodes.But with actors such as Ma Dong-seok and Seo In-guk involved, the drama eventually recorded the cable channel’s highest ratings of 6.4 percent. From the drama also emerged a rising star, an Asian star, it seems, as foreign watchers began asking about Lee Sun-bin, 23. She played Jo Mi-joo, who used her beauty to help the tax officials-con artists team collect the hidden taxes.Since then, Lee, 23, has been actively appearing in “SNL Korea,” “Running Man” and other variety shows. The former trainee singer surprised fans by appearing on shows including “King of Masked Singer.” Last week she disclosed on “I Live Alone” her simple living quarters and how

Oct 21, 2016
Lee Sun-bin comes to fore after '38 Revenue Collection Unit'

KAIST prof develops key tech for AR avatar

Prof. Lee Sung-hee By Lee Min-hyungA renowned mechanical engineering professor has developed a key technology that will provide a foothold for further research into augmented reality (AR) avatars, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said Thursday.KAIST professor Lee Sung-hee and his motion computing research team said the technology allows an AR avatar to imitate the movements of its user.In a recent experiment, the research team said it succeeded in wirelessly controlling an avatar through AR technology. When a user sat in a chair, its avatar followed the same movement, according to the team.Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Seoul National University (SNU). He then studied aerospace engineering, receiving a master’s degree there.Lee got his Ph.D. in computer science at the University of California Los Angeles.The professor has since advanced his research career at various institutions, including the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and KAIST.In particular, he has served as associate professor at the Gradua

Oct 20, 2016
KAIST prof develops key tech for AR avatar

Korean-American becomes top US envoy on N. Korea denuclearization talks

Joseph YunBy Yi Whan-wooJoseph Yun, a Korean-American who served as the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia, has been named to Washington’s top negotiator for denuclearization talks on North Korea, according to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.The embassy posted on Twitter this week that Yun is “back in (Washington) D.C.” for his new job after working as the top U.S. envoy in Kuala Lumpur since 2013.Yun is concurrently serving as the U.S. Department of State’s special representative for North Korea Policy and deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan. He succeeded Sung Kim, also a Korean-American who has been appointed as the ambassador to the Philippines.Yun is scheduled to hold the first meetings this week with Kim Hong-kyun, his South Korean counterpart for the six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear program.Yun, 62, a career diplomat, is considered to be one of the U.S. Department of State’s top Asia experts.He joined the department’s Foreign Service in 1985. Since then, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Burea

Oct 19, 2016
Korean-American becomes top US envoy on N. Korea denuclearization talks

Born in the North, representing South

Choi Kwang-hyouk, 29, a North Korean defector and now a member of South Korea’s national ice sledge hockey team, said that ice sledge hockey is a serious sport and one that keeps him focused.  / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukDefector Choi Kwang-hyouk hopes to carry South Korean flag in 2018 ParalympicsBy Kim Ji-sooFor Choi Kwang-hyouk, 29, living on his own in North Korea was like living somewhere without a roof or pillars.“I always felt I was wet, because there was no roof to cover my head; you feel alone,” Choi said. “The loneliness was worse than the hunger,” he said, at his current residence in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province on Monday.Choi, originally from North Korea, was a child  beggar who lived on his own since he was eight or nine years old, when neither his grandparents nor his parents could afford to take care of him especially after the 1995 famine that killed a huge number of North Koreans.It has been 15 years since he fled to South Korea, and Choi is now a senior at the Korea National University of Welfare and among the proud 17 mem

Oct 19, 2016
Born in the North, representing South
previous page
160161162163164
next page

Most Read in Lifestyle