Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Working women in Seoul surpass 2 million in 2014

The number of female workers at various businesses in Seoul surpassed two million in 2014, thanks to the persistent increase of women's participation in economic activity, the Seoul metropolitan government said Tuesday.The total number of women employed at businesses in Seoul stood at 2,060,316 at the end of 2014, a 4.12 percent increase from the previous year's 1,978,718, according to the capital city's survey of businesses.The number of men at private businesses during the same period showed a slight increase to 2,679,567 from the previous year's 2,606,372, a mere 2.81 percent rise.The ratio of female workers accounts for 43.47 percent of the total 4,739,883 people working at companies or running their own businesses.By types of employment, some 1.37 million women were employed as average workers, while some 239,000 are owner-operators.The number of temporary or part-time female workers slightly shrank to 267,000, a decrease of 0.63 percent from the previous year.But the number of businesses represented by women increased 3.8 percent to 270,000. This means that the portion of femal

Feb 2, 2016

GM Korea appoints new marketing executives

Dale SullivanLee Il-supBy Park Jin-haiGM Korea announced Monday it has appointed Dale Sullivan, former regional director of the Chevrolet West Region in the United States, to GM Korea vice president of vehicle sales, services and marketing (VSSM).Along with him, the local unit of the U.S. carmaker appointed Lee Il-sup, ex- chief marketing officer of WiderPlanet, to the position of managing director of marketing.The appointments of both became effective from Monday.Sullivan joined General Motors in 2000 as the zone manager of Chevrolet, Cadillac and Oldsmobile in Thousand Oaks, California.A graduate of Michigan State University majoring in business administration and marketing, he completed the Advanced Executive Program at Northwestern University.Having held a range of positions in sales, services and marketing, he has acquired a wealth of experience that includes launching the Chevrolet brand in China.The newly appointed marketing managing director Lee began his career in domestic sales at SK Chemicals in 1994.The graduate of Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in Englis

Feb 1, 2016

GM Korea appoints new marketing executives

Promoting Korean Culture

Singaporean Ambassador to Korea Yip Wei Kiat, left, talks during the 5.4 Club meeting hosted by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) at Grand Intercontinental Seoul, Thursday. Prof. Choi Jung-wha, right, organized the event to discuss the trends of cultural content. / Courtesy of CICI

Feb 1, 2016

Young entrepreneur works to make housing more affordable

By Kim Se-jeongShin Ji-yeaShin Ji-yea, 27, is a resident of Mapo in Seoul, and owns a company called Today Maker.Her company is an unusual one. She spearheaded a renovation project of an apartment building that is almost 40 years old in the neighborhood of Mangwon-dong and rented the flats at low rates to young entrepreneurs.The company has so far renovated four flats and rented them to a bookstore owner and an independent artist, who pay 100,000 won monthly rent with a 3 million won deposit.“I have seen many young people with great business ideas discouraged because they couldn’t afford rent for their work spaces. I wanted to help them solve that problem,” Shin said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.The apartment with 104 flats was built in 1971. Old and small, the owners moved out and never came back. Only 30 flats are currently occupied, and most residents are old.In Seoul, buildings don’t usually stay up for 40 years. They’re destroyed and rebuilt after 20 or 30 years. The apartment building also faced the threat of demolition, but the a

Jan 29, 2016

Young entrepreneur works to make housing more affordable

Lawmaker helps craftsmen proud of their work

Rep. Chun Soon-ok of the Minjoo Party of Korea, right, examines shoes in a shoemaker’s shop in eastern Seoul last month. The seamstress-turned-politician assists craftsmen in marketing and sales by establishing special centers focusing on their activities. / Courtesy of Rep. Chun Soon-okBy Kim Jae-won Minjoo Party of Korea Rep. Chun Soon-ok used to work as a seamstress. She worked at a small clothing factory in Dongdaemun, eastern Seoul, from the age of 16, before moving to the U.K. to study labor sociology in 1989.After coming back to Korea in 2001, she established a social enterprise helping women who worked as seamstresses to develop their skills and protect their rights. She became a lawmaker in 2012 so she could support them more effectively.The one-term lawmaker of the opposition party expanded her aid to shoemakers, tailors, bag makers and jewelers, calling them “small craftsmen” because they have practiced their skills for decades and have risen to the level of craftsmen. Last year, she wrote a book “Small Craftsmen” after interviewing nine

Jan 28, 2016

Lawmaker helps craftsmen proud of their work

Clooney at charity event

U.S. actor George Clooney attends the “Goed Geld Gala” (Good Money Gala) at the Theater Carre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Tuesday. The event was organized by a Dutch charity lottery./ EPA-Yonhap

Jan 27, 2016

Saenuri's young blood seeking upset in April election

Lee Jun-seokBy Kang Seung-wooLee Jun-seok, a 30-year-old political rookie of the ruling Saenuri Party, will face off with political bigwig Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo in his Seoul district during the April 13 general election.The Harvard graduate launched his bid to participate in the ruling Saenuri Party’s internal race to become its candidate for the Nowon C district in Seoul, where he will vie with Rep. Ahn, a presidential hopeful, should he survive the primary election.Lee burst onto the political scene in late 2011 after Park, then a presidential candidate, scouted him as the head of her subcommittee for online communications. At that time, Lee was running an Internet-based education firm.Lee was known to have initially turned down the offer to join the council of the Grand National Party, the predecessor of the Saenuri Party, but accepted after Park called him in person.After the general and presidential elections in 2012, Lee mostly stayed away from politics, aside from TV appearances as a political commentator, but speculation was rife that he would run in this year’s elec

Jan 27, 2016

Duchovny at Walk of Fame

Actor David Duchovny attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, Monday./ AP-Yonhap

Jan 26, 2016

Italian TV personality promotes Korean culture

Alberto MondiBy Kim Jae-heunAlberto Mondi, a popular Italian TV personality in Korea, never planned to become a celebrity when he first arrived in Korea eight years ago.Mondi is a person full of curiosity who likes to put himself in new environments. Growing up in a small town in Italy, his desire to learn about Asia took him to China after graduating from university, but would soon bring him to Korea where his participation in the talk-variety TV show “Non-Summit” turned him into a local celebrity.“When I left Italy for China, then Korea, I wanted to learn something new. I wanted to learn something that I can’t learn by myself,” said Mondi during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday. “For example, culture is something that people need to teach me.”Back in Italy, he majored in Chinese language and culture before spending one year studying in China.“But I enjoyed traveling and discovering new things, and I came to Korea,” added Mondi.The Italian first planned to stay here for a year, but his plan changed when he met Prof. Ko

Jan 26, 2016

Italian TV personality promotes Korean culture

NMC chief thanks veterans of Jutlandia

Ahn Myoung-ock, left, head of the National Medical Center, poses with Ma Young-sam, Korea’s ambassador to Denmark, at the Korean Embassy in Denmark. Behind them is seen Jutlandia Hall within the embassy which commemorates the service of a Danish medical ship during the Korean War. / Courtesy of National Medical CenterBy Yoon Ja-young Ahn Myoung-ock, chief of the National Medical Center, paid a special trip to Denmark to meet veterans of the MS Jutlandia, a Danish medical ship which was deployed to save lives during the Korean War (1950-53).After the outbreak of war, the Danish government decided to help by deploying a medical ship to support Korea ― its only contribution, but one that made a huge difference. It borrowed a private ship and outfitted it into a medical ship with four operating rooms and 365 beds.Jutlandia left for Busan from Copenhagen in January 1951, with a crew of 187 as well as 91 doctors and nurses. It treated around 5,000 soldiers and more than 6,000 civilians including war orphans during its three-year tour of duty around Korea.Ahn

Jan 25, 2016

People & Events

People & Events

Working women in Seoul surpass 2 million in 2014

GM Korea appoints new marketing executives

Promoting Korean Culture

Young entrepreneur works to make housing more affordable

Lawmaker helps craftsmen proud of their work

Clooney at charity event

Saenuri's young blood seeking upset in April election

Duchovny at Walk of Fame

Italian TV personality promotes Korean culture

NMC chief thanks veterans of Jutlandia

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