Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Psy concert

Singer Psy, center, performs during his concert “All Night Stand” in Seoul, Thursday. The K-pop star holds end-of-year concerts from Dec. 24 to 26 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena. / AP-Yonhap

Dec 25, 2015

American musician grapples with Korean sources of inspiration

Henry Bloomfield in the music video of “Kiss a Kumiho.” / Courtesy of Henry BloomfieldBy Kim Bo-eunHenry Bloomfield admits he cannot have a complete understanding of Korean culture as a foreigner. Yet he has a fascination for certain subjects of local literature and has used them as inspiration for his songs.The American became friends with the Korean owner of the dry-cleaning store where he was a regular customer back in his neighborhood in New York. The owner would tell him and his father to “Beware of kkotbaem,” a Korean term referring to women that exploit men with their sex appeal.Bloomfield developed an interest in the term, which got him searching until he came across the late Korean poet Seo Jeong-ju’s poem on the subject.The poem, “Flower Snake,” is one of the earliest works of the poet, who is known to have written pro-Japanese works toward the end of Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.To get as much understanding of the poem as he could, he sat down with a guru of English translations of Korean literary works, who translated

Dec 25, 2015By Kim Bo-eun

American musician grapples with Korean sources of inspiration

'My responsibility is to promote family values'

Hubert Huh, center, head of the Korean chapter of United Families International (UFI), a U.S.-basedpro-family organization, meets with Lee Jae-hern, left, 25, a Dongguk University student, and KimSu-yeon, 20, an Ewha Womans University student, in Seoul, Oct. 21, before the two students left for theUnited States to attend the World Congress of Families (WCF). / Courtesy of UFI KoreaBy Chung Hyun-chae Hubert Huh, head of the Korean chapter of United Families International (UFI), a U.S.-based pro-family organization, said that Korea should promote family values in cooperation with the American non-government organization.In Korea, the UFI embarked on a promotion to spread traditional family values by opening a chapter here, the first of its kind in Asia, in January.  “My responsibility is to promote traditional family values and to influence national pro-family policies and laws while being actively engaged in community activities and educating citizens,” Huh said.“I am gathering email addresses of those who are interested in pro-family activities to send the

Dec 24, 2015

'My responsibility is to promote family values'

Blizzard CEO vows to support Korea's e-Sports

Blizzard Entertainment Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Mike Morhaime, right, poses with a Korean professional gamer during his visit to a Starcraft 2 e-sports pre-season event at the Freec UP Studio in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Dec. 18.  / Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment KoreaBy Yoon Sung-wonMike Morhaime, chief executive officer and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, has pledged to support the growth of Korea’s e-Sports ecosystem.During his visit to the country from Dec. 15 to 22, the CEO met with the company’s partners in the e-Sports sector, including International e-Sports Association Chairman Jun Byung-hun, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), local game broadcaster OGN and AfreecaTV, and discussed the future of Korea’s e-Sports industry.Morhaime also met with professional gamers and e-Sports fans here and expressed gratitude for their support of the companies’ games.“I appreciate the gamers here for continuing to love Blizzard’s games,” he said. “Meeting with Korean game fans is always a special exper

Dec 24, 2015

Blizzard CEO vows to support Korea's e-Sports

SK chief's daughter returns home

Navy Lt. j.g. Chey Min-jung, left, the second daughter of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won talks with her mother, Roh So-young, director of Art Center Nabi, during a ceremony at a naval base in the port city of Busan, Wednesday, to welcome home the 19th contingent of the 300-strong Cheonghae unit. The unit arrived at the port of Busan after completing a six-month stint in the Gulf of Aden aboard the destroyer, Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, to combat pirates operating in waters off Somalia. / Korea Times

Dec 23, 2015

Hyosung sets up sculpture for soldiers injured from landmine attack

Landmine explosion victims receive medals

Ha Jae-hun Kim Jung-wonBy Kang Seung-woo  Two Army staff sergeants who were wounded by landmine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in August received military medals for their sacrifices and courage, the Army said Wednesday.SSgt. Kim Jung-won, who lost his foot and right ankle, and SSgt. Ha Jae-hun, who lost both his legs below the knee, were on patrol in the DMZ on Aug. 4, when they stepped on landmines planted by North Korean soldiers.“The Order of National Security Merit Gwangbok Medal was conferred on the two men,” the Army announced. “Six other soldiers who also participated in the border patrol received  citations from the President, defense minister and Army chief of staff.”The Order of National Security Merit, presented to military personnel who render distinguished services for national security, is divided into five classes and the Gwangbok Medal is the fifth-grade class.“In order to commemorate the bravery they displayed during the explosions, the Army has decided to award them the medals and citations,” the Army a

Dec 23, 2015By Kang Seung-woo

Landmine explosion victims receive medals

'Sharing music is greatest accomplishment for musicians'

Kang Yun-miBy Kwon Ji-younJazz vocalist Kang Yun-mi began playing the piano after entering elementary school, but she spent more time sitting in front of the instrument playing the lower notes with her left hand while humming complementary harmonies rather than engaging in holistic practicing. “That’s how much I loved to sing,” she said in a recent interview.“I would jump at chances to perform on stage, and was even asked to audition for an entertainment agency. But becoming a celebrity wasn’t something I wanted.”Kang, whose new album was released earlier this month, had been determined to keep singing as a hobby so that she could take up classical piano professionally, which is how she ended up at a music school in Germany. But while she was there realized that jazz, like classical piano, was an extensively studied genre, one that she could spend a career poring over.“But as a classical piano major, it wasn’t easy fitting jazz classes into my schedule,” she said. “So in my last semester before graduation, I applied and

Dec 22, 2015

'Sharing music is greatest accomplishment for musicians'

CEO wants workers to be '3 tool player'

LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom talks about the company’s updated business strategies for organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) embedded applications during this year’s IFA trade fair in Berlin, Germany,in this file photo. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Yoo-chul“If you want to achieve something new, then you should become a three tool player. You need passion, have the ability to pass on conventional thinking and improve your abilities with good command of understanding in fields that you are involved in.”LG Display CEO and Vice Chairman Han Sang-beom said the global-leading display manufacturer is at a major crossroads as LG Group’s display affiliate never stops exploring new business chances beyond conventional business models to beat market uncertainty.“LG Chairman Koo allowed me to proceed on more challenging tasks holding a vice chairman title,” the vice chairman told The Korea Times recently. “Maintaining my original intention in carrying out given tasks is important to me. If you lose your own discipline, then you lose everything.” He

Dec 21, 2015By Kim Yoo-chul

Actress Kim Jung-eun to marry

Kin Jung-eun / Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiActress Kim Jung-eun will wed in March next year.Kim, 39, is marrying a Korean-American businessman who works for a foreign finance company. They started dating three years ago, according to media reports.Kim admitted to the relationship in June, and said she plans to marry him because he had been a big support since they met.The actress has been preparing for the wedding in private, and will hold a small private ceremony in the United States.Kim made her debut in a minor role on the popular TV Drama “Star in My Heart” in 1997. She spent many years without hitting stardom but began to receive attention for her roles in “Sunflower” in 1999, and “All About Eve” in 2000.Kim then rose to stardom with megahit SBS TV drama “Lovers in Paris” in 2004.The actress recently wrapped up the MBC TV series “Make a Woman Cry” in August.  

Dec 21, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji

Elderly repair toys for children

Toy repair shop Kinis Toy Clinic Chairman Kim Jong-il introduces toys to be donated to multicultural families at the shop in Incheon, west of Seoul, Dec. 13. / Yonhap.By Jhoo Dong-chanSix senior citizens have been repairing toys for children free for four years since their retirement. Kim Jong-il, 69, Kim Ki-seong, 69, Ha Young-sun, 69, Kim Young-bong, 69, Kim Kyeong-rae, 69, and Park Jong-tae, 66, opened a toy repair shop named “Kinis Toy Clinic” for children in Incheon, west of Seoul, in 2011.Three of the friends are retired engineering professors and Kim Young-bong was a high school principal. Park Jong-tae is retired from a major electronics manufacture company.“We decided to start our repair operation to help children and their parents who are saddened by broken toys,” said chairman Kim Jong-il.“Small-sized domestic toy makers rarely offer repair services. So I and my friends thought about what we could do for children with our expertise.”Kinis Toy Clinic initially opened as a social enterprise in 2011 but was soon transformed into a nonp

Dec 18, 2015

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