People & Events

Lee Soo-jeong wins 'K-Pop Star 5'

Lee Soo-jeongBy Kim Ji-sooLee Soo-jeong, a Korean-American singer from Chicago, became the winner of SBS’s talent show Sunday. Lee, who performed two songs with fellow contestant Ahn Ye-eun, also won the 300 million won cash prize. She then chose Antenna Music as her talent agency, headed by Yoo Hee-yeol. It is the first time the winner has chosen Antenna over the two other top talent agencies and its chiefs that serve as the program’s judges. The three judges are Park Jin-young of JYP Entertainment, Yang Hyun-suk of YG Entertainment and Yoo of Antenna Music.Lee and Ahn each performed two songs; they chose the first, while the second was selected from a list of songs they chose for each other.While Lee’s rendition of the Korean song “Letter” by Kim Kwang-jin was not received well, her performance of Ahn’s song “Sticker” gave her the top score of 100 from the three judges. Ahn performed once again her own song and for her second selection, Stevie Wonder’s “Part-time Lover.”Korean-American contestants have fared well in

Publicity ambassadors

Hansung University President Lee Sang-han, third from right in the front row, and Kim Jung-woo, to Lee’s right, a Korean language and literature professor at the university, stand with students after appointing them as the university’s publicity ambassadors on its campus in Seoul, Friday. The student ambassadors will take part in various school events and volunteer activities./ Courtesy of Hansung University

47th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

'I firmly believe my vote matters'

Son Young-suBy Lee Kyung-min Son Young-su, 30, who is staying in Perth, Australia, on a working-holiday visa, said flying some seven hours to Sydney to cast his ballot for the April 13 general election will contribute to changing the course of history.”My friends told me not to spend my time and energy in doing what is virtually considered meaningless, but I firmly believe that my vote matters,” he said.Given his monthly income is about $A2,000, spending a fifth of it, or $A400 (350,000 won), on a plane ticket was not an easy decision, but he thinks it is well worth it.“Spending my mornings loading and unloading items at a warehouse, and doing dishes at a restaurant in the afternoon, my life in a foreign country is hard and the work is demanding,” he said. “But I don’t feel I wasted my hard-earned money. I believe I spent it on something I believe in.”Giving up on voting and staying indifferent to life is a dangerous attitude, he said.“Many people, especially those who are young, show great antipathy, or apathy, towards politics,&r

Actress Ku to marry actor next month

Actress Ku Hye-sun, right, and her actor boyfriend Ahn Jae-hyeon will wed on May 21. They met while starring in the KBS drama “Blood” (2015).  / Korea Times fileBy Kim Ji-sooTop actress Ku Hye-sun, 32, will marry her actor boyfriend Ahn Jae-hyeon on May 21.The news of the marriage comes a month after the two disclosed they were dating. They met while starring in the 2015 KBS drama “Blood.” The drama, despite its exotic theme of vampirism, did not succeed in the ratings, where the last episode recorded an audience of only 5 percent.The wedding will be small, with only family and friends, and the two stars said they will donate what they would have spent on a lavish wedding to a children’s hospital. The announcement was made through Ahn’s agency, BH Entertainment. Ku is with YG Entertainment.Ku, a veteran actress, is well known for her role in “Boys Over Flower” (2009), in which she co-starred with top hallyu actor Lee Min-ho.She debuted in 2002 in a television commercial, a routine beginning for actors. She made her direct

The other half of Mr. BMW story

 BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon By Oh Young-jin Kim Hyo-joon, BMW Korea CEO, represents the story of a truly self-made man.The 59-year-old has overcome his humble beginnings to lead the most successful import car business for the longest period, serving as the source of inspiration and providing young people with an enviable role model.He is the first Asian to join the German car-making group’s group of 47 top leaders. BMW is set to see 3 trillion won in sales this year, making the brand one of the easily encountered with in Seoul streets, Korean-made Hyundai and Kia cars included.What has he done for the past 21 years to steer his operations away from business risks that have made rivals Mercedes and Audi stumble, and stay at top?Can his being Korean explain his success over BMW’s rivals, led by foreigners? If so, that is only half of Kim’s story.Kim is always mild-mannered and polite, and has a habit of not leaving his remarks in mid-sentence.Rarely will he reveal a hint that underneath his “Mr. Right” attitudes, he hides a steely discipline

Naturalized athletes to represent Korea

Aleksandr StarodubetsAleksandr StarodubetsBy Baek Byung-yeulAleksandr Starodubets and Anna Frolina, two Russian biathlon athletes who were given Korean citizenship, will represent Korea in international competitions.The Korea Biathlon Union (KBU) announced Monday that the two Russia-born athletes, who became naturalized Koreans on March 31, have been chosen as national biathlon team members.The KBU said the decision came after concerns were raised that the host country for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics did not have enough skilled biathlon athletes to compete in the event.“To be able to earn two automatic berths at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Korea needs to be in at least 22nd place at the end of the 2016-17 season. But as the country is now ranked No. 25, we have decided to include them as national team members,” a KBU official said, Monday.The biathlon is a sport of skiing where athletes race several laps on cross country skis, interspersed with several rounds of shooting at targets. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 1960 Winter Games. Korea has been struggling

Announcers Oh, Kim dating

Oh Sang-jinKim So-youngBy Kim Ji-soo Freelance announcer Oh Sang-jin, 36, is dating MBC announcer Kim So-young, 29, according to reports.The two have been dating for a year now. Oh’s agency Prain TPC said that the two are dating, but there are no marriage plans yet.Oh’s agency added that he was cautious about disclosing details of his romance because of Kim and also asked for understanding from his fans.Oh is a former MBC announcer who went freelance in 2013 after six years. Oh and Kim are college alumni, having graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul. Oh currently appears in programs such as “The Secret Readers’ Club 2” and “Quality of My Room” on cable channel tvN. Kim, who began at MBC in 2012, works on a morning broadcast, the“News Today.” She recently made headlines for showing off her singing abilities when appearing on the popular MBC Sunday reality program “King of Mask Singers.”

'Stock trading a game of psychology,' says SPARX manager

SPARX Asset Management Korea Executive Managing Director Bae Jung-hyun speaks during an interviewwith The Korea Times. / Courtesy of KeyWest PartnersBy Nam Hyun-wooAmid growing interest about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial sector, SPARX Asset Management Korea Executive Managing Director Bae Jung-hyun believes that stock trading is a game of “psychology,” something that an automated investment tool is not equipped to engage in.The Japan-based asset management company won an award from the Financial Supervisory Service earlier this year with its SPARX Bon-Japan Fund, designed to achieve capital gains through investment in equities in Japan. The small and mid cap fund, launched in April last year, notched up a 9.33 percent return rate (class F) which is the highest among similar funds investing in Japanese equities during the past year. “SPARX’s investment philosophy of ‘macro is the aggregation of micros,” said Bae during a recent interview with The Korea Times. “Based on such a philosophy, we approach and meet ex

Fashion exec says to do it differently

By Kim Ji-soo Han Kyung-ae, a creative director and vice president of Kolon’s Fashion Division IIIn the trendy series; corner in Hannam-dong, Seoul, there is a section that features women’s jackets made from sports jackets and car seat fabric, and curtains made from air bags and dog-wear. Yes, dog-wear, including caps, which are popular items of the fashion brand RE; CODE.It is the RE; CODE brand ― an upcycling brand ― overseen by Han Kyung-ae, creative director and vice president of Kolon’s Fashion Division II. The division is also home to Henry Cotton’s and series;. At 53, Han is the highest senior female executive within Kolon Industries.A strong watcher of market and consumer trends, and breather of storytelling into her brands, she launched “RE; CODE” in 2012, to address inventories that pile up at any fashion brand and share concern for the environment. It is a rare case of upgrading and recycling undertaken by a large company. She and her team work from inventories to create a limited edition of women’s and men&rsqu