Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Clara, Ilgwang chairman reach settlement

Clara Lee Kyu-taeBy Jhoo Dong-chanActress Clara Lee has dropped a civil case against Ilgwang Group Chairman Lee Kyu-tae.According to the Seoul Central District Court, Monday, Clara recently submitted a withdrawal application, in which she sought to annul her contract with her agency, Polaris Entertainment, where Lee is also chairman.The actress said she would not take any further legal action against Lee over his alleged threat to her.In return, Polaris Entertainment has agreed to terminate its contract with Clara.The settlement has ended a nine-month legal battle.Last December, the actress, 29, filed a lawsuit against Lee, demanding he cancel her contract with the agency, claiming the chairman sexually harassed her via text messages.The agency counter-sued, claiming Clara fabricated her claims and blackmailed Lee by saying she would report him for making sexually harassing remarks unless Polaris terminated the contract.However, prosecutors concluded Clara’s claim was reasonable, clearing her of her alleged threats to Lee. Instead, they indicted Lee without detention for a

Sep 21, 2015

Clara, Ilgwang chairman reach settlement

'Tolling bell taught me courteous attitude'

Shin Chul-min / YonhapBy Lee Kyung-min When people think of the Bosingak Bell in Jongno in central Seoul, which is tolled mainly on national holidays, including Foundation Day, Liberation Day and New Year’s Day, few are aware that every single ring is carefully managed by a bell-ringer, Shin Chul-min.Shin, 41, a Seoul City official in the Department of Cultural Asset Management, has helped people ring the 3-meter-high bell since 2006 after learning it from the late Cho Jin-ho, a fourth-generation member of a family that had been doing the job. Shin, who was volunteering for tolling at a ceremonial event, was chosen by Cho and received one-on-one training for six months. Cho died of bile duct cancer soon after.“People think that ringing the bell does not require any technique, but it is quite the opposite,” Shin said. “People say they like the sound as it calms their mind, but do not think about how the sound is actually made. In fact, the bell is being damaged, or I’d rather say ‘sacrificed,’ every time it makes that sound by being hit by the

Sep 18, 2015

'Tolling bell taught me courteous attitude'

Professor to head history foundation

By Kim Hyo-jinProf. Kim Ho-seopThe Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF) said Thursday it had appointed Kim Ho-seop, a politics professor at Joongang University, as its head.Kim, 61, will serve as president of the state-funded NAHF for the next three years, replacing current President Kim Hak-joon.Kim Ho-seop graduated from the politics department at Seoul National University, and earned a doctorate at the University of Michigan.He worked at the Sejong Institute, a government-funded think tank on global policies from 1989 to 1992. Since then, he has served as a professor teaching international relations at Joongang.Kim was an active scholar in academia, heading the Modern Japan Society and the Korea’s International Politics Society.He led a panel under the Prime Minister’s Office in 2007 to look into South Korean citizens abducted by North Korea for three years from 2009, and is now leading the Society of International Regional Studies, serving as an advisor to the NAHF from 2013.

Sep 17, 2015

Grande launches new fragrance

Ariana Grande performs during an appearance at Macy’s Herald Square showcasing her new fragrance, ARI by Ariana Grande in New York, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap

Sep 17, 2015

Lee to head global engineering body

Lee Jae-wan, chairman of the Korea Engineering & Consulting Association, speaks during a meeting organized by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) at the Dubai World Trade Center in the United Arab Emirates, Tuesday. Lee became the first Asian to head FIDIC./ Courtesy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and EnergyBy Lee Hyo-sikLee Jae-wan, chairman of the Korea Engineering & Consulting Association, was appointed to head global engineering body FIDIC, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Thursday.He was elected chairman of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), the first Asian to hold the position, during a meeting at the Dubai World Trade Center in the United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, raising Korea’s profile in the global consulting engineering industry.Lee will serve as FIDIC chairman for two years through September 2017. Founded in 1913, the association is charged with promoting and implementing the consulting engineering industry’s goals on behalf of its member associations. It also disse

Sep 17, 2015By Lee Hyo-sik

Young software talent

Incheon National University students pose after they won first-prize at the SW-Hackathon competition in the Bexco, Busan, Monday. They created a technology to raise the resolution of CCTV and received 10 million won in prize money and an opportunity to study abroad. Hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the three-day competition was aimed at discovering young talent who can develop software applications and products, as well as to encourage them to start their own businesses.. Courtesy of Incheon National University

Sep 16, 2015

Late American missionary honored for promoting 'Arirang'

Dr. Homer B. Hulbert (1863-1949) / Korea Times fileBy Do Je-hae Many Koreans remember the late American missionary Dr. Homer B. Hulbert (1863-1949) as the author of 1891 “Sa Min Pil Ji,” the nation’s first hangul or Korean-language textbook on world geography.A local music festival organizer’s announcement Tuesday to honor him for spreading “Arirang,” a folk tune that all of the Korean Peninsula knows, is renewing attention to his pioneering contributions in promoting traditional Korean music.The organizing committee for the Seoul Arirang Festival said that Hulbert will be the inaugural recipient of the “Seoul Arirang Award.”“Hulbert, who came to Korea 129 years ago, had a special affection for Korean music,” said Yoon Young-dal, head of the committee, in a statementThe committee accredited Hulbert for transcribing Arirang, which had previously been transmitted among Koreans orally, with Western music notes. “He opened new horizons for Korean music,” Yoon said.In 1896, he published an essay on Arirang i

Sep 16, 2015By Do Je-hae

Late American missionary honored for promoting 'Arirang'

Son returns to big screen with thriller 'The Phone'

Actor Son Hyun-joo poses during a press conference introducing his new film “The Phone” at a theater in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of NEWBy Baek Byung-yeulVeteran actor Son Hyun-joo returns to the big screen in the upcoming thriller “The Phone."Starting his acting career in 1991, Son has appeared in many dramas and has gained popularity appearing in smash-hit TV dramas such as “First Love” (1996), “To Be with You” (2002) and “My Rosy Life” (2005).Though he has mostly portrayed characters of faith on the small screen, playing passionate and devoted men, Son has filled his big screen career as a front man in thrillers including “Hide and Seek,” (2013) and “The Chronicles of Evil” (2015).Speaking about why he decided to act in another thriller, Son explained that he tries to put importance on quality scripts rather than the genre of the film.“I made another thriller again. When choosing a script, I place greater importance on whether the script is attractive or

Sep 15, 2015

Son returns to big screen with thriller 'The Phone'

Jang Keun-suk volunteers at orphanage with fans

Actor Jang Keun-suk By Bahk Eun-jiActor Jang Keun-suk and his fan club donated 25 million won ($22,000) to Namsanwon, an orphanage in Seoul, his management company Ytree Company said Monday.The 28-year-old actor also volunteered at the orphanage with his fan club Cri-J.Jang and his fans made tteokbokki, a Korean spicy rice snack food with fish cake, and gimbap, a Korean rice roll, for children at Namsanwon for lunch on Saturday.Cri-J donated 15 million won earned from an exhibit of Jang’s photos in August, and Jang also added 10 million won to his initial donation.The fan club has volunteered at the orphanage once every two months since 2012, and Jang took part in the activity for the first time on Saturday, Ytree said.“I was moved by letters written from the children in Namsanwon, which were on display at my exhibition. That’s the reason I decided to join this time,” Jang said.“It was extra meaningful for me to volunteer with my fans and I had a wonderful time with the children.”   

Sep 14, 2015

Jang Keun-suk volunteers at orphanage with fans

Autoworker witnesses dramatic changes

Cho Nam-wookBy Choi Kyong-ae Cho Nam-wook, 53, is one of tens of thousands of workers at major carmakers in Korea. He has witnessed dramatic changes in the auto industry over the past decades.“I began to work at GM Korea in 1987 when the company was called Daewoo Motor. We manufactured vehicles and customers bought them. But I now find selling a car is an increasingly tough job due to competition with imported brands and evolutionary changes in customers’ tastes in vehicles,” he told The Korea Times in a recent interview.Customers used to buy vehicles made by Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors out of patriotism. Seven out of 10 cars on the street are still made by these firms. But they increasingly buy cars according to their preferences, he said.In Korea, GM Korea has sold a practical lineup composed of the mainstay Chevrolet brand, the large Alpheon sedan and the Damas and Labo mini car. It has recently launched the large Impala sedan to replace the Alpheon whose production will soon be halted.Cho now works as electronics engineer at GM Korea in its main Buyeong pl