Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Finnish order

Finnish Ambassador Matti Heimonen, left, shakes hands with Heikki Ranta, president of Cargotec Korea Ltd. and chairman of the Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Korea, at the envoy’s residence in Seoul, Thursday. The ambassador awarded Ranta the Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland on behalf of the Finnish president for his contribution to ties with Korea. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Jun 11, 2015

Actress Rhee Min-jung resumes her moves online

Rhee Min-jung / Courtesy of InstagramBy Ko Dong-hwanActress Rhee Min-jung has resurfaced online after she gave birth to her first son in March.Rhee, 33, posted three photos of herself on her Instagram account on Wednesday.The photos show the actress looking into the camera with a smile or with a placid composure. Netizens commented on the photos, praising her beauty and asking how she has been.It has been 14 weeks since Rhee posted new photos on her SNS webpage.Debuting in 2004 with comedy-romance movie, “Woman I Know,” she has been active on TV and in movies. She made headlines in August 2013 when she married actor Lee Byung-hun.

Jun 11, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

Actress Rhee Min-jung resumes her moves online

'I feel lonely when I am alone,' G-Dragon says

G-Dragon in a TV interview with "One Night of TV Entertainment" on Wednesday / Screen capture from YouTubeBy Ko Dong-hwanIdol singer G-Dragon from five-member boy band Big Bang said on a TV entertainment news program that he feels “lonely when he is alone.”In an interview with SBS’s One Night of TV Entertainment, Wednesday, the 26-year-old singer said, “People may see me as a luxurious star but I am always thinking I can be represented by my psychological world that is fraught with vanity, loneliness and always feels inadequate.” The singer’s comments came when asked by the program’s reporter why he ventured to work in the contemporary art world with his exhibition titled “PEACEMINUSONE: Beyond the Stage.” The exhibition opened at Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) in downtown Seoul, Tuesday.Leader of the K-pop band that debuted in 2006 with the album “Bigbang,” G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, has been considered by many the nation’s top pop culture icon.

Jun 11, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

'I feel lonely when I am alone,' G-Dragon says

GM promotes Stuart Norris to managing director for design

Stuart NorrisBy Lee Hyo-sikGM Korea said Thursday that it will promote senior designer Stuart Norris to managing director of its design center on July 1.Norris has been serving as the director of the carmaker’s advanced design team since August 2012, the local unit of U.S. automotive giant General Motors said, adding that he has been part of a team exploring future vehicles and technology for GM’s global brands.Norris has held several key posts in the global design operation since he began his automotive design career at GM in 2004, the automaker said.He first worked on interior design for the company’s mid-sized Hummer brand. In 2007, Norris was in charge of the human-machine interface for the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac “CUE” systems.He also oversaw components and user interfaces design for a number of vehicles produced and sold under GM’s brands, including Buick, GMC and Opel.Before joining GM, Norris worked at Jaguar where he undertook a series of assignments drawing up interior and exterior designs for the brand’s vehicles.He received a

Jun 11, 2015By Lee Hyo-sik

GM promotes Stuart Norris to managing director for design

AMCHAM James Kim renamed as chairman

James KimBy Choi Kyong-aeThe American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) has reappointed former Microsoft Korea country manager James Kim as its chief, AMCHAM said Thursday.In a vote Thursday, the AMCHAM Board of Governors has agreed to allow Kim to continue his role as chairman of the U.S. business lobby for the rest of the year, AMCHAM spokeswoman Roxi Hwang said.“He is the first Korean-American chairman of AMCHAM and has ably led the organization from Jan. 1, 2014 to the present. He served as chief of MS Korea for the past six-and-a-half years,” AMCHAM said.Kim, fluent in Korean, played a prominent role in representing the interests of U.S. companies in Korea to the Korean government and helping resolve pending issues facing U.S. firms here, Hwang said.  If an AMCHAM chairman quits his job in Korean operations of a U.S. company, he is automatically dismissed from the chairman position. But in case of Kim, he moves to GM Korea, another U.S.-controlled company in Korea, from MS Korea, so there was a vote to allow him to keep his chairman role, she explained.An AM

Jun 11, 2015

Sistar releases teaser images

 Teaser images by idol girl group Sistar / Courtesy of Instagram  By Ko Dong-hwanThe four members of girl group “Sistar” released teaser images for their new album based on the concept “four people, four colors,” which is scheduled for release in late June.Hyorin, Bora, Soyou and Dasom released the images on their Instagram web pages on Tuesday. While the images feature the singers in a black silhouette, each one shows a different color in the background with each singer posing as a differently-themed character.One of the images on the SNS websites shows Hyorin, 24, posing as a nine-tailed fox with a black background. The post carries text that reads “Nine Lives.”Soyou, 23, represents a woman symbolizing evil with a green background. The post has a hashtag that reads: “the Queen of Green.”Bora, 25, poses in another image with a background half purple and half turquoise holding a bat over her head. The post states that she was the “Joker.”Dasom, 22, is featured as batgirl in the last image with a yellow backgro

Jun 10, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

'Tough guy' actor to make MMA debut for charity

 By Lee Min-hyung Actor Kim Bo-sung has released a video that shows him training for his debut with Road Fighting Championship (Road FC).The video shows Kim throwing punches at a sparring partner inside a Road FC practice ring.Kim, 48, known for playing tough-guy characters, said last week he would donate the money he makes as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter to children with cancer.“I hope all those who know me come and buy tickets for my match,” he said. “It costs about 100 million won ($89,600) to pay for the surgery for each patient. I want to save millions of children’s lives by collecting tens of billions of won from ticket sales.”But details of his debut match are yet to be revealed.Road FC CEO Chung Moon-hong said, “All revenue from ticket sales will be used to pay for the children’s surgery. I was impressed by his charity effort and hope more people buy tickets. If we sell tickets as usual, we cannot save many children’s lives.”Last month, the actor donated 10 million won for pediatric cancer patients.“M

Jun 10, 2015

'Tough guy' actor to make MMA debut for charity

Foreigners awarded for promoting Korea

The Indonesia Ambassador John Prasetio, left, and his spouse Alexandra Prasetio, right, pose with Corea Image Communication Institute President Choi Jung-wha during the Korea Culture Quotient (CQ) alumni meeting and 19th graduation ceremony, at the Indonesian ambassador’s residence in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of CICIBy Kim Jae-heunThe Country Chairman of Chevron Korea Bill Miner and his wife Lissa were presented with the Grand Award for actively participating in various events to learn and promote Korean culture by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), Tuesday.At the Korea Culture Quotient (CQ) alumni meeting and 19th graduation ceremony hosted by CICI at the residence of Indonesia Ambassador in Yeouido, Seoul, Austrian Ambassador to Korea Elisabeth Bertagnoli received the Korea CQ Culture Award and Turkish Ambassador to Korea Arslan Hakan Okcal won the Cooperation Award.The CICI event offered an opportunity to experience Indonesian dishes, share news of its members and enjoy a talent show. The President of CICI Choi Jung-wha also bid farewell to

Jun 10, 2015

Korean-American writer calls NK gulag

Suki KimBy Jun Ji-hye Korean-American author Suki Kim describes North Korea as a giant gulag after her six-month experience as an English teacher at an elite school in Pyongyang.In a video recently uploaded on the website of TED, a nonprofit organization, Kim described the Great Leader comprehensively.“Every book, every newspaper article, every song, every TV program ― there is just one subject,” she said. “The flowers are named after him; the mountains are carved with his slogans. Every citizen wears the badge of the Great Leader at all times. Even their calendar system begins with the birth of Kim Il-Sung.”She also noted that Pyongyang University of Science and Technology was a heavily guarded prison, posing as a campus.“Teachers could only leave on group outings accompanied by an official minder. We were never allowed to discuss the outside world,” she said.The account of her six months in the secretive state teaching English led to the publication of the investigative memoir, “Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons o

Jun 10, 2015By Jun Ji-hye

The Hankook Ilbo makes a new start

Seung Myung-ho, second from right in the front row, chairman of The Hankook Ilbo, applauds with guests during a ceremony to announce a new start for the sister paper of The Korea Times, at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday, marking the 61st anniversary of its founding. The guests in the first row include French Ambassador Jerome Pasquier, left; German Ambassador Rolf Mafael, second from left; and Rep. Moon Jae-in, right, chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy. Rep. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, is seen at right in the second row. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Kang Hyun-kyung Seung Myung-ho, chairman of The Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, has vowed to do his utmost to help the newspaper continue to play a role as a prominent media outlet by publishing balanced stories. During a speech to a reception to celebrate the vernacular daily’s 61st anniversary of its foundation and declare a new start for it at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday, he unveiled the core values of the “new” Hankook

Jun 9, 2015By Kang Hyun-kyung

People & Events