Lifestyle - The Korea Times

USFK well-equipped to counter N. Korea's huge artillery threats: 2ID commander

The United States Forces Korea's 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) is equipped well enough to counter North Korea's artillery threats, and its counter-fire capabilities will remain the same even after the planned relocation of its base near the border down south, the division commander said."North Korean long-range artillery is a huge threat to stability in the area," said Maj. Gen. Theodore Martin, commanding general of the 2ID, whose mission is to defend South Korea in the initial stages of a potential invasion from North Korea until other American units arrive.The artillery-oriented North Korean military has one of the world's biggest artilleries, including long-range multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and self-propelled guns, which put South Korea's capital Seoul and the surrounding areas within their range."I am very fortunate, and I am the only division in the United States Army that has a three rocket battalion rocket brigades," the major general said in a press conference Thursday inside the 2ID's Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, located between Seoul and the Demi

Oct 23, 2015

Former presidential guard becomes actress

Lee Su-ryeonBy Kim Hyo-jinA former presidential bodyguard who protected top leaders for a decade is now ready to start a second life as an actress.Lee Su-ryeon, 34, spent ten years working in the security unit at Cheong Wa Dae until 2013.But just before a major promotion that would guarantee her a life-long career as an officer, she quit and began knocking on the doors of the film industry. After a year of trying, she was cast as the main character in an action film in August. “When I quit the bodyguard job, my colleagues tried to stop me, telling me I was crazy. But I thought it would be boring to live a life that is too predictable,” Lee told The Korea Times during a recent interview.“I didn’t like picturing myself doing the same job for the next 10 or 20 years, so I went for a new career that could make my heart beat again.”Lee recalls her life as constantly one of pursuing new challenges.During her college years, when she studied English at Ewha University, she started a career as a TV reporter. Lee, once the main reporter at the SBS major program &l

Oct 21, 2015

Former presidential guard becomes actress

Leadership camp

Elementary school student leaders pose before participating in a leadership camp at an Allianz training center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. More than 200 students learned leadership during the two-day event, co-organized by the Hankook Children’s Daily and Allianz Life Insurance. / Courtesy of Hankook Children’s Daily

Oct 20, 2015

SG Dinehill CEO is a man with initiative

Park Young-sik, vice president of SG Dinehill / Courtesy of SG DinehillBy Yun Suh-young Park Young-sik opened his 23rd restaurant on Oct. 5 in the heart of Seoul, in a building where he already has two restaurants. Park, vice president and acting CEO of SG Dinehill, which has 22 stores and seven brands, launched his first Chinese restaurant brand, "Mazing.A," inside the Seoul Finance Center in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. The building already houses two of his other brands -- "Butcher's Cut" and "Two Plus.""Mazing.A" is the eighth brand to join the list of restaurant brands owned by SG Dinehill, a company specializing in restaurants. Its other brands include Two Plus, Blooming Garden, Cotto and its derivative brands, Butcher's Cut and Patty Patty. All the brands are focused in the Seoul and Gyeonggi region but Park plans to expand nationwide."To grow as a comprehensive dining company, it was necessary to open a Chinese restaurant for the diversity of the brands,” Park told The Korea Times following the launch of the brand. “We prepared for three years to open it."It t

Oct 20, 2015

SG Dinehill CEO is a man with initiative

Education cooperation with New Zealand

Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea, left, shakes hands with Steven Joyce, minister for tertiary education, skills and employment of NewZealand, after discussing ways to boost academic cooperation between the two countries, at the National Assembly building in Seoul, Monday. They agreed to expand student exchanges and promote Korean language education in New Zealand./ Courtesy of Ministry of Education

Oct 19, 2015

Donation for publication research

Lee Woong-hyon, right, president of Pacific Books, a publisher specializing in medical books, poses with Han Tae-sik, president of Dongguk University, on its campus in Seoul, Oct. 16 after donating 30 million won ($26,000) to the university’s journalism and masscommunication department. The donation will be used to help promote publication research./ Courtesy of Dongguk University

Oct 19, 2015

Daewoo founder gives last public speech

Kim Woo-choong speaks during the 20th World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World OKTA) annual gathering at the Resort World Sentosa in Singapore, Monday. The founder of the now-defunct Daewoo Group delivered a keynote speech, which he said would be his last public speech. / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-sikKim Woo-choong, 80, the founder of the now-defunct Daewoo Group, gave his last public speech in Singapore, Monday, ending his turbulent public life as one of the most influential business tycoons in Korea’s modern history.During the 20th World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association (World OKTA) annual gathering in the Southeast Asian city-state, Kim delivered his keynote speech, titled “Global Business Leads to an Advanced Korea,” to about 700 ethnic Korean businesspeople from 40 countries.He said the speech would be his last public lecture, encouraging the participants to make inroads into as many foreign markets as possible.“Daewoo received its first export order from Singapore when I was 27 years old. It was also Koreas’ firs

Oct 19, 2015By Lee Hyo-sik

High school student wins top skill award for baking

Lee Seung-haBy Kim RahnIt is the charm of baking that such a common and simple ingredient as flour can satisfy people’s palate and heart, says Lee Seung-ha, a high school student who has won the top prize in a skills contest.Lee, 19, a senior at Yeosu Information Science High School in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, won the President’s Award in the baking section at the National Skills Competition in Ulsan from Oct. 5-12.The win comes only three years after Lee began baking when she entered high school and chose a cooking major.“Even before choosing the major, I used to be interested in baking, partly because I’ve seen fancy decorations and various foods through my parents who are engaged in the wedding business,” she said.Lee said she was also attracted by sugar craft and small cakes.For several weeks before the competition, Lee practiced for more than 12 hours a day to prevent mistakes, because she failed in last year’s competition with a sugar craft error.This year, she made a flying Pegasus with sugar, drawing praise from judges and the audience

Oct 16, 2015

High school student wins top skill award for baking

S-Oil CEO awarded

S-Oil CEO Nasser Al-Mahasher wins the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit during a ceremony to mark Foreign Company Day at the COEX in southern Seoul, Thursday. The CEO received the most prestigious award in the industrial field for the refiner’s 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) investment to build a refining and petrochemical complex in Ulsan./ Courtesy of S-Oil

Oct 15, 2015

Male hair designer looks overseas

Kim Song-jeongBy Choi Kyong-ae Kim Song-jeong, 47, began his career in the beauty industry at the age of 23 when he was discharged from the army in 1991.The veteran hair dresser and hair treatment-related patent holder is one among scores of second-generation male hair dressers born in the 1960s.“I joined the army at age 20 and happened to cut the hair of my fellow soldiers. After finishing military duty, I decided to get a job in the beauty business which was dominated by women,” Kim told The Korea Times.Back then, it was hard to find a male designer at hair salons when he started his apprenticeship at a shop near Hongik University in Mapo, southwestern Seoul, due to the deep-rooted stereotype which regarded the job of hair dressing as belonging to women, not men, he said.Kim runs his own shop in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, where he sees two customers a day, four days a week. He has expanded the number of the franchise chain shops which use his patented technology that makes it possible for hair dressers to perm using heat without damaging their customer’s