Lifestyle - The Korea Times

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

Back Su-yeon looks to Gwangju with confidence

Swimmer Back Su-yeon warms up ahead of the women’s breaststroke event at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, in this July 2011 file photo. / YonhapBy Kwon Ji-younSwimmer Back Su-yeon, 23, has always fallen a little short of her goals. At the 2012 London Olympics, she finished ninth in the 200-meter breaststroke, her main event, to just barely miss the cutoff for the finals. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, she recorded 2:25.61s but finished 10th. At the Incheon Asian Games last year, Back missed the podium with a fourth-place finish at 2:25.79s. “But the London Games remain one of my most memorable experiences,” Back said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I refused to let my competitors intimidate me, and I was confident from beginning to end. It was a competition that was rewarding, but still left a lot to be desired.” Back began swimming at age six, and took to it professionally when she was in 5th grade. When she joined the national team in 2005, she wasn’t a standout, but her perseverance gave her a

Jun 9, 2015

Back Su-yeon looks to Gwangju with confidence

Korean-Canadian named judge of British Columbia's top court

Grace ChoiBy Park Si-sooA Korean-Canadian lawyer has been appointed as a judge in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.Grace Choi, an accredited family law specialist, was the first Korean-Canadian to reach the position, according to a statement released by Canada’s justice department on May 29.She received a bachelor’s degree in law from Dalhousie University in 1992, was admitted to the bar of British Columbia in 1993 and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1996.In 2013, she became an accredited family law mediator by the Law Society of British Columbia. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014, the statement said.   Choi was previously a senior family law counsel with Jenkins Marzban Logan, a law firm in Vancouver ― a position she had held since 2014. She was an associate lawyer with Davis from 1993 to 2005, when she became a partner with that firm.She has published numerous papers regarding family law and has been a presenter on several occasions for the Continuing Legal Education Society, according to the statement.  

Jun 8, 2015

Korean-Canadian named judge of British Columbia's top court

USFK officer recognized for service here

Ricky Oxendine, director of emergency services at the U.S. military base in Yongsan, Seoul, poses with National Police Agency (NPA) CommissionerKang Sin-myeong after receiving a letter of appreciation for his services in Korea at the NPA headquarters, Thursday. / Courtesy of National Police Agency By Jhoo Dong-chan Ricky Oxendine, 56, director of emergency services at the U.S. military base in Yongsan, Seoul, has received a letter of appreciation from the Korean police for his services in Korea.Appointed to the 8th Army in November 1998, Oxendine has served in Korea for 16 years and 7 months.National Police Agency (NPA) Commissioner Kang Sin-myeong presented the letter to Oxendine at the NPA headquarters in Seoul on Thursday.During his service here, Oxendine has provided assistance for a number of police investigations into U.S. soldiers in Korea.In March 2013, three U.S. soldiers ran away after shooting BB guns at civilians in Itaewon and hid inside the Yongsan base.With Oxendine’s support, the Korean police managed to arrest the soldiers.In June last year, Oxendine

Jun 5, 2015

USFK officer recognized for service here

Comedy writer joins YG Entertainment

Yoo Byung-jaeBy Ko Dong-hwan Comedy writer Yoo Byung-jae has joined YG Entertainment, one of the nation’s of top celebrity management companies.On Thursday, the company’s official online blog, yg-life.com, posted an ad headlined, “Welcome to YG, Yoo Byung-jae,” stating that Yoo had begun working for the company. Beneath the headline is a photo of Yoo smiling.The company also said it decided to hire Yoo because “he is not just a talented actor with an outstanding comical wit, but also deemed an asset to the company as a writer who brings creative content.”Yoo, 27, has been a high-profile celebrity since 2012, not only as a writer for TV comedy show “SNL Korea” on tvN, but also as an actor regularly appearing on the show.This led to an appearance on TV network MBC’s entertainment show “Infinity Challenge” in April during its “sixth man” project, in which the show searched for an additional regular member. Yoo was selected as one of eight candidates.He eventually failed to become the sixth member, losing

Jun 4, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

Ex-basketballer solidifies status as TV personality

Seo Jang-hoonBy Ko Dong-hwan Former basketball player Seo Jang-hoon has fared well as a TV personality.With his verbal wit that seemingly puts him on par with other veteran TV entertainers, Seo, 41, is raising expectations from viewers and local media outlets as to his future star power in the nation’s TV industry.Seo now regularly appears on three TV talk shows ― tvN’s “High School Kings Top 10,” Mnet’s “Yaman TV” and MBC’s “Three Wheels” ― as a host.“When he began to frequently make TV appearances on entertainment shows earlier this year, he used to deny that he was an entertainer,” a media report said Thursday about Seo, who is managed by MYSTIC Entertainment. “But now he has got his grounding as a TV personality. He makes people laugh with killer comments that are as witty as ones made by veteran entertainers.”On Wednesday’s “High School Kings Top 10,” where four MCs invite high school students to a recording studio and share their stories, Seo traded comical verbal volleys