Lifestyle - The Korea Times

EXO's concert announcement

Korean K-pop group EXO member Suho, second from right, speaks during a press conference before their concert “EXO PLANET #2 — The EXO’luXion” at Olympic Gymnastics Hall in Seoul, Sunday./ AP-Yonhap

Mar 9, 2015

Samsung design executive grabs attention

Samsung Electronics Vice President Lee Hyun-yeul, who is in charge of handling user-experience innovation at Samsung’s handset business, explains the main features of the S6 and S6 Edge at an event titled, “Tasting Night With Galaxy,” at a hotel in Paris, France, last week./ Courtesy of Samsung ElectronicsBy Kim Yoo-chulBARCELONA, Spain ― Samsung Electronics’ vice president grabbed attention when she dismissed accusations that the surface design of its S6 smartphone is similar to that of Apple’s, when the Korean IT giant unveiled the new model at its own unpacked event on Sunday. Her name is Lee Hyun-yeul, a former professor at Boston University in the United States. She was scouted by Samsung as a vice president of user-experience (UX) innovation at its handset division, late last year.Lee was one of the first three speakers during the event, along with the company’s Executive Vice President Lee Young-hee. The two Lees spoke for 13 of the first 20 minutes of the event.When Lee Hyun-yeul took the stage and grabbed more attention by t

Mar 9, 2015By Kim Yoo-chul

Samsung design executive grabs attention

DR Congo students give appreciation plaque to univ. president

Hong Duck-ryul, president of Daegu University, and four African students at the school give a thumbs-up after receiving an appreciation plaque from thestudents at his office, Monday. The school has supported African students by providing clothing, class materials, textbooks and housing. / YonhapBy Jhoo Dong-chanHong Duck-ryul, president of Daegu University, received an appreciation plaque from the school’s African international students, the school said Tuesday.Four African students, two enrolled and two graduated students including Byondi Franck Kimetya, 30, visited Hong, Monday, to deliver the plaque, expressing their gratitude for the support given to them while studying at the school. “I came to Daegu University five years ago. I wouldn’t be able to study here without the school’s help,” Kimetya said. The school has provided clothing, class materials, textbooks and housing during their five years of language training and undergraduate courses.Thanks to the school’s supports, six international students, including Kimetya from the Democ

Mar 6, 2015By Jhoo Dong-chan

DR Congo students give appreciation plaque to univ. president

Corporate hunter seeks to add values

Seoul Invest CEO Park Yoon-baeBy Choi Kyong-ae For Park Yoon-bae, who runs a home-grown private equity fund in Korea, the late Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is still his role model.Park’s main job is acquiring or investing in troubled companies, restructuring them and then selling them.  “Steve Jobs had an ambition to create new values for the society to which he belonged,” Seoul Invest CEO Park told The Korea Times, Thursday.“I want to do the same thing for our society by improving the corporate governance of companies punctuated by financial problems, moral hazards, unlawful acts, or mismanagement by their owners.”The corporate hunter, 58, puts the highest value on overhauling the governance structure of a nonperforming company once his fund acquires it.“Most troubled or failed companies had moral hazard problems and records of illegal acts in common,” he said. “If I buy such a company, I do not allow employees to use corporate cards for external meetings and cancel the company’s golf club membership.&ldqu

Mar 5, 2015

Man with dwarfism becomes teacher

Lee Jung-hoonBy Lee Ji-hye A 25-year-old man suffering from achondroplasia was appointed as a special education teacher at a middle school on Wednesday.Lee Jung-hoon, a graduate of special education at Changwon National University, was shorter than the average university student with a height of just 90 centimeters ― but had greater ambitions than many of his peers.Lee graduated from elementary school in Seoul but chose to be homeschooled for middle and high school level.After being admitted to Changwon National University, he scored excellent grades and was an active participant in his classes.While being homeschooled for secondary education, Lee dreamed of becoming a special education teacher after graduation, which he achieved earlier this week. He is now a teacher at Gyeongeun School in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.His professors said that despite the looks he got from passersby, Lee pursued his dream to help people suffering from similar adverse conditions.Lee said, “I made my mind up to be a special education teacher because I realized how strong an influence a teach

Mar 5, 2015

MOU for World Education Forum

Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Hwang Woo-yea, center, poses with university presidents at the Songdo Convensia in Incheon, west of Seoul, Wednesday, after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation to successfully host the World Education Forum 2015. They are, from left, Noh Yun-hong, vice president of Gachon University of Medicine and Science; Lee Jai-hee, president of Gyeongin National University of Education; Jeong Kap-young, Yonsei University president; Hwang; Choi Sung-eul, Incheon National University president; Lee Gi-woo, Incheon Jei University president; and Choe Soon-ja, Inha University president. They agreed to work together for the global forum scheduled from May 19 to 22 in Incheon./ Courtesy of the Ministry of Education

Mar 4, 2015

Naval officers gain world academic recognition

Commander Lim Se-han, left, and Lieutenant Commander Kim Ok-hee pose for a photo at the ROK Naval Academy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. / Courtesy of NavyBy Jun Ji-hye Two naval officers, who currently serve as professors at the ROK Naval Academy, have gained recognition from the international academic community for their scientific research.Commander Lim Se-han, 42, who teaches oceanography, will be entered into Marquis Who’s Who 2016 in recognition of a research thesis he wrote titled “Climatology of the Mixed Layer Depth in the East Sea.”Lim was the lead author of a paper released in 2012.  Marquis Who’s Who has published biographical references of notable people throughout the world since 1899, initially in print, and now by means of an online database.His paper was published in The Journal of Marine Systems, a world renowned academic journal in the field of oceanography. Global scholars have consistently cited Lim’s research in their studies.“When I was serving as a combat trooper in a patrol killer and an off

Mar 4, 2015By Jun Ji-hye

Naval officers gain world academic recognition

Former fishery minister dies at 84

Chung Sang-cheonBy Jhoo Dong-chanChung Sang-cheon, a former ocean and fishery minister under the Kim Dae-jung administration, died of a chronic ailment Wednesday, according to his family. He was 84.Chung was survived by his wife, one daughter and two sons. A memorial altar has been set up at the Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul. The funeral is scheduled at seven on Saturday. Born in 1931 in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Chung majored in law at Pusan National University. He joined the police after passing the civil service exam. He became a director of the public security bureau in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the age of 39.He then served various governmental posts including Gangwon Province governor and Seoul mayor in his 40s.Chung entered politics in 1992 as he was elected lawmaker at Jung-gu, Busan. Later, he joined the conservative United Liberal Democrats, which was led by then Prime Minster Kim Jong-pil, and became a lawmaker again under the proportional representation system in 1996.Chung then became ocean and fishery minister in 1999. He was praised for his

Mar 4, 2015By Jhoo Dong-chan

Exemplary taxpayers

Actor Song Seung-heon, right, and Girls’ Generation Yoona stand for a photo after they received a presidential citation for paying taxes at the 49th taxpayers’ day in the COEX exhibition center, southern Seoul, Tuesday./ Yonhap

Mar 3, 2015

Ex-IBK CEO named as new YTN chief

Cho Jun-heeBy Jhoo Dong-chanCho Jun-hee, 61, former chairman and CEO of the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), has been named as a new CEO of cable news channel YTN. Cho was appointed to the post at YTN’s board meeting held on Monday. Born in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, Cho majored in Chinese at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and joined IBK in 1980, serving various posts including its foreign branch manager at Tokyo.He served as IBK CEO from 2010 to 2014.He was praised for improving IBK's image through the TV commercial in which 90-year-old popular TV show host Song Hae appeared. His people-friendly PR strategy was later detailed in a book, “Embrace Song Hae.”Cho is also a non-executive committee member of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in charge of its marketing division.  “The nomination is to stabilize the company amid experiencing the difficulties in its management,” said Cho. YTN’s sales decreased by 3 percent from 109.8 billion won in 2013 to 106.4 billion won in 2014. Its revenue, which reco

Mar 3, 2015By Jhoo Dong-chan

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