Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Auto expert seeks convergence

Prof. Kim PilsooBy Choi Kyong-ae A real Jack of all trades could be a good way to describe Kim Pilsoo, a 55-year-old professor who teaches automotive engineering at Daelim University.Undoubtedly, Kim is one of the most respected automotive experts in Korea; government officials, industry figures, journalists and students searching for jobs in the industry all regularly seek his counsel.His 20-year-long career in teaching, consulting and writing about the auto industry all began simply with his interest in cars. When Kim studied electrical engineering at university, he was also passionate enough about his hobby to go to an auto repair school at his own expense.“When (the now defunct) Daewoo Motor launched the Lemans sedan equipped with an electronic control unit in 1986, I saw a burgeoning demand for electric-electronic systems in vehicles in the coming decades,” said Kim.Currently, environment-friendly electric cars are composed of 60 to 70 percent of electric-electronic parts, followed by gasoline hybrid cars with 50 percent and gasoline-powered cars with

Oct 27, 2014

Kim Soo-hyun in Tokyo

Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun waves to the press as he walks on the red carpet for the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival opening ceremony in Tokyo, Thursday. The Tokyo International Film Festival opened Thursday with its focus heavily on Japanese animated movies and with cult superhero“Ultraman” set to swoosh down the red carpet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. / AFP-Yonhap

Oct 24, 2014

Students open website for tuition aid

Lee Mi-yeon, left, and Kim Seo-yeon are among seven Sungkyunkwan University students who recently set up a donation website for those who cannot afford to pay tuition. / Courtesy of Sung Se-woonBy Lee Kyung-minSeven Sungkyunkwan University students have launched a donation website to help freshmen who cannot afford to pay tuition fees.The website, titled “Give to Change (http://www.givetochange.co.kr),” was opened on Sep. 17.The seven students ― Kim Seo-yeon, Kim Eun-sun, Kim Jae-yeon, Park Jin-yong, Sung Se-woon, Choi Chang-hyun, and Lee Mi-yeon ― plan to offer 2 million won ($1,900) each to 10 freshmen entering the university next year, if the total donation reaches the 20 million won ($19,000) mark by then.The website manager, Sung Se-woon, a public administration major at the university said donation is not that foreign an idea, nor should it be.“People think donation is only for some big corporations, or celebrities, usually in the amount of tens of millions of won. But it doesn’t have to be a large sum to make it count. That’s why we

Oct 24, 2014

Envoy''s courtesy call

New Danish Ambassador to Korea Thomas Lehmann, left, listens as Korea Times President-Publisher Park Moo-jong speaks during a visit to Park’s office in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times

Oct 23, 2014

'Time to expand civil engineering into space'

Lee Tai-sikBy Park Jin-haiLee Tai-sik, 61, president of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), is a scientist with many interests.He said that now is the time to expand the territory of civil engineering into space.“When we talk about a space development project, you may well think of rockets or satellite. But, space is another place that human can pioneer and live. Thus, having a technology to build space stations will gain more importance in the future,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times.He has been conducting a joint research with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the U.S. He also has been developing space drilling robot and waterless concrete, for seven years.“When I first mentioned the co-project with NASA, people laughed at the idea. But, I made up my mind to study the civil engineering that can work in the most extreme environment _ space. At first it was hard even to get an enough fund from government, but now many people support the study,” he added.The space, with zero gravity an

Oct 23, 2014By Park Jin-hai

'Time to expand civil engineering into space'

Jinseok chairman donates $10,000 to WCA

Park Myung-seokBy Chung Hyun-chaeDr. Park Myung-seok, the chairman of Jinseok Company and a professor emeritus at Dankook University, has donated $10,000 (10 million won) to the World Communication Association (WCA). Established in 1983 as an offshoot of the Communication Association of the Pacific (CAP), the WCA plays a pivotal role in improving communications between different cultures. It contributes to solving problems or conflicts between countries caused by a lack of mutual understanding. “The purpose of my donation is to elevate and support the scholarly mission of the organization,” Park said. He also said that the amount of donation could be increased depending on how many academic papers are submitted to the WCA.  This was not the first donation that Park has given to the WCA. In 2009 when the organization marked its 25th anniversary, Park established a scholarship to encourage hardworking and outstanding scholars who contribute to the advancement of the study of intercultural communication. Park named the scholarship “Family of Myung-Seok Park Financ

Oct 23, 2014

Winners of 10th English Economic Essay Contest

Ku Yae-rinDeborah CheokThe Korea Times is pleased to announce the winners of the 10th English Economic Essay Contest for University students on a subject related to the ways of improving Korean banks online security systems.The Grand Awards go to a freshman Ku Yae-rin of Kyung Hee University, the winner from Korean entries, and a senior student Deborah Cheok of the National University of Singapore, from international entries.Ku will receive a round-trip ticket between Seoul and Los Angeles and Cheok will receive a round-trip ticket between Singapore and Seoul.There is only one runner-up: a junior student Steve Shideler of Athabasca University, Canada. The prize is a laptop computer.The three Commendation Awards winners are Hong Soon-young, a second-year graduate student at Hapdong Theological Seminary; Bright Gameli Mawudor, a Ph.D student at Pukyong National University; and Victor Philip Cornet, a Ph.D student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.Each of them will be given a round-trip ticket between Seoul and Jeju.Their essays will be published on Nov. 19 to celebra

Oct 22, 2014

Winners of 10th English Economic Essay Contest

Silver anniversary of YFU-Korea

Staffers of Youth for Understanding International-Korea (YFU-Korea), anonprofit international organization offering student exchange programs, hold a cake-cutting ceremony together with guests at the Plaza hotel in central Seoul, Monday, on the occasion of the group’s 25th anniversary. They are, from left, Sato Masaru, director of the public information andcultural center at the Japanese Embassy; Lee Yun-jeong, a teacher at Seoul International School; Shin Chung-ha, national director of YFU-Korea; Keiko Enatsu, national director of YFU-Japan; Kim Seong-soo, chairman of YFU-Korea; Cho Ki-hung, president of Pyeongtaek University; and Steve Kim, executive director of Amoje Food System./ Courtesy of YFU-Korea

Oct 22, 2014

Expat groups fundraise for orphans

Jena Kovar, left, president of the Australia New Zealand Association (ANZA) Korea, and Cathy McQuade, a welfare coordinator of the group, pose for a photo at a cafe in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of ANZABy Kang Hyun-kyungA group of foreigners living in Korea will raise money to sponsor university education for orphans and other underprivileged children at Australia’s popular horse race event Melbourne Cup on Nov.4.Cathy McQuade, a welfare coordinator of the Australia New Zealand Association (ANZA) Korea, says the group will raise money by selling raffle tickets for the Melbourne Cup luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul.  “This year our fundraising will offer educational scholarships and we plan to build on this fund over the coming years to send many children to university or college when they finish high school,” McQuade said during an interview with The Korea Times at a café in Seoul on Monday.“The benefitting students are those who were abandoned at the Mubeop Jeongsa Youth Home in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Although the center cares ma

Oct 22, 2014By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Folk songs of Korea, Norway closely linked'

Inger MarieBy Baek Byung-yeulThe popularity of Norwegian jazz vocalist Inger Marie here is a unique phenomenon, considering that jazz is not popular music genre in Korea.Ever since she released her first studio album “Make This Moment” in 2004, Marie has built a solid fans base here. Her version of famous jazz number “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is widely played in cafes throughout the nation.Marie has been active in Korea, performing with Korean artists such as jazz guitarist Park Yoon-woo, vocalists Woong San and Sunny Kim.During her recent visit here, she sang “arirang,” a famous traditional Korean folk song at the annual “Jeongseon Arirang Festival,” one of notable folk song festivals held at Jeongseon in Gangwon Province from Oct. 9 to 12.Marie, who mostly sings in English, sung her own version of arirang in Korean and was acclaimed for her interpretation of the traditional song.The following is an excerpt from recent email interview with Inger Marie.KT (The Korea Times): How did you feel about singing arirang, the traditional

Oct 21, 2014

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