Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Ex-SK hynix CEO advises workers to be an expert

Kwon Oh-chul, member of the board of directors at Spansion'Keep it simple, but to maintain consistencyBy Kim Yoo-chulFormer SK hynix CEO Kwon Oh-chul advised jobseekers and salaried workers to maintain a greater consistency and to approach any tough issues as simply as possible.“I’ve had no regrets about my career in SK hynix, formerly known as Hyundai Semiconductor. The best answer I can give you to face today’s challenging situations is to be an expert,” Kwon told The Korea Times.“I agree that this is time-consuming, risky and difficult. But once you improve your own skills, then your value will go up,” he added.Kwon, known as the right-hand man of the Hyundai Group’s founding family, is now serving on a board of directors at Spansion ― a global leader in embedded systems solutions ― after serving as an advisor to the board since January this year.He helped SK hynix, the world’s No. 2 memory chipmaker and a major cash cow at SK Group, change a corporate structure to generate profits, after huge losses that the firm did durin

Oct 6, 2014By Kim Yoo-chul

Ex-SK hynix CEO advises workers to be an expert

Calling for better working conditions for firefighters

Chung Bi-dan, son of deceased firefighter Chung Sung-cheol, stages a rally in his father’s uniform at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Sept. 27, to call for better working conditions for firefighters.  / YonhapBy Kim se-jeong Chung Bi-dan, 24, a college student, staged a one-man rally in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Sept. 27, advocating better working conditions for firefighters.His reason for doing that is personal. He lost his firefighter father in July.His father, Chung Sung-cheol, 52, and his four colleagues were onboard a helicopter that crashed in the southwestern city of Gwangju on July 17. The helicopter was on its way back to Gangwon Province from Paengmok Port in Jindo Island where it transported recovered bodies to the shore from the ferry Sewol sinking.Almost 80 days after the tragedy, the son took to the street, dressed in his father’s black uniform. For the most part, he stayed quiet, holding a yellow vertical board that reads, “Is MOSPA (Ministry of Security and Public Administration) competent enough to rescue people in

Oct 3, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

Calling for better working conditions for firefighters

From part-timer to team leader

Nam Sun-hee, a team manager at McDonald’s Korea, holds a Primer Minister’s Award during an award ceremony at a Seoul Labor Office on May 29. / Courtesy of McDonald’s KoreaBy Lee Hyo-sikIt takes a great deal of effort, particularly for women, to be appointed to a managerial position when people start their careers as a part-timer.But it was no mission-impossible for Nam Sun-hee, a team manager at McDonald’s Korea, who began working at the Korean unit of the world’s largest fast-food chain as a part-timer more than 25 years ago.“I wanted to join McDonald’s even as a part-timer because I was attracted to its systematic employee education programs and performance-based personnel management,’’ Nam said. “Even though I had never studied marketing or other subjects related to the operation of the fast food industry, I wanted to start my career at McDonald’s. I had a belief that anyone could succeed if he or she worked hard. I loved this opportunity at the company.”She started as a part-time worker at McDo

Oct 2, 2014By Lee Hyo-sik

Doosan chief's son will lead ad company

Park Seo-wonBy Park Si-sooDoosan Group Chairman Park Yong-maan’s first son has been designated as chief creative officer (CCO) of the group’s advertising affiliate Oricom, the company said Thursday.Shares of the company soared past the 15-percent daily limit to close at 3,665 won, up 475 won from a day earlier, on expectations that the presence of the son, Seo-won, will help strengthen Oricom’s position in the group as well as boost its profitability.CCO is a position responsible for idea-generation and implementation of all ads and promotional campaigns that the company handles.“The new CCO’s creative ideas will create significant value after being integrated with Oricom’s extensive experiences and knowhow,” said an Oricom manager. “In addition, Park’s image known to the public ㅡ a globe-trotting creative young talent ㅡ will be helpful in luring new clients.”The 35-year-old graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. In 2006, he founded his own ad and design co

Oct 2, 2014

Ex-Changwon mayor named Incheon Airport CEO

Park Wan-suBy Lee Kyung-min  Park Wan-su, a former Changwon mayor considered to be an ally of President Park Geun-hye, has been appointed Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) CEO.The native of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, will succeed Chung Chang-soo, who resigned in March to run in the gubernatorial election for Gangwon Province. The airport post has been vacant almost seven months.The company’s board of directors met on Wednesday and approved Park, 59, as CEO. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the IIAC’s majority shareholder, said an inauguration ceremony was scheduled on Monday.Park’s first official mission as IIAC CEO will be to host the 27th TIACA (The International Air Cargo Association) Air Cargo Forum & Exposition, which runs Oct. 7-9 at the COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul.According to the nomination committee, Park was short-listed for the position along with Choi Joo-hyeon, a Samsung Everland former CEO.Park was Changwon mayor from 2004 until last January. In April, he ran in a Saenuri Party primary for candi

Oct 2, 2014By Lee Kyung-min

Ex-Changwon mayor named Incheon Airport CEO

Exploring the Arctic through interactive art

Irish composer Karen Power stands at the entrance of her project, “Beyond Reality,” which was exhibited during the 13th Korean International Art Fair held at the COEX in southern Seoul, on Sept. 25. / Korea TimesBy Kang Hyun-kyung An Irish composer and a Korean photographer have joined forces in an interactive art project featuring images and sounds of penguins and ice cracking that make visitors feel they are in the Arctic.Dry ice vapor fills the air of the small booth featuring “Beyond Reality,” produced jointly by artist Karen Power and photographer Han Sung-pil, in the Art Flash section of COEX in southern Seoul.Inside the booth, a big screen on the wall shows video footage of the Arctic landscape, penguins and the icy region’s turbulent past, present and future.Four speakers in the corners play the sounds of ice cracking and the sea.Power said that for the project, she and Han spent three weeks in the Arctic last year.She said she composed a surround sound using all the sounds of the places they visited.“So there is no actual mu

Oct 1, 2014By Kang Hyun-kyung

Exploring the Arctic through interactive art

Crisis management expert to visit Korea

Joe AllbaughBy Chung Hyun-chaeWorld-renowned crisis management expert Joe Allbaugh will embark on a 10-day visit to Korea on Oct. 6 to share his perspective on how the nation approaches risk management.He will visit at the invitation of public relations firm Communications Korea, to discuss Korea’s emergency management systems and its level of safety awareness in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, which claimed more than 300 lives. The tragic accident off the nation’s southwestern coast, in which most of the victims were high school students, prompted widespread criticism of Korea’s inadequate safety standards and botched rescue efforts.Allbaugh is expected to offer advice to help Korea revamp its national crisis management system to prevent future tragedies, the company said. Allbaugh served as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) between 2001 and 2003 under the George W. Bush administration. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center took place during his term, and he was in charge of crisis management at that t

Sep 30, 2014

In search of an authentic life

Chung Young-hwan, a carpenter and furniture designerCarpenter explains why he left art world to pursue a new dreamBy Park Ji-wonChung Young-hwan, 32, majored in art at university. But he quit his full-time painting career a few years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a carpenter.  “I thought working as a carpenter was closer to my dream in life,” Chung said in a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Itaewon. “I once hated labor itself, but it is worth doing. I insist on doing it for the rest of my life.”Chung now works out of his father’s carpentry shop and is also a furniture designer with his own brand, Johann Furniture.Chung’s father ran the shop for more than 30 years before his son joined the staff.In 2011, Chung was a student at an art university in Korea. Then he majored in fine art at a German university, hoping to become an artist.He chose to study in Germany because of the European country’s strong traditions in philosophy and fine art, but after some time his interests changed.“Ironically, th

Sep 29, 2014By Park Ji-won

UN official advocates world with less plastic

Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen, director of the United Nations Development Program Seoul Policy CenterBy Kim Se-jeong Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen, director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Seoul Policy Center, has a pair of brown leather shoes that are 26 years old.Carlsen, bought them in 1988 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she is from.“They weren’t anything expensive or anything,” she says. “They’re a decent quality, and I have been repairing them until now.”She says she often mentions these shoes to illustrate how uncommon it is to re-use things nowadays.“You couldn’t repair them if they were all plastic _ you would have to throw them out,” she says, looking down at her shoes. “Nowadays, so many things are plastic.”Few would disagree that plastic is common in all kinds of products. But, despite its convenience, plastic is a major threat to the environment, and reducing the use of plastic is imperative, Carlsen says.“The United Nations Secretary General said climate change is a defining challenge of o

Sep 26, 2014By Kim Se-jeong

UN official advocates world with less plastic

Amore donates for NK food aid

Amore Pacific Chairman Suh Kyung-baeBy Lee Hyo-sikAmore Pacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae donated 500 million won ($485,000) to the World Food Program (WFP) to finance its food aid programs in North Korea, the company said Thursday.In addition to the chairman’s contribution, Korea’s largest cosmetics firm made another 500 million won donation to the United Nations Agency based in Rome.Amore said the money will be used to support the WFP’s "One Thousand Day’’ program and other food assistance projects for children and pregnant women in the reclusive state. The One Thousand Day program is designed to provide nutritious meals to pregnant and lactating women, and young children."Chairman Suh and Amore Pacific have been donating funds to a wide range of humanitarian agencies that fight hunger in North Korea since 2003,’’ a company spokeswoman said."From 2003 through 2008, Suh made significant financial contributions to UNICEF to finance its food assistance programs for North Korean children. Since 2008, the chairman has been providing financial suppo

Sep 25, 2014By Lee Hyo-sik

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