Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Korean Opera Singer Receives Top Prize in New York Audition

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korean tenor Lee Sung-eun was named the winner of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at the Grand Finals Concert last Sunday. After competing against eight talented national finalists, Lee was one of the four Grand Winners and was awarded $15,000. Tenor Paul Appleby, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, and soprano Nadine Sierra were the other three. The audition is an annual competitive event for aspiring young opera singers. The competition aims to discover exceptional young talent and to assist promising musicians in the development of their careers. Some of the world's foremost opera singers such as sopranos Renee Fleming and Debora Voigt, tenor Ben Heppner and baritone Thomas Hampson have received the award. The competition, designed for young musicians, accepts applicants between the ages of 20 to 30, and this year had been the last chance for the 30-year-old Korean tenor to compete. A devout Christian, Lee said he ``would like to gain international fame and be able to support missionaries.'' He has already donated

Feb 26, 2009

KLTI to Launch Translator Pool System

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Kim Joo-youn, new director of Korea Literature Translation Institute (KLTI), said that the institute will launch a translator pool system to improve the quality of translations of Korean literature. The Korea Literature Translation Institute Translator System will be operational in the second half of the year, targeting translators of major languages. ``Korean literature has been widely known to the world in terms of quantity due to the institute's efforts but we still can't guarantee the quality of the work, so among the major tasks ahead of me, I will put more emphasis on raising the quality of translated literature,'' Kim said at a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Since its inception in 2001, the institute has published 358 works in 26 countries and made contracts with 160 publishing companies in other countries. To enhance the quality of the translated works, the 68-year-old director, who was appointed the fourth director of the institute last month, said that it needs to adopt a more aggressive program to support the quality of t

Feb 26, 2009

LGs Chung to Lead PR Association

By Kim Yoo-chul Staff Reporter Chung Sang-kook, executive vice president of LG Group, was named as the chairman of the Korea Public Relations Association (KPRA), Monday. Chung will lead the body by 2010, officials said. ``I will pay closer attention to relations between the media and PR officials and will make efforts to raise the standing of the association,'' Chung said in an inaugural speech. Chung had served as the chief of LG Electronics' corporate communications and was the top official at LG Group's restructuring team. Now, he is a managing director of ``LG Sangnam Press Foundation,'' according to LG officials. The association was established in 1989 with the aim of educating PR personnel and to develop the local PR industry. It has some 35,000 individual members and corporate clients, including Samsung Group, LG Group, SK and Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. yckim@koreatimes.co.kr

Feb 24, 2009

Novelist Chung Eul-byeong Dies of Cancer at 75

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Chung Eul-byeong, a novelist and former representative of the Korean Novelists' Association, died last Wednesday after losing his battle with liver cancer. He was 75. Yonhap News Agency reported Chung was diagnosed with liver cancer three years ago. A wake was held at the Sinchon Severance Hospital before he was buried Friday. His bereaved family, close friends and members of the Korean Novelists' Association attended the funeral. According to the Korean Novelists' Association and Chung's friends, the late novelist focused on his writing and lived a secluded life after his retirement. Chung was born in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province. He debuted through the monthly literature magazine ``Contemporary Literature'' in 1961. He wrote various novels such as ``Gaesaekkideul'' (``Sons of Bitches'' tentative) and ``Dopiyeohaeng'' (``Escapade'' tentative). The novelist has won various awards such as the Modern Literature Award in 1967, South Korea Literary Fiction Prize (1976) and Republic of Korea Literary Award (1987). Chung was als

Feb 24, 2009

Ida Daussy Gets Divorced

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter French-born Korean entertainer Ida Daussy, 40, has filed for divorce after 16 years of marriage. Daussy held a press conference Monday regarding the action and said she had tried a lot but couldn't overcome dissimilarities in their characters. She said she has hired divorce lawyers and is preparing for mediation. Some media reported that the reason of her divorce was cultural differences, but she said the problems were just the same as those of ordinary couple. The naturalized Korean shed tears when she talked about her children. ``I will raise my children like before. The younger one is only six years old now,'' she said. Daussy spoke determinedly about the divorce saying, ``We will never get back to how we were before. Married couples should care, respect and love each other. ``I have lived in Korea for half of my life. Korea is my home. I will keep trying my best in my work,'' Daussy said. Her husband Seo, 47, is fighting the divorce, saying they are living together now and their relationship will get better if they take tim

Feb 23, 2009

Actor Bae May Appear in His Own Drama

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon is expected to star in a drama tentatively titled ``Dream High,'' which he is co-producing with singer and producer Park Jin-young, according to Bae's company, KeyEast Tuesday. Dream High will be the first collaboration between KeyEast and Park's JYP Entertainment. The drama will revolve around the lives of students attending a school for the performing arts and air in early 2010. It will be a combination of music and acting, and will include scenes of singing and dancing along with a realistic portrayal of the local entertainment business. JYP Entertainment and KeyEast announced last month that Park will be in charge of music production and choreography, while the screenplay and production will be supervised by Bae. ``Since this is such a huge project between two household names, Bae feels a special attachment to it,'' said a KeyEast representative, adding that ``If there is a suitable role for him, the actor is more than willing to become part of the cast.'' The 37-year-old actor, affectionately called ``Yonsa

Feb 23, 2009

Iraqi President Makes 1st State Visit to Korea

By Do Je-hae Staff Reporter Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived in Seoul today at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak with whom he will hold a summit Tuesday. President's Talabani's visit comes at a time when both countries are looking to become more involved with each other, especially in business and cultural exchanges. Since Korea and Iraq established official diplomatic ties in 1989, high-level visits have been sporadic, with a presidential summit yet to take place. The last time a top ranking Iraqi official visited Seoul was April 13, 2007, when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held talks with then-president Roh Moo-Hyun. Iraq is an ally and an increasingly treasured business partner for Korea. For Iraqis, Korea is well remembered for its non-combat mission that ended just last December. During the previous administration in 2004, the Korean government sent 3,600 engineering and medical troops to aid civilian reconstruction efforts after a U.S.-led Coalition toppled Saddam Hussein's government in 2003. Korean troops treated over 70,000 patients, while constru

Feb 22, 2009

Ex-Minister Bae Named New Museum Director

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Bae Soon-hoon, former Minister of Information and Communication, has been appointed as director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMCA). The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the 66-year-old Bae will take the helm of the top post of the museum for three years. It is rare for a former minister and high-profile CEO to become director of the museum, regarded as a position for those associated with art. ``The museum is expected to reinvigorate management under the directorship of a former CEO, like Guggenheim Museum in New York is. Particularly, as the government plans to build the Seoul annex in the former site of the Defense Security Command (DSC), Bae will help the project push ahead,'' a ministry official said. The incoming head is also expected to upgrade the level of the local art scene with his rich experience in various fields. Bae graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1961 and Seoul National University in 1966. He earned his Ph. D in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Techn

Feb 22, 2009

Sakong Il to Head Country’s Largest Trade Group

By Jane Han Staff Reporter Sakong Il, President Lee Myung-bak's economic adviser and one of his most trusted aides, was elected Friday to head the country's largest group of trading companies, turning around earlier expectations that a candidate from the corporate realm would be tapped. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said Sakong, who most recently served as chairman of the Presidential Council on National Competitiveness, was unanimously elected as its 27th chairman, succeeding the outgoing Lee Hee-beom. Considering Lee also had a government background, there was a degree of consensus that the new head should have more prominent business experience, which led Sajo Industries Chairman Ju Jin-woo to emerge as his likely successor. However, KITA officials said member companies and executives eventually sided with Sakong as they anticipate more guidance from a politically connected leader at a time when the country's trading firms are suffering from slumping overseas demand. KITA, which represents more than 65,000 companies involved in international tra

Feb 20, 2009

Late Cardinal Inspires Celebs

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter The late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan has inspired many Korean celebrities to carry out big-hearted deeds. Singers Jang Yoon-jung, Suh In-young, Park Jeong-ah and Park Hyun-bin are among the ten stars that have willfully joined in to donate their corneas, the Korean Life Enhancement Center (KOLEC) said Thursday. Earlier in the week, actor Jung Han-yong, comedienne Yang Won-kyung, and singers Wink, V.O.S and JewelryS also registered to be cornea and tissue donors. KOLEC said that ``the celebrities agreed to these donations after the death of Cardinal Stephen.'' KOLEC, which was established last year, is an organization that promotes body and tissue donation. The non-profit corporation preserves the bodily tissue of the dead, such as bone marrow, cartilage and skin, and utilizes them for operations on specific parts of a patient's body. Singer Jang said that she was ``always saddened to see a childhood friend who suffered a severe burn go through skin grafting'' and that she will ``promote not only the necessity of cornea donation

Feb 19, 2009

People & Events