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Tom Cruise to Visit Seoul

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Tom Cruise will visit Korea for the first time in seven years as part of a promotional tour for his upcoming movie, ``Valkyrie.’’ The 46-year-old actor will arrive with filmmaker Bryan Singer and stay for two days, appearing at a red carpet event, Jan. 17 and at a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Jan. 18. According to 20th Century Fox Korea, Korea is the only Asian country the two figures will visit during their tour. Based on a true story, ``Valkyrie,’’ is set in Nazi Germany during World War II and tells the story of German officers scheming to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters in the film. The star of hit movies ``Mission Impossible’’ (1996) and ``Jerry Maguire’’ (1996), Cruise has visited Korea three times to promote ``Interview with the Vampire’’ (1994), ``Mission Impossible 2’’ (2000) and ``Vanilla Sky’’ (2001). He recently received rave reviews for his comic performance in the film ``Tropic Thunder,’’ which also gained him a Golden Globe nomination. Whil

Dec 30, 2008

People Lighting Up World in 2008

Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Actress Moon Geun-young, actor Kim Myung-min and ice skater Kim Yu-na were selected among 100 people that ``lit up the world’’ in 2008 in a survey conducted by the Korea Green Foundation. Twenty-one-year-old Moon, who has been working on the silver screen for the past 10 years, took the leading role for the SBS hit drama `` The Painter of Wind’’ and showed off her talent as a grown-up actress. However, what got her on the list was the fact that she had been the No.1 private donator for the charity group Community Chest of Korea for the past 10 years. The group stated that Moon declined to have her name revealed, but she has been involved in numerous charity projects and undertaking volunteer work on the advice of her mother. Kim grabbed the attention of the critics with his astounding performance in MBC smash hit drama ``Beethoven Virus’’ this fall. Taking the role of fastidious musical conductor Kang Mae, he brought viewers joy and happiness, the Foundation said. Ice skating starlet Kim Yu-na gave a breath of fresh air to those suffering un

Dec 29, 2008

US Army Officer Adopts Korean Sons

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter For Lt. Col. Daniel Berdine of the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA), 12 years of service in South Korea have been rewarding. Most of all, the adoption of two Korean children made him and his wife, Elizabeth Rua-Berdine, extremely happy, and helped them achieve their dream of having a large family. The couple adopted Dong-jun, 10, in 2002 and has been trying to adopt Hyun-soo, 9, from an orphanage in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where they have done volunteer work since 2001. ``We were always thinking about expanding our family. We originally planned to have five children: however we were unable to have five biological children so it was the opportunity for us to adopt these children,’’ Berdine, 48, said in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times Monday. ``We have two biological daughters who significantly supported us as well.’’ The Army officer at EUSA’s operational command post said he was struggling to resolve legal problems with adopting Hyun-soo because the couple has failed locate his birth parents. ``For Dong-jun, we could find his rea

Dec 29, 2008

Turk Named Head of JT International Korea

By Kim Tae-gyu Staff Reporter JT International (JTI) Korea appointed Ali Yagiz as its new chief executive Monday, responsible for taking charge of the Korean subsidiary of the global tobacco company as of Jan. 1, 2009. The 40-year-old joined JTI in 1995 and worked for the firm in Turkey, Switzerland and Canada before moving to Korea in 2006. Since then, Yagiz has been a member of the management team in Korea, leading the outfit in portfolios, brands and strategy. ``As the fastest growing tobacco company in Korea over the last two years, our focus will be to continue providing world-class brands and services that Korean consumers are seeking and introduce new products to meet rapid changes in consumer demand,'' Yagiz said in a statement. ``We will also continue to contribute to society through a diverse set of programs throughout the year,'' he said. JTI, the affiliate of the world's No. 3 cigarettes maker, Japan Tobacco, is famous for such brands as Mild Seven and Camel. In Korea, JTI sells Mild Seven and Salem, accounting for about five percent of the market.

Dec 29, 2008

Kang Wins Grand Prize for KBS Entertainment

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Former ssireum (Korean wrestling) champion and now popular television host Kang Ho-dong won the KBS Entertainment Awards Grand Prize Saturday. The 38-year-old stood up as soon as he heard his name called and hugged his colleagues, including fellow host, friend and comedian Yoo Jae-suk. ``Jae-suk, is it okay for me to accept this award?'' Kang asked as he stood on stage for his acceptance speech. Yoo smiled from the audience and gave a thumbs up. The two hosts and friends have been competing for the grand prizes major networks give out at their year-end events, and it was evident that Yoo was just as happy as Kang for his win. The competitions will continue with the SBS and MBC Awards next week. ``I would like the share the honor with my good friend Yoo, who has shown me what it takes to become a good host,'' he added. Kang was given the award for his dedication as the main host in the hit program ``One Day Two Nights,'' a favorite for its humor as its six hosts journey Korea, visiting village after village. ``I made my debut on KBS

Dec 28, 2008

Keum Tells of Hard Life at Harvard

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Some may think that Keum Na-na, a former Miss Korea and graduate of Harvard University, has nothing to complain about, but the 25-year-old believes otherwise. ``If anybody asks me of my worst nightmare, I would say my life at Harvard,’’ she was quoted as saying in an interview with Money Today. Keum made headlines when she received the crown in 2002, but came to the fore once again when she enrolled at Harvard two years later. Excelling during her first semester, she was given the Detur Prize and a Jon Harvard Scholarship. Following her success, she wrote two autobiographies, ``Everyone Can Do It’’ and ``Study Diary of Nana,’’ that chronicled her success story. They sold like hot cakes here in Korea, where gaining entry into an Ivy League school is considered one of the best achievements in life. As the time came for her to decide on her future career plans, Keum struggled to get in to medical school, failing with each of the 26 schools to which she had applied. It is known that the chances of non-U.S. citizens being enrolled in medicals

Dec 25, 2008

President Lee, Obama, Ban Among Candidates for KT Person of Year

By Kang seung-woo Staff Repoter South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and United Nation (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon were also strong candidates for the Person of the Year for 2008. The former Seoul mayor, perceived as being a good economic manager, was elected as the 17th president with a 47.8 percent of the vote in December 2007 among hopes of revitalizing struggling local economy although the ballot turned out to be one of the lowest ever for a South Korean election. However, a setback in his cabinet shuffle got him to hobble and candlelit vigils against U.S. beef import landed him a haymaker to a one-digit approval rating. On-going United States-originated economic turmoil is mounting another challenge to already-knocked down Lee. Unlike other candidates, Lee, 67, has been at a center of storm all through the year. Obama became the first African-American to be elected as the 44th United States president. The 47-year-old native of Hawaii defeated John McCain in the general election with 365 electoral votes to 173. Obama, a graduat

Dec 24, 2008

WFP Reaching Out for Asian Hungry Kids

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Perhaps it is because of the chilly season, but many people tend to donate more during the winter. Korea has not been one of the foremost donating countries, but according to Cynthia Jones, the chief of donor relations in Asia at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Korea is helping out more than before. ``(Korea) is coming along. It can do more, there is no doubt about that, but it’s true that donations have been increased,’’ she told The Korea Times during a phone interview Monday. Jones has been working with WFP for 14 years, 10 of them in Africa. She went looking for this type of work when she was young, willing to go where she is needed and to work on the front line. ``There is a realization of what you are doing. It doesn’t hit you every day, but something will happen that will make you realize the impact. (It’s) not necessarily something you might expect, but it can be very rewarding,’’ she said. The WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fights for the ultimate goal: fighting and stopping global hunger. There are ba

Dec 24, 2008

Obamas Korean-American Advisor Got Game

By Michael Ha Staff Reporter U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, who is in Hawaii this week, was spotted playing a round of golf at a par-72 public course on Dec. 21, accompanied by his Korean-American advisor, Eugene Kang, according to U.S. media reports. Obama is now on a 12-day ``working vacation'' in Hawaii before moving into his new home in Washington in January. When asked by reporters how his game was going, Obama, a left-handed golfer with a respectable 16 handicap, replied, ``I am not that good.'' He added, ``Gene though,'' referring to his aide Kang: ``He's got game.'' Kang may be no Tiger Woods, but he's been playing golf since he was 10, according to U.S. reports. A second-generation Korean-American, he has been a close advisor to Obama since the early days of his presidential campaign two years ago. Kang, 24, is described as a close confidant to Obama and was often seen accompanying him on the campaign trail. He was one of 14 members of the ``Obama Exploratory Committee'' political division in Chicago and formed an online community for Asian Americans and

Dec 23, 2008

Modern Literature of Korea Marks 100 Years

By Kim Ji-soo Staff Reporter A Commemoration Commission to mark 100 years of modern Korean literature published in November a seven-volume series that offers an insight into the literature of the two Koreas from the past century. Professor Emeritus Lee Seon-young of Yonsei University, chairman of the commission, said, `` This series, which arranges and evaluates Korean literature of the past century from today's point of view, was published in the hope of serving as a stepping stone for the development of Korean literature.'' The publication comprises seven volumes that can be divided into three categories ― the ``History of Literature Read Chronologically'' (one volume); the ``History of Literature Read Biographically'' (two volumes); and the ``History of Literature Read According to Thesis'' (four volumes). The first books includes short commentaries on leading writers and works and reveals publication details regarding the works and main events of the time, making it easy to grasp the significance of Korean literature at that time. The next two selects 300 distinguis

Dec 23, 2008
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