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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Arab Announcer Opens Art Exhibition in Seoul

By Kim Se-jeong Staff Reporter Yossry Sawaby is showing a double presence this week at a Korean broadcast network: one through his voice and another through his imagination in color. The Egyptian, 43, is an announcer and editor of the Arabic-language section of KBS World Radio, and this week presents his art works at KBS headquarters in Yeoido, Seoul. ``This (painting) is my favorite hobby,'' he said on holding his first solo exhibition as an artist in Korea. Sawaby has worked for 15 years as an announcer, mostly in Cairo. He worked for the Egyptian state broadcaster Arab Voice, a 55-year-old company dedicated to Arabic culture and politics, before moving to Seoul last year. Moving to Korea was the refreshing change he had longed for, he said. ``I saw an opening at KBS World Radio's Arabic-language section and applied,'' Sawaby said. Expressing a fondness for South Korea, he said he had a positive impression of the country from the way it was represented in Egypt and the Middle East. His affection has grown, he said, as he finds common values shared be

Aug 14, 2008

Seo Teams Up With Marilyn Manson

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korean singer Seo Tai-ji, known as ``Culture President'' to fans, appeared at a press conference prior to his ETP FEST 2008 (Eerie Taiji People Festival) last night, along with American band Death Cab for Cutie and Marilyn Manson. The venue was packed with reporters and photographers and the singers expressed their thanks during separate Q&A sessions. The first to appear were members of indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, namely Jason McGerr, Chris Walla and Nick Harmer. Vocalist Ben Gibbard didn't show up due to health problems. Though not familiar with Korean music, the members revealed they knew a little about Korean movies, particularly ``Old Boy (2003)'' and ``The Host (2006).'' When asked what they have prepared for the concert, the members smiled. ``We'll have less make-up than Marilyn Manson,'' Harmer laughed. ``(Our) records are pretty controlled and put together. Besides, we're a rock band so it may be pretty scrappy, I guess. (The performance) will have lots of energy. It (won't) be shy.'' The members said that this was

Aug 14, 2008

Surgery Scandal Doesnt Stop Fencer

By Yoon Ja-young Staff Reporter Fencer Nam Hyun-hee, who earned a silver medal Monday night in the Beijing Olympics, is the first Korean to win an Olympic medal in the sport. Like many other athletes in these Olympics, she endured personal tribulation before earning Olympic glory. Nam, 27, took up the foil for the first time while at middle school in 1994. She joined the national fleuret team in 1999 despite being just 154 centimeters tall, but had to leave the team later due to a knee injury. The diminutive fencer made the team again in 2001 after hard training, but her most difficult time was yet to come. After leading her team in the standings in 2005, Nam underwent surgery to stop her eyelashes from obstructing her vision. Fencing authorities suspended her from the team for missing training because of the surgery. The conservative atmosphere in the domestic sports community made her surgery a big issue, to Nam's shock. ``Plastic surgery is nothing to be ashamed of. I have been doing my best,'' she said. The fashionista fencer went on to win medals in the 2

Aug 14, 2008

A Bitter Return for Football Squad

By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter Park Sung-hwa, manager of the national football squad, came home Thursday along with his squad and expressed regrets for failing to reach the quarterfinals in the Olympic Games. Park's squad managed a 1-0 win against Honduras but the only victory came too late to save his team. Park said he will take full responsibility for failure to advance to the knockout rounds, ranking itself third behind Italy and Cameroon in the Group D. ``I have a lot of regrets,'' Park told reporters at the Incheon International Airport. ``We should have bet all on the match with Cameroon.'' He said Korean football needs precise diagnosis of the team for development in the future. He admitted his strategy for the Italian team was wrong but pointed out Korean soccer team's skills still lag behind international standards. Park's team drew with Cameroon 1-1 in its opening game and was defeated by Italy 3-0. ``It was my fault when it comes to strategy, but our team was far behind the European and African teams in terms of individual skills, stamina and teamwo

Aug 14, 2008

Weightlifter Overcomes 4 Surgeries to Win Gold

By Kim Sue-young Staff Reporter Weightlifter Sa Jae-hyouk has earned South Korea's first Olympic gold medal in the sport in 16 years, but perhaps his bigger feat is overcoming four surgeries to do it. Sa, 24, won the men's 77-kilogram class in Beijing Wednesday. When he was a kid, he dreamed of being a marathoner. His mother recalled that her son ran around the neighborhood boasting to be the next Hwang Young-jo, who won the marathon gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Sa, however, joined his school's weightlifting team in 1997 and won a youth championship a year later after lifting a combined 180 kilograms. He underwent a knee operation afterwards, but never stopped practicing with heavier barbells. In 2003, his athletic career was jeopardized after he injured his shoulder in training and had two operations. Sa said he seriously thought of giving up the sport due to his long rehabilitation period. Yet he recovered and won a competition in the 69-kilogram class by lifting a combined 320 kilograms in 2005. His nagging injuries did not end there. In Dec

Aug 14, 2008

Wang Needs 6 Months to Recover From Injury

By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter It could take about six months for injured silver medallist Wang Ki-chun, 20, to return to the Judo mat. In an interview with a local radio channel, Wednesday, Wang said his rib got broken during the quarterfinals. ``I thought it was just cramp when my opponent hit my rib with his elbow. My doctor said so and I didn’t care much about it,'' he said. ``I found out that my rib was broken only after the final game.’’ He might have felt more pain from his defeat in the final than from the injury. ``I am so sorry I had to kneel down even before showing my skill. My four-year efforts ended in vain and I feel very sorry for my family,'' Wang said. The judoka lost the final game to Azerbaijan’s Enur Mammadi just 13 seconds after the whistle. Earlier on Tuesday, Wang had a tearful reunion with his father in Beijing. Buried in his father’s arms, he shed tears. The reunion was broadcast on TV and touched many viewers. His father consoled him, saying, ``I put a big burden on his shoulders and it’s my fault.'' Wang earned his ticket to Beij

Aug 13, 2008

Koreas Excel in Shooting

By Yoon Ja-young Staff Reporter Shooter Jin Jong-oh, who won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter pistol at the Beijing Olympics Tuesday, has a special friendship with North Korea's silver medallist Kim Jong-su. The two call each other ``brother,'' and started their friendship after meeting at the 2002 Busan Asian Games. However, even good friends have to vie for medals in sports. The 32-year-old North Korean shooter won a silver medal in Busan, beating his junior friend from South Korea who snatched bronze. Kim outperformed Jin in the world championship and the Asian championship. However, 29-year-old Jin has stood above Kim on Olympic podiums. In Athens in 2004, Jin took the silver medal in the men's 50-meter pistol while Kim won bronze. In the 10-meter air pistol at the Beijing Olympics, Saturday, Jin again took silver while Kim took bronze. Jin grabbed the gold medal edging the North Korean marksman by only 0.2 points in the final round of the men's 50-meter pistol. ``We are good friends, and I am glad that I won the medal. Jong-su has excellent capability and

Aug 13, 2008

Next Mozart to Premiere New Work

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Jay Greenberg, a 16-year-old musical prodigy regarded as ``the next Mozart,'' will premiere his chamber piece inspired by Korean fairytales Friday at the International Great Mountains Music Festival & School (GMMFS), Gangwon Province. Born in 1991 in Connecticut, Greenberg began playing the cello at age three and later taught himself the piano. He began formal training in theory and composition when he was seven and received a scholarship three years later to a special program at New York's Juilliard School of Music. He came onto the public radar in 2003 through CBS's ``60 Mintues,'' where Juilliard instructor Saumel Zyman lauded his potential to be on par with the most illustrious geniuses such as Mozart, Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens. So far the teen has composed more than 100 works, including five symphonies of which the fifth landed him a contract with Sony BMG (2006). The organizing committee of GMMFS, Korea's foremost annual music event, commissioned a 15-minute piece for strings. His father suggested he could perhaps find inspiration in

Aug 13, 2008

`Soft Power Leads to Better Ties

By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff Reporter South Korea will be better off if its people and culture are viewed favorably by the Middle Eastern people, a group of government officials said. Therefore, they argued, policymakers need to consider investing more in fostering human-to-human contact, cultural exchange programs and increasing development assistance, which are part of soft power, so as to help the economy benefit from the improved relations with the oil-rich nations. Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade began catching up on the elements of soft power, which Prof. Joseph S. Nye Jr. of John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University defined as the ``ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments.'' Nye developed the concept of soft power in 1989 when he was writing ``Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power.'' ``At that time, the conventional wisdom was that the U.S. was in decline. After looking at American military and economic power, I felt that something was still missing, the ability to

Aug 13, 2008

Wounded Weightlifter Burns Korean Psyche

By Kim Sue-young Staff Reporter Weightlifter Lee Bae-young in the 69kg class failed to get to the Beijing Olympics podium Tuesday as he went scoreless in the clean and jerk. Yet, he deserved more than a thousand gold medals because he never gave up attempting another lift despite an injury to his leg. The 29-year-old tried all three attempts while in severe pain, drawing loud applause from the audience. In the final, Lee, considered a viable contender along with China's ``young general'' Liao Hui, snatched the 184-kilogram barbell. Had he stayed still after lifting it above his head, his chances of winning a medal would have enhanced. He took a breath resting the bar on his chest but in the clean and jerk, his left foot twisted, making him drop the bar. A more serious problem than failing in the first trial was a cramp in his left calf. His coach and doctors ran to the mat and gave him first aid behind screens volunteers set up. He returned to his seat limping, but added two more kilograms to his next attempt in order to have more time to relax.

Aug 13, 2008
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