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Helping NK Become Good Practice in Transition Economy

By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff Reporter The big-budget economic package to be sponsored mainly by Seoul is not expected to have a profoundly beneficial impact on the struggling North Korean economy, an economist said. Prof. Zang Hyoung-soo of the Department of Economics and Finance at Hanyang University in Seoul said that these packages are likely to be short-lived, as financial resources that Seoul can use are limited. ``Instead, Seoul should help Pyongyang consider outward-looking economic reform by helping the North join international financial institutions as a member state,'' he said in an interview with The Korea Times Friday. The economist called the massive-budget economic package for North Korea, a so-called Marshall Plan, a ``politically motivated idea'' to curry favor with voters. Zang, with the National Intelligence Service (NIS), had been involved in a variety of research projects on North Korean affairs for years before joining the university as faculty. The discourse of searching for financial resources to sponsor the communist country's economic refor

Oct 3, 2007

Popera Sensation Lim Returns to Carnegie Hall

Korean “popera” (operatic pop) tenor Lim Hyung-joo, 21, will perform for the second time at New York’s Carnegie Hall Sunday. Invited by the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra, he will perform at the Isaac Stern Auditorium, the main hall of the famous concert venue. In 2003, at the time of his world debut, Lim was the youngest male vocalist to debut at Carnegie Hall. Together with the New Jersey Philharmonic, Lim will perform a total of five classic and popera musical favorites, including Caccini’s “Ave Maria” and “Tonight” from the popular musical “West Side Story.” “I’m excited to be able to perform twice on the ’dream stage’ of Carnegie Hall, a place that is difficult to perform at even once,” Lim said. With plans to sing only Korean classical songs for encore pieces, the talented young singer said he hopes this will be an opportunity to share Korean culture. Lim will hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 12 and is set to release a new album titled “Eternal Memory.” eysa@koreatimes.co.kr

Oct 3, 2007

Rain Cleared of Fraud Suspicion

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter Korean singer Jung Ji-hoon, 25, more popularly known as “Rain,” has been cleared of suspicions of fraud, triggered after he abruptly cancelled his concert in Hawaii last July. The Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office decided Monday to reject a request for an investigation by Click Entertainment, saying that it could not find any clear evidence that proved the Korean singer and three other concert organizers had intentionally cancelled the concert to embezzle the contract money. “It is true that Click Entertainment purchased the copyright of the concert for 500 million won,” the prosecution said. “But the cancellation of the concert was caused by stage related problems. In conclusion, Rain and the management companies are not responsible for the cancellation.” Click Entertainment filed a lawsuit in July against Rain; StarM Entertainment, the concert organizers; Revolution Entertainment; and Rain’s former management agency JYP Entertainment. The entertainment firm expressed strong discontent over the decision, saying it had pushed forward wi

Oct 2, 2007

Son of Famed Dissident in Summit Delegation

By Kim Tong-hyung Staff Reporter The late Rev. Moon Ik-hwan, a Presbyterian minister and dissident who frequented the headlines in the 1980s and 1990s, suffered numerous types of persecution under the past military governments that brooked no opposition. There were many painful chapters in Moon’s turbulent life that saw him jailed five times while leading the pro-democracy movement. But perhaps the most famous story would be Moon’s unauthorized visit to North Korea in 1989, which landed him a fiveyear prison sentence on charges of violating the National Security Law that bars contact with the North without prior approval. Many South Koreans still vividly remember a visibly weakened Moon smiling to the crowd upon his early release in 1993, just a year before he died at the age of 76 due to heart ailments. Fast forward to 2007, and it’s hard to miss history’s irony that has Moon’s 54-year-old movie star son booking a spot in Pyongyang as a member of the South Korean delegation for the threeday summit. “My father had met former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung five t

Oct 2, 2007

Sandra Oh to Support Comfort Women

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter Korean-Canadian actress Sandra Oh is going to take a stand to raise international awareness about the comfort women, who were forced to engage in prostitution during World War II by the Japanese military. The Hollywood star will participate in an international conference, which deals with the sensitive issue, running from Oct. 4 to 7 at the University of California in Los Angeles. This is the first international gathering of this kind in the U.S. ``She is expected to recite a poem calling for the swift settlement of the long-dragged problems of the sex slaves,'' said an official of the conference. ``Many other movie stars, including Jane Fonda, a well-known actress and anti-war campaigner, will also attend the conference.'' U.S. congressman Mike Honda, former comfort women and members of NGOs from 11 countries plan to be present at the meeting. Having grown up in Canada, the actress had no idea about the bitter history of Korean comfort women but became aware of the problem after learning of the resolution proposed in July by Japanese

Oct 1, 2007

Asian Star J-Lim Ready to Rock the House in US

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Korean diva Lim Jeong-hee will make her big debut on the American pop scene after releasing her third album here. ``I've somehow come this far,'' the 26-year-old was quoted as telling Yonhap News. Lim had to endure five sweat and tear-stained years of training with JYP Entertainment before launching her singing career in Korea. After just two years and several hit songs under her belt, she left for the United States last November, and is now back in training for her international debut as ``J-Lim.'' Living in a small studio in New York, Lim spent busy but lonely days studying English and getting singing lessons. ``I should have taken it easy. Why am I taking the hard way here? I thought. But then I'd think, `wow, I'm in New York.' My feelings waver. I've actually been very lonely,'' she said. The pop singer recently made headlines for collaborating with Grammy-winning hip-hop group Outkast. Lim sealed a record contract with Laface, the record company run by Outkast's member BigBoi, who won the recruiting bid over Pharrell Williams, the musi

Oct 1, 2007

CEO Gets Full Mark in TOEIC

By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter It is no easy task to achieve full marks in any test. Especially for those in their 50s, studying English and doing well in a test is likely to require more time and effort than for younger people. Lee Tae-soo, 56, who runs a medium sized logistics firm here, scored 990 points or full marks in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) held last August. It was the 45th test he had taken. Since Oct. 2002 when he first sat for the examination, Lee had applied for the English test almost every month. He developed his own studying style rather than adopting one of the more typical ways used by most young students pursuing a high score in TOEIC, such as studying at a private institute or focusing on exercise books. ``I have read more than 20 English-written novels including `The Da Vinci Code' and `Star Wars' over the five years to beef up my English reading ability,'' he said. ``I have frequently exchanged e-mails and documents with overseas customers in English. It was quite helpful.'' Thanks to his good English comm

Sep 27, 2007

Rain Going to US to Prepare for Debut

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean pop star Rain will go to the United States in November to study and prepare for his first English-language album. In a television interview with China's CCTV, Rain said he will be staying in the United States in preparation for his English-language album debut, which will be released in the U.S. However, there is no date for his album's release yet. Rain will also film more scenes for his first Hollywood film ``Speed Racer.'' He plays the supporting role of a rookie car racer in the film, written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski. Rain also said he will study English, but has not yet decided whether to attend a language school in Los Angeles or New York City. Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, is scheduled to hold a solo concert in Daegu on Oct. 27. He ended his Rain's Coming world tour last June with controversy, as legal and financial problems prevented him from holding concerts in the U.S. cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Sep 27, 2007

Jun Ji-hyun to Star in New Film With Hwang Jung-min

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter After wrapping up her Hollywood debut film, hallyu princess Jun Ji-hyun will star in ``Superman Ieotdeon Sanai'' (The Guy Who Was Once Superman) with award-winning actor Hwang Jung-min (``You Are My Sunshine,'' 2005), according to CJ Entertainment. Also known as Gianna Jeon, the heroine of ``My Sassy Girl'' (2001) will play the role of a small production company head who tries, using coercive measures, to document the life of a heartless Superman (Hwang). ``The unique script was very appealing and I am looking forward to working with Hwang Jung-min,'' she was quoted as saying according to CJ Entertainment. Following her last Korean film ``Daisy'' (2006), Jun was in the United States for her role in ``Blood: The Last Vampire,'' a post-World War II horror story based on a Japanese comic series and co-produced by Korea. The movie awaits release next year. ``Superman'' traces the adventures of a Don Quixote-like man who tries to help out a neighbor. Directed by Chung Yun-su, maker of warm family movies like ``Marathon'' (2005), the film is sc

Sep 27, 2007

Sonya Thomas Wins With Big Appetite

By Michael Ha Contributing writer Korean-American Sonya Thomas, standing at 163-centimeters tall and weighing 45 kilograms, may be small in stature but is a big celebrity thanks to her unparalleled appetite. ``I think competitive-eating is really fun. I love to compete,'' she said. Thomas, whose Korean name is Lee Sun-kyung, landed in the American media spotlight this month when she came in first place at the U.S. chicken-wing eating contest in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 1. She ate 173 chicken wings in 12 minutes and set a new record for that contest. She was the only woman in the competition. As improbable as it may seem, Thomas is one of the biggest stars in the unique world of competitive eating. She is a top-ranked participant in the United States speed-eating circuit, routinely out-consuming male competitors at least twice her size. Her gustatory prowess has gotten her plenty of media coverage in the United States, including stories that appeared in The Sports Illustrated, Time and even The Wall Street Journal. So how did she choose this unusual pastime,

Sep 22, 2007
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