my timesThe Korea Times
Lifestyle

People & Events

Female Detective Arrested 110 Criminals in One Year

By Park Chung-a Staff Reporter Yoon Hwa-ja, a 36-year-old inspector at Seoul Metropolitan Agency, won the fourth annual Damo Award on Tuesday, marking the 61st anniversary of the birth of policewoman in the nation. The award, established in 2004 to commemorate Damo, a legendary policewoman from Joseon Kingdom (1392-1980), is given to policewomen with highest arrest rate and who greatly contribute to the protection of society and the well-being of its citizens. Hwa-ja spent 13 years out of her 17-year-career arresting felons including drug dealers and crime ring leaders. Her win helped propel her responsibilities from sergeant to inspector. In 2006 alone, she arrested 110 people, including those involved in illegal gambling, illegal sex trade and rape. ``I never regretted being a policewoman. It’s a great job where you can contribute to social justice,’’ she said. ``In order to be called a `detective,’ not `female detective,’ I would voluntarily work longer hours, concentrating on solving cases when my colleagues had left the office. I feel most proud of my job when

Jul 4, 2007

Partisan Interest Hampers Right to Vote

By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff Reporter Narrow partisan interests have derailed the right of citizens overseas to vote, said Rep. Kim Gi-Hyeon of the largest opposition Grand National Party (GNP). During the 268th National Assembly session that ended Wednesday, the pro-government Uri Party and the GNP failed to reach an agreement on revisions of election-related laws to empower citizens living in foreign countries to cast ballots in elections. The bill has been tossed into the next Assembly session and as a result, Korean resident overseas will not be entitled to cast their ballots in the Dec. 19 presidential election. ``Embracing all overseas Koreans in the election system is as simple as putting one additional spoon on a dining table,'' the lawmaker said in an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday. Kim, 48, is one of the architects of the GNP's bill on overseas absentee ballots and has raised his voice for early revision of the election-related laws. The Constitutional Court ruled last Thursday that the current legislation preventing foreign residents from the

Jul 4, 2007

Kim Hong-shin Returns With New Book Series

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Novelist and former lawmaker Kim Hong-shin has released an epic history novel series titled ``Great Balhae.'' He returns to his readers three years after his defeat to a political rival. Kim, former member of the Uri Party, was defeated by Park Jin, lawmaker of the Grand National Party, by a narrow margin in the 2004 general election. In the novel, the 60-year-old author articulates the history and culture of the Balhae Kingdom (698-926) which occupied the northern part of today's Korean Peninsula and the northeastern region of China. Kim said that he explored the historical sites of the kingdom and researched hundreds of books and documents to write the story. The book consists of ten volumes. The first four volumes will be released to the public next week and the remaining six volumes will be published the following week. Kim said that he was motivated to write the series because he was angry over China's latest attempt to distort history through ``the northeast project,'' a state-supported history research project in Manchuria, n

Jul 4, 2007

Sohn Helps Nepal Hold Fair Elections

By Kim Sue-young Staff Reporter The United Nations has dispatched a group of election experts to Nepal, which is undergoing the swirl of democratic movement and protests against it. Rep. Sohn Bong-scuk, who was appointed as a member of the U.N. Electoral Experts Monitoring Team (UNEEMT), visited the Asian country. ``The mission of the team is to help Nepal hold free and fair elections to comprise the Constituent Assembly,’’ Sohn, 63, said in an interview with The Korea Times Thursday. ``We met Nepalese government officials and ethnic group members to listen to their expectations for the elections.’’ An interim government was established in Nepal after it experienced the democracy movement in 2006. Nepalese King Gyanendra reportedly suppressed civil politicians, arguing they failed to handle the insurgency of the Maoist, a local communist party, and enforced martial law. Massive uprisings against the king’s decision took place and eventually made the monarch step down from the throne on April 22 last year. Nepal is trying to establish the Constitution and

Jul 3, 2007

Psy Called Up for Military Again

By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter Korean popular singer ``Psy’’ will be drafted into the military as active duty. The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) said Tuesday Park Jae-sang, 30, better known as Psy, will begin his military service from August at the earliest and undergo a five-week basic miltiary training program at an Army boot camp. Park has been found to have been neglecting his duties, working instead at a high-tech company in Seoul where employees are exempt from the country’s mandatory military service. Korea imposes all able-bodied men to serve in the military for at least two years, but technology researchers and professional skilled workers with special expertise are exempt from this rule, fulfilling alternate obligations in companies that serve vital national interests. Park was hired to develop computer software at an information technology firm, but prosecutors accused Park of evading the draft after it was discovered that his uncle had bribed the head of the software company to help the non-qualified singer get a job there. It was also revealed

Jul 3, 2007

Native Indian Gaming Business Seeks Korean Security Tech

By Jane Han Staff Reporter A visiting gaming business executive from the U.S. says the Korea-U.S. free trade deal will trigger brisk trade between local IT firms and the flourishing Native American casino industry. ``The gaming business is big for Native Americans and it serves as a significant income source for them, but although the market is growing, it lacks various technological applications,'' said Dean Mcclain, vice president of development of Native Gaming Solutions. ``Korean security and surveillance systems are greatly equipped with a technological edge, along with many new ideas.'' Mcclain recently visited Seoul to attend the ``KORUS Business Day'' conference hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), where he met with local small- and mid-size businesses that can channel the services needed by the Oklahoma-based gaming company. Native American gaming, which includes gambling businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land, has been rapidly booming with approximately 400 casino establishments run by Native Indians throughout

Jul 3, 2007

Pop Singer Publishes Art Guidebook

By April Choi Korea Times Intern Pop singer and artist Cho Young-nam has written a guidebook on contemporary art under the title ``Who Cares Modern Arts’’ (Cho Young-nam; Hangilsa: 447 pages, 18,000 won). While the 62-year-old enjoys popularity across generations for his vocals, he has also authored several books on various subjects, including Christianity and Japan, among others. He has also been an artist for dozens of years. After holding his first exhibition at Insadong in 1973, he has held exhibitions all over the world including Los Angeles' Bowers Museum and he continues to be creative, according to Yonhap News. The new book, which should act as a guide for the world of modern art, which oftentimes can be quite confusing, explains how one needs to look at modern art for proper enjoyment. Ranging chronologically from Picasso to Paik Nam-june, 126 artists are surveyed. About 150 pieces of modern art are also included to go along with the explanations and add to the reader’s enjoyment. The last section of the book contains concise explanations about the featured moder

Jul 2, 2007

Foreigners Become Ministry Envoys

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Foreign panel members of the local TV show ``The Beauties' Chatterbox'' were made goodwill envoys for the Ministry of Justice, Tuesday. Lu Vada E. Dunford, Eva Sachiko Popiel, Noel Dominique, Alderete Cancian Abigail Ahinoam, Sophia Sruya Biniti Ridza Abdoh and Yao Sun, and Nigerian comedian Timothy Ochuba were appointed to promote the newly established Korea Immigration Service. The service is to provide a million foreigners residing in Korea with services that help them facilitate their stay here. It deals with inquiries regarding work permits and other visa-related problems. ``Before, we used to just issue rules on foreigners, but the new service will help them become real members of society during their stay. We also think this will help Korea, too,'' Kim Young-geun, an official at the ministry, said. Justice Minister Kim Sung-ho said that the country needs to accept people from other cultural backgrounds, just as the U.S. is acclaimed as a ``melting pot.'' He also said that he hopes the ``beauties'' will give other foreigners a c

Jul 2, 2007

PR Staff Team Up With Students

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with student ambassadors of universities in the country. _ ED. By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter The more students value privacy, the more schools need promotion ambassadors. Lee So-young, a public relations official at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) told The Korea Times why student ambassadors are a must for the school today. ``In the past, schools could take pictures or videotape images of students whenever they need to make promotional pictures or videos. However, it is not easy these days as some students are uncomfortable about being in front of the camera,’’ Lee said. ``This is why we need students who are willing to contribute to promoting the school.’’ Although the school is looking for ordinary students, the students need to be trained for a certain period of time in order to show a better image of the school. ``The media sometimes request students who can show up for TV programs or newspaper stories, it is better for us to train dedicated students how to say and pose for pictures for school promotion,

Jul 1, 2007

Rains LA Concert Goes Bust

By Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter Pop star Rain shed tears after his concert in Los Angeles was abruptly canceled just hours before the scheduled performance due to the local promoter's lack of preparation and financial problems, according to reports yesterday. The American leg of the popular singer's ``Rain's Coming'' world tour has flopped altogether, as Los Angeles was the only remaining concert after his four other scheduled performances including New York and Atlanta were indefinitely postponed earlier this month, following a lawsuit over the copyright of the name ``Rain.'' The lawsuit was settled only late last month when a Nevada court dismissed the case against the Rain Corporation, a Nevada-based music company that sued over the rights. Officials at Rain's Seoul-based concert management company, Star M, attributed the cancellation of the Los Angeles concert to the L.A.-based promoter that did not pay subcontractors money owed to them on time. As the companies withdrew, the stage was left bare without lighting or screens, according to Star M. The 25-year-old singer

Jul 1, 2007
previous page
570571572573574
next page

Most Read in Lifestyle