Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Singles frustrated by Korea's marriage-centric social norms

gettyimagesbankBy Yoon Ja-youngWhile an increasing number of Koreans are choosing the single life, they are irritated by social norms centered on married people. They are supposed to offer their married friends gifts for various life events, but without any chance of seeing the same come back to them.The Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, recently reported about people who intend to remain single for life. It cited the case of Kim, a 30-year-old office worker who has a group of high school friends, most of whom either are married or are planning to get married.When one of the married friends got pregnant, another friend suggested that they throw a “gender-reveal party” for the friend, which would cost around 300,000 won ($250). Usually prepared by an event company, the party comes with a cake, balloons and other decorations to announce the fetus' gender. Kim said that she already spent 200,000 won for a “bridal shower” and 100,000 won as wedding gift money for that friend. She pointed to endless events that she has to celebrate for the friend,

Dec 21, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Singles frustrated by Korea's marriage-centric social norms

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei's unapologetic, anti-establishment commentary

Ai Weiwei's “Life Vest Snake” (2019) on view at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's exhibition, “Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future” / Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio, Lisson Gallery and neugerriemschneider, BerlinBy Park Han-solChinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei / Courtesy of Ai Weiwei StudioA 22.5-meter-long serpent floats up by the ceiling of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul, ready to slither away at the slightest provocation. As viewers travel down the hall, they find it almost impossible to take their eyes off the creature hovering overhead with its peculiar blue and red scales.Its scales, they soon realize, are made up of 140 life vests, both small and large. But whose, exactly?When refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are of Syrian, Afghan or Somali origins, arrive on the Greek Island of Lesbos ― one of the busiest crossing points for migration into Europe ― the first thing they do is to take off the very jacket that protected their lives while crossing the ocean and throw it into a massive pile.Ai Weiwe

Dec 20, 2021By Park Han-sol

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei's unapologetic, anti-establishment commentary

Silent Christmas: Koreans forgoing Christmas songs

Copyright law, religious pluralism, dwindling role of churches all contributing to bleak Christmas season By Park Ji-wonThe streets in Seoul's bustling downtown area were like no other Christmas season, Thursday. They were calm and silent, making it difficult for people to feel that Christmas is just a week away. No Christmas carols or songs could be heard, as there were few stores playing them.The bleak Christmas season nowadays is a stark contrast to the lively holiday atmosphere here in the 1990s, when Christmas songs used to fill the air in almost every corner of the capital around this time of year. In stores, Christmas trees with electric lights were lit with carols being played loudly, and colorful Christmas decorations were easy to spot. Back then, the Christmas spirit was in full swing in most big cities. Koreans celebrating Christmas silently without carols is something odd for those who are familiar with the religious demographics of the country. This year's Gallup survey of 1,500 Koreans, conducted between March 18 and April 7, found that Korea is religiously diverse, wit

Dec 16, 2021By Park Ji-won

Silent Christmas: Koreans forgoing Christmas songs

'Squid Game' director, Netflix, archer Kim Je-deok and soprano Jo Su-mi win Korea Image Awards

By Dong Sun-hwaHwang Dong-hyuk, the director of “Squid Game” / Courtesy of NetflixThe director of dystopian drama “Squid Game,” global streaming platform Netflix, archer Kim Je-deok and soprano Jo Su-mi are this year's winners of the Korea Image Awards, hosted by culture promotion advocacy group, the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI). The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held at the InterContinental Seoul COEX in southern Seoul, Jan 12. Policymakers, diplomats and opinion leaders, including Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-moon, CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, French Ambassador Philippe Lefort, Russian Ambassador Andrey Kulik, German Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel, Singaporean Ambassador Eric Teo and Israeli Ambassador Akiva Tor, will attend the event. The CICI announced Monday that Hwang Dong-hyuk, one of the creative minds behind Netflix's latest hit, “Squid Game,” will receive the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award. The award is presented to Koreans who have helped spread a positive image of the country.Archer Kim Je-deok

Dec 14, 2021By Dong Sun-hwa

'Squid Game' director, Netflix, archer Kim Je-deok and soprano Jo Su-mi win Korea Image Awards

Digitizing art as NFTs backfires among big-name artists

Performance artist Lee Kun-yong's “The Method of Drawing (Angels)” (1997) / Courtesy of MMCA By Park Han-solThe latest hyped phenomenon, the “NFT (non-fungible token),” has been declared Collins Dictionary's word of the year for 2021. The term burst onto the digital market scene as a unique certificate that represents the ownership of any digital asset, including a work of art, as it is registered in a shared ledger, better known as a blockchain.But as much as the concept has generated excitement in Korea's fine art market, a number of big-name artists and their families have continued to raise the issue of copyright infringement, with some denying the legitimacy of NFT-based works of art altogether.On Dec. 2, Pica Project, the operator of an “art co-ownership” platform through NFT-based trading, announced that it will tokenize one video and two photos featuring the works of experimental art master Lee Kun-yong at the Asan Gallery in South Chungcheong Province.Lee,

Dec 8, 2021By Park Han-sol

Digitizing art as NFTs backfires among big-name artists

MZ Generation flexing muscles behind booming luxury brand market

gettyimagesbankPersonal luxury goods market continues to expand despite pandemic By Lee Gyu-leeWhile COVID-19 has dealt a blow to almost every industry worldwide, bringing chaos and economic recession, the personal luxury goods market in Korea has shown an unusual pattern. Unfazed by the pandemic, it has set itself apart from the general economic slump with steady growth.According to the global research firm, Euromonitor International, the country's personal luxury goods market has managed to weather the pandemic-caused economic crisis, with its value reaching $12.5 billion in 2020, showing little change from the previous year's $12.52 billion. The figure was $12.24 billion in 2018. This situation is in stark contrast to the fact that the global personal luxury goods market value suffered a 23-percent drop during the same period ― from $318.6 billion in 2019 to $246 billion in 2020 ― which saw Korea taking up an even greater portion of the market.Buoyed by these booming luxury goods sales, Korea's online channels for luxury brand shopping have also seen a boost, with new platforms em

Dec 2, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

Evolutionary biologist says having children in Korea today is a 'stupid' choice

A screenshot from the YouTube channel of Choi Jae-chun, a professor of animal behavior and ecology in the College of Natural Sciences at Ewha Womans University, shows him talking about Korea's low birthrate.By Yoon Ja-youngA renowned evolutionary biologist in Korea has said that it is a “stupid” choice to have children here.Choi Jae-chun, a professor in the College of Natural Sciences at Ewha Womans University specializing in the behavior and ecology of animals, said on his YouTube channel that it would not be wise to give birth and raise a child in Korea today.He said that, from his viewpoint as an evolutionary biologist who studies animal behavior and ecology, the current low birthrate in Korea is a “natural” consequence, since it is the result of an evolutionary adaptation. The country's total birthrate, or the number of babies born per woman, was 0.84 last year, the world's lowest.“Animals that can't control (their desire to breed) when there is no food or shelter are very unlikely to survive.”He cited studies by evolutionary biologists that ha

Nov 25, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Evolutionary biologist says having children in Korea today is a 'stupid' choice

Architect designs shared spaces to grow concept of 'village'

Architect Lee Jun-hyung, leader of The Project HUAM, which creates expansive shared spaces in Huam-dong, an area in Seoul's Yongsan District, poses in front of a townhouse space, which houses a cafe and a living room, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-minBy Jung Da-min According to a biennial report on living conditions by the Seoul Metropolitan Government released in late April, a third of the households in Seoul are single-person ones. For those living alone, having a larger living space is a luxury, and as such, most of those people live in relatively small studio-style spaces. To improve the quality of life for these people in their downtime, architect Lee Jun-hyung, 37, has launched “The Project HUAM,” which creates expansive shared spaces ― such as kitchens, living rooms or other private spaces ― in Huam-dong, an area in Seoul's Yongsan District.Since launching the project with the opening of Huam Kitchen as the first shared space in 2016, The Huam Project is currently operating multiple spaces, including a kitchen space, a library space, a living room space, an

Nov 24, 2021

Architect designs shared spaces to grow concept of 'village'

INTERVIEW Korean contemporary art captures attention in US, Europe

John R. Stomberg, the Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director of the Hood Museum of Art, left, and Kim Sung-lim, an associate professor of art history at Dartmouth College / Courtesy of the Korea FoundationKorea's modern and contemporary art gaining momentum, while exhibitions in West remain outdatedBy Park Han-solMany, many years ago, the increase in trade between Western Europe and Asia following the Age of Discovery, which began in the 1400s, built Western Europeans' fascination with what they called “the Orient.”They had discovered “exotic” Asia thorough its arts and design. The artists' enthrallment eventually took the form of “Chinoiserie,” which originated from the French word for “after the Chinese taste.”Inspired by motifs in Chinese art, the style is a European imitation and evocation of what they perceived to be the art of East Asia. The popularity of Chinoiserie reached its peak in the 17th century, as it paired well with lavishly embellished Rococo decorations.Then, as trade with Japan became possible in 1858, Europeans' intere

Nov 18, 2021By Park Han-sol

[INTERVIEW] Korean contemporary art captures attention in US, Europe

More young Koreans choose to leave the nest

Young adults seek financial, personal independenceBy Lee Hyo-jin Park Yu-hui, 25, an office worker, lives alone in Jongno District in central Seoul. She moved out from her parents' house located in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, to a 17-square-meter studio apartment in July as soon as she found a job. As her workplace is located in Seongdong District of Seoul, saving time on the daily commute was one of the major reasons she moved out, but it was not the only one.“Now that I have a full-time job with a stable income, I wanted to lead an independent life without receiving any financial support from my parents. I also wanted to spend my free time after work in peace in my own space,” Park told The Korea Times.Getting a bank loan to finance a 120 million won ($102,000) “jeonse” deposit (home rental based on large deposits) was not an easy decision, but Park says “it was worth it.”“On top of the freedom of having full control of my life, I feel very comfortable as I can decorate and make my home how I want, and invite friends over whenever I

Nov 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

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