Lifestyle - The Korea Times

New Gijichon Women's Peace Museum focuses on women of US military brothels

A portrait from Joo Yong-seong's series, “When We Are Gone the Next Day,” which depicts women who used to work as prostitutes near American military bases in Korea / Courtesy of the GyeongGi Cultural FoundationBy Park Han-solA new museum dedicated to the women who worked in U.S. military brothels, the Gijichon Women's Peace Museum, also known as “Seven Sisters,” opened on Tuesday in Anjeong-ri, a short distance from U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.After the 1950-53 Korean War, a system of prostitution managed in various ways by the Korean government was operated in the camp towns, or “gijichon” in Korean, that developed next to U.S. military bases all across Korea.Although the vast majority of women who worked in the U.S. military brothels have remained silent for decades, about 100 came forward in recent years to testify about their working conditions and file a lawsuit against the government, demanding compensation for the psychological and physical harm they endured.They were subjected to human rights violations inc

Nov 10, 2021By Park Han-sol

New Gijichon Women's Peace Museum focuses on women of US military brothels

Criteria for designating treasures set to change

Heunginjimun Gate, Treasure No. 1 / Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonThe criteria for selecting treasures for government-recognized status will be redefined starting from Nov. 19.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it partially revised the rules on designation of treasures and national treasures under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, which was enacted in January 1962. Currently, the law stipulates that items can be designated as treasures if they have at least one of the “historic, artistic or academic” values, but more details are being added to help quantify these criteria.“UNESCO considers authenticity of cultural and natural heritages as well as detailed values in evaluating their addition to its World Heritage List. World Heritage inscription can be achieved with backing by the law and management policy … So far, the criteria of designating a treasure have been vague despite the international trend of detailing the criteria,” the CHA said in a press release.“We expect the revision will better inform the people of the designation

Nov 9, 2021By Park Ji-won

Criteria for designating treasures set to change

New York's in-person art auctions return with world's most expensive collection

Art handlers hang Claude Monet's "Coin du bassin aux nympheas" at Sotheby's in New York City, Nov. 5. AFP-YonhapAfter more than a year, in-person auctions return to New York this week with the sale of the Macklowe collection ― the world's most expensive to hit the market.At auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the message is the same: the art market is thriving.With sales starting November 15 estimated to bring in more than $1 billion in a week, "this is our largest sale season... since 2015," a record year, said Brooke Lampley at Sotheby's."Throughout the pandemic, there was great demand from our buyers, who weren't experiencing the same level of supply as they were accustomed to," she told AFP.Experts say the pandemic has not negatively impacted the funds nor appetite of potential buyers, who are increasingly in Asia and younger than their predecessors.For the first half of 2021, when it saw sales increase by 13 percent compared to 2019, Christie's noted that 30 percent of its buyers were new clients, and 31 percent of those were millennials."A lot of people are looking at thei

Nov 8, 2021

New York's in-person art auctions return with world's most expensive collection

19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans

Seen is the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a two-level hexagonal construction on the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond within the Gyeongbokgung Palace, northern Seoul, Friday. The pavilion was restored over the last three years by Royal Palaces and Tombs Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThere is a mysterious pavilion in the back garden of Gyeongbok Palace located in north-central Seoul that originally nobody knew when exactly it was built. Named the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, literally meaning “the pavilion where the fragrance spreads afar,” the two-level hexagonal construction was thought to have been built in the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond between 1867 and 1873 during the period of King Gojong (1863-1907), the last king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). According to oral and written historic records, or “the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat” where the name of the pavilion first appeared ― without the exact dates of its construction ― it was designed for the relaxation of the royal family.However, during a three-year proje

Nov 7, 2021By Park Ji-won

19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans

More than century-old Korean braille textbook to be designated as cultural asset

The Korean Braille textbook created by the American missionary Rosetta Sherwood Hall in 1897 / Courtesy of CHABy Park Han-solRosetta Sherwood Hall (1865-1951), an American medical missionary and educator who first came to Korea in 1890, is known for establishing Korea's first special education school for hearing and visually impaired students in Pyongyang in 1894.The Hangeul braille textbook that she created three years after the school's founding has been proposed by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) to be designated as a national cultural asset, the organization announced, Thursday.Named “Rosetta Hall Hangeul Braille Textbook” after the missionary, it applied the tactile encoding to the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, using a cell pattern that is four dots wide and two dots high ― following the system of New York Point, which Hall learned in her home country.Its pages are made up of thick, oil-laden hanji paper from the bark of paper mulberry trees, with holes created with needles.For nearly three decades, the book had been used for teaching the Korean characters to

Nov 5, 2021By Park Han-sol

More than century-old Korean braille textbook to be designated as cultural asset

Plant-based alternatives market grow as people seek sustainable diet

The global alternative meat market is projected to grow to 6.97 trillion won ($6 billion) by 2023, according to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. gettyimagesbankBy Lee Gyu-leeEnvironmental issues have long existed, yet they have become unavoidable nowadays, leading the public and private sectors to begin serious discussions on the problems being faced. As concerns over the environment and sustainability rise, consumers have been seeking ethical consumption to play their part in preventing further damage to the EarthAlternatives to meals containing meat have emerged as part of some ethical consumers' endeavors for a sustainable diet. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the global “meat alternative" market is projected to grow to 6.97 trillion won ($6 billion) by 2023, after reaching almost 6.2 trillion won ($5.3 billion) this year. The meat alternative market in Korea also has been steadily growing from 7.5 billion won ($6.4 million) in 2018 to 8.2 billion won ($7 million) in 2019 and 10.2 billion won ($8.7 million) in 2020, accor

Nov 4, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

Plant-based alternatives market grow as people seek sustainable diet

Gucci's star-studded fashion show shines bright in Hollywood

Models walk on the sidewalk of Hollywood Blvd during the Gucci Love Parade fashion show in Los Angeles, Nov. 2. Reuters-YonhapWith stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams sitting in the front row, Alessandro Michele's nostalgic clothing designs inspired by old Hollywood glam shined just as bright during a Gucci fashion show in Los Angeles.Jared Leto and Macaulay Culkin were among the many models who calmly pranced down the Walk of Fame runway at the Gucci Love Parade on Tuesday night. It was such a splashy spectacle that the event shut down a few blocks of busy Hollywood Boulevard.That gave the models enough room to strut out of the iconic TLC Chinese Theater before walking down both sidewalks alongside a star-studded audience that included such popular figures as Salma Hayek, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Vonn, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, James Corden, Dapper Dan, Tracee Ellis Ross and Tyler, the Creator. With his new collection, Michele brought his love for old cinematic wardrobes to life with cowboy hats, feathered gowns, faux fur coats, diamond tiaras, crop tops, wide leg

Nov 3, 2021

Gucci's star-studded fashion show shines bright in Hollywood

CHA defers construction companies' revision plan near UNESCO-designated tomb

Site for Geomdan New Town in Incheon / Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonThe Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) rejected Thursday a revised plan offered by construction companies for what it called the “illegal” building of an apartment complex near Jangneung Royal Tomb, a UNESCO-listed site dating back to the 17th century in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, asking the firms to submit a better one.The CHA Heritage Committee said that it would “defer” a final decision on the plan. “The plan cannot guarantee the preservation of the historic and cultural value of the heritage site,” it said in a statement. “So, the administration decided to defer a decision and will form another committee to discuss the issue further.”A deferral is the third-lowest in a four-tier system that includes "approval," "partial approval," "defer" and "not approved.”The move came after the CHA found out in May that the three firms ― Daebang Construction, Daekwang Construction and Kumsung Baekjoe ― had not undertaken the preliminary procedures required to build a st

Oct 28, 2021By Park Ji-won

CHA defers construction companies' revision plan near UNESCO-designated tomb

Chef forges farm-to-table relationships with local farmers for sustainable Jeju cuisine

Chef Kang Byung-wook poses in front of his Korean fusion bistro, “Last Spring,” located on the shore of Gimnyeong in northeastern Jeju, Oct. 20. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulChef designs premium meals with fresh and unique, organic ingredients from Jeju By Park Han-solJEJU ISLAND ― “So, how was the butternut squash that you got from our farm last time? Any good?” Inside a greenhouse nestled in Jeju's southwestern town of Daejeong-eup, farmer Yang Kyung-ae eagerly asked chef Kang Byung-wook, who was looking around the vibrant rows of butterhead lettuce, broccolini, okra, chicory, wild arugula, beet and cucumber.“I cooked the vegetable sous vide after dicing it. The pieces were quite soft, but I'd say that they got less and less sweet as I further bit into them,” Kang said after some thought.“I knew it,” Yang replied. “I grew them in this greenhouse, but squash and pumpkins are supposed to taste better if they are grown outdoors. I'm thinking of planting some in the field right outside next year.”The conversation between

Oct 28, 2021By Park Han-sol

Chef forges farm-to-table relationships with local farmers for sustainable Jeju cuisine

Korea's childbirths at fresh low in August

gettyimagesbankThe number of babies born in South Korea dropped to a record low in August, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's gloomy demographic situation with its chronically low birthrate.A total of 22,291 babies were born in August, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.It marked the lowest tally for any August since the country began compiling related data in 1981.South Korea has been struggling with a constant fall in childbirths as many young people give up getting married and having babies amid difficulties in getting a decent job, skyrocketing housing prices and changing social norms, experts said.The country's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― hit a record low of 0.84 last year. It marked the third straight year that the rate was below 1 percent.The number of deaths came to 25,821 in August, up 2.1 percent from a year earlier. It is the highest figure for any August ever, the data showed.This resulted in the country's population decreasing by 3,530 in the mon

Oct 27, 2021

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