Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Hanbok Culture Week kicks off

K-pop juggernaut BTS performs "Idol" in hanbok costume in Gyeongbokgung Palace for NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Sept. 29, 2020. Courtesy of HybeBy Park Han-solThe official poster for Hanbok Culture Week 2021 / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismHanbok Culture Week 2021, a nationwide cultural festival designed to promote the beauty of Korean traditional clothing held since 2018, kicked off Friday and will run until April 18. As part of the event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Hanbok Advancement Center, three CGV branches in Seoul ― Myeongdong, Myeongdong Station Cine Library and Piccadilly 1958 ― will operate hanbok-themed theaters, where they will provide free admission to screenings of Korean movies for the first 1,000 filmgoers wearing the traditional attire.A free exhibition, “K-pop X Hanbok,” will also be open to the public at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul from April 13 to 25. Twenty-five sets of 25 hanbok costumes worn by eight K-pop acts, including BTS, Oh My Girl, Zico and Chun

Apr 9, 2021By Park Han-sol

Upcycling boom in fashion: designers take action to reduce textile waste

A T-shirt of Holy Number 7 made of recyclable fabric / Courtesy of Holy Number 7By Park Ji-wonThe pandemic has become a turning point for fashion labels as local designers have begun to search their souls to figure out if there is any way they are responsible for the spread of COVID-19. Some have concluded that they are not immune from responsibility because every year billions of tons of textile waste ends up in landfills. Concerned about the fashion-driven environmental degradation, some designers are belatedly taking action to stop textile waste. Hansome, a fashion affiliate of Hyundai Department Store, launched its Carbon Zero Project in February to cut carbon emissions by upcycling its fabric waste into interior design products instead of just throwing it away.“The company had been burning up to 80,000 items of clothing, weighing 60 tons, annually to control stocks. But we decided to launch the project to take responsibility as a fashion company and expect to reduce our carbon emissions by 144 tons every year.”Eyeglass of Holy Number 7 made of overstock and 'dead-sto

Apr 9, 2021By Park Ji-won

Upcycling boom in fashion: designers take action to reduce textile waste

Underwood Memorial House designated cultural heritage site

Underwood Memorial House / Courtesy of the Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Park Ji-wonUnderwood Memorial House, the residence of Horace Horton Underwood, who served as the third president of Yonhi College, the predecessor of Yonsei University, was designated as a cultural heritage site for its historical value as a work of Western architecture, along with three other sites, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).“Horace Horton Underwood built the house in 1927. It is worth preserving because it is part of the history of the university, it has traits of modern Western architecture and a unique design,” the CHA said.Underwood (1890-1951) was a U.S. missionary and educator who later served as president of the university.His grandson, Horace Grant Underwood III, lived in the house until 1974, according to Yonsei University. Once a site becomes a registered cultural heritage site, its owner or manager can receive guidance for preservation from the administration.In addition to the house, the CHA also said that a textbook for sign language, the first helicop

Apr 6, 2021By Park Ji-won

Underwood Memorial House designated cultural heritage site

Online shopping rises 15 percent in February amid pandemic

gettyimagesbankOnline shopping in South Korea grew 15.2 percent on-year in February as more people bought products via e-commerce platforms amid the pandemic, data showed Tuesday.The value of online shopping transactions stood at 13.7 trillion won (US$12.2 billion) in February, compared with 11.9 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.Online shopping has gathered pace since last year as people preferred shopping in a non-contact manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices rose 20.2 percent on-year to 9.73 trillion won in February. Mobile shopping made up 70.7 percent of the total value of online shopping.Online purchases of foodstuffs, food delivery services and electronics goods remained firm on the back of demand from stay-at-home consumers, the statistics agency said.Online transactions of food delivery services jumped 64.6 percent on-year to 733 billion won, and those of food and beverages rose 29.1 percent to 431 billion won.But online purchases of travel-related services declined 1

Apr 6, 2021

Online shopping rises 15 percent in February amid pandemic

INTERVIEW Pulitzer-winning photojournalist stresses value of long-lasting visual stories

Maria Meza, a 40-year-old migrant woman from Honduras, part of a caravan of thousands from Central America trying to reach the United States, runs away from tear gas with her five-year-old twin daughters Saira Mejia Meza, left, and Cheili Mejia Meza, right in front of the border wall between the U.S and Mexico, in Tijuana, Mexico, Nov. 25, 2018. This is a winning photography at the Pulitzer Prize's breaking news photography award for 2019. Reuters-Yonhap By Park Ji-won Photojournalist Kim Kyung-hoon / Photo by Kim Jung-sun Tear gas was fired by the United States border guard to repel a caravan of migrants near the border between the U.S. and Mexico on Nov. 25, 2018. The Central American asylum seekers, most of whom left their homes to give a better life to their children, had to run from the tear gas. Kim Kyung-hoon, a senior photographer at Reuters

Apr 1, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] Pulitzer-winning photojournalist stresses value of long-lasting visual stories

China again claims Korean dish, this time Samgyetang

Samgyetang / gettyimagesbankBy Park Ji-wonChina has claimed that Samgyetang, or traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup, is theirs, upsetting many Koreans who are tired of the neighboring country's cultural provocations.On Baidu, the Chinese equivalent of Google, Tuesday, Samgyetang was described as a chicken soup dish originating from Guangdong province, China, which was later introduced to Korea. It adds that the dish later became one of the most iconic dishes beloved by Korea's royal family members.The description is incorrect. According to the Rural Development Administration, Koreans have been making a soup with chicken since at least the Joseon era. Samgyetang was popular among wealthy Koreans during the Japanese colonial period and they enjoyed the chicken soup with ginseng powder. It became more popular among ordinary people following the 1960s.Prof. Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, a self-proclaimed “publicist” for Korea, who has volunteered to correct inaccurate understandings of Korean history overseas, said he sent a complaint email to Baidu, urgi

Mar 30, 2021By Park Ji-won

China again claims Korean dish, this time Samgyetang

Over half of single Koreans in their 30s living with parents: report

gettyimagesbankMore than half of unmarried South Koreans in their 30s are living with their parents, a report showed Tuesday, as young people are delaying marriages amid an economic slowdown.A total of 54.8 percent of single Koreans in their 30s are living with their parents without moving out on their own, according to the report by Statistics Korea.The report showed 62.3 percent of unmarried people aged between 20 and 44 are living with their parents.Of the surveyed, 42.1 percent have no jobs, indicating that unstable employment status appears to be the main factor behind the so-called kangaroo tribe.Kangaroo tribe is a local term that refers to people who depend on their parents financially and emotionally even as they become old enough to leave the nest.Many young South Koreans are opting to distance themselves from life's three major milestones ― dating, marriage and having children ― because they cannot find decent jobs amid a prolonged economic slowdown and skyrocketing home prices.The report showed 61.6 percent of single women aged between 30 and 44 think it would be fine eve

Mar 30, 2021

Over half of single Koreans in their 30s living with parents: report

Jeju-based artists, migrant workers team up to back pro-democracy rallies in Myanmar

One of the demonstrators holds up the three-fingered salute during the "Global Protest Revolution Day for Myanmar" in Minnesota, March 27. AFP-Yonhap By Park Han-sol An official poster for the March 28 performance of the Jeju Artists Association in Support of Myanmar's Democracy (JAAMD) / Courtesy of JAAMD Sunday afternoon on Jeju Island was filled with the spirit of solidarity as Korean artists and members of the Burmese community joined hands and staged a performance to ratchet up pressure on the brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Myanmar.The event came less than a day after the Southeast Asian nation reported a death toll of more than 100, marking the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 military coup.The goal of the performance was to inform the Korean public of the dire situation in Myanmar and commemorate the sacrifices made by t

Mar 28, 2021By Park Han-sol

Jeju-based artists, migrant workers team up to back pro-democracy rallies in Myanmar

China's investment in movies and dramas comes with strings attached

A scene from the short-lived SBS fantasy thriller “Joseon Exorcist” / Courtesy of SBSShort-lived “Joseon Exorcist” is a wake-up call against threat of cultural infiltration by heavy-handed ChinaBy Kang Hyun-kyung Disney's 2020 live-action remake “Mulan” and the short-lived Korean fantasy thriller “Joseon Exorcist” have delivered a shared, almost identical message that every content creator needs to know: Don't get too excited about Chinese investments.The box office disaster last year and the doomed fate of the latest Korean drama, which was canceled shortly after the first two episodes aired triggering incensed viewers to boycott the drama, clearly shows that China's investments come with strings attached and this could pit content creators against viewers in the post-production stage. It is no surprise that content creators would lose out as their short-sighted decision to allow Chinese investors to have a greater say in their products will backfire with domestic viewers.Driven by the temptation of the vast Chinese market, studios oft

Mar 28, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung

China's investment in movies and dramas comes with strings attached

Over half of Koreans in their teens and 20s see no need to have kids after marriage: report

gettyimagesbankMore than half of South Koreans in their teens and 20s think it is not necessary to have kids after marriage, a report showed Thursday, adding to concerns about the country's chronic low birth rate.As of 2020, 32 percent of Koreans aged 13 or older said it is not necessary to have children after getting married, up from 30.4 percent two years earlier, according to the report on social indexes by Statistics Korea.All age groups felt less need to have kids after marriage, but in particular, more than half of people in their teens and 20s believed having kids is not a must.The report showed 39.4 percent of teenagers and 47.5 percent of those in their 20s think there is a need to have children after tying the knot. The tally compared with 46.4 percent and 51.5 percent, respectively, in 2018.South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths as many young people delay marriage or give up on getting married or having babies amid a prolonged economic slowdown.The country's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― hit a

Mar 25, 2021

Over half of Koreans in their teens and 20s see no need to have kids after marriage: report

Korea reports record-low childbirths in January

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