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Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19

This file photo taken on Nov. 14, 2018, shows Japanese-French fashion designer Kenzo Takada posing during a photo session in Paris. The designer has died at the age of 81, from the novel coronavirus, his spokesperson announced in Paris on Oct. 4, 2020. AFPKenzo Takada, the iconic Franco-Japanese fashion designer famed for his jungle-infused designs and free-spirited aesthetic that channeled global travel, has died. He was 81.The family said in a statement to French media Sunday that Takada died from complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. A public relations officer for Kenzo's brand confirmed that Takada died, but didn't give a cause of death.``It is with immense sadness that KENZO has learned of the passing of our founder,'' the fashion house said in a statement. ``For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry _ always infusing creativity and color into the world.''Though Takada had been retired from his house since 1999 to pursue a career in art, Kenzo remains one of the most respected fixtures of the h

Oct 5, 2020

Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19

Korea faced with rapidly population aging

GettyimagesbankSouth Korea's population is rapidly aging as people aged 65 or older account for nearly 16 percent of its population, government data showed Monday.South Koreans in the age group stood at 8.13 million this year, or 15.7 percent of the country's population, according to the data from Statistics Korea.The number of people aged 65 or older is expected to keep rising down the road to reach 10.51 million in 2025, or 20.3 percent of the total population, putting the country on the threshold of a super-aged society.A country is defined as a super-aged society when at least 21 percent of its people are 65 or older.Asia's fourth-largest economy became an aged society in 2017, when the proportion of those aged over 65 years reached over 14 percent of its entire population.In 2060, the proportion is estimated to increase to as high as 43.9 percent.All areas of South Korea, except for the central administrative city of Sejong, are estimated to become super-aged in 10 years.In 2020, the number of people aged 65 or older is estimated to take up 14.8 percent of Sejong's population.Th

Sep 28, 2020

Korea faced with rapidly population aging

A tale of natural wine

French farmer and winemaker Dominique Herque, left, and his farmer-novelist wife Shin Yi-hyun check grapevines in their vineyard in Chungju City, North Chungcheong Province, on Sep. 17. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulFrench farmer, his Korean wife use European-style organic farming to make pure, natural winesBy Kang Hyun-kyungChungju, North Chungcheong Province ― Last Thursday was another fulfilling yet busy day for French-born farmer and winemaker Dominique Herque and his Korean wife Shin Yi-hyun. In the hot, humid weather, the farmer couple began their day in their newly created vineyard in Chungju's rustic area of Suanbo-myeon, about a 30-minute drive from their home in the city. Nestling snugly at the foot of a hill, the vineyard is their nature lab. They have experimented with European-style organic farming ― called biodynamic agriculture ― to produce “100 percent, additive-free” natural wine. The grapes will be harvested from next year and used for their wine project.“By natural wine, I mean there's no sugar or other artificial additives in it,” Sh

Sep 24, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Koreans drink 8.5 days per month on average: poll

GettyimagesbankSouth Koreans on average consumed alcoholic beverages 8.5 days per month in 2019, a poll showed Sunday, with a growing number of people drinking at home this year due to the virus pandemic.It marked a slight drop from 8.8 days posted in 2017 and 2018, according to the report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.Around 43 percent of South Koreans picked beer as the most preferred type of alcoholic beverage, followed by soju, a distilled liquor made with grain, with 25 percent. Another 18 percent said they prefer other traditional drinks. The survey was based on respondents who consumed alcohol more than once a month and had experiences of drinking traditional beverages over the past six months. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 65 percent of the respondents said they have changed the locations at which they drink, with the majority of them consuming alcoholic beverages alone or with family members at home.The report also showed that in 2019, South Korea shipped US$382 million worth of alcoholic beverages, with beer accounting for the highest volume

Sep 20, 2020

Koreans drink 8.5 days per month on average: poll

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

The couple's house is close to the old Seoul City Wall near Dongdaemun in Seoul. /Courtesy of Choi Min-wookThirty three square meters of land doesn't seem big enough to build a house on. But architect and educator Choi Min-wook designed a five-story residential building for himself, his wife and their cat on a tiny plot of land in the heart of Seoul.The couple settled there in March last year. Choi Min-wook, right, with his wife Jayne Jeong pose with their cat, Conti, for a photo during an interview with The Korea Times on Monday. /Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeongThis year, their house won the best architecture award conferred by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The Korea Times visited the couple's home to talk about their experience.The tall tiny house sits on top of a hill next to the old Seoul wall close to Dongdaemun. One side of the building faces the wall and wide glass windows offer a panoramic view of both the wall and the nearby park. “Everything came together, I think. We were planning to get married and needed a place to stay,” Choi said as to what motivated

Sep 16, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

Koreans play lottery more amid COVID-19 pandemic

A customer buys a lottery ticket at a store in Seoul in this undated file photo. / Korea Times photo by Lee Dae-hyukBy Lee Hyo-jin A woman in her 40s surnamed Hwang is an active buyer of lottery tickets. She started purchasing the 1,000 won (85 cent) tickets to help lift her spirits after she was forced to close her souvenir shop in downtown Seoul, as sales plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic.“I buy a Lotto ticket almost every Monday at a store near my home. It gives me something to hope for during the weekdays,” Hwang said.An office worker in Seoul surnamed Choi spends about 5,000 won on lottery tickets every month. She knows that the chances of winning are near zero, but the ticket in her hand helps her to relieve stress from work. “I often buy one or two tickets on my way home after a hard day at work. I don't expect to win money, but I imagine myself making a fortune and quitting my job,” Choi said. The lottery industry in Korea is booming. Data shows that Hwang and Choi are among the many Koreans who hope to win the jackpot in the weekly national lott

Sep 16, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin

Koreans play lottery more amid COVID-19 pandemic

Marked for life: Korean tattoo artists seek legalization

Doy, left, tattoos a client at his studio in Seoul on July 8. AFPSouth Korean tattooist Doy counts Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and members of K-Pop band EXO among his celebrity clients, but his delicate, detailed designs could land him in prison.Now he is leading a campaign for the abolition of a law that reflects tattoos' long-marginalised status in South Korea, where they were once associated almost exclusively with organised crime.While tattooing itself is not illegal, it is classed as a medical procedure and may only be carried out by a fully qualified doctor ― with the law setting a minimum two-year prison sentence for violators, although judges can impose lighter penalties.But artists say the law has failed to keep pace, as tattoos have become more mainstream in recent years, championed by K-pop stars, athletes and others with powerful fan bases.Doy's career illustrates the contradictions: One of the most prominent tattoo artists in the country, he has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram.He declines to say what he inked Pitt with last year, citing client confidentiality, bu

Sep 10, 2020

Marked for life: Korean tattoo artists seek legalization

'I feel I don't belong there'

A gay man who asked to be named only with his initial J.W. marches at a pro-LGBT rally in Seoul in July. The sign he is holding reads “Courage for Equality.” / Courtesy of Kang JosaeSexual minorities searching for 'inclusive' church By Kang Hyun-kyungLast year, a 24-year-old community worker who asked to be named only by her first name Ju-hee, chose to leave the church she had attended for 23 years since she was born. She found a new, small but “inclusive” church in Seoul's western part of Mapogu. Her former church was a big one and she had many friends there. “But I didn't feel that I belonged there,” she told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “I felt like I was acting whenever I returned home from Sunday church services. My empty conversation with other church members kept playing in my mind… I couldn't speak about the topic that I wanted.”At her church, the topic she wanted to share with others was a forbidden one. She is a lesbian and wanted to talk about her sexual identity. There was a time when she plucked up courage

Sep 3, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Homosexuality: Some church leaders call for 'flexible' biblical interpretation

Homosexuality: Some church leaders call for 'flexible' biblical interpretation

A man holds a rainbow umbrella during the 2015 Queer Festival in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukDiscord in Korean churches over LGBT issuesBy Kang Hyun-kyungIn the sultry summer evening of Aug. 15, missionary and HIV patient Park Jin-kwon took to the stage for a speech at a small rally in front of the progressive minor Justice Party headquarters in Yoido, Seoul.Park, a self-claimed “ex-gay” man, shared his story about his “born-again life” after he became a heterosexual. Wearing a mask and a black T-shirt, he was panting and his voice cracked as his emotions intensified when he spoke about the wildest dream he once had as a gay man and the ensuing tribulations that traumatized him, his parents and siblings. “I dreamed of the days when same-sex marriage would be widely accepted and become a norm,” he said. “I mean, the days when people don't judge homosexuals just because they are married to same-sex people. If such days had come, it would have meant the realization of my version of utopia.” “I would think how wonderful

Sep 3, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Homosexuality: Some church leaders call for 'flexible' biblical interpretation

'I feel I don't belong there'

More Korean women live alone, think less about marriage

GettyimagesbankMore than 3.09 million Korean women live alone, with growing numbers engaged in economic activities, government statistics showed Wednesday. According to Statistics Korea, one-woman households accounted for 50.3 percent of the total 6.14 million single-person households this year.The statistics agency expects the number to continue to rise to reach 3.23 million by 2025 and 3.65 million by 2035.Overall, the total number of women in South Korea stood at 25.83 million this year, making up 49.9 percent of the country's population. The number of first-time marriages stood at 184,000 last year, compared with 200,000 in 2018 and 206,100 in 2017. The life expectancy of Korean women was 85.7 years, up by 1.5 years from 2012 and 6 years longer than that of men, the data showed.The statistics showed 51.6 percent of women were employed last year, up 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The female unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, down 0.1 percentage point over the cited period. By age, women in their early 50s had the highest employment rate of 68 percent, followed by those

Sep 2, 2020

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Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19

Korea faced with rapidly population aging

A tale of natural wine

Koreans drink 8.5 days per month on average: poll

Tall, tiny house: Couple's solution to owning home in Seoul

Koreans play lottery more amid COVID-19 pandemic

Marked for life: Korean tattoo artists seek legalization

'I feel I don't belong there'

Homosexuality: Some church leaders call for 'flexible' biblical interpretation

More Korean women live alone, think less about marriage

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