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CCF 2020: Experts dissect how COVID-19 has changed cultural content delivery

The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) held its 11th Culture Communication Forum (CCF) on Aug. 26-27 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Courtesy of CICIBy Dong Sun-hwaThe COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed offline conventions and concerts, bringing seismic change to the delivery of cultural content. But amid the difficulty lies opportunity, said Amy Chu, a comic book author who has written popular characters including Wonder Woman, Deadpool and Iron Man. “Comic conventions have gone digital to replicate the physical experience online, but this has helped equalize the footing for the creators,” Chu said via a video call, Thursday. She was one of four speakers at The Corea Image Communication Institute's (CICI) 11th Culture Communication Forum (CCF).“On online events, creators at small companies can have the same digital presence as those at big companies like Netflix,” Chu said. “They can take advantage in terms of reaching the market.”K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, who also was a speaker, revealed how the K-pop industry has been coping with the virus o

Aug 27, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa

CCF 2020: Experts dissect how COVID-19 has changed cultural content delivery

CICI's Culture Communication Forum to take place on Aug. 26-27

The 10th Culture Communication Forum (CCF) took place from June 30 to July 2. Courtesy of CICIBy Dong Sun-hwaThe Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) is set to hold the 11th Culture Communication Forum (CCF) on Aug. 26-27 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, the global culture promotion advocacy group said Thursday.The forum will focus on changes in the delivery of cultural content in the post-coronavirus era.Experts from around the globe ― including comic book author Amy Chu, Spanish author Javier Moro, radio and TV presenter Francine Stock and K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin ― will discuss the topic with the panel members in Korea through video calls. French Ambassador Philippe Lefort; EU Ambassador Michael Reiterer; Swedish Ambassador Jakob Hallgren; Indonesian Ambassador Umar Hadi; Canadian Ambassador Michael Danagher; Indian Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan; and Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), are among the panelists who will be present at the event in Korea. “Leaders of cultural communication will also suggest how we can enhance Korea's

Aug 14, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa

CICI's Culture Communication Forum to take place on Aug. 26-27

Millennials mock leftists currying favor with China, N. Korea

Kim Soo-hyun, chairman of Jeondaehyup, poses after a Korea Times interview at its newsroom in Seoul on Aug. 3. He characterized the nationwide student organization as a free democracy crusader. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Korea's protest culture shifting from Molotov cocktails to satireBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe farcical Operation Busan Landing last year had created a stir on the peaceful Gwangan Beach. It was a mission conducted by several South Korean university students affiliated with the nationwide student organization “Jeondaehyup,” or the Council of University Student Representatives of Korea, to sound the alarm about the country's porous maritime security by lampooning left-wing politicians accused of having pushed for engagement with North Korea at the cost of national security. Seven young people in North Korean military uniforms ― a woman and six men ― were seen aboard two speed boats in the waters off Busan's Gwangan Beach on July 26 last year. As their boats neared land, they jumped off and waded toward the beach. Armed with M1 Garand rifles, with o

Aug 13, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Millennials mock leftists currying favor with China, N. Korea

VIDEO Korea's pioneering drag entertainer strives to change narrative

Drag artist Kim Young-rong, who goes by the name Nana, has been at the center of drag entertainment for about 14 years. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Lee Gyu-leeSome say it is misogynistic, while others say it is culturally inappropriate. But to Kim Young-rong, a pioneering drag entertainer at the center of a much-criticized scene, drag is just a way of expressing himself ― the other side of himself.In Korea, where queerness is still largely taboo, drag has been mostly perceived with a negative view ― if not, unfamiliar. But Kim, who goes by the drag name Nana, strives to change that narrative of the scene so more people can enjoy and accept it as entertainment.“Drag is about communicating your message more fiercely and overtly,” Kim told The Korea Times recently. “I started it because I love showing the different side of me.”Since he first encountered the drag scene through the musical film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in college 14 years ago, Kim has become one of the best-known drag entertainers in Korea, not only as part of the scene, but

Aug 7, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee

Korea's pioneering drag entertainer strives to change narrative [VIDEO]

KBS anchor's closing lines that infuriated supporters of late Seoul mayor

KBS nightly news anchor Lee So-jung / Korea Times fileMore internet users back the news anchorBy Kang Hyun-kyungKBS nightly news anchor Lee So-jung drew the ire of supporters of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon over her final words on the mayor and his alleged sexual harassment of his former secretary.At the end of a news broadcast on July 16, Lee quoted a line from Jung Se-rang's fiction novel “From Siseon,” which reads: “A certain suicide constitutes violence, an ultimate form of violence.” She said the line means someone's death could cause deep pain for others who have to live with it.“The fact that this line has been shared so many times on social media (after Park's death) could mean many people share this view. Now the victim is shouldering the heavy burden of truth because of secondary victimization (by Park's supporters),” she said in her closing lines. “One TV personality caused a stir for her careless remarks that she was curious why Park's secretary kept silent for the past four years and then abruptly broke her silence. A femal

Jul 28, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

KBS anchor's closing lines that infuriated supporters of late Seoul mayor

INTERVIEW Designer applies traditional Korean aesthetics to wallpaper

Interior designer Teo Yang poses after an interview with The Korea Times in his studio, Monday. /Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwak Yeon-sooTeo Yang, 39, is a Seoul-based interior designer who brings traditional aesthetics to modern spaces. Under the theme “the past in the future,” he combines the past, present and future in multisensory experiences that include interiors, furniture, scents and skincare. After graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago, he worked under designer Marcel Wanders in Amsterdam and now runs Teo Yang Studio in the Bukchon neighborhood of Seoul. Yang explained that exposure to Western art and working alongside top designers benefited him in ways he could never have imagined. However, he said he often asked himself “What can I offer to the world as a designer?” “That's when I started studying Korean history and tradition. It became a manifesto for me to use traditional Korean artifacts and design in contemporary spaces,” Yang said during an interview with The Korea Times in his studio, Monday. To put his thoughts in

Jul 23, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Designer applies traditional Korean aesthetics to wallpaper

Shoe-throwing, egging put freedom of expression to the test

Jung Chang-ok, a protester who threw his shoe at President Moon Jae-in last week in the National Assembly, speaks during an outdoor news conference in front of Dong Hwa Duty Free Shop in central Seoul, Monday, with his shoe on the table. Some right-wingers lauded him as a man of courage. / YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungShoes, eggs and paintings.These three objects appear to have nothing in common. In the discourse of freedom of expression, however, they are interrelated. Outraged people and sarcastic artists use them as mediums to express their anger and resentment toward politicians responsible for dysfunctional policies that put their lives in peril. Egging and throwing shoes at politicians are considered forms of protest and vandalism which have been utilized to make dissenting voices heard. Satirical paintings, meanwhile, are a non-violent form of protest and criticism designed to humiliate the targeted public figures. It's a shame tactic. These actions, however, spark a heated means vs. ends debate in freedom of expression. People are divided over whether or not such vandalism or humi

Jul 22, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Shoe-throwing, egging put freedom of expression to the test

American chef Austin Kang hopes to entice foodies with authentic Korean cuisine

Pork belly, smoked in a clay pot with pine leaves, is on the menu for chef Austin Kang's farm-to-table pop-up dining project Ojina, on Jeju Island. Courtesy of Austin KangBy Lee Gyu-leeA few standard-fare dishes may instantly come to mind when thinking of Korean food ― sweet and spicy rice cake dish tteok-bokki, marinated beef bulgogi, or the quintessential side dish kimchi. However, celebrity chef Austin Kang says there is much more to the cuisine that offers a variety of benefits ― including nutrition ― that would appeal to the foodies around the world. Korean-American chef Austin Kang. / Courtesy of Morph Management“I think Korean food is really underrated right now,” the chef told The Korea Times during an interview at the company premises in central Seoul, July 14. “I really want to exploit Korean food and … make it as hip (abroad) as it is ― a real healing food.”The Korean-American chef, who began cooking at a Mexican eatery and then ran a French-American restaurant, had little to do with Korean cuisine until recently. He barely spoke Korean until

Jul 20, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee

American chef Austin Kang hopes to entice foodies with authentic Korean cuisine

Korea's population to halve in 80 years: study

In this July 3, 2019, photo, a girl holding her mother's hand carries her lunch at the Dunsan Elementary School in Daejeon. A recent study says Korea's population will halve by 2100. Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoKorea's population will halve in 80 years and by then two Asian countries ― Indonesia and the Philippines ― are expected to outgrow its GDP, according to a study in the medical journal Lancet.The analysis, published Tuesday, shows that Korea's population, which was estimated at 52.67 million, including foreigners, in 2017, is projected to reach a peak of 54.29 million in 2031, before plunging to 26.78 million in 2100.Meanwhile, the country's GDP ranking will fall six spots to 20th place behind Nigeria (9), Indonesia (12) and the Philippines (18), the report says.The world population will reach a peak of 9.73 billion in 2064 before decreasing to 8.8 billion in 2100, about 2 billion short of the United Nations' projection.Populations in 23 countries, including Korea and Japan, are forecast to decline by more than half, with 34 countries, including China, expecting a drop of mo

Jul 16, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Korea's population to halve in 80 years: study

Protestant Church lashes out at PM for 'religious discrimination'

Rev. Kim Tae-young, president of the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK), speaks during a news conference in the Christian Church of Korea building in central Seoul, Tuesday. The UCCK leader urged the government to scrap “discriminative” COVID-19 measures. / YonhapUCCK leader urges gov't to scrap ban of small gatherings By Kang Hyun-kyungProtestant Church leaders slammed the government for banning any small church gatherings, other than Sunday worship, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming it constitutes religious discrimination. “I felt angry and humiliated while watching the government's announcement (on TV) that it would ban any small gatherings in church,” Rev. Kim Tae-young, president of the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK), said during a news conference at a conference room of Christian Churches of Korea building in Seoul, Tuesday. “Without even trying to reach out to churches for communication, they went ahead with the announcement. Over the past week, I have struggled to figure out why they did that.”The UCCK leader critic

Jul 15, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

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