Lifestyle - The Korea Times

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

Protestant Church lashes out at PM for 'religious discrimination'

Small act of kindness saves Korean American owner of looted business

Korean American Dae-oh Yang's women's apparel store Venus Fashion in Chicago was looted on May 31 when Black Lives Matter protests swept the city. Racks are left on the floor with debris of the looting in this combination of six photos taken from different angles at the store. / Courtesy of Dae-oh YangSmall donors, their words of encouragement help Korean American to rebuild businessBy Kang Hyun-kyungDae-oh Yang's phone was ringing hot on the morning of May 31. The Korean American owner of the women's apparel store Venus Fashion in Chicago, Illinois, found he had missed several calls and urgent text messages from his customers. They said looters had broken into his store and items had been stolen.Located in the southern part of the city, Venus Fashion is a one hour drive from Yang's home in the north. His store was closed back then due to the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduled to reopen June 1. Lots of missed calls and texts from his concerned friends and acquaintances broke the peaceful Sunday morning.Hours later, Yang, 54, was devastated when he checked his store. It had been destroye

Jul 14, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Small act of kindness saves Korean American owner of looted business

Hollys 'folding carts' strengthening brand status

Customers lined up to buy the folding cart promotional item at a Hollys Coffee store, Thursday. Courtesy of Hollys CoffeeBy Kim Yoo-chulAs soon as news about the restocking of “Hollys Coffee's Folding Cart” spread on the internet, consumers began flocking to Hollys Coffee stores.Hollys Coffee recently started initiating its second-round sale of folding carts on the back of strong consumer interest in the item. This folding cart, which is the third promotional item offered by Hollys Coffee, boasts great convenience as it can be used for many purposes, including outdoor camping, picnics, and shopping, according to the company release. Customers who spend at least 10,000 won at any Hollys Coffee stores in the country can purchase the folding cart for 11,900 won. However, during the first round of its sale, the folding carts were sold out on the first day at most of its shops, with many consumers leaving empty handed. At some 24-hour Hollys Coffee shops, crowds bigger than expected hurried to line up from 12 am on the day of release.Analysts say the increase in demand for cam

Jul 9, 2020By Kim Yoo-chul

Single-person households most common household type in Korea: data

GettyimagesbankA single-person household is the most common type of living arrangement in South Korea, data showed Wednesday. Data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety showed 8.77 million single-person residence registrations, accounting for 39 percent of the total number of 22.7 million.The second most common type was two-person households at 5.26 million, or 23.1 percent.As of June, single-person households and two-person households rose by 6.9 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, compared with year-end 2018. Four-person households, which was the second most common type in 2018, slipped to the fourth spot, trailing three-person households.The data also showed that more men live alone than women, by 51.5 per cent to 48.5 percent, but the trend reversed in people age at 60 or over. Most single-person households comprised of persons older than 70 were headed by women.By region, South Jeolla Province has the biggest rate of single households at 44.1 percent, followed by Gangwon Province (42.8 percent) and North Gyeongsang Province (41.8 percent).In the southeast ward o

Jul 8, 2020

Single-person households most common household type in Korea: data

Mural project helps vulnerable girls learn, grow

The Chungju Teenage Girls' Shelter is seen in April after the completion of a mural project. / Courtesy of Gayeon JiBy Gayeon JiMany people probably have heard the term?butterfly effect. Based on a theory by physicist Edward Lorenz, it implies that flutter of a butterfly wing could either stop or cause a tornado on the other side of the planet. It often refers to the concept that a seemingly insignificant change can cause a significant impact elsewhere. A story based on the small town of Chungju proves that small changes can create enormous opportunities through which all parties involved can learn from each other and grow.As an art major in the United States, I searched for inviting and accessible modalities that broke from the conventional forms to make art less intimidating. Then halfway across the world from the United States, in a small town in Korea, there began the Chungju Teenage Girls' Shelter Community mural and garden project.The Chungju-based shelter is a nonprofit organization that provides a safe home for those without a place or family to return to. Some of these teena

Jun 30, 2020

Mural project helps vulnerable girls learn, grow

Korea to report population decline for first time this year: vice finance minister

Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom speaks during a meeting at the government complex in Seoul, Friday. YonhapSouth Korea's population is expected to decline this year for the first time since the nation began compiling data, as the number of monthly births has hit a record low, Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom said Friday. In April, the number of births fell for the 53rd consecutive month and South Korea has seen a natural decline in population since November last year, Kim said. A natural population decrease occurs when the deaths outnumber births. "This year is expected to become the first year of a population decline," Kim told a meeting of senior officials on demographic changes. The coronavirus pandemic is expected to further decrease the number of births as people have delayed marriages, Kim said. The number of marriages plunged 21.8 percent year-on-year to a record low of 15,670 in April, Kim said.The government will soon draw up comprehensive measures to tackle the low birthrate, Kim said.In the first four months of this year, 97,470 babies were born in South Korea, down

Jun 27, 2020

Korea to report population decline for first time this year: vice finance minister

Childbirths drop 10.4% in April as population decline looms

Childbirths drop 10.4% in April as population decline looms

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe number of babies born in Korea dropped 10.4 percent in April from a year earlier, in the latest sign underscoring a looming population decline.According to Statistics Korea Wednesday, 23,420 babies were born in April, compared with 26,151 in April 2019.It marks the lowest number of newborns for any April since the state agency started keeping records in 1981.Meanwhile, the number of people who died increased 3.3 percent to 24,628.All this indicates that the country is evidently on track this year to reporting its first natural population decline.After deaths outnumbered births for the first time in November, the trend has accelerated. A total of 97,470 babies were born in the first four months of this year, down 10.9 percent from the same period last year.The falling number of marriages ― to 15,670 in April from 20,026 a year earlier ― also bodes ill for a government that is struggling to boost birthrates.Korea's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― was 0.92 last year, down from 0.98 a year earlier, far

Jun 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Childbirths drop 10.4% in April as population decline looms

President of Zuellig Pharma Korea discusses 'AI doctors'

Zuellig Pharma Korea president Erwan Vilfeu talks about “artificial intelligence (AI) doctors” at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Corea Image Communication Institution (CICI)By Dong Sun-hwaZuellig Pharma Korea president Erwan Vilfeu delivered a lecture on “artificial intelligence (AI) doctors” at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Tuesday. Vilfeu delved into various cases where AI has contributed to the medical field during his “Will robots replace your doctor?” speech. Listening to Erwan Vilfeu are, clockwise from center, Choi Jung-wha, president of CICI; Peteris Vaivars, Latvian Ambassador; Rina Okumura-Vaivara, spouse of the Latvian Ambassador; Hiroshi Ikeda, spouse of the New Zealand Ambassador; Philip Turner, New Zealand Ambassador, and Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistani Ambassador. Courtesy of CICIThe global culture promotion advocacy Corea Image Communication Institution (CICI) invited Vilfeu to talk as part of its Summer Welcoming Gathering. Magician Ed Kwon also performed tricks during the event. Some 40 opinion leaders, including New Zealand

Jun 24, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa

President of Zuellig Pharma Korea discusses 'AI doctors'

Dual-income households in Korea edge down in 2019

GettyimagesbankAbout half of married couples in South Korea had dual incomes in 2019, data showed Tuesday, an indication that many couples are continuing to work after marriage to support their families.The number of double-income households reached 5.66 million as of October 2019, accounting for 46 percent of all married couple households, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.The figure, however, marks a slight fall of 0.2 percent from the 5.67 million households with dual incomes recorded in 2018.The ratio of couples in their 40s with double incomes stood at 54.2 percent in 2019. The ratio for those aged between 50 and 64 was 50.1 percent, followed by those in their 30s with 50.2 percent.Meanwhile, the number of one-person households came to 6.03 million in 2019, up 251,000 from a year earlier.This accounted for 29.9 percent of all households across the country, edging up 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier. (Yonhap)

Jun 23, 2020

Dual-income households in Korea edge down in 2019

Leggings evolve from suggestive athletic wear to casual staple

GettyimagesbankWhen Kim Ga-in, a Seoul resident, climbed a mountain on Sunday, the 27-year-old woman did not wear hiking pants or shorts or other traditional trekking clothes. Instead, she went with a more comfortable option that would have been unheard of among hikers a generation ago: leggings.Her sister, Do-hee, 20, who came along to Mount Inwang in northern Seoul, also chose to wear leggings instead of regular trousers as leggings are flexible and allow her a full range of movement."I came across leggings three to four years ago when I took yoga classes. I initially wore leggings only for yoga but last year began to wear the super-flexible yoga pants during my daily life and outdoor activities," Ga-in told Yonhap News Agency while walking down the mountain.Leggings have transitioned into an everyday wardrobe staple, from athletic attire worn by gym goers and fitness types. For younger people, the preference is related to comfort. They also want to flaunt their body shape. Leggings are not just preferred by women. An increasing number of men also find leggings to be affordable and

Jun 19, 2020

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