Lifestyle

DAILY FORTUNE - JULY 28, 2022

New Cultural Heritage Administration head shrugs off criticism over preservation of Cheong Wa Dae

Choi Eung-chon, the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks during a press conference at Korea House in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooChoi Eung-chon, the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), shrugged off criticism from the Cultural Properties Committee and the CHA labor union regarding the government's alleged indifference to preserving the historical and cultural value of the former presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.“The labor union doesn't represent the voice of the CHA. However, I agree that Cheong Wa Dae needs to be managed and preserved in the future and discussions about it have not been adequately held. That's because we are still in the process of inspecting the compound,” Choi said during a press conference held at Korea House in central Seoul, Wednesday. The CHA and the Secretary Office to the President have managed the former presidential complex since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration moved the presidential office to Yongsan District in May. However, the gatekeeper of the compound could change in the future, accord

12 award-winning Korean authors to hold talks with overseas readers

Korean authors Han Kang, left, and Kim Cho-yeop / Courtesy of Munhakdongne, Hubble By Park Han-solAs a string of translated Korean literary works continue to gain global recognition, online and in-person book talks joined by 12 award-winning Korean writers will travel across the world until the end of this year.Hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), the 2022 K-Literature Talks program consists of 12 dialogue sessions between best-selling Korean authors and their international counterparts ― novelists, translators and publishers ― followed by live Q&A sessions with readers. All talks will revolve around the writers' works that have been translated into the host country's language within the last three years. These countries include Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey and the United Kingdom.The event kicked off in April during this year's Bogota International Book Fair in Colombia, with a virtual talk that invited Han Kang to discus

Vacationers forgo traveling abroad due to soaring airfares

An empty departure lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, Monday. NewsisBy Lee Hae-rinChung Chae-young, a 29-year-old office worker in Gyeonggi Province, was looking forward to traveling to Southeast Asia right after the end of the pandemic-imposed travel restrictions. Even now that the restrictive measures are lifted, she has decided instead to take a short summer vacation in the southern city of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, due to sharply increasing travel costs.“Airfares went up immediately after the travel restrictions were lifted,” Chung said, explaining that the increase in travel costs, along with the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, were the major reasons why she put her overseas vacation plans aside and chose to travel domestically.Cho Jae-gyoung, 29, another office worker who had planned to visit a foreign country this summer, also opted for a trip to Ulleung Island in the East Sea. Cho and her friend said they were shocked to find that a round trip to Vancouver for two adults and a toddler costs around 10 million won ($7,637), which they believ

DAILY FORTUNE - JULY 27, 2022

INTERVIEW Artist traces first sonic encounters between Western, traditional Korean music

Seen above is a screenshot of artist Kim Young-eun's “To Future Listeners I” (2022) on view at her solo exhibition, “Frames of Sound,” at SongEun gallery in Seoul's Gangnam District. Its caption reads, “This is a collection of sounds that were anticipated to be forgotten,” referring to the first ethnographic recording of a traditional Korean song produced by an American anthropologist in 1896. Courtesy of the artist, SongEun Art and Cultural FoundationKim Young-eun's exhibition, 'Frames of Sound,' uncovers sound sources, ethnographic recordings that speak to modern Korea's musical historyBy Park Han-solEven the feeblest sound barely audible to the naked ear, whether emanating from human vocal cords or manmade inventions, could contain stories of cultural and political history that have been forgotten or even lost.Artist Kim Young-eun, photo by Chung Hee-seung / Courtesy of the artist, SongEun Art and Cultural FoundationFor years, artist Kim Young-eun has been uncovering such acoustic tales related to Korea's modern history.In 2017, she unveiled &ld

DAILY FORTUNE - JULY 26, 2022

Korea's figure skating icon Kim Yuna to wed singer Ko Woo-rim

Figure skater Kim Yuna, left, and singer Ko Woo-rim will get married in October. Screen captured from Kim and Ko's Instagram accounts respectivelyBy Lee Gyu-leeFigure skater Kim Yuna, the 2010 Winter Olympics gold medalist, will marry singer Ko Woo-rim, a member of crossover vocal quartet Forestella. All That Sports, the agency of Korea's skating legend, and Ko's agency, Beat Interactive, said Monday that Kim, 32, and Ko, 27, will tie the knot “at the end of this October in Seoul.”Adding that the couple has been dating for three years, the agencies noted that the wedding will be held in private. “Kim and Ko met at 'All That Skate' ice show in 2018 when Forestella was invited (to the show) as a guest singer. And after three years in a relationship, they decided to tie the knot,” they said.“As both Kim and Ko want a wedding ceremony with only family and close friends, the details of the wedding date and venue have not been released and will be kept private from the media. We ask fans and media for their understanding.”Nevertheless, immediately after

Olympic gold medalist figure skater Kim Yu-na to tie the knot with classical singer

Figure skater Kim Yu-na, left, and classical singer Ko Woo-rim / From their SNS accountsOlympic gold medalist figure skater Kim Yu-na will tie the knot with a classical singer in October, her management agency said Monday.Kim Yu-na and Ko Woo-rim will hold their wedding in Seoul in late October, according to All That Sports.It did not elaborate on the exact date and the place of the wedding, saying the event will be held privately.The two met during an ice show in 2018 and have dated for three years, according to the agency.Ko, 27, is a member of the Korea crossover vocal quartet Forestella, which won the singing competition "Phantom Singer 2" that aired on JTBC in 2017.He will continue his career as a classical and crossover singer even after the marriage, according to the agency.Kim, 31, is South Korea's most successful figure skater in history, winning the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.After her retirement in 2014, she has played an active role in various fields, including serving as an honorary ambassador for South Korea's

Nam June Paik's 'analog immersive' installation revisited in present era of digital projections

Nam June Paik's “Sistine Chapel” (1993), Copyright Nam June Paik Estate, on display at the exhibition, “Nam June Paik, Super Baroque,” at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of NJP Art CenterVisionary creator's immersive media installations brought to light at 'Super Baroque' exhibitionBy Park Han-solIt was 1995 when Nam June Paik (1932-2006) flooded a small, centuries-old baroque church tucked away on the outskirts of Munster, Germany, with a kaleidoscopic laser projection ― birthing the installation titled “Baroque Laser.” With all the windows closed, the dark, enclosed chapel and its domed roof became a playground for the visionary creator to explore the potential of lasers as an artistic medium used for projecting 3D images, almost like a spectral hologram ― an inconceivable pursuit at the time.“At the time, lasers were still a technology that hadn't been fully experimented with in creative projects, as they mainly belonged to the field of military (and science),” Lee Soo-young, curator of the Nam Ju