Lifestyle

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 24, 2022

From Koryoin to Korean Americans to Zainichi: Portraits reveal underrepresented sides of Korean history

Sohn Sung-hyun's 2005 photo of Po Kim, a Korean-American visual artist / Courtesy of Sohn Sung-hyunOnline exhibition focuses on lives of marginalized ethnic KoreansBy Park Han-solA gray-haired man donning a striped T-shirt, with a pet parrot named Charlie on his knee, gazes at a corner of his studio in downtown New York one afternoon in 2005. Korean-American visual artist Kim Po-hyun (1917-2014), better known as Po Kim, went to study art in Japan during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule of Korea to pursue his passion for painting, which began at an early age. Upon his return after the nation's liberation, he established the department of fine arts at Chosun University in Gwangju.But a series of political upheavals following the country's newly gained freedom were what upended his creative life.In 1948, as the Korean Peninsula was still coping with the aftermath of liberation from colonial rule and separation into two states, the nascent South Korean government under Syngman Rhee was keen on forming an anti-communist state. When a large-scale left-leaning military rebellion broke o

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 23, 2022

Early Joseon-era painting of government officials' gathering unveiled

Choi Eung-chon, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks during a press briefing announcing the acquisition of “Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study,” a rare painting from the 16th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapRare painting returns to KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooA painting from the 16th-century Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), titled “Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study,” has been unveiled for the first time after it was made approximately 490 years ago. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) on Wednesday unveiled the painting, which had been owned by Japanese collectors since early 1900s, although how and when it had been initially taken away from Korea is unknown. It was put up for auction in the U.S. in March, which was when the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation acquired it.The painting was created to commemorate a gathering of government officials participating in the “sagadokseo,” a sabbatical leave program allowing young, talented civil servants to do full-time in

Korea, Japan to resume Gimpo-Haneda flight service next week

A Lufthansa aircraft from Frankfurt, background, taxies after landing at Haneda International Airport, outside Tokyo, June 10. Korea and Japan have agreed to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports. EPA-Yonhap Korea and Japan have agreed to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports after it was suspended for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday.The flight service between the two airports will resume next Wednesday eight times per week, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, and Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will operate the route, the ministry said.The number of flights will increase in phases starting next month in consideration of demand and preparations by the airlines.In 2019, there was a total of 21 regular flights by the four airlines every week.Seoul and Tokyo had been in close consultati

Nation's longest walking trail opens along west coast

Yeonggeumjeong, located along Haeparang Trail Course 45 in Sokcho / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization Korea's longest walking trail, stretching 1,800 kilometers along the west coast, opened to the public Wednesday, the culture ministry said.The Seohaerang Trail links an area near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) bisecting the two Koreas in Ganghwa of Incheon to Haenam on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Tourism Organization said in a release. The Seoparang Trail consists of 109 paths featuring beautiful scenery, including tidal flats, shore pines and rural villages.It is the third segment of the 4,500-km Korea Trail that stretches around the nation's entire coast and northern border towns after the 750-km Haeparang Trail opened along the east coast in 2016 and the 1,470-km Namparang Trail along the south coast in 2020. The ministry has been pushing for the project since 2016 to help revit

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 22, 2022

Designer hopes to serve as bridge between engineers, non-engineers in soft robotics

Youn Hye-jun, a designer and researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Design who was on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. Youn's research involves using material science to create interactive designs of soft robotics and other structures with user-friendly interfaces. Courtesy of Youn Hye-jun26-year-old designer listed on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia listBy Park Han-solSoft robotics, as the name indicates, involves the design and construction of robots with non-rigid, highly compliant materials that can resemble the flexible movements of living organisms ― as they are able to bend, curl, fold and inflate, for example. While the technology is still in its infancy, the elastically soft, adaptable and self-morphing robots made with materials like silicone elastomers have tremendous potential.They can, in theory, be deployed for invasive surgery, as their shape-changing properties allow them to navigate along different structures within the human body more safely. The technology can also be used to build flexible exosuits, or robotic wearables that do not restrict a pe

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 21, 2022

Seoul Fashion Week to be held fully in October for 1st time in 3 years

Models walk the stage during Seoul Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2022, held March 18, in this file photo. Yonhap South Korea's biggest biannual fashion show, Seoul Fashion Week, will be held fully in person in October, following two years of scaled-down events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday.Seoul Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 will kick off Oct. 11 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul for a five-day run, the city announced. As the upcoming event will be held fully in person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the city will also resume inviting global buyers and foreign reporters to the show. In a bid to help reinvigorate the domestic fashion industry, the city has also broadened the show's horizon to include small fashion firms with annual sales of at least 150 billion won (US$116.3 million) as participants. On the sidelines, the city will also host a series of events, although the total number of spe