Lifestyle

Former hair designer shares life, art at L'art de la vie

The huge rock that forms the topography at the center of L'art de la vie complex in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of L'art de la vieBy Kim Ji-sooICHEON, Gyeonggi Province ― Sitting for lunch at L'art de la vie in eastern Gyeonggi, one was left envying the trees that were “cut and designed” by retired hair designer Lee Sang-il. The big pine trees were neatly trimmed with just a little touch of flair ― a signature trait that the former hair designer used to demonstrate on his client's hairstyles.Then the envy grows when you realize that this person has created a world of his own. L'art de la vie is Lee's and his wife's residence, but also an open museum. Sprawling for over 3,300 square meters here amid the golf clubs and rice fields, the compound offers 11 spaces for accommodation, an art gallery, restaurants, a bakery, an art studio and a convention center. He bought the land 17 years ago before his retirement. When he retired in 2012 after 3 years as a top hair designer, to the despair of his clients, including this writer, he turned to build the cultural space comp

Korea Times-ETS Student Reporter Contest kicks off

By Jeon Yae-woolThe Korea Times is hosting the 2022 Student Reporter Contest, sponsored mainly by ETS Korea, running from June 27 to Aug. 15. This competition is aimed to help students improve their English proficiency and have a journalistic experience to report on various issues in the medium of video.It is the third year that the English media outlet, under the main sponsorship of the ETS, creator of the TOEFL iBT® test, has hosted the English video contest for students across the nation. The competition is open to middle and high school students, undergraduates and graduates. Applicants can enter the contest either individually or in teams of up to three. Those attending schools in Korea can enter the competition, but students from countries using English as an official language are ineligible.As for a topic, applicants can choose any issue or subject they regard as newsworthy ― whether it is a person, social issue or personal experience.The video entries should be shorter than five minutes. Applicants should upload the video footage on YouTube by Aug. 15, and access https://

DAILY FORTUNE - JULY 01, 2022

UN Command to resume Panmunjom tour program amid eased COVID-19 curbs

The Armistice Talks Hall on the North Korean side of Panmunjom as seen in September 2018 / Courtesy of Jon DunbarTours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom will resume after months of suspension due to COVID-19, the U.N. Command (UNC) said Thursday.The UNC said it decided to restart the tours to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in line with the South's government continuing to ease antivirus restrictions. It did not specify when the tours will resume.The tours were last suspended in January due to a rise in infection cases.As an enforcer of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, the UNC oversees activities in the DMZ."The purpose of the UNC Commander's DMZ Education and Orientation Program is to increase public awareness of the security conditions on the Korean Peninsula and educate visitors on the terms of armistice that underpin peace and stability," the command said in a press release. (Yonhap)

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 30, 2022

Frieze Seoul unveils list of galleries, programs for upcoming inaugural edition

A visitor views a painting at this year's Frieze Los Angeles in February. The fair's inaugural Seoul edition will kick off in September at COEX in southern Seoul. Courtesy of Frieze By Park Han-solWith Seoul named as the first Asian host of the Frieze Art Fair, a prestigious global platform for modern and contemporary art, the organizer of Frieze Seoul unveiled a list of participating galleries and main programs for its inaugural edition in September, Wednesday.The four-day fair will kick off on Sept. 2 at COEX in southern Seoul, running alongside Korea's largest contemporary art fair, KIAF Seoul, via a five-year-long partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea.It is the fifth international fair launched by Frieze, following Frieze Los Angeles, Frieze New York, Frieze London and Frieze Masters.Some 110 major galleries from over 20 countries plan to take part in Frieze Seoul this year. The list includes globally established players like Perrotin, Pace Gallery

Korea to open beaches nationwide next month amid eased antivirus rules

Jeju island's Hamdeok Beach / Korea Times fileBeaches across Korea will formally open for the summer holiday season next month, and the government will enforce antivirus guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the oceans ministry said Wednesday.Around 261 out of 284 beaches nationwide are scheduled to welcome visitors starting on July 1, including 83 beaches in the eastern coastal areas of Gangwon Province, according to the ministry.The figure is slightly up from last year's 244.The government will put in place a set of basic quarantine rules, including a one-meter distance between parasols and tents and a mask mandate at indoor facilities.The number of vacationers is expected to rise this year, as the government has lifted most social distancing restrictions in a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life."Visitors are required to abide by the antivirus rules given the risk of virus resurgence. We will strengthen the management of facilities and try to space out visitors to ensure public safety," a ministry official said.Korea has seen a gradual decrease in COVID-19 cases since

Fully intact early Joseon-era dragon-shaped roof tile decorations excavated

Staff of the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage place a “geompa,” a hilt-shaped ornament, on top of a “chwidu,” a dragon-shaped ornamental roof tile, during a press conference at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Wednesday. The fully intact set of the roof tile decorations, which is believed to be for royal buildings in the early Joseon era, was excavated from the mudflats of coastal Taean, South Chungcheong Province. Yonhap By Kim RahnA dragon-shaped ornamental roof tile and a hilt-shaped ornament placed on top of it have been unearthed, the first excavation ever of a fully intact dragon-shaped roof tile decoration, according to the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage, Wednesday. A “chwidu” and “geompa” on the roof of Injeong Gate at Changdeok Palace in Seoul / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration

Mexican contemporary sculpture in dialogue with NMK's 'Aztecs' exhibition

Mexican artist Javier Marin's “Chalchihuites” is on display in front of the mirror pond at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan District in celebration of the museum's ongoing exhibition, “Aztecs.” Courtesy of NMKBy Park Han-solMexican artist Javier Marin's monumental sculpture, “Chalchihuites,” which represents pre-Hispanic and contemporary Mexico marked by the history of 16th-century Spanish conquest, was unveiled at the plaza of the National Museum of Korea (NMK) this week. The imposing piece created by sculptor Marin arrived in Seoul to be in dialogue with the museum's ongoing exhibition, “Aztecs.”“Chalchihuites” ― meaning “precious stone” in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs and the majority of the inhabitants of central Mexico before the Spanish conquest of the region ― consists of two monumental rings that are five meters wide in diameter, with hundreds of fragments of human figurines stitched together.The ring shape refers to a pictograph that remained significant in Mesoamerican icono

DAILY FORTUNE - JUNE 29, 2022