Lifestyle

DAILY FORTUNE - OCTOBER 19, 2021

Nearly 90 cities, counties in danger of extinction due to population decrease

gettyimagesbankNearly 90 small cities and counties that are in danger of extinction due to population decrease have been designated as "depopulation areas" for intensive support from the central government, the interior ministry said Monday.The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that it has designated 89 cities, counties and wards across the country as depopulation areas and a relevant public notice is to take effect Tuesday.The government plans to provide intensive administrative and financial support to help the concerned areas escape from their crisis of extinction, the ministry said.It is the first time for the nation to declare specific regions in danger of becoming extinct due to population decline. South Korea has been struggling with a steady decline in childbirths and the overcrowded capital region, which have left many non-capital regions struggling to overcome depopulation.The designation of depopulation areas came after the Special Act on Balanced National Development was revised late last year and its enforcement decree was amended in June.The government-designated

Major tour agencies forecast to swing to profit in 2022

Surfers carry their boards as they watch a sunset at Kuta beach, Bali, Indonesia, Oct. 14. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's major travel agencies are expected to recover from the prolonged fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and swing to a profit in 2022 on growing demand for overseas travel, a market tracker said Monday.Local brokerage houses have projected that industry leader HanaTour could register a consolidated operating income of 3.9 billion won ($33 million) in the coming year, a sharp turnaround from an operating loss of 114.9 billion won last year, according to financial information provider FnGuide.In the first half of this year alone, HanaTour posted an operating loss of 65.6 billion won. The company chalked up an operating income of 5.9 billion won in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.Riders take picture of each other at the beach of the Baltic Sea in Scharbeutz, northern Germany, Oct.17. AP-YonhapRunner-up Mode Tour is also projected to record an operating income of 200 million won next year, compared with an operating loss of 10.5 billion won in the first half of this year.Yellow B

Busan's Ilgwang Beach becomes outdoor art gallery

“Narratives from the Hadal Zone” (2021) by Kim Kyung-hwa / Courtesy of the artist and Busan Biennale Organizing CommitteeBy Park Han-solIlgwang Beach in Busan, one of the many popular tourist attractions in the southern port city, was transformed into an outdoor art gallery, Saturday, as part of the month-long Sea Art Festival 2021.This year's event, curated by artistic director Ritika Biswas from India, has invited 36 artists from here and abroad to present 22 pieces exploring the timely theme of “Non-/Human Assemblages” ― the fluid interrelations among the human agents and non-human sea and its ecosystems.This is the first time that Ilgwang Beach has been selected as the site for the Sea Art Festival, which has previously been held in better-known and commercial locations, including Haeundae, Gwangalli and Dadaepo beaches, since its founding in 1987.The artworks are dotted not only along the sandy beach's coastline, but also scattered throughout various facilities within the surrounding fishing village and town to better represent the core message of the eve

'Squid Game' draws attention to Jeju Island

Actress Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok in Netflix original series "Squid Game" / Courtesy of NetflixBy Nam Hyun-wooThe popularity of Netflix's original series “Squid Game” is pushing up global audiences' awareness of Jeju Island, after a brief reference to the scenic island during an episode of the Korean drama series. According to Google, the Google Trends global score of keyword search for “Jeju Island” for the period of Oct. 3 to 9 stood at 100, which is the highest in the 0-100 scale scoring system showing interest in a keyword in a specific time range. “Jeju” on its own also scored 100 during the same period.The score for “Jeju Island” had been moving between 10 and 25 from January to early September this year, but it spiked up after “Squid Game” was released on Sept. 17. The score was 43 for Sept. 19-25, 90 for Sept. 26―Oct. 2 and 100 for the Oct. 3-9 period. It declined slightly to 92 during the period of Oct. 10-16.Google Trends showed that related keywords to Jeju Island were “Squid Game,” “Squid G

Korean picture books win international illustration awards

The covers of Lee Myung-ae's “Tomorrow Will Be a Sunny Day,” left, and Kim Hyo-eun's “I am the Subway” / Courtesy of Munhakdongne PublishingBy Park Han-solTwo critically-acclaimed Korean picture books ― Lee Myung-ae's “Tomorrow Will Be a Sunny Day” and Kim Hyo-eun's “I am the Subway” ― have been named as the winners of this year's major international illustration awards, their publisher Munhakdongne announced Friday.Lee's “Tomorrow Will Be a Sunny Day” received the Golden Apple prize at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) in Slovakia, an event held with the support of UNESCO and the International Board on Books for Young People.It remains one of the most prestigious awards for children's book illustrations since 1967, along with the Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.Published in January of last year, Lee's picture book follows constantly-changing yellow shapes, which form a bus stop on one page, a crosswalk on the next and later, waves lapping on the shore. Through such a rhythmic mix of i

DAILY FORTUNE - OCTOBER 18, 2021

'Art transcends race': Paris Opera Ballet's first Asian etoile ballerina

Park Sae-eun / Korea Times fileWhen Park Sae-eun auditioned for the world's oldest ballet institution, her Paris hotel room was so small she could not fully stretch her legs.A decade later the South Korean has become the first Asian ballerina to reach the top "etoile" ― or "star" ― rank in the Paris Opera Ballet's 352-year history. The 31-year-old's promotion came as the world of elite classical ballet faces growing calls for diversity and inclusion.She is one of only two current foreign-born etoiles at the renowned company, defying years of different training, a language barrier, injury and the POB's notorious competitive exams, which determine all but the highest promotions through its rigid five-rank hierarchy. "I believe that art ― not just dance ― transcends nationality and race," Park told AFP."I became the first Asian ballerina to be an etoile and it's very much become a talking point, but I think of it as something that's very natural."A Seoul native, Park trained in Russia's "Vaganova" ballet method ― which emphasizes soulful expression, strength and flexibility ― in South K

Craft beer market sees big growth potential in Korea

gettyimagesbankBeer has long been a key ingredient of mixed drinks in South Korea, but changing appetites and the extended coronavirus pandemic have turned consumers toward diverse and unique flavors of craft beer.Craft beer sales are on the rise, as a growing number of people work from home due to social distancing, and those people increasingly prefer more diverse and tasty beers to existing mass-marketed lagers and ales. "Before the pandemic, I used to go to bars to have beer with my clients or friends after work. I recently found craft beer tasty and came to enjoy a diverse range of craft beer at my place," Uni Park, a 32-year-old exhibition planner in Seoul, said.During the past 1 1/2 years, some young people aged between 24-35 years have created a culture of enjoying craft beer purchased at convenience stores while watching Netflix movies and series at their homes, Kim Jin-man, a general manager at the Korea Craft Brewers Association (KCBA), said."Imported beer brands became popular in 2015 and 2016, as they provided ale and other diverse beer products. But in recent years, peo

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook's quest to seek hidden beauty through photography

“Face 16” (2013) by Park Chan-wook / Courtesy of the artist and Kukje GalleryBy Park Han-solBUSAN ― During an evening walk in Morocco in 2013, filmmaker Park Chan-wook came across a cluster of white parasols in a hotel restaurant, waiting silently for the next batch of customers with a ghostly presence. “I felt like I could almost hear their murmurs and whispers when the night fell,” he said. This chance encounter was enough of a reason for him to stop everything else, take out a camera and immortalize that moment in a still frame.Titled “Face 16,” the piece is one of many photographic works created over two decades by the film director, who is known for cinematic masterpieces like “Oldboy” (2003), “Lady Vengeance” (2005) and “The Handmaiden” (2016), and are now on display at his first solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery Busan.Filmmaker Park Chan-wook at his first solo gallery exhibition, “Your Faces,” devoted to his photographic works / Courtesy of Kukje GalleryInside the gallery, not far from the paras