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The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

SCMP
Asia

The Korea Times

Opinion

Columnists

Park Moo-jong

I don't 'face book'

"Thank God It's Friday” (TGIF). Today is the very day. But in this ever evolving time of Information Technology (IT), the hitherto popular phrase does not necessarily mean the jubilant expression of the people. Six years ago, I attended a dinner for the then visiting leader of a United Nations organization from Sierra Leon. It was Friday evening. One of the topics at the table was TGIF, naturally, Thank God It's Friday. The veteran African diplomat, however, shook his head meaning no. "TGIF" of today stands for Twitter, Google, Internet, Facebook," he said flatly, referring to the spreading ...

2017-09-21 16:54

Why don't you eat kimchi?

Kimchi, the undisputed traditional Korean side dish made from a variety of salted and fermented vegetables, has abruptly become an international topic of late, thanks to Chinese state-controlled newspaper. The topic derived from a Sept. 9 editorial of the Global Times, the sister paper of the state-run People's Daily, on the question of whether kimchi makes people stupid or not. In the editorial entitled "Korea won't be safe with THAAD deployment," the English-language newspaper said, "Korean conservatives have become stupid after eating too much kimchi."

2017-09-14 18:00

Too busy to take a breather?

Compared to people in other parts of the world, Koreans are so busy, even complaining, "I am so busy that I can't take a breather." As soon as a subway train arrives at a station, most of the passengers pour out from the doors, dash to the stairs and escalators as if they are sprinters on the track. Being busy means doing something quickly, quickly. Most of us today are consumed with speed. We work quickly, play quickly and eat fast food quickly. Let’s go onto streets. Many foreign residents and visitors say they feel they are risking their lives when driving in Seoul. Once Koreans take a se...

2017-09-07 17:40

Comedy-like tragedy

Just two years ago, I wrote a column, "Devil in disguise," about Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister (2006-2007) under the late President Roh Moo-hyun, who was convicted of having accepted bribes while in office and began to serve her two-year jail term.. I wrote that "there was a bizarre scene totally ridiculing the nation's law and order in front of the Seoul Detention House. About 150 people, including several lawmakers [from the then opposition party] were holding a ceremony to see off a convict going to prison, shouting Han Myeong-sook is innocent.'' At that time, Han was holding a...

2017-08-31 18:11

Ban on smoking while walking

Every New Year's Day, many people make various resolutions to do or not do something, mostly for their better health. On top of the self-promises is quitting smoking. But their ardent determination usually ends in three days, mostly. It is common sense today that lighting up is a deadly habit, causing “100 harmful effects and not a single good thing,” doing more harm than good.

2017-08-24 17:49

Smombie vs. Walking dead

Have you ever seen zombies walking in the streets or elsewhere? Excuse me? What a ridiculous and absurd question. No one has seen them except in horror films and “zombie walks,” because a zombie is a "fictional" dead person who has returned to life as a walking corpse.

2017-08-17 16:22

A dire need for 'Office of Tourism'

Incheon International Airport is full of hustle and bustle with the flocking of outbound summer holidaymakers. The number of tourists going abroad is continually increasing despite the alleged economic difficulties. The YOLO (You Only Live Once) Tribe's latest trend to enjoy today, a la "carpe diem," without worrying about tomorrow may be contributing to making the airport a hive of activity.

2017-08-10 17:51

'You only live once'

Forty-seven years ago, Kris Kristofferson wrote and composed "Help Me Make It Through the Night," an "immortal" country music ballad whose lyrics are somewhat erotic. The then 24-year-old American singer-songwriter, who was assigned to teach English literature at the West Point at the end of his military service but refused, sought for love: "Take the ribbon from your head..........let the devil take tomorrow. Lord, tonight I need a friend. Yesterday is dead and gone and tomorrow's out of sight. And it's sad to be alone. Help me make it through the night." Three years before Kris sang the so...

2017-08-03 16:55

Age-old debate on dog meat

Koreans are spending the hottest days of their lives for the first time since 1994, with the mercury soaring up to nearly 40 degrees Centigrade (104 F) in the ancient capital city of Gyeongju and 36 degrees C (96.8 F) in Seoul early this week. The sultry weather is usually described as "sambok deowi" or "heat wave during the period of three ("sam") Dog Days," which fall on July 12 ("chobok"), July 22 ("jungbok") and Aug. 11 ("malbok") this year. On the past two Dog Days of "chobok" and "jungbok," there were long queues of citizens in front of restaurants serving "samgye-tang" (boiled chicken...

2017-07-27 17:41

'Shut up and attack'

Park Sung-hyun thrilled not only her fellow Koreans but world golf fans by coming from behind to win the coveted 2017 U.S. Women's Open Championship on Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

2017-07-20 17:35

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