[Weekender] Concerns persist over content fairness

Three years after the four general programming cable channels were launched, concerns remain over the fairness and objectivity of their broadcasting content.With a large proportion of their broadcasting time set aside for news reporting primarily on domestic political affairs, the conservative channels have churned out discourses that mostly represent the right-leaning social, political circles, critics argue.The four channels ― TV Chosun, Channel A, JTBC and MBN ― are run by the country’s top c

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2014

[Weekender] French celebrity finds success on cable TV

The increase in cable television networks in South Korea has given rise to an array of new personalities, including ones from other countries. Among them is Robin Deiana, a French national with Italian ancestry who has made Korea his second home.Known among Korean fans by his first name, Deiana is best known as a panelist on the popular JTBC show “Nonsummit,” a program featuring expats living in Korea. The panel discusses Korean issues such as filial piety, education and dating from foreign pers

TelevisionDec. 19, 2014

[Weekender] Thinking outside the box

Chun Mi-jin, 36, who lives in an apartment complex with more than 1,000 households in western Seoul, has recently teamed up with a friend to buy a house.They bought a small, 30-year-old detached house with three bedrooms, located in Yeonhui-dong neighboring Yonsei University, for 550 million won ($499,600) to build a new home. “My friend and I made the joint investment to achieve our long-awaited dream ― return to Yeonhui-dong where we grew up. We are going to demolish the old house and build a

IndustryDec. 12, 2014

[Weekender] ‘Where we live defines us’

A box-shaped apartment complex has been a dominant housing option for Koreans for decades. The government has encouraged the development of such complexes, considering them as the most efficient type of housing to accommodate a large number of people in the country given its limited land. The popularity of apartments has was the most profitable investment tool in Korea until the housing market bubble bust, hit by the global economic downturn in 2008.Against this backdrop, with the demand for a b

Arts & DesignDec. 12, 2014

[Weekender] ‘HOUSHOW’ brings dream houses to life

The Association of Young Architects launched the HOUSHOW initiative, a dream house-building project, in 2012. For the first project, it selected six candidates among 80 applicants and then met with them in person to discuss the design of their dream house. As a gift, the project offered them a floor plan, a perspective drawing and a model so that they could build the actual house one day. Below is the brief introduction of four such houses.01. Raon HausA couple in their early 40s with two young

Arts & DesignDec. 12, 2014

[Weekender] Share homes appeal to single urban dwellers

To modern urban single dwellers, other people’s company is often readily given up for the sake of privacy, but this privacy easily turns to solitude, a sense of being cut off from the rest of the world.“What if there were a loose boundary zone between myself and the outside world?” is a question that a group of young architects have started to ask themselves recently.Eventually, they zeroed in on the concept of a share house ― an idea that has evolved from the conventional format of just sharing

Dec. 12, 2014

[Weekender] Townhouses gain popularity beyond retirees

Kim Won-sik, a 59-year-old Seoulite, is looking to move away from apartment living ahead of retirement next year. Like many other retirees, Kim also has a dream of spending the rest of his life in a house with natural surroundings and with a small yard where he can grow vegetables. However, making the decision to move to the suburbs was not easy, as he would have to give up all the amenities and conveniences he enjoyed here in Seoul as well as his relatives and friends.“As an alternative to movi

IndustryDec. 12, 2014

[Weekender] Korea, ASEAN to mark 25 years of ties

Marking their 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Korea and ASEAN are poised to formulate a vision for their future partnership at a summit in Busan next week. President Park Geun-hye will host the leaders of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ― Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ― during the meeting scheduled for Dec. 11-12. President Park Geun-hyeThe 11 heads of state are expected to review

Foreign AffairsDec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] ASEAN key figures

Foreign AffairsDec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] ‘ASEAN integration offers lessons to Northeast Asia’

With ASEAN gearing up for political, economic and social integration, the envisioned community will provide crucial lessons to Northeast Asia, which is struggling to build trust in the face of historical and territorial animosities, according to the chief of the ASEAN-Korea Center. Chung Hae-moon also forecast that next week’s summit in Busan would help relations between Korea and ASEAN evolve into a more substantive and robust partnership at the regional and global levels. “After 25 years of mu

Foreign AffairsDec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Korean Wave continues to make splash in ASEAN

Following the advent of Psy and his global hit song “Gangnam Style,” K-pop gained an unprecedented level of international attention, encouraging government and local music firms to continue their efforts to export K-pop. With geographical closeness facilitating cultural exchanges between Korea and ASEAN nations, hardcore fandoms of Korean music, movies and dramas ― referred to as hallyu, or the Korean Wave ― have sprung up. Idol stars ― from rookie groups to big-time acts like Big Bang or Girls’

Dec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] ASEAN, a close yet underused market for Korea

Located between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean and embracing over 600 million people, the Association of South East Asian Nations is a highly dynamic market with excellent growth potential.While Korea’s trade with conventional partners, such as the United States, European Union and Japan has slowed, ASEAN has been South Korea’s second-largest export destination since 2011, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of export increase rate, it outpaced the United St

Dec. 5, 2014

[Weekender] Overseas shopping one click away

Lee Jeong-kyu, a 65-year-old pensioner, recently bought a Barbour waxed jacket, a hot-selling fashion item in Korea, on a U.K. online shopping site. “The price was 20 to 30 percent cheaper than in Korea. Free shipping was also available,” he said. “Among other things, it’s great to feel like a young trend-setter because overseas shopping was unthinkable when I was young.”In the era of one-click Internet shopping, Korean customers are flocking to global online shopping sites. For cheaper deals, t

IndustryNov. 28, 2014

[Weekender] Bargain hunting overseas changes local retail landscape

Forget city traffic and the shortage of parking spaces in shopping areas. More South Koreans are shopping on overseas e-commerce sites, with products ranging from simple fashion items to appliances.The so-called “jikgu-jok” — a tribe of shoppers buying goods directly on foreign websites — is growing rapidly here, as more people seek to dodge local retailers’ high markups on imported goods and have a wider range of choice.Jikgu-jok calls themselves “smart consumers.” They claim they pay less for

IndustryNov. 28, 2014

[Weekender] Korean retailers offer bargains to compete with Amazon on Black Friday

South Korean retailers are offering Black Friday bargains to lure local consumers who are buying Samsung TVs and foreign goods overseas with just the click of a mouse.Local department stores and e-commerce sites have launched sales ― with up to 60 percent off ― ahead of U.S. retail sales on Friday, challenged by the increasing popularity of direct-buying at foreign e-commerce sites. “Many retailers are afraid of losing young consumers, who go to U.S. websites to buy Samsung and LG’s electronic d

IndustryNov. 28, 2014

[Weekender] Asian shoppers flock to Korean online shops

When Connie Pang, 33, wanted to buy Korean cosmetics, she had only two options until a decade ago: Taking a four-hour flight to Korea or buying overpriced imports.Now, things have changed. The Chinese office worker simply turns to Korean online shopping malls to buy Korean items ranging from clothing to home appliances. It saves her both time and money, she said.“I visit Korean Web stores whenever I need Korean goods. It is much cheaper, even considering the overseas shipping fees and tariffs,”

IndustryNov. 28, 2014

[Weekender] How design affects our lives

A couple asked architect Cho Min-suk to build “the most unique house in the world” in the scenic area of Heyri in Paju, a town near the border with North Korea. The couple believed that the design of their house would affect their children’s behavior and thinking. “The couple told me they didn’t want their kids to grow up in a thicket of identical-looking box-like apartments and look at the same views as others,” said Cho at the press preview of his architecture exhibition on Tuesday. Experts sa

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014

[Weekender] Master of mini foods weaves design with fun

Sitting at a dinner table with strangers, it is often hard to avoid the awkward silence.You try to think of what to say but you are not sure what would be appropriate. This is when you turn to the one thing that is always safe as an ice breaker ― food.Everybody is interested in food. Food is the universal medium of communication.Peter Callahan, who is participating as a speaker at the Herald Design Forum that opens on Nov. 26, made his name as a food stylist by reinventing food into a fabulous m

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014

[Weekender] Food packaging evolves as imagination meets science

This is the sixth in a series that examines the expanding role of design in the run-up to the Herald Design Forum 2014 on Nov. 26. ― Ed.“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works,” said Steve Jobs as he gave a new lease of life to ailing Apple Inc. by transplanting design into its heart.Had its purpose been merely artistic inspiration, design would have remained a subcategory of art.Design, however, plays a functional role in association with products and even

Arts & DesignNov. 21, 2014