[Weekender] Nation revs up Jindo recovery

The government is gearing up to support the local economy of the Jindo area in South Jeolla Province, stricken by the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry in April. From openly calling attention to the local tourism situation, to providing new marketplaces for local farmers and vendors, authorities are pulling out all the stops to help local residents overcome economic hardship and secure their livelihoods. The central government has earmarked 1.7 billion won ($1.7 million) to compensate the fishin

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2014

[Weekender] High hopes for Pope Francis

Father You Heung-sik, bishop of the southern diocese of Daejeon, couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, would be traveling to his diocese to attend a gathering of some 2,000 young believers. “This is a miracle. What else can I say?” said the priest who wrote to the pontiff several times to invite him to the sixth Asian Youth Day. No pope has ever attended the event. He believes that it was God’s will that the pope, reve

CultureAug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine birthplace of Korean Catholics

Pope Francis is to visit Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine before presiding over the beatification Mass in Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 16. Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine occupies a central place in the history of Catholicism in Korea. During the 19th century, an estimated 10,000 Catholics were martyred across the country as a crackdown on Catholicism intensified amid power struggles, foreign intervention, and ideological conflict that put the converts at odds with the reigning Joseon state. Many Catholics who w

CultureAug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] In search of the roots of Korean Catholicism

DANGJIN, South Chungcheong Province ― Excitement over the pope’s visit prevails in South Chungcheong Province, with welcome placards hung at entrances of rural towns. Nestled in South Korea’s central region along the west coast, the province is usually not the most-visited tourist destination for Korean or foreign tourists. “We’ve never had a VIP guest like Pope Francis visit the region and I don’t think we ever will in the future,” said Kim Jeong-gyum, director of the culture and tourism divisi

TravelAug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Korea awaits ‘people’s pope’

Last year, a 6-year-old boy in a yellow shirt wandered up on the stage during Pope Francis’ address to the large crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The boy sat on the pope’s chair and hung out on the stage. He then clung onto the pope’s legs and refused to leave, even after promises of candy or cardinals’ other efforts to escort him away. The pope patted the boy’s head and gave him a generous smile as he delivered his speech. It was just another account of what Pope Francis is known fo

CultureAug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] Police tighten security ahead of papal visit

Korea is beefing up security ahead of next week’s visit by Pope Francis, as it prepares to escort the Catholic leader while tens of thousands of people are expected to tail his every move. But the pope’s insistence on keeping the distance between him and ordinary people as small as possible will prove challenging for security officials.Despite being one of the most high-profile religious leaders in the world, the famously frugal pope has rejected the use of a bulletproof car, opting instead for

CultureAug. 8, 2014

[Weekender] China’s rising clout in Korea

Around B.C. 300, a Chinese widow moved house three times in search of a better place to raise her son. Living beside a cemetery, the child mimicked funeral rites. Near a marketplace, he imitated merchants. Then the mother settled on a house close to a school, where the boy was influenced by literati, soon perfected the Six Arts and became a Confucian sage. Throughout history, the tale of the mother of Mencius has served as a model for devotion to education and strict parenting in neighboring Kor

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Seoul, Beijing set for further economic integration

Once foes and now friends, South Korea and China have become closer than ever, with bilateral trade increasing rapidly.Korea’s shopping districts and tourist sites ― notably Myeong-dong in Seoul and Jejudo Island ― are filled with Chinese-speaking guides and banners welcoming the largest group of visitors to the country, who are helping Korea reduce its prolonged services deficit. Some 4.3 million Chinese visited Korea last year, and the Korea Tourism Organization expects 5 million this year.Mor

Aug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Uncertainties linger over future Korea-China relations

South Korea and China have made remarkable progress in their economic, cultural and social relations since the opening of their diplomatic ties 22 years ago, with their trade volume, bilateral tourism and people-to-people exchanges on a steady rise.But uncertainty lingers over how the relationship between the former Cold War foes will evolve amid shifts in the regional security landscape that were triggered mainly by China’s reemergence as a major power in the Asia-Pacific.Geostrategic and secur

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Incheon’s 100 years of Chinese diaspora

On the busy streets of Korea’s biggest Chinatown in Incheon stands Gonghwachun, one of the most popular Chinese restaurants among tourists to the area. “We hold pride in our 100-year history,” its sign reads.Not many are aware that the large, four-story restaurant ― inauthentically decorated with red panels and paintings of dragons ― is in fact owned by a Korean, and has no direct link to the original Gongwhachun (1912-1983), the legendary restaurant considered to be the first in Korea to offer

Social AffairsAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Bound by history, cultural, social ties evolve

Stretching back two millennia, the two countries’ deeply interwoven cultural and social relations have evolved from a geohistorical, Confucianism-based bond into a mutually beneficial partnership. Though China remains a leading player in Asia’s cultural industry, region, Korea’s soft power has grown sharply in recent years thanks to the high popularity of its pop music and dramas. The influence of the world’s second-largest economy in Korea’s industry and society has prompted soaring numbers of

Foreign AffairsAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Calendar

Pop musicIncheon Pentaport Rock Festival: The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a three-day rock music fest, is one of the nation’s most popular summer music events. This year’s edition will include performances by popular English psychedelic-rock band Kasabian, Travis, Boys Like Girls and more to be announced soon. The festival will also include performances by a wide range of local bands including Dear Cloud, PIA and Romantic Punch. In its eight-year history, Pentaport has hosted interna

CultureAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Box Office

The Pirates (Korea)Opening August 6Adventure, Action. Directed by Lee Seok-hoon“The Pirates” takes place on a pirate ship, and tells the story of a royal seal that went missing early in the Joseon era (1392-1910). Based on the true story of a missing seal, the movie fuses history and imagination in recounting the search for the artifact. The searches are conducted by a group of bandits headed by Jang Sa-jung (Kim Nam-gil), a group of pirates headed by Yeo-wol (Son Ye-jin), and government officia

FilmAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] Around the hotel

Seasonal summer menu at Renaissance Seoul Hotel Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Japanese restaurant Irodori is offering a summer seasonal food promotion until Aug. 31. Featured on the menu are the River Eel special and Spicy Croaker set, both priced at 120,000 won. The River Eel special includes broiled river eel with steamed rice, clear soup, river eel sushi and tomato soba noodles. The Spicy Croaker set, Irodori’s signature item, includes broiled eel, spicy croaker soup and steamed rice. The appetiz

FoodAug. 1, 2014

[Weekender] End of privacy

Shortly after the Sewol ferry sank in April, South Korean authorities hurriedly combed the messages and photos stored in the victims’ Kakao Talk chats to learn more about the tragic sinking.One might wonder how such a probe was made possible, given that the victims were still missing. The fact was that Kakao Talk stores users’ private messages for about a week on its own server. Through a search warrant, the police could scrutinize private messages. The implication is, if anything, unnerving. Mo

TechnologyJuly 25, 2014

[Weekender] Poor cybersecurity plagues Koreans

In July 2011, a hacking attack on SK Communications, operator of the once-popular social media site Cyworld, resulted in a data leakage involving over 35 million people. It marked the largest theft of personal data in the history of the world’s most wired country.Three years on and some half a dozen cyberattacks later, cybersecurity experts say that virtually any Korean who sign on to a website, has a credit card or plays an online game should be aware of a scary fact: their personal data is act

TechnologyJuly 25, 2014

[Weekender] Korea faces digital footprint dilemma

On Wednesday, South Korean consumer rights activists filed a lawsuit at a Seoul court demanding that Google Korea disclose whether the IT behemoth shared its users’ personal data with outside parties.The suit follows a January government fine of 200 million won ($195,000) levied on Google for collecting personal information such as Internet IDs, passwords, and resident registration numbers.The suit is also in line with a global trend that has landed in South Korea in recent years: protection of

TechnologyJuly 25, 2014

[Weekender] Privacy in peril amid prevalence of social media

For Jang Mi-na, a 21-year-old college student in Seoul, Facebook used to be an integral part of her life: She used it to record her daily experiences, communicate with her friends and acquaintances, and stay informed about what they were up to.But the social networking service became a source of privacy fears when she found out three years ago that a stalker was frequenting her account to keep track of her whereabouts and what she was doing. “I was flabbergasted when a stalker came to meet me af

Social AffairsJuly 25, 2014

[Weekender] ‘Joint efforts needed for data protection’

Social media is an important digital platform to build social networks and share activities. According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, around 55 percent of South Koreans used social media in 2013, and the number is expected to rise this year. With more personal information being exposed online, however, experts are voicing concerns about privacy issues. They say digitalized personal information can be a target for hackers or criminals, who attempt to take advantage of such data. “South

TechnologyJuly 25, 2014

[Weekender] Box Office

Roaring Currents (Korea)Opening July 30Action, Drama. Directed by Kim Han-min“Roaring Currents” is a story about Yi Sun-sin, the most revered admiral in Korean history. The film focuses on the historic 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), in which Yi, played by veteran actor Choi Min-sik, uses strategy to destroy 133 Japanese warships with only 12 ships under his command. This battle is regarded as one of Yi’s greatest victories. Director Kim Han-min retu

FilmJuly 25, 2014