In spite of government effort, many working men and women still struggle to juggle it allEvent planner and publicist Kim Su-min loves her job, which involves organizing an upcoming science-themed international event in South Jeolla Province. Her office is in Seoul, but she doesn’t mind the long commute almost every day ― in spite of the fact that she is nine-months pregnant and works 12 hours a day.“I love my job ― I just can’t see myself being a housewife,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “But it’s

Social Affairs May 4, 2012

Taste of Money (Korea), Opening May 17Drama. Directed by Im Sang-soo. Ruthless chaebol woman Geum-ok (Yoon Yeo-jeong) lives with her aloof husband, daughter, and ambitious secretary Young-jak (Kim Kang-woo). Guem-ok strictly believes money is the solution for everything, and doesn’t feel guilty when she commits immoral and corrupt deeds with her business. Young-jak does all the dirty work for her, while she keeps her name clean. Meanwhile, Nami (Kim Hyo-jin), Geum-ok’s only daughter who despises

Film May 4, 2012

For years, Kindred and Meredith Howard talked about adopting a toddler.There was never a real deadline to accomplish their goal but “one day,” they told themselves. Then in the winter of 2010, years after their own three children entered the world, their conversation seemed to intensify. Even then, the only thing they knew for sure was, well, no diapers.“Been there, done that three times,” is how the couple put it.But by the end of that year, after an email from an adoption agency and much resea

Film May 4, 2012

iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming its Hold on UsBy Larry D. Rosen(Palgrave/Macmillan)No matter where we go ― to a restaurant, a movie, a public restroom, and yes, even a funeral ― people are seen clutching and using a slim device that allows them to do just about anything they can do from an Internet-enabled computer at home. Who hasn’t attended a so-called business meeting in which every person is staring at a MacBookPro and talking on a cellphone simultaneou

Books May 4, 2012

In a UCLA classroom one day not long ago, Alain Mabanckou was teaching a course in post-colonial African fiction, which he instructs in his French mother tongue, one of several languages he speaks.With his easygoing yet focused manner, soccer player’s graceful body language and a way funkier fashion sense than the average college don, the 46-year-old Mabanckou kept his students’ attention, framing moral quandaries for them to consider and regaling them with technical explanations of an African a

Books May 4, 2012

Theresa Hyun delves into the ordinary lives of Korean peopleImagine writing poetry in a foreign language, and translating it back into your mother tongue.That’s what American scholar Theresa Hyun has done. The French, English and Korean-speaking professor, who had lived in Seoul from the early 1980s to 1992, recently published her first bilingual collection of poems, titled “A Cup of Tea at P’anmunjom (DMZ).”“Mostly I wrote about the things that I experienced living in Korea,” Hyun told The Kore

Books May 4, 2012

Coffee should be as dark as hell, as strong as death and as sweet as love.It’s no wonder this famous coffee-themed proverb is from Turkey. After all, the world’s first coffeehouse was established in the 17th century Istanbul, during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman sultans’ love for coffee was notorious; they had at least six maids serving the beverage, using some of the most expensive burners, pots and cups ― all made of silver and diamonds.The lavish coffee-drinking culture is just

Performance May 3, 2012

S.M. idol-documentary ‘I AM’ opening  in theaters in MayEver wondered what it takes to be BoA or a member of Girls’ Generation?Expect to spend at least seven to eight years training before making your debut. Forget hanging out with your friends ― you go straight to singing lessons right after school. And if you are not from Seoul, where the vocal and dance training take place, you may have to live away from your family, even if you are only a fifth grader. Korea’s major K-pop and talent agency S

Film May 1, 2012

French office worker wins the grand prize of 2012 CICI ‘Communicating Korea’ contestA Russian-born woman who described her experience living with her Korean in-laws, a Frenchman who criticized Korea’s hierarchical work culture, and a Chinese student who commented on Korea’s dating culture were among the winners of a communication-themed speech contest Saturday.Twenty finalists of the 2012 CICI “Communication Korea” speech contest shared their personal views on a diverse range of subjects regardi

Culture April 29, 2012

Opening May 3Drama. Directed by Moon Hyeon-seong. It is 1991, and South Korean ping pong star Hyun Jung-hwa (Ha Ji-won) is excited about the upcoming World Championships, until she gets surprising news -- she’ll be teamed up with North Korean player Lee Boon-hee (Bae Doo-na) for the women’s doubles. The film is based on the true story of Korea’s first-ever unified Korean ping pong team. Hyun and Lee duo won the gold medal against all odds at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships.Korea (As On

Film April 27, 2012

The image of Edgar Allan Poe passed down to us is that of a dour, pale and morbid drunkard, a poet haunted by lovers who died in his arms. But he was also a playful wordsmith, an eviscerating critic, a man fascinated by cryptography (codes) and fond of dissections.That’s the Poe of “The Raven,” a fanciful, witty and suspenseful revision of Poe’s last days that is more entertaining than it has any right to be.Poe wore his hair a little long, and a mustache. But John Cusack gives America’s first g

Film April 27, 2012

Simply Delicious One Course MealsBy Kye Kim (Recipe anecdotes contributed by Michelle Kim Vaughan)(Bookhouse Publishers)Living in a city with hot eateries and restaurants, cooking at home may not be appealing to busy Seoulites. But author Kye Kim’s newly published bilingual book, “Simply Delicious One Course Meals,” introduces easy ways to cook the dishes you love when eating out ― such as jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce), sushi rolls and shabu shabu.Kim, who wrote two books on food p

Books April 27, 2012

Edward Humes is a man of eclectic storytelling tastes. A former journalist awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for a series of stories he wrote for the Orange County Register on the military establishment in Southern California, Humes has written 11 nonfiction books on subjects including how the GI Bill transformed the American Dream, Southern justice and the Dixie Mafia, and the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles County. His latest book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash” (Avery: 27

Books April 27, 2012

Five Korean films to be presented at upcoming film festival“The King of Pigs,” director Yeun Sang-ho’s feature debut from last year, has been invited to the upcoming Cannes film festival ― becoming the first Korean animated film to be featured at the event. The organizers of the film festival on Tuesday unveiled the full line-up of the Director’s Fortnight sidebar. Yeun’s film “The King of Pigs,” and director Hur Jin-ho’s latest work “Dangerous Liaisons” were among the 21 films selected for the

Film April 26, 2012

Hallyu star returns  as Storm Shadow  in ‘G.I. Joe 2’Shooting his second Hollywood film required a number of things of actor Lee Byung-hun, including mastering every script line in a perfect American accent and getting used to the extremely strict shooting schedule.The hallyu megastar is returning as the famously heroic “Storm Shadow” character in his upcoming sci-fi film “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” which is a sequel to the 2009 picture “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.”“In Korea, things can be flexibl

Film April 25, 2012