Kim Ah-young, director of the Center for Islamic Studies, often finds herself in the middle of a tug-of-war between Christianity and Islam. As a devout and open-minded Christian who seeks deeper understanding of Islam, her action is sometimes branded as “dovish” by hawkish Christians. Muslims don’t always find her stance convincing and trustworthy either, given centuries of hostility between th...

Lee Seung-hun’s career story is filled with failures. But when he looks back and adds all those failures up, Lee said, it equals success. He is now living his dream, working as a creature technical director at the world’s biggest special effects movie company, ILM, with his family in San Francisco. “Star Wars” producer George Lucas founded ILM, which is currently part of the Walt Disney Company....

Though the recent revision to an atomic energy pact with the U.S. allows South Korea’s study of pyroprocessing, the nascent technology will likely increase electricity costs while failing to reduce the stockpile of spent fuel here, a leading nuclear scientist has said. Under the amendment, Seoul secured Washington’s consent to carry out electroreduction, the first stage of pyroprocessing, which ...

Buying a McLaren vehicle is buying “technology and craftsmanship,” according to David Mclntyre, the newly appointed Asia-Pacific director of the British supercar maker. The “small” U.K.-based supercar maker is finally making inroads in the Korean market, having launched its first showroom in southern Seoul on Wednesday. McIntyre has long experience in Korea’s high-end auto import market. Until ...

Koo Kyo-seong has a lot on his mind these days. Whether riding his skateboard during lunch hour or sitting at his office desk surrounded by animated figurines, all Koo thinks about is how to make “MapleStory” more visually engaging and entertaining. As the chief concept artist for MapleStory, Nexon Korea’s fantasy adventure multiplayer online role-playing game, he is faced with the heavy burden...

In such a conglomerate-dominated Korean economy, small and medium-sized subcontractors and ventures cannot thrive without a healthy business-to-business payment system. Without one, the Asian financial crisis and the global financial crisis doomed countless SMEs to bankruptcy. “Most unfair practices in business come from inappropriate payment systems,” said Rha Moon-soo, president and chief exec...

Korea’s top agriculture policymaker has emphasized that the government would not further open its rice market, even when the nation participates in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership to establish a free trade zone among Pacific Rim countries. “Our government is firmly set on excluding rice from the TPP’s list of tariff concession,” said Lee Dong-phil, minister of agriculture, food and rural ...

Agriculture and information technology may seem far apart, but in fact the latest smart technology could help increase productivity in the primary sector, said the vice president of the world’s leading weather data agency. For centuries, farmers have depended on their empirical instinct in farming, but the so-called big data can help them make more efficient decisions by suggesting numbers and d...

After one live performance and just one email, the life of English teacher Micah Hein took a dramatic turn. A little over a year ago, the 24-year-old American theater major arrived in Korea ― traveling abroad for the first time ― to teach English through performing arts. Little did he know that in this alien country, he would realize his dream of becoming a professional actor and debut with a ti...

At a cozy restaurant in the multicultural district of Itaewon, Eid serves one of its staple dishes ― bibimbap, a bowl of rice mixed with red chili paste and a variety of vegetables. It is accompanied by side dishes of kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, salad and cabbage soup. The food may look like any other served at Korean restaurants nationwide. But it’s not. Eid cooks its meals, including samgy...

The hot-selling navigation app Kimgisa is going global with its Japanese launch planned for May. Industry watchers are paying keen attention to what will be the first export of Korea-made navigation software. Korea is an advanced market for mobile-based navigation apps. Locally developed software is more favored, while global services like Google Maps struggle to gain a footing. But even for Ko...

Benjamin Grosvenor is one of the rising stars in today’s international piano scene, but his playing is not like that of any of his contemporary competitors. Called by some the “Golden Age” pianist for his admiration of the 20th-century piano greats, the British musician has publicly displayed his disillusionment with how today’s piano virtuosi play. Benjamin Grosvenor (Decca/Sophie Wright) “Th...

With time running out for the aging sex slavery victims, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should sincerely atone for the so-called comfort women during World War II on the occasion of his scheduled high-profile speeches, a renowned Japanese scholar said. Haruki Wada, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, urged the ultraconservative premier to clearly display his commitment to the Japa...

As the machines hum in the background, drowning out the occasional chatter, workers cut fabric, sew and iron it at a suit factory in Guro-gu, western Seoul, a scene like any other manufacturing workshop in the industrial neighborhood. The difference here is that nearly half of the roughly 200 employees are disabled. While the employment choice may be unconventional, the work efficiency of his co...