[Herald Interview] ‘CSR is crucial to sustainable growth’

Korean companies need to take a strategic approach to their corporate social responsibility-related activities to link them to sustainable growth for the company, the head of a global CSR strategy consultancy said. “CSR is not a matter of how enterprises spend their money. It’s about how they earn money,” Lee Yoon-suk, founder and CEO of InnoCSR Group, said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.Lee, 36, emphasized the high correlation between a company’s CSR and sustainable growth.“Compani

IndustryJan. 1, 2015

[Herald Interview] The mind behind ‘Pop Danthology’

From the humorously trend-setting era of hammer pants to the present day hip-hop infused electro-psychedelic pop, the music world is certainly no stranger to the constantly changing and ever-so-inventive modern fads and phases. Much thanks to YouTube, technological innovation and sheer musical genius, the art of mash-ups is becoming one of the hottest trends in the music industry today. The 2012 Hollywood blockbuster “Pitch Perfect” helped rocket song mashing into the global, mainstream limeligh

PerformanceDec. 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Intercountry adoption must be last resort’

In 2012, the South Korean government established the Korea Adoption Services upon revising its adoption law, which stipulated that infants could not be put up for adoption without their births being registered.After two years as the agency’s first president, Shin On-han is even more determined to bring changes the nation’s adoption policies, as well as to improve the services for Korean overseas adoptees who wish to find their birth parents.“We believe transnational adoption should be a last res

Social AffairsDec. 22, 2014

[Herald Interview] Curative powers of the novel

Can the perplexed teenager Holden Caulfield in “The Catcher in the Rye” or the Finch siblings in “To Kill a Mocking Bird” or the scandalous Anna Karenina of the eponymous novel help people cope with mental or emotional problems?The answer is yes for the bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, who believe that suitable fiction can heal, inspire and transform readers and provide new life perspectives. Bibliotherapists prescribe novels instead of medicine or counseling to cure life’s ail

BooksDec. 22, 2014

[Herald Interview] Craftsmanship behind Joseon woodblocks

Kim Gak-han has spent most of his life working with wood, from cabinetmaking to carving ancient texts and drawing on wood plates.“Now that I think about it, I think I was destined to do it,” the craftsman said in his Seoul studio, which was filled with wood plates of different sizes alongside countless handmade cutting tools and chisels. “One beauty of engraving is that you can’t think about anything else while you are doing it. It requires your full attention and there is something therapeutic

CultureDec. 21, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Time to nurture game changers in sports industry’

Korea has become a sports powerhouse in terms of athletes’ performance, but it has made little progress in cultivating the sports industry. “The nation’s sports industry is still in an infant stage. Most firms in this sector (except a small pool of conglomerates) suffer from a lack of strategy and resources,” Choi Joon-seo, a professor of the sports industry and management department at Hanyang University, said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. He pointed out the local industry’s stru

IndustryDec. 21, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Dutch education fosters open-mindedness’

Leo Chung, chief representative officer at Nuffic Neso Korea, says his biggest goal was to get Korean students interested in Dutch education. But just as importantly, he wants students to understand exactly what they are getting into.What Dutch education can offer is a system that helps students to work through independent thinking, according to the head of the nonprofit organization, who is promoting Dutch education in Korea. Chung said academics in the Netherlands “challenge students to challe

Social AffairsDec. 18, 2014

[Herald Interview] Preserving family traditions in 21st century

ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― In his beautiful old “hanok” property in a famous traditional village, there is a shrine to Lee Pang-soo’s distinguished ancestor Lee Sang-jeong. Every morning, the 64-year-old pays respect to his ancestor ― a prominent 18th century scholar ― before leaving the house. He does the same when he returns home at night. The two visits are his daily rituals and delight.“It gives me peace of mind,” Lee said. “It feels like I am being disciplined to be a better person

CultureDec. 17, 2014

[Herald Interview] Bringing Joseon treasure to light

ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― Scholar Lim No-jig was born in Andong, home to hundreds of “jongga” ― the prestigious households descended from distinguished Joseon-era scholars through the eldest son of each generation.“Although I wasn’t a member of a jongga family, I certainly benefited from the region’s rich culture, which is heavily influenced by Joseon’s Confucianism and ethics,” Lim said during an interview with The Korea Herald in his hometown. The scholar heads the Woodblock Research

CultureDec. 17, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Daydreaming key to creativity’

 It was never easy for Lee Jun to become a professional comic artist.Without proper training or money to hire assistants, he had to master the skills of drawing and storytelling on his own.Lee dropped out of college, but kept his job as an office worker not only to make ends meet but also to realize his lifelong dream.“It was never easy to create webtoons,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald.A self portrait by Lee Jun“I only rested for half a day during the week and spent all my time

TechnologyDec. 17, 2014

[Herald Interview] WeMakePrice eyes Chinese market

WeMakePrice, Korea’s most visited deal-of-the-day website, is now eyeing a bigger, more promising market: China. “We are currently operating a beta site and observing the outcome. We won’t make haste in advancing into the global market, but when the time is ripe, we won’t hesitate,” Park Eun-sang, CEO of the social commerce company, told The Korea Herald in his first media interview. The company recently adopted Alipay, the third-party online payment solution developed by Chinese retail giant Al

IndustryDec. 16, 2014

[Herald Interview] Behind magic moments of ‘Once’

Kim Mun-jeong can’t forget the day when the set, props and lights all came together onstage for the Korean production of the musical “Once.” The set was a rustic Irish pub, with walls covered with tiny lamps and mirrors of varying size and shape. “Other than the mirrors and lamps, there was really nothing. It was just one simple set,” she said, sitting on a couch at Seoul Arts Center on Thursday, two hours before the night’s show started. “I thought to myself ‘What is this show? What made it so

PerformanceDec. 16, 2014

[Herald Interview] Aedas chairman: Problems with Lotte World Tower ‘unusual’

Koreans seem to be keener than ever on safety issues after witnessing a series of accidents this year, including the Sewol ferry disaster that killed more than 300 passengers and the deadly collapse of a ventilation grate at a concert venue.Adding to the safety concerns recently have been the geological problems and construction flaws affecting the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, which is expected to be the sixth-tallest building in the world when completed in 2016. Keith Griffiths, the chairman of

Arts & DesignDec. 15, 2014

[Herald Interview] Making sense of Confucian printing woodblocks

ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province ― Despite their historical and cultural value, Confucian printing woodblocks are barely studied. Most people don’t even know they exist. That’s why Lee Yong-doo and his researchers at the Advanced Center for Korean Studies can’t slow down after the 10-plus-year campaign to salvage the relics from the threat of theft and damage. Deciphering the wisdom of Joseon scholars carved onto the slabs and making them readily available for today’s guidance-seeking Koreans i

CultureDec. 14, 2014

[Herald Interview] Doctor offers advice on IBS and indigestion

For many people with irritable bowel syndrome, their symptoms don’t give a clear indication of their condition. While IBS is a common gut disorder which causes abdominal pain, bloating, and sometimes bouts of diarrhea and or constipation, those who suffer indigestion ― also known as functional dyspepsia ― may experience the same, often accompanied with nausea or heartburn.But Dr. Jeong Seong-ae at the Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital says that what worries the patients most is that such s

TechnologyDec. 11, 2014

[Herald Interview] Sharing Korean development know-how via online archive

Armed with expertise and a multiethnic culture, KDI School is ready to step up its contributions to sharing Korea’s know-how on economic development through an online database, policy advisory projects, and lectures and seminars, its chief said. The Seoul-based school in 2012 launched an online archive called K-Developedia, providing free access to resources accrued over the last six decades on the country’s economic ascent. As of Dec. 10, it boasts more than 28,700 theses, academic journals, re

Foreign AffairsDec. 10, 2014

[Herald Interview] Finding big spenders with data forecasting

Mobile technology has brought profound changes to the way people consume digital goods, with life cycles of products and services getting shorter.As people are constantly exposed to a slew of new information, their tastes change every minute, making it harder to predict their future spending patterns.This is why companies today need the assistance of artificial intelligence that can help them analyze a massive amount of data in real time and implement advertising and marketing strategies customi

TechnologyDec. 10, 2014

[Herald Interview] French native looks to pave the way for blues music

After moving to New York from Paris with wide-eyed dreams of moving to Harlem to pursue a life with jazz, David Naze instead found himself unexpectedly enthralled with Korean culture. Living in Big Apple for two years and being exposed to the city’s large Korean community, Naze said that he was so eager to discover Korean culture that he decided to pack his things and do away with his American dreams to move here despite having no concrete plans. Now in his third year in Korea, Naze has founded

PerformanceDec. 9, 2014

[Herald Interview] Bladder replacement surgery option for cancer patients

For many bladder cancer patients, a cystectomy ― the surgical removal of all or part of the bladder ― can be a traumatic experience.In many cases, the surgery inevitably requires a urostomy, the creation of an artificial opening that allows one’s urine to be collected in a bag attached to the outside of one’s body.After this procedure, one has to empty the flat, watertight bag regularly. And according to surgeon and professor Lee Dong-hyun, who specializes in urology at Ewha Womans University Mo

Social AffairsDec. 3, 2014

[Herald Interview] Singaporean start-up Subnero takes Internet underwater

Imagine people exploring the deep sea, taking pictures of the underwater landscape and exotic sea creatures and using Wi-Fi networks to share them on the spot through social media sites such as Facebook.Slowly but steadily, the underwater wireless communications technology environment is becoming a reality thanks to Singapore-based start-up Subnero’s pioneering researchers.Subnero’s wireless nodes. (Subnero)The 2-year-old start-up is dreaming of a new Internet revolution deep down in the ocean. 

TechnologyDec. 3, 2014