[Herald Interview] ‘I will give my all to Africa’

With retirement weighing heavily on her mind, Kim Chung-ja, a mezzo-soprano and music professor of Korea National University of Arts, took a sabbatical from work in 2005. She spent a few months traveling Europe, then a couple of months more in the U.S., but still had no clue as to what her post-retirement life would be like, despite reaching 60. Then a short trip to Africa changed it all. “I believe it was God’s calling,” she said in an interview in Seoul last month, describing a series of event

CultureNov. 9, 2014

[Herald Interview] More than a language exchange program

Back in the late 1980s, a group of Japanese volunteers visited Korea as part of a small-scale exchange program between the two countries.During their visit to the Independence Hall of Korea, a Korean history museum, some of them broke down after confronting Japan’s atrocities during World War II.“They told me they did not realize Japan had done such terrible things here. It’s something that they rarely learned at school,” said Shin Chung-ha, the founding president of YFU International Korea, a l

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2014

[Herald Interview] Director tackles temp-worker issues

In her new movie “Cart,” director Boo Ji-young depicts temporary employees of a mega supermarket chain who are facing unfair layoffs. They are ordinary women, including a mother of two kids, a single mom and a college grad. They gather to fight against the company’s exploitative practices.It takes guts for a novice director to tackle a touchy and complex current issue like that of temp workers. The number of such workers here exceeded 6 million this year, an all-time high. The English poster for

FilmNov. 6, 2014

[Herald Interview] Ex-Oregon senator pushes for MacArthur memorial

As a young boy during the Korean War, John Lim witnessed his father being forcibly conscripted by the North Korean People’s Army. The incident was only the beginning of a series of greater tragedies. Branded as a communist, his father, who was a fire captain in his hometown of Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was shot dead by South Korean authorities after the three-year conflict. The entire family was destroyed, and Lim himself nearly died from tuberculosis. His brushes with death, however, did not ki

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] HanmiGlobal to enter U.S., Europe with wider portfolio

HanmiGlobal, South Korea’s leading construction management firm, is focusing on acquiring domestic and foreign engineering and architecture firms to widen its service portfolio. The firm, already a big name in Southeast Asia with multiple projects in the region, plans to enter the U.S. and Europe in the long term.Based on the growing global client base, HanmiGlobal’s ultimate goal is to become a total solutions provider offering a wider range of services in engineering and construction. “Our rec

IndustryNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea needs to clarify data transfer rules’

South Korea is facing a conflict over whether to further ease domestic restrictions to allow financial companies, especially foreign entities, to transfer customers’ information overseas for processing at data centers operated by their global headquarters or third parties.The current regulation restricts offshore data processing and outsourcing without prior consent from the country’s financial authority due to privacy and security issues.Financial and legal experts said that relaxing the rules

TechnologyNov. 5, 2014

[Herald Interview] Peers call for Korea Exchange privatization

Korea’s state-run Korea Exchange would perform better if it were privatized once again and went public, according to the chief of the Japanese stock operator.“I think for the sake of South Korea’s economy, its stock market should be operated privately,” said Atsuchi Saito, CEO of Japan Exchange Group, in a press conference on Thursday.The Japanese CEO attended the general assembly and annual meeting of the World Federation of Exchanges, an event hosted by KRX and held at Grand Hyatt Seoul from M

Oct. 30, 2014

[Herald Interview] Minzy’s sister debuts with ‘Rebirth’

Looking to continue her family’s musical background, Gong Min-young, the older sister of popular K-pop idol Minzy of 2NE1, made her official debut as a contemporary Christian music singer on Friday with the release of her first album, “Rebirth.” However, unlike her younger sister, who chose the mainstream pop music route, Gong says it was always her dream to pursue gospel music. “We grew up in a very religious household so gospel music is always something that has been a big part of our family,”

PerformanceOct. 30, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Dongchimi’: A play to heal people’s hearts

Dongchimi is a cold water-based kimchi made with white radish. Its tangy, refreshing liquid and crunchy radishes help with digestion, and it’s a perfect match for meat or starch-heavy foods such as rice cakes or sweet potatoes. For first-timers, this clear watery kimchi may look a bit insipid. Yet this humble side dish has been a part of Korean cuisine for as long as anyone can remember. Actress Kim Min-jung, with a prolific career spanning five decades in theater and TV, is in a sense like dong

FilmOct. 30, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Europe’s peace process can be tailored for East Asia’

Europe’s peace process can be tailored to promote trust and stability in East Asia, which has been plagued by historical and territorial feuds, a top NATO official said, dismissing the skepticism about its application to the region.During an interview with The Korea Herald this week, Alexander Vershbow, the deputy secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also urged North Korea to stop wasting money on its nuclear programs.“Any solution that worked in Europe can’t be literally

DefenseOct. 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] Designer Ko Tae-yong goes beyond runway

Designer Ko Tae-yong has no doubts that he is one of the hottest and busiest menswear designers in Korea.He recently held his label Beyond Closet’s spring-summer 2015 fashion show at Seoul Fashion Week from Oct. 17-22.The collection won rave reviews from buyers and critics at home and abroad, for its unique, fun and preppy clothing lines. “But the finale never means an ending in the fashion business,” Ko said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Oct. 20 at his showroom in trendy Sinsa-dong,

Arts & DesignOct. 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] Mr. Big bringing ‘stories to tell’ to Sunday concert

More than 25 years since debuting as Mr. Big, bandmates Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey have managed to overcome their past conflicts ― leading the group to part ways for seven years ― and continue to perform and make new music.The ’90s American rock band is currently on a world tour and is scheduled to return to Korea for the first time in three years for a concert on Sunday. “It has been three years now and I may forget a few of their names, but I never forget a face,”

PerformanceOct. 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] The flag of our fathers

Ahn Chang-ho, also known as Dosan, was a leading independence fighter, social reformer and education activist. He left Korea in April 1910, shortly before Japan annexed Korea and sent its troops marching into Seoul’s royal palace. Ahn had vowed in a poem that he would return home years later, to an independent Korea, with a national flag in hand. But the philosopher failed to fulfill his wish, passing away in 1938, seven years before Japan lost World War II and left Korea.This October, Michael G

Social AffairsOct. 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] Collaboration helps safeguard innovation: legal expert

Luca Rampini, a senior lawyer of the EU’s largest intellectual property agency believes the Korean patent authority’s latest efforts to collaborate with other countries will bring better protection for innovative ideas and inventions created by small and medium-sized businesses here.“Intellectual property is protecting both innovation and creativity. And here in Korea, you know all about both those things,” Rampini, a lawyer with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market under the Euro

IndustryOct. 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] Complexity of Korean society captured through a lens

Artist Noh Sun-tag’s work resembles that of a photojournalist. He has taken pictures of tense and sometimes violent protests.Most recently, he was on the site of protests in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, against the construction of a high-voltage power transmission tower there. Over the last decade, Noh has captured highly charged scenes including protests against U.S. troops and mass labor strikes.“In the beginning, I visited those places out of pure curiosity to figure out something that

PerformanceOct. 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] TNT Korea eyes growth in medical logistics service

TNT Korea, the South Korean subsidiary of global express delivery company TNT, is pushing ahead with its clinical express service as its core business amid the growing importance of Korea’s health care sector.“TNT Korea was a pioneer in bio and health care delivery service in Korea. It has seen double-digit growth every year since it started the service in early 2000s,” Kim Jong-chul, managing director of TNT Korea told The Korea Herald. TNT’s clinical express service offers a specialized temper

IndustryOct. 26, 2014

[Herald Interview] ‘Museums write history’

French-born Philippe Vergne, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, has spent most of his career in the U.S. In pursuit of the “American Dream,” Vergne arrived in Minneapolis 17 years ago and worked as a curator for a decade, working his way up to top positions in art in New York and Los Angeles. He served as the director of Dia Art Foundation in New York for more than five years and took the helm of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles earlier this year. Vergne has been

PerformanceOct. 26, 2014

[Herald Interview] Breast cancer expert espouses gender-specific approach

Even for Dr. Moon Byung-in, one of the most respected breast cancer specialists in South Korea, talking to his patients about their condition was not easy at first. “Sometimes I wouldn’t know what to say and cry along with the patient (in my earlier years),” Moon said during an interview with The Korea Herald in his office at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.“Even a patient in her 70s would break down in tears and sob when she was told that she may have to undergo a mastectomy. Being diag

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2014

[Herald Interview] Deriving 21st-century questions from classic masterpiece

Continuing on the Shakespeare theme after the much-hailed production earlier this month of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” the Korea National Opera is presenting another Shakespeare play-turned-opera ― Giuseppe Verdi’s “Otello.” For the production, which will be staged next month at Seoul Arts Center, the state-run company has brought in British stage director Stephen Lawless, who in previous works has displayed a balance between traditional and nontraditional approaches to the classic opera reper

CultureOct. 23, 2014

[Herald Interview] Mraz says ‘Yes!’ to return to Korea

After performing in Korea for the first time at the 2006 Incheon Pentaport Rock festival, American folk-pop star Jason Mraz is making his way back to Korea next month, marking the start of his seventh concert performance in the country in eight years. Mraz is slated to hold his first nationwide acoustic concert tour here, where he will be performing in Daejeon and Daegu for the first time, before concluding his tour with two performances in Seoul. However, unlike in the past when the singer held

Oct. 23, 2014