Journalist
Lee Hugh
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New Books: 'Planet of Ants,' 'A Cultural History of Form' and 'Why Innovation Fails' Planet of Ants=By Susanne Foitzik and others, translated by Nam Gi-cheol, Bookshill. The author, a biology professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, is widely regarded as a leading ant researcher. Drawing on expeditions around the world, the book recounts encounters with ants and explains how colonies divide labor among queens, workers and scouts. It also describes survival strategies such as raiding other colonies like slave hunters, enslaved ants that eventually rebel, and ants that raise mites like livestock. The society can look familiar at first glance, but the closer view shows how different it is from human life. “Ants take John F. Kennedy’s famous line to an extreme: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ A Malaysian ant’s answer is: ‘I can even blow myself up!’ Ants do not explode their bodies because they are too stupid and doing it for fun. It is a last resort chosen in a fierce struggle for survival.” (p. 310) A Cultural History of Form=By Seo Gyeong-uk, Hangilsa. The author, a professor at Northumbria University in the U.K., argues that human-made forms carry traces of the human body and senses. Starting with hands and feet, the book traces the origins of shapes found in homes and roads, as well as knockoffs and vintage goods. It concludes that civilization is an extension of the body — and that those extensions, in turn, standardize our bodies and senses. Using the shapes of coins and banknotes, the author says circles and rectangles are optimal forms chosen by human hands. He also describes how wheel width can set road width, which then limits wheel size, showing how human-made forms can end up shaping human behavior. The book even raises the possibility that, in the distant future, human hands could lose fine control and become organs optimized for only the simplest tasks. “Many products, not just banknotes, are made in rectangular shapes for spatial efficiency. From small items to buildings and cities, our world works by fitting smaller things into larger frames. Rectangles and box shapes are better than other forms at using space because they can be packed together without gaps. That is also why the blocks in the game Tetris combine into rectangles: It delivers the satisfaction of filling the screen tightly, without empty spaces.” (p. 183) Why Innovation Fails=By Park Jong-seong, Sejong Books. A business consultant, the author argues that innovation often collapses because of a structural illusion that almost anyone can fall into — what he calls a “meta illusion.” The book tracks five recurring “meta illusions” over more than a century, from the electrical revolution of the 1900s to generative AI in the 2020s. It cites 25 cases of failed innovation by global companies, including GM’s $9 billion robot factory, the BBC’s 170 billion won digital project, and data behind Microsoft’s AI chatbot once touted as a world-changer. The author says recognizing and preventing these illusions can help companies pursue genuine innovation. “During the Ocado fire, the fact that reporting was delayed by as much as an hour even amid loud alarms strongly suggests that automation bias was at work — the complacent belief that ‘Could there really be an error in this perfect system?’ Excessive trust in the system paralyzed critical thinking and stripped away instinctive crisis-response judgment.” (p. 256)* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:15:00 -
Korean Banks Split Lunar New Year Pay, With Bonuses Varying by Lender Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, many South Korean bank employees will see a temporary bump in take-home pay, though the money is not always a true bonus. Some banks pay extra holiday allowances, while others simply split contracted base pay into additional installments. Bankers may call it a shell game, but many still welcome the lump-sum payment. According to the financial industry on the 14th, banks have paid holiday allowances ahead of the Lunar New Year break. Practices vary by bank. Some include holiday pay within base salary and pay part of annual compensation around Lunar New Year and Chuseok. Others provide an additional holiday payment on top of base pay. KB Kookmin Bank pays a separate holiday allowance in addition to base salary. It provides a payment equal to about 50% of monthly base pay for Lunar New Year and again for Chuseok. Shinhan Bank divides 90% of annual salary into 14 parts, paying 12 parts monthly and the remaining two parts as one additional payment each around Lunar New Year and Chuseok. For example, an employee with an annual base salary of 56 million won would receive 8 million won in the months that include Lunar New Year and Chuseok, double the usual amount. Hana Bank pays 12 monthly salaries and adds holiday payments for Lunar New Year and Chuseok. Early in the year, a performance-based payment is added, bringing the total to 15 installments, though amounts vary. Woori Bank divides annual salary into 13 parts, paying 12 parts monthly. The remaining one part is split in half and paid at Lunar New Year and Chuseok. With an annual salary of 52 million won, an employee would receive 4 million won per month, plus an extra 2 million won at each holiday. NH NongHyup Bank gives employees 500,000 won worth of Rural Love Gift Certificates ahead of the holidays. Performance pay is also typically paid before major holidays. By contrast, policy banks such as Korea Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and IBK Industrial Bank of Korea do not provide separate holiday bonuses, paying only performance pay tied to annual public-institution evaluation grades. A financial industry official said that because some banks are simply dividing base pay already included in contracted annual compensation, it is hard to call it a bonus. The official added that while it may feel like a shell game, KB Kookmin Bank and NH NongHyup Bank employees receive what amounts to a genuine additional payment, leading to mixed reactions. Industry officials also say the days of collecting holiday pay equal to twice a month’s salary are long gone, and that differences in holiday payments now carry little practical meaning because true bonuses have largely disappeared from banking. Before the financial crisis, some large banks paid separate holiday bonuses of about 500,000 to 1 million won, but those payments largely vanished around the 2008 financial crisis. Many bank employees now focus more on special performance pay paid early in the year when banks post excess profits. A financial industry official said that while manufacturing still has a bonus-paying tradition, banks often do not have enough room to justify calling these payments bonuses. A separate survey found that more than half of companies in general pay Lunar New Year bonuses. The Korea Employers Federation surveyed 447 companies nationwide with at least five employees and found 58.7% planned to pay holiday bonuses. Among large companies with 300 or more employees, 71.1% paid bonuses, compared with 57.3% among companies with fewer than 300 employees. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:03:47 -
Korean Banks Open Mobile Branches at Highway Rest Stops for Lunar New Year Cash Needs Even if you did not prepare new bills for the Lunar New Year holiday, banks are offering help. During the holiday period, several lenders will operate mobile branches at highway rest stops to make it easier for travelers to handle basic banking, including exchanging cash for new notes, making transfers and updating passbooks. According to the financial industry on the 14th, KB Kookmin Bank will run a mobile branch at Giheung Service Area on the southbound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway from the 13th to the 14th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Customers can use an ATM for withdrawals of new bills, account transfers and passbook updates, and can also exchange cash for new notes. Shinhan Bank will operate a mobile branch for two days starting on the 13th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hwaseong Service Area on the southbound lanes of the Seohaean Expressway. Shinhan also offers “Saturday Plus,” a video-consultation service based at its unmanned Digital Lounge locations. The service provides remote consultations every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at nine sites: Digital Lounge Seoul National University Station, Digital Lounge Ujangsan Station, Digital Lounge Gaepo-dong Station, Digital Lounge Changwon Jungang, Digital Lounge Daebul Industrial Complex, Seosomun Branch, Gimhae Foreign-Customer Center, Doksan-dong Foreign-Customer Center and Ansan Foreign-Customer Center. Over the same period, Hana Bank will hold a new-bill exchange event through its “Moving Hana Bank” mobile branch at Yangjae Man-namui Gwangjang Service Area on the southbound lanes, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. NH NongHyup Bank will operate its “NH Wings” mobile branch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hanam Dream Service Area on the Jungbu Expressway. The bank said its mobile branches also provide services at local festivals and disaster sites. IBK Industrial Bank of Korea will run a mobile branch on the 13th at Deokpyeong Service Area on the Yeongdong Expressway, in the direction of Incheon, to support holiday travelers. iM Bank will also operate “iM Mobile Branches” offering new-bill exchange and ATM services at two locations: Dongmyeong Service Area (toward Chuncheon) and the plaza at Dongdaegu Station.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:03:00 -
Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Misses Medals Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University finished sixth in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics. Competing at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Lee scored 87.50 in the final to place sixth. He reached the final two days earlier by scoring 82 points in qualifying, placing ninth. In the final, Lee did not complete his first two runs. On his first run, he fell on his third hit while attempting a frontside triple cork 1620. On his second run, he lowered the third hit to a double cork 1440 but could not carry the run through the next jump. On his third and final run, Lee landed his signature triple cork 1620 (4.5 rotations) and also hit two double cork 1440s (four rotations). The run earned 87.50, but four riders had already posted 90-plus scores through the first two rounds, leaving him out of medal contention. Lee, who placed 18th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and did not make the final, became the first South Korean man to reach an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final. Yuto Totsuka of Japan won gold with 95.00 points. Scotty James of Australia took silver with 93.50, and Japan’s Ryusei Yamada won bronze with 92.00. Japan has now won back-to-back gold medals in the event, following Ayumu Hirano in 2022.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 05:18:00 -
Lim Jong-eon, Shin Dong-min Draw Same Heat in Men’s 1,500 at Milan 2026 South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) and Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) have been drawn into the same quarterfinal heat in the men’s 1,500 meters in short track speed skating. They will skate in Heat 5 on the morning of Feb. 15 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, alongside Felix Roussel (Canada), Niall Treacy (Britain), Quentin Fercoq (France) and Nicholas Anderman (Austria). The top three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, along with the three fastest fourth-place finishers across the six heats. Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), the 2022 Beijing Olympic gold medalist, will compete in Heat 3 for a semifinal spot against Moon Won-jun (Hungary), a Korean-born naturalized skater, and Shaoang Liu (China), a Hungary-born naturalized skater, among others. Lin Xiaojun (Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist, was placed in Heat 4 with Andrew He, Jens van ’t Wout (Netherlands) and Sun Long (China). The men’s 1,500 will be completed the same day, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final all scheduled. Draws were also released for the women’s 1,000-meter preliminaries, which will be held the same day. Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) will skate in Heat 5 against Kim Boutin (Canada), Chiara Betti (Italy) and Valentina Aschicic (Croatia). Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) will race in Heat 8. Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) will compete in Heat 2, including against Hanne Desmet (Belgium). A total of 32 skaters in eight heats will start the women’s 1,000. The top two in each heat advance to the quarterfinals, along with the four fastest third-place finishers across all heats. Only the preliminaries will be held that day. South Korea’s women will also skate in the women’s 3,000-meter relay semifinals that day, racing in Semifinal 2 against Canada, China and Japan. The top two teams advance to the final on Feb. 19.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:42:50 -
Skeleton Racer Hong Su-jeong Sits 22nd After Day 1 of Olympic Debut at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s Hong Su-jeong (Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Council) finished in the lower half of the standings on the first day of her Olympic debut in women’s skeleton. Hong posted a combined time of 1 minute 57.33 seconds over two runs on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Cortina Sliding Center in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, placing 22nd overall. In her first run, Hong had a 4.97-second start and finished in 58.88 seconds. She matched that start time in the second run but improved her run by 0.43 seconds, finishing in 58.45 for the day. Hong ranked 22nd among 25 competitors, leaving her well off the medal pace. Austria’s Janine Flock led after two runs in 1:54.48, followed by Germany’s Susanne Kreher. Beijing 2022 gold medalist Hannah Neise was fourth in 1:54.85. Runs 3 and 4, which will determine the medals, are scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. on Feb. 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:33:00 -
Short-track bronze medalist Lim Jong-eon says he learned from snowboarder Choi Ga-on South Korean short-track skater Lim Jong-eon, who won a bronze medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he learned a lot from watching snowboarder Choi Ga-on. Lim, who competes for Goyang City Hall, joined the national team’s official training session on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. After practice, he told reporters he returned to the athletes village after his race and watched Choi’s event. “Even though she faced a big setback during the competition, she fought through it to the end and won gold. I learned a lot from that,” Lim said. “Choi is younger than me, but she’s incredible,” he added. “I sincerely want to congratulate her and tell her she was amazing.” Choi and Lim both won medals on Feb. 13, with Choi taking gold and Lim earning bronze. Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. She fell in her first and second runs and injured her knee, but delivered a clean third run to beat her “idol,” Chloe Kim of the United States, for the gold. At the same time, Lim captured bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters short track. He stayed near the back in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final before surging late to reach the podium. Lim now turns to the 1,500 meters. “Watching Choi made me think I need to do better,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure I can win gold in the 1,500 meters tomorrow.” He added that he had been “very tired and nervous” until two days earlier but now feels more relaxed. “With the confidence I’ve gained, I think I can get good results in the remaining races,” he said. The men’s 1,500 meters, Lim’s main event, will be held the morning of Feb. 15. He showed his potential by winning gold in the men’s 1,500 meters at the first International Skating Union World Cup of the 2025-2026 season, his senior debut. Asked about strategy, Lim said he made his move late and went to the outside lane in the 1,000 meters, and has another plan for the 1,500 that he cannot reveal. “I’ll challenge for gold with the strategy I’m most confident in,” he said. 2026-02-14 02:21:00 -
South Korea Women’s Curling Team Beats Britain 9-3 for Second Straight Win at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s women’s curling team, Gyeonggi Provincial Government, ranked No. 3 in the world, continued its strong start at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with a second straight round-robin win. The team — skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — beat Britain 9-3 in the women’s curling round-robin third session on Feb. 13 (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea, which lost to the United States in its opener, rebounded by beating host Italy in the second session and then routed Britain, the 2022 Beijing Olympic champion. In women’s curling, 10 teams play nine round-robin games, with the top four advancing to the semifinals. The game turned in the sixth end with the score tied 3-3. South Korea capitalized on a British mistake to score three points and take a 6-3 lead. South Korea then stole points in the seventh and eighth ends despite having last-rock disadvantage, stretching the margin to 9-3. With a comeback unlikely, Britain conceded before the ninth and 10th ends, shaking hands with the South Korean players. South Korea will play Denmark in its fourth round-robin game on the morning of Feb. 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 00:45:00 -
Actor Jang Hye-jin on 'Number One,' Reuniting With Choi Woo-shik and Playing a Mother Again Actor Jang Hye-jin, who left a lasting impression on global audiences with the film 'Parasite,' has since moved between movies, TV dramas and theater, building a reputation for grounded performances. Often cast as a mother, she has approached each role with a different emotional texture. In 'Number One,' she returns as Eunsil, a mother who quietly watches over her son, Hamin. Her restrained performance supports the film’s tone as Eunsil endures a major loss without giving up on life. "People say my acting feels like real life, and I think that’s partly because I’m actually a mom," Jang said. "Life gives you a wider range. Even if I say, 'I don’t want to play moms,' I’ve already lived as a mom, and that naturally comes through. When I look at my older work, it was clean and sharp. As I’ve gotten older, I joke, 'Life makes me an actor.' I like approaching acting comfortably rather than forcing it. In the end, I think I act based on myself." In the film, Hamin sees a number drop each time he eats a home-cooked meal, and as it falls, he senses his mother’s end is nearing. Jang said the device of "seeing a number" felt less like fantasy than a harsher version of reality. "In real life, you can’t see a number," she said. "But my mom’s number is going down, too — it’s just not in front of our eyes. We don’t even know how many are left. It’s cruel, but maybe that’s why you can do your best. You know there’s an end. It’s not 'We’ll meet tomorrow.' You think today could be the last." A Busan native, Jang said she wrestled with how much dialect to use, trying to balance authenticity with clarity. "If I speak in a real Busan dialect, people say, 'What are you saying?'" she said. "The hardest part was deciding how much to use so people could still understand. I also worried people would think, 'She’s from Busan and that’s all she can do?' After talking with the production company’s CEO, we decided, 'Let’s just do it. If people don’t understand, they don’t understand, and if they say Seoul speech got mixed in, it can’t be helped.' Regional feeling is something you absorb growing up." After 'Parasite,' Jang and actor Choi Woo-shik reunite on screen again as mother and son. She said their prior experience let them skip the usual getting-to-know-you phase and focus immediately on acting. "You might think that’s why they cast us, but I see it as its own thing," she said. "'Parasite' was huge, and this film feels like a different story being made. Because it’s our second time, it’s comfortable. We don’t have to figure out what kind of person the other is, or whether their rhythm is fast or slow. Watching Woo-shik again, I thought he’d gained a lot of know-how. Sometimes I’d look at the monitor and think, 'I want to do it like that.' He also seems to feel more responsibility on set and takes care of people around him. A lot changed in a few years — in a good way. And he looks exactly like my son, which really helped me immerse myself. He really does!" Jang, a first graduating class alum of the Korea National University of Arts’ School of Drama, returned to her hometown in 1998 and lived away from acting for a time. She resumed acting in 2007 through director Lee Chang-dong’s film 'Secret Sunshine,' but said it still took years to become widely known. "I decided I wanted to act before I even started elementary school," she said. "I was deeply moved after seeing 'Ben-Hur' in a theater. In college, I’d watch seniors act and cry and laugh — they looked amazing. Making people laugh and cry on TV is like comforting their hearts. Acting was so fun, and expressing my emotions was fun. But reality hit, and acting stopped being fun. I took about nine years off, and then I started again with Lee Chang-dong’s 'Secret Sunshine.' It felt like my blood was flowing again. I realized I was the one who didn’t believe in myself. The joy of being on set was huge." She said the path did not open immediately after 'Secret Sunshine.' She spent years in small roles and, while raising a child, considered other options. Even now, she said she approaches each project as if it could be her last. "I thought I’d do well after 'Secret Sunshine,' but it didn’t work that way," she said. "I did small roles for nearly 10 years, and I thought, 'I’ve done enough — should I focus on raising my child?' Even now, I feel similar. I work thinking, 'This is the last one.' If there’s too much, it’s overwhelming and you get tired of it. Thinking it’s the last makes me do my best and focus more. That’s why it’s more fun every time." Asked about several big films opening ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, Jang said she thought less about competition than about rebuilding momentum for Korean cinema. "There’s a good restaurant next to another good restaurant," she said. "Like successful people next to successful people, Korean films are also seeing hits these days, like 'Moshuhnal Uri.' I hope it all builds together and creates good synergy. I hope people find the fun of going to theaters again. I don’t like leaving the house, either. But the emotion you felt in theaters as a kid, being startled by loud sound — those are things you only get there. Even the air where you’re aware of hiding or showing your feelings is something you only feel in a theater. With three films coming out together, I hope people rediscover that." Asked what she hopes for as an actor, Jang said she wants to be someone who shares the pains and joys of the same era — an actor audiences feel grateful to have alongside them. "I want to be an actor who always walks with people," she said. "Someone who can share the same pain and the same joy in the same time. I once saw the phrase, 'Thank you for being in the same era,' and I thought, 'I want to be that kind of actor.' Not a star, but someone who feels like a friend."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 00:03:00 -
South Korea’s First Olympic Snowboard Cross Racer Woo Subin Misses Round of 16 Woo Subin, the first South Korean athlete to compete in Olympic snowboard cross, failed to advance to the round of 16. Woo was disqualified after slipping midway through her heat in the women’s snowboard cross round-of-32 qualifying races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 13 (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. She was listed as DNF (did not finish), ending her bid to move on, with the top two finishers in each heat advancing to the round of 16. Snowboard cross, added as an official Olympic event at the 2006 Turin Games, is raced on a course featuring jumps, moguls and banked turns. In seeding runs, Woo placed 29th out of 32 in the first run with 1 minute, 19.90 seconds, and ninth out of 12 in the second run with 1:17.82. She entered the round-of-32 races ranked 29th overall. In her heat, she fell to the back after the start. While trying to make up ground, she went down and was ruled DNF. Regardless of the result, she got back up and crossed the finish line, drawing applause from the crowd.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 23:48:00