CHUTEU

[ESTHER CHUNG]As the coronavirus outbreak continues, most people are avoiding restaurants in favor of some good ol’ home cooking. I for one was excited about the prospect of cooking again, but after a few rounds of signature dishes like the good old doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew) or a quick plate of pasta, my taste buds were ready for something new.That’s how I stumbled upon the Istanbul Cultural Center’s cooking classes.“These are the signature dishes we have in Turkey for breakfast,” said Gulcan Nazar, the instructor of the class, on March 9 at the cultural center in southern Seoul. “Breakfast is an integral part of the Turkish society, an important ritual to start your day.”The class consisted of eight students, ranging from a former traveler who backpacked across Turkey without much cooking experience to a professional patissier, along with two Turkish instructors. Within two hours, we had a table full of freshly baked … [Read more...] about A taste of Turkey for breakfast: These recipes will beat your boredom and treat your taste buds

Gangwon Gov. Choi Moon-soon, right, and Hwang Pu-reum, an official at the Gangwon Provincial Government, pose with potatoes in a promotional video they created to sell potatoes harvested last year to help out local farmers. [HWANG PU-REUM]Since securing a box of face masks during the coronavirus outbreak has become an impossible feat these days, some people have settled instead for a box of potatoes. To be exact, 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of potatoes for just 5,000 won ($4.10).“I have potatoes at home!” read a tweet posted on Tuesday. “What a relief.”“I finally succeeded on the last day of pocketing,” another person wrote on Tuesday. “Now it’s time to collect all the recipes I can to learn what I can make with potatoes.”Pocketing is a portmanteau of “potatoes” and “ticketing,” a word often used by Koreans to describe the competitive race to secure tickets online for K-pop concerts. The race to buy potatoes … [Read more...] about Gangwon potatoes become the hottest ticket in town

A railway policeman guides a person who flew into Korea from abroad to a seat in a KTX car designated for new arrivals at Gwangmyeong Station in Gyeonggi on Sunday. From April 1, it is mandatory for both Koreans and foreigners who come to Korea from abroad to self-quarantine for two weeks. A few visa categories will be exempt from the isolation order. [YONHAP]Starting Wednesday, almost everyone entering Korea will be required to self-isolate for two weeks, the incubation period of the new coronavirus. Limited exceptions are being made for a few specific visa categories. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the new measures will be imposed on both Korean and non-Korean nationals landing in the country from anywhere else in the world, regardless of how long they intend to stay. For those who don’t have accommodations available to them, the prime minister said they will be held in government-run facilities at their own expense.The Korean government “strengthened quarantine … [Read more...] about Most arrivals are required to self-quarantine

[BYUN JU-YEON]In Debriefings, the Korea JoongAng Daily discusses a topical issue in-depth in a Q&A format. In this Debriefing, we look at a digital sex crime case that has shocked the nation. Police are investigating those behind a ring of pornographic chat rooms who are said to have blackmailed dozens of women and children into making sexual and degrading videos and photos.Covid-19 is not the only virus Korean society is dealing with. Dubbed the “Nth room,” multiple chat rooms on Telegram have reportedly been used to sexually exploit dozens of women and young girls, threatening them to make pornographic, degrading and violent images and videos of themselves and distributing them through the app. An investigation into the Nth room revealed participants had to pay to get access; the more you paid, the more graphic the content. At least 2,000 images or videos of women of all ages - including minors - were shared and distributed in these rooms, the contents of which still … [Read more...] about [DEBRIEFING] ‘Nth room’: A digital prison of sexual slavery

Ju Ji-hoon [NETFLIX]It’s an axiom among movie fans that dramas with actor Ju Ji-hoon never disappoint. No one can pinpoint exactly when that trust was built among Ju’s fans. Maybe it was the 2017 and 2018 movie series “Along with the Gods” or maybe it goes all the way back to the drama “Princess Hours,” also known as “Goong,” in 2006. That was his first lead role after his debut as a model in 2002. The 38-year-old actor is in the just-released Netflix series “Kingdom,” as well as the ongoing SBS drama “Hyena.” In the former, he is a crowned prince leading the Joseon Dynasty in the 15 to 16th centuries. In the latter, he plays an elite lawyer at a large firm. “My curiosity is stronger than the dread one feels for something new,” said Ju in a video interview, the safest kind during the coronavirus. He told the JoongAng Ilbo what his days have been like at a time of great productivity. Actor Ju Ji-hoon. … [Read more...] about Ju Ji-hoon is looking forward to his 40s: He’s glad hormonal days are over, yet still enjoys action scenes

Korean lawmakers are pushing to revise laws in a way that punishes those entering online chat rooms to view illegal videos of sex acts amid public outrage over an online sexual blackmail ring.Rep. Park Kwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party said Sunday that he is proposing a revision to the acts on information protection and sexual violence as the chief author to punish those who join online chat rooms to view sexual acts carried out under coercion.Under the revision proposal, all those involved in an organized digital sex crime could be indicted as members of a syndicate, which would allow punishment for those who enter such online chat rooms, even if they do not actively produce the content.People who knowingly watch or hold illegal content made by coercion or blackmail will also be defined as sex offenders and receive a punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won ($24,600), the lawmaker said.The proposal comes amid public fury over the “Nth … [Read more...] about Lawmakers call for stronger digital sex crime laws