Three Korean Names Make This Year's 'Time 100'
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K-Pop superstar Rain, teenage pro-golfer Michelle Wie, and Professor at Harvard Medical School Jim Yong Kim are the three Koreans who made it into a list of the 100 "people who shape our world" by the U.S. current affairs weekly Time. The list is to be published in issue that hits newsstands on May 8.
"Rain is the face -- and well-muscled torso -- of pop globalism", the magazine says. The singer has shown that "pop culture no longer moves simply in a single direction, from the West to the rest of the world. Instead, it's a global swirl, no more constrained by borders than the weather". It went on to say, "Thanks to his angelic face, killer bod and Justin Timberlake-like dance moves, Rain, 23, has ridden the crest of hallyu, or the Korean wave, the Asia-wide obsession for that country's pop culture".
Currently in the midst of shooting "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK", the latest from the imagination of director Park Chan-wook, in Busan, Rain plans to head to New York on May 7 to attend the Time 100 ceremony there. "I'm just too happy for words", the singer said. "This should also really help me with plans to break into the U.S. market". He speculated Time staff in the Asian region "must have said good things about me. I also heard that director Ang Lee and actress Zhang Ziyi were selected as part of the 100, it seems like the world is suddenly a whole lot more interested in Asia".
Teenage golf sensation Michelle Wie was placed in the "Heroes and Pioneers" section. Comparing the young athlete and her attempts to break into men's pro golf to Tiger Woods, the magazine said she never shies from a challenge and refuses to accept limitations.
The head of department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Korean-American Jim Yong Kim was recognized in the "Scientists & Thinkers" category for his tireless efforts to fight tuberculosis and AIDS. As a cofounder of the Partners in Health (PIH) medical treatment charity, Kim made it his goal to eradicate tuberculosis in developing nations and is also a key figure in the fight against AIDS and Malaria.
"Rain is the face -- and well-muscled torso -- of pop globalism", the magazine says. The singer has shown that "pop culture no longer moves simply in a single direction, from the West to the rest of the world. Instead, it's a global swirl, no more constrained by borders than the weather". It went on to say, "Thanks to his angelic face, killer bod and Justin Timberlake-like dance moves, Rain, 23, has ridden the crest of hallyu, or the Korean wave, the Asia-wide obsession for that country's pop culture".
Currently in the midst of shooting "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK", the latest from the imagination of director Park Chan-wook, in Busan, Rain plans to head to New York on May 7 to attend the Time 100 ceremony there. "I'm just too happy for words", the singer said. "This should also really help me with plans to break into the U.S. market". He speculated Time staff in the Asian region "must have said good things about me. I also heard that director Ang Lee and actress Zhang Ziyi were selected as part of the 100, it seems like the world is suddenly a whole lot more interested in Asia".
Teenage golf sensation Michelle Wie was placed in the "Heroes and Pioneers" section. Comparing the young athlete and her attempts to break into men's pro golf to Tiger Woods, the magazine said she never shies from a challenge and refuses to accept limitations.
The head of department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Korean-American Jim Yong Kim was recognized in the "Scientists & Thinkers" category for his tireless efforts to fight tuberculosis and AIDS. As a cofounder of the Partners in Health (PIH) medical treatment charity, Kim made it his goal to eradicate tuberculosis in developing nations and is also a key figure in the fight against AIDS and Malaria.
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