K-story Forever

Second meeting of Exec. Council for Ethical Management

2013-07-22T21:49:00.003+09:00

FKI invited Lawyer Jeong Suk Lee, a former corporate compliance officer, to the year's second meeting of the Executive Council for Ethical Management held on July 17 in Yeouido.

"To firmly establish corporate compliance, members of organizations need to be more interested in compliance, and join efforts to set it up as a corporate culture," she stressed. "To prevent this mandatory system of installing compliance officers and compliance assistants under financial laws and commercial law from merely sticking to formalities, the will of top management and the agreement of corporate executives and staff must help create an in-house culture regarding compliance, among others," the lawyer asserted.

Among the attendees of the meeting included Vice President Byung Yong Choi of Shinsegae, and 30 other council members and officials concerned.

Gov't, business join hands to diffuse ethical management

2013-07-22T21:48:00.000+09:00

FKI, ACRC ink MOU on July 17

FKI and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 17 to jointly pursue cooperative projects which are designed to put autonomous ethical management into practice.

FKI Chairman Chang Soo Huh said, "Since the business community has strived to carry out various programs for ethical management by satisfying a tough demand from our society, the signing of the memorandum between our two organizations today bears a particular significance."

In close cooperation with each other, the two organizations will be exploring and improving barriers to ethical management, running training courses on ethical management, and supporting corporate efforts to enhance competence for ethical management. Simultaneously, they decided to beef up publicity to diffuse the practice, make it firmly take root, and introduce successful cases in corporations.

The signing ceremony was attended by FKI Chairman Huh, ACRC Chairperson Sung Bo Lee, FKI Secretary General Chan Ho park, and Sang Sick Kim, Director of the planning and coordination office of ACRC.

Saemaeul (New Community) spirit planted in Africa

2013-07-22T21:45:00.000+09:00

Ethiopia Saemaeul Volunteer Corps launched

The 2013 Ethiopia Saemaeul Volunteer Corps, supported by POSCO and led by the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office and KOICA, held a launching ceremony on July 17th at Hotel Geumosan in the city of Gumi of Gyeongbuk Province.

POSCO started the Saemaeul Movement model community project in 3 regions of the Ethiopia Oromiya region in 2011.

To increase project completeness and offer global volunteer opportunities to employee families, 16 members, including retired employees and employee sons and daughters, were selected admitted into the Saemaeul Volunteer Corp to be dispatched to Ethiopia. The volunteer corps, throughout a period of one year and two months, based on the success experience of Korea`s Saemaeul Movement, established a Saemaeul Hall and improved living environments by repairing restrooms and barns.

AlsoFurther, agriculture their agricultural infrastructure was expanded to provide income bases for residents and to helping their self-supportsufficiency, and operated village funds and education facilities to strengthen local resident capabilities.

The 2013 Saemaeul Volunteer Corps, which consists consisting of 14 members including 9 POSCO Family sons and daughters, held the launching ceremony and will depart for Ethiopia on July 18th and carry out global volunteer activities and establish new communities until August of next year. 4~5 member groups are sent to different towns to foster Saemaeul organizations and carry out consciousness education, improve living environments, and create a community income base.

100 Meister High School students to be selected

2013-07-22T21:43:00.000+09:00

2nd Hhalf recruiting information session held for career guidance teachers ... Requested more strengthened Korean history education

POSCO invited career guidance teachers from meister high schools in the steel, machine, and electrical fields, and hosted a recruiting information session.

POSCO, which has been placing efforts in creating jobs for high school graduates by expanding investment both domestically and internationally in the Indonesia integrated steelworks, FINEX Plant 3 and others despite uncertain management conditions, is hiring meister high school students with creative and technology expertise potential with a priority.

Those who are selected not only receive customized on-site training including steel production process operation and basics of equipment inspection, but also receive foreign language education in preparation for overseas steelworks operation, and are fostered as global operation and maintenance talents.

AlsoFurther, large scale support is provided to Pohang Jecheol Tedchnical High School which newly opened this past March, and offers a smart learning environment, a virtual steel operation system, and concurrent industry-academia teachers to foster POSCO Family customized talent.

POSCO hosted a hiring information session inviting career guidance teachers from meister high schools to Pohang headquarters on July 16th, providing information on the priority hiring of meister high school students with potential and discussed ways to foster leading technology talent. Kim Mugyeong Pohang Public Relations Group

Pohang Jecheol Technical High School, to foster global multi-functional talent, especially particularly strengthened meister certification and graduation requirements to include credit from a different major aside from the main major, as well as 3 certificates of qualifications in the main major field of study, and 2 certificates of qualifications from other majors, and as well as a TOEIC Speaking level of 6 or above. Accordingly, POSCO will strengthen recommendation criteria starting with the 2nd half meister high school recruiting.

Recruiting schedules, hiring processes, and the on-site training program were introduced at the POSCO meister high school hiring information session, and versatile discussions were held on ways to foster leading technology talent by touring the smart campus of Pohang Jecheol technical high school`s multi-functional education courses.

Through the POSCO meister high school student advanced hiring, which will be carried out in the 2nd half of this year, 100 students will be selected based on recommendations, basic job ability/character tests, and specialty interviews.

Especially at the information session, POSCO requested meister high schools to provide Korean history education utilizing afterschool classes and on-site learning to strengthen proper historical consciousness among teenagers. POSCO gives priority to those who have a Korean History Exam Level 3 or above, and includes Korean history in the interview process.

The POSCO Labor Outsource Team, through this information session, expects to recruit leading multi-functional talent with proper historical and national views in advance. Meanwhile, POSCO plans to further expand open hiring to support socially disadvantaged children of families receiving assistancesocially considerable class children of families receiving welfare, and as well as multi-cultural families.

Programs for global environment capital city project

2013-07-22T21:32:00.002+09:00

Jeju Province will start a special program to seek participation and support in government and international organizations for the 2020 Jeju Global Environment Capital City Project.

Jeju Province will hold an International Environment Forum this coming September to explore strategies for creating a global environment capital city. It will be held in conjunction with the first anniversary of the 2012 World Conservation Congress, held on Jeju last year. In addition, Jeju will promote five province-specific agendas focusing on attracting increased participation in government and international organizations.

Moreover, Jeju is planning to sign a memorandum of understanding to secure its rights to co-host the World Leaders Forum, the International Environment Forum, and a long-term business cooperation with the IUCN.

Jeju Province will also carry out its plan to establish itself as a global environment capital city. It has successfully secured 200 million won of supplementary budget to help secure its certification in 2020.

The global environment capital city plan will be submitted to the 7th WCC initiative, to be held in 2016. If the plan is adapted, Jeju could be certified as the first IUCN world environmental capital city at the 8th WCC in 2020, after an assessment by the IUCN.

Trilateral meetings in Japan.

2013-07-22T21:31:00.002+09:00

The 8th Korea-China-Japan trilateral meetings were held Monday, July 8th in Hokkaido, Japan.

These trilateral meetings were organized by the Korean Joong-Ang Daily Newspaper, the Japanese Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Chinese Xinhua News Agency. As well, they were attended by 30 prominent leaders from the political, economic, academic, and cultural fields of all three countries. The trilateral meetings were developed as a private council between the nations to discuss the developmental future of Northeast Asia.

Governor Woo Guen-min from Jeju Province participated in the culture, education, and exchanges divisions, discussing ways in which the three countries can increase their cooperation and collaborations.

Trilateral meetings in Japan.

At the meetings, Governor Woo emphasized that commitment and work from Korea, China, and Japan is needed to rectify some of the unfortunate history the three nations share. He continued by making it clear the countries need to work together toward the goal of mutual prosperity and peace in Asia.

In addition, Woo clarified that Jeju Province itself will work for the development of Northeast Asian cultures.

Jeju out port to attract cruise ships' simultaneous landings

2013-07-22T21:29:00.000+09:00

Jeju Province started a project to allow simultaneous cruise ship dockings at its port in January of this year. The plan was put into effect earlier this month, on July 2nd, allowing the simultaneous dockings.

As well as 9 sets of stairs for boarding and disembarking and additional fences, 21 sets of bumpers were installed at the port.

As a result, the 47,000 ton cruise ship 'HENNA' successfully docked in an extra berth, alongside which the concurrent docking of another large ship would have been possible.

In addition, these port renovations are contributing to the rising number of cruise tourists.
With the addition of this spare berth, Jeju is expecting to attract 370,000 cruise tourists this year.

Foreign teacher certification program at Jeju National University

2013-07-22T21:26:00.002+09:00

According to the Ministry of Education, Jeju National University was selected today as part of the GTU, or Global Teachers' University project. The project is organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

The selection process eliminated most contenders, leaving only Kyungbook National University, the Korea National University of Education, and Jeju National University out of 55 universities in the nation.

If a university is selected for the GTU project, it receives up to 12 years of support. Through the project, students at the faculty of education and the education college, as well as the Graduate School of Education, can become certified as overseas teachers during their studies.

An official from Jeju University commented, saying, "With Jeju National University the most recent recipient of the GTU grant, we can expect an increased number of internationally-certified teachers."

Jeju Water, National Excellent Brand

2013-07-22T21:25:00.000+09:00

Products from Jeju’s SamDaSoo and Hallasu bottled water companies are set to make their debut in the international market, carrying with them a mark of 'National Excellence.'

The Ministry of Environment re-selected Jeju’s SamDaSoo and Hallasu bottled waters as products of excellence at a “National Brand of Excellence Certification ceremony.”

Putting a logo for national excellence on the bottled water is a support measure instituted at the national level. It is hoped having the water branded as such will help solve the problem of having domestic water exports that are relatively low priced when compared to their imported competition.

The Ministry of Environment plans to raise export prices through this national brand development project. In addition, products excelling in reliability will also be announced.

In order to boost export revenue, Jeju Province’s Development Center will place the logo for national excellence on all of Jeju’s SamDaSoo and Hallasu bottled water products before sending them into the international market.

‘Learn all about Ulsan in Ulsan PR Center!’

2013-07-22T21:22:00.001+09:00

The renewed Ulsan PR Center which reopened on May 27 has upgraded its operating program to attract visitors.

As of June 27, the center has attracted 4,640 visitors in total (about 200 people a day) including individual and group visits (daycare center, kindergarten, religious group, civil group, etc.).

In particular, high-ranking foreign officials such as the governor of Hebei, China and officials from China National Offshore Oil Cooperation have also visited the center and played an important role in advertising Ulsan.

There still have been a lot of phone calls for group visits from various organizations including elementary and middle schools and social groups.

Therefore, the City of Ulsan has posted culture & tourism guide to the Ulsan City Tour to provide better services to visitors and operate the Ulsan PR Center more flexibly.

The culture & tourism guides will be available starting July. They will give a comprehensive explanation on the history, culture, ecology and industry of Ulsan as well as the facilities of the Ulsan PR Center in an easy and interesting manner. It appears that visitors would love them a lot.

In addition, they will be available in the Ulsan City Tour which will be operated every day except for Monday starting August. A visit to Ulsan PR Center will be a great chance to understand the City of Ulsan. The guides will be great help for visitors to understand the background of historical sites and tourist attractions.

An official from Ulsan City said, “We are going to make our best efforts to provide customized services to provide a variety of useful information and keep the facilities of Ulsan PR Center in good conditions.” He added, “We expect continued support interest in the Ulsan PR Center from all our citizens.”

Meanwhile, the new 345㎡-wide Ulsan PR Center consists of four sections; History of Ulsan (quickening the modernization of the Republic of Korea), Ecological Environment (declaration of Ecopolis Ulsan / perfect harmony between human and nature), Industrial City (future of Ulsan as a global environment-friendly industrial city) and Ulsan Tour (tour of Ulsan at a 1/1,500 scale, which has been built based on satellite photos).

The center opens from 09:00 to 18:00 Monday through Friday (closed on weekends and holidays). If a group visit is booked in advance, however, a tour can be possible even on weekends and holidays.

Seoul Metropolitan Government to Provide Bike Racks and Pumps to Schools

2013-07-22T21:18:00.001+09:00

Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would provide racks for 800 bikes and 223 pumps to selected schools during the summer vacation (July and August).

Elementary, middle, and high schools whose number of students using bikes is larger than others will be selected. Seoul Metropolitan Government has repaired bike roads and provided bike-related facilities (e.g., bike racks) for such schools. Since 2007, a total of 223 schools have been selected. This year, 22 schools have been added to the list based on onsite surveys.

Seoul Metropolitan Government will also provide bike repair service for the 223 schools. Simple parts will be replaced free of charge. For students’ safety, the service will focus on brake, handlebar, chain, and accelerator.

Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue to expand the list of selected schools. It also plans to provide safety education for students.

“Our program is designed to help young people use bikes as much as possible in their daily lives. We will continue to increase the number of schools selected to receive our support,” said Mr. Lee Won-mok, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official in charge of bike transportation.

Photographers of hope in Gwanghwamun

2013-07-22T21:16:00.000+09:00

“I don’t know how to thank you for the photo you sent via e-mail. The photo taken in front of the statue of King Sejong is one of my nicest photos, and in a king’s costume at that.” Kim Byeong-hong from Toronto, Canada

The message was sent by a Korean-Canadian to the photographer of hope in Gwanghwamun Square. Two homeless turned photographers of hope, who learned photography skills from photo artist Cho Sei-hon, started staying in Gwanghwamun 100 days ago to take pictures for visitors and print them on the spot. A total of 822 people (328 foreigners included) have had their pictures taken.

Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon was their first customer. Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo and a well-known actress from Hong Kong also had their pictures taken here. About 40 people outside of Seoul heard about these photographers of hope and took the trouble to come to Seoul to be customers of these photographers of hope.

Gwanghwamun Square is a major destination of foreign tourists, and these people get in line to have their pictures taken by these special photographers. Many of them want to have their photos taken in a king’s costume provided by the nearby Traditional Korean Costume Corner.

Mr. Ha Seong-su, one of the hope photographers, claimed he felt good taking photos for visitors to Gwanghwamun despite the very hot July weather. According to him, he shares happiness with them. He learned photography skills from photo artist Cho Sei-hon, and he thinks his skills are getting better every day.

“The two photographers of hope show what the homeless can do if they try and also help visitors have a good time. We hope the experience of having their photos taken by the two special photographers in Gwanghwamun will remain long in the memory of visitors,” said Mr. Kim Gyeong-ho, D

Seoul Metropolitan Government to Train High School Seniors with No Immediate College Plans as Leather Goods/Fashion Professionals

2013-07-22T21:13:00.002+09:00

Kim Seo-ul (18), a senior at Mirae High School of Science and Technology, decided to get a job instead of going to college. She learned about a Seoul Metropolitan Government-run program for training young people as leather goods professionals.

She attended a special lecture and a one-day hands-on experience session. Making a leather card holder on a trial basis, she thought the work suited her well and enrolled in a job training course offered by Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the leather goods/fashion professional training program was started on July 10 for 30 high school seniors who volunteered.

Said program was launched to help high school seniors who will not be going to college start a career as professionals.

Co-launched by Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongdong-gu Office with the participation of the Seongdong Fashion Center, the professional job program focuses on skills related to leather bags and shoes. Young volunteers will go through a three-month course (twice a week, i.e., Wednesday and Thursday/4 hours per class (2:00~6:00 PM).

The training session will focus on practical skills in the production of leather goods. Experienced lecturers will give the trainees coaching on their future career.

Upon completion of the training session in October, the trainees will be given an opportunity to meet recruiters from 20-plus leather goods businesses through the arrangement made by Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongdong-gu Office. Trainees recruited at this session will be paid up to 3.3 million won per person as grant in aid, with the recruiting businesses to receive up to 8.4 million won per trainee recruited, also as grant in aid.

Commenting on the program, Mr. An Jun-ho, a director general of Educational Cooperation at Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “This program aims to give job opportunities to high school seniors who will not be going to college so that they may start their future career with bright hopes.”

Seoul Metropolitan Government Holds Green Exhibit Titled Save the Earth

2013-07-22T21:10:00.001+09:00

Seoul Metropolitan Government is holding a green exhibit titled Save the Earth between July 8 and July 31 at the lobby of the New City Hall. Items displayed are good-quality, environment-friendly ones made by SMEs, including waterless urinals, compact diapers, and hanji (traditional Korean paper) socks.

The exhibit is being held to introduce diverse green products (32 in all) and build people’s consensus on energy conservation. The event will be divided into three sectors: energy saving, everyday green goods, and green architecture.

The energy saving sector will be the focus in energy-saving LED electric stands, whereas the everyday green goods sector will introduce flower wreathes made of waste paper. The green architecture zone will showcase goods associated with the bio gas-based power generation system. Visitors will be allowed to touch the displayed goods and see how they work.

At the event, visitors will also be able to check detailed information on the energy saving campaign (Let’s Reduce the Number of Nuclear Power Plants) promoted by Seoul Metropolitan Government, CIS (copper, indium, and selenium) thin-film producer Solar Frontier, which can produce energy even on a cloudy day, and eco-mileage system.

Commenting on the event, Lee In-geun, Director of Environmental Policy Division, said, “People are taking heightened interest in SME-made green products with good functions and ideas. We hope the event will help people put green life into practice daily.”

Gangnam Tourist Information Center opens as a new landmark

2013-07-22T21:08:00.001+09:00

Gangnam, Seoul is a town that takes pride in being the country’s center of culture, art, fashion, beauty, information technology, education, and finance. It also offers premium medical service that is on a par with others in the world.

The Gangnam Style frenzy triggered by Korean pop star Psy has made people all over the world pay attention to Gangnam. Gangnam-gu, Seoul has become a favorite destination among foreign tourists, with more than 2 million visiting every year. On June 26, the Gangnam Tourist Information Center was opened next to Hyundai Department Store in Apgujeong-dong to provide more convenient, warm-hearted service to foreign tourists and respond to the global attention. No doubt, it will become a new landmark in the area.

Apgujeong-dong where the center is located is a place that offers convenient transportation (subway, bus, taxi) and boasts of many top-notch shopping centers and medical facilities. Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil (a boulevard lined with gingko trees) and Cheongdam-dong Luxury Goods Stores Street, which have become foreign tourists’ favorite destination, are located nearby. The first bus stop for Gangnam City Tour buses is in front of the center. The place also has parking lots for tourist buses for group tourists’ convenience. The Hallyu (Korean Wave) Star Street being constructed in Cheongdam-dong is expected to be linked with the center to play the role of centerpiece of Hallyu tourism.

The two-story Gangnam Tourist Information Center has total floor space of 820㎡. The Medical Tourist Center and the General Tourist Center on the first floor will focus on publicizing Hallyu contents, tourism resources, and medical tourism. The Hallyu Hall on the second floor will provide information on how to have hands-on experience of Hallyu.

The first floor consists of the ff.: ▲ Tourist Information Desk (providing visitors with information in English, Chinese, and Japanese); ▲ Medical Tourist Center; ▲ travel agencies; ▲ money exchangers; ▲ lounge, and; ▲ Service Desk (helping visitors make reservations or buy tickets or transportation card and taking care of their bags). The second floor houses the ff.: ▲ Zone for Hands-on Experience of Digital Technology; ▲ Zone for Hands-on Experience of Hallyu Stars; ▲ Zone for Displaying Hallyu Merchandise, and; ▲ Composite Beauty Zone.

Commenting on the plan for operation, Ms. Lee Su-na, chief of the center, promised that they will provide foreign visitors with an opportunity to see the features of Gangnam aside from offering useful information and services. “We have prepared an array of programs for the hands-on experience of Hallyu and medical tourism focusing on beauty as well as the country’s first-rate information technology,” she said.

The Gangnam Tourist Center in Apgujeong-dong is the third one opened by the Seoul Tourism Organization following the two in Incheon International Airport and Myeong-dong, Seoul. The center plans to improve tourism infrastructure and develop diverse tourism contents to attract more tourists, including medical tourists, with the help of Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gangnam-Gu Office.

Entries from around world flood in for 2013 AD STARS

2013-07-22T21:04:00.002+09:00

Entries from around world have flooded in for 2013 AD STARS, the Busan International Advertising Festival.

The Busan International Advertising Festival organizing committee has announced that 12,079 entries from 59 countries have been submitted for this year’s festival. The number of entries increased by 16 percent over last year.

The festival had consecutive double-digit increases in its entries over the last four years, starting with 3,105 entries in 2008 (the first year of the festival), 3,258 entries in 2009 (up 4.9 percent), 5,437 entries in 2010 (up 66.9 percent), 7,130 entries in 2011 (up 31.1 percent), 10,431 entries in 2012 (up 46.3 percent) and 12,079 entries in 2013.

Entries for the "Print Ads" Category

Korean entries increased to 40, while foreign entries increased from 7,603 in 2012 to 9,211 (21 percent) in 2013, with 13 new countries include France, Norway and Sweden. Entries from the United States are up by 23 percent while China's grew by a whopping 158 percent.

The festival organizing committee said, “The foreign entries in this year’s festival have greatly increased, and its international status has been enhanced.”

The Busan International Advertising Festival, hosted by Busan Metropolitan City and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will be held August 22-24 at BEXCO and Novotel Ambassador. The final ad works will be exhibited free at BEXCO (1F). Various events including seminars and lectures by world-renowned advertisers and marketing experts will also be held during the festival.

For more information, please visit the Busan International Advertising Festival website at http://www.adstars.org.

Oncheoncheon Outdoor Swimming Pool to open on July 20

2013-07-21T22:45:00.002+09:00

Oncheoncheon outdoor swimming pool will open for the summer season from July 20-August 18 at Oncheoncheon Citizens’ Park

○ Period: July 20-August 18, 2013
○ Location: Oncheoncheon Citizens' Park (across from Yeonsin Elementary School)
○ Opening Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
○ Free admission
○ For more info.: (051)665-4981

Multicultural Film Festival to be held from July 29-August 9, 2013

2013-07-21T22:44:00.000+09:00

Multicultural Family Support Center of Busan City Women’s Community Center will host Multicultural Film Festival from July 29 through August 9.
Festival screenings at Busan City Women’s Community Center are free and open to the public.

Period: July 29-August 9, 2013 10 a.m.-noon
Venue: Busan City Women's Community Center (2F)
Free admission
For more info.: (051)610-2027~2030

Multicultural Film Festival Movies
July 29: Punch (Korea, 2011)
July 30: Owl and the Sparrow (Cu va chim se se) (Vietnam | USA, 2007)
July 31: 長江七號 CJ7
August 1: おおかみこどもの雨と雪 The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki (Japan, 2012)
August 2: Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (Thailand, 2003)
August 5: Papa (Korea, 2011)
August 6: The Rebel (Vietnam, 2007)
August 7: 唐山大地震 Aftershock (China, 2010)
August 8: August Rush (USA, 2007)
August 9: 3 Idiots (India, 2009)

Busan’s sky roads expand during summer

2013-07-21T22:41:00.001+09:00

The sky roads of Busan are ever expanding, with domestic and foreign airlines opening new commercial flights and charter flights from Gimhae International Airport to meet summer tourist demand.

From July 12, Korean Air will offer a direct flight to Nanjing, China, departing Gimhae Airport at 10:50 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Return flights leave Nanjing at 12:55 p.m. and arrive at Gimhae at 3:55 p.m. The route uses the Boeing B737-800 with 138 seats and an audio/video system. Nanjing, located on the lower part of Yangtze River, is one of the four ancient cities of China and home to the tomb of Sun Yat-Sen and the Confucius Shrine. It is famous for its scenery and proximity to such tourist destinations as Huangshan, Suzhou and Shanghai.

Direct and chartered planes to Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu

Starting July 15, Air Asia X will fly nonstop to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Starting in September, Peach Aviation will fly direct to Osaka, Japan, 14 times a week. China Airlines plans to begin a direct flight to Taiwan in September that will run daily, except Friday. From July 31, Asiana Airlines will operate a twice-weekly charter flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, for one month. Vietnam Airlines will operate charter flights to Da Nang, Vietnam, from July 26 to Aug. 19, while Air Busan will begin a four-times-a-week charter flight to Zhangjiajie, China, starting in September.

International service from Gimhae Airport will go from 708 flights to 29 cities in 10 countries on June 28 to 724 flights to 31 cities in 11 countries during July.

Enjoy marine sports all year at Songjeong

2013-07-21T22:38:00.002+09:00

Korea’s largest marine leisure sports facility, the Haeundae Songjeong Marina, will open at Songjeong Beach on July 25. The four-story, 2800-m² Haeundae Songjeong Marina includes a B1 floor and a rooftop lounge.

The facility offers resort lodging, a multipurpose hall, restaurants, convenience stores, and marine leisure shops, as well as equipment for marine sports and a scuba diving pool. Additional facilities also include an indoor pool, a clubhouse, an equipment storage room, shower rooms, locker rooms and more.

The above pictures show an aerial view of Haeundae Songjeong Marina.

Haeundae Songjeong Marina is operated as a members-only club, but the public can use the facilities year round by making advance reservations. Experience programs include dinghy yachting, skin scuba diving, windsurfing, surfing, kayaking, sea rafting, snorkeling and banana boating. The fees vary from 15,000-70,000 won.

Visitors can also use banana boats and jet skis, and there are training programs for yachting, skin scuba diving, wind surfing and kayaking. All equipment can be rented. There are also customized programs for families, couples, foreign tourists and corporate trainees. Visit their website at www.beachsports.kr.

The opening of the marina is expected to promote and enhance marine sports, helping Haeundae-gu District become a mecca for these sports.

Haeundae-gu District has established marine leisure sports facilities at Songjeong, Suyeong Riverside, and Dongbaekseom Island since the district was designated as a Haeundae Convention Image Marine Leisure Special Zone by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy in 2005. Songjeong Marina, located at Juk-do Island, will open in September 2013, and its programs will include water motorcycling, banana boating, and windsurfing.

Eight manually operated paddle boats and shuttle bikes will be available at Suyeong Riverside Marina from September as well.

When Dongbaekseom Island marina opens in the first half of 2014, visitors will be able to enjoy yachting, power boating, and marine motorbiking.

Visiting the National Maritime Museum by Nurimaru Ship

2013-07-21T22:34:00.003+09:00

Since June, it has become possible to visit the National Maritime Museum onboard the sailing ship Nurimaru (358 tons, 12 knots). Nurimaru is a non-permanent, inner-harbor passenger ship.

There are a total of six routes including:
A Coastal Ferry Terminal → National Maritime Museum
B National Maritime Museum → Coastal Ferry Terminal
C Coastal Ferry Terminal → via Oryukdo Islands → National Maritime Museum
D National Maritime Museum → via Oryukdo Islands → Coastal Ferry Terminal
E National Maritime Museum → via Oryukdo Islands → Yongho Terminal (Diamond Bridge)
F Yongho Terminal (Diamond Bridge) → via Oryukdo Islands → National Maritime Museum

Fares
A, B, E and F routes: 11,000 won for adults/ 8,000 won for children
C, D routes: 13,000 won for adults/ 10,000 won for children (including terminal fee 2,000 won)

Currently, the boat operates two to three times on weekdays and four times on weekends. The schedule is subject to change, so call 1688-7680 to confirm the time of departure.

Sea diving boards finally restored at Songdo Beach

2013-07-21T22:21:00.001+09:00

Sea diving boards, which attracted attention in 1927 during the Japanese colonial period as Korea’s first and only such installation, have been restored to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Songdo Beach.

The opening ceremony for the diving boards was held on July 7. With 500 million won in investment, two turtle-shaped sea diving boards have been installed 80 meters off the beach. Their shape is evocative of nearby Turtle Island. Beachgoers can enjoy diving from a 5-meter high mother turtle board and a 3-meter high baby turtle board.

A photo taken in the 1920s shows the trapezoidal wooden diving board installed in the sea. Another photo taken in the 1950s shows dozens of swimmers jam-packed on the board, illustrating its tremendous popularity.

It was one of four attractions at Songdo Beach, along with a sea cable car, a swinging bridge, and pleasure boats. These made Songdo Beach the most popular summer vacation spot in Korea in the 1960s. The diving board was destroyed by Typhoon Thelma in 1987, and it has finally been replaced after 26 years.

Unearthing Written Records on the Old Gyeongsang Administration Guesthouse and Dalseomun Photographs of Daegu

2013-07-21T22:14:00.000+09:00

Seeking to restore the old provincial administration building known as Gyeongsang Gamyeong, the City of Daegu has embarked on a project of preliminary research on the building, surveying all the relevant records kept at Kyujanggak, the National Archive, and in museums overseas.

The city has recently unearthed important written records indicating the exact location of the guesthouse that used to be part of the administration building, as well as an original layout for the administration building and its features. In addition, the city has also successfully obtained important photographs showing old Daegu, including those of Yeongnam Jeilgwan and Dalseomun.

The City of Daegu finally came across important written records of the exact location of Gyeongsang Gamyeong in Jubon, a book kept in the collection of Seoul National University’s Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies.

The findings include a record on the exchange, in 1908, of a piece of public land belonging to the guesthouse that formed part of the old provincial building, with 3,000 square meters or so of privately owned land in order to secure a greater area for a new district courthouse. The findings also include a layout indicating the exact location of the guesthouse.

Jubon is a collection of writings, letters, petitions, and other such written records that the officials and cabinet members of the Joseon Dynasty submitted to the king between from 1896 to 1910.

Daegu also found an original layout for the old provincial administration building of Gyeongsangbuk-do, in Gakgwanchaldogoraean, in the collection of the Kyujanggak Institute. Drawn in 1907, the layout indicates the arrangements and locations of four dozen or so major features of the old Gyeongsang provincial administration building, including Seonhwadang, Gwangpungnu, Naesammun, Jingcheonggak, Naeyeongnicheong, Oeyeongnicheong, Saryeongcheong, Dohundocheong, and Yeonchodang. It provides a rare glimpse into what the old administration building looked like circa 1907, when Japanese occupation had just begun on the Korean Peninsula.

Gakgwanchaldogoraean is a collection of the reports and instructions exchanged between provincial governors and the Joseon Department of Foreign Affairs from 1906 to 1910.

The photographs of Yeongnam Jeilgwan and Dalseomun that Daegu has also recently got a hold of belong to a wider collection of old photographs on Korea, kept at the Tokyo National Museum. The photograph of Yeongnam Jeilgwan clearly and vividly shows various features of the building, including its rafters, paintwork, the Hongyemun in the lower part, the brick walls, and the bricks surrounding the wooden pavilion in the upper part. It also shows signboards that read “Yeongnam Jeilgwan” and “Nakseoru,” the latter of which is found on the two-story wooden pavilion.

The photograph of Dalseomun, the first of its kind to be unearthed, features a massive gate with an octagonal rooftop. The ridge of the rooftop is decorated with various features. The photograph also shows, with relative clarity, a signboard reading “Dalseomun” and the smaller entrance to the right of the main gate. These two photographs were taken shortly before the town walls were demolished. They thus provide crucial information on the original layouts and shapes of Yeongnam Jeilgwan and Dalseomun.

The photograph of downtown Daegu, taken from the top of a town wall after a snowfall, comes from a wider collection titled “Photographs on the Folk Customs of Joseon,” kept at the Institute for East Asian Culture Research at Gakushuin University in Japan. The photograph shows the two-story wooden pavilion of Yeongnam Jeilgwan in the far distance and the boulevard extending across the town. The wooden pavilion in the background of human figures appears to be Juseungnu, which was erected to the west of the town when the town underwent a major overhaul in 1870.

Line 3 Monorail Finally Unveiled

2013-07-21T22:11:00.000+09:00

The City of Daegu finally unveiled its monorail, which is to run along Line 3 of the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Network. The monorail, the first of its kind to be introduced in Korea, is equipped with state-of-the-art devices for unmanned operations. The monorail also features fire extinguishers, safe escape devices, and other amenities inside carriages for passengers’ security and convenience.

The Metropolitan Transit Construction Headquarters organized a special event on July 2 at the train base in Dongho-dong, Chilgok, unveiling to the public the monorail - its full interior and exterior designs - and the safety features and amenities it is equipped with.

Each monorail consists of three carriages and is 2.9 meters wide, 15 meters long, and 5.24 meters high. It can admit up to 265 passengers on average and up to 398 passengers during the busiest hours. The monorail, made of aluminum, comes with driving, guiding, and stabilizing wheels that move the car along its orbit beam. Because there is an exterior skirt surrounding the guiding and stabilizing wheels, the monorail makes considerably less noise that normal subway trains during operation. The car is also designed to minimize the transmission of its noise to the outside world.

<Comparing the Monorail to the Subway Trains along Lines 1 and 2>

As for the exterior design of the monorail, it is white on the upper part and grey on the lower part so that it looks its best against the backdrop of the yellow that marks Line 3. The front has been streamlined to maximize speed and harmonize with the urban landscape.

As for the interior design, white boards form a clean atmosphere overall, while the smile-inspired chair shape and the flooring material of a different color also add warm and fun touches. The driver’s cabin, the legs of the chairs, and the passageways and doors between carriages are conspicuously absent, making the overall interior atmosphere spacious and clean.

Safety features inside each carriage include a sprinkler-type fire extinguisher, the first of its kind to be seen on a Korean subway train. The fire extinguisher automatically activates a mist of water upon detecting a fire. Because it uses water only, it poses no harm to the human body and can be used to extinguish fires of all type, whether caused by electricity, oil, or other igniters.

Should the monorail come to a halt due to an unforeseen defect or breakdown, the emergency exits, the safety footstools, and the spiral shooters are activated automatically so that passengers can safely flee the monorail and the underground.

Each carriage is also equipped with two closed-circuit surveillance cameras, with the images of the inside of each carriage transmitted to the central monitoring station on a real-time basis. In addition to the central monitoring station that automatically and constantly monitors the conditions inside and outside the monorail and takes appropriate measures without delay in emergency situations, the safety system also includes such devices as emergency interphones and broadcasting equipment.

Outside of the Line 3 Monorail

To ensure every passenger’s comfort, the monorail comes with two special areas for wheelchairs. In addition, 21 seats (or 24 percent) of the 89 seats on the monorail are set aside for the elderly, the disabled, and pregnant women. These seats are given colors different from the rest of the seats so that they are easily identifiable. Vertical handrails are found at the halfway point of each row of chairs and in the middle of the foremost carriage so that passengers can hold on to them.

As Line 3 runs along an overpass above the ground, the side windows on the monorail have been enlarged so that passengers can take in as big a view of the outside landscape as possible. The seats have also been widened from 430 millimeters to 460 millimeters, given the increasing average size of Koreans. There is no passageway between the carriages so that passengers can move from a carriage to another without any difficulty.

The windows become automatically blurred when the monorail runs through residential districts and neighborhoods so as to protect the privacy of locals living in those areas. The window blurring option can be set so that it is activated only in certain districts or intervals according to the route information and signals saved on the computer system inside the monorail.

Inside of the Line 3 Monorail

The monorail is markedly different from conventional subway trains in that it has no driver’s cabin. An observatory has been installed in place of a driver’s cabin so that passengers can enjoy views of the outside landscape in front of the monorail.

The monorail for Line 3 was manufactured at Cheongwon County in Chungbuk by Woojin Industrial Systems, using techniques and major parts imported from Hitachi, the Japanese company that has produced the most and best monorail cars in the world. After functional tests and a driving performance review at the train base, the Korea Railroad Research Institute, a government-designated, performance-testing agency, will launch technical and commercial trial operations in October. Once the monorail’s performance and safety are confirmed, its operation will begin in the latter half of 2014.

Mayor Kim Bum-il of Daegu announced: “We will do everything we can and run thorough checks, trial operations, and inspections to ensure that the monorail for Line 3 becomes the world’s best and safest light subway train.”

Daegu wins the bid to host the World Congress for the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) in 2017.

2013-07-21T22:04:00.002+09:00

The international bid over hosting the InSEA World Congress 2017 was held as part of the InSEA European Regional Congress on June 24, in Canterbury, England. The Korean delegation, comprised of the Committee for Hosting the InSEA in Korea and members from the Daegu Convention Bureau, finally won the bid after fierce competition from Turkey.

The International Society for Education through Art, better known by its acronym InSEA, is a nonprofit, UNESCO-affiliated academic society that was founded by Herbert Read in 1954, who sought to enhance humanistic education through art in the aftermath of the Second World War. Now it is the most active art education society in the world, counting art educators and artists in over 80 countries worldwide as its members. InSEA operates seven regional chapters, including those for Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East.

The InSEA World Congress, held every three years, is the world’s largest and most significant event in art education. The event is mainly divided between research conferences and the main congress. Lasting for six days on end, the World Congress features in-depth academic symposia, workshops, exhibitions of artistic works, and a variety of other participation-oriented programs.

The InSEA Asian Regional Congress was held in Seoul in 2007. The World Congress, now to be held in Daegu in 2017, is expected to draw over 1,500 art educators, artists, and experts from around the world.

This year’s bid was decided by votes cast at the World Council Meeting, which consists of representatives from each regional chapter. The Turkish delegation, lobbying for Konya, a Turkish city boasting a rich artistic and cultural heritage, effectively and actively lobbied the representatives of Europe with whom it has cultivated good ties. Yet the Turkish delegation could not beat the organized lobbying efforts waged by the Korean delegation, which had effective leadership in Professor Lee Ju-yeon of Gyeongin National University of Education, who was part of the Council.

The Korean delegation also had strong endorsements from other Asian countries, including Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan, as well as active support from Korean public enterprises, including the Korea Tourism Corporation, the City of Daegu, and the Daegu Convention Bureau. In particular, the presentation prepared by the City of Daegu and the Daegu Convention Bureau left a deep impression on all the Council members and played a decisive role in the bid process.