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KaKao's phone service hurts Korean telecom giants: Moody's

2012-06-12T00:50:00.001-07:00

The launch of a free phone-call service by KakaoTalk is credit negative for South Korean telecommunication giants SKT and KT, Moody's Investors Service said Monday.

KaKaoTalk is a popular multi-platform texting application based in South Korea. It claims more than 50 million subscribers around the world.

The operator began the free phone service, VoiceTalk, on a trial basis last week.

Moody's said the move will cause the additional burden in the capital expenditure of SKT and KT due to an increase in data traffic.

It will also chip away at their revenues in the voice service, it added.

Many smartphone users with the data services of SKT and KT are already texting via KaKaoTalk.

The telecom firms allow smartphone users to use unlimited 3G data service for at least 54,000 won ($46), Moody's pointed out.

"We estimate that about 60 percent of smartphone subscribers from SK Telecom and 55-60 percent of such users from KT are, therefore, eligible to use VoiceTalk for free," Serena Won, an analyst at Moody's, said in a weekly credit outlook.

"A switch to greater use of VoiceTalk will threaten the telecom operators’voice market, which amounts to a key, but declining share of their revenue.”

Consumer prices of whisky imported from EU 5.1 times higher than import prices

2012-06-10T18:07:00.001-07:00

Consumer prices of whisky imported from the European Union (EU) were 5.1 times as higher than import prices in the South Korean market, and the prices turned out to be 36 percent as higher than the whisky prices in other countries.

The average import price of whisky climbed 0.23 percent despite lower tariffs since the Korea-EU free trade agreement (FTA) took effect in July last year, reported the Green Consumers Network (GCN) Sunday.

The average import price for 15 kinds of Scotch whisky stands at 2,664 won ($2.27) per 100 milliliter (ml). Distributors purchase the Scotch whisky from importers for 8,376 won per 100 ml and sell the liquor for 13,501 won per 100 ml to consumers. Therefore, importers and distributors earn 10,837 won for every 100 ml sale of Scotch whisky.

Consumer prices of Scotch whisky are higher than import prices by 5.1 times, which is an excessive gap, even though several taxes including tariffs, liquor taxes, education taxes and distribution costs are applied to import prices.

“Such excessive gap means importers are generating unreasonably high profits by setting the whisky prices high in the distribution process, as most of the importers are domestic branches of whisky manufacturers overseas and have a monopoly on distribution of whisky in the Korean market,” the GCN explained.

Consumer prices of 28 kinds of Scotch whisky imported from the EU jumped 0.23 percent from 41,103 won per 100 ml in May last year, when the Korea-EU FTA had yet to go into effect, to 41,200 won as of May this year.

The GCN requested whisky importers and distributors to set reasonable prices and offer accurate information on price changes. In addition, the GCN urged the Korean government to reduce distribution structures to cut costs and revise the law so as to have import prices unveiled.

Pattaya beach from Hilton

2012-06-08T23:21:00.001-07:00

Fantastic view

Rebirth of a nation: the Korean War and reconstruction

2012-06-07T22:59:00.002-07:00

It’s easy to forget in the modernity of urban Seoul just how far this country has come in such a short period of time. Today we have skyscrapers and an abundance of food, but just one lifetime ago Korea was one of the poorest nations on Earth, having faced almost total devastation in the Korean War.

This month has been designated by the Korean government as Merit Reward Month. Two significant holidays fall in June: Memorial Day on June 6 and the anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25. The first part of the month is designated a Period of Remembrance, the middle a Period of Thanks, and the end of the month a Period of Unity and Harmony.

For people who want to take a look back to the days of war-torn Korea, there are two historic photo exhibits available to the public, one dedicated to the tumultuous period between 1945 and 1960, and another looking at the period of growth between 1963 and 1966.

At the Seoul Museum of History, “Seoul in Turbulence: As seen by the AP” offers a selection of photos taken by Associated Press (AP) journalists between Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945 and the April 19 Revolution of 1960. It shows images of Seoul’s devastation during the war, the long rebuilding process, and also an interesting glimpse at what it looked like before the war. This exhibit was prepared by the Seoul Museum of History in collaboration with the AP and Imagechip, and will run until June 3.

The 40th Anniversary Monument of Gojong's Enthronement, during the Korean War (left; by James Martenhoff) and today (right) (photo courtesy of the Seoul Museum of History)

The AP is the world’s largest newsgathering organization, providing news for around 8,500 media outlets in 121 countries. AP reporters were in Korea following liberation to report on the activities of the U.S. troops stationed in there, and it was the most reliable source of news about what was happening in the country.

Max Desfor, one of the reporters, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1951 for his photograph of hordes of refugees crossing a bombed-out bridge. Photographer Frank Noel was captured by Chinese forces in 1950 and spent the rest of the war in POW camps, where he was allowed to continue taking photographs for the AP.

The images are arranged around the gallery room chronologically, starting with the period right after Korea’s liberation. Pictures from this era show a very different Seoul from what we know today, with many imperial-era buildings before their destruction in the Korean War. Some of the highlights include the Capitol building, formerly known as the Japanese General Government Building, which continued to function as the seat of government after Japan’s withdrawal. It sat where modern-day Gwanghwamun, the gate of the palace of Gyeongbokgung, sits today, and remained there until the mid-1990s.

But there are some familiar sights: City Hall (now under renovation) and Seoul Station (recently reopened as Culture Station 284) are two key landmarks that visitors might recognize, as is the original Cheonggyecheon, the stream that was buried in the 1960s and unearthed again in 2005. Seoul Station is shown in the calm before the war and again during the war when it was heavily damaged but still used for rail transportation. Cheonggyecheon was much different than its modern incarnation, the site of a shantytown with lots of merchant activity.

Following liberation, American and Soviet troops arrived in Korea and the peninsula was divided along ideological lines. One picture from the 1940s shows American, Soviet, and South Korean flags flying together in front of Seokjojeon, a building in the palace grounds of Deoksugung.

There are also images showing Korean protests against the establishment of the U.S. Army Military Government, which ruled the south half of the peninsula until August 15, 1948, when Rhee Syngman was elected president of the First Republic of South Korea.

One image shows an eerily peaceful view of downtown Seoul on June 25, 1950, just hours before North Korean artillery would change the city forever. It took three days for the capital to fall to advancing North Korean troops. At this point, the AP sent war correspondents to Korea, who risked their lives capturing the horrors of war.

Urban warfare in Seoul (photo courtesy of Seoul Museum of History, taken by Max Desfor)

Before the war, Seoul had a population of 1.446 million, and in the first invasion 400,000 fled Seoul, becoming refugees, while one million remained, living under North Korean rule in Seoul for months until the capital was retaken by allied forces on September 28, 1950. Only months later on January 4, 1951, control of Seoul was once again wrested out of the South’s hands, and this time 800,000 people fled, leaving a population of 133,000 living mostly among the ruins. AP photographers were there to capture the devastated scenery, as well as images of warfare, including allied forces battling in front of a building bearing the portraits of Josef Stalin and Kim Il-sung.

The city passed back into allied hands for the last time on March 14, and refugees began returning to their bombed-out city, in many cases finding their homes destroyed. There was tension with the Seoulites who had remained and lived under communist control, with images depicting a variety of conflicts in the streets. Dramatic images show the lowering of the North Korean flag from the Korean Capitol building by UN soldiers, and the raising of the UN flag. Slowly life returned to normal, and the AP reporters captured images of newly established open-air markets, of women washing clothes in the gutters, of people trying to return to the lives they remembered amongst the ruins.

Tensions among Seoul citizens after the first retaking of Seoul (left, by Max Desfor); Jongno District was reduced to ruins (right, by James Martenhoff) (photos courtesy of Seoul Museum of History).

The signing of the armistice brought unrest, as South Korean citizens insisted not just on the end of hostilities, but on the end of division. “Truce talks without unification will surely bring another June the 25th,” says one protest placard in an AP image of a massive rally. Much earlier in the war, the South Korean government refused to enter into armistice talks for the same reason.

After the armistice, the long and laborious rebuilding process began, and the AP photographers were on hand to photograph this as well, as Seoulites cleared out the damage, gathering bricks of demolished buildings for new construction. By the end of the decade, the city looked almost as good as new. One picture shows a store offering a sale on hula hoops, a ‘50s fad that hit Seoul too.

Throughout the late ‘50s, the AP continued to play an important role in informing the outside world about what was happening in South Korea. While the local media and the public were stifled by restrictions on free speech, the AP was not under such strict control, and was able to provide vital historical records of this era.

The time span of the photo exhibition ends on a high note, with the beginning of the Second Republic of Korea under the democratic presidency of Yun Bo-seon.

Over at the Cheonggyecheon Museum, "Seoul, Rising Ever Higher" picks up a few years after where the other left off, with pictures from the Public Communications Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. By 1963 Seoul was continuing to rebuild at a fast pace under the rule of the general-turned-president Park Jung-hee. The population of Seoul rose quickly during the term of Mayor Yoon Chi-yong, around which this exhibition is themed.

The city grappled with growing pains in this period, and as the population grew it strained the infrastructure, resulting in food and housing shortages. Many of the photos of this collection focus on roads, bridges, and homes. New shantytowns were erected wherever land was free, creating communities called "moon villages" up on the slopes of Seoul's mountains. As well, housing was built on flood plains, and residents were at the mercy of water levels.

Still, the city had much growing to do. One picture shows farmland in present-day Dongdaemun District, now part of northeastern Seoul. Another image shows unpaved markets in Yongsan District, which at the time was one of the southernmost districts of Seoul. Now it is considered central Seoul.

A house is consumed by flood waters (photo courtesy of Seoul Museum of History).

The exhibition also has a few pictures of Cheonggyecheon, which was at that time in the gradual process of being covered up. The process began in 1958, and ended in 1976 with the opening of an elevated highway. Cheonggyecheon remained an underground stream until its 2005 restoration. In the era depicted in the photo exhibition, many people still lived in stilted houses along the stream.

Workers bury Cheonggyecheon under pavement (photo courtesy of Seoul Museum of History).

Although the people of Seoul struggled during this decade, life was starting to improve. One photo depicts an increasingly common scene: a 60th birthday party. Previously, turning 60 was regarded as a very rare milestone, and was celebrated in a big party. These parties became more and more common as the average lifespan grew, and they are still considered a big deal to this day despite the fact the average lifespan is considerably longer than 60 years.

Admission to both exhibits is free. The Seoul Museum of History runs many exhibits of historic photos of Seoul. Next door is “Seoul in Rossetti’s Eyes,” which shows Seoul in 1902 and 1903 through the eyes of Italian Consul Carlo Rossetti and runs until July 1. Later this year, Cheonggyecheon Museum will introduce another exhibit spotlighting 1966 and 1967.

Visit the website of the Seoul Museum of History: http://www.museum.seoul.kr/ (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese).

To learn more about Korean history following liberation, please follow these links:

N.Korea May be Dodging Food Loan Repayment

2012-06-06T18:52:00.002-07:00

The day has arrived for North Korea to make good on a food loan South Korea provided in 2000, but there are no signs the North plans to pay up.

The Unification Ministry says the Export-Import Bank of Korea signed the loan agreement with North Korea’s Chosun Trade Bank in 2000 for six-point-nine billion won worth of rice and corn. That’s roughly five-point-eight million dollars.

The ministry said Chosun Trade Bank was notified on May fourth that June seventh was the repayment date for the food loan, but North Korea has yet to respond regarding the payment deadline.

The government plans to issue further measures in the event the North fails to respond by midnight Thursday.

Apple Seeks Sales Ban on Samsung Galaxy S3

2012-06-06T18:50:00.001-07:00

Apple has requested that a U.S. court issue an injunction to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphones which recently hit store shelves.

Software patent-news blog Foss Patents said Wednesday that Apple asked the California Northern District Court earlier on Tuesday for permission to include the Galaxy S3 "as another product targeted by Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Nexus.”

Apple claimed that after analyzing the new Samsung smartphone, it assessed the device has potentially infringed on more than two of Apple’s patents, including data tapping.

South Korea, the Mecca of e-Sports

2012-06-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

“You may not know StarCraft, but surely you must know who Lim Yo-hwan is, right?”

This may at first not ring true. StarCraft is a real-time strategy video game that has captivated gamers around the world since its debut in the late 1990s. Lim, known as the Terran Emperor or BoxeR, is one of a number of professional gamers who has gained fame through the game. However, those who know of his tremendous feats and fame in the field of professional gaming are also well aware that the remark holds a great deal of truth. In his prime, numerous foreign fans came to Korea to watch him play. There were even people who called themselves “Lim Yo-hwan’s kids” and looked up to him as a role model. As a result, they jumped into the world of professional gaming with both feet.

Lim is past his prime, but there are many South Korean professional gamers who follow in his footsteps and continue to enthrall gamers around the world. Among them are Hong Jinho (YellOw), Lee Yun-yeol (NaDa), Lee Junghoon (Marine King Prime), and Han Lee-seok (FnaticRC aLive), to name a few.

The final battle of WCG had the entire world watching (photo courtesy of WCG).

Early this April, fans of competitive gaming from across the world flocked to Las Vegas with the same single aim of watching South Korean gamers compete in the StarCraft II IGN Pro League (IPL) 4 tournament and the finals of the 2012 Global StarCraft II Team League (GSTL). It was the first time for any South Korean gaming league to be held in Las Vegas, the center of the sports universe. IGN, which is North America’s most representative entertainment media and service provider focused on video games, had reportedly asked GomTV of South Korea to hold the event in Las Vegas, testifying to the rising stature of South Korean gaming leagues and gamers. Fans around the world who watched the matches— online or offline—were all enthusiastic, boisterously cheering and chanting.

Fans from more than 140 countries who could not be in Las Vegas watched the GSTL finals and the StarCraft II IPL 4 tournament on the Internet.

What is it about Korean professional gamers that game enthusiasts go so crazy for?
The answer is their pure skills and strategies, which amaze, entertain, and thrill the spectators. Even when defeat seems inevitable and a player can be expected to type “gg,” which stands for “good game” and expresses that he is conceding, that player will in many cases stubbornly keep up the fight and turn the game around to clinch an incredible, come-from-behind victory. Such dramatic turnarounds are not uncommon in matches involving Korean professional gamers.

Another question: What is the secret to their astute performance? The answer is South Korea’s social environment. It is especially conducive to professional game players. The country trul
y lives up to the moniker “Mecca of e-Sports.” Professional gaming teams can thrive in this country, and they sweep the honors at all sorts of e-sporting matches.

Dominant leader in E-sports

Last December, Busan, the city of Korea, attracted the attention of game lovers around the world. The port city hosted the 2011 World Cyber Games (WCG) Grand Finals, dubbed the e-Sports Olympics, the largest competition of its kind in the world. The 11th WCG was joined by over 600 players from 61 countries. “I enjoyed the fantastic matches,” said John Pauls from the US. “Korean gaming is never a bore; it is always fascinating.”

Cheonan, a city in the province of Chungcheongnam-do, will host the IeSF 2012 World Championship in October this year. The event is held by the International e-Sports Federation (IeSF), which has 33 member countries including China, the US, the UK, and Germany.

What is striking about these two events is that the leading country is not the US or another advanced country where the gaming industry is well established, but the small country of South Korea.

A scene from the popular StarCraft II game

StarCraft (which reshaped global villagers’ perception of video games), Angry Birds (which is the most popular mobile game), and other games that enjoy global popularity including World of Warcraft (WoW), Diablo, Winning Eleven, and League of Legends were all developed in advanced countries such as the US and Japan. However, it was the Koreans who enjoyed them the most and created a whole new culture out of them, making South Korea the Mecca of e-sports.

“Do you want to become a pro-gamer? South Korea is naturally the best place to cut your teeth in the field. The country is a veritable e-sports Holy Land.” So said Krzysztof Nalepka (Draco) from Poland when he took his first step in South Korea as a professional gamer in 2006.

Guillaume Patry (Grrrr…) from Canada and Bertrand Grospellier (ElkY) from France ruled the world of StarCraft from the late 1990s to the early 2000s and were dubbed “Blueeyed Fighters.” They developed as professional gamers in South Korea and won many league competitions, and they, too, recommended South Korea as a country that professional gamers should visit, which is still very true even today.

e-Sports continues to grow
The South Korean government supports e-sports as a popular leisure-time activity in a number of ways.

Lee Jung-hoon holds the team flag after winning at the GSTL finals in Las Vegas (photo courtesy of Greetech).

On December 13 last year, the government launched a council that seeks mutual development of both the gaming industry and e-sports. The council involves the government, e-sports groups, the gaming industry, the media, and academia. Before then, business alone had led the e-sports industry, but now the public and private sectors and academia have all joined hands to push the country’s e-sports culture to the next level.

On the 30th of the same month, the National Assembly of South Korea enacted legislation for the promotion of e-sports to lay a foundation for the e-sports culture and industry and help raise their competitiveness.

Now that the act has passed the floor of the National Assembly, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will devise medium and long-term plans to advance e-sports and will formulate annual action plans for each area in order to support e-sports more systematically. The act mandates the ministry to develop human resources for the promotion of e-sports and designate training institutes. It also enables the government to fund organizations such as the International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) and carry out overseas PR campaigns to spur international exchange and Korean businesses’ forays into foreign markets.

President Kim Jun-ho of the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) says, “Related agencies’ efforts should be coupled with government support for the development of e-sports.” He and other experts see the act as paving the way for the rebirth of the e-sports industry, and express their high expectations for the outcome with the government’s full support.

*Article from Korea Magazine (June 2012)

korean airline 2

2012-06-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Company name	Asiana Airlines Inc.
Address	Asiana Town Kangseo P.O. Box 98 #47, Osae-Dong, Kangseo-Ku Seoul, Korea
Date established	February 17, 1988
Capital	875.9 billion won
Type of Business	Air Transportation
Product/Service	Air Transportation, In-flight Sales, Refueling Service, etc.
Fleet	72 aircrafts (2012.05)
Service route	Domestic: 12 cities, 14 routes
Service route	International Passenger: 22 countries, 68 cities, 87 routes International Cargo:14 countries, 27 cities, 22 routes

Company name	Asiana Airlines Inc.
Address	Asiana Town Kangseo P.O. Box 98 #47, Osae-Dong, Kangseo-Ku Seoul, Korea
Date established	February 17, 1988
Capital	875.9 billion won
Type of Business	Air Transportation
Product/Service	Air Transportation, In-flight Sales, Refueling Service, etc.
Fleet	72 aircrafts (2012.05)
Service route	Domestic: 12 cities, 14 routes
Service route	International Passenger: 22 countries, 68 cities, 87 routes International Cargo:14 countries, 27 cities, 22 routes

korean airline 1

2012-06-04T20:09:00.002-07:00

KOREAN AIR LINE 1

2012-06-04T19:14:00.001-07:00

INVERSTOR KOREA

2012-06-03T18:58:00.002-07:00

Unmanned immigration checkpoint for investors whose investment amount is over USD 2 million

Business investment (D-8) visa holders, who have invested USD 2 million or more, have stayed in Korea for more than one year and have changed their status from corporate investment (D-8) to residence (F-2) based on the item RA of provision 27 (attached table 1) according to ordinance to permanent residence (F-5) based on the provision 28-3 (attached table 1) according to the same ordinance, may use an unmanned immigration checkpoint after registering their passport, fingerprints and facial scans at the Immigration Office of Incheon International Airport or Invest KOREA.

korean city list

2012-06-02T09:36:00.002-07:00

Seoul: Seoul has been the capital of Korea for about 600 years, since the time of the Joseon Dynasty(1392-1910). Seoul was referred to as 'Han Yang' during the Joseon Dynasty, but after the liberation from Japan, in 1945...

Busan: As most of us know, there's life outside Seoul. Busan is often an overlooked city, as many flock to Seoul, bright lights, big capital. But ask any Korean and they will tell you - Korea's second largest city Busan is by no means...

Jeju-do: Situated in a most ideal setting, just 64 kilometers south of the Korean Peninsula is Korea's largest island, Jeju. Jeju is a magical place known for 3 things: roaring winds, magnificent rocks, and women...

Gyeongju: As the capital of the Silla Kingdom for almost a thousand years, Gyeongju preserves a vast amount of significant and fascinating historical heritages. Along with Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto...

Gangneung: On the eastern portion of the Korean peninsula, looking over the East Sea lays one of Korea's most well known Tourist destinations, Gangneung. Such cultural treasures as Daegwallyeong and ...

Chuncheon: The provincial capital city of Gangwon-do Province is nestled in the heart of the famous tourist city of Chuncheon. This city is tucked away in a basin with Uiamho Lake to the west, Chuncheonho Lake and Soyangho Lake to the...

Jeonju: The culturally abundant city of Jeonju can be found in the middle of the Korean peninsula. This historical city dates back to the Baekje Kingdom. Gyeon Hwon founded the nation after the dissolution of the three kingdoms...

Suwon: Built by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Era, Hwaseong Fortress is designated Historical Site No.3 by the Korean government. Construction began in January of 1794 and was completed in September of 1796...

Andong: Andong is the home of Confucianism in Korea. During the Joseon Dynasty, Andong attracted scores of Confucian scholars becoming a pioneering city in Confucian thought. This city also contained the highest number of...

Mungyeong: Mungyeong (문경) is located halfway between Seoul and Busan, in the central region of the country. It is most well-known for the Mungyeongsaejae Mountain Pass (문경새재), one of the main trade and travel routes of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). ...

Daegu: Daegu is a metropolitan city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province (southeastern part of Korea) close to the cities of Gyeongju and Andong. Nestled into a valley with mountains on practically every side, Daegu was once notorious for its sultry summer weather...

Pyeongchang: The county of Pyeongchang-gun is located in the central region of south Gangwon-do Province, east of Seoul. Of its total land, approximately 65% lies on highlands 700 meters above sea level, an altitude that is said to be ideal for the biorhythm of...

Incheon: Incheon is the second largest port city in Korea. The Incheon Port is where Korea’s modernization began at the end of the 19th century, when it opened to foreign nations for the first time. Incheon is also home to the world’s top-ranked Incheon...

korean food 6- Mandu

2012-06-02T09:35:00.002-07:00

Mandu, Tteokguk

Tteokguk (Sliced Rice Cake Pasta Soup): Main Dishes / Mandu, Tteokguk; Tteokguk is a soup made of diagonally sliced rice cakes simmered in beef broth, garnished with pressed meat, and fried egg white and yolk strips. People enjoy tteokguk made with sliced garaetteok on the first day of the year. Garaetteok is a rice cake rod that pulled it into a long rod. It is eaten in hopes of expanding one's property like the rice cake rod.

Eomandu (Fish Fillet Dumpling): Main Dishes / Mandu, Tteokguk; Eomandu is thinly sliced white fish fillet (croaker, sea bream, flatfish or gray mullet) that is stuffed with beef and vegetables, coated with starch, then steamed. The white fish fillet as dumpling skin is unique, light and sweet in taste. It was originally a summer dish but now people enjoy it on special occasions all year round.

Pyeonsu (Square Dumpling): Main Dishes / Mandu, Tteokguk; Pyeonsu is a steamed square dumpling stuffed with vegetables and beef. Pyeonsu is served chilled or floating in a cool soy sauce soup. It is a summer delicacy. The dish gets its name from the Chinese characters for the word, ‘pyeonsu’ which means ‘a small fragment on the water.’
Mandutguk (Dumpling Soup): Main Dishes / Mandu, Tteokguk; Mandutguk is a soup made of dumplings simmered in beef broth, often served in the winter. The dumplings have wheat flour wrappers stuffed with fillings such as meat, tofu, Kimchi and other vegetables. People enjoy mandutguk on lunar new year’s day because it represents fortunes wrapped in the dumplings.

korean food 4-Guksu

2012-06-02T09:34:00.001-07:00

Guksu (Noodles)

Bibim-naengmyeon (Mixed Cold Buckwheat Noodles): Main Dishes / Guksu (Noodles); Bibim-naengmyeon is a dish of cold buckwheat noodles mixed with a spicy and thick red pepper sauce. It may be garnished with raw fish. It is also called ‘Hamheung-naengmyeon’ because it was a regional food of the Hamheung district in Hamkyeong-do province.

Mul-naengmyeon (Buckwheat Noodles in Chilled Broth): Main Dishes / Guksu (Noodles); Mul-naengmyeon is a dish of buckwheat noodles in chilled broth that is garnished with radish Kimchi, pickled cucumber, Korean pear and slices of pressed beef. Originally it was had thin ice over it and was served in the winter, but nowadays people enjoy this dish all year round.

Kong-guksu (Noodles in Chilled White Bean Soup): Main Dishes / Guksu (Noodles); Kong-guksu is a dish of cold noodles in a chilled soybean puree which is made of ground white soybeans after soaked, boiled and skinned. Kong-guksu is sweet and rich in nutrition. It is a summer specialty for people who are easily exhausted from the hot weather.

korean food3 -Juk

2012-06-02T09:32:00.002-07:00

Juk (Porridge)

Heugimjajuk (Black Sesame and Rice Porridge): Main Dishes / Juk (Porridge); Heugimjajuk is a porridge of finely ground black sesame and non-glutinous rice. It is sweet in taste and easily digested, so it is a good nourishing meal. According to Oriental medicine, heugimja (black sesame) promotes health, makes hair healthy, and keeps weight off.

Jeonbokjuk (Rice Porridge with Abalone): Main Dishes / Juk (Porridge); Jeonbokjuk is a delicacy made of sliced abalone and non-glutinous rice. It has a sweet taste, nice aroma and is rich in nutrients. It has been served as a noble dish in the royal courts since early days. Blue jeonbokjuk is a special delicacy cooked with abalone entrails. It is blue in color and has a bitter taste.

Janggukjuk (Rice Gruel with Beef Broth): Main Dishes / Juk (Porridge); Janggukjuk is a thin rice porridge, made with pounded non-glutinous rice, beef and brown oak mushrooms. Janggukjuk is seasoned with soy sauce, and it literally means “soy sauce porridge.” It is high in protein and therefore good for recovering patients and the elderly.

korean food2

2012-06-02T09:30:00.002-07:00

Yeongyang-dolsotbap (Norishing Hot Stone Pot): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Yeongyang-dolsotbap is a nourishing dish of rice, ginseng, jujubes and chestnuts which are believed to have healing properties. Rice tastes best when cooked in a stone pot because it cooks evenly and stays hot in the pot.

Ogokbap (Five Grain Rice): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Ogokbap is cooked of glutinous rice, glutinous African millet, sweet red beans and black beans together. From olden days, Koreans have regarded the first full moon day of the year as an important day. People cooked five-grain rice on that day and shared it with neighbors in hopes of peace and a good harvest.

Huinbap (Cooked White Rice): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Huinbap is cooked only of non-glutinous white rice. Rice was farmed from early times in Korea. Therefore, rice dishes and rice-based foods were developed as well. Rice is the main dish on the table, and the other accompanying dishes are side dishes.

korean food1

2012-06-02T09:29:00.001-07:00

Bap (Cooked Rice)

Gimbap (Rice Rolled in Laver): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Gimbap is cooked white rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt, then rolled with other ingredients in a sheet of laver. Gimbap has been popular since the 1960s. It is good to pack for a picnic as lunch or a snack, because it is convenient to eat and contains many different ingredients and flavors.

Janggukbap (Rice in Beef Soup): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Janggukbap is a dish made of cooked white rice in long-simmered beef broth, seasoned with soy sauce. In olden days, when a big event or festival took place in the royal court, janggukbap was served to the mobilized soldiers, musicians, dancers and singers because this dish is convenient for serving to the many people.

Bibimbap (Rice Mixed with Vegetables and Beef): Main Dishes / Bap (Cooked Rice); Bibimbap is a dish mixed of cooked white rice, vegetables, beef, garnishes and fried red pepper paste. It is said that this dish came from the customs of memorial services and rural villages. This dish is very easy to prepare, just mixing together cooked white rice with various vegetables, namul and red pepper paste.

Purun Citizen Community in Korea

2012-06-01T05:00:00.001-07:00

About Purun Citizen Community

○ Who are we?

'The Purun Citizen Community' is orienting a local community for volunteering participation of local residents,
aiming to build healthier democratic society, in which freedom, justice, human rights and welfare are fully guaranteed.

○ We are dreaming of ...

   복지공동체- community for welfare
   지역주민 - local residents
   다문화가정- multi-cultural families
   이주노동자 - migrant workers
   문화공동체 - cultural community
   권리 찾기 - claiming for one's right
   참여정치공동체 - community for participant politics
   다문화공동체 - multi-cultural community

INTRODUCTION OF THE HISTORY MUSEUM

2012-06-01T04:58:00.003-07:00

The “The Museum of Sexual Slavery by Japanese Military” is the world’s first museum that has the main subject of sex slaves. It was established on August 14th, 1998 with the purpose of showing people what the Japanese military did during the war, and vindication of comfort women and educating the next generation.
The museum, which has two floors and a basement, was built with the money donated by private organizations and civilians. The museum shows testimonials by comfort women from Korea and abroad and also has related documents that prove what happened during the war, much of which Japan denies publicly.

The museum has a replica of a comfort house where the comfort women lived, and also the remains. It also has drawings that are drawn by the comfort women, so that the visitors can have better understanding of how comfort women lived and felt during the war
The museum publishes and distributes information booklets, using the documents, pictures and other data stored in the archive. We also maintain a website in order to disclose the truth about the harm comfort women had during the World War II by Japan.

The History Museum will continue to inform everyone so that history will not be forgotten

Immigrant Family Supporting Centers

2012-06-01T04:56:00.001-07:00

Immigrant Family Supporting Centers

Immigrant Family Supporting Centers
City/State	Supporting Center	Website	Phone
Gangwon	Gangreung Cultural Center	http://www.gncc.or.kr/htmls/english/meet.html	033-648-3014
	Holt Children’s Center	http://www.kwholt.or.kr/	033-251-2344
	Myungryun General Welfare Center	http://www.mlwfc.or.kr/	033-762-8131~2
Gyeonggi	Bucheon Family Supporting Center	http://bucheon.familynet.or.kr/	032-326-4212
Gyeonggi	Ansung General Welfare Center	http://www.acwc.or.kr/	031-671-0631~3
Gyungnam	Changwon University	http://gsnd.familynet.or.kr/center/main.php?center_id=56	055-279-8335
Gyungnam	Gimhae Shi Family Supporting Center	http://www.gfsc.or.kr/	055-329-6355~6
Gyungbuk	Pohang Women’s Center	http://woman.ipohang.org/	054-270-5531
Daegu	Gyemyung University	http://www.dhfc.or.kr/	053-580-6819
Daejun	Daejun University Industrial Engineering for Child Development	http://daejeon.familynet.or.kr/center/main.php?center_id=51	042-252-9989
Busan	Busan Shi Women’s Center	http://wcc.busan.go.kr/	051-313-7345~7
Busan	Busan Shi Women’s Hall	http://woman.busan.kr:8080/womanCenter/index.action	051-610-2020~7
Ulsan	Ulsan Family Supporting Center	http://ulsan.familynet.or.kr/	052-274-3136
Ulsan	Inchon Shi Women’s Center	http://women-center.incheon.go.kr/	032-425-1372
Jeonnam	Soonshun Shi Regional Welfare Association	http://www.scwelfare.or.kr/	061-744-1050
Jeonbuk	Iksan Shi Family Supporting Center	http://www.ifamilynet.or.kr/	063-850-6046
	Honam Public Welfare research Center by Nonshil Village People	http://www.nonsil.ne.kr/	063-352-3362
	Gimje Immigrant Women Help Center	http://www.immigrant.or.kr/	063-545-8506
Jeju	Jeju Foreign Labor Help Center	http://www.jejupeace.net/	064-762-1141
Chungbuk	Okchun Korean Language Learning Center	http://www.oklcj.com/	043-733-1915

K-Pop Video Contest & SNS Festival for K-Pop Lovers Worldwide

2012-05-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

Presented by the Korean Cultural Center Washington DC

The chart-topping music of Korea’s hottest K-Pop stars, including Girl’s Generation, Big Bang, Wonder Girls, and TVXQ, will be featured among the exclusive merchandise prizes up for grabs in the K-POP Video Contest, a new SNS event hosted by the Korean Cultural Center Washington DC, Embassy of the Republic of Korea. Throughout the month of May, K-Pop lovers worldwide can take part via the Korean Cultural Center’s official Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/KoreaCultureDC.

To enter, fans are invited to create an original video celebrating K-Pop. Any creative idea can be expressed through the video, with points for originality and enthusiasm for favorite K-POP songs and dances. Then, post the video under the K-Pop Video Contest ‘event’ on the Korean Cultural Center’s facebook page. Videos must be self-made by an individual or group, and must not have been entered in a previous contest.

The contest will commence on May 1st and resume until May 31st, and the 10 selected winners will be announced by the end of June.

Contest prizes include autographed CDs from Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, Wonder Girls, and Big Bang, as well as a home sound-system, a Blu-ray player, and even round trip tickets to Korea!

Korean popular music, or K-Pop, has become a global hit with fans, first in Asia and now worldwide across Central America, Europe, and North America. This vibrant cultural phenomenon has also come to encompass other aspects of Korean culture, including film, food, and fashion, all of which are part of the Korean Wave. The Korean Cultural Center Washington DC at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is at the forefront of the growing Korean Wave with various programs and events like the monthly K-Pop Giveaway throughout 2012.

This event is made possible thanks to the support of SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Korean Air, LG Electronics Inc.

Smartphones Create a New Korean Wave

2012-05-30T20:40:00.003-07:00

Thanks to the latest smartphone boom in popularity, Korea now ranks as one of the world's top ten smartphone markets, creating a new "IT Hallyu," or Korean wave.

According to the recent market survey by Canalys, Google's Android platform became the world leader in the fourth quarter of 2010, selling nearly 33 million handsets and surpassing Nokia's Symbian, which sold 31 million handsets.

Android grew more than 600 percent, drastically increasing from its 8.7 percent market share in the fourth quarter of 2009. Two leading Android handset makers, Korea's Samsung and Taiwan's HTC, account for 45 percent of the total sales of Android smartphones.

In terms of regions, Europe was the largest smartphone market in the world, followed by the Middle East and Africa. However, the United States was the largest single-country smartphone market, and Android was their top choice for operating system in the fourth quarter last year.

The survey also showed growth in the Korean smartphone market. In the fourth quarter of 2009, 0.7 million smartphones were sold. The number surged to 3.4 million in the last quarter of 2010, making Korea one of the top ten smartphone markets in the world.

Samsung recently announced that it sold 280 million mobile handsets last year. The firm said an increase in smartphone sales led the growth, and that it sold more than 80 million in the last quarter of 2010.

In the third quarter of 2010, Korean electronics makers Samsung and LG accounted for the largest share of the U.S. mobile handset market, recording 31.4 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, many Korean applications have received very favorable responses in the international application market. Commonly called "apps," these smartphone programs are available online through sites like the Apple Store and Android Market.

One of the most well-known examples of a Korean-made app is Kakao Talk. In Korea alone, more than 6 million people out of 7.5 million smartphone users have downloaded the free messenger service. It is also one of the top four apps in the Middle East and Hong Kong app markets.

According to Kakao, Kakao Talk was the top-ranked social network app in the Apple Store in Hong Kong and Macao from January 18 to 22. Two weeks ago, it was also the most downloaded free app in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Other Korean-made apps like "Slice-it," "PhotoShake," "Homerun Battle 3D," "Baseball Superstars" and "Zennonia" have won popularity among international smartphone users, helping to create a new form of Korean wave.

"Homerun Battle 3D" by Korea's Com2us was one of the top 50 apps selected by Apple late last year. In November 2010, Apple opened an "Essentials Hall of Fame" section for their store and revealed a list of the top 50 apps most downloaded by iPhone users over the last two years. "Homerun Battle 3D" was the only Korea-made app in the top 50, which included world-famous apps like "Angry Birds" and "Facebook."

Hyundai and Kia prove their competitiveness in the U.S.

2012-05-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

The brand and product competitiveness of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors in the American market have received high praise.

TrueCar.com, an automotive solutions provider focused on new car pricing, trends, and forecasting, recently posted the 2011 Annual Performance Scorecards for automotive manufacturers and brands on its website. Among the 18 major automobile companies in the U.S., Hyundai and Kia ranked top with a grade of A+ for the overall evaluation.

Each manufacturer and brand was evaluated by such factors like discount percentage, price variation, customer loyalty, retail sales change, and market share change. While Hyundai was rated top in the manufacturer performance scorecard, its affiliated company Kia was also ranked top in the brand performance scorecard.

For brand performance, Kia received a grade of A+, tying with MINI and and Volkswagen. Experts say that Kia received its top ranking thanks to its increased market share over last year and the reasonable price of its cars.

While maintaining the lowest incentives in the industry, Hyundai and Kia recorded the largest sales in the U.S. last year. Hyundai and Kia sold over 11 billion cars last year, an increase of 26.5% from the previous year.

At the North American International Auto Show in January this year, Hyundai’s Elantra won the Car of the Year award and the company also ranked at the top by repurchase rate. Maintaining a reasonable price through quality and customer loyalty were the two more reasons that the company received the highest rating in the evaluation, Hyundai and Kia Motors said.

"Experiencing robust retail sales growth while maintaining incentives spending discipline is the ultimate measure of consumer acceptance for any automaker and Hyundai reached that goal in 2011," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com.

Sourced from Korea.net

In order to limit the use of air conditioning and thereby reduce the consumption of electricity, City Hall is promoting a full-fledged ‘Cool Biz’ campaign to encourage officials to wear simpler and cooler clothing and shoes during the summer.

2012-05-30T04:32:00.002-07:00

In order to limit the use of air conditioning and thereby reduce the consumption of electricity, City Hall is promoting a full-fledged ‘Cool Biz’ campaign to encourage officials to wear simpler and cooler clothing and shoes during the summer.

※ ‘Cool Biz,’ a compound of ‘cool’ and ‘business,’ refers to an energy conservation initiative launched in Japan in 2004. The Ministry of Environment of Korea launched a similar campaign in 2009 under the name of Coolmaepsi, a combination of ‘cool’ and the Korean word ‘maepsi’ meaning ‘style’.

Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to advise its officials to wear simpler and cooler clothing from May to September, marking a move away from the traditional business attire of suit and tie in a bid to restrict energy consumption via the use of air conditioning as much as possible. From June to August, in particular, the city government will allow all of its officials to wear ‘Cool Biz’ clothing, designating the hottest three months of the year as the Super Cool Biz period, when officials can wear even shorts and sandals, in accordance with the good etiquette and dignity required of public officials. However, officials who work in public service centers where there is constant contact with citizens are excluded from the campaign.

Moreover, the city government has launched a wide range of energy conservation measures including turning off the standby power of electric devices not in use, removing one light bulb from two- and three-bulb lighting sets, and turning off alternate light bulbs where applicable, as well as banning the use of warm water in bidets and setting air conditioner thermostats at or above 28℃ at any time.

To commemorate World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, the city government is organizing a ‘Cool Biz Fashion Show’ at the RTO Hall of the former Seoul Station, which has been transformed into a fascinating cultural performance space, in collaboration with the Korea Green Foundation and the Korea Fashion Association. The fashion show, titled Seoul Takes Off First, will start at 15:50 and end at 16:35 on the day. Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon will also participate in the fashion show as one of the models. The show will feature a variety of Cool Biz looks for office workers, and a new concept of cool summer clothing range for ordinary citizens that can be worn in and outside the home. Anyone interested in attending the show should apply in advance at the website or phone number provided below. Only two hundred people will be selected due to the limited space in the hall.

K-pop stars take Silicon Valley by storm

2012-05-29T18:28:00.003-07:00

TVXQ. (MBC)

K-pop singers held a concert near Google’s headquarters in Mountain View in California earlier this week to celebrate a content-sharing deal between MBC and YouTube.

The concert marked the partnership between the Korean broadcaster and the world’s biggest video-sharing site, which was signed in October last year.

The concert was broadcast live on YouTube Presents, an Internet-live music and performance broadcasting platform, as well as on the MBC K-pop channel on YouTube, according to MBC.

Major K-pop singers including TVXQ, Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls and KARA performed at the concert held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Monday night.

Girls’ Generation members Taeyeon and Tiffany hosted the event.

More than 20,000 fans gathered at the concert venue and about 3,000 more fans without tickets watched their favorite stars from outside the theater, MBC said.

The free concert tickets were snapped up within an hour when the reservation website opened, the broadcaster said.

YouTube is one of the main channels that has propelled Korean pop music and singers to the global audience.