2010년 8월 4일 수요일
S.Korea Finishes 3rd at U-20 Women's World Cup
A goal from Ji So-yun just four minutes into the second half was all Team Korea needed for the victory in Bielefield, Germany. It is the first time a South Korean national team has finished third at a FIFA tournament.
Ranking second with eight goals in the tournament, Ji also became the first South Korean to win the Silver Ball and Silver Shoe honors at a FIFA event. The Silver Ball is given to the second-best player in the tournament and Silver Shoe to the second-leading scorer.
Team Korea also won FIFA’s Fair Play Award.
In the final match, Germany beat Nigeria 2-0 to win the cup.
Tropical Nights Continue, Heat Alerts Abound
Data from the Korea Meteorological Administration shows that most of the nation saw temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius throughout Wednesday night and that many regions reported humidity levels above 90 percent.
Afternoon highs are forecast to be even higher on Thursday. Heat wave alerts have been raised to warnings in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, and in the inland areas of the South Gyeongsang, North Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces.
Heat wave alerts have also been issued for Seoul and the mountainous regions of Gangwon Province.
The weather agency says that a brief bout of rain on Friday will cool the central region temporarily but that sweltering heat will continue in the south.
POSCO to Build Integrated Steel Mill in Indonesia
POSCO says it signed an agreement to open a joint corporation for the construction project with Indonesia's largest steelmaker, PT Krakatau Steel.
POSCO will pay for 70 percent of the construction and Krakatau 30 percent. The mill, with an annual production capacity of six million tons, will be built in two phases and will be the first of its kind overseas built by POSCO.
The mill’s first facility, which will have a three-million-ton production capacity, will begin to be built as early as this year for completion by December 2013.
Indonesia has two-point-four billion tons of potential iron ore reserves and close to 21 billion tons of coal.
S.Korea Starts 5-Day Yellow Sea Drill
south Korea has begun a five-day maritime mobility exercise in the Yellow Sea involving the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday that submarine search and infiltration blockade drills will be the focus of the first day. Procedures to prevent North Korean ships from crossing the Northern Limit Line will also be covered.
Over 20 Navy vessels and submarines, including Asia's largest amphibious landing ship, the “Dokdo,” will participate in the drills.
Some 50 aircraft and the Army's coastal units will also take part in shooting drills on the ground and at sea, as well as torpedo launches and submarine search and destroy missions.
A JCS official says the exercise is aimed at enhancing South Korea's response and combined operational capability against a range of asymmetric enemy provocations.
On North Korea's pledge to counter the South's drills with a physical attack, the official stressed that the exercise is defensive in nature.
Korean Americans in NY Stress FTA in Letter to Senator
Korean Americans in New York have sent a letter to Senator Charles Schumer urging for the swift ratification of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.
A steering committee of a local signature drive seeking the trade deal's ratification collected the signatures of over 13-hundred ethnic Koreans in the past month and included the list in a letter delivered to the New York senator on Wednesday.
In the letter, the Korean Americans said that the KORUS FTA will benefit the economy of both countries as well as the state of New York and will greatly impact many aspects of the economy and the lives of the 500-thousand Korean American residents of the state.
They hoped the senator will help President Barack Obama recognize the significance of the FTA.
A steering committee of a local signature drive seeking the trade deal's ratification collected the signatures of over 13-hundred ethnic Koreans in the past month and included the list in a letter delivered to the New York senator on Wednesday.
In the letter, the Korean Americans said that the KORUS FTA will benefit the economy of both countries as well as the state of New York and will greatly impact many aspects of the economy and the lives of the 500-thousand Korean American residents of the state.
They hoped the senator will help President Barack Obama recognize the significance of the FTA.
'Japanese PM Likely to Apologize for Colonial Rule'
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is reportedly planning to include an apology for Tokyo's colonial rule in a statement he will issue ahead of August 29th, which is the 100th anniversary of Japan’s colonization of Korea.
The Asahi Shimbun daily says Kan has decided to issue a statement related to Japan's self-reflection of its past colonial rule in order to establish more future-oriented ties with South Korea.
The daily said the statement is expected to come before August 15th, which is Independence Day in Korea.
The Sankei Shimbun carried a similar report, adding that the content of the statement will be on par with the 1995 declaration made by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.
In a House of Councilors committee meeting Tuesday, Kan said that South Korea is a very important neighbor and that he will review his planned statement with sincerity.
The Asahi Shimbun daily says Kan has decided to issue a statement related to Japan's self-reflection of its past colonial rule in order to establish more future-oriented ties with South Korea.
The daily said the statement is expected to come before August 15th, which is Independence Day in Korea.
The Sankei Shimbun carried a similar report, adding that the content of the statement will be on par with the 1995 declaration made by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.
In a House of Councilors committee meeting Tuesday, Kan said that South Korea is a very important neighbor and that he will review his planned statement with sincerity.
FM: Details of US Sanctions on NK to Come in 2 Weeks
Yu said that the sanctions are aimed at making North Korea change its attitude and become a responsible member of the international community.
He made the remarks in a radio interview on Wednesday morning.
Yu said that North Korea is being unreasonable in its threats to respond to the recent U.S.-South Korea joint military drills with force.
The minister said the latest U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises were meaningful because they delivered a clear message that the two allies will not tolerate additional provocations from North Korea. He said the drills also served to assure South Koreans that the U.S.-South Korean alliance remains solid.
KIET : S.Korea's GDP to Grow 5.8% This Year
The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade made the prediction in a macroeconomic outlook report for the second half of the year.
The think tank said the nation’s exports will jump 24-point-four percent, bolstered by bullish shipments of semiconductor chips, petrochemical products and automobiles. It expected imports will also surge 31-point-four percent.
Overall the think tank says South Korea will post a trade surplus of about 27-point-seven billion U.S. dollars this year.
The institute said the debt crisis in southern Europe will be the biggest concern for the South Korean economy in the year’s second half. Other negative factors include aggravated fiscal health resulting from last year’s massive pump-priming projects and major economies’ exit strategies from stimulus packages.
Mutilated Afghan girl poses for Time
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The gruesome image of a mutilated Afghan woman posing for the cover of the Aug. 9 edition of weekly magazine Time is providing a whole new perspective on Taliban brutality.
Aisha, 18, endured the agony of her ears and nose being barbarically hacked off by her own husband in a warped punishment for attempting to flee the abusive relationship.
Aisha was charged for shaming her in-laws, by a Taliban commander acting as a judge, and was sentenced to suffer such the inhumane act.
Taliban law makes it a crime for women to run away from their in-laws and such punishment is legally enforced.
Despite the circumstances, Aisha escaped and is currently residing in a secret women’s shelter in Kabul.
More than paint: Asian culture through Realism
 “Rice Planting” by Filipino Fernando Amorsolo is a representative image of workers in the field. / Courtesy of National Museum of Contemporary Art |
``He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth,’’ Goethe once said, highlighting the necessity of understanding one’s history. Three thousand years might be tough for some to swallow, but an exhibition in downtown Seoul is offering a 100-year slice of Asian art to enlighten minds to the perspectives of the time.
Another Android offering
Another Android offering: Motorola, one of the world’s leading handset vendors, released a new device powered by the Google-backed Android operating system through SK Telecom, Korea’s biggest mobile-phone carrier. The MOTO QRTY, the localized version of Motorola’s XT702 smartphone, runs on the Android 2.1 operating system, and has a full QWERTY keyboard and a wealth of applications from Google.
Stereoscopic experience
Stereoscopic experience: A model shows LG Electronics’ new three-dimensional (3D)-enabled plasma display television, which will be released in Korea this week in 50-inch and 60-inch versions. The new Infinia PX950 televisions boast a 600 hertz image refresh rate that enables sharper and smoother motion pictures, and also allows broader viewing angles than the current 3D televisions in the market, LG officials said.
Saudi deal proves elusive for Doosan
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Korea's Doosan Group appears to have failed to close a lucrative deal to build a power plant in Saudi Arabia, which may prove to be a setback for its ambitions to flex its global muscle.
Doosan had aimed to get about 60 percent of its targeted 24 trillion won ($20.5 billion) in revenue for this year and the Saudi Arabian project was considered a prerequisite for the company achieving its goal.
Doosan, which relies on its duo of heavy industry units Doosan Heavy and Doosan Infracore to spearhead its attempts for going global, has been looking to exploit the growing demand for new power plants.
Los Angeles designates Aug. 7 as 'Yu-na Day'
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The prominent Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na has been acknowledged by the city of Los Angeles with a special day, Aug. 7 to commemorate her success.
Kim, the 20-year-old Olympic gold medalist, will visit Los Angeles Friday to receive the “Proud Korean Award.”
Herb Wesson of the Los Angeles City Council submitted a resolution of "Yu-na Day" and the resolution passed unanimously Tuesday. Los Angeles has the largest Koreatown with a population of over 120,000 and Wesson said he is glad to proclaim Kim’s day on her visit to the biggest Korean community in the U.S.
"Kim, an Olympic gold medalist and global idol star, can become a role model not only to second generation Korean-Americans but also to others in the community sports world," Wesson was quoted as saying.
Philippines pushes for more trade with Korea
 Jejomar Binay |
The Philippines hopes to further strengthen its relationship with Korea, through increased trade and investments, according to Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay.
``Koreans have a lot of investments in the Philippines. But I hope the bilateral relationship will become more vibrant (in the future) with more trade, investments and people-to-people exchanges,’’ Binay told The Korea Times in an interview at the Philippine Embassy in Yongsan, Tuesday evening.
He is currently in Korea on a four-day trip that includes meeting Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan. Binay, who is chairman of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee, will also be attending the 27th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province.
'Korea' a large part of Obama's vocabulary
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US President mentions Korea twice as many as Japan
It seems that “Korea” is a large part of President Barack Obama’s vocabulary and frequently used as a synonym as a prime example for success.
Korea has appeared in more than one in 10 key speeches that he has delivered since taking office in January 2009, much more frequently than many of his country’s key allies.
Obama has talked about Korea in 36 of his 342 public speeches, whereas he has only mentioned Japan and France in 17 of them, according to The Korea Times’s analysis of his past speeches collected on the website of the Washington Post.
Youth Olympic flame arrives in Seoul
The flame of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games arrived in Seoul on Wednesday on its final stop on a 13-day tour of all five continents before heading to Singapore which will host the global event for young athletes from Aug. 14.
“The final stop in the journey of the youth Olympic flame marks the start of a new chapter in the Olympic movement,” said Ser Miang Ng, chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games organizing committee.
Speaking at a press conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel, he stressed that the Youth Olympic Games are aimed at teaching athletes Olympic values from a young age.
“We seek to unite the youths of the world in celebration of the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect,” Ng said.
“Through the journey of the Youth Olympic flame, we hope to connect and inspire the youths of Korea to continue to embrace and live the Olympic values,” the chief of the Olympic committee added.
“The final stop in the journey of the youth Olympic flame marks the start of a new chapter in the Olympic movement,” said Ser Miang Ng, chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games organizing committee.
Speaking at a press conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel, he stressed that the Youth Olympic Games are aimed at teaching athletes Olympic values from a young age.
“We seek to unite the youths of the world in celebration of the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect,” Ng said.
“Through the journey of the Youth Olympic flame, we hope to connect and inspire the youths of Korea to continue to embrace and live the Olympic values,” the chief of the Olympic committee added.
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Top private U.K. school breaks ground on Jeju
A leading U.K. private school broke ground on Wednesday in Jeju Global Education City, a Korean government-led project meant to turn the island into a leading English education hub in Asia.
The Jeju Free International City Development Center held the ground-breaking ceremony for NLCS-Jeju, the Korean branch of North London Collegiate School, a top private school in the United Kingdom.
The 160-year-old NLCS last year was ranked tops among British International Baccalaureate schools.
Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan, Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min and other official participated in the ceremony held in Daejeong-eup, Seoguipo-si.
NLCS chairperson Helen Stone and NLCS-Jeju principal Peter Daly, were also present.
The campus is to open next September along with the public Jeju International School to incorporate a total of 568 students.
Unlike its mother branch in London, which is a girls’ school, NLCS-Jeju will incorporate boys and girls from grade 4 - 12.
Senior students will be provided with a co-educational program based on the IB system, widely used in admission evaluations by universities worldwide.
The school, with a capacity for 1,388 students, has facilities including an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, concert hall and a large dormitory.
NLCS-Jeju’s target tuition and living expenses would be similar to or a little bit higher than those required to study in Southeast Asia or half those in the U.K or in the U.S.
Following the two pioneer schools, a total of 12 international schools are to open doors in the education city by year 2015, according to officials.
The city is a grand educational plan by the Korean government to embrace the ever-rising number of students moving abroad to learn English and benefit from global education systems.
Korea spends about $16 billion annually on private English education and some 27,349 underage students were studying abroad in 2008, according to the Samsung Economic Research Institute.
The full activation of the Jeju Global Education City is expected to save the nation annual costs of 324 million ($276,923) to 540 million won and also draw foreign currency, according to the Woori Bank consulting team.
The Jeju Free International City Development Center held the ground-breaking ceremony for NLCS-Jeju, the Korean branch of North London Collegiate School, a top private school in the United Kingdom.
The 160-year-old NLCS last year was ranked tops among British International Baccalaureate schools.
Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan, Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min and other official participated in the ceremony held in Daejeong-eup, Seoguipo-si.
NLCS chairperson Helen Stone and NLCS-Jeju principal Peter Daly, were also present.
The campus is to open next September along with the public Jeju International School to incorporate a total of 568 students.
Unlike its mother branch in London, which is a girls’ school, NLCS-Jeju will incorporate boys and girls from grade 4 - 12.
Senior students will be provided with a co-educational program based on the IB system, widely used in admission evaluations by universities worldwide.
The school, with a capacity for 1,388 students, has facilities including an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, concert hall and a large dormitory.
NLCS-Jeju’s target tuition and living expenses would be similar to or a little bit higher than those required to study in Southeast Asia or half those in the U.K or in the U.S.
Following the two pioneer schools, a total of 12 international schools are to open doors in the education city by year 2015, according to officials.
The city is a grand educational plan by the Korean government to embrace the ever-rising number of students moving abroad to learn English and benefit from global education systems.
Korea spends about $16 billion annually on private English education and some 27,349 underage students were studying abroad in 2008, according to the Samsung Economic Research Institute.
The full activation of the Jeju Global Education City is expected to save the nation annual costs of 324 million ($276,923) to 540 million won and also draw foreign currency, according to the Woori Bank consulting team.
Korean adoptees gather in Seoul
Over 500 people gathered for the opening ceremony of the IKAA 2010 Gathering at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul this Wednesday.
The Korean adoptees, from late teens to those in their 50s, and their loved ones from 20 different countries came to participate in the gathering.
The International Korean Adoptee Associations is holding a range of events for both Korean adoptees and the public till Sunday.
This year’s gathering has an emphasis on promoting dialogue and a greater understanding between Korean adoptees and Korean society.
The IKAA said it wanted to change the stigma of adoptees.
“I don’t feel like we need or want to be charity cases,” said Tim Holm, president of both the IKAA and the Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington. “We want to do more meaningful activities for the adoptees other than just birth searches or living in Korea and teaching English. We really want to be able to promote business and professional exchanges not just between Korea and our countries.”
He also pointed out that there are many educated adoptees who would be able to do much for the Korean government and Korean people.
On the planning committee alone for this gathering, there is a long list of professionals. Holm himself is a CPA, Liselotte Hae-Jin Birkmose has a Master’s degree in art history and works for an international art investment company. From the Netherlands, Floor Eusterbrock works as a Marketing Communication Executive. Lisa Ellingson, from Minnesota, is an attorney in the area of business litigation. Tae Yang Jorgenson, from Denmark, holds a Master’s of Science in ITand works as an advisor in the administration of the Ministry of Climate and Energy.
For the first time ever, the IKAA gathering will be hosting a business seminar on Friday to further promote that theme. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has agreed to participate and help facilitate networking between Korean adoptees and Korean businesses.
One of the events already held was the second International Symposium on Korean Adoption Studies. The symposium consisted of 12 different studies and their findings on and for the Korean adoptee community.
Professor Kim Park Nelson, an adoptee herself, is the lead organizer and proceedings editor for this year’s symposium and also the one in 2007. Nelson is an assistant professor of American Multicultural Studies at the Minnesota State University at Moorhead.
The Korean adoptees, from late teens to those in their 50s, and their loved ones from 20 different countries came to participate in the gathering.
The International Korean Adoptee Associations is holding a range of events for both Korean adoptees and the public till Sunday.
This year’s gathering has an emphasis on promoting dialogue and a greater understanding between Korean adoptees and Korean society.
The IKAA said it wanted to change the stigma of adoptees.
“I don’t feel like we need or want to be charity cases,” said Tim Holm, president of both the IKAA and the Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington. “We want to do more meaningful activities for the adoptees other than just birth searches or living in Korea and teaching English. We really want to be able to promote business and professional exchanges not just between Korea and our countries.”
He also pointed out that there are many educated adoptees who would be able to do much for the Korean government and Korean people.
On the planning committee alone for this gathering, there is a long list of professionals. Holm himself is a CPA, Liselotte Hae-Jin Birkmose has a Master’s degree in art history and works for an international art investment company. From the Netherlands, Floor Eusterbrock works as a Marketing Communication Executive. Lisa Ellingson, from Minnesota, is an attorney in the area of business litigation. Tae Yang Jorgenson, from Denmark, holds a Master’s of Science in ITand works as an advisor in the administration of the Ministry of Climate and Energy.
For the first time ever, the IKAA gathering will be hosting a business seminar on Friday to further promote that theme. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has agreed to participate and help facilitate networking between Korean adoptees and Korean businesses.
One of the events already held was the second International Symposium on Korean Adoption Studies. The symposium consisted of 12 different studies and their findings on and for the Korean adoptee community.
Professor Kim Park Nelson, an adoptee herself, is the lead organizer and proceedings editor for this year’s symposium and also the one in 2007. Nelson is an assistant professor of American Multicultural Studies at the Minnesota State University at Moorhead.
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Gwanghwamun panel still mired in controversy
With just ten more days until the unveiling of the new name panel for Gwanghwamun, controvery is still raging over whether a Chinese version from 1867, the Hangeul version by the late President Park Chung-hee or a new Hangeul version using the font originally developed by King Sejong, the creator of the Korean writing system, should be used.
The Gwanghwamun gate, first built in 1395 as the main entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace, has been repeatedly destroyed and then restored. The latest Gwanghwamun restoration project began in 2006, to restore the gate to its original form, correcting the renovation carried out using concrete during Park’s regime in 1963. That same year, Park wrote the gate’s name panel himself, in three Hangeul letters.
The new name panel that’s replacing what Park had written is currently being polished by Intangible Cultural Property Oh Ok-jin, a master engraver. It will be a restored version of the original signboard written by Lim Tae-young, head of the Gyeongbokgung reconstruction team and a general, in 1867. Lim had written the letters in Chinese characters.
Lee Dae-ro, president of Korea Hangeul Culture Society stressed that the new panel should be written in Hangeul, as the gate was named by King Sejong who created Hangeul, or the Korean writing system. “If you only think about the restoration of the architecture, then having the Chinese panel would be appropriate,” he said. “But we have to restore the meaning of our history, and what it really means is to preserve King Sejoing’s legacy. If we think in this perspective, the new panel must be written in Hangeul.”
The Gwanghwamun gate, first built in 1395 as the main entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace, has been repeatedly destroyed and then restored. The latest Gwanghwamun restoration project began in 2006, to restore the gate to its original form, correcting the renovation carried out using concrete during Park’s regime in 1963. That same year, Park wrote the gate’s name panel himself, in three Hangeul letters.
The new name panel that’s replacing what Park had written is currently being polished by Intangible Cultural Property Oh Ok-jin, a master engraver. It will be a restored version of the original signboard written by Lim Tae-young, head of the Gyeongbokgung reconstruction team and a general, in 1867. Lim had written the letters in Chinese characters.
Lee Dae-ro, president of Korea Hangeul Culture Society stressed that the new panel should be written in Hangeul, as the gate was named by King Sejong who created Hangeul, or the Korean writing system. “If you only think about the restoration of the architecture, then having the Chinese panel would be appropriate,” he said. “But we have to restore the meaning of our history, and what it really means is to preserve King Sejoing’s legacy. If we think in this perspective, the new panel must be written in Hangeul.”
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Online news consumption: search vs. serendipity
SAN FRANCISCO ― When it comes to online news consumption, there are two groups of audiences divided by their habit of accessing news; one usually searches for specific information of interest and the other wants something new that they cannot get through social media.
Yahoo, the most visited news site on the Internet, is decisively geared toward the latter, putting emphasis on human activities and editorial involvement.
“Our editorial news room consists of professional journalists. We’ve seen the importance to see seasoned journalists to decide what’s important and what’s not,” said Kryssa Guntrum, director of the global product communications at Yahoo.
The approach clearly differs from that of Google, the most powerful search engine, which relies much on algorithms, she said.
Yahoo, the most visited news site on the Internet, is decisively geared toward the latter, putting emphasis on human activities and editorial involvement.
“Our editorial news room consists of professional journalists. We’ve seen the importance to see seasoned journalists to decide what’s important and what’s not,” said Kryssa Guntrum, director of the global product communications at Yahoo.
The approach clearly differs from that of Google, the most powerful search engine, which relies much on algorithms, she said.
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S. Korea pushed to join sanctions against Iran
Washington puts 21 Iranian entities on sanctions blacklist
South Korea appeared to be stuck between a rock and a hard place over increasing pressure from the U.S. to join its efforts to sanction Iran for its nuclear ambitions.
Washington, which has been avidly enlisting international support for sanctioning Iran, on Wednesday put 21 more Iranian entities on its blacklist for helping advance Iran’s nuclear weapons programs.
Regarding the list, a State Department spokesman said that the U.S. believes the sanctions are “having an effect on the ground in Iran.”
South Korea appeared to be stuck between a rock and a hard place over increasing pressure from the U.S. to join its efforts to sanction Iran for its nuclear ambitions.
Washington, which has been avidly enlisting international support for sanctioning Iran, on Wednesday put 21 more Iranian entities on its blacklist for helping advance Iran’s nuclear weapons programs.
Regarding the list, a State Department spokesman said that the U.S. believes the sanctions are “having an effect on the ground in Iran.”
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