3.1. 환영사 (문옥표 조직위원회 부위원장)
Southeast Asia, Middle East, etc.
It is also reported that nearly one out of three young men in rural Korea are marrying to a girl from Southeast Asia recently.
These are only a few examples that show us that rural sociological issues of one country can no longer be considered as isolated and independent casesbut require a much wider perspective.
In the similar vein, villages no longer remain as a place for food production or supplier of urban labor force alone. They are at the same time becoming places for consumption, recreation and rehabilitation for the urban populace through tourism, and other kind of community revitalization movements. The rural and the urban concerns are also increasingly overlapping and interconnected by various environmental and food safety concerns as well.
The patterns of rural-urban ties or those of transnational ties differ from region to region, however, and there might be Asian or East Asian pattern that is significantly different from other parts of the world. And, I hope you will find a glimpse of these differential aspects in Korea during your brief stay here, and particularly during the excursions scheduled for Wednesday, the 9th July by the organizing committee.
Korean Rural Sociological Society is a small community and it, along with Korean Rural Economic Institute, had to organize the Congress at one of the most difficult times both internally and externally. The rising oil prices and airfares did not help us much nor the sensitive political situation surrounding food import within Korea. We have tried to do our best, however, and we hope our efforts bore fruits to make your stay both enjoyable and rewarding.
Although I know many of you had a long flight and still recovering from the jet lag, I hope you will enjoy your first meal in Korea and use this opportunity to get acquainted with each other.
The reception tonight is provided by the generous gift from the governor of Gyeonggi province where this Congress is being held, and I’d like to invite Mr.
Seo Hyo Woen, the deputy governor of the Province who will speak a few congratulatory words in place of the governor, Mr. Kim Mun Su who is unable to attend this event due to other engagement.
Thank you and welcome again!!
3.2. 축사 (서효원 경기도 부지사)
국내외 석학들이 참여하는 제12회 세계농촌사회학대회가 대한민국 경기도에서 열리 게 된 것을 매우 기쁘게 생각하며 여러분들의 방문을 진심으로 환영합니다.
여러분들이 오신 경기도는 수도 서울을 둘러싸고 있는 지역으로 인구 1,150만 명이 넘 는 대한민국 최대의 지방정부이며 자동차, 반도체 등 국가 기간산업 중심지로 도약하 고 있습니다.
경기도의 농업은 수도권의 거대 소비시장을 포용하고 있으며 화훼, 인삼은 높은 경쟁 력으로 전 세계로 수출하고 있고 쌀과 채소류 등 고품질 친환경 농업에 주력하고 있습 니다.
이번 대회기간 중에 경기도의 주요 농업 현장을 방문하시는 걸로 들었습니다. 직접 보 시면서 즐겁고 유익한 방문이 되기를 기대하겠습니다.
한국의 농업은 60년대이후 기술개발과 기계화로 주식인 쌀 자급을 달성하였으며 현재 는 양적 소비에서 질적 소비시대로 전환하고 있습니다.
또한, 농민은 소득증대와 생활여건의 개선으로 삶의 질이 나아지고 여가활동이 늘어 나고 있습니다.
그러나, 최근 농산물 안전성 문제와 국제 곡물가격 상승 등으로 농업의 지속성과 중 요성이 한층 강조되고 있으며, 농업을 지켜야 한다는 사회적 공감대가 형성되고 있습 니다.
‘위기가 곧 기회이다’라는 말처럼 지금이 농업 발전의 좋은 시기라고 생각하며, 이번 세계농촌사회학대회에서 좋은 방안들이 모색되었으면 합니다.
이번 대회를 준비하신 한국농촌경제연구원과 한국농촌사회학회에 감사를 드리면서 멀리서 경기도를 방문하신 여러분들에게 좋은 추억과 함께 여러분들의 가정에 건강과 행운이 가득하기를 진심으로 기원합니다.
감사합니다.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On this meaningful occasion of the 12th World Congress of Rural Sociology, I am pleased to welcome you to our vibrant Gyeonggi Province.
Gyeonggi-do is Korea’s largest province with over 11.5 million residents, a strong industrial base for the country’s mainstay industries of automobiles and semiconductors; and today we are leaping forward to become a center of the Asian economy.
Our agriculture, too, is enjoying a vibrant market, and there is a large consumer market in our province surrounding the capital city of Seoul. Our high-quality flowers and ginseng products are exported to various corners of the world, and these days we are focusing our efforts on environment-friendly agriculture, producing high-quality agricultural products including organically produced rice and vegetables.
I hope that our foreign guests, who I am told will be making a field trip to some rural sites in our province, can have a truly hands-on experience that is both enjoyable and beneficial.
Since1960s, Korea achieved self-sufficiency in rice through technological development and mechanization, and today we are in a transitional period where market consumption is based more on quality rather than quantity.
And thanks to the rise in income and improvements in living conditions, the life quality is getting better and the time spent for recreation is increasing.
But due to the recent concerns on the safety of agricultural products and the surge in international grain prices, the sustainability and the importance of agriculture are questioned, and the people’s shared understanding that we have to salvage the Korean agriculture is gaining ground.
Like the saying goes, wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity, and I believe that now is the right time to make advancement in the rural sector. In
this sense, I hope that some sound policy goals and suggestions can be found during the congress.
Again, thanks to Korea Rural Economic Institute and Korean Rural Sociological Society of organizing this congress and the participants for coming to Korea from long distance. And I sincerely wish you the very best and hope you can bring good memories back home.
Thank you.
3.3. 건배사 (Frank Vanclay 세계농촌사회학회 전 회장)
Organising a World Congress is a lot of work. There are many people involved – a Program Committee, a Local Arrangements Committee, the working group organisers, all the support staff, staff of the Convention Centre, staff of the host organisations, and many more.
Organising a World Congress also takes a long period of time. In fact, the idea of this World Congress first began eight years ago in 2000. As the new President of the International Rural Sociology Association at the Tenth World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, on selecting Trondheim in Norway as the site for the Eleventh World Congress, I committed IRSA to being inAsia in 2008. So, between 2000 and 2004 came a process of securing a bid to host the 2008 Congress. There were many meetings during that time, and I even did a site inspection here in Korea to make sure everything would be fine. Thus, I am very proud of what has been achieved and I am certain that it will be a success and that we will all havean enjoyable time and a good learning experience.
Therefore, I ask you to toast all those who were involved in organising the Congress – to the Program Chair, the Local Arrangements Chair, the Program Committee, the Local Arrangements Committee, and all the staff who are busy behind the scenes – we thank you all very much.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!
Basically I think any time any where we human beings face some problems. To cope with the problems we try to do our best. Through doing like this we cope with them and we develop. In this sense our rural society is also the same. So now I hope and beg through the conference we all participants to get some valuable ideas and informations to apply to our respective countries after returning.
To the successful achievements of these our all hopes, toss our glasses! Cheers!
감사합니다.