Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway
– April 2016
Dear Reader,
In News from Korea this month, we present the following articles:
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway visits the Republic of Korea
Ambassador Park’s presentation of Letter of Credence
Korean language growing in popularity worldwide
Cooking Korean cuisine at home
Omona – Convention for Korean pop culture
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway visits the Republic of Korea
President Park Geun-hye has agreed with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg to further expand bilateral cooperation across higher value-added sectors of the economy, including the development of eco-friendly container ships and of offshore oil platforms.
The agreement came during a summit between the leaders of Korea and Norway held on April 15 at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.
The two nations have been jointly carrying out projects that were agreed upon during an MOU-signing in September 2012 that covered shipbuilding and the development of environmentally friendly ships. Under the MOU, Seoul has built ships and offshore platforms for Oslo, which in turn supplied the materials required for the construction.
The two leaders also took advantage of their talks to further strengthen cooperation on green energy technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). For this effort, they talked about joint research between industrial and academic organizations and the establishment of a joint committee made up of members from the government and private groups.
They also vowed to further strengthen cooperation on projects involving the Arctic and polar regions by continuing to conduct joint research into new shipping routes around
the North Pole, and also by continuing to run the Korea-Norway council on the Arctic.
In 2002, the countries set up the Dasan Arctic Research Station in Svalbard, a
Norwegian Arctic island archipelago. In 2014, a Korea-Norway Arctic research center was built in Tromso, a city in northern Norway.
For original articles, see http://nor.mofa.go.kr/english/eu/nor/bilateral/bilateral/index.jsp and http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Policies/view?articleId=135183&pageIndex=1
Ambassador Park’s presentation of Letter of Credence
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Hae-yun Park, presented his credentials to H.E. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, the President of Iceland, in Reykjavik on 13 April. They discussed ways in which to enhance cooperation between the two countries, such as further cooperation in the business sector and Arctic Affairs.
http://nor.mofa.go.kr/english/eu/nor/mission/activities/index.jsp
Korean language growing in popularity worldwide
On 16 and 17 April, the 46th Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) was administered worldwide and 72,295 test-takers sat the exam in 45 countries. The test is currently administered in 71 countries across the globe. The first exam was held in Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 1997, and nearly 20 years later, the number of countries has grown to 71 and the number of test-takers has grown 27 times.
TOPIK is designed for adult language learners whose native language is not Korean. It tests grammar, writing, reading and listening. The exam consists of 6 levels: 1 and 2 are elementary levels, 3 and 4 are intermediary levels and 5 and 6 are advanced levels.
The Korean Ministry of Education claims that there are three main reasons why the number of test-takers has grown so extensively: the spread of Korean pop culture, the adoption of an Employment Permit System for hiring foreign employees in Korea and the inflow of international students into Korean higher education institutions. For
instance, to work at Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, you need to have passed at least level 5, and many foreign employees even have level 6 certificates.
For more information, see
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=135584&pageIndex=1
Cooking Korean cuisine at home
Korean cuisine is called Hansik and consists mainly of grains, meat and plenty of brightly-colored vegetables. In general, a meal is served with steam-cooked rice and savory meat paired with a variety of side dishes.
Hansik is widely known for being colorful, delicious and healthy.
It is an art in itself. From the selection of colorful ingredients to the actual presentation of the finished dish, the process is visually appealing, in addition to being delicious and healthy. It has now become quite easy to cook Korean cuisine at home due to the continual progress of Korean brands and produce globally.
The first thing that comes to mind when speaking of Korean cuisine is the famous vegetable dish kimchi. It is served as a common side dish and is typically made with napa cabbage fermented with scallions, garlic, Asian radishes, plenty of chili pepper and other spices. In Korea, kimchi is made to last an entire winter and can be stored for several years. Kimchi has proved to be a very healthy dish because it is packed with vitamins, calcium, iron and bacteria that are beneficial for the body.
For more, see
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=135124&pageIndex=3
Omona – Convention for Korean pop culture
The Organization for Korean pop culture in Norway, KPiN, is hosting its yearly event Omona on 18 June from 12-20 at Oslo Cathedral School. The upcoming event consists of activities such as Korean language, cooking, lectures on Korean makeup and
skincare as well as a dance competition. There are still some posts that have not been added, but so far, the program is as follows:
An entrance ticket is 160 NOK and a marked space ticket (including entrance to all posts) is 314 NOK. The latter includes a table and two chairs.
To purchase tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/omona-5-whats-your-style- tickets-22274805543
For more information and updates on the event, see https://www.facebook.com/projectomona
