Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway
– January 2015
Dear Reader,
In News from Korea this month, we present the following articles:
Seung-Hoon Lee secures the Mass Start World Cup 2015 in Hamar
Davos Forum – President Park talks entrepreneurship
Retro fever in the Korean entertainment industry
Minister of Foreign Affairs stresses importance of reunification
Agreement between Korean and Norwegian high schools
K-fashion’s growing industry
Korean food app as cultural diplomacy
Seung-Hoon Lee secures the Mass Start World Cup 2015 in Hamar
On 1 February,
Seung-Hoon Lee won the men’s mass start in the final sprint after an intriguing race. In the final straight Lee overtook Marco Weber (GER), who had
escaped from the rest.
Weber managed to cross the line in front of Bart Swings (BEL) to secure silver. Swings had taken the second intermediate sprint and ended up in third place.
After Weber escaped in the last four laps, Heerenveen winner Bergsma was
unfortunately taken down when his teammate Arjan Stroetinga crashed. Second in the ranking, Andrea Giovannini (ITA), took 8 sprint points that brought him to rank 4, Armin Hager (AUT), who took the first sprint, took fifth place.
Lee’s lead in the World Cup is clear with 450 points, Giovannini follows with 286 and Swings is third with 237. Lee cannot be overtaken anymore and has already won the 2015 mass start World Cup.
For full article, see:
http://www.isu.org/en/speed-skating/news/2015/02/isu-world-cup-speed-skating-hamar- nor-day-2
In the audience was the Korean Ambassador with his staff and Korean fellows living in Norway. Loud cheers from this part of the arena were heard as it became clear that Lee was winning.
After the game, Lee came over to greet the Ambassador and his fans and kindly participated in a few pictures.
Agreement between Korean and Norwegian high schools
16 Students from Wando Fisheries High School in the southernmost part of Korea visited Norwegian Frøya High School in late January. In May 2014, South Jeolla
Province Office of Education had signed an agreement with Frøya High School in which the two schools will give mutual opportunities for field trips to their students year by year for human resource developments. In accordance with the agreement, 16 students and 4 teachers from the Wando Fisheries High School went to a field trip to Frøya high school, where they studied the curriculum and the on-the-job training.
The extended agreement involves four partners; Frøya High School, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Wando Fisheries High School and Busan University.
A teacher from Frøya High School and two students from Wando Fisheries visited the Korean Embassy in Oslo on 28 January.
Field trips to Norway by Wando Fisheries High School will be a great opportunity to enhance pioneering spirits of young Korean students and to grow as masters of the fisheries sector.
For full article, see: http://www.hitra-froya.no/havbruk/article10555679.ece
Davos Forum – President Park talks entrepreneurship
President Park Geun-hye told global political and corporate leaders in a speech on 22 January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that entrepreneurship should be the main force for the world to achieve sustainable and extensive growth.
She urged leaders to develop joint protocols to promote entrepreneurship, which she named the
“Davos consensus” in her address at the first general meeting of the 44th annual Davos forum.
She further said that “for entrepreneurship to develop, the government should remove barriers, establish a financial system that jointly burdens risk with entrepreneurs and
[establish] another system that enables those who have failed to gain their footing.”
Here, the president was referring to the government’s plan, which she announced in her New Year’s address earlier in January, to lift as many regulations as possible,
especially those that impede new businesses. She also emphasized the significance of having a “creative economy,” a catchphrase that she has continuously talked about in other speeches over the past year and which is highly essential for the Park
administration.
“For sustainable and comprehensive growth, not partial complements within an existing paradigm, such as macroeconomic policies or labor market policies, but a paradigm shift is necessary,” she said. “The world is in desperate need of the power to change the existing order by leaping beyond the limit and to reshape a new world. Korea is
searching for the power from creative economy.”
For full article, see:
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2983967
Minister of Foreign Affairs stresses importance of reunification
During a Korea Night meeting held on the sidelines of the Davos Forum in Switzerland, on January 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se explained Korea's reunification policy and emphasized the importance of reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
During this meeting, Yun delivered President Park Geun-hye's video message, in which she highlighted her belief that the unification of the Korean Peninsula would be beneficial, not just to Northeast Asia, but also Eurasia and the world economy. He further talked
about the Korean government's reunification policy in a speech titled "Journey to One Korea, One Korea Night."
"We mark the 70th anniversary of our liberation, as well as the division of Korea," said Yun. "We have been paying an unjustifiably high price for the past 70 years: the humanitarian costs, including the agony of separated families; the abysmal human rights situation in North Korea; and, the ever-growing tension and instability emanating from North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles."
For more information, see:
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Policies/view?articleId=125312&pageIndex=1and http://english1.president.go.kr/activity/briefing.php?srh%5Bboard_no%5D=21&srh%5Bvi ew_mode%5D=detail&srh%5Bseq%5D=9217&srh%5Bdetail_no%5D=276
Retro fever in the Korean entertainment industry
Korean dramas, films and entertainment shows are undergoing a retro fever. This retro boom appeared in 2012 with tvN dramas "Reply 1997" and "Reply 1994," which
recounted the lives of high school and college students back in the 90s. Watching these series, fans relived the power of first generation K-pop bands like H.O.T. and Sechs Kies, and it brought up memories of Seo Taiji & Boys and their retirement.
The most popular singers of the 90s took turns topping charts throughout the first week of January this year, after an episode of "Infinite Challenge" recorded a 22-percent viewer rating. Other programs such as "Immortal Song 2" have steadily accumulated viewers with episodes featuring young artists performing the music of “veteran” singers.
Why are Koreans all of a sudden so caught up in reminiscing old times?
According to culture critic Ha Jae-keun , this is because "the recent economic recession has created struggles for the working class, and these people tend to look to the past for comfort. If circumstances don't improve, retro will develop into a sustainable market, especially among an aging society. The current popular culture does not fulfill the older generations' cultural needs." The 2015 film line-up has confirmed that the retro trend is not going away any time soon.
For full article, see:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/02/386_172083.html
K-fashion’s growing industry
On one side of the runway at Fashion KODE 2015, fashion designers that are usually not seen in Korea were spotted.
Seven unfamiliar labels displayed blouses shrouded in filigree and skirts that narrowed into lettuce hems -- among them were Enjoy Nature, Where What Who and C.Colectare.
These seven unfamiliar brands that were featured at this year's Fashion KODE are Chinese clothing brands. Designer Danni of brand Where What Who said these designers are here to learn from the Korean industry. "Korean fashion is very popular in China, especially the designs of Dongdaemun," she said. "They're new, they're creative."
Fashion KODE is a fashion-culture fair that takes place twice a year. It aims to enhance the potential of Korean fashion brands in the global fashion market and advance the development of the fashion and cultural industries in Korea. It is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Creative Content Agency and the Council of Fashion Designers of Korea.
For an international name?
Although Korean fashion is becoming more popular, especially in China, for a truly global name to manifest itself, the industry needs to reason designers out of their determination and assist them in securing distribution networks before launching
collections and landing shows, according to designer Lee Ju-young of Resurrection.
She aims to appeal to foreign buyers, who take a liking to designs that stand out.
"The fashion market is one that requires a lot of investment and promotion," she said.
"It's about how many people out there know of you and your brand. The money that goes into launching a collection overseas is extravagant," she said.
Lee claims that in contemporary society, amateurs throw themselves into fashion thoughtlessly, thinking that their blog success will lead to success in the real world.
"These young designers know very little about fashion and they skip all necessary steps.
If this continues, no Korean designer will be able to make it big in Europe," she says.
For the full article, see:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/02/203_173086.html
Bean Pole – A major Korean fashion brand
Korean food app as cultural diplomacy
The Korean Foundation released an application for smartphones to introduce Korean food for Korean food enthusiasts. The "Korean Food Guide 800" app includes
information on various Korean dishes, each categorized by its main ingredient and cooking method, and is available in English and Spanish. Ingredients include beans, grains, vegetables, special meat cuts and even traditional medicinal herbs. The app also provides instructions on how to make kimchi, various stews and stir-fried dishes.
Each dish is provided in roman letters, along with an audio function to help users properly pronounce the food names in Korean. The application includes further explanations on Korean traditional food, providing background information and the cultural meanings of each dish.
Posts titled, "Korean Food and Its Delicate Tastes," "How to Enjoy Korean Tastes and Styles to Their Fullest" and "Preparation and Cooking Methods" are provided on the introductive screen of the application. It is also possible to share images and information found on the application through online social media, such as Facebook or Twitter.
This application also serves as a tool for cultural diplomacy. As a Korean Foundation official stated, "We wish to use this program about Korean food and its nature, form and colors, to help promote the culture to a global audience and ultimately raise the value of our national brand."
Korean Food Guide 800 has been registered on Apple's iTunes and Google's Play Store and is downloadable free of charge.
For original article, see:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/09/116_163970.html
