Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway
– November 2016
Dear Reader,
In News from Korea this month, we present the following articles:
Arctic Taekwondo Games
Annual General Assembly of the Korean War Veterans Association of Norway
Taekwondo National Championship
Korea and six Central American nations sign FTA
Number of international tourists visiting Korea at new heights
PyeongChang test events begin
International events and conferences in 2017 hosted or sponsored by Korea
Traveling in time at Gyeongju
Arctic Taekwondo Games
The Arctic Taekwondo Games was a successful event this year as well. Around 60 practitioners from five clubs from North Norway participated in the competition, which took place at Vaagar sports arena in Svolvær, Lofoten on 22-23 October.
There were three disciplines in the competition: Fight, pattern and speedbreak. The young practitioners competed for the prize of best club. The prizes included first, second and third best club and the last two clubs were awarded prizes for great participation.
The event was sponsored by the Korean Embassy and Ambassador Hae-yun Park attended the event on both days. The Ambassador expressed that the Embassy is happy to sponsor the event and he was happy to see how many youngsters enjoy the Korean sport. Taekwondo is a great sport for both physical and mental strength.
For more, see Lofotposten and Lofotposten 2
Annual General Assembly of the Korean War Veterans Association of Norway
Ambassador Park attended the annual General Assembly of the Norwegian Korean War Veterans Association held at Akershus Fortress Banquet Hall in Oslo on 11 November.
This year's event began with remarks by the Chairman of the association, Mr Nils Egelien, as well as remarks from Ambassador Park. The remarks were followed by a presentation of video clips by two descendants of a Norwegian veteran who participated in this year's Youth Peace Camp in Korea in July, which was organized by the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
In his remarks, Ambassador Park expressed his deep gratitude to Norwegian Korean War veterans for helping Korea in overcoming the crisis of war as well as achieving the political and economic development which has been evident to this day. He also
expressed appreciation to the veterans for being the cornerstone of the friendly
relationship between Korea and Norway. Around 100 people attended the event, which the Korean Embassy gladly sponsored.
Taekwondo National Championship
This year’s Taekwondo National Championship took place in Jessheim on 19 November with more than 200 participants from 28 clubs.
The participants competed both in fight and patterns. The championship’s juniors were awarded Embassy prizes, which were handed out by Ambassador Park. There were two categories, best female and best male junior practitioners. The winners were Ola Wictoria Lozinska from Røa Taekwondo Club and Rathushan Murugathasan from Heimdal Taekwondo.
The planning committee gave a special thanks to Ambassador Park for attending as well as supporting the event.
For more information on the national championship, see kampsport.no
Korea and six Central American nations sign FTA
Korea and six Central American countries, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, have reached an agreement on free trade. The Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Joo Hyung-hwan, stated on 16 November that the countries have concluded the Korea-Central America FTA.
The agreement reads that Korea and the six Central American countries will eliminate tariffs on around 95% of goods made in each of the countries within ten years after the agreement goes into effect. The market will be opened in sectors such as automobiles, steel and synthetic resins, which Korea exports. In addition, Korean cosmetics,
pharmaceuticals, aloe drinks, textiles and car parts are included. In return, Korea will import coffee, raw sugar and tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples.
Furthermore, Korea will lower tariffs on items such as beef, pork and frozen shrimp over the long term.
In regard to the investment environment, Minister Joo said, “This latest FTA with Central American economies that hold great growth potential helped Korea secure regional markets and obtained a strategic stronghold for market penetration. The free trade deals will help extend the trade and investment volume between Korean firms, including small- and medium-sized enterprises, and our Central American partners.”
For original article, see Korea.net
Number of international tourists visiting Korea at new heights
As 2016 is nearing its ends, it seems that the number of people visiting Korea is likely to exceed 17 million for the first time ever. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization on 21 November, more than 15 million international arrivals have entered Korea between the beginning of this year and mid- November.
There were 14.59 million arrivals entering Korea between January and October, 33.1%
more than in 2015, which registered 10.96 million. By continent-of-origin, Asian passport-holders account for 12,41 million, which is more than 83% of international entrants between January and October. Tourists from North and South America numbered 0.94 million whereas European passport-holders account for 0.79 million.
The Korean government has been undertaking various projects in order to make
Korea’s tourist offerings more suitable for various travelers. To attract Muslim travelers, for instance, Muslim-friendly restaurants and similar dietary classification systems have been introduced.
For more information, see Korea.net
PyeongChang test events being
The prequel to the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games took off in late November. The International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard Big Air World Cup, which is doubling as the first Olympic test event of the 2016-17 season, was held on 25 and 26 November in the midst of excitement in PyeongChang. Managed by the FIS, the competition took place at the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center. 95 athletes representing 23 countries were competing.
Big air snowboarding is an extreme form of slopestyle snowboarding. The borders perform intricate tricks in the air after laughing off very big jumps. The sport has been gaining popularity among young sport fans, and will be making its official Olympic debut in 2018 PyeongChang. Test events for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will continue through April 2017, covering 24 different events.
For original article, see Korea.net
International events and conferences hosted or sponsored by Korea
With 2017 almost around the corner, following are some of the international events and conferences hosted or sponsored by Korea next year.
The 13th Seoul International Music Competition www.seoulcompetition.com/
Seoul Biennale of architecture and urbanism www.seoulbiennale.org/
Busan International Boat Show www.boatshowbusan.com/
The 34th Busan International Short Film Festival www.bisff.org/eng/html/00_main/
Asia Sailing Week www.busansupercup.or.kr/
The 11th International Busan Contents Market www.ibcm.tv/ENG/Default.aspx
Busan International Machinery Fair www.butech.or.kr/new/eng/main/main.php Busan International Film Festival www.biff.kr/structure/eng/default.asp
Marine Week www.marineweek.org/
Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race www.busanmatch.com/
International Textile Fair –Preview in Daegu www.previewin.com/
World Masters Athletics Championships Indoor www.daegu2017.or.kr/eng/
International Green Energy Expo & Conference www.energyexpo.co.kr/eng/
Daegu International Optical Show www.diops.co.kr/eng/index.php 35th World Congress of the International Society
for Education Through Art
insea2017.org/
FIFA U-20 World Cup Korean Republic www.kfa.or.kr/eng/
The 33rd World Veterinary Congress wvc2017korea.com/
Incheon Songdo International Marathon songdorun.com/apply/eng_personal.php Asia Content & Entertainment Fair in Gwangju www.acefair.or.kr/fairDash.do?hl=ENG Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale www.kocef.org/eng/
International Horticulture Goyang Korea flower.or.kr:5521/eng/main/main.php MUJU Championships World Taekwondo www.2017worldtaekwondo.com/eng/
IRONMAN Gurye Korea ironman.com/gurye70.3
Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity www.jejuforum.or.kr/
Traveling in time at Gyeongju
Korea dramas based on time traveling have increasingly gained popularity. One such drama is called “Signal” and uses a two-way radio to create a connection between the past and the present. Another is “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” which tells the story of a present-day female character who is warped in time.
When visiting Gyeongju, time traveling becomes a real life possibility. The city is a melting pot of past architecture and experiences and present-day life.
One example of the past is the Bulguksa Temple, which is a designated UNESCO World
Heritage site. It was built during the reign of King Gyeongdeok (r.742- 765), the 35th ruler of the Silla Dynasty. The temple is located at the foot of the Tohamsan Mountain and is popular for cherry blossoms in spring time and colorful foliage in autumn time.
Another element of the past is the Cheomseongdae Observatory, which is the symbol of Gyeongju.
According to historical records, it was built during the rule of the first female ruler of Silla, Queen
Seondeok (r. 632-647). It is the oldest surviving observatory. Its size, however, is quite small when seen in real life.
In Gyeongju Folk Craft Village, there is a feeling of moving back and forth between the past and the present. The village is formed by local artisans who gathered to preserve and pass on traditional skills of Korean arts and crafts. Tourists are welcome to explore the various handicrafts through exhibitions and purchasable items. Although the
atmosphere may seem like it is a representation of the past with tiled-roof houses with long eaves, many present-day technologies have been merged.
The Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park provides the most modern feeling in Gyeongju. A pathway leads the way from the entrance to the Gyeongju Tower. Visitors are also welcome to explore Asia’s biggest fossil museum, Jurassic Road, as well as Gyeongju’s public art museum and Gyeongju Solgeo Art Museum.
For more, see Visit Korea