June 2012 Embassy of the Republic of Korea
News from Korea Dear reader
Having celebrated the Norwegian Constitution Day on 17th May, we can, in this month’s newsletter, read that Korea is presenting its second High Speed-Train, reducing the travel time between Seoul and Busan by one-and-a-half hours by the year 2015. Furthermore, in the technological sector Korea will be sharing advanced aviation know-how with developing nations in a committed effort to better safety and efficiency in global air transport. In Yeuso, the Expo 2012 is still going on and on 14th May there was a special Day for Norway with the raising of the Norwegian flag attended by the Crown Prince of Norway. Building on the value of education Korea will work to be a bridge builder between countries on different levels of education.
The number of foreigners seeking medical treatment in Korea has increased by almost 50 % from some 60,000 in 2009 to 120,000 in 2011. In the wake of the Hallyu wave the Korean government plans to set up global language institutes while Facebook announces the launching of a K-pop page.
Korea unveils new high-speed train
The high-speed train HEMU (Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs)
Traveling time from Seoul to Busan to be cut to one-and-a-half hours by 2015
CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province ― Korea’s new high-speed train HEMU-430X showed its long, navy nose to the public for the first time in this southeastern city of Changwon on Wednesday, May 16th. The faster and bigger successor to the KTX-Sancheon is the nation’s second bullet train developed with local technologies and its production has been carried out in the city by Hyundai Rotem, the train maker. The HEMU, short for High-speed Electric Multiple Unit, is also the nation’s first high-speed train driven not by end cars but engines uniformly distributed under the individual coaches.
Link:
http://www.koreaherald.com/business/Detail.jsp?newsMLId
=20120517001064
South Korea shares civil aviation know-how with developing nations
South Korea will share advanced aviation-related policy knowhow with developing countries as part of its contribution to promoting safety and efficiency in global civilian flight services, the government said Monday, May 21st.
To that end, the government kicked off a six-day policy program that runs through Saturday, May 26th and aims to pass on Seoul’s experiences in flight planning policies, airport construction and management to civil aviation representatives from 15 countries, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.
Link: http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120521000674
Norway Day at Expo in Korea
A flag-raising ceremony takes place on May 14 for Norwegian National Day (photo courtesy of the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Organizing Committee).
Yeosu, 14 May: HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry Trond Giske today attended Norway Day celebrations at the World Expo in Korea. Norway’s participation in the World Expo is a partnership between the Norwegian authorities and four private sponsors – Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Höegh
Autoliners, Kongsberg and Wilh. Wilhelmsen.
Links:
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=100435 http://www.dnv.com.au/press_area/press_releases/2012/norway_da y_at_expo_in_korea.asp
Korea to become medical hub of the world
In 2011, over 120,000 patients visited Korea from overseas to receive medical treatments. Compared to 2009, when 60,000 foreign patients visited Korea, the number has increased by 49.5%. Among them, the number of Japanese patients, which was around 10,000 in 2010, has increased by two times in the year of 2011.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently released its data of hospitals in Korea regarding foreign patients. Among 2,091 medical centers in Korea, 1,383 centers submitted their data to the ministry.
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Policies/view?articleId=100507
Korea to lead global education initiative
Education is widely regarded as the key contributing factor of the rapid economic growth of Korea -- its dynamic rise from the ashes of the Korean War into an economic powerhouse.
Koreans’ passion for education has served as a source of inspiration to not only developing countries, but also to the leaders of established nations, including U.S. President Barack Obama, who has frequently lauded Korea’s educational model in a number of public speeches.
Mirroring this unprecedented experience, Korea has sought to function as a bridge between countries on different footing in terms of educational development, serving as an ardent advocate for realizing the full potential of high-quality education.
This year, Korea strives to continue efforts in vitalizing educational
exchanges and cooperation and shedding light on the social and cultural objectives of high-standard education activities.
Links: www.2012apecemm.org
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Policies/view?articleId=100456
Korea pursues 'hallyu' initiatives
As part of efforts to boost the staying power of “hallyu” or the Korean wave, the government plans to set up language institutes around the world — 30 or more every year. Plus, the current Romanization
system, already 10 years in existence, will be fixed in order to enable foreigners to read Korean words closer to their original pronunciation.
Link:
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Policies/view?articleId=100376 Facebook launches K-pop page
Facebook said Monday 21st it has launched a K-pop music page to help fans of Korean pop music around the world to engage with their
The page, provided jointly by Facebook and Korea’s largest
entertainment agency SM Entertainment, will be updated with the latest K-pop news and content in both Korean and English.
In the morning, Monday 21, at 11 a.m., Seoul time, the K-pop page had photos and information from the SM Town Concert in Los Angeles.
The page is seen at www.facebook.com/kpopmusic.
Link: http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120521000944
