THIS MONTH’S HEADLINES
MAY 2008 ISSUE. 05-08
KOREA AND U.S. AGREE TO DEEPEN ECONOMIC, SECURITY ALLIANCE FOREIGN MINISTER URGES RESUMPTION OF SIX-PARTY TALKS BY MAY KOREA DESIGNATES THREE NEW FREE ECONOMIC ZONES
KOREA'S FIRST ASTRONAUT LANDS SAFELY AFTER 12 DAYS IN SPACE PRIME MINISTER HELEN CLARK TO VISIT KOREA
SPECIAL FEATURE: IN SEARCH OF THE SPIRIT OF KOREA- HIKING THE BAEKDU-DAEGAN
POLITICAL NEWS
Korea and U.S. agree to deepen economic, security alliance
On 19 April, President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. coun- terpart, President George W. Bush, agreed to bolster their countries' half-century long security alliance. The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to joint efforts for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and stated that they hope to gain legislative approval for the long-delayed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
(KORUS FTA) this year. Wrapping up two days of summit talks at the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David, both leaders issued a joint press statement calling for Seoul and Washington to build a trust-based strategic alliance for the 21st century, and expand mutually beneficial relations in the military, economic, diplomatic, political and cultural sectors. As an indication of the personal rapport developed in the course of their informal meet- ings at the mountain retreat, President Bush accepted President Lee's invitation to visit Seoul in July, when the U.S. president will be in Asia to participate in the G8 summit.
In their statement, the two leaders urged North Korea to expeditiously complete the disablement of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities and submit a complete and correct declaration of all its nuclear programs, saying a nuclear- armed North won't be tolerated. The implementation of an agreement reached at the six-party talks, obliging North Korea to completely declare its nuclear weapons capabilities, has been stalled since late December 2007, when the communist North failed to meet a deadline due to disputes over its suspected uranium enrichment program and its role in providing nuclear technology to
Korean President Lee Myung-bak (left) and President George W. Bush (right), shake hands following a joint press conference on 19 April.
Syria.
On the economic front, the two presidents pledged to make every effort to urge their respective legislatures to approve the KORUS FTA within the year, as Seoul's decision to lift its ban on imports of U.S. beef removed a major roadblock to getting the U.S. Congress to pass the free trade pact signed last June. Korea was the third- largest foreign market for U.S. beef before imports were banned in 2003, when a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the U.S. President Lee also disclosed that, when President Bush visits Korea in July, further talks on reinforcing the bilateral security and economic alliance will be on the agenda. They also reconfirmed their coun- tries' commitment to a solid military alliance and agreed to scrap Washington's plan to reduce the number of U.S.
troops in Korea to 25,000 by the end of this year. They also agreed to elevate Korea's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) status to help maintain a stable military alliance.
The FMS program is meant to facilitate the sales of U.S.
arms, defense equipment, defense services and military training to foreign governments.
The two countries welcomed a visa waiver memoran- dum of understanding (MOU) signed by their Cabinet ministers, and agreed to make every effort to realize Korea's participation in the U.S. visa waiver program within the year, as well as promoting bilateral youth exchanges. The two leaders also agreed to jointly address global issues, such as nonproliferation of weap- ons of mass destruction, a global coalition against terror- ism, peacekeeping operations, climate change, energy security and protection of the environment.
Korea, Japan agree on mature partnership at summit President Lee Myung-bak held summit talks with Japa- nese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo on 21 April, agreeing to build future-oriented Korea-Japan relations and a mature partnership based on pragmatic diplo- macy. The two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue and the North's abduction of Japanese citizens, and to expand bilateral exchanges. At a press conference following their talks, the two leaders said their countries would hold working-level consultations in June to resume stalled negotiations on a bilateral economic partnership agree- ment (EPA). In addition, President Lee and Prime Minister Fukuda agreed to cooperate in pressing North Korea to fully declare its nuclear weapons capabilities, in accor- dance with the six-party agreement signed with South Korea, Japan, China, the U.S. and Russia. As part of youth exchange agreement, the two countries agreed to double the number of visas available to Korean and Japanese young adults participating in the bilateral Working Holiday Program to 7,200 in 2009, with a goal of increasing the number to 10,000 by 2012. President Lee revealed his government's plan to create a new industrial park exclusively reserved for producers of Japanese parts and materials, in a bid to help stimulate the investment of Japanese enterprises in Korea. During the summit,
President Lee and Prime Minister Fukuda welcomed the inauguration of a Korea-Japan Business Summit Round- table, and were briefed on the result of the first round- table meeting held in Tokyo, which called for the deep- ening of bilateral economic cooperation and concerted government-level efforts to prepare for a Korea-Japan free trade agreement and EPA.
Foreign minister urges resumption of six-party talks by May
Korea's foreign minister recommended on 14 April that six-nation talks on the denuclearization of North Korea should be resumed before the end of May in order to achieve further progress by August. "It is difficult to predict when the six-party denuclearization talks will resume, but given the time necessary to discuss details of the next steps for denuclearization and the inspection issue, they should be held by late May," Yu Myung-hwan said during a press briefing for a local and foreign journalists. The minister has called on Pyongyang to move quickly to denuclearize, saying the upcoming U.S.
presidential election in November would make it difficult for Washington to implement any significant agree- ments after August. North Korea had agreed to disable its key nuclear facility and declare all of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007 in return for energy aid and political concessions under a major international deal.
The process, however, has been stalled for four months over the North's reluctance to declare a suspected covert uranium enrichment program and a nuclear connection with Syria, two issues which Washington insisted Pyong- yang include in the declaration. North Korea shut down its Yongbyon reactor in July, completing the first phase of the agreement. It is required to finish disabling the reactor and two other nuclear plants and declare all of its nuclear programs to complete phase two. The third and final phase will be the permanent dismantling of its nuclear program.
Asia Society opens office in Korea
Asia Society, a pan-Asian organization aimed at enhanc- ing understanding between Asia and the U.S., opened its office in Seoul on 2 April. The opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon, the organization's head Richard Holbrooke, assistant secre- tary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill and many others. In his keynote speech, Prime Minis- ter Han expressed the hope that the regional office would strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance and contribute to collaboration among Asian countries. The Society, which was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, strives to prepare Asians and Americans for a shared future by enhancing dialogue, encouraging creative expression and generating new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts and culture. It has regional centers in Hong Kong, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai and Shanghai, with headquarters in New York.
The Seoul Center will be headed by honorary chairman
Lee Hong-koo, former prime minister, co-chair Shin
Dong-bin, vice chairman of the Lotte Group, and Rho Kyong-soo, a professor at Seoul National University.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Korea designates three new free economic zones Korea designated three new free economic zones (FEZs) on 25 April as part of its strategy to attract more foreign investment and fuel economic growth.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the three FEZs will act as a testing-ground for corporate deregulation intended to help revive the sluggish domestic economy and stimulate renewed interest in Korea by foreign com- panies. It said the Yellow Sea, Saemangeum-Gunsan and Daegu-Gyeongsannamdo (North Gyeongsang Province) zones will augment existing FEZs in Incheon, Busan- Jinhae and Gwangyang that were designated in 2003.
The Yellow Sea zone will cover 55.05 square kilometers of Pyeongtaek and Dangjin regions, and is to be built up as an international cooperation center. The new port of Pyeongtaek will play a central role in the development of this open trading zone.
The Saemangeum-Gunsan FEZ is to be built on former wetlands, following massive sea reclamation work which is currently underway, and will encompass 66.99 square kilometers. The ministry said the plan is to develop the region as a center for future industries and as a leisure- recreation hub.
The Daegu-Gyeongsangnamdo zone will become the cradle for knowledge-based industries, including infor- mation technology, parts and materials, and medical equipment and it is hoped that it will promote the growth of the country's interior. The region's fashion and textile businesses will also be developed. Daegu FEZ will cover 39.55 square kilometers.
The three new FEZs are to be built so that they can work closely and harmoniously with the three existing open trading zones in order to achieve maximum results.
Korean economy grows 0.7% in Q1
According to a statement issued by the central bank on 25 April, the Korean economy's first quarter growth was the slowest it's been in more than 3 years, as exports and facility investment fell amid slowing consumer spending, increasing the likelihood of missing the bank's full-year growth target. Economists said the weaker growth would add pressure for the Bank of Korea (BOK) to cut its key interest rates.
The country's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.7 percent on-quarter in the January-March period, compared with a 1.6 percent gain in the fourth quarter of last year, according to an advance estimate by the BOK.
The last time growth was this low was in the October-
December period of 2004. Compared with a year ago, the nation's GDP grew 5.7 percent. GDP, the broadest measure of an economy's performance, is the total value of goods and services produced by the economy in a given period. The BOK forecast the economy to grow 4.7 percent this year, down from a 5 percent expansion last year, but President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February, has vowed to raise the economic growth rate to around 6 percent in 2008 by easing regulations and cutting taxes. Export growth will likely slow, although overseas shipments are expected to expand at a double-digit rate this year. Exports of goods, which account for about 40 percent of Korea's GDP, declined 1.1 percent on-quarter in the first three months of this year, after rising 7.4 percent three months earlier, on sluggish overseas shipments of machinery and electronic equip- ment. Private spending, one of the main growth engines of the Korean economy, advanced 0.6 percent, down from the preceding quarter, as consumers pared spend- ing on services. Facility investment dipped 0.1 percent in the first quarter, compared with a 2.1 percent expansion in the fourth quarter, and construction investment fell 1 percent. The BOK has been in a dilemma over growing risks to economic growth and rising inflation. Korea's consumer prices breached the BOK's target range of 2.5~3.5 percent for the fourth month in a row, mainly as a result of soaring oil costs
Bill Gates reveals $147 million investment plan in Korea
and game software sectors. "President Lee expressed his interest in Microsoft's IT investment projects, as well as in Gates' theory on creative capitalism, while the Microsoft founder praised the new Korean government's efforts to stimulate economic growth on the basis of its respect towards entrepreneurship," said the press release. Presi- dent Lee also showed deep interest in Microsoft's contract signed earlier with Korean automaker Hyundai On 6 May, Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates disclosed a plan to invest $147 million in Korea's infor- mation technology sector over the next five years. President Lee and Mr. Gates met at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to discuss ways to enhance closer, mutu- ally beneficial coopera- tion between Korea and Microsoft in the auto IT
Mr. Bill Gates (left) and President Lee at Cheong Wa Dae on 6 April
Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors to cement cooperation in the auto IT industry. Microsoft and the Hyundai Motor companies agreed to invest $113 million and $166 million, respectively, to build an auto IT innovation center in Korea, as part of the Lee government's new IT strategy calling for the nation to seize 10 percent, or 4 trillion won, of the world's automotive IT market by 2010.
Gates also promised to further strengthen the IT and software partnership between Microsoft and Korea's government and enterprises to create about 7 trillion won ($7 billion) in economic value during the next five years. In addition, Gates, who made his first visit to Korea in seven years to attend the annual Seoul Digital Forum, agreed to act as President Lee's global advisor.
OTHER NEWS
Korea's first astronaut lands safely after 12 days in space
ters. Confirmation of a safe landing was delayed by over 40 minutes because of the time it took for rescue helicopters to reach the module. The agency also said that, although the return module landed on its side, all three astronauts appeared uninjured.
Yi, the 29-year-old bio-systems engineer who blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:16 GMT on 8 April, made history by becoming the first Korean to go into orbit. She transferred to the Interna- tional Space Station (ISS) two days later and successfully conducted 18 experiments, along with numerous TV and radio interviews which it is hoped will bolster national interest in space exploration. She is the 49th woman to travel into space and the 158th person to visit the ISS, orbiting 350 kilometers above Earth.
Yi's mission to space makes Korea the 36th country to send a person into orbit. Medical personnel checked the crew before moving them to a specialized medical facility at the Gagarin Space Center in Russia, where they remained for a week to undergo monitoring. Yi returned to Korea on 28 April.
Seoul to ease visa rules for foreign professionals The Korean government will drastically ease regulations on visa issuance for foreign professionals seeking jobs or doing business here, in order to enhance the nation's competitiveness, the presidential office said on 30 April.
The Lee government will push to introduce a visa system for job seekers, liberalize visa extension for professional
foreign workers and make government and teaching positions more available to foreigners, according to Cheong Wa Dae. In addition, the government will estab- lish an online visa application system, dubbed HuNet Korea, and will have 25 major overseas branch offices of the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency open "Contact Korea" desks, intended to help domestic companies recruit talented foreign workers.
The package of deregulatory visa policies was the subject of intense discussion at the second meeting of a special presidential committee on national competitive- ness, presided over by President Lee. "The government will implement a set of new measures to facilitate visa issuance, entry and departure procedures, and economic activities for foreign professionals. In this regard, perma- nent and resident visas will be introduced," said Cheong Wa Dae in a press release. "The new visa policy will benefit foreigners wanting to engage in unrestricted business activities, work for foreign-invested companies or create new businesses in Korea," the press release said.
In a related move, to help improve the living environ- ment for expatriate workers here, the government will allow graduates of international schools in Korea to freely apply to domestic colleges, will permit spouses of foreign professionals to take jobs in Korea and will greatly expand both foreign language interpretation and Korean language education programs. Since his inaugu- ration in late February, President Lee has said that Korea is determined to make more government positions avail- able to foreign experts in a bid to overhaul the nation's civil service community.
University Students Invited from Abroad to Teach English on Korean Government Scholarship
On 16 April the Ministry of Education, Science and Tech- nology announced plans to recruit university students from abroad to teach English at Korean primary schools in rural areas on Korean government scholarship. Under the programme, entitled “Teach and Learn in Korea(TaLK),” the ministry plans to invite about 500 teachers. Invitees will have a chance to experience Korean culture while teaching English in after-school hours.
Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, landed safely in Kazakhstan after spend- ing 12 days in space, the Russian Federal Space Agency said on 19 April.
The agency responsible for the mission said that the Soyuz TMA-11, carry- ing Yi, U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, landed on dry land, but had veered off course by 478 kilome
Yi So-yeon
University students in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand who are native speakers of English, and have completed two or more years of university educa- tion, are eligible to apply for the TaLK program. Students who are already in Korea can also apply. Those who pass document screening and interviews at the Korean embassies and consulates in their countries will come to Korea in July for a final round of essay tests and inter- views.
Up to 500 undergraduate students will be selected and dispatched to primary schools in rural areas this August to teach for six months or one year. The TaLK programme provides round-trip airfare, accommodation, a monthly allowance of about 1.5 million Korean won($1,500), and various opportunities to experience Korean culture.
Those who are interested in the programme can apply at Korean embassies and consulates in 20 cities across the five designated countries from 1 May through 15 June.
For more information, please visit http://talk.mest.go.kr or contact the Embassy or the Republic of Korea in Wellington (04 473-9073).
Korea to host international Women's Invention Expo
Korea is to host the world's first international event focusing on female inventors from around the world. The Korea Women Inventors Association (KWIA) will hold the international Women's Invention Exposition from 8 to 10 May in southern Seoul. Its purpose is to support female inventors and companies set up by women entrepre- neurs, and to provide an opportunity for marketing their innovative products, sharing information and experi- ences and also finding good business opportunities.
About 400 inventions produced by women to improve daily life will be exhibited, including Loofen, a food waste drier that was awarded first prize by the International Federation of Inventors' Associations at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva. On the sidelines of the exposition, the Korea International Women's Inven-
tion Forum will be convened on 9 May, where 300 women inventors from Korea and overseas will share information and experiences. Organizers say the interna- tional Women's Invention Exposition will serve as a gate- way to success for women inventors around the world from now on. They plan to make the Exposition a regular event, hoping to provide women inventors and students with opportunities to showcase their inventions and form networks with one another.
For further information, visit: http://kiwie.or.kr/index.asp or send an email to:
kwia0405@paran.com or kwia@inventor.or.kr.
Korea ranked top 10 in global network readiness report
Korea was ranked in the top 10 countries worldwide in terms of network readiness, according to the annual report by World Economic Forum produced in coopera- tion with INSEAD, a leading international business school. The Global Information Technology Report released on 9 April revealed in its Networked Readiness Index 2007-2008 that Korea took ninth place among 127 economies. This is a leap up from 2006, when Korea was ranked 19th of 122 countries. The report called Korea's rapid climb to 9th place an "impressive improvement,"
and attributed the achievement to a combination of high-quality education, a superior labor force, top- performing research institutions and a sophisticated business sector. This has led to great innovation and the birth of a number of multinational companies in the country. The report went on to praise government efforts to improve the production and efficiency of infor- mation and communications technology and the consis- tency it has shown in pursuing the policy. Of three major evaluations, Korea was particularly strong in both Readi- ness and User Components sections, recording 3rd and 4th place respectively. The records showed Korea was well up in usage of and readiness for high technology in individual, business and government sectors.
For more information visit the webpage of the World Economic Forum
(http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm).
KOREA-NEW ZEALAND BILATERAL NEWS
Korea-NZ FTA Government Roundtable meeting held in Seoul
On 21 April a Korea-NZ FTA Government Roundtable meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs &
Trade (MOFAT) in Seoul.
Government officials from both countries attended and heard a presentation of the main findings of the joint study.
This was followed by an inter-agency discussion of the benefits for both countries identified in the joint study.
Mr. Choi Kyong-lim, Director-general of FTA Policy Bureau of MOFAT of Korea, Mr. Simon Murdoch, Secre- tary, and Mr. David Taylor, Director of Asia Division of New Zealand's Ministry of the Foreign Affairs and Trade attended the meeting.
Hyundai joins Global Resources to explore Taranaki Basin
Korean company Hyundai Hysco will join the hunt for oil and gas in the deepwater Taranaki Basin. Hyundai Hysco has signed a contract to participate in exploration under the terms of the permit held by Global Resource Hold- ings Ltd. A petroleum exploration permit for the area was awarded to Global Resources in late 2005. Since then, Global Resources has had geological studies carried out by GNS Science to evaluate the potential of the basin and identify areas suitable for prospecting. This work attracted international interest, which has resulted in Hyundai Hysco's participation in the exploration.
This is the first time a Korean company has taken part in exploration in New Zealand. Hyundai Hysco is Korea's third largest steel producing company. "Hyundai Hysco's entry is a major opportunity for direct foreign invest- ment in the oil and gas exploration of New Zealand" said Crown Mineral's Acting Group Manager Michael Anas- tasiadis. "To have a company of this size investing in New Zealand is a tremendous achievement".
Mr Anastasiadis said Hyundai Hysco's move had also captured the attention of the Korean Government, which has recently shown specific interest in involving Korean companies in New Zealand resource exploration.
Mr. Anastasiadis said Hyundai Hysco's decision was based in part on information from a seismic data pack- age purchased by the Ministry's Crown Minerals group and used to promote interest in the Taranaki Basin area."
The announcement shows that data is an important tool to encourage investment and open up New Zealand's prospective basins for exploration."
Agreement to Grow Digital Industries
The growing business collaboration between Korea and New Zealand’s digital content sector has been acknowl- edged and will be strengthened by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Gyeonggi Digital Contents Agency (GDCA) and Grow Wellington
on 24 April. Both agencies expect the agreement to bring benefits to the film, television, games, and digital content industries in their respective regions. GDCA is the agency in Korea’s Gyeonggi Province formed to support its growing digital content industry, encompass- ing animation, game, film, and various forms of digital content. GDCA provides support to the whole range of digital content production from planning to marketing.
GDCA is the agency in Korea’s Gyeonggi Province formed to support its growing digital content industry, encom- passing animation, game, film, and various forms of digital content. GDCA provides support to the whole range of digital content production from planning to marketing. Grow Wellington is New Zealand’s economic development agency for the greater Wellington region.
It works for and with businesses in order to grow the region’s exports. In particular, it is developing world- leading centres of excellence in four areas where Wellington has achieved international renown for inno- vation and excellence – one of the best-known being screen and digital technologies.
In signing for Grow Wellington, Acting Chief Executive Suse Reynolds said there had already been productive collaborations between the Korean and New Zealand film industries. For example Laundry Warrior, an English- language martial arts action film, is currently in post- production at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.
Ms Reynolds added that the memorandum of under- standing between the Gyeonggi and Wellington regions reinforces the national bi-lateral audiovisual co- operation agreement signed between New Zealand and Korea in 2005 and is in the spirit of the co-production arrangement in development between the two coun- tries.
Delegations visit in April
Mr. Won Hee-ryong, a Korean MP, visited New Zealand from 21 to 27 April. During his visit, Mr. Won met with Prime Minister Helen Clark, Hon Phil Goff, Minister of Trade and Hon Pete Hodgson, Minister of Economic Development, of Tertiary Education and of Research, Science and Technology. He also met with memebers of the New Zealand-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group, and with a number of business leaders and officials from the public sector in the areas of economics and social welfare.
Mr. Moon Soo Kim, Governor of Gyeonggi province, visited New Zealand from 23 to 25 Apil in order to promote the Korea International Boat Show & Korea Match Cup which will be held in Gyeonggi province between 11 and 15 June. A seminar was held at the Lang- ham Hotel on 24 April.
A delegation from Korea's Ministry of Health & Welfare and Family Affairs, led by Mr. Chin Young Kon, Assistant Minister, visited Wellington and Auckland from 27 April to 1 May. The seven members of delegation met with
Officials attended the GDCA-Grow Wellington signing ceremony on 24 April
officials from New Zealand's Ministry of Social Develop- ment and Work & Income in Wellington, in order to research New Zealand's welfare service system and discuss the ways to improve Korea's welfare service delivery system.
Korean Day 2008
On 12 April, the annual Korean Day was held at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland.
Korean Day was attended by several hundred spectators as well as some important guests, including the Korean Ambassador H.E.Joon-Gyu Lee, the Consul-General in Auckland Mr. Young-Geol Kim, and several New Zealand dignitaries such as Minister of Ethnic Affairs Hon. Chris Carter, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams, Manukau Mayor Len Brown, and MP for Northcote Dr. Jonathan Coleman.
The day’s programme began with speeches and special awards for outstanding members of the Korean commu- nity. Then the festivities began, with Korean traditional dance and musical performances, a taekwondo demon
stration, modern hip hop and jazz dance performances, a talent quest, and many other events. Participants and organisers alike praised the event as the most successful yet, and hoped that it would provide opportunities for linkages between first and second generation Koreans in Auckland, as well as building understanding and good- will between the Korean and New Zealand communities.
Luncheon and Small Concert for Korean War Veterans Daeju Developments Ltd. and Samsung New Zealand Ltd, with support from the Korean Consulate in Auck- land, hosted a luncheon and small concert at Palm Springs Resort in Parakai on 22 April.
The event was well attended, with over 150 veterans and their families coming from around the Auckland Region and as far away as Whangarei and Te Awamutu. The aim of the event was to honour the sacrifice of the New Zealand Korean War Veterans, and to build understand- ing and advance the spirit of the relationship between Korea and the NZKVA for the next generation. Speeches were made by Consul-General Young-Geol Kim, and by the President of Auckland North Branch of the KVA, Mr.
Sandy Herlihy. All attendees thoroughly enjoyed the day, which included a full buffet lunch, beverages, and a jazz band performance.
The event was captured by cameras from Television New Zealand and an item about the event was broadcast on the programme Asia Downunder on 4 May.
UPCOMING EVENT
Prime Minister Helen Clark to visit Korea
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark is scheduled to visit Korea in May to meet President Lee Myung-bak and other officials to expand ties between the two nations.
She will arrive in Korea on 15 May for a three-day visit, the presidential office said. The summit between the two leaders is scheduled for 16 May. The summit will include discussions on boosting exchanges in a wide range of areas, including diplomacy, energy and culture, accord- ing to the office. Prime Minister Helen Clark's arrival will mark the first visit by a head of state since Lee was sworn into office in February.
In December 2006, Prime Minister Helen Clark and then Korean President Roh Moo-hyun agreed to expand bilat- eral practical cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and the environment, and adopted a joint declaration on a strategic partnership. They also agreed to launch private studies to explore a possible free trade agreement between the two countries.
During the Prime Minister's visit, the 24th Korea-New Zealand Business Council meeting will be held on 16 May in Seoul.
Korea International Boat Show & Korea Match Cup to be held in Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do has won the right to host an internationally renowned sailing competition, the Korea Match Cup, which is the local leg of the World Match Racing Tour. The first ever international sailing competition to be hosted by Korea will be held from 11 June through 15 in the port of Jeongok in Hwaseong City, about 45 kilometers south- west of the capital. The World Match Racing Tour is considered comparable to the PGA Tour in golf and every year 10 countries host the races, which are broadcast to more than 100 nations around the world. The prize purse of $320,000 offered at the Jeongok event is the highest on the World Match Racing Tour for 2008. The competi- tion will be staged in conjunction with the Korea Interna- tional Boat Show 2008. This show has the backing of a
$282 million government initiative to expand and promote the country's leisure boating industry.
The boat show is expected to be a huge success, with foreign yacht companies and buyers are exhibiting an exceptionally high level of interest in it, even though the event has yet to be internationally recognized. Some of the international participants include leading global yacht companies such as Brunswick Boat (US), Princess Yachts International (UK), Italy's Ferretti Yachts, Bavaria Yachts (Germany), and Australia's largest yacht manufac- turer, Seawind Catamarans. Almost two hundred inves- tors from 15 nations are expected to participate in the
event. People from across a broad range of business areas, including boat manufacturing, boat and yacht parts, marine sports equipment, suits and accessories for water sports, and marina facilities are to attend, offering golden business opportunities for small and medium- sized Korean companies.
For more information, please visit www.koreaboatshow.org.
KOREAN WAR VETERANS
Our thanks to Mr. Barry Barnard, a veteran of the Korean War, for his contribution to this month's Korea Report, sharing with us some of his memories and reflections of that time.
THE INFLUENCE
I had just turned twenty when the war started in June 1950. It caused a tremendous amount of interest, because the events of the Second World War were still very fresh in everyone's mind, and there was a general concern that this conflict might expand rapidly. Of course many young men like myself, became very inter- ested to do our bit to preserve world peace and to a fair extent, got caught up with the spirit of adventure and a will to do something for our country, carried away with all the things that we had been taught over the years.
Five years earlier, I had finished school and left home in Auckland to take up work on a dairy farm at Komakorau near Taupiri, in the Waikato. Life on the farm was good and I had fitted nicely into the community.
This new situation was both stimulating, and depressing!
Here was a chance to prove ourselves far better than could be done on the rugby field or in the hay paddock.
Till now, we had been not much more than the lads of the district living in the shadows of the slightly older men who had not all that long ago, returned from service in world war two. We quietly admired and envied them for the fuss that was made of them, and also because
they were being assisted to set themselves up on their farms through the war veterans rehabilitation scheme.
In fact of course, we were well regarded by our elders and everyone in our community. We were conscientious and worked hard, and were given plenty of encourage- ment. I did detect some reservation and concern among the older people and as a result, I thought quite deeply on the whole matter.
As the news of the rapid advance of the Communists armies down the Korean peninsula came to hand, I began to realize that the civilians were going to suffer perhaps even more than the soldiers. Not only would they lose members of their families and other loved ones, their homes would be destroyed and their land and livelihood would be taken from them.
A terrible thing was happening! Something had to be done to ensure that this conflict did not spread beyond Korea, and become another global war!
The government called for volunteers to serve as part of a United Nations force, to confront the Communists and bring the matter to an end. I wondered if our New Zealand force could be raised, trained and despatched before the whole thing was sorted out. Subsequent events sure taught me the difference between decisive leadership and politicians.
Within a few days, several thousand young men had enlisted, many of them unsettled veterans of world war two. The required standard of fitness was very high and only about one sixth of the volunteers were accepted.
On the Sunday morning after recruiting began, my two best mates walked into the cowshed where I was clean- ing up after the morning milking.
"Come on mate, we're off to join up!" They said together.
The older of the two was Reg who was about twenty two, and not long returned from Japan where he had served in the New Zealand contingent of the occupation force.
He had risen to the rank of Staff Sergeant, and might have been useful in this new force. Reg had suffered a little from asthma, and I reckon that he was slightly
(Left) Mr. Barnard as a young man at the time of his service in 1952 (Right) Mr. Barry & Marie Barnard sharing a happy moment
hesitant because of this, and also knowing that serving this time would be quite different to being a garrison soldier.
The other cobber Peter, was a year younger than me and definitely more than just a little impulsive.
"Come on Pete," I said. "Your parents won't let you go at your age. I too may be stopped because of my age, and Reg might end up going without either of us!"
Peter looked at me very sternly and in a manner that hurt me a little, said.
"What's wrong, are you too windy?"
Those words stuck with me for a long time, and some months later I wrote from Korea to Peter pointing out how strange it was that I the hesitant one, was the only one of we three to eventually go.
Not long after, Reg married our neighbours' daughter Joy. She was as a sister to me, and I was 'bestman' at their wedding. Peter left the district and took a job as a stock- buyer for a meat company. He eventually did quite well for himself. The Korean war had slipped from their minds, and I was left to ponder it by myself.
My father, a wonderful Pommy immigrant, volunteered for service in 1914 and departed from New Zealand with the main body to serve on Gallipoli and later in France.
He was severely wounded and returned home to suffer
for over twenty years from his injuries. Two of my broth- ers volunteered for service in World War Two, one in the infantry, and the other in the artillery. One of them was badly injured in the battles of North Africa and sent home. He took many years to recover. I am not sure that he did fully recover. He died aged seventy, still the same gentle inoffensive man that he always was. My other brother served in North Africa and Italy for four and a half years, and I am pleased to say that he was not physically affected.
The Prime Minister at the time was Syd Holland who had served as an officer in the New Zealand field artillery during World War One. He decided to send an artillery regiment and smaller supporting units. As it transpired, it was a wise decision not to send an infantry unit, and I don't mind admitting that I might have hesitated enlist- ing for service in the infantry the way the conflict devel- oped. When Field Marshal Lord Alexander of World War One and Two fame visited Korea in 1952, he observed at once that the manner of warfare reminded him of Flanders.
Many of my young cobbers were keen to join up. Most of them did not get in, but with knowledge of my father's and brother' contribution and experience, I was as I prefer to think, a little better guided and though quite motivated, I felt that it was better to wait until I had attained the required age of twenty one and was more certain of the real need.
It was not very long.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Our feature article this month has been contributed by Mr. Roger Shepherd, who recently undertook a massive 70-day trek along the Baekdu-daegan.
In Search of the Spirit of Korea - Hiking the Baekdu-daegan
Korea is an area with a unique topography. I always describe it like this; if you were to take a thimble, slice it down one side and then flatten it out onto a table, then you would have a good model of the topography of the peninsula…an endless array of mountains dissected by ravines and gorges.
This majestic terrain has inflicted onto the people of Korea a special kind of acknowledgement towards the mountains. Holistically the mountains of Korea provide its people with copious amounts of water captured on the ridges and fed down to the farms, where it is irrigated into the production of local produce. Water is life, and this point is reflected famously by the people of Korea in the form of the Baekdu-daegan. The Baekdu-daegan is the Korean peninsula’s most famous and largest natural feature. The Baekdu-daegan meaning white head - great ridge is the mountainous spine of Korea that runs continuously, never crossing water, for 1500kms between the mythological birthplace and sacred peak of Baekdu-san (2850m) on the northern border of North Korea, and Cheonwang-bong (1915m) in Jiri-san's (exquisite wisdom mountain) National Park in central southern Korea. The ridge in South Korea is 735kms long
[Top-left]
Scenery at Worak-san.
[Top-right]
Web the very spiritual cheon- gandan altar on Taebaek.
[Bottom-left]
Andrew and Roger marking the end of their long journey.
and passes through seven National Parks.
In the 8th century a famous Korean Buddhist Master by the name of Doseon-daesa had trekked widely around the Korean Peninsula observing its geography and searching for its unique energies. After these travels, when he was settled Doseon-daesa was enchanted by a San-shin (mountain spirit), where the deepest secrets of Pungsu-jiri (Geomancy or natural science) were magi- cally scribed into the sand in front of him. As a result Doseon-daesa is credited with the concept of the Baekdu-daegan as the energetic spine of the Korean Peninsula. This ‘Gi’ or energy is believed by traditionalists to feed the Korean nation from the mountains with the necessary health, strength, and prosperity for the raising of heroic and virtuous citizens of the Korean nation.
San-shin worship on the summits, ridges and passes is said to assist this great energy flow. The Baekdu-daegan is revered by its worshippers in the shape of the many hundreds or maybe thousands of Buddhist temples, shrines and altars that adorn it. Famous sites such as Jikji-sa, Buseok-sa, Woljeong-sa, and Cheonje-dan altar to name some flank the ridge’s contours, where its occu- pants sustain themselves off the mountain spring water that it generates. Sharing these Buddhist sites or some- times located independently on a lonely pass are San- shin gaks (mountain spirit shrines) or San-shin ryeong’s (mountain spirit passes). These sites are unique ancient representations to the Korean people of their respect and reverence for the mountains.
On September the 2nd 2007 I set out along with my colleague Andrew Douch on a journey of research to not only discover the wonderful breath-taking scenery of this 735km ridge, but also to visit the people who lived and depended on the ridge, and experience the mysteri- ous energies that it purportedly emits. We started at the summit of Cheonwang-bong in Jiri-san National Park and walked for 70 days north along the Baekdu-daegan until we ended it at Hyangno-bong, 22kms into the DMZ two kilometers short of North Korea.
The walk involved getting up one peak, traversing along the ridge then clambering up the next peak, and so on.
Heights ranged between 500 and 1900 meters with the lower areas meandering through green and later brilliant orange and vermillion autumnal stands of deciduous forests, with family tombs from nearby farming commu- nities nestled beneath them, always facing south as per the virtues of Pungsu-jiri. The higher areas were defined by vast open expanses of sub-alpine vegetation with disfigured strangled Yew trees a 1000 years old arcing permanently backwards pleading for relief from the trans-Siberian winds that pound them, and hauntingly twisted Pinus Koreanus jutting and springing out from bald shining mounds of granite rock that would cast tricky shadow-play amongst the wind-swept white rolling clouds.
If we weren’t sleeping on the summit of a mountain or in
the saddle of the ridge we would stop our day’s walk at one of the numerous roads that traverse over the Baekdu-daegan. There we would normally find space enough to pitch a tent or sleep in the shelter of a Jeong- ja which is an open-sided wooden pavilion normally used for passers-by to stop and rest in. Jeong-ja's were always located with a marvelous view back down the adjacent valleys and sometimes of made of magnificent architecture. If we couldn’t find spring water in the mountains then it could be located at these passes.
These tactical stops were also a good way for us to hitch a ride off the ridge and go to the nearest village to re- stock on food. However our sojourns to such villages often ended up in large soju (rice-vodka) driven nights of joyous entertainment for us by the locals as they celebrated with us the concept of the Baekdu-daegan.
The spirit of the Baekdu-daegan was most evident in these small farming communities that relied on the water-shed of the Baekdu-daegan to supplement their rice, grape, apple, ginseng, cattle, red-chilli, or soy bean harvests.
Sometimes we would stay in temples on the ridge. One such moment, was being granted permission to sleep at Manggyeong-sa on the sacred heights of Taebaek-san (1567m), persons that stay in this temple can only do so if they have a spiritual purpose. They come to pray at the famous Cheonje-dan altar for personal and visionary reasons, normally accompanied by a Mu-dang (shaman).
The powers that be; deemed our journey one of spiritual significance. Throughout the night persons went to and from the temple to the altar which loomed with a dark menace on the ridge, as its oil stained shards of rock that make up the un-mortared walls to its open structure, gleamed with an eclectic charge as the ghost like clouds fingered their way through the translucent glow of the crescent moon. For a couple of ‘pakeha’ kiwi boys the area was magnified with primal spirituality, a kind of
‘mana atua’ (spiritual being).
The Baekdu-daegan was certainly an incredible experi- ence. We never had one negative moment on the walk.
As far as the concept of the Baekdu-daegan goes, we found boundless continuous beauty in the sculpture of the Korean mountains, an energetic and positive charm in its people, and an alluring and unmistakable magic in its temples and shrines. I will be returning to Korea again to walk the Baekdu-daegan’s 10 other subsidiary ridges (jang-maeks) and hope to publish a complete hiking journal on them all. Only the remaining sections in North Korea await.
Reference must be made to Professor David Mason of Kyunghee University Seoul.
More information can be found at baekdudaegan.blogspot.com or email the author at rasnzwlg@hotmail.com
ANNOUNCEMENT
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PHOTO NEWS
After 12 Days in Space - Korea' First Astronaut Arrives on Earth
(Above) Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko, left, American astronaut Peggy Whitson, centre and Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon pose after news conference in Star City, outside Moscow, on 21 April.
(Above) Scientists watch the Soyuz TMA12 spacecraft docking with the International Space Station on screens at the Mission Control Center in Moscow.
