News from Korea

Winter 2 ⁰⁰⁹

End of the Year Edition

News from Korea

Cheonggyecheon Stream, Heart of Seoul

Contents

V Korea at Climate Change Summit . . . .3

V Korean Poems in Norwegian . . . .4

V Children’s Sunday on Korea . . . .5

V Cultural Events in Oslo . . . .6

V Insadong - Korean Traditional District in Seoul . . . .9

V Korean Food . . . .10

V Contacts for Information on Korea . . . .11

Embassy of the Republic of Korea Inkognitogata 3, 0244 Oslo

22 54 70 90

http://nor.mofat.go.kr/eng/

e-mail: korean.embassy@operamail.com koremb.oslo@gmail.com

kornor@mofat.go.kr Dear Readers,

This year was the first year of our e-magazine “News from Korea”. It was an initial attempt of presenting to you some aspects of Korea and the various activities the Korean Embassy in Norway organizes. This year was a special one, with a lot of events which marked the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Norway and Korea. It is our hope and purpose to keep on working as a bridge between the two nations and “News from Korea” is one of the great opportunities we have to serve our goal. I want to express my sincere thanks to all of those who displayed interest in the magazine, especially to Mr. Harald E. Nybølet, who contacted us on behalf of the Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland, and expressed their contentment with the magazine and the Korean classes held at Berg High School in Oslo.

I wish you all A Great New Year, full of optimism and joy!

Best regards, Sang Woo Hong,

Counselor, Korean Embassy in Norway

V Climate Change

President Lee addresses

Copenhagen climate conference

Korea.net

ed by presidents and prime minis- ters from over 100 countries.

The global institute, temporarily named "Global Green Growth In- stitute" (GGGI) will bring together scholars, scientists and civil society leaders from around the world to come up with workable solutions to climate change problems, says presi- dent Lee.

"In the spirit of global partner- ship, the GGGI can act as a global think tank and as a bridge between advanced and developing coun- tries."

President Lee also said dur- ing his speech "Taking Action To- gether" that every country should

join hands to make a real difference in efforts to fight global climate change.

During the speech, President Lee officially announced Korea's bid to host the 18th UN Climate Change Conference in 2012.

“Korea is ready to contribute in opening up the post-2012 regime by hosing the COP18 in 2012,”

Lee said. The 18th conference is supposed to take place in an Asian country and so far Qatar and Korea have announced their bids to play host. The final decision will be an- nounced at the 16th conference in Mexico late 2010, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

President Lee Myung-bak said on December 17 that Korea would establish a global institute to fight climate change within the first half of 2010.

This was during the President's keynote speech at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Confer- ence, or COP15, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The meeting was attend-

Korea's emission reduction plan catches the world by surprise

Cheong Wa Dae announced in November an ambi- tious plan to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent from its business-as-usual level by 2020, which has drawn much attention from other governments and global news me- dia. This is because Korea was the first among other emerging and developing nations to pursue such a bold reduction plan.

South Korea, whose emissions nearly doubled from 1990 to 2005, would cut emissions by investing in ener- gy-efficient buildings and transportation, developing new green industries and changing patterns of consumption.

"Though there are doubtful prospects for the Copenha- gen meeting, South Korea's voluntary announcement of the national reduction target will be a chance to urge the international community to make responsible efforts,"

the Financial Times quoted President Lee saying.

South Korea's reduction target reflects President Lee's ambitious "low carbon, green growth" policy, aimed at lessening South Korea's dependence on fossil fuel and promoting the development of substitute energy sources, such as solar and wind power, and other technologies en- hancing energy efficiency, writes the FT.

Det er i og for seg ingen mangel på interesse for Østen og Østens kultur i det norske samfunnet, men oppmerksomhet- en går nok helst i retning av Kina og Japan, mens et land som Korea lett blir liggende i skyggen. Vi er selvsagt alle kjent med at landet er delt i to strengt atskilte stater, en i nord og en i sør, og vi har nok også hørt om Korea-krigen og koreanske adop- tivbarn. Ja, noen kjører til og med rundt i en koreansk bil, et vitnesbyrd om et mod- erne, industrialisert næringsliv. Men de færreste av oss har en kunnskap om folk og kultur i Korea som står i samsvar med det som denne gamle kulturnasjonen har å by på.

Noe av denne rikdommen er det Mag- dalena Kwak Nyberg ønsker å formidle til norske lesere med den foreliggende diktsamlingen, ”Jeg vil spørre vinden”.

Her har hun valgt ut et halvt hundre dikt som gjenspeiler en tung tidsperiode i Ko- reas historie, de 36 årene (1910-1945) under japansk okkupasjon. Disse diktene har hun gjennom samvittighetsfull om- gang med tekstene gjengitt i en vakker og poetisk norsk språkform. Disse diktene er muligheten til nye opplevelser i møtet med teksten og dermed til ny innsikt i hva det vil si å være menneske i verden. Det er mitt håp at diktsamlingen ”Jeg vil spørre vinden” vil åpne mange norske øyne for det som ligger av verdi i den klassiske kore- anske kulturtradisjonen.

Oslo i juni 2009 Sihurd Hjelde

Mitt høyeste ønske er å formidle noe av det særegent koreanske.

Magdalena Kwak Nyberg

”Jeg vil spørre vinden”

BUDDHISTDANS Den hvite silkehetten

florlett brettet som en sommerfugl.

Det blålig barberte hode gjemt i silkehetten, kinnene i smertelig vakkert lysskjær.

I denne natt smelter lyset ned

og måneskinnet avtar på hvert paulow- niablad,

de lange ermene fyller himmelen, den frøformede skoen dreier oppad som for å fly!

...

Jo Ji-hun

M

philol. med hovedfag i religionshis- torie. Hovedoppgaven dreide seg om forfedredyrkelsen i konfusianske fami- lieritualer i Korea, og oversettelsen av en ritualtekst var en del av oppgaven.

Hun er gift i Norge og har tre barn.

Hun har flere års yrkeserfaring i sitt nye hjemland.

M

Disse diktene har hun gjennom samvittighetsfull omgang med tekstene gjengitt i en vakker og poetisk norsk språkform.

V Korean Poems

Children’s Sunday on Korea

On Sunday, September 6, the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo hosted an activity day for children about Korea. A wide range of activities were held to introduce and show the children various aspects of the Korean cul- ture.

There were about 250 people who participated in the day’s activities. Through the different arranged perfor- mances children were shown how to write their names in the Korean alphabet. They were also introduced to the process of painting Korean masks. In addition to that, clips of different aspects of the Korean culture were dis- played, to the delight of ev- eryone present.

K

V Cultural Events

V Cultural Events

The Embassy of the Re- public of Korea in Oslo and the Metropolitan City of Seoul had the honor to pres- ent to the public in Oslo A Night of Korean Traditional Culture on 4 September at Oslo Concert House

The program included a Korean Tea Ceremony where the guests had the pleasure of watching the whole process of making the delicious Korean tea. After that, the public en-

joyed a Korean Traditional Dancing Performance fol- lowed by a Korean Tradi- tional Fashion Show.

It was one of the biggest cultural events ever organized to introduce to the rezidents of Oslo the Korean traditional culture. We were delighted to see the large audience pres- ent at the event and want to thank you all for their interest in the Korean culture.

A Night of Korean Traditional Culture

Korean Traditional Cultural

Performance by the City of Seoul

V Cultural Events

Gangjin Goryeo-porcelain Exhibition Young Korean Musician Wins Queen Sonja Music Competition

The South Korean baritone Seung-Gi Jung (30) was re- cently awarded the first prize in The Queen Sonja Interna- tional Music Competition. To a standing ovation from the sold-out opera house in Oslo, H.M. Queen Sonja of Norway presented the baritone with the prestigious award.

Nearly 150 singers from around the globe had applied to participate in this year’s competition, which took place in Oslo from 19 – 28 August.

In the finals, there were six singers, four of which Korean young musicians, who remained.

The bi-annual Queen Sonja International Music Competi- tion aims to promote young opera singers worldwide.

On Friday Septem- ber 18 at 18:00 took place the opening of the exhibition of Gangjin Goryeo-porcelain at the Permaneneten West Norway Museum of Decorative Art. The exhibition offered the unique opportunity to have a closer look at Goryeo-masterpieces.

It contributed to an ex- quisite experience of the

mystical beauty of Asia and the traditional Ko- rean culture.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Norway opened the exhibition. There was a reception with a demon- stration of Taekwon-Do and a demonstration of celadon techniques. Also a film was shown after the opening ceremony.

Spectacular Taekwondo Show in Norway

On Tuesday 6 October a spectacular Taekwondo show was held at Sentrum Scene with The World Taekwondo Demon- stration Team.

The show was a collaboration between the Korea Tourism Organization, the Ko- rean Embassy in Oslo, World Taekwondo Federation and Oslo Taekwondo Club. Ap- proximately 550 people were present at the City Center Stage in Oslo to see the show.

The WTF Demonstration Team moved afterwards to Bergen and held a similar demonstration on Wednesday 7 October in the Grieg Hall. More than 300 spectators had taken the trip to the Grieg Hall for the spectacular taekwondo performance by 20 athletes from South Korea.

Bjørn Magne Sulen from Centrum Tae- kwondo club was clearly proud of the celeb- rity visit.

- This is absolutely the toughest one can get to see in taekwondo. The fact that we got these guys to come to Bergen and perform is huge, said Sulen.

V Cultural Events

Korean Film Presentation

The Korean Embassy in Norway orga- nized a Night of Korean Film on 3 Decem- ber 2009 at Cinemateket in Oslo. There was a reception where the guests could try the delicious Korean food. The reception was followed by the presentation of a Korean movie, Le Grand Chef.

The movie tells the story of two chefs who are competing in a cookery tourna- ment. The finely-decorated and displayed dishes in the movie are a feast to the eyes.

Brimming with thrilling set pieces, broad humor, mouth-watering food and a skillful interweaving of heartfelt back stories, the delectable Le Grand Chef was screened to a fascinated audience in Oslo, being given another glimpse of the magnificent Korean cuisine culture.

V City of Seoul

Insadong is a neighborhood of the Jongno-gu dis- trict of the South Korean city of Seoul. The main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to a multitude of al- leys that lead deeper into the district. At one time it was the largest market for antiques and artworks in Korea.

Insadong-gil is well known as a traditional street to both locals and foreigners and represents the culture of the past and the present. It contains a mixture of histori- cal and modern atmosphere and is a unique area of Seoul that truly represents the cultural history of the nation.

The area is well known for sightseeing, with many visitors on Sundays. Insadong is also a visiting spot for foreign dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II and the princes of Spain and the Netherlands. It contains 40 per- cent of the nation's antique shops and art galleries as well as 90 percent of the traditional stationery shops. Particu- larly noteworthy is Tongmungwan, the oldest bookstore in Seoul, and Kyung-in Art Gallery, the oldest tea house.

There are daily calligraphy demonstrations and pansori performances.

Insadong - A Korean Traditional

District in Seoul

V Korean Food

Restaurants with Korean cuisine in Oslo

Unfortunately, no restaurant in Oslo serves only Korean food. However, some Asian restaurants serve several kinds of Korean foods, together with other types of Asian cuisine.

NAM KANG Torggata 24 0183 Oslo Tel: 22 20 19 40

MR. TANG Seilduksgata 7 0553 Oslo Tel: 22 35 46 26 DA CAPO

Drammensveien 130 0277 Oslo

Tel: 22 56 19 46

Korean Embassy in Oslo Inkognitogata 3, 0244 Oslo Tel: 22 54 70 90

E-mail: korean.embassy@operamail.com koremb.oslo@gmail.com

kornor@mofat.go.kr

Website: http://nor.mofat.go.kr (Korean)

http://nor.mofat.go.kr/eng/eu/nor/main/index.jsp (English) Norwegian Embassy in Seoul

258-8 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-ku, Seoul, 140-200, Rep. of Korea Tel.: 82 (02) 795 6850 /

E-mail: emb.seoul@mfa.no

Website: http://www.norway.or.kr/

Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Helsinki Office) Kauppiaankatu 3 B 11, 00160 Helsinki

Tel : +358 9 682 9490 E-mail : helsinki@kotra.or.kr Website: http://english.kotra.or.kr

Korea Tourism Organization (London Office) 3rd Floor, New Zealand House

Haymarket London SW1Y 4TE Tel: 020 7321 2535 or 020 7925 1717 E-mail: london@mail.knto.or.kr Website: www.visitkorea.co.kr

Norwegian Korean War Association Nils Steen Egelien, President

Iver Holters v. 40,

N-3041 Drammen, Norway Tel: 32 81 16 83

Forum for Korean Adoptees (FKA) Ms. Eirill Stølan Rogstad, FKA President Kirkegata 56B, 7043 Trondheim

E-mail: eirill@fkanorway.org Korean Residents Association E-mail: norway114@naver.com Tel: 23 01 04 06

Norway-Korea Friendship Association Ms. Lucie Paus Falck,

President of the Association Tel: + 47 22284670

E-mail: luciepfalck@yahoo.no

V Contact Information

Contacts for Information on Korea