Han Asia Times

Defence cooperation between India and South Korea is poised to receive a major boost when Defence Minister A.K. Antony Thursday goes on a two-day visit to Seoul. This is the first visit of an Indian defence minister to South Korea and is at the invitation of his counterpart, Kim Tae-young. “The visit is part of India’s Look East Policy and a wide range of issues including defence cooperation for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and bilateral cooperation in research and development for manufacture of military equipment will figure prominently during the discussions between Antony and the top leadership of South Korea,” a defence ministry statement said. Antony will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Vice Admiral R.K. Dhowan, Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik, Prahlada and Sundaram Krishna. The Indian delegation will also visit some of South Koreas defence establishments. Antony’s visit has been planned as a follow-up of the joint dec...

이명박 대통령 과 만모한 싱 인도 총리는 25일 양국관계를 ‘장기적 협력동반자 관계’에서 ‘ 전략 적 동반자 관계’로 격상하기로 합의했다. 두 정상은 또 지난해 121억달러 수준이던 양국 교역액을 2014년까지 300억달러로 확대키로 했다. 이명박 대통령이 25일(현지시간) 인도 뉴델리의 총리 집무실에서 만모한 싱 인도 총리와의 한·인도 정상회담에 앞서 악수하고 있다. 인도를 국빈 방문 중인 이 대통령과 싱 총리는 이날 오후 인도 뉴델리 총리실에서 정상회담을 열고 정치·안보, 경제·통상 등 5개 분야의 협력 방안을 담은 공동성명을 채택했다. 두 정상은 양국관계 격상에 맞춰 정치·안보협력체제 구축을 위해 외교차관을 수석대표로 하는 외교안보대화를 신설, 올해 내로 1차 회의를 개최키로 합의했다. 올 상반기 방산군수공동위원회 개최 등 양국간 국방·군수 분야 협력도 강화 하기로 했다. ‘전략적 동반자 관계’는 단순한 협력과 평화의 모색을 넘어 국제문제와 대외전략까지 함께 논의하는 단계로 교역량의 증가와 관계 심화가 필수적이다. 한국 이 전략적 관계를 맺은 국가는 미국, 중국, 러시아 등에 이어 13번째이고 인도는 한국과 9번째로 전략적 관계를 구축했다. 두 정상은 또 이달 초 발효된 한·인도 포괄적경제협력협정(CEPA)을 계기로 양국 무역·투자 확대를 위해 노력하기로 합의했다. 이를 위해 이중과세방지협정 개정, 한국 시중은행의 인도 지점 개설, 항공편 증설을 위한 항공협정 개정 등 환경 개선 을 위한 정부 차원의 협력과 지원도 강화해 나가기로 했다. 두 정상은 특히 원자력협력협정 체결을 위한 협상을 개시하기로 합의했다. 이 대통령은 회담에서 “한국 최초의 원자력발전소를 책임지고 건설 한 경험이 있다”면서 “한국 원전의 안정성과 우수성을 자신한다”고 말했다. 싱 총리는 이에 “원전협정 체결의 필요성에 공감한다”고 답했다. 인도는 안정적 에너지 확보 차원에서 2032년까지 원전 40기 건설을 목표로 하고 있다. 정상회담 후 싱 총리는 인도의 시성 타고르의 ‘동방의 등불’...

A transportation card for children incorporating the transfer discount system has been in existence since 2006 but there have been complaints about the inconvenience experienced when purchasing and issuing the card. Therefore, from September 1, the procedure will be improved to make it more convenient. According to the new procedure, the transportation card for children can be purchased at any Busan Bank, charging station or general shop. In addition, a used children’s card can now be passed down to younger siblings. To use the card, registration is required by presentation of some valid form of identification, showing the names and birth dates of children, along with the transportation card, at any Busan Bank. If an expired and unregistered children’s card is used, the youth fare will automatically be charged. Use of the transportation card by anyone other than children will incur a fine equal to 30 times the original fare. The transportation card for children is only for children a...

Dancheong , decorative paintings on a building at Gyeongbuk Palace Lotus lantern festiva as hanbok (한복) (known as joseonot in the (DPRK) has been worn since ancient times. The hanbok consists of a shirt ( jeogori ) and a skirt ( baji ). The traditional hat is called gwanmo and special meaning is attached to this piece of clothing. Darye , Korean tea ceremony Daeboreum Yut board game Seoukguram Grotto A frontal view of the west gate and watch tower.

The G20 Seoul Summit, the biggest annual forum on economic cooperation in the world today, will reveal a new blueprint for the future of global finance this coming November in Seoul, Korea. Specific details for implementation of sustainable and balanced growth More specific details will be unveiled to realize a framework for sustainable and balanced growth at the upcoming meeting in Seoul. Officials have already agreed to work together on general policy related to budget, finance, currency and industry based on the results of the previous meeting held in Toronto, Canada. The basic principle concluded in Toronto was a need for developing nations to reduce their budgets by half by 2013, while emerging nations need to strengthen their social safety nets and increase currency exchange flexibility. The meeting in Seoul will come up with more specific measures to address these and a range of other issues of importance. In order to strengthen the soundness of bank regulations, a process alrea...

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said on Aug. 29 that Korea ranked 19th in the UN trade report issued in 2008, with 52 Korean products listed as important export items worldwide. KITA's latest finding is based on its analysis of the "Personal Computer-Trade Analysis System" report of the United Nations. According to their analysis, Korea placed 19th with 52 top-selling Korean products in 2008, similar to its ranking the previous year, with the same number of products available globally. In terms of top selling products, 16 out of 52 Korean products listed in the UN trade report in 2007 were replaced by another 16 export items the following year. The new 16 best-selling Korean products listed in UN trade report in 2008 include flat-rolled steel products, marine propulsion engines, and parts and materials for batteries and optical filters. Meanwhile, China topped in the UN report with 1,210 products in 2008, up from 830 in 2004. Among the listed products, th...

Major Events 1. Incheon International Digital Art Festival (INDAF) 2010 http://www.indaf.org/ The festival will present new aesthetics of digital media art from cutting-edge international and Korean digital artists. There will be digital arts competitions, conferences, exhibitions, interactive displays etc. - Period : September 1 – 30, 2010 - Venue : Tomorrow City, Songdo, Incheon 2. Media City Seoul 2010 http://www.mediacityseoul.org/ 2010/ As one of the three major art biennials in Korea alongside the Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale, it is the 6th Seoul International Biennale of Media Art. Under the theme "Trust," the biennale will present a wide spectrum of art works created through the inspiring fusion of media technology and contemporary arts. - Period : September 7 – November 17, 2010 - Venue : SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art), Gyeonghigung etc.

A few years back, there was a big wine boom. Wine was the trendy thing. And so was the word “sommelier.” It is a French word meaning a trained and knowledgeable wine professional who specializes in all aspects of wine service – wine procurement, storage, wine cellar rotation, providing expert service to customers and so on. Well, you will be surprised to hear that there exist sommeliers for Korean food now. Last October the World Food Culture Center (WFCC) introduced its first sommelier course for kimchi and makgeolli in an effort to globalize hansik – traditional Korean food. Ms. Hyang-Ja Yang, the CEO of the WFCC, commented, “Kimchi is Korea’s representative food, designated by the New York Times as one of the world’s top 5 health foods. Korean food has numerous benefits – nutrition, taste, and style-wise – and is something we can pride ourselves on.” Ms. Yang went on to emphasize, “But we’re not making enough effort to promote and globalize hansik. There isn’t enough “story-tel...

Korea is undertaking a special kind of development assistance for developing countries. Instead of just giving them money and facilities, Korea aims to aid them in a more fundamental way – teaching them how to stand up on their two feet rather than spoon-feeding them. Retired experts of various fields will be dispatched to developing countries and share their expertise and know-how with the local people. In these times of aging society and unemployment, the retirees too find this volunteer project gratifying. What Do They Do? The Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) are recruiting retired experts to be sent to developing countries to share their knowledge and skills. The first round of 21 retirees was already dispatched last March, and the recruitment for the next round is now going on. MKE and MOFAT are seeking a total of 70 experts. Ministry of Knowledge Economy www.mke.go.kr National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA)...

Busan's Korean Language Institute For Foreigners (KLIFF) is offering classes for fall 2010. Make a change by learning Korean this year. The teachers at KLIFF can help! Think it takes a year to speak Korean well? Think again! In just a month we can get you speaking with the locals! KLIFF is located in two convenient locations: PNU and Haeundae. We have as many as 9 levels of Korean ability for you to choose from. We're open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and available Sunday, too! Questions or need directions? Feel free to call us any time at 010-9108-6594, or email to jennakang@hanmail.net. You can also check us out at www.kliff.co.kr . See the map below to our PNU location or call or see our website for Haeundae classes. __________________ jenna

Members of 11 nationalist groups attend a protest rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, earlier this month, urging the Japanese government to apologize for the country’s forced annexation of the Korean Peninsula in 1910 and wartime atrocities. / Korea Times file The date of Aug. 22 is one of the darkest in Korean history. This is when the Annexation Treaty was signed by the representatives of the Korean and Japanese governments. Actually, it was largely a formal act that finalized the slow demise of an independent Korean state which began decades earlier when Korea was forced out of a few centuries of isolation and pushed into the modern world. To be frank, in the world of the late 19th century Korea’s prospects were grim, even though the Koreans themselves might have underestimated the threats they faced. Those were heydays of imperialism, when the nations of Europe were busy conquering the less fortunate parts of the globe, grabbing land and resources, killing peoples and ...