Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Korea (2009 Vol. 6 No. 2)
Korea (2009 Vol. 6 No. 2)
Forest of Life
Korea Seeds Indonesia 2
february
ISSN: 2005-2162
2009
www.korea.net
CONTENTS February 2009
VOL. 6 / NO. 2
12 26 38 51 52
Publisher
Yoo Jin-hwan
Korean Culture and
Information Service
06 Cover Story
Forest of Life: Korea Seeds Indonesia 28 Korean Literature
Yi Mun-yol: Storyteller, Thinker, Heretic 52 Travel
• All Aboard for Luxury: ‘Sun Train’ is
Rolled Out
Chief Editor
Ko Hye-ryun 10 Diplomacy
• Forging New Friendships, Strengthening 32 Korea through the Lens
From Frozen Fish to Feathered Friends
• Seoul: Asia’s No. 1 Destination
58
Old Alliances
Editing & Printing Fashion
JoongAng Daily
E-mail
• Lee, Aso Focus on Finance
38 Business & Technology
• Incheon’s Bridge to Tomorrow
Trend Tips for ‘09: The Seoul Collection
14 62
Cover Photo
Mangrove trees give webmaster@korea.net Global Korea • TV Goes High Tech People
hope to Tsunami-
Design • IT Systems: Korea’s Next Big Export Hit? • TV Goes on Diet • Kim Hong-bin: High Peaks, Iron Will
damaged Indonesia.
Provided by KOICA JoongAng Daily • ‘Contact Korea’ Hunting Foreign Talent for • World Content Comes Online • Shin Young-soo: Doctor to 1.8 Billion
Local Firms • Lee Seung-kyu: Record-breaking Surgeon
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be • Suntech: Clear View Behind
reproduced in any form without permission from Korea • Volunteers Helping Migrants Settle into
66
and the Korean Culture and Information Service.
their New Homes
The articles published in Korea do not necessarily rep-
44 Series: New Growth Engine Industries Foreign Viewpoints
Les Edwards: Endorsing Expatriate Lifestyle
23
resent the views of the publisher. The publisher is not Limitless Power: The Sun is the Source
liable for errors or omissions. Culture
• A River Runs Through it
50
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full name
and address. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or Sports
space restrictions. • Musicals Get New Homes in 2009
• Shin Swings into LPGA
If you want to receive a free copy of Korea or wish to • Triumph in Trieste
cancel a subscription, please e-mail us. • Park Aims at FA Cup
A downloadable PDF file of Korea and a map and glos-
sary with common Korean words appearing in our text
are available by clicking on the thumbnail of Korea on
the homepage of www.korea.net.
A
natural disaster takes away everything -
beloved objects, homes, lives.
Around 8 a.m. on Dec. 26, 2004, a
massive earthquake rocked the ocean
floor off Sumatra, western Indonesia,
triggering a deadly tsunami. Killer waves spread across
Southeast Asia, hitting Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia,
Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka. About five million
lost homes, and the death toll reached 170,000 in Indo-
nesia alone.
In the aftermath of the disaster, rescue forces and
relief goods were mobilized from around the world.
About $4 billion of international relief funds were pro-
vided to the United Nations by February 2005. The
world slowly forgot the tragedy. Reconstruction was
left in the hands of the victims.
Korea, however, took a different approach. The
country has decided to plant seeds in the mangrove
forests in tsunami-damaged Aceh in northern Suma-
tra, a location close to the epicenter of the disaster.
At the request of Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry
and the National Development Planning Agency, the
Korea Forest Service carried out rehabilitation of the
mangrove forest for two years and six months from
May 2006 to October 2008, using Korea’s forestation
technology. The Korea International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA) funded the $1.8 million project; as a
result, 550 hectares of mangrove forest were success-
fully restored.
Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline
coastal habitats. Mangrove forests are an important
source of income for locals: They can be used as fish
farms because they are natural habitats and spawning
areas for aquatic animals. With its diverse uses, the
mangrove is an important forestry resource in Indone-
sia, often nicknamed, “the tree of life.”
Through this project, Korea was able to help Indo-
nesia create “green jobs,” by not only rebuilding nature
in the aftermath of the disaster but also easing unem-
ployment.
Forest of Life
Korea’s international reputation in green circles
Provided by The Korea Forest Service
Locals planting mangrove Korindo Group are plan- actively supporting the plan, Ha said.
trees in Aceh, Indonesia, as ning overseas projects “Forests do not only belong to the contemporary
part of the Korean Forest focused on industrial generation,” Ha said. “We have to use them well, but at
Service’s project to rebuild reforestation and fores- the same time, we have to preserve them for the next
the forest devastated by the tation programs linked Ha Young-je generation.”
2004 tsunami. to bio-energy and Cer- Minister of the Korea Forest Service He added, “Forests are something for which every-
tified Emission Reduc- one’s effort is crucial.”
8 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 9
Diplomacy
S
eoul is poised to expand its diplomatic South Korea, North Korea and Russia,” he said.
reach to a far wider range of foreign “A grand, historic project linking the Korean
countries than has been customary, peninsula and the vast Siberian region is pan-
both to cement its standing in the ning out.”
international community and to fuel its export- A Blue House official said Lee is upgrading
reliant economy. presidential diplomacy; his itinerary this year
President Lee Myung-bak embodied his may include a trip to energy-rich Central
determination to achieve these goals through- Asia.
out 2009 by flying to continents and countries “In 2008, Lee went abroad eight times,
rarely visited by South Korean leaders to meet including seven trips concentrating on the four
with national leaders. South Korea’s Foreign superpowers,” the official said. But this year, he
Ministry is also expected to join the efforts by will spend “more time visiting regions such as
signing more free trade agreements with coun- Europe, Southeast Asia and Central Asia,” in
tries including Australia, Peru, New Zealand, line with multilateral talks taking place in those
Turkey and Colombia to provide new momen- areas, the official added. The most likely desti-
tum for the ailing economy. nations under discussion are Kazakhstan and
“The Republic of Korea is not the marginal Uzbekistan in the first half of this year, followed
state it was in the latter part of the 19th century by more trips to Thailand in February to attend
when it suffered the whims of international the “ASEAN + Three” forum (Association of
currents; nor is it the flickering candle that it Southeast Asia Nations, plus China, Japan and
was during the foreign exchange crisis,” Lee South Korea) and to Singapore in November to
said in his New Year policy address on Jan.2. attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
“The country is emerging as a responsible, summit. Europe is also part of Lee’s plans. In
leading nation, helping to create a new interna- April, Lee is scheduled to attend the G-20
tional order.” financial summit in the United Kingdom and
This does not mean turning away from key the G-8 summit in Italy in July. A series of bilat-
partners. South Korea’s diplomacy has long eral summits is planned on the sidelines of
centered on the so-called “four superpowers,” these talks.
- the United States, Japan, China and Russia - Meanwhile, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry
and Lee, throughout the first year of his term, recently unveiled a plan to sign new free trade
consistently reiterated the importance of main- agreements with ever more countries to bolster
taining close ties with them. This is particu- the nation’s trade-reliant economy: Korea’s
larly so of the United States and Japan, as rela- exports account for over 40 percent of GDP.
tions with the two allies soured under the previ- The Foreign Ministry said in January that it
[JoongAng Ilbo]
ous administration. would start FTA negotiations with Peru, Aus-
“For some time, Korea-U.S. relations were tralia and New Zealand in the first half of 2009
less than desirable. Since my administration and talks with Turkey and Colombia in the lat-
took over, however, the two countries have ter half. The ministry also said it would look
S
idestepping politically volatile
issues, President Lee Myung-
bak of South Korea and Prime
Minister Taro Aso of Japan
agreed on Jan. 12 on economic coopera-
tion measures, including a plan to
encourage Japanese business invest-
ment in Korean industry.
At a press conference after the meet-
ing, Lee said Korea’s trade deficit with
Japan was about $30 billion last year,
pointing out that most of the amount is
due to imports of parts and materials.
“Now, the two countries have devel-
oped specific cooperation plans,” Lee
said. “Four industrial complexes in
Korea have been designated to special-
[YONHAP]
ize in the parts and materials industries,
and about 20 Japanese companies sent
letters of intent to invest in them by the Korean President Lee Myung-bak, third from left, and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, third
end of last year. This project has momen- from right, walk while talking with business leaders on Jan. 11 in the Blue House, Seoul. From
tum.” left: Tadashi Okamura, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Fujio
It is not the first time that Lee has Miterai, chairman of the Japan Business Federation; President Lee; Prime Minister Aso; Cho
emphasized the importance of Korea’s Suk-rai, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries; and Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of
advancement in the two industries. the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
When he addressed scientists and tech-
nical experts on Jan. 8 for the New Year, and to continue expanding exchanges cultural assistance and vocational edu-
Lee pointed out the gap between Korea between the two countries. cation in Afghanistan,” Blue House
and Japan in the field, encouraging fur- The leaders further agreed that a spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
ther development. CEO forum for small and midsize com- Conspicuously missing from the
In this summit, tailor-made for eco- panies from the two countries will be press conference was any talk about the
nomic cooperation, Lee and Aso also held this summer in Tokyo. The CEOs volatile territorial issue of Dokdo and
agreed to collaborate before the G-20 will build a network and exchange mar- political issues related to the two nations’
Japanese Prime Minister Taro financial summit in April to reform the ket and advanced technology informa- intertwined history, particularly left-
Aso, left, talks with Presi- financial world order. tion. Japanese business executives who over controversies from the Second
dent Lee Myung-bak after In addition to the promise to work accompanied Aso agreed on the project World War.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
their joint press conference together to overcome the ongoing finan- with Korea’s business community on Asked why the contentious issues
on Jan. 12 in Seoul. cial crisis and sagging real economy, Jan. 11. were not addressed, the spokesman
Japan agreed to support Korea’s partici- Moving on to political issues, Lee said, “There is no imperative pending
pation in the Financial Stability Forum, and Aso also reaffirmed their commit- issue right now, so there is no need to
The Kyrgyz
Republic
IT Systems:
Kazakhstan
Mongolia
Azerbaijan Newest export item: Korea’s IT solution systems
Kazakhstan: ITS postal service system — $40.4 million
Uzbekistan China Azerbaijan: Intelligent Transport System — $76.5 million
Mongolia: ITS system — $12 million
Indonesia: National Crime Information Center — $25 million
Thailand China: Automated Fare Collection system — $438.5 million
India
China: ITS Automatic Fare Collection system — $26 million
Korea’s
Brunei India: Automatic Fare Collection system — $20 million
Export Hit?
sector, but IT systems could be the next Lee Jun-ho, another official of SK More than 15,000 personal digital
boom. C&C. assistants were given to mailmen so that
Leading IT solution providers such Korea Post was behind SK C&C’s they could report who received mails
as SK C&C, Samsung SDS and LG CNS expansion into Kazakhstan. Korea Post and parcels on a real-time basis to Korea
reported substantial exports in 2008. invites ministers and related officials of Post’s headquarters. Since parcels and
SK C&C said in a release in Decem- foreign postal institutions to Korea on a mail are automatically tracked, based on
ber that its IT system exports increased regular basis and shows them Korea’s global positioning and bar code sys-
by a staggering 1,694 percent last year well-developed IT technologies in the tems, citizens who sent mails and par-
over the previous year, winning the postal service areas. cels can check whether their mail and
company $159 million worth of orders. “When they visit Korea and see parcels were delivered on time - or not
Samsung SDS also achieved $150 Korea’s postal service system, they keep - via the Internet. In addition, people
million of orders, while LG CNS esti- saying ‘wonderful’ because every single can check where their parcels and mail
Be they postal systems, ticketing machines or traffic mates it earned $169.2 million worth of letter and parcel is tracked across the are, and where they are heading.
orders in 2008. nation through our IT system,” said “Using automatic systems, 6,000
management solutions, government and industry are And although many believe that the Kim Sun-kang, an official of Korea Post. tons of parcels, 25,000 express letters
teaming up and promoting the country’s Internet is killing mail, Korea’s postal IT
service system was one of the best-sell-
“In addition, we also communicate with
mail delivery trucks on a real-time basis.
and 30,000 ordinary letters are pro-
cessed per hour at the Eastern Seoul
best-of-breed IT systems and infrastructures ing items. By teaming up with Korea Expressway Mail Center alone,” said Paik Sung-kab,
SK C&C succeeded in winning a Corporation, we inform the trucks an official at the mail center.
as global export items. project to revamp Kazakhstan’s postal which expressway is crowded. We also Korea Post even launched an Inter-
service in May 13, 2008. The project is let them know less crowded routes for net service which enables citizens to
worth about 55 billion won ($44 mil- faster delivery.” find the locations of mail boxes. Since
lion). “People are also able to send their Korea has witnessed a decreasing num-
“With the aid of Korea Post, we won mails and parcels using their home ber of letters due to the advent of e-mail,
the project by persuading Kazakhstan computers,” Kim added. many mailboxes were removed. That’s
that the country is in desperate need of Korea Post started to support local why Korea Post stepped in with online
beefing up its worn-out postal facilities,” IT solution providers win orders over- help.
said Joo Jeong-soo, vice president of SK seas in 2007, when it started organizing In order to promote Korea’s cutting-
C&C, in a press release. IT solution fairs and exhibitions. edge postal service system, Korea Post
14 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 15
Global Korea
established an Asia-Pacific Postal Col- been invited to Korea over the past three phones.
lege in Bangkok, Thailand, in Novem- years to learn Korea’s IT postal service In December last year, SK C&C also
ber 2007, where people from develop- technologies, while Korean employees won a $12 million project to export its
ing countries could be educated about of Korea Post were also dispatched over- ITS system to Ulan Bator, the capital city
IT technologies used in postal services. seas to share their expertise. of Mongolia.
By providing related vocal training For the first half of this year, Korea “We expect to win projects from
and hands-on experience, Korea Post Post plans to use about 60 percent of its nearby countries other than Azerbaijan
managed to impress other countries. budget to boost the nation’s IT system and Mongolia,” Lee added.
Through these promotional efforts, exports. LG CNS wants to increase IT exports
Korea Post has signed memoranda of Meanwhile, SK C&C signed a con- this year from 10 percent to 40 percent
understanding with many countries tract with Baku, the capital of Azerbai- of its total output.
such as Thailand, Brunei, Mongolia, the jan, to export an Intelligent Transport “If we want to achieve sustainable
Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan to System worth $76.5 million in May growth, we should go overseas because
cooperate in the development of postal 2008. the nation’s IT market accounts for only
services. “We won the project due to the sup- 1 or 2 percent out of the global IT mar-
Korea Post is in talks with more than port of the Ministry of Land, Transport ket,” Shin Chae-chol, CEO of LG CNS
20 countries - including Britain, India, and Maritime Affairs and Korea’s excel- told reporters at a press conference last
Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Alge- lent IT skills,” said Lee Kwang-yeop, an year.
ria, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Guate- official of SK C&C. According to Gartner, the U.S.-
mala and Cambodia - to export its A group of officials from the land based IT research firm, the nation’s IT
postal service system. ministry visited Azerbaijan in January market is estimated to be worth around
Korea Post also conducts feasibility 2007 to support Korean companies bid- 17 trillion won as of this year; the world’s
studies for free for developing countries. ding for the project. IT market is valued at around 708 tril-
The feasibility study is a kind of consult- For the ITS project, SK C&C will lion won.
install the latest IT system For this reason, local IT solution
for the main roads of the companies are desperate to export their
Korea established an capital city as well as roads IT solutions to survive the upcoming
Asian Postal College between the city and its
international airport. Using
recession.
In 2006, LG CNS signed a contract
in Bangkok. these systems, the license with the Indonesian National Police
plates of passing cars can be Agency for a project to build a National
recognized, allowing for the Crime Information Center, worth about
ing service to let the countries know analysis of traffic volume and traffic $25 million.
which part of their postal services congestion patterns. Last year, the company also won a
should be updated. Variable message signs - like huge, project to build up Automated Fare Col-
From March to June 2007, Korea electronic billboards - will be erected in lection systems throughout three Chi-
Post conducted a feasibility study for highly populated places to inform citi- nese subway lines. The AFC is similar to
Indonesia, investing 90 million won. It zens of traffic-related information, a system installed throughout Korean Based on barcodes, express mail is au-
ran three-month studies for Vietnam including which roads are jammed and subway lines which improves passen- tomatically sorted out at the Eastern
and Mongolia from September to news flashes about accidents. gers’ convenience by automating all Seoul Mail Center, located in Jayang-
November 2007, spending 190 million Bus management and bus informa- ticketing and payment processes. dong, Gwangjin District. Between
[JoongAng Ilbo]
24,000 and 25,000 pieces of express
won. tion systems will be introduced; these LG CNS also aims to export its mails are handled per hour.
A total of 74 foreign employees of sytems will deliver arrival times of bus- Intrusion Detection and e-government
overseas postal service institutions have ses through monitors and users’ mobile systems to Southeast Asian nations, and
16 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 17
Global Korea
The world’s IT market is
worth 708 trillion won.
K
Net software is made by Korean small Collection system - a project worth ernment service systems which enable umsung Engineering and Construction (E & C), come the launch of the agency; the portal addresses
and mid-sized software companies, if approximately $20 million. citizens to get access to diverse services an eco-friendly hydraulic energy development their personnel recruitment issues without the expenses
PostNet is exported, LG CNS expects India’s Automatic Fare Collection and information provided by govern- company in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Prov- demanded by a headhunting agency.
the nation’s overall IT scene to be lifted system market has been dominated by ments using the Internet. ince, has a new hire: Oleg Meshkov, an energy specialist According to KOTRA, the program will be able to
by big export wins. French company Thales Group, but SK C&C, LG CNS, Samsung SDS from Russia. recruit many qualified professionals from overseas due
LG CNS currently has seven over- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. con- and other small and midsized IT com- The company had been facing problems finding to the closure of financial firms on Wall Street and ongo-
seas affiliates, including in the United tacted Samsung SDS after some officials panies Pos Data, Hyundai Information local experts to fill his role. Enter “Contact Korea” an ing restructuring at Japanese automakers - develop-
States, Europe and China. It also has of DMRC took a field trip to Guang- Technology and Ssangyong Informa- online human resources pro- ments that are driving a wave
development centers in Beijing, China zhou, China and experienced the sys- tion and Communication Corp. are also gram (www.contactkorea. of qualified manpower onto
and Bangalore, India. Another develop- tem established by Samsung SDS. eyeing overseas markets to export their go.kr) run by the Korea Trade- the job market.
ment center in Qinyang, China, is “We’ll also bid for additional Auto- IT technologies in e-government. Investment Promotion Agen- “When firms face crises,
scheduled to be completed by the first matic Fare Collection system projects in Korea’s technologies in the digital cy (KOTRA). KOTRA human resources are the saf-
half of this year. Indian cities such as Mumbai, Banga- forensic area are also surfacing as the branches in Moscow, Kiev est and most guaranteed
Samsung SDS has signed contracts lore, Hyderabad and Kolkata to win the next big thing in IT system exports. and Prague, where hydraulic investment,” said KOTRA
to export its Automatic Fare Collection projects,” said Yoon Suk-ho, vice presi- Since many people use digital devic- power turbine technology is President Cho Hwan-eik.
system to Chinese cities such as Guang- dent of Samsung SDS. es such as mobile phones, laptops, per- advanced, scoured local man- “Therefore, KOTRA aims to
zhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, and also signed Korea’s e-government systems are sonal computers, USB sticks, digital power pools with the help of strengthen the nation’s com-
a $26 million contract with Beijing in winning rave reviews from other coun- cameras and MP3 players, digital gad- research institutes and com- petitiveness and secure eco-
March 2008. The Automatic Fare Col- tries, and brisk e-government-related gets are becoming increasingly used in panies, eventually tracking nomic growth engine by
lection system is similar to the LG CNS exports are expected. crimes, new challenges are being met by down 14 prospective techni- attracting professionals from
system. In China, Samsung SDS has an According to the Ministry of Public a new breed of law enforcer. cians to offer them a job inter- overseas.”
approximately 46 percent share in the Administration and Security, a total of For instance, a man raped the wife view for Kumsung E & C. Meshkov was the successful Small firms interested in securing competent foreign
Automatic Fare Collection system mar- 173 officials from 16 countries includ- of his co-worker in September last year. candidate. professionals can search a real-time online database of
ket, and is installed in major subway ing Guatemala, Egypt, Japan, India, After raping the woman, he took pic- “Contact Korea,” launched in October 2008, has 30 overseas personnel by registering on the portal. If a suit-
lines in Beijing. Mexico, Morocco, Congo, China and tures of her with his mobile phone but Korea Business Centers in 26 countries, tasked with able professional is not available, an online request can
Samsung SDS competed with the Afghanistan visited Korea to observe deleted all the pictures after realizing he attracting and supporting professional human resourc- be made. Once the online request is submitted, the
France-based Thales Group, the Japan- and experience Korea’s e-government was a key suspect. A team of digital es. KOTRA said that it would play an active role in seek- Korea Business Centers help in seeking qualified per-
based Nippon Signal and 12 other systems. forensic experts at the National Police’s ing global talent for Korean firms to improve their com- sonnel. However, the program does not offer non-
world-famous IT solution companies to “The U.S.-based Brookings Institu- Cyber Terror Response Center restored petitiveness. More than a thousand foreign profession- skilled jobs. Membership registration, database search
win the project. tion said Korea topped the list across the all the deleted pictures; on this evidence, als in 12 areas such as architecture, manufacturing and and on-line search requests are offered for free during
According to Samsung SDS, China’s world when it comes to e-government the rapist was arrested. the medical sector have registered. the pilot operations of the site.
market for Automatic Fare Collection for three consecutive years from 2006 to Digital forensic teams will be set up Small and Medium Enterprises in Korea (SMEs), Inquiries: Hong Yoo-jeong, Assistant Manager of Contact
systems is estimated at around $500 2008,” said Seo Nam-gyo, an official of in police agencies nationwide by the end who face difficulties in hiring local technicians, wel- Korea, KOTRA (Tel:3497-1965)
million over the next four years because the public administration ministry. of this year.
it is hosting large-scale events such as Korea was also ranked second in the Like other IT systems, digital foren-
the World Expo 2010, in Shanghai, and 2008 UN Global E-Government Survey. sic systems could become popular
the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. The survey was conducted in 189 coun- export items, industry experts say.
18 korea February 2009 February 2009 KOREA 19
Global Korea
F
or centuries, Korea was a nation of a single
ethnicity, but today there are over 1 million
foreign nationals living in Korea - one for every
50 Koreans. The age of homogeneity, it seems,
is coming to an end.
Korean culture is rapidly changing due to the influx
of foreign manpower, increasing numbers of migrants
and a soaring birth rate of bi-racial children. In the
midst of this cultural and ethnic shift, Korean volun-
teers are helping foreigners to adapt to this country
and the government is also running a range of sup-
portive programs for multi-cultural families. Two of
these groups stand out.
By Kim Do-hun
helps female migrants learn Korean, is (below right) and an artists impression
with Pham Thi Thu Thuy, of how it will look
one of her Vietnamese students.
volunteers are often busy in their said. The group conducts not only
everyday lives. “Serving other people The volunteer group was estab- Korean lessons, but also monthly out-
is serving ourselves.” lished in 2005 by eight Ewha students door activities.
Vietnamese national, Pham Thi who shared a common interest: want- In May, Dajeong members orga-
Thu Thuy (24) has a Korean friend ing to help people in need. nized a flea market on the Ewha cam-
whom she looks forward to seeing The group, led by Kang Ji-hyun, a pus for female migrants.
every week. That friend is Kim In-ae,
a member of “Dajeong” (“Close
27-year-old graduate student, agreed
to focus help on those women who
In recognition of their positive
contributions to society, Dajeong has A River Runs
Through it
Friendship”) an Ewha Women’s Uni- have been left unattended by other been praised by various institutions,
versity volunteer group which helps volunteer groups, specifically female including the Seoul Metropolitan
K
women migrants. migrants and multicultural families. Government, the Korean University
This week, she learned how to ask Kang’s own personal experience Council for Social Service, KT&G orea’s four major rivers - the Han, Nakdong,
a Korean home appliance service cen- during a stay in the United States five Welfare, and SK Telecom. A new national initiative will Geum and Yeongsan - will flow anew over
ter to fix her broken washing years ago for language training also Dajeong members have now rejuvenate Korea’s waterways. the next four years, thanks to eco-friendly
machine. influenced her choice. forged close friendships with their projects announced by the government late
Pham Thi came to live in Korea in “I experienced some inhospitality students. last year.
2005 when she married a Korean there toward Asians like me who Besides language studies, they go The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism offi-
through an international match- speak poor English,” said Kang. “That shopping together and share each cially announced on Dec. 27 its plans to transform
maker. However, she didn’t have much experience made me sympathize with other’s ups and downs. each of the rivers into a culturally rich area that will
chance to learn Korean as she had a migrants living in Korea.” However, it’s not all one-way; help boost regional economies as well as upgrade their
baby soon after the marriage. Dajeong started with eight mem- there are also benefits for the student abilities to prevent natural disasters such as floods and
Pham Thi’s Korean husband, Park bers and has now grown to nearly 60 volunteers. droughts. Some specific plans of the four-river refur-
Kyung-min, 46, is also most apprecia- volunteers. They currently teach “I really enjoy teaching them bishment project include constructing bicycle paths,
tive of the volunteers. Korean to 18 women migrants and Korean,” said Kim. “It seems to me promoting tourism packages, renovating river banks
“As my wife has improved her their children from 12 international that helping others is not about ‘ser- and reservoirs, and building dams.
Korean, she has become more cheer- families living in the Seoul metropoli- vice’ but understanding and learning The ministry expects the 14 trillion won ($10 bil-
ful than before in her everyday life,” he tan area. from each other.” lion) project to enhance the quality of river water, reha-
L
ooking back at last year’s the Emmy Award-winning Dis-
bilitate the environment, bring eco- Korean musical scene, ney musical film, that has gained
nomic development and boost regional early indications are dis- tremendous popularity in the
tourism. A pleasant new environment appointing. Since 2001, United States since the release of
along riversides will create more leisure the industry has grown about 20 its first installment in 2006.
and cultural activities and attract more percent every year, but while Thanks to its explosive Ameri-
tourists. detailed figures have yet to can success, it has been staged
“Along with the river projects, we appear for ‘08, many experts outside the United States in Brit-
plan to create an environmentally believe the Korean musical sec- ain, Spain and Japan.
friendly tourist infrastructure, includ- tor either shrank or struggled to Often described by critics as
ing sections where visitors can view maintain the same level of pro- reminiscent of “Grease” or
nature and cycle along bicycle paths,” ductions as the previous year, at “Romeo & Juliet,” the feel-good
said Culture Minister Yu In-chon, last best. hit tells the story of high school
year. The ministry is promulgating a A number of foreign hit juniors plotting to win parts in
policy slogan, “Korea: Full of life through musicals failed to lure audiences, their school musical.
culture.” and while so-called “movicals,” Another exclusive theater for
The four-river project is one mea- or musicals based on film scripts, musicals will be built in COEX
sure to bring to vigorous life culture and succeeded in drumming up Mall, the giant underground
history, and forms part of the ministry’s Top: Artists impression of Daehangno’s new some interest, they couldn’t off- shopping mall in southern Seoul.
“Green Culture Renaissance.” dedicated musical theatre. set losses. Dubbed COEX Artium, the 800-
The government plans to publish Below: The new Woori Financial Art Hall. Good news, though, may be seat theater will open in May.
traditional maps, re-discover cultural ahead. Korea’s musicals look set This venue’s biggest strength is
and historical resources and cooperate to benefit from major changes in COEX’s high-volume foot traf-
with universities to hold lectures on infrastructure this year, as a fic. On average, about 140,000
local environments and cultures. series of exclusive theaters are set people pass through daily; on the
There are currently some 351 cul- to open, adding to existing ven- weekends, some 250,000 visit. Its
tural assets along the four riversides,
according to the Culture Ministry; the
Before and After #2 - The Yeongsan
River as it is (left) and an artist’s Musicals ues such as Charlotte Theater
and Chungmu Art Hall.
proximity to transport links -
notably Samseong Station (Line
Get New
project will leverage these. By doing so, impression of how it will look. An exclusive theater for 2) - is another merit.
the government hopes to create jobs for musicals will open in Daehang- PMC, the production com-
those living in rural areas. In total, the no, or ‘University Street’ in pany that staged “Nanta,” the hit
project will create at least 18,000 jobs
related to culture, sports and tourism.
The government aims to maximize
nationwide, the Culture Ministry promises balanced development.
The four-river project will take place in seven regions through which the
four rivers pass: Chungju (Han River); Daegu, Busan and Andong (Nakdong
Homes northeastern Seoul. This setting
seems like a sound choice as
Daehangno’s entertainment
non-verbal drumming perfor-
mance, will operate the theater. It
plans to introduce the musical
the project’s effects by linking it with
regional festivals and such national-
level projects as the 2011 World Athlet-
River); Yeongi (Geum River); and Naju and Hampyeong (Yeongsan River).
In scenic Andong, the government is investing 38.6 billion won to rede-
velop regions along the Nakdong. The project includes constructing new
in 2009 quarter has long been a favored
destination for play-goers.
The four-story building will
“Brothers Were Brave” from May
to July, the art circus “Rain” in
July, “March of Youth” between
ics Championship in Daegu and the city walkways and bicycle trails along the banks. In Naju, some 36.4 billion won consist of three auditoriums of August and October, and “Legal-
renovation in Naju, Jeolla Province. is being spent towards strengthening rainwater reservoirs to prevent floods, different sizes: a 950-seat grand ly Blonde” in November.
Since the plans will be implemented along with additional initiatives to protect the nearby ecosystem. theater; a 480-seat theater; and a Yet another theater set to
The redevelopment project for the remaining five regions will start soon, 280-seat theater. Slated to open open this year is Woori Financial
including building the Yangpyeong Sonagi Town on the Han River, the in November, the new venue Art Hall. For the construction of
Daecheong Lake Resort on the Geum River, a historical heritage complex marks the advent of multiplexes the hall, the Weightlifting Gym-
beside the Yeongsan River and a cultural bikeway next to the Nakdong Riv- for musicals, which have a posi- nasium in Seoul’s Olympic Park
er. tive precedent. The emergence will be transformed into a 1,260-
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the four-river redevelopment projects of multiplexes, or multiple- seat auditorium. With an orches-
were held near the Nakdong in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, and screen cinemas in Korea about a tra pit, the hall will be suitable for
Naju, South Jeolla Province, late last year. decade ago reshaped the movie multiple performing arts pur-
Speaking at the groundbreaking, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said industry. poses. The makeover will be
that the development plan is necessary to overcome the current economic The first show to open in the completed in February and after
slowdown and to initiate an era of green growth. new Daehangno theater will be a two-month trial run, the hall
“High School Musical,” based on will officially open in May.
24 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 25
Culture
T
he reviews, it seems, lived up to the hype: At the performance
of “La Traviata” in Trieste, there were 10 curtain calls plus a
five-minute standing ovation.
The performers, however, were not Italian. In fact, they
did not even sing in Italian.
“We were about to leave, thinking that the round of applause
would die down soon, but the theater manager came running to us
and asked us to make another appearance,” said Park Se-won, direc-
tor of Seoul Metropolitan Opera.
The Seoul Metropolitan performed Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the
Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, the opera house in Trieste, Italy, that is
named after the famed composer, on Dec 19 and 20. The opera was
just as the troupe had performed it at the Seoul Arts Center in April,
marking the first time that an all-Korean version of the opera - with
Korean performers, directors and stage setting - had toured over-
seas.
The show sold out both nights. It was only the second time a show
has been fully booked at the 1300-seat opera house in 2008, after a
youth opera program organized and presented by the opera house
that summer.
“Some Korean residents in Italy who came to buy tickets on the
day of the performance had to return home because it was sold out,”
Park said. “I think the fact that an Asian troupe was presenting its
own version of a major Italian opera in Italy got people talking.”
What is the secret behind the unexpected success?
Of late, directors have transported the opera, which was written
in the mid-19th century, into a 21st-century setting, switching the
Triumph in Trieste
Seoul Metropolitan Opera singing led to the explosive reception.
performed “La Traviata” at “Opera singers in jeans riding motorcycles aren’t new anymore,”
the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe added Jeong Jun-ho, a music columnist. “The timing is perfect for
Verdi in Triste, Italy in De- the Seoul Met’s classical interpretations to shine in Europe.”
cember to strong reviews. The Seoul Metropolitan has been presenting Verdi’s works since
It was sung in Korean, but that didn’t stop Seoul Metropolitan’s 2007, while seeking audience feedback by distributing surveys after
every performance to find out what patrons really want from opera
‘La Traviata’ from winning a rave reception in Verdi’s home theater. today.
“We will continue to research and reflect the voices of the audi-
ences at home and abroad, and we hope to export more of our piec-
es abroad,” a spokesman for the opera company said.
26 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 27
Korean Literature second series
Yi Mun-yol:
Storyteller, Thinker, Heretic
A
storyteller of exceptional wit and “Our Twisted Hero,” Lee re-imagines the real- Major works
range, Yi Mun-yol is South Korea’s ity of social injustice using elements of fable “Son of Man” (Saram-ui
best-known living novelist. and allegory, tracing the ways in which people adeul, 1979); “Winter
Born in Seoul in 1948, Yi grew are shaped and governed by the dominant ide- That Year” (Geuhae gyeo-
up in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang Prov- ology. ul, 1980); “Hail to the
ince, where the family was forced to settle after In another category of works, represented Emperor” (Hwangjereul
his father defected to North Korea. Entering by “A Portrait of Youthful Days” and “You Will wihayeo, 1982); “Geumsijo”
Seoul National University as a Korean Litera- Never Return to Your Homeland,” Lee focuses (Geumsijo, 1983); “The
ture student, Lee joined a private college liter- on the internal or psychological landscape of Age of Heroes” (Yeongung
ary association where he began to nurture the characters who must cope with existential sidae, 1984); “Our Twisted
dream of becoming a writer. He published his angst, loss of identity and collapse of commu- Hero” (Urideurui ilgeureojin
first novella, “Saehagok,” in 1979. From 1994 nity in post-war Korean society. Utilizing yeongung, 1986), “Poet”
to 1997, Lee taught Korean Language and Lit- autobiographical materials, these works (Si-in, 1991); “The Night
erature at Sejong University; since 1999, he has embrace ideological contemplation as well as Before, Or the Last Night of
served as the head of Buak Literary Center. romantic visions of childhood and youth. This Era” (Jeonya hogeun si-
Yi is, first and foremost, a consummate sto- Yi Mun-yol has been honored with numer- daeui majimak bam, 1998);
ryteller of tremendous talent and intellectual ous literary prizes including the 1982 Dongin “Change “ (Byeongyeong,
depth who can both entertain and enlighten Literarary Prize, the 1983 Korean Literature 1999).
his readers. In works such as “Hail to the Award, the 1984 Central Literature Award Source: Korea Literature
Emperor,” “Until We Become Happy,” and Grand Prize and the1999 Hoam Arts Prize. Translation Institute
[JoongAng Ilbo]
28 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 29
Korean Literature second series
The Poet
Extract at the age of nineteen. That way the but it seemed that sometimes words Inevitably, as the evening wore
P
legend could be given a dramatic and like “rebellion” and “his Lordship” on, despite the ominous trembling
Based on the life of the legendary Korean poet Kim Pyong-yon, this erhaps we ought to begin this really effective starting-point. could be heard emerging from the he could feel through the hem of his
novel charts the development of his artistic sensibility, the transformation investigation into the devia- Unfortunately, the realities of life whispers. Among those days’ strange mother’s skirts that he was grasping,
of his desire for status and the will to acquire power in a society that has tions of his life by evoking the rarely if ever correspond to the de- memories was one of his father, who he began to doze.
forced upon him the burden of his grandfather’s guilt. problem of memory. In his lat- mands of such fabulations. Generally normally remained in his quarters, ly- It was almost as if he had invited
Yi traces the course of his hero’s destiny, filled with pain and marked by er years, summing up the whole course received opinion notwithstanding, ing down more often than sitting up, sleep to come in an attempt to escape
numerous deviations, from early childhood, through the various stages of of his existence in a long lyric, he wrote his memory actually stretched much busily going about on visits solemnly from the suffocating stillness that
his poetic career, until he finally walks out into the night leaving his son the following lines: further back into the past than is nor- dressed in formal attire. reigned in the house and the incom-
gazing after him. mally the case. That day too his father listened prehensible suspense, but that must
For most of his adult life, the poet’s head is covered with a sakkat: A large As my hair grew longer, In particular, even when his life to a message that a steward, rushing have been an idea he introduced when
conical wicker hat that in earlier times Koreans wore to protect themselves my fortunes travelled a rough road: was almost done, at the end when he in from somewhere, had whispered, he was older.
from the sun and rain, but was also worn in mourning. It is that hat which The family line in ruins, was weary and alone, he could recall and then gone out without bothering His father returned just as he was
gains him his nickname: Kim Sakkat. For him, the hat is more than a sign the blue sea a mulberry grove. the events of a certain evening late in to adjust his dress, walking with quick about to give up the fight against sleep
of mourning; it is a symbol of a self-imposed withdrawal from the light of the year in which he turned four as steps down the already darkening and stretch out with his head pillowed
the sun, a recognition that through Later readers have not usually con- vividly as if they were just then hap- street. More than anything else, the on his mother’s knees.
no particular fault of his own he sidered those lines to be the transposi- pening before his eyes: that fateful sight of his father’s retreating figure A wave of cold air from outside
must forever bear the burden of an tion into poetry of any actual experi- night when his life was fundamentally made the atmosphere he sensed about clinging to his robes came billow-
inherited guilt, an original sin. ence. At most they have assumed that transformed, as if the blue sea had the house seem darker and heavier, as ing round the room, as his father ad-
The life portrayed in this novel is they were inspired by some childhood indeed suddenly been turned into a if there was about to be a shattering dressed him curtly:
not that of a mere fictitious charac- event he learned about in his adult mulberry grove. explosion. “Go over to your room now, Py-
ter. The poet, Kim Pyong-yon, was years, a pseudo-memory as it were, an He was only a child, of course, but That was why, although night had oung-yon.”
born in Seoul in 1807; his family analogy fabricated to harmonize with during the last few days he had become fallen, he did not go across to the Translated by Chong-wha Chung and
belonged to one of the most power- the presumed course of his life’s his- vaguely aware of an extraordinary at- room he shared with his elder brother Brother Anthony of Taizé
ful branches of the Kim clan, the tory. mosphere brooding over the house. in the outer quarters, but lingered on
Kims of Changdong. Yet he lived as Such theories may satisfy those The servants who had until then in the women’s rooms. No supper was “The Poet” in foreign languages
an outcast on the margins of society. who prefer an entertaining folk-tale filled their house with a constant pres- brought in, but he stayed there beside -Chinese: 诗人 (2005, 人民文学出版社)
When he died in 1863, he left behind to the actual details of a man’s life. For ence seemed visibly to have dimin- his mother who was shivering slight- -Dutch: De dichter (1996, Meulenhoff)
a host of poems and legends that them, it is unthinkable that he might ished in number, while those who ly as she hugged and rocked his tiny -English: The Poet (1986, Harvill Press)
were for a long time transmitted have retained any actual memories of remained no longer worked but stood newborn brother. -French: Le poète (1996, Actes Sud)
orally. He was long remembered his family or origins before that fateful in corners endlessly whispering to- He might have been rather more -Italian: Il poeta (1992, Giunti)
with affection as “the poet” even by moment, so often chronicled, when he gether. sensitive than other children but still -Spanish: El poeta (2000, Ediciones B)
people who knew no poems except won first prize in a rural poetry contest It was only an uncertain memory, he was only four. -Swedish: Poeten (2005, Tranan)
his.
30 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 31
Korea through the Lens
[YONHAP]
[JoongAng Ilbo]
[NEWSIS]
lower-ranked lions to get
cosy. (Right)
Korea through the Lens
Flying Koreans — A South Korean martial
art squad gives a taekwondo demonstra-
tion in front of India’s historic “Gateway
of India” monument in Mumbai Jan.
6. Members of the “K-Tigers,” a South
Korean taekwondo performance team, held
the demonstration to promote the martial
art in India.
[YONHAP]
No Business Like Snow Business — Culture Minister Yu In-chon, in red goggles, talks with
officials of the International Ski Federation on Jan. 17 on a ski slope at Hyundai Sungwoo Resort
in Gangwon Province, where the 2009 Snowboard World Championships were held from Jan.
14-24.
Feathered Friends — Diplomats from African countries are introduced to birds from the
continent at the opening of an exhibition hall for African animals on Jan. 7 in Everland, Gyeo-
nggi Province. From left: Hoida Bashir, the wife of the Sudanese ambassador to Seoul; Ahmed
Bourzaim, Moroccan ambassador to Seoul; Mohamed Abbas, Sudanese ambassador to Seoul;
[REUTERS]
Helen R. M. Kagwanja, a management officer at the Kenyan Embassy; and Kouassi Amena
Caterine, a secretary at the Cote d’Ivoire Embassy.
[YONHAP]
[JoongAng Ilbo]
From Latvia with Love — Ivars Godmanis, the prime minister of Latvia, cen-
ter, tours the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Jan. 18.
Godmanis made a four-day visit to expand economic ties with South Korea.
Korea through the Lens
Frozen Fish — More than 130,000 tourists thronged to the 7th Sancheoneo (Mountain Trout) Ice Festival held in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
On Jan. 11, when the temperature marked minus 6.3 degrees Celsius (20.6 Fahrenheit), visitors drilled holes in a frozen stream to fish for mountain
trout. Some brave souls even jumped into the icy flow to catch the fish bare-handed.
A Break from the Mundane — In early January, some 60 student monks - taking one bow after every three steps - proceed up the trail through a
fir tree forest that leads from the front gate of Woljeong Temple to its main compound. They are all students in a class for short-term monks run by
[JoongAng Ilbo]
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Woljeong Temple in Mount Odae, Gangwon Province. All had decided to begin the New Year by cultivating their minds at a Buddhist temple far re-
moved from urban life. This year saw many more applicants for the class. The Venerable Dongan, in charge of the teachings, said, “Due to economic
hardships, many people seem to need comfort.”
Business & Technology
T
he ongoing global economic tained, the Samsung joint venture basis has reached 100,000, including
slowdown is torturing the con- said. 27,500 large cranes and 52,000 tug-
struction sector in Korea, with Last December, the 800-meter boats. The total length of steel rebar
many companies in the growth- (0.5-mile) segment between the used is 127,000 meters, enough for
[JoongAng Ilbo]
geared industry being examined as bridge’s two main towers was craned 7,500 apartment units.
restructuring targets. into place, completing a 12.3 kilometer Technical breakthroughs and cut-
However, there is one location that maritime section. The bridge, includ- ting-edge construction techniques are
is immunizing local building contrac- ing the on-land sections, is aimed at putting the bridge at the center of
tors against such distress. improving the logistics of the nation by attention.
In Incheon, the port city on the Yel- shortening the transportation distance Each of the two main towers of the
low Sea that is also home to one of the between the airport, Korea’s main bridge is 238.5 meters high - equivelent
world’s largest international airports, gateway to the world, and local cities. to the height of the landmark 63-story
the cacophony of construction con- It will link Incheon International building in Yeouido, Seoul - and are far
stantly reverberates. The city is trans- Airport on Yeongjong Island and New higher than any other sea bridges in
forming itself into an Asian hub with Songdo City, a looming international Korea.
major infrastructure and other con- business district. The 2nd Gyeongin The whole bridge is designed to
struction projects well underway. Expressway and the planned 3rd Gyeo- resist natural disasters, including
Chief among them is the Incheon ngin Expressway as well as the West 72-meter-per-second typhoons and
Bridge. This project holds the potential Coast Expressway will also be con- earthquakes measuring seven on the
to give this western coastal city - and nected with the bridge. Richter scale.
eventually the entire Yellow Sea coast The bridge is central to the nation’s Intrigued by the huge project,
- a major boost. plan to use the Incheon Free Econom- media, both at home and abroad, have
At 21.3 kilometers, it will be the ic Zone, comprised of the Songdo, Yeo- scrambled to cover the bridge.
world’s sixth-longest bridge, and the ngjong and Cheongna districts, as a EBS, a state-sponsored education
fifth-longest cable-stayed bridge. Hav- main pillar of its Northeast Asian broadcaster, filmed a documentary of
ing started construction in 2005, the logistics hub ambitions. the project and aired it on the first day
bridge is already 88 percent complete, The resources devoted to the bridge of the New Year. The BBC and Nation-
according to the consortium of seven are tremendous. The total cost is 2.09 al Geographic are among the foreign
local builders formed for this project, trillion won ($1.53 billion). According media who have covered the construc-
led by Samsung Engineering and Con- to Samsung JV, more than 200,000 tion.
struction. people have been mobilized for the Koreans hope the project will
The bridge is scheduled to open for project each year since construction brighten their future. Whether that
use in October, or maybe earlier, if the began. The number of pieces of heavy hope matches reality will be discovered
current construction pace is main- machinery used on the site on a daily after the bridge opens in the fall.
TV Goes
High Tech
Provided by the KT
R
emember when the television through IPTV operators. channels and programs, the viewer can
set was referred to as the “idiot Starting from this month however, buy the background music of certain
box?” Things are about to SK Broadband and LG Dacom joined shows.
change. KT in providing full IPTV services. Last One sector that government and
Television in Korea has come a long December, the two also finalized deals IPTV providers expect will make huge
way since the launch of black-and-white with the three networks to retransmit strides through the new system is edu-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
services in 1956. With IPTV (Internet their programs. cation. All three IPTV operators pro-
protocol television) service starting this Broadcasters had originally refused vide a variety of educational content, Samsung’s LED TV: slimmer than a cellphone.
year, residents will be able to come home to provide contents to IPTV providers including live, interactive lectures from
any time of day and watch TV shows as they see IPTV as a threat to advertis- instructors.
they missed with just a few clicks on ing revenues: With the new system, This means that, for example, a teen-
their remote control. viewers can skip ads. However, the gov- ager who wants to listen to a lecture by
Watching television will now be like ernment, one of the biggest supporters a popular English lecturer in Seoul’s
watching a movie on DVD, in which of IPTV, prodded the networks to share Gangnam district can do so just by turn-
viewers can fast forward or rewind to
whichever part of the show they are
watching. These functions are all pos-
their content with the operators.
To further develop IPTV in Korea,
the government has announced that it
ing on the TV. Interactive features, such
as microphones through which students
can pose questions to lecturers, are also
TV Goes on Diet
W
sible with IPTV’s VOD, or Video-on- plans to invest 12.2 billion won ($8.8 enabled.
demand, service. million) over the next three years. Seoul The service is expected to be espe- hen the world’s thinnest LED television was nology and the joy of entertainment, but also makes for better
IPTV is a system in which TV and estimates this new business will create cially beneficial for children who reside unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show decor than previous bulky apparatuses.
high-speed Internet services converge 36,000 jobs as well as profits of up to 8.9 in remote regions, and so don’t have (CES), North America’s largest technology Noh Seung-man, with Samsung Electronics’ public rela-
via a set-top box. Thus, instead of the trillion won by the end of 2013. easy access to high-quality private edu- tradeshow, held last month in Las Vegas, it tions team, said that with the development of the ultra-thin
contents being delivered through broad- The key advantage of IPTV is its cation. proved that Korean companies have moved ahead of the com- LED television, Korea now has the advantage over Japanese
cast or cable, the viewer receives pro- interactivity. Besides being able to watch The Korea Communications Com- petition in the sector: The 6.5 millimeter thin screen was electronics manufacturer Sony, whose LED televisions are 9.9
grams through a broadband connec- TV programs they’ve missed through mission reported to the central govern- developed by Samsung Electronics. millimeters thick.
tion. In short, IPTV functions both as VOD services, subscribers can shop on ment that it plans to spend 15 billion Samsung’s latest triumph overturns the Korean tech com- Samsung’s new LED television adopts the Auto Motion
TV and Internet. home shopping channels by clicking won this year to upgrade high-speed pany’s previous record of an 8.9 millimeter thin set, show- Plus 240Hz technology that delivers smoother images. Wide
The first company to offer full IPTV their remotes instead of calling. Internet infrastructures at around 3,000 cased at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), one of the Color ControlPro, provides diverse and rich colors, while
services (including VOD) was KT, the And shopping doesn’t stop on home schools nationwide in order for the world’s oldest consumer electronics tradeshows, in Berlin last intelligent power-saving devices reduce energy spending.
biggest landline operator in Korea, in shopping channels. If a viewer sees cer- schools to be able to access educational August. In addition to the Plasma Display Panel (PDP) and the
November last year. KT was the first to tain items worn by actors and actresses content through IPTV. In less than six months, Samsung Electronics managed to Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) markets, fierce competition
strike deals with the country’s three in TV dramas or shows, they can - on It also said that an additional 4 bil- shave more than 2 millimeters off its LED television. among global manufacturers of LED television sets is now
major broadcasting stations - KBS, select channels - purchase the items or lion won will be invested to develop fur- The result? A Samsung TV is slimmer than the average expected to increase in intensity.
MBC and SBS - granting the company see information about the products, ther educational content with high- mobile phone, which is around 10 millimeters thick. Samsung now plans to increase the range of ultra slim
permission to retransmit TV programs including price and size. Also for some quality instructors. The breakthrough has not only increased the level of tech- LED television models its offers.
40 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 41
Business & Technology
Hidden
Champions
Suntech:
Clear View Behind
A
midsize enterprise like Sun- It uses “nano-coating technology” for
tech may not be a front-of- the mirror so that water drops spread
mind brand, but the Korean thinly instead of lumping together. Sales
firm is the world’s leading Manager Kang Hong-shik said Suntech is
manufacturer of side mirror electronic the third company in the world, behind
heaters. In December, the largely firms in Japan and Germany, to develop
[YONHAP]
K
equipped with Suntech’s side mirror elec- of the Korean hydrophilic side mirror
orea’s National Digital Library, which was com- tronic heaters, which get rid of winter market.
pleted in late December, will open to the public frost and dew on the mirror surface. “We are about to sign export contracts
in May. Some of the world’s leading car brands, with foreign auto manufacturers and
The 38,014 square-meter building, with including Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volk- may start exporting hydrophilic side mir-
three stories above ground and five below, is located in swagen, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Fiat, rors this year,” Kang said.
the complex of the National Library of Korea in Seocho- Porsche, GM and Toyota mount the com- The company aims to expand its market
dong, southern Seoul. It started test services in January. pany’s mirror heaters on their vehicles, in an effort to overcome the current eco-
The National Digital Library goes beyond existing according to Suntech. nomic downturn. The fact that existing
electronic libraries, which provide certain documents Suntech, founded in 1993, was the first markets in developed nations are shrink-
World Content and data online. The new library aims to be a kind of
“digital hub,” which searches and links all documents and
data on the World Wide Web and enables library users to
Korean firm to develop side mirror heat-
ers and to compete with foreign manu-
facturers.
ing was also factored into Suntech’s deci-
sion to make inroads into new markets.
“We will start exporting to India, Russia
User-Generated Content Studio, where people can shoot side mirrors, which are designed to pre- U.S. subsidiary because of the time differ-
and edit digital movies, a Digital Meeting Room with a vent water drops from being formed on ence between Korea and the United
high-tech conference system, and a showroom of three- the mirror surface. States.”
dimensional electronic books and others.
42 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 43
Limitless Power:
The Sun is the Source
Clean energy is no longer a dream - it is a
Energy and the environment are
important not only to us in the 21st
work Convention on Climate Change
was established in 1992, the 1997
national oil prices.
Korea emits 590 million tons of
necessity. Today, nations including Korea are
century but also to future genera-
tions.
Kyoto Protocol and the 2007 Bali
Road Map and other international
greenhouse gases, equivalent to 3.3
percent of the amount produced by
seeking to harness the power of the sun.
Special
Series
The current energy problem measures have been introduced to the 38 nations with obligations to
arose following the emergence of control greenhouse gas emissions. reduce emissions. The country’s
03 fast-developing nations, such as the Moves are being made to make it greenhouse gas emissions are grow-
BRICs after 2002, coinciding with compulsory for both developed and ing at the world’s fastest rate and its
New Growth Engine Industries
the surge in the world’s demand for developing nations to reduce green- amount produced is the 10th largest
natural resources and energy, result- house gas emissions starting in in the world.
ing in soaring prices for materials 2013. Under such circumstances,
and energy resources. At current Using 225 million tons of oil depletion of energy resources and
rates, the world’s energy consump- equivalent per year, Korea’s energy climate changes are becoming prob-
tion is projected to increase by more consumption is about the 10th larg- lems that need addressing and
than 60 percent by 2030. est in the world, and in 2007 the important factors that will decide the
The world’s economic growth in value of the country’s energy imports future of the nation’s economy. Also,
the past century was fueled by cheap came in at $94.5 billion, equivalent as the world’s energy- and environ-
energy sources such as petroleum, to 10 percent of its GDP. The country ment-related markets rapidly grow,
coal and natural gas. However, these is dependent on imported sources it is time for the country to develop
resources are running out. Petro- for 97 percent of its energy require- new engines for economic growth.
leum is estimated to run out in 46 ments, and petroleum accounts for Renewable energy sources are at the
years, while the time until depletion 45 percent of the country’s primary center of such trends, with particular
of coal and natural gas is estimated at energy source. attention being directed towards
174 years and 54 years, respectively. solar power as a core technology.
Even if newly discovered reserves are Early Stages The sun is a limitless and clean
taken into account, such fuels can- By contrast, the measures aimed source of power. The energy the
not meet demand, and sustainable at solving the energy problem, such earth’s surface receives from the sun
economic growth based on fossil as developing overseas resources, in one hour is equivalent to the
fuels is considered unlikely. improving energy efficiency and world’s annual energy consumption
Furthermore, the increase in fos- developing alternative energy sourc- and almost none of the greenhouse
sil fuel consumption brought on by es remain in their early stages. As of gas associated with fossil fuels is pro-
economic growth has caused global 2007, self-developed energy sources duced from solar power.
warming, climate change and other only accounted for 4.2 percent of the Solar power generation is the
environmental problems that have total, while energy produced from technique of obtaining electricity
deteriorated to such levels as to have renewable sources accounted for a directly from sunlight, at the core of
a direct impact on our everyday mere 2.3 percent of the total in 2006. which lie solar cells, which convert
lives. As such, Korea has a high consump- sunlight directly into electricity.
In order to address such prob- tion energy structure dependent on Early solar cells were used to
lems, enforcing limits on carbon imported fossil fuels. This makes it generate power on spacecraft and
dioxide and other greenhouse gas difficult for the country to react to their application to regular power
emissions is becoming mandatory changes in the energy market, and generation began to receive atten-
around the world. leaves it vulnerable to the social and tion after the oil shocks of the
[YONHAP]
After the United Nations Frame- industrial impact of changes in inter- 1970s.
As energy and environmental report “Solar Generation IV-2007” lems with silicon supplies and con- produced. As such, the production tion. Lately, however, silicon thin erating mechanisms.
issues become global problems, solar published by Greenpeace and the version efficiency and the high pro- cost is expected to be dramatically film solar cells produced in multi- Research institutions have been
cells have come to be considered as European Photovoltaic Industry duction cost have prevented solar lower with thin film solar cells. junction or hybrid forms for leading studies into producing solar
one of the most viable renewable Association, by 2030, electricity cells from being economically com- At present, the production cost increased stability and efficiency cells with dramatically improved
energy technologies and countries from photovoltaics (PV) will be able petitive and hampered the growth of of crystalline silicon solar cells is have been used in power genera- conversion efficiency using quan-
including Germany, Japan and the to supply 10 percent of the world’s the solar power industry. about $3.50 to $4 per watt but that of tion. tum dots and nanotechnology.
United States have been at the fore of total electricity needs. The report With the current technology, PV thin film solar cells is expected to The CIGS thin film solar cells
solar power R&D and commercial- says the total power of installed pho- power generation is between three to drop as low as $0.75 per watt. have also gained attention for their National Projects
ization efforts. tovoltaic power systems will have 10 times more expensive than con- In addition, because thin film use in space and for power genera- In Japan, Europe, and the United
On Sept. 22, the new administra- risen to 1,272 gigawatts and the ventional power generation using solar cell production is very similar tion, as they are a near match to crys- States, research to replace crystalline
tion published the plans to develop global market will have grown to fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natu- to that of semiconductors and dis- talline silicon solar cells in terms of silicon and develop solar cells that
new growth industries that will pow- $300 billion. ral gas. plays, thin film solar cell production efficiency, 19.9 percent in conver- are competitive with power genera-
er the country’s economy in five to So, in order to overcome the is well-suited to Korea, which has sion efficiency, and display a high tion through fossil fuels is underway
10 years in the future. The plans Growing Competition limitations of the first generation very strong capabilities in those resistance to high-energy particles in as a national project, and long-term
include the visions and strategies for Therefore, solar cells and PV solar cells and produce them more areas. In 2007, 400 megawatts of thin space. national R&D plans ending in 2030
22 industries in six areas, including power generation not only represent cheaply, research organizations and film solar cells were produced, more In addition to developing thin have been set out.
energy and environment, conver- the means to secure a renewable companies all over the world are try- than double the 181 megawatts pro- film solar cells to overcome the price The United States aims to reduce
gent industries and knowledge- source of energy and respond to cli- ing to develop next-generation solar duced in 2006, and accounted for 12 problem of crystalline silicon solar the cost of PV power generation to
based services. Solar cells are includ- matic changes, but also new indus- cells through technologies like thin percent of the market; the market cells, R&D activities for third-gener- match that of conventional methods
ed in the energy and environment tries that fit into the government’s film, dye-sensitization, quantum share in 2006 was 7 percent. ation solar cells that can further by 2015 through the Solar America
category. green growth strategies. dots and nanotechnology. Once the problem of being less reduce production costs and dra- Initiative program. To this end, the
Solar cell production has As more people realize the Thin film solar cells are produced efficient than crystalline silicon solar matically increase the conversion United States has been making
increased by more than 40 percent importance of the markets for solar from silicon or compound semicon- cells is solved, the market share is efficiency are also underway. extensive investments to develop
each year for the past five years and cells and PV power, the competition ductors. Since they are much thinner expected to rise further, topping 20 Since the early 1990s, dye-sensi- low cost, high efficiency solar cells.
in 2007 more than 4 gigawatts worth between countries and corporations than crystalline silicon wafers - thin percent in 2012. tized solar cells produced from Europe and Japan are carrying
were produced and production is is intensifying. China, Taiwan and films are between 2 and 3 microme- At present, thin film solar cells organic materials using the princi- out research to achieve predeter-
projected to reach 20 gigawatts worth other nations that did not have strong ters, compared to crystalline silicon are mainly being developed using ples of photosynthesis have been mined target efficiencies for differ-
in 2010. In terms of value, solar cell backgrounds in the area, as Germa- wafers’ 250 to 300 micrometers - silicon and copper indium gallium developed. Since then research ent solar cell materials. Europe and
modules worth $15 billion were pro- ny and Japan did, have made inten- they can be produced using only selenide compounds. aimed at commercializing the tech- Japan’s research efforts are also
duced in 2007 which is expected to sive investments and achieved sig- about 1 percent of the materials Silicon thin film solar cells were nology and improving their conver- focused on reducing the production
rise to $50 billion in 2010. If the cur- nificant growth. required for crystalline silicon wafer first produced in single-layer form sion efficiency have been under way. cost and improving the efficiency of
rent growth rate is maintained, the At present, first generation solar production. The production process using amophorous silicon and main- Because dye-sensitized solar cells solar cells. Reducing costs by scaling
scale of the solar cell market is pro- cells - those made from crystalline is also more advantageous for mass ly developed to power small prod- can be made transparent, it is expect- up the production facilities is also a
jected to overtake that of memory silicon - account for about 90 per- production as the process allows ucts like radios, toys and watches ed that they can be used to produce key element in the research.
chips by 2015. According to the cent of the market. However, prob- large area solar cell modules to be instead of large scale power genera- windows that double as power gen- In Korea, thin film solar cell
research has mainly been led by aca- With solar cell R&D expected to power plants in deserts have been solar cells and third-generation solar Also, ways to increase interna-
demia and research institutes, and pick up momentum in the future, underway for several years. Deserts cells into a new economic growth tional cooperation with China and
commercialization of this technolo- and research into solar cells with account for one-third of the earth’s engine. The first is to establish mass Mongolia will be sought.
gy is being carried out or considered ultra-high conversion efficiency land surface and due to their large production facilities for solar cells; By developing next-generation
by some private companies. How- produced with quantum dots or area and the high amount of solar the second task is to develop the fun- solar cells that can overcome the
ever, Korea’s capabilities in the core nanotechnology remaining in its radiation they receive, deserts are damental and commercial technolo- price and production cost problems
areas of technology are only at 70 early stages even overseas, steady considered ideal landscapes for solar gies; and the third task is to develop of crystalline silicon solar cells and
percent to 80 percent of those of investment in the area to secure core power plants. practical technologies by construct- create a new growth engine industry,
other advanced countries. In partic- technologies should be made. According to some reports, cov- ing and operating large scale PV it is hoped that $26 billion in exports,
ular, the country is far behind devel- ering the Gobi Desert’s 1.3 million power plants. $7.4 billion added value and 300,000
oped countries in terms of equip- Making it Possible square kilometers with a 15 percent The task of establishing a mass- new jobs will be created by 2018.
ment and manufacturing processes. Once thin film solar cells and conversion rate, solar cell modules production systems for thin film In addition, carbon dioxide emis-
However, as those countries also third-generation solar cells make it will generate 412 X 10 to the power solar cells aims to increase the effi- sions will be reduced by 14.3 million
need to carry out much further possible to increase conversion effi- of 18 (412 quintillion) joules of ener- ciency of the cells and develop mate- tons and secure 4.5 million TOE of
research, and Korea has strong capa- ciency and lower costs, solar power gy on an annual basis, which is rials, processes and related equip- energy.
bilities in the semiconductor and generation will become possible, equivalent to the energy contained ment with local technologies to lower The PV power business, includ-
display businesses, it is possible for which in turn will make it possible to in the primary energy sources sup- the costs in industry-academia-re- ing solar cells, is a wide ranging sec-
the country to quickly catch up with dramatically lower the cost of gener- plied to the world in 2002. Con- search collaboration and to support tor that spans from materials and Song Jin-soo
them if efficient use of its human, ating electricity. structing large scale PV power plants the private sector in establishing modules to system construction. The Korea Institute of Energy Research
technological and industrial resourc- In recent times, large scale solar in deserts will not only produce mass production systems for thin industry will also have a great effect
es can be coupled with focused power plants have been constructed energy but also help power agricul- film solar cells. For third-generation on energy-industry-environment by Song Jin-soo is a principal researcher at
investment. As the thin film solar around the world and PV power ture in the area to produce food and solar cells, state-run research institu- reducing imports through the devel- the Korea Institute of Energy Research
cell market is growing and the tech- plants with larger than 10 megawatt support efforts to stop the desertifi- tions and university research institu- opment of materials, modules, equip- and the president of the Korea Society
nological barrier is very high, thin capacities are also being installed in cation of surrounding areas and the tions will work together, while ment and power plant construction, for New & Renewable Energy. Song re-
film solar cells could develop into an Korea. For solar power generation to reforestation of the desert itself. research and corporate organizations while increasing exports and creating ceived his Ph.D. in electrical engineering
industry that matches the semicon- really take off, PV plants’ capacities Although such a project would will collaborate to commercialize the new industries. at Korea University and worked at the
ductor and display industries, pro- need to go beyond megawatts into require the cooperation of China, technology and establish cooperative Therefore, the solar cell industry Argonne National Lab and at the Univer-
vided that Korea can use its techno- the gigawatt range. However, for Mongolia and other nations, such relations with advanced research should be nurtured as the new growth sity of Minnesota, United States.
logical capabilities to secure an countries like Korea that are small projects demand sustained attention bodies from overseas. engine that can replace the semicon-
advantageous market position and receive a relatively low intensity as a potential consumer of locally Feasibility studies for large scale ductor and display industries, as it fits He is a member of IEEE, ISES, New York
quickly. of sunlight, it is difficult to secure produced solar cells and to increase solar power plants will be carried out into the government’s vision of green Academy of Sciences, WEC Solar Power
With the exception of dye-sensi- sufficient land to build gigawatt- the use of renewable energy sources and candidate regions will be select- growth that can contribute to achiev- Committee, IEA/PVPS Executive Com-
tized solar cells, almost no research capacity PV power plants. in Korea. ed, with aims to develop facilities and ing the vision of $40,000-GDP per mittee, and IEC TC82.
into third generation solar cells is For such reasons, feasibility stud- The government has set three operating technologies suited for capita.
being carried out in Korea. ies for constructing large-scale PV tasks in its plans to develop thin film Korea. By Song Jin-soo E-mail: jsong@kier.re.kr
[JoongAng Ilbo]
and footballers to progress.”
There is more good news on the horizon for Park. His
contract with United runs until June 2010 and the team
coach Alex Ferguson recently told BBC that Park “will be
offered a contract.” Ferguson also said, “Ji [Ji-sung] has
L
been fantastic for us and is one of our most consistent
PGA Tour, beware: Here comes Shin Ji-yai. The the youngster’s challenge. players.”
20-year-old Korean phenom will become a full- The timing of Shin’s emergence could hardly be better. Park is aiming his boot at one particular goal this year.
fledged LPGA Tour member in the 2009 season. But The LPGA Tour lost a legend in Annika Sorenstam, who For all the championships and trophies he’s won with
unlike those who must pass through the grueling retired to start a family and focus on business ventures, but, Man U, one thing is missing: The FA Cup, or the Football
qualifying tournaments, Shin took a much shorter route: as The New York Times reported, may be gaining a new star Association Cup, which is open to hundreds of clubs in
She won LPGA tournaments in 2008 to get her playing in Shin. England and Wales under the auspices of the sport’s gov-
card. While her English is not on the level of her game, Shin erning body in England.
Last year, Shin became the first non-LPGA member to hasn’t shied away from giving interviews in English and has Park has won the equivalent of the FA Cup with teams
notch three tour victories in a season. Those three victories proven she can blend in with the crowd. After her Women’s in Japan and the Netherlands. “We’ve never won the FA
came in three different countries, the United States, Japan and British Open victory, one reporter gushed, “I think you are Cup since I’ve been here,” Park said. Man U has the won
the United Kingdom, where she became the youngest-ever very charming, and your smile is very beautiful.” more FA Cups (11) than any other English team, but its
champion of the Women’s British Open. Entering her LPGA rookie season, Shin has already set a last one was in 2004, the year before Park joined the
Overall, Shin won 11 times worldwide last year, including goal. “I’d like to win the Rookie of the Year honors,” she said. team.
seven victories on the Korea LPGA Tour. KLPGA players will “A lot of people want me to become the best in the world “To win one in England, and at Wembley [England’s
[YONHAP]
likely be glad to see Shin plying her trade full-time Stateside, right away but I think it’s still early. I will it take one step at national football stadium] no less, would really be some-
meaning it will be U.S.-based golfers who will have to fend off a time.” thing” he said.
50 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 51
Travel Travel
Provided by Korail
All Aboard for Luxury: ‘Sun Train’ is Rolled Out
52 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 53
Travel Travel
D
[JoongAng Ilbo]
of ancient royal vessels and arti- here instead,” says Gong Gyeo- Chujeon Station, the highest in among the world’s major cities. Paris, department. “The city will continue
cles, accidentally dropped into ng-ok, a passenger from Seoul Korea, at 855 meters above sea Tokyo and Sydney were the favorite investing in overseas marketing in the
the water during banquets held who was joined by three friends level. cities according to Chinese who next three to four years to show sig-
A visit to Cheomseongdae, a famous granite observatory in in the outdoor pavilions sur- who met through their hus- By the time the train reaches responded to the last survey. Thais nificant results in the world tourism
Gyeongju, South Gyeongsang, proved one of the tour high- rounding the pond, have been bands’ jobs. “It’s certainly a new the outskirts of Seoul, dusk is voted Seoul their favorite in both sur- market.”
lights. discovered here. and very convenient way to trav- falling.
56 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 57
Fashion
Lee Moon-hee
The S/S Seoul Collection fashion show, held annually, sets
the tone for women’s fashion for the upcoming year. The
latest event featured 41 of the very best domestic designers
and their trendy threads. If you want to strut ahead of the
crowd and lead the fashionista pack in 2009, take note of
the following tips.
An Yoon-jung
Tip: A glamorous silhouette can give off a lively, animated
and feminine look but it’s tricky in that, if not pulled off right,
it can also look heavy. Stick to toned-down colors such as
white, black, blue and green.
3. Zig-zag stripes:
Stripes are back in this year - but
not the regular stripes we’re used
to seeing. Kim Young-joo show-
cased stripes adding a little glitter
to the fabric. Shin Young-jae, on
the other hand, added geometric
and disco-inspired striped pat-
terns to black and white fabrics.
Tip: Stripes can get boring in a
hurry, so try to add a little shine
and glitter to the stripes, or wear
uneven striped patterns.
Shin Young-jae
Gee Choon-hee
Ha Sang-beg
Park Herin
Cho Sung-kyung
4. Black and white polka dots:
For those who prefer black, grey, char-
coal or other dark tones, designers are
recommending polka-dot prints. Lee 6. Make full use of Versatile plaid for low-key or attention-grab-
Moon-hee presented a white polka- bing looks:
dot pattern on black, while Cho Sung- Plaid will be at the center of 2009 trends and was prominently featured
gyung showed off a beige colored one- at the latest S/S fashion show. While it was popular last year, the differ-
Provided by the Seoul Fashion Center
piece with black chiffon fabric with ence this year seems to be in the subtle plaid on silk or shiny fabric.
polka-dot patterns. Tip: If you decide to choose a shiny plaid top, match it with a dark-toned
Tip: An entire outfit with polka dots is skirt.
Vack Yuun-zung
Kim See-yang
a bit extreme; it’s better to add some
polka dots to your wardrobe with 7. Eco fashion and natural colors:
accessories such as scarves and belts. A number of designers including Lee Young-hee used fabrics such as
hemp along with natural dye colors.
Tip: You don’t have to coordinate an entire outfit with traditionally dyed
fabrics. Instead, try to match it with a simple white tee shirt or jeans.
Lee Bomi
Lee Young-hee
try on some beads or a simple will include suits and one-piece dresses.
white tee shirt with a shiny col- Tip: If not done right, loose shirts can make you look overweight. Add a
ored skirt. loose belt as a styling tool to overcome this.
K
im Hong-bin, a 44-year-old strength,” he said. ceeded in conquering the highest moun-
Korean mountaineer, became Kim made a successful comeback as tains on all seven continents, including
the first handicapped person a mountaineer on Mount Elbrus, the Mount McKinley (6,194 meters), Mount
in the world to conquer the highest peak in Europe (5,642 meters), Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895 meters),
highest peaks on all seven continents in July 1997. Two months later, he added Mount Aconcagua in South America
after climbing Vinson Massif, the high- Mount McKinley, which had once dis- (6,959 meters), Mount McKinley in
est mountain in Antarctica at 4,897 abled him, to his conquests. North America (6,194 meters), Mount
meters (16,066 feet), on Jan. 2. “I declared that I would conquer the Kosciuzsko in Oceania (2,228 meters),
Kim was a confident climber in his highest peaks on all seven continents. Mount Everest in Asia (8,848 meters)
mid-twenties when he reached the People cheered me in my presence, but and most recently, Vinson Massif in
all.
It took him 11 years to accomplish it
Then, in a 1991 attempt on Mount needs help from fellow climbers or “If the accident at Mount McKinley
McKinley, disaster struck. He fell asleep accompanying porters - even for such hadn’t happened, I would have remained
from fatigue and was rescued 16 hours basic activities as putting on his socks, an ordinary climber.” he said. “The
later. Frostbite claimed all of his fingers, lacing up his hiking boots or unzipping hardship made me challenge the seem-
leaving Kim with stumps. his pants to relieve himself. ingly impossible. I overcame the handi-
Kim returned to Korea after three Despite the extraordinary challeng- cap a mountain gave me by climbing
months of treatment at a hospital in es he faced, however, Kim finally suc- mountains.”
Alaska. The former athlete found Kim has now set a new goal:
it impossible to lead an everyday conquering the world’s 14
life without help from others. 8,000-meter peaks.
“I couldn’t even eat by myself,” He has already accomplished
Kim said. “I was tempted to take four - the second peak of Mount
my own life several times.” Gasherbrum in the Himalayas
However, with encourage- (8,053 meters), Mount Shisha
ment from his colleagues, Kim’s Pangma’s South Wall (8,027
iron will reasserted itself: He got meters), Mount Everest (8,848
back on his feet and began train- meters) and Mount Makalu
ing more rigorously than ever. (8,463 meters).
“Since I cannot take advan- “Even if I encounter difficul-
tage of climbing equipment such ties in the course of advancing on
as ropes, sticks and ice axes, I my new goal, I will never give
have to build up my physical up!” he said.
62 korea February 2009 February 2009 korea 63
People People
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Record-breaking Surgeon
D
r. Lee Seung-kyu, a 60-year- cent. planting livers from two people to one
old surgeon at Seoul’s Asan U.S. broadcaster ABC News report- person, for the first time in the world in
Medical Center and a world- ed on Dec. 23, 2008 that the new world 2000.
renowned specialist in liver record set by Lee’s team was made pos- While a liver transplant with living
transplantation, has established a new sible because of strong and dedicated donors takes far more time and work
world record: 326 liver transplants in teamwork centering around Lee. than a transplant from a deceased donor,
Shin Young-soo
2008. With an unusually strong family- most liver transplants in Korea are still
Lee and his surgical team, who type bond, they are known as “Lee’s conducted with live donors due to a
pulled off 100 liver transplant surgeries Dream Tream.” dearth of donated organs.
in 1999, broke the 200 mark in 2004 and Lee earned fame when he succeeded A graduate of Seoul National Uni-
reached 320 cases in 2007. Last year, in Korea’s first living donor liver trans- versity College of Medicine, the top-
they surpassed their own record by per- plantation, or LDLT, on a child in 1994; ranking medical school in Korea, Lee
Seoul National University Professor Shin forming 326 liver transplant operations. LDLT on adults three years later; and a has served at Asan Medical Center since
Young-soo, takes over the regional director Their success rate is as high as 96 per- dual graft LDLT, which involves trans- 1989.
positionship of the World Health Organiza-
tion’s Western Pacific Area in February.
Lee Seung-kyu
Japan, Australia and of course Korea. ian system that will cope with epidemics ical scene of Korea.
The total population of this area reaches and global warming issues. Meanwhile, he kept close ties with
1.8 billion. A management expert, Shin first the World Health Organization as his
“The Western Pacific region has entered the medical field with the dream best friend, the late Lee Jong-wook, was
about one third of the world’s popula- of becoming a doctor. At Seoul Nation- the first Korean to head the agency. Is he
tion, and it is home to a variety of dis- al University Medical School, however, pursuing the same path as his friend?
[JoongAng Ilbo]
eases such as SARS and Avian Influen- he changed his mind, after volunteering “I just do my best wherever and Dr. Lee Seung-kyu of Seoul’s Asan Medical
za,” Shin noted. “It is a huge responsibil- in rural villages that lacked hospitals. whenever.,” he said with a smile. “That’s Center set a world record in 2008 for 326
ity to take care of the area.” From his “Watching people who suffer for lack of my job.” liver transplants.
B
ing a long-term foreign resi- ceptance by many of new and different
dent , my opinion of Korea has ways of the world. We decided we liked
evolved over time from one of this “new Korea.” Exactly three years
ambivalence to one of a real after leaving in 1999, we returned. And
fan of the nation, the people and the ten years later we are still here.
lifestyle offered. Survival for foreigners in Korea, from
As a relatively young middle manag- the point of view of finding the com-
er in the advertising business in Austra- forts of “home,” is so much easier these
lia, South Korea was far from my mind days. The numbers of Koreans who have
as midnight tolled in the new year 1991. studied and lived abroad, and who have
My impressions of Korea were defined now returned to work and live here,
by the familiar theme music for the is large and growing every day. Many
hit TV series, M.A.S.H. and then-fresh of these “returned Koreans” miss the
memories of Seoul successfully host- foods, fashions and lifestyles enjoyed in
ing the XXIV Olympiad just three years London, New York and Sydney as much
previously, despite worldwide concerns as we do, and the entrepreneurs among
about democracy (or lack of it), lan- them are creating import businesses,
Expatriate
to live and work in Korea; an opportu- rea.
nity that lasted for the next five years. The prevalent cuisine is of course
Life as an expatriate in those days was Korean, which is delicious and a must