It’s taken a while, but here it is: www.thinkkorea.org.uk. It seems to be part of the Korean Embassy website. And it’s now coming up on google. It must be a recent creation, because I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve googled in search of “Think Korea 2006” and only found my own site. … [Read More]
Category: News and Current Affairs (page 47)
Park’s equalizer costs Woori Bank millions
I’m still running this as a business story. It’s a follow up to my post a few days ago. The Korea Times today provides more detail on banks’ exposures to the world cup. As well as Hana Bank’s Red Devil Reserve Account, Woori Bank has opened 19,000 “I Love Park Ji-sung” time deposits. Every goal … [Read More]
Nobble your vicar
The organisation of the Global Week of Prayer for North Korea has been impressive. The website has been up for ages, allowing ample time for word-of-mouth. And then a week or so ago there was a bulk mailing. I happened to be around at the vicarage the other day for a meeting of the church … [Read More]
Korean banks gamble on world cup results
I know I promised that this site would be a world cup free zone. So I claim that this is a business story, not a sport story. Tom Coyner’s excellent Korean Economic Reader service sent me the following editorial from the Korea Herald a couple of days ago. As it was a sports story I … [Read More]
Teaching English in Korea
I’m going to tread, very gingerly, into the minefield of discussing matters relating to English language teaching in Korea. A dangerous topic for an outsider to get involved in, firstly because the majority of English-language bloggers on Korea seem to be ESL teachers, and secondly because there are some hot issues. I’m not sure that … [Read More]
A new Korean export opportunity?
With Japan’s supplies of cheap disposable chopsticks coming under threat, and the alternative re-usable plastic chopsticks a bit naff, Japan’s very way of life is under threat. There is surely an alternative: Korean metal chopsticks. An undreamed-of export opportunity. The (London) Times provides the background. Chopstick tussle adds bite to Orient’s diplomatic spat The Times … [Read More]
Walmart follows Carrefour in exit from Korea
I know I’m behind the times on this one. I’ve been focusing on the London Korean Festival and so have been neglecting other posts, but I didn’t want to lose this story. I can’t say that I’m sorry that big foreign retailing warehouses aren’t succeeding in Korea. This article is from the International Herald Tribune, … [Read More]
Think Korea: UK-Korea Forum
A two-day conference as part of Think Korea 2006: The UK-Korea Forum for the Future – 14th Annual Meeting 8-9 June 2006 Sheraton Park Tower Hotel, Knightsbridge Programme Thursday 8 June am call by the Korean delegation on the Foreign Secretary 12:45 for 13:00 Lunch, Guest Speaker 14:45 The Lord Richard and Dr Han Seung-Soo, … [Read More]
Seoul’s redevelopment and the erosion of Gahoedong
At the London Korean Festival we’ve been treated to images of the revitalisation and greening of central Seoul, with displays of the Chonggyecheon reconstruction. However, there is an all-too-familiar flipside to modern construction projects: my attention has just been drawn to a website which catalogues the demolition of Seoul’s last few streets of traditional housing … [Read More]
Korean Ceramics: Arts and Techniques. Or, Why don’t people talk to each other?
KOREAN CERAMICS: ARTS AND TECHNIQUES TALK BY DAUPHINE SCALBERT Thursday 25 May 2006, 6.30-7.30pm at Asia House Dauphine Scalbert is a distinguished French potter who, having spent 6 years studying pottery and restoring antique ceramics in Korea, has Korean pots in her blood. Her copiously illustrated talk at Asia House last night was an interesting … [Read More]
The world’s biggest bibimbap?
From the Chosun Ilbo: Students make Korean traditional dish bibimbap, an assortment of vegetables and rice, for 1,000 people during a spring festival at Ewha Womans University, which marked its 120th anniversary on Wednesday. [Read More]
Korean driving
Anyone who has been in a taxi in Busan will understand completely how Korea can be second in the OECD car accident rankings. (The mystery is: why only second, and how come there are any cars left on the road?) It must be something in the blood. Thanks to Tom Coyner for circulating this image … [Read More]
Two Koreas’ Top Brass Resort to Racist Mudslinging
A continuation of the ongoing theme on racial purity spurred by the visit of Korean-American Dan Hines to Korea. The more extreme position taken by the representative from the North chimes in well with this harrowing story in Time. The full story is in the Chosun Ilbo here. [Read More]
Samsung – am I missing something?
I’m puzzled by this item on the KBS site today Samsung to Pay W1 Tln in Inheritance Tax The Samsung Group will follow the example of the Shinsegae Group in paying a trillion won in inheritance tax. A Samsung source said Tuesday that Samsung will pay at an appropriate time around a trillion won in … [Read More]
Choi Min-sik to stage screen-quota protest at Cannes
Londoners looking forward to the delights of next week’s Korean film festival can be forgiven for overlooking that other festival which starts this week… in Cannes. The Korean film industry will take advantage of the event to publicise their opposition to the reduction in the screen quota. Here’s an article from today’s Korea Times: A … [Read More]
Capital markets consolidation
The Asia Times has a good article on the Capital Markets Consolidation Act. Thanks to the Flying Yangban for spotting it. [Read More]