국회방송과 함께 했던 한 작은 인터뷰

우리의 국가브랜드 위원회와 함께 하는 문화 활동

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Everything and anything about Korea

International Seon Center opens in Seoul

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism opened an International Seon Center in Sinjeong-dong in southern Seoul on November 15.

The International Seon Center concentrates on Ganhwaseon “word contemplation” meditation and helping people experience Buddhist culture through activities like temple stays. Membership is open to all and costs 100,000 won a month, including classes. Also, free classes are available on weekends.

(From left to right) meditation hall, exterior, and lounge (Photo: International Seon Center)

"We will promote Korean Buddhism, Korean spirit and culture to the world through the center," said Venerable Jaseung, Administrative Director of the Jogye Order, at the opening ceremony on Nov. 15. "We hope that we can deliver traditional values of Korean Buddhism to both Korea and the world."

The center is housed in a ten-story building, the exterior of which has been designed to resemble the famous nine-story Hwangnyongsa Pagoda that used to stand in Gyeongju. The mix of modern and traditional elements in its design distinguishes it from many of the other meditation centers in Korea.

"We actually got the idea for the design of the building from Hwangnyongsa Pagoda, which was built in the Silla period," said a staff from the center. "The center symbolizes Silla Buddhism, when the international exchange of Buddhism was most active in Korean history.”

Guest house accommodations, meditation hall (Photo: International Seon Center)

The center has a variety of facilities, including a meditation hall, Buddhist sanctuary, guest house, library and cafeteria. The guest house is equipped with nine rooms for two or three people, three dormitory rooms for larger groups, and shared bathrooms. The center hopes that the quality of the accommodations will help make the center a popular place for foreigners seeking temple stay experiences.

The center also features a traditional Korean culture experience hall where visitors can enjoy activities like learning to make vegetarian temple food.

English Dharma talks are held every Sunday with Wontong, a Polish monk.  There are also translation services available for non-Koreans who want to join meditation sessions.

A tour of the center (top) and a meditation session (bottom) (Photo: International Seon Center)

"We offer translation services for foreigners during temple stays and Ganhwaseon," said the center’s abbot, Hyunjo. "We will help foreigners better understand Korea’s spiritual culture through programs, forums and meditation."

The International Seon Center is operated by seven monks and seven employees. For more information, please visit the center’s official website, www.seoncenter.or.kr, or call (02) 2650-2200.

Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer

KIST robots come to classrooms

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), a government-funded research institute, has attracted international media attention for inventing robots that teach English.  The New York Times, CNN and Time Magazine have all rolled out coverage of the robots, with Time calling them one of the “50 Best Inventions of 2010.”

KIST’s Center for Intelligent Robotics has created several different models of English-teaching robots, including “Engkey” and “Mero.”  This new “r-learning (robot-based learning)” paradigm is expected to help bring high-quality English instruction to elementary students, particularly those in rural regions. 

Engkey                                                                                      Mero

A pilot program was launched by the Korean Government to test r-learning last year, and students in two elementary schools were taught English by the new robot teachers in late 2009. Engkey helped with the regular English conversation programs, while Mero helped students with their pronunciation and practicing new words and sentences. The robots were successful in helping to teach pronunciation to the students, who enjoyed interacting with their new school “staff.” 

The robots can move in any direction and can follow human facial expressions. While the robots are used primarily in support roles for real human teachers, Time Magazine called them a “job terminator,” saying they could potentially supplement or replace the native speakers currently in Korean schools. However, the robots cannot handle improvisation, and students must follow a script.

Elementary school students practicing their English with robotic help.

Government evaluations have concluded that the educational robot system had indeed helped students improve their English skills and increased students’ interest and self-motivation. The 8-week pilot program showed that the robots have the potential to be an important part of English education in Korea.

Thirty-six English teaching robots are due to be deployed in 18 elementary schools across the city of Daegu by the end of this year, according to KIST. KIST also speculates that with further development, the robots could potentially be used to teach Korean to foreigners. 

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http://www.salon.com/news/globalization/?story=/news/feature/2010/11/12/the_failure_of_the_g_20_summit

On Asia tour, Obama cherishes 'genuine friendship' with Manmohan Singh Published: Saturday, Nov 13, 2010, 18:35 IST  Place: Washington, DC | Agency: PTI

US President Barack Obama with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his recent India visit US President Barack Obama has sought to dismiss notions that his international standing has diminished due to the recent election rout at home, citing his remarkable chemistry with leaders like Manmohan Singh and Angela Merkel at international summits like the G20. Obama, on one of the longest foreign trips of his presidency, has travelled to India and Indonesia on bilateral visits, besides South Korea and Japan for the G20 and APEC summits. Confronted by repeated questions over the fallout of the mid-term polls back home on his position in the international fora, Obama said his working relationships had in fact improved with certain global leaders over time. Days after a memorable visit to India, Obama, 49, has special admiration for the 78-year-old Prime Minister Singh. He said he has also developed good working relationships with Germany's chancellor Merkel and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to reports in the American media. "I guess what I'm saying is, that I actually think that my relationships have grown much stronger with the people who I've worked with here," Obama said in Seoul on the sidelines of the summit of the G20 group of industrialised and developing nations. He said while the initial "hoopla surrounding my election" might have died down, his interactions with international leaders over two years has led to genuine friendships. "He and I share a level of understanding and interest in working together that didn't exist when I first came onto the scene," Obama said on Manmohan Singh. He also cited similar connections during the Japan leg of his visit, with Singh, Merkel and Erdogan, as also South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak, despite having failed to conclude a free trade pact in South Korea. "That doesn't mean there aren't going to be differences," Obama said in Yokohama from where he is headed back to the US. Though he admitted talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on the volatile issues of currency and trade has been difficult.