India, Korea take initiative in science

The ambassador of India is confident that 2010 will be a banner year for India and Korea.

"Korea and India have a long-term comprehensive partnership. It is more than an FTA and it also opens a way for investment," said India Ambassador Skand Tayal.

With the enforcement of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the Program of Cooperation in Science & Technology agreement that came into effect last month, both countries have now entered a new phase of cooperation.

These agreements are also expected to help overcome the challenges both countries have been facing in making further developments in science and technology.

"Korea is very strong in manufacturing and engineering hardware. India is strong in innovation and information technology software," said Tayal. "We can both work together to develop new technologies.

"For India, we have to learn how to transfer technologies from the laboratory to a commercial application. For this, we want to learn from Korea."



As part of this initiative, the Indian Embassy has started a partnership with Daedok Innopolis, in Daejeon.

The deal will bring Indian experts together with their local counterparts in a regional cluster of scientific research, development and businesses.

Another goal of this partnership is to develop renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind energy, green growth technology and nuclear technology, which are important for both countries in preventing energy shortages in the global warming era.

For this partnership, the Korean government will allocate 5 percent of its gross domestic product into science research by 2012 and India`s government will encourage research in new sources of energy under their National Solar Mission.

The ambassador, who came here in 2008, still has high hopes for what he can accomplish in Korea.

"My vision is for real friendship and partnership - partnership in peace and prosperity, peace in the region, peace in governance, in different political issues, scientific technology, cultural and educational sectors," said the ambassador.

He also urged for a deeper mutual understanding between the people from both countries.

In terms of friendship, the India-Korea relationship dates back as far as Korea`s Gaya Kingdom, when an Indian princess from Ayodhya, known to Koreans as Huh Hwang-ok, came to marry King Kim Su-ro in 84 A.D.

Since the first consular relations in 1962, India and Korea have shown impressive results in terms of commercial trade, reaching $15.5 billion in bilateral trade by the end of 2008, according to the Korea International Trade Association.

Also, relations in the cultural and educational sectors have grown steadily in the past 40 years.

As of last year, over 6,000 Indians live in Korea with over 1,600 working as professionals, scientists and post-doctoral research scholars.

"This new (scientific) deal will open a new dialogue between Indian and Korean scientists, and scientific institutions in both countries," he said. "Earlier, it was done by individual effort under individual initiatives and there was no particular plan, but now the government and the institutions will come together."

"So it is the beginning and I am very hopeful that it will maintain and foster fruitful mutual relations."

South Korea signs on to finance first Jordan nuclear reactor

Jordan and South Korea have signed a $70 million loan agreement to finance the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor.

	King Abdullah II of Jordan delivering a speech in Amman on June 8, 2010.
	Photo by: AP

The state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. are expected to start building a 5-megawatt reactor November 1 at the Jordan University for Science and Technology near the northern city of Irbid.

A planning ministry statement said Monday the reactor will be "fully commissioned within five years and a nuclear power plant will be built by 2017."

Resource-barren Jordan is developing a peaceful nuclear program with U.S. support. But the U.S. has expressed reservations over Jordan's desire to enrich its large reserves of uranium.

Jordan says alternative energy sources are needed to generate electricity and desalinate water.

Last month, Jordan's King Abdullah accused Israel of trying to prevent his kingdom from developing a peaceful nuclear program.

The king revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Israel had approached South Korea and France with requests to refrain from selling Jordan nuclear technology. Israel's "underhanded" actions are adding tension to already strained relations with Jordan, bringing ties between the two countries to their lowest point since they signed a peace agreement in 1994, the king said.

"There are countries, Israel in particular," Abdullah told the Wall Street Journal, "that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy, and have been voicing their concerns."

"There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business," he added.

Israeli officials denied any action to prevent Jordan from developing nuclear energy.

sorces:HAARETZ.COM

Couples bridge the divisions between Koreas

Northern women, southern men offer look at consequences of reunification

They first met at a matchmaking party in April 2008. Like the other men, Jang Seok-do, 43, handed out his business cards to a couple of ladies. One was Kim Hye-young, 37. After the party ended they got back to their lives. A few days later, Kim said she suddenly got the urge to call a few of the men who had given her their cards, but most of them sounded as if they’d already forgotten the light-hearted party where they exchanged glances over tea and cookies. Jang was different. “He was extremely pleased to hear from me because there was no way for him to contact me without me reaching him first,” said Kim, her accent betraying her birthplace in North Hamgyong Province. It was the beginning of a romance between a South Korean bachelor and a woman from the North who had crossed the border. The party where the two met was organized by the city of Anseong, Gyeonggi, to encourage marriages between South Korean men and North Korean female defectors. Kim was a trainee at Hanawon, the government-run resettlement education center for North Korean escapees. She had no address or phone number of her own and was not allowed to leave the center. Jang had to come through a barbed-wire fence to see her. “It seems improbable, but he lives right next to the center. So we could see each other’s faces through the fence,” recalled Kim. “In fact, no one is allowed to approach [the center for security reasons], but the police knew him because he lives in Pumgok Village, which is a sister village of the center. Because of that he could come and see me.” Jang Seok-do, left, is from South Korea, while Kim Hye-young, right, is from the North. They got married in March 2009. [YONHAP] They were both a little older than the other couples, but they went through the same ups and downs in their 10-month relationship. “We grew up in different cultures. It made me unsure about getting married to him in the first place,” Kim said. The most difficult thing for Kim to understand was Jang’s credit cards. “In the North, we spend only if we have cash in our pockets. Jang had a couple of credit cards, and it was one thing that I couldn’t really understand.” Kim found herself feeling sympathy for Jang as their relationship developed, though. “I had no time to settle down as I wandered from place to place, but he grew older as he cared for his mother. He wanted to have a family of his own, but he was not an ideal spouse in the eyes of [South Korean] women here because of his sick mother.” Jang has cared for his mother for the past 12 years. Jang’s bedridden mother reminded Kim of her mother who lived in extreme poverty in the North until she passed away. “I was a bad daughter. Sitting up with Jang’s dying mother was a kind of compensation for me.” Kim’s devotion to Jang’s mother helped the 43-year-old bachelor think of Kim as one woman he couldn’t let go. Kim also thought of Jang as a man on whom she could rely for the rest of her life. “If he’s good to his mother, I thought he would be good to me.” The couple finally walked down the aisle in March last year and became one of a few so-called namnambungnyeo couples. The term, which means “southern man, northern woman,” predates the division of the two Koreas. Traditionally it refers to the perfect couple, since northern Korea was believed to have the most beautiful women, while the southern part of the peninsula was thought to have more good-looking men. The division of Korea into North and South brought new cultural connotations to the term. Now namnambungnyeo couples are depicted in stories of star-crossed love in dramas and films, but the concept has gained a new lease in real life with an increasing number of North Koreans - especially females - crossing the border since the late 1990s, when the North was struck by famine. A South Korean man participates in a soccer game with a North Korean woman at an inter-Korean event held at Munhak Stadium in Incheon in June 2004. [YONHAP] For example, 2,259 female and 668 male North Koreans settled here last year, according to Shin Sang-kyung, an official from the Unification Ministry. “The North is a society where there is a sharp line between men and women. Most men belong to various organizations, and their movements are tracked. “But for women, they have greater chance of mobility which makes it easier to escape,” said Shin. “Because of this, we started to see far higher number of female North Korean defectors than male defectors from 2002.” One effect of this soaring number of female escapees is the growing number of matchmaking companies arranging dates between North Korean women and South Korean men. “My main focus is Vietnam, Uzbekistan, China, Thailand and the Philippines, but I newly added North Korean women after receiving consistent inquires from South Korean men,” said a matchmaking company official who asked not to be identified. He promotes his company by leaving business card-sized flyers in subway cars. Asked what makes South Korean men interested in women from the North, he said he didn’t want to talk about the issue further. But Hong Seung-woo, who since 2006 has run a matchmaking company named Namnambungnyeo Marriage Information Company, had an answer. Hong is one-half of a namnambungnyeo couple since marrying Kang Ok-sil, who came to the South in 2001. His company, like several others, specializes exclusively in marriages between men from the South and women from the North. Hong said his company succeeded in matching about 300 couples so far. “We receive phone calls from male escapees, but we only do marriages between South men and North women. If both men and women have nothing, it is just hard to live.” Although North Korean defectors receive vocational training at the Hanawon center, most of them, especially men, find themselves doing menial jobs such as carrying bricks at construction sites. They also suffer from a high unemployment rate: 13.7 percent as of last December, far higher than the average 3.5 percent rate for all South Koreans at that time. For this reason, marrying a South Korean man is an appealing way for women from the North to try to adapt to a new society. “I strongly recommend North Korean women get married to South Korean men, not to North Korean defectors, ethnic Koreans or Chinese. Otherwise, it is hard to live in this society,” said Kim Hye-young. However, some South Korean men also prefer North Korean women for various reasons. “When my wife and I launched this company years ago, our main clients were men in their mid- to late-30s, but we see men from diverse age groups come and seek advice from us these days.” Hong remembers one 28-year-old male client. “He was deeply heartbroken after he realized his girlfriend was cheating on him. He said he was not going to see another South Korean woman after that.” Hong receives as many as six phone calls per day from South Korean men. “Some say they are sick and tired of demanding South Korean women who keep urging them to buy pricey gifts such as luxury handbags. Some are children of people who used to live in the North before the Korean Peninsula divided. And some simply have fantasies about North Korean women,” Hong said. The popular stereotype of a North Korean woman is pretty, pure, innocent and diligent, according to Choi Young-hee, who manages a matchmaking company named Namnambungnyeo Marriage Consulting. Choi, who came to the South from Pyongyang in 2002, was the first to open a namnambungnyeo matchmaking company in 2005. Since then, she said she has produced 416 couples. “Diverse types of matchmaking companies have been around for decades, but they are all for international marriages. I thought we [women defectors] needed one of our own.” When asked about the divorce rates among namnambungnyeo couples, Choi said, “They all defect from the North by risking their lives. They don’t take marriage lightly as some South Koreans do.” For six dates, men usually pay between 1.5 million ($1,250) and 2 million won, while women pay nothing, Choi added. There are a few worrisome commercial undertones to the namnambungnyeo trend. Some sensational banners read “Let’s get married to North Korean women,” and “North Korean women never run away.” However, the Coalition for North Korean Women’s Rights, located in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon District, western Seoul, sees some such matchmaking companies as supportive. “Women escapees don’t need to pay for the service, and they are able to meet bachelors who are already filtered by managers from matchmaking companies. Since most women defectors want to get married and get settled here, we view it positively,” said Lee Eun-sil, an official from the coalition. “Some worry about culture clashes between men from the South and women from the North, but we’ve seen more divorces from North Korean couples after they come to the South,” Lee said. “Wives say they can’t put up with their husbands who tend to be patriarchal, which is said to be a common trait of North Korean men.” Despite mixed views about namnambungnyeo, they are likely to increase in frequency in the near future. As of last year, four out of 10 bachelors living in rural areas in South Korea married brides from other countries such as Vietnam, Mongolia, China and the Philippines, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Some local communities such as Inje County even hand out subsidies up to 6 million won to help bachelors within the county find overseas brides. But since some international marriages end in divorce due to language barriers and cultural differences, female North Korean defectors have advantages over other foreign brides. Although the central government does not compile data regarding namnambungnyeo marriages, experts on inter-Korean issues say these couples might be a test to gauge the future of a unified Korea. “Family is one of the closest relationships. In that sense, these couples would show what ideology and value conflicts might arise when North and South Koreans actually live together,” said Professor Lee Woo-young from the University of North Korean Studies. “What we know about North Korea is very superficial and theoretical, and one could call these couples experiments.” source: Jung-ang Daily

Major Events

1. Korea Art Summer Festival (KASF) 2010

http://www.kasf.co.kr

An annual art fair where over 250 artists in genres spanning across painting, traditional Korean art, sculpture, installation art, craft, gather together and interact with visitors.

- Period : July 28 – August 1, 2010
- Venue : Seoul Trade Exhibition Center (SETEC)

2. Sacheon International Percussion Festival 2010

http://www.sacheonpercussion.org

There will be astounding performances by world-class traditional and contemporary percussion artists as well as various exhibitions and workshops.

- Period : July 28 – August 1, 2010
- Venue : Sacheon Art & Culture Center, Sacheon City, Gyeonggsangnam-do


Activities & Announcements

1. Invitation to the Premiere of "Thank You, Master KIM (Intangible Asset No. 82)"

Thank You, Master KIM tells the story of a respected Australian jazz drummer and his search for an elusive South Korean shaman and grandmaster musician. It is a road movie, a philosophical encounter, a showcase of fascinating musicians rarely heard outside of Korea and a tribute to the universal language of music.

- Date & Time : August 11 (Wed) 14:00
- Venue : National Assembly Family Theatre (Gookhwe Gajok Geukjang), Yeouido, Seoul
- Program :
14:00-14:15 Korean traditional "East Coast Peculiar Exorcism's Ceremony" performance
14:20-15:30 Premiere of "Thank You, Master KIM"

Those students who wish to attend the premiere, please contact the following person:
Ms. Soo-Bin Jo
070-7019-0373
oscal@indieplug.net

The “Ethernet” Technology

Have you heard of the term “Ethernet?” Not Internet, mind you, but Ethernet. Well, I suppose it’s not exactly in our everyday vocab list.

Ethernet, stemming from the physical concept of the “ether,” refers to the computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). In simpler words, it is a system where multiple computers scattered far and wide can form a network and share information. This system is widely used in the banking or trading industry that operates hundreds of branch stores.

Traditionally, the Ethernet market has been dominated by advanced countries such as the US, Japan, and Germany. But recently, Korean industrial Ethernet technology has been adopted as an international standard, marking a milestone for advancing into the world market.

Let’s learn a bit about this Korean Ethernet technology.

Faster and Easier to Fix

According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy of Korea, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) approved of 5 RAPIEnet (Real-time Automation Protocols for Industrial Ethernet) technologies developed by Korea’s LS Industrial Systems. They passed the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS), which means that it is almost at its last step in becoming the international standard (IS).

LS Industrial Systems has developed RAPIEnet as a new industrial communications bus for use with its PLC (Power Line Communication) systems. The company says that in so doing the design has avoided the complications of hubs and switches and the accompanying excessive cabling required by established Ethernet technology.

RAPIEnet, while still compatible with the preexistent Ethernet standards, transmits data at a 1 GB-per-second speed and in case of a communications failure can repair the error 30 times as faster. It can be utilized in a variety of fields operated by automation systems such as semi-conductor and automobile manufacturing, or nuclear energy development.

Korea, the Forerunner of the Industrial Automation Technology

RAPIEnet is the fruit of the collaborative efforts between LS Industrial Systems and Hanyang University – corporation and academia. The volume of tangible and intangible profit generated by this technology’s approval as an international standard is incredibly huge. It laid the groundwork for Korea to advance into the global market of USD 10 billion’s scale. Also, the domestic market, worth of KRW 150 billion, which has so far been dominated by the USA, Germany, and Japan, is expected to be finally claimed back by the Korean technology.

It is also important to note the significance of the collaborative R&D efforts between corporations and schools, backed up by the government support. Korea will surely continue its endeavors to generate world-acknowledged brand-new technologies.

Spend the Summer at the Royal Palace

An event titled “Spending the Summer at the Royal Palace” is being held from July 24 through August 31 at Changgyeonggung Palace. Let me introduce it to you.

Upon entering the palace you will be able to see a banner in front of euhgoo (a stream flowing from a royal place) that traverses the palace.

The clear stream euhgoo flows along Geumcheon path with pleasant, gurgling sounds, and you can take a rest in the shades drawn by the lush trees planted along the path. The path is also adorned with a variety of aquatic plants such as lotuses and water lilies as well as twenty-some photographs.

<Euhgoo flowing along Geumcheon path>

You can spot friends, lovers, families here and there, as well as foreigners visiting Korea. There are kids on a field-trip with the assignment to observe water lilies and hyacinths. There are members of a photography club on an outing. The various aquatic plants with their beautiful features and purifying qualities grab people’s attention for a long time.

On the first day of the event, water lettuces known for their pollutant-fighting, purifying capacity were given out as a souvenir.

In the olden times, there were purported to be 8 ways of fighting the heat of the summer. According to Jeong Yak-Yong, a leading Korean philosopher in the late Joseon Dynasty, the 8 ways were :

1) Playing Baduk sitting on a cool bamboo mat
2) Practicing archery on a platform of pine trees
3) Playing the traditional Korean game of Tuho (throwing arrows into a jar)
4) Riding swings in the shade of a zelkova tree
5) Listening to the cry of cicadas in the forest
6) Writing poems on a rainy day
7) Washing feet in the moonlit night

How about trying a little vacation at Changgyeonggung palace, hmm?
Give it a try!

South Korea launches energy savings project in Chicago

Owners of some of Chicago's skyscrapers are hoping to tap into new technology that — by dimming lights or lowering water temperature on a massive scale — would dramatically cut energy usage and save millions of dollars.
The $25 million technology project is being bankrolled by the Republic of Korea, which has agreed to install energy-saving equipment in up to 14 Chicago buildings during the next few months at a cost of between $10 million and $20 million. The remaining money is pledged to Illinois colleges for research and development related to smart-grid technology.
Officials from Illinois and South Korea on Wednesday signed an agreement for the project at the Aon Center, one of the buildings being considered for the pilot project.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, which represents most of Chicago's downtown buildings said if the project were expanded to the entire downtown, the energy savings would be enough to shutter a coal-fired power plant. The project promises to position Illinois as a leader in smart-grid development, research and development, and related jobs.
South Korea has invested billions in the technology. It is wiring homes and buildings on its island of Jeju as a demonstration project that involves about 6,000 homes. They are being supplied with home appliances, TVs, electric vehicles and even wind mills that communicate with the electrical grid. South Korea plans to expand the smart grid to the entire country by 2030.
In Chicago, people working in the skyscrapers in the pilot might not notice the automated tweaks. The technology enables buildings to communicate back and forth with operators of the electric grid, drawing down power during peak demand hours that reap payments for "returning" energy to the constantly fluctuating power market, said Michael Cornicelli, executive vice president of BOMA/Chicago, whose members represent most of Chicago's office buildings.
"This has been done on a very limited basis in campuslike settings or individual office buildings, but not to this scale," he said.
Between four and 14 buildings will be selected for the project, Cornicelli said, mostly commercial office buildings but also large residential buildings. South Korean engineers are expected to complete their evaluation of 20 buildings whose owners have volunteered for the project this month. Except for the Aon Center, Cornicelli did not identify the buildings being considered.

source:Chicago Tribune