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Ensconced in yellow

Thousands of sunflowers welcome visitors as the Sunflower Festival 2010 is currently being held in Guwau Village in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. You can take a walk along the Nakdong-jeongmaek trail to see this field of sunflowers 900 meters above sea level.

The festival will run until the end of August with the theme "When nature meets arts."

source:korea.net

Los Angeles establishes Aug. 7 as 'Kim Yu-na Day'

Los Angeles decided on Aug. 3 (L.A. time) that Aug. 7, 2010 is “Kim Yu-na Day.”

This is to celebrate her visit to the city to receive the Proud Korean Award. Kim Yu-na was awarded on Aug. 7 by the Korean-American Leadership Foundation, as Los Angeles is where she won her first World Title.

“LA has many Korean-Americans. We are very happy to establish ‘Yu-na Day’,” said Herb Wesson of the Los Angeles City Council.

Kim arrived on Aug. 6 (L.A. time) and signed the resolution at the City hall. She also met Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and donated a signed pair of skates.

New prime minister appointed in South Korea reshuffle

Kim Tae-ho (left) will be South Korea's youngest prime minister for almost 40 years if confirmed

South Korea's President, Lee Myung-bak, has replaced the prime minister and seven ministers in the biggest cabinet reshuffle since he took office in 2008.

His nominee to be prime minister, Kim Tae-ho, was once a provincial governor.

Chung Un-chan stepped down as prime minister after parliament rejected the government's plans for a new city.

The reshuffle also comes less than two weeks after Mr Lee's Grand National Party won parliamentary by-elections seen as a referendum on the president.

In June, the ruling party suffered a major defeat in local elections.

Sunday's shake-up was "aimed at solidifying the keynote of moderate pragmatism-oriented policy based on communication and integrity", presidential spokesman Hong Sang-pyo said.

In addition to nominating Mr Kim for the largely-ceremonial premiership, the president also named new ministers of education, culture, agriculture, health, labour, the knowledge economy and special affairs. The key ministers of foreign affairs, defence and unification were not affected.

Mr Kim, the 47-year-old former governor of South Gyeongsang province, will be South Korea's youngest prime minister for almost 40 years if parliament confirms his appointment.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says he has long been mentioned as a rising star and is credited with leading several successful development projects along South Gyeongsang's coast.

Halfway through his five-year term, it appears that President Lee is looking for new energy to try to get things done that have not yet been possible and to cement some of his successes, our correspondent adds.

source:bbc news

Though somewhat late to arrive to the party, iPhones have taken off in Korea with a vengeance. And as the iconic s

martphone has seen its sales soar, its applications, or apps, have become a local phenomenon too. Just as amateur app designers have reflected local needs and tastes around the world, Koreans are coming up with their own games and solutions - with intriguing, lucrative, results.

Kim Si-hyun, head of the Chinese Character Education Research Institute, is one of the most famous lecturers of Chinese in Korea. Every semester his lectures at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Dongguk University and Sookmyung Women's University draw more than a thousand students. Despite his common touch, however, Kim long shunned the digital lifestyle. Social media or mobile phones, he felt, only served to undermine human-to-human contact. But this lifelong Luddite recently transposed his conventional popularity into a more high-tech form, with the hugely successful "Kim Si-hyun's Chinese Dictionary for Everyday Living," which shot to No 3 in the Korean store for applications for Apple's iPhone. So why the big change?

The story began in February of this year when Kim, who didn't even own a mobile phone, was asked by his students to develop and app for their iPhones that would help with their studies. Kim gave it some thought, consulted with business partners and, overcoming his technophobia, decided to give it a go. Besides a Chinese dictionary containing 2,300 key characters, Kim built several other apps that offered help in studying for Chinese tests, then watched as his creations became an overnight success.

Apple's iPhone arrived in Korea on November 28, 2009. In the nine months since then, the handsets and apps have become a phenomenon. After joining the revolution late, Korea's App Store now offers some 6,500 apps (there are around 134,000 available in total).

In Korea, app development is no longer the exclusive domain of techies. From corporations and public agencies to teachers and restaurateurs, app makers are popping up in all walks of life. As for apps themselves, their influence is being felt in economics, industry, politics and culture. For Korea, "The Age of the Apps" has truly arrived. "Compared to just three months ago, the demand for new apps has tripled," says Yang Soo-yeol, research chief at Inpion Consulting, a web services company. "To meet this demand, we see more and more app developing companies and individuals appearing almost every day."

As wildly successful as it's been, Kim's Chinese app is just one of a flurry of hits designed by and for Koreans. Seoul Bus, designed by second-year high school student Yoo Joo-wan, became a smash hit by telling Seoulites exactly how long they'd have to wait for their bus, whichever stop they were at. Since its release last December, Seoul Bus has been downloaded 560,000 times.

Seoul Bus also served another, hugely important role: teaching civil servants the value of openness. When the app was first released, the governments of Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province - on whose date Seoul Bus relied to work- tried to have it banned, saying that Yoo required their express permission to use the information about the buses. The public made their objections known, arguing that the information in fact belonged to them. The governments soon relented, and an app sensation was born.

For many Koreans, it was inspiring to see a student preparing for Korea's notoriously tough university entrance exams find the time to create an app. The moral seemed to be that whoever you were, and whatever your background, you could develop and make money from these programs.

Another app that's been clocking up big sales is Facial Recognition Physiognomy. Tapping into the old belief in assessing people's character through their faces, this app lets users access facial shots saved in their photo album then breaks them down into five areas. From this, it divines insights into what the future holds for him or her. In a country where fortune telling remains a popular pastime, the physiognomy app has been a big hit.

As anyone who’s spent time in Korea will tell you, delivered food is a staple of the local diet. Little surprise, then, that apps have appeared to cater to this demand, too.

Apps like Delivery Box and People of Delivery provide locations and phone numbers for chicken places, pizzerias, and a host of other take-out eateries. The apps offer access to menus and coupons that are only available through online orders, and even keep tabs on how long it’s been since the order was placed. More than 30,000 establishments across the country have signed up with these “delivery apps,” and more are doing so every day.

While catering to specific local needs, apps such as Delivery Box are also creating brand new experiences and new business opportunities. This, in turn, is creating a self perpetuating cycle of profit: As more innovative apps appear, more people want to buy iPhones.

Within just two months of iPhones and apps going on sale in Korea, the amount of online data used by Koreans more than doubled. Today, Korea’s iPhone users log an average of 442 MB per month, 44 times higher than regular cell phone holders. This exponential growth has had a positive knock-on effect to the economy. In the first quarter of this year, there were 6,689 job notices in the mobile communication and software sectors, up 51 percent from the same period a year ago. Between December 2009 and February 2010, there were also 1,325 companies newly registered in the publication, video, broadcasting and optional service provision sectors, an increase of 39 percent year-on-year. This vast increase, of course, coincided with the introduction of iPhone and the App Store in Korea.

According to KT, the Korean telecommunication company that brought the iPhone to Korea, the mobile data market could jump by 4.5 trillion won (US$3.8 billion) over the next three years. The paid contents market could rise by 1.9 trillion won over the same period, KT estimated.

From a country that held out against the iPhone longer than most, its arrival has been nothing short of revolutionary. Korea may not have been an early adopter of apps, but it’s a major player now.
source:korea.net

India: South Korea home appliances shows "two competing show" – LCD TV

Electronic appliances manufacturing, led by South Korea, has become the BRICs (BRICs: Brazil, Russia, India and China) emerging markets of India, the country leader brand, disdain for American and Japanese counterparts appliances.

Recent years, the South Korean home appliance giant Gaoqing Premium marketing strategies, frequently attack the Indian market, the final "Hard work pays off," South Korean home appliance has not only achieved a "market first" market share targets, and successful set the "best brand" brand leader. South Korea and from the end of last month, led by India's economic association agreement (CEPA) negotiations, a compromise ending the latter view, Korea is expected in the future will not only be limited to home appliances, including
Mobile
, Steel, computers and appliances, including the Indian market will also be blowing, "Korean wave", in Korea industry to penetrate the Indian market will also Japan and other developed countries, British and American Manufacturing Industry in the emerging countries strategy for overseas markets, produce a series of repressive impact.

Samsung Electronics announced on October 5, Germany's GfK market research institute in India
TV
Market statistics report shows the first half of this year Samsung flat-panel TV sales, accounting for overall market share of 26%, firmly occupy the league title. The July market share Samsung TV is increased to 29%, indicating that the Indian TV market lead Yiqijuechen "absolute strength." Especially
LCD TV
, Samsung Electronics sales since 2006, sales continued to control the number of units "champion" the throne. Although, Panasonic,
Sony
, Sharp and other Japanese TV series have enhanced the BRICs (BRICs), after the BRICs (also known as Next11 Brick 11 countries including: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam 10 countries), Yuan Wang of the five countries (VISTA: Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and Argentina) the emerging countries strategy for overseas markets by opening stores, distributors and government agencies to strengthen local public relations, human resources, etc. to the localization emerging market country to attack, but the Samsung LCD TV in India "double winners" of the record so far and even 1 to 2 years, no one can break.

Samsung Electronics Vice President Yin Fu-Gen (image display Division), said: "Samsung LCD TV market in India, the first half of the actual market share reached 39%, in July it reached 41%, while the second half of this year is expected to will be maintained at above 40%. the secret is that we derive the premium (high) Product marketing strategy firmly lock the Indian market high-end consumer habits. "Samsung Electronics since 2006, which stopped in the Indian market CRT TV and other low-end product sales, focus on LCD TVs and
Plasma TV
And other high-end product marketing. Holding high-dozen high-end line, just follow the Indian economic boom in recent years the level of consumption "upgrading can" trend; Samsung Electronics fashion colorful design, the use of feature-rich fashion, due to complex cultural trends in the consumption of local residents swept the Indian market.

9 16 LG Electronics announced the global launch for the first time, consumers living in the Middle East Islam that can read the Bible – "Koran" television. The 42-inch, 50-inch LCD TVs two, operating the menu screen at a glance the 114 mark, "the Koran" link icon, built-in recorder's 160GB hard drive is adequate to protect the audio to read the speed and quality, and easy operation standards The pronunciation is very suitable for devout Muslim audience to use. The company also announced that another will be launched in the Middle East in Arabic and car navigation products market in Nigeria, Africa's tribal language English subtitles television. It is learned that, through detailed consumer surveys to develop the local market characteristics, with the localization of LG Electronics products in overseas markets has become an important component of development strategy.