A ‘green’ summit

Preparations for the G-20 Summit over the weekend at COEX, southern Seoul, where global leaders will meet later this week. The backdrop of the meeting room shows an image of a rice paddy, symbolizing “Green growth,” one of the Lee Myung-bak administration’s key initiatives.
photo:yonhap

Korea’s first newspapers published in late 19th century

The Independent (Dongnip Sinmun in Korean), the first independently owned newspaper in the nation, began operations in 1896 and published a four-page edition (three pages in Korean and one page in English) three times a week. It became a daily newspaper later and the English section was published separately. / Korea Times file

By Robert Neff

One of the first newspapers in Korea was the Hanseong Sunbo, which began printing on Oct. 31, 1883. It wasn’t the first newspaper in Korea ― that honor belongs to the Chosen Shinpo, a Japanese-owned newspaper first published in Busan on December 10, 1881 ― but it was the first newspaper published in Seoul.

Pak Yong-hyo, a young Korean reformist, is given credit as establishing the paper but much of managing the daily operations and editing of the newspaper was performed by Inoue Kakugoro. Inoue was a 23-year-old Japanese who, in addition to his role in the newspaper, worked as an advisor for the Korean Foreign Affairs Office. The Hanseong Sunbo, which was printed every ten days and was written in classical Chinese, was almost immediately in political trouble.

Prof. Lankov describes the Hanseong Sunbo as having “informed its readers of the political life of the country and the world as well as ran educational articles on modern science and philosophy.” But it did more than that. Inoue wrote scathing articles about the Chinese including one entitled “The savagery of the Chinese” which quickly gained the ire of the dominant faction of Korea. These articles were answered with a pamphlet, printed in Chinese, calling for Inoue’s death. The Chinese government also weighed in by sending a strong protest to the Korean government chiding it for allowing “very impolite” material to be published. The pressure from the Chinese government was too much and in May 1884 Inoue resigned his positions with both the newspaper and the Korean government and returned to Japan.



In August, Inoue returned to Korea but in what official capacity is unclear. It is clear, however, that he was a key member in a plot to overthrow the Korean government. On Dec. 4, 1884, a group of young Korean reformists – including Kim Ok-kuin, Pak Yong-ho and So Chae-p’il, aided by members of the Japanese embassy – including Inoue, tried to seize the government, but failed and were forced to flee to Japan.

Unsurprisingly, the office and equipment of the Hanseong Sunbo, which was deemed the “embodiment of dangerous ideas”, were destroyed in the subsequent unrest.

But Inoue and the newspaper could not be stopped. He returned to Korea in March 1885 and was soon afterwards implicated in interfering in Korean politics. The Japanese government wanted to arrest him but, surreally, Inoue sought and received protection from the Korean Foreign Affairs. The Korean government refused to extradite him and in 1886 he helped revive the Hanseong Sunbo as a weekly (Hanseong Jubo). Prof. Lankov notes that the Hanseong Jubo “was in some respects more radical than its predecessor” but was also responsible for several firsts including publishing some articles in vernacular Korean and the printing the first business advertisement in Korea. But like its predecessor, it was short-lived and closed its office in 1888.

But Seoul was not without other newspapers. Throughout the 1890s there were several small papers published by Japanese, including a paper that published some of its articles in hanguel. These papers, however, were correctly seen as Japanese sponsored endeavors and were tainted by the roles some of their members played in Japanese-Korean affairs including the savage murder of Queen Min.

In late 1895, Yun Chi-ho, who had studied abroad and had served as the interpreter for the American legation in Seoul during the early 1880s, tried to establish his own newspaper but failed. His diary entry of Dec. 2, 1895, describes some of the reasons why:

“Dr. [Horace] Allen and Mr. [John] Sill (American Minister to Korea) have fits of fear on them. Mr. [Homer] Hulbert and I wanted to start a paper. But Dr. Allen and Mr. Sill told Hulbert that the Legation would at once come down on anything of the sort. They could not allow any refugee to start a paper opposed to the government under the American auspices direct or indirect. The representatives of Uncle Sam went so far as to say that the present government is the government de facto, because all the decrees are in the name of the King! Funny! Were not the decrees which appeared soon after the murder of Her Majesty all in the name of the King? How is it then that the American Legation which maintained the illegality of the Cabinet soon after the murder, because the King's decrees were issued under coercion, now turns round and says that the decrees now issued are legal? This inconsistency and weakness of the Legations have wronged many a people.”

Although Yun was disheartened, he didn’t have long to wait. So Chae-p’il, now an American citizen, returned to Korea in 1895 and established what has been heralded as the first independently owned newspaper in Korea, aptly named Dongnip Sinmun or the Independent.

The Independent began operations in April 1896 and published a four-page (three pages in Korean and one page in English) edition three times a week. As the paper gained popularity, the English section was published separately and it became a daily. Naturally, Yun Chi-ho also became involved in the newspaper and eventually came to run it after So was forced to leave Korea in April 1898.

By its nature the Independent tended to clash with the Korean government. It published articles that strongly attacked the increasing Russian influence in Korean politics and uncovered and reported the wrong-doings of government officials. It may have inspired other Koreans to establish their own papers, such as Nam Kung-ok, who founded the Hwangseong Sinmun in 1898. Nam was decidedly anti-Japanese and was later (1900) the first Korean journalist to be charged with meddling in the affairs of the government when he reported that Russia and Japan had concluded a secret treaty to divide Korea. Nam was eventually acquitted.

At the end of 1898, Yun was given a government position and The Independent was turned over to Henry Gerhart Appenzeller, an American missionary, and H. Emberly, an Englishman. The paper under their leadership was far from a success. Horace Allen, who at this time was the American ambassador to Korea, wrote:

“The paper was continued in a deviatory fashion by an illiterate man named Emberly for a portion of the year 1899. At first he had some help from H.G. Appenzeller, but that soon failed him and his papers began to come out once in a few weeks and finally stopped in the autumn.”

Allen’s description of Emberly seems rather caustic considering Emberly was the foreman of the Trilingual Press in Seoul in 1898.

But there is more to the story of the Independent. Alarmed by the increasing power of the press, the Korean government wanted to have an English-language newspaper that would print the news the way it wanted. In December 1899, the Independent, its press and office were sold to the Korean government for 4,000 yen (roughly $2,000).

The Korean government then hired John O’Shea, a young Irish reporter working in Shanghai, to publish a semiweekly English edition of The Independent. Unbeknownst to the Korean government, O’Shea was truly the stereotypical “drunk fighting Irishman.”

When he arrived in Seoul in early January 1900, he allegedly began recruiting Koreans and foreigners to begin publication as soon as possible but the feigned enthusiasm that he displayed was soon disproved by his actions.

O’Shea began drinking every day and was a violent drunk. One modern Korean historian describes him as “a ruffian with no thought of producing newspapers. Drunk every day, whenever he saw a passerby he went wild, to the extent of beating them up as he liked ― sometimes firing his pistol at random.”

The Korean government appealed to the British Minister, Jordan, to intervene and help it remove O’Shea from Korea and to collect the wages that he owed to his staff, but Jordan refused. He claimed that the Korean government had hired O’Shea and it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that he was a man of good virtues. Fortunately for Korea, the 31-year-old O'Shea fled to Shanghai where, with the luck of the Irish, he was able to land a position as editor of the Shanghai Times in 1902.
SOURCE:Korea Times

Firms to highlight IT skills during G20

The country’s telecom and technology firms are preparing well-ahead for the G20 Seoul summit, which is only two weeks away.

The government and many local firms are making last-minute preparations to use the global event as a way to present their advanced technologies to the leaders coming from all over the world.

G20 Summit Preparation Committee is planning to set up an IT experience hall that introduces 60 years’ worth of the nation’s cultural assets at the COEX Convention Center in southern Seoul, which is where G20 will take place.

Through the use of multi-touch screen technology, visitors will be able to touch and feel Korean traditional clothes and houses as well as other images.

“We will enable other nation’s representatives to walk around Seoul and naturally find the merits of the advanced technologies of Korea,” said Kim Yoon-kyeong, a spokesperson for the G20 preparation committee.

It will also feature the must-see places in Seoul, designated by UNESCO, on a large screen, supported with virtualization technology.

The 3-D broadcasting hall, which will be first in airing real-time Internet protocol television (IPTV) programs in 3-D, will be located next to the IT experience hall. The effort will be carried forward jointly with the Korea Communications Commission and KT Corp.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government also announced a comprehensive G20 support plan earlier last week, claiming it will operate a 4-D image room from Nov. 8-13, near the main event hall.

Samsung Electronics unveiled its high-tech 4G total solution at an event called the “4G World 2010” in Chicago earlier this month. (Samsung Electronics)

The images of Mount Nam, Cheonggye Stream, Gwanghwamun, Digital Media City in Sangam, Yongsan and the renovated City Hall will be shown on the LED screen using 4-D technology.

It will arrange a Seoul IT Tour for the foreign press and make use of the 12 high-tech bus stations around the hotels where the global leaders will be staying to show-off the country’s advanced technologies.

KT Corp., the main telecom service provider for the G20 summit slated for Nov. 11-12, plans to provide mobile IPTV services so the global teams can watch news in their native languages even while they are on-the-go.

The country’s biggest fixed-line service operator will give out electronic pads that are equipped with wireless broadband networks for the teams to enjoy mobile IPTV service.

It is currently working with the embassies of the G20 nations to air their national television network programs using its technology.

The 3W network wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), Wi-Fi, WiBro will be available for wireless connection and a telecommunication support center will be established within the convention center, said KT officials.

It will continue to publicize the event using its micro-blogging site Twitter account.

“KT is not only supporting IT telecommunication services (for G20), but also putting emphasis on getting the word out about Korean traditional culture,” said a KT official.

LG Uplus, the smallest local mobile carrier, will participate in the G20 Communication Exhibition, scheduled from Nov. 5-13, together with Seoul City and the state telecom regulator KCC.

They plan to present the high-tech broadband convergence skills ahead of the summit.

Global electronics giant Samsung Electronics will create booths where the company’s strategies on green memory and green growth will be explained to summit participants.

The firm’s executive vice president Lee Yoon-woo is expected to take part in the G20 Business Summit’s green growth session.

LG Electronics is considering putting up 3D televisions and LED displays around the press center and the main meeting rooms of the COEX Convention Center. 

In a related move, the Federation of Korean Information Industries, together with the G20 ICT Policy Network, are planning to hold a forum on information and communication technologies called the G20 ICT Innovation Forum in the nation’s capital a few days before the summit on Nov. 9-10.

The event is scheduled to be attended by many prominent CEOs of local and global IT firms such as AT&T, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, KT and LG CNS as well as the OECD and World Bank.

The discussions are projected to be focused on ICT for smart and sustainable growth, achieving development goals in ICT, generating IT green growth and how to form global ICT infrastructure, said its officials.

According to a report released earlier by the FKII, countries are now making moves to achieve economic growth and improve quality of life by investing in IT, rather than proceeding with large-scale construction projects, in the global economy.

“It was found that the G20 members are putting in sums worth about $2 trillion to boost their economy in 2010-2011 and $100 billion was planned to be spent on IT,” it said. “Most of the IT funds will be used to provide tax incentives and give regulation relief or as direct investments.”

The report further elaborated that the G20 members are most likely to put in sums on establishing broadband networks, e-Health, intelligent transportation system, smart grid and e-government.

“ICT investments are necessary for it encourages high productivity and enhances economic competitiveness,” said Ahn Ah-won of FKII. “ICT allows us to adopt new skills, change the organization and add innovation to new businesses, which ultimately contributes to improving labor productivity.”

G20 committee ready to support visiting media

A government preparatory committee for the Group of 20 summit is busy ensuring they are ready for the influx of journalists from across the globe during the global economic forum, slated for Nov. 11-12 in Seoul.

About 4,000 journalists from more than 60 countries, including 1,700 reporters from overseas, have registered with the Presidential Committee for the G20 summit, which believes they will play a crucial role in helping enhance the country’s global image.

The committee plans to offer a simultaneous interpretation service in press conference and briefing rooms to prevent any inconvenience due to language. 

At the media center, the committee plans to run an information center providing interpretation in 14 languages. It has secured 42 simultaneous interpreters three for each language.

All briefing documents and schedules of major events will be provided online and offline, officials said. As a way to curtail the waiting time for journalists to enter meeting venues, the committee plans to give a Radio Frequency Identification card to registered reporters. 

The government and Seoul City are seeking to capitalize on the fifth summit in the capital to promote Korean culture and present the country to a world audience through the journalists. 

As part of the efforts, the municipality has been preparing a press tour, which will take visiting journalists to a series of historical tourist attractions such as Gyeongbok Palace, a Hanok village filled with traditional Korean houses, the Han River and major shopping areas.

From Nov. 9-11, the city plans to run a four-hour tour program and a two-hour tour program. During the press tour, interpretation services will be provided in English, Chinese and Japanese, officials said. 

“So far, a total of 200 foreign reporters have applied for the tour program. Although it is a short tour program, it would not be insufficient in showing the various facets of the South Korean capital,” said one of the tour organizers on condition of anonymity.

On Nov. 9, the Environment Ministry plans to run a tour program to take journalists to the Demilitarized Zone, the 258-kilometer-long, four-kilometer wide buffer zone dividing the two Koreas.

The committee also plans to offer a press package containing five items, including documents introducing the summit’s agenda and participants, a book on Korea, entitled “Korea at a glance,” and a Seoul City tour guidebook.

To safeguard visitors to the G20 summit, the government has been making all-out efforts to ensure security near commuting roads, hotels and the summit venue.

A total of 40,000 policemen and military forces will be mobilized for security against terrorist threats, while another 20,000 will be dispatched to restrict street rallies, government officials have said.

All areas within a radius of 600 meters of the COEX will be subject to special security measures, including the screening of high-rise buildings and biochemical weapon checks.

During the third G20 summit in Pittsburgh, the U.S. in September, 2009, about 2,500 journalists attended, according to committee officials. During the fourth summit in Toronto, Canada in June, about 3,500 journalists came. 

G20 Summit and Korea's image

By Behzad Shahandeh The designation of South Korea to host the fifth summit meeting of the Group of 20 is, beyond all doubt a diplomatic triumph for the nation, since it will be the biggest international event in contemporary Korean history, and far more important than holding the 1988 Olympics, or the 2002 World Cup. Seeing that the summit convenes and proceeds smoothly will be in itself a success and definitely boost South Korea’s image abroad. The achievement will be augmented if Seoul initiates and instills a number of policy agendas in the final proceedings of the summit, ensuring that they will be included in the deliberations to be followed at the next summit in France. Formalizing the ``go-green” concept initiated by President Lee Myung-bak, to become a Korean brand and be most welcome in a world evermore threatened by environmental degradation. South Korea needs to play an even greater role than it did at the London Summit by depicting itself as an emerging economic power. This entails adopting action programs and balancing agenda items on such divisive issues as the one involving China and the United States in relation to the devalued Chinese yuan. Seoul can become a bridge-maker, as both said countries see Korea as a partner rather than a competitor. Seoul can usher in a moratorium on the issue which can be dubbed as: ``Seoul Moratorium,” a brand-maker for Korea. The ``Miracle of the Han River” which has led Korea to rank 13th in world economic might, was achieved after a brutal colonial period followed by a destructive three-year war on the Korean Peninsula. This rapid economic development, when combined with the previously-mentioned assets, will be a winning ticket for Korea, and will do away with its negative stereotyping as just a hard power. The summit will provide a window of opportunity to reintroduce South Korea’s rich past and enviable present, and to revitalize its ``Visit Korea 2010-2020” slogan. A concerted and sustained effort in promoting Korea’s image globally is indeed a long process, but the summit is a golden opportunity to reintroduce the nation’s richness, both soft and hard, and to revitalize it. First and foremost, Korea needs to be more involved in voluntary humanitarian endeavors abroad, to play a larger role in ODA activities, to participate more actively in addressing global crisis situations, and to have a bigger share in international civic responsibilities. As an example of the positive image that South Korea already has ushered in is its contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, which is a plus for the nation’s image, and must be duplicated in other areas of international voluntary work. An important effort to ponder upon here is to enhance Seoul’s economic and humanitarian help to North Korea regardless of any other considerations, as rising above politics will go long a distance in presenting the real Korea and its rich heritage of caring for others. The Seoul G20 meeting will enable Korea to present its soft power based on a long history, rich civilization, cultural values ― especially the family ties so rare in a world confronted with family crisis ― and bountiful natural scenery. The beauty of Korea’s natural sceneries could be promoted through international tours through which foreign visitors would be able to discover this well-preserved environment, while at the same time experiencing the deeply-rooted sense of hospitality of the people. To the same effect, the cultural sector must promote the country’s rich history, civilization, and culture through numerous venues. A good example would be to continue presenting historical Korean family values through such television productions as ``Jumong” and ``Dae Jang Geum.” This must be accompanied by producing such modern dramas as ``Winter Sonata”. South Korea indeed has much more clout than a mere merchant nation and the G20 Summit in Seoul can contribute to revitalizing these assets while the world focuses on this event. A golden opportunity thus awaits Korea, an opportunity which must not be lost. The writer teaches at Graduate School of International Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He is the author of ``Economy and Politics in Korea.” He can be reached at: shahandeh2001@yahoo.com.

G20 to aim for sustainable, balanced growth

Six days are left before the G20 Seoul Summit, where leaders of key economies will gather to discuss global economic issues.

President Lee Myung-bak announced the four main agendas of next week’s G20 summit on November 1: resolving currency disputes, creating a global financial safety net, reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and development for underdeveloped countries.

In his 51st Radio and Internet Address to the nation on Nov. 1, President Lee expressed satisfaction with the results of the G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies' Meeting & G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, saying it showed great promise for the success of the G20 Seoul Summit. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting was held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on October 23.

President Lee Myung-bak at a press conference for domestic and foreign journalists covering the G20 Seoul Summit on Nov. 3

"The meeting produced good outcomes, thanks to a common understanding that international cooperation is essential for the world economy to continue its recovery and achieve balanced, sustainable growth," he added.

He also said that world leaders will seek concrete guidelines in order to solve currency disputes and reduce trade imbalances. The proposed currency guidelines are based on the results of the Gyeongju G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting.

The president said that the world needs to cooperate to build a strong global financial security network in order to prevent future economic problems.  He cited Korea’s experiences in the 1998 financial crisis, when 20,000 firms went bankrupt and more than 1 million people lost their jobs, as an example of overcoming economic difficulty.

President Lee pointed out that the International Monetary Fund has been run mainly by advanced countries in the past. Lee proposed that the IMF should let emerging economies like Korea, China, India and Brazil have a greater say.

Lee further spoke of the need for a new approach to helping develop the economies of poorer nations.  He said, "Instead of giving them fish, the international community should teach them how to catch fish, in order to create a fair economic and global community."

On Nov. 3, President Lee held a press conference with domestic and overseas journalists at Cheong Wa Dae to announce Korea’s continued efforts to achieve concrete outcomes at the upcoming gathering, especially the establishment of a global financial  safety network.  He also designated development issues as an area of particular concern for Korea. Lee said, "Now is the time for the G20 to translate what has been agreed upon at the previous summits into concrete action."

One of the proposed ways to strengthen the global financial security is a change in the IMF assistance system, Lee explained to journalists. "We are now living in an era when a crisis in one country immediately affects other countries. Against this backdrop, the IMF assistance system is being reformed to allow it to provide necessary funds to nations as a precautionary measure before a crisis hits," he said.  "This will count as one of the most significant achievements of the upcoming G20 Seoul Summit," he added.

The president also said that the world needs to adopt concrete action plans to help developing countries stand on their own by fostering growth potential. "Korea will help create action plans on the basis of its own development experiences," Lee added. He also said that he hopes that developing countries give a sustainable boost to the global economy, contributing to balanced development.

The G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies' Meeting & G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meetingwere held in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on Oct. 23

The president praised the G20 summit for evolving from a response to the global financial crisis into "a permanent forum that finds the proper direction and builds a frame to support the world economy." He also urged the wholehearted support of the country, so that the upcoming G20 will "lay a milestone in the global march for 'Shared Growth, Beyond Crisis.'"

Meanwhile, vice financial ministers from G20 countries will gather in Seoul on Nov. 8 to fine-tune the final draft of the Seoul Declaration, which G20 leaders will adopt at the summit. The draft is expected to contain a "standstill" proposal, anti-protectionism commitment, and support for market-determined exchange rate policies, which were agreed upon at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting in Gyeongju.

Korea's Hyosung to announce re-entry into India by Oct-end

Korean two-wheeler major Hyosung is set announce its plans to re-enter India by the end of this month. CNBC-TV18's Swati Khandelwal-Jain has learnt from sources that Hyosung has tied up with Garware Motors and will have its 650cc bikes assembled at Pune.

Hyosung will be looking at bringing in the GT 650R and the ST7 Cruiser. The company is going to make an announcement by the month-end i.e. on October 27.

Hyosung, sources said, would assemble the bikes in Pune. Hence, cost is expected to be quite competitive. They will compete with Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki in India. Hyosung had earlier come to India under the Kinetic-Hyosung alliance and had brought in then the 250cc bikes - the Comet and Aquila. But now they are bringing in the more powerful bikes, the 650cc bikes, a segment that is still untapped in the Indian market.