KBS와 함께 했던 "우리 말 겨루기"

Cosmopolitan view a key to success

Many perceive globalization as a fairly modern trend, but an expert of 6th-century Korean history said it is not a new concept, a foreign expert on the 6th century Korean history. In fact, it has existed ever since the Silla dynasty. “The Silla dynasty’s cosmopolitan world view had led to the reunification of the three dynasties ― Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla ― and the world approaches of the Silla dynasty much resemble the modern Korea’s world view ―- which made both successful,” Pankaj Mohan, Silla expert and professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, told The Korea Herald. The Indian professor, who has devoted two-thirds of his life to Korean studies and Korean history, said his research about Korea was inspired by a poem by an Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. The enlightening passage he read goes like this: “In the golden age of Asia/Korea was one of its lamp-bearers/and that lamp is waiting to be lighted once again for the illumination in the East.”

Pankaj Mojan says “I just want to make Korea accessible in many ways to the outer world.” (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)

Since then, he has focused on Korea’s influence on other Asian countries and discovered intriguing similarities between the 6th-century Silla dynasty and modern Korea’s development. “Silla scholars studied the outer world, where they got their guiding principles that gave them both originality and creativity. Likewise, in contemporary society, Korea is also prosperous, because they are out in the world learning foreign ideas and creativity while keeping their traditional values at the same time.” “Silla, too, became one of the most advanced and formidable powers in the Korean peninsula because of such traits. A country can become strong by opening the door to the world ― by learning from the experience of other cultures and countries.” As an example, he cited the Silla settlement in the Shandong area of China - much like Koreatowns in other countries these days, “A large number of Silla people settled in Shandong area and had their own temples too,” he said. When he began Korean studies back in 1976 in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, his parents were skeptical about learning the Korean language as a way to build a career. “My parents thought that if I studied English literature or other languages such as French or German, I would have better job prospects.” “But I was encouraged to study this field after meeting with a very good master, Seo Kyung-soo, from Dongguk University, who had established Korean history for the first time in New Delhi.” Through Seo, he had developed a firm belief that Korea would prosper, just as Tagore foresaw in his poem. “The lamp has been lit up,” he said. “I was convinced at that time that Korea is the country of the future. Small as it may be, it is a dynamic economy with lot of potential.” He also found the study of the Korean history insufficient. “It was like a well kept secret, not properly explored, I wanted to be the frontier.” Many scholars in the west tend to study Chinese or Japanese history rather than Korean history, he said but pointed out that by understanding Korea, one can understand China and Japan with clarity. “Korea’s influence and transformation have greatly affected their histories.” “I want to highlight the role of Korea in introducing the Buddhist culture to Japan and the ways in which the Koreans adopted the Chinese culture to their situation.” In recognition of his contribution to the development of Korean studies at home and abroad, Seoul City recently gave him honorary citizenship. “When you see a well, you should think about people who worked hard to dig that well. Likewise, the honorary citizenship makes me think about ancestors of Seoul, those past leaders who worked hard to make the capital a beautiful city. I feel a great responsibility to do something to add to its dynamism and to make Korea and Seoul better understood to the outside world.” Currently, Mohan is a faculty head at the academy and also a professor at Sydney University in Australia. He is on a three-year leave from the university, which he is spending in Korea.

Stories of the Month

Major Events 
1. DESIGN KOREA 2010 
In connection with the G20 Seoul Summit, DESIGN KOREA 2010 under the theme of "Convergence though Design" will simulate the convergence of various values and present strategies for a new vision and growth of the design industry with the participating countries, companies and professionals. The exhibition seeks what directions design must take for a sustainable future and tries to communicate them to the visitors. 

www.designkorea.or.kr  

- Period : December 7 – 12, 2010 
- Venue : COEX Hall D (3F) 
- Hosted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy 
- Organized by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion 

2. Gyeonggi Food Festival 2010 

www.foodfestival.co.kr  

- Period : December 3 – 5, 2010 
- Venue : KINTEX Exhibition Hall 5A, Gyeonggi Province 
- Hosted by Gyeonggi Province 


Activities & Announcements 
1. The 3rd Awards Ceremony & 4th Kick-Off

- Time : December 3 (Fri) 08:30~12:30
- Venue : National Museum of Korea, Lecture Hall 2 - Participants : 3rd and 4th batch of WSK 

2. The 4th Camp
- Time : December 17-18 
- Venue : Asan, Namyang, Jeonju etc (*Details to be informed later) 
- Participants : 4th batch

3. Survey Request for www.koreabrand.net 
The Council invites members of WSK to participate in a brief, online satisfaction survey for its official web site www.koreabrand.net. Your opinions will be very helpful in improving our site.

The survey can be accessed at the following link :
http://koreabrand.rankey.com/research/research_en.html  

Korea on the Road to First Class

  

 

Chairwoman Lee Bae-Yong of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding on November 15 gave a lecture for the KBS program “The Road to First Class.”
  

The lecture was on the subject of Korea’s nation brand and the impact of the G20 Seoul Summit.

“Made in Korea” Impact

“Despite the increasing sales of Korean products globally nowadays,” Chairwoman Lee explained, “they still get about a 30% discount compared to similar products made by some other nations because of Korea’s undervalued nation brand.”

Giving examples of French perfume and wine which are products backed up by the country’s strong nation brand, Lee emphasized the importance of nation brand in generating economic profits.

“We need to work on increasing trust and preference for so-called “Made in Korea.” Also, it is getting more and more important nowadays to have strong “software” such as cultural content, human resources and spiritual values as well as hardware.”

Lee also touched upon Korea’s numerous timeless cultural heritages, saying, “I wish to share Korean values and spirits that are imbued in those historic and cultural legacies with the world. Korea’s astounding growth in the 20th century was made possible only because it was backed up by such virtues as harmony, sharing, communication, regards for life and nature.”

“To raise Korea’s nation brand, it is important to have active civic participation. The Council will make best efforts to achieve the goal with 5 major areas of work that we designated which include contributing to the international community, cultivating global citizenship, promoting multiculturalism, developing attractive culture and tourism, and showcasing advanced technology.”

“Korea, as seen in its age-long history and countless cultural relics, has admirable spirits – perseverance, cooperative and pacifist inclination, modesty, warmhearted regards for others. It is important that we remember these timeless virtues of ours,” Lee stressed.

* Chairwoman Lee Bae Yong’s lecture on the program “The Road to First Class” (aired on November 20) can be viewed at the following web page:

 http://www.kbs.co.kr/1tv/sisa/firstclass/vod/

인도 네루대학, 남아시아 한국학연구 허브됐다

【서울=뉴시스】이현주 기자 = 한국학중앙연구원이 22일 인도 뉴델리에서 네루대학과 학술교류와 연구협력 증진을 위한 양해각서(MOU)를 체결했다.

한국학진흥사업의 하나로 인도·한국 비교 등 공동연구, 학생과 연구자 교류 등을 추진한다. 인도와 주변국의 한국학 거점으로 육성해 남아시아 한국학 네트워킹을 지원할 계획이다.

MOU 체결과 함께 열린 학술대회에서는 올해부터 발효된 포괄적 경제협력협정(CEPA)으로 변화된 한국과 인도의 정치, 경제, 안보 등 다양한 분야에 관해 양국 한국학 학자들의 의견을 교환했다.

인도 네루대학 한국어문학과 과장인 비자얀티 교수는 “인도는 산업 발전과 비교할 때 교육 분야의 수급 불균형으로 양질의 교육을 받을 수 있는 기회가 적다”며 “그만큼 교육 투자에 대한 해외 교육기관의 적극적인 투자가 기회가 될 것”이라고 전했다.

네루대학교는 델리대학교와 함께 인도의 명문으로 손꼽힌다. 1971년 한국어문 과정이 설립됐으며 300명 이상의 한국어 전공학사를 배출했다. 1995년 학위과정이 설치된 이후 100명 이상의 인도인을 포함한 외국인 한국어문학 석사를 배출했다.

Seoul’s economy remains ‘stable’ despite N.K. attack

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has taken initiatives to minimize the possible repercussions of North Korea’s attack for Seoul’s economy such as a reduction in foreign investment and a decrease in the number of tourists. While strengthening monitoring of trends in the economy, the city has established a cooperative network with related government agencies to jointly cope with the situation.

City officials held an emergency meeting on Nov. 25 under the chairmanship of Mr. Young-gyu Kwon, Vice Mayor I for Administrative Affairs, to assess the impact of the North Korean artillery attack on the financial markets in and outside Korea and discuss measures to counter possible economic repercussions and public anxiety.

The city government has been closely monitoring developments at major tourist attractions and the tourism industry in Seoul and is making every effort to ensure the perfect safety of foreign tourists.

Seoul City will closely work with foreign businesses and organizations in monitoring overseas economic trends so as to prevent distortions of the Korean market like the ‘Korea Discount’ phenomenon, while exerting special efforts to ease fears of foreigners living in the city.

In addition, the city government has tightened supervision of prices of goods that are related to everyday life of citizens, including the agricultural and fisheries products, in order to secure stability in price and supply of those goods.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said there has not been a remarkable change in the number of foreign tourists since the North Korean shelling. Despite cancellation of some scheduled visits, tourism, in overall terms, remains stable.

Foreign tourists now in Korea do not seem much disturbed and are visiting major attractions in the city like Cheonggyecheon Stream, Gwanghwamun Square and Bukchon Hanok Village as usual. The number of visitors to these places has not changed much, a city official said.

Quoting stock analysts, major foreign media including Reuters have reported that the skirmish was not likely to bring about big plunges in foreign investor sentiment.

North Korean provocations are an issue already familiar to foreign investors and therefore, the new military collision is not likely to cause their exodus from the Korean market, they said, forecasting a limited impact.

Standard and Poor’s, Fitch, Moody’s and other international credit-rating agencies also have predicted that despite the fears caused by the North Korean attack, Korea’s credit rating would remain the same.

Hang Do Choi, Assistant Mayor for Economic Promotion Headquarters of Seoul Metropolitan Government, said that Seoul citizens have returned to normal life and Seoul’s economy also has been back to normal thanks to the prompt countermeasures to relieve fears in and out of the country. The city government is all prepared to ensure that foreign investors and tourists do not face any small inconvenience while in Seoul, he said.
Source : Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shades of Taj Mahal