Sunday, 26 August 2012

Lab for Globalization of Korean Studies

Vyjayanti Raghavan (Associate Professor Korean Language, Literature & Culture Studies, JNU, New Delhi).

The Strategic Initiative for Korean Studies (SIKS) has itself been an innovative idea for initiating research in Korean studies.
It is committed to and has pioneered many excellent academic works around the globe in the field of Korean studies.
The recently launched Lab for Globalization of Korean studies is also one such innovative initiative which as the name suggests will be a lab for conducting research under the able guidance and direction of a Lab master who will bring together researchers of this area of study and also decide the topic of research.
The world has become far more interdependent now than ever before and it is only right that researchers of the same area of study are linked together for more productive, efficient and less duplication of research work.
In an era when Korea itself has gone global it is only right that Korean studies too become global to keep in tune with the growing interest in the area.
More than anything else, the funding of such globalization of Korean studies will ensure collective participation of researchers who may until now have had an interest but not had the funds to conduct meaningful research on Korea.
This initiative is innovative in that it will help simplify the procedure for conducting research by doing away with bureaucratic procedures and reams of paper work which have largely been responsible for procedural delays and for killing all incentive and motivation for research work.
It is innovative in that it no longer provides just an opportunity and financial aid for conducting research about Korea but will also initiate change in the subject matter to be studied and through that bring about a concurrent change in the global perception of Korean studies.
And which organization is better placed than the Academy of Korean Studies to provide such new models for innovation and experimentation?

Source: KSPS(Korean Studies promotion Service)
 

Friday, 17 August 2012

UN4U Asia-Pacific Photo Contest 2012

UN is holding photo contest for Asia-Pacific region from August 27 to September 21. Submit photographs illustrating the values of UN for a chance to win Nikon camera.




UN is holding a photo contest to raise awareness of the core values of UN: freedom from want, freedom from fear, dignity, solidarity, justice, protection, human rights, security, empowerment, sustainability, progress, equality, and peace.
Submit a photo depicting the values of UN in your neighborhood, city, country, or the Asia-Pacific region with a short description of how the photo illustrates the value of UN.

Submission Date: August 27 ~ September 21, 2012
Eligibility: be 18 years old or older by September 21, 2012 and be a resident of any Asia-Pacific countryPhotographs must have been taken in Asia-Pacific within one year of the competition closing date.

Submission
Submit the official entry form and up to 3 photographs at the competition websitePhotographs must be in high resolution digital format- JPG format- Up to 6MB- At least 300 dpi, minimum 8MP- No digital manipulation or alteration other than color correction and regular post production
Description of each photo should include title, date, and location of photo taken, and explanation of how the photo relates to the values of UN in 600 characters.

Judge
The entries will be judged on the following categories: relevance, creativity, technical quality, composition, and caption.The photo receiving the most “likes” on the contest’s Facebook page between September 24 and October 12 will be receive the Viewer’s Choice Award.Announcement will be made on the website by October 1, 2012.

Prize
1 Grand Prize: Nikon D70002 Runner Up Prizes: Nikon Coolpix P3101 Viewer’s Choice Award: Lowepro camera bag

Best of luck!

Monday, 6 August 2012

TOPIK - An Introduction


TOPIK, or Test of Proficiency in Korean is a Korean language test offered four times annually to foreigners in Korea and twice annually to people studying Korean in other countries. TOPIK is administered by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (Hangul: 한국교육과정평가원 Hanja: 韓國敎育課程評價院).The test was first administered in 1997 and taken by 2274 people. Initially the test was held only once a year.In 2009, 180,000 people took the test.[2] The Korean government introduced a law in 2007 that required Chinese workers of Korean descent who have no relatives in Korea to take the test so they could be entered in a lottery for visas.The test is divided into four parts: vocabulary & grammar, writing, listening, and reading. There is currently no oral section. Two versions of the test are offered: standard (S)-TOPIK and the business (B)-TOPIK. There are three different levels of S-TOPIK: beginner (초급), intermediate (중급), and advanced (고급). Depending on the average score and minimum marks in each section it is possible to obtain grades 1-2 in beginner, 3-4 in intermediate and 5-6 in advanced S-TOPIK. In B-TOPIK the scores in each section (out of 100) are added together to give a score out of 400. In addition to Korea, TOPIK is available in the following countries: Japan, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Paraguay, Argentina, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Turkey, Czech Republic, Egypt, Belarus, Russia, Brazil and Cambodia.

For more info: visit -  www.topik.go.kr
source: Google wiki

Sunday, 5 August 2012

unification of Korean peninsula.

If want to have fun, make new friends, meet interesting people while making a small contribution for the unification of Korean peninsula.





GPYC Korea Invites You To Join The Unified Korea Campaign

Want to do something different this time? Come join us from August 13th -15th and contribute in unified Korea Campaign. Students who will join us for 3days will go rafting on the 16th at Cheorwon, Gangwondo and take a trip to warzone! Students who do not have enough time can also apply to join for the 15th of August, but cannot join the rafting trip. Accomodation will not be provided.

Themes For Each Day

  • August 13: A day with North Koreans
  • August 14: A day with young children  
  • August15: GPYC with International Students

What Will You Do?

You will join Korean students and other international students in a campaign to collect signatures for a unified Korean Peninsula, hold pickets and wear costumes to grab attention and raise awareness for  Unified Korea. You will help to run the photo zone, video shows and help in the fundraising booth and side events like face painting, balloon arts and collect wishes for unification of Korean Peninsula.

How To Apply?

What Is GPYC?

GPYC stands for Global Peace Youth Corps and is active in Korea, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Mongolia. For more information visit: www.gpyckorea.org.

Why International Students?

We want international students to have an oppurtunity to join Korean students and youths from other nations to contribute to raise awareness for the unification process.

Monday, 14 May 2012

Guidelines about Internet submission of Visa Extension(D-4) and (D-2) in Korea

 the submission of Visa Extension Application form [D-4] and [D-2] can also be submitted through a Government for Citizen G4C website called "HI-KOREA".

To provide more convenience to International Students in Korea [ D-4, Student Visa ] and [D-2, Korean language training visa] while extending the sojourn period, your visa extension form can be submitted through Government for Citizens (G4C) website called HI KOREA (
www.hikorea.go.kr).

1. Target Work : -Application for permitting extension of Sojourn, Student Visa (D-2) and (D-4) Visa Holders

2. Application Method - Find the attachments.


The Ministry of Justice has made it compulsory to register the fingerprints at the time of extending period of sojourn. Accordingly while applying for Sojourn period extension through Internet , fingerprints registration will also be confirmed.

If Fingerprints are found not registered, then Application for Sojourn extension will not be accepted through Internet.
Note: Those who are under 17 years of age are exempted from Fingerprints registration and also exemted from G4C(Governemt for Citizens support) .

Notification of the changes in the standard of Scholarships given to International Students,Kangwon National University Korea


Notification of the changes in the standard of Scholarships given to International Students.

Office of the International affairs, Kangwon National Unversity hereby notifies to all the International Students about the change in the standards of the Scholarships provided by the University. International Students from all the concerned countries who are getting university scholarship are requested to update yourselves.
1. *
Major Changes

Division: Graduate Students/ Enrolled Students/ Merit based Scholarship Students

Current:
* Above 3.0 Average GPA until previous semester .

* Minimum 6 credits in a semester .

Amendments:


* average GPA should be above 3.5. until previous semester.
* Minimum 6 credits in a Semester
(Exception: If the student has an average of more than 4.0 GPA in total semesters and has completed more than 80% of the credits required for degree.)

Remarks: Including ACES and BEST KNU scholarship students.



* Duration of ACES and BEST KNU scholarship:

Current: MasterCourse -4 semesters
Phd. Course - 5 semesters
Masters and Phd. Combined Course: 8 Semesters


Amendments: Master Course- 4 semesters
Phd. Course: 6 semesters Masters and Phd. Combined course- 8 semesters.


* Undergraduate/ Graduate Merit based selection Scholarship:
Current: Students meeting all the required criterias according the scholarship standards.
Amendments: Students meeting all the required criterias according to the scholrships
depending upon the availability of University Funds every year.

Enforcement Period: Applied from the second semester 2012, (Merit based scholarships for 2nd semester of 2012 will be selected on the basis of 1st semester 2012 grades record).

Additional particulars: Merit based scholarhips for undergradauate students are not based on the standards includingKorean students. Merit competition is based on the standards of foreign students only. According to the grades among Foreign students, merit scholarship will be provided.
Study sincerely.

Undergraduate Students:
Among the International Students who have completed 15 credits Until Previous semester and having more than average GPA of 2.5.

1. Top 1% student: Exemption of 100% Tuition fees.

2. Top 5% student: Exemption of 100% Student Association Fees.

3. Top 10% student: Exemption of 50% Student Association fees.

4. Top 30% student: Exemption of Class Tuition fees


For Details: Contact Office of the International Affairs , KNU
Mr. Ha Kwon Young/ Mr. David
033-250-7194,
supportu@kangwon.ac.kr)

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

World Bank picks health expert Kim as president




http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/16/us-worldbank-idUSBRE83F0XF20120416


Jim Yong Kim, the U.S. nominee for the next World Bank president, leaves the Finance Ministry after a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi in Tokyo April 1, 2012.



Credit: Reuters/Issei Kato

By Lesley Wroughton



WASHINGTON
Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:35pm EDT



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank on Monday chose Korean-born American health expert Jim Yong Kim as its new president, maintaining Washington's grip on the job and leaving developing countries frustrated with the selection process.



Kim, a physician and anthropologist who makes for a somewhat unorthodox choice to head the global anti-poverty lender, won the job over Nigeria's widely respected finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, with the support of Washington's allies in Western Europe, Japan and Canada - as well as some emerging economies.



It was the first time in the World Bank's history that the United States' hold on the job was challenged.



The decision by the World Bank's 25-member board was not unanimous, with emerging economies splitting their support. Brazil and South Africa backed Okonjo-Iweala, while three sources said China and India supported Kim.



Kim, 52, who is president of Dartmouth College, will assume his new post on July 1 after Robert Zoellick steps down as head of the World Bank.



"I will seek a new alignment of the World Bank Group with a rapidly changing world," Kim said in a statement.



He said he would work to ensure that the World Bank "delivers more powerful results to support sustained growth; prioritizes evidence-based solutions over ideology; amplifies the voices of developing countries; and draws on the expertise and experience of the people we serve."



Okonjo-Iweala congratulated Kim and said the competition had led to "important victories" for developing nations, which have increasingly pushed for more say at both institutions.



Still, she said more effort was needed to end the "unfair tradition" that ensured Washington's dominance of the global development lender.



"It is clear to me that we need to make it more open, transparent and merit-based," Okonjo-Iweala said. "We need to make sure that we do not contribute to a democratic deficit in global governance."



Some development experts criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's choice as lacking the economic and financial credentials needed to respond to the needs of rising middle-income countries, which are still riddled with poverty but which are increasingly looking for innovative ways to finance their development.



The United States said the process was open and transparent, but a number of emerging nations questioned whether candidates were assessed on their nationalities rather than on their merits, as World Bank members countries had agreed in 2010.



The United States has held the presidency since the World Bank's founding after World War Two, while a European has always led its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund.



BREAKING THE MOLD



Unlike previous heads of the World Bank, Kim is not a politician, a banker or a career diplomat. He has worked to bring health care to the poor in developing countries, whether fighting tuberculosis in Haiti and Peru or tackling HIV/AIDS in Russian prisons.



His training and experience, including directing the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS department and developing treatments for a form of drug resistant tuberculosis, gave him immediate credentials as a campaigner on behalf of the poor.



He is also a founder of Partners In Health, which focuses on community health programs for impoverished nations. He earned both his medical degree and his doctorate in anthropology at Harvard University, where he helped set up the Global Health Delivery Project.



South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan welcomed the fact that non-Americans competed for the first time, but also said there were concerns the process was not fully merit-based.



"I think we are going to find that the process falls short of that," he said.



As part of their efforts to gain greater say in global financial institutions, emerging economies are also pushing for greater voting power at the International Monetary Fund.



Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said his country would not give additional money to the IMF to tackle the effects of the European sovereign debt crisis until the institution showed firm commitment to voting reforms.



Former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo withdrew from the race for the top World Bank post on Friday, saying the process had become highly political.



Nancy Birdsall, president of the Washington-based Center for Global Development, said it would be healthy if countries made public which candidate they supported and why.



"History was made because there were three candidates," she said. "In the next round it would be good to have more transparency about which board member supported which candidate for what reason."



Birdsall said it would be important for Kim to show early on that he was committed to change by appointing candidates from developing countries to other top posts.



(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)



कोरियाई प्रायद्वीप का बदलता भू-राजनीतिक परिदृश्य

 कोरियाई प्रायद्वीप पर उत्तर और दक्षिण कोरिया के संबंधों की वर्तमान स्थिति एक नए युग की भू-राजनीतिक प्रतिस्पर्धा का प्रतीक है। यह बदलाव वैश्...