Cultural diversity served up at Seoul Friendship Fair

Over 60 countries came together in downtown two weekends ago for a two-day journey around the world at the Seoul Friendship Fair. Celebrating its 18th year, the multicultural festival spotlighted the delicacies, cultures, and tourism of participant nations from May 4 to 5.

The festival stretched from Seoul Plaza north to Cheonggyecheon, ranging from staged performances to tents offering a variety of multicultural delights to the crowds of visitors and participants representing nations from all around the world.

The Seoul Friendship Fair began in 1996 in celebration of Seoul Citizens’ Day. It was connected with the Hi Seoul Festival from 2003 until 2010, when it separated and extended to two days. In 2011 it attracted 300,000 people, and in 2012 the number reached 400,000 -- 150,000 of which were foreigners.

The opening ceremony took place at 5 p.m. in Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul Metropolitan Library with a street parade and speeches from Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and diplomatic envoys.

The opening ceremony of the Seoul Friendship Fair featured a performance with the Rainbow Choir and the Hand-in-Hand Chorus (photo: Yonhap News).

Seoul Plaza was lined by tents displaying the artistic, cultural, and tourism highlights of the more than 60 countries participating in the World Traditional Folk Art Exhibition and the World Tourism Exhibition. The event especially highlighted the cultures of ASEAN countries. There was also a special playground set up on the grass for children to celebrate Children’s Day, which fell on the second day of the festival.

A stage in the square offered a program of cultural performances from 14 of Seoul’s sister cities from around the world, including Maputo (Mozambique) Minsk (Belarus), Jakarta (Indonesia), and Hokkaido (Japan). As well, a guerrilla K-pop flash dance mob kept the event spontaneous with unannounced performances.

In front of the entrance to City Hall, visitors could see an exhibition of pictures painted by international students attending foreign schools in Seoul. Themed on “How I See Seoul in 2030,” pictures depicted hopeful scenes of Korean unification, lush urban environments with skies populated with flying cars and hoverboards, robots performing a variety of tasks including defense, waiting tables, and even serving as president, and more fantastical images including Seoul as an orbital space station and a dinosaur rampage through the city.

International students submitted paintings themed on "How I see Seoul in 2030" including Sophie Bradshaw's depiction of Seoul (left) as a mountainous region with lots of green parkland between tall highrises (photos: Jon Dunbar).

The road stretching north to Cheonggyecheon through Mugyo-dong was lined with the tents of the World Food Fair offering a variety of national cuisines from around the world. From the more familiar Turkish doner kebabs and Indian curries to more exotic fare including Afghanistani chicken kebabs and Belarusian sausages, the World Food Fair offered a surprise for everybody.

The English-language radio station TBS eFM had a DJ booth set up in Seoul Plaza for live broadcasting. “I was there to co-host The Steve Hatherly show but then stuck around for three hours enjoying it,” said on-air personality Dain Leathem. “I tried Sri Lankan food, very nice, and Egyptian dessert, which was my fav. It was sort of a coconut slice or cake with honey. I also had some Indian which was fantastic as ever and some South American dishes too -- but forgot which country.”

The tents were run by foreign embassies and communities based in Seoul. Visitors had the chance to register in advance of the festival to participate in cooking classes to learn how to make international foods including the popular Japanese snack tacoyaki and Colombian patacones made from a fried banana.

The Afghanistan tent offered up chicken kebabs (left) and the Indian tent had tandoori chicken on offer (right) (photos: Jon Dunbar).

A stage was also set up in the middle of the road for Music Café, which offered musical performances throughout the weekend from countries including Iran, Peru, Azerbaijan, and Sri Lanka.

The World Food Fair extended to Cheonggyecheon, which also offered a variety of other attractions. Visitors could try out different types of traditional clothing from around the world at the World Culture Experience and watch traditional folk plays. There were also tents dedicated to social enterprises and international organizations including the urban development institution Citynet and the One Korea Festival.

“I really thought that the event did a great job of opening up people's eyes to other cultures -- with the parade, booths and food tents being well run,” said Leathem, a New Zealander. “The event is essential for Seoul and Korea as it opens up and becomes more multicultural and I wish more people knew about it. Overall I really enjoyed it, told as many people as I could, and would go again.”

Seoul Plaza was lined with tents presenting information on the traditional cultures and tourism industries of over 60 countries.

The closing ceremony began at 5 p.m. on Sunday, with an awards ceremony given to the outstanding countries participating in the World Food Fair and the traditional folk art exhibition, a farewell ceremony by the sister city performers, and a declaration of closing.

For more information about this year’s Seoul Friendship Fair, visit the official website. 
Source:Korea.net

India thrash South Korea 6-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup

It was a commanding performance from the Indians as they dominated the first half, racing to a comfortable 3-0 lead. (Sultan of Johor Cup Photo)

The Indian colts scored three goal each in either half at the Taman Daya Hockey stadium to continue their unbeaten run in the six-nation tournament.

It was India's fourth win on the trot in the tournament, having defeated England (2-1), Argentina (3-2) and Pakistan (4-0) in their previous matches.

For India, Amit Rohidas (7th minute), Satbir Singh (9th), Talwinder Singh (31st) netted three goals in the first half, while Amon Mirash Tikey (57th), Ramadeep Singh (62nd) and vice-captain Affan Yusof (65th) score three more on the other side of the break.

Korea's lone goal came from the stick of You Seung Ju in the 34th minute.

India will take on hosts Malaysia in Sunday's final. Malaysia also secured its place in the summit clash after defeating Pakistan 4-2, their fourth consecutive win, in the last round-robin match of the day.

Both India and Malaysia, who have 12 points each in their kitty, will play each other in their last round-robin engagement on Saturday.

Against Korea, the Indians came up with a commanding performance and dominated the share of exchanges in the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

It took India just seven minutes to open the scoring through drag-flicker Rohidas who converted a penalty corner with precision that Korean goalkeeper Lee Se Young had no answer.

India doubled their lead two minutes later through a field goal from Satbir after he was set up by Harjeet Singh.

Talwinder made it 3-0 for the Indians four minutes from half time through another field strike.

The Koreans, however, managed to pull one back three minutes later when You Seung Ju scored from a penalty corner.

India slowed down the pace after the lemon break and conceded a few penalty corners but the Koreans failed to utilise the scoring chances.

After a slow start to the second half, India gradually took control of the proceedings and scored three more field goals to run away with the match.

Amon Mirash Tikey scored India's fourth goal in the 57th minute before Ramandeep scored his fifth goal in the tournament five minutes later. Yusof completed the rout for Korea five minutes from the hooter.

India's chief coach Gregg Clark was full of praise for his wards after their sterling performance.

"It was a good performance and this surely gives me a welcome headache as we have several more players back in India that are fighting for a place in the final 18 to the Junior World Cup," Clark said.

"We are playing well and credit to the boys who are executing our tactics and plans well on the pitch. As a coach this is something we look towards hence the performance in the last two matches has been on the rise," he added.

Source:The Times of India

Korea, Taiwan top world earth science Olympiad

Korea walked away the winner at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2013 which was held in Mysore, India, earlier this month.

The four Korean high school students who represented Korea competed with 101 students from 27 countries for nine days starting on September 11. The latest victory made Korea the IESO winner for three years in a row, a total of three golds and a silver medal at the annual competition, tying Taiwan for first place. A total of ten gold medals, 19 silvers, and 30 bronzes were awarded at this year’s Olympiad.

Korean students pose after winning the IESO 2013 which was held in Mysore, India (photo courtesy of Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity).

Han Sang-woo of Incheon Science High School (second from right) poses for a photo after being awarded the grand prize at the IESO 2013 (photo courtesy of Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity).

Korean students pose for photos after winning IESO 2013 (from left): Han Sang-woo (Incheon Science High School), Lee Juho (Hanseong Science High School), Kim Hee-jun (Busanil Science High School), Lee Min-yeop (Gyeongnam Science High School) (photo courtesy of Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity).

Among the four Korean students, Han Sang-woo of Incheon Science High School was awarded the grand prize for receiving the highest score in astronomy.

From left: Kim Hee-jun, Lee Min-yeop, Lee Juho, Han Sang-woo

The IESO marks its seventh year since its first competition held in 2007 in Korea. Composed of theory and practice tests, the annual Olympiad is designed to assess students’ comprehensive understanding of earth sciences and their capability to interpret natural phenomena, including circulation and changes of the Earth. The IESO includes individual tests and teamwork, requiring students to team up with students from other countries, conduct field research, and discuss the results.

Under the theme “The Earth is indeed a family,” this year’s IESO tests focused on global issues such as natural disasters including climate change, flood, typhoons, and earthquakes, as well as development and abuse of natural resources, and air and seawater pollution. The next IESO will be held in the United States in 2014.

Source:Korea.net

Literacy programs in India, Chad, win Sejong prizes

 

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1965.

In celebration of the day, UNESCO Headquarters played host to a variety of events on September 9, one of which was the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize awards ceremony.

Inspired by the spirit of Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), who created and promulgated the Korean alphabet Hangeul, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) kicked off the King Sejong Literacy Prize in 1989 to recognize individuals and groups for their dedication to spreading such Sejong spirit and increasing the world’s literacy rate.

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes for 2013 went to two literacy programs in India and Chad.

Two UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize winners for 2013: the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) (left) and the Federation of Associations for the Promotion of Guera Languages (FAPGL) (photo courtesy of UNESCO)

India’s Saakshar Bharat Mission conducted by the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) under the Ministry of Human Resource Development received one of the two UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes.

The mission activities include basic education, vocational education, functional literacy, and women’s equality.

Working in 26 languages, the program reaches almost 10 million Indians in 25 regions of the nation annually and works with out-of-school youth, women, and minority groups, addressing issues such as low-level adult literacy and inequality in literacy education.

At the Paris-based UNESCO Headquarters on September 9, UNESCO Direct General Irina Bokova (second from left) awards a UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize to the representative from the Federation of Associations for the Promotion of Guera Languages (FAPGL) (photo courtesy of UNESCO).

The second prize was picked up by the Mother Tongue Literacy program from the Federation of Associations for the Promotion of Guera Languages (FAPGL).

The program was awarded the prize in recognition of its diverse training programs including language education and income-generating activities as well as development and standardization of the Guera languages which has helped promote the literacy of the Guera people.

Since it was initiated in 2012, 13 languages have been taught in 143 literacy centers for 6,577 learners, of whom 5,356 were women and young girls who are even more vulnerable to illiteracy.

2013 King Sejong Literacy Prize laureates (third, fourth from left) (photo courtesy of UNESCO)

Source:Korea.net

Korea, ASEAN have in-depth economic discussion

A series of economic ministerial meetings were held in Brunei from August 19 to 21, including the 10th Korea-ASEAN Summit Meeting, the 16th ASEAN+3 Summit Meeting, the 1st Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the EAS Summit Meeting.

Korean Minister Yoon Sang-jik of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) attended each meeting to exchange views with economic ministers on the economic relationship between Korea and ASEAN countries.

At the 10th Korea-ASEAN Economic Ministerial Meeting on August 20, participating ministers evaluated the current system of origin authentication and trade liberalization for additional products and agreed to fully utilize the Korea-ASEAN FTA by enhancing the quality of services and improving investments.

ASEAN+3 Economic Ministerial Meeting (photo courtesy of MOTIE).

The 16th ASEAN+3 Summit Meeting, a network of ten member countries of ASEAN with China, Japan, and Korea, was held on the same day. Ministers from 13 countries discussed current activities carried out by the East Asia Business Council (EABC), comprised of each nation’s business leaders who work together to provide a private sector perspective.
Inaugurated in 2011, the EABC seeks to strengthen private sector cooperation in Korea, Japan, China, and ASEAN and its chairmanship changes on annual basis.

Korean Economic Minister Yoon Sang-jik (back row, fourth from right) participates in the EAS Summit Meeting in Brunei on August 21 (photo courtesy of MOTIE).

A day ahead of the two ministerial meetings, the 1st Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership was held on August 19. Ten ASEAN member states and its FTA partners (Korea, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and India) confirmed their aim to conclude the FTA scheme by the end of 2015 and agreed to hold the tenth and final round of negotiations in September 2015 in Korea.

On August 21, the East Asia Summit (EAS) was held by leaders of ASEAN and RCEP member states along with the U.S. and Russia. Economic leaders from 18 countries agreed at the meeting to turn the informal summit meeting into a formal consultative community starting this year.

The participating ministers talked about how to finalize the current issue of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and exchanged comprehensive views on East Asia economic integration. In addition, the 18 economic leaders confirmed their resolve to cooperate against protectionism that seems to be on the rise during the ongoing economic crisis.

Korean Minister Yoon has a bilateral talk with Indian Minister H.E. Arnand Sharma of Commerce and Industry (top) and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (bottom) on the sidelines of the economic ministerial summits (photos courtesy of MOTIE).

On the sidelines of the series of economic meetings, Minister Yoon had bilateral talks with other ministers from countries including the U.S., China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and New Zealand. The talk with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman marked the first historic meeting, while Yoon discussed regional integration with Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheong, including issues related to the Korea-China FTA and the direction of RCEP.
Source:Korea.net

Busan International Film Festival opens with ‘Vara’

 

The program for the 18th Busan International Film Festival was unveiled recently. The ten-day festival will open with Vara: A Blessing by Bhutanese director Khyentse Norbu and close with Korean director Kim Dong-hyun’s The Dinner.

The opening film Vara: A Blessing by director Khyentse Norbu (photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

Vara: A Blessing tells a story of love, self-sacrifice, and a woman’s strength in adversity. The story, set in rural India, is about a young woman named Lila, who falls in love with Shyam, a low-caste village boy hoping to be a sculptor.

The Dinner starts as the story of an ordinary family but a series of misfortunes leads them to a tragic state. It is the recipient of the 2011 Asian Cinema Fund script development fund.

The festival will take place on 35 screens at seven movie theaters in Busan from October 3 to October 12.

A total of 301 films from 70 countries will be shown. There will be 95 world premiers that are presented to audiences for the first time and 42 international premiers that are shown for the first time outside their home countries.

The closing film The Dinner by director Kim Dong-hyun (photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

The Gala Presentation program that introduces recent works by renowned directors or sensational projects will show off six films: Ana Arabia by Israeli director Amos Gitai, Nagima by Kazakhstani director Zhanna Issabayeva, Snowpiercer by Korean director Bong Joon-ho, The X by Korean director Kim Jee-woon, Kadal by Indian director Mani Ratnam, and Unforgiven by Zainichi Korean director Lee Sang-il.

An experimental work, Ana Arabia was filmed in only one take. The film contains a message of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Muslims.

Snowpiercer was already released in Korea in August but it is included in the program. “It will be the first time for Snowpiercer to be shown at a major film festival,” said Nam Dong-chul, a BIFF programmer. “Since it will be reedited for screening in North America, if you want to see the full version, you will have to see it in Busan.”

Unforgiven by Japanese director Lee Sang-il (photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

The Korean Cinema Today program will include Kim Ki-duk’s Moebius, which was invited to the ongoing 70th Venice Film Festival’s noncompeting section as well as Hong Sang-soo’s Our Sunhi, which won Hong the Leopard Award for Best Director at the 66th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. Nobody’s Daughter Haewon by Hong is also included in the program. For Moebius, the festival will show a version reedited with three minutes cut for general screening.

There are also several special programs -- Unknown New Wave Central Asian cinema and Rogues, Rebels and Romantics: A season of Irish cinema -- focusing on films produced in former Soviet countries and works by Irish filmmakers.

There is also the Korean Cinema Retrospective introducing over 70 films by Korea’s master director Im Kwon-taek.

For the Asian Film Market, a total of 142 institutions from 27 countries will set up promotional booths at BEXCO. Book to Film, a venue for publishers or copyright holders looking to sell original printed work copyrights and producers seeking to purchase them, will include webcomics and graphic novels as well this year.

(From left) BIFF Director Jay Jeon, Festival Director Lee Yong-kwan, Executive Programmer Kim Ji-seok (photo courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

Speaking of what differentiates this year’s event, Festival Director Lee Yong-kwan told journalists on September 3, “We will present a lot of works by young Asian directors. It will be an opportunity to show the identity of the Busan International Film Festival this year.”

Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-E’temad will lead the jury for the New Currents section, BIFF’s competition category.

Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will moderate the opening ceremony. Among the major guests are Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang, Chinese director Jia Zhangke, Artistic Director Charles Tesson of Critic’s Week at the Cannes International Film Festival, Irish director Jim Sheridan, and Japanese directors Lee Sang-il, Aoyama Shinji, and Kore-eda Hirokazu.

Poster of the 18th Busan International Film Festival (image courtesy of BIFF organizing committee)

 

Source:Korea.net

President emphasizes shared growth, cooperation

President Park Geun-hye returned to Korea after successfully finishing her eight-day trip which included the G20 Summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and a state visit to Vietnam. Her latest overseas visit is considered her diplomatic debut in the European region since her inauguration. Her state visit to Vietnam, the first Northeast Asian country of her choice, also received favorable marks in strengthening Korea’s cooperation with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

At the Saint Petersburg G20 Summit, President Park stressed the need to pursue mutual growth among emerging economies and advanced countries in the international community. Through her Vietnam state visit, the president and her Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang held a bilateral summit where the two leaders agreed on enhancing the strategic cooperative partnership and concluding bilateral free trade negotiations by 2014.

President Park Geun-hye (second from left) listens during the second session on September 6 (photo: Cheong Wa Dae).

President Park delivered speeches at two working sessions of the G20 Summit, where she stressed the need for G20 countries to cooperate for common growth and pursuit of the creative economy. She also held a series of summit talks while in Saint Petersburg with the summit participating countries -- Italy, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Germany -- to discuss ways to boost cooperation and exchanges with Korea.

In the first working session themed on “The Growth of the Global Economy” on September 5, President Park called for cooperation among G20 countries in order to achieve shared growth, while mentioning mutual dependence among countries in the world economy. In order to ease financial uncertainties among emerging economies due to the U.S. exit strategy on stimulus policy, President Park urged advanced countries to make concerted efforts to minimize the difficulties faced by developing countries.

In the second session themed “Job Creation and Investment” on September 6, the president proposed her creative economy vision as the key to solving unemployment in her lead speech. Pointing out poor growth, economic inequalities, and high unemployment as issues of the world economy, the president proposed her creative economy vision and a disciplined market economy as solutions.

“In the past, the economy used to run on mineral resources, whereas what drives the creative economy I envision is creative ideas,” said President Park, mentioning the worldwide hit song “Gangnam Style” by Korean singer PSY, to help the summit participants’ understanding.

President Park Geun-hye (left) shakes hands with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang during a joint press briefing at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on September 9 (photo: Cheong Wa Dae).

In the five-day state visit to Vietnam from September 7 to 11, President Park held summit talks with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on September 9 where they announced a joint statement dubbed “joint statement of leaders for co-prosperity." At the summit, the two leaders held in-depth discussions on how to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchanges in economy and culture. Both leaders agreed to finalize the ongoing free trade negotiations, reach an agreement for a comprehensive level of free trade by 2014, and work toward extending the bilateral trade volume to USD 70 billion by 2020 from the current level of USD 20 billion as of 2012.

The two leaders also agreed to cooperate and support Vietnam’s implementation of large-scale projects, including nuclear plant development and power plant construction, with the participation of Korean firms.

Clad in Hanbok, President Park Geun-hye delivers congratulatory remarks at a fashion show on Hanbok and ao dai held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on September 8 (photo: Jeon Han).

Her five-day itinerary included stops to boost cultural exchange between Korea and Vietnam, including a fashion show on Hanbok and ao dai which involved the designers of the two countries. At the fashion show, President Park showed off the beauty of traditional Korean attire on the runway and expressed her hope that the two countries can build a truly close partnership and artists of the two countries can have more exchanges, while mentioning the beautiful harmony that Hanbok and ao dai create.

President Park (right) visits the residence of former Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh on September 9 with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in Hanoi (photo: Cheong Wa Dae).

President Park Geun-hye adjusts the ribbon on a wreath as she pays homage to Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on September 9 (photo: Cheong Wa Dae).

President Park visited the residence and mausoleum of former Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh to pay her respects, and Ho Chi Minh City where a number of Korean firms are operating to help extend cooperation in the economy and culture and build close ties among the peoples of the two countries.
Source:Korea.net