Thursday, 20 March 2014

Korean Lawmakers to Visit India to Discuss Ssangyong Motor’s Workers


Ssangyong Motor CEO Lee Yoo-il (right) poses with CFO Bharat Doshi of Mahindra And Mahindra Group (center) and Pawan Goenka (right), president of the automotive and farm sector of the Indian company, at a press conference in Seoul on March 15.
Ssangyong Motor CEO Lee Yoo-il (right) poses with CFO Bharat Doshi of Mahindra And Mahindra Group (center) and Pawan Goenka (right), president of the automotive and farm sector of the Indian company, at a press conference in Seoul on March 15.
11 November 2013


The opposition parties’ lawmakers from the Environmental and Labor Committee of the National Assembly of Korea will visit the headquarters of India’s Mahindra and Mahindra Group to discuss ways to rehire workers laid off by Ssangyong Motor.
According to parliamentary sources on November 10, the main opposition Democratic Party’s two lawmakers Hong Young-pyo and Eun Soo-mi and minor Progressive Justice Party lawmaker Sim Sang-jung will go to India to meet with the Indian conglomerate’s top management late on November 11 (Indian time).
The three lawmakers and a director from Korea’s labor ministry will have talks at the Indian company’s headquarters with Chairman Anand Mahindra and President Pawan Goenka, who is responsible for its automotive and farm equipment operations.
Lawmaker Hong said, “We hope that legal action taken by Ssangyong Motor against union member workers can be resolved in a mutually acceptable manner through talks with the top management,” adding that discussions will also be made about reinstating the workers laid off during the strikes.
Lawmaker Shim also said, “Ssangyong Motor President Lee Yoo-il hinted in an interview conducted last month that the Indian carmaker should keep its promises about the reinstatement of some workers,” adding, “It is our hope that the Indian conglomerate keeps the promises it made.”
The Mahindra Group took over Ssangyong Motor in early 2011, and since then the faltering Korean company has become South Korea’s fourth-largest carmaker, beating Renault Samsung Motors.

source:business korea


Wednesday, 19 March 2014

India, Japan and South Korea - Asia’s new security trifecta

South Korean President Park Geun Hye with Indian Prime Minister





Winter is India’s diplomatic high season, with the cool, sunny weather forming an ideal backdrop for pageantry, photo ops at the Taj Mahal or Delhi’s Red Fort and bilateral deal-making. But this winter has been particularly impressive, with leaders from Japan and South Korea visiting to advance the cause of security cooperation in Asia.
The first to arrive was South Korean President Park Geun Hye. Despite a strong economic foundation, the bilateral relationship has long lacked a meaningful security dimension. But China’s recent assertiveness — including its unilateral declaration last November of a new Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), which overlaps about 3,000 sq km of South Korea’s own ADIZ, in the Sea of Japan — has encouraged Ms Park to shore up her country’s security ties with India.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s unpredictable and often provocative policies represent an additional impetus for improved ties — as do China’s increasingly visible plans to weaken South Korea’s alliance with the US.
Not surprisingly, the discussions during Ms Park’s four-day visit focused on grand strategy, and included detailed talks on maritime security and naval shipbuilding.
Nuclear energy also featured prominently on the agenda, owing to both countries’ dependence on energy imported through dangerous sea lanes. In 2008, South Korea, as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), supported the waiver granting India access to civilian nuclear technology and fuel from other countries — both of which it had been denied since becoming a nuclear-weapons power in 1974.
Indeed, India’s nuclear tests are what initially spurred the NSG’s formation. South Korea’s support of India’s civilian nuclear ambitions earned it high praise in India and helped to advance bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation.
 CEMENTING INDIA-JAPAN TIES KEY FOR REGION
 
This budding strategic partnership is undoubtedly important. But when it comes to the regional balance of power, India’s deepening ties with Japan are even more consequential.
source:todayonline.com

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

जेएनयू में कोरियन लैंग्‍वेज एजुकेटर्स सेमिनार का आयोजन

जेएनयू में सेमिनार
जेएनयू में सेमिनार
भारत में कोरियाई भाषा के विकास और इस ओर आगे की योजनाओं पर चर्चा के लिए हाल ही 'इंटरनेशनल कोरियन लैंग्‍वेज एजुकेटर्स सेमिनार' का आयोजन किया गया. इस दो दिवसीय आयोजन में कई इंटरनेशनल स्‍कॉलर्स ने अपने विचार साझा किए और प्रेजेंटेशन दिए. कोरिया फाउंडेशन और सिओल नेशनल यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा प्रायोजित इस सेमिनार का आयोजन जवाहर लाल नेहरू यूनिवर्सिटी के कन्‍वेंशन सेंटर में 21 और 22 फरवरी को किया गया. कोरियन लैंग्‍वेज एजुकेटर्स इन इंडिया (एकेएलईआई) द्वारा अयोजित इस सेमिनार का थीम भारत में कोरियाई भाषा की शिक्षा के लिए सामरिक दृष्टिकोण था.
जेएनयू में कोरियन स्‍टडीज सेंटर की चेयरपर्सन और एकेएलईआई की को-प्रेसिडेंट प्रो. वैजयंती राघवन ने इस अवसर पर अतिथियों का स्‍वागत किया. जबकि एकेएलईआई के प्रेसिडेंट और डीयू में ईस्‍ट एशियन स्‍टडीज विभाग के प्रो. किम डो-यंग ने प्रारंभिक भाषण दिया.
जेएनयू में स्‍कूल ऑफ लैंग्‍वेज लिटरेचर एंड कल्‍चर स्‍टडीज के डीन प्रो. एमए इसलाहि ने एसोसिएशन द्वारा किए जा रहे कार्यों की प्रशंसा की. इस अवसर पर उन्‍होंने विदेशी भाषा की महत्ता पर भी अपने विचार रखे. रिपब्‍िलक ऑफ कोरिया दूतावास के मंत्री तई-इन-चुंग ने सेमिनार आयोजन के लिए आयोजनकर्ताओं को बधाई दी. अपने भाषण में उन्‍होंने कोरियाई भाषा के महत्‍व, इतिहास, संस्‍कृति के साथ ही लोगों में इस भाषा के लिए बढ़ रही जिज्ञासा और बढ़ते ज्ञान की भी चर्चा की.
इस अवसर पर कोरियन कल्‍चर सेंटर के डायरेक्‍टर किम कुम-पी युंग ने कहा कि बीते वर्षों में कोरियाई भाषा के छात्रों की संख्‍या में वृद्धि हुई है. वहीं, सिओल नेशनल यूनिवर्सिटी के प्रो. किम जोंग शेओल ने अपने की-नोट एड्रेस में कोरियाई प्री-मॉर्डन नॉवेल और विदेशी भाषा के रूप में कोरियाई भाषा के शिक्षण पर विचार रखे.


और भी... http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/educators-meet-to-discuss-strategies-for-korean-language-education-in-india--1-755769.html

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Ancient petroglyphs captivate archeologists

Numerous ancient rock engravings of whales and whaling still remain in the southeast area of the Korea Peninsula, attracting archeologists from around the world. It has been suggested that they are the first pieces of evidence showing the prehistoric origins of whaling. These petroglyphs are found in Bangudae in the upper reaches of the Taehwagang River near Ulsan in Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province). Nearly 300 figures showing land and sea animals, as well as whale-hunting scenes, are found engraved into the wall over an area spanning 10 meters by 3 meters.

The name Bangudae comes from the Korean ban, the word for a carapace or a shell, gu, meaning a turtle, and dae, a structure or a site, as in a carving site; the rock formation itself is said to resemble the back of a turtle.

The petroglyphs of Bangudae recently came under the spotlight with the February edition of Current World Archaeology, a U.K.-based magazine devoted to archaeological finds. Based on his visit to Bangudae, archeologist professor Brian Fagan published a three-page article, “Discovering a Lost World,” in which he relates his observations about the engravings.

He concluded his article by saying, “The Bangudae engravings remind us of the remarkable skills of such ancient whale hunters, who attacked the world’s largest beasts with the simplest of weapons, relying on their knowledge of their prey and acute observational skills, as well as complex, now forgotten, rituals that provided powerful validation for the chase.”


The petroglyphs of Bangudae, engravings of around 300 figures, are a prehistoric cultural asset from the Neolithic Age, showing that the people who lived here mainly fished and hunted for a living. Being one of the rarer examples of prehistoric art, the engravings have attracted the attention of both the archeology and arts scenes. (photo: Yonhap News)
The petroglyphs of Bangudae, engravings of around 300 figures, are a prehistoric cultural asset from the Neolithic Age, showing that the people who lived here mainly fished and hunted for a living. Being one of the rarer examples of prehistoric art, the engravings have attracted the attention of both the archeology and arts scenes. (photo: Yonhap News)

The petroglyphs of Bangudae were discovered in 1971. The figures engraved on the rock wall include humans, various types of animals—whales, turtles, deer, tigers, birds and pigs—and weapons, including a bow and a spear. Researchers believe that the engravings were completed over several centuries, from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Among these are 58 engravings of whales and whaling that have attracted the most attention. The petroglyphs show a diverse range of whales, including one that’s bearing a calf. Researchers believe them to symbolize an active hunting culture, prosperity and abundance. Along with the figures, whale hunting skills are shown in the ancient works of art, too.

Until the discovery of Bangudae, it was believed that whaling began in Norway in around 4,000 B.C., according to the rock carvings in the Norwegian town of Alta. However, in 2004, the BBC reported that, “Stone Age people may have started hunting whales as early as 6,000 B.C., new evidence from South Korea suggests.” This grabbed the attention of media and archeologists from across the globe.


The figures of animals can be seen in highlights of the petroglyphs of Bangudae.
The figures of animals can be seen in highlights of the petroglyphs of Bangudae.

Since their discovery, the petroglyphs of Bangudae have been considered an important resource that gives a peek into the values, ideas and religions of mankind from a time before recorded history began. Oceanographer Daniel Robineau, in his book, “Une Histoire de la chasse a la baleine,” or, “A History of Whale Hunting,” published in 2007, said that the first whale hunting began in Korea, as shown in the petroglyphs.

French archaeologist and film maker Marc Azéma said the Korean petroglyphs could have possibly been the inspiration for his concept of a movie in his book, "La Prehistoire du cinema,” or, “Cinema in Prehistoric Times.” In 2013, the rock carvings stepped into the spotlight again when the French journal Archeologie described the art work as a moving object, such as a movie or cartoon.


The February edition of Current World Archeology introduces the petroglyphs of Bangudae.
The February edition of Current World Archeology introduces the petroglyphs of Bangudae.


Director Lee Sang-mog of the Ulsan Petroglyph Museum said that there have been a number of requests to use the carvings over recent years. “A growing number of researchers and scholars seem to be studying the petroglyphs from a variety of perspectives, whether it be looking into the mythologies surrounding the artwork or whether it be its artistic merits.
source:korea.net 

Korean literature in English #9

The Library of Korean Literature series is a collection of ten Korean novels published in English in the U.S. last year. (photo courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea)
The Library of Korean Literature series is a collection of ten Korean novels published in English in the U.S. last year. (photo courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea)

The ninth volume of the ten-part Library of Korean Literature is Park Wan-suh’s (1931-2011) “Lonesome You.”

This work was published in 2000 and is a collection of ten short stories, including “Withered Flower,” “Psychedelic Butterfly” and “That Girl’s House.”

“Psychedelic Butterfly” tells the story of an elderly woman who has endured all kinds of suffering as a widow and as a mother of three children. The gray-haired woman feels uneasy staying at either her son’s or daughter’s house. She ends up being diagnosed with dementia, which, sadly, brings her more peace and freedom than being with her children, as the disease clears up all the memories of her ordeal.

“Withered Flower” presents a love affair that sparked between a widow, who soon turns 60, and a middle-aged man while traveling on a bus.

The seventh story in the collection, “Thorn Inside Petals,” is told in the first person. The narrator subtly denounces the indifference and ignorance of the daughter-in-law toward her older sister. She also reminisces about an elderly French immigrant who worked as a dress maker. She later found out that what the French woman was really making for a living was burial clothes for upscale clients.

In these stories, the writer is believed to have tried to bring to light the later-life of the elderly and, also, immigrants, full of loneliness.


“Lonesome You” penned by Park Wan-suh was published in English last year.
“Lonesome You” penned by Park Wan-suh was published in English last year.

The title story, “Lonesome You,” too, is centered on an elderly couple. The husband’s shabby looks, which have given in to the irresistible forces of time, are straightforwardly shown as seen in the wife’s eyes.

The “you” who is described as being lonesome in the title is none other than the husband sitting next to the wife. The last scene shows the wife rubbing her husband’s shins, covered with the stains of age, disclosing her “acceptance at growing old” and the “sympathy” that has stirred up inside her for her husband.

The following is what the writer says in the preface of the collection, which she published at the age of 67:

“Don’t pity the elderly, as they feel that the world is still worth living in. I didn’t write this to make you feel that way, but that is true because I, one of them, still feel like I enjoy my life.

I don’t think that life is always sweet. It can be bitter sometimes. It is only the wisdom of age that can tell the taste of bitterness, and I accept getting old. That is what I cannot hide, no matter how hard I try…”


Writer Park Wan-suh (photo courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea)
Writer Park Wan-suh (photo courtesy of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea)
Park Wan-suh was born in 1931 in Gaepung-gun, Gyeonggi-do, currently in North Korea. Park entered Seoul National University in 1950, but the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-53) cut her studies short. In 1970, at the age of 40, the writer made her relatively late literary debut with “The Naked Tree,” her first full-length novel about the Korean War and the tragic division of the country.

She continued to create numerous works that have long been considered a new chapter in Korean literature. They are usually themed on the division of Korea or on women who try to shape their identity.

Her works include the novels “Warm Was The Winter That Year” and “Mother’s Garden,” as well as novels that portray the materialism prevalent among the middle-class, such as “A Reeling Afternoon” and “Identical Apartments.”

Park’s work also targets the difficulties facing women, as told in “The Woman Standing” and “The Dreaming Incubator.”

Source:Korea.net 

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

대우건설 대학생홍보대사 11기 모집

 
 
 
 
 

Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) 2014

Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) 2014 to Study in any field including Engineering, Medical, Arts and Others in South Korea.

Do apply in here. See the procedure and how to apply by opening and downloading the files on the links given below

There are two ways to go for it:-

  1) University Selection.
  2) Embassy Selection

For University selection, they will select in March and recommend you to NIIED in April, Therefore, see the universities openings for March
 
About Embassy procedure, you can read in documents

http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/main.do

(Open the first or second link in notice section of the page opened)

OR

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B12bxk__lvHJTlRiR0x3aVlLZkE&usp=drive_web

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...