Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
Korea joins campaign to back Internet for Nobel Peace Prize
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff reporter
The Nobel Peace Prize has always been awarded to either people or organizations that contributed to making the world a safer and more peaceful place. But this year, there is a growing movement across the globe, campaigning to award one of the world’s most sought-after prizes to a thing, the Internet.
Naver and other Internet-based businesses here have also joined in a worldwide campaign to rally support for the Internet to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
K-Internet, a lobbying group for Internet companies here, said Wednesday that it will actively participate in a global movement, “Internet for Peace,” stressing the Net has removed barriers between nations and races, contributing to spreading democracy around the world and making it a more peaceful place.
The movement was initiated by information technology (IT) magazine “Wired,” which publishes in the United States, Britain and Italy.
The magazine set up the website for the campaign (www.internetforpeace.org), through which nearly 14,000 Internet users from 166 countries have expressed their support.
“We will organize an array of promotional events here on Sept. 12, the United Nations International Day of Peace, along with our counterparts across the globe. Supporters also can go to the website of Internet for Peace and give their support 24 hours a day and seven days a week,” K-Internet said.
It said the Internet is one of the candidates for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, adding if awarded, it will be the first object to win the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the winner in October.
“In cooperation with our member companies, we will implement a range of advertizing activities over the next three months to help the Internet win the Nobel Peace Prize. We will stress its positive contribution to Korean society, including the promotion of freedom of speech and other democratic values,” K-Internet chairman Hur Jin-ho said. “As the world’s most wired country, we think Korea’s active support will provide a significant boost to the global drive.”
Naver and other portal sites here will also link the website of Internet for Peace to their main pages and encourage netizens to sign up and become a part of the movement.
Outside the country, a number of Nobel Peace laureates and celebrities have joined in a global campaign, expressing their support for the Internet as the 2010 prize candidate.
Fashion Designer Giorgio Armani posted a message on the Internet for Peace page, saying, “The Internet is the right candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize because it has laid the groundwork for peace. Awarding the prize to the Net would mean elevating words and information to an absolute and higher plane, where exchange implies acquaintance.”
The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has also approved the manifesto of the Internet for Peace to candidate the Internet to the next Nobel Peace Prize. “If the Internet is be used for the peace, then it can create friendships.”
By Lee Hyo-sik
'인터넷 노벨평화상' 캠페인 한국회사 동참
노벨평화상은 지금까지 사람이나 단체에 수여되어 왔지만 올해에는 인터넷에 주기 위한 운동이 세계적으로 지지를 받고 있다.
국내에서는 네이버 등이 속한 한국인터넷기업협회가 '평화를 위한 인터넷' 캠페인에 동참한다고 밝혔다.
미국 '와이어드'잡지에서 처음 시작한 이 캠페인은 세계적으로 화제가 되어 현재 166국에서 14,000여명의 네티즌들에게 지지를 받고 있다.
관련 웹사이트(www.internetforpeace.org)에는 유명 디자이너 죠르지오 아르마니및 여러 유명인사와 과거 노벨평화상 수상자들의 지지 성명이 올라와있다.