The Korea Times

Nigerian journalist urges literature exchanges

Jerry Adesewo, freelance journalist and CEO of Arojah Concepts, talks about bilateral exchanges between Nigeria and South Korea in an interview at The Korea Times office in Seodamun-gu, Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Park Jin-haiJerry Adesewo was a Nigerian journalist covering the opening of the Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria when he discovered the beauty of Korea. Since making that discovery, he has become a Korea expert promoting bilateral cultural exchanges.“Korea and Nigeria are similar in that we have a rich cultural history, both intangible and tangible, and that is why we connect,” Jerry Adesewo told The Korea Times in an interview held Monday in Seoul. Now a freelance journalist and CEO of Arojah Concepts, the 37-year-old was on a 10-day visit from June 23 to July 2, upon the invitation of the Korea Culture and Information Service(KCIS)."Apart from India, Korea is the first Asian country whose dramas enjoyed such popularity. It was shown on Sundays and people wanted to skip church. That was my case, too. So later they changed the timing

Jul 3, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Nigerian journalist urges literature exchanges

Politics

Activist urges people to visit Dokdo

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University and a veteran “Dokdo” advocate, stands before the national flag at the Independence Hall of Korea, where he launched the “Dokdo School,” in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.Advocates campaign to encourage learning about islets  This is the last of a five-part series on major issues between Korea and Japan. — ED.An ad titled “CONNECT” that also appeared on the New YorkTimes, on March 1, 2012, asks people to match the nationalflags of the United States, Italy, Korea and Indonesia withDokdo, Hawaii, Bali and Sicily. Seo Kyoung-duk twitted thecarrying of the ad and asked twitter users to tweet inacknowledgement.By Park Jin-haiEvery year, a familiar chain of events involving Korea and Japan occurs.A small band of Japanese right-wing politicians visit the Yasukuni Shine, where Japan’s war dead, including war criminals, are buried, and claim that Japan has sovereignty over Korea’s easternmost rocky islets of Dokdo.Some of these politicians attempt to visit the

Jul 1, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

First Asian slow food festival to be held in October

Visitors sample Korean foods in Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, an international slow food festival held in Bra, Italy, in 2012. Namyangju City will host the first Asian slow food festival in October./ Courtesy of the Organizing Committee of Asio GustoBy Park Jin-haiThe first slow food festival in the Asia and Oceania region will kick off in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 1 to 6 this year.  The organizing committee for the “2013 Asia Gusto” said Tuesday that this year’s event will take place under the theme of “Slow food, change the world with taste.”“We will make the event a global festival, where visitors can sample various food varieties from grandma’s foods to those of globaly renowned chefs,” said an official of the organizing committee.It estimates that some 300,000 people, including 15,000 foreigners from 40 Asian and Oceania countries, will attend the six-day festival, to be held at the Namyangju Sports and Culture Center, in Ipae-dong, and Organic Theme Park in Joan-myeon in Namyangju.Slow foods, as opposed to f

Jul 1, 2013By Park Jin-hai

First Asian slow food festival to be held in October

Shows & Dramas

Home shopping ups global presence

TV show hosts sell kitchenware on MNG Shop, GS Shop’s Turkish home shopping channel, in partnership with MNG Group of Turkey, in this file photo. GS Shop opened the 24-hour shopping channel in May./  Courtesy of GS ShopBy Park Jin-haiMajor home shopping channels have turned their sights abroad over the past few years, as the local market is near saturation point coupled with the rising level of competition.Like CJ O Shopping, which pioneered the outward look with its entry into the Chinese market in 2004, Lotte Home Shopping and GS Shop have made similar moves. Their initial operating profits there were in the red, but their fortunes have been improving lately.Not only do they make profit in the existing markets, they are competing in a race to expand their global presences from Asia to Europe on the back of “hallyu” or Korean wave.The products that are selling also range from moving laundry racks to Korean kitchenware and cosmetics.Industry watchers say there are several factors that contribute to the success of local home shopping channels abroad. Among

Jun 30, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Hearng aid maker Starkey awards Korean branch

Richard Shim, center, CEO of Starkey Korea, poses with Jerry Ruzicka, left, president, and William F. Austin, founder and CEO of Starkey Hearing Technologies, after receiving the Best Performance Award at the Global Business Conference in Minn. the United States on June 19 (local time). / Courtesy of Starkey KoreaBy Park Jin-haiStarkey Korea, a local distributor of Starkey hearing aids, won the in-house best performance award this year.The company announced that its CEO Richard Shim won the 2012 Business Performance Award on June 19 (local time) during the Starkey 2013 Global Business Conference, held at its headquarters in Minnesota, the United States.Each year Starkey Hearing Technologies managers from around the world hold business conferences, where the best performing branches awarded in recognition of improved sales figures, managerial innovations and competitiveness growth.    It is the second time Starkey Korea was selected as the winner of the award, following the one in 2011.During the conference, Shim gave a presentation, highlighting the success o

Jun 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Hearng aid maker Starkey awards Korean branch

Shows & Dramas

Korea's development models help other countries

Delegates of Tanzanian local government officials participate in a “Meet the President” hour with Rheem Chae-ho, fifth from left, president of Local Government Officials Development Institute (LOGODI), at its headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on June 10./ Courtesy of LOGODISome 2,540 officials fom 83 nations receive LOGODI education Rheem Chae-ho, LOGODI presidentBy Park Jin-haiKorea’s development model has been largely regarded as raising the country from the ashes of war to the fastest economic development, dubbed as the “Miracle of the Han River.”As a responsible member of international society, Korea now exports the development model, giving a beacon of hope to the developing world.Korea’s move is praised highly, in that unlike one-time material assistance, the model teaches them “how to catch fish.”At the center of this effort is the Local Government Officials Development Institute (LOGODI), spreading the country’s tips for administrative innovation.“Senior officials of developing countries often say that t

Jun 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Korea's development models help other countries

Shows & Dramas

Primary mission is to spread 'administrative hallyu'

Seen above is an artist’s concept of the new site for LOGODI now in its final stage of construction in Wanju, North Jeolla Province. The institute will move to the new place in August. / Courtesy of LOGODBy Park Jin-haiLocal Government Officials Development Institute (LOGODI), founded in 1965, is a training center for local government officials by building their administrative capacities.Toward that end, it helps enable the policies of central government to be adopted efficiently at the local level. This year alone it runs a total of 177 courses and about 170,000 local government officials enrolled for these programs.The institute, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, has been also running international programs since 1996 to aid developing countries by sharing Korea’s development tips with them.Courses are categorized into three major areas; “Korean Economic Development at a Glance” includes studies on state-led rural development initiative of “Saemaeul Movement”; “Local Government Administration System i

Jun 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Primary mission is to spread 'administrative hallyu'

Shows & Dramas

Nonghyup supports multiracial families' hometown visits

By Park Jin-hai Choi Won-byungNonghyup Foundation will pay for the flights and expenses for selected multiethnic families to visit the home countries of the foreign spouse.Under the Home Country Visit Project, 629 people from 162 multiracial families, all living in rural areas, will receive round trip tickets and additional expenses including travel insurance.   “We will spare no effort to assist multiracial families settle here as responsible members of society,” said Choi Won-byung, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors.By home country, Vietnam accounts for the most with 287 people from 77 families followed by China with 106 from 29 families; the Philippines with 89 from 29 families; and Cambodia with 60 from 15 families.Nonghyup’ welfare unit, founded in 2004 to support farming families, started the project in 2007 and about 4,100 family members have benefited so far.The number of beneficiaries has risen over recent years. In 2010, Korean Air joined the program, helping expand the numbers further.The candidate families are recommend

Jun 20, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Nonghyup supports multiracial families' hometown visits

Shows & Dramas

Korean stars faring well in China

Choo Ja-hyun acts in the Chinese drama “Wood House Storm,” aired in 2012. / Courtesy of Zhonghua TVEffective localization leads to success despite ebbing hallyuChae Yeon left Korean entertainment business in 2007 to explore the Chinese market./ Korea Times fileSuper Junior M, a sub-group of the popular Korean boy band Super Junior, was formed targeting Chinese audiences. / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Park Jin-haiKorean culture, including its catchy pop music videos, is gaining popularity across the globe, especially in China. This phenomenon, called “hallyu,” has introduced many people to Korean culture, but a recent poll predicts the popularity of K-culture could lose steam within five years.A survey conducted by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange shows about 71 percent of Chinese respondents believe hallyu’s popularity will dissipate in their country within the next five years. About 24 percent of them said Korean products are no longer considered cool.However, while many pop stars got their start as a result of hallyu, they ar

Jun 19, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Kooksoondang earns two stars

Kooksoondang, a traditional beverage maker, announced Tuesday that its canned makgeolli brand earned two stars at a tasting event in Belgium.It’s rice wine brand “Icing” was given two stars ― with three stars being the best quality ― at the “Superior Taste Award,” where famous brewers and sommeliers sample beverages and grade them according to taste and quality.This year, some 1,300 drinks competed and 150 received three stars, while some 400 including Icing gained two.“Due to the low brand recognition, it scored low in the beginning. But its taste and fragrance were regarded highly,” said a marketing manager of the firm.Icing gained silver awards in the San Diego International Wine Competition and Consumer Wine Awards, held in the United States this year.       

Jun 18, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Nigerian journalist urges literature exchanges

Activist urges people to visit Dokdo

First Asian slow food festival to be held in October

Home shopping ups global presence

Hearng aid maker Starkey awards Korean branch

Korea's development models help other countries

Primary mission is to spread 'administrative hallyu'

Nonghyup supports multiracial families' hometown visits

Korean stars faring well in China

Kooksoondang earns two stars

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