Investors have high expectation on cluster Fabio Gallina, left, CEO of Italian food company Forno d' Asolo, poses with Kim Kyung-mee, director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, after signing a memorandum of understanding to invest in An artist's concept of the Korea National Food Cluster that will open in Iksan, North Jeolla the Korea National Food Cluster at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.By Park Si-sooItalian food company Forno d’ Asolo has decided to join the country’s first state-funded food cluster, which will open in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, in 2015. It has raised the number of determined corporate investors into the cluster to 67.Fabio Gallina, the firm’s chief executive officer, signed a memorandum of understanding on investment with Kim Kyung-mee, director in charge of the project at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, on the sideline of an international conference on the cluster at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.The government has hired three international business consulting firms — A.T. Kearney, PricewaterhouseCoopers aMay 15, 2013
NIZO to link Korea with Europe Ad Juriaanse, left, managing director of food business consulting firm NIZO, poses with Liz Kamei, the firm’s vice president / Courtesy of the Korea National Food Cluster TeamFood cluster to facilitate greater cooperationBy Chung Ah-youngThe Korean government’s ambitious initiative to establish an industrial food complex in Iksan, North Jeolla Province by 2015 will likely create competitive advantages for domestic firms through collaborations with world-renowned R&D institutes and companies.The Korea National Food Cluster, which will become the country’s first state-funded food industrial complex, also known as “Foodpolis,” will see more opportunities ahead because it will cooperate with NIZO Food Research, one of the EU’s top three food researchers. NIZO has solidified its unique position as an independent research company in Food Valley in the Netherlands.Ad Juriaanse, managing director of NIZO, said in a recent email interview that there are new opportunities for both parties because NIZO is internationally oriented and it is already woMay 15, 2013
Global networks crucial for 'Foodpolis' Andrew Grant, on the rostrum, general manager of McKinsey & Company’s global public sector practice, speaks about the latest trends in the food industry during an international conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotelin Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Korea National Food Cluster Team'Innovation happens through networks, not in big laboratories’By Park Si-sooThe success of the country’s first state-funded food cluster hinges on connections and collaborations with similar clusters in other countries, said a renowned food business consultant from the Netherlands, Wednesday.“Innovation happens through networks, not in big laboratories,” said Ad Juriaanse, managing director of NIZO Food Research, during an international conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, referring to the envisioned Korea National Food Cluster, also known as “Foodpolis.”He called on officials in charge of the complex, which will be completed in Iksan, North Jeolla Province for operation starting in 2015, to become “flexible and international,” describing theMay 15, 2013
Singer puts twisted spin on democratization By Kim Tong-hyung HyosungLeader of the girl group SecretHyosung, the voluptuous leader of the female pop group Secret, opened her mouth on a radio show Tuesday afternoon and let something out that should have stayed in.All hell broke loose on social media, the force mighty enough to temporarily knock off scandal-ridden former presidential aide Yoon Chang-jung from the top of search word lists. The 24-year-old singer and her management agency scrambled to issue an explanation, but somehow ended up making things worse.Her quote, when translated into English, doesn’t make any sense when taken literally.``We are a team that respects the individuality of each member,’’ a bubbly Hyosung told DJ Choi Hwa-jung in a conversation about the chemistry between Secret’s members. ``Because we don’t do the democratization thing.’’On the first free dictionary that appears on Google, ``democratization’’ is defined as ``to make or become democratic.’’ But in the language of ``Ilbe’’ (www.ilbe.com), an online message boarMay 15, 2013
Korea, Saudi Arabia to boost cultural exchanges Yoo Jin-ryong, right, minister of culture, sports and tourism, and Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), pose after signing an agreement at Yoo’s Office in Waryong-dong, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Culture MinistryBy Park Jin-haiKorea and Saudi Arabia have agreed to push for a program to boost tourism and cultural exchanges between the two nations.Yoo Jin-ryong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Prince Sultan bin Salman, Secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), signed the agreement during a ceremony at Yoo’s Office in Waryong-dong, central Seoul, Monday.Under the program the two nations will exchange and train craftsmen in their respective countries as well as staging handicraft exhibitions.They also agreed to partner in promoting medical tourism exchanges.In a press conference held after signing the agreement, Sultan bin Salman, said, “When I was told of the program to take Saudi national handicrafts to the next level, Korea was the natural choice.May 14, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Teens publish English poetry magazine Members of the bilingual literary magazine “Between The Lines (BTL)” pose during its launch party in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, in January./ Courtesy of BTLBy Park Jin-haiA group of high school students formed a small society to write English poems and publish a bilingual magazine, putting it on the shelves of major bookstores.They did everything needed to publish the magazine, writing poems and short stories, conducting interviews mainly in English, designing graphics, taking pictures and editing.The tri-annual bilingual teens' literary magazine "Between the Lines" (BTL) is drawing growing attention in many respects."Last summer, I was looking for an internship at an English literary magazine in Korea and was disappointed to find that there were none. Much more, I was further surprised as there was no magazine to which students can make contributions,” said Hwang Yun-ha, editor-in-chief and a 12th-grader at North London Collegiate School in Jeju.That disappointment prompted her to decide to start a magazine with her peers. The magazine could have ended up as an in-sMay 13, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Iksan to have facelift for food cluster By Park Si-sooIksan will undergo a major facelift of its industrial infrastructure to facilitate companies in a new food industry cluster due to open in the area by 2015.Named the “Foodpolis,” the complex’s master plan features the expansion of current land, air and maritime transportation networks surrounding the city.The improvement to the expressway will provide easier access to nearby Gunsan Airport, only 40 minutes away from the cluster by car. The government has not ruled out the possibility of allowing international flights to use the airport.Korea has access to 60 major cities within a two-hour flight range, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo, each with more than 1.5 million people. The country’s trade volume with these cities is expected to increase continuously as the government is trying to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with as many countries as possible.The country’s FTAs with the EU and the United States have already gone into effect, while talks on similar issue with China and Japan continue.In addition, a new expressway linking GunsanMay 13, 2013
Foreign cases assure success of 'Foodpolis' By Chung Ah-youngA food industry complex, the Korean National Food Cluster is expected to boost the nation’s food exports to neighboring countries such as Japan and China.The government’s project to create a food complex in North Jeolla Province by 2015, will likely attract high-profile food companies and research and development institutes, enabling them to adjust to fast change in the global food market. As with other similar projects around the world, the new cluster, known as “Foodpolis,” is intended to reinvigorate food-related industries that can enable regional growth.Food Valley in the Netherlands houses more than 1,440 multinational food companies and 20 research centers along with 70 science-related firms, creating thousands of jobs. The complex creates new and innovative food items by developing solid networks between food manufacturers and academic institutes. It produces and exports food by combining imported raw materials with state-of-the-art technology.The cluster attracts skilled workers and researchers from around the world. Of some 15,000 reMay 13, 2013
Korea eyes food industry as new growth engine An artist’s concept of the Korea National Food Cluster that will open in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, in 2015. More than 160 food companies and research centers at home and abroad are expected to invest in the industrialcomplex specializing in food products. The government has pledged to provide various incentives to tenant companies. / Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural AffairsFood cluster in Iksan lures foreign investors with various incentivesBy PArk Si-sooThe government is to kick-start an ambitious food cluster development project in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, planning to have it export products to China, Japan and other Asian countries.The groundbreaking ceremony of the Korea National Food Cluster is expected to begin on 2.32-million-square-meters of land during the second half of the year with a budget of 553.5 billion won ($499.5 million). It is hoped to transform the typical rural town dotted with rice paddies and historical heritage items into an Asian hub of food companies and research centers by 2015.More than 60 food companies, including KoMay 13, 2013
Dooly turns 30 Kim Soo-jung, creator of Dooly, poses at his office in Gangnam, southern Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeulDooly creator Kim shares thoughts on cultural influence of his cartoon By Baek Byung-yeul Before there was Pororo the Penguin, there was Dooly the Dinosaur, perhaps the country’s first cartoon and animated film character to acquire cultural appeal beyond pages and screens. Dooly, an icon of the 1980s and 1990s, never came close to being the product Pororo is now ― following the immense success of its television show, the goggled, baby penguin is seen on virtually every item of consumption, from DVDs, books and toys to food, furniture and accessories. But for all its commercial power, Pororo will probably never be as influential as the socially-rooted Dooly, which continues to be a source of inspiration and imagination for artists in different fields. Dooly’s creator Kim Soo-jung may not have first intended his cartoon to double as a commentary of the real world. But in a country that had just begun to feel the side effecMay 12, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul
