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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

US Ambassador Celebrates Election

By Tom Coyner Contributing Writer About 200 guests were invited to a special morning brunch to take in the historic U.S. presidential and congressional elections at the U.S. Ambassador's residence in central Seoul Wednesday. ``Today, with our national elections, we Americans celebrate the twin traditions of change and continuity through democracy ― twin traditions with which our fellow democratic Korean friends share,'' said US Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens in her bilingual remarks to guests. In the tradition of American embassies around the world, the U.S. mission to Korea hosted a special morning brunch to take in the historic U.S. presidential and Congressional elections. The event was filled with both excitement and high technology. Not only were there large screen televisions showing CNN live coverage and large monitors allowing for guests to check out their favorite Web sites, but Ambassador Stephens was interviewed via Internet by journalists from outside of Korea. While the interactive video broadcasts seemed to work well, people outside of the room were

Nov 5, 2008

Seoul, Tunis to Draw Up Action Plans on Cooperation

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter South Korea and Tunisia will establish joint groups to explore the possibility of bilateral economic cooperation and come up with action plans in the near future, the North African nation's top economic policymaker said. Mohamed Nouri Jouini, 46, Tunisian minister of development and international cooperation, expressed hope that more South Korean firms will invest and do businesses in his country, which he stressed offers a ``stable'' business environment. ``Strengthening cooperation with South Korea is very important for us,'' Jouini said in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul last Friday. The minister made a visit to South Korea last week to attend a biennial ministerial meeting, called the Korea Africa Cooperation Conference (KOAFEC), from Oct. 27 to 30 in Seoul. On the sidelines of the conference, he met with high-profile South Korean government officials, including Strategy and Finance Minister Kang Man-soo, and representatives of large South Korean businesses, to discuss closer cooperation. ``We discussed consolidating c

Nov 3, 2008

Bangladesh Army Chief Gets Medal

By Kim Se-jeong Staff Reporter Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, received the ``Order of National Security Merit'' from President Lee Myung-bak for his contribution to promoting defense cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. The medal was given in recognition of his efforts to promote cooperation with the South Korean Army's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. He served as the UN peacekeeping officer in Rwanda 1994-95, and now oversees the entire UN peacekeeping operations that Bangladesh carries out throughout the world. Bangladesh now maintains nearly 10,000 officers on 13 missions including in Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo and Afghanistan. . Moeen said the size of the UN peacekeeping operation indicates the commitment of Bangladesh to peace and stability around the world. Korea maintains around 400 peacekeeping officers on six missions including Lebanon. Moeen is also president of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Olympic Committee for streng

Nov 2, 2008

UN Leader Calls for More Help for Poor

By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter Asha-Rose Migiro, the third deputy secretary-general of the United Nations (U.N.), said closer cooperation between global leaders is essential to keeping a growing number of people from falling into poverty amid the ongoing economic crises across the world. In a lecture on implementing U.N. development agendas in the face of global financial crises at Kyung Hee University, Migiro expressed concern that the current financial slump could increase world poverty and food shortages in particular. ``The stock market and the cost of commodities are very volatile and banks are reluctant to give loans, which in turn is causing a recession. It is hitting the poor countries even harder,’’ Migiro said. ``Collective and concrete global partnership is needed to tackle this crisis. The globe should come together to seek answers for the problems.’’ She said that some 100 million people who escaped poverty thanks to the U.N.’s help are expected to slip back into it and 200,000 are likely to lose their jobs. Migiro, from Tanzania, mentioned two initia

Nov 2, 2008

Grand Prize English Is Gateway to New Economy, Culture, Soft Power

By Lee Dong-joon Hankuk University of Foreign Studies The importance of English in Korea is definitely on the rise ― there is no doubt about that. For Korea, which lacks in natural resources and is hugely dependent on foreign investment and trade, English is essential since it is what connects us to the world. So the role of English in the Korean economy is also definitely significant but we must be cautious when say this as the economy should not be examined alone since it is correlated with other sectors of a country. Paul Kennedy an American declinist argued in his book, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, that the growth of a nation is a threefold one: simultaneously to provide military security, to satisfy the socioeconomic needs of its citizenry and to ensure sustained growth. The growth of an economy must therefore be accompanied with a balanced growth of political, cultural, environmental and social sector. Even a rival theorist Joseph Nye criticized in his book Bound to Lead, the declinist view by reinterpreting the concept of power ― hard power; military and economi

Oct 31, 2008

Message From Screening Committee

In January when the announcement of the 4th English Economic Essay Contest for university students was made, few imagined that the global economy would be in such trouble as it faces today. The Korea Times is quite honored to have picked the title on ways to reduce risks in the globalized financial market for this year's competition in the category for foreign students. This year, 1,007 students from 27 countries participated in the competition sponsored by Woori Bank on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of The Korea Times. A wide geographical representation was made in the entries and the list of winners, symbolizing the fact that as the competition entered its fourth year, more and more students both at home and abroad are participating. In particular, a Singaporean student from Columbia University in New York won the Grand Award and a Kenyan and an Indian students in Korea garnered Commendation Awards this time. The other Grand Award went to Lee Dong-joon, a student of Hankook University of Foreign Studies. Yang So-mang, a Yonsei University student, and Kim Soo-min

Oct 31, 2008

Foreign Grand Prize Leadership Key for Risk Management

By Pin-Quan Ng Columbia University From the window on the Pyongui line, I caught my first glimpse of Pyongyang, and my first thought was how different this place was from Seoul. Even the train ride here was a far cry from the KTX I took from the APEC summit in Busan. I remember being struck by the sheer dynamism of the city as it celebrated, and was celebrated by, the global economy. The difference with Pyongyang could not be more apparent. While North Korea chose to close its doors to the outside world, South Korea chose otherwise, and has become Asia's fourth largest economy. Yet as the U.S. financial crisis sends shockwaves in international capital markets, Iceland and Pakistan near sovereign default, and a looming global recession, openness now seems a liability: Korea faces weakening external demand, rising inflation due to import prices, and a liquidity crunch from foreign capital flight. This is not the first time Korea has faced global economic instability. Ten years of post-crisis reforms have prepared it to weather the storm ahead. But how well has it learned

Oct 31, 2008

Runner-Up Proficient English Is a Must to Achieve Advanced Economy

By Yang So-mang Yonsei University $15 billion. That's the GDP of Chad, a central African nation. It is also the amount that South Korean households spend a year on private education. A cursory glance at the ``hagwon'' districts in Korea confirms that English instruction is at the heart of this private education fervor. This is a stark indicator of the significance of English in the Korean economy ― and that's in the private education sector alone. Throw in an export-oriented economy, heavy dependence on foreign capital, and an ever-integrating global economy, the importance of English in the Korean economy is immeasurable. As the momentum of globalization shows no signs of fatigue, it is to be expected that the role of English in Korea's economy will continue to expand for the foreseeable future. However, are we prepared for this pace? Will the continued anglicization of the world economy benefit Korea, or will it prove to be a stumbling block? In order to assess our future direction and identify key concerns, we must examine the often-overlooked role of English in the K

Oct 31, 2008

Grand Prize Winner Teacher From Pittsburgh Defends Dokdo Islets

By Cheryl Devaney In 1953, a voluntary group of 33 Korean civilians set out to defend two rocky islets in the East Sea, known as Dokdo. These men would become the first year-round inhabitants of Dokdo and would remain there for three-and-a-half years until a permanent Korean coast guard took responsibility for defending the islets in 1956. Dokdo, visible from the Korean island of Ulleungdo in clear weather and located only 87.4 kilometers from Ulleungdo, is of critical historical significance and serves as a reminder of a troubled past between Korea and Japan. Recognizing the power of the action these men took is the first step toward recognizing the symbolic and cultural value of Dokdo for Korea. Following years of invasion, colonization, and war, Korean civilians united to once again defend themselves against a foreign power that threatened the unjust appropriation of Korean territory. This struggle to defend Dokdo is still continuing today. The ongoing Dokdo/Takeshima dispute between Korea and Japan is not merely a territorial dispute, but rather it is a deeply rooted his

Oct 31, 2008

Commendation Awards Knowledge Should Come Before English Skill

By Kim Soo-min Ewha Womans University By some quirky twist of fate, combined with a strong dose of globalization, the English language has managed to successfully defy Noah Webster's predictions that it would one day become discrete. If anything, the polar opposite seems to be true of what the ``father of American scholarship and education'' expected; in fact, perhaps the best method to explain the condition of the language nowadays is to refer to it as the lingua franca, or world language, of our times. Unsurprisingly, its status as the most widely used communication tool in the world has sparked heated debates regarding its role in society, and Korea is certainly no exception. Koreans have long perceived advanced English skills to be a critical component determining one's chances for success, and have acquired a global reputation for investing whatever means necessary to equip oneself, or one's children, with such proficiency. Indeed, Korea's recent rise on the global economic ladder has been matched by equally increased spending patterns where English education is invol

Oct 31, 2008
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