S. Korea selects site for 2nd research base in Antarctic
South Korea said Wednesday that it has selected a site for a second research station in the Antarctic, paving the way for the nation's intensifying drive to conduct scientific research in the frozen continent.
The selection is based on analysis of data collected by South Korea's first icebreaker Araon during its recently-ended three-month exploration around the region.
"Based on the results of thorough analysis and opinion gathering from government and private-sector experts, we have decided to build our second research base in Terra Nova Bay located near the Ross Sea on the southeastern tip of the Antarctic," the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said in a press release. ...
Kim Jong-il 'Has 3 Years to Live'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has only three years to live based on all medical information compiled so far, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told South Korean officials. Campbell made the comments in a closed-door meeting during his trip to South Korea last month, sources said.
Campbell invited three North Korean defectors, Liberty Forward Party lawmaker Park Sun-young, Democratic Party leader Jang Sang and Daily NK publisher Han Ki-hong to the U.S. embassy last month to discuss the political situation in North Korea and the prospects of dynastic succession there. U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens was also present. ...
Jobless rate fell to 4.4% in Feb.
Korea's unemployment rate declined in February from a 10-year high as government programs increased public-sector jobs.
The jobless rate fell to 4.4 percent from 4.8 percent in January, Statistics Korea said yesterday in Gwacheon, citing seasonally adjusted figures.
President Lee Myung-bak aims to boost employment by more than 250,000 jobs and cut the average unemployment rate to about 3 percent this year. The government said in January it plans to provide an allowance and tax incentives for jobless people hired by small businesses, and will expand its database to match those seeking work with smaller companies that are hiring. ...
Festivities Galore in Korea on St. Patrick's Day
Today is St. Patrick's Day, and people the world over will be making merry in celebration of the traditional Irish holiday, and Seoul will be no different, with events running into the weekend.
The day officially commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, who was famed for ridding Ireland of snakes using a wooden staff and banishing them from the island forever..
The Irish Association of Korea will be holding its official St. Patrick's Day Parade and Irish Concert and Fair at Cheonggye Stream, downtown Seoul, Saturday.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the festival. Events will begin at noon and run until 3:45 p.m. They will include an Irish culture exhibition, folk dancing and a U2 cover-band. ...
Korea Central Bank Successor May Tighten Links with Government
March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Kim Choong-soo, picked by South Korea’s government yesterday to take the central bank’s helm next month, may bolster coordination with political leaders resisting any move to raise interest rates.
Kim, 63, was named by President Lee Myung Bak to succeed Governor Lee Seong Tae when his term ends March 31. Kim is Korea’s ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris and a former head of the Korean Development Institute, a research unit for the Finance Ministry. ...
European groups rail at S Korean decree
South Korea’s railway industry is rapidly turning the tables on major foreign companies, but some are crying foul.
Only six years ago, South Korea launched a version of France’s high-speed TGV train, built by Alstom. This month, South Korea launched express trains using domestic technology. The KTX-II model is hotly tipped to beat Alstom in a tender for Brazil’s high-speed network.
Rather than being bullet trains, Seoul more poetically says its new-generation 300kph trains are shaped like “cherry salmon”. ...
Jisan Valley Festival 2010
For a long time, the Pentaport Music Festival was the biggest music festival featuring both foreign and Korean talent that was available to those not on summer vacation. Then news sounded that there was a split in the administration of the festival. Pentaport goes on, and Jisan rose to create something the same same, but a little different.
As Fuji Rocks goes down in Japan, expect the Jisan promoters to be in talks with the performers there to swing over to the RoK for a little r'n'r. So far, confirmed acts include Muse, Belle and Sebastian and Massive Attack. Usually acts are spread out over the three days so you might want to look into the longer-run tickets if you're a fan of several bands on the roster.
Bring a tent (cheap enough at E-Martuh), perhaps an emergency phone charger and any other supplies you'll need for the week-end if you plan to stay the distance, and please, please, don't do as others might and clean up after yourselves for the sake of the poor saps who have to pick up after you at the end of the week-end. Stay tuned to the Facebook page and main site as more bands are announced.
Venue: Jisan Forest Resort, Icheon City (please note that this does not say Incheon)
Date: Friday, July 31st - Sunday, August 1st, 2010
Time: n/a
Ticket Sales Open: March 23rd, 2010, 5 p.m.
Price: 1 day - W88,000, 2 days - W132,000, 3 days - W165,000. Camping - additional W10,000. (One day ticket holders are not eligible to purchase camping accommodation.)
Order Tickets: ticket.interpark.com or ask TheYeogiyo.com
Directions: coming soon
1 day ticket : KRW88,000
2 days ticket : KRW132,000
3 days ticket : KRW165,000
Camping ticket : KRW10,000 per person
(Please note that 1 day ticket holders are unable to purchase camping ticket)
U.S. diplomat accused of fraud flees
A United States diplomat working in Busan in southern Korea has fled the nation while under investigation for fraud, local police said yesterday.
The Haeundae Police Department in downtown Busan said the official, Dario Tomas, left the country on March 3 without reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Two days later, he lost his diplomatic immunity.
An indictment issued last Friday by a U.S. federal grand jury sitting in San Diego charges Tomas with wire fraud. The indictment said that Tomas, a 51-year-old employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, devised a scheme to defraud investors of $240,000 from May 1, 2007 to Oct. 29, 2009, by making a bogus promise that their money would be invested in building a computer school in the Philippines. ...
N.Korea 'helps S.Africa prepare' for World Cup
SEOUL — North Korea has sent around 1,000 workers to South Africa to help build or renovate stadiums hosting the upcoming World Cup football tournament, South Korean media reports said Monday.
The sanctions-hit state has sent the workers ahead of the June opening of the event, in which its own football team will participate, in an apparent attempt to earn much-needed hard currency, the JoongAng Daily newspaper said.
It said the North Koreans are working at four to five stadiums, including Soccer City in Johannesburg, where the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the final will be staged. ...
Yoplait Falls Foul of Islamic Food Rules
Yogurt brand Yoplait has been named as forbidden food for Muslims.
The Korea Muslim Federation in its weekly bulletin last month warned some Yoplait includes a pork ingredient, gelatin.
Manufacturer Binggrae said the gelatin is extracted and processed from pig skin.
Lee Ju-hwa, the secretary general at the Korea Muslim Federation, said, "We gave the advice because Yoplait is a well-known product and you wouldn't expect it to contain pork." According to the Federation, there are approximately 140,000 Muslims in Korea, including 35,000 Korean followers. ...
Inca Exhibition Impresses Mr World Contestants
Contestants of the Mr World competition toured Seoul Sunday, experiencing local culture and visiting tourist hotspots.
They began the day with a visit to the National Museum of Korea to see the Inca exhibition, something that caught the attention of the contestant from Peru, the ancient homeland of the Incas.
"It was a surprise, it is really a pleasure seeing that Korea likes my culture," Manuel Illich, Mr. Peru, said. ...
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