KEPCO, POSCO join hands for development of nuclear energy

The Korea Electric Power Corporation and the world’s second largest steelmaker (in terms of market value) POSCO agreed on May 3 to work together to locally manufacture key materials needed at nuclear power plants, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize that agreement.

In signing the agreement, the two sides concurred on the importance of raising national competitive power in nuclear energy development.

Korea started its first nuclear power plant operation in Busan in 1978. By the late 1990s, it had succeeded in developing almost all core technologies to develop nuclear energy. But the localization of materials needed at nuclear plants is low, just 76 percent at present.

Some key materials at nuclear power plants are wholly sourced through exports, which is likely to hamper national competitiveness in the nuclear energy sector. This is more so when considering the increasing demand for nuclear power plant construction worldwide.

Through their joint work, KEPCO and POSCO expect to boost the localization rate up to 90 percent in the near future.

Also according to the agreement, KEPCO will provide POSCO with knowhow and international contacts earned from the 40-year-long operation of nuclear plants, while POSCO will devote itself to securing scarce resources and developing core new materials.

Busan Metropolition City

Korean War photos taken by NBC’s war correspondent, John Rich, will be exhibited for public viewing for the first time in Korea.
70 or so color photos will be on display at the presidential museum of Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae from May 5 until June 30.

Exhibition is open from 9:00~6:00 (closed on Mondays)
There is no entrance fee.

Date : May. 05, 2010 - Jun. 30, 2010
Venue: Jeongno-gu, Hyoja-dong 152bunji Transportation: Gyeongbok Palace station(#3) exit no.4 and walk towards Cheong Wa Dae
Contact: TEL: 02-723-0330

Cheonghwa dae saranghae

Korean War photos taken by NBC’s war correspondent, John Rich, will be exhibited for public viewing for the first time in Korea.
70 or so color photos will be on display at the presidential museum of Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae from May 5 until June 30.

Exhibition is open from 9:00~6:00 (closed on Mondays)
There is no entrance fee.

Date : May. 05, 2010 - Jun. 30, 2010
Venue: Jeongno-gu, Hyoja-dong 152bunji Transportation: Gyeongbok Palace station(#3) exit no.4 and walk towards Cheong Wa Dae
Contact: TEL: 02-723-0330

Will Hyundai terminate Sonata series?

Sister Kia’s new sedan K-5 eating away its market share


Will Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group kill its "steady best-seller," the Sonata?

Hyundai officials say "absolutely not," but there appear to be signs that such an eventuality may be on the cards.

The biggest threat to Hyundai's best-selling vehicle is not from outside but from its sister firm, Kia.

Orders for Kia's K-5 sedan, which will be marketed soon, are so overwhelming as to take away from orders for the YF Sonata, a handsome-looking sedan with what Hyundai calls the product of "fluidic design."

According to the data given by the group, Thursday, 11,138 Sonata were sold locally in April, a decrease of 23.6 percent from a month ago.

The local sales of all Hyundai cars fell by 14.4 percent last month from the previous month. The plunge in Sonata sales was rare.

"Hyundai has previously been enjoying buoyant sales of the model during the first quarter. But situation has changed," a high-ranking industry executive said.

Hyundai officials say that the drop in Sonata sales will be transient so there is no need to determine whether to put an end to the Sonata series.

"It is different from Volkswagen's Beetle, which took decades to see a follow-up model," a Hyundai official said. "Cars in the Sonata series are often totally different cars from each other."

Still, the numbers don't look good, although any termination of the Sonata series would prove to be a hard pill to swallow, considering its flagship position in the Hyundai lineup.

For the first three months of this year, the combined sales of the Sonata were 40,720 and the sales curve was impressive ― 14,575 for March, 12,217 in February and 13,928 in January.

It remains debatable over what the decisive factors for the sudden drop are. But analysts and watchers cite higher appetites for the K5 by consumers as one possible reason.

Officials at Kia Motors said it has so far sealed a total of 9,000 contracts, including 6,000 pre-orders from March 5, which they claim is "impressive."

"We are receiving more calls about the K5. It is yet to be seen whether the popularity of the model will continue for the remainder of this year," an official at Kia said.

The new model has a low, wide stance, while a long wheelbase. Short overhangs will serve to set it apart from its global segment competitors, Kia believes.

Developed under the TF codename, the K5 uses the same front-wheel drive Type-N platform as the recently launched Hyundai Sonata and Kia K7 sedans.

Launch engines consist of Hyundai-Kia’s existing 1.8 and 2.4-litre gasoline I4s, while the existing model’s 2.0-litre diesel will be replaced by the more modern 2.2-litre R-engine. A gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain is due to be added in Korea, Canada and the United States in 2011.

"It is forecast Kia will undertake aggressive promotions in terms of pricing. The demand for Sonatas will continue. Who knows if top Kia officials want cannibalization to fuel the ongoing momentum for its external growth," Song Chang-hoon, an analyst at Kyobo Securities, said, adding the local brokerage still maintains its "overweight" position for Kia Motors.

By whatever measure of increasing sales ― higher in general or eating into Sonata sales ― K5 could crimp the Sonata’s margins, according to watchers.

기아자동차가 현대차를 갉아먹고 있다?

지난달 현대차의 신형 YF쏘나타의 내수 판매는 3월보다 23.6% 급감했다.
같은 기간 현대차 전체 내수 판매 실적이 14.4% 떨어진 것과 비교하면 감소 폭은 배 가까이 된다.

쏘나타가 지난해 9월 출시 이후 현대차 내수 판매를 이끌어왔던 점을 감안하면 이 같은 판매 부진은 이례적인 것.

현대차 관계자는 ``그렇다고 해서 YF쏘나타가 시장에서 사라지지는 않을 것’’이라며 ``소비자들의 K5에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있는데 기인한 것’’이라고 말했다.

지난달 5일부터 사전 예약판매된 K5는 6,000여대였으며 본격 출시된 후 현재까지 총 9,000여대가 계약됐다. 쏘나타의 한달간 판매대수에 필적할 만한 수치다.

기아차 관계자는 ``K5 신규 주문이 지속적으로 늘고 있다’’며 ``이 같은 상승세가 꺾이지는 않을 것’’이라고 말했다.

K5는 출시 전부터 디자인과 편의사양들이 공개되면서 소비자들의 높은 관심을 받아왔다. 특히 K5의 주력인 2.0리터 가솔린 모델이 쏘나타 2.0과 같은 쎄타II MPi엔진을 장착해 동등한 주행성능을 갖지만 엔트리 가격은 쏘나타보다 오히려 20만원 저렴한 점이 돋보이고 있다.

그러나 일각에서는 이는 현대.기아차그룹의 `카니발리제이션(Cannibalization: 자기잠식) 마케팅 전략에 따른 일시적인 현상이라고 분석하고 있다.

쏘나타와 K5의 관계처럼 특정 기업의 새로운 제품이 기존 제품과 직접적으로 점유율 경쟁을 펼치는 마케팅 전략을 `카니발리제이션’이라고 부른다.

새 기술이나 제품 도입으로 인한 경쟁으로 수익이 줄어드는 것을 의미하기도 한다.

업계관계자들은 한 지붕 두 가족 브랜드인 기아차가 K5를 출시하면서 시장지배력을 높였고, 이는 그룹의 전체적인 경쟁력 제고에도 도움이 될 수 있을 것이라는 전망을 내 놓고 있다.

송창훈 교보증권 애널리스트는 ``YF쏘나타에 대한 수요가 감소하지는 않을 것’’이라며 ``기아차 경영진들이 카니발리제이션을 통한 양적 팽창을 원하고 있을 지 누가 알겠느냐’’고 말했다.

Ajoshi in The Park ;)))

Old Korean guys playing chess games in the Park. They're cold, but they bundle up and gather round to play games that I don't know the rules to (or even the names of!). What I find most interesting is how so many people gather round to watch them play; there are more spectators than players. so I decided to be among the spectators.
If any of you know anything about these games, please let ME know.ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I think it's like chess, with kings and queens and pawns, but the pieces are different. The game in black and white we haven't a clue about.

Korean Subway Sellers

Every once in a while I get on a subway that isn't packed.
Really! It's empty enough for me to sit! Amazing! Anyhow, during this rare moments, I occasionally see what you're about to see: Korean men going from cart to cart selling stuff, like superglue and stain removers and x-mas carols. I always found this to be cool, and finally I have it on camera. ;))))))))))))))))))

Seoul Food Taste Tour

I love Korean food. Love it!
I can't emphasize that enough. It's one of my favorite aspects of living in Korea: being able to eat Korean food everyday. Recently, we were given the opportunity to go on a Korean Food Taste Tour, And you know, I feel like I should be getting more involved with events like this; they're great ways of getting foreigners in touch with one another, and it's a fun way of trying out new stuff. I've been here for two years almost, and a lot of the food I tried on this tour was new to me. Altogether, it was a great experience, and I recommend it to all who plan on visiting or staying in South Korea. Korean Food 맛있어요 ㅋㅋ

Why does China continue to support North Korea?

So after months of rumors and a couple of false reports, Kim Jong-il finally departed for China. This time his visit produced a palpable irritation in Seoul. Suspicions about Pyongyang's involvement in the Cheonan disaster are mounting, so some South Korean politicians saw China's willingness to invite the North Korean leader as a sign of tacit support for Pyongyang's policy. This led to an outpour of critical statements, which are certain to have no impact on China's actions, of course.

To start with, China ― in spite of all rhetoric of "eternal friendship" ― is no admirer of Kim Jong-il's regime and is frequently annoyed by the North Korean antics. China does not want Pyongyang to go nuclear, since nuclear proliferation threatens China's own privileged position of a "legitimate" nuclear power. China also worries that North Korea's nuclear program might trigger a nuclear arms race in East Asia, producing a nuclear Japan and perhaps, a nuclear Taiwan. Moreover, China rightly sees the North Korean economic system as irrational and wasteful.

Nonetheless, China supports North Korea. Throughout the past few years when South Korean and U.S. aid dried up, famine in North Korea was prevented, above all, by free or subsidized shipments of grain from China. China is the largest investor in and trading partner of North Korea. Why do Chinese continue to invest money into supporting the regime which they do not particularly like and do not see as their reliable ally?

From time to time some people in Washington and Seoul express their hope that China can be somehow persuaded to stop its support of the North or to use its supposed leverage to influence Pyongyang policy (like, say, pressing North Korea into denuclearization). After the second North Korean nuclear test in 2009, China chose to support the U.N. sanctions and there were statements that China finally was "in the same boat as the United States." Alas, this is wishful thinking. China is not in the same boat, and will never be. There are good reasons why China supports the North, and these reasons are likely to remain valid for the foreseeable future.

Yes, China does not want a country in its neighborhood to acquire nuclear weapons. Neither it is happy about military provocations of any kind. However, there are two other concerns which are far more important for China to keep the region stable and to keep Korea divided.

Stability is a keyword for the Chinese policy. China concentrates on economic growth and needs a peaceful and predictable environment in order not to be distracted from this goal. Hence, any crisis in the vicinity of China is an anathema for the Chinese strategists and should be avoided at all cost.

Another, arguably less important, goal is to keep Korea divided. Taken into consideration the current balance of power, unification is likely to lead to absorption of the impoverished North by the rich South. For China it might mean the emergence of a stronger U.S. ally ― or, at least, another "unruly democracy" ― right on its border. China can survive such a turn of events, to be sure, but it would prefer to maintain North Korea as a strategic buffer zone.

Alas, in order to really influence North Korea's behavior, one has to play hardball. Subtle measures will not work, since the North Korean government does not care that much about economy or even about survival of its own population. In order to have an impact, China would have to virtually close the border completely and stop all trade with the North. A senior South Korean diplomat described this problem in a private conversation by a good allegory: "China does not have leverage when it comes to dealing with the North. What China has is a hammer."

But China must have a mighty good reason to wield this hammer since such extreme pressure can easily lead to a system collapse. This collapse will make the situation very volatile. Crowds of refugees, the nuclear weapons and material getting to the black market, numerous diplomatic complications ― those are not the problems China is eager to deal with. Finally, collapse is likely to produce a unified Korea which is not China's most preferable outcome.

Therefore, China prefers to spend some resources keeping the North Korean regime afloat in order to maintain the status quo and prevent or, at least, postpone a major crisis. It also wants to minimize the risk of North Korea being involved in excessively dangerous actions, but this goal is of secondary importance.

At all probability, this time we will see another repetition of the old game. Chinese will insist that North Korea should come back to the six-party talks (Beijing's pet project), and also should restrain itself. Kim Jong-il will claim his sovereign rights to run his state as he pleases while inquiring how much aid he is going to get for some minor concessions. The Cheonan affair is unlikely to be discussed at all ― even if Chinese bring up the question, the North will deny responsibility, claiming that all accusations are results of the "smear campaign waged by the South Korean warmongers."

And what will be the net result? Perhaps, we can see the contours of a likely deal: North Korea will promise to go back to the six-party talks while China will reward Pyongyang for this by aid and subsidized trade. So, China will be satisfied with maintaining both its international prestige and stability in its neighborhood while the long-delayed six-party talks will finally restart, to continue for a while, until the next crisis. Will the talks ever produce their intended result ― the "complete and verifiable elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs?" Of course, not. But has that not been clear for years?



Credits :Koratimes

How to Get Sushi Delivered to Your Home

I love sushi.ㅋㅋ I was really excited when I saw that Korea has Sushi Conveyor Belts, but since then the novelty has worn off, and I haven't really eaten much sushi since. Fortunately, my friends sent me an email recently to tell me about Sushi Mom, which does Sushi Delivery. Yep,,,,, """That's right. SUSHI DELIVERY! ""ㅎ
I don't have to go to the conveyor belts anymore! Sushi can come right to my Dorm! What's great about this place is not only the awesome sushi, but also the fact that you don't have to stumble around on the phone trying to explain your order, because the owner speaks perfect English! Order your Dynamite Rolls, Rainbow Rolls, whatever-you-want rolls, and get them delivered to your place! ;)))

Nearly 300,000 Koreans visit US visa-free

Nearly 300,000 Koreans traveled to the United States without a visa during the first year after Seoul was officially added to the visa waiver program (VWP), a less-than-expected result due to the weak Korean won and severe global economic downturn that kept people home.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said 297,990 non-immigrant Koreans entered the U.S. visa-free in the 2009 fiscal year from October 2008 to September 2009.

The VWP took effect in November 2008 amid hoopla and anticipation that the new privilege would significantly boost Koreans' outbound travel to the U.S. At the time, the Korean government said it expected 1.2 million Koreans to travel to the U.S. by 2011 thanks to the hassle-free process.

Under the program, Koreans have been allowed travel to the U.S. for business or pleasure for up to 90 days without securing a visa.

"We expected a major business uptick since U.S. travel became super easy compared to before," said Kim Sang-hyun, an agent at New York-based U-Travel, "but it turned out that we were too hopeful."

He said group travel from Korea increased little or none all through last year despite new price reductions on tour packages.

"The poor economy and weak Korean won basically zapped the initial benefits of visa-free travel," said Lee Eun-mi, another travel agent in Manhattan.

The number of Korean travelers bound for the U.S. dropped across the board last year, as the DHS data shows 906,006 non-immigrant Koreans visited the U.S. in 2009, down 11.2 percent from the previous year.

Starting this year, however, things began to turn around.

According to Korean Air, the nation's No. 1 carrier, the number of Korean travelers entering Los Angeles reached 10,400 in the first quarter of this year, up more than 70 percent from the same period a year earlier.

"The mood is clearly different this year," said Kim So-young, who works for Korean Air's branch in Los Angeles. "We're beginning to see a steady rise in passengers."

Everything from unfavorable exchanges rates to fears over the H1N1 flu held back people from leaving home in 2009, she said. "But this year we're off to a new start."

The result of the VWP will also have to be newly observed this year, said Raymond Kim, a lawyer at Kim & Min Law Firm, a practice based in Los Angeles.

"Last year's circumstances didn't allow observers to properly assess the result of the VWP," he said, adding that no major side effects are apparent yet.

"Critics' biggest concern was that the VWP may trigger a new wave of illegal immigration," said Kim, "but that's something we have to wait further to see."



Credits : Koreatimes!

Children's Day 5th May

In South Korea, May 5 is officially recognized as Children's Day. Parents often give presents to their children, as well as spend time with them. The children are taken on excursions to zoos and museums. The holiday was originally celebrated on May 1, but was later moved to May 5.

The writer "Bang Jeong-Hwan" is attributed to creating Children's Day in Korea. He is also believed to be responsible for changing the meaning of the word "어린이" into "child", which originally meant for "younger" (as opposed to "성인" ("older")).

And these pictures I was taking when our one day tour to Cheonan Park on Children day's in Korea,
5th May.


go back to Dorm ......
waiting for the Univ.bus.....
at National Museum of Cheonan....



had a great time with NIIED's students in SM.University....




I try z smile Kimchi with children in Cheonan Park ,,,...ㅋㅋㅋ



he's super cute ,,,ㅎㅎ


we're looking so happy in this pic.bcuz we tries to smile Kimchi zike ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ


on My way to Cheonan park.....;))

Infront of my Dorm with International/NIIED's students ............

The Hanja Writting system

Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese Characters, which were introduced to Korea more than two thousand years ago. In Dae Jang Geum, as in history, most documents were written in hanja. It was the sole means of writing Korean until King Sejong invented hangul (the Korean alphabet) in the 15th century. Before the invention of hangul, Koreans had a dual system of literacy: hanmun (classical Chinese) for the upper class, and idu (a system of writing Korean sounds in Chinese characters) for the middle class. King Sejong's invention led to an increase in literacy, but the conservative Confucian intellectuals objected to this new script. Therefore, in Dae Jang Geum, you will see that official documents are still written in hanja. It was not until the 20th century that Hangul completely replaced Hanja.

Scene from Dae Jang Geum - '3 Hanja Characters'
A scene from the first episode of Dae Jang Geum. Here, a Buddhist monk discusses the meaning of three Hanja characters with Jang Geum's father:


For more information visit Basic Hanja

Korean Traditional Dance

Traditional Korean dance is generally divided into two categories, folk dance and court dance. Folk dance expressed the lives and emotions of the common people and is often vigourous and rhythmic. Court dance is much more reserved, a style that is often described as chong joong dong (motion within stillness). The movements are elegant, graceful, flowing, and restrained. Below I will introduce examples of folk and court dances.


FOLK DANCE
Poongmul Dance Nong-ak (traditional farmers dance) is a strenuous form of folk dance. Dancers rotate their heads producing long spirals with the white ribbons attached to the crown of their hats:
Hwa-gwan mu (flower crown dance) is one of the oldest forms of Korean court dance. Believed to have originated from the Shilla dynasty (57BC-935AD), it was performed by court dancers at banquets for royalty and foreign envoys:



POONGMUL DANCE & COURT DANCE.

For more information visit Culture & Art in Korea

Today in Korea

Children in Hanbok (Traditional Korean Dress) sing and play the gayageum during an Arts Festival for children at the Suwon Open Air Music Theatre. The event was hosted by Suwon City.

SM University Has Plenty to Offer International Students

The quality of Education here at the University is very good.
I feel the University is very serious about the Education standards it maintains.They have very good staff and the studies have been set up in such a way so that one feels very relaxed while studying.the best part is the Web CT here.it's an internal database which any students can access through the internet if they've HW and ect.
The academic staff are very co-operative and friendly.They treat you very well and always ready to help you.The administration staff are also very professional and very helpful. ;)
Frankly, ㅋ When I was coming to this University(Korea) I was very concerned about making friends and how people would treat me.But in a couple of weeks I made many friends and am very happy to have such a good circle of friends.Life here is very cool.Everybody is very open-minded ;))

Cheonan&Asan is a very good city to live in especially if you are a student.it's very beautiful. Seoul is also very near to Cheonan & Asan.So, on weekends one can also go to Seoul :) ^^
The best thing about studying at this SM is that it is a very good University and never feels isolated.The people here are very friendly and helpful.
And the advice I would give to my friends(students) considering study at Cheonan& Asan is to go for this Univ. as it has everything-very good facilities,a beautiful campus,near to Seoul and exceptionally good staff .