National Museum of Korea ranks 1st in attendance in Asia

The National Museum of Korea succeeded in attracting the most number of visitors in Asia last year according to the findings of an art publication based in Britain in mid-May.


“The Art Newspaper,” which makes extensive coverage of the fields of art, culture and museums worldwide, revealed in its April edition that Korea’s National Museum came first in the number of visitors in Asia. The exact figure showed a total of 2,730,204 visitors in the year 2009.


The figure is the 10th largest museum attendance in the world. Taiwan’s National Palace Museum took 12th place with 2.57 million visitors and Japan’s Tokyo National Museum was in 14th place with 2.27 million visitors. The French Louvre Museum took first place with an attendance of 8.5 million.


The National Museum of Korea also excelled in the number of daily visitors, taking second place in the ancient relics display section with its exhibition “Egypt, the Great Civilization” that ran from Apr. 28 to Aug. 30.


Also in the section for Asian relics display, the National Museum of Korea ranked 7th in the world. This was for an exhibition of relics for the centennial anniversary of the Korean museum from Sept. 29 to Nov. 8. The year 2009 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first modern museum in Korea.


The paper publicized the results on May 18, which celebrates International Museum Day and encourages museums worldwide to commemorate the event through various functions.


“This latest survey shows that the National Museum of Korea has gone beyond just representing Korea to become one of the top museums in Asia,” said museum director Choe Kwang-sik. “Ever since we moved from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Yongsan district in 2005, we have tried hard to make the museum a friendly place to visit. The effort seems to have paid off.”


Another reason for the rising popularity of the museum can be attributed to the various hands-on programs launched for the whole family and international visitors. The story-telling program and crafts class especially help young children to identify with events and relics of long time ago.


The museum is now holding its fourth exhibition dedicated a one of the world’s great civilizations. This year it presents “Gods, Heroes and Mortals: Art and Life in Ancient Greece,” from May 1 to Aug. 29, closely following other great exhibitions since 2008: “The Glory of Persia,” “Egypt, the Great Civilization” and “The Great Myth and Mystery of Peruvian Civilization, Inca.”


For more information visit the museum’s website.

Japan PM backs Seoul in seeking response to North Korea

President Lee Myung-bak, center, joins hands with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, left, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for a photo prior to the first round of their two-day trilateral summit at the International Convention Center in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Saturday. The second round of talks, focusing on the crisis brewing on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's torpedo attack on the South Korean Navy vessel Cheonan in March, will be held Sunday.


JEJU ISLAND ― Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged "wholehearted" support for South Korea Saturday in seeking an international response to North Korea's torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March, saying Tokyo will closely cooperate with the international community in dealing with the aftermath.

At a summit with President Lee Myung-bak here prior to their trilateral talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Hatoyama also said his government will take its own countermeasures against the reclusive nation, including a stronger inspection of money being sent to North Korea and its ships using Japan's sea lanes, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The leaders also agreed to facilitate working-level dialogue between Seoul and Tokyo to resume the talks on singing a bilateral free trade agreement, based on common understanding that the accord is crucial in fostering future-oriented and strategic partnership.

South Korea's plan to take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) for sanctions over the attack was high on the agenda at the meeting between Lee and Hatoyama.

Early in the morning, the Japanese leader visited the National Cemetery in Daejeon, where the 46 sailors killed in the naval tragedy are buried, and offered his deep condolences to their families.

"Prime Minister Hatoyama vowed to deal sternly with Pyongyang based on firm alliance with Seoul," said Lee Dong-kwan, senior presidential secretary for public relations. "He showed his deep respect for Lee, saying Seoul has been taking a cool-headed, well-coordinated response to the tragedy under his firm leadership."

The summit came one day after the bilateral talks between Lee and Chinese Premier Wen in Seoul.

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China arrived on this southern resort island Saturday for three-way talks, which will continue until Sunday.

On Friday, Wen pledged to consult closely with the countries concerned to punish those behind the incident, saying China will review the results of an international investigation, released in Seoul on May 20, in a fair and objective manner.

He, however, stopped short of clarifying whether Beijing accepts the results of a probe by South Korea, the United States, Australia and Sweden.

Some observers here said Wen's remarks indicate that China may join the U.S. and its allies in censuring North Korea for the sinking of the 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan.

In separate talks with Prime Minister Chung Un-chan on Saturday, Wen expressed his condolences to South Korean people and family members of the victims for the "unfortunate incident," Chung's office said.

In the first session of the three-way summit, Saturday, the leaders agreed to set up a "cooperation secretariat" in Seoul in 2012 to strengthen, institutionalize and facilitate future cooperation among the three nations.

The deal is part of the "Vision 2020" roadmap toward a Northeast Asian community, presenting guidelines and principles of their cooperation for the next decade, according to the presidential office.

The agenda also included a proposed free trade agreement among them, and Seoul's preparations to host the G-20 Summit in November.

In the second round of talks on Sunday, the leaders will concentrate on the Cheonan issue and North Korea's nuclear program. They are scheduled to hold a joint press conference later in the day to sum up the outcome of their discussions.

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The Most Inspiring Sport Korean Movie, ‘Barefoot Dreams’ to Release in June

To welcome the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be hold in South Africa, Korean industry film has prepared the sport Korean movie, ‘Barefoot Dreams’ to cheer up the big event. The movie directed by Kim Tae Kyun who helmed ‘Higanjima’ (2009), ‘Crossing’ (2008), and the heartbreaking Korean film ‘A Millionaire’s First Love’, is scheduled to release in the theaters on June 24, 2010.

‘Barefoot Dreams’ is a co-production between South Korea and Japan. The movie is based on true story of former soccer player Kim Won Kwang whose life didn’t turn out quite promising. He left Korea and went to the small country of East Timor to search a new opportunity for his life. One day, he sees street kids playing ball with bare feet. Thinking that this is a good chance to embark new life by selling soccer shoes, he opens a sports stuff store, but he finally realizes none of the kids can afford those fancy shoes or jerseys. He feels despaired and is about to close up the store. Then, he decides to start teaching the kids how to play ball. Although, the East Timor youth soccer team has been in existence for only one year but will go on win two international youth soccer events with the help of Coach Kim Won Kwang. (I think it will be the most inspiring Korean movie for 2010)

Coach Kim Won Kang is portrayed by a rising actor Park Hie Sun. Park received special training as a high school soccer coach and learned parts of Indonesian and East Timor language to support his character. The filming of ‘Barefoot Dreams’ began on November 2009 in East Timor, then Moved to South Korea, and finished shooting on January 28th 2010 in Hiroshima, Japan.






























http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-u16-championship-2010-schedule-results?view=Competitions&id=374

NK threatens to cut all relations with South Korea

North Korea said Tuesday that it will cut all relations with South Korea and will have no contact with the Southern authorities during the remaining tenure of President Lee Myung-bak.

In a statement issued by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, the North vowed to sever all communication links with the South and expel all South Korean personnel from the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border town of Kaesong.

The North also pledged to freeze and dismantle the Consultative Office for South-North Economic Cooperation in the Kaesong Industrial Zone while completely suspending the work of Panmunjeom Red Cross liaison representatives.

The statement went on to say that Pyongyang will ban South Korean ships and airliners from passing through the North's territorial waters and air, in addition to starting an all-out counterattack against the South's anti-North psychological warfare.

"The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea formally declares that from now on it will put into force the resolute measures to totally freeze the inter-Korean relations, totally abrogate the agreement on non-aggression between the North and the South and completely halt the inter-Korean cooperation," said the statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.

"All the issues arising in the inter-Korean relations will be handled under a wartime law," the statement said, strongly denouncing President Lee over his earlier statement holding the North responsible for a torpedo attack on the South's patrol ship Cheonan near the western sea border on March 26.

On the other hand, the U.S. State Department said that North Korea's threat to sever all ties with South Korea will only undermine the livelihood of the people of the isolated, impoverished state, Yonhap News reported in Washington.

"I can't imagine a step that is less in the long-term interest of the North Korean people than cutting off further ties with South Korea," spokesman Philip Crowley was quoted as saying. "I think it's odd. South Korea is one of the most dynamic economies in the world. North Korea is a failing economy even by their own admission. North Korea is unable to care for its citizens. It's unable to feed its people."

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have flared after a multinational investigation concluded last Thursday that a North Korean submarine slipped into the South's waters near their Yellow Sea border and attacked the Cheonan with a torpedo.

North Korea, which has strongly denied any involvement in the sinking, has threatened to wage an "all-out war" if there are any attempts to punish the North.

"The DPRK had already solemnly declared that it would regard the South's anti-DPRK smear campaign over the sinking of the warship as a declaration of a war against the DPRK and mete out a merciless and strong punishment if the group dare defile its dignity," said the North's statement, using the abbreviation of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The army and the people of the DPRK and all other Koreans will never pardon the group of traitors as it is finally bringing the dark clouds of war to hang over the Korean Peninsula, wantonly violating the historic June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration and bringing the inter-Korean relations to a total collapse," it said, calling President Lee a "traitor."

The latest statement from Pyongyang came as South Korea has been trying to drum up international support to punish North Korea for the deadly attack that killed 46 South Korean sailors, and bring the case to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

On Monday, President Lee and his ministers announced a slew of punitive measures against the North, including halting trade with the impoverished neighbor, banning commercial North Korean ships from passing through southern waters, resuming anti-Pyongyang broadcasts, and staging military and anti-proliferation drills.

The president then indicated Tuesday that South Korea will re-designate North Korea as its main enemy in its defense white paper, while Seoul's Navy announced a plan to hold an anti-submarine drill later this week in waters off the west coast in its first show of military force after the North's torpedo attack on the Cheonan.

The two Koreas are technically still at war, as their 1950-1953 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

China may change its position on Cheonan tragedy

For weeks leading to the official announcement of the Cheonan tragedy, Chinese diplomats had told South Korean counterpart that brining North Korea to the U.N. body wouldn't be a good idea, according to the local JoongAng Ilbo newspaper Saturday.

"For weeks, Chinese diplomats in Seoul told diplomats from other countries in South Korea that taking the matter to the U.N. would 'upset' North Korea. So, it would not (be) a good idea," it said citing an unnamed source.

However, China is now showing signs of subtle changes after the official announcement on Thursday by international inspectors that held North Korea as the culprit for the deadly naval attack.

"China's attitude has changed compared to before," an unnamed South Korean government official told the newspaper.

"In the past, its stance was not to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council. But now, they have become more prudent," the official said.

The official declined to elaborate on how the Chinese have changed.

China is expected to state its official stance by the time of the East Asian Summit where Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet his counterparts from South Korea and Japan, it said.


Credits: Koreatimes