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The 14th Muju Firefly Festival

The Muju Firefly Festival is an eco-friendly event that not only celebrates these fascinating creatures, but also the area’s natural environment and folklore. Visitors can enjoy firefly-themed events as well as learn more about the important connection between nature and the agricultural way of life.

- Period : June 12 – 20, 2010
- Venue : Bandi-Land Area (Sport Center) in Muju, Jeollabuk-do

http://www.firefly.or.kr

The 23rd Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA 2010)

An international travel fair that promotes the exchange of travel information, ideas, products, and services among travel professionals worldwide and the public.

- Period : June 3 – 6, 2010
- Venue : COEX C Hall, Seoul

http://www.kotfa.co.kr

The Incheon International Design Awards (IIDA)

Major international design awards?
There is the International Design Awards (IDA), or the International Forum Design Awards.
But did you know Korea has one like that too?

It’s the Incheon International Design Awards (IIDA), now entering its 7th year. For the past 7 years IIDA has been receiving increasing attention from the design industry, academia, and enterprises both at home and abroad. In 2009, as many as 3,709 submissions from 97 countries were taken, and for this year IIDA is seeking submissions from May 1 until August 25, for 117 days.
The theme of IIDA 2010 is “Green Heart,” as it attempts to generate interest and participation from global designers in spreading more eco-friendly and sustainable life style in connection with design. Prizes worth of USD 43,000 will be awarded.

IIDA 2010 seeks entries in the following 3 categories:

1) “Green Design for Human” – daily goods, home appliances, lightings, furniture, stationery, home devices, cars, packaging, etc
2) “Green Design for City” – architecture, interior design, road, items for streets, public spaces and facilities, park, urban infrastructure, etc
3) “Green Design for Communication” – poster, video, advertisement, illustration, campaign, software, mass media, networking, etc

One of the winners of IIDA 2009 is Thermodynamic Cooler- a system that preserves food by the cooling effect of evaporating water,involving no electricity http://iida.kr/

Another winner of last year's awards :MURAKAMI CHAIR- a rocking chair with a reading lamp running on electricity generated from the rocking motion http://iida.kr/

The entries will be evaluated by a judging committee comprised of Korean and international experts in the relevant fields of design. There will also be special awards – “Netizens’ Choice Award” and “People’s Choice Award (chosen by the visitors of the Incheon International Design Fair).

Despite the relatively short history, IIDA has been rapidly garnering global attention and recognition. I’m sure this year’s IIDA will be seeing even more innovative items from all over the world :)

Touring Seoul with iPhone

When we travel abroad, we usually research and gather information about those foreign places beforehand so we could be prepared.
But even so, when we’re actually there, more often than not we get encountered with situations where things aren’t quite as we expected them to be.
Providing foreign travelers with accurate, on-the-spot, easy-to-access information while they are on their tours – that’s the purpose of the web site “i Tour Seoul (www.visitseoul.net) ” run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

It is a digital tour guide that offers a wide range of information regarding Seoul for foreign travelers who visit and tour around the city. The services are offered through the web site as well as at the kiosks installed at various spots in the city.

Starting late 2009, the services have also been being offered, on a tentative basis, via smartphones. And starting this month, it will be expanded for common usage.
Through iphone you can now access information contained in the “i Tour Seoul” homepage – information on tourist spots, making reservations for hotels, restaurants and performances, communication support etc.

Also, the “i Tour Seoul” mobile application can perform search around the area, putting you in the center, for popular tourist sites, restaurants, public transportations and others.

One other interesting application is the one where you can take pictures of the spots you visit using your iphone and send them to your account at “i Tour Seoul” web site. And then later on, after you are done with your travel, you can download the pictures to your computer at your leisure.

These applications can be downloaded free-of-charge at the Apple App Store. And for those travelers who do not own an iphone, they can rent one at Incheon and Gimpo Airports, and also at the City Airport, Logis & Travel sites.

Transferring the entire information and functions of a web site as a mobile phone application is said to be an unprecedented tourism service.

Credits: PNCB

2010 World Design City "Seoul" 세계디자인수도 "서울"