사랑과 평화 ;P

♥One of the most beautiful groups of people on the planet are Koreans.

Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous nations in the world (mainly due to its geographical isolation and endogamous culture in the past). However, South Korea is rapidly becoming a multicultural society.

Genetically and linguistically Koreans (Altaic) are different from Chinese (Sino-Tibetan). Genetically Japanese are mainly half Korean and half Chinese, and their language shares the same root with Korean. Chinese are also made up of many different ethnic groups. However, Koreans are one of a kind.

♥Koreans are the tallest people in Asia:

Average male height
Korean: 174.2 cm (5' 8.6")
Turkish: 173.74 cm (5' 8.4")
Japanese: 171.51 cm (5' 7.5")
Chinese: 170.2 cm (5' 7.0")
Indian: 164.5 cm (5' 4.8")

Average female height
Korean: 163.3 cm (5' 3.2")
Turkish: 161.4 cm (5' 3.5")
Chinese: 158.6 cm (5' 2.5")
Japanese: 155.04 cm (5' 0.1")
Indian: 152.0 cm (4' 11.9")

♥Koreans are also the smartest people:

South Korea has the highest national IQ in the world. Also with the world's highest scientific literacy and 2nd highest mathematical literacy, naturally South Korea is the world's technology superpower with a high-tech and futuristic infrastructure. (South Korea was the 1st country in the world to provide high-speed internet access to every primary, junior, and high school, and is No.1 country in terms of innovation.)

♥Koreans are the best athletes of Asia:

The population of South Korea is No.25 in the world, yet it ranked No.7 at the 2008 Olympics. Most of the top 6 countries have by far larger population than that of Korea. (It ranked No.2 among Asian countries at the 2008 Games, second only to China. Especially at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Korea was the only Asian, and the only non-subpolar zone and non-Alpine country to be among the Top 5, beating even China.) Taekwondo, the world's most popular martial art, also originated in Korea.

♥Koreans are also the most moral, global-minded, broad-minded, hard-working, democratic, and peace-loving peoples in Asia:

Since ancient times Korea has been known as "Eastern Nation of Decorum (東方禮儀之國)" by Chinese. Koreans now make up the largest group of foreign students in the US. (For example, Harvard University has more Korean students than students from any foreign country except Canada and the UK.) Nowadays around 30% of the population are Christian, and 23% are Buddhist. (It is the 2nd largest missionary sending nation on earth, after the US.)

Koreans performed "Miracle on the Han River" and transformed South Korea from the poorest country in the world (after the Korean War) into one of the wealthiest in one generation. (With very little natural resources, South Korea is a member of the "Trillion Dollar Club", and one of the world's top 10 exporters. Its Gyeongsang Province, for example, is the richest region in Asia.) South Koreans enjoy an exceptionally high living standard in Asia and have a higher life expectancy than the Americans, British and Germans, for example.

Only South Korea has a "fully functioning modern democracy" with balanced left-wing liberals and right-wing conservatives in Asia.

♥♥Because of all above, South Korean mainstream culture is highly popular throughout Asia, and increasingly in North and South Americas, Europe, and the Middle East in a phenomenon called "the KOREAN WAVE (aka Hallyu 한류 韓流)":

South Korea is one of only three countries in the world to watch more domestic films than imports. (The other two countries are the US and India.) BoA is the only non-Japanese and one of only two artists in Japan to have first six consecutive No.1 albums on the Oricon charts in the history of Japan. South Korean programs on Chinese government TV networks account for more than all other foreign programs combined.

CNN: "'James Dean of Asia': Korean Idol Lee Byung-Hun Makes Waves Overseas" (November 26, 2008)

Harvard University Gazette: "Friendly Wave Hits Asia: The cultural 'Korean Wave' is analyzed, enjoyed at the Kennedy School" (February 22, 2007)

The Washington Post: "Japanese Women Catch the 'Korean Wave'" (August 31, 2006)

The New York Times: "China's Youth Look to Seoul for Inspiration" (January 2, 2006)

The International Herald Tribune: "A Rising Korean Wave: If Seoul Sells It, China Craves It" (January 10, 2006)

KEEP THE FAITH

Standing beneath Dili’s imaginatively named ‘Jesus statue’ you can see all the way along the coast and miles out to sea. At over 30ft, the imposing figure of Christ is Timor’s answer to Rio’s Redeemer and tells its own tales of Timor’s unsettled past.

This Jesus is a relic of Indonesian rule, and has all the scars to prove it. Arms outstretched, the imposing figure is in serious need of some TLC. He stands atop a spherical dome which doubles as a globe – though a number of the continents which once made up the grandiose world map have noticeably rusted and dropped off. The flood lights at each corner of the statue, which would have illuminated Jesus for miles around, have been ripped from their plinths. There is an air of sadness. It seems few visitors make the 15 minute trip to see Jesus anymore.

Yet, visit Dili Cathedral on a Sunday morning and it’s a very different story. From 7.30am crowds flock to mass and by the time we arrive at a quarter to eight we can barely get in the door. The pews are packed. Those who arrive late have to perch on the very edges of their seats. The stairwells are full; some people poke their heads around the main doorway; others sit on the floor. The sea of heads seems to go on and on into the distance.

Korea expands support for East Timor development

The Korean government has built a central post office in the capital of East Timor and will be providing school books to the Southeast Asian country as part of a $10 million support plan, the Korea International Cooperation Agency said.

The Seoul-based international aid agency, or KOICA, funded the construction of a two-story post office in Dili, which was completed and opened to public last week.

KOICA Chairman Park Dae-won has been visiting the country since June 8 to oversee the completion of some of the projects Korea has been supporting.
Park Dae-won (right), president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, poses with East Timor’s Education Minister Joao Cancio Freitas after signing an agreement on the provision of textbooks in Dili last week. KOICA

The agency said it has been spending, since 2001, up to $6.6 million in building six emergency medical facilities, $4 million in supporting the country’s education sector and another $1 million on inviting government officials for training sessions in Seoul.

The $2 million-post office is anticipated to greatly help the economical and social development of East Timor, Park said.

The KOICA chief also met with East Timor’s Education Minister Joao Cancio Freitas last week, officially signing a deal to provide students with textbooks written in their native tongue, the agency said.

Though Portuguese is an official language in East Timor, due to Portugal’s colonial rule of the country in the 16th century, nearly 86 percent of its people use the Tetum language. The lack of printing facilities in the country has made it difficult for schools to provide coordinated textbooks using the widely-used native language.

Korea will finish providing the textbooks to all public schools in East Timor by 2012, and also support the publication of a Tetum-language dictionary and building new printing facilities, KOICA said.

The KOICA, founded in 1991, has been supporting more than 45 developing countries with long-term projects and has provided various types of training to some 25,000 participants from 164 countries since its establishment.

Credits : PCNB/KoreanBrand

World Students in Korea 3rd Batch

Korea Business Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010

At the Shanghai Expo 2010 which has mustered 10 million visitors so far since its opening on May 1, the Korean companies and their products exhibited at the “Korea Business Pavilion” are drawing special attention.
According to the survey conducted by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) on 430 Chinese visitors at the Korea Business Pavilion, 96.2% answered their perception of Korean companies has greatly improved after the visit.

85% of the subjects answered their willingness to purchase Korean products has increased, and the reason given for that was : high-quality (29.9%), brand power (23.3%), and other factors such as price competitiveness, design, and after-service. Also, among Korean products, preference for electronics was greatest (25.2%), followed by mobile phone (20.1%) and computer (14.4%).

Under the theme “Green City, Green Life,” the pavilion presents Korean companies’ environment-friendly high technologies and visions for future, including the world’s biggest LCD Multi-Tower and achievements in urban life-related research such as the utilization of recycled energy.
<“Lucky 128,888th Visitor Event” at the Korea Business Pavilion (photo courtesy of KITA>
Also, there were surprise events where 12,888th, 128,888th, and 1,288, 888th visitors would win prizes. The number 12 signifies the number of Korean companies participating in the exhibition, and 8 is a number favored by Chinese people.

Likewise, the Korea Business Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo is enticing Chinese spectators with various displays and events. With 4 more months left, the pavilion is expected to spread more favorable images of Korea to international visitors.

Power by:PCNB

Euh Yoon-Dae Chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding Will Head KB Financial

Prof.Euh Yoon-dae, Chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, was selected as the final candidate for the chairman of KB Financial Group, Tuesday, after the recommendation committee conducted a 90-minute interview with him and two other candidates ― Lee Hwa-eon, former CEO of Daegu Bank, and Lee Chul-hwi, CEO of KAMCO.

The committee said that his outstanding leadership and driving force were already proved while working at the Presidential council. Prof.Euh Yoon-Dae with WSK"World Students in Korea"

The selection is subject to approval by an emergency shareholders' meeting next month. If He earns the final nod, He will be inaugurated as the head of the nation's largest financial holding company for a three-year term.

The Former Korea University President, who is a close aide to President Lee Myung-bak, has lectured on international finance, and worked as a member of the Bank of Korea Monetary Policy Committee in the late 1980s..

Prof.Euh Yoo-Dae with President "Lee Myung-Bak",First Lady" Kim Yoon-Ok" and World Students In Korea from 1st batch & 2nd batch.
Prof.Euh Yoo-Dae with Notable Bloggers from Indonesia,East Timor,China,France,Pakistan and Philipine.

While some suspect that he has little experience in managing financial firms, Euh is confident he can handle the job well.
"I have been involved in the management of three banks as an outside director," he told reporters on Friday A native of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Euh, 65, has been involved in the financial sector, including the Korea Center for International Finance.

The nation's largest holding company underwent a turbulent nine-month management vacancy after former Chairman Hwang Young-key quit last September after the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) blamed him for investment losses at Woori Bank, where he previously worked. Current Kookmin Bank CEO Kang Chung-won withdrew from the candidacy after tough audits conducted by the FSS in December.

Credits:Korea Times,,

East Timorese Activist Becomes Envoy

An independence activist
A refugee living in exile for 24 years
A leader of a political party
Minister of infrastructure
Prime minister
A candidate for presidential election

This is a brief summary of Joao Carrascalao's life. And starting last August he began working in Korea as the top diplomat of East Timor.
"I chose to come, because I really fell in love with this country and its people," he said during an interview with The Korea Times in his Hannam-dong office, in Seoul,Korea.
As he continued, it became clear that his comment wasn't mere diplomatic rhetoric that carried no meaning.
Many East Timorese, the ambassador said, view Korea as one of their very good friends that helped them when the country was struggling.
"Former President Kim Dae-jung played a very important role in supporting our struggle. Therefore, it was felt very strong in the hearts of Timorese," Carrascalao said as to why.
The late Kim addressed the issue to leaders of APEC member states during its annual meeting in New Zealand in 1999.
Korea was also one of the first to join international nation-building efforts in East Timor.
It dispatched "Evergreen Troops" ― 440 soldiers ― in 1999 as part of U.N. peacekeeping forces, and they stayed until March in 2003. Carrascalao also appreciated Korea's swift opening of an embassy in Dili, the capital.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 2002, and Korea opened the embassy the same year.
Although belated, the opening of the East Timorese Embassy in Seoul - it opened last March - carries a significant implication. The embassy is one of only 17 embassies the country has around the world.
East Timor has opened foreign missions mostly in Portuguese speaking countries, including Portugal, Brazil and Angola, and other important nations, the ambassador said.
The rank of the ambassador as a top politician and former minister also hints at Korea's significance to the Timorese.
Carrascalao said three things will be his top priorities, the first being student exchanges.
Timorese students with East Timor President Dr.Jose Ramos Horta & The embassador of Timor Leste to South Korea Mr.Joao Carrascalao






He said he believes young students' overseas experience will be so useful when they return home. So far, he has managed to bring 12, yet, is working to increase the number.
  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=469395630710&ref=ts

Another priority will be an exchange of workers - by this, he didn't mean cheap labor for Koreans.

                                       

                            Celebrated together last Christmas and New year in River tower 2011

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=469395630710&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=369691002168&ref=ts

Workers from East Timor will learn skills, for example, in agriculture, which will help to grow their own vegetables in large quantities, he said.
"Then we won't have to import vegetables from China."
Thirdly, he wants to promote East Timor as a tourist attraction for Koreans.
"I know many Koreans go to Asian countries for their honeymoon. They can consider East Timor as an option."
The tourism infrastructure still has a room to grow, and he encouraged Korean investors to come along the newlyweds. East Timor is on an island sharing half of the land with Indonesia.
As a former Portuguese colony, the land of 15,000 square kilometers is immersed in Portuguese culture.
Ninety-five percent of the population is Catholic, whereas Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim country.

"Although we share the border, our cultures are different," Carrascalao said.
In the wake of the Carnation Revolution, Portugal began a decolonization process, giving colonies the right to choose their own destiny.
East Timor, after nearly 450 years under Portuguese influence, decided to declare its independence.
Indonesia didn't want to see that happen, one of the reasons of which, some argued, was the abundant natural resources the small piece of land possesses.
Indonesia invaded the territory in 1975 ― that's when Carrascalao fled the country. By July 1976, Indonesia annexed East Timor as part of its 27th province.
Resistance against the Indonesian military presence within the country began and overseas independence movement spread.
The ambassador initiated an overseas campaign in Australia.
Efforts gained international support, which pressured Indonesia to hold a referendum on the future of East Timor in 1999.
The result was in favor of independence with a majority of 78 percent of the votes.
The Indonesian military-supported East Timorese pro-integration militia and the Indonesian military carried out violence, killing 1,400 and hundreds of thousands fled the country, and destroyed the country's infrastructure.
In October 1999, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) established the administration of East Timor, and elections were held for a Constituent Assembly to draft a Constitution, of which the ambassador was part.
The ambassador called for continuous support from Korea. Being a continuous consumer of its natural gas would be one thing, he hoped.
Currently, Korea Gas Corporation imports natural gas from the country. "We want to learn how to use all these resources for the benefit of the people," he said.




Rest In Peace Mr. Joao Viegas Carrascalao ( The embassador of Timor Leste to South Korea) You will always be remember and we miss you already...ㅠㅠ

view more pictures were celebrated last christmas with Mr.Joao Viegas Carrascalao

http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l615/Jaimito_Marques/

Acting East Timorese First Lady to Teach at Seoul National University

Prof.Jacqueline Aquino Siapo-De Araujo, the acting first lady of East Timor, will teach at Seoul National University from September.

The Filipino-turned East Timorese, 42 years old, is the first foreign professor hired by the Graduate School of International Studies at Korea's top university and will teach Southeast Asian history and culture and Southeast Asian politics and economy.
While teaching here, she also wants to study the background of Korea's economic development.
Korea suffered from extreme poverty and other difficulties after the Korean War in the 1950s. I want to learn how Koreans overcame the obstacles and made such economic development. I want to adapt it to my country,'' she said.
http://www.useoul.edu/news/news0101_view.jsp?idx=128902 .SNU said Siapno's field of experience in independence movements and academic career as a scholar fulfilled their requirements.
She worked for Amnesty International for the release of political prisoners, including Fernando La Sama de Araojo, who was serving a nine-year sentence for subversion. She married him in 2001, a year before East Timor gained independence from Indonesia.
"Prof.Siapno with East Timorese students in South Korea"

Siapno earned her master's degree from the School of Oriental and Asian Studies at the University of London and her doctorate from the University of California in Berkeley.

She held professional positions at universities in London, Australia, Indonesia, California and East Timor. Also, she has been a consultant with the United Nations Development Program, Oxfam, and Amnesty International.

Siapno is not the official first lady.

But because the East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta is single, Siapno ― whose husband is now the president of the National Parliament, the second most powerful man in the country ― has become the acting first lady, she said. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090415-199381/E-Timor-first-lady-takes-bus-to-Pangasinan

Siapno has turned up at several domestic and international events as first lady, local media reported.

It was hard convincing people who wanted the first lady staying in the territory. But I wanted to study, do research and other academic activities without being portrayed as a political figure,'' she said. She plans to return to her country when she is needed for official duties.

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EAST TIMOR CLOSER THAN THOUGHT

It has been a little over a year since East Timor opened an embassy in Seoul, but very few people know that East Timor and Korea first came into contact almost 280 years ago.

The year was 1730 when a Portuguese ship named the Santa Antonio went adrift in Korea while carrying slaves from Africa and Timor to Macau.

The story, as explained by East Timor Ambassador Joao Carrascalao, goes like this: The slaves on the ship conducted a mutiny on board, killing the entire crew. Now, as free men, their biggest problem was about to start. None of them had any experience navigating a ship.

With no sailors aboard and no sailing knowledge at hand, they managed to land on Jeju Island.

“There are probably some Koreans who have Timorese blood,” said Carrascalao in an interview with The Korea Herald.

East Timor is a country that has attracted a lot of worldwide attention and empathy throughout the years, especially after they proclaimed their independence from Indonesia in 1999.

Soon after that proclamation, a violent civil war broke out claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

The tiny Southeast Asian nation was decimated, infrastructure was destroyed, agriculture was virtually wiped out and moral was at a nadir. Responding to the humanitarian crisis, Korea dispatched the Sangnoksu Unit as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force to help in the rebuilding of the nation.

“Korean troops were very welcome and did a tremendous job not only on the military side but also in rebuilding some of our infrastructure,” said Carrascalao.

Today, both countries share a healthy relationship based on the future. A good example is the Korean-made film “A Barfefoot Dream,” which was screened at the United Nations headquarters.

The film is about a former Korean soccer player who led an East Timorese youth soccer team to two victories in international tournaments in 2004 and 2005.

“Those wins constituted a big boost for the East Timorese moral,” he said. “It was soon after the referendum for independence and the team gave us a new lease on life.”

He added that the film, which was the first movie shot in East Timor, “will certainly cause a lot more sympathy for Korea in East Timor; it boosted relations quite a lot. It’s making Korea the El Dorado for East Timorese.”

Carrascalao is hoping for exactly that, the Korean version of El Dorado for the East Timorese.

Portugal, which ruled East Timor for 450 years, is too far to help with serious building assistance, so Carrascalao is looking toward Korea and the Korean development miracle to be a guiding light for his country.

In late 1999, about 70 percent of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid to waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias. As a result, 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at the peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas.

“We want to learn about the Korean experience and take advantage of the know-how of Koreans so that we can build our country,” he said.

The work has already started. East Timor has about 80 of its citizens working in different sectors in Korea. Carrascalao’s intention is to increase that number to about 2,000-3,000 in the next two to three years.

“With the experience they get here they will go back to East Timor and be of good value for the development of the country.”

As it stands now, trade between both countries is virtually nonexistent. But that does not mean that there are no Korean firms located in East Timor. On the contrary, there are a few small Korean companies working in the coffee sector.

But the tiny nation does have an ace up its sleeve: black gold.

The development of oil and gas resources in offshore waters has greatly supplemented government revenues. This technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create jobs for the unemployed, because there are no production facilities in the country.

In June 2005, the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation of the Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and to preserve the value of East Timor’s petroleum wealth for future generations.

“We want to diversify our market of our oil and gas,” he said. “We have good relations with Australian and American companies, but we want to look toward the Asian market. Korea is a good consumer of oil and gas and we are looking toward Korea as a good partner for this sector.”

The ambassador has held many hats throughout his life.

“When we were denied our self-determination and the Indonesians decided to invade, I had to leave the country as a persona non grata. For 24 years I was lobbying around the world for the independence of East Timor,” he explained.

Besides being an activist fighting for his country’s independence, he was also the leader of an East Timorese political party, the minister of infrastructure, a presidential candidate and at one time the country‘s prime minister.

2-0 win over Greece but tough road ahead

South Korean supporters, nicknamed the Red Devils, cheer for their team during the first Group B match against Greece at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Saturday. / Korea Times



In a surprise to a lot of experts _ and a refutation of the odds against South Korea as well _ the national team claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Greece in its opening match. Its goal of getting through the first round, however, still remains open ended with the manager having to come up with tactics to deal with Argentina and Nigeria.

Saturday’s triumphant result brought praise from around the globe. “The Koreans look like they'll be more than a handful for Group B rivals and a good bet to advance,” Sports Illustrated said.

Against a much weaker-than-expected Greece, Huh Jung-moo’s squad maintained dominance throughout the game in style, except for some worrying moments in the middle of the second half. Headed by Park Ji-sung, Korean midfielders showed sufficient energy and inventiveness to threaten the Greeks.

Even the defence line, often questioned over its height disadvantage against tall and robust Greek attackers, played their roles to the fullest in denying a series of aerial assaults.

In many ways, the initial result was an interesting fusion of those in its previous couple of World Cups, which ended with clearly differing consequences.

Huh Jung-moo’s squad dominated the Europeans throughout the match, scoring one goal in each half, in a mirror-image repetition of its victory against Poland back in 2002, when South Korea drew with the United States and beat Portugal to advance to the round of 16 as a group winner.

In spite of another opening win, South Korea failed to make the knockout stage in a close call in 2006.

It had a flying start with a 2-1 win over Togo and managed a last-minute 1-1 draw with the runner-up France, but lost 2-0 to Switzerland in the last group match and surrendered the berth to the two European countries.

This time, the match composition had more similarity to the bitter 2006 experience: starting with a counterpart who proved to be easier to deal with, moving to the strongest group rival, and then to a decisive last match.

This means some part of the team’s outcome is likely to be out of its control with the first matches played. Currently on top with a win, South Korea will be in a very good position if Greece beats Nigeria in its next match.

However, such an expectation is meaningful only on the condition that Greece doesn't fall to the group’s doormat, like Togo did in 2006, as the first win will prove to be nothing if the Europeans end with the same result as Argentina against Nigeria.

Prevailing predictions are that South Korea will focus on strong defense against the overwhelming Argentinean attackers with the implicit aim of a draw, but some critics say that strategy could lead to a worse landslide loss that could even influence the team’s overall valor before the decisive Nigeria game.

Former Korean manager Guss Hiddink, who lifted the underdog into a surprise semifinalist eight years ago on home turf, said “fighting-fire-with-fire” could be the best strategy to deal with Argentina in a recent interview.

About the Greece match, he was quoted as saying by a local Dutch media outlet that he was sort of disappointed with the Korean performance after the first half because the team “could certainly have played better.”

Everyone expects Argentina to beat South Korea due to its reputation and higher FIFA ranking, and that’s the best opportunity for the country to make an upset over the powerhouse, the Dutchman said in an interview with the local television broadcaster KBS, which was aired here Sunday.

“That’s why Korea has to clash head to head with Argentina. You have nothing to lose,” Hiddink said.

He also said what was most important was to keep Lionel Messi at bay, adding that mission will be the key to a “winnable” match against the South Americans.