Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
2022 World Cup Korea will Contribute to World Peace!
Bidding Committee for the 2022 World Cup Korea
The Bidding Committee for the 2022 World Cup Korea was established on August 19, 2009. Han Seung-ju, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade was designated as its chairperson, and appointed fifty-eight committee members from diverse fields including athletics, local government, politics, economy, culture and the media, eight of whom were appointed as executive committee members. Seven celebrities (Cha Bum-kun, Park Ji-sung, Jung Joon-ho, Jung Kyung-ho, Cho Yun-hee, Kim Young-chul, and Kim Heung-guk) were requested to serve as honorary promotion ambassadors, and about thirty workers engaged in promotional activities at the head office in Seoul.
The committee launched the official website on January 12, 2010, asking the public to take part in an open competition for slogans, cheering messages, and UCC stories, etc. A general meeting was held on March 4th to select fourteen stadiums in twelve cities for the 2022 World Cup. March 31st marked the first day of the World Cup Organization Committee on FIFA records, and an official Bid Book was submitted to FIFA on May 14th. For four days from July 22nd to 25th, FIFA’s on-the-spot survey team visited Korea to check preparation status, so that review report per country could be submitted to the FIFA execution committee in November 2010.
The committee has put spurs to their final eight weeks convincing all FIFA-related people involved in international matches and events, while finalizing preparations for the presentation to the execution committee, held on December 2nd in Zurich, which is the official the last stage of the bidding campaign.
Why Korea for the 2022 World Cup?
There are several reasons why the 2022 World Cup ought to be held in Korea, but the most important one is that there will be three ‘heritages’ after the games. The first one is the ‘heritage of inspiration’. Korea has made the switch from being a beneficiary of to a provider of help in only one generation, so holding the World Cup in such a country will inspire other developing countries to believe that “We can do it too!”
The second is the ‘heritage of peace’. Korea is now the only separated country in the world, so holding the World Cup in the country could help further the cause of peace on the Korean peninsula, as well as contributing to world peace. That is to remind the massive success of the 1988 Olympics, and the milestone of leaving the Cold War behind, which was a critical stage in the opening up of Eastern Europe and the unification of Germany. As so, the 2022 World Cup held on the Korea peninsula can be expected to lead the two Koreas to undergo positive changes and contribute to world peace and prosperity.
Third is the ‘heritage of passion’. The fan fest and street cheering that started spontaneously at Seoul Plaza during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan spread to the whole world at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Globalization of the World Cup has brought a worldwide passion for soccer, and Korean government and citizens passionate and serious about the sport are ready to impress the worldwide soccer fans.
Now the World Cup is important to Korea because it will bring benefits to everyone in Korea, including local communities. According to the estimates of a U.K. economy group called PWC, the 2018 World Cup will bring more than 3.7 billion EUR in advantages to the U.K. economy. We are also expecting that the 2022 games will induce about KRW 7.4 trillion of manufacturing and KRW 3.2 trillion of added values to our economy.More valuable than just the numbers are the expectations outside the economy, the most important of which concern the dramatic improvement of the national brand.
FIFA writes a report on each bidding country based on the Bid Book and the on-site review and Korea by no means falls behind other candidate countries. Korea, has the passion for soccer, warmth and kindness, a friendly climate, excellent infrastructures, and experience of hosting international events, while nurturing the value of ‘inspiration’ and ‘peace’ coinciding with the spirit of the global festival.
Complete infrastructure ready to host the World Cup event
The success of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and the steady supply of social infrastructure from government, and our experience of hosting major international events mean that Korea has the capability and facilities required of a World Cup site. FIFA pays close attention to the capabilities of the bidder countries, as well as the physical heritages acquired from hosting other events. For example, Korea has ten suitable stadiums after co-hosting the 2002 World Cup, and the 2010 games in South Africa which brought a grand success beyond expectations, gave the country a better look than it used to thanks to the new facilities including the stadiums.
FIFA requires the host country to have 12~18 stadiums, 88~100 training sites, 60,000 accommodation facilities, inter-city transportation, a broadcasting system for the fast and accurate delivery of game information, medical facilities, and many other social infrastructures. In addition to the ten stadiums from the 2002 WC, there are 12 other cities with 14 stadiums including the Cheonan and Goyang Stadiums built for the U-17 World Cup in 2007, Seoul Olympic Stadium, and the main stadium built for the Asian Games Incheon 2014. Also, many new ultramodern hotels will have been built by 2022, although the current number of hotel rooms already exceeds 100,000. Our infrastructure includes 15 airports and KTX railroads, expressways, world-top broadband networks, and medical institutes capable of catering to global medical tourism.
As for the physical aspect of hosting the games, efforts are continued to reinforce the existing facilities, and work on finalizing planned ones. Plans for the main stadium for the Asian Games Incheon 2014, the underwater tunnel between Mokpo and Jeju, and new express railroads and expressways should be widely promoted, while investments are being made in the maintenance of existing stadiums and the utilization of eco-friendly systems.
Bidding Committee for the 2022 World Cup Korea http://www.korea2022.org
The Bidding Committee for the 2022 World Cup Korea was established on August 19, 2009. Han Seung-ju, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade was designated as its chairperson, and appointed fifty-eight committee members from diverse fields including athletics, local government, politics, economy, culture and the media, eight of whom were appointed as executive committee members. Seven celebrities (Cha Bum-kun, Park Ji-sung, Jung Joon-ho, Jung Kyung-ho, Cho Yun-hee, Kim Young-chul, and Kim Heung-guk) were requested to serve as honorary promotion ambassadors, and about thirty workers engaged in promotional activities at the head office in Seoul.
The committee launched the official website on January 12, 2010, asking the public to take part in an open competition for slogans, cheering messages, and UCC stories, etc. A general meeting was held on March 4th to select fourteen stadiums in twelve cities for the 2022 World Cup. March 31st marked the first day of the World Cup Organization Committee on FIFA records, and an official Bid Book was submitted to FIFA on May 14th. For four days from July 22nd to 25th, FIFA’s on-the-spot survey team visited Korea to check preparation status, so that review report per country could be submitted to the FIFA execution committee in November 2010.
The committee has put spurs to their final eight weeks convincing all FIFA-related people involved in international matches and events, while finalizing preparations for the presentation to the execution committee, held on December 2nd in Zurich, which is the official the last stage of the bidding campaign.
Why Korea for the 2022 World Cup?
There are several reasons why the 2022 World Cup ought to be held in Korea, but the most important one is that there will be three ‘heritages’ after the games. The first one is the ‘heritage of inspiration’. Korea has made the switch from being a beneficiary of to a provider of help in only one generation, so holding the World Cup in such a country will inspire other developing countries to believe that “We can do it too!”
The second is the ‘heritage of peace’. Korea is now the only separated country in the world, so holding the World Cup in the country could help further the cause of peace on the Korean peninsula, as well as contributing to world peace. That is to remind the massive success of the 1988 Olympics, and the milestone of leaving the Cold War behind, which was a critical stage in the opening up of Eastern Europe and the unification of Germany. As so, the 2022 World Cup held on the Korea peninsula can be expected to lead the two Koreas to undergo positive changes and contribute to world peace and prosperity.
Third is the ‘heritage of passion’. The fan fest and street cheering that started spontaneously at Seoul Plaza during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan spread to the whole world at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Globalization of the World Cup has brought a worldwide passion for soccer, and Korean government and citizens passionate and serious about the sport are ready to impress the worldwide soccer fans.
Now the World Cup is important to Korea because it will bring benefits to everyone in Korea, including local communities. According to the estimates of a U.K. economy group called PWC, the 2018 World Cup will bring more than 3.7 billion EUR in advantages to the U.K. economy. We are also expecting that the 2022 games will induce about KRW 7.4 trillion of manufacturing and KRW 3.2 trillion of added values to our economy.More valuable than just the numbers are the expectations outside the economy, the most important of which concern the dramatic improvement of the national brand.
FIFA writes a report on each bidding country based on the Bid Book and the on-site review and Korea by no means falls behind other candidate countries. Korea, has the passion for soccer, warmth and kindness, a friendly climate, excellent infrastructures, and experience of hosting international events, while nurturing the value of ‘inspiration’ and ‘peace’ coinciding with the spirit of the global festival.
Complete infrastructure ready to host the World Cup event
The success of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and the steady supply of social infrastructure from government, and our experience of hosting major international events mean that Korea has the capability and facilities required of a World Cup site. FIFA pays close attention to the capabilities of the bidder countries, as well as the physical heritages acquired from hosting other events. For example, Korea has ten suitable stadiums after co-hosting the 2002 World Cup, and the 2010 games in South Africa which brought a grand success beyond expectations, gave the country a better look than it used to thanks to the new facilities including the stadiums.
FIFA requires the host country to have 12~18 stadiums, 88~100 training sites, 60,000 accommodation facilities, inter-city transportation, a broadcasting system for the fast and accurate delivery of game information, medical facilities, and many other social infrastructures. In addition to the ten stadiums from the 2002 WC, there are 12 other cities with 14 stadiums including the Cheonan and Goyang Stadiums built for the U-17 World Cup in 2007, Seoul Olympic Stadium, and the main stadium built for the Asian Games Incheon 2014. Also, many new ultramodern hotels will have been built by 2022, although the current number of hotel rooms already exceeds 100,000. Our infrastructure includes 15 airports and KTX railroads, expressways, world-top broadband networks, and medical institutes capable of catering to global medical tourism.
As for the physical aspect of hosting the games, efforts are continued to reinforce the existing facilities, and work on finalizing planned ones. Plans for the main stadium for the Asian Games Incheon 2014, the underwater tunnel between Mokpo and Jeju, and new express railroads and expressways should be widely promoted, while investments are being made in the maintenance of existing stadiums and the utilization of eco-friendly systems.
Bidding Committee for the 2022 World Cup Korea http://www.korea2022.org
Thursday, April 14, 2011
FREE trip: ‘Expedia’ offers Facebook fans a chance to win a trip to South Korea
Expedia sweepstakes features more than 1 million USD in Luxury Travel
Expedia.com, one of the world’s leading online travel agencies, recently announced a huge sweepstakes for residents of the USA, UK, and Canada in which participants have a chance to win a free trip to a variety of dream destinations, including South Korea (a trip valued at 52,000 USD).
Only those who meet the official guidelines and are fans of Expedia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/expedia) are eligible to participate. Here’s how it works:
After liking the page, fans must pilot a ‘virtual plane’ and choose a dream destination from the available packages (St. Vincent, Australia, Korea, etc.). Pilots must then ‘fill their plane’ by inviting five other Facebook fans, who must also ‘Like’ the Expedia Facebook page in order to participate. Once they join, each friend is also allowed to pilot his or her own plane. You may be a passenger of any number of planes, but you may only ‘pilot’ one plane for each dream destination.
Participants can double their chances of winning by inviting 25 Facebook friends into the game and triple their chances of winning by inviting 50 Facebook friends.
The lucky group of six that wins a trip to Korea will have the chance of a lifetime to take a free 5-night, 6-day trip around Korea with the help of an English-speaking guide who will share the history and legends of each tour site. Major attractions include famous fortresses, temples, ancient royal tombs, and Andong Hahoe Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Link:http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1256840
Taekwondo Performance Move to Namsangol Hanok Village!
Staring this year, the popular ‘Taekwondo Demonstration Performance,’ which has been held previously at Gyeonghuigung Palace, will move its stage to Namsangol Hanok Village in order to accommodate a greater number of tourists. Also, ‘Taekwondo Experience Program for International Visitors’ at the village offers courses on basic taekwondo theories and practices, such as kicks, gyeokpa (board smashing), self-defense and mediation. Visitors can sign up for the program online and pay at the venue.
In addition, certified members of Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, will hold regular taekwondo performances throughout the city of Seoul. The off-stage taekwondo demonstration will take place once a month at major tourist sites in downtown Seoul. Special performances will be held in May and October at Seoul Plaza or Cheonggye Plaza. Hi Seoul Festival (May 5 – May 9), for instance, will present taekwondo demonstration by children, non-verbal taekwondo performances and an extreme challenge performance.
More info
☞ Taekwondo Demonstration Performances
Date & Time: April 9 – October (except July and August) / Wednesday & Saturday; 16:00
Venue: Cheonugak Plaza in Namsangol Hanok Village
☞ Off-stage Performances (Monthly)
Date: April 9 – October (except July and August) / Exact dates TBA
Venue: Insa-dong , Myeong-dong , Itaewon , Dongdaemun
☞ Spring & Autumn Special Performances
Date: May & October
Venue: Seoul Plaza or Cheonggye Plaza
☞ Taekwondo Experience Program for International Visitors
Date & Time: April - October (except July and August) / Wednesday & Saturday; 11:00, 14:00, 17:00
Venue: Pigeumjeong in Namsangol Hanok Village
Registration fee: KRW 20,000 (1-hour program)
☞ Reservations: Online at the Seoul Taekwondo Tour Program Official Website
http://www.taekwonseoul.org/ (Korean)
☞ 1330 tt call center: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese)
☞ Inquiries: +82-2-3469-0134 (Korean, English)
Link:http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1256768
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
ប្រមុខការទូតអាមេរិករម្លឹកពីទំនាក់ទំនងអាមេរិក-កម្ពុជាក្នុងឱកាសបុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខ្មែរ
ប្រមុខការទូតអាមេរិកលោកស្រី ហ៊ីលឡារី គ្លីនតុន បានធ្វើសារជូនពរប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាក្នុងឱកាសដែលកម្ពុជាកំពុង ត្រៀមរៀបចំចូលរួមពិធីបុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខ្មែរនៅថ្ងៃស្អែកនេះ។ នៅក្នុងលិខិតជូនពរដ៏កម្រពីមេដឹកនាំអាមេរិកនៅក្នុងពិធីបុណ្យ ប្រពៃណីជាតិខ្មែរ លោកស្រីគ្លីនតុន បានរម្លឹកអំពីការភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលរបស់លោកស្រី ក្នុងអំឡុងពេលដែលលោកស្រីបំពេញទស្សនកិច្ចលើកដំបូងនៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ចំពោះយុវជនខ្មែរជំនាន់ក្រោយដ៏ស្វាហាប់។
រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួងការបរទេសសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកលោកស្រីហ៊ីលឡារី គ្លីនតុនបានធ្វើសារជូនពរប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជា នៅក្នុងឱកាសដែលកម្ពុជាកំពុងរៀបចំពិធីចូលឆ្នាំប្រពៃណីជាតិ។ នៅក្នុងសារជូនពរដែលត្រូវបានផ្សព្វផ្សាយដោយស្ថានទូតអាមេរិកប្រចាំកម្ពុជានោះ លោកស្រីគ្លីនតុនចង់សម្តែងការសរសើរដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ។ ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរជំនាន់ក្រោយ ដែលលោកស្រីជឿជាក់ថា នឹងក្លាយទៅជាមធ្យោបាយធ្វើអោយចំណងទាក់ទងអាមេរិកកម្ពុជាកាន់តែរឹងមាំ។
ឆ្លៀតក្នុងឱកាសជូនពរពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាទាំងមូលនេះ លោកស្រីប្រមុខការទូតអាមេរិកបានរម្លឹកអំពីចំណាប់អារម្មណ៍របស់លោកស្រីខ្លះ នៅពេលដែលលោកស្រីកំពុងបំពេញទស្សនកិច្ចនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជាជាលើកដំបូងកាលពីប៉ុន្មានខែមុន។ លោកស្រីគ្លីនតុនបានសរសេរថា ខ្ញុំបានទទួលអារម្មណ៍លើកទឹកចិត្តដោយភាពតស៊ូរបស់ប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា និងភាពសុទិដ្ឋិនិយមរបស់អ្នកដឹកនាំជំនាន់ក្រោយរបស់កម្ពុជា ដែលវានឹងជាឱកាសសម្រាប់ប្រទេសយើងទាំងពីរ ក្នុងការធ្វើទំនាក់ទំនង អោយកាន់តែជ្រាលជ្រៅ និងរីកធំឡើង។ លោកស្រីគ្លីនតុនបានបន្តថា អាមេរិក និងកម្ពុជាកំពុងធ្វើសហប្រតិបត្តិការគ្នាលើវិស័យមួយចំនួនរាប់ចាប់តាំងពីបញ្ហាកង្វល់ផ្នែកសុខភាពសាធារណៈ រហូតដល់ការថែរក្សាសន្តិភាពអន្តរជាតិ ហើយថាប្រទេសទាំងពីរនឹងរកវិធីថ្មីៗថែមទៀត ក្នុងការពង្រឹងភាពជាដៃគូនៃប្រទេសទាំងពីរ។
គួររម្លឹកថា នៅក្នុងដំណើរទស្សនកិច្ចរបស់លោកស្រីរដ្ឋមន្ត្រីការបរទេសអាមេរិកនៅកម្ពុជាកន្លងទៅ មានការរៀបចំអោយលោកស្រីជួបពិភាក្សាគ្នាជាមួយក្រុមនិស្សិត ហើយលោកស្រីគ្លីនតុនសម្តែងការភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលយ៉ាងខ្លាំងចំពោះភាពក្លាហាន និងចំណេះដឹងរបស់យុវជនកម្ពុជា៕
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Korean novel touches the hearts of American readers
Best-selling novel “Please Look After Mom” by Shin Kyung-sook, one of Korea’s most widely read writers, made its debut in the United States on April 5. With its first print run of 100,000 copies already sold out, Shin’s publication now ranks on some of the world’s most prominent bestseller lists, opening a new chapter for literary Hallyu.
The English translation of Shin Kyung-sook’s sixth novel, “Please Look After Mom (translation by Kim Chi-Young)” was first published in Korean in 2008, and became a major hit in its home country. A heartrending story of an ordinary family searching their missing mother, Shin weaves together different perspectives to create a unique and moving story.
Shin’s U.S. publisher, Knopf, decided on an almost unprecedented first run of 100,000 copies, which is rare for a translated work. A second edition had to be quickly ordered ahead of the official release. “Please Look After Mom” has garnered rave reviews from critics at a number of influential media outlets, including Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.
Korean author Shin Kyung-sook’s novel “Please Look After Mom” in Korean (left) and English (right) (Photo courtesy of Changbi Publishers and Amazon.com)
The book was selected for “Amazon Best Books of the Month” in April and chosen by Oprah’s Book Club. Barnes & Noble, the largest book retailer in the United States, selected it for their summer “Discover New Great Writers” program.
In conjunction with its official release, the New York Times covered “Please Look After Mom” twice; once in a March 30 book review and again on April 1. Reviewer Mythili Rao praised the novel as a raw tribute to the mysteries of motherhood, while Janet Maslin gave the book favorable notice, writing has Shin had “turned the book’s title, which initially sounded like an order, into something much more powerful: a prayer.”
On April 5, the Korean Cultural Service in New York hosted a reception for Shin to celebrate the release of the English translation at the Korean Consulate General in New York.
Nearly 200 people attended the event, including Knopf’s Vice President, Robin Desser; New York Times book reviewer, Mythili G. Rao; President of the Korea Society, Mark Minton; and New York Consulate General of Korea, Kim Young-mok.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon also sent a congratulatory message to Shin, saying he hoped that the book will give solace to all the mothers of the world and inspire many fathers, daughters and sons to rethink their family relationships.
The director of Korea Cultural Service New York, Lee Woo-sung, said that it has not been easy for Korean novels to find publishers overseas due to insignificant presence and low demand for translated publications. Lee said he hoped to help support and introduce Korean literature overseas, following the success of the English translation of “Please Look After Mom.”
The author said at the reception that she was surprised to hear virtually the same comments from readers in the States as from the Korean audience and publishers a few years ago, expressing amazement of people’s “universal feelings and existential values.” She said she hoped that her success will lead to more Korean books on the international literary scene. She mentioned the help given by the Korea Literature Translation Institute and other related organizations, saying that their work has begun to pay off.
Meanwhile, translation rights for to the book have been sold in 24 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Israel and Japan.
Author Shin Kyung-sook meets with readers at the Korean Consulate General in New York on April 5. (Photo courtesy of Korean Cultural Service New York)
Link:http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=54370
The English translation of Shin Kyung-sook’s sixth novel, “Please Look After Mom (translation by Kim Chi-Young)” was first published in Korean in 2008, and became a major hit in its home country. A heartrending story of an ordinary family searching their missing mother, Shin weaves together different perspectives to create a unique and moving story.
Shin’s U.S. publisher, Knopf, decided on an almost unprecedented first run of 100,000 copies, which is rare for a translated work. A second edition had to be quickly ordered ahead of the official release. “Please Look After Mom” has garnered rave reviews from critics at a number of influential media outlets, including Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.
Korean author Shin Kyung-sook’s novel “Please Look After Mom” in Korean (left) and English (right) (Photo courtesy of Changbi Publishers and Amazon.com)
The book was selected for “Amazon Best Books of the Month” in April and chosen by Oprah’s Book Club. Barnes & Noble, the largest book retailer in the United States, selected it for their summer “Discover New Great Writers” program.
In conjunction with its official release, the New York Times covered “Please Look After Mom” twice; once in a March 30 book review and again on April 1. Reviewer Mythili Rao praised the novel as a raw tribute to the mysteries of motherhood, while Janet Maslin gave the book favorable notice, writing has Shin had “turned the book’s title, which initially sounded like an order, into something much more powerful: a prayer.”
On April 5, the Korean Cultural Service in New York hosted a reception for Shin to celebrate the release of the English translation at the Korean Consulate General in New York.
Nearly 200 people attended the event, including Knopf’s Vice President, Robin Desser; New York Times book reviewer, Mythili G. Rao; President of the Korea Society, Mark Minton; and New York Consulate General of Korea, Kim Young-mok.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon also sent a congratulatory message to Shin, saying he hoped that the book will give solace to all the mothers of the world and inspire many fathers, daughters and sons to rethink their family relationships.
The director of Korea Cultural Service New York, Lee Woo-sung, said that it has not been easy for Korean novels to find publishers overseas due to insignificant presence and low demand for translated publications. Lee said he hoped to help support and introduce Korean literature overseas, following the success of the English translation of “Please Look After Mom.”
The author said at the reception that she was surprised to hear virtually the same comments from readers in the States as from the Korean audience and publishers a few years ago, expressing amazement of people’s “universal feelings and existential values.” She said she hoped that her success will lead to more Korean books on the international literary scene. She mentioned the help given by the Korea Literature Translation Institute and other related organizations, saying that their work has begun to pay off.
Meanwhile, translation rights for to the book have been sold in 24 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Israel and Japan.
Author Shin Kyung-sook meets with readers at the Korean Consulate General in New York on April 5. (Photo courtesy of Korean Cultural Service New York)
Link:http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=54370
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