Praise a Korean's English skills and get media space

Is this news? Sometimes I wonder....

Two foreign bank chiefs said in unison that new Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Kim Choong-soo’s English is excellent, with one of them saying that Kim would prove to be competent enough to preside over the central bankers’ meeting as part of the G-20 meeting to be hosted by Korea.
Their assessments came during a get-together Wednesday at the BOK.
The former ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) greeted bank CEOs. They included Larry Klane of Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) and Richard Hill of Standard Chartered First Bank.
The head of the BOK exchanged greetings with the two. Klane said in Korean, "I am the CEO of KEB.’’ Kim responded in English and had no problem in making himself understood.
The chief executive of SC First Bank praised Kim’s English skills. "He was perfect. His English is top class. I’m sure he is the right person to lead G-20 meetings,’’ Hill told The Korea Times.
"As I know, his English is quite advanced. He was a Korean ambassador to the OECD, so I am sure that he can chair international meetings in English,’’ Jung Hee-sik, director general of the press office at the BOK, said.
Kim was selected to succeed Lee Seong-tae as the BOK governor starting in April and some said that his selection was partially based on his international expertise ahead of the G-20 summit to be held in Korea in November.

Just goes to show how obsessed the Koreans are with English!

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Ajumma to the rescue

The much maligned Ajumma- hot-tempered, married woman sporting loose floral print pants and tight perms- has her uses.
As this blogger so aptly puts it:

Ajumma can apply to any Korean woman over 30. By the mid-fifties, because they've "paid their dues," I guess, some behave a little less politely than most other Koreans, and care a little less about the general courtesies that are either the grease that keeps the wheels of society turning, or the B-S- that keeps people from acting out who they really are.
... ajumma is the one most likely to shove you as she dives for a seat on the subway; she's the one most likely to be rude to you in a restaurant, to touch your white skin, poke your curly hair, grab your love handles (out of sheer curiousity -- look at how big those cheese-smelling foreigners get!), comment that you're writing in your journal with the wrong hand (I'm a lefty), and you'll sometimes do what they say, however unnecessary, just so they'll leave you alone. This is the impression many foreigners get of Korean ajummas. Some of us carry a downright bitterness and resentment of the mature set.

Although the butt of jokes among the expat community here, the government has different ideas.
As this news article  notes, the government is hoping that the friendly faces of thousands of middle-aged women will improve the public response to this year’s national census.

Statistics Korea will concentrate on hiring women in their 30s and 40s to conduct the door-to-door surveys in November, the state-run agency announced yesterday. The preference for ajumma, as middle-aged women are known in Korea, reflects the belief that people feel more comfortable opening their doors to female strangers rather than males, while middle-aged women tend to be more persuasive in dealing with households that are reluctant to respond.
The national census, which takes place every five years, will be conducted from Nov. 1 to 15, with 95,000 census takers asking households simple questions about their living conditions.
Hiring for the survey agents will begin in August, with each paid 42,000 won ($37.39) a day. They will be required to wear state-issued identification tags.
“It has become harder to make people open their doors and respond because of so many crimes happening out there,” said one Statistics Korea official.
In previous years, census takers had typically been young college students and housewives hoping to earn extra money by taking temporary work.
But officials believe that the ajumma will prove more effective.
“The college students give up as soon as a household refuses to let them in. But these ajumma are more persistent, trying harder to persuade a homeowner to open the door and answer questions,” said the Statistics Korea official.
“People feel that ajumma are more approachable and so they tend to be more willing to answer their questions.”

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Red Star Operating System

More news on North Korea’s N. Korea's 'Red Star' operating system.

North Korea's new "Red Star" computer operating system is mainly designed to control the flow of information on the Internet tapped by users, a review by a state-run think tank said.
The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) said a detailed technical analysis of Red Star version 1.1 shows it is a Linux-based operating system with low-end options similar to those found in products that reached the market in the early 2000s.
It added that while it is similar to the ubiquitous Windows OS, emphasis has been placed on meeting security and other local requirements. There is only one Korean-language version of the system and due to the limited number of compatible applications there is little likelihood of its being put to wider use.
STEPI's study is the first technical analysis of the Red Star OS that was first developed in 2002 by the North's Korea Computer Center. Prior to its introduction, Pyongyang used the English versions of Microsoft Windows.
A Russian student in Pyongyang recently purchased an updated version of the Red Star and introduced it on his blog, though this was not a specialized review.
"The review was needed to get an estimate of how far North Korea's OS software has progressed," the STEPI report said. It added that Red Star represents North Korea's attempt to overcome the country's isolation in the computer field while at the same time coping with security concerns.
The communist country maintains close tabs on information and data into and out of the country and does not permit its people to freely surf the World Wide Web, with particular emphasis on prohibiting visits to South Korean Internet sites.
The institute under the education and science ministry said there is almost no political content and that developers have continuously updated the Red Star OS over the years.

One bright side to this is that atleast the country is not shackled to Microsoft like South Korea.

"In short, South Korea is a sad example of a Microsoft monoculture where the course of history and the lack of anti-monopoly oversight have created a nation where every computer user is a Windows user and banking or ecommerce or any secure transaction on the Internet with South Korean entities must be done with Internet Explorer on a Windows OS."

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Was Obama Checking Out This Girl's Butt?

Well, apparently not.

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Interview: Mr. Brian Newman, Founder & CEO, Green Cities Asia Ltd

Established in London, Green Cities Asia Ltd has chosen Seoul, Korea as the corporate base for its Asian property development expansion. The company’s founders – Mr. Brian Newman and Mr. Jason Ahn – are merging their international property development, investment financing and real estate marketing experience with some of the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of sustainable urban development to give Green Cities Asia Ltd unparalleled capacity to deliver world-class projects for governments, investors and stakeholders.
As noted by Mr. Newman who is also the CEO, Green Cities Asia Ltd is a response to a growing need in Asia for real estate companies who understand the unique complexities of large-scale urban development.
We are a leader a leader in sustainable urban development thinking and practice. Our projects will set new standards for large-scale property development in Asia. GCA is positioned at the cutting-edge of green city development – innovative, intelligent, market responsive and sustainable,” he said.
Mr. Newman has gained over 20 years senior executive experience in the field of large scale urban development having worked for industry leading organizations in Australia, North-East Asia, South-East Asia and the Middle East. His academic qualifications include a degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
He brings a unique blend of private and public sector experience and knowhow to his work. As CEO of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority he led the post-Olympic transformation of Sydney’s Olympic precinct to create a new urban township that embraced the same commitment to sustainability that gave Sydney its international ‘Green Games’ reputation.
In an exclusive interview, he noted that whilst the implementation of a more environmentally friendly, carbon neutral approach to urban development is an effective response to the issue of climate change, there is a need for city development to address a broader range of environmental issues. Broader still is the important concept of sustainability.
Green Cities Asia Ltd is committed to a four pillar approach to practicing strategic sustainable urban development. As developers, our challenge is to help make cities more economically efficient, more comfortable, more socially equitable, culturally rich and environmentally sustainable, he said.
Mr. Newman noted that today we exist in a world where 50% of the earth’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this figure is forecast to reach 70%, as the world’s population grows from 6.8 billion to 9.1 billion. Cities are known to consume 75% of the world’s energy. By the year 2030 over 5 billion people are likely to live in cities, contributing over 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Ecological foot-printing shows that the planet is consuming 25% more renewable resources every year than it can replenish.
Cities are the engines of global economic growth. The quality of the living/working environment within cities is a major factor in determining the flow of investment capital and of human resources around the world.
It is therefore imperative for economic and environmental reasons that city leaders promote green cities, towns and urban villages that are planned, designed, built and managed with a view to minimizing their environmental footprint and provide a strong sense of well-being for their communities, he said.
GCA recognizes the responsibility it has to contribute to society by developing environmentally sustainable communities that enunciate a new consciousness to the development of our urban environment, creating exciting new places and spaces in the process. The company has the knowhow and experience to meet the challenge of developing city interventions that improve a city’s quality of life.
One of our key business objectives is to work with governments (national, regional and city governments) and our private sector partners to develop new urban communities that demonstrate what ‘sustainable living’ is about and how an improved quality of life can be offered to communities of all social levels. This is achieved within a framework of qualitative and quantitative performance measures,” he said.
These communities have been referred to as green cities, eco-towns, green villages etc. They are exemplified in existing urban development projects such as Hammarby Sjostad in Stockholm; the Augustenberg and Western Harbour precincts of Malmo, Sweden; Dockside Green in Victoria, British Columbia; Curitiba in Brazil; and in the concepts behind new international urban development projects such as Masdar in Abu Dhabi, Elephant Castle in London and Magok-Dong in Seoul.
In the end, sustainability is about Quality of Life - this notion goes to the core of our company’s philosophy. We believe development is not just about building buildings, it is about creating places for people.”
GCA’s urban communities are characterized by a strong sense of place that are sustainable economically, socially, environmentally and culturally and offer a high Quality of Life for their communities.
Speaking on the competitive advantages of the company, he noted that first and foremost is the knowledge/expertise in the field of sustainable urban development including master planning, eco-design, green building practice, social strategies. The company also has the ability to define unique project concepts that create new product categories in the marketplace.
Our ability to source foreign direct investment (FDI) and international joint venture participation and our commitment to creating great places through every step in the property development process also place us ahead of our competitors,” he said.

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Just so you know...

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Koreans Don't Have Big Faces

Just so you know.....a study by the Korea Food and Drug Administration seems to contradict the stereotype that Koreans have bigger faces than Caucasians.

The KFDA measured the facial dimensions of 387 adults and 304 children and adolescents between 2007 and 2009 and found that the average Korean male's face was 419 sq. cm in area or about 92 percent the size of Caucasian males' 453 sq. cm. The face of the average Korean woman measured 371 sq. cm, a little smaller than the average Caucasian woman's 380 sq. cm.
Experts say the faces of Koreans appear to be bigger due to a kind of optical illusion. "Koreans tend to have relatively flatter facial features than Caucasians so they could be perceived as having bigger faces, but from a three-dimensional perspective, Caucasians have bigger faces," said Cho Yong-jin, head of the Face Research Institute.
The faces of Koreans tend to spread out sideways, while those of Caucasians protrude. "Even if the actual face is small, prominent cheek bones or jaws can make a face appear bigger," said Park Sang-hoon, a plastic surgeon at ID Hospital.
However, the KFDA said it used data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the facial dimensions of Caucasians and acknowledged that errors could be possible due to differences in measuring. The KFDA measured the faces of Koreans, while facial sizes in the U.S. data were determined by taking the entire area of a person's head and deeming the face to take up one-third.

Then why is it that whenever I take photographs with Koreans I am forced to lean my head forward, so that their faces appear smaller?! Oh yea, I am not Caucasian!!

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Want to read 3D books?

Researchers at South Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology have been developing 3D software technology for books over the last three years. To date, they've been able to animate two Korean folklore children's books. Certain pictures will trigger animations for those wearing 3D glasses, but don't expect to see it in books any time soon, says Kim Sang-cheol, team leader on the project.Read more here.

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The advantage of being rich and famous in Korea

If you are rich in Korea, everything is forgiven! Even if you drive your company bankrupt and run away like a coward, or cheat your shareholders and evade taxes, you will eventually be pardoned. The trick is to lay low for about a year and come back on the public stage, lecturing others on how to make Korea a great nation...
Take former Daewoo Group Chairman Kim Woo-choong. He was on the list for the Interpol when he was in exile, because of how he left the company with insurmountable debt.
He was arrested soon after he returned to South Korea on June 14, 2005, and apologized "for hurting the nation and accepted full responsibility for the collapse of the group, adding he is ready to accept whatever the authorities have in store for him." In May 2006 he was sentenced to 10 years in jail after being found guilty of charges including embezzlement and accounting fraud. 21 trillion won ($22bn) of his fortune was seized and he was fined an additional 10m won. On 30 December 2007, he was granted amnesty by President Roh Moo-hyun.
Now he is back, and in style. Lecturing Daewoo employees (the very people whom he cheated) on how to make Korea an enormous power!

He spoke on Monday about the need to usher in a new generation of talented workers at a ceremony marking the 43th anniversary of the defunct conglomerate.
It was the 74-year-old founder’s first public appearance since a similar event held a year ago and only his second in the past decade.
“Koreans are the best in the world,” he told a crowd of Daewoo executives and employees gathered for the ceremony. “If we can train 200,000 people to become someone like me, Korea would be an enormous power.”
Kim was enthusiastic during his short speech, though he walked into the hall at the Millennium Hilton Hotel - which used to belong to the group - near Mount Namsan with the help of aides who held his arms. Toward the end of the ceremony, Kim unexpectedly snatched away the microphone from a person at the podium leading the crowd in singing what was the company’s trademark song.
“Let’s meet again in seven years for the 50th anniversary of Daewoo,” Kim said. “Next time we all should bring our family. I’ll empty my wallet to raise money for that.”

Then of course there is the de facto Emperor of Korea- Lee Kun-hee.
In early 2008, his home and office were raided by the Korean police for an ongoing probe into accusations that Samsung is responsible for a slush fund used to bribe influential prosecutors, judges, and political figures in South Korea. After the second round of questioning by the South Korean prosecutors , he was quoted by reporters saying "I am responsible for everything. I will assume full moral and legal responsibility.” On April 21, he officially resigned as Chairman & CEO of Samsung Group, and stated: "We, including myself, have caused troubles to the nation with the special probe; I deeply apologize for that, and I'll take full responsibility for everything, both legally and morally."
It did not take long for the Seoul Central District Court to find him guilty on charges of financial wrongdoing and tax evasion. Prosecutors requested that Lee be sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $347 million. The court fined him $109 million and sentenced him to 3 years suspended jail time.
On December 29, 2009, President Lee Myung-bak pardoned him.
As president Lee publicly stated: “In order to win the bid for the Winter Olympics in 2018 at Pyeongchang, which is making a bid for the third time, sports and business circles as well as Gangwon residents have strongly appealed that his role as a member of the International Olympic Committee is crucial. I decided to grant a pardon for the sake of national interest.”
Now he is back, and in style!

Mr. Lee, who is 68 years old, will return as chairman of the manufacturer of memory chips, cellphones and TVs, the company said Wednesday morning. However, Mr. Lee will not be on the company's board, which has a separate chairman, a spokesman said. Instead, he will retake a title in keeping with the tradition of South Korean family-led companies.
The move opens a new chapter in Samsung's long effort to balance its desire to keep control in the hands of its founding family while also permitting professional management with enough oversight by directors to be acceptable to a broad group of investors.

October 29, 2007 -- Kim Yong-chul, a former in-house lawyer with Samsung Group, reveals during a press conference the existence of some 5 billion won (US$4.4 million) in secret funds held by the group.
January 10, 2008 -- A special prosecutorial team, led by Cho Joon-woong, is launched to investigate allegations involving the secret funds held by Samsung Group.
April 17, 2008 -- Prosecutors indict Chairman Lee on charges of breach of trust and tax evasion involving dubious bond transactions allegedly aimed at transferring wealth to his only son Jae-yong.
April 22, 2008 -- Chairman Lee steps down from his post after being convicted of tax evasion, while Samsung Group unveils a plan to reshuffle its management in order to enhance transparency.
July 16, 2008 -- A Seoul court hands down a three-year jail term for Lee and a five-year suspended prison sentence with a fine of 110 billion won.
December 29, 2009 -- The government grants Lee a special pardon, saying that as a member of the International Olympic Committee he will be able to help win the nation's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
March 24, 2010 -- Lee returns as chairman of South Korea's biggest company, Samsung Electronics, 23 months after his resignation.
Just 23 months and he's back!
While we are at it, let us not forget Chung Mong-koo,chairman of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the second-largest Chaebol in South Korea.
In 2006, he and his family were targeted by the Seoul Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office as part of an investigation into embezzling 100 billion won ($106 million USD) from Hyundai to create slush funds. Despite a travel ban, Chung left South Korea in April 2006. Chung was arrested on 28 April 2006 on charges related to embezzlement and other corruption. He was convicted of embezzlement and breach of fiduciary duty on 5 February 2007 and sentenced to three years of prison. He remained free on bail while he appealed the sentence. On September 6, 2007, Chief judge Lee Jae-Hong ruled to suspend the sentence of Chung Mong-koo (in consideration of the huge economic impact of imprisonment), ordering instead of a 3-year jail term, the performance of community service and a $1 billion donation to charity.
Then again, there is Kim Seung Youn, Hanwha Group chairman, who punched Room Saloon workers after they got into a fight with his son.
WELCOME TO KOREA!

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Interview: Mr. Ian Thomas, Chairman of Thomas Consultants

Thomas Consultants Inc. is a consulting firm that specializes in providing optimal retail development strategies for: Retail Projects and Shopping Centers; Downtown Retail Precincts; Resort Retailing and Master Planning; Airports and Cruise Ship Facilities, as well as Transit Nodes and other large-scale Mixed-Use Development.
Thomas Consultants‘ head office is based in Vancouver, Canada, with additional offices in both Korea and Australia. The firm is recognized as a leader in the strategic planning of retail facilities in a wide range of project types, including shopping centers, street retail districts, resort villages, master-planned communities, urban entertainment centers, airport and cruise ship terminals, and transit-oriented development projects.
The firm is currently engaged in major retail planning assignments in over 50 countries around the world. Through its international project exposure and Chairman Ian Thomas’ leading role in the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Annual International Design & Development Awards, the company has the ability to share global innovations and leading edge concepts with its clients. This allows its clients, who include the world’s leading shopping center developers, owners, operators and designers, to adopt the most current ideas and strategies and ensure success in their retail projects.
The company is also affiliated with Brisbane-based Foresight Partners, who specialize in economic and development advisory services in the Australia and New Zealand region. Its firms collaborate to provide clients specialized expertise and strategic input on a variety of real estate development issues.
Thomas Consultants has been instrumental in adding value to numerous key retail, entertainment, resort and mixed use projects around the world. Its input as Development Strategists is particularly relevant during the planning process, where the company ensures that such a development, with its key retail, entertainment and food/beverage elements, is not only truly matched to the market and so works optimally in practice, but also includes the points of difference that are critical for success in today’s competitive environment.
Identifying the most appropriate market niches, opportunities and sizing for these strategic elements is imperative. In addition, we take this strategic vision right down to a detailed tenant mix plan, as well as identifying the most appropriate retailers and operators for each of the project’s major components or zones. This creates a blueprint for guiding the leasing team in securing official interest from target retail, entertainment, and food & beverage tenants. Thomas Consultants are not agents, but work on a very complementary basis with most major leasing firms. Our exposure to leading edge developers (many are our clients) is instrumental in identifying new retail concepts and formats.
Mr. Ian Thomas, Chairman of Thomas Consultants, sits on the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and its Educational Foundation in New York. Through this vehicle the company has exposure and contact to a myriad of international retail operators, developers and investors. He also is the Chairman of ICSC’s International Design & Development Awards which evaluates and judges the world’s best new shopping centers. With this background and international network, the firm experiences leading edge ideas first hand.
In an exclusive interview, Ian Thomas noted that Korea is now a major focus for the firm. Thomas Consultants Korea is a major office where it employs a staff of approximately 20 professionals. Its client base is wide and varied and includes such major institutions as: Daewoo Motor Sales Co.; Doosan Construction; Dosi and Saram; GS Retail; Hyundai Corporation; Lotte Group; Samsung Group; Shinsegae Group; SK Group; and Taubman Asia.
At Thomas Consultants, we pride ourselves on creating unique strategies that assist our clients in realizing the greatest value from their development opportunity. By incorporating the latest principles in place making and master planning, we help the world’s leading developers, architects and urban planners craft innovative strategies that allow them to create unique points of difference necessary to thrive in today’s competitive environment,” he said.
He said the company realizes that the retail industry is in a constant state of transformation. New retail concepts are continually being introduced at a dizzying pace. Through its international exposure, the company is able to share the latest ideas and trends that are being introduced worldwide.
Undoubtedly one of the major changes in the retail industry is the diffusion of lifestyle concepts through the market. Open air lifestyle centers are rapidly being adopted on a global scale and their introduction has brought a major shift in consumer expectations. Thomas Consultants has been at the forefront of this change and today the vast majority of our work involves planning strategies for multi-purpose and mixed-use destinations.
We are actively engaged in assignments that propose new open air lifestyle centers, urban entertainment centers, downtown revitalization projects, mixed use town centers and transit oriented developments. The exposure to such a wide variety of project types, in both mature and emerging markets, enables us to leverage our expertise in creating living, breathing retail environments that are at the heart of livable and sustainable communities.”
Since the company’s inception over 30 years ago, it has continually been at the forefront of creating retail development strategies for recreational destinations. The resort retail industry has experienced a boom in recent years as developers are looking beyond residential property and recreational infrastructure development to diversify their revenue streams.
Thomas Consultants continues to push the boundaries on the resort front by helping our clients find innovative strategies that create truly special places. With a long list of leading beach, golf, and ski resort clients around the world, we have the experience and expertise to make your resort retail development stand the test of time,” he said.
In addition to its core consulting services, Thomas Consultants also has the ability to produce in-house marketing documents. These promotional documents empower our clients to maximize their new development’s exposure by communicating the key project highlights through a visually effective medium. Customized content including charts, tables and graphics can also be created and tailored to lend an extra degree of professionalism to the document.
Our tailored promotional documents are designed to efficiently communicate the development opportunity and have helped many of our clients attract prospective retailers and/or joint development partners.”
Through decades of research, the company has assembled an extensive library of research materials including project profiles on many of the leading retail centers around the world, he noted.
Speaking on the impact of the global economic crisis, he noted that the whole world has been affected by the financial meltdown. However, countries like the representing BRIC and Korea are quickly emerging from this crisis – in fact, several have come through almost unscathed. An excellent barometer is retail sales volume and with department store sales growing by almost 8% in the last quarter, it demonstrates the optimism and robust nature of the Korean consumer.
The shopping center industry has been around for 60 years. Tried and proven principles have emerged on how to develop a truly successful center. The world is rapidly globalizing, particularly accentuated by the expansion of major international retailers into new countries and sub-markets. As such, a global development platform is emerging. If Korea hopes to attract significant foreign direct investment, it must follow the global principles of development,” he said.
On the opportunities for Korea, he noted that the country is strategically located to participate in the overall boom occurring in the Asian region. With the exception of Japan, most Asian countries are enjoying strong growth, particularly China. Some of these economies have been somewhat self-contained, eg. India, but with greater prosperity occurring there is greater resulting fluidity as well. Korea has a real opportunity to participate in this upswing dynamic,” he said.

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