Korea aims to earn $10b from tourism next year

Korea aims to attract 7.5 million inbound travelers and rake in $10 billion in profits next year through a marketing push despite the economic slump, the Korea Tourism Organization said yesterday.

By facilitating the tourism industry, it hopes to help the nation survive the economic crunch and create new jobs, the organization said.

Korea enjoyed relatively prosperous tourism this year, with the tourism deficit volume expected to shrink by half from $100 billion last year.

In a report to President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae on its 2009 plans, KTO explained that the marketing will focus on fostering high-end tourism products such as medical travel.

For this, the organization has cooperated with such corporations as Herbal Life and Amway to bring in 35,000 and 13,000 travelers, respectively.

Medical travel refers to attracting foreign nationals to visit for the purpose of medical treatment that could range from plastic surgery to health checkups.

The tourism organization said it will also take advantage of the weakening won to lure in travelers through expansive campaigns.

To promote domestic travel and support municipal economies, KTO said it will work to replace overseas travel demands, especially among honeymooners and golfers by developing high-quality local tourism packages.

More than 10,000 travel-related signposts will be replaced nationwide, while inventing new ways to promote special local dishes.

The year 2009 will also focus on endorsing "green travel" by developing new travel items connected to the country`s four major rivers and other cultural assets. They would also include the demilitarized zone, Suncheon Bay and Upo swamp.

Regions with competitive green travel destinations, meanwhile, will be promoted as part of the "Slow City" movement.

The Slow City movement was started in 1999 in Italy, when the mayors agreed to define the attributes that define a slow city.

Slow cities generally must meet a 54-point charter that outlines the goals of the movement.

Candidate cities must have less than 50,000 residents and be willing to work toward accomplishing such measures as promoting organic agriculture, urban revitalization and historic preservation, among other things.

KTO has established a new team to take charge of green tourism.

To create new tourism-related jobs, the organization said it will vastly expand youth internship programs for various international conferences held in Korea. About 5,000 youths are likely to benefit from the new measure. The organization`s overseas offices will also offer employment information at their base countries for job seekers here, it said.

One of the largest investment plans by KTO is creating a tourism complex in Hwawon, Haenam, of South Jeolla Province as well as a resort in Mount Naejang in North Jeolla Province. More than 79 percent of the investment budget for these regions will be enacted within the first half of next year.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a plan to develop premium tourism content, most of which overlaps with the organization`s report to the president.

The Seoul government aims to attract 10 million travelers from overseas, creating value added worth 1 trillion won as well as 390,000 new jobs by 2012. This will enable Korea to become the world`s 20th-ranked travel and tourism competitive country by that year, from its current rant of 35, according to the ministry.

By Lee Joo-hee

(angiely@heraldm.com)

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Is SKT Dominance Under Threat?

By Kim Tong-hyung

Staff Reporter

SK Telecom is the biggest fish in the mobile telephony pond, but bitter rivals complain that the company's dominance has more to do with its exclusive use of a ``quality spectrum'' rather than successful business strategies.

Now the government is moving to end SK Telecom's monopoly, allowing KTF, LG Telecom and a possible fourth wireless operator to access low-frequency bands from 2011, although it bears further watching whether the new licenses will be enough to change the equation.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, said it will redistribute 40 megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth between the 800 MHz and 900 MHz frequencies to the smaller carriers to use for third-generation (3G) or other advanced wireless services.

The licenses will be handed out next year, the KCC said, with the carriers enabled to use the spectrums in July 2011, bringing an end to SK Telecom's monopoly of the 800MHz frequency band, which dates back to 1984.

The government will retake 20mhz from SK Telecom, which currently uses two blocks combining 50MHz with 800MHz frequency bandwidth. The company's current 800MHz frequency license expires in June 2011.

The other half of the available bandwidth comes from the 900 MHz frequency band, which is currently used for FM radio and public operations.

The spectrum up for grabs enables better voice quality and coverage than the 1.8 gigahertz (GHz) frequency bandwidths used by KTF and LG Telecom.

The lower frequencies have superior coverage and stronger wave diffraction, allowing signals to travel better through interfering objects such as hills and buildings, and the smaller carriers were required to invest more in base stations and repeaters to compete with SK Telecom.

The government hasn't decided how to redistribute the spectrums, although an auction a likely solution despite resistance from KTF and LG Telecom.

``We believe that the KCC's plans to redistribute the low-frequency bands may improve efficiency in the use of radio frequencies and improve the environment for fair competition,'' a KTF spokesman said.

The inevitable has become a reality for SK Telecom, but the top mobile carrier will look for compensation by acquiring more bandwidth within the 2.1 GHz frequency currently used for third-generation (3G) services.

With more mobile-phone users switching to data-enabled handsets, both SK Telecom and KTF are in need of more 3G bandwidth, and since LG Telecom returned its 2.1 GHz licenses after giving up on WCDMA, there is some room left to mingle.

KTF is planning to use its cut in the low-frequency band mainly to support its 3G network, and is pressing policymakers to hand out the licenses as quickly as possible to build the new network.

LG Telecom, the smallest of the three carriers, is planning to use the newly acquired bandwidth for fourth-generation (4G) services. In a news conference earlier this month, LG Telecom chief executive Jung Il-jae said the company plans to start commercial 4G services in 2013 after completing a nationwide network.

Although it's too early too tell how 4G would look, it's roughly thought as advanced wireless technology that provides data download speeds that are three to six times faster than the 14.4 megabytes per second (Mbps) to 3G services.

WiMAX, backed by companies such as Intel and Samsung Electronics, and Long Term Evolution (LTE), finding support among European vendors and wireless carriers, are the two competing technologies in the 4G standards race.

However, the smaller wireless carriers may find competition from cable system operators, who are looking for growth beyond the saturated pay-T.V. market and moving into mobile telecommunications.

An official from the Korea Cable Television Association (KCTA) said interest among cable operators to access the low-frequency band is high.

``Reallocating the spectrums to existing carriers wouldn't mean much, and it would be better to give new carriers the advantage in picking bandwidth to promote competition in the industry and lower consumer rates,'' said Seong Ki-hyeon, the KCTA's secretary general.

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Best places for New Year

Ringing in the new year never seemed so mixed in emotion. While it is a relief to end a troubled year filled with economic and political whirlwinds, it seems next year is also likely to bring vast changes and hiccups with the unwinding of the financial crisis.

Nevertheless, the end of one year and the start of another is the perfect opportunity to reflect and restore hope.

To this end, the Korea Tourism Organization has selected four lesser known spots across the nation that are worth a visit to watch the first sunrise of 2009 and make New Year`s resolutions.

Under the theme, "places that will make your dreams come true," the KTO chose Samcheok of Gangwon Province, Uljin of North Gyeongsang Province, Anyang of Gyeonggi Province and Goheung of South Jeolla Province.

Here are a few details of what you can find there.

Samcheok,

Gangwon Province

Samcheok boasts one of the country`s best sunrise views. Drive through the 4 km Saecheonnyeon road along the east coast. The "tower of wish" located next to the Saecheonnyeon road is a popular rest stop for couples and families to write up their New Year`s resolutions on the rocks that make up the tower.

Also in Samcheok is Yonmun rock situated inside the Jukseoru tower, which is said to be overseen by the spirit of King Munmu of the Silla Dynasty.

Haeshindang temple in Sinnam village is also a famous praying spot for couples wishing to have children. Other travel destinations in Samcheok include Jangho Port, Hwanseon cave, dating back some 500 million years, and a tour along Daegeum cave.

A good dish to have during the trip is Samcheok`s famous moray soup. For information on Samcheok, call the city`s tourism division on (033) 570-3545-3846.

Uljin, North

Gyeongsang Province

In the southern beach of Uljin, there is a pavilion named Weolsongjeong.

Go through a thick forest and reach the beach, where you will see the two-story arbor.

The east side of the pavilion affords excellent views of the sea and the sunrise, where travelers can stopover to make a wish. The pavilion was reportedly frequented by artists of the Silla Dynasty.

Other recommended stops in Uljin include the ports of Hupo and Jukbyeon, where one can enjoy king-crabs. Spa services are also available at hot springs of Deokgu and Baekam.

For children there is a museum for fresh-water fish and the Seongryu cave.

For information, call Uljin county office at (054) 789-6903.

Anyang,

Gyeonggi Province

Closer to Seoul is Anyang City. Just 4 km from Anyang`s downtown is the Catholic holy place of Mount Suri, where the grave of Saint Choi Gyeong-hwan (1805-1839), father of Korea`s second priest Choi Yang-up, is located. The house of Choi is preserved and is also used as a church.

The area is quiet and surrounded by mountains, making it a good spot to take a walk and meditate.

Other destinations in the region include the Dolsuk Museum of Ceramic Wares, and the Anyang Art Park where the works of renowned Korean and foreign artists are on display.

Hiking up Mount Gwanak also gives spectacular views of the city.

For more information, call the Catholic Holy Place (031) 449-2842, or Anyang City Hall (031) 892-2064.

Goheung,

South Jeolla Province

Namyeol beach in Goheung, Jeolla Province, offers a breathtaking view of the archipelago of the Southern Sea. Standing on the white-sand beach and watching the sunrise, one will feel encouraged to change in the new year.

After watching the sunrise, a visit to Mount Palyeong, and the thousand-year-old temple of Neunggasa is recommended. The town is also home to Naro Space Center, where Korea`s first satellite was launched. For information, contact Guncheong country office (061) 830-5305.

By Lee Joo-hee

(angiely@heraldm.com)

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France to Kick Off Working Holiday Program for Koreans

By Kim Se-jeong

Staff Reporter

One year of working and traveling in France officially begins for Koreans from Jan. 1.

And those who wish to make sure they get a visa had better hurry, for it will be the first 2,000 applicants who will receive one.

The Working Holiday Program, signed between Korea and France early this year, is available to everyone between 18 and 30 years of age.

What makes the program more appealing is that there are no language requirements.

Unlike countries that demand language skills, "There's no language requirement to apply. It is to work and to travel," Jean-Yves Lavoir from the Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Development Partnership told reporters in Seoul earlier this month.

Applicants are expected to submit documentation including health insurance and proof of 2,600 Euro in support funds, but a complete list of detailed requirements isn't yet available, and the embassy staff told applicants to contact the French consular office in Seoul.

Lavoir, head of the ministry's professional immigration international affairs, reiterated the program doesn't suit those who wish to study in France.

"For those who wish to study in France in the future, I wouldn't recommend the working holiday program," Lavoir said.

The permit will expire within a year meaning participants must leave the country regardless of their status.

Furthermore, participants are forbidden from studying at any higher institute of higher education while participating in the program, he emphasized.

He added students with student visas would now have many advantages during their post-graduate period, being allowed to work.

The Working Holiday Permit is part of an upheaval within the French government, spearheaded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to attract more professional immigrant workers and effectively control illegal immigration.

Under the refined immigration policy, international students ― non-EU students enrolled in French high education ― are now given a six-month period for job-hunting in their fields of study and a year to work.

And their status can be renewed after a year, sometimes transferable to a "Skills and Talent" permit, depending on the level of their skills and professions. During their study, students are permitted to work a maximum of 80 hours per month.

Three-year Skills and Talent permit is aimed to facilitate the life for foreign skilled workers and their families, and one can renew it endlessly.

Another new immigration policy is the "Intra-company transfer" permit, aiming at facilitating the mobility of workers who are with international groups or companies.

For example, Korean workers of Samsung, LG, Daewoo, or French companies who are sent to France to work for a few years, would benefit from the permit, which will allow visa holders to stay three years ― currently one year ― and they are renewable.

Lavoir said they are a strong gesture from the French side that it would welcome not only tourists but also workers who wish to work legally in France.

France marks the first European country with which Korea operates the program. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada are the four existing partners, and the Work English Study and Travel (WEST) Program with the United States will commence next spring.

France has also agreed to working holiday permit with Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, making Korea its fifth working holiday partner.

The French Embassy can be reached by calling (02) 3149-4300 or emailing consulat@ambafrance-kr.org

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Korean Skills a Must for Future Teachers!

Danielle Henderson

By Danielle Henderson

I chose to live and teach in Korea because I heard that it is a safe and clean country in which to live. After being here for nearly one year, I must agree with the people who told me this information. I feel safe not only in the classroom, but also walking home alone at night after making a trip to the supermarket.

I think that it is natural to experience difficulties, especially in terms of cultural differences while living in a foreign country. In the beginning, I was so embarrassed by my inability to speak Korean. I did not know how to say thank you or the magic word please! My decision to teach in Korea was, however, rather last minute, which made it difficult to learn Korean prior to my arrival.

Even if you are an English teacher, having knowledge of Korean can not only help you when out and about, but it will also impress your students and your school’s staff, thus gaining their respect. I wish I had at least a weekend crash course in the Korean language. I was only given a few travel brochures and tourist maps of Seoul and Cheongju, which were of little help to me since I live in neither of those locations.

In regards to schedule changes and exam dates, it appears that the last people to be informed are the native English teachers, in my case anyways. For example, I would go to class and, either it would be empty, or my students would have a confused look on their face. I would then return to my desk in the office and my co-teachers would find me and inform me that the schedule had changed. There was another time when I arrived to school only to be told to go home because the students had an exam and that my classes were cancelled. I soon realized that things are done differently here. So I had to adapt and expect that my schedule may change at any moment.

Tips for future EPIK teachers: get to know your students, ask them questions and do your research. For example, find out what music groups or singers are popular. I did just that. When I told my students that I enjoyed listening to Big Bang and the Wonder Girls, not only were they impressed that I knew of these groups, but they were proud that I took an interest in Korean music. Finding a commonality can also open many doors with regards to mutual understanding.

Danielle Henderson is from Canada and has worked at schools in North Chungcheong Province with her master's degree in early childhood education. She can be reached at danielle_mj_henderson@hotmail.com

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A light-hearted look at 2008

BUSAN - It has been an eventful year here in "Sparkling" Korea. Here is a light-hearted look back at the highs, the lows and all else in between.

Korea kicked off 2008 with a new president. Lee Myung-bak was inaugurated on Feb. 25, pledging to boost the Korean economy from the 13th largest in the world to 7th, to raise the average yearly salary to $40,000 a year, and achieve 7 percent annual growth. He nicknamed his economic plan, "747" -similar to Boeing`s famous airliner of the same name. In retrospect it was perhaps not the best analogy, considering that the Korean economy - and nearly every other economy in the world - has crashed.

In February, a tragic fire burnt down the wooden structure atop the historic Namdaemun gate in Seoul. Fire starter, Chae Jong-ki, 69, was convicted of violating the "Cultural Properties Protection Law" and sentenced to 10 years in prison. For centuries it has been the Japanese who thoughtlessly burned down Korea`s cultural treasures. Now Koreans enjoy the freedom to do so themselves. My, how far the world has come.

In March, South Korea held its first-ever trial by jury as part of several reform measures aimed at increasing public confidence in the judicial system. For Korea`s first "trial" trial, a nine-member jury in Daegu heard the case of a 27-year-old man accused of assaulting a 70-year-old woman while burgling her home.

The jury`s "guilty" decision was non-binding, though, as the traditional three-judge panel had the final say. Apparently, the government has judged that the people are still not ready to judge, although some might say this shows a lack of judgment by the government.

In April, Koreans cheered as a Russian space capsule carried Korea`s first astronaut, Lee So-yun, into space. It was also a month that saw health officials dispatch 200 soldiers to chicken farms across the country to slaughter more than 100,000 chickens following the outbreak of bird flu. It was a monumental month when Koreans expanded their reach to the stars while at the same time taking a stand against chickens.

In June, a puzzled world looked on as tens of thousands of South Koreans demonstrated against the government`s decision to import U.S. beef. A health scare ensued, based on wild claims that American beef contained the "Mad Cow" virus.

The at times violent protests continued for well over a month, reaching a peak of 700,000 people gathering in Seoul. On the bright side, social scientists now have a new phenomenon to study: "Mad People Disease." The symptoms include irrational reasoning, ignorance of scientific fact and an unyielding desire to gather in the streets for no apparent reason. Oh, something for you trivia buffs: The historical tally of people dying from American beef worldwide? Zero.

July gets off to a bad start when a North Korean soldier fatally shoots a South Korean tourist at a mountain resort in the North. The tourist, Park Wang-ja, had gone for a stroll from her hotel at 4:30 a.m., somehow wandering 1 kilometer into an off-limits military area.

It was there that she was shot twice in the back as she fled from a North Korean soldier. Surely, there must have been something in the travel brochure about not trying to feed the North Koreans.

Also in July, arguments with Japan over the disputed Dokdo islands reached a low-point.

Korean government officials retaliated against Japanese claims by removing Japanese condom advertisements from subway stations in Seoul. Following the incident, I scanned the paper for several days longing for a Korean government official saying something to the effect of, "Screw Japan and their condoms!" Or from the Japanese saying, "Much like Dokdo, the Koreans will no longer be adequately protected."

In August, Korean athletes brought home a spectacular 31 medals from the Olympic Games in Beijing. The most heralded of those medals was the gold in baseball, where the scrappy Korean team went undefeated in eight games against the world`s best amateurs. After clinching the gold against Cuba in game seven, the team didn`t let up - tromping baseball powerhouse the Netherlands 10-0 in the final game. Take that, Hiddink!

September played host to this year`s celebration of the Korean Thanksgiving Day, Chuseok. According to a survey by the Korea Transport Institute, 53.4 percent of Koreans traveled to their hometowns to commemorate the occasion.

The estimated 46 million trips caused massive congestion on Korea`s roadways leading me to speculate that people were most thankful this year for actually reaching their destination before the holiday was over.

The month of October witnessed a bizarre innovation in the method of murder.

A 31-year-old man, identified only by his surname Jeong, killed six people by first setting fire to his apartment in southern Seoul, and then stabbing residents with a sashimi knife as they fled the building. While Jeong told police he went on the rampage because "everybody looks down on me," some nationalists placed the bulk of the blame on the Japanese for inventing the sashimi knife.

As the weather turned cold in November, an even deeper chill spread across the economy.

Exports dropped 18.3 percent from the same time the previous year, and the won hit an 11-year low of 1,513 against the dollar. The Bank of Korea also released estimates that the economy would grow by only 2 percent in 2009. No word from the Lee administration on a new "18-1,500-2" economic plan.

Also in November, North Korea announced it would seal its borders with the south. To counter this, South Koreans increased the practice of sending balloons carrying anti-Kim Jong-il pamphlets over the border. Should there be a shortage of balloons, people can always inflate Japanese-brand condoms to further enrage the North Korean leadership.

In December, South Korean actress Ok So-ri fought in vain to overturn a ban on adultery. After admitting in court to having an affair, Ok was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. Her lover also received a six-month suspended sentence.

Lastly, in December the government announced ambitious economic plans. They are aimed at creating 190,000 new jobs in a 4-year, $10.35 billion bid to improve the country`s four main rivers and their adjacent areas.

While I applaud this measure, I can`t imagine it taking only four years. South Korea`s labor force has one of the highest university graduation rates in the world. How many people with a bachelor`s degree are willing to rebuild rivers for a living?

Happy New Year everyone.

The opinions expressed here in no way are representative of The Korea Herald. Bobby McGill is a freelance writer based in Busan. He can be reached through his blog at www.idlewordship.com or idlewordship@gmail.com - Ed.

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Tokyo seeks cordial ties with Seoul

After months of renewed tension over a territorial issue, Korea and Japan are moving to put their often-prickly ties back on track.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will likely visit Korea next month for a summit with President Lee Myung-bak before the launch of the Obama administration in the United States, signaling a full-scale resumption of the biannual summit between the sides.

"We will give more consideration to Japan`s position in setting a date for the summit, as it is them who have to pack up bags and come here," a senior Korean foreign ministry official said.

Korea`s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that Tokyo has proposed a three-day summit from around Jan. 10, which falls on Japanese holidays. The Japanese prime minister is required to get approval from the country`s bicameral legislature for travel abroad when the legislature is in session.

Japanese media said Aso is seeking to improve ties with Korea before U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, whose Asia policy has yet to materialize, comes into office.

Japanese officials have a bitter memory of "Japan passing" during the Clinton era. Japan endured strained ties with the Democrats at that time.

"In the trilateral summit among Korea, China, and Japan on Dec. 13, President Lee invited Prime Minister Aso to visit Korea," the official said, refusing to comment on Aso`s possible political intentions behind his push to hold such an unusual New Year summit with Lee.

"We don`t need a lot of time to prepare for the summit since it will be held in a casual way to meet the purpose of the summit," he said. "An exact date and venue have yet to be fixed."

Seoul`s flexibility follows Tokyo`s recent move to drop the designation of Dokdo, the rocky islets at the center of decades-old diplomatic spat between the two countries, in its draft of a new teaching manual for high school students that was released on Monday.

Dokdo, lying in the East Sea between the neighboring nations, is effectively controlled by Korea but also claimed by Japan.

In July, the Japanese education ministry announced an educational guideline for middle schools urging instructors to teach in school classrooms that Dokdo`s ownership is disputed. The step ruptured the cordial mood between the two sides after President`s Lee`s trip to Tokyo just months earlier.

Seoul recalled its ambassador to Tokyo Kwon Chul-hyun for three weeks in protest and also rejected Tokyo`s offer of routine foreign ministerial talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum held in Singapore in late July.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have often been marred by disputes over history and territory, in part a legacy of Japan`s colonial rule of Korea from 1910-45.

Japanese and Korean leaders began one-on-one shuttle diplomacy in July 2004, but the exchanges stopped a year later due to South Korea`s anger over then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi`s repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors Japan`s war dead, including war criminals.

Meanwhile, Aso said yesterday he would not call a snap election despite opposition demands, saying he needs to focus on the country`s sputtering economy.

Aso, who took office in September, has seen his popularity plummet in recent months and the opposition has called for him to prove he has a public mandate.

Aso can dissolve parliament and call elections at any time, but he does not need to do so for the lower house until their terms run out next September.

Aso said that it was not the right time to call elections as he needed to monitor the economy to make sure it does not weaken further.

"We are not in a situation in which we can discuss such things," he said at a news conference.

The world`s second-largest economy fell into a recession in the third quarter, and signs since then point toward more misery ahead.

The latest outlook by the Cabinet Office projects Japan`s economy to shrink this fiscal year and manage only flat growth the following year.

Public support for Japan`s government has plummeted amid disappointment over the new prime minister`s economic efforts.

Surveys earlier this month by three major newspapers - the Yomiuri, Mainichi and Asahi - showed backing for opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa had risen above Aso for the first time.

The surveys, which show Aso`s approval rating hovering near 20 percent, signal serious trouble for the prime minister. He took the helm of Japan`s unpopular ruling party with a promise to revive public support and high expectations that he would call elections soon.

Earlier in the day, Aso`s cabinet approved a record-high budget proposal to battle the recession. Aso described the spending planas a "bold budget to protect people`s lives."

"I think the public understands the importance of implementing our plans," he said.

From news reports

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