South Korea to Stand Firmer on Dokdo Islets

The government pledged Thursday to stand firm on any attempts to challenge Korea’s sovereignty over the Dokdo Islets in the East Sea.

Business Leaders Like to Tweet

Tycoons of Korea’s conglomerates seem unlikely candidates to spend their time on Twitter. But that is not the case as many of them briskly chat on the new platform for mobile blogging.  Leading the Twitter trend in the business world are Samsung Group leader Lee Kun-hee, Doosan Corp. Chairman Park Yong-maan and Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin.

Around the Hotels

Stuff going on at nine hotels around Korea…

Chungdahm Bowlorama

 

Check out the photos from the nationwide bowling competition held last month.

Hockey as a ticket to university

Cutthroat competition in education has spawned some unique ways to get a leg up over competitors to enter elite Korean universities.

Add one more to the list.

Expat Richard Cho’s concept would, if all goes according to plan, fulfill every Korean parent’s dream and establish a viable business.

The newest ticket to Korea or Yonsei University: hockey.

Best little bakery in Seoul, and it shows in loaves

Hidden in the back alleys of Gangnam is a remarkable bakery serving up rustic loaves, desserts, and fine sandwiches. We’re talking food so fine that it is worth the trouble of finding this place (hidden near Hakdong Elementary School; access by subway is almost impossible). Regardless, you should visit this bakery. The chef, Pak Cheol-woo, spent years studying baking in Germany before returning to Seoul to open his own shop.

His skill is evident in his work.

In Jeonju, a canon of creativity

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province – To anyone who has ever been, it comes as no surprise that there is a fervent expat scene in Jeonju. Described as lowly in a tongue in cheek sort of way, every weekend bands play here, actors act and artists exhibit.

A fairly recent addition to the canon of creativity is the Jeonju Artists’ Coalition. Their first show was almost a year ago, but with two shows in March this year alone, the group seems to be upping production. Many expect another show sometime this summer.

SKT and Chungdahm Learning launch English study service

SK Telecom and Chungdahm Learning launched the mobile English-language study aid English Bean.

Developed in collaboration with the English language education company Chungdahm Learning, English Bean is the first service to be launched as part of SK Telecom’s industry productivity enhancement project.

Industry productivity enhancement or IPE is the mobile carrier’s new business model that aims to apply information and communications technologies to other industries to improve their productivity. The company hopes the new business will generate 20 trillion won ($17.4 billion) in revenue by 2020.

The English Bean service allows users to learn expressions about current issues using mobile phones and its website.

Users can also practice speaking by making recordings using the phone, which is then reviewed and corrected by teachers.

The service also allows users to access online lectures through the website.

The service is charged at the fixed-rate of 18,000 won per month. Subscriptions can be taken out using SK Telecom’s mobile internet service Nate, the service homepage at (www.englishbean.co.kr) and SK Telecom’s customer service centers.

The service is currently available for touch-operated mobile handsets, and the company plans to introduce the service for T-Omnia smartphones from early next month.

The company said that it is also planning to add one or two services to the program during the first half of the year and plan on introducing the service to overseas markets in collaboration with Chungdahm Learning.

The English Bean service is also available for corporations and other organizations through mobile phones and website, the company said.

By Choi He-suk

cheesuk@heraldm.com

Two major rock festivals avoid clash

Perhaps realizing it was a no-win situation for either camp, promoters of the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival have opted to avoid a head on clash with the Jisan Valley Rock Festival.

By pushing their event a week ahead of their usual end-of-July play date, organizers of the Incheon event spared Korean music fans from having to choose between the two festival giants.

The Pentaport festival will now kick-off its three-day run on July 25, while its competition is scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1.

Traditional dance attempts fusion

If fusion food, art and design have piqued your interest, you may also want to try out “fusion dance.”

Korean traditional dance is meeting with modern dance in the performance called “Tune” to provide what organizers say will be “mesmerizing” and “alluring” artistic expressions.