Daegu south korea

The visit of Park Geun-Hye to India, though a symbolic one, will certainly give a further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two countries says Rup Narayan Das. I t is a coincidence that the three day visit of South Korean President Park Geun-hye to India is taking place this week ahead of the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will be the chief-guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations. Earlier in 2010 the then President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak was the chief-guest at India’s Republic Day. A lot of strategic significance is attached to these two visits. In the first place, they indicate the success of India’s extended ‘look east’ policy initiated in 1991 beyond South-East Asia. Both economic interests and strategic considerations reinforce each other in a seamless manner in India’s engagement in the broader East Asia. It is all the more appropriate that India’s ‘look east’ policy and its economic reforms were initiated concurrently … [Read more...] about India-South Korea’s win-win strategic partnership

SEOUL: South Korea’s transformation from a war-ravaged, poor and undeveloped country to be now ranked by the World Bank as the 12th largest economy globally has been accompanied by extraordinary social change at home. The greatest challenge is the decline of the national birth rate. South Korea’s birth rate has fallen to among the lowest in the world, and a record low level for the country. But the impact of future demographic changes will ultimately be influenced by public policy changes and the improvement of women’s opportunities in the workforce. According to researcher Andrei Lankov, the total fertility rate in South Korea went from 6.1 in 1960 to 4.5 in 1970, before falling further to 2.0 in 1982. This was a by-product of both industrialisation and a government “family planning” programme (a policy adopted when South Korea’s birth rate was perceived as too high). AN AGEING POPULATION, A DECLINING WORKFORCE With the current low birth rate, the Korean population is … [Read more...] about Commentary: Dear South Korea, please don’t give up on having more babies

SEOUL: A litter of puppies was born earlier this month by a hunting dog given to South Korean President Moon Jae-in by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the first photos of the dogs were shared by the South's presidential Blue House on Sunday (Nov 25). Gomi and Songkang, two Pungsan dogs, were given to Moon by Kim in September to mark their third meeting this year in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. READ: Paws for peace: North Korea's Kim sends two dogs across DMZ A photo of the six pups - piled in a furry heap - was shared in a tweet which said that they were born on Nov 9. The mother, Gomi, and her puppies are all very healthy, the tweet added. There was also a photo of President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook with the baby animals in the president's lap, taken at their home in Seoul. 11월 9일에 태어난 ‘곰이’의 새끼들입니다. 엄마개와 여섯 새끼들 모두 아주 건강합니다. 사진은 오늘 오후에 문재인 대통령과 김정숙 여사가 관저 앞마당에서 곰이와 새끼들을 살피는 모습입니다. pic.twitter.com/pkP6KpgRZJ — 대한민국 청와대 (@TheBlueHouseKR) … [Read more...] about Canine gift from North Korean leader Kim to South Korea’s President Moon bears pups

SEOUL: South Korea issued a raft of measures Friday to try to reverse one of the world's lowest birth rates, offering potential parents increased benefits as it faces a looming population decline. The country's fertility rate - the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime - fell to 0.95 in the third quarter, the first time it has dropped below 1 and far short of the 2.1 needed to maintain stability. As a result the population of the world's 11th largest economy, currently 51 million, is expected to start falling in 2028. There are multiple causes, including the expense of child-rearing, long working hours, limited daycare, and career setbacks for working mothers, who bear a double burden of carrying out the brunt of household chores. The government has spent a whopping 136 trillion won (US$121 billion) since 2005 to try to boost the birth rate, without success. READ: Commentary: Dear South Korea, please don't give up on having more babies In its … [Read more...] about Cash for kids: South Korea seeks to raise falling birth rate

The Jeju Olle Trail has been called the South Korean Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route that leads to the shrine of the apostle St James in Santiago de Compostela, northern Spain. Though the Olle Trail doesn’t lead to resting places of saints, the trek can turn out to be a somewhat religious experience – usually around the time the faint throbbing in the vicinity of your feet becomes palpable. It’s at this stage you start praying the end of the trail is around the next corner. FINDING THE PATH The trail is the brainchild of former news editor Suh Myung Sook. Mentally drained after 23 years as a political journalist, Suh decided to quit her job and do some soul-searching for the next chapter of her life. At age 50, she decided to travel the 800km Camino de Santiago alone. The rustic, unspoiled vistas on the Camino reminded her of Jeju, where she was born and raised. It planted the thought of creating a similar trail back home, to explore “the beauty of … [Read more...] about The beauty of slow travel: Exploring South Korea’s Jeju Island on foot