To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Sender: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.8 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Help: List-Post: X-Subscribed-Address: rterry@idiom.com List-Subscribe: List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. List-Unsubscribe: Status: OR Send The_Dojang mailing list submissions to the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of The_Dojang digest..." <<--------------- The_Dojang mailing list --------------->> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. herina recovery (richard kolyer) 2. Korean Wave (Ray Terry) 3. Mt. Geumgang (Ray Terry) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 22:42:27 -0800 (PST) From: richard kolyer To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] herina recovery Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net "For me I have it [hernia] only on the right side... There is a plastic net being sewed at the groin and I have to stay away from training for about 2 weeks. After these 2 weeks I will be able to train normally..." Be careful restarting MA training that soon. Any sort of serious stretching & kicking can affect how effectively the wound heals. Try cross training in high aerobic activities such as swimming or hard bike riding. This will keep your conditioning up while allowing your body to heal. Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions! http://auctions.yahoo.com --__--__-- Message: 2 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 6:52:22 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Korean Wave Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net The Korean Wave in Asia In China, Korean pop music is at the height of popularity with Korean songs accounting for half of the Chinese top ten. Chinese teens like the Korean dance groups NRG, Baby Vox and HOT while people in their 20s and 30s like the fun sounds of groups such as Clon. In Korean pop music competitions, Chinese teens dress up like their favorite Korean stars and sing their songs. The local concerts of Korean singers are all sold out and members of the audiences can be seen screaming and holding up posters and photos of their idols. The current fever for things Korean, known as the "Korean wave," was first triggered by the TV drama "What is Love?" which was very popular with viewers in Chinese-speaking countries. "What is Love?" has since been followed by a string of hits such as "Autumn Tale,?" "Stars in My Heart,?" "Model" and "Sunflower," creating a rage for Korean dramas among young TV fans. "Autumn Tale," a plaintive love story, has been repeated on TV many times and over 200,000 copies of a tie-in book have been sold. Since the broadcasting of "Model" in Vietnam, many fan clubs for the star Jang Dong-geon have been founded and a local advertisement featuring the female lead Kim Nam-ju, has eight times the recognition of the advertisement of another company, which was produced at ten times the cost. It is the same with Korean movies. Bichunmu, a love story about a Korean warrior and a Yuan Chinese girl is making it big at box offices in China. Movies that were hits in Korea such as Christmas in August, Swiri, Gas Station Hold Up and Happy Ending have also been big hits in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a result, events are often held where the local fans can meet the stars of those movies, and such events are often reported on Korean television. The Korean wave continues with musicals as well. Subway Line 1, which was praised as being better than the German original when it was performed in Berlin last year, has also been a huge success in Beijing and Shanghai in China. It was performed to a full house, something that had only happened two times before in Chinese concert history. The media and others who had been moved by the show called producer Kim Min-gi "the Balzac of Korea" and compared him with the Chinese hero Sun Yat Sen. On the computer game front, Lineage, made by the Korean venture NC Soft, is popular around the world but especially in Taiwan where within a year of its introduction it has captured 80 percent of online gamers. While Lineage is proving big in Taiwan, Legend of Mir 2 is the most popular game on the Chinese mainland. Within four days of commercial service start up, the martial arts playing game had reached over 50,000 Chinese gamers. The success of these games is making the path smoother for Korean telecommunications companies such as KTF and SK as they try to enter the local IT industry. Samsung Electronics' mobile phones are already among the most desired phones in China and LG Electronics' products are popular also. Korean fever is hitting the Chinese fashion industry as well with Korea's top designers, including Andre Kim, holding a series of fashion shows in China. According to a survey of adults in seven cities in China carried out by Samsung Art and Design Institute, Korean fashion ranks fourth in popularity after the fashion of China, Italy and France. Fashion brands such as Deco, Wolsey, Lancy and Lee Kwang-hee have already entered the Chinese market, which is boosting the strength of Korean names in the total beauty market, including mass-market clothing, hair, makeup and beauty items, and jewelry and accessories. At lunchtime, the 600-seat Korean restaurant Yensa Scene of Sorabeol in Beijing is crowded with Chinese people who are fans of the hot and savory flavors of Korean food. The Korean snack Choco Pie is No. 1 in China in terms of sales, and brand reputation and recognition. The hot and spicy taste of Shin Ramyeon instant noodles is overpowering Chinese brands that have a weaker flavor. Miwon is becoming known in the market for artificial seasoning and Korean infant formula is also making its mark on the Chinese market. Along with the teens visiting Korea to see their favorites stars, many others from different age groups are also visiting Korea for a variety of reasons. On the day of the World Cup final draw, the Chinese, including some 8 million soccer fans, were pleased to find out that the Chinese team would be playing in Korea rather than Japan. Korea is not only closer geographically but also in the sensibilities of the people. It is anticipated that the number of Chinese visiting Korea this year will dramatically jump thanks to the event. These days it is gratifying to witness a meeting between Koreans and Chinese who are bent on exchanging greetings: the Koreans congratulate China for making it into their first World Cup finals and the Chinese express their best wishes for Korea's successful hosting of the World Cup. The Korean wave that is hitting China and Southeast Asia is not just a one-way phenomenon. The Chinese are not the only ones opening up to a new culture. Young Koreans too, both online and offline, are busy learning about China and its culture. Ahn Jae-wook, the Korean star most popular in the Chinese-speaking nations, is an example. When the Taiwanese suffered from floods, he began providing 3 million won a month to help them. At the heart of the Korean wave is the warm give and take of neighborly sentiment. Korean culture is popular among the Chinese because the sentiment and sensibilities of the two countries are similar. The dramas are innocent enough for three generations--grandparents, parents and children--to watch them at the same time and in subject matter they are very closely related to everyday life. In the case of popular music, hip hop is popular among the young because it is not American style hip hop, but a softened version that better suits Asian sensibilities. The Choco Pie advertisement that is popular in China (the "Good Friends" episode) is based on the concept of jeong, a Korean word that covers many feelings from love to friendship. In this vein, the Korean wave is a soft wind that carries friendship. --__--__-- Message: 3 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 7:02:43 PST Subject: [The_Dojang] Mt. Geumgang Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Why the Government Intends to Support Mt. Geumgang Tourism Project? January 23, 2002 Ministry of Unification 1. Facts The future of the Mt. Geumgang tourism project is becoming increasingly uncertain, its sustainability in doubt. This skepticism stems largely from the deteriorating financial position of the Hyundai Asan Corporation, the decreasing number of tourists traveling to the North Korean mountain and the extended lull in the official contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang to rejuvenate the venture. The tour is currently bringing in 2-3 billion won less each month than it takes to simply operate the cruise ships and their related facilities. Clearly, the less than 4,000 tourists who take the tour each month are not enough to provide any measure of stability for the project. The Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) also finds it increasingly difficult to play active roles in the tour project because the tours are not running at a satsifactory level and because of the burden of the interest payments on the loans it has received from the Government's South-North Cooperation Fund as an incentive to participate in the project. Considering the current relations that generally exist between the North and South and, more specifically, in light of North Korea's internal circumstances, the opening of overland routes and the designation of special sightseeing zones are likely to be delayed, as well. The government has been trying to approach the situation with sound market economic principles. Regrettably, however, the reality is that the tourism project is already facing a great deal of difficulty and is in desperate need of governmental support. Under the circumstances, the government has decided to study ways of assisting the tourism project, because the Mt. Geumgang Tourism Project is important as one of the "peace projects" that serve to connect the South and the North. A recent government survey revealed that politicians, specialists and citizen groups all desired the Mt. Geumgang tourism project to continue and that they believed the government's involvement in the project was necessary. The government intends to substantially reflect the public's views when implementing its support measures, to exert its best efforts in improving the general operation and management of the project and to do everything it can to elicit corresponding improvements from the North in order to invigorate the project. 2. The Background of the Government's Decision to Lend Assistance The Mt. Geumgang tourism project has, as a Rpeace project,S contributed to the promotion of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. The government believes that there is a significant level of support for the continuation of the project. For example, more than 420,000 South Koreans have set foot on North Korean soil in traveling to Mt. Geumgang and a number of inter-Korean events have taken place in the area. As a result, Mt. Geumgang has established itself as a symbol of reconciliation between South and North Korea. Visitors to the mountain come away with a firsthand understanding of the stark realities of national division and are given the opportunity to envision the potential of reunification. Mt. Geumgang tourism has also contributed to creating a favorable climate for foreign investment in Korea. For instance, the tour program prevented the naval skirmish on the West Sea from escalating and has helped to maintain the stability of South Korean society. The opening-up of such noteworthy North Korean military sites as Jangjon Port has also served to ease tension on the peninsula. In view of such major upcoming domestic and international events as the 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer finals and the presidential election, it is important to give due consideration and priority to those matters that very clearly will work to benefit the nation's interest. The government believes that it is desirable to provide assistance to the tourism project and take the necessary steps to gradually reinvigorate the enterprise. Since the enterprise has symbolic as well as economic ramifications, suspension of the project would have an adverse effect on the nation's image abroad as well as on inter-Korean relations. Discontinuation of the venture would not only delay the opening of an overland route to the mountain but also frustrate the efforts to have a special tourist zone designated in the Mt. Geumgang area. Doing so might also lead to a default on the repayment of the loans that have been extended to the KNTO and greater mutual distrust between Seoul and Pyongyang, which in turn could frustrate efforts to resume inter-Korean negotiations on these and other proposals. As for the tourism fees, the basis of the payment system was modified in June of 2001 from a flat monthly fee to one based on the actual number of participating tourists. North Korea agreed to accept the new manner of payment until such time that the undertaking is turning a profit. These arrangements have enabled the projedt to continue on with a minimum of outside support. In view of the fact that the project has already contributed so much to the improvement of inter-Korean relations, the government believes that extending a moderate amount of assistance to the venture is not only desirable but absolutely crucial. This revision will also allow South Korea an opportunity to amend the current arrangement, which many believe unduly favors North Korea, and pursue more favorable terms with the North to revitalize the operation. 3. The Direction of Government Assistance Basic Principles The government believes that any assistance should be channeled directly into the Mt. Geumgang tourism project rather than to the tour operator(s) so that citizens might gain as great a benefit from these funds as possible. While the government respects the consultations that have taken place between the KNTO and Hyundai, the government's assistance will be provided in a way that will guarantee the KNTO the opportunity to play more active roles in the project and garner profits. While these efforts will hopefully work to cause the North to reciprocate, for example, becoming the basis of designating this area and others as special tourism zones and opening overland tourist routes, the government will also seek the resumption of North-South government-level talks to discuss the Mt. Geumgang tourism matter. Direction of Assistance a. Subsidizing Tour Expenses for Separated Families, Students and Teachers Since sightseeing in the Mt. Geumgang area is likely to have an educational value on the tourists and contribute to the possibility of unification, the government will try to provide some subsidies to the Mt. Geumgang tourists under the "expense grants for inter-Korean visits" provision in the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund Law. The size of each individual's subsidy will be determined according to the financial condition of the traveler. In any event, any subsidy that's granted will not be greater than the minimum sum required for the trip. In other words, the Mt. Geumgang tourism project will not be profiting from these subsidies. This matter will be implemented only upon the completion of consultations among the concerned government agencies and private organizations, which will create clear guidelines in regards to visitors and subsidies and develop concrete procedures. These measures will then be submitted to the National Assembly for deliberation and approval. The Council for the Promotion of South-North Exchange and Cooperation will also examine the procedures that are made. b. Easing of the Loan Repayment Conditions to the KNTO Since the tourism revitalization program is being delayed, the KNTO has requested that the government ease the terms of the loans it has received under the South-North Cooperation Fund so that the organization's revenue position might be improved. Since rejuvenation of the Mt. Geumgang tourism project is possible only through the active participation of the KNTO, the government will soon convene the Council for the Promotion of South-North Exchange and Cooperation to consider relaxing the terms of the loans that have been extended to the KNTO. The KNTO will invest in the tourism project by taking over the facilities in the Mt. Geumgang area, while the scope of any additional investments will be made after consultations between the KNTO and Hyundai Asan Corporation. c. Opening of Duty-free Foreign Commodities Shops in the Mt. Geumgang Area For purposes of generating additional revenue and for the convenience of tourists, the government will consider allowing duty-free shops that sell foreign commodities to be set up in the Mt. Geumgang area. Opening such shops will be made possible simply by revising the pertinent provisions in the "cooperative project" proposals. One of the basic principles to follow is to apply the same customs rules to the visitors to these shops as other overseas travelers, in terms of items and quantity of purchase. * Future Procedures The government will take steps to ease the existing terms of the loans to the KNTO and to allow operation of gift shops in the tourist area. As for tourist subsidies, separate action on that proposal will be taken at the appropriate time, after the necessary consultations, considerations and preparations have been made. The government will continue consulting with the National Assembly and the appropriate specialists as it carries out these vitally important assistance measures. In addition, all actions and decisions will be fully and completely explained as the Council for the Promotion of South-North Exchange and Cooperation make them. --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 104C, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2002: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply. Remember 9-11! End of The_Dojang Digest