2005-2162 The Buddha’s birthday illuminates Seoul

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Diplomacy U.S. President Barack Obama talks with President Lee Myung-bak. President Lee shakes hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The leaders also agreed that in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, the G-20 economies would monitor their macroeconomic policies. “The two agreements were actively pushed by South Korea,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said. “Since the Washington summit, global economies have formed a regime to reform and regulate the financial market, but the world did not have a sufficient system to coordinate macroeconomic policies and implement a ‘standstill’ commitment to stop protectionism. That’s why South Korea consistently pointed out these issues at this meeting and led an initiative to create these systems.” The key agreement reached at the G-20 summit for sweeping fiscal expansion and financial regulation reform called for $1.1 trillion to be pumped into the global financial system and for $5 trillion to be spent by the end of next year on fiscal stimulus measures. The leaders also agreed to increase the resources available to the IMF by $500 billion, to support a new Special Drawing Right allocation of $250 billion, to support at least $100 billion of additional lending by multilateral development banks and to ensure $250 billion of support for trade finance. The leaders also agreed to establish a new Financial Stability Board to strengthen financial supervision and regulation. The board will be a successor to the Financial Stability Forum, of which Korea recently became a member. “The FSB should collaborate with the IMF to provide early warning of macroeconomic and financial risks and the actions needed to address them,” the leaders agreed. In efforts to overcome the economic crisis, G-20 nations each implemented various economic stimulus measures, but their macroeconomic policies have had little effect due to the insecurity of the financial markets. In order to stabilize the market and hasten economic recovery, handling toxic financial assets is the key issue, President Lee told the world leaders. As a member of the G-20 “troika,” Korea actively participated in setting the agenda and establishing principles on how economies can successfully clean up toxic assets. Lee shared with other world leaders how Korea had successfully disposed of bad finances in the aftermath of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, making a major contribution to the G-20 agreement on cleaning up toxic assets. The G-20 leaders also agreed to meet again before the end of this year to follow up on the implementation of what was agreed upon at the London summit. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said this commitment proves the G-20 summit has become an established framework for global governance. “Korea will host the G-20 summit next year, and we will further our contribution to develop the G-20 meeting to serve as an effective regime for resolving global issues,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said. On the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Lee also met with Korea’s key neighbors to discuss pending bilateral issues and global matters. Just before the official opening of the multilateral meeting, Lee met with U.S. President Barack Obama for their first bilateral summit and addressed efforts to fight the financial crisis, the U.S.-Korea alliance, the North Korea threats and other matters. At the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance between Korea and the United States, which has lasted over a half-century. The summit took place on the eve of North Korea’s threatened long-range rocket launch, and Lee and Obama agreed to take serious and coordinated action with the international community to counter Pyongyang’s provocative stance. Presidents Lee and Obama agreed that the international community must act in unison to respond to a North Korean rocket launch, possibly referring the matter to the United Nations Security Council, said Lee’s spokesman, Lee Dong-kwan. At the meeting, they also reaffirmed their commitment to rid North Korea of nuclear arms. Lee and Obama also agreed to move the stalled U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement forward, the Blue House said. In a January summit in Seoul, Aso and Lee put aside disputes to focus on the economy. President Lee shakes hands with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The U.S. president thanked Korea for its support in trying to stabilize wartorn Afghanistan. The Blue House said Lee and Obama agreed to cooperate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and aid to Pakistan. Obama invited Lee to visit Washington, and Lee accepted the offer. The next Korea-U.S. summit is scheduled for June 16, and Obama also agreed to visit Korea in the near future. Lee also met with his British, Japanese, Australian and Chinese counterparts on the sidelines of the G-20 summit. During the meeting between Lee and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the two leaders agreed to expand their cooperation to fight climate change and seek green growth. They also discussed efforts to conclude the Korea-EU free trade agreement and coordinate their responses to the North’s rocket launch. Taro Aso, the Japanese prime minister, met with Lee on April 1, reaffirming their cooperation to counter the North’s provocations. North Korea and efforts to fight the global economic and financial crisis were also on the agenda at a meeting between Lee and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the afternoon the same day. They also agreed to continue with efforts to develop the two nations’ friendship and move forward with negotiations for a bilateral free trade accord. Lee met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on April 3. At the meeting, the two leaders expressed satisfaction that South Korea and China’s strategic cooperative partnership is developing smoothly. They also agreed that the North’s rocket launch would have a negative impact on the peace and stability of Northeast Asia. They pledged cooperation for complete, verifiable dismantlement of the North’s nuclear arms program. By Ser Myo-ja 14 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 15
Global Korea Jang Si-jung, vice president of Koica, and Guatemalan Vice President Rafael Espada shake hands (right) at the center’s official opening on March 18. Provided by KOICA Charity’s hiking dentists save Himalayan mouths The Purme Foundation in Nepal Joint technical training center opens in Guatemalan capital Anew training center in Guatemala is emblematic of Korean KOICA efforts to share technical in Guatemala knowledge around the world. After three years under construction, the largest information and communications technology, or ICT, training center in Central America opened on March 18 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The Korea-Guatemala ICT Training Center, built with the technical assistance of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, is a seven-story building where computer classes are conducted for Guatemalan government officials, corporate workers and ordinary citizens. Though Guatemala is steadily developing its information and communications technology, many people in Central American nations are still unfamiliar with how to use the Internet and other computer program tools, according to a Koica official. So, at the request of the Guatemalan government, Koica launched the training center project with a grant of $2.5 million in February 2006. The Guatemalan government, which intended to spend another $2.5 million from its own budget on the center, increased the amount to $3.5 million, since fostering human resource development and information and communications technology are two of its four major development goals. “Originally planned to have four stories, the center turned into a seven-story building with the additional funding. This reflects how the Guatemalan government wanted to improve its ICT infrastructure,” said Kim Jung-hoon, media relations officer at Koica. Koica not only supervised construction of the center, but also dispatched IT specialists to install computers and software. In summer 2007, training sessions were offered in Korea for Guatemalan administrators and instructors to help them efficiently manage and operate the training center. At an opening ceremony attended by over 500 dignitaries, Guatemala’s Vice President Rafael Espada said, “Science and technology are valuable tools, and are essential in promoting orderly development and growth for the country and the region.” “I am very grateful to Korea for its friendship with our country and for sharing with Guatemala the advances in technology that have improved the quality of life of Koreans,” Espada said. Kim said the center, located at the Calle del Estadio Mateo Flores in the Guatemalan capital, currently offers classes to nearly 700 trainees on topics that include using the Internet, databases, application development, operating systems, networks and 3-D animation. “Koica hopes that the establishment of the ICT center will allow the Guatemalan government to achieve its goal, taking the lead in the standards of IT training centers in Central America,” Kim commented. “When word of the state-of-the-art facility spreads across Central America, Koica will be getting more requests from other countries for technical aid,” he predicted. “This will naturally help spread Korean IT know-how to other countries, which as a result will raise Korea’s international status and strengthen its international cooperation.” By Kim Mi-ju Provided by the Purme Foundation It was a climb difficult to enjoy. Trudging up a trail at 3,450 meters above sea level left a few in the group ill from the altitude. But these dentists had a mission to accomplish, and one of them, Jung Tae-young, even called it a “gratifying experience” and is certain he will be back on this trail again. The group of 27 dentists, nurses and volunteers were in northeast Nepal in late January as part of a medical outreach program established by the Korean Purme Foundation, which works to help the disabled. The two-day hike was part of an eight-day itinerary. Their goal: Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Mount Everest, where the Seoul-based foundation launched a temporary free dental clinic, its first abroad. “We plan to revisit the same village periodically so that we can see the progress in the condition of the locals’ teeth,” said Jung, who is a team head at Purme. “That way we are really contributing continuous aid.” The only dental clinic in Namche Bazaar closes in the winter. When Purme’s outreach team started its free temporary service, local residents said they walked for days to line up and receive help. On Jan. 25, Purme volunteers extracted 162 teeth and taught 273 how to brush their teeth, according to their records. Dr. Seok Do-jun, left, and college student volunteer Chun Han treat a young dental patient. Dr. Lee Geum-suk, a dental professor, was one of the volunteers. She saw that the local residents who had received higher education, and those who worked as trekking guides, had better teeth than the less educated. She said she was concerned to find a woman who appeared from her teeth to be in her 60s was actually only in her late 30s. The widespread habit of chewing tobacco was another factor contributing to the situation, she noted. The trip was spearheaded by a dental service arm run by Purme. The foundation explained that it plans to expand the service into other medical fields as well, replicating its rehabilitation centers for the disabled in Seoul abroad. The Purme Foundation is the brainchild of Whang Hye Kyung, who had one leg amputated after a traffic accident 10 years ago in Britain, and created it after discovering that Korea lacked the facilities to look after the disabled properly. When her British insurance company paid her claim, she used 100 million won ($75,216) of it to establish the Purme Foundation in 2005 to help others like her. Her foundation is now raising funds to build a rehabilitation hospital with 50 beds within this year. By Lee Min-ah 16 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 17
Page 1: Opening a communicative space betwe
Page 4 and 5: Cover Story A luminary’s party en
Page 6 and 7: Buddha’s Birthday: A luminary’s
Page 10 and 11: Global Korea KOICA in Ethiopia 18 k
Page 12 and 13: Culture Songs from the Korean soul
Page 14 and 15: Culture [JoongAng Ilbo] Art as frau
Page 16 and 17: Korean Literature Hwang Seok-yeong
Page 18 and 19: Book Human story Provided by The Ko
Page 20 and 21: Human story To Won’s father, June
Page 22 and 23: Korea through the Lens Sun flowers
Page 24 and 25: Travel minutes leads to the ridge.
Page 26 and 27: Successive administrations have sup
Page 28 and 29: Sports missionary, Phillip L. Gille
Page 30 and 31: Design The biggest auto show in the
Page 32 and 33: People [Press Q] Father Kevin O’R
Page 34: Foreign Viewpoints Back to a life o

2005-2162 The Buddha’s birthday illuminates Seoul

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