The First Weekly of November

Createdd 2016-11-03 Hit 416

Contents

Greetings, everyone, and thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV.
I’m Don Valiant and this is the news from Gyeonggi Province this week.

Article 1. Cosmos Park Opens at Future Provincial Government Site (161024-1)
[Anchor’s Headline] Gyeonggi Province opened the future site of its new government complex to the public so as to utilize the currently idle land as a cosmos park with scenic promenades and entertaining features.

▶ Future Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex Site, Suwon City
Though temporary, this arrangement was welcome by local residents of all ages who could enjoy gentle breezes while strolling through a field of cosmos flowers, symbols of autumn, during a time of year that is traditionally described as the ‘season of high skies’ in Korea.
▶ Lim Gyeong-jin & Her Children / Yongin City Resident
“My children are awed by the beauty of the cosmos field like honey bees on the flowers”
A section of the park attracted additional attention from children with a craft workshop in which youngsters excitedly created their own scarecrows with straw hats. These figures appear annually during this season in the rice fields in Korea.
▶ Oh Seung-won / 5th Grade, Sinpoiong Primary School
“I made my first scarecrow today. I hope that he will protect the cosmos field.”

▶ Temporary Park Opens on Future Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex Site
Located in the Gwangyo (광교) area of Suwon City, this park offered scenic walkways in the middle of an urban setting as well as a variety of experiential opportunities for children.
▶ [PiP] Yoon Seong-jin / Director, Gyeonggi Hybrid Town Taskforce
“We created a cosmos park as an opening event. We hope that many families, couples and friends will enjoy the autumn here.”

▶ Cosmos Park Open until October 28
This cosmos park, with its accompanying programs, was open until October 28.

Article 2. Birthday Culture Exhibition at Gyeonggi Children’s Museum (161024-3)
[Anchor’s Headline] In commemoration of its fifth anniversary, the Gyeonggi Children’s Museum opened a birthday culture exhibition. The elements featured include those relating to the beginning of life from conception to the first birthday as well as birthday party culture.

▶ Gyeonggi Children’s Museum (Until August 20, 2017)
‘Everyone’s Birthday’ Exhibition
Everything from the first look of a baby and its wispy hair to socks for the newborn child represent the happy gifts that a mother will never forget. At this exhibition, children are guided through their births to retrace their first steps into the world.
▶ [Sync] “Siho’s belly button was connected to the mother by a cord. Nutrients were passed on through this cord, so Siho could grow and grow without having to eat.”
After viewing the exhibition, children engage in the preparation of seaweed soup, a traditional Korean remedy for mothers who are exhausted after delivery.
▶ [PiP] Bae Seon-ja / Exhibition Visitor
“This exhibition reminds children how special their birthdays are. It also enables us to know how birthdays are celebrated in different cultures.”
There is also an experiential program in which children can prepare birthday parties with toys.
▶ Gyeonggi Children’s Museum Exhibition with Birthday Theme
This exhibition aims to remind children of the value of life and the meaning of birthdays, not simply as a once-a-year celebration, but as a special event associated with parental love, happiness and family ideals.
▶ Choi Jin-sil / Curator, Gyeonggi Children’s Museum
“This exhibition will provide children with an opportunity to think about the meaning of birthdays and associate that with the value of life while becoming acquainted with various birthday cultures…”
This exhibition also provides parents with an opportunity to think about the meaning of childbirth, having children, and creating families.

Article 3. Gyeonggi Governor Visits Japan (161025-1)
[Anchor’s Headline] On October 24, Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil returned from his two-day visit to Japan. During his visit, Governor Nam secured investment from a chemical enterprise and delivered a lecture on the future of Korea and Japan at the University of Tokyo.

▶ Tokyo Imperial Hotel, Japan (October 24)
Signing of Investment Agreement between Gyeonggi and Central Glass Co.
On the morning of his departure, Governor Nam signed an agreement with Central Glass, a medium-sized, high-tech enterprise. According to this agreement, Central Glass will invest USD 25 million in semiconductor cleaning material production facilities in a foreign investment zone in Pyeongtaek (평택) City. The presence of this enterprise in Gyeonggi Province will also benefit the domestic industry in the form of improved semiconductor production and import replacement amounting to KRW 80 billion over five years as well as increased exports.
▶ Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil
“The investment by this enterprise will lead to its sales increase and the creation of many jobs. It will also help our semiconductor industry maintain its leading global standards.”

▶ Governor Nam Delivers Lecture at Tokyo University
Governor Nam then visited the University of Tokyo and delivered a lecture on how Korea and Japan should work together in the future.
▶ Governor Nam: “Sincere Apology by Japanese Political Leadership is Critical”
During the lecture, Governor Nam emphasized the importance of the official recognition of past wrongs by Japan. He also introduced the coalition and shared economy policies of Gyeonggi Province, which have been modeled after German systems.
▶ Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park (October 23)
Governor Nam Benchmarks Japanese Earthquake Response Systems
The previous day, Governor Nam visited the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park and benchmarked Japanese earthquake response systems.
▶ [PiP] Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil
“I learned that we must take the initiative to protect lives. Once an earthquake occurs, effective rescue operations can only begin within 72 hours. This is the time for which we should prepare to maximize the possibility of …”
Incorporating Japanese initiatives, Governor Nam revealed his proposed plan to establish an earthquake training center in Osan (오산) City.

Article 4. Gyeonggi Institute Promotes Rice Recipes (161025-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] Surplus rice has been a major agricultural issue in Korea. In order to promote rice consumption, the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services has been developing recipes that use rice as a main ingredient and introducing them to the public.

▶ Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services
This class is one such channel through which rice recipes are introduced. Its students are members of local culinary societies who are themselves developers and teachers of cooking as well as potential propagators of rice recipes.
▶ [Sync] “This is an Indonesian-style fried rice.”
At this cooking class, students study various rice recipes including one for an Indonesian dish, which is currently being taught.
▶ Choi Yeong-ok / Chairman, Korean Food Research Society
“We have been using rice only by steaming it. I found that we can enjoy rice in diverse ways using various types of rice…”

▶ Rice Recipes Transferred to Local Korean Food Societies
The primary cause of the rice surplus in Korea is decreased rice consumption stemming from shifts in the eating habits of Koreans toward a Western-style diet including fast foods that have become a major part of the national dietary culture.
▶ Cho Eun-hui / Chief Official, Living Technology Team, GARES
“We have been developing recipes and transferring them to women in local food societies. We are training them so that they can promote the recipes in their home towns.”
These new rice recipes will lead to the consumption of more rice while enriching local culinary culture.

Article 5. Gyeonggi Organizes Art Fair to Support Young Artists (161025-3)
[Anchor’s Headline] Students of the arts usually experience great difficulties in securing economic independence after graduation. To help them promote themselves and connect with buyers, Gyeonggi Province organized an art fair.

▶ Good Morning House (October 21)
Good Morning Art Gyeonggi 21
This art fair, the first of its kind organized by Gyeonggi Province, features artistic ideas such as flower pods made with natural soap and chairs for campers made with discarded jeans. All the items featured were created by art school students in Gyeonggi Province.
▶ [PiP] Hong Hyun-du / Artist
“Many jeans are thrown away simply because they are out of date. I saw the strength of denim as suitable for the requirements of camping materials and created this.”

▶ Artists Experience Marketing and Sales
At this event, young artists experience direct contact with potential clients for the first time.
▶ [PiP] Kim Hye-su / Spectator
“There is a lot to see and the featured items exhibit professionalism of a high caliber for students.”

▶ [Sync] “One hundred and thirty thousand… Sold for one hundred and thirty thousand!”
Gyeonggi Province also organized an auction to raise support funds for young artists.
▶ [PiP] Choi Byung-gap / Director, Gyeonggi Province Cultural Policy Division
“There are a large number of art schools and aspiring artists in Gyeonggi Province. This event will provide them with an opportunity to have new experiences while enabling residents to purchase the works of young artists…”
This art fair featured more than a hundred students from seven art schools in the province. From this year, Gyeonggi Province will organize the event on an ongoing basis to support young artists and to promote the art market.

Article 6. Gyeonggi Hosts International Ddabok Community Conference (161026-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] On October 25, a 3-day international conference for Ddabok community development began in Gyeonggi Province. During the event, a number of related issues including the role of government and the procurement of funds were discussed.

▶ ‘5-Colored Seeds’ / Ddabok Community, Anseong City
This Ddabok Community first began as a group of neighbors who shared self-prepared foods. It grew into a social enterprise after it began to sell its products to finance its operations.
▶ Suwon Novetel Ambassador (October 25)
2016 Ddabok Community International Conference
Gyeonggi Province organized this event to identify ways in which to further develop locally organized economic communities, help them achieve independence, and eventually grow into social enterprises.
▶ Development of local Communities into Social Enterprises
Clifford Rosenthal, an internationally recognized social and economic specialist who participated in this conference, emphasized the role of government.
▶ Clifford Rosenthal / Former CDFI (US) Chairman
“…Provide us with resources for our own social finance institutions, institutions which are independent, which have participatory governance, and with the ability to make their own financing decisions…”

▶ Governor Nam: “Grafting free market economy onto Social Causes Poses Problems”
During his speech, Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil indicated the problems of simply grafting market economy onto social causes, the ‘Third Way’, under current market systems.
▶ Governor Nam Suggests Gyeonggi Province’s Socioeconomic Model as ‘4th Way’
As an alternative, Nam suggested the so-called ‘Fourth Way’ in which government shares the ownership and management of land and capital with the private sector.
▶ Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil
“The freedom of a market economy and the sharing that overcomes such problems, these can be combined to create the Fourth Way to ensure the happiness of individuals, our ultimate goal.”
During the next session, Gyeonggi Province will discuss local fund raising including the provision of crowdfunding opportunities to social enterprises.
▶ Conference Continued until October 27
The Ddabok Community International Conference continued until October 27.

Article 7. Gyeonggi Hosts Idea Contest to Promote Suggestion System (161026-3)
[Anchor’s Headline] Gyeonggi Province has been hosting idea contests among residents and provincial officials. On October 25, a third event took place to select winners from among the finalists of all events since January last year.

▶ [Sync] “When an elevator breaks down and stops with passengers with hearing impairment in it…”
The finalists include a resident who suggested an idea for individuals with disabilities and a bus driver who suggested a way in which to improve passenger convenience.
▶ Gyeonggi Creative Economy Innovation Center (October 25)
The 3rd Suggestion Creative Audition
A number of successful ideas have already been adopted by Gyeonggi Province as actual administrative policies. Titled ‘Suggestion Creative Audition’, this third event took place at the Gyeonggi Creative Economy Innovation Center and featured seven finalists including a tax official, a local health center official, and a bus driver.
▶ Grand Prize Winner: Real-time Tax Delinquent Credit Information Notification Program
The grand prize went to a real-time tax delinquent credit information notification program.
▶ [PiP] Bae In-ho / Grand Prize Winner
“It is difficult to locate tax delinquents, especially those with large amounts in arrears, because they frequently change addresses. However, this real-time notification program provides us with their current location and can be helpful in tax collection.”
The second and third prizes went to an illegal parking monitoring system and an idea for the prevention of mosquito proliferation through the improvement of manhole covers.
▶ Kang Seong-mun / Chief Official, Gyeonggi Province Suggestion System Team
“The selected ideas can be applied in all 31 cities and counties of the province. We will also promote their national application.”
The five suggested ideas that were selected at this event will be included in the provincial budget plan for implementation next year.

Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV
We look forward to seeing you again next week.