1: Gyeonggi Province Creates Most Jobs Among Local Governments

[News Script]
The creation of new jobsan important mandate for the administration of any national or local economy. Gyeonggi Province was thejob creator among autonomous bodies in Korea this year.

[Report]
The unemploymentemployment rates of Gyeonggi Province are returning to the levels they were before the global financial crisis in 2008.

According to the Employment Trends Report for OctoberStatistics Korea, the unemployment rate of Gyeonggi Province was 3.3% the employment rate was 59.9%. There were 137,000 new jobs as of October this year, more than 13 times as many as the 10,000-job increase in 2009.

There has been a substantial increase of the number of employees in the productionservice sectors – 92,00095,000,respectively – the number of temporary employees decreased84,000, indicating that the types of employment have also been significantly upgraded.

It was revealed that Gyeonggi Provincealso in the lead in the creation of new jobs.

During the periodJanuary until October this year, there were a total of 310,000 new positions that became available throughout the country. Gyeonggi Province accounted for 137,000 new jobs, or 44%, of this national total, far more than second-place Seoul with 98,000 jobs.

For smallmedium-sized companies, however, itstilleasy to fill employment vacancies.

As of the second half of this year, the personnel shortage rate in the industrial sector was 4.6%, reflecting the increasing difficulties facedcompanies in personnel recruitment. Gyeonggi Province views this imbalance as being causedthe high expectations of job searchers as well as the structural problems of smallmedium-sized companies themselves. Accordingly, it plans to implement a variety of employment policies such as the strengthening of support for employees in smallmedium-sized companies.

2: Transformation of Rice into Traditional Delicacies & Drinks

[News Script]
Rice production in Koreaon the rise, but its consumptiondecreasing because of the changing dietary habit of Koreans. In order to promote the consumptionculinary heritage of rice, Gyeonggi Province organized a competition for rice cakeshome-brewed liquors.

[Report]
Thisa birthday cake made of sweet potato tteok (떡)songpyeon (송편). Tteok (떡)a traditional Korean rice cake,it comes in a wide variety of shapescolors with diverse ingredients, purposes and, of course, tastes. Songpyeon (송편)just one of them. This particular cake looks as eye-catchingtasty as any western cake.

There are many western-style cakes on display here, only they are made with rice in various creative ways. Spectators are fascinatedsuch unexpected transformations of rice.

This year marks the fourth staging of the Korean Tteok(떡) Masters Competition. Forty-one teams fromover the country arrived hereenthusiastically participated in birthday caketraditional tteok (떡) categories.

Kim Jae-gyuthe Seongjin Food Company won the title of the 4th Korean Ttoek(떡) Master with an unusual tteok (떡) cake that he made for his mothernamed “Beautiful Flower Tteok.”

The Homebrew Masters’ competition was also held for the first time in conjunction with the Tteok Masters’ competition. All competitors were supplied with Gyeonggi Province ricebrewed liquors with it on-site. Among the 32 finalists edthe panel of expert judges after the third screening, 8 were finally honored with the Homebrew Master title based on the general palate of their brews including tastearoma.

Sampling stands for tteok (떡)homebrews were set up in many corners of the competition site to allow spectatorscompetitors alike to sampleenjoy the taste of traditional rice tteok(떡)drinks.

Gyeonggi Province, the organizer of this event, had previously announced that it would organize events to raise public interest in tteok (떡)homebrewspromote the consumption of rice.

RiceGyeonggi Provinceknown to make tteok (떡)homebrews of superior quality. The use of rice in such ways hopefully represents a breakthrough in the promotion of rice consumption.

3: Gyeonggi Province Leads Human Resource Development

[News Script]
The continuous efforts of Gyeonggi Province in the nurturing of quality human resources finally gained government recognition as the provincial government won the Presidential Award in the Human Resource Development category of the National Quality Management Awards. Gyeonggi Province announced that it would continue to lead the development of quality human resources within public offices.

[Report]
Gyeonggi Province, which has been endeavoring to strengthen the performance capabilities of public officialsdevelop quality personnel, won the Presidential Award in the Human Resource Development category of the National Quality Management Awards.

The National Quality Management Awards, which are organizedthe Ministry of KnowledgeInformationadministeredthe Korea Standards Association, are presented to companies that have realized substantial gains in quality managementmanpower developmentthereby contributed to national industrial competitiveness.

The receipt of the Presidential Award in the Human Resource Development categoryGyeonggi Province this year has significant implications, especially since it marks the first time an authority among central government officeslarger autonomous bodies was awarded the prizethe central government.

The winners of these awards have been edthe Korea Standards Association based on an assessment of leadershiphuman resource management. Gyeonggi Province received the highest marks for its many quality programs such as the Leadership AcademyHigh Officials Education program in the Leadership category as well as the Organizational EducationConsultingPerformance-based Employment Contract System. Gyeonggi Province has also been endeavoring to strengthen the expertise of officials through the opening of a Public Relations Specialist Course in Hanyang (한양) University for provincial officials.

Winning the Presidential Award will hopefully upgrade the human resource development standards of Gyeonggi Province.

4: Muhandolbom Center Opens in Bucheon

[News Script]
A Muhandolbom (무한돌봄) welfare center opened in Bucheon (부천) City. The Muhandolbom (무한돌봄) welfare service was originally structured based on the principle of providing emergency support to families in distressmaking assessments afterwards.

[Report]
The Muhandolbom (무한돌봄) welfare tem was the first of its kind to be d as the result of cooperation between the publicprivate sectors in the provision of customized welfare services. It consists of a number of centers established in different locations. The Bucheon (부천) center was the latest addition.

More than 700 related peopleGyeonggi ProvinceBucheon (부천) City attended the opening ceremony, in which Gwangmyeong (광명) Industries Company delivered a donation of KRW 20 million to Bucheon (부천) City.

Since the Muhandolbom centers provide customized welfare servicesconnecting each beneficiary to necessary welfare services through one-on-one consultation, ita very convenient tem for residents of the province who would otherwise have to visit a number of different welfare organizations to apply for support.

Since the beginning of this year, Gyeonggi Province has established a total of 23 Muhandolbom (무한돌봄) centers within the provinceplans to open an additional 29 centerstheof the year.

5: Cultural Heritage of Gyeonggi Province As Resource for IT Contents

[News Script]
The contents industryemerging as a future industry of high added value. For the advancement of the national contents industry, the Gyeonggi Research Institute suggested that the abundance of local cultural heritage in Gyeonggi Province be used as a resource for cultural contents. Development of cultural contents using provincial cultural assetsexpected to gain momentum through this proposal

[Report]
The contents industrycurrently ledcomics, gamesanimations. However, the Gyeonggi Research Institute recently announced that content developers must focus on utilizing local cultural heritage as a resource for cultural contents.

Itimportant to promote interest among tourists through storytelling, whicha means of relaying historical facts through the reinterpretation of cultural heritage.

The Korea Research Institute further proposed, in more specific terms, several possible undertakings such as the cultivation of specialized storytellers who are capable of relaying historyculture, the organization of a festival to publicize 400 strong historical figuresGyeonggi Province,performances at historical sites including templesroyal tombs.

While the Korean wave based on modern culturea stronginfluential force in many countries, development of new content forms using the cultural heritage resources of Gyeonggi Province may prove to be the key to the expansion of the Korean wave.

6: New Technology Helps Farmers in Gyeonggi Province Overcome Challenges

[News Script]
Farmers in Korea have endured particularly harsh ordeals due to abnormal climatic changes. In order to identify new directions for agricultural professionals to pursue in 2011, the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Research & Extension Service provided an education program.

[Report]
The Gyeonggi Province Agricultural ResearchExtension Service – or GARES – conducted intensive professional education for the staff of agricultural technology centers in citiescounties of the province so as to provide them with practical agricultural education for 2011.

This intensive education was designed to educate farming instructors so that they can put the results of researchdevelopmentthe researchers of GARES into practice on site.

The purpose of this intense education was to train farming instructors in key techniques that they can then teach to farmers.

During the education program, farming instructors learned new approaches to farminghow to provide farmers with customized teaching based on the characteristics of farming in Gyeonggi Province.

The education program organizedGARES also covered the objectivesvision of farming, propagation of profitable agricultural technologydiversification of distribution pathways for the improvement of farmers’ income.

GARES also emphasized the importance of farmers recognizing the reality of agricultureenabling them to exercise choices in new management philosophy based on knowledge as well as spiritual determination.

7: Acceleration of Gyeonggi Province West Coast Development

[News Script]
Gyeonggi Province began to accelerate the promotion of its Gold Coast Project to develop the West Coast of the province as a hub of trade with China, a country fast becoming one of the economic centers of the world.
[Report]

Gyeonggi Province expects to continue promoting the Gold Coast Project during the 5th term of popularly elected government.

Gyeonggi Province has made it a firm policy to develop the West Coast into a pan-Yellow Sea Strategic Zone for Chinese relations since the West Coastclose to Chinastrategically located as a gateway to Northeast Asia.

The plan proposed for the Gold Coast Project encompasses a number of major projects including the designation of the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone as well as the development of reclaimed land along the coast, Pyeongtaek (평택) Port, the Universal Studios Korea Resort (USKR), an air parkthe Hwaseong (화상) Ocean Farm.

By implementing these projects, Gyeonggi Province plans to transform the West Coast into an international cooperation base for new growth industriesto build a marine leisuretourism belt along the coast2020.

By theof 2014, the Universal Studios Korea Resort will be built as the largest theme park in Asia,Pyeongtaek(평택) Port will be driven as one of the most competitive ports in Northeast Asia.

Last September, Gyeonggi Provincethe cities of Shiheung (시흥), Hwaseong (화성)Ansan (안산) entered an agreement to jointly develop the Shihwa (시화) Lake Complex.

Having successfully hosted three major international boat showssailing competitions, Gyeonggi Provincerecognized asestablished a foundation for the development of the national marine leisure industry.