[Summer Home Style Farm]

When people hear about weekend farming raising vegetables in a borrowed vegetable garden comes to mind. Recently, a weekend farm where you can stay the night in a log cabin is attracting much attention.

On the 3rd in Yeoncheon-gun, Gumi-ri a completion ceremony was held after construction was completed on the Kleingarten, a place to spend the weekend in a country summer house raising vegetables.In German, Kleingarten means a small garden, but the big difference from this and standard weekend farming is the special feature of being able to stay as long as one wants living the farm life. By paying a lease of $3,065 dollars one can stay in the cabin for one year while growing produce.

I can relax here, because I come in contact with nature, barbeque and spend the night before I go.

It was so popular that nearly 1300 people applied for 10 tenant openings, a competition rate of 130 to 1.

Last year 10 farms were built in Yeoncheon and Yangpyeong. This year we have plans to build 25 more in Kimpo and Hwaseong.

The Kleingarten is becoming a place of rest where city dwellers can live the dream of farm life.

[Children’s Traffic Land]

Korea still has a high rate of car accidents involving children compared with other developed countries, which led to a traffic safety education center that opened in Yeoncheon to help children learn about protecting themselves from accidents.

The Hantangang Children’s Traffic Land opened its doors in Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri as a place for hands-on learning about traffic safety for children. The Children’s Traffic Land is a hands-on learning center that has exhibits and videos that children can look at and even touch.

The outdoor education course is an exact reproduction of what children might face on their ways home from school. Here they can learn about crossing at crosswalks and at a railroad crossings. Further, children can even try driving pedal cars and follow the traffic rules from behind the wheel.

It’s fun because it’s like driving a real car, and from now on I’ll be careful when crossing the street.

At education land children can play and have fun while naturally learning about the importance of traffic safety.

It’s play area where children can experience and learn first hand. It will be the most suitable place peaking children’s interest, and for preventing car accidents.

Now is the time when we need more mature driver-awareness to protect the children.

[Hi-tech Distribution Complex!]

A hi-tech distribution complex that will play a central role for distribution between Seoul and the middle region of Korea is to be developed in Anseong, Gyeonggi. A total of $600 million of investment was secured for the project.

A hi-tech distribution complex is to be developed in Anseong. Provincial Governor Kim Mun-su, and Lee Jae-hun, Vice-minister of Knowledge Economy attended the conclusion of an MOU between Gyeonggi Province, Anseong, and the British company, Tesco regarding the establishment of the Anseong distribution complex fresh distribution center.

From the perpective that one company’s business competitive edge, is an industries competitive edge, and a country’s competitive edge we think advanced distribution was necessary which led us to this investment.

Following the $500 million investment by the American company ProLogis in December last year, the additional $100 million dollar investment agreement by the British company Tesc to build a large-scale distribution center that will ensure Gyeonggi’s central role in the distribution of the Seoul region and middle of Korea region.

In the near future the hi-tech distribution center which will be built using environment-friendly construction and hi-tech equipment on 120,000㎡ of land in Wongok-myeon in Anseong is expected to open towards the end of 2010. With the development of the distribution complex Gyeonggi expects to see $957 billion of goods transported annually and nearly 1,000 jobs created with expectations to not only develop the domestic distribution industry, but to play a major role in regional development.

[Cyber Agriculture is in!]

Cyber agriculture education intended for those working in agriculture is getting much attention. By using e-commerce the number of farmers entering new markets is growing.

This is a scene at general rice processing plant in Hwaseong! Everyone has begun to busy themselves with wrapping, shipping and attaching invoices. Kim Mi-hye continues her work even at home. She is intent on managing the blog to confirm the orders, and to promote products.

We were already doing e-commerce, then they said they were giving blog education, we thought it might help so after work in the day we come here at night to learn.

Even at this late hour, the farmers who must be tired from working all day are very interested in e-commerce and come here every Wednesday to hear lectures on the subject.

After coming here and learning, then putting into practice, I feel I’ve learned something new that I must use. Now, produce is not only sold retail and wholesale, but with the number of e-commerce transactions increasing over the internet e-commerce education is heating up.

We are implementing education for those who have used e-commerce before to make better use of it, and helping those who are very interested in e-commerce, but have never tried it to be able to sell produce using e-commerce.

The information age! Now, farmers use the internet medium to enter new markets.

[City Gas in All Regions..]

Yeoncheon and Yangpyeong which once did not have any access to city gas are now being provided direct access. It is well received by residents who were inconvenienced in the past.

This is the Jeongok-ri Joheung Apartment complex, the first place in Yeoncheon to be supplied with city gas.
On May 3rd the residents participated in the Yeoncheon city gas opening ceremony.

The facilities were not very good before, now we’re very glad we’ve got city gas

Supplying city gas to Yeoncheon-gun began last March, and by 2012 about 75% of all households or 14,000 units will be supplied with city gas. Next, was a ground-breaking ceremony for supplying city gas on May 7th in Yangpyeong-gun. This year and next year there is a plan for the Yangpyeong area to be supplied with city gas for 7,500 units in 5 villages and towns starting with Yangpyeong-eup.

Accordingly, starting with the two areas Yeoncheon, and Yangpyeong the construction of city gas in Gapyeong will be pushed for by this year leading to city gas being supplied to all areas in Gyeonggi.

[Mental Health Art Festival]
The mental health art festival, which displayed artwork drawn by the mentally handicapped, was hosted by the Gyeonggi Mental Health Foundation.

The artwork on the one hand looks like child’s play, yet on the other hand looks very unique like an abstract work. They are none other than the works of the handicapped. Their 50 or so pictures were on display at the first mental health art festival.

Their works are very creative and artistic compared to what average people might think. I’d like to make this point known.

One can glance into the artistry and one’s hopes about life in the works that have been created in an effort to overcome one’s handicap. A mental health lecture for average citizens that was held along with the festival was also well-received.

We expect this mental health festival which will run through June, to be a chance for removing any bias about the mentally handicapped, providing understanding about the struggles and healing the afflicted.

[Paleolithic Tool Festival]

With ’30 years after a great discovery’ as this year’s theme, many interested persons made their way to the Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Tool Festival. There was much to see and do, and was especially popular with visitors travelling with their families.

Returning to the Paleolithic age, there was a hands-on activity to experience primitive life held at the Paleolithic Tool Festival. From the 2nd for 5 days this festival was very exciting for the many visitors, especially those who came with families and brought small children.

It was nice to be able to experience the Paleolithic age, as you don’t see it everyday, and it was nice doing the hands-on with the kids.

Also in the prehistory village there were many different things to do, not only see, including making stone tools that got the attention of visitors. In the evening the opening ceremony began with the beat of a drum that made for a colorful performance.

The visit was a meaningful time for families to experience Paleolithic culture, and through hands-on experiences revisit the past, if only for a short time.