Gyeonggi Province organized its Wellbeing Korean Beef Promotion Event to revitalize a Korean beef market that has been shrinking following the conclusion of a number of FTAs. The event aims to publicize the excellence of Gyeonggi Korean beef, encourage livestock farms in the province to participate in expanding the production of high-quality meat, and improve the quality and competitiveness of Korean beef through the exchange of cutting-edge technologies.
The 2017 Wellbeing Korean Beef Promotion Event takes place for the second consecutive year on Saturday, June 3, at the plaza outside Yongin City Hall in Gyeonggi Province.
Participants can learn about the excellence of Korean beef produced in Gyeonggi Province as well as differences relative to other types of beef, and will have the opportunity to purchase premium G-marked Korean beef at reduced prices during the event. Participants will also be able to taste Gyeonggi Korean beef and enjoy various hands-on experiences with their families.
G-marked Korean beef is produced only at approximately 1,200 eco-friendly farms that had been certified for 1st class beef, pork, and chicken production through a thorough quality control system.
Gyeonggi Province also directly inspects beef for antibiotic residues during the slaughter stage to ensure food safety and prevent the distribution of improper livestock products.
Visit the 2017 Wellbeing Korean Beef Promotion Event in Yongin where you can taste unadulterated and delicious beef.

Gyeonggi Province will increase the city bus fare discount rate for youths in the province from 20% to 30%.
Currently, elementary, middle and high school students in the province have to pay a fare of KRW 1,000 (payment by card) for Gyeonggi Province buses, receiving a discount rate of 20%; however, they pay only KRW 720 when taking Seoul buses with an applied discount rate of 40%.
As youths in Gyeonggi Province pay bus fares that are higher by KRW 280 than those paid by youths in Seoul, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly has pushed for greater bus fare discount rates for adolescents since 2015, submitting a bill to enforce the greater discounts.
To this end, the assembly also augmented the budget for supporting city bus fare discounts in the main budget by KRW 5.1 billion this year. However, it has faced difficulties in expanding bus fare discounts due to the opposition of bus companies as well as cities and counties in the province.
This is because losses stemming from the greater bus fare discount rates for youths are expected to amount to KRW 15.2 billion (KRW 29.5 billion at a 20% discount rate and KRW 44.7 billion at a 30% discount rate), which will cause a budget burden for bus companies, cities and counties.
However, Gyeonggi Province finally reached an agreement with bus companies, cities and counties on the expansion of discounts through continuous discussions. Half of the losses (KRW 7.6 billion) will be borne by bus companies, and the remaining half by the province and cities/counties at a ratio of 3 to 7.
With the greater discount rates in effect, city bus fares for youths in the province will be reduced by KRW 130 to 200 (KRW 870 for card payment and KRW 900 for cash payment). Shuttle bus fares will decrease to KRW 740 to 810, KRW 100 to 110 lower than current fares.
The greater city bus fare discount rate will be applied as early as the end of May, and in the case of shuttle buses, from July.

Gyeonggi Province and the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ DOCS) announced on May 5 that they will jointly hold the DMZ Docs Korean Film Festival through which leading Korean documentary films will be screened for Filipino and Canadian audiences.
In this special festival for overseas audiences, a total of ten leading documentary films from among those screened at DMZ DOCS will be shown. DMZ DOCS expects that this will be an opportunity to promote the excellence of Korean documentaries internationally.
First, a special screening for Filipino audiences will be held from May 11 to 13 at the Film Institute of the National University of the Philippines in cooperation with DMZ DOCS, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, and the National University of the Philippines.
A total of seven Korean documentaries will be screened over three days, including Mrs. B. A North Korean Woman, the opening film, and My Love Don’t Cross That River. After the screening of Mrs. B. A North Korean Woman, Director Yun Jae-ho and the Filipino audience will meet and talk about the film during a conversation session.
A special screening co-hosted by DMZ DOCS and the Korean Cultural Center in Canada will be held for Canadian audiences from May 31 to June 2 at the Korean Cultural Center in Ottawa,. For three days, Canadian audiences will be able to view three Korean documentaries including My Love, Don’t Cross That River, Dream of Snail, and Le Tour: My Last 49 Days.
The 9th DMZ DOCS will be held in Goyang City and Paju City from September 21 to 28.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will temporarily operate shuttle buses connecting major locales in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to revitalize the tourism industry of the province which is suffering heavily from China’s tourism embargo.

The provincial government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization announced the signing of a transportation contract with a bus operator in the province for shuttle buses to run between Insa-dong in Seoul and exhibition halls of the 2017 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale from April 22, 2017. The temporary shuttle buses will be operated by the bus operator, while recruitment and guidance of domestic and foreign visitors will be handled by Hana Tour ITC.

The temporary route will see buses depart from Insa-dong, Seoul, where a large number of foreign visitors gather, to the cities of Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, where the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale will be held, as well as to Hwadam Botanic Garden at Konjiam Resort and the Tomb of King Sejong in Yeoju via Hongik University.

Buses will run twice a day: from Insa-dong in Seoul to Gyeonggi Province at 9:00AM and 11:00AM; and from Yeoju Dojasesang (Yeoju Ceramic World) to Seoul at 2:00PM and 4:00PM.

The shuttle fee is KRW 4,900 per day regardless of the number of times used, and the service is open to both domestic and foreign tourists. Shuttle bus users can get tickets for the ceramic biennale at a discounted rate of KRW 5,000 instead of the regular rate of KRW 9,000.

The provincial government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization are planning to offer the shuttle bus service on a regular basis starting in July after temporary operation during the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale. Therefore, the provincial government will analyze big data regarding usage patterns by domestic and foreign tourists during the temporary shuttle operation so as to develop optimal shuttle routes connecting Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

※ Contact and Reservation: Hana Tour Customer Center (+82-2-365-1500)

Source: Gyeonggi News Portal

■ Collection of 14,000 Foreign Books

■ United in the Library with Books

Source: Gyeonggi G-News

Take a Round-the-World Trip at the Borderless Village in Ansan

The Borderless Village is located in Ansan where foreign residents gather.

The area is called ‘Ansan Multicultural Village’ as shown by the signage along the street. With the number of immigrant workers, who came from more than 60 countries to work at industrial complexes in Ansan, surpassing 30,000, the Korean government designated the area as a “Special Multicultural Village Zone” in May 2009.

Most of the pedestrians and employees of stores are foreigners, and many signboards are written in foreign languages, resembling city streets in China or elsewhere in Southeast Asian countries.

Chinese stores are prevalent on the street, but signage in other languages including Urdu, Hindi, Vietnamese, and Russian can also be easily spotted.

There is a large park located in the center of the market where the Chinese kick around a shuttlecock.

In addition, the only Uzbek café is located in the market with a signboard that says ‘café’ in Uzbek. Visitors who feel homesick are already sitting at the tables.

A restaurant on the 2^nd floor of a building located at the intersection at the market center serves Indian and Nepalese dishes for lunch. The interior design of the restaurant is unique; the foreign owner who takes orders speaks Korean quite well.

We ordered some Indian dishes including samosa—which is spiced potato-stuffed vegetable pastries—as well as saffron rice, lamb curry (hot and mild), tandoori chicken, lassi, and naan. Lassi, an Indian yogurt, is made of homemade yogurt, ice, and syrup that make the drink moderately sweet and really good.

At last, oven-baked naan bread was served to be dipped into curry. The place was good for enjoying an exotic atmosphere and foods at inexpensive prices.

The Borderless Village can be found at exit 2 of Ansan Station on Line 4. Why don’t you travel to a global place near the capital area where you can taste a variety of international cuisines and experience foreign cultures on a warm spring day?

 [2017 Gyeonggi Social Rocker Park Eun-jeong]

Worry-free City Tours in Gyeonggi Province

Namyangju

• Date of Operation: Saturday and Sunday (Frequently operated)

• Departure Point: Donong Station (Gyeongui–Jungang Line) / Via 2nd building of Namyangju City Hall

• Hours of Operation: 09:30 AM to 5:30 PM

• Fee (Adults):
– Performance Course: Weekdays KRW 10,100, Weekends KRW 14,900
– Nature Course A: KRW 9,900 / Nature Course B: KRW 5,300
– Experience Course A: KRW 11,500 / Experience Course B: KRW 16,500 / Experience Course C: KRW 13,900 (based on adult price)

• Contact: Seungsan Express Bus Tour +82-31-555-2961~3, Namyangju City Hall +82-31-590-4243

• Website:▶Link

Seongnam

• Date of Operation: Saturday

• Departure Point:
-Exit 3 of City Hall Station on Line 1
-Exit 8 of Seoul Nat’l Univ. of Education Station on Line 2
-Seongnam City Hall Day Nursery Center

• Hours of Operation: Regular Course 09:00 AM to 5:00 PM / Group Course (designated schedule)

• Fee:
-Regular Course KRW 15,000 (including admission fee, experience course, and lunch)
-Group Course varies according to courses selected by group

• Contact: City Hall +82-31-729-2996

• Website:▶Link

Suwon

• Date of Operation: Course 1 Tuesday to Friday, Course 2 on Saturday, Course 3 on Sunday (closed Mondays)

• Departure Point: Tourist Information Center at Suwon Station

• Hours of Operation: 09:00 AM to 6:00 PM

• Fee:
-Course 1 Suwon City Tour:
Adults KRW 11,000, Teens and elementary school students KRW 8,000, Seniors and disabled persons KRW 5,000, Preschoolers KRW 4,000
-Course 2 Suwon-Gwangmyeong City Tour:
Adults KRW 16,900, Teens and elementary school students KRW 14,900, Seniors and disabled persons KRW 12,900, Preschoolers KRW 10,900
-Course 3 Suwon-Hwaseong Fortress City Tour:
Adults KRW 14,900, Teens and elementary school students KRW 12,900, Seniors and disabled persons KRW 10,900, Preschoolers KRW 8,900

• Contact: Gold Tour +82-31-256-8300

• Website:▶Link

Ansan

• Date of Operation: Year round (Departure from Ansan every Tuesday to Saturday / Departure from Seoul every Monday to Sunday)

• Departure Point:
-Exit 3 of Ansan Jungang Station
-Exit 6 of Gwanghwamun Station

• Hours of Operation: Tue to Sat at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM/ Mon to Sun at 09:30 AM to 7:00 PM

• Fee:
-Single-decker Bus: Adults KRW 6,000 / Teens, service personnel, seniors, and welfare card holders KRW 4,000
-Double-decker Bus (Departure from Seoul): Adults KRW 18,900

• Contact: Ansan City Tour Bus Operation Team +82-1899-7687

• Website:▶Link

The Yangju Deokgye Library offers a bilingual class in which native Chinese and Japanese teachers, multicultural families, and local teenagers participate in reading foreign language books to build a healthy local community through communication and exchange with multicultural families. The teens of the bilingual class play the role of siblings in reading fairytale books to preschoolers in Japanese on the first and third Saturdays of each month and in Chinese on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Moreover, the native teachers point out simple expressions from the fairytale books in Japanese and Chinese, helping the children and parents better understand the expressions. A city official said, “The program is expected to not only promote the community spirit of the children and teenagers in living together with multicultural families by learning foreign languages, but also to create a strong bond among participating families by encouraging communication between family members and appreciation of each other. We look forward to the participation of more preschoolers and children.”

※ Please visit the website of the Deokgye Library (www.libyj.go.kr) or call +82-31-8082-7452 for more information.

Uzbek Restaurant ‘Tashkent’

Tashkent serves Shashlik and Borscht, which are well known Russian foods. Mutton and beef are the main meats used in the dishes. The owner, who is Uzbekistani, only speaks a little Korean but is very friendly. The kitchen is neat and the interior décor is refined. You can taste many different kinds of Uzbek cuisine from main dishes and side dishes to desserts. Menus written in Uzbek are attached to the tables. You can also request a menu written in Korean.

Thai Restaurant ‘Thai Lanna’

Thai Lanna serves a variety of Thai foods including Pad Thai (Thai stir-fried noodles) and Kao Pad (Thai fried rice). Menus include photos and a description of the ingredients used in the dishes. You can choose anything you want. In particular, the taste of Pad Thai topped with chopped peanuts was quite delicious! Most of the dishes cost around KRW 8,000, and the cost of fish dishes start from around KRW 20,000. Enjoy this affordable pleasure!

Cambodian Restaurant ‘Apsara Angkor’

Cambodia, which is well-known for Angkor Wat, uses less spice than other Southeast Asian countries. Menus are written only in Khmer, but the owner may recommend a delicious dish for you.

In addition, there is also a Mongolian restaurant, a Vietnam restaurant serving authentic rice noodles, and a Chinese restaurant, that you can enjoy anytime.

Why don’t you experience the international cuisines of the Multicultural Food Land at Suwon Station?