Thirteen, Alex (Feb.13.2016)

[Alex J Jung]

리더 알렉스 입니다.

모두 설 연휴 잘 보냈는지 궁금 하군요 ^^

약간의 비가 내리는 지금 분위기 좋으네요.

내일 만날게요 :)

Small Talk

1. Greet with members. How was your holiday?

2. During the holiday, did you visit your family house? Where is it? Did you experience traffic jam?

3. During the holiday, did you eat a lot? What did you eat?

4. Do you have any holiday stress? What kind of stress do you have?

5. How do you resolve the holiday stress?

Seoul to pull out of Gaeseong park

 South Korea on Wednesday announced the closure of a joint factory park in North Korea in fresh retribution for its wayward neighbor’s latest nuclear and missile provocations.
 
After serving more than a decade as a totem of inter-Korean rapprochement, the Gaeseong industrial complex now appears in danger of fading into history, unless Pyongyang caters to faint hopes that it will change course and desert its nuclear program.
 
“Facing away from the international community’s repeated warnings and the lives of its suffering people, North Korea pushed ahead with extreme provocations of a long-range missile following a nuclear test. … It is an act that cannot be condoned,” Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said at a news conference.
 
“The government has decided to fully halt the Gaeseong industrial park to block its proceeds from being channeled into North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, and our businesses from being sacrificed.”
 
Hong’s remarks reflect persistent concerns that the regime continues to siphon off earnings from the business district into its weapons of mass destruction programs, instead of feeding its downtrodden people and shoring up the crumbling economy.  

Since the factory park’s inception in 2004, South Korean cash totaling 616 billion won ($514.4 million) has been brought into the North via the border town, nearly 20 percent of which was done over the last year alone, the minister noted. That added to the 1.19 trillion won in public-private investment in infrastructure, operation and other administrative expenses.
 
 “(The funds) appear to have been spent to advance the North’s atomic weapons and long-range missiles,” Hong said. “This is an act of mercilessly trampling the efforts of our government and the 124 resident firms and threatening the lives and safety of our citizens.” 
 
The surprise declaration came three days after Pyongyang successfully launched a long-range missile, highlighting its evolving nuclear threats coupled with its fourth underground explosion just one month ago.
 
The latest event has apparently incurred the wrath of President Park Geun-hye, who has repeatedly issued stern warnings, and thus brought about a sweeping turnaround in Seoul’s position given that the ministry had ruled out the possibility of a shutdown until the missile test.
 
Citing the current sanctions push at the U.N. Security Council over the nuclear test, South Korea’s “active” role is pivotal as a key stakeholder, Hong noted, adding that Pyongyang’s ambitions may culminate in a “nuclear domino” in the region. 
 
The Unification Ministry did not elaborate on the conditions for a reopening, saying “now is not the time” for such a discussion.
 
“The face of the business district entirely hinges on North Korea,” the ministry said in a statement. “It must address the concerns of ours and the international community on its nuclear and missile development, and create the environment for a normal operation of the Gaeseong complex.”
 
Lying just north of the heavily fortified border, the complex has been a symbol of cross-border reconciliation, weathering political turbulence and a series of armed clashes. The 124 companies run factories and employ some 54,000 North Koreans.
 
The district suffered a four-month freeze in 2013 as Pyongyang abruptly barred the entry of South Koreans and pulled out its 53,000 workers in apparent fury over U.N. sanctions over its February third nuclear test and Seoul-Washington military drills.
 
The sides agreed to resume its operation through marathon talks but the North has since kept little of its promises to improve passage, communications and customs as part of the “future-oriented normalization” measures.
 
Frustrated by the communist state’s increasing threats and past fence-mending attempts, the Park administration is forecast to further harden its line, with “sanctions diplomacy,” “omnidirectional, all-out” defense readiness and “reestablishment” of cross-border ties being the main feature of its foreign and security policy this year.
 
 But the latest step to do with Gaeseong has been met with mixed responses, with businessmen and the opposition camp churning out criticism for what they called the government’s unilateral, hasty decision-making. Others also expressed concerns about the safety of the 184 South Koreans still staying in the area, saying the measure could have been taken after all of them exited.
 
“We request for a reconsideration of the decision,” said Chung Ki-sub, head of the business association after a meeting with Hong earlier in the day. “We want to make clear that the businesses’ losses should not be restored in any way.”
 

Q 

1) How do you feel about the recent provocative actions of North Korea? Is it threatening? Do you feel afraid of North Korea?

      2) Do you agree with the action Korean government take toward North Korea? Why do you think so?

3) If you are a minister of Diplomatic Service, what would you do for the South-North Korean relationship?

4) If you are an owner of the company in Gaeseong or employee working in the Gaeseong industrial complex, how would you react to the action of Korean government?

More eateries appearing in Korea’s train stations 　

With Lunar New Year upon us, there is no escaping the elbow-to-elbow crowds that flood the nation’s train stations as millions of locals travel out of the cities to reunite with their loved ones.
 
While long lines at ticket booths are not surprising, over the past few years, a new food culture of has also developed there, with long lines at food places have also started appearing in train stations. 

Rather than typical food courts, many of the country’s major train stations are seeing an influx of independent snack shops, bakeries and quick-eat joints. This trend has attracted attention on social media, and some stations have a growing reputation for an “eat while you wait” culture.   
 
Busan, Korea’s second-largest city, is known for its wide variety of food as well as attractions such as Haeundae and Gwangalli Beach. These days, another popular stop is the Samjin Eomuk store located near the Busan KTX station lounge. Samjin Eomuk has three selections -- individual fried fish cakes, handmade fish cake croquettes, as well as fish cake packages.

It has its roots in a fish cake factory established in 1950 and carried on as a three-generation family business. The store is known for transforming fish cakes into on-the-go snacks as well as having high-quality products that are more than 70 percent fish, instead of wheat and starch. This allows for a more chewy texture.
 
“Samjin’s menu items broke a stereotype that fish cakes are for meals not for snacks,” said Chloe Choi and Becky Yu, two 19-year-old tourists from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, who were visiting Busan for the first time. Choi and Yu added that they could not resist buying a whole bunch of fish cakes since they all looked so appetizing.
 
And despite the recent spate of cold weather, Samjin has had a constant stream of visitors, even early in the morning. Cashiers Kim Tae-yeon and Yoon Su-ok said the crowd was far smaller compared to most days, adding that people usually have to wait in line for about 20 to 30 minutes.
 
“Samjin Eomuk not just a tourist attraction,” said Kim, “Due to its quality products, even local people often come here for fish cakes.”
 
“When tourists visit the store, they spend 30,000 won to 50,000 won ($25-$40) on average. You can easily find people who spend more than 100,000 won,” Yoon added. 
 
Another popular train station snack joint is a small bakery shop in Daejeon Station. It reportedly makes around 5.4 billion won a year in profits and is notorious for its painstakingly long waiting times, despite its long lines and lack of anywhere to sit.
 
Whether it’s a national holiday, weekend, morning, midday or night, it is almost a sure-fire guarantee that customers will have to wait their turn to eat at Daejeon Station’s Sung Sim Dang.
 
One of the city’s most historical food establishments, Sung Sim Dang was established in 1956 and is still to this day, exclusive to Daejeon. In 2011, the establishment received its first listing on Michelin’s travel guide for Korea.
 
Selling a variety of breads, baked desserts and its claim-to-fame “fried soboro” (stuffed streusel bread), the bakery’s six-decade reputation is enough to pique people’s interest.
 
The popularity of this quaint train station branch shop is such that there’s even a separate window selling bulk quantities of its red bean paste and the buchu soboro (stuffed with ground pork and sliced chives).
 
While many of those contemplating the queue for Sung Sim Dang’s fried treats thought twice, others were willing to stick it out. 
 
“I don’t really mind waiting in the long line because whether it’s for the train or for food, I’m still waiting around,” said one of the bakery’s patrons surnamed Choi.
 
“I heard a lot about this bakery but this is my first time actually eating here,” said another patron, patiently waiting in line to purchase a box of soboro. “Honestly, when I saw how long the line I wasn’t very surprised because it’s a very popular place and their breads are only available in Daejeon. I just keep telling myself if this many people are willing to wait, then it must be good.”
 
Aside from Sung Sim Dang, its neighboring noodle shop Daejeon Station Garak Guksu, stands as the station’s second most popular eatery. Despite its limited menu of noodle soups -- chicken, tofu and spicy – the small independent joint is again no stranger to having its patrons queuing up by the door.
 
Granted, Daejeon Station is nowhere near the scale of Seoul Station and doesn’t exactly have an abundance of dining options, but the few quick-bite shops it does have are known to illicit a number of customers who claimed to travel to the station specifically for the food.
 
Alongside Busan and Daejeon, there are plenty more train stations that enjoy the same type of food-filled success.
 
Seoul station’s Sweet Seoul is known for Anpan -- a round-shaped soft bread stuffed with various fillings including red bean paste, sweet potato paste and cream cheese.
 
PNB, a bakery with outlets at Jeonju and Iksan stations in North Jeolla Province, has been known for its handmade chocolate moon pies, selling an average of 10,000 pie snacks daily. Banwoldang Croquette, located at Gumi and Dong Daegu stations, attracts people with a variety of croquettes including cheese-potato croquette and crab cream cheese croquette.
 
Aside from Banwoldang Croquette, Dong Daegu station also has Hwangnam bread, also known as Gyeongju bread, and whole corn bread of Samsong Bakery, which commonly known as “mayak” or “drug” bread due to its addictively sweet taste and funny texture of popping sweet corn. Ulsan station’s Eonyang Bulgogi restaurant is known for tteokgalbi table d’hote, Korean traditional cuisine made by shaping a mixture of beef and pork then grilled on charcoal.
 

Q

1) Have you tried those foods? How was it? Was it worth to wait for long time?

2) Now the local foods are available in Seoul as well. Have you bought it in Seoul and eaten? Was the taste same with the original one?

3) Have you used delivery service for the local breads such as 성심당, 삼송빵집 etc.?

4) Do you have any local foods you would like to recommend for us? Please share with us.

5) Now the famous foods from foreign countries are available in Korea such as ‘magnolia bakery’, ‘콘트란 쉐리에’ Pierre Hermer’. Have you tried them in Korea? How was it? What do you think the price of those foods?

[STAFF♡]

리더님 안녕하세요:) 자료 준비하겠습니다!
참여 댓글 달아주세요♡

[Alex J Jung]

^^

[스마트]

참가예정입니다...

[Alex J Jung]

네, 내일 뵐게요 ~

[jo~~]

참가합니다 ㅎㅎ

[Alex J Jung]

얍 ^^

[Chani]

첫 참석 예정입니다. 잘 부탁드립니다:)

[alice_1]

참석합니당

[Alex J Jung]

있다 봅시다 ㅋ

[Jenifer]

참석이요^^

[Alex J Jung]

ㅇㅋ

[Ginfest]

조금 늦더라도 참석합니다~~

[Alex J Jung]

언제라도 ~

[RayProctor]

참석해요

[Alex J Jung]

Hi ~