UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

KOREA HERALD

김연아, 전세계에 방영된다

벤쿠버 동계 올림픽 금메달리스트인 김연아가 해외로 방영되는 서울시 홍보 다큐멘터리 ‘서울의 정신(Seoul Spirit)’에 출연한다. 김연아가 세계적인 피겨퀸의 꿈을 이룬 과정을 보여줄 이번 다큐멘터리는 한강과 광화문 광장을 포함한 서울의 다양한 관광 명소들 또한 담게 된다. ‘서울의 정신’은 오는 3월 19일 디스커버리 채널을 통해 동남아시아 20개국에서 60분 동안 방영된다. 서울시는 김연아 다큐멘터리를 중국과 유럽 및 미국에서도 방영되도록 할 방침이다. 서울시의 한 관계자는 “김연아가 밴쿠버 동계올림픽에서 금메달을 획득함으로써 이 프로그램이 세계인의 관심을 끌 것으로 기대된다”며 “특히 동남아뿐 아니라 중국, 호주, 미국 등지에도 방영되도록 해 서울의 이미지를 전 세계로 부각시키는 데 적극 활용하겠다”고 말했다.

Kim Yu-na, who won the country’s first Olympic figure skating gold in Vancouver last week with a near-perfect record-setting performance, will appear in a documentary to promote Seoul around the world.

Seoul Metropolitan Government said yesterday that the 60-minute documentary, titled “Seoul Spirit,” will be aired by the Discovery Channel in about 20 Southeast Asian countries on March 19.

Using Seoul as a backdrop, the documentary will show how the 19-year-old Kim grew up to reach the top of figure skating. It will also showcase a variety of tourist attractions in Seoul, including the Han River and Gwanghwamun Square.

The documentary, which the city spent a year planning and producing, will also highlight “woman power” in Korea, featuring interviews with Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon and popular girl group 2NE1.

“Seoul Spirit” is the third installment of the documentary series, called “Hip Korea-Seoul,” which Seoul City and Discovery Channel jointly planned and organized to promote the Korean capital.

The first two installments, featuring Korean stars Rain and Lee Byung-hyun, were aired last year in 20 Asian countries, including Japan.

The city seeks to air Kim’s documentary in China and countries in Europe and America as well to promote the attractive aspects of Seoul, which was designated in 2007 as the 2010 World Design Capital by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.

“We anticipate that the documentary will grab the attention of people around the world as Kim won gold at the Vancouver Olympics. We will actively seek to promote the good image of Seoul around the world by capitalizing on it,” said Yoon Young-seok, chief of the city’s global marketing division.

Spurring publicity efforts, the city dramatically ramped up its annual marketing budget to 40.1 billion won ($35.05 million) in 2008, a substantial leap from 5.3 billion won in the previous year. Last year, the budget was at 34.1 billion won and has been set at 34.1 billion won for this year.

(sshluck@heraldm.com)

By Song Sang-ho

News Clippings

KOREA TIMES
03-04-2010 19:43

A foreign patient is treated by doctors at a clinic in Gangnam, southern Seoul. / Courtesy of Gangnam District Office

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Becoming a medical tourism hub isn’t so simple. Not only must it provide the best medical service, it also has to have restaurants, hotels, historical sites, shopping districts and other tourists’ attractions. A good transportation system and good environment are also essential.

Busan, the southern port city, and Gangnam, southern Seoul, have been hailed as perfect spots for medical tourism in that sense.

Just over nine months into the medical tourism industry, both districts have proved that they are capable of becoming leaders of a local market that is assumed to exceed 100 billion won.

Busan

Busan has long been visited by Japanese tourists arriving by ferry and flights for overnight shopping sprees and aesthetic therapies.

These days, alongside hair permanents, manicures and pedicures, the city is gearing up to provide cosmetic surgeries and other medical services. “There are many people who bring photos of Korean celebrities and ask for changes to be performed. Most of the time, they express satisfaction and recommend our clinic to their friends and even families,” a spokesman of ABC Cosmetic Surgery was quoted as saying.

This year, the facility is stretching out to a broader spectrum of “patients.” Local cosmetic surgeons and medical tourism brokers invited Russian medical insiders for a showcase late last year.

“We were able to convince them that our facilities and techniques are equal to those of the U.S. and many other leading nations, and the price is as competitive as it could be,” the hospital spokesman said.

Industry insiders also say that Busan being accessible by many forms of transport is a huge plus, especially with the world’s largest department store, Shinsegae Centum, and other hot tourist spots. Local fish markets as well as film studios are also recommendations from local tour guides.

The local government is also pushing to support the industry, which adds only the rosiest perspective to the business.

Gangnam

Gangnam, one of the most affluent areas in the country, has its strength in the dense population of medical facilities; they have over 35 percent of medical clinics or hospitals in Seoul, and more than 70 percent of the plastic surgeons in the city.

Top-class hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Intercontinental, Park Hyatt, Marriott and others are located within a 20-minute drive while the business districts of Teheran Road at the district center has become a must-see for people who want to see the “now” of Seoul.

Hip restaurants are located along the avenues and the district authorities provide free bus tours around the business and shopping districts as well as having the Kimchi Museum, Bongeun Temple and other popular places.

According to the district office, the area saw a 25 percent jump in the number of foreign visitors to its clinics in one year.

“We have the best talent, good prices and a good view. We have it all,” the district head Maeng Jung-ju told The Korea Times in a previous interview.

“I think the future is bright because Gangnam has everything at state-of-the-art form. So we will do fine,” Kim Byung-gun, director of BK DongYang Plastic Surgery, said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

News Clippings

KOREA TIMES
03-04-2010 18:52

Stir-fried mushrooms with salt

By Kim Yong-ja

Try to get more flavorful mushrooms like oyster, shiitake, porcini (in Italy) or steinpilze (in Germany). Do not wash fresh mushrooms. They will soak up water like a sponge and lose flavor. Wet a paper towel and wipe off the dirt.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
• 1 pack MUSHROOMS, cut into big pieces
• VEGETABLE OIL
• a pinch of GARLIC POWDER
• SALT and PEPPER

1 Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Stir-fry the mushrooms with oil. Brown them partially and sprinkle garlic powder.

2 Season with salt and pepper. Immediately remove from the pan and let cool.

News Clippings