Irish Korean Essay Competition has a new partner – Etihad Airways

The Irish Association of Korea is very proud to announce a new partnership with U.A.E. airline, Etihad Airways, for the Irish Korean Essay Competition. Etihad Airways are very happy to become partners of this very worthwhile competition which sees a Korean university student travel to Dublin to study English for one month in Emerald Cultural Institute, a leading Dublin English language school.

Etihad has an extensive network of connecting flights throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. Most important for the IAK, Irish people, and Korean people interested in travelling to Ireland, Etihad Airways recently established a connecting route from Dublin to Seoul via its Abu Dhabi hub.

The IAK look forward to working with Etihad Airways during the essay competition and in a number of other initiatives which shall take place throughout 2013.

Please visit www.etihadairways.com for more information on prices and their network.

Irish Korean Essay Competition Partners
Embassy of Ireland, South Korea www.embassyofireland.or.kr
Emerald Cultural Institute www.eci.ie
Listowel Writers Week www.writersweek.ie
Etihad Airways www.etihadairways.com

Irish Person in Cheonan Needs Extended Irish Community’s Help and Support

On Thursday evening I received an email from a distressed mother asking if there was anywhere her daughter could turn to – she had recently arrived in Korea and it soon became apparent that the hagwon which had hired her was going to leave them high and dry after, without pay and on the verge of being kicked on to the street!

She arrived in October and has yet to be paid. Her school has presented a list of excuses, yet none of these really provide any solutions as the school which hired her and supposedly supplied her with a visa, did so illegally by using another school to obtain the visa. She, and the six other people who are in the same boat as her, found this out the other day after a trip to the immigration office in Cheonan. The school has been curt and apathetic to their situation

I could go into the whole list of details of this dreadful situation however it will serve little benefit other than to fuel already obvious prejudices against hagwons.

Right now, what she needs is help!

The Irish Association of Korea does not, unfortunately, possess the resources to assist her, however I’m certain that we do have an extensive network of Irish and non-Irish around Korea who may be worth their weight in gold.

Do you live in or near to Cheonan? Could you possibly meet up with her and give her a friendly ear to listen and support?

Have you experienced anything similar? Could you possibly offer some practical words of advice which may actually help her in this situation?

Can you help her find a job? She has all her documents ready and waiting

Please share this post or tweet it to your friends.

If you can offer anything please email iak.chair@gmail.com and I will pass on your details and/or information. I am reluctant to post her details her to avoid a flood of condolences in her inbox.

Thank you everyone for reading this.

Kindest regards

Conor O’Reilly
Chairman – Irish Association of Korea

Irish-Korean Essay Competition 2012 – update

Thanks to all the applicants to the Ireland Korea Essay Compeition in 2012. All those who submitted entries should now have received an acknowledgement of the receipt of the essay from the Embassy of Ireland.

Due to some technical issues we have learnt that some essays were not received. If you have not received an acknowledgement from the Embassy please re-submit your essay as soon as possible and no later than 4 January 2013 to seoulembassy@dfa.ie copying iak.essay@gmail.com. If you have received an acknowledgement from the Embassy of Ireland then everything is ok and you don’t have to do anything.

Have you Seen “Ireland” in Korea? If so, we want your pictures!

It’s fair to say that you don’t get a chance to see much of Ireland here in Korea, but over the years we’ve seen more and more of Ireland appearing. Of course, how Ireland appears varies from a flag fluttering in the street, to a jar of Irish stew in the supermarket, to the way something just looks!

We at the IAK would like to find out how much of Ireland exists here in Korea, and we know that you, our humble and loyal followers, are snapping pics of all the Irishness you find here in the land of the morning calm. We would love to see your pics and share them here with everyone else!

Here are a few examples taken by our committee members to give you inspiration!

A mini Irish flag among many more mini flags of the world – found outside Namdaemun Market, Seoul

A shamrock burned into a tree, no less! Cheongmyung Mountain, Suwon

Toilet door signs from Ireland in Mr. Toilet House, Suwon.

Please send your photographs to irishassociationkorea@gmail.com with the email title as Ireland in Korea Photos, and please include where the photo was taken, and if you want you can include your name and any other details (twitter, blog etc.)

We look forward to your submissions!

Christmas comes early as IAK brings you a full calendar of December events

We’re running quite a lot of events this December and we hope that you have time to come along to one (or all of them).

First up this weekend we have the December Irish Session Jam which will be at Freeport in Hongdae, on Sat Dec 8th at 17:30. This is an informal gathering of musicians playing and celebrating their common interest in a relaxed manner with an audience who likes to listen to good music. More details here.

The following day (Sun 9th at 13:15 near Hapjeong station) there is a opportunity to learn some traditional Irish step dancing. This hour long class is designed for complete beginners. All you need is some comfortable shoes and clothes. Come along, meet new people and learn some Irish dancing! More details here.

The big event in our December calendar is the IAK Christmas party. This year it takes place at Bar Americano on Sat Dec 15th (starting at 7:30 pm). We’ve got some great music lined up for the evening, promotions on drinks and a raffle with fantastic prizes. More info here (and on Meetup and Facebook)

Then what better way to get ready for the NY than to continue on with those traditional Irish step dancing classes. On Sun 30th at 13:15 near Hapjeong station) there is another hour long class designed for complete beginners. All you need is some comfortable shoes and clothes. Come along, meet new people and learn some Irish dancing! More details here.

Ambassador’s message – November 30th Irish Korean Economic Relations

“Ambassador’s Message – 30 November 2012
Irish Korean Economic Relations

Today in Dublin, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will be hosting a Korean delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The occasion is the biennial Joint Economic Commission (JEC), a convening of trade officials to enhance bilateral economic relations. The meetings of the JEC are held alternately in Seoul and Dublin. The Irish side is led by the Director General, Trade Promotion Division, Colm Ó Floinn, assisted by our own Deputy Head of Mission, Ruth Parkin. The Korean delegation is led by
Deputy Minister for Trade, Lee Si-hyung and a team from the Ministry and the Korean Embassy in Ireland.

I am often asked about the nature of the economic relationship between our two countries. In light of the JEC’s discussions later today, and taking advantage of up-to-date information, it is a good opportunity to brief you on this aspect of our bilateral relations. Here are some key points:

• Korean FDI in Ireland is extremely limited, comprising machine manufacture and financial services. It is a situation we are hoping to improve.  With additional focus from Irish and Korea investment agencies, encouraged by this meeting of the JEC, I am hopeful that we can fill this gap in our economic relations.

• Opportunities in Korea for Ireland’s export sector include,  Food and Beverage / Seafood; Internationally Traded Services (Aviation Services, Financial Services, Other Professional Consultancy Services); Agricultural Equipment and Machinery; Semiconductors; Industrial Machinery and Equipment and Electronic Components; Clean-Tech; Life Sciences (Bio Pharma and Services, Medical Devices and Sub Supplies, Diagnostic Testing Equipment and Chemicals), Information and Communication Technology, E-Learning; Education Services (Third level education, English as a Foreign Language).

Overall, this picture is encouraging. There is a sense of Ireland and Korea both becoming increasingly aware of each other’s existence. Korea as an economic and exporting powerhouse is increasingly known in Ireland. We have some work to do to increase awareness in Korea of why Ireland is ranked so highly as a destination for Foreign Direct Investment. This is not just about our low corporate tax rate, but about our work-force, our business environment, the clustering of global companies at the cutting edge of ICT and life-sciences and the ‘eco-system’ of research and development between our universities and companies in Ireland, both FDI and indigenous.

I am convinced that Ireland and Korea can substantially enhance our bilateral relationship not just in economic terms but also in other areas: the North-South lesson sharing initiative comes to mind but culturally and academically there is much that we can share too. There are a number of projects in the pipeline next year which will serve as a useful platform for further exchanges, all the more appropriate since in 2013 we are celebrating thirty years of diplomatic relations.

Best wishes and have a good weekend,
Eamonn

Eamonn McKee
Ambassador”