News from the IAK Committee

Over the weekend the IAK held its annual assessment meeting. At this meeting we talked about the past year, which we believe was very successful, and of course the association’s outlook for the next twelve months.

While there was much discussed at this meeting and many formative decisions made, what is of most significance is an update on the make-up of the committee. We don’t usually hold formal elections unless they are entirely necessary or called for. However, as of Saturday the IAK is proud to announce that we have a new Chairperson, Shauna Browne.

Shauna has been tirelessly promoting our cause since she joined up in 2011 and has been a revelation in terms of getting events running. She started off working as our PRO, and made great strides promoting and building a strong Facebook and Meetup following. It didn’t take her long to start getting involved in all other kinds of activities, none more so than dancing and music,

Last year, she accepted the role as vice-chair of the association, a position opened up by the necessity to allow for more flexibility and to create a more streamlined decision making process. It also allowed for Shauna to concentrate on more activities than just promoting our events, and she grew to the task admirably. She was instrumental in our 2013 St Patrick’s Day Festival, and the recent Ceili, where she is always a familiar site leading and encouraging dancers, not to mention playing music on stage. To be honest, if there has been an Irish event run in the past twelve months it is sure to have had Shauna’s stamp on it somewhere.

Former IAK Chairman Conor O’Reilly and newly elected Chairwoman Shauna Browne at the 2013 Saint Patrick’s Day festival in Seoul.

As Chairman over the past year it has been a welcome reassurance to have Shauna with me. As I have a young family, I couldn’t guarantee my attendance at many evening and Seoul events. It was at this time that I started working closest with Shauna (probably mostly through kakao talk!) and I began to understand that here was a person who I could recognise my own can-do attitude.

For myself, I am both happy and sad to be stepping down as Chairman. It was a very productive two years for me in the IAK, where I realised many different goals and was granted some unforgettable experiences.

When I set out in 2011 I aimed to make the community more close, and to make the IAK more visible in the Irish community. While I now realise that because of the nature of the Irish community I can never really achieve that, I can at least start to set the train in the right direction. With small numbers and restricted commitment, it will always be an uphill battle but it is an area I hope to continue working on with the IAK.

Another project I am particularly proud of is the Irish Korean Essay Competition. As a lecturer in a university here I realised the importance of attracting the many enthusiastic learners of English to Ireland. While our competition is young, our prize is still significant. This November will see the third essay competition taking place.

Finally, it was this April where I was really humbled and honoured by my position, as I laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial for the Irish who fell during the Korean war. While so much went on behind the scenes for the establishment of this small monument, it was this simple ceremony on a damp morning at the Yongsan Korean War Memorial that made the long hours of preparation worthwhile for all concerned. The IAK is by no means an official representative of the Irish community here, but I think that I was honoured for being the representative of all the Irish in Korea, from the past, the present, and the future.

That’s enough about me though, as it is time to welcome Shauna into the hot-seat. I am sure that she has her own goals and aspirations as chair of the IAK. I think we shall see renewed energy in our activities and I hope that everyone will continue to support Shauna as much as they have supported me over the past two years.

Thank you again to everyone who has been my friend and offered support to our organisation, and I look forward to a bright and vibrant future for the Irish Association of Korea.

Kindest regards

Conor O’Reilly
ex-Chairman of the IAK

Committee Officer Update

Shauna Browne has been elected as Chairwoman of the IAK for the first time. Shauna comes from Tipperary and lives in Paju. She has been living in Korea for four years and has been with the IAK since 2011. She is active on the Irish music circuit in Korea, as well as maintaining a healthy blog of her adventures here.

Follow Shauna on twitter: @iamshaunabrowne

The IAK would like to congratulate Janet Newenham on her new position of Public Relations Officer with the IAK. Janet, a native of Cork and a resident of Paju in Gyeonggi-do, will be busy working on our publicity here in Korea.

Follow Janet on twitter: @janennewenham

We would like to wish Eamonn Maher, our secretary, all the best in the future as he returns to Ireland in January. Eamonn has been working hard as our secretary and as a enthusiastic committee member, getting his hands dirty on all occasions. Of course, his toughest job was undoubtedly making sure Conor followed up on most of his responsibililites…but that’s another story!

With that in mind, the IAK currently have an opening for a secretary in our committee. The main job of the secretary is to communicate about meetings, and to keep minutes.

The IAK is also keen to encourage new committee members to assist in our many activities throughout the year. If you have any experience working promoting events or managing a small non-profit, or if you absoluntely no recognisable skills but bags of enthusiasm and energy, we’d love to hear from you. The IAK works year round promoting Irish culture in Korea and the more hands we have the better job we can do. For details of how you can get involved please email us: irishassociationkorea@gmail.com

Irish Special Olympics Delegates in Seoul

22 delegates from Ireland arrived in Seoul over the weekend for the Winter Special Olympics scheduled to take place in Pyeongchan over the next couple of weeks. They were staying out in Seoul Women’s University together with teams from Jamaica  and the Isle of Mann. It was here where they they got settled in and had a some cultural induction to Korea and its culture.

Altogeher there are over 2,300 athletes in Korea for the winter games, and 14 of these are from Ireland!

Last night, Seoul Women’s University bid farewell to the three teams, and I was lucky enough to be invited to meet the teams and wish them all the best on behalf of the Irish community in Korea.

Irish Special Olympics delegates and guests at Seoul Women’s University

The team were really enjoying their visit so far, and they were very grateful for the level of care and involvement by their hosts, Seoul Women’s University. Special praise was given to the ‘buddies’, who were basically university students partnered with each athlete. They befriended them, told them about Korea, and was basically a friend, which allowed for a wonderful camp atmosphere, and helped the athletes become more comfortable with their stay here.

While in Seoul Women’s University they underwent orientation, learned some simple Korean, taekwondo, dressed in Hanboks, and even managed a tour of Myeongdong. A wonderful time was had by all.

The team left of Pyeongchang this morning at 7am for the opening ceremony today, while the action will get under way tomorrow.

For more on the Winter Special in Olympics here in Korea click here!

Below are some photos taken last night at the farewell party in Seoul Women’s University.

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

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!

Now Seeking Volunteers for our Communications and Publicity Team

The Irish Association of Korea is currently looking to recruit new volunteers for the communications and publicity team. Specifically speaking we are looking for people who are  competent communicators with experience translating from English to Korean – people with knowledge or experience working with the Korean media are especially welcome. The volunteers’ help will be required throughout the year.

Typically a volunteer will be expected translate press releases, website articles, brochure contents, and may on occasion be required to provide verbal translation. People with knowledge of the Korean media, as well as those with a knowledge of Korean social networking tools and blogs (Cyworld, Naver etc.) are particularly sought. A certain amount of flexibility is required, as we may need work done at short notice.

The Irish Association of Korea never limits the number of its volunteers and welcomes all comers, even if you think you can only help a little. If you feel that you would volunteer please email iak.publicity@gmail.com

If you think that this role is unsuitable for you, but you would still like to volunteer with the IAK please email irishassociationofkorea@gmail.com.

Particular knowledge of Ireland and the IAK is not necessary for any of our volunteers.

Irish Korean Essay Competition, 2012 – Anniversaries

The Embassy of Ireland, Republic of Korea and The Irish Association of Korea,
in association with Emerald Cultural Institute,

proudly announce the

Irish-Korean Essay Competition 2012

for English as a second language university students in Korea.

Entrants are invited to make essay submissions on the subject of

Anniversaries

Now accepting submissions* – final date for entries November 30, 2012 at 5pm

1st Place
Return flights to Dublin, four weeks study in Emerald Cultural Institute*, Dublin, and 2,000 Euro spending money (total value approx. 7,500,000 Korean won)

2nd Place
A cultural prize and cash to the value of 1,000,000 won

3rd Place
A cultural prize

4th Place
A cultural prize

5th Place
A cultural prize

For further details, please visit http://www.embassyofireland.or.kr or http://www.iak.co.kr/essay-competition

How happy are you with your quality of life here in Korea?

The other day The Irish Times ran the results of poll taken among Irish emigrants about their quality of life since leaving Ireland (you read the news report here).

Here at IAK towers we thought we ask the same question to you. Basically, how happy are you with your quality of life here in Korea, compared with that of Ireland? You may tick the appropriate box below.

(I had this poll up on Facebook earlier but thought it appropriate to put here also to make it more inclusive for those who don’t use Facebook – yes I know it’s mad, but those people actually exist!)

Never let it be said that we are the negative types trying to find reasons to complain about Ireland or Korea. I’m hoping we can garner some positive discussion here on the benefits of living in Ireland and the benefits of living in Korea, and vice-verse. I’ve been here for over five years and have had all sorts of experiences, from the wonderful to the mad to the … well we’ll stop there. I know plenty of Korean people, both within our organisation and who I’ve met working with the IAK who feel the same way about living in Ireland.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you’d like to share your own experiences.

Ambassador’s Message, 19 March 2012

“I noticed with some trepidation the rain on Friday evening but come Saturday morning the sun was shining.  It augured well for the IAK’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival.  And what a day it was: by the reckoning of some organisers, the best one yet.  The amphitheatre at the D-Cube Plaza was full to capacity, its enfolding and steeply raked seats allowing not just an over-flowing crowd but a sense of intimacy amongst the large and cheerful Irish, ex-pat and Korean crowd.  The music and dancing was top class.  From spontaneous dancing by members from the crowd to organised dancing by practiced and first-timers alike under the expert direction and encouragement from Fr. Seán Connelly, the Festival was as we say, great ‘craic’.  The shopping mall provided plenty of food and beverages for the mingling crowd. People and family wandered from the venue to the shops and back again, stopping for some face-painting or buying the IAK’s t-shirts, all funds going to the Association’s fund raising effort in support of a monument to those Irish who lost their lives in the Korean war.

Many congratulations to the IAK and its volunteers for a memorable day.

We celebrated another IAK initiative, in cooperation with the Embassy and the Emerald Cultural Institute in Ireland (one of our premier EFL colleges), at the Embassy’s St. Patrick’s Day reception on Friday evening.  Along with IAK President Conor O’Reilly, it was my honour to award the prizes for our essay competition.  As you may recall, the competition involves third level Korean students writing an essay in English on some aspect of Irish Korean relations.

The following is an extract from my remarks at the prize-giving which will give you a sense of the quality of the winners and the value of the competition to Irish Korean relations.  I want to record my thanks to Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole, for sending a personal message to one of the prize winners who was inspired by his writing.

Whether you were with us or not at the Festival, I hope you had a great St Patrick’s Day and that you got the chance to catch up on some of coverage on RTE and in the Irish newspapers of the events around the world that celebrate Ireland, the Irish and the seventy million of Irish ancestry around the world.

Best wishes,
Eamonn

Eamonn McKee
Ambassador

 

*

IAK Ireland Korea Essay Competition – Prize Giving Remarks

To conclude this part of the evening, we have an important task.  We often reflect on the parallels in the historical narrative of Ireland and Korea.  We think about contemporary influences less so.

Thanks to the IAK, working with the Embassy, I can tell you about a new initiative that inspires just that.

Towards the end of last year the Irish Association and the Embassy announced the inaugural Irish-Korean Essay Competition for university students in Korea.

One of the challenges we face as a small country positioned on the far side of Europe is simply increasing knowledge of Ireland amongst Korean students and highlighting Ireland as a leading location for study abroad. This competition was designed to do just that by asking third level students to write an essay on the broad topic of connections between Korea and Ireland.

We were delighted with the results. Over 100 entries were received and each one of them gave us a valuable insight into how Ireland is viewed from Korea and indeed what information is available about Ireland to Koreans.

From comparisons between the stone walls of Jeju Island and the Aran Islands to the author who conducted an online survey of knowledge about Ireland among his or her friends, the essays were imaginative, informative and of an exceptionally high standard.

It was a tough task to narrow down the winners.  As one of the judges, I can attest to that! But after a short list was put together by the Irish Association, the final panel of judges came to agreement.

Most of the winners, I’m pleased to say, are with us here this evening.

5^th prize winner: We have five prizes to award, starting with Ms Yun Chae Young, who wrote on 

Freedom, Creativity and Harmony-that Korea Should Learn: Irish Street Arts and Culture.

I loved this essay. Ms Yun’s descriptions of the buskers and street performers of Ireland are truly evocative and made me miss home! In one particularly poignant scene she describes seeing a picture of an old man teaching the harmonica to a young girl at the world Fleadh in a relaxed meeting between old and young.  I’d like to invite Ms Yun up to the stage to receive her certificate, some reading and a voucher to spend on a few more books to keep up her interest in culture.

Ms Yun, I do hope that you continue your interest in Irish culture – maybe at some stage Seoul will host an event like the Street Performance World Festival which has brought much excitement to Dublin and Cork over the past couple of years.

The winner of fourth prize wrote a piece that reflects on the complementary traditions of waking the dead in Korea and Ireland. Ms Nam Ji Hyun who wrote on The Wake’: A Window for Viewing Ireland and Korea, spoke of the festive funeral: when the relatives and friends of the person who has died can share a meal and a drink to celebrate their life and ease their passing. Ms Nam is unfortunately unable to be here this evening but we will make sure her prize and certificate gets to her.

Third prize goes to Ms Choi Min Jeong for her essay: Exclusion and Revival of the Indigenous Language of Ireland and Korea.  Many of the essays we received referred to the shared histories of Korea and Ireland as colonies of a neighbouring power. No other essayist drew on the social, historical and cultural circumstances and similarities in such a critical and thematic manner.

Ms Choi’s decision to focus on the manipulation of language, both by coloniser and colonised, marked her out as dedicated student of post-colonial literature as well as very well informed on the histories and cultures of our respective countries.

It gives me great pleasure to ask Ms Choi to join me and receive her prize of a book voucher of 250,000 Won and some additional reading. I have no doubt that you have many books you have your eye on and the voucher will be well spent.

Now we come to the final two prizes.

Both these essays are particularly strong but ultimately we had to choose a winner, and so second prize goes to Ms Paek Jung Won for How Korean Women may learn from Irish Women.

The issue of gender equality is a work in process across the globe. I do not think that any country, including our own, can claim to have got it right yet. Discussing the issue openly is absolutely critical to making progress. It takes courage and conviction to do this. Ms Paek has used the space provided by this competition to speak about the situation in Korea.

Ms Paek recognises that whilst the government sector should facilitate and encourage change, Korean women must challenge the status quo. If I could invite Ms Paek up to the stage to receive her certificate, her reading and cash prize of 1 million Won.

Before you step down I must tell everyone that Ms Paek was influenced in her writing by Fintan O’Toole of the Irish Times. I am delighted to say that Mr O’Toole has sent her a message of congratulations – He says:

“ Warmest congratulations on your splendid essay.

Real friendship between countries is not just a matter of polite expressions of mutual regard. It is about the capacity to learn from each other’s experiences. Perhaps even more importantly, it is about the way comparisons help us to understand, not just the other culture, but our own.

Your essay is a fine example of these ideas at work. Korea and Ireland do indeed share important experiences as small countries overcoming underdevelopment, coping with the legacy of conflict and seeking to balance change with identity. Korea’s successes can give hope to Irish people in our current difficulties. It is lovely to know from your essay that a young Korean woman can find some inspiration in the courage and strength of the Irish women who have fought for equality and respect. If all Korean women have the insight and passion you show in your essay, you will be a formidable force for change.

Warmest regards,
Fintan O’Toole”

Finally, we come to our winner. Ms Ro Seong Ja, who wrote a beautiful and imaginative essay named Barley – A Story of Resilience.  Ms Ro weaves a tale of the personal and the national experiences of both Ireland and Korea and brings a new perspective to the relationship between the countries. She begins with the smell of malted barley in the air around the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and then moves to her grandmother’s kitchen in Korea where the same smell comes from the Me-jew: bricks of boiled barley and soy beans which form the basis of Korean sauces.

I had not realised how integral barely was to both of our nations.  Our national drinks – Soju and Whiskey, share this as a main ingredient. As Ms Ro tells us, we both have used barley in times of need – in Korea to get through the lean season and in Ireland as a hardy supplement during famines.  It was also a handy food for the rebels of 1798.  Our Noble Laureate, Séamus Heaney, wrote inspiringly of the dead rebels lying in the fields, the barley in their pockets eventually springing to life.  Our songs too often sing of wind-swept barley. It now seems to me that simple barley is a redolent symbolic and cultural connection between Ireland and Korea.

Unfortunately, Ms Ro cannot be here this evening as she is currently studying in France but her sister has come to collect her prize on her behalf. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Emerald Cultural Institute, one of Ireland’s top class language institutes she will spend a month studying English in Ireland, at I may say an extremely advanced level. She will also receive 2 million Won to facilitate her stay in Ireland. I am delighted to be able to give this prize to you as Ms Ro’s representative.

My thanks to the Irish Association of Korea and to the Emerald Cultural Institute for making this competition possible. We hope that it will run successfully for many years into the future.

The fact that all five finalists were female shows the essay competition to be at least one area where women are actually ahead.  My only hope, in the interests of gender equality, is that next year a man might make it into the final five. I hope Korean men are up to the challenger.  Maybe we could have a man write in support of gender issues!

Thank you and Happy St Patrick’s Day.”