Robert Reich is an American political commentator and professor who has worked with four different American presidents since the 1970s, so it is safe to say he should have a good idea about what makes a great leader. Recently, he visited South Korea for a conference and had some shining words of praise for South Korean president Moon Jae-In in a Facebook post. Robert Reich
The Choi family of Gyeongju is known for having many admirable ancestors, but arguably, chief among them is Choi Guk-seon. In the mid-1600s Choi’s father who accumulated a large amount of wealth through land development, allowing him to enter the upper classes. However, following his father’s death, Choi did not seek to increase his fortune. Instead, as the nation suffered severe crop failures in 1671, Choi installed a large cauldron in his yard, where porridge was boiled every day, and opened a storehouse to distribute food to his needy neighbors, stating, “What’s the use of making a fortune, while people are starving to death out there?” Even when harvests were at their worst, the people of Gyeongju suffered far fewer deaths thanks to the Choi family’s generosity. Hoping to continue this legacy, Choi created ‘six principles’ as the family code of conduct which encouraged the family to forego the family reputation and individual glory that would come from high government posts and liv
When he was in middle school, Kim Wan-hyeok watched as other boys in his class practiced break dancing for a festival performance. Wishing he could join in, but too shy and timid to ask, he began to copy their dance moves by himself at home. Unfortunately, aged twenty-four Kim was in a motorbike accident and lost one of his legs, but he refused to let this deter him from his path. “I wanted to show what I was capable of” he revealed in a press interview, though it is not without its frustrations. “If other B-Boys make mistakes the audience laugh, but when I do, they feel too bad to. It’s so embarrassing [..] I have no interest in money, I just want to dance […] disabled or not, I just want to be a good dancer.”
A statue was recently erected in Jongno, downtown Seoul, depicting the sitting figure of Jeon Bong-jun, the man at the forefront of the 1894 Donghak Peasant Movement where ordinary people rose up against the rampant corruption of the ruling classes, motivated by the teachings of Donghak. Founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u, Donghak preached equality between genders and classes, teaching that the Way of Heaven resided within one's own mind, and so by improving one's nature, one attains the Way of Heaven. As the Way of Heaven resided in all people, this also included children, and so Choe, also taught that one must refrain from striking them, and treat them with respect. Many followers would also take it upon themselves to adopt orphans. Under this spirit of respect toward children, Children’s Day would later be established within Korea. As the movement grew in popularity among the peasantry, it sparked several revolts, and eventually the authorities arrested and executed Choe in 1864.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced plans to install a solar-power soundproof tunnel on the the Dongbu Expressway, the first of its kind in the world. The tunnel will be 479 meters long, and covered with 3,312 solar panels equipped with soundproofing capabilities to reduce noise pollution for surrounding residential areas. These panels will produce 830,000 kWh of electricity annually for more than 331 households, and absorb about 147 tons of carbon dioxide a year, similar to planting 26,250 trees. Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's urban infrastructure division, Kim Hak-jin, expressed their desire not only to reduce air pollution, but also build up the foundation for further growth of green energy in Korea.
Founded in 2010, EcoCreation is a Korean company running an environmentally friendly pyrolysis plant capable of extracting heating oil from waste plastics, which are usually otherwise buried or incinerated. Last year, they earned 3 billion won (~$2.8 million) in sales, and expect to make at least 10 billion won (~$9.4 million) this year. Plastic is boiled into gas, before being passed through a pipe of cold water and extracted as oil. When processing plastic, a variety of materials are added which can result in unclean oil. EcoCreation, however, is able to refine impurities out of the oil using their own self-developed solid ceramic catalyst.
