South Korea's Economy

South Korea might be a small country, but it has a great history and culture. South Korea is a homogeneous society and has over five-thousand years of history. In addition, although South Korea was attacked by surrounding countries during those five-thousand years, it has protected its country and culture. However, today I will talk in terms of South Korea’s economy. These days, Korea is considered one of the strongest economies in the world. South Korea became a member of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and held many major international events including the G20 Summit, and the 1988 Summer Olympics. |

In the past, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world fifty years ago. After going through the Korean War, most facilities were desolated. The country was left in ruin. No one expected South Korea’s development to prosper. However,  South Korean people didn’t give up their hope. They cooperated with each other and worked hard as much as they could. Everyone was dreaming of being citizens of a developed country, and their dream came true. For these efforts and desire, South Korea has developed into a powerhouse in a very short time. All of the people were surprised by South Korea’s amazing development. We called it ‘miracle of Han River’ like ‘Rhein River of miracle.’ In addition, a lot of South Korean corporations such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai have become international household names. At that time,  South Korea was considered one of the four dragons of Eastern Asia along with Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. South Korea became, is still a leader of the Asian economy. 

South Korea did have a hard time in 1998. The economy was getting worse and many kinds of figures such as growth rate and GDP dropped into the negative range. Finally, South Korea asked for help from the International Monetary Fund. Many people lost their jobs and suffered from the recession. However, South Korea showed amazing miracles again, the people united to help their country. Every South Korean collected their gold and donated it to the country to stimulate the economy. They showed a kind of miracle again and made the people ‘Miracles of Han River’ again. South Korea showed a great collective pride and power of union. For these efforts, South Korea was able to recover and bounced back again easily.

Of course, nowadays, South Korea’s economy doesn’t seem to look nice. By developing China’s economy, many kinds of industries will deal a serious blow to South Korea. However, South Korea will endure this situation and find a new breakthrough wisely, like showing an amazing miracle like those of the past.

Written by:  Suk Hyun Jung

WSU International Student

South Korea

  [출처] [06월 22일 수요일]-EBS- 입이 트이는 영어-입트영-내용요약 (컬컴 영어회화 영어 토론(culcom)) |작성자 ikkk

 [출처] [06월 22일 수요일]-EBS- 입이 트이는 영어-입트영-내용요약 (컬컴 영어회화 영어 토론(culcom)) |작성자 ikkk

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The Life of Malaysian Youth

There are many differences between American and Malaysian youth.  One differences about Malaysian youth is the “yumcha” session that we always go for. “Yumcha” is a Cantonese word, by translating it directly it means to drink tea; but what it really stands for is a time to hang out with friends. These “yumcha” sessions occur throughout the day, but mostly at night when most people are free. Most of the restaurants and cafes in Malaysia do not close until past midnight. The most popular place for these hang out sessions will be the Mamak stalls with their Roti Canai and Teh Tarik. Mamak, which refers to Muslim Indian stalls found in Malaysia. Roti Canai is a toasted Indian flat bread and is available with a variety to flavors, such as Roti Banana, Roti Telur (egg), Roti Bom (round shape flat bread with condensed milk and sugar) and more, that comes with curry. Teh Tarik is made of black tea and condensed milk from the pouring process “pulling”. Roti Canai is kind of similar to tortillas, except that it is crispy and flaky on the outside, fluffy and soft inside, larger in serving, and comes in a square or round shape. 

The next option for “yumcha”, or supper session, will be the Nasi Lemak, rice cooked with coconut cream and pandan (a type of fragrant leaf) with sambal (smashed chili paste), fried peanuts and fried ikan bilis (anchovies). On top of that, you have the option to add fried eggs or fried chicken or any other dish to your Nasi Lemak, making it go from delicious to heavenly.  Other than that, there are Taiwanese desert cafes, such as bubble tea or pearl milk tea (flavored tea with chewable black pearl balls) and Snowflake (flavored shaved ice with toppings), that are also really popular with the youth for “yumcha” sessions. And there are also the cafes with singers singing live music which are good choices for a hang out session too. So usually, the youth will have their frequent “yumcha” session with their group of friends at these places chatting, catching up with one another, playing games such as monopoly deal, cracking random jokes, just simply having a great time.

 However, the most distinct difference between Malaysia and the United States is that, youth, that are above the age of 18, are able to drink alcohol in Malaysia! Unlike the United States, where the minimum age to drink is 21, I am able to drink alcohol and go to the bars and clubs in Malaysia. Now that I am in the United States, it is illegal for me to drink alcohol-it's as if I have gone back in time and am 17 again. It's a bit of a culture shock. Other than the partying, and “yumcha” sessions, there is a whole lot more of other Malaysian youth culture yet to be mentioned, such as the games, the dances, and the activities we do. The best way to experience the life of Malaysian youth, is to visit Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur!

Written by: Jen Juan Wong

WSU International Student

Malaysia

New Dating Trend by using Tablet PC

Have you ever been on a blind date? If we enter the university, we will get a lot of opportunity to have a blind date in Korea. Actually, I have had a blind date 5 times. A blind date is a date between two people who have not previously met. You will look forward to meet a perfect match for you so you get dress up and go to the appointed place. But after meeting, presumably you are disappointed by your partner's character or personality because you didn't know well about her or him. If you get tired of this traditional blind date, I will tell you new way to meet your mate. 

A new way of finding romantic matches using tablet PCs installed at a bar in Seoul in Korea is catching on as young people find that technology enables them to overcome their reluctance to approach strangers.

The bar lends the digital hardware to each party of customers, who can communicate with people they take a shine to at other tables because of a special program that intra-links the tabs. They first talk on an instant messaging service, then move on to video chatting. Furthermore eventually, if all goes well, elect to share a table. 

Some customers have positive feedback. This is because at ordinary bars, people are reluctant to meet someone, because they can only judge them based on their looks, but this bar is great because we can talk online before they meet.

However not all of the customers leave satisfied, and fewer find their knight in shining armor or dream girl.

Others feel very uncomfortable. Many people often cut off their interlocutor mid-stream because the Internet allows them to short-circuit entrenched rules of social etiquette. 

Not only tab pc users but also smart phone users can meet strangers by using applications like "Hi there" and "who's here". As mentioned above, even if some people like to meet person with this way, other people are worried about negative effect such as sexual innuendo and meeting for enjoy. Therefore, we should carry out real-name system to overcome this problem. In addition, it will allow adults to use this way and be limited to minors by making adult certification. And then, this new dating way is used in accordance with the original purpose which is to find person who is good for me. 

Written by: Minjy Han

WSU International Student

South Korea

College Education in China

Compared to the American education system, the Chinese have a completely different system. It’s more strict and rigid than that in America. First of all, the Chinese college system divides universities into different standards of levels. These levels indicate strictly which university is good or bad. Therefore, this makes all high school students, who want a good studying environment, have to study hard to prepare for the National Admission Examination. Only if the students get a good score on this exam, and stand out among a large percentage of participants, they could have a chance to get into their preferred university. 

Secondly, students who are studying in colleges are not as free as students that are in America, because they don’t have choices on what courses they are majoring in. Their college of choice has already arranged all the courses for each certain major- the Chinese student doesn't get a choice in choosing classes.

                

Thirdly, there is a totally different grading system which gives a different leading on how to study, and when to study. In a Chinese college, students always study very, very hard when finals are coming, because the final exam is what determines the grade a student will get for each class. If a student gets below 60 percent on their exam, they fail that course and have to take the exam the following year.

              

 Lastly, it’s rare to see students having a double-major, because when students apply for colleges, they can only choose one certain major that they can get into. All in all, the Chinese have a very specific college education system. But, personally, I think the Chinese college educational system needs to be improved. 

Written by:  Jiayi Liu

WSU International Student

China

The War Against Gas Prices

          

When it comes to gas prices increases, the least said about it the better. For a country that suffers from lots of economic hardships, the news of the discovery of gas reserves in Ghana came as a huge relief to Ghanaians. Ghanaians were made to believe that with this discovery there was going to a reduction in gas prices and therefore an overall drop in standard of living. With the advent of the 2008 election campaign, promises were made by the incumbent government to reduce prices of gas. The politics of gas prices is a never ending battle in Ghana. A multi-party state with two main oppositions, the NPP (New Patriotic Party) and the NDC (National Democratic Congress) between who power is changed every four years. These political parties use gas prices to do politics promising during their campaigns to reduce prices of gas but do the exact opposite when elected but in the bid to be re-elected they lower prices.

       

As of the 4^th of January, 2012 gas prices saw a 15% increase with the price of gallon of gas being $1.348. To an American that might not seem like a lot of money but converting it to the local currency, it is enough money to provide a person with almost three square meals. So why Ghanaians concerned with are increase gas prices? First of all the per capita income for a family is really low and most Ghanaians are not so well to do. Many depend on public transport to go on with their day to day activity. An increase in gas prices means an increase in bus fares and an increase in goods and services available.

   

In the defense of the government, gas prices are subsidized but the government is under intense pressure to pay off debts owed by the country whilst making sure that the country is running well in terms of its finances. The recent increase according to the government is as a result of following the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). I believe the way forward is for the government to be straight forward with Ghanaians in regards to how and why gas prices are increased. People are still going to complain whenever gas prices are increased but really who doesn’t? My only problem is that the politics of gas prices needs to end because no political party really has the power to control how prices of gases are regulated.

Written by: Nadia Koranteng

WSU International Student

Ghana

Bangladesh and Climate Change

The beautiful tropical weather, the picturesque natural forests, the longest beach in the world, and the committed hospitality of the people are just a few reasons among many why Bangladesh is such an inviting place to be in. Furthermore, the existence of a diverse culture that consists of many traditional practices, most of which have a long history, is a delight that is worth experiencing not just for foreigners but also those who are born and brought up here. However, the other side of the coin reveals that Bangladesh is a country with a lot of problems. These problems encompass various social, economic, and political issues. The poor economic stability, high population number, and high illiteracy rate are just a few of the problems. But it can be safe to say that the recent concern with climate change and global warming is all set to overshadow most other problems that can bring about dire consequences to the country as a whole.

Before going over the effects of climate change on Bangladesh, it would be appropriate to concisely explain the reason for Bangladesh’s vulnerability to global warming. Bangladesh is a low lying deltaic country with over 200 rivers. These rivers are a source of vital natural resource but are also susceptible to slight climatic changes. Thus the problem of flooding and drought already exists. The country’s geographical position makes it a magnet to tropical cyclones and hence the problem of a vulnerable coastline is also already there. Moving on to social vulnerability, approximately fifty percent of the 144 million population lives below the poverty line. This indicates that people can barely gather their own food let alone owning a house or adapt to tackle a disaster. This makes them most vulnerable to any natural disasters. Under these circumstances, the last thing needed is the deepening of the crisis.

Global Warming is causing a rise in sea level. A predicted increase in sea level of 1 meter will inundate 17% of Bangladesh coastline. The intruding saline water will halt agriculture production in massive areas and cause food shortages. The relocation of coastal people will be difficult, extremely expensive and virtually impossible. It is likely that such problems will have a ‘chain effect’ on the social, economic, and environmental dimension. To put it shortly, they would add fuel to the fire and deeply aggravate the existing poverty issue. What this means is that millions of poor people barely hanging on to their lives will no longer survive, literally speaking.

On the global scene, there have been important developments regarding the global warming issue. The climate conferences involving the developed and developing countries have tried to work towards collective mitigation and adaption measures. There has also been talk about compensation to least prepared countries. Diplomatic efforts from Bangladesh have been made to highlight the fact on its vulnerability to climate change. One such interesting and a vital point that has been raised, is the liability of the richer nations. Based on scientific studies, Bangladesh’s contribution to global warming is very insignificant, yet it is set to bear the worst effects.  This introduces an ethical aspect to the debate. So far, progress has been made on paper only. Unless this is translated into actual work, millions of people are looking at a bleak future.

Written by: Shah Mohammad Raiaan

WSU International Student

Bangladesh