The Times 50 Best Inventions of 2010 - Click here for detail

The Online Electric Vehicle (dubbed OLEV) manufactured by the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology (KAIST) was included in the 50 Best Inventions of 2010 published by The Times, along with Apple’s iPad, Google’s Driverless Car, Sony’s Alpha A55 Camera and others. Also included was the English-Teaching Robot invented by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). The Times introduced the OLEV as an advanced green growth technology that could speed up the commercialization of electric cars. As for the robots, they can effectively teach young students how to pronounce English words; they can move in any direction, follow human facial expressions, and students actually enjoy interacting with this “cool” new staff. Read more about it!

Foreign Journalists Visit Jeju Island Click here for detail

20 Seoul-based foreign journalists on last November 19 and 20 visited Jeju Island as part of their press tour program sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. They had their first impressive encounter with Jeju haenyeo (sea women) who dive 20m deep into the ocean and collect sea products, holding their breath for as long as two minutes. The journalists also walked the famous Jeju Olle Road which exhibits a scenic view of cliffs and the sea. And of course, can’t forget the sumptuous meal composed of just-caught Jeju sea food and makgeolli. Read more about their Jeju trip!

Korean Grafted Cactus Fascinates the World - Click here for detail

The Rural Development Administration (RDA) exhibited its newly developed grafted cactus at the horticulture fair held last November 11. The Korean grafted cactus has been garnering excellent reviews from the worldwide horticulture market with its annual volume of export exceeding USD 2 million to over 30 countries. Contrary to the usual association of cactus (some thorny, misshapen, rough-looking plant standing under the scorching sun in the desert), Korean cactus comes in numerous splash colors (red, pink, yellow, orange etc) and sizes (a cute little cauliflower-like thing the size of your fist). Read more about it.

Korea on the Road to First Class - click here for detail

Chairwoman Lee Bae-Yong of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding gave a lecture on the subject of Korea’s nation branding for the KBS program “The Road to First Class.” Lee emphasized that Korea’s astounding growth in the 20th century was possible only because it was backed up by the country’s such timeless virtues as perseverance, cooperative and pacifist inclination, modesty, warmhearted regards for life and nature, harmony and sharing. Lee also stressed the importance of promoting historic and cultural heritages in raising Korea’s global status. Read more about it.