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2013년 11월 28일 목요일

CNN 선정 한국의 세계 최고 10가지: 10 things South Korea does better than anywhere else

10 things South Korea does better than anywhere else

By Frances Cha, CNN
updated 10:02 PM EST, Wed November 27, 2013

(CNN) -- For such a small country -- it ranks 109th in the world for total area, right behind Iceland -- South Korea sure is in the news a lot. Occasionally that news is grim -- something to do with a troublesome cousin across the border. Sometimes it's pure mainstream pop -- a bunch of cute singers taking down Lady Gaga on the world stage. Sometimes it's just plain astonishing -- no one throws out the first pitch at a baseball game with as much panache as South Koreans. From the weird to the wonderful to sci-fi stuff from a Samsung galaxy far, far away, here are things South Korea pulls off more spectacularly than anywhere else.



The most wired country in the world, South Korea has 82.7% Internet penetration, a virtual supermarket, GPS machines in every cab, digital countdowns at bus stops and a super-cool curved smart TV from Samsung (pictured).

1. Wired culture
Want to see what the future looks like?
Book a ticket to the country with a worldwide high 82.7% Internet penetration and where 78.5% of the entire population is on smartphones.
Among 18 to 24 year olds, smartphone penetration is 97.7%.
The world's first "virtual supermarket" opened inside a subway station in South Korea in 2011.
While they're chatting away on emoticon-ridden messenger apps such as Naver Line or Kakao Talk, South Koreans also use their smartphones to pay at shops, watch TV (not Youtube but real-time channels) on the subway and scan QR codes at the world's first virtual supermarket.
Hyundai plans on rolling out a car that starts with your smartphone in 2015.
Samsung in the meantime has been designing a curved phone.
Crazy displays of technology already in place but not yet distributed can be seen (by appointment) at T.um, Korea's largest telecom company SK Telecom's future technology museum.

2. Whipping out the plastic
South Koreans became the world's top users of credit cards two years ago, making 129.7 transactions per person in 2011, compared with 77.9 transactions per person in the United States.
South Koreans became the world's top users of credit cards two years ago, according to data from the Bank of Korea.
While Americans made 77.9 credit card transactions per person in 2011 and Canadians made 89.6, South Koreans made 129.7.
It's technically illegal for any merchant in the country to refuse credit cards, no matter how low the price, and all cabs have credit card machines.
All that flying plastic makes Seoul one of our top shopping cities in the world.

3. Workaholics
According to 2012 data from South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance, South Koreans work 44.6 hours per week, compared to the OECD average of 32.8. You can see it in any Korean city, where lights in buildings blaze into the late hours as workaholics slave away.
South Koreans are so used to studying -- the country has the highest education level in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, with 98% of the population completing secondary education and 63% with a college education -- they can't get out of the habit once they reach the work force.
According to this quirky map from thedoghousediaries, Brazil sets the standard for FIFA World Cup titles and North Korea leads in "censorship," but South Korea takes the crown for workaholics.
You can see it in any Korean city, where lights in buildings blaze into the late hours as workers slave away.
According to 2012 data from South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance, South Koreans work 44.6 hours per week, compared with the OECD average of 32.8.

4. Business boozing
While many leading companies are trying to curb the working/drinking culture, there are still plenty of bosses who drag their teams out for way too many rounds of soju/beer/whiskey "bombs." Jinro soju (Korean distilled rice liquor) was the world's best-selling liquor last year, for the eleventh year in a row.
When they're not working, Koreans are celebrating their latest deals or drowning their sorrows in soju.
While many leading companies are trying to curb the working/drinking culture, there are still plenty of bosses who drag their teams out for way too many rounds of soju/beer/whiskey "bombs."
Those who opt out are considered rude or hopelessly boring.
Yes, Japan and a few other countries can stake reasonable claims to this title, but South Korea has stats to back up the barroom brag.
Jinro soju was the world's best-selling liquor last year, for the eleventh year in a row, with its home country accounting for most of the sales.
The South Korean distilled rice liquor manufacturer outsold Smirnoff vodka, which came in second by 37.48 million cases.

5. Innovative cosmetics
Creams using volcanic clay, fermented soybeans, snail guts ... South Korea's obsession with beauty fuels a massive cosmetics industry. The country is also the world's largest market for men's cosmetics -- we're not judging, just reporting.
When it comes to makeup and cosmetics, South Koreans can't stop experimenting with ingredients or methods of application.
Snail creams (moisturizers made from snail guts) are so 2011.
Now it's all about Korean ingredients such as Innisfree's Jeju Island volcanic clay mask and fermented soybean moisturizer.
At VDL, Korea's latest trendy cosmetics line, products change monthly.
Right now, they're pushing "hair shockers" -- neon tints for hair -- and nail polish with real flowers in it.
Just as Korean men are less wary of going under the plastic surgery knife (see point 10) than their foreign counterparts, they also snap up skincare products and, yes, even makeup, namely foundation in the form of BB cream.
South Korea is by far the largest market for men's cosmetics, with Korean men buying a quarter of the world's men's cosmetics -- around $900 million a year, according to Euromonitor.

The world\'s top-ranked female golder, South Korea\'s Inbee Park.
The world's top-ranked female golder, South Korea's Inbee Park.



6. Female golfers
The Economist posed a million-dollar question earlier this year.
"Why are Korean women so good at golf?"
The rankings are staggering.
Of the top 100 female golfers in the world, 38 are Korean. Of the top 10, four are Korean.
Inbee Park, 25, is the top-ranked player in women's golf and was the youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Open.
Of the top 100 female golfers in the world, 38 are Korean. Of the top 10, four are Korean. Pictured here after winning the 2012 Evian Masters Golf Tournament, Inbee Park is the top-ranked player in women's golf.
In January, Lydia Ko, 14, set the record for the youngest woman to ever win a professional golf tournament.
Chalk it up to crazy Korean competitiveness or to the Tiger Mom/Dad theory (golfer Se-Ri Pak's father is infamous for making her sleep alone in a cemetery every night to steel her nerves), but the phenomenon certainly begs study.
Widely thought to be a response to Korean domination of the sport, the U.S.-based LPGA passed a requirement in 2008 mandating that its members must learn to speak English, or face suspension.
7. Starcraft
In South Korea, Starcraft is actually a career -- a potentially lucrative one, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings and endorsements possible. The game is so popular that the country was selected as test market for Starcraft 2.
One country's hopeless nerds are among another's highest earning celebrities.
Starcraft is actually a legitimate career in South Korea, with pro gamers raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings in addition to endorsements.
Since the game launched in 1998, nearly half of all games have been sold in South Korea, where boys, girls, men and women drop by for a night of gaming in giant video game parlors.
There are cable channels devoted solely to the games, and the culture has led to approximately 14% of Koreans between ages 9 and 12 suffering from Internet addiction, according to the National Information Agency.
To try to crack down, the government passed a ban dubbed the "shutdown law" or "Cinderella law" two years ago, prohibiting anyone 16 and younger from game websites. The ban has been widely ignored.

8. Flight attendants
Korean airlines' flight attendant training centers are the global charm schools of the aviation world. Flight attendants from airlines around the world come to learn airborne manners.
Flight attendants from airlines around the world come to Korean airlines' training centers to learn proper airborne charm.
Ask anyone who's ever flown a Korean airline and dare them to say the service isn't the best they've ever had.
It's not just the sweet smiles that greet every little request, but the almost comical looks of suicidal despair when they somehow run out of bibimbap in the row before yours.

9. Blind dates
In Korea, blind dates aren't just horror stories, they're a way of life. There are 2,500 matchmaking companies in the country.
"When's your next sogeting (blind date)?"
That's one of the most frequently asked questions of any Korean single.
The standard answer is the epic horror story that was the last blind date, often involving a crippling Oedipus complex or intolerable physical flaw.
Followed immediately by a chirpy, "Why, do you know someone you can set me up with?"
Due to the high volume of blind dates, when Korean make up their minds, they move quickly.
According to data compiled by South Korea's largest matchmaking company, Duo, the average length of time of a relationship from the (blind) first date to marriage is approximately 10.2 months for working people, with an average of 62 dates per couple.
In a survey conducted by Duo, working singles interested in marriage say they typically go on two blind dates a week.
They should know. Of the top four matchmaking companies in Korea (there are 2,500 companies in the country), Duo has a 63.2% marketshare.

The ad reads: \
The ad reads: "The plastic surgery clinic your mom chose for you."
10. Plastic surgery
Whether it's a lantern jaw, wide forehead or long teeth, there's no feature doctors can't beautify in the Asian capital for cosmetic surgery.
Russians, Chinese, Mongolians and Japanese flock to South Korea on plastic surgery "medical tours," not only for the skill of the surgeons, but for the good deals.
"An average -- not excellent -- face-lift in the United States will set you back about $10,000," Seoul National University Hospital plastic surgeon Kwon Seung-taik told CNN. "But in Korea you can get the same service for $2,000 or $3,000."

2013년 11월 24일 일요일

주왕산 국립공원 단풍

주왕산 국립공원 단풍에 취하다                                                                                       정해유photo260

▲  매년 이맘때 쯤이면  주산지는 자연이 그린 동양화들이 전시 중이다. 렌즈를 들이대면 한폭의 산수화가 그려진다. 단풍,물,안개,어둠과 반영을 소재로 주산지 켐퍼스에 그려대는 자연의 그림은 입체적이고 환상 그 자체이다. 경상북도 청송군 부동면 이전리 외주왕산 별바위골 주산지에는 많게는 300년, 적게는 100여년 된 왕 버드나무들이 호젖한 산속 호수가에 몸의 반을 물속에 담그고 자라 다른 곳에는 볼 수 없는 풍광으로 영상미가 아름다워 영화,드라마의 배경지로, 사진마니아들의 촬영지로 사랑받는 곳이다. 주산지는 사진마니아들이 가장 가보고 싶어하는 곳으로 사철 사진마니아들의 발길이 이어진다. 특히 가을철에는 전국의 사진마니아들이 찾아 들어 주말은 차천지 사람천지이고 주중에도 문전성시를 이룬다.


▲  한낮에 보는 주산지는 산중 작은 저수지에 불과하지만, 만추 여명기의 주산지는 환상적인 모습으로 변신한다. 단풍,거울같은 수면의 반영,모락모락 피오르는 물안개 3박자가 어우러져야 .....그런데 물안개는 날이면 날마다 피오른 것이 아니고 그날의 기상에 따라 달라진다.
원거리서 밤새 달려온 진사들이 이것을 보러 왔다가 물안개가 피지 않아 함숨 짓는 경우가 허다하다.

 ▲  주산지 반영과 약한 물안개

 ▲  거울같은 내려앉은 별바위 산그늘


 ▲  주산지 전망대의 한낮

 ▲  주산지 반영. 단풍이 물에 비쳐 수채화 물감을 푼 듯하다.

 ▲  가을이 내려앉은 주산지

 ▲  곱개 물든 주산지 단풍

 ▲  절골계곡 들머리 2013.10.30 
 한폭의 산수화 주왕산 절골협곡(峽谷)의 비경주왕산 국립공원 남동쪽 주산지옆에 위치한 주왕산 절골은 주방천계곡에 비해 규모는 작으나, 풍광 자체는 주방천 계곡보다 더 뛰어나다. 주왕산하면 기암과 주방천을 연상하게 되고 주왕산을 찾는 사람들은 대부분 주방천으로 몰려, 늘 절골계곡은 한갓진 계곡이다. 약 10여 ㎞에 달하는 계곡 따라 맑은 물이 사시사철 흐르고 기암괴봉과 울창한 수림으로 둘러싸여 있어 마치 별천지에 들어선 듯한 느낌을 준다. 주왕산 절골계곡은 아직까지 인공이 가미되지 않은 자연 그대로인 시쳇말로 웰빙 그 자체이다. 절골계곡은 관리사무소를 지나면서 시작되는데,  5분 정도 숲길을 오르면 좁고 험한 골짜기인 절골협곡(峽谷)을 만난다. 절골은 초입부터 비경으로 다가온다. 기암괴봉, 오색 단풍, 벽계수가 어우러져 한폭의 그림속에 빠진듯한 착각을 하게 된다. 계류에 축 늘어진 빨간 단풍가지, 단풍에 불게 물든 웅덩이의 맑은 물, 단풍비를 맞으며,  낙엽을 밟으며 한걸음 한걸음 한적한 계곡을 걷노라면 신선에 온듯한 느낌을 받는다. 이곳에는 그 흔한 간이매점, 화장실도 볼 수 없는 천연 그대로의 계곡이어서, 서너군데 설치된 목책다리만 없다면 여기가 국립공원이 맞나 할 정도로 원시적 자연미 그대로이다.


 ▲  신이 그린듯한 한폭의 산수화같은 절골의 가을.2013.10.30

 ▲  2013.10.30   한 폭의 산수화를 보는듯한 절골계곡의 단풍

 ▲  2013.10.30   기암괴석,단풍이 아름다운 절골계곡

 ▲  2013.10.30   절골계곡의 단풍이 절정을 이루고 있다.

 ▲  2013.10.30   단풍,갈대,기암괴석이 어우러진  절골계곡 가을

 ▲  2013.10.30   가을이 곱게 내려앉은 절골

 ▲  2013.10.30   오르는 길목마다 가을이 무르익는 절골

 ▲ 주왕산 대전사 가을. 
주왕이 신라의 마장군과 싸울 때 군량미처럼 보이기 위해 낱가리를 둘렸다는 기암을 배경으로 앉은 대전사는 한폭의 그림이다.대전사는 대한불교조계종 제10교구 본사인 은해사의 말사로 672년 의상이 창건한 고찰로, 경내에는 보광전(普光殿)과 명부전·산령각·요사채 등이 있고, 유물로는 보광전 앞 삼층석탑 2기와 사적비·부도 등이 남아 있다.  임진왜란때는 사명당이 승군을 모아 훈련시켰던 곳으로도 유명하며 명나라의 장수 이여송이 사명대사에게 보낸 친필의 목판이 소장되어 있는 곳이기도 하다.


 ▲  주왕산  급수대 
 급수대는 망월대에서 50m지점에 위치해 있으며 신라37대 선덕왕이  후예가 없어서 무열왕 6대손인 상재 김주원을 38대왕으로 중대 및 각부대신들이 추대하였는데 즉위 직전에 돌연 김경신이 왕위에   오르고자 내란을 일으킴으로 김주원이 왕위를 양보하고 석병산으로   은신하여 대궐을 건립한 곳이다.대궐터는 급수대 정상이라고 전해지며 지금도 유적이 남아있다.  김주원이 대궐을 건립하여 은둔생활을 할 당시 산상에는 샘이  없었으므로 계곡의 물을 퍼올려서 식수로 하였으므로 급수대라 부르게 되었다 한다.급수대앞 오솔길을 지나노라면 계곡쪽으로 기울어진 깍아지른 절벽이 금새 무너질듯하여 식은 땀조차 흐르게 된다.


 ▲  2006.10.30  주왕산 시루봉
주왕산 시루봉은 그 생김새가 떡을 찌는 시루같아서 시루봉이라 불리우는데  밑바닥에서 불을 때면 연기가 시루봉 전체를 감싸면서 봉우리 위로  치솟는다고 한다.옛날 어느 겨울철 도사가 이바위 위에서 공부를 하고 있었는데 신선이  와서 불을 지펴 주었다는 전설을 간직하고 있으며 멀리서 보면 마음씨   좋은 할아버지처럼 보인다.고로 얼굴산이라고도 부른다.



조선일보 입력: 2013-11-02 12:18:49

2013년 11월 22일 금요일

인도네시아 시나붕산의 화산 폭발: The Eruptions of Mount Sinabung

In Indonesia's North Sumatra province, Mount Sinabung, a 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) tall volcano, has erupted several times over the past few days, spewing massive clouds of superheated gas and ash into the sky, and down its slopes in deadly pyroclastic flows. Sinabung has been active off and on since September, following a re-awakening in 2010, after more than 400 years of dormancy. Thousands of villagers and farmers living nearby have been evacuated, hoping to be able to return home soon.


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A woman looks on as Mount Sinabung s  A woman looks on as Mount Sinabung spews ash, viewed from Sibintun village in Karo district, Indonesia's north Sumatra province, on November 18, 2013. Mount Sinabung continued to spew volcanic ash throwing a plume 8,000 meters into the atmosphere on Monday as thousands of residents remained in temporary shelters fearful of more eruptions. (Reuters/Roni Bintang)

Indonesian farmers rush to harvest crops in the district of Karo as an ash cloud rises during a fresh eruption of the Mount Sinabung volcano, on September 17, 2013. Thousands of villagers fled after Mount Sinabung's series of volcanic eruptions on Indonesia's Sumatra island, spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto surrounding villages, officials said. (Sutanta Aditya/AFP/Getty Images) 

Trees and vegetation are covered with volcanic ash in the Karo district of Indonesia's Sumatra island, on November 5, 2013, after the eruption of Mount Sinabung volcano. (Kharisma Tarigan/AFP/Getty Images)

A kitten sits on the roof of a house that is covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Mardingding, North Sumatra, on November 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

This picture made with slow shutter speed shows Mount Sinabung spewing volcanic ash as seen from Tiga Pancur, North Sumatra, on November 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Sinabung erupts and throws hot gas into the air, in Karo, North Sumatra, on November 6, 2013. Hundreds of residents have been evacuated to safer areas as the volcano erupted anew following September eruptions. (Atar/AFP/Getty Images)

A hand print on the hood of a car covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Tiga Nderket village, North Sumatra, on November 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) 

Mount Sinabung! Volcano in Indonesia Has Third Eruption

Refugees sleep inside a church set up as a temporary evacuation center on November 15, 2013 in Karo district. Up to 4,300 residents have been evacuated from five villages in North Sumatra due to the volcanic eruptions of Mount Sinabung. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Pyroclastic flows race down the slope of Mount Sinabung as it spews volcanic materials, viewed from Beras Tiga Pancur, North Sumatra, on November 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Dedy Zulkifli)

Villagers ride a motorcycle on a road covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Kuta Mbaru, North Sumatra, on November 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Mafa Yuli Ramadani)

Students wear masks to protect from airborne volcanic ash, as they play with hula hoops at an elementary school in Sukandebi, North Sumatra, on November 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) 

Students walk through fields covered by ash from Sinabung, as they return home at Kuta Rakyat village in Karo district, on November 8, 2013. (Reuters/Roni Bintang)

A flower blossoms from vegetation covered with volcanic ash after an eruption of Mount Sinabung in Mardingding, North Sumatra, on November 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

A man uses his mobile phone as Mount Sinabung continues to erupt, with hot gas spewing from the volcano, in the Karo district, on November 18, 2013. (Sutanta Aditya/AFP/Getty Images)

The ash from Sinabung volcano covers trees and houses at Mardingding village in Karo district, on November 5, 2013.(Reuters/Roni Bintang)

A puppy sits in abandoned Mardinding village, located just less than three kilometers from mount Sinabung on November 15, 2013 in Sumatra's Karo district. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Mount Sinabung spews ash and gas, photographed from Berastagi village in Karo district, on November 14, 2013.(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Mount Sinabung spews a column of hot gas and ash skyward, as seen from Tigapancur village in Karo district, on November 14, 2013.(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)


Lightning strikes as Mount Sinabung volcano spews ash and hot lava, at Simpang Empat village in Karo district, on September 18, 2013.(Reuters/YT Haryono)