 |
|
| |
31 December 2010
|
|
Hamel Year 2010
|
This section includes some of the main press articles covering Hamel related events. It is only a selection, and does not represent all the press articles written in international newspapers, magazines and on internet sites.
In the section "Media" Korean version you can find many more articles with various photos which were published in Korean newspapers and on news related websites. |
| |
|
17 December 2010
|
|
Award Ceremony at Donga Ilbo
|
 In celebration of the great succes of the exhibition titled "The Age of Rembrandt: 17th Century Paintings", Donga Daily Newspaper extended its gratitude to the people who contributed to the exhibition on December 16.
Photo (from left to right): Mrs. Laurencina Farrant-Lee, representative of Laurence Geoffrey's Ltd. and co-organizer;The two main sponsors: Mr. Frank Koster, vice-president of ING Life Insurance and Mr. Hendrik Koets, Deputy Head of the Royal Netherlands Embassy; and Mrs, Choi Eun-ju, Director of the Deoksu Palace Museum.
Source: Donga Ilbo, 17-12-2010 |
| |
|
16 August 2010
|
|
[Herald FOCUS]Dutch ladies come to life at Deoksu Palace
|
Date: 16 August 2010
Source: Korea Herald
Reporter: Iris Moon
Friday marked the opening of "The Age of Rembrandt: 17th Century Dutch Painting," at the National Museum of Art, Deoksu Palace. The museum, located at the far end of the old palace grounds, was filled with a tizzy of viewers eager to get a glimpse at these masterworks, and a taste of the well-catered reception.
The Korea Herald managed to catch a few words with the impeccably dressed Dutch Ambassador to Korea, H.E. Hein de Vries, and Rik van Koetsveld, Deputy Director of The Hague's Mauritshuis, home museum of the works.
"This is the first time that these master paintings from the 17th century traveled to Korea. I'm very happy to bring this kind of ancient and very fantastic art to Korea," said de Vries, who had just seen off former First Lady Lee Hee-ho, who attended the opening.
Part of the "Year of Hamel" events, the 50 works of the exhibit are arranged in the darkened rooms of the museum's first floor. The gilded frames and elegant portraits seemed like guests of honor, lending the building a regal air.
"They're our old ladies," said van Koetsveld, describing the 300 to 400-year-old pieces. Despite their age, van Koetsveld, who traveled from the Netherlands for the exhibit, didn't seem at all worried about their condition.
"These paintings are not only good quality in the sense of art, but they are also good quality in terms of craftsmanship. They used good quality linen and wooden panels," he said.
The paintings offered a diverse range of themes from 17th century Dutch life. What was also apparent, besides the technical and artistic skills of the painters, was a societal skill, one still lacking in many parts of the world today.
"(The Netherlands) were not an empire or kingdom - they were, what you call a civil society, with merchants and traders and shipping people," he said.
Just as this is a characteristic that still remains in the country, van Koetsveld also pointed out that some things in the landscape haven't changed either. In Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde's painting of The Hague, he pointed out the Mauritshuis, which still sits on the water.
"In that turret there, that's the prime minister's office. He's our neighbor," he said, smiling.
Dutch people nowadays might be known for their frugality, but some of the exhibit's tabletop still-lifes, filled with glistening goblets, delicious game and fruit bespoke of a dazzling past, one that perhaps Koreans living in the pre-financial crisis era could identify with.
"You have to remember that this was the height of our power. We were a very important trading nation. So with a lot of trading and exploring other parts of the world, we became very wealthy people. They started to spend their money to show that they were well-off. It was a very special period. Afterwards, the Dutch are known to be thrifty," said de Vries.
The ambassador, who ends his tenure in Korea Aug. 21, emphasized however that like Hendrick Hamel, the Dutch still enjoy a sense of adventure and exploration. Next stop for de Vries is a post in Iran.
Despite the wealth and power displayed on the walls, van Koetsveld said that these painters focused on graver subjects as well.
Turning to Pieter Claesz's still-life of a skull on a table, he said, "It makes the viewer aware of the fact that life has an end."
So too, did the party come to an end, as the food and wine dwindled and the people dispersed.
Yet the delicate white skin of Ruben's "Portrait of a Young Woman" still seemed to glisten and heave with life.
(imoon@heraldm.com)
|
| |
|
15 August 2010
|
|
Photo of the Ship Hamel
|
 Date: 15 August
Source: Korea Times
Visitors look around an outdoor exhibition gallery constructed in memory of Hendrick Hamel, the Dutch ¡®discoverer¡¯ of Korea, who landed on Cheju Island in 1653. The gallery officially opens today. Yonhap
|
| |
|
10 August 2010
|
|
Hamel¡¯s Journal Comes to Jeju National Museum
|
Date: 10 August 2010
Source: Korea Herald
Reporter: Joon Soh
The journal that the Dutch sailor Hendrik Hamel kept for 13 years after he and 35 other crewmen were shipwrecked off the coast of Cheju Island in 1653 is being displayed at the Jeju National Museum. It is the first time for the celebrated document to be made public.
The journal is among 250 artifacts included in the exhibition, which focuses on the history of sailors from other countries who were shipwrecked here. The show opened on Aug. 8 and will continue until Oct. 12.
The exhibition is in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of Hamel¡¯s arrival in Korea. The Dutch Embassy declared this year Hamel Year 2010, and has organized various cultural events throughout the nation.
As part of the exhibit, the museum will invite Ambassador of The Netherlands Hein de Vries to give a special lecture, as well as hold a seminar for historians from the Netherlands, Japan and here.
Hamel was part of the crew of the Dutch ship Sperwer (Sparrowhawk), which was shipwrecked on Cheju Island. His journal of his 13-year stay in the country was later published as ``Hamel¡¯s Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea.¡¯¡¯ However, the original has not been displayed until now. |
| |
|
4 August 2010
|
|
Dutch Ambassador Finishing a Strong Round
|
 Date: 4 August 2010
Source: Chosun Ilbo
Reporter: Choi Woo-seok (wschoi@chosun.com)
How many Korean golfers would believe a man who says he has been using the same clubs for 40 years?
The Dutch ambassador to South Korea Hein de Vries says he has been doing just that, and that his clubs are now actually 60 years old. His mother bought him the set second-hand when he was 13 years old and beginning to learn how to play golf, he explained. The clubs are so old that they are worth $1,000 as antiques.
He is a good golfer, with a handicap of nine. When the subject of the handicap was brought up, de Vries raised his voice saying that he didn't blame his clubs for his poor record. His puzzled look said that he didn't understand Korean golfers who change clubs frequently.
Golf is not a game to hit the ball far but a game to hit straight. Golfers in old times recorded, with old clubs, scores comparable to what Tiger Woods does now on identical courses.
The golf clubs de Vries proudly pulls out look like they belong in an antique shop. His irons are rusty and his three-wood almost broken. He has eight putters - all second-hand, bought at the Dongdaemun market for W10,000 ($8) to W20,000.
Shortly after he came to Korea, de Vries was astonished when he saw expensive brand-new golf equipment and clothes filling entire sections of department stores. Meanwhile, he still golfs in the same "golfwear" he did 10 years ago.
The Dutch usually use goods until they are broken, de Vries claimed. Holland's national income is more than $20,000. There were other "antiques" at the ambassador's residence: His second-hand car bought here Korea for W500,000; suits inherited from his father; 20-30-year-old dress shirts and a 20-year-old tennis racket. He has even repaired his father's shoes and wears them. But don't misunderstand - he doesn't look cheap.
You should be proud of using goods long time, the ambassador insisted. People these days, whether from the West or East, tend to go after new goods to an excessive degree, he said.
De Vries learned golf in Suriname in Latin America. His father was the viceroy of Suriname, then a colony of the Netherlands. His uncle was the owner of a golf course there. Because he learned to play the game strictly, he has a lot to say about Korean golfers' etiquette.
"You have to go by the rules until you reach 18th hole," he said. "Golf is a game in which you should overcome yourself. You try to control yourself for four hours. During a round you can chat with other golfers but you should also concentrate on your game at the same time."
De Vries term in Korea is up Aug. 21. His most refreshing memories about the peninsula, he said, will be the World Cup Games and events related to the Dutch sailor Hamel. He said that due to the World Cup Games, Holland has become the most familiar Western Europe country to the Koreans. Due to Guus Hiddink, every Korean child has come to know who Hamel is, he explained. He said that due to the World Cup games, combined with the history of Hamel, who drifted onto Jeju Island 350 years ago, relations between Korea and Holland were revived and stimulated practically overnight. It was a diplomat's dream come true, he said.
Also, he will remember Korea because of taekwondo. He has trained in the martial art an hour a day since he came to Korea. He began Taekwondo to try something new but now it has become a part of his life, he said.
De Vries majored in law in university and worked for the United Nations and Unicef. He will leave for a new post in Iran after taking a vacation in his homeland. |
| |
|
25 July 2010
|
|
Hamel's Manuscript To Be Displayed
|
Date: 25 July 2010
Source: Digital Chosun Ilbo
Reporter: Lee Seon-Min (smlee@chosun.com)
The Jeju National Museum will present a special exhibition to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Hendrik Hamel's arrival on Jeju Island.
"The History of Voyage and Castaway," will open Aug. 8 and feature the original manuscript of Hamel's journal, which later became the basis for a book describing the kingdom of Korea from 1653 to 1666. The manuscript will be leased from the national archive of the Netherlands for the first time ever.
After 14 years in Korea, Hamel returned to the Netherlands in 1668 and submitted the journal to his employer, the Dutch East Indian Company, in order to receive his wages for the period. Based on the manuscript, "Hamel's Journal" was published in Amsterdam and Rotterdam later that year and Europe began to learn about Korea.
The exhibition of the handwritten manuscript will be the first public display of the valuable document. |
| |
|
25 July 2010
|
|
We onderhandelen zelfs over de hoogte van de stoelpoten
|
 Source: Trouw www.trouw.nl
Date: 25 July 2010
Reporter: Ms. Eun-mi Postma
Nederland is een van de landen die toezicht houdt op het bestand tussen Noord- en Zuid-Korea. Volgens Hendrik Koets, de tweede man op de ambassade, is in contact blijven al een opgave.
How to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, how to lose 10 pounds in a week.
Noord-Korea probeert voortdurend gaten te schieten in het Koreaanse wapenstilstand-verdrag van de Verenigde Naties. Maar Hendrik Koets, de tweede man van de Nederlandse ambassade in de Zuid-Koreaanse hoofdstad Seoul, blijft optimistisch. ,,Want zolang er gepraat wordt, wordt er niet echt geschoten'', is zijn overtuiging. De ondertekening van dit verdrag tussen Noord-Korea en de geallieerden wordt zondag groots herdacht, waarbij ook minister Kamp van Defensie en Oud-Korea Strijders aanwezig zullen zijn.
Nederland is een van de tien landen die namens de VN sinds 1999 toezicht houdt op dit bestand. Samen met andere landen als Engeland, Colombia, Australi?en Frankrijk, komen de diplomaten wekelijks bij elkaar om eventuele grensschendingen te bespreken. Er wordt gesproken over het recente schietincident in de gedemilitariseerde zone, over de repatriatie van gevallen soldaten en over het lot van Noord-Koreaanse vluchtelingen. Maar ook veel over logistieke problemen. Zoals het doortrekken van de spoorlijn tussen Noord- en Zuid-Korea.
De historische ondertekening vond plaats plek in het 'fake-dorp' Panmunjom, in de gedemilitariseerde zone. Hier vormen de drie blauwe gebouwen, de kleur van de VN, het centrale middelpunt, omdat hier precies de grens tussen beide Korea's loopt. Al vijftig jaar lang, vinden in deze gebouwen de wekelijkse besprekingen plaats tussen de Noord-Koreaanse en de geallieerde delegatie, bestaande uit een Amerikaan, een Zuid-Koreaan en een diplomaat van een ander land. ,,Het is een tijdrovende bezigheid, want de Noord-Koreanen kunnen vergaderingen afzeggen om niets.'' Het zijn de bekende tactieken om de tegenpartij uit het veld te slaan. Er is een wapenstilstand, maar geen vrede. De strijd wordt nu gevoerd met andere middelen. Zo waren er drie vergaderingen voor nodig om de Noord-Koreaanse delegatie ervan te overtuigen dat de stoelen aan hun zijde echt niet lager waren dan die aan de zijde van de geallieerden. ,,Of er werd getwist over het onderhoud van het grindpad dat tussen de blauwe gebouwen loopt'', zegt Koets met een glimlach. ,,We blijven er rustig onder.''
Dat besluiten, hoe klein dan ook, moeizaam tot stand komen, lijkt Koets niet te frustreren. ,,Belangrijk is te realiseren dat dit het enige communicatiekanaal is dat we hebben met Noord-Korea. Dus is het van het grootste belang dit kanaal open te houden. Daarnaast is er alles aan gelegen om in VN-verband te profileren, want niet alleen is dit bestand gebaseerd op VN-mandaat, maar ook is gebleken dat incidenten kunnen worden opgelost door bemiddeling van de VN. Zoals bij het conflict in de Gele Zee, vorig jaar, waarbij een Noord-Koreaans schip een Zuid-Koreaanse boot tot zinken bracht. Onder de VN-vlag is dat schip ge?terd en hebben we verdere escalatie kunnen voorkomen. Het is maar de vraag of de Amerikanen of Zuid-Koreanen dat was gelukt.''
Het belang dat de VN-staten hechten aan dit verdrag, staat in schril contrast met het bericht dat Noord-Korea deze week in aanloop tot de herdenking van het wapenbestand naar buiten bracht: 'Het bestand is een dode letter en wordt slechts misbruikt door de Amerikanen om ondertussen wapens en manschappen te plaatsen in Zuid-Korea'. De gebruikelijke propaganda, want dit communistische regime heeft in het verleden vaker gedreigd uit het verdrag te stappen, om druk uit te oefenen op de Amerikanen. Voor Koets, die twee jaar op deze post zit, zijn dit typisch Noord-Koreaanse tactieken. ,,Een aantal jaren geleden hebben ze de ambassades aangeschreven met het dringend verzoek uit de VN te stappen, in een poging lidstaten los te weken uit het VN-verband. Maar we hebben gezegd: als er iets te bespreken valt, dan gebeurt dat aan tafel in Panmunjom.''
Hoewel het toezicht een extra belastende taak is voor de kleine Nederlandse ambassade, gaat het volgens Koets om een 'erezaak'. ,,Al vijftig jaar zorgt het bestand voor een gewapende vrede op het Koreaanse schierland sinds de ondertekening in juli 1953.'' |
| |
|
21 July 2010
|
|
Bringing a piece of Hamel's home
|
Source: Korea Herald
Date: 21 July 2010
Reporter: Ms. Iris Moon
The windmills, rolling green landscapes and luxurious fabrics of Holland were probably some of the things that Dutchman Hendrik Hamel missed about his homeland when he shipwrecked off of Jeju Island 350 years ago.
The Netherlands and Korea are bestowing a belated gift to the accidental explorer who marked the beginning of relations between the two countries. The exhibit "The Era of Great Painting: Rembrandt and 17th century Netherlands Painting" at the Deoksu Palace Museum will allow Korean viewers to become shipwrecked adventurers themselves, exploring the pleasures of Dutch landscapes, faces and paint.
The 50 works by 44 different 17th century Dutch masters are from the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague. The works include still-lifes, portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. The Dutch museum, which arguably houses the best collection of 17th century Dutch art in the world, is sending three of Rembrandt's pieces from its permanent collection.
Viewers can close in on the master's oil paintings and survey each and every delicious contour of the velvety fabrics coating his subjects. Jacob van Ruisdael's beautiful, otherworldly oil paintings of flowers will also be included. Pieter Paul Rubens, famed for his portrayals of rippling flesh, will also be represented as well as Anthony van Dyck and Frans Hals.
The 17th century was known as a golden period in Dutch painting, particularly after the Netherlands gained its independence from Spain in 1648. Instead of focusing mainly on religious, mythological or historical paintings like their southern counterparts in Italy, Dutch artists turned their eyes toward their surroundings and a burgeoning bourgeois culture.
Portraits, still-lifes and genre scenes were produced for clients from the middle class, who would hang the works in their homes.
The exhibit, which is a part of ongoing "Year of Hamel" events, opens Aug. 15 and runs until Nov. 9.
If Hamel were still here, home would not feel so distant after all.
(imoon@heraldm.com)
By Iris Moon |
| |
|
17 July 2010
|
|
VIEWPOINT: Let¡¯s nurture a crop of Hiddinks
|
Date: 17 July
Source: JoongAng Daily
Reporter: by Kim Jae-chul
A dinner party was held by the Dutch Trade Mission delegation at the Seoul Grand Hyatt hotel on July 10. It turned out to be an unprecedented success for this kind of an event, and the reason was simple: When the news spread that Guus Hiddink was to attend the party, lots of people decided to show up. In her welcoming message, the Netherlands minister for foreign trade, Karien van Gennip, said proudly that ¡°Mr. Hiddink was made in the Netherlands and there are many Hiddinks in the Netherlands.¡±
Mr. Hiddink played the main role in leading the Korean soccer team to the semifinals in the 2009 World Cup, filling us with enthusiasm. Loudly singing the rooter¡¯s song, ¡°Pilseung Korea ¡ª Victory for Korea,¡± Koreans praised his leadership. How popular was he? Some said he should be a presidential candidate after changing his nationality. He is still popular, and whenever he comes to Korea, people gather.
Have we had no other Hiddinks in Korea? My answer is that there were many people like Mr. Hiddink in the past, and there will be more like him in the future. Let¡¯s recall a few decades of Korean history. While it took Europe 200 years to achieve industrialization and Japan 100 years, Korea became an industrial nation in only 40 years. And on top of that, Korea achieved industrialization from the rubble of the Korean War. The world called this achievement the miracle on the Han River. These economic capabilities served as cornerstones for Korea¡¯s achieving 4th place in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and for the Korean soccer team¡¯s advancing to the semifinals in the 2009 World Cup.
Following industrialization, Korea achieved democracy in a relatively short period, surprising the world. Perhaps, the Korean economy was going so fast that it ran into the financial crisis in 1997 and almost disintegrated. But it recovered so quickly and dramatically that the world likened Korea to the phoenix, that mythical bird that arose from the ashes. Basically, Koreans are capable people and deserve such praise. Korea is the world¡¯s largest producer of dynamic random access memory chips, which are often called the ¡°rice¡± of the industrial society. It is the world¡¯s top ship-builder and top maker of cell phones. Thus, from an absolutely poor country 40 years ago, Korea has become the 13th largest economy in the world today.
Korea¡¯s gross domestic product last year was larger than the combined GDPs of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malay-sia and Thailand, the so-called new four dragons of Asia. Who achieved this success? Our people did. This was possible because there were numerous hard-working industrial workers like the Korean national soccer squad and there were leaders like Mr. Hiddink who had to agonize and decide.
Today, we are preoccupied with witchhunting as if everything that happened in the past was wrong. Is it right to say, as if there was no one who did things right, that there are only people who should be sent to prison? If we think things over with peace of mind, there were and are many qualified people like Mr. Hiddink in Korea. Our national climate, in which we hardly acknowledge other people¡¯s merits and nurture leaders, is hindering the emergence of many Hiddinks. How can we expect to have leaders worthy of respect without fostering leaders and acknowledging them?
Mr. Hiddink came to Korea to take up his new post in January 2001 and led the Korean soccer team in 32 international tournaments until May 2009, just before the beginning of the World Cup. But he did not produce good results. When the Korean team was defeated five to zero by France and Czecho-slovakia, he was called ¡°five-to-zero.¡± But because Koreans trusted and supported Mr. Hiddink despite various complaints and criticism against him, he was able to go on to the achievement of coaching the Korean team to become one of the four major powers at the 2009 World Cup.
We could also have many Hiddinks in each field if we take the time to support our leaders. I hope we will be able to create a social atmosphere in which we are not too hasty if there are no quick satisfactory results. We must encourage and embrace our leaders. Koreans do have such qualities. When Hiddinks emerge in many fields, Korea can produce another miracle that could surprise the world. Let¡¯s search for Hiddinks. Then, our dreams will come true.
* The writer is Chairman and chief executive of the Korea International Trade Association. |
| |
|
15 July 2010
|
|
Celebrating Hamel through cutting-edge art
|
Date: 15 July 2010
Source: Seoul Now (www.seoulnow.net)
Reporter: Ms. Iris Moon
An exhibit of contemporary Dutch art will be showing at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (MOCA) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, until July 27.
The opening ceremony for the exhibit, "Contemporary Art in the Netherlands: IN OR OUT" took place Friday at MOCA. Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade Karien van Gennip as well as former coach of the Korean national soccer team, Guus Hiddink, attended the opening.
The show brings the videos, photographs, furniture and performance-installation pieces of 12 renowned artists from the Netherlands, especially from the cutting-edge and multicultural community of Amsterdam. Many of the works in the exhibit are socially engaged works, while others examine more personal interhuman relationships.
Liza May Post, who represented the Netherlands at the 2001 Venice Biennale shows haunting images of people whose actions and motives are elusive. In her video "Trying," a woman hopelessly attempts to climb atop an elephant to no avail.
Ni Haifeng, who moved to Amsterdam in 1994 from his native China, often examines the interconnections between the East and West through his photographs, performance pieces and installations. In the seven photographs that are part of his series, "Self-portrait as a Part of the Porcelain Export History," the artist treats his body as an object of exchange itself, as a porcelain piece that is to be traded between China and the Netherlands, two places with a rich history in ceramics.
Yael Davids, Celine van Balen, and Atelier van Lieshout are some of the other artists participating in the show, which is part of the cultural activities taking place for the "Year of Hamel." This year marks 350 years since the Dutchman Hendrik Hamel landed on Jeju-do, shipwrecked while en route to Japan. He returned to the Netherlands after 13 years and wrote the first account of Korea published in Europe in 1666.
In late August, the work of contemporary Korean artists will travel to four museums around Amsterdam as part of the artistic exchanges between Korea and the Netherlands. The exhibits will include work by 18 Korean artists, including Ham Jin, Lee Joo-yo, and Chang Young-hae.
By Iris Moon |
| |
|
12 July 2010
|
|
Hiddink liert Nederlandse handelsmissie op
|
 Title: Van Gennip: 'Enorme impuls aan economische missie' Hiddink liert Nederlandse handelsmissie op
Date: 12 July 2010
Reporter: HENK VAN WEERT (Eindhovens Dagblad)
Zaterdag 12 juli, SEOUL - Guus Hiddink heeft de BV Nederland de afgelopen week goed aan de man gebracht in Zuid-Korea. Staatssecretaris Karien van Gennip (Economische Zaken) sprak gisteravond na afloop van het zesdaagse bezoek aan Korea van 'een enorme impuls' die de coach van PSV aan de handelsmissie gegeven heeft. 'Er is hier nog altijd sprake van een Hiddink-effect. Zijn succes op het WK heeft de wederzijdse betrekkingen enorm gestimuleerd. Het aantal Nederlandse bedrijven dat zaken doet met Korea is sinds het WK bijna verdubbeld.'.
Hiddink maakte niet de hele handelsmissie mee. Hij verscheen met name ten tonele als er in de publiciteit winst te behalen viel. Hiddink was te gast op het handelsdiner donderdagavond en maakte deel uit van het gezelschap bij de aankomst in Seoul. 'Het is indrukwekkend om te zien hoe groot deze man is in Korea, hoe emotioneel de mensen hier nog altijd reageren op zijn aanwezigheid. De aankomst op het vliegveld was overweldigend. Tijdens het diner wilden vierhonderd vooraanstaande Koreanen met Hiddink op de foto. De kaarten voor dat diner waren in een avond uitverkocht toen bekend werd dat Hiddink erbij zou zijn. Hij heeft de mensen hier kunnen raken.'
Hiddink vond het niet nodig om de hele missie mee te maken. 'Het leek me overdreven om bij elk bedrijfsbezoek aanwezig te zijn. Ik heb me op een paar dingen geconcentreerd.'
De reis vond plaats in een periode waarin de regio waarin Zuid-Korea ligt nogal negatief in het nieuws is. Azi?had veel last van de opwinding rond SARS. Rond Noord-Korea heerst ook enige spanning. 'SARS heeft geen invloed gehad op onze reis. Dat speelde hier niet. Bedrijven hebben wel een zekere terughoudendheid, maar dat geldt voor heel Azie. De situatie rond Noord-Korea is wel van belang, maar feit is dat het economische leven in Zuid-Korea gewoon doorgaat, zoals destijds West-Duitsland zijn eigen plan trok toen de DDR nog bestond.
Mede dank zij de inspanning van Hiddink zijn er de afgelopen dagen honderden contacten gelegd tussen Nederlandse bedrijven en Zuid-Koreaanse ondernemingen. Karien van Gennip ziet vooral kansen voor het Nederlandse midden- en kleinbedrijf. 'Landbouw, logistiek, ondernemingen op het gebied van infrastructuur. Nederlandse bedrijven doen er goed aan om de technologische ontwikkelingen in Korea te volgen. Ze munten hier uit in het toepasbaar maken van technologische ontwikkelingen,' aldus de staatssecretaris van EZ. |
| |
|
10 July 2010
|
|
Netherlands to Promote Investment in Korea
|
Date: 10 July 2010
Source: KoreaTimes
Reporter: Sung Tae-kyung
The Ambassador of Netherlands is organizing a joint symposium with South Korea on July 10 to promote Dutch investment here and spark the interest of domestic companies in investigating Holland¡¯s markets.
The symposium coincides with a visit July 7-11 by Karien van Gennip, the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Trade, and will provide an opportunity for business exchanges between two nations, according to the embassy.
Ambassador Hein de Vries explained that the seminar is ``particularly significant in that it will take place just before the start of the `Peace Cup 2010 Korea.¡¯¡¯¡¯
Holland and South Korea enjoyed amicable relations during the World Cup last year thanks to Dutch football coach Guus Hiddink, who was then coach of the Korean national football team.
The embassy said Hiddink, currently with PSV Eindhoven, will be part of the trade mission.
The minister of foreign trade will lead a senior delegation of Dutch executives interested in discussing business with leading Korean organizations.
The symposium, also part of Hamel Year, will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel between 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
For more information contact the embassy at (02) 737-9514.
|
| |
|
26 May 2010
|
|
For festival, silent sounds will be many
|
Source: Joong Ang Ilbo
Date: 26 May 2010
Author: by Lim Ji-su
Some things are better left unsaid and often, silence is golden. Tired of empty words? How about some non-verbal entertainment?
The five-day Chuncheon International Mime Festival kicks off Wednesday in various locations of this medium-sized city, located about one and a half hours east of Seoul in Gangwon province.
This year¡¯s festival will feature performances by more than 60 groups, both professional and amateur, including 10 troupes from the Netherlands, France, Japan, India and Germany. What began in 1989 as a mime festival to support the ideals of Asian traditional mime has grown into one of the biggest mime festivals in Asia.
The festival will wear strong Dutch colors this year with performances by two acclaimed mime troupes from the Netherlands and a ¡°Hallo! Netherlands!¡± event. Warner & Consorten, an eight-member troupe, will perform two shows of their project Straatstaal, which won them high honors at the 2009 MIMOS festival in France. The second Dutch performance troupe is De Daders, led by Jan Langedijk.
Asian mime troupes include Theater Sadari¡¯s ¡°Lee Jung-seop and Stories from his Paintings,¡± translating the artist¡¯s paintings with their bodies; and ¡°Sharaku¡± by Sasaki Hiroyasu and his Japan Mime Studio.
The festival¡¯s highlight will be Dokkebi Nanzang, a cheerfully eclectic get-together of mime, dance, video art, music and even gut performances held on the festival¡¯s final two days. A dokkebi is a Korean goblin, ever ready to play mischievous pranks on humans, and nanzang means confusion. The aptly-named event will end, or never end, with an all-night rave. |
| |
|
24 May 2010
|
|
Sprookjesachtige ontmoeting van Oost en West
|
Source: Haagsche Courant
Date: 24 May 2010
Author: Mrs. Maja Landeweer
MUZIEKTHEATER
Het Nationale Theater van de Republiek van Zuid-Korea met 'Koning Uru'. Tekst/regie: Kim Myong-gon. Muziek: Won IL. Choreograaf: Yun Sang-jin. Met o.a. Wang Ki-suk, Park Ae-ri en Chang Min-ho. Gezien: gisteravond in Den Haag (Danstheater). Daar nog te zien: vanavond en morgen.
Sprookjesachtig is de ontmoeting tussen Oost en West die het Nationale Theater van Korea gisteravond het Haagse publiek voorschotelde.
In de voorstelling 'Koning Uru' kruisen de verhaallijnen van Shakespeare's 'King Lear' en de Koreaanse legende van prinses Bari elkaar in een universeel en aangrijpend drama. Volgens de gemaskerde troubadours, die de toeschouwer het verhaal binnenvoeren, een 'tragisch en ook grappig' verhaal, maar van dat grappige is weinig terug te zien. Of het moet de hier en daar behoorlijk schunnige taal zijn. Hoewel dat ook aan de vertaling van de Engelse boventitels kan liggen.
Net als 'King Lear' handelt de legende van prinses Bari over een koning, die de enige dochter die werkelijk om hem geeft, verstoot. Als hij dit inziet, maakt zijn verdriet hem krankzinnig. Uit de Koreaanse legende haalde schrijver en regisseur Kim Myung-gon bovendien het element van de zoektocht naar het heilige water door de verstoten dochter, om hiermee haar vader te redden. De lange weg langs ruwe volkeren en door donkere wouden die de frele prinses aflegt, is prachtig visueel verbeeld. Grimmige bossen doemen op en maken plaats voor feëerieke heiligdommen.
Behalve dat inhoudelijk twee werelden samen komen, vinden Oost en West elkaar ook in de vanzelfsprekende combinatie van traditioneel Koreaans muziektheater en moderne theatertechniek. Het gebruik van een halfrond plateau, waarachter oneindige verten opduiken, en een uitgekiende belichting, maken de illusie compleet. De toeschouwer wordt volledig opgeslorpt door het diepe verdriet van de personages.
Met scherpe stemmen bezingen de zangers/acteurs gevoelens van machteloosheid en eenzaamheid. "Waarom is de avondwind zo koud en waarom is de avondlucht zo donker", zingt koning Uru die door zijn bloedeigen dochters verstoten is.
Naarmate het verhaal vordert, ontrafelt zich een bloederige geschiedenis van een nietsontziende lust naar macht. Alleen de verstoten prinses Bari (Park Ae-ri) houdt nog zielsveel van haar vader en probeert hem uit alle macht te redden van zijn gekte. Liefde is sterker dan haat en verbittering. Ontroerend is de scène waarin Bari zich bezint alvorens zich in het ravijn te storten waar het heilige water te vinden is. Zij keert terug als sjamaan, die de overledenen begeleidt op hun laatste reis en hun zonden schoon wast. Want de Koreaan gelooft dat we bij het leven nooit vrij zijn van bitterheid en schuld, maar de mens na de dood vrede verdient.
Uiteindelijk vinden zowel koning Uru als zijn dochter Bari, ondanks haar inspanningen, de dood, maar somber stemt dat niet. Want juist de laatste scène in het dodenrijk is een feest van muziek en dans.
'Koning Uru' toont een kijkje in de Koreaanse cultuur door de traditionele zang, kostuums en filosofie, maar is tegelijkertijd uiterst toegankelijk door de aantrekkelijke beelden en dansscènes en het goed te volgen verhaal. Een goede keus dan ook om deze voorstelling naar Den Haag te halen in het kader van het 'Hamel Year 2010'. De Nederlandse zeeman, Hendrik Hamel, leed 350 jaar geleden schipbreuk aan de Koreaanse kust en bleef daar dertien jaar. Zijn terugkeer in het vaderland ligt aan de basis van de goede betrekkingen tussen Nederland en Korea sindsdien. |
| |
|
22 May 2010
|
|
Film for Transparency 2010
|
Source: Korea Times
Date: 22 May 2010
Author: Joon Soh, Staff Reporter
Along with the various cultural events surrounding the International Anti-Corruption Conference, a festival of local and international films concentrating on corruption will be held at the Megabox Theater inside the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul.
Titled "Film for Transparency 2010," the festival will present 29 feature films, short films and documentaries from May 25 through 28. The films, to be screened with both Korean and English subtitles, were selected by Transparency International, the organizer of the conference.
There are many film festivals dealing with social issues both here and abroad and the Human Rights Film Festival, taking place this weekend in downtown Seoul, is just being one of them. But Film for Transparency offers viewers a concentrated look at corruption that shows how it personally affects them and their society, Kim Yong-shin, the festival press and public relations officer, said.
``People might be shocked whenever they confronted by stories of corruption in the news, but in their everyday lives, most people don't really worry about it, Kim said. ``Hopefully, this film festival can help them see that these problems are not those of just certain persons but concern everyone.
Films from 17 countries, including local productions, will be presented during the four-day festival. Many of the works are being screened here for the first time.
Among the feature films to be shown are the Italian film ``One Hundred Steps (2000), the story of Peppino Impastato, a young left-wing activist in the 1970s who used a small radio station to fight the mafia in a small town in Sicily; "Leak" (1999), a Dutch film that explores the lies and deceit that surrounded a crime scene; "Deveeri" (1999), about the lives of two sisters who live in the slums of a city in India; "Histoire de Pen" (2009), a Canadian film that looks at the social hierarchy of a prison; and "L.A. Confidential" (1997), a popular Hollywood thriller starring Russell Crowe.
The bulk of the festival comprises documentaries. "Power Trip" (2009) shows the relationship between an American energy company and the country of Gruziya after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Australian film "Timber Mafia" (2009) describes the highly organized and dangerous criminal system that is behind illegal logging around the world. "Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election" (2009) analyzes the U.S. election that ended up being decided by a controversial vote count in Florida.
The festival will include competition sections for student films and documentaries, with a monetary prize of some 1.3 million won going to the winners of each category.
Peter Eigen, the president of Transparency International, and Lee Chang-dong, minister of culture and tourism, will be at the opening ceremony of the festival, which will take place at 5:20 p.m. on May 25.
Tickets for the screenings are 5,000 won. Group rates are also available. For more information call (02) 393-6211 or go to the Web site ti.or.kr/clean.
sohjoo@koreatimes.co.kr
05-22-2010 18:09 |
| |
|
30 April 2010
|
|
Holland Week offers look into Hamel's world
|
Source: Korea Herald
Date: 01 May 2010
Reporter: contributing writer
It could have been a spring day in Holland: heavy rain battered against the windmill and traditional Dutch houses, a fierce wind scattered the tulip leaves everywhere on the pavement. Only this time it was Seoul, last Friday on the opening day of Holland Week, which runs until May 4, at Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong.
Despite the foul weather, Korean passersby were curious to have a look at the traditional Dutch arts and crafts, which are being exhibited in the little houses. One Korean lady admired a pair of beautifully painted wooden shoes. Dutch wooden shoemaker Jos Hogenkamp chose a piece of raw wood and began to cut.
"It takes me two hours to finish one pair of shoes," he said. Around two million people in Holland still wear wooden shoes, according to the Dutch artisan. "Farmers of course, but also construction workers and gardeners."
More delicate arts such as glass blowing and painting of the famous Delfts Blue porcelain are also on show.
Lotte launched Holland week in recognition of the longstanding relations between Korea and the Netherlands.
"It all started in 1653, when the Dutchman Hendrik Hamel was the first Westerner to come to the kingdom of Korea," explained Hein de Vries, the Dutch ambassador.
Hendrik Hamel sailed on one of the ships of the VOC, the company that brought the Netherlands so much wealth in the 17th century. He never reached Japan, the aim of his trade mission, but shipwrecked near the coast of Jeju. He and his crew spent 13 years on the Korean peninsula in varying circumstances: first they were taken prisoners, later they lived more comfortably as bodyguards of the king at the Royal Court. Finally Hamel succeed in escaping to Japan and, once he returned to the Netherlands, wrote a journal about his life in Korea.
In light of this, the Dutch embassy has made 2010 "Hendrik Hamel Year" and is celebrating the 350th anniversary with numerous activities both in the Netherlands and Korea.
"We hope to do more than just promote Dutch trade. We are organizing exhibitions, cultural performances and an education fair. We want the Koreans and Dutch people to understand each other better, to foster goodwill between the two nations," said Ambassador Hein de Vries. "How could I have known four years ago when we started all this, that there would come one man who succeeded in doing just that in only one month?" he laughed.
One glance at a stand nearby and we know of course who he is talking about: Among all the round yellow cheeses one stands out with a picture of the Dutch football coach Guus Hiddink and the text: "Hie Dong Gu - thank you!"
(P.J.van.der.Zaag@philips.com)
By Lenneke van der Burg |
| |
|
30 April 2010
|
|
Netherlands Celebrates National Day
|
Source: Korea Times
Reporter: By Byun Duk-kun, Staff Reporter
The Dutch Embassy in Seoul celebrated its National Day at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul yesterday.
Ambassador Hein de Vries of the Netherlands was joined by more than 350 guests including Minister of Construction and Transportation Choi Jong-chan to celebrate the birthday of Queen Juliana, the mother of the current queen Beatrice.
In celebration of the National Day and the year marking the 350th anniversary of the arrival of Hendrick Hamel to the southern resort island of Cheju, South Korea, in 1653, the Dutch Embassy is also holding various events such as drawing competitions at Seoul’s amusement parks and a Holland Week at the Lotte Department Store in Seoul.
The embassy also plans to invite Guus Hiddink, former coach of the South Korean national football team, to accompany a mission of Dutch investors to Korea.
There are many other social and cultural events throughout the year labeled the ``Hamel Year,’’ and more information is available on their Web site, www./.
benjamine@koreatimes.co.kr
04-30-2010 18:14 |
| |
|
30 April 2010
|
|
Netherlands marks Queen's Day
|
Source: Korea Herald
The following is a message from Ambassador Hein de Vries to commemorate the Netherland's National Day. - Ed.
I am very grateful to The Korea Herald for the opportunity to address its readers on the occasion of Queen's Day, the Netherlands' National Day, on April 30.
The Netherlands in the world
With an area of 42.000 sq. km., the Kingdom of the Netherlands is barely half the size of Korea. Its population of 16 million is about a third of Korea's. But looks deceive. The Dutch economy is the world's eleventh largest in size, about as big as Australia's or Korea's. The Netherlands is the third largest investor in the United States, one of the largest investors in the European Union, and over the last four decades - the period in which the miracle on the Han river took shape - the Netherlands has been the third largest exporter of agricultural goods in the world and the seventh largest exporter overall. A country to be reckoned with, in other words.
As a small country among bigger nations, the Netherlands traditionally attaches great value to respect for international law. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to claim that modern international law was founded by a Dutch scholar, Hugo de Groot, or Grotius, who wrote the first treatise on the subject, translated into many languages and still used in universities all over the world.
More and more the Netherlands is becoming the judicial capital of the world. The Hague has been host to the international Court of Justice since the days of the League of Nations. The permanent Court of Arbitration is also established in the Hague, as is the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference for Private International Law and the Hague Academy of International Law. Two years ago, it decided to move the newly-established International Criminal Court to that city as well. This year the ICC has been formally inaugurated. In light of this tradition, it was quite natural in the early 1980s to base the U.S. - Iran claims tribunal in The Hague.
The Netherlands and Korea
The Netherlands has many things in common with the Republic of Korea. They are both relatively small countries surrounded by much bigger neighbors with whom past relations were sometimes problematic. They are also countries whose economic performance far exceeds their geographical size. Both countries are home to world-class and world-size companies: Shell, Philips, Unilever, AKZO, ABN-AMRO, ING and KLM on the Dutch side, Hyundai, Samsung, LG and SK on the Korean side to name just a few. Both countries lack natural resources, but have more than overcome this handicap through a well-educated, disciplined and productive labor-force. For this reason, more and more Korean companies are picking the Netherlands as the site for their European operations. Since the unification of the European market, the Netherlands has become an even more strategic location for Korean companies to handle their business all over Europe. For example, recently LG-E, Hankook tire and Huf Korea established a pan-European operation in the Netherlands.
Both Korea and the Netherlands stand to profit form their geographical location, the Netherlands as the gateway to Europe, Korea as the gateway to Asia. Korea's ambitious plans to expand the port of Busan become one of the biggest harbors in Asia testify to this policy, as does the impressive new airport that last year opened in Inchon. In both projects Netherlands companies are involved. As the gateway to Europe, the Netherlands is the third largest buyer of Korean product in the EU and the fourth supplier of goods.
In the 1990s, the Netherlands has become Korea's main supplier of up-to-date agricultural technology and materials. Dutch agriculture has become a model in Korea due to the great similarities in farming, such as limited land and small-scale farming in a densely populated country. Korea's emerging exports of high value-added agricultural products like paprika, flowers and pork are based on Dutch technology and materials, such as glass houses, seed, farming equipment and feed technology. Farmers and related agricultural organizations in the Netherlands are receiving high numbers of Korean visitors, farmers and related technicians. Over the past decade, about 80% of all agricultural high school teachers in Korea and a lot of key technicians of Korea agricultural institutes have been trained, in whole or in part, in agricultural research and training stations in the Netherlands. This year many activities will take place in the field of economics and commerce. A special Holland Week at the Lotte Hotel is underway, and beginning July, the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade will - together with Guus Hiddink and many prestigious Dutch companies - visit Korea.
Ever closer relations
In the 17th century, the Dutch set foot on Korean soil and were the first to report on it. In 1653, a Dutch merchant vessel named the "Sperwer" (Sparrow Hawk) was shipwrecked off the coast of Jeju; 36 men made it to shore, and after 13 years, eight of them managed to get back to Holland, where Hendrik Hamel, their leader, published the first book on Korea in the West. Nowadays a monument on the coast of Jeju and a statue in Kangjin, where Hamel and some of his compatriots lived for a number of years, marks this event.
This year Korea and the Netherlands will commemorate that the first Dutchman landed on the Korean coast exactly 350 years ago with many festive activities throughout the year. I would like to advise interested people to visit our special web site: www./ where all the activities are mentioned.
The Netherlands has the support of the Korean central and local authorities for these events. Of course, Hiddink and the impressive performance of the Korean football team gave 2009 a new dimension to our relations. But besides the world of sports, there is a mutual interest in art. Among others, a Korean-Dutch Contemporary Art Exhibition will take place, and in August there will be an Exhibition on 17th Century Dutch Master Paintings from the Mauritshuis Collection in the Toksu Palace Museum.
Since the days of Hamel, relations between our two countries have come a long way. Every year, hundreds of students make the journey between Korea and the Netherlands. Korean students are especially attracted to Dutch courses in environmental technology, engineering, medical fields and music. Just last weekend, a Holland Education Fair was organized in the Hilton Hotel, and I expect that in the educational and scientific fields, the two countries will getting closer and closer. In addition, businessmen, officials, scholars and tourists are finding their way to each other's country in ever-increasing numbers.
Also, contacts between Korea and the Netherlands have increased recently. Regarding South Korean policy, which aims to overcome decades of hostility, the Netherlands - together with other countries of the EU - is trying to lend a helping hand. In 2001, the Netherlands established diplomatic relations with North Korea, and I am accredited to Pyongyang.
To facilitate all these contacts, agreements have been concluded on the avoidance of double taxation, protection of investment, maritime affairs, construction, defense and the like. They provide a strong base for the further extension of our co-operation in the 21st century. |
| |
|
24 April 2010
|
|
First Holland Education Fair Comes to Seoul
|
Source: Korea Times
This weekend the first Holland Education Fair will take place at the Seoul Hilton Hotel in downtown Seoul.
One dozen Dutch universities will participate in the fair, providing an opportunity for students to meet school representatives and get information on education in the Netherlands. Alumni will also be present to share their experiences of studying in the Netherlands.
The participating schools include Erasmus University Rotterdam (www.eur.nl); HAN University of Professional Education (www.han-university.nl/international); Saxion Universities of Professional Education (www.saxion.edu); Tilburg University (www.tilburguniversity.nl); University of Eindhoven of Technology (www.tue.nl); University of Groningen (www.rug.nl); and Leiden University (www.leiden.edu).
Fair attendees will also be eligible for a raffle with a prize of a round-trip ticket from Seoul to Amsterdam on KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines.
For more information, contact Kim Hee-jeong or Birgit Debeerst at the Dutch Embassy, (02) 737-9514, or go to www./ or www.studyin.nl.
antaeus7@hotmail.com
04-24-2010 17:00
|
| |
|
16 April 2010
|
|
Netherlands Embassy designates 2010 as Hamel's Year
|
 Source: www.koreainfogate.com
Hendrick Hamel and the Dutch sailors, who were shipwrecked in 1653 and published Hamel's journal (the first description of Korea in the West), returned home 13 years later.
Commemorating their arrival 350 years earlier, the embassy of Netherlands in Korea has designated 2010 as "Hamels Year," and is organizing a number of events in both countries. Activities in Korea range from exhibitions of Dutch art and design to trade missions, and from academic exchange to tourism promotion.
The opening ceremony is to take place during the tulip festival, which greets visitors with 1.5 million tulips in various colors, in addition to the family painting contest and a windmill on April 13th.
Following that, on April 26, the Dutch orange ball, a Netherlands dancing party will take place at the grand ball of the Grand Hyatt hotel. The highlight of the whole occasion is the 17th century Netherlands painting collection exhibition, which will run from Aug. 14 to Nov. 9 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Korea and National Museum of Contemporary Art, and Deoksugung, allowing visitors to appreciate the 17th century landscape during which Hamel lived. |
| |
|
21 March 2010
|
|
Dutch Plan Events to Honor 17th Century Sailor
|
Source: Chosun Ilbo (English)
Date: 21 March 2010
Journalist: Jeong Jae-yeon (whauden@chosun.com)
In 1653, a Dutch ship was wrecked off the coast of Jeju Island. Hendrik Hamel was one of the survivors. He remained in the Jeosun Kingdom for 13 years. When he returned to the Netherlands he published "Hamel's Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea 1653-1666."
In Hamel's honor, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Korea has named this year, the 350th anniversary of the shipwreck, "Hamel Year," and will promote events here that focus on Dutch culture. The opening ceremony, the "family painting contest," will he held April 13 as part of the Everland amusement park's Tulip Festival, where a million tulips and a Dutch windmill greet visitors. On April 26, a "Dutch Orange Ball" will be held at the Hyatt Hotel Grand Ballroom.
Also scheduled are a European Union Film Festival, May 10-17, and a tour of where Hamel stayed, May 17-18. The highlight of the event will be The Netherlands Art Exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, from Aug. 14 to Nov. 19. Paintings from the 17th century will be on display, including three Rembrandts.
In August, a re-creation of Hamel first stepping foot in Korea will be staged on Jeju Island. A design exhibition is scheduled for September, a performance by a Dutch ballet company for October, and an exhibition on baroque drawings for December. The Netherlands Embassy in Korea said that Hamel's hometown of Gorinchem will also be holding various events to celebrate Hamel Year. For more information visit the Web site www./.
|
| |
|
20 March 2010
|
|
Arirang TV News: Official Launch of the Hamel Year
|
Source: Arirang TV News
Date: 19 March 2010
Official Launch of the Hamel Year
The year 2010 has been adopted as the Hamel Year in Korea and the Netherlands in commemoration of Dutch man Hendrik Hamel who was shipwrecked on the shores of the Korean peninsula 350 years ago.
The Dutch Embassy in Seoul on this Wednesday officially launched the Hamel Year 2010 to commemorate bilateral relations.
At the launching party a pianist performed a song which Hamel and his colleagues introduced to Korea.
Also at the gathering dignitaries from the two countries shared their views on the past, present and future cooperation in the fields of culture, economics and sports with plans to organize various events throughout the year.
Hamel's arrival in Korea symbolizes the beginning of relations between the two countries. |
| |
|
19 March 2010
|
|
Korea Times: Netherlands Embassy Launches Hamel Year
|
Source: Korea Times
Date: 19 March 2010
Staff Reporter: Yoon Ja-Young
The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Korea held a ceremony yesterday to launch Hamel Year 2010 Korea-The Netherlands at the Ambassador of the Netherlands’ residence in Tongbinggo-dong, downtown Seoul. The embassy has organized a number of events to commemorate the 350th anniversary of sailor Hendrik Hamel’s arrival in Korea. Hamel was shipwrecked off the coast of Cheju Island with 35 other crewmen. He kept a journal of his 13-year stay in the country, later published as ``Hamel’s Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea.’’
At the welcoming speech, Ambassador of The Netherlands Hein de Vries explained how Hamel is inspiring good and prosperous relations between Korea and Holland today, having introduced the Choson Kingdom to the West. He also hoped that Koreans would enjoy the diverse cultural, educational and economic events to follow this year.
``In July, the Minister of Trade will visit Korea, accompanied by Guus Hiddink and the football team of PSV Eindhoven,’’ the ambassador said, referring to the former national football team coach from The Netherlands who led South Korea’s national team to the World Cup semifinals. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade Kim Jae-seop said that he found the reincarnation of Hamel in Hiddink in a congratulatory speech.
Events for Hamel Year include an exhibition at Everland amusement park, where a Dutch village with tulip garden and windmill will be recreated from the end of this month until April. An exhibition of Dutch products at COEX is to follow in May and a number of Dutch artists will have an exhibition here. A performance by a Dutch mime troupe is also planned.
Also at the ceremony was Dutch student Mathijs Van Basten, 26, who is studying at Yonsei University, in a traditional costume. He said that he got to know about Korea much better through the designation of Hamel Year here. He also hoped that this year would draw the two countries even closer.
chizpizza@koreatimes.co.kr
03-19-2010 18:27 |
| |
|
19 March 2010
|
|
Korea Times: Dutch Ambassador de Vries Launches Hamel Year
|
Source: Korea Times
Date: 19 March 2010
Author: Michael Anderson, Culture Editor
Ambassador of The Netherlands Hein de Vries gave a wide-ranging interview this week with The Korea Times on the behind-the-scenes buildup to Hamel Year, life in Korea and the phenomena that is Guus Hiddink.
The ambassador’s route to the Dutch foreign service took him by way of the United Nations, where de Vries worked in development aid for its Food and Agricultural Organization. He joined the foreign service just before the limit age closed, when he was nearly 30, and has been posted in North America, Europe and Africa. Just prior to coming to Seoul the ambassador had an assignment as head of mission in the Middle East. This is his first Asian posting.
Amb. de Vries explained the genesis of Hamel Year. ``When I came here four years ago people attracted my attention to Hamel’s journal, and I noticed in 2010 it would be 350 years ago (that Hamel came here). When I analyzed the relations between the two countries I thought that it was very much lacking in substance of people-to-people contact, you know, far away, two countries.
``That all changed of course with the World Cup, but when I came in 1999 my intention was to use the tool of 350 years ago, something happened between our two countries, to enhance the relationship beyond mere economics, commercial, trade matters. And I think we’re succeeding in putting together a sort of bilateral exchange program that is falling on quite fruitful ground these days. The awareness (of Holland) is much higher than it was a couple years ago, and we’re organizing quite an interesting program, which in my mind will bring the people more together, and strengthen relations.’’
The ambassador said this country was ready to broaden international relations from a purely economic basis. ``Korea has been working on industry, trade and economic development for 40-50 years, with great success, but therefore has neglected the other side of relations with foreign countries,’’ he said. ``Korea is not out of that mode of promoting itself as an industrial country that wants to be a member of OECD, a member of all the other international organizations, and therefore I think the time has come in a new century to create more awareness from people to people, to use more the press, television, theater, music, youth, education, to get to know each other better.’’
According to de Vries, the difficulty in selling Hamel Year was getting people’s attention. ``As everybody says, it’s a global village _ well, if it is, Korea and The Netherlands are not really living in the same village. The Korean man and woman don’t know very much about The Netherlands, and vice versa,’’ he said. Though the World Cup has changed all that, de Vries said about the time prior to it, ``when I came here my intention was to little by little create more momentum so that I would get partners for the commemoration, or celebration if you like, of the Hamel Year. I wasn’t too successful over those three-and-a-half years. From year to year I wrote papers, gathered Dutch companies, had speaking engagements, I was interviewed, made plans, and they were only coming to me in the course of last year.’’
When asked how the embassy closed the deal for Hamel Year the ambassador said, ``Most of the time with these bilateral events if somebody takes the lead, then there is a lot of preparation. We did it on a very low budget, and I must say we were very much helped by the World Cup. We got partners, and then we were able to organize what I would call major events, which are sponsored sometimes, which are supported other times by government institutes, or public funds, or private sponsors, and so it’s actually working. We’ve got quite a calendar for 2010.’’
Amb. De Vries said that Hamel Year will not be marked in The Netherlands with an extensive roster of events sponsored by the Korean government, but this is not for lack of trying. ``Well, I’ve always promoted this to the Korean authorities, they have taken it over, but I don’t think they see the necessity yet. I mean, they are very single minded in their objectives, and they think that they can obtain those objectives without doing very much public diplomacy,’’ he said. Still, de Vries said, ``After the World Cup it’s coming, I’m very happy with what they do, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been very helpful. The Korean Embassy in The Hague, the very active Ambassador Kim, he has set up quite a number of activities, and supports everything that’s possible. You can see on the calendar there are a number of activities that are going to take place.’’
Asked if the Korean government could be doing more to support Hamel Year, the ambassador said, ``Well, it is my idea, it’s not their idea, so they are giving some support to some of the activities and they see the benefits, but they’re not going full out. Neither is The Netherlands government, but there is much more openness in Dutch society, so the public and institutes are maybe doing a little bit more in Korea than vice versa.’’
The ambassador explained how the areas and dates the embassy organized Hamel Year around mushroomed into a multifaceted, yearlong celebration. ``We felt that from the beginning we would focus on a couple of themes, and would also focus on a couple of months, in the spring and the autumn. We are a little bit more successful than we would have thought, so it’s also creeping into winter and summer events. The themes we developed are education, knowledge and learning as a cluster, and then trade and commerce, everything industrial, scientific, and then culture and arts,’’ de Vries said.
The Netherlands is one of the top-three European investors in Korea, the ambassador clarified what the investments were and what about Korea that attracted them. ``First of all, there are some European and other investments that are channeled through The Netherlands, so it’s not wholly Dutch,’’ de Vries said, adding, ``But we of course have quite a number of large companies, financial institutions, conglomerates, Anglo-Dutch companies like Shell and Unilever.’’ The ambassador said that the fact Holland is the number-three investor after Japan and the United States ``does not surprise me, because Korea is a market of close to 50 million people, it’s rapidly becoming an affluent society, a successful player in the region, and as Koreans know better themselves, and surely this new government, this Northeast Asian region is going to be a region of strong economic growth for the foreseeable future.’’
The ambassador had guarded hopes that Hamel Year would plant seeds for ongoing collaborations with Korea. ``Well, maybe you think that governments and embassies are very efficient (laughing) and actually they’re not,’’ he said. He added that ``Initiatives like Hamel Year are very personally driven, very person oriented. So, I already look toward the end of my stint here, and I think I made a small contribution this year, and I’m happy with the things we’ve started up, and it’s up to the Korea government and the Dutch government to pick up when I’m gone. If they are interested, they would officially maybe take up education as a theme, or cultural exchange.’’
The ambassador said that mutual affinities might drive the Korea-Holland relationship forward. ``Korea in many respects is very much like Holland, in that the Korean people are straightforward, emotional people _ so are the Dutch. A maritime-oriented country surrounded by big partners, there are a couple of comparisons. If you’ve got people who are enthusiastic about the relationship, there’s much more to it, and you can convince policymakers to pay more attention.’’
With this year also being the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, de Vries said commemorations planned for the role Holland played in the conflict are ``well taken up by my Ministry of Defense,’’ adding, ``We are participating in festivities at the end of July, and will send quite a large delegation of active military, some veterans, and I hope also a Cabinet minister.’’
After the World Cup people impressed by the national team coach began to speak of ``Hiddink-style management,’’ which was applied to almost everything. The ambassador was asked if he thought there was something like a ``Dutch spirit’’ that Hiddink personified. ``First of all, I think that it was quite special the way Hiddink explained his management insights,’’ de Vries said. ``I think it did something for Korea at that very moment. The fact that he was invited by President Noh Moo-hyun to his inauguration also speaks for itself because President Noh by what he has shown in the last couple of weeks at the Ministry of Justice and so on, tries to instill that same spirit.’’
The ambassador expanded on this spirit, saying ``Confucianism and traditionalism have got great advantages and have brought this country many benefits, but sometimes you should have a policy mix. Sometimes you should just slightly change the orientation. If you really want to become a number-one country, if it comes to the economic and technological developments, you will have to instill some new values in order to jump-start the motor. (Former) President Kim Dae-jun was speaking of a knowledge-based economy, President Noh is taking up some of those things in his political manifesto, and if you want to make that jump you will have to look at education, a better mix between male and female _ you will have to in the next 20 years do something that was started by Hiddink.’’
If there is such a thing as Hiddink-style management it means, de Vries said, ``Just motivate everybody a bit more and wiggle them a little bit around and arouse them a bit, because Korea is very conventional in many respects,’’ adding, ``I’ll tell you honestly, our countries were like that too. In the time that I grew up, (people running) the companies and government bureaucrats in The Netherlands were also 60-year-old people with three-piece suits. Hierarchy was a very important thing. But we have gone through some shocking revolutions. Today, the minister who is accompanying Hiddink in July (on a trade mission) is 32 or something. That’s very hard to swallow (laughs). You’re going to accept that you’re not automatically going to have a career that’s going to bring you from a junior bureaucrat going on to be a minister when you’re 60.’’
By Michael Anderson
Culture Editor
03-19-2010 17:47
|
| |
|
19 March 2010
|
|
Korea Times: From Hamel to Hiddink, Dutch Presence Endures
|
Source: Korea Times
Date: 19 March 2010
Author: Michael Anderson, Culture Editor
In 1653 the Dutch ship Sperwer (Sparrowhawk) shipwrecked on Cheju Island, leaving an anxious book keeper behind who recorded his 13-year stay here in a journal. Last year, Dutch coach Guus Hiddink led an anxious national football team to the World Cup semifinals. Like historical bookends, these citizens of Holland have each made a mark on Korea.
That history is still being written with ``Hamel Year 2010,’’ a celebration of the ties that bind The Netherlands and South Korea. The events scheduled _ some specifically to highlight Hamel, others to boost Holland’s industries and organizations, and the country’s many attractions _ span the fields of culture, economics, sports and education.
Although Hamel did not live here voluntarily and was anxious to return home, finally escaping his forced occupation as one of king’s bodyguards, by his own account he was treated civilly.
As for Hiddink, despite some rough patches at the outset he left triumphant, and could have stayed on as the country’s president, going by the hero’s reception he got for taking the national team so unexpectedly far.
Through the publication of Hamel’s journal the West got its first glimpse of life in the Hermit Kingdom, and with the successful hosting of the Korea-Japan World Cup, this country is hardly a guarded secret anymore. Holland, one of the top three countries investing in Korea, knows this well, and in July we’ll see the return of coach Hiddink, accompanying the Dutch secretary of state for economic affairs on a trade mission here.
This year has also seen Koreans make their mark in Holland. Rotterdam football teams Feyenoord and Excelsior have gained World Cup heroes Song Chong-gug and Kim Nam-il, respectively, and PSV Eindhoven can now boast the former national team’s top players Lee Young-pyo and Park Ji-sung.
More generally, Holland has become a big importer of Korean products, particularly automobiles and computer components.
With this year’s celebration of Hamel’s time here, however inadvertent the circumstances, and Hiddink’s more fortuitous stay, it can be said that Holland has truly come to occupy a place in Korean’s hearts and minds.
By Michael Anderson
Culture Editor
03-19-2010 17:51 |
| |
|
8 February 2010
|
|
[ANNIVERSARIES] Cultural Diplomacy
|
Source: Korea Now (Korea Herald)
Date: 8 February 2010
Journalist: Choe Yong-shik
Embassies honor long-standing ties with Korea
Hoping to reinforce ties with Korea and its people, diplomatic missions here are launching various celebrations in an effort to reach out to the local community with a broad range of cultural events this year.
Leading the pack are three nations: the Netherlands, Korea's close friend following the 2009 World Cup, Canada and Switzerland, which are both celebrating 40 years of diplomatic ties with Korea.
As part of their public relations effort, these diplomatic missions have opened up Web sites introducing highlights of their programs and are joining hands with leading cultural institutions of Korea.
For the Dutch embassy in Seoul, the year 2010 is another golden opportunity to consolidate its favorable image among the Korean public in the wake of the Dutch boom sparked by its soccer coach Guus Hiddink who led the Korean national team to the semifinals of the World Cup.
Historically, this year marks the 350th anniversary of Dutch sailor Hendrik Hamel setting foot in Korea in 1653. Based on his 13-years of captivity in Korea, Hamel became the first Westerner to author a journal entirely devoted to Korea, after he managed to escape and return to the Netherlands in the late 1660s.
Declaring 2010 as the "Hamel Year," the Dutch embassy has in store a slew of exhibitions of Dutch art and design, stage shows, trade missions and tourism promotions as introduced in the newly-launched Web site, www./.
Some of its highlights include the original opera production "Hamel" in April and concerts of top-notch music groups from the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra scheduled for October.
The Netherlands will be a household name in the list of artists invited to local international art festivals like the Pusan International Film Festival, where "Nam, Hamel Revisited," a short Dutch film that reflects on Hamel from the perspective of a Korean adoptee woman to the Netherlands, will be showcased.
A select collection of 17th century Dutch painting, including those by Rembrandt, will go on display in a three-month exhibition at the Deoksu Palace branch of the National Museum of Contemporary Art.
In addition, the embassy will work closely with Korean towns associated with Hamel with initiatives to build historical monuments and sponsor commemorative projects.
Celebrating the diplomatic milestone, Canada and Switzerland have also organized a wide array of activities in Korea ranging from exhibitions, trade missions and academic and artists exchanges to tourism promotion.
The Canadian embassy is stepping up its effort to enhance awareness of the country's cause among the Korean public and unveiled its schedule for its programs at the Web site, www.celebration2010.or.kr.
The Swiss embassy is also as earnest as other missions in its effort to get closer to the local community.
Sharing the country's diplomatic cause, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra devoted its regular concert last weekend to Switzerland, a European powerhouse of classical music, with Daniel Schubart, musical director of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, performing as a guest conductor.
Last month, the embassy arranged an exhibition of Samuel Buri, one of the most acclaimed Swiss artists, in Seoul, with a number of similar events in the works throughout the year. |
| |
|  |
