News
TIME really flies. It is early December already and we have only one month left before the start of a new year.
For the cover story of our December issue, we report on the international trade of Corporate Korea and Korean trade-related organizations, such as the Korea Export Insurance Corporation as well as an interview with Lee Dong-geun, Deputy Minister for International Trade & Investment Policy at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
The cover story also looks at the excellent export performances of STX Offshore & Shipbuilding and Hyundai Heavy Industries, both of which won prizes on Trade Day (Nov. 30) for their export efforts and achievements. We also report on the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, an organization that helps Korean companies in dispute reach a settlement. We also had an interview with Kim Bong-han, President of the Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency. It is very meaningful that, in 2009, Korean exporters did their best despite tough economic conditions at home and abroad. We hope Korean exporters will have better business conditions with a recovery in the global economy in 2010.
In late November, KT, a mobile phone service operator, launched the long-awaited Apple i-Phone in Korea. Our feature story deals not only with the launch of the smartphone but also with new handsets that will compete with it in the Korean market. New models were launched or will be soon launched by Samsung, LG and Motorola and it will be interesting to observe how competition in the smartphone market heats up in Korea.
Meanwhile, winter means the ski and snowboarding season here in Korea. Therefore, we have also included stories on High1 Ski Resort in Gangwon Province and Konjiam Resort in Gyeonggi Province. We are sure that those of you planning winter activities will particularly enjoy these articles. We also hope you will enjoy our other articles, including the listing of Samsung Life Insurance, an update of the Korean M&A market, new moves of the KDB Financial Group, activities of the Korean Investment Corporation (KIC), change in foreign currency regulations and economic cooperation between Korea and the Middle East. In particular, we believe that Korea and the Middle East need to strengthen economic cooperation to weather the storm.
We wish all of you a happy and meaningful holiday season. Thank you for your continued support in 2009.
Park Jung-hwan,
Publisher & Editor-in Chief