Posts from the ‘Social Affairs’ Category
The recently released Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2011-12 shows South Korea is ranked 44th in press freedom, falling below Botswana, South Africa and Ghana.
It was expected that Korea would fall in the rankings. In March 2011, the Reporters Without Borders country file on Korea was was less than positive:
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 2012
2012년 흑룡의 해 새해 복 많이 받으세요
To all our client, friends and contributors, we wish you a happy, prosperous and safe New Year in 2012.
On 18 January 2012, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (International Relations Program) at the University of Pennsylvania released the United Nations University Edition of the Global Think Tanks Report 2011. According to the report’s preface:
“The 2011 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings marks the fifth edition of the annual report. As in previous years, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s International Relations Program has relied on the indexing criteria and process developed by James G. McGann for ranking think tanks around the world.
New OECD study Doing Better for Families Korea country summary available on the OECD website.
“At 1.15 children per woman, Korea’s total fertility rate in 2009 was the lowest in the OECD. The decline in the fertility rate is mainly explained by married women having fewer children – families with three or more children have become rare in Korea – and a rise in the number of single women. Korean women who are more educated, have jobs, and live in cities are likely to put off marriage…
According to Yonhap New Agency, in November 2011 South Korea’s exports of food and other agricultural products achieved a new monthly high for the year with demand from Japan and China contributing substantially to the growth.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated that South Korean exports of food and agricultural products grew 15.1 percent year-on-year for the month of November, reaching USD654.9 million. Read more
The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness is currently on in Busan from 29 November 2011 to 1 December 2011. Read more
On 8 November 2011, Yonhap News reported that South Korean authorities confirmed they hold no intelligence that North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, has died. Rumors of the death of Kim Jong-Il are thought to have affected South Korean financial markets throughout the day.
On 3 November 2011, several South Korean media outlets have released articles highlighting research by the Russian Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), which contends Korean unification will occur by 2020.
On 4 November 2011, leading South Korean daily newspapers carried reports on the use of Social Network Services (SNS) during the Seoul mayoral elections. Both The Hankyoreh and Chosun Daily newspapers highlighted the fact that SNS, in particular Twitter, were a prominent feature of the mayoral elections, contributing to voter turnout, a high youth vote, and ultimately, the progressive victory.
On 31 October 2011, the National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee failed to review the Korea-United States (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with Committee Chairman Nam Kyung-Pil indicating the review would be postponed to avoid a physical clash as opposition lawmakers blockaded the meeting room.
