Korean Job Discussion Forums

[julian_w]

World Fair Trade Day 2008 is May 10th.

GIC - the Gwangju International Center - is hosting a special event
supported by the May 18 Foundation.

On Saturday 10th of May, from 2.30 p.m. there will be:

- a brief talk entitled "What in the world is fair trade?" including criticisms

- a brief presentation of the results of surveys of chain cafes and fair trade providers in Gwangju and Korea

- fair trade tea to drink and chocolate to eat
and different fair trade coffees to sample and vote on

- a screening of the internationally lauded prize-winning movie 'Black Gold'

- and at 3.45 p.m. the drawing of the winning ticket for the fair trade prize pack raffle worth more than w100,000.

Raffle tickets are w1,000
and are available this week from the Underground Grocers
or from Speakeasy this quiz-night Thursday
or from GIC on Saturday.

More information including a detailed description of the prize pack, at:

www.fairtradegwangju.blogspot.com

See also:

GIC

The May 18 Memorial Foundation

[julian_w]

Also on May 10th will be:

- a brief report on a trip to Ethiopia, to the coffee growing co-operative in the movie 'Black Gold,' taken by a student from New Zealand.

[xtchr]

It sounds like an interesting afternoon, and ordinarily I would have gone along, but unfortunately I can't get to the meeting that day.

Will probably buy some tickets before then though to help the cause.
Would be worth winning just to find out what Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger sound like together!

Good luck with it.

[Smee]

Yeah, wouldn't mind going but I'll be out of town.

[julian_w]

On May 10th, at GIC, for World Fair Trade Day 2008
there will be a fair-trade coffee taste-test sampling session.

Brand: Scarborough Fair
Name: Golden Blend - Fairtrade Organic, Powdered Instant Coffee

More information available at:
www.fairtradegwangju.blogspot.com

[julian_w]

On May 10th, at GIC, for World Fair Trade Day 2008
there will be a fair-trade coffee taste-test sampling session.

Brand: Cafe L'Affare
Name: ORGANIC Honduras Fair trade, Plunger or Filter Grind

More information available at:
www.fairtradegwangju.blogspot.com

[julian_w]

Announcing the official launch of the Korean language mirror site:

www.fairtradegwangjukorea.blogspot.com

of which it is also hoped to develop into an initial Korean language information hub on fair trade.

Feel free to forward this link to Korean friends who may be interested.

This launch also announces the schedule of events planned to celebrate World Fair Trade Day 2008, next Saturday 10th May.

Please bring any Korean friends along, or tell about GIC and let them know they're hereby invited to come and listen or ask questions, as are all and any foreigners.

Fair trade cynics, supporters, and anyone curious or wanting to simply try different samples of fair trade coffee, green tea, or chocolate, or watch the movie 'Black Gold' are welcome to come along.

The talk - where participants are welcome to contribute - is from 2.30 until 3.30.

If you're busy over that time but still want to buy a ticket to the raffle, come at 3.30, try some coffee, and the raffle draw will be at 3.45, just before the movie starts.

[Smee]

Looks like I'll be able to go after all. Could you post, either here or on your blog, directions on how to get to the GIC? Couldn't find anything on the GIC site. Thanks.

[julian_w]

Hmm... asking directions always begs the question as to where you're coming from. I'm going to presume you'll be jumping off the express bus or train, and then onto a city bus or a taxi.

You want to get to 광주시 동구 금남로 1가 1번지 전일빌딩 5층

You could just copy or print this and show it to the taxi driver.

If you're coming by bus or subway, you want to ask the driver (or maybe the friendly neighbourbood subway guy):

"Kumnamno il gah, ka yoh? [금남로 1가, 가요?]
- and/ or -
"YMShiA ka yoh? [YMCA 가요?]"


If you're coming by taxi you could just go round the roundabout to the other side of the road and the nice taxi driver will probably point out the 'Chun-il Building' [전일빌딩] for you.

If you're getting off a bus at the YMCA, you just need to go under the road via the subway shopping area, and then up the other side. You might just want to check where Dunkin' Donuts or the Tourist Info Center is first.

If you have the YMCA building (with Dunkin' Donuts and the Tourist Info Center) behind you, and the roundabout (and the old Dojung Building) to your right, the Chunil building is right next to the KEB Bank Building with Cash Corner on the left. It's the building on the immediate right of the bank, with the double set of double glass doors in a glass-window front wall looking into a dimly lit, wide foyer.

Walk through one of the glass doors; smile and nod politely to the nice Mr Guard Man watching TV at his desk in the front right corner; walk past the comfy sofa, and go to the far right corner of the foyer; find the elevator on the right hand side (cos it goes to the 5th floor); hit the button for up; saunter on inside; hit the 5th floor button; rock on straight ahead down the corridor in front of the elevator on the 5th; boogie on down the small hall by the signs that say something like GIC or Gwangju International Center; swing on through the door and see what's happening.

Help yourself to a coffee or tea (with a minimal charge if it's fair trade); say hello or annyoung hassaeyoh! to anyone there, but especially look out for Ji-yeon (and tell her she's doing a fantastic job as the new co-ordinator) and/or Ji-hyun (and tell her she's doing just fine as the Saturday talk sessions volunteer co-ordinator); or check out the library; or just make yourself at home.

If you turn up around that part of town on the street any time from around 2pm there'll be people coming and going anyway who'll be able to point you in the right direction.

[julian_w]

There is now a second place prize for the raffle.

This will be drawn and presented to someone present for the draw on Saturday 10th May, at 3.45pm, in GIC.

In the second prize pack there will be fair trade chocolate, fair trade coffee, and an official Fairtrade labelled fair trade soccer ball.

More information here.

There is a maximum number of only 200 tickets printed.
Less than that have been sold so far.

The raffle prizes are available for viewing at GIC this week,
and tickets are still available at GIC and at The Underground Grocers.

[ds_fan]

[quote="xtchr"]It sounds like an interesting afternoon, and ordinarily I would have gone along, but unfortunately I can't get to the meeting that day.

Will probably buy some tickets before then though to help the cause.
Would be worth winning just to find out what Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger sound like together!

Good luck with it.[/quote

what the hell are you talking about? What have mick jagger and peter tosh got to do with this?

[julian_w]

Gidday.

Yeah, I didn't know much about Putumayo as a company, even after I'd bought about three of their CDs. I only really researched them properly when I started setting up this whole raffle-type thing for World Fair Trade Day. (I bought their CDs initially just 'cos I actually liked and was interested in their compilation. I'd never heard of them before.)

Since then, I've met others who have discs from their selection and seem to appreciate what they do. Granted, the information on the extent to which they contribute any profit is sketchy. (But then again seeing as how they're not quite a house-hold name, and the bottom is falling/ has fallen out of the music CD industry anyway, you've got to wonder what profit there is in the business these days anyway.)

Anyway, you can see the CD which is part of the raffle if you scroll right down here.

You can learn more about the organisation from the wikipedia page here,
which includes links to interviews and other information at the bottom,

or just go to their website homepage here

or see the compilation listing for the raffle prize CD (including Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger) here.

[ds_fan]

mate, how many foreigners are going to this thing, im doing a spot of shopping for clothes on saturday in gwangju, maybe ill call in for an hour or so for a fair trade coffee, sounds like a fun day, good work

[julian_w]

Hi,

Haa,

I wish I could tell you how many foreigners will be at the event on Saturday. Who knows? Some friends I've talked to have said they're going away for the weekend, which is completely sensible - or, rather - fair enough! Other complete strangers whom I've not seen at recent Saturday talks have said they'll be there.

What I can tell you is that there will be at least 6, maybe 7 different types of coffee to try. All we're really asking is a silver-type coin donation of more or less w500 per cup. You can vote on which one you like best. GIC will take the votes into consideration when buying supplies for the future.

Three types of fair trade coffee are available in Korea from Korean companies (ie. NOT including Starbucks' brand), although one Korean fair trade company supplies a French brand coffee, so, the other two are actually Korean company coffees. We'll have more background information about them at the talk.

You don't have to stay for the talk but
if you come to the first taste test session from 2 - 2.30 you can still buy raffle tickets, sample some fair trade chocolate, and read up on fair trade (from the wall-posters-type info. panels);
if you come to the second session from 3.30 - 3.50ish you can be there for the raffle draws at 3.45
(including the second prize or 'spot' prize for whoever is actually there at the time, including chocolate, coffee, and a soccer ball)
and be there for the start of the movie.

[julian_w]

On May 10th, at GIC, for World Fair Trade Day 2008
there will be a fair-trade coffee taste-test sampling session.

Brand: Beautiful Coffee, from the Beautiful Store
Name: Gift from the Himalayas

Single origin organic fair trade whole beans from Nepal. Also available in pre-ground, and in individual coffee bags.

* This coffee is not certified fair trade or organic. We phoned to Nepal to check up on them. Come to the talk on Saturday to find out what we learned...

and to tell us what you think of the taste of this locally available 'fair trade' coffee.

Other locally available fair trade coffees will be available for sampling, too.

More information available at:
www.fairtradegwangju.blogspot.com