Korean Job Discussion Forums

julian_w

The first International Seminar on Fair Trade in Korea organized by EKF is next week on Tuesday the 22nd of September.

A representative from FLO, the Fair Trade International organization based in Germany, will come to Seoul to participate as a guest speaker. Producers and farmers from Laos and Vietnam will introduce to the audience the benefits of Fair Trade. Furthermore, recently added to the list of speakers is Ms. Kaori Nakajima, director of Fairtrade Label Japan.

Mr. Brian McDonald, the EU ambassador to Korea, will give the welcoming speech.

The seminar is supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

Date: Tuesday, September 22nd 2009, 08:30 ~ 11:30
Venue: Euljiro 4 Ga Station, Kukdo Hotel, Tulip Hall (3rd floor)
Admission: free of charge

Please PM me for more information if you or anyone you know (Korean or international citizen in Korea) is interested and can make the time. Anyone from Gwangju city or Jeollanamdo who is interested in traveling up can get help with the cost of transport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade

roadwork · Joined: 24 Nov 2008 Location: Goin' up the country

Wow, how convenient. On a weekday during hours where almost everyone is guaranteed to be at work. Spectacular planning.

julian_w · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject:

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

As luck would have it, I'm not working that morning. I'll be there! Cool

coralreefer_1 · Joined: 19 Jan 2009

As someone who is studying international trade here in Korea, I am highly interested in the event. I could probably even get a dismissal from my classes to attend so long as I wrote some kind of summary about the conference.

The only thing that causes me to hesitate is that it is only a 3 hours event, and considering I live in Daegu, I would spend more time traveling there than i would taking in information. If it were a whole day event with several speakers and presentation throughout the day, I would be there in a flash.

Do you happen to know if there are any other trade related events going on later in the day at that location, or some other nearby location?

Pink Freud · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Daegu

Murakano · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

I would have been very interested but like many others, working on Tuesday morning unfortunately.

Sounds interesting anyway. Maybe one of you guys who goes can post a little about the event when it`s over......

Binch Lover · Joined: 25 Jul 2005

I'm very interested in going. Do I need to register or can I just show up on the day?

julian_w · Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:12 am Post subject: Checking out fair trade in Seoul

coralreefer_1 · Joined: 19 Jan 2009

The idea interests me. PM with with more info if you have it please, or let everyone here know so that others may get their fix of "fair trade" info.

nathanrutledge · Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh

Fair trade? You mean that concept where Starbucks charges a dollar more per cup of coffee and then pays en extra penny per cup to the farmer? That SCAM? I'd love to be there but I too will be working.

julian_w · Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:02 pm Post subject:

1.) Anyone interested in going is invited to RSVP with this nice guy named Frederic. Contact him here:

Frederic Ojardias
Project Manager
The Europe-Korea Foundation
21st Fl., Kukdo Hotel.
#310 Euljiro 4-Ga, Jung-Gu
Seoul, Korea 100-849
Tel: +82.2.725.0382
Fax: +82.2.725.0383
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ekf.or.kr

2.) To coralreefer_1 and anyone else interested in doing a 'tour', my main suggestions are to visit the Fairtrade store, which almost exclusively only stocks Fairtrade (the European logo) certified fair trade products, and has a really wide range of things there. Just around from that is also the Beautiful Store, one of the biggest in the country, and it includes a nice small cafe where you can try their fair trade coffee from Nepal or Peru. They are both a short walk from Insadong. More info. soon, including websites etc. (Class time now...)

julian_w · Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:51 am Post subject: Here we go...

The first Seoul-wide fair trade tour starts from the Anguk subway stop, exit #1, whereupon you cross the road and walk past the nice wooden Beautiful Store set back from the road on the left. Take the next little alley and walk about 50 meters up the road until just over the crest of the slight rise in the road, and on the left you will see a small store with an assortment of goods, a few people, and the European Fairtrade logo displayed prominently.
(Alternatively, go to the top of Insadong, turn right, then left, and go straight until you go past the Anguk Station on the corner across the road on your right, and the Beautiful Store a bit further on your left.)

1.) First stop is the 'Ulim' Fairtrade store
http://fairtradekorea.com/shop/main/index.php

find a map to the place (in Korean) at the bottom of this page:
http://fairtradekorea.com/shop/service/company.php

The owner guy, Mr Park Chung Sun doesn't speak much English, but he has a number of staff members who do. If you want to chat about it all he's often up for it, although the other staff people know a fair bit too. They have brochures, pamplets, books and magazines to have a squiz at, plus all the varieties and sizes of chocolate, soccer balls, and everything else there.
You could contact the store ahead of time if you want:
02-739-1201
[email protected]

2.) Second stop is back around the corner on the main road and across from the subway exit, where you'll find the Beautiful Store with all their second hand gears (clothes, toys, CDs, etc.) and the cute cafe with a balcony for drinking their own fair trade coffee from Nepal or Peru in the afternoon sun.

('Beautiful Coffee' is not internationally nor independently certified, but a Nepalese friend here phoned to Nepal and actually spoke to a farmer and asked how much he was being paid by the Beautiful Store foundation, and about conditions for him there. When we checked the amount they were getting per kg of fresh coffee beans it did translate to the fair trade minimum in US$, and they said an Australian organic certification inspector had been to check them out. ... Can't vouch for the Peruvian variety though.)

3.) The local YMCA Green Store, to check out their second-hand gears and pick up some Peace Coffee, grown in and imported from East Timor.
When steeped well in a French press/ coffee plunger it is a fair good brew indeed.

Check out their site here:
http://www.peacecoffee.co.kr/mall/shop_main.php

I'm not actually sure where the nearest YMCA offices are to that part of Seoul right now, but the guy who would know is probably this chap:

Mr Hack Young Lee, National Council of YMCAs
# 117 Sogong-dong, Chung-gu, Seoul, Korea, Rep
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 00-82-2-754-7895
Fax: 00-82-2-774-8889

From the World YMCA site, at the bottom of the page, with regard to Korea
http://www.ymca.int/468.0.html
and East Timor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor

Fair Trade Campaign - a �Cup of Peace�

'Why is the gap between the poor and the rich widening in spite of economic development? One reason is definitely the unfair trade system. The farmers of agriculture-based countries do not have many choices when selling their products. To prevent their agricultural products from spoiling, they have to sell them, even at very low prices. One of the most dramatic examples is coffee. When people in Korea enjoy coffee in a caf� like Starbucks, they are not aware that less than 1% of the price they pay goes to the coffee farmers. Korea YMCA hopes to help people become more socially responsible by making them realise the many disadvantages in the so-called free trade system. So Korea YMCA started a direct purchase system with farmers of East Timor, buying raw coffee beans for a higher price from farmers so they would have fair wages. After processing the beans, the Korea YMCA sells the coffee to Korean consumers.

'To promote this Fair Trade campaign, Korea YMCA made an agreement with various civic organisations such as the National Association of Labour Unions, and the profits from the sale of the coffee go to East Timor for sustainable community development, such as creating a community self-help association. This Peace Coffee Campaign shows an alternative method of consumption - an ethical consumption as a global citizen. People realise they can participate in peace-building by consciously purchasing a cup of coffee, and this can be a way for an ordinary citizen to extend global citizenship: a small act of intervention in an international trade system.'

4.) Finally on the tour we would like to direct your attention to the store named Caribou Coffee, where you are able to pick up some fresh Peruvian coffee beans baring the north American independently certified fair trade label.

Check out for the nearest store at the bottom of the page here:
http://cariboukorea.co.kr/store/store_list.php

Check out the coffee online here:
http://cariboukorea.co.kr/shop/goods_view.php?cid=000000000000000&depth=0&id=001267

* * * * * *

That's it so far. It was a while since I was up that way, and my Korean's pretty bad so not so much use in navigating those sites. Can anyone add to this, or either clarify or verify these directions?

julian_w · Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:23 am Post subject:

Ethan Allen Hawley · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

It sounds like an interesting opportunity to hear about something that has been growing back home since I have been here and living in other places overseas. It's free? And it has free samples of products? It sounds delicious! All I have to do is email or phone the guy called 'Frederic' listed above? Oh, and, get up a little early. I can do those things. See you there!