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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Itaewon, tourism attraction or social laboratory?

Though the different origins of the name of Itaewon are not very clear, they all seem to be connected to the presence of foreigners in that area. In the 70s, Itaewon has been (in)famous for catering and entertaining the neighboring US Army Base, especially at night time. Since the 1988 Olympics, the americanized village has gained popularity among tourists and expatriates from all continents. In 1997, Itaewon was designated as a Special Tourist Zone and today, this is one of the seven Global Villages of Seoul, identified as areas with high concentration of alien residents that have specific needs in terms of public administration.


Alley behing Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon

Apart from those multicultural agglomerations and some tourism spots, Seoul hardly qualifies as a cosmopolitan city. On the other hand, Korea is a serious candidate for global leadership and 2010 may confirm the legitimacy of its aspirations.

In January 2010, the Republic of Korea officially became the first former aid recipient to join the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). With only 0.09 per cent of its GNI dedicated to Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2008, Korea is obviously falling below DAC standards (0.2 per cent). However, the country has increased its ODA considerably the last few years and has promised to reach 0.25 percent of its GNI by 2015.

Year 2010 also coincides with the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War and the 40th Anniversary of the Saemaul Undong, the New Village Movement that contributed to the successful transition of Korea from aid recipient country to donor country. Have you ever noticed these green flags with what looks like a yellow clover on them? This is the symbol of Saemaul Undong.

Saemaul Expo 2009 in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do province
The Saemaul movement was officially launched in 1970 by President Park Chung-hee in Gyeongsanbuk-do province. At that time, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, a least developed nation depending on the financial and technical support from the international community. Despite of successful economic plans based on export-led industries, Korean development was threatened by the incapacity of rural communities to feed themselves. After major floods in 1969, President Park however noticed that some villages had the capacity to help themselves with limited resources. He then decided that government aid should be conditional and linked to the capacity of rural areas to fulfill their basic needs autonomously.

One of the unique features of the Saemaul Undong movement was that it consisted of executing local rural development projects, designed and implemented by the communities themselves. This bottom-up approach was one of the key factors of success of the movement as it is now for any sustainable development project. The three core values of the Saemaul are and are still Diligence (involve yourself), Self Help (control your fate) and Cooperation (share your energy).
Initially a programme and a project, the Saemaul Undong is now a product and a brand, with an added-value for Korea national branding strategy. Made-in-Korea, the Saemaul movement tells a story of countrywide success built from grassroots. It can be a practical model for many developing countries, especially in Africa where it has already been effectively implemented. “You can do it, we can it!”: does it ring a bell ?

In July 2008, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made a speech at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, his home country, entitled "Great Challenges Require Great Nations". I was quite moved to hear: “Personally, I am ashamed that Korea ranks last, dead last, among the OECD countries in providing Official Development Assistance. This is not befitting a great country. We must do more, much more, commensurate with our national economic power. And now, as the first Korean Secretary-General of the United Nations leads the global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, now is the perfect time for Korea to make its move. Work with me. The world looks to Korea to step up to this challenge.”

On November 11th to 12th, Korea will host the G20 Summit in Seoul and this event will surely mark an important milestone in Korea’s history.

For many Koreans, Itaewon hardly qualifies as one of the best tourism spots in Seoul. A few months ago, the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) asked 500 foreign residents to select their top 20 attractions in Korea, to be introduced to the international guests of the upcoming G20 Summit. Itaewon was only mentioned under the theme “Global Seoul” together with Chungdamdong, Seoul Arts Center and “Others”. As a result, Itaewon ranked first but may be this is because all interviewees were living there?

Anyway, Itaewon is the best place to visit in case of homesickness (or kimchi sickness).

As an interesting conclusion, where can you find decent croissants in Itaewon?
The Seoul Croissant Trail, Itaewon section
1. Passion 5
2. May Bell
3. Paris Baguette
4. Michot

Passion 5

1,700 won, too dry and too much sugar coating

May Bell Bakery, right side of IP Boutique Hotel
May Bell, 1000 Won, perfect texture, not enough butter
Paris Baguette, at Hamilton Hotel (yes, we are in Korea)
900 won, quite ok when freshly baked (though too much sugar coating), quite depressing after a few hours






2,000 won (ouch !): nice texture though a little too dry, no or not enough butter, funny shape

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