Unintentionally Complicated

According to the news outlets, South Korea will be developing an 'Iron Dome' defence system which will be more powerful than the Israeli one. As for East Asia's geopolitics, it's a very important development. The decision to develop this new defence system is the result of a long defence acquisition procedure. As South Korea is surrounded by powerful neighbouring countries, this development came as a long term perspective for national security. Moreover, Israel's 'Iron Dome' system was on South Korea's radar for a very long time. In June, the South Korean government announced that it would be spending approximately $2.5 billion on research and development of this system, with a target to deploy it by 2035. South Korea and Israel will be building this technology together according to the needs of the demographic of the country. It'll be different from the traditional style of Iron Dome. If South Korea develops and deploys this system, it'll be a...

My entry for the 2021 Talk Talk KOREA contest, 'Traditional Culture in Korea'. The title of my illustration is  " Taekwondo: From Traditional to International " . Taekwondo's origin dates back to 2000 years, recognized as one of the world's oldest forms of martial arts. It is the Korean traditional martial art that has become an international sport with millions of participants globally. Taekwondo can be translated as "the way of foot and fist" where competitors use their hands and feet. Its philosophy of combat is only for self-defence. Not only spiritual discipline, but Taekwondo is also now emerging with lots of benefits like concentration, increased stamina, emotional stability and treatment from addictions for young people. Since 2000, it is the part of the Olympic Games.  Image Link [Image Courtesy: The Illustration is designed by me. Images are subject to copyright.]

Finally, Korean Cultural Center India (KCCI) has announced the dates, rules and guidelines for this year K-POP Contest. Usually, the K-pop contest starts from the early April of every year to the end of July or August. However, during these unprecedented times, no one can be sure of what the future holds as a pandemic is overshadowing our plans. The  K-POP Contest  in India is held since 2013 by Korean Cultural Centre India. It is the most awaited event of the year as participants usually start preparing for it even before announcing the event itself. As a precautionary measure against Covid-19, it has been decided by the KCC that the Online round and the Regional round of the K-pop India Contest 2021 will be conducted online, like last year. Final round information will be disclosed later. The Online round will begin from 16th July to 16 August 2021. KCC has made a website solely dedicated to K-pop Contest which has previous year participants' Kpop dancing &...

On 25th June 2021, Korean Cultural Center India(KCCI) held a Virtual Exhibition titled   'Korean War Special Exhibition <60 Para Field Ambulance>' , commemorating India's role in the Korean War 1950-1953. It's a Photo Exhibition, showcasing 32 photos, about the Korean War, particularly highlighting the support from India's 60th Parachute Field Ambulance Platoon. The Korean War was fought between 25th June 1950~27th July 1953 until the Armistice agreement was signed between two countries. It was considered as one of the deadliest conflicts of the 20th century which had shaken the country to its core.   India played a unique role in maintaining a neutral position throughout the Korean War. India also got its independence a few years ago but this doesn't stop them from sending medical aid to the Korean Peninsula was going through a humanitarian crisis. Under the United Nations command, India deployed a medical unit of the Indian Army named  "   60th...

On 21st June 2021, Korean Cultural Center India(KCCI) held its first online exhibition through zoom. The name of the exhibition is  "Belle du Jour"  by artist  Guruvinayak Singh Budhwar . Belle du Jour translates to 'Beauty of the Day' and the theme can be found in Guruvinayak's artworks. Through this exhibition, the artist tries to rekindle hope and instil positivity into the viewers. Belle du Jour showcases 26 artworks of the Guruvinayak Singh Budhwar on the virtual exhibition. Through zoom meeting, he took the viewers around his dreamscape, virtually, explaining his artworks one by one together with his thoughts. As per the artist, he hopes every viewer who comes to see the exhibition takes away an emotional expression that resonated with them. Artist expressed himself using surrealism because that gives license to be the rule of common understanding, science, nature, and all mundane things. He uses this technique to express how there...

The International Day of Yoga  is celebrated annually on 21st June, since 2015. The idea was first proposed by the current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 27th September 2014. In South Korea, there is a significant amount of craze among the people for 'Yoga' .  In addition, 'Yoga' is part of the university curriculum across the country.  Even the South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, shared words to commemorate the International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2015. To know more about the topic, I got the honour to interview  Dr Sonu Trivedi, Director of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center  (also known as Indian Cultural Center (ICC)), Embassy of India in Seoul. Dr Sonu Trivedi  is Director of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center, Embassy of India, Seoul.  She joined as Assistant Professor, Zakir Husain Delhi College, the University of Delhi in 2006. Before moving...