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Not Korean barbecue, but Bulgogi
Posted by English Cori2 in English, Hope News on July 16th, 2009
Editor’s Note:
In June 17th, the Rural Hope Center(Kim Won-bae, the chamber) attached to the Hope Institute held a lecture titled ‘The strategy of globalization of our agriculture and food’ inviting an executive director Kim Jin-soo of CJ Group. The Institute brought the director Kim as a guest of June since they have been having lectures on ‘the future of Korean agriculture seen by non-farmers’ every month. Kim shared his own opinion of the globalization of agriculture and food based on his passion and expert knowledge with the audience as a professional manager of the largest food company, CJ.
- Kim Jin-soo, Executive director of CJ
The comparison between the agricultural department(Nong, 農) and the engineering department(Gong, 工)
Kim Jin-soo, the executive director, graduated from an agricultural college which was not attractive as much as an engineering college was when he entered the school because of the industrialization. He introduced himself as one using in combination with Korean and Chinese letters and explained the agricultural department(Nong, 農) and the engineering department(Gong, 工) in his own way.
“The shape of 工(Gong) looks like just simple lines. It means the engineering department is easy and effective when it’s understood by a principle of it. On the other hand, the letter 農(Nong) has a letter 曲(Gok) which means curve on the top of it. It’s showing that the agricultural department depends on people. A straight ditch goes bad easily, but the bent ditch doesn’t.”
“That is, the agriculture is based on the curve rather than the straight. Laotzu said Gok-Jeuk-Jun(曲則全) saying it is completed when it’s curved. There is an art area in the agriculture. When the agriculture achieve some fruit, it could be called a agricultural arts like the word industrial arts”
Kim Jin-soo with the letters 農(Agriculture) & 藝(Art)
An aesthetics of balance taught by Lee Soon-sin
Kim director mentioned about the strategy of the general ‘Lee Soon-sin’ described in the novel ‘The song of the sword’ written by Kim Hoon. He used it as the core of the strategy of promotion. He underlined ‘Balance’ for the management.
“When the general Lee was ever-victorious for 13th war, one of his followers wondered that his strategy was for concentration or dispersion. However, Lee’s secret plan was ‘conversion’. It was about both of concentration and dispersion according to morale of rebels, the number of ship they had and the geographical characteristic. The most often practiced discipline by Lee was to hit the drums, and paddle for sailing at the same time. To the ultimate, Balance(good at several parts) is essential not concentration on only one for wining the war.
“There are some charged in marketing and others in Food R&D in my company. If the one in marketing is asked if he is from food engineering because he’s doing great, he is succeed in his business. The case that the one in Food R&D is asked if he is major in marketing because he’s doing great has also the same meaning. We need the worker who is able to help each part with warm heart and balance rather than the one just educated to analyze well. The power of production is the function of the unification.”
The meaning of the intellectual age & the keyword of the future
Director Kim said that it is the simple thinking to view the future in the order like agriculture→industry→a service industry→information industry→intellectual industry, and said the coming society in the future is more like society of intellectual-agriculture, intellectual-industry, intellectual-service industry, intellectual-information industry.
“The future intellectual society is the community where the intellectual will be the power. The roles like intellectual-agriculture and physical-agriculture need to be assigned to the proper people. It’s the same type, but it can be separated if it’s attached by the word ‘intellectual’”
Director Kim suggested the future trend, saying it already came out around our daily life.
“The matter is how to see our future. It’s the one side of the coming world that lots of paper is saying about health, respecting life, mental world, slow-life, environment friendly, environment, liberal art, art and vegetarian diet. The one who can’t realize it when he see these words is the person who can’t catch the opportunities.”
Agriculture is a long term of Value Chain, it needs to be changed into intellectual-agriculture.
The executive director Kim said that agriculture has a long term of value chain such as seedling/breeding, cultivation/harvest, fertilizer/agri-chemicals, a farm machine/a farm material, selective storage/physical distribution, primary processing/secondary processing, by-product processing, Utility, environment friendly as well as cultivation and harvest. Since these all is about agriculture, we have to think about which one in the value chain can be my or Korean’s strong point.
“Recently I saw a sweet potato which was watery sweet potato but the peel of it looked like Bam-one(it tastes like a chestnut.) The technical department is a great potential field. It happens between the boundary line of breeding and GMO. The world of food-industry, global and fusion of each business began.”
He also stresses that we can make an intellectual-agriculture when we can get a solution of invisible upper value like life, love, conservation, environment.
“The solution of future value can be non-fuel farm machine, environmental friendly farm material, recycling 100%, health agriculture, tracibility, environmental friendly cultivation, value added by-product. We will know who or what country made the food we eat through tracibility. When Korea has this system, we will find the value chain attached on the front and the rear. In addition, I’m especially interested in adding value to by-product, I think we have to make no waste of the crops. I see the boundary between agriculture and industry is already collapsing.
An imagination of globalization of our agriculture and food
“I’m often asked for the globalization of our food depending on our food tradition. Is it possible? In fact, it’s very difficult for companies to do it since a unit price is increasing. Some people insist of globalization of our food, but I would rather ask if the way they think is possible or not.”
Kim said the Imagination is necessary for globalization of our food, and advised some for the upcoming tendency of our world.
“The upcoming value is environmental friendly. Though it’s not done soon, I think we can set the goal like making whole nationwide be organic in 2020. The country which is known as making organic-food is worth getting higher value and cost. With the same organic product, we need to show we are the one that even has professional system and technical knowledge.”
“Furthermore, Korea should be the hub of health food, epicurism, fermentation food. People say Korea has less swine flu patient than other because Korean have Kim-chi though, there is no proof of the thought yet. For convincing of Western people, we must have a logic of the idea. At last I believe we need to make our countury be the center of mental health farming, well… it could sound weird. What I am thinking is Korea has tons of potential for mountain country having 4 seasons, its moral culture, instrumental music of peasants, experience of organic farming, recycle or meal at the temple. And it will take some time for making this potential true, so we’d better keep the master-plan of it by 2020.”
Global strategy of CJ Group
An entry way of CJ Group is 4 things such as bio products, feed, material and processing food. What is CJ’s plan for getting the goal of the globalization?
“CJ Group will have been 60 years in 2013, since it was established. It has a target to rank 15th from 38th in the world food companies rankings. If Chinese and Indian eat animal protein and milk products, it will help feed industry to grow. However, we are trying hard to make feed that helps a cow not to fall ill with bio-technique not putting antibiotics and feed which stops a cow from a burp and a fart, since there is a research issue that the source which is making most of CO2 is a burp of a cow. Like this occasion, we can think of the sugar which heals diabetes even if there is a cognizance that sugar is harm for health. Actually we already see a successful attempt, Xylitol which prevents people from cavity.”
Moreover, the director Kim said we have to put our own name when we export our farming products.
“When American agreed to take sasimi and sushi first, Japanese taught them how to use chopsticks and told them they need to use it when they have Japanese food. Now some western people are proud of their using chopsticks well because Japanese restaurant is usually a pricy place. Therefore, we should let them know our bulgogi as ‘Bulgogi’ not as ‘Korean Barbecue’ and need to notice our mandoo is not ‘Asian dumpling’,but ‘Mandoo’.”
Reacher in charge: Jeon Wooseok / jeonws7@makehope.org
Translated by Hope Cori
Hope Is Growing at the Place Where Your Outstretched Hands Reach.
Posted by English Cori2 in English, Hope News on May 20th, 2009
n People Who Are Making Hope, the Inauguration Ceremony of the Hope Makers’ Club.
[Editor’s Comment: The people who are making hope at the Hope Institute gathered. They are, precisely, the “Hope Makers’ Club.” This past April 21, opinion leaders of our times held the hope making inaugural ceremony at the old residence of (former Korean President) Yun Bo Seon. These leaders, who broke down barriers among peoples of all circles of society and of all social standings and with the aim of mutual understanding, propagated the seeds of hope. This is a look at the hope party of the Hope Makers’ Club.]
[Caption: Images of the reception desk and the scene of the event at President Yun Bo Seon’s old residence.]
April 21, a very cold day with gale winds that makes one huddle oneself up. The day before had been accompanied by rain and much greater winds, but on the inaugural ceremony day, the weather brightened and lit up the Hope Makers’ Club’s days ahead. The inaugural ceremony was held at the old residence of former president Yun Bo Seon, a celebrated person from a reputable family, and included about 130 people from Seoul, Kyeonggi as well as those from as far as Jeju Island, Yeosu, Busan, Sangju who participated and kindled the magnificent flame of hope in their hearts.
Beginning with a recitation of poetry by KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) announcer Yun In Gu, “Be the one who makes Hope,” the ceremony proceeded with a welcoming address by Yun Sang Ku, the eldest son of the former president who resides in the house and who is also the Representative Director of the Dongsuh Corporation. Director Yun stated that, “At this old house which possesses a long history, it is a very happy circumstance that people who are making hope are presenting a vision for the future and are working to make a beautiful society.” He added that, “By participating as a member of the Hope Makers’ Club, I would like to work to open the paths of hope.”
[Caption: Executive Director Park Won Soon explaining the vision of the Hope Makers’ Club.]
Executive Director Park Won Soon reminded the participants of the purpose and operation of the club. He requested to the members, “I wish for opinion leaders from all levels of society to gather and overcome walls of barriers and of its own accord become an independent body, communicating with one another and sharing spirit and participating actively.” He also stressed their responsibility, “as members who thoroughly maintain their non-political character and by creative innovations and passion for change, aid in their own personal and societal growth.”
[Caption: Even in weather caught up in gale winds, the people who are making hope kept stowed within their hearts the flame of hope.]
The Hope Makers’ Club decided to hold events on every 4th Friday of the month (if over one-night, two-days, then on Friday and Saturday). On Friday, May 22, at the Bong Eun Temple in Seoul, the group will be conducting a morning food offering to the Buddha and be learning about the writings of Master Buddhist Priest Myeong Jin. The meeting after that will take place at the Chuli-po Arboretum on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27. Participants will study about gardens and forests all over the world and visit the recovery site on the Taean peninsula that, to our heart’s sorrow, suffered an oil spill contamination.
Also at the ceremony, a mouse pad certificate identifying membership in the Hope Makers’ Club caught people’s eyes. The Beautiful Store’s Eco Party Mearry brand made the pads by reusing leather remnants from the sofas that it makes. The mouse pad was designed and made into a superb product solely for club members. In the middle of the pad was the verse, “Hope is growing at the place where your outstretched hands reach,” which embodies the spirit of desiring always to work together with the members.
[Caption: The Misillan germinating rice company, a participant in the project “Let’s Give Wings to Hope Small Enterprises.”]
This inaugural ceremony was a gathering made better through the ardent participation of its members. Lee Ha-Yeon of Seoul Bonguri provided the food for the evening’s supper, Lee Dong Hyun of the Misillan company of South Jeolla Province provided the five cardinal-colored rice products, Choi Woo Suk of Sunwundang provided the Gochang black raspberry wine, county magistrate Yim Jung Yeop provided dried persimmons from the Wanju Gosan agricultural cooperative, Bae Yong Ho of “Baesangmeonjuga” provided liquors made from shepherd´s purses and pears, Jung Hye In of Seoul Alma publishing company provided the sharing books, and journalist Oh Moon Su of Jeonnam wrote an article about the inaugural ceremony and posted it on “OhmyNews.”
[Caption: A Kimchi story by Lee Ha Yeon, a participant in the project, “Let’s Give Wings to Hope Small Enterprises.”]
In particular, “Baesangmeonjuga” had plans to make a traditional liquor with Jeonbuk Wanju persimmons, which are known as the best persimmons in the nation. On this date at the event, the company representatives had the chance to speak to county magistrate Yim Jung Yeop and receive positive opinion from him. This developmental interchange is community business and what the Hope Institute desires for in making hope that gives life to local regions and farming villages.
Undeterred by the inclement weather on the day of the inaugural ceremony, the members were able to warm their bodies and spirits with the hot stove that was provided and Korean rice and soup. In seeing Executive Director Park Won Soon’s book on sharing, To Plant Hope, they were also able to draw up and envision the Hope Makers’ Club’s future of making hope.
The researcher in charge: Choi Moon Sung / moonstar@makehope.org
04.28.2009
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