Jiyoung Daniels teaches all levels of Korean at the University of North Georgia. Editor’s note: As the state’s military academy, the University of North Georgia offers Korean language at various levels in hopes of inspiring some students and cadets to take their study on to fluency. The language has been designated as “critical” by the U.S. Department of Defense, meaning that it’s eligible to receive increased government funding to drive proficiency. But beyond national security, Korean has also grown increasingly important globally, as Korea continues to export both its culinary traditions and its pop culture. In Georgia, home to an estimated 150,000 people of Korean descent and a growing parade of Korean investors, the language is also becoming more vital to navigating business with what has become the world’s ninth largest economy. UNG published the below interview with Jiyoung Daniel, who teaches all levels of Korean at the university, to … [Read more...] about Q&A: Why Korean is Such a Critical Language
Korean investors
Korean companies encouraged to back highly contentious giant coal mine in Australia : Indybay
The subsequent communication from Seoul to Canberra described Korea’s interest in encouraging its own financial institutions, engineering and construction companies to back Australian infrastructure, specifically noting the Australian and Queensland Governments’ support for the Adani project. Fast forward to 2018 and Adani is trying to sell part of its Abbot Point coal export terminal. It has already been reported that Adani is in talks with Korean investors over that sale. If successful the Abbot Point sale would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars that could then be used to finance the Carmichael mine and rail projects. We urgently need to push back. Can you take a minute to send a message to Korea’s embassy and financial institutions? They need to be warned that investing in Abbot Point would be helping Adani to build the most environmentally contentious project in Australia's history. https://www.marketforces.org.au/korean-companies-encouraged-to-back-adani/ … [Read more...] about Korean companies encouraged to back highly contentious giant coal mine in Australia : Indybay
Korean Solar Manufacturer to Create 500 Jobs in Georgia’s Carpet Country
Hanwha Q CELLS Module Production in South Korea. Photo: www.hanwha-qcells.comA Korean firm will put a $150 million solar module factory in northwest Georgia by next year, creating 500 jobs in a segment of the state that still hasn’t fully recovered from a housing crisis a decade ago. Hanhwa Q CELL becomes the first Korean investor in Dalton, Ga., whose strong flooring sector is was hit hard during the downturn. Construction is set to begin this year, with production beginning in 2019, according to a news release from Gov. Nathan Deal‘s office. The firm joins a cohort of about 80 facilities operated by Korean firms, one of the state’s largest source nations for foreign investment since Kia Motors opened a massive auto plant here in 2006, followed in due course by many parts suppliers. Hanwha is the latest foreign solar manufacturer to announce a U.S. plant in the wake tariffs President Donald Trump imposed in January on solar cells and modules. … [Read more...] about Korean Solar Manufacturer to Create 500 Jobs in Georgia’s Carpet Country
Investors, tech lift market higher
NEW YORK -- Wall Street got exactly what it wanted from Friday's jobs report: solid hiring, moderate wage growth and continued low unemployment. Investors sent stocks sharply higher, particularly their recent favorites, technology companies. The Nasdaq composite regained the last of its February losses and closed at an all-time high. Banks also rose as interest rates increased, and industrial and health care and basic materials companies also climbed. Those sectors tend to do better when the economy is growing quickly. U.S. employers added 313,000 jobs in February, more than forecast, and wages didn't rise as much as investors had feared. The Labor Department also said January's spike in wages was a bit smaller than it originally thought. It made for a happy ninth anniversary for the current bull market. A month earlier, a jump in wages got investors worried about inflation and set off a stock market swoon, giving the benchmark S&P 500 index its first 10 percent decline in two … [Read more...] about Investors, tech lift market higher
World stocks fall as investors brace for US tariffs decision
World stocks fall as investors brace for US tariffs decision Youkyung Lee, Ap Business Writer March 7, 2018 Updated: March 7, 2018 7:02am Photo: Lee Jin-man, AP Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 Currency traders talk near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Asian stock markets fell Wednesday after the surprise departure of President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, who was the administration’s leading internal opponent of his planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. less Currency traders talk near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room … [Read more...] about World stocks fall as investors brace for US tariffs decision