Shortage threat worldwide spurs flourishing water management industry

World’s largest water-related event to discuss post-2015 development framework

Denmark sets benchmark for creative solutions

Having a clean and natural brand image is the most crucial asset in the bottled-water business, said the CEO of the country’s best-selling drinking water producer. “Many companies have been trying to emulate our success, but couldn’t follow suit. The clean and beautiful image of Jejudo Island, the source of our water, differentiates us from others,” said Kim Young-chul, CEO of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, which produces Samdasoo, meaning water of Jejudo.Samdasoo

South Korean conglomerates are cashing in on the promising global water market, with the water shortage emerging as a global agenda. According to Global Water Intelligence, a U.K.-based water industry research firm, the size of the world’s water treatment market is forecast to expand up to $1 trillion by the end of 2015. Betting on the industry’s high growth potential, Korean players have sharpened their competitiveness in the “blue gold’’ sector, where European water giants like Veolia and Suez

State-run company leads smart water management

Young Korean fathers play greater role in child care, family affairs

It put an end to daily quarrels. After months of an agonizing search for an alternative, a 38-year-old father of 1-year-old twins made an “unthinkable” decision to become a stay-at-home dad for the next year.Lee Dong-hoon joined the pioneering 4.4 percent of fathers in the country that spurned conventional thinking and took a leave of absence.The day he became the “mom,” he saw his wife ― who felt guilty about leaving her children behind, but excited to get back to “real world” ― return to work

Seven pairs of fathers and children pile up colorful sand in glass bottles at a public child care center on a Saturday in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. Laughter fills the room as the dads help the kids finish their masterpieces. Clutching the sand-filled bottle in one hand as a souvenir, and holding the father’s hand in the other, the children return home beaming.This simple activity class is a part of the district’s program designed to encourage bonding between fathers and children. It is a precio

Popular TV shows and films reflect evolving experience of fatherhood

A wedding typically marks the beginning of a marriage. It is also the end of months of preparations. However, for many Koreans the wedding is neither the beginning nor an end. While many aspects of Korean society has undergone rapid changes, and westernization since the Korean War, weddings and marriages continue to be influenced by traditional values and customs more than other areas of life. (123rf)For a wedding to occur, the would-be bride and groom must first arrange a formal meeting between

“Thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife!” If only having someone’s hand in marriage was as simple as Shakespeare put it. What was once widely construed as the culmination of love and happiness, wedding ceremonies have become a commercialized extravaganza in Korea, often forcing couples to seek financial support from parents and take loans from banks. Down the long list of things to tick off for a wedding these days are dowry, a studio photoshoot, bridal gown rental, professional makeup a

In Korea and elsewhere, couples tend to rely on the kindness of their parents to pay for a wedding. But the burden is increasingly getting heavier for Korean parents, who are culturally and traditionally obligated to pay for an expensive wedding ceremony and, in many cases, chip in to buy a house for the newlyweds. It is a baffling situation for most Korean parents, many of whom have retired or are retiring in a couple of years in a society where state-led social safety net is tenuous and gettin

Economic woes, rise of women and growing individualism prompt Koreans to rethink marriage