College students lampoon finance minister

A student-run online media outlet criticized the finance minister in a handwritten poster on Wednesday, satirizing recent government initiatives aimed at raising the national birthrate and creating a more flexible labor market.

The Misfits group put up posters around Seoul entitled “A threatening-letter to Mr. Choi,” in reference to Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan. The group, which describes itself as an alternative journalism outlet, is managed by nine students at Yonsei University and Korea University.

The letter criticized government efforts to raise the birthrate, which stands at 1.19 per woman according to Statistics Korea, a government institute. It also ridiculed remarks last week by Choi, who suggested that current regulations “over-protected” permanent workers, disadvantaging firms.

Posters put up by the Misfits group at Yonsei University, Seoul. Copies of the letter were put up at Korea University’s campus in Seoul, and along streets near Gangnam Subway Station. (Choi Yoon-bae/Yonsei University)

The letter follows the unofficial Korean college tradition of posting “daejabo” on campus to raise awareness about social ills. Antigovernment student protesters in the 1970s and the 1980s often used similar posters to criticize the military governments that ruled the country then.

“Mr. Choi, let’s sit down for a drink and have a chat,” the letter read. “You know what, let’s even forget that you’re the finance minister and that I’m just another college kid, and have a real, honest, person-to-person chat.

“The average college grad finishes school with a 13 million won ($11,660) debt.

“If we can’t repay our school loans, they become our parents’ debt. Our family’s debt,” the letter continued.

“And you expect us to find ways to have kids?” the letter continued, in apparent reference to rising national private debt levels that some sociologists say have played a role in stagnating the birthrate. 

“The employment market isn’t helping,” the letter added.

“It’s not that there seems to be a lack of jobs. Why not let (the unemployed youth) do the work allotted to those permanent workers who are often forced to work past 6 p.m.?” the letter said. 

The reference appears to show contempt for corporations who chose to overwork existing employees without pay, instead of hiring new workers to do the extra work. 

“And we never asked you to fire permanent workers. We asked you to ensure that nonpermanent workers get the same benefits permanent workers receive at the workplace,” the letter added, in reference to Choi’s remarks on Nov. 25.

College students who saw the letter had mixed reactions.

“I can relate to much of the content of the letter,” Cho Seong-min, an economics major at Yonsei University in Seoul, said. “It’s not that permanent workers are over-protected. I think it’s more about nonpermanent workers receiving inadequate pay and such,” he said.

Yoon Ha-youn, a recent college grad working at Yonsei University agreed, but said the issues were too old.

“Many of us have been talking about the huge problems that a low birthrate can engender and the issues involving ill-treatment of contract workers,” she said. “I think that’s maybe why not too many people seem interested in the poster by the Misfits.”

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)

Korean Wave continues to make splash in ASEAN

Following the advent of Psy and his global hit song “Gangnam Style,” K-pop gained an unprecedented level of international attention, encouraging government and local music firms to continue their efforts to export K-pop. 

With geographical closeness facilitating cultural exchanges between Korea and ASEAN nations, hardcore fandoms of Korean music, movies and dramas ― referred to as hallyu, or the Korean Wave ― have sprung up. 

Idol stars ― from rookie groups to big-time acts like Big Bang or Girls’ Generation ― are making their way to Southeast Asia to cash in on hallyu’s growing international success. Be it for fan meet-and-greet events or live shows, ASEAN nations have been a shining target for hallyu promotion, leading to the birth of such online K-pop fan organizations as Singapore’s SGK-Wave ― an online community dedicated to the spread of Korean pop culture in Singapore. 

Big Bang (YG Entertainment)

“The current K-pop Wave in Singapore is overwhelming,” said an SGK-Wave representative in a statement to Kpopalltime. “There is no way one can avoid the K-pop topic, you will have to hear of something Korean at least once a day. Even if you are not into K-pop, you would have at least heard and know who Super Junior and SNSD are. That’s how crazy it is.”

Singapore has become one of the largest K-pop hubs among ASEAN countries. This year alone, Singapore has played host to an overwhelming number of K-pop concerts including performances by Rain, FT Island, CNBlue, B.A.P, YG Family and EXO, and also held the “K-pop ASEAN Festival 2014 Cover Dance Contest,” in which K-pop lovers from all ASEAN countries battled it out on stage to their favorite K-pop dance singles. 

EXO (SM Entertainment)

Thailand has also been on the receiving end of the Korean Wave with an influx of K-pop stars looking to gain a presence in the country. 

“Thailand is one of the countries that is paying attention and is passionate about the booming of the Korean Wave,” said Yananranop Promsuk in his contributing post to the ASEAN-Korea Center’s online site. 

“Most of the things from Korea will get attention from a large number of Thai people. One of the most popular (parts of the) Korean Wave in Thailand is K-pop,” he continued, noting that Korean music at times has had a mutually beneficial relationship with the Thai music industry. 

“These days, Thai companies, in the music industry or other fields, also make deals with Korean music companies to get the copyright for selling and arranging Korean concerts in Thailand since they know it is going to make a lot of profit. Some companies also launch programs to send Thai singers or trainees to Korea to get more experience in singing and dancing.” 

Along with Korean pop culture’s impact in ASEAN countries, K-pop fever has also led to a steady increase in Southeast Asia’s presence in the local music market, with some of the nation’s top entertainment agencies such as JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment holding global auditions to find new trainees who are looking to make their K-pop debut. 

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

Multicultural children All-out efforts needed to properly educate them

It has been repeatedly warned that Korea’s future is being overshadowed by its falling birthrate coupled with a rapidly aging population. Over the past years, the country’s birthrate has remained the lowest among major developed nations, with its population, which now numbers around 50 million, aging at the fastest pace in the world.

According to recent data from the national statistics office, the proportion of working-age people ― those aged between 15 and 64 ― in Korea is forecast to decrease from its peak of 72.9 percent in 2016 to 49.7 percent in 2060. This means that, in about four decades, each Korean worker will on average have to support an elderly person.

The core working-age population aged 25-49 has already shrunk since 2006.

This demographic trend is prompting government policymakers to work out a series of measures designed to raise the birthrate. But their efforts have not been very effective, as shown in the fact that the country’s fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime ― was down 0.11 from the previous year to a mere 1.187 last year.

Besides pushing for measures to increase the number of newborns, it is also necessary ― perhaps more important ― to educate younger generations to become more competitive and adaptive to society. With regard to this, more attention should be paid to the need to take care of children from multicultural families. Their number has exceeded 200,000, with about 5 percent of newborn babies being born into multinational families last year.

They should be educated to become full members of society. With their multicultural backgrounds, they might grow up to play a valuable role in making Korean society more diversified and inclusive.

To our regret, the reality is far from this expectation. Nearly all multicultural children enter elementary school but only about 70 percent of them enter middle school. The proportion of multicultural students who have graduated from high school is thought to be far below 50 percent, with few of them having opportunities to be admitted into universities. Most of these undereducated children will likely end up being jobless, with little hope for their future.

Unless this gloomy situation is addressed effectively at an early stage, it will become yet another destabilizing factor for our society. Some rural communities across the country, where nearly all newborns are children born between Korean husbands and immigrant wives, may collapse altogether.

Our future should not be like this. All-out efforts should be made consistently and persistently to get children from multicultural families to be properly educated and become good citizens who contribute to enhancing the stability and prosperity of our society. One effective ― and probably indispensable ― measure is to provide more substantial support for immigrant mothers to encourage them to pass at least elementary school qualifications. This achievement would help them nurture and inspire their children.

‘ASEAN integration offers lessons to Northeast Asia’

With ASEAN gearing up for political, economic and social integration, the envisioned community will provide crucial lessons to Northeast Asia, which is struggling to build trust in the face of historical and territorial animosities, according to the chief of the ASEAN-Korea Center. 

Chung Hae-moon also forecast that next week’s summit in Busan would help relations between Korea and ASEAN evolve into a more substantive and robust partnership at the regional and global levels. 

“After 25 years of mutually beneficial cooperation, now is the time to develop the bilateral ties into a regional and global partnership and promote common agendas such as disaster management and response, drug trafficking, cybercrimes, antiterrorism, climate change and sustainable development,” he told The Korea Herald. 

“When the ASEAN community is launched, it will send a message to Northeast Asia ― that they, too, should spur cooperation and work for the integration of greater East Asia.” 

Participants, including secretary-general of ASEAN-Korea Center Chung Hae-moon and diplomats from ASEAN, posed for a photograph marking the launch of the “ASEAN on Wheels” tourism promotion event at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday. The event was a prelude to the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit, which will be held at Busan Exhibition and Convention Center on Dec. 11 and 12. Ten buses, decorated with images of ASEAN’s cultural and natural heritage, will travel across cities in Korea until Dec. 13. The buses started in Seoul and will travel through Gyeonggi Province, Cheongju, Daejeon, Gwangju and Ulsan, before finally arriving in the host city of Busan. (Yonhap)

Marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties, President Park Geun-hye is poised to hold a commemorative summit in the port city with the leaders of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ― Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

The 11 leaders will review the relationship, formulate a vision for the future partnership and confer on key bilateral, regional and global issues. They are expected to present a vision statement at the end of the meeting. 

The event comes as the regional bloc is speeding up efforts to introduce the ASEAN Community next year for greater security, economic and sociocultural integration. Around 88 percent of the measures essential for the initiative have been implemented, it says. 

When the community sets sail, it will “send a message” to Northeast Asia, where historical and territorial rows still shackle collaboration, Chung said. 

Chung Hae-moon

“ASEAN states have been going through a multitude of difficulties over the last five decades is the process of establishing a community. Northeast Asia, too, can take a page from their book for regional cooperation,” he said. 

“The ASEAN community, which will be the most successful regional coalition since the European Union, may exert pressure on Northeast Asia and hopefully serve as a catalyst for the integration of East Asia.” 

The 62-year-old former career diplomat took the helm at the center in 2012, after serving for 35 years in such posts as ambassador to Greece and Thailand, embassy minister in Vienna, and director of Southeast Asian affairs at the Foreign Ministry. 

The Seoul-based organization was set up in 2009 to help boost trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two sides. 

To help promote the summit, the center has been hosting a slew of cultural events since last month, including a film festival, youth forum, bus tour to promote tourism and outdoor exhibition of models representing architectural landmarks in 10 ASEAN countries. 

The film festival marks the first time ever that movies made in all 10 member states will be screened together, Chung said. Directors from seven countries and critics took part and met with audiences, including Anthony Chen, who shot the award-winning Singaporean film “Ilo Ilo.” 

“The role of the center is diversifying ever in line with its growing awareness,” the secretary-general said. 

“In the future, it will need to open chapters in other cities here and work more with the ASEAN-China and ASEAN-Japan centers, the Seoul-based Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (between Korea, China and Japan), other multilateral institutions and think tanks.” 

Alongside China and Japan, Korea is one of ASEAN’s major dialogue partners and participants in ASEAN-based multilateral gatherings including ASEAN Plus Three, the East Asia Summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum. 

With the three countries vying for a bigger presence in Southeast Asia, Chung has been striving to work together with his counterparts in Beijing and Tokyo to create synergy through joint research and projects. 

“Korea is not in a position to push for large-scale assistance or economic cooperation as Beijing and Tokyo do, but there are areas where only we can appeal to ASEAN ― that’s software,” Chung said. 

“We revived the national economy from the ground up and now boast global corporations and entrepreneurs. Our success story and can-do spirit, that’s the kind of things we can offer, and that’s precisely what they need given their current levels of development.” 

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)

Tsunami-hit Sri Lankan city finds hope in S. Korea-funded bridge

By Kim Soo-yeon

MATARA/HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- Shantha Punchihewa, a 48-year-old Sri Lankan in Matara, still remembers the day after Christmas Day 10 years ago when a devastating tsunami claimed the lives of his younger sister and two nephews.

Located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Matara was hit hard by the tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island in 2004. The ensuing tidal waves killed about 1,800 residents in Matara, officials say.

The tsunami also severely damaged a two-lane bridge across the Nilwala Ganga that bisects Matara, disrupting the mobility and daily work of Matara's citizens.

Since then, Mahanama Bridge, which is now being expanded into six lanes, has become a symbol of reconstruction for the tsunami-scarred city with assistance of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Seoul's official development assistance (ODA) body.

This photo shows Mahanama Bridge in Sri Lanka. In 2007, South Korea built the bridge with grant aid to help people recover from the tsunami that hit Matara in 2004. (Yonhap)

"The tsunami made it hard for people to cross the bridge for daily work and to even receive aid from other countries," said Punchihewa. "But the restoration of the bridge has made (the) lives of Matara's citizens... better. I appreciate South Korea for it."

   KOICA injected some 7 billion won (US$6.3 million) in grant aid to rebuild the 90-meter bridge between 2005 and 2007 in a bid to help citizens in Matara cope with the aftereffects of the tsunami.

"The role of the bridge is important here as it links Matara to another city Hambantota (in the southern area of Sri Lanka)," Sosindra Handunge, mayor of Matara, told a group of reporters.

"The affected families suffered mentally, but I would say that the construction of the bridge has helped Matara residents forget the painful memory," he added.

Under the wing of the foreign ministry, KOICA, founded in 1991, is one of the two main entities that implement Seoul's grant aid for developing countries. The Export-Import Bank of Korea under the finance ministry provides soft loans to such nations with very low interest rates.

South Korea has been widely called the first country in the world to go from being an aid recipient to a donor country. In the past, the word "Korea" in Sri Lanka used to mean areas where poor people live, residents say.

Seoul has provided ODA to 44 developing countries with the aim of raising the proportion of its grant aid to its gross national income (GNI) to over 0.2 percent by 2015. The ratio currently stands at 0.13 percent.

South Korea extended a total of $1.74 billion in ODA in 2013, making it the world's 16th-largest donor among 28 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the body of major ODA donors.

KOICA has offered an accumulative $97 million in ODA to Sri Lanka between 1991 and 2013, according to the agency. The tsunami disaster in 2004 led KOICA to boost its assistance to the South Asian country.

Punchihewa said that before the tsunami occurred, Matara used to be a big and vibrant city.

"Since then, the city of Hambantota has grown faster," he said, adding that the sea waves and the bridge have changed the lives of residents in Matara.

Hambantota on the southern coast, about two hours' drive east of Matara, is also one of the cities where South Korea has been involved in major development projects.

Seoul has offered 7.2 billion won in ODA to help build the main building of an international convention center as part of its efforts to support the tsunami-hit southern areas. A South Korean builder earned an additional contract worth 14.6 billion won to set up the annex to the 1,500-seat convention center, the largest in Sri Lanka.

An international convention center built with South Korea's official development assistance in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. (Yonhap)

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been trying to develop Hambantota, also his hometown, into the second-largest city by making it a strategic hub port in the Indian Ocean.

China and Japan have been aggressively reaching out to countries in South Asia in an apparent bid to boost their maritime and economic interests.

Japan has ranked first in terms of its assistance to Sri Lanka out of the OECD/DAC donor countries. But, unofficially, China is presumed to be the No. 1 aid donor to Colombo by providing about $600 million per year between 2005 and 2013, according to the KOICA.

Beijing has actively participated in large infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka as part of its "a string of pearls" strategy to counter India and win economic influence. Hambantota International Airport was built with Chinese loans in 2013.

Kim In, vice president of the KOICA, said that South Korea has started late as an aid donor, but many developing countries are attracted by Seoul's readiness to share its experience of economic development and strategy to win hearts and minds.

"It is important to be very attentive to the needs of recipient countries or to resolve their nagging problems when offering ODA," Kim said.

Kim said that South Korea should continue to develop aid strategies tailored to recipients, adding that a culture of evaluating ODA projects from a long-term perspective is also necessary.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

S. Korea, Australia set to implement bilateral FTA next week

A free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and Australia will go into effect next week, the South Korean government said Thursday, two days after the deal was ratified by the South Korean parliament.

"The government exchanged letters with Australia on Dec. 3 (saying) that the countries' domestic procedures have been completed, and agreed to enact the Korea-Australia FTA from Dec. 12," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a press release.

The Korea-Australia FTA will be South Korea's 10th free trade deal to go into effect. The country has recently signed FTAs with three other countries, including Canada, whose bilateral FTA with South Korea will likely go into effect at the start of next year.

"The government is working to enact the Korea-Canada FTA on Jan. 1," the ministry said.

The Korea-Australia FTA was signed in April after seven rounds of negotiations since the first round was held in May 2009.

Negotiations for the Korea-Canada FTA were first held in May 2007. The agreement was signed in September after 14 rounds of negotiations. (Yonhap)

Opposition readies offensive against Saenuri at Assembly

South Korea’s main opposition party intensified accusations of government corruption on Wednesday, threatening a drawn-out conflict that could hamper efforts to pass a series of key bills. 

New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmakers have accused former President Lee Myung-bak of graft in his four rivers restoration project and “resource diplomacy” policy, and Chung Yoon-hoi, a former secretary to President Park Geun-hye, of illegally interfering in presidential decisions. 

The governing Saenuri Party has avoided lengthy discussion of the charges. Prosecutors are conducting independent investigations into Chung.

The scandals could drag parties into a prolonged war of words that holds back efforts to pass controversial legislation before the year’s end, according to parliamentary sources.

Earlier Wednesday, parliamentary committees began reviews of a series of divisive draft bills. 

The foreign affairs committee discussed two versions of a North Korea human rights bill that the NPAD and the governing party have disagreed on. Parties are divided over whether to fund North Korean human rights activists in the South with public money, among other issues. 

The Legislation and Judiciary committee examined an anti-cronyism bill aiming to clamp down on cozy government-private industry relations. 

The bill proposed strengthening limits on retired bureaucrats seeking jobs in the private sector. But the bill stalled when multiple lawmakers raised fears the new limits could violate the freedom of occupational choice.

The National Policy Committee reviewed bills concerning the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the bureau managing benefits to former civil servants recognized for past meritorious actions.

Close to 9,000 draft bills await review.

Opposition officials, however, said their demands to begin probes into Lee and Chung would not be easily pushed aside.

“(The parties) must reach some kind of agreement over the allegations (regarding Lee), before the New Year,” NPAD floor leader Rep. Woo Yoon-keun said.

NPAD interim leader Rep. Moon Hee-sang also suggested setting up a special prosecution into Chung.

Rumors of behind-the-scenes talks between senior members of the parties have been surfacing. According to the rumors, the Saenuri Party will accede to parliamentary investigations into the Lee administration, if the opposition agrees to vote for reforms of the public officials’ pensions, another contentious policy proposal that is supported by President Park.

But analysts said the opposition holds the upper hand in the fight, as the Saenuri Party will be busy playing defense regarding the scandals.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)

[Newsmaker] Ko wins LPGA finale, gets record haul

NAPLES, Florida ― New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko ended her rookie year on the LPGA Tour with the biggest payoff in women’s golf.

Ko won the $1 million bonus from the inaugural “Race to CME Globe” on Sunday by getting into a three-way playoff. Then, the 17-year-old added an extra $500,000 when she defeated Carlota Ciganda of Spain on the fourth extra hole at Tiburon Golf Club to win the CME Group Tour Championship.

Ko made par all five times she played the 18th hole on Sunday, and the last one paid handsomely.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays a shot on the second hole during the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, Sunday. (AFP-Yonhap)

“It’s been an awesome week, and a week that I’ll never forget,” Ko said. “When I saw that $1 million in the box, I was like, ‘Wow, I wonder who the winner of that will be?’ It’s amazing. I’ve never seen that much cash in one place before.”

Only the tournament earnings counted toward the money list. The $500,000 from her third victory of the year made Ko the first LPGA Tour rookie to surpass $2 million in one season.

Ciganda and Julieta Granada of Paraguay certainly helped Ko’s cause.

Granada, who closed with a 1-under 71, was the first to exit the playoff when she three-putted from just off the 18th green. Her 5-foot par putt spun in and out of the cup.

Ciganda, who shot a 70, had two good chances to win. She missed a 3-foot birdie on the 17th hole in regulation that would have given her the lead. She also missed a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 in the third playoff hole for the victory.

On the fourth time at No. 18 in the playoff, Ciganda pulled her approach from the fairway and watched it bounce down a slope and into the hazard.

“What the ...” Ciganda said, without finishing the sentence as her shot sailed toward trouble.

She took a penalty drop and chipped to 3 feet. Ko needed only two putts for the win, and her first putt stopped an inch from going in. No matter. The kid was a winner again, her fifth LPGA Tour title before her 18th birthday. She was an amateur when she won her first two LPGA titles.

Ko wasn’t the only big winner in the LPGA Tour finale.

Stacy Lewis never had a chance to win the tournament or the $1 million bonus, though she walked away with her own slice of history. Lewis became the first American in 21 years to sweep the three most significant awards on the LPGA Tour ― player of the year, the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average and the money title.

“The $1 million would have been nice,” Lewis said after a 71 to tie for ninth place. “But those three, that’s what I came here for.”

Ko had a 68-68 weekend, and she established herself quickly on another blustery day with three birdies in eight holes to take the lead. She hit her approach to 3 feet on the 13th and looked as though she might pull away.

Ciganda made back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to join Ko at 10-under par, and Granada chipped in on the 15th for birdie to make it a threesome. They finished at 10-under 278 to force the third straight playoff on the LPGA Tour.

The LPGA decided to use one hole for the playoff ― the 18th hole, which yielded only four birdies all week. True to form, victory went to the player who didn’t make a mistake. Then again, Ko didn’t do much wrong in a rookie season like no other.

“She’s a great player,” Lewis said. “She got that innocence about her that she doesn’t even realize what’s going on. She probably has no idea how the scenarios and points work out. Maybe it’s to her advantage.”

Going into the LPGA Tour finale, the top three in the Race to CME Globe only had to win the tournament to capture the $1 million bonus. Lewis wound up six shots out of the playoff. Park In-bee, who was at No. 2 in the standings, never got on track and tied for 24th at even-par 288.

Ko wrapped up the race by getting into the playoff, win or lose, which she said helped to alleviate the pressure.

Morgan Pressel had a 72 and finished alone in fourth, while Michelle Wie (70) tied for fifth. (AP)

Samsung Electronics to sell fiberoptics business to Corning

Korea’s top tech giant, Samsung Electronics Co., said Tuesday it has decided to sell its optical material business to U.S. specialty glass maker Corning Inc., in the latest move to reorganize the firm’s portfolio amid falling profits from its mainstay handset division.

Under the deal, the world’s No. 1 maker of smartphones will sell its optical material-related facilities in South Korea, as well as its China-based subsidiary Samsung Electronics Hainan Fiberoptics Co., an optical fiber cable manufacturer. 

Samsung said the deal will be completed by the first quarter of 2015, adding that its price and other details will not be revealed under the agreement with the U.S. counterpart.

In January, Corning completed the purchase of a 43 percent stake in Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., for an estimated $1.9 billion from Samsung Display Co. 

Samsung, however, was expected to forge deeper ties with the U.S. firm under the deal, as the payment was made by convertible preferred shares issued by Corning, which can be converted into common shares seven years from now. (Yonhap)

Swedish air purifier-maker targets premium consumers

Swedish air purifier-maker Blueair has launched new models in South Korea to compete against premium products made by local rivals such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Winix.

The chief of the Swedish firm is confident that the new Blueair E series ― the 650E, 450E and 270E ― would appeal to Korean consumers.

Bengt Rittri, chief executive of Swedish air purifier-maker Blueair, speaks at a media conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (Blueair)

“Our vision is to enable people to breathe clean air, which is a basic human right,” said Bengt Rittri, the chief executive of Blueair at a media conference held in Seoul Tuesday. “The new models will be able to meet the needs of Korean consumers with high-performance and easy-to-use functions.”

Priced relatively higher than rival products in the market ― Blueair’s 650E costs 1.59 million won ($1,434), while the 450E is priced at 1.19 million won and the 270E costs 890,000 won ― the E series is mostly geared toward high-end consumers. 

Armed with durability, design and a warranty of up to five years, Rittri was confident that Blueair purifiers would outpace their Korean rivals despite their expensive price tags.

The Swedish firm has been operating here for several years, during which time other global air purifier manufacturers have left, unable to overcome the tough domestic competition. Jonas Holst, head of the firm’s international sales, said the fact that the firm has survived in Korea shows that local consumers have recognized it for its competitiveness and technology.

Earlier this year, the company caused a stir with news that the U.S. Embassy in Beijing had bought a total of 4,000 air purifiers for its officials and employees in November last year. 

Blueair said the 650E, 450E and 270 are designed to work best in rooms measuring 65 square meters, 34 square meters and 22 square meters, respectively. 

These models received the highest rating in terms of Clean Air Delivery Rate by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, an industry organization representing home appliance makers.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)