[Opinion] Cool Korea

On June, 2002, ‘Business Week(BW)’ minutely reported ‘Cool Korea’ as a special edition, describing how Korea coped with a management crisis of International Monetary Fund(IMF) and got into a prosperity again. This article said that Korea was the IT power in the background of enthusiasm of 2002 World Cup. Raising an issue of the global performance in MP3, LCD and semiconductor, BW said the Korea as a wired society. The BW reported the Korea as the model of Asia. It is like that ‘Red Devil’ said the Korea as ‘Pride of Asia.

▷‘Cool Korea’ – Reporters of BW asked how to translate the cool Korea’ in Korea, while people of various generations crowded into. People in their fifties said‘Cold Korea’. In this case, a vocabulary of ‘Cool’ means ‘having a relatively low temperature and not moved to enthusiasm’. It is not wrong in a descriptive meaning. However, people in their forties said‘Excellent Korea’. It means very close to an original meaning. However, there is something adequate. People in their thirties said‘Exciting Korea’, It includes the meaning of a fashion and luxury nuance. Suddenly, 1020 generation said,“All of you are wrong. It means ‘Korea Best’. There is a difference of a presentation. It may be the difference between generations. However, ‘Korea Best’ is suited to the ‘Cool Korea’.

▷On Jan. 25, Internet network of Korea was paralyzed owing to a virus of Slammer Worm. It almost resumed a normal service but partially showed an abnormal traffic. A paralysis of the nationwide Internet network is unexampled in the world. Accordingly, Korea the global IT power seemed to be reduced to IT infamy. Users could not access the Internet site and e-mail, Cyber stock transaction, Internet banking and e-commerce was suddenly interrupted.

▷So, it seems that ‘Cool Korea’ must to be translated again. I insisted that it mean ‘Korea Best’. However, it

doesn’t seem wrong that it means ‘Cold Korea’ after going through such an incident. People in their fifties,

cheer up!

Kim Gi-hong, guest editorial writer · Chief of KIET digital economy, gkim@kiet.re.kr