Seoul, or the Seoul Special City, is the capital and the largest metropolis of South Korea. It is located in the Han River. Seoul was once named as the World Design Capital in 2010 by International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. The city has a humid continental climate; summers are generally hot and humid while winters are often relatively cold.

Things to do in Seoul:

Visit the palaces.

Unhyeon Palace – used as an exhibition area traditional art performances, modern and creative dances. The re-enactment of the marriage of King Kojong and Queen Myongsong is one of the main attractions in the palace. It happens twice each year.

Changyeong Palace – known as the most peaceful and serene among all palaces in the city.

Changdeok Palace and Biwon Garden – Changdeok Palace represents a friendlier environment. At this palace you can imagine a king enjoying himself at the top of the tree. Biwon Garden, known as the secret garden, is a typical palace backyards where the royals are relaxing.

Deoksu Palace – the most accessible palace because of its location in central Seoul.

Jongmyo Shrine – devoted to the spirits of Korean royal ancestors. They still follow the original procedures for the offering of sacrificial gifts of food and drink in original ritual utensils. The royal descendants and participants are costumed by rank as well as the ritual dance and music ensembles.

Gyeongbok Palace – located in Seoul’s main boulevard, Sejongro. A palace near the President’s house, the Blue House.

Explore the museums.

National Palace Museum of Korea – exhibits the heritage of Joseon Dynasty and the Imperial Family.

National Museum of Korea – audio or visual guide is recommended when touring this very huge museum as it has so many relics. It has 6 galleries.

War Museum – it has 6 show rooms displaying an almost 5,000 year history of foreign invasions. The park that surrounds the museum displays aircraft, tanks and other fighting machines from the Korean War to the present.

Seoul Museum of Art – the road of the Museum doesn’t have walls to allow the visitors to enjoy the sculptures and landscape from the outside. A hundred-year old tree has been preserved together with the sculptures and installed artworks which tells about the past and present shape of Seoul.

The Story of King Sejong – dedicated to display the achievements of King Sejong.

Other museums in the city are Agricultural Museum, Embroidery Museum, Heojun Museum, King Sejong Great Memorial Hall, Korean National Police Heritage Museum, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, National Folk Museum, Seodaemun Museum of Natural History, Seoul Historical Museum, and Seoul Railway Museum.

Enjoy the parks.

Seoul has a lot of parks too. Enjoy at these parks around the city: Cheonggye Stream, Yeouido Park, Dosan Park, Yangjae Stream, Dream Forest, Yangjae’s Citizen Forest, Han River Park, World Cup Park, Hongreung Arbuterum, Seoul Forest, Namsan Park, Seoul Children’s Grand Park, Olympic Park, Seonyudo Park, Paris Park and Seokchon Lake Park.

Experience night life in Seoul.

Visit these places and see how fun it is in Seoul at night: Yeongdeungpo (Night Life), Bangbae-dong Café Street, Sinchon-dong (Night Life), COEX Mall, Lotte World, Daehang-no (University Street), Jong-no (Night Life), Dongdaemon (Night Life), Jamsil (Night Life), Gangnam (Night Life), Itaewon-dong (Night Life), Hongdae (Hongik University area).

Go shopping.

There are a lot of shopping malls in Seoul. Shop until you drop!

Seoul is Korea’s center for education, business and modern culture. There are a lot of activities in the city for everyone such as visiting museums and palaces, parks and mountains, and amusement parks and night clubs. So much to learn and a lot of fantastic things to do in Seoul, South Korea!

Paul French has attempted to write about one of the world’s most secretive societies and one that has remained largely unknown to the general public apart from hearing of the fears frequently expressed in the media about the threat posed by its nuclear weapons. The task might seem almost impossible, but the author has gleaned data from a number of North Korea-watching research centres and the testimony of numerous defectors, including some formerly of high rank in the long-established regime of the three Kims: the founder, Kim Il-sung, his son, Kim Jong-il, and grandson, Kim Jong-un. The result is a fairly comprehensive, though rather dated, survey of the political and economic status of a failed state trapped by its ideology and the need to preserve the infallibility of its ruling dynasty.

The most enlightening part of this book is its analysis of Juche, a uniquely Korean blend of Marxist-Leninist ideology, with elements of the Thoughts of Chairman Mao, Confucianism, traditional Korean attributes, and attitudes derived from the liberation struggle against the Japanese. In practice, it serves to preserve the rule of the Kims and gives priority to the needs of the military. Juche has deeply permeated North Korean society and is the major factor preventing any serious political challenge to the status quo. The government has gone to great lengths to prevent knowledge of the prosperity of South Korea becoming available north of the 38th parallel, and has persuaded generation after generation of its citizens that their continuing poverty is in no way the fault of the rulers or their policies.

Although the book first appeared in 2014, and was republished with revision in 2015, it gives the impression of being a decade older. Dates on references to internal affairs in North Korea do not appear later than 2003, although some US military deployments are mentioned up to 2013. This might be due to the inevitable delay in any facts emerging from within a closed society but some confirmation of this situation might have been helpful to the reader in defining the historical context.

According to the blurb on the back of the book, one reviewer found that ‘Paul French writes with wit, eloquence and rare clarity.’ This is a generous view of the author’s performance. The writing is in the style of official reporting and humour is not a feature but text filled with acronyms (about 120 are listed) and many foreign names will always struggle for fluency. The editing is incomplete, with remnants of the author’s draft revisions surviving in the published text. There seems to have been little reason to rush the book to print in view of the inevitable obsolescence of its content.

Her name is Kim Hyun Hee. Probably doesn’t ring a bell. Today she lives somewhere in South Korea. Afraid for her life, they say. “Assassination” is the word they are using. Perhaps by North Koreans who manage to sneak in now and then. Perhaps by South. What a pained life this must be.

What could one 20-something lady have done (20 years ago) to warrant such hatred?

Born in North Korea in 1962 to a privileged family, Kim was soon discovered to be a talented child. She was bright and beautiful and eventually got the attention of the powers in Pyongyang. Normally for one to be praised by one’s government is a happy thing, but in North Korea none of the rules apply.

Grabbed from her family against their will and better judgment, Kim was trained to be a spy. After the normal introductory assignments she was given one last mission: she was to help bomb a passenger jet coming in to Seoul, filled with South Koreans. This would convince the powers that be that the Olympic games should never be held in Seoul. Somehow this would lead to the reunification of the Koreas.

I know, it’s a stretch. But that is what she was told. And raised to believe that the ruling powers were all-wise, she bought it. Her partner was a long-time professional, and the two of them posed as Japanese tourists. On their return to Korea, they planted a bomb on KAL flight 858.

Now you know who she is?

Mistakes were made. The two were caught. The old man killed himself. Kim tried, but to no avail. She was brought to trial in Seoul. Found guilty. Then pardoned by the government of Seoul!

We are told that the South Korean President was politically motivated in his decision to pardon Kim. His reasoning to the world was: The persons who ought to be on trial here are the leaders of North Korea. This child is as much a victim of this evil regime as the passengers aboard KAL 858.

And who can argue with his reasoning?

Kim truly repented of her actions both before the trial and after. She was led to see that she had been lied to all of her life. One look at Seoul told her most of what she needed.Even more significantly, Kim Hyun Hee gave her life to Jesus Christ after these horrible events. Whether some will ever be able to forgive her is uncertain, but God has.

The story of Katie and Kris Katie and Kris first met through a mutual friend when Katie was 17 and Kris was 18. Katie continued to visit Kris with her friend, and after shyly hanging out a few times together as a group, Kris and Katie decided to go on their first date on January 28, 2013. Since then, Katie and Kris have both celebrated their proms together and stood there to watch one another graduate from high school. On August 26, 2016, they took their relationship to the next step and got married. Kris' mother was able to fly all the way from South Korea to attend the wedding. They also also figured out their favorite Korean food restaurant in their city, how to open up over difficulties, and continuously learn things from each other. They are currently working on getting Kris' permanent residency in Canada, then they can begin another chapter of their journey together. Applying for citizenship for another country can be very stressful, but as long as they have each other for support, they know they'll get through it.

Questions to Her
On Our first date …

we went to see The Guilt Trip at the theater. We also hung out with friends as well, so we were not really alone during this time. And we were still so shy around each other! Whenever we made eye contact, we would always smile and look away. It felt like a middle school crush all over again, and that never happened for me before!

During the first months of dating my deal-breaker would be …

if he was dishonest, or rude to my friends or family. I need someone to accept the ones I love and be open with me. For example, if his family did not accept me or if they talked about me in another language while I was there, and he hid that from me, that would be a huge deal breaker. Or if he was rude toward people who acted or looked different, I would not be able to look past it.

I learned He is right for me when …

It was little moments spent together that accumulated in my heart and in the end, the only name on my heart was Kris. We would spend hours just sitting and sharing opinions about things and find out we shared deep feelings on touchy subjects. Or, for example, there was this one time when he was talking about this show he saw, and I freaked out because the show is one of my all-time favorites, and no one except for my best friend even knew this show experienced!

I had culture shock when He …

explained to me what education was like in South Korea. We complain about homework that may take an hour to do here in North America, but imagine having to study for almost an day. People stereotype that Asian people are so smart, but they do not really take in to account what they went through to get that smart. The hours of studying and afterschool classes. Education is something that helps them make a place in society, especially when applying for secondary schools in South Korea.

3 things I love about Him are …

his manners, protectiveness, and kindness. From the first day I met him, these were the first things that bothered me. He was so different from guys I dated earlier. It was the way he was raised, and I really respected him for it, and it honestly changed me as well to become a better person. I am slower to judge and try to show respect to people even if I hate them.

The biggest misconception about His country is …

that everyone eats dogs. It initially was a shock to me when I was youngger and found out that other cultures ate animals like cats and dogs. I could not fathom it. Kris explained to me that when he was youngger, he was fed dog meat not knowing what type of meat it was. He understood why I was upset over the subject, but he also reminded me that I have to take a step back and look at my own culture as well. In some cultures, it is a sin or even illegal to eat a cow or a pig. We think it's normal because we raise cows and pigs mostly for the purpose of consumption. People in some parts of South Korea raise dogs solely for consumption. Not everyone in South Korea eats dog meat, and it will always be a touchy subject for me to talk about because I have both a dog and a cat, but you will always need an open mind when facing subjects of other peoples' cultures. What is right for one culture may be wrong for another.

The most beautiful thing He ever did for me was …

when I had an anxiety attack while at his house. We had only been dating for about 2 weeks, and it was the first time I was going to his house. I was freaking out to the point that I had an anxiety attack. When this happens I do not want anyone touching me or I feel enclosed. He had no idea what was going on because he had never heard of mental illnesses like anxiety before. I was sure he would have broken up with me, I know all my previous boyfriends would have labeled me as crazy and left. But no, there I was laying on the grass in front of his house trying to calm myself down in the chill air, and there he was beside me, waiting for me. No other guy has ever accepted my mental illness this quickly, especially since he had no previous knowledge of it. He even looked anxiously, later on, to better help understand what I go through. He went above and beyond for me.

During this relationship the most important thing I learned about myself was …

to love myself. I used to have a pretty negative view of myself physically and mentally. The first time Kris heard me talk down about myself, he got very mad and serious fast. He looked me in the eyes and told me to stop talking about myself in this way, and that I needed to love myself and look at myself the way he looks at me; beautiful.

If there is a piece of advice I could give to my fellow Western girlfriends who are into the AMWF relationships that would be …

to have patience and be open to learning. Not just for Western girls, but all girls looking to have a relationship with someone from a different culture. Going into the relationship, there were SO MANY things we did not know about each other's culture. We used to get angry at each other at first when we did not understand something culturally. Have patience to learn from one another's culture. There may be some things you may not like, but you do not have to like it. A person's culture is a part of them, and you should accept it and accept that it makes them who they are. There are still things Kris and I learn from each other even today, and there will most certainly still be things we'll be learning from each other in the time to come. And if you're offered to try some Korean snacks, try it! It will not kill you to go out of your comfort zone once in a while because they will have to do the same thing for you!

Questions to Him
Asking her out for the first time was …

hard. I never had a girlfriend, and I am a shy person. She is, however, beautiful enough for me to man up for the first time in my life (and for the last time). The date went better than I thought it would go (after all, it was my first date ever). We were shy, and a little bit awkward, but I could tell that we had a good time.

I learned She is right for me when …

It was not really one specific event. It was more like everything we did together in general. We had many things in common. As together, we went through many situations. I think those experiences helped me realize that she is "the one."

I had culture shock when …

It's not really just her, but when I arrived Canada for the first time, it was a bit shocking that high schools here end at 3:30. In Korea, my school (well at least back in when I was in high school) ended at 9 ~ 10 pm.

3 things I love about Her are …

First, I love how she looks (even though she does not agree with me). Second, I love how she has many things in common with me. For last, I love how she tries to understand me.

The biggest misconception about Her country and culture was …

Because I had a close aunt who has been to Canada many times, I did not really have any misconceptions. I already had a general idea how life was here.

The things that She likes to do for fun with me …

She wants me to rub her back or arm when we are in bed until she falls asleep … joking! We like to do many things together like playing video games (Halo, Battlefield, Fallout), shopping (she shopping, me holding her bags haha), and just relaxing together and watching movies.

She hates when I …

Because she is a bit of a morning type, and I like to sleep late, she hates it when I go to bed late. We even have a time set for the latest time that I can go bed because sometimes the noises of my computer keep her up at night.

During this relationship the most important thing I learned about myself was …

I used to think that there was something wrong with me. I never had a girlfriend and had very few friends. This made me even more shy and quiet when it came to talking to girls. However, she loves me and wants to me to have my own self-love.

If there is a piece of advice I could give my fellow friends who are into the AMWF relationships that would be …

When it comes to having relationships with others. A race should not be a something that others you. Whether she / he is White, Asian, or Black, the only thing that matters in a relationship is to be with the person themselves and not their race.

LG Electronics is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electronics products. As of 2009, this company is the third largest-producer of mobile phones and the second largest-producer of television sets in the entire world. Its central headquarters is situated in the LG Twin Towers in Seoul, South Korea. The company has about one hundred and forty nine subsidiaries all over the world that manufacture different kinds of electronic gadgets from home appliances to telecommunication devices. Electronics is a Top 100 global brand that is a dominant force to be reckoned with in the electronics industry.

The company started in 1947 under the trading name Lak Hui. Back then, it was not yet an electronics company but more of a cosmetics and trading business. Then by 1958, Goldstar was established by In-Hwoi Koo, who was the founder of Lak Hui. It should be known that Goldstar made the first radio in Korea. The letter G in LG Electronics today traces its roots from Goldstar-its original brand name.

Then in the 1960’s, Goldstar, which was the electronics division of Lak Hui expanded exponentially. By 1962, Goldstar radios were exported to countries like the United States of America. In 1965, Goldstar produced the first refrigerator in Korea. Then the following year, they made Korea’s first black and white television. Then in 1968, Korea’s first air-conditioning unit was produced and followed the succeeding year. As shown here, when Electronics was still known as Goldstar, it was already the pioneering home appliance manufacturer in its native South Korea.

In the 1970’s, Koo Cha-Kyun took over the leadership of the company. Under him, Luk Hai changed its name to “Lucky”, therefore forming the original meaning of the letter L in LG Electronics. As a pioneer of electronics invention, they made the first colored television in Korea in the year 1977. By 1978, their exports reached US $100 million.

Then in the 1980’s LG Electronics was already using the initials LG to refer to Lucky Goldstar. It expanded throughout the entire decade. The first European subsidiary was established in Germany. A color TV manufacturing plant was established in the United States of America. Then a European standard VCR manufacturing plant was inaugurated in Germany. Then by the end of the decade, the company already had a sales subsidiary and a joint production subsidiary in the Southeast Asian region as they established one in Thailand. In the history of LG, the 1980’s is known as the decade of international expansion. LG Electronics, then known as Lucky Goldstar was selling cheaper home appliances and other forms of telecommunications devices compared to Japanese brands.

In the 1990’s, the company was becoming more aggressive in the international market. By early 1990, they put up an Ireland-based design technology center. Then in 1993, with the inauguration of the Huizhou subsidiary, their marketing in mainland China got bigger. It was in 1995 that Lucky Goldstar officially changed its name to Electronics. In the same year, they acquired the US-based company named Zenith. In 1997, LG Electronics established a subsidiary in India. The following year the company made the world’s first 60-inch PDP TV.

In 2000, LG Electronics launched a refrigerator that can be bought through the internet. They were also becoming the leading brand when it comes to LCD TV, mobile phones, and computer hardware. In 2001, LG Electronics launched home appliances that can be bought via the internet. These were LG Electronics’ newest models of washing machine, air conditioner, and microwave oven. It also became the market leader in Australia’s CDMA market. LG Electronics also augmented their GSM mobile handsets exports to European countries such as Russia and Italy. In 2003, it became the top global CDMA producer. Then it also entered the Northern European and Middle East GSM market. In 2007, LG Electronics demonstrated the world’s first MIMO 4G-Enabled Technologies with 3G LTE. Then in 2008, the company went a gradual change as the LG no longer represents Lucky Goldstar but the new company logo “Life is good”, which also incidentally is its new brand identity.

LG Electronics is a dominant company in the electronics industry. Its subsidiary LG Electronics USA is also prevailing in the North American market. From a small South Korean company in the 1940’s, LG Electronics is now truly a global leader in the electronics market. A lot of households do have their products.

Samsung is a globally renowned multinational company with its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. The company has a number of different product verticals sharing the same brand name globally.

Samsung was founded in 1938 and it entered the electronics industry in the late 1960’s. Since the 1990’s, the company’s major source of revenue has been from its electronics vertical, comprising of mobile phones and semiconductors.

Samsung Electronics is the parent company’s largest subsidiary and was the world’s largest I.T. company in the calendar year 2012 holding position number 4 in terms of market capitalization.

The parent company, Samsung, has always been a strong regional powerhouse influencing much of South Korea’s economy, political dynamics and social culture. Samsung’s total revenue figures accounts for close to 17% of the country’s total GDP.

Samsung Telecommunications is a major business unit within Samsung Electronics and services product lines covering mobiles, MP3 players, laptop computers etc.

The time frame post 2007 has proved phenomenal for Samsung Telecommunication’s mobile phones vertical spurring a growth rate of 40%. Soon, it became the world’s 2nd largest mobile device manufacturer after Apple Inc.

Currently, Samsung is the leading manufacturer of smart phones running the mobile operating system Google Android with a global market share of 46%.

The latest offering from Samsung Telecommunication’s is the smart phone model, Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In India, the Samsung Note 7 was launched amidst much fanfare in August 2016.

In terms of the display, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ships with a 5.7 inch capacitive touch screen delivering a crisp and smooth resolution of 1440×2560 pixels at a PPI measuring of 518.

Processing power for the Galaxy Note 7 is delivered through an Exynos 8890 octa-core processor clocking 1.6 GHz.

The Note 7 ships out with a RAM of 4GB while the internal storage is pegged at 64GB which can be expanded (up to 256GB) through a microSD card.

For customers who are not camera shy, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is equipped with a 12 megapixel rear camera (with flash) coupled with a 5 megapixel front camera for selfie lovers.

From the software standpoint, the Galaxy Note 7 runs on Android Marshmallow having version 6.0.1.

Battery life is quite good considering the unit has a power cell equating to 3500mAh which is non-removal in nature.

The Note 7 has dimensions measuring 153.50 x 73.90 x 7.90 (height x width x thickness) and the weight is a comfortable 169 grams.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has support for a single Nano SIM card and includes a plethora of modern connectivity tools like Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, NFC, Bluetooth and GPS etc.

Onboard sensors within the Galaxy Note 7 cover proximity, ambient light, accelerometer and gyroscope. Audio headphones are supported by the Galaxy Note 7 through a 3.5mm jack.

The Galaxy Note 7 is available in a range of vibrant colors like Blue, Gold, Silver & Black.

The Note 7 will also have compatibility with a range of Samsung Accessories like Smart Watch, wireless headsets etc.

Prospective customers can now place confirmed orders through all the major e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal.

The release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 further cements the position of Samsung Electronics as a potent rival in the intensely competitive global market for smart phones.

North Korea doesn’t have much of a film industry, so this look at Korean movies is strictly limited to those works produced in South Korea. The film industry experienced a major boom in the late 1990s, and this success has carried over into the new millennium. With projects boasting high production values, original and challenging storylines, and plenty of talented and attractive actors, Korean movies have garnered international acclaim with no sign of slowing down.

The following list is intended to be an introduction to the cinema of South Korea. You’ll notice that the oldest film on the list was released in 1998, but that was an intentional choice on my part. I want to get viewers who are unaccustomed to foreign films interested, and I’m guessing that including Korean movies from the ’60s and ’70s isn’t the best way to go about this.

Oldboy (2003) – The second film in director Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, Oldboy tells the story of businessman Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik). Captured and imprisoned in a hotel room for unknown reasons, he’s released after 15 years and tasked with finding the identity of his captor. What follows is a wickedly beautiful tale of revenge and forbidden love. Voters on CNN named it one of the 10 best Asian films ever made, and it’s drawn rave reviews from Quentin Tarantino.

Attack the Gas Station (1999) – A gang of likable thugs rob a gas station at the beginning of the movie, and then they turn right around and rob it again the next night. But this time the manager has stashed the cash, and so the quartet of hooligans kidnap the employees, pump the gas themselves, and keep the money. As they fend off bullies, cops, and deadbeat customers, they become more sympathetic and learn a few things about themselves.

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) – The directorial debut of Bong Joon-ho (The Host), this film revolves around an out-of-work college professor who’s driven up the wall by the barking dogs in his apartment complex. Resorting to abuse and kidnapping to silence them, he’s soon pursued by a plucky young employee at the building (Bae Doona). In case you’re wondering, it’s a dark comedy.

Thirst (2009) – Park Chan-wook helms this tale of a priest who gets turned into a vampire due to a failed medical experiment. As he tries to cope with his condition, he falls for the abused wife of an old friend–with rather bloody results.

The Quiet Family (1998) – Combining horror and dark comedy, this Korean film centers around a family who opens a lodge for hikers, but their clients always end up dying. Korean stars Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-sik co-star.

Joint Security Area (2002) – When two soldiers are killed in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, a special investigative unit is dispatched to get to the truth. Quentin Tarantino named it one of his 20 favorite films since 1992.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005) – The final film in Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, the motion picture follows a mild-mannered woman just released from prison for the murder of a schoolboy. It turns out that she’s innocent, and every day spent in prison was a day she was plotting revenge against the man who was actually guilty of the crime. A delicious tale of revenge and high-heel pumps.

The Host (2006) – An average Korean family is nearly torn apart when their youngest member is captured and drug into the sewers by a mutated amphibious monster. Pooling their talents together, they seek to rescue the girl and destroy the loathsome creature. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, it’s the highest-grossing South Korean film of all time.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) – The first film in Park Chan-wook’s excellent Vengeance Trilogy, Sympathy takes a look at a deaf-mute man trying to get a kidney transplant for his sister. When things don’t work out, he resorts to kidnapping the young daughter of an executive–with tragic consequences.

Shiri (1999) – The South Korean version of a Hollywood action film, Shiri is about a team of North Korean agents intent on wreaking havoc against their southern neighbors. Their most successful member is a female sniper who’s been active in South Korea as a sleeper agent for years, picking off a number of government officials during that time. An honest cop and his partner must try to unravel the plot and root out the enemy agent, although her true identity may prove troublesome for very different reasons. You’ll recognize Yunjin Kim, better known as Sun from the television series Lost.

If you’re the type of person who avoids subtitles, I’m hoping this brief look at Korean movies may tempt you to give at least one film on the list a try. You’ll find Korean cinema to be a rich blend of foreign culture and modern filmmaking techniques, and they’re currently turning out some of the most entertaining motion pictures on any continent. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, and a search of online rental sites such as Netflix and Blockbuster will turn up hundreds of other films from the country.

The figures for worldwide poverty are shocking. About three billion people – just under half of the World's population – live on less than $ 2.50 a day; 22,000 children a day – over eight million a year – die due to the effects poverty (malnutrition and disease); one in three children (640 million) live without adequate shelter; one in five children (400 million) do not have access to safe water; one in seven children (270 million) do not have access to healthcare.

Given these ghastly statistics you'd think that nobody with any humanity could oppose increasing the amount of foreign aid we should give to those so much less fortunately than ourselves.

When most people think of foreign aid, they tend to imagine brave aid workers rescuing people from earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, famines and other such natural disasters. But this emergency aid accounts for an extremely small part of the foreign aid money we give either directly to charities or through our taxes to charities and various relief agencies. Perhaps just $ 5 billion to $ 6 billion of the $ 135 billion a year foreign aid is emergency aid. The other ninety five or so per cent of charity and aid money goes to what's called 'development aid' – helping countries escape from poverty and putting them on the path to development.

In the last sixty years around $ 3 trillion has been funded by developed countries to help poorer countries. There have been some huge successes – extreme poverty has been more than halved, diseases like river blindness and smallpox have been all but eradicated and millions of lives have been saved from famine and conflict. Moreover, many aid recipients have managed to break free from poverty and achieve rising levels of prosperity for their people.

In the 1960s countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan had lower income per capita than some African countries. Now, thanks in part to aid, they have shot ahead of their African counterparts. South Korea for example, used to have a lower income per capita than Ghana. By 2013 South Korea's income per capita at $ 33,189 was close to ten times that of Ghana at just $ 3,461. Although the country which has achieved most in improving the lot of its population is probably China where, with very little foreign aid at all, close to seven hundred million people have been taken out of poverty in just thirty years.

Between 1990 and 2010, Kenya and Ghana each received about seventeen per cent of their GDP in aid and great by just over three per cent a year. In contrast, China received less than one per cent of its GDP in aid and larger by over eleven per cent a year while Malaysia was given just over one per cent of its GDP in aid and greater by six per cent a year.

But while most formerly poor Asian and some South American countries have made significant progress on the road to development and modernization, too many countries, particularly in Africa, have stagnated or even become more impoverished over the last few decades in spite of being given more in aid than any other part of the world.

In Europe, after the Second World War the US-sponsored Marshall Plan is generally credited for helping war-ravaged European countries to rebuild and become prosperous. So some people have demanded a 'Marshall Plan for Africa'. There's only one problem with this demand. Africa has already had its Marshall Plan – several times over. In the last fifty years Africa has been given the equivalent of around ten Marshall Plans. In today's money, the five-year European Marshall Plan saw about $ 100 billion – $ 20 billion a year – being used to rebuild Europe after WWII.

In the last fifty years, Africa has received over $ 1 trillion in aid. So, Africa received about the same every year – $ 20 billion a year – for fifty years that Europe received each year for just five years. There is little evidence that those countries getting the most aid have benefited from this aid and a quarter of Sub-Saharan countries, including some of the world's greatest recipients of foreign aid, are now poorer than they were in 1960.

Introduction

Samsung headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul is a South Korean multinational conglomerate company. Most of the numerous subsidiaries and affiliates of Samsung are united under the Samsung brand, being the largest South Korean business conglomerate. In 1938, Lee Byung-chul founded Samsung as a trading company. The growth diversified into food processing, textiles, securities, retail and insurance areas in next three decades. In late 1960’s, Samsung entered electronics industry, followed by construction and shipbuilding industries in mid 1970’s.Samsung was separated into four business groups, after Lee’s death in 1987. The four business group of Samsung are: Samsung Group, CJ Group, Shinsegae Group and Hansol Group. Samsung particularly increased globalization in its activities and electronics since 1990. Its most important source of income is mobile phones and semiconductors.

Samsung Smartphones

A series of mobile computing devices designed, manufactured and marketed by Samsung Electronics, which is headquartered in Suwon, South Korea and is a South Korean multinational electronics company is Samsung Galaxy. Galaxy S series of high end smartphones, Galaxy Note series of tablets and phablets with the added stylus functionality, Galaxy Tab series of tablets and the first version of Galaxy Gear smartwatch, are included in the product line. Before the announcement of Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, the first Galaxy-branded Windows 10 device in CES 2016, Samsung Galaxy used Google produced Android operation system along with TouchWiz a custom user interface. Before September 2013, Samsung Galaxy model numbers started with GT-xxxx, whereas since September 2013 they started with SM-xxxx.

Samsung Phone Covers

Nowadays, mobile phones have become our daily necessity. Cases and covers are made to keep our mobile phones safe and sound from clumsy pin falls and greasy grips. Samsung, being one of the topmost brand in production of mobile phones and less expensive as compared to other topmost brands like Apple, people prefer to buy Samsung phones. They are also lightweight. So, it becomes necessary to buy phone covers to protect these phones from scratches. There different types of phone cases: Mobile Socks, are made of woolen or cotton and available in free sizes. Mobile Pouches, are usually made of leather, suede, synthetic leather, neoprene material thus offering good protection for the device. They even have holster, so that they can be clipped on a belt. Phone Skins, serve a distinct personality to your phone.They attach directly to the surface of the phone. They are made of vinyl products. They fit exactly to the body of the phone without interfering its functionality. Face Plates, are usually made of plastic and provide protection and decoration to the phone. Body Gloves, are usually made of thermoplastic polyurethane or soft gel and silicone. A Body Glove, does not allow the phone to slip away. Hybrid Cases, basic level comes of two parts, plastic casing and thick thermoplastic polyurethane rubber glove encasing the plastic skeletal.This protects the device from shocks, dust, water sprinkles or light showers.

Although the United States has a nuclear stockpile of approximately 4,000 warheads, it cannot win in a nuclear confrontation with North Korea, which is estimated to have no more than a dozen warheads. The reason: The price the United States would have to pay to “win” is simply too great.

North Korea has a population of approximately 25 million and a land area of about 46,000 square miles. That means it has the population of Florida and the land area of Mississippi. The United States, in contrast, has 320 million people and a land area of about 3.7 million square miles, making it the third largest country in the world. On the surface, it would appear that a small country would never be a match for the United States.

These calculations are upset, however, when the destructive effects of nuclear weapons are factored in. By most press accounts, North Korea has at least a dozen nuclear warheads, the largest of which have yields in the 100-kiloton range (1). In contrast, the atomic bombs we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were in the 12- to 15-kiloton range. Additionally, this small;country’s Hwasong-15 missile has a range of 8,000 miles (2), which means Honolulu and Los Angeles are within its range. The total population of these two cities is approximately 14 million. Atomic warheads with yields of 100 kilotons would kill most of them.

Kim Jong Un has shown, so far, that he is not intimidated by the huge military apparatus of the United States, including its arsenal of nuclear weapons. He apparently feels that his country needs nuclear weapons for protection, just like Israel, Pakistan, and India. The United States says that North Korea must “denuclearize” completely, while never mentioning similar arsenals maintained by the other three countries.

All is not lost, however. There is a way that security can be guaranteed while it greatly reduces its nuclear stockpile. Kim Jong Un might take the initiative with this letter to the president:

The President of the United States

The White House

Washington, D. C.

Dear Mr. Trump:

Supreme Leader of North Korea

Well, Mr. Trump, what are you going to do? If you launch a “preemptive” strike against North Korea the way George W. Bush launched a strike on Iraq in 2003, 10 to 12 million Americans in two of our cities will die. You can, most assuredly, “denuclearize” North Korea by dropping so many atom bombs on the country that it will become a radioactive wasteland. The real question is-are you willing to pay the price?

Endnotes

1. “Summing up the nuclear test in North Korea on the 3 September, 2017.” Press release from Seismic Observatory NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway.

2. “North Korea says new missile puts all of US in striking range”, BBC News, Asia edition, 29 November 2017