With over 200 South Korean companies in and around the city, Chennai has a thriving population from the Pacific nation – as many as 4,000 South Koreans live in the city alone. To help them engage with the city better and connect with local communities, a website was launched here by Global Adjustments, a cross-cultural training company aiming to integrate foreigners with the Indian community.
Launching the website — http://www.globaladjustments.com/korean/index.html — Kyungsoo Kim, Consul General of South Korea said it was time the community had a systematic outreach with people here. He said the community plans to hold a ‘clean up the Marina’ event in April. The website and other cultural exchanges, he said, will help the partnership between India and Korea extend beyond commercial interests and lead to multi-dimensional exchanges.
The website, said Ranjani Manian, CEO, Global Adjustments, recalled the time when companies such as Hyundai and Samsung began their operations here. Global Adjusments, she said, wished to be a trustworthy Indian voice in linking the Korean and local communities.
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The website will also have a blog ‘Masal Kimchi’ that will help Koreans understand India better. There will be regular insights about festivals and Indian habits.
N. Ravi, editor-in-chief, The Hindu , said Koreans have always been admired for the dynamism, discipline and innovativeness that transformed the country into an industrialised, developed society. People in Chennai, he added, might come across as reserved in the beginning, but once that reserve was cut through, many lasting and strong friendships can be made. The website, he added, will be of benefit to the Korean community here, and will help them engage with the city better.