Congratulations on the Newsletter

	Let me at the outset congratulate the Korea-Yemen Center in this auspicious occasion of publishing its first Newsletter, a remarkable feature activity to introduce Yemen - its culture and heritage, economy etc. - to the Korea people and help consolidate and enhance Yemeni-Korean relations. I hope this Newsletter will flourish and develop to be an acknowledged source of information on our resourceful country - for the ordinary person as well as for the business and cultural communities as the bilateral relations between the Republic of Yemen and the Republic of Korea continue to develop and prosper for the mutual interest of our two peoples and countries.
Abdulaziz Ahmed Baeisa
Charge d'Affaires,
Embassy of Yemen

Yemen and Korea have their similar characteristics as unique features. Covering a history and civilizations for thousands of years they are bound to beneficially share experience and construct a productive partnership in today's world of interdependence and "segyehwa". Since its reunification five years ago, Yemen has been striving to build a free, democratic, market-economy system. For foreign investment it offers boundless potential for which it enacted benevolent laws of merits and incentives especially with the new five-year development plan 1996-2000. For researchers of history and culture as well as tourists there is ample opportunity in Arabia-Felix, the Land of Sheba and the origin of Mocha coffee. There is also a lot to gain from the Land of Morning Calm and the "Miracle on the River Han."

I wish you every success in your endeavors and I am confident of a more expanded and sustained cooperation between our countries in the coming years.

Yemen, located in the southeastern area of Arabia Felix in the Greek Era, is well known to Korea as the Kingdom of Sheba (B.C. 950-B.C.115). Over the course of history, the rather small country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula has been serving as a wellspring of people emigrating across the peninsula and beyond, quickly adapting to foreign surroundings and even settling down for good. By reason of the fact, Yemen has been a root of the Arabic language and history.

In Korea, the Middle-East has been a keen interesting region since the oil crisis of 1973. According to the Korean advance in the Middle East, its studies and economic relations have been activated in Korea. Now the region of the Middle East is not a strange part to Koreans. The advances and studies of the Middle East, however, have been confined really to the oil-rich countries and the confronted nations with the Israeli struggle.

For this reason, Yemen has been treated as a strange land by Koreans. The great concerns about Yemen occurred among Koreans in relation to the unification affairs of the Korean Peninsular after the Yemeni unification on May 22, 1990. However insufficient materials and studies about Yemen and civil war of 1994 have still made her distant to Koreans. Moreover it is true that the significant cooperation has not been realized between Korea and Yemen, though the full diplomatic relations between two countries were established on August 22, 1985.

The study of Yemen has to precede other Arabian studies in order to know essentially the Arabic history, language and culture. It is also necessary for Korea, co-shared a disintegrated grief, to study basically for the purpose of promoting the exchanges of human resources and materials with Yemen. Nowadays Yemeni studies urgently needs to increase not only the increasing export-import but the common interests and development between Korea and Yemen. Therefore RIES, Research Institute of the East-West Economy & Society, established 'Korea - Yemen Center' on December 29, 1994 in order to found a Yemeni studies and increase the promotion of exchanges between Korea and Yemen.

As mentioned above, our institute became to recognize the need of exact Yemeni knowledge.

In accordance with this fact Research Institute of the East-West Economy & Society(RIES) began to feel the need of basic Yemeni study to found a Yemeni studies in Korea through the comprehensive study of history, society, culture, art and economy of Yemen. For the purpose of it, Korea-Yemen Center was born in the form of study center attached to RIES under the article 3 of the institute regulations on December 29, 1994.

Korea - Yemen Center performs general and multi-aspectual studies for the specific subject that consists of RIES research team controlled by the director eligible for the objective project. KYC prides itself on being able to perform every project effectively through connecting organically 'home library system' possessed by each member, utilizing the computer network. KYC places its emphasis on the slogan of "Small, but Rich" in accordance with RIES precept, "Seek after Truth, based on the Facts". Moreover KYC possessed the Mideast specialists who attained the diploma M.A. or Ph.D. is able to carry out easily the comprehensive research for Yemeni Studies.

Korea - Yemen Center is a pure private center and its finance is supported by the member's fee and public and private subsidies.

1) Collection and publication of research works, periodicals and other materials.

8) Research cooperation for the center's activities with the research institutions home and abroad.


Introduction to National Flag

Korean National Flag (Taegukki)		Taegukki is the symbol of thought, philosophy and mysticism of Koreans through 5,000 years of history. The flag has a circle in the center and bars in the 4 corners, divided equally & in perfect balance. The upper red section represents the positive element of nature "Yang"and the lower blue, the negative element, "Um", thus comprising the whole universe. These two opposites harmonize the dualim of the cosmos, fire and water, day and night, light and darkness, masculine, plus and minus, active and passive, in a word the cosmos is composed of "positive and negative".In another word the cosmos is keeping the constant movement toward the eternity in balance and harmony. Each bar group stands for its own meaning, 3 bars on the upper left stands for Heaven, 5 bars on the lower right, for Earth, 4 bars on the lower left for Fire and 5 bars on the upper right for Water.
Yemeni National Flag		The flag, which is rectangular in shape, consists of three equal parts coloured in red, white and black. The red, at the upper end, symbolizes the revolution. The white, in the middle, stands for the purity of the principles of the revolution and the people's love for peace ; while the black, at the lower end, signifies the dark and despotic rule of the past.

This publication is consisted of Korean, English, Arabic and the other languages concerned. The contents of the newsletter do not necessarily reflect either the position or the views of KYC.


	也門消息 KYC Newsletter
제1호 1996년 4월		한국예멘교류센타 Korea-Yemen Center	No. 1 April, 1996

	也門消息 KYC Newsletter Publisher: Dr. Seong Min HONG, President , Editor: Dr. Joo Heon Kang, Director of Research, KYC.
	Kwanak P.O. Box 49, Seoul151-600, Korea, Tel: 82-2-876-4249, Fax: 82-2-876-4349. Copyright ⓒ 1997-2008 KYC. All rights reserved.