Day 4: The Arts and Samsung

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A Samsung spokeswoman shows off the televisions of the future at corporate headquarters in South Korea.

The company has 154,000 employees worldwide, and 19,700 have Mas and PHDs. This company has a big footprint here, too: We were told by company officials that Samsung, which makes everything from large screen televisions to sea-going vessels, accounts for one-sixth of South Korea's GDP. Nelson Allen, the director of the marketing group, greeted us. He is among a cadre of foreigners here with backgrounds in the company's many worldwide offices. Allen, an American who looks to be in his 30s, earned his MBA from the London School of Economics, is a very sharp fellow. Once inside the offices, I felt like I was in the Nebraska Furniture Mart of the future.

With Nelson as guide, I'll tell you about a couple of highlights of what we can expect in our future:

-A refrigerator that not only tells us what is inside the refrigerator, but also flashes quick recipes that we can make with the contents. And it also tells us what food products might be getting too old, and allows us to order replacements at the grocery over the internet.

-A microwave made especially for the single person. It reads the bar code on the incoming dinner box, and cooks the contents to perfection. This was invented in Britain and is expected to go worldwide if it works well in test markets.

-A smart house that allows you to pull the drapes, turn on security, dim the lights, lower the heat and set the coffeemaker just before bed with the press of a button. And, remarkably, the technology is in a portable flat panel that can then be taken to the car where it becomes your GPS device and gives you verbal directions as you head to out-of-the-way places in the city.

Editor's Note: For the next two weeks, Star editor Randy Smith will be traveling with a dozen U.S. journalists in both North and South Korea. The trip, set up through the Gatekeeper Editor's program with the International Reporting Project, provides journalists with a glimpse of countries often in the news but not well covered. Look for regular updates at KansasCity.com. Send questions or comments to him at rsmith@kcstar.com.

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