SOUTH KOREA EVENTS 2008

1970s View of Osan AB (USAF Photo)

SOUTH KOREA DOMESTIC EVENTS

January 2008

Year of the Rat (Jan 2008) The Year of the Rat? What can we possibly have to look forward to in 2008? Nowadays rats are considered dirty, nasty animals; yet our ancestors saw abundance and hope in the rodents. The Chosun Ilbo takes a look at what they symbolize.

-- Diligence and fecundity: Rats have long whiskers and well-developed sensory organs. They adapt to a new environment and breed rapidly. Their ability to overcome difficulties and survive in any environment makes them a symbol of diligence, wealth and affluence.

-- Foreboding dangers: According to the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", it did not snow in the fifth year of King Hyegong (A.D. 763) in Shilla, and just before that, the unusual migration of some 8,000 rats had been observed in Chiak Prefecture. This is an example of rats’ capability to anticipate dangers. Our ancestors predicted dangers or prepared for accidents by observing the migration of rats.

-- Shrewd and clever: Rats are the first among 12 animals in the Zodiac. According to a fable, the king of Heaven wanted to give ranks to animals. The Lord decided to rank animals in the order of their arrival at the gates of Heaven on the first day of the year. Upon the delightful news, animals trained to get there faster than the others. Among them, the cow worked hardest to win the race. Watching other animals, the mouse realized that winning the race would be impossible for such a little animal like him, so he got on the back of the cow. On the day of the race, the diligent cow was first to reach the goal. However, on arrival, the mouse jumped off the back of the cow and entered the gates of Heaven before all others.

-- Traditions: The 15th day of the first month of the Lunar calendar is the day of jwibulnori, a traditional folk game to kill the mice leaving their holes and exterminate insects that infest the dry paddy fields with fire. In old times, women chanted, "Burn out the mouth of rats" while parching beans, in the belief that they could eradicate rats that way. In the Chosun dynasty era, there were many paintings depicting the life of rats. In a work by the leading female artist Shin Saimdang, a rat nibbles at a watermelon in a field. Our ancestors clearly saw rats as common animals easily understood in everyday life. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)


Year of the Rat Statue at Haeundae Beach in Pusan (24 Dec 07) (Korea Times)

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National Pension System to be Overhauled (Jan 2008) Twenty years after it was launched, Korea's national pension system is going to be overhauled. Instead of receiving payouts in proportion to the amount that subscribers paid into the plan according to their income, almost all people will be enrolled in a basic pension scheme under which the government will pay retirees a certain amount. (SITE NOTE: The National Assembly learned early on about it could "borrow" from the pension system -- like the Social Security System in the US -- and left it penniless in the 1990s. Then if forced the increase in payments to attempt to refill the coffers -- and again pilaged the funds. The most basic of reforms is to keep the funds inviolate from the National Assembly use.)

Government officials and president-elect Lee Myung-bak's Transition Committee members said the government had been reluctant to introduce a basic pension scheme due to lack of funds, but now they plan to reform the system. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the government agency in charge of the national pension, will present a report on introducing a basic pension scheme to the committee.

After the new government is inaugurated in February and a new National Assembly is formed following general elections in April, the debate over the national pension reform, an issue that was temporarily patched up after a fierce debate last year, will likely flare up again. The current government launched the controversial basic pension scheme, in which 60 percent of all senior citizens 65 years or older receive up to W84,000 monthly beginning this year. Transition Committee members said that the current pension scheme is not enough to support people's post-retirement lives. (SITE NOTE: The amount given to seniors currently is not enough to survive and many depend on the "soup kitchens" set up by charitable organizations for at least one meal a day. The amounts are not enough for decent lodgings and many live in one room hovels if they do not have family to take care of them. In recent years, the old family system of children taking care of parents has disappeared -- especially after many fled the country for the US or other countries.)

Government officials and committee members said they would launch a task force charged with reforming the pension system this year. After working out payment and recipient plans, the task force will formulate a new national pension bill to be submitted to the National Assembly in 2009. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

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Changing Diet: Koreans replace rice with meat and veggies (Jan 2008) Korea’s annual per-capita rice consumption dipped to its lowest level in 2007 as people opted to eat more meat and vegetables, according to a government survey. The National Statistical Office said in a release the average Korean consumed 76.9 kilograms (169.5 pounds) of rice last year, a decline of 2.4 percent, or 1.9 kilograms, from the year before. It said the decrease reflects the downward trend that has been going on since 1984 when annual per-capita rice consumption reached 130.1 kilograms. (SITE NOTE: This has political implications and a change in the rice storage surplus problems. During the Roh administration, there was a glut in the government rice stores under the process of buy high-sell low. The solution was to send the surplus to the North as "aid." Later the government cut the price supports to farmers to reduce the rice crop. The problem also deals with the Korean youth switching to a "western" diet (bread and hamburgers) -- and there is now appearing an obesity problem.)

The NSO, which has been surveying rice consumption since 1963, said that after peaking at 136.4 kilograms in 1970, overall consumption of rice has been going steadily downhill with only two moderate rebounds, one in 1979 and another in 1984. On a daily basis, the average Korean ate 210.9 grams of rice or about two bowls of rice, down 2.4 percent from the year before. Consumption of meat and vegetables, meanwhile, increased 5.3 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, last year compared to 2006.

While Korea’s rice consumption has been decreasing over the years, it is still higher than in Japan and Taiwan. Japan’s annual per capita rice consumption was 61 kilograms in 2006, while Taiwanese on average ate 48 kilograms of rice in the same year. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

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Spymaster Resigns Over Leak (Jan 2008) National Intelligence Service Director Kim Man-bok on 15 Jan resigned after admitting that he leaked the transcript of a purported conversation he had with North Korea's head of clandestine activities in the South, Kim Yang-gon. The leak to the JoongAng Ilbo of a strikingly innocuous conversation between the two Kims in Pyongyang on Dec. 18 came earlier last week; Kim Man-bok's admission that he leaked a confidential state document is the first by a South Korean intelligence chief. (SITE NOTE: Supposedly the transcript was released as an "off-the-record" release but instead appeared in print. To be truthful, the whole schpiel doesn't jive. He explained that the report had been written to dispel suspicions that the NIS tried to influence the presidential election. He said he had wanted to prove that the agency had remained strictly neutral in the election. The NIS chief met with the head of the North's spy service before and only spoke up after he was discovered to have made the trip. To me it would be more reasonable that he fabricated entire conversation in hopes of deflecting attention -- or to keep from answering what he REALLY discussed. His resignation will close the book -- but there are still lots of questions of the collusion between the NIS and the North Koreans -- part of the Roh legacy. I feel that Roh has allowed North Korean sympathizers to infiltrate government, unions, and academia -- and a more likely conversation would be how to protect the DPRK moles that will be under scrutiny once the Lee Myeong-bak administration takes over. But thinking something and proving it are two different things.)

"As the chief of the state intelligence agency, I intend to resign to assume the responsibility for causing trouble over a recent newspaper report on details of the transcript of a conversation I had with Kim Yang-gon, director of the United Front Department of the North Korean Workers' Party. I also apologize to the people," Kim said in a press conference at the NIS building. A member of the presidential Transition Committee said, "This was an incident caused by NIS chief Kim out of an overweening desire to assume a role even in the new government's implementation of North Korea policy. We had our doubts when we first heard the rumor. But we were shocked to hear his own confession today."

Why did Kim go to Pyongyang? The NIS claims Kim visited Pyongyang to erect a monument to mark the planting of a pine tree by President Roh Moo-hyun at the Pyongyang Central Botanical Garden during the inter-Korean summit in October. Asked why he went there on the eve of the presidential election, the NIS said if he had gone much earlier, he could have caused the misunderstanding that he was trying to influence the election with the help of the North. But Kim did not wait until after the election because he feared it would by then be impossible. (SITE NOTE: The NIS explanation stinks!!! However, best to sweep it under the carpet -- get Lee into office and a new head of the NIS in place to start cleaning house. Kim later wanted a one-on-one meeting with Lee Myeong bak as he had "something to report in person." Then Cheong Wa Dae stated that they would have to weigh Kim's resignation against any damage that could be caused by an investigation. A North Korea expert said, "Cheong Wa Dae will have to weigh the acceptance of Kim’s resignation against the possible disclosure of confidential information that the investigation on Kim could dig up." ) (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: The answer was revealed in Feb 2008 when it was found that Kim was the bearer of a stone marker to replace the larger stone that the DPRK refused to install. It was all for the ego of Roh Moo-hyun in installing his name in North Korea in front of a tree that was planted. However, this in turn made Kim's remarks a lie. (See Roh Disgraced in North Korea during Summit: All This Fuss Just to Leave Roh's Name in North Korea (Feb 2008).) )

The prosecution is investigating the "leak" with the attitude that if the material was classified confidential or higher, they would prosecute. But if it wasn't, there is no case. All the other conjectures about the real reason for his visits to the North are simply non-players.

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Owners, captains of two ships indicted for negligence in oil spill (Jan 2008) On 21 Jan prosecutors indicted the owners of the two ships that crashed and caused the worst oil spill in South Korean history last month, while the government started providing belated compensation to residents on the west coast. The Dec. 7 crash was "a case of mutual negligence" by Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. and the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping Co., said Oh In-seo, a senior prosecutor in the prosecutors' office in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. (SITE NOTE: See Environmental Disaster at Taean: Tanker Spill (Dec 2007) for details of the spill. Cleanup still continued in Jan 2008 with the wiping down of rocks though the major slicks supposedly were contained. What the government is leaving unsaid is that a previous spill in Yeosu should have alerted it to the national needs for disaster preparedness. It had failed to prepare and as a result, foreign countries had to ship in absorbant materials to contain the spread. The government has tried from the start to blame the tanker for not moving out of the way, though it takes a tanker at a dead stop more than the ten minutes given it to move out of the way. This was BEFORE the cables snapped. It is apparent the Samsung crane is the one at fault, but this is going to be a battle in the courts. The way the government is trying to shirk their responsibility in the matter is to make the tanker responsible for the moneys and then let them sue the Samsung Heavy co.)

Over 12,000 tons of crude oil leaked into the West Sea off Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, when a Samsung barge carrying a crane separated from its tugboats and struck the oil tanker named the Heibei Spirit in bad weather. The massive spill from the tanker destroyed fish farms and natural parks in the ecologically pristine region, devastating the livelihoods of about 40,000 residents in the fisheries and tourism sectors. (SITE NOTE: Again the Korean government delayed assistance to the affected populace as they struggled to make ends meet. Their incomes fell to zero instantly and the government took until January to provide any sort of financial aid. It will have to be seen if this aid is adequate or just whitewash. Insurance companies are also very slow in providing money to policy holders.)

The prosecution also indicted three South Korean captains from the Samsung barge and the oil tanker's captain and its navigator, both Indian nationals, for negligence and violations of South Korea's maritime pollution prevention law, Oh said. But only two of the Samsung captains were physically detained. The suspects' names were all withheld because the investigation is underway.

Announcing the interim results of the probe, the prosecution said it was too early to determine which side should bear more responsibility for the accident. "We've been searching for and confiscating evidence to find new facts, but it is difficult at this moment to clearly say which side is more responsible and to what extent," a prosecutor said. (SITE NOTE: The first folks to check on is the disaster preparedness folks of the Roh administration before they all skip town.)

With no payment from insurers yet, three residents of Taean, devastated by the destruction of their livelihoods, have committed suicide. The tragic deaths spurred an outpouring of private donations, while the Korean government was pushed to take money out of its state coffers. Lee One-koo, governor of South Chungcheong Province, said 55.8 billion won (US$59 million) -- 30 billion won from individual donations -- will be delivered to the residents "over the next three to four days." Six counties and towns will divide the funds, with Taean County taking about 70 percent of the compensation, Lee said.

According to international law on maritime pollution accidents, the 146,000-ton super tanker Hebei Spirit is directly responsible for the oil leak and paying compensation. The Hebei Spirit then can raise a compensation claim to Samsung Heavy, whose barge was the initial cause of the collision. Assuranceforeningen Skuld, the insurer of the Hong Kong-registered supertanker, will pay as much as US$12 billion toward labor costs for cleaning up the shoreline, Bloomberg reported, quoting the insurer's e-mailed statement. Other compensation should also come from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, an intergovernmental organization.

Samsung Heavy planned to issue a public apology on 22 Jan following the interim result of the probe. According to its insurance policy, Samsung Heavy is legally responsible for no more than 3.4 billion won (US$3.6 million) in damage compensation, but public calls have mounted on Samsung to take "unlimited responsibility" beyond its legal burden. Samsung Heavy has expressed reservations about the public demand. (SITE NOTE: ``Samsung should take `unlimited responsibility' for the accident,'' Yoon Sang-hoon, an official from the Green Korea United, said. ``But to avoid further delay in damage compensation, the government should first compensate residents in the damaged regions and get the money back from the company.'' Protestors showed up at Samsung Headquarters in Seoul on 23 Jan claiming the apology was insufficient.)

Korean legislators are pushing for the legislation of a bill under which the government would compensate the victims first and recoup the funds via insurance payments from the companies responsible. The legislation also seeks to put more burden on Samsung Heavy for the environmental damage. (Source: Yonhap News.)


Oil Spill Cleanup Taean Beach (24 Dec 2007)

On Dec. 28, the government offered 30 billion won in emergency aid to the residents but the regional government in South Chungcheong Province has not distributed the funds, citing it insufficient and demanding an additional 30 billion won. As the criticism on the delay, the regional government has finally decided to disburse a total of 55.8 billion won, consisting of the 30 billion in government aid, its own reserve fund and donation by residents to residents of six cities and counties hit hardest by the accident.

But even if some compensation is ready for residents, there are still many problems unsolved -- how much money will be given to whom and according to what criteria. The amount of compensation will be far from enough for them to completely recover. As the nation has no legal grounds for the imposition of punitive damages for the responsible party, the total amount of compensation for the catastrophe will end up being too small for the residents in the disaster-hit regions to get their lives back to normal.

On 24 Jan a large demonstration in Seoul was held by those affected by the oil spill demanded compensation. The protestors blamed Samsung Heavy for the disaster.

Samsung Heavy eyes fund for oil spill victims (Feb 2008) Samsung Heavy Industries Co., partly blamed for South Korea's worst-ever oil spill last December, said Friday it will set up a 100-billion-won ($107 million) fund to help affected people and restore devastated areas. The fund is in addition to the compensation the world's second-largest shipyard should pay depending on a court ruling, according to the shipbuilder.

On December 7, a Samsung Heavy barge that became separated from two tugboats in rough seas rammed an anchored supertanker owned by Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping Co., resulting in the leak of more than 10,000 tons of crude oil into the Yellow Sea off South Korea's western coast. Last month, the companies were indicted by South Korean prosecutors for polluting the ocean. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Oil spill trial calls Samsung Heavy (Mar 2008) The third and fourth sessions of the trial to determine responsibility for the oil spill in the Yellow Sea off the Taean Peninsula are scheduled to be held today and tomorrow at the Daejeon District Court. The spill was caused by the Dec. 7 crash of a barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. and a Hong Kong-based oil tanker.

For the first time, the session will be attended by seven suspects, including representatives from Samsung Heavy and Hebei Ocean Shipping Co., the owner of the tanker. The captains of the Samsung barge, a tugboat and the oil tanker Hebei Spirit will also attend, the court said. Ahead of the court session, Samsung Heavy announced on 29 Feb a donation of $100 billion won ($106.5 million) for development projects to assist residents in Taean. Samsung Heavy and Hebei were charged with violating Korea's maritime pollution prevention law for causing the country's worst oil spill. According to prosecutors, the Samsung Heavy Industries' barge ignored its duty to take shelter in bad weather and crashed into the oil tanker. The Hong Kong shipping company failed to respond to an emergency call from a coastal control center and is also at fault, say prosecutors. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

Taean Damage Report Triggers Disputes (Mar 2008) An estimate by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) on the cost of damage caused by the nation's worst oil spill off Taean, South Chungcheong Province has provoked anger among residents of the area. The IOPCF estimated the damage at 424 billion won ($450 million), far less than the trillions of won of losses projected by the residents. They are rejecting the announcement and calling for a reevaluation. The organization's estimate breaks down to 110 billion won for the clean-up, 170 billion won to revive fisheries and 72-144 billion won for tourism and others. The organization said the figure was based on the residents' income reported to the government, but some of the data was omitted and was hard to ascertain.

On Dec. 7, 2007, about 10,500 tons of crude oil were spilled in seas off Taean after a Samsung owned barge collided with the anchored Heibei Spirit oil tanker carrying Hyundai Oil Bank oil in bad weather. The spill almost destroyed the ecologically pristine region as well as damaging the southwestern coastline. It also ruined about 500 abalone and oyster farms.

The government said it was satisfied with the report saying it indicated how much was required to restore the area. Additional costs will be covered by the government, and the ship and barge owners if they are found guilty of negligence and slapped with fines Meanwhile, the residents of Taean were angered by the report that is to be announced in Monaco today. They said they themselves haven't come up with an exact estimate and that the IOPCF's figure must have omitted many people. ``For tourism, you need years to attract tourists back. In the summer the oil underneath the sand will surface, creating a bad smell and force people away. I wonder whether the IOPCF is aware of that. Do they know when exactly we will get our tourists back?'' Lee Yong-hee, a representative of the residents, said. ``I went to the oyster farm yesterday and found nothing alive. I do not know when we will be able to resume farming,'' Lee Won-jae, a fisherman, said.

Even the local government is dissatisfied. ``We have not yet figured out the exact cost of the damage to the fishery industries in the region. How did they come up with the figure?'' a county office staff member said. ``It is unacceptable for the residents,'' he added. A spokesman for the owners of the Heibei Spirit would not comment on any damage estimates they have made. Samsung Heavy Industries, the barge owner, has offered a 100 billion won to those affected by the oil spill, to be managed by an outside agency designated by the government and separate from official compensation to be paid by insurance companies. (Source: Korea Times.)

Fishing OK, but Taean's beaches still are polluted (Apr 2008) More than 1 million volunteers have scrubbed rocks in the Taean area since the country's worst-ever oil spill more than four months ago. The job's not over yet. A government ministry announced on 18 Apr that half of the beaches in the area are still too polluted to open. "We need more volunteers to clean the contaminated places and open the beaches in time for the summer season," said Lee Jang-jo, a Taean County official. Lee said more volunteer scrubbers could speed up the openings. The number of volunteers each day is declining, officials said. An average of about 1,000 people a day now volunteer to scrub rocks, down from a peak of about 40,000.

Despite the condition of the beaches, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs yesterday reopened fishing and crabbing in the area following three months of research. "Fishermen are now allowed to catch any fish, except shellfish, because the ones that we caught in those areas are all clean," said an official who declined to be named. "However, shellfish — including oysters — remain contaminated." Fishermen celebrated. "From now on, we can catch fish again!" said a fisherman who declined to be named. "Taean will be full of vigor soon."

Still, the land ministry said in a statement that nearly half of beaches in Taean could be closed this summer. Out of the 28 beaches in Taean, 141 kilometers (87 miles) southwest of Seoul, the water pollution level at 13 beaches, including major attractions Guryepo and Cheonripo, still exceeds safety standards, the ministry said. "The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon in the 13 beaches is as high as 17 parts per billion. It is 1.5 times higher than standards," said an official of the ministry. "We will decide on the reopening schedule soon." The Dec. 7 oil spill of about 66,000 barrels of crude oil contaminated more than 300 kilometers of shoreline in the area. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

Samsung Crew Guilty in Korea's Worst Oil Spill (Jun 2008) A district court has found Samsung Heavy Industries guilty but the supertanker Hebei Spirit not guilty in connection with Korea's worst oil spill in waters off Taean, South Chungcheong Province on Dec. 7 last year. Samsung Heavy Industries is expected to face enormous costs in future civil proceedings between local victims, Samsung and Hebei Spirit.

The Daejeon District Court on Monday sentenced a 51-year-old master of Samsung Heavy Industries' tugboats identified as Cho to three years in prison and a fine of W2 million (US$1=W1,039) for violating the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act. The court sentenced a 45-year-old tugboat master identified as Kim to one year in jail, ordering him arrested in court and taken into custody. The court fined Samsung Heavy Industries W30 million as prosecutors had demanded. The 39-year-old master of the sea crane barge was acquitted, as were the 36-year-old master, a 31-year-old navigator and the owner of the Hebei Spirit, the Hong Kong-registered supertanker that collided with Samsung's tugboats.

In its ruling, the court said, "While tugging a super sea crane, the tugboat masters Cho and Kim were negligent in their duties and caused the accident, doing enormous damage to local residents. The court is levying severe punishment on them because they have shown no remorse but blamed bad weather or the supertanker."

But the court said it was difficult to argue that crew of the supertanker and Hebei Ocean Shipping “should have maintained higher-level vigilance than in normal times or that a single-hull tanker posed excessively high-level danger of colliding." The court also found Kim, the master of the sea crane barge, not guilty, saying, "The court is rejecting the prosecutors' demand, considering that the crane barge is a motorless boat tugged by tug boats, so its master was not in a position to control its navigation."

Cho and the others were indicted on Jan. 21 for causing the worst oil spill in Korean history. The tugboats were tugging the 11,800-ton barge carrying a Samsung Heavy Industries crane around 7:06 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2007 from Incheon Port to Geoje Island, when the barge drifted and collided with the 146,000-ton supertanker in waters five miles northwest of Mallipo, Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, and caused the tanker to spill 12,547kl of crude oil into the sea. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

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Number of Job Seekers Hits Record-High (Jan 2008) The number of college graduates looking for employment has increased to an all-time high with more students seeking to obtain so-called ``decent jobs'' after additional study amid a tight labor market. Also, many workers have quit their jobs to find more secure careers with higher salaries and social status.

According to the National Statistical Office Monday, those who study or train to acquire jobs in government agencies, public schools and large companies totaled 546,000 as of the end of last year, the highest since 2003 when the statistical office began compiling data. In 2006, it rose to 525,000 from 457,000 in 2005, 383,000 in 2004 and 345,000 in 2003.

Individuals preparing for employment are currently classified as part of the economically inactive population because they are not directly engaged in job-hunting activities, according to the statistical office. But in reality, they fall into the category of job seekers and should be as regarded jobless, which would push up the country's unemployment rate substantially higher.

Among people preparing for jobs, 220,000 were found to have taken classes at private institutes for the bar exam and other state-administered tests, and at vocational training centers in 2007, down 2.7 percent from a year earlier. The remaining 299,000 were studying at home, up 9 percent from 2006.

``The number of university graduates preparing for employment has continued to increase over the years as more are willing to study longer to get decent works that offer higher salaries and greater job security. Also, many white-collar employees have quit work to study again to become lawyers, civil servants, doctors and other occupations with high social status,'' said Sohn Min-jung, researcher at Samsung Economic Research Institute, said. However, the number of such jobs has decreased or become harder to get because of intensifying competition among college graduates and workers, pushing up the number of people preparing for work, he said.

``Local manufacturers have generated fewer decent jobs as the economy has become a more capital and technology-centered one and companies have expanded operations overseas rather than here. Instead, a number of manual and low paying positions in the services sector have been created,'' Sohn said. (Source: Korea Times.)

Number of people without jobs climbs to over 3 million (Mar 2008) The number of people who are voluntarily unemployed has exceeded 1.6 million for the first time. This category is defined by the government as including people who have no specific reason for being unemployed, and who are not sick or aged, but are capable of working. With the inclusion of job seekers, who are defined as people actively preparing to take exams for employment in companies or government agencies, and people who are involuntarily unemployed, the number of people without jobs has climbed to above three million.

According to a report released by the National Statistical Office on March 13, the number of people categorized by the government as people who are voluntarily unemployed, or "people who are just taking a break," rose to 1,628,000 last month, accounting for 4.1 percent of the economically active population above the age of 15, or 39.42 million. This number is not reflected in the government’s unemployment data because these people are categorized as being economically inactive.

This figure has increased sharply since 2003. It stood at 977,000 in February 2003; 1,474,000 in February 2005; and 1,589,000 in February 2007. The growth rate has stood at 66.6 percent over the past five years, more than 10 times higher than the population growth rate for people over the age of 15. As the job market has increasingly decreased, the number of people who have "quit job hunting" has increased at a faster pace, the data indicated. (SITE NOTE: It appears that someone is trying to shift the blame to Roh who took office in 2003...which I personally think is true.)

In addition, the number of job seekers, or people who are actively preparing for exams with the hope of finding employment in companies or government agencies, rose to 607,000 in February. In Korea, it is customary for employers to require an employment exam as a way to weed out job applicants prior to conducting formal job interviews.

Including the 819,000 people categorized as being involuntarily unemployed, the total number of people without jobs stood at 3,054,000 last month. Meanwhile, the proportion of people over age 15 without jobs rose to 7.74 percent last month, compared to 5.82 percent in February 2003.

Of the total number of people without jobs, 2,229,000 were men, accounting for 11.6 percent of the male population aged above 15, or 19,232,000. This means that one out of nine men who are capable of working is unemployed. The number of women without jobs was 827,000, or 4.1 percent of the female population above the age of 15. (Source: Hankyoreh News.) (SITE NOTE: When you have 3 million in a population of 45 million out of work -- and not counting retired old folks -- you have some serious problems.)

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First jury to sit next month (Jan 2008) A jury will sit isn a criminal trial next month for the first time in the nations history, although its role will be limited to giving the judge its recommendation. The trial marks a major reform in court proceedings, which have been conducted exclusively by judges since the inception of the modern judicial system in 1895. The new jury system is part of the judicial reform measures aimed at increasing the fairness of verdicts, and improving human rights protection. The law took effect on Jan. 1.

The jury will hear a robbery case in Daegu District Court on Feb. 12. The presence of a jury was requested on Jan. 10 by the defendant, surnamed Lee. He is charged with battering and wounding a 70-year-old lady while robbing her home in Daegu in December 2007.

At the outset of such a new system, the success of it hinges on citizens active participation, Eom Jong-kyu, a senior judge with the court, told The Korea Herald. The jurors decision will not be legally binding, but will have an advisory effect on the judges final ruling. Participatory trials will be confined mainly to felony cases, including murder, burglary, rape, bribery and others which are subject to heavy sentences such as life imprisonment. The jurys verdict is, in principle, to be unanimous. If not, a majority decision will be accepted.

All Korean citizens aged 20 or older are eligible, except for those in certain professions including lawyers, soldiers and law-enforcement officials, and people with criminal records. Each juror will be paid 100,000 won ($105) per day. Anyone who fails to report for jury duty without specifying a reason will be fined 2 million won.

On 21 Jan, the Daegu district court sent a notice to 230 randomly chosen candidates out of the registered eligible 7,473 citizens under its jurisdiction. From this pool, the court will choose 30 to 40 candidates by considering various criteria, including their gender, age and occupation. On the day of the trial, the defense lawyer and prosecutors will reject the candidates who they believe could unfairly influence the court ruling. Nine jurors and three substitutes will eventually be chosen. (Source: Korea Herald.)

Korea's first jury reaches a verdict (Feb 2008) For the first time in the country's history, a jury sat in judgment of a peer yesterday. The process is part of Korea's efforts to change from a mostly closed legal system that relies heavily on paperwork to a more open system, which relies more on testimony and evidence. The regional court sent notice letters last month to 230 candidates, selected at random among residents of the district. Prosecutors and defense lawyers picked the nine official jurors, with three substitutes, from among 86 potential jurors.

"I am surprised that more citizens than expected appeared in court to participate in the first trial by jury," said Um Jong-gyu, a judge of the Daegu District Court. "Many people have expressed an interest in the new system and more and more people want to take part in a trial." The trial in Daegu District Court involved a 27-year-old man accused of assaulting a 70-year-woman in her home in December. The suspect's lawyer, Chun Jung-ho, requested the jury trial. The jurors played an advisory role only, as the judge made the final decision. Judge Yun Jong-gu presided over the trial.

The jury selection took about two hours. The trial started at 2 p.m. Yun told the jury, "All suspects are innocent until proven guilty. The prosecutors are responsible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect committed the crime. Just because the suspect has been indicted and is standing trial, you should not have prejudice." After listening to the defense lawyer and the prosecution's arguments, the jury deliberated about two hours before deciding the accused was guilty. Upholding the jury's recommendation, Judge Yun gave the man a suspended sentence of two years and six months, plus 80 hours of community service. (SITE NOTE: The jury unanimously found the defendant guilty of the assault of a 70-year-old woman during an attempted burglary. But in a passionate closing argument, the defence counsel urged leniency, saying the defendant had taken his victim to hospital and turned himself in, said Korean news agency Yonhap. After a two-hour deliberation the jury recommended a suspended sentence of 30 months and 80 hours' community service, and the judge agreed.)

Hwang Young-mok, president of the district court, said, "This is a significant step to not only improve human rights, but also win the public's trust." After the trial, Chun, the defense attorney, said he believed the jury system had worked in favor of his client. "If it was a normal trial, he would have received an actual prison term of about two years," Chun said.

The National Assembly decided to introduce a U.S.-style trial-by-jury system last May. It was the first substantial change to criminal trials, investigations and indictments since 1954. All Korean citizens over 20 are eligible to be a juror. Skipping jury duty could lead to a fine of up to 2 million won ($2,100) and bribing a jury member can lead to a jail sentence. More than 100 criminal cases will be tried under the new system this year. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

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Gov't ordered to issue passport to N. Korean defector (Jan 2008) The Supreme Court on 28 Jan ruled in favor of a high-profile North Korean defector, Kim Tok-hong, who has been repeatedly denied a passport to travel to the United States, citing the need to protect the defector's basic right. (SITE NOTE: Ding-dong the witch is dead -- or almost. During the Roh administration, Hwang Jang-yop, the highest ranked defector to date, was prevented from speaking in America. When the US agreed to guarantee his safety, he was allowed to speak in a forum, but even then the ROK government refused to allow him to speak to anyone without a ROK "guard" present. Roh feared harm to his rapproachment process if Kim spoke out too harshly against the North. HOWEVER, Kim Tok-hong has always been viewed as a minor defector. For example, Kim's children did not get the perks that Hwang's kids did in the DPRK system. As such, it simply did not make sense for him to be denied a passport -- but because of his linkage to Hwang, he was denied.)

The highest court's edict dismissed an appeal by the Foreign Ministry, which warned that the defector could be a target of North Korean assassination attempts in the U.S. and that his planned trip could cause diplomatic friction. Kim Tok-hong, 69, filed a petition in 2004 against the Foreign Ministry that twice denied his passport applications. Before defecting to Seoul in 1997, Kim was president of North Korea's Yogwang General Trading Company and an aide to Hwang Jang-yop, former secretary of the North Korean Workers' Party and the highest-ranking North Korean to defect to Seoul so far. The two defected together.

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Numerical Designations to be Removed from National Treasures (Jan 2008) The government has decided to remove the numerical designations from national treasures, such as in the case of Namdaemun Gate, which is currently called "National Treasure No. 1." The Cultural Heritage Administration held a news conference Jan. 10 to announce the regulation as a way to improve the classification of national treasures. Under the new regulation, all national treasures will lose their serial numbers. The administration will also designate as national treasures historical relics and natural monuments. Currently, only tangible assets such as buildings and monuments can be designated as national treasures. The government is also considering simplifying the classification of significant items into national treasures, intangible assets, natural monuments and famous spots. (Source: KBS Global.)

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February 2008

Rising consumer prices and education costs squeeze middle class households (Feb 2008) Consumer prices have soared in recent weeks, putting a crimp on the livelihoods of many ordinary South Korean people. An increase in spending on private education has also imposed a burden on the middle class, with the incoming administration’s new education polices adding fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, a spike in the prices of agricultural products in global markets has sent local food makers rushing to raise the prices of their products. The price of ramyeon rose from between 50 to 100 won (US$1 = KRW942.798), and prices for snacks, bean curd and beverages also followed suit. The price of beer, which increased last year due to hikes in its raw ingredients, is also showing signs of going up again, while pulp prices will likely rise by 5 percent soon.

Restaurants have also joined in the move to increase prices. Due to soaring flour costs, restaurants have raised the prices of their most popular Chinese dishes by between 500 to 1,000 won in the past month alone. A kimbap shop owner in central Seoul said, "Last year, flour prices jumped twice, but we didn’t reflect that in the prices of dishes containing products made of flour. Now, we have decided to raise the prices of these items by 500 won as we cannot shoulder the burden of the raw material price hikes any more." A toast sandwich seller said, "After raising our prices from 1000 won to 1300 won, I saw the number of customers decrease by more than half." (Source: Hankyoreh News.)

S. Koreans spend nearly 7 pct of income on private education (Feb 2008) South Korean parents spent around 7 percent of their monthly incomes in 2007 to send their children to private education institutes, a government report showed on 22 Feb. According to the report by the Korea National Statistical Office, South Korean parents' private education spending amounted to 20.04 trillion won (US$21.13 billion) last year.

Based on that figure and other reports, South Korean parents spent a monthly average of 222,000 won per child on private education, which accounted for 6.8 percent of the nation's average household monthly income. In 2007, South Koreans spent 2.22 million won on average for that purpose.

South Korea is known for its enthusiasm for education, with many parents taking on an extra job to pay for their children's private institute fees. Dissatisfied with the government's public education polices, parents tend to opt for private education for their children, mostly for subjects such as mathematics and English and other subjects important on college-entrance exams. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Inflation Challenges for a Middle-Income Household (Feb 2008) Prices are unstable now. If prices increase, you get less goods and services with the same amount of money. That explains why households are sensitive to inflation. The Dong-A Ilbo analyzed the household budget of a middle class family in January 2007 to estimate how much money is needed in January 2008 to live exactly the same as the previous year.

Mrs. A, 40, lives in Nowon-gu, Seoul, with her husband, a son in first grade, and a daughter in kindergarten. They earn a dual income and the combined household yearly income is about 90 million won pre-tax. The Dong-A Ilbo team divided expenditures into six major categories, including food and dining, housing and communications, daily necessities and cultural activities, childcare and education, transportation, and others, and 83 subcategories. The team also analyzed the current prices of products Mrs. A bought by actually visiting discount retail stores or by phone. Mrs. A spent 2,965,000 won (excluding investment in financial products and interest payment) last January, but she needs 3,249,000 won to maintain the same quality of life this year. In a year, real consumer prices have risen by 9.6 percent.

Given the fact that the increased rate of consumer prices was 2.5 percent, real prices have risen more dramatically. Compared to the price hikes, their income rose only 0.8 percent from 7,758,000 won to 7,818,000 won. Mrs. A buys food at discount retail store B near her home. Prices for vegetables rose dramatically over a one-year period. The price of chili peppers per 100 gram rose by 76.5 percent from 850 won to 1,500 won. To buy the same amount of peppers worth 1,000 won last year, you must pay 1,760 won today. A kilo of green onions costs 5,300 won now compared with 4,000 won last year. The price of a cabbage skyrocketed 125 percent from 2,000 won to 4,500 won. The price increase in flour products has also been remarkable. Mrs. A paid 4,640 for two bundles of five Ramen noodles last year. Now, she has to pay 5,140 won.

When all food expenditures are combined, Mrs. A's family must spend 5.9 percent more to enjoy the same meals they enjoyed a year ago. Mrs. A said, "I was surprised to find the price of flour rose so much, when I bought flour powder last month. The prices of snacks remain the same, but their weights are lighter. Though reducing net weight can be counted as inflation, it was not included in this analysis.

The biggest part of expenditures last January was education fees for their two children. The family spent 1,007,000 won or 34 percent of their total expenditure. The son is weak, so he learns swimming and Taekwondo, and goes to a private cram school. The fees for swimming lessons rose from 85,000 won to 90,000 won and for the cram school, the cost rose from 130,000 won to 150,000 won. The daughter's kindergarten tuition rose by 10 percent. In addition, she needs new clothes for a school event, as well as paper and crayons for class, which all cost a significant amount.

Gas prices are the most burdensome. Mrs. A, who goes to work by car, spent 280,000 won last January, but she now has to pay 344,000 won for the same distance this year. The apartment maintenance fee rose from 224,000 to 257,000 won and her husband's transportation fees rose from 40,000 won to 45,000 won.

Gold prices rose as well. A year ago, she bought a gold ring for her nephew's first birthday for 84,000 won. Now, she needs 127,000 won to buy the same ring. A year ago, she bought three children's books about Chinese characters at 18,000 won, but she has to pay 26,000 won now. Inflation indices tend to be slightly exaggerated because people buy the cheapest items.

Mr. and Mrs. A said they feel like their worth is declining while everything else is getting more expensive. The household revenue remains the same, but prices are rising. Mrs. A said she has not yet balanced the book for January this year, but she reduced or plans to reduce some spending. She is considering making snacks at home because snacks and ice cream are expensive. She recently bought ingredients for making snacks and a sorbet machine. She can reduce spending on food but she is helpless to rising oil prices. She often works outside, so she cannot give up driving her car. "I should refrain from driving the car on weekends or I have to find cheap gas stations. Given the rising college tuition, I have to get my children education insurance," she said. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

Educational Spending Reaches 12% of Household Spending & 10% of Koreans over Age 65 (Feb 2008) Educational spending of urban households has more than doubled in the past decade. As private education spending has grown much faster than the household income every year, a total educational spending claimed a record 12 percent of monthly spending at an urban household in 2007. The share was 10.9 percent back in 1997. The figures come from a report titled "Korean Society's Index in 2007" released by the Korea National Statistical Office.

Spending 160,000 Won per Month on Private Education

The statistical agency announced on 28 Feb that an average Korean household in urban areas earned 3.67 million won a month and spent 2.84 million won. Also, its monthly education spending reached 272,391 won.

The money spent on private education (private institution fees, study facility fees, costs for overseas study, and expenses for purchasing learning materials required by private institutions) reached 162,839 won a month, or 7.2 percent of a household's monthly spending. In other words, spending on private education is 1.5 times larger than that on public education (tuition fees, expenses for learning materials and stationery).

In 1997, a household spent 1.48 million won per month. Its monthly educational spending reached 160,000 won and its spending on private education amounted to 70,000 won. In short, spending on private education accounted for a mere 4.9 percent of the entire household spending.

Tuition fees have increased by approximately 30,000 won from 65,526 won to 97,356 won in the past decade, but its share in household spending has rarely changed from 4.4 percent to 4.3 percent.

Expenses for learning materials have rather decreased from 20,561 won to 8,936 won and those for stationery have also fallen from 3,789 won to 3,260 won for the past ten years.

Statistics also showed that 82.8 percent of high school graduates went to university last year. The figure stood at 60.1 percent ten years ago. In 2007, 99.9 percent of grade schoolers and 99.6 percent of middle school students advanced to higher learning institution.

10 Percent of Korean People is Aged 65 or Over

Out of 48.45 million Koreans, 48.1 million (9.9 percent) were aged 65 or over as of last year, the report showed. Life expectancy also went up by 0.6 year from 78.6 in 2005 to 79.2 in 2006.

The ratio of population aged 65 or over reached 7.2 percent in 2000. Since the Korean society became an aged society where more than 7 percent of its population is aged 65 or over, the ratio of the aged has gradually increased. If the recent trend remains unchanged, the aged will account for more than 20 percent of the Korean population by 2026.

The age at which men and women in Korea first marry has gradually increased: men's age at first marriage increased by 2.5 years to 30.9 and women's age at first marriage increased by 2.3 years to 27.8 in 2006. The age at which average women give birth to their first baby also increased by 2.5 years to 29.2 in 2006. Even though the share of population aged 65 or over has grown by 2.7 percentage points from 7.2 percent to 9.9 percent between 2000 and 2007, the share of economically active population among the total population older than 55 increased a mere 0.5 percentage point from 45.5 percent to 46 percent over the same period.

The average sales price of urban housing jumped 3.1 percent from a year ago in 2007. The average price of low-rise housing also climbed 8.3 percent, that of detached houses jumped 2.9 percent and that of apartments grew 2.2 percent. In general, both the sales price and rent of urban housing have increased more than 40 percent over the same period. In the meanwhile, consumer prices soared 34 percent for the past ten years. The biggest cause of death was cancer in 2006 when 134.8 out of 100,000 Koreans died of cancer. Lung cancer took most lives (28.8).

The report also showed that 40.19 million Koreans subscribed to mobile phone services in 2006. That means 83.2 out of 100 Koreans had mobile handsets. For the year, 23.12 million Koreans subscribed to fixed-line services. In 2006, 108 Korean movies and 237 imported movies were released in Korea. But Korean movies drew 40 million more in audience in 2006 since the audience watching Korean movies reached 97.91 million while those watching foreign movies amounted to 55.49 million. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

Businesses Use Tricks to Hike Prices (Mar 2008) Kim Min-ja runs a noodle eatery in Namdaemun Market's famous ``kalguksu'' (knife-cut noodles) street. She said prices of all menu items -- mostly made out of flour ? were recently fixed up by 500 won, more so by peer pressure than rising costs. ``The whole street was resetting the price from 3,500 won to 4,000 won, so you're pretty much left with no choice,'' said Kim, who has for the past 15 years been in business on the street lined up with 20 some similar joints.

The world's biggest commodity crops, such as wheat, corn and soybean, have been selling at record highs since last year, pushing up flour prices by about 65 percent. A 20-kilogram pack of flour for restaurant-use went from 13,500 won to 22,166 won, according to market data. Kim says although rising costs leave less profit for businesses, the sudden price change can easily repel customers. ``I'd rather pick lower profit over fewer customers,'' she said, adding that many restaurant owners seem to use this opportunity to raise prices a bit more than needed.

A National Statistical Office data showed last week that Chinese restaurants have been charging eaters 9.2 percent more than they did in December due to flour shortages. Analysts say owners not only used the opportunity to reset ``jjajangmyeon'' (black bean paste noodle) prices but also other dishes unrelated to flour. Lim Ok-hee, who runs a Chinese restaurant in Myeongdong, central Seoul, said a bowl of her jjajangmyeon edged up from 2,500 won to 3,500 won, while other dishes like ``tangsuyuk'' (sweet-sour pork) saw similar changes. She said many small restaurants in Myeong-dong, which is dense with cheap eateries, are seeing this as a good excuse to modify their prices. ``Ramyeon'' (instant noodles) used to cost 1,500 won but 2,000 won is becoming the new market standard. Owners say it's because of the rise in costs, but ramyeon prices, in fact, only went up by 100 won.

Businesses should be more honest with their price modifications, says the Korea Consumer Agency, adding that today's consumers are smart, so ``They won't take such unfair practices for long.'' (Source: Korea Times.) (SITE NOTE: Yes, they will take the unfair practices because the price increase is modest -- and in their services, they will increase the cost as well. This has happened worldwide since the dawn of business -- prices go up, but never come down. That's the way it works, stupid.)

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Presidential office denies allegation that aide took bribe (Feb 2008) South Korea's presidential office acknowledged 2 Feb one of its ranking officials was offered a bribe four years ago, but claimed he immediately rejected it, as the prosecution began its latest investigation involving top presidential aides. The denial comes after Yonhap News Agency reported earlier in the day that prosecutors have acquired a list government officials, including presidential secretary Jung Sang-moon, who were allegedly bribed by a local maritime shipping company in an attempt to avoid tax evasion charges.

Jung, 62, who oversees general affairs at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, denied the allegation he received a bribe of about 100 million won (US$105,000) from a former son-in-law who worked for the company. Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon backed Jung's claim. "It is true that the former son-in-law of secretary Jung came to him and offered a bag apparently containing money, saying it could be used to pay his debts," Cheon told reporters. "Jung was infuriated and sent him away." The shipping company, which has only been identified as "S," has declined to comment.

The case is the latest in a string of cases involving Cheong Wa Dae officials. A trial is underway to clarify the link between Byeon Yang-kyoon, a former presidential policy coordinator who resigned in September, and Shin Jeong-ah, a controversial former art professor who allegedly secured career-related favors from Byeon in a forgery case that rocked the nation last year. In October, a former presidential protocol secretary, Jung Yun-jae, was arrested on charges of taking bribes from a local businessman who sought to win a lucrative construction bid. (Source: Yonhap News.) (SITE NOTE: This is just the tip of the iceberg as the Lee administration has made it clear that they are going to go after the former Roh administrators -- and what we have observed over the past five years -- corruption was rampant from the highest levels and wound its way down the chain. Lee is starting with the battle in the GNP to run in the April 2008 elections only those candidates without previous convictions as part of his overall scheme to show that his party has clean hands -- and thus are ok in going after the other previously corrupt officials.)

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Prosecution charges nearly 100 with draft evasion (Feb 2008) The prosecution has discovered that scores of people, including professional football players, may have purposely injured themselves and had surgery to avoid mandatory military service, prosecution officials said Sunday. The prosecution indicted 92 suspected draft dodgers, including 15 who are either active or former players in the Korean professional football league, officials said, noting 50 of them play in the minor K-2 or K-3 leagues. The rest are either university football players or ordinary citizens. (Source: Yonhap News.) (See Sports Figures, Children of Top Officials Avoid Military Service (May-Jun 2007) for details of draft evasion scandals in 2007.)

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Drug-related arrests top 10,000 last year (Feb 2008) The number of drug-related arrests in South Korea rose again sharply last year threatening the country's "drug-clean" status, the top prosecutors' office said on 3 Feb. Arrests increased by 38 percent from 7,711 in 2006 to 10,649 last year mainly due to the increase in methamphetamine and marijuana users, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said in a news release. (SITE NOTE: The media has been playing up the FOREIGN teachers and soldiers involved in mailing marijuana into Korea which is a rather small number. However, the 10,000 arrests were mostly Korean which is something that is not seen in Korean news.) (Source: Yonhap News.)

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Roh Disgraced in North Korea during Summit: All This Fuss Just to Leave Roh's Name in North Korea (Feb 2008) Full details are coming to light over a row over a stone monument which former National Intelligence Service chief Kim Man-bok famously carried to Pyongyang on Dec. 18, the eve of presidential elections in South Korea. During last year's inter-Korean summit, the leaders of the two countries planted a tree to commemorate the meeting and agreed to place a 250 kg memorial stone there. But it didn't happen. Some news media reported that the North rejected the stone, saying it was too large, while Cheong Wa Dae said it was the failure of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to turn up at the tree planting -- the monument bore the names of both President Roh Moo-hyun and Kim. (SITE NOTE: The monument was a 250-kg stone with the names of President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inscribed. It is not North Korean custom to place a monument in front of a commemorative tree. But Seoul asked Pyongyang to make an exception for this occasion and the North accepted the request. However, Kim did not keep a promise to appear at the tree-planting event and sent Kim Yong-nam, the largely ceremonial president of the Supreme People's Assembly, instead. As a result, the stone with the names of the two leaders was not placed and South Korea took it back home. (Chosun Ilbo.))


Above is the original 250-kg stone slab which South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun wanted to set up in front of a commemorative tree he planted at a botanical garden in Pyongyang to mark his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il there in early October. The stone was replaced with a 70-kg one apparently due to North Korean objections. (Yonhap)

The office of President Roh Moo-hyun has come under fire for lying about a humiliating incident during Roh's trip to North Korean trip last October for his summit talks with the North's leader Kim Jong-il.

A vernacular newspaper disclosed on Thursday that the South Korean summit delegation was forced to cancel its plan to install Roh's inscribed stone slab in front of a commemorative tree planted by the president at a botanic garden in downtown Pyongyang on Oct. 4, due to the objection of North Korean authorities over the size of the stone weighing 250 kilograms.

North Korean officials opposed the installation of Roh's commemorative stone, contending that giant stone monuments on North Korean soil can be erected only in the name of its leader and his deceased father, Kim Il-sung, according to the report carried by the Munhwa Ilbo. Yielding to the North's opinion, the embarrassed South Korean delegation brought the giant stone slab back to Seoul, the report said. (Source: Yonhap News

What is pathetic is that the presidential office was so fixated on the stone that the head of South Korea's intelligence service had to put all of his duties on hold to travel all the way to North Korea with another rock after Seoul spent two months negotiating with Pyongyang over this issue. The monument was downsized to 70 kg and now just bears a message hoping for unification from Roh alone. (SITE NOTE: Later, former National Intelligence Service Director Kim Man-bok, in a now-notorious visit to Pyongyang on the eve of the presidential election here, placed a stone marking President Roh’s visit to the North, not the inter-Korean summit, in Pyongyang. The stone was smaller, weighing 75 kg and now reading, "Wishing for a unified nation, President of the Republic of Korea Roh Moo-hyun, October 2-4 2007." (Chosun Ilbo.))

The stone has otherwise had no noticeable impact on inter-Korean relations. We weren't even allowed to commemorate the summit on it. As things were going, Roh Moo-hyun should have realized how pathetic things had become and should have given up trying to leave traces of his accomplishments. But the former NIS chief traveled to the North Korean capital with the stone a day before the presidential elections: presumably he went because Roh told him to. There can be no government in the world that mobilizes its intelligence chief to handle the placement of a memorial stone next to a commemorative tree.

It is laughable that the NIS chief traveled all the way to North Korea a day before the presidential elections to meet with his Northern counterpart to talk about a rock. It is an embarrassment for the country. But we cannot simply laugh and forget about this matter. If it is true that the South Korean leader and his intelligence chief were so fixated on a cornerstone bearing his name, then it is a national tragedy, the pitiful result of an abnormal relationship between Seoul and Pyongyang between 2003 and 2008.

Roh refused to accept Kim Man-bok's resignation and sat on it for 27 days. Now we know why. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: Roh also left a stone marker when he rode across the DMZ to ride to the North -- instead of his hoped for railroad ride. Instead of serving as a symbolic unification milestone, it simply drew yawns.)

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Fire Destroys Historic Seoul Landmark (Feb 2008) Fire destroyed perhaps Seoul’s most famous landmark on Sunday night when flames engulfed the Sungnyemun, more commonly known as Namdaemun or South Gate, the nation’s no.1 national treasure. The landmark, officially called Sungnyemun, or "gate of exalted ceremonies," was the southern gate of the walls that surrounded Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It currently serves as a gateway to Namdaemun market, a traditional market that has been operating for centuries. Construction of the gate began in 1395 and was finished in 1398 during the reign of King Taejo, who founded the Joseon Dynasty. The structure was renovated several times, most recently in 1962. The oldest wooden structure in Seoul, the gate was designated a National Treasure in 1962.



A fire engulfed a six-century-old gate in the heart of Seoul overnight, with police suspecting it was caused by arson. The wooden structure on the top of the stone gate was burnt down several hours after it caught fire on 10 Feb. The blaze appeared to be under control at one point, but it flared up again a few minutes later, spreading quickly as firefighters tried to salvage what they could. Police officials are still trying to find the cause of the fire, but believe it was arson. A taxi driver who reported the fire told police investigators that he saw a man in his 50s go up the stairs to the gate shortly before the blaze started. (SITE NOTE: The police yesterday questioned an employee of the Jung-gu district office, which looks over cultural properties in the area, regarding possible negligence in management and surveillance. Sungnyemun is left unguarded between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. It is watched only by 24-hour security cameras and a surveillance system that detects unauthorized access. The alarm goes off when someone enters the gate or climbs on top of the gate, said Oh Jae-rok, spokesman of the surveillance company KT Telecop. When we got there nine minutes after the alarm went off, at 8:47 p.m. on 10 Feb, the firefighters were already there, and we informed the district office of Jung-gu about the situation. Three district office employees keep an eye on the site during the day, and only one person works on holidays. (Source: Korea Herald.))

Police took into custody on 11 Feb a man suspected of causing the fire that destroyed South Korea’s No. 1 national treasure. Chae Jong-gi, 69, a former fortune teller, confessed to setting the fire that destroyed the 610-year-old gate. He told police he chose the site because security there was light. He was apprehended at Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, night near his ex-wife’s house. Investigators found at his home clothes and a bag similar to those described by witnesses who told police they saw a man appearing to be in his 60s near Namdaemun, the site of the fire, with a backpack and a ladder. He confessed 30 minutes after his apprehension. [Source: Yonhap.]


Namdaemun Gate in 1904

According to police, Chae’s crime was premeditated. The suspect surveyed Namdaemun in July and December of last year. Chae said, "I did it because I was angry about the compensation issue and my previous arson conviction at Changgyeong Palace," Chae was quoted as telling police. "I chose Namdaemun because it was easy to approach and poorly guarded." Chae arrived at Namdaemun around 8:35 p.m. on Sunday, carrying an aluminum ladder and three 1.5-liter bottles of paint thinner. He wore a mountain climbing outfit and carried two lighters. Chae climbed up the western wall of the gate carrying the ladder. Then he used the ladder to enter the tower. Once there, he walked up the center stairwell to the second floor. Chae sprinkled the floor with the paint thinner and started the fire, the police said. After confirming the gate was in flames, Chae left and got into a taxi. He visited his son’s house in Ilsan afterward, police said, then went to meet his ex-wife that night. Based on witnesses’ reports and his previous arson conviction, the police tracked Chae to Ganghwa Island. Nam said a paint thinner container and leather gloves he used at the time of the arson were sent to the crime lab.

"The suspect had even considered terror attacks on the public transportation system, including a plan to overturn a train, but decided not to due to the risk of high casualties," according to police. Chae set the Namdaemun fire because he was angry about the amount of compensation he received for his house from a construction company that carried out a development project from 1997 to 1998. Chae filed formal complaints with the government, Nam said, but they were ignored.

Chae is the same man who attempted to light Changgyeonggung Palace’s Munjeongjeon Hall alight in 2006. After setting fire to one building inside Changgyeong Palace, damaging a wall and a small gate in 2006, Chae was nabbed by witnesses and handed over to the police. He initially admitted to the arson charge, but changed his position as the trial proceeded. During the trial, Chae again admitted to the arson. The Seoul District Court convicted him but showed leniency, saying he is elderly and had repented. Chae received an 18-month suspended sentence and a 13 million won ($13,800) fine. If convicted of the Namdaemun fire, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.

According to the police, Chae continued to deny responsibility for the 2006 palace fire. The police also made public a three-page memo that Chae wrote a year ago, in which he insisted on his innocence. "I asked the judge to conduct a scientific investigation, but he didn’t," Chae wrote, adding that his lawyer and family forced him to make a false confession. "I feel victimized," Chae continued in the letter. "I am weak in society and the burden of the heavy crime is on my shoulders. I was divorced. My children persuaded me to make a false confession, but later blamed me for the crime. I hate the world. My only wish is that my children will not see me as a criminal." Chae has four children. Chae has no record of mental illness, at least two experts said he appeared to be suffering from antisocial personality disorder. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

Thirty-nine fire engines and 88 firefighters rushed to the scene at shortly before 9 p.m. on Sunday. The destruction of a six-century-old national treasure is being blamed on the misjudgment of firefighters and inept attempts to bring the fire under control at the initial stage. At 10:30 p.m., firefighters believed they had extinguished the flames, but it rekindled on the second floor and engulfed the gate. A taxi driver identified as Lee Sang-gon said he saw a man entering Namdaemun with a bag in his hand while waiting for a fare. "Several minutes later, a fire broke out on the second floor of the gate. I immediately reported it to police."


Fighting the Fire (11 Feb 2008)

Firefighters fought the blaze with ladders and fire hoses at 8:55 p.m. and by 10: 30 p.m. thought the fire was under control and focused on putting out smaller flames. But the blaze rekindled at 10:40 p.m. and burnt the roof out. It collapsed at 12:40 a.m. on 11 Feb. At 12:00 a.m., firefighters belatedly tried to take the roof apart and douse the gate with water inside, but the effort failed and firefighters were reduced to watching the gate collapse while they sprinkled water around it at ground level. The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Management Department and the Cultural Heritage Administration explained the technical difficulties in extinguishing the fire to reporters on 10 Feb. Roof tiles could not be removed because they were frozen, and water didn't reach the wooden beams that caught fire underneath the tiles, they said. There were no sprinklers or fire censors on Sungnyemun because it takes only about a minute for a fire crew to reach it, the authorities explained. Firefighters said there were only eight fire extinguishers at the six-century gate.

The loss of the national treasure is expected to lead to severe criticism of the Cultural Heritage Administration, the government office in charge of maintaining cultural and historical artifacts, including national treasures. Experts blamed poor safety precautions and misjudgment by authorities for the destruction of a 610-year-old landmark gate of Sungnyemun during an overnight fire. Despite the possibility of a flashover, or the near simultaneous ignition of all combustible material in an enclosed area, the fire crew was not aggressive in the early stages of the fire because they feared damaging the cultural property, experts said. They should have taken a more aggressive approach from the beginning, said Lee Soo-kyung, professor of safety engineering at Seoul National University of Technology. Parts of the wooden structure had to be removed for a complete extinguishing of the blaze, but the firefighters merely resorted to spraying water in the beginning, as they were reportedly advised by the Cultural Heritage Administration to be careful not to harm the national treasure.


Namdaemun Ruins (11 Feb 2008) (Yonhap News)

Government bodies immediately pointed their fingers at each other as public criticism intensifies about the failure to save the nation’s top historical landmark from destruction. While the Jung District Office and the Seoul Central District Fire Department are also taking heat, Yoo Hong-jun, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, tendered his resignation. Yoo blamed the firefighting authorities’ incompetence, while the firefighters claimed the officials wanted them to act passively at first to prevent damage to the structure. Only later did it state that the structure was to be saved at all costs. An internal report from the Jung District Office, which has administrative jurisdiction over Namdaemun, prompted angry protests from the fire department. The report, issued on 11 Feb, said the extent and amount of damage were larger than it should have been because firefighters reacted slowly. "It took 72 minutes from the time the fire started for the fire department to begin spraying water on the gate," the report said. Fire officials disagreed. (Source: Chosun Ilbo and Joongang Ilbo and Korea Herald.)

Finger Pointing continues (Feb 2008) The condemnation continues and people continued to visit the destroyed gate. Investigators on 15 Feb raided a local security company for failing to prevent the arson attack that destroyed Sunggnyemun, a 610-year-old historic gate and South Korea's national treasure No. 1, police said. The agents searched KT Telecop's head office in western Seoul, officers at the Namdaemun Police Station said. The company has provided unmanned security services for the gate with an intrusion detection system and surveillance cameras under a contract with the government since January. However, the Jung-gu district did not specify the need for a fire alarm system in the contract -- leading to claims of its negligence.

Later, the Police confirmed that when the Jung-gu District Office proposed to establish fire fighting facilities for the cultural heritage in June 2006, the administration refused. The CHA explained that the reason it did not establish necessary facilities is because it thought fire trucks could reach the location quickly as the cultural heritage was located in the middle of downtown.


Namdaemun Ruins (11 Feb 2008) (Yonhap News)

Thus the finger-pointing reached full circle back to the fire department which claimed the CHA gave confusing instructions. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Department’s record on the measures taken by hour, administration officers talked to fire authorities over the phone for four minutes from 9:40 p.m. when the fire broke out. During the initial phone conversation, they said, "Be careful in putting out the fire," "You can ruin Sungnyemun. Just extinguish the fire," and "When the fire is likely to spread, destroy Sungnyemun," clearly showing they were also very confused about how to deal with the situation. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

Namdaemun Gate Gathering Place for Homeless (Feb 2008) A Korean newspaper ran a story that homeless people used the Gate as a sleeping and drinking place in the summer. Entrance was through the use of a ladder and the people congregated in a blind spot in the cameras. Homeless people stated that the KT Telecop personnel knew of their presence but simply disregarded them after alarms were set off in previous incidents. The Gate was also used as a restroom by the homeless. The homeless informant stated that in the winter the Gate was used by the "newcomers" of the homeless at Seoul Station across the street as a place to cook ramien. The major point was that the Gate was unsecure and open to any arson attempt all along. In fact, the arsonist Chae chose the Gate as his target because of this.

Koreans Humanize Namdaemun Gate (Feb 2008) As a traditional Korean requiem blared, thousands of people mourned in front of a historic gate recently demolished by alleged arson, many kneeling before what remained of their foremost national treasure. "I feel as if I had lost a family member," said Kim Jin-hwa, who runs a small shop near the 610-year-old Sungnyemun gate, now blackened by fire and filled with charred debris.


Shaman Ritual in front of Namdaemun Gate (11 Feb 2008) (Yonhap News)

"I shed many tears when I saw the gate burn on television," said 12-year-old Im Myeong-ryu, who travelled here with her family from the southern port city of Busan. "I came here to say good-bye." "The gate has stayed with us through centuries of war and invasion," Soh Yeh-soon, 84, said in tears. "I never thought it would leave us so unexpectedly." (SITE NOTE: This phenomenon is peculiar to Korea where it becomes a fashionable thing to do -- most recently it was the Taean Beach oil spill where a million volunteers showed up to clean the beach. The cleanup became a media event. The Namdaemun gate was previously simply a tourist attraction that was posted on post cards -- but recognized as a symbol of Seoul by all. Thus when it burned down, the symbol that it held as a part of their common history was lost. But it has become a media event to "mourn" the loss of Namdaemun. One of my students went up to Seoul one evening with his parents specifically to see the ruins. Children do school projects on the item and the media is filled every day with people in front of it. Like the Taean Beach tragedy, it will be slowly pushed out of sight -- and like Taean Beach on the ruins will remain. This is the Korean way when the media gets involved.)

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Six held, 209 indicted for fake degrees (Feb 2008) It was reported on 11 Feb that prosecutors said they had arrested six people for allegedly helping scores of people get degrees from unaccredited universities abroad in order to gain teaching jobs or employment as commissioned officers in the military here. Prosecutors also indicted 209 others without physical detention, accusing them of holding fake certificates for Buddhist monks, Toeic English proficiency and Oriental medicine practitioners.

The indictment comes after a five-month intensive crackdown on "those who encroached upon people’s trust in society," prompted by the scandal last summer in which former Dongguk University professor Shin Jeong-ah was found to have used a fake degree from Yale University in the United States to get the teaching job and a position as co-director of the Gwangju Biennale, Korea’s biggest contemporary art exhibition.

A suspect identified only by his surname Lee was put behind bars for allegedly helping 27 people get degrees from an accredited university in the Philippines to help them get awarded military commissions. 13 officers were court martialed and given dishonorable discharges in Oct 2007.

Another suspect, known only as Cho, is also detained for allegedly establishing Nobel University, which is unaccredited, to release scores of fake degrees. "Cho" established a university in the United States without official permission and advertised the school in Korea. He offered degrees equivalent to those of regular universities. Cho received 34.5 million won in entrance fees from 17 students who applied after seeing the ad. He also opened a training course for natural therapists and bilked 52.5 million won from 21 people in tuition fees. The con artist was arrested at the end of last year after one of his victims reported him.

"Kim" ran a gynecological clinic in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Seeking a higher income, Kim pretended to be a medical doctor on the clinic’s Web site from 2006, when Kim only had a specialist’s license. Kim was indicted without detention for violating medical law. Prosecutors also indicted 123 persons on the charge of posing as doctors of Oriental medicine, architects or lawyers or performing jobs with forged qualifications. (Source: Joongang Ilbo and Donga Ilbo.)

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North Korean Cheering Section Demands Leave Football Match in Limbo (Feb 2008) Chosun Ilbo on 13 Feb reported that Pyongyang is scheduled to host on March 26 a third regional preliminary between the two Koreas for the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa. But the DPRK says it will not allow the visit of an ROK cheerleader team, the public display of the ROK's national flag and the playing of the ROK national anthem. Instead the DPRK demands that the ROK replace its national anthem and flag with the traditional folk song "Arirang" and a flag representing the Korean Peninsula "for the sake of unity and harmony." (SITE NOTE: The FIFA should have already considered this would happen with the unpredictable North. Under the regulations of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, flying national flags and playing national anthems of the participating nations are normal events. What has happened is that the North as a host has decided to interject politics into the sport by making the conditions. It has tried to resurrect the reunification fever that has been squelched since Lee Myeong-bak was elected. Though foreigners were outraged as reflected by internet comments, the reaction in the ROK seemed rather muted. More than anything else, the North's decision to allow the United States to play its anthem by the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, while rejecting South Korea, shows its hypocracy. (SEE International Events 2008, Feb 2008) If the North does not change its attitude, the two Koreas will inevitably hold the match in a third country.)

Red Devils Fans Skip World Qualifier (Feb 2008) Donga Ilbo on 14 Feb reported that the ROK soccer fan group Red Devils will not attend the March 26 World Cup qualifier between the two Koreas in Pyongyang. On its official homepage, the group said Wednesday that it decided not to go citing the inability to use the cheering method of its choice. "Using our national symbol is a must for us and at the core of our Red Devil tradition. If another country threatens to dictate our tradition, there is no point in us taking a long journey for cheering," a member of the Red Devils' operating committee said. Later the head of the ROK Soccer Association condemned the act saying the national flag and anthem should be allowed.

N. Korea seeks to play S. Korea in Shenyang: report (Feb 2008) Joongang Ilbo on 29 Feb reported that the DPRK prefers to hold its World Cup qualifier against the ROK next month in the PRC rather than in Pyongyang, an ROK broadcaster was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. The SBS television network said the North hopes to hold the March 24 qualifier for the 2010 World Cup finals in Shenyang.

In response, the ROK's Korea Football Association KFA requested FIFA arbitration without additional negotiations, KFA Public Relations Director Yoo Young-cheol said. "FIFA shares the view with us that the match should be held as stipulated in its regulations. I expect FIFA will make a decision in favor of us," Yoo said.

Qualifier Match in Shanghai (Mar 2008) The world's governing football body ruled that the World Cup qualifier match between the two Koreas will be held in Shanghai instead of Pyongyang, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said on 7 Mar. The football association said FIFA proposed a compromise on the site of the match venue after the two Koreas disagreed on whether South Korea would be allowed to play its national anthem and hoist its flag. On 26 Mar North Korea restricted South Korea to a scoreless draw in an Asian qualifier for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, keeping the Cold War rivalry alive on the pitch. The third-round regional qualifier was held in the city's 35-thousand-seat Hongkou Soccer Stadium. With its record of one win and one draw, the South Korean team will play against Jordan on May 31st.

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Report on Sexual Abuse of Athletes by Coaches Stirs Uproar (Feb 2008) A state television's in-depth report on sexual harassment, and even alleged rape by sports coaches of female athletes is causing an outrage across the nation. The KBS ``Ssam'' investigative program on Monday aired its ``Report on Human Rights in Sports and Sexual Assaults'' showing perpetrators with their reputations and social status remaining intact, and their female victims suffering from long-time trauma.

In the program, a sports insider testified that many of his fellow trainers said, ``Having a sexual relationship is the first way to gain control of female athletes; violence is the second.'' These ``control methods'' are rampant in sports such as football, swimming, volleyball and basketball, to name just a few, where 90 percent of the training staff are men. The victims ranged from elementary school students to professional athletes, and they spoke of the effects not only on themselves, but also on their families and friends.

The sport authorities, schools or even players and parents, have covered up most of these cases, one father said. ``Revealing the case in public is like destroying one's career, as most training staff share information about players between themselves and will not accept people who make a large fuss.'' The program introduced the one time captain of a professional volleyball team who was warned to keep silent about the team's coach raping nearly all of her teammates. She was told they would not be accepted in other teams if they raised the incident. The team was eventually dissolved. Another almost identical case involved basketball players at a high school who had to keep silent about their coaches. After they testified, the coaches banned them playing or assaulted them. In some cases, though the charges made by the players are heard and accepted by the authorities, the new staff often conduct the same acts of violence on them, assuring victims that the systematic problem will never change. The female victims have all suffered from trauma -- one of them confessed to hurting herself -- but the male perpetrators, in many cases, led ordinary lives. The program reported that among the list of those accused, some are prominent figures in sports.

After the program, its Web site was inundated with angry viewers asking for severe punishment for the sexual offenders. Parents with would-be sports player children expressed concerns over the safety of their daughters. ``My daughter plays football, but I am not sure whether I cannot let her to go through this,'' the mother of a soccer player said.

The typical sports circle is a hierarchical and male dominant world, where order-and-obey is systemized under the name of fighting for victory, Prof. Jeong Hee-jun of Dong-A University said. ``These players know nothing beyond their sports, and therefore, don't risk their playing career.'' ``They have no friends, hobbies, professions, knowledge outside of sports and what would they do once they quit? That's the basis of the fear and what these sexual-assaulters are taking advantage of,'' he said. After Woori Bank basketball team coach Park Myung-su had to resign over a sex scandal last year, rumors that female players are habitually sexually abused by male coaches and others began being confirmed. Now, the viewers and other people have called for a thorough investigation into the serious scandal and the government to institute prevention programs. The basketball and other sports associations have yet to comment on the program 's allegations. (Source: Korea Times.) (SITE NOTE: What made this whole scenario disgusting was that the North allowed the NY Philharmonic play the US National Anthem in its Feb concert. This was much more political. However, it may be that the DPRK is fearful of the spread of the idea of national unity spearheaded by the South -- instead of by the North under the unification banner from the Roh Moo-hyun days.)

NHRC to Investigate Allegations (Feb 2008) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on 14 Feb that it would investigate allegations of sexual abuse and rape of female athletes by their coaches. The commission had already told the sports authorities and the government to ensure the human rights of young female athletes last year. According to an NHRC survey in 2006, 14.9 percent of elementary school sports players said they had experienced sexual harassment mostly from their coaches or teachers. ``This is getting more serious day by day and the commission decided that the government and other authorities must act to halt this,'' a spokesman said. (SITE NOTE: The NHRC has over the past five years been denigrated into a joke. It's recommendations carry no legal force. Nothing will change. The only time anyone paid attention to their rulings were when it supported their agenda. The NHRC did not force an agenda item. In Korea, the NHRC has lost its voice as a moral force -- as Roh Moo-hyun turned it into a government mouthpiece -- and its refusal to condemn the North for its human rights violations reinforced it as a Roh administration tool. That the UN would object to Lee Myeong-bak's move to realign it under the President's office because it would lose its "independence" made it all the more laughable. Though Lee has backed down because of the problems passing the reorganization plan prior to his inauguration, it may surface again after the April 2008 elections when the conservatives take control.)

Coaches Having Hard Time Recruiting (Mar 2008) A Sports Hankook writer recently assessed the situation and called for the WKBL to grab hold of the situation by implementing reforms including stronger punishments. Last May Lee Sang-yun, head coach of Keumho Life Insurance in the WKBL, seemed to have no need to make up new business cards, because at the time the scandal over Woori Bank head coach Park Myeong-su’s sexual assaults of his players had not yet broken and no wary eyes had fallen over the coaches in women’s basketball.

Those wary eyes now continue their gaze. With the broadcast of "Sports and Sexual Assault Human Rights Report" revealing the situation of sexual assault in sports, coaches being recruited to women’s basketball teams are worried and confused. The actions of a few immoral coaches have thrown a harsh light onto all the rest and they are not happy about it. Parents are reluctant to let their children join a team and middle school girls’ basketball teams are having trouble filling their rosters. The foundations of women’s basketball are melting away.

Samsung Life Insurance head coach Jeong Deok-hwa said, "the more watched we are the more difficult things get. I worry that when I have individual meetings with players I have to do it in the open to avoid misunderstandings and lawsuits." People ask him, "you think I’m going to let my kids play basketball?", making him feel like a criminal.

Keumho Life Insurance head coach Lee Sang-yun feels the same. Currently in his debut season in the WKBL, he said, "one day my wife told me her friends jokingly told her to be careful about her husband. I was worried that they thought I’m just like coach Park Myeong-su." But middle school coaches are feeling the heat even more. Parents who watched the broadcast don’t want their daughters playing basketball, and teams are having trouble recrutiing enough players.

Shim Jae-gyun, coach of the basketball team at Hongnong Middle School in Yeonggwang, said, "I scout the players but it’s getting tough. There are good players among the kids graduating from elementary school but to scout them I have to spend six months persuading their parents… since the broadcast older people treat me like a criminal."

Kim Jin-hong, who until February was a basketball coach at Sungui Girls’ High School, said, "parents want to have a female coach so many players have moved to Seonil Girls’ Middle school because they have one. Many limits are put on my scouting of players. I can’t really disagree with the feelings of the parents."

Lee Ho-geun, who has been coaching for seven years and is currently with Dongkuk University, has two daughters who play basketball. His 12-year old daughter Min-ji plays forward at Seonil Girls’ Middle School. He said, "if the parents can’t trust the coaches there is no way they can let their kids play."

But there have been parents who trusted wrongly, and athletes bearing the pain of sexual assault. But everything cannot change at once. Sexual violence has not been eradicated from a sports world un-meddled in by teams, leagues, organizations and society itself and coaches who have not committed a crime will continue to be treated as if they have.

The teams, which have put highest priority on protecting their images, have to come up with an effective way to reduce sexual violence. If they can’t come up with a concrete anti-sexual violence policy immediately then it will appear they are doing the bare minimum required. Keomho Life Insurance recently hired 52-year old Jeong Mi-ra as top coach. She has a teenaged daughter and was hired not only for her basketball skill — she first appeared as a guard on the national team — but to be a counselor for the athletes.

The WKBL must prepare effective systems. After putting in place a "hotline" for sexual assault victims to get advice, they will be able to say to those who are looking on from outside that "we have done all we can" and then should carry out punishments and reforms according to the results of their investigation. Even though rumors will not go away there needs to be a way to verify them.

The Korea Sports Council and the National Human Rights Commission recently agreed to: investigate the situation of sexual violence and human rights violations committed against athletes; pursue punishment of confirmed human rights violations; implement human rights education for athletes, coaches, and parents; and prepare plans to ameliorate the situation. This partnership should be properly understood as being the first step.

The law is a problem, too. Former Woori Bank coach Park Myeong-su received two years’ probation after being accused of molesting an athlete. The reasons he received such a light sentence compared to the 18 months in prison requested by prosecutors, the judge said, were that "he has no prior convictions, served women’s basketball for over 10 years including as coach of the women’s national team, and was highly intoxicated at the time of his crime." It is not easy to understand why he should be punished lightly because of his prior accomplishments and drunkenness at the time of a first offense. The judge needs to be aware that more sexual assaults will result from such a ruling. (Source: Sports Hankooki: Translated by Korea Beat.)

HRC Begins Investigation (Apr 2008) On the 7th the National Human Rights Commission announced that it has begun its special investigation into the scandal over sexual assault and other human rights violations in the world of sports. Victims of the assaults and people who know information about them can call from anywhere in the country to make reports about incidents by dialing 1331, and also communicate with the NHRC through its homepage or via e-mail. The NHRC announced, “in cases where the statute of limitations has expired and victims agree to cooperate we promise a speedy, complete, and official investigation.” “If our investigation determines that a serious human rights violation has taken place we will recommend that offenders be punished, those responsible censured and fundamental reforms carried out, and will consider substantial protection and aid policies for the victims.” (Source: Naver.com.Translated by Korea Beat.)

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Mental illness cases climb in past 5 years (Feb 2008) The number of mental illness cases reported in South Korea rose by 35 percent in 2006 compared to 2001, a state-run health insurer said on 14 Feb. The National Health Insurance Corp. said there were slightly more than 1.80 million people undergoing treatment for mental diseases as of 2006, up sharply from 1.34 million five years earlier.

New statistics have come out according to which the number of patients seeking treatment for mental illnesses has increased every year. According to the data of the National Health Insurance Corporation released on the 14th, 1,807,762 patients were treated for mentall illness in 2006. This is a 35% increase compared to 2001, when 1,343,900 patients did so.

The main illnesses treated were dementia, which increased 185% from 31,158 to 88,804; delayed mental development increased 79.6% from 9,470 to 17,004; and mood disorders (including depression and mood swings) increased 47.6% from 431,507 to 638,115.

Those with mental or physical impairment due to alcohol use increased 44.9%, from 41,385 to 59,979. By year there were 1,343,900 mental patients in 2001, 1,514,506 in 2002, 1,482,198 in 2003, 1,551,008 in 2004, 1,655,963 in 2005, and 1,807,762 in 2006. In 2001 a total of 447,007,000,000 won was spent to treat these patients, and that figure increased 93% to reach a total of 863,069,000,000 won. Spending on dementia increased the most — 324.2% — going from 31,054,000,000 to 133,063,000,000 won.

Also, per 1,000 people over the age of 69, the number in treatment for dementia was 10.7 in 2001, 14.9 in 2002, 15.5 in 2003, 17.8 in 2004, 21.1 in 2005, and 27.8 in 2006, showing a significant upward trend. And across every age group from 20s through 50s the rate of treatment for alcohol-related problems was increasing faster among women than men. (Source: Naver.com.)

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South Korea Wins Kurdistan Oil Contract (Feb 2008) The Financial Times on 14 Feb reported that the ROK signed a deal to explore and develop four oil fields in Kurdistan, an agreement that would give it a foothold in the untapped northern region of Iraq. The deal comes as the ROK, the world's fourth biggest oil importer, aggressively steps up its resource diplomacy. But it could be a political and legal minefield - the deal is with the Kurdish regional government so is likely to be disputed by the Iraqi national government. According to the deal, the consortium - which also includes SK Energy and Daesung Industrial - will have the right to explore and develop four oil fields in Kurdistan, thought to contain reserves of at least 1bn barrels. That would be a fifth more than the ROK's annual oil consumption of 800m barrels.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade ahead of the meeting between Lee and Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq, where Korea has troops, warned Lee to "use prudent judgment." The ministry is concerned about diplomatic friction with Iraq in a situation now the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government are seriously at odds over the distribution of profits from oil development. A ministry official said central government and the Kurdistan government are "in a very sensitive relationship now, given that the Iraqi government has just suspended the supply of crude oil to SK Energy of Korea."

(SITE NOTE: This is a DANGEROUS contract. The central Iraqi government is opposed to the ROK developing the oil fields becuase it provides money to the Kurdish autonomous region. Turkey wants to develop this oil field themselves as shown when they attempted to invade the Kurdish region during the invasion of Iraq and headed directly to the oil fields -- except that the US parachuted its troops into the region along with Special Forces to block them. In addition the Kurdish rebels who are creating so much havoc in Turkey and use the Kurdish area as a refuge would like a say in this contract -- but they never got consulted. To make matters worse, we have Iran which has an indigenous Kurdish populace that may demand independence if the Kurds become financially self-sufficient because of the oil fields. They do not wish the oil fields to succeed as well.

Even the name "Kurdistan" sends shivers up the Iraqi officials spines as it implies that a Kurdish NATION exists rather than an automous zone. One can only hope the oil field venture does not turn out into another scandal like the Russian loans back in the 1990s because of the ROK greed. Only fools go in where angels fear to tread.)

Update: Iraq must approve all oil projects: official (Feb 2008) South Korea must get approval from Baghdad if it wants to develop oil fields in Iraq, a spokesman for the Iraq's oil ministry said on 20 Feb. In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Assem Jihad said South Korea or any other country wanting to develop energy resources in Iraq must go through due process established by the central government. (Source: Yonhap News.) (SITE NOTE: The ROK is treading onto some soft sand -- as the Kurdistan fields are "officially" still Iraqi resources though administered by the autonomous region.)

UPDATE: Turkey Invades Kurdistan (Feb 2008) Turkey’s military said on Friday it had launched a cross-border land offensive backed by fighter jets into northern Iraq on Thursday evening to hunt down Kurdish PKK guerrillas. Turkish television reported, without citing sources, that 10,000 troops had entered Iraqi territory. NTV said troops had moved 10 km (6 miles) inside Iraq. "The Turkish Armed Forces, which attach great importance to Iraq’s territorial integrity and stability, will return home in the shortest time possible after its goals have been achieved," the General Staff said in a statement posted on its Web site.

The U.S. military said it was aware that Turkish forces had launched an offensive into northern Iraq against members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the operation was understood to be of "limited duration" and specifically targeted at PKK fighters in the largely autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. "Turkey has given its assurances that it will do everything possible to avoid collateral damage to innocent citizens or Kurdish infrastructure," Smith said in a statement.

He said Washington had been cooperating fully with Turkey in providing intelligence on PKK positions in northern Iraq since last November to enable the Turkish air force to make pinpointed attacks minimizing civilian casualties. The European Union and the United States have in the past raised concern that a major cross-border offensive could destabilize the region, though have not criticized recent small-scale cross-border raids over the past two months.

Turkey's military said the PKK was the target of the ground offensive and pledged it would continue to act with the necessary restraint towards local northern Iraqi groups. Ominously, "Turkish troops will stay in the region as long as the conditions dictate this. It will be very difficult for the PKK to re-base itself in northern Iraq," Turkey's former counter-terrorism chief, retired General Edip Baser, told NTV. (Source: Reuters.) (SITE NOTE: Remember that in the early stages of the Iraq War, the Turkish troops invaded Kurdistan and were headed directly towards the oil fields. The US airborne and Special Forces was parachuted in -- because Turkey had refused to allow the US to use its airspace -- and blocked their advance. Thus frustrated, the Turks withdrew back across the border. But their ambitions are well-known...and possession is nine points of the law (or is it eleven points?). I'm sure Turkey -- without any rich oil fields -- has not given up on its ambitions.)

UPDATE: (25 Feb 2008) A Kurdish news agency said that Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels had forced the Turkish army to retreat in some areas. The Iraqi government has urged Turkey to withdraw its forces. But a spokesman for the Turkish government spokesman said Turkey had the right to defend itself against attacks launched from northern Iraq and operations would continue for as long as necessary. Washington has called on Turkey to keep its campaign in Iraq - another US ally - as short as possible. The US, the EU and Turkey regard the PKK as a terrorist organisation. (Source: BBC.)

UPDATE (1 Mar 2008) Turkish forces withdrew from semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in 'northern Iraq' on February 29, only a day after US President George W. Bush urged Ankara to quickly wrap up the incursion and Defense Secretary Robert Gates personally put pressure on Turkish leaders during a visit to Ankara. Turkey rejects direct talks with the official Iraqi Kurdistan government on the crisis over the Turkey's separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels. Officially, Turkey does not recognise the regional government of Kurdistan led by president Massoud Barzani. Turkey has never, and still does not, recognize the Kurdistan region government (KRG) and refuses to meet with its representatives in any official capacity. That reflects Ankara's fear that any international respect shown to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region would only embolden Turkey's own large Kurdish minority to seek similar home-rule status.

Ankara, aware of the negative impact this conflict might have on its European Union bid, assured concerned observers in Brussels and other Western capitals that only PKK fighters had been targeted. What remains unclear is how long the Turkish army will stay in Iraq. With each passing day, the likelihood of Turkey establishing a permanent "buffer zone" in the region becomes ever more likely. This could lead to clashes with the Kurdish Iraqi defense forces seeking to repel the widening and seemingly unlimited (time wise) operation. Death toll at 155 PKK fighters and 17 Turkish "martyrs." Moreover, there were more evident signs indicating Washington was clearly concerned about the length of this operation and, above all, the possible impact on Iraq's fragile internal stability and its increasingly infringed upon territorial integrity. The US is still providing the Turks with intelligence, but the US is urging the Turks to withdraw as soon as possible. That may not happen and if so, a confrontation is in the offing.)

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U.S. Congress Votes to Strengthen Bilateral Alliance (Feb 2008) The U.S. Congress introduced a bill to grant South Korea preferential treatment for arms sales, on 14 Feb. The U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution to celebrate the election of President-elect Lee Myung-bak on Thursday, following a similar move in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. It seems that recent gestures from the U.S. Congress reflect high expectations for the recovery and development of the U.S.-Korea alliance, which has been mired in conflict and tension over last few years. In a meeting held on Feb. 14, senators unanimously adopted a resolution congratulating Lee Myung-bak on his election. U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the measure on Feb. 6. Biden said, "The alliance between the U.S. and Korea has been formed through heartbreaking struggles against invaders and strengthened by military activities for more than half a century. The bilateral alliance is more than just a basic alliance." Biden emphasized that, "Korea's President-elect Lee plans to make the U.S.-Korea alliance the cornerstone of Korea's security policies and that the president-elect is intent on making a strong bilateral alliance a high priority." The U.S. House of Representatives also adopted a resolution congratulating Lee on his election on Feb. 7. It is not uncommon for the U.S. Congress to adopt a resolution to congratulate presidents of allied nations by saying that it "recognizes" the new government. However, it is quite rare for both the House and Senate to adopt the resolution at the same time.

FMS Sales Program Upgraded Status Bill (Feb 2008) On 14 Feb Congressman Ed Royce (R–CA 40th) submitted a bill that calls for strengthening military cooperation between the two countries by upgrading South Korea to the level of "NATO Plus Three (Japan, Australia, New Zealand)" in the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. According to Royce, Korea imported $3.7 billion worth of arms from the United States in the last year alone. He noted the amount is more than any of the other three nations. Royce said, "It's unreasonable not to grant preferential treatment to South Korea, which has been a 60-year-long friend of the U.S. and where 29,000 American soldiers are stationed." If the bill is approved, Korea would be allowed to purchase more advanced U.S. arms, including F-22s and the Global Hawk, an unmanned spy aircraft. If the bill is passed, U.S. congressional approval for Korean arms purchases would be quickened from the current 50 days to 15 days. (SITE NOTE: The sale of the F-22s and Global Hawk would probably not be allowed because of technology transfer concerns.)

A similar bill was introduced by Senator Christopher Bond at the end of last year. No action has been taken. U.S. Senator Christopher Bond (R–Mo.) submitted a bill that would make South Korea's purchase of U.S. weapons cheaper and faster by shortening the review period, reducing the number of weapons subject to review and cutting the purchasing commission. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: This is on the eve of President-elect Lee Myeong-bak's inauguration and the relief the US has felt over the removal of Roh Moo-hyun from office. In April 2008, the conservatives are expected to sweep the elections and create a pro-US atmosphere in Korea that has been missing for a decade.)

NATO Plus-three Passes Congress The U.S. House passed legislation on 15 May (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) that makes it easier for South Korea to purchase U.S. military arms and requires presidential certification that North Korea is not building nuclear weapons before the North is taken off the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism. H.R. 5916 gives South Korea the same status as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan, Australia and New Zealand regarding U.S. foreign military sales. Under the bill, the Congress would have 15 days to review proposed arms sales to South Korea, instead of the current 50. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

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Nat'l Intelligence Agency to Be Overhauled (Feb 2008) The presidential transition committee has begun efforts to reform the National Intelligence Service, which is under fire for spearheading pork-barrel aid programs of the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations for North Korea. The NIS has often been criticized by conservatives for putting more emphasis on supporting the ``sunshine policy" of engaging North Korea than traditional anti-communism activities.

The incoming Lee Myung-bak government will reportedly overhaul the agency's human resources and management structure. This is in response to criticism that intelligence officers blindly followed what the Unification Ministry did, and agents acted as if they were diplomats and the heads of provincial governments.

The head of the intelligence office, Kim Man-bok, recently resigned over allegations of misconduct. Once his successor is appointed, the number of the agency's divisions will fall from three to two by having 31 senior officials retire.

Multiple sources on the committee on 17 Feb confirmed the reshuffle, which aims at setting forth the proper roles of the spy office and an overhaul. The committee will also revive human intelligence (HUMINT) and reorganize informants in China who helped collect intelligence on North Korea through the 1990s. This is to prevent agents from blindly copying the Unification Ministry's activities. Likewise, the spy agency will have better resources under the Lee administration for conducting domestic intelligence and anti-espionage operations. Agents responsible for negotiations with North Korea will be reassigned to new roles.

Korea University professor Nam Seong-wuk, a key North Korea policy adviser to President-elect Lee, said, "We need to know what's going on in North Korea, and the spy agency will focus on intelligence gathering and espionage operations. That way, we can solve diverse issues and problems including North Korea's nuclear program."

(SITE NOTE: The committee recognizes that the NIS espionage operations were shut down when Kim Dae-jung came to power in the 1990s. The espionage programs were neutered under the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations. The conservatives appear to be headed to rooting them out. In addition, it appears the espionage and infiltration issues will be returned to the NIS instead of the KNP.

I wrote on Rok Drop blog on 7 Feb, "I agree 100 percent with the comment: "The DLP is just the tip of the iceberg of the potential amount of North Korean spies still residing in the Korean government."

Back in 2004, I wrote a little foot-noted piece on Spies, Espionage and Infiltrators — mainly focused on Kunsan and only paying cursory attention to the DMZ. (http://kalaniosullivan.com/KunsanAB/8thFW/Howitwasb11e1_a.html) But the point I was making was that since the 1960s, the North has systematically infiltrated the unions/government infrastructure, academia and student unions. They have been at it for over 40 years. Kim Dae-jung released all the spies and the last spies were sent home to the North by Roh Moo-hyun…and no one has searched for them for 10 years.

The current problem for the new conservative government is that the original infiltrators — and yes, they are a fact — are now retiring and they are getting their replacements (family members) into their old jobs. When Roh started expanding the employment in all areas of government — despite his initial promises not to do this — it started me thinking that this was I was talking about in my 2004 piece.

I hope under Lee Myeong-bak, the neutered NIS is reinvigorated and the search for spies taken away from the Korean National Police — and given back to the NIS who now are limited only to investigating business espionage. The KNP has caught no spies (except those the Japanese told them about or were handed to them by other agencies) since given the tasking by Roh…but in truth, no spies have been found since Kim Dae-jung took over (again with the exception of those handed to the ROK by Japan tip-offs).

Makes you wonder how many of the on-base workers are really part of "sleeper" units for the North. These "sleeper" personnel were found as Seoul National University professors, railway workers, electrical workers, and union officials. Some of these "sleepers" were fully integrated into South Korean society after slipping into South Korea from the North. They attended high schools in the South while they lived with their "family" of spies. Yep, Lee Myeong-bak may have his hands full — but does he really want to do it??? It'll be a bucket of worms. We'll see. (Kalani on February 7th, 2008))

(SITE NOTE: It certainly looks like the NIS "flunkies" under the Roh administration will be kicked out of their jobs -- 31 senior officials will retire. Also there appears to be a "payback" feeling here that the NIS was perceived as misusing its powers under the Roh administration to intimidate powerful conservatives. These NIS employees now will be subject to an in-house purge.)

(SITE NOTE: The VWP enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa, if certain requirements are met.

• (1) Nonimmigrant visa refusal rate: less than 3 percent (NOTE: The ROK is currently ineligible for the VWP because the refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas for its citizens exceeds the 3 percent maximum allowed under the VWP. The ROK’s refusal rate currently hovers just below 4 percent. Specifically, to qualify for the VWP, countries must have had a nonimmigrant refusal rate of less than 3% for the previous year, or an average of no more than 2% over the past two fiscal years with neither year going above 2.5%. 8 U.S.C. §1187(c)(2)(A))
• (2) Reciprocity: The U.S. citizens visiting Korea should also be allowed to enter the country without visa.
• (3) Biometric passport: Visitors' passports should contain their biological information.
• (4) Sharing of information on stolen passports: The information on lost or stolen passports should be shared with the United States on a regular basis.
• (5) Cooperation in law enforcement: Law enforcement of the two countries should not be threatened, and the cooperative system between the two countries in law enforcement should be in place.

In Jul 2007, South Korea stated that it planned to issue electronic passports on a trial basis in Dec 2007 -- but that fell through. The new date was set at Mar 2008.

Arguments in Korea that the fingerprinting violates human rights is countered by the government claim that fingerprints are already used for national ID cards so they don't violate the Constitution. Claims that the fingerprints may be stolen to commit crimes is countered by the government claim that such an act is highly unlikely.

In the summer of 2007, Congress passed and President Bush signed H.R. 1 (P.L. 110-53), the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, which includes a provision (§711) that reforms the VWP by, among other measures, allowing the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive the refusal rate requirement The VWP clause in P.L. 110-53 would ease regulations to allow countries allied with the U.S. in its war on terror to be included in the VWP -- even if their visa rejection rate was higher than 3 percent. The bill moved the rejection rate up to 10 percent -- which the ROK easily passed with a 3.5 reject rate.

However, P.L. 110-53 that the refusal rate waivers can only be granted after the United States implements an exit system at its airports that can verify the departure of not less than 97% of foreign nationals that exit through U.S. airports, and after the United States establishes an electronic travel authorization system. Many argue the implementation of both systems is still years away. (Source: Korea US FTA.)

The second problem is that the move clearly suggested that prospective VWP countries should be joining the U.S. in its war on terror. Korea jumped on this bill as its way to bypass the 3 percent reject rate rule. HOWEVER, they seemed to have missed the anti-terrorism message. Korea removed its troops from Afghanistan, intended to pull its troops from Iraq but stayed because of oil contracts -- and still is NOT a supporter of the PSI initiative to contain terrorism on the high seas. The new Lee Myeong-bak administration is seeking to POSSIBLY expand the ROK participation in the PSI, but nothing has been done thus far.)

Passport Bill Passed (Feb 2008) The National Assembly passed an electronic passport revision bill on 26 Feb. With the passage of the revised bill which featuring enhanced security, Korea moved a step closer to being included in the United States visa waiver program (VWP).

Revised Passport Act

The key point of the revised passport act lies in the introduction of electronic passports. Other points of the revised act include 1) expanding the number of agencies commissioned to issue passports for the sake of convenience of those living in remote areas, and 2) requiring those desiring passports to personally apply for the issuance for the prevention of false-name passports. The government’s revised bill called for fingerprinting in order to prevent forgery of passports, but the National Assembly has delayed fingerprint collection until 2010 due to public outcry. Accordingly, electronic passports will be introduced first and fingerprint collection will begin from 2010. It followed the example of the EU.

Electronic Passports

Electronic passports are designed to prevent forgery or falsification, as they contain personal information managed by an IC chip. The IC chip contains facial features, iris color, fingerprints and other biological information. Traditional passports including photos are easy to forge or falsify, and it takes time for security officials to compare the photos and their holders. Checking the validity of electronic passports will be fast, easy and accurate. The electronic passport system was introduced by the United States in the wake of the 9.11 terrorist attacks in New York in order to prevent passport forgery. If a country wants to join the United States’ VMN program, it should first introduce the electronic passport system. The existing 27 countries that have joined the VWM program are also required to introduce the electronic passport system. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), too, recommends electronic passports be introduced for fast immigration/emigration procedures and security.

Electronic Passports in Korea

Korea plans to introduce the electronic passport system primarily as a means to join the VWM program of the United States. However, it is more significant that electronic passports featuring enhanced security will increase the nation’s international credibility, simplify and facilitate immigration/emigration procedures, and prevent forgery of passports in the long run. The introduction of electronic passports are a global trend, but the passage of a revised bill for electronic passports has been delayed, due to fingerprint collection. The revised bill has been passed after all, but the introduction of fingerprint collection will be postponed until 2010. (Source: KBS Global.)

Korea, U.S. 'to Sign Visa Waiver MOU' Soon (Mar 2008) A South Korean government official on 20 Mar said, Korean and U.S. officials are discussing a draft memorandum of understanding for Korea to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. "We expect that the two countries will sign the MOU in mid-April," he said on customary condition of anonymity. The government plans to issue electronic passports, a precondition to joining the program, on a pilot basis in March and issue them across the board around August. "If everything goes as planned, Korean people can travel to the U.S. without visas from the end of this year," the official said. President Lee Myung-bak is reportedly considering using an e-passport when he visits the U.S. in mid-April. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

MOU Signing During Summit (Mar 2008) South Korea and the United States are delaying the signing of a deal on a visa waiver program (VWP) so as to produce it as the tangible result of a summit between their leaders to be held next month, officials here said on 24 Mar. Through a series of working-level consultations, the two sides have virtually completed the fine-tuning of wording on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on details of what should be done in order for South Korea to join the U.S. program by the end of this year, they added. "Ninety-nine percent of the wording on the MOU has been worked out," a Foreign Ministry official said. "Although the MOU will be non-binding, it will set concrete guidelines for legal and institutional measures to be taken by both South Korea and the U.S." But the MOU will be formally inked around the summit between President Lee Myung-bak and his counterpart George W. Bush in the middle of next month, the official added. The first-ever Camp David summit between the allies is expected to focus on ways of improving their relations. South Korea hopes to join the VWP by the end of this year but U.S. officials leave the door open for a delay. South Korea and the United States are delaying the signing of a deal on a visa waiver program (VWP) so as to produce it as the tangible result of a summit between their leaders to be held next month, officials here said Monday.

Through a series of working-level consultations, the two sides have virtually completed the fine-tuning of wording on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on details of what should be done in order for South Korea to join the U.S. program by the end of this year, they added. "Ninety-nine percent of the wording on the MOU has been worked out," a Foreign Ministry official said. "Although the MOU will be non-binding, it will set concrete guidelines for legal and institutional measures to be taken by both South Korea and the U.S." But the MOU will be formally inked around the summit between President Lee Myung-bak and his counterpart George W. Bush in the middle of next month, the official added. The first-ever Camp David summit between the allies is expected to focus on ways of improving their relations.

South Korea hopes to join the VWP by the end of this year but U.S. officials leave the door open for a delay. "It will take some time. I anticipate that the visa waiver program will be available for Korean citizens at the very earliest in late 2008 or early 2009," Julia R. Stanley, consul general of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, said in an earlier interview at her office. "I think it would be very prudent to say early 2009 because there is considerable work to be done." The date South Korea joins the VWP depends on the pace of the preparations by both sides, she added. (SITE NOTE: We wonder about the other aspect of the bill that allows the ROK to qualify. P.L. 110-53 states that the refusal rate waivers can only be granted after the United States implements an exit system at its airports that can verify the departure of not less than 97% of foreign nationals that exit through U.S. airports, and after the United States establishes an electronic travel authorization system. Many argue the implementation of both systems is still years away..) (Source: Yonhap News.)

E-Passports to Be Issued on Trial Basis (Mar 2008) The government will begin issuing electronic passports for diplomats and government officials on a trial basis from March 31. The issuance of e-passports is a precondition to joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. E-passports will be available for the general public starting around August.

President Lee Myung-bak, who is traveling to the U.S. next month on his first overseas trip since his inauguration, will reportedly carry an e-passport in an effort to persuade the U.S. to include South Korea in the VWP.

The back cover of the e-passport contains an embedded microchip that carries the holder's basic personal information, including date of birth and his or her facial information. This makes the back cover of the e-passport a little thicker than that of conventional passports, but otherwise there is almost no difference in the outward appearance between the two. From 2010, the e-passport will also carry the holder's fingerprint information.

A South Korean government official said, "With the issuance of e-passports, it should be possible for South Koreans to begin traveling to the U.S. without entry visas around the end of this year." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: The US will agree to include the ROK in the VWP as soon as they can figure a way around PL 110-53 provisions -- and the ROK can figure a way around issuing epassports to ALL ROK holders who will want it in a mass crunch.)

WTF???? -- Koreans Can Visit US Visa Free From Dec. (Apr 2008) South Koreans will be able to visit the United States for up to three months visa-free beginning December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on 4 Apr. To that end, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during President Lee Myung-bak's U.S. visit from April 15-19 for summit talks with President George W. Bush, a ministry official said. (SITE NOTE: WE ARE HIGHLY SKEPTICAL OF THIS STATEMENT GIVEN THE US EMBASSY SAW IMPLEMENTATION IN 2009 AT THE EARLIEST. The PL 110-53 provisions cannot be overriden by a MOU. The end result of this kind of official announcement will only end up with accusations that the US has failed to honor its side of the agreement. This is not an auspicious start to renewed US-ROK openness.)

The two nations will ink implementation agreements on South Korea's joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) by August, when the Seoul government plans to begin issuing electronic passports containing the holders' personal information to the general public, he said. The government began issuing ``e-passports'' to public officials and diplomats last month on a trial basis, a prerequisite to Seoul's joining in the VWP. The back cover of the e-passport contains an embedded microchip carrying the holder's basic personal information, including date of birth and any criminal record, to help deter forgery. ``If all procedures go well without difficulties, South Koreans will be able to travel to the U.S. without visas this year,'' the official told reporters, asking not to be named. ``The United States also agrees on the timetable.'' Those who want to stay in the United States longer than three months will still have to obtain visas, he added. (Source: Korea Times.)

U.S. hints at longer process for Korea to join visa program (Apr 2008) South Koreans will have to wait until 2009 or even later to visit the United States on business or sightseeing without visas despite the imminent signing of a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of a visa waiver program (VWP), officials here said Thursday. The advise came amid a decreasing number of U.S. visa applicants here, with expectations running high that South Korea will join the VWP list by the end of this year. The VWP permits citizens of member countries to visit the U.S. without obtaining a visa if they are traveling for business or sightseeing.

The South Korean government has fueled public hopes by openly saying it is trying to sign the visa pact by December and publicizing a plan to sign a related memorandum of understanding (MOU) later this week on the sidelines of the Camp David summit between President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush. Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff are scheduled to sign the MOU, which will lay out details on what the two sides should do for Seoul's membership in the VWP, ministry officials said.

"Even after the MOU is signed, many things will still need to be done on both sides to reach our goal," Julia R. Stanley, consul general of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told Yonhap News Agency. "The VWP will not be implemented for Korean citizens until 2009, or possibly even later." She said the signing of the MOU is not the end of the process but just the start of implementing full-scale legal procedures.

South Korea is required to introduce an electronic passport that carries biometric information on an electronic chip, a measure Seoul plans to implement in the latter half of this year. "Our two countries must come to an agreement on bilateral information sharing and other security measures to help ensure the safety of international travelers," she said. For instance, the U.S. plans to establish the Electronic system for Travel Authorization, which will enable passengers to provide rudimentary personal information prior to their departure. She said about traveler information sharing, "It could be that individuals pass information about themselves or governments may exchange information."

Stanley also pointed out that even if South Korea becomes a VWP member nation, those hoping to travel to the U.S, for reasons other than business or pleasure will have to go through face-to-face interviews with U.S. consular officials and receive visas. Roughly 400,000 South Koreans applied for U.S. visas last year alone, making the embassy one of the busiest consular sections in the world. Of the applicants, more than 70,000 people sought student visas, according to the U.S. embassy. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Korea, U.S. Sign MOU on Visa Waiver (Apr 2008) Koreans came a step closer to visa-free travel to the U.S. on Friday, when Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Yu and Chertoff signed the MOU at Customs and Border Protection, an agency of Homeland Security, at the Ronald Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. “After the two countries finish legal procedures, Korean people will be able to travel to the U.S. without visas soon,” Yu said at the event. Based on the MOU, the two sides will conclude an agreement by August on what information South Korean travelers' electronic passports will carry. South Koreans will then be able to travel to the U.S. without entry visas and stay for up to 90 days as early as the end of this year. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

S. Korea, U.S. remove last hurdle to visa waiver implementation: minister (Sep 2008) South Korea and the United States on 24 Sep agreed to exchange information on suspected criminals, clearing the last hurdle to implementation of a visa waiver program that allows their citizens visa-free visits to each country for up to 90 days. "I met with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today and virtually concluded talks on details on implementation of the Visa Waiver Program by the end of the year," South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed in April to implement the VWP by the end of the year to help ease the long lines in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul to get U.S. entry visas. Yu said he and Chertoff concluded detailed procedures on providing criminal records of a limited number of suspects so immigration authorities of the two sides could access such information automatically at airports. The minister said the automatic inquiry system does not provide detailed criminal records but would confirm in the form of yes or no if someone has been involved in a certain type of crime.

"Only a handful number of people are subjected to the system, and also the system is reciprocal," he said, adding that a certain number of Americans are also affected. The U.S. wants to introduce such a crime inquiry system with 27 other countries with which Washington maintains VWPs, according to Yu. The minister said he came to Washington to put a final touch on the VWP after working-level talks recently hit a snag over the exchange of criminal record information. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Visa-Free Travel to US to Begin Nov. 17 (Nov 2008) Koreans from Nov. 17 can travel visa-free to the United States for tourism and business for up to 90 days. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul made the announcement on 31 Oct. Eligible travelers must possess an electronic passport and receive prior approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

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Birthrate Rises for Second Consecutive Year (Feb 2008) The number of babies born last year increased for the second consecutive year as many couples who tied the knot in 2006 gave birth, believing the year 2007 or, ``the golden pig year'' in the lunar calendar, would bring luck to newborns. But Korea's birth rate continues to remain low compared to industrialized countries. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Tuesday, the number of babies born in 2007 totaled 497,000, up from 452,000 the previous year. In 2006, the number of newborns rose from 438,000 a year earlier, marking the first upturn since 2000 when the figure recorded 637,000 thanks to the ``millennium baby boom.'' The birth rate, or the average number of babies expected per woman aged 15-49, also increased to 1.26 last year from 1.13 in 2006. In 2005, the country recorded a rate of 1.08. The crude birthrate, which indicates the number of children born per 1,000 people, stood at 10.1, up from 9.2 in 2006 and 9 in 2005. The statistical office said more Koreans got married in 2006 on the belief that the year 2006 in the lunar calendar will bring luck to those who tie the knot. ``The year 2007 was ``the golden pig year,'' which is believed to bring luck to newborns, according to fortunetellers. It encouraged many couples married in 2006 to give births last year,'' the office said.



However, Korea still has a lower birthrate than the majority of member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the statistical office. In 2006, American women had an average of 2.1 infants, followed by 1.98 in France, 1.84 in Britain and 1.32 in Japan, compared to Korea's 1.13.

The mothers of newborns were 30.6 years old on average, up from 30.4 in 2006 and 30.2 in 2005. Women had their first child at the average age of 29.4 in 2007, with the second and third children born at 31.5 and 33.6, respectively. Women in their early 30s contributed most to expanding the number of childbirths, outpacing those in their late 20s for the third year in a row. The number of births by women aged 30 to 34 totaled 208,000 last year, up 18,000 from a year earlier. That of women aged 25 to 29 rose by 14,000 to 188,000 during the one-year period. Also, women aged 20-24 gave birth to 32,000 babies, up 1,000 from a year ago. (Source: Korea Times.)

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Pro-Japan Collaborators Wealth Confiscated (Feb 2008) An independent commission probing pro-Japanese collaborators' wealth built up during Japanese colonial rule (1910~1945) ruled that 41 billion won ($43 million) worth of properties owned by seven collaborators should be returned to the nation. The Investigative Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property, headed by Kim Chang-kuk, announced Thursday that it has decided to confiscate a total of 308,388 square meters of land. They are Lee Jung-ro, Min Young-ki and Lee Yong-tae, who won key posts from the Japanese government in recognition of their supporting roles in the ruling, and Kim Seo-kyu, Kim Young-jin, Lee Kyung-sik and Lee Jin-ho, who then served as advisors for the government.

Ownership of the land was transferred to the government on 28 Feb since the decision is legally binding, the commission said. The commission was launched in September 2006 under a special law, which took effect in December 2005. It has made a total of four withdrawal decisions, resulting in the confiscation of more than 3.6 million square meters of land worth 77 billion won. ``As of Thursday, we are investigating a total of 18 million square meters of land owned by 135 who are deemed pro-Japan collaborators. They are worth 117 billion won,'' a commission official said.

The state-backed organization said it traced back the wealth building history of title receivers from the Japanese imperial government and those working as advisors. As of now, a total of 15 administrative cases filed to void the commission's decision are waiting the courts' final ruling, the commission said. ``The work started with great support from the general public. We will accelerate our investigation to complete our tasks by the deadline set for July 2010,'' the official said. (Source: Korea Times.) (SITE NOTE: This is not of Lee Myeong-bak or the GNP's doing but solely from the Uri Party and DP. When the National Assembly passed the legislation in 2005, the GNP was still reeling from its defeat after the unsuccessful Roh impeachment. When ticks me off about this law is that it provides monies for "freedom fighters" -- including those who deserted South Korea or fought for the North in the Korean War. Now their families in the North Korea are entitled to benefits. The legacy of Roh Moo-hyun keeps on giving.)

Seoul to sell off land seized from Japan collaborators (Mar 2008 The government plans to sell over 12 billion won (US$12 million) worth of land seized from the families of Koreans who collaborated with the Japanese colonial government in early 20th century, officials said on 29 Mar. The money generated from the sale will be used to finance the government's new scholarship and pension programs for the descendants of anti-Japanese independence fighters, officials from the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Agency said in a policy report to President Lee Myung-bak. (SITE NOTE: This smells like a setup. The court decision was rushed through at the end of Roh's term -- just barely -- and now with less than one month in office, Lee Myeong-bak is being "cornered" into approving this measure by the remaining progressives who haven't been rooted out. We will see if it works.)

The president said the foremost duty of the government is to protect the lives and assets of the people but stressed that honoring those who sacrificed their lives while defending the country was important as well. "Who would ever sacrifice their lives for the country if those who defended our nation are left unable to provide education to their descendants and those who fought for the country's independence do not receive their well-deserved respect and recognition," he said.

The government has won back over 30 billion won worth of real estate and properties from the families of former collaborators of the Japanese colonial rule, but nearly 18 billion won worth of land are still in legal battle. "The agency will dispose of part of the land this year and use the created fund to provide scholarships to the descendants of independence fighters and pay settlement fees for the families of independence fighters who come to the country," the agency said.

Many independence fighters were forced to flee the country during the Japanese colonial rule, and today many of their descendants live in various parts of the region, including some Eastern European nations and Russia's Far Eastern region of Sakhalin. (SITE NOTE: AND IN NORTH KOREA!!!) (Source: Yonhap News.)

Panel reveals ALLEGED Japan collaborators (Apr 2008) The composer of the national anthem, a pioneer of childrens literature and a dance legend who ushered in an era of modernism have been included in a list of thousands of Koreans accused of collaboration with Japan during its colonial rule. A group of historians on 29 Apr announced the names of 4,776 people who they say aided Japans 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula and the oppression of the independence movement.

The private Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activists has been compiling the list for the past eight years. They plan to publish a seven-volume directory of the alleged collaborators, with three volumes to be released in August. They will issue an additional 10 books by 2015 on pro-Japan organizations, colonial agencies and other historical data surrounding the 35-year colonial period. (SITE NOTE: This is the PROGRESSIVE historians continuing with their revisionist history. They started under the Kim Dae-jung administration and continued under the Roh Moo-hyun administration with financial support from the government under the "committee system.")

This purge of history is not meant to punish any individuals but aimed at helping Korea move forward to a society free of nationalist oppression and discrimination, and to promote the value of pacifism and democracy, Im Hun-young, president of the research center, told a news conference. After we have purified our own shame and repented fully, we will be able to demand in a more dignified way that Japan address its past wrongdoings, he added. The project has been funded partly by a state-run textbook publisher and mostly by donations from about 5,000 citizens, according to the group. (SITE NOTE: It should be noted that the government provided aid to leftist activist groups who in turn provided funds as "citizens" to these "private groups." The reasoning that is NOT to punish any individuals is hogwash. Directly linked to this is the confiscation of lands -- punishment. The group is rooted in revenge -- not any other reason.)

In 2005, the institute unveiled its first list of 3,095 alleged collaborators, including former President Park Chung-hee, who served in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The announcement invited fierce protests from conservatives in politics, academia and civil society. The initial collection named bureaucrats, entrepreneurs, police, soldiers, educators and cultural figures. The institute added about 1,700 names to the list through follow-up research covering diverse areas, including community leaders and those who were active overseas, especially in Japan-occupied Manchuria. The names are tantamount to a whos who of the elite in post-colonial Korea. Pro-Japan collaborators were generally not punished after liberation as the nascent independent republic was in need of people well-versed in the state system and economy. Most were reinstalled to serve in the administration, military and law enforcement agencies, and retained their posts in business, media and other sectors.

The new list includes revered personalities such as Ahn Eak-tai, who composed the national anthem and is arguably the best-known Korean composer overseas. He is claimed to have written songs hailing the Japanese emperor and to have performed at events for the imperialists. He is also claimed to have been involved in pro-Nazi activities in Germany. (SITE NOTE: These are facts -- not a claim. However, Roh selectively chose to ignore this and welcomed his widow to Korea as a heroine to dedicate buildings in her husband's name.)

Choi Seung-hee, a dance master whose claim to fame is choreographing a unique modern dance style encompassing traditional Korean elements, is accused of monetary donations to, and performances for, the Japanese army. Novelist Lee Won-su, a trailblazer in childrens literature, was alleged to have written poems and essays celebrating Korean conscripts to the Japanese military. The institute said the filing should in no way eclipse their achievements. It will hopefully help Korea come to terms with its past and look squarely into what happened, it added.

However, the disclosure met with instant protests from families, pupils and followers of those named in the list. A pro-Choi society already filed objections with a committee which prepares the publications of the directory. It claimed that she was forced by the colonial authorities to perform and that she contributed financially to Korean independent fighters through her husband.

A number of organizations, including a foundation for composer Ahn, said they would lodge complaints. The son of former Prime Minister Shin Hyun-hwak, who was also named, said he would take legal action. Some right-wing activists staged a protest rally at the news conference.

Conservatives questioned the fairness and correctness of the panels assessment and raised concerns that the disclosure would stir ideological dispute and damage national harmony. They say the project is led by progressive scholars backed by previous liberal administrations.

The institute is tagging Ahn Eak-tai and other most respected figures as traitors, based on their one-sided viewpoints and without sufficient public consensus, Bong Tae-hong, leader of Right Korea, a conservative civic group, charged. The institute said it would review objections and consider the opinions of external experts and the public over the next two months.

About 100 scholars, lawyers and journalists were involved in the study. (SITE NOTE: This should be a good starting list for the newly revamped DSC and NIS to start investigating as North Korean spies.)

A pro-Japan collaborator is defined as anyone who cooperated when Japan invaded Korea, aided colonial rule, fought in imperial wars or cracked down on the independence movement. They have been classified into 16 categories, including bureaucrats, colonial legislature members, prosecutors, police, judges, media workers, publishers, religious leaders, and culture and arts figures. (Source: Korea Herald.) (SITE NOTE: If one follows the logic of this group, my now deceased father-in-law who was a sergeant in a Japanese prison camp in Yokohama during WWII was a collaborator. He also was a sergeant on the Pusan perimeter during the Korean War where he was critically wounded and discharged.)

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Lee Myeong-bak Sworn in as 17th President (Feb 2008) President Lee Myung-bak took the oath as Korea's 17th president on Monday during the inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly. Some 50,000 guests were invited to the ceremony, including foreign dignitaries. Major changes in both the private and public sectors are expected to take place with the launch of the conservative Lee administration, which would seek economic revival and national advancement. The first CEO-turned president will begin his five-year single term, following a decade of left-leaning rule.


Inauguration (25 Feb 2008) (Yonhap News)

In his inaugural address titled, "Together We Shall Open a Road to Advancement," President Lee presented five major directions for state affairs, saying the new administration will serve the people; invigorate the economy and unite society; enliven culture and advance science and technology; strengthen security and lay the foundation for peaceful unification; carry out duties as a member of the international community and contribute to the prosperity of all peoples. "As the president of Korea, at this juncture when we're beginning another 60 years of the republic, I hereby declare 2008 as the starting year for the advancement of the Republic of Korea," said Lee. "I declare our solemn start towards a society that cherishes the fruits of industrialization and democratization and towards a country that abounds in wealth, caring and dignity."

"We hesitated and experienced failure at times over the past decade. But now, we will start anew. Not only will the joy of our achievements, but also the pain of our failures will be our asset for a new beginning," said Lee. "We must move from the age of ideology into the age of pragmatism."

President Lee stressed the importance of progress while maintaining harmony, saying, "In making Korea an advanced country, we must not discriminate among ourselves or against others. I will melt conflicts between classes and resolve militant strives by pursuing pragmatism in brining cooperation and harmony." Lee also hinted a drastic reform, saying, "I beseech the people to take a more active role to brining a change so that we can surmount this critical moment in history without difficulty. Though it is going to be difficult and painful, we must swiftly change at a faster rate. And the direction of change is openness, autonomy and creativity."

On economic revival, Lee said, "We must secure new growth engines to make the economy grow vigorously and to create more jobs." He also mentioned specific plans to revitalize the economy, such as deregulations and privatization of government functions; introduction of competition in the public sector; tax cuts; creation of an environment where entrepreneurs can invest freely; autonomous improvement in labor-management culture; promotion of the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises; increase in national wealth through free trade agreements; and enhancing competitiveness in agricultural and fishery industries.

With regard to inter-Korean relations, Lee said, "If North Korea gives up its nuclear ambition and chooses the path to openness, a new horizon will be opened up in inter-Korean cooperation." "The political leaders of the two Koreas must contemplate and share their views on what they can do to make the lives of 70 million Koreans happy. If it is to discuss these issues, then the two leaders should meet whenever necessary and talk with an open mind."

Regarding foreign relations, Lee said, "We will have a greater vision and take a more active stance in cooperating and exchanging with the international community." He went on to say, "We will work to develop and further strengthen traditional friendly ties with the U.S. into a future-oriented partnership and, based on the reinforced bilateral relations, we will also strengthen our strategic alliance."

President Lee also added that he will seek peace and mutual prosperity with neighboring countries, including Japan, China and Russia, by promoting exchange and cooperation with them. Among the foreign dignitaries attending the ceremony were Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Mongolian President Enkhbayar Nambar, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

More than 200 foreign business leaders came to the inauguration held at the National Assembly plaza in southern Seoul. Maurice R. Greenberg, chairman and CEO of the global investment firm C.V. Starr; Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.; Ron Anderson, a vice president of AIG Group and Nobuyaki Koga, president of the leading Japanese financial holdings company, Nomura Holdings, heard Lee vow to revitalize the economy.

Three famous athletes of Korean descent were also invited. American Hines Ward, the half-Korean MVP of the 2006 NFL Super Bowl, 19-year-old Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan and world champion figure skater Kim Yu-na all witnessed the beginning of Lee's term.

Steven Knapp, the president of George Washington University, located in Washington, D.C., also attended. Lee formed close ties with the university in 1999 when he was a visiting scholar there, according to GW's public relations office. "In 1999, GW had the privilege of hosting Lee as a visiting scholar at GW's School of Business," Knapp said. "I am honored to have been asked to participate in this historic event. This marks a new chapter in the university's special relationship with Korea as we continue to reach out to our global community."

Fifty citizen representatives attended the inauguration, including a navy lieutenant known as a national hero for his role in the 2002 Yellow Sea naval battle between North and South Korea. Lee Hui-wan was wounded in the clash with North Korean vessels off the Korean Peninsula's western coast. Lee's transition team said they invited the public representatives to give new hope to people from all backgrounds."I think that my invitation means that the new government regards national security as an important issue in the country," Lee Hui-wan said. "We learned the importance of national security through the battle in the West Sea," Lee added, using the alternate name for the Yellow Sea. "I hope to see the lives of all the Korean people improve under the new government." (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)




Inauguration (25 Feb 2008) (Tongil News)
The 17th presidency of Korea started as Lee Myung-bak formally took over presidential authority from former president Roh Moo-hyun at midnight on Monday, with the Bosingak Bell in downtown Seoul tolling the momentous hour. Lee now embarks on a government of pragmatic conservatism after putting an end to the decade-long leftwing rule.

He set out the revival of the economy and national unity as the two biggest topics for his agenda. But he is faced with daunting challenges -- gloomy prospects for the economy in the wake of worldwide financial instability and soaring prices of oil and raw materials; and deepening conflict between ruling and opposition parties over the government reform program and parliamentary confirmation hearings on the new Cabinet nominees. Lee's approval ratings are not as impressive as those of previous presidents released on the occasion of their inauguration.

In his inaugural address, Lee offered a positive appraisal of the six short decades since the founding of the Republic of Korea during which industrialization and democratization were achieved. He declared 2008 the first year to make Korea an advanced nation. He asked the people to make efforts to create a new myth on the Korean Peninsula through harmony and cooperation, social integration and economic development, upholding the "Global Korea" banner.

"I will continue to emphasize opening and creativity based on a pragmatic Zeitgeist, and define responsibility for the principles of competition and welfare as a positive role of the state." He urged North Korea to open up and denuclearize, saying, "The leaders of the two Koreas should meet anytime to hold talks with open minds." (SITE NOTE: In his inaugural address he stated: ""We must move from the age of ideology into the age of pragmatism. Pragmatism is a rational principle prevalent in the histories across the globe, and practical wisdom useful in charting our course through the tides of globalization. Pragmatism is Zeitgeist that unites man and nature, matter and mind, individuals and communities for a healthy and beautiful life. In making Korea an advanced country, we ought not to discriminate among ourselves. We will arm ourselves with pragmatism for cooperation and harmony so that we may thaw out differences between classes and resolve Militant strifes. The future that I envisage for Korea is a nation where the government serves its people with devotion, a nation where the economy is robust and the weak and marginalized are taken care of and a nation where labor and management collaborate in harmony. It will be a nation where the best and brightest are fostered and welcomed by the rest of the world and which attracts the world's best and brightest to come and work.")

Immediately following his inauguration on 25 Feb, Lee had separate talks with foreign dignitaries such as Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Also attending the inauguration ceremony were Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Australian House Speaker Harry Jenkins, Turkmenistan Mejlis Speaker Akja Nurberdiyeva, Kazakhstan Vice Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev, Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters, and Romanian State Secretary Anton Niculescu. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

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Foreign Media's Responses to Inauguration of Pres. Lee The world's major media outlets reported the inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak yesterday, saying, "South Korea's first CEO-turned president promised to spur the nation's economic growth in his inauguration speech." They focused on the fact that a conservative government took to the power again after ten years of left-leaning reign and showed their expectations that South Korea would take more pragmatic approach in its diplomacy and contribute to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

In its news from Seoul, the Associated Press reported, "Lee told some 60,000 people who gathered to celebrate his inauguration that the nation's most urgent challenge is to revive the economy." It also explained that Lee Myung-bak is to become the first South Korean president to win a majority vote since 1987 when the direct presidential election was restored.

France's Agence France-Presse reported that South Koreans welcomed the inauguration of Lee Myung-bak who promised to open up a new era of prosperity. Reuters also said, "The new president promised to invigorate the economy while overcoming fruitless conflicts over ideology and focusing on pragmatism."

Some foreign media even described the new president's so-called '747' pledge, which promises that he will help the nation to grow by seven percent a year, reach $40,000 of per capita income in ten years and become one of the world's seven largest economies.

American media including the Washington Times and Los Angeles Times reported that Lee promised to adopt pragmatic policies in South Korea suffering from severe polarization. CNN relayed Lee Myung-bak's inauguration ceremony and reported that the new president promised to give a higher priority to restoring the economy under his leadership.

Japanese media aired the inauguration ceremony and speech in real time via their websites. They placed an importance on the fact that the newly inaugurated president and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held a summit talk after the inauguration ceremony.

Asahi Shimbun reported that Lee Myung-bak stressed that he would put an emphasis not only on South Korea's relations with the U.S. but also on its relations with Asian nations including Japan. Japan's state-run NHK reported that his inauguration ceremony was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Kyodo News paid much attention to the newly inaugurated president's speech about diplomatic policy, saying, "He first talked about the U.S. and his second choice was Japan. They were followed by China and Russia."

China's state-run television network CCTV dispatched its reporters to the National Assembly building in Yeouido to relay the inauguration ceremony. State-owned Xinhua also reported that Lee's presidential tenure officially began as of midnight Monday and talked about a ceremony of striking the Bosingak Bell in central Seoul.

Russian news agency Itar-Tass announced that Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov attended the inauguration ceremony and Lee would employ new policies to reform the market and education.

The BBC of the U.K. said that Lee worked as a businessman and the mayor of Seoul, and that he even earned the nickname 'the bulldozer'. The Press Association reported that the inauguration of a conservative president heralded an end to the ten-year-old rule of progressives who have been criticized for worsening the economy and aggravating the U.S.-South Korea relations.

Foreign media in particular paid a sharp attention to the fact that Lee talked about South Korea's relations with the U.S. and North Korea.

The AP predicted that South Korea would give up its so-called sunshine policy of engaging North Korea, saying, "Lee urged North Korea to open up its market and make efforts to deal with nuclear issues."

The AFP also predicted, "While dropping lopsided 'sunshine policy,' Lee is expected to combine two different approaches: support for North Korea and efforts to eradicate nuclear programs on the peninsula." It added that South Korea's new government is set to strengthen its relations with its decades-old ally U.S. and improve its diplomatic ties with China, Japan and Russia.

Asahi Shimbun analyzed, "Unlike the Roh Moo-hyun government, the Lee Myung-bak government is likely to stress transparency in providing financial support to North Korea." It also added that Lee said he would deal with human rights issues in North Korea and South Koreans abducted by North Korea more proactively." Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "President Lee hinted at providing financial support to the North in return for a progress in the nuclear issue."

The Washington Times reported, "Lee, friendly to the U.S., promised to improve South Korea's relations with Washington." Xinhua also predicted that the new government would give a higher priority to pragmatic diplomacy. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

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March 2008

Samsung bribe-takers joined Lee government (Mar 2008) A former legal counsel of Samsung Group claimed on 29 Feb that several people associated with President Lee Myung-bak took kickbacks from the business giant. Kim Yong-chul said he plans to reveal the names of the bribe-takers through a press conference, adding pressure to the ongoing special inquiry into corruption allegations against Samsung.

The list of bribe-takers includes not just top prosecutors and ministers in the Roh Moo-hyun government, but also people recently nominated or mentioned as possible candidates of the Cabinet or high-ranking officials of Cheong Wa Dae, Kim Yong-chul said in a radio interview on 29 Feb.

"Besides some top officials in the prosecution and minister-level officials of the Participatory Government (of former President Roh Moo-hyun), those who have recently been touted or designated as Cabinet ministers or high-level positions at Cheong Wa Dae are also on the bribery list," Kim said on a radio talk show. Cheong Wa Dae is the presidential office. So far, Kim and the group have named three veteran prosecutors, including Lim Chai-jin, the prosecutor-general, as being on Samsung's tab. All of them have denied the accusation.

Kim had earlier withdrew his plan to make public a list of "dozens of prosecutors" who he said took bribes from Samsung. But the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, a progressive organization that has represented Kim against the nation's biggest conglomerate in the dispute, released the names of a couple of prosecutors who it said were bribed, including Prosecutor-General Lim Chai-jin. Lim denied the allegations.

The group of Catholic priests which has organized press conferences for Kim met 29 Feb to discuss the details of the disclosure but said they would not make any announcement this week. The priests' association said it will decide whether to release the list of Lee's officials linked to bribery after an internal meeting.

Kim Yong-chul, who headed Samsungs legal affairs team from 1997 to 2004, blew the whistle in November, saying the business giant regularly paid off politicians, government officials and prosecutors. He also claimed that Samsung Group amassed 200 billion won ($210 million) in slush funds and facilitated the illegal transfer of managerial rights from the chairman to his son. Kim claimed that the secret funds were created through fraudulent accounting to a scale of about 7 trillion won. The group has thus far denied all allegations.

The special inquiry team questioned Samsung Groups top executives Lee Hak-soo and Kim In-joo on 29 Feb over allegations that they were deeply involved in the slush fund operations and the illicit succession of management rights. The team, headed by independent prosecutor Cho Joon-woong, also said yesterday they collected additional data related to the slush funds from Samsung Life Insurance Co. Civic groups have accused Lee Hak-soo, known as Samsungs No. 2 man after chairman Lee Kun-hee, of leading the management of slush funds and bribery of high-profile figures as chief of the groups strategic planning department. Kim In-joo is suspected of masterminding the sale of convertible bonds in Samsung Everland, the groups de facto holding company, at a giveaway price to the chairmans only son Jae-yong. The special counsel interrogated Lee Jae-yong, senior executive at Samsung Electronics Co., for 14 hours on 28 Feb. The younger Lee became the largest shareholder of Samsung Everland, allegedly through illicit securities transactions carried out by the groups headquarters in collaboration with its affiliates. Lee Jae-yong currently holds a 25.1 percent stake in Everland, the nations biggest amusement park operator. The group is also alleged to have passed on losses sustained by Lee Jae-yongs failed internet businesses to subsidiaries in 2001. The younger Lee managed the groups 14 internet venture firms, including eSamsung and eSamsung International in 2000. (Source: Korea Herald.) (SEE SAMSUNG SLUSH FUND SCANDAL)

Spy chief, presidential aide bribed by Samsung: priests (Mar 2008) A group of priests on 5 Mar accused South Korea's new spy chief and a senior aide to President Lee Myung-bak of having regularly taken bribes from Samsung Group. But the presidential office immediately denied the allegation, calling it "groundless."

In a nationally televised press conference, the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice alleged Kim Seong-ho, a former justice minister nominated as head of the National Intelligence Service; Lee Jong-chan, former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chief appointed as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs; and Hwang Young-gi, former chairman of the Board of Woori Finance Holdings, took bribes from the conglomerate. Hwang was initially picked as head of the Financial Services Commission but he did not assume the post.

The potentially explosive announcement came as Lee was filling the posts of his inaugural administration, with Kim yet to receive approval from the National Assembly as the spy chief. "I've never been asked to show business favor or taken bribes" from Samsung, Kim Seong-ho said in a statement.

"Lee Jong-chan was on Samsung's list of names to take care of and regularly took bribes. As the head of the High Prosecutors' Office, he himself even visited Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo's office to receive money for his summer vacation," Father Jeon Jong-hun, representative of the progressive priests' organization, said.

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae rushed to step in. "According to an internal investigation, the allegation that those who were named received bribes was found to be groundless," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters.

The priests seemed to have received the three names from a former lawyer for Samsung Group who raised a slew of corruption allegations against Samsung in November to initiate the ongoing independent probe. Kim Yong-chul, who worked for Samsung from 1997 to 2004, claimed last week that some officials of the Lee administration accepted bribes from Samsung. Even though bribe taking is grave enough in South Korea to deprive government officials of their jobs, it remained to be seen whether the priests' action would influence the Lee administration. The priests earlier claimed then Prosecutor-general nominee Lim Chai-jin had accepted bribes from Samsung, but Lim won approval from the parliament. (Source: Yonhap News.)

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New S. Korean defense chief honors sailors killed in N. Korea clash -- Wind of Change (Mar 2008) South Korea's new defense minister on Saturday paid his respects to six sailors killed in action during a firefight with North Korea in the Yellow Sea in 2002. The visit to the memorial at 2nd Fleet headquarters in Pyeongtaek, located some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was the first by a South Korean defense minister since the incident took place. (SITE NOTE: For years, the Roh administration has spurned the incident and ignored the deaths of its sailors. The Roh administration should be roundly condemned for its pro-North sentiment at the expense of its "war dead" who died protecting the NLL.)

There have been four different defense ministers since the June 29 clash, which occurred while South Korea was hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, the liberal administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun had downplayed the threat from the communist country, drawing fire from conservatives who accused them of appeasement. Political watchers have been predicting that the South's North Korea policy will change with the administration of new conservative President Lee Myung-bak, who was sworn in earlier this week. In addition to visiting the memorial, the defense chief inspected the emergency readiness of the fleet and its sailors.

Six of the 27 sailors onboard a South Korean boat patrolling the Northern Limit Line (NLL) were killed in 2002 when it was "ambushed" by North Korean vessels. Several other South and North Korean warships also took part in the 25-minute clash, which sunk the South Korean boat and considerably damaged one North Korean boat. The NLL has been an ongoing source of tension between the two countries, as the North has never officially recognized the maritime border that was unilaterally drawn by United Nations forces at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The 2002 clash followed a firefight that broke out in 1999, in which a North Korean gunboat was sunk. Although that clash caused a considerable number of causalities for North Korea, no South Korean sailors were killed. (Source: Yonhap News.)

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Summary Trial for Illegal Protesters by Police (Mar 2008) The National Police Agency announced yesterday that it is pushing to put on a summary trial those who participate in illegal rallies and those who break basic social orders. "It is urgent to cope with illegal demonstrations, but the police alone are not enough. We need to come up with new measures such as a summary trial system, in cooperation with the prosecution or the Supreme Court," Police Commissioner General Eo Cheong-soo said in the local police heads’ meeting on Feb. 11.

The police now are preparing concrete standards that will define who and what kind of actions would be subject to summary justice. A summary trial means a police chief can directly file for punishment of those who committed minor offenses (equivalent to a fine of or less than 200 thousand won or detention) without going through a formal trial. It leaves no criminal record, but violent protesters can be put in prison or a detention room in a police station for less than 30 days.

Jang Jeon-bae, head of the security division of the National Police Agency, said, "Some worry that the police rely on the legal system too much. Many people, however, agree that illegal demonstrators should be punished." The police will also take protesters who cross the police lines drawn in large-scale rallies to the police station. These changes are in line with President Lee Myung-bak’s call to establish the order of law and to enforce it strictly and fairly. However, Oh Chang-ik, director of Citizens` Solidarity for Human Rights, claimed, "We are worried about convenient law enforcement by the police." He said police might be just trying to "hop on the bandwagon." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: I would worry that the summary trial could so easily be abused. The question that I raise would be whether such a summary trial was warranted. Wouldn't it be better to amend the law to identify what constitutes an "illegal demonstration"? Rewrite the regulations to specify fines for an "illegal demonstration" -- and gain a court precedent to hold the leaders of the group pecuniarily liable. Instead of NOT leaving a criminal record, ensure there IS a criminal record as a misdemeanor for violent anti-social behavior -- like that of a belligerent drunk. This will create a paper trail later on if the protestor commits another "violent" infraction of the law.)

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Park Chung-hee Reforms Greatest Historic Achievement: Gallup Poll (Mar 2008) President Park Chung-hee's Saemaeul or New Community Movement, an effort to modernize Korea during the 1970s, was chosen by the largest number of Koreans as the greatest achievement in the 60-year history of the republic. In the polll conducted on 2 Mar by Gallup Korea at the request of the Chosun Ilbo on the daily's 88th anniversary, 40.2 percent picked the Saemaul Movement, followed by the hosting of the Seoul Olympics in 1988 (30.1 percent), and the five-year economic development plans and the development of heavy and chemical industries (29.9 percent). (SITE NOTE: Despite all of Roh Moo-hyun's efforts to undermine Park Chung-hee and pursue his revisionist history ideals, he has failed to change the minds of the people.)

The Seoul-Busan expressway ranked fourth, followed by the hosting of the 2002 football World Cup and the South Korean national football squad's advance into the semifinals. All top five were events that either prompted economic growth or boosted national brands. Respondents also chose the Gwangju Democratization Movement, South Korean semiconductor makers' outstanding performance, the achievement of a US$20,000 per capita income, the inter-Korean summit in 2001, and the pro-democracy movement in 1987, in that order. (SITE NOTE: The Seoul-Busan highway was called the Park Chung-hee folly by the world, but proved to be a success in kick starting the economy from a no-tech society into a low-tech heavy construction one. Kim Dae-jung can take credit for the 2002 World Cup, but the split Japan-Korea venue leaves a bad taste to this day...something the FIFA will never do again of having the sporting event on two nations physically separated by water. However, the progressive side did win points with the Gwangju Riots and pro-democracy movement in 1987.)

An overwhelming majority (80.7 percent) of respondents said the U.S. was a country that influenced Korea positively over the past six decades, while 17.2 percent said the effect was negative. Some 56.9 percent also rated China positively, as against 40.4 percent who gave a negative evaluation. By contrast, more respondents (49.6 percent) gave a negative evaluation of Japan than those who were in favor (48.7 percent). When it comes to North Korea, 69.2 percent said the effect was negative, with 27.2 percent giving a positive evaluation. Some 54.8 percent chose the U.S. as their favorite foreign country, followed by North Korea (14.4). They were followed by China, Japan and Russia. Some 31.4 percent chose Japan as their least favorite foreign country. Here North Korea also ranked second (29.5 percent), followed by Russia, China, and the U.S. (Source: Chosun Ilbo

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11 kg of phenol leaked into Nakdong River: police (Mar 2008) A recent fire at a chemical plant here caused leakage of an estimated 11 kg of phenol into the Nakdong River, the source of tap water for millions of people in the southeastern part of the country, police estimated on 5 Mar. The toxic chemical leaked into the country's longest river - which passes through the major cities of Busan and Daegu - after a fire at a Kolon factory that produces phenolic resin in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on 1 Mar. Up to 11.2 kg of phenol was inside a 10-ton catcher tank at the time of its explosion and probably leaked as a result of containment efforts through water extinguishers into the river, the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency said, citing factory officials. Water supply was briefly cut off in the region, with fears resurfacing of a massive phenol leak similar to that which occured in 1991. (SITE NOTE: The difference is that the government denied the first incident when it happened and tried to cover it up until residents of Pusan forced the government to confess.)

An unknown amount of formaldehyde was also split, but officials said the level of the probable human carcinogen was not dangerous. Only 0.014 parts-per-million of formaldehyde was detected in one of the river branches, far below the World Health Organization's permissible level of 0.9 ppm. "That is one sixtieth of the WHO drinking water standard, and the water is again filtered through the purification system. Not to worry," said Jang Yun-hyun, a provincial environmental official. (Source: Yonhap News.) (SITE NOTE: Finger pointing involves media saying the fire department should have taken measures -- though the fault plainly lies with the company.)

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New Types of Family: Shaking the Conventional Concept of Family (Mar 2008) Constantly changing lifestyles inevitably result in changes in family values. A great number of married men are opting to live as so-called "swan dads" while their children receive an education overseas. Families whose members each live in different countries are called "network families." They communicate via Internet messengers and blogs, and even those older than 60 use email to keep in touch with their families. Such network families appear as if they don’t fight often, as they don’t get to see one another much, but their family bonds are relatively weak. They inevitably face an enormous feeling of loneliness and try to find solace in all kinds of leisure activities, which only push them mentally farther away from their family. Members of network families need to apply great effort to maintaining strong family ties.

Other new types of families include married couples with older wives and younger husbands and couples with the wife being remarried and the husband being married for the first time. These two types of families are a result of women’s growing financial power and men’s softer nature. Age doesn’t matter anymore when it comes to marriage. In fact, age differences keep growing these days, as more couples get divorced and remarried. Many couples comprise spouses of different age demographics because they each shoulder part of the burden of the family budget.

International marriages have also become quite common in Korea recently. Interracial families reveal biases in Korean society against foreigners. International couples, with one of the spouses being a foreign national, now make up six percent of households in the nation, but their children face cultural and other barriers due to their biracial heritage.

An ideal multicultural society is not one that forces non-mainstream culture to integrate with a homogeneous mainstream culture (Korean culture in the eyes of foreigners) or mixes all its members into a new culture without national identities, but one that respects and recognizes each member’s identity. For example, in an ideal multicultural society, it is not just Vietnamese women married to Korean men in Korea who should learn the language of their husbands; their husbands’ families must should the Vietnamese language and culture as well.

About 160,000 couples divorced in 2006. Six out of ten divorced couples have children. Nearly 80,000 couples got remarried in 2005 (either one spouse or both spouses). The conventional type of family does not exist anymore, as a growing number of families have either no wife or husband or neither, or have a wife of a foreign nationality. New types of families have also emerged recently, some having grown-up single children who decline to live independently from their parents, and others with children who have a higher education but are financially dependent on their parents. Some blame severe youth unemployment for this phenomenon, but the underlying reason is the lack of the will to work. Statistics show that the number of young people living reclusively in their homes in extreme isolation now reaches 300,000 in Korea and one million in Japan. Society must deal with new types of families and come up with measures to ensure labor power and develop human resources.

New Family Relations Registration Act

This year the government enacted a new family relations registration law that abolishes census registration and enables each individual to receive a new family relations registry. More than 1,470 applications for new family registries were received just six days after the law took effect.

Unlike previous census registration papers, which revealed too much personal information, including divorces, new family registries are available in five types, each having its own purpose, such as basic family relations, marital status and adoption. New family registries list an individual’s current address instead of his or her permanent domicile, as well as the names, dates of birth, resident registration numbers, gender and family origins of the individual, his or her parents, spouse and children. Under the new law, family members can choose any permanent address they want, whereas in the past they had to follow the address of the head of the family.

Basic family certificates list an individual’s permanent address, name, date of birth, resident registration number, gender and family origin. They also include information on birth, nationality and name changes. Certificates of marital status list an individual’s permanent address, name, date of birth, resident registration number, gender and family origin as well as basic information on the spouse and details of marriage registration.

The new law also permits children to take the family names of their mothers at the consent of both parents. However, siblings must have the same family names. The law also provides separate certificates for adoption and step-children taking the family names of their stepfathers. These two documents don’t mention anything about "adoption" or "stepchildren" whatsoever. In fact, this aspect of the new law was particularly welcomed by couples who adopted children in the past but had to keep it secret from others. The law also permits the children of remarried women to take the family names of their stepfathers. Many remarried couples rushed to change the surnames of their children to eliminate any inconveniences that their offspring might face in the future because their family names are different from those of their stepfathers. (Source: KBS Global.)

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1st Korean Astronaut Could Be a Woman (Mar 2008) Signs have appeared that the Korean who is slated to become the first Korean in space, Ko San, will be replaced by his female backup Yi So-yeon. Sources close to the situation said Sunday that Lee was transferred to the official boarding team Friday to begin training there in place of Ko, adding Lee could replace Ko in the Russian Soyuz mission.
Ko San

Yi is confirmed to have undergone onboard training on 7 Mar with two cosmonauts who trained with Ko at Moscow’s Gagarin Center. Ko was selected as his country’s first to travel in space. Both he and Lee received separate training with different Russian crews, but their roles have since changed. They are also known to have unable to leave the center 8 Mar or 9 Mar, the last two days which they were allowed out, due to a ban by the Russian side.

Baek Hong-ryeol, head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, recently visited the center and coordinated the training with the Russian side. Officials from Korea’s Education, Science and Technology Ministry also summoned emergency meetings successively from 6 Mar. If Lee goes into space instead of Ko, the likely reasons are Ko’s health or a mistake in the course of training. But experts say the project to produce Korean astronauts will proceed without fail even if the astronaut is changed. Lee has been undergoing training for unexpected occurrences. The Russian side will hold final tests March 17 and 18 and select either Ko or Lee as the first Korean to board Soyuz on March 19. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: This is big news as the most startling hype of the mission was that Korean food would go aloft and that Ko's mission highlight was to mix the soil of both Koreas in space. We were surprised that more hype was not given to Ko who has movie-star good looks. Ko, South Korean scientist and amateur boxer, said on 15 Jan that he would take soil from each side of the divided Korean peninsula into space and mix them together during his flight. Kind of sad that Ko San's future had already been decided that he was to become the Ambassador for Space Flight as well as Researcher at KARI.)


South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon (L) and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov (C) and Oleg Kononenko pose for a picture during their training in Star City near Moscow (7 March 2008) (Reuters)

S. Korea to send woman into space (Mar 2008) With less than a month to go before its first astronaut travels into space, South Korea has made a last-minute change, selecting a woman instead of a man, the government said on 10 Mar. The switch would make Yi So-yeon the second Asian woman to go into space, following Chiaki Mukai of Japan who made two trips into orbit in the 1990s. In a news briefing, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said it has decided to switch its primary astronaut candidate for the planned April 8 launch from Ko San to Yi following requests from Russian evaluators. "The main reason for the change is based on two consecutive violations of training protocol by Ko," said Lee Sang-mok, the head of the ministry's space technology bureau. Ko mistakenly sent a mission training manual home along with his personal belongings last September, but it was sent back immediately. Last month he acquired a spacecraft pilot's instructions that he was not authorized to read. The South Korean astronaut is a mission specialist and is required to carry out various scientific experiments in space. "Ko was aware of the rules and signed an agreement not to break them on entering the program," Lee said. Controllers from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) had also warned him to be careful to abide by the rules, he added. The official speculated that an urge to study every aspect of the space program may have prompted Ko to study material that he was not authorized to read.


Yi So-yeon

KARI president Paik Hong-yul said the Russians emphasized the importance of following rules because minor mistakes and disobedience could have serious consequences in space. The scientist said that Russia sent a report on the infractions on 7 Mar along with the result of medical tests and asked South Korea to make the "right decision" on this issue. Paik said an expert panel was convened over the weekend and the final decision to make the switch was made earlier in the day. "Ko, however, will not be penalized for being made the backup astronaut and no changes will be made to his current status as senior researcher at KARI," the expert said.

Local authorities, meanwhile, said because Yi and Ko were trained side-by-side, Yi will have no difficulty becoming the primary astronaut. Yi started primary astronaut training late last week. Yi and Ko were selected as finalists from 36,206 hopefuls in late 2006, but Ko was picked last September to go to the International Space Station based on evaluations conducted at that time. The 29-year-old Yi, a doctoral candidate in bio systems engineering, was named the backup and trained alongside her male counterpart. (SITE NOTE: Yi was awarded her doctorate while in training.)

Under the latest change, the native of Gwangju will blast off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Space Center on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and stay on board the space station for about a week, conducting various experiments. She is scheduled to board a capsule for earth on April 19. Of the hundreds of people who have gone into space, only 49 were women. The United States has the most female astronauts, having sent 41 into space including those with Asian ethnic backgrounds, followed by three from Russia, including Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go into space in 1963. Canada has sent two women into space, while Japan, France and Britain have sent one each. (Source: Yonhap News.)

First Korean Astronaut Goes Into Space (Apr 2008) The first Korean has gone into space. Carrying South Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon (30) and two other astronauts, the Soyuz-FG rocket blasted off successfully from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome or Space Center about 2,100 km southeast of Moscow at 8:16:39 p.m. on Tuesday by Korean standard time. The Soyuz TMA-12, in which the three astronauts sit shoulder to shoulder, completely separated from the rocket in three stages after eight minutes and 48 seconds. The spacecraft then ignited its own engine to fly at the speed of 1,500m per second and reach its initial orbit of 220 km from Earth nine minutes and 48 seconds after launch. Rocket & Space Corporation Energia, the manufacturer of the Soyuz rocket, announced the spacecraft entered orbit as scheduled and the launch was successful.


Yi So-yeon, Korea's first astronaut, sits in the cockpit prior to the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Tuesday in this picture broadcast by SBS. /Courtesy of SBS/ Newsis



The spacecraft will circle Earth 34 times before docking at the International Space Station 350 km above the Earth's surface at about 10 p.m. on Thursday. At the space station, Yi will perform various activities including 18 scientific experiments and communicate with South Korean students. The spacecraft carrying Yi, American astronaut Peggy Whitson, and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko will land on the vast grasslands north of Kazakhstan at 5:38 p.m. on April 19.

Yi is the 475th astronaut since Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space in 1961. She is the 49th woman astronaut, but only the second woman from Asia after Japan’s Chiaki Mukai, who traveled into space in 1994. Korea Aerospace Research Institute president Paik Hong-yul (58) said, "Korea's space science has taken its first step. We've so far shown interest in the development of satellites and space rockets, but we should pay attention to a manned space probe from now on." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: Amusingly kids in Korea wanted Yi Soyeon to research the existence of extraterrestrials in her voyage. Though Korea is boasting, the truth is that this is simply a "space tourist" mission. Pay a hefty sum and tag along for a ride. That said, it still is a boost to the national pride for kids.)

Korean Astronaut Arrives at Space Station (Apr 2008) Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon arrived at the International Space Station at 12:40 a.m. on Friday, 11 Apr. On arrival, Yi promised to do her best to carry out her missions. The Soyuz spacecraft carrying Yi docked at the ISS at 9:57 p.m. 10 Apr, and astronauts spent three hours to firmly secure the spacecraft to the ISS and stabilize atmospheric pressure before entering the space station.

Yi held a press conference after arriving at the ISS and also talked with her mother, who was waiting at the Mission Control Center in Moscow. “I love you and dad,” she said. Her mother, Jeong Geum-soon, answered, “I’m proud of you. Take care of yourself and carry out your missions well.” On the first day at the ISS, Yi was given an orientation from senior astronauts and installed a device to start the space experiments assigned to her. The experiments include studies of the germination, growth and mutation of plants in space, the effects of micro-gravity on eye pressure, the effects of a space environment on the heart, and a study on gravitational effects on aging and genes. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

Yi So-yeon Returns (Apr 2008) South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, landed safely in Kazakhstan after spending 12 days in space, the Russian Federal Space Agency said on 19 Apr. The agency said that the Soyuz TMA-11 capsule carrying Yi, U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko landed in a field 420 kilometers west of the designated landing site close to the Russia-Kazakhstan border. It said the capsule landed on time at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), although it took 20 minutes for authorities to confirm the landing because of problems with communications. The wide deviation from the original landing zone also delayed the arrival of rescue helicopters and the exit of the crew from the capsule, which was lying on its side.

The agency responsible for Seoul's manned space program said Yi will be tasked with research and development work related to various scientific programs, and work as a liaison officer with foreign experts, astronauts and aerospace institutes. In addition, she will work as a "science ambassador," giving lectures and talking to the general public about the need for space exploration. (SITE NOTE: After Yi So-yeon's return to the ROK, the media started complaining that the ROK spent millions and implied that they were "cheated" because the Korean sponsors logos were not prominently displayed in space. Other media reports complain that the emergency landing had placed Yi So-yeon in danger and the rough landing has caused her back pains. The media just expected more -- but the truth is that she was simply a tourist spaceman sitting in a rented seat paid for by ROK funds. The Chosun Ilbo stated, "But Korea has not made an issue of the incident. A KARI astronaut program official merely said, “We agreed with Russia to make efforts to prevent negative news reports.” A university professor of aviation and space critically said, “Such remarks are not the kind of statement expected from a customer who has paid a whopping W20 billion (US$1=W996). The country’s astronaut program has turned into an ugly monstrosity, as our government was denied proper status in the bilateral contract as a result of its lack of negotiation ability.” In an interview in Moscow last Tuesday, Yi said although the retro rocket engine operated, she felt “enormous gravity pull on my body because the spaceship was descending at a great speed. I thought this may be the way a human being dies.” Quoting an anonymous Russian official, the Interfax news agency reported that during re-entry into the atmosphere, the spaceship was flying upside down, forcing its heat sink panel to be placed at the back and its hatch to hit the atmosphere directly. This suggested that the astronauts’ safety was in danger because the hatch could have melted." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.))

UPDATE (Jun 2008): Though Yi So-yeon sustained some back problems due to the hard landing, she continued to portray a positive image of the mission. However, her acceptance as a "space ambassador" by Koreans was received with luke-warm reception in general. Ko San laid an accusation against the Korean NIS interferring in the program and leading to his being replaced, but nothing developed from it. Ko San has quickly sunk into obsurity because of the Korean people's penchant to laud winners and forget second-place finishers.

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S. Korea dominates while Ohno becomes individual champ (Mar 2008) South Korea swept four of the six titles at stake on the last day of the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships on 9 Mar, but Apolo Anton Ohno of the United States reigned as the overall men's individual champion. South Korea's Lee Seung-hoon charged forward early in the men's 3,000-meter race and retained the lead to win the gold medal in 4 minutes, 53.620 seconds. His compatriot Lee Ho-suk edged Ohno earlier in the men's 1,000-meter race to claim his gold medal in 1:26.462. (SITE NOTE: The Koreans haven't forgotten the 2002 Winter Olympics when Ohno won the gold over a Korean. Ohno was booed by the Koreans when he entered and the Koreans cheered loudly when Ohno was disqualified for blocking. Though Ohno tried to be gracious in his comments, the ROK sitll had bitterness.)

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Hanchongryeon Fails to Elect Leader (Mar 2008) The South Korean Federation of University Student Councils, or Hanchongryon, failed yesterday to elect a president for the first time in its 16-year history. The federation cited Sunday the absence of delegate candidates who wanted to run for president. "A university’s student representative who was supposed to run in the election gave up due to opposition from his family," a source said. "We extended the enrollment deadline for one month and persuaded university student representatives to run for the presidency, but we could not find a candidate by the new deadline of March 15." The federation held an emergency meeting at Hanyang University Friday with 280 members attending, including 70 college and university representatives from some 40 universities in Korea. Kim Hyeon-ung, student representative of Chonnam National University, was elected the interim leader of the federation. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: It is apparent that with the Lee Myeong-bak faction in power, students are starting think about the costs to their future. Under Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, they received slaps on the wrists for violent demonstrations. Now under LMB, the promise is to hold the leaders responsible for the violence of their groups -- meaning jail, fines (large amounts to include cost for damage and administrative costs of illegal rallies), and impacts to their future as the former slaps on the wrists will now be looked at by companies when they seek a job.)

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2nd West Coast Expressway to Open in 2018 (Mar 2008) Come 2018 the second West Coast Expressway will be open along the nation's western coastline. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs says the construction of about 110 km of expressway will be divided into two phases. Phase one involves the stretch between Shiheung and Pyeongtaek where construction will begin as soon as the end of this month, to be completed by 2012. Phase two, to link Pyeongtaek and Hongseong, will begin in 2013 and be completed by 2018. The original West Coast Expressway constructed in 2001 linked Incheon and Mokpo, reducing travel time as much as four hours while saving at least W600 billion (US$1=W988) a year in distribution costs. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

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Crime: Korea Joins Unsafe Countries (Mar 2008) There are 2.2 murder victims every 100,000 people in Korea, making the country the ninth unsafe one to live in among 30 OECD members. On March 27, the Korea Development Institute published a report dubbed "Historical Evaluation of Korea's Fiscal Policies," pointing out the country's need to increase its budget for policing. According to the report, as of 2004, out of 100,000 people, Mexico top the list with 13 murder victims, followed by the U.S. (5.6), Turkey (3.8), Slovakia (2.7), Switzerland (2.6), Portugal (2.6), Czech (2.3) and Hungary (2.3).

Compared to these places, Korea was safer. Korea has been deemed a safe nation because it outlaws the possession of guns. But the results showed that Korea is not as safe as it was thought to be. Canada, Poland, Australia and Germany all had less than two victims every 100,000 people and the Netherlands, Austria and Luxemburg had less than one. Japan was found to be the safest with the smallest number of 0.5. While Korea is more or less unsafe in terms of public security, it is a country where citizens' right to property is relatively well-protected with civil lawsuits. Korea ranked 10th among 200 countries in a comprehensive evaluation on the protection of private property because of its litigation procedures and low costs. It takes, on average, 230 days to complete a procedure whereas in Singapore it takes 120 days to do the same. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

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April 2008

Lethal Bird Flu Strain Makes First April Appearance (Apr 2008) A case of avian influenza at a farm in Gimje, North Jeolla Province was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It is the first time an infection of the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been reported this late in the year here. So far in Korea, highly pathogenic bird flu cases were only reported between November and February. Authorities have linked the later outbreak to climate change. The deadly H5N1 strain can affects humans and even kill them if they come in contact with infected birds. Authorities will cull 308,000 chickens and destroy eggs at seven farms within 500 m from the infected farm. The first bird flu case was reported in Korea in 2003. No human victims have been reported. Between 2003 and March this year, 372 people were infected and 235 died in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

The South Korean government said on 4 Apr that it is trying to determine the cause of an outbreak of bird flu at a poultry farm in the southwest coast of the country. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said blood samples of the infected birds from the farm, located 260 kilometers south of Seoul, and those from 11 foreign workers from China, Vietnam and Mongolia have been taken for analysis. It said quarantine officials are also collecting blood samples from migratory birds at a nearby river where a duck was found to be carrying an anti-body to the H5N1 virus late last year. (SITE NOTE: This has a major impact on chicken exporters to Japan and China. In June 2007, the ROK was declared risk-free from Avian Influenza and no restrictions on exports were levied. Three months have to pass before a risk-free status is given again. However, with this latest outbreak, ALL chicken exporters are affected, not only the ones from the Kimje area. More will be heard on this issue as the month passes.)

Quarantine officials have disposed of poultry livestock in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, after a new case of bird flu was confirmed at a chicken farm in the area. The local authorities said they were in the process of culling and burying over 270-thousand chickens within a 500 meter radius of the infected farm. In addition, all poultry livestock within a three-kilometer radius of the farm is restricted from being transported. In the wake of the outbreak, the provincial government bolstered efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, and added five more quarantine checkpoints to the existing 20 in the region. (Source: KBS Global.)

Another Bird Flu Case in N.Jeolla Province (Apr 2008) Another case of bird flu has been reported at a duck farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. Authorities are investigating whether it was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain after a highly pathogenic case was confirmed in Gimje in the province late last week. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on on 6 Apr said 6,000 ducks died from the disease at the Jeongeup farm since March 31. The ministry will soon announce the results of testing whether the cause was the H5N1 strain, which can affect humans.

The ministry culled the remaining 6,500 ducks and banned transport of chickens and ducks to other areas from farms within 10 km of the infected farm. Quarantine authorities found that 6,500 ducks had been moved to a butchery in Naju, South Jeolla Province before the bird flu case was reported. They have now taken stronger quarantine measures. Meanwhile, a duck farm in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province is suspected of being infected, and the ministry has launched an investigation. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

Bird Flu Spreads (Apr 2008) The government said on 14 Apr that 32 outbreaks of the bird flu in southwestern South Korea have either been confirmed or are suspected, despite intensified quarantine efforts. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said two new cases were reported in Hampyeong and Iksan late 13 Apr (Source: Yonhap News.)

On 16 Apr, the Stars and Stripes reported that South Korean officials announced an additional suspected bird flu outbreak in Pyeongtaek. A chicken farm in Pyeongtaek reported dead birds on 14 Apr, according to the Yonhap News Agency. Yonhap reported that officials there killed 26,000 birds. A total of 5.32 million birds had been killed nationwide as of 21 Apr.

Soldier may have first human case of bird flu here (Apr 2008) A soldier who helped slaughter poultry infected with avian influenza might have the first human case of the disease in Korea, the Health Ministry said on 21 Apr. "The soldier slaughtered poultry on Friday and Saturday, and his symptoms meet the criteria of a suspected avian influenza patient under the World Health Organization manual," the ministry said in a release. "His condition, however, is close to that of a bacterial pneumonia patient, so we are closely monitoring him."

The ministry quoted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as saying a soldier had respiratory complications after killing infected chickens and ducks last week. The soldier is being treated and monitored in a quarantine ward. The ministry said tests are being conducted and it will take one to three weeks for a final confirmation.

Since April 1, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed dozens of outbreaks of the highly contagious strain of the virus called H5N1, which is capable of infecting humans. Most outbreaks have been in South and North Jeolla. The first H5N1 outbreak occurred in Korea in 2003, but there has never been a confirmed human case here. The virus has killed 207 people in 12 other countries since November 2007, according to World Health Organization data.

The release said the soldier's condition improved after he received antibiotics and that everyone who had contact with him were also given medicine and will be monitored for 10 days. The ministry issued the statement following a story in yesterday's editions of the Seoul Shinmun, a daily newspaper, which reported that a 22-year-old corporal in Sunchang, North Jeolla, may have gotten avian influenza. Quoting a government report, the newspaper identified the corporal only by his family name, Cho. After returning to his base after the culling, Cho developed a high fever starting on Sunday and was transported to the Army Hospital in Seongnam, the report said. "Cho's temperature went up to 39.8 degrees Celsius [103.6 F] and he fell unconscious, so we suspected it was an avian influenza infection," Capt. Wi Seong-hyeon of Cho's unit told the newspaper. "We transported him to the army hospital and reported the case to the Sunchang health authorities." The ministry later denied that the soldier in question became unconscious. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: The soldier recovered in April 2008 and returned to duty. The KCNC stated he did NOT have bird flu. He was infected with the H5 strain, it said, but did not develop symptoms because the virus's presence was weak. Center officials said Wednesday in a statement that the soldier, identified only by the last name Cho, had suffered from bacterial pneumonia, not avian influenza, known as bird flu.)

Highly pathogenic bird flu strain killed chickens in Daegu: quarantine service (May 2008) According to Yonhap News, South Korea's quarantine service said on 3 May that a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus was responsible for the sudden death of chickens at a private home in Daegu. The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said the H5N1 strain of the bird flu killed the five birds at the private home in the industrial city 302 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Gov't takes drastic action to check bird flu spread (May 2008) The government said on 5 May that it will kill and bury 400,000 birds in Anseong after a poultry farm reported a suspected avian influenza outbreak over the weekend. The measure that affects 12 poultry farms in the city 77 kilometers south of Seoul is being taken despite the lack of definitive test results indicating why several thousand birds died suddenly, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. It said the stepped-up quarantine measures are designed to prevent the further spread of the virus that has resulted in the culling of 6 million birds since April. In the past, the government usually waited for definitive test results before destroying birds in nearby farms.

A poultry farmer reported on Sunday that of the 57,000 chickens he is raising 4,000 died within a very short period. "The initial on-site tests conducted at the chicken farm showed the existence of the H5 bird flu strain," an official said. He added all surviving birds at the farm have been destroyed while those within a three kilometer radius are being culled.

The outbreak in Anseong is the second time a bird flu outbreak has been reported in Gyeonggi province. The first case was in Pyeongtaek near Anseong, when birds tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu. The ministry, meanwhile, said that the Anseong case brings the number of bird flu reports to 59 this year. Of these, 32 were caused by the influenza and 21 were caused by other diseases. The remaining six cases are currently undergoing detailed tests. The country has been hit twice before by bird flu outbreaks, once during the winter months of 2003-2004 and once during 2006-2007. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Seoul shuts park, probes open market for avian flu (May 2008) Seoul officials have closed a children’s park and are investigating an open-air market after four birds were discovered to have been contaminated with avian flu, according to South Korean news reports. South Korean officials have struggled to contain outbreaks at poultry farms in recent weeks. Nearly 4 million poultry and 30 million eggs have been destroyed.

It’s the first time avian flu has reached Seoul, according to a Korea Times report, and authorities closed Children’s Grand Park, about a half-mile from where the birds died. Migrating water fowl typically spread the disease to domestic chickens, ducks and other fowl. Birds carry the virus in their saliva and feces, spread it easily to each other and die rapidly, usually within 48 hours of contracting the disease. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: On 9 May the government and ruling party said that the butchering of chickens and ducks at traditional markets and restaurants will be prohibited to contain the spread of bird flu. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Grand National Party (GNP) said the measures are designed to deal once and for all with the worst bird flu outbreak in South Korean history. Only Jeju Island off the southern coast has been spared from the latest bird flu scare, with all other parts of the country reporting cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.) s

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Summit: Bush: FTA push, NATO+3 Approval, and U.S. troops to stay put (18-19 Apr 2008) U.S. President George W. Bush said Washington will halt its plan to cut the current U.S. military presence in South Korea by one-third and will instead keep the current level of 28,500. Bush also promised Seoul the same level of access to U.S. weapons as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. (SITE NOTE: The entourage arrived in Washington on Wed 16 Apr (local) in preparation for the weekend summit.)

The comments came as leaders of the United States and South Korea said they have agreed to expand the Korea-U.S. alliance from the Korean Peninsula to elsewhere in the world.Under the plan, Korea will contribute more to U.S.-led efforts to spread the market economy and democracy. The four-day US visit was rich in pomp and ceremony and the South Korean leader got to spend two days at the presidential retreat in Camp David, an honour never bestowed upon a South Korean leader before, but the results from a South Korean stand point were few so much so that The Korea Times called it in "empty hospitality". Illustrating the changing relationship between Seoul and Washington, Bush invited Lee to a Camp David summit for the first time in the history of bilateral diplomacy in a show of his personal trust toward the new conservative South Korean leader.

But the two presidents said specific details of the newly upgraded alliance, called a 21st Century Strategic Alliance, will be outlined in another round of talks to be held in July when President Bush visits South Korea. (SITE NOTE: The bill was passed by Congress in Feb 2008. Nothing wrong here as the ROK buys from the US. The ROK really needs to upgrade its military hardware...FAST!!! The biggest unannounced issue is the WRSA-K issue over the munitions. Time is running out. In addition, there will be pressure growing over its failure to put up the used PAC-2 system. The US is providing its missile defense up to now. This is a MAJOR problem due to the failures of the Roh Moo-hyun administration. In addition, since the current troop levels are to be maintained, it is certain the U.S. government will urge South Korea to increase its host nation support to meet the cost of stationing the U.S. forces. The United States has been asking South Korea to increase its support from the current 43 percent to 50 percent. This cost-sharing negotiations are on-going and must be settled before the Oct SCM. The costs for 2008 are settled, but there has been no agreement on 2009 and 2010. Interestingly, "informal discussions" were raised during the latest PSI over the removal of one squadron of F-16s. This freezing of numbers is also a eyewash game as unsubstantiated reports say that troop levels are already down to 27,000 -- meaning 28,500 is on the books, but many slots are unfilled.)

Kim Seong-hwan, international relations professor at Korea University, said, "Now with South Korea forging far stronger and broader alliance with the U.S. than ever, one must see how China will react." "We reached an agreement to maintain the current U.S. troop level on the Peninsula. This is mutual agreement that benefits both our nations and will strengthen our alliance," Bush said in a joint press conference held in Camp David, Maryland. The conference wrapped up a two-day presidential summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

The decision marks a sharp turnaround from Washington's prior plan to reduce the U.S. military stronghold here by 3,500 to some 25,000 by the end of this year. Many experts viewed the proposed reduction as a sign of eroding defense and political ties between the two countries. (SITE NOTE: The ROK immediately tried to say that it was Gen Bell's idea to stop the numbers -- when in fact Gen Bell wanted the turn over to happen in 2008. However, the ROK has not done its share to make it happen. The U.S. government has also asked the ROK to extend new assistance for reconstruction programs in Afghanistan, from which South Korea withdrew its troops last year. It also is highly probable the United States will request that South Korea make further contributions to cover the dispatch of U.S. troops to Iraq, where troop deployments have been extended. In light of these issues, a certain level of disorder is expected in South Korea--including some political backlash.)

"Korea has asked to upgrade its foreign military sales status with the United States and to have the same access to U.S. military technologies as NATO and other key allies, and I strongly support this request," President Bush said. Under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, South Korea has to go through a long Congressional review whenever it makes an order worth more than $50 million from U.S. weapons producers. But according to the upcoming change in its status, the $50 million ceiling is lifted to $100 million and Congressional review will take no more than 15 days.


Bush and Lee at Camp David (21 Apr 2008)

President Bush also said he would try to win the long-delayed Congressional approval on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. The comment came a day after Seoul announced a full resumption of U.S. beef imports, as demanded by many Capitol Hill legislators who threatened to veto the trade bill unless Seoul fully opens up its beef market to U.S. imports. "The Korea free-trade agreement is a priority for this administration, and we will press hard with the United States Congress," President Bush said. (SITE NOTE: This is an old Bush promise. The U.S. government says it wants the ROK-U.S. FTA enacted before Congress adjourns in September. However, clouds are darkening over the FTA even though the ROK allowed beef imports to begin again. However, in the fine print of the beef opening agreement, the ROK retains the right to implement the quarantine system again. In other words, if the FTA passes, it's cool. If the FTA fails, the quarantines happen again...and even if the FTA passes, at some later date, the quarantines can still return. After the notice of the beef opening, the Australian beef sold at 50 percent more than US beef dropped off. In addition, Korean beef also dropped in price. Bad tidings for future events.)

The two presidents also said the countries signed a memorandum of understanding on U.S. visa waiver programs for Koreans, so that they can visit the U.S. without a visa for up to a month. While Washington made several announcements in favor of Seoul, some issues the U.S. has long asked that Seoul carry out were left unmentioned. For instance, the two leaders did not address how Seoul will respond to Washington's request to join the U.S.-led missile defense program and proliferation security initiative, aimed at intercepting any shipments of weapons of mass destruction and missiles. (SITE NOTE: A MOU was signed on the VWP, but there are still the fine print issues that the US has to overcome. Outlook is that the VWP entry will not be very soon though the ROK keeps touting it in the media. The bottom line is that the ROK will blame the US for the stall when the VWP does NOT come about in 2008. As to the ROK aiding in Afghanistan again, the ROK wants to send 10 policemen to train the Afghan police at the police academy in May. The spokesman denied allegations of a troop dispatch to the country. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reportedly asked Rep. Chung for the Korean government to re-deploy troops to Afghanistan to train police and military personnel when he visited the United States in February. Critics allege the scheduled policemen dispatch was Lee's other ``gift'' to U.S. President George W. Bush, in addition to his alleged concessions in a beef imports deal. Some gift...it is nothing of substance -- 10 cops hiding in the safety of the police academy.)

But President Lee hinted that such politically sensitive issues may be discussed at the upcoming presidential summit in Seoul. "As the international situation as well as the economic and security situation change dramatically, our alliance is also called upon to undergo new changes," Lee said in the press conference. Both leaders also stressed the equally stern stance towards North Korea's nuclear program, highlighting the need for a complete verification of the country's soon-to-be declared list of its nuclear inventory and activities. "I believe if North Korea's declaration is not satisfactory or if the verification is not satisfactory, we could probably have a temporary achievement, but in the long term, that will cause a lot more serious problems," Lee said. (SITE NOTE: There are serious questions over the North as the US moves into a ludicrous appeasement mode. The US is scrambling as the opposition to the latest "agreement" has been made public.) (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

The summit was set to focus on the six-country talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons drive, with the White House seemingly bending backwards in hopes of a breakthrough before Bush leaves office in January 2009.

Japan Summit (20-21 April 2008) For many analysts South Korea's new President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Japan on 20-21 April is the beginning of a new era in the relations between the two countries. Although it might appear as a simple courtesy call since Mr Lee was coming home from his first state visit to the United States, in reality more political agreements were signed in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda than in Washington with President George W. Bush.

The four-day US visit was rich in pomp and ceremony and the South Korean leader got to spend two days at the presidential retreat in Camp David, an honour never bestowed upon a South Korean leader before, but the results from a South Korean stand point were few so much so that The Korea Times called it in "empty hospitality". By contrast in Tokyo, Mr Lee had long talks with the Japanese prime minister, a meeting with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial palace, an exchange with Japanese students on national television and a meeting with Korean nationals living in Japan.

Two months ago on the day he began his mandate (25 February) and before meeting any diplomat, Mr Lee expressed in a phone call to Mr Fukuda a desire to visit Japan soon. Since then officials from the two countries have worked overtime to prepare this summit which is seen as the start of a new era. The fact that the two leaders share a similar political and diplomatic outlook is at the root of their success.

In the joint press conference Mr Lee compared the new ties to a "deep-rooted tree which is not easily shaken by strong winds," whilst Fukuda spoke of the strengthened cooperation for the peace and prosperity of North-East Asia and the world. Despite his pragmatism Lee does not intend to sweep the past under the carpet but he also does not want it to govern Korean-Japanese relations. With Mr Fukuda by his side he said: "We cannot forget past history. However, we must not create barriers to the future by becoming consumed by that history." In order to bolster relations the two leaders signed three agreements with the economic one as the most important. Although South Korea has the 14th economy in the world and is number 4 in Asia, it is going through tough times right now.

Its balance of payments with Japan sports a US$ 30 billion deficit, due by and large to the previous administration's politically motivated cold shoulder to bilateral economic relations. Under the new deal regular bilateral economic talks are to resume immediately.

A second agreement renews the two-nation shuttle diplomacy including regular and frequent summits between the leaders of the two countries. Former South Korean President Roh Moo-yung had stopped them unilaterally and whipped up anti-Japanese feelings among large segments of the population in order to buttress his declining popularity.

Finally, a third agreement calls for easy visas for young people from both nations to travel on their respective national holidays so that mutual understanding among younger generations can improve, thus making for better diplomacy.

At an international level the two countries plan to work together to tackle global problems like environmental degradation and help poor nations, especially in Africa. Mr Lee has already been invited to attend as an observer the next G8 Summit scheduled for Hokkaido Island (Japan) which will focus on global warming. Following a tradition that began in 1990, Lee Myung-bak invited Japanese Emperor Akihito to travel to Korea this year. He made the invitation during his visit to the Imperial Palace. This time though the invitation took on a different tone, not only because of the cordial atmosphere, but also because the South Korean president put a date to the visit: "this year". As he is wont to do the Japanese monarch said that his overseas visits are decided by the government. In the past no answer was given to the invitation.

But now conditions are more favourable and this for three reasons. First, because of Prime Minister Fukuda interpersonal relations are good. Secondly, since the 2002 World Cup millions of Koreans and Japanese travel to each others' countries each year. Lastly this year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea. It would be fitting for Japan's monarch to visit and mend fences for what was inflicted on South Korea during the reign of his father, Hirohito.

In 1992 Emperor Akihito visited China on the 20th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two countries. For The Korea Herald, in its editorial page, "The social and political environment of Korea in 2008 is far more favourable than that of China 16 years ago". The invitation should thus not become a lost opportunity; better this year than in 2010, the centennial of Japan's takeover of Korea as a colony, a date that is likely to revive animosity.

For both leaders the 21 April summit was the first step on the path of diplomatic maturity. Sadly though nationalist undercurrents in both countries continue to stir emotions and cast a shadow over the two leaders' brighter vision. (Source: Asia News.)

Reviews of Summit (Apr 2008) President Lee Myung-bak has made his diplomatic debut on the international stage. Lee agreed to pursue “a 21st century strategic alliance” with the United States and “a mature partnership” with Japan. Though a more comprehensive evaluation of the Lee administration’s overseas strategies will be possible after Lee’s visit to China, slated for late May, and his visit to Russia, due to take place during the second half of this year, it can be said that he established a framework for the new government’s foreign policy.

Reviews of Lee’s trips to Washington and Tokyo have been mixed. Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House, remarked on April 22 that Lee had established friendship and trust with the leaders of the United States and Japan, the nation’s traditional partners, and strengthened the foundation for the development of cooperative relations between the countries. According to the presidential office, President Lee has prepared a basis for restoring relations with the United States; by committing to overcoming the “lost decade,” as is repeatedly stressed by the new government, he also has outlined a format for improving relations with Japan.

The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy’s Center for Peaceful Disarmament, however, pointed out that the Korean government has not sought the values the nation should aim for as a member of the international community, nor the roles which are required of it. The center urged the nation to establish a vision and goals for the future of the Korean Peninsula, saying that the ROK-U.S. alliance should be a tool for peace and stability on the peninsula, not as a vision or policy goal in and of itself.

There has also been criticism of a plan that aims to strengthen triangular cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo but centers on the alliance with the United States, with some saying that it is a degradation of foreign policy and is reminiscent of Cold War security and diplomacy. Such criticism is based on two issues, one of which has to do with China. Professor Nam Chang-hee of Inha University said, “The concept of a 21st strategic alliance between Seoul and Washington means, militarily, the extension of the role of the U.S. forces in Korea and the expansion of South Korea’s participation (in global security issues); diplomatically, the goal is to restrain Beijing.” (Source: Hankyoreh News.)

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Teenagers Dissatisfied with Korean Society (Apr 2008) Teenagers’ dissatisfaction with Korean society has been found to be intense. Moreover, one in three teenagers say that when they grow up they want to raise their children in another country, the survey found, raising fears of a deepening of the "wild goose parent" phenomenon in Korean society.

On the 31 Mar the National Youth Policy Institute released the results of its survey of teens in Korea, titled "Survey of the Values of Korean Teenagers" and conducted on 6,160 middle and high school students in Korea, according to which 50.4% of respondents said, "if I were reborn I would want to be from a different country". Just 38.7% answered, "I will do what I can for my country in an emergency," and 50.3% said, "the country’s development is my development."

On the public domains of our society — politics and the media — teens take a somewhat defiant posture. Asked, "do you have confidence in the National Assembly?" just 8.9% said yes, and a mere 22.6% have confidence in the president. No more than 31.2% said that they trust the media.

That is a shockingly poor showing compared to levels of confidence in their private lives — 95.2% in their parents and 89.2% in their friends. 51.4% of teens consider their hagwon lessons to be overwhelmingly superior to their public school lessons. Their confidence in society overall was scored 41 out of 100.

Survey overseer Oh Seong-bae offered his analysis. "That teens are carrying a somewhat vague desire for foreign countries is the fault of their heavy burden of the university entrance examination. These and similar survey results reflect the fact that teens see Korean society as not getting better in the future."

Lee Bong-ju, professor of sociology at Seoul National University, said, "These days there is a great lack among teenagers of plans to participate in public society in ways that would nurture their civic consciousnesses. If you look at the results of this survey it seems that teens feel a strong aversion to the media and the pre-existing society. (Source: Hankooki News (Korea Times).)

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Military to reinforce watch against N. Korean spies (Apr 2008) South Korea's defense intelligence agency will strengthen its efforts to round up widespread North Korean agents in the country, a ranking military intelligence official said on 23 Apr. The official at the Defense Security Command (DSC) refused to provide a number of North Korean spies believed to be working in the country, but officials at the defense intelligence branch said the number has not been reduced in recent years though reports of North Korean agents being arrested have become rare.

"That surely is one of the fields we must reinforce our efforts in," the DSC official said while asking not to be identified. "There have been many incidents in history where a few spies led to the collapse of a nation." About 4,500 North Korean spies have been arrested since the country was founded in 1948, DSC officials said. Of the total, some 2,000 were arrested by the military.

The officials at the intelligence command said the number of arrests of North Korean spies has remained steady over the years, but said reports of such incidents have become rare because the command had been gagged under the former liberal administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, both of whom sought to improve ties with communist North Korea. (SITE NOTE: If this is true, the DSC have been arresting spies, but the Roh administration put a gag order on any announcement. SOMETHING DON'T SMELL RIGHT. If such arrests have been made with regularity, why are there no spies in the jail? Roh sent the last of them back to the DPRK as a sign of "good faith.") (Source: Yonhap News.)

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Olympic Torch Relay Marred by Scuffles (Apr 2008) (SEE Chinese Torch Rally Riot)

The media hyped affair, brought about by letting over-zealous anti-North Korea refugee groups and Free-Tibet factions clash with nationalistic Chinese out to "protect" the Torch Rally which had been under attack in major capitals of the world. Korea was no different, and the ethnic Chinese came out in large numbers to support their country. As a backlash, the Koreans stated their "national pride" was hurt by the incident and vowed to deport the Chinese students involved. Diplomats on the other hand wished the incident to be hushed up and swept under the carpet. An unthought of factor was that there are many Chinese in Korea who are NOT students but rather resident Chinese who have been here for generations. The impacts to them were unthought of in the rash statements condemning all Chinese students. It was fast becoming an international incident. After the Anti-US Beef Row flared in Korea in May 2008 (See Boneless Beef Row.) and the Chinese massive earthquake in May 2008 that killed tens of thousands, this event was totally forgotten both by the Chinese and Koreans. It became a non-issue that it should have been in the first place.

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May 2008

Elementary School Students Down 34% -- Elderly Increasing (May 2008) The number of elementary school students has fallen by more than one-third over the past 28 years as married couples have become more reluctant to have children because of high childcare and education costs. With the decreasing number of children, the nation will likely suffer from a labor shortage in the near future, weakening its economic vitality and growth potential. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), Tuesday, the number of young people aged 6-21 totaled 10.2 million nationwide this year, down 29 percent from 14.4 million in 1980. In particular, children aged 6-11, who attend elementary schools, numbered 3.64 million, down 33.7 percent from 5.5 million 28 years ago.

The number of adolescents aged 12-14 dropped 20.3 percent to 2.07 million from 1980, while the country's high school students totaled 2.03 million, down 24 percent from 2.67 million over the same period. The number of young adults aged 18-21 who mostly enroll at universities has decreased 24.2 percent to 2.47 million from 3.63 million.

With fewer elementary, middle and high school students, the ratio of students to teacher has fallen to a record low. One teacher was responsible for 23 students on average at elementary schools last year, down from 30 in 2000. ``Korea's birthrates have fallen to the lowest level in the world as a growing number of women here opt to have fewer babies amid rising costs of childcare and education. The bigger problem is that the trend will likely continue and we will see the youth population draw a steeper downward curve,'' an NSO official said. The country's birthrate, the average number of babies that a Korean woman aged between 15 and 49 gives birth to during her lifetime, stood at 1.08 last year, down from 1.13 in 2006.

Amid the falling birthrates and rapid population aging, the country is expected to have one of the highest percentages of elderly people in the world by 2050, as on top of having fewer babies Koreans are living longer than their counterparts in other nations. Also, the population is forecast to decline to 42 million by 2050 from the current 48 million.

Koreans' life expectancy is projected to average 79.1 from 2005 to 2010, substantially higher than the world's average of 67.2, according to the statistical office. Japan will top the list with its citizens living for 82.6 years on average, followed by Hong Kong with 82.2 and Iceland with 81.8. The elderly over 65 will account for 38.2 percent of the country's population in 2050, higher than the world average of 16.2 percent. The portion of people aged below 14 will decrease to 8.9 percent from 19.2 percent in 2005. Koreans aged over 80 accounted for 1.4 percent of the population in 2005, compared with the global average of 1.3 percent, but the ratio is expected to increase to 14.5 percent in 2050, higher than the average 9.4 percent in developed countries. (Source: Korea Times.)

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Elderly suicide snowballs in S. Korea: statistics (May 2008) The suicide rate for South Korean senior citizens increased drastically in a decade, health officials said Monday, prompting the country to look for the underlying causes. In 2005, there were 48 suicides out of every 100,000 seniors aged 60 to 64, a large increase from 17 in 1995, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry's data. The rate was even higher for older citizens, with 63 out of every 100,000 aged 65 to 69 committing suicide in 2005, up from 19 in 1995. The figure for citizens aged 80 to 85 rose to 127 in 2005 from 30 in 1995. (Source: Yonhap News.)

Suicide 2nd leading cause of Korean teenage deaths (Jul 2008) Suicide is the second leading cause of South Korean teenagers' deaths, the government said Sunday, with nearly half of them jumping off highrise structures to kill themselves. According to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, 233 of 937 teenagers that died two years ago took their own lives, while 357 of them died of cancer. Seventy-six drowned to death, while 44 had heart failure.

About 47 percent of those that committed suicide jumped off highrise structures such as apartments, while 37 percent choked themselves to death, the ministry said, citing the National Police Agency. Nearly 12 percent of the under-20 population that killed themselves during 2004-2006 are believed to have had trouble at school, while 7 percent died over troubled relations with their parents. Six percent had symptoms of depression before killing themselves, the ministry said. (Source: Yonhap News.)

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First Candlelight Vigil of 2008: Impeach LMB (May 2008) SEE Boneless-Beef Row (May 2008) for technical particulars on the latest hysteria -- stirred up by misinformation and unwarranted fear. It is an progressive political protest disguised as a concern for the health issues. Its intent is the defeating of the FTA and dissolution of the LMB power base.

This is the first massive candlelight rally of 2008. Though the articles state it was students -- because Children's Day is 5 May -- the truth is that the majority are farmers protesting the FTA -- and the opening of the boneless beef which allows the FTA to move forward in the US Congress.

(SITE NOTE: The Koreans love candlelight rallies especially after the effectiveness of the 2002 anti-US campaigns using the technique. It is the favorite progressive activist ploy to obtain public support as it is a peaceful protest -- makes striking pictures for the sympathetic vote -- and can be significant in its PR value if sufficent numbers turn out. It sends powerful visual message and effectively manipulates participants to whatever cause the sponsor of the event it promoting. The government inaction is allowing the progressive (leftist) forces to consolidate their power and continue broadcasting false information to incite the people to action. Notice that the progressives are using the two elements that all Koreans can unite around -- (1) children safety and (2) protecting the nation from the bad ogre (US). Publicize that Korean children will die because the uncaring Americans want to sell the beef (older than 30 months) that they don't want to eat to the Koreans -- and the Koreans will believe it like mindless automotons. The leftist elements are manipulating the Koreans agains -- and I use the word "manipulate" in the most negative sense of the word.)

No U.S. beef: Thousands of Korean residents sit in a candlelight rally at the plaza in front of the Cheonggye stream, 4 May, opposing the full opening of the local market to U.S. beef./ Yonhap

Internet users are stepping up their campaign against President Lee Myung-bak to protest the government's decision to import beef. On Daum, a petition has been held to ask the National Assembly to impeach the President, aiming to collect as many as 10 million signatures. The number of people who joined the campaign had almost reached one million late on 4 May, and was increasing fast, with about 1,000 signatures added in 10 minutes. The campaign organizers criticized Lee for reneging on his pledge to adopt policies for the people. Protestors against U.S. beef imports are also joining several Internet communities, two of which organized offline candlelight rallies over the weekend. Another rally is scheduled for 6 May.

The petition holds no Constitutional weight and is intended to influence the action of the National Assembly. The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) said the online and offline movements against the beef imports are politically motivated. ``Saturday's candlelight vigil was organized by a civic group promoting the impeachment of President Lee, and the operators of the group are members of the opposition United Democratic Party. They instigated the impeachment movement with the beef issue at the moment. They should not exaggerate the danger of American beef and deceive people,'' Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the GNP said on 4 May. (Source: Korea Times.)


"We're at risk when we're older than 30 months," says a cow, talking about being a potential health risk for humans because of mad cow disease. "But you're at risk after just two months," he goes on to say, talking about President Lee Myung-bak's shockingly low approval ratings after just two months in office.

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(SEE Boneless Beef Row (May 2008) for updates of political jockeying and government actions to stem misinformation -- as well as the DAILY coverage of the protests. The protests changed from one with 70 percent were teenagers worried about the health issues to one where the progressives and radicals in their 20s-30s surfaced whose aim was to weaken the LMB government. On 2 Jun 2008, the government buckled and asked to renegotiate the agreement -- something that can have some far reaching impacts diplomatically, militarily and with future trade agreements. The US position is that the agreement does NOT need renegotiating leavin the LMB government in a quandary. A minor reshuffle of the cabinet was pending and the senior secretaries all volunteered to resign enmasse.)

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Things get worse: Deisel Costs more than Gas (May 2008) A day dreaded by many Korean motorists has finally arrived. When pulling in to fuel up, they find diesel prices have passed those of gasoline. GS Caltex Corporation, Korea's second-largest refiner, began charging 1,812 won ($1.74) per liter of diesel and 1,778 won per liter of gasoline, as of 20 May. The main cause behind rising prices is a worldwide supply deficit. Rapidly developing countries, including China and India, inflate demand because diesel is widely used for industrial purposes. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation, prices of diesel per barrel jumped 51 percent to $163 last week from $108 per barrel in January. Meanwhile, crude oil prices per barrel advanced 31 percent to $130 last week from $99 earlier this year. (SITE NOTE: The problem has reached the stage that automotive companies are cutting out their deisel SUV lines production. Hardest hit are drivers who usually have deisel vehicles which were bought on the premise that deisel would be cheap and plentiful. Now their costs have skyrocketed.)

With mounting complaints over leaping diesel prices, the central government is looking for solutions. It lowered oil taxes by up to 10 percent in March, but industry analysts said this did not ease the public burden from hefty oil prices. In addition, the government said it cannot do anything about diesel prices because they are based on crude oil prices.

Gas stations say they are also victims of skyrocketing oil prices. "It is hard for us to increase oil prices because competition is very tough among gas stations and consumers oppose price increases," said Jung Sang-pil, manager of the Korea Oil Station Association. S-Oil Corporation, the country's third-largest refiner, has added 10 won per liter, raising diesel costs to 1,740 won, which is higher than gasoline. SK Energy, Korea's top oil refiner, plans to increase prices between 10 won and 30 won per one liter of diesel from today. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)

Things get worse: Gasoline Tops W2,000 Per Liter; Electricity rates to go up (May 2008) As international oil prices continue to soar, the price of regular unleaded gasoline at gas stations in downtown Seoul has exceeded W2,000 per liter (US$1=W1,044). Electricity prices, which have been frozen to stabilize overall prices, are also expected to rise in the second half of this year. According to Opinet (www.opinet.co.kr), the Korea National Oil Corporation's gas station information blog, seven gas stations in Seoul's Gangnam District were selling gasoline at a retail price of over W2,000 per liter on Thursday. The average price of regular gasoline at all gas stations in Gangnam was W1,957 per liter, up W30 from just two days before.

The KNOC said there's worse to come, as domestic gasoline prices move about two or three weeks after international prices are decided. That means that regular-grade gasoline will soon cost W2,000 per liter in many more areas. The average price of diesel at gas stations in Gangnam was W1,923 per liter on Thursday, up W51 from W1,872 on 20 May. Meanwhile, electricity prices are expected to rise in the second half of the year on the back of persistent increases in oil prices. In a press conference Thursday, Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Lee Jae-hoon said electricity prices would inevitably go up. "Increasing them next year will be too late, so we will definitely have to increase them this year." A ministry official said that there were factors meriting a 7.6 percent increase in electricity prices last year, and for another 5.5 percent increase in the first half of this year. If all the increase factors are reflected, it's possible that the increase rate may be in the double digits. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

Surging oil prices are adding to the worries of South Korean financial policymakers, who are already struggling to achieve the government's lofty economic growth target while trying to keep inflation in check, analysts say. The price of Dubai crude oil, South Korea's benchmark, finished up US$5.28 at $128.97 per barrel on 22 May, almost double the price a year earlier. On 21 May the West Texas Intermediate surged to a record high of $133.17 per barrel in New York. (Source: Yonhap News.)

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Celebrity scandal tests South Korean adultery law (May 2008) The divorce lawsuit between Ok So Ri and her husband, Park Chul, both 39, was a script cut out for tabloids even before Ok dragged a new enemy into the kerfuffle: South Korea's 55-year-old adultery law that punishes an extramarital affair as a crime. In a scandal that has kept the country's Internet blogging space buzzing for months, Ok not only has admitted to an extramarital affair, but also has said she saw no reason to go to prison for it. In February she asked the nation's Constitutional Court to rule the adultery law unconstitutional.

Suddenly the mudslinging between the couple has become more than fodder for gossip mills. It has turned into the most celebrated challenge against South Korea's die-hard adultery law, which is cherished by some as the last bulwark against the "free-sex culture of the West," but ridiculed by others as "an anachronistic joke" in a country where "love motels" - common places for adulterous liaisons - are spreading everywhere and divorce is on the rise.


Kang Young-kuk (AP)/Jo Soo-jung (Reuters)

"The state meddling in which sex partner we should have - that's too much," Lim Sung Bin, Ok's lawyer, said on May 8 after a three-hour hearing at the Constitutional Court, where his client did not appear. "Such a time is gone." The nine-member court said it would rule on the case soon but did not give a date. It is deliberating Ok's suit with three other petitions against the adultery law, all filed in the past year. South Korea is among a dwindling number of non-Muslim countries where people can go to jail for adultery. About 70 percent of South Koreans support the adultery law, according to surveys conducted in recent years by the government and the news media. Each year, more than 1,200 people are indicted under the law, which calls for up to two years in prison for the adulterer and his or her partner. "'Some argue that no law should intrude beneath the quilt," said Han Sang Dae, a Justice Ministry official who defended the adultery law during the Constitutional Court hearing. "But if we allow freedom for extramarital affairs, it will threaten our sex morality as well as monogamy, a foundation of our society."

The Constitutional Court has already ruled three times in favor of the adultery law, the last time in 2001. But Ok's challenge comes as the law is losing some of its staunchest backers. Two longstanding champions of women's rights and the adultery law - the Korean Women's Association United and the Ministry of Gender Equality - now say it is time for South Korea to consider abolishing the law.

In South Korea, it had been women's groups that were the strongest supporters for criminalizing adultery. In the past, most adultery suits were filed by wives against husbands; the law gave them leverage in a society where women had little recourse against their husbands' infidelity. With their economic and legal status rising, many women no longer tolerate adulterous husbands or fear divorces. But with a growing number of husbands applying the law against their wives, they are discovering - as in Ok's case - that the law can be a two-edged sword: at times more a violator of privacy than protection for women.

The number of divorces in South Korea has increased from 79,895 couples in 1996 to 124,600 last year. In 2006, 11,244 couples fought over divorce in court because of infidelity. In 39.7 percent of those cases, it was the husband accusing the wife, up 3.5 percentage points from 1999. "Adultery was once considered something only husbands could do. But now women think they can do it too, and some of them actually do it," said Kwak Bae Hee, head of the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations, a nongovernmental agency that provides legal counseling for family problems.

The way the scandal of Ok and Park has unfolded highlights the changing sexual dynamics. Park filed divorce and adultery lawsuits in October, saying he had evidence that his wife engaged in extramarital affairs with an Italian chef in a Seoul hotel and with an opera singer. In a highly unusual move for a South Korean woman embroiled in a sex scandal, Ok then called a news conference to defend herself. She admitted that she had had a sexual relationship with the singer, but not with the chef. "I had a very lonely and unsatisfied marriage because of a loveless husband," Ok said, fighting back tears. "We only had sex 10 times in our 11 years of marriage." Park, for his part, said he felt like "an innocent pedestrian hit by a car." "Ninety-eight percent of what she said was either distorted or wrong," he said at a news conference. "I hope I never see her again the rest of my life."

The debate over the adultery law triggered by the scandal has highlighted a paradoxical aspect of South Korean culture: the juxtaposition of straight-laced traditional values with increasingly liberal attitudes toward sex. The government estimates the nation's sex trade at 4.4 percent of its gross domestic product, with more than half a million women active in the business. Not far from school grounds, love motels offer short stays and such amenities for patrons as covering their license plates. Pornographic Web sites proliferate in a country where 8 of every 10 households have broadband Internet. But in classrooms, sex education is discouraged.

Those who oppose the adultery law say it is so difficult to build a criminal case that the law has become irrelevant. A conviction requires proof of sexual intercourse. Cases have been reported in which spouses, accompanied by police officers, raid motel rooms, with cameras flashing. Such methods have triggered charges of violating privacy and human rights, and the average number of people indicted on adultery charges dropped from 2,000 a year in the late 1990s to 1,200 a year in the past three years.

And punishment has become increasingly lenient. Last year, only 47 out of the 1,219 people indicted on adultery charges ended up behind bars, compared with 393 out of 1,902 in 2001. The vast majority walk away with suspended sentences or after the charges are withdrawn by their spouses. Some experts also find it absurd that South Korea criminalizes adultery while there is no law punishing, say, incest.

Still, many think it is too early to rescind the adultery law. In a country where many women silently suffer their husbands' infidelity out of fear that a divorce could impoverish them, adultery charges remain a potent tool to secure a better financial settlement or child custody, Kwak said. "Korean men, many of them still get away with adultery because women are the weak," said Ha Ji Eun, a student at Ewha Woman's University in Seoul. "It was as recently as during my grandparents' days that men brought in concubines and kicked out their wives. If this law is abolished, I am sure women will suffer more." (Source: International Herald Tribune.)

Adultery Law Upheld by Slimmest Margin (Oct 2008) The Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled by default that Korea’s draconian anti-adultery laws are constitutional. It was the fourth time the court has upheld the increasingly controversial law. Five out of the nine judges upheld the law, with five against, but a two-thirds majority or six out of nine is needed for a law to be declared unconstitutional. Ok So-ri, the former wife of a popular entertainer, had filed a complaint that the 55-year-old law violates the right of individuals to sexual privacy.

Five out of nine judges against

The adultery law narrowly survived, with five out of the nine-member panel of judges finding the law unconstitutional. One judge ruled the law should be retained but needs to be replaced, finding it “not conforming” to the Constitution. Judges Lee Kang-kook, Lee Kong-hyun, Cho Dae-hyen and Min Hyeong-ki upheld the constitutionality of the adultery law, which punishes extra-marital affairs, saying it is justified since it protects marital relationships even if it does limit the right of individuals to privacy and to make their own decisions about sex. But judges Kim Jong-dae, Lee Dong-heub and Mok Young-joon said public views about sex have changed, and efficacy of the punitive measures is questionable. Judge Song Doo-hwan said it was unconstitutional for the adultery law to impose jail terms without the option of fines. Judge Kim Hee-ok, who ruled that the adultery law should be retained temporarily until a more suitable alternative is available, said it was unconstitutional to punish an act that should merely be criticized ethically. An official at the Constitutional Court said the ruling was “mixed” this time, with judges who had been viewed as conservative now seeking to scrap the adultery law.

Dwindling support

The court reviewed the constitutionality of the adultery law in 1990, 1993 and in 2001, and in all three cases supported it. Each time only between one and three of the nine judges found that the law was unconstitutional. This time there were five, suggesting the law is nearing the end of its run. The prevailing view is that controversy over the law will become a hot issue as women’s rights improve, public attitudes about privacy change, and people become more open about sexual issues. Women’s rights groups such as Korean Women’s Association United and Korean Womenlink view the adultery law as failing to protect the rights of women. Each year since 2005, around 1,100 people have been indicted for violating the adultery law. During the first eight months of this year, 537 people were indicted. The Philippines, Switzerland, Mexico, Taiwan and certain Muslim countries retain punitive adultery laws. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

Actress Could Face 18 Months in Jail for Adultery (Nov 2008) Prosecutors are seeking an 18-month jail sentence for actress Ok So-ri, who admits adultery, and six months in jail and two years’ probation for her paramour, a singer identified as Jung. Korea is one of a handful of countries where adultery remains a crime after the Constitutional Court, ruling on a petition from Ok, rallied an insufficient majority to throw out the elderly law. During trial at the Uijeongbu District Court on Wednesday, prosecutors explained their demand, saying while Ok (40) admitted the charges in court, she denied them during the investigation, and the accuser was seeking strict punishment for the couple. Jung (38), however, cooperated with prosecutors and admitted all charges from the outset, they said. The court rules on Dec. 17. Ok had been indicted for having extramarital relations with Jung on three occasions between May and July 2006. In February this year she petitioned the Uijeongbu District Court to ask the Constitutional Court whether the country's adultery law is constitutional. The case was delayed for nine months until the Constitutional Court upheld the law by default after failing to muster the two-thirds majority needed to overturn it. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

Ok So-ri Convicted of Adultery (Dec 2008) A regional court on 17 Dec sentenced actress Ok So-ri, 40, to six months in prison for adultery, which is illegal here. The sentence was suspended for two years. In the ruling at a court in Goyang, judge Cho Min-seok said, “The accused deserves to be blamed. But we took into account her husband’s indifference to his wife and she has already gone through immense mental agony since the trial started.” Ok’s husband, Park Chul, is also a famous entertainer. (Source: Korea Times.)

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South Korea, five countries have world's lowest birthrate: report (May 2008) South Korea is one of the countries with the lowest birthrate in the world, according to a report released online by the World Health Organization on 22 May. As of 2006, the total fertility rate, or the average number of babies that a woman gives birth to during her lifetime, was 1.2, continuing a steady decline from 1.6 in 1990 and 1.4 in 2000, according to the World Health Statistics 2008.

According to WHO statistics for 2008 released on 22 May, South Korea had the lowest birthrate alongside the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine at 1.2 as of 2006. Other countries with a low birthrate are Japan, Singapore, Russia and Hungary (1.3) and Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria (1.4). Some advanced countries, however, enjoy a relatively higher birthrate. Among them are the U.S. with 2.1, France with 1.9, and the U.K., Sweden and Finland with 1.8.

The country with the highest birthrate is Niger (7.3), followed by Afghanistan (7.2). North Korea's birthrate is 1.9, down from 2 in 2000. Meanwhile, the average life expectancy of South Koreans was 75 years for men and 82 years for women as of 2006. Japan had the longest life expectancy of 83 years for the second consecutive year.

Other countries with longer life expectancy than others are Australia, Monaco and Switzerland (82 years) and Israel, Italy, Spain and Sweden (81). At the bottom were Sierra Leone (40), Angola (41), and Swaziland, Niger and Afghanistan (42) with roughly half the life expectancy of countries where people live the longest. In North Korea, average life expectancy was 66 years (64 years for men and 68 years for women). (Source: Chosun Ilbo)

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Hwang Clones Pet Dogs for Commercial Purposes (May 2008) A team of veterinarians led by Hwang Woo-suk, the disgraced former national scientist, claims to have succeeded in cloning a pet dog for commercial purposes. The Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, of which Hwang is a principal member, said Wednesday it produced five clones of Missy, a pet dog of Orion Group chairman John Sperling since December 2007, and four of them are healthy. Many cloned dogs have been born since Snuppy, the first cloned dog in the world, was produced by a Hwang-led research team at Seoul National University in 2005, but this is the first one to be cloned for commercial purposes from a dead pet.


Hwang Woo-suk before his fall (Dec 2003)

Since being sacked by SNU in April 2006 for fabricating research on human embryo stem cells, Hwang has sought to return to lucrative research by setting up the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation and H Bion. Missy’s clones Mira, Chin-Gu, and Sarang were shipped to the United States and appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. The Sooam Biotech Research Foundation said the U.S.-based firm BioArts International commissioned a genetic test by the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, and the results verified that the three dogs were indeed clones of Missy.

The project began when Sperling donated US$3.7 million to Texas A & M University and requested cloning of his half-Collie, half-Siberian husky Missy in 1997. After Missy’s death in 2002, the team continued research with her refrigerated cells. BioArts visited the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation last year and officially signed contract on Aug. 1 after reviewing Sooam’s research capacity. The value of the contract was not disclosed. Missy was cloned by the conventional somatic cell nuclear transfer method whereby the nucleus was removed from an unfertilized egg and replaced with the nucleus of one of Missy’s somatic cells, and this cloned fertilized egg was implanted in surrogate mother dog.


Hwang Woo-suk, Lee Byeong-chun and Gerald Schatten before his fall (2003)

Hyun Sang-hwan, a professor at Chungbuk National University and advisor to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation claimed the success rate of dog cloning has gone up to two-digit figures, from 0.18 percent while cloning Snuppy. However, it is expected to take some time until the research result is verified by the international scientific community, since the publication of any paper on the Missy project in international science journals has yet to be decided. Hwang, who is abroad, told the Chosun Ilbo by phone he promised BioArts not to give media interviews. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)

S. Korea bans Hwang's resumption of stem cell research (Jul 2008) The government said on 1 Aug that it has decided to disapprove the request by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk to resume human stem cell research, dealing a blow to the cloning scientist's efforts to recover his honor after being involved in a test fabrication scandal two years ago. Hwang, once considered a national hero, has been on trial since 2006 on charges of fraud and violation of bioethics laws after his team was found in January 2006 to have fabricated laboratory test results to claim success in his study. He was dismissed by his employer Seoul National University in the same year amid a global furor over his fabricated study results.

"We have decided not to approve the request by the Suam Biotechnology Institute (SBI) to begin research on human embryonic stem cells for medical treatment purposes," the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said in a one-page statement. The SBI is a Seoul research lab that Hwang opened in 2006. "The decision was made as Hwang still stands on trial on charges that he violated the nation's bioethical laws and was fired from his school for paper fabrication and other unethical problems in obtaining eggs in relation to his research on stem cells in 2006," it added.

The ministry explained that it respected the opinion of the National Bioethics Committee, a presidential panel, which recently recommended that it not give the go-ahead for Hwang's stem cell research. The disapproval came months after the health ministry delayed its ruling on the December request by Hwang and his colleagues at the SBI to begin human stem cell research. Hwang and his team have been continuing research on animal cloning for the past years. The scientist recently made headlines by announcing that he successfully made three genetically identical copies of a dog that died years before. Scientists say that embryonic stem cells have the potential to develop into other kinds of cells that could possibly be used to treat chronic ailments such as heart failure, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. (SITE NOTE: Yonhap News.)

Clone Experts to Go to Court Over Patents (Oct 2008) A high-stakes court battle is set to pit some of the world's most famous gene scientists, or infamous in the case of Hwang Woo-suk, against each other in an international dispute over the commercial rights for animal cloning. The patent battle between the world's two companies involved in the business of dog cloning is about to get under way in a Korean court. Start Licensing, a Texas-based company that holds licenses for the technology developed for the cloning of Dolly the sheep, owned by the Roslin Institute, is preparing to sue Seoul-based RNL Bio for a violation of patents on animal cloning technology.

According to officials close to the development, Start Licensing, which has since hired a Korean law firm, is ``very near'' to filing the papers. ``Things are going to heat up in the next month or two,'' said a source. The company can also bring an all-star lineup of international scientists here to testify in court. This means that Hwang could be making his first public appearance since being dismissed from Seoul National University (SNU) in 2006 for his fraudulent studies on cloned human stem cells. ``Although the lawyers may try to spare Ian Wilmut and other high-profile scientists from the witness stand and have them present written statements instead, it is hard to tell how this saga will wind up,'' said a Seoul-based patent lawyer.

BioArts, which obtained the commercial rights to clone animals from Start Licensing, relies on work by Hwang and his colleagues at the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation to provide its dog cloning services. If push comes to shove, Hwang would end up facing his former colleague Lee Byeong-chun, the SNU scientist who has been providing the technology for RNL, which cloned five puppies from a dead pitbull named ``Booger'' at the request of 58-year-old Californian Bernann McKinney.

Hwang and Lee had collaborated to produce the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005. Now, one will be forced to talk down his own achievements in court as the other tries to emphasize the scope and significance of the SNU patents. RNL, which recently filed a suit against Sooam, claims it has been granted exclusive rights for the technology for the cloning of dogs from the Snuppy project, and any genetic reproduction of canines should go through them.

However, BioArts claim that the Roslin patents are ``foundational" patents and that the SNU patent could only be an ``improvement," which needs the rights to the underlying foundational technology to avoid infringement. Although a massive amount of ink and electrons will be used to cover the legal battle between Start Licensing and RNL, it remains debatable whether dog cloning is a market worth fighting for. Lou Hawthorne, the chief executive of BioArts, who believes the dog cloning industry could eventually be worth a ``few hundred million dollars,'' said the international dispute over the patent rights has brought larger uncertainties to the market. BioArts is currently working to diversify its business, looking to strengthen its presence in the fields of genetic testing, molecular diagnostics and stem cell research.

However, Hawthorne is unsure whether dog cloning would account for a significant part of the company's revenue in the future. He also accuses RNL of ``destroying'' the market by aggressively lowering its prices. RNL recently announced it would clone 10 dogs at for $50,000 each. BioArts sold four orders for a combined $620,000, with the Sooam researchers recently establishing a pregnancy for one of the orders. ``It remains to be seen whether there will be any viable market left after RNL is done dumping … The market of dog cloning certainly isn't worth anything if you drive your price below cost,'' Hawthorne told the Korea Times, claiming that RNL turned a ``Ferrari market'' into a ``Volkswagen market.'' ``What's the logic of pushing the price to a level when you need to sell thousands of something when you can only make dozens of them. You are leaving money on the table,'' he said.

BioArts, which had signed Sooam to a contract to clone five dogs, is now discussing an on-going production agreement with Hwang's laboratory. However, Hawthorne said there is a possibility that the company may choose not to extend its relationship with Sooam should it lose faith in the dog cloning market as a whole. ``It will be very clear within six to 12 months that RNL doesn't have a case (in court),'' Hawthorne said. (Source: Korea Times.)

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Yun Gi-jin on Trial for Breaking the National Security Law (May 2008) The prosecution rejected a chief justice’s suggestion of debate between witnesses in a case regarding the National Security Law. The Seoul Central District Court on April 23 asked lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense to summon witnesses to prove whether Yun Gi-jin, the chairman of the South Korean branch of a South-North youth organization, violated the National Security Law.

(SITE NOTE: What we find significant is that Lee Myeong-bak was inaugurated on 25 Feb and Yun Gi-jin was arrested on 27 Feb. It is very apparent that a message was being sent to the "juche" groups that a new administration was taking over -- and they were going to be hunted down. The following 7 Jan 2007 article in the Donga Ilbo showed how Yun Gi-jin's organization worked against Lee's election because of the problems envisioned if Lee was elected. Thus Yun's selection as the intial "target" of the "juche" groups was anticipated as soon as the protection by the left-leaning Roh Moo-hyun administration was gone. The second message was: "We know where you are -- and your protector Roh Moo-hyun is gone.")

Pro-North Groups Turn Up Rhetoric

Pro-North Korean organizations such as the Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration and the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country`s Reunification are announcing New Year's messages one after another. The contents of these messages are, however, similar to the North's joint editorials released in celebration of the New Year and contain phrases like, "Make a grand coalition against conservative forces in preparation for the presidential elections," and "Resist against the Grand National Party (GNP)."

The Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration said in its New Year statement posted on its website Tuesday that, "The victory in the presidential elections signifies peaceful unification, and the defeat a war. Those who love the people, peace and self-reliance should all unite together for the victory of the presidential elections."

The South Korean Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country`s Reunification also said in its New Year statement that, "We must strike a critical blow to the GNP to prevent it from recovering," and "We must establish a grand alliance against conservative forces and aggregate all our means to crumble the attempts of extreme rightist forces like the GNP and New Rightists and prevent them from regaining power."

The Alliance of Youth and Students for Practicing the South-North Joint Declaration said in an article on Sunday, "The conservative forces like the U.S. and the GNP are frantically making efforts to win the upcoming presidential elections." "Progressive and reformist forces must fight fiercely against conservative forces as they did to annul the impeachment of the president."

These pro-North Korean organizations did not make New Year messages last year. However, this year, they pledged their involvement in the presidential elections in chorus through New Year's messages. In particular, these statements whose contents are similar to those of the North are expected to create a controversy since there is rising criticism in the country that the announcement of North's joint editorials on January 1 which encourages anti-U.S. and anti-GNP movements and specifically targets South Korea's presidential elections is wrongful intervention in the South's domestic affairs.

Meanwhile, the Preparatory Committee for the Alliance for Progressive Forces in Korea, which is comprised of various progressive parties and civic groups, is expected to launch on January 9, and the Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration is expected to join the new alliance. Many other progressive groups are also forecast to join the alliance which will officially launch in March for a political struggle ahead of the presidential elections. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)

Yun Gi-jin was the chairman of f Pomchonghakryon (Pomminryon or Beomminryeon) -- the South Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country’s Reunification.. "Beomminryeon" is an illegal pro-unification group, that was last active during the violent Pyeongtaek, Daechu-ri confrontations against the expansion of Camp Humphreys.

There is the North Headquarters in North Korea and an Overseas Headquarters of the organization. The organization and the outlawed Hanchongryeon, Federation of Student Unions, are closely affiliated. The group is also affiliated with other progressive organizations in South Korea such as the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (Jeongyojo), the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (Minnochong), and the Unification Solidarity (Tongil yeondae).

In May 2008 the KTEWU teachers were in North Korea conferring with their North Korean counterparts -- while at home the KTEWU was demanding the resignation of the Education Minister. The KCTU was going to boycott the delivery of US beef and threatened physical violence at Yongin warehouses. The Hanchongryeon were in the midst of the US beef protests -- itching for a confrontation with police. The Unification Solidarity was relatively silent holding small protests against the US beef protests at various venues -- though its leaders were part of the coalition against the US beef. In other words, they were up to their eyeballs in creating havoc in the South Korean society.

Through his wife, he is associated with Tongil Yeondae (The Unification Alliance for the 6.15 Joint Declaration and Peace -- or Unification Solidarity). Yoon Gi-jin's married his wife, Ms. Hwang Sun, in Feb 2004. She was a left-wing activist in her student days. She visited Pyongyang in August 1998 as a representative of Hanchongryon, a legally proscribed student activist group in South Korea. After that visit, she was convicted of violating the National Security Law. Ms. Hwang Sun is currently a spokeswoman for Tongil Yeondae, a South Korean civic group which violated the NSL in 2004. She had one of her two daughters in North Korea on 10 Oct 2005 during a visit there.

His arrest on 27 Feb 2008 was denounced by the North through the KCNA news service on 5 March, It said, "A spokesman for the North Committee for Implementing June 15 Joint Declaration in a statement on Wednesday denounced the south Korean security authorities for arresting the chairman of the south headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country’s Reunification on the charge of violating the “National Security Law”.")

(SITE NOTE: During the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun years, the policy seemed to NOT look for those who broke the NSL. In fact, one of Roh's first acts was to try to nullify the NSL -- which he failed at as the Constitutional Court ruled that it was still valid. Roh then placed left-leaning people in charge of the NIS and started to neuter its investigative abilities. The bottomline is that the NIS has known of Yun's whereabouts, but because of Roh Moo-hyun's administration, it never arrested him.)

Activist mother lauds hospital care in North (Oct 2005)

Ms. Hwang (Sun) gave birth to her second daughter on Oct. 10 during her tour to the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang ?? the first known South Korean baby to be born on the other side of the inter-Korean border. She was in the North as a tourist to watch the Arirang Festival performance there. While she was watching the performance at the May 1 Stadium, Ms. Hwang said she felt the first labor pains.

"I looked at my watch so often to time how frequently the contractions were coming that the North Korean medical team at the stadium with me suspected that the baby was coming soon," Ms. Hwang said. "I thought I would be all right, but they hurriedly moved me to the hospital." Ms. Hwang delivered a 3.36-kilogram (7.4 pounds) healthy baby girl, whom she named Gyeore, by Caesarean section at North Korea's Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

After 15 days of recovery at the hospital, she and her daughter returned to South Korea on Oct. 25.

"North Korea is very proud that it began a state policy of special attention to maternity issues from the 1970s," Ms. Hwang said. Pyongyang Maternity Hospital is located in the Taedonggang district of the North's capital city, and has 2,000 patient rooms. Built in 1979, it is the largest women's hospital in North Korea.

...

Ms. Hwang, 31, was also a left-wing activist in her student days. She visited Pyongyang in August 1998 as a representative of Hanchongryon, a legally proscribed student activist group in South Korea. After that visit, she was convicted of violating the National Security Law. Ms. Hwang is now a spokeswoman for Tongil Yeondae, a South Korean civic group.

In February of last year, she married Yoon Gi-jin, also a pro-North Korea activist and a fugitive from police here.

"My husband has not seen our new daughter yet," Ms. Hwang said. "I hope we can be together soon."

Political conservatives here complain that Ms. Hwang's decision to go to North Korea despite the advanced state of her pregnancy suggested ulterior motives on her part, perhaps to promote reunification by personalizing it in the form of a newborn. (Source: Meds blogg from Joongang Ilbo.)

The following was written about March 2001 when Hwang Sun was then 23 years old and had been released from prison for her NSL violation. The same year Tongil Yeondae (The Unification Alliance for the 6.15 Joint Declaration and Peace -- or Unification Solidarity) was founded after Kim Dae-jung's historic journey to the North. Ms. Hwang is the spokesman for the group.

"...Hwang Sun was on that mountainside not only to remember the victims of U.S. crimes from a half century ago. She was there on behalf of the Korean Truth Commission to investigate U.S. war crimes against the Korean people. She is part of a new generation that is continuing the same fight of those executed political prisoners whose bones fill the cobalt mine in North Kyengsan.

(SITE NOTE: We have consistently condemned Roh Moo-hyun's "Truth Committees" that sought to force an activist agenda into the courts and to shape public opinion. What was worse, they attempted to use their "findings" to rewrite history -- claiming their suppositions were "proof." The fact that Hwang Sun was appointed to serve with this committee despite her pro-North support and views to overturn of the government speaks loudly for the Roh Moo-hyun administration.)

At age 23, Hwang Sun has also been forced to pay a heavy price for her desire to reunify Korea and evict the 42,000 U.S. soldiers that still occupy south Korea. She told us that she had just been released from prison. She served 22 months for the "crime" of having made unauthorized public visit to socialist north Korea in 1998.

She very reluctantly agreed to allow us to interview her for a video we were producing for the U.S. section of the Korea Truth Commission. She really did not want to talk about herself.

What was it like for you in prison, we asked her.

She smiled but did not speak for awhile. "It is hard to describe. I was in complete solitary confinement for 22 months. My cell was 5'-7" in length, which is exactly my height. There was no heat in the cell throughout the winter months."

(SITE NOTE: We find this information very hard to believe as it would have immediately been pounced on by Amnesty International over inhumane treatment of prisoners of conscience.)

Why had she been imprisoned under such harsh conditions?

"I went to north Korea in August 1998 and stayed there for three months and came back to south Korea through Panmunjom." That is where Korea is separated between north and south. U.S. troops patrol the southern side of the zone.

"The purpose of my trip," Hwang Sun continued, "was as a representative of HanChongRyon, the south Korean student organization.

"I was dispatched by my organization to meet with students from the North and from abroad, to pay visits to historical sites and to run academic forums with them, to discuss what we students should do for reunification.

"As soon as I crossed over Panmunj jom, I got handcuffed, interrogated by the Security Planning Agency, and began my life as a prisoner for 22 months." Would she do it again, we asked?

"Of course, we are fighting to overturn this law, the National Security Law, which is what makes it possible to sentence anyone to long prison terms for the 'crime' of advocating the reunification of our country."

The National Security Law has gone through several name changes since it was crafted under U.S. military supervision in 1948. But the core elements of the law remain unchanged. Hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested with a large number doing long stints in prison. Seven hundred political prisoners served more than 17 years in prison, some as long as 40 years.

Every student who is elected to be campus president of HanChongRyon, the student union chapter on their campus, is immediately indicted under the terms of the National Security Law. Why? Because HanChongRyon has been determined to be "an enemy-benefiting organization" since it advocates reunification with the socialist North.

In spite of the repression, however, we met students on every campus we visited who were eager to serve as president or in some other official capacity of their local student union chapter.

These student activists are also organizing support activities for the striking workers at Daewoo, the huge auto factory in Inchon slated for shut down as part of the IMF-imposed austerity plan of 1998. The leaders of the striking workers face similar repression as the students who support them. (Source: Brian Becker: Workers.org