중앙데일리

Fooled by a Japanese Plot?

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine to Japan's war dead on Monday, giving up his originally scheduled plan to visit on Wednesday, the 56th anniversary of Japan's surrender that ended World War II. Many Japanese people who worried that relations between Korea and Japan and between China and Japan would become worsened if Mr. Koizumi paid visit to the shrine on Wednesday felt relieved. On the other hand,…

Aug 15,2001
Plight of the Incheon Technocrats

Six executives have been forced to leave the Incheon International Airport Corporation so far. They were all technocrats. In order not to draw attention to their identities, I'm using their surnames only. In February 1996, Mr. Park, then the head of the construction office at the airport corporation, left the corporation because of charges raised by civic groups that a tide embankment was shoddily constructed. Although on-site investigations f…

Aug 14,2001
Industry Needs Youth; Youths Need Jobs

I interviewed Chung Se-yung, honorary chairman of Hyundai Development Co., last November. The former head of Hyundai Motor Co., he spent 32 years of his life working with automobiles. He recounted two stories that he said had been learning experiences. In August 1974, Hyundai Motor asked the public to write in with suggestions for the name of a prototype of its compact sedan, which was Korea's first locally developed vehicle. "Arirang"…

Aug 13,2001
Waiting for the 'Dear Leader'

"Do you think Kim Jong-il is coming or not?" That is the question I, as a reporter on North-South Korean relations, am repeatedly asked by acquaintances about the proposed visit to Seoul by North Korea's leader. But the question used to be, until some time ago: "When do you expect the visit to be?" So the interest among the general public appears to have shifted to the question of whether the reciprocal visit by Mr. Kim will materialize at all. T…

Aug 11,2001
Does Your Dinner Bray or Neigh?

The Japanese word "sakura," which means cherry blossom, was once popular in Korea. It referred to turncoat politicians who appeared to be with the opposition by day, but were pro-government all the way by night. The term had its origin in "sakura nikku," which translates to "horsemeat," as it is a similar shade of pink to cherry blossom. To the Japanese, beef is considered good fare. Once it became known that horsemeat was disguised and sold as b…

Aug 10,2001
Importance of Not Being There

Bruno Walter, a famous conductor in the time of long-playing records, is remembered for his masterful interpretations of Mozart's works. Some point out that his interpretations are "Viennese-style mixed with sentimentalism," but the "lofty tone and softness" he extracted from Mozart's works is legendary. Mr. Walter never lorded it over his orchestra members. He never pedantically intervened in the interpretation of a work by the members of hi…

Aug 09,2001
A Sense of Security

Russian President Vladimir Putin originally dreamed of becoming a pilot. In fact, he once seriously considered entering an aviation university in Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad. Instead, Mr. Putin joined the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency, he said, after watching a spy movie, "Sword and Shield." He said he was impressed to see a single secret agent accomplish a mission that an entire army could not achieve. He also said tha…

Aug 08,2001
Name and Shame

All night, my mother tossed and turned in her bed. She was thrilled about her reunion the following day with her elementary school friends for the first time in about 50 years. "What is Eiko in Korean?" she asked. Eiko was her best friend's name pronounced the Japanese way. "I guess it's Yong-ja, mother," I replied. My mother remembered the names of her childhood friends only in Japanese. She knew that Sadako, her name when she was an eleme…

Aug 07,2001
Kim Jong-il's Leisurely Journey

The first railroad in Korea, Kyongin Railroads, between Seoul and Inchon, was open September 18, 1899. One day after the 33.2-kilometer section of the line between Noryangjin, Seoul, and Jemulpo, Inchon, was open, the following appeared in Dongnip Newspaper: "The sound from running the fire-driven coach was like thunder, and the sky and ground were vibrating. The smoke from the engine shot through the sky. Looking out of the carriage through the …

Aug 06,2001
Air Routes Unleash Dog Fight

Korea's two airline companies are up in arms over the allocation of new flight routes and extra flights on existing routes. Korean Air has accused the government of favoring Asiana Airlines. The latest controversy arose from the allocation of new routes and flights by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation that gave all 21 new weekly flights between Seoul and Tokyo to Asiana. Additional flights on the coveted route were one of the ne…

Aug 04,2001

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