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2010년 7월 15일 목요일
Seoul Phil Europe tour a success
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Chung Myung-whun had a “successful” concert tour in Europe, paving the way for the country’s leading symphony to officially make inroads into one of the toughest and demanding markets, the orchestra’s chief said on Wednesday.
“Our first European tour was successful to the point that we can say that we have secured a solid footing in Europe, which has one of the world’s most established and dignified orchestras and audience demographics,” Kim Joo-ho, president and chief executive of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, told reporters in Seoul.
The 110-member team and Chung displayed their might to the high-brow European audience throughout the program scheduled from May 29 to June 11. Kim said this year marked the first time in its history that the orchestra went on an official tour, which he stressed was of notable scale. He added that a true concert “tour” means having invitations from more than two places.
“Our first European tour was successful to the point that we can say that we have secured a solid footing in Europe, which has one of the world’s most established and dignified orchestras and audience demographics,” Kim Joo-ho, president and chief executive of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, told reporters in Seoul.
The 110-member team and Chung displayed their might to the high-brow European audience throughout the program scheduled from May 29 to June 11. Kim said this year marked the first time in its history that the orchestra went on an official tour, which he stressed was of notable scale. He added that a true concert “tour” means having invitations from more than two places.
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Mnet washes hands of Hyo-ri plagiarism furore
Controversy-prone K-pop singer Lee Hyo-ri has once again found herself at the center of a plagiarism row.
This time around, criticism might not subside as fast since not one but five tracks from her latest album, “H-Logic,” face plagiarism allegations.
This time around, criticism might not subside as fast since not one but five tracks from her latest album, “H-Logic,” face plagiarism allegations.
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| Lee Hyo-ri |
Claims of plagiarism came out less than a week before her album was released in April after several fans reported similarities between tracks from Lee’s album to songs from a number of overseas artists.
The majority of the tracks under scrutiny came from relatively unknown musicians based in Canada.
Lee’s “Bring it Back”; has been paired to the Canadian girl band Cookie Couture’s “Boy, Bring it Back,” “Feel the Same” to Canadian singer Melanie Durrant’s song of the same name; “I’m Back” to “Son Insane,” by Canadian singer Lil Precious; “How Did We Get” to American R&B singer Jason Derulo’s “How Did We”; and “Memory” to British band Second Person’s “The Alphabet Song.”
The original authors of Lee’s copycat tracks reportedly got wind of the songs when copies of the album went viral.
Since the controversy, the 31-year-old singer has faced fierce criticism from fans and the media. But others say Lee isn’t to blame.
3-D TV yet to hit prime time
Some Korean consumers are buying 3-D TVs amid World Cup frenzy, but most have disappointed to learn that they are not able to see the soccer matches in 3-D.
The 3-D broadcast service is not available to cable subscribers, which amount to 80 percent of the country’s households. This is because SBS, a terrestrial network which has the exclusive right to broadcast the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Korea, does not allow cable operators to retransmit 3-D broadcasts.
Korea has touted itself as the world’s first to launch trial 3-D broadcasts via terrestrial networks with the 2010 Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting on May 19. Korea is also one of the four countries which is broadcasting the World Cup in 3-D, which runs until July 11.
Riding the 3-D broadcasting boom in Korea, Samsung Electronics and LGElectronics seek to jumpstart 3-D TV sales on their home turf.
However, a limited availability of 3-D broadcasting, along with a poor 3-D image, could serve as setbacks to sales of much-hyped 3-D TV here.
The coverage of Korea’s 3-D broadcasting service will be expanded in October when the country looks to begin a pilot service for 3-D terrestrial broadcasting in HD image quality. However, the lack of 3-D content, the inconvenience of wearing glasses and the costs of enjoying 3-D in the living room remain major stumbling blocks.
“We are getting a lot of inquiries from 3-D TV buyers about why they cannot see the World Cup in 3-D,” said Lee Joo-shik, a director general of the Korea Communications Commission.
“There are also many issues regarding 3-D image quality. We should improve 3-D image quality to reduce tiredness and dizziness,” he said.
The 3-D broadcast service is not available to cable subscribers, which amount to 80 percent of the country’s households. This is because SBS, a terrestrial network which has the exclusive right to broadcast the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Korea, does not allow cable operators to retransmit 3-D broadcasts.
Korea has touted itself as the world’s first to launch trial 3-D broadcasts via terrestrial networks with the 2010 Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting on May 19. Korea is also one of the four countries which is broadcasting the World Cup in 3-D, which runs until July 11.
Riding the 3-D broadcasting boom in Korea, Samsung Electronics and LGElectronics seek to jumpstart 3-D TV sales on their home turf.
However, a limited availability of 3-D broadcasting, along with a poor 3-D image, could serve as setbacks to sales of much-hyped 3-D TV here.
The coverage of Korea’s 3-D broadcasting service will be expanded in October when the country looks to begin a pilot service for 3-D terrestrial broadcasting in HD image quality. However, the lack of 3-D content, the inconvenience of wearing glasses and the costs of enjoying 3-D in the living room remain major stumbling blocks.
“We are getting a lot of inquiries from 3-D TV buyers about why they cannot see the World Cup in 3-D,” said Lee Joo-shik, a director general of the Korea Communications Commission.
“There are also many issues regarding 3-D image quality. We should improve 3-D image quality to reduce tiredness and dizziness,” he said.
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Countdown begins for F1 Korea GP
Formula One is coming to Korea for the first time in its 60-year history.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say the sport is marginal here ― no Korean teams are competing and there are no licensed Korean F1 drivers.
What F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is gambling on is for the locals to turn up anyway out of that powerful human driving force ― no pun intended ― curiosity.
Exactly 100 days from now, the South Jeolla city of Yeongam will be host to the F1 Korea Grand Prix, where 12 teams will be competing in Round 17 of the 2010 season.
When it comes to hopping on board what’s in and what’s popular in the world, Koreans are known to be keen on joining in on the party.
Then how fitting is having a Formula One race here?
Having always been anchored to its base in Europe, where it enjoys immense popularity, there is no doubt that locals will lap up every bit of it once that checkered flag is raised.
With a global viewership of about 600 million broadcast throughout 184 countries, it is a massive television event and a revenue-generating beast.
Considered to be the world’s most expensive sport, its economic gains for the sponsors of competing racing teams are significant.
According to KAVO (Korea Auto Valley Operation) ― the developers of the KoreaGP circuit ― the tracks are now “82 percent” complete and will be good to go come Oct. 22 when the competition commences before moving onto Brazil two days later.
The country’s first F1 circuit is going through its final phase of construction on approximately 1.853 million square meters of land with a track that measures 5.615 km at a cost of 340 million won ― this is including the grand stand, pit, paddock, control tower, and team building media center.
A final circuit inspection headed by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), the competition’s governing body, is scheduled for sometime in August.
In recent years, F1 has been looking to untapped regions of the world to roll out its racing extravaganza to a new audience.
With the exception of Japan, Asia and the Middle East were not hosts to races until 2001, when Malaysia became the first to do so. This is due to a widely believed notion that Formula One’s goal over the years has been to lower costs to more manageable levels and make it appear to the outside world that the richest and most glamorous of sports has not buried its head in the sand in the aftermath of a global economic crisis.
By contracting its Grand Prix in emerging markets, the competition has been able to branch out further and inch closer to the rest of the world where fans can actually attend the races as opposed to watch them on television thousands of miles away.
However, one of the biggest concerns is the high ticket prices.
The cheapest tickets available on the main grandstands overlooking the starting line are priced at 900,000 won for the full three days.
Admissions to the circuit are divided into eight grades, with the least expensive priced at 117,000 won for the preliminaries on the second day of the competition.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say the sport is marginal here ― no Korean teams are competing and there are no licensed Korean F1 drivers.
What F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is gambling on is for the locals to turn up anyway out of that powerful human driving force ― no pun intended ― curiosity.
Exactly 100 days from now, the South Jeolla city of Yeongam will be host to the F1 Korea Grand Prix, where 12 teams will be competing in Round 17 of the 2010 season.
When it comes to hopping on board what’s in and what’s popular in the world, Koreans are known to be keen on joining in on the party.
Then how fitting is having a Formula One race here?
Having always been anchored to its base in Europe, where it enjoys immense popularity, there is no doubt that locals will lap up every bit of it once that checkered flag is raised.
With a global viewership of about 600 million broadcast throughout 184 countries, it is a massive television event and a revenue-generating beast.
Considered to be the world’s most expensive sport, its economic gains for the sponsors of competing racing teams are significant.
According to KAVO (Korea Auto Valley Operation) ― the developers of the KoreaGP circuit ― the tracks are now “82 percent” complete and will be good to go come Oct. 22 when the competition commences before moving onto Brazil two days later.
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| The grandstand at the F1 Korean Grand Prix track under construction in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province |
The country’s first F1 circuit is going through its final phase of construction on approximately 1.853 million square meters of land with a track that measures 5.615 km at a cost of 340 million won ― this is including the grand stand, pit, paddock, control tower, and team building media center.
A final circuit inspection headed by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), the competition’s governing body, is scheduled for sometime in August.
In recent years, F1 has been looking to untapped regions of the world to roll out its racing extravaganza to a new audience.
With the exception of Japan, Asia and the Middle East were not hosts to races until 2001, when Malaysia became the first to do so. This is due to a widely believed notion that Formula One’s goal over the years has been to lower costs to more manageable levels and make it appear to the outside world that the richest and most glamorous of sports has not buried its head in the sand in the aftermath of a global economic crisis.
By contracting its Grand Prix in emerging markets, the competition has been able to branch out further and inch closer to the rest of the world where fans can actually attend the races as opposed to watch them on television thousands of miles away.
However, one of the biggest concerns is the high ticket prices.
The cheapest tickets available on the main grandstands overlooking the starting line are priced at 900,000 won for the full three days.
Admissions to the circuit are divided into eight grades, with the least expensive priced at 117,000 won for the preliminaries on the second day of the competition.
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Allies to hold joint naval drills in West Sea
South Korea and the United States agreed to stage anti-submarine training drillsnear the tense inter-Korean sea border later this month, a Seoul official said Saturday, in strong response to North Korea’s naval attack that killed dozens of South Korean sailors in March.
The longstanding allies reached the agreement during the newest round of their regular security talks held in Washington Friday and will further discuss the details of the large-scale drills which may also include a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the official here said.
“The two sides are positively discussing the matter of mobilizing the aircraft carrier. Actual plans will be set up after more discussions,” he said, dubbing the drills a “defensive action” against North Korea’s provocation.
Seoul and Washington are moving up the date of the drills -- which was originally slated for fall -- and plan to stage them closer to the maritime border with North Korea to express their determination to head off any further provocations by the communist state blamed for the March 26 sinking of a South Korean warship.
A multinational team of experts concluded last month that Pyongyang torpedoed the naval corvette, taking the lives of 46 young South Korean sailors. North Korea continues to deny its role and has threatened an “all-out war” for any punitive measures.
North Korea sees the naval drills as a “preparation of war” and its former communist ally China is also strongly opposed to the drills as they are held in the waters close to its territory.
During the Friday Security Policy Initiative talks, attended by Chang Gwang-il of Seoul’s Defense Ministry and Michael Schiffer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, the two allies also discussed follow-up measures regarding the delay of Seoul’s retaking of the wartime command of its troops from Washington, officials here said.
South Korea and the United States agreed late last month to delay the transfer of wartime operational control to December 2015, reflecting growing security concerns here following North Korea’s torpedo attack. Seoul was originally slated to take back the control in April 2012.
South Korea voluntarily handed over the OPCON of its military to Washington following the 1950-53 Korean War, during which the U.S. fought on its side. In 1994, peacetime control was handed back to
South Korea, but wartime control remains in the hands of the top U.S. commander here.
The U.S. maintains some 28,500 troops stationed here mainly to support defense against the communist North Korea.
Friday’s session of the SPI talks, held regularly since 2005, came as the U.N. Security Council adopted a presidential statement condemning North Korea for the March naval attack. It did not, however, directly blame Pyongyang for the deadly incident.
Detailed results of the SPI talks will be revealed during the “two-plus-two” meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries, slated for July 21 in Seoul.
China, Japan welcome U.N. response towards Pyongyang
Key members of the multinational talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea
The U.N. Security Council adopted a president’s statement condemning the deadly torpedo attack which killed 46 South Korean sailors, but did not explicitly blame the communist North Korea
The U.N. statement came after Seoul sent a letter to the council on June 4, asking it to formerly respond to the sinking in a manner matching the gravity of North Korea U.S. , Russia , China , Britain and France –- as well asSouth Korea and Japan
The incident came at a delicate timing as members of the six-party denuclearization talks -– including the U.S. , Japan , China , Russia andSouth Korea
Obama attends groundbreaking of LG battery factory
U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday attended a groundbreaking ceremony at an electric-vehicle battery factory, a subsidiary of South Korea's LG Chem Ltd., to promote the development of clean energy technology and a controversial economic stimulus program, Yonhap News reported.
Speaking at the ceremony at Compact Power Inc. in Holland, Michigan, Obama said the factory, which received a $151 million stimulus grant, will allow Americans to use American vehicles equipped with U.S-made electric-car batteries.
"The workers at this plant, already slated to produce batteries for the new Chevy Volt, learned the other day that they will also be supplying batteries for the new electric Ford Focus as soon as this operation gears up," Obama said, according to a transcript released by the White House.
"That means that by 2012, the batteries will be manufactured in Holland, Michigan, instead of South Korea. So when you buy one of these vehicles, the battery could be stamped 'Made in America' -- just like the car."
Since his 2008 campaign, Obama has repeatedly talked about the need to catch up with advanced lithium-ion battery technology in South Korea and Japan.
South Korea earlier this week announced plans to invest up to 15 trillion won (US$12.5 billion) in rechargeable batteries in the coming decade.
South Korean, Japanese and Chinese companies control 95 percent of the global rechargeable batteries market, with Japan's Sanyo at 20 percent and South Korea's Samsung SDI Co. and LG Chem Ltd. at 19 percent each. The global market is expected to grow to US$77.9 billion by 2020 from the current $12.3 billion.
The Compact Power plant is the ninth new advanced battery factory to start construction as a result of $2.4 billion in Recovery Act awards the president announced last August, the White House said in a statement.
"The project is expected to create hundreds of construction and manufacturing jobs in Holland," it said. "Once fully operational, the Compact factory will produce battery cells to support 53,000 Chevy Volts a year."
(Photos: AP-Yonhap)
Speaking at the ceremony at Compact Power Inc. in Holland, Michigan, Obama said the factory, which received a $151 million stimulus grant, will allow Americans to use American vehicles equipped with U.S-made electric-car batteries.
"The workers at this plant, already slated to produce batteries for the new Chevy Volt, learned the other day that they will also be supplying batteries for the new electric Ford Focus as soon as this operation gears up," Obama said, according to a transcript released by the White House.
"That means that by 2012, the batteries will be manufactured in Holland, Michigan, instead of South Korea. So when you buy one of these vehicles, the battery could be stamped 'Made in America' -- just like the car."
Since his 2008 campaign, Obama has repeatedly talked about the need to catch up with advanced lithium-ion battery technology in South Korea and Japan.
South Korea earlier this week announced plans to invest up to 15 trillion won (US$12.5 billion) in rechargeable batteries in the coming decade.
South Korean, Japanese and Chinese companies control 95 percent of the global rechargeable batteries market, with Japan's Sanyo at 20 percent and South Korea's Samsung SDI Co. and LG Chem Ltd. at 19 percent each. The global market is expected to grow to US$77.9 billion by 2020 from the current $12.3 billion.
The Compact Power plant is the ninth new advanced battery factory to start construction as a result of $2.4 billion in Recovery Act awards the president announced last August, the White House said in a statement.
"The project is expected to create hundreds of construction and manufacturing jobs in Holland," it said. "Once fully operational, the Compact factory will produce battery cells to support 53,000 Chevy Volts a year."
(Photos: AP-Yonhap)
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| U.S. President Barack Obama sits in an electric Ford Focus following a groundbreaking ceremony for Compact Power's new advanced battery factory in Holland, Michigan on July 15. |
| U.S. President Obama greets LG Chem Chairman Koo Bon-moo (L) and Vice Chairman andCEO of LG Chem Kim Bahn-suk (R) as he attends the groundbreaking of the factory. |
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| Obama greets workers during a groundbreaking ceremony. |
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| Obama is greeted by LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo during a groundbreaking ceremony. (LG Chem) |
Obama to visit Michigan for groundbreaking of LG Chem battery plant
Barack Obama will be making his fourth trip to the state of Michigan this Thursday since becoming the President of the United States of America. Obama will be in town to attend the ground breaking of a $303 million battery plant owned by LG Chem. The move shows Obama is serious about his goal of 1 million plug-in hybrids and EVs on the roads by 2015.
In March, LG Chem confirmed that it would build a factory to make battery cells for electric-vehicles including the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended range electric-vehicle. Production of the plant kicked of last month.
The 650,000 sq-ft plant will be able to produce up to 200,000 EV batteries and will create 300 jobs by 2013. It is already creating hundreds for the construction of the plant.
Half of the funding for the LG Chem plant came from form a $151.4 million federal grant. LG Chem does not have to pay that money back.
LG Chem to Supply Batteries to Ford
LG Chem to Supply Batteries to Ford
LG Chem has won a deal to supply lithium-ion batteries to Ford for the electric version of the Focus that will hit showrooms in 2011, LG said Wednesday.
The Ford Focus is an electrically powered car that can travel up to 160 km on one charge. LG Chem, which was also picked by GM to make batteries for the Chevrolet Volt, has now been contracted to supply the two largest automakers in the U.S. Ford plans to manufacture an electrically powered minivan as well as a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
LG Chem is investing US$300 million to build a lithium-ion battery plant in Holland, Michigan, which is still under construction. U.S. President Barack Obama plans to visit the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.
The Ford Focus is an electrically powered car that can travel up to 160 km on one charge. LG Chem, which was also picked by GM to make batteries for the Chevrolet Volt, has now been contracted to supply the two largest automakers in the U.S. Ford plans to manufacture an electrically powered minivan as well as a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
LG Chem is investing US$300 million to build a lithium-ion battery plant in Holland, Michigan, which is still under construction. U.S. President Barack Obama plans to visit the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.
Rate hike pace important for Korea: Yoon
The toughest challenge facing officials running Korea’s economy is finding the right pace and scale to hike interest rates, Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun said Wednesday.
Korea, as its economy rebounds strongly and inflation concerns rise, started an exit strategy, rolling back emergency interest rate cuts.
Last week, the Bank of Korea ended a 16-month rate freeze, raising the borrowing cost for the first time since the global financial crisis. Its policy rate target now stands at 2.25 percent, up 0.25 percentage point from a month earlier.
With the first move done, officials in Korea are now mulling how to proceed with the normalization of interest rates, in such a way that help stem inflation but does not hurt the economic recovery. Many analysts predict that the central bank will raise rates by an additional 0.5 percentage point by the end of the year.
“Markets, having anticipated the rate rise, appear to be taking the change well,” Yoon said, referring to last week’s rate increase. He made the remarks during a meeting to discuss steps to stabilize prices.
“Consumer prices, which critically affect the livelihood of ordinary people, are under growing upward pressure, as the domestic economy picks up and global oil prices rise,” he said.
Korea, as its economy rebounds strongly and inflation concerns rise, started an exit strategy, rolling back emergency interest rate cuts.
Last week, the Bank of Korea ended a 16-month rate freeze, raising the borrowing cost for the first time since the global financial crisis. Its policy rate target now stands at 2.25 percent, up 0.25 percentage point from a month earlier.
With the first move done, officials in Korea are now mulling how to proceed with the normalization of interest rates, in such a way that help stem inflation but does not hurt the economic recovery. Many analysts predict that the central bank will raise rates by an additional 0.5 percentage point by the end of the year.
“Markets, having anticipated the rate rise, appear to be taking the change well,” Yoon said, referring to last week’s rate increase. He made the remarks during a meeting to discuss steps to stabilize prices.
“Consumer prices, which critically affect the livelihood of ordinary people, are under growing upward pressure, as the domestic economy picks up and global oil prices rise,” he said.
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| Source: OECD |
U.S. CEOs press Obama on Korea FTA
Korea seeks creative solutions to auto, beef for early ratification: Amb. Han
Chief executive officers of Microsoft Corp., General Electric Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other large U.S. companies urged President Barack Obama to move quickly on his pledge to pass a free-trade agreement with Korea.
“Decisive and quick progress on the Korea agreement is especially vital given that the European Union and Korea have signed their own trade pact which, once implemented, will put U.S. companies and their workers at an even greater disadvantage,” the executives wrote in a letter to Obama Wednesday.
The letter was signed by Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Jeffrey Immelt of GE, Wal-Mart’s Michael Duke and eight other chief executives. The pending agreement with Korea, which was signed in 2007, is opposed by unions and Ford Motor Co., which argues that the Asian nation keeps unfair technical barriers on its exports while enjoying free access to the U.S. market.
Chief executive officers of Microsoft Corp., General Electric Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other large U.S. companies urged President Barack Obama to move quickly on his pledge to pass a free-trade agreement with Korea.
“Decisive and quick progress on the Korea agreement is especially vital given that the European Union and Korea have signed their own trade pact which, once implemented, will put U.S. companies and their workers at an even greater disadvantage,” the executives wrote in a letter to Obama Wednesday.
The letter was signed by Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Jeffrey Immelt of GE, Wal-Mart’s Michael Duke and eight other chief executives. The pending agreement with Korea, which was signed in 2007, is opposed by unions and Ford Motor Co., which argues that the Asian nation keeps unfair technical barriers on its exports while enjoying free access to the U.S. market.
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| Korean ambassador Han Duck-soo(left) and Harold McGraw III Chairman, CEO of the McGraw-Hill Companies (right) |
New GNP chief tasked to embrace rival faction
As a longstanding confidant of President Lee Myung-bak, incoming ruling party chief Ahn Sang-soo will naturally do his utmost to rebuild the dwindling public trust in the president as he enters the latter half of his term next month.
Yet another task with the same, if not heavier, weight of importance is achieving unity among different factions within the ruling bloc, which means Ahn must embrace a powerful rival of the president who is outspokenly opposed to many of his policies.
“There should be no more power-struggles within the party. The party must be reborn through change, reform and unity,” the new chairman of the Grand National Party told a meeting of Supreme Council members Thursday, echoing the president’s earlier request.
Yet another task with the same, if not heavier, weight of importance is achieving unity among different factions within the ruling bloc, which means Ahn must embrace a powerful rival of the president who is outspokenly opposed to many of his policies.
“There should be no more power-struggles within the party. The party must be reborn through change, reform and unity,” the new chairman of the Grand National Party told a meeting of Supreme Council members Thursday, echoing the president’s earlier request.
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Grand National Party leader Ahn Sang-soo speaks during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council on Thursday. Yang Dong-chul/The Korea Herald |
Mitsubishi to start talks on compensating forced laborers
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has agreed to start talks for discussing appropriate compensation for the Korean women who were forced into working for the Japanese firm while Korea was under Japan‘s colonial rule.
A South Korean civic group based in Gwangju said Thursday that the company sent an official letter saying it would comply with such a dialogue.
Mitsubishi is the first such company in Japan to agree to discussing compensation on a non-government level.
Officials here confirmed that the firm made such concessions, although they added that they need to further look into the issue for details.
The civic group for supporting the Korean women forced into labor said it received the letter from Mitsubishi after it visited the company headquarters in Tokyo last month.
Actual negotiations are expected to start in late August, the group‘s director said.
Millions of Koreans including women were coerced into working for Japanese companies and the military when Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910-45.
A South Korean civic group based in Gwangju said Thursday that the company sent an official letter saying it would comply with such a dialogue.
Mitsubishi is the first such company in Japan to agree to discussing compensation on a non-government level.
Officials here confirmed that the firm made such concessions, although they added that they need to further look into the issue for details.
The civic group for supporting the Korean women forced into labor said it received the letter from Mitsubishi after it visited the company headquarters in Tokyo last month.
Actual negotiations are expected to start in late August, the group‘s director said.
Millions of Koreans including women were coerced into working for Japanese companies and the military when Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910-45.
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| Former forced laborer Yang Geum-deok (right) speaks during a press conference at a Mitsubishi Motors retailer in Gwangju on Thursday. Yonhap News |
‘N.K. surgery done without anesthesia’
Amputations and other major operations are carried out without anesthesia in North Korea, according to a report published by Amnesty International on Thursday.
Based on interviews with more than 40 North Koreans and health professionals, the report titled “The Crumbling State of Health Care in North Korea” offers the dire portrait of the North’s healthcare system.
Hospitals did not function properly due to a lack of medicines while malnutrition enabled epidemics to develop.
Witnesses in the report described hospitals where hypodermic needles were not sterilized and sheets were not regularly washed.
“North Korea has failed to provide for the most basic health and survival needs of its people. This is especially true of those who are too poor to pay for medical care,” said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Asia-Pacific.
Despite the North Korean government’s claim that its health care system is free for all, many interviewees said that they have had to pay for all services since the 1990s, the report found.
“Doctors are usually paid in cigarettes, alcohol or food for the most basic consultations and take cash for tests or surgery,” the report said.
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea spent less on health care than any other country in the world -- less than $1 per person per year.
The report also found that many North Koreans bypass doctors, going straight to the markets to buy medicine and self-medicate according to their own guesswork or the advice of market vendors.
Based on interviews with more than 40 North Koreans and health professionals, the report titled “The Crumbling State of Health Care in North Korea” offers the dire portrait of the North’s healthcare system.
Hospitals did not function properly due to a lack of medicines while malnutrition enabled epidemics to develop.
Witnesses in the report described hospitals where hypodermic needles were not sterilized and sheets were not regularly washed.
“North Korea has failed to provide for the most basic health and survival needs of its people. This is especially true of those who are too poor to pay for medical care,” said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Asia-Pacific.
Despite the North Korean government’s claim that its health care system is free for all, many interviewees said that they have had to pay for all services since the 1990s, the report found.
“Doctors are usually paid in cigarettes, alcohol or food for the most basic consultations and take cash for tests or surgery,” the report said.
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea spent less on health care than any other country in the world -- less than $1 per person per year.
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| Norma Kang Muico, Asia-Pacific researcher for Amnesty International, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. Yonhap News |
The report also found that many North Koreans bypass doctors, going straight to the markets to buy medicine and self-medicate according to their own guesswork or the advice of market vendors.
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