Over 1,000 jailed in N.K. for watching South’s films

More than 1,000 North Koreans have been jailed for secretly watching South Korean TV shows and films as the communist regime battles an inflow of foreign culture, a Seoul-based defector group said Monday. 

North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity said some 1,200 people are in jail in the northwestern city of Kaechon for the offence. It cited a source in the prison, which has a total 3,000 inmates. 

Access to foreign pop culture is strictly banned for ordinary people in the isolated nation, with violators facing hefty fines or jail terms. 

But a growing stream of pirated DVDs and music CDs smuggled from China, the North’s neighbor and major trade partner, has made the capitalist South’s pop culture increasingly popular, the group said on its website. 

“The prison official said it was the first time the number of people jailed solely for watching the South’s TV dramas has gone over 1,000 ... now the prison is overcrowded with such prisoners,” the group said. 

The group, citing another source in the North, said Pyongyang created a special police unit in January to crack down on those with “rotten spirit.” 

Those who are caught are usually jailed for between two and five years and face harsher treatment in prison than other offenders, it said. 

News reports and North Korean defectors have said even the reclusive and tightly controlled North could not escape “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, a reference to the surging popularity of South Korean pop culture in Asia. 

Pyongyang launched a crackdown on women emulating the looks and hairstyles of popular South Korean actresses, calling it “the South’s delinquent look,” the Seoul-based Daily NK online newspaper reported last month. 

Lee calls for fortification of islands

President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday called on his government to gradually fortify the five islands near the western sea border and improve living conditions there.

“Government ministries should push for gradual fortification (of the five islands) and cooperate to improve living conditions by creating jobs so people can keep living there,” Lee was quoted as saying by his spokesperson Kim Hee-jung during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

Lee made the remarks after he received a report on the plan to provide 30 billion won ($26 million) out of reserve funds to rebuild the devastated Yeonpyeong Island and compensate residents there, Kim said.

2011: Mobile phones to get smarter, cheaper

Smartphones are expected to get even smarter next year, according to major South Korean phonemakers who believe the devices will continue to be a boon for business.

“It’s going to be a big year for smartphones, and companies are going to go all out to roll out phones with new and smarter features to make their mark,” said Cho Joong-kwon, a spokesman for LG Electronics. 

Samsung Electronics also said they will focus on producing smartphones on all ends. 

Smartphones had actually appeared to be off to a slow start earlier this year when South Korea seemed to fall a cycle behind the latest IT trend.

‘Obba’ apps generating buzz among iPhone users

App simulates video calls of fantasy girlfriend for lonely male users 

Other ‘obba’ app allows for checking partner‘s location real time

By Ryu Jeong-hyun 
Intern reporter

The word “obba” has the literal meaning of a woman or girl’s older brother in Korean. 

But it has a special usage: Korean women routinely call their older boyfriends “obba.” And if you are a single man with no girlfriend, “obba” is a word you would really want to hear. 

The reality is that there are many Korean men in that woeful state. Furthermore, they are willing to buy iPhone apps that can concoct a fantasy in which they are called “obba” by a beautiful woman, and a couple of app developers have quickly seized on this market. 

The app, seductively titled “Obba, It’s Me,” debuted on Nov. 30 for iPhone users in Korea, and on that very day the number of downloads reached a whopping 80,000, climbing to the top slot in the free mobile app category at Apple’s Korean App Store. 

An iPhone app titled "Obba, It’s Me”

Ministers urge N. Korea to stop provocations before 6-way talks

South Korea, the United States and Japan Monday reconfirmed their pledge not to engage in dialogue with North Korea unless Pyongyang stops provocations and shows its commitment to denuclearization, urging China to use its influence on North Korea.

"North Korea first needs to take concrete steps to demonstrate a change of behavior," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters after a trilateral meeting with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts Kim Sung-hwan and Seiji Maehara. "They need to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose in ending their provocations and let the world know that they are now ready to come to the table and fulfill the commitments that they have already made, because the six-party talks cannot substitute for specific actions by North Korea to comply with all of its obligations."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C), South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan (R) and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara attend a press conference after a trilateral meeting at the Department of State in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Dec. 6, 2010. (Xinhua-Yonhap News0

Prior to the meeting at the State Department, Clinton asked for "a moment of silence for the victims of shelling in South Korea," referring to the North's artillery barrage last month on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island on the western sea border. Four people died, including two marines, and dozens of others were injured in the first attack on South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

China has called on the parties concerned to remain calm, show restraint and deal with the tensions through an emergency meeting of chief envoys to the six-party talks on the North's denuclearization.

In a phone call with U.S. President Barack Obama Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao called for a "cool and rational"

response, and "dialogue" among relevant parties, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement. Russia, another party to the multilateral nuclear talks, has joined China in calling for the emergency meeting of chief nuclear envoys.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim echoed Clinton's theme.

"We also reaffirmed that in order for the heads of delegations of the six-party talks to get together, the appropriate circumstances must be put in place first, such as North Korea's demonstration of its sincerity toward denuclearization, with action," Kim said.

The chief South Korean diplomat thanked China's role as the chair of the six-party talks.

"However, we would like China to have a more clear stance in giving warning to North Korea and to contain these provocative actions by North Korea, because these provocations are not at all helping the security of the region and the peninsula, so we would like China to play a more important role," he said.

Clinton agreed. "We look forward to China playing a vital role in regional diplomacy," she said. "They have a unique relationship with North Korea, and we would hope that China would work with us to send a clear, unmistakable message to North Korea that they have to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose in ending their provocative actions, and there are many ways that they can do that."

In the phone call, Obama also urged China to help rein in North Korea's nuclear weapons programs and belligerence.

Obama "urged China to work with us and others to send a clear message to North Korea that its provocations are unacceptable,"

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "The president condemned the North Korean shelling of a South Korean island on Nov. 23 and its pursuit of a uranium enrichment program in defiance of its obligations."

North Korea early last month revealed a uranium enrichment program at its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, spawning concerns that it will serve as another way of making nuclear bombs. North Korea already has a plutonium-based nuclear weapons program.

Pyongyang says it intends to produce low-grade uranium to fuel a light-water reactor for electricity.

In a show of deterrence against North Korea, South Korea and the U.S. conducted joint military drills in the Yellow Sea last week with the participation of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington.

China has raised objections to such exercises off its coast.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meanwhile, will fly to Seoul later in the day to meet with South Korea's new defense minister, Kim Kwan-jin, and other military officials to "reaffirm and reassure the South Koreans about our commitment to the alliance," the Pentagon said. 

China's Hu expressed concerns to Obama that North Korea may become uncontrollable.

Kim Kwan-jin's predecessor, Kim Tae-young, was sacked last week amid mounting criticism of the South Korean military's "weak" response to the North's shelling of Yeonpyeong.

South Korea last week revised the rules of engagement to allow use of air and naval forces to counter any further provocations from the North.

Clinton said Mullen is visiting Seoul and Tokyo to "enhance coordination on strategic deterrents," adding she "will be sending a high-level team to Asia to follow up on today's meeting."

Speaking to reporters aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the North's recent provocations are designed to show that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Jong-un, is "tough and strong enough to take leadership. I think this is a difficult and potentially dangerous time."

The International Criminal Court, meanwhile, said it has begun probing the North's shelling and the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors in the Yellow Sea in March. Pyongyang denies involvement.

The ICC "has opened a preliminary examination to evaluate if some incidents constitute war crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court," including the shelling and the Cheonan's sinking, upon receiving "communications alleging that North Korean forces committed war crimes in the territory of the Republic of Korea (South Korea)," the Hague-based court said in a statement.

Clinton, meanwhile, lauded the conclusion of talks last week for the ratification of a free trade deal with South Korea pending for more than three years, as Seoul allowed a delayed phaseout of auto tariffs, among other issues, in return for Washington's concessions on pork and medicine.

"The Republic of Korea and the United States completed negotiations on a landmark Korea-U.S. free-trade agreement that will further strengthen the bonds between our two countries," she said. (Yonhap News)

Defense chief stresses swift self-defense

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin directed the military to use the right of self-defense in case of another North Korean provocation, in a prompt manner if need be, during a meeting of top military commanders in Seoul Tuesday.

“Under the (minister’s) directive, each commander exercises the right of self-defense first (if need be) and reports to higher authorities later,” said Chang Gwang-il, the ministry’s chief of the defense policy department in a press briefing.

“The exercise of the right means that our military is not bound to the rules of engagement or the Armistice Agreement, and the extent to which we exercise the right is until we strike the origin of the enemy attack. Regarding this matter, both South Korea and the U.S. have concurred.”

Chang added that the Joint Chiefs of Staff will discuss the need to revise the rules of engagement with the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the U.N. Command.

IPad 2 to start shipping as early as Feb: report

NEW YORK -- Apple Inc's next iPad tablet will start shipping as early as the end of February from electronics maker Foxconn Electronics' factories in China, DigiTimes reported on Tuesday.

The report, citing unnamed sources from Taiwan-based components makers, said Apple originally planned to start mass production of the new device, known as iPad 2, in January.

Apple's iPad displayed at KT, which also provides iPhone for the local market. (Yonhap News)

Those plans were postponed since the device's firmware, or set of software instructions that are programed into the device's hardware, was still being tested, according to the report.

The iPad 2 will mainly be supplied by plants in Shenzhen belonging to Foxconn, the parent company of Hon Hai, DigiTimes reported. An initial shipment of 400,000 to 600,000 units are expected.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple sold 4.19 million iPads in the fiscal fourth quarter. That was lower than markets expected, but analysts expect sales to ramp up this holiday season as Apple resolves supply glitches. (Reuters)

Violinist loses $1.9m Stradivarius

A musician who went into a central London sandwich store to buy something to eat has had a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin worth 1.9 million stolen, police said on Monday.


British Transport Police have launched a public appeal to get the rare instrument back and the musician’s insurer, Lark Insurance Broking Group, has offered a $23,600 reward for information leading to its recovery.


Detective Inspector Andy Rose said the theft took place on the evening of Monday, November 29, outside Euston train station.


After going to a Pret A Manger cafe, the violinist noticed her violin case had been taken and called the police.


Inside the case was a 1696 Antonio Stradivarius antique violin as well as a Peccatte bow, valued at $100,000, and another bow made by the School of Bazin valued at more than $7,800.


“These items hold enormous sentimental and professional value for the victim,” Rose said in a statement.


“But although they are extremely valuable, it would be very difficult to sell them on as they are so rare and distinctive that they will be easily recognized as stolen property.


“It’s possible the instrument will be offered for sale within the antique or musical trade and we ask anyone who has any knowledge of the violin‘s whereabouts to come forward so it can be returned to its rightful owner.”


The police did not name the classical musician, but British media reported that the violin’s owner was 32-year-old Korean-born Kym Min-Jin. British Transport Police were not immediately available to comment on the identity of the victim. (Reuters)


 

Samsung promotes Chairman's daughter to executive vice president

Samsung Group promoted Chairman Lee Kun-hee's younger daughter on Wednesday in its latest management overhaul to tighten the founding family's grip over South Korea's largest business conglomerate. 

Lee Seo-hyun, 37, also a granddaughter of the group's founder, was promoted one level to executive vice president of Cheil Industries Inc., Samsung's textile unit, the group said in a statement. 

 

Lee Seo-hyun (right) and her husband Kim Jae-yul (left) were promoted to executive vice president of Cheil Industries Inc., Samsung’s textile unit, Nov. 8, 2010. (Yonhap News)

The younger Lee was one of 490 executives at numerous affiliates who were promoted in the group's largest ever reshuffle. 

Her promotion comes in the wake of her siblings' ascent to presidency last week, which heralded the start of third-generation management at the group's 67 affiliates that account for one-fifth of the country's gross domestic product.

Her brother Jae-yong, 42, was promoted to president of Samsung Electronics Co. Her sister Boo-jin, 40, was named president and chief executive of the group's hotel unit, president of Samsung Everland Inc., the group's de facto holding company, and an advisor to the trading division of Samsung C&T Corp., the group's trading and construction company. (Yonhap News)

Rival parties clash head-on over budget plan

Lawmakers of rival parties on Tuesday clashed physically over next year's national budget plan with only three days left before the end of the regular session. 

Dozens of opposition lawmakers and their aides fought with their counterparts from the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) when their entry into a plenary session of the committee on land and maritime affairs was blocked by the latter.

Rival parties clash over the national budget plan for 2011 in the National Assembly on Nov. 8. (Yonhap News)

A GNP lawmaker was rushed to a local hospital after being hit on the head with a gavel thrown during the scuffle, according to another GNP lawmaker who witnessed the scene. The attacked lawmaker, Hyun Ki-hwan, suffered a minor injury, his aide said.

Some 40 lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) took over the chairman's seat and podium at the main congress hall late at night to block the GNP from jamming the budget bill through the parliament.

Lawmakers of rival parties struggle to take the chairman’s seat and podium at the main chamber to block the ruling GNP from railroading the budget bill through the parliament, on Nov.8. (Yonhap News)

The move came two hours after about 400 lawmakers from the DP and minor opposition parties, including the Democratic Labor Party, launched a sit-in at the main lobby of the Congress to block GNP lawmakers from entering parliamentary meetings.

The GNP has repeatedly vowed to finish budget deliberations by Thursday, accusing the DP of intentionally delaying the procedure for political gains -- to derail the key domestic agendas of the Lee Myung-bak administration, including the four-river refurbishment project, ahead of the 2012 presidential election. The party controls the majority with 171 seats in the 298-member unicameral parliament.

The party has also threatened to put the budget bill to voting in the plenary session of the committee on Wednesday and then in a full floor session the next day, if no decision was made in the committee's subpanel meeting by 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

But the DP has threatened to employ physical means in that case to block its passage, demanding an extraordinary parliamentary session be held to follow the regular session.

Lawmakers of the Democratic Party stage a sit-in protest over the four-river refurbishment project on Nov. 8. (Yonhap News)

The party already submitted a request for the extra session to the Assembly with four other opposition parties.

The party said it will not clear the occupations of the parliamentary speaker's podium and the main lobby until the rival party accepts its demand for convening an extraordinary session when the regular meeting is over.

"The occupation will basically continue until Thursday, the last day of the regular session," Park Ki-choon, deputy floor leader of the DP, told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "But we can end this earlier if the GNP agrees to call an extraordinary session and faithfully deliberate the budget bill," he said.

The government has proposed a 309.6 trillion won budget (US$274.5 billion) for 2011, an approximate 6 percent increase from this year. But the DP is aiming for a reduction of 11.3 trillion won, making cuts in virtually every major sector related to the controversial river refurbishment project.

The state is pushing to allocate 9.6 trillion won next year for the refurbishment of the nation's four major rivers -- the Han, Nakdong, Geumgang and Yeongsan -- which the Lee administration says will help prevent floods and enhance water quality.

The rival parties already missed the Dec. 2 legal deadline for getting the bill passed in the Assembly but were still nowhere near agreement as of Tuesday.   

With the mess outside, the GNP unilaterally opened the land and maritime affairs committee meeting and submitted 92 bills, including one aimed to speed up the river refurbishment project, for discussion inside a closed-door conference room at the Assembly.

The GNP-led river basin development bill allows authorities to designate areas within a 2-kilometer reach from the four rivers as a special environment-friendly development zone where commercial facilities can be built.

The bill is aimed at providing legal support to the river project, which is at the center of the partisan conflict over the budget plan. The government wants to allocate about 9.6 trillion won from next year's budget but the DP wants to cut most of the budget set aside for the river project, saying it will cause disaster to the nation's ecosystems. (Yonhap News)