Other important headlines_September 22

- [Yonhap] Former American deputy secretary of state Richard Amitage is said to have warned yesterday “North Korea will experiment its nuclear weapons within this year,” and “if that happens, every issue including wartime command transfer should be reconsidered all over again.”

-[Yonhap] The US department of Justice said yesterday an executive at Samsung Electronics in San Hose, the US, admitted to have been participating in the price collision of DRAM and agreed to receive punishment. Thomas Quinn, vice director of Marketing team, is sentenced to 8 months in prison and to pay $250,000 in fine.

-[Yonhap] President Roh cancelled his plan to visit the Kangwon region due to fatigue and sickness caused by long haul business trip. This is the first time that the President, believed to be very healthy and active, cancels his schedule due to health problems.

- [Newsmaker] Former Kyunggi mayor Sohn Hak-gyu is often called as ‘undervalued blue-chip’ in the political circle. He is very popular among opinion leaders in Korea but not so within ordinary people. According to the 2004 survey on lawmakers, journalists, and professors, he was chosen as the most competitive and prominent politician, who was capable of becoming the next president. Though ordinary people don’t know very well about him partly because he hasn’t established his very own ‘image’, his moves should be carefully watched until the presidential election next year.

- [Donga Ilbo] The Ministry of Health and Welfare will increase public health insurance fee by 6.5 per cent next year in order to supplement national financial deficit, which certainly puts more burden on already difficult life of ordinary citizens.

- [No Cut News] According to a survey by matchmaking company DUO, Koreans choose a government official(53.1 per cent) for man and teacher(55.5 per cent) for woman as the most ideal job of a spouse.

- [Chosun Ilbo] One in every seven household in Korea doesn’t have a fix-line phone largely because mobile phone is replacing fixed-line phone.