other important headlines_Nov 10

- As a result of government’s plan to decrease apartment prices by 20-30 per cent in an effort to stabilize property market, prices for small and medium sized apartment in a new city will be around W7m-W10m.

- With Donald Rumsfeld being replaced, attention is now focused on whether the schedule for transferring wartime operational control from the US to Korea will be changed. A military expert in Washington said even though defense minister changed, that would not have much impact on the already-agreed issue, but Rumsfeld who urged to give the control by 2009 was now out so there was more room for Korea to push ahead with its plan to push back the date till the year 2012.

- Uri Rep. Chun Jung-bae made clear his opposition to a formation of a grand neutral cabinet suggested by some of his party members. In a radio interview, he said “the government should be led by the president and Uri party. That is a politics of responsibility and according to democratic principle and I don’t think we need such a cabinet.” He also revealed his ambition to run for the party’s presidential ticket.

- Rep. Choi Yean-hee of GNP is on the brink of losing his lawmaker position as the court sentenced him six months in jail and one year of stay of execution. He was accused of sexually harassing Donga Ilbo female reporter.

- As the UN is said to put a North Korean human rights resolution to a vote within this weekend, the government, which has either abstained or not attended in the vote for the past three years considering special security conditions on the Korean peninsula, is now agonizing on its stance. Criticism from in and out of country of Seoul’s ambivalent stance on the common value as well as Ban Ki-moon’s appointment as UN secretary-general weigh heavily on the government’s decision.

- GNP Rep. Chung Hyung-keun argues “Kim Jong-il ordered his top military staff to make Kaesung park a military base in case of emergency,” and “he ordered them to dispatch people from a special military forces as a worker at the park.” “Kaesung Industrial Park is not an industrial complex for pure business as the government thinks it is,” he added.

- The Defense Ministry moves to halve its military force of Zaitun in Iraq from the current 2,400 to 1,200 by next year in an effort to quell criticism of extending the military’s staying. The ministry will file the proposal to the National Assembly around November 23.