Today's headlines_Dec 20

- The number of students who voluntarily drops out of school for fear of their poor academic records at school weighing heavily on the university entrance is increasing.

- The lives of ordinary people will be harder next year amid an expected hike in public health insurance fee, public transport fare, income taxes, and utilities.

- Goh Kun said he would focus on the development of underdeveloped inner areas of Seoul such as Yongsan, Youngdeunpo, Sanam, Cheongrangri, and Wangshimri to make the regiond more attractive to live in and to absorb people wanting to stay inside Seoul and not wishing to move out to the metropolitan area.

- Bank of Korea is planning to tighten monetary policy by reducing the limit of loan the BoK provides to local banks by W2-3 trillion, the level same as that of 1998. The details will be decided tomorrow at the regular meeting of monetary policy committee.

- LG Economic Research Institute predicts the consumption pattern next year will be two-pronged with high-end products as well as low-end products becoming popular at the same time.

- Samsung Securities Co. expects stock prices will hit a year-high at the end of the year.

- The Kyunggi government is intent on pushing ahead with its ‘international zone’ construction project in Pyongtaek regardless of an expected 5-year delay of US army relocation. The project will cost W7trillion and is co-constructed with Korea Land Corporation.

- Japanese Mainichi Sinmun quoted Kypto news agency as reporting that North Korea sent out a positive signal on the matter of re-entrance of IAEA inspectors to the regime if certain conditions are met.

- An electronic passport with biological information will be officially provided from next year.

- Woori Bank decided to hire its less than 3,000 temporary workers as regular ones, the first ever done by Korean local banks.

- Nathan Thornburg, a reporter with the U.S. weekly magazine Time, said on CNN on December 18 “It is said that ‘Desperate Housewives’ DVDs are brought into North Korea for their leader.”