Today's headlines_Dec 4

- The Seoul City Government will make a floating bridge by 2008 alongside Han River which will be used as a bicycle road.

- According to Gmarket, the most popular on-line item in 2006 is leggings followed by mini-skirt, skinny jean, long boots, and glucosamine.

- Mike Johanns, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in an interview with Inside US Trade that Korea’s ban on imported beef would have negative impact on the on-going Korea-US FTA negotiations.

- Jerrold Post, a professor of political psychology at George Washington University, said export ban on luxury goods would not be enough to weaken loyalty of North Korean leadership toward Kim Jong-il. He said the measure would only anger them and not be strong enough to have any intended impact.

- Government’s North Korean assistance budget in 2006 has amounted record-high with W210bn since 1995 when the government has launched the assistance program.

- Kim Jong-il is understood to have said October 18, “there is no prospect for a while that other country will offer rice but food would be eventually arrived from South Korea. Let’s lay in a supply of food when we receive it.”

- Ruling Uri party will have a poll next week on its party members on the course the party should take down the road and possible party restructuring. When they collect the opinion, they will deliver it to the president when he comes back from overseas visit.