Today's headlines_Jan. 4

- As early as this February, loan applicants with a debt-to-income ratio beyond 40 per cent will face a harder time to quality for the mortgage loan.

- Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Lee Young-hun is said to have failed to pay W20m in income tax when he was a lawyer. He belatedly paid the tax yesterday.

- President Roh said yesterday “I wanted to get good evaluation from the public but I completely gave up last year….in 2007 I think it would be better for me not to be bothered any more.”

- The KCNA reported yesterday that North Korea’s Foreign Minster Paek Nam-sun died but did not revealed when and how he died.

- Hyundai Motor’s militant unionists disrupted the company’s new year celebration ceremony, leaving President Yoon Yeo-churl injured and Vice President Kim Dong-jin to abruptly stop doing the opening speech. The 40-minute planned ceremony ended in just 10 minutes. President Yoon said in a phone interview with Maekyung “We will definitely hold people accountable for causing such disruptions.”

- President Roh said yesterday “we will hammer out special measures this year so that the exchange rate will not weigh heavily on the economic performance.”

- Stock prices sharply fell yesterday, closing at 1409.35, down by 25.91 point from a day earlier, on news of stricter rules on mortgage loan and selling-off by foreign investors.

- Prosecutors and the police are set to launch an investigation into Hyundai Motor unionist’s violent behaviors at the company’s new year event as the company decided to bring the case to court.

- The MOFAT plans to give out the drinking-driving guidelines in consultation with the police to foreign embassies in Korea.

- With the year 2007 being the ‘golden pig’ year, a small pig pet is getting increasingly popular.

- Japanese Mainichi Sinmun reported that after the nuclear test in October last year, Kim is said to have told party leadership that he would stay in power well into aged 80 and 90 as a supreme leader, rejecting any speculation that he would soon appoint a successor.