today's headlines

- Chung Woon-jae, a former presidential secretary, is revealed to have received tens of millions of won in kickback from a corrupt constructor early this year.

- Korea’s ratio of taxation against national income since the Asian financial crisis has grown fastest among 30 members of the OECD.

- Unification minister Lee Jae-joung told reporters this morning that Seoul would positively consider watching Arirang performance if requested by North Korea. “Arirang performance is one of their very proud performances and we respect it in that regard, and would think about it (watching the performance).”

- Chung Mong-koo is at pains to prepare a lecture and write in the paper, part of punishments he received from the appeal court. Hyundai Motor said it will be done by the end of October.

- When visiting companies and plants on July 29, Kim ordered officials at Bureau 39 to close all restaurants run by the bureau and focus more on mining production, the Mainichi Newspaper quoted a Chinese official as saying.

- Prosecutors raided Byeon’s Somerset Place residence after finding out the monthly rent of W2m had been paid by someone else for the past 13 months.

- According to a document submitted by the FSS, 8 out 12 local banks and 11 out of 21 securities companies have an auditor who used to work at the FSS, fuelling suspicions they are hired not for internal inspection, more for lobbying the FSS.

- Kim Seung-yeon is to resign as Hanwha Corporation CEO soon and leaves for Japan to recuperate himself.