Today's headlines_Sep. 5

- The Education Ministry warned local universities it will apply ‘administrative and financial sanctions’ to them unless they abide by university entrance guidelines set by the ministry.

- The New Democratic Party is under criticism for making up fake lists who they claim were part of participants of pre-primary election. Thirty-three percent of the participants were found to be a fake.

- The city of Mokpo in Jellanamdo unveiled aggressive childbirth encouraging programs with a yearly budget of W22-38 bn, under which the city gives a household up to W19.49 m for a first child, W22.35m for a second one, and W41.75m for the third one.

- SK Group is to give 8 high schools nationwide W250 m each for the space of three years in an effort to support public education.

- Lee Myung-bak will meet Park Geun-hye on Sep.7 to encourage internal cooperation in the run-up to the presidential election.

- Hynix creditors have chosen Credit Swiss as their advisor in a step toward selling its remaining shares. The sell-off might be possible within this year if creditors all agree.

- Rep. Chung Kyun-hwan from the New Democratic Party asked President Roh to issue an apology for the prosecution’s probe into sending secret money to the North in return for the 2000 summit. He said “because of the investigation, inter-Korean relations have badly deteriorated, which incurred damage to the country.”

- 15 representatives from the New Democratic Party have proposed a legislation under which the practice of circulatory shareholdings among chaebol affiliates is banned.

- Financial Supervisory Service is said to have issued strong internal orders to its officials not to contact with reporters in the office. A FSS official who was asked to be interviewed said “we’ve received oral instructions from above not to meet reporters within the office, so how about meeting you at a coffee shop near the building?”

- It is believed that GNP rep. Chung Byung-kook who worked for Lee Myung-bak’s camp contacted a North Korean official last month in Beijing, spreading speculations that the GNP party is doing some secret works to minimize North Korea’s influence in the up-coming election.