- Fair Trade Commission fined W11.5 bn on Samsung Electronics for its unfair business practices with part suppliers and ordered the company to correct the practices. The company is said to have urged its suppliers to reduce prices for parts and unfairly interfered with management of some companies.

- Shim Sang-jeong and Roh Hui-chan, who offered to break away from the troubled Labor Democratic Party, plan to establish a new ‘progressive party’ on March 16.

- The Ministry of Government Administration Home Affairs said the fire broke this morning didn’t destroy any important government document.

- Joo Ho-young said of the special investigation team’s result that it was a relief that all allegations were cleared once again to allow the new government to start afresh. Lee Dong-kwan, the spokesman of the transition team, said “truth will prevail in the end(사필귀정).”

- The Ministry of Construction and Transportation revealed a revised aviation law which takes effect in May. Under the law, a foreign airline should fly more than 20,000 domestic flights for two years without any accident to get permission for international flight, just like domestic airlines. But 49 foreign airlines, already flying to Korea, are not subject to the new rule.

- The Construction Ministry drew up a revised construction law under which a ‘PC Room’ is permitted to operate when it is adjacent to a road of more than 12 M in width. Online game companies and PC Rooms nationwide lambasted the new law for ignoring a reality, saying 20,000 or more than 80 per cent of PC rooms would be closed down by the rule.

- Kim Jung-il is said not to stay through the concert by NY Phil Harmonic orchestra but appear during recess between the performances, said North Korean sources in Beijing. If he doesn’t show during the recess, he is expected to visit a dinner in Yanggakdo Hotel.

- The compromised government slim-down plan will reduce the number of public servant by 3,700, not 6,900 according to the original plan.