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[토플_영자신문] Portals Target Mobile Phones (Korea Times)

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:02:57 +0900

Portals Target Mobile Phones

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

Mobile phone firms and portals are moving to popularize accessing the Internet on smart phones but the much-talked-about mobile Internet explosion has yet to happen.

Smart phone users are still hesitant in subscribing to ``expensive'' mobile Internet services, even as carriers are spending heavily to convert their desktop applications for use on handsets, competing for a head start in the potentially lucrative market.

NHN, the operator of Naver (www.naver.com), the country's most popular Web site, revealed a new Web portal (m.naver.com) for use in ``smart'' phones, PDAs and other mobile Internet devices this month.

Since it is optimized for handsets, which can't compete with laptops in power or speed, mobile Naver is basically a watered down version of its computer equivalent, with the fancy designs and multimedia features replaced by simplified menus and search bars.

NHN is actually a latecomer to the mobile party, although as the undisputed Internet industry kingpin, it could afford to do so.

Daum (www.daum.net), the No. 2 Web portal, has been operating Daum Mobile since January, while SK Communications, which operates Nate (www.nate.com) and the immensely popular Cyworld (www.cyworld.com) social networking services, launched ``Mini Cyworld'' for wireless users last December.

KTH, the Internet unit of telecommunications giant, KT, and operator of Paran (www.paran.com), also unveiled an upgraded version of its mobile portal, ``Paran Mini'' (mini.paran.com), Wednesday.

Although Internet companies are racing to unleash mobile portals, there is little differentiation between the products, as the companies have yet to gain a firm grasp about what will work and what won't.

The traffic to mobile portals remains miniscule, as most wireless users won't touch their expensive data services. So it's difficult for Internet companies to discuss and predict business models, although banner advertisements are obviously out of the question.

``It's more about allowing computer users to access similar services when they are on the road, rather than delivering something new for the mobile environment,'' said a KTH official.

``Business models are unclear, but Internet companies can't afford to be committed onl　y half way. With wireless operators introducing more fixed-rates, and the popularity of smart-phones rising, the mobile Internet explosion is close, and the introduction of a killer device, such as the iPhone or Android handsets, could make a lot of difference,'' he said.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

[좋은글] '안심하세요, 제가 있으니까요' (고도원의 아침편지)

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:34:08 +0900

'안심하세요, 제가 있으니까요'

그대 주변에
어떤 문제가 발생했을 때
그대가 '안심하세요, 제가 있으니까요'
라고 말해 주면
그대를 믿고
안심하는 사람이
몇 명이나 있나요.
가족조차도
그대의 말을 신뢰하지 않는다면
그대의 인생은
아직 미완성입니다.

- 이외수의《청춘불패》중에서 -

* 믿고 안심하는 사람,
믿고 안심하고 맡길 수 있는 사람,
그런 사람이 있다는 것, 그런 사람이 된다는 것,
눈물이 핑도는 일입니다. 사람을 살리는 일입니다.
누가 감히 '나는 완성자다' 할 수 있겠습니까?
모두가 미완성자입니다.
다만 그 길을 갈 뿐입니다.
그 길을 가고자 서로 노력할 뿐입니다.

[토플_ 영자신문] President’s Friend Avoids Detention (Korea Times)

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:32:04 +0900

President’s Friend Avoids Detention

Chun Shin-il
CEO of Sejoongnamo

By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

A court rejected a prosecution request made Tuesday for an arrest warrant for Chun Shin-il, CEO of Sejoongnam Tour and a close friend of President Lee Myung-bak.

Chun has been accused of bribery and tax evasion between 2006 and 2007.

Judge Kim Hyung-doo at the Seoul Central District Court, rejected the request at 10:30 p.m. after questioning Chun over the corruption allegations surrounding him.

Chun has been accused of pressuring tax authorities to suspend an audit into Park Yeon-cha, the indicted CEO of shoemaker Taekwang, last year in return for monetary benefits worth about 700 million won ($560,000).

He is also suspected of evading some 10 billion won in taxes by illegally handing over part of a stake in his company to his three children in April 2006 with the help of Park.

Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party (DP) filed a suit against senior prosecutors for making public unconfirmed information and allegations they uncovered during the investigation of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.

The party said it had filed the suit with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office against senior prosecutors, including Lee In-gyu, head of a central investigation unit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Hong Man-pyo and Woo Byeong-woo.

It said in a complaint that they intentionally leaked information they found during the investigation to the media before Roh was officially prosecuted, which is illegal.

``Roh denied all bribery allegations surrounding him. But they snubbed them and kept releasing one　-sided information to the media to corner him,'' it said. ``They even gave daily press briefings on the progress of their investigation.''

Under the law, those leaking investigation information before a suspect stands trial can face up to three years in prison or have their license suspended for up to five years.

``They should have announced information confirmed by both sides. They have to play by the rules and meet people's right to know in a sound way,'' said Kim Yoo-jung, DP spokesman. ``They also didn't respect Roh's right to be treated the same as an innocent person until indicted.''

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

[좋은글] 환기 (고도원의 아침편지

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:03:24 +0900

환기

집 안 공기 깨끗하게 만들기.
하루 3번 이상, 한 번에 30분 이상 환기를 시키자.
환기할 때는 맞바람이 불도록 마주보는 창문과
현관문을 모두 열어놓는 게 좋다.
장시간 환기가 어렵다면
2~3시간 간격으로 1~2분씩 환기해도 된다.
환기는 낮에 하는게 좋다.
밤에는 도시의 대기오염물질이 땅으로 가라앉으므로
오전 10시 이후 오후 9시 이전에 환기를 하자.

- 신근정의《고마워요 에코맘》중에서 -

* 집 안뿐만이 아니라
마음에도 이따금 환기가 필요합니다.
굳게 닫힌 일상의 창을 열고 새로운 공기를 마셔야 합니다.
산책도 좋고 음악, 여행, 봉사, 그 어떤 것도 좋습니다.
주기적으로 해서 차츰 습관으로 만들면 더 좋습니다.
그래야 기분전환도 빨라지고 마음도 맑아집니다.
발상도 전환돼 어제까지 큰 문제였던 것이
문제가 아닌 것으로 바뀝니다.

[좋은글] 집 안 공기 깨끗하게 만들기 (고도원의 아침편지)

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:58:13 +0900

집 안 공기 깨끗하게 만들기.
하루 3번 이상, 한 번에 30분 이상 환기를 시키자.
환기할 때는 맞바람이 불도록 마주보는 창문과
현관문을 모두 열어놓는 게 좋다.
장시간 환기가 어렵다면
2~3시간 간격으로 1~2분씩 환기해도 된다.
환기는 낮에 하는게 좋다.
밤에는 도시의 대기오염물질이 땅으로 가라앉으므로
오전 10시 이후 오후 9시 이전에 환기를 하자.

- 신근정의《고마워요 에코맘》중에서 -

* 집 안뿐만이 아니라
마음에도 이따금 환기가 필요합니다.
굳게 닫힌 일상의 창을 열고 새로운 공기를 마셔야 합니다.
산책도 좋고 음악, 여행, 봉사, 그 어떤 것도 좋습니다.
주기적으로 해서 차츰 습관으로 만들면 더 좋습니다.
그래야 기분전환도 빨라지고 마음도 맑아집니다.
발상도 전환돼 어제까지 큰 문제였던 것이
문제가 아닌 것으로 바뀝니다.

[토플_영자신문] Seoul Plaza Will Remain Cordoned Off (Korea Times)

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:40:18 +0900

Seoul Plaza Will Remain Cordoned Off

Police buses are parked bumper to bumper, encircling Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall to block people from holding anti-government demonstrations there, Monday.

/ Korea Times Photo
by Hong In-ki

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that it will continue to keep the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall off limits to the public ``for a while.''

Its Commissioner Joo Sang-yong told reporters that: ``We should look into the matter of opening the plaza in a comprehensive manner, taking legal issues into consideration.''

His remarks come as disputes are mounting over the police blockade of the plaza with buses in a bid to prevent civic groups from holding unauthorized demonstrations there.

However, they have been criticized for ``abusing'' their power by cordoning off the plaza that is supposed to be open to the public.

It was widely assumed that the blockade was out of concern that citizens who are grieving over the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun would rally against the current administration. The plaza, which has been tightly guarded by police since May 23, the day of Roh's death, was temporarily opened for a day last Friday, for the funeral. It was closed off again the next day.

However, critics say it was a police decision to restrict access, without a request from the Seoul Metropolitan Government which has the right to ask for protection of its facilities.

A police agency official said police have the right to shut or block all places involving public security without a request from the relevant administration, in the case of an emergency.

Many people question whether Seoul Plaza, initially made for the leisure of citizens, is a space for public security such as military facilities.

Such blockades cause immense damage to other events, observers claim. A market parade conducted by five regional governments nationwide as well as a five-day-cultural event by the Seoul government were cancelled due to the blockade Monday.

``How can someone think public security is in danger when no illegal protest has taken place yet?'' Lee Jae-keun of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said.

The plaza covered with grass was initially made to hold cultural meetings, an ice-skating rink in winter and other events. It was favored by many civic groups to hold various promotional events, but was used as the main spot for candlelit protests against the government's resumption of U.S. beef imports last year.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

[좋은글] 지난 3년이 마치 꿈을 꾼 듯 (고도원의 아침편지)

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:35:26 +0900

지난 3년이 마치 꿈을 꾼 듯

돌아온 그 긴 터널을
어떻게 지나왔는지 새삼 신기하지만,
이상하게도 나는 지난 3년이 마치 꿈을 꾼 듯,
희끄무레한 안개에 휩싸인 듯 선명하게 기억이 나지 않는다.
통증 때문에 돌아눕지도 못하고 꼼짝없이 침대에 누워
있던 일, 항암 치료를 받기 위해 백혈구 수치 때문에
애타던 일, 온몸의 링거 줄을 떼고 샤워 한번
해보는 것이 소원이었던 일, 그런 일들은
의도적 기억 상실증처럼 내 기억 한편의
망각의 세계에 들어가 있어서 가끔씩 구태여
끄집어내야 잠깐씩 희생되는 파편일 뿐이다.
그 세월을 생각하면 그때 느꼈던
가슴 뻐근한 그리움이
다시 느껴진다.

- 장영희의《살아온 기적 살아갈 기적》중에서 -

* 누구에게나 한 번쯤은
긴 터널을 통과해야 하는 시간이 있습니다.
한 사람의 3년간의 투병처럼, 어둡고 외롭고 아픈
고통의 시간입니다. 그러나 터널을 빠져나와서 보면
마치 꿈을 꾼듯 그리운 시간으로 다가와 있습니다.
아침에 눈을 떠 밥을 먹고 일하고 놀고 노래하고
사랑하고 다시 잠자리에 드는 일상의 반복이
다름아닌 '살아온 기적' 이요,
'살아갈 기적'입니다.

[토플_영자신문] North Korea May Launch Ballistic Missile (Korea Times)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:32:30 +0900

North Korea May Launch Ballistic Missile

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

North Korea appears to be accelerating preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and provoke an incident near the western sea border, military and intelligence authorities here said Monday.

Tension has been growing on the Korean Peninsula since the communist state's second nuclear test and test-firings of short-range missiles last week.

An object presumed to be an ICBM was recently transported by train to the Dongchang-ri missile site, a newly-built long-range missile site located on North Korea's western coast, according to authorities.

In a related move, the North also banned ships from waters off its west coast until the end of July, an apparent sign of a further provocation near the sea border.

Citing an unidentified government official, Yonhap separately reported that North Korea has doubled ammunition for its patrol ships and artillery units deployed near the western coast and increased the number of joint live-fire exercises.

``North Korea has strengthened its military training exercises near the western sea border. Intelligence shows that the North has also conducted amphibious attack exercises, using high-speed landing vessels,'' the official was quoted as saying.

Observers expect North Korea to conduct an ICBM test-firing near the middle of this month when the South Korea-U.S. summit takes place in Washington, in a bid to further ratchet up tension on the peninsula and add pressure on U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

``As it did before, North Korea will weigh in much on political impacts before provocative acts,'' Rep. Hwang Jin-ha of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) said in an interview. ``I believe that would be the case this time.''

Hwang, a retired major general, said North Korea appears not to have fully secured the ICBM technology. Many other analysts still believe Pyongyang has not mastered the technology of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile.

North Korea's Taepodong-2 ICBM is believed to have a striking range of between 4,000 and 6,700 kilometers and be able to hit Alaska.

Last September, South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee confirmed that North Korea had almost completed a new missile launch site in Dongchang-ri, North Pyeongan Province.

North Korea has another long-range missile site in Musudan-ri on the eastern coast, where a Taepodong-2 missile and several short-range and medium-range missiles were test-fired toward waters off Japan in July 2006.

A senior official of the U.S. Department of Defense said last week that the U.S. military would activate its ground-based interceptors to shoot down an incoming missile from the North should Pyongyang fire an ICBM.

On April 5, North Korea fired a rocket from the Musudan-ri site, which was widely seen as a disguised test of the Taepodong-2 test.

The rocket splashed down in the Pacific Ocean about 3,000 kilometers after launch, South Korea and U.S. intelligence officials said. The Alaskan coast is about 4,800 kilometers from North Korea.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

[좋은글] 소망의 위대함을 믿으라 (고도원의 아침편지)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:33:58 +0900

소망의 위대함을 믿으라

그대여.
소망의 위대함을 믿으라.
내가 잘 되기를 바라는 마음에서 비롯된 오물이 욕망이라면
남이 잘 되기를 바라는 마음에서 비롯된 연꽃이 소망이리니,
욕망은 인간의 범주에 머물러 세상을 몰락으로 인도하고
소망은 하늘의 범주에 도달해 세상을 구원으로 인도한다.
그대여, 지금부터 소망하라.

- 이외수의《청춘불패》중에서 -

* 욕망과 소망은 하나입니다.
무언가를 간절히 바란다는 점에서 그러합니다.
그러나 그 바람이 과연 어느 방향이냐에 따라 갈립니다.
진실로 남이 잘되기를 바라는 방향이면 죽어도 살고
절망의 계곡에서도 소망의 연꽃이 피어납니다.
하늘도 움직여 세상을 살려냅니다.

[토플_영자신문] Allies Raise Surveillance Alert Level on N. Korea

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:12:59 +0900

Allies Raise Surveillance Alert Level on N. Korea

Marines aboard a truck patrol on Yeonpyeong Island near the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, Thursday, after the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command upgraded its surveillance level on North Korea, following the North’s nuclear test and firing of six short-range missiles Monday and Tuesday. / Korea Times Photo by Hong In-ki

United Nations Command Reaffirms Korean Armistice

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

The South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) has upgraded its surveillance level on North Korea, Thursday, following the latter's nuclear test and firing of six short-range missiles Monday and Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The CFC, led by a four-star American army general, raised its Watch Condition (WATCHCON) to the level two, which denotes vital indications of a security threat, early in the day, ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said.

It is the first time in 31 months that the CFC has raised its military-alertness level since October 2006, when Pyongyang conducted its first-ever nuclear test, Won said.

``WATCHCON 2 went into effect as of 7:15 a.m.,'' the spokesman said. ``Once the level is raised, the number of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets will be increased for a tighter watch on suspected moves in North Korea.''

The South Korean military's Defense Condition (DEFCON) level, however, has been kept at level four, its usual level, he said.

The WATCHCON hierarchy, normally raised by agreement between the South Korean and U.S. militaries, has four stages ― WATCHCON 4 for normal peacetime posture, 3 for important indications of a security threat, 2 for vital indications of a security threat and 1 for wartime situation. In normal situations, the surveillance level remains at 3.

An official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the CFC had already increased its operations of U-2 spy aircraft and RF-4 reconnaissance jets near the border with North Korea since the May 25 nuclear test.

``We have not seen any particular sign of imminent provocations by North Korean troops, but have been closely monitoring their moves near the Demilitarized Zone, the Joint Security Area and the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea,'' the official said, asking not to be named.

The surveillance posture will be further strengthened during the upcoming ASEAN-Korea summit on the southern island of Jeju from June 1 to 2, he added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Command (UNC) reaffirmed the armistice agreement signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, in response to North Korea's latest threat of nullifying the truce.

``The armistice has served as the legal basis for the cease-fire in Korea for over 55 years and significantly contributes to stability in the region,'' the UNC said in a statement. ``The armistice remains in force and is binding on all signatories, including North Korea. The U.N. Command will adhere to the terms of the armistice and the mechanisms that support it.''

The commander of USFK and CFC concurrently leads the UNC.

Both Koreas remain technically at war since the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The truce was signed by the United States, North Korea and China.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang said it no longer considered itself bound by the terms of the armistice, denouncing South Korea's decision to fully participate in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative aimed at interdicting ships carrying suspicious cargoes to prevent trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.

``Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty,'' a spokesman for the North's army told the North's official Korea Central News Agency. ``We will immediately respond with a powerful military strike.''

South Korea responded that it would sternly deal with any provocative acts by the North Korean military. Its military has deployed a high-tech destroyer in waters off the NLL, where two bloody naval battles occurred in 1999 and 2002, and positioned artillery units on islands near the sea border to counter possible artillery attacks from the North.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr