The National Assembly is set to begin work this week after nearly a month of idling, but the ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash over a string of contentious issues, including a pension program for senior citizens.The ruling Saenuri and the main opposition Democratic parties are scheduled to hold a plenary session of the Assembly on Monday under an agreement reached last week to normalize the parliament that's been plagued by an election meddling scandal and other rows.The curren

Politics Sept. 29, 2013

The halt of nuclear reactors due to malfunctions and a corruption scandal exposed this year are expected to cost nearly 3 trillion won ($2.79 billion) in taxpayers' money, an opposition legislator said Sunday.Already, the halt of nine nuclear reactors this year has caused a loss of some 2.85 trillion won for the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), according to Rep. Park Wan-joo of the main opposition Democratic Party.Such a loss was prompted as KEPCO, the country's sole power supplier,

Social Affairs Sept. 29, 2013

올해 부품 시험성적서 조작 파문과 고장 등으로 멈춰선 원전 탓에 국민이 추가 부담해야 하는 전기요금이 3조원을 훌쩍 넘을 것이라 는 분석이 나왔다. 29일 전력거래소가 국회 산업통상자원위원회 소속 박완주 민주당 의원에게 제출 한 자료를 보면 작년 23기의 원전 가운데 9기가 고장으로 정지해 2조8천453억원의 손실이 발생한 것으로 집계됐다. 이는 한국전력공사가 원전보다 발전단가가 비싼 다른 전원에서 전력을 구매함에 따라 발생한 추가 비용이다. 작년 6월 기준으로 발전기별 연료비를 보면 원전이 kWh당 4원으로 가장 싸고 유 연탄(50∼60원), 액화천연가스(LNG. 150∼180원), 벙커C유(200∼250원), 소형 LNG열 병합(270∼300원), 디젤(400원) 등이다. 작년의 경우 원전이 정상 작동했다면 kW당 146.91원에 불과했을 전력 평균구매 단가(SMP. 계통한계전력)가 154.80원까지 치솟으면서 손실액이 눈덩이처럼 불어났다.이를 감안하면 한국수력원자력 등이 연루된

한국어판 Sept. 29, 2013

서울 장노년층 취업자 수가 청년 취업자 수를 추월한 것으로 나타났다. 결혼, 이혼도 20년전과 비교해 큰 폭으로 늘었다. 은퇴도, 황혼도 없는 5060세대의 자화상이다.29일 서울시 통계에 따르면 55세 이상 취업자는 2000년 54만5천명에서 작년 95 만6천명으로 41만1천명(75.4%) 증가했다.반면, 15∼29세 청년층 취업자는 2000년 129만4천명에서 작년 90만3천명으로 39만1천명(30.2%)이 줄어들어 55세 이상 취업자보다 수가 적어졌다.65세 이상 고령자 중 경제활동 인구도 2000년 11만8천명에서 작년 25만 8천명으로 12년 새 2.2배 증가했다.전체 취업자 중 65세 이상 비중도 2.5%에서 5.1%로 늘었다.과거 남우세스럽다고 했던 노년층의 결혼과 이혼도 급증했다.65세 이상 혼인은 1992년 188건이었지만 작년에는 760건으로 4배 이상 늘었다. 이중 남성 노인의 결혼은 같은 기간 158건에서 547건으로, 여성 노인의 결혼은 30건 에서 213건으

한국어판 Sept. 29, 2013

The number of employed citizens in Seoul aged 55 or older has risen more than 75 percent over the last 12 years, City Hall statistics showed Sunday, an indication that older people have become more active rather than basking in retirement.Older people who are employed in Seoul totaled 956,000 last year, up 75.4 percent from just 545,000 in 2000. Last year's figure is higher than the number of employed citizens aged between 15-29. Younger people in employment fell to 903,000 last year from 1.29 m

Social Affairs Sept. 29, 2013

동양그룹이 30일 1천100억원 규모의 회사채와 기업어음(CP) 만기가 돌아와 1차 중대고비를 맞을 전망이다.   동양그룹이 동양매직 매각을 통한 자금 확보를 시도하고 있지만 성사 여부가 불투명한 상태다.이번 고비를 넘겨도 다음 달에 5천억원 가까운 CP 만기가 도래해 또 한 번 동양 그룹 운명을 좌우할 분수령이 될 것으로 보인다.29일 금융감독원과 동양그룹에 따르면 30일 만기가 도래하는 동양그룹 회사채는 905억원, CP는 195억원으로 총 1천100억의 자금이 필요한 상태다. 동양은 만기가 도래하는 회사채 중 606억원의 상환자금은 기존 회사채 발행으로 마련했다. 그러나 나머지 299억원과 CP 만기도래액 195억원 등 총 494억원의 자금이 부족한 것으로 전해졌다.이 때문에 동양은 상환자금을 마련하고자 지난 26일 650억원 규모의 회사채를 발행하려고 했으나 결국 포기했다.오리온이 지원 거부 의사를 밝히고 신용등급이 하향조정 돼 청약을 진행해도 미달 사태가 우려됐기 때문이다.

한국어판 Sept. 29, 2013

Cash-strapped Tong Yang Group will face an important hurdle in its ongoing liquidity crisis this week, as about 110 billion won ($102.3 million) worth of its corporate bonds and commercial paper come due on Monday.Tong Yang and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said the manufacturing and financial services conglomerate will have to redeem 90.5 billion won in corporate bonds and 19.5 billion won in commercial paper on Monday.The group is struggling to secure liquidity through the sale of it

Industry Sept. 29, 2013

The South Korean government is expected to introduce the so-called pay-as-you-go (paygo) system to help ensure its fiscal soundness while working to significantly boost its tax revenues, officials said Sunday.The paygo is a system widely practiced in the United States and other advanced countries where any increase in direct spending prompted by a new law or revision must be offset by other spending decreases or revenue increases, meaning any new law that requires government spending must find i

Sept. 29, 2013

South Korea is considering keeping a team of reconstruction and aid workers in Afghanistan even after their mission ends next year, a senior government official said Sunday.South Korea's provincial reconstruction team (PRT) has been stationed in Afghanistan since 2010 to help rebuild the war-torn nation, building and operating a hospital, a police training center and other aid facilities in the northern province of Parwan.The facilities were handed over to the Parwan government last year, and th

Defense Sept. 29, 2013

North Korea again condemned South Korea Saturday for shooting to death a defection-seeker earlier this month, asking the international community to pass its own judgement on the case.On Sept. 16, a 47-year-old South Korean man was shot dead by South Korean soldiers while trying to swim across a border river in an attempt to defect to North Korea. The man had disobeyed an order to return, South Korean officials said.For the second time in less than a week, North Korea, through its Red Cross socie

North Korea Sept. 29, 2013

The Park Geun-hye administration of South Korea is willing to help North Korea should it avert its course of nuclear weapons development, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday, addressing a U.N. General Assembly meeting. "If the DPRK (North Korea) decides to give up its so-called parallel pursuit of economic development and nuclear armament, and in turn embarks on a path of genuine change through concrete actions, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) stands ready to help North Korea," Foreign Minister

North Korea Sept. 29, 2013

Samsung SDS, an information and communication technology service firm, announced Friday a plan to merge with Samsung SNS, a network service and solution provider. The two companies are units of Korea’s top conglomerate Samsung Group. The merger touched off speculation that the group has begun in earnest to reorganize its affiliates to prepare for the time after group leader Lee Kun-hee steps down.Samsung SDS said in its statement that its board of directors decided to absorb its sister firm to r

Technology Sept. 27, 2013