Global Briefs
December 29, 2005
Stem-cell Scandal Raises Questions about S. Korea’s Culture
SEOUL, South Korea — As South Korea’s top scientist Hwang Woo-suk falls from his lofty perch amid a wave of allegations questioning his research, the country’s competitive culture of always hurrying — coupled with a healthy sense of national pride and craving for international recognition — could be partly to blame.
“The Hwang Woo-suk case is a good example that in Korean society there still exists remnants of the past experience of fast growth,” said Park Gil-sung, a sociology professor at Korea University. “It’s a problem of our social system that desires fast results.”
Tourist Arrivals to Malaysia from China Plunged 46%
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The number of Chinese tourists in Malaysia has plunged this year because of the Dec. 26 tsunami and bad publicity over the alleged mistreatment of Chinese nationals.
Overall tourist arrivals grew 4.3% in the first nine months of 2005. Arrivals from China alone dropped by 45.6% in the same period.
While officials blamed last December’s tsunami, they also made reference to extensive coverage of the alleged mistreatment of Chinese nationals by police here. Five Chinese nationals complained in November that they were stripped and humiliated while in custody for suspected passport offenses.
The ministry says between January and September this year, tourists from China numbered only 229,384, compared to 421,563 in the same period last year.
Airline Threatens to Ground Overweight Staff
NEW DELHI — Air India has told its 1,600-cabin crew to lose weight or face being grounded. Overweight pilots and flight attendants have been given two months to shape up.
The airline says other carriers follow similar guidelines on fitness and that its own rules have been applied for months, although it admits there is a push to alter perceptions that its cabin staff are tired and inefficient.
The carrier did not say what constituted “overweight” or if any staff had been grounded. But a spokesman said, “Imagine if crew members can’t fasten their seat belts, how can they fly?”
China Raises its Stake in N. Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea and China are stepping up their ties with Chinese becoming the most popular foreign language learned in the communist country, surpassing old favorites Russian, French and English.
In 2004, Chinese economic investment reached $50 million. This year, the figure will be $85-90 million. In 2003, Chinese investment was $1.1 million.
Trade volume is expected to reach $1.5 billion, making China the North’s largest trade partner. The share of trade with China is likely to reach 48% of all North Korean foreign trade. With the investment, China’s share reaches 85%.
Chinese also make up a large part of the crowds in Pyongyang’s major casino, open only to foreigners. And a Chinese company has entered a joint venture to run First Department Store, the major shopping mall of the North Korean capital and its prominent landmark.
China Announces It’s Become Net Auto Exporter
BEIJING — China says it has become a net exporter of cars and trucks for the first time, with new Chinese competitors such as Geely and Chery starting to make their mark in the markets of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Exports jumped by 133.5% in the first 10 months of this year, giving China an export surplus of 7,000 vehicles.
Beijing has been promoting the growth of its automakers in recent years as foreign suppliers expand in China, which is expected to become the world’s biggest car market.
China’s exports in 2005 will probably reach about 125,000 units, with Chery and Geely making up about 25%. Those cars sell abroad for usually less than $10,000.
China’s domestic auto sales now total about 5 million vehicles per year.
Koreans At Risk of Online Gambling Addiction
SEOUL, South Korea — Koreans are increasingly engaging in online gambling. According to the Korean Cultural Information Center, roughly 7% of Koreans are addicted to online gambling.
The report noted that online gambling has resulted in job losses as well as deteriorating family relations in Korea. Among those interviewed, many admit they do most of their gambling while at work, sometimes using the company credit card to cover their losses.
An official from Korea’s Entertainment Commission said some of these illegal gambling sites make close to $10 billion a year.
Chinese Researchers Test AIDS Vaccine in Human Body
BEIJING — China’s first human trials of an AIDS vaccine are proceeding “smoothly,” nine months after the program was launched.
The Guangxi regional disease prevention and control center in the nation’s south said it has 49 volunteers in a clinical trial, which will take at least three years to complete. Researchers in China began developing the vaccine in 1996.
So far, none of the test patients has had negative reactions. The first phase trials will be completed in June 2006.
If the vaccine is deemed safe, then second phase trials will begin testing for effectiveness. Phase three trials will include massive testing of patients reflecting the overall population.
More than 60 different types of AIDS vaccines are being tested worldwide.
Japan, U.S. to Share Missile Shield Cost
TOKYO — Japan will shoulder between a third and a half of the cost of building an estimated $3 billion joint missile defense shield with the United States.
The project is to span nine years beginning in fiscal 2006.
The defensive missile system is designed to destroy attacking missiles before they reach their targets.
Since last year, the U.S. Navy has been patrolling the Sea of Japan, on the lookout for missiles from North Korea, saying North Korea is developing long-range missiles capable of reaching Alaska, Hawai‘i or perhaps the U.S. West Coast.
Reports say the project involves a larger, upgraded version of the Standard Missile-3 interceptor to be deployed on an Aegis warship stationed at a Japanese air force base in Aomori, 300 miles northeast of Tokyo.
Seoul Bans Negative Images
of the North
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s board of game censors has warned U.S and European game makers that titles portraying North Korea as an aggressive, belligerent military dictatorship will be banned.
The Korea Media Rating Board has already banned Ghost Recon 2, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Ubisoft) and Mercenaries: Playgrounds of Destruction (LucasArts) on the basis of their portrayal of North Korea as global bad guy, threatening stability in the region via thinly veiled military threats.
Both Koreas have been moving toward reconciliation with each other in recent years.
Lee Chan Gyeong, of the KMRB said, ?Korea continues to have society members who experienced the Korean War, families that are separated. If you export cultural products such as movies, you have to understand the culture of that country.?
Disney Announces 1st Film in China
BEIJING — The Walt Disney Co. announced its first film production in China.
The Chinese-language film, The Secret of the Magic Gourd, began shooting in October in the eastern city of Hangzhou and is due to be released next year. It is based on a popular children’s book by the late Chinese novelist Zhang Tianyi.
Disney’s partners are state-owned China Film Group Corp. and Hong Kong’s Centro Digital Pictures Ltd., a special-effects house best known for its work on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Burbank, Calif.-based Disney has opened Disney-brand stores in several mainland Chinese cities and is reportedly in talks for setting up a Shanghai theme park and a TV channel.
More Group Suicides
Across Japan
TOKYO — Police said they suspect group suicides claimed the lives of eight people in separate incidents in the western Japanese city of Yabu, and in the central city of Okazaki.
Japan, which has one of the highest suicide rates among wealthy countries, has budgeted millions of dollars for programs to help those with depression and other psychological conditions.
But the efforts seem to have had only minimal impact.
In the middle of the year, Japan announced a crackdown on Internet sites that spread information on group suicides, following a surge in deaths by people who met each other online.
Last year, 55 people killed themselves after meeting on the Web, up from 34 the previous year, the National Police Agency said.
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