Supreme Court's killed Seoul education chief legally

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a one-year prison term for Seoul's education chief Kwak No-hyun for bribery charges, stripping the disgraced liberal educator of his post.

The 58-year-old superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was indicted last year on charges of paying 200 million won ($178,842) to a fellow liberal candidate to drop out of the election for Seoul's top education post in 2010.

After rival candidate Park Myoung-gee, a former professor at the Seoul National University of Education, withdrew a few days before the election day, Kwak won the seat by a narrow margin. Under the election law, the education chief loses his post if the top court hands down a punishment with a fine of over 1 million won or imprisonment.

With the top court's ruling, Kwak, who spent about four months in prison after the issuance of his arrest warrant in September last year, will have to serve the remaining eight months in custody.

He will also have to return about 3.52 billion won he received from the national election watchdog during his campaign.

In the same ruling, the top court upheld an imprisonment of one year and six months and a forfeit of 200 million won for Park.

A re-election for the post of chief will be held on Dec. 19, the same day as the presidential vote, according to the National Election Commission.

Kwak has continued to claim he is innocent, saying he was unaware of the exchange that took place between his aides and the rival candidate after the election was over.

Despite Kwak's claims the money given to Park by Kwak's aide was not payment for Park's withdrawal, a regional Seoul court in January fined him 30 million won for violating the election law. In April, a Seoul appellate court sentenced Kwak to a one-year prison term, saying the lower regional court's fine was too light.

Shortly after a local court's verdict in January, Kwak filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, arguing that the election law violates the Constitution by punishing any money-for-favor deal, even if it took place after a candidate's withdrawal without prior agreement.

Following Thursday's ruling, Kwak's lawyer expressed regrets. 

"It is regrettable that the Supreme Court hurriedly delivered the verdict when the Constitutional Court is still reviewing the constitutionality (of the law that governs campaigning for public positions)," Kim Chil-joon told reporters.

As expected, the rival parties showed difference responses, with the ruling Saenuri Party welcoming the ruling as fair and just.

"Kwak deserved the Supreme Court's ruling," Rep. Shin Eui-jin, a Saenuri spokeswoman, said in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency. 

"The delay in the ruling has crippled the administrative work of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and ultimately harmed students," Shin added.

The main opposition Democratic United Party, on the other hand, said that it is regrettable that the verdict was delivered before the Constitutional Court's ruling.

"The party respects the Supreme Court's decision," party spokesman Park Yong-jin said in a release. "However, it is regrettable that the verdict has deadlocked education reform efforts spearheaded by Kwak."

Kwak, who had showed up for work before the ruling, is slated to be jailed on Friday, according to an official of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

"Kwak is expected to hold a news conference in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seoul around 11:30 a.m. on Friday and go through the process to be imprisoned," the official said. (Yonhap)

Psy's 'Gangnam Style' ranks 2nd in Billboard

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- "Gangnam Style," a song by South Korean rapper and YouTube sensation Psy, jumped to second place on Billboard's Hot 100 chart Wednesday.

The song entered the chart two weeks ago, ranking 64th, and soared the 11th last week.

Psy's "Gangnam Style" has been "powered by buzz generated by its video in which the Korean rapper shows off his horse-imitating moves," read a note on the website Billboard.biz.

It has only one step to go for the summit in the chart, with Maroon 5's "One More Night" spending a second week at the top.

"Gangnam Style" refers to the lavish and trendy lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district of Seoul.

Returning from a two-week trip to the U.S., Psy said he would take his shirt off and dance to "Gangnam Style" in front of crowds if he reaches the top of the Billboard chart.

He has already topped the iTunes Chart in 30 countries with his the song, according to his management agency, YG Entertainment.

Gangnam style’ through foreigners’ eyes

By Rachel Lee, Ryu Chang-gi, Jun Ji-hye

“Gangnam Style” catapulted Psy to overnight global stardom. He is now on top of the world with the unprecedented popularity of his latest single that became the most-liked video in YouTube history. In the three months since the hit song was released it has attracted more than 260 million YouTube views. With the tremendous popularity of the track around the world, the district of Gangnam, which literally means “south of the River,” has also become a place that arouses the curiosity of foreigners.

Psy was born and raised in Gangnam but his chubby appearance doesn’t fit the generally-known image of luxury or snobbishness of the area ― a discrepancy that makes the cheesy horse-riding dance performed by the tuxedo-wearing Psy so funny and ironical.

What is Gangnam style? Is there such a thing?

The simple lyrics of Psy’s song give some hints about the Gangnam lifestyle. He raps about “Gangnam man and woman” who are smart and quiet during the day but turn sexy and fun-seeking at night. The “sexy lady” in the rap “can play when she plays and knows how to let her hair down when the right time comes.”

The video was shot in various Gangnam neighborhoods ― from tourist buses and parks along the Han River to subway platforms and public saunas.

The Gangnam district is obviously benefiting from the popularity of the song, drawing international attention ― a CNN crew visited the district to give its viewers a closer look at the district and ABC gave its audience an opportunity to learn how to pronounce Gangnam.

Gangnam projects an image of rich, trendy, fashionable, sophisticated people enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, but the residents of the area also have a negative image such as being appearance-oriented, haughty, obsessed with expense and snobbish.

In affluent Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam ― often called the Beverly Hills of Seoul ― there are shopping streets selling high-end, exotic goods, top-rated private and public educational institutes, luxurious boutiques, plastic surgery clinics, hot nightclubs and slick office buildings. It’s a smorgasbord of capitalistic desires.

Many foreigners work, live or just hang out in Gangnam and have formed their own ideas about the area.

Big fans of Gangnam

“Everyone in Gangnam looks so busy but I am sure that Gangnam Style fits very well with the slogan of Dynamic Korea. The area is so active,” said Christina Confalonieri, a representative of Yeoksam Global Village Centre in Gangnam-gu. “Even if prices in Gangnam are relatively expensive, I think Gangnam is an international place which is good for foreigners, for example, we can go to a wide range of restaurants such as Chinese and Japanese.”

Confalonieri who has lived in Seoul since Dec. 2006 and is married to a Korean man said, “I like the touristic atmosphere in Gangnam, when I talk with friends at a coffee shop near Rodeo Street in Apgujeong-dong. People in Gangnam are willing to give directions to strangers. They never say I don’t speak English.”

The 31-year old Italian, who has also appeared on the popular Korean TV program “A Chat with Beauties”, said that although Gangnam has the reputation of being expensive, it is not too different to other parts of Korea.

Christine Kapuku, 23, a Congolese student who is studying civil engineering at Seoul National University, is another fan of Gangnam ― especially night entertainment with his Korean friends.

He says he usually enjoys the weekend in Gangnam.

“Gangnam’s sleepless atmosphere is my favorite in Seoul. When I hang out with foreign friends, I normally visit Itaewon but if I want to enjoy the night with Koreans, I definitely go to Gangnam,” he said.

Kapuku thinks the COEX Mall is the hottest place in Gangnam.

“We can move to every enjoyable place in COEX such as internet cafes and the aquarium. It was great to see the integrated mega mall,” he said.

City of swagger

Alex Finch, a 26-year-old from the United Kingdom, decided to move to a foreign country shortly after graduating university, moving outside of his “comfort zone on a large scale.” And he chose Korea because he had already familiarized himself with the country’s language by learning “Hangeul,” the Korean script.

Finch has been living in Korea for five years and currently lives and works in Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam.

He said the concept of Gangnam was a topic of discussion among his Korean friends even before Psy’s song was released. The British man describes people in the southern part of Seoul as those who are self-conscious and satisfied with the fact that they live in such an affluent and fashionable area of the city.

“It is looking after yourself physically, making sure you look the part and having a swagger that says ‘I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I’m proud of it,’” he said. “Those who live in Gangnam have an air about them that could be mistaken for arrogance if you were not aware of the area yourself. This obviously is not exclusive to Gangnam. There are neighborhoods in all major cities that are more sought after and this breeds a certain kind of attitude.”

Amael Borzee, a 24-year-old Frenchman working at Korea Marine Environment Management Corp., echoes this view and defines Gangnam with the two words: “expensive” and “appearances.” This suggests that not only is it a costly place to live and hang out in but that people there are fixated about how they are judged them by the way they look.

Korean-Canadian Tony Park is an honorary ambassador for Gangnam who promotes the area. He makes postings on his SNS accounts such as Twitter and Facebook after being taken to various sightseeing spots in Gangnam. Park also has a particular view of the area: “Being a Gangnam man or woman means you are a little bit rich and you can buy whatever you want, I personally think.”

Asked whether the interviewees regard themselves as “Gangnam men and women,” Borzee and Park said they are not within these categories. They feel they do not fit the extravagant image of Gangnam and have rather moderate spending habits.

“(I am) not really (a Gangnam man) because I am not a guy who spends a lot of money,” said Park.

Unlike these two people, Finch almost sees himself as a Gangnam man because he thinks he has certain characteristics of the type. “I like to look good and I'm working on improving myself in Korean, as well as physically. I may not yet have the swagger (despite what my friends may say), but I'd like to think that it will come in time.”

What Gangnam wants

Whether they like Gangnam or not, these people share similar views of the district: it is expensive. Some share the idea that it is an appearance-oriented place.

“I somewhat expected those responses,” Kim Kwang-soo, head of the Marketing Team for the Gangnam-gu Office, said in an interview with The Korea Times. However, he said, buying luxurious goods is just a small part of Gangnam. “A luxurious shopping district is in Cheongdam-dong. Teheran-ro is a business district in which there are many skyscrapers. The area around Gangnam Station is where members of the younger generations like to hang out and Dosandaero is well-known as a popular filming location.”

“There are many royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty as well. It is a mixed city where modernity and tradition coexist. It has various aspects.” he added.

But he said he is also aware of its reputation as an expensive place and understands that this could be a burden for people who come to the city.

“I wish Gangnam to earn its reputation from its cultural and lifestyle content, rather than from its high cost. To achieve that, we are attempting to promote the city by conducting an honorary ambassador program or opening a Korean speech contest targeting foreigners,” he said.

More importantly, not all foreign interviewees used positive words to describe Gangnam. Some often used somewhat negative words, such as “arrogance” or “extravagant.” It gives residents of Gangnam the task of promoting a good image for the region because they have received a lot of attention thanks to the popularity of Psy’s “Gangnam Style. “ 

Software guru and professor in uncharted domain

From shy student to software mogul, Ahn looks to continue his success story

The formidable popularity of Ahn Cheol-soo as he makes his political debut in the presidential race is seen to represent the voters’ desire for change and originality.

The conservative opponents’ attempt to classify Ahn’s entry as impudent is doing little to dampen the former professor’s smooth political ride so far.

The soft-spoken software genius underscores he was never one to quit throughout his career changes, from a medical doctor to an anti-virus programmer to a venture company CEO and most recently a professor.

Living up to his credo “To live a life that leaves a trace,” Ahn has long been a household name in South Korea with his success story, releasing 11 different books. As an advocate for philanthropy, Ahn has maintained a wide network of avid fans-turned-supporters since he began cross-country “talk concerts” in 2009.

Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo looks at a bust of late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha, South Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)

Known for his discretion, sensibility and determination, Ahn’s path to becoming a presidential candidate was like no other. It took over a year of consistent recommendations by his supporters and incessant speculations by the media for the former software mogul to announce his presidential bid on Sept. 19.

Lacking organizational support like that of the ruling and opposition parties and political or administrative experience, Ahn faces daunting challenges ahead, such as to present plausible and comprehensive policy pledges to remove lingering doubts among moderate voters.

As he moves to turn the ideas of his latest book “Thoughts of Ahn Cheol-soo” into policy, Ahn is gaining wider attention through his creative communication skills. Rather than a cookie-cutter political website filled with slogans, Ahn’s camp operates a Facebook page that follows Ahn’s campaign with essay-type recaps.

Speaking the language of the young electorate, Ahn pledges to overhaul politics and resolve social issues through fostering an innovation-based growth engine, economic democratization and improved welfare.

Shy child becomes challenger
Ahn was born in Milyang, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1962. His father was a medical officer who later moved his family to Busan and opened a clinic, enabling the family to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Ahn says in his autobiography “Happy Virus Ahn Cheol-soo” published in 2009 that his dream as a child was to become a scientist. He was good at taking care of his animals like chicks and rabbits as well as plants, and loved to disassemble any machinery that he laid his eyes on.

As an introverted kid, books were his best friend, and he recalls that he read all the books in his elementary school library.

“After I started going to school, I came to dislike hanging out with other children more and more. During gym hour, I would stay out and sit in the shadow under a tree and read,” Ahn wrote in his book.

Ahn’s mother often used honorifics in speaking to Ahn, who was the first of three children. It was due to this refined atmosphere at home that Ahn found it hard to speak casually to his employees at his anti-virus research company AhnLab later on.

Although Ahn had wished to become a scientist, he decided to go to the College of Medicine at Seoul National University, like his father, to please him, Ahn wrote in his memoir. He had hated blood and keeping up with the studies was not easy. One day, feeling pressured and anxious, Ahn broke down and called his mother in tears, telling her, “The studies are too hard.” His mother, alarmed, immediately flew to Seoul from Busan, took Ahn back home, where his father suggested he receive some counseling. After a few days of rest, Ahn regrouped, returned to school, and began spending more time with his classmates.

In his third year in college, Ahn met his future wife Kim Mi-kyung, who is currently a Seoul National University professor. The two married in 1988 and have a daughter and a son.

The two spent a lot of time participating in free medical service trips for less-privileged people. It was during this time, as his other classmates joined the spreading democratic movements, that Ahn came to learn of the poverty-stricken side of the country.

Fate knocked on Ahn’s door in the autumn of 1982, when he encountered for the first time a personal computer, by Apple Inc., bought by his new roommate.

“My heart fluttered at the sight of such a marvelous thing in front of me,” he wrote.

He was mesmerized by the newfound world and bought his first personal computer a year later.

By 1986, Ahn had moved on to IBM computers and found more time to work on them as he was completing his master’s degree and moving onto a doctorate in physiology.

In early 1988, he came upon a virus inside his computer. Startled, he traced the virus, which he said was not hard as he had been learning the machine codes. Confident that he could develop a vaccine program on his own, Ahn called a magazine, which later published an article on Ahn’s vaccine program that he successfully developed in July the same year.

He returned to his original role in medicine, working as a professor at Dankook University between 1989 and 1991, and serving his military term as medical officer between 1991 and 1994. But his commitment to curing viruses never ceased, and he would cut back on his sleep to fulfill both jobs as a professor in the daytime and programmer at night. He received calls from all parts of the country asking for his vaccine program, which he doled out for free.

After he left the military, Ahn made the difficult decision to leave the medical field as having two roles became impossible.

“As time went by, the number of people making higher-end computer viruses surged. It reached a point where it was no longer possible for me to fight the computer viruses alone,” Ahn wrote.

Ahn launched the research firm Ahn Cheol-soo Research Center, later renamed AhnLab, in 1995 that would provide the vaccine programs to ordinary users for free but charging companies and public organizations for them.

When the notorious CIH virus broke out in April 26, 1999, Ahn’s company played a key role. The company has been on a roll since then. AhnLab was listed on KOSDAQ in September 2001 and its net profit surpassed 10 billion won ($8.9 million) ― a first for a South Korean software company.

From CEO to presidential candidate
After 10 years of running his company, Ahn began to ponder his next step. He decided that he wanted to contribute more to the industry as a whole by instilling an entrepreneurial spirit and bettering the businesses’ chances of success.

In 2005, Ahn resigned as CEO and went to study in the United States. He remained chairman of the board of directors until he announced his presidential bid this month.

Ahn returned with an MBA from Wharton School in May 2008 and became a chair-professor of the Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology. He also served as the outside director of POSCO and later chaired the board from 2005 to 2011, and was a member of President Lee Myung-bak’s future planning committee in 2010.

In 2009, Ahn began on another journey, by hosting an “encouraging the youth” speech tour around colleges in different parts of the country with Andong Shinsegae Clinic director Park Kyung-chul.

The regional tour in 2009 led to heightened popularity, followed by his appearance on “Mureuppak Dosa,” a popular talk show, the same year. The episode was a hit.

His tour expanded to a “talk concert,” joined by Monk Beopryun and a handful of other civic activists and experts. The political breeze started to blow his way.

In August 2011, Ahn expressed his intention to run for Seoul mayor. His family including his father and daughter reportedly opposed his decision.

Ahn was joined in the race by lawyer and civic activist Park Won-soon, whom Ahn was acquainted with.

After several exchanges of their views, the two struck a deal and Ahn withdrew his bid to support Park. The win of Park against candidates of the two major parties signaled a new wind in politics and propped Ahn up on the political pedestal.

Now as an independent presidential candidate, Ahn is putting his latest challenge to test, to prove the sustainability of his arresting drive for new politics.

“I don’t tend to make long-term plans. As long as I do my best every second, the next task for me seems to come my way,” Ahn said in an interview with television program “Healing Camp” in July.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)

Twice as nice: Son, Park shine

BERLIN (AP) ― Borussia Dortmund’s 31-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga ended on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Hamburger SV.

Son Heung-min scored twice and Rafael van der Vaart provided two assists to deal Dortmund its first league loss in over a year and preserve Hamburg’s record of 36 games unbeaten set in January 1983.

“Not a lot pleased me today,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

Bayern Munich maintained its winning roll with Thomas Muller scoring and setting up Toni Kroos for a 2-0 win at Schalke.

Also, Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Greuther Fuerth, Mainz beat Augsburg 2-0 thanks to first half strikes from Andreas Ivanschitz and Adam Szalai, and Fortuna Duesseldorf drew 0-0 with Freiburg.

Van der Vaart set up Son’s opening goal in the second minute before Ivan Perisic equalized with a stunning strike after the second half kicked off, chipping the ball over the helpless Rene Adler inside the far post from the edge of the penalty area.

On his home debut following his return to Hamburg, Van der Vaart sprung the offside trap with a through ball for Ivo Ilicevic to restore Hamburg’s lead in the 55th.

Korean striker Son grabbed his second ― a fantastic strike from 17 meters ― four minutes later, only for Perisic to answer with his second a minute after that to prompt a late onslaught on the Hamburg goal.

Spain

Xavi Hernandez scored 3 minutes from time to seal Barcelona’s 2-0 home win over Granada, keeping the Spanish leaders perfect through five rounds.

Barcelona opened a provisional 11-point gap over defending champion Real Madrid, which faces a Spanish-capital derby at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Xavi pounced on a loose ball at the top of the area and fired it off the underside of the crossbar.

Lionel Messi then set up Barcelona’s second goal 2 minutes into injury time when defender Borja Gomez redirected the Argentina forward’s shot into his own goal.

Korea international Park Chu-young scored in his home debut for Celta Vigo to earn a 2-1 win over Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Park, who arrived on a season-long loan from English club Arsenal this offseason, went on at Balaidos Stadium in the 66th and two minutes later scored with his first touch, volleying in Michael Krohn-Dehli’s cross at the far post.

Krohn-Dehli had already teed up Celta’s opener in the 57th when he started a counterattack before threading a pass behind the defense for Augusto Fernandez to finish off.

England

Ashley Cole scored in the 85th minute for his first goal in two years Saturday, sending Premier League leader Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Stoke.

Cole lifted the ball over Asmir Begovic at Stamford Bridge to give Chelsea a three-point lead in the standings over Everton and West Bromwich Albion. Everton won 3-0 at Swansea, and West Brom beat Reading 1-0.

Southampton climbed out of last place by rallying past Aston Villa 4-1 for its first points of the season. Ricki Lambert scored twice to beat U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Fulham won 2-1 at Wigan, and West Ham drew 1-1 with Sunderland.

On Sunday, Manchester United visits Liverpool and champion Manchester City hosts Arsenal.

France

Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck for two goals to help Paris Saint-Germain cap a fine week by crushing Ajaccio 4-0 in the French league.

The Sweden striker, who scored in PSG’s 4-1 thrashing of Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday, now has seven league goals in five games since coming from AC Milan. He was the leading scorer in the Italian league last season with 28 goals.

Scotland

Celtic, behind goals from Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama, defeated last-place Dundee to revive its title defense in the Scottish Premier League.

After Robert Douglas saved Scott Brown’s penalty kick in the 38th minute, the former Celtic goalkeeper was beaten just before the half by Hooper. Wanyama scored four minutes into the second half.

Gangnam Style’ breaks Guinness Record

Korean rapper-singer Psy performs during the 2012 iHeart Radio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Friday. / Reuters-Yonhap By Rachel Lee There seems to be no stopping Psy as he continues to horse-ride throughout the world and break records. Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video has broken a Guinness World Record to become the most-“liked” video on YouTube video of all time. According to Guinness World Records on Sept. 20, the video of the 34-year-old rapper racked up 2,141,758 likes since it was first uploaded on July 15. It added that the video quickly overshadowed the previous records by LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” (1,574,963 likes), Justin’s Bieber’s “Baby” (1,327,147 likes) and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” (1,245,641 likes). Dan Barrett, Guinness World Records Community Manager, commented, “Having been the ‘Have you seen this?!’ video of the last two months across the web, it’s great to be able to award a record for this tremendously popular video. In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now ‘Gangnam Style’ has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube.” Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show earlier this month and taught the host along with Britney Spears how to do the invisible horse-riding dance. The artist also topped the iTunes Chart in 30 countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Argentina and Brazil. The song also climbed to 11 on the U.S. Billboard music chart, a first for a Korean song to ever make it that high on the American music chart.