Young professionals migrate to Northern Europe By Jung Min-ho  An increasing number of Koreans ― especially those in their 30s and 40s ― are emigrating to Northern European countries in pursuit of better lives and "superior" social welfare and education systems. Some English-speaking countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, remain popular destinations for Korean emigrants. As these countries become stricter with their immigration laws, more people are choosing to head to Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway instead, industry sources say. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Koreans who emigrated to Denmark almost tripled from 120 in 2011 to 358 in 2013. The number of Koreans who earned permanent residency in the Netherlands also rose by 39 percent, from 614 to 853, during the same period. The number also rose 26 percent, from 144 to 182, in Norway. "Northern European nations still have stringent immigration laws, but they welcome immigrants with college degrees or professional skills," said Sammy Lee, CEO of the SYL Global Emigration Consulting Company, based in Seoul. Lee said it is relatively easy for Koreans to emigrate to Northern Europe compared to popular English-speaking countries. For instance, Denmark's technical immigration prefers people with a professional job or a master's degree, and any Korean can emigrate to Sweden if they invest more than $70,000 in the country. The non-competitive environment in Northern European countries also appeals to Koreans. A 38-year-old researcher, surnamed Yoon, settled in Denmark in November with his wife and 9-year-old child. He lived a fairly successful life in Korea, but decided to leave because of the "unbearable" working environment in Korea. "I used to work at a conglomerate before moving to a public institution. I only took two days off a month, working from 7:30 a.m. to almost midnight every day," Yoon told The Korea Times, asking not to be named. He suffered from an eye disease due to stress from his job when he worked for the conglomerate. After undergoing surgery, he moved to a public institution An increasing number of Koreans ― especially those in their 30s and 40s ― are emigrating to Northern European countries in pursuit of better lives and "superior" social welfare and education systems.  seen as a dream workplace in Korea for its job security and easier workload. However, he faced a different kind of challenge there. "I couldn't see any future doing my job. There was no motivation whatsoever. I was stifled by the hierarchy that prevails in the public sector," Yoon said. Kim, 36, an architect, is now preparing to migrate to a Northern European country. He also complained of stressful working conditions in Korea. "I have never had a break from working long hours without vacation or sleep. I soon realized that I could not live in Korea any longer," Kim said. Operators of Immigration Cafe (http://cafe.daum.net/gohozoo), a popular online site with about 46,000 members, say they receive more than 10 inquiries on how to move to Northern Europe every day. Many seek to leave Korea for better security insurance and a non-competitive educational system, they said. "Personally, I hope to enjoy well-designed security insurance when I grow old, and for my child I want her to live with being less stressed about scores and test performance, and be more inspired by creativity," a 39-year-old housewife who plans to move to Denmark or Sweden, wrote on the website. Some people prefer Northern European countries due to the change of English proficiency level needed to emigrate to Canada and Australia. Immigrants used to need to only score a level of 5.0 in the International English Language Test, a standardized English proficiency test for non-native speakers, but now a 7.0 is required. Experts say it is nearly impossible to earn that score, even for people with master's or doctorate degrees.  Korea Times intern Kim Hyo-jin contributed to this report. skim@koreatimes.co.kr,

Power struggle coming to fore in NPAD A grim-faced Rep. Park Young-sun, left, floor leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), and Rep. Woo Yoon-keun look at a note on the table during a meeting with senior NPAD lawmakers in the National Assembly, Friday. / Yonhap By Kang Hyun-kyung The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) is miles away from a return to parliament to pass a set of bills, or from any further progress on the controversial "Sewol bill." Hardliners rejected a call to return to the bargaining table immediately to pass those measures, insisting that the ruling Saenuri Party accept the so-called "three-party proposal." Under that proposal, the rival parties would sit down with the families of the victims of the ferry disaster to bridge their differences over the debated Sewol issue, in hopes of finding a way to finally pass the bill. If that is not accepted, the hardliners say, the NPAD will continue to be uncooperative in passing the pending bills and continue to boycott the National Assembly session. It will also hold rallies outside the parliament offices to put further pressure on the ruling party to accept its proposal. Three-term lawmaker Woo Yoon-keun and Rep. Ahn Min-seok are two lawmakers representing the hardliners. Pragmatists, however, argue that the hardliners' appraoch is counterprodcutive. They said that the hardliners continue to turn a deaf ear to the mounting calls to stop playing the "Sewol card" during meetings. Pragmatists say the Sewol quagmire cost the NPAD in the July 30 by-elections, and that now is the time to turn the tide. They said public opinion toward the NPAD has been worsening. In a radio program, Rep. Kim Young-hwan called on his fellow NPAD lawmakers to return to the parliament and fight the ruling party there. "It is a stupid idea to continue launching protests outside the assembly, while refusing to engage in discussion about the bills affecting working-class families," he said. Kim argued that linking the Sewol bill to the NPAD's cooperation in passing the bills related to other issues is also the wrong approach. "If we continue to boycott the National Assembly session, it will be inevitable to hear further criticism that we are trying to push for the Sewol bill at the expense of a set of measures that are directly related to the lives of working-class families," the lawmaker said. On Friday, hardliners and pragmatists continued to bicker among themselves and showed no signs of resolving their differences. Rep. Ahn portrayed the pragmatists as opportunists who are trying to curry favor with the ruling Saenuri Party, adding that they are siding with the "corrupt" ruling party. Pragmatists, meanwhile, tried to put pressure on the hardliners and party leadership. On Friday, they met to discuss ways to persuade hardliners to return to the parliament.

Gov's uses new tactic in Sewol PR war By Kang Seung-woo  The government and ruling party may take a two-pronged approach against their opposition in a public relations duel in regards to the Sewol tragedy — highlighting what they claim is an act of negligence, while speaking to the families of the ferry disaster victims. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won addressed the nation, calling on the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) to return to the National Assembly to approve a number of pending bills related to improving living standards for the country's people and improving the national economy. Chung followed Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan and other key policymakers, who used their strong sway in a joint statement Tuesday to bring the opposition party back to the parliament. President Park Geun-hye also pleaded with the National Assembly to pass a set of bills intended to revive the nation's sluggish economy in the current session scheduled to expire on Sunday. The NPAD has staged a street rally since Tuesday to protest the ruling Saenuri Party's opposition to its proposed deal, which would end the stalling of the "Sewol bill." "I urge the National Assembly to follow through on its duty and listen to the government's continual pleas to live up to the expectations of the people," Chung said. Among other things, the bills call for more welfare payments for 400,000 low-income citizens and the creation of a fund promoting the growth of small businesses. "Not a single bill has been passed since May, leading many people to feel a sense of frustration and lethargy," Chung said. The rival parties have been wrangling for months over details of the special bill, which would send a special investigative team to uncover the cause of the maritime accident on April 16 that left more than 300 people dead or missing. Facing increasing pressure to end its street rallies, the NPAD's outdoor protest is losing steam although the party plans to continue the sit-in until Saturday. The latest blow to the hard-line approach came from the bereaved families of the students who died in the ferry disaster when they urged the party Thursday to return to the negotiating table. In addition, worsening public opinion of the street rally is also becoming a burden on the party. According to a survey released by the local daily Chosun Ilbo on Thursday, 64.5 percent of respondents opposed the protest outside the Assembly and 78.5 percent said any pending bills that have nothing to do with the ferry sinking should be separately passed. As for the approval rating, the NPAD registered 23.3 percent on Monday, but dropped to 16.6 percent on Thursday. Voices against the street rally are emerging within the NPAD, as the number of party members who participated in the street rally has sharply decreased from 80 on Tuesday to 40 on Thursday, as well. Bae Jong-chan, chief director at political pollster Research and Research, said that the NPAD needs to return to the Assembly to regain public trust in the party. "To restore its damaged reputation, the NPAD is required to process bills that are aimed at helping people's livelihood, while strategically and effectively pushing the ruling party and the president to accept the demands from the victims' families," he said. Bae expects that the rival parties are likely to process the special bill around the Chuseok holidays. "There may be public complaints that lawmakers are neglecting other bills aimed at improving the living standards for people and reviving the economy," he said.

Hwang, Choi beat Chicago as South Korea wins LLWS

Team Korea pose after winning the final of Sunday`s Little League World Series championship game in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (Yonhap)

In the giddy moments after South Korea won the Little League World Series, outfielder Don Wan Sin realized how he wanted to celebrate.

“I want to go to the Blue House -- the White House of Korea -- and meet the President,” Sin said, breaking up his teammates.

Just maybe Sin, who scored twice and hit a solo homer, will indeed get his wish to meet Park Geun-hye.

He's famous back in his homeland -- along with all of his teammates.

Jae Yeong Hwang drove in two runs and combined with Hae Chan Choi, who weathered a late Chicago rally, to lead the Asia-Pacific Region champions to an 8-4 win in Sunday's LLWS championship game.

Hwang, who was removed because he wasn't feeling well, gave up one hit in two-plus innings while striking out four. He also drove in his team's first two runs as they built an 8-1 lead before Jackie Robinson West made it close.

“I'm very joyful. It's a wonderful feeling,” Hwang said. “I don't know why I'm even here; I didn't play very good today.”

Choi, who had a homer and scored twice, pitched the last four innings for South Korea, which won its third title after back-to-back championships in 1984 and `85.

But even he got a little nervous at the end after Chicago collected four of its six hits and scored three times.

“I knew I could allow some runs,” he said. “After I got the second out, I thought I could do it. But after I gave up the three runs I was (worried).”

International teams have won the last three and four of the last five titles.

Brandon Green went 5 2-3 innings for Chicago, which had survived four straight knockout games before the final.

After the final out, a force play, the Seoul team's bench emptied and the players dumped cups of water on their teammates near the mound. The players took a victory lap, waving and laughing.

The win meant a lot to the people of South Korea, who had to watch it or get updates in the middle of the night.

“We know the time difference and that a lot of people were cheering for us,” said manager Jong Wook Park. “We appreciate the people back in Korea. I told the kids that in a speech.”

The game was played in bright sunshine and temperatures in the high 70s before a crowd of 28,671 at Lamade Stadium.

South Korean fans, brightly dressed in flowing satin robes of yellow and electric blue, danced with large fans in the latter innings.

Chicago, the Great Lakes Region champions, came back from 3-0 and 5-4 deficits to beat favored West champ Las Vegas Mountain Ridge 7-5 in the U.S. title game on Saturday. Earlier, South Korea, the Asia-Pacific Region winner, rolled over Japan, 12-3.

But they couldn't come back against the powerful South Koreans, who asserted themselves early.

Leadoff hitter Choi drilled the very first pitch over the wall in right, but a few feet foul. He then flied out deep to right.

Sin followed by smacking a screaming liner to center that slipped out of the glove of DJ Butler for a two-base error. Hwang's double brought in the first run.

With one out in the third, Choi walked and Sin singled sharply up the middle. After a double steal, Choi came home on Hwang's ground-out to third.

Hwang set down the first six Chicago hitters, four on strikeouts.

Butler broke up Hwang's no-hitter with a spinning cue shot to short that he beat out leading off the third. That was all for Hwang after he had mentioned to his coaches that he was sick between innings.

He traded places with first baseman Choi, who was greeted by shortstop Ed Howard's bouncer to the mound that was scored a single, prompting the first prolonged chants of “U-S-A!” for the day. Choi then fanned Cameron Bufford before leadoff hitter Pierce Jones -- who had three homers in the LLWS opener but was just 1 for 12 since -- walked to load the bases with one out.

That brought up Trey Hondras, who had a homer and three RBIs in the U.S. final, and his high hopper to second on a nice grab by Jin Woo Jeon scored Butler. The rally died when Marquis Jackson bounced out sharply to third on the next pitch.

Ji Ho Park doubled and came around on pinch-hitter Jun Ha Yoo's single in the fourth.

After Sin pounded the ball over the wall near the camera bay in left center in the fifth, a U.S. fan threw the ball back on the field.

Then the Seoul team added three runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Shane Jaemin Kim and Jin Woo Jeon's two-run single.

“(We) felt like we had a chance even when we were down 8-1,” Chicago manager Darold Butler said. “(South Korea) had a pretty good game. They were the better team today.” (AP)

Ryu So-yeon earns LPGA victory in Canada

So Yeon Ryu of South Korea imitates a `selfie` as she celebrates her two stroke victory during the fourth round of the LPGA Canadian Pacific Women`s Open at the London Hunt and Country Club on Sunday in London, Ontario, Canada. (AFP)

South Korean golfer Ryu So-yeon picked up her first LPGA Tour victory in two years on Sunday at the Canadian Pacific Women's Open.

At the London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ontario, Ryu shot a 3-under 69 in the final round for a four-round total of 23-under, a tournament record. Fellow South Korean Choi Na-yeon shot a 67 on Sunday to finish two strokes behind Ryu in sole possession of second.

This was the third career LPGA win for Ryu, the 2012 Rookie of the Year, and her first since August 2012. Ryu cashed in a $337,500 winner's check and is projected to jump from No. 9 to No. 5 in the world rankings.

Ryu began the final round at 20-under, four shots ahead of Choi and Azahara Munoz of Spain, and was never really threatened as she completed the wire-to-wire victory. She made only three bogeys during the whole tournament.

Ryu, 24, is the third consecutive South Korean to win on the LPGA Tour, after Lee Mi-rim claimed the Meijer LPGA Classic and Park In-bee won the Wegmans LPGA Championship, the fourth major of the season.

After Choi, Park finished third at 18-under for a 1-2-3 finish for South Koreans. Lee Mi-hyang was the next best South Korean at a three-way tie for 16th at 9-under.

Ryu said afterward it felt good to be doused in champagne again on the final green after the last putt found the cup.

"I've been waiting so long for the champagne," Ryu said. "I was ready to get champagne. I put champagne on In-bee maybe more than five times, but finally she gave it to me. So it feels great."

Ryu put together a bogey-free front nine and picked up four birdies along the way. She gave a shot back with a bogey on the

par-5 10th and then had another bogey on the par-4 15th. Choi, playing in the same final threesome as Ryu, cut the deficit to one shot but missed a six-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th that would have pulled her into a tie.

On the same hole, Ryu made a birdie to restore a two-shot advantage over Choi.

Choi missed another birdie opportunity on the par-3 17th while Ryu made par on the hole. Another par on the finishing hole closed out the victory for Ryu.

"It could sound cocky, but after I made a birdie at the ninth hole I was sure I could win," Ryu said. "But Na-yeon almost chased me down, so I was pretty nervous at that moment. I made a really great birdie at 16, and after that I was a bit relieved."

Even during her drought, Ryu had been one of the LPGA Tour's most consistent players, with 27 top-10s since her previous victory in August 2012.

She said she would gladly take a win rather than finish in the top 10 every week.

"The good thing is I still had a lot of opportunities the last couple months and couple years, then finally I made it," Ryu said.

"I did trust myself. I was really focused on my game." 

Japan ex-wrestler wages 'sports diplomacy' in N. Korea

Flamboyant Japanese wrestler-turned-politician Kanji "Antonio" Inoki kicked off his brand of sports diplomacy in North Korea Saturday ahead of an unusual two-day event featuring martial artists from around the world.

Inoki, 71, an opposition member of Japan's upper house with a penchant for red scarves, has travelled to the reclusive state with a host of international fighters in an attempt to use sport to thaw relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

He met with North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-Nam on Saturday, hours before the first night of the "International Pro Wrestling Festival" kicks off at Pyongyang's 20,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju-Yong Stadium, Japanese media reported from the North Korean capital.

Kim presides over North Korea's parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, and often receives state guests or credentials from foreign ambassadors -- an indication of how seriously Pyongyang is taking Inoki's visit.

"I feel very grateful for your continuous efforts to promote mutual understanding between the two countries and create an environment toward improvement in Korea-Japan relations," the 86-year-old Kim told Inoki at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, Kyodo news agency reported.

There was no indication whether supreme leader Kim Jong-Un, who keen sports fan, will appear at the martial arts event as he did in January when former U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to him before an exhibition game, Kyodo said.

Inoki -- who stands 1.9 meters tall -- has organized the festival with North Korea's authorities, taking along 21 grapplers from Japan, the United States, France and Brazil as well as one from China, North Korea's communist ally.

They include Bob Sapp, a former American mixed martial artist who has become a household name in Japan, Jerome Le Banner of France and Brazilian Montanha Silva.

More than 50 Japanese package tourists have also arrived for the event, Kyodo said.

When Inoki and his entourage arrived in Pyongyang via Beijing on Thursday, he held talks with Kang Sok-Ju, a key figure in North Korea's diplomatic circles and a secretary of the Workers Party.

North Korea's high-profile treatment of Inoki seems to indicate its readiness to improve ties with Japan, public broadcaster NHK said.

The exhibition takes place nearly two months after Japan lifted some of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea when Pyongyang agreed to reopen a probe into the fates of Japanese who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2002, North Korea admitted to some of the abduction cases and returned some of the kidnap victims. But Pyongyang's refusal to come clean on all the has stalled rapprochement efforts between the two countries.

Kim Jong-Un, presumed to be 31, took over from his father Kim Jong-Il in late 2011. His late grandfather Kim Il-Sung founded North Korea.

Inoki is best known abroad for battling then world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a zany wrestler-versus-boxer in Tokyo in 1976.

But he has also cultivated strong connections with the Pyongyang regime, having now made 30 trips since 1974 to the isolated state, the birthplace of his late wrestling mentor known by the ring name of Rikidozan who still remains a sporting legend in Japan and a national hero in North Korea.

His willingness to involve himself in Japan's diplomacy made headlines in 1990, when he helped secure the release of 41 Japanese hostages in Iraq during the Gulf War after meeting Saddam Hussein's son and staging a wrestling show in 

 Baghdad.

In 1995, Inoki organized and competed in the first-ever pro-wrestling exhibition in North Korea, featuring matches between Japanese and U.S. pro-wrestlers with an ailing Ali as a guest. He retired from wrestling in 1998. (AFP)

Korea struggling with aging

South Korea’s population is rapidly aging, but the government appears to lack policies to deal with the demographic change.

According to Moody’s, a global credit rating agency, a total of 13 countries including Korea will be categorized as “super aged” societies by 2030, meaning that more than one-fifth of the population will be over the age of 65. 

Last year, more than 12 percent of Korea’s 50 million people were in this age bracket. 

The impact of such aging on the global economy would be tremendous, Moody’s said, predicting that global economic growth would fall by 0.4 percent annually from this year until 2019. After 2020, the rate is expected to decline by 0.9 percent every year.

The Park Geun-hye government, however, seems to be oblivious to such effects. 

Seoul currently lacks effective policies to fight societal aging, as the only specific plans it has announced so far are social security increases for senior citizens. This was a part of the government’s three-year economic innovation blueprint that was unveiled early this year.

The government committee to combat the low birthrate and aging society has also failed to meet for more than a year, and critics say the administration needs to allot more personnel to tackle the issues.

According to Seoul National University’s Center for Social Sciences, Korea tanks at the bottom of 22 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries on an index for responding to societal aging. 

Although the government has introduced a new pension for senior citizens, and has in place a number of projects aimed at creating jobs for seniors, their supposed beneficiaries appear far from satisfied. 

“President Park Geun-hye won the election with a pledge to give all seniors 200,000 won, but in the end she took it away,” Choi Ja-woong, chief of Korea Association of Community Senior Club, at a rally protesting the government’s plans for senior job creation program. 

The government plans to transfer such projects to local governments. 

“Korea will fall if (the country) turns its back on the seniors here today, who endeavored to make this country into a prosperous developed nation.” 

Members of the Korea Association of Community Senior Club protest the government’s job policies for seniors in central Seoul on Tuesday. (Korea Association of Community Senior Club)

Experts say that the root of the problem lies in the way society views seniors and the government’s focus on easily noticeable measures that effectively treat seniors as charity cases. 

According to professor Park Hyun-sik of the senior welfare department of Hoseo University, Korea’s senior welfare policies are superficial and populist. Park also points out that seniors must not be viewed as a group that has negative social effects such as an increased burden on the economically active population. 

“If seniors are considered as those who created today’s society, we must approach the issue from the perspective of how to recognize the value of their existence,” Park said. He said that since senior policies became a major issue in 2005, Korean politicians have focused on rolling out easily noticeable measures such as building senior centers, which have few real benefits. 

“(Policies) need to focus on the resources (seniors) have, such as cultural assets and the experiences they built up during Japanese colonization and the Korean War, to establish a (social) structure that recreates their knowledge and experience,” he said.

Some think tanks have suggested creating social contribution jobs for the elderly so that they may share their expertise and know-how with the younger members of society. 

The main aims of these steps would be to contribute to both the economy and to reducing crime committed by senior citizens who feel that society has left them behind.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

Never forget the Sewol Ferry !! The Truth shall Not Sink with Sewol ...