Kwan advises Kim to follow her heart

Kwan advises Kim to follow her heart

Michelle Kwan smiles at a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap By Jung Min-ho Two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan, known to be Kim Yu-na’s role model, has advised Kim to find her passion in life. “I think she is figuring out her path as she spends time in school and learns from her colleagues and friends. She might find other interests outside of skating if she hasn’t already,” Kwan said Friday in an interview with The Korea Times. “It’s going to be difficult. But you have to do something that you love doing.” The board member of the 2013 PyeongChang Special Olympics held media interviews at Grand Hilton Hotel in Seoul, before she wrapped up her five-day visit. At the interview, the 31-year-old encouraged Kim to move forward with the lessons that she surely learned from the sport: “Hard work, dedication, discipline, falling and getting back up.” “She needs to figure out what she wants to do. It does help to reach out to people who need help. For example, what she is doing with this Special Olympics. I saw her picture with Ban Ki-moon. I’m sure she is involved and maybe she will get more involved when she has more time with the U.N. I think she’s on her way,” Kwan said.” “Perhaps if she continues her schooling maybe she can become Dr. Kim in the future.” When asked about the relationship she has developed with Kim, Kwan said the first encounter was in a bathroom 12 years ago as the dumbfounded young skater was surprised to see the superstar at that time. “Over the years, I’ve gotten to know her more than that,” Kwan said. “(As) a close friend, if she needs me, I can help her.” America’s most decorated figure skater said challenges made her stronger and taught her a great deal of valuable life lessons, pointing out that overcoming challenges is what fascinates people about the Special Olympics. “Once you understand the spirit of the Special Olympics, it is really empowering,” Kwan said. “And the athletes, when you understand and learn that they have overcome many obstacles such as prejudice, poverty, and sometimes physical handicaps,” Kwan said. “They really change the way I see the world.” With a promise to come back to Korea to do more for the Special Olympics in PyeongChang to be held from Jan 19 to Feb. 5 next year, Kwan left for the airport. The 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games will feature seven sports and 59 sub-events. With the motto, “Together we can,” 3,300 athletes and coaches from 113 countries are expected to participate.

Korea, Chile agree to enter into '2nd stage of FTA' to upgrade ties

Korea, Chile agree to enter into '2nd stage of FTA' to upgrade ties

SANTIAGO, CHILE (Yonhap) -- Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera agreed Friday to further upgrade cooperation between the two countries, building upon their rapidly expanding business ties under a free trade agreement. "The two countries have shown a very successful case in the first stage of an FTA. In the second stage, we should expand cooperation to various areas, such as education, culture, mining and renewable energy," Lee said during a joint news conference. The Chilean leader also said the two sides agreed to enter into a second stage of the FTA to deepen and upgrade relations. Pinera also expressed hope for greater cooperation with South Korea in education, renewable energy and science and technology. Chile is the first country to sign a free trade agreement with South Korea. Since the pact went into effect in 2004, trade volume between the two countries has increased 4.6 fold, to US$7.24 billion last year. South Korea's market share in Chile has also doubled to 6.4 percent. Lee praised Chile as an "exemplary country" that shows that its economy and the partner nation's economy can grow together through free trade. Lee also thanked Pinera for making pro-trade remarks during a G20 summit in Mexico earlier this week. "As both nations have the same values of aiming for democracy, a free market economy and free trade, we intend to strengthen cooperation indefinitely," Lee said during the joint news conference. After the summit talks, the two sides signed three cooperation agreements, one on offshore energy generation, such as tidal power plants, another on joint research and development into renewable energy and other green energy technologies, and the third on preventing mine-related pollution. Pinera has expressed strong interest in renewable energy cooperation with South Korea, especially since he visited the world's largest tidal power plant on South Korea's west coast in March. He was in Seoul to attend an anti-nuclear-terrorism summit. During Friday's summit, Pinera spoke of his tour to the Shihwa power plant, praising South Korea as a global leader in green growth and emphasizing the need for greater cooperation between the two countries in renewable energy and the environment, the presidential office said. The power plant at the artificial sea-water Lake Shihwa on the west coast near Seoul is the world's largest, with a generation capacity of 254,000 kilowatts per day, enough to provide power to a city with a population of 500,000. Chile is a promising market for South Korean firms in the renewable energy industry. The South American nation relies on renewable energy for about 3 percent of its energy needs, and plans to increase that to 20 percent by 2020, officials said. The two sides also agreed to push for greater cooperation between South Korea and the Pacific Alliance, consisting of Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru, which seeks free exchange of goods, services, capital and cooperation in energy and infrastructure. Lee later attended a meeting of business leaders of the two countries and called for greater investment in South Korea, saying his nation can serve as a stepping stone for Chilean firms trying to expand in Asia. "South Korea has the most FTAs in Asia and Chile has the most FTAs in the world," he said. "Chile is the best place to do business in Central and South Asia ... I say that South Korea can also offer you big opportunities as a gateway to Asia." Green growth -- seeking economic growth through environment-friendly technologies -- is one of the most promising areas of cooperation between the two countries, Lee said, referring to Chile's plan to meet 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources. Lee arrived in Chile on Thursday from Brazil, where he attended a U.N. sustainable development summit. Chile is the third leg of a four-nation Latin American trip that already took the South Korean president to Mexico for a G20 summit. After Chile, Lee will make a state visit to Colombia. In historical terms, Chile in 1949 became the first country in Latin America to recognize South Korea as a sovereign state. South Korea's government was founded in 1948 after the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japan's colonial rule in 1945 and then divided between North and South. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Chile, forged in 1962, and Lee is the first South Korean president to visit Chile in eight years, since the late Roh Moo-hyun in 2004.

Korean population exceeds 50 million

Korean population exceeds 50 million

Korea joining the ranks of the exclusive "20-50 club" marks a new chapter in the development history of the country, the government said Saturday. The finance ministry said as the country's population has passed the 50 million mark and it has been able to maintain a per capita income of over $20,000, Korea has achieved an unprecedented feat for a newly industrialized economy. The 20-50 club is a coined termed by the local media to highlight countries who possess sizable populations and yet maintain high levels of personal income. There are many countries around the world with per capita exceeding $20,000, but many have small populations. Besides Korea, there are 25 countries with a population of 50 million, although many have low incomes and are still in the process of economic development. "Korea is the seventh country to meet the two criteria, and the first country that was not a industrialized economy before World War II to achieve this," the ministry in charge of the country's economic policies said. Japan was the first to meet the standard in 1987, followed immediately by the United States in 1988, with France and Italy making the list in 1990. Germany joined in 1991 with Britain being included in 1996. "All the other countries have gone on to increase their per capita to $30,000, an indication that a sizable population is an important factor for sustainable economic growth," it said. The ministry, however, said that despite the achievement, the country must take steps to cope with rapid aging of the population caused by the record low birthrate, and a slowdown in economic growth potential as the country will face a drop in people of working age.

Microsoft unveils 'Surface' tablet in iPad challenge

Microsoft on Monday unveiled a Surface tablet computer as the technology titan steps in with its own hardware to take on Apple's market-ruling iPads.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer described the iPad challenger as a tablet that "works and plays" when he showed it off at a press event in Los Angeles.

Surface is also the name of table and poster-sized touch screen computers that Microsoft has pitched to the business market for use in restaurants, shops, bars and other venues.

A tablet demo video online at microsoft.com/surface/ promised the tablet was "coming soon.'

A version of Surface running on Windows RT software tailored for ARM mobile device chips measured 9.3 millimeters thick and weighed 676 grams.

It boasted a 10.6-inch (26.9 centimeter) high-definition screen and will be available with 32 or 64 gigabytes of memory, according to Microsoft.

A tablet model powered by Windows 8 Pro software measured 13.5 millimeters thick, weighs 903 grams and will be available with 64 or 128 gigabytes of memory.

"It embodies the notion of hardware and software really pushing each other." Ballmer said (AFP)

Japan’s nuclear ambition

Japan’s nuclear ambition

Tokyo has only to strike out controversial phrase The world has long regarded Japan as a virtual nuclear power. On Wednesday, Tokyo took its first step toward becoming a ``real” one. The upper house of Japan’s Diet passed an amendment to the country’s Atomic Energy Basic Law to allow the use of nuclear power for ``national security,” according to the Tokyo Shimbun. The addition of these controversial words was made so furtively that not only the Japanese public but even many Lower House lawmakers didn’t know about it, other reports say. Despite denials from the Japanese government, there should be little doubt about Tokyo’s intention ― nuclear armament. The stealthy way the Japanese parliament handled the matter proves it. Ultra-rightist Japanese politicians, including Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, have long bragged about how the island nation can turn itself into one of the largest nuclear powers in the world almost overnight if it wants so, or as a U.S. paper put it, all this is just ``a screwdriver’s turn away.” Japan has 30 tons of weapons-grade plutonium and 1,200-1,400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to make 15,000 nuclear bombs like the one dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Tokyo also has state-of-the-art rocket technology for their long-distance delivery and spy satellites. In short, Japan has the world’s third-largest nuclear power generation capacity and is also the third-biggest military spender. What more does it need? Tokyo might feel sufficient need to turn its long-cherished ambition into reality. Japan’s once-almighty economy has been languishing for two decades to cede its place to China, and its political influence in this part of the world is even being eclipsed by oil-rich Russia. The security guarantee from the United States has weakened in part because of America’s strategic shift and own decline. North Korea also provides a convenient excuse through its playing with nuclear fire. Yet none of these should be reasons for Japan to go back several decades and repeat the tragic mistakes that severely hurt it and the rest of the world. It is one of few countries in the world, along with Germany, that knows from experience that a national indulgence in ultra-right schemes and ideology as a means of escaping from prolonged economic and social stagnation brought disastrous results. It is worrisome in this regard that rightist instigators such as Ishihara and Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto are the most popular politicians in their country. The road to Japan’s possible nuclear armament would certainly not be smooth. There must still be a far larger number of Japanese people, at least we hope so, with the good sense not to let their leaders take their country down a ruinous path. If Japan pursues atomic weapons further, a domino effect regarding nuclear armament will sweep across the region, including South Korea and Taiwan, not to mention encouraging the self-delusionary regime in Pyongyang. Nor would the United States sit idle watching its staunchest ally in Asia mess up its global non-proliferation efforts, depriving Washington of leverage to dissuade Iran and North Korea. Tokyo says it has no intention of becoming a nuclear power and the insertion of the dangerous-looking words actually expresses its will for non-proliferation. If so, the solution can’t be simpler: strike them from the amendment. One action is better than a 1,000 words. It would be also easy to do so in Japan with a parliamentary government, in which the administrative and legislative branches are run by much the same officials. Otherwise, Japan will be denying its value and status in the international community as a model of pacifism, deceiving the latter. Seoul for its part must make clear its opposition to the Japanese move and send an unequivocal warning against further proceedings. This is not much to ask of the incumbent administration that has disappointed people all too often with its spineless and clueless diplomatic team.

Korean fashion designers go global

Korean fashion designers go global

The 10 designers pose for a promotional photo of 2012 Seoul's 10 Soul, a global fashion brand project. From left are Lee Seung-hee, Kang Dong-jun, Hong Hye-jin, Choi Bum-suk, Ko Tae-yong, Lee Suk-tae, Im Seon-oc, Steve J & Yoni P, Choi Chul-yong and Sheen Je-hee. / Courtesy of Bridge Company By Rachel Lee A global fashion brand project, 2012 Seoul’s 10 Soul, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, has shortlisted 10 Korean fashion designers with long-term support programs. Now in its third year, the project aims to provide long-term exposure in international markets and help the further development of selected designers. This year they are Ko Tae-yong, Choi Chul-yong, Kang Dong-jun, Choi Bum-suk, Sheen Je-hee, Lee Suk-tae, Lee Seung-hee, Im Seon-oc, Steve J & Yoni P and Hong Hye-jin. The government runs integrated showrooms called Acrex in Paris and Milan to further promote the brands. “I am enormously impressed by the capability of Korean artists,” said Alfredo Ferreira, sales director of the showroom. “I expect a lot from the project as the eyes of Paris fashion are currently upon it.” In Paris, the showroom will open from June 29 to July 3 for menswear and Sept. 27 to Oct. 5 for womenswear. Milan’s showroom will present the men’s ranges through Sept. 25 and from Aug. 27 to Oct. 15 for the women’s styles. In addition, the 10 designers will showcase their work at an exhibition scheduled around Paris Fashion Week this October to which the press and buyers will be invited. Previously, the project was more about such one-time events as hosting an exhibition of the designers and an after-party in Paris. “This fashion project has helped me to jump into the pickiest European market,” said Lee Suk-tae, chosen for the project for three consecutive years, along with Choi Bum-suk, Sheen and Lee Seung-hee. “However, the government needs to support us with a long-term project, rather than promoting single events. Consistency is the key,” he added. Lee is now a sought-after designer by established public relations firms and showroom organizers in France. The long-term support programs envisioned this year include consultations on brand positioning and marketing strategies; a one-to-one matching service between the designers and agencies specializing in public relations and sales; and continuous brand management and analysis of the outcome. “We aim to develop our domestic brands to the level of global giants Louis Vuitton and Chanel by 2020,” said Baek Woon-seok, director of cultural industry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “We also plan to expand this current Paris-based project to other big cities and keep up our support programs to gain recognition in the global fashion industry.”

Lies, false accusations hamper fighter jet program

Lies, false accusations hamper fighter jet program

F-35 fighter jet By Lee Tae-hoon The country’s fighter jet procurement project is facing a major stumbling block as groundless rumors and false accusations spread fast enough to convince politicians of both the ruling and opposition parties to believe “something is fishy.” The upsetting truth is that few pay attention to the rationale behind the need to introduce advanced new jets and what is behind an intensifying negative campaign mounted by anti-American, anti-Lee Myung-bak administration figures and anonymous sources. As soon as the state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced a plan to reopen the bid to acquire 60 new jets with a budget of 8.3 trillion won ($7.2 billion), rumors circulated that it was a conspiracy to change the rules in favor of U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin. The upsetting fact is that in order to observe the law, DAPA had no choice but to delay the project for three weeks after finding out Tuesday that two of the three competitors, Lockheed Martin and European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), failed to meet document requirements. DAPA made it clear that it is mandatory for all bidders to submit the Korean version of their proposal during an explanatory session in front of reporters, Air Force officials and industry representatives and stipulated the rule in the its request for proposal (RFP). However, only Boeing, which won the two previous fighter jet programs, abided by the instruction, while the two others neglected to translate crucial information, such as technology transfer and price. “In case of a discrepancy between the Korean and English language text, the Korean version shall prevail,” a top DAPA official said Friday. “We had to request the resubmission of their proposals in order to avoid a possible legal dispute over the interpretation of the text in accordance with the law.” Another senior official pointed out that his agency notified all three bidders that there will be no revision of the RFP, but malicious rumors spread that Seoul will eliminate requirements to submit information about the cost and the degree of technology transfer. He noted that media outlets went as far as claiming that Lockheed Martin did not submit any documents about the two crucial pieces of information mandated in the RFP but that is also totally baseless. “We have no reason to give favors to one party or another whether it is an American company or not,” he said asking for anonymity. “However, an anti-American sentiment and hostile feelings against DAPA head Noh Dae-lae and President Lee Myung-bak appear to have gained momentum to hamper the procurement deal.” Air Force officials also lament the current situation, saying the government will likely have no choice but defer the project for two to three years for its failure to dispel the spread of false information about the fighter jet program. “We don’t care who wins the project anymore as all three competing jets meet our requirements,” a senior Air Force Official said. “But it is of utmost important to procure them in time to replace some 240 aging F-4 and F-5 jets that will retire from 2020.” He warned that the F-4s and F-5s that are often 10 years older than the pilots who fly them will end up becoming administrative staff as the country will begin to lose a battalion-size Air Force unit a year from 2020. “A large number of pilots will end up becoming office workers if Korea begins to receive new jets after 2020.” Under the current plan, Seoul will sign a deal by the end of this year and new jets will be delivered here from 2016 through 2020. Rumors are rampant that President Lee has made a secret deal with the United States to purchase Lockheed Martin’s F-35, the only fifth-generation stealth fighter available in the market, in return for unsolicited favors. The F-35 program is drawing great criticism for its cost overruns and delays in development, but people here do not bother to pay attention to why the United Stated and eight partner countries have participated in the program. Experts say the F-35, whose target RCS is believed to be 0.001 square meters, is the only available fighter jet for Korea to have a military balance in the Northeast Asia as China and Japan are developing their own stealth jets. They also noted it is questionable that EADS’s Eurofighter Typhoon, whose RCS is believed to be at least 10 times higher than the F-35, have pledged to allow Seoul to manufacture its latest jets and provide the most generous pack of technology transfer. “Japan picked the F-35 over the Eurofighter as the cost of running the Eurofighter exceeds that of the F-35,” a senior military official said. “Europeans are known to be good at boasting what they can offer, but are infamous in keeping pledges.”

Japanese stake heart of Korea

Japanese stake heart of Korea

A 90 centimeter-long stake claiming Dokdo is Japanese territory is tied to a monument, representing the Korean women forced into Japanese military brothels during World War II, in this photo captured from the blog of Nobuyuki Suzuki, 47. Suzuki and another man were involved in the incident which took place in front of the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday in Jongno, Seoul. By Kim Susan Se-jeong “‘Takeshima’ is Japanese territory,” stated the white, 90-centimeter- long stake painted with the red orb of the Japanese flag, in Korean and Japanese text, referring to the South Korean territory Dokdo. The stake was tied to a bronze statue of a young girl, sitting in a chair wearing traditional Korean hanbok with her fists tightened and her eyes wide open, a monument built in memory of the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in World War II during their colonial occupation here. Two Japanese extremists, including Nobuyuki Suzuki, 47, had placed the stake, claiming the Dokdo islets are Japanese territory, onto the statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in Jongno, Seoul on Tuesday. “The police are carrying out investigations to find out what happened. Currently, we have no plans to file a complaint to the Japanese government because it was not a government action,” a foreign ministry representative told the Korea Times. “But as a civilian, it is an extremely regrettable incident.” Japan, which ruled the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945, has repeatedly laid claim to the Dokdo islets despite the Korean Coast Guard currently in the area. Suzuki, an extreme-rightist and self-proclaimed patriot, was accused of tying the stake down while a man in his 20s videoed it and posted it on the Internet. “There is a statue of a comfort woman, a statue of a prostitute, right in front of the embassy,” said Suzuki in the video, claiming that it needs to be torn down. The police could be seen interrupting in the video, but ultimately, Suzuki completed his task. The stake was immediately taken down and the police are currently investigating the incident. The police suspect the two men may be related to a similar incident where a stake was placed at the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum on Monday. The museum, which exhibits the history of Korean women forced into Japanese brothels, opened last month. “They brought three stakes, put one on the museum wall and the other on the monument,” said co-representative Yoon Meehyang of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. “It looks like they tried to deliver one to the Japanese Embassy and failed.” “They take pride in their action, but it confirms how ignorant they are ethically and historically,” she criticized. This is not the first time the Japanese have denied forcing Korean women into sexual slavery. Last month, American papers reported that delegations of Japanese officials requested that a comfort woman monument be removed from a public park in New Jersey, insisting the women were never forced into sexual servitude.

Shares drop 2.21% on weak US, Chinese economic data

Shares drop 2.21% on weak US, Chinese economic data

Korean stocks dived 2.21 percent Friday on weak U.S. and Chinese economic data and lingering eurozone uncertainties, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 41.76 points to close at 1,847.39. Trading volume was very light at 286 million shares worth 4.27 trillion won ($3.69 billion), with losers clearly outpacing gainers 577 to 254. "The sharp loss was mainly caused by indications that the U.S. and Chinese economies are not doing well at the moment, with such conditions exacerbated by Spain's banking sector woes and overall uncertainties in the eurozone," said Cho Byung-hyun, an analyst at Tongyang Securities. The U.S. reported weak manufacturing and employment data, while China's manufacturing sector purchasing managers' index for June slipped compared the month before. Kim Jae-hong, an economist at Shinyoung Securities, said the KOSPI is being pressured by disappointing economic indicators from all major economies. He added that despite positive election results in Greece, the 17-member eurozone needs to come up with a viable plan to handle problems facing Spain and other debt-ridden countries. Most big-cap shares in electronics, autos, steel, heavy industries and chemicals lost ground during the trading session. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics nosedived 3.67 percent to 1,182,000 won, with leading carmaker Hyundai Motor losing 2.99 percent to 243,000 won. No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors shed 1.65 percent to 77,500 won, with top steelmaker POSCO falling 2.24 percent to 370,500 won. LG Chem, a leading manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, lost 3.47 percent to 278,500 won, with Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipmaker, slipping 4.02 percent to 262,500 won. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis lost 2.79 percent to 278,500 won, with leading life insurer Samsung Life Insurance backtracking 1.46 percent to 94,800 won. The local currency finished at 1,156.8 won to the U.S. greenback, down 5.2 won from Thursday's close. Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasuries fell 0.02 percentage point to 3.29 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds also slipped 0.02 percentage point to 3.42 percent. (Yonhap)

WikiLeaks’ Assange seeks Ecuador asylum

LONDON (AFP) ― WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday walked into Ecuador’s embassy in London and applied for political asylum in a sensational bid to avoid extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.

The former computer hacker, who last week exhausted all his legal options in Britain to fight extradition, was holed up at the embassy in central London while Quito examined the request, officials said.

Britain’s Foreign Office said Assange was “beyond the reach of the police” because he was on diplomatic territory, but stressed it would seek to work with the Ecuadorian authorities “to resolve this situation as soon as possible.” Assange will remain at the embassy under the protection of the Ecuadorian government while his application is considered.

Julian Assange

“The decision to consider Mr. Assange’s application for protective asylum should in no way be interpreted as the government of Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden,” the embassy said in a statement.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Tuesday that Australia will continue to offer consular assistance to Assange.

“Australia will continue to support Mr. Assange just as we do support any Australian overseas who faces legal difficulties or dilemmas,” Gillard told reporters after a Group of 20 summit in Mexico.

Assange confirmed in a statement he was seeking “diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum” and expressed his gratitude to the Ecuadorian ambassador and government for considering the request.

In Quito, Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said: “Julian Assange has requested political asylum at the diplomatic mission of Ecuador in London. The government is examining the request.”

The embassy later confirmed it would be seeking the views of Britain, Sweden and the United States in order to make sure it complied with international law.

Assange has always maintained that the moves to extradite him to Sweden for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault are politically motivated and that the real aim is for him to handed over to U.S. authorities.

The silver-haired 40-year-old Australian’s website enraged Washington by releasing a flood of classified U.S. information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It also published more than 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables, revealing often candid assessments of a huge range of issues as well as the views of other governments.

Ecuador offered Assange residency in 2010, with the government saying at the time it wanted to invite Assange to speak in Ecuador after expressing concern about some of the alleged U.S. activities revealed by Wikileaks.

Assange interviewed Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa for his talk show aired on the Russian international television station RT in April.

The embassy is in the upmarket west London district of Knightsbridge, near to Harrods department store and in the same mansion block as the the Colombian Embassy.

A supporter of Assange, Jemima Khan, the former wife of Pakistan politician Imran Khan, said on Twitter she was “as surprised as anyone” by the move and had expected him to face the allegations in Sweden.

The request for asylum came after Britain’s Supreme Court last week rejected an application by Assange to reopen his appeal against extradition.

The decision closed Assange’s last legal avenue in Britain, although he could still take his case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The court said extradition proceedings could not begin for two weeks.

Assange’s lawyers have until June 28 to apply to the Strasbourg court to consider his case on the basis that he has not had a fair hearing from the British courts.

In the United States, soldier Bradley Manning is facing trial over accusations that he handed a huge cache of documents to WikiLeaks.

The Korea Herald > National > Foreign Affairs > Foreign Policy Korea waived from U.S. sanctions on Iran oil but concerns linger

South Korea will be exempted from U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil but concerns persist as ongoing talks with the EU over its upcoming ban on insurance for ships carrying the crude remain deadlocked, industry officials and analysts said Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that Korea and six other economies will receive a 6-month waiver, citing a “significant” reduction in crude imports from the Middle Eastern country. The other recipients are India, Turkey, Taiwan, South Africa, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.


Washington and Europe have been pressuring Iran to relinquish its nuclear ambitions by severing transactions with the Iranian central bank and thus squeezing oil revenues, a key driver of the Iranian economy.

Tehran claims its programs are utterly for civilian purposes.

“By reducing Iran’s oil sales, we are sending a decisive message to Iran’s leaders: until they take concrete actions to satisfy the concerns of the international community, they will continue to face increasing isolation and pressure,” Clinton said in a statement.

The EU plans to block European insurers from covering Iranian oil shipments starting July 1. Seoul has asked for an exemption but negotiations have made little progress, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Cho Byung-jae said late last month.

“Our discussions are still under way with the EU as a whole and its members as well,” he told a press briefing on Tuesday.

A failure to secure a waiver will likely force Korean refiners to halt imports from one of its major crude suppliers unless they find an alternative source of insurance.

About 90 percent of the world’s tanker insurance is underwritten in the West. A supertanker carrying around 2 million barrels of oil would need $1 billion insurance coverage against personal injury and environmental liability, industry officials say.

“Ship insurance products have been developed around the globe based on the European standard and it’s not easy to find insurers elsewhere with the capability and scale we need,” an SK Energy spokesperson told The Korea Herald.

Korea is the world’s fifth-largest crude buyer and imports nearly all its oil needs.

Iran was Korea’s fourth-largest crude provider after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Iran took up 9.4 percent of total oil imports estimated at 930 million barrels last year, government figures show.

To head off a supply crunch, Korea expanded imports from other Gulf and Southeast Asian countries and turned to non-conventional oil varieties from such regions as Latin America and the North Sea.

Shipments from Iran, in contrast, plummeted 28.4 percent on-year in the first quarter of 2012, according to LIG Investment & Securities, a brokerage in Seoul.

Amid public concerns over gas price hikes, Asian crude importers have called for state-guaranteed insurance coverage as Tokyo plans. But the Korean government remains hesitant in light of its ties with the U.S. and EU, as well as North Korean nuclear issues.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho said the government is "not considering state-level insurance at this point."

SK Energy, the country’s largest refiner, brings in 130,000 barrels of Iranian oil per day under a long-term deal. That translates into 10 percent of the company’s entire imports.

The Seoul-based firm has no immediate plan to cease imports from Iran and “devise various measures until the EU ban takes effect,” the spokesperson said.

Hyundai Oilbank, the No.4 refiner and the only other Iranian crude buyer here, has already stopped importing Iranian oil starting this month. It used to import 70,000 bpd, or 18 percent of the total.

Iranian crude is about $2 to $3 cheaper per barrel than that produced by other Gulf nations, an Oilbank spokesperson said.

“We’re hoping for state guarantees or non-European underwriters but we will have no supply problem for the time being,” she added.

Despite uncertainties, the looming sanctions will have limited impact on petrol prices in Korea, an LIG analyst Park Young-houn said.

“The downward trend in gas prices in the international oil markets already reflects shrunk supplies from Iran. There’s ample supply relative to demand right now,” he said, citing Libya’s surging output, Europe’s economic crisis and slowing Chinese economy.

U.S. officials estimate that Iran has lost around $10 billion in oil revenues this year. Exports by OPEC’s second-largest crude producer are projected to have plunged by up to 90 percent in May alone.

Dubai crude, Korea’s benchmark, edged up $2.15 a barrel to $98.66 in the Singapore spot market on Monday after the bailout of Spanish banks and increased imports by China. But that is far lower than $124 in late March.

The average pump price in Seoul has fallen to 2,049.07 won per liter after nearing 2,200 won in mid April, according to the state-run Korean National Oil Corp.

The 27-member EU is expected to decide on the recipients of waivers after talks between six global powers and Iran on Tehran’s atomic program in Moscow on June 18-19, and a meeting of foreign ministers on June 25. The six participants of the so-called P5+1 are the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldm.com)

Saenuri pounded by member list leak

Saenuri pounded by member list leak

Rep. Park Geun-hye, former leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, places a flower at an altar for eight victims who died in a recent helicopter crash in Peru, In Seoul, Wednesday, two days after their bodies returned home. / Korea Times photo by Sohn Yong-suk By Kang Hyun-kyung A senior Saenuri Party official is confirmed to have illicitly handed over a list containing the names of 2.2 million party members to eight people who hoped to be selected to run for the ruling party in the April 11 parliamentary elections. The data is considered a vital asset for candidates gearing up for the polls as the ruling party chose many of its candidates based on public opinion results. Pollsters use such lists when conducting surveys. The fresh scandal is likely to tarnish the image of Rep. Park Geun-hye, the top presidential hopeful for the Saenuri Party. During a briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Rep. Park Min-shik told reporters that among the eight, two were chosen to run in the elections on the ruling party ticket. Many of its candidates were chosen based on the results of public opinion polls, while leaving dozens of slots for what it called strategic selections. Park Min-shik said one candidate was elected as lawmaker in the Ulsan district, while the remaining one was defeated. He said the incumbent lawmaker in question, whose name was not made public, was chosen strategically, meaning then the selections committee picked him without the influence of survey results. Park’s remarks, if found to be true, indicate that the lawmaker owes nothing to the list when picked as a Saenuri Party candidate. He gave the briefing as he chairs the task force investigating the money-for-list scandal involving a senior Saenuri Party official. The man identified by only his last name, Lee, gave the list containing the personal information of 2.2 million party members to a marketing firm in return for 4 million won. The fresh scandal is expected to hit the ruling party already troubled with a primary rule dispute between frontrunner candidate Park Geun-hye and three minor presidential hopefuls. Aides of Reps. Chung Mong-joon, Lee Jae-oh and Governor of Gyeonggi Province Kim Moon-soo have stepped up their efforts to take advantage of this in their call for an open primary. “The list was illicitly given to some candidates while Rep. Park Geun-hye controlled the party. This could mean that her aides were more likely to obtain it (as those who have no network or bonds with the chairwoman would have found it difficult to do so),” an aide to Chung said asking for anonymity. A backlash is inevitable as those who were not selected could claim voting fraud and call for a new contest to select a new lawmaker. The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) is set to make the most of the latest scandal to benefit their presidential hopefuls, urging the prosecution to investigate the case. “It will be unavoidable for Rep. Park Geun-hye to take responsibility for the case because she was ultimately in charge of the selection of ruling party candidates when the scandal occurred,” DUP spokesman Park Yong-jin said in a briefing. “Depending on the probe results, this could turn out to be a vote-rigging case as corrupt as that of the minor Unified Progressive Party (UPP).”

Korea builds computerization center in Angola

Korea builds computerization center in Angola

Korea has financially supported Angola to take a step forward into the information society. Korea has lent the African country $35 million from its Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and has constructed a national data center (NDC) there, to handle its state information. The EDCF is a state fund set up in 1987 to help developing countries carry out economic projects. The Export-Import Bank of Korea, operator of the international fund, said that with the center, Angola will be able to improve their capabilities in integrating and processing state data as well as producing skilled manpower in information and communications technology and expanding online distance learning. Angola will hold an NDC dedication ceremony in its capital Luanda on June 22.

Small biz struggle to make ends meet

Small biz struggle to make ends meet

Poor self-employed emerge as time bomb By Kim Tong-hyung Korea’s self-employed population is swelling like a balloon due to a decaying job market that has sidelined millions of people and forced them into starting their own businesses. With economic activity squeezed to a pulp, there is a rapidly growing intersection between low-income earners, over-50 people and the self-employed, which policymakers fear could prove ground zero if there is a blow-up in financial stability in the country. A Statistics Korea study published Wednesday revealed that the country’s 2.56 million small shops and companies each hiring less than five people in 2010 earned an average of 160 million won (about $139,000) in annual revenue and 27.37 million won in income after costs. However, polarization was profound as half of these businesses, including supermarkets, bakeries, inns and fried chicken restaurants, failed to earn more than 50 million won in sales for the year. Things are likely to be even tougher for small business owners now as it has been all downhill for the Korean economy after expanding by more than 6 percent in 2010. The slowdown in recent months has triggered a vicious cycle spinning more people into self-employment in the face of collapsed consumption and financial turmoil. Economic activity among over-50 Koreans is revisiting all-time highs, but the choice is often between running on empty chasing scarce cash and marching blindly into retirement poverty. While more than 1 million people take a leap into opening their own business or self-employment every year, this is nearly matched by the 800,000 small business owners who fail ever year, according to officials at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, aggravating personal indebtedness levels that are already beyond dangerous. Self-employed people accounted for 28.8 percent of Korea’s labor force in 2010, which represented the fourth-highest among the 34 advanced economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), behind Turkey (39.1 percent), Greece (35.5 percent) and Mexico (34.3 percent). Korea’s proportion of self-employed people was roughly four times higher than the levels of the United States (7 percent) and Norway (7.7 percent). ``With the retiring of the so-called baby boom generation, referring to those born in the mid-1950s to early-1960s, just beginning, the country’s self-employed population will only grow. The majority of Korea’s older workers are failing to make adequate provisions for retirement, and will need to earn income before they reach the age eligible for pension payments,’’ said Kang Seon-gu, an economist from the LG Economic Research Institute. ``The biggest problem is that the country’s economy and job market are providing no options to older workers and retirees other than to take a gamble by starting their own business. Most of these people are involved in low-margin businesses like eateries and local stores, which are more vulnerable in times like these, and the huge number of over-50 business owners who are failing is alarming as they won’t likely be getting a second chance.’’ The Bank of Korea (BOK) puts the household debt mountain at 912.9 trillion won (about $791 billion) based on data from savings institutions and other financial companies. When combing the borrowing from self-employed people, the total grows to over 1.1 quadrillion won, compared to the 1.2 quadrillion won the economy made last year. The official unemployment rate was measured at 3.1 percent in May, down from 3.5 percent in April and 3.2 percent in the same month a year earlier. More than 472,000 jobs were created last month, up from 455,000 positions added to payrolls in April. However, the headline rate is hardly a meaningful indicator when around 15.6 million of Korea’s 41.5 million people above the age of 15 are deemed as ``economically inactive’’ as they are neither working nor looking for work. The economically inactive population has bloated in recent years because of the increasing number of people shaved off payrolls and those forced into self-employment. According to the Statistics Korea report, the small businesses hiring less than five employees accounted for more than 76 percent of the country’s 3.35 million listed businesses in 2010. These small businesses generated a combined 270 trillion won in sales, accounting for just more than 6 percent of the entire business sector revenue of 4.33 quadrillion won. Franchised fried chicken restaurants fared better than other businesses run by self-employed people, with the operating profit rate at these shops measured at over 30 percent.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

New Samsung Electronics CEO stresses global competitiveness

Kwon promises delegation of authorities to enhance innovation


Samsung Electronics’ new chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun officially took office on Monday by encouraging his employees to enhance the firm’s competitiveness amid the era of rapid change in the electronics industry.

“Samsung Electronics is at the turning point of becoming a genuine top global firm,” Kwon said in a message sent to employees. “We must not hesitate or settle with where we are right now, but transform into an innovative company through continuous challenges and revolutionary efforts.”

Kwon’s message came in line with the words and actions of chairman Lee Kun-hee, who has been stressing drastic changes amid the sluggish global economic crisis.

Kwon Oh-hyun

He asked workers to show strong market and technology leadership for flagship projects, most likely pointing to the smartphone and television businesses. He also said they must decrease the gap with its outperforming firms by securing product competitiveness and keeping a close market watch for its nurturing projects.

Kwon said he would give improved authority to the employees for more creativity and support them to take on new projects.

“Play your own roles with passion and ownership,” he said. “We must create added value in the tasks by promoting the ‘work smart’ culture.”

In light of the firm’s fining by a state agency for irregular subcontracting, the CEO said such practices that go against fair trade should not exist and that an eco-system for joint cooperation must be established.

The nomination of Kwon as the head of the world’s top smartphone and flat-screen TV maker was finalized following a board meeting on June 8.

The decision takes place after its former chief executive and vice chairman Choi Gee-sung was tapped to be seated as the chief of Samsung Group’s corporate strategy office, a de facto control tower of the country’s No. 1 conglomerate.

The move ended the company’s so-called “two-top” system ― having two vice chairmen Choi and Kwon run the group’s flagship electronics arm as joint CEOs ― which existed for about six months.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldm.com)

Samsung, Apple dominate smartphone markets

Samsung Electronics and its close rival Apple are dominating the global smartphone markets, accounting for more than a half of the share.

The number of smartphones that hit the markets totaled 145 million in the first half of this year, according to data by ABI Research, a tech research firm.

This is an increase of 41 percent from the same period a year ago.

The Korean tech manufacturing giant enjoyed sales of 43 million Galaxy series phones in the first quarter, becoming the number one in the sector.

Apple, the innovator of iPhones that ignited the smartphone boom worldwide, came in a close second with sales of 35 million iPhone4S phones.

Samsung and Apple together account for 55 percent of the market share, while taking about 90 percent of their global operating profit from sales of smartphones, the researcher noted.

Nokia, which used to be the leader in 2G mobile handsets, had only about 12 million smartphones sold in the global market, ending up the third biggest player.

Research In Motion, the creator of niche Blackberry for businesspeople, is closely gaining behind Nokia with about 11 million sales.

The U.S.-based research firm predicts that RIM will most likely to overtake Nokia going forward as RIM fared better than the Finnish phone maker in the first quarter.

LG Electronics, a latecomer to the smartphone market, made a full turnaround in its mobile communications division, which oversees smartphone and other mobile device businesses, in the first quarter.

The division had operating profit of some 39 billion won as of the end of March this year, from a loss of 100 billion won a year ago, according to financial statements.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has decided to postpone the pre-order of its new flagship Galaxy S3 in Canada due to “unprecedented demand,” which has exceeded 9 million handsets, media reports said.

It plans to push back the release of the new phone to June 27, initially from June 20 in the region.

The tech giant has been touring the world promoting its Galaxy S3, which comes in white and blue with active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays.

The company released its new phones in 28 markets in Europe and the Middle East in late May, and plans to introduce them in 145 more markets by July. Korea was one of its last destinations for the release of Galaxy 3S.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldm.com)

DUP presidential hopefuls gear up for nomination race

Presidential hopefuls of the main opposition Democratic United Party are kicking off their campaign for the party nomination this week.

Moon Jae-in, former aide to the late Presient Roh Moo-hyun, said on Tuesday he will announce his candidacy on Sunday. He is supported by new party leader Lee Hae-chan, a former prime minister and leading pro-Roh figure.

“I am the DUP’s most competitive candidate and also the only one who may realize the political changes for which the people yearn,” said Moon in a party forum on Tuesday.

“In order to defeat the Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye and to achieve the power transfer, it is crucial that I should run in the race.”

The former presidential secretary has been regarded as the top potential candidate for the liberal party.

Meanwhile, his camp kicked off a policy think tank last month, embracing most of the key figures of the Roh administration.

On the other hand, underdog candidates also hurried to catch up with Moon.

South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Doo-kwan held an event for his autobiography in Changwon on Tuesday.

The event is effectively regarded as Kim’s first step in the nomination competition. His official announcement is expected to take place early next month after he resigns as governor.

On Monday, 11 DUP lawmakers issued a joint statement, declaring their support for Kim and urging him to step forward as a presidential candidate.

During the party’s leadership election, Kim gathered momentum as a plausible rival to Moon.

Former Democratic Party members are also bracing for the competition.

Senior party adviser Sohn Hak-kyu is to announce his candidacy on Thursday, while former DP heads Chung Dong-young and Chung Sye-kyun are also moving up their timeline.

Though the trio was overshadowed by Moon, Kim and by non-party figure professor Ahn Cheol-soo, they nevertheless remain as significant variables on the election chessboard.

Sohn has his stronghold in the metropolitan Seoul and Gyeonggi region and is backed by a group of loyalists who have stayed with him since the last presidential primary back in 2007.

The Seoul National University professor is expected to pick up speed next month, after ending the school semester and publishing his autobiography.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)

Apple bid to stop Samsung smartphone in U.S. stalled

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Apple’s effort to stop South Korea’s Samsung from launching its newest iPhone challenger in the U.S. has been derailed by complex maneuvering in the patent war between the companies.

Apple backed off a last-minute request to block the Galaxy S3 model’s U.S. release after U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh warned that it would force a postponement of a June 21 hearing in the patent infringement case.

“If Apple seeks to file a motion to enjoin sales of the Samsung Galaxy S III, Apple will have to request a new hearing date from the court,” Koh said in written ruling issued late Monday.

The judge said that if Apple wanted to seek a temporary restraining order to block U.S. sales of the Galaxy S3 before June 21, she would have to postpone the hearing because of “the court’s limited resources.”

That means the court would be unlikely to act to block sales in the U.S. of the new phone, which could be launched as soon as next week.

Koh has gone on record in court reminding rival legal teams that she has other cases on her docket aside from the patent feud and does not want to become an “Apple vs. Samsung judge.”

The two technology giants are battling for supremacy in the lucrative smartphone and tablet market. They have launched dozens of legal actions alleging patent infringements against each other in 10 countries.

Samsung last week vowed to press ahead with the US launch of its newest smartphone, which it said will take place “later this month.”

Two days of court-directed peace talks between the chiefs of the two firms ended in San Francisco last month with no sign of a truce.

The Galaxy S III has so far been launched in more than two dozen countries, mainly in Europe and the Middle East. It will be available in 145 nations by July.

The third version of the Galaxy S series offers face-recognition technology and improved voice-activated controls as well as a more powerful processor that lets users watch video and write emails simultaneously.

It can detect eye movements and override the phone’s automatic shutdown if the user is looking at the screen.

Samsung shipped 44.5 million smartphones in the first quarter, exceeding the 35.1 million by Apple, market researcher Strategy Analytics said in April.

It said the Korean firm also overtook Nokia as the biggest maker of all types of mobile phone in the same period.

KOTRA helps companies win global projects

KOTRA helps companies win global projects

By Park Si-soo Four of the country’s state-run firms have joined forces to help private companies win bids to provide supplies and services to the United Nations, World Bank, and other international organizations. The four are the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Corporation (KOTRA), the Small and Medium Business Corporation, the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank). The Ministry of Knowledge Economy will offer administrative assistance in the project dubbed “P300,” which aims at nurturing 300 local firms to be competitive bidders in the global procurement market by next year. Representatives of the four companies gathered at KOTRA headquarters in southern Seoul, Monday, and pledged their full cooperation. KOTRA estimates products and services in demand by international organizations to be worth $40 billion last year while of that, Korean firms secured supply contracts only worth $950 million. Launched last year to support 100 firms, the project increased the number of beneficiaries to 200 this year and 300 next year, according to KOTRA. This year’s beneficiaries include Hyundai Information Technology, LG Life Science, and POSCO ICT. “P300 project is the country’s first critical step toward accessing a $40 billion-worth international procurement market,” said Han Jin-hyun, senior official from the knowledge economy ministry. “We will provide selected firms with all administrative assistance available in order to sharpen their competitive edge in the global procurement arena.” KOTRA President Oh Young-ho underscored the importance of the P300 project to increase the country’s trade volume, saying the project helped increase the country’s trade volume by $11.5 million last year. “The 200 companies set to receive state support throughout this year will pave the way for the country to become a leader in the global procurement market,” Oh said. “I also believe the project will shorten the time for the country to post a record high achievement of $2 trillion in annual import and export volume.” Under the project, KOTRA will manage overall administrative affairs and conduct overseas promotion and marketing activities for selected firms. The Small and Medium Business Corporation will be held responsible for ensuring easier access to finance for selected firms, while Korea Trade Insurance Corporation will guarantee payment for companies in the international bidding process. Exim Bank will provide the funds deemed necessary. In the first year of the P300 project, five firms won seven U.N.-initiated procurement contracts valued at $11.5 million.

3 bid for $7.2 bil. fighter program

3 bid for $7.2 bil. fighter program

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday that Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company have submitted official bid proposals for Korea’s advanced fighter jet acquisition program. / Yonhap By Lee Tae-hoon Two U.S. aerospace giants and a leading European aircraft maker have completed the submission of their proposals to bid in Korea’s advanced fighter jet acquisition program, an official of the state-run arms procurement agency said Monday. He noted that Boeing was the first one to submit its detailed offer last Thursday with its F-15SE, and Lockheed Martin and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) followed suit Monday with their F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to open the many boxes of documents the three competitors submitted this Thursday for review and evaluation, which will continue through September. Until recently, Noh Dae-lae, the commissioner of DAPA, maintained that he would announce the winner of the FX-III race, for which 8.29 trillion won ($7.16 billion) is at stake, in October and sign a contract by the end of the year. However, he recently took a step back from his earlier position amid mounting criticism over his erroneous remarks about the application of simulation tests for the F-35. He mistakenly said Japan and Israel assessed the F-35, which is still being developed and tested, with a flight simulator and that it will not be an issue for Korea to do so as well. It was later found that the two U.S. allies purchased the F-35 based on a document review without simulator tests or actual test flights. “DAPA will conduct negotiations in accordance with the current schedule,” Baek Youn-hyeong, spokesman of DAPA said. “If there is a need to extend the negotiation period to protect the national interest, we will discuss the matter through the decision-making process.” Politicians from both ruling and opposition parties have raised concerns about the “hasty testing and purchasing” of new fighter jets, saying the nation’s largest ever arms purchase plan should be handled by the next administration, which will take office early next year. “Competing fighter jets should be properly assessed with ample time,” Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party said in a meeting of the party’s decision-making Supreme Council. He noted that DAPA will only spend a month for the testing and evaluation of the three multirole fighters and it will not be possible for evaluators to fly the F-35 for testing, nor the F-15SE. Park Yong-jin, a spokesman of the main opposition Democratic United Party, called for an immediate suspension of the FX-III project, through which Seoul plans to deploy 60 cutting-edge jets from 2016 through 2020. “The incumbent government must immediately stop the next-generation fighter program, which has been mishandled due to incompetence and stubbornness, and let the next administration deal with it,” he said. Air Force officials say that it is urgent for the country to introduce new jets without further delays as a large number of the country’s aging F-4s and F-5s are set to retire in several years. Seoul purchased 60 of the earlier F-15 variant from Boeing, which won both of the FX-I and II projects in 2002 and 2008. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is the only one that met the Air Force’s earlier requirements due largely to the fifth-generation fighter’s stealth features and internal weapons bay. However, the F-35 has been losing its competitive edge in the FX-III race, for which DAPA eased the requirements to allow Boeing and EADs to enter, due to cost overruns and delays in development. EADS has announced that it would offer a manufacturing facility for its Eurofighter Typhoon — which lacks stealth features — and provide the most extensive amount of technological transfer to Korea. Boeing has yet to publicly make any enticing offer, but has a strong competitive edge here as it provided 60 the F-15Ks, which will be at least 80 percent comparable with the latest F-15 variant it wants to sell to Seoul.