Loose change for February 25, 2009

 Economic news 

• More than two-thirds of ROK citizens think that money is the most important sign of success, making South Korea the most materialistic society in the world.
• The leading economist at the World Bank says South Korea should play a key role at the G20 summit in voicing the concerns of the developing world.
• President Obama again mentions the passage of the ROK-US free-trade agreement as a goal. I'm starting to believe him (in other words, I hope for a change in his apparent attitude).
• With demand robust, LG is considering another production line for its flat panel displays.
• American display manufacturer Vizio surpassed Samsung as the top seller of LCD televisions in the US last year. 
• Posco has sent a letter of intent to buy a stake in Daewoo International.
• The Youido Institute says that 52% of South Koreans support President Lee Myungbak's policies. The other 48% have been unable to pay their cell phone bills and couldn't answer the pollsters' calls.
• South Korea is aiming to be a top-ten exporter of farm produce, focusing especially on hanshik, traditional Korean foods. 

 North Korea news and stuff 

• South Korea's Unification Minister is saying that China sent North Korea 300,000 tons of food last year. Meanwhile, the UN is saying one-third of all North Koreans need food aid.
• Scientists at Ewha University may have discovered the gene responsible for atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which could lead to new therapies.
• US Special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, has said in Beijing that he's seeking fresh momentum for six-way talks (Bloomberg and Yonhap also have the story). Meanwhile, the South Korean negotiator says there are no talks in sight.
• The Unification Minister under Roh Moohyun is saying that Lee Myungbak should hold a summit with North Korea even if no guarantees can be made about a return to nuclear talks.
• ROK's Defense Minister says that the combined ROK-US defense is the best deterrent against North Korea.

 Other Korea-related stuff 

• The number of newborns in 2009 hit a four-year low of 445,000. The article doesn't make clear if that's just Caucasian-looking babies like in the graphic at right.
• The suspected Taliban-affiliated fake imam who was arrested in Taegu apparently took a page out of Andrea Vandom's playbook and filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (HNRCK) that he was being unfairly tailed.
• The Blue House has joined the micro social networking service me2day. 
• South Korea's meteorological body will hold a forum this week in Seoul regarding earthquake safety.
• A third child has been found dead inside a model of LG washing machine that can't be opened from the inside. 
• Respondents to a poll say that incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon is the most qualified candidate for the job.
• An HSBC economist is encouraging South Korea to focus its tourism on China's middle class. There's a joke in there somewhere about the middle class from the Middle Kingdom. 
• Official records of South Korean nationals born abroad will now reflect local time of birth instead of Korean time of birth to prevent confusion caused by discrepancies between documents from Korea and those of the birth country. In accordance with "Korean age," however, children will continue to be two years old just months after their birth.

 Miscellany 

• Japan Airlines will follow the lead of rivals Korean Air and ANA by offering women-only toilets.