Pardon my bootleg: Navigating China's pirated waters

Pardon my bootleg: Navigating China's pirated waters

Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:35am EDT

7:01am EDTBy Melanie Lee

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - I confess, my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, the latest version of Microsoft's Windows franchise, was just that: a copy.

I picked it up at a shop in a subway station near my house for 20 yuan, or less than $3 -- about the price of a bowl of soupy pork noodles available across Shanghai.

I bought it this week on a story assignment that sent me into the city's notorious Xinyang market, where boxes of the software were tucked among racks of fake Ralph Polo T-shirts and Gucci bags, even though its official launch was a week away.

One shopkeeper, a petite woman in her 30s, was clearly impressed by my well-heeled attire and assumed I was a seasoned buyer of pirated wares rampant throughout China.

"If you buy 10 you get it cheaper," she said in broken English.

"If you buy Microsoft Office 2010, you also get cheaper. I can wholesale you. How many you want?," she prodded, eager to unload stacks of the CDs wrapped in white non-descript cases.

In a sign of how far China has come since its Communist Iron Rice Bowl days, there was even the promise of customer satisfaction: "The installation instructions are in English and if it's not working you can bring it back to change," she said.

HALFWAY THERE

I left with my box containing one Windows 7 disk, the first part of my task completed.

Now came the more daunting part.

Many have warned me that installing pirated versions of Windows on a computer is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with your hard drive. But I had to see this mission through, and enlisted a colleague's help to install it on a laptop.

The results were quite impressive, at least initially.

Windows 7's interface is very fresh. Instead of little square boxes on the task bar at the bottom of the screen, there are icons. Keeping track of multiple browser windows is no problem as one click of the Internet Explorer icon lets you see all the browsers you have open.

It also allows you to drag interactive applets or widgets onto your desktop, and the boot-up time seemed faster than for the Windows Vista I have on my laptop at home.

But, after a reboot, the laptop mysteriously crashed, with a black screen prompting: "Bootmgr is missing."

Uh-oh.
Thankfully, my colleague had the genuine Windows XP on hand and my rendezvous with piracy was over.

STAMPING OUT THE PIRATES

The U.S. and Europe are critical of piracy of software and other products, but I have to confess I have my own issues with product makers who make it tough to buy the real deal in China.

When I first landed in Shanghai, I found real software incredibly hard to find. Pirated copies, on the other hand, were everywhere. So were pirated versions of just about everything else, from DVDs to three different kinds of fake Apple iPhones -- small ones, ones with radios, and dual-SIM card ones.

But in my four months in Shanghai, I've also come to appreciate the main things that real products offer that the pirates don't: quality and dependability.

Watching Neil Blomkamp's "District 9" movie on a bootleg DVD was an awful experience. The sound was muffled, and the subtitles were clearly from a totally different movie.

As income levels rise and prices fall, I'm guessing the Chinese, an enterprising and hardworking lot, will find more reason to buy real products and fewer reasons to buy rip-offs.

I'm encouraged that some Chinese now pay Western prices at the cinema, even though the numbers at screenings I've attended are still relatively small.

And legitimate CDs can be had at local Carrefour outlets, though I've no idea how well they sell.

(Editing by Doug Young & Ian Geoghegan)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

World’s Seventh Longest Bridge Opens in Incheon

10-16-2009 18:14

World’s Seventh Longest Bridge Opens in Incheon

By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

Some say that it is one of the world's 10 construction wonders. Others point out that a round-trip over it is almost the same length as a marathon.

The 21.38-kilometer Incheon Bridge, by all accounts, is a man-made structure that exacts wow from onlookers. The completion of the cable-stayed bridge, the world's seventh longest, was celebrated Friday with President Lee Myung-bak on hand.

It will open to traffic Monday at 12:00 a.m., marking the completion of the $1.4-billion mega project that has taken more than four years. A fine example of Korea's engineering expertise, the bridge will serve as one of the nation's new symbols to the world, Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo said.

A ceremony was held to mark the momentous opening of the landmark for Incheon and Korea. A special marathon took place over the weekend to celebrate the occasion.

The country's longest bridge connects the Songdo International Business District in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) to Yeongjongdo, where Incheon International Airport is located.

The average toll fee for driving on the six-lane bridge is 5,500 won, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), Friday. Large vehicles will be subject to higher fees.

Constructed under the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) contracts, the bridge will expedite transportation from Incheon International Airport to Songdo International City by about 35 minutes. It will now be possible to get from the airport to the international city in around 15 minutes.

In connection with the surrounding national road network, the bridge is expected to significantly improve the traffic and logistics conditions in the metropolitan area. Previously, the route from southern Seoul to the city of Incheon has been poor, with commuters needing to take a long detour.

UK's Construction News has selected it as one of the world's 10 construction wonders. The mega project was largely completed off-site to overcome the challenges of working above water.

Korea has high hopes for its role in attracting more foreign businesses and tourists to the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), currently under construction as one of the most dynamic and globalized urban areas in the country.

The centerpiece of the IFEZ is Songdo International City, 64 kilometers from Seoul. It is the largest development project of its kind in Korea and there are hopes it will become Northeast Asia's new multicultural center of business and education.

"The bridge is an instrumental infrastructure for the IFEZ. Its completion will undoubtedly advance the country's policy of becoming a business hub of Northeast Asia through a successful implementation of the IFEZ project," Lee Heon-seok, CEO of the IFEZ Authority, said in a statement.

By 2014, the free economic zone will house more than 300 Northeast Asian business headquarters, 30 international organizations including those affiliated with the United Nations and extended campuses of 15 foreign universities.

The IFEZ is considered to be a leader in terms of foreign investments and development, having six similar projects under way in various parts of the country ― including Busan, Daegu and Jeolla Province ― since 2003.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr

Japan’s Kobe Beef: Is It Too Expensive To Eat?

Japan’s Kobe Beef: Is It Too Expensive To Eat?

Wagyu is the name given to Japanese cattle that are known to produce the best beef in the world, which is known as Kobe beef. The word derivation is simple; wa means Japan and gyu means cow.

This simplicity comes with a price tag that might have even made even JP Morgan take a second look, namely, about $500 per steak in some of Tokyo’s finer dining establishments (and that’s without an appetizer, drink or even piano bar).

Kobe beef has become a household name around the world. Why it is so good, well known and expensive are questions many may ask. Outside of Japan’s borders, Kobe beef is the best known type of wagyu, but there are many different kinds of high quality Japanese beef such as Matsuzaka, Mishima and Omi among others, that are presenting some stiff competition.

What is the beef exactly when it comes to Kobe, you might ask? The answer is simple. The marbled fat content is what determines the grade of the meat and with Japanese beef that concerns the white parts of fat that are known as sashi.

Sashi is usually interspersed between layers of red meat and gives the beef a marbled look. Intense patterns are deliberately created and intended to make the meat literally ”melt in the mouth.” This feature is by far the most prized aspect of Japanese beef.

The fat content in Japanese beef is primarily mono-unsaturated, which translates into beef that is actually known to lower bad cholesterol!

The marbling is the result of much time and effort, and cows in Japan, despite the fact that they are ultimately sacrificed, live lives fit for emperors (albeit doomed royalty). Much care goes into their feeding, which usually entails high quality grains.

Each farmer has his own mystical blend of feed. While some ingredients are as heavily guarded as family heirlooms, some diets are known to include soybeans and okara, which is a byproduct of tofu. Water is also important and local mineral varieties are often part of a good cattle diet, which ensures the best quality meat.

Believe it or not, many farmers give their cows beer and saki to keep their appetites healthy during the warmer months of the year. Some farmers spit sake onto their cows and rub it in with a brush, which they claim helps to balance the distribution of marble content and keeps the lice and ticks at bay.

Cows raised in stalls tend to develop fatty marbling and for this reason, are taken outside to frolic and play in the fresh air and sunshine. Some breeders even go so far as to play soothing music for their cows to keep them relaxed. (It is not known whether they prefer classical or popular varieties.)

Japanese beef is a delicacy by any standard but expect to pay through nose and every other body part for any meat from these pampered cows!

By MDeeDubroff on 16-10-2009

Koreas fail to agree on more reunions

Koreas fail to agree on more reunions

The inter-Korean Red Cross talks ended yesterday as the two sides failed to reach an agreement on Seoul's proposal to hold more cross-border reunion events for separated families.

"We suggested holding family reunions in Seoul and Pyongyang in November, and again on Lunar New Year's Day (in February) at the Mount Geumgang resort, and repeatedly stressed the importance of making them a regular event," said a Unification Ministry official on condition of anonymity.

"The North did not deny the need for more family reunions but did not show any positive response either."

As expected earlier, North Korea renewed its request for humanitarian aid from the South.

"The North requested humanitarian aid, without mentioning the specific items or amount, and the South's delegation said they would review it in Seoul," the official said.

"The two sides did not get to decide when to meet for follow-up talks."

The South also suggested discussing measures to resolve the issue of South Korean prisoners of war and civilians including fishermen held in the North, to which the North did not respond.

Two South Korean Red Cross officials Kim Eui-do and Kim Sung-keun sat for the working-level talks with their North Korean counterparts in Gaeseong, just north of the border.

The meeting was constantly adjourned and resumed throughout the day until 6:30 p.m. as the two sides struggled to bridge the gap.

The talks started at 10 a.m. and were adjourned 40 minutes later, resumed at 3 p.m. only to last for another 40 minutes.

Two more shorter meetings took place at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Despite the North's request for rice aid on the sidelines of the previous round of family reunions late last month, Seoul has said that it had no plans to send large amounts of aid like it had under former administrations.

The government has told South Korean media, however, that it could provide aid in much smaller amounts.

The South had shipped around 300,000 tons of fertilizer to the North tacitly in exchange for allowing its people to temporary meetings with their kin across the border under former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.

North Korea agreed to the working-level meeting a day after the South proposed it on Monday and in the mean time test-fired short-range missiles and warned of a naval clash in the Yellow Sea. The so-called "two-track" diplomacy came as the North, currently under U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests in April, was pushing the South to resume profitable tourism projects and humanitarian aid to the country.

(sophie@heraldm.com)

By Kim So-hyun

2009.10.17

US clears China of yuan influence

US clears China of yuan influence

Created: 2009-10-17 1:09:04

THE United States government said on Thursday that China did not manipulate its currency against the US dollar and has made significant contribution to world economic recovery during the first half of this year.

"No major trading partner of the United States" met the standards identified by a US act of manipulating their rates of exchange against the greenback to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade, the Treasury Department said in its Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies.

Based on a 1988 law, the Treasury is required to submit to Congress twice a year a report identifying whether its major trade partners manipulate their currencies to boost their exports to the US or make US products more expensive in overseas markets.

Since the end of the dollar peg in July 2005, the yuan has appreciated a cumulative 21.2 percent against the dollar and 15.7 percent on a real effective basis, based on the BIS (Bank for International Settlements) measure, said the report.

According to the BIS index, China's real effective exchange rate appreciated 13.3 percent between June 2008 and February 2009, it said.

The report also said China has contributed to the global economic recovery.

China's "timely and aggressive fiscal and monetary policy stimulus has resulted in a strong domestic economic recovery and a decline in its current account surplus, and as a result contributed significantly to the recovery in global demand," it said.

China's real gross domestic product rose by 7.1 percent on an annual basis in the first half of this year, as fixed-asset investment and consumption contributed 6.2 percentage points and 3.8 percentage points to growth, respectively, said the report.

Reflecting the decline in China's trade surplus, net exports in the first half of this year subtracted 2.9 percentage points from growth, the report added.

This month, the International Monetary Fund forecast that China's real GDP would gain 8.5 percent this year, up from its April forecast of 6.5-percent growth. The IMF predicted China's GDP will grow 9 percent next year.

(Xinhua)


US clears China of yuan influence

The United States government said on Thursday that China did not manipulate its currency against the US dollar and has made significant contribution to world economic recovery during the first half of this year.

"No major trading partner of the United States" met the standards identified by a US act of manipulating their rates of exchange against the greenback to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade, the Treasury Department said in its Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies.

Based on a 1988 law, the Treasury is required to submit to Congress twice a year a report identifying whether its major trade partners manipulate their currencies to boost their exports to the US or make US products more expensive in overseas markets.

Since the end of the dollar peg in July 2005, the yuan has appreciated a cumulative 21.2 percent against the dollar and 15.7 percent on a real effective basis, based on the BIS (Bank for International Settlements) measure, said the report.

According to the BIS index, China's real effective exchange rate appreciated 13.3 percent between June 2008 and February 2009, it said.

The report also said China has contributed to the global economic recovery.

China's "timely and aggressive fiscal and monetary policy stimulus has resulted in a strong domestic economic recovery and a decline in its current account surplus, and as a result contributed significantly to the recovery in global demand," it said.

China's real gross domestic product rose by 7.1 percent on an annual basis in the first half of this year, as fixed-asset investment and consumption contributed 6.2 percentage points and 3.8 percentage points to growth, respectively, said the report.

Reflecting the decline in China's trade surplus, net exports in the first half of this year subtracted 2.9 percentage points from growth, the report added.

This month, the International Monetary Fund forecast that China's real GDP would gain 8.5 percent this year, up from its April forecast of 6.5-percent growth. The IMF predicted China's GDP will grow 9 percent next year.




Xinhua


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai Daily Publishing House

Suzhou picked for LCD plant

Suzhou picked for LCD plant

Created: 2009-10-17 1:27:45

SAMSUNG Electronics Co yesterday said it plans to invest 2.6 trillion won (US$2.2 billion) to build a liquid crystal display plant in China -- its first full-scale LCD factory outside South Korea.

The facility is to be built in the east China's Suzhou City pending approval from the South Korean and Chinese governments, the firm said in a filing.

Samsung, a major global manufacturer of consumer electronics and components, is the world's largest maker of LCDs, a key component in flat screen televisions.

The company has yet to decide what size panels it will manufacture in the factory, according to Hwang Eun-ju, a company spokeswoman.

But she said that in general a plant of the scale that is planned would make panels suitable for TVs ranging in screen size from 32 inches to 47 inches.

Hwang also said the facility will be Samsung's first fully-fledged LCD factory, or fab, overseas, following the six it operates in South Korea.

Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai Daily Publishing House

Entrapment claimed in seizure of 'black cab'

Entrapment claimed in seizure of 'black cab'

Created: 2009-10-17 1:45:45

Author:Ni Yinbin, Wu Shen and Xu Chi

A SHANGHAI company said yesterday that one of its drivers was entrapped by traffic authorities investigating illegal cabs, and it is threatening legal action if the case is not quashed.

Similar allegations have been raised by other drivers who claim the traffic watchdog, which is in the midst of a two-year crackdown that has generated millions of yuan in fines, used bounty hunters to manufacture false evidence.

In the latest incident, the driver was so disturbed about the allegation that he cut off part of a finger in a misguided attempt to prove his innocence. The Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement Team for Pudong New Area has detained the company's vehicle and is investigating the case.

If the driver, Sun Zhongjie, who works for Shanghai Pangyuan Construction Machinery Engineering Co Ltd, is found guilty, Sun or the company will have to pay a fine of 10,000 yuan (US$1,465) to retrieve the confiscated minibus.

The company said Sun was innocent and claimed the 19-year-old was set up by the traffic team on a charge of operating an unlicensed cab after he picked up a pedestrian who asked for a lift.

"We think the team used entrapment," said Zhang Lili, an attorney for the firm. "Our company will take legal action if the enforcement team doesn't cancel the charge."

Charge denied

Authorities, however, denied any wrongdoing.

"The hitchhiker was not our man," Yan Liangming, deputy general commander of the traffic team, said in a TV interview. Yan also said the team had evidence to support its actions.

The conflict began at about 7:30pm on Wednesday. Sun was driving the company's minibus to a supermarket in Pudong and encountered a young man standing in the middle of his lane waving at him. The man, wearing a thin shirt, claimed to be cold and pleaded for a ride, Sun said.

Before Sun agreed, the man got into his vehicle and Sun drove on. After about a five-minute ride, the man jumped out of the minibus and left 10 yuan behind, Sun said. At about the same time, Sun was stopped by two minibuses from which several men emerged.

Sun said he was forced to sign a penalty notice admitting he was operating an illegal cab or they wouldn't let him go. They then drove off in his vehicle.

Saying he felt aggrieved, Sun went home and cut off the little finger of his left hand with a knife.

"I wanted to prove my innocence." Sun said, without specifying how the action would accomplish that goal.

Sun was then sent to an army hospital where his finger was reattached.

Bounty offered

Zhang Liwei, an official with Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement General Team, told a local newspaper yesterday that none of the 15 district teams hired private agents to entrap drivers. But Zhang said that people who help catch illegal cabbies can receive bounties of 200 to 300 yuan.

Shanghai's Minhang District People's Court accepted a lawsuit a week ago by a driver against the district's Traffic Law Enforcement Team, which fined him 10,000 yuan for operating an unlicensed cab. The driver, Zhang Jun, alleged entrapment and said he was merely giving a ride to an apparently sick stranger.

Four months ago, a driver was allegedly entrapped by the law enforcement team in Baoshan District. He later sued the team but a court dismissed the case.

In 2008, a Minhang driver unsuccessfully sued traffic authorities twice over what he said were false charges of operating an unlicensed cab.

The same year, a woman was stabbed by an unlicensed taxi driver while she was working undercover for the taxi watchdog.

"These undercover investigators are supported by the teams and get money for catching black cabbies," a veteran licensed cab driver told China Youth Daily.

There are thousands of these bounty hunters in the city, mostly in suburban areas where black taxis are rampant, he said.

Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai Daily Publishing House

West strategy to continue

West strategy to continue

Created: 2009-10-17 2:04:56

CHINA has made great achievements in developing its western region in the last 10 years and it would stick to the West Development Strategy that was adopted in 2000, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday.

Wen also said the government was willing to continue cooperating with other economies in promoting development of the western region.

Wen made the remarks in a speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair and the Second West China International Cooperation Forum in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

"Since last year, China's western regions have suffered the double blow of a big natural disaster and the global economic crisis. With a basket of measures to cope with the economic crisis, China continues unswervingly to push forward with the West Development Strategy," he said.

More than 43 percent of investment allocated by the central government to expand domestic demand and fight the financial crisis had been used for projects to improve living standards, infrastructure projects, post-disaster reconstruction and technological innovation in western regions, he said.

In the wake of the financial crisis, China rolled out a 4 trillion yuan (US$585.86 billion) economic stimulus package to finance massive projects nationwide.

In the first half, total gross domestic product in the western region grew at an annual rate of 11.8 percent, he added. Nationally, the economy expanded 7.1 percent over the same period.

The West Development Strategy policy was adopted in 2000 to help the underdeveloped west region catch up with the more prosperous east region.

The 12 western provinces, autonomous regions and municipality have a combined population of about 370 million. They include Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.

This year, China planned to invest 468.9 billion yuan in the region.

Xinhua

Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai Daily Publishing House

Handle gripes better: official

Handle gripes better: official

Source: Xinhua | 2009-10-17

THE government needs to better handle complaints to promote social harmony, Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Political Bureau, said at a meeting in Beijing yesterday.

He said the work to take in people's complaints and solve their problems is vital for improving relations between the Party, government and people.

At Party organs and government departments, offices are set up to receive people's letters, calls and visits.

From August to September, the central government sent 16 teams to 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as 15 central government departments to inspect work in this field.

Reviewing the reports from the inspection teams, Zhou said problems existed in some localities and fields, and the government's efforts in handling complaints did not meet with people's needs and expectations.

"The decisions made by the government should be scientific, democratic, open and in line with laws so as to prevent new social disputes," he said.

The government should review the risks to social stability when adopting new polices and carrying out reforms, he said.

"Policies, projects and reforms that most people oppose should be stopped or suspended," Zhou said.

15,000 to be resettled in Henan city to escape threat from lead

15,000 to be resettled in Henan city to escape threat from lead

Created: 2009-10-17 2:22:43, Updated: 2009-10-17 2:32:15


THE government of Jiyuan, where China's biggest lead smelting base is located, plans to move 15,000 residents away from the threat of poisoning, after nearly 1,000 children were found to have high levels of the metal in their blood.

Zhao Suping, mayor of the city in central China's Henan Province, said yesterday the mass relocation would cost 1 billion yuan (US$146 million), of which 70 percent will be provided by the government and smelters, and the rest by local residents.

The government is now looking for sites for the resettlement, Zhao said.

Jiyuan's health bureau initiated blood tests for children on August 20 in the wake of a lead poisoning scandal in other areas.

Mass lead poisonings in Henan, Shaanxi, Hunan and Yunnan provinces have sickened thousands of children, pointing up the challenges facing many parts of China as industrial development threatens the environment and people's health.

Yang Anguo, board chairman of China's biggest lead smelter, Yuguang Gold and Lead Group, said he had mixed feelings when he saw local villagers gathered to protest in front of his plant. Yang still clearly remembers when residents beat drums and gongs to welcome the factory 23 years ago.

Over the past two decades, Yuguang Gold and Lead Group has grown from a plant with an annual output valued at about 10 million yuan into the world's second-largest lead smelter, with annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan.

Relations had been good between villagers in Jiyuan and the lead smelters, as many people were employed at the plants and paid well. But ties have now turned sour.

In Shiniu Village, which is near the Wanyang Smelter Group and where about 100 children were poisoned, 60-year-old Wang Shaozhou said he was worried about his grandson.

"A few people got rich, but the whole village was poisoned. How can we ignore people's health in the process of economic development?" Wang said.

More than 10,000 people in Jiyuan with a population of 670,000 are directly employed in the city's 35 lead smelters, and more than 20,000 others work indirectly for the industry.

"In the pursuit of wealth, neither the company nor local people has given due attention to pollution. The incident (of excessive lead level) is a lesson for the government, the company and local people," said Yu Bo, an Jiyuan government official.

The city government has provided blood tests for 2,743 children under age 14 who lived near three major smelters, and 968 were found to have excessive lead levels. It also suspended production at 35 lead plants.

Xinhua

Copyright © 2001-2009 Shanghai Daily Publishing House

North Korea invites U.S. envoy for talks: report

North Korea invites U.S. envoy for talks: report

Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:38am EDT

(Reuters) - North Korea has renewed an invitation to U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth to visit Pyongyang, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, in a signal that it wants to return to nuclear talks, albeit on Pyongyang's terms.

The impoverished North also made a rare request to South Korea for humanitarian aid at a meeting of their Red Cross societies on Friday.

South Korea, once a major donor of aid for the North, said it would consider resuming food aid afterwards, the South's Yonhap News reported, citing a source.

U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham, who was in North Korea this week to organize food aid, told Kyodo that Pyongyang was very positive about holding talks with Washington.

"The invitation has been extended," Graham, who heads the U.S. aid organization Samaritan's Purse, said, quoting a North Korean official.

The North has had longstanding ties with the Graham family, including Graham's father, evangelist Billy Graham. The family has led several food aid missions from Christian charities for the impoverished state.

Kyodo said Graham met North Korean officials including Kim Kye Gwan, its envoy to the dormant six-party nuclear talks.

"I think they are very positive" about holding talks with the United States, Graham said.

The report coincided with further mixed signals from the North, promising to return to the talks on ending its nuclear program while raising regional tension by launching short-range missiles and accusing South Korean ships of entering its waters.

The talks involve the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.

The North has previously invited Bosworth to Pyongyang for talks. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has neither accepted the proposal nor ruled it out.

At Friday's Red Cross meeting, the two Koreas discussed having another round of reunions for families split by the 1950-53 Korean War and possibly resuming food aid, but failed to bridge differences, according to Yonhap.

North Korea does not produce enough food to feed its 23 million people and had been seeking a resumption of South Korean aid in return for holding more reunions.

The two Koreas held their first family reunions in nearly two years at the end of September.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota in TOKYO and Jon Herskovitz in SEOUL; Editing by Ron Popeski)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

S.Korea Sept dept store sales growth at 8-mth high

S.Korea Sept dept store sales growth at 8-mth high

Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:00pm EDT


Wednesday, 16 Sep 2009 05:00pm EDT

SEOUL, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Sales at South Korea's top three department stores in September jumped at the fastest pace in eight months, data showed on Friday, fresh evidence of a sustained recovery in domestic demand.

"Based on department store sales data, domestic consumption is recovering fast and the improving trend will likely continue in line with the overall economic recovery," a Ministry of Knowledge Economy official said.

Combined sales at Lotte Shopping Co Ltd (023530.KS), Shinsegae Co Ltd (004170.KS) and Hyundai Department Store Co Ltd (069960.KS) soared 8.6 percent in September over a year earlier, the seventh consecutive month of annual growth and the biggest gain since January's 10.4 percent, the ministry said.

The growth more than doubled from June and July.

However, combined sales at big discount stores fell 6.0 percent in September from a year earlier, the fourth month of declines and worse than a 1.5 percent drop in August, as they were open one day less than department stores, it said.

(Reporting by Seo Eun-kyung; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

South Korea urges U.S. to approve trade pact

South Korea urges U.S. to approve trade pact

Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:17pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will be at a competitive disadvantage in the South Korean market unless Congress approves a bilateral free trade agreement signed two years ago, a Korean official said on Thursday.

"Korea strongly hopes this agreement will be put into effect as soon as possible," South Korean Ambassador to the United States Han Duk-soo said.

He spoke at the Heritage Foundation in Washington not long after European Union and South Korean officials initialed a bilateral free trade pact. That agreement should be in force by the middle of next year, Han said.

Korea hopes for progress on U.S. autos and other concerns blocking approval of the U.S.-Korea agreement by the time President Barack Obama visits the country in November, Han said.

Approval of the deal would be an "economic stimulus" package for both countries, Han said.

"Trade is not a source of the problem, but ... it can be part of the solution," Han said.

South Korea hopes the U.S. Congress will turn to the free trade agreement as soon as possible after it finishes its work on healthcare reform, he said.

Obama opposed the South Korea agreement during last year's campaign, but has said he wants to work with Congress and Seoul to resolve concerns about the pact.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer, Editing by Sandra Maler)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

EU-Korea trade deal puts pressure on Obama to act

Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:35pm EDT

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama faced increased pressure on Thursday to win approval of a free trade deal with South Korea after the European Union locked up its own pact with Asia's third-largest market.

"We have concluded our negotiations with the EU, which has almost a similar economic size as the United States," South Korean Ambassador to the United States Han Duk-soo said.

"President Obama will visit Korea in November and we hope we will make some progress before that" to resolve concerns blocking approval of the U.S.-Korea free trade pact, Han said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation.

The United States and South Korea signed their free trade deal more than two years ago. But U.S. lawmaker concerns over beef and auto trade with the longtime ally that borders North Korea has blocked approval of the agreement.

Many U.S. lawmakers argue the free trade pact fails to tear down "non-tariff barriers" that keep out American cars. Others want Seoul to remove remaining barriers to U.S. beef imports that stemming from the discovery mad cow disease in the United States several years ago.

Since then, South Korea has continued negotiating free trade deals. It initialed a pact with the European Union on Thursday expected to go into force by the middle of 2010 and is currently in talks with Canada, Mexico and Peru.

"We would like to be the hub of free trade agreements in East Asia," Han said, citing a study that U.S. companies could lose 380,000 jobs to competitors in the EU and Canada if the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement is not approved.

The EU-Korea trade deal could be worth 100 billion euros ($149 billion) to both economies and advocates says it will help both sides fight the worst financial crisis in decades.

It also comes at a time when the United States is already losing market share in South Korea to the EU, Japan and China.

US SAYS "KEENLY INTERESTED" IN EU-KOREA DEAL

Obama sided with the United Auto Workers and other opponents of the South Korean free trade agreement during last year's presidential campaign.

After meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in June, the two leaders agreed to work on outstanding concerns. However, Seoul has steadfastly refused to renegotiate auto provisions that are the biggest obstacle to U.S. approval.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office said the United States was "keenly interested" in the implications of the EU-Korea deal for the United States.

"EU firms compete directly with U.S. suppliers in key segments of the large and growing Korean market, such as machinery, chemicals, plastics, auto parts, and dairy products," USTR spokesman Carol Guthrie said.

"Ambassador (Ron) Kirk believes it is vital to maintain the competitiveness of US businesses and workers in this important market," Guthrie said, referring to the U.S. Trade Representative.

(Additional reporting by Darren Ennis in Brussels; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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