Quotes of the day

I had to leave the locomotive behind with the same heartache I would feel if I deserted my kid. (Han Ki-Ju, the engineer who operated the last locomotive to ply between South and North Korea on the Seoul-Sinuiju Line, on Sept.l8, expressing his wish to bring back the engine he had left at Jangdan Station in the North half a century ago, if and when the line is restored.)

The substance of the "main body" has begun to show itself bit by bit, but we are afraid it may disappear in no time, leaving only the tip of the feather behind. (Grand National Party spokesman Kwon Chul-Hyeon, commenting on the prosecution's resumption of its investigation into a loan scandal involving Hanvit Bank.)

Sometimes creaky noises may sound more like a healthy democracy to the people. (Rep. Lee Ho-Woong of the Millennium Democratic Party, on Sept. 18, declaring his intention to raise a voice of dissent at a meeting of his party colleagues in spite of some concerns expressed by his party leadership over internal feuding.)

There is no royal road to learning English; there is only the right road. (English instructor Chung Joon-Ho in his recently published book, criticizing some fashionable reference books on English ballyhooing a quick-fix method of mastering English.)