Quotations of the day

It is my belief that athletes are best qualified to take the lead in shouldering the tasks facing the nation. (President Kim Dae-Jung speaking at the opening ceremony of the 81st National Sports Meet in Pusan Thursday.)

The ward administration has become a rice bowl of which ward councilmen are out to partake. (An opposition lawmaker and member of the "Local Autonomy Forum 21," a study group comprised of National Assemblymen, pointing out the maladies of local self-governing institutions Thursday.)

Greater efforts should be made to ensure that the forthcoming World Cup soccer games are more environmentally friendly. (Rep. Park In-Sang of the National Assembly Committee on Environment and Labor commenting on data provided by the Ministry of Environment for parliamentary inspection and audit that shows more than a half of the ten cities slated to host World Cup matches in 2002 will fail to gain a passing grade in terms of environmental preparedness.)

The technique of counterfeiting is growing more sophisticated in contrast to the waning abilities of bank tellers to detect bogus bills. (A clerk at a Bank of Korea Pusan branch office expressing his frustration at the increasing number of counterfeit notes in circulation.)