Quotations of the day

If the company entered the Olympic Games, it would win a diamond medal instead of a gold. (Rep. Cho Hee-Wook of the United Liberal Democrats on Friday during a parliamentary interpellation of the Korea Electric Power Corp., referring to the awarding of contracts for the purchase of materials for power distribution to local suppliers on an average of 99.7 percent.)

We invited foreign teams to learn about their advanced basketball skills, but the teams playing these days are being overwhelmed by their local peers. (A senior figure in Korean basketball circles on Thursday criticizing the foreign players taking part in the Commax International Basketball Contest being held in Seoul.)

It is a miracle that the Korean players advanced to the semifinals despite their lack of special skills compared with the rival team. (Huh Jung-Moo, manager of the Korean national soccer team, commenting on its defeat by the Saudi team on Friday.)

The demand will be short-lived. (A Pusan city official on Friday commenting on the rising demand for coal briquettes caused by soaring oil prices; he noted that the popularity of coal would decline rapidly when oil prices fall.)

We have a lot of difficulty chasing criminals driving mid-sized cars with small police patrol cars because the larger cars can get away faster. (A police officer on Friday, calling for the replacement of the current squad cars with speedier mid-sized automobiles.)