Quotation of the day

Its image has been tarnished, yet it is getting an infusion of new and high-quality manpower. (A Financial Supervisory Service official Wednesday, commenting on the heated competition among applicants for new FSS recruits taking a written test this week. There are over 40 applicants for each opening.)

I helped organize the visit of media executives to North Korea, but I did not take the initiative in that. (Former Culture and Tourism Minister Park Jie-Won Wednesday, answering questions by opposition lawmakers during a parliamentary audit of the Broadcasting Commission.)

They say the languishing construction industry is slowing the economy down, but it is no longer a time in which construction leads the economy. (President Kim Dae-Jung presiding over the 5th Trade and Investment Promotion Conference held at the COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul on Wednesday)

As the plight of Hyundai Group is already reflected in the market, the government and creditors must not make a choice contrary to principles. (A government official Wednesday, calling attention to a slight rally in stock prices despite the initial default of Hyundai Group and the termination of the workout program for Dong Ah Construction.)

Nov. 3 is likely to be a "Black Friday" that will decide the fate of the company. (A Hyundai Construction employee Wednesday, commenting on the readiness of the government to subject Hyundai Group, which barely escaped from an initial default, to court receivership.)

The exclusiveness of the atomic energy research institute and its monopoly on R&D funds makes it a kind of "atomic power mafia." (Rep. Kim Young-Choon during a parliamentary audit of the Korea Science and Technology Evaluation Board on Wednesday.)