People power at April elections
Inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang
During the April 13 general election, the people`s solidarity (ngoKorea) against corrupt politicians called for change en masse. Of the 86 candidates targeted by the solidarity, 59 (68.6 percent) failed to win their races -- evidence of the power of the people. However, the solidarity has been criticized for worsening the general distrust of politicians through the negative campaign.
A meeting between President Kim Dae-Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il, an inter-Korean Summit, was held in Pyongyang for the first time since the division half a century ago. The meeting resulted in the June 15 Joint Declaration, which laid the groundwork for furthering peace, cooperation and unification. Reunions of the separated families, ministerial level talks and reconnection of the railway all have added to the sense of joy and peace on the peninsula.
Walkout by doctors
Brewing anti-Americanism
Medical professionals rose up against the government`s proposed reform of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Laws. Beginning with the gathering in Yoido in February, followed by the voluntary closures of neighborhood doctors` offices in April, doctors went on numerous comprehensive walkouts between June and November. While the doctors played a power game with the government, a number of precious lives were lost. Whether the medical environment could be improved on the whole remains murky.
A string of disclosures -- the Nogunri civilian massacre, the relocation of the Mehyangli target range and the discharge of toxic waste into the Han River by the U.S. Army stationed in Korea --have led to near-explosive anti-Americanism. One of the main causes of the sentiments, the Status of Force Agreement, remains in deadlock.
Family discord worsens economic crisis
Abortive impeachment of prosecutor-general
The power struggle between Jung Mong-Gu and Jung Mong-Hyun, the heirs of the Hyundai`s founder, levied a heavy toll on the public`s confidence in the stock market and the conglomerates on the whole. The separation of Hyundai Motors from Hyundai Group in September heralded the economic crisis.
The discriminatory appearance of the investigation into campaign irregularities by the Prosecutors` Office led to a call for the impeachment of Prosecutor-General Park Soon-Yong and Deputy-Chief Shin Seung-Nam. Although the opposition camp`s impeachment attempted was thwarted due to the non-participation of the ruling camp in the voting, the damage done to the Prosecutors` Office was marked.
Loan sacndals happen back-to-back
President wins Nobel Peace Prize
The string of loan scandals between October and December involving Chung Hyun-Joon (left) and Jin Seung-Hyun, venture businessmen, devastated the already tittering financial market. While signs of involvement by government officials were rampant, the prosecutors failed to find any leads and closed the cases hurriedly, only leaving unanswered questions for the public.
President Kim Dae-Jung received the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10 for his meritorious deeds in contributing to the democratization and improvement of human rights in Korea, as well as opening the door for inter-Korean peace and cooperation. He became the first Korean to win the honor and became the 81st in the world to receive the Peace Prize.
Sex, video, and tears
Inflationary SAT scores
Following the infamous "Miss O video" last year, November of this year witnessed the "Miss B video," revealing the underside of eroticism in Korean society. The sexual depravity of Korean society also was revealed through the prostitution of housewives and those within the social leadership sector. The "love hotels," which began sprouting like bean stalks, forced many residents in the new suburbs to rise and oppose the trend.
With the marked rise in the average SAT scores, up 27.6 from last year, many have criticized the tests for having lost ability to discriminate level of achievement due to the inflation of high marks. The inflation of high scores led many with perfect scores or above 390 to fail in being accepted to certain universities during the early acceptance phase.