The Korea Times

Threat of nuclear test

Allies should both send warning and offer olive branchThere are strong indications North Korea will conduct another _ its fourth _ nuclear test as early as by the end of this month. “We are preparing a hard blow,” or “something big will happen before April 30,” are the words coming out of the reclusive regime, a defense ministry spokesman said here Tuesday. The ministry has also detected various types of activities at Punggye-ri, where the North has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, he added.Pyongyang must exercise restraint. If the communist regime pushes ahead with yet another provocation, it will completely shut the door toward a diplomatic settlement of the two-decades-long nuclear crisis. The rash move, coming at a time when the South is grief-stricken with the loss of hundreds of young lives in one of its worst maritime disasters, will also estrange South Koreans from Northerners beyond repair.No doubt the biggest victim of the alleged plan to explode a nuclear device will be North Korea itself, as the international community will further tighten

May 6, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

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Heroes and villains

For most Koreans, especially parents with children, the past five days felt like five years. The entire nation had to sit and watch as nearly 300 young students remained lost, unable to escape a submerged ship in the dark cold sea. The trauma from this will last a long time.Older citizens fell speechless in the face of the incomprehensible and unforgiveable behavior of some of their peers _ chiefly the captain and senior crew of the sunken ferry. These professionals entrusted with hundreds of lives abandoned their ship and passengers and fled for personal safety ahead of most others onboard.Had they held a modicum of ethics, a sense of responsibility or even a conscience as grown-ups, they would have taken care of teenagers who had yet to reach maturity.The prosecution is urged to seek the heaviest sentences possible for those who demonstrated such ugly behavior, as the National Assembly makes moves to revise relevant laws, to offer solace for the relatives of the dead victims and prevent a recurrence of similar disasters caused mainly by extreme negligence and a total lack of respon

May 4, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

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Reading newspaper headline 4

안성진의 안글리쉬: "영자신문 헤드라인 읽기 4" 동영상 강의

May 3, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Learning English

'Dogs are capable of loving owners'

They have long been known as man’s best friend: loyal companions that adore their owners.But it’s not just an act to make sure they get fed – dogs really are capable of love, research has shown.Scientists at the Claremont Graduate University in California found that domesticated animals release oxytocin in intimate situations.Known as the “love hormone”, it is the same chemical used to create close bonds between humans.Professor Paul Zak and his lab carried out a number of experiments to measure the levels of oxytocin released when pets interacted with both other animals and humans.Zak travelled to an animal refuge in Arkansas where different species interact with one another regularly. While there, Zak obtained blood samples from a domestic mixed-breed terrier and a goat that often played together.Their play involved “chasing each other, jumping towards each other, and engaging in simulated fighting”.The two young males were placed together in an enclosure where they engaged in play for 15 minutes, after which another blood sample was taken.

May 3, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Learning English

Overseas treasures boost cultural pride

About 150,000 Korean cultural relics are scattered throughout more than 20 countries, including Japan, the United States and Germany, according to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. Supporting preservation of them and research is a way of promoting understanding of Korean artifacts. At the same time, overseas artifacts are an effective means of enhancing Korean cultural pride. For Koreans overseas they generate a sense of connection to their roots while non-Koreans may develop curiosity after viewing an exhibition. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) has stepped up efforts to strengthen preservation of overseas cultural heritages and use them to raise the profile of Korea in eight countries since 2007. It has aided foreign institutions to establish databases and preservation treatments as well as produce publications related to Korean artifacts. “The CHA will continue to exchange and cooperate with foreign institutions that house Korean cultural relics and expand the projects of preservation,” said a CHA official. Starting with su

May 2, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Learning English

Husband's depression won't be cured by acting out online

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for seven years and have two children. My husband has what I can only describe as an Internet addiction. He’s literally online from the time I go to bed until I wake up to take our kids to school. I checked and discovered many profiles he has made up on different dating sites. When I confronted him, he told me he has no interest in having an affair. He said he has been depressed for some time, and it’s his way of escaping reality. I recommended he talk to a therapist, but he keeps trying to justify his behavior by telling me I have no reason to feel hurt because it’s all “make-believe.” Our relationship has taken a serious dive since I found out. I no longer trust him alone on the computer. I am also no longer attracted to him, and I no longer feel attractive. I don’t know what I can do to be a supportive partner if he won’t admit he has a problem. Please help me. I’m at a total loss.SECOND TO A SCREEN NAMEDEAR SECOND: May I be frank? First on your agenda should be to take care of yourself and yo

May 1, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Learning English

Park's proposal spurned

Koreas ought to stop trading insults, resume dialogueIt was not astonishing, but still disappointing, to see North Korea ``officially” turn down President Park Geun-hye’s recent unification initiatives.On Saturday, the North’s National Defense Commission cited two major reasons for rejecting President Park’s ``Dresden initiatives,” named after the German city where she made the proposal last month: the idea came without any prior consultation with Pyongyang, and it envisions the South ultimately absorbing the North.There were elements that could trigger the North’s angry reaction, in the way Park made her initiatives and in its content, which called for providing humanitarian aid, establishing infrastructure to help improve North Koreans’ livelihood and restoring homogeneity of Koreans.Although these proposals are largely well-intentioned, they had one, unchanged precondition, namely North Korea’s giving up its nuclear programs, making it hard to tell the difference from her predecessor’s denuclearization-first policy. Moreover, o

Apr 27, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Others

Reading newspaper headline 3

안성진의 안글리쉬: "영자신문 헤드라인 읽기 3" 동영상 강의

Apr 26, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

Learning English

Disrupted by drones

It’s time to calm down, check defense preparednessThree small, crashed drones presumably sent by North Korea have touched off a noisy but inconclusive controversy in the South. Tracing back the course of debate over recently found unmanned aerial vehicles, however, reveals big holes in the nation’s defense posture and in the mentality of people who have shaped it.When the first drone was found about two weeks ago, the military played down the rudimentary, rather crude reconnaissance drone, although it had photos of Cheong Wa Dae taken right above the presidential office. It said some private citizens might have flown the small aircraft, apparently to avoid responsibility for letting a dubious object fly over the Blue House.Then came the second and third one, both equally elementary drones, causing the domestic media outlets, especially conservative newspapers, to noisily lament about the loose air defense system and ringing alarm bells about impending North Korean drone attacks. Now the military leaders are busy working out countermeasures, vowing to acquire low-altitude

Apr 20, 2014By Ahn Seong-jin

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