Today on The Korea Times Podcast: The Constitutional Court prepares to rule on a number of laws which could have wide ranging impact on Korean society and experts chime in on the four-rivers projects. Plus school owners feel the government’s plan to ban English teachers may hurt students and an unbelievable price for a bag of potato chips.
Last week the Constitutional Court ruled to disband the United Progressive Party for engaging in pro-North Korea activities. The court is also set to rule on other controversial cases. Additional rulings are due on whether there should be laws banning adultery, whether sex workers should be punished and if a sacked teacher should be allowed to become a member of a union, as well as others.
Environmental experts said a government-led investigation failed to deliver a fair assessment on the four-river restoration project that took place under former President Lee Myung-bak.Their opinions come after a 13-member committee concluded that the four-river restoration project was an overall success despite some side-effects.
However, Kim Jung-wuk, honorary president of Seoul National University, who specializes in civil engineering and the environment, disagreed with the findings saying, “The committee didn't state that all the dams' foundations were partly sand-based, and water can leak through these. From a civil engineer's point of view, this is a serious defect.”
Park Chang-kun, a professor from the Catholic Sangji University in Andong, also doubted the legitimacy of the study.
Roughly one hundred owners of private English institutes across Korea gathered in Seoul to protest the government's plan to ban native teachers from working at English language kindergartens.
While often called English kindergartens, they are not registered as such under the law. With intensive English programs, they usually charge about double the cost of other kindergartens.
In a media briefing, the group said, ”We are deeply disappointed about the ministry's attempt to give up the practical way of teaching English to children. If adopted, the policy is also likely to force parents to send their children abroad for English education, which is actually more expensive.”
Honey Butter Chip - sorry, sold out!
Young ones in Korea may have had their hearts set on toys from the Power Rangers: Dino Force line, but for many, the hottest ticket is still Haitai’s Honey Butter Chips.
The product has been flying off the shelves across the country since it was launched in August, causing chronic shortages at numerous stores, according to Haitai Confectionery and Foods, the nation's second largest confectionary company.
Haitai officials said the company was producing the snack around the clock, but simply had not been able to keep up with demand. The company has no immediate plan to increase production capacity because it fears the sensation may be short-lived.
Korea’s fair trade regulator said Wednesday it was taking a close look at the product's supply and demand to crack down on any unfair business practices.
You can find information on all of these stories by clicking on the above headlines. The Korea Times Podcast podcast is written and produced by The Korea Times and available for download on our website, iTunes, and Stitcher Radio.