[344th] Supreme Court clears ‘PD Notebook’ directors and program/Mandarin Chinese most useful business language after English/Kim Janghoon Law

[민주[Minju]]

Supreme Court clears ‘PD Notebook’ directors and program

2011-09-02 16:07

The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the directors of nationwide broadcaster MBC’s investigative program, “PD Notebook,” of charges that they had distorted some content regarding mad cow disease in the U.S.

The court upheld the Seoul High Court’s decision ruling them not guilty of defaming former Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Chung Woon-chun, through the program.

The producers on April 29, 2008 suggested in its program that people who consume U.S. beef could contract the human form of “mad cow disease” and showed a video clip of “downer” cows at U.S. farms. They also said that the Korean government was either ignorant of this or had intentionally turned a blind eye to it to proceed with the import resumption.

The news inspired nearly 2 million people to rally against the Lee Myung-bak administration’s decision to resume U.S. beef imports, and caused Lee’s approval rating to plummet. 

A separate full panel of the Supreme Court on the same day remanded the Seoul High Court’s order that the program makers air apologetic and correctional content.

Through investigation, which involved the arrest of five directors, a raid into the office and seizure of the original films, the prosecutors claimed that several parts of the interview scenes were inaccurately translated, which could have misled the audience. MBC swiftly offered an apology.

A local court ordered the directors to air that “downer cows” do not necessarily have bovine spongiform encephalopathy. It also ruled that the contents alleging that Koreans are more susceptible to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (human mad cow disease) and that the government has authorized the imports of five especially risky materials in regards to the CJD are false. A high court also ruled that MBC must air the government messages.

The court’s Friday rulings in favor of the PD Notebook could be referred as the judiciary’s guaranteeing the rights to express, observers said.

The prosecution’s rows of “excessive investigation” into the program ignited fierce disputes over the journalistic freedom and whether the government could interfere even if it contains errors.

In 2010, a local court rejected a collective lawsuit by nearly 2,500 people against the program for destabilizing the country through the “distorted reports.” The Seoul Southern District Court said that the information may have been partially inaccurate, but its producers could not be responsible for the protests driven by the program.

[Summary]

The Supreme Court confirmed a not-guilty ruling against producers of the MBC current events program “PD Notebook,” which aired a 2008 report on the dangers of mad cow disease from U.S. beef.

[Question]

1. What was your first reaction to the “mad cow disease?” Did media influence your perspective on the issue?

2. Do you think the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of ‘PD Notebook’ was fair? If not, do you think the producers of ‘PD Notebook’ are responsible for distorting some contents regarding the disease?

3. What do you think is more important: freedom of expression‎ or veracity of information?

Mandarin Chinese most useful business language after English

2011-08-31 11:09

Mandarin, China’s official tongue, is also the top language worldwide for business other than English, according to Bloomberg Rankings.

Mandarin, spoken by 845 million people, scored highest in a ranking of languages, excluding English, based on business usefulness. The ranking scored languages according to the number of speakers, number of countries where the language is official, along with those nations’ populations, financial power, educational and literacy rates, and related measures.

French, spoken by 68 million people worldwide and the official language of 27 countries, was ranked second, followed by Arabic, which is spoken by 221 million people and is official in 23 nations. Mandarin is unlikely to supplant English soon as the primary language of business, said Leigh Hafrey, a senior lecturer in communications and ethics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.

“In much the same way that the dollar remains the preferred currency, English will remain the preferred language for the foreseeable future.” Hafrey said in a telephone interview.

Mandarin speakers can gain an advantage in doing business in China, Hafrey said.

“Speaking the language confers a huge advantage for anyone who wants to do business in a non-English-speaking country,” he said. “It gives you flexibility, knowledge that you need, and personal connections that can make a difference in the speed and effectiveness of your negotiations.”

Spanish, the official language of 20 countries and spoken by 329 million people, came in fourth, the rankings showed.

Spanish was the top foreign language studied in U.S. college classrooms in 2009, according to research from the Modern Language Association in New York. Chinese tallied seventh by the number of U.S. students enrolled in classes that year, after Spanish, French, German, American Sign Language, Italian and Japanese, according to a December 2010 report by the association. Arabic was eighth. (Bloomberg)

[Question]

1. Do you speak languages other than English? What are the benefits of commanding foreign language?

2. Would you agree to the plan of introducing Mandarin Chinese as a compulsory subject in the National Curriculum?

3. Considering the current status of Mandarin Chinese, would you expect Chinese ‘yuan’ to become a key currency in the future?

Law on board to support philanthropic donors(Kim Janghoon Law)

2011-09-01 20:01

The ruling Grand National Party plans to honor philanthropists and give credits for their contribution to society by supporting them in later life.

According to a bill submitted by Rep. Kim Young-sun, the government will list those who have donated more than 3 billion won ($2.7 million) to charity and treat them as “honorable donors” who can receive state support if they run into difficulty later in life.

Among the honorable donors, those over 60 years old with less than 100 million won in total assets and no stable means of living will receive state subsidies. The rule will be applied to their family members, too. The government will also pay their medical bills and funeral fees.

The bill also requests a presidential decree for the administration to support philanthropists who have donated more than 1 billion won to charity when they fall into financial difficulties.

The plan was inspired by pop singer Kim Jang-hoon, who has reportedly donated more 8 billion won to charity and other good causes. Also one of the most active charity promoters, Kim revealed in a recent TV program that he lives in a cheap rented apartment but that he is willing to make further donations even with bank loans if he has to.

[Question]

1. Suppose someone donated most of his/her property to the society and then struggles with his/her own living. Do you think the society should return part of what it has received in the form of “Kim Janghoon Law”?

2. Would the ruling Grand National Party’s move to enact a “Kim Jang-hoon” law encourage more donations?

3. Why should the threshold amount be 3 billion? What needs to be done for such people that are willing to donate all their wealth, a little short of the threshold amount, in return for a monthly stipend and health care?

[344th] TN Topic.docx

[산(Ethan)]

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