<목욜정모> August 20th, 2009. Thursday's meeting topic

[Serena]

사랑하는 잉홀 가족 여러분 안녕하세요?

여러분의 최강 미모 부회장 Serena입니다!!

오랜만에 글 올려 보내요~. 다들 잘 지내시죠??

더운 날씨에 감기들 조심하시구요. 특히 신종 인플루엔자 조심합시다!!

어제는 우리 모두에게 슬픈 소식이 생겼네요.

故 김대중 대통령 님의 서거를 깊이 애도하는 바 이번 주의 첫번째 토픽 토론은

그 분의 업적을 생각해보는 시간을 가져보는 것이 어떨까 합니다.

그럼 다들 더운 날씨에 힘내시구요!! 화이팅이에요!!

그리고 토픽이 늦어져서 미안해요~~ㅠㅠ

잉홀 가족들~ 사랑합니다~~

- Love Serena -

Nation loses great leader

Former President Kim Dae-jung passed away yesterday at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul after a month-long battle with pneumonia and other related complications, hospital officials said. He was 85. Kim, who served as president from 1998-2003, had been hospitalized with pneumonia in mid-July. Kim's health worsened around 11 p.m. on Monday, with a sharp drop in blood pressure and oxygen levels.

The official cause of death was pulmonary thromboembolism and multiple organ failure, according to Park Chang-il, chief of the Yonsei Severance Hospital.

"We learned that former President Kim's condition further worsened early in the morning while injecting vasopressin and he experienced heart failure at 1:35 p.m., passing away at 1:43 p.m.," said Chang Joon, one of the physicians who treated Kim at the hospital.

"What we could not believe, has happened. I plan to discuss the funeral arrangements with former President Kim's wife, Lee Hee-ho, and the government," said Park Jie-won, a long-time aide to the late president.

Kim's funeral is expected to be held either as a state or people's funeral.

President Lee Myung-bak ordered officials to make full preparations for the funeral, calling Kim a "great political leader."

Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said the government will hold the funeral "with the utmost courtesy."

Lee Dal-gon, minister of public administration and security, met with Park and Kim's family yesterday to discuss the specifics.

The government plans to arrange the form the funeral will take at a Cabinet meeting this morning.

The ministry said it will set up an altar at SeoulPlaza in front of City Hall and at least one altar in every region nationwide. Citizens will be allowed to mourn the ex-president at the altars from 9 a.m. today.

The Defense Ministry also announced it would dispatch four soldiers to pay floral tributes and four others for military escort at the funeral.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veteran Affairs was reportedly looking into the appropriate location for Kim's grave site at the DaejeonNationalCemetery.

Kim, who had rallied a number of times, was connected to an artificial respirator last month after showing signs of pulmonary tuberculosis.

His condition became serious on Aug. 9, at which time intensive medical treatment became necessary.

Kim, who was inaugurated as South Korea's 15th president, led the country for five years. Before taking the nation's top post, he waged a fierce battle against authoritarian leaders - including Syngman Rhee, Park Jung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan - to bring democracy to the country. He was the first president to be elected from the opposition party, after three defeats in presidential elections.

In 2000, Kim became the first Korean to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his "Sunshine Policy" of engaging North Korea to achieve inter-Korean reconciliation.

Kim met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in June 2000 for the first inter-Korean summit.

He is survived by his wife and three sons.

1. Did you support for former President Kim Dae jung during his presidency or not?

2. What do you think about his “Sunshine policy”? Please tell us any comment on the policy.

3. He is the first and only Nobel laureate from Korea, but there have been rumors going around him - his hiding daughter and his corruption allegations. Moreover, some political scandals were that he participated in the first North-South presidential summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. What do you think about the above mention? Do you consider a leader’s privacy separate from his achievement?

4. Government has yet decided the former President Kim Dae-jung will be granted either a state funeral or people’s funeral under existing laws, and this is the point of dispute at the moment. What is your idea about this matter? Please tell us your opinion.

Koreans celebrate over Yang's victory

President Lee Myung-bak, politicians, golfers and even ordinary citizens yesterday celebrated Yang Yong-eun's surprise victory in a major international golf competition, in which he upset Tiger Woods by three shots.

Yang, 37, became the first Asian male golfer to win the PGA Championships in the United States. News reports said it was the second time that Woods has finished runner-up in the PGA Championship tournament since 2002.

"I tried to master the art of controlling my emotions throughout the small wins I had in my career," Yang told Yonhap News after the game.

"I think it turned out quite well today. I still can't believe I won the major title. It was my second win over Woods, but this time I felt much happier," he was further quoted as saying.

President Lee Myung-bak gave a call to Yang and conveyed his congratulations on his victory, which he said boosted Koreans' morale.

"I woke up early to watch the broadcast and you played well, in a calm manner," Lee told Yang, according to presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan.

"You have overcome hardships to earn a great victory. You boosted the Korean people's morale by winning the major event for the first time as an Asian."

Back home on the Jeju Island, Yang's parents stayed up all night watching their son's playing.

Yang Han-joon, 64, told reporters after watching Yang's final shot falling into the hole, "I can't describe how happy I am right now, but I feel like flying over the moon."

"I am so happy and proud of him. What else can I feel?" Yang's brother said.

For the 37-year-old Korean, standing at 110th in world ranking, it was only his second ever PGA title since winning the PGA Honda Classic in March.

It would have been a record-tying fifth PGA for Woods and a 15 major title, putting him just three behind Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

Tiger Woods praised the Korean after the game saying "Y.E played great all day." He added, "I don't think he really missed a shot all day."

After the news of Yang's vistory, many visitors have crowded his rural home in the southern resort island of Jeju.

"I'm so happy that my son, born on the small island of Jeju, won over Tiger Woods who has over 70 PGA tour titles," 64-year-old father Yang Han-joon, who was overwhelmed with congratulatory telephone calls, told Yonhap News.

News reports said his parents woke up at 3 a.m. to pray for their son and watched him play.

"Thank to the support of the people in South Korea and Jeju and relatives, he could yield the best result," father Yang was further quoted as saying.

Golf association officials also expressed delight with Yang's winning of the major event in PGA championships, saying the triumph will help revive confidence among Koreans who have been demoralized by the nation's financial meltdown.

Senior executive Kim Dong-wook of the Korea Golf Association said Yang's victory demonstrated that Korean male golfers can compete on the world stage.

"The victory has particular meaning in our male golf history in that he defeated Tiger Woods," he was quoted as saying.

A senior official at the Korean Professional Golfers' Association said the organization is planning to hold a large-scale welcoming ceremony for him in time for his arrival in Korea.

Yang was born to a poor farming family on the island of Jeju and worked at a golf range as a part-time job after graduating from a local high school.

Yang debuted in 1997, and it took him nearly six years to win his first title in Korea. His best finish in a major prior to Sunday was a tie for 30th at the 2007 Masters

1. Do you like golf? Have you ever played golf in either outside golf course or inside golf course?

2. Golf was once regarded as synonym for one of luxurious sports in Korea. Do you still think golf is a bit distant sports to play for us as general public?

3.These days, there are many Koreans in the world who are having their names up in various fields like sports, entertainment, politics, etc. Among those people, who do you know? And how do you feel when you hear of them?

4.  When do you feel so proud as Korean?

5. Nowadays, many Korean actors / actresses like Lee Byung-heon and Jeong Ji-hoon are starring in some blockbuster Hollywood movies and are getting fame in the world. Also, many other Korean actors / actresses are trying to enter Hollywood after the success of the mentioned actors / actresses. What do you think about this phenomenon? Do you happen to have negative idea on this phenomenon?

6. Have you ever watched a Hollywood movie ‘The memoirs of a Geisha’ which Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li acted? What do you think about the case of Korean actors who have to act with different nationality like Chinese or Japanese in the movie? Think about Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li’s case.

7. Recently, a mention of ‘Kimuchi” by the actor Jeong Woo-seong in Japanese TV program when he visited Japan became controversial gossip. What do you think about this happening? Do you think Korean actors / actresses’s localization is an essential condition when they enter certain countries?

[Serena]

그 입 다물라!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 뷁~~~~~~~~

[domore]

질문 생각하느라 힘들었겠다. 무더운 날씨에 수고하셨습니다.^.^

[Serena]

븅븅븅~~~~~~

[주영이]

우와 언니 짱ㅋ

[Serena]

이구~ 우리 주영이 어제 왜 모임 안 나왔어..?? 토픽 보고 안 온 거지..?? 떽~~~~~