A flock of starlings appears over Milan's Pirellone building 21 October 2005. As migranting birds arrived into Europe, the Swiss government ordered a ban on all outdoor poultry farming to avoid contact with migrating birds that may be carrying deadly avian influenza.Bird flu has killed some 60 people since late 2003, all of them in Asia.



North Korean-Hyundai Business Troubles Increase.

Because of the dismissal of Kim Yoon-kyu as Hyundai Asan's vice chairman, increasing troubles for North Korean-Hyundai Business are not good for either side. When North Korean authorities demanded Hyundai Asan to reinstate vice chairman Kim, Hyundai rejected the request. The North's Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee officially announced "we are now reconsidering cooperating with Hyundai in venture businesses." Economic cooperation between South and North Koreas is at risk.
North Korea's attitude is neither plausible nor agreeable. The Asia-Pacific Peace Committee said that the dismissal of Kim was "ingratitude", criticizing Hyundai. Hyundai Group retorted, "The business partners are between North Korea and Hyundai Group, not between North Korea and ex-vice chairman Kim." Although Kim contributed to the venture business between South and North Koreas, he was just one of the executives of Hyundai Group.
Since the late Jung Ju-young drove a large herd of cows to North Korea in 1998, Hyundai Group has conducted business for economic cooperation between the two Koreas although they suffered a deficit. It is hard to understand North Korea's threatening to stop the business.
Some speculate that North Korea will reconsider all its business ventures with Hyundai Group and discuss the business with another company. If North Korea stops doing business with Hyundai, and loses her trust, she will face some difficulties in international society. Although North Korea searches for a new business partner in South Korea or in foreign countries, the companies are not quite willing to take the risk of doing business with North Korea.
It is not reasonable for North Korea to bring up the dismissal of ex-vice chairman Kim and drive the economic cooperation between two Koreas to the wall. The economic cooperation between South and North Koreas is an important way to reunify the two Koreas, not just for a person or a business. The government should help Hyundai Group find a way to persuade North Korea to continue doing business if the company cannot suggest an alternative to North Korea.
/ 입력시간: 2005. 10.22. 08:30