North Korea's ballistic missile Taepodong-1 blasts into the space, in this colorful poster produced in Pyongyang, its capital. The poster, made available Friday, July 9, 1999, was displayed at an exhibiton featuring North Korean posters in Tokyo as it was rumored that the communist country is preparing to test-fire an advanced version of Taepodong. Last August North Korea surprised the world when it fired the Tapodong-1 over Japan. The caption in bottom says, "First Sound of Gunfire from Big Power."



Busan Manufacturing Sector Depressed

A survey reveals that small and mid-sized manufacturing sectors in Busan and Ulsan have been consecutively facing economic depression. Some local experts forecast that such phenomenon would be worse as time goes on.

According to the Busan and Ulsan Chapter of the Association of Small and Mid-sized Companies, the survey it administered to more than 185 small and mid-sized companies in Busan and Ulsan regarding the Small Business Health Index (SBHI, 100 points) showed that the index was down 4.8 points to 85.3.

Last April, SBHI was 99.8 points, but after two months it was down to 80 points. Some experts point out it is due to increased in value of the won, costs of raw materials, and the five day work-week policy. SBHI of Busan, with many light industries such as footwear, textiles, and leather, was lowest, 83.1 points from last February.

In particular, SBHI of small businesses with less than 50 full-time workers was 79.2 points, almost 20 points lower than SBHI of local mid-sized companies. It implies that small manufacturing businesses are facing more difficulties in operation. The survey showed that SBHI of last month recorded 2.1 points lower than two months ago.
/ 입력시간: 2006. 07.05. 09:19