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Saturday, August 30, 2014

3rd time’s a charm for MS Surface? New hybrid device likely to face low sales, identity crisis, analysts say

Microsoft released the Surface Pro 3, its latest laptop-tablet hybrid that aims to replace traditional laptops, earlier this week in South Korea.

But industry sources said Microsoft’s new convergent device could once again founder amid the continued rising dominance of Samsung and Apple, which account for almost 50 percent of the global tablet PC market.

Microsoft has failed to wow consumers with its previous Surface models and Windows Phone.
Customers look at Microsoft’s laptop/tablet hybrid Surface Pro 3 at a retail store in Seoul. (Microsoft)

“The new Microsoft device will likely struggle as consumers have already gotten used to products running on Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s iOS,” a market watcher said on condition of anonymity.

“It also lacks a variety of applications compared to those available for the Samsung-Android and Apple products.”

To make matters worse, Microsoft faces an onslaught of competition with inexpensive devices from China, which also seeks to develop its own operating system to replace not only the Windows developer but also Google and Apple.

Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer business group chief, said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal that it has stopped manufacturing Windows-based products as the sales of the devices have been unsatisfactory.

The Surface Pro 3, equipped with a kickstand on the back, comes with a keyboard and a stylus pen, giving users an option to use the product as a laptop or a slate PC.

Market watchers said the unclear identity of the new Surface would also pose a challenge, noting that the hybrid product would fail to replace both laptops and PCs.

“I think some might opt to choose the Surface Pro 3, which boasts powerful hardware, including a high-resolution display and Intel’s latest processors. But most people would still stick to using their laptops or PCs for office software programs instead of buying the new hybrid product, which is a little expensive,” said Seo Won-seok, an analyst at Korea Investment and Securities. 

Another tech failure will likely deal a severe blow to Microsoft, which has not only entered the mobile space much later than its competitors but also has been bleeding cash in the Surface lineup and smartphone business.

Microsoft acquired Nokia’s Devices and Services business, which makes smartphones, for $7 billion in April.

The worldwide shipment volume of Microsoft’s smartphones dropped to 7.4 million units in the second quarter, down from 8.2 million units a year ago, according to the global market researcher IDC. 

Its market share fell from 3.4 percent to 2.5 percent in the same period. 

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)

Monday, August 18, 2014

Police confront Korean ferryboat victim's father

  • Police tell Kim he must stop walking
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Less than a day after South Korean President Park Geun-hye told Pope Francis, here on a five-day visit, that she hoped his trip would "begin an era of peace and reconciliation," her police were out in force Friday and cordoned off and confronted the man most widely seen as the soul of the vulnerable and voiceless of South Korea.
There is irony here. Pope Francis, speaking Thursday afternoon to Park, assembled dignitaries, and later to the Korean bishops, also called for reconciliation. He told the bishops they must live in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable.
No one in South Korean society more visibly represents the vulnerable of the nation than does Kim Young-oh, who has been fasting for 33 days while demanding the Park government set up an independent investigation into the ferry disaster that took his daughter's life, calling for legislation to prosecute anyone found culpable.
Korean Catholics are celebrating two feast days Friday. The first, Liberation Day, a national holiday, commemorates the Korean liberation from Japanese rule at the end of World War II. The second is the feast of the Assumption. Offices are closed. The streets of the city are quiet. The exception is City Hall plaza, where countless thousands are gathered in support of the families of the ferry disaster. Countless yellow ribbons, prayer ribbons, adorn the plaza.
Pope Francis on Friday morning was celebrating Mass in Daejeon, South Korea, 90 miles south of here. He will spend the rest of the day with young Catholics there, gathered for Asian Youth Day. He briefly met families of ferry victims as he stepped off his plane Thursday. Today, he will encounter young Koreans the very age of those who died in the ferryboat sinking, which took the lives of 306, most of them high school students, one of them Kim's 17-year-old daughter, Kim Yoo Min.
screen-shot_FB-video-promo-8-15.jpgExplore our current edition. Watch the video here.
Three days ago, on the 30th day of his fast, Kim told me his fondest memory was of his daughter coming up from behind him each day, hugging him and calling out, "Father, Father."
Today, on the 33rd day of his fast, I visited with Kim again and asked him how his spirits were holding out. "I am holding on," he said. "I am hoping I can meet Pope Francis. I will beg him to support our demands for an independent investigation," he told me through an interpreter.
Scores of ferry victim relatives began a fast one month back, trying to draw attention to their demands. All but Kim has dropped out. He is weak and bone thin. He has a difficult time standing. He leaned upon a cane when I met him Friday.
"I'm still hopeful I can speak with the pope," he repeated more than once.
As the days have passed, Koreans have focused more and more on Kim, seemingly placing their own hopes on his weakened shoulders. He has become a national symbol, increasingly a sign of a divide between the people and their government. He has become the voice of the marginalized that Francis on Thursday called his bishops to become. Kim's picture can be seen on placards throughout the city. His face appears in newspapers daily. They are following his fast, which daily seems to grow in importance to the Korean people.
As Kim and I spoke together on the plaza where he has remained for the past month, he walked slowing, leaning at times on his cane. As we proceeded, dozens, then scores, of Korean police began forming a line in front of us. Soon we were being cordoned off, and the police told Kim he would have to turn around, that he could no longer walk forward. 
Within minutes, what became a confrontation between one man and a few dozen police had escalated as scores of police added to the ranks of those stopping Kim.
Within a few more minutes, dozens, then scores, of Kim supporters were lining up face-to-face with the police. The Kim supporters started chanting through megaphones, demanding legislation to investigate the ferry disaster. The protesters held placards over their heads -- and in the faces of the police -- with Korean characters printed on them demanding the legislation.
Kim stepped back and returned quietly to his white tent at the foot of the plaza.
Saturday, on the same plaza where the police confronted Kim, Pope Francis is set to beatify 124 18th- and 19th-century martyrs. The police want Kim and the other ferry victim families out of Gwanghwamun Plaza by the end of the day Friday so it can be readied for the beatification ceremony.
The families have reluctantly agreed to leave by 4 p.m. to avoid violence. They have been told by city officials they can return to the plaza after the ceremony.
While Catholic officials here hope the beatification ceremony will stir the souls of the faithful, renewing their faith as Christian disciples, it is clear that many Korean souls have already been stirred, and that in the process, they are giving more attention to the vulnerability of others as well as their own vulnerability.
One day before a planned historic beatification of Korean martyrs, this nation, including the Catholics within it, are struggling to seize the ghosts of the past, martyrs from different ages -- 19th-century Catholics and 21st-century children -- implore their memories to renew the hearts and souls of a nation to give it direction in the years ahead.
How Francis understands this moment and helps shape it in the hours ahead could make a significant difference for the health of the church and wider Korean society for years to come.
There are early indications he does, and that he is ready to touch the souls of this nation. In Daejeon on Friday, in his Angelus remarks, he entrusted to Mary "all who lost their lives in the sinking of the Sewol ferry, as well as those who continue to be affected by this great national disaster."
"May the Lord," he prayed, "welcome the dead into his peace, console those who mourn, and continue to sustain those who so generously came to the aid of their brothers and sisters. May this tragic event, which has brought all Koreans together in grief, confirm their commitment to work together in solidarity for the common good."
[Thomas C. Fox is NCR publisher. His email address is tfox@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter:@NCRTomFox. Catholic News Service contributed to this report.]

Sunday, August 17, 2014

The Truth Shall Not Sink

기사 관련 사진
▲  재외동포들이 지난 17일 <뉴욕타임스>에 다시 한 번 세월호 관련 광고를 게재했다. 광고의 제목은 '진실은 침몰하지 않습니다'.
ⓒ 한국민주주의운동

지난 5월 <뉴욕타임스>와 <워싱턴포스트>에 '진실을 밝히다, 왜 한국인들은 박근혜 대통령에게 분노하는가?'라는 세월호 참사 관련 광고를 냈던 재외동포들이 지난 17일(현지시각) <뉴욕타임스>에 다시 한 번 '진실은 침몰하지 않습니다'라는 광고를 게재했다.

지난 5월에 나온 광고가 세월호 참사와 관련해 '무능과 태만' '언론 통제와 조작' '언론탄압, 여론조작, 국민경시' 등의 태도를 보인 정부와 언론의 왜곡보도를 비판했다면, 이번 광고는 유가족들의 아픔을 공유하고 세월호 특별법 제정에 동참을 호소하는 내용을 담았다.

지난 5월 광고 때 같이 작업한 '디자인미씨' 등 네 명의 광고팀은 이번에도 인디고고 크라우드 펀딩을 통해 재외동포 1559명으로부터 6만6834 달러를 모았다. 이들 광고팀은 후원자들에게 다음과 같이 광고 게재 취지를 설명했다. 

"여야 간의 알맹이 없는 세월호 특별법은 절대로 수용돼서도 안 됩니다. 유가족들 또한 분명한 거부 의사를 밝히셨습니다. 정의가 사라져가는 대한민국, 이제 우리의 희망은 민초들에게 있습니다. 국제 시민들이 뭉쳐 유가족과 정의를 위해 단합하는 힘을 보여줘야 합니다."

"진실과 정의를 위한 싸움에 동참해 달라"

지난 17일 뉴욕타임스 메인섹션(뉴욕 13면, 애틀랜타 5면)에 실린 이 광고는 '단식투쟁 중인 희생자 가족들' '부정부패, 직무유기, 규제완화' '변화를 가져올 특별법 제정' 등의 내용으로 구성돼 있다.

광고는 "정부의 부정부패와 기업의 탐욕" "컨트롤 타워 부재 및 7시간 동안 행방을 알 수 없었던 박 대통령의 직무유기"가 "사고를 참사로 키우는 주요 원인"이라고 짚었다. 또, 광고에는 "비탄에 잠긴 유가족을 지지하고 애도하는 대신 집권 여당 의원들은 거짓 소문을 유포하며 여론을 조작"했고, "유가족이 제시한 수사권과 기소권이 보장되는 특별법만이 민주주의를 바탕으로 자유와 정의가 실현되는 안전한 한국을 만드는 유일한 방법이 될 것"이라면서 "진실과 정의를 위한 싸움에 동참"할 것을 호소하는 내용도 담겨 있다. 

아래는 광고 전문의 한글 번역본이다. 

진실은 침몰하지 않습니다. 사랑하는 사람을 사고로 잃는 것은 누구에게나 끔찍한 악몽일 것입니다. 수백 명의 한국인들에게 이 악몽은 아직도 끝나지 않은 진행형입니다. 

단식투쟁 중인 희생자 가족들 

지난 4월부터 희생자 가족들은 사고의 진상규명과 재발방지를 위한 대책을 정부에 요구해왔습니다. 그들의 요구는 박근혜 대통령과 여당에 의해 지속적으로 묵살되고 있습니다. 비탄에 잠긴 유가족을 지지하고 애도하는 대신 집권 여당 의원들은 거짓 소문을 유포하며 여론을 조작했습니다. 유가족은 사복 경찰들에게 불법사찰을 당했으며, 그들의 평화시위는 폭력적인 경찰들로부터 진압당했습니다. 주류언론 역시 공익을 위한 책임을 져버린 가운데 유가족들은 현재 한달 넘게 국회 앞 길바닥에서 잠을 자고 단식을 하며 진실을 찾기 위한 노력을 다하고 있습니다. 

부정부패, 직무유기, 규제완화 

불법적으로 개조 증축된 배는 규제 완화가 부른 정부의 부정부패와 기업의 탐욕으로 인한 산물입니다. 재난 상황에서의 컨트롤 타워 부재 및 사고 후 7시간 동안 행방을 알 수 없던 박 대통령의 직무유기는 사고를 참사로 키우는 주요 원인이 됐습니다. 

그러나 형식만 갖춘 검찰 수사에 의해 처벌된 사람은 선박회사 관련자와 일부 말단 공무원뿐입니다. 

변화를 가지고 올 특별법 제정

세월호 침몰은 단순한 사고가 아닙니다. 이것은 정부의 무능과 부패에 의한 참사입니다. 이러한 참사의 재발을 막는 유일한 방법은 진실규명뿐입니다. 유가족이 제시한 독립된 수사권과 기소권이 보장되는 특별법만이 민주주의를 바탕으로 자유와 정의가 실현되는 안전한 대한민국을 만드는 유일한 방법이 될 것입니다. 희생자 가족들과 함께 진실과 정의를 위한 싸움에 동참해주십시오. 

www.sewoltruth.com

이 광고는 대한민국의 민주주의와 인권을 걱정하는 세계인들로부터 크라우드펀딩을 통해 만들어졌습니다.

한국 민주주의 운동 SKdemocracymovement@gmail.com

http://www.sewoltruth.com/

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Pope Francis arrives in South Korea for his first Asia visit


Sour

Pope Francis arrives in South Korea for his first Asia visit

By Madison Park, CNN
August 15, 2014 -- Updated 0228 GMT (1028 HKT)
Source: CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTSce: CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • North Korea fires projectiles into the sea before the Pope's arrival
  • Pope Francis is making his first visit to Asia
  • His Asia trip is a nod to growing Catholicism outside Europe
  • Pope is expected to hold Mass with Sewol ferry victims, North Korean escapees and former comfort women
(CNN) -- Pope Francis arrived in Seoul Thursday, marking the first papal visit to the country in 25 years.
The historic visit is also a nod to Catholicism's shifting demographics as an increasing number of believers come from Latin America, Africa and Asia instead of its historic stronghold in Europe.
"The Pope's visit to South Korea is the first part of a very intelligent opening to Asia," said Lionel Jensen, associate professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Notre Dame. "The Pope's presence is a powerful symbol of the Vatican's recognition that it is in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that the church is growing most prominently."
Pope Francis' message of reconciliation
Pope Francis visits South KoreaPope Francis visits South Korea
During his packed, five-day visit to South Korea, the Pope will beatify 124 Korean martyrs, help celebrate the 6th Asian Youth Day, which is a gathering of Asian Catholic youth, and hold Holy Mass for Peace and Reconciliation, expected to be aimed at prayers for peace, including South and North Korean relations.
Pope Francis arrives in South Korea
Pope Francis to visit U.S. in 2015
Pope begs for forgiveness
North Korea fired five short-range projectiles into the sea east of the Korean peninsula, beginning about an hour before the Pope's landing in Seoul, the South Korean Defense Ministry said.
The Korean peninsula remains a divided one. One of the Pope's missions is to "go to Korea and pray for the reconciliation and peace," said Vatican spokesman, Padre Federico Lombardi.
Pope Francis is expected to meet South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, as well as hold Mass with family members of the victims of the sunken Sewol ferry and comfort women, who were forced to sexual slavery by the Japanese in World War II, in attendance.
A message of simplicity
Catholicism's growth in South Korea has been incremental, rising from 5.2 million Catholics in 2005 to 5.4 million in 2013. That represents a significant slowdown from the growth rate of 70% seen in the 10 years to 2005. Just 10.4% of South Koreans are Catholic; most are Buddhist or Protestant.
In a country that is entrenched in the latest technologies and also home to one of the biggest average household debts, Pope Francis is expected to bring his usual message of simplicity and humility. The Pope had requested the smallest car possible for his trip.
"Korea has experienced rapid economic and social development, and now is struggling with the conflicts surfacing from increased social polarization," wrote Rev. Peter Kang U-il, the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. The Korean Church must try to follow spiritual growth, rather than pursue material growth, he wrote.

K-Pop stars gear up for Pope Francis' visit with papal tributes

Star power, from left to right: Kim Yuna, BoA, Pope Francis, Rain, Kim Woo-bin
Star power, from left to right: Kim Yuna, BoA, Pope Francis, Rain, Kim Woo-bin
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • About 10% of the South Korean population is Catholic, including some of the country's most famous pop stars
  • A music video was made with 20 celebs to celebrate the Pope's first visit to Korea in a quarter of a century
  • Pop sensation Rain, figure skating star Kim Yuna amongst the devoted
Seoul (CNN) -- What could bring together the biggest names in the Korean pop industry? A visit by the Pope will do it.
As Pope Francis tours South Korea through August 18, some 20 Korean household names got together to record a video for a song titled "Koinonia," which means camaraderie and communion in Greek. It was composed by K-pop veteran Noh Young-shim to celebrate the first papal visit to Korea in 25 years.
Some 5.4 million Koreans are Catholics -- roughly 10% of the population -- and amongst them are pop stars and actors.
Figure skating star Kim Yuna is also a follower of the faith and one of the celebs expected to appear at official functions during the Pope's visit. During a recent TV appearance, she had appealed to the Pope to bless Korea and "provide messages of hope." Unfortunately for fans, she does not appear in the new music video.
Why Pope's visit is significant
The importance of South Korea to the Pope
South Korea welcomes Pope Francis
Video worship
Despite involving some serious pop star power, the video for "Koinonia" is devoid of the typical trappings of a K-pop music video. There's no tightly choreographed dancing or thematic costumes.
Instead, director Cha Eun-taek has the famous faces hidden behind sheet music, huddled together like a devout church choir. It's a far cry from Cha's previous work, such as the "Hangover" video starring Psy and Snoop Dogg.
"When I called everyone they were extremely happy to be part of the music video, and those who could not make it were extremely regretful," said veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, who helped organize the project.
Ahn has been at the forefront of several cultural projects that support religious causes, such as narrating a biopic about the life of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, the country's first Catholic cardinal and a much respected figure amongst religious and secular groups.
Devoted diva
The number of Catholics in Korea continues to grow, with roughly 100,000 baptisms per year. The baptism du jour is that of pop star Rain (aka. Jung Ji-hoon) in July. Local media widely reported that his actress girlfriend Kim Tae-hee inspired the conversion, and the celebrity rumor mill spelled an impending marriage.
Rain's agency Cube Entertainment has rejected the claim: "Rain has indeed been baptized, but this is something he has been meaning to do for some time now. It would be rash to make assumptions about engagement plans."
Rain's girlfriend Kim, who rose to international stardom through TV soaps such as Iris, is outspoken on religious beliefs. She had espoused premarital chastity through press interviews early on in her career and continues to make statements on religion through the media.
Pope Francis arrives in South Korea
Traveling aboard the papal plane
Pope Francis' message of reconciliation
Korean celebrities are far from shy when it comes to expressing their faith, and actors and singers frequently pay religious tributes while making award acceptance speeches onstage. Pop singers including Lee Chang-min of 2AM, Taemin of SHINee and YeSung of Super Junior have been open about being Catholic, as have popular actors Jung Il-woo, Lee Joon-gi and Kim Rae-won.
"Korean celebrities convey their religiosity much more openly than their political views. They have been more outspoken and proactive since the 1980s as religion became increasingly secularized here," said culture critic Kim Bongseok.
Strong resonation
Protestant Christian celebrities have often been more vocal than their Catholic counterparts, and many are part of well-known church gatherings. HaMiMo is a church group of young screen actresses including Han Hye-jin and Eom Ji-won, while Moonmien includes members of K-pop group such as Girls' Generation, Super Junior and 2NE1 as well as actor Kim Soo-hyun.
"These groups are not only for Bible studies and prayer, but also for carrying out volunteer work and networking. It's difficult for celebrities to socialize even if they are in show business together, and mutual religious views often become a strong basis for building friendship or even romance," said an industry insider who asked to remain anonymous. Sooyoung of Girls' Generation has been reported to have met her actor boyfriend Jung Kyung-ho through Moonmien.
Meanwhile, celebrities are posting welcome messages for Pope Francis on social media networks.
"I hear this is the Pope's first visit to Korea in 25 years, and I wish he could instill hope in youths across Korea and beyond," tweeted RyeoWook of Super Junior. His fellow band member, KangIn, also tweeted: "I would like to welcome Pope Francis' arrival on Aug. 14. I pray you can safely wrap up the four-night, five-day trip and that you can inspire youths across the world with visionary messages."

"Pope Francis is particularly respected for making socially meaningful statements, which are resonating strongly among even non-Catholic Koreans. This is largely due to the prevailing sense of anxiousness and mistrust here following recent traumatic events," culture critic Kim said, referring to a ferry sinking earlier this year that left hundreds dead.