On May 11, 2013, 90 million Pakistanis will cast their vote in one of the most troubled regions of the world. Amidst terrorist attacks, violent clashes, assassination threats and target killings, Pakistan is polarized in the wave of terrorism and corruption.

Pakistan’s election campaign managed to carry on till its final day, May 9, 2013. However, in the last few days leading to elections, the campaign has taken a new dangerous turn. On the final day of the election campaign, gunmen abducted Ali Haider Gilani, son of Pakistan’s former prime minister, a contestant in the Punjab provincial assembly, and injured several others. According to Guardian, “The attack on the son of Yousaf Raza Gilani could seriously upset Pakistan’s historic election due to take place on Saturday.”

The former Prime Minister told BBC that his son Ali Haider – a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) – was seized in the central city of Multan. On May 3, 2013, CNN reported that “Gunmen in Pakistan killed a leading prosecutor working on high-profile terrorism cases and an anti-Taliban politician and his son, the latest violence ahead of next week’s national elections.” On May 8, Reuters reported that the Pakistani Taliban’s leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, had issued written instructions ordering militants to carry out suicide bombings across the country during polling on Saturday.

Who will replace the current infamous government of Pakistan? Is it Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) (movement for justice) ex-cricketer, humanitarian worker? Or will it be Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) owner of steel mills, ex-Prime Minister, who served Pakistan twice in the past and who was famously ousted in a military coup and spent years in exile in Saudi Arabia? Whatever the outcome, May 11, 2013 will determine the faith of one of the most dangerous, unstable and vulnerable regimes on earth.

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has had only a few leaders that were able to bring change in such a tumultuous environment. However, since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the country has slid further and further into the throes of terrorism. Since 2003, over 44,000 people have died in terrorist attacks. Upsurge in violence leading to the elections has killed 118 people and injured 494 people. In recent years the country’s political and military situation has deteriorated considerably. The debt-burdened country has also been in the news for sectarian killings of Shias to border clashes with Afghanistan to drone attacks in its border areas by its key ally America.

The country faces many serious problems, including corruption, a struggling economy, internal unrest, soaring inflation, security issues, terrorism, judicial issues, international debt, a failing health infrastructure, and a deteriorating human rights record. The country’s fundamental challenge lies in its governance and development. Campaigning politicians have all expressed interest in ensuring that the country addresses these challenges and becomes a peaceful, stable democracy. The upcoming elections will dramatically affect the country’s prospects —which in turn will dramatically affect the future of its position in the world.

Perhaps it is in this time of desperation that young people have mobilized around the iconic figure of ex sportsman Imran Khan. Famously dubbed as ‘son of Pakistan’, he is a strong candidate in the upcoming elections in a country where the voting system is controlled by feudal lords and where the political elite in the past has failed to govern effectively.

His supporters across the world have been working indefatigably to spread his election campaign. The PTI office in London has been at the forefront with its campaign work and has been arranging flights for ex-pat Pakistanis from London to Lahore to participate in upcoming elections. His supporters hope to harness the millions of voters across the country to keep his campaign for new Pakistan alive.

Khan has been busy, making appearances across the country even in the most-troublesome conflicted zones such as Waziristan, Baluchistan, FATA areas. He has been meeting voters and holding press conferences, making promises that once in power he will end corruption in 19 days and terrorism in 90 days. According to Khan, a political tsunami is coming which will sweep him to power.

“I assure you that PTI is going to make a new Pakistan, where corrupt rulers will be taken to justice. I will hold (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) Nawaz Sharif and (Pakistan People’s Party leader) Asif Zardari accountable after coming to power as these kings of corruption won’t hold each other accountable,” he told an election rally.

According to France 24, “Khan is not just campaigning against the ruling elite; he also wants Pakistan to review its policy on the War on Terror. It’s a war in which the country’s military has been playing a double role by unofficially talking with the Taliban while working closely with the West since 2001, when Musharraf made Pakistan a front-line state in the War on Terror.”

Though Imran Khan is one of the strong, his key rival Nawaz Sharif is a front line runner in upcoming elections. A poll published by Pakistan’s Herald magazine suggested Khan and Sharif may be neck and neck. Over 25 percent of respondents in the poll said they intend to vote for the PML-N in the May 11 general election, while 24.98 percent said their vote would go to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf.

According to Ahmed Rashid, of Pakistan on the Brink, “It is not a failed state, but as its febrile state worsens, it is sliding down the path of becoming one.” According to Rashid “It still has a powerful army, and a corrupt and run-down but functioning bureaucracy, judiciary, and police force; its economy would be viable if its problems are properly addressed, and its population is hard working.” However, despite all the problems, Pakistanis are hopeful for credible, revolutionary elections on Saturday. What remains to be seen is who will save the country from its worst plight in history, Imran Khan or Nawaz Shairf?

Image credit: AP

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The number of people visiting the library is gradually increasing in Japan. It is a common perception that the internet or smartphones would replace the printed book, as people become more familiar with the new technologies. However, it seems like Japan is an exception.

According to the report released by the Japanese Ministry of Education last year, the number of people borrowing books from libraries reached a record high in 2010, with an average of 5.4 books per person a year. The average in the 1970s was one book per person. The report shows that about 7 billion books were borrowed, and almost 2 billion people visited the library to borrow books in 2010. Specifically, the number of teenagers borrowing books increased remarkably.

The report suggests that an aging society might be behind the increasing number of people visiting the library. The Japanese Ministry of Education said, “As many in the baby boom generation start retiring, a lot of them tend to visit the library to enjoy their leisure time. We think that is one of the main reasons.” As the Ministry said, it is easy to see elders at a library  these days. Actually, one library in Tokyo, which is ran by the Chiyoda ward office is always crowded with elders who have recently retired.

There is another view that the increasing number of people visiting the library is caused by Japan’s sagging economy. Since people cannot afford to buy brand-new printed books, they may rather visit the library in order to save money. Japan’s publishing market has diminished since 1996. As a result, a lot of bookstores and publishers are out of business. Instead, the number of second-hand bookstores keeps increasing in Japan.

The third reason suggested by the report is that people are visiting the library more thanks to the increasing number of libraries, and their enhanced services. The number of libraries in Japan has increased from 2,172 in 1990 to 3,274 in 2011. In addition, libraries have tried their best to attract people by extending their hours of operation.

According to the report by Japan’s Nihon Geizai Shimbun, Tokyo’s Okubo library extended its closing time from 7PM to 9:45PM, making possible for office workers to use the library after work. As a result, the number of people using the Okubo library increased by 9.2 percent in three years.

Image Courtesy : Thompson Rivers

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Japanese Prime minister Shinzo Abe opened up a trip to the US to meet President Barack Obama amid regional diplomatic tensions and domestic economic inconvenience.

Recently Prime minister Abe left Tokyo on his way to meet President Obama and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington, D.C.

Japan is currently crumbling by an ailing economy measured in terms of consistent deflation from the past 20 years, a territorial dispute with China and being disturbed by North Korean missile mission that automatically placed Japan under its axis.

PM Abe said after his White House visit at a Washington think tank, that “they (North Korea) have increased the range of their missile immensely and have attained the ability to reach even the mainland United States.”

Japan has been jammed into a dispute with China over sovereignty of islands located in the East China Sea and lost sleep over the situation as North Korean missile strength has expanded too dramatically.

Over the years, the North Korean missile program expansion became a major problem, terrifying its neighbours. During the picture session at the Oval Office with President Obama, PM Abe said, “We just cannot tolerate the actions of North Korea, such as launching missiles and conducting nuclear tests.”

President Obama’s Asia advisor, Danny Russel, said that the president “remains supportive of the peaceful efforts to diplomatic resolution to outstanding issues of territorial claims,” BBC reports.

The Japanese economy is the third largest in the world, but its currency is persistently declining in value against the US dollar.

Abe proposes to help set off the otherwise grounded economy with the help of Monetarist and Keynesian tools that may support growth in future. According to the BBC news, PM Abe has outlined two plans to revitalize the weak economy: firstly to print a lot of money and secondly to spend a lot of money. Plan A can be categorized under Monetarism and plan B is from the Keynesian School of Thought.

According to Keynesian economic thought, if the pace of economic activity is slow with falling investment rates and fading employment combined with decreasing consumer spending, then the only thing that can restart economy is public intervention through spending.

On the other hand, Monetarist believe that it is the supply of money that makes the economy move back and forth and not government spending. However, if both of these schools of thought can bring life to Japanese economy, then there may be a possibility of progress.

According to the BBC News, in an interview with the Washington Post, Abe said that improving ties with the US were at the top of his agenda and that their support is key. Both leaders are expected to discuss Trans-Pacific Partnership (Free Trade Agreement between North American, South American and Asian nations) among other issues during his visit.

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After successful displays and experiments in the cities of New York and Berlin, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a mobile laboratory with the aim to redesign urban spaces in cities, is now in Mumbai between December 9, 2012 and January 20, 2013. The Mumbai Lab has been set up in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the BMW group, and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai. Curated by Maria Nicanor and David van der Leer, the mobile lab has been described as a public gathering space, an urban think-tank, and a global project that aims to build awareness about urban challenges and the sustainable, optimum utilization of city spaces. Led by interdisciplinary teams from the areas of art, design, technology, urbanism, sustainability, and education, the BMW Guggenheim Lab promises an intellectual and visual treat to visitors and participants.

The theme this year is Confronting Comfort where the Lab will delve deeper into the ways and means in which urban environments can be made more conducive for living and promoting sustainable solutions. Free programs have been arranged as part of the Lab’s efforts in Mumbai and these encompass a wide range of activities such as tours, walks, film screenings, discussions, and conceptualizing and rethinking the Kala Nagar traffic junction in Mumbai’s most populous suburb, Bandra.

“The idea of the project is to engage the public in debates and conversations about how cities function. We believe that the conversation and thinking [about] cities will change. We have no clue what cities are about and we need projects to know what cities are about. It’s super important to bring in people who live in cities to bring in new ideas”, says David van der Leer.

To further research and development in urban planning and design, the Lab is also initiating a number of projects that are being conceptualized with the collaboration of Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action, and Research (PUKAR). Besides the main location in the Museum, the Lab has set up many satellite sites all across the city in Priyadarshini Park, Horniman Circle, Sambhaji Park, Byculla, and Mahim Beach. The Lab promises many exciting events and the icing on the cake – it’s all free!

Among the many radical thinkers associated with the Mumbai Lab’s conceptualization, a few deserve special mention – Aisha Dasgupta, a British demographer; Neville Mars, a Dutch architect; Hector Zamora, a Mexican artist; Trupti Vaitla, an architect and urban transport designer.

Mumbai’s fascinating and rich cultural history make it an enriching experience for participants from all over the world. “From the beginning, we were certain that we wanted one venue of the first cycle of the BMW Guggenheim Lab to be in Asia and after careful deliberation, we selected Mumbai. A vibrant, diverse city, with a fascinating and complex history, Mumbai is the most populous city in India and one of the most populous in the world. Together with our local partner, the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, it will be an endlessly rewarding place to explore and create dialogue around a range of urban issues, including access to comfort and culture, environment and social issues,” said Richard Armstrong, director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in a report to The Economic Times.

Image Courtesy : Bmwguggenheimlab

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Hollywood top star Dakota Fanning and her sister,  also an actress, Elle Fanning have arrived at Incheon International Airport, Korea on January 5 (local time). They are planning to film a commercial and participate in several interviews and ceremonies during their stay in Korea. Their visit was made by accessory brand, J.ESTINA.

Arriving Incheon International Airport around five A.M. in the morning, the Fanning sisters showed up without any makeup, and they looked little bit tired because of a long-hour flight.

The two starlets were welcomed by many fans who were already waiting for them and the Fanning sisters showed a bright smile to their fans while receiving a bunch of flowers.

The Fanning sisters are scheduled to participate in several events held by J.ESTINA, including filming a TV commercial, and this will be the first time Dakota and Elle will be working together as models. They have appeared in the same movie before.

On January 7, the Fanning sisters will be on the Korean talk show called “Baek Ji-yeon’s People INSIDE,” which is one of the famous talk shows in Korea. This show has a reputation for inviting famous western figures on its stage. So far Hugh Jackman, Anderson Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jason Mraz and the head of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, have been on this show. It has been reported that the Fanning sisters will talk about their personal life story and their recent interests.

Meanwhile, the Fanning sisters were spotted at the Korea’s Hongdae area, which is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, on the day they arrived. It has been reported that the two starlets tried various outfits and accessories on as they were walking around.

Dakota Fanning, who was born February 23, 1994, is a well-known movie star among Korean people for her movie ‘I Am Sam’ which she worked on with Sean Penn. Her performance in this movie earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award at age eight in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in history. There are many high-profile films she was in such as ‘Man on Fire’ (2004), ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005) and ‘Charlotte’s Web’ (2006). She played a girl with a time-limited life in the movie ‘Now Is Good’ last year, impressing many people with her outstanding acting.

Elle Fanning, who was born April 9, 1998, is one of the rookie fashion models in the New York fashion industry with hear unique look. She is mainly known for her starring roles in ‘Phoebe in Wonderland’, ‘Somewhere’ and ‘We Bought a Zoo’.

Image Courtesy : Anthony Citrano

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Yahoo! shut down its Korean service on December 31, 2012.

The American multinational internet corporation once played an important role in Korea of promoting the Internet in early 1990s. However, now, it has gone to the dustbin of history. When people try to connect to Yahoo’s Korean website, it shows the corporation’s announcement that the service does not exist anymore.

Yahoo Korea’s main source of income Overture Korea, which had provided Korea’s major search engines with its technology connecting search engine users to advertisers, heard from Naver and Daum that they will not extend the contract with Overture Korea. With the loss of its main source of income in Korea, Yahoo’s headquarter in the United States decided to shut down its service in Korea.

Since Yahoo Korea announced its plan to shut down the service, the website has suggested that its users move their accounts and private information to its American website. Some of services by Yahoo Korea, such as blog, tool bar, media, and Kkureogi (a service for Korean children), will not be available, but other services including e-mail, address book, planner, or flicker will be continued for those who moved their account information to Yahoo’s U.S. website.

The e-mail service will still be available in Korean language, when users have their mail service fully upgraded. In addition, people will still be allowed to use Korean language when they want to search something in Korean at http://kr.search.yahoo.com/. However, all account information, which was not moved to the U.S. website, has already been deleted by the website.

Yahoo Korea have also stopped operating their office, so that those who want to seek help regarding Korean service should contact the U.S. office or Japanese office.

Yahoo Korea was once the most popular search engine in Korea. However, it failed to follow the rapidly changing trend led by other Korean search engines such as Naver and Daum. In 2000, Yahoo Korea had been pushed down to the third spot on the ranking of search engines in terms of a market share, and recently its market share in Korea became around one percent.

Yahoo Korea said with the statement on its Korea website, “It has been great and happy for us to give our users joyful online experiences. However, despite our efforts, Yahoo Korea has faced a financial difficulty which has deteriorated its growth.”

Now, Yahoo Korea is working on refunding money to people who had purchased Yahoo! Korea Cash online.

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Sam Hammington is Korea’s first foreign comedian. He is Australian, but  has lived in Korea since 2002. Recently, Sam’s name has been mentioned a lot among Korean people, and he has become a Korean sensation. What happened to him?  You can find out here.

Click here to read “Australian Comedian, Korean Sensation: A Talk with Sam Hammington (1/2)”

Toonari Post (TP): You have been in Korea for ten years. How have you felt about Korea so far?

Sam Hammington (SH): It’s such a dynamic country. It changes so much. I mean it’s improving. That’s something really exciting. You don’t want to leave, because you don’t know what you’re going to miss out of it. Always something new and something dynamic is happening. Well, like any countries, there is good and bad. Coming from the country that is culturally diverse, it’s great to see the country like Korea where people come together as one, and support the country like World Cup events like that. That’s pretty amazing, but same talking, I think sometimes that can be scary. Particularly being non-Korean.

TP: Any tips for those who want to travel or move to Korea?

SH: What you need to realize, if you want to move to Korea, is you need to have a little bit thick skin. Laws and regulations probably are a little bit different what they are in other countries. The other thing you need to appreciate is Korea is one of the few homogeneous societies in the world. I think that’s something to admire, but it can also be seen as downfall in the way the world became so much smaller these days. Countries are so much closer than they used to be. I think you have to be not too sensitive when coming here. Things are going to be difficult. It’s going to be difficult to communicate with people and it’s going to be difficult to get things to be done. That can be frustrating. But, it’s not fair for you to get frustrated and blame the country or people.

TP: You have achieved lot of amazing things so far. We would love to hear about your future goal.

SH: I just want to continue doing what I do, and just enjoy work. I really like being able to make people laugh and happy and trying to do different things like acting, film, and drama on Television. Also, with my businesses obviously to extend them and develop them, so they can be more successful than they already are. I have an education agency at the moment where students come to us and say, “We want to stay in Australia,” so we can set them up with an agreement with universities, and the internship that we can send students to go abroad. Part of my role is to go around and do guest lectures at universities which is something I really enjoy. I would like to do a lot more of that. Another business is a sweet store. Cupcakes, cakes, and cake decorating. So, hopefully we can sort of branch out, and do more corporate catering. Hoping to also do comedy show next year. It’s kind of adult only. Hopefully that will be successful.

TP: Do you have something to say to your fans and supporters?

SH: My fans, in terms of living their own lives, you need to think outside of box. If you hear something, you don’t necessarily feel it’s true. Look into it, and see what. I guess you have to find your own way of life, and that’s always tough. But, it’s also exciting. Making mistakes is not a bad thing. I guess everything you do is a lesson, a life of lesson. That’s something that the older you get the more you realize. Every day is something new that you learn, there is a mistake that you learn from. Life wasn’t meant to be easy. If it was, it would be boring. You have to live your own life and be yourself. I mean people have so many expectations. Your parents, family and friends, but if it doesn’t feel right, I don’t know if it’s the thing to do. Cause it’s you. You are the person has to live your life.

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In the recent Korean presidential election, one man enjoyed almost as much attention as the election itself. His name is Sam Hammington, 35-year-old Australian comedian living in Korea. He has become a sensation for posting his thoughts on Facebook, taking deliberate jabs at the Korean government and people indifferent to the election.

His post drew much attention, making people wonder why this person, a foreigner, is so interested in Korea’s presidential election. His name was on the number one of the daily hot search listing on Daum, one of the Korea’s biggest search engines. His following posts about the presidential election also attracted much attention. Korean media was scrambling to cover his story. One of his posts got almost 90,000 likes within one day.

Toonari Post recently had an opportunity to sit down for an interview with Sam Hammington.

Toonari Post (TP): Please tell us about yourself.

Sam Hanmmington (SH): My name is Sam Hammington. I don’t know what I call myself. I’ve got the title of Korea’s first foreign comedian. Koreans call me a public figure. I would like to think of myself as a public figure more than an entertainer or star, but also a businessman. I guess that’s one of the great things about Korea. There are so many opportunities here. Maybe that’s why I should call myself an opportunist. It pretty much seems like everything ever done has been based on opportunities.

TP: The first foreign comedian in Korea. That is a special title.

SH: I have been here for 10 years now. When I came here first, I kind of did not do much of anything initially, but someone said, “Hey I know a producer looking for foreigner who speaks little bit of Korean. Do you want to do this TV show?” I was like, “Sure.” So, I did that and got bit of work here and there doing small things on TV, and I got a phone call from a friend of mine who was comedian, and he said, “Gag Concert needs foreigner who speaks Korean really well.” You know, it’s the biggest TV show in Korea, I needed to do it. I wanted to do it, and that was “World News” (the name of the stand up comedy which made Sam popular with Korean people). From there, I did Gag Concert for two years, and ever since then, being on TV and radio, working in the entertainment industry full time.

TP: As Korea’s presidential election was on going, your name was discussed a lot as well. What happened?

SH: Having a Korean permanent residency, recently I got a package from the electoral office, and in the package it had all the information about presidential candidates. I kind of got really excited. Hang on, have I being given the opportunity to vote in the presidential election? I just made an assumption that I can actually vote. But, I learned that I only have the rights to vote for the head of Seoul education election, not for the president. So, I put something about my frustration on Facebook. I wasn’t upset that I couldn’t vote. I was upset that they sent out information that could be considered misleading, and also it was waste of money.

TP: Even though you learned that you did not have rights to vote for the president, you did not stop encouraging people to vote. What was your intention?

SH: Feedback I got from Koreans was like “It’s amazing to see you so enthusiastic about Korean politics, and you are not even Korean.” I kind of looked at it as an opportunity, and thought, “You know what. I can’t vote, but if I can get out there, and if I can say things that will make Koreans, particularly younger generations, if I can inspire them to go out and vote, that means I’ve done my job.” So, I kind of used it as an opportunity with my profile to get my voice other there and maybe urge other people to go out and do their part. For me, voting is really important. If you don’t vote, you have no rights to make any complaints about the government. It’s about you going out and trying to do your part for the country because it’s about the future. It’s to help the development and improvement of your county for the future.

TP: Unfortunately, people in their 20s showed low turnouts compared to other generations in this election. It seems that this is not the problem that only Korea has.

SH: We’ve heard so much about people in their 20s talking about the political system and shown much interest. But it was so disappointing to me to see after having shown so much interests being so vocal, but the turnout was so low. 50s and 60s had the highest turnout. The reality is 20s, they are the future. They are the ones who need to be more interested in the politics and concerned about how the government and country changed. I guess it’s something that needs to be, from an early age, taught about. You have to understand what politics is and how it does improve your life. I guess in a lot of countries it’s not compulsive.

Click here to read the second part of this Toonari Post interview.

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Park Geun-hye has been elected as South Korea’s 18th President on December 19. Park is the first-ever female president in the nation.

Park garnered roughly 15.77 million votes, or 51.6 percent of ballots cast. She triumphed by a margin of 1.1 million votes over the main opposition Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in, who finished the race with 14.69 million votes, or 48 percent of ballots cast. Vote counting was completed around 5:20 a.m. Thursday.

People were expected that if over 70 percent of the population took part in the election, it would give an advantage to Moon. However, though 75.8 percent of people participated, Park still won. Wednesday’s election was the first in which the successful candidate won at least 50 percent of the vote, since 1987 when a direct presidential election system was introduced.

Experts said the main factor that brought triumph to Park was people’s concern about Korea’s unstable economy and defense situation. The former president Roh Moo-hyun’s administration was viewed by many in Korea as weakening Korea’s economy and national defense, and since candidate Moon had worked and shared most of views with Roh, lots of people were doubting Moon’s ability to lead the nation, making conservative people inclined to vote for Park.

Park beat Moon in 13 out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, excluding Seoul, Gwangju and the two Jeolla provinces.

After hearing the news of her victory, Park said at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul that she will lead a happy era for Korean people.

As the first female president, a lot of Korean people expect Park to bring positive changes to their country- in which women are notoriously invisible at the top echelons of public and private sectors alike.

In South Korea, which is Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, women account for only 15 percent of the country’s parliament seats and secure two seats at the 11-member cabinet. They are equally less visible at the top of private sectors, and that is mostly because of the country’s Confucious and male-dominated culture.

Mirroring this, Park’s party has promoted her as “the prepared female president,” and this slogan was punctuated in every single of her campaign posters and speeches.

Park, who was born in 1952, majored in electronic engineering at Sogang University in Seoul. She started her political career when she was 22-years-old, when she lost her mother to assassins, acting as the first lady of the house and helping her father, the late military strongman Park Chung-Hee. After her father was also assassinated when she was 27, she left the Blue House, the South Korean equivalent of the White House. However, in 1997, she announced that she would come back as a politician to contribute to Korea, which has been suffering from the impact of the Asian economic crisis. Since then, she has been worshiped by conservative voters.

Her first run for the presidency was in 2007. However, current president Lee Myung-bak was able to defeat her.

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North Korea, amid global warnings and hard-hitting criticism, launched a rocket from the western coast, showing its might and following what it had pronounced a few days earlier.

As reported earlier, North Korea was preparing to launch a missile, and recently Pyongyang turned that declaration into reality by launching a missile into orbit. This rattling-down action was exercised when North Korea launched a rocket named “Unha” from Sohae launch pad located in the North West of Pyongyang.

According to the BBC, “The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 (Unha-3) satellite from the Sohae Space Centre … on December 12 was successful” the state news agency KCNA said. “The Satellite has entered the orbit as planned.”

North Korean state media termed the launch as a “ground-breaking” mission that met the “last instructions” of Pyongyang’s late leader.

According to the Guardian, North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), said “ the three-stage Unha rocket had taken its expected southerly course, with its first stage falling into the Yellow Sea west of South Korea and the second landing in the sea east of the Philippines.”

According to Zee News “The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned North Korea for launching a long-range rocket in defiance of UN resolutions.”

North Korea is currently banned from ballistic missile testing as per the UN resolution that was passed in the year 2009 following a second nuclear test. Criticism started flowing in from all corners of the globe over North Korean action that strongly ignored UN Resolutions. Furthermore, it can be said it’s an act that gathered huge condemnation and attention since almost all neighboring countries were displeased with it.

U.S Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said “No matter how the North Koreans choose to describe the launch it violates two council resolutions and shows that country is determined to pursue its ballistic missile program without regard for its international obligations.”

Britain’s foreign secretary William Hague said “I strongly condemn the satellite launch today. The UK government would summon the North Korean ambassador in London,” he added, “This provocative act will increase tension in the region. I deplore the fact that (North Korea) has chosen to prioritize this launch over improving the livelihoods of its people.”

There has been a war of accusations and defiance between North Korea and the world at large over the country’s ambitions of nuclear programs and ballistic missile technology over many years.

Following the launch, a statement was issued by UN Secretary-General that reads “The Secretary General has been urging the leadership in Pyongyang not to carry out such a launch and instead to build confidence with its neighbours while taking steps to improve the lives of its people.” It further said “the Secretary-General is concerned about the negative consequences that this provocative act may have on peace and stability in the region.”

The North Korean official KCNA news agency said that Foreign ministry spokesman expressed views like this: “No matter what others say, we will continue to launch satellites and thus actively contribute to the economic construction and improvement of people’s living standard.”

On the contrary there has been a growing reluctance by North Korea over the international community. Its objections finally surfaced with the launch of the rocket.

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Femicide. When one types this word in a Microsoft Office program, it appears as a spelling error. Yet in light of recent statistics, it becomes paradoxical to consider how state powers confront this escalating problem in such a trivialized manner.

Femicide, according to Dr. Diana Russell, is the killing of women and girls because of their gender.

Roughly 66,000 women are violently killed around the world each year. India and China are said to eliminate more female infants than the number of girls born in the US each year. The UN reports approximately 200 million girls in the world today as ‘missing’.

What’s most shocking is that a high proportion of femicides are committed in the home, particularly in countries such as Norway and Australia where street and organized crime are at a low. Furthermore, UNODC reports that 40 to 70 per cent of female murders have been linked to intimate partner/family-related violence. It’s alarming to consider that being at home with the family has now become one of the most insecure and dangerous places for women to live in.

A mention of femicide cannot fully be encompassed without making reference to some of the capitals where it has become an enduring problem. Jaurez, Mexico has been nicknamed the ‘the capital of murdered women’. In 2005, more than 800 bodies were found in vacant lofts, outlying areas or even in the desert; raped, abused, tortured or even mutilated. What about the forgotten bodies? The deaths we didn’t hear about?

Despite the Mexican Government’s 2007 adoption of the General Law of Access for Women to a Life Free of Violence (GLAWLFV), very little has been done to ensure its implementation and its guaranteeing of protection of the life and integrity of women in Mexico. “There is a systematic pattern of impunity in Mexico, a reflection of the lack of access to justice for women.”  Women who even consider accessing the justice system are not only ridiculed and discriminated against, but also place their own lives at risk. The lack of Federal and local action as well as formal investigations, judgments and sanctions by the justice system has stimulated an atmosphere in which murderers, tortures and rapists of women are protected, and where impunity is completely justifiable.

Dr. Rita Banerji is a gender activist in India and founder of The 50 Million Missing campaign, and her recent powerpoint presentation at the Femicide Symposium in Vienna, coordinated by the Academic Council of the United Nations, presented some jaw-dropping forms of femicide cases in India: from female infanticide, to the killing of girls 5 years and under through starvation and violence, to dowry deaths, honor killings and many others. Young baby girls are simply unwanted and are inhumanely killed; salted, strangled and poisoned. In the recent documentary ‘It’s a Girl’, which brings the crux of the problem vividly on screen, an Indian mother admits, as she is chuckling to herself, that she killed eight of her daughters after giving birth to them.

Contrary to the assumptions that femicide is a problem of poverty-stricken areas and enacted by people from areas of lack of access to education, research shows that it is in fact affluent and urban middle classes who are perpetuating the killings. In India, these are the people who have access to prenatal screenings and who can afford the abortions. In the last decade in India, 8 million fetuses have been aborted, causing an increasing demographic imbalance between the male-to-female ratio.

Femicide is often dismissed as a cultural phenomenon, as with the case of the dowry deaths in India. However, this is a gross misinterpretation; femicide is a cultural ‘practice’ that has become internalized and completely accepted in some societies. Paradoxically, as Dr.Banerji points out, when societies are confronted with their own shocking statistics of the brutal killing of baby girls and women, enacted and perpetuated by some of the most educated and upper-class civilians, the common response is denial and disbelief.

Furthermore, while states have numerous laws and policies in place, there is a lack of action to ensure that they are being carried out at political, social and cultural level. Tackling femicide requires the ongoing development, implementation and enforcement of strong legislation, raising public awareness through the media and at grassroots level, and publically voicing the horrific experiences and struggles of women. Because this is what is lacking: a Voice.

The state needs to wake up. Femicide should not be a spelling error. It is a reality, and it should be a voiced reality.

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North Korea recently announced its intention to launch a long range missile in December. This follows a failed attempt in April 2102. The North Korea State news agency revealed the country’s plans to send another satellite in orbit which might take place between December 10 and December 22, between 11:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

According to the BBC‘s Lucy Williams in Seoul, “North Korea’s state media have described the rocket launch as being for peaceful purposes, with the aim of putting a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite into space.”

According to the New Scientist in April, North Korea’s endeavor to cast-off a rocket “failed just within a minute after a 30 metre-long Unha-3 booster blasted off from the sohae satellite launching station at 7:39 am local time on 13 April,” said the official Korean Central News Agency.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado said that “the craft didn’t get anywhere near the orbit.”

After almost seven months of research and analysis over the real cause of April failure, North Korean scientists seem to have identified their mistakes and now they are again ready to launch a rocket into space. North Korea has named the missile Kwangmyongsong-3.

North Korea cautioned the UN shipping agency and international Maritime Organisation about its intentions to launch a rocket into orbit, and released a trajectory of its missile. The first stage of the rocket is expected to dash-off in a western part of the Korean Peninsula and the second stage might drop-off close to the Philippine coast.

China seems to be concerned with the launch and said that all sides should restrain themselves from acts of aggravating tensions in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a brief statement, “We hope all relevant parties will do that which benefits peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, hope all sides will respond calmly and avoid exacerbating the situation.”

Russia, on the other hand, raised vocals of disappointment over North Korea’s decision to move forward with the missile launch. The Russian Foreign Ministry said “We urgently appeal to the government (of North Korea) to reconsider the decision to launch a rocket.”

Russia, at the time of the April launch, with a downcast voice had said “North Korea had been warned not to ignore a UN Security Council resolution which ‘unambiguously prohibits from launching rockets using ballistic technology.’”

United States also joined the  league criticizing North Korean missile launch plans and said that the act would be “highly provocative” and would threaten peace and stability in the region.

The sensitivity of the decision to launch the missile by North Korea can be sensed by the fact that Japan has started deploying a surface-to-air missile system in its southern island.

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Jiang Weisuo the renowned whistle-blower on China’s tainted dairy products, died in a hospital in Shaanxi province on November 12 after he sustained knife wounds in an assault ten days earlier. Jiang Weisuo was returning from a meeting at his dairy company when he was attacked. Police have now detained a suspect and rumors are rife that the attack was a retaliation of Jiang’s efforts to expose the unlawful practices of China’s dairy industry. The police are still conducing investigations, and mystery still shrouds the reason behind the attack.

Jiang earned his title after his 2006 report “Dairy Industry in Western China is Almost Doomed,” uncovering common adulteration practices throughout the industry. Courageous as he was, Jiang reported his findings to the local authorities in China, and even succeeded in revealing illegal practices in neighboring businesses. He was interviewed by CCTV, the largest television network in China. In 2008 he opened his own company, Jiang Weisuo Dairy, through which he began promoting “trusted” milk products. The company now has more than 300 franchises all over China.

In 2008, six babies died after consuming milk laced with melamine, and over 290,000 infants demonstrated symptoms of urinary disorders. At least 860 babies were hospitalized during this period.

Melamine is an industrial chemical and can lead to kidney stones. Its addition to watered-down milk allowed the nitrogen content levels to increase, thus ensuring the items passed tests that checked protein levels.

Melamine was discovered in milk powder, and this scandal sent shock waves throughout China and across the world. As more and more infants tested positive for kidney malfunctions, the government began to introduce measures to better quality within the dairy industry. The few lawyers who decided to aid parents to file lawsuits pushed for compensation as well.

Yi Kaixuan was one such infant who died of kidney failure in May 2008, after he continuously consumed Sanlu milk powder for six months.

Meanwhile, a Swedish-Danish dairy product major, Arla, has developed a unique screening method that can reveal whether milk has been adulterated to increase profits. In China, where people have little faith in the quality of food products, this method can be widely implemented. Arla inaugurated the “China-Denmark Milk Technology Cooperation Center” in Beijing on November 26, and as one of its first initiatives, the screening method will be implemented at the Mengnius dairies. The center has been set up to promote food safety within the dairy industry in China.

According to Frede Juulsen, SVP at Arla,

“If this method had been available to Chinese dairies in 2008, they might have discovered that the milk had been tampered with, and avoided the earlier problems with food safety.”

Food safety in China has been a long, ongoing issue for the authorities, and the milk scandal in 2008 only began ringing the alarm bells. The screening method, devised by Arla, will analyze raw milk that deviates from normal milk and check for melamine and other toxic substances. The new screening method will hopefully restore consumer faith in the dairy industry.

Food adulteration is a worldwide phenomenon and countries such as India have developed testing kits too. These kits detect the presence of starch, urea, glucose, sugar, pond water, ammonium compounds, common salt, formalin, and hydrogen peroxide in milk. This year, it has also been noted that 68 percent of milk in India does not conform to standards, which are set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

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Luo Baogen would have been just another ordinary man going about his business. But today, he is known for standing up against China’s development authorities. A simple duck farmer, Luo Baogen did not use force to put across his thoughts. He used just one word, a word that we are so familiar with as children: “No.”

Right in the middle of an eastern Chinese city’s new highway is Luo’s five-story row house that was on its way to being demolished, but was saved by Luo’s steadfastness. The house sits in the middle of the road that leads to a newly constructed railway station in the city outskirts of Wenling in the Zhejiang province.

Homeowners in China have always been grappling with the repercussions of redevelopment, and they have a strained relationship with local government officials. The government’s compensation provided to home-owners in lieu of their properties is too little. The houses that remain standing  due to sheer resolve shown by the owners are called “nail houses” because the owners refuse to be hammered down.

Most of the families in Luo’s building had moved out after they received some compensation, but Luo and his wife, along with few people from the district, are holding out, with the hope that they will receive a larger compensation.

According to the Associated Press, Luo had recently spent approximately $95,000 on his house, and the initial offer by the government was just $35,000. Luo could not  afford such a huge loss. Authorities in China are known to resort to extreme measures to ensure residents vacate their flats. But in Luo’s case, the water and electricity are still flowing. Determined as he is, Luo and his wife sleep in separate parts of the house, to avoid partial demolition. He should hopefully reach an agreement with the government soon.

In the fight to prevent infrastructure development from crushing people’s homes and entire lives, Luo is not alone. In India, the Mumbai Metro proposed a Rail Line Project, which runs through the most crowded areas of the city. With the completion of the Metro Line, entire areas will be plunged into darkness because the Metro blocks out the sunlight during the day. Considering the city’s burgeoning population and mismanaged infrastructure development, the Mumbai Metro has evoked mixed responses from the city’s denizens. How far the Metro will help alleviate Mumbai’s transportation problems is something that remains to be seen. Residents, who will end up suffering the effects of pollution caused by the Metro, may have to relocate, or live with the thought that they are contributing towards the growth of their city.

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In a recent study conducted among 25 Asian cities, Hong Kong has been rated as the top shopping destination, obtaining a total score of 68.5 out of 100. Closely following it were Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. Singapore, Hong Kong’s arch rival when it comes to being a shopping hub, was positioned at fifth place. The sky-rocketing hotel prices and the costs of living have together succeeded in establishing Hong Kong as a relatively expensive Asian city to live in.

In terms of consumer spending power and the future growth potential of the economy, the Hong Kong luxury market is booming. Hong Kong locals are expected to spend nearly HK $34,055 on luxury goods in the next few months. In a study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, Hong Kong’s affluent will annually spend a whopping US $3 trillion by 2020. The luxury segment includes travelling, dining, purchasing luxury goods, and availing the best in services. Hong Kong’s riches will account for 5 percent of total global consumption.

Hong Kong’s hotel stay costs are as expensive as the luxury goods. On an average, a room in a four-star hotel costs $200 per night. In data gathered by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, it has been found that tourists who stop by in the city for just one night, have spent more than HK $50.4 billion on shopping expeditions during the first half of 2012. Tourists from the mainland have indicated the strongest spending capacity, but Hong Kong’s tourism industry wishes to diversify its inflow of investment. With the mainland’s economy slowing down, the Hong Kong tourism industry may take a hit.

However, Chinese goods are in great demand all over the world, and, with domestic stimulus measures being implemented, the Chinese economy will avoid a sharp slowdown. Overseas export demands are improving and there is infrastructure investment occurring; this indicates that the Chinese economy will grow between 7 to 8 percent in the coming few years. While China’s economy is being driven towards fueling consumption, the population of Hong Kong’s affluent is set to double. This will help Hong Kong’s total consumption exceed that of Germany’s and become at par with Japan’s.

The boost in population will trigger luxury spending, causing it to leap from US $40 billion to US $190 billion. Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay is already experiencing fast-rising rents that are exceeding those of New York’s Fifth Avenue. With rising rents, the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui and Central districts are becoming the most expensive rental locations in Asia-Pacific.

People are thronging top retail brands from the likes of Gucci to Louis Vuitton. International fashion goliaths are breaking into the Chinese market through Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s rapid growth in the luxury market segment has pushed New York’s Fifth Avenue from the top spot; a coveted spot that it held for 11 long years.

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South Korea’s Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was picked as one of the freakiest places in the world by CNN Go, CNN International’s new travel website.

On October 31, the website picked seven of the freakiest places in the planet : Czech Republic’s Sedlec Ossuary, Ukraine’s Chernobyl Amusement Park, Japan’s Aokigahara Forest and Battleship Island, Togo’s Akodessewa Fetish Market, Mexico’s La Isla de las Muñecas, and Korea’s Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.

The website reported citing local legend that the hospital’s patients started dying mysteriously at the hospital 10 years ago and the head doctor was crazy like other patients, eventually forcing its closure. It added that the hospital is now an abandoned, dirty building with only the most disturbing remnants of its former life, such as rusted wire fences and disintegrating examination chairs.

Being introduced as a scary and creepy place, the hospital has been popular material for many domestic and international media for many years. It is also famed as one of South Korea’s three major haunted places along with the Youngdeok haunted house, roamed by ghosts from the Korean War, and the Neulbom Garden, a former restaurant where it is said that you can still hear someone washing dishes in the kitchen.

Now, the hospital is one of the popular tourist attractions that about 1,000 people visit there to look around every year.

However, the facts about those places are not that scary or creepy at all. Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was closed mainly because it had a serious problem with its sewage disposal system. What made matters worse was the owner of the hospital moved to the U.S. without doing any paper work of the building and the land. The rumors about people dying or crazy doctor are all not true.

Other places named as “haunted” are in the same position. Those places were just empty houses at first. Korea has witnessed a lot of vacant or abandoned houses due to an aging society and a low birth rate. This happens especially in rural areas as people move to big cities. According to Korea’s National Statistical Office, the number of unoccupied houses in Korea has rose from 720,000 in 2005 to 790,000 in 2010.

If people who leave their houses destroy them or sell them to others, no problems occur. However, it is hard to look for people who want to buy these houses not in big cities, and there also exists complex tax problems. So, people just abandon their houses without doing anything about them.

Once the house is abandoned, it quickly begins to be destroyed, since there in no one to take care of it. Sometimes, it is occupied by the homeless, or animals. Either way it becomes devastated.

The next thing waiting for these devastated houses is the scary rumors such as “ghost,” or “someone’s suicide.” Once those rumors are spread, people who enjoy scary stories start to visit those places, making them more famous.

South Korea’s three major haunted places, including Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, have experienced this process.

These haunted places might provide some people with a joyous time, but they are actually a huge worrisome for people who live around them. They usually have a bad effect on the town’s reputation, making people leave or making others not want to move in. Sometimes, they are used as a hideout for criminals. In 2010, Kim Gil-tae, who killed a 13-year-old girl, actually hid in abandoned house in Pusan, Korea to avoid the police dragnet.

Even though the facts of the haunted place are not scary or freaky, it is a stark reality that their existence is still not that pleasant.

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Real estate business tycoon and liquor baron, Ponty Chadha, owner of Wave multiplexes, was killed in a bloody shootout at his farmhouse in South Delhi, India on Saturday, 17 November 2012. His brother, Hardeep Chadha, fired the fatal round of bullets. Both brothers died in the horrific shootout, spanning an hour and a half, and involving a posse of supporters and guards who were all armed with high-tech, sophisticated weaponry, including an AK-47 rifle.

According to the police, both brothers were deeply embroiled in a feud over the 20,000-crore Wave empire founded by their father, Kulwant Singh Chadha. Since their father’s death last year, the feud had intensified to the point of non-reconciliation. Both sides had planned to “settle scores” on that fateful day.

Allegedly the bone of contention between the brothers was the fact that Hardeep, Ponty’s brother, had demanded a bigger chunk of all future investments in the Wave Empire. Hardeep had become greedy and wanted a bigger share of the profits from the real estate business. The tension was thick in the air when the brothers faced off against each other on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, when Ponty arrived at his farmhouse No. 42 with more than 30 of his men, he had come with the sole intent of taking full possession of the farmhouse. At that moment, Hardeep arrived on the scene after being informed by his guards. A bitter argument ensued and Hardeep opened fire at Ponty’s Land Cruiser. Chairman of the Uttrakhand Minorities Commission, Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, who was accompanying Ponty, fired in retaliation.

Police are now piecing together the crime that seems to have been triggered by the property and wealth dispute within the family. Many questions remain unanswered. How many rounds of bullets were really fired? According to preliminary claims, nearly 40 rounds of bullets were fired but only three people were killed. How many guards and police personnel were involved in the shootout? Investigations are also leading officials to ask the grave question – Was the shootout planned in advance? Police also state that the shootout could have been avoided if the brothers had not reached the farmhouse at the same time.

Punjab Police SSP Charanjit Singh said, “Our six men were posted as PSO of Hardeep of which three were on leave, and one was with Ponty Chadha. None of them fired a single bullet. Delhi Police are investigating the matter and we are just assisting them. No action has been taken against our men, neither by Delhi Police nor by us.” Three days after the shootout, police continue to solve this jigsaw puzzle and reconstruct the events of that day.

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Following the death of Bal Thackeray, a controversial Indian politician who was famous for his regionalist and nationalist ideologies, two Indian women were arrested by the police for anti-Thackeray comments posted on Facebook. Twenty-one year old Shaheen Dhadha expressed her resentment against the shutdown of Mumbai over the weekend, by posting the following comment to her Facebook wall, “Everyday thousands of people die. But still the world moves on. Just due to one politician dead. A natural death. Everyone just goes crazy.” Her friend who “liked” the comment was also arrested along with her, for voicing anti-religious sentiments over social media. It is interesting to note that Thackeray’s name was not explicitly mentioned anywhere in Shaheen’s comment.  However, both girls have been released on bail and also face up to 14 days in prison.

Shaheen was forced to remove the comment and to issue a public apology over Facebook. Despite her withdrawal of the comment, over 2000 Shiv Sena party workers vandalized parts of Shaheen’s uncle’s hospital in a Mumbai suburb. Although, a police complaint has been filed against the mob violence, not a single Shiv Sena activist has been arrested. Bhushan Sanke, a local Shiv Sena worker filed the case against Shaheen.

Bal Thackeray, the powerful leader of the Shiv Sena party in Maharashtra, died at the age of 86 on Saturday afternoon, following a long period of ill-health. He had founded the Shiv Sena in the 1960s with the strong conviction that he would fight for the interests of the local Hindus in Maharashtra.

As soon as news of his death leaked, businesses, shops, restaurants, and offices in Mumbai closed down either as a mark of respect or out of fear. The public transportation systems came to a grinding halt with taxis and autos going off the roads. Within a couple of hours, the city of Mumbai was shut down. In some parts of the city, there was unrest, but the funeral procession proceeded smoothly over the weekend.

The Shiv Sena’s backlash has outraged many Indians and the social media world is agitated. A new Facebook group titled, “Ban Shiv Sena” has been created and it has already received over 37,000 Likes.

The Chief of the Press Council of India, Justice Katju has demanded “immediate action against the police personnel who arrested the women.” In his open letter to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, Justice Katju writes, “To my mind it is absurd to say that protesting against a ‘bandh’ hurts religious sentiments. Under Article 19(1)(a) of our Constitution freedom of speech is a guaranteed fundamental right. We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship. In fact this arrest itself appears to be a criminal act since under sections 341 and 342 it is a crime to wrongfully arrest or wrongfully confine someone who has committed no crime.”

This is not the first time that freedom of speech has been curtailed in India. Not long ago, when North East India was rife with ethnic violence, the Indian government had ordered the blocking of websites, and Facebook and Twitter accounts, in a bid to control the inflow of objectionable content. It is unclear whether making a political statement on Facebook can truly offend religious sentiments. Indian authorities have always been criticized for not doing their part to enable freedom of expression.

According to recent information, both girls have also deactivated their Facebook accounts, fearing further aggression and legal hassles.

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Preston Draper, country manager of Costco Wholesale Korea, said on November 15 that he has no plans of apologizing for Costco Korea’s opening on Sunday. The Korean government has forced hundreds of Conglomerate-owned retailer stores, including Costco, across the country to close once every other Sunday. This law is aimed at protecting the traditional Korean markets and small retailers, which have lost customers to retail giants over the years, by preventing Conglomerate-owned retailers from dominating the market.

The Korean unit of the U.S. chain has been operating its stores despite a $27,000 (a 30 million won) fine imposed by three Seoul district offices for ignoring the city ordinance.

Draper, who attended to the City Council of Seoul’s Finance and Economy Committee, said that Costco did not take any action when the Korean government made the decision in April that required large retailers to close every other Sunday because it respected the Korean law.

He added that Costco had started operating its stores on Sundays because of their relationship with subcontractors and customers. On Seoul city’s crackdown on Costco held on October 10 and 14, he said that Costco Korea has tried its best to cooperate with Seoul and to follow city’s ordinances.

The battle between the American wholesaler and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and district offices started in September when Costco sent a letter to the Seoul government saying that it will open every Sunday. The giant wholesale said the decision is legitimate because the city ordinance was ruled illegal by the court.

Following Costco Korea’s movement, other Korean retail giants  ― E-mart, Lotte Mart and Home plus ― filed lawsuits against the regulation. The courts allowed these stores to operate until legal ordinances were promulgated.

After the court decision, the three major competitors to Costco resumed Sunday operations, and Costco’s three stores in Seoul and five in other cities did as well.

However, Seoul city has argued that Costco cannot operate its stores like its three rivals without joining the lawsuit. Draper controverted that Costco Korea is also guaranteed to enjoy what other rivals do based on Korea’s constitutional law, which offers equal rights to everyone.

On September 12, Seoul’s Jungnang, Seocho and Yeongdeungpo ward offices imposed a combined $27,000 (30 million won) fine on the wholesaler’s three stores that opened on Sunday.

Costco released a statement shortly after saying, “Just because we did not take part in the lawsuits, barring us from opening stores on Sundays is unfair. Court rulings should be applied to all retailers.’’

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The “Hotel of Doom” named “Worst Building in the History of Mankind” by Esquire magazine in 2008 has always been an embarrassment to North Korean leadership and a symbol of the impoverished country’s economic crisis. Construction of the hotel was originally abandoned in 1992, but according to AFP, Reto Wittwer, the chief executive of the Kempinski group announced that the hotel would start operation either in July or August 2013, offering 150 rooms on the top levels of the building, while opening shops, restaurants and offices on the lower floors.

The 105-story pyramid shaped building, the Ryugyong hotel, has dominated the skyline of Pyongyang for decades and will be the 47th tallest structure with the fifth highest number of floors in the world, at 330m (1,100ft) according to BBC News. Recently, Wittwer told reporters in Seoul that, “This pyramid monster hotel will monopolize all the business in the city. I said to myself, we have to get this hotel if there is ever a chance, because this will become a money-printing machine if North Korea opens up.”

Initially, construction began 26 years ago in 1986 and was planned to be ready in time for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, but was put to a halt in 1992 due to the economic crisis. However, the situation changed in 2008, when Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company decided to fund the hotel as a part of the $400 million deal to run a 3G mobile network in North Korea. Currently, $180m has been spent on finishing the building’s facade.

The North Korean regime hopes that the hotel will increase the number of overseas visitors and earn sufficient foreign currency, as it suffers from the international sanctions enforced after performing nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Currently, China is North Korea’s biggest source of tourism, while American, European, and South Korean governments advise their citizens against visiting this region, reports the Telegraph.

The Ryugyong hotel of Pyongyang was criticized and given various nicknames over the years. The title of the “Worst Building in the World” was given by Eva Hagberg, the New York-based architectural critic; Stefano Boeri, the Italian architect and editor in chief of the design magazine Abitare, once described the structure as “having forced it to reveal its icy nature, its irresistible fascination as a fragile alien meteorite.”

This three sided pyramid structure can be viewed as a symbol of a new era of openness in North Korea. However, the country’s economy and isolation policy may restrict the frequent occurrence of international trade. Thus, the viability of the Ryugyong Hotel will mainly rely on the tourism and business sectors.

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Amid threats from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of open fire to South Korea, the members of Fighters for Free North Korea (FFNK) have sent propaganda leaflets across the border on October 25.

FFNK’s main purpose of sending leaflets to North Korea is to let North Korean people know of the North Korean government’s wrongdoings and help them to realize what is happening outside of their destitute country.

Five members of FFNK launched giant balloons loaded with propaganda leaflets to North Korea at Kimpo city, western area of Seoul. An official of FFNK said, “Today is a good day to send leaflets to North Korea thanks to the wind. The balloons have about two hundred thousand anti-Pyongyang leaflets and 1,000 one dollar U.S. bills in it.”

FFNK was trying to send propaganda leaflets to North Korea on October 22, but was stopped by Korean police and army, because North Korea said it will attack South Korea if those activists start to send propaganda leaflets. On that day, the organization planned to send about two hundred thousand leaflets, but it was able to send only about a hundred thousand leaflets.

Before the members of FFNK started their movement, on October 19, North Korea announced an official statement via its official Korean Central News Agency, saying that it will carry out a “merciless military strike” on the South Korean territory “the moment a minor movement for the scattering is captured” in the border area. After its announcement, North Korea allocated the artillery, self –propelled guns, and towed artillery to the western front, creating tensions between two Koreas.

In response, South Korean defense minister Kim Kwan-jin said the country will strike back and “completely destroy the source of attacks.”

Meanwhile, the association of propaganda broadcasts beamed at North Korea has issued an official statement over North Korea’s threats on October 25, saying that they will not stop their work that helps North Korean people.

The association was made by four propaganda broadcasts beamed at North Korea: North Korea Reform Radio, Open Radio for North Korea, Free North Korea Radio, and Radio Free Chosun on April of this year aimed at letting North Korean people know the cruelty of Kim Jeong-un administration and the new from the world by broadcasting propaganda to North Korea.

The association said, “It is true that there are lots of controversies in Korean society over sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea. However, it is necessary for private organizations to do that job given the North Korean people’s closed and limited access to media.”

When it comes to North Korea’s threats, the organization said, “It is obvious that North Korea is blackmailing South Korea because it is afraid of the effects of anti-Pyongyang leaflets on North Korean people. We should continue to send leaflets to North with more information that can help North Korean people to realize the reality of their country.”

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South Korea has strengthened customs inspections due to the smuggling of Chinese-made capsules filled with powdered human flesh. Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) announced that the capsules found by Korea Customs Service (KCS) in May contained dried fetuses and dead babies. Since those capsules were from China, all medicines or pills carried by Chinese tourists will be inspected, and packages from China also will be checked thoroughly.

The number of human flesh capsules found by KCS in August of last year is about 30,000. According to KCS, most capsules were from northern east China, such as Tianjin city or Yanbian area, and they were mostly carried by Chinese tourists or international mail. However, customs believes that there exists more smuggled capsules that didn’t get caught.

It is known that most human flesh capsules are made in China. About three hundred million babies have been aborted in China under China’s one child policy since 1979, and it is alleged that doctors have sold these dead babies to human flesh capsule manufacturers.

The capsules are believed to boost people’s stamina or even cure critical diseases such as cancer. Middle-aged women are also known to be eager to consume the capsules because they believe the capsules are good for their skin.

However, none of these is true. According to KFDA, the capsules made of dead babies contain super bacteria and other harmful ingredients. Nine out of 12 types of capsules that KFDA inspected had bacteria exceeding the acceptable limit, and one of them even contained eighteen billion bacteria.

This is because even though the capsules are made of dried powder, they still carry the bacteria that fetuses had, and most capsules are made in an unsanitary environment.

Meanwhile, on October 18, Oh Won-choon, the Korean-Chinese who allegedly killed woman who was in her 20s last April for the purpose of selling her dead body to human flesh capsule manufacturer in China, was commited to life imprisonment, Korean people show their rage toward Seoul High Court which made the decision. Oh originally was sentenced to death by Suwon District Court on June.

Seoul High Court said that was hard to find certain evidence that Oh’s murder was planned, and that is the main reason for their decision.

When Oh committed murder in April, there was a rumor that there exists some secret organization in Korea which kills Korean people and sells them to human flesh capsule manufacturer in China. The rumor is still in the air in Korea.

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Foxconn, a Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturing company, has officially admitted that it hired under-aged children workers illegally for its factory in China.

According to Foxconn’s statement released on October 16, its factory in Shantung area, China, hired children aged from 14 to 16, and they worked there for three weeks. It was the first time that the giant manufacturing company admitted that they hired children. The New York Times and several Chinese media have reported that Foxconn might hire children to reduce its labor cost, but the manufacturing company has denied or kept silent about it.

Foxconn said through its statement, “We are going to take a responsibility of breaching the Chinese labor laws and company’s internal regulations by hiring underage workers, and we already sent all children back to their school.” However, when it comes to the question whether other factories of Foxconn hired under-aged children or not, Foxconn did not give any specific answer, and it also did not show how many children were hired illegally and which schools were involved.

Foxconn’s statement was quite shocking for people worldwide because the electronics manufacturing company was involved in controversies related to how it manages employees in China early of this year, making Apple hire the Fair Labor Association to conduct an audit of working conditions at Foxconn factories.

Even though Foxconn admitted its wrongdoing, strong doubts about whether other factories in Jiangsu and Huaian areas in China hired under-aged children illegally or not have been raised. According to the US-based non-governmental organization China Labor Watch (CLW), Foxconn’s Shantung factory hired about 2,000 under-aged students in September, and they were forced to work all night every day. CLW said even some of children were not allowed to take a break even though they were sick.

The Korean daily newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, reported that the number of children workers in China has been decreased since 1980s, but it is estimated that about three million children are still forced to work at restaurants or factories in rural areas or small cities in China.

The newspaper also pointed out that the lack of labor forces in southern China is one of the main reasons why children are forced to work these days. The living expenses of this area have been soared lately, and this makes people in other parts of China not willing to move to this area, causing the lack of labor forces.

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Most of the Asian currencies have edged back up again after months of being in a slump compared to the greenback currencies which according to healthy US jobs report have lowered cautiousness in the US economic recovery.

Economists’ estimations of the condition of the US job market were beaten by recent job reports, indicating that the US economy is heading in the right direction, denying previous murky economic forecasts.

Frances Cheung, a strategist at Credit Agricole CIB in Singapore, said “Sentiment was boosted by the decent US data, which suggests the recovery may be gaining some traction.”

Strengthened currencies send out a strong signal that their economies will remain strong in terms of growth rate and other parameters like liquidity position; expanding scope for investors to park their net worth. Investor sentiments flows with situation, turning investment activity low when economic prospects are weak and gears up with brighter prospects.

Recently, foreign investors pushed $600 million into stock markets in Taiwan, India, and Thailand, according to Bloomberg. This pushed the markets up. Currency Analyst Jonathan Cavenagh at Singapore-based Westpac Banking Corps said “the better data tone is allaying fears the global economy was going to roll off the cliff.”

In the last five months, Indian rupees surged 0.7 percent to 51.8174 per dollar, following reforms in the retail sector and strong foreign fund inflows, while currencies of other Asian countries like the Philippine peso jumped 0.7 percent to 41.42, Malaysian ringgit rose close to 0.5 percent and Thailand baht advanced 0.8 percent.

South Koran won erased its losses last week against the US Dollar reaching 1,111.4 per dollar since November 2011 while Taiwan’s dollar upped itself merely 0.1 percent.

Currency fluctuation speaks lots about a country’s financial health, trade balance and growth rate. A currency which loses its value against international currencies is the symbol of prevailing illness in the economy while currency regaining considerable strength symbolizes brighter prospects for the country.

Tsutomu Soma, manager of the investment trust and fixed income business unit at Rakuten Securities Inc., said “With global central banks introducing measures to support their economies, risk sentiment is improving.” Mr. Soma further said, “Developed nations will keep interest rates low for a long time and that makes higher yields, offered by emerging countries attractive.” 

Opening of the retail sector for foreign investment played a formidable role in turning India into a hot destination for investment again. This has lead to robustness in the Indian rupee, also divestment and allowing overseas airlines to invest in domestic carriers has solidified the currency.

Increased concerns by central banks and high hopes of constructive intervention by investors in Asia, with easing fears of US economy weakening again, has helped to boost investor confidence in many Asian countries.

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On October 4, tens of thousands of citizens gathered in Seoul Plaza, Korea, to enjoy Korean singer Psy’s concert.

The chubby 34-year-old rapper, who recently became a global sensation with his song ‘Gangnam Style,’ held the concert for free in return for fans’ support.

According to Korean police authorities, about 80,000 citizens gathered, and it was the first time that the massive plaza was packed with this many people. His concert was also aired on YouTube, but many people had trouble with watching it because of too many simultaneous log-ins.

17-year-old student Huh Seung-ah said, “Usually, the concert ticket for a famous singer is really expensive. But, today, Psy is holding the concert for free! I didn’t want to miss this chance.”

Not only teenagers, but also middle-aged citizens attended Psy’s concert. 43-year-old house wife Kim Ji-hee said, “I see Psy’s news on TV every day. I wanted to see how fun his concert is.”

Foreign fans were also spotted. 24-year-old Valentina from Chile said, “I came to Korea to enjoy the Korean singer’s music, and today I’m so happy that I can enjoy Psy’s concert for free.”

The concert, which started around 10 pm, kicked off with Psy’s song “Right Now,” and reached the climax when Psy sang “Gangnam Style.”

Around 11:30 pm, Psy showed up with a bottle of soju, saying, “I promised that I will not drink on the stage, but, today, I’m so happy that I feel like I should drink.” He emptied the bottle after shouting, “Korea! Hooray!”

When 11:40 pm came, he took off his shirt and danced topless to “Gangnam Style.” He once said he would dance topless if he tops the Billboard Hot 100. Even though his song remains on second place of the chart as of October 5, he performed topless as he promised.

Because of the concert, the traffic of Seoul was controlled and guided by the police authorities from 6pm to midnight. Hotels and stores located around Seoul Plaza benefited from Psy’s concert.

Seoul Plaza Hotel, which is standing right next to Seoul Plaza, was all booked by people who wanted to watch Psy’s concert in the hotel. According to the hotel, some customers asked the hotel to change their room to higher floor to enjoy the concert.”

Convenience stores around the plaza also witnessed their sales volume increase. A part-time worker at Seven Eleven said, “Thanks to Psy’s concert, the number of customers was doubled.”

Image Courtesy of  KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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Nearly 2.8 million irate blue-collar workers staged a labor strike across 24 cities in Indonesia on Wednesday to protest standard minimum wage and employers’ favoring of cheap outsourced labor – which leaves scant full-time salaried positions while offering little job security to contractors in the country.

The initial 23,000 demonstrators congregated in the greater Jakarta area, the capital city’s CBD, at 7am, and performed a sweep of nearby factories; urging more of their fellow factory-worker, for whom average monthly salary is just over $120, to take to the protest lines.

“[The] system causes huge losses to the workers,” Andi Mallanti, of the South Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesian Workers Welfare Union (SBSI), told The Jakarta Globe. “They work through a third party and [can be] fired without compensation.”

Government failure to act

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court had ruled in January against the practice of hiring contractors but enforcement of the law has yet to be instituted. Consequently, many SMEs and major factories have continued to hire workers on one-year contracts without penalty.

The government set a deadline of September 15 for reviewing outsourcing practices and revising the remuneration system; however, when the time came with none of the promised follow-up, labor unions felt a strike was justified.

“We have waited long enough for solutions but nothing has been done,” said Mudhofir, the Chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (KSBSI), who billed the protest action as “unavoidable.”

The purportedly exploited workers sought also a raise in standard minimum wage – which had only been hiked to $169 this January in Jakarta, the capital city, in response to a protest on January 27 during which thousands of workers had obstructed the Jakarta-Cikampek interstate toll road – the provision of social security and health benefits for contractors, and to oppose the policy of a 2 percent cut from their already meagre salaries for health insurance.

“Today’s strike is a warning to the government to act quickly and firmly to respond to what workers want,” union member Nining Elitos told the Agence-France Presse news agency. Protestors and labor union coordinators concur, affirming that Wednesday’s demonstration is but a warm-up act, should the government continue to feign ignorance.

“We are serious about holding strikes until the government listens to our demands. We are waiting for immediate solutions to the chronic issues,” Said Iqbal, Chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI) told The Jakarta Post.

Protest coordinators advised confining the demonstrations to the vicinity of local legislature compounds; however, the approximately 30,000-strong procession in Jakarta spilled into the compound of the national monument, Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and outside the offices of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and the Ministry of Health.

Can economic growth be a hindrance?

Minimum wage standards have not adjusted apace with Indonesia’s 6.4 percent GDP growth in 2012. The struggle to budget is only made worse by the perrenial inflation caused by a bloating of food prices impending the Islamic Ramadan period in August.

However, a workforce lacking in core competencies, such as a secondary education (50% of the labor force holds an elementary school certificate or lower, while only 5% are degree or diploma holders), are in a weak position to demand a competitive remuneration. Indonesia’s human resources capital does not, at present, lend itself to ambitious economic objectives without outsourcing or creating a huge imbalance in salaries between the educated and the uneducated.

Image Courtesy of  fulili / Shutterstock.com

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About two years ago a report by SBS, one of Korea’s top broadcasters, about a woman who went by the name of Jeon, shocked the nation.

The house of 50-year-old Jeon reminded people of a dumping ground. About 50 dogs were cramped in a small room, attacking each other because of the stress. The room was full of dog droppings and fur.

Jeon said she brought abandoned dogs to take care of them, which she did because she wanted to escape the sadness from her recent divorce. She was diagnosed as an animal hoarder. People who keep so many animals  they cannot afford them, and feel anxiety and unstable when they have to be away from their animals are called classified as hoarders.

The Korean Animal Welfare Association defines animal hoarders as people who have no ability or will  to take care of their animals, who only want to collect and keep them.

It has been two years since the report of Jeon was on the air, and many efforts have been put to save the abused animals of hoarders in Korea. However, cases of abused animals are still being reported.

On May, the Korean Alliance for prevention of Cruelty to Animals (KAPCA) rescued about 50 decrepit cats from a small flat care in Busan, the second largest city in Korea, because of malnutrition and lack of hygiene.

According to KAPCA, the owner of the cats ran out of the flat and asked KAPCA to rescue them. The owner adopted four cats at first, but then watched the number of cats grow without getting rid of them.

In March, a woman in her fifties was accused of holding onto about 30 dead bodies of cats at her home. She was reported by her neighbors, who noticed the smell. It was reported that she was a worker of Seoul city, and she brought those cats while she was working for “Trap-Neuter-Return,” or TNR.

Seoul City started TNR in 2008 in order to decrease the number of street cats in Seoul, by neutering cats and putting them back on the street.

According to the Korean Animal Welfare Association, the number of abused animals by animal hoarders is increasing in Korea. However, it is impossible to punish them just  for not feeding or cleaning their animals, because such a law does not exist.

Under Korea’s current law, only those who attack or assault animals can be punished.

The Korean government is poised to enact a law which encourages people to report the number of pets they have to the government, but since this law has no power to take animals from their owners, it seems that the number of cases of animal abuse will not easily decrease in the near future.

The head of the Korean Animal Welfare Association said, “It is the era that people should think about the quality of a companion animal’s life. People who cannot afford to have many pets should stop collecting them, and the Korean government should take strong measures to protect abused animals by animal hoarders.”

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Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has decided to make Psy’s song ‘Right Now‘ X-rated in Korea, and Korean people are expressing their displeasure.

Since ‘Right Now’ has attracted attention worldwide along with ‘Gangnam Style’, it is expected that Psy might release this song as his U.S. single by rewriting it. Psy said on September 29 via his twitter, “I heard the music video of ‘Right Now’ is getting attention on Youtube. It is a nice chance to follow up with this song!”

The song ‘Right Now’ was released in 2010, and it has attracted about 6 million viewers on Youtube with its distinctive lyrics and dance.

However, watching this music video on Youtube requires confirmation that the viewer is an adult, not only for Koreans, but also for foreigners. This is because Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has made the song X-rated, so Psy also had to open this music video only for people aged over 18.

The ministry, which was built in 2001 to protect the rights of women, teenagers, and children, made ‘Right Now’ X-rated because of a series of slang terms that were used in the song.

Regarding the ministry’s decision, the signature collection campaign by Korean Internet users is being held online, asking the ministry to withdraw its decision.

The campaign started on September 16, and as of October 1, about 1,200 people signed for this campaign.

The Internet user “ChungDoSeYou,” who led this campaign, said, “Because of the ministry’s decision, people are having trouble with watching the music video of ‘Right Now.’ I believe this song and music video have a possibility to become popular in the foreign market. Even some comments on Youtube said this song is better than Gangnam Style.”

He added, “The ministry’s decision is an outdated view which is limiting the chance to promote K-pop to people worldwide.”

This was not the first time Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been blamed for an outdated view. Since the ministry was established, many Korean songs and music videos have become X-rated for their lyrics. For example, the song ‘SulYiYa,’ which can be translated alcohol in English, by a Korean singer Jang Hye-jin, became X-rated because the song talks about alcohol, which is bad for teenagers. The song ‘Americano’ also was banned from teenagers because the song has the word cigarette in its lyrics.

The website of ministry is flooded with Korean Internet users’ frustrated comments. Surnamed Ko said, “The ministry is ruining the right to pursue people’s happiness by applying outdated standard to K-pop songs,” while surnamed Jung said, “I understand the purpose of ministry to protect teenagers from vulgar content, but in Psy’s case, I think the ministry has gone too far.”

Image Courtesy of  KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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Dog farm owners in South Korea, asking for their right to exist, have held a protest aimed at the Korean government, causing controversy among Koreans.

On September 24, about 500 members of the Korean Dog Meat Association gathered in front of the Gwacheon Government Complex and held a protest, urging the Korean government to make its stand official. A collective action by a group of dog farm owners is an unprecedented matter in Korea.

The association insisted that the dog farm owners’ right to exist is threatened because the Korean government has been showing a lukewarm attitude towards dealing with matters related to dog meat, and animal protection groups are maligning them with groundless reasons.

At the protest, some members had their hair shaved in a show of complaint, saying there exists at least 20,000 dog farms with 6 million dogs.

Moon Duk-bong, the head of the association, said during a protest, “If the Korean government makes our association an official organization, it will become easier for us to check our member farms’ sanitary facilities. Our offer has been rejected for four times by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and that’s why we are gathered here today.”

It was reported that most dog farms in Korea have poor sanitary facilities and cannot meet the standards required by the Korean Ministry of Environment.

He added. “However, we are not trying to ask the Korean government to entirely legalize breeding edible dogs.”

Under Korea’s current law, breeding edible dogs is illegal.

According to Korean newspaper, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Korea’s Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is unwilling to give the Korean Dog Meat Association an official status, due to worries about harsh public criticism.

Meanwhile, Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) showed its support of the decision of Korea’s Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. KARA also announced that if breeding an edible dog is legalized in Korea, it will ultimately threaten public health, with unknown diseases derived from poor dog farms’ sanitary situations, and dog farms should stop abusing dogs as soon as possible. KARA added that the Korean government should take a measure to get rid of breeding edible dogs in Korea step by step.

It is reported that the Korean government has no specific data about how many edible dogs are raised, or what kind of facilities dog farms have. There are no laws that can regulate dog farms or dog meat restaurants, according to KARA’s official statement.

Korean people showed different views regarding this issue.

Fifty-year-old surnamed Hwang said, “Even though it is illegal, edible dogs are still widely consumed by many people. We should take more time to think about how to deal with this issue,” while 21-year-old Shin said, “I heard many dogs are raised and killed in the worst situation. This tragedy has to be stopped as soon as possible.”

Image Courtesy of   onbangladesh

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A gun battle broke out on September 21 between armed gangsters in Thailand because of the song “Gangnam Style.”

Gangnam Style is the popular song by Korean pop singer Psy. This song is currently being appreciated by many people worldwide with its catchy melody and funny dance.

According to the Bangkok Post, two gangster groups, which have been rivaling with one another for years, fired off their guns at least 50 times at each other in downtown Bangkok on Friday.

The newspaper reported that two gangsters hold a ‘Gangnam Style’ dance contest. However, as the contest got along and the participants got excited, gang members started provoking and mocking each other, causing a volatile situation that broke into gun battle.

It is reported that some cars were damaged, but no people were injured.

Thailand has the second largest number of viewers of the Gangnam Style music video in the world, followed by the U.S., according to YouTube.

In Thailand, not only the original version of Gangnam style is enjoying popularity but also the parody versions are winning attention.

As of September 22, a parody video made by Thai YouTube user ‘tigercrychannel’ has attracted over 7,000,000 viewers, and another parody video, ‘Gangnam Style Bie The Ska’ has gotten over 3,600,000 viewers.

Meanwhile, The music video of Gangnam style has surpassed two million views on YouTube so far. The video ranked 30th in the number of viewers ranking of YouTube. It took only 70 days for Psy’s music video to land this spot.

It is expected that the music video of Psy’s Gangnam Style would attract over 500 million viewers by upcoming November at this pace, according to Korea’s newspaper etnews.

The music video of Gangnam Style attracted one hundred million viewers on YouTube only within 52 days, while it took 56 days for Justin Biber’s “Baby,” and 114 days for Beyonce’s “Single Lady.”

If the video of Gangnam Style reaches the number of 300 million viewers, it will be ranked in top 20, and when it attracts 500 million viewers, it will place its name in top 5.

Justin Biber’s “Baby” is currently on the first place of this ranking with having 780 million viewers.

Psy has just started his move in the U.S, promoting himself by being on many American shows and performing in concerts, it is expected that he would garner more viewers on YouTube and drag more people’s attention.

Gangnam Style is on the 11th spot on the Billboard and the 1st spot on iTunes Charts as of September 22.

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