24/12/2008
SEOUL (AFP) – A secret Santa who has donated more than 81 million won (62,000 dollars) since 2000 has come to a South Korean town again this year, a report said Thursday.
Staff at a residents' centre in the southwestern city of Jeonju on Tuesday found a box containing 20 million won in a parking lot after a phone tip-off from the anonymous benefactor, the Korea Times said.
"Cheer up, breadwinners," read a note.
It said the man has left donations 10 times since 2000, not always at Christmas, but has never been spotted.
Centre workers said they suspect the donor is not rich but a local resident who gives what he has managed to save each year.
"We are glad that such a warm-hearted person lives here," Park Myeong-Hee, head of the residents' centre, was quoted as saying, adding that the money would be donated to 100 local families.
Lion Kills Tiger in Jeonju Zoo
18/12/2008
If a lion and a tiger fight, which will win?
At a zoo in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, a lion did.
A male lion killed a female tiger by biting her in the neck at Jeonju Zoo around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday.
The incident occurred when the five-year-old lion, named ``Cheongi,'' fell into a trench five meters below his yard, which segregates the pen from zoo visitors, while attempting to catch a chicken that a zookeeper had thrown to him.
Right after the lion's falling, the tiger, six-year-old ``Hobi,'' who was in her pen next to Cheongi's, jumped into the trench. ``Hobi, excited while watching it, jumped down to the trench. She made a poor landing, then Cheongi attacked her, bit a fatal spot, and killed her,'' the zookeeper said.
The lion and the tiger were similar in length, but the former was heavier by about 20 kilograms, weighing 110 kilograms. Hobi, a Siberian tiger, was moved to the zoo in 2006.
``It is rare that a tiger and a lion fight. The lion seems to have thought the tiger invaded his territory and attacked her,'' the zookeeper said. He said that the outcome of fight between a lion and a tiger depends on which gets a head start and which is more aggressive, adding that neither animal is always superior to the other.
The zoo plans to donate the body of the tiger to Chonbuk National University.
Gas Prices in Jeonju
24/7/2008
3 price increases are planned by korean gas companies between now and Christmas, seeing prices rise by a staggering 40% by the end of December. Time to start saving for those extra winter warmers!
Deadly Intent
11/07/2008
A Jeonju teen (and a few friends) tricked a much younger elementary school student into letting him into his house. Once inside, they looted the house, (only finding W350,000 in cash.) They then preceded to lock the boy and his little brother in a closet using coathangers through the doorhandles, following this they torched the house! Thankfully, the two boys were able to kick through the closet doors and make it out to safety
Killer Heat
10/07/2008
A local Jeonju farmer (50) was found dead in his barn of heat complications on Wednesday morning and another (93) in the same afternoon. There have been a handful of heat related deaths reported the last few days all over the country. The mini heatwave has seen demand on the national electricity grid skyrocket as almost everyone is cranking their air con up to the max.
South Korean woman shot dead on beach in North Korea, SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) 9 / 7 / 2008 -- A North Korean soldier on Friday shot and killed a South Korean woman at Mt. Keumgang, a popular mountain resort in the communist nation, a government official in the South said.
The 53-year-old woman was shot around 5:30 a.m., according to Kim Ho-nyun, a South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman.
"South Korea deeply regrets that such an incident has happened," Kim said.
The body has been taken to a hospital in the South.
The woman was believed to have been on a walk and went beyond the resort's boundaries when the North Korean soldiers were ordered to shoot, North Korean authorities said, according to Hyundai Asan, the South Korean tour company that books the trips.
The tours to the North have been suspended for the time being.
The resort is part of a tightly controlled and well-marked area along the east coast of the Korean peninsula and one of only two areas South Korean tourists are allowed to travel to in the North.
The South Korean government will conduct a full investigation into the incident and the North Korean authorities are expected to cooperate fully, according to Kim.
The incident occurred on the day South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed reopening stalled reconciliation talks with North Korea.
10/6/2008 Armoured coaches surround protestors in Jeonju, South Korea.
At least six armoured buses packed with Korean police officers in full riot gear surrounded protesters of the American beef imports issue last Wednesday. The protesters had gathered in the downtown area of Jeonju between oh gori (five roads) and Gaeksa house. There were some small fires and shouting from the crowd but no clashes with the officers. The majority of the protesters had left the scene by 10.40 pm. This follows weeks of protests, mostly peaceful, in the capital Seoul following President Lees' refusal to completely ban beef imports from America. Presidents Lees approval rating has plummeted since his election with many South Koreans now asking for him to be removed from office.
