monday. on the first day of audits, lawmakers from both the ruling grand national party and the main opposition democratic party grilled officials from the ministry of knowledge economy over last week's temporary blackout that affected large parts of the country. legislators of the knowledge economy committee said the blackout revealed just how badly the nation's electricity supply system has been managed... and called on the knowledge economy minister choi joong-kyung to resign immediately. at the foreign affairs, trade and unification committee, issues regarding the korea-us free trade agreement bill took center-stage... as the gnp sought to ratify it swiftly whereas the dp continued to urge the government to renegotiate parts of the pact with washington. lawmakers also called on the foreign affairs ministry to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming inter-korean nuclear talks set to take place on wednesday in beijing,... where south korean envoy wi sung -lac and north korean vice foreign minister ri yong-ho will meet and discuss setting out details for the north's denuclearization. and over at the national defense committee, defense minister kim kwan-jin was questioned about the existing missile whh a a a a a a a a a a a a a a revising the agreement are currently in progress. according to kim, the south korean government is negotiating with washington to extend the range of south korean missiles so that they could reach any missile base in the north. the accord currently limits south korean ballistic missiles to 300 kilometers in range and 500 kilograms in payload weight. laah hyun-kyung, arirang news. the frequency of submarine exercises conducted by north korea increased significantly this year... especially between june and august. but, south korean lawmaker shin hak- yong says,... the south korean navy finds it difficult... to detect and destroy them. arirang's kim han-ul reports. while the frequency of north korea's submarine and semi-submersible exercises increased this year... reports show south korean patrol ships ability to detect them was poor. national defense committee lawmaker shin hak-yong said on monday, that north korea conducted submarine exercises twice from january to august 2008, and held drills five times during the same period in 2009. however in 2010, that number rose to 28... and this year it has soared to 50. the drills were most highly concentrated between june and august in the west sea... and the number of drills conducted more than doubled compared to the same period last year. moreover this month is the start of the crab fishing season, when north korean and chinese fishing boats frequently appear near the northern limit line... which opens up room for scuffles as north korean ships try to chase chinese boats away. meanwhile, shin claims the south korean navy's vessels that are supposed to detect and destroy these north korean submarines are old and outdated. he said the reports from 2010 and 2011 show certain south korean patrol ships and frigates recorded detection rates of less than 30 percent... but a navy official says this is not an accurate representation since detection levels change all the time because of the varying conditions of the sea. kim han-ul, arirang news. south korea's new unification minister says... he will work for active dialogue with north korea,... but stand by the current policy of balancing a hardline stance and flexibility. choi you-sun has the details. south korea's new minister in charge of inter-korean affairs says seoul plans to expand dialogue with pyeongyang in order to peacefully diffuse tensions on the korean peninsula that heightened in the aftermath of north korea's military and nuclear provocations last year. during his inagural ceremony on monday, newly appointed unification minister yu woo-ik stated that the korean constitution aims for a peaceful unification of the two koreas...and that autonomous efforts, mutual trust, respect, reconciliation and cooperation are the key factors to achieve that goal. yu added that south korea and its allies are urging the north to show its seriousness on denuclearization and take responsibility for the recent military provocations, so that seoul and pyeongyang can rebuild their mutual trust and make progress in inter- korean relations. however, the minister stressed that the government does not plan to drastically shift away from its current north korea policies. korean "the unification ministry will be consistent in maintaining the government's policy direction and principle. we will seek a balance in establishing conditions for dialogue and resolving outstanding issues in a resolute manner while also exercising flexibility." yu addressed ministry employees by calling unification the biggest pending issue on the korean peninsula, then proposed the ministry should become more goal-oriented, practical, creative, active and dedicated in achieving that task. korean "instead of declaring the "what and hows," we will demonstrate our volition for unification through action and expand promotion both inside and outside the borders. we will listen to the public's expectations and consult with neighboring countries." as for his outlook on inter-korean ties, minister yu told reporters that north korea policies often do not immediately generate a tangible outcome, emphasizing that more time and patience are needed before some progress can be observed. choi you-sun, arirang the south korean government will allow a group of religious leaders and representatives to visit north korea this week. the unification ministry says... delegates from the korean conference on religion and peace... will leave for pyeongyang on wednesday at the invitation of their north korean counterparts. the delegation representing seven south korean religious groups... is scheduled to meet the north koreans on thursday. and on friday,... a joint service will be held at mount baekdu,... before they return to seoul the next day. the rare visit was approved in recognition of the religious community's contribution to inter- korean exchanges... and its desire for peace in the region. observers speculate that the group could have a chance to meet with north korean leader kim jong-il. north korea's top nuclear negotiator ri yong-ho has reiterated pyeongyang's willingness... to unconditionally return to the six-party nuclear roundtable. in beijing,... just two days ahead of the second inter-korean denuclearization talks in two months,... the north korean vice foreign minister indicated that... attaching a precondition to dialogue would hurt and damage mutual trust and faith. however, seoul has announced that it will demand a set of pre- engagement actions from pyeongyang this week,... including a suspension of the north's uranium enrichment program and allowing international inspectors back into its nuclear facilities. meanwhile,... ri revealed that the north has recently suggested to washington a followup meeting to the one held in new york in july. moving on,... president lee myung- bak announced that the government has decided to foster the stem cell industry as a core new growth engine. this,... by investing around 90 million us dollars... in stem cell- related research next year. our yoo ji-hae tells us more. president lee myung-bak says korea will invest heavily in stem cell research next year... and take other steps to develop the industry as a "new growth engine" for the country's economy. during his biweekly radio address on monday morning... president lee said that the government will pump nearly 100 billion won... or roughly 90 million us dollars into stem cell-related research next year. the high-value-added industry is viewed as rewarding and significant... as it can give hope to those who are diagnosed with rare and intractable diseases... such as diabetes, alzheimer's disease and pakinson's disease. korea's stem cell research took the lead in the world along with the united states just a decade ago... but faltered... following an incident involving korea's cloning expert hwang woo-suk... who falsely claimed to have created the world's first patient-specific embryonic stem cells in 2005. to overcome such a downfall... president lee said that the government will establish a system compatible with international standards... in an effort to facilitate clinical and licensing procedures...and rectify policies that impede commercialization of stem cell-related research developments. he also pledged legal and institutional support in order to help scientists and researchers keep up the good work... as well as establishment of a "national stem cell bank" that will be used to produce, preserve and supply stem cells to researchers in the country. stand-up "president lee's statement comes following his call on his cabinet last friday to swiftly handle the funding issue of stem cell research... and on scientists and researchers to pioneer more on this field. " yoo ji-hae, arirang news. meanwhile,... president lee myung- bak is set to leave for new york tuesday... to attend the united nations general assembly and other events. upon his arrival on wednesday, korea time... president lee will receive the world statesman award presented by the appeal of conscience foundation... for his contribution to world peace, democracy and human rights. he will also make an official visit to the un headquarters... and deliver a keynote speech at the 66th un general assembly. on thursday... president lee is to make another keynote speech at a high-level nuclear safety meeting... aimed at discussing measures to ensure nuclear safety... and elaborating on the significance... of the upcoming 2012 nuclear security summit slated to be held in seoul. after wrapping up his new york trip... the korean leader will visit seattle to meet with korean residents there... before arriving samsung electronics' laptop computers have been winning excellent consumer reviews in the united states. consumer reports... a monthly magazine published by the us consumers union... has selected samsung's qx411 model and a computer made by hewlett packard as the best 14 -inch laptops on the us market. the samsung model tied with hp's envy 14 for first... while lenovo's thinkpad edge e420, hp's pavilion dv4t, and dell's inspiron 14r ranked lower. this is the second time that samsung computers have been recognized by the magazine after its sens series 9 was named the best 13-inch mini- computer in june beating apple's macbook air. prosecutors have demanded four years in prison and 940 million won in fines for former prime minister han myeong-sook... over charges she illegally accepted political donations from a businessman back in 2007. at a seoul central district court hearing on monday,... prosecutors said... han man-ho, the president of the now-bankrupt hansin construction,... testified credibly that he gave the former p-m more than 900 million won, or about 800- thousand us dollars. the prosecution also said han myeong- sook's alleged attempt to cover up her wrongdoing was an extremely serious offense. however,... the former prime minister reiterated her innocence... saying she has never taken money from the businessman. with just over a month until seoul elects a new mayor, lawyer-turned civic activist park won- soon still leads in the polls. however, the strongest contender from the ruling grand national party, na kyung-won , is catching up fast. kim nari reports. in the latest polls ahead of next month's seoul mayoral election... lawyer- turned-civic activist park won-soon continues to be the frontrunner... but ruling grand national party lawmaker na kyung- won is catching up fast. according to a survey of 500 seoul residents conducted last saturday by the korea society opinion institute... park, who is not yet affiliated with any party, garnered the most support among the eight candidates with 28-point 4 percent. na... as the strongest contender from the ruling gnp... recorded 25-point 9 percent. the poll also showed that park would currently garner 48-point 2 percent of the votes in a straight run off against na... who would receive 46- point 8 percent... as the gap between the two continues to tighten. 08 na's popularity has picked up dramatically over the past two weeks. a similar survey conducted on september 7th by pollster media research... showed that 51 percent of the respondents would pick park over na with 32-point 5 percent. and on 13th... the results changed to 46- point 5 percent for park... and 36-point 2 percent for na. the mayoral race for the capital's top post burst into life when former mayor oh se-hoon resigned in august over a failed referendum on the free school lunch program. the election date is set for october 26. kim nari, arirang us president barack obama was expected to lay out his so-called "buffett tax" plan,... to congress on monday,... as part of efforts to cut the country's budget deficit. the plan, which will raise taxes on the wealthiest americans, has already been labeled by republicans as... "class warfare." song ji-sun reports. president barack obama is set to propose the "buffett tax" plan... which fixes a minimum tax rate on people making more than 1 million us dollars a year... as part of his deficit recommendations to congress on monday. lawmakers debated the plan sunday... with republicans criticizing the proposal... saying it is "going in the wrong direction." paul ryan,... chairman of the house of representatives budget committee said the proposal would limit growth and hurt corporate investment in an already stagnate economy. english "class warfare may make for really good politics but it makes a rotten economics. we don't need a system to divide people." on the other hand, democrats supported the idea as it will affect less than half a percent of all americans,... and it will close the loopholes in the tax code... as asserted by investor warren buffett. english "well, certainly on those who are wealthy and comfortable and wouldn't even notice it, yes." meanwhile, former president bill clinton backed obama's proposal as well as his job plan,... saying that he's doing it the right way. english "they can put about two percent more on the gdp growth of the coming year, and they could drop unemployment by somewhere between one to two million." obama's plan is also expected to appeal to his democratic base ahead of next year's presidential election... but the revenue may not be enough to meet the deficit savings. the supercommittee of the congress is targeting at least 1- point-2 trillion dollars in deficit savings before the end of this year. song ji-sun, arirang news. an australian economist says his country should capitalize on its attractiveness to immigrants by auctioning off permanent residence visas. stephen kirchner, a research fellow at the centre for international studies, published a report monday,... that advocates selling visas to bring in talented foreigners... and raise money. he says the plan would fill the nation's skills gaps... arguing that immigration quotas have led to labor imbalances. kirchner says,... in the long run, the ideas and innovations brought in by the new immigrants would boost australians' living standards. in yemen,... the brutal crackdown carried out by government forces since sunday... killed nearly 50 people and left hundreds of people injured. it was one of the most violent crackdowns... that yemen has witnessed in months. park ji-won reports. nearly 50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in a brutal crackdown carried out by the yemeni government troops in the capital sanaa on sunday and monday. according to various media reports,... tens of thousands of protestors were marching peacefully ... calling on president ali abdullah saleh to step down... when government forces began to fire machine guns on them. arab "they opened fire on him. he didn't do anything, he didn't have anything in his hand. he was peaceful! he was shot for no reason." arab "we were on the march walking in a peaceful manner. we got to around the al ga'a, and suddenly a vehicle of the central security force appeared, and opened fire with a water cannon, spraying us, then they just started shooting us from everywhere." the deadly crackdown comes at a time when negotiations for a peaceful transfer of power in yemen have been stalemated for months. meanwhile, a un envoy to yemen and the gulf cooperation council chief arrived in sanaa on monday... in order to suggest the signing of a un roadmap...that stipulates yemen's peaceful power transfer deal. park ji-won, arirang news. libya's interim government forces failed to take bani walid,... one of the strongest remaining strongholds... of former leader moammar gadhafi, on sunday. the national transitional council's fighters were forced to pull back from the bastion,... as gadhafi loyalists fiercely resisted with heavy gun firing. another stronghold, sirte,... the hometown of the former leader and still occupied by pro-gadhafi forces,... is being besieged by ntc fighters. meanwhile, the interim government has delayed its announcement of the new cabinet lineup,... originally scheduled to take place on sunday. interim prime minister mahmoud jibril said... the naming of the new cabinet has been put off indefinitely,... as ntc officials did not agree on whether it was necessary to declare a new government before fully defeating the pro -gadhafi strongholds. a 6-point-9- magnitude earthquake has rattled northeastern india and nepal... killing at least 19 people. the quake struck at around 6 p.m sunday night, local time,... and was felt across northern and eastern india, including in the capital of new delhi. it was followed by at least two powerful aftershocks... and experts warn... that there may be more aftershocks in the next couple of days. indian officials say at least 14 people were killed and scores were injured across india...while nepal reports that five people died and dozens were hurt. however, the full extent of the damage is not yet known. china is becoming more aggressive over its claims in the south china sea which holds vast amounts of oil and natural gas. the claims have set off disputes with the philippines, vietnam, malaysia, taiwan and brunei, which also border the contested waters. kim yeon-ji explains. conflicting territorial claims over the south china sea by a host of sovereign states have fueled fresh tension in the region. the south china sea is a body of water rich in resources south of mainland china, west of the philippines, east of vietnam, and north of malaysia, brunei and indonesia. claiming its indisputable sovereignty over virtually the whole sea, china recently objected to an indian company carrying out an oil and natural gas exploration in the contested waters. mandarin "regarding the exploration of oil and gas resources in relevant waters, our stance has been consistent. that is, we oppose any country exploring oil and gas in waters under china's sovereign right." although the chinese spokeswoman was adamant that the indian company had encroached into china's territory, india's hindustan times said that the area belonged to india's ally, vietnam. and on the same day of china's warning, the external affairs minister of india left for hanoi to attend the 14th india-vietnam joint commission meeting... which analysts said was geared towards strengthening bilateral ties to counter the glowing clout of china in the region. another stakeholder in the territorial dispute is the philippines, and president benigno aquino is calling for a regional settlement. english "so there are a lot of claimants to the disputed areas, so for it to be binding, it has to be a multilateral basis." the washington post says the south china sea dispute is driven by china's insatiable thirst for energy... needed for the country's further growth. although estimates vary widel