On Saturday, as the temperature hit an afternoon high of 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), an apartment complex in Bundang, Gyeonggi, was on the brink of reaching its maximum power capacity. An announcement came from the management office at 3 p.m. asking residents to “please turn down the air conditioner since we are experiencing high electricity consumption.” The same notice was sent again at 9 p.m., as the area was experiencing a tropical night low of 27 degrees Celsius. Residents were reasonably perplexed by the request, since they knew the nation as a whole was not suffering from any kind of power shortage, as it has in summers past. “I don’t understand why the electricity is running out during the first week of August, which is when large-size factories are all taking breaks,” said a 59-year-old man surnamed Kim, who is living in the complex that asked its residents to turn down the power. 

It turns out the problem in Kim’s complex was not the energy supply but the transformer in his building delivering the power. With Korea’s automobile and shipbuilding factories on vacation since the first week of August, the electricity supply in the country should be enough to cover at least 113.5 percent of total electricity consumption across the nation, according to the Korea Power Exchange on Saturday. Despite the ample supply, old buildings, especially in Bundang, where many apartments were built in the 1980s and ‘90s, are ill-equipped to handle the large demand for electricity. “This is why we have no other option but to ask our residents to turn down the air conditioning at least during peak hours,” said a manager at the complex. That particular building in Bundang was built in 1993, and the transformer dates back to the same year. There are currently 800 households living in the apartment complex. “It cost about 20 million won [$18,000] to buy a new transformer that can handle consumption for 1,000 households, and they would have to pay installation fees on top of it,” said a businessman who sells used distribution transformers. “Apartment management offices just have a hard time asking their residents to pay extra fees.” 

Transformers pull down the 22,900-volt electricity provided by the Korea Electric Power Corporation to 220 volts, the level used by residential consumers. Single houses usually have transformers installed on electric poles nearby, while apartment buildings often have them in the basement. The transformer can be blown out if electricity use is higher than what the unit can handle. Indeed, the largest cause of power outages in the country, according to the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, is overheated transformers. Many of the apartment buildings in suburban towns such as Ilsan in northern Gyeonggi and Bundang in southern Gyeonggi were constructed during a building boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and most contain transformers that can manage 1 kilowatt an hour per household. Since then, electricity consumption has risen significantly, and most newly-built apartment buildings are equipped with transformers that can handle 3 kilowatts an hour per household. But many of the old buildings still retain the lower-capacity transformers, and this has led to a large number of power outages. They have especially become a menace this summer, as the country is experiencing abnormally hot weather. There were three power outages in apartment complexes in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Thursday alone. A complex in Hwajeong-dong with 1,500 households and one in Haengsin-dong with 1,800 households, both located in Goyang, experienced power outages at around 10 p.m. Another building in Wonheung-dong with 400 households saw an outage at around 10 p.m. as well. 

One of the problems is that there are no specific regulations or laws to manage safety issues for transformers. While it is mandatory for building managers to inspect and report accidents related to gas lines, there are no such rules for transformers. As a result, no one knows exactly how many power outages or problems occur due to blown-out transformers. “Transformers used for more than 20 years can’t be fixed or improved, and the only way to solve the problem is to replace them with new ones,” said Lim Jong-min, a director at the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation. “Apartment residents should care more about transformers rather than just focusing on how the new paint job on their apartment building will look.”

駅(えき)の前(まえ)で会(あ)おう: 역 앞에서 만나자

駅(えき)の喫茶店(きっさてん)で待(ま)ってる: 역 카페에서 기다리고 있어

どの駅(えき)で降(お)りますか?: 어느 역에서 내려요?

Standard and Poor’s (S&P), one of the world’s top credit ratings agencies, upgraded Korea’s sovereign credit rating to a record high of AA from AA- Monday. AA is the third highest credit rating and Korea now ranks with Great Britain, France and Belgium. There are only six regions that are ranked higher than Korea: Germany, Canada, Australia, the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong. “Korea’s superior track record of steady economic growth has generated a prosperous economy, greater fiscal and monetary flexibility, and continual improvements in external metrics,” S&P said in a press release on Monday. “The stable outlook on the long-term rating reflects our expectations that geopolitical risk on the Korean peninsula will not escalate beyond what we have observed since the last North Korean leadership transition in 2011.” 

This is the second time in 10 months that the credit ratings agency upgraded Korea’s rating. In September, S&P raised Korea’s rating by one notch from A+ to AA-. S&P’s ratings for Korea started off with A+ in 1988 but fell to B+ in December 1997, when Korea was hit by the Asian financial crisis. Since then, or over 18 years, Korea’s rating has risen by 11 notches. “It is very meaningful that S&P upgraded Korea’s rating even though the agency has been downgrading both developed and emerging countries around the world,” said Choi Jin-young, a director at Ministry of Strategy and Finance. “We are also widening the gap with neighboring China and Japan.” In fact, China received an AA- rating in March, and Japan received A+ last September, or two grades lower than Korea’s current rating. The Finance Ministry said it was exceptional for S&P to raise the credit rating without changing its outlook on economic growth for Korea beforehand. S&P expressed positive views on the Korean economy in general in its press release. 

“We project Korea’s average GDP per capita to rise above $30,000 in 2019, from approximately $27,000 in 2016,” the agency said. “We estimate the trend rate of real per capita GDP growth at 2.6 percent, higher than the typical 0.3 percent to 1.5 percent range we observe in most high-income countries.” The ratings agency also expressed concerns about Korea’s future economic situation but said the negative factors that Korea faces would have limited impacts on the agency’s ratings at least for two years. “The chief weaknesses in Korea’s credit fundamentals remain contingent liabilities and geopolitical risks,” S&P added. Last December, Moody’s gave Korea ranking of Aa2, which is equivalent to S&P’s AA. Fitch is the only major credit ratings agency that gives Korea an AA- grade.

複雑(ふくざつ)な気持(きも)ち: 복잡한 마음

この問題(もんだい)は複雑(ふくざつ)だ: 이 문제는 복잡해

複雑(ふくざつ)な関係(かんけい): 복잡한 관계

One of the most recommended diets for weight loss is a low-carbohydrate diet. It is a diet that restricts carbohydrates, such as those found in sugary food, pasta, and bread. This diet is high in protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Many studies have already shown that it can cause weight loss and give health benefits. 

First, a low-carb diet improves blood sugar levels. Many studies have shown that it reduces fasting glucose and haemoglobin levels which are crucial for people who have metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and pre-diabetes. 

Second, a low-carb diet improves blood pressure and triglyceride levels significantly which are known as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. To be specific, studies indicate that it lowers blood pressure in obese or overweight individuals who are the ones at most risk of having heart diseases.

Third, in a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, they found that apart from test subjects showing improvement in insulin sensitivity and triglyceride levels, subjects have also reduced more weight in six months on a low-carb diet than in any other restrictive diet. 

Another type of diet that is often pitted against the low-carb diet is the low-fat diet which restricts the intake of fat especially saturated fat and cholesterol. Recommended types of food for a person who goes on a low-fat diet are plenty of vegetables and moderate amounts of lean meat, dairy products, cholesterol, and carbs. This type of diet also has many benefits.

First, a low-fat diet can help people especially those with heart diseases and obesity. The calories cut from eliminating fat from a person’s diet helps in weight loss. To explain further, fat has nine calories per gram while carbohydrates and protein each has four calories per gram. This means that people on a low-fat diet can eat larger portions of food and not feel starved. 

Second, a low-fat diet helps prevent heart diseases. Decreasing fat intake from 35-40 percent to 15-20 percent and decreasing LDL cholesterol by 10 to 20 percent have been proven to decrease total cholesterol by 10 to 20 percent mostly due to the reduction of saturated fat. 

Lastly, apart from reducing heart diseases, low-fat food tends to be high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. These are all essential in fighting other types of diseases such as cancer.

No team in the Olympics could have asked for a better start than Team Korea, whose football squad annihilated its Fiji counterpart 8-0 in its first preliminary match today in the 2016 Summer Games in Salvador, Brazil. Ryu Seung-woo quickly gained a reputation as the team’s next ace with a hat trick, while his teammate Kwon Chang-hoon and wild card Suk Hyun-jun each had two goals to lift Korea over Fiji. Son Heung-min, a wild card from Tottenham Hotspur, also scored one for Korea. 

Korea had kept its momentum throughout the entire match against the South Pacific national team, dominating in ball possession and consistently penetrating into the opposing side. Korean young talents such as Ryu, Kwon and Moon Chang-jin led Korea’s offense, while team captain Jang Hyun-soo led the team from the midfield with meticulous passes and ball control. The Korean squad pressured their opponents especially with their passes from either flank. As a matter of fact, it was from one of these side passes that Korea’s opening goal came in the 31st minute. After missing two perfect opportunities to score in the 30th minute of the match, Ryu trapped the pass from the right side with his chest and drilled in a diving shot off his left foot. Ryu’s shot left the Fiji goalie Simione Tamanisau dumbfounded and shook the left side of the net. 

Kwon added a goal with a turning shot off his left foot in the 16th minute, only to quickly add another less than a minute later in the 17th minute, assisted by Ryu. Ryu then tallied the fourth goal for the Korean squad less than a minute later when he drove a shot from the left corner of Fiji’s penalty box. Wild card Son netted the fifth goal for Korea in the 26th minute off a spot kick. Suk extended the lead to 7-0 by nailing a shot off his left foot in the 32nd minute and again in the 89th minute. Ryu, whose plays throughout the match left spectators in awe, had his third and final goal of the match during the injury time. With Son and Suk Hyun-jun stepping onto the pitch in the second half, all three wild cards of the team saw some playing time and were able to loosen up before the next match against Germany, which is slated for August 7. Elsewhere in Group C, in which Korea and Fiji are competing, Germany and reigning gold medalist Mexico were tied 2-2, giving Korea an early lead in the group rankings. 

By netting eight goals while conceding none to Fiji, Korea has boosted its chances to enter the quarterfinals. When two teams are tied in match records after the preliminary stage, the goal difference between the two teams determines who will move to the next stage. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the knockout stage.

残念(ざんねん)ですね…: 유감이네요…

残念(ざんねん)ながら、二人(ふたり)付(つ)き合(あ)ってるらしい: 안타깝지만, 두 사람 사귀는 것 같아

残念(ざんねん)に思(おも)ってる: 안타깝게 생각하고 있어

A soundtrack is music that is synchronized to and accompanies the images of motion pictures, TV programs, books, or video games. They can be recorded music for motion pictures such as “Titanic,” “Moulin Rouge!,” and “Star Wars” and TV programs such as “Game of Thrones.” However, soundtracks are independent works despite being intended for motion pictures and TV programs. 

A soundtrack can also be music specifically written for a book like in the case of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works namely “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” and Steve Perry’s Star Wars novel called “Shadows of the Empire.” It can also be music written for video games such as “Final Fantasy.” Finally, it can also be music arranged for theme parks, cruise ships, and special events. 

Despite the many uses of soundtracks, the term loosely refers to the music used in a movie, TV show or a commercial album inspired by them. Some songs that are not in the movie can also be part of a soundtrack. 

Behind the soundtracks are musical supervisors. Music supervision is considered one of the most coveted jobs by people who have passion for music. Musical supervisors have the gift of matching songs with images. They usually help directors choose the suitable music according to the directors’ vision as well as the mood that scenes intend to convey. Moreover, music selected for a particular work can be copyrighted works of art. Apart from being an expert in the creative process, musical supervisors also need to know the legal processes that come with music selection.

Soundtracks are very crucial to the success of motion pictures and TV programs. A common moviegoer may not appreciate the work that has been put into soundtracks. However, watching movies or TV shows is not just a visual experience. Rather, it is an experience for the senses. 

Soundtracks give movies and TV programs their individual identities. They also help set the mood of the story, convey emotions effectively, round up the atmosphere of a scene, and make scenes more dramatic. With all these mentioned, soundtracks and sound effects are as important as actors and actresses, visual effects, cinematography, and screenplay. Without them, movies and series are just like black and white pictures — dragging and lifeless.

昨日(きのう)は残業(ざんぎょう)だった: 어제는 야근이었어

残業(ざんぎょう)しないように!: 야근하지 않도록!

夜遅(よるおそ)くまで残業(ざんぎょう)です: 밤늦게까지 야근이에요

Korea banned the sale of 80 models of cars produced by the Volkswagen group including the Golf, the Polo, the Beetle and the Bentley because emissions and noise tests were falsified. It also revoked the certification of an additional 83,000 vehicles sold by Audi Volkswagen Korea. Owners of those cars can continue to drive them but will have trouble reselling them. 

This brings the total number of cars with revoked certifications to 209,000: 68 percent of the 307,000 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles sold in Korea since 2007 and 97 percent of Audi and Volkswagen vehicles sold in the first half of this year. “It is against the law to gain vehicle certification through fabrication and lies,” the Environment Ministry said in its press release Tuesday. The company was fined 17.8 billion won ($16 million). Last year, the company was fined 14.1 billion won for its so-called defeat device scandal. The 83,000 cars were sold between 2009 and July 25 this year. The Environment Ministry revoked certifications from 126,000 cars of Audi Volkswagen Korea last November after its defeat device scandal. Critics said the company should have been fined more. 

An amendment to the Clean Air Conservation Act that went into effect last Thursday increased the maximum amount of fine per vehicle type from 1 billion won to 10 billion won. With this change, the Environment Ministry could have fined the company 68 billion won. But Audi Volkswagen Korea announced July 21 its decision to suspend sales of models under scrutiny by the ministry - before the amendment came into effect. “Two legal institutes advised the ministry that it is legally unsound to apply the changed regulation on the company since it suspended sales of the models under question before the amendment,” the Environment Ministry said in its press release. “Thus the ministry applied the former regulation on fines, which limits them to 1 billion won per vehicle type.” In a hearing on July 25, Audi Volkswagen Korea reportedly admitted to manipulating the noise and emissions tests, but said that the models in question do meet the noise and emissions standards, and argued that their certifications should not be cancelled. “We regret that the Ministry of Environment has imposed the strictest sanction in revoking our vehicle certifications,’’ the company said in its press release. “We are closely reviewing the ministry’s decision and considering all available options in deciding how to move forward.” 

Some analysts called the ministry’s move a de facto closing down of Audi Volkswagen in Korea. “If Audi Volkswagen Korea submits new certification applications to the Environment Ministry for the models in question,” said the ministry, “then the ministry will be sure to conduct actual noise and emissions tests on the vehicles and, if needed, will visit Volkswagen AG headquarters in Germany to conduct thorough tests.” It added, “Should Audi Volkswagen Korea decide to file a suspension of execution and resume selling the models under question, the ministry can still win the case in an administrative litigation and apply the new 10 billion won fine to the company’s new sales.” The ministry said owners of suspended cars will not be affected by the certification revocation. “The ministry’s decision only affects Audi Volkswagen Korea, and not the customers who bought the cars,” the ministry said in its press release. “Owners of the vehicles face no restriction in owning and selling their cars.”