No one could have asked for more dramatic ending to the matchup featuring one of the most intense rivalries in Korean professional football. In Saturday’s Korean FA Cup final showdown between K-League Classic’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings and FC Seoul, regulation and extra time weren’t enough to settle the score. But by the end of the penalty shootout, it was the Bluewings that came out smiling while Seoul were left to hang dry. During the match on Saturday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul topped Suwon 2-1, making this year’s final, which is played as a two-leg series, a tie at 3-3 on aggregate. Although away goals play as a tie breaker, the two were in a draw in that regard as well, having scored one away goal each. 

The only way to settle the championship was through a penalty shootout. The shootout was quite a spectacle, with no player failing to find the back of the net, until the very last spot kick of the day. Both had successfully drained nine shots and Seoul’s goalkeeper Yu Sang-hun went to the line to take his shot - the 10th and last shot for the team. With the pressure mounting, the goalie hit the ball hard but missed the goal, going wide above the cross bar. It was now Suwon keeper Yang Hyun-mo’s turn to take a crack at ending the three-hour long match. With Seoul’s Yu in front of the goal ready to make up for his mistake just a minute earlier, Yang calmly approached the ball and sent it to the right corner of the post. Yu misread the direction and jumped to the opposite direction, watching helplessly as the ball shook the back of the net. That was the end for K-League Classic champs Seoul, who had been looking to clinch a double-crown this year by also winning the FA Cup. 

After the match, Hwang Sun-hong, the skipper of Seoul, expressed his disappointment and said, “We experienced difficulty trying to put pressure on the ball.” “But I think our players did their best until the end,” he added. “I think we have some work to do and in terms of quality, we will have to make some decisions to increase our competitiveness.” “I’ve been telling the players about keeping their cool,” Hwang went on. “And I think we got a little bit too excited in decisive moments. We will have to fix this in time. We just ran out of gas at the end” As for Suwon, this is their first FA Cup title in six years. While Suwon had a rather disappointing season this year, finishing seventh in the Classic, and being ousted from the Asian Champions League just after the Group Stage, the FA Cup is a bright spot for Seo Jung-won, Suwon’s manager. In fact, the skipper became the second person in Korean professional football history to capture an FA Cup trophy as a player as well as a coach. As the winner of the Korean FA Cup, Suwon has also gained berth to next year’s ACL. 

“[After the struggle in the league] we’ve discussed about overcoming the crisis and finishing the year well and I think we were able to live up to that decision,” Seo said. “And it feels better to win the cup as a manager than as a player.”

穴(あな)を覗(のぞ)く。: 구멍을 엿보다.

ちょっと覗(のぞ)いてみる。: 잠깐 들여다보다.

大人(おとな)の世界(せかい)を覗(のぞ)く。: 어른의 세계를 엿보다.

Public institutions will hire the largest number of employees next year, which the government hopes will ease the high youth unemployment rate in Korea. Some 300 public institutions will hire a total of 19,862 new employees next year, up 7.3 percent from the 18,518 they plan to hire this year, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Monday. As of the third quarter, public institutions hired 14,790, or nearly 80 percent of the goal they have set for this year, and the Finance Ministry added that they will be able to meet its target. 

Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP) are among the public institutions that will hire next year. Kepco will hire the most employees, or 1,271. “The labor market for youth continues to be sluggish and the youth unemployment rate is two times bigger than the overall unemployment rate,” said Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho at a job fair that the government hosted at COEX, in southern Seoul, on Monday. “The government will have the public institutions hire nearly 20,000 new employees next year to reduce burdens for young job seekers. We will give full support to young Koreans as we believe they are the future [of the country].” 

Finance Minister Yoo emphasized that the state-run organizations created more jobs for young people since all institutions have adopted the peak wage system. The system has been well received and has been proposed by many labor specialists, who say it could give more room for companies to hire young people by cutting costs of high-paid executives or managers. “The number of new job offers by energy and health-care sectors rose compared to the past,” said Kim Un-sung, a director at the Finance Ministry. The National Health Insurance Service will hire the second most employees next year, or 1,050, Seoul National University Hospital will hire 873 and KHNP will hire 661. A total of 298 state-run organizations will begin recruiting at the start of next year, but the government has noted that the number of employees that will be hired is subject to change. 

The government hosted its seventh annual job fair event, where recruiters from some 120 public institutions and 20,000 job seekers participated on Monday and Tuesday at COEX in eastern Seoul. The overall unemployment rate in October rose 0.3 percentage points from the previous year to 3.4 percent. During the same period, the youth unemployment rate, or the number of jobless ages 15 to 29, rose 1.1 percentage points to 8.5 percent.

雑草(ざっそう)を除(のぞ)く。: 잡초를 제거하다.

不安(ふあん)を除(のぞ)く。: 불안을 없애다.

障害(しょうがい)を除(のぞ)いてください。: 방해되는 것을 제거해 주세요.

China and the United States are considered rivals when it comes to talks about superpower showdowns of the world’s leading superpowers. However, the recent economic growth of India has prompted talks about it becoming a world superpower that can possibly surpass China’s status in Asia. People have their own speculations about this. Some people agree while others do not.

Believers say that many predictions have been made about the possibility that India may take over China as the fastest-growing major economy in Asia. India has experienced a rapid economic growth. In fact, it has even overtaken the Japanese economy. India’s booming economy can be credited to progress in different sectors such as tourism, energy, and food processing and production.

Also, India’s IT industry has been expanding over the years. It is even considered one of the best in the world, making India a technology superpower. The fact that the IT industry has many competent and skilled English-speaking employees makes India a leader in the services industry. It is also one of the world’s top producers of computer software.

Finally, being the world’s largest democracy has made it possible for India to improve its relations with other democratic countries.Additionally, it also managed to improve its ties with the majority of the nations in the developed world. On the other hand, China is involved in various territorial disputes that threaten its international reputation. 

Skeptics say that India couldn’t possibly surpass China as a superpower because China spends a significant amount from its GDP on developing its infrastructure. Moreover, China’s centralizedgovernment makes renovations easier. On the other hand, India spends less on building infrastructure.

Furthermore, although corruption may be present in many countries, India’s corruption problem is worse than China’s. According to reports, government funds are being misappropriated.In fact, India remains as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. On the other hand, China has taken several actions to investigate how officials spend government funds.

Finally, the case of poverty in India is worse than that of China. Poverty in India is believed to be caused by the unequal distribution of wealth. Moreover, among the effects of poverty that is so evident is malnourishment. According to the World Bank, India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition.

風景(ふうけい)を眺(なが)める。: 풍경을 바라보다.

海(うみ)を眺(なが)めている。: 바다를 보고 있다.

窓(まど)から眺(なが)めている。: 창문에서 바라보고 있다.

It was a long anticipated market entry, but now it looks as if Tesla Motors might not be selling its coveted electric vehicles in Korea until at least next year. According to the ministries in charge of approving imported vehicles for Korean roads, it will take at least 25 more days before the California-based automaker can officially begin selling its cars here, a letdown for avid followers who have been waiting for the 12 months since Tesla registered its Korean operation last November. “Considering the current workflow, it is hardly likely for the model that Tesla applied a license for to even finish the registration process,” said an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In order for foreign cars to be sold in Korea, two approval processes are required: one involving emissions and noise level tests by the Ministry of Environment and another involving registration of the car model with the Transport Ministry. The first step was finished quickly. The Tesla S 90D model completed tests less than two weeks after the automaker applied for them in September. But Tesla has yet to begin the second step. 

The official from the Transport Ministry said it takes about 15 business days to complete the registration process for a foreign car and possibly 10 more days to receive official product numbers, which are mandatory for a sales license. Tesla has yet to submit all the documents for registration, which include self-checks that prove their vehicles comply with Korea’s road safety guidelines. The Transport Ministry official anticipates Tesla should have no problem with the process as their vehicles’ safety measures have already been proven in other countries, but the ministry is still waiting for the paperwork. After that, in order to receive a product number, automakers have to report the specifications of the models they wish to sell. This process takes roughly 10 days, and the application must be made at least 10 days before actual sales begin. “People from Tesla have visited the ministry with provisional papers [for consultation],” the Transport Ministry official said. “We have given them feedback, but they are still finalizing the registration documents.” If Tesla fails to submit all the paperwork within the next week, the chances of seeing the cars on sale here are thin, disappointing many customers who were expecting a 2016 debut. 

Shinsegae Department Store, in charge of Tesla’s Starfield Hanam showroom, said their initial objective was to open the new location by the end of December, but now they can’t guarantee it. “It is a benefit for us to open the shop as soon as possible, because it will definitely lure more visitors to our venue” a Shinsegae spokesperson said. “But the registration process isn’t done yet, and there hasn’t been a single case in Tesla Motors history of a showroom opening without the actual car inside.” The Starfield Hanam location in Gyeonggi is still covered with a sign, “Opening Soon Winter 2016,” that at this point seems optimistic. The Gangnam location in southern Seoul is nearly done with interior construction, but it, too, is still missing the most important element: the vehicle. That branch’s opening date has yet to be confirmed. Nonetheless, there are still several Tesla vehicles on Korean roads, though they went through individual certification processes. The cars were imported for private use, not for sale. One of the importers was Socar, Korea’s largest car-sharing service app. The company said Wednesday it has put a Tesla S 70D in its lineup and will provide free test rides for a month starting Tuesday. 

Even if Tesla finishes registering with the Transport Ministry on time, one more obstacle remains. Under current law, the central government provides about 14 million won ($12,000) to buyers of electric cars, part of its efforts to boost the burgeoning market. However, the subsidy is provided only to vehicles that can finish charging in less than 10 hours. The S 90D model, equipped with an 87.5 kilowatt-hour battery, takes 14 hours to fully charge, which means Korean customers will have to shell out about 100 million won for the S model.

炒(いた)めものが食(た)べたい。: 볶음이 먹고 싶다.

よく炒(いた)めてください。: 잘 볶아주세요.

炒(いた)めたの。: 볶은 것.

A supporting actor or actress is someone who performs a role in a play, film, or drama that is below a lead actor or actress’ role. Supporting characters can vary from minor roles, like bit players or extras, to major roles, like a protagonist’s best friend, love interest, or nemesis. Actors or actress who used to play lead roles can have limited roles available to them because of their increasing age. Often times, they are offered to play supporting roles as they get older. In other cases, actors can switch from leading roles to secondary roles from time to time.

Sometimes, a supporting character plays an unusual, interesting, or eccentric character. In this case, such an actor is called a character actor. Character actors show distinct qualities that show contrast to the qualities of a lead actor. For example, if a lead character is tall, popular, and beautiful, a character actor may be short, unpopular, and unattractive. Also, in a story, a character actor usually goes by first name only while a lead character’s complete name is established. This is because character actors are not expected to draw audiences as much as lead characters are. 

Extras or bit players can also be considered supporting actors. They are also called background actors. Background actors are also essential in movies and dramas. They do not have to interact with the lead roles. Movies that require a large number of background performers are war films, epic films, musicals, and even zombie films. As such, they do not necessarily need to have acting backgrounds. However, many famous actors started out as background actors before they became huge stars. A perfect example is Brad Pitt.

A movie is like a picture. The subject of a photo communicates more substance with the help of the different elements in its background. It is the same for movies, plays, and TV series. They wouldn’t be complete without supporting characters just as much as they wouldn’t be complete without lead roles. A good filmmaker knows that it is important to pick the best supporting actors for his or her film because supporting roles are complements to lead roles. They make stories more compelling.

Supporting actors and background actors are still often underappreciated and undervalued. However, they work just as hard to help bring together an entertaining movie or drama for everyone to enjoy. To recognize the importance supporting actors, theater and film industries around the world have a separate category for best supporting actors and actresses.

豆(まめ)を煮(に)る。: 콩을 삶다.

魚(さかな)を煮(に)る。: 생선을 익히다.

弱火(よわび)で煮(に)る。: 약한 불로 삶는다.