As virtues of human dignity and freedom began to surface, the death penalty became a less prevalent method of punishment. However, capital punishment in China is still administered to offenders involved in drug trafficking. 

For instance, a British man was executed in China for dealing drugs. Human rights’ groups, the convict’s family, and the Prime Minister of Britain appealed for clemency on the grounds of the convict being mentally ill. Nonetheless, carrying a suitcase full of heroine was deemed unacceptable and China’s highest court rejected the appeal and permitted the execution. 

Despite criticism, the Chinese government has its own justification for showing no mercy in penalizing drug related crimes. The Opium Wars taught China to be relentless against drugs. The Opium Wars were two commercial wars during the mid-19th century between Western nations and China. 

The First Opium War (1839~42) was fought between Great Britain and China. Unbalanced trade between the two countries eventually sparked a war. Chinese goods were in high demand in European countries. However, Western goods were not welcomed in China because of its self-sufficient policy. Europeans finally came across a product that the Chinese would want: highly addictive opium. Because the Chinese Emperor forbade opium, smuggling of the drug was rampant. As the number of opium addicts increased in China, it became economically beneficial to Western nations and socially detrimental to China. 

Chinese officials tried to curb the spread of opium. Approximately 1.21 million kilograms of opium was confiscated from British traders. China enforced its prohibition on the importation of opium. Great Britain responded by sending battleships to attack coastal cities. China was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. It was an unequal treaty from the Chinese perspective. China was forced to open five ports for British trade. Hong Kong was ceded to the British. Subsequently, other Western countries signed similar treaties with China and Western domination began. 

The Second Opium War (1856~60) began after the Chinese conducted an illegal search of a British-registered ship, the Arrow. Chinese authorities argued that the Arrow was a pirate ship and had no reason to sail with the British flag. The British were offended by the search and sent warships to bombard the Canton region. 

The conflict escalated when British and French troops took over port cities. Russia and the United States joined in and forced the Chinese to accept the treaty of Tianjin (1858). China was required to open 11 more ports and legalize the import of opium. After continuous conflict, the treaty was ratified and the war was concluded. 

Although the conflict has ended, the effects are still visible. From the two drug-related wars, China learned to never underestimate the danger of drugs. Even though the death penalty is not practiced in most countries, China believes that drug trafficking is so serious that the death penalty is a reasonable punishment.

The government announced a set of measures Wednesday to boost the local engineering industry by expanding financial aid for companies engaged in research and development, especially with foreign firms and institutions. In cooperation with local banks, the government will increase export credit guarantees for engineering companies from the current 90 billion won ($80 million) to 150 billion won starting from 2017 to encourage exports. 

“The Korean economy faces various challenges due to the possible interest rate hike in the United States, ongoing corporate restructuring and weakened exports followed by the Galaxy Note7 case and Hyundai Motor labor union strike,” said Yoo Il-ho, the country’s deputy prime minister for the economy and minister of strategy and finance. “We will now focus on helping the engineering sector become more competitive by giving them various benefits and helping them train more experts.” The Korean government will select about 30 students per year to receive full-ride scholarships to study at colleges in the United States and United Kingdom and expand the number of spots in its overseas internship program. Other measures include bringing educational programs from training institutions such as PetroSkills in the United States and the French Institute of Petroleum to help teach Korean students. 

Currently, five developed countries, including the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, account for 70.4 percent of the global engineering market. Korea accounts for just 2.4 percent. The local engineering market continues to be weak because of decreasing investment. The amount of orders received by local engineering companies was 6.8 trillion won in 2011, but that fell to 5.7 trillion won last year, the Trade Ministry said. There are a total of 5,559 engineering companies in Korea, but 96 percent of them are small and midsize companies. Only three Korean companies - Hyundai Engineering, SK E&C and Kepco E&C - are on the list of the world’s top 100 engineering firms. The government promised it would have more small-size companies participate in government projects and said the experience would help them build up credibility to sign on to new projects later. 

“Engineering is the most fundamental and basic sector of the entire industry,” Deputy Trade Minister Toh Kyung-hwan said. “We will do our best to have the engineering sector improve its competitiveness in the global market.”

China’s economy, the second largest in the world, has been observed to be experiencing a significant slowdown in recent years. It grew by merely 6.7 percent during the second quarter of 2016 which is relatively low compared to its growth rate earlier in the decade.

The main reasons identified for this economic slowdown are theballooning debt of China and its national government’s aim to shift its economy from one that is dependent on exports and investment to one that is led by consumption and service provision. Other factors include China’s rapid economic growth in the past years that has now reached a plateau or a downward slope, the country’s technological gap from other developed countries which is affecting its productivity, and a lot of other minor factors that add up to become key influences on the economy’s decreasing growth rate.

Many deem this economic slowdown an international problem because of its possible effects on the economies of other countries especially those nearest to China. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau are among those that are seriously affected because their retail sales, tourism, and export markets are not doing as well as before because of China’s economic problem.

Other countries with economies reliant to China are also affected by the slowdown. The problem is dragging the global output because China is one of the biggest importers of different goods from other countries. As a result, the economic growth of other countries also slows down. In the case of South Korea, China is one of its biggest importers, and the country’s economy can also feel significant effects. The same situation may be observed in Australia, Brazil, and Canada which have economies that are also highly dependent on their exports to China. 

Economists predict that the economic slowdown will continue until the end of the year. They predict that by the end of 2016, the country’s economy will only achieve 6.5 percent of economic growth or even lower. They add that China’s economic problem may also affect 2017, and that countries should expect a ripple effect on their economies. In the coming years, the global economy may need major adjustments since one of its main players is experiencing major instability.

Department stores and Namdaemun Market will offer a final round of big discounts this weekend. The government-promoted Korea Sale Festa for foreigners runs through Oct. 31. Another round of sales this weekend will be organized by individual companies for domestic consumers. 

Lotte Department Store will hold a sale from Friday to Sunday. The Sogong branch will offer a special discount up to 80 percent on 12 women’s fashion brands. The Jamsil and Youngdeungpo branches will put outdoor brands on 30 to 70 percent sale. “The weather got cold suddenly so we thought there would be more people looking for new fall and winter season jackets and coats,” said Lee Wan-shin, marketing director for Lotte Department Store. Hyundai Department Store launched The Black Week sale on Thursday, which will continue until Sunday. All 15 branches will sell imported bedding on discount. Customers who buy more than designated amounts of certain men’s brands will be given gift cards equivalent to 10 percent of the payment. During similar past events, 5-percent gift cards were the norm. Shinsegae Department Store is also targeting male customers during the last sale period. Its Men’s Week, which started Thursday, will run ten days through Oct. 23. Products on sale range from causal wear to men’s suits including Diesel and Rogatis brands, all discounted up to 75 percent. “Men recently became an important customer group, as they account for four out of ten customers in department stores,” said Lee Sang-heon, manager for men’s wear at Shinsegae Department Store. 

Namdaemun Market will also take part in the national sale Wednesday by opening the Namdaemun Market Festa. It is the largest traditional market in Korea. There was a disagreement on the time street vendors would start work. They normally open at 5 p.m. and wanted to start two hours early, which store owners objected to. The two sides eventually agreed the vendors would begin at 4 p.m. “It’s a relief that Namdaemun Market finally put an end to the conflict and is participating in the national sale event,” said Joo Young-sup, head of the Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA), on a visit to Namdaemun Market on Wednesday. For three days starting from Oct. 19, the market’s merchant association will organize a flea market on the main street with 80 display stands packed with products including accessories, kitchen goods, interior goods and children’s clothes. 

However, the market still seems to be unprepared. Some merchants said they weren’t aware of the event or had no plans to participate. A spokesman for the merchant association added, “Most merchants in the traditional market run individual businesses, therefore nobody can force them to put their product on sale.” “As the opening is on the 19th, we still have time for preparation,” said an SMBA spokesman. “Namdaemun Market has over 6,000 registered stores. We plan to expand the number of participating merchants in the remaining week.”

Some strongly believe that a person’s grasp of academic theory is very necessary for him or her to become a qualified professional. For them, educational attainment is the most important factor in employment because of different reasons.

First, people need formal education to learn the proper knowledge and skills required in a certain field. The information that people get from formal education can equip them with the theoretical knowledge that they can apply as professionals. Usually, employers prefer those who have deeper theoretical knowledge because those people can do more for them.

Second, getting a higher educational attainment helps people become more mature and connected with a bigger world. As peoplepursue higher levels of education, they mingle with people who have more technical and practical knowledge. Through their academic pursuit, they can acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their chosen fields, and they can create a network or a support system that can help them improve once they become professionals. 

Lastly, the competition in the corporate world has become very fierce over the years. Gone are the days when employers merelyfocus on a person’s practical experiences and good character. Employers now look for the most educated people who can be part of their team, so people need to invest in education for them to have an edge over their competitors.

On the other hand, there are people who do not agree that one’s educational attainment should make a difference in seeking employment opportunities. They also say that a person’s educational attainment is not the most important factor in employment.

First, the theoretical knowledge that people learn from educational institutions would be useless if they do not know how to apply them in the real world. Instead of focusing on what school records show, employers should focus on people’s ability to work properly and their willingness to learn.

Second, the educational system has now become toocommercialized that even undeserving students can earn a degree even without having the skill set that employers need. Degree-granting has been commoditized, so it should not be the major basis for employment.

Lastly, a person’s high educational attainment does not automatically imply that he or she will become a good employee.Employers should focus on a person’s qualities, such as work ethic and social skills, that will put him or her above those who have the same technical and theoretical knowledge.

The curtains came down on the regular season of this year’s Korea Baseball Organization on Sunday. With the playoff seed determined, some will be taking off their gloves and putting their bats aside for now, while others will see a little more time on the field this fall. The Doosan Bears, the defending Korean Series champions, had a particularly memorable season. Securing the pennant of the KBO regular season three weeks ago, the Bears cruised through the year with 93 wins, 50 losses and one draw, setting the single-season record for wins. At the fore of it all was the Bears’ Dustin Nippert. 

Nippert, a righty from the United States, was the winningest pitcher at this year’s KBO, leading the league with 22 wins and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.95, making him the only pitcher to hold more than 20 wins with an ERA under 3.00. Carding his 22nd win Saturday against the LG Twins, Nippert tied the record for the number of wins clinched by a foreign pitcher in a single season, which was set by Daniel Rios in 2007. As a leading pitcher for the Bears, Nippert is a favorite to take this year’s MVP award. Along with Nippert’s brilliant season, the Bears will automatically advance to this year’s Korean Series to take a crack at their second Series title. “We will give the fans a show to watch this fall,” said Kim Tae-hyeong, the Bears skipper, after the win on Saturday. “We would like to show our sincere gratitude to our fans. We will prepare ourselves thoroughly during the break for this year’s Korean Series.” After the Bears, the NC Dinos finished the season as runners-ups. In the fourth year of their existence, the Dinos may be a young team but the way they have handled themselves on the ground has been far from green. 

The Dinos finished this year with an 83-58-3 record, seven games ahead of the third-placed Nexen Heroes. In batting, Eric Thames, last year’s MVP, prompted the success of the Dinos once more with 40 homers, tied at first with Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns. His slugging percentage, synonymous with power hitting, stood at .679, also first in the league. His runs batted in (RBI) came out to 121 by the end of the season, fourth in the league. As the first one to join the 40-40 club, a group of batters who have collected more than 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season, with 47 dingers and 40 stolen bases last season, Thames overwhelmingly claimed the MVP honor last year. But as impressive as his performance was at-bat this year, it is questionable whether Thames would once more be the recipient of the honor. The American slugger was caught driving under the influence in late September and the KBO suspended the 30-year-old for the remainder of the regular season as well as the first Dinos game of the playoffs. This late DUI case may put a damper on things in Thames’ shot for the MVP title. Despite the incident, as the runners-up, the Dinos will advance straight to the second round of the playoffs, taking on the winner of the previous rounds competed among the Heroes, LG Twins or KIA Tigers. 

The Heroes, despite losing some of their key players after last year including power hitter Park Byung-ho, who left the Heroes to join the Minnesota Twins of the Major League after reaching the climax of his career in the KBO by hitting 53 home runs and 146 RBIs for the season, have made it into the postseason once more. Finishing the season at 77-66-1, the Heroes will face the winner of the wild-card game between the Twins and the Tigers. The wild-card game between the Twins and the Tigers will start off this year’s postseason and ignite the baseball fever that only comes during the fall. With the Twins seeded higher than the Tigers, they will have an advantage going into the first wild-card game starting tomorrow. Not only do the Twins face the Tigers at home in Jamsil Baseball Stadium, but the Seoul-based team only needs one win to advance to the next round. For the Tigers, they have quite a hill ahead to climb as they are the dark horse of this year’s playoffs. Noesi Hector, a Dominican pitcher for the Tigers, will be starting for the team. Ranked third in the league in ERA with 3.40, Hector has been absent from the starting roster since Oct. 2, most likely trying to put his physical condition at its peak for the playoff game. The first game of the KBO playoffs between the Twins and the Tigers starts at 6:30 p.m. in Jamsil today.

A pilot episode is the tip of the spear of an up-and-coming TV series. Every new TV program needs a good pilot episode to succeed. Before a new series airs on television, a pilot is first created to gauge whether a particular concept for a series will be successful. 

The initial step for one to get an approval for a pilot is pitching his or idea to a studio or TV network executives. Once the idea is approved, the pilot script has to be created. This stage is crucial because it can lead to what is called the “development hell” in the entertainment industry where a concept remains in development without progressing to production. To avoid this, a lot of work is put starting from the conception of an idea to the production of a pilot.

Executives have several points to consider for the approval such as the relevance of the script with the pitch that they bought, the orientation of the script with respect to the image of the network or studio, the budget for the script, and many more. The job of scriptwriters gets more difficult when they have to bear in mind and strike a balance between two things at the same time: the points of considerations that executives have and the creative integrity of the idea.

Upon approval of the script, one must move on to putting together the creative elements of the pilot. He or she needs to pick the people for the team. During this time, choosing the actors, actresses, and the directors is a race. Once the cast is approved by the network, shooting begins, and it can take days to weeks depending on the show and the number of cameras used. 

During the shoot, networks can interfere with the production of the pilot to reduce the financial risks. This way, networks get a glimpseof how the concept will turn out without investing too much on the project. After shooting, the pilot undergoes editing before being released to the network for the final verdict.

A pilot episode is like a test episode that is used to sell a show or a series to a television network. Once a pilot episode is deemedcompelling, it usually serves as the first episode of the series. Pilot episodes that fail to convince television networks are usually never screened publicly. They are called “dead pilots.” However, even though pilot episodes may be successful initially, a series can get cancelled if their ratings suffer.

Samsung Electronics temporarily stopped producing its flagship Galaxy Note7 amid reports of new explosion cases involving the replaced gadgets, only 10 days after the nation’s top conglomerate resumed sales of the device in Korea, hoping to start afresh. The new explosion reports have also led two major mobile carriers in the United States, AT&T and T-Mobile, to suspend sales as well as exchanges of the troubled product during the weekend. “We are adjusting the supply amount of Galaxy Note7s that recently had burn damages in order to begin a closer investigation and improve quality,” Samsung Electronics said in a regulatory filing Monday evening. “We will repost the filing within one month once the details on the decision are finalized.” The Samsung Electronics spokesman made no further comment. 

Earlier in the day, a source affiliated to one of Samsung Electronics’ partnering companies said the production line in the Vietnam plant, which is responsible for the global shipment of the new gadgets, has been put to a stop. “Its production has temporarily stopped out of safety concerns for global consumers, not only in the U.S., but also in China and of course in Korea,” the source added. It continued, “Samsung Electronics is currently cooperating with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards as well as U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and China’s regulatory authorities to investigate the cause of recent cases and, if necessary, Samsung Electronics is going to roll out additional measures.” At least eight explosions involving the replaced Galaxy Note7 were reported in global news outlets during the past few weeks, including one in the United States when passengers evacuated a Southwest Airlines flight before it took off on Oct. 5 due to a smoking Galaxy Note7. 

The CPSC is currently looking into the case, and the result of the investigation is expected to come out this week. Another case involves the new product flaming up inside the back pocket of a user in Taiwan on Oct. 8. AT&T, one of the biggest distributors of Samsung mobile phones, said they will no longer sell the new Galaxy Note7 nor exchange the old one with new ones. “Based on recent reports, we’re no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents,” an AT&T spokesperson was quoted as saying in Bloomberg. Another major U.S. mobile carrier, T-Mobile, issued a statement on its website Sunday that they are “temporarily suspending all sales of the new Note7 and exchanges.” It also said, “We encourage customers to stop using and power down their recalled devices and return them to T-Mobile.” Whether the “supply adjustment” notice posted by Samsung Electronics means the smartphone manufacturer will go through a second recall or will completely discontinue the product is not yet known. But analysts believe the incident will cost the country’s top technology company millions of dollars to regain consumer trust and recover their damaged brand image. “If sales of Galaxy Note7s are suspended in the fourth quarter of the year,” analyst Peter Lee at NH Research Center said, “Samsung Electronics will have to deal with 700 billion won ($630.8 million) worth of lost opportunities.” 

The Suwon-based semiconductor company is already facing an estimate of over 2 trillion won worth of losses due to the unprecedented large-scale recall plan initiated on Sept. 2, encompassing 2.5 million Galaxy Note7 units already sold globally, which are installed with potentially explosive lithium batteries.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power in her visit to South Korea confirmed that Washington is committed to using all and any measures feasible against North Korea’s nuclear advancement and provocations, a likely sign that stronger and additional sanctions from the international community may be levied upon the North for its fifth nuclear test last month. 

“While the Security Council resolutions are one tool in our toolbox and a very important instrument of pressure,” Power said in a press conference in central Seoul on Sunday, “we are committed to using all the tools in our tool kit to address this serious threat, including the diplomatic pressure that we are mobilizing around the world to convince other nations to isolate the regime.” “We understand that this is not only a threat to the U.S. and to the Republic of Korea but to the very foundation of our international order,” she added. “We are determined to stand with you in addressing this threat. Our resolve is unwavering; our commitment is ironclad. We are by your side.” Earlier on Sunday, her second day in Korea, Power met with defectors at Hanawon in Anseong, Gyeonggi, where she also attended a church service with them. She is scheduled to visit the Nehemiah Korea Daum School, a school for defectors in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Monday. 

Government insiders said Power’s visit with the defectors could be seen as a message from the United States to highlight the North’s human rights abuses in pressing for additional sanctions on the regime. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9, its strongest to date and second this year, on the 68th anniversary of North Korea’s founding as a state. Power’s visits also come one day before the North’s ruling Workers’ Party’s founding anniversary on Oct. 10, the date that experts and government suspect the North Korean regime may be panning another nuclear test or ballistic missile launch. Recent satellite photos suggested that North Korea’s Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site could be preparing a sixth nuclear test. Power’s interest in the human rights issues of North Korea also stems from her background. Prior to her post at the United Nations, Power served as special assistant to the president and senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights on the National Security Staff at the White House. Prior to this, Power taught at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, teaching courses ranging from U.S. foreign policy to human rights. After her visit to Hanawon, Power stopped by Panmunjom at the inter-Korean border, where she was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, chief of staff for U.S. Forces Korea, and Col. Lee Seung-joon, secretary of the UN Command Military Armistice Commission. 

According to government insiders, Power is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo on Monday, where the parties are expected to hash out their plans in responding to the North’s provocations and also deliberate on additional sanctions on the regime.

Colloquial language is informal language that people use in everyday speech. It may also be used in informal writing to create a conversational tone and a sense of realism to writing. Colloquial language is composed of words, phrases, and aphorisms that are shorter and less sophisticated. For example, contractions like should’ve (should have) and where’d (where did) are examples of colloquial language. The idiomatic expressions “go bananas” (to go crazy or insane) and “give me a hand” (help me) are also examples of colloquial language. 

Some of the components of colloquial language do not follow the rules of linguistics, but colloquial language is still considered standard language. Some people may mistake it as slang.However, colloquial language and slang are two distinct forms of languages.

Slang is a lexicon of words and phrases that are far more informal than colloquial language. It includes expressions that may not be considered standard language especially because only members of groups that speak a particular slang can understand specific slang expressions. Many linguists consider slang inferior to colloquial language because of its intentions to replace standard language. 

Slang expressions may be created and used based on their social significance and their relation to a subculture. In the past, slang was associated with outlaws because these people used to make up words that would not be understood by the general public as a way to protect themselves and their trade. However, in later years, slang made its way into pop culture, and it is now widely used by the youth, the media, and the entertainment industry.

Colloquial and slang expressions may undergo the same process of language formation since they may be coined from existing components of standard languages. The difference lies on how they are used. Colloquial language can still be used in newspapers, business meetings, and other formal situations because although it is informal, it is still considered standard language. It can still be understood by the majority. 

Slang, however, may only be used by certain groups of people. Its survival is dependent on how it is used by the group that created and speaks it. Slang may also be too vulgar and inappropriate, so it should not be used in formal settings.

All in all, colloquial language and slang are closely related but are not one and the same. They may have their similarities, but the main point of differentiation is that colloquial language is considered a standard language while slang is not.