We heard that President Kim won a Nobel Prize a few weeks ago. He was the first Nobel Prize winner in Korea. Many Koreans think everyone should be glad that he got the prize. But not everybody, including the opposition party, think that way.
        Members of the opposition said that President Kim wanted that prize when he was elected President, and he misused his presidential power to get it. When he became President of Korea, the economy was in a very bad condition because of the I.M.F. era. He tried to get out of that situation, so he sold Korea's companies to other countries to earn more money than before. He also combined companies and accepted investments from other countries.
        Because of President Kim's efforts, Korea's economy seemed to be better, but it was a passing phenomenon. Lots of people lost their jobs, and the gap in wealth between poor people and rich people has increased. The head of the opposition party, and many other people believed President Kim's getting the Nobel Prize also assisted Kim Jung-il. President Kim gave a lot of money to North Korea, so we still have an economic problem. This is because many conservative people, including  Korean War veterans, blamed President Kim.
        We have looked at North Korea differently since President Kim visited Pyongyang and met Kim Jung-il. I, as well as all people in Korea, learned in elementary school that North Korea was bad, and it is still confusing to everyone including me. President Kim calls it the "Sunshine Policy," but does this policy mean to give everything to the north? Also, many Korean people can't understand why Kim Jung-il didn't get a Nobel Prize. It still remains a mystery.
        But I think President Kim contributed to Korea's democracy and also extended Korean people's human rights. Unfortunately, he became Korea's President under I.M.F. control, so he couldn't do his best. However President Kim's effort impressed the Nobel Peace Prize committee to give him a prize. I look forward to see him next month at the ceremony of awarding the Nobel Prize.