SUMMARY IN ENGLISH
CONTRA # 1 1998
The Korea's
Contra editor Tommy Hansson has visited Korea and reports in several articles.
Subversion - an integrated part of North Korea
An interview with professor Hahm Jae-bong, discussing the emerging democracy
in South Korea - and its still existing deficiencies. We hardly have a proper
multi-party system, professor Hahm claims.
Lee persuaded Kim to run
An interview with Lee Jong-chan, vice chairman in the National Congress
for a new Policy, the party of the new president Kim Dae-jung. Kim declared,
at a visit in Stockholm in 1994, that he would not run for President. But
he changed his mind after having been persuaded by Mr Lee.
Why did the government party lose the presidential election?
Spokesman Lee Jae-kon of the former government party, New Korea Party, stated
that the reason for the loss in the election was the fact that the Korean
people was dissatisfied with the policies run by Kim Young-sam, and on top
of that the negative views were strengthened by the economic crisis.
Lack of liquid assets
The economic crisis in South Korea is serious, but it is mainly a question
of lack of liquid assets in the financial system. The financial system has
been mismanaged due to excessive regulation. When the problems of the financial
system have been overcome, real economic growth can resume at the former
pace, according to Kim Yoon-soo, economist at the Korean Exchange Bank.
The inefficiency of the Swedish police
Former Police Captain Olle Torge adds his views to earlier articles on the
inefficiency of the Swedish National Police. He claims that leading chief
police officials very seldom have been police officers themselves, most
of them coming directly from law school. They concentrate on not being criticised
by legal watchdogs (the Ombudsman) and thus refrain from taking action when
so needed. The police however seem to be happy to concentrate on minor fringe
groups like MC gangs, nazis and so on, in spite of the fact that 99 per
cent of all crimes are committed by "ordinary criminals"
Love, genetics and society
Jan-Peter Östberg (BSc) puts a genetic aspect on love and explains
the strength of the monogamous society, even after looking at the problem
from the aspect of the "selfish gene"
How many times will we be right this time?
Contra publishes a new series of political stickers. This is the third time,
the former serieses being published in 1981 and 1989. The former stickers
have been "political successes". There is no broadcasting monopoly
in Sweden, Sweden is a member of the European Union, taxes have been lowered,
Contras are running the government in Nicaragua, there is no Berlin Wall
and there are no Soviet products to refrain from buying.
Jan Palach
On the Czech student who in 1969 burnt himself to death in protest against
the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Carl Tham - an opprtunistic politician
Swedish education minister Carl Tham is a leftist advocate of policies of
the past.
Turkey and the European Union
Contra Middle East correspondent Bertil Wedin discusses the negative implications
of the negative views of the European Union to a Turkish membership and
the strategic implications of this.
