I am not a mountaineer, but I love to hike and be outdoors. It was hot that day, so climbing the mountain was much more difficult than I had imagined. It took about six hours to reach the top. But the sweeping beautiful view made the hard climb worthwhile. That night we cooked out, and then shared a small cabin with other climbers. We awoke the next morning to a magical sunrise, which made me understand why Korea is often called "Land of the morning calm."

 Store owners across the country predict that shoppers will spend a lot of money this christmas. The average sales increase may be as high as 12 to 15 percent. Gears Company reported a 31.5 percent rise in sales in November. S-Mart reported a 10.5 percent increase. Gears is the largest retailer in the country. S-Mart is second. According to one expert, there is more spending because of the low inflation rate and more employment. People have more money to spend. The chairman of Gears said, "the excellent Christmas season we've anticipated has begun. We are selling more home fashions, electronics and major appliances."