Coffee Imports on the Rise [English, CSY]

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/03/11/2011031101093.html

Full text: The number of coffee drinkers in Korea is rapidly increasing, and the country is now among the top 10 coffee consuming nations in the world.  Coffee imports rose 10 percent last year to some US$420 million or 117,000 tons. This is about 312 cups of coffee per person each year, up 59 cups from four years ago.  The beverage only became popular in Korea about 50 years ago. There was a time when people boycotted coffee altogether, but these events eventually led to a larger movement to create a unique coffee culture here.   Some complain that coffee prices are too expensive considering the cost of production. However, they also acknowledge that coffee is more than a drink. Korea's unique coffee culture blends the consumption of instant coffee, espresso, and drip coffee.

S. Korea to tighten radiation tests on Japanese food imports [English, CSY]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2011/03/15/31/0501000000AEN20110315008700320F.HTML

Summary: South Korea will tighten radiation inspections of Japanese meat and fisheries imports after radioactive materials leaked from a crippled nuclear plant, the government said Tuesday.  The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that all 17 fisheries and meat products imported from Japan will be checked for radiation along with fish caught in waters that may have been contaminated by radioactive materials released from reactors at the Fukushima power plant on the northeastern coast of Honshu Island.