PARTIES GEAR UP FOR ELECTION

PARTIES GEAR UP FOR ELECTION

[Anchor Lead]
Ahead of the general elections, both ruling and opposition parties have finalized the construction of their election committee and have entered into full-fledged election mode. The People Power Party, under the general oversight of acting chairman Han Dong-hoon, will be led into the election by five co-chairs. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will conduct its campaign through a tripartite leadership structure featuring Lee Jae-myung, Lee Hae-chan, and Kim Boo-kyum.

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The People Power Party finished organizing its election committee on Tuesday. Committee head Han Dong-hoon will travel the country to drum up support, while the co-chairs - former lawmaker Na Kyung-won and Ahn Cheol-soo along with ex-minister Won Hee-ryong - will each be in charge of courting voters in Seoul, the Gyeonggi region, and Incheon.

[Soundbite]
Jang Dong-hyeok (Secretary General, People Power Party): PPP needs to win in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon to transform Korea. They‘ll serve as the election committee's co-chairs to win in the capital region.

As the key battleground for the general election in April is likely to be the capital region, PPP decided to appoint experienced and well-known candidates to co-chair the election committee to bring them victory.

[Soundbite]
Han Dong-hoon (Chair, PPP Emergency Committee): We can win only when all of us are desperate for victory. I don't think the term five-person system is accurate. We'll all do our best in our own way.

The Democratic Party, which finalized its election committee a day earlier, held a launching ceremony on Tuesday and started campaigning in earnest. The main opposition party appointed nearly twenty committee co-chairs led by three standing chairs, namely Lee Jae-myung, Lee Hae-chan, and Kim Boo-kyum.

[Soundbite]
Lee Jae-myung (Chair, Democratic Party): The top office will learn Korea belongs to the people, not the First Lady nor a shaman. This election is a battle between the people and the PPP.

Two co-chairs Lee Hae-chan and Kim Boo-kyum stressed the importance of the party's sincerity and unity as the feud over nominations caused the party's approval rating to fall.

[Soundbite]
Kim Boo-kyum (DP Election Committee Standing Co-chair): We need to become one team to bring together people's hearts and energy for this critical election.

The PPP has presented ten main pledges associated with three essential themes of low birthrate, socioeconomic gaps, and climate crisis. Meanwhile, the DP's ten pledges center around four values which include the recovery of people's financial lives, hope for the future, and protecting democracy.

MEDICAL PROFESSORS MULL ACTION

[Anchor Lead]
The government has warned of license suspensions for resident doctors who have collectively resigned, while professors from medical schools nationwide are seriously considering collective actions, including resignations. The government has expressed grave concerns and requested the withdrawal of the collective resignation notices.

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An emergency committee of the faculty association at Seoul National University medical school said they will resign collectively if the government doesn't step up to solve the medical crisis. It also proposed the government postpone the decision on increasing medical school admissions by one year. It's suggesting forming a dialogue council involving representatives of the public, doctors, and others, and deciding on the matter a year later.

[Soundbite]
Bang Jae-seung (Emergency committee chair, SNU Medical Professors Assn.): The gov't should not fix the number at 2,000, but say a hike is possible. The KMA shouldn't demand an overhaul, but should be open to an increase and agree with forming a dialogue council.

However, the government made clear that the medical reform, which includes the medical school quota hike, cannot be delayed any longer. The emergency committee of the Korean Medical Association also denied that they had agreed to the negotiation. While the two sides are in a stalemate, medical school professors of Catholic University of Korea, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Dankook University, and other medical colleges across the country are poised to take group action. Emergency committee chairs of roughly 20 associations of medical school professors held an online meeting and discussed several countermeasures including group resignation. The government expressed concern and urged the professors to rescind their intent to resign.

[Soundbite]
Park Min-soo (Second vice minister of Health and Welfare): Endangering patients' lives with another mass resignation would be hard for the public to accept.

While the government said they will keep trying to talk with doctors, it will seriously think about ordering medical school professors to remain in hospitals if they actually do walk out.

GOV'T MEETS TRAINEE DOCTORS

[Anchor Lead]
Continuing our story, the government is actively seeking to reengage in dialogue. Minister of Health and Welfare, Cho Kyoo-hong, has privately met with a number of resident doctors to hear their perspectives. Also, some measures aimed at transforming large hospitals into structures centered around specialist doctors have been partially disclosed.

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Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong has met with trainee doctors for the first time since their mass resignations. At a meeting held behind closed doors, the trainee doctors shared their opinions on the current situation.

[Soundbite]
Park Min-soo (Second vice minister of Health and Welfare): It is difficult to disclose now who he met with and what was discussed.

However, it was not the representative of the trainee doctors, but just a few individual trainee doctors that the health minister met with this time. Korean Intern Residents Association chief Park Dan said on social media he had not met with the health minister. He referred to a statement issued last month and said his demands remain unchanged on the government's essential health care policies and medical school enrollment quota increase plan as the preconditions for negotiations. The government is also determined to overhaul the hospital structure, which currently relies heavily on interns and residents. The government's plan is to cut the percentage of trainee doctors at tertiary hospitals, which currently reaches 40 percent, and establish a hospital structure centered on specialist doctors. When deliberating new hospitals, one trainee doctor will be considered as 0.5 specialist doctors. The government hopes this will help encourage hospitals to hire more specialist doctors. The government will also expand support for small and mid-sized clinics as well as specialty hospitals.

[Soundbite]
Han Duck-soo (Prime Minister): To encourage small clinics and specialty hospitals, we will provide compensation to them commensurate with their skills.

Public health doctors and medical officers who have been deployed at 20 hospitals began their duties on Wednesday.

WOMEN-LED FIRMS AT RECORD HIGH

[Anchor Lead]
The number of companies with female CEOs, termed as "women-led businesses," has reached an all-time high. The government is committed to increasing the number of these enterprises. Here's more.

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This woman has been a housewife, raising 3 kids for 8 years since marriage. In 2017, she founded a company that produces cleansing products for children.

[Soundbite]
Jo Yun-soo (CEO of cleansing goods manufacturer): I used to work in the cosmetics department of an advertising firm. I thought of utilizing that experience in creating products that I want to use.

Managing a firm was not easy. But her company successfully targeted a niche market to grow into an SME with annual sales of some 1.2 billion won, or over 915-thousand U.S. dollars.

[Soundbite]
Jo Yun-soo (CEO of cleaning goods manufacturer): It was hard to find a factory to make products for a nameless firm. After one product did well, things became easier.

Such businesses led by female CEOs stand at 3.14 million in the country, or 41% of the total, which is a record high. The increase is also accompanied by qualitative growth such as higher net profit and lower debt levels. In particular, women-led firms are found to be hiring twice the number of female employees, compared to firms with male CEOs.

[Soundbite]
Kim Bo-rye (Women Economic Research Institute): Women-led firms hire more women. This means when women are the CEO, they foster a friendlier work environment for women.

This confirmation of high female employment has also spurred the government to invest a record 10.5 billion won, or 8 million dollars, this year in actively fostering women-led businesses. Women's career disruptions are estimated to cause an economic loss of 44 trillion won, or 33 billion dollars, each year. The government will step up business startup programs especially for women who have experienced career interruptions. Projects aimed at helping female high school and university students become future CEOs will also expand.

IT FIRMS VIOLATE LABOR LAWS

[Anchor Lead]
The IT and venture sectors, are popular among job-seeking youths for their anticipated flexibility and openness beyond traditional industries. But the real working conditions have come into question. A government inspection of 60 companies within these fields has revealed that more than three-quarters were found in violation of the law, including widespread issues of unpaid wages.

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A mobile content development company. It had its employees work more than 52 hours a week, but only paid them the maximum overtime work allowances required by law to save more than 70 million won, or around 53-thousand dollars. One online mall had its staff work on weekends and public holidays without compensating them for overtime, which is required by law. This way the employer was able to save 240 million won, or over 180-thousand dollars. The results of the latest labor inspections carried out by the labor ministry show 46 companies failed to pay their employees their wages or work allowances. That's more than three-fourths of the 60 inspected businesses. More than three thousand employees have fallen victim, and the amount of damage surpasses 1.4 billion won, or around one million dollars. The labor ministry says most of them capitalized on the comprehensive wage system, which allows them to include overtime work allowances in their workers' basic wages. Quite a few of the inspected businesses exceeded the legal limit on overtime work hours. Employees at 12 software developers and mobile game firms had to work beyond the permitted limit set by the law, but only work hours within the legal limit were logged in the company's working hour systems. The latest inspections were conducted at rapidly growing firms in the IT platform sector, which is popular among young people, at business sites that had been reported to authorities, and at specialty R&D centers. Some of the inspected businesses were found to have instances of workplace bullying and sexual harassment. Female employees were ridiculed for the way they dress or wear makeup, and contract workers were repeatedly exposed to insult and verbal abuse. The labor ministry has ordered the businesses in question to take corrective measures and vowed to keep tabs on them. It has also filed criminal charges against a firm that failed to pay overdue wages to its employees even after being ordered to take corrective measures.

HOTEL'S CHILDBIRTH SUPPORT

[Anchor Lead]
Last month, Boo Young Group made headlines with its announcement of groundbreaking childbirth support measures. In a similar vein, a hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, renowned for its beautiful sunrises, has decided to offer up to 100 million won, 76-thousand dollars, to its employees upon the birth of their children.

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A hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, famous for watching the sunrise. Hotel employees holding their babies walk onto the stage with their wives. It's the first time the hotel is giving out childbirth support funds to two employees who gave birth in the past 2 years. Starting this year, this hotel has decided to offer 50 million won, or 38-thousand dollars, to employees who have their first child and another 50 million won for a second child, totaling 100 million won, or 76-thousand dollars.

[Soundbite]
Choi Gwang-seop (Sun Cruise Hotel & Resort): I thought of having just one child. But now I want a second and third.

Such amount in childbirth aid is a first in Gangwon-do Province. The policy was introduced to revitalize the local economy bogged down by a low birthrate and decreasing population. It's also meant to expand the hotel's social contribution.

[Soundbite]
Ko Jun-gyo (CEO, Sun Cruise Hotel & Resort): We thought of ways to fulfill our social responsibility and came up with a practical measure to support childbirth.

Also, when employees' savings account matures, 10% of the savings will be handed as a lump sum. If employees want to buy a house, the hotel also offers interest free loans for up to 200 million won, or 152-thousand-500 dollars. Eyes are on whether such unconventional childbirth and welfare support measures by companies will spread across the region to help with the low birthrate and population decline.

CARE PROGRAM BURDENS FACULTY

[Anchor Lead]
With the new semester, the Neulbom School "after-school care program" has officially commenced in 2,700 elementary schools nationwide. In just a week, the program has seen a high participation rate, with 120,000 students making use of it. However, critiques from the field point to still inadequate educational conditions.

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Children marvel at headbands they made for themselves. Amid high expectations and also concerns, the Neulbom after-school care program kicked off on March 5.

[Soundbite]
Kwon Hee-eun (Vice principal, Ahyun Elementary School): The program allows first grade students to remain at school after regular classes.

In just one week of implementation, 70% of first graders at 27-hundred elementary schools are said to be taking part in the program. The government earlier said that existing faculty members will not be burdened by the new program. However, at one school, the Neulbom timetable is filled up with existing teachers.

[Soundbite]
Park Hye-yeon (Elementary school teacher): Faculty are mobilized due to difficulty in finding instructors tailored for the program.

In some cases, temporary instructors hired for the program left after just one week due to insufficient vetting.

[Soundbite]
Park Hye-yeon (Elementary school teacher): Many times personnel are hired without comprehensive evaluation. So some teachers often have problems with the kids and even cry.

An inspection of around 600 schools nationwide has found that more than half of teachers at the schools were also in charge of after-school classes. 89.2% of teachers said they were assigned to take on related administrative duties. Also, only 36.7% of instructors exclusively hired for the after-school program are found to hold a teaching certificate.

[Soundbite]
Son Ji-eun (Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union): The program whose entire responsibility and tasks are dumped on the school is a policy that doesn't guarantee public interest or quality education.

The education ministry has promised to resolve the grievances, assuring it has secured some 35-hundred exclusive personnel and around 11-thousand outside lecturers.