OFFICIAL CAMPAIGNING BEGINS

OFFICIAL CAMPAIGNING BEGINS

[Anchor Lead]
Starting today, the official campaign period for the 22nd general elections kicks off. During the 13-day campaign period, we've looked into what is permitted and what is prohibited for both candidates and voters.

[Pkg]
The official campaign period for the upcoming general elections began on Thursday, allowing candidates to campaign in public places using loudspeakers from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Not only candidates but also their campaigners can wear sashes and carry promotional items including signposts showing their political affiliation. In the case of automatic group messaging, only the candidates are allowed to send up to eight times during the campaign period with the phone number they registered in advance. Candidates' posters are put up nationwide and banners and placards are hung in constituencies. Both constituency and representative candidates can run ads online. However, newspaper and TV ads are allowed only for representative candidates. Regular voters are also allowed to publicly express support for specific parties and candidates in a speech or over the phone, and use promotional items measuring up to 25 centimeters in size. However. it must be in the form of volunteer work and it is illegal to receive financial compensation in return for such campaigning.

[Soundbite]
Rho Tae-ak (Chair, Nat'l Election Commission): We will strictly and swiftly deal with serious campaign offenses that undermine the election including bribery, vote buying and spreading false claims.

In particular, voters are banned from taking photos of the ballot and posting them online. False claims made against a candidate is also punishable by law.

OVERSEAS VOTING KICKS OFF

[Anchor Lead]
Voting for the 22nd general elections has kicked off for overseas voters at diplomatic missions across 115 countries, starting yesterday and spanning six days. Now, voter turnout did decrease compared to the last election, but expatriates have not hesitated to journey long distances to cast their votes.

[Pkg]
Outside the South Korean embassy in Beijing. Korean residents line up and file in. They got here from Tianjin on a four hour bus ride to cast a ballot in overseas voting for South Korea's 22nd general elections.

[Soundbite]
You can enter after your passport is checked.

Residents from Inner Mongolia, some 500 kilometers from Beijing, also came, taking the bullet train.

[Soundbite]
Park Jeong-soo (Resident of China's Inner Mongolia Region): I hope Korea moves in a better direction. The distance I traveled to get
here is not important.

Overseas voting for the April 10 elections will continue for 6 days. Polls are underway at 220 polling sites set up at embassies in 115 countries. They may live half way across the globe but exercising suffrage is precious to everyone, young and old.

[Soundbite]
Lee Du-chi (94-year-old resident of Shirakawa, Japan): I'm proud to cast my single vote for the Republic of Korea.

[Soundbite]
Park Yoo-ri (Resident of Bangkok, Thailand): I came to vote with hopes of Korea becoming a country where young people and students desire to live.

Around 148-thousand overseas Koreans have registered to vote this time. The figure is down by 35 and 14% respectively from the previous presidential elections and the last general elections. A decline in overseas students and residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have brought down the overall number of registered voters. Polling stations have not opened in some countries such as Afghanistan where local conditions are unstable. Ballot boxes will be sent to Korea immediately after the polls close and votes will be counted on the day of the election on April 10.

TOP FIRMS 2023 EARNINGS FALL

[Anchor Lead]
A notable decrease in operating profits was recorded last year among South Korea premier businesses compared to 2022. This decline was largely attributed to the underperformance of leading electronics and electrical firms, including giants like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

[Pkg]
Operating profits of the country's top 500 companies last year fell some 26% from the previous year. According to corporate analysis firm CEO Score, a survey of 264 companies out of the top 500 in terms of sales who submitted their business reports as of Monday found their total revenue at a little over 2,506 trillion won or about 1.8 trillion US dollars. It's down by 1.5% from 2022. The drop in operating profit was even greater. Combined operating profits stood at 104.7 trillion won or 77 billion dollars last year, down 25.8% on-year. By sector, 13 out of total 18 industries posted a decline in operating profits. In particular, information technology, electrics and electronics, the top export sectors, saw a notable fall in earnings. Samsung Electronics' operating profit plunged 84.9% on-year to 6.5 trillion won or 4.8 billion dollars. It's the first time in 15 years since the 2008 global financial crisis that the tech giant's operating profit has dipped below the 10 trillion won mark. Its deficit in the semiconductor business has widened to 14.8 trillion won or 10.9 billion dollars. Chipmaker SK hynix which posted an operating surplus of 6.8 trillion won in 2022 ran a deficit of 7.7 trillion won or 5.7 billion dollars last year. Operating profits in the petrochemicals sector are also down by half compared to 2022.

BIRTHS HIT RECORD LOW IN JAN.

[Anchor Lead]
The number of babies born in Korea in January hit a new record low for the month.
According to Statistics Korea, about 21,400 babies were born in January, down 7.7 percent from a year earlier. It is the lowest for January since the state statistis agency began compiling related data. The statistics agency analyzed that the latest tally is attributed to a plunge in marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DEREGULATION FOR URBAN REHAB

[Anchor Lead]
In Seoul's foothills, stringent height restrictions have long hindered development, leaving many buildings outdated. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is taking decisive action, relaxing these limitations to stimulate and energize reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in areas previously challenged by maintenance projects.

[Pkg]
This cluster of multiplex housings is located near Bukhansan Mountain in Seoul. There are several run down houses and even some vacant ones. The alleyways in front of the homes are so narrow that fire trucks can hardly pass through. There are only low rises like multiplexes in this neighborhood at the foot of the mountain. Just across the street, however, tall buildings are easily spotted. The neighborhood rehab project is stalled as height limitations make it unprofitable.

[Soundbite]
(Suyu-dong Resident): How can they make a profit for the residents and co-op members by selling 7-story building? We can't afford to pay additional shares.

The Seoul government decided to ease restrictions for the rehab projects in such neighborhoods. The height limitation in a high district was raised from 20 to 45 meters. As for a landscape district, from 12 to 20 meters. The areas around subway stations that need high-density, combined developments were redesignated as semi-residential districts. And their permissible floor area ratio incentive range, which stands between 10 to 20% now, would be raised to between 20 and 40%. The public contribution share when changing the area type would be lowered from 15 to 10%.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Lee Chang-moo (Hanyang Univ.): If height restrictions are eased, the floor area ratio and total floor area allowed in a given area can be raised, which means the redeveloper stands to gain more profit.

The city of Seoul also decided to shorten the licensing time to 18 months by combining the committee review processes related to the urban redevelopment project.

S. KOREAN ABDUCTEES REMEMBERED

[Anchor Lead]
In a heartfelt gesture, the forget-me-not flower, a symbol of remembrance for the abductees, detainees, and South Korean prisoners of war who remain in North Korea, has been transformed into badges. These badges, representing a fervent wish for the quick return of family members detained in the North, were presented to families and related organizations at a dedicated government event.

[Pkg]
A three-minute song echoed in the unification ministry building, conveying the deep longings of South Korean war abductees' families. This old woman was just two years old when her father was kidnapped by North Koreans in 1950.

[Soundbite]
Lee Mi-il (Fmr. Dir., Korean War Abductees' Family Union): Who said we could forget and move on with time? We miss them even more deeply as time goes on.

The families of Korean War abductees, detainees, and South Korean prisoners of war came together yesterday. The flower forget-me-nots represent their hope that those held captive in North Korea wouldn't be forgotten. A ceremony was held to pin the symbolic flower badge on family members. North Korea took more than 100,000 South Korean civilians during the Korean War and roughly 60,000 South Korean prisoners of war couldn't return home. Even after the war ended, 516 South Koreans were abducted to the North.

[Soundbite]
Kim Yung-ho (Minister of Unification): Resolving the issue of abductees, detainees and POWs is the duty of protecting the people. It's a pressing issue.

The South Korean government asked the British Parliament's support to remind the international community of this issue and some British lawmakers wore the symbolic pins on their lapels to show their alliance. Earlier, President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a cabinet meeting also wearing this pin. A monument was built to remember the South Korean POWs who haven't returned home and for the independence fighters without any family members, all in an effort to remember those who are still held in North Korea.

MULTI DISASTER EXERCISE

[Anchor Lead]
Disasters in industrial zones not only wreak havoc on site but also inflict harm on nearby communities and the environment. To tackle these 'multi-layered disasters,' the government has initiated its premier exercise of the year.

[Pkg]
[Soundbite]
Please report to the scene.

Toxic substances, benzene and toluene, have leaked at a chemical factory. Fire officials arrive at the scene. A worker who fainted from inhaling gas is carried to a safe location. Around the factory, blazes and explosions are being contained while toxic gases are removed. This is 2024's first edition of the READY Korea drill, a pan-government multi disaster exercise. The latest drill referred to the hydrofluoric acid gas leak incident at an industrial complex in Gumi, Gyeongsangbukdo Province in 2012. At the time, five people were killed and properties worth 50 billion won or some 37 million dollars were lost.

[Soundbite]
Park Chun-hwa (Nat'l Institute of Chemical Safety): The drill focused on the scope of damage and impact of the leak on residents and to which degree they need to evacuate.

In the exercise, authorities also inspected response measures to knock-on impacts such as water used to put out fire and gas flowing into the nearby sea.

[Soundbite]
Lee Sang-min (Minister of Interior and Safety): We realized the importance of cooperation between public, private sectors and the military in initial response and secondary damage prevention.

The government will hold such drills four times this year, compared to twice last year, to prepare against various disaster scenarios including aircraft accidents.