DP RETAINS PARLIAMENT MAJORITY

DP RETAINS PARLIAMENT MAJORITY

[Anchor Lead]
The 22nd general election has finally come to a close, with the opposition Democratic Party, celebrating a decisive victory. The DP garnered 175 seats, extending its legislative power, while the ruling People Power Party has narrowly managed to secure 108 seats, just maintaining the barrier against constitutional amendments.

[Pkg]
Voters chose to deliver judgment to the incumbent administration. The Democratic Party retained a majority in the National Assembly. This is the second time the main opposition party won a parliamentary majority, as it did in the 21st general elections.
It also remains the largest party in parliament for the third time in a row since the 20th general elections. The DP extended its legislative power by winning a total of 175 seats with directly elected legislators and 14 proportional representatives from its satellite party, "The Democratic Alliance of Korea." Despite its call for judgment of the opposition camp, the People Power Party won a total of 108 seats, which is slightly more than the minimum number to block the amendment of the Constitution. In Seoul with 48 seats at stake, the DP won 37 and the PPP eleven. In Incheon and Gyeonggi, the DP had an overwhelming victory with 65 seats over the PPP's eight. In Chungcheong provinces, one of the hard-fought battlefields,, the DP won 21 seats and the PPP six. The main opposition party won all the 31 constituencies in Honam region and Jeju Island. In the conservative Yeongnam region, the PPP garnered 59 seats and the DP five seats. In Gangwon-do, six seats went to the PPP and two to the DP. However, four winners who changed parties to join the DP's satellite party plan to return to their original parties. Among non-partisan, independent parties, the Reform Party has won three seats in total, as its leader Lee Jun-seok was elected in Hwaseong-eul in Gyeonggi-do and it has produced two proportional representative lawmakers. The New Future Party won one seat with Kim Jong-min elected in Sejong-gap. Having agreed with the DP to field single, unified candidates, the Progressive Party produced one lawmaker with Yoon Jong-oh elected in Ulsan-buk. Failing to produce either elected or proportional representative lawmakers, the Green Justice Party has become an extra-parliamentary party. Cho Kuk's Rebuilding Korea Party won 12 proportional representative seats. The opposition bloc has won a total of 192 seats and no independent candidate was elected.

YOON HUMBLY RESPECTS PUBLIC WILL

[Anchor Lead]
Following the main opposition party's overwhelming victory in the 22nd general elections, President Yoon Suk Yeol says he will humbly respect the opinions of the people and overhaul state affair management. In relation with the president's remarks, a high-ranking presidential official said that in order to respect the will of the public, state management should be overhauled and a personnel reshuffle is a precondition for that. The official said that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and all senior presidential aides, except the Office of National Security, offered to resign.

RACE RESULTS IN KEY DISTRICTS

[Anchor Lead]
Next up, we bring you the results from constituencies that have captured national attention, including Gyeyang-eul in Incheon and Dongjak-eul in Seoul.

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The Gyeyang-eul district in Incheon was the battleground for two political heavyweights - Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and the People Power Party's ex-minister Won Hee-ryong. The result was Lee's victory. The DP leader thanked the voters by saying that his victory implied judgment on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and that he is given the responsibility to improve people's lives and make a better world.

[Soundbite]
Lee Jae-myung (DP Chair (Won in Gyeyang-eul district)): I will do my best for Gyeyang's growth so that the country can stop regressing and start moving forward, society can develop...and people will want to move to Gyeyang.

In the heavily contested Dongjak-eul district of the so-called Hangang River belt, PPP's Na Kyung-won defeated her DP opponent, Ryu Sam-young, to secure her fifth term at the National Assembly. Her win indicates a flipped result to the exit polls conducted by the three major networks.

[Soundbite]
Na Kyung-won (Won in Dongjak-eul district): It was a tough race, but I believed that people would trust me. I lived in Dongjak for ten years and the residents must have seen my sincerity. That's the reason behind my election victory.

In the Jongno district in Seoul, the center of Korean politics, DP's Kwak Sang-eon, the late President Roh Moo-hyun's son-in-law, was elected over the incumbent representative Choi Jae-hyung of the PPP and Keum Tae-sup of the New Reform Party. Kwak said that the Jongno residents chose him to restore President Roh's politics to make the world a better place for the people and build a society with fair basic conditions. In the Yongsan district in Seoul, it was a rematch between sitting legislator Kwon Young-se of the PPP and the DP's Kang Tae-woong. Kwon defeated Kang once again in the second match.

CLOSE TO CALL RACES

[Anchor Lead]
As viewers momentarily stepped away from their screens during the vote count broadcasts, there were numerous instances where the leading and runner-up positions had switched places. A nail-biting contest that kept candidates and voters alike on the edge of their seats, with the top spot seesawing between contenders, unfolded in various locations.

[Pkg]
The general election in Yongin-byung district in Gyeonggido Province was a battle between two military academy graduates. People Power Party candidate Goh Seok who was leading through the first half of vote counting is outpaced by Democratic Party's Boo Seung-chan.

[Soundbite]
The vote difference is 2%p.

But the difference is just several hundred votes. Not long after, Goh regains the lead. The topsy turvy race rumbled on and the nail biting result was victory for Boo who won by 800 votes. In Saha-gap district in Busan, the early stages of ballot count saw the DP's Choi In-ho slightly ahead. However as 30% of the count progressed, the PPP's Lee Seong-kweon came from behind. And then at around 2 a.m., Choi regained the lead by a hundred or so votes.

[Soundbite]
In Saha-gap in Busan, Lee Seong-kweon is leading by a small margin of 60 votes.

But near the finish line, Lee successfully reversed the outcome to clinch victory. In Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-eul district where the same rival candidates who competed 4 years ago had a rematch...The DP's Kim Min-seok was ahead in the early stages but as vote count surpassed the 80% mark, the PPP's Park Yong-chan stole the lead.

[Soundbite]
It's a close call in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-eul district.

In the extremely close to call match, Kim came from behind again and eventually won the race. Gyeongsan in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province was another constituency where the outcome could not be predicted to the very end. PPP candidate Cho Ji-yeon and independent Choi Kyung-hwan, a confidant of former President Park Geun-hye, battled it out in a very tight race until 4 a.m. when Cho's win was confirmed.

APARTMENTS BUILT IN PC METHOD

[Anchor Lead]
Recent apartment collapses in Incheon's Geomdan New Town and Gwangju's Hwajeong-dong highlighted the importance of solid and safe concrete work. The spotlight is now on the PC method, where pre-made concrete blocks are assembled on-site, offering a modern alternative to traditional techniques. We take you to a construction site where this approach is being tested.

[Pkg]
Huge concrete pieces are put in place one by one. Beams that connect to the pillars...and the walls that brace the building inside and out...and even the floors are put together like toy blocks. These apartment buildings in Pyeongtaek are built in the precast concrete or PC method on a trial basis. Existing apartments were built using the RC method in which concrete is poured at the site. This method has led to numerous building mishaps caused by pouring concrete in the rain or leaving out steel bars.

[Soundbite]
It's raining so hard.

To reduce the risks, the PC method entails pre-forming concrete blocks at the factory and then delivering them to the construction sites.

[Soundbite]
Park Seong-min (Hansung PC Construction): Since concrete is semi-finished goods, it is vulnerable to water. Our products are made indoors, so they are not affected by rain.

Precast concrete is seen as a viable solution as construction workers grow older and unskilled migrant workers take up a growing portion of the labor force.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Lee Jun-Sung (Ewha Womans Univ.): Because of those problems, it is a building method often used overseas. You can think of it as a combination of manufacturing, construction industries.

Ensuring the safety of assembled parts is the key in this pilot project.

[Soundbite]
Jeon Woo-yong (Daebo E&C): The most important aspect is connecting the parts. That's the key to the PC method.

The cost of construction is about 30% higher than conventional methods, but its top merits include less construction waste and almost no noise or dust.

[Soundbite]
Choi Rak-woo (Korea Land & Housing Corp.): Low carbon policy is a national task. It's naturally an area where the public sector should lead the private sector.

Starting in 2030, Korea Land and Housing Corporation plans to build 5,000 public housing every year using this very building method.

SAMSUNG'S UNFAIR PRACTICE EXPOSED

[Anchor Lead]
Samsung Electronics, having collected price information from dealerships selling home appliances, has been identified by the Fair Trade Commission for engaging in practices that will lead to sanctions. The unilateral demand for the dealerships' management information is considered a violation of the law, amounting to interference in management activities.

[Pkg]
Samsung Electronics. One of the top two home appliance makers in Korea. It's found that the tech giant demanded branch retail stores, whenever they make a sale, enter data on how much the product was sold for into the computer system. According to a probe by the Fair Trade Commission, for over 5 years from 2017, Samsung, in its computer setting, configured a product's sale price as essential information so that stores could only place orders when that information was given. This qualifies as a case of the head office collecting trade secrets of individual stores by using its superior status. The Fair Trade Commission saw this as a violation of the law. The watchdog believes that if the head office knows the ins and outs of an outlet's profit structure, that store could be at a disadvantage in future supply price negotiations. This is why the Fair Agency Transactions Act strictly prohibits head offices from requesting managerial information. As of 2020, Samsung Electronics collected sales price information from some 150 of its branch stores in over 15-thousand cases. The FTC however noted that Samsung only used the information in assessing performance and as a barometer for bonus payments, adding that the company stopped the practice since the probe began. The commission issued a corrective order, banning the illegal act. Samsung was also told to notify its retail stores about this matter.

HWANG SHORTLISTED FOR BOOKER

[Anchor Lead]
Korean novelist Hwang Sok-yong's full-length story "Mater 2-10" has been shortlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the UK. The Booker foudnaton unveiled the shortlist of six nominees on its website on Tuesday. It introduced that Hwang's work is an epic, multi-generational tale that threads together a century of Korean history. The foundation also said that the novel vividly depicts the lives of ordinary working Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era to the twenty-first century. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held in London on May 21.

SWIFT RESPONSE SAVING LIVES

[Anchor Lead]
In a striking example of community spirit and quick response, bystanders and police officers saved lives by immediately attending to individuals who suffered cardiac arrests or became unconscious. It was the willingness of these everyday heroes to step in and provide immediate CPR that made all the difference, proving once again the power of not turning away from those in urgent need.

[Pkg]
A subway station platform is packed with passengers during morning rush hour. The train door closed but people suddenly gather at the end of the platform. As if asking for help, some hold up their phone screens and wave it in the air. A man in his 50s collapsed from cardiac arrest right after getting off the train. Police corporal Kim Dong-wook who was patrolling the area ran to the scene after hearing shouts from citizens.

[Soundbite]
Corporal Kim Dong-wook (Subway unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency): Seeing the patient foaming at the mouth and having a cardiac arrest, I performed CPR right away.

Kim and a subway sheriff took turns carrying out CPR and finally after 10 minutes, the man recovered his breath. His breath stopped again after medical personnel arrived but the crisis was overcome due to the swift availability of an automated external defibrillator.

[Soundbite]
Kim Dong-wook (Subway unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency): We visited him later and heard his condition improved a lot. We thought it was fortunate and we were grateful.

Another police officer also rescued an unconscious woman on March 29th using
CPR. He was sergeant Byeon Hae-sol at Seoul's Seongdong Police Station. Spotting the woman, he immediately began CPR and thanks to the quick response, she was able to gain consciousness before medics arrived.

[Soundbite]
Byeon Hae-sol (Seongdong Police Station): I was unsure at first but realized her breathing stopped. It was such a relief to see her recover.

Lives were saved during such emergencies as fellow citizens did not ignore others in need coupled with police officers' quick response.