Test Revisions

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The government will overhaul its university entrance exam, the College Scholastic Ability Test. The exam will be administered twice annually and the number of test subjects will be cut in half.



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The college entrance exam will be administered twice a year starting in 2014. The test will take place in November of each year. The first exam will be followed by the second exam after fifteen days. Students will be able to present better exam scores to universities they apply for. Test subjects include Korean, math and English. The test will be administered in two different levels of difficulty. Test format A will be relatively easier than format B. The measure will allow students to choose different formats based on their academic backgrounds. For example, students from the arts division will be able to choose type B for Korean and type A for math.



[Soundbite]Prof. Baek Sun-geun (Seoul Nat’l Univ.) : We’ll try to help students prepare for admission test only with school education. It’ll help cut costs for private education.



For social science exam, students will be allowed to choose one out of six subjects. They will be also able to select one out of four subjects for science test. Parents, teachers and college admission staff give mixed responses to the reform measure. The Education Ministry will make a final decision in October after gathering opinions through a public hearing.



 NK Markets



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Recent video footage suggests that the North Korean market is recovering from the paralysis that resulted from a botched currency reform in November last year. In the footage, a market sells everything from kitchen utensils to clothing.



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This is Chaeha Market in Sinuiju, a city bordering with North Korea and China. Located in an uptown community, the market is crowded with shoppers.



[Soundbite] (Merchant) : Sir, it’s really cheap. Come and check it out!



According to inner sources, North Korean authorities have given up any attempts on trying to intervene with market policies from strong protests of the North Korean people, disillusioned about the government’s economic inability. The former Financial Planning Director of the Worker’s Party, Pak Nam-gi, was executed for the failed currency reform in March. The market looks like a traditional open-air market in South Korea. Most displayed products are made-in-China. Shower heads started to go on sale in the market after North Korean houses became equipped with shower systems, and these fruit baskets were inspired by South Korean dramas. Smuggled South korean products are secretly sold. They are known to be incredibly popular among North Korean people.



[Soundbite] (Merchant) : Do you need shampoo?



The cashiers are mostly women in their 50s and 60s. in many cases, the women work as breadwinners instead of their husbands. Few police officers are spotted on the scene cracking down on merchants and shoppers. Some observers predict that the market system will eventually lead to the collapse of the North Korean regime, which has had to loosen its grip on the people since the failure of the currency reform.





Lost Deposits



[Anchor Lead]

During the Japanese occupation, Koreans were forced to make postal deposits amounting to more than 50 million U.S. dollars. The money was not returned to the owners, but used to fund Japan’s war effort. A total of 19 million deposits were made. Here’s more.



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This savings deposit with the seal of the Japanese general government’s postal authority is one of the deposits Koreans and nationals of countries colonized by Japan had been forced to make in 1929. It is filled with stamps that authorize the deposits for more than a decade.



[Soundbite]Heo Man-mun (Postal Deposit Owner) : Everyone had to make one even if we couldn’t afford it. Some people sold their calves or cut wood.



The Japanese used up all the money in funding war supplies and deposit owners received nothing. A Japanese media said the scale of the postal deposit money was later found to be about 4.3 billion yen, or over 50 million U.S. dollars. A total of 19 million deposits had been opened at the time. The scale is enormous when calculated at the current rate. Taiwan received money 120 times the deposits made 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Japan refuses to return the deposit money owned by Koreans saying the rightd to claim have lost effect under the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea signed in 1965.



[Soundbite]Honorary Prof. Wada Haruki (Univ. of Tokyo) : You don’t have enough time for legal procedures. Since deposit owners are old, they must deal with it politically rather than legally.



Japan seized the deposits from owners. The deposits are owned by the Japanese postal deposit management organization.





 Temple Murals



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Two portraits of the Gwaneum Bodhisattva, thought to be from the 18th century during the Joseon Dynasty, have been found on a wall behind the main hall of Bulguk Buddhist Temple in Gyeongju.



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This faint painting, covering the whole wall, is a Buddhist portrait presumed to have been painted in the 18th century. The portrait of the Gwaneum Bodhisattva, carrying a basket of fish, measures 4.3 meters in height and 1.5 meters in width. It is the only mural surviving from the 18th century.



[Soundbite]Heo Sang-ho (Buddhist Cultural Properties Research Inst.) : We discovered the piece while examining the murals at temples in Korea starting from January of this year.



Another Buddhist painting, found in the back wall of the main hall. is a portrait of the Gwaneum Bodhisattva dressed in white. Records say the Bulguksa’s main temple had been renovated in 1765, and 2 years later, from April through June of 1767. a mural was painted on its wall. This fact leads to the assumption that the portrait had been painted then.



[Soundbite]Ven. Beomha (Fmr. Member of Cultural Properties Committee) : They’re very rare paintings. The main hall, murals and Buddha statues are expected to be designated as national cultural assets.



Explainin that the Amitabha-buddha is usually painted in between portraits of the Gwaneum Bodhisattva, the Cultural Asset Administration and the Bulguksa Buddhist Temple have expressed their intentions to conduct closer examinations for any additional paintings.



 Chip Industry



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A domestic research team has developed a next-generation semiconductor technology for the production of chips that are a tenth of the size of existing chips but have greater storage capacity. Information stored on the new chips remains secure in the case of a sudden power outrage..



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A tiny stick on a semiconductor chip is a nano wire. It’s a new material made from silicon and steel. It is as thick as a thousandth of a hair string. One end of the new chip is conductive while the other end is nonconducting. So the wire can be used as both a conductor and a nonconductor with the switch of the direction. And the switch demands far less power consumption than existing chips. The amount of heat generated by the operation of the chip is a hundredth of that by current chips. But the new development boasts greater performance. Information stored in the new chip is not ruined even if power supply is suddenly cut off.



[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Bong-soo (Advanced Inst. of Science & Tech.) : The technology is based on a permanent magnet, which doesn’t lose its magnetic forces even when the power is off.



The circuit can be manufactured in a nano size. In theory, the size of chips can be reduced to a hundredth of current ones. The new development has been published in international journal "Nano Letters." A domestic patent is pending for the new technology.



 Student Cars



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A car race was held at Saemangeum in which college students could test their self-made cars. Determined future carmakers forgot about the scorching summer heat in their quest to win. Let’s take a look.



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Small sized race cars race on the track. Cars form clouds of dust as they corner, making those watching nervous. Trouble arises during the numerous turnovers, but no one gives up their hope to win the race.



[Soundbite]Ha Jeong-u (Racing Team, Hankyong Nat’l Univ.) : The rear wheel axle broke but we can fix it quickly and show how hard we’ve trained and practiced.



The "self-made car race" for college students is a place to test the performance and safety of cars, racing around the 1.2 kilometer track more than ten times with 125cc engine. A total of about 1,200 students of 133 teams from 80 schools took part in the showcase with cars they have designed and fabricated themselves. The race is an opportunity for future car industry leaders to use and test their creativity and challenging spirit.



[Soundbite]Yu Ki-joon (President, Society of Automotive Engineers) : Our goal is to select the fastest and the strongest cars equipped with technologies they’ve acquired from school.



The prospects for the Korean car industry seem bright as the young car engineers challenge each other’s passion.



Global Makgeolli



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Korean rice wine made with rice from Gyeonggi Province is known as Gyeonggi makgeolli. Now, the province, universities and companies have joined forces in a push to take Gyeonggi makgeolli to the global market..



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These glass vials look like wine or other liquor bottles. A closer look reveals that the bottles are shaped like rice grains. This design won the top prize in a nationwide contest held among college students. A newly launched agency dedicated to globalizing Gyeonggi makgeolli hosted the contest. Some 13-hundred students from 80 Korean and foreign universities took part.



[Soundbite]Kim Moon-soo (Governor of Gyeonggi Prov.) : The traditional rice wine coupled with the Korean youths’ brilliant designs will help to globalize and modernize makgeolli.



The agency plans to produce top tier makgeolli made from rice from Gyeonggi Province and package it in the new bottles for global sales. The agency comprises officials of 14 local authorities within the province and also from Seoul National and Hankyong National Universities and Gyeonggi-based liquor firms. The makgeolli they develop will have a joint brand. The agency hopes to develop Gyeonggi Makgeolli on par with famous foreign liquor brands such as wine and Japan’s sake.



[Soundbite] Lee Hak-gyo (President, Gyeonggi Makgeolli Global Marketing Agency) : Alcoholic beverage is the most fundamental in promoting Korean food. Boosting the quality of liquors will have the synergy of raising the level of Korean cuisine.



The agency also expects the makgeolli globalization project will boost sluggish rice sales and help rice farmers.





First Birthday



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Infants waiting to be adopted abroad have celebrated their first birthday with their foster mothers. It was likely the last birthday for the babies before they meet their adoptive parents.



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[Soundbite] Happy Birthday!



This is the first time these babies tried on hanbok. But they don’t wiggle or fidget as if they know it’s one of the most important moment of their lives. This is the highlight of first birthday parties in Korea. It’s called doljabi. The babies seem most interested in the computer mouse and pencil.



[Soundbite] Maybe he’ll get a doctorate degree or become a scholar.



This little baby girl wakes up and smiles sweetly at the camera. The foster mothers have put in all their efforts to give these babies the best gifts and feed them the best food. They are sad to part with these babies who will be sent abroad.



[Soundbite]Kim Jin-suk (Foster Parent) : I’m sad but thankful at the same time because the baby will meet good, loving parents.



This special birthday celebration for the babies and their foster mothers was held by a baby product expo agency.



[Soundbite]Lee Geun-pyo (CEO, Baby Product Company) : We want to give them special memories to remember.



Sad, yet hopeful for the babies’ future, the foster mothers wish the best of luck to these precious babies and their new families.



 Cheap Checkups



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How regularly do you get health checkups? Getting regular checkups is the key to preventing serious illnesses, but the price can be an obstacle. Today, we’re going to give you some tips on how to keep a watch on your health without breaking the bank.



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Getting a regular physical once a year becomes a must once you reach 40. But the cost of such checkups can sometimes be more than 850 U.S. dollars, which prevents many from getting their health examined. But here’s a place where you can get a general checkup for only around 220 dollars. Such physicals are available at hospitals run by institutes of the Health and Welfare Ministry. There are 15 such centers nationwide in Seoul, Gangwon, North Gyeongsang, Daegu and on Jeju Island.



[Soundbite]Jeong Hye-in (Korean Assn. of Health Promotion) : It’s cheaper. Other general hospitals charge prices of their own. But you can pay less here thanks to health care coverage.



You may think that the cheaper the price, the less accurate the tests. But that isn’t the case. A total of some 70 different tests are given to check for heart and blood diseases, diabetes, kidney problems and stomach cancer as well as breast and uterine cancer for women. By paying just a little more, you can also get computed tomography and MRI tests for disc or brain ailments.



[Soundbite]I needed MRI tests because I suffered from migraine but couldn’t afford it. I’m happy to get a checkup at a lower price. I’m relieved.



Tests for five major cancers of the large intestine, stomach, liver, breast and uterus are available at a lower price at the National Health Insurance Corporation,



[Soundbite]Dr. Choi Yeong-eun (Family Practitioner) : From their 40s, women should get checkups for stomach, breast or uterus cancer. Men should also get checkups for stomach cancer from their 40s and colon cancer from their 50s.



The corporation provides low-cost checkups for uterine cancer for women in their 30s; liver, stomach and breast cancer checks for people in their 40s, and for those 50 or older, checkups for cancer of the large intestine.



[Soundbite]Once you get older, you need to get checkups once a year, but the cost can be burdening. I like this place because you can get it done for free.



And even younger people would likely get checked if they could do so for free. This health center in Seoul’s Jung District gives free checkups for newlyweds on Wednesdays. Young couples can get tests for cholesterol level, kidney ailments, venereal diseases, AIDS and even rubella antibody tests. Such tests make sense for future moms and dads.



[Soundbite]I realized while preparing for my wedding that health checkups are crucial. But a lot of people don’t know how important they are. This place is great because

you can get checkups for free.



Early detection is key in dealing with a host of ailments, so checkups are a good idea for those who don’t want to wait until warning signs appear.