Fur Conflict

[Anchor Lead]

Seoul is set to host Asia's largest fashion show next month on a manmade island in the Han River. But the event has spurred strong opposition from activists for its use of fur.

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Fendi's fashion show in Beijing drew the global spotlight in 2007 against the backdrop of the Great Wall of China. Seoul will host an even larger Fendi fashion show next month on a floating island in the Han River. But one third of the garments to be presented at the show are made of animal fur, fueling protests from activists.

[Soundbite]Park So-yeon (Head, Co-existence of Animal Rights on Earth): “Many people agree that fur is related to brutality against living creatures. It's hard to understand why the Seoul City would host an event like this.”

The Seoul city government says it will cancel the show unless fur is excluded.

[Soundbite]Ryu Gyeong-gi (Dir., Hangang Project Headquarters): “We'd like to host the event after settling the fur issue, because it has stirred controversy.”

But Fendi says negotiations with the city have been concluded. The Italian brand also says some 12-hundred people from around the world have been invited to the show, which will be broadcast live online.

[Soundbite]Choe Ji-yeon (Fendi Korea): “It's sad that this issue broke out after a year of preparation. We could have publicized Seoul as a design city to the world.”

The Seoul city government will find it hard to avoid criticism for violating global business practices.

2. Safety Issues

[Anchor Lead]

As hard as we try to protect them, kids can get hurt before you know it. Accidents are the biggest cause for of death for children, but many parents lack the knowledge needed to help keep their kids safe.

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Children often get involved in accidents in a flash, although caregivers keep eyes on them. This child fell off the bed when she about three-months-old. The accident occurred unexpectedly and her mother was helpless.

[Soundbite] “I fell asleep and she fell off the bed. I found her crying on the floor. When I picked her up, she threw up a lot.”

Child injuries caused by accidents are the biggest factor for children's deaths. Traffic accidents, drowning and falling are the next most frequent causes.

[Soundbite] “Which direction do you look first at crosswalk? (Where the cars are coming.) Which side do cars come from? The left.”

Children are the victims of different kinds of accidents. Safety education for adults is crucial. Parents scored an average of some 50 points in a recent safety education test.

[Soundbite]Jeong Yun-gyeong (Korean Association for Safety Communities): “81.7 percent of child accidents occur in the presence of the parents.”

The government has plans to operate two-month accident prevention education programs for 30-thousand parents with children aged five or below.

3. Tablet Boom

[Anchor Lead]

The tablet computer has taken the world by storm, grabbing an ever-growing share of the market. Industry experts say it poses a grave threat to the personal computer.

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The tablet PC debuted just one year ago. Surfing the Web, playing games, watching videos and emailing are all possible on the device.

[Soundbite]Park Hwan-hong (Motorola Korea): “Tablet PCs will likely replace PCs with the development of cutting-edge hardware.”

Global PC sales have begun to fall this year, but those of tablet PCs are expected to triple from last year. New tablet PC models are pouring into the market due to their surging popularity. More than 100 kinds of tablet PCs have hit the global market. But many market watchers say the tablet PC will not replace the traditional PC, and will merely be a supplementary tool.

[Soundbite]Ji Seung-hyeon (TG Sambo Computer): “Tablet PCs will serve as a tool to surf the Internet and use email services when a PC is unavailable.”

Electronics companies are rushing to release a variety of tablet PCs, making consumers choose between the newer device and a traditional PC.

4. Adult Rites

[Anchor Lead]

Monday was Coming-of-age Day in Korea. We met with young people who just came of age the traditional way.

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A traditional top-knot is made and a black hat is placed on the head of a boy. A girl makes a deep bow. She looks like a grownup with a traditional hairpin called "binyeo" in her hair. The young people offer traditional liquor to their seniors for the first time and learn about responsibility and self-control. These students turned 20 this year. Coming-of-age is the first among the four ceremonial occasions in Korea, which is followed by wedding, funeral and ancestral rites. This 20-year-old singer makes a determination for the future.

[Soundbite]Yoo Tae-pyeong-yang (College Student): “I'll do my best to publicize Korean music the world over.”

Even during this complicated traditional ceremony, the young adults don't forget to capture their images with their cell phones.

[Soundbite](Mongolian College Student): “I’m really excited to take part in a coming-of-age ceremony in Korea because we don't have such a day in Mongolia.”

Through this complex yet meaningful ceremony, teenagers finally become grownups.

[Soundbite]Lee Dae-hui (Sungkyunkwan Confucians Association): “This ceremony will help young people realize the importance of Korean traditions and live in a responsible way.”

This traditional ceremony inspire young grownups to live in a responsible and respective way.

5. Wage Peak

[Anchor Lead]

The wage peak system involves an extension of the mandatory retirement age in exchange for salary cuts. A survey has found that more than half of workers support the system, but problems have surfaced.

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Jeong Ui-su was supposed to retire last year. But he extended his retirement age one year after his employer introduced the wage peak system. He took a 20-percent pay cut but isn't complaining.

[Soundbite]Jeong Ui-su (Maeil Dairy Industry): “I've done this work for 30 years, since I was in my 20s. I'm in my 50s now. But I'm proud that I can still work.”

A Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry poll has found that 60 percent of employees would apply for the wage peak system if it is introduced. Most of them want to keep working for four or five more years after retirement. But just a few companies have adopted the system despite such support. Labor groups are against the wage peak system, claiming that it only cuts wages with no significant extension of the retirement age. Government agencies are also mixed over the system because it might take away jobs from young people.

[Soundbite]Lee Cheol-seon (Hyundai Research Institute): “The labor sector wants to extend the age of retirement, while the business field seeks to cut production costs and boost productivity. They should build up mutual trust with the wage peak system, which is a compromise.”

The number of employees aged 50 or above in the country has topped 8 million. So experts say the wage peak system and other measures are urgently needed given the rising number of older workers.

6. Green Tea

[Anchor Lead]

Green tea leaves are usually used to make tea. But they also make a good addition for bibimbap, a mixed rice and vegetables dish, and buchimgae, a type of savory pancake. Green tea leaves for culinary use have been developed in Jeju recently.

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These rice rolls, crispy golden pancakes and deep-fries are all made with green tea leaves.

[Soundbite]Song In-gwan (Jeju Agricultural Research & Extension Services): “Green tea leaves help remove the unpleasant odor of steamed meat. They also make the fat chewy.”

Green tea leaves are not just for making tea; they also make a perfect ingredient for cooking. When consumed as tea, only 30 percent of soluble substances are consumed. But when eaten as a whole, 70 percent of nutrients contained in green tea leaves, such as fat-soluble and insoluble substances, are consumed.

[Soundbite]Go Seong-jun (Dir., Jeju Agricultural Research & Extension Services): “Green tea leaves contain a healthy substance called catechin. It's hard to consume in through tea. A large amount can be consumed when green tea leaves are eaten as they are.”

It takes a special technology to cultivate and process green tea leaves for culinary purposes. During the first two weeks, the sunlight must be blocked to make green tea leaves tender and dark in color. Then, the leaves must be briefly roasted and dried several times.

[Soundbite]Kim Chang-ye (Head, Jeju Green Tea Distribution Inc.): “Marketing green tea as a beverage has limitations, while marketing channels for green tea leaves are more diverse. It's an opportunity for farmers to find new niche markets.”

Green tea leaves for culinary use will be available in stores nationwide late this month.

7. Baseball Update

[Anchor Lead]

The Korean baseball league is expected to draw a combined two million fans to stadiums this week. Let's head to the ball park.

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Lee Jong-wook of the Seoul Doosan Bears runs toward second base after teammate Lee Seong-yeol hits the ball. But Lee Jong-wook hurriedly heads back to first after the left-fielder catches the ball. Lee Jong-wook then attempts to steal second. But he has to return to first again after a foul ball. He finally steals second on his third attempt. The distance of more than 27 meters between first and second base seems too long for him in this game.

Players try to catch the ball according to location. The outfielder doesn't give up on the ball though he goes over the fence. The infielder swiftly sees where the ball will fall. The pitcher catches the ball with his butt.

A fan of the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles watches a game with a Buddha mask on his face on Buddha's Birthday. Wearing a tiger mask is a supporter of the Gwangju Kia Tigers. The estimated two million fans expected at ballparks this week have a lot to see and do.

8. New Classics

[Anchor Lead]

In a bid to attract bigger audiences and part with their stuffy image, classical music performances are focusing more on entertainment, with new additions such as break dancing and animated films

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The choral performance is accompanied by dynamic dance moves. These performers are some of the world's best break dancers.

[Soundbite]Oh Se-jong (Art Director, Seoul Metropolitan Chorus): “We're performing with B-boys to show the audience that classical music can be more fun and exciting than musicals.”

An animated film is screened while Dvorak's symphony is played on stage. All the characters in the screen are Barbies, popular fashion dolls among children. Barbie's dance moves were performed by ballet dancers of the company New York City Ballet.

[Soundbite] “We could feel the mood and feeling of the music better than when just listening to the music without images.”

A new wind is blowing in the classical music industry through innovative efforts to get closer with the public audience.

9. Beer Beauty

[Anchor Lead]

Beer can be a good stress reliever when consumed the traditional way, but it’s also used for other purposes. Here’s the story.

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This is a spa in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The outdoor pool is growing popular as the summer approaches. Beer is poured into a huge bucket. People look puzzled to see a giant bucket of beer in a spa.

[Soundbite] “I'm waiting to go into the beer bath. I heard that it helps stimulate circulation and is good for your skin.”

They take a dip in the beer bath.

[Soundbite] “I heard that beer bathing is good for the skin. I think it’ll be great.”

The bath holds a whopping 60-thousand ccs of beer. There’s a reason behind the spa’s decision to create a beer bath.

[Soundbite] Ha Seong-jae (Staff Member, Spa Resort): “The yeast in beer is known to be good for softening the women’s skin. So we mixed beer with spring water and came up with beer bathing.”

The benefits for the skin is the biggest reason for bathing in beer. All family members can enjoy a bath in beer, with one cavieat.

[Soundbite]Ha Seong-jae (Staff Member, Spa Resort): “Since it alcohol is contains, children Must not be allowed to wyat in for more tham.”

[Soundbite] “It’s great in here. It makes you want to keep drinking beer.”

The smell of beer spurs bathers to go for a drink. Seems to make sense to have a cold one while sitting in a beer bath.

[Soundbite] “It’s good. The beer tastes like honey.”

[Soundbite] “I like drinking beer. But it's even better in this tub.”

Beer is used for a unique purpose here.

[Soundbite] “I came here to become beautiful.”

Bottles of beer are among the cosmetics.

[Soundbite]Jeong Hye-won (Skin Therapist): “This is called beer therapy. Beer foam and beer are used as a substance for a face pack.”

Many would be surprised to learn that beer can replace cosmetics. First, clean your face. Then pour some beer into a small cup and sprinkle it on your face.

[Soundbite]Dr. Kim Yeon-jin (Dermatologist): “Female hormones are contained in yeast. So beer helps make skin look soft and even.”

Beer is mixed with powdered seaweed to make a face pack.

[Soundbite]Dr. Kim Yeon-jin (Dermatologist): “It’s good for people in their 40s and 50s who begin to see aging signs in their skin.”

Clients seem satisfied.

[Soundbite] “I feel my skin has become softer and moister. It was also relaxing.”

[Soundbite] “I often drink beer with my husband. But from now on, I will save it for my skin.”

Beer is no longer just for drinking.