Emergency Mode

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President Lee Myung-bak has ordered his staff to adopt an emergency economic system in response to the growing global economic crisis. The presidential office will also restart a weekly emergency meeting on the economy.



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President Lee has ordered his aides to operate in emergency mode to closely monitor economic conditions amid fears of a global recession caused by fiscal crises in Europe. He gave the order in a meeting with his senior secretaries after being briefed on global jitters and Korea’s economic situation. The presidential office will also resume a weekly emergency meeting on the economy. The meeting had been held to tackle the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis but was replaced by a regular economic officials’ meeting in September last year.



[Soundbite]Park Jung-ha (Spokesman, Cheong Wa Dae): “We’ve decided to switch to emergency mode to closely monitor the current economic conditions with a sense of urgency.”



A high-ranking presidential official called the global economic situation serious, comparing it to standing on the edge of a cliff. He says presidential and government officials are on high alert against the repercussions a Greek default would bring on the Korean economy. But in the meeting, the president said stock prices and economic indexes are greatly affected by psychological factors. He asked his aides to prevent excessive public fears over the economy and for the government to assure the people that it can handle the situation well.



2. Mayoral Race



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The Seoul mayoral elections are just a month away. The competition is fierce in the ruling and opposition camps as they prepare for their primaries.



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The most likely candidates from the ruling camp are Grand National Party Supreme Committee member Na Kyung-won and attorney Lee Seok-yeon. Following Representative Kim Chung-hwan’s refusal to run in the primaries, the Grand National Party chose Na Kyung-won as its candidate without holding primaries.



[Soundbite]Na Kyung-won (Congresswoman, Grand National Party): “I will set a future vision for Seoul and introduce my policies.”



The ruling camp needs to narrow down the candidate field to a single person to represent the camp. Attorney Lee Seok-yeon is challenging attorney Park Won-soon.



[Soundbite]Lee Seok-yeon (Attorney): “I propose a public debate to show who can fulfill the role as a genuine citizen.”



In the opposition camp, the most likely candidates are Democratic Party Representative Park Young-sun and attorney Park Won-soon. Park Young-sun stresses that the candidate from the opposition camp must come from the Democratic Party and says that the outcome of the Seoul mayoral elections will reflect the public opinion on the incumbent government.



[Soundbite]Park Young-sun (Congresswoman, Democratic Party): “Only a Democratic candidate can take responsibility to win the welfare debate.”



Attorney Park Won-soon, for his part, says that he meets the needs of the Seoulites.



[Soundbite]Park Won-soon (Attorney): “I hope the primaries will inspire people and get them into a festive mood.”



Selection of a single candidate is in full swing in the ruling camp. The opposition is to hold primaries on October 3.



3. Bank Probes



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A task force investigating corruption in savings banks has indicted a bank chief for the first time since the scandal broke out. Here’s more on the latest developments in the probe.



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The task force investigating the savings bank scandal has indicted Jeil Savings Bank President Lee Yong-jun and an executive director. The two are charged with meddling in the provision of illegal loans for the construction of Goyang Terminal north of Seoul. The bank is known to have provided 140 million U.S. dollars in loans for the construction project, a violation of the legal limit. Investigators will probe what roles the arrested figures played in the illegal loans and if they received bribes. Ten executives from other banks have been summoned for questioning to see if Jeil management and shareholders meddled in the provision of the illegal loans. Once the probe is finished, the task force will investigate the allegation that large sums were withdrawn from the bank shortly before its suspension. A discussion on an arrest warrant for former senior presidential adviser Kim Doo-woo was also held Tuesday on his role in the Busan Savings Bank scandal. Kim is alleged to have taken 88,000 dollars in bribes from bank lobbyist Park Tae-kyu. An arrest warrant was requested for Kim last week.



4. Frugal Buyers



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More people are tightening their purse strings amid the economic downturn. Second-hand shops are seeing an increase in customers. And Web sites offering discounts on new products are also seeing lots of traffic.



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In the lunch break, more than one hundred people stand in line to get in the cafeteria at Daejeon City Hall. This place is popular among citizens as well as city hall officials, because it offers a good meal for about three dollars.



[Soundbite] “The meal is good and cheap. I sometimes come with my older sister.”



Second-hand shops selling used clothes and books are crowded with customers. The popularity of second-hand shops dwindled after a boom several years ago. But they are attracting customers once again with the arrival of a new economic slump. Stores selling cheap household items are also appealing to consumers.



[Soundbite] “Product prices are soaring these days. I can buy cheap but quality products here. It’s convenient.”



People also seek to save more money on line. An increasing number of people join online communities that offer tips on how to save money. Web sites selling discount coupons or serving as a go-between for joint purchasing are popular among customers. Consumers are tightening their belts due to the economic downturn.



5. Stroke Alert



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Fall has brought on a bigger gap in the daily temperature. Doctors warn that such conditions can raise the risk of a stroke.



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Jeon Jae-hyeon suffered a stroke while working on a patch near his home. Like in his case, doing outdoor activities when the daily temperature gap is big can cause a stroke. Jeon was fortunately brought to the hospital immediately and will soon go home with no significant aftereffects.



Kim Jong-suk also suffered a stroke early this year. She says she’s scared of going out now since the temperature gap has gotten bigger.



The daily temperature gap in fall is the biggest among the four seasons. That also raises the risk of a stroke because the brain’s blood vessels tend to contract. Statistics Korea data show that the incidence of stroke rises about 10 percent in fall from summer. The number of deaths from the disease is also more than 14 percent higher. The average age of a stroke patient is 66 so extra caution is suggested for the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases.



[Soundbite]Prof. Hwang Yang-ha (Kyungpook National University Hospital): “If you go outdoors when it’s too cold, your blood vessels contract, causing heart or cerebral problems.”



In the event of a stroke, the patient should be taken to the hospital within three hours to prevent aftereffects. One should go to the hospital immediately when symptoms occur, like numbness in one side of the body or difficulty in speaking.



6. Natural Ponds



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Residents of a village in Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang Province have installed natural ponds to purify sewage water in the area.



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Daetigol Village in Yeoengyang, North Gyeongsang Province is where the Banbyeon Stream begins. This house has a small pond in the yard. Different kinds of plants that help improve water quality, such as iris and water dropwort, grow in the pond. The pond naturally purifies wastewater discharged from the house. Sewage water is filtrated and purified for two or three days before it’s released. Twelve households in the village have installed the ponds.



[Soundbite]Kim Jong-su (Village Chief): “We want to purify water in the area where the Banbyeon Stream begins.”



Yeongyang County will install the ponds all over the village by 2012. The academic circles have lauded the installation of natural purifying ponds in areas lacking sewers. The residents’ voluntarily efforts to protect the water quality have drawn the spotlight as a new alternative to the water quality preservation.



7. Record Book



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Everyone knows Guinness World Records and its list of feats. Now, the suburb of Guri, east of Seoul, has begun its own book of local records inspired by the Guinness book. It’s called "Gurinness."



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This roll of paper is a hand-written copy of both the Old and New Testament. The paper is 168 meters long or 551 feet. Han Jae-uk transcribed the Bible by hand on the paper for seven months while battling a disease. High school student Jeong Seong-yun has obtained 22 state-issued licenses over six years since she was in elementary school.



[Soundbite]Jeong Seong-yun: “I felt a sesne of achievement when obtaining each of these licenses, directly seeing the results of my efforts.”



Kim Eung-ju owns the largest collection of films on the history of Guri. Jeong Gu-jo has kept a diary since 1955. The Guri city government has put eight record-setting residents in its collection of records called "Gurinness." The city will also look for more record setters living in Guri.



8. Aquascape



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A colorful world lies underwater off the coast of Jeju Island, with fish swimming through a forest of sea weed and coral. We take you there now.



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Under the waters off the coast of Moon Island near Jeju, a school of pearl-spot chromis that hatched this summer is moving in unison. Blackfin sweepers present a group dancing. And rudder fish are swimming in search of plankton. Anglerfish are crawling the bottom of the sea to catch a prey. Fall is the season for many fish to lay eggs with abundant food. 70 percent of corals live off the coast of Moon Island.



A valuable maritime ecosystem is also found under the waters off the coast of Jigwi Island. A variety of soft corals and sea weeds form a thick, primeval forest.



[Soundbite]Prof. Yeo In-gyu (Jeju National University): “Diverse fish species are found in coral. In particular, coral breeds in summer; they look beautiful around this time.”



Fall has also arrived in the waters off Jeju Island.



9. Sharing Icons



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An elderly couple recently donated nearly 30 million dollars to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Let’s meet the frugal couple, who have given away a lifetime of accumulated wealth.



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Kim Sam-yeol donated more than 4.2 million U.S. dollars to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on Sept. 19. And her husband, Kim Byeong-ho, donated property worth more than U.S. 25 million dollars to the school two years ago. KBS visited the couple to find out how they could donate such a huge amount of money. This is Kim Byeong-ho and Kim Sam-yeol. This couple is known for their frugality.



[Soundbite]Kim Sam-yeol (Donor): “It’s not only us; frugality was a basic virtue for everyone in previous generations.”



Upon hearing that they donated such a significant sum, most would believe that they live in luxury. But they live in an apartment measuring around 86 square meters after making such a massive donation. Returning home, Kim takes something out of his pocket.



[Soundbite]Kim Byung-ho (Donor): “I used these napkins at a restaurant.”



He always brings home the leftover napkins from restaurants. And they never use a whole napkin; they cut it in two before using it.



[Soundbite] “When I give him half, he cuts it in two again.”



[Soundbite] “I use them when wiping my mouth after a meal and re-use them when I go to the bathroom. I never just use something and throw it away. I always use it twice.”



He is also thrifty with water in the bathroom. He uses this bowl when washing his hands, and recycles the water to flush the toilet. It is said that a husband and a wife come to resemble each other after living together for years. They both repair their clothes whenever they wear out, and use them for as long as possible.



[Soundbite] “Since our weights rarely change, we wear them for ten or twenty years once we buy them.”



Kim Byeong-ho is the eldest child of his family and had six sisters and brothers. He came to Seoul with less than a dollar when he was 17 years old. He toiled away in various jobs to earn a living. When times got tough, he always remembered something his mother used to say.



[Soundbite] “You must give visitors a bowl of water if you have nothing to offer.” “You must always give other people.”



[Soundbite] “I heard that lesson so many times that I feel as if it was inscribed in my ears.”



He said the decision to make the donation came easily because of the lessons in sharing that he learned from his mother.



[Soundbite] “My decision was 99 percent based on (my mother’s lessons.) I didn’t understand it at that time. But I have come to understand the lesson now, as I got old.”



[Soundbite] “I’d never donate one or two million won. (My donation is) big and I’d never have used up the money anyway.”



They say that donating the money to the students of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was the happiest moment of their lives.



[Soundbite] “When they gave us an honorary doctorate degree, I felt as if I was flying in the sky.”



[Soundbite] “I can’t describe the feeling. It’s beyond description. I can’t.”



The couple has already pledged to donate their organs when they pass away. They serve as an inspiration to others on the true meaning of sharing.