New Mayor

[Anchor Lead]
Opposition-backed independent candidate Park Won-soon has been elected Seoul mayor. He's pledged to create what he calls a people-centered Seoul.

[Pkg]
The winning candidate in Seoul's mayoral election earned 53.4 percent of the vote. The opposition-backed independent Park Won-soon defeated ruling party rival Na Kyung-won by 7.2 percentage points. Voter turnout was 48.6 percent. Park earned 2,150,000 votes thanks to strong support from people in their 20s and 30s.

[Soundbite] Park Won-soon (Seoul Mayor Elect) : "We're going to put top priority on making Seoul citizens happy. We're going to pursue policies centered on people and welfare."

The opposition camp says people yearning for change helped Park win. The ruling party candidate conceded defeat by saying she humbly accepts the opinions of city residents as shown in the by-election.

[Soundbite] Na Kyung-won (Seoul Mayoral Candidate, GNP) : "I'm going to take it as a call for the political sector to look at itself and embrace humble changes."

The ruling party expressed regret over the by-election outcome, saying it did its best. The new mayor was born in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. He's worked for the major civic organization People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and served as an executive of the Beautiful Foundation and the Hope Institute.

2. Vote Party

[Anchor Lead]
People gathered at Seoul Square on Wednesday night to congratulate the new Seoul mayor on his election. Let’s take a look.

[Pkg]
More than a thousand people have gathered at Seoul Square. They are the supporters of Park Won-soon. They have gathered to find out the results of the vote.

[Soundbite]

We trust the new mayor because his life has so much in common with the lives of ordinary people.

Cheers are heard as his chances of winning begin rising. The citizens ask the new mayor for change.

[Soundbite]

I hope he will create a society where things make sense and change is welcomed.

Some also provided advice and recommendations to the new mayor.

[Soundbite] Prof. Woo Seok-hoon (Sungkonghoe University) : "I hope the new mayor will listen to people's opinions through debates and forums attended by people."

The public is urging the new mayor to never lose his determination.

3. Marine Week

[Anchor Lead]
Asia's biggest shipbuilding and maritime expo has opened in Busan. Marine Week has brought together many of the biggest names in the two industries.

[Pkg]
The moment enemy planes and submarines appear in the sky and seas, data is analyzed in real time on a radar. A guided missile is launched a few seconds later. A Korean company has developed this combat system combining high-speed vessels and escort ships after 10 years of R&D.

The system's ballast water treatment device is considered a breakthrough in preventing pollution, in that it helps vessels maintain their balance.

1,300 companies from 45 countries are taking part in Marine Week, showcasing state-of-the-art maritime and shipbuilding technologies and products.

[Soundbite] Sa Kong-il (Chairman, Korea International Trade Assn.) : "Marine Week is expected to create a springboard to add value to the shipbuilding and maritime industry."

The chiefs of naval operations from the world's largest weapons importing nations, such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, are attending this year's event. They will hold business consultations with Korean defense contractors.

[Soundbite]

Aristotle (CEO, Indonesian Defense Company)

Some 70,000 shipbuilding and maritime experts are expected to attend Marine Week, which ends Saturday.

4. Auto Industry

[Anchor Lead]
Korean cars have won the largest share in Russia's market for imported cars. Industry observers say that securing future technologies is essential for the Korean auto industry to maintain its competitive edge.

[Pkg]
One out of six cars on the road in Russia is imported from Korea. Equipped with devices meeting the demand of the locals, Korean cars have captured the largest share in the Russian market for imported cars. The cars feature heated steering wheels and batteries that start well in low temperatures.

Sales of Korean cars jumped up to 33 percent in the U.S., China, India and Brazil in the first half of this year. Industry insiders attribute the market growth to Korean car makers' active investments in overseas countries despite the 2008 global economic crisis.

However, the future of Korean cars is not bright in overseas markets. Major global carmakers introduced electric cars at the Frankfurt auto show held last month. But Korean automakers failed to present them. Global industry leaders began mass-producing electric cars last year. But Hyundai Motor has just developed a model for a trial operation.

[Soundbite] Lee Hang-gu (Korea Inst. for Industrial Economics & Trade) : "If the time of mass-producing is delayed, they’ll experience difficulties meeting regulations in other countries and fail to get consumers' attention about green vehicles."

Korean carmakers are four years behind their foreign rivals in the electric car sector. To secure competitive edges for the future, the most pressing task for Korean carmakers is to narrow the technological gap.

5. Drug Control

[Anchor Lead]
Abuse of the drug that allegedly killed pop superstar Michael Jackson is rising in Korea. Control and surveillance of propofol remain poor despite a ban being placed on the drug in February.

[Pkg]
Michael Jackson is known to have died of addiction to propofol.

The anesthetic is injected into the renal veins. Propofol is commonly used as an anesthetic in plastic surgery, but can also be used to relieve exhaustion. This prompted the government to ban the drug in February. But control and management of the drug remain poor. The Korea Food and Drug Administration has found that many plastic surgery clinics in Seoul's Gangnam district didn't record the volume of propofol used. 17 other plastic surgery centers in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, were caught administering the drug without prescription.

[Soundbite] U Gi-bong (Korea Food & Drug Administration) : "It might have been smuggled out through other routes like medical personnel; these are measures to ban the leakage."

People have been caught smuggling propofol to sell as a fatigue reliever. Doctors and nurses are also known to use the drug themselves. Authorities say the highly addictive drug is probably being secretly distributed in the country. So stronger control and surveillance of the drug are planned.

6. Daycare Uproar

[Anchor Lead]
Recently, some teachers at daycare centers came under fire after being found to have beaten children. Parents are calling for more thorough background checks but daycare employees are demanding an improvement in their working conditions, complaining that they’re so busy that they don't even have time to go to the bathroom.

[Pkg]
Children arrive early in the morning. Teachers give snacks and classes begin. One teacher must take care of as many as 15 children. They teach their class and spend time with their children all day long. They work more than ten hours a day. But they only receive about 13,000 U.S. dollars a month. Their work include cleaning up classrooms, taking students for a walk and putting them down for naps. So their wages are insufficient considering their workloads.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeon-yang (Day Care Center Director) : "If substitutes (are hired) and teachers take turns working, teachers would work harder and love children even more."

The recent controversial issues involving day-care centers have shocked the teachers.

[Soundbite] Lee Hye-young (Day Care Center Teacher) : "They must have not intended to do that when they started working."

Despite their hard work, they believe their love for their students will stay true to hearts of the children.

7. Peddler Legacy

[Anchor Lead]
A memorial service for a group of peddlers from the Joseon Dynasty era has been held in a village in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province. Here's more on the 500-year-old event.

[Pkg]
A memorial service is held for five ancient peddlers. Villagers make pledges wholeheartedly. The names of 11 people are engraved on a monument. The names are of peddlers in the era of the Joseon Dynasty King Seongjong, who reigned in the 15th century.

[Soundbite] Hwang Yeong-su (Village Head) : "The eleven peddlers purchased the land and donated it to the village. They gave away everything including fields."

The peddlers found a good mineral spring in the village of Ojeon and settled down there. They later donated their land to villagers. The donated land was submerged six years ago due to the construction of a dam. Villagers created a fund with the compensation they received for expropriation of the land.

[Soundbite] Sin Jong-won (Local) : "We created the fund, hoping that our children will remember the peddlers forever."

The memorial service for the five peddlers has been held for 500 years in a village populated by fewer than 100 families.

8. Foliage Spots

[Anchor Lead]
The autumn foliage is at its peak right now. The Seoul city government has released a list of the top 80 places to check out the changing of the leaves.

[Pkg]
City parks are blanketed with colorful leaves. The ground is covered with fallen leaves.

The Yangjae Stream makes a picturesque spot thanks to the sparkling water, silver grass and the colorful foliage.

[Soundbite]

It's great thanks to the foliage. It's great to stroll and take a walk with my child.

Mountain slopes are changing their colors. The colorful ensemble of cherry and maples trees celebrates the arrival of fall.

The Seoul City government has announced the list of top-80 foliage spots in the city. Spanning a combined 137 kilometers, they're easy to access from anywhere in Seoul.

[Soundbite] Jeong Seong-mun (Seoul Metropolitan Official) : "We're not going to clean up fallen leaves for a month to let people enjoy the foliage and romantic mood of fall."

City-dwellers can enjoy fall in parks and among high-rises in downtown areas. The Seoul foliage will be at its best over the next two weeks.

9. High Fliers

[Anchor Lead]
A flight attendant’s job is to help make your trip more comfortable, but it’s not always easy to do. Today we follow some flight attendants through a typical day.

[Pkg]
This is Incheon International Airport, a place always bustling with travelers. Inside the plane, flight attendants are busy making preparations to welcome the passengers. They conduct checks on the passenger list, safety measures and also the meal service.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-ha (Flight Attendant) : "We’re moving fast to welcome passengers exactly on time."

But these ladies are wearing baseball caps and casual shirts today. They’re also sporting sneakers. The male attendants are also dressed casually. But that doesn’t mean they don’t take care with their appearance.

[Soundbite] Lee Seung-hyeon (Flight Attendant) : "I usually don't even wear basic toner and lotion. But I've come to care more about my looks as a clean cut appearance appeals to passengers in a more reliable way."

[Soundbite] Song Eun-mi (Passenger) : "I've only seen pretty female flight attendants. But it's nice and refreshing to see a male attendant."

The attendants always seem to be standing but they do have "jump seats" to sit on during takeoff and landing. The plane takes off and the attendants begin to serve drinks and prepare for the meal service. When the passengers are asleep, the attendants finish cleaning up and then have their own meals. But even while eating if the blue light comes on, meaning that a passenger is calling, they have to immediately attend to the passenger.

[Soundbite] Jo Sang-su (Flight Attendant) : "We're always in a tense mood so we don't get to eat meals at times."

Hours later, the plane lands in Bangkok.

[Soundbite]

(Wasn't the flight tough?) A little. But at the end of the voyage, I'm always happy and feel rewarded.

The first place they head to in Bangkok is the hotel. They unpack their bags and get some rest.

[Soundbite] Jo Sang-su (Flight Attendant) : "It's dry inside the plane, which is bad for the skin. So I always put this in the hotel room."

They put on a face mask and relax their legs. Their muscles are tense after standing so much during the flight.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-ha (Flight Attendant) : "We're always standing in the plane so our blood flow is constantly downward. It's good to lie down in this position for blood circulation."

Some attendants use the brief rest time they have to exercise or get a foot massage.

[Soundbite] Jo Sang-su (Flight Attendant) : "It was a busy flight. A foot massage beats the day's stress. "

If they still have time left after freshening up, they go sight seeing in Bangkok.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-ha (Flight Attendant) : "When I back to Korea, I crave these all the time. So whenever I come to Bangkok, I always eat here at least once."

But when they're on flight schedules, they say have little time to leisurely enjoy the city.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-ha (Flight Attendant) : "I'd like to continue to be an attendant who is like close family to the passengers."

Flight attendants work hard behind the scenes to provide passengers with a pleasant flight.