New Suspicion

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The president’s elder brother, ruling party lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk, is suspected of being involved in a bribery scandal. He allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands dollars from a savings bank.



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A joint investigative team looking into corruption at savings banks has received a tip that ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk took a bribe. The now-defunct Prime Savings Bank is known to have given Lee several hundred thousand dollars in return for favors. Lee is the elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak. Prosecutors are considering whether to launch a full-scale probe. Investigators want to know if the alleged bribe from the savings bank is related to 624,000 dollars found in the bank account of one of the lawmaker’s staff. Lee Sang-deuk told prosecutors earlier that the 624,000 dollars was proceeds from a real estate sale and cash gifts received from guests at his children’s weddings. He says he deposited the money in the employee’s account for use as expenses for his office. But prosecutors say his explanation is unpersuasive and are tracing other bank accounts related to the lawmaker. All investigation records have been handed over to the joint probe team, which is comparing them with the allegation that the lawmaker took a bribe from the bank. Prosecutors are expected to decide this week if the two cases are connected. If a connection is confirmed, the case will be assigned to the joint probe team, which is directly under the central investigation unit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.



DUP Under Fire



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The Democratic United Party had introduced mobile primaries so that candidates can be chosen for the April general elections. However, problems are already beginning to unravel and surface. Here’s more on the story.



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Mobile voting is a complex procedure that requires ID authorization and the verification of the voters’ place of residence by a credit bureau. Setting up electoral colleges is not easy because of the complicated procedure.



[Soundbite]Campaign Member(Voice Modified): "In rural areas with limited Internet access, proxy registrations are rampant."



The negative effects of mobile primaries have been particularly serious in the Jeolla region, where one of the potential candidates hired high school students to conduct proxy registrations and a campaign volunteer committed suicide. But experts say similar problems can be found in other regions as well. They are worried that the new political experiment could suffer a blow.



[Soundbite]Go Seong-guk (Political Critic): "Damage will spin out of control once the election is corrupted. So there is a need to modify the laws and regulations in order to eradicate corruption at a fundamental level."



The Democratic United Party is scrambling to come up with ways to minimize negative effects. The recruitment of the public electoral college is to end on Wednesday.



Tri-service Day



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A tri-service commissioning ceremony for the officers in Korea’s armed forces has been held for the second time. In his congratulatory speech at the ceremony, President Lee Myung-bak called for defense reform and stronger cooperation among the military branches.



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5,600 newly commissioned officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines receive the title of second lieutenant in a triservice commissioning ceremony. The Air Force’s aerobatic team Black Eagles and triservice honor guards congratulate the new officers.



[Soundbite]2nd Lt. Kim Min-gyu (Air Force/Valedictorian): "It’s a joy and honor to become an Air Force officer. I might not be powerful yet now, but I’ll do my best to become the powerful force in defending the country’s airspace."



Cadet Lee Hong-gyun received his third military ID tag after having served as a private and noncommissioned officer. The first female valedictorian of the Korea Military Academy, Yun Ga-hui, was also given her assignment.



President Lee in a congratulatory speech reminded the cadets that the triservice ceremony, the second of its kind this year, is aimed at strengthening cooperation among Korea’s armed forces. He also says defense reform can no longer be delayed because just three years remain before Korea retakes wartime operational control of its forces from the U.S.



[Soundbite]Lee Myung-bak (President): "Securing our own defense capabilities through command structure reform and stronger combat power is a task that can’t be delayed a moment longer."



President Lee also stressed stringent defense preparedness ahead of major events the country will host this year, including the parliamentary and presidential elections, the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit and Expo 2012 Yeosu.



Speculative Lots



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KBS TV has found that several influential people in the nation have been buying land in the Pyeongchang region, which is the site that will host the 2018 Winter Olympics. These individuals are suspected of having purchased the land for speculative purposes.



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This is an area near the Alpensia Resort, which is to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 11,000-square-meter area has been purchased by Lotte Foundation director Shin Young-ja and her daughter, Chang Seon-yoon. Back in 2005, Chang reported to authorities that she bought the field to cultivate corn.



[Soundbite]Local: "(Is anyone from Seoul engaged in farming here?) No one. They don’t know anything about farming in the first place."



That’s a violation of the Agricultural Land Act.



After a five-minute drive to the northeast from the area owned by Lotte, another vast farmland appears. It was purchased in 2005 by Heo Se-hong of the GS Group, who is also a GS Caltex executive.



Many influential figures of Korean society have bought land since the year 2000. TV personality Kang Ho-dong recently apologized for buying land in Pyeongchang and promised to donate it to society.



KBS TV has found that 70 percent of land owners in Daegwallyeong area in Pyeongchang County are officially registered as residents of the Seoul metropolitan area.



[Soundbite]Local: "Land owners have already sold it. All the properties here has been sold. The natives don’t own land here anymore."



Ten years before Pyeongchang won the bid to host the Winter Olympics, it already became a domain of people from other areas.



Solar Cell Tech



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Korean scientists have achieved a new breakthrough in solar cell technology. They’ve developed the world’s first foldable solar cell. Let’s take a closer look.



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This solar cell aircraft is set for commercial application. The attached solar cell is flat and inflexible, so the plane’s body is thin and the wings look abnormally long.



Korean scientists have developed a technology to improve this in a world first. They’ve made light weight and flexible solar cells using nano fiber.



[Soundbite]Cha Seung-il (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute): "By using both sides of a very flexible board, we can make a very light, durable and flexible solar cell."



By attaching such a solar cell the size of a notebook on clothing, users can recharge their cellphones anywhere, anytime. The new cell provides power supply to soldiers in battle and can also be adopted for use in cars and buildings.



[Soundbite]Lee Dong-yun (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute): "The current solar cells are made after going through more than 30 processes and by using glass boards. But in our case, it takes only 10 steps, which is significantly cuts the time down."



The production cost is just half of a regular solar cell, so the breakthrough could lead the global solar power market.



Policies for Seniors



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As the human life span keeps getting longer, a generation gap has been found to exist even among the elderly. As this development requires policies that cater to each particular group, the government is being called upon to make tailored measures.



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This elderly man at a senior citizens’ hall in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, turned 83 this year. But he’s one of the youngest in his town.



[Soundbite] "I’m among the youngest here. (You, sir?) Yes."



Only those who are 80 and over are eligible to come here. Some seniors travel long distances to socialize with their peers.



[Soundbite] "My son is 68 years old. His friends are in their 70s but they don’t want to hang out with their friend’s father."



Elderly people of different age groups need different welfare services. Those who are under 74 years of age want employment and social activities. But those who are over 75 mostly need health care and nursing services.



But job training for younger seniors is almost non-existent. Physical activities for people of an advanced age with health problems are also hard to find. All these problems stem from government policies that cater to all people who are over 65. Policies that are designed for senior people of various age groups are needed urgently.



New Renovation



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The Seoul Metropolitan Government is gearing up to renovate Cheonggye Stream, which is located in the capital’s downtown area. The project seeks to revive the waterway’s ecological and historical value. Here’s more.



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Cheonggye Stream has been restored thanks to Lee Myung-bak, who pledged to revive the waterway while running for Seoul mayor in 2003. The stream is a major attraction of the city, but the restoration project has also caused controversy. More than 7 million U.S. dollars goes into managing water quality each year, but droves of fish die due to household sewage and rainwater flowing into the stream.



[Soundbite]Lee Hyeong-jeong (Student, Seoul National University): "Living things can’t live in a stream in which the water flows at a same speed. So it’s necessary to foster variety of livable conditions for creatures living at the center or edge of the stream. "



Old bridges were discovered in the course of restoration but Gwangtong Bridge was rebuilt 155 meters closer to the upper stream area than its original location. Supyo Bridge was also built in makeshift fashion with wood. So the city government will renovate the stream to better revive its ecological and historical value.



[Soundbite]Park Won-soon (Seoul Mayor): "We‘ll go through enough processes to think through how we can fix the problems of the stream."



Supyo Bridge is expected to be the first to undergo renovation. The design and comprehensive safety inspections were concluded in 2005. The city will form a civic committee comprising experts to draw up a detailed restoration plan for Cheonggye Stream.



Jjukumi Fever



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Fishermen in the Yellow Sea are busy reeling in their catches these days as the webfoot octupus, known as "jjukumi" in Korea, is now in season. This springtime delicacy is both tasty and rich in nutrients.



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Fishermen are busy catching the webfoot octopus known as "jjukumi" in Korean in waters off Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province. Turban shells dangling on the ropes are full of plump webfoot octopuses. In just half an hour, the big buckets become full of catch.



[Soundbite]Kim Hak-cheol (Fisherman): "The catch is about 70-80kg. It’ll grow in March and April."



Webfoot octopuses are caught by fishing in fall. But in spring they’re caught in turban shells, where they hide for spawning. The webfoot octopus catch in the Yellow Sea in areas such as Boryeong and Seocheon reaches two tons a day these days. With water temperatures one and a half degrees higher than usual, fishing grounds were formed about two weeks earlier this year. Webfoot octopuses taste the best in spring because they are more nutritious prior to their spawning season.



[Soundbite] "Since jjukumi is tougher to chew during autumn, they’re tastier in spring since they’re softer."



Webfoot octopuses are an unrivaled spring delicacy that lures people’s taste buds every year.



New Kind of Biz



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Many people want to start their own businesses but are nervous about doing so because of the large initial investment required. Don’t fear – although you might not have a fortune to begin with, there are still ways you can get your entrepreneurial dreams underway.



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This woman started her own business with only 30,000 won, or around 26 U.S. dollars. But she now earns hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual sales.



[Soundbite] "This is my workshop where I yearly 120 million won (US$106,000) annually."



One of secrets behind her success was to draw up business strategies from the perspective of a homemaker and mother.



[Soundbite] "Mothers want to get their daughters’ unique hair pins, once that cannot be found in somewhere. I can understand that, since I’m raising a daughter as well. So I began putting the names of children on hair pins."



Her business has grown thanks to recommendations made by previous customers. She first launched an online shop with her daughter serving as a model, which is how she kept her costs so low.



[Soundbite]Lee Gyeong-hui (Head, Korea Business Strategy Institute): "It’s necessary to find what you want and to build experiences and capabilities in the field."



It is helpful for business startups to get advice and support from business consulting organizations. Some consultants run educational programs for novice entrepreneurs. Many small business owners have become successful after completing such programs.



[Soundbite]Lee Dae-hwan (Head, Nanum Incubating Center): "We offer support to business startups for two years, such as aiding with the supply and delivery of products, providing one-on-one education and helping them to secure funds to start the business."



Next, it’s also good to join forces with someone with a similar vision and launch a joint venture. This store sells second-hand clothes.



[Soundbite]Sin Ok-hui (Head, Regional Village Enterprise): "We thought too many good things were discarded and thrown away, and it would be good to reuse those things. So we launched a joint venture and selected a community business. "



The shop is jointly run by ten housewives living in the same neighborhood. Local governments select community businesses and offer managerial support.



[Soundbite] "We can share the work together and make joint investments when we’re facing hardships. That’s good."



Another benefit of doing business with other people is to cut the initial costs.



[Soundbite] "We received financial support for the initial investment needed to open the store. And we prepared other things, such as the deposit to rent this building. "



These women have a goal they want to achieve this year.



[Soundbite] "We’re now receiving support from the local government as a community business so maintaining it is possible. But we will work hard to achieve a stable structure by the end of this year."



You don’t have to invest a fortune to get your own business off the ground.