Memorial Ceremony

[Anchor Lead]

In a media spectacle typical of the North Korean regime, leader Kim Jong-un was joined by thousands at a memorial ceremony for his late father and ruler Kim Jong-il. Senior North Korean officials pledged their loyalty to the junior Kim.

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North Korea held a central memorial service to mark the second anniversary of the death of its former leader Kim Jong-il. Key officials of the party, government and military filled up the 20-thousand seated Pyongyang stadium. The event was televised on North Korean media for an hour. Choe Ryong-hae, director of the military's General Political Bureau was the first to take the podium and pledge loyalty to Kim Jung-un.

[Soundbite] Choe Ryong-hae(Director, General Political Bureau of NK People's Army) : "We sincerely pledge to guarantee final victory in our military-first revolution and march forward on this path."

With the execution of Kim's once powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek, there is an atmosphere of rallying around the young leader and showing loyalty. This could clearly be seen at the ceremony with officials making their vows one after another.

[Soundbite] Hyon Sang-ju(Chairman, General Federation of Trade Unions of NK) : "We’ll faithfully uphold the leadership of Great Leader Kim Jong-un and live out the last promises made by our Great General."

The North's Korean Central TV enhanced the atmosphere even more by broadcasting documentaries on Kim Jong-il and news of Kim Jong-un's military inspections throughout the day. North Korean provinces also gathered their residents in great numbers and held respective ceremonies and pledges to the successive Kim leadership.

2. Provocation Warnings

[Anchor Lead]

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has raised alarms that the North Korean military could stage a provocation early next year as a result of a fierce power struggle in Pyongyang.

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During an emergency conference call with military officials held yesterday, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said that North Korea could stage military provocations because its "terror politics" cannot last long. The minister said the North could stage all kinds of provocations between the end of January and early March of next year as a result of misjudgments and the intensifying competition among the North's military officials. The defense minister added that the regime's top military officials of the front line units could stage reckless provocations.

[Soundbite] Kim Min-seok(Spokesman, Ministry of National Defense) : "The most traditional way to deal with instability is through provocation. Hard-line military officials could stage provocations to show off their power."

Back in 2009, North Korea fired cannons after its banknote reform and sank one of South Korea's naval corvettes, the Cheonan, after the execution of former Workers Party executive Pak Nam-gi. The defense minister says the North will likely stage provocations before the South Korea-U.S. joint military drills scheduled for March next year. So far the North Korean military has shown no unusual behavior. But Defense Minister Kim ordered the nation's military officials to be prepared for any contingencies and threat from North Korea.

3. Strike Averted

[Anchor Lead]

Commuters can breathe a sigh of relief as operations at subway lines number 1-4 return to normal. Labor and management at Seoul Metro have reached an understanding and the strike was called off.

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The labor and management of the Seoul Metro failed to reach an agreement yesterday throughout the day. They resumed talks at around 10 p.m. and finally made a deal after an hour of negotiations.

[Soundbite] Park Jeong-gyu(Chairman, Seoul Metro Subway Labor Union) : "Labor and management both made concessions to pursue common goals."

[Soundbite] Jang Jeong-u(President, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp.) : "Luckily we worked out our differences. We’ll strive for the safe operation of trains in the future."

The strike, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning, was cancelled altogether. The two sides managed to narrow their differences. Workers will receive compensation once their retirement allowances are abolished, and the the retirement age is to be extended. The allowance will be eliminated according to government regulations, but about half of it will be paid in the form of wages. Workers who are 58 years old and who are to retire this year will be able to work for another year. The overall retirement age will gradually be extended. As both sides reached a consensus, the operations of subway lines numbers one to four were normalized today. But the operation of trains between Daehwa and Samsong stations of line number 3 will likely be cut by 20 percent for the time being because of an ongoing strike at the Korea Railroad Corporation, that helps operate the line. Services of the KTX trains have also been reduced for the first time because of the longest strike that was ever held by the Korean Railway Workers' Union.

4. Sharing Business

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Bowing to public pressure aimed at economic democratization, the country’s largest corporations are sharing jobs with smaller firms, passing on business in advertising and systems integration fields.

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This TV commercial for a large company was produced by a tiny advertising firm of only 14 employees. The large firm opened up the commercial production to a competitive bidding system and the small firm won the project. Thanks to the project, the small firm has nearly doubled its sales since and it was also able to recruit new workers for the first time in four years. This is the effect of a large firm providing opportunities in the advertisement field to smaller firms, which was previously naturally given to its affiliates. A survey by the Fair Trade Commission shows the volume of competitive bidding in the ad field conducted by the top ten corporate groups jumped 60 percent from a year ago. Competitive bidding also surged 47 percent in the systems integration sector. Also, for the first time ever, the top ten groups outsources more than 50% of their jobs to small and mid-sized firms. Such effects are attributed to the voluntary pledges made by the top ten groups last year, when they vowed to share jobs with small businesses amid a social awareness movement called economic democratization.

[Soundbite] Kim Jae-jung(Fair Trade Commission Official) : "Through competitive participation, a sound, corporate ecosystem will likely be fostered where large and small firms can coexist."

But others remain cautious and point out that for some conglomerate affiliates, internal transactions still take up a large portion of the projects and the situation needs to be observed further.

5. College Admissions

[Anchor Lead]

Two year colleges nationwide have begun their student admissions processes for the New Year. In the tight job market, more students are choosing practical degrees over big-name universities.

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A man loses consciousness after complaining of chest pains.

[Soundbite] "I’ll perform the defibrillation. Everybody step back."

The rescue drill looks very realistic. The participants are all emergency rescue experts and students of a two year college who are preparing to find work. The average employment rate for the graduating students of this particular major tops 80 percent. Thanks to the high employment rate, the competition to enter the rescue service department at this school is over 15 to 1. With a 3D scanner, you can create a sophisticated image of a person and also add in facial expressions using the computer. This is part of a digital molding class where students make character dolls. The products made by students are sold overseas through the school and by other companies.

[Soundbite] Park Eun-seon(College Student) : "My passion was animation and dolls. Here, I can learn skills that aren’t taught anywhere else."

A growing number of students are choosing practicality over their mere academic performance. The popularity of specialized majors at two-year colleges continue to grow. Last year, one out of four students at regular Korean high schools chose to enter such colleges.

6. Soundproof Floors

[Anchor Lead]

Many considerate apartment dwellers install flooring materials and mats to reduce the amount of noise their neighbors have to put up with. When it comes to noise in the home, children are the worst offenders.

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The intensity of noise made by children in an apartment upstairs exceeds 50 decibels. The Korea Consumer Agency checked the noise-reducing functions of 38 types of flooring materials and mats available to consumers. Flooring materials made of plastic or wood absorbed nearly 0 percent of the sounds from a heavy weight impact. Mats were found to be a little more effective, with the thickest ones absorbing up to 12 decibels. Thirty of the inspected products, or 80 percent, were found to have no effect on noise reduction. As for sounds from light weight impacts, the flooring materials absorbed 21 percent of the noise, while mats absorbed more than half of it. Thirty five of the inspected products had no labeling indicating their effectiveness for noise-reduction.

[Soundbite] Yun Gyeong-cheon(Researcher, Korea Conformity Laboratories) : "We need a certification system for noise-reduction products so that consumers know which items can help minimize noise between floors as well as disputes between neighbors."

Four out of ten noise-related complaints are received by the Korea Consumer Agency during the winter, which is when people tend to spend more time indoors. In light of this data, the authorities were prompted to urge the public to respect their neighbors by refraining from making too much noise in their apartments during this period.

7. Korean 3D Animation

[Anchor Lead]

A 3D animation film utilizing Korean computer generated graphics and a Korean script is to make its debut in Hollywood next month. It’s a first for the Korean animation industry.

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This Korean-made 3D animation film is about a group of squirrels kicked out from a forest staging a peanut heist. Every strand of hair on the squirrel looks incredibly real, on par with any Hollywood animation. It took almost 43 million U.S. dollars to make this film. Famous Hollywood actors lent their voices for this four-year project. It is now ready to be released on 3,000 screens in the U.S. and Canada on January 17. This is a first for a Korean animation film. The government also plans to provide more subsidies to make the Korean contents industry into a worldwide contents provider. Government assistance will thus be expanded to nearly 21.3 million U.S. dollars by next year, a 23% increase from this year's amount. Animated movies for families will receive most support in order to diversify the local animation industry that's heavily skewed toward cartoons for babies.

[Soundbite] Park Byeong-u(Min. of Culture, Sports & Tourism Official) : "It's a genre that can go global regardless of nationality or culture. It has infinite growth potential."

Animation is one of the five government-designated killer contents. Such films could trigger another Korean wave, just as Korean TV shows, movies and K-pop have done.

8. Sports Charity

[Anchor Lead]

We’re well into the holiday season now, a time for giving and sharing with the needy. Some of Korea’s brightest sports stars and Olympic gold medalists are joining in the holiday spirit.

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Olympic gold medalists Jin Jong-oh and Ki Bo-bae make their way through a narrow alleyway to deliver rice. They were taking part in a charity event that gives rice to senior citizens who are living alone. It's their way of returning the love and support they received during the Olympic games.

[Soundbite] Ki Bo-bae(Member, National Archery Team) : "Please stay healthy. (Thank you.) Have a happy New Year."

Former footballer and current national team coach Hong Myung-bo and fellow coaches have gathered at a golf course for a special event. They were there to promote sportsmanship and raise funds for youth football.

[Soundbite] Lee Young-pyo(Fmr. Football Player) : "It's meaningful so many people are coming together at this event in the name of football to share the holiday spirit."

Baseball players from the Doosan Bears have dressed up as Santa Claus for children in hospital. Also, the Korean Baseball Organization is working with the National Police Agency to set up a prevention program for missing children. It's heartwarming to see how these sports stars are spreading their love this holiday season.

9. Condensation Eradication

[Anchor Lead]

Condensation is a big problem for many houses in the winter. It's difficult to remove mold once it appears. Here are some tips for preventing condensation and removing fungi.

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In the winter, the cold weather forces many to spend a longer time indoors. Exposure to mold growing indoors can cause health problems. It can be serious in some cases.

[Soundbite] Prof. Sim Yun-su(Hallym University Medical Center) : "The temperature gap between the inside and outside is huge in the winter. The moisture level rise in the kitchen and verandas, giving rise to germs and molds. Spores of fungi can aggravate asthma or rhinitis. They can cause bronchitis or pneumonia for people with a weak immune system."

Condensation gives rise to mold, which can pose a serious threat to human health. What causes condensation?

[Soundbite] Gang Je-sik(Researcher, Korea Inst. of Construction Technology) : "In apartments, balconies serve as a buffer to prevent the loss of heat. If the balconies are removed to make the rooms bigger, only the windows come between the inside and outside. In the winter, molds form in windowsills due to the huge temperature gap between the inside and outside."

When the temperature gap between the inside and outside is more than 15 degrees Celsius, the warm moist air indoors emerges as water droplets on the walls. The phenomenon gets worse, if there's a humidifier on. What can be done to prevent condensation and the resulting fungi?

[Soundbite] "It’s determined when buildings are built. The very first step is to use and install quality insulation materials properly in line with the construction law. Functional paint products are effective in partially reducing condensation."

There are special paints or wallpapers that are effective for preventing condensation. However, your own efforts can help as well. Let's start with the windows. First, wipe off the water droplets. You can make your windows just about waterproof with some detergent. Clean the windows using detergent and apply plastic insulation sheets. The insulation sheets serve as a protective layer blocking the cold air from outside. The most basic and important measure is to air your rooms frequently. In the winter, people are reluctant to ventilate their rooms because of the cold weather. But carbon dioxide and ultra-fine dust levels rise in closed, non-ventilated rooms, causing germs and mold to grow and spread. It is better to air your rooms for 30 minutes twice a day at least.

[Soundbite] "The frequent ventilation of rooms lowers the level of ultra-fine dust and helps prevent condensation and mold."

If condensation and mold go unchecked, your house can be filled with germs. Don't risk your health. The simple steps of ventilating and cleaning your windows can be effective in preventing mold from growing in your house.