Disease Response Overhaul

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President Park Geun-hye has been briefed on how to deal with the MERS outbreak by infectious disease experts from the U.S. and the World Health Organization. The president pledged reforms in Korea's response systems for infectious diseases, and changes in the customs and practices associated with hospitals.

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President Park Geun-hye invited infectious disease experts from the U.S. and the World Health Organization for a meeting. She said that since MERS was a new infectious disease for Korea, the country's initial responses had been inadequate to stop the spread. She also stressed that Korea's response system for infectious diseases will be reformed. The President also said that customs and practices concerning hospitals should be changed, in order to carry out response plans customized to Korea's environment and culture.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "Lots of people visit patients at the hospitals and multiple patients are admitted to a single hospital room. There needs to be a social responses and simulations of these situations."

The invited experts advised that varied simulations must be prepared since information on new infectious diseases is very limited.

[Soundbite] Sylvie Briand(Dir., Pandemic & Epidemic Diseases Dept., WHO)

They also said that prevention experts should be stationed permanently at hospitals to stop the spread of infectious diseases and protect the medical staff.

2. Human Rights Office

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea is dead against the opening of a UN field office on North Korean human rights in Seoul. With Pyongyang now making threats to the U.S., it also seems that inter-Korean relations will remain strained for the time being.

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North Korea strongly condemned the opening of a U.N. office on human rights in Seoul, vowing to respond sternly. In all of its media outlets on Wednesday, the North said that the establishment of the human rights office is a declaration of war and an enormous provocation, threatening to deliver a just punishment. In particular, with the 65th anniversary of the Korean War a day away, North Korean TV presented a concentrated lineup of programs denouncing the U.S. and the U.N.

[Soundbite] (N. Korean College Student) : "U.S. imperialists are wild dogs that lust for blood. It is the lesson of blood that we must fight to the end against the U.S. and the class enemy and prevail over them."

The U.S. government was quick to present strong criticism of North Korea's threats.

[Soundbite] John Kirby(US Dept. of Defense Spokesman)

The South Korean government also flatly dismissed North Korea's resistance, calling for the improvement of North Korean people's human rights.

[Soundbite] Lim Byung-chul(Spokesperson, MOU) : "North Korea should not resist or criticize, but instead cooperate with the UN and the international community to improve the human rights of the North Korean people."

With the issue of the U.N. office serving as a new spark of conflict, it appears that the already strained inter-Korean relations may further deteriorate for the time being.

3. Overnight Grilling

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Roh Gun-pyong, the older brother of late President Roh Moo-hyun, returned home early Thursday morning after being questioned by the prosecution overnight. The late president's sibling allegedly exerted his influence to grant a special presidential pardon to the late Keangnam chairman Sung Woan-jong. Roh testified that he had indeed received such request, but refused it.

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The late former president Roh Moo-hyun's older brother Roh Gun-pyeong was summoned by the prosecution Wednesday morning and questioned for more than 15 hours before returning home at around 2 a.m. early Thursday. He is alleged to have received a request in December 2007 to wield his influence to have late Keangnam Enterprises chief, Sung Woan-jong granted a special presidential pardon. A former Keangnam executive, surnamed Kim, reportedly testified to the prosecution that he had asked Roh to push for a special pardon for Sung. The prosecution questioned Roh on whether he had exerted any influence on pardoning Sung and whether there were any financial transactions associated with the request. Roh denied the allegation, claiming that although he had received the request for a pardon from Sung's aides, he ended up refusing it. The prosecution also summoned Representative Kim Han-gil of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy for questioning on Wednesday. Kim is accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from Sung. However, Kim did not respond to the summons, prompting prosecutors to review follow-up measures.

4. Drug Dealers Busted

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Police have apprehended a group of students who sold and smoked marijuana from their home. The supplier of the illegal substance was found to have grown hemp in large quantities at an apartment, using plant cultivation equipment. Here is the story.

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Two tents are set up in a room. Hemp is being grown inside the tents. Thermo-hygrometers and red LED lights which replace sunlight have also been installed. To hide the unique scent of hemp, the room is equipped with an odor-blocking device and a ventilation window. A 39-year-old New Zealand citizen surnamed Lee grew hemp in this apartment starting in December 2013. He had learned how to cultivate hemp indoors from a Canadian acquaintance. He was discovered when police apprehended a marijuana user surnamed "Han," a 24-year-old student studying overseas.

[Soundbite] Ins. Moon Jeong-eop(Seoul Namdaemun Police Station) : "The arrested suspect was questioned about where he purchased the drug and whom he smoked with, and the seller was discovered."

Police arrested six people, including Lee and a dealer also surnamed "Lee." 68 people who purchased marijuana from them to smoke, including students studying overseas, were booked without physical detention.

5. Recruitment & Satisfaction

[Anchor Lead]

A survey found that employees who used their personal networks to find employment received lower wages and were more likely to quit their jobs than those recruited openly, challenging the old saying, “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”

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This is a small business producing components for semiconductors. The company has a total of only 20 employees, but hired two new employees through open recruitment this year. The decision came from the experience that employees hired publicly were more competent than those hired on referral.

[Soundbite] Park Seon-gyu(CEO) : "Those hired openly came to the company on their own, so they work harder and are better at their jobs than those who were hired by recommendation."

In fact, the average hourly wage for those who gained employment through personal networks, such as family or friends, was 10.9% lower than those who underwent competitive hiring processes. The company's management believes that their productivity falls short of their openly hired peers. Consequently, those hired on referral found it harder to adapt to their workplaces. Their two-year retention rate of jobs gained in 2008 was 5.2% lower than their publicly recruited counterparts. Experts advise that disclosing a wide range of recruiting information would be more helpful to job seekers and hiring companies alike.

6. Italy Food Expo

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An expo on future foods is underway in Milan, Italy. South Korea is using the event as an opportunity to promote Korean cuisine overseas, presenting fermented foods as an attractive and healthy option.

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Ensuring a stable supply of food is a pressing issue for the future. The Milano Expo is a site where 145 countries have gathered to consider the problem and search for viable solutions. South Korea has presented fermented food and Korean cuisine as an alternative for the future. The fermentation process in Korean foods is demonstrated using state-of-the-art technologies like a robotic arm. The benefits of fermented foods are promoted through a display of large earthen pots and an emphasis on Korea's scientific traditional method of storing foods in earthenware buried underground. The South Korean pavilion, which is the ninth largest among the participants, attracts a daily average of 13,000 visitors.

[Soundbite] "Italian visitor"

On the occasion of Korea Day at the expo, South Korea held an official ceremony attended by government representatives and a wide variety of cultural events to promote Korea's charms and flavors.

7. Naval Clash Film

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A movie about the exchange of fire between South and North Korea on the Yellow Sea in June of 2002 has opened recently. Several marines were killed in the naval clash, which occurred at the same time the South was hosting the World Cup.

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On June 29, 2002, when World Cup fever was in full swing in South Korea the South and North Korean navies exchanged fire on the Yellow Sea. It was a tense and desperate moment of life and death. In the end, six South Korean marines perished in the incident. A movie that vividly portrays the full-length of the exchange, which in reality also lasted half an hour, has opened recently. Parents of the perished soldiers, who had to cope with their grief and losses for 13 years, are overwhelmed with sorrow yet again.

[Soundbite] Moon Hwa-soon(Mother of Perished Marine Han Sang-guk) : "It's too sad. I can't find the words. This movie makes you cry. It reminds viewers of their own children."

Former South Korea national team soccer players, who were part of the team that made the historic run to the semi-finals, also came to see the movie to pay homage to those who gave their lives to protect their country.

[Soundbite] Ahn Jung-hwan(Fmr. Nat'l Team Soccer Player) : "I feel sorry and indebted to the bereaved families. Every time I look at the ocean, I will think about those marines."

The final credits of the movie "Northern Limit Line" lasts for 12 minutes, listing some 7,000 people who sponsored the movie that's meant to remind Koreans to never forget those who gave their lives to protect the nation.

8. Entertainment News

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Korean cinema has regained some of its vigor after the opening of several promising domestic films. Here's more from the world of culture.

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This movie is about the deaths of a 16-year-old boy and a conscripted policeman who were killed when police were trying to suppress residents who protested the demolition of their homes in an area in Seoul subject to redevelopment. The movie vividly portrays a fierce standoff between a public defender and the state power over the truth behind the incident. It's based on a true story about a tragedy that occurred in 2009 in Yongsan, Seoul. Director Im Sang-soo is back with a black comedy about young underprivileged people who stand up against a rich and powerful businessman and eventually win a large sum of money. The comic movie sends a unique message to a corrupt society where money and power are valued above all else. Nathan is a math prodigy who has a developmental disability. After losing his father, the only person in the world whom he truly adored, in a car accident, Nathan becomes reclusive. But he falls into confusion after meeting a girl in an unfamiliar environment. "X+Y" is a beautiful story about a young man who grows from a boy who understood the world through numbers only into a teenager who learns how to discover the world through his heart.

9. Reuse and Recycle

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What do you do with disposable cups after you finish with your coffee or beverage? It seems such a waste to throw them away, but there really aren't that many ways to reuse them. Today we'll show you how to put those paper and plastic cups to good use in your home, as well as how to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer.

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You can make decorative mini wreaths with the plastic lids from disposable coffee cups and some fabric. Here's how. Take a plastic lid with the center part cut out and wrap a strip of fabric around the lid. Then glue some decorative leaves and flower petals around the lid frame to complete a cute mini wreath. This time let's make mini flower pots. The first thing you have to make is a water coaster. Cut up a piece of wrapping paper and wrap it around a plastic cup.

[Soundbite] Kim Jin-ah(Recycling Craft Specialist) : "You need to punch a hole in the bottom of the cup to let out water. Then place a draining net and add some coarse saprolite, fine saprolite, and soil in that order."

Put a plant of your choice in another plastic cup, with a draining net and soil, and then put the potted cup in the coaster you made. And voila you have a mini pot. You can also make decorative lighting with a clear plastic cup and colored cellophane sheets. First, cut up a cellophane sheet in any way you prefer. Then glue the cellophane pieces on a plastic cup and cut out a big hole at the bottom of the cup. Insert a touch light through the hole and you now have a colorful mood light of your own. Here's a good way to preserve fresh vegetables, fruits, and fish so you can enjoy them for a long time? You just need warm water of 50 degrees Celsius. Get a cup of boiling water and another cup of water at room temperature. Mix one part hot water and one part room temperature water to easily set the water temperature to 50 degrees. Let's try out the water with wilted bok choy. The wilted bok choy leaves start plumping up little by little thirty minutes after soaking the vegetables in the 50˚C water.

[Soundbite] Prof. Choi Eun-jeong(Ewha Womans Univ.) : "Thermal stimulus of 50˚C water causes stomata in vegetables to open up all at once. Water then seeps into vegetables with higher solute concentration through osmosis."

Try this warm water method to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh.