President’s U.S. Visit

[Anchor Lead]

President Park Geun-hye currently on her U.S. visit made a stop at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. There she stressed the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Then she was invited to a luncheon with Vice President Joe Biden and discussed ways the two countries could deal with North Korea issues.

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President Park Geun-hye became the first South Korean president to take part in the full honor guards event. As the head of an ally state, President Park was treated with the highest respect at the 16-minute honor guards inspection, featuring a 21-gun salute and playing of the Korean national anthem. She then encouraged the troops by saying that South Korea and U.S. alliance is the strongest in the world and that South Korean and American troops are the heart of that alliance.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "Don't forget that each and every one of you represents the dynamic S. Korea-U.S. alliance itself. Korea thanks you. We go together."

She also attended a luncheon at the residence of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, during which they discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and work together in dealing with North Korea. She later attended a meeting of Korean and American business leaders hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Here, President Park asked to energize bilateral trade and investment including the Korea-U.S. FTA, and increase cooperation in realizing the creative economy.

2. North’s Submarines

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to improve its submarines' striking capacity. It was recently discovered that the North is installing a launch pad for submarine-launched ballistic missiles at a base in Sinpo.

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Recent U.S. satellite images show a large-scale construction at the North Korean submarine base in Sinpo on the east coast of the peninsula. A new structure has been spotted at the top of the vertical launch pad for testing submarine-launched ballistic missiles that wasn't present back in May. The new equipment is presumably intended for controlling missile ignition.

Experts on North Korea also found that the modernization of the North's shipyard that began in the summer of 2014 is nearing completion. The developments have prompted observers to speculate that the North might soon be building new submarines. In May this year, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully launched ballistic missiles from a submarine and disclosed photos and videos to support its claim. Along with nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles, submarines are among the North's core strategic weapons. Based on signs of the North trying to bolster the combat capacity of its submarines, the South Korean and U.S. military are closely watching the situation.

3. Korean Auto Recalls

[Anchor Lead]

Kia Motor will recall about 410,000 Sorentos with defective transmissions in the American and Canadian markets. This is the latest in the string of recalls of Korean-made cars in North America. Last month, Hyundai Motor recalled 470,000 Sonatas to fix an engine problem.

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Kia Motor is set to recall 419,000 Sorento SUVs produced in North America between 2011 and 2013. That is, the vehicles from those model years sold in America and Canada will be recalled. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the defect has to do with the transmission shifting out of "park" and the car moving when the driver has not stepped on the brake pedal. Kia Motor has decided to replace the device called the brake-shift interlock that prevents sudden movement from the parking position by locking the transmission stick in place until the engine is turned on and the brake pedal is applied. Last month, Hyundai Motor also had to recall 470,000 Sonata sedans produced between 2011 and 2012 for an engine problem. Korea's largest automaker also recalled 100,000 Accents manufactured between 2009 and 2011 with a brake light defect.

[Anchor Lead]

We now bring you our news bulletin for today. The U.S. has again urged Thailand, where the military took over in a coup last year, to quickly transfer power to civilian rule.

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According to Thai media Friday, newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangkok Glyn Davies met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Thursday and urged the country to restore democracy in the nearest future. He noted that Washington was working to strengthen bilateral relations with Bangkok that have been in place for some 180 years. The ambassador said he hoped that Thailand would move forward with a civilian government formed through election. When Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha staged his military coup in May last year, the U.S. blasted the move as a retreat from democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.

4. Korean Black Friday

[Anchor Lead]

Korea’s take on Black Friday has come to a close but department stores continue to offer discounts, holding regional discount events in various parts of the nation. Meanwhile, some smaller merchants blasted department stores for infringing on their markets.

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An event hall measuring 13 thousand square meters wide is filled with apparel and bags. More than 360 brands are present, and the combined value of their products surpasses 44 million U.S. dollars. Many department stores have been holding regional discount events outside of their stores in the wake of the Korea Black Friday event.

[Soundbite] Na Hyun-kyu(Gyeonggi Prov. Resident) : "You can find many useful things if you search thoroughly."

This department store has already held regional discount events in the Seoul metropolitan area three times this year. During the previous two events it recorded nearly 18 million dollars in sales.

[Soundbite] Heo Jun-seok(Dept. Store Sales Supervisor) : "We wanted to continue to revive consumption in the wake of the Korea Grand Sale event held by the government."

Meanwhile, local merchants blasted department stores for infringing upon their markets by holding discount events in their respective areas.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-saeng(Small Enterprise Cooperative) : "Our weekend sales plummet by over 50%. It's a serious violation of the merchants' rights to maintain a decent living."

A department store that plans to hold regional discount events until Sunday is expected to record all-time high sales revenues that will likely surpass its July sales of 11.5 million dollars.

5. Dolphin Spottings

[Anchor Lead]

Pods of dolphins have been spotted in waters off Ulsan 21 times this year, more often than any other time in Korean history. The frequent appearances of dolphins have helped the area's whale-watching business thrive as well.

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A pod of common dolphins surge through the rolling waves. The sight of roughly 1,000 dolphins swimming together is a spectacular sight to behold. Common dolphin pods have been spotted in waters off Ulsan 21 times this year, exceeding the previous annual record of 19 sightings.

[Soundbite] Lee Ho-yeong(Navigator, Whale-Watching Ferry) : "All the crew members love it when dolphins show up and the passengers shout cheers like when a home run is hit in a baseball park."

Dolphin food has become abundant in the area as the water temperatures near Ulsan have risen to between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius. In August, whale-spotting ships operated everyday to boost the likelihood of spotting the dolphins. Thanks to the booming whale-watching tours, dinner cruise programs in which people can enjoy the night scenery of Ulsan's industrial zone are selling out every day. Ulsan's Nam-gu District Office plans to dispatch a surveillance drone to track the movements of dolphins and check the safety of drone tracking before the month's end.

6. Firefighting Exposition

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Firefighters are always there to protect the public, day and night. Korea's best firefighters were brought together at an event demonstrating outstanding firefighting techniques.

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With a start signal, a firefighter sprints 50 meters with a hose in his hands. He moves a mannequin, swings a hammer 50 times, climbs a steep staircase and rings a bell to complete his mission. The mission took about 70 seconds to complete, leaving the firefighter gasping for breath. When it comes to speedily extinguishing a fire by targeting two areas at once, teamwork is essential. This firefighting competition brought together 198 firefighters from 18 cities and provinces nationwide.

[Soundbite] Park Seong-chan(Busan Metropolitan City Fire Safety HQ) : "I want to be a good firefighter who fulfills his duties and always does his best to protect the public."

Such competitions help firefighters to improve the accuracy and speed of their techniques.

[Soundbite] Um Jun-wook(Fire Service Bureau, Ministry of Public Safety & Security) : "This training seeks to teach firefighters how to act on the scene by adapting and responding swiftly."

As in previous years, the eight best firefighters this year were awarded promotions.

7. Hip Hop Trend

[Anchor Lead]

Hip hop music is the big thing among young people as the music carries a message of hope in tough times. Many singers are featuring rappers in their songs, and there are even musicals incorporating the hip hop genre in their shows.

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The characters' lines are in rap instead of sung. They even showcase challenging break dance moves. This fun hip hop musical is about the sorrow and hope of immigrants in the U.S.

[Soundbite] Lee Joo-yeong(Spectator) : "Hip hop is in these days. The musical goes with that trend, so it's really fun."

Lately among singers producing a song in collaboration with a rapper has become a trend. Not only that, veteran singers such as Yang Hee-eun and Lee Seon-hee are pushing their limits with new challenges.

[Soundbite] San E(Rapper) : "Songs don't get boring and emanate a stronger explosive energy than working alone. It's also better to appeal to young folks."

The hip hop spirit of speaking out one's thoughts without inhibitions and singing about hope in the midst of hardship has captured the hearts of young Koreans. Unique in and of itself and also easy to combine with other genres, hip hop music is increasingly expanding its trajectory and inching closer to the mainstream.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

Singer Psy has become a PR model for K-pop. He'll be involved in a campaign of distributing K-pop guidebooks at major US universities. This and more in our culture news roundup.

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World renowned Korean singer Psy is the cover model of a new publication on Korean pop music which is being distributed to famous U.S. schools including New York University and MIT. The K-pop guidebook is a joint collaboration between Psy and Korean PR expert Professor Suh Kyung-duk. The promotional booklet introduces in detail the history of K-pop, the reasons for its popularity and related performance culture. Yuri of the idol group Girls' Generation and pitcher Oh Seung-hwan of the Japanese baseball club Hanshin Tigers have split after six months of dating under the public eye. Yuri's management agency confirmed the split but said it is not aware of the reason. An animated childhood hero for many Korean adults, Robot Taekwon V, is back, fully intact with memories of the bygone era. The robot stands 13 meters high and is displayed in a hangar that vividly mimics the setting of the animated production. The 'V-Center Live Museum' has opened at the cultural venue "Stage 28" in downtown Seoul. Directed by Kim Cheong-gi in 1976, "Robot Taekwon V" was Korea's first robot-themed animated feature film.

9. Blue Crab Season

[Anchor Lead]

Blue crabs are in season these days. They are fleshy and at the most nutritious this time of year. Here's how to choose the best quality blue crabs and enjoy them to the fullest.

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It's still dark outside but fishermen take a two-hour ride to catch blue crabs. When the net is lifted, it's full of crabs. In autumn male crabs taste better than females because the latter lose much of their flesh after spawning.

[Soundbite] Chang Dong-keon(Fisherman) : "We are catching lots of male crabs these days. They're in season. Very fleshy."

When the crabs arrive at a market, they are sorted by gender and size.

[Soundbite] "Look at the flesh. It's amazing."

Female crabs have rounded bellies, whereas males have pointed, oval ones. Regardless of gender, all good-quality crabs have bumpy backs and strong, firm legs. When trimming blue crabs, first scrub them with a brush to remove all the dirt and separate the back and the belly. Then remove the gills and intestines. To make the famous delicacy "ganjang gyejang," or blue crabs marinated in soy sauce, mix dark soy sauce with water at the ratio of one-to-one, add whole cinnamon, astragalus roots and dried liquorice, and boil everything for about two hours. Let the sauce cool and pour it onto the crabs. Keep it refrigerated for a couple of days, and now your "ganjang gyejang" is ready to eat. This delicacy is often called a "rice thief" because it's so delicious that you end up eating plenty of steamed rice with it. Mixing rice with what's left inside the crab's back is the highlight.

[Soundbite] Park Yeon-shim(Gyeonggi Prov. Resident) : "Poorly prepared marinated crabs smell bad, but these smell and taste great."

Customers at this Chinese restaurant are busy taking pictures.

[Soundbite] "There's nothing to throw away here."

They eat hard crab shells like cookies. These are deep-fried crab backs. It's important to use small crabs when making this dish because the larger the crabs the harder their backs. Coat the crab backs with wheat flour and deep-fry in oil at 180˚C for about two minutes, twice, to make them crunchy. Then make the sauce with hot chili peppers and onions, and fry it with the crabs. While enjoying delicious and nutritious blue crabs you can keep yourself healthy in autumn.