EXPANDING MEDICAL WORKFORCE

EXPANDING MEDICAL WORKFORCE

[Anchor Lead]
The government has unveiled strategies to prevent the collapse of essential healthcare, committing to increase medical school quotas due to an anticipated shortage of 15,000 doctors in ten years. The measures also aim to bolster regional healthcare by expanding medical school regional quotas and to ease the legal liabilities of medical professionals, thereby reducing the risk of criminal prosecution for them.

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In recent days, a 60-something patient in Busan, who collapsed due to cardiac arrest, eventually died after being denied treatment at a university hospital. The hospital said they had no emergency staff to treat the patient. This case represents the dire situation where provincial regions lack essential medical personnel. To address this issue, the government first seeks to expand manpower. It has pledged by all means to increase the medical school quota from academic year 2025, citing forecast the country will be short of some 15-thousand doctors by 2035 amid the aging population.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): Expanding manpower is essential. No matter how great the infrastructure may be, if there's no one to operate it, what's the use.

As the government appears adamant to accelerate medical sector reform, details such as by how much the quota will be raised are expected to be announced as early as before the Lunar New Year holiday. Regarding concern that a larger number of doctors may reduce service quality, education and training of medical workers will be revamped with a focus on clinical capabilities. To boost regional practice, efforts will be made to foster doctors who will stay in provincial regions outside the capital area. The selection of local talent in med school admission schemes will be increased in percentage while regional doctors can also sign long-term contracts with central or local governments to receive housing and income support. The burden of criminal punishment for medical accidents, which doctors groups have been saying is the cause behind the labor shortage crisis, will be mitigated. Under special legislation, indictments will be exempted for medical personnel with liability insurance policy or membership to a mutual aid association.

[Soundbite]
Jeon Byeong-wang (Ministry of Health and Welfare): A special law is under review which will also enable swift and sufficient compensation for the public.

The government has also vowed to inject over 10 trillion won or around 7.5 billion U.S. dollars to raise insurance fees for essential medical areas, adding that the funding can be handled through current health insurance finances.

BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED BY HAND

[Anchor Lead]
In the upcoming April general election, a new "hand counting system" will be introduced, where every ballot is individually re-checked by counting clerks to prevent any suspicions of vote tampering that arise with each election. The National Election Commission conducted a demonstration of this hand count yesterday.

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Ballot counters check each mock ballot manually. After checking them carefully one by one, they put the paper ballots into a counting machine. The ballots counted by the machine are checked again manually. This is a demonstration of the ballot hand-counting system to be adopted for the April general election. Previously, a ballot counter first separated proportional and local ballots from the ballot box before putting them into a sorting machine to group the ballots by candidate. And then the ballots were immediately inserted into a counting machine. But, from the upcoming election, the sorted ballots will be checked manually before they are put through the counting machine. This new step was added to strengthen the transparency of the ballot counting process and erase any doubts about rigged elections. Several suspicions have been raised about the machine-tallied votes being tampered with.

[Soundbite]
Lee Hee-yeong (Nat'l Election Commission): Our priority is on boosting the reliability and accuracy of elections so that voters can be assured of fairness.

For this reason, the hand-tabulated method used in last month's Taiwanese presidential election drew attention. Taiwan used the traditional hand-counting method of calling out the name and number of each candidate and writing down the number of votes won.

[Soundbite]
(One vote for Candidate No. 2, Lai Ching-te!) One vote for Candidate No. 2, Lai Ching-te!

The National Election Commission predicts that with the addition of the hand-counting method, the ballot counting process for the general election will take two to three hours longer on average. The NEC also projected that it will take even longer for electoral districts with large constituents and close races.

NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]
Consumer prices rose 2.8% on-year last month. According to Statistics Korea data released Friday, the consumer price index for January recorded 113.15, 2.8% up from the same month last year. It's the first time in 6 months that consumer price growth has dipped to the 2% range. By item, petroleum goods posted a sharper price fall while service sector inflation such as dining-out also slowed. However price hikes in agro, livestock and fishery products increased last month.
According to the trade ministry, the country's exports rose 18% on-year in January to record 54.69 billion U.S. dollars. Shipments of semiconductors, South Korea's number one export item, jumped 56% to continue growth for the third consecutive month, while shipments of automobiles rose 24%. Exports to China increased 16% on-year to 10.7 billion dollars last month, marking a rise for the first time in 20 months.

PERISHED FIREFIGHTERS HONORED

[Anchor Lead]
On the last day of January, a fire in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, claimed the lives of 27-year-old Fire Engineer Kim Su-kwang and 35-year-old Firefighter Park Su-hoon. Both men heroically entered the flames to rescue trapped individuals but did not return. Their profound sense of duty has sparked widespread condolences for these two young firefighters.

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Four firefighters were the first to arrive at the scene of a massive factory blaze. After checking the site with fire fighting gear on, they enter the building right away. They don't balk at entering the burning structure because there can be people still trapped inside.

[Soundbite]
(Worker from nearby factory): I told one of the firefighters I had seen someone inside the building.

Two young firefighters, 27-year-old Kim Su-kwang and 35-year-old Park Su-hoon did not make it out alive. Kim Su-kwang, a fire engineer who started his job five years ago, earned solid trust from his colleagues for his bravery at various disaster sites. Last year he earned a certificate of emergency rescue technician, which even top firefighters find difficult to attain, and volunteered to work in a rescue squad.

[Soundbite]
Hwang Kuk-hyun (Seongju Fire Station): He always did his best to rescue as many people as possible.

Park Su-hoon, became a firefighter when he was past 30. He took enormous pride in his job, and even said he was married to firefighting. This video on his social media shows him celebrating becoming a firefighter.

[Soundbite]
Chae Chung-shik (Mungyeong Fire Station): He tried to get as much training as possible. He was also very polite and humble.

The government of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province has set up memorial altars for the perished firefighters in four areas, including their hometowns of Gumi and Sangju. President Yoon Suk Yeol has lauded the two firefighters for their heroic deeds and posthumously awarded them with first-class special promotion and the Okjo Distinguished Service Medal. The remains of the two heroes will be laid to rest at the Daejeon National Cemetery.

OFF-DUTY FIREMEN SAVE MAN

[Anchor Lead]
On their day off, a group of courageous firefighters plunged into a fire scene to save a resident in his sixties. Upon noticing the smoke, these firefighters immediately dashed to the scene, expressing a desire to perform even better if faced with a similar situation again.

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A man points at something before quickly running off. The place he ran towards was a multiplex residence. Red flames shoot out of a window and the heat causes the window frame to fall off.

[Soundbite]
Jo Nak-yul (Witness): There was lots of smoke. My thought was this could turn out devastating.

The men spotted running around near the burning building turned out to be off-duty firefighters. They were having coffee after leaving a restaurant on their day off when they spotted smoke and ran to help.

[Soundbite]
Kim Sang-geun (Incheon Seobu Fire Station): I saw smoke coming out of a window. I suspected a fire because the smoke was black.

The firefighters opened the door with the help of a nearby resident and rescued a man in his sixties from the inside of the home.

[Soundbite]
Kim Sang-geun (Incheon Seobu Fire Station): He was on the floor. I figured I was close enough to carry him out.

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Koh Jun-gyu (Incheon Seobu Fire Station): I saw a man in the smoke. It's almost instinctive to think to save the person.

A neighbor lended a helping hand to the firefighters.

[Soundbite]
Lim Heung-gyu (Incheon resident): I got my hammer and broke open the door. It could have been really bad.

The man in his 60s, who sustained burns on his face and hands, was hospitalized. The firefighters rushed into the fire without any safety gear. They say they hope to do even better if they come across a similar situation.

SEOUL FASHION WEEK

[Anchor Lead]
The 2024 Fall/Winter Seoul Fashion Week commenced yesterday, embarking on a five-day schedule. This year, the fashion week is leveraging K-pop as its forefront strategy, showcasing K Fashion in an effort to penetrate international markets.

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Black dress and a ripped leather jacket. A simple yet eye-catching knitted dress. Members of the girl group NewJeans showcase Korean street fashion against the backdrop of Seoul. All these outfits were created by Korean fashion designers. This year's Seoul Fashion Week has kicked off showcasing a globally renowned K-pop group. The highlight this year is a trade show. Korean designers representing 68 brands personally promote their products to some 300 buyers from Korea and abroad. Customers can touch and even try on the outfits. The designers also share their tips on footwear, bags and accessories that go well with their products.

[Soundbite]
(Chinese buyer): It's meaningful to be here because I can touch the products and check the fabrics in person.

This year's event was held six weeks earlier than usual to secure overseas buyers ahead of the world's top-four fashion weeks including those in New York and London.

[Soundbite]
Kwon So-hyun (Seoul Metropolitan Gov't official): We hope to draw the global spotlight to Korean fashion brands and make int‘l buyers open their wallets in Seoul first.

This year's Seoul Fashion Week also features a showroom tour in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, a hot spot among young people. It will publicize Korean fashion globally by combining fashion with music and emotional appeal.

RIVER BUS TO DEBUT IN OCT.

[Anchor Lead]
Starting this October, the Hangang River Bus will commence operations, linking major spots along Seoul's Han River. There will be docks at seven high-demand locations such as Yeouido for public transit and tourism. The anticipated Gimpo-Seoul route will be phased in after next year due to traffic considerations.

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The Hangang River Bus service to be launched in October will be operated using eco-friendly hybrid vessels that can accommodate up to 199 people at a time. The Seoul metropolitan government has decided to set up seven stops for now - in Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Jamwon, Oksu, Ttukseom and Jamsil. The river buses will run an average of 68 times a day on weekdays on two routes: from Magok to Jamsil, and vice versa. They will operate at 15-minute intervals during rush hour slots: between 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., and between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. If an express route operated only in Magok, Yeuido and Jamsil is also introduced, it will take only half an hour to reach Yeouido from Jamsil.

[Soundbite]
Oh Se-hoon (Seoul Mayor): One ride will cost 3,000 won (USD 2.3).But if you add 3,000 won option to the Climate Card, you can get unlimited use for 68,000 won (USD 51) a month.

The city government initially expected the river bus service to help solve traffic problems between Seoul and Gimpo, but this has been postponed until after next year as the matter requires more discussions with Gimpo City. The Seoul city government plans to set up more stops in Sangnam, Nodeulseom, Banpo and Seoul Forest and increase the number of boats based on demand. However, poor accessibility to the boarding points on the Hangang River still remains an issue to be worked out.