S. KOREA-CUBA DIPLOMATIC TIES

S. KOREA-CUBA DIPLOMATIC TIES

[Anchor Lead]
Cuba, known as the "brother country" of North Korea and a communist state, has established diplomatic relations with South Korea. A surprise announcement was made overnight without prior notice, revealing that secret negotiations had been underway. The government's diplomatic efforts, which have been dedicated to establishing relations with Cuba for over 20 years, have finally borne fruit.

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South Korea has forged diplomatic relations with Cuba, a country that has never had such ties with Seoul. Seoul's foreign ministry said the two countries' representatives to the UN exchanged diplomatic notes in New York on Wednesday local time, thereby establishing formal relations. The two sides skipped intermediate steps such as building consular ties and went straight to an ambassador-level relationship, and agreed to take follow-up measures such as opening permanent missions. Cuba is the 193rd country which South Korea has forged diplomatic ties with. Among UN members, Syria is the only one with no such ties with Seoul. The surprise announcement came overnight Korea time. Bilateral discussions on the agreement are believed to have taken place in tight secrecy. This may have to do with possible backlash and sabotage by North Korea as Cuba, a communist regime, is like a brother country to Pyongyang. Seoul pursued diplomatic relations with Havana since the 2000s. In 2016, then foreign minister Yun Byung-se made an official visit to Cuba for the first time and conveyed Seoul's intent but little progress has been made since. But the two sides are known to have expedited contacts since last year, accelerating related talks. The foreign ministry said a key contributing factor to the latest development was expanded favorable views of each other by the two sides thanks to active cultural exchange. Currently in Cuba, there is a Korean Wave fan club boasting ten-thousand members while some 14-thousand Koreans used to visit Cuba each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. The foreign ministry noted that formal ties with Cuba will help lay an institutional framework for economic cooperation and provision of systematic consular support for Koreans visiting the Caribbean nation.

HEATED ELECTION NOMINATIONS

[Anchor Lead]
With the general election just around 50 days away, both ruling and opposition parties are accelerating their nomination processes. The People Power Party has announced 25 single-candidate nominations, while the Democratic Party is facing discord amidst its efforts for personnel renewal.

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The People Power Party announced a list of single recommended candidates for 25 districts, a number larger than expected. The ruling party finalized the candidates for 19 key battlefields in Seoul, which include six constituencies along the so-called Hangang River Belt, such as Dongjak-eul with Na Kyung-won and Yongsan with Kwon Young-se. Contrary to predictions in and out of the party, no former presidential officials were put on the list. Seok Dong-hyun, a former secretary-general of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council who is known to be a friend of President Yoon Suk Yeol for four decades, was disqualified without a primary.

[Soundbite]
Chung Young-hwan (Chief, PPP Nomination Committee): The standard is to choose the most competitive. It is unrelated to whether they are from Yongsan or the party.

As the party's principle of system-based nominations was emphasized, former Rep. Kim Sung-tae said he accepted the nomination committee's decision not to nominate him for the Gangseo-eul district in Seoul. Contenders discussed adjusting constituencies in interviews for selecting the candidate running in the Gyeyang-eul district in Incheon, which is currently represented by Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.

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Yoon Hyung-sun (Former chief, PPP branch in Gyeyang-eul district): I hope to have more discussions with former minister Won Hee-ryong, before the party makes a decision.

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Won Hee-ryong (Former Land minister): As a member of the party, I will follow its decision.

Discord is surfacing in the Democratic Party, which is projected to overhaul with its applicant selection process. After party leader Lee Jae-myung asked him not to run in the April general elections, former Rep. Moon Hak-jin raised questions about a candidate suitability scrutiny, which was mentioned by Lee. Moon insisted that the screening was conducted by the Gyeonggi-do team, an unofficial aide group for Lee. Lee immediately refuted Moon's claim, saying that it was an official examination.

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Lee Jae-myung (Chair, Democratic Party): He appears to be overreacting, thinking that this is his last chance. His claim is not true at all.

While announcing her decision not to run in the general elections, Rep. In Jae-keun expressed discontent about the party's move to nominate lawyer Kim Nam-geun for her constituency.

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In Jae-keun (Democratic Party): The party must nominate applicants that meet public expectations. That's how the DP can win. I don't support Kim Nam-geun.

The People Power Party will hold interviews of hopefuls bidding to run in Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do districts. The Democratic Party will announce a second list of regions where primaries will be held to select candidates.

DOCTORS TO DECIDE ON STRIKE PLAN

[Anchor Lead]
The Korean Medical Association, now an emergency committee, announced it will finalize its action plan, including strategies for resistance, on the 17th. Medical students have met but haven't finalized their collective action plans. The Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasized dialogue but maintained a firm stance against demands to cancel the increase in medical student admissions.

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The Korean Medical Association went into emergency mode immediately after the government announced its plan to increase medical school enrollment quota. Then the committee held its first press conference. Committee chair Kim Taek-woo vowed to stop the government's unreasonable increase policy and said a detailed group action plan will be decided this weekend.

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Kim Taek-woo (Chief, KMA Emergency Committee (Feb. 14)): We'll open the first emergency countermeasures meeting on Feb. 17 to decide on our future strike plan and other important agendas.

Medical students also met to decide on their future plan. The national group of medical students also held an online general assembly of its key members to discuss their group action plan. At the meeting that lasted past midnight, they talked about boycotting classes together but no conclusion was reached. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that medical students would have made a wise choice and reiterated that the government is willing to talk. Saying that resident doctors and medical students are the young leaders of the medical industry, the ministry asked them to come together to improve medical services. However, the government reiterated its strong opposition to Korean Intern Resident Association head Park Dan's demand that the increase policy be scrapped altogether.

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Park Min-soo (2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare (Feb. 14)): I hope they don't oppose everything without any alternatives. They should tell us exactly what the problems are and how to address them.

The government also asked former KMA officials to immediately stop inciting young doctors to strike.

NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]
The Korean Nursing Association has expressed support for the government's medical reform plan and decision to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools. In a press conference held in front of the National Assembly on Wednesday, the nurses' group said that there should be no more tragedies in which patients' lives are threatened due to a shortage of doctors. The association urged doctors' organizations to stop their collective action, saying it is unimaginable that firefighters and police officers can leave their duties to seek their own interest.
Following a KBS report on a continental shelf known as "Mining Block 7," the foreign ministry said that Japan cannot unilaterally develop the region even after the two countries' joint development accord expires. The area is believed to harbor significant quantities of oil and natural gas. A foreign ministry official explained that under the current international law, a country cannot monopolize the exploitation right or unilaterally develop natural resources without the other side's consent in a water body near a continental shelf where their territories are overlapped.

N. KOREAN-MADE GAMBLING SITES

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea's overseas IT organizations have been detected by the National Intelligence Service for creating thousands of illegal gambling sites and selling them to domestic criminal organizations. Operating from a base in China, these groups have disguised their identities while engaging in their activities, and it has been revealed that they even stole personal information of members of the gambling sites.

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This is a factory dormitory in Dandong, China. It looks like an ordinary dormitory but it is actually an IT center housing a North Korean hacker group. South Korea's National Intelligence Service said that the members of Gyonghung Information Technology Exchange Company under Office 39 of North Korea's Workers' Party created thousands of illicit gambling sites here and sold them to South Korean crime organizations. Headed by the chief of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the fifteen North Korean tech workers in this ring received 5,000 dollars for every gambling site they built and another 3,000 dollars per month for maintenance and repair. They pretended to be Chinese software developers to avoid sanctions and to get work. They were paid through bank accounts held under borrowed names. Each member remitted roughly 500 dollars a month to Pyongyang. They also stole personal information of about 1,100 site members and attempted to sell them.

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Prof. Lim Jong-in (Korea University): N. Korea could use the stolen personal info to send ransom wares or launch smishing attacks. They also sell it in the dark web or in black markets.

The South Korean intelligence agency explained that because of the cheap prices, South Korean crime rings continued to deal with them knowing that they are North Koreans. The NIS also said the North Korean IT workers used the gambling site server provided by South Korean gang members to hack into South Korea's industrial secrets. The spy agency added that it is tracking the South Korean criminal groups that made trillions of won in profit from selling these North Korean-made gambling sites.

DOWNSIDE OF SHORT-FORMS

[Anchor Lead]
On platforms like YouTube and Instagram, short videos, known as 'short-form content', are trending, especially among the younger generations. Exposure to instantaneous and stimulating content not only leads to a preference for brief videos but also impacts learning abilities and concentration.

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Short, provocative clips are endlessly played as viewers lose track of time.

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Park Sae-eun (Seoul resident): I set out to watch just a little before bed, but end up sleeping an hour later.

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Kim Jae-hyeok (Seoul resident): Often, time just flies by and when this happens, I don't feel I rested well.

Watching short-forms also affects our brain. It can cause the so-called popcorn brain syndrome where our brains immediately react only to short-length stimulation that is constantly 'popping'. Once accustomed to short-forms, viewers may find it difficult to watch longer content, and will go back to short clips, creating a vicious cycle.

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Prof. Han Kyu-man (Korea University Anam Hospital): Short clips strongly stimulate the reward part of our brain. This is why real life pleasures don't feel that enjoyable.

Another problem is watching short-forms at night right before going to bed when the brain needs a good rest. This can adversely affect young people's concentration and learning ability.

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Prof. Han Kyu-man (Korea University Anam Hospital): If the brain does not rest and is on overload continuously, it can't properly function when faced with tasks requiring concentration or learning.

To prevent developing a short-form addiction, experts advise people to find joy in real life such as through exercise, and when watching such clips, set time limits in order to reduce side effects.

LEE HYORI SPEAKS AT ALMA MATER

[Anchor Lead]
Singer Lee Hyo-ri attended the graduation ceremony at her alma mater, Kookmin University, to offer encouragement to the juniors. Lee Hyo-ri emphasized to the students leaving school, "What you really need to listen to is the voice of your own heart."

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Singer Lee Hyo-ri crisscrosses the stage and the auditorium as if holding a concert. The famed diva, who started college in 1998, is delivering congratulatory remarks at her alma mater's graduation ceremony.

[Soundbite]
Lee Hyo-ri (Singer): I started attending Kookmin Univ. School of performing arts 26 years ago with the dream to become a famous person.

The top star advises her juniors to listen to their inner-voice, more than anything else.

[Soundbite]
Lee Hyo-ri (Singer): Live a life as your heart leads. You need to listen to the voice of your heart.

She stressed that ultimately, you are on your own in life and that having direct experience is more important than mere words.

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Lee Hyo-ri (Singer): Don't expect to rely on or be encouraged by others. Life is a solitary venture. Only what you experience will become yours. Go out there, get hurt and learn.

The students thanked their superstar senior for the heartfelt, candid advice.

[Soundbite]
Choi Won-hyeok (Kookmin Univ. graduating class (entered school in 2017)): I'm proud she is our senior. I will take the advice and try to live to my full desires without any worries.

Lee's heartwarming words have encouraged the graduating class as they now leave their familiar school and step into society with excitement and fear.