WALKOUT ANGERS PATIENTS

WALKOUT ANGERS PATIENTS

[Anchor Lead]
As trainee doctors submitted their resignations and departed from hospitals, confusion persisted in major hospitals across the Seoul region. Even in emergency rooms, the front line of medical care, disruptions in treatment continued, leading to outrage among patients and their families.

[Pkg]
A major hospital in Seoul on Tuesday morning. Trainee doctors are packing up and leaving.

[Soundbite]
(Trainee doctor): (What are your plans from now.) I'm sorry.

Following their departure, serious disruptions ensue. A large number of interns and residents also walked off their jobs at Gangnam Severance Hospital.

[Soundbite]
(Family of hospitalized patient): Our doctor tells us to stay at another hospital for a while but it's not realistic. Our patient will die in that process.

Outpatients who need medication for chronic illnesses also face indefinite delays in prescription.

[Soundbite]
Lee Sang-mi (Outpatient): This situation is expected to last until early March. I asked for at least a prescription, but they have no doctors to do it.

With surgery delays, hospitalized patients are even asked to check out.

[Soundbite]
Jeong Won-hee (Family of patient waiting for surgery): The hospital says my father is not a high-risk patient because his condition has not worsened since last October. So, I'm hearing he needs to be discharged.

Setbacks have also affected emergency rooms, the front line of medical service. At one general hospital ER, all beds are occupied, with a sign saying that treatment is difficult with the exception of certain patients. Fewer ambulances are running on roads. Only those used to transport patients from one hospital to another are on standby in parking lots.

[Soundbite]
(Family of patient in ER (VOICE MODIFIED)): We were blocked from entering ER due to a long wait list. (How long is the wait?) 3 hours.

According to the government, as of Monday afternoon, there were 34 cases of patient complaints due to the doctors' walkout. As the medical vacuum prolongs, the chaos and inconvenience patients have to grapple with is expected to increase.

YOON URGES END TO GROUP ACTION

[Anchor Lead]
Amid these circumstances, President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared that an increase in medical school admissions is an essential condition to prevent the collapse of essential healthcare, stating that a minimum expansion of 2,000 admissions is necessary. He addressed trainee doctors and medical students, emphasizing that collective actions leveraging the lives of citizens as a bargaining chip must not be taken, and urged them to return to their duties.

[Pkg]
President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed regret over trainee doctors' resignations and medical students' decision to take a leave of absence en masse. He asked the trainee doctors to return to work, promising to ensure due rewards for essential medical services and eased legal responsibility for possible medical accidents.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): They should not take the collective action of holding the people's health and lives hostage.

But he made it clear that increasing med school enrollment quota is a task of the time, which cannot be postponed further.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): In their everyday lives, people experience a vast vacuum in essential medical fields, as a massive number of medical personnel prefer services not covered by health insurance.

Yoon explained that the government's plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 is the minimal raise, considering the demand for medical services.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): Medical students will graduate in 2031 and it will take ten years to produce specialists and reinforce the essential medical care system.

He refuted the argument that the admission increase will lead to the degradation of education quality for medical students.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): The medical college at Seoul Nat‘l University currently has 135 students in each grade. In 1983, it was 260. The doctors trained at that time were competent enough.

The president pledged to guarantee the people the equal right to access and to receive quality medical care regardless of their region of residence.

AGING CMTE. VICE CHAIR PROMOTED

[Anchor Lead]
President Yoon Suk Yeol said at yesterday's cabinet meeting that vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy will become a full-time position and its rank and privileges upgraded accordingly. Consequently, the position of committee vice chair will be upgraded to the deputy prime minister level from the current minister level. Last week, President Yoon appointed former industry and trade minister Joo Hyeong-hwan as new vice chair of the committee.

DP INFIGHTING CONTINUES

[Anchor Lead]
As the Democratic Party starts notifying members ranked in the 'bottom 20%' of legislator activity evaluations, disputes over nominations and factional conflicts are escalating. The anti-Lee Jae-myung faction is opposing with terms like 'nomination massacre' and 'completion of Lee Jae-myung's personalization of the party.' Lee Jae-myung, in defense, states that the bottom 20% list will include pro-Lee members as well, denying any bias in the nomination process.

[Pkg]
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin was notified that he was in the bottom 10% of the legislator performance review. Park is part of the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction and is competing against former lawmaker and Lee supporter Jung Bong-ju in the Gangbuk-eul district in Seoul. Those in the bottom 10% are essentially eliminated from being nominated since 30% of the votes they win in the primary race are subtracted.

[Soundbite]
Park Yong-jin (Democratic Party): I will not get involved in factional politics. This insulting incident is an extension of that.

Pro-Moon Jae-in lawmaker Yoon Young-chan was outraged after he was told that he also belonged to the bottom 10%.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Young-chan (Democratic Party): The politics of backroom deals, private and targeted nominations and exclusion undermine the Democratic Party.

Lawmaker Hong Young-pyo and other DP lawmakers excluded from a public poll on candidate competitiveness held an emergency meeting and agreed that Lee Jae-myung's intentions affected the nomination review, hinting at the possibility of a group protest.

[Soundbite]
Hong Young-pyo (Democratic Party): We talked about our concerns and decided to relay our opinions at the general assembly.

Lee categorically denied all suspicions.

[Soundbite]
Lee Jae-myung (Chair, Democratic Party): Reform means skin-flaying pain. It's a pain that accompanies great change.

The DP's factional feud over nominations is likely to continue as the party awaits the announcement of a list of final candidates for the first primary and the fourth nomination assessment results, which could eliminate sitting lawmakers from running in the April election.

GLOBAL FINANCIAL FIRMS RAIDED

[Anchor Lead]
The prosecution conducted search and seizure on financial companies to investigate illegal short stock selling by overseas financial investment firms. Yesterday, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office sent prosecutors and investigators to UBS AG, Macquarie Securities Korea, and Citibank to seize related data. The prosecution are looking to obtain evidence related to the allegation that foreign financial investment companies gained undue profits through naked short selling during the SK Hynix block deal.

CLIMATE CARD ENJOYS POPULARITY

[Anchor Lead]
The Climate Card, which allows unlimited access to Seoul's public transportation for just over 60,000 won, approximately 44 U.S. dollars a month, is enjoying immense popularity. The physical card, now scarce due to high demand, is reportedly being sold for a premium.

[Pkg]
The recently introduced transit pass named climate card are flying off the shelves. iPhone users need to purchase the plastic cards, as their devices are not compatible with the mobile cards.

[Soundbite]
(One climate card, please.) Sure, it's 3,000 won (USD 2.25) in cash.

All 200,000 plastic cards were sold out in a week. More cards were produced and supplied quickly and even they are selling out fast.

[Soundbite]
Im Jeong-sook (Seoul resident): I heard it's difficult to buy the card. So I asked a friend to help get it. I stopped by hoping to get one and I got lucky.

Due to the shortage, the plastic cards sell for prices two or three times higher than the original value on online marketplaces for secondhand items. In a message, a would-be purchaser expressed willingness to buy the card for any price the seller would bid. The climate card is the nation's first unlimited, all-inclusive transit pass. Users can save on transport expenses if they use public transportation over 40 times a month. Some 370,000 units of the plastic cards and mobile versions combined were sold in three weeks after the release. However, the service of the card is limited to Seoul, causing inconveniences to some users. In response to the call for expanding the service to the capital area where many residents commute to Seoul, the Seoul city government is holding discussions with Incheon and the Gyeonggi-do cities of Gimpo, Gunpo and Gwacheon.

[Soundbite]
Lee Jin-goo (Seoul Metropolitan Gov't): We are preparing to launch climate cards that can be used for buses running between Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province.

The climate card is expected to remain popular for the time being, as subway fares in Seoul will again increase as early as July.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS ROUNDUP

[Anchor Lead]
Have you ever heard of the term "military hiatus" ? It refers to the gap that occurs when idol singers enlist in the military. However, this term seems hardly applicable to BTS, whose members are all currently serving their military duties. Despite this, the group has been more active than ever, continuing to engage with fans through the release of a new album, documentaries, and international records. We have the details.

[Pkg]
BTS member J-Hope, who enlisted in the military last April, is releasing a new special album titled "Hope on the Street Vol. 1" on March 29. He will also unveil a documentary with the same title, along with the album. He planned and directed the latest project from start to finish before entering the military. BTS member Jungkook, also serving his military duty, has won the "male artist" category at the U.S. People's Choice Awards, highlighting his continued popularity. BTS will also release a limited edition LP album in June to mark the 10th anniversary of their debut in Japan. There's more exciting news of superstar artists' concerts this spring. U.S. pop rock band Maroon 5 will visit Korea again after one and a half years. They will perform on March 8 and 9 at the INSPIRE Arena in Incheon. Classical crossover singer Kim Ho-joong will greet fans, this time in collaboration with the KBS Symphony Orchestra. His solo classical music show titled "The Symphony" will take place at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on March 2. The performance will air on KBS 2TV on March 16. Idol singer and actor Cha Eun-woo is going solo. He released his first solo mini album "Entity" and kicked off related activities. He is also receiving acclaim for his compelling acting in his new song's music video. Entertainer Park Soo-hong, mired in a legal battle with his estranged family, has issued a statement for the first time following a court ruling for his older brother. He said he hopes his brother pays the price for what he did and sincerely reflect on his wrongdoing. Following the ruling, Park also vowed to hold YouTubers and netizens legally accountable for spreading fake news and posting malicious content.

SEASON OF SEA SQUIRTS

[Anchor Lead]
In the southern regions, alongside the spring rains hastening the season, the harvest of sea squirts, often hailed as the "flower of the sea," has commenced. This year, although the yield is anticipated to slightly decline compared to last year, the quality of the harvest is expected to be better.

[Pkg]
South coast waters near Gyeongsangnam-do Province where spring is in the air. A fishing boat has rows and rows of a bountiful scarlet harvest. They are sea squirts, known to some as the flower of the seas. The marine life grown at 6 meters below sea level for 2 years squirts water when they are lifted out of the water. Only the big ones are gathered and cleaned with their reddish hue on full display. Fishermen are happy with this year's catch as the sea squirts grew fast and are packed full of roe.

[Soundbite]
Lee Song-hwan (Sea squirt farmer): Squirts can perish due to high water temperature and oxygen-deficient water mass. But without those concerns at the moment, shipping is proceeding fast.

The price is also a little higher this year, in the 3,000 won range, or over 2 dollars 25 cents, per kilogram. The output volume is expected to drop by 30% from last year but thanks to improved quality, prices are up 20%. Some 18-thousand tons are produced in Gyeongnam southern coastal areas each year, accounting for 70% of national production. Fishermen eagerly expect the harvest to recover to past year levels as the amount sharply fell in the recent 3 years due to high water temperature.

[Soundbite]
Kim Tae-hyeong (Sea squirt fisheries cooperative): Production decreased due to many issues. Thankfully this year, the volume has increased, hopefully leading to higher income.

The sea squirt harvest season, now in full swing, continues through June.