KOREA’S SPIKING INFLATION RATE

KOREA'S SPIKING INFLATION RATE

[Anchor Lead]
The inflation rate for food in South Korea has surpassed the average among OECD nations for the first time in two years. However, experts suggest that this high rate of inflation is unlikely to be entrenched for the long term, indicating that it will not become a persistent issue.

[Pkg]
The prices of apples and pears in March showed a record increase of nearly 90% from the previous year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development calculated Korea's inflation rate of food and non-alcoholic beverages in February at 6.95%. This figure is higher than the OECD average and third highest among the 35 OECD member nations. Korea's spiking inflation rate is driven by high prices of fruits and vegetables while other OECD nations saw a decline in inflation initially caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it was concluded that Korea's high prices aren't likely to remain permanent. According to global weekly magazine The Economist, given the core prices of agricultural and petroleum products and the expected inflation rate, Korea's inflation entrenchment is the second lowest among ten major economies. That means that inflation wouldn't last that long. The Korean government also maintains its original stance that prices would stabilize in the 2% range in the latter half of the year.

[Soundbite]
Choi Sang-mok (Deputy Prime Minister for Economy (April 19)): Korea's core prices remain stable, so our initial projection that prices would go down and stabilize in the second half of the year remains valid.

As of April 17th, the prices of apples and tomatoes fell more than 10% on-month as the government provided more subsidies for the unit prices of fruits and other agricultural products.

FELLOW DOCTORS RETURN TO WORK

[Anchor Lead]
Fellow doctors who had left their positions in solidarity with striking trainee doctors are starting to return to hospitals, raising the re-signing rate from the 30% range to 50%. Despite this improvement, it's unclear whether it will significantly boost hospitals' treatment capacity as medical school professors are expected to leave soon. Also, medical students are filing an injunction lawsuit today against university presidents to stop the proposed expansion of medical school enrollment.

[Pkg]
Some fellow doctors who left work in support of striking trainee doctors are showing signs of returning to their duties. As of late February, just 33.6 percent of them renewed their yearly contracts. The number rose to 55.6 percent on April 17. An official from a large general hospital noted that fellow doctors are gradually returning to work and are also hiring public health and military doctors who've completed their service. But it remains to be seen if the return of fellow doctors will help ease the medical vacuum and restore hospitals' capacity to take care of patients. It is because medical professors who tendered resignations will likely leave their jobs starting Thursday.

[Soundbite]
Kim Sung-geun (Korean Medical Association's emergency committee (April 21)): More professors plan to resign from May, regardless of approval. There's one week left to resolve the situation.

Medical schools are continuing to protest against the government's push to raise the medical school enrollment quota. Medical students decided to file an injunction lawsuit on Monday against university presidents to halt the expansion. Medical school deans have also asked the government to keep the quota unchanged for next year. They urged the government to hold discussions with the medical sector before deciding how much it will increase the admissions for the 2026 academic year.

[Soundbite]
Shin Chan-soo (Chair, Korea Association of Medical Colleges): There's no time to spare for the 2025 quota, and it's not too early to start talks for 2026.

Medical school deans said if the current situation continues, approving leaves of absence will be inevitable to minimize student harm. Meanwhile, the education ministry stressed it will respond strictly to collective action.

NEW KIM JONG-UN SONG RELEASED

[Anchor Lead]
We previously reported about North Korea celebrating Kim Il-sung's birthday, known as the "Day of the Sun," with a grand ceremony in Pyongyang. It has been found that during the event, a new song was unveiled, describing Kim Jong-un as a "friendly father." The song's release appears to reflect a push to emphasize his "caring" leadership style. Let's have a look at the details.

[Pkg]
An unusual celebratory performance was held to mark the completion of a large-scale residential district in Pyongyang. A new song was released at the occasion.

[Soundbite]
(N. Korean propaganda song ‘Friendly Father’): It is as warm as a mother's hug.

Titled "Friendly Father," it is a song that praises North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

[Soundbite]
(N. Korean propaganda song ‘Friendly Father’): Let's show him off. Kim Jong-un, a friendly father.

Its lyrics are similar to those of the song "Friendly Name" dedicated to his late father Kim Jong-il.

[Soundbite]
(The Day of the Shining Star (Feb. 2021)): Let's show him off Kim Jong-il, a friendly name.

Just small changes are seen with the words "leader" and "name" replaced by "great leader" and "father." It seems the song is intended to boost Kim Jong-un's image as a leader that loves his people and to help him come out of the shadow of his father who championed the "military-first" politics. Similarly, Kim is seen getting along with young people in a video released with the new song, In another scene, Kim is also accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae against the backdrop of statues of his father and grandfather. This is seen as a message targeting the next generations. Some analysts believe that holding a large event like this shortly after North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's birthday on April 15 indicates Kim Jong-un's intention to surpass the legacies and authority of his father and grandfather. North Korea released a new national anthem in which the word "this world" replaced "the whole land of Korea," which means the Korean Peninsula.

[Soundbite]
(North Korean anthem): This world, my beautiful motherland.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Kang Dong-wan (Busan Hana Center, Dong-a Univ.): In line with Kim Jong-un's push for a two-state principle, the North is appearing to remove everything related to S.Korea, people and compatriots.

From the rerun of the performance aired on last Thursday, the North also changed the title "national anthem" into the anthem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, suggesting its intention to differentiate itself from South Korea.

PEACE STATUE ATTACKER SKIPS TRIAL

[Anchor Lead]
The trial for Japanese far-right politician Nobuyuki Suzuki, who committed what's known as the 'stake terror' incident on the Statue of Peace 12 years ago, has been stalled for more than a decade. After committing such act, Suzuki fled to Japan and has since refused to appear in court. Despite the court issuing eight arrest warrants, it's still difficult to enforce them. Here's why.

[Pkg]
A man ties a wooden stake saying "Takeshima is Japanese territory" to the Statue of Peace dedicated to the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery. He is Japanese far-right politician Nobuyuki Suzuki. In February of the following year, he was indicted for defaming the victims, but he has never once appeared in court for trial since then. Last week his trial was suspended yet again because Suzuki didn't show up. In his interview with KBS last year, Suzuki, who sent a provocative parcel with a wooden stake to insult the Korean court, said he had no plans to appear for trial.

[Soundbite]
Nobuyuki Suzuki(Head of National Party of Japan): I did it because the statue in front of the Japanese embassy is disrespectful to Japan. I refuse to apologize.

Suzuki also ditched the verdict of another case that was finalized 10 years ago. He drove a stake into the ground at the monument dedicated to Korean independence activist Yun Bong-gil in the Japanese city of Kanazawa. In 2014, a court ruling ordering him to pay 10 million won in damages to Yun's family was finalized, but the payment is yet to be made.

[Soundbite]
Yun Ju (Nephew of Yun Bong-gil): Because Suzuki is Japanese, we cannot receive compensation that he was ordered to pay by a Korean court. This is unreasonable.

The justice ministry has been trying to have Suzuki extradited, but it is unlikely to happen due to the lack of cooperation from the Japanese government. The court plans to issue a new arrest warrant for Suzuki when his eighth warrant expires next month and hold the first trial for the 27th time in March next year.

"CHILDCARE LEAVE HELPS CHILDBIRTH"

[Anchor Lead]
It just gets lower and lower. The total fertility rate this year is expected to be just 0.68, setting a new record low. Despite various measures to address the low birth rate in Korea, they have yet to show significant results. But a recent study indicates that simply providing guaranteed childcare leave in the workplace can more than triple the intention to have children.

[Pkg]
This working woman in her 30s gave birth to her first child in November last year. She took a three-month maternity leave, and she plans to stay on childcare leave through June this year. She decided to have a child after seeing her senior coworkers successfully continue their careers after childbirth by taking childcare leave.

[Soundbite]
Lee Ru-ni (Working mother on childcare leave): My company notified us about childcare and maternity leave options in advance. It was inspiring for me to see my senior colleagues...return to work from childcare leave.

A poll conducted by the Graduate School of Public Health of Yonsei University on some 300 married women in their 20s and 30s shows that...women who work for companies that guarantee both maternity and childcare leaves are over six times more likely to have children. The number of respondents who said they were willing to have children as long as they could take childcare leave was 3.6 times higher. In contrast, financial support such as childbirth subsidies were found to have a relatively small influence on women's decisions.

[Soundbite]
Jung Yoon-hwa (Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei Univ.): Time is a separate benefit from the households' economic situation, because it takes a lot of time to raise a child.

This means women can be encouraged to have children if they have time to give birth and raise them without worrying about losing their careers. The government has been trying to extend childcare leaves, but employees at small firms still have difficulties taking them. In a 2022 government survey, the percentage of respondents who said employees who needed to take childcare leave could not use it was just 1.9% at large companies with 300 or more workers, but at small firms with fewer than ten workers as many as 23% of respondents gave the same answer.

CULTURAL ACCESS UP FOR DISABLED

[Anchor Lead]
As the weather warms up and it's the perfect time to go out, theaters and performance venues are bustling with visitors. However, for people with disabilities, especially those with visual or hearing impairments, accessing cultural experiences can still be a challenge. Thankfully, there are initiatives underway to address these challenges. Here's more.

[Pkg]
These people look excited as they enter the movie theater with popcorn and soft drinks in their hands. Roughly 100 people with visual and hearing impairements gathered here to see the specially produced "Exhuma." For deaf people, the dialogues and sound effects are provided in subtitles.

[Soundbite]
The descendents of the deceased approach.

The visually impaired enjoy the movie as they listen to realistic audio descriptions. There have been 21 such specially produced movies last year alone, drawing about 32,000 moviegoers.

[Soundbite]
Kim Suk-hee (A hearing impaired): Watching movies on a big screen is much better than at home, and it's great to enjoy them with deaf friends.

[Soundbite]
You must choose now!

Access to stage productions have also been made easier. For those with disabilities who can't easily access theaters, plays and operas are now available on video with subtitles and descriptive commentary.

[Soundbite]
Moon Seong-wook (Seoul Arts Center): Many people find it hard to watch shows offline. We try to make the performances more accessible for such people.

Despite these efforts, however, only 4.2% of the disabled population say they go to cultural events and performances in their spare time. Experts point out that more choices should be given to the disabled and the viewing environment also improved.

[Soundbite]
Roh So-young (Korea Blind Union): The goal is for everyone to see the shows anytime, anywhere. We need more cooperation from movie theaters.

Another challenge is for the non-disabled people to have a better understanding of their disabled counterparts so that culture can be enjoyed by all.

LIM YUNCHAN'S DEBUT ALBUM

[Anchor Lead]
Pianist Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has released his debut studio album with Decca Classics. He recorded the complete collection of Chopin's Etudes, saying that it's a "feeling of a volcanic eruption." We wrap up today's news with his new sounds.

[Pkg]
Pianist Lim Yunchan soared to stardom overnight after becoming the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. Now he released his debut studio album on Decca Classics, a renowned classical music recording label. The repertoire is Chopin's Etudes. Stellar pianists such as Alfred Cortot and Ignaz Friedman have played the same music. Lim says he chose this repertoire because he wanted to become a 'fundamental musician.‘

[Soundbite]
Lim Yun-chan( Pianist): A fundamental musician is someone who has a deep faith in himself and expresses himself fearlessly.

He has listened to and practiced this music countless times since young and it brings joy to his heart just by playing it.

[Soundbite]
Lim Yun-chan (Pianist): It feels like a volcanic eruption of something that was building up inside for 10 years.

He practiced for seven hours just to master two bars.

[Soundbite]
Lim Yun-chan (Pianist): It is not practice if the first note does not strike at the heart. If it strikes at the heart, then I go on to the next note.

He continues to up the ante and works to reach new heights.

[Soundbite]
Lim Yun-chan (Pianist): There is a part in Op. 25, No. 9 where I changed the left hand notes. You will find it interesting.

He says he practices endlessly to improve his performance, but humbly calls himself an ordinary person when hailed as a genius.

[Soundbite]
Lim Yun-chan (Pianist): It's important for an ordinary person like me to practice every day, live sincerely.