FIRE AT BATTERY PLANT KILLS 23

FIRE AT BATTERY PLANT KILLS 23

[Anchor Lead]
A devastating fire at Aricell, a lithium battery manufacturer in Hwaseong, resulted in the tragic deaths of 23 people. Eight individuals sustained injuries.

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Flashes. Explosions. Debris in the air. Smoke that engulfed a factory quickly spreads to cover the neighborhood. A fire broke out at the lithium battery manufacturing company Aricell in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do Province, at around 10:30 a.m. Monday.

[Soundbite]
(Eyewitness (VOICE MODIFIED)): There was thick smoke and explosions. It was like a battleground.

The blaze started on the second floor of the company's third building in a section where manufactured batteries are inspected and packaged.

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Lee Won-kyu (Aricell employee (VOICE MODIFIED)): Most of the workers were Chinese. Some were naturalized Korean citizens, others were just settling down or had come recently.

Of the 52 workers who were at the scene at the time, 23 failed to escape and died. Two others have sustained serious injuries while six more have suffered minor injuries. A total of 30 people are either dead or injured.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jin-young (Hwaseong Fire Station): A worker who escaped from the 2nd floor said the blaze started at one battery cell had sparked explosions.

A worker who was found unconscious on the second floor was rushed to the hospital but eventually passed away. Large flames were finally extinguished 4 hours and 40 minutes later, allowing firefighters to search the inside of the building. However, 21 people who were unaccounted for were eventually found dead.

18 FOREIGNERS DIE IN PLANT FIRE

[Anchor Lead]
Injured individuals are currently receiving treatment at hospitals. The bodies of the deceased have been placed in hospitals and funeral homes in Hwaseong. Identification may be delayed due to severe damage. It has been confirmed that 18 of the 23 fatalities were foreign nationals.

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Four injured workers are receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Hwaseong. Although their injuries are not serious, two of them are said to be on ventilators.

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(Hospital staff (VOICE MODIFIED)): We need to wait and see. If their condition gets worse, we will transport them to a burn center. (Are they unconscious?) No.

Two men in their 40s, who have sustained burns all over the body and face, were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Seoul that specializes in treating burns. The bodies of workers have been moved to five hospitals in Hwaseong. Most of the dead were foreign nationals, including 17 Chinese and one Laotian. Apart from the worker who had been identified first, the remaining bodies have been severely damaged and will need DNA tests to be identified. That's why memorial altars have not been set up yet at the funeral parlors where the bodies are being kept.

[Soundbite]
(Funeral parlor staff (VOICE MODIFIED)): Funeral procedures will take some time. The bodies are marked with numbers only. No personal information about them.

The Hwaseong City Government has set up a taskforce to provide help to the injured and the victims' bereaved families, and opened a support center at the city hall. The central government and Hwaseong City will assign public officials to make sure that each of the victims receives medical treatment and counselling. An inspection of smoke from the fire conducted by Hwaseong City jointly with the Hangang River Basin Environmental Office has revealed no presence of harmful chemicals in the air.

TRASH BALLOON CONTENT ANALYSIS

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea once again launched more than 300 trash balloons across the border overnight. This is their 5th launch. The government analyzed the contents of what's in these "trash balloons". Among the contents found were ragged clothes and parasites, revealing a glimpse into the dire living conditions within North Korea.

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Seoul's unification ministry has analyzed the content of some 70 trash-carrying balloons flown across the border by North Korea. Paper and cloth contained in the balloons were believed to be cut into small pieces on purpose so they would scatter easily. As for plastic bottles, labels and lids were removed in an apparent effort not to expose product information. A closer look however unveils poor conditions in the regime. Socks were sewed up multiple times and infant clothing were worn out. As if to display animosity against Seoul, there were also scraps of fabric presumed to have been torn off from garments provided to the North by a South Korean company in the past. Document covers that read "guidance of Kim Jong-il" or "General Secretary of the Workers' Party" were also found. Under North Korean criminal law, acts of damaging such materials can carry the death penalty but they are sent across the border mixed with filth. It could be a simple mistake but some say that it shows the idolization of the Kim household is no longer the same as in the past.

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Koo Byoung-sam (Spokesperson, Unification Ministry): North Korea should stop the vulgar and eccentric trash circulation even its own people would find shameful.

The unification ministry said an analysis of soil and compost also contained in the balloons has even confirmed the presence of parasites, believed to be from human excrements. But it added there's no risk of infectious diseases as the amount of soil was small and they were recovered and handled by the military.

PPP AGREES TO HEAD 7 COMMITTEES

[Anchor Lead]
The month-long standoff over National Assembly composition is coming to a close. The People Power Party will head seven committees left by the Democratic Party. Excluding key committees like Legal Affairs and Operations, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho expressed frustration, but vowed to fight the opposition's legislative dominance within the assembly.

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Following a party meeting, People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho announced his party will head seven parliamentary committees the Democratic Party had set aside for the PPP. Considering an opposition-held hearing last week regarding a special probe into a marine's death, it appears the PPP has decided to carry on its fight inside the National Assembly to prevent the DP from taking over parliamentary affairs.

[Soundbite]
Choo Kyung-ho (Floor Leader, People Power Party): I'm very angry at how things stand. As the DP runs the assembly on its own, it's clear as day the 7 committees will also be used for political wrangling.

With the ruling bloc taking helm of the remaining 7 committees, the formation of the 22nd Assembly has taken shape some 25 days since its launch. Choo, meanwhile, offered to resign to take responsibility for the negotiations on committee assignments. However, many within the party believe he should be reappointed, so a final decision on his position will take more time. With the committee heads now in place, the DP has warned to push ahead with contentious pending bills. It is set to handle a bill next week calling for a special counsel probe into the death of a marine. It is also planning a hearing to push for a similar probe into scandals involving the first lady.

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Park Chan-dae (Acting chair and Floor Leader, DP): The PPP says it will propose a veto to the marine death special probe bill, which shows why it's been delaying committee formations.

As soon as the PPP elects committee heads and an Assembly vice speaker, composition of the new parliament is expected to be finalized some time this week.

FRENCH KOREAN WAR VETERAN'S WISH

[Anchor Lead]
Today marks the 74th anniversary of the Korean war. During the Korean War, South Korea was aided by 16 countries, and France saw the highest casualty rate among its troops. We met with a 94-year-old French veteran, who said he wishes to be buried with his comrades at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan.

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[Soundbite]
Hello!

Mr. Serge Archambeau is a 94-year-old Korean War veteran who fought for South Korea as a private with the French batallion of the UN Forces. He vividly remembers the engagement in T-bone Hill, which was one of the hardest-fought battles some 70 years ago.

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Serge Archambeau (Korean War veteran, France): My comrade was brutally killed in a Chinese military attack. I was behind him. In my squad, five were injured and one died. I was the only one not hurt.

He had multiple near-death experiences, including stepping on a land mine.

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Serge Archambeau (Korean War veteran, France): Suddenly, there was a clicking sound and I froze. The trigger had been buried under snow for long so it was rusty.

Calling South Korea his second motherland, the elderly Korean War veteran harbors one wish. He wants to be buried in the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan along with his comrades.

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Serge Archambeau (Korean War veteran, France): If North Korean soldiers were to invade, I'd rise from the grave, taking aim.

France sent some 3,400 troops and its ratio of the war dead to dispatched soldiers was the highest among the countries participating in the Korean War. Currently, only 25 French veterans remain alive. The South Korean and French governments are working together to honor their contribution and sacrifice.

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Patrick Beaudouin (Chair, The Veterans Association of France): The Korean War is briefly or rarely mentioned in French history books. It is dubbed the forgotten war. Our role is to ensure that people will not forget.

There is a Korean War memorial monument erected near the Seine River in Paris It is engraved with the names of 292 French soldiers who fell while fighting against North Korean and Chinese forces.

TRANSGENDER SOLDIER LAID TO REST

[Anchor Lead]
Sergeant Byun Hee-soo, South Korea's first known transgender soldier, was laid to rest at the National Daejeon Cemetery. Byun was discharged following gender reassignment surgery, but later took her own life. The burian faced opposition from conservative groups.

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The portrait and urn of the late Sergeant Byun Hee-soo will be placed in the Memorial Hall at the Daejeon National Cemetery. Some 60 mourners, including bereaved family members and officials from the military human rights center, gathered to bid their final farewell. Before Byun was laid to rest, they held the last memorial ceremony taking a tour around the Army Headquarters in Gyeryongdae, Chungcheongnam-do Province.

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We protest the burial!

Amid a calm and solemn atmosphere, the burial ceremony was held three years after the soldier was found dead.

[Soundbite]
Kang Han-seong (Acquaintance of Byun Hee-soo): Other columbariums had photos, but not for Byun. I'm glad Byun was honored in a national cemetery with a photo.

The defense ministry initially recognized Byun's case as a general death, noting that the soldier had already been discharged from the military. However, in March, the ministry decided to recognize Byun as having died in the line of duty at the recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission. As a result, Byun's body could be buried at a national cemetery.

[Soundbite]
Lim Tae-hoon (Head, Center for Military Human Rights): Byun was a soldier who took pride in defending the nation. I hope this would serve as an occasion for sexual minority soldiers to serve the nation.

However, a citizen was stopped by police after attempting to block the funeral car from entering the national cemetery. Conservative civic groups held a protest against the burial.

[Soundbite]
Joo Yo-sep (Chair, People's Action for Freedom and Human Rights): The criteria for burials at this national cemetery are very strict. Byun made no patriotic sacrifice to defend the nation.

Despite lingering disputes over her burial in a national cemetery, the transgender soldier was laid to rest without a serious clash.

HANBOK AMBASSADOR KIM TAE-RI

[Anchor Lead]
Actress Kim Tae-ri has been chosen to showcase the traditional Korean attire, Hanbok, on the global stage. The initiative aims to promote Hanbok internationally and support domestic designers in expanding overseas.

[Pkg]
Actress Kim Tae-ri will promote the beauty of the traditional Korean attire Hanbok to the world. The culture ministry announced that Kim Tae-ri had been selected as the celebrity who will take part in a project linking Hanbok and Hallyu. The project is designed to promote the traditional Korean attire abroad and help domestic Hanbok designers advance into international markets. In 2022, figureskating icon Kim Yuna was the face of the project. Singer and actress Suzy was last year's pick. This year, Kim Tae-ri will follow in their footsteps. In collaboration with the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, the culture ministry will develop Hanbok designs with Kim Tae-ri as a source of inspiration. The developed designs will then be released and publicized overseas through various channels, including signboards and fashion magazines.