FLIGHTS SUSPENDED OVER NK BALLOONS

FLIGHTS SUSPENDED OVER NK BALLOONS

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea has launched trash balloons for the second day in a row. This is the sixth occurrence since the initial incident. The balloons disrupted flight operations at Incheon Airport, causing delays of about two hours.

[Pkg]
Flights that were scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport were cancelled en masse. Some had to return. North Korea began sending trash balloons at around 9:50 p.m. Tuesday. Some of them flew over the airport, prompting authorities to suspend flights for about two hours on Wednesday, starting 1:46 a.m.

[Soundbite]
(Incheon airport staff (VOICE MODIFIED)): We usually receive flights from 3:30 a.m., but today they are returning to Jeju. Some had to return to China.

It's the sixth time the North sent trash balloons since May 28. This time they were sent for two days in a row, causing the public to make emergency calls. As of 4 a.m. Wednesday, 36 reports of trash balloons were received in Seoul alone. On Tuesday, more than 100 balloons were found in Seoul and the northern part of Gyeonggi-do Province. The Joint Chiefs of Staff says no harmful substances have been found so far.
It is currently deliberating how to respond. One of the possible options is the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts.

[Soundbite]
Lee Sung-jun (South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (June 25)): We will act flexibly based on strategic and tactical developments and execute our mission immediately.

The South Korean military resumed loudspeaker broadcasts on June 9 in response to the North's trash balloons, but suspended them a day later.

CCTV SHOWS START OF PLANT FIRE

[Anchor Lead]
Yesterday, we reported on a tragic fire at a lithium factory in Hwaseong which claimed 23 lives and left over thirty people injured. KBS has secured CCTV footage capturing the initial moments of the blaze. The intense 42-second period from the ignition to the factory filling with smoke has been vividly captured on camera.

[Pkg]
It was three seconds past 10:30 a.m. when a small explosion among the battery packs piled up around knee-high was spotted. An employee is in panic when she sees white smoke rising from the batteries. Frightened employees hurriedly remove the batteries. Also seen is an employee who kept working, apparently unaware that a fire had started. Flames shot out when the second and third blasts occurred merely 25 seconds later. Startled workers step back and other employees get off their seats. Just four seconds later, an employee attempts to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher, but the smoke spreads rapidly instead. Flashing explosions grew big enough to shake the surveillance camera. Soon, the view is darkened by smoke. It took only 42 seconds from the first burst for the smoke to fill up the work area.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jin-young (Hwaseong Fire Station): Workers tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher but failed. It was the same as an electric car fire.

A fire extinguisher filled with a dry chemical agent puts out a fire by cutting off the oxygen and cooling down a fire. But it cannot stop a 'thermal runaway' phenomenon, which refers to the temperature of a lithium battery spiking to nearly 1,000 degrees in just a few minutes.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Kong Ha-sung (Woosuk University): It's almost impossible to put out a fire with a fire extinguisher in serial explosions, because the fire is too hot and explosions keep occurring.

Fire authorities are focusing on identifying what had started the fire among the lithium batteries.

YOON BLASTS N.KOREA-RUSSIA PACT

[Anchor Lead]
At an event for the 74th anniversary of the Korean War, President Yoon Suk Yeol openly criticized North Korea's military ties with Russia as "out-of-date dactions". He then visited the U.S. Roosevelt aircraft carrier at the Busan Naval Operations Base, emphasizing the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance.

[Pkg]
A central government event marking the Korean War took place outside of the capital region for the first time. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was in Daegu, the city central to the battle of the Nakdonggang defensive line, blasted North Korea's recent actions. He denounced North Korea's nuclear and missile developments, trash-filled balloons, and military cooperation with Russia as out-of-date.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): North Korea ignores citizens' suffering and brutally suppress their rights, focusing only on the regime's security.

He repeated that South Korea will respond overwhelmingly and decisively to North Korea's provocations while standing on the solid alliance with the U.S. Then he visited the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the symbol of extended deterrence. Following former presidents Park Chung-hee and Kim Young-sam, Yoon became the third sitting South Korean president to board a U.S. aircraft carrier.

[Soundbite]
Yoon Suk Yeol (President): Our alliance is stronger than ever and we will fight until the end and triumph over any enemy.

He also said that cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, which share the common value of free democracy, will become another powerful means of deterrence together with the South Korea-U.S. alliance. USS Roosevelt leaves Busan today to participate in the Freedom Edge military exercise, the first South Korea-U.S.-Japan multi-domain drill to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

HELPING FOREIGN VET'S GRANDKIDS

[Anchor Lead]
We have a heartwarming story for you. We're marking 74 years since the beginning of the Korean war. Back then, Ethiopia was the only African nation to send ground troops for the war. Decades ago, a brave Ethiopian man fought in the Korean war. Now, his granddaughter is set to receive a heart surgery in the same country.

[Pkg]
After a ten-hour flight, children from Ethiopia finally arrive in Korea.

[Soundbite]
Hello!

This seven-year-old girl's grandfather fought in the Korean War. She came to Korea to undergo surgery free of charge under the auspices of a hospital in Bucheon. Some 7,000 children in Ethiopia suffer from heart disease. Standing 98cm tall and weighing 16kg, this girl is smaller than her peers. She has a congenital cardiac disorder, among other illnesses.

[Soundbite]
(Mother and daughter from Ethiopia): (What bothers you?) My heart. (How does it hurt?) It flutters. (It flutters?) Yes.

[Soundbite]
Ha Ok-seon (Memorial Assoc. UN Participation in Korean War): There are only four doctors there who can perform heart surgery. Some children die because they cannot get surgery.

The girl remembers her grandfather only from photos.

[Soundbite]
(Girl from Ethiopia): He died when I was born.

But it is thanks to her grandfather's service during the Korean War that she can undergo surgery in Korea now.

[Soundbite]
Ha Ok-seon (Memorial Assoc. UN Participation in Korean War): He fought in the Korean War when it was really fierce. He received training in Busan.

[Soundbite]
Shin Kwang-chul (Chair, Memorial Assoc. UN Participation in Korean War): It was the only African country to send combat soldiers. Before their passing, the veterans asked mostly to help the children.

Five Ethiopian children will return to their home country after receiving surgeries.

[Soundbite]
(Girl from Ethiopia): I want to be taller. I want to be able to have breakfast and go to school.

RISING SEA TEMPS LURE SHARKS

[Anchor Lead]
Due to climate change, sea temperatures in the East Sea are rising. This has led to repeated shark sightings along the east coast this year. With beach openings near, cities and counties on the Gangwon-do east coast are adopting measures, like installing nets to block sharks.

[Pkg]
Four men struggle to unload a dead shark from a truck. It is a mackerel shark, 2.59 meters long and weighing 187 kilograms. This aggressive species was caught in a fishing net in waters off Samcheok, Gangwon-do Province on Sunday. A record 14 sharks were caught in the east coast last year, but the same number has already been caught in less than 6 months this year. East coast water temperatures have recently averaged about 19 to 20 degrees Celsius. An increase of 2 degrees from past years is believed to be why sharks are appearing more frequently.

[Soundbite]
Kim Maeng-jin (Nat'l Institute of Fisheries Science): Rising sea temperatures have increased warm-water fish which sharks feed on, attracting sharks closer to shore.

The number is expected to rise further when sea temperatures rise in the peak summer. Over 60% of sharks caught last year were concentrated in July and August. Cities and counties in the east coast are preparing countermeasures with beaches just about to open for the season. Nets will be laid to block sharks from approaching and repelling devices deployed to fend them off using currents and electromagnetic waves.

[Soundbite]
Eom Geum-moon (Gangneung City Government): By deploying safety gear and personnel, we plan to operate the safest beach in the country.

Experts urge citizens to avoid going in the water from sunset to sunrise, when sharks are the most active, and to report any shark sightings to the Coast Guard without approaching them.

LOTTE-KIA GRIPPING 5HR MATCH

[Anchor Lead]
In the world of professional baseball, a rare and fierce contest unfolded. Despite early struggles by starting pitcher Na Gyun-an, the Lotte Giants fell 13 points behind KIA. Yet, after over five hours of intense play, they fought to a draw.

[Pkg]
Lotte Giants' Na Gyun-an started the match despite controversy that he was out late night drinking the previous day. According to the team, Na insists he did not drink but his lackluster pitching told otherwise. He showcased the worst in both ball control and ball power, recording 5 runs in one inning. He barely survived the first inning but collapsed in the second. After giving up 8 runs, he complained of an injured palm and was booed by home fans in Busan as he stepped down from the mound. With his unremarkable performance, things looked bleak for the Giants down 14 to 1 at the top of the 4th. But Lotte's players did not give up and mounted a dramatic comeback. Go Seung-min's grand slam at the end of the fourth and Jung Hoon's three run dinger in the 6th quickly narrowed the gap. Go's timely two-run single in the 7th ultimately pushed the Giants to take a 15 to 14 lead. But the Tigers managed to tie things up and pushed the game into overtime. At the end of the 10th, the Giants had a golden opportunity with the bases loaded and one out but failed to capitalize on it. The game stretched into the 12th inning and lasted a grueling 5 hours and 19 minutes, ending with both teams tied at 15. Elsewhere, LG Twins starting pitcher Casey Kelly's shutout performance ensured the team handed the Samsung Lions a demoralizing 4-nothing defeat. Although he did allow a hit at the top of the 9th, he carried out a clinic on stellar pitching, giving up zero runs for 8 innings.

NEWJEANS SWEEPS JAPAN CHART

[Anchor Lead]
Turning to cultural news. K-pop group NewJeans has taken Japan by storm with their official debut album, quickly topping various music charts. Political drama "The Whirlwind" featuring master actors Kim Hee-ae and Sul Kyung-gu, will premiere this week. Here's more.

[Pkg]
K-pop girl group NewJeans have topped music charts both in Korea and Japan. Their Japanese debut single 'Supernatural' has topped the Oricon daily singles chart for the third day in a row since its release last Friday. NewJeans have also appeared in Japan's terrestrial TV programs and will hold massive fan meetings at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday and Thursday. Nayeon, member of another girl group TWICE, has landed No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with her second minialbum. The Billboard 200 chart ranks albums based on sales, streams and digital downloads. Her album sold 43-thousand equivalent units, more than any other during the tallied period. Prime Minister Park Dong-ho was once a comrade of the current president, who has become corrupt. While asking for his resignation, Park gets entangled in a conspiracy.

[Soundbite]
Will you give it to me? Time to turn the world upside down?

He eventually makes the drastic decision to assassinate the president to root out corrupt forces.

[Soundbite]
Be careful, prime minister. One more step, and you will be trampled.

This is the storyline of an upcoming drama series by writer Park Kyung-soo, known for his social criticism works. It's his first drama in 7 years. The performances of acting legends Kim Hee-ae and Sul Kyung-gu is a key highlight.

[Soundbite]
Kim Hee-ae (Role of Jung Soo-jin): The character is so mesmerizing I didn't need to prepare anything. The maddening transformation of the character is stunning.

[Soundbite]
Sul Kyung-gu (Role of Park Dong-ho): The key attraction is the constant change and reverse in offense and defense. The first scene is also shocking.

Veteran K-pop group Red Velvet have unveiled a new album titled 'Cosmic' marking the 10th anniversary of their debut. Composer Kenzie, who wrote Aespa's 'Supernova,' and Swedish producer duo Moonshine took part in the 6-track album that includes the title song 'Cosmic.'