6 FIRE VICTIMS STILL UNIDENTIFIED

6 FIRE VICTIMS STILL UNIDENTIFIED

[Anchor Lead]
The identities of 11 additional victims from the recent lithium factory fire incident were confirmed. This brings the total number of identified victims to 14. Meanwhile, of the 23 fatalities, identities for 17 have now been confirmed. However, there are still victims whose identities have not been confirmed, leaving their families in agony.

[Pkg]
Chinese national Chae Seong-beom was living in Korea with his 39-year-old daughter. When he saw the fire on TV, he called his daughter to check on her but realized that all was lost when she didn't pick up the phone.

[Soundbite]
Chae Seong-beom (Victim's Family): I turned on the TV and saw that a fire broke out at the plant. I called my daughter but her phone was off.

He went to the funeral home and the devastated plant to see her one last time but it was all in vain.

[Soundbite]
Chae Seong-beom (Victim's Family): I went to the site 3 or 4 times and checked 3 funeral homes to find out where her body was.

All 23 of the dead have been autopsied. The initial finding of the National Forensic Service was that all the victims died of suffocation. But funeral homes remain empty as they haven't been identified yet.

[Soundbite]
(Funeral Home Employee (VOICE MODIFIED)): The autopsies began in the morning. There is nothing to do since the funeral process won't start any time soon.

The bereaved families gathered at the waiting room provided at Hwaseong City Hall and comforted each other.

[Soundbite]
(Hwaseong City Hall Employee (VOICE MODIFIED)): About 8 families are there. Some are Chinese and some South Korean.

[Soundbite]
(Victim's Family (VOICE MODIFIED)): Because I don't know where her body is, I can't go out and search for it. They will not let me see anything.

The families will have to wait since it will probably take about two or three days to compare the DNAs for identification.

[Soundbite]
(Victim's Family (VOICE MODIFIED)): We are waiting for results. They said it will take 3 days, but we asked them to hurry.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik met with the grieving families at Hwaseong City Hall on Wednesday and promised to quickly identify the victims and provide support.

"NK MISSILE TEST LIKELY FAILED"

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area into the East Sea yesterday. Military authorities believe that North Korea attempted to test a hypersonic missile, which failed. The missile's flight and crash were observed early morning from various locations in the capital region.

[Pkg]
A missile is spotted from Baengnyeongdo Island leaving a trail of white smoke as it soars through North Korean air space.

[Soundbite]
Source (Filmed from Baengnyeongdo Island (VOICE MODIFIED)): North Korea shot something into the air.

The missile flew erratically before spiraling out of control and began its descend. Its trail soon disappeared from the sky.

[Soundbite]
Source (Filmed from Baengnyeongdo Island (VOICE MODIFIED)): It didn't fly straight up, but at an angle before falling to the ground. Then, it disappeared.

The North Korean missile's trail that disappeared after shooting up to the sky was observed clearly from several locations in Seoul and its vicinity, such as Paju and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi-do Province and Yeouido in Seoul.

[Soundbite]
(Source Filmed from Gwacheon (VOICE MODIFIED)): What moves like that? It's not a plane or a drone.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that a missile launched from the vicinity of Pyongyang flew northeast toward a small island in Hamkyongbuk-do Province before blowing up midair. Most of the missile debris fell in waters off Wonsan but some flew as far as 250 kilometers from the launch site. The South Korean military believes that North Korea test-launched a hypersonic missile. Pyongyang could have tested the improved performance of the hypersonic missile it had launched in early April. North Korea's latest missile provocation seems to have come in protest of American nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt arriving in Busan Port and the trilateral multi-domain Freedom Edge military exercise slated for this week.

BORDER ISLAND DRILLS RESUME

[Anchor Lead]
Following the Moon Jae-in administration and the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement, artillery drills on Yeonpyeongdo and Baengnyeongdo Islands have resumed after nearly seven years. The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces also conducted joint aerial exercises over Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do provinces.

[Pkg]
[Soundbite]
3, 2, 1, fire!

The precision guided weapon 'Spike' designed to strike down North Korean artillery. It shoots off leaving a trail of flare. The Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system turn in the direction of the target. which it squarely aims.. and then dozens of Chunmoo rockets blast off in thick smoke. This is a live-fire artillery drill conducted by the Marine Corps Northwest Islands Defense Command. The Marines fired some 290 rounds of weapons including Spike missiles, the Chunmoo and K9 howitzers. Live-fire drills on Yeonpyeongdo and Baengnyeongdo islands that were suspended for cross-border reconciliation after the Moon Jae-in administration came to power resumed...for the first time in 7 years.

[Soundbite]
Lt Col. Jung Gu-young (6th Marine Brigade ): If the enemy provokes, we will pour in all prepared assets to retaliate immediately, with force and to the very end.

The South Korean and U.S. air forces also carried out their joint aerial training program known as the Buddy Squadron. The latest session mobilized the U.S. F-22 stealth fighters along with Korea's F-35A and KF-16s.

[Soundbite]
Park Young-min (Pilot taking part in Buddy Squadron): With this valuable experience, I will strive harder to maintain airtight territorial defense.

The two sides also verified air interdiction capabilities which involve delaying or neutralizing enemy power before damage is inflicted on friendly forces.

N. KOREA SPA RESORT DEMOLITION

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea is actively dismantling facilities within the Kumgangsan Tourist Region. Recent satellite images show the demolition of the 'Kumgangsan Hot Springs Resort.' Tracks on the Donghae Railway Line leading to the region have also been removed, confirmed by satellite photos.

[Pkg]
This is a spa resort at Mt. Kumgangsan in North Korea. It was built by Hyundai Asan in 1999 and taken over by the Korea Tourism Organization in 2002. It was one of the major tourist destinations before South Korean tours to the North Korean mountain were suspended in 2008. In fact, the spa report remained in perfect condition until early May. But as the removal of its roof began this month, even the building's bare frames are now apparent. Near the spa resort, a new blue building has been erected. It is presumed to be an annex building or a warehouse. Some changes have been confirmed also with the Donghae Railway Line leading to Mt. Kumgangsan. Gamho is North Korea's southernmost station on the Donghae Bukbu Line, which is 18.5 kilometers away from Kumgangsan Station. Until November last year, there were nine railway tracks in front of the station. But a recent satellite image shows that most of the tracks, except for three in the middle, have been removed. This confirms the Joint Chiefs of Staff's previous announcement that the North is demolishing railroad tracks along the Donghae Line.

[Soundbite]
Chung Sung-hak (Korea Inst. for Security Strategy): It seems a vehicle depot near Gamho station has been demolished. It's expected the remaining three tracks will likely be removed too.

Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the demolition of South Korean-built facilities at the Mt. Kumgangsan resort in 2019, the regime has been dismantling a series of facilities built and owned by South Korean companies. Recently, it delomished a fire station, a South Korean government facility. Analysts say that the demolition of the spa resort and Donghae Railway is North Korea's move to launch its own redevelopment project with South Korea excluded.

[Soundbite]
Hong Min (Korea Institute for Nat’l Unification): Due in part to declared hostile relationship with S. Korea, the North is speeding up demolition. They also want to produce their own results in Mt. Kumgangsan.

Pyongyang has been taking measures to cut Seoul out entirely, since its leader declared a hostile relationship. Accordingly, Pyongyang is expected to begin removing the Gyeongui Railway Line soon.

3-WAY INDUSTRY MINISTERIAL MEETING

[Anchor Lead]
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held an industry ministerial meeting in Washington on Wednesday, local time. The three countries agreed to further strengthen cooperation in stabilizing supply chains and developing cutting-edge technologies. The meeting was a follow-up to the trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, which took place at Camp David last August. The top industry officials said that the three countries' shared goal is to leverage the trilateral ministerial mechanism to promote the development of critical and emerging technologies, and strengthen the security and resiliency of their countries' economies.

NO. OF NEWBORNS UP 2.8% IN APRIL

[Anchor Lead]
After recording declines for over a year and hitting historically low figures of childbirth, the number of newborns finally rebounded in April. Statistics Korea analyzed this increase, attributing it to a base effect and a surge in marriages post-COVID-19.

[Pkg]
The number of newborns in the month of April tallied by Statistics Korea stands at 19-thousand-49. It's up by 521 or 2.8% from the same month last year. After continuing on-year declines for 18 straight months from October 2022 to this March, the number of newborns has posted growth in April for the first time in 19 months. Statistics Korea attributes the rise to a base effect as the figure for last April plunged to the 18-thousand range as well as a sharp brief uptick in the number of marriages post-pandemic.

[Soundbite]
Lim Young-il (Statistics Korea): As marriages increased since August 2022 at the pandemic's end, we believe that effect is now gradually showing.

The number of deaths in April recorded 28-thousand-659, up 4% on-year. Despite the slight increase in newborns, as deaths still far outnumbered births amid the aging population, the overall population saw a natural decline of 9,610...marking a drop for 54 straight months since November 2019. Meanwhile, the number of marriages, a leading indicator on future childbirths, jumped 24.6% on-year, the largest ever increase for the month of April. The agency attributes the rise to a number of factors including a base effect from last year, as well as more available days for marriage registration in April and policy support provided by local governments.

YONSEI MED PROFESSORS BEGIN WALKOUT

[Anchor Lead]
Medical professors at Yonsei University began an indefinite walkout on Thursday in protest against the government's medical school admission quota hike and punitive steps against trainee doctors. As a result, medical services and surgeries for non-critical and non-emergency patients will be scaled down at the university's three hospitals. But the walkout will not affect wards for hospitalized patients, the emergency room, the intensive care unit and the child delivery room.

KOREAN ACTORS JOIN AMPAS

[Anchor Lead]
Now turning to cultural news. Actors Gang Dong-won and Yoo Teo just joined the ranks of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They're now part of the crew that gets to vote on the Academy Awards.

[Pkg]
Actors Gang Dong-won and Yoo Teo have become new members of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that hosts the Academy Awards. The Academy on Tuesday local time announced a list of 487 artists and industry personnel who were invited to become new members this year. Gang received an invite thanks to his appearance in the movies 'Broker' and 'Peninsula.' while Yoo earned the recognition with his performance in 'Past Lives.' His 'Past Lives' co-star Korean American actress Greta Lee and the film's director Celine Song also made the list. Members of AMPAS number around ten-thousand globally and they get votes in the annual Academy Awards. From South Korea, director Bong Joon-ho and actor Song Kang-ho were among the firsts to join the ranks of AMPAS in 2015...followed by the stars of 'Parasite' and actress Youn Yuh-jung, heroine of the film ‘Minari.’ Last year, actor Park Hae-il of 'Decision to Leave' also became a member the Academy.