Sungnyemun Fire

[Erratum] News Today would like to apologize for an error that appeared in today's program. "Under fire" in the Headlines should read "in a fire"

1. Sungnyemun Destroyed in a Fire

[Anchor Lead]
The entire nation is in shock after the country's oldest wooden structure collapsed in a fire which started Sunday evening. The palace gate Sungnyemun is one of the country's oldest surviving treasures, but it’s now gone up in smoke.

[Pkg]
Sungnyemun, a gate which is designated National Treasure No. 1, has collapsed. The old gate burned for five hours before finally collapsing. More than 60 fire engines and some 100 firefighters rushed to the scene. But they failed to prevent the gate's collapse. The fire began Sunday evening on the second level of the gate. In the beginning, smoke came out of the roof, But the entire gate was later engulfed in raging flames. Two and a half hours after the fire started, the blaze surrounded the roof of the gate and destroying more than half of its ceiling.

[Soundbite 1] Shin Eung-soo / Carpenter
“The second level is near collapse. The flames are too strong there. It could collapse soon.”

Efforts to put out the fire continued even after the ceiling was removed, but to no avail. Extinguishing fire in the wooden gate with waterproof construction was also difficult. Around 1 a.m., the rear side of the roof began collapsing. An hour later, Seoul's oldest wooden structure collapsed completely.

2. Lee Myung-bak's Presidential Aids Announced

[Anchor Lead]
President-elect Lee Myung-bak has announced the list of his top secretaries Sunday. Legislator Bahk Jae-wan will fill the new post of political affairs secretary.

[Pkg]
President-elect Lee Myung-bak has personally introduced senior presidential secretaries of the new administration. Grand National Party lawmaker Bahk Jae-wan has been named political affairs secretary. Bahk is former public administrations professor at Sungkyunkwan University and chief of staff to GNP leader Kang Jae-sup. He will lead the government reorganization plan and coordinate collaboration with the president, parliament, and cabinet. Professor Park Mee-seok of Sookmyung Women's University has been appointed as the senior social affairs secretary. As the director of the Seoul Welfare Foundation, she worked with the president-elect when he was Seoul mayor. Korea University professor Kim Byung-kook will serve as the senior secretary for diplomatic and security affairs. The Harvard graduate is a well-known Korea- US relations expert. President-elect Lee Myung-bak has also named Hallym University President Kim Choong-soo as his chief economy secretary. Kim is a renowned macro-economist who once headed the Korea Development Institute. GNP lawmaker Lee Joo-ho is the new senior secretary for education, science and cultural affairs. He has been in charge of the incoming administration's English education policy. Former senior prosecutor Lee Jong-chan, who is now legal adviser to President-elect has been picked for the civil affairs secretary. The position of senior secretary for national policy planning will be assumed by Korea University professor Kwak Seung-jun. Kwak oversaw the policy and campaign pledges for the president-elect during the presidential campaign. Transition Committee spokesman Lee Dong-kwan will continue to speak for the president as presidential spokesman and public information secretary.

3. More Companies Require Higher English Proficiency

[Anchor Lead]
The next administration's plan to reinforce English education at public schools has prompted companies to raise the English proficiency of their employees. Many firms say they will raise English proficiency requirements when they start recruiting this year.

[Pkg]
At meetings presided over by foreign executives, one is not allowed to speak in Korean. This company has announced an "all-English" policy for its entire staff. Employees must not only speak English at meetings, but also write work reports and e-mail messages in English. The company has also opened an English-language center with in-house interpreters. Management says the move is essential for survival in the era of globalization. But employees are also feeling enormous pressure.

[Soundbite 1] Lee Jeong-mun / Electronics Firm
“The pressure is high. I strive to explain everything in English.”

Staff also attends English classes at the firm's conference room before work. The company is paying for the classes to improve its employees' English skills.

[Soundbite 2] Yang Si-ung / Steelmaking Company
“I'm overseeing an Indian project. I use English a lot when calling or emailing our Indian partners.”

The majority of conglomerates say they will require higher English proficiency when hiring this year.

[Soundbite 3] Kim Sun-gi / Steelmaking Cmpany
“We demand our employees be able to talk in English as well as express their opinions in English.”

The English-language boom is shaking the corporate world. Managements say better English skills will enhance productivity, but these All-English policies are putting a heavier burden on staff.

4. Red Sea Cucumber Production in Full Swing

[Anchor Lead]
Highly nutritious sea cucumbers are often called the ginseng of the sea. And a method has been found to mass produce these red sea cucumbers off the coast of Jeju Island.

[Pkg]
Woman divers brave the cold winter sea to catch red sea cucumbers. They soon find red sea cucumbers larger than their palms hiding between rocks and sea plants. Red sea cucumbers were rare before, but nowthere are plenty of them in waters off Jeju Island.

[Soundbite 1] Gang Chun-ja/ Diver
“Thanks to artificial seedlings, we now get about 2-3kg of sea cucumbers a day.”

In 2006, scientists succeeded in artificially producing red sea cucumber seedlings. Roughly 60 thousand seedlings were released in ocean farms last year, and they have all grown. Red sea cucumbers are bright red and delicious-looking compared to other sea cucumber breeds. Due to small yield and high demand, red sea cucumbers are the most prized among all sea cucumbers. Red sea cucumbers can be picked one year after they have been seeded out in the sea. They are a great source of income and can be grown even in whitened areas. Korean red sea cucumbers have been sold in the Chinese market. China consumes about 200 thousand tons of sea cucumbers a year.

[Soundbite 2] Kim Su-wan/ Jeju Fisheries Resources Research Inst.
“Red sea cucumbers are Jeju's most competitive seafood that can target the Chinese market.”

Fishing farms in Jeju plan to release 1 million more sea cucumber seedlings by 2010 to secure a stable source of income.

5. How Memories are Reconstructed

[Anchor Lead]
A group of Korean researchers is the world's first to explain how memory is reconstructed. The results of their study are expected to help treat dementia and other brain disorders.

[Pkg]
A former insurance detective scrambles to preserve his memory by tattooing his body. Amnesia is a common subject in movies and novels. But the exact cause of the disease remains unknown. A research team at Seoul National University has become the world's first to explain how memory is reconstructed. The breakthrough is seen as a major advance in the fight against amnesia and other brain diseases. Tests on lab mice helped the team find out how synapses in the brain keep weakening and strengthening when recalling the past. The researchers have found that the substance proteasome decomposes memory-related proteins near the synapse. Tests showed that memory is perfectly revived when decomposed proteins are resynthesized.

[Soundbite 1] Gang Bong-gyun / Seoul Nat'l Univ.
“Protein breakdown enzyles are crucial because they can become when one recalls memories.”

The regulation of the protein restoration process can also be used to treat mental disorders and remove negative memories and nightmares.

[Soundbite 2] Kim gyeong-jin / Seoul Nat'l Univ.
“The discovery of neurobiological factors can be a shortcut to treating dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.”

The global journal Science has published the results of the study.

6. Naturalized Korean to Play for the Nat'l Team

[Anchor Lead]
A Naturalized Korean table tennis player has taken the top spot in the qualifying matches for the Beijing Olympics. Originally from China, naturalized Korean Dang Ye-seo will now join the Korean national team.

[Pkg]
Dang Ye-seo faced Kwak Bang-bang in a match for a berth on the Korean Olympic table tennis team. Former Chinese national Dang is a naturalized Korean citizen and Kwak is originally from Hong Kong. It was a close game, but Dang defeated Kwak four-to-one with her power and competitive spirit. Dang even beat her rival Moon Hyun-jeong. She won all seven qualifiers and a ticket to the Olympic preliminary round. These qualifying matches were for those who could not win automatic entries to the Olympic team. Dang now has an opportunity to make her dream come true.

[Soundbite 1] Dang Ye-seo/ Korean Nat'l Table Tennis Team
“I thank my fans for their support. I'm also grateful for the chance to play at the Olympics.”

Dang came to Korea in 2001 as a training partner for the Korean Air team. She created a sensation as soon as she was naturalized late last year. In addition to winning two gold medals at a competition last month, she won all 10 qualifying matches for the World Table Tennis Championships. Dang has emerged as Korea's top table tennis player. Now she's gunning for a medal at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

[Soundbite 2] Dang Ye-seo/ Korean Nat'l Table Tennis Team
“I want to win a medal for the group competition at the Olympics.”

In the men's competition, Yun Jae-young surprised everyone by beating Joo Se-hyeok and Lee Jung-woo to win a chance to play in the Olympics.

7. Korean Cuision at World's Most Luxurious Hotel

[Anchor Lead]
The Burj Al Arab in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai is known as the world's most luxurious hotel. Here, a Korean head chef assisted by several of his countrymen are serving world-class Korean dishes to visitors.

[Pkg]
The Burk Al Arab in Dubai is a seven-star hotel. The hotel's head chef Gwon Yeong-min gives a demonstration in a kitchen. The Korean national supervises some 240 chefs at the Burk Al Arab. Kimchi is served at this hotel thanks to Gwon's efforts. The hotel had opened an Asian restaurant last year but did not include Korean dishes on the menu. That changed after Gwon insisted that Korean food be added.

[Soundbite 1] Gwon Yeong-min/ Burj Al Arab
“I've specialized in foreign cuisine but I felt it'd be better to have Korean dishes added to the menu.”

The hotel has hired 16 more Korean chefs since naming Gwon head chef in May last year.The Korean chefs account for the largest number of staff from a single country. Gwon is now considered one of the world's top chefs.

[Soundbite 2] Luigi Gerosa / Jumeirah Emirates Towers

Korean chefs at the hotel are striving to promote Korean cuisine to the world.

8. Close Up – Spring Herbs

[Anchor Lead]
It’s the season for fresh spring herbs. The leafy herbs may not be very familiar to some, but they are not only fragrant and flavorful, but packed with nutrition.

[Pkg]
This farm is filled with aralia trees sprouting young buds. Aralia shoots are the first mountain herbs to make it to the market in spring. It's considered the best among all the spring vegetables. The young aralia shoots are available for only a limited period of time, so if you miss them now, you will have to wait another year. Here is how you can spot top quality aralia shoots.

[Soundbite 1] Jang Yong-woon/ Aralia Shoot Farmer
“The good ones are grown at low temperatures and have a reddish tint. The short and fat ones
are good. but long ones are not as good.”

Nothing tastes like spring than lightly blanched aralia shoots dipped in hot pepper paste sauce with vinegar and sugar. There are over a dozen different kinds of edible spring herbs. They include shepherd's purse, mugwort, wild chives, and Japanese honewat as well as parsnip leaves effective in treating headaches and dizziness.

[Soundbite 2] Choi Bun-ja/ Homemaker
“These are rhubarb leaves. Young leaves are stripped and blanched to make wrapped rice balls.”

Now try out these easy, yet unique recipes with spring herbs. Blanch mugwort in boiling water and season with sesame seed oil and salt. Mix with rice to make rice balls. Then coat the rice balls with black sesame seeds, crumbled egg yolks or minced egg whites. These colorful mugwort rice balls are pretty enough to fool children who don't eat their vegetables. Spicy wild aster salad with wild aster, wild chives, and cucumbers prevents spring drowsiness. Sometimes spring herbs have medicinal qualities.

[Soundbite 3] Park Eun-shil/ Doctor of Oriental medicine
“According to traditional Korean medicine, Shepherd's Purse is good for liver and eyes. It's rich in protein and minerals. It helps with liver and intestinal functions.”

Aralia shoots are full of calcium, iron, and vitamins. In Oriental medicine, aralia shoots are used to treat hypertension and diabetes. Wild aster is effective in treating backaches, headaches, joint and muscle pains and sore throat. Also Japanese honewat is great for stanching, fever relief, hypertension, stroke and gout. Winter may be lingering on for a bit, but having healthy and nutritious spring herbs for dinner would make you feel like spring is just around the corner.

[Economic Indicators]

[Closing]