Nuclear Program

[Anchor Lead]



The U.S. State Department says North Korea has more uranium enrichment facilities in addition to the one it showed to an American scientist. High-ranking U.S. officials have discussed the North’s nuclear program in China.



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The U.S. State Department has confirmed nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker’s statement that North Korea has at least one more uranium enrichment facility in addition to the one it showed him recently.



[Soundbite]Philip J. Crowley (U.S. Assistant Secretary of State)



Washington is stepping up efforts to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula caused by the North’s artillery attack last month and uranium enrichment activities. High-ranking U.S. officials lead by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg arrived in China Wednesday. They spoke to Chinese officials on easing tension on the Korean Peninsula ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the U.S.



[Soundbite]Philip J. Crowley (U.S. Assistant Secretary of State)



The high-level talks between Washington and Beijing could produce measures to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as Northeast Asia.



2. KOSPI Hike



[Anchor Lead]



Yesterday, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index topped 2,000 points for the first time in three years and one month. Positive forecasts are continuing amid favorable corporate earnings and rising foreign investment.



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The benchmark KOSPI rose 12.46 points to close at 2009.05 yesterday. It’s the first time to finish above the 2,000 mark in 37 months. The KOSPI 2,000 era was ushered in by foreign investors. In the securities market alone on Tuesday, foreigners net purchased nearly 632 million dollars worth of Korean stocks. Foreign net-purchase of Korean stocks total of about 18.3 billion dollars this year.



[Soundbite]Ryu Yong-seok (Hyundai Securities): “The foreign net purchase has been spurred by record corporate earning of major Korean firms. The Korean currency which is 15 percent under valued against the dollar creates foreign exchange profits.”



Blue chip stocks such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor also spurred the bullish rally.



[Soundbite]Park Jong-hyeon (Woori Investment & Securities): “This year, KOSPI failed to catch up with corporate profit growth. As the index reflects this next year, a KOSPI 2,000 era is expected in full swing.”



The ample liquidity which has boosted share prices may now drag down the prices because of policy changes.



[Soundbite]Kim Seung-hyeon (Taurus Securities): “The index may fall below 2,000, if market liquidity is withdrawn or inflationary pressure is high.”



The KOSPI has topped 2,000 points in three years. It draws attention if the index will defend the 2,000 threshold and rise even higher.



3. Growth Forecast



[Anchor Lead]



The Korean government says the economy will grow at the 5-percent level next year. But private think tanks are less optimistic in their forecasts.



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Seoul predicts the Korean economy will grow in the five-percent range next year. Spending and investment are expected to grow, so overall expansion of domestic consumption is likely. Inventory levels have been falling since the global financial crisis in yet another sign that growth continue.



[Soundbite]Yun Jong-won (Ministry of Strategy & Finance): “It’s more accurate to say the Korean economy has considerably absorbed the shock factors and is now normalizing.”



But the Korea Development Institute, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and many private think tanks have lower growth forecasts for Korea. They say Europe’s fiscal crisis could negatively affect global economic growth. China is grappling with inflation. So China and other emerging economies are tightening monetary policy, which could burden the Korean economy.



[Soundbite]Lee Geun-tae (LG Economic Research Institute): “Global growth will be slower next year which will likely affect Korean exports, income growth and domestic demand.”



A surge in raw material prices based on speculative demand could also lower Korea’s growth next year.



4. Rescue Efforts



[Anchor Lead]



The Korean fishing vessel that floundered in waters off Antarctica is presumed to have been sunk by high waves. The New Zealand government has suspended the search for survivors, but the ship’s management company is continuing to look for the missing crew members.



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It’s been three days since the fishing vessel "No. 1 Insung" sank. But the efforts to find the missing crew continue despite the cold weather and high waves. The ship’s management company deployed a rescue ship on Tuesday. And today, a Russian ship joined the search. Meanwhile, the New Zealand rescue coordination center have suspended the rescue efforts because the odds that the missing crew members are still alive are very low. The presumed cause of the accident is swelling waves aggravated by the poor weather. The possibility that the ship crashed into an iceberg is very low because the surviving crew members didn’t feel any external shock or hear an explosion. The ship’s management company has concluded that the vessel was swept by high waves.



[Soundbite](Ship Management Company Official): “If the accidents were caused by an iceberg, the crew would have heard a sound. Many unexpected situations can happen in the ocean.”



The families of the missing crew stayed up all night waiting for the news about their loved ones despite the dim chance of their survival.



5. TV Digitalization



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KBS has launched a public interest foundation aimed at providing digital broadcasting to all Koreans. Korea’s TV broadcasts will go completely digital starting in 2013.



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Around 3.6 percent of Korean households, or 690-thousand, cannot watch television because of interference from natural obstacles. They usually live on islands or deep in the mountains.



[Soundbite]Ha Il-su (Rural Area Resident): “It’s so frustrating when the TV doesn’t come out here in rural areas.”



KBS has created a foundation to allow every household in the country to watch digital broadcasting.



[Soundbite]Choung Byoung-gug (Grand National Party): “I hope the foundation will become the venue for talks on public interest.”



[Soundbite]Yang Mun-seok (Korea Communication Commission): “It’s encouraging to have a foundation oversee the task of defusing poor reception areas.”



The foundation will be set up through the 28 million dollars remaining in broadcast relay fees from the South Africa World Cup. The money will be used to build more relay stations and master antenna facilities. Satellite broadcasting will be provided to areas left out from coverage.



[Soundbite]Lee Mong-ryong (CEO, Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting): “Our company will do our public duty and cooperate with KBS to provide digital broadcasts to all households.”



Digital broadcasting will be available to everyone through direct transmission and not paid service. This will help narrow the information gap.



[Soundbite]Kim In-kyu (CEO, KBS): “Free multi-channel digital broadcast is the only way to provide practical benefits to the economically vulnerable.”



The new foundation will strengthen KBS’ role as a national public broadcaster two years ahead of digital conversion.



6. Cardiac Ricks



[Anchor Lead]



A study has shown that the risk of heart disease still exists even if you’re not carrying extra fat around your middle. Doctors say the amount of visceral fat is more important than the external.



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This man who suffered severe chest pain when exercising was diagnosed with heart disease. His waist measures 35 inches and he weighs about 72 kilograms.



[Soundbite]Seo Jong-deok (Heart Diseases Patient): “I never imagined I had heart disease, considering my weight and other things.”



Research results say a large number of heart disease patients do not necessarily suffer from abdominal obesity. It’s also known that one third of those with normal waist size have excessive visceral fat.



[Soundbite]Prof. Ha Jong-won (Severance Hospital): “It’s hard to distinguish hypodermic fat from abdominal fat. Even if your waistline is under 90 centimeters, you can still have abdominal obesity.”



The increased volume of total visceral fat leads to higher likelihood of getting heart diseases due to increased number of clogged cardiac vessels. As such, doctors recommend people with diabetes or high blood pressure to work out on a regular basis to reduce organ fat.



7. Year End Parties



[Anchor Lead]



Some Koreans are opting to celebrate the end of the year without alcohol. Here are a few ideas on how to close out 2010 without the hangovers.



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An enchanting melody plays. The performer with an elegant suit begins to display his rapping skills. His clumsy dance takes the audience by storm.



[Soundbite]Lee Chung-min (Office Worker): “There is no pressure to drink. We can sing and chat together. I like it.”



Managers of online shopping malls have gathered for the first time to mark the end of the year. They chat over drinks but the topic of their conversation is unconventional. To these people, this get-together is a rare opportunity to discuss business because they hardly have a chance to see each another.



[Soundbite]Kim Hyeon-sang (Internet Shopping Mall Manager): “We can work together with shopping malls selling breakfast products because customers can have breakfast after playing baseball.”



As more people opt to celebrate the holiday season without alcohol, even companies that organize unusual year-end parties have sprung up to help.



8. Star Charity



[Anchor Lead]



Swimmer Park Tae-hwan is the number one Korean sports star of 2010. Park has joined with the Korean men’s handball team to help out the needy.



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Swimmer Park Tae-hwan enters an intensive care unit; he can’t let go of a hand of an infant patient. He wishes for a quick recovery from heart surgery.

[Soundbite]Park Tae-hwan (National Swim Team): “I hope the children can smile and recover.”



Park spent time with Chinese children who received heart operations for free in Korea. He gave them swimsuits as a gift. This eleven-year-old now has a new dream.



[Soundbite](Chinese Heart Disease Patient): “I’ve received surgery in Korea and my heart has become much better. I’d like to be a swimmer like Park.”



Men’s handball team members who won the gold medals in the Guangzhou Asian Games are making flour dough. They’re baking bread for children from low-income families. Sports stars are repaying the public love they’ve received in year-end charity activities.



9. Coffee Republic



[Anchor Lead]



Asking someone for a coffee is usually just an attempt to get spend some time with them and get to know them better. Over the past few years, coffee has become a daily necessity for Koreans, and the industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Here’s a look at coffee in Korea.



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Instant coffee arrived in Korea with U.S. forces. Older folks remember the unique Korean-style coffee that has an egg yolk floating in it.



[Soundbite] “Who adds an egg yolk to coffee? Egg coffee is found in nowhere else.”



[Soundbite] “We used to drink a cup of coffee with an egg yolk for lunch. It was a tough time.”



Dabang, literally meaning “tea room,” is a cultural space that appeared in Korea with the spread of coffee.



[Soundbite] “I have memories of having a lot of time at a dabang when I was young.”



Coffee represented a cultural change in Korea decades ago. Coffee has become a part of life in Korea. The nation imported 110,000 tons of coffee beans last year. That many beans could be brewed into more than 100 million cups of coffee. The explosive popularity of coffee forces coffee companies to fiercely compete to win more customers. In one 100-meter block in Seoul, there are dozens of large and small coffee shops.



[Soundbite] “Coffee shops are everywhere including residential districts and commercial areas.”



Currently, the top eight coffee companies operate 19-hundred coffee shops nationwide. These days, fast food chains and individual stores also offer quality coffee, further fueling competition. The volume of the Korean coffee market is estimated at more than two billion U.S. dollars. Coffee companies and stores are engaged in stiff competition to meet a wide range of tastes. They even try to domestically produce coffee beans. Coffee usually grows in tropical rain forest regions. But there is a coffee farm in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon Province. The Korean coffee farmer has gone through ten years of trial and error. Maintaining the appropriate temperature is the most difficult obstacle. The farmer once had a thousand coffee trees freeze overnight. The farm harvested 40-kilograms of coffee beans in May of this year.



[Soundbite]Sim Ji-eun (Coffee Farm Official): “I hope a coffee drink can be named "Koreano," not "Americano," in the near future.”



The farm even exports beans after roasting them in its factory, which is the largest in Asia. It imports beans from ten countries and mixes them using its strict recipes. Flavor and moisture are thoroughly checked.



[Soundbite] Kim Jin-seop (Coffee Processor): “Like wine sommeliers, we were trained to discern and rate the taste and flavor of roasted coffee.”



Thirty-tons of coffee beans roasted at the factory were exported to Thailand and Malaysia. The company is also in export talks with China and Middle Eastern countries. Korea has become hooked on coffee. But Korean coffee lovers complain about the prices of coffee, which are about twice as high as those in advanced countries. Market observers say that in line with the external growth of the industry, domestic coffee companies should adopt a more reasonable pricing policy and refine the quality of their products.