Frozen Land

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The cold spell gripping the nation is showing no signs of abating. Here’s a look at the frozen landscape through KBS TV’s panoramic cameras.



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The entire Korean Peninsula is under the grip of a severe cold spell. Waters surrounding the peninsula’s three sides are frozen. A fishing boat is stranded in frozen waters off Yeonpyeong Island, which was shelled by North Korea last year. Villages and mountains are blanketed with snow. Lakes and even the sea off Jeongdongjin Resort on the nation’s southernmost tip are tightly frozen as if time is standing still. A thin layer of ice covers waters off Jeju Island, which hardly get frozen. Water pipes have gotten frozen even in villages on the southern coast. People in the snow-covered park near Mount Mudeung wear thick layers of clothes to stay warm in the icy wind. The Han River is covered with a thick layer of ice. But a plaza in downtown Seoul is crowded with people enjoying winter. Families go sledding on a frozen stream amid Korea’s worst cold spell since 1996. The cold wind ripples Lake Soyang. These are scenes from the severe cold spell gripping the nation.



2. Cold Effects



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The cold has caused severe crop damage. Meanwhile, delivery companies are flourishing.



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The floor of this greenhouse is covered with frozen tomatoes.



[Soundbite]Eom Yeon-hu (Tomato Farmer): “My tomatoes are fully grown but they’re all frozen.”



Green pumpkins that were about to be shipped have become covered with mold because of the cold weather and high humidity. To keep crops warm, farmers cover them with thick blankets and keep hundreds of light bulbs on all night long.



[Soundbite]Kim Yeong-gu (Floriculture Farmer): “I have to fight soaring heating bills because we use 1.5 times more electricity than usual.”



Meanwhile, some sectors are blooming on the cold weather. This place is flooded with food delivery orders, since people prefer to stay indoors in the freezing weather.



[Soundbite] Kang Hyeong-muk (Pizza Delivery Guy): “(Your store’s sales has increased?) Up to 30 percent.”



Sections selling electric heaters are packed with customers.



[Soundbite] “I came to buy a heater because my house is very drafty, even when I turn on the boiler.”



Demand for thermal clothing has also soared. Sales of thermal underwear have surged 30 percent, while sales of goose feather jackets have more than doubled. Demand for thermal products will likely remain high until temperatures start going up next month.



3. Cardio Alert



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The crew of the hijacked ship Samho Jewelry is reportedly moving to waters off Somalia. The government has decided to mandate the presence of security guards on all domestic ships sailing in dangerous areas.



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This 39 year-old man thought he was healthy and in shape. But he was rushed to the emergency room last weekend after suffering a heart attack in the bone-chilling cold.



[Soundbite](Heart Attack Patient (Voice Modified)): “I felt pains in my chest and thought I had indigestion, so I took some digestion pills but they didn’t work.”



When the temperature drops, people tend to sweat less and the quantity of blood increases.

This causes blood vessels to shrink and blood pressure to rise. When the temperature drops ten degrees Celsius, systolic blood pressure rises around 13 degrees and diastolic blood pressure about six. Thrombi form more easily in cold weather and the risk of dying from heart disease rises more then 30 percent.



[Soundbite]Prof. Kim Beom-jun (Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital): “Blood vessels shrink and narrow, platelets function more strongly and thrombi form more easily to raise the risk of heart attacks.”



So it’s important to maintain normal body temperature. Exercise in the morning should be avoided and people should dress warmly when going outside. Going to well-heated places could also prove dangerous in winter. Four senior citizens have died at sauna and public bath facilities this winter. A sudden change in temperature is assumed to be the cause of death. Doctors advise those with high blood pressure to be cautious of temperature changes.



4. Sea Security



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The crew of the hijacked ship Samho Jewelry is reportedly being moved to waters off Somalia. The government has decided to mandate the presence of security guards on all domestic ships sailing in dangerous areas.



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When the naval destroyer "Choi Young" arrives in the area where the hijacked Samho Jewelry is located, it’ll first monitor the situation and collect information. To prevent further hijackings, the government introduced countermeasures at a meetingattended by government officials and the representatives of the private sector. The measures mandate the presence of security guards on all Korean ships sailing in areas suffering frequent pirate attacks.



[Soundbite]Im Gi-taek (Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs): “Topping our agenda is the presence of security guards on ships. We have decided to enact the law by June.”



The new regulation applies to 168 ships whose height from water to the deck is under eight meters and whose speed is less than 15 knots. The ships are also required to have a space where their crew can hide in case of emergency. But the costs must be shouldered by ship management companies. It costs nearly 45-thousand dollars to have four security guards escort the crew each time. That amounts to 45 million dollars a year, because Korean ships have to pass by dangerous areas about a thousand times a year.



[Soundbite]Jo Bong-gi (Korea Shipowers’ Association): “Ships that have to pay $45,000 in extra charges will lose competitiveness.”



The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs will strongly advise that ship owners to start implementing the regulation before it takes effect. So far, not a single country mandates the presence of security guards aboard ships.



5. New Direction



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A large corporation will help operate a technical high school in South Gyeongsang Province. A company executive will serve as principal of the school.



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A large Korean company will help run a technical high school called a meister school. In a first for the country, a company executive will serve as principal of Geoje Technical High School, which will nurture workers in the shipbuilding industry. The company says it wants to prove that students can develop into professional technicians without a university degree.



[Soundbite]Roh In-sik (CEO, Samsung Heavy Industries): “We want to lay the foundation for a culture in which people get jobs and are guaranteed with life-time employment without going to college.”



Samsung is the first Korean company to team up with a meister school to jointly foster expert technicians. Their cooperation is expected to boost the competitiveness of meister schools. The principal was selected through an open recruiting process. He will flexibly operate the school curriculum to produce workers tailored to the demands of business. The principal will also select and recruit teachers, ensuring that students directly learn from experts active in shipbuilding.



[Soundbite]Ko Yeong-jin (Superintendent, S. Gyeongsang Office of Education): “The meister school will succeed through cooperation with a business that has its own educational philosophy.”



The joint venture will test the effectiveness of the meister school and the executive-turned-principal.



6. Art Auction



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A charity auction will be held to help gifted art students from low-income families. Renowned artists and celebrities have donated their works and possessions for the event. Cultural figures and artists are joining the campaign to help those in need.



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The landscape of the Amazon River is described in vivid colors in this painting. This is a recent work by artist Kim Tschang-yeul who is known for his water droplet paintings representing the mystery of the Orient. And a work by video artist Paik Nam-june will also be auctioned off. These works have been donated to help needy students who are talented in art but have had no appropriate education.



[Soundbite]Jeong Jung-heon (Donor): “I bought the work by Paik Nam-june at an exhibition. I decided to donate it for the auction.”



Korean celebrities have donated sunglasses and a necklace. Actor Bae Su-bin has donated a photograph he took himself.



[Soundbite]Bae Su-bin (Actor): “The proceeds will be used to help needy students with talent. I’m honored if my donation will be used for the good purpose.”



The charity auction will feature 120 items donated by renowned artists and celebrities. Half of the proceeds earned from the auction will go to supporting gifted art students from low-income families



[Soundbite]Kim Soon-ung (CEO, K Auction): “The donors understood the purpose of the auction, and said that they wished they could have had such support. They gladly donated their works and possessions.”



The auction, the fourth of its kind, is inspiring cultural and art figures to share what they have with needy people.



7. Soccer Scouts



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Soccer players the world over dream of playing for Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona. Team scouts are visiting Korea’s Jeju Island to look for promising talent.



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Young soccer players kick the ball against the backdrop of Jeju Island’s beautiful landscape. The children endure subzero weather thanks to their dream of joining FC Barcelona.



[Soundbite] “I want to become a star player like Xavier Hernandez and join FC Barcelona.”



Barcelona plucked Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi when they were young for training. The team is now looking for young Asian prospects given the rise of Asian players in Europe like Park Ji-sung. Korean player Baek Seung-ho recently joined Barcelona’s youth team, and the Spanish giant seeks to find more promising Korean talent.



[Soundbite]Carlos Bueno (Youth Team Coach, FC Barcelona): “We are looking to find talented young players for our team.”



Barcelona is also planning to recruit prospects in China and Japan in search of the Asian Messi.



8. Winter at the Zoo



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We go now to the zoo, and take a look at how the zookeepers are making sure the animals can handle the biting cold.



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A polar bear enjoy the cold weather, since they can stand the temperature around minus 40 degrees Celsius. They get more active on a freezing day. For Japanese monkeys, taking a hot bath in an open-air tub is the best way to endure the cold. They are offered with a tailored service in each season. The water is cold in summer and hot in winter.



[Soundbite] “It’s freezing out here. But it’s good to spend some time with my children at the zoo.”



The temperature is set at 24 degrees Celsius in the chimps’s cage because the animals are from Africa. They are at ease despite the freezing weather outside. The cold snap is also severe for tigers. Tigers spend the whole day sitting on electrically heated logs. The winter is a special season for tigers, since they are provided with more meat.



[Soundbite]Song Yeong-gwan (Zookeeper): “Tigers can endure the cold when they have accumulated a sufficient amount of fat. So they’re given nutritious food. The temperature must be maintained at an appropriate level. So we spend more money on heating the cage.”



Animals are passing the unusually cold winter under the special care of zoo keepers.



9. Snowry Trips



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Frequent snow can be bad news, as the roads get slippery and clearing away the snow is a pain. But you may as well appreciate the winter while it’s here, and a weekend trip to see some beautiful snowy scenes is a great way to do just that.



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This group of people is boarding a train first thing in the morning. They’re on their way to a special place.



[Soundbite] “We are going to Nunkkot Station.”



[Soundbite] “You can’t talk about snow scenes if you haven’t been to Nunkkot Station.”



Passengers look excited about the trip ahead. They’re looking forward to the break from their busy lives.



[Soundbite] “This is the first time I’ve been on a train journey since a high school trip.”



A special show is held for the tourists. The performance features everything from singing to belly dancing. Now they arrive at their destination. This is Seungbu Station in the mountainous region of Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province. They head out for a walk along the snow-covered path behind the station.



[Soundbite] “The air is so fresh. I feel refreshed and recharged. I want to live here.”



The weather is freezing. But both kids and adults forget about the cold.



[Soundbite] “The show on the train was great and walking on the snow path is fun. This has been a great trip.”



The snow-scapes on Mt. Duryun in the southernmost region of the Korean Peninsula are a must-see.



[Soundbite] “We are going to Mt. Duryun to see the snow.”



By cable car, it takes eight minutes to reach the top of the mountain, which is 586 meters above sea level. The cable car is the longest in the nation. The mountaintop offers a breathtaking view of the southern sea and its clusters of islands.



[Soundbite] “It’s so high!”



[Soundbite] “Wonderful!”



[Soundbite] “The snow on the ground is pure white and dazzling. It looks like a scene from Oriental painting.”



The specialty of Haenam is scabbard fish stew. You boil the fish with soy sauce on a layer of sliced pumpkin and radishes.



[Soundbite] “The dish is really tasty because the scabbard fish is fresh, caught in the sea nearby.”



Tourists make sure to try out the famed local dish while they’re here.



[Soundbite] “It’s spicy and tasty. It’s great.”



[Soundbite] “The fish literally melts in the mouth.”



Another local specialty is octopus soup. It’s easy to make; you just boil fresh octopus with sliced radishes in a pot of shellfish broth.



[Soundbite] “A bowl of hot octopus soup is good when the weather is cold like this.”



[Soundbite] “The soup is great with chewy octopus.”



The snow won’t be here forever, so get out and enjoy it while it’s here.