Korea Visits

[Anchor Lead]



Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is in North Korea for talks, and Chinese nuclear negotiator Wu Dawei is in the South for the same reason. Here’s more on the two visits.



[Pkg]



Former U.S. President Carter and his entourage arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday for a three-day visit. They will hold talks with key North Korean officials Wednesday on a range of topics, including Pyongyang’s nuclear program and inter-Korean dialogue. Timed with Carter’s trip to the North, China’s chief nuclear negotiator Wu Dawei has come to Seoul.



[Soundbite] Wu Dawei(Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs) : "The six-way talks will guarantee peace on the Korean Peninsula, stability in Northeast Asia and denuclearization."



Seoul and Beijing have agreed on a three-stage plan to resume the six-party nuclear talks. The steps include inter-Korean dialogue followed by a meeting between the U.S. and North Korea. Despite all of this week’s diplomatic activity, Seoul stresses that inter-Korean dialogue must come first.



[Soundbite] Kim Sung-hwan(Foreign Minister) : "Issues can be discussed through the North Korean media. It’s not necessary to send a message via a third party."



But whether the flurry of talks and exchanges will make progress in cross-border relations is uncertain.



2. Gimpo-Beijing



[Anchor Lead]

Gimpo Airport will begin offering flights to Beijing starting in July. The airport now connects Seoul to both Beijing and Tokyo.



[Pkg]

Some 370-thousand Koreans flew to Shanghai from Gimpo Airport last year.



[Soundbite] Park Han-cheol(Passenger) : " First of all, Gimpo Airport is closer. It’s also better when you enter or leave Shanghai; you save time by over an hour."



Flights going directly to Beijing will also be introduced at Gimpo from July. Four Korean and Chinese airlines will make four round trips a day. With this addition, regular flights now connect Beijing and Seoul, Seoul and Tokyo, and Tokyo and Beijing in what it’s called a three-way shuttle airway.



[Soundbite] Sim Ji-yeong(Ministry of Land/Transport and Maritime Affairs) : "You save an hour and up to 56,000 won(US$52). It’ll be helpful for people who go on business trips to Beijing often."



Over 1.87 million Chinese tourists visited Korea last year, a 40 percent annual growth. The number is on a steady rise.



[Soundbite] An Gwang-yeop(Korea Airport Corporation) : "About 460,000 passengers a year will be able to use Gimpo Airport with the new route to Beijing. Gimpo is expected to emerge as a business port for businesspeople."



With the opening of the Gimpo-Beijing route, the capitals of the three Northeast Asian neighbors have become closer.



3. Jeju Network



[Anchor Lead]

Internet access will soon be possible around Mount Halla on Jeju Island. Telecommunication firm KT and Jeju have agreed to build 4G networks covering 95 percent of tourist sites on the island.



[Pkg]

This area in the town of Seongsan-eup in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, is a hot tourist spot. Foreign tourists look around Seopjikoji carrying tablet PCs. Thanks to wireless broadband or Wibro, Internet access is possible through tablet PCs.



[Soundbite] Nepalese Jeju Resident : "I can search the Internet and chat. It’s very convenient."



Wibro enables tourists to use tablet PCs to shoot images of tourist sites and post photos and videos on the spot. So tourist attractions of Jeju Island can be viewed from anywhere in the world in real time. Internet access is also possible on Mount Halla thanks to Wibro. News from land can be viewed and read in the mountains.



[Soundbite] "It’s great because I can check the weather and search for plant names on my way up."



KT and Jeju Island have agreed to build Wibro 4G networks to cover 95 percent of tourist sites on the island and 70 percent of olleh trails.



[Soundbite] Lee Suk-chae(CEO, KT) : "I think it’ll form a foundation for sectors like the content industry to bloom."



The Wibro system is expected to help Jeju achieve its goal of drawing 10 million tourists to the island one year sooner.



4. New Transplants



[Anchor Lead]

Here’s some good news for sufferers of severe aplastic anemia, a condition that affects the bone marrow’s ability to produce blood cells that can only be addressed with a bone marrow transplant. Korean researchers have become the world’s first to raise the success rate of such transplants among non-relatives.



[Pkg]

This 30-something woman suffered from severe anemia. Recently, she has received a bone marrow from a stranger. Before the transplantation, few cells were found in her bone marrow cells. But now, it contains many new blood cells.



[Soundbite] Kang Jun-hui(Aplastic Anemia Patient) : "I didn’t have a chance to thank my donor but I’m always grateful to that person."



In the past, the success rate of bone marrow transplantation among non-relatives was just 40 percent. The current research has helped raise the rate significantly. The new technique is performed by infusing an appropriate amount of radiation and anti-cancer substances into a patient’s bone marrow to prevent bone marrow rejection. The new technique has allowed to raise the success rate among non-related adult males with severe aplastic anemia to the rate among relatives.



[Soundbite] Prof. Lee Jong-wook(Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital) : "I hope that transplantations among non-relatives will become more widespread and that many patients will regain hope."



Now people suffering from difficult-to-cure anemia can receive bone marrow even from strangers.



5. Art Legacy



[Anchor Lead]

The late video artist Paik Nam-june remains a fixure on the global stage five years after his death. The philosophy of openness and communication in his works carries on.



[Pkg]

Thirty-year-old Paik Nam-june appears at New York’s Times Square, the hub of world culture. A New York art group has organized this event on the history of video art. The prime-time display of Paik’s images on the world’s most expensive signboard shows his continuing influence in the West.



[Soundbite] "Art Gallery Director."



An exhibition of Paik’s works and photos draws scores of visitors. His lifelong dedication to bringing down barriers in art and the philosophy of communication in his works continue to attract interest.



[Soundbite] "College Professor."



Displays of Paik’s works will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, this year and in Washington, DC, next year.



6. Culture News



[Anchor Lead]

The surprising news of the secret marriage and divorce of singer Seo Taiji and actress Lee Ji-ah has resulted in a surge in online sales of Seo’s songs. And singer Kim Jang-hoon is again defending the disputed Dokdo Islets by placing an ad for the 2011 Korea Cup International Yacht Race in the Wall Street Journal. Here’s today’s entertainment news.



[Pkg]

The latest divorce news between singer Seo Tae-ji and actress Lee Ji-ah has helped boost online sales of Seo Tai-ji’s songs by four fold. This is according to a music chart ranking site that has tallied the downloads on various music portals. An official says fans appear to be interested in the songs that came out during the time when the singer first met the actress.



Singer Kim Jang-hoon has placed an advertisement for the 2011 Korea Cup International Yacht Race, starting June first, in Wall Street Journal. Kim is famous for advocating Korea’s ownership of the Dokdo Islets.



He says he hopes to inform the world about Dokdo and the East Sea by promoting the race. In the commercial, Kim printed a map to show that the race takes place in the East Sea, and again underscors that the Dokdo islets on the East Sea belongs to Korea.



Entertainer Shin Jung-hwan has been indicted without detention on charges of going on overseas gambling tours. He’s allegedly gambled for about a week in a VIP hotel casino room in Cebu, Philippines last August over a bet of nearly 195-thousand dollars.



7. Yu-na Program



[Anchor Lead]

Kim Yu-na has unveiled her free skate program. It features the melody of the Korean folk song "Arirang" and elements of traditional Korean dance.



[Pkg]

Kim Yu-na’s free skating program reflects her love for her home country. The melody of the folk song "Arirang" harmonizes with the elements of Korean traditional dance. The program ends with a posture that represents the desire to discover a new world.



[Soundbite] Kim Yu-na(Figure Skater) : "I was really nervous because many people wanted to see how figure skating can go with Korean music. A lot of people were watching me."



Kim Yu-na had difficulty performing a triple flip jump in the second half of the program but she has polished her skills by practicing. Kim’s new program has lived up to expectations in terms of expression methods and genre.



8. Sports Update



[Anchor Lead]

In basketball news, the Jeonju KCC Egis have won their fifth league title by beating the Wonju Dongbu Promy. MVP honors have gone to KCC center Ha Seung-jin, the league’s tallest player.



[Pkg]

KCC has beaten Dongbu for the Korean Basketball League title. The championship is the fifth for the Egis. KCC was up 3-2 in the championship series and played Game 6 in Seoul’s Jamshil Arena. The Egis trailed in the first half but center Ha Seung-jin came alive in the second. Dongbu fought back to make the game neck and neck in the fourth quarter.

 

Promy big man Kim Joo-sung fouled out late in the game. The Egis’s Kang Byung-hyun hit a three-pointer with just 35 seconds left to secure his team’s come-from-behind victory. Ha was named MVP of the finals, matching the feat of his older sister Ha Eun-ju in the Women’s Korean Basketball League.



[Soundbite] Ha Seung-jin(Center/KCC Egis(Series MVP)) : "My sister won the MVP award first so I felt a lot of pressure. It’s a relief I also received the honor."



[Soundbite] Huh Jae(Coach/KCC Egis) : "I’m not the best but thankfully the players listened to me. I’m so happy. I’m at a loss for words."



KCC’s title victory has ended the six-month season of the Korean Basketball League.



9. Barley Fields



[Anchor Lead]

Flowers are not the only things that signal the arrival of spring. Fields of green barley also represent the new season. Short trips to green barley fields make great spring outings.



[Pkg]

Fields of green barley stretch into the distance in Gochang, North Jeolla Province. Tourists break into a well-known song called "The Field of Barley."



[Soundbite] "Along the path between barley fields."



[Soundbite] "It’s great. It’s green and refreshing."



They’re busy taking photos against the backdrop of the green fields.



[Soundbite] "Green barley!"



[Soundbite] "The barley field is so beautiful and photos all look great."



[Soundbite] "The barley field is making me want to start posing."



The barley fields evoke nostalgic memories. Blowing a barley stalk whistle helps too.



[Soundbite] "Snap the stalk a bit."



She hasn’t lost her touch. Barley "gaetteok" is a must-try when you’re in the area.



[Soundbite] "(Mom, why do they call it gaetteok?) It’s roughly made. So it’s called that."



 How does it taste?



[Soundbite] "Its name is gaetteok. It’s really good."



[Soundbite] "It’s mild and chewy."



[Soundbite] "It’s great to come here and taste this."



Barley can also be enjoyed in other ways.



[Soundbite] "Mix the popped barley with chocolate."



Mixed with chocolate, barley becomes a more refined delicacy. Children lick the chocolate from their fingers. A green barley festival is under way in Gochang, with a wide range of different activities.



Now, it’s time to travel back to the past. This group of visitors is putting their back into something. They’re pulling a huge rock called a dolmen. In Gochang, visitors can check out 500 dolmens, which were designated as a world heritage. They also learn how to make things from straw from the locals.



[Soundbite] "Grab the straw and turn it like this. You must grab the straw. Otherwise, you fail."



Straw craft is tougher than it looks.



[Soundbite] "This isn’t easy."



It’s time to get something to eat. Meals are made the traditional way around here.



[Soundbite] "I’ll go first!"



They work together on the rice cakes. The end result is a tasty hand-made sticky rice cake called injeolmi. There’s even a song about it.



[Soundbite] "When injeolmi is getting married, she fancies herself up with bean powder."



You can also make traditional tofu here.



[Soundbite] "Look, this is soondubu."



You pour salt water on ground beans. And in the end you get fresh tofu. The tofu goes really well with kimchi.



[Soundbite] "If you eat it like this, it tastes more special."



[Soundbite] "The day was full of activities. I even made tofu. I feel fulfilled."



Green barley festivals are also held in Gimje, North Jeolla Province and on Gapa Island in Jeju.