Japan Aid

[Anchor Lead]
One hundred days have passed since the deadly earthquake in Japan, but the restoration efforts are slow. Koreans are reaching out to consol and help victims of the disaster.

[Pkg]
This fishing village was almost completely destroyed by the March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan. A Korean singer makes a surprise appearance in an athletic event at an elementary school held 100 days after the quake.

These displaced people and their children have been wandering from shelter to shelter since losing their homes. They don't understand the language but can feel the singer's warm heart conveyed through his voice.

[Soundbite] (Tsunami Victim) : "He made me cry. His voice resonated all the way up there. "

[Soundbite] Whee Jin (Singer) : "I made up my mind to come here more often to help. "

Ethnic Koreans have organized a charity event in Tokyo to help tsunami victims. The concert features famous Korean stars and even children, as well as a food market.

[Soundbite] Park Hyeon-seong (Student) : "Japanese society has been depressd since the earthquake. As a student studying in Japan, I want to help people."

The funds raised at the events will go to the victims of the tsunami in Japan.

2. Cruise Project

[Anchor Lead]
Seoul city mayor Oh Se-hoon says he will carry out the West Sea waterway project, which had been halted by Seoul Metropolitan Council opposition, by getting government funding if he has to. But the Board of Audit and Inspection's request to review the project's profitability is giving more weight to the city council and civic groups' calls to stop the project.

[Pkg]
This is the Gyeongin Ara Waterway construction site where Han River is being connected to the waters off Incheon. When it opens in October, a 5,000 ton cruise ship can operate to Gimpo International Port. The Seoul city government is planning to extend the waterway to Han River in Yeouido to activate tourism.

[Soundbite] Oh Se-hoon (Seoul City Mayor) : "The project must be completed and I'll do it by negotiating with the president for national treasury funds, if necessary."

The city government is planning to transfer tourists by bus from Gimpo to the city until the bridge expansion and terminal construction is complete. But many doubt whether tourists can be attracted with a 5,000 ton cruise ship as it is not big enough to house facilities like a casino and swimming pool.

[Soundbite]

(Tourist)

Furthermore, more than 2.5 meters of sand must be dug out from the Han River to allow the ship to operate. Safety concerns are also raised when the ship passes through ten bridges along the river. The mayor attended the Seoul Metropolitan Council today for the first time in six months.

3. Drug Bust

[Anchor Lead]
An ethnic Korean drug lord has been arrested for allegedly selling a huge volume of narcotics in Europe in connection with the biggest drug gang in South America. He hired ordinary people like housewives to transport the drugs.

[Pkg]
A Korean housewife was arrested at a Paris airport in October 2004. Authorities found 17 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage.

[Soundbite] (Drug Runner (Voice Modified)) : "I was so surprised that I couldn't even cry. It was really hard to believe."

The woman was sentenced to prison on a remote island in the Atlantic Sea for one year and six months. She claims she was merely doing a favor for a friend, who offered to pay her around 3-thousand-700 U.S. dollars if she delivered a bag filled with jewels.

The ethnic Korean ringleader of the drug operation is known to have hired 12 ordinary people like the housewife to transport drugs. He got ethnic Koreans living in Suriname to join his scheme and hired their friends and relatives to transport drugs. The suspect worked in connection with the biggest drug gang in South America. He is known to have helped distributed in Europe 48.5 kilograms of cocaine since 2004. This is the biggest cocaine stash in history, enough for 1.6 million users and worth nearly 148 million U.S. dollars.

[Soundbite] Kim Hui-jun (Senior Prosecutor) : "It's the first case where a Korean global drug dealer has been punished for smuggling cocaine."

The ringleader has been arrested on the charge of narcotics trafficking.

4. Hepatitis Alert

[Anchor Lead]
The number of hepatitis A cases has begun to drastically rise in June. People in their 20s lack antibodies against the waterborne disease, and as a result, are the most vulnerable to it.

[Pkg]
This man went to a hospital with the symptoms of fever and an aching body. And his liver damage index, AST to ALT ratio, surged to 4,000, which is 100 times higher than the recommended level. An examination showed that he was infected with acute hepatitis A.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-su (Hepatitis A Patient) : "I wasn’t aware of the disease. None of my friends had it. I thought I was just tired."

Hepatitis A is a waterborne disease that is transmitted by means of water. About 15-thousand people suffer from the disease annually. A university hospital study shows that people in their 20s are the most susceptible to hepatitis A with only 12 percent of them having the antibody. On the other hand, the immune body against the disease was found in 52 percent of people in their 30s and more than 80 percent of people aged 40 or above. Teenagers have gotten the antibody through vaccination. People aged 30 or older have obtained it after suffering from the disease without acknowledgement. Therefore, people in their 20s are advised to have a blood test and receive vaccination against hepatitis A. In most cases, hepatitis A is treated naturally. But annually, 80 people see the disease develop to acute hepatitis, which causes sudden liver damage.

[Soundbite] Prof. Im Yeong-seok (Asan Medical Center) : "Acute hepatitis occurs among one percent of hepatitis A patients. A severely damaged can’t detoxify. Fifty percent of patients die unless they receive a liver transplantation."

In particular, hepatitis A may develop into acute hepatitis in people who have chronic hepatitis, hepatitis B or an unhealthy liver due to excessive drinking.

5. Bakery Battle

[Anchor Lead]
The Korean bakery market has grown exponentially as many people prefer bread over rice for breakfast these days. But there's little room for small bakeries because the market is dominated by large chains.

[Soundbite]

Customers at this cafe can get as much bread as they want by just buying a cup of tea and paying 70 cents extra. Many office workers, college students and even homemakers eat bread for breakfast. The soaring popularity of bakery products has prompted convenience stores to also sell fresh bread.

[Soundbite] An Nang-gyun (Staff Member, Convenience Retail Company) : "The quality is as good as that of bigger bakeries; many customers buy it because of the cheap prices."

The value of the domestic bakery market has grown to 2.3 billion dollars amid the intensifying competition. But 70 percent of the market is controlled by two large bakery chains. The two competitors are trying to raise their market shares by opening more stores. This means it's harder to find small bakeries. Bakeries used to be a popular startup after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But about half of small bakeries have disappeared over the past decade.

This secondhand item store has piles of tools from closed bakeries.

[Soundbite] (Second-Hand Product Merchant) : "To be honest, many people who invest in bakeries end up in tears because they have to close their stores early because of poor business."

The Korean bakery market has been growing fast, but small bakeries have been gradually forgotten in the boom.

6. Metal Mining

[Anchor Lead]
Amid the continuous rise of global raw material prices, domestic metal mines that had been closed due to low profitability are being redeveloped. This is reviving local economies by raising the demand for labor and heavy equipment. Here's more.

[Pkg]
This mine that had been closed for two decades is having galleries drilled to resume operation next year. This largest iron ore mine in Korea contains 6.5 million tons of iron ore which is enough for the next decade.

[Soundbite] O Won-tak (Korea Resources Corporation) : "Iron ore cost merely 20,000 won(US$18.40) per ton. c According to global price, it's 180,000 won. We're redeveloping it because of the sufficient profitability."

This is a mine of molybdenum which is used for making stainless steel. A line of trucks and heavy equipment are driven into the tunnel. Thanks to the mine being reopened two years ago, local heavy equipment companies no longer worry about business. The mine contains 3.85 million tons of molybdenum, which is enough to be dug for the next ten years. To minimized dust and noise, stone crushing facilities are installed underground. Among the 60 mine workers, 50 of them are local residents who had worked as miners before.

[Soundbite] Jeon Gi-hwan (Miner) : "I hope more mines will open so at least one of the locals of Jecheon can get a job and activate (the local economy)."

In the past five years, raw material prices have risen by up to seven times to have five metal mines redeveloped since 2008. When 17 more mines are developed by 2020, Korea's self-supply rate of minerals will be raised from one to four percent.

7. Saving the Sea

[Anchor Lead]
Middle school students in the southern port city of Yeosu are trying to revive the waters off the venue of next year's World Expo. They've made clay balls containing useful microorganisms and thrown them into the ocean to restore the marine ecosystem and improve the water quality.

[Pkg]
Manseongni Beach is located in front of the Yeosu World Expo venue.

[Soundbite]

Two, three!

Middle school students throw clay balls into the sea. The students say they feel rewarded because the clay balls that they made can cleanse the ocean.

[Soundbite] Jeong Jong-hwi (Middle School Student) : "I didn't realize the importance of the sea before and used it recklessly. It has helped me realize the need to protect the sea."

Some 600 students from Chungdeok Middle School made more than 6-thousand clay balls last month. Clay balls are made with loess and useful microorganisms and then fermented. When thrown into seawater, the balls gradually dissolve and improve water quality.

[Soundbite] Park Chan-suk (Young Women's Christian Association) : "This place is where sewage water flows into the sea. We believe that water quality in this area will improve a lot."

The students will also make clay balls next year to improve the quality of seawater off the Yeosu Expo venue.

8. Fathers' Club

[Anchor Lead]
A growing number of fathers are forgoing traditional stereotypes in Korea and sparing no effort to become good dads by playing with their kids and taking care of them. Here's more.

[Pkg]
Late in the evening, fathers and their children come to a kindergarten in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The fathers came here to learn how to spend time with their children. Today, the dads have turned into cars. The "cars" make five U-turns, stumble over speed bumps and lift their children up.

[Pkg]
By playing with my child, I have bonded with her closely.

A child runs toward a crosswalk to cross the street. A member of a fathers' club who is on traffic duty today stops the child and makes him wait for the traffic light to change. Then he crosses the street with the boy. Members of the fathers' club of this elementary school oversee children's traffic safety and clean the campus. They also participate in various school activities.

[Soundbite] Park Gi-beom (Chairman, Fathers' Club) : "We set up the Fathers' Club to come up with ways to play with our children and help them adapt to society."

Nowadays, mothers take on the strict role of educating their children, while fathers act as caring play buddies of their kids.

9. Unique Gigs

[Anchor Lead]
Competition in the job market remains fierce. But there are small niches where people are finding ways to make the most of their talents. Let’s take a look.

[Pkg]
Horses burst off the start line at the "Go!" signal.

[Soundbite]

All my stress I’ve had since lsst week had has been relieved

A horse returns after the race.

[Soundbite]

Good job today! Let's change your shoes.

These are horseshoes, and this man is a blacksmith who specializes in making them. Shoes are vital for horses because they protect their sensitive hooves. Before replacing the shoes, the blacksmith removes the old ones and trims the animal's constantly growing hooves.

[Soundbite] Sin Seon-gyeong (Blacksmith) : "It's important not to touch the nerves. The hooves must be trimmed appropriately."

This metal stick is used to make horseshoes. First, it's heated at 1200 degrees and shaped with a hammer. The shape and size of the shoe depends on the breed and age of the horse. It's important to make sure it fits perfectly.

[Soundbite]

The shoes are ready!

After fixing the horseshoes on the hooves tightly, the job is done.

[Soundbite] Sin Seon-gyeong (Blacksmith) : "I feel very rewarded when horses with horsehoes that I made win the races. "

At this place we visited, it was very quiet.

[Soundbite] Im Seon-taek (Researcher, Animal Laboratory) : "These animals can suffer seizures due to noise. That's why we handle them with a lot of care."

These lab mice require extra care. Laboratory animal technicians check the animals' condition and take care of them. They check the animals' condition every hour to make sure that the experiments are being conducted properly. They also handle the animals with care when extracting their blood.

[Soundbite]

Good job.

Monkeys are indispensable in animal labs.

[Soundbite] Han Su-cheol (Researcher, Animal Laboratory) : "There are many examples of monkeys saving human lives because their genes are 99 percent compatible with humans."

Every day, the laboratory staff prays for the animals that have died at the lab.

[Soundbite] Park Hui-jin (Researcher, Animal Laboratory) : "We pray for the dead animals so that their lives were not in vain and so they can could rest in peace."

This woman swims by herself late at night in an empty swimming pool.

[Soundbite]

Are you a swimmer? (No, I'm a swimsuit fitting model.)

She looks different from a conventional swimsuit model.

[Soundbite] Kim Seon-a (Staff Member, Swimsuit Manufacturing Company) : "We use models of an average body size rather than well-shaped ones because we need to check if our swimsuits are comfortable."

The model's opinion plays an important role because functional swimsuits determine swimmers' performance.

[Soundbite]

Try walk in the water.

The model checks if the swimsuit is comfortable in the water.

[Soundbite] Choe Hyeon-gyeong (Swimsuit Fitting Model) : "I gave it a try. Anyone who is interested in swimming can do this."

Each person has hidden talents that can play a decisive role in discovering their calling.