Toxic Coverup

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U.S. Army veteran Steve House has testified before the Korean National Assembly on the burial of defoliants by the U.S. military on Korean soil. He refutes the claim by the U.S. forces in Korea that the military has no related records on the toxic chemicals and that it has removed all of the defoliants from the site.



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U.S. Army veteran Steve House testifies at the Korean National Assembly. He says he buried 500 to 600 drums of defoliants at Camp Carroll, refuting the claim of the U.S. Forces Korea that removal of defoliants began a year after their burial. House says clear marks were on the buried drums of defoliants, rejecting the U.S. forces’ statement that no related records were found. House shed tears while giving his testimony, and says he can point to the exact burial sites of the defoliants if he visits Camp Carroll.



[Soundbite]Steve House (U.S. Veteran)



A former U.S. Army captain has also urged Washington to tell the truth, saying herbicidal pollution at Camp Carroll proves that defoliants were buried there. Opposition members of the Korean parliamentary environment committee plan to visit Camp Carroll with House to find where the burial sites are. But U.S. forces have yet to respond to House’s request for permission to enter Camp Carroll of N. Gyeongsang Province.



2. Online Scam



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A fraudulent Internet shopping mall has lured consumers to its scam with an offer for the lowest priced air conditioners nationwide. However, after requiring the buyers to make their payments by cash, the cons would run off with the money. Much caution is required when shopping online.



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This college student tried to buy an air conditioner online. She found a site offering the lowest price nationwide. She was doubtful about the unreasonably low prices but she decided to purchase it after seeing online commercials.



[Soundbite](Victim): “I saw an article about the lowest prices online. It said the site offered the lowest price, and there was a link to it as well.”



A manager of this shopping mall asked to make a cash payment, offering to install the air conditioner for free. But she could not make contact with the manager after the money was paid. More than 700 consumers have seen damage of over 474,000 U.S. dollars. This man also paid cash because of additional discounts, but did not receive the product he paid for. The online shopping mall managers disappeared after receiving 142,000 dollars from roughly one hundred consumers. The police say more reports on similar damages are coming in and advised to be cautious when shopping from Web stores.



[Soundbite]Jeong Ji-yeon (Seoul Electronic Commerce Center): “Use credit cards, if possible. If the site only receives cash, use the escrow system, which is a security service.”



Consumers should also read purchase reviews closely and use programs indicating the safety level of online shopping malls.



3. Health Tip



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A study has found that people with very little muscle mass are prone to metabolic syndrome. Experts are advising people to build their muscle mass through exercise and training as a crucial step to preventing future health problems.



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This is the body composition analysis of a 60-something woman with high blood pressure. The amount of fat is much higher than that of muscle tissue. The human body consists of more than 650 muscles. Muscles prevent obesity because they act as an engine that consumes calories. Muscles also prevent diabetes and hyperlipidemia by strengthening the function of insulin. Lack of muscle mass results in insulin resistance, which causes metabolic syndrome. A survey conducted by a university hospital has found that people with small muscle mass are 5.4 times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. People with small muscle mass and a lot of fat are prone to arteriosclerosis.



[Soundbite]Prof. Choe Gyeong-muk (Korea University Guro Hospital): “The effect of muscle training lasts for 48 hours; it’s advised to exercise three times a week for thirty minutes to an hour.”



Sitting down and getting up while leaning against the wall as well as raising the buttocks helps train leg muscles. Sit-ups and push-ups help train torso muscles.



4. Bee Warning



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Bees have come to life amid the sweltering weather, which has followed the end of the annual rainy season. Swarms of bees are taking their toll on people. Here are some tips to keep in mind when confronted with such a hazard.



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A huge bee hive hangs on the eaves of a house. Equipped with protective gears, rescue workers spray pesticide and cover the beehive with a plastic sheet to remove it.



[Soundbite] “I was going to mow the grass. Suddenly, bees swarmed in at the sound of mowing. My wife got stung twice. There was nothing I could do.”



Bees have come to life amid the hot weather that followed the end of the annual monsoon season. Only in Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, rescue workers have received 267 requests to remove beehives this month. The figure is up 192 cases from June. Some people have been stung by bees and died. Two hikers died after stung by bees on July 24th in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province and Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.



[Soundbite]Sin Gi-hyeon (Daejeon Nambu Fire Station): “Those who have allergies experience breathing problems because their airway gets swollen. Many of them die.”



Experts advise people to avoid wearing bright-colored outfits and perfume when going out for outdoor activities. People must lower their bodies to the ground if they hit a beehive. People also need to instantly remove stings with their nails or other tools such as credit cards when bit by bees. And then they must take first-aid treatment such as ice massaging and go to hospital as soon as possible.



5. Illegal Cars



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Police have rounded up a group of people who rent out illegally modified and uninsured secondhand limousines, which are used as wedding cars. These cars are known to be fire hazards due to faulty electrical wiring.



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A beautiful wedding limousine arrives at the airport. Renting such a vehicle costs from 280 to 380 U.S. dollars. The car looks decent on the outside but is really an illegally modified limousine that’s more than 10 years old. Unqualified technicians use parts from junk cars to modify the vehicle.



[Soundbite](Suspect (Voice Modified)): “I didn’t know until now that it was illegal to repair and modify cars like that.”



Limousines modified into wedding cars have a high risk of catching fire because of illegal electrical wiring. An illegally modified wedding car caught fire in May. Many wedding car agencies also have no business license and car insurance to protect customers.



[Soundbite]Sen. Ins. Kim Seong-un (Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency): “If an accident occurs during the trip, passengers won’t be able to receive insurance benefits. It’s because the cars aren’t insured, even if it’s a for-hire vehicle.”



Police have rounded up wedding car agency owners who have imported old limousines from abroad for five years and illegally modified them. Newlyweds should check wedding cars thoroughly before renting them.



6. Crisis Hotline



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Some say that people who decide to take their lives by jumping off a bridge into the Han River could change their minds if only they have an outlet where they can pour their hearts out. A suicide prevention initiative is taking place where special telephones have been installed along the Han River bridges to connect a person in need with a crisis hotline.



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This is a drill simulating the rescue of a drowning person. The critical time window for rescuing someone who can’t swim is just five minutes. When someone reports the incident over a phone installed on the bridge, rescue workers arrive shortly.



[Soundbite]Yang Seung-hoe (Chief, Lifesaving Service Team): “There are time delays and things that we have no control over; we feel really sad and helpless.”



Eight hotline phones have been installed on Han River bridges, including the Hannam and Mapo bridges. The phones are automatically connected to the rescue service and professional consultants.



[Soundbite] “This is LifeLine Korea.”



The consultants believe they can change the mind of those who attempt suicide.



[Soundbite]Ha Sang-hun (Director, LifeLine Korea): “A person called us from a public phone on the way to the Han River. He called us to thanked us for helping him overcome the crisis.”



More people commit suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco than at any other site in the world. Since suicide hotline phones were installed there, fewer people have jumped off the bridge. More than 430 people jumped into the Han River in 2007. In 2009, the number rose to nearly 650. The Seoul metropolitan government also needs to install suicide prevention walls, whose installation has been postponed for almost two years for aesthetic and technical reasons.



7. Endangered Toads



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The narrow-mouthed toad spawns eggs during the annual rainy season. Although baby toads have migrated on a massive scale, people are trying to lend a helping hand to these creatures which are on the verge of extinction.



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Small narrow-mouthed toads gather on the shoulder of a road. They’re just two or three days old. The narrow-mouthed toad is a nocturnal creature and so moves to its habitat at night.



[Soundbite]Prof. Lee Sang-yeong (Kwandong University): “After all four legs grow, they begin breathing through their lungs, instead of gills. Once that happens, it’s time they move from their original habitat to the ground.”



Narrow-mouthed toads have crossed the road to move to their habitat in the woods from a puddle where they were spawned and hatched. A few unlucky ones are hit by cars. The lack of ecological paths around there pose problems for the toads. Volunteers have come to help.



[Soundbite]Kang Seong-ju (Civic Group): “They often fall victim to roadkill because you pay little attention. You can start by lowering the height of bumps.”



The narrow-mouthed toad is on the verge of extinction so protection is needed to preserve them.



8. Night Zoos



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Some zoos operate at night in order to attract visitors who want to find a temporary shelter from the sweltering, tropical nights. Let’s take a peek at what’s happening at these nighttime zoos.



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At 7 p.m., people watch animals having dinner at a zoo. Ring-tailed lemurs are eating bananas.



[Soundbite] “It looks yummy. They don’t eat the skin.”



The sun sets while giraffes are approaching people to eat leaves.



[Soundbite] “Giraffes are tall and have long necks. I fed them for the first time in my life. It’s really exciting.”



A seven-year-old Burmese snake is familiar with nighttime visitors. A two-month-old tiger cub looks nervous when children attempt to touch it.



[Soundbite]Pyeon Hyeon-su (Zookeeper): “You need to be careful; the cub can scratch you if you put your face too close. Baby tigers are still dangerous.”



The night falls on the zoo, while monkeys enjoy night breeze and a tiger shines its eyes through the dark. More zoos extend their operation hours into night to help people cool off this summer.



9. Reliving Youth



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Many people long for a chance to relive their good, old days when they were young and in school. Here are some people who were able to take part in a tour that helped them go back in time, back to when they were students. Here’s the story.



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A group of people get off a bus. But their outfits are unusual. They are dressed in school uniforms from the 1970s. Where are they going dressed up in their school uniforms?



[Soundbite] “We’re on a school field trip for the first time in 40 years.”



They have a chance to relive their past as high school students. They all look excited. While working on rice cake, they confess their past secrets to each other.



[Soundbite] “Didn’t you like me? (Yes, I did.) Why didn’t you tell me? (I just kept it a secret.) Why didn’t you? We might have ended up married.”



Not only because they are dressed in retro school uniforms, the tourists draw the public’s attention wherever they go as they walk hand-in-hand with their former classmates.



[Soundbite] “What grade and class? (The fifth grade, the fourth class.)”



[Soundbite] “I wore this kind of black school uniforms with a white collar when I was middle school student. My memories are flooding in.”



The friends play a game where they fall, tumble and roll. But they don’t mind. They never seem to look exhausted. Now, they take time to try their hand at the traditional Korean wrestling called "ssiruem." Even though they are tossed around on the floor and pinned, they look just excited to go back to their school days and be with their old friends.



[Soundbite] “I feel like I’m back in time 40 years ago and I’m younger. It’s good.”



Taking photos is one of must-dos on a school field trip. Many years have passed and they have gotten old. But they are still young at heart.



Old photos from 40 years ago appear on the screen. They grow sentimental from these school days flashbacks. They are suddenly surprised by something.



[Soundbite]Jeong Se-mok (Fmr Teacher, Hadong Middle School): “Hello, former students of Hadong Middle School. I’m greatly pleased to see you again. When I first met you, you were young with bright eyes.”



Some people shed tears and cry when viewing a surprise video letter from their teacher back in the day.



[Soundbite] “All arise! Bow to the teacher!”



On the last night of the field trip, women stay up late into the night having girl talk. But uninvited guests drop by: three playful boys.



[Soundbite] “They got wrinkles on their faces. It feels strange; I feel like I’m going to cry. I hope they’ll be healthy and won’t change much 10 to 20 years later.”



It’s always a nice thing to be good to travel back to one’s former school days and rekindle old and fading memories from the past.