Free Meal Debate

[Anchor Lead]
Controversy is rising over the upcoming referendum on free school lunches in Seoul slated for Wednesday. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been called on to stop promoting the referendum with his one-man picket line. And Seoul Education Superintendent Kwak No-hyun is under fire for allegedly attempting to prevent the vote.

[Pkg]
The election commission of the Seoul Metropolitan Government has ordered Mayor Oh Se-hoon to stop his one-man show of holding up a sign with the date of the referendum on free school lunches. The reason cited is the risk of government officials violating neutrality in elections. Seoul education superintendent Kwak No-hyun is also in trouble. The date of the referendum has incited dispute since it's scheduled for the same day as training sessions for Seoul school principals. Some blame the superintendent for preventing principals from voting, while others say it's just coincidence.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-seok (Federation of Teachers' Association) : "Sending the principals on a field trip is to discourage them from voting."

[Soundbite] Jeong In-sun (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) : "The schedule was set on July 22 by the principals' committee"

The election commission hosted the first round of TV debate on the matter by civic groups.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-gyo (Civic Group Against Populism) : "There’s no need to use federal money to provide lunch to children from affluent families."

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-su (Civic Group Against Referendum) : "It will create conflict between rich children who pay to eat and poor ones."

Another debate focused on the public's right to vote. The head of a large boiler manufacturer sent an email to his employees encouraging them to vote. Ruling party member Lee Jong-gu also drew criticism for urging measures to transport religious groups and the elderly to the voting booths.

2. Civil Defense Drill

[Anchor Lead]
On Thursday, the government held a special civil defense exercise in preparation for emergency situations such as terrorism and war. It was the third such drill since the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. But not everyone took part.

[Pkg]
The roads near Gwanghwamun are filled with cars. When the alarm goes off, the vehicles all stop and the streets become empty. In the mean time, government officials wearing gas masks are taking shelter in the basement. Police cars and fire trucks run on the roads. Passersby follow orders despite the hot weather which was close to 30 degrees Celsius. People at the beach take shelter as well. Broadcasting stations also train against chemical and biological warfare and do mock hostage drills. This is the third large-scale drill against contingencies since North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island. As many as 280,000 soldiers, police officers and civil defense corps took part in the nationwide drill. Yet the situation is different in locations other than key institutions and roads. Closed-circuit cameras installed on roads showed cars running. Some major downtown road showed a lack of participation.

[Soundbite]

They gave us an order and I followed it. But I’m not sure it's going to help in emergencies or wartime situations.

Public participation rate in Thursday's drill was different depending on areas. The next round of civil defense drills is scheduled for October.

3. Memorial Event

[Anchor Lead]
Thursday marked the second anniversary of the death of former President Kim Dae-jung. Memorial ceremonies were held nationwide to mark the occasion.

[Pkg]
The eventful life of former President Kim Dae-jung ended two years ago. A memorial ceremony brings together Kim's family and representatives from the ruling and opposition parties. Kim's widow Lee Hee-ho places on his altar a published biography of her late husband, who was a giant among politicians in modern Korean history. The busts of the late former presidents Kim and Roh Moo-hyun have been erected at the headquarters of the main opposition Democratic Party. Participants pay homage to Kim, who inspired people in their 40s to implement change when Korea was ruled by a military government.

[Soundbite] Lee Hee-ho (Former First Lady) : "I'm thankful for this opportunity to leave a trace in history. "

[Soundbite] Sohn Hak-kyu (Chairman, Democratic Party) : "We'll poster democracy, help ordinary people and reunify both Koreas."

Lectures and concerts marking the second anniversary of Kim's death were also held on Haui Island, South Jeolla Province, where he was born, as well as in Mokpo and Daegu. The Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum will hold a month-long exhibition of his photos to mark the second anniversary of his death.

4. Fuel Economy

[Anchor Lead]
Each car is marked with an official fuel economy number, which shows how many kilometers it can go on a liter of gas. But this number has been found to be frequently exaggerated.

[Pkg]
A test car measures fuel efficiency. It's an indoor automobile fuel economy test, but the speed of the car keeps changing as if the car is running on the streets. The car stops and resumes driving repeatedly. The amount of wind changes based on the speed of the vehicle. This virtual reality fuel economy test procedures have often made the results exaggerated. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy tested fuel economy based on five factors including city and highway driving, the use of air conditioners, high-speed driving and abrupt acceleration. The results showed that cars' official fuel economy was 20 percent higher than in reality. The fuel efficiency of all tested cars was found to be an average of 20 percent lower. The official fuel economy of the Hyundai Sonata is set at 10.7 kilometers per liter. But it was found to be only 8.7.

[Soundbite]

I don't trust the official fuel economy. It's about twenty to thirty percent too low.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy will amend the relevant regulations by the end of 2011 so that cars' fuel economy is marked appropriately.

[Soundbite] Kim Gi-ho (Korea Institute of Petroleum Management) : "We hope that the new regulation will help drivers make the right choice when buying cars. The official fuel economy will be similar to the actual one."

The change in regulations will likely affect the car market because the fuel economy of mini- and hybrid cars may fall by as much as 30 percent.

5. Double Deckers

[Anchor Lead]
The introduction of double-decker buses is one idea to ease traffic congestion in the Seoul metropolitan area. The two-story buses can carry lots of passengers but pose safety and budget challenges.

[Pkg]
An endless line of people waits for the bus. Buses crisscrossing the wider Seoul region are packed during rush hour.

[Soundbite]

We are jam-packed. Too many people are squeezed into the bus.

Double-decker buses are being pushed for to alleviate traffic in the Seoul metropolitan area. The Gyeonggi Research Institute says double-decker buses will add 50 percent more seats, equivalent to the effect of increasing the number of regular buses. Operating these buses on high-demand and more crowded routes also makes business sense.

[Soundbite] Kim Chae-man (Gyeonggi Research Institute) : "It's impossible to introduce the buses on all regional lines. They should be first operated on routes with high demand during both rush hour and noncommute hours."

But double-decker buses are not without their problems. One double-decker bus costs around 650,000 U.S. dollars, more than four times the price of a regular bus. So securing funds to buy them will be tough. Getting on and off a double-decker bus also takes longer. Safety is another major concern. The institute will complete a feasibility study and then officially propose the introduction of double-decker buses to Gyeonggi Province and the Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry.

6. Cicadas Attack

[Anchor Lead]
Clouds of cicadas swarmed a restaurant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province when it was about to close. Locals are worried that it might be an omen.

[Pkg]
The wall and the floor of a restaurant are covered with cicadas. Some are swarming around a light. The restaurant owner had to suspend operations because of noise made by the unwelcome guests.

[Soundbite] Yu Gwang-ja (Restaurant Owner) : "We kept catching and releasing them, but more of them kept coming in. We couldn't accept more customers."

The insects came into the restaurant on Thursday evening.

[Soundbite]

I've never seen anything like this. There were so many of them. Is this good or bad?

At night, the cicadas started leaving one by one. But locals are showing concerns that it might be a bad sign following the torrential rains.

7. Power of Music

[Anchor Lead]
A woman diagnosed with leukemia has used the power of music to beat the disease and win a major music competition. Here is her story of courage and inspiration.

[Pkg]
Leukemia-stricken Yoo Soo-yeon stages an impressive keyboard performance and sings at a contest.

[Soundbite] (Yoo Soo-yeon (16)) : "I like to see the patients smile. It makes me forget about my illness."

She dreamed of entering the legal profession and was an outstanding student. But her life changed after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her hair fell out and she grew weak, but she never gave up and regained hope through music.

[Soundbite] Yoo Soo-yeon (Univ. of Music & Performing Arts Graz) : "Music helps me forget about my fear of death and the possibility that my leukemia might be back. That's why I keep turning to music."

14 years later, Soo-yeon won the opera coaching division at the prestigious Belvedere Competition in Austria. She's the first and only winner of both the top prize and special prize in the 30-year history of the competition. Yoo says she wants to instill hope in children who face difficulties.

8. Historic Statue

[Anchor Lead]
A sitting Bodhisattva statue in a temple in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, has been estimated to date back to the 12th century. This makes it the oldest remaining wooden Buddha statue of its kind.

[Pkg]
Bohyeon Temple in the Daegwallyeong mountain pass in Gangwon Province has a wooden statue of a sitting Bodhisattva, which is 70cm tall and 44cm wide. This wooden statue has been with the ancient temple's history spanning one millennium. An institution with expertise in dating relics estimates that this wooden statue was made in the first half of the 12th century, during the Goryeo Dynasty. It has been dated back to 100 years ahead of the wooden Buddha known up to now as the oldest Goryeo Dynasty wooden Buddha statue, Amitabha triad, in Gaesim Temple.

[Soundbite] Ven. Jin Myeong (Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism) : "It is highly important and noble that Buddha's teachings were upheld in the 12th century."

Factors used to estimate its date include the eyes tilting upward, due to influence from the Song Dynasty, and the dry lacquer technique. The technique meticulously expresses the folds of the attire and knot of the belt on the chest. It involves adding many layers of thin cloth that have been coated in lacquer.

[Soundbite] Mun Myeong-dae (Dir., Art History Research Inst. of Korea) : "The pleats are beautiful and extravagant, putting this ahead of its time."

Inside the wooden Buddha statue, experts found three mantras and four volumes of the Lotus Sutra.

9. Sweaty Summer

[Anchor Lead]
Excessive sweating can be a sign of a condition known as hyperhidrosis, which is especially hard to endure in hot summer weather. Here's more.

[Pkg]
Kwon Ko-un has her hands full in summer because of her husband’s constant sweating.

[Soundbite]

My husband always brings home (his wet clothes) because he sweats a lot.

Her husband has to change his clothes several times a day because of sweat.

[Soundbite]

You have to go through this to understand what it's like. My clothes are always drenched.

Kwon has to do laundry every single day because of the piles of sweat-drenched clothes. She also makes sure not to cook food that’s too spicy or hot because it can exacerbate the sweating issue. An examination of the hands can provide a clue to the condition because hands have many sweat glands.

[Soundbite]

My job involves drawing. I often have to replace paper because it becomes wet.

[Soundbite]

If your hands are still moist after washing them, you may have hyperhidrosis.

The man's hands remain sweaty throughout the exam. The normal sweat secretion rate is 20, but his rate is over 70. To reduce sweating, experts recommend using antiperspirants rather than deodorants. Summer is especially hard to endure for people who sweat heavily. And there are many misconceptions regarding the issue. One of them is that bathing in water with some vinegar helps remove the sweaty odor.

[Soundbite] Dr. Kim Beom-jun (Dermatologist) : "Vinegar can remove odor but it can also burn your skin. So it's not recommended."

Another misconception is that sweating contributes to hair loss.

[Soundbite]

Some people say their hair loss is caused by sweating. But the actual cause lies in the prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays.

Some people also think you should wear should wear cotton clothing if you perspire heavily.

[Soundbite]

(Cotton clothes) absorb sweat well and are better ventilated. But they don’t let enough sweat out.

People who sweat excessively should wear functional clothes, such as those designed for hiking. They absorb sweat well and dry out faster, thus reducing odor. The right herbal teas can also help reduce perspiration. The sour taste of schisandra berries is said to reduce sweating by causing the skin to contract. They also have a hydrating effect. A quick wash or a foot baths also helps.

[Soundbite] Dr. Lee Sang-jae (Oriental Medicine) : "People with sweaty hands and feet tend to feel more nervous; half-body bathing and foot baths improve blood circulation and help you relax."

A pinch of mint added to water has a soothing effect. But it's important to keep your bath short and avoid water that’s too hot.

[Soundbite]

I’m going to have a healthy summer without worrying about sweating.

These tips can help you fight the sweat and spend a cooler summer.