Election Day

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It’s election day in Seoul, and voters are heading to the polls to elect their mayor. The two main candidates campaigned through midnight, and the leaders of the ruling and opposition camps also took part in some last-minute stumping.



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The ruling Grand National Party candidate for Seoul mayor tours the city until midnight to ask for the people’s support.



[Soundbite] Na Kyung-won (Seoul Mayoral Candidate, GNP): "I want to make a Seoul with happy citizens, the best living environment and a bright future with you."



Former party leader Park Geun-hye visited Na’s camp to hand over a notebook of requests from citizens, and asked Na for just and fair politics.



[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye (Fmr. Chairwoman, Grand National Party): "People tell me about their concerns; I hope you get elected and take care of these matters."



The independent candidate representing the opposition camp, Park Won-soon, also scoured the capital to talk to the people.



[Soundbite] Park Won-soon (Independent Seoul Mayoral Candidate): "I’m going to become a mayor who’s always beside you and help make your dreams come true."



Opposition leaders including the head of the main opposition Democratic Party Sohn Hak-kyu urged voters to cast their ballots. They say Park Won-soon’s victory will herald the unification of opposition forces.



[Soundbite] Sohn Hak-kyu (Chairman, Democratic Party): "Citizen participation will help make a new Seoul. Everyone should come out to the voting stalls and help build a new Seoul."



The election results are expected to come out as early as 11 p.m. Wednesday.



Lower Fees



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Domestic banks have decided to lower commission fees charged on transaction services. Various commission rates will go down and the over 100 different fees will also be reduced in number.



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Korean banks have decided to lower commission fees they charge on ATM money transfer, cash deposit and withdrawal services by as much as 50 percent. Hana Bank will charge no fees for money transfers between Hana Bank accounts even before and after bank business hours. The fees charged on money transfers serviced by bank tellers will also be diversified and lowered. Shinhan Bank used to charge 2.60 U.S. dollars for transfers of over 26 dollars from a Shinhan account to a different bank account. Now only 50 cents will be charged for any transfers below 90 dollars. When withdrawing cash from the ATM, from the second withdrawal, the commission fee will be cut to half. The socially vulnerable including minimum wage recipients will be exempt from all fees on transfers and cash withdrawals. The different kinds of commission fees, currently as many as 195, will be sharply cut back to below 100.



[Soundbite] Sin Sun-cheol (Shinhan Bank): "We sharply lowered commission rates to practice the message of warm financing and fulfill our company’s social responsibility."



Also, more money will be returned to people who cancel insurance savings plan while social funds will be created to support senior citizens living alone. The Korea Federation of Banks and the Korea Financial Investment Association will announce measures on the finance sector’s contribution to society tomorrow.



Dementia Study



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Ten percent of Koreans age 65 or older suffer from dementia, according to a study on the disease last year. Now, a joint research team has achieved a world first in curing dementia in mice using human stem cells.



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A mouse suffering from dementia is put into a tub of water. The mouse cannot find a buoy even after ten minutes in the water. But another mouse put into the tub finds a buoy in less than five minutes. This mouse has received treatment for dementia using human stem cells.



A veterinary research team at Chungbuk National University has cured dementia in mice using human nerve stem cells. The researchers worked with the University of British Columbia Hospital of Canada for three years on the study.



[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Yun-bae (Chungbuk National University): "We’re trying to go beyond animals and make changes with human stem cells. It’s a level ahead of existing studies."



Human stem cells with genes encoding the choline acetyltransferase were injected into the mice, and this led to their memory being fully recovered. This treatment method can be commercialized after clinical tests, but Korea still bans stem cell operations on humans.



[Soundbite] "I think we can do tests on patients with dementia in hospitals using stem cells in the next three years."



The research has been called a notable study in Neuroscience and will be published in one of the world’s leading journals in stem cell research, Cell Transplantation.



Helping Out



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The government has introduced measures to help pregnant women and people with disabilities. Here’s more.



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This man relies on a wheelchair. He always comes to this bank because it has ATMs for customers on wheelchairs.



[Soundbite] Kim De-ni: "Now it’s easier to approach it because it’s more spacious. But I can’t see the screen well because it’s too high for me and the reflecting surface is hard to read."



This woman is seven months pregnant. Grocery shopping is not easy for her because she has to wait in long lines at registers.



The government will implement measures by the end of this year to enhance the convenience of people who need social protection. All banks will be mandated to install standardized ATMs for wheelchair customers. Supermarket chains must install registers for pregnant women to reduce their waiting time.



[Soundbite] Kim Ju-I (Min. of Public Administration & Security): "The focus is enhancing day-to-day needs, such as maximizing convenience for pregnant women and improving hygiene."



Pregnant women will be able to park at designated sections in national parks and receive discounts for performance tickets.



Phone Thieves



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Police have arrested two teenage girls who allegedly stole smartphones from public facilities such as saunas and hospitals.The girls are runaways, and had resorted to stealing to earn living expenses.



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Two girls look for something among sleeping customers at a sauna. When they spot a sleeping person with a smartphone, they lie down and pretend to sleep. The two girls then take the phone and leave fast. They’ve been stealing cellphones in a number of public places, including saunas. The two 15-year-olds are both runaways. They’re known to have stolen cellphones worth 37,000 U.S. dollars. They then sold the phones for 177 dollars apiece to earn living expenses.



[Soundbite] Ins. Gil Chang-ho (Guro Police Station): "People who go to bath houses or saunas should leave their phones in their lockers."



Surveillance cameras installed in saunas caught the two girls red-handed after customers began complaining about cellphone theft.



Saving Savvy



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Many people prefer to save money not by depositing it in a low interest bank account, but by using other means. This next woman has received a medal for her saving savvy on Saving Day.



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This conventional market in Seoul is packed with customers. It’s the workplace of Hwang Sun-ja, who has run a street stall here for more than two decades. Hwang raised her son on her own and paid his college tuition by selling vegetables. Despite her low income, she never complains about her hardship.



[Soundbite] Hwang Sun-ja (Award Winner): "I don’t like to have much money because that’s a burden. I like the way things are now."



After closing her stall, Hwang always stops by a nearby bank. Few people save their money in banks these days because of lower interest rate. But Hwang has managed to save quite a lot just by depositing her money in her bank account.



Hwang never spares money on donations. Every month she donates 180 U.S. dollars to children in Africa and Vietnam. That was possible because her life has always been full of hardships, with her only son battling cancer.



[Soundbite] "It was hard back then. It’s heartbreaking to see other children suffering."



Hwang has received a medal on the Saving Day for her saving savvy and generosity.



Skillful Kids



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Students at a special-purpose high school in Namwon, South Jeolla Province, have won awards at the World Skills Competition in London. They’ve come a long way since ranking at the bottom of their class in middle school.



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A robot carefully moves blocks. Everyone watches closely, then a jury member raises his thumb. The two youngest contenders representing Korea win the gold medal and MVP award.



They attend a special-purpose high school in Namwon, South Jeolla Province. Back in middle school, they were at the bottom of their class. But their high school teacher changed their lives. Their study of robotics has unearthed their hidden skills.



[Soundbite] Gong Yong-seon (Teacher): "I wanted to change them. And my students followed me well."



The two students won top honors last year at the National Technical Skills Competition after studying robotics for just two years. This earned them the right to represent Korea at global competitions.



[Soundbite] Bae Byeong-yeon • Gong Jeong-pyo (High School Students): "We want to earn a doctorate degree in robotics by studying robots hard. We want to develop Korea’s robot industry."



The two students have also received job offers from major corporations in Korea.



Dokdo Trips



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Starting next year, students will be able to go on school trips to the Dokdo Islets on cruise ships. Let’s take a look.



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In this classroom at a high school in Seoul, students are learning about the historical and geological facts about Dokdo Islets. They’re reminded the meaning of the islets, watching video clips students have created about protecting the Korean territory. But not that many students have visited the islets.



[Soundbite] Lee Ji-yeong (Student): "I’ve heard a lot about Dokdo. I’m sorry because I’ve never been there."



That’s because of few accommodation facilities on the nearly Ulleng Island and safety concerns over passenger ships. Teachers have ruled out the islets from the list of field-trip destinations.



But starting from next year, students can visit the islets safely on cruise ships. Celebrating Dokdo Day, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association has decided to promote school cruise trips to the Dokdo islets with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the tourism industry.



[Soundbite] Ahn Yang-ok (President, Korean Federation of Teachers’ Assn.): "We’re going to provide chances to all students and help them raise their historical awareness about the islets. It’ll strengthen our sovereignty over the territory."



The government is also planning to hand out supplementary textbooks to middle and high schools, which are currently distributed to only elementary schools nationwide.



Fall Foliage



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Around this time of year in Korea, the topic on everyone’s tongues is the autumn foliage. Mount Seorak is the most popular place to go to check out the turning of the leaves. We take you there now.



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This is Mount Seorak. A long procession of cars headed into the park carries scores of tourists.



[Soundbite] "I came here to see the beautiful foliage."



[Soundbite] "Looking at the foliage on Mount Seorak helps me relieve the year’s fatigue."



All these people are here to enjoy the foliage, which looks most beautiful now.



[Soundbite] "Let’s blast off to see the fall foliage!"



Today’s route is the southern valley of the mountain.



[Soundbite] "This route is good for families. I learned about it by word of mouth."



This area has a pristine natural landscape as it was first opened to the public just five years ago.



[Soundbite] "It’s amazing! It’s great!"



[Soundbite] "It’s awesome! It’s terrific!"



The crimson red leaves create their tableau against the blue sky.



[Soundbite] "They’re red because they’re blushing at the sight of so many beautiful women here."



The first stop is Yeosim Waterfall. Legend has it that you can conceive a son if you drink its water. Next, we arrive at Deungseondae, which has a panoramic view of the southern slope of Mount Seorak blanketed with red leaves.



[Soundbite] "That’s beautiful! It’s very picturesque and gorgeous."



Eating a packed lunch on the mountain is an essential part of hiking. Any spot with a nice view of the foliage will do. Even the most simple food tastes great up here.



[Soundbite] "It’s great to eat what we brought from home here."



The tourists are sure to capture the scenery for later viewing.



[Soundbite] "Even if you just click on my camera, everything I photograph here looks beautiful."



One tip when you take your fall foliage shots is to wear white. It will make you stand out against the leaves.



The next stop is Sibi Waterfall, which consists of 12 meandering sections.



Next, we arrive at our destination. People wait in a long line.



[Soundbite] "You’ll look 10 years younger if you drink this."



[Soundbite] "This is five-color mineral water."



Everyone wants to look young, but you may be a bit older by the time you’re finished waiting in the lineup. If you are willing to wait, the water is rich in iron and carbonic acid.



[Soundbite] "It’s very tasty."



[Soundbite] "It tastes like rotten ginseng."



[Soundbite] "It tastes like sprite. It makes me feel stronger."



After a long climb, it’s time to try some local delicacies, such as acorn jelly salad and dolsot bibimbap, which is rice and veggies mixed in a hot stone bowl. Here, it’s served with different wild herbs.



[Soundbite] "This is the taste of autumn."



[Soundbite] "It has a rich aroma because it’s made with wild herbs from Mount Seorak."



A glass of the traditional liquor dongdongju completes the meal.



[Soundbite] "I enjoyed the foliage today thanks to the nice weather. It was beautiful. It was even better because I had a glass of makgeolli."



[Soundbite] "Come enjoy the foliage!"



You certainly won’t be alone, but a visit to the picturesque Mount Seorak will give you the best feel for autumn in Korea.