[Anchor Lead]
The U.N. Human Rights Council will discuss China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and Pyongyang's human right violations in its session in Geneva Monday.
[Pkg]
China's policy of deporting North Korean defectors back to the North is the major issue of the U.N. Human Rights Council. A stream of North Koreans are escaping their impoverished country to avoid starvation. Defectors are pleading with the global community to prevent the repatriation of escapees back to the North. They call the deportation an act tantamount to murder, testifying on the persecution and torture they experienced in the North.
[Soundbite] Lee Ae-ran (NK Defector) : "I’m a North Korean defector; who will work for us unless our North Korean defectors step up? It's our matter; it's about thousands and thousands of lives."
The U.S. has dispatched its special envoy on North Korean human rights Robert King to the U.N. meeting. Washington is also holding talks with Pyongyang on food aid. King is expected to urge China to stop the repatriation of defectors and comply with the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In Geneva, the American diplomat will hold talks with U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman on the organized abuse of human rights by the North Korean government. South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-young will also attend the U.N. meeting to urge global assistance to help protect defectors' human rights. She had staged a hunger strike in protest of China's repatriation of the escapees.
2. Nuclear Protest
[Anchor Lead]
Sunday marked the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Japan and the beginning of the nuclear crisis in Fukushima. In Korea, a large-scale rally protesting the construction of a new nuclear plant was held in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
[Pkg]
Residents and members of civic groups have gathered in a plaza in Geundok-myeon in the city of Samcheok to protest the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
[Soundbite] Park Seung-mok (Head, Geundeok-myeon Town Association) : "They want to build a nuclear power plant in Geundeok yet again because they ignore us and disregard us."
[Soundbite]
Farmers will be unable to sell (their products) to other regions, and that will just kill them; that's why we oppose this.
Some of the residents even shaved their heads to demand that their hometown be withdrawn from the list of candidate-sites for a nuclear plant. Voices opposing the construction of nuclear plants have intensified since the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan one year ago.
[Soundbite]
We have learned through the media, albeit indirectly, how painful it can be; this has become our issue as well.
This rally brought together some 600 people. The controversy over nuclear plant construction will likely escalate further as the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power is to designate Samcheok in Gangwon Province and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province as the final sites for nuclear power plants within this year.
3. Dining Expenses
[Anchor Lead]
The price of eating out in Korea is on the rise, with a bowl of noodles called kalguksu getting close to four and a half U.S. dollars in large cities. Both private and public service charges have also jumped.
[Pkg]
This traditional noodle restaurant has no empty seats at lunch time on a holiday. The noodles called kalguksu are a favorite among professionals and other customers due to their low price and generous portions.
[Soundbite]
The economy is bad these days so we’re on a tight budget. It’s popular, since it’s cheap and delicious.
But the average price of one of Korea's most popular dishes is nearing 4.50 U.S. dollars nationwide. A jump in labor and ingredient costs has led to the higher price.
[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-chang (Restaurant Owner) : "Rents go up. Labor costs go up. Vegetable prices jump overnight. It’s really a burden to pay the prices of garlic and pepper powder."
Kalguksu is the most expensive in Seoul at 5-dollars-72-cents. The price averages 5-dollars-36-cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province and 5-dollars-18-cents in South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. Restaurants nationwide have also raised the prices of other foods.
Hotel charges have increased 80 cents from September last year, when studies of private service fees were first conducted. In the case of public service charges, subway fees have risen nearly 10 cents in Busan. City bus fares have almost grown 9 cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
4. Hybrid Cameras
[Anchor Lead]
Products that combine the advantages of different models are called hybrids. Such products are drawing attention in the digital camera market, and Korean manufacturers are said to be at the forefront. Here's more.
[Pkg]
Compact digital cameras are small and lightweight, but have simple functions. Digital single-lens reflex cameras have sophisticated functions, but are too heavy to carry around. Recently, the digital camera market has been undergoing change.
So-called hybrid cameras that are slimmer but can use multiple lenses have been developed for the niche market. Last year, around three million hybrid cameras were sold worldwide. By 2014, their sales are expected to surpass those of professional digital cameras.
[Soundbite] Lee Jong-hun (Photographer) : "As I can use all the accessories on a DSLR, I can express everything I want."
Samsung Electronics has taken the lead in the global hybrid camera market by producing the world's first 20-million pixel camera. Korean-made lenses produced exclusively for hybrid cameras have also created a sensation.
[Soundbite] Kim Won-cheol (Optical Lens Supplier) : "They sold so well we were out of stock for about a month. We're getting a good response from consumers."
Korean camera makers have emerged as formidable rivals to Japanese makers in the rapidly growing hybrid camera market.
5. Nonstop Studying
[Anchor Lead]
Korea's adoption of the five-day school week hasn’t lightened the load for many students fighting to stay ahead in the country’s intensely competitive education environment. Private academic institutes where students sleep over for the weekend are booming.
[Pkg]
Education Ministry supervisors walk into an officetel building in the Daechi-dong neighborhood of southern Seoul.
[Soundbite]
Is anybody in there?
A staff member of a private institute asks for a stop to filming. He then hastily calls students. The education supervisors open the door and go in, then the institute director admits to allowing weekend classes in which students sleep over at the institute.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "They come in on Friday night. (And when do they go out?) On Sunday at 9 p.m."
Three students slept in a room with beds and used the shower room next door.
[Soundbite] Sin Mun-gyu (Min. of Education, Science & Tech) : "They've had students sleep over illegally by preparing bedrooms."
The fee was around 760 U.S. dollars a month per student. 30 students registered for the weekend classes. Students were the full responsibility of the institute when they took part in sleep-over classes over the weekend.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "Nobody is allowed to go out or use cell phones."
The Education Ministry is planning an intensive three-month crackdown on seven districts nationwide that have numerous private institutes.
6. Ship Crash
[Anchor Lead]
A large cargo vessel has crushed fishing boats docked at a port after it was buffeted by strong winds and high waves. The cargo ship had been mobilized for the controversial construction of a naval base on Jeju Island.
[Pkg]
A fishing boat has been crushed under a large cargo vessel the size of a tall building. Another boat has sunk, with just its head remaining above the water. The 20,000-ton cargo vessel appeared at the port all of a sudden at 2 p.m. Sunday.
[Soundbite] Kang Seong-gun (Witness) : "I heard a huge noise. I didn't know what it was at first. (The ship) moved in fast, hitting the fishing boats."
The incident occurred after strong winds blowing at 13 meters a second cut off a rope of the cargo vessel, which was transporting an 8,800-ton underwater structure for a naval base on Jeju Island. No casualties were reported. But emergency anti-disaster operations were conducted, as 1,400 liters of oil were carried in the two sunken fishing boats. The Seogwipo Coast Guard will investigate the incident as soon as the sunken boats are lifted and the cargo vessel is moored at the pier.
7. Safe Food
[Anchor Lead]
News reports questioning food safety, such as those exposing fabricated expiry dates, are causing jitters among consumers. So, more people are turning to so-called "safe food" at organic food stores.
[Pkg]
This organic food store in Seoul has a long line of customers even before opening time. Once the store opens, housewives rush in and fill their shopping baskets. By 3 p.m., several of the store's shelves are empty.
[Soundbite] (Staff Member) : "As they're seasonal vegetables, you have to come before 12 p.m to buy the vegetables you want."
This consumer cooperative specializing in eco-friendly organic foods has seen membership rise nearly ten-fold since 2000.
[Soundbite]
Other places sell imported products with lots of pesticides. But here they sell domestic wheat products, so I trust them.
This restaurant only serves the spicy mixed rice and vegetables dish bibimbap. But nearby office workers love the bibimbap because only eco-friendly ingredients such as antibiotic-free eggs and seasonings are used. More Korean consumers have grown interested in food safety. So department stores have more than doubled their percentage of organically grown produce and are running so-called safe food corners as a marketing strategy. More consumers are preferring safety over taste amid a bonanza in food choices.
8. Marine Family
[Anchor Lead]
This next family has produced 14 marines over three generations. Their combined service spans 150 years.
[Pkg]
Marines learn special military martial arts. Their instructor, Staff Sergeant Mun Ra-won, is the first female instructor at the Korea Marine Corps. Mun has earned six ranks in martial arts including taekwondo and fighting. She has even won the 2008 Korean fighters' championship. Mun's family is a famous marine family. Her maternal grandfather is a retired marine chief petty officer, her father - an active sergeant major and her younger brother - a staff sergeant in charge of troop information and education. Mun's maternal and paternal families have 14 active and retired marines. Their combined service reaches 150 years.
[Soundbite] Sgt. Maj. Mun Seong-tak (ROK 1st Marine Division) : "We talk about having even our son-and daughter-in-laws join the marines too."
These marines pride themselves on their steadfast dedication. When they get together, they start and end their conversations by talking about none other than life as marines.
9. Workout Time
[Anchor Lead]
Doctors say that the older you get, the greater your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes if your lower body is weak. As such, lower body workouts are one of the keys to good health.
[Pkg]
Everyone wants to stay in shape as they get older. But women say they face another problem as they age.
Middle aged women come out of the water and line up. They say they're worried because they keep gaining weight in their upper bodies while their lower bodies keep getting weaker.
[Soundbite]
As I get older, I gain weight in my upper body and my lower body gets weaker.
This lady says she faces many inconveniences due to her weakening lower body. She can’t even walk very well anymore. She got examined and found out that her legs have grown weaker and she now also has chronic illnesses.
[Soundbite]
A physician says my blood pressure is high and a orthopedist says I have osteoarthritis; (my blood pressure) was very high, from 130 to 160.
The problem was in her weak lower body.
[Soundbite] Prof. Yang Yun-jun (Inje Univ. Ilsan Paik Hospital) : "People with less lower body muscles have relatively more fat. When you have more fat, your body is incapable of working normally when the same amount of insulin is produced. If so, you tend to suffer from diseases like metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia."
There is a solution to this problem.
[Soundbite]
Even if you have chronic illnesses, start lower body muscle exercises now. And than you will lose fat more easily and can improve diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol.
We tested the effect of lower body workouts. Body heat was scanned before and after exercising. Before exercising, there are more greens and blues. The body heat was scanned again after two hours of lower body workout. Now there are more white and red parts, meaning circulation has been improved.
[Soundbite] Dr. Na Yeong-mu (Dir., Sports Orthopedic & Rehab Hospital) : "When exercising the lower body, the blood that had remained in there is circulated to all parts of the body."
Here are some tips on exercising your lower body. This is Yu Hui-ran. She is 55 years old, but still has the body of someone in their 30s.
[Soundbite]
With age my legs got weaker and muscles weakened, making me ache everywhere; especially my back. So these days, I do a lot of exercise to strengthen my lower body.
One exercise she recommends is walking up stairs. For better effects, place more weight on the front part of your feet and make sure not to stoop your upper body forwards.
Here are some leg pointers. First is the horse stance. You spread your legs a shoulder width apart and squat down, keeping your hips back and your thighs parallel with the floor. Maintain the posture for 30 seconds. Second is the lunge.
[Soundbite]
I didn't think it was much exercise but it's harder than I thought. And I feel simple exercises at home will have great effect. Now, my leg muscles are much firmer.
Investing just 30 minutes a day in exercise will show you the benefits physical activity can bring.
The U.N. Human Rights Council will discuss China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and Pyongyang's human right violations in its session in Geneva Monday.
[Pkg]
China's policy of deporting North Korean defectors back to the North is the major issue of the U.N. Human Rights Council. A stream of North Koreans are escaping their impoverished country to avoid starvation. Defectors are pleading with the global community to prevent the repatriation of escapees back to the North. They call the deportation an act tantamount to murder, testifying on the persecution and torture they experienced in the North.
[Soundbite] Lee Ae-ran (NK Defector) : "I’m a North Korean defector; who will work for us unless our North Korean defectors step up? It's our matter; it's about thousands and thousands of lives."
The U.S. has dispatched its special envoy on North Korean human rights Robert King to the U.N. meeting. Washington is also holding talks with Pyongyang on food aid. King is expected to urge China to stop the repatriation of defectors and comply with the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In Geneva, the American diplomat will hold talks with U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman on the organized abuse of human rights by the North Korean government. South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-young will also attend the U.N. meeting to urge global assistance to help protect defectors' human rights. She had staged a hunger strike in protest of China's repatriation of the escapees.
2. Nuclear Protest
[Anchor Lead]
Sunday marked the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Japan and the beginning of the nuclear crisis in Fukushima. In Korea, a large-scale rally protesting the construction of a new nuclear plant was held in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
[Pkg]
Residents and members of civic groups have gathered in a plaza in Geundok-myeon in the city of Samcheok to protest the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
[Soundbite] Park Seung-mok (Head, Geundeok-myeon Town Association) : "They want to build a nuclear power plant in Geundeok yet again because they ignore us and disregard us."
[Soundbite]
Farmers will be unable to sell (their products) to other regions, and that will just kill them; that's why we oppose this.
Some of the residents even shaved their heads to demand that their hometown be withdrawn from the list of candidate-sites for a nuclear plant. Voices opposing the construction of nuclear plants have intensified since the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan one year ago.
[Soundbite]
We have learned through the media, albeit indirectly, how painful it can be; this has become our issue as well.
This rally brought together some 600 people. The controversy over nuclear plant construction will likely escalate further as the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power is to designate Samcheok in Gangwon Province and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province as the final sites for nuclear power plants within this year.
3. Dining Expenses
[Anchor Lead]
The price of eating out in Korea is on the rise, with a bowl of noodles called kalguksu getting close to four and a half U.S. dollars in large cities. Both private and public service charges have also jumped.
[Pkg]
This traditional noodle restaurant has no empty seats at lunch time on a holiday. The noodles called kalguksu are a favorite among professionals and other customers due to their low price and generous portions.
[Soundbite]
The economy is bad these days so we’re on a tight budget. It’s popular, since it’s cheap and delicious.
But the average price of one of Korea's most popular dishes is nearing 4.50 U.S. dollars nationwide. A jump in labor and ingredient costs has led to the higher price.
[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-chang (Restaurant Owner) : "Rents go up. Labor costs go up. Vegetable prices jump overnight. It’s really a burden to pay the prices of garlic and pepper powder."
Kalguksu is the most expensive in Seoul at 5-dollars-72-cents. The price averages 5-dollars-36-cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province and 5-dollars-18-cents in South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. Restaurants nationwide have also raised the prices of other foods.
Hotel charges have increased 80 cents from September last year, when studies of private service fees were first conducted. In the case of public service charges, subway fees have risen nearly 10 cents in Busan. City bus fares have almost grown 9 cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
4. Hybrid Cameras
[Anchor Lead]
Products that combine the advantages of different models are called hybrids. Such products are drawing attention in the digital camera market, and Korean manufacturers are said to be at the forefront. Here's more.
[Pkg]
Compact digital cameras are small and lightweight, but have simple functions. Digital single-lens reflex cameras have sophisticated functions, but are too heavy to carry around. Recently, the digital camera market has been undergoing change.
So-called hybrid cameras that are slimmer but can use multiple lenses have been developed for the niche market. Last year, around three million hybrid cameras were sold worldwide. By 2014, their sales are expected to surpass those of professional digital cameras.
[Soundbite] Lee Jong-hun (Photographer) : "As I can use all the accessories on a DSLR, I can express everything I want."
Samsung Electronics has taken the lead in the global hybrid camera market by producing the world's first 20-million pixel camera. Korean-made lenses produced exclusively for hybrid cameras have also created a sensation.
[Soundbite] Kim Won-cheol (Optical Lens Supplier) : "They sold so well we were out of stock for about a month. We're getting a good response from consumers."
Korean camera makers have emerged as formidable rivals to Japanese makers in the rapidly growing hybrid camera market.
5. Nonstop Studying
[Anchor Lead]
Korea's adoption of the five-day school week hasn’t lightened the load for many students fighting to stay ahead in the country’s intensely competitive education environment. Private academic institutes where students sleep over for the weekend are booming.
[Pkg]
Education Ministry supervisors walk into an officetel building in the Daechi-dong neighborhood of southern Seoul.
[Soundbite]
Is anybody in there?
A staff member of a private institute asks for a stop to filming. He then hastily calls students. The education supervisors open the door and go in, then the institute director admits to allowing weekend classes in which students sleep over at the institute.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "They come in on Friday night. (And when do they go out?) On Sunday at 9 p.m."
Three students slept in a room with beds and used the shower room next door.
[Soundbite] Sin Mun-gyu (Min. of Education, Science & Tech) : "They've had students sleep over illegally by preparing bedrooms."
The fee was around 760 U.S. dollars a month per student. 30 students registered for the weekend classes. Students were the full responsibility of the institute when they took part in sleep-over classes over the weekend.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "Nobody is allowed to go out or use cell phones."
The Education Ministry is planning an intensive three-month crackdown on seven districts nationwide that have numerous private institutes.
6. Ship Crash
[Anchor Lead]
A large cargo vessel has crushed fishing boats docked at a port after it was buffeted by strong winds and high waves. The cargo ship had been mobilized for the controversial construction of a naval base on Jeju Island.
[Pkg]
A fishing boat has been crushed under a large cargo vessel the size of a tall building. Another boat has sunk, with just its head remaining above the water. The 20,000-ton cargo vessel appeared at the port all of a sudden at 2 p.m. Sunday.
[Soundbite] Kang Seong-gun (Witness) : "I heard a huge noise. I didn't know what it was at first. (The ship) moved in fast, hitting the fishing boats."
The incident occurred after strong winds blowing at 13 meters a second cut off a rope of the cargo vessel, which was transporting an 8,800-ton underwater structure for a naval base on Jeju Island. No casualties were reported. But emergency anti-disaster operations were conducted, as 1,400 liters of oil were carried in the two sunken fishing boats. The Seogwipo Coast Guard will investigate the incident as soon as the sunken boats are lifted and the cargo vessel is moored at the pier.
7. Safe Food
[Anchor Lead]
News reports questioning food safety, such as those exposing fabricated expiry dates, are causing jitters among consumers. So, more people are turning to so-called "safe food" at organic food stores.
[Pkg]
This organic food store in Seoul has a long line of customers even before opening time. Once the store opens, housewives rush in and fill their shopping baskets. By 3 p.m., several of the store's shelves are empty.
[Soundbite] (Staff Member) : "As they're seasonal vegetables, you have to come before 12 p.m to buy the vegetables you want."
This consumer cooperative specializing in eco-friendly organic foods has seen membership rise nearly ten-fold since 2000.
[Soundbite]
Other places sell imported products with lots of pesticides. But here they sell domestic wheat products, so I trust them.
This restaurant only serves the spicy mixed rice and vegetables dish bibimbap. But nearby office workers love the bibimbap because only eco-friendly ingredients such as antibiotic-free eggs and seasonings are used. More Korean consumers have grown interested in food safety. So department stores have more than doubled their percentage of organically grown produce and are running so-called safe food corners as a marketing strategy. More consumers are preferring safety over taste amid a bonanza in food choices.
8. Marine Family
[Anchor Lead]
This next family has produced 14 marines over three generations. Their combined service spans 150 years.
[Pkg]
Marines learn special military martial arts. Their instructor, Staff Sergeant Mun Ra-won, is the first female instructor at the Korea Marine Corps. Mun has earned six ranks in martial arts including taekwondo and fighting. She has even won the 2008 Korean fighters' championship. Mun's family is a famous marine family. Her maternal grandfather is a retired marine chief petty officer, her father - an active sergeant major and her younger brother - a staff sergeant in charge of troop information and education. Mun's maternal and paternal families have 14 active and retired marines. Their combined service reaches 150 years.
[Soundbite] Sgt. Maj. Mun Seong-tak (ROK 1st Marine Division) : "We talk about having even our son-and daughter-in-laws join the marines too."
These marines pride themselves on their steadfast dedication. When they get together, they start and end their conversations by talking about none other than life as marines.
9. Workout Time
[Anchor Lead]
Doctors say that the older you get, the greater your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes if your lower body is weak. As such, lower body workouts are one of the keys to good health.
[Pkg]
Everyone wants to stay in shape as they get older. But women say they face another problem as they age.
Middle aged women come out of the water and line up. They say they're worried because they keep gaining weight in their upper bodies while their lower bodies keep getting weaker.
[Soundbite]
As I get older, I gain weight in my upper body and my lower body gets weaker.
This lady says she faces many inconveniences due to her weakening lower body. She can’t even walk very well anymore. She got examined and found out that her legs have grown weaker and she now also has chronic illnesses.
[Soundbite]
A physician says my blood pressure is high and a orthopedist says I have osteoarthritis; (my blood pressure) was very high, from 130 to 160.
The problem was in her weak lower body.
[Soundbite] Prof. Yang Yun-jun (Inje Univ. Ilsan Paik Hospital) : "People with less lower body muscles have relatively more fat. When you have more fat, your body is incapable of working normally when the same amount of insulin is produced. If so, you tend to suffer from diseases like metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia."
There is a solution to this problem.
[Soundbite]
Even if you have chronic illnesses, start lower body muscle exercises now. And than you will lose fat more easily and can improve diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol.
We tested the effect of lower body workouts. Body heat was scanned before and after exercising. Before exercising, there are more greens and blues. The body heat was scanned again after two hours of lower body workout. Now there are more white and red parts, meaning circulation has been improved.
[Soundbite] Dr. Na Yeong-mu (Dir., Sports Orthopedic & Rehab Hospital) : "When exercising the lower body, the blood that had remained in there is circulated to all parts of the body."
Here are some tips on exercising your lower body. This is Yu Hui-ran. She is 55 years old, but still has the body of someone in their 30s.
[Soundbite]
With age my legs got weaker and muscles weakened, making me ache everywhere; especially my back. So these days, I do a lot of exercise to strengthen my lower body.
One exercise she recommends is walking up stairs. For better effects, place more weight on the front part of your feet and make sure not to stoop your upper body forwards.
Here are some leg pointers. First is the horse stance. You spread your legs a shoulder width apart and squat down, keeping your hips back and your thighs parallel with the floor. Maintain the posture for 30 seconds. Second is the lunge.
[Soundbite]
I didn't think it was much exercise but it's harder than I thought. And I feel simple exercises at home will have great effect. Now, my leg muscles are much firmer.
Investing just 30 minutes a day in exercise will show you the benefits physical activity can bring.
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- UN Talks
-
- 입력 2012-03-12 17:27:59
[Anchor Lead]
The U.N. Human Rights Council will discuss China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and Pyongyang's human right violations in its session in Geneva Monday.
[Pkg]
China's policy of deporting North Korean defectors back to the North is the major issue of the U.N. Human Rights Council. A stream of North Koreans are escaping their impoverished country to avoid starvation. Defectors are pleading with the global community to prevent the repatriation of escapees back to the North. They call the deportation an act tantamount to murder, testifying on the persecution and torture they experienced in the North.
[Soundbite] Lee Ae-ran (NK Defector) : "I’m a North Korean defector; who will work for us unless our North Korean defectors step up? It's our matter; it's about thousands and thousands of lives."
The U.S. has dispatched its special envoy on North Korean human rights Robert King to the U.N. meeting. Washington is also holding talks with Pyongyang on food aid. King is expected to urge China to stop the repatriation of defectors and comply with the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In Geneva, the American diplomat will hold talks with U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman on the organized abuse of human rights by the North Korean government. South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-young will also attend the U.N. meeting to urge global assistance to help protect defectors' human rights. She had staged a hunger strike in protest of China's repatriation of the escapees.
2. Nuclear Protest
[Anchor Lead]
Sunday marked the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Japan and the beginning of the nuclear crisis in Fukushima. In Korea, a large-scale rally protesting the construction of a new nuclear plant was held in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
[Pkg]
Residents and members of civic groups have gathered in a plaza in Geundok-myeon in the city of Samcheok to protest the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
[Soundbite] Park Seung-mok (Head, Geundeok-myeon Town Association) : "They want to build a nuclear power plant in Geundeok yet again because they ignore us and disregard us."
[Soundbite]
Farmers will be unable to sell (their products) to other regions, and that will just kill them; that's why we oppose this.
Some of the residents even shaved their heads to demand that their hometown be withdrawn from the list of candidate-sites for a nuclear plant. Voices opposing the construction of nuclear plants have intensified since the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan one year ago.
[Soundbite]
We have learned through the media, albeit indirectly, how painful it can be; this has become our issue as well.
This rally brought together some 600 people. The controversy over nuclear plant construction will likely escalate further as the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power is to designate Samcheok in Gangwon Province and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province as the final sites for nuclear power plants within this year.
3. Dining Expenses
[Anchor Lead]
The price of eating out in Korea is on the rise, with a bowl of noodles called kalguksu getting close to four and a half U.S. dollars in large cities. Both private and public service charges have also jumped.
[Pkg]
This traditional noodle restaurant has no empty seats at lunch time on a holiday. The noodles called kalguksu are a favorite among professionals and other customers due to their low price and generous portions.
[Soundbite]
The economy is bad these days so we’re on a tight budget. It’s popular, since it’s cheap and delicious.
But the average price of one of Korea's most popular dishes is nearing 4.50 U.S. dollars nationwide. A jump in labor and ingredient costs has led to the higher price.
[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-chang (Restaurant Owner) : "Rents go up. Labor costs go up. Vegetable prices jump overnight. It’s really a burden to pay the prices of garlic and pepper powder."
Kalguksu is the most expensive in Seoul at 5-dollars-72-cents. The price averages 5-dollars-36-cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province and 5-dollars-18-cents in South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. Restaurants nationwide have also raised the prices of other foods.
Hotel charges have increased 80 cents from September last year, when studies of private service fees were first conducted. In the case of public service charges, subway fees have risen nearly 10 cents in Busan. City bus fares have almost grown 9 cents in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
4. Hybrid Cameras
[Anchor Lead]
Products that combine the advantages of different models are called hybrids. Such products are drawing attention in the digital camera market, and Korean manufacturers are said to be at the forefront. Here's more.
[Pkg]
Compact digital cameras are small and lightweight, but have simple functions. Digital single-lens reflex cameras have sophisticated functions, but are too heavy to carry around. Recently, the digital camera market has been undergoing change.
So-called hybrid cameras that are slimmer but can use multiple lenses have been developed for the niche market. Last year, around three million hybrid cameras were sold worldwide. By 2014, their sales are expected to surpass those of professional digital cameras.
[Soundbite] Lee Jong-hun (Photographer) : "As I can use all the accessories on a DSLR, I can express everything I want."
Samsung Electronics has taken the lead in the global hybrid camera market by producing the world's first 20-million pixel camera. Korean-made lenses produced exclusively for hybrid cameras have also created a sensation.
[Soundbite] Kim Won-cheol (Optical Lens Supplier) : "They sold so well we were out of stock for about a month. We're getting a good response from consumers."
Korean camera makers have emerged as formidable rivals to Japanese makers in the rapidly growing hybrid camera market.
5. Nonstop Studying
[Anchor Lead]
Korea's adoption of the five-day school week hasn’t lightened the load for many students fighting to stay ahead in the country’s intensely competitive education environment. Private academic institutes where students sleep over for the weekend are booming.
[Pkg]
Education Ministry supervisors walk into an officetel building in the Daechi-dong neighborhood of southern Seoul.
[Soundbite]
Is anybody in there?
A staff member of a private institute asks for a stop to filming. He then hastily calls students. The education supervisors open the door and go in, then the institute director admits to allowing weekend classes in which students sleep over at the institute.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "They come in on Friday night. (And when do they go out?) On Sunday at 9 p.m."
Three students slept in a room with beds and used the shower room next door.
[Soundbite] Sin Mun-gyu (Min. of Education, Science & Tech) : "They've had students sleep over illegally by preparing bedrooms."
The fee was around 760 U.S. dollars a month per student. 30 students registered for the weekend classes. Students were the full responsibility of the institute when they took part in sleep-over classes over the weekend.
[Soundbite] (Private Institute Director (Voice Modified)) : "Nobody is allowed to go out or use cell phones."
The Education Ministry is planning an intensive three-month crackdown on seven districts nationwide that have numerous private institutes.
6. Ship Crash
[Anchor Lead]
A large cargo vessel has crushed fishing boats docked at a port after it was buffeted by strong winds and high waves. The cargo ship had been mobilized for the controversial construction of a naval base on Jeju Island.
[Pkg]
A fishing boat has been crushed under a large cargo vessel the size of a tall building. Another boat has sunk, with just its head remaining above the water. The 20,000-ton cargo vessel appeared at the port all of a sudden at 2 p.m. Sunday.
[Soundbite] Kang Seong-gun (Witness) : "I heard a huge noise. I didn't know what it was at first. (The ship) moved in fast, hitting the fishing boats."
The incident occurred after strong winds blowing at 13 meters a second cut off a rope of the cargo vessel, which was transporting an 8,800-ton underwater structure for a naval base on Jeju Island. No casualties were reported. But emergency anti-disaster operations were conducted, as 1,400 liters of oil were carried in the two sunken fishing boats. The Seogwipo Coast Guard will investigate the incident as soon as the sunken boats are lifted and the cargo vessel is moored at the pier.
7. Safe Food
[Anchor Lead]
News reports questioning food safety, such as those exposing fabricated expiry dates, are causing jitters among consumers. So, more people are turning to so-called "safe food" at organic food stores.
[Pkg]
This organic food store in Seoul has a long line of customers even before opening time. Once the store opens, housewives rush in and fill their shopping baskets. By 3 p.m., several of the store's shelves are empty.
[Soundbite] (Staff Member) : "As they're seasonal vegetables, you have to come before 12 p.m to buy the vegetables you want."
This consumer cooperative specializing in eco-friendly organic foods has seen membership rise nearly ten-fold since 2000.
[Soundbite]
Other places sell imported products with lots of pesticides. But here they sell domestic wheat products, so I trust them.
This restaurant only serves the spicy mixed rice and vegetables dish bibimbap. But nearby office workers love the bibimbap because only eco-friendly ingredients such as antibiotic-free eggs and seasonings are used. More Korean consumers have grown interested in food safety. So department stores have more than doubled their percentage of organically grown produce and are running so-called safe food corners as a marketing strategy. More consumers are preferring safety over taste amid a bonanza in food choices.
8. Marine Family
[Anchor Lead]
This next family has produced 14 marines over three generations. Their combined service spans 150 years.
[Pkg]
Marines learn special military martial arts. Their instructor, Staff Sergeant Mun Ra-won, is the first female instructor at the Korea Marine Corps. Mun has earned six ranks in martial arts including taekwondo and fighting. She has even won the 2008 Korean fighters' championship. Mun's family is a famous marine family. Her maternal grandfather is a retired marine chief petty officer, her father - an active sergeant major and her younger brother - a staff sergeant in charge of troop information and education. Mun's maternal and paternal families have 14 active and retired marines. Their combined service reaches 150 years.
[Soundbite] Sgt. Maj. Mun Seong-tak (ROK 1st Marine Division) : "We talk about having even our son-and daughter-in-laws join the marines too."
These marines pride themselves on their steadfast dedication. When they get together, they start and end their conversations by talking about none other than life as marines.
9. Workout Time
[Anchor Lead]
Doctors say that the older you get, the greater your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes if your lower body is weak. As such, lower body workouts are one of the keys to good health.
[Pkg]
Everyone wants to stay in shape as they get older. But women say they face another problem as they age.
Middle aged women come out of the water and line up. They say they're worried because they keep gaining weight in their upper bodies while their lower bodies keep getting weaker.
[Soundbite]
As I get older, I gain weight in my upper body and my lower body gets weaker.
This lady says she faces many inconveniences due to her weakening lower body. She can’t even walk very well anymore. She got examined and found out that her legs have grown weaker and she now also has chronic illnesses.
[Soundbite]
A physician says my blood pressure is high and a orthopedist says I have osteoarthritis; (my blood pressure) was very high, from 130 to 160.
The problem was in her weak lower body.
[Soundbite] Prof. Yang Yun-jun (Inje Univ. Ilsan Paik Hospital) : "People with less lower body muscles have relatively more fat. When you have more fat, your body is incapable of working normally when the same amount of insulin is produced. If so, you tend to suffer from diseases like metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia."
There is a solution to this problem.
[Soundbite]
Even if you have chronic illnesses, start lower body muscle exercises now. And than you will lose fat more easily and can improve diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol.
We tested the effect of lower body workouts. Body heat was scanned before and after exercising. Before exercising, there are more greens and blues. The body heat was scanned again after two hours of lower body workout. Now there are more white and red parts, meaning circulation has been improved.
[Soundbite] Dr. Na Yeong-mu (Dir., Sports Orthopedic & Rehab Hospital) : "When exercising the lower body, the blood that had remained in there is circulated to all parts of the body."
Here are some tips on exercising your lower body. This is Yu Hui-ran. She is 55 years old, but still has the body of someone in their 30s.
[Soundbite]
With age my legs got weaker and muscles weakened, making me ache everywhere; especially my back. So these days, I do a lot of exercise to strengthen my lower body.
One exercise she recommends is walking up stairs. For better effects, place more weight on the front part of your feet and make sure not to stoop your upper body forwards.
Here are some leg pointers. First is the horse stance. You spread your legs a shoulder width apart and squat down, keeping your hips back and your thighs parallel with the floor. Maintain the posture for 30 seconds. Second is the lunge.
[Soundbite]
I didn't think it was much exercise but it's harder than I thought. And I feel simple exercises at home will have great effect. Now, my leg muscles are much firmer.
Investing just 30 minutes a day in exercise will show you the benefits physical activity can bring.
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