NK Rocket Test Fails

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North Korea went ahead with its controversial long-range rocket test this morning, but the launch failed. The South Korean government convened an urgent meeting of foreign affairs and security ministers chaired by President Lee Myung-bak to discuss response measures. Foreign Minsiter Kim Sung-hwan issued a government statement saying the rocket launch is a clear violation of a UN Security Council resolution and a provocation that threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Seoul has denounced Pyongyang for going ahead with the launch despite unified calls by the international community to abort, saying the North must take responsibility for its actions. The Seoul government is seeking comprehensive measures to effectively respond to the threat and will bolster its defense posture.



2. Giving Thanks



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Ruling Saenuri Party officials have thanked the public for the victory in the general elections, assuring people that they will keep the promises they made during the campaign.



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“We will build a new Republic of Korea.”This is what the head of the ruling Saenuri Party’s emergency leadership committee chairwoman Park Geun-hye wrote in the visitor’s book at the Seoul National Cemetery. Her party scored a victory in the Wednesday parliamentary elections. She vowed to embrace all generations and social classes through new political ways and to keep the promises her party made with the voters.



[Soundbite] Rep. Park Geun-hye (Chairwoman, SP Emergency Committee): “We will implement the pledges we made in each region and will be judged by you.”



She said a new law to prevent the government’s illegal surveillance of civilians will be legislated and a new party leadership will be formed. She has practically drawn a line to set herself apart from the incumbent administration as she will begin the steps to become a presidential hopeful. The Saenuri Party is considering holding a party convention to elect a leadership in May. If it does, the supporters of Park, including lawmakers Kang Chang-hee, Seo Byung-soo and Choi Kyung-hwan, could possibly rise in the party ranks. Reform-minded Saenuri members who have assisted the emergency leadership committee are also expected to play a part during the convention. The emergency leadership committee will hold its final general meeting on Friday to assess the election results. After the meeting, the committee will be disbanded.



Meanwhile, the conservative splinter, the Liberty Forward Party, which only gained five parliamentary seats from the elections, is contemplating the party’s future path. Party Chairman Sim Dae-pyung took responsibility for the election defeat by stepping down.



3. Election Probes



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The general elections are over, but 73 newly elected lawmakers are under investigation for alleged violations of election laws. Prosecutors are looking for those who spread false rumors about rival candidates or offered bribes.



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Prosecutors appear at the offices of newly elected lawmakers shortly after the general elections. Investigators have raided the offices of lawmakers-elect Lee Jae-kyun and Kim Keun-tae of the ruling Saenuri Party, and that of Won Hye-young of the main opposition Democratic United Party. A combined 73 lawmakers-elect are under investigation for election violations. That’s one-third of the 246 newly elected lawmakers representing electoral districts, and double the number in the 2008 general elections. The number of lawmakers indicted for election violations is 1,100, up 38 percent from four years ago. More than 330 of them are suspected of bribery, while 353 allegedly spread malicious rumors about their rivals. Prosecutors cite the heated competition between the ruling and opposition parties since the election campaign period began. The focus of the investigation is on election crimes directly related to election validity. Arrests are planned for those who gave more than 440 U.S. dollars in bribes. The Supreme Court has even suggested that those who spread false rumors or offered bribes go to prison. So the fate of many of the lawmakers-elect will likely depend on the outcome of the investigation.



4. Part-time Jobs



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The number of employees working under 36 hours a week is rapidly rising in Korea. While most people feel that the nation’s notoriously hardworking culture is evolving, some analysts say this change is not necessarily positive.



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Park Hyeon-ju works at the apparel section of a large retailer. She’s worked part-time there for seven years ago and has enjoyed her leisure time.



[Soundbite] “If my husband is the ole earner, money is tight as there are children’s education and household expenses. But now that I’m earning, it helps.”



The rise in double income couples has expanded the number of people working under 36 hours a week from a little more than three million in 2009 to 4.5 million last year. This is because companies are choosing to hire staff working shorter hours over full-time employees due to amid economic insecurity. Experts say Korea’s employment structure is growingly resembling that of an advanced economy. But others balk at the simple comparison, citing that the national employment culture is predominantly based on working full-time. The key is to improve the job quality of part-time workers. Experts suggest bridging the wage gap between full-time and temporary workers and enhancing welfare benefits for those who work fewer hours.



5. Disabled Obesity



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The obesity rate among the disabled is sharply on the rise, with four out of ten people now affected. A survey shows they are also at high risk of chronic diseases.



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Once a week, a group of disabled people get together and exercise. But only a very few are physically capable to do so.



[Soundbite] “There are so many people who are bedridden at home. I’m happy to move around and be out, though.”



According to a survey by the Health and Welfare Ministry, the percentage of disabled people who exercise at least once a week is ten percentage points lower than the rate of their non-handicapped peers. Due to a lack of exercise, the physically challenged is now seeing an obesity rate that has reached 40 percent according to the study. The lack of facilities for the disabled to exercise and a lack of coaches to guide them are also reasons behind the rising obesity rate. People are more susceptible to diseases when they do not exercise and gain a lot of weight, which is why three out of four disabled Koreans suffer from a chronic ailment. The government has begun to tackle the issue, launching a health management initiative and related programs for the disabled.



6. Tainted Milk



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Two people have suffered severe stomachaches after drinking milk tainted with herbicide that was delivered to one of their front doors. Here’s more.



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This is an apartment complex in Busan. A 57-year-old man found two small cartons of milk in front of his apartment door on his way to work. He thought they were from a milk company as part of a sales promotion and drank the milk with his colleague. But both of them threw up and had severe stomachaches a while later. A urinalysis found traces of herbicide in the milk. Someone is assumed to have injected weed killer in the milk and left it at the man’s door.



[Soundbite]Sen. Ins. Yun Gang-ho (Busan Haeundae Police Station): “We’re considering someone bad something against the victim or his family and are investigating various angles.”



Milk companies seldom give out milk for free as a sales promotion. But many people are unaware of this, something which the culprit exploited. Police have sent the cartons that contained the poisoned milk to the National Forensic Service.



7. Drive-Bys



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In Seoul’s southern districts, police are on the hunt for suspects involved in drive-by shootings at shop windows. Here’s more.



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This is a store selling eye glasses. It’s located in Apgujeong-dong in southern Seoul. The large glass window cracks due to a sudden impact. The moment the employees run out to see what’s the matter, the cracked glass window crumbles and falls. The 12 millimeter thick tempered glass has been shattered by a metal marble which was fired during a drive-by shooting.



Two hours before this incident, other stores in Nonhyeon-dong were attacked in a similar manner. A large glass window of a sporting goods store has been completely shattered. And the window of a coffee shop is totally cracked. Traces of the metal marbles can be found in some parts of the destruction. In a two hour time frame, a total of 16 stores in southern Seoul were attacked by drive-by shootings.



[Soundbite] “We thought it cracked from the inside and called the glass company to inspect it. But we found out other stores in this area had the same damages we did.”



After an analysis of surveillance camera footages, the police are searching for a man and woman driving around in a black vehicle. On Apr. 10, the glass window of a mobile phone store in Incheon was also shattered by a metal marble. The police are concentrating on catching the suspects as the metal marbles can not only damage the local businesses but also can cause severe injuries when fired at people.



8. Flood Measures



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Climate change is believed to increase the amount of heavy rainfall, which can lead to extensive home damage. But homes can be better protected against flooding with simple metal fixtures to their gates.



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Sudden heavy rainfall last summer caused great damage to a village situated below Mount Wumyeon in Seoul. Rain water flowed into homes through gates, causing extensive damage.



Such damage can be prevented by inserting metal boards two to three meters wide and 40 centimeters high in front of the gates. Water from a cleaning truck is used to simulate heavy rainfall. The area is soon flooded with water but the home is safe as the board blocks the water from getting in. Boards twice as high at 80 centimeters tall will be installed in front of buildings located in lowland areas, where flood damage occurs more frequently. Installation of the boards will be completed before the rainy season on houses in lowland districts. Shopping centers and apartment buildings will also get the same protection. But the metal boards are merely to prevent flooding in buildings, and cannot serve as a fundamental solution for floods.



[Soundbite]Jin Ik-chul (Seocho-gu Mayor): “When the Han River floods, the water flows back into the Seocho area, as the land is low in the long term, we need to dig a deep tunnel from Gangnam Station to the Han River.”



Boards will be installed in areas that saw heavy rain damage last year, but no installation is planned in the remaining areas.



9. Wind Power



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A new wind power generator is drawing attention as it can produce electricity without using propellers and creates less noise. Here’s a look.



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This is a small scale wind power generation plant, measuring thirty meters in height. The generator that looks like a building does not have propellers, which are features common to wind generators. The propellers on this generator are designed differently. The octagonal structure allows winds from all directions to turn the turbine so that electricity can be produced. With winds blowing at 12 kilometers per hour, electricity measuring 40kw/h can be generated. This is enough for 80 households to use.



[Soundbite]Baek Im-hyeon (Developing Company Staff Member): “As we use the difference in the wind’s pressure, no matter which direction the wind blows, the quality isn’t affected.”



The biggest strong point of this newly developed wind generator is that the vibration and noise made can be greatly reduced as the structure does not have the typical propellers. Accordingly, it can be applied on rooftops of apartments and buildings.



[Soundbite]Yu Jin-hyeon (Developing Company Executive): “Within range that it will not hinder the appearance of apartments, we’re planning to design them well considering the structure and floor area ratio.”



Much attention is growing to see whether the new wind generator can be commercialized.



10. Snoring Alert



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Proper sleep is essential for good health. But sleep issues such as snoring or grinding your teeth can cause greater problems than just annoyance.



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When taking a trip with friends, there often turns out to be a snorer in the group who keeps everyone else up.



At this apartment, there’s someone who almost never gets a proper rest. Because of her husband’s snoring, this wife tosses and turns all night. Sometimes she tries to wake him, but his snoring is relentless. Often she just has to give up on sleeping.



[Soundbite] “He keeps snoring so I can’t sleep.”



Park Jin-wu, the husband, says he slept well though he snored all night. We looked into whether he’s really getting a good night’s sleep. He was found not only to snore, but also to suffer from sleep apnea.



[Soundbite]Dr. Hyeon Do-jin (Otolaryngologist): “It’s caused by muscle parts such as the roof of the mouth and tongue narrowing the airway during sleep. When the muscles are relaxed during sleep, sleep apnea can easily occur.”



One of the dangers of snoring is stopping breathing while sleeping.



[Soundbite]Prof. Yun In-yeong (Seoul National Univ. Bundang Hospital): “If oxygen isn’t supplied due to sleep apnea, cerebral tissues can be damaged. Frontal lobe’s function in particular, is greatly damaged, causing disabilities in memory or performance. Getting diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea in middle age can play a big part in preventing cardiovascular complications and cognitive disorders.”



The patient was treated with a continuous positive airway pressure device that widens the narrowed airway to fix the snoring. Afterwards, he got a second brain wave scan. His brain waves came out more stable. When neglected, snoring can cause more serious issues. Snoring can be eased if you make small changes in your everyday life.



[Soundbite]Dr. Hyeon Do-jin (Otolaryngologist): “In the early stage, sleep apnea patients should avoid lying on their backs. Lying on your side is a good way of getting more space in the airway. When you’re using lower pillows, a certain amount of space can be obtained in the airway. So it’s a good way to treat patients with light symptoms of sleep apnea. You can use humidifiers or hang wet laundry to maintain the humidity. Inhaling sufficiently humid air also indirectly widens the airway.”



Staying away from alcohol and keeping trim can also help prevent snoring. People often just accept snoring as an annoying part of their life, but it should be looked after because of the long-term effects.