Bribery Scandal

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Bribery allegations have led to an arrest warrant being sought for former Korea Communications Commission Chairman Choi See-joong, who has been one of the most influential figures of the incumbent administration.



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The central investigation unit of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office has requested an arrest warrant for former Korea Communications Commission chief Choi See-joong. Choi is alleged to have received over 440,000 dollars between 2007 and 2008 from Lee Jeong-bae, the former head of the contractor for a construction project called Pi-City in return for giving favors related to issuing building permits. Choi is charged over his mediating role as he has been confirmed to have directly called politicians and officials including then presidential civil affairs aide Kwon Jae-jin to put in a word of favor regarding the Pi-City project. Investigations found that Lee himself delivered a portion of the money to Choi, carried in a shopping bag. Charges of violating the Political Fund Act haven’t been applied to Choi for now as proving this will be difficult after Choi has reversed his previous statements. Whether an arrest warrant will be issued will be determined Monday. With its request of a warrant for Choi, the prosecution has also officially announced that it will also launch an investigation into former Vice-minister of Knowledge Economy Park Young-joon. Park is expected to be summoned for questioning early next week. A day before a scheduled search by prosecutors, Park was found to have removed all data from his campaign office in Daegu. With added speculation of his attempt to destroy evidence, the former vice minister is currently staying in the provinces and avoiding media contact.



2. Mad Cow Scare



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Sales of U.S. beef have plummeted since the latest outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States. Consumer anxiety over the safety of American beef is high. The government’s response has also sparked controversy. Here’s more.



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South Korean quarantine officials inspecting beef imported from the United States have their hands full. They now have to inspect ten times as much beef as they used to before the recent confirmed case of mad cow disease in the U.S. They make sure that they thoroughly check the U.S. beef by measuring its temperature and performing X-rays on the meat.



The government says it will consider suspending U.S. beef imports if the meat poses a risk to the health of Koreans by not meeting the nation’s food safety standards.



Meanwhile, the Hanwoo Association and other civic groups continue to demand that the government halts the U.S. beef imports. They say that by simply tightening quarantine inspections rather than suspending beef imports altogether breaks the government’s promise made to the public.



Back in June 2008, the government had promised to halt U.S. beef imports if there was a confirmed case mad cow disease in the United States. But in line with the Act on the Prevention of Livestock Epidemics, which was revised in September 2008, the government has decided to just tighten the quarantine inspections this time around.



The government has cited three reasons for its decision. Firstly, the affected cow was a dairy cow that was not raised for its meat. Secondly, it was more than 30 months old, which made it ineligible to be imported to Korea. And thirdly, the latest case of mad cow disease is from an atypical strain, which makes it less dangerous. However, to mitigate rising concerns, the government must come up with more trustworthy measures to assure the public of the safety of American beef.



3. IAEC Congress



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The International Association of Educating Cities congress began in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province Thursday to share good examples from urban centers worldwide and create a greener environment through education. Here’s more.



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The 12th general meeting of the International Association of Educating cities has opened in Changwon under the theme ’Green Environment, Creative Education." Held every two years, the event for this year is being attended by 157 mayors and around 2,000 education specialists from 343 cities in 41 countries world wide. Focusing on issues of city, education and environment, participants at the IAEC general meeting share successful examples of different cities and aim to create a green future through education. In the past, the general meeting has mainly been hosted by cities in Europe and South America. Korea is the first Asian country to host the event, drawing attention as an education hub of the Asian Pacific region. Plenary sessions, workshops, executive committee meetings and mayors’ roundtables will be held during the five day event, along with an exhibition of educating cities and a life-long education festival. The issues and agendas of each city will be adopted as the Changwon Declaration, aimed at strengthening global partnership in rebuilding an infrastructure for just and realizable green cities.



4. JIFF Opens



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The 13th Jeonju International Film Festival has begun. We take you there now.



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The Jeonju International Film Festival, which is dedicated to alternative and independent films, has kicked off. Many high-profile figures from the film industry and some five thousand movie fans came to celebrate its opening.



[Soundbite] Son Eun-seo (Actress (Honorary Ambassador)): “Many art and indie films from all over the world will be shown for the first time. We hope you’ll come to see them.”



Of the 184 invited movies from 42 countries, "Sister" was picked to be the opening film. It’s a story about the hardships faced by two siblings. This year’s festival will feature films from various genres, including classics and animation films for families. The festival will also hold a wide range of cultural events, such as a special exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the Vienna International Film Festival, the screening of movies that have never been shown in Korea before, hand printing and street performances. The Jeonju International Film Festival will run through May 4.



5. Hacking Lawsuit



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For the first time, a court has ordered that SK Communications pay for mental damages suffered in the wake of personal information leaked by its popular sites, Nate and Cyworld.



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In July of last year, the personal information of 35 million members of the popular web sites Nate and Cyworld were hacked. The police are continuing investigations in collaboration with the Chinese public security bureau. With many of the members who had their personal information hacked filing damage suits against the service operator, the court has acknowledged mental damages for the first time. The Gumi City Court of the Gimcheon Branch of the Daegu District Court gave a ruling in favor of the plaintiff ordering SK Communications to pay compensation of around 882 U.S. dollars to a lawyer identified as Yu who had been a member of Nate and Cyworld. Several cases of online hacking have occurred in Korea, but this marks the first time the court deemed the operator responsible for compensation. Thousands of members nationwide have filed suits against SK Communications. But some say it’s difficult to conclude that other victims can expect similar results in court. The court has reportedly put off the majority of such damage claim suits against SK until after the investigation results are announced.



6. Bus Gangs



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In Korea, there are currently around 300,000 designated drivers for hire. Shuttle buses operate illegally at night to pick up and drop off these drivers. As the operators of these shuttle buses try to monopolize certain routes, there is rising violence amongst the different groups. Here’s more.



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This is a metropolitan city before daybreak. Several people are gathered around a man, beating him with kicks and punches. Such violence occurs every night on the city streets. In this case, two men are standing in front of a van to block it from moving forward. The men do not budge despite the driver’s constant honking.



Shuttle bus drivers that carry hired designated drivers to work sites are clashing with their rivals from other companies, interfering with each other’s operations. 31 members from 17 of these unlicensed shuttle companies were caught by the police for attempts to monopolize shuttle bus routes in the Seoul and Gyeonggi Province areas.



[Soundbite] Sen. Ins. Kang Seong-su (Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency): “When non-members intruded on their routes, they’d engage in violence to keep their routes.”



The level of violence on the streets is escalating as these illegal shuttle bus operators literally fight over their interests.



7. Culinary Fest



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A culinary contest promoting domestic livestock products has opened in Seoul.



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A young cook and her mother build a tower using vegetables and rice. This culinary contest allows the use of only domestic livestock products. It is the largest of its kind in Korea. The contestants carefully deep-fry, chop and roast their ingredients. The main ingredients for the dishes are domestic proteins, such as pork, beef, chicken and duck. Foreign contestants also find the competition to be a unique experience.



[Soundbite] Abigail Alderete (TV Panelist (Paraguayan)): “Korean pork is very delicious. The loin is especially tender when it’s cooked.”



The competition has served as a notable platform underscoring the superb quality of domestic livestock products amidst news of the mad cow disease surrounding U.S. beef.



8. Sharing Spirit



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A deceased elderly couple from a rural area has donated their bodies to a university hospital for research.



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Kim Yeon-su died in a car accident on Apr. 15. She was 77 years old. Her body has been donated to Wongkwang University Hospital. Years before her death, Kim said she wanted to donate her body for research.



[Soundbite] Gu Deok-hoe (Son): “Sharing and helping others was part of her life. Her donation represented her sharing spirit.”



The body of Kim’s husband, who died in February, was also donated for research to Chungnam National University. He had dedicated more than three decades of his life to teaching elementary school students. After retiring from the teaching position, he volunteered his services by performing hand acupuncture at a hospital. The couple’s life was all about sharing with their neighbors and helping those in need. In 1997, they both made a pledge to donate their bodies for research. It’s quite unprecedented for both a husband and a wife to donate their bodies. This elderly couple was more than happy to donate their bodies for the advancement of medicine. Their two sons have also decided to donate their bodies after they pass as well.



9. Passionate DJs



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On today’s Closeup, we’re meeting with DJs who have physical disabilities. Despite the numerous challenges they face, they have achieved their goals and have become an inspiration to many.



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The host of this KBS radio show gets on the mic every evening.



[Soundbite] : “This is Studio 1049 with Choi Seung-won.”



Choi Seung-won is the first vocalist in Korea to have a disability.



[Soundbite] Prof. Choi Seung-won (Central Theological University): “This part connecting my shoulder bones is dislocated. My legs keep trembling even as I sit or hold them”.



Choi is able to walk now thanks to sheer tenacity. He fell countless times while learning to walk.



[Soundbite] : “In summer, when I sweat or even urinate, my back becomes very itchy. My wish back then was to be able to turn over (by myself).”



Choi began singing at the recommendation of friends. Back then, he was unable to stand still for even 15 seconds. He started singing later than usual, at 24. Once he learned how to stand on his feet, he discovered new opportunities in life and wanted to make his dreams come true. Choi became the first physically challenged winner of a prestigious New York Metropolitan Opera competition. Later, he went on to train other would-be singers as well.



[Soundbite] Jeong Ha-yeong (Protégé): “I’ve seen his concerts several times. I wanted to practice hard and be able to perform on stage like him.”



Choi and other physically challenged musicians have been staging concerts nationwide for nearly six years in a campaign against teenage suicide.



A special meeting is held in a KBS radio booth for DJs with physical disabilities.



[Soundbite] Prof. Choi Seung-won (Central Theological University): “We’ve put together a special edition with MCs with disabilities to mark the Day for the Disabled, which is April 20.”



Lee Young-ho used to be a film actor in the 1970s and 80s. He suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition that leads to blindness.



[Soundbite] Lee Young-ho (Radio DJ): “I listen to the script when hosting my show with earphones and a headset. I miss it when something is wrong with the computer; it can’t read and I don’t know what to do. When that happens, my smart co-host reads the script for me;.”



Singer Kang Won-rae, a member of the duet Clon, says he has to wear a waist support when hosting his radio show.



[Soundbite] Kang Won-rae (Radio DJ): “I trained my lungs by blowing up balloons and singing in karaoke bars, but they’re not as good as they used to be. So it’s hard for me to host but I even wear a waist support and do my best.”



[Soundbite] Prof. Choi Seung-won (Central Theological University): “I hope my show will send a message of joy, wellness and happiness to others. I want it to be a meaningful and fulfilling job.”



Nothing could stop these passionate people from pursuing their dreams and inspiring hope in others.