Banks Shut

[Anchor Lead]



Four savings banks have been ordered to suspend their business operations, leaving thousands of customers in the lurch.



[Pkg]



The Financial Services Commission has decided to suspend the operation of four savings banks, namely Solomon Savings Bank, Korea Savings Bank, Mirae Savings Bank and Hanju Savings Bank. Solomon ranks first in the Korean savings bank industry with a assets of nearly 4.4 billion U.S. dollars. A government managerial inspection shows that all of the four savings banks held more debts than their assets. Three of them posted a negative capital adequacy ratio, known as the Bank for International Settlement ratio.



[Soundbite] Kim Joo-hyun (Sec-Gen., Financial Services Commission) : “They were designated as insolvent financial institutions and ordered to suspend business for six months and to take measures to improve their management.”



The four savings banks will be able to resume business only after they bring their BIS ratios to at least five percent within 45 days by increasing their capital. Deposits of up to 43,900 dollars per head at the suspended savings banks will be reimbursed. But more than 175 million dollars will not be reimbursed, causing financial damage to 15,000 people who have subordinated bonds or deposits exceeding the ceiling at the four banks. The Financial Service Commission said that banks affiliated with the suspended savings banks are managerially independent from their mother companies. Therefore the affiliates will run as usual unless concerned depositors rush to withdraw funds from them.



2. Bribery Probe



[Anchor Lead]



A recent discovery shows that more than 1.7 million dollars have been deposited into a bank account belonging to embattled former Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Park Young-joon’s brother.



[Pkg]



Prosecutors have reportedly found more than 1.7 million dollars that had been deposited in a bank account under the name of a person close to former Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Park Young-joon. The deposit was made over three years, between 2007 and 2009, in 8,800 dollar installments. Prosecutors presume that the money was deposited in small portions to avoid the surveillance of the Financial Intelligence Unit. Under the nation’s law, all large deposits are subject to automatic monitoring. The owner of the bank account in question is one of Park’s brothers. He runs a small store in North Gyeongsang Province with the annual sales of around 88,000 dollars. Therefore, the ability to save 1.7 million dollars in a matter of just three years would have been unrealistic for him. The prosecutors are zeroing in on the fact that around 700,000 dollars were withdrawn from the account in 2008 to pay for the apartment that Park was buying at the time. Sources say the bank account might have been used for Park’s slush funds. The prosecutors are trying to find out if Park had deposited his bribes in additional bank accounts under other people’s names.



3. Free Classes



[Anchor Lead]



Free lectures provided by corporations are all the rage these days because it’s a chance for consumers to learn new hobbies and for businesses to lure customers.



[Pkg]



This cooking class provided in the evening by a food manufacturing company is filled with office workers. They take notes on recipes and foster their culinary skills from day to day. In addition to learning how to cook, the students can also eat what they cook, making it a convenient dinner.



Lectures on how to improve one’s appearance with the help of makeup are popular among female college students looking for jobs. When it comes to the right makeup for a job interview - less is more. After many trials and errors, the students master the right makeup techniques.



At this coffee academy run by a coffee chain, competition to enroll is one to a hundred. Lessons on making various types of waffles representing students’ personalities and life stories are especially popular.



[Soundbite] Jeong Ju-yeon (Official, Coffeehouse Chain) : “We hope these lectures will develop and help us receive ideas from our customers, who in turn will learn more about coffee.”



Free lectures that enable consumers to learn new skills have emerged as a new means of communication between businesses and consumers, with both sides benefiting in their own way.



4. Job Focus



[Anchor Lead]



Some firms are focusing on volunteer activities when selecting new employees these days. Here’s more.



[Pkg]



A fence wall in a countryside village is being painted in various colors. The people painting the wall are college students participating in a volunteer program run by a firm based in Gwangju. The firm runs a program that helps lower income households every week.



[Soundbite] Park In-hwa (Volunteer) : “We first learn and then share, so I believe we can share more professionally and systematically.”



What this firm considers the most when hiring new employees is whether the individual has any experience in volunteer activities. This is because the firm believes that a person’s attitude towards helping others is much more conducive in increasing profits than a potential worker’s good grades, licenses and high test scores.



Yun Mi-ra landed a job in the financial sector two years ago. She says her experience volunteering as a publicity ambassador during her college years was a big help. In the case of this bank, every year, 17 percent of new employees are hired from among its volunteer program participants.



Many companies are advising college students who believe that their studies are more important than volunteer activities that in actuality, the quality most valued by many employers when hiring is a person’s spirit towards volunteering.



5. Karaoke Fire



[Anchor Lead]



On Saturday, a fire broke out in a karaoke bar in Busan, killing nine people. Fire fighters and police are investigating the exact cause of the tragedy.



[Pkg]



Police inspected the scene of the tragedy until late Sunday evening along with officials from the National Forensic Service and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation. Police have found the area where the blaze first began, and are trying to figure out its exact cause. So far, a short circuit is presumed to have caused the fire. More clues will likely be found once surveillance cameras that were installed in the karaoke bar are restored. Police have found the surveillance cameras and are trying to restore them. Once they check footage that was recorded during the fire, police will be able to determine whether the karaoke bar managers responded properly when the tragedy occurred. The managers have come under fire for their failure to help their customers escape. Police are also zeroing in on whether the three emergency aisles in the karaoke bar were usable at the time of the fire and whether the bar was equipped with fire suppression devices. The bereaved families of the nine people who have been killed in the fire are demanding a joint altar in order to deal with the matter in a combined effort.



6. Senile Diseases



[Anchor Lead]



Strokes and Parkison’s disease are traditionally thought to affect mostly elderly people. But nowadays, one in every five patients suffering from senile diseases is in their 40s or 50s.



[Pkg]



This 48-year-old man has undergone surgery because the blood vessels in his brain had burst all of a sudden. His blood vessels became inflated and eventually collapsed, causing a cerebral hemorrhage.



[Soundbite] : “When my body stiffened, I couldn’t move my head, hear anything or see very well; everything was strange.”



This man in his late 40s has undergone surgery for arterial expansion because he had symptoms of a stroke, such as vision impairment, that were caused by a sudden blockage of blood vessels in his brain.



The number of patients in their 40s and 50s who are suffering from senile conditions, such as strokes and Parkinson’s disease, has surged 1.3 times over the past five years. About 3.7 percent of dementia patients, 11 percent of Parkinson’s disease patients and 25 percent of stroke patients are in their 40s and 50s. In other words, one in every five patients with senile illnesses are middle-aged. Experts point to obesity and stress as the main culprits behind this phenomenon.



[Soundbite] Prof. Sin Yong-sam (Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital) : “The number of stroke patients has surged because people in their 40s and 50s are prone to hyperlipidemia and stress.”



They also advise people in their 30s and older, who are particularly vulnerable to stress and obesity, to thoroughly manage their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels so that the onset of these senile conditions do not occur earlier than usual.



7. Jongmyo Daeje



[Anchor Lead]



On Sunday, in the heart of Seoul, the Unesco Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity-listed Jongmyo Daeje ceremony drew in scores of onlookers. Let’s take a look.



[Pkg]



The King of Joseon parades through the streets of Seoul. This is the Royal Parade called Eoga Haengryeol, headed to the Confucian shrine Jongmyo. Around 1,200 people participated in the parade, creating a grand and solemn scene which stopped locals and foreigners alike in their tracks.



[Soundbite] : “It was amazing to see the old clothes and Horses; it’s like going back to the past.”



[Soundbite]





The Jongmyo Daeje was the largest and most important rite among those held during the Joseon Dynasty. The event includes dance and music performances in addition to the memorial service. The event lasts for more than five hours but despite the scorching sun, more than 20,000 viewers stayed to watch. For children on holiday, it was like catching two birds with one stone, providing both fascinating entertainment and education on Korean tradition.



8. Women Workers



[Anchor Lead]



Korea has one of the most quickly aging societies in the world, and one effect is that farm villages are running short of able-bodied workers. In some cases, the local women are taking the matter into their own hands, learning how to use the farm machines to do the work themselves.



[Pkg]



An Mi-sun, who had just moved from the city to the country, gets onto a tractor for the first time in her life. Following the instructor’s directions, she steps on the clutch, turns on the engine and adjusts the gear to make the tractor move. She obviously looks very nervous. She is a bit clumsy as it’s her first time, but gradually, the soil is plowed and furrows are made.



[Soundbite] :We lack farm hands but there are lots of work to be done that’s hard for the elderly. So to make it less difficult, it helps to use machines.”



Gangwon Province’s Future Agricultural Education Center has opened this program to teach people how to drive farming machines. 25 female farmers are taking this class. Participants stay overnight for a two day course so that they can learn how to handle and operate tractors, combines and cultivators. As the farming community is aging, hiring workers is not easy due to high labor costs. Therefore, the female farmers have taken the matter into their own hands and are doing the work themselves. The farming population in Gangwon Province is around 183,000, and four out of ten people there are seniors who are 60 years old or older. With more skilled female farmers popping up, a new trend is forming in the aging agricultural regions.



9. City Trails



[Anchor Lead]



With the weather so nice these days, there’s nothing better than a nice stroll outdoors. Today we’ll take you along some of the best walking paths in downtown areas of the country.



[Pkg]



It’s late in the evening. A group of people has gathered near a subway station.



[Soundbite] Lee Yun-u (Walking Club Leader) : “Today we’re going to walk along Seoul Fortress Trail Jangchung-dong course, take a go-round along the beltway at the National Theater, and arrive at the Hanok Village in Chungmuro.”



Members of this walking club have chosen a route with a great night view of Seoul. Seoul has spectacular views to offer at night.



[Soundbite] : “The night view is amazing.”



One of the charms of walking in the evening is midnight snacks.



[Soundbite] : “This is why we walk.”



This gently sloping trail on Mount Namsan is ideal for family strolls.



[Soundbite] : “We enjoyed the night view and spring blossoms; it was nice walking today.”



And this is a trail in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province that’s known as Gaetgol-gil. The area is known for its natural beauty. Wild flowers bloom along the paths.



[Soundbite] : “These are violets; I used to eat them in the past. They look very pretty.”



You’ll also come to a tidal channel that was created by the tides on a wetland.



[Soundbite] : “It’s my first time on the Gaetgol-gil trail. I heard it was shaped like the letter S, and it’s true.”



Visitors to this area can’t miss a walk among the reeds. If you’re lucky enough, you can see some natural monuments up close and personal.



The paths that we’ve introduced so far are for novices. This time we’re heading to a more challenging trail. A five-minute walk from Gyeongbok Palace will take you to the woods.



[Soundbite] Kang Se-hun (Walking Tour Expert) : “The forest path in Tangchundae Fortress is 10.3km long. Its difficulty level is high.”



This area is home to a steeper trail for seasoned hikers. It bears many traces of history.



[Soundbite] : “This is the only place in Seoul that looks like a wild forest. It also has high historic value because it still has the pavilions that Joseon era politician Lee Hang-bok built when he was resting here.”



After passing by poet Yoon Dong-joo’s Hill and walking a bit more, you will come across Baeksasil Valley, where the water is crystal-clear.



[Soundbite] : “It’s very cool in here. The trees and the water are as good as in the mountains in Gangwon Province.”



If you walk about a kilometer farther along a flat trail, you will find the highlight - Tangchundae Fortress.



[Soundbite] Kang Se-hun (Walking Tour Expert): “In the Hongje Stream area, there’s a pavilion that Daewon King of Heungseon built as his resting place. It was called Tangchundae. Because the fortress is located right next to it, it’s called Tangchundae Fortress.”



This forest path is known only to the most devoted hikers.



[Soundbite] : “You can enjoy nature, the fortresses and the view of the city all at once.”



City life in Korea can be pretty hectic, but these trails can help you get back to nature.