Religious Leaders

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The president had a luncheon with the country's religious leaders to ask them to help tackle issues stemming from Pyongyang's provocations.

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On Tuesday, President Park Geun-hye met with religious leaders and declared that she would sternly tackle Pyongyang's nuclear threats. Park stressed that the issue must be dealt with seriously and should not be left lingering. She reaffirmed her promise to support Pyongyang if it chooses the right path.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "The North will have to come out and join us in the process for inter-Korean trust that the new government is pursuing."

Taking the former Soviet Union as an example, Park pointed out that having nuclear weapons does not solve any problems and that no country would be willing to invest in a nation that threatened world peace. The president thanked the religious leaders for their efforts in maintaining peace on the peninsula through civil channels and asked for their assistance.

[Soundbite] "I ask the religious leaders to play the key role in persuading the North to make the right decision in opening its doors and taking care of its people."

Park added that politicians should take after the religious leaders who devote themselves to the people and not neglect their problems in favor of political interests.

2. Daycare Support

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The government seeks to a stipend to grandmothers who look after their grandchildren. The program is expanding nationwide after first being implemented by some provincial governments.

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KBS recently reported about a grandmothers' daycare project carried out by one provincial government. The central government now seeks to expand the system nationwide. The plan will apply to parents who both work and have at least two children, one of whom is a baby less than a year old. Grandmothers under the age of 70 will receive a monthly payment of 360 dollars from the government after they receive an initial training for 40 hours and enter the program in which they have to look after their grandchild for ten hours a day. This doesn't apply to homes that already receive childcare subsidies or send their child to a childcare center. This program will also not be applicable if either parent in the double income household takes leave for child rearing reasons. Working women who leave their children with their mother or mother-in-law are excited about this payment plan.

[Soundbite] O Ji-hyeon(Working Mom) : "If such support is expanded and if I can benefit directly, having a second child will become less of a burden."

But the problem remains of how to ferret out fraudulent claims made by grannies who are not actually involved in childcare. How to secure the yearly budget of 36 million dollars is also a concern.

[Soundbite] Choe In-hui(Korean Women's Development Institute) : "There's a big difference in efficiency and the symbolic nature between policies implemented at the central and local levels. Policy planning efforts should be more thorough."

The Gender Equality & Family Ministry will introduce the plan as early as the second half of the year after gathering public opinion and discussing it with other ministries.

3. Hydrogen Breakthrough

[Anchor Lead]

Korean researchers have developed technology that enhances the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells.

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Hydrogen fuel cells are the core components of hydrogen-powered cars. The hydrogen, which flows like fuel, reacts with oxygen creating electricity and powering the motor. The performance of a fuel cell is determined by how much moisture inside it gets reduced when electricity is produced. This hydrogen fuel cell research center is located inside a large atomic reactor for study purposes. When a neutron is forcefully injected in a fuel cell and shot with a special camera, researchers can see precisely where the water inside the cell flows and also check its amount.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-ju(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) : "Neutrons can penetrate metals well, but not water, so we can produce fuel cells just using metals."

When the water seeps into the electrical system inside the cell, it creates crevices and causes short circuits, undermining the cell efficiency. But the neutron imaging method allows for the enhancement of the fuel cells’ performance while minimizing the negative effects of water. Korea became the world's fourth to build a research center featuring a reactor.

[Soundbite] Yun Jong-jin(Researcher, Hyundai Motors) : "This enables us to find optimal driving conditions for fuel cell-powered cars, and develop better designing technologies in line with them."

Korea is the first country in the world to begin the mass-production of hydrogen cars. Now it has also laid the foundation for developing highly efficient hydrogen fuel cells.

4. Cell Phone Harms

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You may have heard that the electromagnetic waves cell phones send out are bad for you. Korean researchers have for the first time shown that such waves can negatively affect the respiratory system.

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This man in his 30s talks on the phone as long as 40 to 50 minutes per call. He suffers from sinusitis and believes electromagnetic waves emitted from his cell phone might be the reason.

[Soundbite] Jeong Geon-mo(Sinusitis Patient) : "During a long call, the phone heats up, I get a runny nose and start coughing. It might just be my own feeling."

A joint research team from Ajou and Konyang Universities applied the same strength of the waves released from a phone to fine hair-like cilia collected from the mucous membrane of a person's respiratory tract. Filmed at super speeds, cilia that are healthy show active movement while those exposed to electromagnetic waves were down an average of eleven percent in their activity. The healthy cilia move about ten to 20 times a second, filtering dust and other foreign particles from entering the lungs through the nose. If they move slowly, the foreign matter can more easily enter the body and stick to the respiratory organs, causing inflammation.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Hyeon-jun(Ajou University Hospital) : "If the hairs are less active, they can't sift dust and bacteria properly causing inflammatory, harmful reactions to our respiratory system such as sinusitis, rhinitis, and bronchial problems."

Electromagnetic waves increase during a phone call, especially during the initial period when a call is being connected. Experts suggest waiting approximately five seconds before bringing the phone to your ear.

5. Security Cameras

[Anchor Lead]

Public outrage over another student driven to suicide by bullying has spurred the government to promise to install more surveillance cameras in schools. But some say it could be a waste of money since schools lack the staff to monitor the cameras.

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The staff is supposed to be checking surveillance footage in the security room of this school. But no one is at the job right now. Even during recess, when school violence takes place the most, nobody is monitoring the situation.

[Soundbite] Elementary School Official(Voice Modified) : "We can't sit and watch the footage all the time. It’s impossible during the day. All we can do is just go back and forth to check."

Some of the surveillance cameras on school campuses aren’t working at all. Even when they’re installed in the teachers' and administration offices, nobody is there to check them. Cameras used in control centers are fixed and have many blind spots. Poor resolution is another problem.

[Soundbite] Control Center for Surveillance Camera Official(Voice Modified) : "Footage at schools lag because they’re not directly transmitted to us. The resolution is not good while they’re being transmitted."

The government plans to install more surveillance cameras with a resolution of over one million pixels and expand the number of control centers nationwide from 28 to 140, but the effectiveness of such measures is still under question.

6. Brighter Colors

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Despite the dark clouds over the economy, the vivid colors that are the in thing in spring fashions are seeking to brighten the mood.

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A simple silhouette with vibrant colors. This spring’s fashion buzzword is “vivid.” Bright, bold shades, such as fushia, are used even for outerwear. Colorful accessories jazz up outfits. Not only are the clothes getting bolder when it comes to this year’s spring look, so is the makeup trend. Skin tone is kept clear and the eye makeup is kept subtle. The wow factor for this season’s makeup is the lipstick. The latest trend is to use a bold lipstick color that can completely change your look.

[Soundbite] Choe Hyeon-jeong(Manager, Cosmetic Shop) : "Customers mostly look for hot pink or orange lipstick. Some lipsticks are completely sold out and many customers go back home empty-handed."

Bright colors are arousing the consumer’s interest and buying power.

[Soundbite] Hong Jeong-pyo(Shinsegae Department Store) : "During recessions, when people add a bright, strong hued fashion item, it can bring about a big change."

For this spring, bold colors are all the buzz in fashion and beauty.

7. Korean Animation

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Korean animation production firms, which until recently only served under foreign animation companies, are beginning to make their own productions. They're also stepping up their collaborations with European and Southeast Asian companies.

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This animation film is about rice, barley and other grains widely used in Korean cuisine. It was conceived and produced from scratch by a Korean company. It was able to make the film thanks to the expertise it accumulated while producing animation films for foreign companies over the past three decades.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-hyeon(CEO, Production Company) : "As an OEM producer, we learned a lot on how to produce characters and storyboards."

The film has yet to premiere in Korea, but the company is already discussing exporting its animation to more than 20 countries. Exports of Korean animated movies have exceeded 100 million U.S. dollars, largely thanks to the enormous success of the animation character Pororo. The Korean producers are also expanding their collaboration with foreign partners.

[Soundbite] "Marc Vandeweyer (General Secretary, European Association of Animation Film)"

But domestic conditions remain harsh for the producers. They face difficulties in attracting investments, while they receive minimal profits even after obtaining a chance to show their films on TV.

[Soundbite] Kim Hong-gi(CEO, Goldilocks Studio) : "Korean broadcasters pay only about 10 percent of our production costs for airing our productions."

Expanding government funding for animation producers and lowering their reliance on foreign investment will also be key in promoting Korea's animation industry.

8. Treating Precocity

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A growing number of children are hitting puberty earlier and earlier these days. A Korean team is paving the way toward a resolution of the issue with genetic research.

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While still in the age of growing taller, some children face early puberty as their chests begin to grow. Precocious children are victims of growth and sex hormones that are secreted at an early age. Korean researchers have discovered the secretion mechanism of a hormone responsible for early maturity. The hormone called GnRH is not continuously secreted from the brain but its secretion increases and decreases in a rhythmic manner. The team observed the hormone using the genes of a mouse and found for the first time that the hormone secretion goes up and down every ten hours.

[Soundbite] Choe Han-gyeong(Student, Seoul National University) : "We discovered the important rhythm of several nerve cells activating and relaxing at the same time."

It also found that if the protein 'kisspeptin' which controls the nerves increases in our brain, the secretion of the GnRH hormone also jumps 50 to 60 percent.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Gyeong-jin(Seoul National University) : "Since we found that kisspeptin plays an absolute role in revealing GnRH, the protein can be used in treating precocity."

The finding is published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is viewed as having opened the door to fundamentally treat precocity through the use of kisspeptin.

9. Rare Veggies

[Anchor Lead]

Korea’s supermarkets boast a wider and wider range of vegetables these days. Here are a few of the new options.

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Vegetables that used to be uncommon in Korea are turning up in supermarkets these days, like kohlrabi and beets.

[Soundbite] "We rarely buy them for cooking. They’re largely used at restaurants."

People are unfamiliar with the vegetables and don't know how to cook and eat them. So the new additions rarely make it into carts. This is kohlrabi, which is a turnip-like cabbage. It originated in Europe. But these days, they are produced on Korea's Jeju Island. It is sweet, crispy and crunchy, and milder than a turnip. Low in calories, kohlrabi makes a good diet food.

[Soundbite] Prof. Im Gyeong-suk(University of Suwon) : "Kohlrabi is rich in vitamin c. 100 grams of kohlrabi contain 57 milligrams of vitamin c, three times more than radish. It helps synthesize collagen and serves as a good antioxidant to delay aging."

Here are some more alien-looking vegetables. This is treviso, a vegetable named after the Italian region of the same name. It’s a type of radicchio, which is an Italian red lettuce. The area in Italy is the main producer of the vegetable. Its slightly bitter taste stimulates digestion. It’s also good for people with diabetes.

[Soundbite] "Treviso is an unusual vegetable. It tastes bitter due to the substance called Intybin. It promotes the production of saliva and digestion."

This vegetable is indigenous to Korea. But few Korean people know that it’s an edible herb. It grows on hillsides, stream banks and sometimes in apartment gardens. It is called sage weed or small flowered sage.

[Soundbite] Park Ung(Traditional Medicine Doctor) : "The herb helps make your blood clean and its sterilizing and detoxifying effects helps ease itchiness when you have atopic eczema."

This restaurant specializes in dishes made with the herb. It's usually eaten raw or concentrated into syrup.

[Soundbite] "The bitter taste of the herb energizes we discouraged and tired women."

The addition of the herb removes odor from pork and makes duck soup better. The restaurant uses the herb in every dish it offers.

[Soundbite] Choe Mi-Gyeong(Owner, Herb Food Restaurant) : "We make all dishes with the herb from tea to boiled pork and duck. That’s why I’m nicknamed. That doesn't mean I look as bad as one, right?"

Some people grow these uncommon vegetables at their homes. This veranda looks like a green house. Tomatoes, brocolli and leeks grow in the small garden. But this woman also grows things like rugola, treviso, radish and kohlrabi. Pea sprouts on tofu makes a good salad. Pickled kohlrabi is her specialty. A bite of pickled kohlrabi refreshes the mouth. A salad always goes with meat, and treviso is a great salad vegetable. With all these new vegetables, a trip to the supermarket can be like a trip abroad. All you have to do is be brave and drop some new options into your basket.