Stronger Discipline

[Anchor Lead]

A press conference on the outcome of President Park Geun-hye’s recent visit to the United States has been delayed in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal surrounding her former spokesman. Park has repeatedly stressed the importance of discipline for government officials.

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While presiding over a cabinet meeting yesterday, President Park Geun-hye emphasized to all the ministers to establish better discipline for government officials.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "This was an occasion that made everyone realize how important a public official's conduct is."

In her meeting with the chief of the ruling Saenuri Party, she agreed that the appointments and inspections of high-ranking public officials should be strengthened. The president stated that if her own secretaries had to undergo inspection, they were already unqualified to be presidential secretaries. Meanwhile, the behavior of former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, accused of sexual misconduct in Washington D.C., appears to defy common sense. Critics say that it was inappropriate for an official accompanying the president to have had drinks with a female intern late into the night, without other members of the delegation present. It is still unclear when he had returned to his room or where he had been during the night. Moreover, it is even suspected that he was intoxicated at the time. With the nation focused on the scandal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no other option but to postpone a press conference explaining the outcomes of the presidential visit to the U.S. to domestic and foreign journalists. The Presidential Office Cheong Wa Dae has started to review the preparation process and work performance during the U.S. visit and will write up a set of guidelines for public officials' overseas visits in order to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

2. Taking The Initiative

[Anchor Lead]

The Seoul government has again proposed talks with Pyongyang on the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

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South Korea has sent North Korea an official proposition for working-level talks regarding the Kaesong Industrial Complex. It's the third such proposition made by the South since the North shut down the joint industrial park. But this time around, Seoul sent a more detailed message.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeong-seok(Spokesman, Ministry of Unification) : "We’ve proposed working-level talks to alleviate the suffering of companies in Kaesong, as they’re unable to transport materials and finished products."

The proposed venue of the talks is the Peace House at Panmunjom. The South Korean delegation will include three officials, including the head of the Inter-Korean Cooperation District Support Directorate. The South says it hopes that the North Korean delegation will include working-level officials, such as the head of the Central Special Zone Development Guidance General Bureau. Seoul also requested Pyongyang to set the date for the talks and to reply to the proposition in any form. The proposition was ordered personally by President Park Geun-hye at the latest Cabinet meeting.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "The Kaesong Complex requires innovative changes. For this, North Korea must provide a safety device to make sure it keeps its promises made to the international community."

The nation's political circles welcomed the proposition. The ruling Saenuri Party lauded the president for showing her willingness to normalize operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex because the companies that are based there have suffered massive losses since its closure. The main opposition Democratic United Party said that the government should have already performed this step but added that it is still not too late.

3. Deadly Ticks

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Ticks that carry a deadly new virus that has killed dozens of people in China and Japan have been found in Korea as well. A presumed infection has occurred on Jeju Island and health authorities are investigating.

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A 74-year-old resident of Jeju Island is suspected of having contracted a virus that was transmitted by deadly insects known as "killer ticks." The patient first developed cold-like symptoms, which later led to a high fever and vomiting. He has been undergoing Intensive Care Unit treatment since May 8. The results of a visual investigation show that the patient had flea bites on his body. Health authorities presume that the man, who owns a livestock farm, contracted the virus while taking care of his cattle.

[Soundbite] O Jin-taek(Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Government) : "His symptoms are similar to those caused by a virus. They include a high fever and digestive problems."

The authorities have sent the patient's blood samples to the National Institutes of Health to find out the exact cause of his symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that this is the first case of infection caused by the deadly ticks in Korea since the centers checked their presence in the nation early this month. The National Institutes of Health will announce the results of the epidemiological survey early next week.

4. School Stress

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Korean students are known for their relentless studying to get into a good university, but a new study has shown that eight out of 10 high school students are stressed out because of the immense pressure on them.

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High school classes in Korea start early in the morning. Once school is over, students have to study on their own. Many of the high school students in the nation are exhausted by the time their private lessons with their tutors end, which tends to be late at night. Their parents also have their hands full as they have to take care of their children and obtain information on how to prepare for college entrance exams. A survey conducted by the Korea Federation of Teacher's Associations shows that half of Korean students and their parents suffer because of the pressure to perform well in school. About 81 percent of high school students and 74 percent of their parents said they have a hard time dealing with the pressure. The primary reason of their stress is the social pressure to gain admissions into top-tier universities and to get the top grades. Seventy-two percent of teachers said that they are stressed as well. The number one cause of their stress is the students' poor attitudes and defiance. The demands of society for entering prestigious colleges leave both the teachers and students feeling enormously stressed out.

[Soundbite] An Yang-ok(Chairman, Korea Federation of Teachers’ Association) : "We must do away with the demands for a good educational background and social status, and instead focus on developing a student’s character."

Enhancing the people’s trust in the public education system is one of the ways to help the students enjoy going to school to learn.

5. Aviation Emissions

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The aviation industry is working to reduce carbon emissions in the wake of stronger global regulations.

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A landing airplane at Incheon International Airport glides into the area known as the apron. Just one engine allows the plane’s body to move while the others have stopped. This is how the airliner has been reducing 35-hundred tons of carbon emissions each year. The in-flight carts now also weigh six kilograms less.

[Soundbite] Hyeon Chang-heon(Asiana Airlines) : "We’re trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through various means by reducing aircraft weight or cleaning the engine."

Other airlines have introduced eco friendly aircrafts that save over ten percent in fuel and have led to a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions. The aviation industry is going on a carbon diet since global regulations on greenhouse gases are becoming more and more tightened. A global greenhouse gas standard index measured in Hawaii exceeded a record of 400 parts per million and countries around the world are strengthening their regulations on carbon emissions. The EU has been thinking since last year of imposing a carbon tax on planes. If this becomes introduced, a round trip from Incheon to Paris could add up to 5,400 US dollars in carbon taxes. Carbon barriers are continuing to rise, and for airline companies, reducing emissions is no longer an option, but a means of survival.

6. Finding Families

[Anchor Lead]

Korean cultural officials are looking to get valuable records added to the UNESCO Memory of the World list, including video tapes of a live KBS broadcast 30 years ago on family members searching for each other after being separated by the Korean War.

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Dispersed family members from all over the country have gathered in search of the parents and siblings that they had lost contact with since the Korean War. They earnestly hoped their long lost family members heard about a special program that was being produced by KBS and would show up. This program was aiming to help the separated family members find each other. Reunions take place and tearful cries are heard everywhere.

[Soundbite] "The sisters have reunited!"

[Soundbite] "Dong-u? Ah... my brother, he's my brother."

Some 53,500 family members appeared on the show during its 138 day long broadcast. The program produced a plethora of broadcast records, such as the highest viewer rating in history for a single program at 64%. KBS will join hands with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to have this endearing broadcast legacy dating back to 1983 enlisted on the UNESCO Memory of the World’s registry. The materials aiming for designation include video tapes of the show and other articles the appeared family members have in possession.

[Soundbite] Kim Su-jeong(Seoul Metropolitan Government) : "The documents include photos of reuniting family members, pickets used during broadcasts, diaries and memorandums."

Seoul City will collect the materials through August, which will be deliberated by the Cultural Heritage Administration. The request for UNESCO recognition will then be filed around September during the Memory of the World application period. The KBS program of finding long lost families truly reflects the tragedy of the Korean War, the country's division and the process of how the country overcame the pain. It draws attention to whether this special broadcast coverage will be deemed as a lasting cultural asset for humanity.

7. Child Monks

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Child monks who’ve been living at a temple for a month have held a soccer tournament ahead of Buddha's Birthday.

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The temple courtyard is filled with colorful lanterns, a symbol of benevolence, ahead of Buddha's Birthday on Friday. Young monks occupy the holy ground outside the sermon hall for the day. All the players chase after the ball but their little bodies aren’t moving as they would like. One of them trips, falls and bursts into tears. This child was playing defense and tried to steal the ball, but ended up accidentally scoring a suicide goal. But no one blames him. Rather, encouraged by the audiences’ applause, the monks show off their moves. After the game's first half, they also dance to music.

[Soundbite] Hyeon Seok(Child Monk) : "It was fun. I got to kick the ball."

The soccer match has become a fun gala where monks and visitors can come together regardless of who wins or loses.

[Soundbite] "They’re adorable and so innocent. It's so much fun."

The pure spirits of the young monks who have been disciplining their faith for a month appears to be one with the heart of Buddha.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

Singer Cho Yong-pil's latest album "Hello," which is his 19th work, has topped 150-thousand copies sold. And the domestic musical "Finding Mr. Destiny" is being exported to China.

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Singer Cho Yong-pil's 19th album titled "Hello" has surpassed the 150-thousand sales mark. The album distributor says that it will roll out an additional 30-thousand copies due to high demand. Given that young boy bands and girl groups known as “idols” sell about 100-thousand to 200-thousand albums, industry experts find Cho's album performance very unusual. Album sales are expected to go up as the seasoned singer is planning a nationwide tour. The Korean musical "Finding Mr. Destiny" has been exported to China. The production agency says the musical's format, score and overall plotline have been retained while some parts of the story were altered to match the Chinese viewers’ sentiment. The Chinese version of “Finding Mr. Destiny” will be first showcased in Shanghai on June 6th. Actress Kim Hye-soo has recorded a song for the popular KBS TV show "The Queen of Office" that she's starring in. Her song "Love is" has been unveiled for the show that is currently on air. The production firm says Kim's participation in the show’s soundtrack made the album all the more special. Other Korean artists, including Younha and Kim Tae-woo, also took part in the album.

9. A Treasure Restored

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Seoul’s iconic Sungnyemun was reopened to the public on May 4. Here’s what it took to rebuild the nation’s National Treasure No. 1.

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Sungnyemun has been the symbol of Seoul for 600 years. The national treasure collapsed after a devastating arson attack in 2008. When the ancient gate's signboard was falling off, Gang Im-san, then an official with the Cultural Heritage Administration, rushed into the blaze.

[Soundbite] Gang Im-san(Fmr. Official, Cultural Heritage Administration) : "I was banned from entering the ancient gate, they told me it was dangerous, because things were falling down. I persuaded police, saying that I had to get the signboard out. Shortly after I got it out, the gate collapsed in two rounds. It was really dangerous."

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Daejeon was tasked with restoring the signboard. Researchers at the institute are veterans in reviving historical relics. But restoring the Sungnyemun signboard was no easy task.

[Soundbite] Kim Sun-gwan(Researcher, Sungnyemun Restoration Team) : "The signboard was devastated. It fell from a place 16 meters from the ground. It was literally shattered."

It took the institute a year and five months to fix the signboard, which weighs a hefty 150 kilos. Researchers put the pieces of the broken signboard back together with special super glue. The restored signboard was then coated with a finishing substance. The wall encircling the ancient gate was partially restored this time. The wall was removed during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The largest stumbling block to the restoration was a nearby subway railroad. Let's hear from an official of a subway safety management company.

[Soundbite] Won Jong-seung(Surveyor, Sungnyemun Restoration Team) : "The restoration of the wall added a lot of weight. We checked if the subway was safe or not."

The restoration lengthened the flanks of the cultural asset by 70 meters and lowered the ground around it by 50 centimeters. To guarantee the safety of the subway line, an anti-vibration technology was used for the restoration. As a result, the two goals of restoring the wall and ensuring subway safety were achieved.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-uk(Adviser, Sungnyemun Restoration Team) : "If we insisted that the subway couldn’t be allowed because of Sungnyemun, it could cause inconveniences to people and lead them to have complains about the cultural asset. So I thought we needed to balance with two sides."

All the roof tiles of Sungnyemun were damaged in the fire. Twenty-three thousand new roof tiles were made at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage under the direction of a master craftman who specializes in making traditional tiles, Han Hyeong-jun. The manufacturing began in October 2011. The tile makers experienced many difficulties in the initial stages, as they did their best to make them in the traditional way based on records from the Joseon Dynasty. It takes three weeks to manufacture one simple roof tile. The entire process of making traditional roof tiles involves human hands. It takes far longer than mass production at factories. People tread on mud to remove the air and make the tiles by hand.

[Soundbite] "People say that the restoration of Sungnyemun is successful but we don't see anything but the roof tiles. We hope the roof tiles will stay in good condition. People may think that the restoration is over. But for us, it’s a never-ending mission."

Sungnyemun has been restored to its former glory, and must be preserved moving forward.