Offer Spurned

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea has called the South's proposition of talks over the currently shut-down Kaesong Industrial Complex nothing but a “crafty ploy" to avoid responsibility.

[Pkg]

North Korea responded to the South Korean government's proposal to hold working-level talks just one day after it was made. Pyongyang called the proposition a "sly trick" and criticized Seoul for trying to pass the blame for the shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

[Soundbite] "Spokeswoman of Central Special Development Guidance Bureau: If the South truly wants to normalize operations of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, it must first solve fundamental issues and stop all provocative statements and actions against us."

The regime says that the South wants to hold talks not merely to solve the crisis at the industrial complex, but that it also has other intentions in mind. Pyongyang asserts that it told Seoul about its intention to allow South Koreans to re-enter Kaesong and leave with their materials. The North reiterated that the future of the inter-Korean relations and the complex depends on the South Korean government.

[Soundbite] "We’re seriously considering if we should deal with the incumbent regime and if any problems can be solved by doing so."

Due to Pyongyang’s recent attitude, Seoul will have to continue to find ways to solve the Kaesong crisis.

2. Stricter System

[Anchor Lead]

President Park Geun-hye is vowing to strengthen the government’s vetting system for candidates for public posts in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal involving her former spokesman. She also promised to take measures as soon as the results of the U.S. investigation into the case are released.

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President Park Geun-hye commented on recent sexual assault allegations against ex-presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung in a meeting with senior journalists.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye(President) : "While I was in the United States, I was very busy. I wished I had more time. I really worked hard. It’s regrettable that this unsavory incident occurred."

She said that she had tapped Yoon as a presidential spokesman through a screening process. The president pledged to strengthen the personnel screening system, saying that Yoon's sex abuse scandal disappointed her. Park said that a personnel committee will thoroughly screen candidates for public posts in a multi-faceted way and the screening system will be supplemented with regular updates and accumulated personnel data. The president promised to swiftly follow-up as soon as the U.S. announces its investigation results. Regarding calls for holding related officials responsible, Park said that Senior Presidential Press Secretary Lee Nam-ki has already offered his resignation. She added that she will take action based on investigation results, noting her previous promise to hold senior secretaries responsible if their subordinates cause problems. The president officially dismissed Yoon on Wednesday. Park said that the government will announce measures to root out sex crimes next month. Turning to North Korea, the president said that the government will not return South Korean companies to the inter-Korean joint venture Kaesong Industrial Complex before the North keeps its promises. She stressed that South Korea will continue to work with the international community to bring changes to North Korea.

3. Protecting Refugees

[Anchor Lead]

On a visit to Korea, the UN high commissioner for refugees has stressed that the international community must act together in protecting the human rights of North Korean refugees.

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UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutteres said he is against the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees.

[Soundbite] Antonio Guterres(U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees)

He also said that the international community should ensure them safe passages out of the Stalinist state and assertively accept their requests for asylum. He stressed that the rights of women refugees, who are subject to sexual abuse and human trafficking, should be protected as well.

[Soundbite] Antonio Guterres(U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees)

He asked the Korean government to make institutional revisions for the children of North Korean refugees who are born in another country and thus become ineligible to receive Korean nationality.

[Soundbite] Antonio Guterres(U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees)

High Commissioner Gutteres met with Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se to discuss more issues over the protection of North Korean refugees and pointed out that economic assistance is desperately needed to help the rights of refugees from Syria.

4. Venture Support

[Anchor Lead]

The government has unveiled measures to support venture firms. The plan is to boost mergers and acquisitions among such companies and encourage successful businesses to invest in start-ups.

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This venture company developed a messenger application that nearly everyone has on their smartphones. The application is a success story that was jointly achieved by the founder of the famous online portal NHN and an IT start-up. The company has created a fund worth 26-point-eight million U.S. dollars to support young entrepreneurs who want to start their own venture companies.

[Soundbite] Lee Gi-yeon(Kakao Corporation) : "It’s significant that successful venture companies can share their experiences and know-how with start-ups through investments."

The government will expand tax benefits for successful venture businesses that invest part of their profit by selling their stocks in new venture companies. The government will also create a fund totaling two-point-95 billion U.S. dollars to financially support venture companies. For mergers and acquisitions among venture companies, a discount in corporate tax will be offered to purchasers, and no gift tax will be imposed on sellers. The government will significantly ease regulations on the venture businesspeople's listing of their companies. It will also open a new exchange called the "KONEX" for venture companies.

[Soundbite] Choi Mun-kee(Science, ICT & Future Planning Minister) : "We should establish the virtuous cycle of start-ups, retrieval of capital and re-investments that continually challenge the status quo."

The Korea Capital Market Institute predicts that the latest supportive measures will increase the amount of capital flowing into the venture industry by more than three-point-eight billion U.S. dollars over the next five years.

5. Local Specialities

[Anchor Lead]

France's Bordeaux region is a renowned producer of wine, and a prime example of how the name of an area can become a trademark for products produced there. Korean authorities are now introducing a project that will foster the specialties of local regions to develop new brands.

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Ginseng grows under trees in a thick forest. The leaves look like the hands of children. The ginseng is a staple product of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Seeds of the ginseng were planted here eleven years ago.

[Soundbite] Jo Jin-suk(Ginseng Farmer) : "Ginseng roots are small in higher places. They’re big in moist spots with plenty of nutrients, but they don’t have a strong smell."

Young radishes from Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, account for 17 percent of Korea's total production. Young radishes here smell and taste great. They are also rich in minerals and are popular across the nation. There are even sellers who lie saying that their young radishes are from Ilsan. This type of fraud will be impossible in the near future. The government will register the patents of local specialties and promote them under unified brands. The trademarks of 29 local products have already been registered, such as salted and fermented anchovies from Busan, salmon from Yangyang in Gangwon Province, and hot pepper paste from Sunchang, North Jeolla Province.

[Soundbite] Jeong Tae-ok(Min. of Security & Public Admin.) : "It’s good for them to be protected under law. Also, consumers can trust the brands of the products."

The sales of such local delicacies have jumped 20 percent in half a year, thanks to joint marketing strategies and quality management. The government plans to register the patent of such 150 local products by 2016.

6. Big Bad Buses

[Anchor Lead]

Long lines of large tour buses that speed along Korea’s expressways can be a menace to other drivers. As such, police are cracking down on bus caravans in time for spring travel season.

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A string of about ten buses races along the expressway. These buses are going in a single file, with just a few meters between the vehicles and not enough room for safety. A sedan caught between the buses is blocked from going forward or changing the lane. The menacing tour bus caravans have become more commonplace now that the spring travel season has begun. So the police began to crack down on these buses. When a police patroller spots a line of buses, the officers make the buses pull over into an expressway rest area.

[Soundbite] Police Officer : "Seven or eight buses were driving bumper to bumper."

The officers carefully inspect whether a safe distance was maintained between the buses and whether the vehicles carried fire extinguishers, emergency escape tools, and other safety equipment. But the bus drivers caught by the police claim that they were not at fault.

[Soundbite] Bus Driver(Voice Modified) : "There was a car that wasn’t going 100 kilometers an hour. So I had to drive in the inside lane."

The police plans to wipe out this in-line driving practice, which runs a high risk of deadly accidents. Some 50 expressway accidents in a year are believed to have been caused by buses that tailgate each other. In order to make driving on the expressways safer for everyone, the government should come up with regulations that penalize such unsafe driving practices, and bus drivers should have measures in place so that their driving is safer.

7. Friendly Principals

[Anchor Lead]

A visit to the principal's office isn’t the frightening prospect it once was. Many of today's principals are making their offices more inviting to students by turning them into a library or a classroom that teaches interesting lessons.

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The principal's office at this dormitory-type school is open to all students at all times. An impromptu book discussion takes place between the principal and a student.

[Soundbite] "(What kind of books are you reading these days?) I'm reading "Why Morality" by Michael Sandel. (I heard that book’s really difficult.)"

The principal's office is packed with some four thousand books. They can be borrowed without worrying about return dates, so the students love the books here more than in the library. It’s open 24 hours a day and the principal's desk is pushed to a corner of the office.

[Soundbite] Go Yeong-sil(Principal, Jinju Foreign Language High School) : "It's a little inconvenient when I'm working, but I believe the school belongs to the students, even the principal's office."

The principal's office in a nearby school has been turned into a classroom that teaches tea etiquette. A variety of records from the school's history is displayed in the office as well. It's not surprising that other schools are benchmarking this one. With the principals' offices becoming more open and inviting, students are finding it much easier to approach them.

8. Cultural Markets

[Anchor Lead]

Traditional markets are struggling to survive as giant supermarket chains encroach into smaller business districts. But some traditional markets are fighting back by providing a variety of cultural programs.

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This traditional market is packed with some three hundred clothing shops. At 11 o'clock, a radio broadcast aired in the market make people stop in their tracks.

[Soundbite] Lee Jun-jae(Market Radio DJ) : "Hello, the sky has never been so clear while coming to work this morning."

The broadcasters manning the radio booth are none other than the merchants from the market. The in-market radio shows range from the news on the lives of the market merchants to a music request show. The radio broadcast was started as a survival tactic for the traditional market in its competition with large supermarkets. But now the shows have gained a number of fans and quite a following.

[Soundbite] Kim Sun-hui(Merchant) : "I even dance to the beat. I love the broadcasting. I get news from it, too."

This market chose the arts to distinguish itself. The market convinced the artists from nine different artistic fields, including Korean paper hanji and pottery, to set up their studios and galleries inside the market.

[Soundbite] Yun Gyeong-suk(Artist) : "Although we work in different fields, merchants and artists can work together to create a synergy effect."

This is how the traditional markets are fighting back the onslaught of large supermarket chains that are threatening their livelihood.

9. Psy Spots

[Anchor Lead]

The video for K-pop star Psy's new hit "Gentleman" has followed in the footsteps of “Gangnam Style” and become a sensation on YouTube, where it’s already gained more than 325 million views. Today, we’re going to take you behind the scenes to some of the locations where it was shot.

[Pkg]

Psy's latest dance moves are catching on with the success of “Gentleman.” The two signature moves from the song are called the "arrogant dance" and the "crab dance." The locations where the music video was shot have also become popular.

[Soundbite] "The golf range with lots of people."

[Soundbite] "The gym."

[Soundbite] "The swimming pool."

[Soundbite] "The playground. I remember the place where he danced with Haha."

The first spot is an elementary school playground in Seoul, where Psy and comedian Haha danced together.

[Soundbite] Jeon Ye-jin(Student, Haengdang Elementary School) : "(Did you see them filming Psy's music video?) Yes, I saw it at school."

[Soundbite] "(How was it?) It was amazing to see a world-famous star at school. I thought my school would become famous when people saw the music video."

Psy is a huge hit with the kids as well. Now let's move on to the swimming pool where Psy and his dancers performed the arrogant dance routine. People strut their stuff at the shoot location.

[Soundbite] Sin U-chan(Goyang Urban Management Corporation) : "The video was shot on April 8, on Monday morning, from 1 to 5 a.m., under tight security. People are really interested, wanting to visit the swimming pool and dance the arrogant dance."

After it became public knowledge that Psy had been to this pool, it’s been seeing a lot more visitors than usual. The next stop on our "Gentleman" tour is a fitness center. Psy's continues his pranks at this gym. Signs at the entrance boast that the gym appears in the video. Fittingly, the monitor in front of the treadmill is showing Psy.

[Soundbite] "(Where’s the bike that Ga-in rode in Psy's music video?) Right over there."

Ga-in steals the scene when she appears on a stationary bike. She’s a member of the girl group Brown Eyed Girls, who originally made the arrogant dance famous in Korea. This is the bike she rode.

[Soundbite] "I heard this is where Ga-in rode the bike, so I waited a while to get on it, too. I feel like I've become Ga-in. There’re so many people here that it's hard to work out."

This is where the ending scene was shot, where Psy and a huge crowd of dancers performed their last number. Psy chose this indoor golf practice range located next to the fitness club for the closing scene.

[Soundbite] Park In-seon(Goyang Gym) : "It was cold on the filming day, and the dancers' clothes were thin. They all waited in the cold, but once the cue sign was given they danced their hearts out."

All the gym members gathered to perform the arrogant dance and crab dance to celebrate the filming of the video. We met the choreographer, Lee Ju-seon, who’s been creating catchy dance moves for the past 20 years.

[Soundbite] Lee Ju-seon(Choreographer) : "It took over two months to choreograph his song. It was really hard, because I was trying to create a routine rivaling the horse dance. It was completed with suggestions from YG chief Yang Hyun-suk and Psy."

Psy's ability to keep his videos fun and not take himself too seriously are again working wonders on the Internet. Psy is proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to promoting Korean culture around the world, and he shows no signs of slowing down.