DP Protest

[Anchor Lead]

The opposition Democratic Party is blaming the Presidential Office and the ruling Saenuri Party for blocking the parliamentary investigation into allegations the spy agency interfered in the last election and is protesting in the streets of the capital. Today is the second day they’ve been demonstrating outside Seoul City Hall.

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The Democratic Party continued its protest for the second day at Seoul Plaza where they held a meeting of top party officials and even a general assembly of its members. The DP plans to hold a public briefing at Cheonggye Plaza tomorrow afternoon. However, the party is still mulling over whether to join forces with the civic groups that have been staging candlelight demonstrations. Democratic Party Chief Kim Han-gil met with officials from some 300 civic groups to discuss how to cooperate, but failed to reach an agreement. He is concerned that the outdoor protest may appear as the party's denial of last year's presidential election results. Earlier during the day the DP's first battle outside of parliament was waged without any unseemly incidents. Despite the sweltering heat roughly 90 DP lawmakers joined the campaign to inform the public of their intentions. The DP chief called for the people's support, while blaming the Saenuri Party for hampering the parliamentary probe into the NIS scandal.

[Soundbite] Rep. Kim Han-gil(Democratic Party) : "Some have gone on vacation, but we, along with the people, will restore democracy and reform the NIS."

He was adamant that the witness list would include not only former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon and ex-police commissioner Kim Yong-pan, but also senior Saenuri official Kim Moo-sung and Korean Ambassador Kwon Young-se who is in China. Nonetheless, he said the DP has not given up on the parliamentary investigation into the NIS, leaving room for unpublicized negotiations with the Saenuri Party.

2. Saenuri Fights Back

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The Saenuri Party is denouncing the protest as a political move aimed at derailing the investigation into the spy agency allegations, but at the same time still leaving room for negotiations. Meanwhile, the ruling party is trying to distinguish itself from the DP by focusing on economic efforts.

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Saenuri Party floor leader Choi Kyung-hwan convened an emergency meeting. He strongly blasted the Democratic Party's protest outside the National Assembly as a tactic to sabotage the parliamentary probe into a scandal involving the National Intelligence Service. Some Saenuri members even said the opposition party may be mulling holding a boycott over the presidential election’s outcome.

[Soundbite] Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan(Floor Leader, Saenuri Party) : "It's not desirable for the leadership of the main opposition party, urged by hawkish party members, to derail the parliamentary probe."

But the ruling party remains open to talking with the DP. It's also hinted that it will most likely accept the opposition’s call to guarantee former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon’s testimony as a witness in the probe. At the same time, the Saenuri Party has held a meeting on real estate policies to stress the image of a party that cares about the economy.

[Soundbite] Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun(Saenuri Party) : "We'll exert our best efforts to enact laws to scrap the ceiling on home prices and laws on vertical home remodeling."

The NIS is supposed to report to the probe committee this coming Monday, but as of now, it looks like it will not able to do so. The changes in schedules are inevitable as the schedules for the parliamentary probe are stalled in light of the escalating partisan gridlock. Amid gloomy speculations that the probe has reached its end, some observers say that the rival party floor leaders could possibly meet up over the weekend to reach common ground.

3. More Bribery Arrests

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Former National Tax Service commissioner Jun Gun-pyo was arrested late last night on charges that he took bribes from CJ Group in return for helping the conglomerate get out of a tax investigation.

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The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office arrested former chief of the National Tax Service Jun Gun-pyo around Thursday at midnight. Investigators grilled him for 14 hours and deeming his charges were serious, executed an arrest warrant that was issued in advance. Jun reportedly admitted to most charges of having received 300-thousand U.S. dollars and a luxury foreign brand watch from the conglomerate in 2006 during a tax audit on CJ.

[Soundbite] Jun Gun-pyo(Fmr. Chief, National Tax Service) : "(So you never received any bribes?) I’ll cover the details during the investigation."

But he said he did not view the gifts as a favor for the tax audit but a congratulatory token for being appointed as the tax commissioner. He also told investigators he did not illegally interfere in the audit. Meanwhile, the current head of Seoul Regional Tax Office Song Kwang-jo offered to step down on Thursday. It was confirmed last weekend that he received golfing rounds from CJ several times. At the time he was lobbied by the conglomerate group, Song was a senior director at the National Tax Service who oversaw major tax audit cases. The favors Song received however do not subject him to criminal punishment and prosecutors simply reported his irregularities to the National Tax Service. So far three high ranking tax officials have been implicated in the CJ bribery scandal including Heo Byung-ik and Jun and Song.

4. Abandoned Infants

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Yesterday marked a year since a special law on adoptions went into effect to protect the rights of adopted kids. But the tightened regulations have caused a spike in abandoned infants.

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At this childcare facility in Seoul eight out of 18 infants aged three and under have been abandoned. Since they are not fed as well as children with good homes, they're smaller than their peers. When one baby is held, others start to cry. Meal time is a war. One caretaker feeds three to four babies simultaneously. At another center, three abandoned infants were brought to the facility this year alone. One caretaker must look after six babies. To meet the government standard of four babies per assistant, enlisted servicemen are even brought in to offer more hands. Facilities are also insufficient. 135 infants under the age of three were abandoned in Seoul in the year's first half, four times that of last year. Subsidies to help raise the children, which amount to 1.9 million dollars, have long been spent. There's not enough money to cover the wages for caretakers and even the immediate cost for powdered milk and diapers.

[Soundbite] Official, Ministry of Health and Welfare(Voice Modified) : "The costs for running childcare facilities are delegated as a provincial transfer project. This means Seoul City can draw up a separate budget for their funding."

There are two sides to the moral obligation of this social problem, protecting single mothers from social prejudice and respecting the rights of children. Empathy is needed to address both concerns.

5. Student Struggles

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Korean college students study even during vacations in order to prepare for exams and land jobs. But students from provincial areas who live in dormitories in the city have nowhere to go during vacations because they have to leave their dorms.

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This student from Suncheon enrolled in a college located in Seoul. During college vacations, he has to stay at his friends' or relatives' place. All students are required to leave the college dormitory during vacation periods. Some of these students try to find a boarding house since they don't want to cause any inconvenience to their friends or relatives. But the short-term rent at boarding houses is quite lofty. College dormitories expel students during vacations to lease out empty rooms and make money.

[Soundbite] Dormitory Official(Voice Modified) : "Different people take this differently. People from China say that college dorms in Korea are amazing, that it could have a positive effect."

[Soundbite] "College Student: It's very noisy when tourist buses arrive. The people that come here are way too loud."

While many universities say they have no choice but to lease dorm rooms during the vacation season, not all universities do this letting their students stay. All the students have to do is apply. Only 16 percent of college students can live in dormitories. For those from provincial areas, finding a place to live during vacation is a serious problem.

6. Ocean Robot

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Korean researchers have achieved a world first by developing and testing a robot that can collect manganese nodules deep in the ocean.

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A 28-ton robot named "MineRo" enters the sea to collect manganese nodules in the waters 130 kilometers southeast of Pohang. At a depth of 1370 meters, the robot reaches the seabed. The Situation Room begins to manipulate it remotely. MineRo successfully follows the designated route without any trouble.

[Soundbite] Hong Seop(Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology) : "It means Korea gains a leading role in the world by being the first to make a fully functional seabed mining robot."

After the test operation, MineRo comes up to the surface and pours out all the manganese nodules that it has collected 130 meters below the ocean floor. About ten years ago, Korea had won the exclusive right to collect manganese nodules at a depth of 5 kilometers in waters off of Hawaii’s southeastern coast. The area is estimated to have around 560 million tons of manganese nodules, which translates into an annual import-replacing effect exceeding 1.7 billion U.S. dollars. But there are still many tasks that lie ahead.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Hwan-seong(Korea Maritime University) : "We need to conduct tests on the lifting of manganese nodules that will be collected from the sea."

In 2015, the government plans to conduct tests that lift manganese nodules collected at a depth of two kilometers.

7. Memory Lane

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The creators of popular Korean comics that were big back in the 80s are making a comeback. Take a look.

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The nostalgic comic series called "Maengkkongi Seodang," or "Village School," is back after 23 years. This time the theme is "The Analects of Confucius." Drawing the comics and writing down the text by hand is a long and hard job, but the author is passionate about this project more than ever.

[Soundbite] Yun Seung-un(Cartoonist) : "Comics are like children. I want to make them happy and upbeat."

This writer doesn't mind the rain and even steep slopes when it comes to creating his comics. This comic, which also used to be all the rage back in the 80s, shows familiar scenes from the back alleys that may one day be hard to find.

[Soundbite] Lee Hui-jae(Cartoonist) : "We keep ourselves humble because it's more affectionate and warm that way and it reminds us of our hometowns."

The creators of nostalgic comics are shedding new light on the true meaning of the comics with their cheerful and heartwarming works.

8. Rock Festivals

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Summer rock festivals have become hugely popular in Korea over the past few years. This month alone, five large festivals are taking place.

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Rock music festivals are an ideal place to chase away stress and to beat the summer heat. Five large rock festivals are being held in Korea this month alone. They include the Jisan Rock Festival, which is regarded as the best rock event in Korea, and the Pentaport Rock Festival, which was the very first one in the nation. Each of the rock festivals is unique in its own way. The very first rock festival in Korea was held in 1999 in the city of Incheon when hundreds of rock fans got together to celebrate their favorite music genre. This year over 300,000 people are expected to participate in more than 10 rock festivals. Interestingly enough, visitors in their 40s and 50s now account for 10 percent of all spectators.

[Soundbite] Im Jin-mo(Music Critic) : "This isn’t just for those in their 20s or rock fans. It can be also a family event or a place to go on your summer vacation. The festivals are being viewed as vacationing culture."

Rock festivals this year are poised to create special memories for those attending by featuring top-notch rock musicians from all over the world. Of the big five festivals, three of them begin today.

9. Forever Young

[Anchor Lead]

Growing up can be tough, having to deal with all the responsibilities the world throws at you while giving up the things that made you happy as a kid. But some people refuse to let go, carrying their childhood hobbies well into adulthood, and becoming a powerful consumer force along the way.

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At this room in Donggyo-dong, Seoul, shelves full of robot figurines line the walls. They may all look the same to the untrained eye, but each has its own characteristics.

[Soundbite] Kim Dae-yeong(3D Animator) : "I remember I really enjoyed making robot figures like Gundam when I was a child."

Kim Dae-yeong says he feels a sense of achievement when putting all the pieces together to make the robots. He even creates stories for each one. He says assembling and collecting the figurines makes his life fun. After a tough day, he relieves stress by losing himself in making robot figures.

[Soundbite] "I forget about anything else when I ‘m making models. While I’m putting them together, I release the stress from work. I feel at ease. They’re like my friends."

Kim may have grown up, but he retains a sense of childlike wonder. This department store in Seoul targets grownup kids who can afford toys that the average child can't. This man and his son are equally as taken in by this remote-control helicopter. Products that parents can play with with their kids rise in popularity during the vacation season.

[Soundbite] "When you push this, the helicopter goes up."

It helps bring parents and kids closer as they share the joy of playing with cool toys. Adults who enjoy things like this bring increased buying power to the market.

[Soundbite] Yeom Chang-seon(Marketing Manager, Department Store) : "In the past, plastic models and figures people assembled alone at home were popular. But these days, more dads are more friendly with their kids and remote-controlled toys that can be played with outdoor are growing popular."

Collectors also enjoy their hobby for the financial value of their collections. Movie or comic characters that were once popular in the past can be very valuable as they're always in demand. Old, rare and limited editions are the most sought after. There's even a smartphone application where you can buy and sell items.

[Soundbite] Hwang Jae-ho(martphone App Developer) : "Our social networking service boosts communication and exchanges among ‘kidults.’ They can post their collections and become friends with people who have something in common."

To some, the idea of collecting toys as an adult may seem immature, but the pleasure that enthusiasts get from it is undeniable.

[Soundbite] Jang Seok-yong(Culture Critic) : "‘Kidult’ activities can add a stimulus to your life. They can help you briefly forget about the harsh reality and freely dream of an ideal world."

The world moves fast, and often you are laden with adult responsibilities before you really feel like you’ve grown up. These folks don't try to deny their fascination with the objects of their youth, and have created an entire market around their tastes.