Pres. Park at G20

[Anchor Lead]

Speaking at the Group of 20 Summit in Russia, President Park Geun-hye has called for the concerted efforts of advanced and emerging economies to achieve joint growth. She especially urged that developed nations be prudent when altering their monetary policies in consideration of the effect on emerging countries.

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The summit of the Group of 20 major economies opened in St. Petersburg as the host country's Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted each arriving world leader. On the first day, President Park Geun-hye called for policy coordination under a sense of community emphasizing that emerging and advanced economies are in the same boat. For this, she proposed three policy directions: strengthening the crisis response system in the global financial market, having the G20 pursue joint fiscal strategies, and efforts on structural reform and trade liberalization. Regarding the U.S. its move to taper its quantitative easing, Park urged advanced countries to be more careful about changing their monetary policies taking into consideration its effect on emerging markets.

[Soundbite] Jo Won-dong(Senior Secretary for Economy, Cheong Wa Dae) : "Many emerging economies including Brazil and Turkey agree on this point and surprisingly, Germany as well."

She also promised that Korea would contribute to human resources and infrastructure development in emerging economies based on Korea's own experience. During the summit's working dinner meeting, leaders discussed the development agenda and the crisis in Syria. For summit's second day, President Park is scheduled to give a lead speech stressing efforts on job creation.

2. NK-Syria Question

[Anchor Lead]

The United States has announced that Syria and North Korea could have worked together on developing chemical weapons. The issue also topped the agenda of the U.S.-Japan summit, which was held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

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The U.S. Defense Department says North Korea and Syria might have cooperated in developing chemical weapons. It said that though no specific evidence was at hand, the possibility of the two countries exchanging information on chemical weapons cannot be ruled out, as they already did that in the past.

[Soundbite] George Little(Press Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Defense) : "There has been a relationship and an exchange of information between North Koreans and the Syrian regime for some time."

The Defense Department added that this issue was also discussed at the defense ministerial talks between South Korea and the U.S. last week. North Korea and Syria also topped the agenda of the U.S.-Japan summit, which was held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Russia. Prior to the meeting, U.S. president Obama said security issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula would be the salient points of the talks.

[Soundbite] Barack Obama(U.S. President)

The U.S. and Japanese leaders stressed that South Korea, the United States and Japan must cooperate closely for the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

3. RO Conspiracy

[Anchor Lead]

New developments regarding Unified Progressive Party lawmaker Lee Seok-ki, who at a convention in May mentioned the use of a pressure cooker bomb in the Boston Marathon attack earlier this year. This is raising alarms as it was discovered that a member of his so-called “Revolutionary Organization” actually had files showing how to make homemade bombs stored on his computer.

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During the seize and search on Revolutionary Organization members on August 28, the National Intelligence Service found homemade bomb making instructions files on the computer of Kim Hong-yeol, chief of the UPP branch in Gyeonggi Province. The file was stored inside a folder labeled "Health Facts." The file names were Nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose, potassium nitrate, and dry ice. These are the chemicals commonly used for making homemade bombs stemming from their explosive power. Each file contained specific steps of making the deadly devices. The ingredients and preparations for each material were written down in detail. The NIS added that the file titled "nitrocellulose" had words including "homemade bombs that are easiest to make." Lee Sang-ho, adviser to the Gyeonggi Progressive Alliance, who was arrested, reportedly searched the sites of the Korea Gas Corporation and the Korea Electric Power Corporation using his smartphone more than 10 times. At the party convention in May, Lee had stated that in war situations all communications and railroads must be blocked and the supply of oil cut. The National Intelligence Service is focusing investigations on how these pieces of evidence correlate to the alleged rebellion conspiracy.

4. Enrollment Down

[Anchor Lead]

Korea’s university enrollment rate has hit its lowest level in 11 years. More and more young Koreans are choosing to start their careers straight out of high school graduation, rather than going off to college.

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This high school provides intensive business and industrial training. 70% of its students who are to graduate next year have already landed jobs.

[Soundbite] Kim Bo-yeong(Junior, Meister High School) : "I was hired by a public enterprise. I’m going to start my internship after graduation and afterwards become a regular employee."

The employment rate of high school graduates dropped steadily after 2005 but began to rise again last year to exceed 30%. As a result, more high school graduates opt to work instead of pursing higher education. This year the college enrollment rate among high school graduates plunged to 70%, which is the lowest level in 11 years. The rate has been on decline for four consecutive years.

[Soundbite] Cheon Han-seong(Senior, Meister High School) : "Even many college graduates have a hard time finding jobs. Many fail in achieving their goals."

But some say that such a trend is temporary because few high school graduates manage to keep their jobs in the long run. The academic sector is urging the government to expand support to workers with high school degrees.

5. Holding Prep

[Anchor Lead]

Shipments of agricultural produce are in full swing with the Chuseok holiday just two weeks away. Shipping companies are being bombarded with orders for Chuseok-related items.

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A large rice mill works non-stop. It's polishing newly harvested rice for the Chuseok holiday. Freshly packed rice is transported to supermarket chains immediately. A massive amount is also waiting to be shipped in parcels. This company is expecting to ship around 200 tons of newly harvest rice ahead of Chuseok. Its staff is working overtime starting this week to meet the deadline.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeon-gyu(Western Andong Agricultural Cooperative Federation) : "We’re on emergency status because the harvested rice must be delivered to consumers before the Chuseok holiday starts."

Workers at this company have their hands full sorting out apples according to size. It received many orders this year because the apple harvest was plentiful. Their prices are over 10 percent cheaper. The company has prepared double the amount of apples compared with the autumn holiday period last year. Farmers are also excited to finally sell their produce after investing much effort in growing it. Peach farmers look happy while transporting their just-harvested fruits.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-sik(Peach Farmer) : "The price of peaches remains relatively high. We ship them a lot through the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and we get good money for them."

Shipments of the new harvest are in full swing ahead of the full moon harvest holiday.

6. Beach Risks

[Anchor Lead]

With the summer season in its twilight, beaches across Korea are now closed until next year. But some holiday-makers are still hitting the beach – even though most lifeguards have gone home for the season.

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This beach on Jeju Island officially closed late last month. But even now you can see some 50 people swimming here. When the beach was closed, all the safety equipment, such as water depth markers, were removed. You can also find few life guards on the beach. The situation is the same on other beaches. People swim in deep waters without wearing life jackets. There's no way for local governments and the Coast Guard to stop the public from swimming because the beaches are officially closed. The Korea Coast Guard dispatched two life guards to each major beach across the country to prepare for emergencies, but that's not enough to keep tabs on dozens and even hundreds of swimmers.

[Soundbite] Ins. An Cheol-ho(Jeju Coast Guard) : "The risk of drowning accidents is high, so people should refrain from swimming or swim close to the life guards or in shallow waters."

Beach authorities nationwide have a hard time preventing drowning accidents, as people continue to visit beaches because of the hot weather.

7. Baekdu Water Wonders

[Anchor Lead]

Researchers have deployed a robot to the depths of Heaven Lake in Mount Baekdu, recovering the first ever underwater footage taken there. We get our first glimpse into the strange and wonderful underwater world of this volcanic lake.

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The picturesque Heaven Lake of Mount Baekdu fascinates visitors. You can see bubbles produced by carbon dioxide at the bottom of the lake rising up to the water surface. This means that the volcano is still active. This footage was taped by a robot that was placed in the lake by scholars from several countries including China. The footage shows unknown aquatic plants growing in the lake's shallow parts, and even small fish swimming in 10 degrees Celsius waters. Celadon that was either lost or left in the lake by tourists is half-buried in volcanic ash and mud.

[Soundbite] Researcher, Chinese Academy of Sciences : "This enables us to see what's inside the lake in detail. We discovered small aquatic organisms and plants."

The scholars also found that the area surrounding the lake and measuring 20 kilometers in radius is also covered with up to 20 centimeters-thick volcanic ash. This was formed when the volcano erupted in the mid-10th century. The scholars also concluded that the possibility of another eruption in the near future is unlikely because it will take the volcano 3,000 to 5,000 years to accumulate enough energy to do so.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

The movie "Hide and Seek" has outperformed its rival, "Memories of Murder," to become the top thriller in Korea. Here's more from the world of culture.

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The movie "Hide and Seek" is a story about a stranger intruding in a family house. "Hide and Seek" drew over 5.2 million viewers, surpassing "Memories of Murder" and topping the ranks of domestic thrillers. The movie's production company says the movie touched viewers' hearts because of the roller-coaster of emotions that they experienced while watching it and because it deals with the subject of owning a home, which is an acute social issue in Korea these days. Comedian Lee Bong-won injured his face during the shoot of a TV show about a diving competition. Sources say Lee suffered a facial bone fracture and had to quit the show eventually.

9. Hand Wash Trend

[Anchor Lead]

A growing number of drivers are putting the cleanliness of their cars into their own hands. As hand-washing cars grows in popularity, some enthusiasts have even set up their own club to talk about their experiences and share tips.

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Cars are come in lining up late into the evening. You might be thinking this is some sort of parking lot, but it’s not. Who are these people?

[Soundbite] "We’re the members of a hand car wash club!"

The cars' trunks are loaded with all kinds of cleaning tools. There's even lighting equipment, ladders and tables. This self-car washing club has some 60,000 members across the nation. They get together from time to time to share their tips. Even the child you see here is a fan of hand car washing.

[Soundbite] Song Ji-u(Member, Hand Car Wash Club) : "I’ve been doing this since I was six, now I’m 11. I come here often with my dad. I nag him to bring me here. He doesn't even clean our home this hard. But he likes to clean his car."

When it comes to washing their own vehicles, these people make sure to make the entire process special. They use special towels for each part of their cars.

[Soundbite] "This towel is for wiping away moisture and that is for cleaning the glass. Another one is for cleaning dirty parts, such as wheels."

They can also fix their vehicles when they break down. They even remove scratches using car wax. They say they prefer washing their automobiles directly themselves, even though it takes a lot of time and is more expensive. The reason?

[Soundbite] Park Mun-su(Member, Hand Car Wash Club) : "My car is about three years old but people say it still looks like a new one. It makes me happy. It's like meditation for me. It makes me feel better."

Such meticulous car-washing techniques is known as "detailing." We met with one such expert. Na Jong-ryeol has been washing his ride manually for more than ten years now. One of the rooms in his house is packed with car-wash supplies.

[Soundbite] Na Jong-ryeol(Hand Car Wash Master) : "These items are used when the car has already been washed. I bought them one by one and now I have a whole collection. I have more than a hundred now."

Here are his tips on how to wash your car. First, high-pressure water is sprinkled onto the vehicle. Na knows how to do it with ease. Now it's time to apply some foam, making it almost look as if it’s covered in snow.

[Soundbite] "It's just the beginning. I have applied the foam, and now I'm waiting for the foam to move down along with the dirt."

Now the car is shampooed using not an ordinary, but a special towel.

[Soundbite] "It's soft because it was made of sheep wool. It's less damaging to my car."

It's not over yet. If you rub the surface of your car using a plastic sheet, you will find lots of dust particles here and there. To remove them, it’s best to use some clay. Na manually applies the wax and wipes down each rim and tire.

[Soundbite] "It usually takes me five hours, if I take my time. Today I finished faster, in just three hours."

Now the car is sparkling-clean. But this can only be achieved with a sense of dedication like none other.

[Soundbite] "It's a good way to exercise in the evening. I gradually fell for it. It's like any other hobby, the more you do it, the more enchanting it becomes."

The number of car detailing fans is over 100,000 in Korea, and they all seem to be upbeat about their unique and exciting hobby.