Workers at Risk

[Anchor Lead]

An incident at a Hyosung LCD film plant left ten workers injuredafter inhaling noxious gas. The recently constructed plant had gone intooperations before a proper safety inspection could take place.

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This is Hyosung's second LCD film manufacturing plant that's nearly completed. The machines here are already in operation. The gas generated from the equipment is sent through a plastic ventilation shaft and emitted outside. The facilities had gone into operation fifteen days before the plant was inspected and approved for completion, even though safety mechanisms had not been properly checked. Ten workers were treated for inhaling harmful gas, which occurred during the early operations of the plant.

[Soundbite] Worker (Voice Modified): "When I inhaled the gas, my stomach hurt so muchthat I couldn't move. But we hushed up about it."

Hyosung claims that the facilities were on a test run, before the completion inspection, and the workers' injuries from gas inhalation are not serious.

[Soundbite] Hyosung Employee (Voice Modified): "We were just testing the machinery after we set it up and the gas wasn't hazardous since we were mostly dealing with alcohol-type substances."

The local government in charge of overseeing the plant's permit issuance and safety measures weren't aware of the accident for more than ten days; not until KBS began its coverage. As the controversy spread, the local government agency has belatedly launched an investigation into the gas components and cause of the leak.

2. Missing Transcripts

[Anchor Lead]

Prosecutors are still on the case of the missing 2007 inter-Koreansummit transcripts, calling in a former secretary to late President Roh Moo-hyunfor interrogation and summoning the former NIS chief.

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Prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Public Prosecutors' Office summoned Kim Kyung-soo, a former aide to President Roh Moo-hyun, yesterday afternoon. Kim said earlier that the probe into the summit transcripts should not become an object of political strife and that he and the prosecutors would find out the truth about the disappearance of the transcripts' title section.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-soo(Director, Roh Moo-hyun Foundation): "This probe shouldn’t be carried out with a missionto cause political strife but rather to unveil the truth."

Sources say the prosecutors interrogated Kim in-depth about the content of the documents that were transferred to Bongha Village and the deletion of files stored in the Roh Moo-hyun administration's management system called e-Jiwon. Kim reportedly demanded that the investigators disclose the initial draft of the summit transcripts and compared it with the final version. The prosecutors also summoned former National Intelligence Service chief Kim Man-bok and interrogated him for more than nine hours the day before yesterday. The former spy agency chief attended the 2007 inter-Korean summit and participated in drafting the transcripts. Sources say the prosecutors grilled Kim over how the summit transcripts were drafted and why they were stored at the National Intelligence Service. The prosecutors are to announce the results of the investigation early next month at the latest.

3. Tracking the Taken

[Anchor Lead]

A parliamentary inspection has revealed that a number of SouthKoreans abducted by North Korea and thought dead or missing could actually bealive. Here’s more.

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This document was sent by North Korea last month, when the two Koreas were preparing for separated family reunions. The document says that a South Korean abductee named Lee Gwang-won, who was kidnapped in 1969 while fishing in the sea off Yeonpyeong Island, was "dead." Two other abductees, such as Lee Min-gyo, who was kidnapped in 1977 in South Jeolla Province, and MunGyeong-sik, who went missing in 1967, are said be to "unaccounted for." But the results of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee inspection showed that the North Korean document contains false information.

[Soundbite] ChoeSeong-yong(Head, Abductee Family Association): "Families whose whereabouts were confirmed werefound to be working and living in the same place."

Representatives of the South Korean abductees' families say that the three of them, who were kidnapped after the Korean War, live together in Pyongyang and belong to an organization managed by the North's Workers' Party.

[Soundbite] "We’ve found that of two million Pyongyang residents,21 were abducted South Koreans. We’ve obtainedthe original document. That's how we found them."

A Unification Ministry official confirmed that the North Korean document said that the three were either dead or unaccounted for. But news outlets that deal with North Korea say that the three are most likely alive. The ruling and opposition parties are urging the government to handle the issues of South Korean abductees and prisoners of war in a more proactive manner.

4. River Revelations

[Anchor Lead]

At the National Assembly, the Board of Audit and Inspection saidformer President Lee Myung-bak was in fact intending to carry out hiscontroversial grand canal project under the guise of the four river renovation project.

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The parliamentary Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit on the Board of Audit and Inspection took place yesterday. At the audit, the BAI's Secretary-General Kim Young-ho said that ex-President Lee Myung-bak was partly responsible for turning the four river refurbishment plan to a grand canal project. He also said that he had looked into taking legal actions against the former president.

[Soundbite] Rep. Lee Choon-suak(Legislation & Judiciary Committee): "Have you considered taking legal actionsagainst President Lee Myung-bak, or not?"

[Soundbite] Kim Young-ho (Secretary-General, Board of Audit & Inspection of Korea): "I have, but concluded that he couldn’t be charged."

Strong protests from the members of the opposition camp followed.

[Soundbite] Rep. KweonSeong-dong (Legislation & Judiciary Committee): "The Board of Audit & Inspection can’t judge the validity of a projectthat had been a campaign pledge and had been approved by the parliament."

Meanwhile, former Environment Minister Lee Man-ee, who had steered the four river project during the Lee Myung-bak administration, appeared as a witness at the audit by the Environment and Labor Committee and pointedly refuted BAI's claim.

[Soundbite] Lee Man-eui(Fmr. Environment Minister): "I had never thought the project wasin preparation for a canal."

Advocates of President Lee criticized the auditing agency by saying that it is not an omnipotent organization that has the power to judge all government projects.

5. Electric Trend

[Anchor Lead]

Electric cars are growing in popularity, available as taxis,passenger cars and even as rental vehicles. Korean automakers are in on thetrend.

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This rental car running on a coastal road is an electric vehicle.It can travel up to 100 kilometers on a single charge.You can see many such cars on Jeju Island these days.Electric vehicles are also used as passenger cars. For example, this man bought one to save fuel costs, as his round-trip commute reaches 90 km.

[Soundbite] SeoDae-gil(Electric Car Owner): "Oil prices were usually quite high for me but this electriccar is helping me out a lot."

Electric cars are ideal for short trips in big cities, since you don't need a fancy car to travel to a local district office or supermarket.Moreover, some owners of electric cars can receive government subsidies of up to 18,000 U.S. dollars, which means they have to pay only half the price for their vehicle.Also, more than 380 chargers for electric cars have been installed on Jeju Island and in major tourist spots.In Daejeon and Gumi, electric vehicles are being used as taxis and buses.

[Soundbite] GuHyeon-ji(Electric Taxi Passenger): "It's less noisy and smelly. Everything else isthe same as a regular taxi."

Electric cars are expected to become an indispensable part of everyday life when three Korean automakers such as Kia and Renault Samsung begin to sell them later this month.

6. Calcium Quest

[Anchor Lead]

With the standard of life rising for most Koreans, nutrition inthis country has improved as well. However, calcium remains a problem area;Koreans just aren’t getting enough of this vital mineral.

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This office worker eats rice cake for breakfast, which contains nine milligrams of calcium.He gets another 140 milligrams of calcium through his lunch and dinner respectively, which means his daily total calcium intake comes to 289 milligrams. That's not even half the recommended daily intake of 750 milligrams.

[Soundbite] Song Seung-hoe (Office Worker): "I wasn't thinking that much about calciumIn my meals, but I'm surprised that I'm not even taking half the recommended amount."

Most of the nutrients that Koreans intake exceeds the daily recommended levels, but the amount of calcium they take reach only 72% of the recommended level.Two groups saw had the lowest calcium intake at 50% - teenagers, who need more calcium for bone growth, and the elderly, who tend to eat less as they age.A lack of calcium slows growth and increases the risk of bone fracture stemming from osteoporosis.The inadequate calcium intake among Koreans is largely due to their diet as they do not consume enough dairy products.A person should drink at least 80 grams of milk a day to reach the daily recommended calcium amount. That amount is equal to half a pack of milk or two-thirds of a bottle of yogurt.If a person doesn't like to drink milk, one can substitute it with cheese or other dairy products. Calcium-rich anchovies or white baits are also good alternatives for those who are lactose intolerant.

7. First Snowfall

[Anchor Lead]

The first snowfall of the year was observed on Seorak Mountain Tuesdayat the peak of fall foliage. The sudden drop in temperatures could portend anearly winter.

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Colorful leaves grace Mount Seorak located in Gangwon Province. But in just two days, the mountain peak has turned white. Visitor shelters are covered with snow due to gusty snowstorms.

[Soundbite] Park Mun-seong(Head, Jungcheong Shelter): "It's around negative 15 degrees Celsius hereadding the windchill factor. It's very cold."

The first signs of snow came about two weeks earlier than last year and continued on through Tuesday night, piling as high as seven centimeters. Sleet was also observed in a number of Gangwon Province mountains including Odae and Balwang. Today morning lows dipped below zero degrees in mountainous areas of Gangwon and North Gyeongsang Province with minus three degrees being reported at Mount Seorak. Therefore snow is expected to turn into ice in some areas. Winter is approaching quickly in these regions where the beautiful fall scenery has been the most evident.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

Girl band Crayon Pop has been named the public relations ambassadorfor the Korea Scout Association, while singer IU will hold her second soloconcert next month. Here’s your roundup of entertainment news.

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The girl group Crayon Pop, known for its cute and spunky image, will work as the PR ambassador for the Korea Scout Association.The band's management agency says Crayon Pop was appointed on Tuesday and began their endorsement activities for the youth group.The Scout Association expressed hope that the band will grow into global singers, who would be supported by the love of the 30 million Scout families worldwide.Singer IU will hold a concert in Seoul on November 23rd and 24th, titled "Modern Times," on the occasion of her third album release.On December 1st, she will hold a concert at KBS Hall in Busan and will meet fans there.In the concerts, she will sing a variety of genres from the third album, including swing, jazz and bossa nova tunes, as well as some of her previous hits arranged in a new style.Singer Lucid Fall, nicknamed the troubadour in Korean pop music, is coming back with his sixth album on October 23rd. Advance sale of the album has begun.His management agency says the latest album includes ten songs characteristic of acoustic instrumentals and his style of lyrics was inspired by motifs he saw in everyday life.

9. Nostalgic Snacks

[Anchor Lead]

Many of the snacks Koreans enjoyed aschildren were later cast as unhealthy junk food. However, there's stillsomething about those street snacks that keep them in people's hearts for decades.

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Foods that were popular in the good old days continue to arouse nostalgia in many grownup Koreans. Only a lucky few would win the huge candy known as "bbopki" to become the envy of their classmates. Many also remember the molten sugar treat "dalgona." Street stalls drew scores of children. And with prices at just 100 won, about a dime, kids could buy plenty of candy. Now, three decades later, the school snacks are typically produced by factories in the provinces. For many, the aroma in this factory in Daegu producing deep-fried cookies brings school memories to life. They're called "konggwaja," or "bean cookies" thanks to their bean-like shape, but they're made with wheat flour.

[Soundbite] "(What's all this?) These are the nostalgic street snacks thatwe used to eat when we were young."

The cookies are first checked for defects, then coated with fresh cooking oil and sugar and fried again.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeong-bo(CEO, Deep-Fried Cookie Factory): "This is not junk food at all because we onlyuse certified ingredients in a clean environment."

While this snack has been criticized as junk food, they do have the same ingredients as most other cookies. The packaging design has remained unchanged over the past 30 years. And they are as tasty as ever. This museum displays items that were widely used in Korea in the 1970s. Old signboards and classrooms remind visitors of their youth. And when you're thinking about the good old days, snacks often come first. The visitors enjoy their snacks and reminisce.

[Soundbite] "(Why are you here?) I brought my friendshere to show them how I spent my childhoodand to recall my memories. (What are you eating?)You can’t talk about nostalgiawithout mentioning these snacks."

This place reels in visitors even on weekdays.The old snacks remind them of their childhood.

[Soundbite] "I used to eat this when I was in schoolbecause we didn’t have worm-shapedjelly candies.(You mean like one, two?)Yes, we ate these snacksduring classes at school."

This retro-style bar in Seoul features an array of nostalgic things like tags, backpacks and of course, nostalgic food. They even have stretchy "tape cookies." This bar draws many repeat customers who come here to indulge in nostalgia.

[Soundbite] Kim Yu-hyeon(Owner, Retro-Style Bar): "(What's the reason you serve junk food as side dishes?)Because we're located in the Hongik University area, our customers come here to recall their past. The snacksthat they enjoyed when they were younger inspire themto chat about the good old days and have fun together."

The nostalgic street snacks of the 1970s have a hold on the hearts of those who enjoyed them as children.