Press Conference

[Anchor Lead]

President Park Geun-hye held her first news conference since taking office Monday, revealing her positions on diplomatic and security affairs, emphasizing improving relations with Pyongyang.

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President Park Geun-hye stressed the need for reunifying the two Koreas during Monday's nationally televised news conference. She stressed how this would produce benefits and opportunities for the nation.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hye (President) : “I know some believe that reunification is unnecessary. Simply put, however, reunification is a jackpot.”

The president emphasized that the first precondition for establishing the groundwork for reunification would be North Korea's denuclearization. She claimed that sending humanitarian aid to the North, increasing cross-border civilian-level exchanges and supporting North Korean defectors are crucial in laying the foundations for reunification. She then proposed of creating a world peace park in the Demilitarized Zone and constructing a Eurasia railway as well as cooperating with the international community preparatory steps for reunification. Park also proposed holding inter-Korea reunions of families separated by the Korean War.

[Soundbite] “Separated families have been waiting to meet each other for 60 years. I hope this time family reunions can be achieved and wounds healed.”

Following the president's press conference, Seoul's Unification Ministry officially proposed the two Koreas hold working-level talks on family reunions at the truce village of Panmunjom on January 10th. Park welcomed North Korea's New Year's message that called for improving inter-Korean relations. The president also said that she is willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at any time if the inter-Korean summit can produce tangible, solid results.

2. Social Enterprises

[Anchor Lead]

The number of social enterprises in Korea is growing, but they face the difficult task of securing funds on their own instead of relying on central and local governments.

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Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which provides funds to the impoverished, not only serves the public interest but has also achieved financial success. Many young people are setting up social enterprises these days. Their number surpassed a thousand in just six years. Another factor behind the rapid growth of social enterprises lies in the various benefits, such as funding of labor costs and tax benefits provided by the government over three years after the establishment of an enterprise. However, more than 60 social enterprises have gone bankrupt so far. Most of them had to close down after they were no longer eligible for government support.

[Soundbite] Jang Seong-uk (CEO, Social Enterprise) : “The majority of us end up running regular firms because of the negative experience.”

Social enterprises mostly serve the interests of the public and fail to come up with their own revenue model. As a result, the government has been trying to overhaul its policies aimed at supporting social enterprises.

[Soundbite] Jeong Jin-u (Seoul Metropolitan Government Official): “To create a successful model, we switched from direct funding to an indirect one.”

Social enterprises have yet to figure out the way they can survive while being able to help eliminate social polarization and inequality.

3. New Recruits

[Anchor Lead]

The army training center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong province is welcoming this year’s batch of new soldiers. New training methods are being devised to boost self-motivation among new recruits.

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Some one-thousand-700 military recruits say goodbye to their parents and friends before entering the Army training center. Their salutes are not perfect. But their shaved heads and sharp looks show that they are high spirited to embark on their new life as soldiers. Still, the parents are sad to see their sons off.

[Soundbite] Choe Gang-rim (Trainee’s Parent): ”I wish I can serve in the military on his behalf, but I can't I hope he’ll come back as a stronger and better man.”

The training of new soldiers is in full swing at a training site. The military introduced a new training program that promotes competition among new soldiers. Under the program, the trainees are divided into groups of five or six. They have to come up with strategies to achieve the goals in the team training missions. Those who perform well will receive rewards, such as permission to phone their families or some kind of refreshments.

[Soundbite] Yun Se-jung (Trainee) : “We’re working harder to get the rewards.”

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-deok (Instructor, Korea Army Training Center) : “Compared to last year, the performance of trainees has improved 120 percent.”

Some 120-thousand new soldiers will enter the Army training center this year.

4. Seismic Shifts

[Anchor Lead

Last year, Korea experienced the most earthquakes ever, at least since seismic observations began. Experts monitoring a series of tremors in the Yellow Sea warn that a powerful earthquake could be on the way.

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Residents of Oeyeon Island in the Yellow Sea experienced frequent earthquakes last year. 32 took place in succession on the island between June and November. Islands in the Yellow Sea recorded 52 tremors last year, more than anywhere else in the nation. Eighteen of them were on Baekryeong Island. Last year a total of 93 earthquakes occurred in Korea last year - the most since seismic observations began. Experts are presuming that the quakes are being caused by an active fault located on the ocean floor.

[Soundbite] Lee Ji-min (Researcher, Korea Meteorological Administration) : “Last year there were an unprecedented number of earthquakes in around Boryeong and Baekryeong Island.”

Experts are paying particular attention to the fact that the seismic activity is gradually shifting from Oeyeon to Anmyeon Island.

[Soundbite] Prof. Hong Tae-gyeong (Yonsei University) : “The distribution and strength of tremors in the sea off Boryeong hint at the possibility of more powerful earthquakes in this area.”

This rise in seismic activity is a cause for concern, as Korea's west coast is home to nuclear power plants and also because an undersea tunnel is being constructed to connect Anmyeon Island and the city of Boryeong. Meteorologists say they will conduct a study of the Yellow Sea fault until next year.

5. Warmer Winter

[Anchor Lead]

Monday marked “sohan,” one of the 24 seasonal divisions delineated by the lunar calendar. Weather is warmer than usual this time of year, disappointing certain seasonal industries.

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The traditional outdoor markets are thriving as the weather nowadays is quite warm. They are crowded with shoppers.

[Soundbite] In Geum-sun (Merchant) : “The weather is warm and so we get a lot of customers. I'm excited. It's great.”

Another party benefiting from the unusually warm weather is the strawberry farmers. The production of strawberries has jumped while the heating costs to grow the berries have dropped due to the warm weather

[Soundbite] Lee Hyeon-gyu (Strawberry Farmer): “I paid more than 45-50 million won (US$42,000-47,000) to heat the greenhouses last year. I expect that this year, the costs will drop to two-thirds of last year's bill if the weather stays warm.”

However, the warm weather means bad news for the ski resorts and sledding parks. With less snow and a higher temperature, artificial snow melts and freezes during the daytime hours.

[Soundbite] Seo Gang-ho (Maintenance Department Head, Sledding Park) : “It rarely snowed this winter. The temperature is not low. So we have to produce snow every day to run the sledding courses.”

Outdoor ice skating rinks also remain closed because of the warm weather. The sales of heaters have fallen more than ten percent from last year. The warm weather is not good news for some industries expecting chillier temperatures.

6. Pedestrian Facelift

[Anchor Lead]

Seoul’s Sinchon district is known as a thriving, youthful neighborhood. The area is now home to wider sidewalks and public transport-only lanes sure to boost its appeal.

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Yeonse-ro, in Sinchon had always been congested with both public and private transportation. But the cars have now yielded to the pedestrians. Yesterday marked the opening of this new public transportation-only area. Private vehicles will not be able to trespass the area, which is now open to only buses and evening-shift taxis. The sidewalks have also been widened. With the road now smaller the intersection has been transformed into a public plaza.

[Soundbite] Cheon Jeong-uk (Seoul Metropolitan Government Official): “This area will become a center for cultural activities and many become a revolutionary model for city revitalization.”

The issue will be how to deal with the surrounding traffic. Back in 2009, when such a pedestrian-friendly road was first established around a department store in Daegu, traffic became more congested. Store owners are showing both high hopes and concerns.

[Soundbite] Owner, Store at Yeose-ro : “Since no cars will be able to enter here, it will reduce the number of the kind of customer.”

The Seoul city government is planning to create nine more pedestrian-friendly streets in areas including Rodeo Street in Songpa District.

7. Traveler Apps

[Anchor Lead]

Smartphones unlock a treasure trove of information at your fingertips. Special apps are being used by travelers to get the scoop on their destinations.

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This tourist site in Seoul is known for its serene hanok complex. Visitors access an application on their smartphones to take photos of the sights and post comments on their travelogues. These provide a great source of information for other tourists visiting the sites nearby. Tourism smartphone apps are especially helpful to those traveling the more remote areas of the country. The Korea Tourism Organization possesses about 50 thousand contents that include weather, transportation, restaurants and lodging. It has been providing real-time information in 13 languages free of charge since 2011. Tourism apps have become more diverse and specialized throughout the years.

[Soundbite] Song Jae-geun (Korea Tourism Organization Official) : “We advertise good apps so they can be downloaded a lot. High usage could create jobs and boost the economy for app developers.”

Smartphone tourism apps are demonstrating Korea's IT prowess and providing convenient and useful information for both local and foreign tourists.

8. Spring in the Sea

[Anchor Lead]

While we’re in the midst of a mild winter here in the capital of Seoul, it seems that in Korea’s southernmost island of Jeju, spring has sprung.

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The waters off of Munseom Islet near Jeju Island are an environmentally protected area. About ten meters below the water's surface, one can see a dense growth of Ecklonia cava, an edible type of brown algae. The yellow-green shoots have sprouted more than 15 days earlier than in previous years. An abalone feasting on the sea plant falls prey to a fish. A big school of pearl spot chromis, often called the harbinger of spring, swims about busily. A threespot damselfish, which supposedly shows up only in spring, is seen as well. The soft coral seems to light up in pastel colors And a marine white pine sways gracefully with the current. The robust ecosystem in the seas near this area of Jeju Island is attributed to the 18 degrees Celsius water temperature, which is 5 degrees higher from some 10 years ago.

[Soundbite] Hong Seong-wan (Jeju Ocean and Fisheries Research Institute) : “The water temperature says it's the beginning of spring. Young Ecklonia cava and sargassum buds sprout up around this time and grow until April.”

Mt. Halla is still covered in snow, but the creatures living in the sea near Munseom Islet are already starting to enjoy the warmth of spring.

9. Down Report

[Anchor Lead]

Down-filled padded jackets are a popular choice for fighting off the winter's cold. They have a reputation for being warm and light-weight. Here are some tips for picking out the right one.

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On the street you'll find many people donning these down-filled jackets to fend off the cold. Sales of down jackets have surged 20 percent this year compared to last year.

[Soundbite] “Wool coats are heavy and cold. Padded down jackets are light and warm.”

Our team met with a woman who loves down jackets. She and her husband have around 20 duck or goose down winter coats. She says that design is probably the most important factor she considers.

[Soundbite] Yu Su-Gyeong (Homemaker) : “Like many other women, I also choose down jackets with good designs.”

Down refers to the soft feathers taken from the breast or wing of a duck or goose. However, these days, most down jackets are filled with a combination of down and ordinary feathers taken from other parts of the bird. When choosing a down jacket, you should take note of the jacket's percentage of down feathers. Down jackets are considered high quality when down accounts for more than 75 percent of the filling. Another number you should check is the jacket's fill power. Fill power represents the fluffiness of the jacket. A higher number usually indicates better fluffiness and insulation.

[Soundbite] Kim Han-su (Korea Apparel Testing and Research Institute) : ”A high fill power doesn't necessarily guarantee the quality of down jackets. The warmth of down jackets is determined by the percentage of down feathers in them.”

Before making a purchase, you should determine when to wear the jacket.

[Soundbite] Park Jeong-eun (Sales Clerk, Outdoor Store) : “People who do a lot of outdoor leisure activities prefer to wear thin wind breakers and down jackets in layers, because it’s easy to control their body temperature. But thicker ones are recommended for those who look for down jackets that they’ll wear in everyday life.”

It's best to check if the sleeves and the neck are windproof. Down jackets of various price ranges can be found on the market. Some can cost nearly 800 dollars, but others can be found for less than 100. A KBS team conducted a test to see if the price really determines the quality. The test shows that the difference is not very significant despite the huge price gap.

[Soundbite] “They’re slightly different in the percentage of down feathers and fill power. Expensive jackets are not necessarily warmer than cheaper ones. It’s wise to buy a down jacket that fits your purpose.”

It is also important to take good care of your down jackets. Remove stains with a wet towel as soon as possible. Hand washing in cold water is better than dry cleaning. Down jackets are useful in the winter. With these tips in mind, good luck finding the right down jacket for you to protect yourself from the frigid weather.