Hero Maligned

입력 2014.02.05 (15:20) 수정 2014.02.05 (16:09)

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[Anchor Lead]

The Japanese government has issued its official position on Korea’s much-admired independence fighter An Jung-geun, calling him a terrorist sentenced to death for assassinating a Japanese official. Korea and China are protesting the announcement.

[Pkg]

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called An Jung-geun a terrorist. When questioned by a Japanese House of Representative member whether Minister Suga's opinion was an official government stance the Japanese cabinet presented the House with an answer on behalf of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The answer said that An Jung-geun is recognized as a figure sentenced to death for killing Hirobumi Ito, who had served as Japan's prime minister and resident-general of Korea. This answer by the Japanese cabinet is considered to be the government's official stance. Except for the expression "terrorist," it is essentially the same as Minister Suga's statement. The Abe administration also said it was disappointed and regretful of the opening of the An Jung-geun Memorial at Harbin Station in China last month. The Japanese government claimed that it had expressed several times to the Korean and Chinese governments its concerns over the memorial not contributing to the peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. Meanwhile, Japan failed to mention that An was a highly respected independence activist even in China for fighting against Japan's colonialism in the early 20th century. Protests from Korea and China are only going to intensify as Japan's unilateralism is being adopted as an official stance of the Japanese government.

Cold Spring

[Anchor Lead]

Yesterday was the first day of spring according to traditional seasonal divisions. Despite the recent cold wave, Koreans marked the date, known as Ipchun, wishing for family blessings.

[Pkg]

Traditional instruments are played as a ritual to bless the coming of spring. Letters wishing for abundant blessings in the spring is written on a sign and then pasted on the door. Some stop at a well to pray to ancestors for the health and happiness of their families. New crops of green herbs are made into a variety of dishes and then shared with neighbors to fight the lingering cold. In traditional markets, customers have plenty of fresh spring herbs to choose from. However there are not a lot of people out in the market due to the freezing cold. But apparel stores have already replaced their inventory of thick, bulky winter clothes with their spring items. The lighter and brighter clothes grabs people's attention.

[Soundbite] Yun Yeon-jun (Manager, Clothing Store): "People stay indoors during the cold and now they love seeing bright, spring clothes out on display. They’re buying a lot."

Ipchun signals the beginning of spring. Despite the recent chilly temperatures, expectations for the coming spring have started to bud in people's hearts.

Election Battleground

[Anchor Lead]

The June fourth local elections are looming ahead. Preliminary candidate registration has begun. Once again, metropolitan Seoul is the nation’s fiercest battleground.

[Pkg]

Opposition Democratic Party's Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon has long expressed his intent to seek another term. The ruling Saenuri Party is aiming to hold a major primary race to elect its Seoul mayoral candidate against the DP incumbent. Former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and seven-term lawmaker Chung Mong-joon are eyeing the mayoral candidacy while other senior Saenuri members such as Rep. Lee Hye-hoon are also throwing in their hats. Whether Ahn Cheol-soo's newly launched party will field a candidate for Seoul's top spot is also all drawing attention. Meanwhile in the Gyeonggi Province, Governor Kim Moon-soo has declared that he will not seek a second term. His spot is up for grabs. In the Saenuri Party, Representatives Won Yoo-chul and Choung Byoung-gug have declared to run for Gyeonggi chief but some key Saenuri members want five-term Nam Kyung-pil to vie for the post. In the opposition Democratic Party, former deputy prime minister Kim Jin-pyo and four-term lawmaker Won Hye-young are competing for the party ticket to run for the Gyeonggi governor. Ahn Cheol-soo's camp is said to be working to recruit Gyeonggi education chief Kim Sang-gon. In Incheon City, DP member and incumbent mayor Song Young-gil will run to be re-elected while the Saenuri Party is searching for a competitive candidate. Former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo has extended his bid but within the Saenuri, current party chairman Hwang Woo-yea is openly urged to run for the Incheon mayoral seat.

Calls to Resume

[Anchor Lead]

Following the unprecedented information leak from financial institutions, telemarketers were banned from certain sales calls. Those restrictions are being rolled back in consideration of the livelihood of tens of thousands of telemarketers.

[Pkg]

This is a bank call center where loan programs are offered over the phone. The office is empty in the wake of a ban on telemarketing. Workers are trained at another location. But this bank is better off than most other financial institutions. Tens of thousands of telemarketers are about to be laid off as over-the-phone promotions were banned following the recent leak of personal information from financial institutions. The fear of mass layoffs fueled protests from telemarketers. As a result, the financial authorities were forced to allow telemarketing again, starting later this month. The authorities had to retract their strong-handed measure barely two weeks into the enforcement of the telemarketing restriction. Although the telemarketers do not have to worry about their job security, the financial authorities are being scorched for causing such a confusion.

[Soundbite] Telemarketer (Voice Modified): "Many workers were concerned about their jobs. It's frustrating to see how they didn't expect this situation and the government retracted the measure. The financial overseers cannot avoid the criticism that their haphazard measures only worsened the financial situation."

Work & Family

[Anchor Lead]

The government has announced its plans to assist working moms struggling to balance family life with their careers. More government subsidies and programs are on the way to help.

[Pkg]

Kim Su-mi had to put her 10-year career on hold five years ago to raise her child.

[Soundbite] Kim Su-mi (Fmr. Employee): "My mother was taking care of my child when she became ill. I cried a lot because I was at the peak of my career, and since I'd been promoted."

The employment rate of women is about the same as men's when they're in their 20s. But in their 30s the employment gap grow to as much as 30%. Women's employment rate increases in the 40s, but most of them are part-time workers. The government has now stepped up to prevent such a career gap.

[Soundbite] Bang Ha-nam (Employment & Labor Minister): "Because they're deprived of opportunities to realize their abilities, the government will remove institutional obstacles one by one."

In order to get the husbands more involved in chil-rearing, men who take paternity leave will receive 100% of their first month's pay. Business that rehire part-time workers who were on maternity leave will be subsidized as well. Also, the shortened working hours system will be expanded and startingin October, pay for shortened shifts will be raised from the current 40% to 60% of full-time pay. However, some fundamental cultural changes must take place before these measures can be effective in real life. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects that the economic growth rate would go up by an annual average of 1% if the number of working women almost equals that of working men.

Sharing the Ice

[Anchor Lead]

Practice training groups for figure skaters at the Sochi Winter Olympics have been announced. Korea’s Kim Yu-na is not paired with her Japanese rival Mao Asada, but she will share the ice with up-and-coming Russians.

[Pkg]

Figure skater Kim Yu-na will be training with Russian rookies in her group practice at the Sochi Olympics. It's not the most comfortable grouping for the figure skating queen. Kim will arrive in Russia Feb. 12th and is teamed with Russian skaters such as Julia Lipnitskaia for her group training leading up to her Olympic match. Kim once said in the past how other athletes blocked her jumps during practice. Who you are grouped with for training is therefore a critical matter. With Russia playing host to the games, Russian players will be well aware of top gold medalist Kim Yu-na.

[Soundbite] "Russian TV Reporter"

Japan's Mao Asada is better off in her team formation as she's placed with skaters with considerably lower global rankings. Figure skaters have landed in Russia and begun training. They are all eyeing Kim, seeing her as the one most likely to snag the gold. They are wondering when she will arrive in Sochi.

[Soundbite]Natalia Popova (Ukrainian Figure Skater) : "Although there is still more than a week is left before Kim heads to Sochi, people are speculating the whereabouts of the queen of figure skating."

Young at Heart

[Anchor Lead]

Many Koreans in their 50s and 60s say they’re still young. They take good care of their health, enjoy various hobbies and in a recent survey say they want to dedicate the rest of their lives to themselves.

[Pkg]

Women in their 50s and 60s learn how to walk like professional fashion models. They may look awkward on the outside but they're full of confidence on the inside. They came here for various reasons. But all of them are doing this to make themselves feel better.

[Soundbite] "Cha Jang-min (Woman in 50s): I used to live for my children and husband, but now I want to live for myself."

This man in his mid-60s started learning photography as a hobby. Recently he opened his own photo exhibition. A survey conducted by a media company shows that about half of Koreans in their 50s and 60s want to dedicate the remainder of their lives for themselves.

[Soundbite] Yun Seong-eun (Samsung Life Retirement Research Center): "This generation worked hard during Korea's rapid economic growth. That's why they want to spend some time for themselves."

Six out of ten people in their 50s and 60s think they're still young. More than 88 percent of the respondents also said they would like to work if they had a chance.

Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

In today’s entertainment news, we bring you the big nominees for the Korean Music Awards. This and more coming right up.

[Pkg]

Singer Jang Pil-soon is known for her soothing voice. The Korean Music Awards committee has nominated Jang's seventh album in five categories. The album was released recently after an 11-year hiatus. Singers Cho Yong-pil, who created a sensation with his album "Bounce" last year, and Yoon Young-bae, who conveyed messages of criticism in his songs, were each nominated in four categories. The music group Exo was able to sell a million records for the first time in 12 years. The band has been nominated in three categories at the music awards. Singer Sean has donated 100 million won, or around 92-thousand dollars, to building a hospital for children with disabilities. Sean's agency says the singer saved the money by running in more than 20 races under a charity project that allows people to donate 100 million won by running 10,000 kilometers in one year.

Penguin Festival

[Anchor Lead]

Korea is in the grips of another winter freeze. If you can't escape all together, you might as well enjoy it with the 10th Geojedo International Penguin Swimming Festival in southern Korea.

[Pkg]

It's still early in the morning but people are already crowding the beach. Clad in only their swimsuits, they defy the sub-zero temperatures.

[Soundbite] "I came to get refreshed. (Why?) I couldn't get my head cleared so I came to jump into the cold sea."

Some 1,300 brave souls are here to take part in the 10th Penguin Swimming Contest. They are gearing up for the freezing winter sea. Warming up is a must before jumping into the water. The participants let out a big shout and run into the cold water as the fireworks signal the start of the contest. They have to swim 100 meters round trip in waters 3 meters deep at some points. Some participants show off their even strokes as if they were competitive swimmers, while some just float in the water without making any headway. There are also those contestants who hesitantly wade in, but gasp at the cold and quickly back out of the water. But take a look at the faces of those who finish the icy course. They're filled with exhilaration and satisfaction.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-gyun (Visitor): "It's my first time at Geoje Island, and it's really nice. I want to participate in the next contest, too."

Another fun event at the festival is catching live halibut. Out of hundreds of fish there, one has a golden marking and whoever catches it will receive a prize of 2 grams of gold. Whether it's a golden halibut or not, you can keep the fish you catch, so everybody's a winner. Roughly 700 fish stock this event. Now the fish are released into the sea.

[Soundbite] "We're releasing about 700 fish."

Cotton gloves, scoop nets, and other implements are used. Now the fun begins as people rush into the sea to catch the slippery fish. But they soon discover it's not so easy. Still people manage to catch fish with their bare hands. Not to be outdone, those who haven't been lucky so far throw themselves into the challenge. The successful shout out with joy showing off their catch. Almost everyone seems to have succeeded in catching a halibut with their bare hands. The fish is dressed and made ready to eat right there on site. People enjoy the wintertime delicacy wrapped in leafy vegetables or dipped in a tangy spicy sauce. What a way to enjoy the winter! Those who don't want to jump into the cold water can participate in other events. The most popular one is an eel-catching relay.

[Soundbite] "I came all the way from Seoul to catch some eels."

All you need to do is catch a slippery eel and put it in a bucket. The winter cold is forgotten as you scramble to get a hold of an eel.

[Soundbite]Seo Jang-ho (Visitor): "t was so fun. I want to come back again. Let’s go!"

There's something for everyone at the International Penguin Swimming Festival, so overcome the winter cold by throwing yourself into these fun activities.

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  • Hero Maligned
    • 입력 2014-02-05 15:57:05
    • 수정2014-02-05 16:09:23
    News Today
[Anchor Lead]

The Japanese government has issued its official position on Korea’s much-admired independence fighter An Jung-geun, calling him a terrorist sentenced to death for assassinating a Japanese official. Korea and China are protesting the announcement.

[Pkg]

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called An Jung-geun a terrorist. When questioned by a Japanese House of Representative member whether Minister Suga's opinion was an official government stance the Japanese cabinet presented the House with an answer on behalf of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The answer said that An Jung-geun is recognized as a figure sentenced to death for killing Hirobumi Ito, who had served as Japan's prime minister and resident-general of Korea. This answer by the Japanese cabinet is considered to be the government's official stance. Except for the expression "terrorist," it is essentially the same as Minister Suga's statement. The Abe administration also said it was disappointed and regretful of the opening of the An Jung-geun Memorial at Harbin Station in China last month. The Japanese government claimed that it had expressed several times to the Korean and Chinese governments its concerns over the memorial not contributing to the peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. Meanwhile, Japan failed to mention that An was a highly respected independence activist even in China for fighting against Japan's colonialism in the early 20th century. Protests from Korea and China are only going to intensify as Japan's unilateralism is being adopted as an official stance of the Japanese government.

Cold Spring

[Anchor Lead]

Yesterday was the first day of spring according to traditional seasonal divisions. Despite the recent cold wave, Koreans marked the date, known as Ipchun, wishing for family blessings.

[Pkg]

Traditional instruments are played as a ritual to bless the coming of spring. Letters wishing for abundant blessings in the spring is written on a sign and then pasted on the door. Some stop at a well to pray to ancestors for the health and happiness of their families. New crops of green herbs are made into a variety of dishes and then shared with neighbors to fight the lingering cold. In traditional markets, customers have plenty of fresh spring herbs to choose from. However there are not a lot of people out in the market due to the freezing cold. But apparel stores have already replaced their inventory of thick, bulky winter clothes with their spring items. The lighter and brighter clothes grabs people's attention.

[Soundbite] Yun Yeon-jun (Manager, Clothing Store): "People stay indoors during the cold and now they love seeing bright, spring clothes out on display. They’re buying a lot."

Ipchun signals the beginning of spring. Despite the recent chilly temperatures, expectations for the coming spring have started to bud in people's hearts.

Election Battleground

[Anchor Lead]

The June fourth local elections are looming ahead. Preliminary candidate registration has begun. Once again, metropolitan Seoul is the nation’s fiercest battleground.

[Pkg]

Opposition Democratic Party's Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon has long expressed his intent to seek another term. The ruling Saenuri Party is aiming to hold a major primary race to elect its Seoul mayoral candidate against the DP incumbent. Former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and seven-term lawmaker Chung Mong-joon are eyeing the mayoral candidacy while other senior Saenuri members such as Rep. Lee Hye-hoon are also throwing in their hats. Whether Ahn Cheol-soo's newly launched party will field a candidate for Seoul's top spot is also all drawing attention. Meanwhile in the Gyeonggi Province, Governor Kim Moon-soo has declared that he will not seek a second term. His spot is up for grabs. In the Saenuri Party, Representatives Won Yoo-chul and Choung Byoung-gug have declared to run for Gyeonggi chief but some key Saenuri members want five-term Nam Kyung-pil to vie for the post. In the opposition Democratic Party, former deputy prime minister Kim Jin-pyo and four-term lawmaker Won Hye-young are competing for the party ticket to run for the Gyeonggi governor. Ahn Cheol-soo's camp is said to be working to recruit Gyeonggi education chief Kim Sang-gon. In Incheon City, DP member and incumbent mayor Song Young-gil will run to be re-elected while the Saenuri Party is searching for a competitive candidate. Former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo has extended his bid but within the Saenuri, current party chairman Hwang Woo-yea is openly urged to run for the Incheon mayoral seat.

Calls to Resume

[Anchor Lead]

Following the unprecedented information leak from financial institutions, telemarketers were banned from certain sales calls. Those restrictions are being rolled back in consideration of the livelihood of tens of thousands of telemarketers.

[Pkg]

This is a bank call center where loan programs are offered over the phone. The office is empty in the wake of a ban on telemarketing. Workers are trained at another location. But this bank is better off than most other financial institutions. Tens of thousands of telemarketers are about to be laid off as over-the-phone promotions were banned following the recent leak of personal information from financial institutions. The fear of mass layoffs fueled protests from telemarketers. As a result, the financial authorities were forced to allow telemarketing again, starting later this month. The authorities had to retract their strong-handed measure barely two weeks into the enforcement of the telemarketing restriction. Although the telemarketers do not have to worry about their job security, the financial authorities are being scorched for causing such a confusion.

[Soundbite] Telemarketer (Voice Modified): "Many workers were concerned about their jobs. It's frustrating to see how they didn't expect this situation and the government retracted the measure. The financial overseers cannot avoid the criticism that their haphazard measures only worsened the financial situation."

Work & Family

[Anchor Lead]

The government has announced its plans to assist working moms struggling to balance family life with their careers. More government subsidies and programs are on the way to help.

[Pkg]

Kim Su-mi had to put her 10-year career on hold five years ago to raise her child.

[Soundbite] Kim Su-mi (Fmr. Employee): "My mother was taking care of my child when she became ill. I cried a lot because I was at the peak of my career, and since I'd been promoted."

The employment rate of women is about the same as men's when they're in their 20s. But in their 30s the employment gap grow to as much as 30%. Women's employment rate increases in the 40s, but most of them are part-time workers. The government has now stepped up to prevent such a career gap.

[Soundbite] Bang Ha-nam (Employment & Labor Minister): "Because they're deprived of opportunities to realize their abilities, the government will remove institutional obstacles one by one."

In order to get the husbands more involved in chil-rearing, men who take paternity leave will receive 100% of their first month's pay. Business that rehire part-time workers who were on maternity leave will be subsidized as well. Also, the shortened working hours system will be expanded and startingin October, pay for shortened shifts will be raised from the current 40% to 60% of full-time pay. However, some fundamental cultural changes must take place before these measures can be effective in real life. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects that the economic growth rate would go up by an annual average of 1% if the number of working women almost equals that of working men.

Sharing the Ice

[Anchor Lead]

Practice training groups for figure skaters at the Sochi Winter Olympics have been announced. Korea’s Kim Yu-na is not paired with her Japanese rival Mao Asada, but she will share the ice with up-and-coming Russians.

[Pkg]

Figure skater Kim Yu-na will be training with Russian rookies in her group practice at the Sochi Olympics. It's not the most comfortable grouping for the figure skating queen. Kim will arrive in Russia Feb. 12th and is teamed with Russian skaters such as Julia Lipnitskaia for her group training leading up to her Olympic match. Kim once said in the past how other athletes blocked her jumps during practice. Who you are grouped with for training is therefore a critical matter. With Russia playing host to the games, Russian players will be well aware of top gold medalist Kim Yu-na.

[Soundbite] "Russian TV Reporter"

Japan's Mao Asada is better off in her team formation as she's placed with skaters with considerably lower global rankings. Figure skaters have landed in Russia and begun training. They are all eyeing Kim, seeing her as the one most likely to snag the gold. They are wondering when she will arrive in Sochi.

[Soundbite]Natalia Popova (Ukrainian Figure Skater) : "Although there is still more than a week is left before Kim heads to Sochi, people are speculating the whereabouts of the queen of figure skating."

Young at Heart

[Anchor Lead]

Many Koreans in their 50s and 60s say they’re still young. They take good care of their health, enjoy various hobbies and in a recent survey say they want to dedicate the rest of their lives to themselves.

[Pkg]

Women in their 50s and 60s learn how to walk like professional fashion models. They may look awkward on the outside but they're full of confidence on the inside. They came here for various reasons. But all of them are doing this to make themselves feel better.

[Soundbite] "Cha Jang-min (Woman in 50s): I used to live for my children and husband, but now I want to live for myself."

This man in his mid-60s started learning photography as a hobby. Recently he opened his own photo exhibition. A survey conducted by a media company shows that about half of Koreans in their 50s and 60s want to dedicate the remainder of their lives for themselves.

[Soundbite] Yun Seong-eun (Samsung Life Retirement Research Center): "This generation worked hard during Korea's rapid economic growth. That's why they want to spend some time for themselves."

Six out of ten people in their 50s and 60s think they're still young. More than 88 percent of the respondents also said they would like to work if they had a chance.

Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

In today’s entertainment news, we bring you the big nominees for the Korean Music Awards. This and more coming right up.

[Pkg]

Singer Jang Pil-soon is known for her soothing voice. The Korean Music Awards committee has nominated Jang's seventh album in five categories. The album was released recently after an 11-year hiatus. Singers Cho Yong-pil, who created a sensation with his album "Bounce" last year, and Yoon Young-bae, who conveyed messages of criticism in his songs, were each nominated in four categories. The music group Exo was able to sell a million records for the first time in 12 years. The band has been nominated in three categories at the music awards. Singer Sean has donated 100 million won, or around 92-thousand dollars, to building a hospital for children with disabilities. Sean's agency says the singer saved the money by running in more than 20 races under a charity project that allows people to donate 100 million won by running 10,000 kilometers in one year.

Penguin Festival

[Anchor Lead]

Korea is in the grips of another winter freeze. If you can't escape all together, you might as well enjoy it with the 10th Geojedo International Penguin Swimming Festival in southern Korea.

[Pkg]

It's still early in the morning but people are already crowding the beach. Clad in only their swimsuits, they defy the sub-zero temperatures.

[Soundbite] "I came to get refreshed. (Why?) I couldn't get my head cleared so I came to jump into the cold sea."

Some 1,300 brave souls are here to take part in the 10th Penguin Swimming Contest. They are gearing up for the freezing winter sea. Warming up is a must before jumping into the water. The participants let out a big shout and run into the cold water as the fireworks signal the start of the contest. They have to swim 100 meters round trip in waters 3 meters deep at some points. Some participants show off their even strokes as if they were competitive swimmers, while some just float in the water without making any headway. There are also those contestants who hesitantly wade in, but gasp at the cold and quickly back out of the water. But take a look at the faces of those who finish the icy course. They're filled with exhilaration and satisfaction.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-gyun (Visitor): "It's my first time at Geoje Island, and it's really nice. I want to participate in the next contest, too."

Another fun event at the festival is catching live halibut. Out of hundreds of fish there, one has a golden marking and whoever catches it will receive a prize of 2 grams of gold. Whether it's a golden halibut or not, you can keep the fish you catch, so everybody's a winner. Roughly 700 fish stock this event. Now the fish are released into the sea.

[Soundbite] "We're releasing about 700 fish."

Cotton gloves, scoop nets, and other implements are used. Now the fun begins as people rush into the sea to catch the slippery fish. But they soon discover it's not so easy. Still people manage to catch fish with their bare hands. Not to be outdone, those who haven't been lucky so far throw themselves into the challenge. The successful shout out with joy showing off their catch. Almost everyone seems to have succeeded in catching a halibut with their bare hands. The fish is dressed and made ready to eat right there on site. People enjoy the wintertime delicacy wrapped in leafy vegetables or dipped in a tangy spicy sauce. What a way to enjoy the winter! Those who don't want to jump into the cold water can participate in other events. The most popular one is an eel-catching relay.

[Soundbite] "I came all the way from Seoul to catch some eels."

All you need to do is catch a slippery eel and put it in a bucket. The winter cold is forgotten as you scramble to get a hold of an eel.

[Soundbite]Seo Jang-ho (Visitor): "t was so fun. I want to come back again. Let’s go!"

There's something for everyone at the International Penguin Swimming Festival, so overcome the winter cold by throwing yourself into these fun activities.

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