Economic Cooperation

[Anchor Lead]

Recent economic developments seem to indicate a thaw in inter-Korean relations. South Korea is deciding whether to join a North Korea-Russia joint venture, while a new internet network is in the works for the joint Kaesong industrial complex.

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North Korea and Russia signed an economic cooperation deal last year to reconstruct a 54-kilometer railway between the North Korean port city of Rajin and the Russian town of Khasan. The deal is also to refurbish the Rajin port. Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to South Korea in last November has paved the way for South Korean businesses to participate in the North Korea-Russia joint economic project. A delegation of 18 officials from South Korea's state-run Korea Railroad, steelmaker POSCO and shipper Hyundai Merchant Marine will make a three-day visit to Rajin to check the conditions of the port and railway facilities. The participation in the Rajin-Khasan development project will bring South Korea one step closer to realizing its vision of connecting a trans-Korean Peninsular railway and the Trans-Siberia Railway.

[Soundbite] Jeon U-sik (Business Strategy Director, POSCO): "The sea route takes us some 40 days. The travel period will drop to eight days if we use the railway. This Rajin-Khasan project will offer new business opportunities for us."

On February seventh, the two Koreas reached an agreement on establishing an Internet network at the inter-Korean joint venture Kaesong Industrial Complex. The agreement will allow employees of South Korean companies operating at the factory park to use the Internet starting in the first half of this year. The establishment of the Internet will also ease other inconveniences for the South Korean companies that have had to send and receive documents by fax. Foreign companies have shunned the Kaesong factory park as an investment destination partly for the lack of the Internet service. The inter-Korean online service agreement will likely help attract foreign investors to the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

Work-Family Balance

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Government agencies are lending a helping hand to women in the workplace balancing their work with family life. New programs will help mothers reignite their careers.

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Government agencies will increase employment opportunities for women who had quit their jobs but now want to get back into the work force. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance will give extra performance points to government agencies that hire more women with such career gaps. The ministry also recommended that government agencies hire such women as replacements when their regular female staffers leave their jobs temporarily. Public agencies will also introduce a program that promotes the employment of women who are looking for opportunities to return to work after a break in their careers. Under the so-called "returnship" program, they will reserve specific duties only for the women looking to reenter the work force and hire them as regular staffers after they complete a training course. Government agencies will also introduce a new internship program. Under the program, they will turn at least 70 percent of the interns into regular workers based on their job performance during their internships. The new internship program will be first operated on a trial basis at 12 public agencies. The government will also give extra points to public agencies that hire more temporary workers and high school graduates. Two-hundred-95 public agencies will hire 17-thousand people this year, up one-thousand from last year.

Clearing the Way

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After an accident on the road many drivers want to keep their car in place to determine damage and assess blame. But that can cause secondary accidents, and a recent ruling says drivers who ause additional accidents can be held accountable.

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A three-car collision on an expressway in the summer of 2012 left five people dead and five injured. The first accident was a fender bender between a truck and a tank lorry. The truck, which had caused the first accident, pulled over to a safety zone, but the lorry was left at the scene for more than seven minutes. Later a van discovered the tanker and tried to change the lane, but it was too late to avoid a secondary accident. The ensuing trial tried to determine whether the tanker driver, who was trying to ascertain the damage at the time, should be held accountable for the second accident. The court ruled that the tanker driver should pay damage compensation, because although he was the victim of the first accident, he did not move his vehicle and clear the scene, directly causing the second accident. On the other hand, the truck driver who had caused the first accident was ruled to have had no part in the second accident, since he had pulled his vehicle to the side.

[Soundbite] Kim Jae-yong (Lawyer): "The court ruling said that damage could have been fully assessed even after the vehicle were moved to a safer zone or to the side of the road."

This ruling is a clear warning to some hot-headed drivers who argue over who's at fault instead of taking safety measures first.

Facial Recognition

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Facial recognition systems are quickly being adopted throughout the country, meaning security cameras may soon be able to identify you on the street.

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A person looks up at a camera installed at the entrance and the door immediately opens.

[Soundbite] "ou may enter. The door is opening now."

The door opens when the man looks up at the camera, even if he has to take his glasses off. But a person unregistered with security is instructed to perform other actions when he looks at the camera.

[Soundbite] "Please press the bell button in front of you."

Roughly 2,000 of these facial recognition units developed by a local firm have been sold in just six months since its release.

[Soundbite] Kim Ho (CEO, Facial Recognition Company): "The key to a reliable facial recognition technology is the ability to deal with various conditions, such as angles, lighting, and presence of accessories."

Other office devices have been equipped with the facial recognition function as well. There is a copy machine that is designed to operate only when it recognizes a user's face. Sellers have sold 80% more of this specialized copier than ordinary copy machines. Facial recognition is harder to fake than identification through fingerprints or eyes, and people feel less intimidated since there is no direct human-to-human contact with the machine. The global market for the facial recognition system has been growing steadily and is expected to reach 1.4 billion dollars this year. Facial identification is spreading quickly to other areas as well. Smartphones will eventually use facial images instead of a passwords to unlocked with the device.

Recovery Efforts

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Super typhoon Haiyan wrought havoc upon the Philippines just three months ago. Korea’s Araw Unit is aiding the nation’s recovery efforts.

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Typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of 12-thousand people. Devastated towns testify to the scale and brutality of the natural disaster. Thousands of dead people were buried here and there without grave stones.

[Soundbite] Cemetery Worker: "Two-thousand bodies were buried. We’ll bury some 40 more bodies in the afternoon."

Coastal areas were directly hit by high waves. Wrecked large ships are abandoned on beaches. Thirteen countries dispatched relief teams to the Philippines, following the disaster in November last year. However, all of them left the nation as soon as completing their emergency missions.

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Let's unite and complete the mission for mankind and for the nation!

Korea's Araw Unit is the only foreign relief unit to stay in the typhoon-struck nation. Its 40-day work has begun bearing fruit. Inspired by the Korean unit's work, other countries are considering sending relief teams to the Philippines again. The Araw Unit will stay in the Philippines by the end of this year and help restore some 100 public facilities.

Jobs in the U.S.

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Good news for high-skilled Koreans looking for jobs in the U.S. The U.S. state of Georgia’s General Assembly wants to increase the working visa quota for Korean scientists and engineers.

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More than 5,000 people have been working for the Kia Motors plant and its contractors in the state of Georgia in the U.S. since 2010. All over Georgia, more than 50 Korean businesses have been doing their part to create jobs for local residents. Now the Georgia General Assembly is trying to match such efforts of Korean businesses. The state's legislative body will present a resolution urging the federal government to boost the employment of more Korean engineers and scientists. Georgia's Republican Senator David Shafer is reportedly preparing a resolution urging for the quick passage of the bill on expanding the visa quota for Korean professionals. A bill on allocating 15 thousand more working visas for Korean professionals was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives last year, but no progress has been made so far. Georgia's attempt to push a resolution through is seen as a response to the requests made by Kia Motors and other Korean businesses for more employees. There will be more jobs for Koreans in the U.S. as a similar move is in the works in Alabama, where a Hyundai Motor plant is located.

t Enough Exercise

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Health consciousness has been on the rise here in Korea, as the lifespan continues its upward trajectory. But few people exercise to keep fit, with a recent survey showing up to 90 percent of people aren’t active enough.

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This man in his 40s has lost over ten kilograms recently. His secret lies in a healthy diet and regular exercise.

[Soundbite] Lee Seong-man (Office Worker): "Every evening I go to a fitness center where I walk fast and jog on a treadmill for 40 minutes or one hour."

But many people in fact lack exercise because they're too busy with their daily lives. The rate of physical activity among Koreans is just 11 percent, which is only half the rate of Americans. In other words, nine out of ten Koreans lack exercise. The key point of physical activity is aerobic exercise and muscle training. Exercise is unarguably the surest way to stay fit. Not only does it help prevent diabetes but it also reduces the risk of dying of cardiovascular diseases by 30 percent.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Yun-gil (Gangnam Severance Hospital): "Exercise helps people to lose weight and reduce their blood pressure and hyperlipidemia."

Experts recommend performing moderate to intensive exercises for over 150 minutes a week until you start perspiring and become short of breath, or performing highly intensive exercises for over 75 minutes a week. Muscle training at least twice a week is also essential. For elderly people, experts recommend balance exercises such as Tai Chi and a sideway walking.

Korean Animation

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Korean animation is capturing the hearts of movie goers around the world. Let’s have a look at this growing domestic industry’s global impact.

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The animation film "The Nut Job" climbed to the number two spot in North America just three weeks after its opening there, bringing in over 50 million U.S. dollars. It was produced by a mid-sized Korean firm whose ingenuity has proved that thinking outside of the box is a sure way to succeed. The firm targeted the global market from the film's initial planning stage.

[Soundbite] Ha Hoe-jin (CEO, “The Nut Job” Production): "We produced this film as a global project, where we provided our capital and technologies while the Canadian partner took charge of directing and screenplay so that the film can appeal to a Western audience."

Disney's animation film "Frozen" has drawn seven million viewers in Korea, becoming a megahit. The creation of the unique characters for "Frozen" and "Escape from Planet Earth" involved Korean animators. Their success is further proof of the technological excellence and originality of Korean animators. Back in the 1980s, Korean animation firms used to be outsource producers for Japanese and U.S. animation companies, but now their imagination, creativity and courage are contributing to the popularity of Korean culture overseas.

Stretch Marks

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Over the winter, it’s not uncommon for people to gain weight. And with weight gain can come unsightly stretch marks. Here’s a look at why they form and how to prevent them in the first place.

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In the winter, people don't want to go out for outdoor activities due to the cold. So they may gain weight rapidly. Rapid and sudden weight growth leaves something ugly on your skin: stretch marks. Stretch marks are often the result of rapid growth or rapid weight changes. They may also be associated with hormonal changes during puberty and pregnancy. Can stretch marks disappear naturally if people lose weight and slim down?

[Soundbite] Dr. Kim Ji-eun (Dermatology): "Stretch marks are similar to scars. Scars don't go away once they appear. Stretch marks diminish or disappear with medical treatment. It might seem that stretch marks could be reduced when you lose weight. But stretch marks can’t be diminish without medical treatment."

It is better to treat stretch marks before it gets too late. The treatment works well when it is carried out in the initial stages and stretch marks are still reddish. Old marks rarely diminish or disappear. Various medical treatments are available for getting rid of stretch marks.

[Soundbite] "The stretch marks are old. They’re white."

White scars can appear on the legs. Stretch marks often show up on legs during puberty when people experience rapid growth. Fortunately, the area is not wide. To remove the marks, a high-frequency electric current treatment is applied. The treatment helps the creation of collagen in the skin and removes stretch marks. This woman sees a doctor because of the stretch marks on her belly. Many pregnant women get stretch marks as their bellies rapidly grow to accommodate their growing baby. There are stretch marks across her stomach.

[Soundbite] Patient (Voice Modified): "I applied anti-stretch mark cream every day. But stretch marks appeared and got serious as my belly grew bigger. I didn't care about them."

It is more difficult to treat stretch marks obtained during pregnancy, since they cover a wide area. The treatment takes up to four months. Patients should receive the treatment every three weeks. The remedy here is more effective with the help of laser treatment. Winter is a good season to treat stretch marks with laser treatment, since you're less likely to be exposed to ultraviolet rays.

[Soundbite] "I feel good and confident after getting medical treatment for my stretch marks."

It is hard to completely remove stretch marks, so prevention is the best policy. To prevent stretch marks from forming, you should avoid a sudden weight gain through continued physical exercise and diet plans. Leggings or skinny jeans can also cause stretch marks. Proper moisturizing and regular exercise are the best ways to maintain healthy, stretch mark-free skin.