G20 Wraps Up

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The G20 Summit meeting in Australia wraps up with the adoption of a joint statement reflecting Korea’s three-year economic plan. President Park Geun-hye stressed the importance of collaboration among G20 nations so currency policies of industrialized countries do not cause financial anxiety.

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The global financial market has been undergoing significant changes recently due to an interest rate spike in the United States and the depreciation of the Japanese currency. President Park Geun-hye stressed the importance of collaboration among G20 nations in devising currency policies, so that the falls or gains of industrialized nations do not burden emerging economies.

[Soundbite] Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan(Deputy Prime Minister) : "The president stressed that monetary policies that only consider local economic conditions can have a spillover effect on neighboring countries. This implies her concerns about the Japanese currency's depreciation."

In other words, the industrialized nation's currency policies, which only take into consideration their local conditions, can have a negative impact on emerging economies and could, eventually backfire on advanced economies. President Park also urged the G20 member-states to contribute financially to the Green Climate Fund, and outlined Korea's efforts to control climate change by promoting creative economy, which includes innovative energy technologies. The analyse of G20 nations' growth strategies conducted by the IMF and the OECD revealed that the GDP growth effect of Korea's three-year economic plan, based on creative economy, was the highest among G20 states. By 2018 Korea's GDP is predicted to expand 4.4 percent from its current level as a result of the three-year economic plan, growing 54.5 billion U.S. dollars. The G20 Summit ended by adopting a joint statement based on Korea's three-year economic innovation plan.

2. Bunk Question

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The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation finds itself in hot water once again for posing a flawed question. This year's college entrance exam, conducted on November 13th, was suspected to have contained an error. Here is the story.

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This is question number 25 in the English section of the CSAT. It involves choosing the wrong explanation regarding a given graph. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation said that the correct answer is number 4. However, many people insist that number 5 can also be the answer. They say example No. 5 explained that an increase from two percent to 20 percent is an 18 percent jump. However, it is more accurate to say that it is up 18 percentage points. The answers announced by the institute on the day of the college entrance exam have been changed on four occasions previously. In 2007, the institute had to re-evaluate the answers of test-takers following controversy over an erroneous question. Last year, a faulty question even led to a court ruling. As such, the institute had pledged to strengthen reviews of this year's test.

[Soundbite] Prof. Yang Ho-Hwan(Chairman, CSAT Preparatory Cmttee (Nov. 13)) : "We strengthened the review to cross and double check the questions. We also increased the number of reviewers."

However, the institute has once again been unable to avoid controversy. Some argue that the system to prepare and review test questions is structurally flawed.

[Soundbite] Former Test Organizer(Voice Modified) : "The biggest problem is the structure which confines organizers for 30 days while they are rushed to prepare the test questions in a tight time limit."

In the end, the victims are the students.

[Soundbite] Im Seong-ho(CEO, Education Company) : "If the scores they predicted with such difficulty are changed, students will be confused whether to apply for early or regular admissions."

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation will receive formal objections until November 17th. Thereafter, it will set up an expert review panel before announcing the final answers on November 24th.

3. Custom Treatment

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Customized cancer treatment will likely become possible in the near future. While in the past lung cancer patients received standardized treatment, now doctors can choose treatment methods based on individual patients' genetic information.

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This woman was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, which had spread all the way to her brain. Recently, she was treated with a new procedure that was tailored using her genetic information. As a result of the new treatment, the cancer cells in her body have decreased by more than half. Counter to the initial prognosis, she's still alive two years and four months after receiving her diagnosis.

[Soundbite] Cho Seong-yoon(Lung Cancer Patient) : "They told me that if I didn't undergo treatment, I'd die in three months, and even if I did, I'd have only six months to live."

This man has stomach cancer, which has spread to his abdominal cavity, but his condition has improved since he began to receive the new cancer treatment. His condition improved because he received customized treatment based on his genetic variants rather than the normal treatment used on all stomach cancer patients.

[Soundbite] Park Beom-soo(Stomach Cancer Patient) : "I am living a normal life now because I'm feeling much better and have recovered a lot."

Customized cancer treatments use different medicines for different patients according to their genetic information. Currently they're being used to treat advanced lung, breast and colorectal cancers, but will be expanded to other types of cancer in the future. The use of customized cancer treatments is expected to become more widespread in the near future, as researchers continue to develop gene-based anticancer medicines that block specific genes.

4. High-tech Fashion

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With advances and miniaturization of information technology, some new fashion items feature state-of-the-art functions. Let's take a look at the wearable technology which one day soon could be found in a closet near you.

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This padded winter jacket was jointly developed by an IT firm and a fashion company. Unlike existing heat-providing clothes designed to maintain body temperature, this jacket generates warmth of 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. The secret is a heating pad made with carbon fiber. About the size of a sheet of A4 paper, the pad is thin and flexible so it creates no issues with mobility. The small battery can be hidden under the lining, and even used to recharge a smartphone.

[Soundbite] Kim Jun-hwan(iRiver Domestic Sales Dept.) : "Electricity is applied to carbon fiber instead of heating wires, so it's safe and light. It is also easy to coordinate the jacket with other clothes."

When a ringing smartphone is placed in a pocket of this suit, it automatically switches to silent mode. This is made possible by a near field communication chip installed inside the pocket. If the chip is set in advance, it enables the smartphone to play music when placed in the pocket, and switch back to a video when it's taken out. Information technology can also turn clothes into speakers or an electronic message board. With developments such as a T-shirt that can measure heartbeats or bio signals, information technology is broadening horizons for the fashion industry.

5. Revitalizing Villages

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Many rural villages are losing ground these days due to their dwindling populations. But some are back on track to vitality thanks to the efforts of their residents.

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These senior citizens from a village located deep in the mountains sing together in a school that has closed down. The lyrics of the songs were written by one of the residents who's in her 70s. Recently, the residents even staged a choir concert. This village has been full of the sounds of music and laughter since the start of this year. Some 200 residents raised funds on their own to rent the closed school and use it for daily cultural activities, such as singing.

[Soundbite] Chae Mi-suk & Jeong Meong-rak(Village Residents) : "We didn't have much opportunity to do this before. After meeting often and chatting together, we've become closer."

And this village used to be full of factory noise and dust. But now it's a tourist spot which thousands of people visit annually. It's all thanks to the efforts of the locals, who planted 600,000 sunflowers here two years ago. They also use sunflower seeds to make and sell cooking oil and cosmetics.

[Soundbite] Yoo Deok-jae(Village Resident) : "We have visitors from all walks of life year-round. Thanks to the sunflowers, our income and confidence level are higher now."

Thanks to the proactive efforts of locals, some farming villages in Korea that were on the decline are seeing their second heydays.

6. Historical Exhibition

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The Seoul Museum of History is putting on an exhibition of some 700 photos of Seoul from the past. Get a glimpse of the history of this modern metropolis with a visit.

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Changgyeongwon was an enormously popular tourist destination in the past. The new, modern cable car and amusement rides were considered revolutionary at the time.

[Soundbite] (Daehan News) : "Children are elated at play as they circle from one attraction to another."

The amusement park was crowded with visitors from across the nation. A child holding a brand-new water bottle looks filled with excitement. The three-year-old boy in a photo taken during a family outing has now become a middle-aged man.

[Soundbite] Son Chang-oh(Boy from Photograph) : "I remember being very happy, coming to a large city to see animals and crowds of people with my father and mother."

People travel back in time to their old memories. A newly-wed couple got all dressed up to take a photo at Mount Namsan. And a snapshot taken on an amusement park ride would be something to boast about later. Despite being taken by others, the photographs bring back familiar memories for all.

[Soundbite] Yoon Jin-koo(Visitor) : "Memories can help people forget about the pains of the present. They bring back the past."

Following the Korean War, Seoul was reduced to ashes. This photograph shows elderly men in traditional Korean headgear called "gat" gazing serenely at the rebuilding of the nation. High-rise apartments stood in sharp contrast with destitute villages as the country was being modernized. Approximately 700 photographs at the exhibit revive old memories from Seoul's past.

7. Seoul Walking Trail

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All of the segments of the Seoul Dulle-gil Trail, which circles the capital city, are now open to the public. The circular walking path is expected to fuel Korea's walking trend.

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People dressed in colorful trekking outfits do light stretching to the music. They're here to check out the newly opened Seoul Dulle-gil Trail. The stress melts away as they follow the walking path up a low hill and into the mountain.

[Soundbite] Baek Woo-jin(Dulle-gil Trail Hiker) : "It's nice that I can spend a long time walking and talking with my family."

The Seoul Dulle-gil Trail has linked various walking routes around the capital city. It is divided into eight courses totaling 157 kilometers in length. Each course has its own distinct character. The Godeok and Iljasan segments are easy enough for anyone, while and the Gwanaksan course features Buddhist temples and many cultural relics. Also, the Seoul Dulle-gil Trail is highly accessible since the path passes through 23 subway stations.

[Soundbite] Oh Hae-yeong(Official, Green Seoul Bureau of Seoul Gov't) : "You get a stamp for every course. When you get them all, the Seoul mayor will give you a certificate of completion."

Trekking along the new trail with friends and family is expected to provide much-needed exercise and relaxation to Seoul City residents.

8. Final Act

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Actress Kim Ja-ok died on Sunday. Debuting as a teenage star, she has graced the screen sometimes as a vibrant princess and at other times as a kind and caring mother, doing it all in a half-century long career.

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Actress Kim Ja-ok, who had been fighting cancer, passed away on Sunday. Her family announced that the cancer returned three months ago and she went into a coma on Saturday. The actress reportedly died peacefully as she slept.

[Soundbite] Na Moon-hee(Actress) : "She loved being free. I hope she went to a free and peaceful place."

Kim's acting career started when she was a middle school student. Since her debut in the 1970s, she has starred in many iconic films and TV shows.

[Soundbite] (Late Kim Ja-ok) : "I'm greedy. I don't let go of my treasures."

Nicknamed the Queen of Tears, she was famous for playing the part of an innocent and tragic girl in many projects.

[Soundbite] Song "Princess Is Lonely"

Trying to shed her image of aloofness, she took on more familiar and cheerful roles in recent years. Her roles ranged from a loving mother protective of her family, to a spirited woman with girlish sentiments, drawing both laughter and tears from her audience. Even while battling against cancer, Kim Ja-ok never stopped acting. She would say, "I would go so early to get my hair done and put on my costume and makeup that my manager would say "Why are you trying to get there so early?" I want to do my best even when I have an off-day."

9. Smartphone Family

[Anchor Lead]

It’s sad to admit it, but smartphones hold a special place in our hearts. That’s especially true when it comes to teenagers. Here's a surprising teenage trend: youngsters forming a kind of surrogate family with whom their constantly in contact through their smartphones.

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Yu Yeong-suk, in her 40s, have been at war with her son every day for the past two years.

[Soundbite] "Son, let's eat. Okay. Come on and sit."

The son is indulged in his phone. He looked like he was headed to the dining table but quickly slips back into his room.

[Soundbite] Yu Yeong-suk(Alias) : "We're like this every day. The smartphone is his avatar. It's like a part of himself, and it can't detached."

The mother is careful about lecturing him too much during this sensitive adolescent period.

[Soundbite] "Food is getting cold. I'll eat if you give my phone back."

Again today, she takes a step back and yields to her son. She barely got him to the table but there's not a word shared between the two as the boy is fixated on his smartphone. The problem is this scene has become a fixture at this home. In fact, in a survey on some 500 high school students, more than half of them said they talk with their family members for less than 30 minutes a day. But surprisingly, the situation is quite the opposite in the smartphone world. A new Korean slang these days is "yang-fam" which is short for something of an "adopted family." 'Yang' means adopted in Korean and 'fam' is short for the English world family. Yangfam refers to one's bogus or fake family. This may all sound very new to adults but it's a newly coined slang term among teenagers. We met up with a middle school student who says she continued ties with her yangfam up until recently. She kept contact with her yangfam via social media or smartphone messenger.

[Soundbite] Choi Hyo-jin(Alias) : "My friends recommended the yangfam activity. I talk closely with a number of stepfamily members which also include a mom and dad."

Very different from how she conducts herself at home, Choi shares details of her daily life in the online chat room with her online family. She has a family numbering in the dozens in her own little smartphone world including parents and siblings with whom she can talk freely. Then why this trend? Why do teens candidly share their thoughts to a fake family while they're tightly closed up to their own folks?

[Soundbite] Jang Hye-won(Official, Seoul Met. C & R Center for Youth) : "Teens befriend an online family to talk about things they can't at home. It's not necessarily bad things but they can pour out their stories to their so-called stepfamilies."

Parents may well want to check if their children rely on their yangfam more than their real family. Starting today, pay more attention and offer more guidance to your kids, not to mention holding heart to heart conversations you can't get on a smartphone.