NK Nuclear Threat

[Anchor Lead]

In its biennial white paper the South Korean military has confirmed that North Korea has made significant strides in miniaturizing its nuclear weapons and that it is constructing a new submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles.

[Pkg]

The South Korean military said in its 2014 defense white paper that North Korea's capabilities to miniaturize nuclear weapons seem to have reached a significant level. Seoul assesses that North Korea's nuclear capabilities have stepped beyond the experimental stage and emerged as a real threat. The North is also believed to have secured some 40 kilograms of plutonium and to be still working on its highly enriched uranium program. The white paper also assessed that through five long range missile test launches, the North is presumed to have missile capabilities that could threaten the U.S. mainland. The paper said the Taepodong-2 missile with a range of ten-thousand kilometers can reach Alaska and even Los Angeles. The report also confirmed that North Korea was building a new submarine from where ballistic missiles can be launched.

[Soundbite] Lee Su-seok (Chief Researcher, INSS) : "It's very difficult for us to detect the North's moves and prepare against its surprise attacks."

Furthermore, the North is found to have established the 12th Army Corps in its border region with China and Russia to beef up military power and border patrols.

2. Lotte Accusation

[Anchor Lead]

Lotte Group is suspected of unfairly providing its affiliates with transport jobs supplying food to distribution centers nationwide. Small truckers, suddenly out of a job, are facing financial difficulties.

[Pkg]

This food transport company's warehouse stands empty. The company had transported food items for Lotte distribution centers for the past two years, but its contract with the supplier was cancelled last month. The trucking firm had to lay off an employee and is now forced to sell its vehicular assets purchased last year.

[Soundbite] Lee Kwang-soo (Food Transporter) : "We supplied about 1,500 to 2,000 boxes a month on average to Lotte. Now our income has been halved."

Transport companies claim that their contracts with the food suppliers for Lotte distribution centers have been cancelled, and most of the transport jobs have been turned over to Lotte affiliates. Their suppliers found fault with temperatures and other storage conditions, and pressured the trucking companies to hand over their transport jobs to Lotte affiliates. Lotte countered by saying that the food suppliers are the ones that decide which transport companies they hire, and that there had been no pressure.

[Soundbite] Lotte Distribution Center Employee (Voice Modified) : "Suppliers contact the transport companies themselves."

The livelihood of small trucking companies is being threatened as they suffer from sudden losses of income due to suspicious contract cancellations.

3. Sewol Compensation

[Anchor Lead]

Rival political parties have finally agreed on the details of a law of providing compensation to the Sewol ferry disaster victims. The bill is scheduled to be passed in the parliament's plenary session next Monday.

[Pkg]

A special bill that provides support to the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking has finally been agreed upon by rival political parties after dozens of rounds of negotiations. Namely, the opposing sides agreed that the state would provide compensation for the loss of lives and physical damages that resulted from the ferry disaster. The victims and bereaved families will also receive reparations in addition to the compensation. Over 113 million U.S. dollars in public donations will likely be used for this payment. Fishermen in Jindo County will be compensated for their losses, while residents in Jindo and Ansan City will also receive special aid for their sagging local economies. Also, regulations will be drawn up so that students of Danwon High School who were juniors at the time of the incident will be granted special university admissions.

[Soundbite] Rep. Joo Ho-young (Saenuri Party's Policy Committee Chair) : "The bill seeks consideration for college admissions in whatever form for Danwon High School juniors who were involved in the tragedy."

The April 16 Foundation, which is charged with memorial projects, victim support and other public safety projects, will also be funded by the country over the next five years. The special Sewol ferry compensation bill is scheduled to be passed in the National Assembly plenary session on Monday.

4. Smartphone Discounts

[Anchor Lead]

Tomorrow marks the 100th day since the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act went into effect. With mobile providers offering smartphones at deeply discounted rates, sometimes for free, consumers can roped into expensive monthly plans with high cancellation charges.

[Pkg]

This is the Galaxy Note 3 released in September 2013. Consumers can currently get this model for free now that mobile service providers have started offering up to 800 dollars in subsidies, the same amount as its factory price. That's because the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act does not limit subsidies on smartphones released 15 months ago or earlier. Consumers are greatly interested, because this is the first popular model to be offered for free since the enactment of the new distribution law.

[Soundbite] Park Ah-reum (Mobile Service User) : "I'm looking for a cheap phone since there seems to be little difference. The Galaxy Note 3 is heavily discounted because of the MDDI Act."

But consumers could be disappointed if they hastily purchase free smartphones, tempted by high subsidies. Free phone buyers must enroll in expensive calling plans, which can cost almost 100 U.S. dollars a month, and may end up paying more in unnecessary fees than the subsidy amount. Also, the subsidy must be returned in full as a penalty if the calling plan is cancelled before the contract period is over. With public protest mounting over excessive cancellation charges, the government urged service providers to devise measures to ease the consumer burden.

5. Unmanned Parking

[Anchor Lead]

The number of unmanned mechanical parking lots is on the rise. Without the aid of parking attendants, these parking areas are prone to accidents due to machine malfunctions.

[Pkg]

A man trapped on the fifth floor of this machine-operated parking tower is brought to safety by rescue workers. His fellow passenger mistakenly operated the elevator before the man got out of the car. Such accidents occur because users have to operate the machines themselves with no manager or attendant on standby. A KBS crew tried using a mechanical parking system at a hotel. With no personnel around, the driver must operate the system.

[Soundbite] Hotel Customer : "Is there no one here? No, there's not."

There were no parking attendants at most of the six locations visited by KBS reporters, including parking lots at commercial buildings and officetels. Some places didn't even have instructions posted on how to operate the parking system. But for novice drivers, getting their car into the narrow slot is a tall order in itself.

[Soundbite] Im Seong-guk (Suwon, Gyeonggi Prov.) : "If the driver is inexperienced, the wheels can go in the wrong way, suspending the parking machine."

There have been accidents where cars crashed through the wall and plunged to the ground because the driver stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brakes. To prevent such accidents, urgent calls are being made to employ parking attendants at buildings that are over a certain size.

6. Geobang Grape Wine

[Anchor Lead]

Cheonan's specialty Geobong grapes are known for their juicy flesh and intense sweetness. Now small wineries are sprouting up to make wine with Geobong grapes.

[Pkg]

A enticing glass of pink wine catches the eye. This wine is made from Geobong grapes, a Cheonan specialty. Last month Mr. Kim Seong-cheon, who's been growing grapes for the past 37 years, started selling wine made from organic Geobong grapes he grew himself and aged for six months.

[Soundbite] Kim Seong-cheon (Geobong Wine Maker) : "It's mildly sweet and mellow in flavor. It has a delicate flavor that's not too heavy."

Three more grape farmers have set up small wineries like Mr. Kim. They have completed a wine-making course from the local agriculture technology center, and obtained liquor manufacturing licenses and Food and Drug Safety Ministry approvals before opening the wineries. Now they supply their wines to local specialty stores. Grapes harvested during the off-season can be consumed since the late ripening variety produced after September is used to make the wine. The wineries are also looking to provide their wines in conjunction with interactive tour programs.

[Soundbite] Yoo Hye-young (Cheonan Agricultural Tech. Center) : "We're interested in boosting incomes by means other than from selling fresh grapes. So we're looking to grape processing and interactive tour programs."

Geobong farmers confidently claim that their locally produced wines are the best, because they're more enjoyable and better for Koreans than expensive foreign brands.

7. Artist's Letters

[Anchor Lead]

Artist Lee Joong-seop's works are known for vibrant depictions of cows. Letters that the artist wrote to his loved ones as a husband and father are now available to the public.

[Pkg]

Artist Lee Joong-seop spent many years without his family, who had moved to Japan, and needless to say, he missed them very much. His sorrow is expressed in his letters to his loved ones. He wrote about how much he wanted to see his family and how much he loved his wife. The artist also drew amusing pictures in the corners of the letters for his two young sons. He humorously depicted his lonely life in Korea and his wish that one day he would reunite with his family. The artist's letters demonstrate his desire to be a good, dauntless father to his children despite the harsh reality.

[Soundbite] Seong Myeong-seon (Visitor) : "These letters show the artist's love and longing for his family and how heartbreaking it was to be apart from them."

Artist Lee Joong-seop's love for his family is regarded as a key element to understanding him as an artist. This exhibition puts on display some 20 letters that the artist wrote to his family and three of his silver foil drawings.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

Musicals staged outside of performance halls are gaining popularity these days because it's an opportunity for audiences to get up close and personal with the cast.

[Pkg]

Musical actors stage an impressive performance in the rehearsal room of an amateur dance club. The atmosphere heats up in no time. It's one of the so-called "visiting musicals," which are staged outside of performance halls. Audiences can learn dance moves directly from the cast and discover the charms of musicals in a more profound way.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-pil (Tango Club Member) : "It was very new to me and it made me want to go see this musical."

This musical is about children going through adolescence. Actors who play teenagers sat down with the young audience to discuss the problems of those difficult years.

[Soundbite] Hwang Hyeon-ji (Prospective College Student) : "My biggest dilemma is whether it's better to enroll in college first."

[Soundbite] Choi Sung-won (Actor, Musical "Adolescence") : "You never know what will happen in life. So don't be afraid to make bold choices."

The teenagers feel free to speak their minds with the actors they admire. "Visiting musicals" provide audiences with unique experiences that are hard to find at conventional performance halls.

9. Year of the Sheep

[Anchor Lead]

The year of the sheep has dawned, and it's not just any ordinary sheep, but the blue sheep. From ancient times blue has represented wisdom and peace, and sheep have been known as a gentle animal. Let's celebrate the year of the sheep by learning more about this animal of peace.

[Pkg]

This is the year of the blue sheep, which comes around every sixty years. The colors of the twelve animals in Chinese zodiac are determined by a cycle of ten heavenly stems. So last year was the year of the blue horse, and this year is of the blue sheep. The sheep is known to be gentle and live in harmony with other sheep, except when fighting to take a mate. That's why the animal represents peace and gentleness in both the West and East.

[Soundbite] Koh Hae-jeong (Pres., Korea Oriental Thought Assoc.) : "Sheep live in a herd and do no harm to others. They have the dignity and class of noble men, and the wisdom to coexist."

Taking after these characteristics, people born in the year of the sheep are said to be mellow and sociable like the sheep.

[Soundbite] Jeong Yeong-nan (Zoo Visitor) : "I hope my family stays healthy and my daughter gets along in kindergarten."

This zoo has a variety of events to celebrate the year of the sheep. Holiday cards with the drawings of cute sheep carrying New Year's wishes will be mailed two or three months later. Children from six to nine years old listen to a story starring sheep and make wishes for the coming year.

[Soundbite] "I wish my family will be healthy and happy."

The National Folk Museum of Korea is marking the year of the sheep by hosting an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and relics featuring sheep. Even foreign visitors, who are unfamiliar with the twelve animals of zodiac, find the exhibit interesting.

[Soundbite] "German Tourist"

Expectant mothers are busy exercising for their babies, who are to be born in the year of the sheep.

[Soundbite] Kim Yun-gyeong (Expectant Mother) : "I want the baby to be well-behaved and polite, and know how to respect the elderly."

We wish all of you to receive the energy of the blue sheep for a peaceful and amicable year.