NK Nuclear Diplomacy

[Anchor Lead]

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong, who is now on a visit to New York, strongly criticized the United States during a UN conference. Citing Washington's nuclear threat, he said that North Korea is only left to respond to nukes with nukes. His remark is seen as an attempt to create a cause for Pyongyang's anticipated 5th nuclear test.

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While speaking at the United Nations, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong said that his country's sustainable development is placed in the worst conditions due to the West. The West he's referring to is the United States.

[Soundbite] Ri Su-yong(N. Korean Foreign Minister) : "The U.S. is conducting the largest ever nuclear war exercise on the Korean Peninsula."

The North Korean minister said that in order to remove U.S. nuclear threat, the North Korea tried dialogue and made efforts through international law but that everything went down the drain. He claimed the only thing left now is to respond to nukes with nukes. He also blasted UN sanctions on Pyongyang as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

[Soundbite] Ri Su-yong(N. Korean Foreign Minister) : "Washington's conduct to remove N. Korea through nuclear threats and economic blockade is an expression of ignorance."

He also stressed that it is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's political will that by all means Pyongyang will come out triumphant in the end. His remarks are seen as an attempt to justify a rumored fifth nuclear test by the reclusive regime. By underscoring Washington's nuclear threat at the UN conference, North Korea is speculated to use its claim for conducting a nuclear test ahead of its ruling Workers' Party convention next month.

2. Thai Sanctions on NK

[Anchor Lead]

The Thai government is poised to toughen sanctions on North Korea. Thai authorities are thinking about refusing North Korean carrier Air Koryo and have already finished investigating private businesses have that invested in or are dealing with North Korean partners.

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The Thai government is reportedly reviewing sanctions against North Korea, with measures such as refusing North Korean flights. The development follows the Thai cabinet's recent approval of local implementation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2270. North Korea currently operates one Air Koryo flight between Pyongyang and Bangkok every Wednesday. But the latest resolution has raised the likelihood that Thailand may not extend the operation license for Air Koryo, due to expire at the end of this month. Thai authorities are also looking into rejecting vessels belonging to North Korea's Ocean Maritime Management from entering ports in Thailand. In addition, the Thai government is reported to have finished investigating private businesses that had invested in or are dealing with North Korea. It appears that a significant number of private companies will experience disruptions in their business operations, accordingly. Meanwhile, the South Korean government dispatched Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam to Thailand and Cambodia last month to ask for their cooperation with sanctions against the North Korean regime.

3. Toxic Sterilizer

[Anchor Lead]

KBS has the exclusive on results of a lab experiment involving the humidifier sterilizer produced by British firm Oxy Reckitt Benckiser. In an experiment conducted on pregnant lab mice, unborn babies died after the mothers were fed a substance from the sterilizer. Oxy was found to have concealed the negative lab results.

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A research team at Seoul National University's veterinary college submitted the results of its first test report to British firm Oxy Reckitt Benckiser concerning its humidifier sterilizer product in November 2011. In the team's experiment, 15 pregnant mice were exposed to the sterilizer and babies of 13 of them died in the womb. Black dots were also detected on the skin of the deceased baby mice, which points to possible deformity. The test results partly explain the high percentage of pregnant women and unborn babies among the victims of the sterilizer. The Seoul National University report concludes that Oxy's sterilizing product for humidifiers could be harmful and additional tests were necessary. But Oxy left out this lab test result when it submitted a letter of opinion to the prosecution back in 2014. The company only presented the outcome of a second experiment conducted on non-pregnant mice, and even argued that the government inquiry on the case was unreliable. The second report also included the SNU's warning that the sterilizer could pose risks to other organs including the heart but Oxy only stressed the irrelevance to the lungs. The SNU professor in charge of the experiment told prosecutors that while the product has clearly proven to be toxic, Oxy only submitted test results that were positive to the firm. On Thursday, Oxy issued an official apology with plans to pay an additional 4.4 million dollars but victim groups rejected the apology.

4. Historic Book Found

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Police have apprehended an antique dealer who has been hiding one of Korea's most important historical records, the Ki-i edition of the Samgukyusa or the History of the Three Kingdoms, since 1999 when it was stolen from a professor's home. The cultural property dealer kept the book hidden in the ceiling of his home for more than 15 years, but was apprehended when he put it up for auction, mistakenly thinking that the statute of limitations had expired.

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A panel has been removed from the ceiling of a bathroom to reveal a secret compartment. An antiques dealer surnamed Kim has been hiding a historic volume here. The Samgukyusa edition in question is estimated to be the oldest surviving woodblock edition from the early Joseon period. It is a Ki-i edition of the Samgukyusa, which was stolen from the home of a college professor in Daejeon back in 1999. The dealer mistakenly thought that the 10-year statute of limitation on stolen goods had expired in 2009, and put the book up for auction at nearly 307,000 U.S. dollars last January. But the police have slapped him with a secretion of stolen goods charge. According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, the statute of limitations for hiding stolen goods is seven years from the day the cultural property was disclosed.

[Soundbite] Jeong Yeon-ho(Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) : "He waited until the statute of limitations expired for special robbery before putting the book up for auction. However, the statute of limitations for stolen goods is calculated from the day it appears on the auction market."

The edition of the Samgukyusa in question will first be sent to the National Folk Museum of Korea before it is returned to its original keeper.

5. Geoje Restructuring

[Anchor Lead]

Amid news of a government push to restructure sluggish industries, the atmosphere is unsettling in the city of Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province where major shipyards are located. Take a look at the mood in Geoje that could be hit by a wave of corporate restructuring.

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The dock of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province is filled with maritime plant facilities. Due to insufficient technology, operations have been delayed and the facilities were not delivered in timely fashion to ship owners. With the offshore plant sector incurring more and more loss, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering recorded a deficit of 4.8 billion dollars last year. Creditor financial institutions injected funds of over 1.7 billion dollars but the company's insolvency only worsened to the tune of 16 billion dollars-plus in debt. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is now cited as the very first target to undergo restructuring in the shipbuilding sector. Obviously the atmosphere is uneasy surrounding the firm.

[Soundbite] DSME Employee(Voice altered) : "If shipbuilders are merged, many units will overlap. Employees especially in administrative positions are experiencing employment jitters."

Many want the shipbuilding industry to revive itself following sensible restructuring efforts.

[Soundbite] DSME Employee(Voice altered) : "I hope this opportunity can serve to revive the shipbuilding sector and also secure job stability for the workers."

Meanwhile restructuring measures are accelerating across the sector as Hyundai Heavy Industries is believed to have decided to reduce its workforce by over ten percent.

6. Alcohol Regulations

[Anchor Lead]

Authorities had toughened regulations on so-called "beer boys" selling beer in baseball stadiums and liquor stores' wine delivery services. The regulations sparked fierce public uproar, however, and the National Tax Service has changed its stance to allow these transactions.

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The National Tax Service announced that so-called "beer boys" will be allowed to sell draft beer at baseball stadiums. An NTS official said that a liquor license will be granted to the beer vendors if the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approves business operations in accordance with the Food Sanitation Act. That means that if the Ministry allows beer vendors in baseball stadiums, the NTS will do the same. Previously, the MFDS had banned the mobile vendors from selling draft beer in baseball stadiums as the sale of alcohol was deemed to be in violation of food sanitation laws. But the resulting controversy forced the ministry to change its decision. The National Tax Service also decided to scrap its controversial ban on wine delivery services. Earlier, the NTS imposed a collective fine of about 235,000 U.S. dollars on 65 wine and spirits retailers that had provided wine delivery services for violating the current statute that allows only face-to-face transactions for alcohol. However, this penalty was criticized for being excessive. It is still illegal to purchase alcoholic beverages such as wine over the phone or the internet. The controversial chicken-and-beer delivery service remains illegal, but authorities are looking into ways to allow it in the future.

7. Korean Rocket Tech

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Countries around the world are getting into a new space race. With the goal to realize lunar exploration by 2020, Korea is developing a Space Launch Vehicle. Follow us to the Naro Space Center where the rocket development is under way.

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This is the first ignition of a 75-ton engine completed last month solely through domestic technology. All key components of the engine have been fully developed through Korean technology, including a three-stage 7-ton engine which completed a 100-second-long combustion test.

[Soundbite] Yeo Tae-min(Dir., Production at Rocket Engine Developing Firm) : "Based on our technology of developing and manufacturing aircraft engine, our firm took part in the space project from the viewpoint of aiming to move beyond planet Earth and reach the universe."

After over 200 combustion tests and test launches, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle will be lifted to space for the first time at the end of 2019. If the launch is successful, Korea will be able to send a satellite to space on its own. It will also inch closer to realizing a lunar exploration scheduled for 2020. Based on its price competitiveness, Korea will also join the global space development market which is increasingly becoming commercialized. Some 1.7 billion dollars will go into the KSLV project. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the field of space technology can generate economic returns of over 8 times the investment.

8. Shoulder Health

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Shoulder muscle tear is a common cause of shoulder pain, together with frozen shoulder. Shoulder muscles tend to undergo wear and tear as people age, but scientists have found that the risk of shoulder muscle rupture is higher for those that don’t have a lot of muscle development.

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This man in his 60s visited the hospital because of pain in his shoulder so severe that he couldn't lift his arm. He underwent surgery for a torn shoulder muscle.

[Soundbite] Heo Yun-gyu(Patient, Torn Shoulder Muscle) : "The pain was so severe that I couldn't sleep or sit still. So I kept taking pain killers."

The muscle that connects the arm to the shoulder is thin, so it may become worn out like fabric over long years of use, possibly leading to a shoulder muscle tear. A medical team at the Konkuk University Medical Center studied 48 patients suffering from torn shoulder muscles and found that they had substantially less muscle mass than other people in the same age group.

[Soundbite] Prof. Chung Seok-won(Konkuk Univ. Medical Center) : "Having little muscle mass in the shoulders means that the shoulder muscles are thin and the shoulder tendons are in poor condition."

Muscle mass diminishes by 1% every year after the age of 40, necessitating exercise to strengthen the muscles. A simple shoulder exercise can be done at home with a set of light dumbbells. Also, it is best to straighten one's chest and pull the shoulders back to refrain from slouching forward.

9. Becoming K-Pop Stars

[Anchor Lead]

K-pop has enjoyed explosive popularity in Korea's neighbor of China for some years now. But going beyond just watching and enjoying Korea's pop culture, a number of young Chinese people are stepping up to the challenge of becoming future K-pop stars themselves. Up next, a report on their challenges.

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At this talent agency in Shanghai, Chinese youngsters dream of becoming K-pop superstars. Young trainees are hard at work to improve their singing skills. Their instructor is a Korean vocal trainer.

[Soundbite] "Try again. Dynamics! Breath!"

The young students practice Korean pop songs and learn the singing techniques of Korean vocalists. These Chinese youths dream of becoming K-pop stars of the future.

[Soundbite] Zhu Kejia(Trainee) : "I've been looking for an agency to realize my dream. Now that I've found a company, I think I'm closer to my dream."

Singing is not the end of it. A dance class immediately follows. The lesson is taught by a Korean dance instructor and the choreography and training methods are all done in Korean style.

[Soundbite] "Twist like this."

[Soundbite] Wu Zhuofan(Trainee) : "There is a Korean instructor here. There are no such instructors in China. I came here because I love Korean culture."

The Korean trainers also find it worthwhile to teach these young Chinese students, brimming with passion for Korean pop music.

[Soundbite] Oh Myeong-seok(Korean Dance Trainer) : "Since they like K-pop so much, they are more passionate about mimicking every gesture and facial expression of Korean idols."

The Korean training system involves discovering promising young talents and putting them through vigorous training programs to transform them into stars. This is a system that hasn't existed in China even until very recently. But the popularity of K-pop has prompted Chinese entertainment agencies to adopt the Korean way one after another.

[Soundbite] Wang Jie(FNC Entertainment Shanghai CEO) : "I believe we need to learn a lot more from Korea about nurturing and training idol stars."

The young generation of China has grown up on K-pop. Now they're following their favorite idols and rising to the challenge of becoming K-pop superstars.