KOREAN SHIPBUILDERS RECLAIM TOP SPOT

KOREAN SHIPBUILDERS RECLAIM TOP SPOT

[Anchor Lead]
While the semiconductor industry is mired in a slump, there is a sector that has been supporting our exports. It's the shipbuilding industry, which has reclaimed the top spot in global order quantity, demonstrating new possibilities. We look into what kind of tasks must be addressed to continue such success.

[Pkg]
The Blue Whale is a liquefied natural gas bunker vessel often called a gas station on the sea. Locally developed technologies went into this ship made to supply fuel to LNG-driven vessels.

[Soundbite]
Seok Hyeon-bo (Supervising Manager, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries): This is a ship that represents the Korean shipbuilding industry's technological excellence which incorporates LNG ship construction know-how.

Korea's shipbuilding industry is rebounding from a long slump caused by its Chinese counterpart's success. Korea received 40 billion dollars' worth of orders for two straight years, in 2021 and 2022, and reclaimed the title of the world's largest shipbuilder by accounting for 40% of the global order quantity in the first quarter of this year. That means orders for the next three to four years or until 2026 have already been received. Such high demand can be attributed to Korea's high-value, eco-friendly technologies. But it's too early to be complacent. Korea takes up 90% of all global orders for super LNG carriers, but because Korean shipbuilders don't possess their own technology, they are paying about 5% of the shipbuilding cost in royalty to France. The Korean government promised local shipbuilders massive investment for technology development.

[Soundbite]
Lee Chang-yang (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy): The government will invest KRW 180 bn to develop key equipment and infrastructure for verification, certification and standardization.

Another challenge is chronic shortage of manpower. About 5,000 foreign workers are to be employed annually for the next three years, but manpower shortage will always be a problem unless working conditions and work environments are improved.

[Soundbite]
Kim Chun-taek (Korean Metal Workers' Union): The number of workers increased mainly in logistics or subcontractors such as outsourcing companies. The quality of employment worsened.

The shipbuilding industry's renewed boom should be shared among subcontractors as well.

EMPLOYMENT CRISIS HITS THOSE IN 40S

[Anchor Lead]
People in their 40s are struggling in the job market. Last month, the total number of employed people increased by over 350,000 compared to a year ago, but the number of employed people in their 40s has been declining for ten consecutive months. As exports have been sluggish and manufacturing has become more challenging, the available job opportunities for those in their 40s have narrowed.

[Pkg]
Employment data for April shows lackluster job growth among young people and those in their 40s. The number of employed people in their 40s fell by some 22-thousand from a year ago, marking a downward trend for the 10th month. The drop is attributed to sluggish exports led by semiconductors, which wiped out many manufacturing jobs, as well as a slump in the construction sector. Statistics Korea believes workers in their 40s, a great majority of whom are employed in these sectors, have been affected. This reality is also evident at job fairs.

[Soundbite]
(Job seeker in 40s (VOICE MODIFIED)): I lost my job after my company shut down. I was in the manufacturing field.

[Soundbite]
(Job seeker in 40s (VOICE MODIFIED)): (Are you doing construction work?) Yes. Even day to day jobs are hard to come by these days.

Even as 40-something job seekers try to transfer to other trendy workplaces, that is a tall order as such jobs tend to have a much younger demographic.

[Soundbite]
(Job seeker in 40s): Some companies are young. The CEO, who seemed younger than me, said he's not considering hiring people in their 40s because it's burdensome.

Those in their 40s are also hesitant to apply for low paying public service jobs.

[Soundbite]
(Job seeker in 40s): Many men in their 40s ponder over jobs that can substantively help family finances and allow them to fulfill duties as husband and breadwinner.

This is why the employment rate of Koreans in their 40s is ranked among the bottom in the OECD at 31st. Industry experts are calling for institutional support, such as tax breaks, to help create jobs for those in their 40s. Others are asking for more reeducation programs and an improved corporate culture that is not centered on seniority.

S. KOREA LOWERS COVID-19 CRISIS LEVEL

[Anchor Lead]
President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the decision to lower the national COVID-19 crisis level from "serious" to "alert" while presiding over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Thursday. This is a de facto declaration of the nation's transition to an endemic phase and return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Coming three years and three months after the nation's first COVID-19 case was reported, it will go into effect on June 1. Under the eased restrictions, the mandatory seven-day isolation will be lifted as early as late this month. Instead, COVID-19 patients will be advised to self-quarantine for five days. The indoor mask mandate for clinics and pharmacies will also be reduced to a recommendation.

NON-CONTACT TREATMENT FACE MANY ISSUES

[Anchor Lead]
The government today has downgraded the COVID-19 crisis level, causing the basis for non-contact medical treatment to disappear. The government's policy is to maintain it as a pilot project, and it's also been confirmed that they are considering ways to allow non-contact first-time medical examinations for some patients.

[Pkg]
The government and the doctors' group agreed early this year on the key principles of non-contact medical treatment. Non-contact medical treatment principles will be applied mainly to returning patients and clinic-level medical institutions. Also, hospitals exclusively administering non-contact treatments will be prohibited. However, the non-contact treatment platform industry demanded that such untact medical service should be allowed for first-time patients as well. Subsequently, the government is reviewing ways to allow non-contact first-time medical examinations for some patients. In a recent closed meeting, the government reportedly suggested to the platform providers that non-contact first-time medical examinations be allowed for cases with infection risk. However, detailed criteria for infection risk have not been established. The platform industry argues that the criteria are too vague.

[Soundbite]
Jang Ji-ho (Telemedical Industry Council): The industry is very confused because it isn't clear if the government will provide the platform companies with individual patients' medical records or if that is technologically feasible.

Earlier this year, President Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned pediatrics as an area that needs more doctors. Consequently, the government and the industry are discussing ways to allow non-contact first-time medical examinations for children and teenagers. But doctors oppose this plan since allowing first-time examinations for a certain medical department may cause a decline in medical service quality and an increased risk of misdiagnosis.

[Soundbite]
Kim E-yeon (Korean Medical Association): Confusion is inevitable at the sites where prescription drugs are used and patients are treated. But confusion at medical institutions ends up threatening people’s health.

Meanwhile, pharmacists opposing medical drug delivery want to build their own delivery system, worsening the conflict over non-contact medical treatment.

N. KOREA BEHIND 2021 HOSPITAL DATA LEAK

[Anchor Lead]
Two years ago, there was an incident where the personal information of about 830,000 patients and employees at Seoul National University Hospital was leaked. Police investigations concluded that a North Korean hacking organization was behind the incident.

[Pkg]
In 2021, Seoul National University Hospital confirmed the leak of personal data of patients and staff members. Names, dates of birth and hospital records of some 830-thousand people were leaked. After a two year investigation, the police concluded that a North Korean hacking group was behind the act. Police say the hackers used seven domestic and overseas computer servers as a launch pad for the attack in order to conceal their IP address. They then infiltrated the hospital's intranet. They stole information by planting a malicious program into the hospital's online bulletin board, which was vulnerable to hack attempts.

[Soundbite]
Lee Seung-wun (Nat'l Police Agency): The hackers exploited the vulnerability of the bulletin board where files containing malicious code could be uploaded.

Police found that the IP address from the attack's place of origin was the same as those used in previous suspected North Korean hacks. They also confirmed North Korean vocabulary used in the hackers' password, such as a uniquely North Korean way of saying "don't get on my nerves". Police suspect the North Korean hacking group Kimsuky, responsible for the 2014 hack of South Korea's Hydro & Nuclear Power Company, may also be linked to the latest case. Officials say the SNU Hospital hack was likely aimed at stealing information of certain high-profile figures who received treatment at the hospital, considering the fact that test records were saved in the hacked servers. However, police say no secondary damage, such as the use of the stolen information in other crimes, has been reported. Meanwhile, the Personal Information Protection Commission has imposed a fine of 75 million won on SNU Hospital over its failure to implement sufficient safety measures. The hospital said it created a new specialized information security team since the incident.

UNIV. FACULTY SEEKS BACK PAY

[Anchor Lead]
Employees at a university in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, who have not received 11 billion won in wages, have applied for the university's bankruptcy. The Ministry of Education has also begun auditing the university and its corporation.

[Pkg]
The International University of Korea in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. Elevator operations have been suspended for over a year and students' club rooms are all covered with a thick layer of dust. The four-year-course university has failed to pay its faculty over the past five years and the overdue wages total some 11 billion won. About 50 former and current faculty members filed bankruptcy with the court against the foundation of the university.

[Soundbite]
Jeon Jin-dae (Lawyer): The school foundation will submit detailed measures. If they are deemed unrealistic, the bankruptcy request can be accepted.

If the bankruptcy petition is accepted, the foundation is ordered to sell its properties and provide the overdue wages partially. But the school has yet to even begin discussing ways to address the crisis.

[Soundbite]
(Member on the university's board of directors (VOICE MODIFIED)): The chair is not registered on the school foundation's register. He is in bad health. There cannot be any discussions.

The post of the university's president has remained vacant for over a year. The education ministry is conducting a comprehensive audit on the university and its foundation, which is separate from the bankruptcy petition. It is looking into whether the foundation committed accounting irregularities, in addition to the long-overdue back pay. Based on the results of the audit, the university will face punitive measures, which include a correction order and even a shutdown. In 2017, the ministry ordered Seonam University in Jeollabuk-do Province to close down, after it was found to be responsible for faulty management practices and overdue wages topping 15 billion won.

[Soundbite]
(Education Ministry official (VOICE MODIFIED)): Schools are ordered to shut down when they have breached duties or failed to comply with correction orders. The audit will shed light on what went wrong.

If the court declares the school's bankruptcy or orders its shutdown, students will be transferred to nearby universities as special cases in accordance with a related law. However, concerns are growing that students' right to study and learn will be infringed upon.

APARTMENT GUARDS FACE LAYOFFS VIA VOTE

[Anchor Lead]
There have been consecutive cases of security guards being laid off en masse in the metropolitan area due to residents' votes in apartment complexes. The aim is to reduce management fees by cutting back on security personnel. The affected security guards are expressing job insecurity.

[Pkg]
This is a notice put up at an apartment building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province regarding a vote to introduce a security system. The gist of the announcement is whether to lay off security guards in order to save maintenance costs. In the vote, 70% of residents supported the move and decided to sack 14 security guards.

[Soundbite]
(Apartment resident (VOICE MODIFIED)): It's because of the steep maintenance fees, fueled by high heating bills.

This means about half of the currently employed 26 guards would be laid off. The guards are anxious because they don't know who's being fired and just have to wait to be notified.

[Soundbite]
(Security guard (VOICE MODIFIED)): I was told to work until September, but who knows who will leave. People over 70 can't get jobs elsewhere.

Kim Jeong-soo was also laid off from an apartment complex last September where he worked for seven years. Again, the decision was based on a vote.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jeong-soo (Apartment security guard): Residents gave their consent in a vote, deciding to reduce the number of workers like me.

87 people like Kim have been dismissed from apartments comprising over 3,000 households.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jeong-soo (Apartment security guard): People 70 and older aren't needed anymore. We left without a word of complaint. We are expendable.

Workers who served for several years can be laid off easily through a residents' poll due to their very short term employment contract. The contract is signed every three months and dismissal is possible whenever that period ends. According to a survey conducted in Gyeonggi-do Province, four out of 10 apartment security guards are hired through these short term contracts. These contracts are on the rise with the introduction of unmanned security systems. Critics say local authorities need to act.

[Soundbite]
Im Deuk-gyun (Labor attorney): Local governments can draw up budgets to ensure guards' job security. In that case, incentives can be given to apartments that give long-term job contracts.

Only about 40% of the 243 local governments nationwide have ordinances enacted concerning support measures for apartment complex employees. Of those places, nearly 40 locations only had the rules on paper and no actual projects were taking place.