BUSAN GEARS UP FOR 2ND TRY

BUSAN GEARS UP FOR 2ND TRY

[Anchor Lead]
In a heartfelt response to the disappointing news of their failed bid to host the World Expo, the citizens of Busan were seen visibly upset, many shedding tears over the outcome. Despite this setback, the Busan City government promptly declared its intention to continue pressing forward with key projects and is considering a bid for the 2035 World Expo.

[Pkg]
There was no surprise upset. When Saudi Arabia, which had gained more than two-thirds of the support in the first vote, was announced as the host city, Busan citizens who had gathered to wait for the result let out a big sigh of disappointment. Some even shed tears. What was even more disappointing was the unexpectedly few votes, coming far short of the nation's nine-year effort.

[Soundbite]
Lee Hee-jeong (Busan resident): It was hard to believe the result. My heart broke thinking that the number of votes didn’t measure up to our efforts.

Busan citizens who got the news in the morning were despondent as well.

[Soundbite]
Choi Jeong-ja (Busan resident): I heard in the morning news that we failed in the bid. I was so disappointed.

The city government of Busan said that although Busan failed to bring the World Expo, the bid was an opportunity to publicize the city to the world and it is looking into having another go at the 2035 Expo.

[Soundbite]
Park Heong-joon (Busan Mayor): The project to turn Busan into a global hub city and open the city’s future should proceed without a hitch.

Busan was encouraged by the examples of Yeosu and Pyeongchang. Yeosu held an international Expo in 2012 after failing to host the World's Fair in 2010, and Pyeongchang won the bid for the Winter Olympics in its third try. Local governments are competing to host big international events. Seoul, for instance, is looking to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics. Trying again for the 2035 World Expo may not be that easy given that gaining nationwide support is a must for the 2035 World Expo bid attempt to succeed.

RESTORATION OF GOSEONG GP

[Anchor Lead]
In response to North Korea's recent provocations, including the restoration of their Guard Post and rearmament in the Joint Security Area, South Korea is advancing its own GP restoration, focusing on a preserved site in the Goseong area. Military authorities are now reviewing practical procedures for this facility's use.

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This is 829GP, a northeasternmost guard post at the end of an uphill road located inside the Demilitarized Zone. Troops and equipment were all withdrawn in late 2018 but the structure itself remains intact to this day. It was the very first guard post erected on the South Korean side of the DMZ after the Korean War armistice was signed in 1953. Due to this symbolism, the post was not dismantled even after the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement and was named a cultural heritage in 2019. As North Korea recently began to restore its guard post 580 meters from this site, the South Korean military is also confirmed to have begun reviewing a similar move.

[Soundbite]
(Cultural Heritage Administration Official (VOICE MODIFIED)): The defense ministry said they would like to reuse GP but it is worn out. We said a remodeling requires permission by Cultural asset committee.

This means that if the culturally designated guard post were to undergo major renovations, it would require deliberations by a committee overseeing cultural assets. But if only minimal repairs are needed, no such review is necessary as the GP is owned and managed by the defense ministry. In the latter case, surveillance operations at the guard post can be swiftly restored.

[Soundbite]
Cheong Seong-chang (Sejong Institute): N. Korea has more GPs and is expected to gradually restore measures halted under 2018 military accord before returning to a pre-accord era.

Considering the safety of troops who will engage in operations, the military did not give specifics on when the GP will function again and on what scale. But it stressed South Korea will establish steadfast readiness posture in response to the North's moves.

YOON TO SHAKE UP CABINET

[Anchor Lead]
President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to commence a significant overhaul of personnel as early as this week. This move comes in anticipation of next year's general elections, with about half of the key ministerial positions likely to be reshuffled. Alongside these changes in key departments, a substantial reorganization is also expected within the Presidential Office.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol officially announced plans to conduct a massive shakeup of the Cabinet and presidential office at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. In the closed-door meeting, the president is known to have said that some Cabinet members will likely move on starting next week. He added that they have been called on by the party for the great job they have done as ministers. The reshuffle plan is now in the final stages of verification and the details will like come out as early as this week. A senior presidential official said that it has not yet been determined what order the shake up of the Cabinet and the presidential office will be. But the official added new appointments will soon be announced. It is expected about half of key ministers will likely be replaced. In addition to Choo Kyung-ho, Won Hee-ryong and Park Min-shik, the replacement of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and Foreign Minister Park Jin is also under review. Others potentially subject to replacement include the ministers of labor, SMEs and startups. The president is said be planning to name a candidate for the director of the National Intelligence Service around the Cabinet reshuffle. Yoon is widely expected to retain his chief of staff, Kim Dae-ki, while replacing all but one senior presidential secretary, Lee Kwan-seop, the senior secretary for policy planning. The top office is to create a new policy office in the upcoming reorganization. As a result, the office of the president will have three director-level officials. On Thursday it was announced Lee Kwan-seop is appointed to head the newly created office. The aide for science and technology under the senior secretary for economic affairs will be upgraded to a senior secretary-level post. The presidential office is also reviewing splitting labor and welfare off from the responsibilities of the senior secretary for social policy. As Yoon is scheduled to make a state visit to the Netherlands in the second week of December, most of the shakeup will likely be completed within next week. However, analysts say some ministers can be replaced after the president returns from the trip, depending on the results of candidate screening.

REAL WAGES DROP FOR 7TH MONTH

[Anchor Lead]
Amid persisting inflation, real wages have dropped for the seventh consecutive month. According to the labor ministry, the average monthly wage for workers at businesses with at least one regular employee rose 5.7 percent to 4.3 million won in September, compared to the same period last year. However, when inflation was factored in, the real wage dropped 1.2 percent to some 3.56 million won. A fall in real wages means product prices rise higher than wages do, making financial conditions worse for salaried workers.

MONK DIES IN TEMPLE FIRE

[Anchor Lead]
Last evening, a tragic incident unfolded at the Chiljangsa Temple in Anseong, where a fire claimed the life of one individual. The police are currently investigating the precise circumstances surrounding the incident. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism has disclosed that the deceased was former administrative head Monk Jaseung.

[Pkg]
The building is engulfed in shooting flames and clouds of smoke. The fire started in the millennia-old Chiljangsa Temple in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do Province around 6:50 p.m. yesterday evening. Firefighters, who were putting out the fire at the temple, found one person dead at the monks' residence. As the police were working to confirm the identity of the deceased, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced that he is Monk Jaseung, who had served as 33rd and 34th director of the order's administrative headquarters. Monk Jaseung was visiting the temple and is known to have lost contact while staying in the monks' residence. An official of the order said a suspected suicide note was found, but the police plan to check the authenticity and contents of the note.

[Soundbite]
(Police officer (VOICE MODIFIED)): (They said there was a suicide note.) I can’t comment on that matter.

There was an initial report stating there were four monks inside the residence when the fire broke out and only three got out. But the Jogye Order said that the report of four monks being together is not correct and Monk Jaseung was the only one who passed away. The police are considering an autopsy to get to the bottom of the case. Chiljangsa Temple was designated as a Gyeonggi-do provincial cultural asset in 1983. Fire fighting authorities say no cultural property was lost in the fire.

GREATER SHELTERS FOR STALKED

[Anchor Lead]
Emergency housing support for victims of stalking will expand to 17 cities and counties starting next year. The emergency housing project is to provide temporary residences to staking victims. Currently, it is operated on a trial basis in Seoul and five other regions across the nation. The gender equality ministry also announced plans to install alarm bells and increase staff at such shelters so it will run them with no operational vacuum.

RECORD LOW FERTILITY RATE

[Anchor Lead]
New birth statistics continue to hit record lows, with this year's third quarter being no exception. The total fertility rate, indicating the average number of children a woman is expected to have, remained at a low of 0.7, mirroring the second quarter's figures. Despite earlier hopes, a rebound in birth rates did not materialize. We look into the details and significance of these latest demographic trends.

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The number of marriages plunged in 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were restrictions on the number of wedding guests and the economy was also in a bad shape. Marriages began to increase again from last May. A year and a half has passed since then. KBS paid a visit to a maternity hospital in Seoul to seek any signs of a rebound also in childbirths. Only eight babies are seen at this newborn unit which can accommodate up to 26. More and more hospital rooms remain empty.

[Soundbite]
Shin Bong-sik (Korean Hospital Association of OBGY): Many hospitals in Seoul are no longer delivering babies, with 3 reaching such decisions from 2024.

The dire situation with childbirths is also evident in the latest statistics. Newborns in the month of September numbered in the 18-thousand range, down 14.6% on-year. The total fertility rate in the third quarter posted an all-time low of 0.7. The annual newborn tally this year may likely drop to the 230-thousand range.

[Soundbite]
Lim Young-il (Statistics Korea): We expect this year's total fertility rate at around 0.7 and sharply down from 2022.

All this means is that increased number of marriages is not leading to more births. Experts especially note a sharp plunge in the total fertility rate among recently married couples.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Lee Chul-hee (Seoul Nat‘l University): Marriages continue to fall while those tying the knot are not having babies. So childbirths plummeted in the past decade.

In its latest outlook reflecting demographic changes, the National Assembly Budget Office said that if the birthrate does not rebound, the country's economic growth after 2040 will remain in the zero percent range. The office also projects the average class size at elementary schools will dwindle from 21 to 10 students and those enlisting in the military will also drop from 180-thousand to 100-thousand.

YOUNG COUPLES' TAKE ON BABIES

[Anchor Lead]
In our following report, we explore why many married couples in their twenties and thirties are choosing not to have children. Key factors include soaring housing costs, increased female workforce participation, and the significant burdens of child-rearing. Understanding these decisions is crucial in tackling the declining birth rate issue. We hear directly from couples firm in their choice to remain childless.

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These are young couples in their twenties and thirties who are either engaged or married. One commonality they possess is that they have shared with their friends and family, their decision not to have a baby.

[Soundbite]
Kim ○○ (Engaged): I said I didn't want kids and he agreed. It was that simple. We think it's best to look at other people's babies.

Their decision was driven by what they heard and saw in close acquaintances' child rearing experiences.

[Soundbite]
Park ○○ (Engaged): I watched my sister raised her kid. It was impossible for her to juggle work and child rearing. She ended up quitting her job.

They believed strongly that it was impossible to have a good career and raise a child well at the same time. Soaring housing prices and unstable job situations were also major concerns.

[Soundbite]
Hwang ○○ (Married): I don't intend to quit my job. I want to work for a long time and keep growing. But having a baby would change all that.

[Soundbite]
Nam ○○ (Engaged): My income and spending discouraged me. I want to run my own business. It isn't realistic to pursue that while raising a kid.

Their concerns are aligned to the recent survey on public awareness which found economic burden, income polarization, and child-rearing issues as the reasons for Korea's low birthrate. Another factor is this generation's changed values that put their own lives before the child's.

[Soundbite]
Kim ○○ (Engaged): Parents can't go out at night because they have to pick up their children. I thought I could never do that.

[Soundbite]
Park ○○ (Engaged): There is nothing for me to gain if I were to have a baby.

How does the older generation view the shifting of personal values?

[Soundbite]
Nam ○○ (Engaged): My mom still doesn't believe me. Many of my friends also don't want to have kids.

Such a change in mindset is rapidly transforming the demographic. The total fertility rate fell sharper than the population estimate projected two years ago. It is clear that drastic measures are needed to address the issue.

[Soundbite]
Nam ○○ (Engaged): Perhaps I will change my mind when working moms become more regular.

[Soundbite]
Kim ○○ (Married): Winning the lottery wouldn't be enough. I would need five wins to even begin thinking about childbirth.