CHIEF OF STAFF SELECTION UNDERWAY

CHIEF OF STAFF SELECTION UNDERWAY

[Anchor Lead]
President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently considering personnel changes, is expected to announce his new Chief of Staff as early as this weekend. As he finalizes his decision among several candidates, President Yoon has also sought and received recommendations from Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo.

[Pkg]
It's been a week since a personnel overhaul was promised following the ruling People Power Party's election defeat. President Yoon Suk Yeol continues to ponder on the matter while avoiding public schedules. His main focus now is on choosing his chief of staff. A selection could be made as early as this weekend and the president is likely to resume external engagements from next week. One presidential official said the top office is well aware of concerns over controversial appointments. The official said accelerated efforts are exerted in the reshuffle so the administration can swiftly focus on state affairs. Along with the chief of staff, another priority is replacement of senior presidential secretary for political affairs. Raising the rank of the next secretary for this post is also known to be considered. The move is viewed as strengthening the function of political affairs to reflect the importance of communication with the majority-holding opposition. This is why some figures rumored to be the next chief of staff were reportedly asked about their views on the top political aide. Meanwhile President Yoon on Tuesday met with Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo behind closed doors and received recommendations on potential appointments. In the meeting, Hong proposed Kim Han-gil, head of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion for prime minister, and PPP Rep. Chang Je-won for presidential chief of staff. A presidential official said the meeting was part of an opinion gathering process and that the president was listening to various people. As Kim Han-gil and Lee Jung-hyun, head of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development are consistently mentioned as prime minister hopefuls, another possible candidate, former SMEs minister Park Young-sun has stressed the importance of cooperative politics.

FX RATE↓AFTER TRILATERAL TALKS

[Anchor Lead]
The won-dollar exchange rate has eased to the 1,370 won level thanks to the joint verbal intervention made by the finance ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. On the Seoul foreign exchange on Thursday, the local currency strengthened 13-point-nine won against the U.S. dollar to close at 1,372-point-nine won. The won's appreciation is attributed to remarks made by the finance chiefs of the three countries after holding their first trilateral talks on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings in Washington D.C.

TEEN-OPERATED GAMBLING SITE

[Anchor Lead]
Police have arrested over ten individuals for operating an illegal online gambling site. Shockingly, the mastermind behind this operation is a middle school teenager. The majority of participants were also middle school students.

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This social media community frequented by teenagers is actually an online gambling site. When the hit rate is posted for each game, people place their bets through
real-time chatting. One high school student lost more than two million won, over 1,400 dollars, over some 300 bets in four months. One middle school student was even admitted to the psychiatric department at a hospital for a gambling addiction.

[Soundbite]
(Parent of teenage gambler (VOICE MODIFIED)): He wasn't adjusting to school. Couldn't imagine it was gambling-related. He underwent drug treatment only to return to gambling in two weeks. That's when I knew it was serious.

The gambling site was in operation for ten months since December 2022, and the amount of bets placed exceeded 200 million won, about 145,000 dollars in total. It turns out that the person who masterminded this online gambling site was a tech-savvy middle school student. The ten-member operation team was also entirely made up of teenagers. But their membership management and bet exchange system rivaled the criminal rings managed by adults.

[Soundbite]
Jeon Byeong-ha (Busan Metropolitan Police Agency): They are tech-savvy and computer-literate, so they ran the gambling ring by linking their servers with the social media servers overseas.

Roughly 1,500 people used this gambling site. The police found that about 80% of the users were in their teens who used their accounts designated for minors. Ninety-eight people were booked based on their gambling history. Most of them were in middle school and there was even one elementary school student.

ABUSIVE PARENTS SENT TO PRISON

[Anchor Lead]
Some people just don't deserve to be parents. A stepmother and biological father have been sentenced to prison for over a year of relentless abuse of their kids. Hitting his son with a steel ruler for gifting a flower basket and other violent acts while intoxicated, their behavior was profoundly heinous.

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These brothers in elementary school were born one year apart. It was three years ago when their stepmother started abusing them. She starved them, saying that they didn't deserve to eat, and repeatedly beat them in drunken rage. When the older son, eleven years old at the time, gave her a basket of flowers for her birthday, the stepmother smacked him on the palm several times with a steel ruler for spending too much money. The brothers were kicked out of their home on Christmas Eve when they should have been with their family. They were physically and emotionally abused on 23 occasions over roughly one year. Their father ignored their plight instead of stopping the stepmother's abuse. Their relatives and teachers reported the boys' parents to authorities to start an investigation. The court sentenced four years in prison for their stepmother and three years for their father. The court said "the young brothers who should have received their parents' absolute love were seriously hurt." The judge even teared up during the sentencing as the details of their abusive behavior were read. The court also asked the parents at the earlier trial how they could abuse children that way when they deserve only undivided love and care. The judge reprimanded the parents by saying the written records were too infuriating to continue to be read. The young brothers sent a petition to the court asking for leniency for their father. But they were probably pressured by their relatives and the father didn't seem to sincerely regret his actions, compelling the court to hand down heavy penalties.

[Soundbite]
Gong Hye-jeong (Chair, Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association): The court has been tolerant toward parents, but judging from the latest sentence, the court is now resolved to protect children from their parents.

The brothers are currently under the care of their grandmother who thanked the prosecutor and investigators for watching over her grandsons even after the investigation was over.

COMMERCIAL HUMANOID CLOSER

[Anchor Lead]
Thought this could only happen in sci-fi movies. Human-like robots, known as 'humanoids,' are continuously evolving and are now on the brink of commercialization. Boston Dynamics, which gained attention with its 'Robo-dog', has unveiled a new humanoid robot. It's expected to be deployed in manufacturing sites in the near future.

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A robot lying on the floor bends its legs backward like a gymnast and gets up. It then rotates its body, moves its joints freely and approaches the camera. This new version of a humanoid robot named Atlas has been unveiled by Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor. A day earlier, the company bid farewell to the previous version of its robot. Two years ago, this very robot drew the spotlight for perfectly performing various stunts such as jumps and somersaults.

[Soundbite]
Scott Kuindersma (Atlas team, Boston Dynamics (Jan. 2023))

The footage shows numerous errors, such as an oil leak from the robot's joints after it trips and falls. It's the biggest improvement that can be found in the new version. The previous robot moved its joints using a hydraulic device, which involved high pressure on oil. But the new and improved uses an electric motor. Lighter and more agile, the new humanoid can perform more intricate operations. This is why it is believed to be one step closer to commercialization.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Park Hae-won (KAIST): The electric motor is not prone to oil leaks and does not need to be refilled. It can also be made as a simple mechanical device.

Boston Dynamics and Hyundai Motor are currently discussing introducing the new version of Atlas in automobile manufacturing.

YOON VOWS TO ADVANCE DEMOCRACY

[Anchor Lead]
President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the April 19th National Cemetery in Seoul's Gangbuk-gu district on Friday and paid respects to fallen heroes. Marking the April 19 Revolution, Yoon vowed to further advance the country's liberal democracy that was defended through the 1960 democratic movement, according to his office. On the cemetery visit, Yoon was accompanied by veterans affairs minister Kang Jung-ai and Oh Gyeong-seop, chair of the April 19 Democracy Revolution Association.

24-HOUR CHILDCARE CENTER

[Anchor Lead]
If you're a parent, I'm sure you've all faced those sudden moments when there’s nowhere to turn for childcare. Addressing this need, Icheon City has opened its doors to a '24-hour Childcare Center,' ensuring parents have a reliable option anytime the need arises.

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On a weekend afternoon, children play with their daycare teachers. This daycare center is open around the clock all year round. Parents can use its services even on holidays, at nighttime and at dawn, when other daycare centers are usually closed. Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, was the first in the nation to open a 24/7 childcare center for children aged 12 or younger.

[Soundbite]
Kim Ji-soo (Director of 24/7 childcare center in Icheon): Parents use our services when they need to go to ER or attend events like weddings or funerals, where they cannot take their children with them.

Professional daycare teachers, social workers and youth instructors work at the center in three 8-hour shifts. While requiring a low fee of just one thousand won, or about 70 cents per hour, the center can accommodate the needs of children of various age groups. During the two-week pilot operation, nearly 120 children used the facility, attesting to its popularity.

[Soundbite]
Oh Seon-ja (Parent): I can leave my child here for as long as I need without worries. I can rest assured because there are several teachers working here.

[Soundbite]
Kim Kyung-hee (Icheon City Mayor): It's the responsibility of the government, central or local, to help raise children.

The government of Icheon City has also concluded partnerships with six hospitals and community clinics in the area to provide swift emergency health care to children when needed. With the plunging birth rate being a serious social issue in Korea these days, this center offers a viable solution to parents.

PRESERVING HAENYEO TRADITION

[Anchor Lead]
Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, second only to Jejudo Island in its number of female divers known as haenyeo, is facing a sharp decline in their ranks due to aging and a shrinking fishing community. In response, local authorities and the haenyeo themselves have launched serious efforts to train new divers, aiming to preserve this at-risk tradition.

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It's seaweed harvesting season. Female-divers, known as "haenyeo" in Korean, are busy gathering seaweed in their diver suits. Most of them are from other regions across the country. Haenyeo from this village are now too old to work.

[Soundbite]
Are there any haenyeo in this area? No.

There are some 1,200 haenyeos left on the east coast in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Every year their number dwindles, and most of those who are still left are of an elderly age. It is rather pessimistically forecast that in the near future, we could witness the last of the haenyeo in this region. A school for training haenyeo has opened recently in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The trainees wearing diving weight belts enter the water.

[Soundbite]
Stretch your legs out. Relax your ankles.

They learn how to dive and control their breathing in the water. This is the first facility to be operated by a local government to train haenyeo outside of Jejudo Island. Most of the trainees are in their 40s. After a month of training, they will be able to take over for their elderly predecessors.

[Soundbite]
Choi Jae-ho (Uljin Scuba Diving Center): Those who receive training have a high chance of settling down in this area as haenyeo, both men and women.

Haenyeos on the east coast have also stepped in to train their juniors. They plan to open their own training school to preserve and hand down their customs and tradition.

[Soundbite]
Sung Jung-hee (Gyeongbuk Haenyeo Association): It is important to preserve the haenyeo tradition. I am proud of these young people who come here to learn. It takes a lot of courage.

Efforts to preserve the haenyeo tradition on the east coast of Korea will hopefully produce good results.