ESSENTIAL DOCTORS WILL NOT STRIKE

ESSENTIAL DOCTORS WILL NOT STRIKE

[Anchor Lead]
Doctors in charge of labor and emergency cases will not join the full-scale strike called by the Korean Medical Association. They emphasized that emergency medical services were maintained during past actions. Patients, gripped by fear, demanded government measures to prevent future strikes.

[Pkg]
The Korean Medical Association warned of a nationwide strike on June 18th. Only the doctors in essential areas such as obstetrics, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine will continue working.

[Soundbite]
Kim Dong-seok (Chair, Korean Medical Practitioners Association): Private practitioners have been treating serious and urgent patients even during the strike and will continue to do so.

Some 140 clinics and hospitals belonging to the Korean Obstetric Hospital Association decided not to join the KMA's all-out strike, while emergency room doctors and anesthesiologists will participate by taking turns as they have done so far. But patients grow increasingly anxious as the day of the general strike nears. Ninety-two patient advocate groups demanded the doctors' group withdraw its plan to suspend medical services for one day.

[Soundbite]
Kwak Jeom-soon (Head, Union of Korea Breast Cancer Patient): Why should the patients be afraid of not receiving anti-cancer treatments? Who do the doctors work for?

The patient groups also pleaded with the government to come up with measures to prevent the general strike from recurring.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jeong-ae (Parent of a rare disease patient): The patients will die. My daughter will die. I hope the Nat'l Assembly would do something so that another strike like this would not hurt us again.

Hospital unions issued a statement demanding the retraction of the service suspension plan at Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital where professors had declared a strike for an indefinite period.

COUPANG FINED FOR ALGORITHM TWEAK

[Anchor Lead]
Coupang has been fined the largest amount ever for a distribution company by the Fair Trade Commission. The FTC revealed that Coupang manipulated search rankings to boost sales of its own brand products. This marks a significant case of unfair practices by Coupang.

[Pkg]
A search word for drinking water typed into the e-commerce app Coupang.. Reveals higher consumer interest for products that show up in the upper rankings.

[Soundbite]
Baek Seon-woo (Coupang consumer): When many people buy a product, there must be a reason. I assume it's reliable.

The Fair Trade Commission believes Coupang manipulated search engine algorithms...to ramp up sales of directly-purchased goods or its own brand products known as private brand or PB that typically have low recognition. It believes the e-commerce giant manipulated the rankings by adding weighted value in search activities or placing PB products in the top 3 rankings. The FTC said the rankings of over 64-thousand products were artificially raised in this way over four years since February 2019. In one incident, a bottled water brand that ranked outside 100th shot up to the number one spot.

[Soundbite]
A (Head of company selling goods on Coupang (VOICE MODIFIED)): Ranking fluctuation is quite severe. One day, the ranking shoots up and the next day, it plunges.

The watchdog added that Coupang mobilized over two thousand employees to write positive reviews for its private-label products. The products were also given high star ratings to have them exposed in high search rankings.

[Soundbite]
B (Head of company selling goods on Coupang (VOICE MODIFIED)): Coupang's own brand products often rank higher in search results even when other brands are priced lower.

The commission slapped a fine of 140 billion won, or around 102 million dollars and also decided to file a complaint with the prosecution against Coupang and its subsidiary Coupang Private Label Brands or CPLB.

[Soundbite]
Cho Hong-sun (Vice chair, Fair Trade Commission): It's meaningful that Coupang's unjust practices of luring consumers have been uncovered and sanctions imposed.

Coupang said it will file an administrative lawsuit arguing the FTC decision is anachronistic in the sense that it disregards consumers' more sophisticated right to choose in the digital age.

DIPLOMACY WITH RUSSIA, CHINA

[Anchor Lead]
The Korean government is trying to manage smooth relations with Russia, countering North Korea's closeness with the country. The upcoming high-level talks with China in Seoul are expected to serve as a check for both parties.

[Pkg]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he highly appreciates South Korea's decision not to provide weapons to Ukraine and that Moscow is ready to restore relations with Seoul. While highlighting Russia-North Korea ties through a planned swift reciprocal visit to the North, Putin has also hinted at improving relations with South Korea. Communication between Seoul and Moscow is believed to have become smoother compared to when the North Korea-Russia summit took place last September. Unlike last year when Seoul is known to have received limited information after the summit, this time, a senior South Korean official has already remarked on Putin's visit to the North, indicating prior communication.

[Soundbite]
Lim Soo-suk (Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs): S. Korea maintains communication with Russia regarding Korean Peninsula issues.

Experts believe that better management of relations with Russia can help prevent close-knit ties between Moscow and Pyongyang such as in areas of technology transfer.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Lee Tae-rim (Korea National Diplomatic Academy): S. Korea-Russia relations clearly have an impact on N. Korea-Russia ties in terms of content and pace. S.Korea's strategic goal is...not to have Russia become the North's guardian.

Meanwhile Seoul's relationship with China, also seen to be normalizing this year, is expected to have the effect of keeping both the North and Russia in check. A foreign affairs and security dialogue between Seoul and Beijing which was upgraded to a vice minister level event last month, as it happens, may likely be held in Seoul early next week just when Putin is expected to head to the North, in which case contrasting scenes would unfold in the two Koreas.

MIRYANG RAPE VICTIM SPEAKS OUT

[Anchor Lead]
Recently, some YouTubers have disclosed the identities of the perpetrators from the 20-year-old gang rape case, where 44 high school boys raped a middle school girl for an year. The victim from that time has now publicly shared her stance for the first time. She urges restraint on baseless speculation to avoid misinformation and further harm.

[Pkg]
On June 1st, a YouTuber revealed the identities and workplaces of the perpetrators of the 2004 Miryang gang rape case. Other YouTubers joined the public opinion claiming that the assailants were essentially let off easy, not paying its due punishment. During the process, however, an innocent person was wrongly accused as a rapist and the court rulings and the victim's voice was disclosed uncensored. Amid the indiscriminate online doxing, the victim's stance was made public for the first time. The rape victim and her sister through a letter thanked the public for their interest in the case, but made clear that they are against releasing information without consent. They also asked not to cause further harm by making groundless speculations.

[Soundbite]
Yun Gyeong-jin (Read the Miryang rape victim's statement): In the future, I want YouTubers to stop disclosing victims' names without consent or protection and blaming the victim.

Unable to acquire a decent job after the incident, the rape victim had to rely on part-time jobs and government's basic living allowance. The victim's support group said that she is psychologically and physically very unstable. The group called for restraint, claiming that the victim's peaceful private life is invaded as some select press members and YouTubers pursue a distorted public's right to know.

[Soundbite]
Lee Mi-gyeong (Director, Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center): I hope the victim is able to escape from the pain, economic difficulties and daily weariness she has endured over 20 years and live a dignified life.

The group started a fundraiser, saying that victim support is just as important as appropriate punishment for the perpetrators.

BTS MARKS 11TH ANNIVERSARY

[Anchor Lead]
Global superstars BTS celebrates their 11th debut anniversary. In honor of this occasion, the BTS fandom, known as 'ARMYs' gathered in Seoul from around the world.

[Pkg]
Plush head bands. Coordinated outfits. Purple glow sticks. The atmosphere at the venue marking BTS' 11th anniversary is festive even before the start. This family has come all the way from the U.S. as the mom is an ardent fan of BTS.

[Soundbite]
(BTS fan from the U.S.)

And this homemaker from Japan came to Korea alone. There are also fans from the Philippines.

[Soundbite]
(BTS fan from the Philippines)

BTS fans from all over the world have come together to celebrate. The first thing that Jin did upon his discharge from the military service was saying hello to the BTS fanbase called Army. He is the first BTS member to complete his mandatory military service. Every year the boys mark their debut anniversary on June 13 with their fans. Despite the scorching weather, BTS fans wait patiently to see Jin. Those who failed to get tickets keep waiting at the entrance in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite singer.

[Soundbite]
(BTS fan from Switzerland)

Some take solace in videos showing lucky fans being given a hug by Jin in real time. Even while serving in the military, BTS continue to build a new fan culture and publicize Korea.

[Soundbite]
(BTS fan from Indonesia)

The BTS Army hopes to see the entire band together around this time next year when all seven members would have completed their military service.

KIMCHI COOKING CONTEST IN PARIS

[Anchor Lead]
An international kimchi-themed cooking contest was held in Paris, the culinary heart of France. Kimchi's appeal is capturing European tastes, with exports growing steadily. We bring you the details from France.

[Pkg]
Contestants are busy slicing and julliening the ingredients. The most essential item on the ingredient list is kimchi. It comes in many varieties, from whole napa cabbage kimchi to white kimchi. They are competing in an international kimchi contest organized by the renowned French network of culinary institutions Le Cordon Bleu. The event drew 352 applications from various parts of Europe, including France, Germany and Italy. Only ten of the contenders made the cut into the final round to create dishes using the Korean staple food.

[Soundbite]
(Contestant from France): I like kimchi. My wife and I began learning about Korean cuisine a few years back. So we began to eat kimchi.

The dishes are finally ready, each having its own appeal. The winner is a contestant from Hong Kong who paired the diced seasoned kimchi with angler fish.

[Soundbite]
(Contestant from Hong Kong): Because this year's theme is kimchi, I tried to find ingredients symbolizing the colors of the Olympic rings.

As interest in kimchi continues to rise, this culinary school has even introduced courses related to the iconic Korean dish.

[Soundbite]
Eric Briffard (Executive Chef, Le Cordon Bleu): We learn about kimchi and make it. It's a long process. We use Korean traditional kimchi crocks that are buried in the ground.

Exports of kimchi to Europe have been growing steadily in the past five years, recording around 18 million dollars last year. Europe has emerged as a promising kimchi market. In 2023, the third and fourth largest importers of kimchi were the Netherlands and the U.K.

LEE SUN-KYUN'S POSTHUMOUS FILMS

[Anchor Lead]
Now turning to cultural news. This summer, theaters will premiere the final films of the late actor Lee Sun-kyun, who passed away last year. Here's more.

[Pkg]
[Soundbite]
Have you heard about Project Silence? It was approved by Cheongwadae.

‘Project Silence,’ a posthumous work of late actor Lee Sun-kyun, is to premier on July 12. It's a story about ostracized people fighting for survival against uncontrollable military experimental dogs. Besides Lee, the cast includes Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Hee-won. The movie cost 18 billion won, or around 13 million dollars, to produce and was officially invited to the Cannes International Film Festival last year. However, its opening was postponed indefinitely over the illegal drug allegation involving Lee Sun-kyun. Another posthumous work by the late actor titled ‘The Land of Happiness’ is to open in August. It also stars Cho Jung-seok and You Chea-myung.