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NEWSLINE AT NOON 12:00
(THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT FOR ARIRANG NEWS THAT AIRED ON 28 Aug 2013- 12:00 KST.)
Coming up on this Wednesday edition of Newsline at Noon.... the U.S. and its allies say they
are prepared to launch a military strike against the Syrian government for last week's chemical
attack on civilians. The White House, however, says toppling the Assad regime is not its
goal.
U.S. human rights envoy Robert King will visit Pyongyang on Friday to negotiate the release
of Korean-American Kenneth Bae sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea.
Plus,... the Seoul govenment will unveil a stimulus package later today to encourage
home buying and ease the interest burden on low-income renters. These stories and more
on Newsline at Noon.
ed: mi, mark
Title: CM 해외문화홍보원
Title: 12 Newsline Title
Title: Opening
Thanks for joining us you're watching Newsline at Noon. I'm Choi You-sun in Seoul.
Good to have you with us.... I'm Mark Broome.
Title: U.S. special envoy Robert King to visit N. Korea for Kenneth Bae
It looks like Kenneth Bae, the Korean-American who has been detained in North Korea for nearly
10 months now,... will be freed soon. U.S. human rights envoy Robert King will visit
the North this Friday to ask for his release on humanitarian grounds.
Our Han Da-eun reports. The U.S. State Department and the White House
say Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King will travel to Pyongyang
on Friday to free Kenneth Bae, who has been detained in the reclusive state since November
last year. During the visit,... Bae is likely to be released
from prison and brought back home with Ambassador King the next day.
The missionary and tourism operator had been accused of participating in activities designed
to overthrow the North Korean leadership, by infiltrating at least 2-hundred-50 students
into the country. North Korea has reportedly invited top U.S.
officials to visit Pyongyang regarding the issue through the "New York Channel," a diplomatic
line set up between Washington and Pyongyang. During a humanitarian trip to Asia this week,...
King said the U.S. had continuously requested for Bae's release.
"We've requested the North release Mr. Bae on humanitarian grounds, his health is suffering
and we've requested that he be released. We hope that they will listen to our request."
Although the U.S. envoy's talks with his North Korean counterparts will likely be limited
to the issue of Kenneth Bae,... experts say King's visit may help in easing the standoff
between Washington and Pyongyang. This is the first visit to Pyongyang by a
top U.S. official since young leader Kim Jong-un succeeded power.
In fact, not long after King's last visit to the North in 2011 to free American citizen
Eddie Jun,... the two countries held high-level talks and discussed North Korea's denuclearization
as well as food aid. And as his visit comes amid a series of inter-Korean
talks,... hopes are high that the elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula may further
cool off. Han Da-eun, Arirang News.
Title: Seoul offers to hold talks on Mt. Geumgang tours on Oct. 2
The South Korean government has suggested the two Koreas discuss their suspended tourism
operation at Mount Geumgang in early October. Seoul says next month's inter-Korean family
reunions and efforts underway to revive joint factory operations at Gaeseong should be handled
first. Kim Ji-yeon reports. The South Korean government
has offered October 2nd as the date to hold working-level talks with North Korea over
the reopening of the Mount Geumgang resort to South Korean tourists.
South Korea's Unification Ministry sent a statement to the North on Tuesday afternoon
through its communication channel at Panmunjeom. North Korea has not yet responded to the counter-offer.
Unification Ministry officials cited "technical reasons" for the proposed date in early October,
which comes one week after the date intially proposed by the South.
"We have two agreements to deal with at the moment, the reunions of separated families
and the resumption of operations at the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex."
South Korean officials say they are still carrying out measures that were agreed upon
during working-level talks over family reunions, and want to deal with one issue at a time.
They also pointed out that preparations for a resumption of operations at the Gaeseong
Industrial Complex are also underway. Seoul has arranged for a group of inspectors
to head to Mount Geumgang for two days starting Wednesday, where the family reunions are to
take place late next month. The South Korean government regards the reopening
of the Mount Geumgang tour issue as being separate from the reunions of the separated
families,... while Pyongyang has tried to lump them together.
North Korea asked for working-level talks for Mount Geumgang tours to be held later
this month or in early September. South Korean tours to the Mount Geumgang resort
were suspended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
Title: A waiting game: Separated family members anticipate reunion
Red Cross officials here in South Korea are busy preparing for next month's inter-Korean
family reunions at the North's Mount Geumgang resort.
Out of the tens of thousands of families registered for reunions, it's a sad reality that only
1-hundred will have the chance to see their loved ones again this time around.
Connie Lee has more on the selection process. Fathers separated from their wives and children...,
brothers and sisters split from one other... more than 60 years ago.
"We're looking for our older brother... Kim Nam-gik . He was taken away during the war
by the North Korean military at the age of 19."
It's a harsh reality for families... who were separated by the Korean War.
"As I've gotten older, and since my children have grown and left... I now have this longing
to see my own family. I don't know if they'll be found, but it's worth a try..."
But unfortunately... most of these people -- here at Korea's Red Cross... will not be
selected to reunite with their loved ones come September.
There are currently about 72-thousand registered separated family members in South Korea...
but only a fraction,... just 1-hundred of them,... will be selected to reunite with
their loved ones on September 25th through the 30th at Mount Geumgang in North Korea.
The first round of cuts was made through a computer process that filtered out the younger
candidates... and gave priority to those who are either looking for a child or spouse.
Come Thursday,... another cut: the list will be whittled down to about 2-hundred after
various health exams of the candidates... to make sure they are well enough to travel
to Mount Geumgang. Once that happens, South Korea's Red Cross
will exchange its list with North Korea... to confirm whether the family members they're
looking for are indeed alive. Then.. the final list of 1-hundred.
"It usually takes us 50 days to get ready for the reunions, but we will get everything
together in a month. We are speeding up the preparation process this year..."
But time is running out for many of these separated family members.
Data show out of those who are still living... 80 percent... or nearly 60-thousand... are
over the age of 70.
"I just hope to see them before I die... When I see my siblings, what could I possibly say
I'll probably just hold them... hug them... before saying goodbye again."
Connie Lee, ArirangNews.
Title: N. Korean delegation to visit detained sailors in Panama
North Korean officials will soon visit Panama to meet the 35 sailors who have been detained
there since their ship was seized last month for smuggling Cuban weapons through the Panama
Canal. Panamanian Foreign Minister Fernando Nunez
said Tuesday that visas were issued to a North Korean delegation and that the group could
receive them as early as Wednesday. The sailors have been accused of arms trafficking,
which carries a maximum sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
The vessel, the Chong Chon Gang , was headed from Cuba to North Korea when it was detained
July 15th on suspicion of carrying drugs.
Title: Pres. Park holds luncheon with leaders of Korea's 10 largest conglomerates
President Park Geun-hye is meeting with leaders of Korea's 10 largest conglomerates over lunch
today,... to discuss pending economic issues and ways to revitalize the economy.
This is the first time President Park has separately met with the business leaders,
including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung
Mong-koo. The president will call on the conglomerates
to help her attain her main goal of boosting the economy and creating jobs.
The luncheon is also aimed at encouraging the companies to actively engage in business
activities and investment,... that slowed after the Park administration put emphasis
on economic democratization.
Title: Govt. to introduce measures to boost housing market
The government will announce plans later today, designed to revitalize the nation's housing
market. The main points will likely include reducing
the home acquisition tax and increasing the number of rental homes available.
Yoo Li-an has the details. The main goal of the government's housing
plan is to encourage home buying and stabilize rental prices that have been soaring in recent
years. The problem in Korea's housing market centers
around the unique Korean housing system called "jeonse," requiring renters to deposit a large
key money with landlords that are paid back when lease contracts expire.
Jeonse prices have skyrocketed recently to well over two-thirds of the value of homes
themselves. Experts attribute the exorbitant jeonse prices
to potential buyers trying to avoid purchasing homes out of fear that housing prices may
tumble. In an attempt to stimulate demand, the government
is expected to lower taxes for home purchases. For homes valued at or under 600 million won
or roughly 530-thousand U.S. dollars -- those in most demand -- the government will cut
property acquisition tax by one percentage point to one percent.
Homeseekers will also be able to get mortgage loans for home purchases at a cheaper price.
The government will work to increase the number of homes available by supplying more public
rental houses. It is pushing the state-run Korea Land & Housing
Corporation to bring forward the release of thousands of rental homes currently being
built. Also, the government is expected to increase
tax deductions for monthly renters,... to lessen the financial burden on people switching
from jeonse to monthly rent. Yoo Li-an, Arirang News.
Title: Korea's manufacturers' business sentiment rebounds for September
The business sentiment index for Korean manufacturers improved to a three-month high in September's
outlook. According to the central bank's monthly survey,
projections on business conditions went up four points to 77 for September, the highest
since the figure stood at 79 for the month of June.
A reading below the benchmark 1-hundred means that experts are more pessimistic than optimistic
of the outlook. The Korean economy grew the fastest in over
two years, increasing 1-point-1 percent in the second quarter.
The Bank of Korea conducted a survey on roughly 2-thousand-600 companies nationwide in mid-August.
Title: TEPCO unaware of tank leakage at Fukushima for some time: Japanese media
Japanese media outlets are reporting that nuclear authorities in Japan were unaware
highly contaminated water was leaking from a tank at the Fukushima nuclear plant for
some time. Citing a meeting led by plant operator TEPCO,
Asahi Shimbun says the water leak, some 3-hundred tons a day, likely started early last month,
at the latest. During the meeting, TEPCO reportedly explained
the amount of radiation workers were exposed to, some 20 meters from the tank, suddenly
increased in mid-July. Kyodo News reports the steep increase in exposure
began around July 9th. Last Tuesday, TEPCO admitted at least 3-hundred
tons of highly radioactive water a day was seeping into the Pacific Ocean from a storage
tank at the plant.
Title: Radioactive water may contaminate entire Pacific Ocean in 6 years
Although the Japanese government has vowed to come up with measures to tackle the radioactive
water leak,... the situation may be worse than thought,... as studies from last year
indicate that radioactive water will contaminate the entire Pacific Ocean,... in just six years.
Kim Min-ji reports. This graphic shows the gradual contamination of the Pacific Ocean
due to leaks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
The simulation, ... which was run by a German marine research institute,... shows the ENTIRE
Pacific waters being polluted by radioactive water in just six years.
Although the results failed to grab attention when first released last year,... experts
now fear that the hypothesis may become a scary reality,... after the Japanese government
recently admitted that some 3-hundred tons of radioactive water have leaked into the
ocean everyday. Mitsuhei Murata,... a former Japanese ambassador
to Switzerland criticized the Japanese government and the operator of the crippled nuclear plant,
Tokyo Electric Power Corporation for its handling of the situation.
"TEPCO recently admitted to leaks of radioactive water. The amount is much greater than what
the simulation had taken into account."
The international community has also voiced concerns over the issue,... but Tokyo meanwhile,
is busy drumming up support for its bid in hosting the 2020 Olympics.
"2020 Tokyo Let's do well."
Murata stressed ... the fact that Japan does not realize the gravity of the issue is more
outrageous.
"If Japan cannot secure the safety of its own nation,... it is being insincere in hosting
an international event like the Olympics. It should step out of the race."
A Russian nuclear research center had also advised TEPCO to take measures two years ago,...
just after the accident broke out,... but Japan turned down the suggestion.
It's now been two years and five months since the nuclear crisis,... and Tokyo has finally
set out to deal with the problem. However, experts say that it may be TOO LATE.
The former ambassador also warned that Japan may lose its rights in its Exclusive Economic
Zone,... if it fails to block the leakage into the 2-hundred nautical mile zone.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
Title: 2013 bridge
Title: Western allies could hit Syria in days, U.S. has no intent to topple Assad regime
Military action against Syria by Western powers seems imminent in the wake of last week's
alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus. The U.S. says it is ready to strike at any
given moment... but denies its intention is to topple the Assad regime.
Kim Hyun-bin reports. The United States and its allies have told
rebel forces in Syria that military action against the Syrian government could be conducted
within days. According to Reuters, diplomats from the U.S.
and other Western countries warned Syrian opposition leaders at a meeting in Istanbul
that military action was about to start and told them to be ready for talks if the government
wants to negotiate with them. The U.S. says its forces in the region are
ready to strike at any moment... and are just waiting for President Obama to give it the
go-ahead. The Obama administration insists it is still
considering various options and is not trying to force regime change in Damascus.
"The options that we are considering are not about regime change. They are about responding
to a clear violation of an international standard that prohibits the use of chemical weapons."
British Prime Minister David Cameron says Britain wants to punish the Assad regime for
using chemical weapons, but he is keen to avoid getting sucking into a wider conflict.
Meanwhile, the Arab League has blamed Assad for last week's chemical attack and urged
the UN Security Council to act. Experts say the announcement could potentially
give diplomatic cover to Western powers if they choose to attack.
Technically the U.S. could legally launch military action against Syria without UN backing
if NATO gives the strike the green light. UN backing for any military action is highly
unlikely given that Russia, one of Assad's staunchest allies, has veto power at the Security
Council. NATO is scheduled to convene an emergency
meeting on Thursday to discuss its stance on the matter.
Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.
Title: Syria concerns send oil to six-month high; stocks plunge
The geopolitical uncertainty stemming from what is about to happen in Syria over the
next few days and weeks has shunted oil prices to a six-month high and sent global markets
into a tailspin. Brent crude futures finished at slightly over
1-hundred-14 U.S. dollars a barrel Tuesday, up almost 3-point-3 percent, its biggest daily
percentage gain since early May. Oil prices rose on fears U.S.-led military
action against Syria could destabilize the Middle East, which pumps a third of the world's
oil. The heightened risks also caused U.S. and
European markets to take a hit with the Dow Jones industrial average dipping 170 points,
or 1-point-1 percent. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq shed 1-point-6
and 2-point-2 percent, respectively.
Title: WHO releases new guidelines to deal with chemical weapons attacks
Staying with Syria, the World Health Organization has set up new guidelines for treating victims
of chemical weapons attacks. WHO spokesperson Glenn Thomas said the new
guidelines are meant to help medical workers in Syria better treat their patients.
The guidelines,... which provide more detail of the risks of chemical agents,... also include
information related to the symptoms when exposed to nerve agents, such as tabun , sarin and
V-X.
Title: Facebook outlines number of government requests
Facebook has revealed,... for the first time,... the amount of times government agencies around
the world have requested user information... and it makes quite worrying reading.
In its Global Governments Requests Report, released Tuesday, Facebook says 74 countries
asked for information about some 38-thousand users in the first six months of the year.
The U.S. made by far the most requests, asking for information on over 20-thousand people,...
to which Facebook complied in 79 percent of cases.
Facebook says it will release similar reports every 6 months from now on to make sure users
understand the nature and extent of the requests it receives and the strict policies and processes
it has in place to handle them.
Title: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to release live performance of Mahler Symphony No.9
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra,... one of the oldest and most renowned orchestras in
Korea,... is preparing to record and release its 7th album... during a concert that will
be held later this week. Our cultural correspondent Park Ji-won takes
us behind the scenes of the rehearsal. Dozens of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
members are busy rehearsing for a two-day concert that will go on stage later this week.
Korea's leading orchestra and maestro Chung Myung-whun will present Mahler Symphony No.
9 at the concert. This concert will also be recorded live and
released as the orchestra's seventh album through the most prestigious classical music
label Deutsche Grammophon. The orchestra signed a contract with Deutsche
Grammophon in 2011 to release 10 albums over five years,... making it the first time that
an Asian orchestra has signed such an extensive contract.
"Among the things orchestra has achieved so far, this recording contract and the records
we have made are perhaps the biggest accomplishment Not only Asian orchestras, today there're
not many orchestras in the world that do this kind of recordings and so I'm very proud of
them."
The orchestra has developed greatly over the past eight years with maestro Chung Myung-whun
taking the lead.
"To be able to record for Deutsche Grammophon, these mainstream repertoires, such Beethoven
5th Symphony, 9th Symphony, Mahler 1st Symphony, 2nd Symphony, and now Mahler 9th Symphony,...
virtually no orchestras do that today, so that is the testament to the great development."
The concert will be held on this Thursday and Friday evening at the Seoul Arts Center.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.
Title: Photo Bridge
Hot Air Balloon Bonanza
Title: Last day of late summer
Let's now get a weather update with our weather caster Lee JeeHyun who's standing at the weather
center Good afternoon JeeHyun
[JeeHyun] Hello there You know the flu season starts in the fall and it looks like we're
off to a pretty typical pattern in terms of temperatures and weather conditions.
[Yousun] Yes, I notice already there's a big fluctuation in temperatures these days already.
[Mark] And this is one of the times when a lot of people catch a cold. So it's important
to take vitamins and get good rest. Right JeeHyun?
[JeeHyun] Absolutely Those are great ways to boost the immune system. For children,
make sure they wash their hands frequently and try to disinfect their toys more frequently.
Now today's weather conditions will be much like yesterday We will see temperatures in
the lower 30's across the regions in the afternoon with partly to mostly sunny skies. Well most
of the morning fog has burned off in the central regions and the sky is much brighter for those
heading out on their lunch breaks ... but more clouds will be moving into Seoul and
the surrounding area towards midday. Today should be the last day of summer-like weather
because nationwide rain tomorrow will drag down the temperatures. It will start to rain
from central provinces early in the morning then spread to southern regions later in the
afternoon. All the rain should let up in the central region by tomorrow evening but down
south it's likely to be affected by till Friday afternoon. So enjoy what might be the last
hot and sunny afternoon today
And it's time to take a look at today's readings. Daytime highs for Seoul will rise to 31 degrees
Celsius that's 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Daegu Gwangju will hike up to 32 with a good amount
of sunshine and 30 for Busan. Moving on to other places, Jeju and Daejeon will climb
to the lower 30's while Dokdo and Mt. Geumgang will stay in the 20's. That's all for Korea
and here is the global forecast for viewers around the world
Title: 세계날씨
Title: Weather Closing
Title: Closing
And those are the stories we're following at this hour.
Thank-you for joining us on this Wednesday here in Seoul and we'll be back at the same
time tomorrow at noon.