Living Information

(THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPTS OF ARIRANG NEWS THAT AIRED ON JULY 21, 2008- 12:00 KST.)

Welcome to the newscast.
It's Monday, JULY 21st here in Korea.
I'm Min Sunhee.

Title : President Holds Meeting with Balanced National Development Committee

President Lee Myung-bak held a meeting with his Committee on Balanced National Development Monday to set directions for improving regional economies.
The committee reported on grouping the nation's major cities and provinces into seven economic blocs of distinct economic specialties such as renewable energy, biotechnology and the mobile information technology.
Unbalanced regional development has been a political lightning rod in Korea's modern history as people from various areas have worried about being left out of the country's economic growth.
The presidential advisory group also reported on establishing four belt areas covering coastal areas and the northern border region to improve foreign trade.

Title : Tax Authority Sets Up Help Service for Foreign Residents

The National Tax Service has opened dozens of service desks this year, offering English assistance to guide foreign taxpayers through the filing procedures.
The move is part of a broader government plan aimed at better accommodating foreigners in the country.
Our Lee Jeewon  has more.
This office located just north of the Han River is one of 30 district tax offices that have ''Foreign Taxpayer Service Desks.''
A designated official helps non-Korean residents file their tax papers.
The National Tax Service began the project with 10 pilot centers in February and added 20 more this month due to rising demand.
The number of foreign residents who've finalized  their taxes through the year-end tax settlement increased almost 170 percent from 2001 to 287-thousand last year.
Those who've also had to declare foreign income on their returns increased nearly 330 percent over the same period to more than 13-thousand.
In addition to the new booths, the NTS published a guide that answers frequently-asked questions.
The guide's entire content is also up on its English website.
This resident of Korea for the past 10 years says he welcomes the changes.

[INTERVIEW : ] ''Business owners in Korea have to pay taxes four times a year. It seems I'm always dealing with the tax office and my accountant. The request for tax service comes up all the time. So anything that helps us understand the system better is a good idea.''

Those who don't want to go to the office or visit the website also have the option of calling the NTS English Assistance Hotline.
Although it's a little soon to conclude the additions are successful, the responses so far have been positive.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea sent a letter to the N-T-S, saying they welcome and fully support the initiative.
But others still wonder whether the demand will be high enough as many foreign entrepreneurs often hire accountants.
The person in charge of upgrading the system offered his thoughts.

[INTERVIEW : ed:dan] ''I think the demand for our service will continue to rise. In Korea, there aren't just foreign businessmen. There are also foreign employees working in other capacities as well as freelancers. They will also be needing the service provided by the (National) Tax Service.''

Once the English service has been tested over time and shown to be stable, the agency plans to broaden the services to other languages like Chinese and Vietnamese.

Lee Jeewon, Arirang News.

Title : North Korea And Myanmar Top ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Agenda

ASEAN Ministerial Meetings kicked off in Singapore today.
Topping the agenda are issues related to North Korea and Myanmar as well as surging global food and oil prices AND disaster management.
ALSO US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is slated to hold informal talks with her North Korean counterpart, Park Uichun, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
According to US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, the meeting is not intended to lead to any specific outcome but seeks to go over where the six-party talks stand at the moment.
The ASEAN Ministerial Meetings will end on Thursday, July 24th.

Title : Public Sets Example for Saving Energy

Starting on this Monday we bring you a weeklong series of reports detailing Korea's ongoing energy conservation campaign in light of soaring world crude costs.
In this first installment our Kang Chery  takes a look at such efforts by public officials that also work to keep one's health in check while at the same time ease carbon footprints.
Three times a week Oh Sanghoon leaves his house in the morning to go to work by working out some muscles instead of revving up his car.
It takes about 40 minutes to travel a little over nine kilometers.
Oh took up this method of commuting back in March.
Little did he know then just how useful his healthy habit would become.
Oh works in the government.. which in July began making all public employees alternate days they drive to work.

[INTERVIEW : Oh Sanghoon, Commuter on bicycle] ''The government has introduced energy-saving measures. Although it wasn't my initial intention, it certainly pushes me to ride my bike even more.''

The government had initially planned to introduce these measures when Dubai crude exceeded the 150-US-dollar level but decided to go ahead with it earlier this month.

[REPORTER : Kang Chery,cherykang@arirang.co.kr] ''Besides encouraging people to turn to more energy efficient ways of getting around, the government also has a must-do list for the public sector, which includes simple instructions like don't wear a tie.''

Not wearing a tie helps to stay cool, and that's good since the government has brought up the temperature of its buildings from 26 to 27 degrees Celsius and banned most elevators from operating below the fourth floor.
The goal is to reduce the public sector's energy consumption by 10 percent.
However, that sector accounted for less than four percent of energy consumption in 2006.
And naturally, some say what is needed is a radical reform of industrial or transportation systems, two areas that take up close to 80 percent of private sector energy use.

[INTERVIEW : Lee Yujin, Energy & Climate Change Team Manager,Green Korea United] ''More fundamental measures centered around public transportation systems, such as railroads or bicycles are necessary to move away from a road-based transportation system.''

Somewhat uncharacteristically, government officials do not seem too excited to tout their taking actions to fight oil prices.
Three officials contacted by Arirang News turned down requests to comment.
Maybe that's because the government never in need of critics has been accused of doing too little, too late and handing down the measures abruptly and without flexibility.
Regardless, the government's leading by example is a welcome sight for many, especially those who prefer bike pedals to the gas pedal.

Kang Chery, Arirang News.

Title : Kimchi on Display for Beijing Olympics

And on the subject of campaigns over in China, Korean officials are actively seeking to promote Korea's pickled cabbage dish, kimchi, in the neighboring country ahead of next month's influx of foreigners to partake in the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Here's Yoo Jihae .
Korea's kimchi promotion is in full swing in Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games.
At one of the biggest shopping malls, the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation and the agriculture ministry displayed Korea's flagship sidedish ranging from radish- and cucumber-based versions to the more common cabbage variety.
People showed up to try their hand at making kimchi under the instruction of a Korean kimchi master who showed off her culinary skills.
Kimchi has spread widely throughout China to the extent that almost everyone is aware of its taste and nutrition value.
In fact, a lot of the kimchi Koreans eat comes from China.
200-thousand tons of Chinese-made kimchi are imported every year and sells for roughly half the price of locally-produced types.
To reverse this trend, the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation and the agriculture ministry plan to ship 10 tons of Korean-made kimchi to Beijing during the Olympics.
The spicy fermented treat will be offered to athletes and members of the media, helping to reinforce the Korean identity of kimchi and promote its quality to buyers from China and around the world.

Yoo Jihae, Arirang News.

Title : Weather Forecasters Under Fire

Weather experts here in Korea in recent days have been under fire for failure to make an accurate forecast of Korea's erratic summer season too often.
Our Jang Jiyun  has more in this report.
A dark cloud has been cast over Korea's weather authority for the past few months.
The Korea Meteorological Administration has been struggling to get it right as complaints stream in from people fed up with the wrong weather forecast.
The accuracy of KMA's predictions falls to 70 percent in the summer from an average of 85 percent during the rest of the year, something meteorologists blame on the unstable atmosphere.

[INTERVIEW : Kim Hyunchul, Senior Meteorologist,Korea Meteorological Administration] ''During the summer, the high pressure system tends to get hot and humid, causing unstable weather conditions, which are very difficult to predict.''

Long-term forecasts may be hard to tell but the public is still asking what about tomorrow's weather.
How hard could that be when the government has already purchased two very expensive supercomputers to aid in their work.
A supercomputer is a computer that formulates numerical weather predictions based on temperature, pressure, wind, and rainfall that experts refer to when determining conditions on any given day.

[INTERVIEW : Kim Hyunchul, Senior Meteorologist,Korea Meteorological Administration] ''Our equipment is improving and so are our predictions but in the end, it is impossible for a machine to accurately predict what Mother Nature has in store for us. Even the latest technology has its limits.''

And since the final call is made by human forecasters, the weather agency says it's simply impossible to be one hundred percent right everytime.

[INTERVIEW : Kim Seungbai, Senior Meteorologist,Korea Meteorological Administration] ''Improvements won't happen overnight but we plan to improve our services by expanding our observation network, upgrading our equipment, and gathering more observation data. Also, with the launch of our own weather satellite next year, we expect this to significantly boost our accuracy.''

Meteorologists say overall they are succeeding in closing the gap between the supercomputer's predictions and actual weather conditions.
But the problem is is this gap closing fast enough to satisfy people's expectations.

[REPORTER : Jang Jiyun,jiyun.jang@arirnag.co.kr,] ''With all the fuss over weather, the KMA says it is trying its best to get the weather right. So that I won't have to bring one of these (umbrella in video) on a sunny day.

Jang Jiyun, Arirang News.''

Title : LPGA Oh Jiyoung Wins First Tourney

Korean golfer Oh Jiyoung won a major LPGA tournament this past weekend, clinching the first victory of her two-year professional career.
Oh  won the LPGA State Farm Classic in Illinois, making a birdie on the first playoff hole to beat runner up Yani Tseng from Taiwan.
She became the third Korean to win the State Farm Classic.
The Korean golfer, who spoke English with reporters for much of the tournament, had to turn to an interpreter after the win.
She said the victory had made her too nervous.
Korean-American golfer Michelle Wie was disqualified from the tournament Saturday while in second place, having failed to sign her scorecard at the end of Friday's round.

Title : (12)WEATHER

Weatherwise Korea saw its fair share of rain this past weekend to say the least and on this Monday, the skies are clear and the mercury is hovering just below 30 degrees Celsius in most cities.
Up next we have the broader picture.

And that ends the newscast for now.
Stay with us on this Monday for more news coverage.

(THE TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.)

 Korea's Global TV Arirang News