Arirang news 22;00 feb/12 for the study 15;00-17;00 feb/20

<UL> <LI>NEWSCENTER 22:00</LI> <LI>(THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT FOR ARIRANG NEWS THAT AIRED ON 12 Feb 2016- 22:00 KST.) Title: News Headlines Good evening. Making headlines on this Friday... South Korea says North Korea carries the full responsibility over the shutdown of a jointly-run industrial park. It has evidence that the Kaesong park served as a source of cash for the North's development of weapons of mass destruction. South Korea unveils aid measures to minimize losses incurred by South Korean enterprises with factories at the now closed joint factory zone in North Korea. Shares lose ground all across the Asian board... For the first time in four an a half years, Korea's tech-heavy KOSDAQ halted trading at one point as the index plunged more than 8-percent. Newscenter begins right now. Title: NEWSCENTER TITLE 2015. 11. 2~ Title: Opening Good evening. Title: S. Korea criticize North on its use of Kaesong complex as means of developing weapons Two days since South Korea pulled the plugs on the inter-Korean joint industrial complex in Kaesong... and a day since North Korea expelled South Korean personnel and said it would freeze all assets there... the Seoul government in charge of relations with North Korea says... there is evidence that Pyongyang used cash earned from the Kaesong Industrial Complex to develop its weapons of mass destruction. Kim Mok-yeon has our top story. South Korea's Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo strongly criticized North Korea for its unilateral response towards the closing of the Kaesong industrial complex. At a press briefing on Friday Hong said that North Korea should take responsibility over its actions revealing that the Seoul government has collected evidence of Pyongyang funneling money generated from the Kaesong Park into developing its nuclear weapons and missiles. "There are rising concerns that North Korea has been using money earned through Kaesong as a source of income for developing its weapons of mass destruction. I cannot reveal everything but the government has collected several meaningful pieces of evidence related to the issue." He said that despite South Korea's continuous efforts to keep the joint industrial park running due to its significance, North Korea has made it a place that no longer represents peaceful cooperation between the two Koreas. Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News. Title: S. Korea announces support measures for companies from Kaesong Industrial Park South Korea has cut all power and water supplies into the jointly-run industrial park in Kaesong… after North Korea deported South Korean personnel at the complex and vowed to freeze all assets there. For South Korean companies with factories at the industrial zone, the Seoul government has unveiled a set of aid measures to minimize their losses. Our Connie Kim files this report from Seoul's Ministry of Unification. South Korea was quick in laying out support measures for its companies that operated at the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North and who were expelled from it on Thursday. The measures, which are the result of discussions from eight ministries, the Financial Services Commission, and the Small and Medium Business Administration, will be provided immediately. "The measures the government is announcing are aimed at providing swift and sufficient support for companies that have operated inside the complex to minimize their losses." To provide emergency liquidity to firms, Seoul will extend the maturity of loans companies received from the Fund for the Cooperation between South and North Korea. Insurance benefits will be given immediately to companies who had signed up for inter-Korean economic cooperation insurance. National and local taxes will be deferred,... and utility bills including electricity fees will be supported. Also, a one-on-one hotline will be established for the companies to provide needed support as soon as possible. Some 920 million U.S. dollars were reported as losses by the South Korean companies during the five-month shutdown back in 2013. This time around, however, losses are estimated to be double the amount of the total investment South Korea funneled in since the industrial park was established. But, Seoul says the shutdown was an inevitable measure. "We knew there were going to be difficulties we would have to bear from the shutdown, but we had to make this decision for the country's and the people's safety." And with electricity and water at the park now cut off, this has been the strongest measure Seoul has put on the last vestige of South-North economic cooperation. "With the Kaesong Industrial Complex shut down, there are concerns that ties between the two Koreas have regressed to the same state they were 44 years ago, ...when the inter-Korean hotline was first established. Connie Kim, Arirang News." Title: Korean firms call for compensation following shutdown of industrial complex An emergency meeting was held at the Corporate Association of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. They demand the South Korean government provide compensation for the damages caused by the sudden suspension. Kim Min-ji tells us more. Representatives of South Korean firms that operated at the Kaesong Industrial Complex say the government must take responsibility for expected economic damages following the abrupt suspension. "The association demanded the government to provide compensation for the losses the companies will face,... as well as swiftly restore operations at the industrial park, saying it's a symbol of peaceful coexistence and inter-Korean cooperation." In regards to the government's support measures,... the association said they are no different from three years ago,.... after operations were suspended for some 160 days. "The government must keep its promise to facilitate normal operation regardless of the situation on the peninsula,... as agreed upon in August 2013,... when restorating operations at the industrial park." For many business owners,... their livelihoods are on the line,... as some are based solely in Kaesong -- meaning their businesses have vanished overnight. Back in 2013,... South Korean firms reported a combined loss of over 1 trillion won,... or over 900 million U.S. dollars. "I don't know how I'm going to make a living from now on. I might have to look for a job after February. I wasn't even able to collect any personal belongings." Some expect the consequences to be even greater this time round,... as companies had to leave the complex empty-handed,... after North Korea froze all assets. "Because the announcement was so abrupt, we couldn't prepare in advance. Three years ago, we had some time, so we were able to bring out up to 80 to 90 percent of our materials. This time, we have nothing, so the economic damages will be unimaginable." The company respresentatives called for the government's swift actions that can help workers sustain a living and minimize losses,... as well as a chance to reclaim finished and raw materials left behind in North Korea. Kim Min-ji, Arirang News. Title: Lawmakers meet with businesspeople from Kaesong Industrial Complex on compensation measures These businessmen with operations at the now-suspended Kaesong Industrial Park also met with the nation's lawmakers. Our parliamentary correspondent Shin Se-min fills us in on the potential support systems for the firms... discussed by the rival political party lawmakers. Businessmen representing firms based in Kaesong complex...made their way to the parliament to meet with lawmakers,... as they seek ways to deal with the fallout from an abrupt halt of the jointly run factory site. The rival political parties agreed on the need for additional measures to compensate firms for the damages. The ruling Saenuri Party even went as far as announcing it may introduce a special law to minimize the losses. "The government set up an emergency planning committee and announced support measures,… but our party believes additional measures are needed. Should the existing law and system prove insufficient,… we are more than willing to legislate a special law in this case." However, the main opposition the Minjoo Party of Korea questioned the fundamental need to halt operations at the complex,... adding the shutdown of the site will cause a greater economic losses to South Korea. "We need to review whether the complete halt of the complex was the right call,… as there is no certainty that it will directly curb development of any nuclear weapons program or rocket launch." Meeting face to face, the six businessmen representatives appealed to lawmakers that the damage will be much greater than previously estimated as the North froze all assets in the jointly run factory park. The association demanded parliament launch an investigative committee to gauge the damages incurred by the firms,… as well as determine whether a complete halt was a necessary move. "Aside from coming up with measures to compensate the firms,… the rival political camps maintained differing stances on the complete halt of the Kaesong Industrial Complex,... as the opposition camp accused the government of trying to take advantage of anti-North Korea sentiment ahead of the April's parliamentary election. Shin Se-min, Arirang News." Title: NEWS BUMPER 2015.11.2~ Title: Park administration on N. Korea's nuke issue In the wake of North Korea's recent provocations, President Park Geun-hye has stood up to Chinese pressure by moving forward with the deployment of U.S.' missile defense system and pulled the plug on the inter-Korean venture at Kaesong. The South Korean leader's latest series of strategic moves appear to represent a shift in her North Korea policy. Our Song Ji-sun reads us the fine prints. Unification has been President Park's vision since her inauguration... but on the condition of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. "North Korea must choose the path to denuclearization so we could embark without delay on the work that needs to be done for a unified Korean Peninsula. I hope North Korea abandons its nuclear aspirations and returns to the six-party talks with a sincere willingness to resolve the nuclear issue so it could look after its own people." But even after three years... Pyongyang has refused to take part in talks on denuclearization while furthering its nuclear development, carrying out its fourth test in January this year. And a month after that, Pyongyang launched a rocket placing its 'satellite' into orbit, but through an apparent use of technologies developed for firing a long-range missile. "North Korea's long-range missile launch is an all-out defiance of UN Security Council resolutions therefore, the international community must swiftly come up with strong sanctions against North Korea." Park responded with what could be seen as the strongest action from the South - halting operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. She also stressed that separate bilateral and multilateral sanctions in addition to UN resolutions, are needed to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. "The Park administration has tried to establish stable exchanges and dialogue over the past three years, but the North has only advanced its nuclear capabilities. Seoul has acknowledged that inter-Korean relations are meaningless as long as Pyongyang continues to possess nuclear weapons. This is a preemptive measure ahead of other international sanctions to come." "With all channels of exchanges between the two Koreas now shut down by the North,... after it expelled all South Koreans from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the priority for the Park administration is national security... as some experts say inter-Korean dialogue may not resume during the remainder of her term. Song Ji-sun, Arirang News." Title: Seoul's FM calls for cooperation against Pyongyang at Munich Security Conference South Korea's foreign minister continues to garner support for collective measures against North Korea... in the wake of that regime's latest nuclear and missile threats. Arirang News' foreign affairs correspondent Kwon Soa has more on Minister Yun Byung-se's diplomatic efforts in Munich. South Korea's foreign minister Yun Byung-se has called for the cooperation of European countries and NATO members for joint measures in responding to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile threats. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday,... Yun said it was time for the international community to show zero tolerance to North Korea's 'unbridled' provocations... ...and that it's time to inflict severe pain on the regime,... so it'll make the right strategic choice,... just as Iran did. Yun also called for individual countries as well as international organizations to play an important role in addition to the UN Security Council's measures. Those measures, meanwhile, have been mulled over for the past month and a week,... ever since North Korea's fourth nuclear test. "An official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Friday that there has been significant progress on drafting the new resolution over the past week,... but that currently more focus is on how STRONG the resolution will be,... Rather than on how FAST it'll be adopted." That's why there are concerns that the process may drag on for months,... as was the case in Iran's nuclear deal,... especially with no clear word on whether China,... North Korea's closest ally, is on board yet for the strongest sanctions to date. And to urge Beijing to step up its role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council,... Minister Yun met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi,... in Munich Thursday. While the two agreed on the need for closer bilateral cooperation,... Wang stressed a "prudent response" considering the interests and concerns of neighboring countries,... meaning there is more work to be done to narrow the gap on differences. Kwon Soa, Arirang News. Title: South Korea will not consider concerns from neighboring countries over THAAD Neither China nor Russia will play a factor in the South Korean military's selection process of where the U.S. anti-missile system will be deployed. Operational effectiveness and strategic success are the only factors that will be considered when Seoul and Washington sit down for formal talks on this matter next week. Our Kwon Jang-ho files this report from Seoul's Ministry of National Defense. The South Korean military said they will formally sit down with their U.S. counterparts next week to discuss deployment of the THAAD missile defense system. A key topic of discussion will be the location of deployment. The system is expected to be placed at one of the U.S. military bases in South Korea...but there have been concerns from China and Russia that if the system is deployed too far north, it will infringe on their national security. However, South Korean military officials told reporters on Friday that they will not take their concerns into consideration as the safety of the people in Korea was the main priority. China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, reiterated his nation's concerns over the missile system while meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Germany on Friday. He added that "it is not conducive to maintaining peace and stability in the region" But South Korea's military said they WILL take into consideration any disruption or danger to local residents. There are concerns that electromagnetic waves from the system's radar can affect people's health and the local environment. The radar also needs about 5 and a half kilometers of clear airspace as it can cause electro-magnetic interference to airplanes and explosive equipment. Meanwhile military officials also gave an update of the situation on the inter-Korean border. They said no troop activity has been spotted north of the border...but that South Korean forces are staying vigilant. "After the shut down of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, we are looking out for any North Korean troop movements and remain on full alert for any further provocations." Earlier officials also warned that North Korea could turn the Kaesong Industrial Complex into a military base, like it was before becoming a joint venture between the two Koreas in 2004. "Military officials said they do not know whether the North Korean regime would redeploy troops to the industrial complex but remain ready for any possibilities. Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News." Title: 2016 Cobra Gold exercise kicks off in Thailand Over in Thailand, the Asia Pacific's largest annual multinational military drills are underway... South Korea is among those taking part along with the U.S. and Japan. Cobra Gold this year comes on the heels of a missile launch by North Korea that has raised security tensions in North Asia and rekindled concerns in other parts of Asia about the reach and purpose of such a program. Our defense correspondent Kim Hyun-bin is in Thailand and files us this report from the 2016 Cobra Gold exercises. A pair of U.S. F-18 and F-16 fighter jets pounds the coastline. It's the cue for the ally forces to make their move. Two dozen assault amphibious vehicles,... flanked by more than 30 planes,... hurtle onto the shore using smoke as cover. Once on land,... the troops secure the target. This is all part of an annual Asia Pacific military exercise dubbed "Cobra Gold," which is held in Thailand every year. It's also the largest multinational military exercise in Asia in which South Korea takes part. "Our Navy and Marine Corps work as a team. Through joint trainings abroad,... we enhance our performance and we will counter any enemy threats using all our military strengths and capabilities." South Korea is one of 27 nations taking part this year. The others include the United States, Japan and the host nation, Thailand. The goal is to enhance interoperability and pass on the know-how each country has built up over the years. "This terrain is something we don't have on the U.S. we have the beaches but we don't have tropical woodland environment, So this is an opportunity for us to broaden our capabilities as a marine corps training in these austere conditions as well as working with partner nations learning from them how they operate here and some of the best practices learned over the years." "The Cobra Gold exercise runs through February 19th. Service members will conduct exercises on land, air and sea in a demonstration of their will for a secure and prosperous Asia-Pacific region." Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News, Hat Yao, Thailand. Title: BEYOND THE HEADLINES 2015. 11. 2.~ Title: Global equity rout deepens; Korean market extends losses Global stock markets are on their shakiest footing in years... and Korea is no exception. The benchmark Kospi closed the day one-and-a-half percent lower... and the secondary bourse took a beating - trading was temporarily halted after the benchmark gauge plunged more than 8 percent. The latest market turmoil - our Hwang Ji-hye joins me live in the studio. Ji-hye, the first circuit breaker activated in four and a half years. What happened on the Kosdaq? The tech-heavy Kosdaq today saw shares once nosedive,... shedding over eight percent. This triggered a circuit breaker. The mechanism suspends share transactions for 20 minutes... if stocks remain falling by eight percent or more from the previous trading session's close for a minute. So, it's basically a system to prevent too much market volatility. At the end of trade, the bourse dropped six percent, while the benchmark Kospi closed below the psychologically important one-thousand-850-level. Over in Japan... the Nikkei closed down almost five percent... plunging below the 15-thousand mark for the first time since October 2014. All this... comes after benchmark indexes in U.S. and Europe posted sharp declines overnight. The Shanghai Composite, meanwhile, remains closed until this week due to the Lunar New Year holiday. Title: Global equity rout deepens; Korean market extends losses So what's prompting this extreme volatility? It's the slowing global economy that has already been threatening Korea and the rest of the world for quite a time now. The slowdown in China as well as other emerging markets... coupled with faltering crude oil prices have darkened the global economic outlook. Sentiment was further subdued... after Fed chair Janet Yellen recently expressed concerns about the U.S. economy. Now the recent rout across global shares... is also stemming from persisting worries... over how central banks' monetary easing policies will affect banks' earnings. The Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank have both introduced negative interest rates... and financial shares actually led the recent losses in world markets. Title: Global equity rout deepens; Korean market extends losses Of course, what we are most worried about is whether such volatility in equity markets will have larger implications down the line. What are we expecting here? It's true that some are worried about the possibility of a major financial crisis... like the one that we saw back in 2008. And since many economists are not expecting the world economy to regain strong recovery momentum any time soon... these sentiments are further being bolstered. But, whether the global rout we're seeing right now... will really turn out to be another financial crisis still remains to be in question. And one expert that I spoke to does not expect that kind of situation. "Financial institutions are in better shape in terms of financial health compared to the past and that means it can handle more losses." But, experts in general do agree that policymakers should keep a close eye on the situation... as nothing is really foreseeable in times like now. The government has also pledged to hold a market monitoring meeting every day for the time being... until markets stabilize. Title: MOONCONNYOUNG REPORT 2015. 11. 2~ Title: MCY reports: PyeongChang 2018 first test event ends in success PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Exactly two years remain until the winter games kick off in Korea's eastern resort town of PyeongChang... nearby Bokwang and Jeongseon. The 2016 FIS Ski World Cup took place at the newly built Olympics venue in Jeongseon -- not only was this the very first to take place in Korea, but served as an official test event for PyeongChang 2018. Pass or Fail for the Jeongseon Alpine Centre? I went to find that out myself. The Gariwangsan Mountain in Jeongseon... eastern Korea... is where Korea's first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is taking place... only the third in Asia. The nation's only downhill course - also an Olympic venue for the 2018 PyeongChang Games is making an international debut. "Ski fans, athletes, and journalists... nearly 18-hundred people are here from all over the world for this first FIS World Cup event in Korea... at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Not only is this the first FIS World Cup in here, this is the very first test event for 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games." World class ski racers charge down a remote Korean mountainside on a sun-splashed day... carving long turns, hurtling through the air off large jumps, far from the familiar slopes of the Alps or the Rockies. With two years until the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, this is the first time top athletes get to ski down this brand new course and eval‎uate its conditions. I asked Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, the winner of the 2016 FIS Alpine World Cup in men's downhill if the new course is fast and challenging enough for the PyeongChang Olympics in two years. "This is more than acceptable for an Olympic downhill venue. The way it was running was almost too fast because the jumps are very big, which is also exciting. For me, it’s a fun race - Kitzbuehel is dangerously scary and this is fun, it’s a cool downhill." A few others did point out that the course is not nearly fast enough for skiers or thrilling enough for spectators. "The slope, for a downhill guy it's good but for me - I'm more of a combined guy - it's too easy. It's too hard for me to be fast because it's too flat. It's not that technical. I prefer more difficult slopes like Kitzbuehel." The 2857-meter Bernhard Russi-designed course features four large jumps and long, sweeping turns. Although short in length by World Cup standards, racers say it presents an interesting challenge. "With how short it is, it makes it pretty interesting because you have to really ski accurately, and ski with a lot of intensity to be fast. It's going to be a tight race, and I think that's really exciting for the crowd as well." This is remarkable considering just a few weeks ago, this event was in question as construction crew scrambled to finish the gondola and sufficient snow cover remained a concern. "I had planned to come here to cover these races for two years already and I asked the officials on the World Cup tour in December. Will we go to Korea? They said No, no way we will ever go there. There is no gondola working, there is no snow making existing and so on." Koreans made the impossible possible." There are hurdles to overcome. The legacy remains in question as local environmentalists demand that the venue be restored back to the state of nature post-Olympics. "I'd like to know how important the maintenance of the venue and Olympic legacy is for the IOC." "It is very important and we look at the sustainability, the legacy, the environment etc. We don't like white elephants. We don't want facilities just to be there and nobody's using them. So we are working very closely with the organizing committee and constantly asking for the legacy plans." Discussions will certainly continue regarding plans for the venue after the 2018 Games. But, all in all... the general consensus by athletes, officials, and foreign media: Absolutely fantastic "It's a downhill that is really made for the Olympics. It's not Kitzbuehel or Wengen that we don't need for the Olympics." "Normally in sports, it's very difficult to reach the maximum number, in figure skating or whatever but I would actually give it a 100." "You never get a second chance to make a first impression and it looks PyeongChang 2018 is off to a great start with its first official Olympic test receiving plenty of praise from athletes and officials alike. But, hold the champagne. This is just one of 28 test events leading up to 2018 PyeonChang Winter Olympic Games." Title: AROUND THE WORLD 2015. 11. 2~ Title: Scientists confirm‎ detection of gravitational waves Scientists have made a major discovery that could change the way we understand our universe. Bruce Harrison joins me live in the studio with more. Bruce, Albert Einstein hypothesized the existence of what he called gravitational waves a century ago... and now scientists say... he was RIGHT. What are the possible implications of this discovery? Hi Connyoung. According to the scientists, the discovery of gravitational waves... which they describe as ripples in space and time... opens the door for studying mysterious objects like black holes and neutron stars. But also, they said, this discovery could help in understanding the nature of the very early universe. Bruce, I understand the researchers were searching for these waves for ten years. How they were able to make this discovery? Their operations are based in the U.S., ... and they detected the waves using two massive laser instruments located in Louisiana and Washington state. The lasers worked in unison to detect small vibrations from passing gravitational waves... and then the scientists converted that singal into audio waves. As one scientist put it -- you can hear the universe. BUT WHAT created the created the waves? According to the scientists... two black holes -- each roughly 30 times the mass of the Sun -- smashed into each other one-POINT-three billion years ago... generating the waves. "Einstein would be beaming, wouldn't he? This is, obviously, a very, very special moment." A group of Korean scientists also played a role in the discovery. The Korean Gravitational Wave Group's technology was used in analyzing and monitoring the gravitational waves. "The software works to detect within three minutes whether a gravitiational wave is real." The scientists from the observatory said they first detected the gravitational waves last Sept. 14. Title: Major powers agree to ceasefire in Syria Major powers have agreed to cease hostilities in Syria in a week from now and quickly provide humanitarian access to besieged towns. But... the negotiators were unable to agree on a complete ceasefire or an end to Russian bombing. Represenatives from the United States, Russia and a dozen other nations met in Munich to discuss the temporary cease-fire. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he's pleased with the effort... but implementation is key. "But our work today, while it has produced commitments on paper, I want to restate the real test is clearly whether or not all the parties honor those commitments and implement them in reality." Russia said it would not stop air strikes... saying the temporary cease-fire doesn't apply to Islamic State and al Nusrah, which is affiliated with al Qaeda. And, Bruce, what about the suspended talks in Geneva. Peace truly can't be reached until the opposition forces and the gov't sit down. Title: WEATER TITLE 2015. 11. 2~ Title: Rainy Saturday, cold snap returns on Sunday Yesterday's sunny skies were covered with clouds and rain today. For more on the latest weather update, here is Jee-hyun. Hello It rained all day long today, with the mountainous regions in Jeju Island seeing more than 300 millimeters of precipitation while Seoul had about 20 millimeters. But more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow? Yes Rain clouds have been hovering over the country all day long. Rain has been tapering off as the day went on and most of the rain clouds have moved out and showers will take a short break in some parts until tomorrow morning... But a low pressure system will approach from the southwest, bringing another round of rain starting tomorrow afternoon across the nation. So it's going to be a rainy Saturday. So 20 to 60 millimeters are in store in the central regions, 10 to 40 millimeters for the southern areas. But spring like temperatures once again for tomorrow, with Seoul starts out at 9 degrees Celsius while Busan and Jeju will get up to a low of 12 and 15. As for the highs, Seoul climbing to 13, 17 in Daejeon and Gwangju while Jeju Island will rise to 20. Things will brighten up just in time for Valentine's day on Sunday but a brief cold snap will also grip the nation till early next week That's Korea for you and here's a look at weather conditions around the world. Title: 0212 세계날씨 Title: Closing That is our broadcast on this Friday night. I'm Moon Conn-young. Thank you for watching. We hope to see you right back here same time Monday... on Newscenter. Title: NEWSCENTER ENDING 2015. 11. 2~ </LI></UL>