This Morning

2011.3.16 / Mon~Fri / 7~9 am / Han Schattle

Opening
Its Wednesday, March 16th, 20-11. Good morning and welcome to This Morning! Im Hans Schattle. You are listening to tbseFM 101.3 in Seoul and GFN 98.7 in Gwangju. You can WATCH This Morning now every weekday at 4 p-m on tbs TV and tbs DMB. In the headlines this morning. In world news, Also coming up in this first hour, Well talk with a MIT nuclear expert about the latest development in Japan. And Christine Kim will tell us how the Japan nuclear crisis affects South Korea. And Thomas Steinberger will join us with the latest business news. but first a word from our sponsors...

Special Issue / Ballinger

We are now joined on the line by Ballinger, professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT.

Domestic News Report / Christine Kim

Its TIME and Christine Kim of Korea JoongAng Daily is joining us in the studio.

1. South Korean efforts to help quake-stricken Japan From the president, to top celebrities, companies and ordinary people, South

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Korea is stepping up efforts to help quake-stricken Japan as the neighboring country is grappling with its worst natural disaster ever as the gigantic tsunami spawned by a 9.0-magnitude offshore quake last week swept northeastern Japan, claiming thousands of lives and the death toll is feared to rise. i. What has the president said? President Lee Myung-bak called for the international community to make all-out efforts to help Japan and offered condolences to the families of victims. Lee said Monday while on a trip to the United Arab Emirates that "All countries in the world should pay attention to Japan and cooperate (for its recovery work)."

ii. And I believe Korean rescue teams are in Japan already? Yes, Seoul has dispatched more than 100 rescue personnel to the quake-ravaged areas and pledged to provide as much support as possible for Japan. On Tuesday morning, the foreign ministry in Seoul said the rescue team began jointly searching a Sendai district with Japanese police. It was the first time the district, one of the "extremely damaged" regions, had been searched since the disaster.

iii. What about non-government help to Japan? South Korea's Red Cross said it plans to donate US$1 million to its Japanese counterpart on Tuesday. Korea Disaster Relief Association said it plans to provide 4,000 emergency supply kits that include blankets, clothing and underwear, in addition to 150,000 bottles of water. The Korean Committee for UNICEF said it has launched a donation campaign through e-mail as well as social network services such as Facebook and Twitter. The local office aims to initially raise 1 billion won (US$888,000) and extend its donation campaign over the next two months in a bid to raise restoration funds, it said. The Community Chest of Korea has said it would donate US$500,000 to Japan for relief efforts.

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iv. And Korean celebrities have apparently joined the crusade? Yes, Bae Yong-joon, also known as Yonsama, a hugely popular actor in Japan from the greatly successful Korean drama Winter Sonata that started the Korean Wave, has donated 1 billion won to the Japanese government, according to his agency. Ryu Si-won, an actor who also enjoys immense popularity in Japan, is set to donate 200 million won to Japanese victims. Kara, a South Korean girl group popular in Japan, pledged to donate all proceeds of its new single to the quake victims, according to its agency. I dont think he can be categorized as celebrity, but South Korean baseball pitcher Park Chan-ho, who joined the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese league this season, donated 10 million yen to relief efforts, his club said Tuesday.

v. Have there been any companies that have decided to jump in as well? Yes, Daum, one of the nation's major Internet portals, raised more than 40 million won from some 900 netizens in less than two days after launching a donation drive. Samsung Group, South Korea's largest business conglomerate, said it has donated 100 million yen (US$1.22 million) to help Japan's earthquake relief. The group will also dispatch 10 rescue workers from Samsung Rescue Corps. and 11 medical workers from the Samsung Medical Center after consulting with the Japanese government, it said in a statement. Asiana Airlines Inc., one of the top two Korean air carriers, has provided blankets, instant noodles, mineral water and other relief items to Japan.

vi. Fundraising is being done by pretty much everyone. South Korea's public broadcaster KBS also aired a two-hour live fundraising program yesterday to help those in need. Another major broadcaster, MBC, also plans to air a similar donation program on Wednesday.

2. N. Korea agrees to repatriation of 27 of its 31 nationals held in S. Korea: official

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North Korea has agreed to the repatriation of 27 of 31 nationals held in South Korea after their fishing boat drifted into South Korea waters last month, withdrawing its earlier demand that Seoul also send back four wishing to defect, officials said. i. What happened yesterday? The agreement, expressed yesterday through the Red Cross channel of the two countries, ended the deadlock that has lasted since South Korea told North Korea more than a week ago that it would repatriate only 27 of the 31 North Koreans who were taken into custody on Feb. 5. Backing down on its demand that all 31 be returned, the North requested yesterday that the 27 be returned by sea, according to South Korean Ministry of Unification officials. The North Korean Red Cross had been requesting that the 27 people be returned in consideration of the feelings of the families waiting for them.

ii. The South Korean government had been trying to return them through Panmunjom, right? The South, citing bad weather in the Yellow Sea, the waters in which they were found drifting, proposed instead returning them today through the truce village of Panmunjom straddling the countries, but the North insisted they be returned by sea as soon as the weather improves. A unification ministry official said "If the North insists they be returned by sea, we will watch the weather situation at sea. If returned by sea, they will ride on the same boat they came here on.

iii. And so ends the tug of war between the two Koreas over these North Koreans? Yes, since South Korea announced that four of the 31 North Koreans would stay, the North has mounted a propaganda campaign against the South, sending emotional letters written by family members of the defectors and posting online video interviews with them. North Korea claims the South coerced the four into defecting in a plot against Pyongyang. Seoul denies the charge and says the four defected of their own free will.

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3. Kim Tae-ho, ex-candidate for Prime Minister says hes willing to give Gimhae his all Kim Tae-ho, also the former governor of the province, has jumped in the by-elections for the representative of Gimhae in southern Gyeongsang province. i. Give us the details. The former governor asked for another chance at Gimhae City Hall yesterday, promising he would give his entirety to the city with his previous experience as a two-time governor. He said, I have looked back on myself for the past six months and I realized how much love and hope I was given along with how lacking I am. There is so much for me to fill and if given the chance, I will fill it with work for the city.

ii. Did he say anything about his failed attempt at becoming prime minister? Yes, he said although he had received the spotlight as a young prime minister candidate in his forties, he had let down many who had expected so much of him by not even getting a chance to start. Then he proceeded in requesting for his listeners to give him another chance at representing the region and promised he would bring back the gold medal, referring to the development of the city.

iii. Can you remind us what happened then? After he was tapped as the candidate for prime minister last August, he was accused of being involved in the Park Yeon-cha illegal lobbying investigation during his hearing. The public outcry against Kim eventually led to his stepping down from his candidacy and he left for China to study for 6 months. He came back to Korea on March 5.

iv. What plans for the city does he have? He pointed out that the city, which is home to a population of 500,000, lacks greatly in infrastructure, especially traffic-wise.

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Also, there are around 6,000 small to mid-sized companies in the city, but there arent enough cultural or education facilities for the people in Gimhae.

That was Christine Kim of Korea JoongAng Daily.

Traffic & Weather / Jennifer Lee

We have Jennifer Lee in the studio to give us the road conditions. Hello Jennifer.

World Media Today

Here are some of the top stories that news organizations around the world are covering this morning.

NEWS SUMMARY
Our top story this hour.

DOMESTIC 1. Radiation levels remain normal in South Korea South Korean officials at a state-run nuclear safety agency say the country has yet to detect any unusual radiation levels within its territory. Fears of radioactive contamination in Japan have been here growing following the countrys worst-ever earthquake and tsunami last week. According to officials, the radiation level briefly rose slightly above normal levels yesterday morning on Ul-leung () Island, located in the East Sea between South Korea and Japan, but returned to normal a few hours later. No Byung-hwan (), director of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety said that there is only a slim chance of Japan's radiation crisis affecting the Korean Peninsula

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at the moment as the air current is blowing toward the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, the South Korean government said yesterday it will tighten radiation inspections of Japanese meat and seafood imports as the radiation leak prompts concern over the safety of Japanese food.

2. North Korea agrees to partial repatriation of its nationals held in South Korea North Korea has agreed to the repatriation of only 27 of its 31 nationals held in South Korea after their wooden boat drifted to the South last month. Pyongyang has withdrawn its earlier demand that all of them be returned to North Korea, including the four who expressed their wish to defect. South Koreas Unification Ministry says North Korean Red Cross sent a message to its South Korean counterpart yesterday that the 27 be returned by sea.

3. Police is to announce the verification results of Jang Ja-yeon ()s letters today. Gyeong-gi() police office is to announce the verification results of the late actress, Jang Ja-yeon()s letters today. The letters were sent to a close aide of Ms Jangs and police are investigating them as key evidence in a resurfacing scandal involving dozens of business executives and journalists. Meanwhile, the Seoul Prosecution office yesterday questioned a Democratic Party politician, Lee Jong-Gul (), who has accused Chosun Il-bo affiliates executive of allegedly having sex with Ms Jang. Ms Jang, 27 years old, hanged herself on March 7, 2009 at her home, leaving a suicide note saying that she had suffered severe mental distress from being forced to have sex with dozens of high-profile figures.

4. South Korean lawmaker draws jail term on embezzlement charges The Seoul Central District Court yesterday convicted Representative Kang Seong-jong() of the Democratic Party of embezzlement and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. Mr. Kang was detained last September for embezzling 8-point-1 billion won from a

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private school foundation where he served as chief of its board between 20-03 and 20-10. Kang, a 45-year-old two-term lawmaker, was accused of embezzling the money from Shin-heung () College and the college-affiliated Indianhead International School and using the money for his personal and political purposes.

Business & Markets / Thomas Steinberger

Its time to check International business and market news with Thomas Steinberger of Korea Institute of Finance. Good morning.

How did the market close overnight? 1. Stock Markets New York Dow Jones:-1.15%, 11,855 S&P 500: -1.25%, 2,667 NASDAQ: -1.12%, 1,281

Seoul KOSPI: -2.40% to 1,923.92 KOSDAQ: -2.69% to 489.44 Whats the main international News this morning? 1. Japanese Share Prices Plunge Again Lets talk further about the plunge again yesterday in Tokyos stock markets as the nuclear reactor situation got worse yesterday in Japan.

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Investors attention on Monday had been perhaps more on the impact of the earthquake and Tsunami on Japanese companies and business sentiment, but as the news about the nuclear situation grew worse yesterday, that is where all the attention went. The double digit drop in the Nikkei has led to its worst two-day fall in stock prices for 40 years, as the strong measures announced on Monday by the central bank were not enough to prevent a market panic. Stocks were also down sharply elsewhere in the region, such as Taiwan, Australia, and as we just mentioned, the KOSPI in Seoul.

Beyond the humanitarian dangers, how is the nuclear situation and the overall destruction in the country being perceived by investors right now and what will it take to get markets back on their feet? There are a number of things investors are quite worried about. For one, there are concerns about the potential for an extended disruption to the power supply; temporary shutdowns of factories are ongoing and a worsening nuclear situation could expand these shutdowns. Now, the Japanese yen has also been an issue, with some fearing it may strengthen quite a bit as firms sell off foreign assets to pay for insurance claims and reconstruction, though that hasnt gotten out of hand yet. And what about the overall costs of reconstruction, and specifically, would the nuclear crisis be expected to compound the already billions in expected costs for recovering from the earthquake and tsunami. Estimates are that the costs will be much higher than the already high initial projections, over 50% more than the 1995 Kobe earthquake, and that these costs may indeed be pushed sharply higher if there is a full-scale meltdown. Some analysts are forecasting that the quake alone may knock a full percentage point off of Japans GDP growth.

2. Some Hedge Fund Traders Profit from Earthquake Some securities traders, however, had actually been expecting a severe drop off in Japans economy and stock markets for years. Not because of any natural disaster, but rather because of the countrys lack of productivity, overspending and aging population.

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But some of those investors have inadvertently made strong gains on long-held bets that Japans economy would take a hit. A sizeable part of the investment community had been claiming that Japan would see a crisis soon for the reasons you mentioned. And reportedly some hedge fund traders saw major profits on bets against Japanese government and corporate bonds. A default by the Japanese government on its debt is still viewed as highly unlikely given the depth of Japans financial markets, but the price for insuring against a debt failure has soared so far this week. But we are still seeing the Japanese yen move higher, which is not quite what one would expect if the government is facing an imminent debt crisis. Thats being driven by the sell-off of foreign assets, as well as simply the nature of the Japanese economy itself, it has both deep financial markets to draw upon, and also because of the struggling economy even before this disaster, Japanese consumers were not spending and that means there are few concerns yet about inflation, which helps stabilize the currency. But as the costs of reconstruction continue to soar, questions about a possible debt crisis will be raised more than ever before, and as I said, such questions were already being asked.

3. European Power Companies See Share Prices Plunge on Nuclear Fears The worsening nuclear crisis in Japan has also had a worldwide effect on public perceptions of nuclear power, right when the industry was getting set to expand further. And I see a lot of power companies even in Europe have seen their share prices hammered as a result. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already declared a three-month moratorium on plans to extend the operation of nuclear power plants in the country, which is quite a big step considering that nuclear power makes up about a quarter of Germanys electricity usage, it makes up 3/4 of Frances usage, and there are nearly 150 nuclear reactors spread across Europe. Those figures really speak to the importance of nuclear power in Europe, as well as its growing importance elsewhere. Does this place the long-run role of nuclear power in doubt in the region?

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Analysts say despite the very genuine safety concerns, some of the recent steps by European governments have been influenced by short-term politics, for instance Germany is facing important elections soon. But if the political battleground shifts here, it could complicate decisions for Europe as it tries to move away from fossil fuels. That was Thomas Steinberger of Korea Institute of Finance. Thanks Thomas for the updates.

Special Issue / Dr. Tom Looser

The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant in Japan has continued to worsen this week. Thousands of people are feared dead and more than 500-thousand people have been left homeless. Through it all, the public in Japan has handled the catastrophe with remarkable calm. Joining us now with more is Dr. Tom Looser, an associate professor of Japanese studies at New York University. Thank you for joining us.

Possible Questions 1. How are you following the way people in Japan are responding to the crisis, and what strikes you as noteworthy??

2-1. How has Japanese culture handled natural disasters in the past and how do you view the current response in Japan to the catastrophe?

2-2. Japan has experienced the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 and the bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945. History would suggest that Japan will rebuild quickly, despite the heavy losses at present. What is your view on how long would it take for them this time to recover from the

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current situation?

3-1. Some say the extraordinary stoicism of the Japanese people comes from their emphasis upon self-discipline. For them saving save and also preserving one's dignity is also an important factor for the Japanese -- even to the point that Japan refused international help after the earthquake in Kobe in 1995. In your view, what is the cultural background of their mentality and where does the strength of the Japanese people stem from?

3-2. While Western or non-Japanese media is trying to cover emotional pictures of the tsunami victims, we're hearing that Japanese media is avoiding showing much of the wreckage and grief; and beyond this, many Japanese people avoid crying in public or cover their eyes when they weep. How has local media played a strong role in Japanese culture? Or alternatively, how has the culture constrained what news organizations report?

4. It is quite interesting that there is very little anger directed at the government in this case, even as Prime Minister Naoto Kan went into this crisis with an approval rating of less than 20 percent. What's your take on this?

5. Are we seeing any signs that civil society in Japan has gained ground in recent years and especially in the current crisis? How will this Sendai earthquake influence Japanese culture down the road?

We were speaking to Dr. Tom Looser, an associate professor of Japanese studies at New York University.

Sports / Shane Hahm

Shane Hahm is joining us in the studio to give us sports news update.

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Good morning.

Soccer AFC Champions League action last night. wins 2-1 on the road against Melbourne (Group E) Coming off that 1-0 loss to Tianjin First CL victory in team history scores the come-from-behind game winner with less than 10 minutes to go Group F; FC Seoul clobbers Hangzhou 3-0 (, , ) FC Seoul in control of the Group (Nagoya-Al Ain match postponed) vs. Arema FC (IND) 5:30 Wide-open Group H; Shanghai vs. Suwon

European Champions League action overnight as well. Manchester United is off to the quarterfinals after beating Marseilles 2-1 Two goals by Javier Hernandez Inter Milan goes on the road to beat Bayern Munich 3-2 (3-3 agg.) Game winner in the 88th helps Inter become the only Italian side in the quarters

Skating The International Skating Union is reportedly looking for a replacement site to host the World Championships. Expected to announce a backup plan this week Officials at ISU headquarters in Switzerland were on the phone yesterday with potential replacements

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 No candidates have been named, no requirements either (national broadcaster commitment, experience in hosting, fan base) Torino, Tokyo, Gangneung

Baseball Baseball pre-season is underway (2006 MVP) vs. (2008 MVP) Hanhwa 5-2 SK That was Shane Hahm. Thank you for joining us.

Next Hour Tease

A reminder that you can follow us on Twitter at thismorningefm. Our writers this morning are Jungmi Ahn and HyungJoo Choi. Im Hans Schattle. BBC World News is coming up at the top of the hour.

New Spring season of tbs eFM (for this week, 14th-18th)

The new season of tbs eFM has begun this week and we have some big changes. New talk show in the morning/welcoming back some hosts Time 9-10 AM 10-noon 6-8 PM 10-midnight 3-5 AM Title Hosts Re:play John Lee 1013 Mainstreet Ahn Jung hyun Primetime Henry Shinn Nightvibe Pinnacle & Elliott Startrakz tbs eFM producers

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Adding more diversity on the weekends Time Title Hosts 6-7 AM SUNDAY Sounds of Korea Heather Willoughby 10-noon Weekend Edition Mike Weisbart 2-4 PMSUNDAY Indie Afternoon Ray Kang 6-8 PM Weekend Chart James Atkinson

tbs eFM shows on tbs DMB channel, tbs

(This new season,) tbs eFM shows are being aired simultaneously on tbss new audio DMB channel, tbs World. tbs has two DMB channels actually and This Morning has already been airing on tbs TV & tbs video DMB, Love tbs since last November. And now you can hear us on tbss audio DMB channel tbs World as well. The AUDIO DMB goes out LIVE, while the video DMB airs later at the same time as the TV show at 4 p.m. If you are a DMB phone user or if you have a portable DMB device, go check it out.

This Morning on tbs TV

This Morning started airing on tbs TV last year. Our program every morning is reproduced into an hour TV show and its a chance for you to sneak a peek at what its like here every morning on This Morning. It airs every weekday on tbs TV at 4PM. You can find This Morning on your local cable channel or also on some subway stations. That will be about 120 stations on lines 1 to 4 or 9 and also at some bus stops in Jong-ro() district. For people who have IPTV at home, its 400 on QOOK TV, 305 on SK Broadband TV and 29 on myLG TV.

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tbs Application (all year round usable, in 2011)

tbs broadcasting has launched its own application for smartphone users last year, both available for i-phone and Android. Its free of charge, and you can download the Apple I-phone application by going to the itunes App store, and the Android one at the Android Market. If you download the application, you can listen to tbs eFM live and the scripts of the shows are also available. There are other functions including traffic and cultural event information using the GPS system which means you can check events happening around your current location. Please feel free to personalize tbs eFM radio on your smartphone if youre interested.

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