82% QUOTA HIKE OUTSIDE

[Anchor Lead]
The government has finalized the quota for medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year. As initially planned, the total quota will be increased by 2,000, with over 80% of the additional slots allocated to regional medical schools. This marks a de facto conclusion to the medical school expansion policy, the first of its kind in 27 years.

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The total increased quota is 2,000 as the government earlier announced. 82% of this figure or 1,639 slots have been allocated to medical schools outside the capital area. The capital region only saw an 18% quota hike and even of this increase, none were assigned to schools inside Seoul. In contrast, the enrollment quota for key national universities in the provinces sharply increased. Of nine such schools in total, the quota for seven of them excluding Jeju and Gangwon National Universities has been all set at 200. In the case of Chungbuk National University, the quota has nearly quadrupled from the current 49. The quota for other smaller medical schools with students under 50 such as Sungkyunkwan and Ajou Universities has also doubled or tripled to over 100. An increase in medical school admissions is the first in 27 years since 1998.

[Soundbite]
Han Duck-soo (Prime Minister): The gov't believes sufficient medical service provision to the public is fundamentally difficult without more doctors.

Each university must now revise and disclose their entrance requirement plans by no later than May so changes can be accordingly reflected in school admissions
from next year.

N0 MED SCHOOL QUOTA HIKE IN SEOUL

[Anchor Lead]
Not allocating any medical school seats to Seoul is seen as an effort to diminish the regional disparity in healthcare services. With the quota for national university medical schools in regional hubs increasing by up to 200, a 'quota reversal' phenomenon emerges, where non-capital medical schools surpass the traditionally favored 'In-Seoul' schools in size.

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Eight medical schools in Seoul, including those at Seoul National University and Yonsei University asked the government to increase their admission quota by 365 in total. However, not a single additional allocation was given in their enrollment quota. The government explained that in order to help narrow the medical service gap among regions, the increased quota was mainly distributed to schools outside the capital area as well as those in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.

[Soundbite]
Lee Ju-ho (Education minister): We took into consideration the fact that Seoul is the region where the best medical service is available with world-class large general hospitals.

But Sungkyunkwan University and Ulsan University, which have hospitals in Seoul, were each given 80 more admission seats, as their medical schools are in the non-capital regions. The government reiterated its plan to strengthen medical schools in national universities in provinces as a way to enhance the essential but less popular medical disciplines. With the goal of establishing a medical eco-system supporting essential medical services in local regions, it has raised the enrollment quota by 200 for seven medical schools at provincial universities, such as Kyungpook University, Jeonbuk University and Chungnam University.

[Soundbite]
Lee Ju-ho (Education minister): No matter where they live, everyone will be able to receive quality medical services and their lives and health will be protected more safely.

The government greatly increased the admission quota for the so-called mini medical schools with a small number of students after concluding that the quality of education will be boosted if medical schools are run in an appropriate size. It vowed to speed up the procedures to open a medical college in Jeollanam-do, which has no such school currently, once consensus is reached in the province.

IMPROVING MED SCHOOL LEARNING

[Anchor Lead]
The government has announced measures to increase faculty numbers and boost infrastructure investments to ensure uninterrupted medical education, even with a potential increase of 2,000 students from next year. Focusing on a substantial expansion of regional medical schools, this initiative aims to address the crisis in essential and regional healthcare.

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The government aims to improve the learning environment at medical schools as enrollment quota has been hiked. The number of medical school professors at flagship national universities will be increased by 1,000 in the next three years while more assistance will be provided for better educational infrastructure.

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Lee Ju-ho (Minister of Education): The gov't will help improve education quality at med schools in three years between hiked enrollment and start of core courses.

But medical schools are already concerned as some have to admit up to four times more freshmen starting next year.

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Choi Joong-kook (Assn. of Med School Professors, Chungbuk Nat'l Univ.): There is no lab that can accommodate 200 students. Are they going to build new buildings or raze mountains?

The challenge is also to provide a training environment where doctors who graduate from regional medical colleges become inclined to work in those regions at local hospitals or essential departments. Medical school graduates must undergo a training course to become a specialist. Teaching hospitals outside the capital region are not as well-staffed for this very step. Subsequently, 47% of graduates from medical schools outside of the capital region flock to the greater Seoul area to receive their training. This issue needs a solution as non-capital, regional university hospitals can only do so much to increase the number of resident doctors.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Koh Kyung-nam (Asan Medical Center): Large hospitals are criticized for relying on resident doctors. But if local universities increase their quotas by 4 times, it could cause bigger distortion.

If the newly increased number of doctors are to work in essential medical fields, the government must also finish overhauling the compensation system and ease the risk of facing malpractice charges.

AIDING EMPLOYEES' CHILDCARE

[Anchor Lead]
Many might hesitate to use the reduced work hour system for child care, keen on the idea but reluctant to impose additional work on their colleagues. To address this, starting in July, the government will roll out a new 'support funds for co-workers' to provide assistance for employees who help shoulder the duties of those availing themselves of reduced work hours for childcare.

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In an effort to facilitate shorter work hours during childcare, the government has decided to newly introduce the so-called support funds for co-workers. To this effect, the labor ministry has issued an advance notice, effective for 40 days, of partial revisions to ordinances related to the Employment Insurance Act. Under the system of allowing shorter work hours for the sake of childcare, parents with children under the age of 8 can reduce their daily shift by a maximum 5 hours for a duration of one year. However, according to a government survey, one out of four workers said they are not taking advantage of this scheme due to the burden of their absence affecting colleagues. In view of this situation, the government has decided to offer a monthly stipend of up to 200-thousand won or 150 dollars.. to SMEs that reduce weekly work hours for an employee by more than 10 hours and provide compensation to co-workers who share the burden of that employee's task. This program is designed to have workers freely utilize the 'shorter work hour system for childcare' by encouraging employers to compensate colleagues who fill in the gaps. In addition, wage support for employees working shorter hours during childcare will also expand. At present, full regular wages are provided to those slashing work hours by no more than 5 hours a week. This will expand to 10 hours. Also, when self-employed people close their businesses due to pregnancy, birth or childcare, they will be qualified to claim unemployment benefits, which will be written into law. The latest revisions will take effect in July.

SURGING CRYPTO SCAMS

[Anchor Lead]
As the price of Bitcoin has surged past the 100 million won mark in domestic exchanges, interest in virtual assets has significantly increased. If you're contemplating whether to invest, it's crucial to be aware that scams exploiting this trend are becoming increasingly rampant.

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Amid the skyrocketing price of Bitcoin, online posts bragging about their high returns have been increasingly easy to find. Scams targeting novice investors are surging, as many people are weighing whether to invest in cryptocurrencies. This year, the Financial Supervisory Service has received a monthly average of about 200 complaints about virtual asset investment scams. In particular, three out of ten complaints were about fake cryptocurrency exchange web sites. The victims said they were lured to non-existent digital currency exchanges. In order to entice investors, scammers were found to have built up relationships with potential victims. The victims were invited to online group chats on investment. The perpetrators also pretended to be foreigners when talking with would-be investors on social media. At first, the victims were asked to make a small amount of investment and received returns. Later, they were persuaded to increase their investments. When they eventually invested a large sum of money, the scammers would then proceed to cut ties and go radio silent with the large investment. Victims each lost tens of millions of won on average. In some cases, the damage amounted to hundreds of millions of won.

[Soundbite]
Do Young-seok (Korea Financial Intelligence Unit): With crypto scams, it's extremely hard to retrieve the lost money. Investors must remember that prevention is best.

Before deciding on investing in cryptocurrencies, potential investors are asked to go to the web site of the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit and check whether or not the exhcnage is registered in accordance with Korean law.

N. KOREA TESTS SOLID FUEL ENGINE

[Anchor Lead]
North Korea claims to have successfully conducted a ground test for a solid fuel engine to be used in a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile. This missile is characterized by its capability to strike the U.S. military base in Guam and its difficulty to be intercepted. There is speculation that North Korea may soon proceed with a test launch of this missile.

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A flame typical of a solid fuel engine spews out while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, seemingly satisfied, applauds. The regime claimed to have successfully conducted a ground test for a solid fuel engine to be used for new intermediate hypersonic missile at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station.

[Soundbite]
N.Korean Central TV: The schedule for the development of the new intermediate hypersonic missile system has been finalized.

North Korea has gone all out to develop intermediate-range hypersonic missiles lately as indicated by the engine test last November and a missile launch test conducted in January. An intermediate hypersonic missile is capable of flying up to 5,000 kilometers to strike the American naval base in Guam and evading interception and tracking. If solid fuel is used, it can even make surprise attacks. Together with nuclear submarine and intercontinental ballistic missile, the hypersonic missile is counted as a key strategic weapon targeting the United States. Kim Jong-un said the strategic value of a hypersonic missile equals that of an ICBM.

[Soundbite]
Yang UK (Asan Institute for Policy Studies): It is a project that actualizes N. Korea's 5-year military power plan and it should be completed before 9th Congress of Workers' Party in 2025.

North Korea may launch a missile soon to test the engine's performance.

LEE KANG-IN'S APOLOGY

[Anchor Lead]
Following the internal discord within the national football team, Lee Kang-in has publicly shared his thoughts for the first time, expressing regret for disappointing everyone and making a humble apology. Team captain Son Heung-min stated that Lee Kang-in's heartfelt apology served as a unifying moment, firmly committing to a victory in today's match against Thailand.

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A tense-looking Lee Kang-in, heavily criticized for causing a conflict within the national football team, stands in front of dozens of cameras. After taking a deep bow, he said he was sorry and continued to extend an apology for one and a half minute.

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Lee Kang-in (National Football Team Member): I'm very sorry for disappointing the nation. I will try harder to become a better person and a better player. I hope you will continue to support Korean football.

It's been only a day since he joined the national team, so he underwent 20-minutes of stretching and conditioning by himself. When Lee put on his shoes and joined the team training, team captain Son Heung-min welcomed him with a smile. Son said that Lee had offered a sincere apology to all other players the day before. He added that he was proud of the young footballer for having the courage to apologize. Son tried to lighten up the mood by continuously talking with other team members during the training session.

[Soundbite]
Son HungHeung-min (Nat' lNat’l Football Team Captain): It was a chance for us to be united. The atmosphere isn't as bad as many are concerned about.

Since the Thai team said it would focus on defense in the upcoming match, the role of the offensive line including Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in has become more crucial. The team may demonstrate that the controversy only made the team stronger at the game against Thailand.