North Korean troops are likely to increase to 88,000, already fighting...Everyone except for one.

[News FM Lee Ik-seon Choi Soo-young Issue & People]
□ Broadcast Date: October 30, 2024 (Wednesday)
□ Host: Lee Ik-seon, Choi Soo-young
□ Cast: Announcer Lee Hyun-woong

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◇ Lee Ik-seon: Let's open the second part with Aung Da-woong News. Announcer Lee Hyunwoong, who will be with us today as well, is here. Hello~

◆ Hello!

◇ Lee Ik-seon: First news. The international community is closely watching the movements of North Korean troops sent to Russia, but reports have already been made that they have penetrated across the Ukrainian border?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Yes, CNN in the United States reported that it cited multiple Western intelligence officials. Many North Korean soldiers are believed to have already begun operations, he said.

What was previously known was that the North Korean military would be deployed in the Kursk region of Russia, but it could have advanced a little more and entered the interior of Ukraine. It's a situation that can be said to have already begun operations.

It was believed that North Korean troops who had completed training in eastern Russia could be moved to the battlefield, where troops were insufficient. Earlier, the South Korean and U.S. authorities found that the number of North Korean troops dispatched would reach 10,000 by the end of the year.

However, the U.S. Department of Defense was cautious about such reports, saying there was no information yet to be confirmed. In addition, the US government reportedly asked the Chinese government to pressure North Korea for the withdrawal of North Korean troops. There is a lot of skepticism about whether China will intervene in the matter.

◇ Choi Soo-young: On the other hand, there's a claim that you've already been fighting the Ukrainian army and there's been a casualty?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: It's not official Ukraine testimony. Claims of the Ukrainian military support group and Lithuanian non-profit organization 'Blue - Yellow'.

Representative Jonas Oman said through local media, "The first visual contact with the North Korean military took place in Kursk on the 25th," adding, "All but one North Korean soldier died."

He also claimed that the North Korean military's training had already taken place in Belarus six months ago. There were signs that they were going to be trained with the Belarusian army and put into war.

He then said the number of North Korean troops could increase to 88,000, and there were four ships and aircraft bases carrying them.

◇ Lee Ik-seon: Here's the news. Recently, a Korean citizen in China was arrested on espionage charges?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: China's 'anti-espionage law' enacted in 2014 was revised in July last year, expanding the scope of espionage. Concerns about the interpretation of the law were high as espionage was added to the act of "intelligence, acquisition, purchase, and illegal provision of documents or data on confidential information and national security and interests."

A Korean was arrested for the first time since the recently revised bill was applied. A Korean man in his 50s living in Anhui Province, China, is from Samsung Electronics and has reportedly worked for a Chinese semiconductor company since 2016. However, it was belatedly known that he was investigated for more than five months for leaking Chinese technical information to Korea and eventually arrested in May.

After this became known, Korean companies issued guidelines to avoid sharing data through Chinese social media. Currently, thousands of Korean technicians working for Chinese companies are complaining that they are not free to change jobs because they are afraid of retaliation due to the revised anti-spying law, which can be interpreted as "earrings on ears, nose hooks on noses."

◇ Choi Soo-young: We should also consider the charges against the arrested Korean residents, what is our response?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: First of all, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the arrest was in accordance with the law. In the meantime, he said that he informed the Korean Embassy in China of the relevant information and guaranteed the legal rights of the parties, saying that he provided the necessary convenience.

Meanwhile, the families of the detained Koreans reportedly asked the Korean Embassy in China for help when they were arrested last year. However, the embassy's consular officer was assigned a little late, and there was a controversy over the delayed response.

Since then, the Korean residents and their families have expressed their frustration. In a letter to his family, the arrested Korean citizen said, "I want to know the government's position on whether to follow China's procedures without diplomatic measures," and the family is appealing for him to be allowed to stand trial in Korea.

The Korean Embassy in China said it was providing the necessary consular assistance after recognizing the incident. As it is the first case of arrest on charges of violating the revised anti-espionage law, attention is being paid to the process.




◇ Lee Ik-seon: Here's the news. The population problem in our country is very serious, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned this?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Yes. Musk mentioned Korea, saying that artificial intelligence is the most serious threat in the short term, but in the long run, the global population collapse is a problem.

Specifically, he said, "The Korean population will be reduced to less than a third of the current fertility rate." Two years ago, he pointed out another problem after mentioning that "Korea is the fastest population collapse in the world along with Hong Kong."

"Most countries should consider the birth rate as their top priority," he said, stressing that "all policies become meaningless if people are not created."

At the same time, he said, "It's not just words, but practice." He also mentioned that he has multiple children.

In fact, Musk has five children with his first wife, then three with a Canadian singer, and three with a company executive he founded.

◇ Choi Soo-young: But recently, we got some encouraging news about the birth, right?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Yes. The number of marriages in August was 17,527, up 20% from a year ago. In terms of growth rate alone, August is the highest ever. Even in terms of the increase, it is the largest since 2010. It has continued to increase for five consecutive months since April.

The number of babies born has also increased for two consecutive months. The number of births in August rose by 6% from a year ago, exceeding 20,000. The number of births has been on the decline for eight consecutive years on an annual basis from 2016 to last year. If the current rebound continues, it is expected that there is a possibility of a rebound in the number of births for the first time in nine years.

The fact that the government and companies are supporting marriage and childbirth in various aspects seems to have affected it. The total fertility rate, which was feared to collapse to the all-time low of 0.72 last year, is expected to be able to defend the 0.7 level if the current trend continues.

◇ Lee Ik-seon: The last one is the news of the incident, the accident. The issue of "no-show" where you make a reservation and don't show up is controversial from time to time, but this time the civil servant did "no-show"?

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Yes, this is the story of a self-employed person who was recently known online. Mr. A, who runs a meat restaurant, said he was a public official belonging to a county office and received a group reservation for 40 people. However, no one came even at reservation time, so when I checked, they asked when they made the reservation, and they answered that they were already eating somewhere else. Afterwards, I was able to receive an apology from the reservation holder only after I played a recording of the call I received.

However, it had already ruined all the business for a day. When asked for compensation, the reservationist said there was no way because he was an employee of an outsourcing company, and then asked the county office, but was told that the local government could not compensate him.

In a situation where the damage is not compensated anywhere, the owner is angry.


◇ Lee Ik-seon: We've looked at all the news prepared today.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Yes, thank you.

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