Greetings, everyone, and thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV.
I’m Don Valiant and this is the news from Gyeonggi Province this week.

Article 1. Auxiliary Programs Become Trend in Gyeonggi Forest Parks (160526-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] In forest parks of Gyeonggi Province, it has become a trend to offer various auxiliary programs that are both entertaining and therapeutic. Our reporter examined the details.

▶ Green Pine Nut Tree Forest, Gapyeong County
Most forest park visitors expect to spend their time walking through nature and dipping their feet in mountain steams.
▶ Cho Tae-bong, Visitor from Seoul
“There is nothing more relaxing than resting in a valley with my feet in a stream after a long forest walk.”

▶ Therapeutic Painting & Psychological Consultations
At this trail center, additional enjoyment awaits visitors who return from the forest. This is a therapeutic painting class with a psychological analysis service in a traditional house setting.
▶ [PIP] Kim Eun-gyeong, Visitor from Incheon
“I didn’t expect to draw a picture here. It was as if I was brought back to childhood. I also had my painting psychologically analyzed by the instructor. I had a very good time.”

▶ Therapeutic Exercise Classes
Additional programs currently being offered at forest parks include therapeutic painting as well as physical exercise classes such as chi exercise, forest yoga and meditation. These auxiliary programs are providing additional enjoyment to forest visitors.
▶ Kim Mi-ja, Forest Therapy Instructor
“Health improvement activities such as chi exercises and meditation have become a trend. That is why we offer various therapeutic programs. The number of visitors to our park has gradually increased not only on weekends but during weekdays as well.”
The auxiliary physical and psychological health programs are providing additional forest park benefits in Gyeonggi Province.

Article 2. Communication Magnate Heads Gyeonggi’s Startup Campus (160527-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] This past March, Gyeonggi Province established the Startup Campus, a business startup support facility. Recently, a Korean communication magnate was appointed head of the campus to lead the full-fledged operation of services.

▶ Pangyo Startup Campus
Since its establishment, 21 organizations have become affiliated with the campus for participation in the support of new businesses. However, the campus has been lacking leadership in the effective coordination and utilization of the services offered by these organizations.
▶ Startup Campus Chancellor Inauguration Ceremony (May 26)
The appointed chancellor, Kim Beom-soo (김범수), who started a venture enterprise himself, is the CEO of Korea’s largest mobile communications and online portal company, the Kakao Corporation.
▶ Kim Beom-soo / Chancellor, Startup Campus
“We will help the campus residents grow, instead of simply by providing instructions, by allowing them to go through the process of inspiration, trial and error, and team work as well as collaboration with other teams …”

▶ Korea’s Largest Business Startup Support Services
Led by a powerful private industrial leader, the Startup Campus is expected to soon become the largest business startup support facility in Korea.
▶ Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil
“A place where resources from the public and private sectors are shared, where individuals can pursue their dreams using these resources, is another a model of the shared market economy that Gyeonggi Province is pursuing.”
The comprehensive support resources of the Startup Campus combined with powerful leadership will have synergistic effects on the development and growth of new businesses of the future.

Article 3. Sales Soar at Pangyo Techno Valley (160601-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] The total annual sales of the enterprises in Pangyo (판교) Techno Valley exceeded KRW 70 trillion last year. What is more remarkable is that such an achievement was realized within only four years of the establishment of this business complex.

▶ Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam City
It was in 2011 when the first high-tech enterprises began arriving in Pangyo (판교) Techno Valley, a newly developed business center. The area is now packed with high-rise buildings as well as business support facilities that provide an ideal business environment.
▶ Aggregate Annual Sales Surpassed KRW 70 Trillion in 2015
As of last year, there were more than 1,200 resident enterprises in Pangyo Techno Valley, and their total annual sales surpassed KRW 70 trillion. Twenty-three percent of the total annual production of Gyeonggi Province was generated here.
▶ GTV Reporter Han seon-ji
[CG] “Compared with sales of KRW 5 trillion in the first year, the growth rate is almost explosive.”

▶ High-Tech Industrial Congregation Creates Synergic Effects
The synergistic effect from exchanges among a range of resident high-tech industries is regarded as one of the key factors behind such growth.
▶ Han Jeong-gil / Director, Gyeonggi Province Science & Technology Division
“Pangyo Techno Valley is a representative high-tech industrial cluster of Korea and is regarded as a Korean version of Silicon Valley. Information exchanges and technological competition among its resident enterprises are creating high added value.”
In only four years since its opening in 2011, Pangyo Techno Valley has firmly established itself as the undisputed advanced technology center of Korea.

Article 4. Bucheon Hosts Gyeonggi Employment Foundation HQ (0608-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] Gyeonggi Province has been working on the creation of the Gyeonggi Employment Foundation so as to integrate the employment administrations and services of the currently dispersed provincial employment service organizations.

▶ Wonmi Borough Office Building of Bucheon City
This new organization will be located in the former Wonmi (원미) Borough office building of Bucheon (부천) City.
▶ Headquarters for Regional Employment Service Agencies
This foundation will be part of the provincial Administrative Welfare Center for which this building has been assigned.
▶ Gyeonggi Province Employment Foundation
The main offices of the foundation, which will also act as the headquarters for regional employment service agencies, will be located on the 3rd floor of the building, while the more conveniently accessible first floor will be allocated to comprehensive employment consultation services.
[CG] This new agency will provide one-stop employment services by integrating the ad hoc services created at six related provincial organizations.
Such integration will enhance user convenience while maximizing functional employment service capabilities from research, consultation and career planning to vocational training and placement.
▶ Heo Seung-beom / Director, Gyeonggi Province Employment Policy Division
“The public employment services of individual organizations will be integrated so as to provide comprehensive services. All provincial residents will then have the access to the same information, knowhow and other employment service resources that we have.”
The Gyeonggi Employment Foundation is slated to begin full operations in August as soon as a president is appointed after personnel hearings that will take place this month.

Article 5. Gyeonggi College Student Forum on Declining Birthrate (160601-1)
[Anchor’s Headline] Gyeonggi Province has held a series of public forums with members of different demographic groups so as to identify the causes of and possible solutions for the declining birthrate. The third and most recent forum took place with the participation of college students.

In Korea, young adults are often metaphorically referred to as the ‘sampo (삼포)’, or ‘triple abandonment’, generation since they often give up dating, marriage and childbirth. At this forum, students explained why they feel they have to give up such things.
▶ Han Ji-su, Student (Aged 23)
“I do want to have a happy family with a kind husband and children. But I cannot trust social systems to care for my children, and therefore I fear I may have to interrupt my career…”
Jeong (정의진) returned from military service and is now busy preparing himself for employment. He complains that he simply cannot afford to waste time dating.
▶ Jeong Ui-jin, Student (Aged 25)
“I would really like to have a girlfriend, but it’s unthinkable because I have too many things to do; I have to do extracurricular activities, study for foreign language tests, get vocational certificates, and so on…”

▶ Economic Reasons
Jang (장하연), a female student, says that economic pressures such as student loan repayment and the cost of a wedding are the primary obstacles to the pursuit of a happy marriage. The general perception that homemaking and childrearing are the duties of women is also a constraint that prevents her from pursuing her dreams, she says.
▶ Jang Ha-yeon, Student (Aged 22)
“If I pursue my dreams now, can I carry on with them after marriage? Even if so, what would happen if I have a baby? Will I still be able to carry on? These are the problems I think are associated with marriage.”

▶ “Marriage Fills What Lacks in Each Partner”
To help youths perceive marriage more positively, Gyeonggi Province Social Integration Vice Governor Lee Ki-woo (이기우) advised that marriage should fill what lacks in each partner.
▶ Gyeonggi Province Social Integration Vice Governor Lee Gi-woo
“We will carefully review what has been said today, continue dialogues with our youths, and develop programs that can produce substantial results.”
Based on the information and opinions gathered at public forums, Gyeonggi Province plans to develop new programs to address low birthrate issues via senior official meetings by the end of next month.

Article 6. Gyeonggi Launches On-site Credit Guarantee Services (160602-2)
[Anchor’s Headline] On June 1, Gyeonggi Province established a team of On-site Credit Guarantee Supporters so as to help small businesses with financing by providing credit guarantee services at the site of their businesses. Our reporter examined the details.

▶ Jidong Market, Suwon City
Market merchants often face problems in securing credit guarantees for loan applications that they are sometimes urgently required to make since they cannot leave their business premises. The objective of this team is to provide guarantee services for such small businesses on site.
▶ [PIP] Kim Gyeong-ja / Merchant of Jidong Market
“I sometimes need money urgently, but cannot leave the shop (to apply for a loan). I am very grateful that they can come to us instead to help with applications.”

▶ On-Site Credit Guarantee Services
The credit guarantee supporters provide one-stop services from financial consultations and evaluations to guarantee certificate issuance on site for small business owners.
▶ Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation (June 1)
On-Site Credit Guarantee Supporters
The 26 credit guarantee supporters designated by the Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation will circulate at least four times a week through areas where there are no branch offices and where credit guarantee service demand is high.
▶ Kim Byeong-gi / CEO, Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation
“We visit markets and shops and provide credit guarantees on site so that merchants can maintain stable businesses without interruptions.”
The Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation spokesperson said that the foundation will advertise low-interest guarantee products among small businesses so as to assist them with superior financial instruments.

Article 7. Gyeonggi Organization Publishes Anti-aging Effects of Chocolate (160607-3)
[Anchor’s Headline] According to the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology of Gyeonggi Province, chocolate is good for the skin since it reduces wrinkles and increases elasticity. These findings have been accepted and published by major scientific journals in the United States.

Despite its irresistible aroma and sweet taste, chocolate has generally been considered an unhealthy food due to its high calorie content. This is also the reason that dark chocolate products with less sugar content are gaining popularity.
▶ Park Yeon-hwa, Seoul
“I eat chocolate products predominantly as a snack. I usually eat dark chocolate with high cacao contents.”

▶ Chocolate Reduces Wrinkles and Improves Elasticity of Skin
Institute scientists found that polyphenol in cocoa, a major ingredient of chocolate, reduces wrinkles and increases the elasticity of human skin. Such findings were based on experiments that involved artificially inducing wrinkles in rats and then feeding them cocoa.
▶ Lee gi-won / Professor, Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology
“We found that polyphenol in cocoa inhibited the production of collagenase, an enzyme that destroys the collagen needed to maintain the elasticity of skin and prevent wrinkle formation.”
Further experiments have also been carried out on 60 women by having them consume polyphenol extract from cocoa for six months. Results showed that wrinkles decreased 9% and skin elasticity improved by more than 8%
▶ Experiments Used Chocolate without Additives
The researchers emphasized that such findings were based on experiments that used chocolate made with pure cocoa without sugar or coloring agents. The findings of this study were published in nutrition and dermatology journals in the Unites States.

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