this is due to a chronic labor shortage as young south koreans shun low paid manual work.o resolve this problem, the government has been accepting foreign laborers for the last ten years under an employment system. the number of foreign workers exceeded 500,000 in 2012. and the government announceded that it will open the nation's doors to more. in fact, the country's manufacturing industry would literally collapse without foreign labor. this policy of employing foreigners to p protect domestic industry is efficiently managed by the government. while it's received high paz global bli, various problems are rising to the surface. >> this episode of "asia insight" follows korea's global employment system which has been attracting attention around the globe. ansan is some 30 kilometers southwest of seoul. in the district of wongok-dong, over 35% of the population is made up of foreign residents. wongok-dong immigrants hail from 15 countries. including china, vietnam, indonesia and places as far as way as uzbekistan. on weekends the town's center is a melting pot of different e

but north koreans face disclaim nation there. >> translator: south korean society treats north koreansertain way. i didn't want my children dealing with that. >> reporter: and so in the end a world away from north or south korea, was california. kim now works as a masseuse in a small shop in l.a.'s korea town. you have to imagine a north korean arriving here, you need to find a job you don't speak english, downtown have many skills what, about healthcare, health insurance evening the concept the insurance and how it works in the u.s. is something you would have to learn. from one of the most regimented closed countries in the worlds where the government tells you how to live, what for say what to think only the most ends pricing might possibly reconcile themselves to something new. >> translator: coming from a communist country where everyone act like a machine, it's hard to adapt to this culture. we'll need a lot of time. >> reporter: some concepts stunneddal them. >> translator: you have freedom of expression in america i mean no one will bother you even if you bad mouth the presiden

and less north koreans have managed to defect in recent years. we've been asked not to reveal their identities or where they live because even though they have left the country they are still afraid. we are changing their names and distorting their voices at their request. kim min-su ("kim min soo") and ahn su-bin (on soo bin") escaped separately across the river to china. >> did you ever feel in danger? >> su-bin told us she had wanted to leave north korea ever since her father was swept up in a purge when she was 14. >> she said after her father disappeared her family was exiled from pyongyang. >> the government only allowed us to speak to people that were approved by them. of the people you know what is the general feeling among the population? >> in 2013 the united nations released a groundbreaking report on human rights abuses in north korea concluding their abuses - including forced labor deliberate starvation, torture, and the complete denial of the right to freedom of thought quote "have no parallel in the contemporary world" when he was

i think korean air and men have been rattled by the sense of outrage by koreans and we have seen that in actions den by korean air -- actions taken by coryian air -- korean air, and further allegations. >> the european union has accused israel of destroying a shelter. the e.u. helped to pay for 200 shelters for bedouin community. members of one family fear they may lose their home. >> jamil and their family tended a flock of sheep. it's difficult to feed them. he has had to abandon the bedouin tradition of moving to greener grazing pastures because he's afraid of losing his home. the single-room fabricated prestructure was handed to him and he shows the eviction notice handed to him by binyamin netanyahu. binyamin netanyahu ordered e.u. structures be demolished. >> the e.u. gave us the caravans because the old shelters were falling apart. the israelis consider this a crime, yet they build illegal settle s on our land. >> it follows a claim that homes are illegal because they were built without israeli permits, a view supported by parliament. they criticized the e.u. for spending milli

they wanted to press the north koreans to make progress on the investigation. >> translator: north korean officials explained they are at the stage of deepening the probe and want to avoid any explanation that will lead to speculation. they said that at this point they haven't found any objective and clear evidence about the abductees. >> reporter: prime minister shinzo abe plans to meet this week with relatives of the abductees. he'll explain the government's efforts to resolve the issue. decades have passed since these families last saw their loved ones. they want them to come home before time runs out. >> translator: this terrible issue is being put off year after year. it makes me wonder what kind of country this is. >> reporter: officials in tokyo now say they expect their counterparts in pyongyang to deliver a report this summer. but they're waiting to see if the north koreans come through. tomoko kamata, nhk world. >>> tokyo shibuya ward has made a landmark decision to recognize same-sex partnerships. assembly members voted to pass a bill becoming the first local government in japa

most of the over 20,000 north koreans do, north koreans face discrimination there. >> south korean society treats north koreans a certain way. i didn't want my children feeling that. >> and so in the end a world away from north or south korea was california. kim now works as a masseuse in a small hop shop in l.a.'s korea town. you have to imagine a north korean arriving here. you need to find a job. you don't speak english. you don't have skills. the concept of insurance and how it works in the u.s. is something that you have to learn. some concepts stunned them. >> you have freedom of expression. no one will bother you, even if you bad mouth the president himself. >> they both fluent in english tell us the little that they do know. >> what do you know about north korea? >> nothing much since i have not been in the country but i know it's a terrible place to be. >> i know something. it has a very, very terrible leader. that's all i know. >> what their parents do say study hard, aim for college and their drive and energy they take after their parents, and their ambition will produce a diffe

i'm not suggesting there's any north korean involvement. s in terms of a security profile and the security picture, i would mention that is something that also has to be taken into account. >> there's no question. and, in fact it is a lot of around the residents in seoul, but this is an event across the street from the american embassy. it was a morning breakfast. there are issues related to the station at the korean peninsula. it's not something where you would think that this kind of thing would happen and ambassador lippert has been notably, even by standards of other american ambassadors, very acceptable. out walking and he even set up a twitter profile for his dog. he has gone out of his way. i remember when i was the -- walking through cnn, i was doing a live interview with the american ambassador and south korean tried to attack him, but the driver had been rained in martial arts and knocked him on his back flat and the interview continued. thez things happen. feelings run strong. there are -- >> a good driver to have there, mike. gr

/south korean military drills. these are fairly routine exercises, but of course it has set off a lot of rhetoric in north korea which is claiming of course that all of these drills are a precursor to an invasion of the north. general skaproti notifying about these exercises and that they are purely defensive in nature for the u.s. and south korea to exercise their ability to operate in the event of a contingency emergency without keeping stability on the peninsula. this incident very disturbing obviously. >> barbara starr, appreciate the update. thanks. back with mike chinoy and james reese. the timing with this military drill under way as barbara starr just said those are not popular in north korea. it certainly seems like security should be a little stronger during contentious events in the region and again, north korea has sent, you know spies, has sent operatives into south korea to kidnap people in the past to attack people. >> yeah. i wish i could tell you i'm surprised but i'm not having spent 17 years of m

he's been visited by the south korean president.isten to what he has to say. >> sorry, guys. little technical issue here. good afternoon. i am very grateful to be here today. let me make a few brief comments and then i'll take a couple of questions. first, i am happy to report that my family and i are doing well thanks in large measure to the extraordinary care i received these last few days i expect to return to work very soon and make a full recovery. [ speaking in foreign language ] i want to express my profound gratitude to those koreans and americans alike who so bravely and selflessly responded to the scene of the attack and to the medical teams that delivered world class treatment. [ voice in foreign language ] i wish i had time today to single out everyone individually, but please know that you always have my greatest respect and lasting appreciation. [ voice in supportforeign language ] on the u.s. side i am grateful for all the calls of support shown to me to include the president, the vice president, the secretary of stat

the h2a placed a south korean satellite into orbit in 2012. another is scheduled to launch a canadian satellite in fiscal 2015. the h2a boasts a 96% success rate with 21 straight successful launches as of last month. >>> well a leading u.s. meat industry official wants to see a trans-pacific partnership free trade deal soon. he's urging members of the u.s. congress to pass a bill to give the government more power to speed up the talks. u.s. meat export federation president philip tseng told members of the media he's intensed with the intensity and speed of the talks so far. >> we recognize that even though we might be close to the finish line when it comes to tpp between the u.s.able japan, there is still much work that needs to be done here in japan, and also in the united states. >> some u.s. lawmakers are against the fast track legislation but seng says he hopes congress will pass it soon. >>> well huge numbers of foreign tourists visited japan last month during the lunar new year holidays. that gaves sales at all four major department stor

this action alleges korean air acted improperly. and tried to get the information to air investigators looking into the incident. this is damaging for the executive, but by extension to korean air itself much the airline and the big corporations here have seen the public outrage against what they see a corporate excess and the corporations should not be allowed to continue in the way possibly they have done in the past >>> hillary clinton defended her use of a personal account. the republicans accused her of trying to block transparency. >> reporter: former u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton was at the u.n. to think on women's issues. the big draw was outside the event. the media descended in tlonks to here an explanation for business while secretary of state. speaking about the issue for the first time. secretary of state clinton insisted she broke no rules. >> i had the convenience to use a personal email because i thought it would be easier to carry one device for my work and my personal emails instead of two. >> reporter: t

had these exercises with south korea, the north koreans shot a ship killing a lot of south korean sailorsittle perspective on what's going on in the korean peninsula right now. >> well again, you are right. we don't know what was behind what appears to be an attack on our ambassador in south korea. we do regular exercises with the south korean military. they are transparent. we are open about them and speak about them. they are not intended to be directed towards any country or threatening. we repeatedly say that. when the north koreans make noise publically and complain and take action we say very clearly, these are part of our relationship with the south koreans, a long-standing alliance. they're not designed to be aggressive in any way. but we have seen unfortunately -- you know this better than anyone. the north koreans take increasingly escalating steps. going back to nuclear tests. this is a serious problem on the peninsula. we are committed to seeing if we can stand by our allies to reduce tensions. >> 46 south korean sailors died when the ship was attacked by north korea, supposed

people written the north korean way.a that a sign a bus in a painting could provoke did devotion here in south korea for north korea might seem far fetched but people here are governed by the national security law. legislation designed to prohibit the promotion of north korean ideology. its ice over recent years such as in the failed prosecution of this photographer who he called ironic retweeting of north korean propaganda has come in to criticism. but for its proponents it's a vital tool nay long battle. >> translator: it's a scream to grab pow by capitalizing on social underdogs it's a meticulously crafted grand scam and many south koreans are prone to scams. >> reporter: no text in the works being shown. and for the organizers it's about a long-term financial investment. not politics. but for a man who has lived inside the real north korea the brightness and beauty of the one depicted here brings back darker memories. harry fawcett, al jazerra, south korea. >>> news updates and blogs can be found on our website the a

they say it will increase business opportunities for south korean firms. more than 30 countries have now announced their intention to join the asian infrastructure investment bank or aiib. a senior government official said south korean companies have solid experience in building infrastructure. he said the government will participate in talks as a founding member and will reflect its national interests. he suggested that south korea would seek a stake in the bank at a level that allows it to influence operations. so far 35 countries have said they will take part in the bank. they include major european nations such as britain, france and germany. china says nations that announce their participation by the end of this month will be able to join talks on a concrete framework for the bank. government leaders in the united states and japan maintain a cautious stance about joining. >> we're not considering joining any new institution at the moment. but, we of course you know have a stake and stress the importance of the aiib meeting the current international hi

it was a wing of a department of the south korean government for a few years in the past. but then of course he was arrested in 2010 for throwing a block of concrete at a japanese diplomat here and was serving a two-year suspend jail sentence for that. so he did have a criminal record. so questions, how could a man with a knife with that past criminal record get into this event and how was he able to get this close to the u.s. ambassador? the u.s. embassy telling us they did not request extra security for this event, the south korean authorities saying there were dozens of police there. as a first-time visitor to seoul, you might note though we're very close to the demilitarized zone we're very close to north korea here. security is more lax than in other cities around the world. there are not metal detectors in front of hotels and shopping malls, for example. that may be something this man took advantage of. of course all important to know though no direct link to north korea, the north korean regime has gleefully responded to this attack calling this a, quote, knife atta

but north koreans face discrimination there. >> translator: south korean society treats north koreansin way. i didn't want my children dealing with that. >> reporter: and so in the end, a world away from north or south korea, was california. kim now works as a masseuse in a small shop in l.a.'s korea town. >> reporter: you have to imagine a north korean arriving here. you need to find a job, you don't speak english, you don't have many skills. what about health care and insurance? some concepts stunned him >> translator: you have freedom of expression in america. >> reporter: the kids tell us the little they know about north korea. what do you know about north korea? >> nothing much. but i know it's a terrible place to be. >> i know something. it has a very, very very, very terrible leader. that's all i know. >> reporter: what their parents do say to study hard aim for college, and in that the kim kids drive and energy takes right after their parents, but applied in the u.s. that ambition will produce a vastly different life and outcome. >>> it has been about a year and a half since f

. >> we are against all military actions taking place in the korean peninsula. if the exercises continue and north korea retaliates, a state of war will once again be a reality. >> we've heard all this before. analysts from the international crisis group isn't worried. >> kim jong-un has called them to be ready for war. the text is all in the context of deterrence. they are trying to gauge the reaction of the south and its allies and to see if they can changing its behavior and cans celling its exercises. >> this may be another case of posturing, however, history has taught us that the standoff on the korean peninsula is unpredictable. >> the liberation army is on a mission to wipe out opium farms scattered along the border to w. china. >> it's a time for extra vigilance, according to the national liberation army. its fighters patrol the township in the northern state. they are an ethnic minority and one of several armed groups fighting for more you a you to know my. the heightened security comes as sporadic fighting in the region, home to another ethnic minorit

the action also talks about the action of korean air in all of this. evidence was given at the trial that she was visited by executives from korean air and offered inducement to say try to keep quiet about the whole incident so this action also alleges that korean air acted improperly, their executives did and they tried to get her to lie to air investigators who were looking into the whole incident. this is very damaging, not only for the executive at the center of this, but by extension to korean air itself. i think the airline and also some of the big corporations here are very rattled by the way there has been public outrage against what is seen as corporate excess here and how the corporations of south korea should not be allowed to continue in the way that possibly they have done in the past. >> utah will become the only state in the u.s. to allow firing squads to carry out the death penalty if there is a shortage of he can accusation drugs. other states are considering alternative methods after several inmates who receive lethal injections took

south korean leaders say a north korean submarine torpedoed the vessel. pyongyang has again denied it was responsible. >> a torpedo struck the cheonon on march 26th, 2010. 46 crew members died. an international investigation concluded that north korea was behind the attack. >>> it's time now for world weather with our meteorologist sayaka mori. sigh aceh northern japan is like they're back in midwinter being battered by severe cold and heavy snow. what's the latest? >> yes miki. late march, but still winter is gripping northern japan. you can see rotating cloud in the north. that's driving colder air from the north, creating sea-effect snow mainly for the sea of japan side of the country. actually, 40 centimeters of snow has fallen in parts of the fukushima prefecture and gusts of about 100 kilometers per hour reported in the top end of hokkaido. the low pressure system is actually starting to pull away from japan so the peak is over but heavy snow and strong winds will likely continue at least into wednesday morning. an additional 60 centimeters of snow

. >>> now a rare exhibition of north korean art is on display in south korea.aintings are part of a dutch art dealers collection, but as harry fawcett reports it's not just drawing the attention of art lovers. >> reporter: healthy happy faces gaze out from the canvases. the pictures tell a story of abundance and contentment. some evoke another time and place. they are according to the title of the show the hidden treasures of north korea, 147 painings getting a rare outing here in the south. part of a collection of 2,500 bought in cash over several years by this -- art dealer. >> yeah, of course if part of that money are going to -- to benefit the -- the government over there, you know, again, just really not -- not my concern. >> reporter: in another gallery in seoul some very different paintings. this is the work of a north korean defector who painted propaganda slogans until he escaped the country of his birth. he invited him to view this new exhibition. >> translator: when i lived in the north, i found paintings like this impressive, but since i came here,

he and his wife gave their first child a korean name. and he tweeted his appreciation today saying, doing well and in great spirits. will be back asap. the south koreans have stepped up security around the ambassador, but they believe the suspect acted alone. and currently there's no indication the incident will impact security at other u.s. embassies. president obama, who spoke to ambassador lippert before he went into surgery, is being regularly updated on the investigation. lester. >> chris, thank you. >>> hillary clinton has responded to the controversy over her private e-mail which she used exclusively as secretary of state instead of an official government account. she's now asking the state department to release those e-mails, but that doesn't mean the public will see them any time soon. nbc's andrea mitchell explains why. >> reporter: hillary clinton finally responded. in 140 characters. a tweet just before midnight saying, i want the public to see my e-mail. i asked state to release them. they said they will review them for rele

-south korean alliance.e pictures just after the attack he looks remarkably calm and cool given what he's just gone through. also interesting, too, this is ab yously going to raise questions about security measures taken around the u.s. ambassador in south korea. even though it's such a strong ally of the u.s. the seoul police saying they didn't get any instructions about the u.s. embassy about any need for heightened security at all. this was seen as i said fairly routine speech talking about the prospects for peace on the core reern peninsula. >> andrew stevens, thanks so much reporting live from hong kong. >>> today a spokesman for south korea's president condemned the attack saying, quote this incident is not only a physical attack on the u.s. as ambassador but also an attack on the u.s. south korea alliance. >>> let's talk more about the attack with senior vice president of the korea society, stephen norper. welcome and thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> let's talk about security first. the venu

. >> a rare exhibition of north korean art on display in south korea isn't just drawing attention from art lovers. >> a rescue mission in underway at a mine in eastern ukraine where there's been a huge explosion. thousands of families are gathered in the city of donetsk. according to reports at least 30 of dead and others trapped below grounds. donetsk has been racked by intense fighting between the government and pro-russian release for months and now kiev accuses the release of holding up the rescue effort by restricting access. we are outside the mine in donetsk. what more are you hearing? >> we are hearing from the separatist government that the cause of the blast was likely an excess buildup of methane inside the mine shaft, that there was no foul play. that means there was no shelling outside, despite the ceasefire here having been violated a number of times. we also have new numbers from the local separatist government here the donetsk people's republic. they say 230 miners went into that shaft this morning and were there when the blast occurred about 6:00 a.m. local time. about

it's a korean pop song with a heavy-set korean guy dancing all over the place.: what happened when you saw the video of justin bieber? scooter: i saw a 12-year-old kid who had i think, like, eight videos at the time. six or eight videos? he was singing at a contest at a church. i was consulting for akon on a different artist. and i was watching youtube videos of that artist and telling him what i thought of it. they were singing aretha franklin "respect." so in related videos, there was a kid in the distance, a little tiny thing, and i thought it was the same person. when i clicked on it, it was a 12-year-old kid. emily: so it was an accident? scooter: it was an accident. i stumbled on it. and my gut went crazy. and i watched another video and i watched another video. and then i saw him singing ne-yo, "so sick." and when i saw this little canadian kid with so much soul, i just knew there was something there. emily: you were the very first belieber. you flew his mom and him -- scooter: illegally, i think. emily: -- down to live next door to you. scooter: yeah, an

the virus attached to e-mails was similar to one used by north korean hackers. they also say the hackers ip address resembled those used by the north in the past. earlier this month, hackers posted what they claim are phone conversations between south korean president and u.n. secretary-general. the team says it's investigating how the data leak occurred. north korean hackers are also suspected of a cyber attack on 50,000 computers at financial institutions and broadcasters in south korea in 2013. the attack temporarily disabled automatic teller machines. >>> aid workers are starting to help people get back on their feet after a powerful storm struck the south pacific nation. officials say they're still struggling to assess the full extent of the damage late last week. aerial footage shows the devastation on the main island. they have revised down the death toll to 11. it's hard to get information from some remote islands in the country. many survivors don't have electricity. more than 3,000 people have lost their homes. and are staying in shelters. they say the

north korean officials plan to invite investors in may to tell them more. analysts say the north koreans may struggle to attract investment because their nuclear and missile programs have brought them under international sanctions. >>> forest fires are causing serious pollution in northern thailand. patchari raksawong in bangkok is following the story. >> the thai army has sent troops to help put out the fires. this type of haze is a major problem in southeast asian countries. heavy smoke has affected nine northern provinces for more than two weeks. the thai authorities say the main cause is burning vegetation to clear fields. hundreds of thai troops have joined the firefighting operation. singapore armed forces have sent two helicopters and 50 personnel. the cooperation is based on a joint disaster mitigation that asean nations signed in 2005. health officials say more than 40,000 people were rushed to hospitals when the smoke began to affect their health. officials at the airport said flights have been delayed or canceled. two years ago thick haze drifted

the south korean community service reading in the service of people writtens in the north korean way. >> the idea that a painting might provoke devotion by the south. the people are governed by law prohibiting the showing of north korean ideology. for proponents it's a tool in a long battle. >> communist ideology is a scheme to grab power. it's a meticulously grafted behind scam. there are many hens prone to scams. >> for the organizers it's about a long-term investment. but for a man living in real north korea, the brightness and beauty brings back darker memories. >>> just before the headlines we nudge you in the direction. website. aljazeera.com is the distress. -- the is the address. all the new opinion and comment. aljazeera.com. >>> hello, i'm ray suarez, there has been plenty of noise around binyamin netanyahu's speech to congress, who invited whom, who broke protocol and not. negotiations between the united states and its partners to prevent tehran from having a nuclear weapon are close to agreement or shutting down. in switzerland secretary of state john kerry and his iranian

i'm deeply moved by the support i got from koreans..s.-rok alliance. the south korean president park saying this is important on the relationship and military relationship as well. >> the president of the united states andrew reaching out to his ambassador. they go way back. they are friends from when the president was senator. andrew stevens, thanks for that. >>> 34 minutes after the hour. this overnight storm, it's not over. >> i can't take it. >> hitting from texas all the way up to the northeast. including new jersey. hometown of christine romans. 90 million people under serious series of winter watches and advisories. >> the weather is doing a number on travel. if you have a flight today, check with your carrier. you probably don't have a flight today. already some 2,000 flights grounded. that number will continue to rise. the snow he is falling hard outside of boston. the region buried under 8 feet of snow in just over 2 inches away from setting the all-time record. the scene playing out just as the storm started. look at the roo

the abbasid or struck with a knife at a breakfast meeting at an art center in the south korean capital-- the ambassador was struck with a knife. a 55-year-old man lunged at him, slashing him twice, once in the face, once across the body. >> key pressure. >> i'm bleeding. bleeding. >> blood streaming from his face, he was rushed from the building and taken to the hospital. the attacker was arrested and pinned down. he shouted that he wanted a unified korea. he also voiced anger at the large u.s. military presence in korea. american troops and south korean troops had just started a joint exercise involving 200,000 personnel. the south korean government was swift to condemn the attack. >> our government is shocked by the awful act that occurred against ambassador mark lippitt. such acts against the diplomatic delegations will not be accepted for any reasons, and we are taking this especially seriously as it was committed against the ambassador of the u.s., our most important ally. >> the ambassador indicated he wanted to be much more open, out there with the people. that policy will now b

areas of the korean peninsula.now will also cover much of northern japan. the rain will be coming in in tokyo starting the evening hours today. and as for the forecast, looking at some clearing skies on tuesday. a very short break break because we have another round of snowfall on wednesday and then blizzard conditions will be coming back for you on thursday. so the visibility will be near zero again. tokyo, though a jump from 10 degrees to 18 degrees on wednesday. little bit of a fall again on the latter half of the week. beijing will be on a warming trend, but shanghai on the other hand 14 degrees down to just 7 degrees on your wednesday. now a quick look here in the americas. the new england states are going to be expecting another round of winter storms. we're actually looking at some ridge of this high pressure system pulling in that moisture. so freezing rain will be in store for you in the lower great lakes region. and then heavy snow again across much of the great lakes. out toward the four corners this is

the ambassador was set to give a speech on the unification of the korean peninsula.tors say lipert suffered non-life-threatening injuries including a three centimeter-deep gash on his cheek and they say he received 80 stitches. witnesses say the attacker was sitting at a table near the ambassador. he reportedly shouted as he approached him. they say people attending the event took the man down. police officers arrested the suspect shortly after. authorities say he had received a suspended prison term in 2010 for throwing pieces of concrete at the then japanese ambassador. they say he was angry about japan's claims over islands between the two nations. the news has made headlines around the globe. our senior commentator keigo okamoto gave us his insight on the incident. he's been extensively covering the korean peninsula for years. >> ambassadors are not usually easy for the public to access. they are mainly in secure locations like embassies where they have security personnel protecting them. i've been many times to the u.s. embassy in seoul, and i can tell you the s

the south korean security services were unhappy with the text.a that a sign on a bus in a painting could provoke devotion may seem farfetched, but it's legislation aimed to prohibit the ideology of north koreans. for its proponents it's a vital tool in a long battle. >> translator: come communist ideology is a scheme designed to grab power by capitollizing on social underdogs. >> reporter: no offending text in any of the work currently being shown, and for the organizers it's about a long term-financial investment not politics. but for this man, it brings back darker memories. harry fawcett, al jazeera. >>> more news on our website, aljazeera.com. ♪ >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher andy are in the stream. ajunct professors fight for a living wage. how their working conditions could impact the quality of higher education. >> our producer is bringing all your live feedback through the show.