진행자: 간형우, Paul Kerry

1. Cramming in the time of coronavirus

요약: 코로나19 대유행으로 비대면 수업과 같은 불안한 상황 속 대학 입시를 준비하는 수험생의 어려움

[1] The final year in high school has always been tough for Korean students. But it is harder than ever this year thanks to the coronavirus outbreak and the disruptions it has caused in almost every aspect of life.

*tough: 힘든, 어려운, 강인한
*disruption: 붕괴, 분열, 중단, 혼란
*aspect: 측면, 양상

[2] The virus has forced schools to close for months and already caused the national college entrance exam date to be postponed once. And last week, with just three weeks left before the application opens, over 100 colleges announced revisions to admission rules in a bid to reduce the risk of virus infections.

*postpone: 연기하다, 미루다
*revision: 수정, 변경
*in a bid to: ~하기 위해

[3] Amid confusion and anxiety, high school seniors and other college hopefuls are struggling to stay focused on the exam. It is an exam they have been preparing for their entire teenage years, the outcome of which will not only determine whether they will go to university, but can shape every aspect of their lives.

*amid: ~가운데에, ~속에
*confusion: 혼란, 당혹
*anxiety: 불안, 염려, 걱정

[4] Following the first peak of COVID-19 infections in February and March, South Korea saw a sharp rise in infections in August, mostly in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. That prompted another closure of schools and kindergartens in the capital area until mid-September.

*peak: 정점, 최고조, (산의) 봉우리
*Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province: 수도권 (서울과 에워싼 경기도)
*prompt: (형) 즉각적인, 신속한 / (동) ~하도록 하다

기사 원문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200906000173

2. Discussion over BTS members' military service reignited

요약: ‘빌보드 핫 100’ 정상에 오른 BTS와 함께 다시 고개 든 군 복무 이슈

[1] K-pop sensation BTS becoming the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its recently released single has reignited a debate over the seven members’ military service. Under the current law, all able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for 18 to 22 months.

*top: (동) ~를 능가하다, 1위를 하다
*reignite: 재점화하다
*oblige: 의무적으로 ~하게 하다

[2] The band’s eldest member Jin, whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, has to start military service before the end of next year, according to Big Hit Entertainment. Jin was set to begin his military service this year after turning 28, but the BTS’ agency said that the singer was able to push it back for a year as he is enrolled in an online graduate school program. The law allows master’s degree students to delay military service until they turn 29.

*eldest/oldest: 최고령의, 가장 나이가 많은
*enroll: 등록하다, 입학하다
*master’s degree: 석사 학위

[3] Introduced in 1973, the military exemption law allows classical musicians and athletes who have won awards in state-recognized domestic and international competitions to serve in alternative service or be exempted from military service. The law does not apply to pop artists like BTS.

*exemption: 면제
*state-recognized: 국가가 지정한
*alternative: 대안, 대체 가능한

[4] This time around, there is a move to delay the BTS members’ military duty. On Thursday, Rep. Jeon Yong-gi of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea submitted a revised bill that aims to allow figures who’ve made great contributions in popular culture and arts to postpone mandatory military service. Jeon’s bill includes a proposal to allow a person to delay military service until he turns 30 upon recommendation by the Culture Minister and confirmation by the head of Military Manpower Administration.

*bill: 청구서, 계산서, 법안
*contribution: 기부금, 성금, 기여, 이바지
*mandatory: 의무적인

기사 원문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200904000669