‘Tracking 60 Minutes’ Episode 1455 ‘Hormuz Aftershocks - War Devours Livelihoods’
As the Iran war that erupted between the United States and Iran shows signs of dragging on, KBS1’s ‘Tracking 60 Minutes’ Episode 1455, ‘Hormuz Aftershocks - War Devours Livelihoods,’ will air at 10 p.m. on the 8th.
Some argue that South Korea ranks first in damage among non-belligerent countries, and the ‘shock’ from the Strait of Hormuz blockade continues, extending even to the closure of the Shindo Peace Bridge, which is 90% complete.
Seventy days since the outbreak of the U.S.–Iran war. The war with no end in sight is now threatening daily life. The shock from the Middle East is spreading across industries, from healthcare·construction·the self-employed to even farming and fishing communities. The U.S. think tank CSIS has named the Republic of Korea as the country expected to suffer the greatest damage among non-belligerents. South Korea depends on the Middle East for about 70% of the crude oil it uses. With the war now in its third month, what is happening in South Korea? ‘Tracking 60 Minutes’ looked into sites across the country that are struggling as the war drags on.
Since the war, Heo Moon-young has been on high alert to secure medical products. His son, born prematurely, had most of his intestines removed due to necrotizing enterocolitis shortly after birth. The child must receive a TPN nutrition infusion every night to survive. Securing medical supplies is thus directly tied to the life of the child. However, the war has triggered a disruption in the supply of medical consumables made from petrochemical materials, heightening the anxiety of Heo Moon-young. The storage cabinet once packed with medical consumables is already running empty.
‘Tracking 60 Minutes’ Episode 1455 ‘Hormuz Aftershocks - War Devours Livelihoods’
“If even a single small connecting port is missing, we cannot hook it up. If we cannot connect it, that means he cannot get the infusion. Missing even one day of infusion could put the child in a life-threatening state, which is why it is all the more urgent for us.” Heo Moon-young / Parent of a child with short bowel syndrome
Small neighborhood clinics are also struggling to secure medical consumables. They are trying to source volumes through medical-device online malls and various distribution channels, but most items are sold out or deliveries are delayed. From caregiving households to medical institutions, the situation on the ground is already at emergency levels.
Incheon Metropolitan City had planned to open the Shindo Peace Bridge linking Yeongjongdo and Shindo at the end of May this year. But unstable crude supplies have caused problems in producing asphalt concrete (ascon), and work that had surpassed 90% progress has been halted. Anxiety is also growing among ascon manufacturers. In a typical year, the plant facilities that mix asphalt and concrete should be running nonstop. This year, however, is different. With crude shortages prompting the four major refiners to stop operating some refining facilities, securing asphaltthe key raw material for asconhas become urgent. The problem is not limited to ascon. The petrochemical industrial complex that has supported the economy of Yeosu is likewise facing deep difficulties.
With the burden of fuel costs and a surge in the price of naphtha, a raw material for fishing nets, net prices have risen as well. Fishermen who cannot bear the higher costs have begun to scale back operations, and seafood prices are also stirring. On top of that, prices for packaging materials such as Styrofoam and vacuum packs are rising one after another, deepening the worries of market merchants
‘Tracking 60 Minutes’ Episode 1455 ‘Hormuz Aftershocks - War Devours Livelihoods’
With rice transplanting ahead, Go Hyeon-seo has decided to purchase seedlings this year. To raise transplants, the vinyl greenhouse needs to be repaired, but it feels unmanageable. Last year, the repair work could be done for $1,125 (1,500,000 KRW), but the price has doubled. Even then, with vinyl in short supply, there is no telling when work can begin. Getting fertilizer is also an issue. About 40% of urea, the main raw material for fertilizer, is imported through the Strait of Hormuz, and with the strait blocked, securing raw materials is difficult. Producers say they have secured all the raw materials needed for the first half of the year, but as uncertainty over supplies grows, demand for fertilizer from farmers is increasing, and it looks like time will be needed before supply stabilizes.
Bing Hyeon-ji, a researcher at the Industrial Research Institute, says, “We need to lower our dependence on cheap and convenient Middle Eastern raw materials to break the cycle of recurring crises.” Fortunately, this war has also spurred active efforts to find alternative raw materials. The war has revealed the vulnerabilities in the supply chains and energy structure of our society.
Turning crisis into opportunity, the task before us is to think about the more distant future after the war. ‘Hormuz Aftershocks - War Devours Livelihoods,’ which will examine the current state of the crisis brought on by our Middle East dependence and the tasks that remain, will be unveiled to home viewers at 10 p.m. on Friday, May 8 on KBS1.
