Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: Seoul's 'spaced-out' contest

Episode Date: June 1, 2024

To combat over-working culture, South Koreans have taken part in the annual 'space-out' competition, where they must simply sit still and do absolutely nothing for 90 minutes. But, they must not fall asleep. Also: meet the podcasters hoping to promote friendship between Morocco and Algeria, a hungry sea lion who hitched a ride with some rowers in Los Angeles, a potentially groundbreaking new treatment which could help restore movements to paralysed people, and the power of vibrations harnessed in sound therapy.Our weekly collection of happy news and positive stories from around the world

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC podcasts. This is the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. I'm Vanessa Heaney, and in this edition, uploaded on Saturday 1st June,

we're in South Korea and meet the winner of the Spaced Out competition. I think the core essence of Spacing Out is just learning to rest and enjoying that rest. The two friends aiming to fix the relationship between two countries. Every moment of the day, there are people cheering, showing the kids to the other side of the family that lives on the other country and you feel it sometimes even bringing musicians and making parties on both sides of the border. One podcast at a time. Also in this podcast the hungry sea lion which hitches a ride on a rowing team's boat. He was just walking around

kind of in circles on the dock, you know, just like spinning. So that's when you can really tell there's something wrong with him. Hello. What pops into your mind when you think of South Korea? Snazzy K-pop videos, high-tech electronics maybe, neon-lit cities. But just 70 years ago, this Asian country was torn apart by a war. Its remarkable transformation into one of the richest in the world has been well documented, but such rapid growth didn't come without a price. Modern South Korea is a hyper-competitive society with a strict work culture where many South Koreans are simply too anxious to take a break for fear of falling behind. Ten years ago, one local artist wanted to take a break from this lifestyle

and came up with a contest that aims to spread the art of doing nothing. It spawned an international version version now in its eighth edition. Jae Seung Lee spoke to two contestants to find out more. The streets of central Seoul are filled with people constantly on the move, those trying to juggle their hectic daily lives. And in the heart of this enormous city lies the landmark Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the ancient Gyeongbokgung Palace that overlooks a major street. Last Sunday, an event took place in stark contrast

with its usual busy surroundings, the international spaced-out competition. Participants simply sit still and do absolutely nothing for 90 minutes, but must not fall asleep. Created by the South Korean artist Oopsyang a decade ago, it's become more popular over the years, spreading to other cities around the world. Many braved the rain to take part, including the office worker Kim Gi-kyung,

who nearly missed out after being called in to work on the morning before the event. I thought some people would give up during the event because of the rain, but no one did. I think it's because it was a competition. Even though the purpose was to relax and not compete against each other, people ended up competing. South Korea is known to have an excessive comparison culture, where many feel an immense pressure to keep up with others. The country has one of the longest working hours among developed nations. South Korean society values competition. We always strive for extreme efficiency. This makes us see break times as a waste of time. Because I was

sitting still, I couldn't help but think about work for the first hour or so. I thought to myself, I should have written that email. The last 30 minutes, I think I did manage to space out by gazing into the rainy Gwanghwamun Square. In fact, working overtime is so common that the slang yagen, an abbreviation for nighttime work, has become a household word in South Korea. And that's where the spaced-out competition comes into it, to combat overworking and promote taking breaks. I think the core essence of spacing out is just learning to rest and enjoying that rest. The winner is the contestant who relaxes the most, maintaining the lowest heart rate. The champion relaxer this year was

Valentina Vilches, who's originally from Chile and now lives in South Korea with her Korean husband. Her secret? Staying true to the competition's name by spacing out. Like not interacting with it, but just contemplating and listening without paying much attention. Just connection with my senses. A doctor by profession, Valentina says taking a breather helps reduce stress and anxiety. But it was also a learning experience for herself too. I realized that actually I needed time to relax. I needed time to space out. I wasn't very aware of how much I needed in to relax. I needed time to space out. I wasn't very aware of how much I needed

in my life. So I think I will start implementing it from like every day, at least five or 10 minutes or every week to relax and disconnect from the reality and the society and the internet and the social media. That was Valentina Vilches speaking to Jason Lee and I think we might have a go at that on the HappyPod team this week. For a long time Morocco and Algeria have been sworn enemies. There are simmering tensions over the disputed territory of Western Sahara and the border between the two North African countries remains firmly closed. But now two young friends, Hafid Bouteleib from Morocco and Amin Bouhassan from Algeria, are hoping to change all that. They've created an association called ISEM to promote economic integration. And now they're launching a podcast, Yalatalk,

to encourage friendship between the two countries. Richard Hamilton asked them how they came up with these ideas, starting with Amin. I was thinking about how can we break down the border between the two countries to create kind of union, you know. And after that, I met Hafid and we decided to launch ISEM. And after that, we tried to meet other people and it worked. It worked. It was very positive. It's like a song, you know, we were young and crazy. The feeling is good between Hafid and I.

The podcast is now in projects. It's going to be soon released. And the idea is to go on the social networks and spread good words. It's to say, look, a Moroccan and Algerian that are very good friends and

talking in depth about the topics would bring an immense positive news to people, rather than what we can see on the social networks, unfortunately. Because as a journalist myself, who was in Morocco, I've always been aware that there's been some political tension. It goes back to the days of the Cold War War when Algeria was backed by the Soviet Union and Morocco was allied to the United States. In 1963, there was even a border war. And even today, there's arguments over the territory of Western Sahara. So are you guys trying to move away from that and see a sort of more of a human connection between Moroccans and Algerians? I had the occasion last year during a trip to Oujda. It is merely the longest closed border

in the world between the both countries. But when you go there, you don't feel there is a closed border. You meet Algerians in Oujda. Everyone in this city have a family on the other side of the border. What is amazing, there is a cliff where you can go and stand on and see just the other side. Every moment of the day, there are people cheering, showing the kids to the other side of the family that lives on the other country. And you feel it sometimes even bringing musicians

and making parties on both sides of the border. And you feel really that is a normal loss to have this closed border. And it would really change the face of this easternmost region, westernmost of Algeria, if it happens to be open one day. I hope we're going to witness that in during our lifetime. And Amin, I understand that you're so passionate about bringing different countries in the Maghreb in North Africa together that you've been climbing mountains. Can you tell us about that? I started climbing mountains in 2019 to celebrate the first two years of the United Maghreb. After that, I decided to add a small

touch of craziness in this challenge. I committed to conquering the Seven Semites Challenge. In each continent, you have the highest peak. In Africa, it's Kilimanjaro. I started by this. Then I moved to South America. I prepared a kind of flag, which is a heart.

And inside the heart, we have the two flags of Morocco and Algeria together. My goal is to unfurl a banner, this banner for Maghreb United. And do you guys also follow football? So if Algeria are doing well, Hafid, are you supportive of Algeria and vice versa? Or do you guys tease each other about their rival football teams? Well, I remember in 2019, there was the Africa Cup where Algeria won the Cup. It was a crazy moment because in Morocco, as if nothing ever happened politically between Morocco and Algeria, people just spontaneously supported Algeria. And I remember even t-shirts

were written, if I am Moroccan means I am Algerian. It was a very emotional moment. The streets were full of people holding, carrying Moroccan flag, Algerian flag. We danced in the street with people. It was so positive, and I remember that. Morocco did very well in the recent World Cup, didn't they? Were you cheering on the Moroccan team? It was crazy, you know. No more suspicion, no more animosity. The heart of the Maghreb was beating

again. Amin Bouhassan and Hafid Boutelep talking to Richard Hamilton. Waterproof trousers, thermal layers and a sporting attitude. A US rowing team is prepared for most eventualities when they train in California's choppy waters. But when the team went to practice recently, there was a surprise visitor. Madeleine Drury has this report. It was a grey day in California's Marina del Rey. Logan Hibbard, a rower from the UCLA sports team, spots a slim grey outline bobbing around her. Two large dark eyes stared back. It was a sea lion. He just hopped right in. It was kind of like you didn't really know what was going on until he was in the boat. But that doesn't scare Logan. In fact, she and other rowers grabbed phones to take pictures.

He just kind of like fell asleep and he took a little nap on my leg. He would like sleep for a little bit and then he would wake up. The pup was happy to sit in the boat for about 15 minutes and the team rowed back to shore. But upon arriving on dry land, the sea lion appeared to act strangely. He was just walking around kind of in circles on the dock, you know, just like spinning. So that's when you can really tell there's something wrong with him. The Marine Mammal Care Centre run their tests. The sea lion is less than a year old they found and is suffering from malnutrition. These animals are not drawn to people. That's John Warner, the chief executive of the care centre. The circumstances drew that animal to want safety out of the water, probably given the condition it was in. The pup is now recovering with help from John's

team. And after rowing to the rescue, Logan is optimistic. I just hope that he is able to fully recover eventually and hopefully go back where he belongs. What a treat. Logan Hibbard ending that report by Madeleine Drury. You may have heard our next story on the Global News podcast last week. It's about a potentially groundbreaking new treatment which could help people across the world restore movements to parts of their bodies which have been paralysed. It involves a non-invasive device which sends electrical pulses to areas of the spinal cord. After a successful trial across the world, the team is applying for regulatory approval to use their system to treat patients in hospitals in the United States. Melanie Reid, a journalist at the Times of London here in Britain, took part in the study. In 2010, Melanie fell off her horse. She broke her neck and fractured her lower back.

She was 52 at the time. The Happy Pods' Holly Gibbs spoke to Melanie about why she took part in the study and why, since the accident, she's always maintained hope. My sort of dream is always to be able to have a bit more use for my left hand. And I was given the opportunity to participate and I just thought well wouldn't it be wonderful even though I'm a chronic injury I've had it for so long wouldn't be wonderful if I could regain a little bit of grip and strength in my left thumb. Able-bodied people never think about these things but if you don't have a thumb you really can't do very much you

can't pick stuff up and thumbs are they're really, really important. And how has it been getting more movement back? And what can you do now that you weren't able to do before? I think it's very important to say at the outset that there are no miracles in spinal injury. You know, it's one of the last great unsolved frontiers of medicine. And so I've been injured long enough to be fairly cynical about all the claims. And it's a long, hard grind, scientific grind. For me, it's really increased my function. I can scroll a tablet or a smartphone with it, and I can release my seat belt in the car with my thumb. I can. It's hard work, but I can now put my own hair up on the back of my head, you know, put it in a ponytail, which I couldn't do before.

I think the great hope is that for young people, for newly injured people, you know, in hospital, in a hospital situation, those people will be able to get the device on their necks and it will keep the nerves firing, it will keep some kind of connectivity going and it will stop the formation of scar tissue. Does it give you hope for the future of people with similar conditions like you that they will be able to get more movement back? I always have hope. You have to have hope in this condition. You know, without hope, medicine means nothing. It's amazing that you are so positive.

Considering your injury and everything you've been through, it's amazing that you still have such a positive outlook on the future and other people that could find themselves in similar situations like you. You have to be. I mean, it's grim. It's really grim. Your life explodes. It's like a nuclear explosion that blows your life apart. You know, your head can go down and you can give up or you can decide to make as good a life as you can. And you do it for the people you love. And yeah, we've all got to be hopeful. So keep being happy and keep smiling and keep being positive. Melanie Reid speaking to be hopeful. So keep being happy and keep smiling and keep being positive. Melanie Reid speaking to Holly Gibbs.

Coming up in this podcast, we meet the group trying to save sea turtles in El Salvador. We try to teach them that they have to take care not just of the citrulles, but also the whole environment, like taking care of where they throw the plastic. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts.

Now, we've all heard phrases like good vibrations, but how much power does a vibration have? According to experts in sound therapy, a lot. The practice, which uses healing sounds and special instruments, has its roots in almost every ancient civilisation, but has become so mainstream it's now found at events, musical festivals and in homes around the world. Wilderness in the English countryside is one festival that's brought in some of the pioneers of modern sound therapy for this year's event. Stephanie Prentice went to meet them as they warmed up. I've walked into a bright, white and airy room in London

and it's full of giant gongs, crystal bowls, Native American flutes and I'm here to experience sound therapy. Today I've been told to set an intention and then see how I feel at the end. So with me is Cherub leading the session and she's going to tell me what kind of intentions do people tend to set? Letting go of anything that no longer serves them, wanting to magnetise in new opportunities and experiences and overall just wanting to rebalance and recalibrate to a state of calm. Well I live in London so I'm going to choose to recalibrate and return to a state of calm and I'll report back on how that goes.

On the surface, sound healing involves laying down, maybe under a blanket, and breathing slowly while listening to the instruments. Beneath the surface, proponents say the vibrations affect the body on a cellular level, improving brain nerve muscle and organ function. Cherub and her business partner Tim Wheater call themselves the pioneers of sound therapy after Tim helped bring it to the West in the early 80s. It's fundamentally a natural high and that's really what happens. People just get high from it. We just did a mini session there and I felt myself relaxing. I felt quite tingly. I could find myself beaming. There was a smile on my face the whole time. But

are there other things that this can be good for? Over the years, we've experienced everything from it helping with things like Parkinson's, memory recall, helping people to have these temporary shifts from left brain to right brain dominance so people become more creative. Going beyond even what we're playing as instruments believe it or not a cat's purr is a particular frequency which is 50 vibrations per second and that helps to mend breaks and fractures in bones.

So that is how powerful sound is. What is actually happening on a physical level is actually affecting, believe it or not, the water content in your body, the blood. Everything running through the body is vibrating in sympathy with the sound that's being created. As a duo, they've travelled all over the world from Chamonix to China and worked for everyone from celebrities to scientists. But one of their favourite things is music festivals where they say a good sound session can power people up starting with wilderness that's probably going to give them

another 12 hours of festival partying because it's helped to rebalance and recalibrate them at the cellular level i've stepped outside into the london streets and I have to say I do feel calmer. I do feel lighter. And while sound therapy might not be for everyone, my conclusion is it probably can't hurt to try. Stephanie Prentice and she's still floating around the HappyPod office. And we should say that while scientific research seems to show some evidence supporting sound therapy's benefit for mental and physical health,

there have been no reviews of randomised controlled trials. To El Salvador now, and some good news for a critically endangered species. Hawksbill sea turtles are what's known as a keystone species because they're crucial to maintaining the health of the world's oceans. They help protect coral reefs by eating things that prey on them like sponges. They also transfer essential nutrients from beaches to coastal dunes. But they're under threat from a loss of habitats like reefs and because people eat their eggs. One group, Pro Costa, has had success in trying to save them, as Jane Chambers

went to find out. I went to visit them in a place called Jequilisco Bay, which is on the Pacific coast of El Salvador. And one of their most important solutions is working with people in the local community. I went to meet its executive director, Ani Enriquez. We have a network of, we said carilleros, which are community members that are helping us and these people that used to sell eggs, now they're working for conservation. So now, whenever they see a nesting turtle they call us and then we have an incentive for the community which is helping also their families. So instead of earning money from selling eggs the community can be paid up to 30 US dollars per nest to protect them. Another part of the solution is educating the next generation.

Making them care about the turtles is also key to their future survival. Hello, I am Melissa Valle. I am a veterinarian. Melissa is on the shore of La Paraya Island playing a game with some of the local children. She tells the older ones some facts about the local turtle population. And the younger children they learn about how the turtles lay the eggs. They dig a hole in the sand with their feet acting like the turtle's flipper and then cover the pretend turtle eggs. We try to teach them that they have to take care not just of the citrules but also the whole environment like taking care of where they throw the plastic or the garbage, trying to reduce the consumption of plastic.

The ProCosta team has discovered that if the temperature of the sand where the turtles lay their eggs is too high, they get more female turtles and not enough male ones. There are two hatcheries where they have staff working in shifts around the clock and each nest of eggs is cordoned off, clearly marked and closely monitored. Annie took me on a boat to the El Confín hatchery, which is on a remote tiny island at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean. She introduced me to Gerardo Crespo, who's been working there for the last six years. We keep the thermometer in this box to measure the temperature every six hours.

We use hosepipes to spray the sand with water to cool it down if it's getting too hot. In 2007, conservationists thought the population was nearing extinction. Now, due to Procosta, their partners, Wild Earth Allies, and the local community, they managed to protect around 98% of the nests each season. And more nests have been reported every year. During the nesting season, the team are on call 24-7 to help when the turtle eggs hatch. How do you feel when they hatch? It's so exciting. The sand starts moving as the tiny turtles make their way towards the surface. Turtle rescue worker Geraldo Crespo,

ending that report by Jane Chambers. And you can hear more about the project and others tackling the effects of climate change in El Salvador on People Fixing the World, wherever you get your podcasts. We've been asking for your stories of meeting people you know in unexpected places. Last week, we heard from Leo, who saw his family friend from Zimbabwe at a train station in Maidenhead in England. One of our colleagues, Peter Hyatt, heard us talking about chance encounters the other day and gave us his own tale. It was December 1986 and I was taking a break from my duties as the BBC's Jakarta correspondent to spend a little time with my then-girlfriend, who'd flown over from London for Christmas. We were in a little fishing port on the northwest

coast of the island of Lombok, the next one down from Bali. We wanted to get to a tiny island called Gili Trarangan, where we'd heard that the warm and clear waters offered wonderful snorkeling. This was years before commercial tourism arrived in Lombok, and it's hard to overstate how isolated the region was. There was no regular service to Gili Trarangan, you just had to hope that a passing fishing boat would sell you the ride. As we waited in our roofless jeep for a boat to arrive, rain started falling. So we sought shelter in the harbourside cafe, where we were surprised to notice two other foreigners also waiting for a boat to Gili Truangan, and even more surprised when they turned out to be a former World Service colleague, Stuart, and his wife Margaret. Stuart had left the BBC a year or so

previously to accompany Margaret to Malaysia, where she had a job as an entomologist with the Saba Foundation. Her job was to track and record the number and variety of insects in the virgin rainforest. They were taking a brief holiday before returning to the rainforest and hadn't wanted to travel very far. The waters were indeed as clear and warm as promised, but we didn't stay long. Margaret's professional expertise enabled her the next morning to identify and name the type of beetle we found lurking in our breakfast banana porridge. We left within the hour. Delicious, or not. Our very own Peter Hyatt. If you have a story of a chance meeting, do please send us an email or a voice note. The address, as ever, is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.

And that's all from the Happy Pod for now. We'd love to hear from you if you have any stories to share that will make us smile. As ever, the address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was produced by Harry Bly and Siobhan Leahy. It was mixed by Robin Schroeder. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Vanessa Heaney. And until next time, goodbye. Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free.

Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts.