42.1% approve Moon’s 5 yr presidency, N Korea leader eats less for the country, and Nuri rocket failure diagnosis
Farewell 2021!
K-NEWS BITES
Fri 2021-12-31 (KST)
Farewell 2021! It’s been a tough year for all of us, much harder for some than others, but hard nevertheless… Let us mourn/feel/acknowledge what we should; let us never forget to find things to be grateful for; let us consolidate the lessons to be remembered; and let us continue to hope for the good things and good times (and cherish them as we encounter them). Let us keep on keepin’ on… one step at a time…
Moon's 5-year presidency gets approval rating of 42.1% (1 min read)
“About 42 percent of South Koreans think that President Moon Jae-in did a good job in handling state affairs over the past five years, an approval rating slightly higher than the vote he received in the 2017 presidential election [41.1 percent], a poll showed Wednesday. [Moon] has enjoyed relatively high approval ratings through his term so far, compared with his predecessors. His single-five year term ends in May after the March 9 presidential election… Moon's real estate policy was cited as the biggest source of disapproval, with 41.8 percent of the respondents expressing dissatisfaction over surging home prices. Other irritant policies included the appointment of Cho Kuk as justice minister… Moon's nuclear phase-out policy and a recent pardon of ex-President Park Geun-hye.”
To debate or not - candidates disagree (3 min read)
“Lee Jae-myung, presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has called for his rival Yoon Suk-yeol from the main opposition People Power Party to join him for a debate over policies and visions as the two are the main contenders in the ongoing race… Yoon has been reluctant to participate in debates, which he views as riddled with unnecessary fights over words, operating under the assumption that debates are not effective in verifying the suitability of a candidate in an election… [Later,] Yoon said Monday he is willing to participate in debates as long as Lee accepts calls for a special counsel inspection on his possible involvement with the Daejang-dong land development scandal…”
[Reporter's notebook] Concern rises on PPP candidate Yoon's mastery of public speaking (3 min read)
“During an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Tuesday, Yoon said, ‘Most Koreans, especially young people, hate China, and most young Chinese hate Korea’... Yoon added that this hatred is the result of the Moon Jae-in government's policies favoring of China… Concern is growing over the PPP [the main opposition People Power Party] candidate's rhetoric, in which he throws out controversial comments which he later has to add follow-up explanations to. Critics say this type of rhetoric can be a problem, especially in diplomacy, if he is elected president.”
Rapid PCR Test that Can Detect Omicron Put into Use from Thursday (1 min read)
“A rapid PCR test that can detect the new omicron variant of COVID-19 in several hours will be put into use from Thursday. Health authorities said the new test kit, which can detect the alpha, beta, gamma, delta and omicron variants within three to four hours, will now be available at testing sites… Health authorities said the new PCR test is the world's first to differentiate five major variants within a single test. The new test was jointly developed by the government and the private sector based on local technology.”
Isolation Period for People Exposed to Omicron to be Cut to 10 Days (1 min read)
“A new government guideline will reduce the required isolation period for people who came into contact with a COVID-19 patient with the omicron variant to ten days from the current 14. The Central Disease Control Headquarters on Tuesday explained the quarantine period for those who were exposed to the omicron variant will be made the same as that of delta, starting sometime next week. Authorities said the change comes as it has been concluded that ten days is appropriate, given available accumulated information on the new strain.”
Workers reluctant to receive booster shot without vaccine leave (2 min read)
“Receiving a booster shot to defend against COVID-19 has become a necessity rather than an option as the government has made the vaccine pass system mandatory in order to access multiuse facilities within a six month expiration date window. However, many office workers are complaining about the additional dose because most companies are now not providing any vaccine leave, unlike during the first round two-shot vaccination drive. Decisions such as this are not only seeing workers voicing their frustration but also are having the counterproductive effect of making them reluctant to get the third shot.“
New COVID-19 cases above 5,000 for 2nd day, critical cases remain high (3 min read)
“The country added 5,037 new COVID-19 infections… raising the total caseload to 625,967… The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at the second highest of 1,145 after reaching an all-time high of 1,151 the previous day… The country added 73 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 5,455. The fatality rate stood at 0.87 percent, unchanged from a day earlier.”
“The bed occupancy rate in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients in the greater Seoul area stood at 68.8 percent as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, significantly down from 78.7 percent from the same time a day earlier. A figure higher than 75 percent is considered to have surpassed the saturation point. The country had no COVID-19 patients waiting to be admitted to hospitals for treatment as of midnight Wednesday, marking the second time since early November that the figure dropped to zero.”
“The country also reported 67 new omicron variant cases, bringing the total to 625. As of Thursday… 82.7 percent had been fully vaccinated, while 33.4 percent had gotten booster shots.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
US declines comment on Chung's remarks about end of war declaration agreement (2 min read)
“South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday (Seoul time) said South Korea and the US have already reached a de facto agreement on the draft of a declaration to formally end the Korean War… [But] The United States declined to directly comment on any progress made on a draft for an end to the Korean War declaration professed by the South Korean foreign minister on Wednesday, only saying the US remains committed to dialogue with North Korea.”
North Korea's Kim reveals reason for abrupt weight loss (2 min read)
“Severe flooding and supply issues due to the coronavirus pandemic have reportedly caused food shortages in North Korea, with the closure of the communist state's border with China further exacerbating the problem. The government, famously tight-lipped about the country's internal struggles, appears to have acknowledged this problem, stating that Kim is eating less ‘for the sake of the country,’ according to several Western media reports. Other reports… have previously claimed that Kim instructed his citizens this summer to brace for hardship, comparing the country's situation at the time to the 'Arduous March' of the 1990s, a period of economic crisis and starvation.”
Kim Jong-un starts meeting to chart nuclear strategy toward US (2 min read)
“North Korea’s ruling party started a major policy meeting to lay out priorities for the coming year and how to respond to the Biden administration’s invitation to return to nuclear disarmament talks, which have stalled for about two years… There was no indication about how long the meeting would take, but previous such meetings lasted as long as four days… Kim has shown little public interest in returning to US nuclear talks that were revived and then collapsed under former President Donald Trump.” The article contains a 3 min long video about recent events in North Korea.
Loosening of helium tank led to Nuri rocket’s failure: officials (1 min read)
“According to the Science Ministry and Korea Aerospace Research Institute, an unusual vibration from Nuri was detected 36 seconds after the takeoff, indicating that was when the helium tank was detached. As the helium tank became loose, it continuously wobbled to cause a leakage that eventually led to a crack in the oxidizer tank. With the oxidizer tank losing its content and not being able to provide enough oxidizer, the rocket’s third-stage engine turned off earlier than scheduled as Nuri failed to put a dummy satellite into the targeted orbit.“ The second launch of Nuri, which is scheduled to take place in May, is expected to be delayed due to the design changes that will be needed due to this. The previous report for the actual launch can be found here.
Concerns grow over Wall Street investors' exodus from Coupang stocks (2 min read)
“Concerns are growing over possible follow-up exits of Coupang's investors after its second-largest shareholder, Greenoaks Capital Partners, disposed of about 50 million of the retailer's ordinary shares (ORDs)... Greenoaks pulled out 4.6 trillion won of its investment in August, September, November and December. The company referred to its large-scale sell-off of Coupang's stocks as ‘in-kind distribution’ of its fund assets. It now holds 9.94 percent of Coupang's shares… Nonetheless, Coupang said that it will continue to invest in increasing customer satisfaction, rather than improving the company's profitability.”
10 Korean indie singles to remember 2021 (4 min read)
“While 2021 has not amounted to the turnaround year many expected it to be, amidst the doom and gloom of this relentless pandemic there have surely been some great things going on. The releases from the indie scene in Korea is one very notable positive to take out of 2021…” The article lists a small sample of 10 great tunes (in no particular order) that you may have missed!
[Feature] Coal-reliant families lack warmth this winter (4 min read)
“… 90,000 low-income households across the country that still rely on coal briquettes, much cheaper than oil or gas, to fire boilers at home, which heat water for the traditional ondol heating system. Coal, which can release highly toxic carbon monoxide when it burns, was the main fuel for residential heating in Korea until early 1980s. Yet, the fuel is still an essential winter commodity for people fighting the cold in shacks and makeshift houses… Monetary donations have shrunk by some 60 percent over the past two years since the pandemic started to sweep through the country… [and] around this time of the year, the organization [Coal Briquettes for Neighbors in Korea] used to get large groups of one-time volunteers, as briquette deliveries are one of the typical photo events for companies and organizations. But the resurgence of the virus has killed the year-end peak season.”
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GamSaHabNiDa! 🙇