Afghan evacuees receive threats, 'Living with COVID' from 1st Nov, and N Korea says SLBM test not targeting US
K-NEWS BITES
Fri 2021-10-22 (KST)
Spy agency monitoring pro-Taliban foreign nationals who threatened Afghan evacuees: report (1 min read)
According to a report in the Donga Ilbo, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is tracking foreign nationals who have threatened "Afghans of special merit to Korea” - people who have worked for Korea missions in Afghanistan and were later evacuated to Korea. NIS said several threats were made against the Afghan evacuees upon their arrival. Donga Ilbo also reported that an overseas spy agency recently notified the NIS that Korea is among countries vulnerable to potential terrorist attacks.
Seoul city govt. to report all participants of Wednesday labor rally to police (1 min read)
The Seoul City government said it would file a complaint with police against all participants in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) rally. The rally violated the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. The city government previously requested the cancellation of the rally, which KCTU claimed had 27,000 participants. Under the current Level 4 social distancing rules imposed in Seoul, all social rallies, except for essential corporate and official purposes, are prohibited due to infection concerns.
Those Who Miss 2nd Vaccine Appt. Can Make New Appt. through Clinics (1 min read)
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said people who missed their second COVID-19 appointment would not need to make new ones through the vaccination website. They can now go directly through individual clinics to make new appointments to complete their vaccination through the leftover or surplus vaccine apps. 67.4 percent of the nation is said to have completed the COVID-19 vaccination.
New virus cases slightly dip amid speedy vaccination campaign (2 min read)
South Korea reported 1,441 new virus cases continuing a downward trend in reported cases since the fourth wave of the pandemic peaked in late September. It brings the caseload to 347,529. Eleven new deaths have been reported raising the death toll to 2,709. The government aims to shift to the 'Living with COVID-19 phase from November 1. Restrictions on private gatherings have been eased, allowing up to eight people in Seoul and surrounding areas to meet, provided four are fully vaccinated. A maximum of 10 people, including six fully vaccinated, are allowed to gather in other regions.
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
South Korea launches first homegrown space rocket Nuri (1 min read)
South Korea is the seventh country to send a rocket into space successfully. The Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II, Nuri, took off from Goheung, located 500km south of Seoul. Nuri cost South Korea an estimated 2 trillion won to develop. It weighs 200 tonnes measuring 47.2 meters long. According to Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), more launches of Nuri will continue until 2027 to increase reliability. While Seoul says the intention is to use this rocket to launch satellites, some also view this as part of the nation’s continued ramp-up in weapons development.
North Korea accuses US and UN of 'tampering with a dangerous time bomb' (3 min read)
North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US has taken "provocative moves" by calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The ministry said, "If the US does not take issue with the DPRK's regular and legitimate exercise of the sovereign right, no tension will be caused on the Korean peninsula but if the US and its vassal forces persist with opting for a wrong action, it may act as a catalyst for more serious consequences." The article contains a 2m 50s long video of North Korea's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test.
N. Korea says its recent SLBM test-launch not targeting US (1 min read)
The North's foreign ministry spokesperson expressed concerns about “nonsensical” reactions from the US and the UN Security Council over its SLBM test-launch, stating that it was "rightful exercise or right to defense." The North said the US criticism against weapon development raises suspicion of its claims not to harbor hostility toward Pyongyang. The US and South Korea are not the North's arch-enemy, said the spokesman.
Naver, Kakao ask Netflix to pay for network usage (2 min read)
Naver, and Kakao founders asked global content streaming service providers such as Netflix, to pay internet service providers(ISPs) for network usage generated by their popular platforms. Naver and Kakao have been paying ISPs 70 billion won, and 100 billion won annually. The talk took place during the National Assembly Audit, where the Korea Communication Commission (KCC) chairman responded to the request stating that he will find ways to establish binding legal grounds to force global content providers such as Netflix to pay ISPs. Netflix had been saying hefty ISP payments could discriminate against them.
Bigger robots (1 min read)
Digital Transformation Fair 2021, held at Kintex, Gyeonggi, will run through Friday. Four hundred plus companies specializing in AI, automation, and robotics, including Hyundai, Doosan, and Infracore, participated in the exhibition. Issues being discussed in one of the sessions include smart industrialization and the metaverse. The article contains a photo of “Titan the Robot” which is a 2.4m tall entertainment robot developed by Britain’s Cyberstein Robots, which greets customers visiting the fair.
KBO regular season set for another dramatic finish (3 min read)
Seven teams are contending for the five playoff spots. With just a week left before the regular season ends on October 30, KT Wiz is in the lead with 1.5 games ahead of second-place Samsung Lions. The LG Twins come in third, a game behind the Lions. Doosan Bears take fourth place. NC Dinos, Kiwoom Heroes, and SSG Lander are all tied in fifth place. Adding to the excitement of the final week, fully vaccinated baseball fans in Level four COVID regulations areas were able to return to stadiums from this week.
'Diverse Voices' of foreign residents shared on the radio (3 min read)
"Diverse Voices" is a radio show on English Broadcaster TBS eFM. The show is hosted by Jasmine Lee every day from 4 pm to 5 pm."... Our main goal is to have more diverse voices of foreign residents on the radio," Jasmine said. "Diverse Voices" invites guests from different backgrounds to tell their stories. "As recent statistics show, a growing number of foreign residents are from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia and so on. It would be great to give them the opportunity to listen to their own language." Added Jasmine.
Korea Architecture Fair & Festival (1 min read)
The Korea Architecture Fair and Festival, themed on discovering green and sustainable construction materials, will run from the 21st to October 23 at COEX Mall, Seoul. It aims to educate the public on the architectural industry, build networks of architectural professionals, and promote an industry culture of green sustainable architecture. This fair will showcase green and sustainable cities, architectural projects, green & sustainable construction materials, landscape, new and renewable energy, etc. Please refer to the article for more details.
Seoul International Infant Education Fair & Kids Fair (1 min read)
The oldest and largest kids fair in Korea, the Seoul International Infant Education Fair and Kids Fair has been taking place since October 20 and will end on October 23, 2021. The location for the fair is COEX Mall in Seoul. Please refer to the article for more details.
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