Android spyware targets Koreans, KT: oops we did it again, and season 2 for Squid Game in development
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Fri 2021-11-12 (KST)
Starting this week, we will trial a change in the frequency of K-News Bites to 3 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). The hypothesis is that you’ll get more interesting articles, reduced repetition, and some extra help with the information overload we all have to deal with on a daily basis!
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Korea's two-track diplomacy between U.S., China losing luster (3 min read)
“So far, the [Korean] government has engaged in a ‘balancing act’ between the two superpowers ― standing as an ally of the U.S. on security matters, while partnering with China for economic reasons. However, experts say the U.S.-China conflict is now blurring the line between national security and the economy, making Korea's conventional strategy outdated… With uncertainties growing on diplomatic and national security issues affecting the economy, analysts are saying that Korea's approach of separating its national security and diplomacy from economic issues is no longer viable.”
Korea says it can secure 3-month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles (2 min read)
“South Korea said Wednesday it can secure a three-month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles through various means amid a short supply of the key fluid used in diesel cars to cut emissions. The government said the estimated stockpile is calculated based on planned imports from Australia, Vietnam and China, as well as secured amounts through crackdowns and the military's reserves.”
Korea may face 'twindemic' of COVID-19, flu this winter (3 min read)
“Last year's flu season here was unusually mild thanks to COVID-19 precautions, but things may be different this year, according to health experts, who warn that the country may face a so-called ‘twindemic’ of coronavirus and influenza infections this winter… [Experts] worry that this may put serious strains on the public healthcare system, which is already struggling with a recent surge of critically ill COVID-19 patients… Each year, the country grapples with a flu season which usually begins at the end of November, reaches its peak in December and lasts until as late as April.”
Despite worrying figures, Korea says return to social distancing not on the table (4 min read)
“The number of patients with severe or critical COVID-19 rose to an all-time high of 473 on Thursday, replacing the record of 460 set the day before… In and around Seoul 73 percent of intensive care beds were occupied as of Wednesday afternoon, nearing the threshold of 75 percent for activating the contingency plan -- which will put a stop to country’s phased exit from the pandemic and reinstate interventions. Nationwide the intensive care occupancy rate stood at 59 percent.”
“In October an average of 12 people died with COVID-19 each day… Just 10 days into November, deaths are climbing even more rapidly compared to the month prior, with 18 people having died a day on average so far. The case fatality rate rose from around 0.3 percent in August to 0.7 percent in October.“
“Son Young-rae, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson… [said the] latest trends aren’t worrying enough to consider going back,” and are within the predicted range.”
New infections over 2,400 for 2nd day amid eased virus curbs (1 min read)
“South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,400 for the second consecutive day Thursday… The country reported 2,520 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 388,351… Thursday's tally marked a slight hike from the previous day's 2,425, which marked the first time in six days that daily infections exceeded 2,400… The death toll rose by 21 to 3,033 on Thursday… [and] the fatality rate came to 0.78 percent… The number of fully vaccinated people came to 39.73 million, or 77.4 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
South Korea: Presidential race marred by corruption allegations and mudslinging (4 min read)
“With four months to go until election day, the two top candidates for the presidency are already at the center of allegations of corruption and abuse of power, with debate over policy relegated to the background.” Park Saing-in, an economist at the Seoul National University said, “while corruption has long been a feature of Korean politics… the present situation is ‘exceptional.’ Both Lee and Yoon have been accused of wrongdoing and are the focus of official investigations… In the past, we have seen personal issues in politics, but never before to this magnitude in a presidential election.”
‘Dangerous’ for South Korea to enter defence alliance with Japan and US, presidential hopeful says (3 min read)
“Lee Jae-myung from the ruling party says Seoul cannot trust Tokyo as long as it continues to raise issues over historical wrongs and a disputed territory. He also says he is opposed to any additional deployment of the THAAD [US] missile [defense] system, viewed by China as a direct security threat.. Park Won-gon, a political-science professor at Ewha Womans University, said… ‘It is unrealistic to pursue such a military alliance as Washington knows too well the South Korea-Japan tensions stemming from historical issues and territorial disputes… Currently, their three-way defence ties remain at low-level security cooperation at best, involving military intelligence exchanges.’”
North Korean hackers detected searching for COVID vaccine manufacturing secrets (2 min read)
“North Korean hackers have been detected attempting to steal information from a multinational life sciences company involved in manufacturing coronavirus vaccines. It comes despite the regime claiming there are no COVID-19 cases in North Korea, crediting its own strict travel restrictions, and even declining three million vaccine doses offered by UNICEF… Incident responders uncovered the espionage campaign, which has been detailed in a presentation at the Black Hat conference by Rafe Pilling, a senior security researcher at Secureworks.”
Biden Faces Calls for North Korea Sanctions Relief (4 min read)
“The Biden administration is facing calls to review sanctions that affect humanitarian efforts in North Korea even as the regime of Kim Jong Un rejects talks with the United States and maintains strict pandemic border closures. Senator Edward Markey and Representative Andy Levin, both Democrats, sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging the administration to ease the Treasury Department's regulations that limit humanitarian aid to North Korea.“
These Android spyware apps are spreading like wildfire (2 min read)
“Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new spyware campaign that hides in plain sight on victims’ Android devices under the garb of legitimate lifestyle apps. The campaign, dubbed PhoneSpy, was discovered by researchers at mobile security firm Zimperium, who found the spyware inside 23 Android apps. Once installed, the researchers observed that the spyware will stealthily exfiltrate data from the victim’s device, including login credentials, messages, precise granular location and images… Interestingly, PhoneSpy is currently only targeting South Korean residents, and has already taken more than a thousand victims.”
KT services suffer disruptions in Seoul (1 min read)
“KT Corp. said Thursday it has suffered disruptions in its mobile and internet services in western Seoul, less than three weeks after an outage crippled businesses across the country. KT said the services were interrupted for nearly two hours in the Yeongdeungpo and Guro districts due to an accidental cut in the fiber-optic cables at around 10:25 a.m. KT said up to 90 percent of the disrupted services had been recovered as of 1:15 p.m.”
Squid Game season 2 gets the 'green light' from creator Hwang Dong-hyuk (2 min read)
“It’s official: Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed that a second season of the hit Netflix show is currently in development. The South Korean director told The Associated Press in a recent interview: ‘There's been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. I almost feel like you leave us no choice! But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It's in my head right now. I'm in the planning process currently.’ Netflix is yet to officially confirm the return of Squid Game for a second season.”
Seoul receives first snowfall of season, one month earlier than last year (1 min read)
“The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said light snow was observed at the Songwol-dong weather observation station in central Seoul at 6:10 a.m [Wednesday]... This year's first snow came in Seoul 30 days earlier than last year, when it fell on Dec. 10, and 10 days earlier than the average of the capital's first snow days from 1991-2020, which is Nov. 20.”
[Well-curated weekend] Seoul streets come to life with live performances (3 min read)
Seoul Street Arts Festival, which is organized by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, will be held in three districts -- Mullae, Yongsan, Seodaemun – and on Nodeul Island in the capital through Sunday.
Museum San - Surrounded by peaceful nature, Museum San in Gangwon Province offers a time for meditation, art appreciation and the opportunity to breathe in some fresh air.
Dialogue in the Dark - At the exhibition in Jongno-gu, Seoul, blind guides take visitors on a 100-minute tour in absolute darkness. While walking through the specially designed rooms, the visitors are pushed out of their comfort zones and into pitch darkness.
Please refer to the article for specifics on event times, cost and booking requirements.
DMZ Peace Trail to reopen to public (1 min read)
“Seven of the themed routes of the DMZ Peace Trail, a trail created near the Demilitarized Zone that is accessible to the public, will reopen starting Nov. 20, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. The routes include those in Ganghwa, Gimpo, Goyang, Paju, Hwacheon, Yanggu, and Goseong area… The seven new routes will be operated free of charge, and prior reservations can be made starting Thursday, through www.dmzwalk.com.“
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