China/Russia prompts Korean fighter jet scramble, floating cities planned for Busan, and winter is coming
K-NEWS BITES
Mon 2021-11-22 (KST)
Fine dust blankets much of South Korea (1 min read)
“A choking pall of fine dust plagued much of South Korea on Saturday [and Sunday], prompting authorities to urge vulnerable people to stay indoors… The high concentration is attributable to the combination of micro particles from China, which began to blow in Thursday night, and domestic air pollutants accumulated due to stagnant air, the state-run National Institute of Environmental Research said… Micro-dust air pollution is expected to remain high for central, northeastern and southwestern regions through Sunday afternoon, the institute said, before it begins to ease with rain and strong winds expected Sunday night.”
S. Korea holds event to commemorate 1954 Dokdo battle (1 min read)
“South Korea held an annual ceremony Friday to commemorate… Nov. 21, 1954, [when a] volunteer group, consisting of Korean War veterans and other civilians, repelled two Japanese patrol ships approaching Dokdo, the [veteran affairs] ministry said… Dokdo has long been a recurring source of tension between the two neighbors, as Tokyo continues to make [sovereignty] claims in its policy papers, public statements and school textbooks. South Korea has been in effective control of Dokdo, with a small police detachment, since its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.”
Cafes, restaurants to be banned from using disposable items under revised law (1 min read)
“Cafes and restaurants will be banned from using disposable products at stores starting next year to reduce plastic waste spiking amid the pandemic, the environment ministry said Friday… The government had initially banned plastic use by law in August 2018 but added an enforcement decree to the law after COVID-19 broke out to temporarily allow the use of disposable items due to concerns over virus transmissions through multiuse items. The ministry said the decree was recently deleted to deal with waste problems as the use of disposable products surged amid the pandemic.”
Gov't criticized over lack of planning for critical cases (2 min read)
“... Critics point out that indicators for evaluating the risk of COVID-19 do not properly reflect how bad the coronavirus situation is… [and] that the government's lack of preparation before easing the antivirus restrictions has led to the deficiency of ICU beds in the metropolitan area... In response, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum called for efficient ICU management during a meeting with chiefs of 22 tertiary hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area,” and also said, “There are concerns that our journey to return to normalcy may stop for a while if we cannot overcome this crisis.”
Daily infections above 3,000 for 5th day amid concerns over virus resurgence (2 min read)
“South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 3,000 for the fifth consecutive day Sunday amid concerns over the full-fledged reopening of schools [to start this week] and a virus resurgence ahead of winter. The country reported 3,120 new COVID-19 cases… raising the total caseload to 415,425… The country added 30 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 3,274. The fatality rate stood at 0.79 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
2 Chinese, 7 Russian warplanes enter S. Korea's air defense zone without notice: JCS (1 min read)
“Two Chinese and seven Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice Friday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighters to the scene, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff… Through a communication hotline, the Chinese authorities told the South Korean military that their aircraft were staging a ‘routine’ exercise. South Korean officials said that the Chinese and Russian aircraft's entry into the KADIZ appear to be part of a combined exercise… [but] needs further analysis. The KADIZ is not territorial airspace, but foreign aircraft entering it are required to identify themselves to prevent accidental clashes.”
US review of boycotting Beijing Olympics further cornering Seoul's peace initiative (2 min read)
“After President Joe Biden revealed the possibility of a U.S. diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, all South Korea's hopes for a chance to improve relations with North Korea and declare a formal end to The Korean War… appear to be shot… ‘The U.S. could boycott the Beijing Games alone, but it is more likely that the U.S. would call for its allies, including Korea, Japan and European countries, to also join the boycott. This could be a burden for the Moon administration as the Beijing Olympics is the administration's one last hope at diplomacy.’”
How Kim Jong-un, once a young political novice, cemented power in North Korea in 10 years (3 min read)
“Many North Korea watchers were doubtful when Kim Jong-un, then 27, took over the Hermit Kingdom in December 2011 following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-il... In January this year, the North held another party congress and endorsed Kim as the ‘general secretary,’ a title previously held by his father… The Seoul government also believes the young ruler has effectively secured a political status comparable to his predecessors… What remains to be seen… is how, and even if, Kim will manage to revive its economy struggling from a triple whammy of crippling sanctions, a prolonged COVID-19 lockdown and poor weather conditions.”
How to Deliver Relief to North Koreans Without Lifting Sanctions (4 min read)
“North Korea’s humanitarian crisis is of its own making, but sanctions should not stand in the way of humanitarian aid. Lifting sanctions, however, does nothing to solve the country’s crisis and only serves to undermine the credibility of the [U.N.] Security Council by sending the wrong message...” Instead of lifting sanctions, getting smart about implementation by addressing the underlying problems, such as lack of stable banking channels for humanitarian work, and ensuring customs authorities do not delay/reject humanitarian goods, will ultimately do more to benefit North Korea’s humanitarian crisis.
Your smartphone could help track spy cameras (2 min read)
“Academic cybersecurity researchers from Singapore and South Korea have repurposed the time-of-flight (ToF) sensors in smartphone cameras to help spot concealed spy cams. ToF sensors help resolve distance between the camera and the subject, and have started showing up in smartphones recently… ‘We implement LAPD [Laser-Assisted Photography Detection] as a smartphone app that emits laser signals from the ToF sensor, and use computer vision and machine learning techniques to locate the unique reflections from hidden cameras,’ explain the researchers in their paper. The researchers field tested LAPD with the help of 379 participants and the system achieved an 88.9% hidden camera detection rate.”
UN-backed floating city built to withstand Category 5 hurricanes is headed to South Korea (3 min read)
“[The] city of Busan, South Korea, agreed to host a floating city in collaboration with the project's designer, OCEANIX, and the UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat)... The goal is to develop a flood-proof city that rises with the sea and produces its own food, energy, and fresh water. Cages underneath the platforms could be used to house scallops, kelp, or other forms of seafood. And aquaponic systems could use waste from fish to fertilize plants… The cost, subject to change depending on final design and materials, is an estimated $200 million.” The prototype is expected to take about 3 years to build.
If you’re keen to dive deeper check out this video (14 mins 10 secs) which goes into further detail (Oceanix’s specific project is mentioned 5 mins in).
KMA: Nation to See Freezing Weather Next Week (1 min read)
“The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) forecast on Friday that Sunday will see warmer than usual temperatures during the day but that mercury will begin to [see] a dramatic plunge following rain showers in the afternoon… Seoul will see temperatures drop below zero for the first time this fall on Tuesday morning and afternoon highs in the capital will remain around zero degrees throughout next week, according to the KMA. The nation’s western regions are expected to see heavy snowfall next week. Temperatures are expected to return to average levels on the 28th.”
Michelin Guide Seoul releases Bib Gourmand list (1 min read)
“The Bib Gourmand classification highlights restaurants offering ‘exceptionally good food at moderate prices.’ The price range depends on local economic standards, according to the company. The highest price for the Bib Gourmand Seoul edition comes in at 45,000 won. There are four new entries this year: Barbeque restaurant Ggupdang which created a buzz last year with its pork omakase; ramen eatery Menten; Italian restaurant Egg & Flour, famous for its fresh pasta; and Hong Kong dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan which landed in Korea in December 2019. This year’s Bib Gourmand list features a total of 61 restaurants.”
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