ex-President Park’s pardon causes a stir, Pfizer oral drug approved, and year-end ceremonies to be virtual
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2021-12-29 (KST)
Civic groups vent outrage over pardon for jailed ex-President Park (1 min read)
“Civic groups vented outrage Monday over the recent special pardon for ex-President Park Geun-hye imprisoned on corruption charges, arguing that the decision is a blow to the country's democracy… On Friday, the government announced special pardons for Park and some 3,000 other convicts in celebration of the new year. The special amnesty, granted by Moon, was decided in consideration of Park's deteriorating health. Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.”
Main opposition candidate Yoon trapped in dilemma after Park's release (3 min read)
Yoon was the senior prosecutor who led the investigation into the scandal that ended Park Geun-hye’s presidency with her imprisonment, but she still has “influence in the conservative PPP's [People Power Party’s] home turf of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, [hence] he and the party are at a loss over whether they should make a more conciliatory gesture toward the former president to embrace her supporters, or keep their distance from her so as not to lose support from centrist [and swing] voters.” This is especially important ahead of their planned regional visit [to Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province] later this week. During an interview on Sunday, regarding questions related to the former president, he responded with “I hope she gets well soon, but relating her to current political issues or the presidential race would also add to her pressure."
Migrant groups criticize Constitutional Court decision upholding ban on workplace change (3 min read)
“Migrant workers' groups are criticizing the Constitutional Court's Dec. 23 ruling in favor of the government restriction on foreign workers changing workplaces, saying the decision is against international human rights norms to abolish racial discrimination and ban forced labor… The court, however, said the relevant clauses on the law do not infringe on migrant workers' basic rights. It said the system was adopted to relieve employee shortages in industries having difficulty securing workers, and if they are allowed to seek new employers, it could leave industries more vulnerable to worker shortages.”
State intelligence agency on alert over fake $50 note (1 min read)
“South Korea's state intelligence agency formally raised the alarm Monday about the possibility of counterfeit $50 bills being distributed in the nation, especially before and during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made public a photo of a fake bill, similar to a so-called supernote in its highly deceptive characteristics, which it had acquired recently. ‘Such a $50 counterfeit has not yet been found in South Korea, but it is continuing to circulate in Asia,’ it said.” The article contains a photo comparing the counterfeit bill against a real one.
Korea approves Pfizer oral drug (2 min read)
“An oral drug for COVID-19 is likely to become available via prescription from late January, following the Food and Drug Ministry’s decision Monday to issue emergency authorization for Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral pill for COVID-19… Paxlovid is an antiviral pill for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19… clinical demonstrations [show a] 90 percent prevention rate in hospitalization and death of COVID-19 patients… It is also known to be effective against variants… The pills will be available free of charge. Patients at residential treatment centers or those being treated at home can take the medication with a prescription… Merck Sharp & Dohme’s Molnupiravir, for which authorization was also requested, has not yet been approved.”
Will COVID-19 pills help relieve current wave of infections? (2 min read)
“Medical experts showed mixed reactions to whether the introduction of oral COVID-19 treatment pills, scheduled for mid-January, will be a ‘game changer’ in the country's battle against the coronavirus. The experts were also divided on [whether] doses for 604,000 people, which the government has secured so far, will be sufficient to curb the current wave of infections… [which includes] doses for 362,000 people of Paxlovid developed by Pfizer [which was recently approved] and doses for 242,000 people of Molnupiravir from Merck [which is pending approval].” There was however consensus that “the oral pills would help relieve the current shortage of hospital beds [in Korea].”
New COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000 for 1st time in nearly a month (2 min read)
“South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in 28 days Tuesday due partly to antivirus restrictions and fewer tests over the weekend, but the number of critical cases remained high. The country added 3,865 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 615,532… The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients slightly rose to 1,102 after reaching an all-time high of 1,105 on Saturday… Critical cases have stayed above 1,000 for the eighth consecutive day. The country added 46 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 5,346. The fatality rate stood at 0.87 percent. The country also reported four new omicron variant cases, bringing the total to 449.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Conflict between Korea and USFK simmers (2 min read)
“Deep-seated tension between the South Korean government and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is coming into public view, as a former American four-star general has belittled the Moon Jae-in administration's security pledges, struck back by Cheong Wa Dae and the defense ministry. Robert Abrams, who led the USFK from 2018 to 2021, told Voice of America, Saturday (local time), that South Korea's military capabilities were not sufficient to take over wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from the United States, while questioning the intentions of the Moon administration's push for an end-of-war declaration.”
Korea to submit application for CPTPP in April (1 min read)
“The government earlier said that it had begun the process to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)... as part of efforts to diversify its export portfolio… [and are] pushing to submit an official application to accede to the trade agreement in the middle of April… The CPTPP is the renegotiated version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) led by the former U.S. President Barack Obama administration. In 2017, then U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the TPP, widely seen as a key counterweight to China's growing economic clout. The CPTPP, launched in December 2018, has been signed by 11 countries, including Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Mexico. Trade volume by the 11 nations participating in the CPTPP… [accounted] for 15.2 percent of the total global trade [in 2019].”
N.Korea convenes key party meeting to discuss ‘strategic, tactical’ policies (2 min read)
“In particular, the year-end plenary session [which kicked off on Monday] is crucial [in] light of the track record that Kim Jong-un has utilized a major party meeting as a platform to announce his domestic and foreign policy roadmap and plans for the new year. The North Korean leader has not delivered a New Year speech since 2019. At the plenary meeting, Kim Jong-un also expects to present his recalibrated approach to South Korea and the US amid both sides continuing to send overtures for dialogue… Next year marks the beginning of a new decade of Kim Jong-un’s ruling, the 110th anniversary of the birth of the late founder Kim Il-sung, and the 80th anniversary of the late leader Kim Jong-il’s birth.”
Food delivery specialist Woowa Brothers sees woes deepen (2 min read)
“Parent company Delivery Hero, which acquired Woowa Brothers earlier this year, pulled its Berlin-headquartered food delivery service Foodpanda out of six German cities: Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf. This was mainly due to the emergence of strong competitors that ate away at Foodpanda's market share, while Germany adopted tougher labor laws that raised food delivery fees. There is no guarantee that Woowa Brothers' food delivery service, Baedal Minjok, will be able to escape the same fate… Woowa Brothers… also failed to expand its food delivery service in Japan and is likely to sell it off in the first quarter of next year, according to recent reports.”
Kakao founder accused of massive tax evasion (1 min read)
“[Civic group] Spec Watch Korea lodged the accusation against [Kim Beom-su, the founder of Kakao Corp] and his family members, including his brother-in-law, with the National Police Agency, alleging they evaded a total of 886.3 billion won ($747.6 million) of taxes in the process of Kakao's merger with internet portal Daum Communications Corp. in 2014. The group claimed K Cube Holdings, Kakao's de facto holding firm owned by Kim, dodged a corporate tax of 363.9 billion won by falsifying its capital gain from the merger. Including this, Kim and his family ‘deliberately’ evaded the taxes in violation of multiple laws, including the capital markets act, the group alleged.”
Year-End Bosingak Bell-Ringing Ceremony to be Held Virtually (1 min read)
“The annual New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony at the Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul will be held virtually for the second straight year due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday, the annual event will be aired on major broadcasters and the city government's SNS platforms from 11:30 p.m. on December 31. Only 14 people will attend the bell-ringing event in person, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and ten representatives from the general public who made great achievements this year, such as archer An San, a triple gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.”
Sunset, Sunrise Events to be Banned at 21 National Parks (1 min read)
“The Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park Service have banned sunset and sunrise events from taking place at 21 national parks across the country ahead of the new year. The park service said the decision considered the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. Hiking trails at national parks will be off limits from 3 p.m. on December 31 to 7 a.m. the following day, and also from 3 p.m. on January 1 to 7 a.m. the next day… Instead, the park service will livecast via its YouTube channel the first sunrise of 2022 witnessed from several mountains, including Mount Jiri, Seorak and Deogyu.”
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