Ex-President Roh Tae-woo passes away, Korea’s tattoo taboo challenged, and N Korea still Coronavirus-free
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2021-10-27 (KST)
Ex-President Roh Tae-woo dies, aged 88 (2 min read)
“Former President Roh Tae-woo, the country's first directly elected president, died Tuesday at age 89, leaving behind a checkered past and unanswered questions surrounding his role in Korean history before and during his presidency.” Roh “died at around 1:45 p.m. while receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital. He was brought to the hospital's emergency room at 1:10 p.m. but failed to recover… [his] health had deteriorated in recent years, especially after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2002. He was receiving care at his home in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, and was suffering from cerebellar atrophy and asthma.”
President Moon's 3-nation European trip (1 min read)
“President Moon Jae-in from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 will go on a nine-day visit to Europe with stops in Rome, Glasgow, and Budapest.” During his official visit to the Roman Curia on Oct. 29, the president will hold meetings with Pope Francis and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to discuss pending global issues …” after which he will attend the summit of the Group of 20 economies in Rome on October 30-31. From November 1-2 president Moon will attend the UN Climate Change Conference(COP26) in Glasgow where he will give a keynote speech.
Korea approves 2.4m locally-manufactured Moderna doses for home use (2 min read)
“Some 2.4 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that Samsung Biologics has helped manufacture are being supplied for domestic use for the first time, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday… The country’s drug regulators authorized the Samsung Biologics-produced doses for emergency use Monday… Samsung Biologics’ deal with Moderna to “fill-and-finish” manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine” means that the Korean drugmaker “handles the final stage in the manufacturing process of putting the bulk vaccines into vials and packaging them for shipping.”
New virus cases below 1,500 for third day amid preparations for return to normalcy (2 min read)
“The country added 1,266 more COVID-19 cases … raising the total caseload to 354,355. The country added 15 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,788. The fatality rate stood at 0.79 percent.” 40.84 million people, or 79.5 percent of the country have received their first shot of the vaccine with 36.42 million people, or 70.9 percent, fully vaccinated.
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
South Korea's tattoo taboo is being challenged by young people, a controversial politician and boy band BTS (4 min read)
“For centuries in South Korea, tattoos exclusively adorned the bodies of those on the fringes of society,” however one politician Ryu Ho-jeong is looking to change that. She said, “According to a recent survey, more than half of the respondents agreed to legalisation of tattoos… BTS members also have tattoos but they often cover them up.” South Korea remains “the only developed country where the act of tattooing is outlawed unless you're a medical doctor… Regardless, a flourishing, underground tattoo community exists, with their artists considered to be among the best in the world.”
N. Korea reports no coronavirus case: WHO (1 min read)
“North Korea has conducted coronavirus tests on around 42,000 people but found no infections, a World Health Organization (WHO) report showed Tuesday... Of the newly tested North Koreans, 113 people had flu-like illness or acute respiratory infections, while the rest were healthcare workers, it said… North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus free, while taking a set of anti-virus measures, including strict border controls.”
Kim says NK-China ties are 'sealed in blood,' will strengthen for generations (1 min read)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the North's close ties with China are ‘sealed in blood’ and will further strengthen for generations as he marked the anniversary of China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, state media reported Tuesday... Lauding China's participation in the war as a manifestation of a ‘militant friendship and great unity’ between the two countries, Kim said North Korea will ‘never forget the blood shed’ by the Chinese soldiers.”
[INTERVIEW] Snapchat aims to improve presence in Korea (3 min read)
“Nana Murugesan, managing director of international markets at Snapchat, said the company aims to improve its presence in Korea by closely cooperating with Samsung Electronics… The company announced that Google's brand new smartphone, the Pixel 6, will feature ‘Quick Tap to Snap,’ a camera-only version of Snapchat, directly accessible from the phone's lock screen. Murugesan said that the partnership was the result of the importance Snap puts on how fast users can access its app and use the service.”
S. Korea to Join Global Methane Pledge at COP26 (1 min read)
“The Environment Ministry said Monday that Seoul will join the Global Methane Pledge at COP26. The World Leader's Summit at the UN climate conference in Glasgow begins on November 1. The pledge is a commitment to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by the year 2030... South Korea produced 28 million tons of methane in 2018, accounting for three-point-eight percent of total domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Included in the basket of six GHGs defined by the Kyoto Protocol, methane has 21 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide.”
Korea Remembers Independence Fighter Ahn Jung-Geun (1 min read)
“A ceremony was held in central Seoul on Tuesday to mark the 112th anniversary of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun's rebellion against Japanese colonial rule in China. [He had] assassinated Ito Hirobumi, the first prime minister of Japan, at a railway station in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 1909… Lee Myung-chul, a descendant of Ahn, recited his great-grandfather's words said while he was imprisoned by Japanese authorities, reading, ‘the assassination is a part of Korea's war for independence that aims to achieve the country's freedom and peace in Asia. Ahn was executed in 1910 in China.”
Tourism Video Featuring Football Star Son Heung-min Released Monday (1 min read)
“The 80-second video titled ‘This is My Korea. What’s Yours?’ shows seven keywords that connect Son with his home country, including passionate, fast, creative, smart, fun, lovable and spectacular. Next week, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the tourism organization will release a behind-the-scenes look at the promotional video as well as a short interview with Son.” A link to the video can be found here.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends! (or hit the share button below).
If you’re new to K-News Bites, you can subscribe by hitting the button below:
GamSaHabNiDa! 🙇