Facial recognition AI to track COVID, DPRK leader 3rd most searched politician online, and Miss (Korean) America
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2021-12-22 (KST)
Spy agency warns of possible terrorist attacks during holiday season (1 min read)
“South Korea's state intelligence agency on Monday warned of possible terrorist attacks during the upcoming year-end holiday season, stressing that terrorism is increasingly becoming an ‘actually existing threat’ in the country… [and that] Korea is no longer free from such threats… A total of 489 materials instigating or propagandizing terrorism have been blocked since an anti-terrorism act took effect in the country in 2016, and the number has been on the rise recently, according to the agency. In South Korea, multiple suspects were detected after funneling money to overseas terrorist groups or instigating terrorism activities since the 2010s, an official said.”
Demanding to be heard, disability groups disrupt rush-hour trains (2 min read)
“An association of civic groups in South Korea stepped up actions in their campaign to raise awareness for the mobility rights of the disabled, staging simultaneous rallies at [four] subway stations during the morning rush hour [on Monday]… -- Gwanghwamun, Wangsimni, Yeouido and Haengdang -- all on Line No. 5… Due to their protest, train services were disrupted for as long as one hour and 40 minutes, according to Seoul Metro… The protests [came] as the revision bill to the Act on Promotion of the Transportation Convenience of Mobility Disadvantaged persons had showed little progress at the National Assembly.”
Radical hope may be coming from South Korea (4 min read)
“Let me be clear at the outset that Lee is a controversial figure who is the subject of considerable critique from the left and the right, not least because of some allegedly questionable personal and political decision-making. This article, therefore, does not intend to uncritically lionise him as any kind of saviour. But the platform he is running on for the March 2022 presidential elections has such potential that it merits wider discussion. Lee, who served as governor of Gyeonggi Province until October, is promising three major reforms: unconditional basic income (UBI), a land tax, and a carbon tax. Alone, each of these would be radical; together, they form the basis of a programme that could be transformative.”
Controversy rises over AI-based facial recognition program used to track COVID-19 patients (2 min read)
“The AI-powered technology will help the epidemiological investigators, who currently spend hours analyzing credit card information, phone records and visitor logs at multiuse facilities… [and] some patients give false testimony of their movements and whereabouts. Currently, it takes between 30 minutes to one hour to collect contact tracing data for one patient, but with the new technology, investigators should be able to analyze the data of 10 patients in just five to 10 minutes, according to the official… But civic groups view the situation otherwise… ‘There is no guarantee that city officials won't use the data beyond COVID-19-related purposes.’”
Unvaccinated people getting desperate under toughened distancing rules at restaurants (3 min read)
“Conflicts have been taking place at cafes and restaurants, after the government introduced new quarantine guidelines last Saturday. Under the new rules, people unvaccinated against COVID-19 are banned from using the establishments unless they are alone, but some eatery owners are not accepting such people even when they are alone… Regarding the dispute, health authorities said that eatery owners refusing unvaccinated people who are alone are not violating the law on infectious diseases, because the law is only about imposing fines on the owners if they accept unvaccinated people who are not alone.”
[Newsmaker] S. Korea to add hospital beds, medical workers and testing centers to counter COVID-19 surge (2 min read)
“President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered the government to secure additional COVID-19 hospital beds, health care workers and testing centers to counter the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases.… Moon also ordered concerned government agencies to designate additional public hospitals for exclusive care of COVID-19 patients. The president also ordered public hospitals to increase the number of wards that can handle critically ill COVID-19 patients as well, while asking state-led agencies to dispatch public health care workers -- including medical officers -- to hospitals and medical centers that are short-handed. The president’s order came after the country continues to report high numbers of COVID-19 cases, particularly critically ill patients.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Korea halts Canadian beef imports after detection of mad cow case (1 min read)
“South Korea on Tuesday suspended quarantine inspections of Canadian beef… after Canada confirmed a cow in Alberta was infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease. The ministry said the latest BSE case was the ‘atypical’ type and less risky than ‘typical’ cases as it doesn't spread to other cows… It marks the first time in six years that a mad cow case has been confirmed in Canada… Canada is the country's fourth-largest beef exporter, following Australia, the United States and New Zealand… accounting for 2.6 percent of Seoul's total beef imports.”
Here are two articles with more information on mad cow disease and if it can infect people: i. University of Michigan Health ii. WebMD
Umbrella union opposes ex-FM's bid for ILO leadership (2 min read)
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), “one of the nation's two largest umbrella labor unions has voiced its disapproval of a former Korean foreign minister [Kang Kyung-wha] who is running for the top post of the International Labor Organization (ILO)”. It said Kang does not qualify for the position because she lacks experience in that regard and it “cannot support her because she was a foreign minister under President Moon Jae-in and the group has been opposing the Moon administration's labor policies.” Besides Kang, four other candidates from South Africa, Togo, France and Australia are also in the running for the position, which will be elected on March 25 next year.
N. Korean leader 3rd most searched politician online in 2021: data (1 min read)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is the third most searched politician by internet users worldwide this year, data showed Tuesday. Online searches for Kim totaled a monthly average of 1.9 million, behind US President Joe Biden, who topped the list with 7 million searches, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with 2 million, according to German data analytics firm Statista. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked fourth with 1.4 million searches.”
S. Korean govt. cautious on possible change in political status of N. Korean leader's sister (2 min read)
“South Korea's unification ministry responded cautiously Monday to reports of a possible change in the stature of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, days after she was seen standing alongside members of the powerful politburo of the North's ruling party during a memorial event last week…[A] spokesperson for the ministry handling inter-Korean affairs, said it is premature to conclude that Kim has been promoted officially, [as] ‘... she is seen at various positions at major events.’”
Coastal Sea Levels Rose 9.1 cm over Past 30 Years (1 min read)
“Sea levels along the nation’s coastlines have risen by an average 3.03 millimeters annually over the past 30 years, rising 9.1 centimeters in total…
The rate, which stood at 3.8 millimeters a year between 1991 and 2000, jumped more than 10 percent to 4.27 millimeters between 2011 and 2020. Compared to the global annual average recorded by the IPCC, the sea level rise in South Korea was 0.3 millimeters higher between 1971 and 2006, but 0.1 millimeters lower between 2006 and 2018.”
eSIM Service to Be Available Next September (1 min read)
“Starting from September 1 of next year, people in the nation will be able to use eSIMs, or embedded SIM cards, which would enable users to have two phone numbers in one smartphone. The Ministry of Science and ICT unveiled on Tuesday plans to implement eSIM services. Though it plays the same role as a Universal Subscriber Identity Module(USIM), eSIMs enable users to download a SIM card to their phone from a telecom operator using QR codes without needing a physical SIM card.“
New Miss America First Alaskan, Korean American Title Holder (3 min read)
Emma Broyles, “the newly crowned Miss America has made history, becoming both the first Korean American and the first Alaskan to hold the title in the competition's 100-year history… In fact, she was sure they had it wrong… ‘And then they said Alaska, and I said, 'No way. Are you sure? Do you want to check that card again?’’ she said before the emotion overtook her and she began crying tears of joy… Broyles has chosen the Special Olympics for her social impact initiative… Broyles said she looks forward to working with [the] Special Olympics to promote inclusion, compassion and open-mindedness through sports.”
A 7-month-old baby mistakenly given COVID-19 vaccine instead of flu shot (1 min read)
“A 7-month-old infant was accidentally given a COVID-19 vaccine instead of a flu shot, local authorities said Saturday. A pediatrician in Seongnam, south of Seoul, mistakenly gave the baby an adult dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Sept. 29, which was supposed to be for the baby's mother, according to the municipal government. The baby was monitored at a nearby hospital for five days but exhibited no side effects, the authorities said. The parents have reportedly filed a lawsuit against the pediatrician, seeking compensation for the wrong injection.“
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