How S Korea became a cultural juggernaut, dozens of rallies in Seoul this weekend, and 4 in 10 N Koreans undernourished
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Sat 2021-11-06 (KST)
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Rallies Scheduled in Seoul on 1st Weekend under Living with COVID System (1 min read)
“Dozens of public rallies are scheduled across Seoul during the first weekend after the nation began the transition to life with COVID-19 on Monday. According to police Friday, some 20 groups have reported plans to stage rallies that are expected to gather a total of about three-thousand people in Seoul on Saturday. Another 600 are expected to walk the streets on Sunday… While guaranteeing the right to assemble for rallies, the police plan to restrict events exceeding 499 people.”
Shortage of solution for diesel vehicles becomes crisis (2 min read)
“China tightened its exports of fertilizers, including urea, the main ingredient in DEF [Diesel Exhaust Fluid], after fertilizer prices soared and started affecting food production… Cars with the SCR [Selective Catalytic Reduction] system require DEF... Among 3.3 million diesel-powered cargo trucks, 2 million are estimated to use DEF for their emission reduction systems. Some 2 million passenger cars are dependent on it… Commercial vehicles including cargo trucks [need] to fill up DEF every 300 to 400 kilometers whereas diesel passenger cars only need to fill up every 10,000 kilometers… With cargo trucks affected, the DEF shortage could even hurt Korea’s exports.”
Gym owners file damage suit against 'unfair' COVID-19 restrictions (2 min read)
“About 350 gym operators and employees joined hands to file [a collective] suit with the Seoul Central District Court, demanding the government pay some 3.4 billion won ($2.88 million) in compensation for the financial losses they suffered due to state-ordered business restrictions… The gym associations also prodded the government to abolish its ‘vaccine pass’ system, which requires records of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results to use certain multi-use facilities, such as indoor gyms, saying it is inflicting business losses on them.”
New infections over 2,300 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs (1 min read)
“South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,300 for the third consecutive day Friday, four days after the country relaxed its virus restrictions nationwide in line with its "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 2,344 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 375,464… The death toll rose by 20 to 2,936 on Friday, the health authorities said. The fatality rate came to 0.78 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
From BTS to ‘Squid Game’: How South Korea Became a Cultural Juggernaut (7 min read)
“The explosive success didn’t happen overnight. Long before ‘Squid Game’ became the most watched TV show on Netflix or BTS performed at the United Nations, Korean TV shows like ‘Winter Sonata’ and bands like Bigbang and Girls’ Generation had conquered markets in Asia and beyond. But they were unable to achieve the global reach associated with the current wave. Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ was a one-hit wonder... It wasn’t until last year when ‘Parasite,’ a film highlighting the yawning gap between rich and poor, won the Oscar that international audiences truly began to pay attention, even though South Korea had been producing similar work for years.”
WSJ: N. Korea Could Mine Enough Uranium to Make 20 Nuclear Bombs Every Year (1 min read)
“North Korea reportedly has the capability to produce more uranium for nuclear weapons than previously known. According to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University in the U.S. reached the conclusion after analyzing satellite images of the Pyongsan uranium mining facility in North Korea from 2017 to 2020. The center reportedly conducted the analysis with artificial intelligence and tracking changes in deforestation and land use to study North Korea’s uranium mining activities“
4 out of 10 North Koreans undernourished: FAO (2 min read)
“Around 42 percent of North Koreans have suffered from undernourishment over the past three years, a UN report said Friday, as the impoverished nation grapples with acute food insecurity amid the prolonged pandemic and severe weather conditions, compounded by international sanctions... Only five countries -- Somalia, Haiti, the Central African Republic, Yemen and Madagascar -- reported higher prevalence of undernourishment than North Korea in the report. The average dietary energy supply of a North Korean per day came to 2,075 calories, below the world average of 2,950 calories and South Korea’s 3,465 calories in the 2018-2020 period.”
Google Play to support alternative billing systems in South Korea, following new law (3 min read)
“Following the passage of the so-called ‘anti-Google law’ in South Korea, Google has announced it will comply with the new mandate by giving Android app developers on Google Play the ability to offer alternative payment systems alongside Google’s own. The legislation represents the first time a government has been able to force app stores to open up to third-party payment systems for in-app purchases…”
Netflix not willing to pay networks (2 min read)
“A senior Netflix executive made clear his company's stance on the network fee controversy ― that it will not pay internet service providers (ISPs) for the heavy data traffic generated by its services.” Instead it “referred to its Open Connect Appliances (OCA) as its answer to addressing the burden of managing heavy data traffic on ISP networks... Korean lawmakers have pledged to set up regulations that will require content providers such as Netflix to pay for using local networks. Currently, only local content providers such as Naver and Kakao pay network fees to ISPs, as do global firms such as Facebook...”
Culture Ministry to distribute coupons for tourism (1 min read)
In November, the coupon program will offer a discount coupon worth 20,000 won to 30,000 won ($17-$25) for booking a stay at domestic travel accommodations through 47 online tourism websites. It can be used at some 28,000 travel accommodations across the country, from hotels and condos to resorts and more… Some 1.3 million coupons will be issued from Nov. 9 to Nov. 23 for stays from Nov. 9 to Dec. 23… Users can download the coupons at the online tourism platforms.
Plant-based alternatives market grow as people seek sustainable diet (5 min read)
“Professor Kim Yong-jin of Sogang University's Department of Business noted that ethical consumption, backed by evolving technology, has accelerated this growth in the market. He said, ‘Meat alternatives have emerged as one of the ways to respond to climate issues. As the livestock industry is considered one of the key emitters of carbon dioxide and methane, there have been environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) related efforts… The ethical consumerism trend has been growing, especially among Millennials and Gen Z, and the development in technology has made it more possible than ever.’”
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