Late ex-President Roh seeks forgiveness, pre-Halloween inspections begin, and S Korean manic weapons development
Halloween is coming...
K-NEWS BITES
Thu 2021-10-28 (KST)
Late ex-President Roh asks democracy uprising victims for forgiveness in last will (2 min read)
“Former President Roh Tae-woo used his last will to ask for forgiveness from victims of the military's brutal crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980, his son said Wednesday... He was considered the No. 2 man in [Chun Doo-hwan’s] junta that was accused of ruthlessly cracking down on the 1980 uprising in Gwangju, leaving more than 200 dead and 1,800 others wounded, according to conservative official data.”
Former president Roh given state funeral (2 min read)
“Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, ‘While serving as the 13th president, the deceased made many achievements in the country’s development. The government will honor his achievements with the people through a state funeral.’ The Ministry of Public Administration and Security also added, “Even though Roh made historical errors concerning a military coup on Dec. 12 in 1979, he contributed to Northern policies such as basic inter-Korean agreements. His efforts to pay fines in relation to the coup were also considered.” Public institutions, State and local governments, will fly the national flag at half-mast during the national funeral period.
Seoul City Begins Special Quarantine Inspection for Halloween (1 min read)
“According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the inspection will be carried out by around 200 officials from 12 public agencies, including the city government, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. It will continue through November 2.The teams will check to ensure that entry logs are being kept and private gathering bans and other social distancing rules are being followed by businesses in the Hongdae, Itaewon and Gangnam Station areas… Businesses found to violate the rules can be ordered to shut down, given a fine, criminally charged or face a damages suit. ”
New virus cases soar to nearly 2,000 ahead of start of phased return to normalcy (1 min read)
“The country added 1,952 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,930 local infections, raising the total caseload to 356,305 … 9 more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 2,797. The fatality rate stood at 0.79 percent. Wednesday's hike in the daily cases came amid growing concerns that people might be lowering their guard too soon with the planned shift to the "living with COVID-19" scheme on Nov. 1.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Why South Korea’s Liberals Are Defense Hawks (7 min read)
“If it were happening in the other Korea, the manic pace of weapons development in South Korea would have caused global alarm. On Sept. 15, just hours after North Korea’s test of two short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea unveiled at least five different missile technologies: a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a bunker-busting ballistic missile, a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, a long-range air-to-surface missile, and a solid-fuel engine for space rockets… Under purchasing power parity terms, South Korea’s defense budget surpassed that of Japan (which has 2.5 times the population of South Korea) in 2018…”
US 'appears to have drawn a line' at South Korea's push for end-of-war declaration (2 min read)
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing, “We may have somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing or conditions for different steps, but we are fundamentally aligned on the core strategic initiative here and on the belief that only through diplomacy are we going to really, truly be able to effectively make progress and that that diplomacy has to be effectively paired with deterrence.”
North Korea accuses UN special rapporteur of 'distorting reality' (1 min read)
“North Korea on Tuesday rebuked the U.N. special rapporteur on its human rights situation for "distorting our reality" and acting "at the urging of the United States" as the country responded to his recent criticism of the regime… In addition, the [North Korean] spokesperson requested the United Nations take an immediate step to create a new special rapporteur post mandated to oversee the human rights situation in the United States, which the official claims is suffering from ‘chronic human rights complications.’”
KT confirms routing errors caused network disruption (2 min read)
“Routing errors by KT employees caused the company's nationwide network services disruption a day earlier, the telecommunications firm said Tuesday, pledging to compensate customers for any losses caused by the incident…. In the first few hours, KT initially stated that its network had been hit by a cyberattack, but said later the disruption was caused by a ‘routing error’... KT's internet network error disabled both wired and wireless services from around 11:20 a.m. to noon, leaving some service users unable to make calls.”
[ANALYSIS] Tesla's strategy to benefit, challenge Korean battery makers (3 min read)
“Tesla's recently unveiled plan to power its standard-range electric vehicles (EV) with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode batteries is set to benefit Korean battery makers by opening new opportunities in the market, with other major automakers expected to follow suit… LFP batteries are around 20 percent cheaper than the other high power cells.... Their largest challenging factor, however, is a shorter travel distance, which means they need to be recharged more often.”
Celebrate Halloween in Seoul and beyond safely during COVID-19 (4 min read)
“While Halloween will be a bit different this year with everything in Seoul still having to close at 10 p.m., here is a list of events suitable for foreign residents.” The article lists 12 events including things such as a Burlesque Show, Book and Wine Club, Board Games, Walking tours, and more. Refer to the article for more details. “Enjoy your Halloween weekend... Stay safe and follow the required and recommended COVID-19 precautions”
[Joseon Images] The haunting of Gyeonghui Palace (4 min read)
“… Gyeonghui Palace ― the name, ironically, means the Palace of Serene Harmony. The palace was completed in 1623 and at one time contained more than 100 structures. Despite its name, almost from the beginning, the palace enjoyed a malevolent reputation. Many thought its location was wrong and altered the geomantic state, resulting in an evil influence upon the city and causing citizens to suffer from pestilence and droughts … the horrible acts committed in this palace had made it into a "veritable den of infamy" and that "it was abandoned as a house haunted by evil spirits and unsafe for habitation."
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