N Korea fires SLBM, Naver and Softbank partner for AI project, and Korea’s 4 seasons may become 2
Don't forget to submit your survey response if you haven't already
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2021-10-20 (KST)
3 in 10 Workers Earned Less Than 2 Mil. Won a Month in H1 (1 min read)
According to a report released by Statistics Korea Tuesday, three in 10 salaried employees earned less than two million won in the first half of this year. 10 percent earned less than one million won, while 20 percent earned less than two million won. Low-income earners were concentrated in the accommodation and restaurant sectors. These sectors have over 60 percent of workers earning less than two million won a month in the year's first half.
Union to push ahead with strike despite mounting concerns (2 min read)
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has decided to go ahead with a rally involving 550,000 people despite concerns over the spread on COVID- 19. The strike's goals are the abolition of non-regular workers, a full revision of the Labor Standard Act, and increased government support for housing, education, medicare, and transportation. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum's stated the strike was irresponsible, and the organizers will face punishment if the rally violates quarantine rules. The president also raised concerns saying it is a critical time as the nation prepares for daily recovery. He advised KCTU to refrain from strikes.
Controversy rises over booster shot for Janssen vaccine (2 min read)
President Moon Jae-in ordered the health authorities on Monday to swiftly develop a plan to administer booster shots for people who received the single-dose regime Jessen vaccine. A recent study in the US suggested that its protection drastically weakens after five months.4 percent of the 33.18 million vaccinated Koreans have received the Janssen shot. The country has reported 13,860 breakthrough infections, with people on the Janssen shot making up the largest percentage. Experts are divided as to which vaccines should be administered for booster shots and whether they should be administered immediately.
New virus cases less than 2,000 for 11th day amid rising vaccination rate (1 min read)
South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stayed below 2,000 for 11 days thanks to the rising inoculation amid preparations to move into the Living with COVID-19 phase. On Tuesday, 1,073 cases were reported, including 1,048 local infections raising the tally to 344,518 caseloads. Twenty-one new COVID deaths were reported bringing the death toll to 2,689. The fully vaccinated rate is expected to reach 70 percent from the current 65.9 percent. 78.8 percent of 52 million Koreans have also received their first dose.
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
The Inter-Korean Missile Race Picks Up the Pace [Podcast] (31m 27s long)
The Diplomat is an Asia Geopolitical podcast hosted by Ankit Panda. In this episode, Ankit speaks with Joseph Demsey, a research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The two talk about missile-related developments on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea fires submarine-launched ballistic missile, says South - and it disrupts Japan election campaign (3 min read)
On Tuesday morning, North Korea launched a Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test in the vicinity of the port city of Sinpo. Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida canceled his election campaign in north Japan. He heads back to Tokyo to deal with the missile situation. According to Chad O'Carroll, CEO of Korea Risk Group, the renewed test of ballistics by North Korea may suggest ease of domestic hardship endured by the North during the pandemic.
The article contains two videos: i. (the 20s) South Korea's recent first underwater-launched ballistic missile test ii. (2m 6s) North Korea's ballistic missile launch from a train.
No notice from N. Korea on its missile launch despite daily liaison call: Seoul ministry (1 min read)
During their liaison call, an official from Seoul's Unification Ministry said Pyongyang gave no prior notice of its latest missile launch. North and South Korea hold regular liaison calls at 9 am and 5 pm. The Unification official explained that the only way to establish a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, lasting peace, and progress is through inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation.
Naver and SoftBank to come together for an AI project that captures the global market (2 min read)
Naver Corp has partnered with SoftBank Group to work on an AI project to help them offer services beyond the Asian Market. It would be their second joint venture, which Softbank will financially support. Naver Clova (aka Clova Interface Connect), a subsidiary of Naver, operates various AI projects with about 700 employees, and aims to increase this to 5000, by hiring global tech talent from the US, India, and Europe to push the new project. The Korean market believes Cloval CIC may be able to compete against incumbents Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
6 out of 10 Seoulites want to work in 'metaverse' offices (1 min read)
According to Seoul Woman Up, the city government's research institution for women's labor force development, 65.1 percent of the 2,916 Seolites surveyed preferred to go to a virtual workspace using avatars. The other 34.9 percent of 1,560 preferred to go to an actual office. The top reason for choosing metaverse offices included a preference for communication using avatars and the conveniences of working in a virtual setting. Those who preferred going to an actual office stated reasons such as a preference for in-person communication and professionalism limitations as an avatar.
Korea's solar energy project backfires (5 min read)
Thousands of solar energy facilities built in rural zones have become danger zones. Lee Hun-Jae, the head of Gangjeong village, said the government cut down 25,400 square meters of the forest to install solar panels in 2016. He told The Korea Times that flooding and soil collapse never happened before the installation of solar panels, which involved cutting down trees on the mountain. Some villagers had to build dams in agricultural areas with their own money to protect against landslides. According to the Korea Forest Service, only 0.8 percent of the landslides occurred near solar farms, rejecting claims of a causal link between solar installation and land erosion.
Weather forecaster warns of disappearing spring and fall (1 min read)
In an interview with CBS radio, Ban Ki-song, director of K-weather, said his agency has predicted a colder winter due to the continuing La Nina recently. For instance, daily temperatures at Gangneung and Daegu hit record highs above 30 degrees earlier this month before suddenly falling to a cold winter of only 1.3 degrees Celsius on Oct 17, the lowest mid-October temperature in 64 years. Ban estimated that if the trend continues, the spring and fall will be very brief, and the four seasons of Korea will turn into the two summer and fall seasons.
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! 🙇