President Moon to meet Pope Francis, Korean Air and Boeing join forces, and K-Mafia connections in K-Politics?
Article summary format shapeshifts again - let us know whether you like it or not ;)
K-NEWS BITES
Mon 2021-10-25 (KST)
Moon to meet with Pope Francis on European tour (2 min read)
“The president will hold a bilateral meeting with the pope in Vatican City on Oct. 29 before heading to Rome to attend the G-20 summit on Oct. 30-31... North Korea issues, including a possible papal visit to Pyongyang, are expected to top the agenda. In 2018, Moon verbally relayed an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the pope to visit the reclusive country, to which the pope had reportedly responded positively to.”
Issue of Seoul pursuing nuclear armament re-ignited (4 min read)
The article presents various opinions on both sides of the argument. One example includes that of Dartmouth College professors Jennifer Lind and Daryl Press who wrote, “A South Korean nuclear arsenal is not what Washington prefers ― indeed, it goes against a core U.S. policy of preventing nuclear spread… [But] If Seoul decides to take this step, the United States should focus blame where it belongs ― on Pyongyang's illegal nuclear program ― and render political support to a valued ally.”
Groundless vaccine misinformation spreading online (2 min read)
“... Some people still believe and spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vaccines, refusing to get injections... One account claimed that a person experienced ‘vaccine shedding,’ a term referring to the discredited belief that vaccine components are being released or discharged from the bodies of vaccinated individuals. They claim that people vaccinated against the coronavirus release viral particles, causing abnormal symptoms such as itchiness, headaches and menstrual irregularities on those around them.” Experts are concerned that “spreading such misinformation could create a hole in efforts by the health authorities to contain the spread of the virus.”
New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign (2 min read)
“The country reported 1,423 new cases, including 1,395 local infections, raising the total caseload to 351,899, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said… The death toll came to 2,766, up 21 from a day earlier. The fatality rate reached 0.79 percent.” The number of “fully vaccinated people reached 35.9 million, or 70.1 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Demand for Squid Game Halloween costume sparks boom for South Korean garment industry (2 min read)
“The ‘Made in Korea’ green tracksuits and pink jumpsuits worn by characters in Netflix's global hit have seen a surge in demand as Halloween approaches at the end of the month. The [dystopian] show's costumes have [proven] to be a bright spot for the South Korea's garment industry which has struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
N. Korea denounces US for meddling in Taiwan issue, accuses of hostile intent (1 min read)
“North Korea on Saturday blasted the United States for causing military tension with China by meddling in Taiwan affairs. Pak Myong-ho, the North’s vice foreign minister, also accused the US of trying to topple both Beijing and Pyongyang… The statement came after US President Joe Biden reaffirmed US commitment to the defense of Taiwan from Chinese aggression in a town hall meeting held Thursday (US time).”
China's Xi vows to bolster ties with N. Korea in letter to Kim (1 min read)
“Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media reported Saturday. Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim‘s earlier letter to mark the 72nd Chinese National Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In the reply, Xi said he has highly taken note of relations between North Korea and China, and expressed his willingness to raise bilateral ties to a ‘new level.’”
Only a fraction of operators have reached '5G' tipping point (2 min read)
“... Early data suggests that 10% penetration is the threshold needed for 5G infrastructure to have a positive impact on mobile revenues. Operators in South Korea, which has the largest uptake in the world, showed a clear increase in revenue once adoption rates exceeded 10% a year ago… ‘We can only speculate about the impact of 5G on service providers until the technology reaches a certain critical mass beyond early adopters. Only South Korea has reached this point and the story there is a positive one,’ said Ronan De Renesse, senior research director, [from] Omdia."
Korean Air and Boeing come together to make a UAV for the future market (1 min read)
“Korean Air and Boeing (Insitu) are coming together to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)... The project will have the development of a lightweight and modularized tactical vertical take-off and landing unmanned vehicle.” The statement was announced on Friday, and stated, “‘We expect a synergy effect by combining Korean Air’s expertise in UAV production and Insitu’s advanced UAV technologies such as system optimization and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations.’.. While Insitu helps with the technical aspects of the project, Korean Air will be using its knowledge and experience in managing the air traffic.”
Local broadcasters, film distributors to take joint action against copyright infringement (1 min read)
“Local broadcasters and film distributors announced Thursday that they will be taking joint action to prevent infringement of copyright of their content… ‘The damage that production companies receive is critical because the illegal files are shared instantly after the shows are aired or the films are released,’ the DCPA [Digital Content Protection Agency] said. ‘We ask local telecommunication services to take proper measures against those infringing our copyrights for the betterment of the local culture industry.’ The organization asked telecommunication services to terminate illegal accounts, which would ‘greatly reduce file-sharing and decrease the usage of illegal [sites]...’”
The governor and the Mafia (KOR) (1 min read)
“Recently, suspicions were raised that Gyeonggi Governor and ruling Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was involved in a gangster organization. The name of the organization is ‘Gukje Mafia,’... The opposition People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kim Yong-pan claimed at a parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi on Oct. 18 that money from the Gukje Mafia was delivered to Lee, showing a picture of the cash.”
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