Presidential candidates try to go viral, COVID risk level lowered, and N Korea launches another
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2022-01-12 (KST)
Fine dust blankets much of S. Korea again (1 min read)
“Fine dust plagued most parts of South Korea on Monday due to air stagnation caused by the high atmospheric pressure in the west, weather authorities said. As of 8 a.m.[Monday], the density of ultrafine dust, called PM 2.5, had hit the ‘very bad’ level for the greater Seoul area, North Chuncheong Province and the central city of Sejong, and the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Comprehensive Air-quality Index. The level for other parts of the country was ‘bad,’ except for the island of Jeju, where it was ‘moderate.’”
South Korea: Presidential candidate backs billionaire’s online anti-communism campaign (1 min read)
“A billionaire’s online anti-communism campaign is receiving massive support in South Korea. Even Presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl is backing the campaign using a slogan that dates back to the Korean war. In a series of posts, Chung Yong-jin, head of the country’s retail giant Shinsegae, wrote a slogan for the campaign using the word myulgong, which means ‘crush commies’ or ‘annihilate communism.’ The word has been trending the country for the past week. However, several posts with the hashtag have been deleted saying that they instigate violence… His posts have received hundreds of likes and readers have expressed their support for the campaign.”
Ahn beats Lee in hypothetical alliance with Yoon: poll (2 min read)
“Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, came out on top in a poll released Sunday in a hypothetical alliance with the major opposition nominee Yoon Suk-yeol. In a survey by the Southern Post, Ahn earned 42.3 percent of support as the main opposition candidate in a unified presidential bid with Yoon, the People Power Party (PPP) nominee. Lee Jae-myung, representing the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, had 28.9 percent support in that scenario… In a multicandidate race without any alliance for the opposition, Lee led the poll with 34.1 percent, followed by Yoon at 26.4 percent and Ahn with 12.8 percent, more than double the figure from the previous poll the Southern Post conducted Dec. 29 and 30.”
[Election 2022] Parties focus on online for ‘viral’ campaign gimmick (3 min read)
“[The] presidential candidates across the aisle are throwing their hats into the social media ring, coming up with witty and light content in the hopes that they go viral… From memes and short-form videos to AI avatars and entertainment shows, [the] nominees strive to make viral [content] for attention.” However, a local political scientist advises, ‘The current electioneering of candidates do reflect the changing environment. But the candidates should understand these are only the exterior decorations of their houses… They should remember, a house only exists with a foundation.’” The article contains screenshots of some of these short social media campaigns.
COVID-19 Risk Level Lowered for Capital Area, Whole Country (1 min read)
“Health authorities have placed the COVID-19 risk level for the first week of January at ‘medium’ for the capital region and the whole country and for non-capital areas at ‘low’. The nationwide level has been downgraded after being at ‘very high’ for seven straight weeks. The capital region was assessed at the highest level for eight weeks… The ICU bed occupancy rate fell to the 50 percent range across the country as well as in Seoul and surrounding areas as more beds were secured and critical cases have declined. Authorities point out that, though pandemic indicators are improving thanks to social distancing, challenges still remain due to the omicron variant.”
Vaccine pass at large retailers criticized for lacking scientific grounds (3 min read)
“The vaccine pass system, which requires either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to be presented to enter multiuse facilities, has been expanded to shopping malls, retail outlets, department stores and bookstores measuring 3,000 square meters or more in floor space… But criticism is escalating over the system, among people who find it unscientific and excessive. According to government data, 427 and 327 infections occurred at large retail stores and department stores, in 2021, respectively, whereas 7,491 cases were linked to churches. But religious facilities still remain excluded from the vaccine pass since it was introduced on Dec. 6… People are also questioning why employees working at large stores are exempt from the vaccine requirement.”
Daily infections below 4,000 for 5th day amid tightened curbs (2 min read)
“The country added 3,097 new COVID-19 infections… raising the total caseload to 670,483, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported 43 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,114... The fatality rate came to 0.91 percent. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 780, staying below 1,000 for more than a week…”
“On Wednesday, the government will hold a session to assess the danger level of the pandemic so as to make a decision on the possible revision of the current social distancing rules, as well as to devise measures on how to better respond to the omicron variant, officials said… As of Tuesday… 84.1 percent of the country's 52 million population, have been fully vaccinated, and… 41.8 percent, have received booster shots.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Korea seeks to boost relations with Latin America (3 min read)
“In 2022, Korea celebrates the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with 15 Latin American countries. Those countries ― Mexico, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, Ecuador, Jamaica and Guatemala ― are becoming increasingly important to Korea's strategy of diversifying diplomacy… As those countries are trying to recover from the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, Korea seeks to boost cooperation, especially in the field of digital and green economy…’Latin American countries increased cooperation with China to lower their reliance on the U.S., which resulted in too much reliance on China. Now, most Latin American countries look for more diverse international relations, which could be a good opportunity for Korea to expand its presence in the region.’”
N. Korea conducts second suspected ballistic missile test (1 min read)
“‘Our military detected one projectile, which is presumed to be a ballistic missile, being fired from an inland area into the East Sea (Jan. 11) at around 07:27 a.m.,’ the JCS [South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff] said in a statement… But the JCS said the South Korean and US intelligence authorities are analyzing further details and specifications of the missile test launch… Tuesday’s launch came less than a week after North Korea on Jan. 5 test-fired what it claimed was a ‘hypersonic missile.’... Tuesday’s missile test came while [the] UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on North Korea’s missile test last week. Ahead of the meeting, the United States and five other countries called on North Korea to cease its missile tests and engage in denuclearization negotiations.”
No Particular Mention of Kim Jong-un's 38th Birthday in N. Korea (1 min read)
“North Korean state media gave no particular mention of leader Kim Jong-un's 38th birthday on Saturday… No mention of his birthday could be found in any reports by state media outlets including the Korean Central News Agency and the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun… Pyongyang commemorates the birthdays of its two late former leaders, Kim Il-sung on April 15 and Kim Jong-il on February 16. Kim Jong-un's birthday has yet to be officially marked. It was only in 2014 that the North Korean leader's date of birth came to be publicly known when the KCNA reported that U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman [had] visited the North for Kim's birthday. Kim Jong-il's birthday was declared a public holiday when he turned 40 in 1982, eight years after he was named successor to lead the country.”
Samsung Galaxy S22 release date leaked, as well as when Unpacked will take place (1 min read)
“South Korean website Digital Daily has apparently heard from someone within Samsung, who has provided a launch timeline for the Galaxy S22. According to this source, Samsung Unpacked will take place on February 8 - that's the big event where the S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra will almost definitely debut. Pre-orders are said to go live the next day… Take these dates with a pinch of salt - since it's impossible to know the source, we can't tell for sure if the dates are accurate.”
Kakao CEO nominee Ryu resigns over stock controversy (2 min read)
“Kakao stated Monday that its co-CEO nominee, Ryu Young-joon, would not take the top post at the tech giant, following a snowballing controversy over his selloff of Kakao affiliate stocks. Ryu is the former CEO of Kakao Pay, the mobile money transfer affiliate of Kakao Group. Ryu led the successful initial public offering (IPO) of the company on Nov. 3, but sold off 90 billion won ($75.05 million) worth of Kakao Pay stocks, along with seven other executives, on Dec. 10. Ryu on his own sold 230,000 stocks at 204,017 won per share, from which he reaped 46.9 billion won in profits.” The company's stock has been tumbling since, and closed at 146,500 at Monday’s closing.
O Yeong-su, of 'Squid Game,' wins South Korea's first Golden Globe Award (3 min read)
[Spoiler alert - don’t read the article if you want to avoid a ‘Squid Game’ spoiler] “South Korean actor O Yeong-su claimed the country’s first Golden Globe Award on Sunday for his role in the hit Netflix drama ‘Squid Game,’ drawing cheers at home and abroad despite criticism for ceremony organizers over a lack of diversity. O, 77, won for his portrayal of Oh II-nam, besting, among others, Billy Crudup of ‘The Morning Show’ and Kieran Culkin of ‘Succession.’… Born in 1944 in Kaepung, which is now a North Korean border town, O is considered one of South Korea’s greatest stage actors.. [and] has also played many charismatic supporting characters in film and television.”
Lotto winnings a honeypot, but not as sweet as it seems (5 min read)
“Earlier this week, the Internet was abuzz with news that 2,203 cases of scams concerning websites that claim to be able to predict Lotto numbers were reported to the Korea Consumer Agency. This marked a rapid spike from 903 in 2019… Some claim to have found the treasure map, the elusive pattern behind the seemingly random system… Is it possible to actually crack the system?... The short answer: No, you cannot… ‘[but] If a person can buy a weeks’ worth of excitement for a mere 1,000 won, it‘s not a bad deal at all. But for those who actually want to turn their lives around through Lotto, it may be a torture that frustrates them every week.’”
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