Prison for forged vaccine certificates, COVID-19 curbs extended, and 'Fake News' Bill shelved.
K-NEWS BITES
Sat 2021-10-02
Court allows small-scale holiday rallies amid COVID-19 concerns (1 min read)
“The Seoul Administrative Court allowed Lee Dong-wook, a doctor and a vocal critic of the government's antivirus measures, to hold rallies in Seoul on the condition they involve up to 50 people and be held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Saturday through Monday…[but] required the organizer to abide by strict social distancing measures, such as temperature checks and listing of participants.”The Seoul metropolitan government had banned them, “citing concerns over virus transmission, and he filed an administrative lawsuit and injunction against the decision with the court.”
Daegu mosque protests discriminatory: Human rights commission (2 min read)
“The National Human Rights Commission of Korean (NHRCK) said Friday that a mosque construction project in Daegu, which had been suspended [Since Feb 19] due to complaints, should be allowed to resume, as the decision on the suspension was based on discrimination and prejudice against Muslims.” The watchdog also asked the local district office to “take additional measures specifically regarding the banners that had been displayed in the area, as they include hate speech and offensive, Islamophobic comments.” The article contains a picture of an example of one of these banners.
Authorities warn against fabrication of vaccine certificates (2 min read)
“Health authorities are warning against forgery of COVID-19 vaccine certificates, as related cases are expected to increase in line with the government's move to expand incentives for people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus… Those who use forged certificates to get vaccine incentives can face up to 10 years in prison, in addition to a 100,000 won ($84) fine, while those who use the certificate of another person can face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won.”
New virus cases in 2,000s for 6th day, COVID-19 curbs extended (2 min read)
“The country reported 2,486 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,451 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 313,773… There were 16 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,497… Under current rules, cafes and restaurants in the capital area are allowed to open doors until 10 p.m. and gatherings of up to six people are allowed in the capital area after 6 p.m. if four of them are fully vaccinated.” These restrictions will remain in place for another two weeks ahead of back-to-back long weekends this month.
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
South Korea’s Formal Membership in the Quad Plus: A Bridge Too Far? (8 min read)
The term “Quad Plus” refers to the “Quad’s broader network of ‘like-minded partners,” New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam. “As the original Quad countries [US, Japan, Australia, India] solidify their partnership, however, key obstacles persist to including South Korea as a formal member.” This is due to Korea having to play “an intricate balancing act with the US and China” and has “a much greater interest in resolving the North Korea issue than any of the other six, save the United States”
South Korea Shelves ‘Fake News’ Bill Amid International Outcry (4 min read)
“President Moon Jae-in and his Democratic Party in South Korea have spent months vowing to stamp out what they have called fake news in the media. But lawmakers had to postpone a vote on a new bill this week when… the bill triggered an outcry from domestic media and international rights groups that warned it would discourage journalists from investigating corruption sandals and would have a chilling effect on press freedoms… Lawmakers agreed to shelve the bill and allow the opposing parties to continue to negotiate until the end of the year.”
What does Kim Yo-jong's SAC appointment mean? (2 min read)
“The appointment of Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, to the country's top government organization, has yielded many interpretations regarding her growing presence in the country's politics. Some North Korea watchers believe she is solidifying her political standing.” However other watchers believe… “it is more of a pat on the back than an actual promotion.”
North Korea says it tested anti-aircraft missile (2 min read)
“North Korea test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile Thursday,” according to its official Korean Central News Agency. “The launch is the latest weapons test Pyongyang has conducted since test-firing a hypersonic missile Tuesday and ballistic missiles and a cruise missile earlier in September.. The missile demonstrated remarkable combat performance with its twin rudder control and double impulse flight engine, according to the KCNA” and is believed to be “similar to Russia’s S-400 or 500, a surface-to-air missile system. Moscow deployed the latest 500 series in September.”
Samsung is bringing digital car keys to its phones, starting in South Korea (1 min read)
“After announcing plans for digital car keys in its phones during the Galaxy S21 launch, Samsung is finally starting to add support for the feature. Samsung says support for the ultra wideband (UWB) and NFC-enabled digital car keys will hit South Korea first, and it will only work with one car to start — the all-electric Genesis GV60… The digital keys are stored in Samsung Pass… and, according to Samsung, can be shared with anyone running Android 11 with its app downloaded.”
South Korean ISP SK Broadband counterclaims against Netflix for bandwidth usage fees (2 min read)
“South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband... has filed a counterclaim against Netflix to demand payment for the bandwidth the streaming platform has used for the last three years. This case comes in the wake of the South Korean court siding against Netflix in June in the case.” However, Netflix’s case is that SK Broadband “has no right to demand fees for the bandwidth… [and] was trying to ‘double bill’ — its subscribers already pay for broadband use, and now want to charge the streaming company for it, too.” SK Broadband claims that “Netflix’s traffic on the ISP network has exponentially increased about 24 times, from 50 Gigabits per second in May 2018 to 1,200 Gigabits in September 2021.”
Customers urge Starbucks to change marketing policy (1 min read)
“Local customers are urging Starbucks Korea to restrict one person from purchasing more than one drink during special merchandise giveaways.” This is due to “ resellers, who offer limited-edition Starbucks goods online for a higher price” showing up at coffee shops in Seoul and ordering as many beverages as they can to collect these merchandise giveaways, resulting in customers “waiting for more than one hour to get their caffeinated beverages.”
Autumnal Leaves Begin to Appear on Mt. Seorak (1 min read)
“Autumnal leaves have begun to appear on Mount Seorak in Gangwon Province, signaling the beginning of the fall foliage season. The Korea Meteorological Administration’s(KMA) Gangwon office said Thursday that 20 percent of the mountain, starting from the peak, has changed color… The KMA forecast[s] that autumn foliage for the nation on average will peak around October 26, three days later than last year.”
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