Social distancing maintained, S Korea vs US on NK sanctions, and BTS does it again
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K-NEWS BITES
Mon 2021-10-04
Capital relocation plan gains steam with National Assembly opening a branch in Sejong (2 min read)
The long-debated capital city relocation plan may finally get a boost, “after the National Assembly passed a bill last week to open a regional branch of the legislature in Sejong… the special self-governing city serving as a second administrative capital for South Korea.” Relocation has earned support, “as centralization of capital, infrastructure and resources in Seoul has led to unequal development in other areas… Population increases and skyrocketing housing prices have led the ruling bloc to revive the old plan of making Sejong the official administrative capital of Korea.”
Japan's new leadership unlikely to mend ties with Korea: experts (3 min read)
“The leadership change in Japan with a new prime minister to be appointed [this] week is unlikely to reverse the current downward spiral of bilateral ties with Korea anytime soon… Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga never held a summit with President Moon Jae-in after taking office a year ago.” Robert Manning, “a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the tensions in Korea-Japan relations were historical and structural in nature and that the distrust was very difficult to reverse.”
S. Korea to Remain under Current Social Distancing Rules until Oct. 17 (1 min read)
“Last week, the government extended the toughest Level Four social distancing in the capital region and Level Three in other areas by two weeks… Under Level Four, up to four people can gather before 6 p.m. and two after. But, up to six people can gather at homes, restaurants and cafes, if the gatherings include four fully vaccinated people. In areas under Level Three, private gatherings of up to eight people will be allowed at home and at all multi-use spaces, provided the group includes four fully vaccinated people… In areas under Level Three and Four, up to 199 people can gather for weddings, including 100 fully vaccinated people. The cap for first-birthday events has also been eased to 49.”
New virus cases in 2,000s for 8th day; holiday-tied virus surge concerning (2 min read)
“The country added 2,086 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,058 local infections, raising the total caseload to 318,105, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Sunday's tally was down from 2,248 on Saturday and 2,486 on Friday,” mostly due to less testing over the weekend. “The country added three more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,507.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Afghanistan Crisis Reignites South Korea’s Refugee Debate (7 min read)
“Through an evacuation operation dubbed Operation Miracle, 390 Afghans who had worked at the South Korean Embassy and other Korean agencies, along with their family members, arrived in South Korea under the status of “special contributors,” instead of “refugees.” It is believed this wording was chosen by the Korean government to avoid the controversial topic of “refugee policy” in the “largely ethnically homogeneous society” in Korea. “From 2000-2017, the country only gave refugee status to 3.5 percent of applicants.” The article includes a graph showing differing Korean attitudes towards refugees by age group.
South Korea’s Weakening Consensus on Unification (5 min read)
“It has been conventional wisdom among South Korean leaders – conservative and progressive – that the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula is the only correct endgame with North Korea. From Roh Tae-woo’s introduction of a new unification formula to the Moon Jae-in government seeking dialogue and economic interactions, unification has been a central focal point of North Korean policies.” However, this view on unification appears to be weakening, and “may impact the 2022 South Korean presidential election and future inter-Korean relations.”
S. Korea, US differ over NK sanctions (1 min read)
“The US State Department said allies should continue enforcing UN sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, in response to the South Korean foreign minister’s suggestion to ease sanctions for nuclear talks amid North Korea’s latest weapons tests,” who said, “‘It’s time we review sanctions relief,’ noting the current "status quo" would not be in the best interests of either the South or US [as] nuclear negotiations have been in limbo since 2019.”
N. Korea blasts UN Security Council for convening meeting on its missile launches (1 min read)
Jo Chol-su, director of the international organization department at the North's foreign ministry, “accused the Security Council of ‘keeping mum’ about the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea while finding fault with the North for its ‘normal and planned self-defensive measures.’” On Friday, the UNSC held a closed-door meeting about the North’s recent missile launches, at the request of the US, Britain and France but were unable to reach an agreement for a joint statement due to the opposition from China and Russia.
Space race heats up in Korea's private sector (4 min read)
“Korean companies are capitalizing on their exclusive areas of expertise to join the private-sector space race, with Hanwha Group and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) specialized in satellites and rockets, LIG NEx1 in navigation systems and Korean Air in aircraft design and manufacturing… Against this backdrop, the Korean government is lowering barriers for private companies of all sizes to enter the space tech industry. The government is also seeking to transfer technology and knowhow on projectile development for commercial purposes. The article includes a graph comparing Korea’s private R&D spending with other countries.
Joseon's first encounter with a 'wheel' (4 min read)
“The wheel has been described as one of the greatest inventions of humanity and has been around for millennia. Who invented the wheel and when are not known, but the first known encounter Koreans had with a Yankee-style bicycle "wheel" occurred in the winter of 1884-85.” The article takes a fascinating look at the earliest encounters with bicycles by Koreans and includes some photos from these periods.
BTS-Coldplay collaboration 'My Universe' debuts at No. 3 on British Official Singles Chart (1 min read)
“‘My Universe,’ the collaboration single by K-pop sensation BTS and British rock band Coldplay, has debuted at No. 3 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100, on par with two previous highest rankings for the South Korean group. The song, which was released Sept. 24, placed third on the chart dated Oct. 1-7”. “My Universe” will be included in Coldplay’s ninth album “Music of the Spheres” which will be released Oct 15.
[INTERVIEW] 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae on his international breakout role (4 min read)
“Actor Lee Jung-jae has so far already established himself as one of the top actors in Korea, building an extensive portfolio over the 28 years of his career… But it only took one series for the 49-year-old actor to rise to international stardom with the role of a broke, yet good-hearted gambling addict in Netflix's new hit original, "Squid Game." In this interview, Lee talks about how and why he got involved with the series, and his experiences while filming.
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