Social distancing toughened, N Korea executes k-pop watchers, and AI tech helps prevent suicides on the Han River
K-NEWS BITES
Fri 2021-12-17 (KST)
Some of you may be asking, what happened to Wednesday’s (2021-12-15) K-News Bites edition? Unfortunately, it didn’t get published, but we’re back on track now, and hopefully this type of thing doesn’t happen too often! Thank you for your understanding. Now back to the K-News!
Moon apologizes for restoring tough social distancing measures (1 min read)
“President Moon Jae-in apologized to the nation Thursday for restoring tough social distancing measures following a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths… ‘I am sorry that we have had to once again strengthen antivirus measures… Over the course of the phased return to normal, we failed to prepare properly and could not suppress the increase in critically ill patients nor secure enough hospital beds…’ Moon was quoted as saying by his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee at a press briefing.”
4.9 magnitude earthquake hits coast off Jeju (1 min read)
“A powerful 4.9-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday afternoon struck the southwestern coast off Jeju Island, causing panic as it marked one of the strongest earthquakes in South Korea’s recent history…. Social media users believed to be in Jeju Island reported the ground shaking for three to four seconds, with some structures shaking… The earthquake was initially reported to have a magnitude of 5.3 but was later revised to be 4.9… No significant damage or fatalities were immediately reported, according to the KMA [Korea Meteorological Administration].”
South Korea fights supply-chain risks with economic security team (2 min read)
“Responding to ‘global shifts in supply chains,’ the center will ascertain which parts and materials the country relies on imports and suggest ways for South Korea to diversify its supply, the ministry said. It will also place staff at South Korean diplomatic missions in strategically significant countries to conduct research… Out of 12,586 imported materials, there were 3,941 in the January-September period for which South Korea relied on a single country for 80% or more of its total supply, according to the Korea International Trade Association.”
S. Korea reintroduces toughened social distancing rules, dining curfews (2 min read)
“During the 16-day period between Saturday and Jan. 2, private gatherings will be capped at four people nationwide -- if they are fully vaccinated. People who are not vaccinated will only be able to dine out alone, or use takeout or delivery services, according to the reintroduced social distancing rules. Restaurants, cafes and night entertainment venues will also have to close by 9 p.m. and internet cafes by 10 p.m. Cram schools, however, are not part of the reintroduced curfew, the government said… President Moon added the government is discussing measures to provide financial assistance to businesses that could be affected by the shortened business hours.”
English Vaccination Certificates Available on Website, Smartphone App (1 min read)
“The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday that English COVID-19 vaccination certificates can be issued at the Government24 website (www.gov.kr) beginning Friday, which is identical to the English certificate issued by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The certificate service has been open at the site since February but only in Korean. Both Korean and English certificates can also be issued through the website’s smartphone app, which can be used for the COVID-19 pass system.”
Critically ill COVID-19 cases near 1,000; tighter virus curbs to take effect (2 min read)
“South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday… The country added 7,622 more COVID-19 cases… bringing the cumulative total to 544,117… Among them, the public health agency reported 20 omicron variant cases, putting the total at 148. The number of critically ill patients hit yet another fresh high of 989, up from the previous record of high of 964 recorded Wednesday… Deaths from the virus rose by 62 to 4,518. The fatality rate stood at 0.83 percent… As of Thursday… 81.5 percent had been fully vaccinated. About 17.3 percent of the total population has gotten their booster shots.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
APPF adopts resolution on end-of-war declaration, inter-Korean parliamentary meeting (2 min read)
“The APPF is the world's largest body for parliamentary cooperation equivalent to that of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) with 28 member countries.The adopted resolution read, ‘We, the parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), … resolve to recognize efforts of the Republic of Korea to achieve substantial progress in the Korean Peninsula Peace Process, including a declaration on the end of the Korean War and a peace accord, while reaffirming the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as the only solution to achieving complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.’“
North Korea has executed at least 7 people for watching South Korean videos, including K-Pop music, rights group says (2 min read)
The Transitional Justice Working Group, a Seoul-based human rights group, compiled a report, which offers harrowing details, via interviews with hundreds of North Korean defectors. "‘Interviewees often stated that the rules on public execution demand that three shooters fire a total of nine bullets into the body of the condemned person… The families of those being executed were often forced to watch the execution…’ Last December, the North Korean government passed a law that makes it a capital offense to distribute South Korean media, including music and movies.”
Brother of North Korea's founder Kim dies: state media (1 min read)
“Kim Yong-ju, a brother of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung, has died, according to Pyongyang's state media Wednesday… Kim Yong-ju was a former honorary vice chairman of the standing committee of the North's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly, and a winner of the Order of Kim ll-sung and the Order of Kim Jong-il, the report said, without giving further details, such as when he died… Born in 1920, he was involved in a power struggle with Kim Jong-il [before he] was tapped as the North's next leader. Kim Jong-il ruled the reclusive North after the death of his father in 1994 until 2011.”
Seoul City uses AI tech to prevent suicide attempts on Han River bridges (2 min read)
“The AI-based technology, developed in cooperation with the Seoul Institute of Technology (SIT) since April 2020, has undergone deep learning of patterns of behavior of people attempting suicide by jumping off the bridges, such as wandering on an area of a bridge for a period of minutes, as well as other data, including information on rescue teams' dispatch history, surveillance camera recordings and conversations through suicide hotlines.When the cameras detect a person showing such behaviors, the system immediately sends a signal to rescue teams near the bridge so they can arrive at the scene faster to intervene or carry out rescue operations.”
Singapore-South Korea digital economy deal to sync up on data, payments (3 min read)
“Singapore has finalised negotiations with South Korea on a digital economy agreement that will see both nations collaborate across several areas, including cross-border online payments, data flows, cryptography, and artificial intelligence (AI). The partnership is touted to establish ‘forward-looking’ digital trade rules and drive interoperability between digital systems.”
South Korean dairy giant apologises for controversial advert (2 min read)
“South Korea's biggest dairy brand has been forced to apologise over an advert depicting women as cows. The video by Seoul Milk shows a man secretly filming a group of women in a field, who later turn into cows. After facing a public backlash, the company removed the promo from YouTube, but it has since gone viral after being re-uploaded by internet users… This isn't the first time Seoul Milk has made headlines for the wrong reasons. In 2003, the company staged a performance in which nude models sprayed yoghurt at each other.” The article contains stills of the video, as well as a link to a 38 second excerpt of the advertisement.
Marriages down 43%, births 64% in Seoul over 20 years (1 min read)
“In the past 20 years, the number of marriages in Seoul has decreased by 43 percent and the number of births by 64 percent, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday… The average age of first marriages last year was 33.61 for men and 31.6 for women, up 3.96 years and 4.35 years from 2000, respectively… Accordingly, the average age of the parents at their child’s birth increased from 29.49 in 2000 to 33.98.”
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