K-NEWS BITES

Wed 2022-01-05 (KST)

Moon hails S. Korea’s democratic ‘maturity’ in New Year’s address (2 min read)

“President Moon Jae-in hailed progress in South Korean democracy in a New year’s address on Monday, saying it has ‘matured’ and been recognized by the world.” Some key quotes from his speech include:

‘It has become a society with expanded transparency and openness and a country with improved freedom of the press and human rights.’

‘I hope it [2022 Election] will be an election of unity that contains the hope of the people rather than hostility, hatred and division.’ “Moon said the public was ultimately in charge of politics, and its participation had the power to develop and improve democracy.”
‘As a divided country, there is no value more precious than peace to us who have been through war… Peace is an essential premise for prosperity. But if peace is not institutionalized, it is easy to shake. I will do my best until the end.’
‘We will accelerate the supply of housing for end-users while continuing the downward trend in housing prices… We will prepare a new turning point.’

The link to the full transcript can be found here.

Here are some of the political events that will dominate headlines in 2022 (4 min read)

The article gives its take on the expected major events in 2022, which include: the global economy and the potential of an economic depression; international affairs such as US:China and hot spots around the world; numerous democratic countries will hold elections in 2022 including S Korea, France, Brazil, Australia; ideological wars to continue in the US with mid-term elections later in the year, shifting focuses on climate change policies, and hopes of the COVID-19 pandemic receding.

PM: 4 Cities to be Given New Autonomous Status Hold Greater Responsibility (1 min read)

“Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has asked Suwon, Goyang, Yongin and Changwon, to be newly named special cities next week, to take on more responsibilities befitting their upgraded status in their strive toward self-governance and decentralization… The special city designation is given to cities with a population of over one million. It comes with various autonomous rights, such as issuing building permits and local currency coupons, fostering regional industries and managing public traffic.”

PPP launches campaign overhaul as Yoon's support drops (2 min read)

“The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Monday promised a sweeping overhaul of its campaign committee and shed a feminist politician unpopular among young male voters as the party scrambled to stop the declining support of its presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol… The overhaul, which comes just two months ahead of the March 9 presidential election, could see the replacement of all six heads of campaign divisions, including Yoon's confidant, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, according to internal sources.”

The perils, promises omicron holds for 2022 (4 min read)

“Forecasts out there are a mix of bleak and upbeat, with the most optimistic saying omicron could be ‘the beginning of the end.’… After omicron began dominating the outbreak in South Africa, some scientists there noted that omicron patients [were] less likely to need hospital care and [tended] to stay in the hospital for a shorter period of time… [but] even if omicron is less severe than delta, it’s important to remember that delta was still way worse than alpha, or the UK variant as it was known then, which emerged at the turn of last year…”

“[As] the pandemic drags on, the risk of a new variant popping up and rewriting what we know about the virus is a constant danger… The first step in beating public fatigue may be ‘openly acknowledging that we’re probably in this for the long haul, rather than promoting false hope and then letting people down,’... [But] all is not despair. Compared to a year ago more tools [are] at our disposal, like antiviral pills, to render the disease more manageable.”

Upcoming extension of vaccine pass to big grocery stores inflames protests (3 min read)

“The upcoming expansion of South Korea's vaccine pass requirement to big box and department stores is inflaming protests that the measure represents discrimination against unvaccinated people and a breach of their right to basic needs.Under a revised vaccine pass scheme announced Friday, people will be required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result to shop at discount or department stores measuring 3,000 square meters or more, starting Jan. 10.” This also applies to those who shop alone.

Study: COVID-19 Patients with Booster Shots 93% Less Likely to Get Critically Ill (1 min read)

“A study shows that people who receive booster shots and experienced breakthrough infections are 93.6 percent less likely to get seriously ill or die from COVID-19 than unvaccinated people. The Central Disease Control Headquarters on Monday unveiled results of a study on how vaccines prevent a progression into critical condition that covered over 505,000 confirmed patients from April to December. The survey finds that among confirmed patients, 4.37 percent of unvaccinated patients progressed to critical illness or die within 28 days of testing positive, compared to 0.28 percent of those who have received a booster shot… The effect of vaccination on preventing critical cases especially stood out among seniors 75 and older.“

Daily COVID-19 cases remain below 4,000 for second day (2 min read)

“... South Korea added 3,129 new COVID-19 cases during Sunday, raising the total to 642,207. It was down from that of the previous day, which recorded 3,833 cases… But, the number of critically ill patients reached 1,015, marking the 14th consecutive day the number was above 1,000. On Sunday, the country also added 36 more deaths, raising the COVID-19 death toll to 5,730… The fatality rate stood at 0.89 percent… As of midnight Sunday, the KDCA [Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency] said it confirmed 111 more omicron variant infections, bringing the total omicron cases to 1,318… Health authorities in Gwangju said two recently deceased coronavirus patients in the city, both in their 90s, have posthumously tested positive for the omicron variant… As of midnight Sunday, 42.6 million people, or 83 percent, of the country’s 52 million population have been fully vaccinated. A total of 18.5 million people, around 36 percent, have received booster shots…”

General COVID Information for residents in Korea:

Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea

Coronavirus Public Advice (incl. social distancing information)

Latest guidance (16th Dec 2021 press release, updated 23rd Dec)

COVID FAQ

Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea

Australia’s Growing Ties With Northeast Asia (3 min read)

“It is at the intersection of commercial and hard-security interests that Australia’s relationships with Japan and South Korea are finding their increasing health… Canberra and Seoul are increasingly seeing their strategic environments in a similar way. Both are staunch U.S. allies that are concerned about Washington’s current internal difficulties, and are demonstrating a willingness to enhance their own defense capabilities in response. This response is also driven by a concern about Chinese assertiveness, as both Australia and South Korea have been subject to attempts at economic coercion from Beijing, and are wary of its intentions in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan.”

North Korea claims zero COVID infections, with total tested just shy of 50,000 (1 min read)

“North Korea continues to claim that it is COVID-free after screening an additional 1,492 people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, as the total tested in the country hovers just short of 50,000… The country appeared to show its confidence in its anti-virus measures by holding a mass outdoor gathering and performance in the center of Pyongyang to ring in the New Year. State television showed audience members wearing masks but not performers, who included children… While COVAX has so far pledged around 8.12 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for North Korea, none are known to have entered the country after delays last year.”

KCTV production of the New Year’s Eve event (2 min read)

“The annual New Year’s Eve event in Pyongyang is one of the only times each year that Korean Central Television broadcasts live… For a TV station that doesn’t do much events coverage, the broadcast is surprisingly good and makes use of multiple cameras spread around the square and even a drone.” The article contains two side-by-side clips of the event and of the live broadcast vs the edited version which was also aired the next day. (The videos are 5m 42s and 4m 43s long each - worth checking out to see how they celebrate new years in N Korea! - quite impressive actually).

5G users in South Korea surge to 20 million (1 min read)

“The number of 5G users in South Korea have ‘radically spiked’ by a million in just one month, to reach “20.19 million as of November 2021. From the total 72.57 million mobile subscriptions in South Korea, around 28% have switched to 5G in the last three years… According to industry experts, Apple’s new iPhone 13 was one of the major growth boosters in the increased 5G subscriptions. Additionally, the release of Samsung’s new foldable phones added more subscriptions to the list… [which include the] Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip2, released in August last year.”

Toss the batteries! Samsung's amazing new remote uses your Wi-Fi to charge (2 min read)

“The concept of RF Energy harvesting is not new. The ubiquity of RF signals from Wi-Fi and outdoor cellular systems makes them an attractive, low-power energy solution for systems that can't necessarily be connected to AC or DC wiring. But this may be the first time the technology has been employed in consumer electronics. Unlike other wireless charging solutions, such as the near-field Qi, the Eco Remote remote control doesn't have to be very near or in contact with the router (it only works with 2.4GHz RF signals). RF Energy Harvesting can - unobstructed - reach devices up to 40 meters away.” The remote also has a solar panel, and does not require a battery and is shipped with every 2022 QLED 4K and 8K TV. Photos of the remote are included in the article.

Street cleaner: “I’m totally satisfied with my job” (1 min read)

“The writer of the job review, posted on online community bobaedream.co.kr., introduces himself as a 42-year-old sanitation worker who started work on Jan. 1 last year. ‘I’m 100 percent satisfied with my job largely due to the salary I receive,’ he wrote, adding that his annual wages easily exceed 50 million won ($42,000). The average annual salary of Korean workers stood at 37.44 million won in 2019, according to the National Tax Service… After changing his job to the current one, he enjoys a better quality of life as he also receives performance-based benefits, bonuses and his job is secure until retirement at 60, the person continued. Sanitation workers are semi-public officials managed by local governments.”

Korea ups efforts to attract foreign talent (1 min read)

“The Korean government will step up efforts to attract more skilled foreign nationals this year by improving its visa system for job seekers who have obtained an advanced degree at a university here.The Ministry of Justice recently introduced a set of more open and inclusive immigration policies aimed at increasing the number of foreign workers in order to maintain national growth amid the country's continuous population decline, low birthrate and aging society…. In the first half of this year, the ministry will launch a so-called ‘fast-track visa system’ for foreign nationals who have earned master's or Ph.D. degrees in science and information technology (IT) here, which would guarantee them legal status during their job search period.”

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