Ultrafine dust falls to record low, anti-China sentiment in Korea, and Squid Game is eligible for the Emmys
K-NEWS BITES
Fri 2021-10-08
September's ultrafine dust density falls to lowest level on record (2 min read)
“Last month's ultrafine dust density was the lowest since record keeping began in 2015, a government agency said Thursday, citing reduced dust emissions and favorable weather conditions... The September average, calculated based on observations from 497 air pollution monitoring centers nationwide, was 33.3 percent and 52.9 percent lower compared with the same month of 2020 and 2015, respectively, the agency noted.”
Court orders posthumous reinstatement of transgender soldier (2 min read)
“A South Korean court on Thursday ordered the cancellation of the forceful discharge of transgender soldier Byun Hee-soo, who took her own life earlier this year…. The Daejeon District Court pointed to the illegitimacy of legal grounds of the Army’s decision to kick her out. In deeming Byun unfit for service, the military concluded that her gender reassignment surgery and the resultant loss of male genitals rendered her mentally and physically unfit to be on active duty. According to the South Korean military code, transgender candidates are ineligible for military service in peacetime.”
KDCA Chief: ‘With COVID-19’ System Could Begin in 2nd Week of Nov. (1 min read)
The “Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong Jeong... estimated that by the last week of this month, 70 percent of the population will be fully vaccinated, adding that when considering it takes two weeks for antibodies to develop, the “With COVID-19” system could begin from the second week of November. The government is also likely to speed up follow-up measures in that week, including introducing a COVID-19 vaccine pass and purchasing oral COVID-19 antiviral medication.”
New cases in 2,000s for 2nd day, resurgence in wider Seoul worrisome (2 min read)
“The country added 2,427 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,400 local infections, raising the total caseload to 325,804, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).... The country added eight more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,544. The fatality rate stood at 0.78 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Anti-China Sentiment and South Korea’s Presidential Race (11 min read)
The ongoing Presidential election campaigns and the foreign policies being debated, have brought to the fore “the hardships and uncertainties currently surrounding the Korean Peninsula.” A recent poll highlighted a “major paradigm shift in the trend of South Korean public perception toward surrounding states.” According to the poll, “... the South Korean public was least favorable [toward] China; even North Korea and Japan were viewed more positively.” The article includes a graph which shows the South Korean favorability ratings of the 4 countries (China, Japan, North Korean, U.S.) since 2018.
38 North: Construction Continues at Uranium Enrichment Plant in Yongbyon (1 min read)
“A U.S. website specializing in North Korea analysis reported that the country appears to be continuing construction at a uranium enrichment plant (UEP) in its Yongbyon nuclear complex… [and a] previously reported construction... has recently been covered.” It is speculated that “assuming the North is producing low-enriched uranium at two enrichment halls, the extension at the building could be used to enrich low-enriched uranium to weapons grade.”"
WHO says it began shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to N. Korea (1 min read)
“The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it has begun the shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea through the Chinese port of Dalian, raising the possibility that the North might be easing its long-enforced tight border controls amid the global pandemic.The shipment appears to have started late last month, but it was not specified “exactly when and what kind of medical materials had been headed to the North.” North Korea has “claimed to be coronavirus-free and rejected outside help for its anti-epidemic campaign for fear that any shipment could spread the virus to its soil.”
Kakao founder issues apology over abuse of market dominance (2 min read)
“Kim Beom-su, founder and chairman of internet giant Kakao, apologized over his firm's abuse of its market dominance as the nation's most powerful internet platform operator and promised to urgently address the matter, during a National Assembly audit, Tuesday… The chairman was summoned as a witness for an audit held by the National Policy Committee at the National Assembly following increasing criticism that Kakao, the operator of the nation's largest messenger app Kakao Talk, has been threatening small business owners by abusing its monopoly status…
Domestic sales of Samsung's new foldable smartphones top 1 million units (1 min read)
“Domestic sales of Samsung Electronics' new foldable smartphones ― the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 ― have surpassed 1 million units, the company said Wednesday, as the tech giant strives to popularize the foldable category... It was the third fastest sales pace to exceed the 1 million sales mark in South Korea after the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy S8.” Both the Z Fold3 and the Z Flip3 “were launched with lower price tags compared with their predecessors...” The article contains a photo of the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 smartphones.
Yes, Squid Game is eligible for the Emmys. But does it stand a chance? (2 min read)
“The South Korean series qualifies because, unlike other international shows, it wasn't just imported from South Korea. Netflix co-produced, financed and provided creative direction for the survival drama.” However, Non-English programs have “historically had a tough time breaking into the Primetime Emmys. The Primetime Emmy Awards currently has no categories for non-English programs. The major winners have always been in English.” It was also pointed out that “The Emmy Awards… are ‘much more competitive’ than the Oscars, because of the sheer volume of eligible entrants.”
Netflix will edit phone numbers out of Squid Game following prank calls (1 min read)
“Netflix’s immensely popular Squid Game is getting an edit after phone numbers shown in the series dialed real numbers, leading to what the company described as “unfortunate” prank dials.” Netflix and the production company (Siren Pictures) said “they purposefully did not include a complete number and weren’t aware the number shown would reach a real line.” A man who “claims to be the owner of the number told a local media outlet that he’d been ‘bombarded’ with messages and calls, adding that they had made it difficult to live his life normally.”
[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea (2 min read)
The article lists several events taking place throughout October including:
The Bupyeong Pungmul Festival / Bupyeong, Incheon / Oct 13 - 17
Incheon Open Port Culture Night / Jung-gu, Incheon / Oct 16 - 23
Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival / Yeoju, Gyeongi Province / Oct 15 - 18
Mungyeong Chasabal Festival / Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province / Oct 1 - 10
Further details can be found in the article.
[Eye Plus] A Night Stroll to Namhansanseong Fortress (1 min read)
“A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Namhansanseong Fortress is located in the small city of Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province.” It’s considered “one of the best places in Seoul to catch a glimpse of the beautiful city… Today, the fortress remains as one of the most significant heritage sites containing the history of Korea. There are multiple courses that allow sightseers to observe the wonders Namhansanseong Fortress beholds.” The article includes several (beautiful) photos of the site.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends! (or hit the share button below).
If you’re new to K-News Bites, you can subscribe by hitting the button below:
GamSaHabNiDa! 🙇