Yonhap banned from Naver & Daum, Serious COVID cases rise, and preorder your Gentleman Chicken for Thanksgiving
K-NEWS BITES
Wed 2021-11-17 (KST)
(Re-posting of Monday’s Announcement ICYMI)
Thank you once again, to all of you who provided lots of valuable feedback via the recent survey about the K-News Bites newsletter! Based on this feedback, and learnings via iterations, starting today, a couple of format changes will be made: i. The section “From the Rest of the World” will be changed to “International Relations,” which shifts the focus more on the actual content, rather than the source of the articles. ii. “TGIF - Food & Events” will be removed as readers are located all over the world! Agree? Disagree? Would you like to see some other changes? Let us know via this form. Thank You!
Presidential candidates decry panel's decision to ban Yonhap articles from internet portals (1 min read)
“Presidential candidates from the ruling party and the main opposition on Monday criticized a panel's decision to ban articles by Yonhap News Agency on mainstream internet portals. A committee jointly formed by leading web portals -- Naver and Daum -- in 2015 to evaluate news partnerships on Friday announced that the two portal operators should cancel their partnerships with Yonhap… for one year, as the country's leading news agency failed to meet a set of criteria to keep its articles [appearing] in real time newsstands and mobile phones. [Recently,] Yonhap new articles were suspended from appearing on Naver and Daum starting on Sept. 8 for over a month for having published advertorials.”
This opinion piece from the Korea Times helps provide more background for those who are interested.
[Newsmaker] Kingmaker or safe choice, opposition hopes for ‘Kim Chong-in effect’ (4 min read)
“Kim Chong-in, a veteran election campaigner often referred to as ‘kingmaker,’ is once again at the center of attention in the political arena, with the conservatives betting on him to help them win next year’s presidential election… The 81-year-old politician has the unique perspective of having served as the leader of both the ruling and main opposition parties, with his political career spanning close to 60 years. He scored wins in difficult elections, resuscitating parties facing struggles and helping them gain majorities… ‘Kim Chong-in knows how to grab the attention of undecided, politically neutral voters and has been successful in appealing to the working class,’ said Eom Gyeong-yeong, director of the Zeitgeist Institute.”
Conversion of industrial urea solution for vehicle use impossible: state lab (1 min read)
“The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) under the Ministry of Environment said it has tentatively concluded it is difficult to convert industrial urea or urea solution for use by diesel-fueled vehicles to cut emissions… NIER has conducted the rare conversion test to take advantage of the nation's vast stockpiles of industrial urea solution to cope with the shortage of vehicle urea solution. The institute said that industrial urea or urea solution, if converted to vehicle-use solution, can meet air pollutant regulation standards but additional experiments are needed because other environmental impacts and effects on vehicles are not specifically verified.”
Seoul hospitals overwhelmed, but Korea committed to staying open (3 min read)
“Just two weeks after South Korea began an official return to normal, a bed shortage is looming, prompting the government to organize an emergency meeting with hospitals…
By late Monday afternoon, nearly 80 percent of intensive care beds in Greater Seoul were occupied, up from around 70 percent a week prior. It was the second consecutive day the threshold of 75 percent for activating the emergency action plan had been met. The emergency plan involves reinstating recently lifted restrictions such as nightly curfews for places with high risks of transmission”.
Serious COVID-19 cases hit fresh high amid few signs of virus slowdown (2 min read)
“The country reported 2,125 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,110 local infections, raising the total caseload to 399,591, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of patients in serious condition came to the highest ever figure of 495, breaking the previous record of 485 cases on Saturday, it added. The health authorities have said that they can manage around up to 500 seriously ill patients in a stable manner under the current medical capacity. The country also added 22 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 3,137. The fatality rate stood at 0.79 percent.”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
Cheong Wa Dae says trilateral summit with China, Japan still under discussion (2 min read)
“Cheong Wa Dae on Monday said that discussions are still underway to hold a trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan this year, denying a recent Japanese news report that Seoul has asked to postpone the meeting again.The three neighboring countries have held a summit every year under a rotation system, but last year’s Seoul meeting was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With less than two months left in the year, expectations are low that a meeting will take place this year as well.”
Australia and Korea: Middle Powers in Uncharted Waters (1 min read)
“2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Australia and the Republic of Korea. Although separated by vast waters, these two countries have played a robust role in shaping the economic and security landscape of the Indo Pacific. As middle powers, they have relied on their strong alliances with the U.S to ensure regional security. However, the rise of an assertive China, as well as a recalibration towards domestic issues in the U.S, have forced them to navigate uncharted waters.”
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un reappears, visits ‘socialist utopia’ being built near China border (2 min read)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a new city being built near the border with China… state media reported on Tuesday, in his first public appearance in more than a month. The northern alpine town of Samjiyon is being transformed into a massive economic hub, called a “socialist utopia” by officials, equipped with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities.The developing city is near Mount Paektu, the holy mountain where Kim’s family claims its roots, and he has made multiple visits since 2018, with the official KCNA news agency touting it as the ‘epitome of modern civilisation’.”
UN rapporteur raps China over repatriation of N. Korean defectors: news report (1 min read)
“‘The issue is very serious and the [Chinese] government is challenging international law,’ Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special rapporteur on North Korea human rights, was quoted as saying by the Voice of America (VOA). He added, ‘I urge once again the People's Republic of China to contemplate the application of the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ to North Koreans who may face torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment upon repatriation.’ The Chinese government earlier stated that those North Koreans had ‘entered China for economic reasons using illegal channels,’ So, they are ‘illegal immigrants, not refugees,’ it added.”
Microsoft Korea to host online job fair (1 min read)
“Microsoft Korea is hosting an online job fair with 30 of its partner companies later this month. The tech giant's local subsidiary said it will hold the event on Nov. 26 via Teams, to share information about job openings as well as the information technology (IT) industry trends and interview tips with young job seekers… Microsoft Korea's online job fair is open to all job seekers interested in IT. Details are available on the company's official website.”
Coupang still facing profitability, labor issues (2 min read)
“Profitability has been a major concern for Coupang since its New York listing, as Wall Street investors have been dissatisfied by its snowballing debt caused by a rapid expansion in operations.” Despite this, Coupang plans to continue to build more fulfillment centers. “Industry officials said chances are quite slim that Coupang will drop its growth-focused business strategy…” Another major concern is that “Coupang has been grappling with labor issues… The Committee for Coupang Workers' Human Rights and Health alleged that five of [nine recent] workplace fatalities were due to overworking.”
Thanksgiving dinners available in Seoul, Seongnam (3 min read)
“American Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is coming up next week, and reservations for restaurants and delivery services are filling up fast.” Various dining options are listed in the article which include:
The Workshop in Haebangchon, and its sister bar, The Hidden Cellar
Route 66 in Itaewon
Hearth in Gangnam
Czech restaurant 1842 in Itaewon
The New Orleans restaurant Lagniappe in Seongnam
CALI Kitchen, and its affiliated Gentleman Chicken in Itaewon
Dragon Hill Lodge Deli (US Army Garrison Yongsan)
HQ Bar Busan Gwangalli Beach
Please refer to the article for more info and relevant links.
S. Korea posts 1st decline in foreign population since 2006 amid pandemic (1 min read)
“South Korea saw its foreign population shrink by 3.2 percent in November last year from the previous year, the first such decline at least since 2006 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the interior ministry said Tuesday… The decline is largely attributable to a slower inflow of foreign workers and students after the COVID-19 pandemic made cross-border trips difficult… The ministry said the statistics have been compiled to help central and municipal government agencies formulate policies aimed at helping foreign residents better settle down in the country.“
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