Tag: Daegu

Some new housing has opened up for Soldiers stationed in the Daegu area of South Korea:

A new housing tower opened recently on Camp Walker, providing 90 additional units for households serving in Daegu, about 150 miles south of Seoul. The tower, which includes 60 three-bedroom, 26 four-bedroom and four five-bedroom apartments, is the last of four built for Walker residents, the Army said in a Feb. 29 news release.

The first tower broke ground in 2015; the last in 2020, U.S. Army Garrison Daegu spokesman Phil Molter said by email Tuesday. All four towers cost nearly $250 million to build. Walker is part of U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, which includes Camps George, Henry and Carroll. The base has a nine-hole golf course along with a commissary and post exchange.

Stars & Stripes

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This is all blowback from the Sewol ferry disaster where former President Park Guen-hye was criticized for not immediately taking action when there was nothing she could have done to save the kids that died. Now every time there is a disaster the politicians don’t want to create any appearance of indifference which critics were able to successfully do with President Park:

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is looking into criticism that Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo played golf over the weekend when the country was grappling with damage from heavy downpours, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

The investigation was ordered by party leader Kim Gi-hyeon and depending on the outcome, Hong could be referred to the party’s ethics committee for disciplinary measures if he is found to have violated the party regulations.

“The party is taking this issue very seriously,” Rep. Kang Min-kuk said after the party’s leadership meeting. “We should first determine what happened through the investigation, and then there are going to be discussions about follow-up measures.”

Later in the afternoon, the party’s ethics committee said it will convene Thursday to decide ex officio whether to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Hong. 

Hong played golf for one hour Saturday before play was suspended due to rain. Critics say it was inappropriate for a public servant to play golf at a time when the country was struggling with massive damage caused by the heavy rains.

The mayor claimed he did nothing wrong, saying there was no report of damage in Daegu at the time and he has the right to do whatever he wants during personal hours. 

“At a time like this, we need to be careful about what we say and do,” PPP leader Kim said during a party meeting. “Not only lawmakers of our party but also regional party officials, municipality heads and government officials should try to make sure not to cause trouble with inappropriate words and deeds.”

Yonhap

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This is something you don’t hear very often happening in South Korea:

A female high school teacher in the southeastern city of Daegu has been under investigation on suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with one of her students, police said Tuesday.

The unnamed teacher in her 30s, who has taught at a Daegu high school on a term contract, is suspected of having sex with a male student of the same school in late June in violation of the Child Welfare Act, according to the Daegu Bukbu Police Station.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is a horrible tragedy over in Daegu:

A fire apparently caused by arson killed seven people and injured 50 others at an office building in the southeastern city of Daegu on Thursday, officials said.

Police pinpointed a 53-year-old man as the suspected arsonist responsible for the blaze based on CCTV footage. The man was killed at the scene, they said.

The fire started at around 10:55 a.m. on the second floor of the five-story building housing lawyers’ offices in Daegu, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, according to firefighting officials. 

The fire killed seven people, including an attorney and five assistants from a law office on the second floor. 

Fifty others were hurt, suffering burns and inhaling smoke, and 30 of them were sent to nearby hospitals. Many others were evacuated to safety.

Police suspect the alleged arsonist set fire to a lawyer’s office handling a case involving him.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is another example NIMBYism is South Korea:

A conflict is deepening over the construction of a two-story mosque in a residential district of Daegu, the nation’s third-largest city located in the southeastern region of the country. 

Some residents, worried that the mosque would lead to stronger Islamic influence in the area, have been strongly opposing the construction, whereas the Islamic community and civic groups supporting it believe the mosque should be built to guarantee the freedom of religion.

The construction of the place of worship in Daehyeon-dong, Buk District, was launched in December 2020 by the local Islamic community, mainly consisting of international students studying at Kyungpook National University in Daegu. They received a construction permit from the local district office in September of that year. 

But it was met with heavy backlash among some residents and members of conservative Protestant groups in the area. They staged rallies in front of the construction site and filed multiple petitions with the district office calling for a halt to the construction, citing loud noise and infringement of property rights. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.