Author: GIKorea

Here are some interesting statistics provided by the Korean government:

Around eight in 10 foreigners in Korea say they are satisfied with life here, data showed on Wednesday. 

In its 2022 survey aimed at analyzing the quality of life in Korea, Statistics Korea said 40.8 percent of the respondents said they were “extremely satisfied” with life in Korea while another 39.6 percent responded they were “a little satisfied.”

Meanwhile, nearly one out of every five foreign residents of Korea has experienced discrimination in the midst of an increase in the foreign population. The data showed that 19.7 percent of the 25,000 foreign residents responded that they had faced discrimination in the previous year.

The level of discrimination was “minor” in general, with 37.6 percent of the respondents saying they experienced discrimination at stores, restaurants and banks.

Another 34.1 percent said they experienced discrimination at workplaces while another 32.2 percent picked streets and neighborhoods. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

Even if she was a bully in middle school why should this impact her now? Kids in middle school are 10-13 years old, Kim Hieora is 34 years old now. People grow up and change over time. I think these allegations say more about the complainers than Kim Hieora because they need to grow up and change as well instead of trying to drag someone down from middle school:

Actress Kim Hieora, renowned for her role in the Netflix drama, “The Glory,” faces bullying allegations raised by a local news outlet. 

The actress denied the allegations, while her entertainment company urged the public to refrain from spreading baseless information and warned of legal consequences for defamation. 

“We’d like to ask people to stop spreading factually incorrect information,” Kim’s entertainment company said in a statement. “We will respond to malicious actions that defame the actress.” 

According to the Korean-language news agency, Dispatch, Kim was allegedly part of a notorious school gang at Sangji Middle School in Wonju, Gangwon Province. She allegedly harassed her schoolmates and was also reportedly involved in case of theft on campus. Dispatch interviewed the victims.

The actress acknowledged her association with the school gang, but denied any involvement in acts of physical violence against others. “I wasn’t a good student. I was a gang member, but wasn’t active. I wasn’t so bad that I intentionally harmed others,” she wrote on her Instagram account.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is a bit surprising that business has not fully returned back to normal yet in Itaewon when it has almost been a year since the crowd crushing tragedy. According to the article there is still a fear that Itaewon is not safe to visit after the tragedy:

A banner with the phrase “Safety Itaewon” hangs on the building of the Itaewon Special Tourism Zone Association in Itaewon, Seoul, to promote volunteer patrols, Aug. 29. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun

Approximately 10 months after the tragic Halloween crowd crush that claimed 159 lives, there are, once again, visible green shoots growing in Itaewon, one of the main nightlife districts in Seoul, which had been struggling to attract visitors. 

However, the extent of the recovery, boosted by various projects to revive the district, is a contrasting story, depending on the type of business.

On a recent Friday night, the streets of Itaewon came alive with bar staff promoting their establishments in an alley behind the Hamilton Hotel, which is near the location of the deadly accident. The streets were filled with loud music and visitors, while foreign tourists could be seen walking around and capturing the lively scene on their phones.

According to a report in July, by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, sales of Itaewon shops recovered to approximately 85 percent of pre-crowd-crush levels, signaling a positive shift.

In addition, the average number of visitors to Itaewon per week in May, the latest available figure, stood at 75.6 percent compared to that of the fourth week of October last year, which was one week before the tragedy, based on telecom operator KT’s statistics.

As part of efforts to entice people back to Itaewon and revive businesses in the area, the Yongsan-gu Office introduced vouchers in March. The vouchers, used as cash, provided customers with a 20 percent discount at local businesses in the district.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Other than managing the JSA, I don’t know why South Korea would need to do any military cooperation with North Korea:

 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday urged an immediate halt to any attempts to seek military cooperation with North Korea, amid reports Russia and the North are eyeing arms and defense technology trade.

Yoon made the remark during a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, after The New York Times reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may travel to Vladivostok in Russia next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss a possible arms deal.

“Attempts at military cooperation with North Korea, which damage peace in the international community, should be stopped immediately,” the presidential office quoted Yoon as saying.

Yoon urged ASEAN to actively participate in efforts to block North Korea’s key sources of funding for its nuclear and missile development, such as cryptocurrency stealing and labor exports, and stressed the need for all United Nations member states to abide by U.N. Security Council sanctions on the North, including a ban on illegal arms trade, his office said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

What price exactly is North Korea going to pay? Another sternly worded letter?:

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is seen speaking during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 5, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

The top U.S. national security adviser urged North Korea not to provide any lethal weapons to Russia on Tuesday, saying it will pay a price if it decides to do so.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there were no indications that the North has provided large amounts of weapons to Russia but that negotiations toward that end between the two countries are “actively advancing.”

“Providing weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield to attack grain silos and the heating infrastructure of major cities as we head into winter, to try to conquer territory that belongs to another sovereign nation is not going to reflect well on North Korea and they will pay a price for this in the international community,” Sullivan told a press briefing at the White House.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.