Author: GIKorea

Unfortunately Mr. O was not able to accept the award in person because there was no Golden Globes award ceremony this year because the HFPA that puts on the event is now considered racist:

O Yeong-su has won best TV supporting actor at this year’s Golden Globe Awards for his role in “Squid Game,” becoming the first South Korean actor ever to secure an acting trophy at the American awards show.

In the winners list of the annual awards event thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Sunday (U.S. time), the 77-year-old actor won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role on TV for his role in the Netflix original series.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but Mr. O is the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe award.

It will be interesting to see how long this vaccine pass system lasts:

Criticism is mounting over the COVID-19 vaccine pass mandate for large supermarkets, discount outlets and department stores, which came into effect from Monday, with critics calling on the government to justify the scientific grounds for implementing the new measure. 

The vaccine pass system, which requires either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to be presented to enter multiuse facilities, has been expanded to shopping malls, retail outlets, department stores and bookstores measuring 3,000 square meters or more in floor space.

These large stores have been freshly added to the list of multiuse facilities subject to the vaccine pass system, including eateries, cafes, libraries and indoor gyms. 

But criticism is escalating over the system, among people who find it unscientific and excessive. 

According to government data, 427 and 327 infections occurred at large retail stores and department stores, in 2021, respectively, whereas 7,491 cases were linked to churches. But religious facilities still remain excluded from the vaccine pass since it was introduced on Dec. 6. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but oddly the employees at these stores do not have to get vaccinated due to work place laws. Additionally it seems like at this point if the government wants to discourage the spread of the omicron variant than they should be requiring people to get a booster which has more efficacy against the virus. They of course will not do this because that would inconvenience the ~80% of the population that is vaccinated before this Spring’s elections. This means the vaccine pass system arguably an inconvenience imposed on the ~20% of the population that hasn’t been vaccinated yet to encourage more of them to get vaccinated.

The Moon administration is in desperation mode to get a Korean War peace treaty signed before they office this Spring:

It is the right time to declare an end to the Korean War, as an unprecedentedly favorable environment for the implementation of the declaration has been set up among relevant countries, according to Unification Minister Lee In-young.

In this regard, he also believes the first half of the year could be a “golden time” to make strides in frayed inter-Korean ties and stalled nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States, citing a heap of political events in the second half of the year that could disrupt efforts toward Pyongyang-related issues. 

Strongly believing such an agreement could serve as a catalyst for negotiations on the denuclearization of North Korea, President Moon Jae-in resurrected his proposal of declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 conflict in a speech at the United Nations last September. 

Since then, South Korean and U.S. diplomats have been meeting frequently with each other to discuss the proposal, while National Security Director Suh Hoon also drew support from China following a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in December.

Korea Times

Look at what some people want to give up to North Korea to entice them to meet to discuss a peace treaty that is a favorable action towards them anyway:

The lasting silence is fueling speculation that Seoul and Washington should offer something to entice North Korea into responding to the end-of-war issue, and the suspension of combined military drills and partial sanctions relief are being mentioned as possible incentives among others.

You can read more at the link, but the North Koreans want this peace treaty in order to question the legitimacy of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. If there is peace why are U.S. troops and by extension the UN Command needed?

If the Kim regimes wants a peace treaty they should agree to actions that actually makes it look like they want peace. For example removing all their artillery off of the DMZ would show the seriousness of their peace overtures. If they want peace why do they need artillery to target Seoul and other metropolitan areas?

Here is the latest on the COVID situation in Japan:

The U.S. and Japan on Sunday agreed to keep American troops within their bases as worries grew about a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country. 

The restrictions starting Monday will last 14 days, confining U.S. military personnel to base facilities except for “essential activities,” a statement from the U.S. Forces in Japan said. The Japanese Foreign Ministry released the same statement. 

The allies will share information and cooperate on coronavirus measures, “given the extraordinary virulence of the omicron variant spreading throughout Japan,” the statement said. 

U.S. military members will wear masks, both on and off base, when outside their homes, and will continue to carry out strict testing before leaving for and after arrival in Japan, it said. 

New COVID-19 cases have surged in Japan, jumping above 8,000 on Saturday, a four-month record. The spike has been most pronounced in areas near U.S. bases. Last week, Japan asked the U.S. for cooperation in keeping its military personnel on base.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like it is going to be a tough few weeks for U.S. troops in South Korea as they face nearly a soft lockdown on their off post activities:

 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Saturday it has decided to toughen social distancing rules for its service members amid the growing number of infections among its troops.

The USFK had confirmed a weekly record high of 682 additional COVID-19 cases among its personnel from Dec. 28 to Tuesday. It did not offer more details, including the number of breakthrough cases or locations of the infected members.

“Due to the continued presence of COVID-19 within United States Forces Korea and South Korea, USFK has increased its health protection condition to ‘Bravo Plus’ peninsula-wide effective today at 12 p.m. until further notice,” the USFK said in a statement.

Under the scheme, the U.S. military will prohibit all personnel from visiting off-base facilities, such as indoor malls and gyms.

Access to bars and saunas will also be banned, though the USFK had previously banned such activities for non-vaccinated personnel only.

Seated dining at restaurants outside the base will also be restricted.

The USFK added it will prohibit its personnel from traveling to Seoul except for official duties or those who live there.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported among the USFK-affiliated population totaled 3,027 as of Tuesday. The USFK said nearly 90 percent of its affiliated community is vaccinated.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

If you are committed to ruining your lungs THIS cigarettes gives you the option to do it as cheaply as possible:

Two decades after its entry into the United States, local tobacco maker KT&G became the fifth best-selling cigarette company in the country. 

The low price of THIS cigarettes, which used to be widely smoked in Korea in the 1990s, is the reason why. In its first month of sales in the United States in December 2017, KT&G sold 1.36 million THIS cigarettes – a figure that skyrocketed to 38.25 million in June 2018. By June 2019, that figure jumped to 200.4 million, almost fivefold from the same month a year earlier. 

KT&G is particularly proud considering that the United States, along with China and Indonesia, are major cigarette markets that see fierce competition among some 100 global companies. KT&G’s market share in the United States now stands at fifth, ahead of JTI, or Japan Tobacco International, according to market research firm Euromonitor International.

KT&G attributed its success to its cheap price. Distributed at big-box retailers like Costco and Walmart’s Sam’s Club, THIS cigarettes cost as little as $2.97 per pack. The product is promoted in the United States with the tagline, “Is This price for real?”

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.