Author: GIKorea

South Korea now has a higher fully vaccinated rate than the U.S. and that is driving a decision to reduce COVID restrictions on the general population:

 South Korea will gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions starting next month to embrace a new scheme of returning to normal life backed by the rising rate of vaccinations, health authorities said Monday. 

A government-led committee announced a draft roadmap meant to get people’s lives back to normal on a gradual basis.

The move came as 70.1 percent of 52 million South Koreans were fully vaccinated in eight months after the country kicked off its nationwide inoculation campaign.

The government will relax most of its coronavirus restrictions, such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants and other multi-use facilities under the “living with COVID-19” scheme to be carried out in three phases starting on Nov. 1. 

Currently, cafes and restaurants in the greater Seoul area — home to about half of the country’s population of 52 million — are allowed to operate until 10 p.m. while in the other parts of the country are allowed until midnight. Operation hours of such facilities will be completely free starting on Nov. 1, according to the authorities.

Business of entertainment facilities, including clubs and other kinds of nighttime facilities, in the greater Seoul area, have been banned since June while in other parts of the country have been allowed until 10 p.m. Under the first phase of the scheme, business hours of such facilities will be allowed until midnight.

The authorities will introduce the “vaccine pass” system, which requires a vaccination certificate or a negative test result for entry into multi-use facilities, such as entertainment facilities and indoor gyms.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like some media outlets fell for some fake news:

South Korea’s spy agency said Sunday media reports of North Korean leader’s sister succeeding coup against her brother are not true at all. 

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) dismissed reports that claimed Kim Yo-jong ousted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a coup. A separate government official also said such reports are not true. 

Citing a report from US-based tabloid “Globe,” some news outlets here said Kim Yo-jong staged a coup between May 6 and June 5, and removed Kim Jong-un from the post. 

The report claimed Kim Jong-un at recent events is actually an impostor, pointing out that his appearance is different than the past, with substantial weight loss. 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The authorities in Seoul seem to be showing more concern about Halloween parties spreading COVID than the 25,000 KCTU protesters that showed up in the middle of Seoul:

The health authorities are on high alert over Halloween, as the upcoming celebration, during which time popular areas such as Itaewon and Gangnam are expected to be crowded with partygoers, could serve as catalyst for massive COVID-19 infections ahead of the government’s planned shift to its “Living with COVID-19” plan.

They are also redoubling their efforts to boost the vaccination rate among foreign residents amid growing concerns that their lower participation in the inoculation program could pose a major setback to the policy shift.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the Biden administration may be entertaining the idea of pursuing and end of the Korean War declaration with North Korea:

The U.S. special representative for North Korea said Sunday that he looks forward to continuing exploring different options with South Korea to resume dialogue with North Korea, including the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

Sung Kim also reiterated Washington’s willingness to help address the North’s humanitarian concerns for its people in need, while urging Pyongyang to stop missile launches, which he cast as “concerning and counterproductive.”

Kim made the remarks soon after he held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, to discuss joint efforts to resume stalled nuclear diplomacy.

“I look forward to continuing to work with special representative Noh to explore different ideas and initiatives, including the ROK’s end-of-war proposal as we continue to pursue our shared objectives on the peninsula,” Kim said, referring to South Korea’s official name, Republic of Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but that didn’t take long for the State Department to change their tune. The Kim regime launches a few missiles and State is now considering the end of war declaration. I guess we will see if they are actually serious about this or not. I would think Sung Kim is smart enough to realize why the North Koreans want the end of war declaration so badly.

The rhetoric for ending the Korean War has been going on for years because both the Moon administration and the Kim regime in North Korea want the peace treaty because it then challenges the legitimacy of the U.S. military presence in South Korea.  If there is peace why is USFK needed? The Korean left and the Kim regime have always wanted the U.S. out of Korea and a peace treaty with little to nothing in return from North Korea is one path towards doing that. 

The real question is if the Biden administration is going to take the bait on this or not? With all the bad headlines they may be eager for something that looks like a foreign policy victory by pursuing such a declaration. I guess we will see what happens.

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

I actually binge watched this show last weekend. I actually liked it better than Squid Game though like Squid Game it is violent and I do not recommend it for kids. The plot is a bit different about woman who infiltrates a police department to spy for a crime boss in an effort to avenge the murder of her dad. However, if you watch enough Korean dramas the plot eventually becomes pretty predictable, but the acting and scenes in this drama are really well done:

Netflix recently found monster success with the Korean-language series “Squid Game,” its biggest series of all time. Now, another South Korean show is surging in popularity on the platform.

“My Name,” a South Korean crime thriller that debuted on Friday, was the seventh most popular title on Netflix in the US on Tuesday, according to the company’s own daily lists of its biggest movies and TV shows that it ranks based on the number of accounts that watched at least two minutes during the previous 24 hours.

“Squid Game” was No. 2 on Tuesday, topped only by “You,” the third season of which also premiered on Friday. “Squid Game” debuted on September 17.

Netflix describes “My Name” like this: “Following her father’s murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss – and enters the police force under his direction.”

Yahoo News

You can read more at the link.