Author: GIKorea

Here is the latest on the COVID guidelines for US troops in Korea:

USFK similarly extended its own “enhanced” COVID-19 mitigation measures until Aug. 27. Unit-level commanders are generally able to implement their own rules in addition to USFK policies, and all service members are instructed to follow local guidelines.

U.S. troops are allowed to leave their bases, but regardless of their vaccination status are banned from visiting bars and clubs and are prohibited from visiting the greater Seoul-area except for mission-essential duties.

Seoul continues to report a higher number of infections than any other area in the country. The capital city recorded 515 new cases Thursday, down from its record high of 638 daily cases earlier this month.

Over 80% of USFK troops and civilian employees have been inoculated and less than 1% of its active-duty service members tested positive for COVID-19. The command has maintained that it “remains at a high level of readiness,” despite the recent surge of infections in the surrounding communities.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but does anyone really think the protocols will end August 27th?

It looks like for a number of servicemembers it will be back to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status:

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced it would once again require all individuals to wear face coverings when indoors at Defense Department facilities in locations deemed high risk by federal health officials for the spread of coronavirus.

The directive from Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Wednesday walks back guidance issued in May that allowed service members and others who had been fully vaccinated against the virus to forgo mask-wearing at Defense Department facilities worldwide. It comes one day after the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance encouraging vaccinated Americans to don masks indoors in certain locations where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but no word in the article on how this new policy will be implemented for troops stationed overseas.

Note to senior leaders in the ROK military, the days of getting away with sexual harassment and other sex crimes is clearly over:

Military prosecutors indicted an Army general for alleged sexual molestation of a female subordinate, officials said Tuesday.

The brigadier general was accused of attempting physical contact with the female officer at a karaoke bar after a dinner with his subordinates in late June.

Upon a report by the victim, he was immediately relieved of his duties and arrested earlier this month.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Even though the Blue House is saying this summit negotiations are not true, I still believe there is something back channel going on to explain the good behavior of the Kim regime in recent months:

The office of President Moon Jae-in dismissed a news report Wednesday that the two Koreas are in talks to arrange another summit.

Quoting unnamed government sources, Reuters reported that the two sides are seeking to hold summit talks between Moon and the North’s leader Kim Jong-un. One of the sources was quoted as adding that a virtual summit could be an option due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The foreign news report is not true,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a brief statement. “There has been no (relevant) discussion.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I can understand the bank’s perspective on this if someone cannot prove they are going to be employed longer than a year. I think even a Korean citizen would have a hard time being approved for a loan under these circumstances:

For Lonnie, a 45-year old Canadian working as a professional English instructor in Seoul, buying his own house in the city has been near the top of his bucket list.

But his plan for a dream house has been let down by local banks rejecting his applications for a credit loan. Despite his status as a full-time instructor at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for more than eight years, the banks have not been accommodating.

“For the first time in almost 18 years after I came here, I applied for a credit loan offered by Woori Bank last year to raise money to purchase an affordable starter home,” he said. “However, a bank clerk said I don’t qualify for the lending as my contract at HUFS was only for a year, saying foreigners could run away if they only had a one-year contract.“

His contract is renewed on a yearly basis, but he is classified as regular worker subject to the state’s employment insurance coverage. He earns an annual income of around 80 million won ($69,300). 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

If you have kids you probably know what Roblox is and apparently many Korean investors know as well:

Tesla and Apple have long been the most popular foreign stocks for Korean investors — but not anymore.    
   
Between July 1 and July 23, Korean investors purchased a net $86.54 million worth of shares of Alphabet, which owns Google, making it the most popular foreign stock, according to data from the Korea Securities Depository.   
   
The second most popular was Roblox, a California-based online game developer, of which Koreans purchased a net $75.95 million.  
   
The rise of the metaverse drove its popularity. Roblox allows users to develop their own mini-games, share them with others and change the in-game currency, Robux, into real money. The allowing of users to build their own worlds and make real money has made it a hot metaverse platform.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.