Author: GIKorea

The real story is not being reported is what President Moon wants from the Biden administration in return for these investments. My guess will be he wants the U.S. to be more flexible on sanctions to jump start his North Korea engagement policy:

The United States is the world’s leading technology and innovation hub, but it is not a leader in the high-tech supply chain, mostly relying on Asian countries for essential items, such as semiconductors and batteries for electric vehicles. 

In the face of growing challenges from China, U.S. President Joe Biden wants to revitalize the domestic manufacturing capacity amid the global chip crisis and a looming shortage of batteries, and he is expected to welcome a series of announcements of massive investment plans by Korean companies ahead of and after his summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is some interesting data from a recent study on vaccine hesitancy in the military:

Service members’ decisions on whether or not to get vaccinated vary significantly between different demographic groupings, according to a new military study. In addition to race, ethnicity, and age, researchers found that initiation of the vaccine process varied by branch of service, occupational specialty, and level of education.

Between the four military branches, the Army had the lowest rate of vaccination. Marines were 52 percent more likely to get vaccinated than soldiers. Sailors and airmen were respectively 45 percent and 15 percent more likely.

Black service members were least likely to choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, as well as female service members and those with lower ranks and education levels. Research surveying the civilian population also suggests high rates of vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans.

Army Times

You can read more at the link.

The North Koreans probably see no irony in them complaining about Japan’s proposed changes to their pacifist constitution when they have in fact started a major war and launched multiple attacks against their neighbors since World War II while Japan has caused no aggressive actions. The only reason Japan wants to modify its constitution is to better respond to aggressive acts from neighboring nations like North Korea:

 North Korea condemned Japan on Wednesday for pushing to revise its pacifist constitution, calling the move a “declaration of war against humankind.” 

The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) made the criticism as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga mentioned the need to discuss the possible revision of its war-renouncing constitution earlier this month to officially recognize its self-defense forces by the law. 

“Japan has made desperate efforts to turn itself, which renounced war, into a war-capable country, remaining unchanged in its wild ambition for launching reinvasion to avenge the past defeat,” KCNA said in a commentary.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is something good that is happening for South Korea’s school age kids:

Parents and educators are showing mixed responses to the education ministry’s plan to resume fully in-person classes at schools in the second semester.

Supporters of the plan say the quality of education has deteriorated and that a learning gap between children has widened due to online classes conducted over the past year, while opponents say that the full-fledged resumption of in-person classes should be decided carefully as there is still a risk of virus transmissions inside classrooms.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is an interesting idea to combat misspellings in Seoul:

The Seoul city government is offering rewards to the first 100 people who report errors they find in English, Chinese or Japanese on public signs in the city, especially those at tourist sites, through June 15.    
   
“Anyone in Seoul can participate by reporting an error that they see in foreign language usage on information boards at tourist sites,” said the city government in its statement on Sunday. “The project is open through June 15, and individuals can participate up to five times .”  
   
When the city government receives a report about incorrect foreign language usage on these signs that is confirmed to be erroneous, it will reward the person with 10,000 won ($8.90) in mobile cash that can be used at member stores of Zero Pay, a special mobile payment service integrated in commercial banking and payment apps.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This appears to be a commercial logging operation being disguised as combating global warming. It seems like every industry tries to claim some kind of environmental benefit in an effort to get approved:

The Korean government’s plans to plant 3 billion new trees over the next 30 years after logging aged trees in an attempt to offset carbon emissions has been raising controversy recently.    
   
Earlier in the year, the Korea Forest Service announced plans to plant 3 billion trees over the next 30 years as a part of the country’s efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The government, through a forestation plan that will cost around 6 trillion won ($5.3 billion), aims for the absorption of some 34 million tons of carbon through the felling of old trees and planting of young ones as part of its 2050 carbon-neutral forestry sector plan.  
   
The Forest Service claims that trees older than 30 years have poor carbon absorption capacity. Most of the planting of trees in Korea took place in the 1970s and 1980s, the forestry agency points out, saying it is time to replace them.  
   
However, environmental groups and opposition lawmakers have called the 34-million-ton carbon absorption an inflated figure and also question the research on the lifetime carbon absorption of trees cited by the government. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.