Author: GIKorea

Some enterprising hiker in the future may wander upon this prize one day:

 An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot inadvertently dropped a projectile outside a designated training area on Oct. 13, according to the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan.

The pilot from the 25th Fighter Squadron was on a routine training flight when he released the non-explosive projectile over rough, remote terrain just south of Pilsung Ragne in Gangwan Province, according to an emailed statement from wing spokesman 1st Lt. Daniel de La Fe.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense was immediately notified and a combined search and recovery team from the wing and South Korea swept the area from the air and ground, according to the statement.

“During the sweep, leadership from both the U.S. and [South Korean] sides determined that based on the terrain at the projected location of impact, there was not a significant threat to anyone and called the search off on Oct. 16,” de La Fe wrote.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

This is all the more reason why the ruling party is trying to take out Yoon Seok-youl, he is getting too popular with the Korean public for his anti-corruption stances:

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has become a leading prospective candidate of the opposition for the 2022 presidential election, with his favorability rate rising and exceeding other potential contenders.

Some members of the opposition parties say Yoon’s rise will help them get a fresh and strong presidential candidate. But others say Yoon’s presence is disrupting the conservative bloc as other potential candidates are not receiving attention and are being overshadowed by him. 

The legitimacy of Yoon’s candidacy for the conservatives is also in question as he has led investigations into corruption scandals involving former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.

According to a survey conducted on 1,032 adults by local pollster RnSearch from Oct. 25 to 26, Yoon had a support rate of 15.1 percent, behind two candidates of the ruling party ― Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung with 22.8 percent, and ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Nak-yon with 21.6 percent.

Although he came in third, the support for Yoon is considerably higher than those for other prospective candidates of the opposition ― Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, former head of the Liberty Korea Party, a predecessor of the current main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who gained 6.8 percent, and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People’s Party, at 5.8 percent.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest COVID regulations to be put in place in South Korea:

Health authorities Sunday announced a new five-tier social distancing system to replace the current three-tier scheme, which they hope will minimize shutdown orders for local businesses while cranking up mandatory preventive measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and better ventilation.  
   
The new measures came as the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Sunday morning that the nation added 124 new infections of the coronavirus Saturday, the fifth day in a row that the daily tally was above 100.  
   
No large-scale clusters have been reported yet from Halloween revelry last Saturday in bars in Itaewon, central Seoul; Hongdae, western Seoul; and Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Many popular nightclubs closed that day in compliance with recommendations from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which feared partygoers spreading the virus like in May, when a cluster of some 300 coronavirus infections emerged from several nightclubs in Itaewon.  (…………..)

There will be five levels — Levels 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 — with each level having different guidelines and rules. Level 1 has been dubbed “the stage of everyday preventive measures,” while Level 1.5 and Level 2 have been dubbed “the stage of regional spread.” Level 2.5 and Level 3 are together called “the stage of national spread.”  
   
In the past, the central government usually imposed one of three social distancing levels for the entire nation, even when most new infections were coming from hot spots limited to a few areas. In the new system, the country will be divided into seven areas, and each zone will be monitored separately. That means one area can be subject to Level 1, while another is subject to Level 3.  
   
The seven zones are the Seoul metropolitan area encompassing Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi, also known as greater Seoul; the Chungcheong area of North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong; the Honam area of North Jeolla and South Jeolla; North Gyeongsang; South Gyeongsang; Gangwon; and Jeju Island.  
   
In the past, the main criterion for deciding whether to adjust the social distancing level was the number of new infections detected nationwide over the prior two weeks. Now, that has been shortened to a single week.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read much more about the new social distancing guidelines at the link.

It will be interesting to see how strictly this is enforced. If it is enforced like traffic violations that means there will not be much enforcement:

The Seoul metropolitan government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won (US$88) on those who do not wear face masks in public next week, a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Enforcement of mandatory mask wearing will begin Nov. 13 after a one-month trial period, officials said.

Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 14, the disabled and those diagnosed with a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to breathe through a mask.

Yonhap

The mask ordnance even applies in restaurants and bars:

Of the multiuse facilities, the rule will apply to not only bars, karaoke rooms and buffet restaurants that are limited-entry establishments under the government’s Level 1 social distancing guidelines, but also 16 “medium-risk” facilities including private academies, arcades, houses of worship and indoor wedding halls.

I am not sure how you eat and drink with a mask on so it seems this will be difficult to enforce in these establishments. This mask ordnance will probably be much to do about nothing.

This is actually a positive that has come out of the COVID pandemic because I have personally seen some Koreans spend outrageous amounts of money on weddings. COVID now gives them an excuse to not invite so many people and thus save money:

A 29-year-old man recently got married in a five-star hotel wedding hall. Because of the government’s social distancing guidelines, he couldn’t invite more than 50 guests.    
   
According to the man, he hadn’t ever thought of having a wedding ceremony at a hotel due to the cost. Then he realized it only costs about 5 million won ($4,400) to have a wedding in a hotel with about 40 guests—which is the same price as a wedding hall ceremony with the usual number of guests.    
   
“I never thought about having a wedding ceremony at a hotel, but ever since I did it, I’ve been recommending it to others,” he said.      
   
Koreans who are forced to cut back on ceremonies and overseas honeymoons due to the pandemic are splurging in other ways.    
   
As small weddings—which host about 100 guests or fewer—become popular among Koreans, luxury hotels have been enjoying strong demand for their wedding halls.    
   
According to Statistics Korea, some 126,367 couples tied the knot between January and July. While the figure is the lowest number of marriages for any January-to-July period since the statistics agency started compiling data in 1981, the number of marriages held at five-star hotels has increased dramatically.  
   
Lotte Hotel Seoul said the number of weddings it held in its wedding hall jumped 20 percent between January to September compared to the same period a year earlier. The number of small weddings spiked more than 100 percent.   

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.