Author: GIKorea

It would be surprising if Prime Minister Suga does not continue to be an advocate of expanding Japan’s military capabilities and strengthening the alliance with the United States:

Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is likely to adhere to his predecessor’s defense policies, which experts say will benefit the Pentagon’s interests.

Suga, previously the chief cabinet secretary, took over as prime minister on Wednesday following elections by the governing Liberal Democratic Party. His predecessor, Shinzo Abe, stepped down due to poor health. Suga had been Japan’s longest-serving chief cabinet secretary, working under Abe from 2012-20.

Because of his long partnership with Abe, Japanese media has labeled Suga a “continuity candidate” expected to carry on the former prime minister’s work.

Abe advocated strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, bolstering the Japan Self-Defense Force and supporting U.S. troops in Japan, said Michael Cucek, assistant professor of Asian Studies at Temple University’s Japan campus.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It appears the Korean government wants to push sex education down into elementary classrooms:

In Korea, the word conservative isn’t quite enough to describe the social ban on the mention of sex especially in the public sphere. Even sex education only lightly touches on the details. Parents complain to schools for teaching students how to use condoms, never mind giving condoms out or showing educational videos about sex.

Last month, seven children’s books on sex and gender education among 199 books that were distributed to schools by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family were recalled after they were criticized by the conservative party for being inappropriate for children. Conservative parents and Christian media alike criticized the books for their “promiscuity” even though many of them have been used to teach children all over the world for decades and recognized for their educational purposes.  

While it has mostly been taken for granted in Korea that sex education is lacking, the recent controversy surrounding these books has reignited the debate on whether something should be done about this status quo. (……..)

On Aug. 25, Rep. Kim Byeong-wook from the opposition People Power Party singled out seven books from the list during an Education Committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul for their “inadequacy” as children’s education books. He claimed the books were “too sexual,” “caused early sexualization” and “beautified homosexuality.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Did you know Koreans can be charged with breaking a domestic law even if it was committed overseas?:

Police said Tuesday they are investigating two members of a popular K-pop boy band for their alleged involvement in illegal overseas gambling.

Two members of SUPERNOVA have been booked for allegedly playing baccarat, a type of gambling, one or two times in the Philippines from 2016 to 2018 with stakes up to 50 million won (US$42,297), according to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency.

They are also suspected of having participated in illegal online gambling in South Korea.

The boy band members, however, have claimed they did not go to the Philippines for the purpose of gambling and just happened to gamble by chance, according to the police.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I hope no one is surprised by so few people coronavirus antibodies when virus suppression has been the main strategy in South Korea:

Only one in 1,440 Koreans in a second round of serology tests has coronavirus antibodies, if the test conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proves reliable. That translates into just 0.07 percent. 

The second round of tests was conducted between June 10 and Aug. 13 on subjects in 13 cities to see if they might have had symptomatic infections. 

Given 20 percent of COVID-19 infections over the last couple of weeks were not traceable, health officials have believed that quite a number of people would show antibodies. 

The KCDC announced the results of its first serology test on July 9 which showed only one out of 3,055 test cases had coronavirus antibodies (0.03 percent).

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but to put this into perspective back in June Sweden reported that 10% of Stockholm residents had the COVID-19 antibody. Sweden is well known for not instituting lockdowns like most other countries have and that led to an initially high death rate. However, for the month of August the daily death rate has dropped significantly into the low single digits with some days with no deaths.

It is still too early to tell which strategy will work and much of it will be determined by if a workable vaccine is actually developed.

This week is the 70th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation that turned the tide of the Korean War. I guess we will see if President Moon attends any ceremonies honoring the operation that changed the course of the Korean War.  

You can read more about the Incheon Landing Operation at my prior posting at the below link:

For anyone visiting Incheon the memorial hall there dedicated to the landing is well worth checking out as well:

This is probably going to be a new normal for schools this year in Korea, opening and closing depending on coronavirus levels:

The Ministry of Education on Tuesday said all schools in Seoul and its adjacent cities will resume in-person classes next week as the spread of the new coronavirus has slowed down recently.

The move, which will be enforced until Oct. 11, was made to keep with the relaxed social distancing guidelines announced Sunday amid a recent drop in new coronavirus cases and deepening economic difficulties.

High school seniors will also switch to a hybrid approach of remote and in-person learning from Monday, as they are wrapping up the normal academic schedule and seriously gearing up for the national university entrance exam slated for December. Schools are allowed to decide what form of instruction they will offer for high school seniors, the ministry said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

One Korean researcher thinks so:

In the future, people could be shopping for masks at electronics retailers instead of at pharmacies. Those masks would be capable of monitoring wearers’ breathing patterns, captured particles and gas, and be able to connect with other devices like smartphones. 

This is not just a dream for Beelee Chua, a professor at the electric engineering school of Korea University. 

In 2018, professor Chua’s research team, in collaboration with Ewha Womans University, developed a micro ionizer-based mask that would offer permanent protection and easier breathing. 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.