Author: GIKorea

I think this is demonstrating how widespread coronavirus now is within the U.S. population with so many people testing positive for it after arrival in Korea:

Fourteen more Americans affiliated with the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea, the U.S. military said Thursday, amid growing concerns over a surge in imported virus cases.

USFK has seen a marked increase in the number of COVID-19 patients among newly assigned service members and related personnel in recent weeks along with the fast spread of the virus in the U.S.

The latest cases brought the total number of USFK-related infections to 88. Of them, 52 were reported in July.

Of the 14 new patients, 12 were service members and two were dependents, and they tested positive after arriving here between July 9 and 15, according to USFK.

Nine soldiers and two family members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on a U.S. government-chartered flight. The remaining three arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from their home country on commercial flights, it added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The Seoul government is saying they will investigate the sexual misconduct allegations against former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon who committed suicide last week. Will see how serious this investigation is, but more details about his conduct is now coming out:

The city government was responding to growing calls to uncover the truth about the allegations and seek justice for its employee, as the police are not expected to conduct an investigation. 

Hwang also said the city will ensure the victim doesn’t suffer any secondary damage. 

“It will be a priority for city officials to prevent secondary damage inflicted on the victim. We will not tolerate city employees who reveal her personal information or make personal attacks.”

Through her lawyer, the victim claimed Park had pushed for unwanted physical contact and made sexual advances toward her, sending her inappropriate photos and text messages for almost four years. 

The victim’s lawyer also said the victim had reached out to the city government for help before reporting the matter to the police, as she was ignored. 

The city government previously said it had not been aware of the allegations before Park’s death. But, that left the victim’s lawyer asking how Park had learned about the police complaint before being officially notified by them. It is illegal for a government official to leak work-related information. The police and Cheong Wa Dae said they hadn’t told Park of the complaint.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is some good news for Korean students looking to study in the U.S.:

The United States government rescinded its controversial decision to revoke foreign student visas whose courses move online due to coronavirus, a federal judge said Tuesday.

The universities of Harvard and MIT, with the support of a number of other institutions, had taken legal action against the move that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on July 6.

“The government has agreed to rescind” the decision as well as any implementation of the directive, Judge Allison Burroughs said in a brief hearing.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This plan would be disastrous to the various parks and green space around Seoul if approved:

South Korea is considering opening up greenbelt zones in the Seoul metropolitan area to make more land available for housing as part of efforts to help resolve the country’s housing supply shortage in the densely populated area, the transport ministry said Wednesday. 

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it has formed a task force with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Seoul city, Gyeonggi and Incheon regional governments to discuss ways to supply more homes in the capital city and adjacent areas. 

In less than a week, the government has changed its stance toward easing the construction ban in the development restriction areas designated by the country to resolve housing shortage problems.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but does anyone still think all of Yongsan Garrison will become a park?

Not happy that they have prevented General Paik Sun-yup from being buried at the Seoul National Cemetery, the Korean left now even wants to prevent him from being buried in Daejeon:

The death of Paik Sun-yup, a Korean War hero and South Korea’s first four-star general, has brought an ideological controversy to the political and civic arenas over where he should be buried due to his record of service in the Japanese Army during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea (1910-45).

While he has been highly recognized as a war hero by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, and his contributions during the war entitled him to be buried in a national cemetery, opponents claim he doesn’t deserve the honor due to his alleged pro-Japanese activities.

After Paik passed away, Friday, at the age of 99, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the South Korean Army said the next day that they decided to have his body buried at a graveyard for former generals at Daejeon National Cemetery, at the request of the bereaved family.

According to the relevant law, the nation’s first four-star general is fully entitled to be buried in the cemetery.

But some liberal politicians and civic groups are claiming he should not be buried there, calling him a pro-Japanese collaborator.

In 1941 during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, he became an officer of the Manchukuo Imperial Army. Manchukuo was a puppet state set up by Japan in Manchuria. According to the Center for Historical Truth and Justice, the army fought against Korean independence fighters. In 2009, he was included on a list of pro-Japanese collaborators issued by a presidential truth-finding committee. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but General Paik has denied ever hunting down Korean guerrillas during his service in the Manchukuo Imperial Army. Additionally this truth-finding committee was operated by the Korean left to go after conservatives and the U.S. military during the Roh Moo-hyun years. ROK Heads may remember this was the same group who attacked the U.S. military for the fraudulent massacre at No Gun Ri that they could find no physical evidence to support. Any findings from this group are bias and should be suspect.

I continue to maintain that if the Korean left prevents General Paik from being buried in the National Cemetery then an offer should be made for him to be interred in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan. There I believe he would be properly recognized for his contributions during the Korean War and to the nation of South Korea.

At least there was no tragic ending to this missing servicemember case:

A U.S. airman who went missing last week returned safely to Osan Air Base on Tuesday nearly a week after he was reported absent from his unit, the military said.

The Air Force launched a search for Staff Sgt. Tristin Blake Jarvis, 26, of the 51st Force Support Squadron on July 9, saying he was last seen in the vicinity of the Osan Fitness Center the day before, according to the 51st Fighter Wing.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.