Author: GIKorea

The removal of the spending cap at USFK commissaries in South Korea did not last long due to the black marketeers:

The U.S. military has reimposed monthly commissary purchase limits in South Korea, less than a month after a retiree was banned from bases over black marketing allegations.

The new policy, effective as of Jan. 23, means that commissary shoppers will again be limited to $800 for the main sponsor and $300 for additional family members per month. Anybody who needs to spend more must request an exception from squadron or battalion commanders.

The decision was based on purchasing trends showing that most authorized shoppers stayed “well below” the limits since the purchasing cap was lifted in September, U.S. Forces Korea said Tuesday in announcing the decision on social media.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I think everyone saw this one coming and this is not the first time this has happened:

The U.S. military has warned of likely service delays at Camp Humphreys and possible furloughs for thousands of South Korean employees as Washington and Seoul remain deadlocked over cost-sharing.

Nearly a month after the expiration of the previous Special Measures Agreement, under which South Korea shares the costs of stationing some 28,500 U.S. forces in the country, the garrison told residents to brace for delays to services.

“Due to the Special Measures Agreement lapse and implementation of USFK austerity measures, including cessation of overtime pay for Korean National employees, USAG Humphreys will experience some delays to certain installation services,” such as the post office and after-hours maintenance work, according to a message posted on its Facebook page.

Some bus routes operating after 1 a.m. also have been cut back due to the lack of overtime pay.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

This guy had an easy job as it was for his mandatory service and found a way to blow it. They should send him to a frontline military unit to complete this service to send a message to anyone else trying to defraud their mandatory service time:

The Seoul Administrative Court found Tuesday that a man completing his alternative military service working at his father’s company had violated the Military Service Act.  

A 37-year-old man surnamed Yoo had served alternative military service for three years between March 2013 and February 2016 as an expert researcher at an institute approved by the military. After requesting a transfer from the initial institute he was serving at, Yoo spent 14 months, from February 2014 to when he was discharged, at the research institute which is run by a company of which his father was the representative director.

The National Police Agency only uncovered the connection in 2018 while probing the company for another allegation of violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act. Police found during the probe that Yoo’s father had been the representative director effectively running the research institute. The Military Manpower Administration in turn determined Yoo to have violated the Military Service Act.  

In November 2018, Yoo received a notice from the Military Manpower Administration to serve his compulsory military duty again. However, because Yoo was over 36, he was told to serve as a public service worker. In turn, Yoo filed a suit against the Military Manpower Administration to withdraw its cancellation of his completion of alternative service.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

The future is here and now even the convenience store clerk may become obsolete:

According to Bloomberg, Amazon said it will increase the number of its smart stores to nearly 3,000 across the nation by 2021. This also led GS Retail to launch the first cashierless convenience store here in Sept. 2018 in Magok, western Seoul. Following this, other local retail giants have opened smart stores adopting hi-tech payment systems.

The most prominent example is the GS25 store that opened on the 20th floor of Eulji Twin Tower in Jung-gu, central Seoul, two weeks ago.

There are over 34 smart cameras installed in the store with some 300 weight sensors that all connect to an artificial intelligence (AI) system, which plays the cashier role. 

Cameras watch customers’ behavior and their movement around the store while sensors detect which items they have picked. When a customer finishes shopping, they can just walk out of the store and the payment is processed automatically through a mobile application. 

Despite the convenience, customers are expressing mixed feelings about cashierless stores.

“This is so cool. I don’t have to wait in the queue and I can just grab and go without taking my wallet out of my pocket,” said 31-year-old nurse Lee Jung-soo. “Sometimes I felt sorry for people behind me waiting for me to pay at the convenience store but this new automatic payment system allows me to walk out without stopping.”

However, 35-year-old office worker Kim Jong-bum expressed his discomfort over the move, saying the system could lead to problems involving privacy protection.

“Think about it. Cameras watching you everywhere, anytime. This AI program will first be adopted to convenience stores, then to restaurants and clothing shops. It is only a matter of time until they all connect to put you under surveillance,” Kim said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It has to be pretty terrifying for the South Korean citizens trapped in Wuhan to be in the middle of the Coronavirus epicenter:

South Korea is considering sending a chartered flight to the Chinese city of Wuhan to bring its citizens home from the epicenter of the outbreak of a deadly new coronavirus, government sources said Monday.

Officials from the foreign ministry, the interior ministry, the health ministry and the transport ministry held a meeting to discuss safety measures for South Koreans remaining in Wuhan, estimated at around 600, including mobilizing a chartered flight to bring them home, the sources said.

“We are aware of the urgency of the situation, and we are also consulting with China on the issue,” an official said. “There are many things to prepare as a package, such as strengthening the local quarantine system in case South Koreans arrive from there.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but hopefully the Moon administration can get them out and then keep them under quarantine until cleared.

Publicly bringing out his aunt after six years may mean that Kim Jong-un is trying to solidify support behind his upcoming policies from those who may still be supportive of his aunt’s husband Jang Song-taek who he executed:

Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a once-influential figure in the country’s leadership, has made her first public appearance in six years, quashing rumors that she had been killed or sent into exile. She had been out of the public eye since her husband Jang Song-thaek was executed in December 2013.

According to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, Sunday, the North Korean leader had attended a Lunar New Year performance the day before at the Samjiyon Theater in Pyongyang with his family members and high-ranking officials including his wife Ri Sol-ju, aunt Kim Kyong-hui, sister Kim Yo-jong, the country’s de facto second-in-command Choe Ryong-hae and other top officials Ri Il-hwan, Jo Yong-won and Hyon Song-wol. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.