Category: Korea-General Topics

It looks like this deal will allow South Korea via UAE to sell arms to Islamic militant groups in Africa that UAE is backing:

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to work together to export defense equipment and nuclear reactors to third countries, marking a significant expansion beyond their fast-growing bilateral trade in these sectors. President Lee Jae Myung’s aides announced the agreement Tuesday during a briefing in Abu Dhabi, following a summit between the leaders of the two nations.

Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, told reporters that the two countries will elevate their defense cooperation by jointly developing defense equipment, establishing a manufacturing base in the UAE and pursuing defense sales not only to the UAE’s Middle Eastern neighbors but also to countries in Africa, Europe and North America.

The plan will “increase the likelihood” of South Korean defense exporters securing deals in these regions, Kang said, noting that the potential value of such contracts could reach a combined $15 billion.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Notice how there has been no criticism of President Lee in the media or politicians for this accident unlike former President Park when the Sewol ferry sunk?:

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday pledged to determine whether there were safety lapses at a thermal plant site in the southeastern city of Ulsan where seven workers were killed and sternly punish those found accountable.

Lee made the remark after authorities on Friday recovered the last of the seven workers who were trapped when a 63-meter tower at the plant collapsed on Nov. 6. The bodies of the six others had been recovered. 

“As the person ultimately in charge of public safety, I am genuinely and deeply sorry,” Lee wrote on Facebook. “Despite the people’s wishes, all seven trapped workers returned to their families as bodies. My heart is deeply torn.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is definitely a unique event every year in Korea. I cannot imagine Americans every getting this excited about supporting students taking the SAT:

The annual college entrance exam was held nationwide Thursday, concluding with the largest number of applicants in seven years due in part to an unusually high birth rate in 2007.

The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), seen as one of the nation’s most important academic events, began at 1,310 test centers across the country at 8:40 a.m. and ended at 5:45 p.m.

Earlier in the day, test-takers arrived at designated centers amid cheers from their juniors, parents and teachers. Police officers were deployed nationwide to help transport students and, in some cases, bring them their lunch boxes from home. And students residing on small islands had traveled to the mainland beforehand as no test centers were set up on islets.

A total of 554,174 people have applied for this year’s exam, up 31,504, or 6 percent, from last year and the highest figure since 2018, according to the education ministry.

High school seniors and graduates account for 67.1 percent and 28.9 percent of the total, respectively, it said.

Outside a high school in Cheongju, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul, 21-year-old Shin Ju-won, a student at Chungbuk National University, joined a cheering squad.

“We were cheered on when we took the exam, so we want to repay our juniors,” Shin said. “They’re probably very nervous, but I hope they do well.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest from the deadly tower collapse in Ulsan:

The body of another worker was recovered Tuesday night after search operations resumed for those trapped under a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan, raising the death toll to four. 

Firefighters found the body of a man in his 60s around 10:14 p.m. in the debris of Tower 5, about 6 1/2 hours after two adjacent towers were demolished to clear the way for rescue efforts.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like workers will be working five years longer in South Korea before they can retire:

Debate is heating up over raising Korea’s statutory retirement age, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) moves to increase it from 60 to 65, citing the nation’s transition toward a super-aged society.

Critics warn the move could reduce job opportunities for younger workers and place additional burdens on companies already facing high labor costs.

The DPK stated that its special committee on raising the retirement age has been in discussions with leading labor and business organizations — including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) — to coordinate their positions on the proposed legislation.

The ruling party has pledged to pass the bill by year’s end, with gradual increases starting in 2027 bringing the age up to 65 by 2033. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully rescuers can find these workers soon who are trapped underneath this collapsed tower:

A boiler tower collapsed at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday, trapping seven workers, with a rescue and search operation under way, authorities said. 

The collapse was reported at the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility company, shortly after 2 p.m. (…………)

“We are making efforts to pull out the trapped individuals who have been found, and are considering lifting or dismantling the collapsed structure to quickly locate the remaining people,” a firefighting official said.

Rescuers, meanwhile, have installed searchlights after sunset, allowing them to continue operations through the night. 

The collapsed tower was 60 meters tall and reportedly in the process of being dismantled using explosives. The trapped people are all presumed to be employees of a subcontractor.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The question I have with this law is what other subjects does it include in addition to English education?:

A legislative bill aimed at restricting English education for young children is gaining traction, as both liberal and conservative education authorities unite to address growing worries over excessive academic pressure heaped upon preschoolers.

According to the office of Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who is leading the legislative effort, passage of the bill appears likely amid rising support from superintendents of education offices across the country.

“We are viewing the possibility of passing this bill positively,” an aide to Kang told The Korea Times. “At first, we received a huge number of protest calls, but now, not so much … We are actively working to build consensus among education superintendents, as we continue to push for it.”

Under the bill, all cram school programs in English and other school subjects would be completely prohibited for children under 36 months. For older children not yet enrolled in school, instruction is restricted to no more than 40 minutes per day.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.