Category: Korea-General Topics

It only makes sense that Korean companies would try and cash in on the rise of Korean nationalism created by the current trade dispute with Japan:

Retailers are taking advantage of a recent wave of patriotism to increase sales ahead of Korea’s Liberation Day on Aug. 15.

As anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea grows following Tokyo’s restrictions on exports to Korea, retailers and brands have started promoting patriotic products.

Online shopping mall 11st started selling Monami pens released in time for Liberation Day. Sold as a limited edition, the pens feature an image of the Taegeuk symbol found on the Korean flag.

A total of 35,000 pen sets starting at the price of 6,000 won ($5.40) were on sale through 11st and on Monami’s own website. All the pens on 11st sold out.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but I am still waiting for the rise in nationalism when the Chinese push around the Koreans with far worse retaliation than what the Japanese government is currently doing.

#SouthKorea's agitators are calling for candlelight protests ag #Japan, so expect protests akin to the #MadCow/anti US beef, #ParkGeunhye impeachment, Sewol Ferry, etc. All organized by the usual ones–militant KCTU, teachers union, etc, stoked by media.https://t.co/DxTsea4e8b

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) August 3, 2019

It is not surprising that Korean lawmakers are all rushing to out do each other on their anti-Japan ideas:

A top ruling party lawmaker said Monday that the government must impose travel bans on large areas in Japan, including Tokyo, citing health risks from high radioactive levels, as a means to counter Japan’s economic retaliations.  

“We need to impose travel bans,” said Rep. Choi Jae-sung of the Democratic Party (DP), chairman of the in-house special committee on countermeasures against Japan’s economic retaliations. “We need to consider [imposing travel bans on] areas including Tokyo.” 

Choi made the recommendation during an interview with MBC radio as he discussed Korea’s possible countermeasures against Japan. In July, Tokyo tightened export restrictions on three materials crucial for Korea’s semiconductor and display productions. 

Last Friday, Tokyo escalated the row further by taking Korea off of its so-called white list of 27 trusted trade partners. 

“I cannot say the specifics of the countermeasures we are currently considering, but there are various options,” Choi said. “And we have non-economic options. Japan is making economic and industrial [attacks], but we can take non-economic measures.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but I wish someone in the media would ask these politicians why they did not advocate for a travel ban against China which continues its economic retaliation against Korea over the THAAD dispute.

Despite the news of a rising life expectancy rate in South Korea, many believe they have bad health and stress is one of the main reasons:

Four out of every five Korean office workers say their job has a negative effect on their health.

According to a survey conducted by job search website Incruit, 83.9 percent of 671 respondents said that working has a negative effect on their health. 

By age, people in their 40s believe they suffer the most – 87.7 percent of this age group said they were suffering from health problems.

The most common work-related issues were stress-related symptoms like depression and sleeping disorders, with 18.9 percent of respondents complaining of these health problems. Sixteen percent of respondents experienced digestive disorders like stomach ulcers, chronic constipation and diarrhea. 

Burnout was offered as a separate option from stress-related symptoms, receiving 12.6 percent of the vote.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This does not surprise me at all:

Koreans have the fifth-highest life expectancy among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, but few of them think they are healthy, according to a government report. 

The report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, based on data from the OECD, said babies born in 2017 are expected to live 82.7 years, up by 3.5 years from 2007. This is the fifth-highest in OECD countries, with its average at 80.7. Girls born in 2017 were expected to live 85.7 years, six years longer than boys. (…..)

Despite better health, Koreans don’t think they are in good health, as only 29.5 percent think they are healthy. The ratio was the lowest of OECD countries. Contrary to Korea, 88.5 percent of people in Canada and 87.9 percent in the United States think thought they were healthy.

Korea’s suicide rate ranked second, with 24.6 out of every 100,000 people in 2016, after Lithuania with 26.7.Koreans have the fifth-highest life expectancy among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, but few of them think they are healthy, according to a government report. 

The report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, based on data from the OECD, said babies born in 2017 are expected to live 82.7 years, up by 3.5 years from 2007. This is the fifth-highest in OECD countries, with its average at 80.7. Girls born in 2017 were expected to live 85.7 years, six years longer than boys. (…..)

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I think the bad environmental conditions in South Korea combined with constant stress and the wellness craze is what causes Koreans to think they are not healthy despite their ever growing life expectancy.

ICYMI: A group of Korean students claiming to be "progressives" stormed into Fuji TV's Seoul office to protest criticism of Moon Jae-in. This is very shameful and there's nothing progressive about it. Would they want Korean journalists to be treated the same way in Tokyo? pic.twitter.com/FNtepVIQA0

— Sam Kim 김혜성 (@samkimasia) August 2, 2019

This makes sense, with worsening youth unemployment in South Korea the ROK government has decided to cancel a job fair just because it features Japanese companies:

A job fair for Japanese companies has been scrapped amid worsening ties between Seoul and Tokyo, according to the labor ministry, Monday.

The Seoul Career Vision, a job fair hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and co-organized by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, was scheduled to be held on Sept. 24 in Seoul and Sept. 26 in Busan.

It is a fair for young people seeking jobs at foreign companies, and Japanese firms have taken up a large portion in recent years, with last year’s events only for Japanese firms. 

However, the ministry has decided to cancel the event, citing the strained diplomatic relations following Japan’s economic retaliation against the Korean Supreme Court’s rulings over compensation for surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I am still waiting for the ROK government to cancel a Chinese job fair because of the economic retaliation from China over the THAAD dispute.

The tit-for-tat between South Korea and Japan continues:

South Korea said Friday that it will remove Japan from its list of trusted trading partners in an escalating trade war between the two neighbors, in what could be its latest salvo against Tokyo’s expanded trade restriction.

“We will take the step of strengthening export controls by excluding Japan from the whitelist,” Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, said in a joint news conference.

Currently, Japan and 28 other countries are on Seoul’s whitelist. South Korea said it will create a new category in its export controls and put Japan in that category.

Sung Yun-mo, minister of trade, industry and energy, declined to elaborate on how many items could be affected by South Korea’s removal of Japan from the list.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this is in response to Japan removing the ROK’s favored trading status due to the Moon administration trying to forcibly seize the assets of Japanese companies in South Korea.

This is the only legally cultivated marijuana in #SouthKorea … A lemon haze hybrid with about ~10% thc. Grown with an R&D licence so it must be destroyed when mature. This could be just the start of exciting things here (hint)! pic.twitter.com/LxnznJMG5i

— Matt Lamers (@matt_lamers) July 31, 2019

I learn something new every day, the importation of sex dolls in South Korea used to be illegal until a recent Supreme Court ruling allowed their importation. Now activists are protesting to stop their import:

More than 200,000 people have signed a petition against the import of life-size sex dolls into Korea.

As of Wednesday, more than 210,000 people signed the petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, a month after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision to allow the import of such dolls.

“They are not ordinary sex toys,” the petitioner wrote. “A life-size sex doll resembles a woman’s body in every detail. It can even be customized to fit an individual’s needs for hairstyle, facial structure, birthmarks or anything.

“Nowadays, deepfake celebrity porn videos can easily be found online. There’s no guarantee that sex dolls won’t be used for such purposes. People may be shocked to find sex dolls that look just like them. If that happens, who will take responsibility for the damage?”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.