Category: Korea-General Topics

I am not sure how much more sternly the ROK can respond to North Korean provocations, but I guess we will soon find out:

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed a stern response to any North Korean provocation, Saturday, as the nation observed the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.

In a speech during a ceremony marking the anniversary, he said the North’s recent missile launches and nuclear weapon test preparations have escalated tensions beyond the Korean Peninsula and are posing a threat to international peace.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is an interesting diplomatic development for South Korea since it shows that NATO countries recognize the ROK’s military capabilities as an alliance partner:

South Korea has decided to establish a mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, a presidential official said Wednesday ahead of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s participation in a NATO summit next week.

Yoon will attend the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29 and 30, on his first overseas trip as president, National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said during a press briefing.

South Korea is not a member of the military alliance but has been invited as a partner nation, along with countries, such as Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The new NATO mission will be headed by the South Korean ambassador to Belgium, who currently also doubles as the ambassador to the European Union, a second presidential official said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just in case if any of you even care about COVID case numbers any more, here is the latest statistics from South Korea:

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases stayed below 10,000 for the 14th straight day Thursday amid a steady omicron downtrend, though the country remains vigilant against any potential virus resurgence.

The country reported 7,497 new COVID-19 infections, including 92 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,305,738, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 

The daily tally has stayed below 10,000 since June 10. The numbers have declined at a steady pace after hitting more than 620,000 in one day in March at the height of the omicron spread.

The KDCA reported 14 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 24,488. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the fatality rate appears to have leveled off since it is the same as a month ago. It would be interesting though to know whether the fatalities were mostly people with pre-existing medical conditions which never seems to get put out.

Here is an interesting update to the ROK fishery official that was murdered by North Korean soldiers when they found him floating in the Yellow Sea two years ago:

The chief of the Korea Coast Guard apologized Wednesday for “causing misunderstanding,” days after the organization overturned its previous announcement that a fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020 was attempting to defect to the North. 

Last week, the Coast Guard and the defense ministry announced they have not found any circumstances backing the probe results from two years ago, reversing from their previous stance and apologizing to the bereaved family.

The 47-year-old official was fatally shot by the North’s military on Sept. 22, 2020, near the inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, after going missing the previous day while on duty on board a fishery inspection boat. The Coast Guard and the defense ministry announced at the time he could have been attempting to defect to the North. (……….)

On Wednesday, the family of the late fisheries official lodged criminal complaints against three of former President Moon Jae-in’s secretaries, including former National Security Advisor Suh Hoon, to hold them accountable for their beloved’s death. The family accused the then Moon administration of doing “nothing” to save him.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Congratulations to everyone at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute that helped developed this successful rocket:

 South Korea on Tuesday successfully launched its homegrown space rocket Nuri in the second attempt to put satellites into orbit, reaching a major milestone in the country’s space program.

The 200-ton Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, blasted off from the Naro Space Center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung at 3:59:59.9 p.m. and successfully completed its flight sequence, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The rocket also deployed satellites at the target altitude of 700 kilometers as planned. Of those, a performance verification satellite successfully reached its orbit, according to officials.

According to Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Nuri’s first stage rocket separated 123 seconds after launch at an altitude of 62 kilometers, followed by its fairing and second stage rocket separations at altitudes of 202 kilometers and 273 kilometers, respectively.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I believe that space technology is the next major growth market and South Korea is trying to develop the rocket technology to be part of that market.

Best of luck for a successful launch to all the ROK engineers that worked so hard on developing this rocket:

South Korea’s homegrown space rocket Nuri will be moved to the launch pad early Monday as planned for its scheduled launch the following day, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said Sunday.

The institute canceled its initial plan to launch Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, last Thursday after a part in the oxidizer tank sensor was seen malfunctioning during a final pre-launch checkup at the launch pad in Naro Space Center in Goheung, a southern coastal village some 470 kilometers south of Seoul. 

The launch was rescheduled to Tuesday after aerospace engineers replaced the malfunctioning part.

Nuri will be transported from the assembly building to the launch pad at 7:20 a.m., the aerospace institute decided in a meeting of the flight test committee.

The liftoff is likely to take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday, but the time could change, officials said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I just don’t see how any country with a modern economy like South Korea can achieve carbon neutrality without using nuclear power. It is good to see that the new Korean government has come around to this reality:

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has said South Korea will actively use nuclear energy to meet its target of carbon neutrality and as a tool for the nation’s energy security. 

Han made the remarks in a video address to a global climate meeting hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday. 

South Korea “will actively utilize nuclear power plants as a means of energy security and carbon neutrality,” Han told the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, according to a statement provided by Han’s office. 

South Korea has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The isolation requirements may have been lifted, COVID testing before and after arrival is still required:

On Wednesday, the government lifted the mandatory seven-day self-isolation period for all international arrivals, regardless of their nationalities or vaccination status.

Still, international arrivals are required to take a PCR virus test within three days of their entry into South Korea. They also must submit a negative COVID-19 result — by taking either a PCR test or supervised rapid antigen test — before boarding flights to South Korea.

South Korea increased the number of weekly flights on international routes to 732 in June from 532 in May as it began fully normalizing the operation of Incheon International Airport amid growing air travel demand.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.