Category: Korea-General Topics

It is probably going to be a while before everyone takes off their masks because of the group culture in South Korea where many people don’t want to stand out from the crowd:

It may be that news of the mandate’s lift on Monday hasn’t reached all, as some wearing masks may still think the measure is in place. Or it may be that the eased quarantine regulation simply needs more time for more members of the public to put themselves at ease and expose their faces more comfortably.

“I feel weird that I don’t have to wear it anymore,” one of the passers-by wearing her mask in Seoul told The Korea Times, asking not to be named. “I think I’ve become accustomed to wearing it so I was reluctant to go outside without it this morning. I want to take time and see how others are doing before I decide to go mask-free.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but once the weather heats up more people will probably be clamoring to take their masks off.

I have to wonder why any long rifle hunting is allowed on Mt. Bukhan considering it sits adjacent to Seoul and is packed with hikers and visitors every day. Maybe this incident will cause a change to bow hunting where you really need to focus on what you are aiming at:

A 70-something hunter in Seoul came under investigation by police for allegedly mistaking a taxi driver on a mountain roadside for a wild boar and killing the driver with a rifle, officials said Saturday.

Police sought a formal arrest warrant for the suspect on charges of involuntary manslaughter, after the hunter allegedly fired three shots at the taxi driver, also in his 70s, who was urinating on the road near Mt. Bukhan in northern Seoul at around 8 p.m. Friday.

The driver was taken to a nearby hospital but died early Saturday. The hunter reportedly said he mistook the driver for a wild boar.

According to police, the suspect was a registered hunter with a license issued by Seoul’s Eunpyeong Ward. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Cases are declining just in time for the end of the outdoor mask mandate:

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell below 40,000 on Sunday, marking a steady decline from early last month, with the country set to lift the outdoor mask mandate in a major step toward return to normalcy. 

The country reported 37,771 new COVID-19 infections, including 30 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,275,649, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 

Sunday’s tally is a marked drop from the previous day’s 43,286 and 50,568 reported Friday. In terms of Sunday figures only, the latest tally is the lowest in 12 weeks.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This would definitely make entering the country much easier and likely kickstart tourism again:

Incheon International Airport has requested the government to allow PCR test-free arrivals, as in-bound tourism is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.

The Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) announced during a press conference at the airport complex, Monday, that it has made a proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to lift quarantine regulations by replacing mandatory PCR testing for arrivals with rapid antigen tests (RAT) or mandating testing only for those with symptoms or arriving from high-risk regions.

Under the current regulation of manual monitoring, all inbound passengers with full vaccination history must undergo a PCR test on the first day of their arrival and take a RAT test again within six to seven days after arrival. Those violating these requirements are subject to a maximum one-year prison term or 10 million won fine.

If introduced, the airport authorities said the PCR test exemption could help the nation’s tourism sector recover from the last two years of pandemic-driven economic losses.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is one thing to say your open to the possibility of joining and quite another to actually join. I guess we will see what happens in the coming years:

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has said he will “positively review” South Korea’s joining of Quad, a U.S.-led anti-China security partnership, if invited, according to a report.

Yoon made the remark in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday (U.S. time), saying he does not expect South Korea to receive an invitation any time soon, but if approached, “will positively review joining.”

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is made up of the United States, Australia, India and Japan, and is seen as a partnership aimed at countering China.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Depending on what time he leaves for the Presidential office Yoon’s motorcade could have a major impact on Seoul traffic. Hopefully he leaves for work early to avoid this:

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to commute to the new presidential office in central Seoul from his private home for about a month after his inauguration while his official residence is renovated, officials said Sunday.

Yoon has decided to remodel what is now the foreign minister’s residence into his official residence in line with his plan to move the presidential office and residence out of Cheong Wa Dae in an effort to connect better with the people.

Renovation work on the foreign minister’s residence in Hannam-dong will begin on Yoon’s inauguration on May 10 and is expected to take around a month, and Yoon plans to commute to his new office from his private home in Seocho-dong in southern Seoul, transition team officials said.

“We will be mainly taking the Banpo Bridge on our commute as it is the closest one to Seocho Ward. … The route could change depending on the situation,” an official told Yonhap News Agency.

Yoon’s commute could worsen traffic congestion because roads are blocked for his motorcade.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

A much needed drop in restriction for South Koreans has finally come:

Korea’s daily Covid-19 cases dropped below 50,000 on Monday, the first day of freedom from two years of social distancing regulations.  
   
The country reported 47,743 new Covid-19 cases Monday, raising the total caseload to 16,353,495, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). This was the first time in 68 days for cases to go below 50,000, since Feb. 9 when infections started to soar.  
   
Along with the continued drop in new infections, the number of Covid-19 patients in critical condition totaled 850 as of Sunday midnight, down by 43 from the previous day.  
   
There were 132 new deaths from Covid-19. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

These are going to be great space based capabilities for the ROK once they are put into orbit by SpaceX:

South Korea has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025, with the first launch on a Falcon 9 rocket by the end of 2023. 

A spokeswoman for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed the deal April 11, saying the 2023 launch would deliver an 800-kilogram electro-optical infrared satellite to low Earth orbit.

“The deal was made to launch five satellites involved in the ‘425 project,’” DAPA spokeswoman Park Geun-young told SpaceNews, referring to a space-based reconnaissance project the defense ministry launched in 2018 for closer monitoring of North Korea’s military activities. Under the project, five satellites — four synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites and one featuring an electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) telescope — will be launched to low Earth orbit between 600 and 700 km by 2025, enabling South Korea’s military to observe the nuclear-armed neighbor’s key military facilities every two hours with 30-50 centimeters resolution imagery, according to a 2019 report produced by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning. The spokeswoman declined to share the terms and conditions of the deal, as well as launch schedules for the other four satellites.

Space News via a reader tip

You can read more at the link.

It appears South Korea is trying to pull a balancing act in regards to the current situation in Ukraine by only giving non-lethal aid to not upset the Russians too much, but still appear they are doing something to the rest of the global community:

South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook has reiterated Seoul’s stance against the provision of any lethal arms to Ukraine during last week’s phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, his office said Monday.

Suh repeated the position in response to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov’s request for anti-aircraft weapons in their phone call on Friday.

“Suh had explained that there are limits in providing lethal weapon systems to Ukraine, given our security situation and its potential impact on our military’s readiness posture,” Boo Seung-chan, the spokesperson for the defense ministry, told a regular press briefing.

South Korea has provided Ukraine with non-lethal military supplies worth 1 billion won (US$804,100), such as bulletproof helmets and blankets, as well as medical items in March.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

COVID case totals continue to drop in South Korea:

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell below 100,000 for the first time in seven weeks on Monday, as the omicron wave is slowing after reaching its peak in mid-March. 

The country added 90,928 new COVID-19 infections, including 21 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 15,424,598, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 

Monday’s tally marks the first drop to five digits since the Feb. 22 count of 99,562. It is also nearly a two-month low after the 90,438 registered on Feb. 16.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.