Category: Korea-General Topics

Look who wants to start a real estate corruption agency, the person accused of being involved in a massive real estate scandal:

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, has said that, if elected, he will launch a real estate supervisory service in an effort to root out corruption in the property market.

Lee made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday, saying he would give the service powers to conduct investigations into any irregularities that arise in the real estate market.

The pledge comes as Lee has been accused of involvement in a massive corruption scandal surrounding an apartment development project undertaken in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2015 when he was the city’s mayor.

“We have to create a real estate supervisory service with actual powers to wield investigative authority and investigate every day,” Lee told Yonhap at a hotel in Seongnam.

Yonhap

This is what people in Korea should probably be concerned about:

 If the envisioned supervisory service is launched, he said it will look into irregularities, such as speculative purchases of farmland, and force the sales of plots that are not being used for farming.

So if you have a plot of land you are holding on to for whatever reason Lee will make you sell it. If elected people better hurry up and put a hobby garden on whatever land they own.

It will be interesting to see how effective these COVID patrols are going to be over the weekend:

South Korean police in metropolitan districts will be cracking down on COVID-19 violations over Halloween weekend, particularly in areas frequented by foreigners and young adults.

Roughly 200 additional police officers and city workers from Yongsan, Hongdae, Itaewon and other popular districts in Seoul will conduct joint patrols between Thursday and Sunday, a senior law enforcement official told Stars and Stripes on the customary condition of anonymity.

“Patrollers, including city council officers and cops, will check whether folks are keeping a safe distance from others, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings,” the senior law enforcement official said Wednesday. “We’ll visit businesses and guide folks to follow disinfection guidance as well.”

Although Halloween is not officially observed in the country, the holiday prompts parties and other events catered toward younger crowds and foreigners. Districts like Itaewon and Hongdae in Seoul are known for their foreigner-friendly businesses and are home to numerous bars and nightclubs.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here was one final gesture by former President Roh to atone for his role in the Gwangju Uprising Incident:

Former President Roh Tae-woo used his last will to ask for forgiveness from victims of the military’s brutal crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980, his son said Wednesday. 

Roh Jae-heon unveiled the will of his father, who died Tuesday of chronic illness at age 88, to reporters at a funeral altar for the late president in Seoul. 

“He thought he had infinite responsibility for all things that happened, whether it is good or bad, because he cared a lot about the country and his duty,” Roh Jae-heon said. “He was looking for forgiveness for his faults and responsibility, particularly related to the pain of the May 18 democratic movement victims and also various events that happened during his tenure.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the Moon administration is actually give Roh a five-day state funeral.

Roh actually did a lot for modern day South Korea such as hosting a very successful Olympic Games in 1988, removing nuclear weapons from South Korea, and opening diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. The most important thing he did is transition the ROK into a full democracy. However, his ties to former President Chun Doo-hwan’s military coup and the Gwangju Uprising Incident will mean he will never have a positive legacy that will be remembered:

Roh Tae-woo, South Korea’s last general-turned-president who played a key role in a 1979 coup before winning election through a direct vote at the start of South Korea’s democratization, died Tuesday, aides said. He was 88.

Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, was recently admitted to a hospital after his health deteriorated but failed to recover, they said.

The former president received surgery for prostate cancer in 2002 and was frequently admitted to hospitals while living at his residence in Seoul. He also suffered from cerebellar atrophy and asthma, which together kept him largely out of the public eye.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is interesting, India would like to work with South Korea to export their specific model of the K-9 Thunder howitzer. It makes me wonder which countries they have in mind to export the K-9 to?:

India is seeking to export the K9 self-propelled howitzer to third countries in cooperation with South Korea, India’s secretary for defense production said Thursday, stressing his country is pushing for a “win-win” partnership between the two sides.

Raj Kumar made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency, expressing satisfaction over India’s recent deployment of the K9s, which were manufactured by the Indian company, L&T, in technical collaboration with the South Korean company Hanwha Defense.

“The Indian armed forces are very satisfied with the performance of the K9 Vajra platform, where the K9 Thunder has been very effectively adapted and indigenously built for Indian conditions and requirements,” the secretary said.

“The variant of the platform also has good potential in third countries, and our governments (of India and South Korea) and industries are cooperating to take these opportunities forward,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

South Korea now has a higher fully vaccinated rate than the U.S. and that is driving a decision to reduce COVID restrictions on the general population:

 South Korea will gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions starting next month to embrace a new scheme of returning to normal life backed by the rising rate of vaccinations, health authorities said Monday. 

A government-led committee announced a draft roadmap meant to get people’s lives back to normal on a gradual basis.

The move came as 70.1 percent of 52 million South Koreans were fully vaccinated in eight months after the country kicked off its nationwide inoculation campaign.

The government will relax most of its coronavirus restrictions, such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants and other multi-use facilities under the “living with COVID-19” scheme to be carried out in three phases starting on Nov. 1. 

Currently, cafes and restaurants in the greater Seoul area — home to about half of the country’s population of 52 million — are allowed to operate until 10 p.m. while in the other parts of the country are allowed until midnight. Operation hours of such facilities will be completely free starting on Nov. 1, according to the authorities.

Business of entertainment facilities, including clubs and other kinds of nighttime facilities, in the greater Seoul area, have been banned since June while in other parts of the country have been allowed until 10 p.m. Under the first phase of the scheme, business hours of such facilities will be allowed until midnight.

The authorities will introduce the “vaccine pass” system, which requires a vaccination certificate or a negative test result for entry into multi-use facilities, such as entertainment facilities and indoor gyms.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The authorities in Seoul seem to be showing more concern about Halloween parties spreading COVID than the 25,000 KCTU protesters that showed up in the middle of Seoul:

The health authorities are on high alert over Halloween, as the upcoming celebration, during which time popular areas such as Itaewon and Gangnam are expected to be crowded with partygoers, could serve as catalyst for massive COVID-19 infections ahead of the government’s planned shift to its “Living with COVID-19” plan.

They are also redoubling their efforts to boost the vaccination rate among foreign residents amid growing concerns that their lower participation in the inoculation program could pose a major setback to the policy shift.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Rocket failures during testing is part of perfecting space technology. NASA, SpaceX, etc. have all had rocket failures. I am sure the ROK scientists will learn from this and correct the identified issues with the third stage of the rocket that failed to reach 7.5 km per second which is the orbital velocity needed to put a satellite into orbit:

South Korea failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit with its first homegrown space rocket Thursday, dealing a setback to the country’s decade-long project to join the elite global space club.

The KSLV-II rocket, also known as Nuri, flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers but failed to place the 1.5-ton dummy satellite into orbit.

“The test-launch of Nuri-ho was completed. I am proud of it,” President Moon Jae-in said in a press briefing at the Naro Space Center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung. “Regrettably, we did not perfectly reach the goal, but we made a very creditable achievement in the first launch.” 

The failure underscores the challenges of sending a satellite into orbit, a space launch vehicle technology that South Korea has been seeking to acquire for more than a decade for its space program.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this rocket launch likely means the North Koreans are going to launch something in response in the near term. We saw that they recently launched an SLBM not long after the ROK tested theirs. I would not be surprised if North Korea attempts a space launch in the near term to try and show up the ROK.