Category: Korea-General Topics

It appears this is going to be the new left wing talking point that COVID was caused by global warming even though there is plenty of circumstantial evidence that it was accidentally released from a Chinese lab:

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may be the “last warning from nature” that is urging humanity to respond immediately to the climate crisis, former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. 

Ban, who currently chairs the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, made the remark during the Korea Forum 2021, co-hosted by The Korea Times and its sister paper, the Hankook Ilbo.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a phenomenon of the climate crisis,” he said in a keynote address at the forum held at the Cultural Depot Park in Seoul. “Following the virus outbreak, humans have realized the need to fundamentally resolve environmental problems for their sustainable survival.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

If possible try to stay indoors if you live in South Korea:

A yellow dust storm that originated in the Gobi Desert in northern China and Mongolia on Friday blanketed most of South Korea, including the greater Seoul area, the state weather agency said.

A fine dust advisory, issued for Seoul at 1 p.m., was upgraded to a fine dust warning one hour later, as the average hourly concentration of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, surged to 610 micrograms per cubic meter in the capital Friday afternoon.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is an interesting issue that I doubt the Moon administration would do anything to change:

Growing anti-China sentiment is leading some to call for taking away the right of foreign permanent residents to vote here. 

The move is intended to target Chinese residents, as they make up the majority of eligible immigrant voters in Korea. Recent disputes have pitted the people of the two countries against each other over various cultural issues, including recent claims coming from China that some elements of Korean culture, including kimchi, hanbok and samgyetang, originated there.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the article says there are 121,806 foreign residents in Korea and 80% of them are Chinese.

I wonder if living conditions has anything to do with this spread of COVID-19 in Gangneung among migrant workers?:

 More than 40 foreign migrant workers in the east coast city of Gangneung tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after preemptive coronavirus testing, municipal officials said.

The municipality of Gangneung, 240 kilometers east of Seoul, has so far conducted the preemptive testing on 743 migrant workers and 43 of them were diagnosed with the new coronavirus, the officials said.

By nationality, Russians accounted for 36 of the confirmed cases, with the others from Central Asian nations, they noted.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is pretty funny that someone filed a complaint against President Moon for violating his own coronavirus prevention measures:

President Moon Jae-in has come under fire for having a dinner with four of his former aides at Cheong Wa Dae, which critics claim was in violation of the nationwide ban on gatherings of five or more people as a measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Two days after the Moon administration’s latest Cabinet reshuffle, announced April 17, Moon had drinks and dinner with the four former aides to show his appreciation for their work, at his residence within the presidential office compound. The aides were former senior secretary for social policy Yoon Chang-yul, former senior secretary for political affairs Choi Jae-sung, former spokesman Kang Min-seok and former secretary for legal affairs Kim Young-sik. 

However, a person later filed a civil complaint on the website run by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, saying Moon’s gathering with the former aides was against the ban on gatherings of five or more people. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the Blue House is saying that the gathering ban only applies to private gatherings and not official gatherings like what are held at the Blue House. Just like in the US, what is with these politicians that can follow the rules they push down on everyone else.

This will make life a little better for those who are vaccinated:

South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that fully vaccinated people will be exempted from the country’s mandatory 14-day isolation period from early next month as the country is struggling to speed up the vaccination campaign.

Health authorities said that, under the country’s anti-infection measures, those who have been fully inoculated will no longer be required to self-isolate themselves after coming in close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering the country from overseas from May 5.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As long as the Korean left remains in power I just don’t see them joining the “Quad” because of their near religious zeal of improving relations with North Korea. Additionally even if the Korean right was to regain power even they would be challenged to join the quad considering the heavy economic investment that Korean companies have made in China that would be impacted:

Korea may face tougher pressure from China to avoid joining the U.S.-led informal strategic group, as Beijing reportedly remains on high alert over Seoul’s possible participation.

Citing diplomatic sources, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Saturday that Korea had received a number of inquiries from Chinese officials about whether it was considering joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or “Quad.” But the Korean government has so far said that there has been no invitation from Washington.

The report also said that Chinese diplomatic experts believe that if Korea were to join the Quad, it would be a significant challenge to China’s security in East Asia, while referring to the alliance as an “anti-China coalition” in the region.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if Lee has his sentenced reduced for facilitating a vaccine deal that now shields the Moon administration from the heavy criticism they had been receiving:

After South Korea closed a deal with Pfizer to obtain additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Samsung Electronics’ de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, is receiving much attention in local media for his reported role in facilitating talks between the two sides. 

Seoul announced Friday that it had secured enough additional vaccine for 20 million people in a deal that soothed public worries over a shortage. Adding to those worries were the reported side effects associated with the AstraZeneca jabs — the mainstay of the country’s inoculation campaign. 

According to the DongA Ilbo and multiple other media outlets, the vice chairman of Samsung, in prison since January for bribing former President Park Geun-hye, acted as a bridge between the Korean government and Pfizer. 

While the Moon Jae-in government had no channels with the top leadership of the US vaccine developer until early December, Lee used his personal network and sought the help of Shantanu Narayen, chairman of the US computer software company Adobe, who was an independent director of Pfizer. 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but for those that have followed Lee Jae-yong’s legal issues he was essentially jailed because he was caught in the middle of the political battles between the Korean left and right. He was jailed because it was alleged that former President Park made demands to Lee that Samsung give money to a sport agency to sponsor her friend’s daughter’s Olympic equestrian training.  In return the Park administration was alleged to have smothered over Lee’s acquisition of Samsung from his then ailing father.

I have no idea if Lee is guilty of what he is accused of, but what I do know is that Korea is a rule by law nation instead of a rule of law nation. If powers that be want him guilty they can make it happen. The same powers that be can find a way to get him released as well. We will see if that happens in the coming months because I doubt they will announce it right after this vaccine deal.