Category: Random Stuff

Congratulations to Kevin Kim for being officially appointed the interim US ambassador to South Korea:

Kevin Kim, a senior official at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has been appointed as chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, the embassy announced Monday on its official website.

According to the statement posted on the embassy’s site, Kim “will work with the Embassy team and the Republic of Korea government to advance our mutual interest and shared values, as well as our ironclad commitment to the U.S.-ROK Alliance.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

According to the article, unsurprisingly the Korean woman in this altercation was drunk. Some people really should not drink, especially when traveling overseas:

A video of a Korean woman assaulting a Vietnamese woman at a self-photo booth in Hanoi has gone viral online, sparking outrage among local residents, according to news reports Wednesday.

The Vietnamese victim revealed the incident in her social media post on Tuesday, saying she and her friend were using the booth around 9 p.m. on July 11, after paying properly and within their allotted time.

A Korean woman approached them while they were taking photos, and according to the victim, told them to hurry up and come out.

Security camera footage shows the Korean woman striking the victim on the arm and a full-blown physical altercation began when she snatched her hat. The two women grabbed each other’s hair. Despite attempts by their companions and staff to intervene, the fight lasted several minutes.

The footage showed the Korean woman kicked the Vietnamese woman after she fell to the ground and continued assaulting her after they exited the booth.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I guess we will soon see if Naver and Kakao will have any competition in South Korea for mapping services:

The debate over the overseas transfer of South Korea’s high-precision map data, a sensitive issue that had been largely dormant since the launch of President Lee Jae Myung’s administration, has reignited. The government is moving to develop countermeasures as global tech giants intensify their efforts to gain access to the data.

Apple recently sought legal advice from a Korean law firm regarding its application to export 1:5,000 scale map data. The move follows the company’s earlier attempt in 2023, which was aimed at enhancing services, such as its Find My device tracking feature, Apple Pay’s local operations and the in-car navigation system integrated into Apple CarPlay, according to industry sources on Thursday.

Apple’s previous request was rejected by the Korean government due to national security concerns. Industry watchers believe the US tech giant will quickly reapply should the government approve Google’s pending application to export similar map data.

The review of Google’s request is ongoing. The government, which deferred its decision last month, must deliver a verdict by Aug. 11. As the Lee administration seeks to ease trade tensions with Washington, attention is focused on how it will respond to Google’s bid.

Maps at a scale of 1:25,000, used for navigation and route guidance, are already provided to foreign companies for their map services. However, both Google and Apple are seeking to secure high-precision maps as a necessity for expanding their mobility, AI and autonomous driving industries.

According to regulations, high-precision maps can only be used if the company has a data center located within Korea. As a result, only Naver and Kakao, which operate domestic data centers, are currently able to use high-precision map data free of charge.

Korea Herald

You can red more at the link.