The Korean left is suddenly worried about a drama distorting history. I wonder if the criticism of the show will actually drive up viewership?:

JTBC’s new series, “Snowdrop,” which was embroiled in a controversy over distorting history since before it even aired, has stirred up a further backlash, with viewers accusing the series of distorting the history of Korea’s pro-democracy movement.

Since it premiered on Saturday, the romance series, set in 1987 amid the period of political unrest, has faced growing calls for its cancellation, with some of the companies dropping their sponsorship of the show. 

The series, starring K-pop star Jisoo of BLACKPINK and actor Jung Hae-in, follows a romance between a first-year student at a women’s university, Eun Young-ro (Jisoo), and a North Korean spy, Lim Soo-ho (Jung), who is hiding his identity under the cover of being a graduate student. One day, Soo-ho jumps into her dormitory covered in blood. Mistaking him as a pro-democracy protester against the military dictatorship, Young-ro tends to his injuries, despite the dangerous situation and develops romantic feelings for him.

On Sunday, an online petition was submitted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for the network to stop the series from being aired. It garnered over 267,000 signatures in one day. 

The petitioner pointed out that the series has diminished the history of the pro-democracy movement in the country by portraying a North Korean spy as a protestor. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is a good news story, great job by all the doctors and nurses involved with helping keep this baby alive:

An extremely premature baby of an American military officer couple has grown healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital and sent to the United States, hospital officials said Monday.

The baby weighed only 720 grams when born on Sept. 10, just over 25 weeks into pregnancy, through cesarean section at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul. 

The baby, who could not properly breathe due to not having fully developed lungs, was sent to an intensive care unit (ICU) upon birth and received urgent CPR treatment. After that, a team of doctors, including a pediatrician, thoracic surgeon and physiatrist, focused on helping the baby recover. 

After 98 days of hospitalization, the baby was discharged at a weight of 2,510 grams without any neurologic complications. The baby was transferred to a U.S. hospital, as the parents were reassigned to posts in the country.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the Moon administration tries to implement max mail in voting due to the latest COVID surge:

 Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are in an increasingly tight race, with one opinion poll putting Lee ahead of Yoon and another survey showing contrary results.

In a Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) survey of 1,008 adults, Lee led with 40.3 percent against Yoon’s 37.4 percent, though the gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

But a Realmeter poll of 3,043 people put Yoon ahead with 44.4 percent against Lee’s 38 percent. Their 6.4 percentage point gap is outside the margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest Korean-American making headlines:

The newly crowned Miss America has made history, becoming both the first Korean American and the first Alaskan to hold the title in the competition’s 100-year history.

”I never could have imagined in a million years that I would be Miss America, let alone that I would be Miss Alaska,” a beaming Emma Broyles told The Associated Press on Friday in a Zoom call from Connecticut, where she won the competition about 12 hours earlier. 

In fact, she was sure they had it wrong. The final two contestants were Broyles and Lauren Bradford, Miss Alabama, and Broyles said she was thinking Bradford was going to make an amazing Miss America.

”And then they said Alaska, and I said, ‘No way. Are you sure? Do you want to check that card again?” she said before the emotion overtook her and she began crying tears of joy.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Kim Yo-jong is back in the news again with another alleged promotion within the Worker’s Party:

 Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister, is believed to have been promoted to a higher official position, according to a North Korean media report Saturday.

In the report on a memorial event for late former leader Kim Jong-il held a day earlier, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) listed Kim Yo-jong alongside members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party as having attended the ceremony.

Kim was listed between eight sitting members of the Political Bureau and other alternate members, suggesting she may have been named a member or an alternate member of the organ.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.