Apparently some residents don’t want President Moon to retire to their small community in South Gyeongsang Province:
Banners hang in downtown Habuk, Yangsan, in a protest against the construction of the president’s retirement residence there. (Yonhap)
Construction of President Moon Jae-in’s post-presidency residence has been halted recently faced with resistance from residents of the area, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources Thursday.
Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook plan to relocate to Habuk, a small town in the rural city of Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, after retiring in May 2022. They purchased a 2,630-square-meter property in the area for 1.06 billion won ($870,000) last year.
You can read more at the link, but supposedly the villagers are concerned by increased traffic from his residence, but I suspect the opposition is more for political reasons.
Self-driving wheelchair Lee Ji-hoon, who was a member of South Korea’s para ice hockey team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, demonstrates how to use a self-driving wheelchair with autonomous navigation technology as he takes part in an event to unveil the smart wheelchair at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul on April 28, 2021. The vehicle was co-developed by the Korea Institute of Robotics and Technology Convergence and the private robotics firm Rovitek. (Yonhap)
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.
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.
The anti-China sentiment has always been there in the Korean public; it is just incidents like this bring it out publicly:
The Chinatown issue comes on the back of Koreans’ protesting claims made by some Chinese influencers and media that kimchi is their traditional food. After Beijing received an international certification for its pickled vegetable dish, “paocai,” in November, China’s state-run Global Times reported that this certification amounted to “an international standard for the kimchi industry led by China.” Since then, the nationalist newspaper has been running articles containing the implication that Beijing is leading the kimchi industry and that the dish originated in China.
These articles led to an online spat between the internet users of both countries, with Koreans arguing that China was now attempting to steal Korea’s cultural legacy.
This will make life a little better for those who are vaccinated:
Soldiers wait in line to be vaccinated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on April 28, 2021, in this photo provided by the Kookbang Ilbo.
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.
1971 – Up on the Z – Freedom Bridge, old railroad bridge that became the main access to Panmunjom after rebuilt in 1952. In 1998, Freedom was closed down to vehicle traffic when the Unification Bridge opened. Photo courtesy of David Evans.#upontheZ#koreandmzvets#dmzwar#dmzpic.twitter.com/UExxesCNPM
THAAD standoff Police break up a sit-in by residents and activists opposing the delivery of electricity equipment and construction materials into the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in the southeastern county of Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on April 28, 2021. (Yonhap)
To appease China and the leftists, the Moon administration is going out of its way to state that the THAAD battery is not receiving any upgrades:
This photo provided by the defense ministry on April 27, 2021, shows a generator to be brought onto the U.S. Forces Korea’s military base for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
The military authorities plan to move a mobile generator replacement and construction equipment and materials Wednesday onto the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) base in the central town of Seongju, which hosts the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
“The transport by land has nothing to do with the THAAD battery capabilities, and we will work as safely as possible in consideration of related circumstances,” the ministry said in a statement.
Two electricity generators were installed in 2017 when the missile shield system was introduced. One of them will be replaced with a new one, the ministry said.
A ministry official stressed that no weapons or other items that aim at upgrading or strengthening the unit are included.
According to the article the 13 Anthony’s Pizza outlets operating in the Asia-Pacific region are the last one’s overseas in operation. They will also eventually be closed to be changed for a name brand food offering:
A familiar, if not universally popular, fast-food staple at U.S. military bases worldwide is ending its long run in Europe and possibly worldwide.
Anthony’s Pizza at Ramstein will soon turn off its ovens after more than 30 years of dishing out thick-crust pizza for troops and their families.
The Exchange-brand pizzeria inside the base mall is scheduled to close May 1, said Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials.
It’s the last one remaining in Europe. Two locations at Spangdahlem Air Base and Kleber Kaserne closed last year as AAFES looks to phase out the product worldwide, said Loyd Brumfield, an AAFES spokesman in Dallas.
