This is one of the benefits of having the COVID pandemic under control, the South Koreans can watch other nations be guinea pigs before conducting mass vaccination of their own people:

Health authorities said the government decided to up the vaccine supply from 30 million people to 44 million to better fight the virus, but it won’t be in a hurry to inoculate people due to uncertainty over the vaccines’ safety and efficacy.

“As the outbreak in South Korea has remained within a manageable level, I think the government doesn’t have to hastily deploy vaccines like European nations and the United States as efficacy and safety concerns remain,” Lee Hoan-jong, an emeritus professor of Seoul National University, said during the briefing. 

“We can secure enough vaccines to deploy them in different groups after closely monitoring potential side effects that may be discovered two or three months after vaccination in other countries.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Not a good look:

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is facing criticism over a dance party held at one of its bases last week at which participants did not wear face masks amid South Korea’s heightened social distancing scheme to stem the resurgence of new coronavirus cases.

The party took place at Flightline Tap Room at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Friday, with dozens of people dancing side by side without wearing masks, according to officials.

On the same day, South Korea’s daily number of new COVID-19 cases reached a near nine-month high of 629, with authorities urging citizens to cancel non-vital face-to-face gatherings.

The Seoul government has requested the U.S. military to follow antivirus measures. The U.S. military said Monday that the bar was “closed effective immediately, per command directive.” 

“The facility has been closed, and we are looking into the matter,” a USFK official said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I think these may the pictures causing the criticism that I pulled from the Flightline Tap Room’s Facebook page for a salsa party:

It is amazing how long it has been taking for the Koreans to figure out how to domestically produce one of their key defense systems:

South Korea’s arms acquisition agency has decided to equip third batch of K2 Black Panther main battle tanks with a German transmission system, a part of the tank’s power pack that includes a locally developed engine.

The decision is a blow to a 15-yearlong effort to replace the German RENK transmission system with an indigenous one, which local industry expected would pave the way for exporting the tank. (…….)

The failure in local transmission development has also caused setbacks for the tank’s deployment in the South Korean Army.

The Black Panther was co-developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development and Hyundai Rotem, a defense business arm of Hyundai Motor, to replace M48 Patton tanks and earlier models of K1 tanks that have been service since the 1980s. Prototypes were unveiled in 2007.

Mass production of the first 100 units was approved in 2011, with deployment scheduled for the following year, but the effort was delayed over a faulty engine and a lack of progress on a locally produced transmission. The government then decided to use the German-made power pack consisting of the MTU 883 diesel engine and RENK transmission system for the first batch.

The tanks entered service in 2014, and in that same year, local developers announced they succeeded in developing a 1,500-horsepower power pack that could be installed on the second batch of 100 tanks. However, the deployment of the second batch also faced delays, as the S&T Dynamics-made transmission system repeatedly failed to prove its reliability and durability under transmission production standards, which require a system to run without issue for 320 hours. The second batch of K2s were eventually delivered in 2019.

Defense News

You can read more at the link, but ROK Heads may remember that South Korea has been trying to export the K2 to Turkey. Due to the various delays, Turkey decided to instead conduct a technology transfer with South Korea to develop their own tank.

Nike is causing controversy again, this time not in the U.S., but in Japan:

A video ad from Nike Japan against bullying and racism that features biracial athletes and other minorities, such as those of Korean descent, has prompted a sharp online response including calls to boycott the company.

Japan has traditionally prided itself on being racially homogeneous, although successful mixed-race athletes such as tennis star Naomi Osaka are challenging that image.

The commercial, “Keep Moving: Yourself, the Future,” released Monday, shows several teen girls bullied in school over their race or other differences, but who ultimately find confidence through soccer prowess.

One scene features a girl whose father is Black surrounded by fellow students, squealing and pulling her hair.

The video, viewed 14.1 million times on Nike Japan’s Twitter feed by noon Wednesday, had racked up 63,000 likes but also a cascade of critical comments from many who vowed never to buy Nike products again.

“Nowadays, you often see one or two people of different nationalities going to school perfectly peacefully. The one that’s prejudiced is Nike,” wrote one user named “hira1216.”

Another asked, “Is it so much fun to blame Japan?”

Japan Times

You can read more at the link.

This study is giving hope that a vaccine may give similar results:

A Japanese research team has detected antibodies that neutralized the virus that causes COVID-19 in 98% of people who had been sick with the disease in tests performed six months after they became infected.

The team, led by Yokohama City University professor Takeharu Yamanaka, said Wednesday it plans to conduct a follow-up survey to see whether the people will still have such antibodies a year after their infections.

In the latest survey, which was the largest of its type conducted in the country, the team checked blood samples from 376 people who had already recovered from COVID-19. The samples were collected six months after they were infected.

“In general, people with neutralizing antibodies are believed to carry a low risk of reinfection,” Yamanaka told a news conference.

“This gives some hope” in relation to the vaccines set to be released, with the study showing that immunity obtained through natural infection can last at least six months, according to Yamanaka.

Japan Times

You can read more at the link.

Much like in neighboring South Korea, coronavirus infections in Japan continue to rise new record levels with people in their 20’s and 30’s leading the surge:

Tokyo confirmed a single-day record 584 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday, a significant rise from Friday’s 449 new infections.

Osaka Prefecture, meanwhile, registered 399 new infections, it’s fifth straight day reporting at least 300, while Aichi Prefecture recorded 219.

Other large case loads were reported in the prefectures of Kanagawa, with 192, Hokkaido, 183, Saitama, 168, Hyogo, 151, and Chiba, 74.

The number of severe COVID-19 infections in the capital rose by two from the previous day to 55. The daily figure was based on 7,624 tests, the metropolitan government said in a statement.

Among the new cases, those in their 20s had the highest number at 137, followed by those in their 30s at 110 and people in their 40s at 95. Infections among those 65 or older totaled 88.

Japan Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest restrictions going into place in Seoul to combat the spread of COVID-19:

The Seoul city government said Friday that stores, movie theaters and multiple other facilities must close after 9 p.m. for two weeks starting this weekend to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup announced the new restriction during a virtual press briefing, saying the measure will go into force Saturday amid worries over spiking cases in the capital recently. (……..)

Businesses subject to the new restriction include stores, movie theaters, internet cafes, game arcades, private academies, study halls, amusement parks, beauty salons, barber shops, large grocery stores and department stores. They can reopen at 5 a.m.

Exceptions will be made for small grocery stores and other shops that are less than 300 square meters in size and for restaurants offering takeout and delivery.

Buses and subways will run on a 30 percent reduced schedule after 9 p.m. The restriction will apply to buses starting Saturday and to subways starting Tuesday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.