The ROK military has now been locked down on post to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in South Korea:

The military decided to temporarily ban all troops from vacationing and taking off-installation trips after cluster infections were reported at an Army boot camp amid a nationwide spike in virus cases, the defense ministry said Thursday.

Until Dec. 7, all troops will be subject to tightened social distancing rules in barracks, with vacationing and off-installation visits to be suspended starting Friday, according to the ministry. 

Officers are restricted from having private meetings, while in-person religious gatherings and business trips are also banned. 

“Troops who violate the rules, resulting in a COVID-19 infection or its spread to others will be strongly reprimanded,” the ministry said in a release. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

South Korea’s daily coronavirus case rate has now reached the same levels of when Daegu was ground zero for the global pandemic back in March:

The daily number of novel coronavirus cases in South Korea surpassed 500 for the first time in over eight months on Thursday due to sporadic cluster infections across the country as health authorities strive to curb a third wave of infections. 

The country added 583 more COVID-19 cases, including 553 local infections, raising the total caseload to 32,318, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

It marks the first time that the country’s daily virus cases exceeded 500 since March 6, when the figure reached 518 due to a massive outbreak in the southeastern city of Daegu. 

It is also above the peak in the country’s second wave of virus infections on Aug. 27, when 441 cases were confirmed in a single day.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the ROK Army cluster infection is now up to 68 cases, a dance academy in Seoul had 66 cases, a sauna in Seoul had 48 cases, and a Korean traditional drum class in Ulsan had 53 cases. It is pretty clear that large group gathers indoors is what drives the spread of the coronavirus when looking at these numbers.

In a South Korean Army barracks environment a massive spread event like this is likely if just one person gets sick considering how close the soldiers sleep to one another in open bays:

Sixty newly enlisted soldiers tested positive for the new coronavirus at an Army boot camp in the central border town of Yeoncheon on Wednesday, the defense ministry said.

They underwent virus tests after one of their colleagues showed symptoms and tested positive earlier in the day, even though he tested negative in an initial test taken upon his entrance into the camp, according to the ministry. 

They all joined the military on Nov. 10. 

The figure is feared to grow, as the authorities are conducting tests for around 860 new enlistees.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

If true this would go down as a unique defection:

In the annals of great escapes, vaulting the barbed wire, heavily-surveilled fence that separates the mined no-man’s land between North and South Korea would surely feature strongly. 

According to the South Korean media this week, a defector who evaded security in one of the most dangerous border crossings of the world on November 3 was a former gymnast who managed to swing himself over the imposing barricades, reportedly without triggering key sensors. 

The authorities vowed to investigate why high-tech security systems did not work. “We will look into why the sensors did not ring and make sure they operate properly,” an official told Yonhap news agency.

The man, reported to be wearing blue civilian clothes and in his twenties, later surrendered after a manhunt by the South Korean military units who discovered a breach of the fence. He was detained without incident just under a mile south of the fence and has asked for asylum. 

The Telegraph

You can read more at the link.

I would think he understood the ramifications of giving the blessing prior to the festival, so his suspension shouldn’t be too surprising:

“A hundred years from now, the church will have changed. And when that time comes, I want you to be sure that you won’t be embarrassed of your own decisions. Don’t be a sinner in the face of history.”  
   
When Pastor Lee Dong-hwan began to doubt his decision to give a blessing at the second Incheon Queer Culture Festival last year, his wife was the one who encouraged him to stand strong not only in the face of history, but also God.  
   
On Aug. 31, 2019, Lee, who is part of the Korean Methodist Church, took to the stage of the queer festival, clad in a white robe to bless those in attendance, throwing flower petals and offering a prayer. Just three days afterward, he was required to attend a meeting at a gathering in Suwon, Gyeonggi, where his church is located.  
   
A day later on Sept. 4, he was reported by the Incheon Pastor’s Gathering for Healthy Society (represented by Pastor Seong Jung-kyeong) and the Chungcheong Annual Conference of the Korean Methodist Church (represented by Pastor Lee Gu-il) to the Gyeonggi Annual Conference for violating the Book of Doctrines and Discipline by advocating and agreeing with homosexuality.  
   
On Oct. 15 this year, he was sentenced to two years of suspension of duty by the Korean Methodist Church. He appealed that decision but a retrial date has yet to be set, leaving Lee in limbo as he cannot preach.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

I still predict there will be a provocation period a few months after the inauguration followed by a deal to reduce tensions that will likely include the easing of sanctions the Kim regime has long wanted. I guess we will see what happens, but Antony Blinken looks like the person that will be dealing with it:

Given his past hardline stance against North Korea, many predict that nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, may favor putting more pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang to drive the country toward denuclearization under the upcoming Joe Biden administration.

But diplomatic experts believe that Blinken is unlikely to just pursue an approach of isolating the reclusive state ― a policy adopted by the Barack Obama administration, in which he served as deputy secretary of state ― considering his recent indications that he is prepared to sit down with the “rogue state.”

Biden appointed Blinken to be secretary of state, Monday, while Jake Sullivan, a former senior policy adviser to Hillary Clinton, was named as his new national security adviser.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.