I doubt the U.N. will do any investigation, but it is worth a try:

The family of a South Korean official who was shot dead by North Korean troops last month has asked the United Nations to look into the controversial incident.

Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the slain maritime official, delivered a written request for the probe to Tomas Ojea Quintana, a U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, at the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul Tuesday. Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ― Reps. Tae Yong-ho and Ha Tae-keung ― accompanied Lee.

The request comes as the South and the North gave different accounts detailing why the official floated into the North’s waters and the circumstances of his killing. The family has also claimed the South Korean government was attempting to distort the truth by claiming the victim was trying to defect to the North, saying there was no reason for him to defect and leave his family, including his young children. (…….)

Along with the letter of request for the U.N. probe, the opposition lawmakers and the brother also revealed a letter written by the victim’s son to President Moon Jae-in.

The 18-year-old son, who is living with his mother and an eight-year-old sister, said his father had no reason to defect to the North and the government failed to protect one of its citizens. 

“I’d like to ask why my father had to go that far, what efforts the state was making to save my father and why it could not save him,” he wrote. “He was a public servant of the Republic of Korea and a citizen who should be protected. He suffered in the cold waters for a long time and was killed and burned … I want to ask who is responsible for this situation where we can’t even find his body, and what the state was doing when my father was killed brutally.” 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is an interesting report about how the Chinese may have interfered in the South Korean parliamentary elections this past April:

So, as if we didn’t have enough to worry about, South Korea’s April 2020 National Assembly elections were likely rigged, with help from China. There may not be a smoking gun (yet), but there are a lot of empty shell casings scattered around and a seemingly severely wounded democracy.

A recently released independent report, Fraud in South Korea’s April 2020 Elections: It Probably Happened and is a Big Deal for the United States, by Grant Newsham, a retired Marine Colonel and former reserve head of intelligence for Marine Forces Pacific, details some of the alleged methods used as well as the indications of inconsistencies in results.

They include Electronic Counting Machines (ECM) and/or attached computers containing Huawei components; the National Election Commission server allegedly “protected” by a Huawei firewall; early voting ballots printed with QR codes, making them easy to manipulate which is why the practice is banned in some jurisdictions; serious chain of custody issues for early vote ballots; a large number of unexplained fires at election-related centres; and much more.

The combined outcome was a massive, surprising win for President Moon Jae-in’s party in an election with results that seemed so statistically improbable that the former head of the highly prestigious Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said “either God did it or it was rigged”.

The Sunday Guardian

You can read more at the link.

Apparently the long holiday weekend which led to less testing is what may have caused this drop:

 South Korea’s new coronavirus cases stayed below 100 for the sixth straight day Tuesday, but the country is bracing for a possible resurgence in new infections after a long holiday, as a slew of sporadic clusters were reported. 

The country added 75 more COVID-19 cases, including 66 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,239, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

It marked a slight rise from 73 posted on Monday and 64 cases reported on Sunday.

After daily infections hit 133 on Wednesday last week, they have been in double-digit figures. The drop was in part attributed to fewer tests carried out over the five-day Chuseok holiday that ran through Sunday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I wonder how stringently this law is going to be enforced? My suspicion is that it will be selectively enforced just like traffic laws to make a point from time to time:

South Korea will impose a fine on people who fail to wear face masks in public spaces and on transportation starting Nov. 13 to better combat the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Sunday. 

The general public will be required to wear masks on public transportation and at demonstrations as well as medical and care facilities, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

If people do not wear masks in such spaces, they will face a fine of up to 100,000 won ($85.50), the KDCA said. 

However, the obligation will be exempted for people aged under 14 and those who are unable to wear masks due to medical conditions, officials said. 

The fine could also be applied to people who wear masks under their noses in such spaces, the KDCA said. 

The nation will launch a 30-day grace period for mandatory masks in such spaces starting Oct. 13. 

A scarf or certain types of masks that cannot protect others from the virus will not be allowed under the obligation, the KDCA said. 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The Democratic Party of Korea appears to really be enjoying the crackdown on their conservative critics:

Lee Nak-yon, the head of the ruling Democratic Party, said in a Facebook post Saturday that the police should work to prevent rallies planned for Hangeul Day, which falls Oct. 9. He thanked law enforcement for almost perfectly preventing illegal protests on Oct. 3.

“We are somewhat relieved at the moment, but some organizations have announced plans for more rallies on Hangeul Day,” Lee wrote, adding that preventing mass gatherings will help the country stay clear of the virus and shore up its struggling economy.

“Whatever the reason may be, illegal gatherings and deterring virus control measures are by no means acceptable. I hope the police do the same and block illegal rallies on Hangeul Day while preventing potential danger.”

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but it is clear they plan to use the coronavirus as an excuse to stop anti-government rallies for as long as possible.

This is a much needed system to protect the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Area from North Korea’s long range artillery:

South Korea will begin developing its own interceptor system like Israel’s Iron Dome in the next five years to defend the country’s core infrastructure in the capital area against North Korea’s long-range artillery threats, the defense ministry said Monday. 

Unveiling its defense blueprint for 2021-2025, the ministry also said it will officially begin procedures to acquire a light aircraft carrier next year and start the production of a homegrown fighter jet which is currently under development.

The defense program calls for spending 300.7 trillion won (US$253 billion), a 6.1 percent on-year hike on average over the next five years. Of the total, 100 trillion won was allocated for improving defense capabilities, while the remaining 200 trillion won was set for force management.

“When we talk about South Korea’s missile defense system, it usually refers to one targeting North Korea’s Scud-type or stronger missiles, whereas this new interceptor system will focus on protecting the capital area against the North’s long-range artillery such as its 240-mm or 300-mm multiple rocket launchers,” a ministry official said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this domestically produced system will not be available until the late 2020’s or into the 2030’s. It seems with a vulnerability as bad as this one the ROK should just purchase the Iron Dome system from Israel.

To stop the spread of coronavirus many South Korean cemeteries have created virtual means for families to honor deceased relatives:

Over the five-day holiday, South Korea announced, all public cemeteries would close or operate in a strictly limited capacity with reservations. Such unease seemed as if from another time. So much so that the provincial office of North Gyeongsang province noted on its social media account that historical texts dating to the 16th century showed rites had been canceled at the time because of disease outbreaks including smallpox.

For Yi Jun-jae, 46, this Chuseok would have marked the first year holding rites for his father, who passed away in January.

He is the eldest son of the eldest son, which in South Korea’s patriarchal society gives him the responsibility to uphold traditions. Growing up, he was instilled with the importance of his roots, and the fact that he exists only because of previous generations.

Even so, when he saw that Goesan National Cemetery, where his father, Yi Kang-bup, is interred, would be closed to visits during the holiday, he thought his father would understand.

“The living shouldn’t spread the virus to remember the dead,” he said. “Ancestors are important, but given the circumstances, what’s in the heart is what matters.”

He signed up for a virtual remembrance, in which the national cemetery, where his father is buried because he fought in the Korean War, would lay a flower and pay their respects in his stead and email him photos. Yi was one of hundreds to log on to the cemetery’s website to experience a new, socially distanced ritual.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link