It appears even South Korea has anti-maskers though I suspect alcohol is probably more to blame for this confrontation on the subway:
A man in his 50s attacked two passengers who asked him to wear a mask on a line no.2 subway train during morning commute.
The man got angry when he was asked to put on a mask and began slapping the passenger on the face multiple times with his slipper.
Another passenger sitting nearby was also assaulted and verbally abused by the man who attempted to strangle him.
A total of 349 people have been arrested for face mask-related conflicts over the last three months since May 26 when the government applied a “No mask, no ride” policy on all public transportation.
Among them, 164 people were held for assault.
Korea Times
It will be interesting to see if a new Japanese prime minister will lead to better relations between Japan and South Korea. Shinzo Abe has been a useful boogeyman for the Korean left for many years:
Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Friday he intends to step down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced. He told reporters that it was ”gut wrenching” to leave so many of his goals unfinished.
Korea Times
Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment. Concerns about Abe’s health began this summer and grew this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for unspecified health checkups. He is now on a new treatment that requires IV injections, he said. While there is some improvement, there is no guarantee that it will cure his condition and so he decided to step down after treatment Monday, he said.
”It is gut wrenching to have to leave my job before accomplishing my goals,” Abe said Friday, mentioning his failure to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted years ago by North Korea and a territorial dispute with Russia.
You can read more at the link, but here is what the Blue House had to say about this news:
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s office said Abe dedicated many years to the development of bilateral relations and achieved ”various meaningful accomplishments” as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. It said Seoul will continue to work with Tokyo’s next prime minister and Cabinet to promote ”friendship and cooperation” between the countries. Relations between South Korea and Japan sank to their lowest point in decades last year as they feuded over trade issues, wartime history and military cooperation.
Korea Times
It is interesting that the Blue House mentions “meaningful accomplishments” when they have worked hard to undo those accomplishments such as the comfort women reconciliation agreement as well as bilateral defense agreements.
Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.
I don’t see how a mesh mask can do much good at stopping droplet transmission, but according to Rep. Kim Mi-ae, she says the masks stops 97.1% of stopping ultra-fine particles:
The use of face masks for protection against COVID-19 has emerged as a subject of political controversy among supporters of the ruling and opposition parties.
Korea Times
Some politicians have come under fire this week for choosing to wear masks which are seen as not providing adequate protection.
Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the main opposition United Future Party (UPF), accompanying the party’s interim chief Kim Chong-in, visited the office of Jung Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 21.
Photos of them sitting side by side across from Jung at her office angered citizens because Rep. Kim was wearing a mesh mask ― a type of mask adopted by some recently because of the hot weather ― but they have not been certified as effective in preventing droplet transmission.
You can read more at the link.
For those that didn’t know, you have to pay to attend high school in South Korea. Elementary and middle school education is currently free and soon so will high school:
The South Korean government and the ruling Democratic Party have decided to allocate the Korean New Deal and the Youth Hope Package more than 20 trillion won (US$16.9 billion) each in the 2021 budget. The funding will make high school education free for all students next year, one year ahead of schedule. The government will also be greatly expanding the supply of public rental housing for young people and newlyweds.
Hankyoreh
You can read more at the link, but the natural progression of this is that people will be demanding free college next.
