Here is the latest typhoon that is threatening the Korean peninsula:

Typhoon Bavi, formed off the east coast of Taiwan, is expected to hit the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, the national weather agency said Saturday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said the season’s 8th tropical storm is moving northwest towards the peninsula at a speed of 28 kilometers per hour and forecast to make landfall on Thursday after passing through the southern island of Jeju.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The spread of the coronavirus in South Korea is expanding to areas outside of Seoul:

South Korea’s daily new virus cases surpassed 300 again Saturday, and infections were reported in all major cities and provinces, as concerns are growing that the country is entering a new phase in the pandemic with infections spreading throughout the country.

The country added 332 more COVID-19 cases, including 315 local infections, raising the total caseload to 17,002, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

For the first time since the first case was confirmed in January, all of the country’s 17 major cities and provinces reported COVID-19 cases.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the article goes on to blame churches and the anti-government rally for the recent outbreak. Interestingly buried at the very end of the article is the fact that there has been no additional deaths reported with the death total remaining at an incredibly low 309 people.

Here is the latest on the big, boy up North:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has handed over some of his powers to his younger sister Yo-jong, the National Intelligence Service said Thursday. 

Kim Yo-jong now handles any dealings with South Korea and the U.S. affairs but reports back to her brother. She was apparently given authority to blow up the inter-Korean liaison office in June. 

The NIS in a briefing to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee said the power-sharing arrangement seems aimed at “alleviating leadership strain and dividing responsibility for failed policies.”

Kim Jong-un has been leading the North for nine years and is trying to avoid taking all the blame for his disastrous policies. 

But the NIS believes there are “no problems” with his health. Earlier this year Kim disappeared from view for three weeks, leading to fevered speculation that he was ill.

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

I believe this is going to be a reoccurring event for many schools having to open and close regularly based on cluster infection incidents:

 As the coronavirus infections soared to a five-month high on Friday, a record number of schools nationwide were forced to shut down to protect children and educators from the novel coronavirus.

A total of 849 schools stopped their in-person classes, the Ministry of Education said, the biggest number since the country reopened schools on May 20.

The figure broke the previous record of 838 on May 28 when a cluster of infections popped up in a logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

In Seoul, the northern ward of Seongbuk, where the new COVID-19 hotbed Sarang Jeil Church is located, was the hardest hit with 79 schools affected, and the nearby ward of Gangbuk saw 40 schools shut down. As of Friday morning, 732 coronavirus infections have been tied to the church.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if President Moon tries to crush opposition rallies by using the coronavirus as an excuse:

The President demanded the authorities bring criminal charges against those hampering epidemiological investigations and quarantine operations and, if necessary, apprehend them on site and seek an arrest warrant.

“The core principle of the nation’s fight against COVID-19 is swiftly detecting and testing those who have come into close contact with coronavirus patients, and isolating and treating infected people,” Moon said during a visit to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s (SMG) office in charge of the city’s disaster and safety countermeasures. “But some people and organizations are systematically hampering the government’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus.”

Some local churches are facing mounting controversy and public anger as they have appeared to be uncooperative in tracing and isolating potential COVID-19 patients.

Among the churches is the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul led by conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon who has led several anti-government rallies, with the most recent one held in central Seoul Aug. 15. The rally brought together thousands of demonstrators despite the government’s advice to follow social distancing guidelines.

Korea Times via a reader tip

You can read more at the link.