Since Liberation Day fell on Saturday, August 15th this year, the ROK government should have designated August 17th a national holiday a long time ago:

The South Korean government on Tuesday designated Aug. 17 as a temporary national holiday, allowing workers in the nation to have three consecutive days off during the summer season that’s feared to be dampened by the drawn-out fight against the novel coronavirus.

The Cabinet approved the plan to add the post-weekend holiday on the August calendar during a weekly meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.

Moon said the designation is intended to give a “short but precious rest time” to people tired from battling the virus.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The idea of using USFK to respond to global missions has officially returned:

The U.S. push for greater “strategic flexibility” for its forces deployed around the world could increase the chances of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) being mobilized for missions beyond the Korean Peninsula, experts said Wednesday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that he wants to pursue more rotational force deployments into theaters as it give the U.S. “greater strategic flexibility in terms of responding to challenges around the globe.”

The remarks came in response to a recent media report that the Pentagon has offered the White House options to reduce American troop levels in South Korea. Esper, however, said he has not issued an order to withdraw forces from the Korean Peninsula.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this issue came up 15 years ago and a compromised was reached that USFK would only be deployed if supported by the will of the Korean people.

What we could see happening is that a future rotational brigade that was originally scheduled to deploy to Korea instead deploys somewhere else. This would allow the U.S. to reduce troops in South Korea in a face saving way.

It looks like the North Korean gulags will have a few more people in them:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un strongly criticized officials for carrying out the construction of a large-scale general hospital “in a careless manner” and ordered the replacement of all of those responsible, state media said Monday.

Kim made the remarks during a “field guidance” trip to the construction site for Pyongyang General Hospital, one of his top-priority projects he has vowed to complete by Oct. 10, the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party. He attended its groundbreaking ceremony in March, calling it a “crucial task” for the country’s public health.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

You can read more at the link, but President Moon is likely betting that the majority of the Korean media will continue to cover for the ruling party’s sexual misconduct scandals:

Questions are rising over why President Moon Jae-in is not making any mention of a series of sexual harassment scandals involving star politicians of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

His silence on the issue is considered unusual, given that he had pledged to be a “feminist President,” and has underscored the need for supporting and empowering women and put a special emphasis on raising the proportion of female leaders in his Cabinet and the presidential office.

There was an expectation that Moon, during Monday’s meeting with senior aides, would mention the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and the allegations that he sexually abused his secretary ― a case that has made headlines in the local media since Park was found dead in an apparent suicide, July 10.

But Moon failed to mention anything related to the Park scandal. The President has also distanced himself from the sexual violence scandals of other DPK heavyweights, such as former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung and former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don. Both politicians stepped down from office due to #MeToo allegations from women who worked closely with them.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

SpaceX has just put up South Korea’s first military communications satellite:

South Korea’s first military communications satellite was launched into space Monday, Seoul’s arms procurement agency said, making the country the world’s 10th to own a communications satellite for military purposes only.

The Anasis-II satellite lifted off atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket manufactured by U.S commercial space firm SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:30 p.m. (U.S. time), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I wonder who they are conducting clinical trials on if they claim they have no coronavirus cases?:

North Korea is developing a vaccine for COVID-19 Pyongyang’s science research council said Saturday. 

According to a report posted on Mirae, the website run by the North’s State Commission of Science and Technology, its scientists are currently conducting clinical trials on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. 

The report said the vaccine development was being led by a medical biology institute under the North’s Academy of Medical Science using angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). 

North Korea claimed it has confirmed the immunogenicity and safety of its candidate vaccine through animal tests and that clinical trials started this month. 

The reclusive state, which has yet to report a single virus case in the country, added that scientists are in discussions on conducting the third phase of the clinical study. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Not that I think this will happen, but wouldn’t this be an ethical dilemma for the world if North Korea developed a coronavirus vaccine?