A photo of Gwanghwamun in central Seoul taken by a thermal image camera, right, shows that the temperature in the area is very high. The temperature in Seoul peaked at 39.6 degrees Celsius (103.3 degrees Fahrenheit) at 3:36 p.m. Wednesday. The photo on the left was taken with a normal camera. [YONHAP]Wednesday was the hottest day ever recorded in Seoul.
The temperature in the city peaked at 39.6 degrees Celsius (103.3 degrees Fahrenheit) at 3:36 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). It broke the record from the summer of 1994, when the mercury hit 38.4 degrees Celsius.
The temperature in Seoul Wednesday set the record for the highest temperature in the city since the KMA started to keep record of temperatures from 1907.
Wednesday was also the day Korea’s highest temperature ever was recorded: The temperature in Hongcheon, Gangwon, hit 41 degrees Celsius, breaking the record of highest temperature recorded in Korea, which was 40 degrees Celsius in Daegu in 1942. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
American actor Tom Cruise attends a publicity event in Seoul on July 16, 2018, to promote the 2018 American spy action film, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” The film will hit South Korean screens on July 25. (Yonhap)
Pedestrians walk past street artworks depicting fried eggs and melted rubber slippers in front of Hyundai Department Store in Daegu on July 13, 2018, fitting structures for the city some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul which often records some of the highest temperatures during summer. The mercury rose to 34 degrees C on the day but felt close to 38 degrees due to sun rays and humidity. (Yonhap)
It appears someone’s pet monkey has gotten lose and is now threatening hikers on Mt. Bukhan just outside of Seoul:
A rogue monkey on Mt. Bukhan has attacked several hikers.
According to the Ministry of Environment Thursday, officials have been trying to capture the monkey since they received reports about it last week. The mountain is not a natural habit for the creatures.
A video clip, which has gone viral, shows the monkey wandering around the mountain. The person who posted it on YouTube on June 9 was almost attacked when he went near the animal.
He backed off and said: “This monkey is not afraid of humans at all.” [Korea Times via a reader tip]
You can read more at the link or view the Youtube video below:
Nobel Prize-winning American economist Paul Krugman delivers a keynote speech at a special talk on South Korea’s social polarization at the conference hall of the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul on June 27, 2018. (Yonhap)
Considering how popular the Dragon Hill Lodge is, I would not be surprised if from the US side these talks get slow rolled as much as possible:
The Dragon Hill Lodge at Yongsan Garrison
There was sharp criticism from the city of Seoul and civic groups that leaving the 240,000㎡ ROK-US CFC on the site of the Yongsan Garrison would cause the park that will be built there after the land is returned to South Korea to end up looking malformed. South Korea and the US bowed to the pressure by agreeing at the end of last year to move ROK-US CFC to a building on the precincts of South Korea’s Ministry of Defense, located nearby. The relocation of the ROK-US CFC to the Defense Ministry grounds is reportedly supposed to be completed within the year.
On the other hand, little progress has reportedly been made in deliberations between South Korea and the US about relocating the Dragon Hill Lodge, which is located on the grounds of the base. The original agreement was for the 84,000㎡ resort to remain at Yongsan regardless of the base’s relocation. But recently, objections have been raised about leaving a US military facility that is not open to South Koreans at the center of the planned park.“There have not been any official discussions, and we are currently exchanging opinions,” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Choi Hyeon-su when asked about this in April. [Hankyoreh]
Muslims pose at a mosque in Seoul on June 15, 2018, to mark Eid al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. (Yonhap)
This photo shows a car damaged after crashing into the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in central Seoul on June 7, 2018. (Yonhap)
A gender equality ministry official slammed his car into the front gate of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Thursday and claimed he wanted to seek asylum in the United States, police said.
The official, identified only by his surname Yoon, was immediately taken into custody after crashing his sedan into the steel gate of the embassy in central Seoul around 7:15 p.m.
Police said Yoon, 48, is a director-level official at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The ministry is located in Seoul’s main government complex building across the street from the U.S. Embassy.
Police said Yoon went to work in the morning and left early after taking a half-day off.
Witnesses said Yoon’s car was traveling on the boulevard in front of the embassy before it abruptly changed its direction toward the embassy.
As he was overpowered by police, Yoon shouted, “Help me!” several times.
Yoon later told police that he slammed the car into the embassy because he wanted to seek asylum in the U.S. due to reasons related to North Korea. No further details were immediately known. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but if you are wondering Yoon was not drunk at the time to explain this crazy story. On a positive note at least the US embassy now knows that their gate works at stopping speeding cars from smashing through it.
This was very lucky that no one was at home at the time of the collapse and the businesses were closed or this could have been quite a tragedy:
Police officers and firefighters examine the rubble of a collapsed building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Monday. The building was completed in 1966 and collapsed on Sunday. Residents believe the cause was cracks in the foundation. [YONHAP]Residents of a four-story building that collapsed in central Seoul on Sunday are blaming the Yongsan District Office for ignoring their complaints about cracks in the foundation that they called a recipe for disaster.
The building, which consisted of restaurants on the first and second floors and living quarters on the third and fourth, collapsed at 12:35 p.m. A 68-year-old woman living on the top floor sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The other residents were not at home, and the restaurants were all closed, which prevented further casualties.
Authorities have yet to identify the precise cause of the accident. Because the building was completed in 1966, police and firefighters believe it was the outcome of progressive deterioration. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but of course government authorities are alleged to have blown off reports from the residents of crack they seen forming in the building. This appears to be another example of the poor safety culture in South Korea.
