Tag: South Korea

This just goes to show there are many more refugees out there that are not from Syria that need help:

When Kh Too landed on domestic soil Wednesday at Incheon International Airport, one of his first messages to local media was as modest as wishing to “be ordinary.”

For a man who fled Myanmar in 1993 and had spent the past two decades living in a refugee camp, it was perhaps the best he could possibly hope for.

The 43-year-old arrived in Korea in the morning with his wife, five children and a niece as part of the first group of refugees to be resettled here through an initiative led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“I feel alive. I deeply thank Korea for inviting us, and for embracing us,” said Kh Too, who only goes by one name, as he took his first step as an F-2 visa holder.

For the next six to 12 months, he and his family will be under care of the Korea Immigration Service and receive job training and Korean-language courses.

Korea on Wednesday became the 29th country in the world and second in Asia after Japan to accept refugees through the Refugee Act, which stipulates that the government accept refugees recommended through the program led by the UNHCR.

The Justice Ministry said in April that it would accommodate 30 refugees annually in the next three years as part of a pilot program.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

All the more reason why I have no urge to ever holiday in the Philippines:

Investigators returned from the Philippines on Friday after looking into the recent shooting death of a South Korean man, adding they have found key evidence to narrow down the suspects.

A 57-year-old South Korean, identified only by his surname Cho, was shot to death by four unidentified, armed assailants on Sunday at his house in Batangas, some 100km south of Manila.

The incident raised the number of South Koreans killed in the Southeast Asian country to 11 this year.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.

More Koreans Spend Christmas Alone – https://t.co/hB6hCkklKm

— Korea Noodles (@Korea_Noodles) December 24, 2015

A reunified Korean peninsula is a big if, but if it did happen one thing is for sure that USFK’s role in South Korea would undoubtedly change if not end all together.  That is what former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry writes about in a paper discussed in the below National Interest article.  I for one think that the ROK would want to keep USFK intact with less troops on the ground as a hedge against any Chinese adventurism on the peninsula:

Last week Kim Jong-un marked the fourth anniversary of his succession to leadership and his father’s death in North Korea. The leadership transition reignited discussion among North Korea watchers over how and whether the regime would be able to survive. Two years later, Kim had his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, executed for treason, sparking another round of speculation over whether the execution reflected a step toward consolidation of power under or was evidence of infighting that might lead to a leadership vacuum in Pyongyang. Because North Korea’s totalitarian system requires isolation to perpetuate political control yet is increasingly penetrated by markets and information, speculation about North Korea’s collapse will persist, and outside observers will judge that Kim is playing a losing hand.

For this reason, policy wonks continue to discuss whether North Korea might collapse and what challenges might emerge out of such a scenario. Nevertheless, seldom discussed is how a unified Korea might behave or how the U.S.-South Korea alliance might or might not adapt, change or even dissolve as a result of unification. Answers to these questions, of course, are speculative and are difficult to conceptualize, but Sue Mi Terry, managing director for Korea at BowerGroupAsia and former CIA analyst, seeks to tackle them straight on in her discussion paper, “Unified Korea and the Future of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance.”

Starting with the most likely scenario that unification will occur with South Korea absorbing the North without a devastating war, Terry argues that a unified Korea would face three possible strategic choices: continuing the alliance with the United States in some form, becoming an independent regional power and tilting toward China. A multilateral security arrangement or a collective security mechanism is unlikely to materialize as an option.  [The National Interest]

You can read the rest at the link.

South Korean fishing boat Sun Star is seen surrounded by thick ice in the Antarctic sea on Dec. 19, 2015 in this photo provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. (Yonhap)

Number of S. Koreans Visiting North Reaches 5-Year High – https://t.co/Tft8yFN4tp

— Korea Noodles (@Korea_Noodles) December 18, 2015

The gap in life expectancy between North and South Koreans continues to widen.  I wonder if this includes all the forced abortions in North Korea?:

South Koreans live 12 years more than their compatriots in the North on average, mainly due to fewer newborn deaths, government data showed Sunday.

According to Statistics Korea, the life expectancy of a South Korean stood at 78.2 years for men and 85 for women. Corresponding numbers for North Korea were 66 for men and 72.7 for women.

This translates into an average South Korean man living 12.2 years longer than one in the North, while a South Korean woman could expect to live 12.3 years longer.

The latest estimate showed that if current trends continue, the gap could widen to 14.5 years for men and shrink to 11.9 years for women by 2055.

In that year, a South Korean man’s life expectancy could hit 85.9 years and that for a woman could reach 89.8 years.

The statistical agency said the major reason for the difference can be found in the high infant mortality rate in North Korea.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.

Head of South Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Kim Moo-sung (third from R) poses for a picture with party members and supporters before the start of a mountain climbing event in the southern port city of Busan on Dec. 19, 2015 to mark the party’s victory in the presidential election three years earlier. (Yonhap)

The domestic Korean movie “The Himalayas” must be pretty good considering it took on the new Star Wars movie this weekend and beat it in ticket sales:

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opened atop the box office all over the world, but it proved no match for “The Himalayas” in South Korea, where the homegrown survival tale snagged the No. 1 spot on Friday.

Based on a true story, “The Himalayas” made $1.6 million on Friday, while “The Force Awakens” came in second with $1.3 million. Friday was the opening day for both films.

Of course, the newest “Star Wars” installment is not hurting for box office returns. The J.J. Abrams-directed space epic has taken in $129 million from abroad since it began rolling out Wednesday, distributor Disney reported on Saturday.  [The Wrap via Reddit]

You can read the rest at the link, but I saw the new Star Wars movie this weekend and found it to be better than any of the prequels.  However, the plot played it safe and was pretty predictable. Also Kylo-Ren and the Golem on steroids has to be one of the worst movie villain duos ever.  However, the incredible special effects, likable lead characters and some unexpected humor made for an overall really good movie.

First of all notice how they call this the Climate Change Performance Index instead of the Global Warming Performance Index.  This just shows how they have actual little confidence in global warming and instead hedge their bets by calling it climate change.  Regardless South Korea is supposed not doing a whole lot to meet global warming goals:

South Korea is getting a failing grade in its response to climate change, ranking among the worst countries in the world according to an international environmental organization and a nongovernmental research institute.
In the 2016 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), South Korea ranked fifth from the bottom, among 58 countries being assessed. The index was released on Dec. 8 – amid a conference of countries that are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, an international alliance of environmental groups, and by Germanwatch, an independent German research institute.

While South Korea is 57th on the list, its actual rank is 54th; researchers left the first three spots empty to reflect the fact that no countries are adequately responding to climate change. This was two spots lower than last year and 23 lower than 2010.

These two organizations draw up the index every year by ranking the 58 countries whose greenhouse gas emissions collectively account for at least 90% of total global emissions. In assigning ranks, 30% of points are given for emissions levels, 30% for recent development of emissions, 20% for climate change policies, 10% for recent development of renewable energy and its share of the primary energy supply, and 10% for efficiency levels and recent developments in efficiency.  [Hankyoreh]

You can read the rest of the link.