Tag: South Korea

Here is an interesting issue that I doubt the Moon administration would do anything to change:

Growing anti-China sentiment is leading some to call for taking away the right of foreign permanent residents to vote here. 

The move is intended to target Chinese residents, as they make up the majority of eligible immigrant voters in Korea. Recent disputes have pitted the people of the two countries against each other over various cultural issues, including recent claims coming from China that some elements of Korean culture, including kimchi, hanbok and samgyetang, originated there.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the article says there are 121,806 foreign residents in Korea and 80% of them are Chinese.

The anti-China sentiment has always been there in the Korean public; it is just incidents like this bring it out publicly:

The Chinatown issue comes on the back of Koreans’ protesting claims made by some Chinese influencers and media that kimchi is their traditional food. After Beijing received an international certification for its pickled vegetable dish, “paocai,” in November, China’s state-run Global Times reported that this certification amounted to “an international standard for the kimchi industry led by China.” Since then, the nationalist newspaper has been running articles containing the implication that Beijing is leading the kimchi industry and that the dish originated in China.

These articles led to an online spat between the internet users of both countries, with Koreans arguing that China was now attempting to steal Korea’s cultural legacy. 

Korea Times

You can read much more at the link about why the anti-China sentiment is rising in Korea right now.

This will make life a little better for those who are vaccinated:

South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that fully vaccinated people will be exempted from the country’s mandatory 14-day isolation period from early next month as the country is struggling to speed up the vaccination campaign.

Health authorities said that, under the country’s anti-infection measures, those who have been fully inoculated will no longer be required to self-isolate themselves after coming in close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering the country from overseas from May 5.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As long as the Korean left remains in power I just don’t see them joining the “Quad” because of their near religious zeal of improving relations with North Korea. Additionally even if the Korean right was to regain power even they would be challenged to join the quad considering the heavy economic investment that Korean companies have made in China that would be impacted:

Korea may face tougher pressure from China to avoid joining the U.S.-led informal strategic group, as Beijing reportedly remains on high alert over Seoul’s possible participation.

Citing diplomatic sources, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Saturday that Korea had received a number of inquiries from Chinese officials about whether it was considering joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or “Quad.” But the Korean government has so far said that there has been no invitation from Washington.

The report also said that Chinese diplomatic experts believe that if Korea were to join the Quad, it would be a significant challenge to China’s security in East Asia, while referring to the alliance as an “anti-China coalition” in the region.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It would be interesting to see how many Koreans rush to get the Russian made vaccine if they decide to go this route:

Domestic contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine have enjoyed a bullish run on the stock market this week, as the government began to consider use of the Russian vaccine to deal with a supply shortage of Pfizer and Moderna products.

President Moon Jae-in recently ordered his staff to review the feasibility of using Sputnik V, according to sources familiar with the issue. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also asked the foreign ministry to collect data on the safety of the Russian vaccine.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I would not be surprised if the Moon administration is trying to play the Russians off of the Americans to get COVID vaccines out of the Biden administration.

I wonder if these cafe’s market themselves as a COVID safe juicy girl experience?:

South Korean parents of young students are reacting nervously to the recent openings of sex doll experience shops or cafes in their neighborhoods around the country.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling last June in favor of the importation of life-size sex dolls, several hundreds of new businesses have reportedly opened nationwide offering in-store experiences with the sex toys.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

There has finally been an indictment of a Blue House official in regards to the Ulsan Mayor election meddling case:

Prosecutors on Friday indicted a presidential official in a high-profile political scandal surrounding a 2018 mayoral election.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office charged Lee Jin-seok, presidential secretary for state affairs monitoring, with violating election laws, wrapping up more than a year of investigation into the case in which presidential officials and a ruling party candidate’s campaign allegedly colluded to win the mayoral election in the southeastern city of Ulsan. (…..)

In January 2020, a total of 13 officials including Song Cheol-ho, current mayor of Ulsan and longtime friend of President Moon Jae-in, and Han Byung-do, former senior presidential secretary for political affairs, were put on trial in the same case.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest COVID policy coming to South Korea:

South Korea will introduce a digital certification system to verify a person’s COVID-19 vaccination status through a smartphone application this month, amid the government’s efforts to boost people’s participation in the public vaccine program, the prime minister said Thursday.

“The people will be able to experience a sense of return to normality from a vaccine passport or green card systems,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a daily interagency meeting on the government’s coronavirus response.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Its that time of the year again in Korea:

An extraordinarily strong yellow dust storm originating from the inland deserts in northern China and Mongolia blanketed all of South Korea on Monday, prompting authorities to issue a yellow dust warning for Seoul and almost all parts of the country for the first time in a decade.

The density of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, soared to 1,174 micrograms per cubic meter in Daegu on Monday morning, the worst level since Nov. 12, 2010, when the corresponding figure reached 1,047 micrograms in the southeastern city.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest coronavirus restriction in South Korea:

 The government will ban eating at mass gathering establishments like sports stadiums, libraries and museums starting Monday, officials said, amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Eating will be banned at 21 types of public places, which also include karaoke bars, public saunas and movie theaters, and violators will be fined 100,000 (US$88) starting April 5 after a one-week grace period, officials said.

Other facilities subject to the ban include cram schools, hair dressers, gyms, casinos and exhibition halls.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.