South Korea
- Atletico train in front of Korean fans ahead of K League clashkoreajoongangdaily.joins.com Atletico train in front of Korean fans ahead of K League clash
Atletico Madrid completed their first training session in Korea on Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday's preseason game against the all-star Team K League.
- Young Koreans favor iPhones over Samsung Galaxy: surveywww.koreaherald.com Young Koreans favor iPhones over Samsung Galaxy: survey
In South Korea, 69 percent of adult smartphone users use a Samsung device, while only 23 percent use iPhones, a Gallup survey of 1,001 adults found. But the survey reveals a starkly different trend in one demographic: younger millennials and Gen Z. Among the younger generation, aged 18 to 29, iPhone...
- Prosecutors launch raids over deaths in flooded underpasskoreajoongangdaily.joins.com Prosecutors launch raids over deaths in flooded underpass
Prosecutors raided multiple police and local government offices on Monday in connection to the recent flooding of an underpass in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, which claimed 14 lives.
- Former dog meat farmer finds new life after freeing 200 dogs
A former dog meat farmer surnamed Yang speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his farm in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, June 27. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
- Death toll from torrential rains rises to 47, 3 still missingm.koreaherald.com Death toll from torrential rains rises to 47, 3 still missing
Rescuers have recovered one more body of people who were swept away by floods caused by recent torrential rains, raising the total confirmed deaths to 47, fire authorities said Saturday. The body of a man in his 60s was found in Yecheon, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul, yesterday, according to the...
- More Seoul subway escalators reach replacement agekoreajoongangdaily.joins.com More Seoul subway escalators reach replacement age
Seoul Metro said on Thursday that 578 escalators among the 1,827 at Seoul's subway stations were built at least 20 years ago and have yet to be replaced. Escalator components are required to be replaced every 15 to 20 years.
- Missing marine found dead, anger expressed at safety measureskoreajoongangdaily.joins.com Missing marine found dead, anger expressed at safety measures
On Thursday, the Marine Corps launched a probe into the death of the Marine amid public criticisms over poor safety measures for personnel deployed for search and rescue operations.
- One killed, 3 injured in knife attack at Sillim Station in Seoulkoreajoongangdaily.joins.com One killed, 3 injured in knife attack outside Sillim Station in Seoul
Other victims were reported to be in critical condition.
- First Korean Transgender Athlete Wins Women's Cycling Competition and Delivers a Shocking Message to the Worldwww.thegatewaypundit.com First Korean Transgender Athlete Wins Women's Cycling Competition and Delivers a Shocking Message to the World | The Gateway Pundit | by Brian Lupo
Last month, Korean cyclist Na Hwa-rin competed at the Gangwon Sports Festival in Gangwon Province. The 37 year-old transgender athlete underwent gender-affirming surgery in Seoul in 2022 and received a new birth certificate that expressed their gender as “female”. Na was able to compete in the compe...
“I am not honored. I am not proud of myself at all. I believe other transgender athletes would feel the same way. They may not want to admit it, but they’re being selfish. There is no honor as an athlete in that,” she said, referring to international transgender athletes who have sparked heated debate about the fairness of their competing against biological women after transitioning.
Na advocates for the creation of a “third gender” category in sports competitions, alongside male and female categories, to make sports more inclusive and fair.
- South Korea flood: 13 bodies recovered from flooded tunnelwww.bbc.com South Korea floods: Dozens die in flooded tunnel and landslides
At least 40 people have died in floods and landslides in one of the country's worst monsoon seasons.
Rescuers working to reach passengers trapped in a flooded tunnel in the central South Korean city of Cheongju have recovered 13 bodies.
On Saturday night, flood water from a burst river bank poured into the underpass, quickly trapping people in their cars and commuters on a bus.
Officials are yet to disclose how many got stuck in the 685m (2,247ft) tunnel, but said there were 15 vehicles.
At least 39 people have died in torrential rains the past week.
South Korea has been hit by extreme rainfall which caused floods, landslides and power cuts.
As of Monday morning, at least nine people were still missing after a weekend deluge, authorities said.
In the suburb of Osong, where the tunnel flooded, several of the bodies were recovered from inside a bus. Nine survivors were rescued on Saturday.
The victims' families say the deaths might have been prevented had the local authorities responded effectively.
Several local media outlets reported that a few hours before the tragedy, the river flood control office had issued a warning about the alarming water levels, and therefore the traffic around the tunnel area should have been diverted.
Most of the other fatalities were in the mountainous North Gyeongsang region, where landslides swept away whole houses.
Almost 300mm (11.8in) of rain is reported to have fallen across South Korea on Saturday.
- A diver’s pain: Living with the ghost of Sewol tragedy [2016]www.aljazeera.com A diver’s pain: Living with the ghost of Sewol tragedy
More than two years after Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea, rescue workers are still recovering from the trauma.
- FDA blasted for 'misleading' mRNA COVID vaccine labels as 'sudden death' research mountsjustthenews.com FDA blasted for 'misleading' mRNA COVID vaccine labels as 'sudden death' research mounts
Even FDA-funded research acknowledges "safety signal" for serious heart inflammation in 12-17 year-olds. Agency ignores federal law by demanding proven "causality," medical researchers claim.
cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/176394
> Autopsies and reviews of medical records revealed a much higher incidence of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine-associated heart deaths than officially categorized in South Korean, Japanese and Qatari government registries, particularly in younger people at lower risk from COVID. That echoes a German autopsy study of healthy people who died within 20 days of jabs.
- Many Young Graduates Work Less Than 36 Hours a Weekenglish.chosun.com Many Young Graduates Work Less Than 36 Hours a Week
Almost half a million young graduates work less than 36 hours a week, according ..
- Copycat Samsung plant in China
cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/94565
> Public Prosecutors Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said it has arrested and indicted a former executive of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Inc. on charges of stealing Samsung’s trade secrets to build a copycat semiconductor plant in China.
- Man who terrified passengers by opening aircraft door midair 'wanted to get off quickly'edition.cnn.com Man who terrified passengers by opening aircraft door midair 'wanted to get off quickly' | CNN
A man who opened the emergency door of an Asiana Airlines plane just before landing on Friday afternoon told police that he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the plane quickly.
- From 'no kids zones' to 'no ajae zones' — where does society draw the line?koreajoongangdaily.joins.com From 'no kids zones' to 'no ajae zones' — where does society draw the line?
Picture this: As the weather warms up, you decide to prepare for camping season. But just when you find a camping ground you like online, you are unable to book solely because of your age — not because you’re underage, but because you’re over 40 ...
- Footage of man trying to break into woman's home using wire sparks fearm.koreatimes.co.kr Footage of man trying to break into woman's home using wire sparks fear
Online users in Korea are reacting with horror after viral footage emerged of an unidentified man trying to break into a lone woman's home using a length of steel wire to open the locked door.
- ‘Hungry’ South Korean student finds banana artwork very appealing: reportwww.foxnews.com ‘Hungry’ South Korean student finds banana artwork very appealing: report
An expensive piece of artwork consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall was eaten by a South Korean art student.
- S. Korea's exports in April 2023 declines 14.2% year-on-yearwww.ajudaily.com S. Korea's exports in April 2023 declines 14.2% year-on-year
[Yonhap News Photo]SEOUL -- South Korea’s total exports have declined for seven consecutive months while domestic firms suffer from a steep fall in exports of semiconductors. The country has also experienced a trade deficit for 14 months since March 2022. Data released by South Korea...
- DOJ Races To Find Source of Leaked Pentagon Documentswww.zerohedge.com DOJ Races To Find Source of Leaked Pentagon Documents
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/86608
> The documents suggest United States spying not only on Israel but ally South Korea, too. One report says internal discussions show that South Korean officials are wary of requests to hand over artillery shells to the United States to replenish American stockpiles, out of concern they'd end up in Ukraine.
- Saturday Commentary and Review #116 [Extensive South Korea Commentary]niccolo.substack.com Saturday Commentary and Review #116
South Korea's War of the Sexes, China's Middle Eastern Diplomatic Earthquake, North Africa As Global Battleground, Crisis of Liberal Modernity, John Huston's "Big Dick"
- Futuristic landmark of Seoul Ring to be constructed in Haneul Park, Sangam-dong by 2025 -english.seoul.go.kr Futuristic landmark of Seoul Ring to be constructed in Haneul Park, Sangam-dong by 2025 -
The Official Website of Seoul. You can view a wealth of information about the city, including the main policies, history, culture, tourism, metropolitan experience, medical welfare, transportation, etc., along with an overall introduction to the city such as Seoul-related videos, photos, and map.
- South Korean marriages slide to record low in a blow for country with the world’s lowest birth ratewww.japantimes.co.jp South Korean marriages slide to record low in a blow for country with the world’s lowest birth rate
South Korea’s crude marriage rate — the number of marriages per 1,000 people — slid to 3.7 from 3.8 in 2021.
South Korean marriages fell to a new record low last year, auguring a further downshift in the country’s dismal fertility rate.
South Korea’s crude marriage rate — the number of marriages per 1,000 people — slid to 3.7 from 3.8 in 2021, according to data released Thursday by the national statistics office. About 191,700 marriages took place in 2022, down 0.4% from a year earlier.
The increased reluctance among South Koreans to marry is a warning sign that the world’s lowest fertility rate may fall even further. Matrimony and fertility are closely associated in Korea, where births outside marriage remain rare.
Low fertility threatens to undermine Korea’s productivity by shrinking its workforce and slowing consumption. The government has introduced a slew of measures to encourage more births in an effort to reverse the trend, including a tripling of monthly allowances for parents by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office last year.
- Samsung to build 'world's largest' chip cluster in S. Koreawww.dw.com Samsung to build 'world's largest' chip cluster in S. Korea – DW – 03/15/2023
Samsung Electronics expects to invest hundreds of billions to build the world largest chip hub as part a of South Korean national project seeking to gain a further edge in the global semiconductor industry.
Seoul has announced it would build the biggest chip center in the world, largely using some 300 trillion won (roughly $230 billion or €220 billion) of private investment from electronics giant Samsung over the next 20 years.
The chip manufacturing "mega cluster" of facilities will be built in various locations in Gyeonggi province by 2042.
The center will be anchored by five new semiconductor plants built bySamsung.
The South Korean government seeks to invest heavily in six technology areas including chips, displays, rechargeable batteries, electric vehicles, robotics and bio-technology.
Although the country is well established in these sectors, the government hopes to tap into the growing demand due to adoption of new technologies like 5G wireless networks, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars.
According to President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea will "build the world's largest scale system semiconductors cluster in the capital areas using massive private investments worth 300 trillion won."
Speaking at an economic policy meeting, Yoon said: "Speed is important. The government will do its best to realize the cluster project."
The semiconductor center will aim to attract 150 other companies which will be producing materials and components or designing high-tech chips, according to South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
- Yoon announces 'complete normalization' of military intel-sharing pact with Japanm-en.yna.co.kr (7th LD) Yoon announces 'complete normalization' of military intel-sharing pact with Japan | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks from press conference, background; CHANGES photos)By Lee ...
- Ranking presidential officials own assets 10 times greater than national average: civic groupm-en.yna.co.kr Ranking presidential officials own assets 10 times greater than national average: civic group | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- The average assets owned by high-ranking officials at the offi...
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- The average assets owned by high-ranking officials at the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol amount to 4.83 billion won (US$3.7 million), about 10 times greater than the national average, a civic group said Tuesday.
The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice disclosed the findings in a press conference after analyzing assets of 37 high-level presidential officials.
The average amount is 10.5 times greater than the country's average assets per household that stand at 460 million won, the civic group noted.
Lee Won-mo, a presidential secretary for personnel affairs, declared the biggest assets of 44.6 billion won, followed by senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye who reported 25.47 billion won and Kim Dong-jo, a secretary for public messages, with 12.42 billion won.
- Ex-president Chun Doo-hwan's grandson slams his familynews.koreaherald.com [Newsmaker] Ex-president Chun Doo-hwan's grandson slams his family
A grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan alleged that his family was living on illicit funds, has committed crimes and called his grandfather a “slaughterer,” in a shocking Instagram disclosure Tuesday. Chun Woo-won, the second son of the ex-president’s son, Jae-yong, uploaded video cli...
- S. Korea's Population to Plummet to 38 Mln by 2070world.kbs.co.kr S. Korea's Population to Plummet to 38 Mln by 2070
South Korea's population will likely plummet to 38 million by 2070.According to a Statistics Korea report on its outlook for the nation’s population and for the world ...
- (3rd LD) BOK freezes rate, lowers growth outlook amid economic uncertaintyen.yna.co.kr (3rd LD) BOK freezes rate, lowers growth outlook amid economic uncertainty | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS governor's remarks throughout) SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea&a...
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's central bank on Thursday kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged for the first time in 10 months as worries are growing that aggressive monetary tightening could hurt economic growth.
The Bank of Korea (BOK), however, noted that the rate freeze decision does not mean an end to more than a year of a monetary tightening cycle, saying that most of the policy members want to keep the door open for a further increase going forward.
The seven-member monetary policy board of the BOK held a meeting and decided to hold the benchmark rate steady at 3.5 percent. The decision was not unanimous, with one board member voting for a quarter-point rate increase, according to the central bank.
This marked the first time that the BOK has stood pat following seven straight increases delivered since April last year as it has grappled with inflation.
The central bank also lowered its growth outlook for this year to 1.6 percent from a 1.7 percent rise predicted three months earlier, while revising down its inflation projection from 3.6 percent to 3.5 percent.
"It is forecast that inflation will continue to be above the target level (of 2 percent) throughout the year although it is projected to gradually decrease, and uncertainties surrounding the policy decision are also judged to be high," the BOK said in a statement.
"The board, therefore, sees that it is appropriate to judge whether the base rate needs to rise further while assessing the pace of inflation slowdown and developments in the uncertainties."
- Court recognizes partner of gay couple as legal dependentm.koreatimes.co.kr Court recognizes same-sex partner as legal dependent
An appeals court ruled in favor of a gay couple calling for equal health insurance coverage for same-sex couples, Tuesday, overturning a lower court's decision that sided with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).The landmark ruling by the Seoul High Court ordered the NHIS to cancel its deci...
- As South Korea ages, free rides become a headachewww.yahoo.com As South Korea ages, free rides become a headache
STORY: Every day, 71-year-old Park Gyung-sun rides the sprawling subway of Seoul...delivering flowers, documents and other packages around the South Korean capital.People call this sort of work 'Silver Delivery' because its popular among senior citizens,who are entitled to ride the city's networks f...
- Brave Entertainment announces the disbandment of Brave Girlswww.allkpop.com Brave Entertainment announces the disbandment of Brave Girls
Brave Entertainment officially announced the disbandment of Brave Girls on February 16 KST.The agency stated, "The exclusive contr…
- Japan's Government Adopts Nuclear Energy Policy In Major Turnaround Amid Energy Crisiswww.zerohedge.com Japan's Government Adopts Nuclear Energy Policy In Major Turnaround Amid Energy Crisis
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/82177
> Japan’s government on Feb. 10 adopted a policy seeking to maximize the use of nuclear power in a bid to stabilize the country’s energy supply amid soaring energy costs fueled by the prolonged war in Ukraine. > > South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has reversed the previous administration’s plan to phase out nuclear energy and pledged to boost investment in the industry and revive its status as a key exporter of safe reactors.