This is a pretty big investment in Antarctica that the ROK government is making:
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Cho Seung-hwan speaks during a press briefing at Sejong Government Complex, Monday. Yonhap
The government will build an inland research station in Antarctica by 2030, as part of a long-term plan to elevate the country’s standing in the global science and research community, the oceans ministry said Tuesday. About 277.4 billion won ($205 million) will be spent by 2027 to construct the 15,000-ton Araon 2, the latest model of the icebreaker research vessel Araon built in 2009.
The chief priority of the first comprehensive policy assistance package is to secure greater power and influence in the global science and technology hegemonic war, marked by fierce competition over the past few decades.
I am honored to proclaim tomorrow, November 22, as the first Kimchi Day in state history to recognize the importance of this popular Korean dish, and to further celebrate our incredible Korean-American community and its many contributions to our state. pic.twitter.com/AS04u6rTP9
Good luck trying to help diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy by 2030:
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (R) and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman take a stroll after holding talks at the presidential residence in Seoul on Nov. 17, 2022, in this photo provided by the presidential office.
President Yoon Suk-yeol sent a letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday pledging close cooperation between the two countries following his visit to South Korea last week, his office said.
Yoon sent the letter in response to Prince Mohammed’s note thanking the president for his hospitality during his visit to Seoul last Thursday.
“The crown prince’s visit became an important milestone in taking the bilateral relationship one step farther,” Yoon wrote in his message, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung.
“We will cooperate closely for the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,” he added, referring to the crown prince’s road map for moving the country away from an oil-centric economy.
Let’s hope that South Korea doesn’t start implementing COVID restrictions again due to increasing case counts:
A man gets tested for COVID-19 at a virus testing center in central Seoul on Nov. 18, 2022. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 50,000 on Saturday amid concerns of a possible resurgence in the winter.
The country reported 50,589 new COVID-19 infections, including 50 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,512,754, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The Saturday tally increased from 49,418 on Friday but was down 3,739 cases from a week ago.
From Monday to Thursday, South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases hit two-month highs each day, causing authorities to closely watch for the possibility of another virus wave in the wintertime.
incredible econ story. a new right-wing governor in south korea refused to pay a few million bucks to honor a loan guarantee his predecessor signed to build a legoland, not understanding that this would crater the entire country's $2 trillion bond market https://t.co/DEoAb7IPqo
First Lady Kim Keon-hee cannot do anything without getting ripped by her critics. Has there ever been a first lady this demonized?:
In the photo on the left, South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon-hee holds a Cambodian child suffering from heart disease during her visit to the boy’s home in Phnom Penh, Saturday. In the photo on the right, actress Audrey Hepburn holds a child during her visit to a UNICEF-assisted feeding center in Baidoa, Somalia, in 1992. Courtesy of presidential office, captured from UNICEF Facebook
First lady Kim Keon-hee is back under the microscope on Monday, this time for her charity work during President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to Cambodia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. She was photographed holding a boy suffering from a congenital heart disease, and some opposition politicians are claiming that she tried to imitate an image of “Roman Holiday” star Audrey Hepburn in war-torn Somalia back in 1992.
According to the presidential office, Kim, who is accompanying President Yoon Suk-yeol on his trip to Cambodia and Indonesia, visited the child’s home on Saturday.
Kim was supposed to meet the boy a day earlier when she visited Hebron Medical Center in Phnom Penh, a facility established in 2007 by a South Korean pediatrician, but the boy did not show up to the event due to his condition.
Kim decided to meet the boy instead of visiting Angkor Wat as part of an official program for first spouses that the Cambodian government had set up, the presidential office said.
“You can beat it, right? Get well and let’s meet in South Korea,” Kim was quoted by deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung as saying to the boy.
The photos of Kim holding the boy grabbed the attention of the Korean public.
Wearing a black short-sleeved polo-style shirt and white pants, Kim was holding the boy in her arms while staring into the distance. People online soon compared this photo with Hepburn’s photo taken during her visit to a UNICEF-assisted feeding center in Baidoa, Somalia, in 1992.
In the 1992 photo, Hepburn was wearing a dark polo-style shirt and light-colored chino pants, staring into the distance while holding a child in her arms. Online users and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Kim Yong-min accused the Korean first lady of mimicking the British actress.
“If you want to emulate someone, try to emulate their spirit and sacrifices, not their pose or attire,” Kim wrote on Facebook. “Also, please start by abandoning the evil of using those who are suffering as ornaments.”
During a party meeting on Monday, DPK Rep. Jang Kyung-tae accused the presidential office of resorting to “poverty porn” and chided the first lady for committing a “diplomatic discourtesy” for ducking out of the official program for first spouses.
How did someone like this ever become a priest in the first place?:
This photo released by the Daejeon Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea on Nov. 14, 2022, shows a document on the disqualification of Father Kim Gyu-dong.
A priest of the Anglican Church of Korea has been disqualified for openly wishing for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s plane to crash during his ongoing trip to Southeast Asia.
The Daejeon Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea announced the disqualification of Father Kim Gyu-dong as a priest Monday after he called for a nationwide prayer for the crash of the presidential plane in his social media post.
President Yoon Suk-yeol accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee began a trip to Southeast Asia on Friday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Group of 20 summits, and they are scheduled to return home Wednesday.
Kim recently uploaded a social media post about Yoon’s Southeast Asia trip, saying he wants the presidential plane to crash and wishes the entire nation would pray for the accident. Kim deleted the post later after his church was flooded with protests, explaining that the post was intended as a personal memo but was disclosed by mistake.
After what happened at Itaewon I can understand why Gordon Ramsay’s team would be concerned about a crowd crush happening in a subway car with him in it:
Gordon Ramsay speaks during a press conference at his newly opened pizza restaurant in southern Seoul, Nov. 10. Courtesy of Gordon Ramsay Korea
Celebrity British chef Gordon Ramsey’s demeanor during his three-day visit in Seoul from Nov. 9 to 11 for the opening of his signature restaurant created a stir that continued even after he left the country.
This time, he was at the center of controversy for his request to add security to his subway commute on Thursday.
It was an unprecedented security request made by a celebrity regarding public transport, which came following the Itaewon disaster that claimed 157 lives in a deadly crowd crush on Oct. 29.
News reports on the request triggered public outrage over the use of public resources to protect a foreign celebrity.
Gordon Ramsay Korea filed a request with police for one hour of “safety cooperation” during the British chef’s planned subway trip from 11 a.m. Thursday.
The company’s request did not mention stationing officers, but expressed concerns that the appearance of a foreign celebrity could lead to large crowds gathering in public spaces, officials from Seoul Metro, Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and Seoul Subway Police told The Korea Times, Sunday.
