Korea24 – 2022.12.08 (Thursday)

News Briefing: The unionized truckers strike entered its 15th day as the government expanded its return to work orders to the steel and petrochemical industries. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis: Last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for China to help dissuade North Korea from further banned nuclear weapons development. He also called on Beijing to fulfill its responsibilities as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. This comes as the prospect of a seventh nuclear test by the North remains. To discuss President Yoon’s comments and the broader China-North Korea relationship, Professor Robert Kelly from Pusan National University joins us on the line.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. Analysis of the 2023 CSAT, aka Suneung, was released on Thursday, which showed that the Korean language section was easier than last year, but mathematics was more difficult. (올해 수능 만점자는 3명‥"국어 쉽고 수학은 만점자 급감")

2. A 63-year-old man has been caught by the police for the illicit capture and sale of wild animals, with more than 4,000 snakes in possession. (뱀 4000마리를 밀렵꾼 1명이…오소리·고라니도 냉동 보관)

3. North Korea’s state media belatedly aired South Korea’s football match against Brazil at the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Wednesday. (북한TV, 한국-브라질전 녹화 중계… 손흥민·황희찬 경력도 소개)

Explore Korea: Travel Explorer Hannah Roberts joins us in the studio to tell us about the Seoul Urban Life Museum, which chronicles how life in the capital has changed in modern times. We also discuss a current special exhibition, called “Residential Life in Seoul” looking specifically at how homes have changed.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features a report by Lee Yoon-seo on the growing number of people taking personal color tests to find out which color best suits them.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Park Han-sol reports on "Fermented Flower", an installation produced by Korean artist duo Breakwater, that visualizes the history of labor migration in Asia in the 19th century.

Korea24 – 2022.12.07 (Wednesday)

News Briefing: As the unionized truckers' strike entered Day 14 on Wednesday, unions representing the nation's concrete truck and pump operators and parcel delivery workers have pledged to launch their own collective action in support. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis: China’s strict zero-COVID policy led to public unrest in recent weeks, particularly after a tragic fire at a locked-down apartment complex that led to the death of ten people. However, the country is now starting to ease some of its most stringent measures. To learn more about the protests and where China’s zero-covid policy is headed, Jonathan Cheng, the China Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, joins us over the line.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. The international age system is set to become the norm for all judicial and administrative purposes in South Korea as early as next year. (내년 6월부터 '만 나이' 사용 통일…관련법 개정안 법사위 통과)

2. The BBC has included the former co-interim leader of the Democratic Party, Park Ji-hyun, and CJ ENM Vice Chairwoman, Lee Mie-kyung, in its list of 100 inspiring and influential women for 2022. (BBC가 뽑은 올해의 여성 100인, 박지현-이미경 선정)

3. Morocco became the first Arab nation to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup, after they beat European heavyweight Spain on Tuesday. (모로코, 승부차기 끝에 스페인 꺾고 사상 첫 8강 진출)

Korea Book Club: Literary critic Barry Welsh joins us in the studio once again, today discussing a classic work, 'Tungsin-bul' by Kim Tong-ni. Published in Korea in 1961, and translated into English at least twice, it tells the story of a Korean soldier in 1943 who flees the Japanese military draft by becoming a Buddhist monk.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Kim Hae-yeon reports on how skin moisturizers used by a Joseon princess have been reinterpreted as modern-day cosmetic products.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Dong Sun-hwa on the recent comeback made by the second-generation K-pop girl group Kara.

Korea24 – 2022.12.06 (Tuesday)

News Briefing 1: South Korea’s campaign in the 2022 Qatar World Cup has come to an end with a chastening 4-1 loss to Brazil in the Round of 16. We speak to Paul Williams, football writer and founding editor of the Asian Game to review the match and Team Korea’s overall World Cup campaign.

News Briefing 2: For the second day in a row, North Korea fired artillery shells into the maritime buffer zone on Tuesday, again violating the 2018 inter-Korean military accord. (Chris Price)

In-Depth News Analysis: Last week, Daejeon City notified the central government that the city will take autonomous steps to lift the indoor mask mandate next month if the central government fails to do so by mid-December. However, Jung Ki-suck, the nation's chief adviser on infectious diseases, says now is not the right time, warning that the premature removal of the mandate could be fatal for high-risk groups. Dr. Alice Tan from MizMedi Women's hospital joins us on the line to discuss this issue.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. Bookstores in Seoul's subway stations are closing down after 37 years, to improve station congestion in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. (서울 지하철 서점 37년 역사 끝난다…“이태원 참사 영향”)

2. Financial authorities are warning the public against downloading malicious apps that aid criminals in carrying out voice phishing scams. (금감원 대표번호로 걸어도 ‘당한다’…진짜 같은 가짜, ‘악성 앱’ 주의보)

3. Warner Bros. announced that Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s next film “Mickey 17” will be released on March 29, 2024. (봉준호 신작 '미키 17', 2024년 개봉 확정…로버트 패틴슨 티저 공개)

Touch Base In Seoul: Earlier this year, the renowned designer Teo Yang was chosen to be the artistic director for this year's Craft Trend Fair. He joins us in the studio to discuss his aesthetic philosophy, his favorite projects over the years, and the theme for this year’s Craft Trend Fair - “Today's Questions, Craft Answers."

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Kim Rahn on “KOREA 360”, a center in Jakarta, Indonesia where visitors can experience Hallyu products.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Kim Hae-yeon reports on a new exhibition called "Eat and Inherit: Korean Traditional Food Culture" at Jeonju’s National Intangible Heritage Center.

Korea24 – 2022.12.05 (Monday)

News Briefing: South Korea will face five-time World Cup winners Brazil in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Tuesday, Korea time. (Chris Price)

Monday Sports Roundup: South Korea beat Portugal in their final football World Cup group game last Friday and made it to the knockout stages for only the third time in their history. They now face the daunting prospect of taking on the World Number 1, Brazil, in just a few hours. To unpack the incredible result against Portugal and look ahead to this next match, Paul Williams, the founding editor of the Asian Game, and football writer Steve Han join us on the line.

In-Depth News Analysis: Last month, President Yoon Suk Yeol held a video call with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, where the president asked the billionaire entrepreneur to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in South Korea. For more on Yoon's request and the prospect of a gigafactory in Korea, reporter Lim Jeong-won from Korea JoongAng Daily joins us on the line.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. A man has been arrested on charges of killing an 8-year-old boy while driving under the influence in Seoul’s Gangnam District. ('청담동 초등생 사망' 음주운전자 구속…"범죄 중대, 도주우려")

2. There have been growing complaints that local businesses in Busan have been raising their prices for the Busan Fireworks Festival next Saturday. ("커피 한 잔 10만 원, 하룻밤 160만 원"‥부산, 바가지요금 기승)

3. South Korea’s national lottery Lotto is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. (로또 20주년, 7800명 '1등 당첨 대박'…4억부터 407억까지)

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Kim Da-sol reports on the Jongno Culture Diversity Film Festival that kicks off this week.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Kim Rahn on the sequel to the 2015 hit film "Veteran" beginning filming this month.

Korea24 – 2022.12.02 (Friday)

News Briefing: A Seoul court is deliberating over an arrest warrant for the former national security adviser, Suh Hoon, over cover-up allegations involving the death of a fisheries official by North Korean soldiers in 2020. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Weekly Economy Review): South Korea's consumer prices rose five percent in November, the slowest on-year gain since April, suggesting a continuing slowdown in inflation. Meanwhile, exports fell for the second consecutive month in November, leading to eight straight months of a trade deficit for the first time since the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s. Economics Professor Yang Jun-sok from the Catholic University of Korea reviews the data for us.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Prosecutors have indicted nine people, including the grandson of Namyang Dairy Products’s late founder, on drug related charges. (남양유업 손자 마약 구속 기소…'재벌 3세 마약 스캔들' 터지나)

2. RM of the K-pop sensation BTS has released his first official solo album, Indigo. (BTS RM, 첫 공식 솔로 음반 '인디고' 발표)

3. Japan shocked the footballing world by advancing into the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating powerhouse Spain. ([월드컵] 일본, 두 대회 연속 16강…아시아 새 역사)

Movie Spotlight: “The Night Owl (올빼미)”, a historical drama centered about a mysterious death at a royal palace, is our first film this week. We also look at a comedy, “Men of Plastic (압꾸정)”, starring Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee, about a local chancer looking to start his own plastic surgery business. Critics Jason Bechervaise and Darcy Paquet provide the reviews.

Next Week From Seoul with Richard Larkin:

- South Korea faces Portugal in the final FIFA World Cup group match on Saturday 12AM(KST).

- President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a summit with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Seoul on Monday.

- Next week marks 10 years since the Korean traditional song “Arirang” was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Korea24 – 2022.12.01 (Thursday)

News Briefing: A special investigative team under the National Police Agency is seeking warrants to detain four senior officers as part of its probe into the inept preparation and response to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): The union-backed truckers strike entered its eighth day on Thursday, calling for an extension and expansion of the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System. But tensions escalated after the government issued a return-to-work order for truckers in the cement sector earlier this week. To learn more about the situation and what the truck drivers are demanding, Lim Wol-san, the Road Transport Section Vice Chair of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) joins us in the studio today.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. New late-night taxi fares in Seoul will begin Thursday, raising the basic fare by up to 40%. (서울택시, 심야할증 오늘부터 '밤 10시' 시작‥할증률 최대 '40%')

2. People in Korea have been noticing that street food stalls selling winter snacks, such as Bungeo-ppang and Hotteok, are becoming less common. ("붕어빵·호떡 찾아요"…고물가에 사라지는 겨울낭만)

3. Australia became the first team from the Asian Football Confederation to advance to the Round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup. (호주, 아시아 첫 16강 진출…튀니지, 프랑스 꺾었지만 16강 탈락)

Explore Korea: The traditional Korean mask dance Talchum was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Wednesday, becoming the country's 22nd item on the list. Our arts and culture critic Ahn Jae-woo joins us to tell us more all about the dance, as well as its historical, cultural and social significance.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald has a feature by Im Eun-byul on a program by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to encourage students to live in the countryside for a year.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Park Han-sol reports on Mexico’s first-ever exhibition of Korean webtoons that will begin next week.

Korea24 – 2022.11.30 (Wednesday)

News Briefing: Two labor unions of Seoul Metro launched a general strike on Wednesday morning, calling for the subway operator to withdraw restructuring plans that include layoffs. (Eunice KIM)

In-Depth News Analysis: Last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner event with President William Ruto of Kenya and ambassadors from 31 African nations, where he pledged to pursue a free trade agreement with African nations, and hold a special South Korea-Africa summit in 2024. To discuss such plans and learn more about the current state of Korea-Africa relations, Dr. Cho Joonhwa, research fellow at Seoul National University’s Asia Center joins us in the studio.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Education authorities have launched an investigation after an 8-year-old student punched his teacher in the face last week in Gunwi County. (초등학교 3학년이 40대 여교사 폭행)

2. The head coach for South Korea's football team Paulo Bento apologized for getting suspended for the last group match at the 2022 World Cup. (벤투 감독, 선수단에 사과…“3차전도 우리의 축구 할 것”)

3. JackMa, the founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba, who disappeared from public view since China’s tech crackdown, is reported to be in Tokyo. (‘실종설’ 마윈 어딨나 했더니… “도쿄서 반년째 은신”)

Korea Book Club: Literary translator Beth Eunhee Hong introduces us to the Munhak Dongnae’s Young Writers Award, and this year’s grand prize winning story ‘초파리 돌보기 (Looking After Fruit Flies)’ by Lim Solah (임솔아), a quietly devastating story about a woman in her 50s who has had various odd jobs throughout her life as she raised her daughter.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Ga-young reports on pianist Lim Yun-chan’s album with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra becoming a "platinum-selling" album within hours of its release.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features an article by Park Han-sol on a limited-edition book about director Park Chan-wook’s 30-year career that will be published next month.

Korea24 – 2022.11.29 (Tuesday)

News Briefing: President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a government order forcing striking truckers in the cement sector to return to work as a union-backed walkout entered its sixth day. (Eunice KIM)

News Briefing 2: South Korea is now on the cusp of elimination from the 2022 Qatar World Cup after suffering a 3-2 defeat against Ghana on Monday. Paul Williams, founding editor of the Asian Game, joins us on the line to discuss the performance and Korea’s chances of making the Round of 16.

In-Depth News Analysis: In its global economic outlook released last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) lowered its growth outlook for South Korea for next year, from from 2.2% in September to 1.8%, citing uncertainties in the global economy. Economist Hwang Hyun-jeong from the OECD Economics Department joins us on the line to take a closer look at how South Korea's economy is expected to fare next year and more.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. South Korea has extradited a 42-year-old woman to New Zealand in a case related to two children found dead in abandoned suitcases. (법무부, '가방 시신' 여성 뉴질랜드 송환)

2. Singer and actor Yoo Seon-ho has been announced as the newest and youngest member of KBS’s hit reality-variety show “2 Days & 1 Night”. (유선호, '1박 2일' 새 막내로..25일 첫 촬영)

3. The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, has erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years. (세계 최대 하와이 활화산 38년 만에 분화‥정상부 용암 분출)

Touch Base In Seoul: Following her rookie year in the WNBA playing for the Los Angeles Sparks, guard Kianna Smith signed with the Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx of the WKBL in September, which meant that she would be coming to play in her mother’s birth country. She joins us via video to tell us about her decision to come to Korea, her experience in the league so far, and her dreams to represent South Korea.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Choi Jae-hee writes about Karin Jensen, a Korean adoptee in Sweden, who was able to find her birth mother after 46 years.

Korea24 – 2022.11.28 (Monday)

News Briefing: President Yoon Suk Yeol has promised that South Korea will develop its own space rocket for a moon landing within ten years, and a Mars mission within 23 years. (Eunice KIM)

In-Depth News Analysis: On November 19th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un revealed his daughter to the world for the first time. State media photos showed the pair at an ICBM test launch site. Presumed to be Kim's second child, Ju-ae, she made a public appearance again last Sunday during a photo session with scientists and officials involved in the recent Hwasong-17 ICBM launch, fueling speculation over Kim’s succession plans. To analyze what the disclosure of Kim's child could possibly mean, correspondent Shreyas Reddy from NK News joins us on the line.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Five people died in a helicopter crash in Yangyang, Gangwon Province on Sunday. (산불 헬기 추락 5명 사망‥"지인 탑승")

2. The Busan Fireworks Festival will be held next month for the first time in 3 years. (3년 만의 부산불꽃축제 다음 달 17일 열린다)

3. Thousands of protesters have hit the streets in major cities across China since Friday, expressing anger over the government's strict COVID-19 protocols. ("시진핑 물러나라"…3년 '제로 코로나'에 중국 민심 폭발)

Monday Sports Round-up: South Korea held Uruguay to a 0-0 draw in their first match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, picking up a point. Football writer Steve Price and the founding editor of the Asian Game, Paul Williams, joins us on the line to dissect Korea’s performance, and preview the final two group games against Ghana and Portugal.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Kwak Yeon-soo on an upcoming biopic about Korea’s first priest, St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Yuna writes about El Anatsui, an artist from Ghana, holding his second show in Seoul.

Korea24 – 2022.11.24 (Thursday)

News Briefing: Unionized truck drivers across the nation have begun a general strike demanding a continued guarantee in minimum shipping rates. The government has warned of a stern response amid concerns of supply disruption. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): President Yoon Suk Yeol announced on Monday the indefinite suspension of his daily morning briefing with reporters. This comes amid continued acrimony between the presidential office and the broadcaster MBC. To discuss the feud and the decision to suspend the briefings, Affiliate Professor Kim Byoung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and journalist and former president of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club, Michael Breen, join us on the line.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. A woman recently deduced that a friend had broken into her home and robbed her, as well as possibly injured her dog fatally, using the file information from a photo the friend had sent. ("힘내"라며 건넨 반려견 사진…친구에서 범인으로)

2. Singer Lee Seung-gi has released a statement demanding his agency release the entire account statement from all his albums and pay him accordingly. (음원료 정산 갈등, 이승기 측 첫 공식 입장)

3. Members of Japan’s World Cup squad have wished South Korea luck for their first match on Thursday, after their historic win against Germany. ([월드컵] 일본, 독일에 2-1 역전승)

Explore Korea: The Yongsan History Museum opened to the public this year. The building, which is a former hospital and a registered cultural heritage, houses two floors celebrating the unique and diverse history of the Yongsan district. Allison Needels from Pinpoint Korea joins us this week to tell us all about it.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Yuna reports on a special collaborative exhibition with a famous British whisky brand and Korean artisans.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Lee Kyung-min about a senior land ministry official who developed an app to help people find the best dog walking routes.