Korea24 – 2022.11.09 (Wednesday)

News Briefing: Prosecutors have raided the house and office of a close aide of the main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung in a probe of bribery allegations. (Eunice Kim)

In-Depth News Analysis: Health authorities have declared that the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea has begun. This comes as the daily case count reached over 60,000 for a second day on Wednesday, the highest level in two months. To get some expert analysis on the current coronavirus situation and whether this new wave could be the last hurdle before the end of the pandemic can be declared, Dr. Yoo Byung-wook from Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Seoul, and Dr. Lee Han-sung from Severance Hospital joins us on the line.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. The SSG Landers have won the Korean Series after defeating the Kiwoom Heroes in game six of the best-of-seven series. (SSG 한국시리즈 정상 정복…무결점 와이어 투 와이어 우승)

2. Actor Lee Jung-jae has been named in the 25th “GQ Men of the Year” honorees list. (이정재, 英잡지 선정 '올해의 인물' …'오징어게임'부터 '헌트' 활약)

3. A single winner has been drawn in the $2.04 billion Powerball lottery jackpot in the US. (2조8천억원 파워볼 당첨자 나왔다…美 캘리포니아서 1명 당첨)

Korea Book Club: Our pick this week with literary critic Barry Welsh is the short story ‘Raptors Upstream (상류엔 맹금류)’ by Hwang Jungeun (황정은). Translated by Agnel Joseph, the story is centered around a formerly well-off couple who fell on hard times, and how their struggle to escape debt has affected their lives and their children.

Morning Edition Preview with Walter Lee:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Ko Dong-hwan previews the Busan job fair, which is being held in-person for the first time in three years.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features a report by Jie Ye-eun on singer-songwriter Jack White’s first concert in South Korea on Tuesday night.

Korea24 – 2022.11.08 (Tuesday)

News Briefing: The National Police Agency's special investigation team on the Itaewon crowd crush disaster raided 55 government offices on Tuesday, including the office of the Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun. (Eunice Kim)

In-Depth News Analysis: North Korea has rapidly escalated its provocations in recent weeks, launching dozens of missiles of various types. Meanwhile, speculation remains that the regime may be gearing up for its long-anticipated seventh nuclear test. We speak to Markus Schiller, a leading expert on North Korean missiles and the founder of Munich-based consulting company ST Analytics, to assess the current state of North Korea’s missile and nuclear capabilities.

Korea Trending with Diane Yoo:

1. Former President Moon Jae-in is set to give up a pair of dogs gifted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and their puppy, citing a lack of support from the Yoon administration. (문 전 대통령 풍산개 반납 vs 파양 논란)

2. The theme park, Everland, has won the Award of Garden Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies for its rose garden. (에버랜드, 국내 최초 세계장미회가 꼽은 ‘최고 장미원’에 선정)

3. The moon is set to turn a coppery shade of red Tuesday night, due to a total lunar eclipse phenomena dubbed “blood moon.” (200년 안에 없을 ‘특급 우주쇼’…오늘 밤 ‘붉은 달’을 주목하라!)

Touch Base In Seoul: Veteran rugby coach Charles Louw took charge of the South Korean national men's rugby team in early 2021 and he has been dubbed the "Rugby Hiddink" for the transformative impact he has had. He joins us via video call to tell us more about how he decided to come to Korea and what he hopes to achieve for South Korean rugby.

Morning Edition Preview with Walter Lee:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features a report by Yim Hyun-su on the issues that foreign travelers are having with the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) system.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Kwak Yeon-soo writes on Korean director Park Chan-wook being honored by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Korea24 – 2022.11.07 (Monday)

News Briefing: President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to get to the bottom of what went wrong in the authorities' response to the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy. Meanwhile, police have opened investigations into six high-level officials on suspicions of gross negligence related to the incident. (Eunice Kim)

In-Depth News Analysis: The World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever global status report on physical activity last month and it warned that nearly 500 million people worldwide will develop heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) between 2020 and 2030 due to a lack of physical activity, unless governments take urgent action. To talk more about the report, Dr. Rudiger Krech, the Director for Health Promotion at the WHO joins us via video.

Korea Trending with Dianne Yoo:

1. A man accused of being the instigator of the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy has denied the allegations and is threatening legal action. (이태원 참사 '토끼 머리띠' 남성 "얼굴 공개한 사람들 다 고소”)

2. Two miners rescued from a collapsed mine in Bonghwa County after being trapped for nine days are quickly recovering, according to their families and doctors. (‘기적 생환’ 봉화 광부 수일 내 퇴원…오늘 합동 감식)

3. Twitter laid off 50% of its employees last Friday in response to a “massive drop in revenue”, according to its new owner, Elon Musk. (머스크, 트위터 인수 일주일만에 직원 절반 해고…유엔은 "인권 경영" 경고)

Monday Sports Round-up: Sports journalist Yoo Jee-ho from the Yonhap News Agency joins us on the line for the latest on Son Heung-min’s facial injury, which is threatening his participation at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He also updates us on the KBO Korea Series between the Kiwoom Heroes and SSG Landers tied at 2-2, and figure skater Kim Ye-lim’s silver at the ISU Grand Prix.

Morning Edition Preview with Walter Lee:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features data which shows that the number of households in Seoul is set to decline from 2030.

- In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Lee Gyu-lee reports on how over-the-top (OTT) services are seeking to diversify their business portfolios to compete with their competitors.

Korea24 – 2022.11.04 (Friday)

News Briefing: South Korea and the US announced that the Vigilant Storm joint air drills will be extended until Saturday, as two nation’s defense chiefs also warned that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons against the South, it would lead to “the end of the Kim Jong-un regime.” (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis 1: Almost a week has passed since over 150 people lost their lives in a crowd crush incident in Itaewon Seoul. But questions still remain about the failings by the police to prevent the tragedy. Meanwhile, many of the bodies of the foreign victims have yet to be sent back to their home countries. William Gallo, the Seoul Bureau Chief for Voice of America, joins us on the line to provide a foreign journalist's perspective on the tragedy and its implications.

In-Depth News Analysis 2 (Weekly Economy Review): This week, we discuss another “giant step” rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, which comes as the country struggles to contain inflation. We will also take a closer look at the growth in South Korea's consumer prices in October, and the seventh consecutive month of a trade deficit for Korea. Economics Professor Yang Jun-suk from the Catholic University of Korea joins us to provide his analysis.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. An unofficial memorial outside exit 1 of Itaewon station to remember the victims of the crowd crush disaster has drawn a large number of mourners over the past week. (추모공간이 된 이태원역 1번 출구...자원봉사자와 시민이 관리)

2. The Korea Football Association will not be hosting public spaces to watch the 2022 Qatar World Cup in Qatar in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. (이번 월드컵에선 거리응원 안 열린다)

3. The US is offering up to 5 million dollars for information on a Singaporean national who allegedly provided illegal services to North Korea. (美 대북제재 위반자 첫 현상수배...최대 71억 원 지급)

Next Week From Seoul with Richard Larkin:

- The ASEAN Summits will take place in Cambodia, with several non-member nation leaders set to attend.

- President Yoon will hold a government-civilian meeting to analyze the cause of the Itaewon crowd crush incident and discuss improved safety measures.

- The special envoy for climate change and former lawmaker Na Kyung-won will attend the COP 27 conference in Egypt.

Korea24 – 2022.11.03 (Thursday)

News Briefing: North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday morning, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, which failed mid-flight, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis 1: North Korea’s provocations have escalated to new heights after it launched dozens of missiles in the past two days, including a failed ICBM launch and a missile which landed past the de facto inter-Korean maritime border for the 1st time on Wednesday. To discuss why Pyongyang may be stepping up such action, Professor Brian Myers from Dongseo University joins us on the line.

In-Depth News Analysis 2 (Korean Politics Digest): Discussions continue on who should be held responsible for the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. Opposition party lawmakers are calling for the sacking of national police chief Yoon Hee-keun and the interior minister Lee Sang-min. Law Professor Song Se-ryun from Kyunghee University and Affiliate Professor Kim Byoung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joins us to discuss the political ramifications of the disaster, and comparisons on the fallout from the 2014 Sewol Ferry disaster.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Seoul City has decided to review the safety of subway stations that draw large crowds following the Itaewon crowd crush incident. (서울시, 신도림역·사당역·종로3가역 '지옥철' 점검한다)

2. Fly Gangwon has extended the suspension of flights between Yangyang and cities in Vietnam until mid-November after some 100 foreign passengers who entered Korea have gone AWOL. (종적 끊긴 100여 명...불법 체류 통로 '양양 국제공항')

3. Son Heung-Min's participation at the Qatar 2022 World Cup is in doubt after confirmation that he needs surgery for a fracture around his left eye. (손흥민 '안면 골절' 결국 수술)

Korea24 – 2022.11.02 (Wednesday)

News Briefing: North Korea has fired a missile south of the de facto maritime border for the first time since the division of the two Koreas. It was one of at least ten missiles of various types that was launched on Wednesday. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis 1: It has been four days since more than 150 young people lost their lives in a crowd crush incident in Itaewon, Seoul. And while investigations continue on how the situation arose, focus is also turning to preventing future disasters. Professor John Drury, a crowd psychology expert from the University of Sussex, joins us on the line to help us look back at the causes of the incident from Saturday, and discuss how to ensure safety in crowds.

In-Depth News Analysis 2: The 2022 Jeju Human Rights forum, organized by the Jeju Peace Human Rights Institute "What," was held last Thursday and Friday. A host of topics related to discrimintation and prejudice were discussed, including concerns over the Korean public’s apprehension and misunderstanding of refugees. One of the speakers at the forum, Lee Yu-min from Save the Children Korea, joins us in the studio to talk about the challenges facing refugees and child refugees in Korea.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. The bereaved families of the foreigners who died in the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy will receive support from the Korean government, to assist with their arrivals and the funeral service for their loved ones. (이태원 참사 - 외국인 사망자도 2천만원 위로금…장례비 지원도)

2. The ban on plastic bags will be expanded from supermarkets to convenience stores and cafes from the end of November. (24일부터 ‘일회용품 규제 품목 확대’…1년 간 ‘계도 기간’ 운영)

3. Health authorities have issued warnings on dengue fever as cases have been rising among people who recently visited Southeast Asia. (“동남아 방문때 모기 조심”… 뎅기열 감염 늘어)

Korea24 – 2022.11.01 (Tuesday)

News Briefing: The head of South Korea's National Police Agency acknowledged insufficiencies in the police response to emergency calls received prior to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush. The interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min also apologized to the public for failing to prevent the tragedy. (Kim In-kyung)

In-Depth News Analysis 1: The nation is still reeling from the tragedy that struck Halloween festivities in the Itaewon district of Seoul on Saturday night. Concerns are growing over the impact it is having not only the victim’s families, survivors and witnesses, but also the general public. Of particular concern are those in their 20’s, who also lived through another incident of collective trauma, the 2014 Sewol ferry accident. To discuss the impact this could be having Professor Gilad Hirschberger, from the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University in Israel joining us on the line.

In-Depth News Analysis 2: A liquidity crunch has rattled the South Korean bond market after the governor of Gangwon Province declared last month not to renew its credit guarantee for Legoland Korea. Although the province has backtracked on the decision, and has promised to pay the overdue debt a month earlier than initially planned, investors in the corporate bond and commercial paper markets remain rattled. To discuss the situation and assess the government’s measures, Daniel Yoo, Head of Global Asset Allocation at Yuanta Securities, and Professor Park Sang-in from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration join us on the line.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Police have set up a lost-and-found center after 1.5 tons of items, such as bags, clothes, and shoes, were recovered from the crowd crush incident in Itaewon. (용산구, 참사 현장 분실물 센터 운영)

2. A story has emerged of a couple spending four hours to help transport a complete stranger injured in the Itaewon crowd crush to hospital. (“BMW 젊은 남녀, ‘처음 본 낯선 부녀’ 끝까지 도왔다”)

3. A 2.9 magnitude earthquake struck Goesan County in North Chungcheong Province on Tuesday morning. (충북 괴산 2.9 지진, 29일 지진 여진 지속)

Korea24 – 2022.10.31 (Monday)

News Briefing Part 1: South Korea is in a weeklong national mourning period after 154 people were killed in a crowd crush incident in Seoul’s Itaewon district celebrating Halloween on Saturday evening. (Eunice Kim)

News Briefing Part 2: We speak to reporter Raphael Rashid and copyeditor Jon Dunbar from The Korea Times who were in Itaewon shortly before and after the incident and spoke to witnesses at the scene.

In-Depth News Analysis: The tragedy has sparked debate over how this could have happened and who should be held accountable. To learn more about the science behind such events, and what can be done to prevent such incidents from occurring again, we speak to G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk in the UK.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association has urged the public to refrain from making hateful remarks and distributing images of the Itaewon crowd crush incident. (이태원 참사 관련 대한신경정신의학회 성명)

2. Experts have underlined the need to make it mandatory for the public to get CPR training in the wake of the events in Itaewon. (생존율 높이는 CPR…전문가들 "일반인도 배웠다면 적극 나서야")

3. Stories of how Japan safely handled massive crowds at a Halloween festival in Tokyo have been attracting attention. (도쿄도 어제 핼로윈 축제‥'DJ폴리스'가 현장 통제)

Korea24 – 2022.10.27 (Thursday)

News Briefing: The Gangwon provincial government announced that the province will cover the overdue debt held by the developer of Legoland Korea within the year in a bid to stabilize the local financial market. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered his first budget speech this week in front of a half-empty national assembly due to a boycott by the main opposition Democratic Party. This came a day after the prosecution raided the offices of a think tank within the DP headquarters, which DP lawmakers described as political oppression by the Yoon administration. We go over these developments with Law Professor Song Se-ryun from Kyunghee University and Law Professor Cho Hee-kyung from Hong-ik University. They also provide their thoughts on the Justice Ministry’s decision to lower the minimum age of criminal liability to 13.

Korea Trending with Jenny Suh:

1. Samsung Electronics has promoted Lee Jae-yong to chairman after 10 years as vice-chairman. (이재용 삼성전자 회장 시대 막 올랐다…'뉴삼성' 속도)

2. Police apprehended a man in his 40s for stabbing to death his wife and two children in their home in Gwangmyeong city. (아내·두 아들 살해 후 “죽어있다” 신고… 결국 범행 자백)

3. Seoul Metro reported that 57.3% of accidents where a foot fell into the gap between the platform and subway trains were people in their 20s and 30s. (서울 지하철역 승강장 발빠짐 사고, 2030이 절반 넘어…“폰 보다가 꽝”)

Explore Korea: With the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer, our travel Explorer Hannah Roberts introduces some popular spots in Seoul to enjoy the beautiful night views that the city has to offer. They include the viewing platform at the bottom of N Seoul Tower, the city wall at Naksan Park and the Sky Bridge on top of the Lotte World Tower.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Yuna reports that the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will be overhauling its annual “Korean Artist Prize” after it faced criticism in recent years.

Korea24 – 2022.10.26 (Wednesday)

News Briefing: South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have agreed on the need for an unparalleled response if North Korea carries out its seventh nuclear test. This comment came from the South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, after a meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts in Tokyo. (Eunice Kim)

In-Depth News Analysis: In South Korea, discussions have been growing on the need to establish a new government agency that deals with immigration issues, especially after Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said he would review the idea during his appointment speech in May. Welcoming the news was the Immigration and VISA Lawyers Association in Korea. The Association Chairman Attorney Lee Jaewon, and the Director, Attorney Chung Woongsup, join us in the studio to discuss the need for the agency.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Seoul city has announced that the base taxi fare in the capital will jump by 1,000 won from February next year to 4,800 won. (서울 택시 기본료 내년 2월부터 4800원… 미터기도 빨리 뛴다)

2. Three nurses have been arrested in a case involving a 13-month-old baby who died in March this year after being given a wrong dose of epinephrine. (두 살 아이에 '50배 약물' 투여‥간호사 3명 구속)

3. Singer-songwriter Roy Kim has released his first studio album in seven years. (정규 4집으로 돌아온 로이킴 “10년동안 느낀 감정 모두 담아”)

Korea Book Club: With Halloween just around the corner, literary translator Beth Eunhee Hong brings us a fitting book for us to look at for our special monthly edition of the Club. “칵테일, 러브, 좀비 (Cocktail, Love, Zombie)” is a bestselling collection of four short horror stories by Jo Ye-eun (조예은), which showcases her imaginative and darkly comic talents.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Kim Hae-yeon writes about an exhibition highlighting art from the Habsburg Empire at the National Museum of Korea.

- Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Kwak Yeon-soo on an exhibition in Seoul called "All of Us are (Not) Zombies: 21st Century K-Zombie Chronicle"