A worker at a recycling company examines piles of compressed plastic bottles in a yard in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Waste plastics do not lead to recycling in Korea and they become piles of garbage, but, on the other hand, the recycling suppliers import waste plastics from the foreign countries.

The reason why the import of overseas waste plastics increases is that the companies manufacture the fiber or packing container by recycling the wastes after the processing them.

A certain fiber maker person concerned says, “some apparel brands require the recycling fiber goods, because they make eco-friendly image. But the Korean waste plastics decline in quality, so we cannot but import Japanese waste plastics that are clean and separated properly”.

The amount of import of the waste PET (PET = polyethylene terephthalate) bottles that mainly make recycling fiber was 101,900 tons last year. And, of these, 55, 800 tons were from Japan. It exceeds half. the amount of import is 58, 200 tons this year, and around 40% (22, 900 tons) are from Japan.

The workers at a local government-run recycling plant in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, were busy separating the recyclables by hand.

“We went through some 70 tons of trash yesterday, I think it might be around that much today, too,” said the worker. “We’ll probably be working late into the night.”

Plastic and Styrofoam waste was placed on a 40-meter (131-foot) conveyor belt at the plant, on either side of which workers began separating them. Some of the pieces reeked as the contents inside had gone bad.

“I’ve come across dead animals inside plastic bags,” said a 51-year-old worker at the plant. “And it’s not uncommon to get punctured by needles and other sharp objects as we separate the objects.”

The plant said around 20 percent of the recyclables that end up there are recyclable. The rest are separated by workers as unrecyclable trash.

According to duties accomplishment evaluation of President Moon Jae-in by Gallup poll in December, 38% of respondents replied, "he is doing well". An affirmative evaluation declined consecutively for four weeks and hit a record low again after his inauguration. / NEWSIS

The opinion that “the Republic of Korea is fraud republic” is supported by the statistics that are not little. Each country has a difference, but globally the theft is the most common crime. However, only in Korea, the fraud crime takes the first place.

Even if you borrow money and you cannot pay it back or keep the promise, it's not fraud. When you deceive a person intentionally and profited, it is fraud. The President promised “to make the country of fairness and the justice” and started the government, but that is not realised. Four years passed and now I understand he said so though he did not have any plan to realise it from the first. The President shouted loudly, “I am confident of the house price”, but the house price soars, and the general public are pounding only a sigh.

Though he handed a letter of appointment to the Public Prosecutor General and told General to “take strict action to the power”, he criticised the Public Prosecutor General who investigated injustice of the power. This is a historic lie that no rhetorics of past administrators match for.

According to the public opinion poll by the public opinion poll company, Korean Gallup, the President approval rating was 38%. After the question whether you support the president or not, the survey has a description-type question, “please write only one reason why you think so”. 30% or more of the supporters wrote, “The president is doing his best”, “He is doing well generally” and “I do not know”. They could write only the answer “He is doing his best” because they could not find what the president was doing well, when they were told to write the reason of support for the president.

While looking at the government supporters who must make such a sad reply, I remembered the far-off relative who suffered damage of the fraud and shocked more than 20 years ago. The relative said to the last, “It can’t be true that he did such a thing.” The victim of the fraud tends to want to believe a impostor till the last. People who support the President will say in this way too. “It can’t be true that our president did such a thing.”

“금메달 딴 '시각장애인' 운전면허 시력은 '1.0'”
Gold medalist - Another 'visually impaired person' has driver's license. His eyesight level is ' 1.0'.

South Korean media say a former coach for South Korea's national Paralympic judo team has been indicted for fraudulently accepting government prize money by having able-bodied athletes lie about their eyesight.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper and other South Korean media said a district prosecutors' office in Seoul indicted the former head coach on Tuesday, along with 13 athletes.

The Paralympic rules set a certain level of visual acuity for judoka to qualify.

The former coach allegedly chose national team members after telling them to obtain medical certificates by lying about their eyesight.

The athletes won many medals in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, the 2014 Asian Paralympics in Inchon and the 2018 Asian Paralympics in Jakarta.

The prosecutors allege that the athletes and their coach illegally received a total of 120 million won, or about 110,000 dollars, in bonuses from the government in recognition of those achievements.

An official of South Korea's Paralympic Committee told NHK that until recently, athletes were not required to present government-issued disability certificates when they applied to compete in international events.

The official said the organization is implementing tighter screening, including requiring athletes to obtain such certificates.

The statue of the war time laborer constructed in Boramae park in front of Taejeon city hall, Korea	⇐	Japanese laborer at the public works spot in Hokkaido considered to have become the model of the statue
강제 노역強制 勞 役에 동원動員된 우리 민족民族 　　　　　전쟁戰爭에 동원動員된 어린 학생學生들	⇐
Koreans who were called out by forced labor (Korean Government-designated textbook)		The photograph of the Japanese laborers published in the Japanese Asahikawa newspaper on September 9, 1926

Kim So-yeon, the chairperson of People Power Party said “The model of the statue of the war time laborer is a Japanese”. So she was charged on the suspicion of libel. But on 19th, the Taejon District Public Prosecutor’s Office announced, “There was no suspicion because of lack of evidence”.

The Public Prosecutors Office judged that the claim of chairperson Kim was a thing for the public interest and it was appropriate that you thought the statue of the war time laborer was a Japanese.

In August, 2019, she commented through her Facebook and the news documents, “The model of the statue of the war time laborer who is dressed in rag and thin is not a Korean, but a Japanese ill-treated in the public works spot in Hokkaido. You should remove the statue of the war time laborer.”

In contrast, Mr. Kim Seo-kyung and his wife Kim Eun-sung filed a suit in libel in last November. They said, “The representative Choi Dok-hyo and others spread a falsehood fact and damaged our honor”.

From August 24, 2016 to August 13, last year, the couple of Kim had made “the statue of forced laborer” who symbolized the forced victims in Japanese era, and they installed it in Kyoto (Japan), Yongsan station (Seoul), Pusan, Jeju, Taejon, etc..

※　The Korean textbook writes, “the Japanese militarism started a war with China in 1937. The people of our country were mobilized forcibly afterward as workers who worked in the armories or the war officers. The women were taken to the battle front as "the comfort women" of Japanese military and they received cruel pain. Whether the person of the photo is a Japanese or a Korean is not a problem at all in Korea.

The first communications satellite “Anasis-II” for exclusive use of the military

Korea launched the communications satellite “Anasis-II” for exclusive use of the military for the first time this year, but it was revealed by October 19th that it had not developed the important terminal which controlled the satellite.

Korea cannot utilize the satellite even if it put the military satellite into orbit. The satellite is more likely to go around the earth in vain for approximately one year.

People inside and outside the Korean military say “It is the lack of commonsense that Korea cannot develop even a terminal, though the communications satellite business has already advanced for two years.”

Jo Jung-rae, the Korean famous novelist

Jo Jung-rae who wrote the novels of “Taebaek Mountains” and “Arirang” said, “If you go study abroad in Japan, you are unconditionally a pro-Japanese and a traitor”.

In contrast, Chin Jung-kwon, the former professor at Tong-Yang University criticized that and said through his Facebook, “This level is insanity. A tendency of the extreme right latent in the anachronistic nationalism comes out without a principle.

A statue symbolizing the issue of so-called comfort women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels is unveiled in Berlin on Sept. 28, 2020. The statue is aimed at informing the world about the long-running point of tension between South Korea and Japan. (Kyodo)

The Mitte district in Berlin said Thursday it has rescinded its approval for a statue installed last month in the German capital that symbolizes Korean women in Japanese wartime military brothels amid Tokyo's objection to the display.

The district is asking a pro-South Korea civic group to remove the “comfort women” statue by Wednesday. The Japanese government expressed regret over the statue in Berlin after it was installed in public in late September.

Local authorities in Berlin had green-lit the installation for a period of one year on the grounds that the project opposes wartime sex violence, but ultimately changed its position, saying the district should remain neutral on the matter.

The district said the installation of the statue has triggered frustration in Berlin and Japan. Pointing out that the statue is related to a conflict between two states, district head Stephan von Dassel said that creating such an installation in Germany is not appropriate.

The civic group which played a key role in the setup of the statue says it will continue talks with the district, with the aim of keeping the statue on display in a public place.

Kaher Kazem, the president of GM Korea

Kaher Kazem, the president of GM Korea was prosecuted by the prosecution on the suspicion of “illegal dispatch” in this July, and his departure from Korea is prohibited now.

Recently the president Kazem said to his friend, “I’m a father who has a child. It is hard for me to think that my child looks at me as a criminal”.

Kazem has a Australian nationality and he experienced various markets at GM. Three years will pass at the end of this month after he came to Korea, but the official announcement of his transfer is blocked, because his departure is prohibited.

He grumbled to his friend, “No talented person wants to come to Korea.”

A fact “You will become an ex-convict immediately, if you become the president of GM Korea” is known worldwide in GM.

A person in the industry said, “It is a fact that if you become a CEO of a company in Korea, you may be prosecuted for several hundred crimes.

The Korean labor law system, the unrealistic government orders and the unpredictable justice system compress the corporate managements.”

Destroyed Toyota Lexus (July 24, 2019 “Korea YTN”)

President Moon Jae-in has fanned the boycott of the Japanese products, but it was revealed that some aides were, in fact, overflowed in “Japanese car love”.

The ex-President secretary kept barking saying “it is my best mission that I uncover the pro-Japanese who hang out in Korea” in the general election, and the ruling party swept the country. But he had three luxury model Lexus of Toyota Motor Corporation.

It has come to light that the secretaries of the Chongwadae (the Executive Office of the President) who had appealed for “anti-Japan” and fanned the boycott of the Japanese products were the people who overflowed in “Japanese car love” unexpectedly.

Pak Sugeong, the aide of technology reported he had two Japanese cars including Toyota Prius (about 2.7 million yen) in the name of spouse.

Izisu, the secretary of foreign countries media had only two Japanese cars including Lexus RX330 (3, 300cc cubic centimeter displacement, about 5.4 million yen) in the name of himself and Honda Accord (2, 300cc, about 4 million yen) in the name of his spouse.

Kim Jaejun, Director of the press club center reported possession of Nissan Altima, too.

Mr. Li Il-byeong who is the husband of Kang Kyung-wha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs likes the motorcycle very much and he had three Japanese motorcycles including Hond CB400SF.

However, he gave up all, after it came to light.

In May, 2018, three members of the Democratic Party who played of the characters of “Galaxy Express 999”. Tetsuro Hoshino (Pak Ju-min, the left), Maetel (Ee Jae-jeong, the center) and stationmaster (Cheong Cheo-rae, the right)

The Korean ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea clamors for “친일청산親日清算 (sweeping away Japanese things)” and “토착왜구섬멸土着倭寇殲滅 (eradicating of pro-Japanese)” day after day.

It was revealed that members of the Democratic Party had used “Galaxy Express 999” for material of the public information following using the Japanese animation “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman”.

In May, 2018, three Diet members of the Democratic Party 정청래鄭清来 (Cheong Cheo-rae), 이재정李在汀 (Ee Jae-jeong), and 朴柱民朴柱民 (Pak Ju-min) played the characters of “Galaxy Express 999”.

Pak Ju-min played the main character of “Galaxy Express 999”, Ee Jae-jeong played “Maetel” and Cheong Cheo-rae played “stationmaster”.

Recently the poster of the Democratic Party became the topic. 5 Diet members played the characters of Japanese animation “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman”.

top: “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman”
bottom: The poster of the Democratic Party of Korea

This publication explains, “The situation is that our party convention and our innovation problem are sluggish by the flood damage and the spread of new coronavirus infection! Eagle 5 brothers will advance the party innovation problem by the live concert in YouTube to break this through.”

And the photograph of five Diet members (이재정李在汀 (Ee Chae-jeong), 김남국金南局 (Kim Nam-guk), 김용민金容敏 (Kim Yong-min), 장경태張京泰 (Chang Kyeong-tae) and 최혜영崔恵英 (Choe Hye-yeong)) from Democratic Party, and the image of five members of “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman” are published.

Korean net users say, “They like the abuse of Japanese characters without hesitation very much, though they hate pro-Japanese.”, “Do they say plagiarizing without paying the royalty that should be paid to Japan is patriotism? The Japanese title of the animation is ‘Ninja corps' of all things.”, “It may be sneered (in Japan)”, “Do not appeal the boycotting of Japan products, if the ruling party does such a thing.”......

President Moon Jae-in visited this research institute and encouraged them

The drink-driving spreads among the staff of national defense science laboratory affiliated with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in Korea.

18 staff were subjected to disciplinary punishment by drink-driving last year, but most of them were light disciplinary punishments.

The staff of “driving license suspension” received “indulgence” called the warning and the confinement to the house, and the most of the staff who were exposed in the state of drunkenness having 0.08% or more of alcohol content in blood had only their salary reduced.

In addition, two cases of the sexual harassment between the staff happened only last year.

President Moon Jae-in had visited this research institute that had the 50th anniversary, and encouraged them saying “each researcher is the patriot who protects security and builds the peace”.

The clothing brand UNIQLO will close 9 stores in Korea only this month.

“No Japan”. When Japan limited the exports of semiconductor and the core materials for display production to Korea in last July, the boycott for the Japanese products began in Korea.It's the campaign not to buy Japanese products and not to go to Japan.

In boycott for about one year, the sale of some Japanese company became half, and some withdrew from Korea. The boycott is still present continuous.

According to the company evaluation site “CEO score,” the sales of the last year of 31 Japanese consumable product companies that advanced to Korea decreased by 6.9% on an average compared with the previous year. The operating income for the same period rapidly decreased by 71.3%.

The last year the sales of Asahi Breweries became half (-50.1%). The sales of the vehicle maker, Honda Korea decreased 22.3% (104.1 billion won) and recorded a net loss of 14.6 billion won.

In addition, Nissan and Infinity decided to withdraw after 16 years of business in Korea. The clothing brand UNIQLO will close 9 stores in Korea only this month. Other Japanese brand “GU” completely will withdraw from Korea at the end of this month.

But all Japanese products do not receive the blow. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, the popular game of the Nintendo switch sells like hot cakes. The sales of Nintendo Korea restored the level of 200 billion won last year.

The boycott is biased to the specific products and companies. As a result, it has become so-called “selective boycott”.

Documents on the 1965 normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan.Photographer: Jeon Young-han/AFP via Getty Images

Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula ended more than seven decades ago, yet that legacy still roils everyday politics on both sides.

Japan contends all claims were settled under a 1965 bilateral treaty and a fund set up in 2015. Seoul argues Japan hasn’t done enough.

Some of Japan’s largest companies have been dragged into the fray, and the situation is affecting the two countries’ ability to cooperate on security and other issues.

1. What are the roots of the labor dispute?

Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were conscripted during the 1910-1945 colonial period to work, often in brutal conditions, at dozens of Japanese companies.

At the time of a 1965 treaty that established diplomatic ties between the two countries, Japan paid the equivalent of $300 million -- $2.4 billion in today’s money -- and extended $200 million in low-interest loans on the understanding all claims were “settled completely and finally.”

The then-struggling South Korea invested the money in industries that eventually helped turn it into an economic powerhouse.

However, South Korean court rulings since late 2018 have said some conscripted workers were not properly compensated for their emotional pain and suffering.

2. What is the fallout for the companies?

South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in 2018 against two of Japan’s largest companies:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. was ordered to pay as much as $134,000 to each of 10 claimants, while Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. was ordered to pay $88,000 to each of four plaintiffs.

A South Korean court then ordered the seizure of shares valued at about $356,000 that Nippon Steel has in a joint venture with South Korean steelmaker Posco, a move Tokyo calls unlawful.

These assets could be liquidated soon, something Japan has said would inflame tensions.

A statue symbolizing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe taking a deep bow to “comfort woman” is pictured at Korea Botanic Garden in Pyeongchang, South Korea, July 28, 2020. REUTERS/Daewoung Kim

The Japanese government reacted angrily on Tuesday to a statue in South Korea that appears to depict Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, kneeling and bowing to a seated “comfort woman,” a euphemism for women forced to work in Japan’s wartime brothels.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said if reports of the statue on display were true, it would be an “unforgivable” breach of international protocol.

“If the reports are accurate, then there would be a decisive impact on Japan-Korea relations,” Suga told a news conference in Tokyo.

Hongkon Kim, the former Deputy Ambassador

A Kiwi citizen is still waiting for justice after allegations of sexual assault by a Korean diplomat in 2017.

The former Deputy Ambassador to New Zealand is accused of assaulting a male staff member and a warrant for arrest was issued this year. But instead he’s in the Philippines, as Consul General, with Korea refusing to arrange his return.

Over 8000km away in the Philippines, the embassy’s former Deputy Ambassador has a new role of power and prestige. Hongkon Kim is the Consul-General. But New Zealand Police want him back in New Zealand, where he’s accused of serious crimes.

A warrant for his arrest was issued in February in the Wellington District Court - three allegations of sexual assault on a male Kiwi staffer at the Wellington embassy.

Each could carry up to seven years in jail. But efforts to return him have proved fruitless and Korea’s refused to help.

The first took place inside Kim’s office, where it’s alleged he “directed the victim to help him try and fix a problem with his desktop computer.

“Whilst behind the defendant’s desk the defendant suddenly, and without invitation, squeezed the victim’s left buttock with his hand.”

The touch was said to be sexual in nature and a second allegation quickly followed. This time outside the embassy elevator, where police say he “approached the victim, grabbed him in the groin area and around his belt with his hand”.

Both incidents were reported to superiors. But the victim continued to work in his office, and a third allegation came a few weeks later - this time that Kim grabbed his nipple and chest.

Kim left the country just a month later, before the complainant went to police. Last year police launched an investigation, and since then Kim hasn’t returned.

	⇒
Traditional Japanese style house in “My Summer Vacation” (Sony PlayStation, 2000)		One scene of tvN’ “summer vacation”

The suspicion was raised. The Korean famous producer, Na Young-seok made the tvN's new TV show, “summer vacation” , but it may imitate the concept of the game for PlayStation that Sony released.

“Summer vacation” was broadcasted for the first time on 17th. An actress Jeong Yu-mi and an actor Choi Woo-shik use a house in a fishing village in Gangwon-do, and spend a holiday.

Two people do a walk, a cooking, a crop of farm products and the exercises, etc. They finish a day by drawing a picture diary before sleeping.

On 18th the claim that “summer vacation” plagiarized the game “my summer vacation” Japanese SONY Corporation made was brought up after the broadcast in a certain online community.

This game was released by use only in Japan in 2000. In the game, a city boy goes to the country and spends the summer vacation.

It is main content that a player spends time with a choice of various experience of the provincial life. It was produced to four series with the backdrops of the Japanese districts such as Hokkaido or Setonaikai in Japan.

The net users say that the general concept resembles. They go to the country in summer vacation and have various experiences, and draw a picture diary.

Furthermore, some Koreans indicate that the internal structure of the house the performers live in resembles the enemy product house (a house owned by the Japanese. It belonged to the government after the liberation, and was disposed of to a commoner) .

On 19th, the production staff gave an explanation through Instagram of “the summer vacation”. They said, “We have never seen the Japanese game and so we did not refer to it at all.”

Coffin of Paek carried for his burial

The burial of Paek Sun-yup, “hero of the Korean War” was held in the Daejeon National Cemetery.

He had commanded the Korean military on the site of the hard-fought battle of the Korean War.

Over the burial of Paek, there was the claim that he should be buried in the Seoul National Cemetery in consideration of his achievements in the Korean War.

On the other hand, there was the claim that he must not be buried in the Seoul National Cemetery, because he had been a Japanese soldier and might have oppressed Korean anti-Japanese movement power.

JOLED accuses Samsung of selling Galaxy smartphones in the U.S. without licensing technology used in the handsets from the Japanese panel company.

Japanese display maker JOLED said Tuesday it has filed lawsuits against Samsung Electronics and other Samsung group companies in American and German courts for alleged infringement on patents on organic light-emitting diode panel technology.

The U.S. lawsuit against Samsung, local arm Samsung Electronics America and panel maker Samsung Display accuses the conglomerate of selling its Galaxy smartphone brand in the country without a license for JOLED technology used in the phones. The German complaint runs along similar lines, naming Samsung Electronics and a local subsidiary. Both lawsuits seek damages.

JOLED was formed in 2015 from the merger of the OLED operations of Panasonic and Sony. While it plans to start up facilities for high-volume panel production this fiscal year, it has also made licensing of such technology a major part of its business model.

The company holds or has applied for about 4,000 OLED-related patents worldwide. It announced a deal Friday with TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology for joint development of OLED panels for TVs.

Ju Sun-ok, the representative of “Eomma corps”

The Korean Public Prosecutor’s Office gave summary indictment of fine 1 million won for Ju Sun-ok, the representative of “Eomma corps”. She had led the undeclared meeting, saying “Moon Jae-in Administration has to apologize to the Abe Administration” before “The Statue of Peace” last year in Korea.

Trump's hug with Lee Yong-soo, so-called comfort woman

Over the last few days, a feud has surfaced between former comfort women and their core support group called the “Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan”. The two groups have been holding rallies in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul every Wednesday for the last 28 years asking for Japan’s apology and compensation.

Lee Yong-soo, a former comfort woman, held a press conference on May 8, 2020 saying that she would no longer participate in the Council’s rallies, and that the Wednesday rallies themselves must stop. Lee said, “Students spend their own precious money and time to attend these rallies, but the rallies only teach hatred and suffering. Korean and Japanese youths with historically accurate education must befriend each other and communicate with each other to solve problems.”

Regarding the Council, she said, “The comfort women who belong to the Council are considered as victims and are cared for by the Council, but those who do not belong to the Council are not cared for. I have been deceived and exploited for the last 30 years.”

Lee also revealed that the Council mismanaged its funds. The Council did not distribute donations made by the public for the comfort women, and where they did, it was a significantly small portion of the donated funds.

Yoon Mi-hyang, the president of the Council is the key figure in this feud. Prior to making the 2015 Comfort Women Agreement, President Park’s foreign ministry closely communicated with Yoon to make sure that the views of comfort women would be accurately reflected. However, Yoon has denied such an interaction occurred. She said that the Park administration unilaterally informed the group that the agreement was going to be made.

Not only is Yoon anti-Japan, but she is also anti-U.S. She was a vocal opponent of the U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea, saying that a “divided Korea is good for America’s arms business.”

Meanwhile, her daughter is currently studying at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). People have asked how she is paying for tuition, to which Yoon replied that her daughter went to a university that gives her a full scholarship. However, UCLA, a state university, does not give scholarships to international students. As for her husband, he was found guilty of violating South Korea’s National Security Act by engaging in pro-North Korean activities.

On her facebook page, Yoon described how she first came to know Lee. Yoon said, “In 1992, I received a phone call from Lee. Lee’s voice was so quiet that I could barely hear her, but she said trembling, ‘I am not a victim, but my friend…’ I remember this as though it was yesterday.”

The upper: the game “Gwisal-ui Geom (The Ear-Slaying Sword)”, the lower: the animation “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”

A Korean smartphone RPG by the name of Gwisal-ui Geom (The Ear-Slaying Sword) announced on Monday that it is ending service on April 29.

The announcement has come mere days after the game’s initial launch on April 24.

The game was accused of plagiarism online in Japan and Korea for its strong resemblance to aspects of Koyoharu Gotouge’s hit manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Not only does the protagonist bear a physical resemblance to Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro, his family was also killed by demons, and he goes on an adventure to vanquish them.

Although the announcement does not directly address the accusations of plagiarism, it says that the game is being halted due to “various problems.”

The staff expresses their apologies for their “immaturity” and for “causing discomfort to others.” In-game purchases have already been blocked ahead of the game’s official closure.

Police officers trying to detain student protesters inside the Japanese Consulate in Busan on July 22, 2019

Seven South Korean college students indicted for staging a protest performance over Japan’s export restrictions inside the Japanese Consulate in Busan last July have all received a deferred sentence, court officials in the southern port city said Saturday.

The seven, including one surnamed Kwon, were accused of displaying placards condemning Japan’s export curbs for South Korea and shouting slogans, such as “Abe must apologize,” on the premises of the Japanese mission on July 22.

The seven students were all indicted without detention in January on trespassing charges.

The Busan District Court on Thursday ordered the seven students to pay a fine of 3 million won (US$2,440) but deferred the imposition of the sentence.

A deferred sentence refers to a postponed or delayed sentence in which criminal charges are dismissed and conviction is avoided after two years. It differs from a suspended sentence that follows criminal conviction.

“The public has also sympathized with the actions of the accused. But they violated procedures and their methods (of protest) were done in a backward way. Thus their will can be distorted,” Judge Bu Dong-sik said.

The university students had argued in previous court hearings that they only took righteous actions as young Korean men.

Lee Nak-yeon, the ex-Prime Minister of the Democratic Party, the ruling party

The preparations for the general election planned on April 15 are pushed forward steadily in Korea, and the election mood is increasing.

In the end of March, the ruling party (the Democratic Party)’s “Manual of strategy, public information and stumping for general election” flowed together through the media.

This document includes the contents such as “United Future Party continues supporting the Abe Administration and cannot say a single word to Japan”, “United Future Party takes a more submissive attitude toward the Japanese Government and only criticizes the Korea government” and “This election is ‘Korea vs. Japan’”. This document is distributed to each local election camping and is used in the election campaign of candidates positively.

The Moon administration supporters also have the campaign “This election is ‘Korea vs. Japan’” through the Internet. They publish the poster of “This election is ‘Korea vs. Japan’” in each site, and they make the drop curtains of “Clear up the 100 years’ pro-Japan by your vote !” and put them up in each place in Korea.

The citizen’s groups such as “Abe impeachment citizen actions” are promoting the campaign, “Make the Diet without the pro-Japanese”.

The pro-north Korea group that invaded the Japanese consulate general of Pusan and the site of the U. S. ambassador’s residence in Seoul makes the election campaign song “United Future Party is Japan party” and is distributing it. They make the photographs that complexes two faces of Hwang Kyo-an, the representative of United Future Party and Na Kyung-won with the samurai cloths, and scatter and throw them.

In addition, they appear frequently in the canvassing places of the United Future Party candidates and raise a clamor and continue interfering with the election campaign.

They appear frequently at the canvassing place of Na Kyung-won with the placards that write “They are always friend of Abe” or “We do not need the pro-Japanese politicians” . They appear at the canvassing place of Shim Jae-chul, First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and shower with the slanders such as “Clear up the pro-Japanese deep-seated evil” or “a soldier of the pro-Japanese family”.

However, the Korean police and board of elections fold their arms for the acts.

The Tokyo Olympics boycott
approval 68.9% and disapproval 21.6%
2019.08.02 [Joong-ang Daily News]

The Korean Olympic candidate player spoke fluent Japanese and said as follows.

“Present Korea has become very hard for an athlete to act. It is natural for us to want to participate in Tokyo Olympics, because we have made desperate efforts thus far. However, if I say my true intention ‘I want to go for Tokyo Olympics’, I am impeached by everyone including my relatives.

I know many Koreans dislike Japanese. However, no matter how they do, ‘Do not go for Tokyo Olympics’ is still unreasonable.

If Tokyo Olympics are called off, Moon Jae-in (the Korean President) would be pleased at that with the nation of anti-Japan. But we do not know what to do with ourselves, if it can happen. I thought people will send applause to us playing in Tokyo Olympics, but it will be hard because the Moon administration has built up ‘the anti-Japan nation’. This makes me think why I have sweated and practiced.”

This Korean player has the experience studying abroad in Japan and says about Japan, “Japan is a country I like very much, but I can not say that in a loud voice in Korea”. And he grieves saying “Korea and Japan have fallen into the worst-ever relations, because the Moon administration stirred the anti-Japan mood too much like now”. After that, he continued like this.

“Everything or everyone has become sick in Korea. Korea and Japan should help each other hand in hand between neighboring countries against the menace of the new coronavirus, but Korea quarrels with Japan in a situation like this and is going to wring its own neck. Hysteric President Moon only feels his own lifeline is ‘Japan-crushing’”

In the afternoon of March 6, Kang Kyung-wha (right), the Foreign Minister of South Korea invites Koji Tomita (the left), the Japanese ambassador to Korea in Seoul to protest measures of the Japanese Government.

As of March 5th, the countries that limit or prohibit the entries of the tourists from Korea have become 100 in total, and five countries increased than the day before.

Many people point out that Korea caused the worst situation because it hesitated about entry prohibition for China, the place of birth in the early days when it knew the infection.

The Korean government was not able to notice measures of the Japanese Government at all. It is almost “the refusal of entry".

At around 4:00 p.m. on May 5th, Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs started the situation grasp after seeing the news from Japan. It called Japanese minister to Korea late at night and protested it, and discussed “opposition measures" against Japan.

This measure will become the first example that the Korean government adds an entry limit concerning the issue of new coronavirus.

But Korea still takes no measure for China that leads Korean entry restrictions and isolates tourists from Korea forcibly since last month 25th.

On 28th, Lee In-young, Floor leader of Democratic Party suggested
helping China which fell into difficulty at the meeting.

The fourth domestic infected person of the Wuhan pneumonia arose. Lee In-young, Floor leader of Democratic Party requested the government to confirm assistance measures for the Chinese government.

On 28th January, he insisted at the measures meeting held in the Diet, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, and “Domestic prevention of epidemics is a problem, but the effort of the government foreseeing the future of Korea-China relations is necessary”.

He said, “We must control our action to fan the dislike for China”; “China is our important friend and we must help China to live for many years. We must give substantial support to China which fell into difficulty.”

On the other hand, the Democratic Party insisted on strong claims of “boycott of Tokyo Olympics” and “regulation of trip to Japan” in conjunction with danger of the Japanese radioactivity last August.

In those days, Choe Jae-Seong, the Chairperson at Japanese economy aggression measures special committee of Democratic Party said in the radio interview, “I think that you must make whole Japan the trip prohibition area because radioactivity was detected greatly much than the standard value in Japan”. Actually the special committee requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally to investigate controlling the trip to Japan.

The Democratic Party examined Tokyo Olympics boycott card.

However, the Japanese Government receives the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and measures an atmospheric radiation level in real time. The number of the radiation dose in Tokyo is in the normal category.

Some Korean criticise the Democratic Party and say that it strikes an ally Japan with fake news, but is generous to China’s Wuhan pneumonia that menaces the real security of the nation.

Residents scuffle with police during a rally protesting the government's decision to quarantine South Koreans returning from Wuhan in their home town in Jincheon, South Korea

Angry South Koreans volleyed eggs and expletives on Thursday at a minister and officials trying to defuse their ire over plans to quarantine hundreds of citizens set to be flown home from the epicentre of a new virus epidemic in China.

As the South Koreans were gearing up to fly out of Wuhan, protesters in Asan and Jincheon, cities about 80 km (50 miles) south of Seoul, the capital, used tractors to block access to facilities earmarked for quarantine centres.

In Asan, demonstrators threw eggs and shouted expletives when Chin Young, the minister of interior and safety, arrived to talk to them on Thursday. Police held up umbrellas as a shield.

“If it’s so safe why don't you bring them to your home?” one protester shouted at Chin.

Chin cut short a meeting with Jincheon residents after being interrupted by two people who yelled at him. Some even lay down in front of a car which was leaving the venue carrying him.

Domestic media broadcast videos of protesters grabbing the hair of a vice health minister who visited late on Wednesday, before pushing him and dousing him with water.

Moon Jae-in, the President of S. Korea

On 27th January, the President Moon Jae-in said about the “Wuhan pneumonia” problem at the council, “It was said our people understood that washing hands was the basic, but 100% did not practice until now either”.

On the same day, the Chongwadae published the press conference Yun Do-han, the top secretary did, when it corrected the name of disease, “Wuhan pneumonia” or “coronavirus” to “new coronavirus infectious disease.

The official name according to the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) is “Novel coronavirus”, but “Wuhan virus” is used in the main foreign news.

On the Internet, people criticise that and say, “Do the infected persons suffer from Wuhan pneumonia, because they did not wash their hands?”, “The Korea government says nothing to China and puts the blame on Korean people who live even wearing masks”, “The Korea government takes an attitude of being modest toward China, but does it do in that way even if it occurs in Japan?”

In September, 2019, the Korean ruling party (“the Democratic Party of Korea”) released the map named “Japanese radioactive contamination map” occured by the The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

As for the map, pollution spreads concentrically around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and five venues of the Tokyo Olympics including “Miyagi Stadium” and “Azuma baseball stadium managed by Fukushima prefecture” are included in the area.

In the first place, pollution cannot have possibilities to spread concentrically, if you consider geographical condition and climatic condition.

Miyagi prefecture actually measured a space radiation rate in “Miyagi Stadium”. The standard established by Japanese government for the decontamination is 0.23μSv an hour, but it was 0.04μSv below the standard there.

Furthermore, the soil investigations at 23 places that Rifu-cho performed indicate that all the numbers of the radioactive material were largely less than the standard. (Rifu-cho has Miyagi Stadium.)

The Korean ruling party that produced the map insisted that it had made the map from the data of Japanese citizen group “Minnano data site”. The group investigates soil pollution in Fukushima-shi.

The Korean media reported these issues on a large scale, but they always only report announcement contents, and there are no media that inspect the truth from the scientific standpoint.

“Minnano data site” announced on HP, “We had no contact and confirmation from the Korean ruling party beforehand” and “We could not find the data they said”.

“Minnano data site” submitted an offer for the fact checking to the party. However, the party has not answered that. (at January 22, 2020)

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris speaks during an event in Seoul, South Korea, January 14, 2020. Yonhap via REUTERS

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea drew criticism from the highest levels of government in Seoul on Friday for suggesting that Seoul consult with Washington about the possibility of reopening tourism with North Korea.

U.S. ambassador Harry Harris has even been criticized by some local media and anti-U.S. activists over his moustache, which they have compared with those of officials in the Japanese colonial government that ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945.

Seoul and Washington have been at odds over a number of issues in recent years, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s desire to engage economically with the North, and a U.S. demand that Seoul pay billions of dollars more to maintain its troops stationed in South Korea.

Harris told international media in Seoul on Thursday that it would be better for South Korea to run any plans to engage with North Korea through a joint working group established with the United States to avoid any “misunderstandings” that could trigger sanctions.

That drew a rebuke from an official at the presidential Blue House on Friday.

“It’s very inappropriate for the ambassador to make such a mention in the media over remarks by the president of the host nation,” the official said, speaking to media on condition of anonymity.

Harris said South Korea was a sovereign nation and noted that tourism is not banned by international sanctions imposed on the North. But he said some aspects of a tourism program could potentially run into trouble with sanctions.

A spokesman for the South’s Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, declined to comment specifically on Harris’ remarks but said “our policy with regard to North Korea comes under our sovereignty.”

Others criticized Harris more directly, with some even commenting on his Japanese-American heritage. Harris was born to a Japanese mother and an American father.

In an interview with a local radio station, a ruling party lawmaker compared him with a “governor general” of the Japanese government during the colonial period.

Speaking on Thursday, Harris also mentioned the public comments about his heritage and the mockery of his moustache - despite the fact that many famous Korean historical figures had similar facial hair.

“My moustache, for some reason, has become a point of some fascination here,” Harris said at the briefing on Thursday.

Mr. WWUK flew into a rage with his mother
country’s lie concerning the radar irradiation
case by the Korean navy.

A Korean YouTuber Mr. WWUK woke from the abnormal “anti-Japan education” of his mother country when he studied in Australia, and he lives in Japan now.

He got to know a Japanese in Australia when he studied in junior high school there, and he had a question about the Japan-Korea history that he had learned.

“While checking many things including ‘Japan-Korea merger’ or ‘the issue of Takeshima’ on the Internet, ‘a historic fact’ totally different from the education of Korea came out in sequence. At first, I was half in doubt, but after I checked the world documents, I was convinced, “the history education of Korea was a lie”

He became a YouTuber and contributed articles about the field of entertainment in Japanese first. But, in December, 2018, the case that the Korean navy destroyer irradiated the Japanese Marine Self Defense Force patrol aircraft with laser beam occurred. He says “I was offended at the Korean government’s response. Completely their visible lies were more terrible”.　

He does not transmit articles in Korean, but Korean audience write many comments of the killing notice such as “Are you really a Korean?”, “You are a traitor!”, “A cheap kitchen knife and a fruit knife are sold (in the supermarket)”, “It is a pleasure when I think my group stabs you”, “You are stabbed first or your parents in Seoul first”, “I know your address”.

Ms. WWUK pointed out, “Korea is unripe as a democratic nation. There is no awareness that ‘You must keep the cross-national promise’. When there was the privileged class called Yangban, general public treated like a slave had a strong instinctive hold on the money. Japan has indulged Korea and let it get puffed up until now.”

Tokyo Olympics, Flame-runner in Hazmat suit

On the afternoon of January 6, a few posters were plastered on the fence. It is the construction planned site of the Japanese Embassy of Seoul in Korea. The posters include the emblem of Tokyo Olympics, “TOKYO2020” and the Japanese flag.

There is a person who is dressed in the white hazmat suit, is raising something like torch and is running.

“VANK” (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) produced the posters. It names itself “cyber diplomatic mission”.

It relates Tokyo Olympics to “radioactive contamination”, and it is clear that it has an intention to discredit the image of Japan.

VANK publishes the posters and the photographs of “the stamps” and “the coins” same as the posters's design in SNS (membership system interchange site) and diffuses them.

At the Japan-Korea summit meeting in the end of last year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explained to President Moon, “Japan has given the information to the international community including Korea with transparency, and our policy will be unchangeable in future too”.

And the prime minister pointed out, “the quantity of the radioactive material included in the water drained from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is less than a one-100th of the drainage of the nuclear power generation in Korea”, keeping in mind that Korea still continues the control of imports of the Japanese foods after the nuclear plant accident. He demanded “the calm and scientific discussion should be carried out”.

According to the documents of the Japanese Government, the tritium discharge from subdrain in 2016 was about 130 billion becquerels a year, but the quantity of tritium from Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in 2016 was about 17 trillion becquerels and it was about 130 times as much as the Japanese nuclear power plant. (Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant is the main nuclear power plant in Korea.)

Korean president did not argue against the remark of the prime minister.

The Japanese Embassy in Korea announces the radiation dose (microsievert/time) in Fukushima-shi, Iwaki-shi and Tokyo on the homepage. It says Fukushima : 0.131, Iwaki : 0.060, Tokyo : 0.037 and Seoul : 0.151 on January 7. The radiation dose in Seoul was about 4 times of Tokyo.

On December 26, last year, P (woman, 50) committed suicide at home, after she sent a short message, “I am sorry” to the management director of a condominium in Seoul City. She was in charge of accounts in the office. Four days later the director who received the message was discovered dead in the basement of the condominium.

The condominium was proceeding with the exchange construction of the old water pipe with the administrative expense that they collected. It was the construction of the 1.2 billion won, but P only paid 200 million won to the construction supplier and put off payment of the remainder, and the management director demanded the immediate payment from her. P committed suicide in such a situation.

When the inhabitants checked the bankbook of “the long-term repair appropriation” that they had saved to repair the old facilities of the condominium, they found only 2.4 million won. It must be 700 million won. The management director was discovered dead two days later.He had said to his acquaintance, “I may have to make up for 700 million won”.

According to the document that Seoul city announced in last February, 338 injustice cases were exposed in 20 condominiums. That means 17 cases per 1 condominium. 120 cases were in “construction, utility” field. For example they ordered to the suppliers who did not have bid requirements. There were 94 in “budget, accounts” field. The amounts of money do not fit the account books.

The Seoul city supports that each district performs the administrative expense inspection of the condominiums since 2014. However, the inspection is for the condominium that has more than 300 households basically, and only a small number of condominiums actually received inspection by reason of the problem of the budget. For example, Nowon District has 243 condominiums, but 127 of them have less than 300 households and they are not targeted for inspection. The rest 116 have the low probability to receive of inspection. The person concerned with the district office said, “The budget is not enough, and '12 places a year' is the limit of inspection”.