Here are my recommended news links from January, February and March 2019. I went a little crazy and saved more than I meant to but they're all fairly interesting and stuff you might have missed. Just skim the headlines really. I'll bring out my personal favorites first. I even added some of my classic commentary this time around for most of them. Enjoy reading the stories that I found interesting and hope that you will too.
All you naysayers, what say you now?
North Korea Free Chosun? This sure sounds like a scam to me. Even assuming they are well-intentioned, how on Earth can they presume their own visa system will be legitimate and functional at an international level? Don't they think the US, China, South Korea, will all have some say in this? And just plain selling visas with no criminal background checks? Like I said, this group has "scam" written all over it but what do I know?
Cherry Blossoms maps
A funny emergency alert that went out...
Looks like I was feeling bitchy about the bad air quality. Like I ever go outside anyway...
Thanks for reading.
Links from January-March 2019
I SEOUL U
All you naysayers, what say you now?
SNI Blocking
- South Korea is Censoring the Internet by Snooping on SNI Traffic
- Banned sites are blocked better with SNI tech fix-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
The truth about "Kingdom"
A pretty astute observation about the Netflix-produced Korean historical-zombie epic "Kingdom" here.I don't see how a show revolving around medieval political intrigue involving a powerful family taking advantage of a weak king to gain positions such as the queen, royal guard, and military leader (thus unofficially ruling the kingdom), a bastard protagonist, and an outbreak of undead monsters could have anything to do with Kingdom
Cheollima Civil Defense "G-Visa"
- Cheollima, North Korea dissident group, says it raided Madrid embassy, contacted FBI - CNNPolitics
- Cheollima Civil Defense - Facts About Madrid - Información Sobre Madrid
- Free Joseon Division of Consular Affairs | G-VISA 90 Day Blockchain Visa Issuance
- Cheollima Civil Defense - 해방 이후 블록체인 G-VISA - Post-Liberation Blockchain G-VISA
Society / Lifestyle news links
- Human Error Blamed for Misfiring Missile
- Seoul Begins Operation of Nationwide Foreigner-exclusive Rotating ‘K-Travel Bus’ - Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Kakao Friends’ Apeach Chosen as S. Korea’s New Tourism Ambassador | Be Korea-savvy - Ugh my least favorite of the Kakao Friends
- Foreign Tourists Exposed to Harmful Fine Dust Without Guidance | Be Korea-savvy - This I think should be a more serious issue. Nobody will want to visit Korea in spring if too many social media pictures of dystopian Fine Dust scenes start making their rounds. Of course that doesn't stop tourism to Beijing.
- [Korea Encounters] Yeontan briquettes opened windows while warming homes
- Jung Joon-young illicitly taped sex videos, shared with others including Seungri: report - With all the new breaks in this story it's kind of silly for me to even add a link here. It will be outdated already.
- Korea Finishes 2nd at Winter Universiade in Russia - The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Sports
- Juul expects to launch in 1st half-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily - Koreans getting their vape on for sure. I know 3 guys personally who have made the switch.
- Maxmilian Taubles: a footnote in history
- Actress Jang Ja-yeon's suicide case reopened - I can't help but feel suspicious about the timing of this. Hmm.
- [Weekender] Snapshot of English book scene in Korea - Good recommendations for places to visit I didn't even know about to get English books of all kinds
- Traditional Korean hoe is a surprise international success-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily - Not that kind of hoe.
- Hate speech toward liberal arts major proliferates on S. Korean campuses : National : News : The Hankyoreh
- TikTok Service Promises K-pop Auditions via Smartphone | Be Korea-savvy
- Landfill Sites in Seoul Metropolitan Area to Reach Maximum Capacity by 2024 | Be Korea-savvy - This is why I'm leary of the new cities being built in Incheon. Songdo and Cheongra international cities are sort of just paved over garbage dumps. But so is San Francisco so what do I know.
- Population Starts Dwindling a Decade Earlier Than Expected - The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - National/Politics > National
- Naver opens virtual entertainment membership service Fanship - Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea
- Naver to boost overseas sales through 'Fanship'
- Momoland to open up official fanship for fans in Philippines | allkpop
- [VLIVE] FANSHIP starting on 26th March!
- Naver opens virtual entertainment membership service Fanship - Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea
- Introduction of “Low-Floor Bus” Phone Reservations for Transportation of Wheelchair Users and Mobility Impaired Individuals - Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Science museum runs English program for night observation
- Coal imports set another record in 2018 - Great. Guys we need to go nuclear in South Korea already. If Japan with constant earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and Godzilla can do it, we ought to be doing it too. I get so jealous on shitty air quality days and look over at Japan with its yellows and greens.
- Like Migratory Birds, Humans Also Capable of Finding North | Be Korea-savvy
- [Herald Interview] Small-but-nationwide graduate school appeals to foreigners
- Busan Citizens Growing Increasingly Frustrated With Emergency Alert Messages - We all are, Busanites. We all are.
- Man with 62 criminal convictions detained for ‘drink and dash’
- US citizens send letter demanding punishment of LKP members who deny Gwangju Massacre : International : News : The Hankyoreh
- Indonesian arrested for mining cryptocurrency at college
- Late actress' daughter has incurable disease - God the tragic news for this family just keeps on going. So sad.
- Drastic Drop in Straw Use at Starbucks After New Lid Introduced | Be Korea-savvy - I gotta say I kind of like the new lip lids they introduced to replace straws. Good mouth feel.
Tech / Business news links
- AI Speakers to Help Disabled Persons Hail a Cab | Be Korea-savvy
- Minju Choson newspaper is online
- In brief: Kakao launches e-bike sharing service
- In brief: SoCar invests in Korean e-bike sharing startup
- App-based food deliveries soar amid fine dust pollution - Feels bad about the delivery men.
- Naver, Kakao, Coupang vying to secure software developers
- Seoul City to Refinish Public Buildings with Paint That Dissolves Fine Dust | Be Korea-savvy
- FinTech Industry Baffled at South Korean Government’s New Request - ETNews
- 구글·페북·네이버·카카오 불공정약관 시정 조치 - ZDNet korea - On the "unfair" regulations facing domestic vs foreign firms. Some people don't realize that the consumer protection rules for user data and privacy, etc. are actually much stricter in Korea than other places [cough USA cough]
- Google to change rules following FTC advice-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
- YouTube, second most-preferred web browser after Naver in Korea - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse) - I've noticed that people tend to YouTube stuff instead of look for articles. Maybe I'm an old fart but that drives me crazy. I'd rather skim an article than sit through "HEY GUYZ ITS UR BOI HERE AGAIN BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT BE SURE TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE..."
- KISO Released the Results of Its Survey on User Awareness of Naver’s Search Word Service
- NAVER AI Colloquium 2019에 초대합니다! | 서울대학교 컴퓨터공학부
- 공유 전기자전거 '카카오 T 바이크' 먼저 타봤습니다 - ZDNet korea - Rent electric bikes right in your Kakao T app.
- LG Uplus to offer Nvidia's cloud gaming service on 5G
- Major S. Korean tech firms struggling with flight of top talent | Yonhap News Agency
- Google Map Misreads Ulsan’s Taehwa River as a Japanese River | Be Korea-savvy - Stop the presses.
- 카카오 음성 AI 기술, 신형 쏘나타에 탑재 - ZDNet korea - Kakao's AI system integrated into new model Sonata cars. So coming soon will be in-car voice-activated Kakao Map navigation and potentially read/respond to Kakao Talk messages hands-free (mostly possible already in Kakao AI home smart speakers).
- Hyundai Teams Up with Kakao for AI Personal Assistant in New Sonata | Be Korea-savvy - Oh there was an English link here
- [단독] 닛산 2세대 리프에 네이버 '클로바' 첫 탑재 - ZDNet korea - and Naver's AI system "Clova" will be integrated into new model Nissan car
- KCTV appears on a South Korean satellite
- Toss Bank and the Toss app to be run separately-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
- Bringing digital and media literacy education to more schools in Korea
- Line Works rapidly penetrates into work-based messaging platform mkt - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse) - I'd like to rapidly penetr... nope. Nope nope.
- "Already 19th" WeWork Sinnonhyeon Branch to open next March - VentureSquare World
- AI 스피커 카카오미니, CJ헬로 케이블TV 연동 - ZDNet korea - Kakao's "Kakao Mini" AI home smart speaker can control your CJ Hello cable box service.
- (iOS) 네이버 지도 앱 내비게이션 X Cl.. : 네이버블로그 / 네이버 지도 앱 내비게이션 X Clova 업데.. : 네이버블로그 - Naver Map for iOS and Android get Naver Clova voice integration now. These AI systems really rival the features of Google Assistant and Siri these days.
- MalBus: Popular South Korean Bus App Series in Google Play Found Dropping Malware After 5 Years of Development | McAfee Blogs -this should be a bigger story but hardly covered
- Naver wins 6 awards at iF Design Award 2019 - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse)
- Taxi drivers go to war against Tada van-hailing app-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
- LG Uplus to acquire CJ Hello for W800 bil.
- Afreeca TV fined for violating consumer rights
- Banking API to be opened to promote fintech-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily
- Naver Search Ad API: The Foundation of Korean Digital Marketing in 2019 | The Egg Company
- Researchers granted server by gov officials link Sharpshooter attacks to North Korea | ZDNet
- Pinkfong to launch full-scale global license business in North America and South-East Asia - VentureSquare World - Pinkfong are the people who brought you Baby Shark
From Twitter
Cherry Blossoms maps
Cherry Blossom blooming dates for Korea for 2019— 10원 Tips (@10wontips) February 17, 2019
Some minor disagreements on dates among these maps so pick your favorite. pic.twitter.com/Nd0Zkyk0dX
A funny emergency alert that went out...
Folks over in Incheon got this beauty earlier today. Be careful about fire safety when burning dry straw to repel ghosts during traditional Korean Halloween. This is the most Korean #koreaemergencysms I've ever seen. #대보름 pic.twitter.com/5mEhC8gL9b— 10원 Tips (@10wontips) February 18, 2019
Looks like I was feeling bitchy about the bad air quality. Like I ever go outside anyway...
Welcome to Korea!— 10원 Tips (@10wontips) March 5, 2019
⚪️ where the 4th Industrial Revolution meets the 1st!
⚪️ Where all your Instagram pics get a sepia filter automatically!
⚪️ where your fav K-dramas are in 4k but real life is in 640×480! pic.twitter.com/5bKjtrg1Bi
Thanks for reading.
Links from January 2019
Now I am adding these too. They were originally a seperate post but somehow got flagged, maybe for being too basic. So I am adding them here to this post. Nobody will notice the difference anyway.
- Coupang begins selling Apple devices - no they're not discounted
- Rankings of most viewed artists on Youtube in 2018 + top artists by countries
- Jeju Loses Luster for Koreans Quitting Rat Race - cue the "suffering from success" meme
- [Eye Plus] Behind the scenes of bell production - neat article if you're at all a fan of things like Primitive Technology
- Major changes in healthcare benefits in 2019
- Google 한국 블로그: 구글이 구직자를 위한 채용 정보 검색 기능을 한국에 출시합니다 - You can now search for Korean job openings from among several major job aggregation sites from right within Google. No need (in theory) to visit each site individually. Great way to look for real Korean employment (just to be clear, this isn't for English teaching jobs but you 한국어 잘 하는 외국인들 can maybe find your IT dream job here).
- 'Purchasing uncles' keep Dongdaemun night market alive - Neat slice-of-life "in their shoes" story
- Kim Jong Un's New Year’s Address: The Art of Propaganda - somebody get Captain Disillusion on this
- 네이버 웨일, 액티브X 지원 중단 늦춰 - ZDNet korea - Surprise, surprise. Another "no more Active X" deadline come and gone. Naver's Whale browser will extend compatibility mode support, due to some key websites that didn't upgrade themselves in time.
- 'Baby Shark' swims its way to 'Billboard' Top 40
- U.S. Army School at Yongsan Base to Close in June
- Seoul traffic accidents hit all-time low in 2018
- [INTERVIEW] 'Foreign companies feel unwelcome in Korea'
- Legoland Korea Set to Open by 2022
- ‘Feminist’ tops list of most searched words on Naver dictionary
- SKT introduces new messaging service in challenge to Kakao Talk - Google-backed RCS universal messaging out on KT, now SKT too. It's the old Joyn platform basically but with Google's input it should be basically an Android iMessage but we'll see.
- Facebook shuts down 'OinK - Only in Korea' group
- Fertility rate dips below 1 in 2018: official
- Top 10 days in 2018 when Kakaotalk messages were sent the most - K-POP, K-FANS - spoiler: holidays
- Papago offers honorific translations
- SK Broadband to Double Network Size for Netflix Users
- Stuff People Look Up In PC Bang Computers : korea
- 2019 카카오맵배 전국 맛집 대회: 지역 별 맛집 랭킹 TOP 10 - | 카카오맵 X 다음지도 - Kakao users' top restaurant recommendations for 2019
- Naver subscribers for Yonhap News exceed 1 million
- Euljiro v. Wide? My Alleyway or the Highway
- Bad welding 27 years ago caused Ilsan hot water pipe rupture
- Keepers to Vacate Last Manned Lighthouse on Jeju Island
- Revisiting Yeosu Expo 2012, 7 years later
- Naver to open up TV service, take on YouTube - TL;DR soon NaverTV will be just like YouTube where anybody can upload
- New Website Provides Answers to 300 Curiosities of Foreigners in 13 Languages
- Teen talks of how YouTube has helped her overcome disabilities [VIDEO]
- Are ‘Fat Macarons’ Abnormal or a S. Korean Reinterpretation? - THANK YOU I knew I wasn't crazy
- China blocks access to S. Korean portal Daum - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse)
- Artificial rain experiment over sea ends in failure
- SK Telecom’s T Map to help Grab drivers in Singapore navigate
- Kakao joins takeover battle of Nexon
- 'Underdog' director voices disappointment at lower-than-expected audience turnout
- Seoul starts work on regional express network - Railway Gazette
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