About

Korea24 – 2022.02.16. (Wednesday) News Briefing: The daily COVID-19 case count in South Korea has jumped from the 50-thousand range… to over 90-thousand in a single day. Despite this, health and quarantine authorities are continuing to mull over the prospect of easing social distancing guidelines. (Eunice KIM) In-Depth News Analysis: The COVID-19 case count in South Korea is continuing to climb at a rapid rate, fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant. However, other countries have already seen their omicron-led waves peak and pass. That includes Australia, where new case numbers are trending lower in recent days, after reaching unprecedented highs in January. To learn more about the situation in Australia and lessons Korea could learn, Associate Professor Stuart Turville from the Immunovirology and Pathogenesis Program at the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. South Korean sports commentators fell silent during Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s performance at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday in apparent protest of Valieva being allowed to compete despite a recent positive doping test. (도핑의혹 발리예바에 '침묵 중계'…美 NBC "경기 봐야 할 이유 없다") 2. The Korean Basketball League (KBL) has decided to postpone three matches this week amid a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in the nation. ("제발 선수 보호 좀 해주세요" 프로농구 선수·팬들 뿔났다) 3. The Cultural Heritage Administration(CHA) has selected five key cultural heritages that represent South Korea this year, including hanbok, Gyeongbok Palace, and the royal court cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty. ('올해 문화유산'에 한복·경복궁·대장경·백제지구·궁중음식) Korea Book Club: Our pick for the club this week is 'Scenes From the Enlightenment (대하)' by Kim Namcheon (김남천). Translated by Charles La Shure, our literary critic Barry Welsh introduces us to this novel originally published in 1939, which tells the story of a self-made man, as he tries to marry off his three sons. The compelling family drama also provides a reflection of the changing society in early 20th century Korea. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a piece by Bahk Eun-ji about how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to help senior citizens in Korea. - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Kim Hae-yeon writes about the Busan Tourism Organization launching an online guide to welcome female travelers, especially those planning to travel solo.