US aircraft returning; ‘failed’ missile launch; Slowing consumer prices; Half of S. Koreans infected so far; and more
K-News: What’s happening now in South Korea
US aircraft returning; ‘failed’ missile launch; Slowing consumer prices; Half of S. Koreans infected so far; and more
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Here are some of the trending topics and major news in South Korea.
US aircraft carrier heading back to East Sea after N. Korea’s IRBM launch
USS Ronald Reagan will be redeployed to the waters east of South Korea in a display of the “resolute will” of the allies against the North’s provocation, according to military authorities in Seoul. The nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, which left the waters after a recent joint naval exercise, decided to return to the East Sea in response to North Korea’s Tuesday launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which flew over Japan for the first time in five years.
S. Korea’s ‘failed’ missile launch draws criticism... Military expresses regret
The Democratic Party (DP) scolded the military on Wednesday over a failed missile launch, carried out the previous night in response to North Korea’s IRBM firing earlier in the day. South Korea’s military fired a “Hyunmoo-2C” short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea, which flew erratically right after takeoff and ended up crashing on its own base in the east coast city of Gangneung. No casualty was made, according to the authorities. The military expressed regret, as the main opposition DP denounced the failure as “security vacuum.”
Consumer prices slow down for 2nd month in September
Consumer prices grew at a slower pace in September compared with the previous year, marking a decline for the second consecutive month, as the increase in prices of oil and grains and other major products decelerated. Being a key gauge of inflation, the consumer prices index rose 5.6 percent last month from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It could be a sign that the inflation in the export-driven country might have peaked, as the global economy is expected to a recession ahead.
One in every two S. Koreans have already been infected with Covid-19
New daily Covid-19 cases recorded some 35,000 with a rise in reinfections, according to the country’s disease control and prevention agency, raising concerns ahead of the winter. In the meantime, nearly half of the South Korean population, or 48 percent more exactly, have so far been infected with the coronavirus.
K-pop boy group NCT 127 to appear on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’
NCT 127 will appear on U.S. broadcaster ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Oct. 10 (U.S. time) to showcase its new single, according to its agency SM Entertainment. NCT is to perform “2 Baddies,” the title track of its fourth full-length album, at the famous talk show.
Red Velvet’s Seulgi makes solo debut with ’28 Reasons’
Seulgi is making a debut as a soloist after seven years with Red Velvet, one of the biggest K-pop girl groups. Her first mini-album, ‘28 Reasons,’ recorded a total of 134,682 copies sold on the first day of release, the biggest number for the singer, according to the data released by local tracker Hanteo.
Group ‘g.o.d.’ to come back for year-end concert
All five members of g.o.d. are coming back together for a year-end concert, which would be the first time in four years since the band’s last concert back in 2018 marking the 20th anniversary of their debut. The concert will be held for three days from Dec. 9 to 11 at the Olympic Park in Seoul.
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See you next time!