President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol holds a press conference at the Presidential Takeover Committee of the Korea Financial Research and Training Institute in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 20th. National Assembly Photo Foundation
1. Yoon Seok-yeol, “Leave the Blue House and go to Yongsan”
The office of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has been confirmed as the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. As the official residence, the official residence of the current Chief of Staff in Hannam-dong, near Hannam-dong, will be used. President-elect Yoon initially promised the Gwanghwamun office, but quickly turned to Yongsan because of the serious inconvenience caused by the security measures and the fact that it was difficult to realize due to the security command facility problem. He said that the national security command facility is equipped, there is little inconvenience to citizens due to security, and that the work gap can be minimized by moving the Ministry of National Defense to the neighboring Joint Chiefs of Staff building, and the total budget required can also be minimized to 50 billion won. He said that he also took that into consideration. President-elect Yoon emphasized that he would develop a park near his office in Yongsan to increase sympathy by allowing the public to see the President’s work and space right away.
President-elect Yoon plans to finish the remodeling work as soon as possible and go to work in Yongsan from May 10, when the inauguration ceremony is held. Time is time, but cost is also an issue. President-elect Yoon predicted the relocation cost to be 49.6 billion won, including 35.2 billion won for the remodeling of the presidential office and secretariat, and 11.8 billion won for the relocation of the Ministry of National Defense’s Joint Chiefs of Staff building. However, some point out that only the simple relocation and remodeling costs were set, and the cost of moving military facilities due to the relocation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provision of protection supplementary facilities, park development, and guesthouse construction costs were not included. The Democratic Party has previously put forward an estimate that it will cost up to 1 trillion won, raising the offensive that feng shui geography may have worked. Some are worried that the Yongsan development plan will be set aside as the office area is regulated, but President-elect Yoon declared that there would be no additional regulations.
2. Even if you go overseas from today… “No quarantine”
Foreigners and citizens arriving and departing from the Incheon Airport Corona 19 Test Center are lining up to be tested. Reporter Lee Han-hyungFrom today, the duty to self-quarantine after entering the country will be lifted. Eligible subjects are those who have been vaccinated within 14 to 180 days after the 2nd dose and those who have received the 3rd dose. Since they do not have to be quarantined even after traveling abroad, the demand for travel is already skyrocketing. In fact, in the case of a Hawaii package tour broadcast by Kyowon KRT, a travel agency that CJ OnStyle sold on the 17th, 1,200 orders were placed in one hour, and the order amount exceeded 9 billion won. The yellow balloon also saw a 120% increase in website inflows after the news of exemption from self-quarantine for overseas arrivals, and the number of reservations increased by 85% during the same period. Interpark Tour’s overseas ticket reservations also increased significantly, up 873% from the previous year.
As the policy of lifting the quarantine obligation was abruptly announced, complaints from people who canceled overseas travel due to the Omicron pandemic are also continuing. When I tried to cancel the ticket again, the airfare, which has risen significantly compared to the canceled fare, is holding me back. In fact, according to the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Association of Consumer Organizations on the 21st, as a result of analyzing the contents of consumer consultations received at the 1372 Consumer Consultation Center last month, it was found that the consultation rate for hotels and pensions increased by 13.3%.
3. Son Heung-min multi-goal, Woo Sang-hyeok high jump ‘gold’
yunhap news
Good news on the sports side today. Heung-Min Son, who is playing for Tottenham in the English Premier League, scored a multi-goal and led the team to victory. Son Heung-min scored two goals in the 24th minute and 43rd minute of the second half in the home match against West Ham in the early morning of our time in the Premier League, and climbed to tied for second in scoring. Defender Kim Min-jae, who plays for Turkish professional football Fenerbahce, also scored his debut goal in 33 matches after advancing to the Turkish first division. Both Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae are scheduled to return home immediately for the World Cup final qualifier against Iran.
Woo Sang-hyuk of South Korea crosses the bar during the men’s high jump final of the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships at Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia on the 20th (Korea time). yunhap newsOn the other hand, Woo Sang-hyeok, the leader of the high jump, became the first Korean athlete to win a gold medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships. In the men’s high jump final of the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships held at Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia on the 20th local time, Woo Sang-hyuk jumped 2m34 and took first place, writing a new history in Korean athletics. Woo Sang-hyuk is the first Korean athlete to win a medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships.
4. Putin’s Ukrainian Offensive Heightens… Hypersonic pulled out
yunhap newsRussian forces attacked Ukraine over the weekend with a hypersonic missile ‘Kinzal’ (Kh-47M2). It is a state-of-the-art weapon that boasts Mach 10 and a range of 2,000 km. A large-scale evacuation facility was also bombarded indiscriminately, following the theater where 1,000 people had been evacuated last week, and yesterday the school where 400 elderly and infirm people were sheltering was bombed. Unexpectedly, the Russian military, which is struggling in Ukraine, is increasing its viciousness with indiscriminate bombing. At the same time, there is growing concern that Putin will change the course of the war by using chemical and biological weapons and nuclear weapons in the future.
First of all, Ukrainian President Zelensky increased the possibility of negotiations by saying he was ready to negotiate with Putin. However, he also raised concerns that World War III could break out if the negotiations were broken. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is visiting Europe this week. President Biden, who warned Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday not to support Russia, is expected to pressure Europe with a tighter anti-Russian strategy. There is also growing uncertainty about whether the Russian anti-aircraft operation will lead to Putin’s capitulation or the use of nuclear weapons.
5. Seasonal ‘Spring Equinox’, the peak of cold
Citizens rushing to work near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the morning of the 14th, when the cold weather came. Reporter Lee Han-hyung
The cold weather is at its peak. Many parts of the inland started to fall below freezing. However, the temperature rises sharply from midday, and 11 degrees in Seoul, 15 degrees in Gwangju, and 14 degrees in Daegu are expected. In some areas, the daily temperature difference will widen by more than 15 degrees. You will need to pay attention to your clothing to keep you warm. The cold weather this spring will ease from the middle of the week. The waves of the sea will rise up to 4 meters high in the far sea south of Jeju Island.
■ Closing comment by KDK ■
Today is the ‘Spring Equinox’, the fourth season of spring, when day and night are of equal length. The days will get longer and longer from tomorrow.
