Last Two Weeks: South Korea advances to the World Cup Round of 16

 Not sure what Americans eat while watching the Super Bowl, but it is ChiMaek, Chicken + Maekju (Beer),  for Koreans when they watch the Korean team play in the World Cup in Qatar. Bad day for chickens on Dec 2 as many South Korean soccer fans enjoyed ChiMaek at midnight, watching the national team beat Portugal 2-1 with a dramatic 90th minute goal by Hwang Hee-chan to edge out Uruguay for the next round of 16. S.Koreans are proud that Qatar 2022 is S. Korea’s 10th consecutive World Cup since Mexico in 1986, a huge accomplishment that only five other soccer giants were able to do so.(Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain). S. Korea is also the only nation to reach the semi-final,  2002 World Cup, of all the Asian and African nations in World Cup history that started in Uruguay in 1930 where, believe it or not, the U.S.A went to the semi-final.  S. Korea will square off against 5 times World Cup champion Brazil for a ticket to the quarter-final on Dec 6. 

The S.Korean team has been coached by Paulo Bento, former Portuguese soccer star who played against S.Korea in the 2002 World Cup.  Apparently, Bento created a new tactic called  “ Confuse Opponents”  by filling the start line up with players of the same family names, with five Kim's and two Hwang's of the 11 players.  Voila! It worked!  

Halloween festival turns into a disaster

S.Korea in mourning with 153 lives lost from the crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, during the Halloween festival at 10:15 pm Oct 29Sat). A Halloween costumed crowd estimated at 100,000 was jam-packed in Itaewon district of 82,000 sq.m (20.2 acres) during Halloween revelry. People departing the area ran into people arriving in tightly packed alleyways around Hamilton Hotel. The crush occurred when a group chanted "push, push" to make their way, and the people in front fell. The slope on the narrow street next to Hamilton may have contributed to the disaster as people were sliding under the crowd, falling over each other and toppling like dominos. Most of the deceased were teenagers and people in their 20s, and there were 25 foreign victims. President Yoon Suk-yeol was at the scene the following day and declared a week of national mourning. This is the worst disaster in Korea since the Sewol Ship sink that claimed 304 lives in 2014.


Itaewon has been known for its vibrant nightlife and shopping area for foreigners, and a hot spot for S.Koreans who come to feel American and international cultures since the U.S. 8th Army HQ was stationed there during the Korean War. With the relocation of the 8th Army HQ to Pyeongtaek a couple years ago and with the curse of Covid 19, the business in Itaewon has lost its reputation, and many hoped the first Halloween festival this week in three years without a mask would bring vibrancy to Itaewon. May the young victims rest in peace.

Last Two Weeks: South Korean defense industry goes into hey day

 The S.Korean defense industry hit a jackpot to export tanks and howitzers to Poland as Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Defense signed contracts with Poland to respectively supply 80 K-2 battle tanks, and 212  K-9 howitzers, which totals $5.76 billion.  Korea Aerospace Industries is also in negotiation with Poland to ship 48 FA-50 supersonic jet fighters. S.Korea has now become the 6th largest exporter of arms and weapons in 2021, ahead of Italy and China,  through a "More value for the money" sales approach to compete against main rivals.   This success would not be possible without Vladimir Putin and Kim Jongun.  Putin's recent invasion into Ukraine forced Poland to provide existing weapons to Ukraine and fill the vacuum with those from S.Korea. Kim's constant sabre-rattling  has been prompting S.Korea to invest in the development and production of sophisticated, lethal and reliable weapons that have global competitiveness. 

 A big contrast to 1950 when  S.Korea had no tanks in the Korean War. The North Korean army with Soviet made T-34 tanks showed up in Seoul without much resistance just three days after they crossed the 38th parallel.   While S.Korea has become a major player in the modern weapons industry,  it also has sharpened weapons for traditional battlefields.  Arrow combat.  S.Korea won 4 of 5 golds in archery in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.