South Korea

Tomorrow, Hawaii will start the state’s new pre-travel testing program — a first step to increase the number of visitors.  Some locations in the Asia Pacific are slowly loosening certain restrictions related to the virus, and that includes South Korea.

South Korea has been making progress in its continuing battle against the coronavirus. The country was hit early, reduced the number of cases and saw them spike again. The numbers are declining once more, but health officials are worried about next week.

Professional sports are back in a big way in the United States, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Football League opened its season yesterday, while playoffs are underway for basketball and hockey. Major League Baseball is approaching the end of its regular season, but in parts of Asia, that season will stretch a bit longer.

Locations around the world continue to adjust their policies to halt the spread of the coronavirus. This week, South Korea has again tightened restrictions on movement — while targeting younger adults.

Honolulu is not the only city in the Asia Pacific that’s reversing some steps of re-opening. South Korea’s capital city is taking some new actions to flatten its curve of new infections — and more may be coming.

The spread of COVID-19 has led to many changes in daily life. But in some places, those changes go beyond wearing masks and social distancing.

It’s been a week since U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced plans to withdraw nearly 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany. In the Asia Pacific, that has brought new attention to talks going on about U.S. forces in South Korea.

The number of coronavirus cases in Hawaii saw some sharp daily increases at the end of last week. Cases are growing steadily in several other parts of the United States. One overseas country that had early success with the virus is now facing a new challenge.

The number of visitors to Hawaii has been creeping higher in recent weeks, and there’s a growing focus on how to enforce the 14-day quarantine. South Korea has been using a method for months that’s now moving to a new level.

Professional sports are on hold all over the world during the coronavirus pandemic. But that is starting to change—with some baseball games in Asia. And now they’re on the air in the United States.

Attention is increasingly shifting to the cautious and limited re-opening of some areas around the world. And there’s great interest on research and development that can help with that goal. A lot of that work is being done in the Asia Pacific.

Congress has now passed another financial aid package that includes help for small business. One country in Asia is taking a different approach — targeting several industrial sectors with companies that are much bigger.

Hawaii’s election schedule is going ahead as planned. The Office of Elections says the primary will be held on August 8th. The elections will be held by mail – but in South Korea this week there was a very different experience — despite the challenging timing.

South Korea appears to be a relative success story when it comes to dealing with COVID-19. On Friday, the number of the cases in the country passed 10,000. But even though South Korea has “flattened the curve” of the spread of the virus, authorities are still increasing their prevention measures.

Passengers arriving at Hawaii airports are now being sent to 14 days of self-quarantine. On the same day that policy took effect in the state, a different kind of airport screening started in South Korea.

Mention Korea these days and most people are likely to think of the coronavirus. But there’s international news on the peninsula this week that’s not directly related to the virus.

Hawaiian Airlines has become the latest carrier to suspend service to South Korea. Increased travel restrictions are part of what has become a rapidly changing picture of daily life in parts of the country.

The Oscar success of the South Korean film “Parasite” has gotten a lot of publicity around the world. An editorial in the South China Morning Post said it “should pave the way for more offerings from different cultural perspectives.” And then there was the reaction from South Korea.

A recent study from the University of Hawaiʻi's Economic Research Organization shows rents in Hawaiʻi are more than 50% higher than the national average. In South Korea's capital, housing costs are also high — but rising even faster.

This week, South Korea’s government announced it will be sending a naval unit to the Middle East. That move has been welcomed by the United States and criticized by Iran. But for South Korea, it’s a form of compromise.