A person walks with an umbrella at a park as rain pours in Daejeon on July 8.YONHAP
You've made it to Hump Day! It's all downhill from here. Here are the stories you need to know in Korea.
In today's news, we look at whether Korea will see the benefits from the White House's $17.5 billion nuclear program. Korea lifts its Covid-19 alert after six years. McDonald's Korea launches new menu items that put a spotlight on corn from North Chungcheong's Chungju.
So what are these $17.5 billion nuclear energy plans? Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional, low-interest loan program worth $17.5 billion for utilities and energy companies ordering equipment related to the AP1000, Westinghouse's large reactor design. The program is seen as key to U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to break ground on 10 new large reactors in the country by 2030.
How does Korea fit into these plans? Korean firms already currently working with Westinghouse Electric, such as Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Doosan Enerbility, find themselves in a favorable position and are expected to benefit from the nuclear push. With a need for nuclear experience and expertise, the United States is likely to look toward Korea for assistance. “[The] United States needs more than 370,000 additional skilled workers to realize its nuclear power goal, and the key to closing that labor and manufacturing gap lies in Korea,” said Thomas Byrne, an adjunct professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University.
Korea-U.S. partnership eyes global leadership Byrne added that Korea's nuclear manufacturers now aspire to be the core foundry of the global small modular reactor market. “That synergy between Korean and American firms could become the cornerstone of the industrial supply chain needed to deploy nuclear power at scale,” said Byrne.
Is this the official end of Covid-19 in Korea? While the days of compulsory mask wearing and social distancing are long behind us, Korea has finally lifted its Covid-19 crisis alert after activating it more than six years ago. It also closed the central response team for the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak.
What does this mean? The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that the change in approach means "moving from a long-running emergency response system to routine management." It said the two diseases will continue to be monitored through sentinel surveillance, overseas outbreak monitoring and outbreak reporting.
Are there any other potential outbreaks we should be worried about? The KDCA is currently monitoring a number of medical situations overseas, including cases of Nipah virus in India and Bangladesh as well as the spread of Ebola in Congo and Uganda. The KDCA issued a low-level Ebola alert in response to a World Health Organization declaration on May 17.
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McDonald's spotlights Chungju corn in new Taste of Korea burger series
What's behind this new menu item? Pictured here is the new Chungju Corn Cheese Croquette Burger, which was launched by McDonald's Korea on Tuesday. It is part of a new menu series known as Taste of Korea, which aims to spotlight produce from across the country and help support regional farmers.
What is the burger like? It looks like a regular burger with a beef patty, Parmesan sauce, tomato and lettuce. But the star of the show is the cheese and corn croquette, which utilizes corn from Chungju. McDonald's said that it purchased around 25 tons of Chungju corn to make the menu item.
Why Chungju corn? A representative from the company said Chungju's dramatic day-to-night temperature swings give the produce a sweeter, fuller flavor. "Many people think of Gangwon when it comes to corn, but we looked to the central inland region," they said, adding that the menu item took about a year to develop.
