Korea

A power in nuclear energy is emerging as the best alternative to Russia and China for the West: South Korea

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Russia and China are indisputably two powers in nuclear energy. So are USA, France and other western alignment countries. Although these states have a bulky nuclear plant park which really places them at the forefront is Your ability to develop new technologiesand in this area the most promising reactors are The fourth generation. Russia and China already have at least A reactor of this type in operationand the US, France, India, Canada or Japan are some of the countries that plan to have them in the future. However, there is a power in nuclear energy that often goes unnoticed. We all know that South Korea has a lot of weight in semiconductor industries, consumer electron Nuclear energy as a strategic pillar Not only within its mix of electricity generation, but also as an engine of innovation and export. South Korea is the most consistent alternative to China and Russia Currently South Korea has 26 Nuclear reactors in operation with an approximate total capacity of 25.7 GWE. This infrastructure contributes to its Mix with 30% of electricity, although the commitment of this Asian country for nuclear energy does not end here. And it is that between 2026 and 2033 the construction of four more reactors will conclude that will have a power of 1,340 MWE each of them, so the total installed power in this country within less than a decade will exceed 30 GWE. Its APR-1400 reactors incorporate passive security systems that allow them to compete from you with the machines exported by Russia, China or the USA In any case, as I have anticipated a few lines above, which has placed South Korea to the avant -garde and has positioned this country as One of the largest exporters in the nuclear sector It is your ability to develop your own technologies. Their APR-1400 reactors incorporate passive security systems that allow them to compete from you with the machines exported by Russia, China or the US. In fact, South Korea has already exported this reactor to the United Arab Emirates and is negotiating with the Czech Republic and Poland to sell their technology. On the other hand, this Asian country has also opted for fourth generation nuclear fission. Your smart reactor (System-Integrad Modular Advanced Reactor), what is An SMR type design (Compact modular reactor) is in the process of certification to be used in desalination and electricity generation facilities. It also prepares fourth generation reactors refrigerated by sodium, such as the machine outlined in the Kalimer project, although it is not yet clear when the first South Korean commercial reactor endorsed by this technology will come into operation. South Korea has a very ambitious plan: wants to capture at least Ten international contracts until 2030. His first project abroad has been Barakah’s nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, and It has been a success. As I mentioned a few lines above, Czech Republic and Poland are presumably will bet on South Korean reactors, but South Korea nuclear energy companies are also trying to take contracts in Egypt, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and even in the United Kingdom. If only some of them get to fruition this Asian country will become a full competitor in the international market of China, Russia, France or the US. Image | Wikierati More information | Bloomberg In Xataka | Spanish nuclear have been criticized for their role in the blackout. This was what they did before, during and after collapse

The Benidorm of North Korea is about to open. Your problem is how to fill the crazy number of rooms

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In October 2024 confirmed the plan that had Pyonyang in hands. Benidorm is only one, but if tourism has become the Economic engine Of so many nations, they did not want to stay in the saga. Thus, North Korea announced that the ambitious project to turn Wonsan into a kind of Benidorm to the Korean There was a stern wind. The idea is now about to become a reality, it is called Wonsan-Kalma, and the number of rooms has gone hand in hand. An unparalleled resort. As we have gone countingKim Jong’s ambitious tourism project on the Kalma Peninsula, on the east coast of North Korea, seeks to position itself as one of the world’s greatest holiday complexes. A fact exposes the intentions: it has an estimated capacity between 7,000 and 20,000 rooms. Conceived as a tourist city from scratch, the resort Wonsan Kalma is described by analysts as the most huge tourism project ever driven by the regime. Announced Back in 2014the complex suffered multiple delays attributable to international sanctions and then at the closure of borders during the pandemic. However, its opening is already planned for June, and the regime has rehearsed a shy reopening to international tourism, although the economic viability of the resort remains deeply uncertain. Tourism as a strategy. Kim conceives the resort not only as a source of income in foreign currency, but as showcase of power and the modernity of your regime. However, the attractiveness of the enclave is in question: experts like Bruce W. Bennett and Marcus Noland They explained this week The doubts that foreign visitors attract in sufficient quantity to justify their huge investment. The logical basis of the project, which presumably aspired to capture South Korean tourists for its proximity and purchasing power, collides with the diplomatic impossibility of allowing them to enter. Meanwhile, and as We explain weeks agoRussian agencies have begun Offer tour packets for Citizens of Vladivostokbut even there the enthusiasm is doubtful. Russian travelers, According to the operators themselvesThey continue to prefer traditional destinations such as Thailand or Dubai. Oasis restricted to internal consumption. Thus, another plausible strategy of the regime would be to take advantage of the resort as an internal control and reward mechanism. They counted in Insider that the facilities could be used as an incentive for loyal citizens or exemplary workers, and the complex is designed with areas reserved for presidential delegations and suites. The problem? As Bennett points outaccess will be rigorously segregated, mainly to prevent North Korean citizens from entering foreign visitors. This structure reinforces the propaganda nature of the resort that, a priori, would serve more as a political showcase than as a real tourism center (something similar To “little manhattan” They raised recently). Structural limitations. Despite the monumental effort, the project drags many of the endemic problems of the regime. The Lack of experience North Korean in the hotel industry and the rigid state censorship are important obstacles to offer a credible tourist experience. In addition, recent history of the Ryugyong Hotel (That unfinished skyscraper for decades and symbol of North Korean failed excess) remains a latent warning. Plus: Kim’s fear of the free flow of information is incompatible with the logic of contemporary tourism. Therefore, although it is seen of modernity and luxury, it is likely to end up being Another monumental decorationwithout sufficient and useful tourists only as a propaganda tool. There is several examples similar A “diplomatic” letter. If you want, in parallel, the complex can be seen as a piece on the diplomatic board. In 2018, Trump had suggested Kim towill help your “big beaches” For economic development, and it is not ruled out that the resort is used precisely as a symbolic gesture in future negotiations, especially if Pyongyang seeks recognition as a nuclear power. Remember that the nation already has made “resort” For Russian soldiers. In that context, Kalma can always fluctuate, like promise or threat: It can be used to show openness or reinforce the cult of the leader. If so, Kim Jong Un, determined to differentiate himself from his predecessors, could see in “his Benidorm” not only a tourist destination, but a political statement to the world. Image | Diego Delso, Clay Gilliland In Xataka | Kalma is the first real effort of North Korea to become a holiday place. For now only for Russians In Xataka | North Korea has revealed a small manhattan of 10,000 apartments. The problem is what is behind the facade

In South Korea, parents are buying their children actions of Tesla instead of toys. Child capital is priority

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In January there was one of the most anticipated news in time in South Korea. A small ray of hope after years of demographic debacle when seeing how the nation saw a Increase figure thus breaking a streak of almost ten years. Then we knew ideas that sought to further enhance that birth rate, such as the offer of “Premium” meat To the new moms. Now we also know that kids are receiving gifts from their parents. But they are not toys, they are actions. From stuffed to the portfolio. In South Korea, traditional children’s gifts (dolls, consoles or games) are being replaced For stock stock actionsan increasingly popular trend between parents seeking to plant the seeds of financial education from childhood. What was previously exclusive to expert adults, today, According to local mediait makes its way between minors who, with the consent of its parents, already total more than 1.2 million investment accounts in the country. Explained the Korean Times Cases like Lee’s, a 45 -year -old office worker who has given her son on her birthday and on Children’s Day, embodying this new philosophy for seven years: build an early heritage and transmit economic knowledge through the example. Although the child still prefers the letters of Pokémon that his mother gives him, the father’s intention is not immediate, but in the long term: familiarize him with concepts such as dividends, shareholding property and compound growth, even if for now he does not fully understand them (or nothing). Fiscal instruments and benefits. This kind of dystopia has much more, since the favorite instruments of this generation of children’s investors are the High Dividend ETFfunds that replicate indices such as S&P 500, and actions known as those of Samsung Electronics, Tesla, Nvidia or Apple. Because the strategy not only responds to an educational eagerness, but also to tax advantages: Parents can transfer up to 20 million WON (about 14,000 euros) Free from child taxes every decade, which converts these gifts into efficient patrimonial transmission vehicles. According to an example cited in the middle by a father, an initial investment of 20 million WON with an annual yield of 7% can be transformed into 70 million after 20 yearswithout paying a single won. This forecast is aligned with an increasingly entrenched vision that the economic future begins to build not in adulthood, but in the first years of life. Adolescence and stock market. Apparently, the trend has begun to permeate even among children and adolescents themselves, particularly in the strip from 17 to 19 years. In a recent survey Made by Samsung Securities43% of young people claimed to have an investment account In his name, and 58% declared that they planned to invest in shares soon. This youthful interest contrasts with the traditional lack of financial culture among the youngest in other countries, and reveals a society that, through parental practice and accompaniment, is Refforting your relationship With money from the bases. According to Hwang Seiionresearcher of Korea Capital Market Institutethis phenomenon has low risk due to the small initial amounts and adult guidelines, but it can have a high impact on the literacy long -term financial. Seducing childhood. The last of the legs to be treated. Faced with this hatching of investors Precocosstockbrokers are deploying directed campaigns directly to children and adolescent public. Within the framework of Children’s Day, signatures like Mira Asset Securities, Samsung Securities and Kiwoom Securities offered economic rewardsgift cards and reduced commissions for minors that open their first online accounts. Kiwoomwhich concentrates more than half a million of these children’s accounts, has even launched a Educational Channel On YouTube to teach basic finances in a didactic way. An entire ecosystem that points to a strategic objective: to capture the investor from its earliest stage to consolidate a long -term relationship with the market. Transcending money. The KT told That, in the background, and beyond the accumulation of wealth, this movement represents a sociocultural transformation: money ceases to be a taboo issue between parents and children and becomes part of the dialogue daily. In a dystopia that few were able to advance, tell a small child who is Tesla’s shareholder or who has a fraction of the S&P 500 not only introduces it to the language of capital, but, apparently, offers a new way of understanding his place in the economic world. If you want also, in a historically oriented society to savings and educational effortSouth Korea seems to be finding new ways to translate those values ​​into the 21st century. What was once an envelope with tickets today can be a business fraction, and what was once an ephemeral toy, now it becomes a tool financial training. Childhood, losing along the way part of its playful character, is thus linked to a broader notion of forecast. Because how these hint Parents “Visionaries”It is never too soon to learn to invest in the future. Image | Pexels In Xataka | The last idea of ​​South Korea to lift birth: Free flesh to the new moms South Korea | Seoul is so desperate to activate his birth rate that he has had an idea: give € 700 to those who marry

North Korea accompanies them and not only with troops

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Since the Russian invasion in Ukraine began, a doubt has remained despite the apparent evidence. Neither The videosneither The testimoniesnot even the capture of prisoners North Korea by Ukraine ended up confirming the entire planet that, indeed, Pyongyang was fighting with Moscow. That moment of doubt has come to an end. Both nations They have confirmed How far their ties arrive. It is official. After months of rumors, Russia and North Korea They confirmed publicly that North Korean troops have been fighting on Russian soil next to Moscow’s forces in the war against Ukraine. The announcement, almost simultaneously by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, celebrated the role of thousands of North Korean soldiers who, according to both leaders, contributed decisively to the “complete release” of the Russian border region of Kursk, a territory that had been briefly occupied by Ukrainian troops during the previous summer. So and according to the figures that move, North Korea has already sent about 14,000 soldiersmainly special forces, and replaced to more than 4,000 That, according to southern Korea estimates, they have died or results injured since 2023. But there is much more, since other military personnel, Pyongyang has supplied Millions of projectiles of artillery and ballistic missiles that Moscow has used against Ukrainian cities. Common objective. The joint recognition of this collaboration marks not only a military intensification but also diplomatic, at a time when both nations seek reinforce your position International against the United States. For Russia, the direct involvement of foreign troops allows you to snatch an important negotiation resource (Kursk’s partial control) just when Trump presses by a rapid resolution of the conflict. For North Korea, having poured blood on the Russian battlefield creates a kind of symbolic and political debt In Putin, expanding the margin of Kim Jong-un maneuver in future negotiations with Washington, including its stagnant nuclear program. Symbolism and propaganda. He counted The New York Times That in North Korea, Kim ordered to erect a monument in honor of fallen soldiers in Russia, a gesture that seeks to institutionalize this alliance as a brotherhood sealed by military sacrifice. Putin, meanwhile, exalted Korean fighters as decent heroes The same recognition as its Russian peers, a statement aimed at strengthening the internal narrative of the Kremlin and to consolidate an international cooperation that is increasingly depending on authoritarian regimes. The alliance is based not only on tactical interests but also on concrete benefits: North Korea, subject to hard sanctions, would be receiving in return Direct financial aid and Advanced military technologies that could improve their arms capacity. According to experts, it is not ruled out that Pyongyang Send more troops or expand your presence in the conflict with the aim of deepening your strategic links with Moscow. A clandestine arsenal. According to the Guardian And focused on arms aid, the use of a North Korean ballistic missile in a Russian attack that left 12 dead in kyiv had already put the depth of this collaboration in the foreground. It was a KN-23 missileendowed with an eyelet of up to a ton, which according to the Ukrainian Intelligence Services and South Koreans is part of a broader delivery of at least 148 kn-23 missiles and KN-24 Sent by Pyongyang since the late 2023. To this is added the supply of millions of artillery projectiles, multiple launch rockets and long -range artillery systems, which have reached the front through 64 maritime and railway shipments carefully tracked, representing Up to 70% of the weapons Artillery used by Russia on some fronts. War as a test field. It is another of the slopes of this alliance. The British environment explained that beyond the quantitative, the North Korean contribution has a strategic value that exceeds the simple replacement of obsolete reserves: many of these weapons are modern, and their deployment in Ukraine offers the Kim Jong-a regime Real Laboratory to Test and perfect its military technology. Missiles of the Hwasong-11 seriesself -propelled mortars and multiple pitchers not only reinforce the Russian offensive, but allow North Korea to evaluate the fight in combat of their own weapons systems. As the war extends, analysts of the Stimson Center and Network Nuclear Open foreseen a escalation in the arms supplyincluding anti -tank missiles, joint development drones and anti -aircraft systems that are already being studied for future deliveries. Barter geopolitics. For experts as Hugh Griffithsformer member of the UN sanctions monitoring panel, without the help of Kim Jong-un, Putin could not sustain his current offensive. In exchange for sending weapons and soldiers, Pyongyang I would be receiving Strategic components and technical knowledge that could transform their own offensive abilities, both in the Korean Peninsula and outside it. Redrawing the balances. In short, this war cooperation Between two of the most isolated regimes in the world represents a new chapter in the Ukraine War, one that acquires an increasingly internationalized dimension. While Ukraine disputes the narrative about Kursk control And it maintains the hope of using that land as a currency in peace negotiations, North Korean involvement transforms that front into a symbol of Global rearrangement of alliances. By participating directly in the European conflict, Pyongyang is not only positioned as a more ambitious military actor, but also redouble your challenge to the international order led by the West. In the background and between the lines, what is consolidated is a Moscow -Pyongyang axis with long -term implications for regional security in Asia, European stability and the already tense pulse between the United States, China, Russia and their respective allies. Image | The Presidential Press and Information Office In Xataka | Thousands of North Koreans came to fight with Russia. The question now is where they have gotten two weeks In Xataka | “I wanted to watch romantic films”: This was the surreal capture of the first North Korean soldier in Ukraine

re -estate in South Korea

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If “tariff” does not end up being the word of the year, it will be because something very fat happens from now on. The Trump administration has applied a series of Tariffs to practically all countries of the world, with cases as striking as the Gravamen up to 145% to some China products, with 125% response on their part. That is why Chinese sellers are studyingnot very legal lternatives To skip those tariffs and continue selling to the United States. Among those options is the re -labeling of products. The problem is that South Korea has caught them. Rehewed. A few days ago, and how can we read in Reutersthe customs authorities of South Korea (KCS) reported on a key discovery: a network of re -labeling of Chinese products. It is a mechanism by which Chinese companies carry their products to South Korea, put a South Korean label instead of the classic ‘Made in China’ and export those products to other countries. The effect is evident: China has very high tariffs in some products, South Korea not so much (and they have been suspended For three months), so it is an effective tool to skip those US commercial barriers and to continue selling their products in one of its main markets. The products. Do not think that these are plastic toys or pieces: among what South Korean customs have found are “high value” products. For example, surveillance cameras worth 19.3 billion wones (12.9 million euros) or materials used in batteries worth 3.3 billion wones (2.2 million euros), among others. As we say, they reached South Korean soil, they were processed minimally or even nothing, they re -rectified as if they were of South Korean origin and were exported to the United States. This is because South Korea is a United States partner with a free trade agreement, so it is a very attractive bridge to avoid tariffs. Trend. This is nothing new. During the Commercial War that we lived a few years ago (the one that put Huawei in the focus Of all the conflict), Chinese companies already used these tactics to avoid the blockages, labeling their products under “flag” Vietnamese, Malaya or South Korean. The problem is that, as the South Korean customs service indicates, the recent tariffs are having clear effects on this practice. Only during the first quarter of this year, the country’s customs detected violations of merchandise origin of 29,500 million wones (19.7 million euros) and 97% of them were destined for the United States. To put it in perspective, in all 2024 these violations were estimated at 34,800 of Wones (23.3 million euros), with 62% of those destined for the United States. Implications. The correlation between the recent tariffs and these re -labeling practices seem clear and the consequence is that South Korea will intensify its activity to intercept these products. So much that they have created a special group to investigate and combat these practices through surprise inspections and a closer collaboration with US authorities. Now, this practice can damage the reputation of companies that legitimately export their products. It will be the task of the different administrations to ensure the reputation and security of these exports, putting The focus of suspicion against companies that have more opaque supply chains. Works (they tell North Korea). As we read in EnterpriseSouth Korea is not the only country that would be used as ‘bypass’. In February, it was discovered that some Chinese companies sent their merchandise to Mexico, re -tixed and distributed them in smaller packages and introduced them into US soil. And it is something that simply works. An example outside the current tariffs is North Korea hair. Basically, there are North Korean companies that import post -haired hair from China, they assemble it to create eyelashes or wigs, they return it to Chinese companies in the form of finished product and it is China that is responsible for distributing that product both inside and outside its market, labeling the product as a fact in China and not in North Korea. Images | Xataka In Xataka | The tariff war will shoot the price of a component that nobody speaks: the SSD units

Chinese memory chips manufacturers are a nightmare for the US and South Korea. There is a lot at play

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Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) is one of the largest memory chips manufacturers in China. Its quota in the global market is approximately 6%so it is far from South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix, and also from the American Micron Technology, the three companies that lead this sector. Even so, Its weight in the Chinese market is very largeespecially because US sanctions They prevent American and South Korean memories manufacturers selling their most sophisticated integrated circuits to their Chinese clients. YMTC is in the spotlight of the US administration for more than two years. In fact, at the end of 2022 the Department of Commerce led by Gina Raimondo He decided to include this company in his blacklist because he had managed to develop an ambitious 128 layer memory chip. Currently YMTC is one of the companies that have the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology in China, and curiously, According to Techinsights He has reached this position without resorting to foreign technology. Not even Asml’s. YMTC aspires to intimidate the leaders of the memory chips market This achievement seems to have been possible because YMTC has the complicity of three of the most important Chinese lithography equipment: Naura Technology, Amec (Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China) and Piotech Inc. The most shocking thing is that according to Techinsight analysts, which is a Canadian communication platform intimately linked to the semiconductor industry and with Great credibilityYMTC has managed to put avant -garde memory chips capable of rivaling the most advanced foreign solutions. YMTC has published about 20 new patents in which it describes processes that seek to increase efficiency And it has managed to refine its technology of stacking of memory cells in layers known as ‘xtacking’ until reaching a level of performance in its integrated nand type circuits similar to that of the comparable memories of Samsung or SK Hynix. However, this is not all. According to SCMPYMTC has recently published about 20 new patents in which it describes processes that seek to increase efficiency and optimize chips stacking structures. It is evident that the development of the technological capacity of Chinese manufacturers of integrated memory circuits represents a threat to Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology. However, YMTC is not the only Chinese company with the ability to put in trouble the manufacturers of South Korean and American memory chips. Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is one of the Chinese companies specialized in the production of memory chips, and, like other companies in the country led by Xi Jinping, it has chosen to compete in this market so attractive deploying a very aggressive pricing policy. CXMT in particular has increased its production capacity of DRAM chips almost five times during the last four years, which has allowed it to increase its global market share until it reaches a very worthy 9%. This growth has placed this company just behind Micron Technology if we stick to its market share, so it is already the fourth largest memory chips manufacturer on the planet. To curl the curl even more The Chinese government is supporting economically to its manufacturers of this type of semiconductors in response to the sanctions deployed by the US and its allies, so the competitiveness of Chinese companies is upwards. More information | SCMP In Xataka | China needs to develop a new type of immune chips to US sanctions. And their scientists have just achieved it

Russia and North Korea

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A few days ago, Donald Trump set up in anger, or at least that seemed like face the public. The president showed his anger with Putin for the obstacles in the negotiations of a high fire in Ukraine. The apparent initial closeness for this agreement with the Russian leader, where he even seemed to blame him for the war, gave way to a threat: to impose secondary tariffs up to 50% About Russian oil. Today, and after knowing each other An almost universal list Of tariffs by Washington, we lack two nations: Russia and North Korea. Indulgence to adversaries. It We count this morningto. In a new and unknown phase of his commercial war, President Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on some of the closest allies and partners in the United States, a list where we find Japan (24%), South Korea (25%), India (26%) or Taiwan (32%). Territories were also included tiny and remote like Tokelau (New Zealand) and Svalbard (Norway), However, it seems that it exempts from rates to adversary nations such as Russia, North Korea, Belarus and even Iran, a country to which only applied 10%less than Israel Tax (17%), its historic ally. Background: a policy that aligns with Trump’s strategy In his second term, one characterized by punishing allied countries, threatening them even with military actions, and showing themselves, although with asterisks, with traditional adversaries from Washington. The official position. The White House has left the step giving A justification. The total absence of tariffs to Moscow, together with countries such as Cuba, Belarus and North Korea, is due to the fact that “these nations already face sanctions and rates so high that they limit their trade with the United States.” However, the data show that, despite the sanctions, Russia still maintains commercial exchanges significant. Privileged relationship. They remembered a key In Firstpost To understand what is happening. Trump had formalized your affinity With Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeking to transform Russia as an adversary to partnerand this despite the fact that Moscow has not yielded in its aggression to Ukraine or has moderated its position towards the West. Despite the official justification from the White House that Russia, North Korea and others are already subject to sanctionsthe truth is that commerce with these countries is nothing less null. Namely: in 2024, the United States maintained exchanges with Russia by value of 3.5 billion dollars (yes, in 2021 the bilateral trade was from 35,000 billion of dollars), including US exports of Medical supplies and essential pharmacists. Even North Korea and Iran, under sanctions, maintain Reduced commercial flowsbut existing, in sectors such as pharmaceutical products, chemicals (and even works of art in the case of Iran). Meanwhile, allies as Ukraine (In full war) they also entered that 10% of tariffs, contradicting the logic that policy seeks to protect strategic partners. The validity of Russia. Moreover, like They explained in Axiosin practice, the United States trades more with Russia than with many of the countries sanctioned by new rates, evidencing a contradiction in the official justification. Karoline Leavittspokesman for the White House, he reiterated that Russia could face “new and strong sanctions” in the future, especially after Trump expressed that public discomfort towards Putin for his recent statements about Ukraine and threatened Impose secondary rates to Russian oil. Stagnant negotiations. Russia, on the other hand, has asked the Trump administration Partial withdrawal of sanctions As a key to negotiations for a fire in Ukraine, a process that remains practically frozen. Meanwhile, Trump seems to have chosen to hit traditional partners and smaller economies before Russia, maintaining that pattern that seems to characterize its foreign policy: hardness towards allies and flexibility, or At least containmenttowards strategic adversaries. The Israel-Iran case. We said it at the beginning. Especially striking is The case of Israelwhich recently eliminated its tariffs on American products as a gesture of good will, waiting for the exclusion of sanctions. It has not been so, and finally Trump has not only imposed a 17% tariff to Israelbut has applied a minor one, only 10%, to Iran, country considered declared enemy both from the United States and Israel and “sponsor” of hostile groups to both. What’s doubt, the decision has caused outrage at Tel Aviv And it has been interpreted as a sign that Trump’s commercial policy in his second term does not distinguish between strategic friends and enemies. Controversial turn. What seems clear is that the choice of some and the exclusion of others in the list is not due to random (not with other micro territories and uninhabited spaces). As a result, the strategy has generated bewilderment between Washington experts and allies, seeing how the country hardens its treatment with historical partners and, at the same time, softens your measures Against geopolitical rivals. Far from being only an economic measure, the pattern seems to reaffirm the Trump approach to destabilize traditional alliances in favor of direct relations, although inconsistent, with adversaries, even if they have not offered diplomatic or commercial concessions in return. Image | Office of the President of The Russian Federation In Xataka | The most surreal victims of US tariffs: remote islands, islets only inhabited by penguins and a secret base

In South Korea offered 14,000 euros to young people in exchange for them to get married. Young people did the same

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With $ 14,000 you can cover holes, take a few sabbatical months to travel around the world or invest in that business that has been around your head for years. What you will not get is to match two South Koreans to marry, form a home and have children to help the country out of the deep crisis of birth in which it has been mired for years. We know it because in Korea there are administrations that already They have thrown out of a checkbook and reached those figures (more than 10,000 dollars) in their efforts to act as a casameros. All without success. Moreover, that commitment to administrations to encourage matches is having a peculiar effect: it has made singleness A true business. Question of love … and money. In his efforts to leave the demographic pothole in which he has been plunged for a long time, he has not hesitated to pull a check -up. Its reasoning is simple: if birth can be encouraged with money, the government is willing to put it on the table. In recent months the authorities of the country have proposed to deliver large ‘baby checks’ to its citizens, offer Fiscal incentives To families with children, expand parental permits or even guarantee that the new moms have access to select food. Another of the country’s great bets has been to match its young people. And that has gone so much to create appointment programs Designed specifically for single to find love how to make it easy at the economic level, offering money so that the cost of a romantic dinner is not an obstacle. Perhaps it sounds exaggerated, but there is a fact that explains it: in South Pareja and Bulality they go hand in hand. So much, that less than 5% From babies they are born out of marriage. How much money do we talk about? A lot A good part of the southern Korean pairing programs start from regional organizations, so that photography can vary from one area to another of the country; But it arrives with a quick turn by Google to see news from cities or districts that try to raise their birth rate with expensive pairing programs. Recently We talked to you of the Seoul case, where the Metropolitan Government studied to deliver 700 euros to the couples who marry there. It is a lot. Although not as much as in other cities. In Busan, one from the main ones Metropolitan Areas of South Korea and that is suffering the effects of the demographic crisis in a form particularly hardthey have gone a step further blessing the new couples with hundreds of dollars. What does that translate? In which money ceases to be an obstacle to throwing girlfriend (or boyfriend). In June The Korea Herald He informed That one of the districts of Busan, Saha-Gu, planned a pilot project with local singles born between 1981 and 2001 to which it offered 360 dollars (to spend on appointments) only for ‘doing Match ‘ With someone. That is, each couple who left the event grabbed by the hand and with plans to be added 700 dollars for their romance. A figure: $ 14,000. Those 360 ​​dollars per person to enjoy as a couple were only the first part of the SAHA-gu program. The idea was to increase support as the relationship progressed until you reach the great wedding gift: 20 million wones In advance for couples who give themselves the ‘yes I want’, about $ 13,600. The district was even willing to offer newly married a larger deposit if they decided to buy a house or help them with rent. Such a bet is better understood in the light of the demographic tables of the Metropolitan City of Busan: if at the beginning of the 90s it passed from the 3.8 million inhabitantsin 2010 it was at 3.4 million. The trend does not clash with that of the country as a whole, which At the end of 2024 It became a “aging super society”, with 20% of its population above 65 years. Do these aid work? That was the big question that was driving … and just answered The Wall Street Journal (TWSJ) with A report in which the title is almost a sentence: “Not even a governmental aid of $ 14,000 can make the single South Korea marry.” Despite the promise of receiving a wedding gift of $ 14,000, the Saha-Gu program was not very successful. TWSJ assures that no participant demanded that reward. And that Saha-Gu is just one of the aid to which couples can opt. TWSJ remembers that not all support leaves administrations and that there are also religious companies or organizations that try to reverse the country’s demographic crisis. Two examples are the construction company Booyoung Group, which offered $ 75,000 to employees who have a child; and the Yoido full gospel churchwhich gives its members almost $ 1,400. The big question. With such incentives the question is evident. Why don’t South Koreans marry? Why do your birth continue well below of that of years ago? Part of the answer are social and cultural changes. TWSJ He quotes a survey recent that shows that three fifths of the South Koreans with employment do not see the slightest problem in not going through the altar, a factor to which others of an economic nature are added, such as the long working daysincreased cost of living or how will be The parenting of children in a society characterized by their demand level and competitiveness. Another key are The difficulties with which women are to rejoin to the labor market after being mothers. In fact there are courtship programs that have ended up suspending precisely because they could not gather a sufficient number of interested women. Other young people rule out simply registering for the heavy bureaucracy that accompanies this kind of initiatives. “It’s more problematic than you imagine,” Recognize one to TWSJ. Is the government … Read more

North Korea has built a “Manhattan” of 10,000 apartments … only for the most loyal to Kim Jong-un

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We could say without fear of being wrong that North Korea has a very clear plan in an economic key for this 2025: open (A little) abroad. How much? It will depend, not only on the nation itself, but on the rest of the countries and the ability to seduction for tourists from outside. Wonsan It will be the cornerstone that will define the rest of that expansion. And the locals? For them there is also great news: a new mega district in the capital, although it will not be for everyone. Hwasong and what we don’t know. North Korea has proudly revealed its new residential district of no less than 10,000 homes in Pyongyanga work that remembers the famous New York enclave and that symbolizes both the propaganda desire of the regime and some of its internal contradictions. Located In Hwasongthe new neighborhood of imposing skyscrapers and large avenues has been presented through the state agency KCNA as a sample of the Kim Jong leader’s commitment a with the improvement of the level of urban living. The official inauguration is scheduled for April 15day that, of course, has not been chosen randomly, since the birth of Kim Il Sungfounder of the country and grandfather of the current leader. The new urbanization represents the third stage of a ambitious five -year plan announced in 2021 for Build 50,000 apartments In the capital, an objective that is inserted into a greater offensive to renew infrastructure in a country whipped by poverty, international isolation and a wobbly economy. Luxury on the outside, doubts inside. Despite the images that show modern buildings and an architecture urbanistically imposing, including two towers linked by a bridge High, reality can be far from a luxury standard. Counted in a wide CNN report That, in North Korea, life on high floors is complicated due to the frequent power cuts left by inoperative elevators. In fact, that is the reason why the floors are assigned based on age of residents: young people occupy the upper floors, while the elderly receive units at low levels. This organization illustrates how structural deficiencies camouflage under a facade of urban modernization. Although Pyongyang enjoys conditions significantly better than other areas of the country, housing in rural regions and mining cities They are still precariouswith limited access to electricity, drinking water or basic sanitation services. The new district in Hwasong The modernization plan. The Hwasong project is not an isolated case. Adds to other recent urbanizations such as Look Scientists Street and Songhwa Streetthis last home of the second highest tower in the country, completed in 2022. All efforts of the regime to show a renewed image of the nation, while they underpin the cult of the personality of Kim Jong Un. Plus: As the state press explained, the leader has been directly involved in the design and planning of the new district, repeating the classical narrative of the regime that associate each achievement with your address staff. In fact, even constructions are designed to reinforce the country’s privilege system. As? Housing are assigned by the Government to people loyal to the regime or considered strategically usefulsuch as scientists, engineers or allegates of the party. Inequality. A report From the South Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology, it estimated that North Korea has enough homes only for 70% to 80% of their homes. Beyond Pyongyang, the housing situation seems critical. Despite the new projects in mining and rural areas, these works depend on the forced labor of soldiers and civilians, which work in hard conditions and Without worthy remuneration. Plus: Construction in North Korea is mainly driven By the popular armywhose participation not only responds to the magnitude of the works, but also to an ideological logic: each brick becomes a piece of propaganda that reinforces the image of the State as a modernizing force. Facade of glass. Although the regime promotes the speed with which it rates skid (as the case of the 70 -story building in Ryomyong New Town whose structure was completed in just 74 days), experts have expressed concern about The quality of the materials and technical supervision. In 2014, the collapse of a building in Pyongyangwhich allegedly housed dozens of families, highlighted the risks of an accelerated construction without adequate controls. The state press attributed the disaster to An “irresponsible supervision”without providing dead figures or assuming clear responsibilities, in a country where transparency is little less than non -existent. “Military” construction. It is another of the legs on which the civil “work” is sustained. The military apparatus it’s a central role In all these developments. With More than one million soldiers In active duty and a mandatory conscription system of at least ten years since the age of 17, the state labor becomes the main engine of these works. Even after serving their service, former soldiers are usually integrated into civil paramilitary forceswhich consolidates a system in which the population remains subject to state control through military obedience structures. Urbanization, therefore, not only responds to housing needs, but also to social surveillance and containment mechanisms. Reopening and isolation. In addition to everything described, the inauguration of the Hwasong district coincides with the first steps of North Korea Towards a reopening controlled after more than five years of closing by the pandemic. We have it: although the capital has remained mostly inaccessible, in 2024 the entry of A small group of Russian tourists. Another foreign group could only visit Rasona special economic zone near the borders with China and Russia. This still shy reopening context also serves as a backdrop to show internal achievements such as the new district, whose symbolic value exceeds the direct benefit that it can represent for North Korean citizenship. Seen this way, Hwasong is not only a residential district, but an emblem of how North Korea tries Project modernityhiding Behind concrete A reality closer to scarcity, control and structural inequality. Image | KCNA In Xataka | After years with its closed … Read more

Korea has a problem with celebrity suicides. The last one has caused an earthquake and sunk to a star

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He February 16 They found in their house in Seoul the lifeless body of Kim Sae-Rona 24 -year -old interpreter who had become famous for his papers for Netflix and Disney+. It was a friend who discovered the body and alerted the police. Kim was alone. There were no clues to suggest murder. No signs of violence. Nor were health problems. What did drag were dark years, claims of payments, harassment in the networks and the shadow of a scandal that sank his career. From A first moment Police handled the case as a suicide. The tragic death of Kim Sae-Ron has however raised a huge dust that touches several sensitive issues in South Korea: Suicideonline harassment to celebrities, Hypercompetivitygender inequality and relationships marked by the age difference, something that is now taking its toll (in the literal sense) To one of the greatest celebrities of South Korea, the actor Kim Soo-Hyun. A tragedy … and an earthquake Around what happened in the apartment of Kim Sae-Ron before one of his friends found it, a month ago, there are few doubts. “We believe it made an extreme decision and planned to handle it as suicide,” I recognized Shortly after the body lifting the Seoul Police. Without great doubts about that particular, the great question that remained throwing was, why? What led an actress of only 24 years to take “An extreme decision”? For Kim’s father there are few doubts. The same day of funeral He pointed to a YouTuber with more than 620,000 subscribers that basically dedicate gossip on celebrities. In one of the many incisive pieces that he dedicated to Kim, the influencer He made fun for example that the actress had been forced to work in a cafeteria. Moreover, he even accused her of being a paripé to get attention. “His videos caused him a deep anguish,” remember The father of the actress. After suicide, the Youtuber just eliminated the contents. In the case of Kim there are however much (a lot) more cloth than cut. Throughout the last month it has transcended more information that helps to understand how its last years of life passed. Some was already public domain. Another not so much. Among the first, what was already known, is The incident He starred several years ago for driving under the influence of alcohol. In 2022, in an episode that soon attracted the attention of the media, Kim crashed into a railing and an electric transformer for drunk driving. The consequence: a small blackout, A fine of 13,000 euros… And something else, a irreparable damage In his image that seemed to precipitate the end of his career. That same year the Gold Medalist and Kim agency They did not renew his contract and It is counted That the producers came to edit (or directly eliminate) scenes in which the young woman appeared, such as ‘Bloodhounds’, released in 2023. Whether or not, the truth is that Kim, who debuted as a model being still a baby and achieved her first leading role with only eight years, saw how her career was truncated from night to morning. Just a year ago he tried to return to the stage with a role in a theater play, but he retired claiming “Health problems”. The 2022 accident with alcohol in between, satirical videos and the withdrawal in extremis of 2024 were made known; But they are just a part of the chronicle of Jim Sae-Ron. Another circumstance that has aroused much more interest in South Korea is its relationship with Kim Soo-Hyun, A 37 year old actor Famous in the country (and outside) for its papers in ‘Queen of Tears’ or ‘One Ordinary Day’. Around the alleged romance there are many shadows among other reasons for how the controversial actor himself and the agency that represents him has managed, the same one that worked in his day with Kim Sae-Ron. According to India todayIn 2024 the company denied that such a relationship existed for amending shortly after. The truth is that I know They have disseminated photos in which you can supposedly see both young people In affectionate attitude and about him Affair The YouTube channel have been spoken Garosero Resarch Institute and (more importantly) the Sae-Ron family. The Korean press has not escaped a detail that lends itself to different interpretations: Sae-Ron decided to take his life on the same day of Soo-Hyun’s birthday, although the relationship between the two would have ended long ago. Click on the image to go to Tweet. And why is it important? For several reasons. The main is that, As he has denounced The aunt of the deceased actress, the relationship between Sae-Ron and Kim Soo-Hyun began when she was 15 years old and he 27. Until 2023 the age of legal consent in Korea It was 13 yearsalthough later he rose at 16. The age of majority is in any case in the 19th. The perspective between a famous 27-year-old actor and a 15-year-old teenager has generated an intense stir in South Korea, shaking the debate and placing in the eye of the hurricane to Soo-Hyun. Kim Sae-Ron’s family has greatly influenced the subject and has even apologized to the actor. “We ask Kim Soo-Hyun who admits to have left with SAE-Ron when he was a minor and It apologizes publicly. We also demand an apology from your agency, which has denied the relationship for the past three years and even reiterated this denial just three days ago, ” demand. Around the case there is also another key and it is the role of the Gold Medalist agency, whose link with SAE-Ron was cut years ago but still linked to Soo-Hyun. The reason is simple: in recent weeks the support he gave to the actress has been questioned, after the 2022 scandal, and the pressure he exerted for demand reimbursement of 700 million wones, equivalent to about 440,000 euros. The agency He has already responded Speaking of “invented and unacceptable accusations … Read more

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