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This is South Korea’s bet to enter the Western market

January 31, 2026 by usatoday24

There are military contracts that are won based on specifications. And there are others that play in the field of story. South Korea is betting on the latter in its offensive to place attack submarines in Canada: it not only talks about platforms, capabilities or industry, but about how to live within them. In the center of the speech appears a phrase that seeks to stay in the head of the reader and, above all, of the political decision-maker: building submarines as “five-star hotels.” Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, said this: in a message posted on Facebookintroducing Seoul’s diplomatic and industrial campaign. Industrial size offer. The proposal that South Korea is moving in Canada points to a program of around 12 diesel attack submarines whose investment is estimated at 10 billion euros. It is not only a military issue, it is also a candidacy with a strong industrial component, with a front that brings together the Government and large private actors. Names such as Hanwha, HD Hyundai and Hyundai Motor Group appear in that package, which are vying for a contract and, at the same time, a letter of introduction to Western buyers. Strategic agreement. South Korea’s interest in this contract is not explained only by the size of the project. In The Korea PostKang frames the objective as a big entry into the Western market and as a step to move towards the NATO environment, always in its formulation. That same ambition is presented as an attempt to consolidate defense partnerships with Western countries. It should be noted that South Korean and Canadian companies have already signed six cooperation agreements ranging from steel to artificial intelligence, rare earths, satellites and sensors. The recipient of that speech is not coincidental.. Canada has been suffering the wear and tear of an aging submarine fleet for years, and its replacement program is based on a specific fact: replacing some vessels that, as IE points out, were acquired in the 1990s. Therefore, what is at stake is not a simple replacement of material, but a decision that will condition the Royal Canadian Navy for decades, with enormous industrial, operational and budgetary implications. In this context, any candidate who wants to compete cannot limit himself to offering a platform, he also has to present a framework of reliability and long-term continuity. Germany also wants that contract. South Korea does not compete alone. In the race for the Canadian program the German Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) appearswhich is one of the world’s leading providers of integrated solutions in maritime defense technology. The bidding, therefore, is not reduced to choosing a submarine model, but to deciding which industrial partner best fits a long-term program. In this context, each candidate tries to gain ground not only with benefits, but also with the type of relationship it promises to build with the purchasing country and the ecosystem it trails behind. The battle for the Canadian program leaves a clear idea. The Western defense market is in full competition, and South Korea wants to play on the front line. Your proposal has been presented as more than just a product. On the other side appears a European rival with experience and a name of its own. For now, the only certainty is that there is an intense political and industrial effort to position itself. What is missing, precisely, is what decides these processes: the fine print, the guarantees and Ottawa’s final decision. Images | Royal Canadian Navy | Kang Hoon-sik In Xataka | Germany was a sleeping military giant: now it has been awakened and it is already surpassing the US in bullets produced per year

This Seoul bridge seems ordinary, but stars one of South Korea’s biggest problems: suicides

March 16, 2025 by usatoday24

South Korea is a country that advances by leaps and bounds in technological question. It is home to some of the most important companies in the world -Samsung or Hyundai- and He is fighting To become one of the referents in the chips segment. Seoul, its capital, is a look at what could be the future of cities hypertecnologicalbut after that image of modernity, an increasingly silent pandemic is hidden: that of suicide. And no place better reflects this crisis than the Mapo bridge in Seoul, nicknamed ‘The Suicides Bridge’. Alarming figures. Suicide is a taboo issue in many societies that sometimes have not paid attention to avoid the tragic outcome. It is not something that Pille so far. In 2020, in Spain it committed suicide One person every two and a half and a half. Each country Try to deal with your way With this situation, but the case of South Korea is bleak. Do not go to the archives to see the evolution of suicides in the Asian country: In 2021, 13,352 people committed suicide. In 2022, approximately 13,000 were given. In 2023, the figure rose to 13,770. In the first six months of 2024, 6,375 people committed suicide, assuming a increase of more than 10% compared to the same period of the previous year. He total It was 14,439 dead. Cocktail. They are figures distant to the maximum of 2013, when 14,427 occurred, but in 2020, the country had the highest rate among OECD countries with 24.1 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. It is more than double the average. The reason is that there is a social and cultural cocktail that pushes thousands of people to end their lives. There is one very high social pressure and competitiveness for being the best in studies and work life. If you do not achieve it, economic problems occur, but although that ‘success’ is achieved, there is a high level of stress and low social awareness about mental illnesses. Also idealized and impossible beauty canons for much of the population. And it is not something that cares only to suicide, since the scarce birth that is taking the country to an unsustainable situation is also the gross of those social pressures. THE MAPO BRIDGE Effect called. The most affected group is the one between ages of 10 to 39 and is the major Cause of death among South Koreans between 10 and 39 years. Between 40 and 56% of deaths in these age groups is due to suicide. These brutal pressures even affect celebrities of the country, so much that studies have already been carried out that relate the increase in suicides with the moment in which one of these celebrities ends with his life. As if there were an effect called or idealization of the act, three of the eleven cases of suicides between celebrities resulted in an increase in the rate among the population, leading people to use the same methods as said celebrity. In recent years, there have been numerous cases among young Astros of K-Pop, cinema and television, very exposed to criticism in a country where there is a very strict moral standard that these celebrities must meet. The notice says: “Line Life. Methods. They have gone changing These last years. At the beginning of the century, most used pesticides to get intoxicated. This poisoning remains one of the most used methods, but now it is through burning YoTan: Carbon cylinders that produce poisoning by carbon monoxide aspiration. The hanging has also become common (with examples such as’Sulli‘That they expose that effect called), but throwing themselves to train tracks or from bridges is also a method. THE MAPO BRIDGE. And all this leads us to the Seoul bridge. We have talked about Many bridges in Xataka And Mapo’s is, structurally, a normal bridge, almost ordinary. It does not stand out for design, certainly, but it has become the sad secondary protagonist of dozens of suicides in recent decades. It is not the only one from which the South Koreans throw themselves to end their lives, but one of the most used due to the current of the river has very difficult the rescue work very difficult. So much is the impact of the bridge on the statistics of the country that began to call colloquially as ‘The Suicides Bridge’. From the city, this was wanted to combat the structure as ‘bridge of life’ as part of a Samsung Life Insurance initiative. But it was not a simple name change. Measures. The company placed photos of happy families, among other measures to deter suicides, such as movement sensors that activated light posters with mood phrases, but they were considered a failure In 2015 and that was when the focus was changed to prevent suicide instead of deter. Thus, a series of active and passive measures were installed to stop the high rate of vacuum throwing, such as phones from which to request help every few meters (it has a length of about 1,300 meters), mirrors so that those who plan to jump see their face, cameras, high barriers and rollers that make it difficult to get to the edge. The fences are high and in the last upper section there is a roller We can see the roller, as well as the mirrors Social strategies. It is, in short, a series of actions to make jumping more difficult, but beyond this (which is still a patch), in recent years the country has taken the mental health of citizens more seriously. For example, strategies to prevent suicide thanks to greater media coverage than public awareness, as well as training campaigns and notions of suicide prevention for teachers and social workers. Also reviews focused on adolescents and another series of infrastructure measures to strengthen security on bridges and train tracks. Despite the efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide, the Mapo bridge remains a symbol of this crisis, with 846 people jumping From the bridge between 2014 and 2018, … Read more

Kalma is North Korea’s first real effort to become a vacation spot. For now only for Russians

January 26, 2025 by usatoday24

In October we told a surreal story if it weren’t for the fact that it was completely true. North Korea had a plan in hand: to become a vacation enclave with all of the law. In essence, although with nuances: setting up your own Benidorm, inspired by Spain. For May of this year it was expected Wonsan-Kalma resort. The project is not only moving forward, there is already a scheduled date for the arrival of tourists, for now only from Russia. Inspired by Spain. As we count thenIn fact Wonsan-Kalma project started in 2014with the vision of transforming the Kalma peninsula into a luxury destination with hotels, restaurants and attractions, including even initial plans for an underwater hotel. The ambition of the project was reflected in 2017, when a delegation of 16 North Korean officials visited Spain to study tourism development models in places such as Marina d’Or and Terra Mítica, in Benidorm. The experiences acquired influenced the design of the complex, with emphasis on hotel infrastructure, leisure and complementary services, as Reuters reported at the time. The only “but”: that the North Korean region is known for another peculiaritya priori not very compatible with tourist success. They have apparently used the coastal region of Wonsan in the past to test ballistic missiles. In fact, in 2020 the South Korean General Staff warned that two projectiles had been launched from Wonsan itself, about 180 kilometers from Seoul. A megaproject under state control. According to the American expert on North Korea, Jacob Boglethe tourist complex will be the largest development of its kind in the country and possibly the largest in the world under a single state owner. Unlike Benidorm, which was developed over time with various private investments, the Wonsan project is or will be a single, centralized structure, operated exclusively by the government. In this regard, the complex will include facilities such as an aquarium and sports centers, but its tourism approach will be subject to traditional North Korean restrictions, where visitors must follow rigidly planned itineraries, usually in groups organized from factories, schools or state-owned enterprises. . Tourism as a means of earning foreign currency. We also told it a few months ago and it is the most important leg of this investment. Unlike other areas of the North Korean economy, the tourism sector is not subject to international sanctionswhich represents a key opportunity to obtain foreign currency. Hence, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has highlighted that the country has “rich and diverse tourist resources” that can be used to revitalize the regional economy and improve the living standards of the population. The main target markets for North Korean tourism, at least initially, seem clear: Russia and China, countries with which Pyongyang has strengthened political and economic ties in recent years. In fact, after the partial reopening of the borders in 2023, The first tourists to visit the country were Russiansand the state travel agency, Korean International Travel Company, has been promoting North Korea’s tourist attractions to Russian travelers. Now that bet has been reaffirmed. First packages: the Russian tourist. The news these days is that a Russian travel agency has started promoting the new tourist area of Kalma with the idea that the first foreign tourists to visit the complex are Russians. The Vladivostok-based company Vostok Intur has announced three travel dates to the Wonsan-Kalma tourist resort, starting in July, according to a post on its Telegram channel. In this regard, the agency offers eight-day packageswith the first excursion scheduled for July 7-14, followed by two additional trips in August. The cost of the package: $1,400with additional expenses to be paid in Russian rubles and including: Accommodation for seven nights, with three meals a day. Round-trip flights to North Korea. Guided tours of Pyongyang at the end of the trip, as part of the experience. According to the agency, tourists will be able to enjoy an “ecologically clean” environment with entertainment options for all budgets and a gastronomic variety adapted to various tastes. A strategic opening. Thus, the announcement of the start of operations of the Kalma tourist area comes after a decade of construction, with official opening now planned for June 2025. In fact, Kim Jong-un, who personally inspected the complex with his daughter, has called the project a “big step” in the development of the country’s tourism industry, describing it as a “spectacular, beautiful and magnificent” place. First Russia, and then we’ll see. As we said, the interest in attracting Russian tourists to the Kalma area reinforces the growing relationship between Moscow and Pyongyangstrengthened by cooperation in strategic sectors following increased tension between Russia and the West due to the war in Ukraine. North Korea seems to be clear about and identified Russia as a priority market, given that, as we explained, tourism is not subject to these international sanctions and offers a safe way to obtain foreign currency. Challenges of North Korea, vacation enclave. There is no doubt, although tourism promotion through Russian agencies marks an important and decisive step for the exploitation of the Kalma complex, the project faces known challengessuch as mobility restrictions within the country, limited access to objective information or security issues for those who travel. Despite this, the nation trusts that the tourist area will serve as a key tool to promote regional development and improve the international perception of the country as a tourist destination. Let Benidorm tremble. Image | Clay Gilliland In Xataka | The idea of North Korea in the midst of an international tourism boom: setting up its own Benidorm, inspired by Spain In Xataka | North Korea has a lifeline to avoid sanctions: fake hair

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