Korea 24 - 2022.02.02

Korea24 &ndash; 2022.02.02. (Wednesday)<br /> <br /> News Briefing: The daily COVID-19 case count in South Korea surpassed 20-thousand for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. Despite the spike in infections, the number of critically ill patients only edged up by six from the previous day to 278. (Thomas MCCARTHY)<br /> <br /> In-Depth News Analysis: The European director of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, recently stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a new phase with the Omicron variant and that it could eventually bring the pandemic to an end. Meanwhile, a new subvariant of Omicron, labeled BA.2, or &ldquo;stealth&rdquo; omicron, has emerged. It has already been reported in some 50 countries, including the UK and South Korea. For analysis on these developments, Professor Neil Mabbott, Chair of Immunopathology at the University of Edinburgh, joins us on the line.<br /> <br /> Understanding Seollal with Walter Lee: In the second of our two-part series delving into the history and traditions surrounding Seollal (설날), or the Lunar New Year Holiday, Walter introduces us to traditional games enjoyed during this period, including &lsquo;yut nori&rsquo; and kite-flying, as well as a song closely associated with the holiday.<br /> <br /> Korea Book Club: Our pick this week is &#039;Puy, Thuy, Whatever&#039; (쁘이거나 쯔이거나) by Paik Ga-huim (백가흠), a short story that offers a powerful social commentary on the issue of mail-order brides in South Korea. It tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman who arrives in Korea and is abused and mistreated by her new husband and family. Our literary critic Barry Welsh joins us on the line to offer his thoughts.