Korea 24 - 2022.03.30

Korea24 &ndash; 2022.03.30. (Wednesday)<br /> <br /> News Briefing: The presidential transition team chief and former presidential candidate for the minor opposition People&rsquo;s Party, Ahn Cheol-soo, has announced that he will not be seeking to become Prime Minister under the incoming Yoon administration. He said he hopes to ease the burden for President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol. (Emilee JENNINGS)<br /> <br /> In-Depth News Analysis: The COVID-19 case count in South Korea bounced back above 420-thousand on Wednesday, but health authorities have assessed that the current COVID-19 wave has passed its peak and are looking to ease social distancing rules. Meanwhile a second booster shot for the elderly and the immunocompromised are also reportedly being considered. To discuss these developments, Dr. Jerome Kim, Director-General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) joins us on the line.<br /> <br /> Korea Trending with Walter Lee:<br /> 1. The Presidential office has denied speculation that taxpayer money may have been used to fund First Lady Kim Jung-sook&rsquo;s wardrobe. (김정숙 여사 옷값에 특활비?‥靑 &quot;모두 사비 부담&quot;)<br /> 2. A woman in her 20s who attacked a man with her phone after he tried to reprimand her for spitting on a subway train has been handed over to the prosecution. (&#039;지하철 휴대전화 폭행&#039; 20대女&hellip;구속 상태로 송치)<br /> 3. The South Korean men&rsquo;s national football team finished their World Cup Asian qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to the UAE. (&#039;이란전 승리 효과&#039; 졌지만 포트3 확정&hellip;일본&middot;이란도 포트3)<br /> <br /> Korea Book Club: Earlier this month it was announced that two books translated by our monthly contributor Anton Hur had been longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize! They are Bora Chung&rsquo;s &lsquo;Cursed Bunny&rsquo;, and Park Sang-young&rsquo;s &lsquo;Love In The Big City&rsquo;. Anton joins us on the line to give us his reaction to the news, and what he thinks it might mean for the Korean literary world.