2023 Big Issues

written by 10208 Kim Ha Yun, 10714 Yoon Da Won,

20419 Lim Hyun Seo, 20714 Lee Won Hee & 20811 Park So Yeon

01. January: The Glory-Netflix

Netflix’s drama The Glory, released on December 31st, 2022, ranked third in the global chart. The story is about the revenge of Dong-eun, who was bullied in high school. She plans revenge on her bullies. After the success of The Glory, there has been an increased focus on bullying. Celebrities who bullied classmates in the past have been brought into the spotlight.

02. February: Korea Helps Turkiye

On February 6th, a 7.8 earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria. South Korea sent rescue teams along with medical supplies and rescued eight people. The National Assembly of South Korea adopted a resolution to quickly provide support to the countries, and lawmakers decided to donate 3% of their salaries to the victims. President Yoon emphasized Turkiye as a “brotherly country,” referring to the fact that Turkiye sent troops to South Korea during the Korean war.

03. March: Freedom from Masks

People can now put on or take off their masks if they want in crowded public transportation, schools, airplanes, etc. However, wearing masks is still mandatory in medical institutions such as nursing homes and pharmacies.

04. April: Forest Fire in Gangwon-do

The forest fire in Hyeonbuk-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do was completely extinguished in 22 hours. Fire fighters extinguished the fire using 5 helicopters, 60 pieces of firefighting equipment, and 660 people, but it was difficult to extinguish due to strong winds. It was reported that 81 hectares of forest, an area equivalent to 113 soccer fields, were burned due to this forest fire.

05. May: Nuri’s Third Test Launch

The third test launch of Nuri was successful. This is the first test to be launched with a satellite. Therefore the first to perform the original role of the projectile. It carries a variety of satellites.

06. June: End to the Pandemic

The quarantine obligation for COVID-19 cases has been lifted since June 1st. The infectious disease crisis level was lowered from severe to warning. The 7-day quarantine obligation for COVID-19 confirmed patients has been changed to a 5-day quarantine. This has effectively come to mean the end of the pandemic.

07. July: Violent Crimes & Response

Starting with the attack at Sillim Station in July, there were simultaneous violent incidents in Korea. These incidents threaten people’s safety, and there is a concern about copycat crimes following them. Police also surrounded stations and protected citizens too.

08. August: Korea-U.S.-Japan Summit

President Yoon attended the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit at Camp David by the invitation of President Biden. The visit focused on talks between the leaders of the three countries, which agreed. In particular, they announced that they would jointly cooperate in the financial and foreign exchange sectors and they would upgrade their cooperation in high-tech industries, battery supply chains and biotechnology.

09. September: At the Asian Games

Korea won 42 gold medals, 59 silver medals, and 89 bronze medals. The number of medals that Korea had was 190 in total. Korea had the third most medals. Korea also won first place in League of Legends.

10. October: Big Curriculum Change

The government announced that it will change the curriculum in 2028. The nine grades that divide students by their test scores will be changed to five grades using A, B, C, D and E. It means that middle-rank students can get higher grades compared to before. Next, all of the subjects will be measured by relative evaluation.