Korea 24 - 2021.12.08

Korea24 &ndash; 2021.12.08. (Wednesday)<br /> <br /> News Briefing: Daily new COVID-19 cases surpassed seven-thousand for the first time ever, with the number of critically ill patients also hitting a new high. The government said it is vital to curb the rising number of critical COVID-19 cases within the next one to two weeks, acknowledging that such cases have surpassed government projections. (KOO Heejin)<br /> <br /> In-Depth News Analysis: US President Joe Biden is set to host the Summit for Democracy this week, bringing together leaders from more than 100 countries, including South Korea. However, notably NOT invited to the event were China and Russia. It comes after the US announced this week that it will carry out a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics next February, in protest of human rights issues in China. For South Korea this further souring of relations between the US and China is once again leaving it with a lot to consider over how to balance its own relations with the two superpowers. To discuss political science Professor Robert Kelly from Pusan National University joins us on the line.<br /> <br /> Korea Trending with Walter Lee:<br /> 1. The government has decided to re-allow the online sale of imported urea water solution, also known as diesel exhaust fluid, from Wednesday. (오늘부터 요소수 온라인 판매&hellip;&lsquo;아이디 당 20ℓ 씩&rsquo; 제한)<br /> 2. A 77 year-old man in Iksan City, North Jeolla Province, was rescued by emergency services 15 days after being trapped in his own bathroom. (욕실에 갇힌 70대 독거노인, 보름 만에 구조)<br /> 3. A US baseball statistics website has ranked the Kiwoom Heroes&rsquo; outfielder Lee Jung-hoo 2nd highest in its list of the top international prospects. (미국도 인정한 이정후의 미래 가치, &lsquo;ML 포스팅&rsquo; 日대표팀 4번타자보다 더 낫다)<br /> <br /> Korea Book Club: This week our literary critic Barry Welsh introduces us to the unconventional and unique writings of Bae Suah (배수아) through her book &lsquo;Time in Gray&#039; (회색 시), translated by Chang Chung-hwa and Andrew James Keast, and