Korea 24 - 2021.12.14

Korea24 &ndash; 2021.12.14. (Tuesday)<br /> <br /> News Briefing: The number of critically-ill COVID-19 patients reached another new high of 906. Health authorities warned that if the rising trend continues it could begin limiting ICU access to non-COVID patients. Meanwhile, the recently expanded vaccine pass system experienced technical glitches for a second day. (Eunice Kim)<br /> <br /> In-Depth News Analysis: South Korea and Australia celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations this year. Coinciding with that, President Moon Jae-in embarked on a state visit to Australia on Sunday, the first by a South Korean president in 12 years. He held summit talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra on Monday, where the two sides agreed to upgrade the countries&#039; bilateral ties to &quot;a comprehensive strategic partnership.&quot; To assess the current and future state of the relationship, with one eye on China, Hayley Channer, Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Center joins us on the line.<br /> <br /> Korea Trending with Jung Ye-won:<br /> 1. The UK reported its first death with the omicron COVID-19 variant on Monday. (영국 첫 오미크론 사망자&hellip;&ldquo;가벼운 바이러스 생각 버려야&rdquo;)<br /> 2. Medical staff have voiced complaints about robocalls being made to hospitals and by the controversial minor presidential candidate Huh Kyung-young. (&quot;중환자실에 울린 전화, 15대 중 10대가 허경영&quot;&hellip;불만 폭발)<br /> 3. The Korean Netflix series &lsquo;Squid Game&rsquo; has been nominated for 3 Golden Globe awards. (&lsquo;오징어게임&rsquo;, 美 골든글로브 작품상 등 3개 부문 후보)<br /> <br /> Touch Base in Seoul: 21-year-old pianist Lee Hyuk added another accolade this year to his rising star career, making the final round of the final round of the International Chopin Piano Competition. He joins us via video to tell us about how he began his journey in music, what it was like to take part in the prestigious event, and what his goals are as a musician.<br /> <br /> Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi:<br /> - In tomorrow&rsq