The fights that took place during the week of clashes and fiery battles… Photo summary for the week

Summary of events for the 4th week of November

View largerFaker Lee Sang-hyeok of T1, who won the championship, is being interviewed after the final match of the ‘2023 League of Legends World Championship’ was held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 19th.

The finals of the ‘League of Legends World Championship’, also known as ‘Worlds Cup’, were held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 19th. T1 (Korean team), led by Faker (Lee Sang-hyuk), won the championship by defeating WBG (Chinese team) 3-0. For those of you who are wondering, ‘What is Worlds Cup?’, we have summarized the excitement of the game and the size of the market through official numbers.

At this level, it deserves the nickname ‘Worlds Cup’ (League of Legends = LOL + World Cup compound word), meaning it is a world competition comparable to the World Cup.

View largerSon Heung-min (left) scored an additional goal and provided an assist in the 45th minute of the match against China in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian Qualifying Group C second match held at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China on the 21st (local time). and cheering. Son Heung-min scored his 40th and 41st goals in the international match with 2 goals and 1 assist, and Korea won 3-0. 2023.11.22. [선전=신화/뉴시스]

China, who lost to the Korean team in e-sports, faced Korea again in the second qualifying round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup held at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China on the 21st. If there was Faker in the World Cup, there was captain Son Hong-min (2 goals, 1 assist) in the World Cup. The Korean national team showed an overwhelming performance on a different level in a stadium covered in red (Jyayo cheering squad) and won 3-0 (goals by Son Hong-min and Jeong Seung-hyun).

It is said that Son Hong-min’s annual salary is greater than the combined salary of the 23 members of the Chinese team that played that day. In addition, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Kim Min-jae of the prestigious German club Bayern Munich… there were many Korean and Chinese fans who came to meet them from the airport to see world-famous players (Korean national team) that are rarely seen in China. There was even a Chinese wearing Son Hong-min’s uniform at the stadium. The Chinese media predicted Korea’s victory before the game even started.

On the 21st, during the second match of the 2026 World Cup Asia Group C between Korea and China, a Chinese spectator fired a laser light at the faces of Son Heung-min (right) and Lee Kang-in, disrupting the game. Photo = Seo Gyeong-deok SNS Galmu·News 1

What was on the chopping block more than the game that day was the collective bad manners of the ‘Jjayo’ fans. After the game, he got angry at a Chinese fan wearing Son Heung-min’s uniform and assaulted him, forcibly taking off his uniform and throwing it in the trash. Inside the stadium, some spectators used laser beams prepared in advance to attack Son Hong-min, who was attempting a penalty kick, and Lee Kang-in, who was playing.

China, with its population of 1.4 billion people, is sweeping gold medals in various competitions in the Olympics and Asian Games. The enthusiasm for soccer is just as great, but unlike other sports, soccer is an underdog even in Asia. Recently, even President Xi Jinping made a sarcastic comment about his country’s soccer in public. The reason for this is the chronic ills and failures within the Chinese soccer world, including match-fixing, but I think we need to add to this the cheering culture that does not allow soccer to be enjoyed as a sport and is only obsessed with wins and losses.

Korean fans watching the away game in China, where Shaolin Soccer has a strong home advantage, wrote that although victory was certain at the end of the first half, they watched anxiously until the final whistle because they were worried about players’ injuries.

View largerPlayer Son Jun-ho chasing the ball in the second half of a friendly match between South Korea and Cameroon held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Seoul on September 27, 2022. Photo = News 1

Lastly, national team coach Klissmann, who returned to Incheon International Airport on the 22nd, said at a press conference, “We came back with a win in the game against China. But I’m worried about Son Jun-ho. “I hope the Chinese government releases Son Jun-ho, whose exact charges have not yet been revealed,” he said. Player Son Jun-ho was forcibly detained on charges of bribery of non-state agents while trying to return to Korea with his family at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport last May and has been detained for over six months. Until the end, China is playing China.

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View largerPresident Yoon Seok-yeol, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom, is heading to Buckingham Palace in London in a carriage with King Charles III on the 21st (local time). 2023.11.21.

Would you have been jealous of President Yoon Seok-yeol riding into Buckingham Palace in a golden carriage with King Charles III? North Korea broke international custom and suddenly pressed the button on the launch vehicle carrying the military reconnaissance satellite at 10:43 p.m. on the 21st (officially notifying international organizations of its plan to launch a reconnaissance satellite after midnight on the 22nd). The final moments of the South Korean military a day before launch. There was a warning of intelligence, and there were reasons for the sudden launch as if it was due to the weather, but it is analyzed that the North Korean leadership had an instruction to “shoot before the South.” (The first Korean military reconnaissance satellite is scheduled to be launched on the 30th)

The world’s eyes are on North Korea, which experienced two launch failures in May and August, Russia, which cannot continue the war due to running out of artillery shells, the North Korea-Russia summit in September, and the war between the Israeli-Palestinian armed group Hamas that began in October. At a time when the focus was on the Middle East, Russia dispatched experts to North Korea to analyze the failed data and pass on the correct recipe to North Korea. In the end, North Korea landed ‘Wanli-1 (reconnaissance satellite)’ in Earth’s orbit after only the third attempt. President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was on a state visit to the UK, received news of the launch of North Korea’s military reconnaissance satellite during the event and immediately presided over the National Security Council (NSC).

Currently, the Great Mirror-1 is orbiting the Earth 15 times a day in an elliptical orbit at 7.61 km per second at an altitude of about 500 km, and is believed to pass over the Korean Peninsula 2 to 4 times a day. The U.S. Space Force also granted an official number (58400) and identification number (2023-179A) to the Great Mirror-1 on the 22nd, acknowledging it as an official satellite orbiting the Earth.

View largerNorth Korea’s Korean Central Television reported on the 24th that Chairman Kim Jong-un attended a banquet celebrating the success of the launch of the first military reconnaissance satellite, ‘Manrikyeong-1’, on the 23rd. The banquet was held at Mokranjang, a luxury banquet hall for state guests located in Pyongyang, and his daughter Joo-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju also attended. Photo = Chosun Central TV capture Newsis

After the successful launch, on the 23rd, North Korean Kim Jong-un brought his daughter Joo-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju to the ‘Great Mirror 1 Launch Success Celebration Banquet’ and continues to celebrate. Meanwhile, South Korea put K-9 self-propelled howitzers on standby firepower at the front and also deployed Patriots into combat readiness. As warned to North Korea, it is reported that the plan is to begin the process of gradually suspending the effect of the September 19 Agreement, including first lifting the no-fly zone in the frontline area. A military source said, “President Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to hold a cabinet meeting after returning from his trip to the UK and France, decide to suspend the effect of the September 19 Agreement, and then take steps to notify North Korea.”

The military is analyzing that North Korea’s current reconnaissance satellite is several degrees lower in performance than the reconnaissance satellite that our military will launch. (The resolution of the ‘Great Mirror-1’ collected at the time of the first launch failure is several meters, the resolution of our military reconnaissance satellite is 30 cm, and the resolution of the US reconnaissance satellite is 10 cm.) Also, a video showing that North Korea took photos of Guam. It was revealed that it is still unclear whether the Manrigyeong-1 communication was operating normally due to the fact that the information was not disclosed. However, since Russia has provided North Korea with projectile technology, there is no guarantee that it will not provide a recipe for optical technology that can see clearly from a distance, and the conversion to a ballistic missile is only at the completion stage with the transmitted projectile technology alone, so it can only be done with the ‘poor resolution’ claimed by the military. It seems like we should not devalue North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite.

View largerOn the 25th (local time), the second day of the ceasefire, a Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli hostages released from Hamas passed the Rafah border checkpoint and headed toward Egypt. 2023.11.26. Rapha = AP/Newsis

The gunfire stopped briefly 48 days after the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas began on the 7th of last month. This is because Hamas held out by refusing to provide hostage information, but changed its attitude when it took control of Al Shifa Hospital. A temporary ceasefire was entered into at 7 a.m. on the 24th (local time), and both sides have been releasing about 50 hostages in a 1-to-3 exchange over the next four days. It also left room for the ceasefire period to be extended by one day each time 10 additional hostages are released in the future.

The international community is calling for a transition to a ceasefire system, but there is no change in Israel’s attitude to destroy Hamas, so many predict that it will end in a ‘short and unstable peace’. As if to disprove this, after deciding on a ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The war is not over. He pledged “to continue the war until victory is achieved.” According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli military distributed leaflets throughout the Gaza Strip immediately after the cessation of fighting began on the morning of the 24th, saying, “Residents should not return to their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.” It is said that they sent a warning message that the war is not over yet.

View largerOn the 24th (local time), the first day of the humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian residents are peacefully passing through the destroyed streets in Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip. 2023.11.25. Gaza City = AP/Newsis

Israel poured the remaining artillery shells into the Gaza Strip until the siren sounded just before the fighting ceased. Returning to Israel with heavy artillery shells requires more fuel in the tank, so I bitterly wonder if they did their best to exhaust the shells by the end of the first half whistle to save fuel costs. The cumulative number of deaths over the past 47 days is close to 15,000, and the number of deaths from explosions and rubble stampedes that are not included in the tally is said to be over 5,000. Among the 20,000 dead, the majority were children and elderly women. I don’t understand the priority of Hamas, which carried out irresponsible terrorism as if it could not have predicted a war that was not a game, but I also do not understand the global community that is watching the Israeli army’s one-sided ‘VS’. We live in an era that will be recorded as a shameful history for our descendants in the not-too-distant future.

Altman uploaded a photo of his pass – X Capture

There is a VS that has a twist of a twist. On the surface, it appears to be a fight caused by differences of opinion within the organization between the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and safety, but it may be a fight between the present and the future, and a fight between humans and AI.

On the 17th, OpenAI’s board of directors suddenly dismissed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, known as the ‘father of ChatGPT’. “I had a strange experience reading my eulogy while still alive and well.” As if he had been hit hard in the back of the head, Sam Altman expressed his feelings on social media the next day. After announcing plans to build a ‘GPT Store’ on the 6th and participating in the APEC summit event until the afternoon of the 16th, he was actively engaged in external activities, but that night he received a message to appear at the board of directors meeting and was suddenly informed of his dismissal at a video conference on the 17th, so it is understandable. It was evaluated as the ‘biggest corporate coup’ since Apple’s board of directors fired Steve Jobs in 1985, but the situation took a sharp turn. On the 18th, OpenAI shareholders Microsoft (MS) and Thrive Capital attempted to reinstate Altman as CEO. A movement arose, and even employees within Open AI sided with Altman and even moved to resign en masse.

Sam Altman, who made a dramatic comeback as CEO of OpenAI five days after his dismissal, released the ChatGPT voice recognition service for free as his first move. The prevailing view in the scientific community is that Altman’s re-emergence heralds the acceleration of the development of ‘artificial general intelligence (AGI)’, which is smarter than humans. A year after starting the generative AI craze by launching ChatGPT on November 30 of last year, the non-profit research organization Open AI revealed the aspect of Big Tech, and the ‘hawks’ who said that AI development speed and commercialization should be further strengthened were replaced by ‘doves’. This is ‘VS’ that won.

It reminds me of the classic sci-fi movie ‘The Terminator’, where developers initially created a new technology for good purposes, but it developed into a technology that would destroy humanity. We live in an era where good and evil Terminators come from the future to protect or kill key characters, which is an inflection point, but the movie begins with them appearing in the past naked, undressed and unprepared, for it to be remembered with interest. At the inflection point in the story where the movie becomes reality, we imagine that we are watching Altman, the developer of Open AI.

View largerHyundai Motor Group Art Car promoted the Busan Expo by touring eight cities in five countries, focusing on cities where large-scale international conferences such as the UN General Assembly and the G20 Summit were held for three months ahead of the vote to select the host site for the 2030 World Expo. Photo = Provided by Hyundai Motor Group

“We provide the largest support package in history… We look forward to seeing you again in Busan” – President Yong’s remarks at the BIE representatives’ negotiation banquet on the 23rd. Afterwards, President Yong continued the last-minute bidding campaign, including a luncheon for representatives of the Organization for International Exhibitions (BIE) member countries and a Korean Buddhist summit on the 24th. Business leaders gathered in Paris (Chairman Choi Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of SK Group, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG CEO Koo Kwang-mo, and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin) also contributed as ‘Korea One Team’. Prime Minister Han Deok-soo departed for Paris on the 26th, two days before the voting date, and will participate in the final bid.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is smiling brightly while sitting in the economy seat of an airplane bound for Paris, France, on the 23rd. (SNS capture) ⓒ News 1

There are now two days left until the final voting date for host selection. In Paris, a fierce information war and last-minute lobbying war is taking place with rival Saudi Arabia, reminiscent of a ‘poker game’ in which one tries to read the opponent’s hand while hiding one’s hand. Korea’s strategy is to prevent Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from receiving more than two-thirds of the votes (122 votes) among the 182 member countries of the Organization for International Exhibitions (BIE) in the first round of voting. The strategy is to see the outcome in the second (runoff) vote. The first round of voting is expected to begin around 4pm on the 28th (00:00 on the 29th, Korean time). If no country receives more than two-thirds of the votes, it will go to a runoff election.

As a side note, I am reminded of the scenes in which the BIE delegation that came to visit the Busan Expo site was welcomed by the government and private organizations in Busan and Seoul. As a photojournalist, I have a lot of experience seeing the World Cup and Olympic organizing committees from close range, and I think that the ‘best jobs in the world’ are the sports organizing committee and BIE staff. France, where the BIE secretariat is located, always decides on the World Expo Expo, and unless the Expo disappears, money and issues are always concentrated in France around the time the decision is held. If you bet money at a billiards hall, the person who ultimately wins is the billiards hall owner.

What will be the result? I hope that we will succeed in attracting the child with a dramatic twist, rather than a ‘lose-jalsa’ decision.

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.