South Korea Closes Schools Imposes Mask Mandate Amid ‘Severe Emergency’

<br>"A delicate balance of trust…drives the entire thing," South Korea-based writer Yung in Chae told the Atlantic about the country’s [http://sproutmd.com/2020/08/28/korean-churches-close-for-first-time-as-coronavirus-cases-4/ Coronavirus cult] efforts. New Zealand, another country praised for its pandemic response that’s experiencing a new Covid-19 outbreak, extended lockdown measures in Auckland Monday for an additional four days. ] feels hard—that’s because it has been," Ardern said Monday.<br><br>The tentacles of these movements have reached the highest echelons of power in South Korea. Choi Tae-min led a cult combining elements of Christianity, Buddhism, and Korean Shamanism (more on that in a moment) and had a mentor-like relationship with previous President Park Geun-hye. Park became equally close to Choi’s daughter Soon-sil, who was accused of being the power behind the throne when Park was impeached in 2016. Soon-sil is now behind bars along with the former president.<br><br>There is trouble in the legislature, too. Park Kyung-sin, a law professor and free-speech advocate at Korea University, thinks the government’s touchiness in the face of criticism has its roots in "a long-standing vendetta between progressives and the conservative media". Even in government, left-wingers have not shed their self-image as underdogs.<br>