U.S. ESTA Travel Pass News

As the Korean government lifted the duty to perform the first-day PCR test on the first day of entry, all entry-related COVID-19 testing measures were eliminated after two years and nine months, and as the dollar strengthened, the demand for travel to Korea by Koreans surged. are doing as a result, air ticket prices are on the rise.

According to the Korean Air website on the 18th, the price of a round-trip ticket from Washington to Korea until November, which is the off-season, was over $2,600, and the airfare for December had already exceeded $3,000.

Economy class tickets departing from Washington on December 16th are already sold out, and if you depart on December 19th and return on January 7th next year, the economy class airfare will be $3,300, up about 25% from the $2,500 level before Corona 19. During the same period, Prestige seats are being sold for around $12,000 round-trip. If you use a foreign flag to make one stopover, it will cost $2,622 for a departure from Washington on December 12 and an arrival on January 7, next year.

Shin Seung-cheol, CEO of Top Travel Agency, said, “The removal of PCR tests and the high exchange rate are attracting many people who have been delaying their visit to Korea.

However, while the number of Koreans in Washington area who are thinking about going to Korea has increased ahead of the peak season for winter vacation in December, they are hesitant because of the skyrocketing airfare.

K, who lives in Centerville, Virginia, said, “I am raising children, so I can only go to Korea during vacation, but there is no sign that the airfare is going to drop.” He said, “I don’t know why airfare is only continuing to rise, even though airfare has become expensive, and now it operates every day, and gas prices have come down, and the dollar is strong.”

An official of the national airline said, “The recovery of all routes to the Americas, including the Washington route, is only 70% of the previous level.

The U.S. authorities are also on alert as the Ebola virus, a type for which a vaccine has not yet been developed, is spreading in Uganda in East Africa.

Reuters reported on the 6th that U.S. health officials will start testing visitors who have been to Uganda within the last 21 days after reports of infected or suspected cases of Ebola virus in Uganda.

From next week, visitors from Uganda will be tested for Ebola at five major US airports, including JKF New York, Newark, Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, and Washington Dulles Airport.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to report any suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola but is urging health care workers to be vigilant about the possibility of an outbreak.

“It is important to have detailed travel histories of patients suspected of Ebola, especially those who have been in Uganda-affected areas,” the CDC said.

It is reported that about 140 Uganda visitors arrive to the United States each day. Of these, 62% are entering the country through five airports.

Ebola testing applies to all passengers, including Americans.

In Uganda, the virus has been spreading, with at least 30 deaths since the Ebola outbreak on the 20th of last month. The virus identified in Uganda is said to be the ‘Sudanese subtype’ for which a vaccine has not yet been developed among the five Ebola subtypes.

Intra-state bankruptcy rates are on the rise for the first time in 16 months.

Hawaii had 106 bankruptcies in August 2022, up 21.8% from the same month last year. The number of bankruptcies was double digits for 13 consecutive months until July, but it changed to triple digits from August.

Greg Dunn, an attorney who runs a bankruptcy law firm in Honolulu, said that as the government’s stimulus package ended, the likelihood of financially struggling households going bankrupt increased.

Blake Goodman, an attorney at another bankruptcy law firm, said that more debt collection lawsuits are being reported in the summer than at the beginning of the year, suggesting that creditors who have endured the pandemic are showing the limits of their patience.

Goodman also predicted that the number of bankruptcies could rise by 2023.

The two lawyers pointed to high inflation (inflation) as the cause of the increase in the number of bankruptcies.

Higher inflation rates increase the financial burden, which in turn adversely affects debt repayment.

In August, the number of Chapter 7, the most common form of bankruptcy, was 68, up 11.5% from 61 in the same month last year.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies, which allow people with regular income sources to plan tax amortization on creditors over three to five years, rose 34.6%, from 26 in August last year to 35 this year.

There were three Chapter 11 bankruptcies in August last year, but none this year, related to corporate restructuring.

Looking at the increase in the number of bankruptcies by county in August this year compared to August 2021, Honolulu increased from 62 to 86, and Kauai increased from three to four.

Hawaii County dropped from nine to six, and Maui from 13 to 10.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) in Minnesota was rated as the best airport in terms of user satisfaction among the largest airports in North America with more than 33 million annual passengers. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) ranked third among the super-large airports in terms of satisfaction.

In the ‘2022 North American Major Airport Passenger Satisfaction’ evaluation released on the 22nd by J.D. Power, a marketing information service provider, MSP received 800 out of 1,000 points, taking the first place among 19 super-large airports.

J.D. Power interpreted the effects of extension and renovation promoted by MSP since last year as being reflected in the evaluation results this year. It also showed a smooth operation,” he said.

San Francisco International Airport was in second place (796 points), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (791 points) in tied third, JFK International Airport in New York (791 points), and Las Vegas Harry Reed International Airport (790 points) in fifth place.

On the other hand, Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey (719 points) had the lowest disgrace. In addition, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (751 points), LAX (753 points), Boston Logan International Airport (754 points), and Toronto Pearson International Airport (755 points) belonged to the bottom.

J.D. Power analyzed that the number of global air travelers recovered to 91% of the pre-pandemic level, but flight reductions due to a shortage of manpower, flight cancellations, fare increases, crowded office buildings, and service restrictions significantly reduced customer satisfaction. As a result, the average score of North American airports recorded 777 points, 25 points lower than last year (802 points).

In this survey, 58% of those who said that “airport terminals are uncomfortably crowded” were almost in line with 59% in 2019, before the pandemic. The number of people who answered “the price of food and beverages at the airport was too expensive to purchase” was 24%, up from 20% last year.

J.D. Power Travel Information Officer Michael Taylor interprets the combination of recovering travel demand, manpower shortages and rising prices, resulting in extremely crowded airports and annoying passengers.

In the ranking of 27 major airports (10 million to 32.9 million passengers per year), Tampa International Airport (846 points) ranked first, followed by Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (826 points) and Dallas Lovefield Airport (825 points). On the other hand, Philadelphia International Airport (729 points) ranked last.

Indianapolis International Airport (842 points) ranked first among 17 medium-sized airports (4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers per year), followed by Pittsburgh International Airport (839 points) in second place and Jacksonville International Airport (826 points) in third place. The lowest was Burbank Airport (763 points).

J.D. Power announces annual rankings by collecting customer satisfaction based on six items: airport terminal facilities, flight take-off and landing times, baggage handling, security screening, check-in procedures, food and beverage, and retail services.

The U.S. Department of Defense has moved its operations in Taiwan from its East Asian office to its Chinese office, the Taiwan Associated Press reported on the 18th.

Taiwanese media reported that such a policy decision by the US Department of Defense is likely to cause controversy amid growing military tensions between the two sides (China and Taiwan) due to a series of armed demonstrations by the Chinese military in recent years.

The Yonhap reported that Defense Ministry spokesman John Suffel told the company that the adjustment would help improve policy efficiency and coordination in the future.

He added that the decision was made to maintain alignment with the organizational mechanism of the Department of Defense-related work, the command system, and administrative departments such as the State Department.

Earlier, on the 16th, the US political media Politico reported that the Ministry of National Defense had moved its Taiwan affairs from the East Asia office, which had jurisdiction over South Korea, Japan and Australia, to the Chinese office opened during the Donald Trump administration in June 2019.

A spokesperson for Suffel acknowledged the report, stressing that the decision was “nothing to change” in the United States’ “one China” policy, its commitments to allies and partners, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

In this regard, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (Republican, Alaska), who visited Taiwan in June of last year, said it was ‘all bad ideas’ to undermine the issue of the United States cooperating in Taiwan’s self-defense.

He added that the Pentagon’s decision could send a misleading signal that China might consider giving direction to US-Taiwan relations.

Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia and Pacific Security Randall Schreiber said the adjustment would favor China as it could make Taiwan appear to be part of China.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had not commented on the issue so far because it was a matter of organizational structure within the US administration.

He also emphasized that the Taiwan-US cooperative relationship is very close and will promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through continued cooperation in the future.

The Washington Post, CNN, and ABC reported on the 14th that the party was thrown into chaos after a Republican senator introduced a bill to ban abortion with less than two months left before the US midterm elections.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) of South Carolina proposed a federal abortion ban that would ban abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy.

This is an unwelcome situation for the Republican leadership, who faced fierce opposition after the Supreme Court, which was reorganized into a conservative supremacy during the former President Donald Trump’s presidency, ruled to abolish the right to abortion in late June.

Rep. Graham is a close aide to former President Trump but is classified as a person with strong ties with the Democrats due to his relatively mild tendencies.

“I think it’s a good thing to introduce a bill that defines who we are,” he said the previous day, blitzing a bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy across all 50 states.

The bill allowed exceptions to the statute only in extremely limited circumstances, such as rape and endangering the life of the mother.

This is the first time that conservatives have attempted to legislate a ban on abortion at the federal level since the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish the right to abortion.

 

In the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized women’s right to abortion as a constitutional right after the so-called “Ro v.

However, in June, the conservative Supreme Court overturned the ruling and did not recognize the right to abortion as a constitutional authority, but transferred the decision-making authority to each state, sparking a strong backlash that exceeded expectations across the United States.

In the United States, the issue of abortion has been regarded as a controversial topic between liberals and conservatives, but it is analyzed that the terrain confirmed through opinion polls after the actual abolition of the right to abortion gave more weight to the protection of the right to abortion.

Ahead of the midterm elections, the Democratic Party has put the issue of abortion to the fore and is attacking the Democratic Party, saying that to protect the right to abortion by law, the Democratic Party must win a majority.

For this reason, the Republican Party is pursuing a strategy of avoiding mentioning the abortion issue itself as much as possible and turning it to individual state judgments, but Graham’s sudden action has put him in a complicated situation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, immediately drew a line on the legislation, saying, “Most of my fellow senators see this as a matter that needs to be addressed at the state level.”

On the other hand, the leadership of the Democratic Party, including the White House, directly discussed this issue for two days in a row and launched a major offensive.

White House press secretary Carine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on President Biden’s flight to Detroit on Wednesday that the bill “will take away women’s rights in all 50 states of the United States.” “President Biden will lead the fight for the right to abortion,” he said.

“On the same day that the consumer price index soared, Congressman Graham introduced the abortion ban,” ABC said, pointing out that it is a welcomed move for President Joe Biden and Democrats, who are sensitive to economic and inflation issues.

It could divert voters’ attention from the economy and inflation to the abortion issue.

It was revealed that the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum) in New York, a world-renowned American museum, has exhibited several stolen ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultural assets.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 3rd, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confiscated 27 stolen cultural assets worth a total of $13 million (about 17.7 billion won) from the Met Museum of Art.

Of these, 21 will be returned to Italy and 6 to Egypt. The two countries have decided to hold a return ceremony next week.

The Manhattan District Prosecutor’s Office explained that this is a move that hastened the process of returning cultural assets, which previously took more than a year.

It is estimated that 21 pieces of Italian relics confiscated from the Met in July are valued at $10 million, and six pieces of Egyptian relics confiscated twice in February and May are valued at $3.2 million each.

These included a terracotta cup, believed to have been made in Greece around 470 B.C., and a statue of a Greek goddess dating from around 400 B.C.

Many of the stolen cultural assets confiscated this time were found to have flowed to the Met Museum through the hands of Gianfranco Vecina, who is suspected of being involved in the smuggling of stolen cultural assets for decades while running a gallery in Switzerland.

8 pieces were found to be cultural properties that the Met Museum acquired directly from Vecina.

Beckina was convicted of smuggling stolen cultural assets in Greece, and the Italian authorities confiscated some 6,300 Greek and Roman artifacts in his possession.

Separately, prosecutors said they had recently issued a seizure warrant for a 6th-century Hindu goddess statue held by the Met Museum.

The Met Museum of Art issued a statement and explained, “The standards for collecting cultural assets have changed significantly in recent decades. Our museum has consistently reviewed related procedures and policies for the past 20 years,” but did not avoid criticism for not properly verifying the sources of the collections. can’t

“The best art museums seriously examine the history and acquisition of their collections,” said Derek Pinchum, a law professor at the University of South Texas, who specializes in cultural property ownership, told The New York Times.

Recently, the Met Museum has been embroiled in suspicion of having several stolen artifacts from the Cambodian Khmer Empire.

About 70 Koreans who were doing business in the Seattle area with E2 visa status and seeking permanent residency through employment immigration were at risk of being deprived of their permanent residency due to false applications.

According to a Korean-American lawyer in Seattle, all of these cases were cases where they applied for permanent residency through a Chinese law firm in Chicago, which was introduced through a local Korean-run K accounting firm. It was discovered by the Immigration Service that they falsely stated the details of their work when they applied for permanent residence. This is because they did not actually work at the workplace indicated in the application form.

It is said that the immigration officer is canceling the employment immigration petition (I-140) after calling the employer and the applicant separately and confirming that they did not work for the place specified in the application. According to a Korean-American lawyer, the applications for permanent residence cards that have already been issued or those currently in progress are being canceled one after another, and the extension of the E-2 visa is sometimes denied due to this fact.

The Korean-American lawyer said he visited the immigration office with a client who received a Notice of Intent to Revoke at the beginning of the year. According to the lawyer, Korean-American Mr. A received permanent residency through such an application in 2017, but suddenly received an interview notice from the immigration office earlier this year. Immigration officers said she “was guilty of immigration fraud because she didn’t want to work in the first place.” In the end, Mr. A received a notice from the Immigration Bureau last month that he would revoke his permanent residence, and appointed a lawyer, and is preparing for the deportation trial.

A Korean lawyer emphasized, “You must never believe the broker’s words that you do not have to work because immigration is a condition that you must work.”

Major U.S. airlines have started buying supersonic passenger planes one after another.

American Airlines announced on the 16th that it had agreed to purchase 20 units of the supersonic aircraft ‘Overture’ under development by US aviation startup ‘Boom Supersonic’.

In addition, American Airlines has secured the option to purchase an additional 40 Overture aircraft, CNBC and others reported.

Although the specific amount conditions were not disclosed, American Airlines paid a partial deposit to Boom Supersonic on a non-refundable condition.

American Airlines is the second major US airline to pre-purchase an Overture supersonic aircraft after United Airlines in June last year. At the time, United Airlines ordered 15 Overtures.

The Overture, capable of speeding up to Mach 1.7, can fly from New York, USA to London, UK in 3 and a half hours, and from Seattle, USA to Tokyo, Japan in 6 hours, the company explained.

“Passengers want a faster and more convenient flight,” Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic, told CNBC.

After the development of Overture is completed and put into actual passenger routes, supersonic air travel is expected to resume for the first time in 20 years since the Concorde, which ended its operation in October 2003.

CEO Scholl said that the aircraft could be put into service by 2029. Unlike Concord, which ended at a high price in the past, the price of the Overture flight from New York to London is expected to be around $4,000 to $5,000 (about 5.25 million to 6.57 million won). expected

However, some are showing the view that Boom Supersonic’s ‘schedule’ is overly optimistic, considering the time it takes for existing aircraft manufacturers to get approval from the government and put them into operation.

Washington’s apple harvest this year is expected to be slightly lower than last year due to low spring temperatures.

The Washington State Fruit Tree Association (WSTFA) estimates that this year’s harvest will reach 108.7 million in a 40-pound box. This is an 11.1% drop from last year’s 122.3 million boxes.

WSTFA Chairman John Devani said that the yield of this level was fortunate given the low temperature that lasted for a long time this spring.

Among the apples to be harvested this year, ‘Gala’ was the largest with 20% of the total, followed by ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Honey Crisp’ with 14% each.

It is estimated that ‘granny’ is 13.4% and Fuji is 12.7%, and ‘cosmic crisp’ grown only in Washington state is 4.6%, which is expected to increase slightly from last year’s 3.2%.

Devani said 30% of Washington’s apple harvest is exported to more than 40 countries around the world, adding that by 2020, apples accounted for 20% of the value of Washington’s total agricultural produce.