It’s Tuesday!

🌧️ High 29C and Low 24

Great to see you after a break.

 👀 Today’s Email about:

• Refiners are strengthening cleaner aviation fuel pipelines in response to a government initiative.

• Organ donations drop as waitlists soar

• Kentaro Sakaguchi explores a cross-cultural romance in 'What Comes After Love.'

NEWS 📰

Refiners are strengthening cleaner aviation fuel pipelines in response to a government initiative.

Korea's major refiners are ramping up efforts to enhance their manufacturing infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), responding to new government mandates requiring national airlines to use a certain percentage of this low-emission fuel. The SAF market in Korea is projected to surge from 1 trillion won ($751 million) in 2021 to 28 trillion won by 2027 due to increased demand.

SK Energy is leading the initiative with the country's first SAF plant in Ulsan, set to begin operations next month. Using a "co-processing" method, SK Energy's facility will process both SAF and petroleum products simultaneously, utilizing biofuels such as cooking oil waste and animal fat. SK Energy has also acquired certification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), preparing to meet the government’s new SAF requirements.

S-Oil, which recently became the first company to supply SAF to Korean Air for flights between Incheon and Tokyo, is also planning to establish a dedicated SAF manufacturing plant. Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Oilbank, the first to export SAF to Japan, is set to build a SAF plant, scheduled for completion by 2027. GS Caltex is similarly planning to enter the market.

The government’s recent memorandum of understanding with refiners and airport authorities requires that, starting in 2027, 1 percent of jet fuel for all national airliners must be SAF. According to the International Air Transport Association, SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared to traditional fuels, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Organ donations drop as waitlists soar

The number of organ donations in Korea has been on a steady decline in recent years, despite growing awareness of the importance of organ donation. At the same time, the number of patients on transplant waiting lists has been rising sharply, leading to an increasing gap between the demand for and supply of organs.

While societal attitudes toward organ donation have generally become more positive, experts highlight the persistent lack of personal commitment and the limited accessibility of organ donation opportunities. This issue is particularly urgent given the increasing number of people in need of life-saving transplants, especially kidney transplants, which make up 65 percent of those on the waiting list.

Min Yoon-ki, a 48-year-old kidney transplant recipient, shared his story of how a transplant transformed his life, offering hope to others waiting for similar surgeries. However, such stories remain rare due to the stagnant number of organ donors. The number of brain-dead organ donors, essential for transplants, has been declining, with just 483 donors in 2023.

The disparity between organ donors and patients on waiting lists is stark. As of June 2023, more than 52,000 people were waiting for transplants, while only a small fraction of them will likely receive a life-saving organ. Tragically, over 3,000 people die each year while waiting for a transplant.

Korea lags behind other countries in organ donation rates. For example, Korea’s rate of brain-dead organ donors per million people was 9.37 in 2023, compared to 48.04 in the U.S. and 49.38 in Spain. Only 3.44 percent of the population in Korea has registered as organ donors, compared to much higher rates in countries like the U.S. and the U.K., where people can register as donors when applying for a driver's license.

Experts, including KODA Director Lee Sam-yeol, emphasize the need for collaborative efforts between individuals, the government, and medical institutions to revitalize Korea's organ donation culture. He suggests that integrating organ donation registration into processes like driver's license issuance could significantly boost participation.

Kim Dong-yeop, Executive Director of KODP, also points to the importance of family consent in organ donation and stresses the need for families to discuss their donation wishes openly. This cultural shift, combined with improved awareness and systemic changes, could help close the gap between organ donors and those in need of transplants.

ENTERTAINMENT 🌄

Kentaro Sakaguchi explores a cross-cultural romance in 'What Comes After Love.'

Japanese model-turned-actor Kentaro Sakaguchi recently opened up about his first experience working in a Korean drama, Coupang Play's upcoming series What Comes After Love. Known for his roles in The Last 10 Years (2022) and Signal (2018), Sakaguchi plays Jungo, a Japanese man aspiring to become an author, who falls in love with a Korean student, Hong (played by Lee Se-young), while she is living in Japan. The drama is based on a novel co-written by Korean author Gong Ji-young and Japanese author Hitonari Tsuji, exploring a romance that bridges cultural divides.

Sakaguchi reflected on the cultural nuances of expressing love between Korea and Japan during the production. He found the frequent use of "aishiteru" (the Japanese phrase for "I love you") in the script surprising, as he initially thought it felt too emotional for the story’s context, noting that the distinction between "I like you" and "I love you" might be subtler in Japan. However, the director and his co-star Lee Se-young emphasized that his character needed to express himself more openly, highlighting the difference between the two cultures in showing affection.

Director Moon Hyun-sung worked closely with Sakaguchi, adjusting the script to align with his interpretation of the character while keeping the cultural disparities central to the storyline. Sakaguchi appreciated the sensitivity of the Korean film crew to even the smallest shifts in his expressions and movements, noting that the cinematographer went to great lengths to capture every nuance.

In What Comes After Love, the couple's relationship is tested as their deepening love causes emotional strain, leading Hong to leave Jungo and return to Korea. The story picks up five years later when fate brings them together once more. Sakaguchi mentioned that portraying their reunion was especially challenging, as there was little dialogue, requiring him to convey the complex emotions between the characters through subtle, nonverbal cues.

The series, which delves into the complexities of love and cultural differences, is set to premiere on September 27 on Coupang Play.

Travel Guide and The Best Way to Enjoy Korea

Today is all about Gangnam: 👇️ 

JOB UPDATES 💼

See You Tomorrow,

Unravel Korea!