We still need to talk about Greece, Europe

I've been in Lesvos, Greece (for work that pays my rent; unfortunately this newsletter alone doesn't) and my time online is super-limited. To make it up to you, this issue talks about a lot of different topics, like:

• South Korea has a new president (and I don't like him)
• Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere
• How Greece is turning some refugees into criminals
• Plus: A hijab ban in one part of India, new heads of state in Chile, Hungary and Turkmenistan, another very controversial decision in Israel, some cool science-y stuff and some good news for the Rohingya in Myanmar

Now without further ado, here's what happened last week:

what happened last week

We have a new president in South Korea -- His critics call him a 'far-right populist' and an 'anti-feminist'
Last week the people of South Korea elected a new president. His name is Yoon Suk-yeol and will assume office on May 10, 2022.

Why this matters:
The election was the most tightly contested since South Korea became a democracy in 1987. The country's super divided on a lot of issues at the moment; Yoon won by a paper-thin margin of 48.56% to 47.83%. Everything's getting more and more expensive, and people are super frustrated.

Here's what you need to know about him:

• He's a Sagittarius (December 18, 1960)
• He's from Seoul; doesn't have a driver's licence (can't get one)
• He's not just a politician (member of the conservative People Power Party and currently the main opposition party in South Korea); he's also a lawyer and the country's former chief prosecutor (he even played a key role in convicting former president Park Geun-hye for abuse of power)

What are his political beliefs?
Oh. Where to start. He identifies himself as "conservative" (Korean). His critics say that he is a "far-right populist" (Korean) and an "anti-feminist".

• In July, Yoon advocated for a 120-hour work week.
• Yoon also advocated deregulating food safety standards because, in his opinion, "poor people should be allowed to eat substandard food for lower prices", citing economist Milton Friedman's 1980 book Free to Choose: A Personal Statement as the inspiration for the idea.
• In August, he basically said 'feminism is the reason we don't have babies anymore'. Idaenam (term used in South Korea to refer to men in their 20s with negative tendencies toward feminism) are superfans of his.
• In October, Yoon fan-boyed about former far-right military dictator of South Korea Chun Doo-hwan; "many people still consider Chun as having done well in politics, except the military coup and the Gwangju Uprising."
  • Good to know: Chun Doo-hwan is a much-hated guy in South Korea. He was responsible for a lot of human rights abuses.

Oof. OK. What else?
In a speech after being named winner of the presidential election, Yoon Suk-yeol said he would now work toward healing a bitterly divided nation, and promised to strengthen South Korea's defense (because the North is too provocative) and contribute to better U.S.-China relations.

In other South-Korea-related news, the wildfires in Uljin County recently became the most destructive wildfires in South Korean history.

We executed 81 people in Saudi Arabia
Last week, Saudi Arabia executed 81 people.

Why this matters:
This was the largest...