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Korea24 – 2022.02.17. (Thursday) News Briefing: The daily COVID-19 case count in South Korea reached a new high of over 93-thousand, and the number of critical patients also jumped by 76 from a day earlier to 389. Experts have also forecast that daily infections could rise to 270-thousand in mid-March. (KOO Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): The candidates for the March 9th presidential elections announced a list of their top 10 pledges this week. We take a closer look at their similarities and differences with Affiliate Professor Kim Byung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and we also discuss how the ruling Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and main opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk Yeol are clashing over prosecutorial reform policies. Korea Trending with Jung Ye-won: 1. Many of South Korea’s leading IT companies have strengthened their COVID-19 prevention measures, including extending remote work policies. ("회사 절대 오지마" 코로나 확진자 9만명대…문 걸어잠근 IT회사들) 2. A spotted seal, which is an endangered and marine protected species, was spotted at Baengnyeong Island on Wednesday. (백령도서 점박이물범 발견…“한반도 번식 가능성 조사해야”) 3. The South Korean director Hong Sang-su has won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for his feature 'The Novelist's Film'. (홍상수 '소설가의 영화', 베를린영화제 은곰상 수상) Explore Korea: We head to the coastal city of Sokcho in Gangwon Province this week with our travel contributor Hannah Roberts. She introduces us to spots away from the region’s famous beaches, such as Seoraksan National Park, Shinheungsa Temple and Abai Village, as well as telling us about the region’s history with North Korea. Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin: - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Jie Ye-eun writes about how K-Pop physical album sales have grown by 67% just last month.