Thursday, February 27, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
KFC pushes for “people-oriented forest policy” to help people access healthy nature
Park Chong-ho, administrator of the Korea Forest Service (KFS), has announced its major business plan for 2020 which calls for “accelerating the people-oriented forest policy” to help Koreans enjoy nature as much as possible. Viewing the 2019 achievements, Administrator Park said the Korea Forest Service has done its best to create forest jobs, create fine dust-reducing urban forests, and promote forest welfare. Moreover, the KFS put in place a registration system for management for forestry businessmen, which are a top client, and expanded the forestry loans. Of note, the KFS nurtured 52 “tree doctors.”
“Spain could serve as an excellent platform for Korean companies to enter into Latin American markets”
2020 is the 70th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relationship between Korea and Spain. King Felipe VI, the Spanish king even visited South Korea and met with President Moon Jae-in last October to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two countries in tourism and overseas construction markets. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders agreed that the two countries have developed "close, friendly and cooperative relations" in various fields, including politics, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, since the establishment of formal diplomatic ties in 1950.
Trump says it's not right time to put travel restrictions on S. Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it's not the right time to put additional travel restrictions on South Korea over the coronavirus. Trump was asked at a White House press briefing whether he is considering restricting travel to and from South Korea, Italy and other countries affected by COVID-19.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Gyeonggi Gov't Says Discrepancy in Shincheonji Lists
Gyeonggi Province said that the list of members of the Shincheonji Church provided by the religious sect was different than the province's list secured through its own investigation. The government on Wednesday secured a complete list of Shincheonji followers from the church and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention then conveyed it to local governments.
N. Korea Postpones Opening of New Semester over COVID-19
North Korea has reportedly postponed the opening of kindergartens and schools across the country as part of efforts to prevent the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the North's radio broadcaster, reported on Thursday that education and quarantine work are strongly under way at child care centers, kindergartens and colleges to prevent the virus outbreak. It added that winter vacation for students has been extended as a preventive measure to block the virus.
US Military Restricts Travel to S. Korea over COVID-19
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Military Command has restricted all nonessential travel to South Korea over concerns about the novel coronavirus. The command said on Wednesday on its social network pages that it will restrict all nonessential travel to South Korea to reduce risks associated with COVID-19, in line with the travel health notice by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S. Korea reports 334 new virus cases, total now at 1,595
South Korea reported a whopping 334 new cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of infections here to 1,595. So far, 12 people have died in South Korea from the new fast-spreading virus that emerged in China. More than half of newly confirmed cases came from a branch of a religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu.
BOK freezes key rate amid looming economic fallout from virus
South Korea's central bank on Thursday decided to keep its policy rate steady for now despite growing calls for a rate reduction to counter the growing economic fallout from the new coronavirus outbreak. The Bank of Korea (BOK) left the base rate frozen at the current 1.25 percent.
More countries impose entry bans on travelers from S. Korea's coronavirus hotspots
The number of countries imposing entry bans on travelers who recently visited South Korea's southeastern city of Daegu and the nearby county of Cheongdo is on the rise, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday, following a spike in confirmed novel coronavirus cases there. Earlier in the day, Japan approved the ban on travellers who have been in Daegu or Cheongdo in the past two weeks. Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, to which Cheongdo belongs, have been hit the hardest by the virus.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
S. Korea reports 334 new virus cases, total now at 1,595
South Korea reported a whopping 334 new cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of infections here to 1,595. So far, 12 people have died in South Korea from the new fast-spreading virus that emerged in China. More than half of newly confirmed cases came from a branch of a religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Trump says US 'very ready' for virus; Pence to lead response
President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the US is "very, very ready" for whatever the coronavirus threat brings, and he put his vice president in charge of overseeing the nation's response. Trump sought to minimize fears of the virus spreading widely across the US, saying, "I don't think it's inevitable."
US military restricts travel to S. Korea over coronavirus
The US Indo-Pacific military command said Wednesday it is restricting nonessential travel to South Korea over concerns about the coronavirus. The notice came after a soldier with US Forces Korea tested positive for COVID-19 amid a rapid rise in the number of cases in the country.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Coronavirus patients surpass 1,000 in 37 days
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 virus infections here has surpassed 1,000, 37 days after the first case was reported.
Shincheonji's secrecy sparks concerns over mass infection
A minor Christian sect, known as the Shincheonji Church, which has been at the heart of a surge in coronavirus cases here, is igniting concerns over a further mass infection as its worshipers tend to conceal their affiliation with the cult, even from family members, experts said Wednesday.
Moon under mounting criticism over coronavirus responses
The national health emergency unleashed by COVID-19 has dealt a crushing blow to President Moon Jae-in, with public criticism on his poor crisis management capacity and leadership growing as the epidemic is far from being contained.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Moon heads to Daegu to oversee coronavirus countermeasures
The South Korean government is focusing all its resources on preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, the top two figures in the current administration, both visited Daegu on Feb. 25.
“Nice landlord” movement gains traction in S. Korea
With small business owners under huge pressure because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, building owners are joining a “nice landlord” movement that’s gaining traction around the country. The government and the ruling party are looking into a plan that would assist these “nice landlords,” while banks are also looking to help out by lowering rent on the buildings they own and providing financial incentives to owners who do the same. There has also been a nationwide outpouring of support for Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the regions in a desperate fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Transmission cluster in Daegu, N. Gyeongsang spikes rise in demand for coronavirus testing
A steep rise in demand for testing for novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province -- especially among people associated with the Shincheonji religious sect’s Daegu branch -- is raising concerns about public health institutions’ ability to cope with it all. Experts said the situation was “manageable at present,” explaining that it “should be possible to do up to 20,000 tests per day going forward.”
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Korean Air Flight Attendant Infected with Coronavirus
Koreatown in Los Angeles is on high alert after a 25-year-old air hostess with Korean Air who had been sampling gourmet restaurants in the area tested positive for coronavirus. A post on an online forum for Korean Americans on Wednesday said the flight attendant has visited four or five famous restaurants in central Koreatown. She is likely to have come in contact with hundreds of people since long lines often form at the restaurants in peak hours.
Korea, U.S. to Scale Back or Skip Joint Drills
The coronavirus outbreak is starting to affect the operations and preparedness of Korean and U.S. forces here. Some units in the frontline area have suspended surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the demilitarized zone to prevent the spread of the disease. In their latest talks in Washington, the two countries' defense chiefs also mentioned the possibility of scaling back or even canceling joint drills slated for next month.
Gov't to Screen 200,000 Sect Members over Coronavirus
The government will conduct an exhaustive search for more than 200,000 followers of the dubious Shincheonji sect who may have been infected with coronavirus. The government on Tuesday said the sect has agreed to provide it with a full list of members and their contact numbers and the search "starts immediately."
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Daimler AG honors LG Electronics for its excellence
LG Electronics has been selected as an excellent supplier for the first time by Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, at the Daimler Supplier Award 2020, which was held at Daimler AG’s headquarters in Stuttgart. The Daimler Supplier Award is an annual event where the German company honors its suppliers that show exceptional performance and partnership.
Coronavirus spreads from Italy to Switzerland and Spain
As the number of confirmed cases soars in Italy, COVID-19 is quickly spreading to its neighboring countries. Confirmed cases in Italy stood at 322 up by 93 from the previous day with 11 fatalities as of Tuesday, Ansa news agency reported. Patients were concentrated in northern Italy, but now it appears that the virus has spread to the middle and southern parts of the country.
IOC member raises possibility of cancelling Tokyo Olympics
A member of the International Olympic Committee suggested that the Tokyo Olympics, which is scheduled in July, might be cancelled if the coronavirus does not die down. In his interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, IOC’s longest-serving member Dick Pound said the Summer Olympics might be cancelled if the games cannot go forward as scheduled, adding that the decision should be made by May, two months before the games.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Government to Test High-Risk Believers with Symptoms as Soon as It Receives Full List of Shincheonji Members
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus agreed to provide the government with the list of all its believers. The government plans to launch an inspection for COVID-19 infections as soon as it receives the list from the church. It will distribute the list to public health centers and local governments nationwide and have them inspect the church members living in their jurisdiction.
COVID-19 Penetrates the Weak in Isolation: Risk of Mass Infection
Viruses are particularly harsh on the weak. So far eleven people have died from the latest COVID-19 outbreak, and seven of the deaths occurred in a ward closed off from the outside world at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Cases of mass infection are appearing in a facility for severely disabled people as well as in a hospital for long-term care. But the virus is not the only thing that is so cruel to the vulnerable. Civic groups point out that it simply exposes the bare face of our society, which has pushed these people into an isolated environment ideal for a virus outbreak.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
BOK stays pat despite stronger rationale for another rate cut amid virus scare
The South Korean central bank saved its rate ammunition as it braces up for the worse due to the viral spread of pessimism about the economy from the staggering proliferation of a new deadly virus COVID-19. The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday kept its base rate unchanged at the current record low of 1.25 percent, a level maintained since last October.
Air travelers at Incheon Int’l Airport down by half on coronavirus scare
The number of passengers using South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, the country’s gateway to the world, has plunged as the widespread new coronavirus has led people to shun traveling and cancel flights. According to the airport on Wednesday, the number of passengers on flights to and from China, the epicenter of the outbreak, declined to 8,443 on Feb. 23 from a peak of 43,538 on Jan. 19.
Korea’s Winia Dimchae scores profit under new parent Dayou Group
South Korea’s mid-sized conglomerate Dayou Winia Group made significant improvement in earnings at its home appliance making unit Winia Dimchae and other key subsidiaries for fiscal 2019 as synergy from merger paid off. Winia Dimchae, the country’s leading kimchi refrigerator maker, reversed to an operating profit of 22.6 billion won ($18.6 million) in 2019 from 1.2 billion won losses reported a year earlier. Its revenue totaled 745.2 billion won, up 33.7 percent on year.
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What’s ticking around the world at this second?
See what the world media around the world have to report:
USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com
The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com
Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com, service@wsj-asia.com
Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com
The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk
The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk
Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cn kf@people.cn
China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn
GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn
Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com
Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com
Mainichi www.mainichi.jp
Le Monde www.ilemonde.com
Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com
Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de
SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de
Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning Herald www.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en
Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com
LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com, lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net
Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com
Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.
Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM
Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s
Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE
And many other countries.
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