Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
P.M. Modi of India interacts with SAARC leaders to combat COVID-19 in the region
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of India interacted with the leaders of the SAARC countries through video conference to chart out a common strategy in order to combat COVID-19 in the region. Shared History – Collective Future: Prime Minister thanked the leaders for joining the conference at such short notice. Stressing on the ancient people to people ties and interconnectedness of societies of the SAARC countries, he said it is imperative for the nations to prepare to face the challenge together.
Why not do justice to all the wonderful things in your country? Use The Korea Post!
Has Your Excellency received the March issue of The Korea Post magazine together with a copy of the latest issue of the 20-page Korean-language newspaper of The Korea Post? The magazine (left below) and the newspaper (right below) have already been mailed to Your Excellency (URL for each article already on the English Internet (www.koreapost.com) and the Korean-language Internet (www.koreapost.co.kr):
New cases in S. Korea stay low for 3rd day, cluster infections rising in capital area
South Korea recorded daily new infections of the new coronavirus in the double digits for the third straight day Tuesday, but the daily tally in Seoul and neighboring areas surpassed that in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the two epicenters of the fast-spreading virus. In an unprecedented measure against the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea decided to extend all school breaks by another two weeks to April 6. All child care centers were also ordered to stay closed until April 6.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
EU to Ban Foreign Travelers for 30 Days to Curb COVID-19
European Union leaders have agreed to immediately impose travel restrictions on most foreigners entering Europe for at least 30 days to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. European Council President Charles Michel unveiled the agreement after a video conference with EU leaders on Tuesday.
Parliament Passes Extra Budget Bill to Fight COVID-19
The National Assembly approved an eleven-point-seven trillion-won extra budget on Tuesday to help contain the novel coronavirus and cope with the economic fallout from the outbreak. The parliament held a plenary session to pass the supplementary budget bill 12 days after the government submitted it to the assembly. The overall size of the budget was unchanged from the original proposal but details have been adjusted.
Trump Vows 'Big' Stimulus Package, Hints at Relief Cash Support
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged a "big, bold" stimulus package to counter the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, hinting at the possible provision of relief checks to Americans. President Trump said on Tuesday in a press briefing at the White House that the U.S. is going to win what he called a "war" against the virus, reaffirming he will take "big" measures. In the same briefing, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that the administration is looking at sending checks directly to households that are hurting – possibly within the next two weeks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S. Korea again pushes back new school year on virus fears
South Korea said Tuesday it will be postponing the new school year for another two weeks as it fights COVID-19 group infections that have occurred at churches, hospitals and even Zumba classes. Under the measure, the new school year at kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools nationwide will begin on April 6, five weeks later than in normal years, according to the education ministry.
S. Korea to unveil market stabilization measures
South Korea will announce a set of measures on Wednesday to stabilize financial markets rattled by the new coronavirus outbreak, the country's chief economic policymaker said Tuesday. Speaking to a parliamentary session, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government will unveil new steps to address market turmoil, including the readjustment of the cap on domestic banks' foreign currency forward positions.
S. Korea's parliament passes extra budget bill to fight coronavirus
The National Assembly on Tuesday approved an 11.7 trillion-won (US$9.42 billion) extra budget to help contain the novel coronavirus and minimize the economic fallout from the outbreak. The supplementary budget bill passed through the parliamentary plenary session, with 222 of the 225 lawmakers present voting in favor. One voted against the bill while the remaining two lawmakers abstained.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Start of school put back again
The Korean government announced Tuesday that day care centers, kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools in the country will remain closed until early April, amid an all-out fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. The start of the spring semester at kindergartens and schools nationwide will be pushed back from the current March 23 to April 6 on concerns that crowded classrooms might turn into new clusters of infections and further spread the virus in local communities. It was the third delay in school openings since the outbreak started.
Special screening procedures for all travelers to Korea
With the domestic spread of the novel coronavirus slowing down, the South Korean government will begin screening all international arrivals this week to prevent it from coming in from abroad. Special quarantine procedures will be applied to all travelers arriving here, not just foreign nationals but Koreans too, starting Thursday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
Exports to China recover in March
South Korea’s exports to China have been showing signs of recovery in March, as the two nations reel from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, data from the government and the industry showed Tuesday. Korea’s daily exports to China for the period of March 1-10 reached $436 million, a 20.8 percent increase compared to the same period in February this year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Seoul to tap FX reserves to ease dollar shortage
The government plans to expand dollar liquidity by supplying its foreign exchange reserves into the currency swap funding market in a bid to ease concerns over a dollar shortage here, according to the financial authorities Tuesday. The move is one of the administration's comprehensive market stabilization measures scheduled to be unveiled at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.
All people arriving in Korea subject to screening from Thursday
Korea is expanding its special screening at airports and ports to all overseas travelers starting from Thursday, in an effort to contain COVID-19 which is spreading in Korea and around the world, the government said Tuesday. Currently, travelers, both Koreans and non-Koreans, arriving from China, Japan and all European countries are subject to special screening at entry points.
Coronavirus likely to disrupt overseas voting
The fallout from the coronavirus outbreak could affect the upcoming election as Koreans living abroad may struggle to reach their polling stations due to many countries restricting the movement of residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With the general election scheduled for April 15, Koreans living abroad can cast their ballots for proportional representations from April 1 to 6 at 206 diplomatic missions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the National Election Commission (NEC).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Vulnerable social groups in S. Korea still find time to donate and contribute to fight against coronavirus outbreak
Migrant workers, North Korean defectors, senior citizens, and other financially struggling groups have been contributing actively to donations and sharing campaigns to overcome the novel coronavirus outbreak. It’s a beautiful example of solidarity by the most vulnerable members of society helping to build collective immunity to the virus. According to accounts from Eunpyeong District Office in Seoul on Mar. 16, a senior citizen visited the community center in the Bulgwang No. 2 neighborhood around 2:30 pm on Mar. 12.
S. Korea’s mask-sharing campaign donates medical masks to those who really need them
A “mask-sharing” campaign has been kicked off to encourage people to donate medical masks to medical staff, the elderly, and pregnant women. Every student at kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul will be given three masks free of charge. The city of Seoul said on Mar. 16 that it was launching a “kind-hearted mask campaign,” encouraging people to stick to cloth masks and to waive their right to buy publicly distributed masks so that medical masks can be available for those who really need them, including medical personnel and people in vulnerable groups.
S. Korea expands entry restrictions to include all of Europe
Shortly after midnight on Mar. 16, the South Korean government expanded its special entry protocols to apply to all of Europe as COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, rapidly spreads around the world. The government is determined to stop the influx of the disease from other countries, after four people who’d visited Europe tested positive for the disease just on Mar. 14 and 15.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Health Authorities Gear up for Drawn-out Epidemic
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will prepare a manual by late March in case of a long drawn-out coronavirus epidemic, its chief Jung Eun-kyeong told reporters Monday. The announcement follows warnings that the epidemic could be prolonged and the virus hard to vanquish in a short time.
Small Retailers Suffer Snowballing Losses
Small retailers in Korea's shopping districts have seen a decline in customer traffic of around an 80 percent due to the coronavirus outbreak, causing an estimated W300 billion in losses a day (US$1=W1,226). The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise analyzed KT big data and found that customer traffic in the Jung district of central Seoul declined 78.5 percent from 9.3 million to two million from Feb. 9 to 29.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
France deploys 100,000 police to enforce a 15-day lockdown
The French government announced a nationwide lockdown on Monday in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. French President Emmanuel Macron said in his address that the citizens must stay home from midday on Tuesday for at least 15 days, calling the current situation a war. The public are allowed to leave home only for essential professional or health reasons. France has decided to deploy 100,000 police across large cities to limit movement.
China could take exception to S. Koreans’ entry, says Ambassador Xing
Chinese ambassador mentions of exception on S. Koreans with health certificate. Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming said that essential visits by South Koreans to China are guaranteed and China will provide South Koreans visiting the country with the convenience they need. It is the first time, since Seoul and Beijing started discussing applying exceptions to China’s entry ban, that a high-ranking Chinese official indicated a positive stance towards making an exception on South Korean businessmen carrying a health certificate or a certificate certifying that he/she has been tested negative for coronavirus.
Kia Motors unveils fourth-generation Sorento via SNS platforms
The fourth-generation Sorento, Kia’s largest SUV model, was unveiled on Tuesday. It was revealed online instead of its scheduled debut at a motor show due to the COVID-19 outbreak. People who watched its online debut said an augmented reality (AR) app made it look more real than seeing it in person although they could not have a hands-on opportunity to explore the new model. Kia has unveiled the fourth-generation Sorento via its official social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube and started its official selling. It has been six years since the third-generation Sorento was released in 2014. The new Sorento’s exterior design, which has the concept of “refined boldness,” boasts the “tiger nose” grille up front that connects the front radiator grille and the LED headlamp.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
An Age of the 0% Base Interest Rate
As the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak comes into view, the Bank of Korea held an emergency meeting of the Monetary Policy Board on March 16 and lowered the annual base rate to a record low 0.75%. This is the first time that the nation’s base rate has entered the 0% level. Earlier on March 15 (local time), the United States Federal Reserve held an emergency meeting and lowered the interest rate by 1.0%, returning to the “zero” interest rate (0.0-0.25%) in five years. The central banks throughout the world are pouring cash into the market by lowering the base rate.
A Month of COVID-19 Full of Sacrifice and Support: Daegu Overcame Fear
“Thank you for saving us.” On March 16, letters supporting the medical staff were on display at the Raphael Well-being Center at Daegu Medical Center. A variety of messages were on display, from letters written by children--showing traces of how they were written with pencils, erased, corrected and rewritten--to words of support from organizations and businesses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
SK Group firms accelerate rebranding to reflect market trend changes
SK Group’s key affiliates are on course to ditch their old names and rebrand themselves to reflect changes in industry and social trends in line with a shift in perception toward environment and technological development. SK Telecom, the flagship affiliate of South Korea’s third largest conglomerate, has decided to rename itself into SK Hyperconnect despite lots of publicity expenses, while other SK Group companies such as SK Corp., SK Chemicals, SK Lubricants and SK Broadband are joining it to work on new corporate identity.
Korea’s Kogene Biotech files for approval of its COVID-19 kit in U.S. at request of FDA
Kogene Biotech, a COVID-19 detection kit maker in South Korea, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently asked it to file an application for emergency use authorization (EUA) with the U.S. government to help meet mounting demand for testing across the continent. The unlisted Korean company is now flooded with orders around the world after it was introduced in local media as the first to deliver a COVID-19 detection kit to the market under the Korean government’s EUA system.
Kakao sells partial stake in Hanjin KAL to cut ownership below 1%
South Korea’s Kakao Corp. believed to one of white-knight shareholders for Hanjin Group’s chairman Cho Won-tae in power struggle with his older sister sold a part of its stake in Hanjin KAL, the transportation conglomerate’s holding entity. According to industry sources on Monday, Kakao recently cut its stake in Hanjin KAL to below 1 percent from around 2 percent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are you waiting for?
Use us!
The Korea Post media are more than eager to be used, and to serve you—with the following five news outlets, 35 years old this year!
Korean-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.co.kr
English-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.com
Korean-language print newspaper:
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3801.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3802.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3803.pdf
http://www.koreapost.co.kr/pdf/list.php?category=&syear=2018&smonth=03&sday=26&hosu=40
English E-daily: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=20472
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------