Tuesday April 28, 2020

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
President of Uzbekistan is bringing together government and businesses to ensure social protection of the people at times of coronavirus outbreak
Uzbekistan, along with a number of other countries in the world, is facing consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and social area, including on the lives of people in cities and regions.
Amid novel coronavirus, the head of state places a great emphasis on providing support to vulnerable segments of the population and ensuring full operation of industrial enterprises, construction area and country’s infrastructure.

Turkmenistan marks 25th year of Permanent Neutrality this year
The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Turkenistan in Seoul for publication by The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications.—Ed. This year Turkmenistan widely celebrates the 25th anniversary of adopting the status of Permanent Neutrality. At the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan, the Mejlis (parliament) of Turkmenistan passed a resolution placing the year 2020 under the motto “Turkmenistan - Homeland of Neutrality”. On 11-12 December 2020 International Conference «Policy of Neutrality and its Importance in Ensuring International Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development» will take place in Ashgabat.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea's Consumer Sentiment Falls to 11-Year Low in April
South Korea's consumer sentiment plunged to the lowest in more than a decade in April amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, the country's composite consumer sentiment index came to 70-point-eight during the month, down seven-point-six points from a month earlier.

Trump Says He Has 'Very Good Idea' about Kim's Condition
Amid mounting rumors on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he knows how Kim is doing, but refused to elaborate on details.
Trump said during a press conference at the White House that he does have a "very good idea," but he can't talk about it now.

Parliamentary Budget Committee to Deliberate Extra Budget on Relief Payouts
A special parliamentary committee on budget and accounts will hold a session on Tuesday to deliberate an extra budget plan aimed to finance coronavirus relief payouts for all South Korean citizens.
The committee plans to carry out the budget review in a way that adds four-point-six trillion won to the government's initial seven-point-six trillion won budget plan.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Loose social distancing looms large as new virus cases stay low
In a sign of the containment of the new coronavirus, South Korea reported just 10 new cases Monday, but health authorities remain vigilant over the upcoming holidays, which could potentially lead to cluster infections.
It marked the fifth day in a row that the number of new infections stayed at 10 or below, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,738, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Trump says he knows how N.K. leader is doing but can't talk about it yet
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he knows how North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is doing and wishes him well amid speculation he may be gravely ill, but refused to offer details.
"I do have a very good idea, but I can't talk about it now. I just wish him well. I've had a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un," Trump said during a White House press conference.
Moon says S. Korea to seek 'realistic, practical' ways for inter-Korean ties
President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will move ahead with "realistic and practical" cooperation with North Korea despite international constraints, holding out expectations for a fresh breakthrough in the coronavirus pandemic.
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The Korea Herald  (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Moon vows to expand inter-Korean cooperation on summit anniversary
President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed to seek ways to increase cooperation with North Korea within the boundaries of international constraints.
Speaking at a meeting with senior aides on Monday, the second anniversary of this first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Moon said that Seoul must continue to take “even small steps” to continue the peace process.

Ex-president denies charges in defamation case concerning 1980 pro-democracy uprising
Former President Chun Doo-hwan stuck to his lifelong claim that there was no helicopter firing at civilians during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising, while standing trial for libel in the regional city of Gwangju on Monday.
“Many more lives would have been lost if shots were fired from helicopters. No son of the Republic of Korea would have done such a reckless thing,” the 89-year-old said at the Gwangju District Court.

S. Korea considers reopening schools in May
The South Korean government said Monday it would soon put forward a timetable to reopen schools, as the rate of new coronavirus infections stabilizes.
Currently, all students are taking online classes at home.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Moon proposes cooperation with North Korea on COVID-19
President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic has opened up new opportunities for stalled inter-Korean cooperation, which he began promoting following the Panmunjeom Declaration announced after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un two years ago.
Marking the second anniversary of the inter-Korean summit, Moon evaluated the "improvement in and challenges of" inter-Korean relations during the past two years.

Gov't 'confident' about Kim Jong-un's health
Amid numerous media reports from outside the Korean Peninsula speculating on the whereabouts and health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, high-profile officials from South Korea maintain that Kim is "okay."

Self-quarantine violators fitted with location-tracking bracelet
People who broke self-quarantine rules began wearing electronic bracelets, Monday, as the government steps up measures against those who could possibly spread the coronavirus, according to Korea's top infectious disease official. The number of violators reached 286.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters introduced the controversial plan on April 11 because the number of cases of people breaching self-quarantine has raised public concerns.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Media outlets worldwide continue to speculate about Kim Jong-un’s health
Rumors about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continue to swirl, with more than two weeks having passed since his last public appearance. The foreign press is keeping a sharp eye on developments, even reporting that the Chinese government sent a medical team to North Korea, but North Korea’s state-run media remains silent. The South Korean government thinks that Kim is alive and well, citing the lack of unusual signs from the North.

S. Korean government considering paying 70% of wages of USFK workers on unpaid furlough
With some 4,000 South Korean employees of the US military on unpaid leave since Apr. 1 because of the two countries’ deadlocked defense cost-sharing negotiations, the South Korean government is pondering the idea of paying 70% of their wages. The government has notified US Forces Korea (USFK) that it will be paying the wages of the furloughed workers for the time being and that it means to use its eventual cost-sharing contribution to compensate itself for that cost.

S. Korea to amend sick leave laws to give people 3-4 days off work when feeling ill
The South Korean government announced plans to retool the holiday system by amending related laws and enacting measures to support people taking three to four days off when sick. These new measures would qualify as a form of "daily disease prevention” to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Disease control authorities also expressed concerns about the possibility of "superspreading” at nightlife establishments and called on younger people in their 20s to participate in social distancing.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Moon Says S.Korea Will Seek Ways for Inter-Korean Cooperation
President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the COVID-19 crisis could be a new opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation. In a meeting with his top aides, Moon said that it is the most urgent task and that he will seek realistic and practical ways to achieve it. His remarks come on the second anniversary since the leaders of the two Koreas held their first summit at the border village of Panmunjom.

Defamation Trial Begins for Ex-President
Chun Doo-hwan, Korea's former authoritarian president, went on trial Monday for charges of slandering a late activist priest who gave an eyewitness account of a deadly military attack on pro-democracy demonstrators in 1980.

Shincheonji 'Superspreader' Released from Hospital
The first coronavirus patient in Daegu and the Shincheonji sect was released from hospital on April 24 after some two months of hospitalization.
The 61-year-old woman had been admitted to Daegu Medical Center on Feb. 17. She infected possibly hundreds of others in the sect, making her a so-called superspreader. She also holds the record for the longest hospital stay for coronavirus.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Inter-Korean cooperation is the most desperate task, says Pres. Moon
Marking the second anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration on Monday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the COVID-19 crisis could be a new opportunity for the promotion of inter-Korean cooperation and it is the most urgent and desperate task for now. “We cannot just wait until conditions improve,” said President Moon, expressing his willingness to accelerate his drive for inter-Korean engagement in the latter half of his presidency. This is his first message to North Korea amid the rumors surrounding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continuing to swirl.

LG Chem sets out to boost production of carbon nanotubes
LG Chem announced Monday that it will ramp up the production of carbon nanotubes by 1,200 tons a year. The South Korean chemicals producer is aiming to make an investment worth 65 billion won to expand the production capacity for carbon nanotubes at its Yeosu factory by the first quarter of next year. This will enable LG Chem to achieve production capacity of 1,700 tons every year.

Bill Gates: COVID-19 vaccines could be mass produced within a year
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be mass produced within a year at the earliest.
“If everything went perfectly, we’d be in scale manufacturing within a year, and it could be as long as two years,” Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, told CNN. “Dr. Anthony Fauci and I have been fairly consistent to say 18 months to create expectations that are not too high.”
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Demand for Tourism Rises During the Golden Holiday, Stirring Concerns of Too Much Easing of Physical Distancing
Choi (51), a housewife living in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul was surprised when she went out to the outskirts of the city with her family over the weekend. She and her family had visited a quiet reservoir to let go of some of the frustration they suffered from having to stay at home for over three months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but they couldn’t even enjoy a cup of tea because of the crowd. Choi said, “There are so many people I know who are planning to go to Jeju-do over the golden holiday in early May,” and added, “I’m worried that the novel coronavirus could spread again preventing us from returning to our daily life.”

Will President Moon Rekindle the Sparks of Dialogue with Inter-Korean Cooperation in Health Care
April 27 marks the second anniversary of the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised to develop inter-Korea relations and to denuclearize and establish peace on the peninsula in the Panmunjom Declaration, but due to the deadlock in North Korea’s relationship with the U.S. and with the South, none of the items stated in the declaration has been properly realized. Now that President Moon has secured the drive to tackle state affairs with the landslide 180-seat victory in the parliamentary elections, he is expected to put more effort into his idea of towing North Korea-United States relations with progress in inter-Korean relations.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
S. Korea to create $81.5 mn fund to aid local biotech, healthcare firms
The South Korean government will create a new fund worth 100 billion won ($81.5 million) to help healthcare companies enhance their competitiveness and expand their global presence.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Monday it will inject 15 billion won from previously recovered investment funds and 25 billion won from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) into the new fund and attract the remaining from the private sector.

Seoul to fuel $3.24 bn in state lenders to back their funding for airliners, key industries
South Korea plans to inject up to 4 trillion won ($3.24 billion) into two state lenders to back their multibillion-dollar bailouts of airliners and other key industries to survive the coronavirus storm.
The government will propose providing 2 trillion to 4 trillion won to Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) in the third extra budget bill, according to sources from state banks on Sunday.

S. Korean supplementary budget in H1 to fight COVID could reach $44 billion
South Korea’s supplementary budget this year to fight the economic fallout from coronavirus could nearly double the 28.4 trillion ($23 billion) extraordinary fiscal spending in 2009 to cushion the shocks from a global financial crisis as the government readies an estimated 30 trillion won third increase even as the legislative is yet to approve a second extra.
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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.comservice@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 Heraldwww.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://www.colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet
http://www.bogotafreeplanet.com,bfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english 
Andes https://www.redaktionstest.net/andes-info-ec/
Ecuador Times https://www.ecuadortimes.net/ 
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com/
LSM.lv https://www.lsm.lv// 
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com,
estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais https://english.elpais.com/
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net/
Daily News Hungary https://dailynewshungary.com/
Budapest Times https://www.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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