Wednesday May 13, 2020


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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
Ambassador Harris expresses thanks to Korea, accents importance of ROK-U.S. alliance
Ambassador Harry Harris of the United States in Seoul expressed gratitude to the Korean people and government for the two million face masks Korea sent to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"The U.S.-ROK alliance and friendship are as vital and iron-clad today as it was 70 years ago," Harris said in a tweeter message.

Over one hundred new COVID-19 cases break out in Itaewon area in Seoul
A total of 101 new cases of the COVID-19 broke out on May 12 at a number of clubs and drinking bars in the Itaewon area in the Yongsan-gu Ward in Seoul. This was disclosed by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP).
According to the KCDCP, at least 23 confirmed patients were the family members and friends of people who had visited the clubs drinking places in the Itaewon area.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea Posts Biggest Job Loss in April Since 1999
South Korea lost more than 470-thousand jobs last month to post the biggest loss in over 21 years due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people reached 26-point-56 million in April, down 476-thousand from a year earlier. That marks the largest monthly on-year drop since February 1999 when the country lost 656-thousand jobs.

Ex-USFK Commander: Reduced S. Korea-US Military Drills Impact Readiness
A former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea said on Tuesday that scaling down combined military exercises between South Korea and the United States does have an impact on readiness.
Former USFK Commander Walter Sharp made the remarks during a virtual forum hosted by the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute of America.
Sharp said that it's his personal opinion, but scaling down, and doing exercises in other ways, does have an effect on readiness

S. Korea Sends 500,000 Masks to US Korean War Veterans
South Korea sent 500-thousand face masks to help Korean War veterans in the United States fight COVID-19.
The South Korean Embassy in the U.S. said a South Korean Air Force aircraft carrying the masks arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday, and officials from both sides and U.S. war veterans were present to receive the cargo.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S. Korea's drop in jobs sharpest since 1999 amid virus pandemic
South Korea reported the sharpest drop in its April employment since 1999 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered job markets, data showed Wednesday.
The number of employed people in South Korea stood at 26.56 million in April, 476,000 people fewer than a year ago, marking the biggest on-year decline since February 1999.

Infections linked to Itaewon clubs reach 102
New coronavirus infections connected to bars and clubs in Seoul's multicultural district of Itaewon have reached 102 nationally, health authorities said Tuesday, amid concerns the figure may rise after more visitors are tested for COVID-19.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that 102 cases linked to the Itaewon cluster have been confirmed as of Tuesday at noon.

S. Korea struggles to contain more club-linked virus cases
South Korea is again raising its guard against a cluster infection linked to clubs and bars in Seoul as related confirmed cases have been reported across the country and many potentially infected people remain out of contact, health authorities said Tuesday.
The country reported 27 more cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, with 22 of them local cases, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,936, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
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The Korea Herald  (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Expat community jolted by COVID-19 outbreak in Itaewon
South Korea appeared to have brought its novel coronavirus epidemic under control, Zeynep Demirezer went out with friends on May 1 for a night of clubbing in Itaewon, a party district in Seoul that is popular among Koreans and foreigners alike.

Hidden outbreaks suspected before nightclub cluster
Coronavirus may have been spreading undetected in late April and early May, prior to the Itaewon nightclub transmissions, health authorities investigating infection routes of over 100 patients linked to the club cluster said Tuesday.
Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the mass infection that occurred in Itaewon has multiple epicenters.

S. Korea's drop in jobs sharpest since 1999 amid virus pandemic
South Korea reported the sharpest drop in its April employment since 1999 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered job markets, data showed Wednesday.
The number of employed people in South Korea stood at 26.56 million in April, 476,000 people fewer than a year ago, marking the biggest on-year decline since February 1999.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
467,000 jobs lost in April amid virus pandemic
South Korea reported the sharpest drop in its April employment since 1999 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered job markets, data showed Wednesday.
The number of employed people in South Korea stood at 26.56 million in April, 476,000 people fewer than a year ago, marking the biggest on-year decline since February 1999.

LG Chem sends officials to India over deadly gas leak
South Korean chemical giant LG Chem Ltd. said Wednesday that it has sent a team to India to find out the cause of a recent gas leak that killed 12 people.
A team of eight officials, led by Noh Kug-lae, president of the petrochemicals business, also plans to check the safety of LG Polymers India to prevent the reoccurrence of such an accident.
The chemical giant's action comes six days after the deadly gas leak that sickened more than a thousand near the plant in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Businesses call for swift passage of telemedicine bill
Businesses are calling on the National Assembly for the swift passage of a series of proposed bills to reinvigorate the economy hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly concerning digitization, the removal of barriers to corporate investment and telemedicine.
They say it is most important the bills be passed before the end of May when the Assembly's regular session is scheduled to end. Once the 20th session expires, 11 pending bills will be discarded, leading to a waste of time and resources given lawmakers of the newly formed 21st Assembly must repeat the same drafting process all over again.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://englishani.co.kr)
Starting date for all grades delayed by one week in schools
The respective schedules for students to return to classes at kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide have been postponed for one week each in the wake of an infection cluster of novel coronavirus cases associated with clubs in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood. The classes had originally been scheduled to begin in phases, beginning with third-year high school students on May 13. The decision was based on the fact that the epidemiological investigation is not yet complete, while the nationwide distribution of patients’ places of residence has raised concerns of community infections.

Seoul to provide anonymous testing to those connected to Itaewon club outbreak
Amid concerns that an outbreak of COVID-19 from Itaewon nightclubs will continue to spread as second-generation infections are confirmed, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on May 11 that it would implement an anonymous testing system, in which people will only have to provide their telephone number before being tested. Based on the prediction that the transmission cluster will peak on May 13, the public health authorities are focusing on tracking down “hidden patients” to stop the disease from spreading further.

Eom Su-yeon to become first female S. Korean to play in NCAA Division 1 sport
South Korean ice hockey player Eom Su-yeon, 19, has been drafted into the US NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey. This is the first instance of a female Korean athlete being drafted into an NCAA Division 1 team. Eom, who is known for being incredibly strong and athletic despite her short height (158cm), will play for St. Lawrence University in New York.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
35% of Bankers Make Six-Figure Salaries
Thirty-five out of every 100 bankers earned a six-figure salary last year, and some seven percent of them made more than W150 million (US$1=W1,225).
But their high pay was not a reward for better performance but simply due to the banks' seniority system.
According to a study by the Korea Institute of Finance out last month, 35.1 percent of 125,031 bank workers in Korea earned more than W100 million in 2019, up five percentage points from 2018.

Many Young Koreans Believe COVID Infections Depend on Luck
More than half of young Koreans feel invincible in the face of coronavirus infection, according to a survey, largely because their health is good.
The findings are based on the survey of 813 adults living in Seoul by a team led by Yoo Myung-soon at Seoul National University.
It found that 54 percent of respondents in their 20s and 62 percent in their 30s felt coronavirus infections depend on luck. That compares to 42.8 percent of respondents in their 40s, 43.8 percent in their 50s and 38.3 percent in their 60s.

Universities in Quandary After Resurgence of Infections
Universities are in a quandary after a resurgence of coronavirus infections centered around the clubs and bars of Seoul's Itaewon district.
According to the Korean Association of Private University Presidents on Monday, of 193 universities across the nation, 11.9 percent have reopened for classroom lectures.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
U.S. court orders disclosure of N. Korean assets to Warmbiers
The parents of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died shortly after being released from North Korean detention, will be able to obtain the details of North Korea’s 23.79 million dollars deposited across three U.S. banks. It is unclear if further information on the deposit holder will be revealed.

SK Biopharmaceuticals launches anti-epileptic med in U.S.
SK Biopharmaceuticals announced Tuesday the official launch of its anti-epileptic medicine cenobamate in the U.S. Cenobamate was independently developed by SK Biopharmaceuticals and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November last year as an anti-epileptic drug for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults. It is the first time that a Korean pharmaceutical company directly applied for FDA’s approval without exporting technology for new medicine.

COVID-19 test recommendation text sent to visitors to Itaewon
The number of COVID-19 cases originated from clubs in Itaewon, Seoul increased to 102 as of 12 p.m. on Tuesday. The disease control authorities and local governments are tracking about 2,000 visitors whom they haven’t been able to reach based on the list of people connected to base transceiver stations near Itaewon clubs and credit card transaction history.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Schools to Delay Offline Classes Another Week, Due to Massive COVID-19 Transmission at Itaewon
Authorities continued to confirm cases of COVID-19 from a massive transmission that occurred in the clubs at Itaewon, Seoul. The number of COVID-19-positive cases in connection to the clubs continue to rise and cases of secondary transmission have also been confirmed, forcing the government to postpone the first day of offline classes in schools another week to May 20. Originally, schools were scheduled to begin on May 13 with classes for twelfth graders. The offline classes for the other students will also be pushed back a week.

A Sign of Hope in the Dark Ages of Sports: Eyes on the K League
A crisis can be an opportunity for some. The K League, regarded as the periphery by Europe, the center of world football, is bringing hope to the dark ages of sports triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak.
On May 8, the official opening match of K League 1 between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Suwon Samsung was held at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium more than two months after the initial opening day. The match attracted viewers from the world as well as Korean football fans.

“Make Employment Insurance Available to More People and Promote the KCDC to an Administration”
On May 10, President Moon Jae-in spoke of plans to overcome unemployment as well as threats to the people’s livelihoods triggered by COVID-19 and said, “We will lay the foundation for an age of a universal employment insurance allowing everyone employed to receive benefits.” He further said, “We will significantly expand the subscribers of the employment insurance and implement an employment support policy for all citizens to upgrade our employment safety net to the next level.”
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
S. Korea suffers steepest job loss in April in 21 yrs
South Korea lost 476,000 jobs in April compared with a year earlier, its steepest monthly loss in more than two decades as the coronavirus fallout extended into the second quarter.
The number of employed totaled 26.56 million, down 476,000 from the same month a year ago, Statistics Korea data showed Wednesday.

KDB issues $816 mn social bonds to help coronavirus-hit SMEs
South Korea’s state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) has successfully sold local currency-denominated social bonds worth total 1 trillion won ($815.9 million) to major local institutional investors with an aim to use the proceeds to help small businesses and dismal job market hit by COVID-19.

Phone, credit card records searched as Korea suspects thousands at Itaewon infection risk
Korean authorities have been tapping base stations and credit card records to track down people who had passed virus-contaminated club and bar locations in Itaewon in central Seoul over the long holiday week as some 2,000 still remain unreachable.
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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 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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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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