Monday June 1, 2020

 

 

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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
UAE resumes economic activity, reopens gyms, cinemas, free movement
The UAE has taken another step to resume economic activity by reopening gyms, cinemas, and increasing free movement in Dubai from May 28. Restrictions will remain in place from 11 PM to 6 AM to continue the National Disinfection Program.
A new UAE-developed rapid COVID-19 laser test is showing promising results, with 85 to 90 percent accuracy. The test, which could enable more affordable mass tasting, is currently undergoing trials to further establish its effectiveness.

M.view Global builds a large sanitary pad factory in Paraguay in pursuit of deepening bilateral relations
For South Korea, which has continued its rapid economic development since the financial crisis, small and medium enterprises are the linchpin of the Korean economy in the midst of the continued Coronavirus outbreak. Countless SMEs form the healthy heart of the Korean economy and the source of economic development.
The Korea Post interviewed Kim Dong-wook, CEO of M.view Global, to hear about his vision and dreams of becoming a leading company in the global market.

Special notice: The Korea Post is organizing a tour for the Ambassadors and Madams to the Pyeongkang Oriental Medicine Hospital on Tuesday June 9, 2010. Ambassadors and Madams are cordially invited to the Tour where an Oriental medicine pack against COVID-19 is presented to each Excellency. In the event of absence of Invitation, please advise the Editor at The Korea Post at 010-5201-1740.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea Recommends 'High Risk' Facilities Refrain from Operating
Amid continued spread of the novel coronavirus in the capital region, the government will recommend facilities with a high risk of infection refrain from operating from Tuesday.
Eight types of establishments, including bars, karaoke rooms, clubs, indoor group workouts and indoor concert venues that offer standing shows, have been designated as "high risk" facilities.
Health authorities said the government will recommend these facilities across the nation refrain from operating from 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Japan Remains Mum on S. Korea's Call to Lift Trade Restrictions
Japan has reportedly not responded to South Korea's call to lift export curbs imposed last year as the deadline for an answer ended Sunday.
Earlier last month, the South Korean Trade Ministry gave Tokyo until the end of May to present its position on the export restrictions imposed in July last year on three key industrial materials. Japan also removed South Korea from its list of trusted partners.

Gov't to Conduct Emergency Inspections of 4,300 Logistics Facilities Nationwide
The government will conduct emergency inspections of about 43-hundred logistics facilities across the nation in the wake of a fresh cluster at a Coupang distribution center in Bucheon.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC) said during a press briefing on Sunday that the government will conduct inspections of four-thousand-361 logistics facilities nationwide until next Thursday.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Trump invites S. Korea to expanded G-7
US President Donald Trump’s surprise invitation Saturday to South Korea to the expanded Group of 7 summit in September, along with three other countries, hints at Korea’s elevated status, and is also a double-edged sword amid the deepening rivalry between the US and China, experts here said Sunday.
They called on Seoul to draw up a strategy so as not to risk upsetting its security alliance with Washington or economic ties to Beijing, because the summit could shift to a US-led, anti-China coalition.

Idle funds hit record-high amid COVID-19, low rate trend
South Korea’s volume of short-term floating capital -- so-called “idle funds” -- surpassed 1,100 trillion won ($901 billion), hitting a record-high amid the prolonged COVID-19 crisis and the continued low rate trend, data showed Sunday.

Korea sees online shopping grow 190% since 2015
The online shopping market has become a core factor for the nation’s gross domestic product in recent years, as it makes up a core portion of household consumption.
Data from Statistics Korea showed that the monthly turnover of retailers operating online retail operations came to 12.58 trillion won ($10.16 billion) in March. It posted growth of 191.8 percent over five years, from 4.31 trillion won in March 2015.
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Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Corruption allegations may tarnish 30 years of 'comfort women' movement
Yoon Mee-hyang, an activist-turned-lawmaker, was a leading figure in a campaign to raise awareness toward "comfort women" after they revealed their plight to the public in 1991.
But she has been gaining attention in recent weeks not for her activities but the allegations that she exploited the country's most-well known advocacy group for victims of wartime sex slavery under Japanese colonial rule for her own interests. The allegations are raising concerns that the group's 30-year campaign for the victims to get Japan to officially acknowledge and apologize for its wartime atrocities and compensate the victims may be tarnished.

ROK-US disagree on exercises; OPCON transition may be delayed
South Korea and the United States are yet to reach agreement over how to execute planned joint military exercises in August, according to sources, Sunday, raising speculation that the disagreement may expand to pushing back the transfer of operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops during wartime from Washington to Seoul.
Hoping that it will regain OPCON by 2022, South Korea wants the upcoming exercises to be focused on assessing its relevant capabilities, but the U.S. is stressing that they need to focus on maintaining the joint military posture that may have been undermined following the postponement of annual drills in the first half of the year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Korean pastor bears brunt of death threats to save Chinese immigrants
Rev. Choe Hwang-kyu, 57, has risked his life to save the needy and abused Chinese nationals ― mostly Han Chinese migrants ― for the past two decades.
Death threats and blackmail by human traffickers and thugs have become part of his life. They have tried to coerce him to hand over to them people he was protecting, such as Chinese women who fell victim to human trafficking and a man who was almost beaten to death after he failed to pay fees to his broker in exchange for their helping him enter South Korea illegally.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Experts Warn of 2nd Wave of Coronavirus This Summer
Health experts predict a second wave of coronavirus infections later this year. Korean experts have moved up the estimated time of a second wave of infections from winter to the coming summer as new infections have jumped in the Seoul metropolitan region over the past few days.
One surge of new infections originated from clubs in Seoul's party district of Itaewon, followed by an outbreak at a warehouse run by online commerce company Coupang in Gyeonggi Province.

U.S. Experts Warn Seoul Against Slackening N.Korea Sanctions
U.S. experts on North Korea sanctions have expressed dire misgivings about the South Korean government's baffling attempts to cajole North Korea into some kind of cross-border business.
Their tenor, according to a summary by Voice of America on Thursday, was remarkably similar -- namely that any attempts to engage the North in business are futile and will violate international sanctions.

Hyundai, Kia to Bring out More EVs Next Year
Hyundai and affiliate Kia are going to roll out a total of nine new purely electric vehicles in the domestic market in the next couple of years.
"We plan to produce five to six new EV models in 2021 and roll out two to three more in 2022," a Hyundai spokesman said Thursday.
Hyundai will make a compact crossover EV, codenamed NE, a hybrid between a SUV and a sedan, in the first quarter next year. Another model will follow.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Protests turn violent across U.S. after death of George Floyd
Clashes between the police and demonstrators are intensifying as protests spread across the United States over the killing of an African-American man at the hands of a white police officer. With looting, fires and violence taking place in some cities, troops have been deployed, and the country is quickly descending into chaos.

Gov’t seeks to allow N. Korean firms to engage in business in S. Korea
The South Korean government is moving to amend related laws to enable North Korean companies to engage in profit-making business in the South, it has been confirmed. The centerpiece of the amendment is not only to guarantee North Korean firms to conduct economic activities within the South but also to allow them to hire South Korean workers, measures that run counter the U.S.-led economic sanctions against the North.

Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Q Cells join hands in ESS development projects
Hyundai Motor Group and Hanwha Q Cells will jointly carry out energy storage system (ESS) development projects that recycle electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
South Korea's major carmaker announced on Sunday that Hyundai Motor President Chi Young-cho and Hanwha Q Cells President Kim Hee-chul signed an MOU agreement to jointly develop photovoltaic ESS projects on Friday at the Hanwha Group headquarters of in central Seoul.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korea’s April industrial output and factory activity at worst in 11 years
South Korea’s industrial output and factory inactivity was at their weakest in 11 years in April due to poor external demand from virus pandemic.
According to Statistics Korea on Friday, the seasonally adjusted mining and manufacturing output in April fell 6.0 percent from a month ago, the biggest month-on-month loss since December 2008 in the aftermath of Wall Street Meltdown.

Nissan to exit Korean market this year amid global restructuring
Japan`s Nissan Motor Co. will pull out of South Korea by December as part of its global downsizing plans after reporting its first loss in 11 years.
The maker of Nissan and luxury brand Infiniti said Thursday it will withdraw from the Korean market after 16 years of operation. After-sale services would be available through 2028.

BTS label Big Hit Entertainment files for KOSPI IPO
ig Hit Entertainment Co., the K-pop agency that is home to the boyband sensation BTS, has filed for an initial public offering in Seoul, on track with its plan to go public by the end of the year.
The entertainment label filed the preliminary prospectus to list on the main Kospi market, Korea Exchange said Thursday.
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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
AustraliaBrisbaneTime
www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://www.colombiareports.com
BogotaFree 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

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Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE

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