Thursday July 09, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“We have to effectively use sublementary budget to effectively control COVID-19”
President Moon Jae-in said at a meeting with his senior secretaries on July 6, “We will make sure that the COVID-19 control-purpose funds will be used expeditiously and effectively to protect jobs, people’s lives and businesses.” Excerpts from his message follow:
The Government’s third supplementary budget proposal was passed in the National Assembly one month after it was submitted. Even though its passage came later than the Government had hoped, it was indeed fortunate that the proposal was processed during the extraordinary session in June.
Expectations are high on Moon’s 3 new appointees, Park, Lee, Im
On July 3, President Moon Jae-in replaced the diplomatic and security chiefs of Korea. They are the heads of the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Unification and the National Security Office of the Presidential Man of Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House).
Moon named former Special Envoy Park Jie-won as new head of the National Intelligence Service replacing Suh Hoon, who has been tapped as director of the National Security Office.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Justice Minister Rejects Chief Prosecutor's Proposal
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Wednesday rejected Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's proposal to create an "independent" investigative team to handle a controversial collusion case involving one of Yoon's key aides.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement Wednesday evening that the prosecutor general's proposal cannot be seen as carrying out the minister's instructions since it effectively calls to replace the investigation team already on the case.
Biegun to Wrap up S. Korea Trip after Visit to Top Office
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will wrap up his three-day visit to South Korea on Thursday and fly to Japan.
On the last day of the trip, Biegun will reportedly visit the presidential office in Seoul to meet with new national security adviser Suh Hoon to discuss ways to resume dialogue with North Korea.
The deputy secretary is scheduled to have lunch with employees of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and depart for Japan in the afternoon from Osan Air Base, south of Seoul.
Top Diplomats of S. Korea, Qatar Discuss COVID-19 Cooperation
The top diplomats of South Korea and Qatar spoke on the phone on Wednesday to discuss responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and ways to expand the exchange of businesspeople.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said that in the talks, Minister Kang Kyung-wha thanked the Qatari government for allowing the entry of Korean businesspeople and providing assistance in the return of South Korean nationals who had been stranded there.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Biegun says U.S. 'strongly' supports inter-Korean cooperation
The United States "strongly" supports cooperation between South and North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Wednesday, calling it an "important component" in fostering stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Biegun also underscored America's pledge to be "fully engaged" in efforts to promote peace and its "ironclad" security commitment to the South while reiterating an appeal for dialogue with the recalcitrant North.
Satellite images show N.K. facility possibly linked to nuclear program: CNN
New satellite imagery reveals a previously undeclared North Korean facility that experts suspect could be used to build nuclear warheads, CNN reported Wednesday.
The images, captured by Planet Labs and analyzed by experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, show an active facility in the village of Wollo-ri near Pyongyang, the report said.
Justice minister rejects top prosecutor's offer to form new team to probe case involving key aide
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Wednesday rejected the chief prosecutor's offer to create an "independent" investigative team to handle an alleged blackmail case at the center of friction between the two.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office made the recommendation to the justice ministry earlier in the day, six days after the minister issued a rare directive ordering Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to take his hands off the sensitive case involving one of Yoon's key aides and a now fired TV reporter.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Korea seeks new growth engine in hydrogen economy .
The successful Nasdaq debut of hydrogen fuel-cell truck maker Nikola has shown the world that the "hydrogen economy" is now a matter of global interest, not just a regional promotion by Korea and Japan.
This comes at an opportune moment for Korean companies that have been preparing their portfolios for the day when hydrogen would begin to play a significant role in energy supplies, as well as providing the country with an opportunity to have a greater influence on the global energy trading structure.
US 'strongly' supports inter-Korean cooperation: Biegun
U.S. special representative to North Korea Stephen Biegun said Wednesday that the Trump administration "strongly" stands behind the government's efforts to promote inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation.
His remarks came amid lingering speculation that Washington is uncomfortable with Seoul's independent push for inter-Korean ties, as the U.S. government has repeatedly insisted that such cooperation proceed in lockstep with progress in denuclearizing North Korea.
DH-Woowa deal under second FTC review
There never seems to be a peaceful day for the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) since it began reviewing the $4 billion deal of Delivery Hero's acquisition of Woowa Brothers.
Labor civic groups including the Korea Franchisee Union (KFU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a press conference urging the government to cancel the acquisition.
"Delivery Hero and Woowa Brothers already own a combined 99 percent of the market share with their three delivery service players, which is already an unfair business practice," the civic groups said. "We warn that the two firms will monopolize the market once they merge together and therefore we submitted a written opinion to the KFTC urging a thorough review and cancellation of their deal."
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
N. Korea reiterates refusal to meet with US on day of Biegun’s arrival in S. Korea
North Korea repeated that it has no intention of meeting the US the very day that Stephen Biegun, the US’ special representative for North Korea, arrived in South Korea, effectively dashing hopes of a meeting between the two countries. As a result, the challenges of improving inter-Korean relations and maintaining momentum in the North Korean nuclear talks will rest on the shoulders of the South Korean government until the outcome of the US presidential election in November.
Japan seems poised to block S. Korea’s candidate for director-general of the WTO
The South Korean and Japanese governments’ dispute over the World Trade Organization (WTO) is heating up. After South Korea lodged a complaint with the WTO over Japan’s export controls, Japan is poised to block South Korea’s attempt to fill the seat of WTO director-general.
On July 7, the Japanese government declared that it means to intervene in the election of the WTO director-general, a seat for which South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee is vying.
Operator of Welcome to Video likely to get 5 years or less
A court rejected a US request for the criminal extradition of the 24-year-old operator of the website Welcome to Video, while ordering South Korean investigative agencies to conduct an investigation into additional charges. But observers are saying the likelihood of the operator -- identified by the surname Son -- receiving serious punishment is realistically slim. Not only is the legal maximum sentence for the additional charges much lighter than in the US, but even that punishment is unlikely to be handed down once the matter of equity with his previous conviction is taken into account.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Former POWs Win Damage Suit Against N.Korean Leader
Two South Koreans who were prisoners of war during the Korean War have won a landmark compensation suit against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The Seoul Central District Court ordered North Korea and its leader to pay W21 million each to the two former POWs, Roh Sa-hong and Han Jae-bok (US$1=W1,197). The ruling is expected to lead to similar lawsuits by other South Korean POWs as well as people abducted by North Korea.
Young Singles Have Little Disposable Income
Food, accommodation and transportation costs account for 70 percent of the monthly living expenses of young Koreans, according to a study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs published Tuesday.
KIHASA studied 3,018 households of people aged 19 to 34. Some 761 were single households and 1,677 consisted of a young person living with his or her parents. The rest were married couples or extended families.
More Women Wouldn't Mind Being Single Mothers
A growing number of women in traditionally conservative Korea are willing to have children out of wedlock, suggesting that old taboos are fast eroding.
In a straw poll of 389 single women in their 30s by pollster Tillion Pro, 34.2 percent said they want to get married and have kids, but 10.3 percent said they wanted to have children but definitely not marry. Another 7.5 percent of the respondents said they wanted kids whether they are married or not.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Trump says he is open to another summit with Kim Jong Un
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is willing to have a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to Voice of America (VOA) on Tuesday local time. All eyes are on North Korea’s reaction to President Trump’s remarks since he has left the door open for another U.S.-North Korea summit when the North has repeatedly said it has no intention to sit down with the U.S. for talks.
Galaxy Unpacked event to be live-streamed on Samsung Newsroom
Samsung Electronics will showcase new products including the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2 at “Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020,” which will take place online at 11 p.m. on August 5. The South Korean company sent out an online invitation to global newspapers and partners on Wednesday, promoting the event as an opportunity to “explore our latest ecosystem of Galaxy devices designed to empower your life.”
Brazilian president tests positive for COVID-19
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who had played down the risks of COVID-19, tested positive for the virus.
According to BBC on Tuesday (local time), Mr. Bolsonaro tested positive after showing cough and high fever symptoms at the press conference that was broadcasted live. Since the test, he has cancelled his official schedule and self-quarantined at home.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Infectious Disease Experts Call for Need to Expand Level-2 Physical Distancing Nationwide
The daily number of patients confirmed COVID-19-positive continues to remain somewhere around 50. In areas that saw a recent surge in numbers like Jeollanam-do and Gwangju, they have voluntarily raised the level of physical (social) distancing to level 2, but infectious disease experts say, “The present situation, with so many cluster transmissions and ‘untraceable’ cases, is more serious than the outbreak in the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do region,” and argue that the physical distancing should be raised to level 2 throughout the nation.
Why Do They Answer Only After Death? Fair Sports Commission Permanently Expels Coach and Team Captain of Gyeongju City Hall
The marathon review by the fair sports commission of the Korea Triathlon Federation continued for over six hours, and in the end, the commission decided on a severe penalty, to permanently expel the coach and the team captain of the Gyeongju City Hall triathlon team, who were cited as the perpetrators of brutal abuse, which led to the death of the late Choi Suk-hyeon. The commission decided to suspend the athlete status of another athlete for ten years.
Three Major Issues that Will Determine the Fate of the Government: President Moon Personally Takes the Wheel
On July 2, President Moon Jae-in summoned Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee to Cheongwadae (Cheong Wa Dae) and received a special report on the real estate policy. The next day, the president carried out a massive reshuffle of his foreign affairs and national security advisors in Cheongwadae and the government and prepared a line-up to step up as a mediator between North Korea and the United States. Earlier, he repeatedly urged lawmakers to launch an investigative agency overseeing crimes by senior public officials on schedule, tightening his grip on institutionalizing reforms in the Prosecution Service.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Beanpole joins bandwagon to sell fashionable, functional face mask
The fashion division of South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. has joined other retail and fashion brands in selling functional masks that have become an essential item in people’s daily life amid lingering virus.
Samsung C&T’s fashion division on Wednesday said that its flagship apparel label Beanpole on Monday began the sale of protective face masks via SSF Shop, an integrated online mall of fashion brands managed by the company under top Samsung Group. It is the first time the division merchandised face masks since the inception of then Cheil Industries Inc. in 1954.
Samsung Elec scores better H1 than expected, but H2 outlook uncertain
Samsung Electronics Co. survived the first half surprisingly well but whether it can be equally lucky in the latter half remains to be seen, given the weakening memory chip prices.
The world’s largest memory chip maker likely generated an operating profit of 5.2 trillion won to 5.4 trillion won ($4.35 billion-$4.51 billion) from its core semiconductor business in the quarter ended June, which would be 50 percent higher from the previous year, according to experts.
Hyundai Motor completes alliance network with all three battery majors from Korea
Hyundai Motor Group’s future mobility vision has taken shape after its head tapped partnership with his conglomerate peers running battery powerhouses that command top global rankings to make headway in the power pivotal in driving the future mobility.
Hyundai Motor’s de facto leader Chung Euisun made his last stop in his tours of battery majors at SK Innovation’s battery plant in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Tuesday.
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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 Herald www.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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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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