Wednesday July 15, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
Foreign Minister Kang meets with Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, seeks ways to increase cooperation
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-hwa met with Deputy Prime Minister Sardor Umurzakov of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Investments and Foreign Economic Affairs on July 6, 2020, and discussed ways to increase cooperation between the two countries. Speaking with DPM Umurzakv who concurrently headed the Ministry of Investments and Trade of Uzbekistan, Minister Kang expressed satisfaction to over the continuing close cooperation between the two countries even amid the COVID-19 situation through high-level exchanges, including a telephone conversation between the Presidents and a video conference between the deputy prime ministers for economic affairs. Excerpts from the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea concerning the meeting follow:
“Our businesses worked in unity, have overcome results from trade dispute with Japan”
President Moon Jae-in said, “The government, businesses and researchers have joined forces, and the private and public sectors have worked together as one, making it possible for us to successfully overcome the crisis without a single setback in production to date.” President Moon made the remarks at a recent meeting with the business representatives in Seoul praising them on their successful overcoming of the effects of the trade dispute with Japan. Excerpts from the statement of President Moon follow:
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea Loses Jobs for 4 Straight Months amid COVID-19 Pandemic
South Korea lost jobs for the fourth consecutive month in June amid the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people reached 27-point-05 million last month, down 352-thousand from a year earlier.
Jobs have dropped for four straight months since March. It is the first such occurrence since the global financial crisis, when the country lost jobs from October 2009 to January 2010.
Rival Parties Agree on Extra Parliamentary Session Schedule
Rival parties have finally agreed on the schedule for the July extraordinary parliamentary session.
Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon of the ruling Democratic Party(DP) and his counterpart Joo Ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party(UFP) issued a statement on the agreement Tuesday after a meeting.
The two sides agreed to hold a ceremony on Thursday to mark the launch of the 21st National Assembly, 45 days after it kicked off. The first such ceremony was held in 1987.
US Withdraws Order Denying Visas for Int'l Students
The United States has reportedly withdrawn a plan to expel international students who are enrolled in online-only courses for the fall semester.
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) filed a legal challenge to the policy last Wednesday, two days after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the plan.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Job losses extend into June, unemployment rate up at 4.3 pct
South Korea lost about 352,000 jobs in June, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline in the number of employed people as the coronavirus pandemic hammers job markets, data showed Wednesday.
The country's jobless rate rose by 0.3 percentage point on-year to 4.3 percent in June, and the number of employed people fell to 27.05 million, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
Funeral held for Korean War hero Paik
Family members, top military commanders and U.S. Forces Korea leaders bade farewell to Paik Sun-yup, South Korea's best-known Korean War hero credited for saving the country from the brink of falling into the hands of North Korea, at his funeral Wednesday.
After a five-day mourning period, the ceremony was held at Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul with dozens of participants, including Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams.
U.S. trade panel votes to continue probe into tire imports from S. Korea, others
The U.S. International Trade Commission voted Tuesday to continue investigations into potential dumping of tire imports from South Korea and three other Asian nations.
The commission said in a press release that it determined there is a "reasonable indication" that a U.S. industry is "materially injured" by imports of passenger vehicle and light truck tires from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Moderna's coronavirus vaccine proven 'safe, induces immune response' in phase 1 trials
Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine for COVID-19 showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
Volunteers who got two doses of the vaccine had high levels of virus-killing antibodies that exceeded the average levels seen in people who had recovered from COVID-19, the team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
S. Korea reports 39 new cases of coronavirus
South Korea's new virus cases stayed below 40 for the second day in a row on Wednesday, but imported cases continued to rise, hampering the country's efforts to contain the virus.
The country added 39 cases, including 11 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,551, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Infections coming in from overseas have been on high plateau for weeks, with double-digit numbers of new cases for 20 consecutive days.
US rescinds order denying visas for foreign students
The United States government rescinded its controversial decision to revoke foreign student visas whose courses move online due to coronavirus, a federal judge said Tuesday.
The universities of Harvard and MIT, with the support of a number of other institutions, had taken legal action against the move that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on July 6.
"The government has agreed to rescind" the decision as well as any implementation of the directive, Judge Allison Burroughs said in a brief hearing.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
All emotions aside, it’s time to look objectively at the facts of Park Won-soon’s sexual harassment case
Legal representatives of the accuser alleging sexual misconduct by late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon joined women’s rights groups in a July 13 press conference to call for an investigation into what they described as a “typical example of the abuse of power to commit sexual harassment.”
Moon’s approval ratings drop for 7th consecutive week
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating has dropped for the seventh consecutive week, hitting its lowest point in four months. The drop in this poll was driven by progressive voters, including supporters of the Justice Party.|
A poll conducted by Real Meter at the request of YTN found on July 13 that Moon received the approval of 48.7% of South Koreans, down 1.1 points from the previous week. That was the lowest rating in four months, since Moon hit 49.3% in the third week of March. The poll, which surveyed 2,515 adults between July 6-10, had a sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points with 95% reliability.
The rise of anti-Korean sentiment and hate speech in Japan
Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan is spreading beyond far-right groups and into Japanese companies. While this is closely connected with a general rightward shift in Japanese society, some argue that it has resulted from the lack of significant legal sanctions against hate speech in the country.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Are All Fruit Good for You?
Fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet, and developing a habit of eating fruit early on in life helps develop the sense of taste and aids in brain development.
The fiber helps stimulate appetite for a wider range of food and aids digestion, and many are packed with different types of nutrients.
But parents have to be careful when feeding their kids as some fruit are so packed with sugar that they carry their own perils.
More Older Koreans Tie the Knot
Marriages among people in their 20s to 40s continue to decline, but the exact opposite is happening among those in their 50s.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of women over 50 who tied the knot increased from 14,932 in 2017 to 15,725 last year. That contrasts sharply with the decline in marriages among women under 50 from 249,523 to 223,434 over the same period.
The trend is the same for men, rising from 20,464 to 21,510 among the over-50s.
Domestic Car Sales Rise Despite Coronavirus
The domestic car market performed well in the first half of this year although the global demand shriveled amid the coronavirus epidemic.
Sales of Korean and imported vehicles here from January to June increased six percent and 17.3 percent on-year.
The industry attributes the rise to a cut in consumption tax that went into effect in March to boost domestic spending.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Japan claims control of Dokdo in its defence white paper
The Japanese government published on Tuesday “Defence of Japan” for 2020, an annual defence white paper that claims sovereignty over Dokdo. It has contested South Korea’s sovereignty over the island for 16 years since 2005. This year’s white paper acknowledged for the first time that North Korea has the capability to attack Japan with its nuclear missiles.
Samsung to commercialize 6G services in 2030
Samsung Electronics unveiled its plan Tuesday to commercialize “6G mobile communications technology” by 2030, which will make what we could only dream of a reality. The South Korean company published 6G white paper that sets out its vision to “provide a new level of a hyper connectivity” in 2030, judging that it should start preparation now. 5G commercialization is still in initial stages, but it usually takes a decade for a generation of communications technology to be replaced by the next.
George Soros donates 220 million dollars for racial equity
American billionaire George Soros has donated 220 million dollars for racial equity and supporting black communities.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF) founded by Soros announced Monday (local time) its plans to provide support to civic groups for racial issues and black voter groups. It will invest 150 million dollars for liberal and racial equity groups for the next five years, and the remaining 70 million dollars will be spent as local subsidies for state governments’ police reform. Executive Director Tomas Perriello of the OSF said that the foundation had been leading racial equality issues and hoped the decision would set an example for other donors.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
“I Sought Protection from a Just Law in the Face of Immense Power”
A, an official at the Seoul metropolitan government who reported the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon for sexual assault, held a press conference on July 13 disclosing details of the allegations against the former mayor. Through her legal representative, A said, “I wanted to be protected by a fair and equal law in the face of immense power. I wanted a personal apology (from Mayor Park).” She also offered her condolences on the death of the mayor. This was the first time that the victim spoke of the allegations against the former mayor to the press.
Jangjeom Village Demands 17 Billion Won in Compensation for Cancer Outbreak from Jeollabuk-do and Iksan-si
The Jeollabuk-do branch of Lawyers for a Democratic Society held a press conference at the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Council this day and announced that as representatives of the residents of Jangjeom Village, they have filed for civil mediation with the local governments. They requested civil mediation, a civil proceeding that will send the case straight to the court if mediation fails. A total of 173 residents filed the lawsuit including the heirs of fifteen residents who have already died of cancer and fifteen residents who are still fighting the disease.
National Petition Against 5-Day Funeral for Mayor Park Obtains 500,000 Signatures: What Does This Mean?
In just two days, more than 500,000 people signed a Cheongwadae (Cheong Wa Dae) petition opposing “an official 5-day funeral for the mayor of Seoul” for the late Park Won-soon. The petition drew the support of hundreds of thousands of people in a short time, showing that it was more than an evaluation of the individual Park. It reflected the public’s disappointment and anger at the ruling party and their lax response to power-related sex abuse.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
S. Korea reveals details of $133 bn New Deal project
South Korean President Moon Jae-in outlined details of the country’s ambitious New Deal project, ramping up the budget to 160 trillion won ($133.3 billion) in a bid to stimulate the virus-ravaged economy through environmental and technological reforms.
In a televised speech at the presidential Blue House on Tuesday, Moon said the New Deal plan represents “a huge leap forward for South Korea.”
Apple pays Samsung Display $950 mn in compensation for shortfall in OLED orders: DSCC
Samsung Display Co., the display making unit of Samsung Electronics Co., has received $950 million in compensation from Apple Inc. for a shortfall in organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel orders for the iPhone series, according to market research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) on Monday.
DSCC said its sources suggested that Apple has paid $950 million in penalty to Samsung Display in the second quarter after the iPhone maker purchased fewer OLED smartphone panels than guaranteed under the supply contract between the two parties.
Korea’s 2021 minimum wage set at $7.23, up 1.5% in weakest rise on record
South Korea’s minimum hourly wage for 2021 has been set at 8,720 won ($7.23), up 1.5 percent from this year to mark the smallest rise on record amid economic disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic.
The 27-member Minimum Wage Commission – consisting of nine representatives from labor, business and government – announced its decision at the ninth plenary session early Tuesday morning after days of fierce contest between employers and workers.
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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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