Monday July 27, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
LS Cable & System innovates LAN cable sending power as far as 200 meters
LS Cable & System, led by CEO & President Roe-hyun Myung, announced on July 20 that his company launched SimpleWideTM, a LAN cable, which can send data and power as far as 200 meters at the same time.
This is double the limit of current LAN cables on the market that can only transmit about 100 meters--thus making SimpleWide™ the world’s best available LAN cable.
SimpleWide™ is intended to be used mostly for connecting IP cameras, phones, CCTVs and IoT devices. No separate power cables and electrical outlets are required, and it can be easily installed in places like ceilings and small spaces where it’s difficult to install power supplies.
‘Korean New Deal will shift Seoul-centered national development to local areas’
Today’s gathering has been convened a bit early because the Cabinet members are scheduled to go to the National Assembly. The Korean New Deal initiative contains our determination to shift the metropolitan Seoul-centered axis of national development to local areas. In the short term, it will serve as a stepping stone for recovery in local economies and play a role in further promoting balanced national development in the mid to long term.
Local areas are the key investment destinations of the Korean New Deal. Most of the Government’s 114 trillion won in fiscal spending will be invested in local areas. This will significantly contribute to balanced development nationwide by creating new industries and sustainable jobs in local areas and dramatically changing local residents’ quality of life.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
N. Korean's Re-Defection Exposes Border Security Vulnerabilities
A North Korean who defected to South Korea three years ago, returned back to the North recently, apparently exposing embarrassing weaknesses in the South's border security in the process. There are concerns that North Korea may use the incident to blame South Korea for spreading the coronavirus across the border. Sam Len reports.
Report: More details have emerged about the North Korean defector who returned back to the reclusive state. The latest revelations are also increasing the blame on South Korea's faulty surveillance along the heavily-armed border.
Spy Chief Nominee Pledges to Leave Behind Mastery of Politics
Anchor: At his confirmation hearing Monday, National Intelligence Service(NIS) Director nominee Park Jie-won said he will leave politics behind and faithfully stick to the basic duties of spy chief. The comments come amid concerns that the former four-term lawmaker is too close to North Korea as seen in his arrangement of the first inter-Korean summit, which eventually led to a prison sentence for Park.
Bum-soo has more.
Report:
[Sound bite: Confirmation hearing for Nat'l Intelligence Service Director nominee Park Jie-won]
President Moon Jae-in's nominee to lead South Korea's main intelligence agency is the former chief of staff of late President Kim Dae-jung.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
New virus cases dip below 30, imported cases still in focusNew virus cases dip below 30, imported cases still in focus
South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell back to below 30 on Monday as imported cases dwindled from a record high over the weekend, but the country is still on guard against a steady rise in cases coming in from overseas.
The country added 25 new cases, including 16 cases from abroad, bringing the total to 14,175, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a sharp fall from 58 new virus cases reported Sunday and a four-month high of 113 on Saturday.
U.S. ambassador shaves off mustache to stay masked in summer amid pandemic
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has figured out a way to stay cooler in a hot and humid Seoul while keeping his mask on amid the coronavirus pandemic -- go clean-shaven.
Harris is now a mustache-free man after removing his signature facial hair at an old barbershop in central Seoul, a video posted on his Twitter page showed.
In the video clip, the ambassador says he thought he had to do something to "get cooler" during the muggy and hot summer in the host country while at the same time complying with the coronavirus guideline by wearing a mask.
N.K. leader adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with coronavirus symptoms
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and adopted the "maximum emergency system" against coronavirus after a defector returned home from South Korea with virus symptoms, state media reported Sunday.
During the meeting held on Saturday, Kim also said he took "the preemptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong" after the "runaway" returned to the border city on July 19 after crossing the military demarcation line, three years after fleeing to the South, the Korean Central News Agency said.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Will Yoo Myung-hee become the next WTO director-general?
Three female power players in the areas of foreign affairs and international trade are battling in Geneva right now for the leading position in an international organization.
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, 53, was among eight candidates who announced platforms before the WTO General Council on July 16-17 in a race to become the next director-general (four-year term) of the organization, which includes 164 member states. The following day, they launched an election campaign that will last for around two months. A senior South Korean trade official said a successful run would be a “tremendous achievement for the South Korean economy” and expressed confidence in Yoo’s chances of winning. The South Korean government also shared its strong hopes, adding that it was treating the race “with humility.”
N. Korea importing more grain from Chinese due to food shortage, study finds
A food shortage in North Korea has led to a big increase in its grain imports from China over the past year, a new study finds.
According to a report about North Korea’s foreign trade trends in 2019, released by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) on July 23, North Korea imported a total of US$96 million worth of grain last year, representing a 242% increase from 2018 (US$28 million). Grain accounted for 3.2% of North Korea’s total import value last year and was one of the top five imported items. 87.7% of North Korea’s grain imports (in terms of price) arrived from China.
North Jeolla Province begins construction on South Korea’s largest-ever offshore wind farms
Construction is entering full swing on South Korea’s largest-ever wind farms off the coast of Gochang and Buan in North Jeolla Province, with output equivalent to two new nuclear power plants.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) announced on July 17 that they had signed a work agreement that day for a “large-scale offshore wind power project with residents of southwestern North Jeolla.” The agreement was signed with the local governments of North Jeolla and Gochang and Buan Counties as well as operators Korea Offshore Wind Power and the Korea Electric Power Corporation and representatives of Gochang and Buan residents.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Young Koreans Spend Less and Save More
Koreans in their 20s and 30s are spending less and saving more while often juggling two jobs. Their goal is to retire when they are in their 40s.
According to a poll by job search portal Incruit last month, one out of three salaried workers in their 30s said they fall into the category. This contrasts starkly with the so-called "YOLO" (you only live once) mindset, which flourished only recently. But these days, many young salaried workers are using their surplus cash to buy stocks, real estate or start their own businesses.
Fewer Elementary School Teachers Needed
Fewer elementary school teachers will be recruited over the next four years than originally planned as the intake of children dwindles.
The Education Ministry said Thursday it will gradually decrease hiring of elementary teachers over the coming years based on an estimate that the number of elementary schoolchildren will shrink to 1.72 million by 2030, down a whopping 25 percent from an earlier projection.
Multiple-Home Owners Make Properties over to Children
A record number of apartments were nominally gifted across the country in the second quarter amid tougher curbs on multiple-home owners.
Instead of paying the exorbitant taxes they are threatened with, many savvy owners of multiple homes simply put spare ones in the name of their children.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Bill Gates: S. Korea leads the race for COVID-19 vaccine
Microsoft co-founder and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chairman Bill Gates has expressed his hope to strengthen the cooperation with the South Korean government in a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, saying that he was impressed by South Korea’s response to COVID-19.
“Mr. Gates showed his gratitude to President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook for leadership and efforts to promote global health in times like this,” Yoon Jae-gwan, deputy spokesperson of the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, said on Sunday.
N. Korean defector suspected to have COVID-19 crosses border again
North Korea declared that it sealed off Kaesong after a North Korean defector who is suspected to have contracted COVID-19 crossed the border again. It is the first time that the North publicly announced that there is a COVID-19 case within the country. The South Korean military is investigating the case based on the announcement. It is projected to trigger controversy as the case represents a loophole in the quarantine and military system.
Japanese electronics retailer increases retirement age to 80
A Japanese company decided to push retirement age to 80, making it the first-ever instance in a nation that turned into a super-aged society already in 2006.
Yokohama-headquartered electronics retailer Nojima established a system to allow its employees to work until the age of 80, wrote the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The changed scheme added 15 years to the existing retirement age of 65 for 3,000 workers on the payroll regardless of their roles and responsibilities. When they get evaluated for health and working attitudes every year after they turn 65, the results determine whether to extend their labor contract on a yearly basis.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Number of Elementary School Students Fall Faster than Expected, So the State Will Hire Fewer Teachers Beginning Next Year
The number of elementary school students is expected to drop faster than initial predictions, so the nation will begin hiring fewer elementary school teachers beginning next year. Next year, the state will hire up to 130 fewer teachers than this year and in 2023-2024, about 3,000 teachers will be recruited, 900 fewer than this year.
At the Tenth Ministerial Meeting on Social Relations held at the government office in Sejong on July 23, the Ministry of Education discussed its policy on hiring teachers in response to the changing environment for future education including these details.
A Cluster of COVID-19 Transmissions Breaks out in a Church a Day Before the State Allows Small Group Gatherings
Multiple transmissions of COVID-19 were confirmed at a church on the day before the government was scheduled to lift the ban on small group gatherings and events in churches. Another cluster transmission at a military unit in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, which resulted in seventeen confirmed COVID-19 cases by this day, appears to have been caused by an outside instructor who recently visited the unit.
“Appealed to 20 People for Support, But No One Helped Her”
On July 22, the victim who filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced her position through her legal representative and said, “I waited for the truth to be uncovered through reasonable legal procedures without any prejudice.” Her lawyer also released the fact that the victim had told twenty people at work about what she had suffered in the past four years, but failed to receive any help.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Kakao Games embarks on second IPO attempt
Kakao Games Corp., the gaming unit of South Korea’s leading messenger app operator Kakao Corp., has been fast-tracked to go public on the secondary Kosdaq.
The multi-platform gaming company said Thursday its IPO filing won the preliminary go-ahead from the Korea Exchange, gaining eligibility for the fast-track status that cuts the review period from 45 working days to 30 days.
LG Display sinks deeper into red in Q2, activates Chinese plant to double OLED capacity
South Korea’s LG Display Co. has commenced mass production of OLED panels at its next-generation Chinese plant to double its OLED capacity in hopes to snap its year-long losing streak and keep Chinese rivals at bay.
The Korean display panel maker on Thursday said it has officially started mass producing 8.5 generation OLED panels at its factory in Guangzhou, China after nearly a year-long setback from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 Plus to join market
The second pocket-size foldable phone due next month will be 5G-powered in full spec to service multi-tasking, its maker Samsung Electronics teased.
Samsung Electronics Co. gave heads-up on Galaxy Z Flip 5G ahead of unpack virtual extravaganza on Aug. 5. The first version in the innovative foldable debuted in February was serviced in 4G.
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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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