Tuesday July 28, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
Daewoo leader’s motto: “The World is wide open, there are lots of work to do!”
“The world is wide open and there are lots of work to do!”
This is the famous declaration made by the late Founder-Chairman Kim Woo-choong of the Daewoo Business Group in Korea which was the second-largest conglomerate in Korea.
There is a famous episode about Chairman Kim. He started a business with only 5 million Won at the age of 31, and, in the next 30 years, he developed Daewoo into Korea’s second-largest business conglomerate with an annual turnover of 71 trillion won with 41 affiliate companies and 396 overseas corporates in all parts of the world.
“Trade between our two countries is expected to double in the near future”
Ambassador Silvestre Kouassi Bile of the Republic of Cote d”Ivoire in Seoul said, “The volume of trade between Cote d’Ivoire and Korea nearly doubled from US$120 million in 2012 to US$230 million in 2015.”
In a recent interview with The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications, Ambassador Bile then predicted, “The outlook is good, and we believe bilateral trade will continue to grow over the years to come and we hope to double this volume in the near future.”
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
N. Korean Leader: Nuclear Deterrence will Secure National Safety Permanently
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly said there will be no more war as the country's reliable and effective nuclear deterrence will permanently guarantee its national security and future.
The North's state media Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Tuesday that Kim made the remark the previous day in a speech during a conference of veterans held to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
N. Korea Says it Supports ARF's Peace Efforts on Korean Peninsula
Marking the 20th anniversary of its ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) membership, North Korea has expressed its support for the platform's efforts of achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiations.
Pak Jong-hak, the director of Asian affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, said in a statement posted on the foreign ministry's website that the ARF's goals of achieving peace and security on the peninsula by building trust and fostering dialogue is fully in line with North Korea's stance.
Trump's National Security Adviser Positive for COVID-19
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has not seen lately his national security adviser Robert O'Brien, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Speaking with reporters ahead of a trip to North Carolina, Trump said that he had not seen O'Brien recently, adding he heard O'Brien tested and he will call him later.
The White House said in a statement earlier on Monday that O'Brien tested positive for COVID-19, saying that he had mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
N.K. leader says nuclear deterrence will guarantee national safety permanentl
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country's nuclear deterrence will permanently guarantee national security, as he marked the anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, state media reported Tuesday.
Kim made the remark during a speech at a national conference of veterans held Monday to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the end of the three-year conflict, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Defector seems to have swum across border to N. Korea from Ganghwa Island
A North Korean defector is believed to have swum across the border from the western island of Gwanghwa after going through a drain under barbed wire fences to evade South Korean border guards, military officials said Monday.
The border crossing by the 24-year-old man was made known after North Korea revealed Sunday that a "runaway" returned home in the border city of Kaesong with coronavirus symptoms and leader Kim Jong-un blocked off the entire city and implemented a state of emergency to prevent the virus from spreading.
New 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.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
N. Korea puts Kaesong on lockdown after defector showing symptoms re-crossed border
North Korea issued a public health emergency for the city of Kaesong after claiming that a North Korean defector showing signs of a COVID-19 infection had crossed back over the demarcation line into the North. South Korea’s military and government said that they were “in process of confirming” the identity of the returned defector and the method and reason for their crossing the border. It remains to be seen how the incident will impact inter-Korean relations, which are currently on ice.
Bill Gates sends letter to Moon applauding S. Korea’s COVID-19 response
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and chairperson of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in in which he said he was “impressed” by South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and indicated that South Korea was “at the forefront” of the private sector’s vaccine development, the Blue House said on July 26.
Seoul’s subway app to allow users to report passengers who don’t wear masks
Seoul’s subway app will soon enable users to report people who ride the subway without wearing a mask.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will be adding an option to its proprietary metro app (called Tto Ta Jihacheol) on Aug. 3 by which app users can report passengers who aren’t wearing a mask.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Young Koreans Borrow Heavily to Buy Homes While They Still Can
A growing number of young Koreans borrow heavily to buy even overpriced apartments while they still can amid a slew of confusing government regulations to stem real estate speculation.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service, Koreans in their 30s accounted for 36 percent of the W288.1 trillion in new housing loans taken out by commercial banks from June of 2018 to May this year (US$1=W1,197).
Data from June 2019 to May of this year shows fresh loans taken out by those in their 30s grew from W43.9 trillion to W58.8 trillion. Loans to pople in their 20s also grew by W4.5 trillion. One staffer at a commercial bank said, "This is an unusually steep increase."
Stay Home During Holidays, Authorities Urge
As the summer holidays begin, health authorities are on alert for another possible spike in coronavirus.
The Ministry of Education and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in new guidelines on Sunday went so far as to urge families with school-age children or school staff to stay at home during the holidays.
They urge people to avoid going to places where crowds gather in tight spaces and spend their holidays at home if possible.
Thousands Rally Against Tax Hikes
Anti-government sentiment is mounting both online and offline due to dissatisfaction over the government's draconian policies to tame the real-estate market.
On Saturday, some 1,500 people by the typically conservative police estimate gathered in downtown Seoul, throwing shoes and chanting slogans such as "Protect the property of citizens!" or "We refuse to pay punitive taxes!"
The protesters were mobilized online and gathered to hold a candle-light demonstration against the Moon Jae-in administration's crackdown on soaring apartment prices by punitively taxing multiple-home owners and sales.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Germany also opposes G7 expansion
Following Japan, Germany has also announced a negative stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to expand the Group of Seven (G7). This has put a brake on the South Korean government’s plan to join the G7-plus as an official member.
Changdeok Palace to welcome guests with 3D AR technology
Changdeok Palace, a World Heritage Site in South Korea designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), can now be enjoyed worldwide with 3D augmented reality (AR) technology. SK Telecom announced on Monday that the company has implemented 5G AR technology for the palace in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Administration and Google Korea.
Beijing to resume visa issuance for Korean students and workers
South Koreans who go to school or work in China will be given a chance to go back to their normal life in the neighboring country. Beijing has denied their visas for fear of the coronavirus.
“China has agreed to issue visas for three groups including Korean students (X visa), workers (Z visa), and residents holding a valid sojourn certificate at the time of visa request,” South Korean ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung said during a meeting with correspondents on Monday. It has been reported that the visas will be issued in early August.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Government to Charge Treatment Fee for COVID-19-Positive Foreigners Entering South Korea
The government will promote legislative amendments to charge foreigners entering the country who are confirmed to be COVID-19-positive for their treatment. Nearly 70% of the newly confirmed patients in the past week were from overseas, and their treatment is putting a heavy burden on the nation’s quarantine and health care system.
In a regular briefing on July 26, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced measures on the in-patient treatment costs for foreigners entering the country including these details. In the past, the government had conducted diagnostic tests and provided treatment for foreigners with the novel coronavirus, who don’t have a Korean health insurance subscription, for free as a humanitarian gesture based on the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.
North Korea Declares Emergency, “North Korean Defector Suspected to Be COVID-19-Positive Returns… Lock Down Kaesong”
North Korea announced that it shifted its national emergency quarantine system to the highest level after a North Korean defector suspected to be COVID-19-positive crossed the border back into Kaesong.
The Korean Central News Agency and other North Korean media outlets reported on July 26, “There has been an emergency. A man who may be infected with a malicious virus (COVID-19) illegally crossed the border three years after he fled South and returned to his home on July 19.” The Korean Central News Agency also conveyed that the test results of the man who “illegally returned” came back with “dubious results that could suggest that he is infected with the malicious virus.”
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
SK Bioscience IPO comes under limelight on Bill Gates’ vaccine remark
SK Bioscience Co.’s planned initial public offering in 2021 drove another feeding frenzy of its parent stocks after the company was projected by its backer Bill Gates to produce 200 million COVID-19 vaccines by next June.
The Korean vaccine maker said on Sunday it had hired NH Investment & Securities Co. as its book-runner and Korea Investment & Securities Co. as joint underwriter for its public listing scheduled for next year.
IBK’s Q2 net profit down 36% on higher loan loss reserves
South Korea’s state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) reported a 35.9 percent plunge in net profit quarter over quarter in the second quarter after it set aside massive reserves in a preemptive action to cover potential loan losses from the coronavirus-driven economic fallout.
Asiana Airlines creditor KDB studies Plan B after HDC suggests renewed M&A process
State lender Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors are scurrying to formulate a Plan B amid the likelihood of another collapse in the M&A deal in the aviation industry after HDC Hyundai Development suggested stalling its offer to buy out Asiana Airlines Inc. till the year-end.
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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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