Thursday August 6, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Korea’s spectacular development is for Côte d'Ivoire a model to emulate”
“Côte d'Ivoire was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea (south) on July 23, 1961, and since that date, the two countries have continued to maintain relations of sincere friendship and frank cooperation.” So said Ambassador Sylvestre Kouassi Bile of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in Seoul in an exclusive interview with The Korea Post media at his office in Seoul on Aug. 3, 2020. Then he disclosed Korea’s spectacular development in the time span of half a century is for Côte d'Ivoire a model to emulate.”
The following are details of the interview with The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English, 2 Korean-language media publications since 1985.
General view:
The strategic location of Côte d’Ivoire in the heart of West Africa is an asset to the country which constitutes the gateway to this region.
After gaining independence on August 7, 1960 under the first President Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, this country of a population of 26,4 million inhabitants, on an area of 322,463 km2, has traveled many roads since then.
‘Throne Day coincides with holy festival of Eid Al-Adha, symbol of sacrifice, loyalty, value, ideals’
Speech of H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the Throne Day
The following message of H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the Throne Day of Morocco on July 30, 2020 was provided by the Embassy of Morocco in Seoul for publication by The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and Korean-language publications since 1985.—Ed.
Praise be to God, May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin!
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Fatalities Rise to 16 from Torrential Downpours in Seoul, Central Region
Continued torrential downpours in Seoul and the central part of the country are resulting in snowballing damage.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, a man in his 50s in Gangwon Province was found dead, causing the total number of fatalities to rise to 16 as of 6 a.m. Thursday. Eleven others remain missing while seven were injured.
The number of people who were forced to leave their homes stood at four-thousand-909, while more than three-thousand are still unable to return home as they seek refuge in indoor sports stadiums and other facilities.
Daily COVID-19 Cases Surpass 40 amid Clusters in Seoul, Busan Port
The daily increase of COVID-19 infections surged over 40 amid clusters in Seoul and among crew members of a ship docked at a port in the country's southeastern city of Busan.
The Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters said as of 12:00 a.m. Thursday, 43 additional people tested positive for the virus, raising the accumulated total to 14-thousand-499.
Out of the 43 new cases, 23 were community infections, while the other 20 were imported.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Major highways in Seoul partly closed as downpours raise water level of Han River
Major highways running across the capital Seoul were partly closed Thursday as heavy rains pushed up the water level of the city's Han River.
Several sections of the Dongbu Urban Expressway, Seoul Inner Loop, Olympic-daero and Gangbyeon Northern Highway have been closed to traffic due to the inner city river's swelled water level, according to the police and the city of Seoul.
As heavy rains continued to batter the country's metropolitan and central regions, authorities opened the floodgates of Soyang River Dam and Paldang Dam a day earlier, releasing the waters to empty into the sea through the Han River.
N.K. leader orders special aid for Kaesong on coronavirus lockdown
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an executive policy council meeting of the Worker's Party and ordered special aid to the city of Kaesong under lockdown over coronavirus concerns, state media reported Thursday.
Last week, North Korea declared a state of emergency and said that it has put Kaesong on lockdown, claiming that a "runaway" defector suspected of COVID-19 infection recently came back from the South.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Nippon Steel announces plan to immediately appeal seizure of assets
After a South Korean court verified service of process for the seizure of Nippon Steel’s assets through public notification on Aug. 4, the company announced that it plans to immediately appeal the seizure. Nippon Steel was ordered by the South Korean Supreme Court to pay damages to the victims of forced labor during Japan’s colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
Japan’s antitrust regulators review merger of Yahoo Japan and Line
Structural changes in shares after the Line-Yahoo Japan merger
Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) completed an antitrust review of the planned corporate integration of Japanese messaging app Line Corp. and internet portal Yahoo Japan Corp. on Aug. 4. South Korea's largest internet portal Naver means to fully spin off Line by 2021.
In a progress report released on Aug. 4, Naver said that regulators conducting a global antitrust review of the business integration of its affiliate Line with Z Holdings, a Softbank affiliate that runs Yahoo Japan, had fully approved the plan. Regulators concluded that the two companies’ integration will not undermine competition or damage consumers.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Stock Market Shows Signs of Overheating
The stock market is showing signs of overheating even though the economy is in the doldrums, with frantic trading volume and record closes as interest on savings plunges to zero.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed up 1.4 percent at 2,311.86 points on Wednesday, the first time since October 2018 that it rose above 2,300 points.
The junior Kosdaq also closed up 1.43 percent at 847.28 points, the highest in two years and two months. The KOSPI has surged 59 percent since this year's low in March while the Kosdaq has soared 98 percent.
Gov't Moots Building Light Aircraft Carrier
The government is thinking of turning a large multi-purpose transport ship that is already under construction into a light aircraft carrier, an insider said Tuesday.
That would make it possible to bring forward the scheduled launch of the carrier from 2033 to 2030. The government may also procure F-35B vertical takeoff/landing aircraft that could be carried by it by that time.
The source said the idea reflects President Moon Jae-in's determination not to be left behind by Japan's light aircraft-carrier plans.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Lebanon’s capital Beirut rocked by massive explosion
A massive explosion rocked Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday (local time), killing at least 100 and injuring more than 4,000 others. The Lebanese government said the explosions was likely an accident but U.S. President Donald Trump said the explosion “looks like a terrible attack,” suggesting that it was act of terror.
According to BBC, two explosions shook the ground and ignited a fire in the Beirut’s port area around 6 p.m. on the day. Video footage posted on social media showed white smoke and a mushroom cloud rising from the port area following large explosions that destroyed buildings and cars nearby. The scene of the explosion was like an apocalypse with people screaming and running. The CNN reported that the explosion was felt even in Cyprus, which is around 240 kilometers away.
Samsung Bioepis wins two Red Dot Design Awards
Samsung Bioepis announced on Wednesday that the company won two Red Dot Design Awards in the brand and communication category with its patient-friendly biomedicine package design.
The Red Dot Design Award is the world’s largest design competition hosted by the Design Center of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, which was launched in 1955. The center selects outstanding products and brands in the product design, brand and communication, and design concept categories.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Seoul, Ever More Suffocating: August 4 Housing Supply Measures
The government announced that it would supply more than 132,000 new homes in Seoul by 2028 with public reconstruction and redevelopment projects, by securing new housing sites, such as the Taeneung Golf Club, and by increasing the floor space index (FSI) in the phase-3 new towns. The government decided to ease the FSI regulation in Seoul as well as the 35-floor height restriction to allow high-density development in the city center. The latest measures were intended to send a clear message of “more housing supply” to an overheated market, but they also triggered concerns of side effects, such as the problem of overcrowded development and environmental damage due to the removal of the green belt (development restricted area).
Authorities Launch Procedures to Confiscate Property of Japanese Businesses for Forced Labor. Japan Warns of Countermeasures If the Property Is Put up for Sale
Japan hinted at the possibility of additional trade retaliation a year after it tightened export controls on three major materials used to produce semi-conductors. This followed after a public notice of the confiscation of property in Korea owned by Japanese companies, which refused to accept the South Korean Supreme Court ruling on the compensation for victims of forced labor, came into effect on August 4. The South Korean government is busy preparing responses to various scenarios, as experts mention the addition of more items subject to tighter export control and higher tariffs as possible actions by Japan.
Foreign Ministry Shifts Direction and Actively Responds to Sexual Assault Allegations Against a Diplomat in New Zealand
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had remained silent despite strong pressure from the New Zealand government concerning a South Korean diplomat accused of sexually assaulting a local employee when he served at the South Korean embassy in New Zealand, but on August 3, the ministry called in the New Zealand ambassador to South Korea and proposed to resolve the issue through a judicial process. The ministry also ordered A, the diplomat in question, currently serving in a third country, to return.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Samsung Elec’s first online unpacking of premium phones packed with specs and viewers
Samsung Electronics’ iconic S Pen stylus for the Galaxy Note smartphone has gotten smarter and the screen of its new foldable phone wider in the latest lineup unveiled in the South Korean tech giant’s first livestreamed unpacking ceremony at its home turf.
The overnight extravaganza drew more than 400,000 viewers on YouTube, with an additional 1 million estimated to have tuned in via Samsung’s company website and Facebook.
LG Chem develops world’s first white-colored recycled ABS
South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. has developed ‘white’ recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that has the same properties with original plastic products for the first time in the world, hoping that the new technology would help significantly reduce environmentally hazardous plastic waste.
LG Chem researcher Kim Seo-hwa said it became the world’s first chemical firm succeeding in coloring the recycled ABS white to make the product suitable for a wider range of applications, and released it into the market in July.
Kakao IX to hand over IP biz to Kakao, retail biz to Kakao Commerce
Kakao IX Corp., the character business subsidiary of South Korea’s No. 1 messenger app operator Kakao Corp., will be split to merge its intelligence property (IP) business with parent company Kakao and character merchandizing business with Kakao Commerce for greater synergy.
Kakao announced in a disclosure on Wednesday that Kakao, Kakao Commerce, and Kakao IX each held a board of directors meeting on Wednesday and approved a plan to split Kakao IX businesses to relocate IP license business to parent Kakao and character merchandizing business to Kakao’s e-commerce unit Kakao Commerce.
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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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Korean-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.co.kr
English-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.com
Korean-language print newspaper:
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/49/4901.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/49/4902.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/49/4903.pdf
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English E-daily : http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=21290