Tuesday August 25, 2020

 

 Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)

President Moon warns against rise in COVID case, urges social distancing
President Moon Jae-in urged today (Aug. 24) that the Korea people are required to observe the current social distancing rules to avoid falling into a possible lockdown as Korea faced a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
The main cause of the sudden increase in the number of COVID-19 cases is largely attributed to the conservative-oriented rally in Seoul on the Liberation Day of Korea on Aug. 15, 2022.
Reports indicate that the reportedly rightist-led rally in Seoul at the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on that day consequently led to causing a considerable number of new cases of affection.

“UAE is a ‘Melting Pot’ of all ethnically different peoples living together”
The United Arab Emirates is a very special country to Chairman Dr. Lee Sang-ho of the Wooridul Hospital in Seoul, who has an extensive number of member hospitals in Korea, the UAE and in many other parts and countries of the world.
Chairman Lee had a special regard and affection for the UAE. He said, “And I am thinking that it might be a good idea to invite young students from the UAE to learn and work at good hospitals, medical research institutes, medical equipment producers, pharmaceutical companies, and various other medicine-related organizations in Korea.”

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

S. Korea's Consumer Sentiment Rises for Fourth Month in August
South Korea's consumer sentiment rose for the fourth consecutive month in August on hopes of an economic recovery amid the latest wave in the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the Bank of Korea(BOK) on Tuesday, the country's composite consumer sentiment index(CCSI) came in at 88-point-two for the month, up four points from the previous month.
A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.
The index had fallen to 70-point-eight in April due to the pandemic before rebounding over the following four months.

Prime Minister Expects Domestic COVID-19 Treatment This Year
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun projected on Monday that South Korea will probably unveil a locally developed coronavirus treatment within this year, saying the country is working hard on progress.
The prime minister made the remarks during a session of the parliamentary special committee on budget and settlement.
Chung said that domestic treatments under development include those using blood plasma and existing drugs.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, the prime minister said the nation is taking a two-track approach -- developing vaccines on its own and securing vaccines developed by other countries.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

S. Korea warns of upping virus restrictions; citizens urged to observe strict measures
SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea warned on Monday of raising social distancing restrictions if the latest wave of new coronavirus outbreaks does not subside, urging people to strictly abide by anti-virus measures currently in place, as the country's daily new virus cases sharply slowed.
The number of additional new coronavirus cases here sharply slowed to below 300, but the country is still bogged down with a series of cluster infections continuing in the greater Seoul area and other major cities.
Of the 266 new COVID-19 cases, 258 were locally transmitted, raising the total caseload to 17,665, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Apple Korea proposes measures worth 100 bln won to correct anti-competitive practices
SEJONG, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean unit of U.S. tech giant Apple Inc. offered 100 billion won (US$84 million) worth of programs for consumers and mobile phone carriers, in a move to address concerns about the company's alleged violation of competition law, the nation's antitrust regulator said Monday.
Apple Korea has been under probe by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) over allegations that it had required the country's three mobile operators -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- to pay the cost of television advertisements and warranty service for its iPhones.
The KFTC has said Apple Korea holds a clear advantage over local mobile carriers and that handing over the cost of advertisements is only another means to squeeze their profits.

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

China emphasizes “cooperation” with S. Korea amid diplomatic spat with US
“We had a very good and wide-ranging conversation that lasted for a long time, with all topics receiving ample coverage.” -- Suh Hoon, director of Blue House National Security Office
“Our conversation today was quite good.” -- Yang Jiechi, member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo in charge of foreign policy
When Suh Hoon and Yang Jiechi made a short appearance before reporters following a long tête-à-tête on the afternoon of Aug. 22, they responded briefly to a flood of questions. Their expansive gestures and the satisfied expressions apparent behind their face masks suggested that their six-hour conversation on Saturday had been congenial.

S. Korea likely to decide within this week over upgrade to Level 3 social distancing
The South Korean government appears likely to make a decision toward the end of this week over whether to upgrade the nationwide social distancing regime to Level 3. Level 2 social distancing was first introduced in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA) on Aug. 19 before being expanded nationally as of Aug. 23. Predicting that the effects of Level 2 will begin to manifest this weekend, the government has opted not to immediately upgrade to Level 3 as many infectious disease experts have called for -- but to also begin preparing detailed guidelines for a Level 3 scenario. Level 3 measures would amount to a lockdown, with gatherings of 10 or more people prohibited.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Daily Activities Grind to Halt Again
A surge in coronavirus infections in the Seoul metropolitan area has brought daily activities to a screeching halt.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 397 new coronavirus infections were reported on Saturday, 300 of them in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Infections have been reported in government offices and a Samsung factory as well as coffee shops, private crammers and performing arts centers, demonstrating that relaxing social-distancing rules can trigger infections anywhere.

Typhoon Bavi to Make Landfall in Korea This Week
Typhoon Bavi, this year's eighth, is expected to hit Seoul on Thursday after passing through Jeju Island.
The tropical storm will likely affect the entire Korean Peninsula after making landfall on Jeju Island on Wednesday. Gale-force winds could cause damage to some areas with their maximum speed of 40 to 50 m/s, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast Sunday.
Some 10 to 40 mm of rain will fall on Jeju on Monday afternoon, spreading across the country from Wednesday to Friday, with some southern parts of the country seeing up to 300 mm of downpours.

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)

List of speakers at Republican National Convention stirs controversy
The U.S. Republican National Convention kicked off Sunday local time, causing controversies over the appropriateness of its guest speakers since President Donald Trump’s reelection camp has invited Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson as speakers. The Democratic Party and mainstream news media hold the stance that it is “unprecedented” that incumbent secretaries have been mobilized for a political party, accusing President Trump of blurring the boundary between state-running and political election.

Seoul intends to keep GSOMIA alive
The effectiveness of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between Seoul and Tokyo, which was on the verge of rupture amid extreme strains in bilateral relations a year ago, is likely to remain intact. Tacit agreement has been reached to keep the agreement as the South Korean government didn’t make any move on Monday, the deadline for announcing an end to the military intelligence pact between the two neighbors. While Seoul holds a stance that GSOMIA can be terminated any time it pleases, pundits say the inaction signals that conflicts surrounding the military agreement will likely stay dormant for a while.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

154 COVID-19-Positive Students In August Alone: A Tougher Road Ahead for Offline Classes
As COVID-19 spreads in the local communities centered on the Seoul metropolitan area, the impact is being felt among the students. The number of students confirmed to be COVID-19-positive in the past ten days has surpassed the number of students infected with the virus in the two months of June and July. In Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, at a sports facility for students preparing to advance to sports-related departments in college, a cluster of transmissions occurred when 19 high school students were infected with the virus. More than 700 schools nationwide have suspended offline classes, and a red light has lit up on offline classes in the second semester.

Despite the Current Situation, Doctors Push ahead with a Strike: What About an Absence of Health Care?
The Korean Intern Resident Association, which opposes the government’s plan to increase the number of medical school students, will launch a strike for an indefinite period beginning August 21. The Korean Medical Association also decided to hold a second general strike on August 26-28. After the emergency meeting between doctors and the government, which raised hopes for the cancellation of the strikes, collapsed, the government and the medical circle are now launching attacks at each other over the responsibility for the latest negotiation failure. With COVID-19 spreading beyond the greater Seoul area to all corners of the nation, it will be the people who will inevitably suffer the biggest damage.

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

Korea mulls full lockdown amid new virus flare-up
South Korea may face a full lockdown and even mobility restrictions as daily COVID-19 cases have soared to triple-digit figures in the past two weeks.
New cases surged to 397 on Sunday after 10 days of daily caseloads in the triple digits, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). On Monday, the country reported 266 new cases, bringing the total tally to 17,665.
The spread, which has so far been concentrated in Seoul and the surrounding area, has now scattered to other cities and provinces, posing the risk of a nationwide outbreak.

New cars increase by 1.5% in S.Korea H1 thanks to green car demand
New cars were added by 1.5 percent on South Korean roads by June from six months ago thanks to migration to green vehicles, data showed.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday, a total of 24,023,083 cars were registered in Korea as of the end of June, gaining 1.5 percent or 350,000 units from December.
The growth in the number of registered cars has slowed down in recent years – from 4.3 percent in 2015 to 3.9 percent in 2016, 3.3 percent in 2017, 3.0 percent in 2018, and 2.0 percent in 2019. The pace however picked up in the first six months despite the virus-led overall slowdown in domestic consumption on the back of expanded tax breaks on car purchases and new releases.

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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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