Monday, May 10, 2021

 

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

 

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

LG Electronics posts highest quarterly results with 18 trillion won in sales

LG Electronics announced the first-quarter 2021 consolidated sales of 18.81 trillion won ($16.90 billion) and operating profit of 1.52 trillion won ($ 1.36 billion) – the highest quarterly results in the company’s history on April 29 with the 8.1 percent operating profit being a first-quarter record.

Compared with the first quarter a year ago, revenues grew by 27.7 percent and profitability soared by 39.1 percent, reflecting very strong demand for LG home appliances and home entertainment products as consumers around the world continue to spend more time at home.

 

"KOVIFA seeks co-prosperity in Korea and Vietnam at the private level"

"Korea-Vietnam Friendship Association (KOVIFA) is a private organization established in 2002 that seeks international friendship and co-prosperity between the two countries at the private level," said Choi Young-joo, chairman of the association.

Choi, the third chairman of KOVIFA, said in a recent interview with The Korea Post media, "In terms of political system, Korea has a democratic system and Vietnam adopts a socialist system. Because of the different systems, there is no right contact route at the private level between the two countries. However, KOVIFA has been playing such a role faithfully.”

"KOVIFA is composed of former Korean ambassadors to Vietnam and businessmen, but the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association consists of incumbent lawmakers and the minister-level chairman of the Chamber of Commerce," said Choi, who also serves as chairman & CEO of PANKO Corp., a global apparel manufacturer operating factories in Vietnam.

 

Uzbekistan one of few countries actively involved in the evacuation of citizens from areas of military conflict

The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul for publication by The Korea Post media, publisher 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985.—Ed.
Despite the negative aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, which affected almost all countries of the world, experts, journalists and bloggers in the world community often raise another question - How states can and should support their citizens who find themselves in zones of armed conflict, mostly in the Middle East and also in Afghanistan?
Alarming here is the UN assessment, where, according to their data, about 27,000 foreign children are being held in camps in northeastern Syria, 90 percent of whom have not yet reached the age of 12. Naturally, the task is not easy, but feasible, given that everyone has the right to rely on the help and support of the state. And their number, according to various estimates, is more than 50, whose citizens are and live in conditions of incessant hostilities.

 

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

Daily COVID-19 Cases Fall to 463 on Fewer Tests

Daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea fell to the 400s on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Monday that 463 new cases were detected throughout Sunday, raising the country's accumulated caseload to 127-thousand-772.

The daily figure dropped by about 100 from the previous day and fell to the 400s for the first time in a week. But the drop is apparently due to fewer tests over the weekend.

Of the new cases, 436 are local transmissions and 27 are from overseas.

About two-thirds of domestic infections came from the greater metro area, with 136 in Seoul, 135 in Gyeonggi Province and 12 in Incheon. Other parts of the nation added 153 cases, including 24 in the southeastern city of Ulsan and 19 in Busan.

 

 Moon Set to Deliver Special Address to Mark 4th Anniversary in Office

President Moon Jae-in will make a special public address on Monday to mark the passage of four of his five years in office.

According to the presidential office, Moon will look back on his presidency during the speech set to begin at 11 a.m. He will also present his key policy directives for the final year of his single term.

The address, slated to be 20 to 30 minutes, is expected to include his plans on how to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, achieve economic recovery and make the country an inclusive first mover.

Moon is also expected to disclose plans for resuming inter-Korean dialogue as well as talks between the U.S. and North Korea ahead of his first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on May 21.

Following the speech, Moon will have a question-and-answer session with some 20 reporters for about 40 minutes.

 

S. Korea, US, Japan Arranging Talks of Spy Chiefs

South Korea, the United States and Japan are reportedly coordinating to arrange a meeting of their spy chiefs in Tokyo next week.

The Japan News Network(JNN), a commercial television news network in Japan, issued the report on Saturday citing a Japanese government official.

The official reportedly said that U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and South Korea's National Intelligence Service(NIS) Director Park Jie-won are expected to visit Tokyo for talks with Hiroaki Takizawa, Director of Cabinet Intelligence.

A source in the Seoul government also recently said that the spy chiefs of the three nations will meet in the near future.

 


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

Third plane carrying S. Koreans arrives from India

A third plane carrying South Koreans arrived from India on Sunday, transporting 164 business officials out of the virus-ravaged country.

The special flight operated by Asiana Airlines arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from New Delhi, mostly carrying officials who had been sent to oversee the construction of a new Samsung Display plant.

South Korea has flown two special flights out of India in recent days -- one from Chennai carrying 172 Korean residents and another from Bengaluru with 203 people aboard.

A total of 12 flights are being scheduled out of India this month, including the three that have already arrived.

All passengers are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, including seven days at a state facility, and get tested for COVID-19 three times during that period.

 

Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung makes triumphant return to S. Korea

Youn Yuh-jung made a triumphant return to South Korea on Saturday, nearly two weeks after winning an Oscar for her role in the immigrant film "Minari."

The South Korean actress, wearing a green bomber jacket, jeans and a white mask, waved to reporters as she arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from the United States earlier in the day.

She did not hold a news conference at the airport -- something that celebrities usually do as part of a hero's welcome -- due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

In a message released Friday by her management agency, Hook Entertainment, Youn expressed gratitude to South Koreans for their support and love for her wining Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Minari" at the 93rd Oscars on April 25.

 

New cases under 500 on fewer tests, potential surge still worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in a week on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remained worried over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.

The country reported 463 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 127,772, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Monday's figure fell from 564 Sunday and 701 Saturday as fewer people took virus tests over the weekend. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested.

The average daily infections neared 600 in the past week as people have increased their gatherings and activities to enjoy the warmer weather.

 

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The Korea Herald ( http://www.koreaherald.com )


Seoul fine-tuning K-chip support measures

With government measures to help cement South Korea’s leadership in the global semiconductor market to be announced this week, industry watchers are paying keen attention to how much Samsung Electronics and SK hynix could benefit from the measures that would largely pivot on tax breaks.

As early as Thursday, Seoul is expected to unveil what it calls the “K-Semiconductor Belt Strategy,” which could include drastic increases in tax benefits for chipmakers’ R&D projects and facility investments.

The policy package comes amid calls for national-level measures to support the country’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, who are facing growing risks in maintaining their positions in the global market amid a power struggle for chip leadership triggered by the US-China trade dispute.

Drawing keen attention is how much tax credits will be given to Samsung and SK Hynix, which both spend huge amounts on research and development and are currently finalizing new facility investment plans.

 

Cases of ‘worrisome’ COVID-19 variants soar in Ulsan

Korean health authorities said Sunday variants of the virus causing COVID-19 -- namely, the variants first identified in the UK and California -- are behind the recent surge in Ulsan, and now possibly neighboring Busan.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae told reporters Sunday that although case rates have declined over the past week by 5.4 percent compared to the week before, variants accounted for as many as 15 percent of all newly diagnosed cases.

Korea on Sunday reported 564 new COVID-19 cases, down by 137 from 701 a day prior, according to the official statistics. Fewer tests being carried out during the weekend was the reason for the drop in case count, Son said. The cumulative case tally now stands at 127,309.

Son noted that there are “signs cases are beginning to plateau in Korea, just as new outbreaks are flaring up in the world, especially in Asia.”

 

Discouraged workers up 100,000 on-year

SEJONG -- Labor-related indexes suggest that the pandemic is still dealing a severe blow to a large portion of jobseekers in South Korea, with the hiring market showing little signs of recovery this year.

According to Statistics Korea, the number of people who abandoned looking for jobs reached 582,000 in March 2020, when the tally for COVID-19 infections was growing sharply after the first case was reported two months earlier.

These are dubbed “discouraged workers,” those who did not carry out job-seeking activities for four weeks or longer, though they had looked for jobs within the past 12 months.

In only a year, the number of discouraged workers increased by more than 100,000 to reach 684,000 (370,000 men and 314,000 women) in March this year.

While the nation started compiling the relevant data in 2014, the March figure marked the highest for the month since 2014, when the tally for discouraged workers stayed at 333,000.

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The Korea Times ( http://www.koreatimes.co.kr )
While wealthier nations stockpile vaccines, poorer countries still scramble to secure doses

At the small hospital where Dr. Oumaima Djarma works in Chad's capital, there are no debates over which coronavirus vaccine is the best.

There are simply no vaccines at all.

Not even for the doctors and nurses like her, who care for COVID-19 patients in Chad, one of the least-developed nations in the world where about one third of the country is engulfed by the Sahara desert.

''I find it unfair and unjust, and it is something that saddens me,'' the 33-year-old infectious diseases doctor says. ''I don't even have that choice. The first vaccine that comes along that has authorization, I will take it.''

While wealthier nations have stockpiled vaccines for their citizens, many poorer countries are still scrambling to secure doses. A few, like Chad, have yet to receive any.

The World Health Organization says nearly a dozen countries ― many of them in Africa ― are still waiting to get vaccines. Those last in line on the continent along with Chad are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Eritrea and Tanzania.

''Delays and shortages of vaccine supplies are driving African countries to slip further behind the rest of the world in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the continent now accounts for only 1% of the vaccines administered worldwide,'' WHO warned Thursday.

 

Korean traditional tale 'Chunhyangjeon' told as comic opera

Opera has not been one of the most popular stage performances in Korea. Of course, performances of Grammy-winning renowned soprano Jo Su-mi quickly sell out, but very few music lovers who have ordinarily enjoyed classical music choose to consume the genre, while still many prefer popular musicals, plays or traditional performances. However, the romantic comedy opera "The Chunhyang" aims to target a wide range of people by presenting the operatic version of a Korean traditional folk tale familiar to many and featuring skilled opera singers.

"The Chunhyang" written by Yoon Mi-hyun, with music composed by Nah Si-rin and directed by Kim Tae-woong, reinterprets "Chunhyangjeon," one of the most famous love stories based on pansori, or a traditional musical storytelling through singing, narrating and dancing, from the Joseon Kingdom, in a comical and twisted way.

 

New cases under 500 on fewer tests

outh Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in a week on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remained worried over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.

The country reported 463 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 127,772, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Monday's figure fell from 564 Sunday and 701 Saturday as fewer people took virus tests over the weekend. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested.

The average daily infections neared 600 in the past week as people have increased their gatherings and activities to enjoy the warmer weather.

There was one additional death from the virus, raising the total to 1,875. The fatality rate was 1.47 percent.

Spreading variant cases are putting health authorities on edge as the country's southeastern region and cities are reporting a spike in mutated cases.

Meanwhile, the country is revving up its vaccination drive with an aim to inoculate 13 million people by June and 36 million by September.

 

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


Denuclearization of N. Korea, or Korean Peninsula?

In a press conference that followed a 2+2 meeting of the South Korean and US foreign and defense ministers on March 18, a reporter with the US site POLITICO posed a final question that seemed to strike deeply at the heart of the differences between Seoul and Washington over the denuclearization issue.

And finally, if I may, for Minister Chung: The US delegation has repeatedly called for the denuclearization of North Korea — specifically North Korea, not the Korean Peninsula. So does the Government of South Korea back this call rather than [denuclearization of the] the Korean Peninsula?”

As the reporter noted, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong had consistently used the term “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” every time he had the opportunity to speak. In contrast, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had been persistently using the term “denuclearization of North Korea” since the day before and had declared in the same press conference that day that the US was “committed to the denuclearization of North Korea.”

 

S. Korean foreign minister asks for cooperation on Korean Peninsula peace process at G7 meeting

Chung Eui-yong also shared the South Korean government’s experiences with controlling the COVID-19 pandemic

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (third row, left) poses for a picture with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and foreign ministers representing the G7 and other participating countries during a meeting of the G7 in London on Wednesday. (provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong issued a call at a G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ meeting for support and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula peace process, which faces a crossroads as the US formulates its new North Korea policy.

At the meeting in London on Tuesday and Wednesday, Chung called for the G7’s support and cooperation on the “Korean Peninsula peace process for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” which he called a “key issue for the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,” the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

With Chung’s remarks, the South Korean government took advantage of the US government’s conclusion of its North Korea policy role and its explanation of the results to South Korea and to Japan and other G7 countries to reiterate the importance of resuming the currently halted Korean Peninsula peace process.

 

US puts ball in Pyongyang’s court instead of actively seeking dialogue

At a meeting of senior officials from the G7 countries that was held in London on Tuesday and Wednesday, the US nailed down support for its recent review of North Korea policy, laying the groundwork for an international diplomatic tussle with the North. While North Korea is currently ignoring the US’s feelers, the Blue House has said it hopes that the South Korea-US summit on May 21 will lead to a quick resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the US and between South Korea and the North.

In a communiqué following the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting, the G7 countries said, “We remain committed to the goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of all of [North Korea’s] unlawful Weapons of Mass Destruction and ballistic missile programmes. [. . . ] We welcome the readiness of the United States to continue its efforts in that regard and we remain committed to providing support.”

 

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


Seoul Officials on Long 'Study' Jaunts to U.S., U.K

Eight out of 10 officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Government have been to the U.S. and the U.K. on lengthy furloughs billed as training or study programs over the past five years.

The city government spent about W16 billion in taxpayers' money on the programs that were justified by a vague goal of "expanding the international network and fostering global talent" (US$1=W1,117).

According to city government data, 136 or 81 percent of all 168 officials who were sent abroad for training since 2016 went to the U.S. (94) and the U.K. (42). Next came Singapore (nine), Japan (six), and China and Australia (three each). The jaunts cost an eye-watering average of W97 million per official.

 

Gap Between Top and Bottom Franchises Widens

Convenience stores, fried-chicken chains and cheap American-style pizza restaurants were among the most successful franchises in Korea in 2019, but many languish as the gap between the top and bottom widened significantly.

The top-ranked franchises were GS25 (convenience store), Kyochon (fried chicken), Domino's Pizza, A Twosome Place (coffee shop), KFC (fast food) and Paris Baguette (bakery). The findings are based on data of 7,092 franchises provided by the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Among convenience stores, GS25 boasted per-store sales of W665 million a year, followed by rivals Ministop (W590 million), CU (590 million), 7-Eleven (482 million), and E-Mart 24 (407 million) (US$1=W1,123).

But the number of outlets did not ensure greater success. BBQ was the top-ranked fried-chicken franchise in terms of store numbers, followed by BHC and Kyochon. But Kyochon had much better per-store sales at 653 million, up 44 percent compared to four years ago, than BBQ (W578 million) and 60 Gye Chicken (527 million). BHC's per-store earnings stood at just W435 million.

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Book Submissions Jump as Lockdown Writers Get Busy

Publishers are inundated with submissions from people who have taken up writing in lockdown.

Kim Kyo-suk at publisher Prunsoop said, "Submissions have surged 1.5 to two times since the pandemic." A lot of them come from women in their 30s and deal with the joys and pains of motherhood, while the elderly reminisce about their early hardships and young people reflect on quitting their job and starting a new life.

Some publishers are pleased that the pandemic has given rise to fresh voices. Lee Yeon-sil at Munhakdongne said, "Many submissions are about people realizing how valuable other people are after it became difficult to socialize." And Kim Tae-hyung of Jecheolso said, "Perhaps it's because people want to quench their thirst or travel that we're seeing a lot of travel stories."

 

 

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


EU leaders call on Washington to lift vaccine export bans

EU member states put a greater emphasis on Washington's lessening of COVID-19 vaccine export limits rather than on the suspension of intellectual property rights to COVID-19 vaccines. They imply that U.S. President Joe Biden's support of the waiver in question does not provide any immediate solution to the ongoing shortages of vaccines across the globe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday (local time) in a press conference regarding the EU summit talk held in Porto, Portugal, that waiving intellectual property rights to vaccines does not help produce any single dose of COVID-19 vaccine within the mid- and long-term period. She called on all nations across the world to promise to export vaccines in large quantities just as the European Union does.

 

Former Prime Minister Lee Han-dong died at 87

Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Han-dong on Saturday passed away at the age of 87 due to a chronic disease, making his mark in South Korean modern political history as a peacemaker who dreamed of integrity across the political spectrum.

Born in 1934 in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Mr. Lee graduated Kyungbock High School to make his way into School of Law at Seoul National University. After passing the national judicial examination, Lee started his legal career as a judge at the Seoul District Court and later moved to the Seoul District Public Prosecutors' Office where he led a special inspection department and a criminal department.

Elected as a member of the 11th National Assembly in Pocheon in 1981, Mr. Lee won the general elections for six consecutive times. After serving as domestic affairs minister under the Roh Tae-woo’s administration, he took charge of all three main positions of the ruling party as a floor leader, secretary general and chief policymaker.

 

Inflation hit highest level in 22 months

Prices of foods for dining-out including Jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodle), kimbab and hamburger have increased by the highest margin in 20 months as the price of agricultural and livestock produce, materials for restaurant menus, have soared.

According to the Statistics Korea on Sunday, the dining-out price index hit 113.02 in April, up 1.9 percent year on year. The growth rate marks the largest since June 2019 (1.9 percent). The dining-out price growth rate stood below the 1 percent level until last month, but has been picking up speed recently, as it surpassed the 1 percent mark in January, before hitting 1.3 percent in February, and 1.5 percent in March.

By item, the price of juk (porridge), which jumped 7.6 percent, has increased fastest among a total of 39 items surveyed by the Statistics Korea. It was followed by hamburger (6.1 percent), raw fish (6.0 percent), kimbab (4.4 percent), and bbokeumbap (stirred fried rice, 3.8 percent). However, the price of pizza (-2.9 percent), coffee (- 0.4 percent) and school meals (-100 percent) has declined from one year ago.


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


“The Cho Kuk Incident Hurt the Young People” Kim Boo-kyum Lowers His Head and Keeps His Distance with the Ruling Party

On May 6, prime minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum (Bu-gyeom) made comments keeping a distance from the “text bombs” by strong Democratic Party of Korea supporters in connection to the scandal of former justice minister Cho Kuk and from the ramming of legislation by the ruling party. As for the allegation that his daughter and son-in-law received special favors when investing in the private equity fund by Lime Asset Management, Kim aggressively refuted the allegations arguing that they were victims. However, he bowed his head saying he was “ashamed” when it came to other accusations concerning morality.

■ The Cho Kuk Incident “Hurt the Young People”

In the confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Kim maintained a distance with the pro-Moon members, the mainstream of the Democratic Party. He said, “There was a certain level of expectations for former minister Cho, and he failed to meet them in a number of aspects.” Kim also said, “I regret that it left several wounds on the people, particularly the young people.”

He also criticized the “bombardment” of text messages by fierce Democratic Party supporters to first time ruling party lawmakers who released a statement reflecting on the Cho Kuk incident after the April 7 by-elections and said, “The method was not democratic.”

 

Older People with Higher Income and Education Levels Practiced More Environmentally Friendly Actions

A survey showed that in South Korea, older people with a high level of education tended to take more environmentally friendly actions. In general, people were interested in the environment and thought environmental preservation was important, but few took actions to protect the environment.

On May 5, the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) released these results in a study published in the quarterly Journal of Environmental Policy and Administration, under the title, “A Synthetic Analysis of Public Survey on Awareness of Korean Towards the Environment.” The study analyzed the changing awareness of the people based on the Public Survey on Awareness of Koreans Towards the Environment from 2012 to 2017.

The analysis scored the public’s interest in the environment on a scale ranging from 0 to 5 and showed that Koreans in general were slightly more interested than the average (3) with a score of 3.49. The people’s awareness of the importance of environmental preservation also scored 3.97. In particular, in 2017, 78.6% of the people thought the environment was either “important” or “very important.”

 

Mothers with Multiple Children and Children in Elementary School Were Particularly Hit Hard in the Labor Market by COVID-19

Women were hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic than men when it came to employment, and among the women, married women with children had a tougher time than single women. This was generally different from other economic crises, when the unemployment rate is higher among the men. In-person services, which tend to hire more women, suffered a blow due to preventive measures, such as physical (social) distancing, and schools were closed, adding the burden of childcare and education on married women, and eventually resulting in the latest statistics.

According to the report, COVID-19 and Female Employment: a Comparison of General Economic Recessions and the Pandemic, released by the Bank of Korea on May 6, the number of men who were employed fell 2.4% this January from last February, prior to the pandemic, but the number of women who were employed dropped 5.4%. A year after the spread of the novel coronavirus, the female employment rate fell 0.9% more than the rate for men and female unemployment was 1.7% higher than that of men.

This is unusual when compared with the labor market during a general economic recession. In 1997, at the time of the Asian financial crisis, the employment rate for men dropped 1.5% more than that of women, and the unemployment rate of men increased by 1.7% more than that of women. Manufacturing and construction, which tend to hire more men, are industries sensitive to the economic situation, and often when the husband loses his job, married women enter the labor force to maintain their livelihood, so the men are relatively hit harder than women when it comes to employment.


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

Samsung’s new Galaxy foldable phones to replace Galaxy Note in August

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, will release its new foldable phone series – Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 – in August, a month earlier than their predecessors last year to fill the gap of the company’s signature phablet Galaxy Note that will miss this year.

According to multiple sources from the telecommunications industry on Sunday, Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will hit the shelves in late August. Last year, the tech giant released their predecessors – Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip – in September. With the earlier-than-expected rollouts, the company is suspected to fill the gap of the Galaxy Note phablet series that will skip annual release this year due to a chip shortage.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is known to use under display camera technology for the first time in a foldable phone, having a selfie camera under the screen.

 

Korean consortium led by LG move on with project to create EV value chain in Indonesia

LG Energy Solution-led consortium has entered a preliminary agreement with Indonesia’s state-run electric vehicle battery joint venture Industri Baterai Indonesia (IBI) with ultimate goal to establish a complete EV battery supply chain for Korean auto and battery makers in the Southeast Asian country.

LG Energy Solution, Korea’s leading EV battery maker, and its partners - LG Chem, LG International, Posco, and China’s Huayou, signed a heads of agreement, a non-binding investment agreement, with IBI on April 29, according to LG Energy Solution and Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) on Friday.

IBI is an EV battery joint venture with stakes invested by four Indonesian public companies – aluminum company Asahan Aluminum, mining company Aneka Tambang, oil and natural gas company Pertamina and electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara.

 

Samsung Elec and Polish teleco Play to conduct 4G/5G trials in Poland

Samsung Electronics Co. will be conducting 4G and 5G trials in Warsaw, Poland with Play, a leading Polish mobile operator, the Korean tech giant said on Wednesday.

Market watchers say Samsung is more likely to win telco network equipment from Poland as multiple European countries have joined the U.S. sanction on Chinese dominant telecommunications equipment player Huawei Technologies from 5G infra contracts.

Play is a leading mobile network operator in Poland with over 15 million subscribers across the nation, covering 99 percent of the Polish population.

Samsung and Play will verify the capability and performance of Samsung’s 4G and 5G network solutions in the trial, which will be carried out in Play’s labs and commercial networks, beginning in the second quarter of this year. This trial will also test the interoperability between Play’s 2G/3G legacy networks and Samsung’s latest solutions.

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