Headline, May 21, 2021

Amb. Sripriya Ranganathan of India presents Lord Buddha Statue to Tongdosa Temple

The following article was contributed by the Embassy of India in Seoul to The Korea Post for publication which is also carried by the Korean-language Internet edition (www.koreapost.co.kr) as well as on the English Internet (www.koreapost.com). --Ed  The Embassy of India in Seoul, in collaboration with the authorities of the Tongdo-sa Buddhist Temple in Yangsan-si, Gyeongsanganm-do, organized a series of events in connection with the gift of a statue of Lord Buddha by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the people of the Republic of Korea.

Early work of novelist Han depicts dire days shortly after the Korean War

In this issue, we introduce a very special person, a noted Korean lady novelist named Han Malsook. Her early work, a short novel entitled A Cliff in Myth, is published in a Special Report section in this issue.  

(Visit here : http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=21778) The story depicts the dire days of the Republic of Korea (south) in the early 1960s when the per-GNI of the ROK was around US$80 while that of North Korea was over US$150, double that of the ROK in the south. Other reports indicate that the GNI of North Korea as nearly three times that of the South in those days.

Kia to begin “smart service center” online platform in Singapore

Kia Corp. signs a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cycle & Carriage to transform customer experience from offline to online. Kia Corp. signs a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cycle & Carriage to transform customer experience from offline to online. Kia has agreed with Cycle & Carriage, Singapore’s leading automotive group, to digitize and enhance customer experiences in Singapore. Under the agreement, Kia and Cycle & Carriage, the official distributor and retailer for Kia vehicles in Singapore, will begin operating a new ‘Smart Service Center’ online platform starting in the first half of 2022. Depending on the result of the pilot service that will continue through 2023, Kia will consider the global roll-out of the program. Through the new platform, Kia customers will be able to receive various services upon situations that can occur during real-time driving based upon driving data analysis.

Moon Meets Pelosi to Discuss Alliance, Vaccines, N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday met with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders to discuss bilateral relations, cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines and other issues. In the meeting held on Capitol Hill, Moon praised the U.S. leadership in the global supply of coronavirus vaccines, noting the U.S.' provision of vaccines for the international community. The president then expressed hope that Seoul and Washington will closely coordinate their health and security policies including the vaccine supply.

S. Korea to Extend Current Social Distancing for 3 Weeks

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Friday that the government will extend current social distancing measures, including the ban on gatherings of five or more people, for three more weeks. Kim made the announcement during a government meeting on the COVID-19 response in Seoul. The prime minister cited as reasons the fact that the number of daily cases hasn’t fallen below 500 recently with continued outbreaks in all parts of daily life. However, the number of critically ill patients slightly dropped and the nation still has enough hospital beds.

White House: N. Korea Central Topic of Moon-Biden Summit

The White House said on Thursday that North Korea will be a central topic of the planned summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden.White House spokesperson Jen Psaki made the remark during a press briefing regarding the summit set for Friday. The spokesperson said that North Korea will be a "central topic" of the discussion, but the leaders will also discuss climate, economic partnership and China, adding these will all be part of the bilateral conversation.

Moon, Biden set for talks on vaccine, N. Korea, economic ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold one-on-one talks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday (local time), as the allies have a range of pending issues to coordinate, especially on North Korea, COVID-19 vaccines and global supply chain resilience. It will mark their first face-to-face summit, though they already had a phone conversation and a virtual meeting. The summit's outcome is expected to heavily affect the overall Seoul-Washington relationship at least over the coming year, with Moon's tenure slated to finish in May 2022.

Moon meets Pelosi, discusses alliance, N. Korea, vaccines

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders Thursday, a day ahead of his summit with President Joe Biden. Mainly discussed were issues related to the bilateral alliance and North Korea, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic partnerships, according to Moon's office Cheong Wa Dae. While the coronavirus crisis has widened the "physical distance between peoples," it has proven that all mankind is linked as one, Moon said at the outset of the session held on Capitol Hill. He stressed the importance of "solidarity and cooperation" via transborder communication and dialogue in order to overcome the pandemic and lay the groundwork for a better future.

S. Korea to extend current social distancing measures for 3 weeks: PM

South Korea will extend its current social distancing measures for another three weeks, the prime minister said Friday, amid continued cluster infections and spreading variant cases. "The number of new daily average patients as of late remains in the 500 level, not budging below that point, and infections are continuing from all quarters in our daily lives," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said as he announced the extension of virus curbs during a regular COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. Kim, however, noted that the number of critical patients has dropped off somewhat thanks to early vaccinations at senior health care centers, and that the number of sick beds for patients also remains sufficient as of now.

Moon meets Pelosi, discusses alliance, N. Korea, vaccines

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had discussions Thursday with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders on ways to promote "substantive" cooperation between the allies, Cheong Wa Dae said.In the session held on Capitol Hill, they had "in-depth" consultations on bilateral relations, Korean Peninsula issues, COVID-19 vaccines and global supply chains of high-tech industries. Moon pointed out that the Seoul-Washington alliance has played a pivotal role in regional peace and prosperity over the past seven decades.

International Vaccine Institute chief backs Seoul as vaccine hub

The chief of the International Vaccine Institute said Thursday that he feels positive about the possibility of South Korea becoming an Asian manufacturing hub for COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Jerome Kim, director general of the Seoul-based IVI, made the remarks during a conservation with Korea Society President Tom Byrne, released via YouTube. When asked if Korea has what it takes to become an Asian vaccine production hub in 6 to 9 months, he responded: “I think the short answer is yes.”

35.8% of workers lost income during COVID-19 pandemic: survey

More than a third of South Korea’s working population saw their incomes fall last year, a survey showed Thursday, continuing to showcase the deepening polarization in the job market from the pandemic.According to a survey of 16,244 workers from 537 occupations by the Korea Employment Information Service conducted from August to November last year, 35.8 percent of the respondents said their overall income or monthly wages fell since the pandemic started in January 2020.Some 2.9 percent of the respondents saw their incomes rise, while 61.3 percent said they experienced no change in their income.

Moon meets Pelosi, discusses North Korea and vaccinesPosted : 2021-05-21 07:37Updated

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had discussions Thursday with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders on ways to promote "substantive" cooperation between the allies, Cheong Wa Dae said.In the session held on Capitol Hill, they had "in-depth" consultations on bilateral relations, Korean Peninsula issues, COVID-19 vaccines and global supply chains of high-tech industries.Moon pointed out that the Seoul-Washington alliance has played a pivotal role in regional peace and prosperity over the past seven decades.

Gender conflict issue comes to center of political arena

The thorny issue of gender conflict, which had often been observed through messages or postings on some radical online communities ― either male-oriented or female-oriented ― has become an everyday social issue that not only affects the business but also the political arena. The recent controversies over food advertising posters by some retailers, which some people see as a reference to radical feminism and hatred toward men, showed that gender conflict has now become an important factor which businesses have to consider in order to not lose customers.

Korea to run clinical test on mixing COVID-19 vaccine dose

The government said Thursday that it will conduct a clinical test on mixing COVID-19 vaccine doses from different companies, following an overseas study that showed the vaccination technique was effective. Under the supervision of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the National Institute of Health will conduct the test on the safety and efficacy of using different vaccines in the two-shot regimen. Results from the study are likely to determine whether the government will allow this method of vaccination that has been adopted by some European countries

More Office Workers Moonlight in Epidemic

A growing number of office workers are moonlighting during the coronavirus epidemic since working from home leaves them more free time to do it in. Online sharing platform Happy College surveyed 1,020 office workers recently and found that a whopping 49.2 percent were moonlighting. They earned an average of W950,000 a month in additional income (US$1=W1,132). Services such as intermediaries hooking up clients, online shopping site developers and tax experts catering to moonlighters are thriving apace.

The Companies That Posted Profits for More Than 30 Years

Fifty-eight of Korea's top companies have been posting profits for more than three decades. Analysis of 2,303 firms listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index shows that six of them have been making money for more than half a century -- Yuhan for 67 years, Handok for 64, Boryung Pharmaceutical for 57, Samchully for 55 and Shinyoung Securities and Samsung C&T for 50. One thing they have in common is that their majority holders own 32 to 57 percent of their stocks, providing a stable environment for long-term business investment and goals. Park Jin-hwan at Feynman Asset Management said, "Companies that have been posting profits for a long time have good reputations and a solid brand image rather than being big and famous. They also have a low debt-to-equity ratio and stable financial structures that enable them to overcome crises."

Young Jobseekers Lose Hope

Young job seekers suffer from anxiety and lethargy as their job prospects dwindle amid the protracted coronavirus lockdown and economic downturn. The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business polled 908 young jobseekers last month and found that 81.1 percent of them believe youth employment to be even lower than the official figure of 43.3 percent in March.

President Moon, bring peace and vaccines back home from Washington

South Korean President Moon Jae-in flew to Washington on Thursday for a summit with US President Joe Biden. The two leaders will be discussing cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines and solutions to the North Korean nuclear issue during their summit at the White House on Friday. Both of those issues are important in light of the domestic and international challenges facing South Korea. Hopefully, Moon’s visit to the US will lead to bilateral cooperation on vaccines and fresh progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon leaves for Washington to meet Biden

South Korean President Moon Jae-in left the country Wednesday for a five-day trip to the US. His trip will include a summit with US President Joe Biden. Attention is focusing on what the two leaders will offer North Korea to rejoin dialogue between South Korea and the US, following the failure of former US President Donald Trump’s “top-down” approach to North Korea policy. Another big question is what approach Moon and Biden will take on major issues such as the climate crisis and cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines.

Chinese ambassador to Japan urges Tokyo to steer clear of Quad

Chinese ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanzhou has criticized Japan’s participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad, warning Japan not to become embroiled in the conflict between the US and China. Kyodo News reported Wednesday that Kong had slammed the US-led strategy of “surrounding China” in an interview with the outlet on Tuesday, saying, “Thinking in Cold War terms will 100% lead to [Japan] being left behind.”

AmCham Korea asks Pres. Moon to pardon Lee Jae-yong

The American Chamber of Commerce Korea made an official proposal to South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong be released from prison, announcing that it delivered a written letter to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to call for a pardon of Mr. Lee. AmCham Korea consists of around 800 U.S. businesses running in the South Korean market. 　

Obama calls Trump ‘corrupt motherf*****’

A testimony came out that former U.S. President Barack Obama criticized former President Donald Trump by calling him a “corrupt motherf*****.” According to the Guardian on Wednesday, Obama criticized Trump during his conversations with supporters and advisors as Trump took the presidential office. The Guardian reported the story based on the new book “Battle for the Soul” written by Edward-Isaac Dovere, a staff writer at the Atlantic.

Kakao Japan draws investment worth 600 billion won

Kakao Japan – a Japanese subsidiary of Kakao which provides web-toon service across Japan – earned an investment of 600 billion won. Built upon its leadership in the Japanese web-toon market, a.k.a. the sanctuary of cartoons, and the massive investment leverage, Kakao Japan is expected to strengthen its market dominance. Global investment group Anchor Equity Partners and overseas sovereign wealth funds poured 600 billion won into Kakao Japan, said Kakao on Thursday.

“ROK-US Joint Military Exercises Could Be a Potential ‘Negotiation’ Card Against North Korea”

Paul LaCamera (57), an Army general who has been nominated for the commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and the commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command spoke about the joint military exercises conducted by the two countries and said that he was aware the exercises were a potential card in negotiations with North Korea. LaCamera appeared at the Senate confirmation hearing on May 18 (local time) and when asked if he felt it was necessary to resume large-scale joint military exercises, which had been scaled back after the North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore in 2018, LaCamera stressed the importance of the joint exercises in securing readiness and argued that the actual exercises were much better than computer simulations.

“We Won’t Vote Just Because You Hand out Money” Twenty-Somethings Rebuke the Democratic Party

“We won’t be fooled by the promise that you’ll give us money.” “You should accept the thoughts of the people, instead of trying to teach us.” The Democratic Party of Korea organized a meeting with people in their twenties on May 17, Coming-of-Age Day, but the young people poured out harsh criticism. They gave bitter advice telling the Democratic Party to cast off the image of a ggondae or a stubborn boss. The party’s leader Song Young-gil apologized, saying that the advice was uncomfortable but unavoidable.

Korea’s top 4 business names likely specify their near $40 bn invest plans in US

South Korea’s top four business groups Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, and LG will detail 40 trillion won ($35 billion) worth business investment plans in the United States, timed with the first summit meeting between President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. Business tycoons from Korea’s top 4 conglomerates responsible for semiconductor, electric vehicle, battery, and bio businesses have flown to Washington to join the president in his state visit to the U.S.

In Korea, 24-hour crypto trading doubles to $40.6bn as volatility shoots up

Daily transactions of digital coins shot up in South Korea on Thursday morning as the nosedive in cryptocurrency prices boosted panic selling and bottom fishing at the same time. As of 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, daily turnover at the nation’s 14 cryptocurrency exchanges supporting Korean won-denominated transactions soared 106.6 percent from 24 hours ago to $40.6 billion, according to crypto market tracker Coin Market Cap.

Moon confirms vaccine partnership is key agenda during summit with Biden

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday confirmed that enhancing vaccine partnership is one of key agenda during his first meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden later this week at a time when South Korea is grappling with slow Covid-19 vaccination rate amid a supply shortage. “I will use this visit to the U.S. as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation on vaccine (rollouts) and pave the way (for our country) to become a global hub for vaccine production

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu