Friday, January 14, 2022

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

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

32nd anniversary of Black January of Azerbaijan

On the night of January 19 to 20, 1990, by order of the USSR leadership, 26,000 Soviet troops invaded Baku and Sumgait, as well as other cities of Azerbaijan. As a result of this military intervention, 147 civilians were killed and 744 were seriously injured. This event went down in the history of modern Azerbaijan as “Black January”. Before these tragic events, the groundless territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, as well as the violent and brutal deportation of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from Armenia spurred the expansion of the movement against the Soviet Government in Azerbaijan. The Soviet Army deployed to the country in order to prevent the national movement and break the will of the Azerbaijani people for independence, committed an unprecedented massacre against the peaceful population, violating the norms of international law, the Constitutions of the former USSR and the Azerbaijani SSR.


POSCO, Adani Group of India seek a joint project for eco-friendly steel mill

POSCO held a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony online on Jan. 7 to promote joint projects such as eco-friendly integrated steel mills with Adani Group in India. The signing ceremony was attended by POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, Steel Division Vice Chairman Kim Hak-dong, Chairman Gautam of Adani Group and CEO Karan in charge of port and logistics business. Accordingly, the two companies plan to discover various business opportunities that can cooperate at the group level, including eco-friendly integrated steel mill in India, renewable energy, hydrogen, logistics, and chemistry, to respond to carbon reduction policies.

 

Pernod Ricard Korea launches the Time Well Spent campaign with Ballantine’s new brand ambassadors Ju Ji-hoon and Minho

Pernod Ricard Korea today announced that it selected Ju Ji-hoon and Minho as the new brand ambassadors of the modern classic scotch whisky brand Ballantine's and launch the new global campaign “Time Well Spent" to solidify its position as a leading whisky brand in Korea. Pernod Ricard Korea will hold a press meeting at King's Vacation in Dragon City, Yongsan, Seoul on January 12, where it explains the growth and background of the international whisky market and the contribution of Ballantine's to the growth. At this meeting, Kim Kyung-yeon, marketing director of Pernod Ricard Korea, said that the domestic imported whisky market showed exceptional growth in 2021, up by 58% compared to 2019. As the background of this growth, she explained that as interest in whisky increased, the malt whisky and high-end whisky categories saw significant growth in addition to Scotch whisky, which has been mainstream in the Korean market. They grew by 59% and 64%, respectively, from the previous year.

 

                                                                                                              

KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)

N. Korea Calls US Sanctions 'Provocation', Warns of Stronger Reaction

North Korea has warned that it will have a "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States slapped sanctions over the North's recent missile tests. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry defended its missile tests as the country's legitimate right to self-defense. The statement said the U.S. accusation over the North's legitimate exercise of the right is an "evident provocation and a gangster-like logic." It also criticized Washington for intentionally escalating the situation by imposing new sanctions, which show that while it talks of diplomacy and dialogue, the U.S. is actually absorbed in its policy of isolating the North.

 

Blinken: N. Korea May be Seeking Attention with Missile Launches

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that North Korea may be seeking attention with its missile launches, repeating calls for dialogue. Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC that he thinks North Korea is trying to get attention with its successive missile launches, adding that the North has done that in the past and it will probably continue to do so. Blinken said that months ago, Washington made it clear that it was ready to engage North Korea with no preconditions to see if they could find a way toward the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

 

Asiana Flight Returns from Kazakhstan

A South Korean flight returned home on Thursday after being grounded for eight days at Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan. According to Incheon International Airport, the Asiana Airlines flight arrived at the airport at around 9:50 p.m., carrying 47 people including 43 South Koreans. The flight departed from Almaty International Airport at around 1 p.m. on Thursday, local time, as the airport resumed operations earlier that day. It had been stranded at the airport since last Wednesday after it was seized by protesters. The airport was later cleared but remained closed until Thursday. The crew and some passengers on the flight had been staying at local hotels close to the airport. Most were Korean citizens who had originally booked the return flight.


                                                                                                               

 

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

N. Korea warns of 'stronger' reaction after U.S. imposes new sanctions

North Korea warned Friday it will have to take "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States slapped new sanctions over the North's recent missile launches. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said the recent launch of what it claims to be a hypersonic missile was an "exercise of right to self-defense." "If the U.S. adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced to take stronger and certain reaction to it," the statement said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

 

S. Korean flight returns home from Kazakhstan after having been stranded for week

A South Korean passenger jet carrying dozens of citizens returned home Thursday from a Kazakh airport, a foreign ministry official said, eight days after it got grounded in the Central Asian nation gripped by political turmoil. The Asiana Airlines Inc. flight arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 9:53 p.m., carrying 43 South Koreans and four Kazakh nationals, according to the official. The plane took off from Almaty International Airport hours earlier. The aircraft had been stranded in Kazakhstan since it landed there on Jan. 5, when protesters took control of the nation's main gateway. The airport resumed normal operations earlier in the day.

 

EU vetoes S. Korean shipbuilding merger between Hyundai and Daewoo

The European Union antitrust regulator on Thursday vetoed Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's proposed acquisition of its smaller rival Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., citing monopoly issues. The European Commission announced its decision to block the merger of the South Korean shipbuilders, arguing the tie-up could create a monopoly in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier market. "The merger would have created a dominant position by the new merged company and reduced competition in the worldwide market for the construction of large LNG carriers," the Commission said in a statement.

 

                                                                                   

 

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

Biden imposes first N.Korea-specific sanctions after missile tests

The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed their first sanctions specifically targeting North Korea’s act of developing weapons programs and proposed additional UN sanctions, in response to a series of purportedly “hypersonic” missile tests by Pyongyang. Washington announced that it designated six North Koreans, one Russian national and a Russian entity responsible for procuring goods particularly for Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic-missile programs from China and Russia.

 

Moon says pan-regional cooperation is key to balanced national development

Panregional cooperation is the key to balanced national development, President Moon Jae-in said Thursday, presiding over the nation’s first meeting for cooperation between central and regional governments. The meeting, called “the second Cabinet meeting,” was held for the first time for top decision-makers of the central and local governments to deliberate on major policies related to regional autonomy and balanced development. It is the highest decision-making body dealing with local agendas by holding meetings once a quarter.

 

Lee Jae-myung apologizes for real estate ‘failure,’ promises deregulation

Presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea publicly apologized again for his party’s failure in controlling the housing crisis, promising regulatory reliefs to increase supply of new homes and thereby curb real estate prices. Lee said in a campaign event Thursday held at a reconstruction site in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul that he deeply regrets that his party failed in terms of control the real estate market, saying especially those who live in northern parts of Seoul experienced much difficulty.

 

                                                                                     

 

The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

North Korea warns of 'stronger' reaction after US imposes new sanctions

North Korea warned Friday it will have to take "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States slapped new sanctions over the North's recent missile launches. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said the recent launch of what it claims to be a hypersonic missile was an "exercise of right to self-defense." "If the U.S. adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced to take stronger and certain reaction to it," the statement said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

 

Discrimination and prejudice prevalent in Korea: int'l NGO

Discrimination and prejudice are prevalent in Korean society, despite it being a country with an advanced democracy guaranteeing basic political freedoms and civil liberties, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Thursday. The international non-governmental organization issued? Its "World Report 2022," a summary of human rights conditions in over 100 countries and territories for 2021. The annual report pointed out that although Korea has established a democracy that largely respects civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, some significant human rights concerns remain unresolved. "Discrimination against women is pervasive, as well as discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, racial and ethnic minorities, and foreign migrants and refugees," the report read.

 

No room left for Moon gov't in US-North Korea tit for tat

The U.S. has slapped its own sanctions on North Korea following the North's latest missile launches and encouraged other countries to join the move, showing that Washington is now veering toward an "action for action" approach. This shift is expected to leave no room for South Korea's outgoing Moon Jae-in government to arbitrate U.S.-North Korea relations. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, tweeted, Wednesday, that the U.S. was "proposing U.N. sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions."

 

                                                                                                               

 

Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
POSCO Posts Record Sales Amid Global Economic Recovery

POSCO achieved record sales and operating profit last year amid a boom in the steel market. The steelmaker said on Wednesday that consolidated sales totaled W76.4 trillion in 2021, while operating profit reached W9.2 trillion (US$1=W1,191). This is the first time POSCO has reported annual sales of more than W70 trillion and operating profit surpassing W9 trillion. Sales rose 32.1 percent year-on-year, while operating profit soared 283.8 percent. Its previous revenue record was set in 2011 when sales reached W68.9 trillion, while operating profit previously peaked at W7.2 trillion in 2008. The bumper performance was attributed to surging steel demand as countries around the world tried to revive their pandemic-hit economies.


Moon Won't Attend Beijing Winter Olympics
President Moon Jae-in is "not considering" attending the Beijing Winter Olympics set to open next month, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. The presidential office said Moon will instead be visiting the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for eight days starting on Saturday accompanied by former chief of staff Im Jong-seok.

 

Gov't Mulls Easing Lockdown as Infections Drop
The lockdown that was reimposed last month after a phased return to normal in early November resulted in skyrocketing coronavirus cases could be eased again now that infections are dropping. Currently no more than four people can gather and a 9 o'clock curfew has been imposed on restaurants and coffee shops. The government is considering raising numbers to six to eight and the curfew to midnight. A health official said, "It is positive to see infection numbers drop, but the spread of the Omicron variant is worrisome." Health authorities discuss their options on Wednesday and will reach a final decision on Friday.

                                                                                                

HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Why Kim Jong-un attended missile test after nearly 2 years of absence

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “watched the test-fire of [a] hypersonic missile conducted by the Academy of Defence Science on Tuesday,” with the “hypersonic glide vehicle” described as “hitting the set target in waters 1,000 km away,” the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported in a front-page story Wednesday. It was the first time Kim had observed a missile test on the ground in the 22 months since a “tactical guided weapon” test on March 21, 2020. The weapon tested then was a short-range ballistic missile that has been described as a “North Korean version of ATACMS” — a type of surface-to-surface missile. Kim did not appear at the launch of a “new type submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)” on Oct. 19 of last year.

 

Moon will not be attending Beijing Olympics, Blue House says

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is not considering attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics to be held in February, the Blue House stated. This was the first time the Blue House commented on whether Moon will be present at the international sports competition soon to take place in the Chinese capital. In response to a question about Moon’s plans vis-à-vis his attendance at the Olympics, a Blue House official said Wednesday, “The issue of President Moon attending the Beijing Olympics is not being considered; considerations are being made to dispatch an appropriate delegation in accordance with customs.”

 

S. Korean clinical analysis shows most Omicron cases to be asymptomatic or mild

South Korea’s central clinical panel for new infectious diseases, which is responsible for advising the government, announced on Wednesday the results of a study showing that people in Korea infected with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus generally have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. With Omicron, the incidence of pneumonia and the likelihood of cases becoming serious were markedly lower than with Delta and other viral variants, the panel said.

 

                                                                                    

 

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

Biden slaps first sanctions over Pyongyang’s weapons programs

In response to North Korea’s hypersonic missile tests, U.S. President Joe Biden has taken a step to slap sanctions against the North. This marks Washington’s first sanction on Pyongyang’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles since President Biden was sworn in. The Biden administration also said it will press ahead with additional sanctions on the North through the UN Security Council. The last time the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea was in December 2017. Experts say Washington has made it clear to pressure the communist regime in earnest.

 

Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases increase from 534 to 13,244 in 12 days

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Japan was under 100 at the beginning of December. However, the figure exceeded 10,000 per day this year. What happened in Japan, which seemed to be becoming a model country for COVID-19 prevention? According to NHK, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the country steeply rose from 534 on January 1, 1,265 on January 4, 6,204 on January 7, to 13,244 on Wednesday. It has been four months since the figure exceeded 10,000 per day since September 9.

 

PGA Tour to produce Netflix documentary

The PGA Tour will collaborate with Netflix, a global over-the-top media service provider, to earn new fans. The PGA Tour announced on Thursday that it signed a partnership with Netflix to produce golf documentary series capturing various moments of major tournaments and depicting golfers’ lives in fierce competition. The documentary will film the daily lives of golfers, caddies, and their families. The PGA Tour will make an exception to allow filing crew inside the ropes. Filming of four major tournaments
                                                                                                

 

The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

Military Sexual Trauma Counselor Engages in Secondary Victimization Telling Sexual Assault Victim “If You Die, I’ll Lose My Job”

An allegation was raised that female soldiers who were raped and sexually harassed suffered secondary victimization from the military sexual trauma counselor during a special period set aside by the Ministry of National Defense last June for reporting incidents of sexual assault. The victims asked to be separated from the counselor in question immediately after the incidents, but the military denied their request claiming that they did not have the authority since the counselor was a civilian.

 

Number of New Daily Cases of COVID-19 Drops 15% from the Previous Week: Authorities Confirmed over 4,300 Cases This Day

The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 in South Korea dropped nearly 15% from the previous week. However, the number of new daily cases increased to exceed 4,000 for the first time in six days since January 6. On January 12, Jeon Hae-cheol (minister of the interior and safety), second assistant director at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said in his opening remark at the headquarters meeting, “In the past week (Jan. 5-11), the average number of new daily cases was 3,608, 15% down from the previous week (Dec. 29-Jan. 4), but today, we expect to confirm over 4,300 cases.”

 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Announced, “North Korea Launched Ballistic Missile into the East Sea,” One Minute after the Japanese Government’s Announcement

On January 11, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, “North Korea launched an unidentified projectile into the East Sea.” At around 7:30 this morning, the Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a text message with these details to the journalists assigned to the military headquarters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent another text at 8:38 this morning and explained, “At around 7:27 this morning, we detected the launch of one projectile presumed to be a ballistic missile from the North Korean inland to the East Sea,” and added, “As for additional information, the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are currently conducting a close analysis.”

 

                                                                                                

 

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

LGES’ IPO overwhelmed with $84 trillion institutional bids to eye top-end pricing

LG Energy Solution Ltd. set to open a new chapter in Korean IPO history has been awash with $84 trillion institutional funding during book-building session that would comfortably price initial shares at the top end of 300,000 won ($252) for a near $11 billion IPO. Korea’s pure-play battery maker separated from LG Chem with ambition to become the world`s No. 1 power behind electric vehicles through enhanced ammunition from the Kospi listing drew oversubscription by 1,700 times in institutional booking on Tuesday, the first day of a two-day session.

 

Samsung Elec demonstrates novel in-memory computing for AI chip edge

Samsung Electronics has successfully demonstrated the world’s first in-memory computing based on MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory) and publicized it on the Nature, the company said on Thursday. The new achievement showcases the tech giant’s leadership in memory chip technology and its commitment to merge memory and system semiconductors for next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chips. In-memory computing is a new computing paradigm to enable both data storage and computing in a memory network.

 

Motional rolling out unmanned cabs in Hyundai Ioniq 5 fleet in Las Vegas next year

Motional, autonomous mobility joint-venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Ireland-based auto parts supplier Aptiv, is launching unmanned taxis with Hyundai Ioniq 5 fleet on the roads of Las Vegas next year. The Ioniq 5 was the right vehicle platform for our next-generation robotaxi for many reasons,” said Karl Iagnemma, President and CEO of Motional, in his written interview with Korean media on Jan. 6. “This is a zero-emissions robotaxi that will not only make transportation safer and more accessible – it’ll make it more sustainable.”

 

                                                                                                                  

 

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

Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en

Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net

The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com

LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en

The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com

El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
                                                                                                               

 

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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