Friday, February 4, 2022
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )
Diplomatic directions of the next Korean Presidential candidates were markedly different.

In the first TV debate of the presidential candidates of South Korea jointly invited by KBS, MBC, and SBS on the night of February 3(KST), four rival presidential candidates, ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yun Seok-yeol, People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and Justice Party candidate Shim Sang-jung showed starkly different views on diplomacy and security. When the moderator asked, “After you become president, please tell me in what order you will meet with the leaders of the United States, Japan, China, or North Korea after taking office,” each candidate expressed contrasting opinions as follows.

 

HWPL holds conference to mark 8th year of the Peace Agreement in Mindanao

The Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light (HWPL), a non-profit private organization in Korea led by Venerable Chairman Man-Hee Lee, held an online international conference on January 24 this year to commemorate the 8th anniversary of the peace agreement between the Muslim and Catholic communities in Mindanao, Philippines. The conference, hosted by HWPL, was prepared as an event to promote harmony between religions under the theme of  ‘Law of Peace in Heaven and Earth. He also urged countries to support the adoption of the Anti-War Peace International Law (DPCW Article 10, Paragraph 38), drafted by HWPL with experts in international law.

 

Orji Uzor Kalu: The Presidential aspirant that'll strengthen South Korea - Nigeria relationship

The 2023 Nigerian presidential election will be held on February 18, 2023 to elect the President and Vice President. Incumbent APC President Muhammadu Buhari is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term. The primaries will be scheduled for late 2022 or early 2023. The winners of the election will be inaugurated on 29 May 2023, the former date of Democracy Day. With the tenure of the Buhari administration winding down, another set of politicians is being positioned as the country’s saviors come 2023. To steady the ship of the Nigerian state, Nigerians must elect a candidate who has the capacity and demonstrated ability to deliver as president in 2023.

 

                                                                                                              

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

Moon Urges Swift Passage of Extra Budget Bill

Starting Thursday, the government will adopt a new COVID-19 testing policy, which gives priority access to polymerase chain reaction(PCR) tests to high-risk groups. Health authorities said that PCR tests at testing sites will be offered to high-risk groups, while others will get a rapid antigen test at testing sites or state-designated hospitals and private medical clinics. If they test positive they will then be able to take the PCR test. High-risk groups include people aged over 60, those with underlying illnesses, and those who have been in close contact with confirmed patients. Starting Thursday, about 730 state-designated hospitals and clinics will carry out COVID-19 tests and treat patients.

 

Presidential Candidates Clash over Development Scandal, THAAD

With about a month left until the March 9 presidential election, four candidates clashed over real estate and diplomacy in their first televised debate on Thursday. In the two-hour debate televised by KBS, MBC and SBS, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party(DP) and Yoon Suk Yeol of the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) had a heated back-and-forth on a massive land development scandal in Seongnam City. Yoon asked if Lee, as the former mayor of the city, properly oversaw that the development project was well designed with accurate calculations of its costs and benefits.

 

FM Chung Protests Japan's Sado Mine Bid in Phone Call with Japanese Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held phone talks with his Japanese counterpart on Thursday and protested Tokyo's decision to push for UNESCO World Heritage listing of a former gold mine linked to wartime forced labor. During the conversation with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa, Chung said an accurate perception of history is the foundation on which they can advance bilateral relations that look towards the future. He expressed deep disappointment at Japan's pursuit of heritage designation for the Sado mine while disregarding the painful history of Korean forced labor. Chung also urged Tokyo to keep its previous pledge to explain the wartime issue at an information center on its early modern era industrial sites that earned UNESCO designation in 2015.


                                                                                                               

 

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

N. Korean leader Kim congratulates China's Xi on opening of Beijing Olympics

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to congratulate China on the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, highlighting the "invincible strategic relations" between the two countries, Pyongyang's state media reported. An opening ceremony for the Feb. 4-20 competition was to be held in the Chinese capital later in the day, although North Korea is not taking part in the Winter Games following the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s suspension decision. "The successful opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics despite the worldwide health crisis and unprecedented severe circumstances is another great victory won by socialist China," Kim said in the message, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

 

Presidential candidates clash over foreign policy, economic issues in 1st TV debate

The four main presidential candidates held their first TV debate Thursday and clashed over a wide range of issues, including which foreign leader they plan to meet first upon taking office and the size of an extra government budget aimed at helping those hit hard by the pandemic. The two-hour debate was attended by presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party and Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party.

 

Lee's wife under fire over alleged use of public servants for personal errands

The wife of ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has come under fire over allegations aides to her husband ran her errands, including picking up packs of beef and getting drug prescriptions and leaving them at her door. Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of the Democratic Party (DP) presidential nominee, issued an apology Wednesday, five days after SBS TV first reported the claims, saying she took full responsibility for what transpired as she should have drawn a line between personal and official business.

 

                                                                                  

 

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

Lee Jae-myung's wife under fire for 'gapjil'

The wife of presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is under fire for possibly abusing her status while her husband served in his gubernatorial post, prior to announcing his presidential bid. Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, has faced allegations of having made indirect orders for a Gyeonggi Provincial Government official to deliver food and fetch prescribed medicine for herself while her husband served as the governor for the province until October 2021.

 

Seoul seeks to establish office for inter-Korean exchange at Chinese border city

The South Korean government is seeking to establish a new office in a city along the China-North Korea border to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, amid signs that the North may relax its pandemic border closure soon. The South-North Korea Exchanges and Cooperation Support Association, which is run by the Unification Ministry, plans to open its first overseas bureau in a Chinese city near the border with North Korea, the ministry said Thursday.

 

Will swing voters bother to vote?

Kim Ki-hyeon, a 30-year-old salesperson based in Seoul, cast his first ballot in a presidential election in December 2012. That election was won by Park Geun-hye from the conservative Saenuri Party. The first election he ever participated in turned out to be a huge disappointment. His preferred candidate won, but Park was riddled with allegations of corruption, misbehavior and a lackluster performance, and ultimately impeached after hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the Gwanghwamun Square to protest for months.

 

                                                                                     

 

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

Lee, Yoon at odds over US-China rivalry

South Korea's rival presidential candidates presented starkly contrasting diplomatic views during their first TV debate, Friday. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung underscored pragmatism, while main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to restore the Korea-U.S. alliance, claiming it had weakened considerably after President Moon Jae-in stepped into office five years ago. During the debate, hosted and televised by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, Lee, Yoon, People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung were asked to choose among the leaders of the U.S., China, Japan and North Korea, who they would meet first if elected.

 

Ahn Cheol-soo touts himself as candidate free from 'family risks'

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition conservative People's Party, found a new campaign tactic recently that can help garner more attention in the presidential race: Unlike his opponents, particularly the two frontrunners who are reeling from allegations surrounding their spouses, he has no family members embroiled in controversies. Ahn recently has put much emphasis on criticizing the two mainstream rivals ― Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ― as they have faced allegations of illegal or immoral behavior against themselves and their family members.

 

Japan's world heritage bid for Sado mine tests Korea's diplomacy

South Korea has once again found itself in need of mobilizing all of its diplomatic ability to bring Japan's flawed perception of history to light as Tokyo seeks to add a controversial wartime site to next year's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list. The issue will inevitably add fuel to already-strained ties between the neighboring countries. On Tuesday, the Japanese government submitted a letter of recommendation for a gold mine on Sado Island to UNESCO following approval from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week despite strong protests from Korea.

 

                                                                                                               

 

Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Japan Pushes Plans to List Slave-Labor Site with UNESCO

Japan in a startling U-turn on Tuesday submitted a letter of recommendation for a historic mine on the island of Sado in Niigata Prefecture to UNESCO's World Heritage list. Mindful of opposition from neighboring countries, the Japanese government last month decided to postpone plans to list the site, where Koreans were mobilized as slave labor during World War II. But the Japanese Cabinet convened a taskforce, which consists of bureau chiefs from relevant ministries, and said its aim is to promote a "correct" view of history in the international community "based on objective facts."

Hyundai, Kia Post Record Monthly Sales for January in U.S.
Hyundai and affiliate Kia posted an all-time sales record for the month of January in the U.S. The two carmakers sold 93,998 vehicles combined in the U.S. last month, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier. The performance came amid estimates that U.S. auto sales would decline by about 10 percent for the first month of the year due to a shortage of semiconductors. Eco-friendly cars and SUVs led the rise. Hyundai and Kia sold 10,791 green cars, three times more than in January of last year. Sales of hybrid cars soared 220 percent on-year to 8,660, with the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid leading at 3,598, while 2,103 EVs were sold, up 226 percent. SUV sales also rose some 10 percent to 66,431.
 

Corruption Investigation Office Is a Shameless Government Tool
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, a supposedly independent agency established to root out corruption in government, has been snooping into the phone records of main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl and his wife among a whopping 80 of the People Power Party's 105 lawmakers. They include Kwon Seong-dong, who serves as Yoon's chief of staff, as well as Chang Je-won and Yoon Han-hong, who are also close to the former prosecutor general. Yoon's spokesman Kim Byung-min's phone records were also scrutinized, and the list of victims is expected to increase.

                                                                                                

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

S. Korea reports 2 straight months of trade deficit; a first in 14 years

After moving into the red for the first time in 20 months last December, South Korea’s trade balance reached a record deficit of US$4.89 billion during the first month of 2022. It’s the first time in the 14 years since the global financial crisis of 2008 that South Korea has recorded a trade deficit for two straight months. Analysts are predicting that the prospects for an annual trade surplus are in jeopardy, with the recent downgrading of the economic outlook for major export markets in the US and China, as well as a sustained increase in prices of crude oil, gas, coal, and other energy sources, which have a major impact on imports.

 

US calls for emergency UNSC meeting over N. Korean missile test

The US has asked the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting in regard to North Korea’s recent launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. The Associated Press and other foreign media reported Tuesday that the US State Department requested the Security Council meet behind closed doors on Thursday. The request came in response to North Korea’s launch of an IRBM toward the East Sea on Sunday. Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday that “the evaluation test-fire of [the] Hwasong 12-type ground-to-ground intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile was conducted Sunday.”

 

Only international solidarity can stop Sado mines World Heritage registration

Ignoring objections by the South Korean government, the Japanese government made a Cabinet decision Tuesday to apply for the Sado mine complex to be registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. A famous gold mine during the Edo era, the Sado complex was used to obtain copper, iron, and other materials for the war effort after the outbreak of the Pacific War. At the time, Japan employed large-scale mobilization of Korean workers. Even history books published by the mine’s home prefecture of Niigata acknowledge that Koreans were drafted to work there by force.

 

                                                                                    

 

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

Biden to send more U.S. troops to Eastern Europe

U.S. President Joe Biden released a plan on Wednesday (local time) to deploy an additional 3,000 U.S. troops including selected airborne forces and Stryker infantry unit members to Eastern European nations such as Poland and Romania. With such a military deployment plan, President Biden reacted immediately to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s implications for war, only increasing chances of the two nations’ military conflict. President Biden has been clear that the United States will respond to the growing threat to Europe's security and stability,” Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said at a press briefing. “The United States will soon move additional forces to Romania, Poland and Germany.”

 

FM Chung protests against Japan’s Sado mine UNESCO bid

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong made a strong complaint about Japan’s move to have the mine on the island of Sado designated in the UNESCO World Heritage List during his first phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. According to the South Korean foreign ministry, Minister Chung said, “The Japanese government has decided to press ahead with the UNESCO designation of Sado mine, turning a blind eye to the painful history of the Koreans subjected to forced labor.” During the phone call, Minister Chung reiterated Seoul’s stance on various issues including the Korean women victimized by Japan’s sex slavery, Japan’s export restrictions, and the discharge of the radioactive water in Fukushima.

 

Olympic torch lit up in Beijing in 14 years

The Olympic torch lights up Beijing in 14 years. Starting with the opening ceremony that will take place at 9 p.m. on Friday, the 2022 Beijing Winter Games will begin its 17-day celebration of winter sports. Beijing is the first city in Olympic history to hold both Summer and Winter Games. Beijing National Stadium, where the opening ceremony is scheduled to take place, is the same stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and was used as the main track and field stadium and the venue for the men’s 2008 gold medal soccer game. It is known as the “Bird’s Nest” for its distinctive design. The stadium, however, will not hold other sport events besides the opening and closing ceremonies.


                                                                                                

 

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

Nearly 100,000 People Receiving Home Treatment: Medical System Fails to Respond to the Latest Surge of Covid

A, a man in his thirties responding to customer calls in the service industry, was confirmed COVID-19-positive on January 26. He began home treatment in his residence in Guro-gu, Seoul the day he was confirmed positive, and for the first three days, he worked as usual in the mornings when phone calls poured in. A said, “I volunteered to work because it was a time when we got a lot of calls and I felt bad for my colleagues at work.” B (19), who will make a second attempt to enter college this year, was also confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus on January 29. But she still studies eight hours a day, taking online classes and solving problems in her exercise books. Gim, who is also receiving home treatment in Seo-gu, Incheon, said, “It’s harder to concentrate than when I study at the reading room (dokseosil), but my routine is not disrupted that much.”

 

A Stop to Smombie: Why Samsung Electronics Banned the Use of Smartphones While Walking

Samsung Electronics has made the Five Major Safety Regulations, including a ban on the use of cell phones while walking, mandatory in its main worksites. The company seems to be making an effort to improve safety in its workplaces after the Serious Accidents Prevention Act was enforced on January 27. On February 2, Samsung Electronics announced that it notified its workers of the official implementation of the Five Major Safety Regulations for a Safe Workplace. The regulations state no using cell phones while walking, no jaywalking, no using cell phones while driving, remaining within the speed limit in work sites and no speeding while driving, and wearing helmets while riding a bicycle.

 

Companies Hiring Part-Time and Full-time Employees with MBTI, a Test People Take for Fun

We hire by checking your MBTI type. We hope to receive applications from many people with extraversion (E) tendencies. Exceptions: ENTJ, ESFJ types cannot apply.” This was part of a notice for a part-time job opening posted by a café in Mapo-gu, Seoul. People showed mixed reactions to this notice. Some said they could understand since the MBTI has firmly taken root as a common topic of interest, while others argued that it was just a leisure activity and that a personality test should not be applied as a recruitment standard. After examining three online part-time job portals on January 27, we found a total of eight stores that stated the MBTI type as a condition in their hiring notices.

 

                                                                                                

 

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

Korean battery-related stocks subject to heavy short sale upon LGES arrival

South Korean battery-related stocks have turned sluggish and become target for short sale as investors turned attention to Kospi debutant LG Energy Solution that has become the country’s second-most valuable company immediately upon listing last week. Parent LG Chem became the most heavily shorted stock in both the Kospi and Kosdaq with 118 billion won ($97.9 million) booked for shorting on Jan. 27 and 28. LG Energy Solution that spun off from LG Chem was listed on Jan. 27.

 

Korean financial authority to review accounting fraud at Celltrion next week

South Korean financial authorities next week will deliberate questionable accounting practice by Celltrion Group before its distribution unit went public. The Accounting Oversight Deliberation Committee under the Financial Services Commission (FSC) has completed investigation on biosimilar giant Celltrion and its affiliates Celltrion Healthcare and Celltrion Pharm and handed over its findings to higher decision-making Securities and Futures Commission.

 

DSME adds $1.53 bn orders for 2 LNG carriers, 6 containers

South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) has clinched a combined 1.84 trillion won ($1.53 billion) orders to build two LNG carriers from Greek shipper Maran Gas Maritime under Angelicoussis Shipping Group and six container vessels from an unidentified shipper in the European region, the company announced in its regulatory filing on Thursday. The two LNG carriers and six containers will be constructed at its dockyard in Okpo, Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province for delivery in the second half of 2025.


                                                                                                                  

 

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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