Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

I have one dream, making Jecheon the most prosperous city in Korea!”
Mayor Kim Chang-gyu of the Jecheon City said, “I have one dream. Our goal is to make the Jecheon City the most prosperous city in the Republic of Korea!” Speaking on the occasion of assumption of his post on July 1, Mayor Kim said, “A prosperous city is a city of hope with a dynamic economy, where citizens can work vigorously and feel happy in their lives.” Then he said: “Today, I set out to create a dynamic and new economic city, Jecheon.

 

Nexen Tire ranks 1st in GCSI tire sector
Nexen Tire (CEO Kang Ho-Chan) announced on July 4 that it had been selected as the No. 1 in the tire sector for 13 consecutive years in the ‘2022 Global Customer Satisfaction Competency Assessment System (GCSI)’ survey hosted by the Global Management Association. GCSI, which marks its 18th anniversary this year, is a global evaluation system hosted and supervised by the Global Management Association, a research and evaluation institution under the Ministry of Trade

 

“I have been called by the citizens to change Gyeryong, and I will”
Newly elected Mayor Lee Eun-Woo of the Gyeryong City of the Chungcheongnam-do Province said, “I think the will of the great citizens of Gyeryong who called me to this place is because of their desire to change Gyeryong, and I will fasten my collar and tie my shoelaces tightly in order to honor this solemn command from the citizens.” The Gyeryong City was created in 2003 by a split from Nonsan city, following prolonged local discussions.

 

                                                                                             

 

Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Suicide Attempts by Teens Soared Before Pandemic

The number of teenagers who attempted suicide doubled over the four years before the coronavirus pandemic. Medical researchers analyzed data from the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) and found that the number of 14 to 19-year-olds who were rushed to emergency rooms after attempting suicide surged 2.1 times from 1,894 in 2016 to 3,892 in 2019.

 

S.Korea, U.S. Special Forces Conduct Ship Seizure Training
South Korean and U.S. special forces have recently conducted joint search and seizure training as part of the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC). The drill sends a warning message to countries supporting North Korea like China and Russia, which are suspected of abetting smuggling to and from North Korea.
 

Korea Suffers Biggest Trade Deficit in 66 Years
Korea suffered its biggest trade deficit ever in the first six months of this year due to surging raw material and oil prices. According to the Korea Customs Service last Friday, exports increased 15.6 percent on-year in the January-June period to US$350.30 billion, but imports surged 26.2 percent to a record $360.60 billion. This resulted in a deficit of $10.30 billion, the highest for the first half in 66 years.

                                                                                             

Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )

Yoon Suk-yeol asks Keidanren to help with Japan relations
President Yoon Suk-yeol asked Japanese business leaders to help the two neighbors use "strength and wisdom" to repair badly deteriorated relations. Yoon made the plea to a delegation from the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, that visited the Yongsan Presidential Office in central Seoul Monday afternoon.

 

Unification minister says a new approach to North is needed
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s North Korea policy will be different from previous conservative governments, which stressed that inter-Korean cooperation would only come after significant progress on denuclearization. The question, the one that’s been so hard to answer, is how do we manage to have meaningful communications with the North while implementing measures to prevent further development of its nuclear weapons programs,”

 

BAI starts probe of NEC's handling of presidential ballots
The election watchdog will be investigated for how it handled early voting for Covid-19 patients during the presidential election in March, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced Monday. The BAI sent investigators to the National Election Commission (NEC) headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Monday to conduct a preliminary audit of data.

 

                                                                                               

 

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

Yoon appoints education minister and Joint Chiefs of Staff chief
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed on Monday Park Soon-ae as Minister of Education who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Kim Seung-gyeom as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The appointments were confirmed as the president believed the positions should no longer be vacant due to the impasse in the National Assembly over forming its committees and electing their heads.

 

June’s early heatwave catapults power demand to a historic high
Electricity demand hit an all-time high in June as Korea was struck by the summer heat wave. The electric power reserve rate fell below the 10 percent threshold, which indicates the remaining electricity is below what it needs to be for a stable power supply.

 

Federer receives standing ovation at Wimbledon court
Still rehabbing after knee surgery, Roger Federer aspired to come back to Wimbledon one more time before retirement. The celebration event of the 100th anniversary of Centre Court was held on Sunday at All England Lawn Tennis Club with the Wimbledon 2022 open. A total of 26 Wimbledon singles champions were introduced to the audiences starting from Rodney Laver who grabbed the first Wimbledon men's singles crown since 1968 when the four major competitions opened the door to professional tennis players.

 

                                                                                                             

 

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

Seoul fiscal, monetary, financial chiefs vow “joint actions” ahead of CPI, rate meeting
South Korean fiscal, monetary, and financial authorities on Monday held another emergency meeting in less than a month, finding the economy in lengthy perils as Korean capital markets open the second half on dismal note with runaway inflation dampening the local and global economy.

 

Seoul studies independent sanction clause while amending FX trade law
The South Korean government making fixes to the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act for the first time in 23 years could add regulations to enable unilateral sanctions for economic security. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Monday, the government has been examining financial sanctions clause while amending the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

 

 

Korean shipyards at order heyday cannot keep up due to labor shortage
South Korean shipyards are enjoying a heyday with enough backlog from last year’s orders to keep each of them busy for two to three years, but they cannot be jubilant as they run short of manpower to meet orders and advance technology upon losing skilled work force during the decade-long slump.

 

                                                                                             

 

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

N. Korea calls S. Korea-US-Japan military cooperation an attempt by US to form Asian NATO
The spokesperson of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry slammed what they called the “US-Japan-south Korea tripartite military alliance” as part of a US plan to “contain Russia and China at the same time” by forming “a military alliance like NATO in the Asia-Pacific region,” the North’s state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday.

 

Downgraded growth rates feed fears of US recession’s impact on S. Korea
Projections for the growth rate of the US economy in the second quarter were lowered considerably only a few days after being posted, making the looming prospect of an economic recession appear ever more likely. The adjustment has prompted concerns that it will be even harder to tighten monetary policy without triggering a hard landing that would almost certainly leave a mark on the South Korean economy.

 

Why S. Korea’s rich spend a fortune to guarantee their kids' admission to top schools overseas
So far, the Hankyoreh has taken a tour of the supply chain behind the global “application qualification” industry, with stops in San Jose, Gangnam, Kenya, and Pakistan. It includes US college entrance consulting with hefty price tags; South Korea’s international schools, where tuition alone can reach 45 million won a year (in the case of the high school curriculum at the Chadwick International school in Incheon); and ghostwriting of academic papers by educated people in low-income countries.

 

                                                                                    

 

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

 

President Yoon’s Approval Ratings at 44.4%, While 50.2% Disapprove of His Handling of State Affairs: Disapproval Exceeds Approval for Two Consecutive Weeks
The results of a Realmeter poll released on July 4 showed that more people disapproved of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s handling of state affairs than those who approved for the second consecutive week. Realmeter conducted a survey of 2,514 men and women ages eighteen and older nationwide from June 27 to July 1 (fifth week of June), and the results showed that 44.4% approved of President Yoon’s handling of state administration, while 50.2% answered that he was doing a poor job in running the state.

 

Energy Consumption Exceeds 70,000MW Reaching a Record High for June
Due to the unyielding heat, the nation experienced hot and humid nights last month, and energy consumption reached a record high for June. As demand for power surged, the power reserve margin, which shows the amount of reserve electricity, fell below 10% at one point. In July and August, when energy consumption peaks due to the heatwave, the reserve margin could fall further, and experts predict that the nation may issue a power supply warning for the first time in nine years since 2013.

 

NATO Replaces Photo of President Yoon with His Eyes Closed upon Request from the Office of the President
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) published a group photo of state leaders on its website, but it showed President Yoon Suk-yeol with his eyes closed. The Office of the President requested changes and the picture in question has now been replaced. On June 29 (local time), NATO published a picture of four leaders of partner countries in Asia and the Pacific invited to the NATO Summit


                                                                                                


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

S. Korea, Mexico Hold Foreign Ministers' Talks in Seoul
The top diplomats of South Korea and Mexico held talks in Seoul on Monday. According to the Seoul government, foreign minister Park Jin held talks with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, at the foreign ministry building in Seoul on Monday afternoon. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Park said that South Korea established a strategic partnership with Mexico in 2005, the first with a Latin American country

 

N. Korea Claims New Fever Cases Fall below 3,000
North Korea claimed that its fever-related daily cases suspected to be COVID-19 fell below three-thousand. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) reported on Tuesday that around 25-hundred new fever patients were confirmed in the 24-hour period leading up to 6 p.m. Monday nationwide. Quoting the nation's state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, the KCNA said that about three-thousand-430 patients recovered during the same period.

 

S. Korea's Icebreaker Launches New Arctic Expedition
South Korea’s one and only icebreaker, the Araon, has embarked on a new research expedition in the Arctic Ocean. According to the Korea Polar Research Institute on Monday, the vessel left Incheon Port earlier in the day for a 92-day expedition, which will take it to waters near the Arctic Ocean including the Bering Sea, the Eastern Siberia Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

 

                                                                                                               

 

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

Five-term DP lawmaker Kim Jin-pyo elected new National Assembly speaker
The rival parties voted Monday to elect Rep. Kim Jin-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) as new National Assembly speaker after the two sides reached a breakthrough compromise to put the parliament into operation after more than a month of idling. Kim, a five-term lawmaker, will lead the second half of the 21st National Assembly until May 2024.

 

Antitrust chief nominee apologizes over sexual harassment allegations

The nominee for South Korea's antitrust chief apologized Monday over allegations he sexually harassed students while teaching at Seoul National University School of Law. Song Ok-rial issued the apology through the presidential office shortly after he was nominated by President Yoon Suk-yeol to lead the Fair Trade Commission.


S. Korea's inflation at 24-year high in June; sharp rate hike in offing
South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest clip in nearly 24 years in June due mainly to soaring energy costs, data showed Tuesday, fanning expectations of a sharp rate hike this month. Consumer prices soared 6 percent last month from a year earlier, accelerating from a 5.4 percent on-year spike in May, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

 

 

                                                                                  

 

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

Yoon appoints JCS chief, Education Minister without hearing
President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday appointed the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and minister of education without the parliamentary confirmation process, and nominated a new antitrust watchdog chief. The presidential office announced that Yoon approved Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum as the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former professor Park Soon-ae to head the Ministry of Education.

 

Yoon shrugs off latest polls, but should he?
President Yoon Suk-yeol says he “pays no attention to” approval ratings, calling them “meaningless,” but some critics say he should take the poll more seriously and devise measures to dispel public worries. Disapproval ratings for Yoon’s handling of state affairs continued to outperform his approval ratings on Monday despite last week’s trip to the NATO summit

 

N. Korea tightens border controls, vigilance on ‘alien things’ near inter-Korean border
North Korea has tightened vigilance on “alien things” falling near the inter-Korean border and stepped up border controls and restrictions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to state media reports. North Korea has taken follow-up measures in response to the recent investigation findings on the origins and inflow of COVID-19, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Monday in a Korean-language report.

 

                                                                                    

 

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

'Korea, Japan should restore visa waiver program'
Members of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Japan Business Federation called on each of their governments to restore a mutual visa waiver program that has been suspended since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid signs of a recovery in Korea's economic ties with Japan under the leadership of President Yoon Suk-yeol, both business federations also agreed during a meeting held on Monday in Seoul on the need to abolish trade regulations and the resumption of currency swaps.

 

6 dead, 30 wounded in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade
A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said. The suspect remained on the loose hours later as authorities scoured the area and police surrounded a home listed as his possible address.

 

Cheong Wa Dae to be transformed into cultural complex: culture minister
The government will draw up plans to transform the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae into a historical and cultural complex accessible to all citizens, Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon said Monday. Cheong Wa Dae was opened to the public for the first time in 74 years in May as President Yoon Suk-yeol promised to return the compound to the people and move the presidential office to another location.


                                                                                                                  

 

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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