Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )
“We mark a new anniversary of our declaration of independence in 1816”
Ambassador Alfredo Carlos Bascou of the Argentine Republic in Seoul said, "On July 9th, we commemorate a new anniversary of the declaration of independence that happened in 1816, which marked the end of the dependence of the united provinces of the Rio De La Plata from the Spanish Monarchy.” Speaking at a reception Ambassador and Mrs. Bascou hosted at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on July 7
Trade Minister Ahn attends Global Investment Summit
Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun attended the Global Investment Summit held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on July 6 and gave a congratulatory message. The event was attended by approximately 200 persons from various foreign-invested companies and relevant local government bodies, including Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President Yu Jeong-yeol and LG-Ericsson South Korea & Taiwan Operations CEO Håkan Cervell.
SPC Chairman Hur attends French gov’t’s investment attraction event
SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in attended the "Choose France" event held by the French government on July 11 (local time). The SPC Group said on July 12 that the French government has held the event every year since 2018 to promote global companies' investment in the country
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
New Daily COVID Cases Soar Above 30,000
New daily COVID infections reached reached 37,360 on Tuesday morning, just a day after surpassing 30,000 for the first time in about eight weeks. The number of people who tested positive was 2.1 times more than a week earlier and 3.8 times more than two weeks ago. In other words, new infections have been doubling every week.
Eco-Friendly Vehicles Account for Over 30% of Korea's Car Exports
Korea's outbound shipments of eco-friendly cars have exceeded 30 percent of total car exports for the first time ever. The Korea International Trade Association said on Monday that outbound shipments of automobiles came to US$20.45 billion in January-May, with eco-friendly cars accounting for 30.3 percent, at around $6.19 billion. That's an increase of 8.7 percentage points on-year from 21.6 percent.
N.Korea Fires 2 Shells from Multiple Rocket Launcher
"The South Korean military detected trajectories of rounds from what was presumed to be a North Korean MRL from around 6:21 p.m. to around 6:37 p.m. Sunday," the JCS told reporters hours after the firing. "The military is maintaining tight preparedness while enhancing vigilance and closely cooperating with the U.S." They were fired from South Pyongan Province. The 240-㎜ MRL has a range of about 60 to 70 ㎞.
Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )
Samsung going bigger in Texas with site enlargement plan
Samsung Electronics has applied to add land to the site of its Taylor, Texas, chip manufacturing site, increasing the footprint by almost 14 percent. The Korean chip maker has filed a request with the city clerk to enlarge the boundaries of the existing investment zone, according to the documents on the City of Taylor website. Two filings listed the expansion of investment zone as an agenda item for a city council meeting set for July 14.
Big names pay their respects to assassinated Abe
President Yoon Suk-yeol and other Korean political and business leaders visited a memorial altar in Seoul to pay their respects to assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday. Yoon visited the mourning altar at the Japanese Embassy's public information and cultural center in central Seoul and spent several minutes in silence in front of Abe's portrait.
Field maneuvers with U.S. grow under Yoon Suk-yeol
Large-scale field maneuvers during South Korea-U.S. joint exercises may take place regularly under President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration beginning in August, a shift from the previous administration's downscaling of the exercises to avoid angering North Korea, official sources said.
The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
NASA releases images of James Webb Space Telescope
U.S. President Joe Biden released the first full-color images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA's next-generation space telescope, on Monday. The images are a series of highest-resolution space images ever taken by mankind.
President Yoon resumes ‘door stepping’ session
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol resumed a so-called "doorstepping" briefing session just a day after it was suspended due to COVID-19 resurge. The move apparently demonstrates Yoon's strong will to communicate despite some criticisms that such informal morning sessions with the press was the cause of his declining approval rating.
Won-dollar exchange rate breaks ceiling of 1,312 won
The exchange rate of the Korean won has reached the highest level of the year, surpassing the mark of 1310. On Tuesday, the dollar-to-won exchange rate soared by 8.2 won (fell in value of won) from the previous trading day to close at 1,312.1 won. This is the highest closing price in 13 years since July 13, 2019 when it hit 1315.0 won during the global financial crisis.
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Hyundai Motor union agrees to roadmap to create EV factory and upgrade facilities
Hyundai Motor Co.’s management and union on Monday agreed on the roadmap to add the company’s first factory line in Korea in nearly three decades devoted to electric vehicles by 2025 as well as incrementally upscaling aged assembly lines to accommodate future mobility.
Korean Air stock grounded despite border openings from headwinds in fuel, strong USD
Shares of flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. failed to take off this year despite reopening of borders on expensive fares from spike in fuel cost and strong U.S. exchange rate on top of slowed cargo demand that propelled growth during pandemic.
Exports make up nearly 38% of Korean GDP, slowed gains this year to hurt GDP: KITA
Exports contributed nearly 38 percent of South Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) and half of annual growth of 4.1 percent last year to suggest that much of hit to the economy this year and the next on slowed global demand, showed data from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Kishida sets out vision for revising constitution, accelerating Japan’s rightward shift
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during a streetside campaign rally on Friday, July 8. He was 67 years old. Abe occupied the premiership for eight years and eight months, during two separate stints, longer than any other prime minister in Japan’s constitutional history. While in office, he spearheaded a rightward shift in Japanese politics.
In wake of Abe’s death, LDP landslide win lends impetus to remilitarization of Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who scored a major victory in the upper house elections held on Sunday, held a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in Tokyo on Monday afternoon to discuss the election results and clarify his party’s future policy direction. The LDP won 63 seats, more than half of the 125 contested seats (248 seats in total) while Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, won 13 seats.
Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating drops to 37%
The presidential office is facing a deepening quandary as it struggles to deal with the various warning signals it faces amid an onslaught of damaging factors including the withdrawals of Cabinet nominees, controversy over the hiring of acquaintances in the presidential office itself, an economic crisis, the resurgence of COVID-19, and internal strife within the president's own party.
The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
President Yoon Resumes Morning Press Meetings after One Day
On the morning of July 12, President Yoon met with reporters on his way to work at the presidential office in Yongsan, and when a reporter asked about the nation’s response to another wave of COVID-19, the president said, “Yesterday, we had a meeting here with the head of the Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the chair of the national infectious disease response committee
New Daily Cases of COVID-19 Reaches 37,360, More than Double the Previous Week’s Figure
The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight July 12, authorities have confirmed 37,360 new cases of COVID-19 from the previous day. This is the first time in 55 days since May 18 that the number of new daily cases exceeded 30,000. Compared with the number of cases confirmed a week ago (July 5), the number of cases increased by 19,213 or 2.1 times the previous week’s figure. Seven more people died, and 74 patients are in critical condition.
Teacher Forced Students to Dye Her Hair for Years: Student Rights Abuse at a Meister High School
The Meister high school was established in 2010 in the Lee Myung-bak government with the goal of fostering master craftspeople who could go to work at industrial worksites straight after graduation. Meister is a German word for master. In Germany, many young people opt to follow the path of a craftsperson or a technician instead of advancing to university.
KBS(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)
Hyundai Motor Reaches Wage Deal to Avert Labor Strike
The management and labor of Hyundai Motor have reached a tentative wage agreement, marking the fourth year in a row the nation’s largest automaker will hash out an annual salary deal without a massive strike by its unionized workers. According to the Seoul-based company on Tuesday, the agreement was made during the 16th round of negotiations held at its Ulsan assembly plant earlier in the day.
Rain to Wet Many Parts of Nation on Wed.
A special adviser from the U.S. Department of State will visit South Korea this week to discuss the North Korean threat and other issues. The department said in a press release that Department of State Counselor Derek Chollet is scheduled to visit Seoul on Monday and Tuesday to meet with South Korean government officials, academia, and civil society.
Foreign Scholars Call for Permanent Installation of Statue of Peace in Germany
Much rain is in store for some central regions on Wednesday as many parts of the nation are blanketed by dark clouds. The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) on Wednesday forecast rainfall of up to 150 millimeters or more for northern parts of Gyeonggi Province and inland areas in the northern parts of Gangwon Province. The precipitation for Jeolla provinces and Gyeongsang provinces was predicted to be 30 to 100 millimeters.
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S. Korea's job growth slows in June amid increased economic uncertainty
South Korea reported job additions for the 16th consecutive month in June, but the pace of job growth slowed amid heightened economic uncertainty, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people came to 28.49 million last month, up 841,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
Gov't releases photos of 2019 repatriation of N. Korean fishermen
South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday publicly released rare photos showing the controversial repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019. The ten photos revealed by the ministry showed the two fishermen refusing to cross the Military Demarcation Line at the truce village of Panmunjom, as they were taken to be handed over to North Korean authorities.
Yoon visits mourning altar for ex-Japan PM Abe
Yoon offered a silent tribute in front of the altar set up at the Japanese Embassy's public information and cultural center in downtown Seoul and signed a condolence book before briefly talking with Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Koichi Aiboshi. In the condolence book, Yoon wrote that he prays for the former prime minister who "dedicated himself to the prosperity and development of Asia."
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
In Yongbyon, activity detected at nuclear waste storage facility for first time since 2016
New excavation activity was detected at a nuclear waste storage facility within the Yongbyon nuclear complex for the first time since 2016, which could be part of North Korea’s preparations to produce plutonium. Commercial satellite images acquired on July 3 showed the new excavation activity on the west side of the waste storage building leading to an unused bay door, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said Monday.
S. Korean ambassador discusses alliance, NK nuclear issues with US deputy secretary
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relations of Seoul and Washington and North Korea’s nuclear issues on Monday (US time). In a Facebook post, Amb. Cho explained how he had first met with Sherman when he was serving as the first vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, from February 2014 to October 2015.
Foreign minister vows to strengthen alliance with new US ambassador to Korea
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin greeted newly appointed US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and shared their commitment to bolster the Korea-US alliance on Tuesday. The US diplomat has just begun his duty as the ambassador, filling the post left vacant about 1 1/2 years after his predecessor Harry Harris left upon the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Goldberg arrived in Seoul on Sunday.
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Ministry shifts stance on deportation of North Korean fishermen
The Ministry of Unification has abandoned its previous position on the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen, whom it said were "not sincere" about defecting to South Korea in 2019 ― a chief justification for the controversial decision. Speaking to The Korea Times, Tuesday, a ministry official reconfirmed its shift in stance.
Yoon pays tribute to Abe
President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday visited a memorial altar set up at the Japanese embassy's cultural center in Seoul and paid tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated during a campaign speech in the Japanese city of Nara on Friday. The move is part of the president's efforts to improve Seoul-Tokyo relations, which have gone from bad to worse during the previous Moon Jae-in government as a spat over historical issues intensified.
Korea seeks to launch space economy via moon landing
Korea is set to launch its first lunar orbiter, the Danuri, aboard SpaceX's rocket in the United States on August 3. The successful launch of the Danuri will mark the first step for Korea to join the space economy following other advanced countries active in the field, according to industry experts and government officials.
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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
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