Friday May 15, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“United We Fight”
Corona virus has had a huge impact on humanity cutting across all boundaries, physical and social, of nations, caste, class, colour, religion and belief systems bringing the world to its knees. But united we stand, steadfastly helping, assisting, sharing knowledge, cooperating and coordinating with each other, cutting across boundaries fighting as ONE force against the Corona virus.
Patient treated with novel stem cell tells his experience of full recovery
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has ordered that all costs be covered for any critical coronavirus cases treated using a breakthrough stem cell treatment. In the words of the Crown Prince, "the UAE sent aid to nearly 10 countries every week. It is our duty towards our brothers, allies, and friends as we see some countries in a difficult situation.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Trump: US Could Cut off Whole Relationship with China
U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up pressure against China on Thursday, saying that he might cut ties over Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with Fox Business, when asked how the U.S. might choose to retaliate over China's handling of the pandemic.
Trump said that there are many things the U.S. could do and it could "cut off the whole relationship" with China, in which case the U.S. could save 500 billion dollars.
Global Community Urged to Protect Mental Health of Vulnerable amid Prolonged Pandemic
The World Health Organization is warning that COVID-19 may never go away. Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Dr. Mike Ryan suggested this grim possibility, warning that the world needs to be realistic. The United Nations meanwhile is urging governments to protect the most vulnerable from mental health crises during and after COVID-19.
Gov't Vows to Create 1.56 Million Jobs in Public Sector
With the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacting South Korea’s job market, the government has set out to create as many jobs as possible in order to protect the nation’s economy. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki laid out such plans on Thursday, in hopes to alleviate the outbreak’s impact.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Itaewon-linked chain transmissions grip greater Seoul area
Chain infections coming from nightspots in the neighborhood of Itaewon were reported in the capital area Thursday, raising fears over what health authorities called "a truly cruel virus" further spreading in the area that is home to half of all South Koreans.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and the Seoul city government confirmed that 142 cases have been traced to Itaewon, a vibrant area known for its nightlife and international community, as of 6 p.m. Thursday.
Moon vows efforts to beef up remote learning system
President Moon Jae-in pledged every effort Friday to support teachers nationwide who are busy providing students with online classes amid the continued spread of the coronavirus.
In his Teachers' Day message, the president pointed out that an infection crisis can occur again even after the ongoing pandemic is brought under control.
"(The government) will develop the remote learning system and information-communication infrastructure," he wrote on his social media.
G-20 members vow to sustain global supply chains amid virus pandemic
South Korea said Friday it has adopted an action plan with other Group of 20 members that centers on maintaining the global supply chains and refraining from implementing new trade barriers as the new coronavirus pandemic continues to put great strains on business activities.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Korea at critical moment in fight against second wave of infections
Korea is at a critical moment in its struggle to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections, as a virus breakout at clubs and bars in a popular Seoul nightlife area threatens to turn into a wider spread into communities.
Korea reported 29 additional cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 10,991, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moon vows efforts to beef up remote learning system
President Moon Jae-in pledged every effort Friday to support teachers nationwide who are busy providing students with online classes amid the continued spread of the coronavirus.
In his Teachers' Day message, the president pointed out that an infection crisis can occur again even after the ongoing pandemic is brought under control.
US-S. Korea defense cost deal needs to be 'fully acceptable' to Moon, Trump: official
The United States and South Korea are negotiating a defense cost-sharing agreement that will be fully acceptable to both President Donald Trump and President Moon Jae-in, a US official said Thursday.
The two countries have been wide apart on how much Seoul should contribute to the cost of keeping 28,500 American troops stationed on the peninsula.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
S. Korea to create 1.56 million jobs in public sector
The government said Thursday that it plans to create over 1.56 million jobs in the public sector as part of emergency measures to fight the rapid increase in unemployment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement comes on the heels of the biggest year-on-year job losses in April for two decades, suffered mostly by low-income, temporary workers who are not subscribed to the state-run Employment Insurance plan.
Seoul considers suspending Chanel's business to prevent another cluster infections
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering imposing an administrative order to suspend the business of Chanel boutiques in the capital, citing its actions could contribute to a possible COVID-19 infection cluster.
"We are well aware of this issue and we have been monitoring the situation. We are reviewing whether to put out an administrative order," Na Baeq-ju, general director of the civil health bureau at the local administration, said.
Gov't urges students to skip cram schools
The government is calling on parents not to send their children to cram schools and other facilities frequented by students, amid a recent spread of COVID-19 infections connected to a teacher who tested positive for the virus after going to clubs in Itaewon.
The move came Thursday as the Ministry of Education has been pressured to come up with measures to create a safe learning environment amid a recent surge in infections among young people.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://englishani.co.kr)
Commuters on Seoul subway now required to wear masks
When passengers not wearing masks showed up at subway stations around Seoul on Wednesday, station attendants were on hand to remind them about a new rule. Some were shown where they could buy a mask, while others pulled a mask out of their bag. May 13 was the first day that mask-wearing was mandatory on the Seoul Metropolitan Subway (Seoul Metro), and most passengers have already made it part of their routine.
Comparing the Itaewon club outbreak with Shincheonji
A club in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood recently visited by a COVID-19 patient remains closed on May 12. (Lee Jong-keun, staff photographer)A week after an infection cluster tied to clubs in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood was identified on May 7, the number of associated new novel coronavirus patients diagnosed has remained in the range of 20 to 40 per day. The level is unexpectedly low compared to expectations of another “superspreading” situation like infection clusters that erupted around the Shincheonji religious sect in Daegu -- but disease prevention authorities explained on May 13 that the difference between the Itaewon club patrons and Shincheonji members is the latter “repeatedly engaged in high-density contact.”
Moon, Xi emphasis S. Korea-China cooperation on COVID-19 during phone call
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed cooperative measures on containing COVID-19 over the phone on May 13. This was the two leaders’ second phone call regarding disease control cooperation. According to Blue House Spokesperson Kang Min-seok, Moon and Xi agreed that fast-track entry for essential business travelers between the two countries was “a model case of cooperation.” Since May 1, travelers who qualify for “essential business exchange” have been able to travel freely between South Korea and China as long as they test negative for COVID-19 prior to their departure.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Interviews Blight Jobseekers' View of Businesses
Six out of every 10 jobseekers have come back from job interviews with a different image of the companies they applied to than before.
Some 63.1 percent said their impression of companies has changed, according to a poll of 1,683 jobseekers by employment portal Job Korea.
Elementary Schoolkids Can Stay Home Even When Schools Reopen
Elementary schoolchildren in Seoul will be allowed to study at home for up to 34 days without losing points for attendance even after schools reopen, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced Wednesday.
The exemption came amid a decision to close schools for another week after a fresh surge in coronavirus infections. It will remain effective even if the coronavirus alert level is lowered.
Coronavirus Spike Turns Itaewon into Ghost Town
The once-bustling party district of Itaewon in Seoul now resembles a ghost town after a spate of coronavirus infections were traced to nightclubs there.
After a man in his late 20s who roamed about a nightclub and other bars in Itaewon over the long weekend tested positive on May 6, new infections linked to clubs there swelled to over 120 in less than a week.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Trump proposes $1.3 billion agreement for defense cost sharing
U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly proposed 1.3 billion dollars for South Korea’s share of defense costs for United States Forces Korea (USFK) with a one-year term. The South Korean government has previously suggested a five-year agreement with 1.3 billion dollars paid in the fifth year, but President Trump countered it with a proposal for South Korea to pay 1.3 billion dollars this year.
S. Korea sends its first COVID-19 supplies to N. Korea
North Korea reopened the border with China that has been hitherto shut down to contain the spread of COVID-19 to receive the hand sanitizer supplies worth 100 million won from a South Korean civic group. This is the first time that any quarantine supplies from South Korea have entered the North since the outbreak of COVID-19, and pundits are watching if this will lead to a resumption of inter-Korean dialogues.
WHO warns COVID-19 might become endemic
The World Health Organization warned Wednesday (local time) that the novel coronavirus called COVID-19 could be entrenched as “endemic” that periodically springs up in certain areas without being completely eradicated.
"This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities. And this virus may never go away,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of Emergencies Program at the WHO. Dr. Ryan also warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear, saying he doesn’t believe "anyone can predict when this disease will disappear.”
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
The Cluster Infection in Itaewon Is Threatening Schools
The massive transmission of COVID-19 that rekindled in Itaewon clubs has forced schools into a state of emergency, as they go in search of hidden cases of the novel coronavirus. Some teachers and high school students visited the Itaewon clubs, and some students were infected through secondary transmission from a teacher at a private academy, fueling the fear of more local transmission. The first day of offline classes in schools has been delayed another week, with twelfth graders first starting school on May 20, but if authorities continue to confirm more patients in schools, they may have to push back school further.
The World’s Classrooms Tested by the Fight Against COVID-19
Schools are coming out of their “COVID vacations” and opening around the world. But the pandemic is still casting its shadow on the world, fueling concerns. On May 12 (local time) the Wall Street Journal and other foreign press reported on how the eyes were now on the education front to see whether schools would become a huge COVID-19 laboratory or whether they will create a new normal for everyday life in the post-pandemic age.
South Korea Gives Japan an Ultimatum
The South Korean government asked the Japanese government for its specific position on resolving bilateral trade issues by the end of this month. Trade issues emerged after Japan enforced tighter export regulations on three materials used to produce semiconductors and excluded South Korea from the list of “white countries” enjoying a faster export process. Lee Ho-hyeon, an official overseeing trade policies at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a press briefing at the government office in Sejong on the afternoon of May 12 and said, “It has been nearly a year since Japan announced tighter export control, and we cannot put off resolving this issue any longer,” as he shared the government’s message to Japan.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
U.S. Congress calls on S. Korea to vote for Taiwan’s WHO observer status
The U.S. Congress has sent a letter last week asking South Korea to join calls for Taiwan to regain World Health Organization (WHO) observer status, leaving Korea caught in U.S.-China crossfire.
Maeil Business Newspaper on Thursday learned that Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday announced that members of U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee last week sent a letter to 50 state governments asking them to reinstate Taiwan’s observer status at the WHO.
Hajin KAL to join Korean Air’s $817 mn rights offering scheme
Hanjin KAL Corp., parent of South Korea’s flag carrier Korean Air Lines, agreed Thursday to join over $800 million recapitalization scheme of the airliner in need of immediate liquidity to stay afloat due to devastation of air travel business.
Its board okayed the purchase of rights offering from the airliner according to its near 30-percent stakeholding in Korean Air. That would amount to 23,779,196 shares costing 300 billion won ($244.4 million) at 12,600 won set on the price for new issue, discounted from the stock’s Wednesday closing of 18,200 won.
Samsung-Hyundai partnership may extend beyond batteries to automated driving
The symbolic get-together of the heads of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor is fueling hopes of a deepening partnership in smart mobility between the world’s top chipmaker and Korea`s household car brand.
Hyundai Motor Group executive vice chairman, Chung Eui-sun, on Wednesday discussed with Samsung Electronics vice chairman, Jay Y. Lee, a potential partnership in the development of all-solid-state batteries at a factory of Samsung SDI, a Samsung subsidiary that makes batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones.
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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://www.colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://www.bogotafreeplanet.com,bfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes https://www.redaktionstest.net/andes-info-ec/
Ecuador Times https://www.ecuadortimes.net/
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com/
LSM.lv https://www.lsm.lv//
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais https://english.elpais.com/
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net/
Daily News Hungary https://dailynewshungary.com/
Budapest Times https://www.budapesttimes.hu/
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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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