Monday May 25, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
Renowned Korean food consultant pursues urban regeneration projects to link food to culture
There is a great deal of enthusiasm for food in Korea these days, with YouTube full of eating shows and TV having lots of cooking programs and cooking-related books on the bestseller list. Chefs were once ranked next to teachers and medical doctors in jobs favored by elementary school students.
“Oriental medicine is useful in controlling the spread of COVID-19 disease”
Highly contagious disease, COVID-19, is wracking havoc on many countries around the world—claiming 308,569 deaths as of May 17, 2020. The total affected cases worldwide are 4,588,914 and 308,569 persons died--and the mortality rate is 6.72%.
In Korea, the people and government have been handling the cases vert well, and the records show 11,037 affected, 9,851 cured, and 262 dead (mortality rate: 2.37%.
Special notice: The Korea Post is organizing a tour for the Ambassadors and Madams to the Pyeongkang Oriental Medicine Hospital on Tuesday June 9, 2010. Ambassadors and Madams are cordially invited to the Tour where an Oriental medicine pack against COVID-19 is presented to each Excellency. In the event of absence of Invitation, please advise the Editor at The Korea Post at 010-5201-1740.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Schools in High-Risk Areas Advised Against Full Attendance
The Education Ministry announced measures on Sunday to prevent the possible spread of the novel coronavirus at schools as more students are set to return this week.
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said in a press briefing that the ministry will strongly recommend schools in areas exposed to high risks of community spread keep the number of students in attendance below two-thirds of the total.
Moon to Meet Floor Leaders of Ruling, Opposition Parties Thursday
President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon meeting with the new floor leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties on Thursday as the new National Assembly is set to open next week.Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Kang Gi-jung said on Sunday that President Moon invited Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon of the ruling Democratic Party, and his United Future Party counterpart, Joo Ho-young, to the meeting at the presidential office.
S. Korea to Require Clubs, Bars to Keep Digitized Visitor Logs
The government has decided to introduce a digitized registry of visitors at high-risk entertainment establishments such as clubs and bars, starting next month.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo unveiled the decision on Sunday during a regular press briefing, saying that the government experienced many difficulties in tracing individuals linked to the recent Itaewon club cluster.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Kim Jong-un calls for greater ‘nuclear war deterrence’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, reappearing after three weeks out of the public eye, called for stronger “nuclear war deterrence” at a key military meeting, the country’s state media reported Sunday.
Kim presided over the meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, which the Korea Central News Agency said was held to discuss “putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation” in line with the “building and development of the armed forces of the country.”
COVID-19 pandemic hit low-income households harder in Q1
South Korea’s low-income households were hit hardest by the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak in the first quarter of this year, data showed Sunday.
Korean firms brace to bounce back from pandemic
Major South Korean companies have resumed operations at their overseas plants and are speeding up business normalization since suffering disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This month, the nation’s two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, restarted their production plants in India, which had been shut down due to the host government’s strict containment measures. Now, they have restarted work at more than 90 percent of the global production bases they had shut down.
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Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Expats cry foul over points-based new visa rules
Jennifer Strout is an English teacher in Korea and has been working to found a nonprofit school for low-income families.
She said her hopes are to contribute to the community which she now calls home and to become a Korean citizen in the future.
More students go back to school this week
Concerns are growing ahead of the resumption of physical classes for younger students, scheduled this Wednesday, amid lingering woes over possible transmission of COVID-19 at schools in Korea.
According to the Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), high school second graders, middle school seniors, elementary school first and second graders and kindergarteners are to return to classrooms Wednesday. Last week, high school seniors returned to classrooms as they face a hectic academic schedule ahead of the nation's college entrance exam, which has been pushed back to Dec. 3.
N. Korean leader discusses nuclear war deterrence
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a key defense meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and discussed "new measures to enhance nuclear war deterrence of the country," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and other state-controlled media outlets reported Sunday.
Analysts said the discussion is seen as a bid to press the Donald Trump administration over the stalled nuclear dialogue ahead of the U.S presidential election in November.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Lockdown Means the End for Many Couples
More and more couples cooped up in lockdown are getting on each others' nerves to the extent that the divorce rate is feared to spike.
In Japan, a new business has already sprung up offering people places to stay away from their pesky families. The founder of the business got the idea when he had an argument with the woman he was living with in lockdown.
Coronavirus Produces Some Unexpected Beneficiaries
Some sectors of business have unexpectedly benefited from the coronavirus epidemic, most bizarrely perhaps cosmetic surgery clinics and bicycle makers.
According to a report by Hana Bank based on analysis of credit card spending on Thursday, the travel industry was hit hardest by the lockdown. Duty-free shops' sales plummeted 88 percent on-year in March, when infections peaked in Korea.
Seoul Offers Guidelines for Reopening of Schools
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Monday issued experimental guidelines to prevent a resurgence of coronavirus infections as schools reopen.
High school seniors will return to school first on Wednesday and the rest will follow in the coming weeks. They could be taught alternately one week online, one week off according to their grades.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Kim Jong Un lectures on importance of enhancing nuclear capabilitiesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen holding a pointer himself at a meeting of the central military committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Kim was wearing a black uniform without glasses in the pictures published Sunday by the nation’s state media Rodong Sinmun, one of which showed him on a podium pointing at the large screen in front of him with a pointer, which is almost as tall as he is. The South Korean intelligence agency thinks that Kim might have given military officials “a presentation” on the importance of strengthening nuclear capabilities and having strategic weapons at the ready for any possible firing.
Korea’s per capita contribution exceeds 10 million won
South Korean per capita contributions to the welfare budget surpassed 10 million won last year for the first time. The figure is expected to increase at a faster rate as welfare spending will continue to rise due to the aging population and low birth rates.
NYT dedicates its entire first page to a list of 1,000 COVID-19 victims
With almost 100,000 deaths of COVID-19 reported in the United States, The New York Times dedicated the entire first page to a list of 1,000 COVID-19 victims, or one percent of the U.S. death toll. It means that the focus should be on each of the victims rather than on the number.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
“If Only South Koreans Would Abide by the Law in Myanmar” South Korean Company Lays Off Members of a Myanmar Labor Union Because of “COVID-19”
A sewing factory in Myanmar run by a South Korean clothing company laid off all members of the factory’s labor union, retaining only the non-union workers, after the COVID-19 outbreak. Union members argued, “The South Korean employer suppressed the union using COVID-19 as an excuse,” and asked to be reinstated. South Korean companies reaped in benefits from Southeast Asia’s cheap labor and lax regulations, but some are not abiding by the region’s labor laws.
Burdened by the Inheritance Tax and Financial Difficulties, Kansong Art Museum Puts Treasures up for Auction
The Kansong Art and Culture Foundation (Kansong Art Museum) will auction two Buddhist sculptures from the Silla and Unified Silla dynasties--designated as national treasures--from its collection.
This is the first time that the Kansong Art Museum, South Korea’s first private art museum to own thousands of cultural assets, including 44 artworks designated as treasures and national treasures, to auction part of its collection due to financial troubles. On May 21, when the news was first released, cultural circle insiders said in one voice, “It is shocking and regrettable that the Kansong Art Museum, a symbol and representative of ancient Korean art collections, is selling part of its collection because of financial problems,” and “We hope that society as well as the Kansong Art Museum can find a solution to the financial problems and have the treasures housed in a public organization.”
Seoul Human Rights Committee Raises an Issue on the Exclusion of Foreigners from the Disaster Relief Fund
The Seoul Metropolitan Human Rights Committee launched discussions on the exclusion of foreigners from the city’s disaster relief fund. The discussion started because of the view that excluding foreigners from welfare benefits could have a significant impact on one’s basic rights at a time when foreigners are also facing a crisis situation, just as the Koreans. Currently, the funding for aliens depends on whether or not they are married to a Korean national, so there have been arguments about a big blind spot.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Samsung Biologics wins $231 million worth CMO deal from GSK
Samsung Biologics Co., a biopharmaceutical business arm of South Korea’s Samsung Group, on Friday announced that it has signed a long-term contract manufacturing organization (CMO) deal worth $231 million with British multinational pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK).
Shares of Samsung Biologics closed Friday 1.48 percent higher at 618,000 won upon the order news.
Hana Financial, Hanh & Co to create $1.5 bn fund to own Korea’s bulk carrier H-Line
South Korea’s major financial group Hana Financial Group Inc. is set to become a joint owner of H-Line Shipping, a bulk carrier carved-out from now-defunct Hanjin Shipping, together with local private fund Hahn & Co.
The two will launch a 1.8 trillion won ($1.45 billion) fund to acquire a full stake in H-Line Shipping. They have signed a share purchase agreement and a co-general partner deal on May 15, industry sources said Friday.
Seegene readying to bring a new test kit to address COVID-19 mutations
Seegene, a leading developer of multiplex PCR technologies headquartered in South Korea, will soon file for marketing approval of its new COVID-19 test kit that is able to detect even mutations of the virus, the company’s chief executive and founder Chun Jong-yoon said on Thursday.
In an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper, Chun said Seegene has already developed an unprecedented test kit to cover all mutated forms of COVID-19 and is working on a new product to detect not only the coronavirus but also 17 other major infectious diseases plaguing the world.
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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
AustraliaBrisbaneTime
www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://www.colombiareports.com
BogotaFree 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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