Friday June 12, 2020

 

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Dr. Seo gives Oriental medicine tips on how to stay away from COVID-19 woes”
Some 30 ambassadors, other senior diplomats and spouses heard the important tips at the El Tower in Seoul on this morning (June 9, 2020) which are viewed to be helpful on how to beat the on-going (and, in some countries, continuously aggravating) COVID-19 cases.
Some 30 ambassadors, other senior diplomats and spouses heard the important tips at the El Tower in Seoul on this morning (June 9, 2020) which are viewed to be helpful on how to beat the on-going (and, in some countries, continuously aggravating) COVID-19 cases.

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=20885

 

EcoBizNet operates a microbial business platform CellAct; recruits franchisees from around the world
EcoBiznet, situated in the Bio Complex in Chuncheon Bioindustry Foundation, is a Small and medium-sized promising venture company that started out as a corporation which became independent from Doosan Group in 2000. In the beginning, the company mainly focused on consulting, but with the establishment of a R&D institute in 2006, it has remained committed to developing business models.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Global Stocks Plunge on Fears of COVID-19 Second Wave
Global stocks tumbled on Thursday amid fears of a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day at 25-thousand-128, down one-thousand-862 points, or six-point-nine percent. It’s the worst decline since March 16 when it plummeted about 13 percent.
The S&P 500 also fell five-point-nine percent, while the Nasdaq slipped over five percent to fall below the ten-thousand mark.

US Ready to Take 'Flexible Approach' to Implement Singapore Summit Agreement
The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that the United States is willing to take a "flexible approach" to implement the Singapore summit agreement reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A spokesperson of the department issued the position in response to an inquiry by Seoul-based Yonhap News ahead of the second anniversary of the Singapore summit.

Global Stocks Plunge on Fears of COVID-19 Second Wave
Global stocks tumbled on Thursday amid fears of a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day at 25-thousand-128, down one-thousand-862 points, or six-point-nine percent. It’s the worst decline since March 16 when it plummeted about 13 percent.
The S&P 500 also fell five-point-nine percent, while the Nasdaq slipped over five percent to fall below the ten-thousand mark.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
N. Korea vows to build up 'more reliable' force against U.S. threats
North Korea said Friday its goal is to build up a "more reliable" force against long-term military threats from the United States as the two countries marked the second anniversary of the first-ever summit of their leaders.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon made the remark, adding that Pyongyang would "never again" provide the U.S. with "another package" that President Donald Trump could use to boast as his political achievements.

Court upholds jail term of ex-President Park's confidante in influence-peddling case
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a previous court decision on a longtime friend of jailed former President Park Geun-hye in an influence-peddling and corruption case.
The highest court confirmed the previous ruling by the Seoul High Court in February that sentenced Choi Seo-won to 18 years in prison on a string of corruption charges linked to a massive influence-peddling scandal that ultimately led to Park's removal from office in early 2017.
Choi Seo-won is widely known by the name Soon-sil.

Kia Motors suspends 2 plants near capital over coronavirus
Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker by sales, halted its two domestic plants Thursday, as two workers at the plants near the capital were confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus.
The suspension came after the two worker at the plants in Gwangmyeong, just southwest of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19.
South Korean health officials tested workers who came into contact with the virus patients. The test results are due as early as Friday morning.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Finance minister warns against housing prices amid COVID-19 countermeasures
While continuing efforts to activate investments and create jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis, South Korea’s top fiscal policymaker once again vowed to stabilize the real estate market, viewing the country’s overheated housing costs as a key economic challenge.
The warning tone hinted that the current Moon Jae-in administration prolonging its tight grip over the bubble-prone housing market, regardless of the separate struggle to stimulate the economy at all means.

Ex-unification ministers call for patience, flexibility after NK offensive
With North Korea severing all communications with South Korea and ratcheting up hostile rhetoric against both Seoul and Washington, there are growing concerns that inter-Korean relations could once again become confrontational.
But ex-unification ministers downplayed those concerns and remained optimistic, calling for patience, flexibility and consistency in dealing with North Korea

Ministry seeks police probe of leafleting NGOs, Cheong Wa Dae warns of ‘stern’ measures
The Ministry of Unification on Thursday requested the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to investigate two NGOs sending propaganda to North Korea on suspicion of violating inter-Korean cooperation, environmental and aviation laws.
The NGOs -- Fighters for a Free North Korea, led by defector Park Sang-hak; and Keumsaem, headed by Park’s younger brother Park Jung-oh -- are accused of violating the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, Aviation Safety Act and Public Waters Management and Reclamation Act.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Political dynamics of propaganda leaflets and inter-Korean relations
While South Korea wants to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first-ever inter-Korean summit on June 15 which it believes helped "thaw" inter-Korean relations, North Korea is increasing its vitriol toward the South over the sending of propaganda leaflets across the border by a defectors' group.
On May 31, members of the Fighters for a Free North Korea (FFNK), led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak, flew balloons carrying propaganda leaflets from the border city of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. They accused North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un of being a hypocrite in the leaflets, and also sent USB storage devices containing news and information about prosperous South Korea.

More 'Korean bananas' to be harvested this year amid climate change
Jeju Island was long considered the only warm-enough region in Korea for commercial banana farming, but climate change is now turning the mainland into a producer of the tropical fruit.
Shin Yong-kyun, a farmer in Haenam, the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, told The Korea Times Wednesday that she and her husband are looking forward to their first ― and Haenam's first ― banana harvest next month.
They planted 470 banana trees last year to adapt themselves to "changing circumstances" as the impact of climate change on agriculture was felt among many farmers, she said.

Is jailed Anbang founder involved in US hotel fraud?
Anbang Insurance Group founder Wu Xiaohui's name has been mentioned during an ongoing legal battle between the Chinese insurer and Mirae Asset Global Investments over a disrupted $5.8 billion deal for 15 luxury hotels in the United States.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Unification Ministry to revoke N. Korean defector groups of corporation status
On June 10, the Ministry of Unification (MOU) announced that it plans to charge the two North Korean defector groups Fighters for Free North Korea (FFNK) and Keun Saem with violations of positive law and initiate procedures to revoke their corporation status after they launched propaganda balloons and plastic bottles over the border into North Korea. This amounts to a declaration that the government is changing its approach in response to the scattering of leaflets in North Korea. The decision sends the message that the weight is being shifted from “policing without punishment” to “policing, punishments, and crackdowns at the source.

Serious COVID-19 cases linked to 4 key factors, S. Korea researchers find
Diabetes, high fever, low oxygen levels, and major heart damage are four symptoms that correlate to severe cases of COVID-19, a new study reports. This is the first study in South Korea confirming the risk factors that are predictive of a serious case of the disease.|
The report, titled “Prognostic Factors for Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Daegu, Korea,” was published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science (JKMS) by a research team at the Yeungnam University College of Medicine, in Daegu. The researchers analyzed 110 COVID-19 patients (23 serious cases) from Feb. 19 to Apr. 15.

OECD projects growth of -6% globally and -1.2% for S. Korea in 2020
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projected 2020 growth rates of -6.0% for the global economy and -1.2% for the South Korean economy. It also predicted that the rates could worsen to -7.6% for the global economy and -2.5% for the South Korean economy if we see an additional wave of COVID-19 in the fourth quarter.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Korea to Ban Parents from Physically Punishing Children
The Ministry of Justice said Wednesday it wants to crack down on a perceived increase in child abuse by banning physical punishment of children even by their own parents.
Korea's civil law stipulates that parents or those acting in loco parentis may, "in order to protect or educate their children, take necessary disciplinary actions."
But the ministry says "disciplinary" and "necessary" allow for too wide an interpretation that could include physical punishment. A new clause is to be inserted that forbids it.

U.S. Tests Nuclear 'Bunker-Buster' Bomb
A U.S. weapons development laboratory has succeeded in a drop test of a low-yield "bunker-buster" bomb.
In a press release Monday, Sandia National Laboratories announced, "We were able to test the B61-12 through all operational phases, and we have extremely high confidence the B61-12 is compatible with the F-15E Strike Eagle," a state-of-the-art fighter jet.
"The results speak for themselves, the tests met all requirements, both in performance and safety," the developers added. "It was delivered with precision accuracy; it worked, and it worked well."

Sporadic Infections Continue in Seoul Metropolitan Area
The number of people being treated in isolation for coronavirus surpassed 1,000 again for the first time in a month as infections surge in the Seoul metropolitan area.
A total of 1,015 people had been placed in isolation as of Wednesday. Health officials have said 1,000 people in isolation is the threshold for a manageable epidemic.
A computer programmer working for Hackers Academia, a top crammer in Seoul, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, prompting health officials to close seven other branches. A cleaner at Samsung's semiconductor factory in Suwon south of Seoul also tested positive, forcing 1,200 employees to work from home.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
B-1B can hold any target in the region, U.S. Air Force says
The B-1B bombers, which are also known as the “swan of death,” have developed the capabilities to hold any target in Northeast Asia at any time through joint military exercises with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force conducted near the Korean Peninsula at the end of last month, the U.S. Air Force said.
The U.S. Air Force said on Thursday (local time) that it can “hold any target in the region at risk at a time and place of our choosing” regarding the recent development of the B-1Bs.

LG Uplus’s 5G content export exceeds 10 million dollars
LG Uplus signed a contract on Friday with the largest telecom company in Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom, to export 5G virtual reality (VR) content. The South Korean company will supply 80 K-pop VR content products and 5G technologies, such as the “multi-view” solution for creating VR content using regular videos, to Chunghwa Telecom. LG Uplus has signed three 5G export contracts since last year – with China Telecom Corp. in October last year, with Hong Kong Telecommunications Ltd. in March, and with Japan's KDDI Corp. in April. With the new fourth deal, the company’s accumulated export amount has reached 10 million dollars.

First footprints of ancient crocodile found in Sacheon
The footprints of an ancient crocodile that was large and walked on two legs from the Mesozoic period were discovered for the first time in the world in South Korea. Skeleton fossils of a small crocodile suspected to have walked on two legs were found before in the U.S., but the footprints are the first piece of solid evidence.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
A Break in North-South Korea Relations Comes into View: Government Takes Strong
On June 10, the Ministry of Unification took strong action and reported two organizations that had distributed propaganda flyers for violating the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, after determining it could no longer neglect the situation as North Korea threatened to sever its ties with the South because of the leaflets. The government belatedly did what it should have done immediately after the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, in which the two Koreas agreed to suspend all hostile activities including the distribution of propaganda flyers, after ignoring the issue for over two years.

Jeong Se-hyun, “North Korea Is Discontent Because Agreements Were Not Implemented.
On June 10, Jeong Se-hyun (75), executive vice-chair of the National Unification Advisory
Council spoke on North Korea’s hardline stance toward South Korea and said, “It’s the result
of the government’s failure to properly implement the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration and
the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration,” and added, “The government needs to be
more aggressive in its actions.”

Inter-Korean Relations Begin to Collapse: Are We Retreating to an Age of Confrontation?
On June 9, North Korea cut off all channels of communication between North and South Korea including the Cheong Wa Dae hotline. It also said it would “change projects concerning the South to ones against an enemy,” and labeled South Korea as an “enemy.” North Korea, which had criticized the South Korean authority’s response to the distribution of propaganda flyers, launched specific measures to sever inter-Korean relations and even warned of future military action. The relationship between North and South Korea is now at a critical crossroad as the North threatens to annul the September 19 military agreement and the Panmunjom Declaration, in which the two Koreas agreed to cease all hostile activities.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korea’s June 1-10 exports up 20.2% on year, a sharp rebound from a month ago
South Korean exports in the first 10 days in June grew more than 20 percent from the same period last year thanks to IT and bio shipments, suggesting amelioration in external trade conditions for Korea after suffering more than 20 percent plunges over the previous two months.
According to the data from the Korea Customs Service on Thursday, the country’s outbound shipments totaled $12.3 billion in June 1-10, up 20.2 percent from a year ago. The gain was owed to two more working days in the period compared to last year. With the number of working days factored out, average daily exports tumbled 9.8 percent to $1.54 billion.

Korean Air asks cabin crew to go on up to 1-yr leave, carries cargo on passenger cabin
South Korea’s top carrier Korean Air Lines Co. has given flight attendants the option of taking an unpaid leave for up to one year and started fill empty passenger seats with cargos on long-haul flights to survive until the pandemic dies down and international air travel normalizes.
According to multiple sources from the aviation industry on Thursday, Korean Air is receiving applications for long-term unpaid leave until June 17 from flight attendants that have worked for the flag carrier for two years or more. The leave will be for minimum 6 months and up to 1 year beginning July 1.

Korea’s car exports in May dip below 100,000 first time in nearly 17 yrs
South Korea’s auto exports dipped below 100,000 units for the first time in nearly 17 years due to a plunge in overseas demand amid coronavirus pandemic-driven lockdowns.
According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Thursday, auto exports tumbled 57.6 percent on year to 95,400 units in May.
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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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