Monday July 06, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Korea owes much to the Colombian soldiers who helped Korea protect her freedom, democracy”
Mayor Choi Moon-soon of the Hwacheon Country of the Gangwon Province said, “Korea owes greatly to the gallant soldiers of the Colombian Battalion troops who fought bravely and gallantly in Korea, especially in our county of Hwacheon-gun.” Speaking with Feature Editor Kim Hyung-dae of The Korea Post media at his office in the Hwacheon County on July 4, 2020, Mayor Choi expressed hopes for increased cooperation between Korea and Colombia in the fact that the two countries are blood-forged allies exemplified during the Korean War.
Prosecutor General Yoon continues to gain popularity as Korea’s next President despite attacks from ruling camp
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is looming as a strong Presidential candidate for the Presidential election on March 9, 2022. Also receiving the limelight these days is a political/social critic named Chin Jung-kwon.
There seems to be a slight difference between Yoon and Chin as the former appears to be a moderate person who, all the same, would not comprise what he believes is right under any ‘unjustifiable’ pressure. In contrast, Chin means no words when he thinks what he is thinking is right. For this, Chin seems to be more widely exposed to scathing criticisms from the progressively-oriented people in Korea as well as many of the people in the ruling camp.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea Reports 48 New COVID-19 Cases
South Korea reported around 50 new COVID-19 cases as sporadic clusters continued to affect many parts of the country.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC) announced 13-thousand-137 cumulative cases as of 12 a.m. Monday, including 48 cases from the past 24 hours.
It marks a slight decrease from over 60 cases recorded over the three previous days and attributed in part to a fewer number of tests being administered on Sundays.
Ex-Teammates of Late Triathlete Support Abuse Claims
Former teammates of Choi Suk-hyeon, a triathlete who took her own life last month after reportedly being abused by coaching staff and teammates, supported her allegations, claiming they are also victims of abuse.
At a press conference on Monday, the two triathletes, who competed with Choi in a semi-pro club at Gyeongju City Hall before leaving for other teams, said they were assaulted at least ten days a month.
S. Korea Takes Cautious Stance on Airborne COVID-19 Transmission
Authorities in South Korea took a cautious stance regarding recent claims by more than 200 scientists in over 30 countries that COVID-19 may spread via airborne transmission.
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said on Monday that there's a need for further review and evidence before concluding whether the virus is airborne.
According to The New York Times(NYT), 239 scientists in 32 countries recently outlined evidence to the World Health Organization(WHO), showing that the virus in aerosol particles can infect people.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
New virus cases tad down; imported, cluster infections still alarming
South Korea saw its daily new virus cases slightly fall Monday, but a steady rise in both locally transmitted infections and imported cases continued to put a strain on the country's virus fight.
The country added 48 cases, including 24 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,139, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a slight decrease from 61 new cases of COVID-19 reported Sunday, as well as 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.
Hyundai ships hydrogen trucks to Switzerland for 1st time
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker by sales, said Monday it has shipped 10 hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks to Switzerland in the country's first exportation of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles.
Hyundai Motor plans to deliver 40 additional XCIENT Fuel Cell hydrogen trucks to the European country by the end of this year as part of its long-term contract to export a total of 1,600 XCIENTs to the country by 2025, the company said in a statement.
Dialogue with N.K. must continue under any circumstances: unification minister nominee
Dialogue with North Korea must continue under any circumstances, South Korea's unification minister nominee said Monday, two days after Pyongyang rejected the possibility of another summit with the United States.
Lee In-young, a four-term ruling party lawmaker, also vowed to seek a "creative solution" to achieve peace with the North, as he spoke to reporters upon arriving at the ministry's inter-Korean dialogue office for work for the first time since Friday's nomination.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Moon's new diplomatic lineup raises concerns over ROK-US alliance|
There is much interest in what kind of impact President Moon Jae-in's recent decision to fill his diplomatic and national security team with inter-Korean specialists will have on foreign policy.
The big news about Cheong Wa Dae's reshuffle announcement on July 3 was the President's pick of Park Jie-won, one of the main negotiators of the historic 2000 first-ever inter-Korean summit during the 1998-2003 Kim Dae-jung administration, as the chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). He is to succeed Suh Hoon, the outgoing NIS chief, after undergoing a National Assembly hearing.
S. Korea under increasing pressure to re-impose stronger social distancing
South Korea's health authorities are coming under growing pressure to increase the intensity of social distancing in the face of a steady rise in new virus cases in major cities such as Gwangju, but the reimposition of toughened infection preventive measures may be in place for those that report a sustained rise in new infections.
The country last week adopted a three-tier social distancing scheme that adjusts the intensity of virus prevention guidelines depending on the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak.
China's Inner Mongolia warns after suspected bubonic plague case
Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning on Sunday, one day after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague.
The health committee of the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level system. The alert forbids the hunting and eating of animals that could carry plague and asks the public to report any suspected cases of plague or fever with no clear causes, and to report any sick or dead marmots.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Exploring the shadows of Japanese society
“The strength of South Korean society was demonstrated by its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I think that, slowly but surely, Korea is becoming a country that combines a ‘strong society’ with a ‘strong state.’ But we shouldn’t downplay our current challenges. If diverse lifestyles aren’t guaranteed, society won’t be able to function.”
Public health workers overworked and underpaid in struggle to fight COVID-19
Kim Ye-jin (pseudonym) made the decision to leave her job as a physician at a public health center in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when she slept, her energy never seemed to recover. She began crying at odd moments. Her body and mind were both exhausted. Since mid-February, she had not had a single day of rest. Whenever a patient was diagnosed in her area, she would be testing patients from 8 am to 10 pm. She was also on standby at the center on weekends for emergencies, including testing for overseas arrivals.
3rd N. Korea-US summit unlikely before November
After South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke of the need to arrange a third summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the next question is whether such a summit could actually be pulled off. The prevailing view is that a summit is unlikely, but North Korea and the US could conceivably reach an understanding in an upcoming meeting.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
More People Learn Technical Skills in Uncertain Times
More and more Koreans are learning technical skills to fall back on amid increasing uncertainty amid the coronavirus crisis and growing automation.Choi Jung-hwan, who runs a training school for pipe welders, said, "We are seeing an increase in people seeking to learn special skills that are less affected by economic conditions and cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence."
According to the training school, a novice holder of a welding license can make around W2 million a month, while experienced welders can make at least W2.5 million to W3 million a month (US$1=W1,200).
Washington's N.Korea Point Man to Visit Seoul
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrives in Seoul on Tuesday after Pyongyang rejected renewed dialogue with Washington.
Accompanied by several other State Department officials, Biegun will stay for three days during which he is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and his counterpart Lee Do-hoon, as well as new unification minister designate Lee In-young.
Homebound Koreans Buy More Appliances, Furniture
Sales of furniture and home appliances are increasing as Koreans spend more time at home due to the coronavirus epidemic, and high-end products are leading the trend.
Pent-up consumption is leading to increased spending on home appliances, from dishwashers to tablet computers.
At electronics retailer Lotte Hi-Mart, dishwasher sales surged 135 percent on-year from June 1 to 22, while sales of air conditioners soared 85 percent, refrigerators 34 percent and TVs 10 percent. They had plummeted in April but rebounded sharply in May and June.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Money makes anything possible in N. Korean army, DMZ defector says
Roh Cheol-min (20), who defected North Korea in December 2017 while he was serving in the army at the demilitarized zone, has disclosed pervasive corruption in the North Korean army, referring to it as “a lawless area where money makes anything possible” in an interview with The Wall street Journal on Saturday.
The Wall street Journal reported an article on Saturday based on a 15-hour in-depth interview with Roh, which took a year. Some South Korean media outlets introduced him before, but it was the first time that a Western journal interviewed him.
Two-way race to start for ruling party leadership
Rep. Woo Won-shik decided not to run in the ruling Democratic Party’s national convention in August that will elect its new leader. As Reps. Hong Young-pyo and Woo Won-shik have declared withdrawal of their candidacies for the election, the party’s August 29 national convention has been transitioned into a two-way race between Rep. Lee Nak-yeon and former lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum. With Lee poised to declare his candidacy on Tuesday, and Kim on Thursday, the Democratic Party of Korea is fast switching into a national convention mode.
Hyundai Motor sells 10,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
Hyundai Motor, which was the first in the world to mass produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, has sold more than 10,000 units in seven years.
Hyundai Motor said on Sunday that the company has sold 548 of its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle Nexo in Korea and overseas last month, to record a cumulative number of 10,144 units sold based on factory shipment. The automaker has sold 7,740 units in Korea and 2,404 of its hydrogen fuel cell vehicles overseas thus far.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Justice Minister Choo Exercises Right to Intervene in a Criminal Investigation, Perhaps Forcing Prosecutor General Yoon to “Voluntarily” Resign
On July 2, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae exercised the right to intervene in a criminal investigation, instructing Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to stop procedures concerning the alleged collusion between a senior prosecutor and the press. The minister ordered the prosecutor general to stop a review by an expert advisory council--gathered by Yoon--on the probe into the allegation and blocked the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office from supervising the investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office overseeing the case. This is the second time that a justice minister exercised the right to intervene in an investigation of an ongoing case, following an incident in 2005. With the latest action, the justice minister seems to be pressuring Yoon to step down as prosecutor general. Yoon will meet with the heads of district prosecutors’ offices on July 3 to listen to their opinions.
Beaten and Starved, While No One Helped
It has been less than two years since the #MeToo movement spread to sports, where star athletes emerged as perpetrators and victims of violence and sexual assault in skating, a medal-winning sport for South Korea in the Winter Olympics. Since then, the sports circle declared to eradicate violence, verbal abuse, and sexual violence hidden behind a culture that puts top priority on the outcome of the competition. But the declaration rang hollow and the shadows cast on sports remain. The sports circle failed to protect athletes in unpopular sports that lie outside the spotlight, giving the public quite a shock.
“We Hope the Leaders of N.K. and the U.S. Can Meet Before the U.S. Presidential Election” President Moon Makes Another Attempt at Mediation
President Moon Jae-in said, “It is necessary to promote dialogue between North Korea and the United States before the U.S. presidential election (this coming November),” and announced, “South Korea will do its utmost for North Korea and the U.S. to face each other at the table once more.”
At a South Korea-European Union (EU) video summit with Charles Michel, president of the European Council and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission on June 30, President Moon said, “It is my firm determination not to allow the hard-won progress and accomplishments in inter-Korean relations to fall back. With patience, I will work to maintain the momentum for dialogue among the two Koreas and the U.S.” according to a senior Cheongwadae (Cheong Wa Dae) official on July 1.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
SsangYong Motor receives $75 mn loan rollover from state lender
Korea Development Bank (KDB) on Monday agreed to roll over 90 billion won ($75.2 million) of loans due this month from SsangYong Motor Co., a troubled South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., to the end of December.
The cash-strapped sport utility vehicle maker asked the state lender for an extension on the debt payment of 70 billion won due July 6 and 20 billion won due July 19.
Hyundai Motor to discuss alliance with SK, achieving power front with 3 battery majors
South Korea’s automaking conglomerate Hyundai Motor has gained a meaningful lead on power ammunition in future mobility as its head meets with his counterpart from SK Group this week to achieve partnership front with all three battery majors from the country’s top business groups – Samsung, LG and SK.
S. Korea to beef up digital and green New Deal spending to $83.5 bn
South Korea will stretch the budget for its New Deal projects to more than 100 trillion won ($83.5 billion) to accelerate migration to big data, telemedicine and eco-friendly infrastructure over the next five years.
The so-called Korea New Deal was initially earmarked at 76 trillion won but expanded to jumpstart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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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 Herald www.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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