Friday July 17, 2020
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Scourges persist continuously threatening the integrity of our societies using terrorist means”
Ambassador Drumus Ersin Ercin of the Republic of Turkey in Seoul said, “COVID-19 pandemic did not just paralyze many aspects of our daily lives, restricted our movement and halted our economies, but it also overshadowed some of the persisting scourges that continue to threaten the integrity of our societies.” Speaking at a meeting with reporters at the Embassy of Turkey in Seoul on July 15, 2020, Ambassador Ersin Ercin then disclosed, “Insidious groups that use terror as their method of choice to pursue their goals, have also seized this opportunity to regroup and restock.” Excerpts from his speech follow:
National Assembly to host a celebration meeting to mark 72nd Constitution Day
The National Assembly will hold a celebration to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Constitution Day of the Republic of Korea on July 17 at the rotunda hall in the Main Building. This was recently announced by the National Assembly.
The event is expected to be attended by former National Assembly Speakers, and the four highest-ranking officials of the country—the President, National Assembly Speaker, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and President of the Constitutional Court.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Pompeo Says He Hopes to See Another US-N. Korea Summit
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday downplayed the possibility of another U.S.-North Korea summit before the U.S. presidential election, but kept the door open.
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said that the U.S. is not going to have a summit with North Korea "unless there is something they can accomplish."
He said that if the U.S. gets to a place where the two sides could get a good outcome, a significant step along the way towards the world's objective of denuclearizing North Korea, the U.S. would find a way to bring the leaders together.
Moon Promotes 'Korean New Deal' Initiative in Address to 21st Assembly
President Moon Jae-in addressed the 21st National Assembly on its official opening day, after a month of partisan wrangling over the makeup of the Assembly's standing committee chairs. Moon used the opportunity to promote his "Korean New Deal" initiative and to seek parliamentary cooperation.
Top Court Remands 3 Mln Won Fine against Gyeonggi Gov. on Election Violation
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung will keep his governorship as the Supreme Court remanded a lower court ruling that found Lee guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act during his campaign.
The top court on Thursday rejected and remanded a three million won fine against Lee on charges of violating the act, saying it's difficult to penalize Lee for his remarks made in 2018.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
New virus infections spike again to above 60 on surge in imported cases
South Korea's new virus cases bounced back to surpass 60 again on Thursday as imported cases continued to rise amid a slowdown in local infections.
The country added 61 cases, including 47 imported cases, raising the total caseload to 13,612, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a sharp rise from 39 new cases reported Wednesday and 33 new cases Tuesday.
It is also the second time this week that the daily rise of virus cases went above 60 following 62 new infections reported on Monday.
U.S. Embassy to resume nonimmigrant visa services for student, exchange program participants
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said Thursday it will resume nonimmigrant visa services for students and exchange program participants, partially rolling back the suspension of all visa operations put in place over coronavirus fears.
The new measure will take effect Monday, the embassy said.
"The United States Embassy in Seoul will resume certain nonimmigrant visa services for F, M and J nonimmigrant visa applicants. While the Embassy will process applications as soon as practicable, applicants may experience increased wait times due to substantial backlogs," it said in a press release.
Seoul mayor's ex-secretary makes new sexual harassment allegations
A former secretary of Park Won-soon on Thursday raised further sexual harassment allegations against the late Seoul mayor, such as his refusal of her request to be transferred to another department, according to civic groups representing the woman.
In a statement, officials at the Korea Women's Hot Line and Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center said Park, the city's three-term mayor, had refused to approve the woman's repeated demands to be transferred to a different post.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
'To avoid mass infection, enclosed churches must breathe'
The sweep of the global COVID-19 pandemic in Korea has brought thousands of local church communities to their knees.
The toll has been unprecedented. The central government, seeing rising infections in religious circles, first forced churches to shut down for months to control the disease's spread. Only online services were available. Then, in-person services were allowed under strict conditions, including attendees wear masks and are seated safely apart.
But on July 10, as infections spiked, the government banned religious groups from all gatherings other than regular services. The move sparked objections from more than 200,000 people to the presidential office's online petition site. They condemned the action as "discrimination against churches."
Recovering old music that laid groundwork for K-pop
The division of labor among professionals unrivaled in their respective fields is considered one of the factors that has led to K-pop's global success.
Entertainment companies focus on seeking out and training aspiring young singers while composers create songs for them and recording companies handle production.
But several decades ago, there existed no such specialized workforces in the domestic music industry. All work was streamlined under one single record label, and it was the good old days for them as their clout was enormous.
BOK hints at further cut in growth outlook
The Bank of Korea (BOK) left its key interest rate unchanged Thursday, although its governor said revisions to GDP will be "unavoidable" as the global spread of COVID-19 is accelerating.
"The BOK lowered the country's economic growth in the second quarter of this year because of worsening exports. The BOK earlier thought the global spread of COVID-19 would have been tamed, although we aren't ruling out the possibility the speed of the virus spreading was heading toward the worst," BOK Governor Lee Ju-yeol told reporters in a news conference after the rate decision.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Workplace bullying at S. Korean offices remains largely unchanged, despite recent legislation
Many workers don’t report abuse out of fear of being punished or ostracized
Various scenarios of workplace bullying
#1. “I work at a public welfare office with less than five employees. During each staff meeting, the head of the office threatens employees who tell outsiders about the office’s work, claiming he will ‘fire them.’ If other employees try to stop him from verbally lashing out, he swears and browbeats them. Going to work is like going to hell. I’ve heard that even the Ministry of Employment and Labor can’t help anyone suffering from workplace bullying at offices with less than five employees. What should I do?”
Green New Deal plan a step back from Democratic Party’s original draft
The comprehensive plan for the Moon Jae-in administration’s “Green New Deal” released on July 14 has been confirmed as a step back from the Democratic Party’s original draft. While the government has spoken of bringing about a “massive economic and social transition,” the plan does not go beyond short-term support for individual projects, leading to criticism that the government “lacks awareness about the climate change crisis” and views the Green New Deal as nothing more than an economic policy.
Korean-American scientist, Korean biomedical venture develop inhibitor of vitamin C oxidation
A Korean-American scientist and Korean biomedical venture Nexmos have received a US patent for a vitamin C oxidation inhibitor. Kim Yoon-seong, professor at Rutgers University, in coordination with Nexmos, has developed a DNA aptamer that inhibits the oxidation of vitamin C, earning them a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Vitamin C, although it possesses the ability to get rid of free radicals that are associated with cell degeneration, cancer, and diabetes, is susceptible to oxidation when exposed to air, light, or water. The development of an oxidation inhibitor prevents this process that could increase vitamin C’s benefits. (provided by Nexmos)
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Office Bullying Law Proves Toothless 1 Year on
A law intended to stop endemic bullying in Korean offices has proved largely ineffectual one year on. Critics say the criteria remain ambiguous and enforcement is toothless.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Society of Labor Law held a panel discussion on Wednesday to mark the law's first anniversary. Prof. Lee Sang-hee at Korea Polytechnic University said that in a survey of 1,000 office workers, 72 percent said there has been no visible change in office bullying over the past year, while only 20 percent said incidents declined and eight percent said they increased.
Seoul City to Launch Inquiry into Charges Against Late Mayor
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday pledged to launch an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against Mayor Park Won-soon, who committed suicide last week.
The city government said a committee of civilians and public officials will look into the allegations brought by Park's former secretary.
Opposition lawmakers are calling for prosecutors to investigate, but normally investigations are dropped once the suspect dies. Police have already announced that there is no need to seek an indictment against the mayor since he is dead.
Arrivals from 6 Countries Subject to Tougher Quarantine
The government has singled out six countries as at high risk of coronavirus and will subject arrivals from there to tougher quarantine. The plans were announced Wednesday by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.
Four countries -- Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan -- were already on the list, but the government was squeamish about saying what the new additions are. A health spokesman cited "diplomatic reasons."
From July 20, travelers from the two newly added countries must present negative coronavirus test certificates no older than 48 hours when they check in or when they enter Korea. They will be tested again on arrival here.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
U.S. indirectly supports leaflets sent to N. Korea
“In cooperation with the international community, we will raise the awareness about human rights in North Korea, improve its people’s access to information, and promote respect for human rights in the country,” a U.S. State Department official said.
According to Voice of America (VOA) on Thursday, a member of the state department spokesman's office expressed the above stance to VOA’s request for comment on the criticism that leaflets sent to North Korea are not helpful for its people’s right to know.
‘Let’s lead innovation at the forefront,’ Lee Jae-yong says
Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong ordered a proactive response from the company’s executive and staff members to lead the future market after visiting the Busan site of Samsung Electro-Mechanics and examining the electric part production factory on Thursday. “The pace of changes is accelerating. We should not settle for the status quo nor fear changes,” emphasized Lee.
Kimchi protects against COVID-19, a study says
Recent study has pointed to kimchi for low COVID-19 fatality rates of South Korea. According to the British newspaper The Sun, Dr. Jean Bousquet, honorary professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Montpellier University, France, and his team studied a link between low fatalities and national dietary differences and found that countries where fermented cabbage forms a key part of their diet have had lower fatalities.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
A Rough Green New Deal Missing Specific Carbon Reduction Goals
“Can there be a Green New Deal without a target for reducing carbon emissions?”
The Green New Deal policy released by the government on July 14 is under fire from environmental specialists. The Green New Deal aimed to respond to the climate crisis by breaking away from a carbon-centered industrial structure and to create environmentally friendly “green” jobs. It also stressed a just social transition for industries and workers who might suffer a blow in the process. In other words, the policy aimed to restructure the entire social system. But the latest policy failed to clearly present a goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which can be seen as central to the new policy, and it also included completely irrelevant policies under the name of the Green New Deal.
Mayor Park’s Chief Secretary, “Last Phone Call Was at 1:39 p.m.”
On July 15, the police summoned Koh Han-seok, former chief secretary to the mayor of Seoul as a witness to investigate the whereabouts of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon before his death. The city of Seoul announced plans for an investigation on the sexual assault allegations against Park.
The Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul questioned Koh from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this day. The police said they asked about the former mayor’s whereabouts shortly before his death as well as the details of his death.
On his way out after the questioning, a reporter asked Koh, “When did you last speak with Mayor Park on the phone?” he answered, “I remember it to be 1:39 p.m.” This was probably on the afternoon of July 9, when Park left his official residence in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu and headed to Bukaksan Mountain.
Before the Sexual Assault Report Was Filed, Park Won-soon Knew
When the sexual assault report was filed on July 8, Park Won-soon, the former mayor of Seoul was aware of the fact and reportedly held a meeting to discuss a response with senior Seoul officials. This is contrary to the explanation by the city of Seoul, which claimed that they found out about the report through press coverage on July 9, when the mayor was missing.
On July 14, a ruling party official familiar with the affairs of the Seoul metropolitan government told Kyunghyang Shinmun, “From what I know, the city of Seoul was aware of the report before the police informed Cheongwadae on the case.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korean GDP decline to be deeper than -0.2%, BOK likely pause rate cut
The Bank of Korea on Thursday projected an economic contraction this year could be deeper than the previously expected 0.2 percent, but the bank would have to employ non-rate means to support the economy since the key rate already in the zero range has been inflating asset prices.
The Bank of Korea in the monetary policy meeting on Thursday kept the benchmark rate steady at 0.5 percent after the last cut of a quarter percentage point in May that brought the base rate to a fresh historic low in the face of recession dangers from virus fallouts.
Prosecutors indict former Kolon Group Chairman Lee without arrest over Invossa suspicions
Lee Woong-yeol, former chairman of Kolon Group, will face court trial over suspicions surrounding the development of a controversial gene therapy drug for osteoarthritis.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday indicted Lee without detention on charges of violating pharmaceutical affairs law, fraud, breach of duty, breach of trust under the specific economic crimes-weighed punishment law, fraudulent fraud and price manipulation under capital markets law, obstructing business, and violating real-name financial transaction law.
Renewable energy, clean vehicles to drive green New Deal: Korea trade min
South Korea will spend 11.3 trillion won ($9.37 billion) to triple renewable power generation and another 20.3 trillion won to put 1.3 million electric-powered vehicles on the road by 2025, the country`s trade minister said as he outlined the keystones to the country’s ambitious New Deal initiative.
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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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