Friday, November 13, 2020

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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Men and women have the same rights, duties, benefits, equality”
Madam Maria Jose Zapata Aliaga de Ossio, spouse of Charge d´Affaires Luis Pablo Ossio Bustillos of Bolibia in Seoul said, “There still exists in the world female gender stereotypes, for which women must fight in order to gain parity, which means that men and women have the same rights, duties, benefits, equality of opportunities in health and education, and the right to be treated with respect in all aspects of ordinary life as well as in their workplace.”
Speaking at a recent interview with The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985, Madam Zapata Aliaga said, “Women no longer want men to see them as only mothers, wives or housewives and, thus, equality is no longer a constitutional or human right, but a crucial right for the development and progress of humanity.”

Biden’s victory offers challenges to non-conservative Korean government now in power
It appears that it is going to be an all-new ball game—in the United States and the Republic of Korea (south). President-elect Joe Biden won a meaningful victory in the latest Presidential elections in the United States—putting an end to the administration in the U.S. led by his predecessor, Mr. Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump has long been considered a very unwelcome person among many people in Korea for a number of things, among which stands out his bombshell demand: South Korea must pay five-six times more than the present level of share of the defense cost to support the U.S. Forces stationed in Korea.

Hanwha Systems unveils air taxi 'Butterfly' model for the first time in Korea
As the representative of the UAM Team Korea industry, Hanwha Systems participated in the “City, open sky” demonstration flight of drone taxi and the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) system on Nov. 11.
The company introduced the "mock-up" model of its PAV fuselage "Butterfly" for the first time in Korea and abroad, and unveiled innovative technologies and UAM businesses that will lead the UAM industry.
“About 40 experts from UAM Team Korea and drone companies will participate in the project to demonstrate UAM technology and secure stability before commercializing air taxis in 2025,” a company spokesman said.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Moon, Biden Agree to Closely Cooperate in Bolstering Alliance
President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President-elect Joe Biden spoke over the phone for the first time since Biden's election win was announced early Sunday. Reaffirming the allies' shared commitments toward strengthening the alliance and North Korea's denuclearization, the two agreed to meet for summit talks soon after Biden's inauguration in January.
President Moon Jae-in began his first phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday by congratulating him on his recent election win, praising the former vice president's decades-long career in politics and outstanding leadership.
According to Moon's spokesperson Kang Min-seok, Moon referred to Biden’s visit earlier in the day to the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia for Veterans Day where he paid tribute, in calling for further development in the alliance.

S. Korea Seeks to Secure Enough COVID-19 Shots for 60% of Population
The South Korean health authorities say they will exert all-out efforts to secure sufficient doses of coronavirus vaccine to inoculate 60 percent of the nation's entire population within this year.
During a daily COVID-19 briefing Thursday, Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters, revealed the plan, under which the government will make advanced payments to phamaceutical companies developing the shots to ensure delivery when the vaccines are finally ready.
"We will secure and purchase as much of the vaccine as we can, even if we have to give up our advanced payment. I say to you that our efforts are going smoothly and well with the goal of securing enough supply for 60 percent of the total population."

Masks Mandatory in Public as of Friday
Starting from Friday, everyone must wear a mask in public. Health authorities announced the end to the grace period for revisions to the infectious disease prevention law on Thursday as well as the new guidelines. Anyone who is found not wearing a protective mask on public transportation or at locations frequented by many people will be fined up to 100-thousand won.
The one-month grace period for mandatory mask-wearing in public will end at midnight Thursday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said that anyone not wearing a mask at 23 multi-use facilities as well as other crowded places can be fined up to 100-thousand won.
This means that under Level One social distancing, wearing masks will be compulsory on public transportation, at street rallies, medical and nursing facilities and at religious institutes, as well as sites that fall under high-risk for infection, including call centers and logistics centers.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Moon, Biden agree to cooperate closely on N. Korean nuke issue in phone call
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his incoming U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed to work closely together to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, as they had a 14-minute phone conversation Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Biden described South Korea as a "linchpin" of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Moon's spokesman Kang Min-seok.
Moon asked Biden to "communicate closely" for the forward-looking development of the Seoul-Washington alliance, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of lasting peace here.

New virus cases over 100 for 5th day; enhanced virus curbs in the offing
South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by triple digits for a fifth day Thursday, as sporadic cluster infections from private gatherings and facilities piled up across the nation, raising the possibility that the country may enhance social distancing measures.
The country added 143 more COVID-19 cases, including 128 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,942, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The daily caseload marked a slight decrease from 146 added Wednesday but a rise from 100 posted Tuesday.

Authorities step in to improve labor conditions of parcel delivery workers
The government said Thursday it will consult with logistics companies to improve the labor conditions of parcel delivery workers and crack down on unfair practices, in response to public outcry over a recent series of deaths blamed on overwork.
The ministries of labor and transport jointly announced a series of measures for deliverymen who often work long hours without enough breaks to handle an increased workload amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"(The government) will recommend logistics companies set the maximum hours of daily work for delivery workers in accordance with their workload," Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap said in a briefing.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Moon dials up diplomatic push for Southeast Asia
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday announced the “New Southern Policy Plus” initiative to enhance the country’s regional diplomacy at the Korea-ASEAN Summit, held via satellite link.
Moon stressed the need for international cooperation in face of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the newly unveiled strategy reflects the changing needs of Korea and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, in light of the virus crisis.
“I think that it is very fortunate that the Korea-ASEAN Summit is held at a time when closer solidarity and cooperation is needed,” Moon said.

Moon, Biden reaffirm commitment to alliance, cooperation on global issues
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday spoke with US President-elect Joe Biden via phone, reaffirming their commitment to the alliance and to cooperating on global issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change.
“I think that the election result is a reflection of US citizens’ high expectations for President-elect Biden’s long experience in state affairs, outstanding leadership and clear vision,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Min-seok.
Kang said that Moon thanked Biden for the interest and respect he has shown for the Korea-US alliance, citing the US president-elect paying respects at the Korean War memorial in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Foreign correspondents rank KDCA highest in satisfaction survey
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency scored the highest satisfaction among foreign correspondents based in South Korea in a survey conducted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club.
The SFCC, which has a registered membership of 286 correspondents from around 100 international media organizations, conducted the “Satisfaction survey on newsgathering conditions of government agencies” with the aim to address difficulties foreign journalists face in covering key government agencies and to improve newsgathering conditions. It was the first such survey since SFCC was founded in 1956.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Samsung's financial affiliates declare end to coal investments
Samsung's financial affiliates have declared an end to new coal-related investments amid growing criticism from environmental groups.
In a joint statement released Thursday, the affiliates said that they would phase out coal-related investments. This is the first time for a collective statement to be issued by the chaebol's financial units indicating an end to their investments in coal-related projects
Samsung has two insurance units ― Samsung Life and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance ― which had been singled out by environmental groups as having invested the largest amount in local coal-fired power plants. Other financial affiliates are Samsung's brokerage, asset management unit and card firm.

Korea advised to take 'measured' approach to Biden
The government's attempt to reach out to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and his aides needs to be made carefully, according to diplomatic experts, Thursday, even though such a gesture is not at all improper.
Since the former vice president was projected to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House late last week, the administration and politicians have hurried to meet or communicate with those linked to his camp.
In line with the move, President Moon Jae-in had a phone conversation with Biden, Thursday; and during the 14-minute talks they agreed to work closely together to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue.

North Korean informants risk lives to provide 'real' news
Reporting on North Korea has been one of the most difficult tasks for journalists. Sources are hard to come by as the secretive state controls information and people living under government surveillance. Anyone caught sharing information with outsiders may face execution. But, ironically, these factors make the country worth reporting because too little is known about it.
Many reporters fail to report real news about North Korea and some just spread clickbait rumors as sources cannot be tracked anyway.
But this is not the case for Jiro Ishimaru, a 58-year-old freelance journalist from Japan who leads the independent news outlet ASIAPRESS's Osaka bureau and is team leader of its North Korea coverage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
The fate of the Korean Peninsula should be decided by Koreans
The US is likely to get a new president. With the world’s superpower under new leadership, what changes are in store for the Korean Peninsula? There’s no telling — not even Joe Biden himself knows for sure.
On Oct. 29, Yonhap News ran a column in which Biden appealed for the support of two million Korean-Americans. His column only contained a single sentence about Korean Peninsula policy: “I’ll engage in principled diplomacy and keep pressing toward a denuclearized North Korea and a unified Korean Peninsula.”
The column didn’t say anything about what Biden means to do, or how he intends to do it. That’s hardly a surprise. This is when he has to start hashing out the details with his foreign policy and national security advisors. The Korean Peninsula isn’t one of Biden’s top priorities.

Middle powers need to formulate multilateral world order without relying exclusively on US, China
In the wake of Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s unofficial victory in the US presidential election, the international community is focusing intently on what a Biden presidency will mean for the global foreign affairs and national security order ravaged by the “America first” approach of the Donald Trump administration. Will the US-China relationship and multilateral system that have been central parts of the international order be able to overcome the trauma and regroup?
On Nov. 11, the Hankyoreh Foundation for Reunification and Culture (HFRC) and the city of Busan jointly hosted the Hankyoreh-Busan International Symposium at Nurimaru APEC House in Busan on Nov. 11. At the symposium HFRC Chairman Moon Chung-il and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd shared a discussion via teleconference on the topic of the post-pandemic international landscape and diplomatic challenges facing medium-sized powers.

There’s no magical solution for returning US-China relations to what they were before Trump
The two-day 16th Hankyoreh-Busan International Symposium kicked off on Nov. 11 at the Nurimaru APEC House in Busan, organized by the Hankyoreh Foundation for Unification and Culture and the city of Busan on the topics of the COVID-19 pandemic and major changes in the world order.
Since the symposium was held shortly after the US presidential election, which seems to have resulted in a victory for Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden. Participants focused not only on how the world order would be altered by the COVID-19 pandemic but also on what strategies and policies the Biden administration would adopt toward China and North Korea.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
China Tightens Quarantine for Korean Travelers
Korea on Tuesday refused to respond in kind after China tightened quarantine requirements for Korean travelers.
Beijing now requires Koreans to submit two negative coronavirus tests conducted within 48 hours before boarding if they want to visit, but the Korean government said it will not demand the same of Chinese travelers.
According to Chinese Embassy in Seoul, all passengers on direct flights to China must take two coronavirus tests at an interval of at least three hours from Wednesday. They must undergo them at two different designated hospitals and pay for them with their own money.

Moon Talks with Biden on the Phone
President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President-elect Joe Biden talked over the phone on Thursday morning, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said. It was their first contact since Biden delivered his formal victory speech on Sunday.
"We reaffirmed our firm commitment to a robust [Korea-U.S.] alliance and peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula," Moon tweeted shortly after the phone call. "I will work closely with [Biden] to meet global challenges including COVID-19 and climate change."
Biden spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga half an hour earlier.

KDI Slashes Next Year's Growth Forecast
The Korea Development Institute on Wednesday slashed next year's economic growth forecast for Korea to 3.1 percent, down 0.4 percentage point from its previous projection in September.
"Recently, COVID-19 infections have resurged in the U.S. and Europe, leading to the scenario of a more prolonged coronavirus epidemic," the KDI said. "A vaccine is expected in the first half of next year, but a further delay could mean another reduction in next year's growth forecast."
The institute expects the number of employed people to increase by only 100,000 next year, 50,000 fewer than the previous projection, as the service sector continues to reel from the epidemic.

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Biden praises S. Korea’s response to COVID-19
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden praised South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and called for strengthened bilateral cooperation against the virus during his phone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday.
Biden paid his respect to President Moon, hailing South Korea’s excellent response to COVID-19 unlike the U.S. that reported their first cases of COVID-19 on the same day as South Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Biden said that the U.S. has a long way to go in catching up with South Korea, adding vaccines are fortunately on the way and he will begin his efforts to curb COVID-19 now before the new administration comes in.
During his conversation with the leaders of Australia and Japan via phone on the same day, Biden mentioned the need for mutual cooperation on COVID-19. In a press release, Biden’s transition team said they praise President Moon’s strong leadership on COVID-19, noting his commitment to cooperate on addressing the pandemic.

Sweden to impose partial lockdown
Sweden will impose partial lockdown in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. It is thought that Sweden, which had sought “herd immunity” that relies on voluntary social distancing amid concerns of the violation of privacy and economic slowdown, is moving away from voluntary measures in order to avoid a second wave.
According to The Associated Press, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said sales of alcohol after 10 p.m. would be banned for three months starting from November 20 through to February 2021. “All the indicators are pointing in the wrong direction,” he said. “We risk ending up in the situation we had last spring.” The new measures mean all businesses with a license to serve alcohol must close by 10:30 p.m. and care home residents will not be allowed to receive visits.

Biden: U.S.-Japan defence treaty applies to Senkaku Islands
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had the first phone conversation at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. In this 15-minute conversation, they pushed back against China citing the U.S.-Japan security treaty and relations between South Korea and Japan were not mentioned.
Speaking at a press conference after the phone conversation, Suga said he mentioned that the U.S.-Japan alliance is indispensable to regional and international peace and prosperity and it needs to be strengthened, adding that Biden gave him a commitment that Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands. Suga’s referring to Biden as “president-elect” suggests that he wants to build trust with Biden even though U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to concede.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Kang Kyung-wha Met with Biden’s Allies and Stressed “Summit-Level” Attention on N.K.-U.S. Talks
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, currently in the U.S., met with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s allies in Washington on November 10 (local time) and emphasized “summit-level” interest and priority to resume dialogue between North Korea and the United States.
This day, Minister Kang met with correspondents at the South Korean embassy in Washington D.C. and shared the details of the meetings. She appealed for President-elect Biden’s interest in bilateral talks with North Korea after taking into consideration the dialogue between the two countries under the Donald Trump administration. She also discussed the stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula when she met with officials overseeing foreign affairs in the Trump administration, including White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.

A Drone Taxi Flies Over Seoul Carrying 80kg of Rice Instead of Passengers
“Cleared for take off!”
With the controller’s signal, the sixteen propellers on the drone taxi standing by began to spin simultaneously. As soon as we heard the sound of the motors spinning at high speed, the taxi rose straight up. It sent winds up to 10 meters back, but it was a much quieter and smoother take off than expected.
The drone taxi climbed to an altitude of 50 meters and traveled a distance of 1.8 km, circling the Yeouido Hangang Citizens’ Park, Seogang Bridge, and Bamseom Island twice before returning to the point of take off and landing softly. When the door was opened, there was no one inside. Instead, there was only 80kg of rice in four 20kg bags. The drone flew over the center of Seoul unmanned carrying the weight of a full-grown person. Inside the drone, in the place of a control panel, there was only one touch screen to set the destination.

Five Years Since the Death of the Farmer, Baek Nam-gi: Water Cannon Guidelines Still Not Established
Five years have passed since the farmer Baek Nam-gi (Nam-ki) died after being hit by a police water cannon, but the debate on the water cannon is still ongoing in South Korean society. The police are still revising internal guidelines restricting the use of water cannons. At demonstration sites, civilian organizations, such as service contractors and universities, used water hoses to shoot water at demonstrators, a modification of the water cannon. In pro-democracy demonstrations overseas, government law enforcement agencies were criticized for using South Korean water cannons.
According to the coverage by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on November 10, the National Police Agency was in the process of revising “Guidelines on the Use of Water Cannon Trucks,” a set of internal guidelines stating the criteria for the use of water cannons. The police began revising relevant guidelines after they stirred controversy for aiming the water cannon at Baek on November 14, 2015. However, they have yet to reach a conclusion. A police official said, “We plan to complete revising the guidelines as early as the end of this year or by early next year at the latest.”

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Kakao Bank gears up IPO process by recruiting underwriting team
South Korea’s online-only lender Kakao Bank is readying initial public offering planned for next year, while the stock frenzy and demand for entrants is still red-hot.
According to sources from the investment banking industry on Wednesday, Kakao Bank sent out letters of request to multiple domestic and foreign-based brokerages including Mirae Asset Daewoo, Samsung Securities, KB Securities, NH Investment & Securities, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citi Global Market Securities, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and UBS. Korea Investment Securities was left out because its parent Korea Investment Holdings and affiliate Korea Investment Value Asset Management are shareholders of the digital lender with a respective holding of 4.9 percent and 28.6 percent.

Korea’s first chicken stock Kyochon F&B flies on its debut day
Chicken-loving Koreans warmly welcomed the first chicken stock to the main bourse as shares of top chicken franchise operator Kyochon F&B Co. hit their daily ceiling on debut day on Thursday as the relatively cheap entrant sat well with mom-and-pop investors.
Shares of Kyochon F&B closed 29.98 percent higher, or daily permissible limit, at 31,000 won after a rollercoaster ride from a low of 20,350 won.
Kyochon F&B had been a retail sensation with a record competition ratio of 1,318 against one. It drew 9.4 trillion won deposits for 5.8 million shares. A total 4.64 million shares were available for trade immediately after debut, 18.6 percent of total issued shares of 24,982,540.

Market cap of Kospi and Kosdaq hit new record with key indices at 2-year highs
South Korean stock markets reached their biggest this week, with record-breaking market capitalization as foreigners returned in full force to extend the hot streak led by retailers and push the indices to their two-year best.
According to the country’s sole stock exchange operator Korea Exchange (KRX), market cap of the Kospi and Kosdaq on Wednesday reached their respective high of 1,704 trillion won ($1.5 trillion) and 328 trillion won. Kospi previous best was 1,689 trillion won in January 2018. The record was more or less sustained Thursday with Kospi closing at capitalization of 1,698 trillion won and Kosdaq at 328.5 trillion won.
The benchmark Kospi finished Thursday a tad lower at 2,475.62 from Wednesday closing of 2,485.87 after renewing annual best closing throughout the week. Wednesday’s was the highest since 2,487.25 on May 3, 2018. Kosdaq ended at 0.02 up at 840.08.

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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.comservice@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 Herald www.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports www.colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet www.bogotafreeplanet.com,bfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal www.eluniversal.com.mx/english 
Andes www.redaktionstest.net/andes-info-ec/
Ecuador Times www.ecuadortimes.net/ 
The Jordan Times www.jordantimes.com/
LSM.lv www.lsm.lv/
The Baltic Times www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais https://english.elpais.com/
Philippine Daily Inquirer www.inquirer.net/
Daily News Hungary https://dailynewshungary.com/
Budapest Times www.budapesttimes.hu/
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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.
Azerbaijan:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM
Sri Lanka: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s
Morocco: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE
And many other countries.
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