Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )
“Deficit of trust, mutual understanding creates challenges to stability, security”
On September 16, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a Meeting of the SCO Heads of State in an expanded format.
The event was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
Suncheon City has many tourist attractions for international visitors
The Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do province has many tourist attractions interesting to the ambassadors and other international visitors. The city also hosts various interesting historical and cultural events in the autumn season and this year, too, expectations are high that there would be many celebrations befitting the wonderful seasons, neither too warm nor chilly. Wikipedia has an adequate measure of introductory information about the Suncheon city. Here are excerpts from the details in the world encyclopedia:
‘Along security issues, priority was given to enhancing trade, economic, humanitarian cooperation’
Distinguished Heads of delegations! Dear summit participants! Ladies and gentlemen! I cordially welcome you to the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I am glad to have the opportunity to personally receive in ancient and hospitable Samarkand the leaders of the SCO member-states, the observer countries, our honored guests and the representatives of international organizations. This majestic city, located in the heart of the Great Silk Road, has served for millennia as the center of inter-civilizational dialogue, mutual cultural and spiritual enrichment, trade and scientific exchange.
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
2,000 N.Korean Defectors 'Held in China'
Some 2,000 North Korean defectors are held at detention centers in China, according to Elizabeth Salmón, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea. Salmón was speaking in a Zoom meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for the North Korean Refugees and Human Rights in Washington last Thursday. "I received information that as many as 2,000 North Korean escapees are currently detained in China," she told lawmakers. "Some other escapees are held at the North Korean consulates in other countries facing the risk of repatriation," she added. They face harsh punishment including torture if they are repatriated, she warned.
N.Korea's Uranium Facility Still Operating, Nuke Watchdog Warns
North Korea is still operating a uranium enrichment facility at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in North Pyongan Province, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has warned. Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the IAEA, was speaking at a meeting of its Board of Governors on Monday. Gossi said there are also signs of activity at the Kangson enrichment site and constant preparations for a nuclear test at tunnels Nos. 3 and 4 at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. All the evidence points to North Korea planning a fresh nuclear test, perhaps to develop tactical nuclear weapons.
Yoon Vows to Thwart N. Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
President Yoon Suk-yeol told the New York Times on Sunday that his predecessor Moon Jae-in was like a "student obsessed with only one friend in his classroom: North Korea." The U.S. daily quoted Yoon as describing Moon's rapprochement efforts and inter-Korean summits as a "political show." Instead, Yoon vowed to seek the answer "in strengthening the extended deterrence based on a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance." That includes "a package of all possible means and methods," such as use of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )
Yoon talks to royals, Japanese emperor, ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral
President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London Monday to offer condolences on behalf of the Korean people. He was one of many foreign leaders who flew in from across the globe to take part in the funeral service to see off Britain's longest serving monarch, who died earlier this month at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years. On Sunday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee attended a reception for foreign dignitaries at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III and expressed their condolences over the death of the queen.
Number of teachers dwindles along with demographics
Korea is cutting its ranks of teachers as its population starts to shrink. The Ministry of Education said Monday that it has set the number of teachers at public schools for the 2023 school year at 344,906, down by 2,982 or 0.8 percent from this year. The number of teachers will be finalized in late February next year after deliberation by the National Assembly. Such number includes teachers and other positions such as school nurses, nutritionists, librarians and counselors at public kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools. This is the first time the number has decreased.
Level 3 autonomous cars on the roads in a year under new plan
Level 3 autonomous vehicles will be plying the streets of Korea in a year, and Level 4 within five years, according to a plan issued by issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday. Drone taxis will be flying by 2025. Also mentioned in the document are robotic deliveries, hyperloop logistics services and on-demand transportation services. If Korea approves Level 3 autonomous vehicles, in which cars can steer and accelerate on their own but with a driver monitoring, it would be a third country to do so. Japan approved Level 3 autonomous driving in July 2021 and Germany in December 2021.
The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
The biggest-ever police operation put in place for Queen’s funeral
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was held on Monday, involving the biggest security operation and protocol team the country has ever seen. Calling the Queen’s funeral “Operation London Bridge,” the U.K. government braced itself for the ceremony with the biggest-ever police force in its history to prevent any possible terrorist threats or crimes. The operation was established in 1960 and went under review in April this year, according to The Times. At the funeral, where around one million people gathered, the number of police officers on duty surpassed that of the London 2012 Olympics.
Ruling party elects Joo Ho-young as the new floor leader
Five-term legislator Joo Ho-young was elected as the new floor leader of the People Power Party on Monday. With this decision, the floor leader returned to the party’s leaders 24 days after the court granted an injunction for suspension regarding the system of Joo as the leader of the emergency committee. Joo beat two-time legislator Lee Yong-ho and became the new floor leader by winning 61 votes from 106 legislators who voted at a general meeting of the party, which was held on Monday morning at the National Assembly. Lee won 42 votes.
S. Korea, U.S. to respond with nuclear attacks against N. Korea’s WMD use
The U.S. has decided to respond with nuclear weapons if North Korea uses not only nuclear weapons but also comparable weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).“The United States and the ROK made clear that any DPRK nuclear attack would be met with an overwhelming and decisive response,” South Korea and the U.S. announced in a joint statement adopted at a meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultative Group (EDSCG) on Friday (local time), which was attended by vice ministers of foreign affairs and defense.
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korea to go Level 3 this year and become fully automated in sky and ground by 2035
South Korea envisions becoming the third country after Japan and Germany to have Level 3 autonomous vehicles on roads this year and having completely self-driving buses and cabs by 2025 and passenger cars by 2027. Under the Mobility Innovation Roadmap unveiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday, half of new cars would be fully automated by 2035 and “seamless” travel within the city and country via unmanned vehicles in the sky and on grounds will become possible.
Korean PEF Centroid owns U.S. upscale golf course operator with Clearlake Capital
Korean private equity firm Centroid Investment Partners (Centroid) has become co-owner of Concert Golf Partners, a boutique operator of 25 renowned private golf and country clubs in the United States, with global investment firm Clearlake Capital (Clearlake). Centroid and Clearlake acquired Concert Golf Partners for about 500 billion won ($361 million) from global investment house Blackstone, according to industry sources on Sunday.
KSOE adds $380 million worth orders for 8 ships to keep up order book above target
Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), holding entity overseeing shipyards of South Korea’s conglomerate HD Hyundai, has added 525 billion won ($377 million) contracts for 8 ships to its swelling order book for the year.
According to KSOE on Monday, it signed a contract with two unnamed African shippers to build four 1,400 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) LNG-powered container vessels and four 50,000-ton petrochemical product carriers to be delivered in stages starting in the first half and the second half of 2025, respectively.
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Yoon says deterring N. Korea – not China – is aim of bolstered security ties with US, Japan
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized his predecessor Moon Jae-in’s administration for being “too ambiguous” in its stances on the US and China, while declaring his own plans for pursuing “predictability” and taking a “more clear position with respect to US-China relations.” In an interview with the New York Times published on Sunday, Yoon said it was inevitable for Seoul to expand its security cooperation with the US and Japan in response to the growing nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
Moon calls for inter-Korean pledges to be honored, dialogue to be continued
Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed that there can be “no peace without dialogue” in remarks shared Sunday for the fourth anniversary of South and North Korea’s Pyongyang Joint Declaration and Sept. 19 military agreement in 2018. “The only way for us to take even a step forward is when we become the leaders creating and unwaveringly pursuing peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he declared. In his first official message since leaving office earlier this year, Moon reiterated the importance of Seoul and Pyongyang assuming leadership in creating peace on the peninsula at a time when his successor Yoon Suk-yeol has come out with an “audacious initiative” emphasizing international coordination on the North Korean nuclear issue.
US supercarrier set to arrive in Busan for show of nuclear deterrence
The US nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is scheduled to arrive in Busan later this week. The operation appears intended to show off the alliance in the wake of an agreement at a high-level South Korea-US Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) meeting on Friday to boost the deployment and exercise of US strategic assets. After arriving in Busan this week, the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group plans to engage in joint exercises with South Korea in the East Sea toward the end of September.
The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Presidential Office to Spend 87.8 Billion Won to Build a New State Guest House in Yongsan
On September 15, it was confirmed that the Office of the President was planning to spend over 80 billion won of the nation’s budget to build a new state guest house to receive important state visitors and host events. According to the National Property Management Fund Budget for 2022, which Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Han Byung-do received from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the government estimated 87,863,000,000 won in operating expenses for the construction of main and attached facilities of the Office of the President to receive foreign guests and host various events.
Lee Jun-seok, “When the President Goes Overseas, the Ethics Committee Will Attempt to Expel Me”
On September 15, former leader of the People Power Party (PPP), Lee Jun-seok said, “If you examine those people (PPP) for a few months, they always do something when the president leaves the country or goes somewhere.” He suggested the possibility of additional disciplinary action against himself when President Yoon Suk-yeol leaves for a 7-day overseas trip on September 18. This day, Lee appeared on CBS radio and spoke on the People Power Party’s response to his request for an injunction and said, “I think they are resorting to a ‘dismissal tactic’ rather than debating the details.”
The Tragic End of Another Neglected Stalking Case
A metro station employee in her twenties was fatally stabbed in the station bathroom. Her assailant was a colleague at work, who was being tried, but not detained, for stalking. He committed the crime a day before the court ruling. The incident triggered criticism that it ended tragically because of multiple problems, such as the poor response from investigative agencies and the judiciary concerning the stalking victim and the lack of safety measures inside the workplace.
KBS(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)
Yoon Attends Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Signs Book of Condolences
President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the state funeral of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II on Monday in London. According to the presidential office, Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the funeral at 11 a.m. at Westminster Abbey and mourned the death of the queen, along with some 500 state heads and royals. The presidential couple were seated in the 14th row of the abbey's south transept reserved for global leaders and royals, behind French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, and directly across the aisle from U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife.
Top Diplomats of S. Korea, Japan Hold Talks in US
The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan held talks in the United States ahead of possible summit talks between their leaders in New York. Foreign minister Park Jin and his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi held talks for 50 minutes at a hotel in New York on Monday afternoon. After the meeting, minister Park told reporters that the two sides had good discussions, adding they agreed to work sincerely to improve Seoul-Tokyo relations. The top diplomats reportedly held an in-depth exchange on the issue of compensation for South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.
Ex-Emergency Cmte. Chair Joo Ho-young Elected as PPP's New Floor Leader
Three weeks after a court order removed ruling People Power Party Rep. Joo Ho-young as interim party chief, he has been elected as the party's new floor leader. The five-term lawmaker won 61 of the votes cast by 106 Assembly members on Monday, besting the 42 won by two-term Rep. Lee Yong-ho. Joo will serve the remaining term of former floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, which runs through April. While the new floor leader must contend with the main opposition Democratic Party and its parliamentary supermajority in legislative negotiations, Joo must also help the party overcome an ongoing internal strife.
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Yoon arrives in New York for U.N. General Assembly
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in New York on Monday to attend the U.N. General Assembly and hold a series of summits on the sidelines, including a highly anticipated meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The New York visit, the second stop on Yoon's three-nation swing, follows his attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in London and comes ahead of a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.
USS Ronald Reagan due in S. Korea for first allied drills off its coast in 5 yrs
A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is scheduled to visit South Korea later this week for its first combined drills with the South Korean Navy near the peninsula in five years, in a show of the allies' "firm resolve" against North Korean threats, Seoul officials said Monday. The USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group is set to arrive at a naval base in Busan, 390 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday, as the allies are sharpening security coordination amid concerns about the possibility of the North conducting a nuclear test or other provocations.
Yoon awards Civil Merit Medal to British veteran of Korean War
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday awarded the Civil Merit Medal to a British veteran of the Korean War, thanking him for his sacrifice and dedication to the defense of peace. Yoon presented the medal to Victor Swift, who served as a corporal in the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the 1950-53 war, after attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Swift, 88, serves as head of the British Korean War Veterans Association and has worked to support veterans and increase exchanges among them since 1998, according to the presidential office.
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Yoon attends funeral, meets with king in UK
President Yoon Suk-yeol has begun a five-day overseas trip to London, New York and Ottawa, Ontario, beginning with an event hosted by the new king of Britain. He canceled the plan to visit Westminster Hall in London, where the queen's coffin was enshrined, due to traffic issues, but intends to attend the queen's funeral as scheduled. President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived at Stansted Airport north of London on Sunday afternoon and immediately headed to a reception hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London.
Yoon awards Civil Merit Medal to British veteran of Korean War
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday awarded the Civil Merit Medal to a British veteran of the Korean War, thanking him for his sacrifice and dedication to the defense of peace. Yoon presented the medal to Victor Swift, who served as a corporal in the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the 1950-53 war, after attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Swift, 88, serves as head of the British Korean War Veterans Association and has worked to support veterans and increase exchanges among them since 1998, according to the presidential office.
After China's top legislator's Seoul visit, THAAD remains source of conflict with Beijing
China’s top legislator made an unprecedented visit to Seoul last week, where they confirmed their differences on South Korea’s deployment of the US-made missile defense system that Beijing opposes. Li Zhanshu, Beijing’s third-highest-ranking official and chief of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, made an unprecedented two-day trip to Seoul from Thursday, as South Korea has embarked on work to normalize operations of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system.
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Queen Elizabeth II mourned at funeral by Britain and world
The United Kingdom and the world bade farewell to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday with a state funeral that drew presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers ― and crowds in the streets of London and at Windsor Castle ― to honor a monarch whose 70-year reign defined an age. In a country known for pomp and pageantry, the first state funeral since Winston Churchill's was filled with spectacle: Before the service, a bell tolled 96 times ― once a minute for each year of Elizabeth's life. Then, 142 Royal Navy sailors used ropes to draw the gun carriage carrying her flag-draped coffin to Westminster Abbey, where pallbearers carried it inside and about 2,000 people ranging from world leaders to health care workers gathered to mourn.
Maryland governor, KITA chief discuss economic cooperation
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan visited the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) in Seoul, Monday, for a meeting with its chairman, Christopher Koo, to discuss a range of economic issues involving Korea and the United States, according to KITA officials. Hogan, called by some here as the "Korean son-in-law" because he is married to Korean American Yumi Hogan, came to Korea with his economic mission on Sept. 13. He met with President Yoon Suk-yeol to share opinions on the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Sept. 16.
Yoon awards Civil Merit Medal to British veteran of Korean War
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday awarded the Civil Merit Medal to a British veteran of the Korean War, thanking him for his sacrifice and dedication to the defense of peace. Yoon presented the medal to Victor Swift, who served as a corporal in the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the 1950-53 war, after attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Swift, 88, serves as head of the British Korean War Veterans Association and has worked to support veterans and increase exchanges among them since 1998, according to the presidential office.
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
Gwangmyeong Daily 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 Heraldwww.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en
Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com
LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net
Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com
Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
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.
What are you waiting for?
Use us!
The Korea Post media are more than eager to be used, and to serve you—with the following five news outlets, 37 years old this year!
Korean-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.co.kr
English-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.com
Korean-language print newspaper:
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3801.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3802.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3803.pdf
http://www.koreapost.co.kr/pdf/list.php?category=&syear=2018&smonth=03&sday=26&hosu=40
English E-daily: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=10690