Thursday, December 22, 2022


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

 

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

We will make Uijeongbu a business hub of our region offering many good jobs!”
Mayor Kim Dong-geun of the Uijeongbu City said, “We will try to make Uijeongbu a business hub city Korea that offers many good jobs! “ 
Speaking at recent interview with The Korea Post media, Mayor Kim stressed' “Uijeongbu is a city that is good for business and a region offering many, good jobs.” Even though the Uijeongbu City is the central city of the northern Gyeonggi region, there is not a single large business company that can represent our region,” Kim said remorsefully. “It is a city where only typical residential facilities are concentrated,” he said.

 

UN General Assembly supports the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
The adoption of the resolution was proposed by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in 2020. The resolution highlights the important role of parliaments in re-committing to unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation to support an inclusive, resilient and lasting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate action for sustainable development while leaving no one behind.

 

Trade Minister Ahn attends WTO's Ottawa Group ministerial meeting
Minister for Trade Ahn Duk-geun attended the World Trade Organization’s Ottawa Group ministerial videoconference held on Dec. 16 to seek joint measures for WTO reform as follow-up to the discussions held during the 12th ministerial meetings (MC12) in June. Trade Minister Ahn stated that the time leading up to the next WTO ministerial meeting is a critical hour that will determine either success or failure of WTO reform, and called for member states to participate in talks with a sense of urgency, emphasizing that the Ottawa Group should empower and steer the course of the reform dialogue.

 

                                                            


Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Korean Spending Overseas Skyrockets as Travel Resumes

November is typically slow season when it comes to overseas travel, but pent-up demand meant that spending overseas almost doubled last month compared to peak holiday season in August. According to the Credit Finance Association on Tuesday, overseas spending with Hana, Hyundai, KB Kookmin, Lotte, Samsung, Shinhan and Woori credit cards totaled W1.63 trillion last month, which was a record for this year and up 87 percent from W871 billion in August (US$1=W1,290). The main reason was that Japan reopened its borders to individual travelers in October, which released a flood of Korean visitors.

Kim Jong-un's Sister Erupts Again
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong worked herself up into another tantrum on Tuesday in the face of South Korean doubts about her country's missile and satellite technology. A keen follower of foreign media reports, Kim Yo-jong in a statement took exception to analysts who suggested that recent missile technology is not as advanced as North Korean state media have boasted. "They are so anxious about the reliability of our weapons more than us. To explain to them who have no common sense, we could not receive remote data of the control warhead until it hit a target if the technology for atmospheric re-entry was imperfect," she said.


Hyundai Reveals Design of New Kona SUV
Hyundai unveiled the design of a completely revamped version of the Kona small SUV on Tuesday. The Kona was Hyundai's most exported car from 2019 to last year, and the new car is the second-generation model that will go on sale early next year. The new Kona started with the design of the electric model, which was then modified for the gasoline and high-performance versions. It features horizon lamps on the front and rear and a distinctive lower bumper for the electric version.

                                                                                      

Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )

Seoul investigates alleged presence of secret Chinese police station
Seoul is looking into the alleged presence of a secret Chinese police station in Korea, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday.We have been communicating with relevant departments on the matter,” a Foreign Ministry official told the press in Seoul on Tuesday. “At this point we do not have anything significant to share.” The nongovernmental human rights organization Safeguard Defenders announced earlier this month that China’s local-level public security bureau based in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, was running at least one police station in Korea, though it couldn’t confirm its exact location.


Lawmakers push for stronger regulations on labor unions
Lawmakers proposed a series of bills strengthening audit regulations for labor unions as President Yoon Suk-yeol gears up for a labor reform. On Tuesday, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) proposed revisions to the country's Labor Union Act. The revision stipulates that labor union auditors must hold legal qualifications and that accountants within the union are excluded from audit activities. The current union law does not take issue with accounting officers' conducting an audit on themselves.

 

Korea to invest 1.5 trillion won into space exploration by 2027
Korea will pour 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion) into space exploration by 2027, double the 0.7-trillion-won budget of the past five years. The funding is part of a five-year policy plan approved by the National Space Committee Wednesday, which involves building infrastructure for private launches and gaining space transportation capability. The announcement came after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared to achieve a moon landing by 2032 and Mars landing by 2045 on Nov. 28.

                                                               

 

The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)

President Yoon determined to uproot union corruption
President Yoon Suk Yeol pointed out that labor union corruption is one of the three major corruptions, along with public corruption and corruption in businesses, which should be eliminated from our society and emphasized the need for strict law enforcement. While the president prioritizes labor reform among reforms in several other areas including education and pension, he showed strong resolve to combat union corruption, such as accounting fraud. On Wednesday, President Yoon delivered an opening remark before the Finance Ministry’s presentation on the 2023 economic policies, where he emphasized the need for institutional overhaul and reform to get rid of corruption and outdated system that hamper growth and development.

 

Heavy taxes for multi-home owners expected to be obsolete
Following the lessening of comprehensive real estate holding tax and transfer income tax levied on multi-house owners, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol also decided to cut down on their tax burden of acquisition tax. The administration also plans to lift the ban on loan programs for those who have multiple houses in regulated areas. As of next year, all three heavy taxes introduced by the prior administration to rein in multi-house owners are expected to become obsolete.


Zelensky to meet with Biden at White House
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the U.S. on Wednesday. The visit will be the first time Zelensky has left his country since Russia invaded on February 24. Taking opportunities from Zelensky’s visit, the U.S. will provide a highly sophisticated Patriot missile to Ukraine for the first time. Russia has been threatening Ukraine that the U.S.’ military assistance will lead to its targeted attack on the missile. Some analyze that Russia’s war in Ukraine is at the crossroads between escalation and ceasefire.

 

                                                                   
 

Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

South Korea’s Dec. 1-20 exports fall 8.8 percent on weak chip demand
South Korea’s exports declined 8.8 percent on-year to $33.63 billion in the first 20 days of December, while imports added 1.9 percent to $40.06 billion. According to the data released by the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, the nation’s outbound shipments decreased mainly due to declining demand for chips and mobile devices. Exports of chips fell 24.3 percent to $5.58 billion, while the volume of mobile devices declined 43.8 percent to $906 million.


Korean lenders cut borrowing rates for first time in 19 months on gov’t pressure
South Korean banks making a profit off mounting interest rates cut their borrowing rates on fresh loans for the first time in 19 months in December following regulatory intervention and public pressure amid worries about snowballing household debt. Mortgage-based loan rates at Korea’s top four lenders Shinhan, Hana, Woori, and NH Nonghyup reached 5.16-7.72 percent on Tuesday, down 0.22 percentage point from 5.38-7.36 percent on Dec. 1, according to multiple sources from the financial industry on Tuesday.

 

Inter-affiliate loan guarantees at S. Korea’s top 30 conglomerates jump 20%
Inter-affiliate loan guarantees at Korea’s top 30 business groups jumped 20 percent this year. CEO Score, a Seoul-based business data tracker, said Wednesday that its study into publicly disclosed loan guarantee data of 207 companies under the country’s top 30 conglomerates by assets showed inter-affiliate loan guarantees amounted to 87.7 trillion won ($68 billion) at the end of September, gaining 15 trillion won or 20.7 percent from the end of December 2021. Compared with the end of 2020, the figure rose by 30.1 trillion won, or 52.3 percent.

 

                                                     
 

HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Ahead of presidential pardons, Korea’s chaebols curry favor with major investment pledges
Certain of Korea’s chaebol businesses have been hard at work ahead of the special presidential pardons planned for the New Year, hoping for pardons and reinstatement for their leaders with criminal histories. The companies have been announcing large-scale investment plans and engaging in various forms of lobbying in an overt push to rescue their embattled leaders. Even within the business world, many are describing the situation as “embarrassing.”

 

N. Korea threatens to prove ability to launch ICBMs at normal angle
Kim Yo-jong disputed Seoul’s negative assessment of a reconnaissance satellite development test staged by the North on Sunday, while implying that future intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches may be conducted at a “real angle” rather than a high one. In a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee vice department director said that “the issue of developing military satellite is an urgent priority task directly related to the security of the DPRK.”


Yoon’s talk of freedom, solidarity and Japan's ability to preemptively strike Korean Peninsula
Since the rise of China and the war in Ukraine, the United States has defined the international order as one of “democracy versus totalitarianism.” But are international politics following this bifurcated order? Let’s look at Saudi Arabia, which used to be an ideal official ally for the United States. Saudi Arabia invited Russia — the successor of its former archenemy the Soviet Union, with which it didn’t even have diplomatic ties during the Cold War

 

                                                  

The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

President Yoon Only Invited His Supporters to Publicize the Legitimacy of Reforms
President Yoon Suk-yeol met with young people on December 20 and announced that among the three major reforms in labor, education and the national pension, labor reforms came first. The latest event appeared to be the president’s attempt to rally support among young people. The event was referred to as a meeting with young people, but it drew criticism for lopsided communication since only the president’s young supporters, such as the Youth Solidarity for Freedom, were invited.

 

People Who Want Our Party to Fail” Chang Je-won Responds to Criticism of New Party Election Regulations
On December 21, People Power Party lawmaker Chang Je-won said, “I don’t think it is right for the thoughts of people who want our party to fail to influence the election of our party leader.” His words were in protest of the opposition from non-Yoon members, including former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, on the recent PPP emergency committee’s amendment of party regulations, which stipulated that the party leader would be chosen 100% by party member votes. Lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon, a party leader candidate who is rumored to have sided with Chang, also dismissed the voices opposing the amendment and said, “If we change the election regulation, then is it all electoral fraud?”


Fueling Rage by Barking” Kim Yo-jong Responds to Criticism of the Poor Quality of the North’s Reconnaissance Satellite
Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, criticized South Korean authorities and experts who pointed out the poor quality of the North’s reconnaissance satellite image and development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and said, “They had better stop barking and take caution and think carefully,” on December 20. In a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong gave the warning and said, “They have been trying to find faults with us for a year since the beginning of the year.

 

                                                            

KBS(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)

S. Korea Ranked 19th among G20 Nations in Stock Performance
South Korea ranked 19th among the Group of 20(G20) nations in stock performance this year. According to the Korea Exchange on Thursday, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) plunged 21-point-93 percent to two-thousand-333-point-29 on Tuesday from two-thousand-988-point-77 on January 3, the first trading session of the year. Among the G20, the performance of South Korea’s main bourse was second-last only to Russia’s, which posted a drop of 40 percent on the back of its ongoing war in Ukraine.


US F-22 Fighters Depart due to Bad Weather, Joint Drills Canceled
U.S. F-22 stealth fighters returned to a U.S. air base in Japan on Wednesday after South Korea and the U.S. called off joint air drills. South Korea's defense ministry said on Wednesday that the F-22 jets returned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan that day in light of bad weather this week and Thursday’s combined air drills have therefore been canceled. The U.S. Air Force's F-22 jets were initially scheduled to conduct a joint exercise with South Korea's F-35A fighter jets on Thursday while staying at Gunsan Air Base this week.

 

US Sends Spy Plane after N. Korea's Threat of Full-range ICBM Launch
The U.S. has reportedly dispatched a surveillance airplane to the Korean Peninsula after threats by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at a normal trajectory, which may put the U.S. mainland within range. According to private aviation tracking services on Wednesday, A U.S. Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft took off from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa earlier in the day and later flew over the Seoul metropolitan area near the military demarcation line and Gangwon Province on the east coast.

 

                                                                        
 

Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Defense ministry tried to delete intelligence about killing of fisheries official: prosecution
The prosecution investigating the preceding government's handling of the killing of a fisheries official by North Korean soldiers has secured testimony that the defense ministry itself had attempted to delete related intelligence reports even before the National Security Council ordered their removal, officials said Wednesday. The official, Lee Dae-jun, was fatally shot by the North Korean coast guard members near the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea on Sept. 22, 2020, a day after going missing while on duty on board a fishery inspection vessel. The Moon Jae-in administration announced he attempted to defect to the North.


S. Korea, U.S. to develop 'realistic' training scenarios on N.K. nuke, missile threats
South Korea and the United States plan to craft "realistic" training scenarios to handle advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats while expanding the scale of their field drills next year, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup presided over a meeting of top commanders to discuss the plan and other policy priorities, amid tensions caused by the North's continued missile launches, including that of what Seoul called medium-range ballistic missiles on Sunday.

 

Parliamentary committee conducts on-site probe into Itaewon tragedy
Members of the special parliamentary committee investigating the Itaewon crowd crush visited the accident site and the Itaewon Police Station on Wednesday, kicking off on-site probes into the tragedy. Led by the committee chief, Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), members from the ruling and opposition parties mourned at an altar set up near Noksapyeong Station before heading to the accident site and the Itaewon Police Station.

 

                                                     


The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

15 futuristic projects unveiled for next big leap
The government has drawn up new growth strategies to secure future technology such as aerospace and artificial intelligence and to accelerate digital transformation to help its sluggish economy leap forward. Through the "New Growth 4.0 Strategy" unveiled by economy-related ministries on Wednesday, the country seeks to secure forward-looking technology, digital transformation and further expanding the country's prowess in chips and display panels to gain a competitive advantage over competitors.

 

PM reported to police for jaywalking
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has been reported to police for jaywalking during a visit to a memorial altar for victims of the Itaewon crowd crush earlier this week, police said Wednesday. The report was filed on the online petition website of the state Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on Tuesday, according to a post seen on an online forum. The report was titled, "I report Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's violation of the Road Traffic Act." Han visited a memorial altar near the site of the tragedy Monday but was forced to leave without paying tribute to the victims after being met with protests from the bereaved family members.


3 regional clusters named for space development
The South Korean government has designated three regions -- South Jeolla Province, South Gyeongsang Province and Daejeon city -- as clusters for the space industry, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Wednesday. The decision was made during a National Space Committee meeting held earlier in the day. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presided over the meeting, which took place for the first time since the Yoon administration took office in May. South Jeolla Province, home of the Naro Space Center in Goheung County where the country’s homemade Nuri rocket was successfully launched in June, has been named as a projectile cluster to nurture more rockets in the future.

 

 

                                                   

 

The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

US to give $1.85 bil. in new military aide, including Patriots, to Ukraine
The United States will provide $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. The announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy arrived in Washington to meet Biden and address Congress in his first known overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine 300 days ago. The Patriot system is "a defensive system, it's not escalatory, it's defensive" Biden said in a joint news briefing with Zelenskiyy. "We'd love not to have them used, just stop the attacks," Biden added.

 

North Korea takes aim at US
North Korea praised its achievements in its missile and nuclear programs this year, Wednesday, while strengthening its anti-American sentiment. According to an article in the Rodong Sinmun, the official media outlet of the ruling Workers' Party, North Korea got off to a strong start in 2022 with the test-firing of a hypersonic missile, followed by months of other shocking developments including the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its strongest strategic weapon. This year alone, North Korea conducted record-setting ballistic missile tests more than 30 times. In addition, it is believed to have fully prepared for a seventh nuclear test.

 

Daejeon, South Jeolla, South Gyeongsang designated as space clusters
Daejeon Metropolitan City, South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province ― as space clusters to carry out its goal of becoming one of the leading countries in the space development industry by 2045, according to the National Space Committee, Wednesday. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presided over a meeting of the National Space Committee in Seoul to draw up action plans for the country's space development vision. The meeting was the first such gathering under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The committee said the plan came after President Yoon announced Korea's space development vision on Nov. 28, for the country to leap forward as one of the space powerhouses by 2045 when Korea will mark the 100th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

 


                                                                                                                   

 

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.com, bfp@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

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지