Tuesday, January 3, 2023


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

 

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

Daegu City holds the "2023 New Year's Greetings"
Daegu City held a "Daegu City New Year's Greetings" at Exco on Jan. 2 and declared 2023 as the first year of "Daegu Gulgi (Rise)," where Daegu stands up again vigorously. About 500 people from all walks of life attended the meeting, including Daegu City Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, Daegu City Council Chairman Lee Man-kyu, Daegu City Superintendent of Education Kang Eun-hee, People Power Party Floor Leader Joo Ho-young, and Mayor of Daegu Nam-gu Cho Jae-gu.

 

Former NK diplomat Tae Young-ho said, "Kim Jong-un fell into the 'proportional response trap' of Yoon Suk-yeol"
Regarding North Korea's recent series of short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) provocations, Rep. Tae Young-ho, a former North Korean diplomat, said, "Kim Jung-un is in the 'proportional response trap' of President Yoon Suk-yeol."
Rep. Tae Young-ho of the People Power Party said on Facebook on Dec. 31, "North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) around 8 a.m. on Dec. 31. Noting that all three short-range ballistic missiles launched this time are said to be of the KN series of solid fuel propulsion systems, he said. "If so, this is a strong response to our successful test flight of solid fuel propulsion space launch vehicles on Dec. 30."

 

Samsung Electronics launches newsroom in Uzbekistan
Samsung Electronics announced the launch of Samsung Newsroom Uzbekistan, which will serve as the official news source of Samsung Electronics for local media and consumers in the Republic of Uzbekistan, on Dec. 28, 2022. The new online newsroom will inform readers about the company’s latest news, Samsung’s latest products and services, in addition to announcements about local campaigns and initiatives. The newsroom will provide readers with a wide range of different content, including press releases, photographs, videos and more.

 

                                                            


Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
More Cancer Went Undiagnosed Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

New cancer cases dropped by about 10,000 in 2020, the first year of the coronavirus lockdown because the disease often went undiagnosed as patients shunned hospitals for fear of infection. Seo Hong-gwan, the chief of the National Cancer Center, said the number of "hidden" cases could reach 20,000. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a total of 247,952 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2020, down 9,218 or 3.6 percent from the previous year.

 

Kim Jong-un Vows to Boost Nuclear Warheads 'Exponentially'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday pledged to boost the renegade country's nuclear weapons "exponentially" as he fired another volley of missiles into the sea. North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday that fell into the East Sea and another one on Sunday morning. Here, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a video conference with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and ordered soldiers to retaliate "with a firm determination not to avoid going to war." The Defense Ministry warned the North Korean regime will "face an end" if it attempts to use nuclear weapons.

 

Severe COVID Cases at 8-Month High
Over 600 Koreans were severely ill with COVID on New Year's Day, an eight-month high, rising to 637 on Monday morning. Sixty-three patients died on Sunday, up two from the previous day and another 53 by Monday morning. Daily deaths have been in the double digits for more than five months. But new infections dwindled from 57,527 on Sunday to just 22,375, probably because fewer Koreans got tested over the weekend. They have been on the decline for about a week.

                                                                                     

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

Covid tests for all travelers from China begin Monday
More than 1,000 people traveling from China landed at Incheon International Airport on Monday as new Covid-19 restrictions for Chinese arrivals went into effect. Incheon International Airport said Monday it was told by customs officials that 1,160 people from nine flights were planning to fly in from China that day. Over the past three months, an average of 1,100 people from China arrived in Korea through Incheon International Airport daily.


Biden says Washington not discussing joint nuclear exercise with Seoul
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday his country has no ongoing discussions with South Korea on joint nuclear exercises against North Korea's threats. He said, "No," in response to a reporter's question about whether the allies are in consultations over the issue, according to White House pool reports. Speaking earlier at an interview with a South Korean newspaper in Seoul, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the two sides are in discussions on conducting joint drills using nuclear assets in a move to bolster "extended deterrence."


Descendants of chaebol founders rise in the ranks, seek change
Descendants of the founders of Korea's largest corporations are being promoted to the top as power jumps to the latest generation of chaebol leaders, with signs of openness greeted as an indication that managements will become more responsive to employees and the public. Choi Sung-hwan, the eldest son of former SK Networks Chairman Choi Shin-won and a nephew to SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, was promoted to be president of SK Networks on Dec. 1. He is managing new businesses and actively forming a network for global investment.


                                                               
 

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

S. Korean military establishes nuke-WMD response division
A new division tasked with countering threats from North Korea's nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was established on Monday in South Korea. The South Korean military will set up a strategic command to control the three-pronged system to address North Korea’s threats, including the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, by building on the new division.

 

Gov't reviews restricting sales of cold medicines per consumer
Some pharmacies in Seoul are receiving increasing inquiries about purchasing cold medicines while their supply is on the decline. The South Korean government announced a plan to restrict the sales of cold medicines per consumer as some consumers are stockpiling cold medicines in response to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in China. According to The Dong-A Ilbo’s research of 16 pharmacies in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Monday, many pharmacists expressed concerns about the reduced supply of cold medicines and are already restricting bulk purchases.


Former Pres. Lee Myung-bak apologizes to public upon release

Korea's former President Lee Myung-bak (aged 81) said Friday that he sincerely apologized for causing concerns to the people upon his release by special presidential pardon after serving prison time for four years and nine months. Lee was sentenced to 17 years by the Supreme Court in October 2020 for charges including embezzling 25.2 billion Korean won from DAS Corp., a Korean auto parts maker mainly owned by Mr. Lee's brother. Lee has been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital since June 2022, as his prison sentence was suspended due to health concerns.

 

 

                                                                    
 

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

Seven out of 10 Koreans optimistic about Korea ascending to G5 nation
Seven out of 10 individuals in South Korea think their country could join the Group of Five (G5) nations’ club, with a majority expecting within 10 years, a survey showed Sunday. According to a survey conducted by pollster Mono Research upon request by Maeil Business Newspaper on 1,000 individuals in Korea about their perception on Korea becoming one of the G5 nations, 50.7 percent of the respondents were “very optimistic.” More than 20 percent of the respondents answered “somewhat optimistic,” which means that seven out of 10 people have positive perception about Korea becoming a G5 nation.


President Yoon calls for export revitalization, labor reform for growth
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to revitalize the country’s main economic growth engine export while calling for immediate reform of the country’s labor market, education and pension system to drive the growth of Asia’s fourth largest economy in 2023 during his New Year‘s address Sunday. We will employ preemptive measures to keep the inevitable interest rate hikes to curb inflation from placing excessive borrowing costs on households and businesses,” said President Yoon in a live televised New Year’s address from the Yongsan presidential office.

 

LS Group to invest $15.74 billion by 2030 to focus on power, engery sectors
LS Group plans to foster new business engines in the carbon-free electricity (CFE) sector by investing more than 20 trillion won ($15.74 billion) by 2030 with the aim of doubling its current asset size to 50 trillion won by 2030. LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun unveiled this vision in a New Year’s message on Monday.The global common tasks for the next 30 years can be summarized in one word, net zero, and the core of net zero is CFE,” Koo said

 

                                                     
 

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

Korean Peninsula rings in new year amid looming threat of military conflict

With the leaders of North and South Korea taking turns advocating for preparations for war as the two toe the line of full-frontal military conflict, the Korean Peninsula has rung in the new year at a time of soaring fears of armed hostilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called South Korea the North’s “undoubted enemy” at a plenary session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), held Dec. 26-31, going on to say it was “necessary to make the year 2023 [. . .] a year of bringing about a change in making preparations to mobilize for war and enhancing the actual war capacity” of the North’s forces.

 

Half of Koreans see political division as on the rise, Hankyoreh poll finds
As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol enters his second year in office, half of Koreans think that conflict and division between parties and voters are increasing, instead of Korean society moving toward unity, a new poll has found. Koreans identified the president and his political opposition as being responsible for that division. A resounding majority of respondents said that Korean society is moving in a negative direction in various areas, including democracy, sounding an alarm for the future. Those were some of the results of a telephone survey of 1,015 adult men and women around the country carried out by Global Research, a professional polling organization, on behalf of the Hankyoreh, on Dec. 26-27.

 

Social contracts under pressure: Where does this leave the left?
Developed countries, despite their extraordinary wealth, have long struggled with rising inequality with devastating social and economic consequences. This has been pointed out by, among others, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which is by no means known as a social-democratic advocacy think tank. Not only does inequality rob many of chances in life, but it also deprives economies of talent and thus holds back economic development.

 

                                                  

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

Lee Jae-myung Starts the New Year by Visiting DJ and Roh Moo-hyun, “Violent, Unilateral Control Is Rampant”
Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung began the year 2023 by visiting the graves of former presidents Kim Dae-jung (DJ) and Roh Moo-hyun on January 1. He will travel to Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do on January 2 to attend a luncheon with former president Moon Jae-in. Lee described the current times as “an age where violent and unilateral control is rampant” and criticized the Yoon Suk-yeol government. He concentrated his efforts to gather Democratic Party supporters ahead of his appearance at the Prosecution Service.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo Pledges to Successfully Accomplish Labor Reforms and Remove Deep-Rooted Irregularities Throughout Society
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stressed that he would successfully accomplish labor reforms at all costs as he launched the government work year on January 2. In his greetings at a ceremony marking the beginning of government affairs in 2023 at the government office in Seoul Monday, Prime Minister Han said, “We will promote reforms in three major areas, labor, education and the national pension, and innovation in the three main fields of finance, services, and the public sector,” and emphasized labor reforms.


Kim Byung-joo, “NK Drone Seems to Have Come All the Way to Namsan... Likely to Have Passed the No-Fly Zone”
On December 29, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said, “It appears the North Korean drone came all the way to Namsan Mountain,” and claimed it was likely the drone passed through the no-fly zone. In an interview on Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show on CBS radio Thursday, Kim, a former deputy commander (Army general) of the R.O.K.-U.S. Combined Forces Command, spoke on the military’s explanation that the North Korean drone did not reach the Office of the President in Yongsan and said, “You shouldn’t look at this from the perspective of whether or not it came to Yongsan. If the drone entered the no-fly zone, then the guard operation has failed.”

 

                                                            

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

Disability Rights Activists to Continue Subway Protest Tuesday
A disability advocacy group wrapped up the first day of its subway protest at around 10 p.m. on Monday after 13 hours. The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination(SADD) attempted to board a train at Samgakji Station in Yongsan District, the closest station to the presidential office, at around 9 a.m., following a press conference by group members in which they called for an increase in the government budget to protect the rights of people with disabilities.


Power Demand Hits Record High in December
The country's power demand logged a record high in December due to cold waves and heavy snow. According to the Korea Power Exchange on Tuesday, the country's maximum electricity demand posted 82-thousand-176 megawatts on average last month, posting an on-year increase of five-point-one percent. It is also the highest monthly figure ever, surpassing the previous record of 82-thousand-seven megawatts logged in July last year.

 

Seoul Archbishop Pays Tribute to Former Pope Benedict XVI
Catholic Archbishop of Seoul Peter Chung Soon-taick has paid tribute to former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95. During Sunday Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in the capital, Chung said the Pope Emeritus had a keen interest in protecting the value of human life, noting that Benedict had sought to keep in step with the changing world while respecting the traditional teachings of the church. The cathedral set up a memorial altar for the late pope on Sunday, and other cathedrals across the nation are expected to follow suit.

 

                                                                        
 

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

Biden says U.S. not discussing joint nuclear exercise with S. Korea
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday his country has no ongoing discussions with South Korea on joint nuclear exercises against North Korea's threats. He said, "No," in response to a reporter's question about whether the allies are in consultations over the issue, according to White House pool reports. Speaking earlier at an interview with a South Korean newspaper in Seoul, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the two sides are in discussions on conducting joint drills using nuclear assets in a move to bolster "extended deterrence."


S. Korean Catholics pay tribute to late Pope Benedict XVI
South Korean Catholics on Monday mourned the loss of former Pope Benedict XVI, led by tributes by religious leaders. Benedict, who served as the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 through 2013, died Saturday morning (local time) in the Vatican monastery at the age of 95. He retired for health reasons to become the first Catholic pope to abdicate in 600 years. Myeongdong Cathedral set up a memorial altar in the underground sanctuary one day after his death to commemorate Benedict XVI, which will open to the public until Thursday.

 

Yoon calls for correcting 'evils' blocking growth
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday held a New Year's meeting with the country's leaders and called for quickly rectifying the "evils" blocking economic growth and development. The meeting was held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae and brought together some 200 top officials from across the executive, legislative and judicial branches, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. First lady Kim Keon Hee was also in attendance.

 

                                                    


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

Cornered Democratic Party head’s first 2023 stop: Moon’s home
In one of his first steps in the new year, Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Monday visited the residence of former President Moon Jae-in, skipping President Yoon Suk-yeol’s New Year event held on the same day. Monday’s meeting took place behind closed doors, with at least hundreds of meters from the vicinity of the ex-president’s residence barricaded, barring access to dozens of reporters who were there. Lee left immediately following his meeting with Moon, which lasted for about an hour and a half, without responding to questions from reporters.

 

How imminent are Hyundai’s ‘Made-in-Saudi Arabia’ cars?
Hyundai Motor Group is considering setting up its first Middle East plant in Saudi Arabia, paving the way for it to secure footing in the region’s burgeoning automotive market. The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources on Saturday announced in a tweet that the kingdom had inked a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean carmaker to advance joint cooperation for the auto industry in the region to achieve its national goal of developing local manufacturing capabilities.


Hyundai Oilbank offers 1,000% bonuses on upbeat earnings
Hyundai Oilbank, one of South Korea’s leading refiners, said Monday that it handed out 1,000 percent of annual salaries as bonuses to its staffers. The company declined to disclose the specific amount of the salaries given. In 2021, its employees received bonuses at a 600 percent rate, with an average of 726 million won ($571,000) per person. The refiner’s lump-sum bonuses came in line with the refining industry’ stellar performance last year. In the third quarter alone, Hyundai Oilbank’s operating profit skyrocketed by 226 percent on-year to 2.8 trillion won.

 

                                                   

 

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

Korea vows to support developing nations' 'green transition'
Korea and Indonesia signed the Green Transition Initiative last November to provide the Southeast Asian country with development assistance to expand the use of electric vehicles. The initiative, signed on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit, seeks to help Indonesia, with a population of 276 million, develop a more eco-friendly auto market. The pact also benefits Korea's automobile industry, which will provide technical skills to help Indonesia transition to EVs. Such projects are more than just business deals signed by two countries. They are joint investments for the broader cause of protecting the global environment.

 

CES to return at full scale with 550 Korean exhibitors
Some 550 Korean tech firms are set to enrich this year's CES, which will return later this week at a full scale for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry officials, Monday. Their presence at the world's most influential tech event will also enable Korea to account for the second-highest number of participating companies there following the U.S. Although most Chinese companies will be absent from the exhibition again this year in the wake of China's travel restrictions and trade war with the U.S., the event will see the return of Google, Microsoft, Amazon and various other global enterprises that were absent from the previous year's event due to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

 

Hana Bank's new CEO pledges to revamp sales portfolio
Hana Bank's new CEO Lee Seung-yeul pledged to improve the bank's sales portfolio, as part of his core management strategy after taking office as its fourth leader on Monday. Lee is considered one of the most skilled financial experts in Hana Financial Group. He has worked at key financial and strategy-setting divisions of the banking group since joining the Korea Exchange Bank in 1991, which was later merged with Hana Bank. For three years from 2019, he was the group's chief financial officer. He then became chief of Hana Life Insurance in March 2022.


                                                                                                                  

 

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.
 

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