Wednesday October 7, 2020

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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
“Seongbuk-gu in Seoul wins an 'Excellent' rating in the 2020 government's joint evaluation”
Seongbuk-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) announced on October 5 that the district achieved the grade of ‘Excellent’ (A grade) in Seoul in the “2020 Government Joint Evaluation” hosted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
On this day, according to media officer Seol Jae-hong of the district office, the '2020 Government's Joint Evaluation' was conducted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security in 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in 2019. It was evaluated based on the indicators for each target of government administration.

“I fell for ‘Trot Emperor’ Na, watching him on TV due to COVID-19”
“I fell for Trot Emperor Na Hoon-a while confined at home due to COVID-19, and I am wondering how everyone else felt!” So exclaimed Governor Lee Jae-myung of the Gyeonggi Province in his facebook on Oct. 1, 2020.
One of Korea’s top two contenders for the Presidential election one and half years later on March 9, 2022, Lee then said, “While young, I listened to Na’s hit numbers with my elder brothers at our small cottage in the countryside under the dim lantern light.”

LG Chem leads global electric vehicle battery market share with 24.6%
LG Chem ranked first in the list of battery usage for global electric vehicles such as EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs that were sold between January and August this year.
According to a market research company SNE Research, the global use of LG Chem's batteries with electric vehicles reached 15.9 GWh in the January-August period of this year, accounting for 24.6 percent of the total battery use of electric vehicles (64.7 GWh).
The market share of the three Korean companies has more than doubled from 16.2 percent in the same period last year to 35.1 percent this year.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
National Assembly Set to Begin Annual Gov't Audit
The National Assembly is set to begin its annual inspection of the government on Wednesday, the first under the 21st Assembly.
The parliament's audit of state affairs will run through October 26, covering hundreds of central and regional governments and their agencies.
On the first day of the 20-day inspection, 14 parliamentary committees will audit state agencies.
In particular, the Defense Committee is likely to come under the spotlight due to controversies involving the shooting death of a South Korean official in North Korean waters and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's son.

Ex-N. Korean Envoy to Italy Lives in S. Korea after Disappearing in 2018
A former North Korean envoy to Italy has reportedly been staying in South Korea for over a year after disappearing from Rome in late 2018.
Sources in the South Korean ruling bloc said on Tuesday that former acting ambassador to Italy Jo Song-gil entered South Korea in July last year via a third country along with his wife.
Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party also said Jo is under the protection of government authorities.

WHO Chief: COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Ready by Year-End
The head of the World Health Organization(WHO) reportedly said on Tuesday that a vaccine for COVID-19 may be ready by the end of this year.
According to Reuters, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in final remarks at a meeting of the health body’s Executive Board that the world will need vaccines and there is hope there may be one by the end of this year. He did not elaborate further on the projection.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
BTS' agency draws near-record IPO subscription deposits
Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop phenoms BTS, drew a near record-high amount of deposits from retail investors Tuesday, the last day for the subscription for its initial public offering (IPO) next week.
Since Monday, retail investors have subscribed for around 1.43 million Big Hit shares, or 20 percent of its 7.13 million new stocks to be issued in the IPO scheduled for Oct. 15. The IPO price is 135,000 won (US$116).
Four IPO managers said individual investors deposited about 58.4 trillion won during the two-day public subscription, with the shares oversubscribed by 607 times.

BTS agency in spotlight as big stock market debut nears
Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency behind K-pop superstar BTS, is again in the spotlight.
This time, it's not for the septet's record-setting musical feats -- that include topping the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time as a Korean band -- but for a competitive initial public offering that has investors and fans keeping their fingers crossed for a stake in the K-pop empire.

Gov't to propose revised laws to allow abortion until 14th week of pregnancy
The government will propose revisions to the existing laws to allow abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy, judicial sources said Tuesday.
They said the justice ministry will announce its plan to revise the Criminal Act and the Mother and Child Health Act on Wednesday as a follow-up to a Constitutional Court ruling in April last year.
The court ruled that anti-abortion provisions of the Criminal Act are unconstitutional as they violate women's right to choose too much and gave the National Assembly until the end of this year to revise the law.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
S. Korea to adjust social distancing level this week
The South Korean government will decide whether or not to maintain the current level of social distancing rules this week, as the country’s daily virus cases hovered around 70 for the sixth consecutive day Tuesday.
High-risk facilities are required to remain closed and restrictions are placed on the size of gatherings both indoors and outdoors under the current Level 2 distancing regime in place nationwide until Sunday. The government designated the period from Sept. 28 to Oct. 11 a “special quarantine period” in consideration of the back-to-back holidays of Chuseok on Oct. 3 and Hangeul Day on Oct. 9.

NK’s Kim calls for ‘80-day campaign’ to boost economy
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for a nationwide “80-day campaign” in a bid to revive the country’s ailing economy and attain its goals before a congress next year, state media reported Tuesday.
Kim announced the decision during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party held the previous day, according to the North’s official Korea Central News Agency. The key party meeting comes as the communist regime’s economic woes are believed to have been exacerbated due to the coronavirus pandemic, severe flooding damage from typhoons and long-lasting international sanctions.

Should stock gains get same tax exemptions as homes?
South Koreans owning homes worth 900 million won ($775,000) or less have an exemption from capital gains taxes when they sell them, as long as they are not multiple home owners. They pay only property taxes as usual.
But Koreans holding stocks of a listed company worth 300 million won or over will likely be obliged to pay taxes on gains from trading the stocks, starting from next year.
Further, the tax rates will range between 20 percent and 25 percent of their gains, as the specified investors will be classified as major shareholders, according to regulations being considered by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Missing North Korean diplomat has settled in South Korea: lawmaker
A former senior North Korean envoy to Italy is currently in South Korea, having disappeared from Rome in late 2018, a lawmaker here said Tuesday.
"Former (acting) Ambassador Jo Song-gil was found to have entered South Korea in July last year and is under the protection of (government) authorities," Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party wrote on his Facebook page.

Korean diplomat urged to face trial in New Zealand over sexual abuse case
A New Zealand man urged a South Korean diplomat accused of committing sexual assault to return to Wellington to stand trial, according to the man's lawyer on Tuesday.
The local employee at the South Korean Embassy in the capital has accused the diplomat of groping him three times in 2017 when he was stationed there. The case has drawn keen public attention, especially since New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised it during her phone talks with President Moon Jae-in in July.

Guitar rock legend Eddie Van Halen dies of cancer at 65
Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock's biggest groups and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He was 65.
''He was the best father I could ask for,'' Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, wrote in a social media post. ''Every moment I've shared with him on and off stage was a gift.''

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Prosecutors request prison sentence for Chun Doo-hwan denying testimonies of Gwangju Democratization Movement
South Korean prosecutors have requested a prison sentence for former President Chun Doo-hwan, 89, who is on trial for allegedly defaming late Catholic priest Cho Cheol-hyeon, also known as Cho Pius. Cho had reported seeing government helicopters firing on protesters during the Gwangju Democratization Movement, which began on May 18, 1980.
The prosecutors requested that Chun be sentenced to 18 months in prison during the final hearing in the defamation trial against Chun, on Oct. 5. The case is being tried by Hon. Kim Jeong-hun, a judge with the 8th criminal division in the Gwangju District Court.

The truth about the “80 nuclear weapons”
A preemptive strike by either Pyongyang or Washington is highly improbable
“Rage,” the new book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, has been drawing much attention these days. The focus is on the truth of its quote about “80 nuclear weapons.” In an interview with Woodward, former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said, “The Strategic Command in Omaha had carefully reviewed and studied OPLAN 5027 for regime change in North Korea -- the US response to an attack that could include the use of 80 nuclear weapons.”.

US tones down Quad rhetoric after objections from S. Korea and other Asian countries
The US State Department appears to have tempered its view on the “Quad” framework of regional cooperation for Washington’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy” in East Asia to contain China. The change is seen as the result of objections from South Korea and other major countries in the region.
The idea of the “Quad” -- a security dialogue involving the four countries of the US, Japan, Australia, and India that has been developed under US and Japanese leadership since last year -- suddenly emerged as a focus of global attention in late August after remarks by US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Beigun at the US-India Strategic Partnership ForumThe US State Department appears to have tempered its view on the “Quad” framework of regional cooperation for Washington’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy” in East Asia to contain China. The change is seen as the result of objections from South Korea and other major countries in the region.
The idea of the “Quad” -- a security dialogue involving the four countries of the US, Japan, Australia, and India that has been developed under US and Japanese leadership since last year -- suddenly emerged as a focus of global attention in late August after remarks by US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Beigun at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Ex-N.Korean Diplomat Defected to S.Korea
The former chargé d'affaires at the North Korean Embassy in Rome, who disappeared in November 2018, is alive and well and living in South Korea.
Jo Song-gil "has been under protection by authorities since he arrived in South Korea in July last year," People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-keung wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

USFK Chief Complains About Lack of Combined Training
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Robert Abrams has complained to the Defense Ministry here that the two allies' armies and air forces have failed to conduct joint drills for more than three years.
He said combined drills are an essential way of boosting warfare capabilities.
According to a report the military submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Han Ki-ho recently, the Army has conducted no combined exercises with the USFK since the last joint live-fire drill in April 2017.

Son of Official Murdered by N.Korea Rages at President
The son of a South Korean official who was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea as South Korean forces looked on has expressed his rage in a letter to President Moon Jae-in, who hushed up the murder for two days.
"What was the government doing while my father was brutally killed?" he asked in the handwritten letter. He also demanded to know whether claims from compromised military officers that his father wanted to defect to North Korea make sense.

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Trump leaves hospital after three days of COVID-19 treatment
U.S. President Donald Trump, who was hospitalized on last Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19, was discharged from hospital on Monday (local time) after receiving three days of treatment. “Don’t be afraid of COVID,” said Trump, adding he will soon be back on the campaign trail. Trump’s leaving of hospital has sparked criticism since he is yet to fully recover from COVID-19.

Big Hit pulls in over 58 trillion won during public subscription
Big Hit Entertainment, a label behind South Korean boy band BTS, has raised more than 58 trillion won in subscription for retail investors prior to the IPO next month. It has become the second-highest subscription replacing SK Biopharmaceuticals just in three months, although it fell short of surpassing the highest record set by Kakao Games.

Publication of Japanese books resumes in South Korea
The publication of Japanese books, which has been rare lately due to the “No Japan” movement in response to Japan’s export controls in July last year, is beginning to resume. Japanese novels that have been put on hold for months due to the worsening relations between South Korea and Japan are being released.
Minumsa Publishing published Japanese writer Yukio Mishima’s novel “Spring Snow” for the first time in South Korea last month. While the writer was nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature several times since he was globally recognized for his novel “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” in 1957,

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
They Said I Could Debut Right Away, But.... Left with 600 Million Won of Debt, Depression, and a Bunch of Lawsuits After 8 Years as a Trainee
“You can debut as soon as you join.” The president of A, an artist management company, mentioned the word “debut” from the very first encounter. He was the one who stopped Minjun (alias) as he came down from the stage of a local music contest for teenagers. He also mentioned a string of famous idol bands that he claimed to have “raised.” Minjun felt like he was already in heaven. He signed an exclusive contract with A and at age sixteen, became a trainee. It took eight long years for Minjun to finally make his debut. He has gone from a trainee to an idol, and now a former idol, and all he has left is 6 million won in debt under the name of investment, wounds from constant verbal abuse and bullying, severe depression and panic attacks, and an endless stream of lawsuits filed by his management company.

Bus Barricades Dubbed the Last Resort by the Constitutional Court, Were They Inevitable?
Bus barricades reappeared at Gwanghwamun Square. After the Constitutional Court’s 2011 decision that the barricade violated the Constitution, the bus barricade blocked the passage of citizens at a demonstration condemning the intervention of the National Intelligence Service in the presidential election in 2013, in demonstrations in memory of the Sewol ferry victims in 2015, and again in 2020. The police argued that it was an inevitable measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but some criticized the police for overreacting.

More than Half of College Students Entering the Workforce Fear Unemployment Due to a Lack of Jobs
Survey results suggested that more than half of this year’s college graduates may not be employed due to the effects of COVID-19.
The Korea Economic Research Institute, an affiliate of the Federation of Korean Industries conducted a survey of 4,158 university graduates and seniors nationwide to see their thoughts on employment. On October 4, they released the results and announced that 55.5% of the students who will graduate this year said they did not expect to find employment. The expected employment rate was 44.5%, about 20% lower compared to the actual employment rate of university graduates in the five years since 2014, 62.6~64.5%.

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korean prosecutors raid SK Networks on CEO embezzlement charges
South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday raided the offices of SK Networks on embezzlement allegations by its chief executive.
Investigators searched SK Networks’ headquarters in central Seoul, the residence of CEO Chey Shin-won and the offices of key affiliates including SKC and SK Telesys.

BTS label Big Hit IPO draws $50 bn retail orders, extending stock craze in KoreaBig Hit Entertainment Co., the South Korean agency behind K-pop superstar BTS, attracted about 58 trillion won ($49.9 billion) in bids from retail investors, fanning yet another stock craze in the country after blockbuster debuts of Kakao Games Corp. and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co.

Naver slapped $23 mn for foul play with search engine results in Korea
South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said on Tuesday it has imposed a fine of 26.7 billion won ($23 million) on the country’s top search engine operator Naver Corp. for blocking competitors and misleading consumers by using its market dominance.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?

See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com, service@wsj-asia.com

Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com

The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk

Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cn kf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com

Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com

Mainichi www.mainichi.jp

Le Monde www.ilemonde.com

Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com

Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de

SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://www.colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://www.bogotafreeplanet.com,bfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universal https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

Andes https://www.redaktionstest.net/andes-info-ec/

Ecuador Times https://www.ecuadortimes.net/

The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com/

LSM.lv https://www.lsm.lv//

The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com

El Pais https://english.elpais.com/

Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net/

Daily News Hungary https://dailynewshungary.com/

Budapest Times https://www.budapesttimes.hu/

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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.

Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM

Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s

Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE

And many other countries.

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