Wednesday, October 14, 2020

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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)
Daelim Industrial wins order for the Malolos-Clark Railway Project in the Philippines
Daelim Industrial has signed a contract to build the second section of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project (MCRP) ordered by the Philippine Ministry of Transportation, the company said on Oct. 8.
Daelim Industrial will jointly carry out the project worth $616.97 million (725.2 billion won) with Acciona, a Spanish construction company, by establishing a joint venture. The stake for Daelim Industrial is 50 percent, which is worth about 362.6 billion won.
The Philippine government is working on a 163-kilometer-long south-north railway project that extends from northern Clark to southern Calamba via the capital Manila. MCRP is the first metropolitan area high-speed railway linking Malolos and Clark in northern Manila.

Jeonbuk Technopark concludes MOU with SIHUB in Vietnam
Jeonbuk Technopark concluded an MOU with Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB), a start-up promotion agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Oct. 8.
Under the MOU, Jeonbuk Technopark will actively support Korean companies' exports and marketing activities in Vietnam.
As part of the Vietnamese government's "National Innovation" project, SIHUB is a start-up support organization established by the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology in 2016 with the aim of supporting business activities and innovative growth.

POSCO International wins an order to supply auto parts to Vietnam's Vinfast
POSCO International said on Oct. 13 that it has won an order for auto parts for electric vehicles from Vietnam's Vinfast along with Erae AMS, Korea's leading auto parts maker.
The Halfshaft supplied to the Vinfast is a part that acts as a driving shaft in a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). The driveshaft transmits the drive power of the engine to both tires via the transmission.
The company plans to start supplying its products next year after detailed adjustments and tests, and the supply volume will be for about 100,000 electric vehicles produced by Vinfast.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
S. Korea's Daily COVID-19 Cases Fall below 100 Again
South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases fell below 100 on Wednesday after rising to triple digits the previous day.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Wednesday that 84 new cases were detected throughout Monday, bringing the accumulated total to 24-thousand-889.
Of the new cases, 53 were locally transmitted while 31 were imported.

BOK Keeps Key Interest Rate at 0.5%
The Bank of Korea(BOK) has kept the key interest rate at point-five percent. The BOK's monetary policy board announced the decision in a statement on Wednesday. 
The widely expected rate decision follows two major reductions earlier this year. The BOK slashed its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to point-75 percent in March before cutting it by a quarter of a percentage point in May. Such cuts came amid projections that the economy will suffer serious blows due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The central bank apparently reached the latest decision after concluding that there is no immediate need to further slash the key rate when taking into account the relatively stable financial market and the heated real estate market. 

Top Military Officials of S. Korea, US Hold Annual Talks
The top military officials of South Korea and the United States held talks on Wednesday, Korea time, to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula and ways to enhance combined defense posture.
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS), JCS Chairman Won In-choul held the annual Military Committee Meeting with his U.S. counterpart Mark Milley through video call.
In the meeting, Milley reportedly reaffirmed the U.S.' solid commitment to the defense of the Korean Peninsula including the provision of extended deterrence.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
New virus cases again up by double digits; cluster infections still drag in virus fight
South Korea's new virus cases rose by double digits on Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections across the nation and imported cases are dragging on the country's virus fight.
The country added 84 more COVID-19 cases, including 53 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a fall from 102 cases reported on Tuesday.
The number of daily new local infections also went down from 69 a day earlier.

Over 50 infections reported from Busan's nursing hospital
More than 50 patients and workers at a nursing hospital in Busan have been diagnosed with COVID-19, municipal authorities said Wednesday, in the southern port city's latest coronavirus cluster.
The authorities said 43 patients of the Busan nursing hospital, located in the city's Mandeok neighborhood, and its nine staff members tested positive for the new coronavirus. One of the infected patients has already died, they added.
The mass virus infections have come to light after an assistant nurse in her 50s was confirmed to be infected Tuesday, prompting the authorities to conduct the coronavirus tests for all 262 patients and staff.

Heir Chung Euisun promoted to chairman of Hyundai Motor Group
Chung Euisun, longtime heir apparent of Hyundai Motor Group, was promoted to the position of chairman Wednesday as the carmaker seeks to morph into a future mobility solutions provider.
Chung, who had served as the group's executive vice chairman, was named the head of the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales at a board meeting.
Chung replaced his octogenarian father, Chung Mong-koo, who had led the automotive group since 2000.

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The Korea Herald  (http://www.koreaherald.com)
New virus cases again up by double digits; cluster infections still drag in virus fight
South Korea's new virus cases rose by double digits on Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections across the nation and imported cases are dragging on the country's virus fight.
The country added 84 more COVID-19 cases, including 53 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a fall from 102 cases reported on Tuesday.
The number of daily new local infections also went down from 69 a day earlier.

S. Korea seeks to supply more homes to newlyweds, first-time homebuyers
South Korea plans to supply more homes to newlyweds and first-time homebuyers through public and private development projects, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday.
About 92 percent of newlyweds and first-time homebuyers will be eligible to purchase housing units as the government plans to ease some rules for them, Hong said in a meeting with property-related ministers.
Currently, the government requires public and private construction firms to sell a certain amount of new homes to newlyweds and first-time homebuyers.

Heir Chung Eui-sun promoted to chairman of Hyundai Motor Group
Chung Eui-sun, longtime heir apparent of Hyundai Motor Group, was promoted to the position of chairman Wednesday as the carmaker seeks to morph into a future mobility solutions provider.
Chung, who had served as the group's executive vice chairman, was named the head of the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales at a board meeting.
Chung replaced his octogenarian father, Chung Mong-koo, who had led the automotive group since 2000.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Hundreds stage rally to protect 'peace statue' in Berlin
Hundreds of people staged a rally in Berlin on Tuesday to protest a district office's order to remove a statue in the German capital symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
Some 300 activists and citizens gathered near the statue, formally called "The Statue of Peace," in Berlin's Mitte district and marched to the Mitte district office, demanding the German city authorities revoke the removal decision.
Korea Verband, a Berlin-based civic group with South Korean ties, and its supporters set up the statue in a public place in Berlin's Mitte district last month to draw international attention to the issue of wartime sexual slavery victims.

Korea reports 84 more cases of new coronavirus
South Korea's new virus cases rose by double digits on Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections across the nation and imported cases are dragging on the country's virus fight.
The country added 84 more COVID-19 cases, including 53 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a fall from 102 cases reported on Tuesday.
The number of daily new local infections also went down from 69 a day earlier.

Bank of Korea keeps key rate steady at record low amid pandemic
South Korea's central bank kept its policy rate steady at a record low of 0.5 percent Wednesday as it is assessing the impact of the protracted coronavirus outbreak on the economy.
As widely expected, the Bank of Korea's (BOK) monetary policy board stood pat on the benchmark seven-day repo rate for the third straight occasion.
In late August, the BOK froze the key rate as economic uncertainty heightened amid a flare-up in new coronavirus cases. In July, the bank left the rate unchanged as well.

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
How was N. Korea able to build its monstrous new ICBM?
“Kim Jong-sik is currently guiding a huge strategic nuclear weapon past Kim Il-sung Square.”
The most striking feature of the military parade that began in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang at 12 am on Oct. 10, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), was the massive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that emerged at the very end of the parade. This missile, which North Korea described as a “huge strategic nuclear weapon,” managed to attract the attention of countries close to the Korean Peninsula for several reasons.
Looking back, North Korea had already shown that it had developed an ICBM capable of striking the continental US with its successful launch of the Hwasong-15 on Nov. 29, 2017. Now that the North has unveiled an even larger ballistic missile, it’s reasonable to assume the new missile has qualities that set it apart from the earlier Hwasong-15.

S. Korea, US, China, Taiwan embroiled in fierce competition to dominate AI semiconductors
South Korea, the US, China, and Taiwan are in fierce competition for dominance in source technology for the AI-related semiconductor market. All four of these countries appear to be bringing their full technological capabilities to bear on the infant industry, which still lacks a dominant player. Not only traditional semiconductor manufacturers but also startups and non-semiconductor companies such as Google and Tesla have jumped into the fray.
On Oct. 12, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun presided over a meeting of government ministers related to the field of technology at the system semiconductor design support center at the second Pangyo Techno Valley in Gyeonggi Province. At the meeting, the government unveiled its strategy for developing the AI semiconductor industry, with the goal of maintaining Korea’s status as a semiconductor powerhouse in the emerging field of AI semiconductors.
The government’s strategy consists of four main objectives: developing AI semiconductors into the next DRAM semiconductor by 2030; controlling a 20% share of the global market for AI semiconductors by 2030; developing 20 innovative AI semiconductor firms and training 3,000 highly talented workers; and seeking to create a technological “super gap” through an innovative processor-in-memory semiconductor based on Korea’s world-class capabilities in memory semiconductors.

Blackpink’s first full-length album climbs to No. 2 on Billboard 200
Blackpink broke their own record for a female K-pop act with their first official album, titled “The Album,” reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
On Oct. 12, Billboard announced that “The Album,” Blackpink’s first official full-length album, had recently debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It is the highest peak yet reached by a female K-pop act. It’s also the strongest Billboard performance for a female group since April 2008, when the US group Danity Kane reached No. 1 on the same chart with their album “Welcome to the Dollhouse.”
Billboard’s two main charts are the Hot 100, a single chart that ranks the post popular songs, and the Billboard 200, an album chart that assigns rankings according to album sales. Hot 100 rankings are based on factors including single sales, streaming, YouTube views, and air time, while Billboard 200 rankings are based on sales and streaming of complete albums and individual tracks. BTS recently spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with its song “Dynamite.”
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
No New Infections on Jeju Despite Wave of Tourists
Not a single new coronavirus case was detected among some 460,000 tourists who visited Jeju Island over Chuseok and the long Hangeul Day weekend.
The Jeju provincial government on Monday said 281,258 tourists visited the island from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 and 103,549 last weekend, while another 20,000 came every day from Oct. 5-8. But nobody has tested positive since Sept. 23.
Yoon Tae-ho, who heads a government taskforce tackling the epidemic, said, "We believe that the risk of another spike caused by the holiday weekends has passed because the incubation period lasts about five days on average."

French Embassy Asks for Exemption from Real Estate Tax
The French Embassy in Seoul has asked the Korean government for an exemption from increased real estate taxes on staff housing it owns in southern Seoul.
According to a diplomatic source on Monday, the French Embassy made the request last month for residential property in the affluent Seocho district in southern Seoul.
Unlike most foreign embassies in Korea, which rent homes for their staff, the French Embassy owns a dozen staff residences.

More Men Buy Lipstick
Sales of lipstick for women have plummeted as everyone is wearing face masks, but sales of lipstick for men -- the moisturizing kind -- are soaring.
According to health and beauty chain CJ Olive Young on Monday, sales of lip balm for men surged 67 percent from July 2019 to June this year.
Men started using more lipstick two years ago. "The market for men's color cosmetics has started to take off and sales of lip balm, which can be handy and easy to use for beginners, have surged," one industry insider said.

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Jeong Eun-kyeong delivers a keynote speech at an international event
“The use of scientific evidence and innovative technologies such as epidemiological surveys based on big data and artificial intelligence is key in this new normal where we live with COVID-19,” said Jeong Eun-kyeong, the commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, during her keynote speech at the international symposium “CAETS 2020” on Tuesday afternoon. She also emphasized the importance of science, technology and international cooperation to overcome the pandemic. The CAETS is an international engineering organization that has members across 30 nations around the world.
Jeong shared South Korea’s experiences of COVID-19 in her pre-recorded speech. “The government and business worked closely together, while healthcare workers and the public joined in the efforts selflessly,” she said. “Timely communications of accurate information and the use of information and communications technology to trace contacts of people who tested positive have been instrumental in the fight against the virus.”
Jeong stressed that technology plays a crucial role in responding to the pandemic as COVID-19 is most likely here to stay. “Developing tests, treatments and vaccines is the most important,” she said. “Improving big data- and AI-related technologies is also needed as it enables us to predict a pandemic and conduct science-based epidemiological surveys.” She also added that technologies that can create a COVID-secure environment in busy places such as stores and restaurants, safe ventilation systems and effective and convenient face masks need to be developed.

U.N., E.U. say N. Korea’s new ICBMs violate U.N. resolutions
The United Nations and the European Union have criticized North Korea for violating the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions after Pyongyang revealed new strategic weaponry including new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) at a military parade that marked the 75th anniversary of North Korean Workers’ Party on Saturday.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Monday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged North Korea to fully comply with international obligations under the UNSC resolutions and to restart diplomatic efforts to achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization and sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula. Nabila Massrali, spokesman for EU foreign and security policy, also said North Korea’s reveal of new ballistic missiles suggest that the regime has continuously violated its obligations under the UNSC resolutions. Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland have also joined them in calling for Pyongyang to implement measures for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.
The international community sees the new strategic weapons is the proof that North Korea has managed to evade sanctions against it to import weapons components. The UNSC passed resolutions to ban imports of any component that could be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) including nuclear weapons and ICBMs.

POSCO Int’l to supply components to Vietnam’s first electric vehicle
A South Korean auto component manufacturer will supply auto parts to Vietnam’s first electric vehicle (EV). POSCO International said on Tuesday that homegrown auto part maker Erae AMS has signed a deal with a Vietnam automotive manufacturer to supply components for 100,000 EVs.
Posco will supply halfshaft, which serves as a drive shaft in EVs. It transmits the driving force generated from the engine to both tires through the transmission.
Vietnam’s first automaker VinFast is planning to start the production of EVs from next year. VinFast, which was established by Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup, aims to mass produce its first EV next year. Erae AMS is a South Korean medium-sized company specializing in producing auto parts related to driving, brakes, and steering and has been exporting its parts to the U.S. since 2011.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
North Korea to “Wait and See” for Now. Will the North Make a “Strategic Decision” in the Party Congress Next January?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated his nation’s stance on foreign affairs in a speech at the military parade in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 10. Simply put, the North will “wait and see.”
His words reflected the concerns of his country, which, in order to prepare for a situation that can proceed in any direction, must be open to all possibilities and handle the situation until a clear direction is set. The direction of North Korea’s foreign policy is expected to be determined at the 8th party congress, which is scheduled for next January, after considering the results of the U.S. presidential election.

Nuclear Power Plants Came to a Sudden Stop 13 Times in 5 Years: Is the Government Still Going to Insist that They Are Safe?
Nuclear power plants in South Korea suddenly stopped operating thirteen times in the past five years. According to the data that the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. submitted to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik, from 2016 until August this year, nuclear power plants malfunctioned and stopped operation 18 times. When we exclude the cases where operation was halted manually for facility maintenance, there were thirteen cases in which the power plants stopped running because of a sudden and unplanned defect. In nine cases, the cause was a mechanical defect in the nuclear power plant; four were due to problems in measuring instruments; three due to the suspension of turbines, and one an electrical problem. Once a nuclear power plant shut down due to a critical mistake--a control rod was inserted improperly. A ruptured vacuum tube and corrosion of sealed areas also caused the power plants to stop operation.


Cheongwadae, “Focus on North Korea’s Suggestion to Restore Inter-Korean Relations”
“We hope our dear compatriots in the South will overcome the health crisis, and let us firmly join hands.” The government focused on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s friendly message at the military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 11, and expressed hopes to resume inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. However, the government expressed concerns on how North Korea disclosed a large number of new strategic weapons and urged the North to abide by the inter-Korean military agreement.

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
S. Korea’s central bank holds interest rate steady at record low 0.50%
South Korea’s central bank kept the policy rate steady at a record low on Wednesday, as expected, amid questions about the effectiveness of the ultra-loose monetary policy at a time when money circulation is at its most subdued.
The Bank of Korea (BOK)’s monetary policy board held the seven-day repurchase rate at a record low of 0.50 percent, choosing to stay pat for the third session in a row.
It had cut the interest rate by a quarter percentage point in May after delivering an emergency cut of 50 basis points in March to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hyundai Motor breaks ground for future mobility innovation lab in Singapore
Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate controlling the country’s biggest carmaker and auto parts maker, will build an open innovation lab in Singapore that will be its research & development hub for future mobility technologies and services by 2022.
The conglomerate on Tuesday broke ground for Hyundai Mobility Global Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) in Singapore. The groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Korean Ambassador to Singapore Ahn Young-jip, Korea’s Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo, Singapore Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo, and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun, was held virtually in the two countries due to Covid-19.

Seoul hints delay in BTS conscription till the age of 30
K-pop superstar BTS members may defer military conscription up to the legal maximum age of 30, which would mean the septet’s activity could be uninterrupted by a two-year service at least for another two years.
“We are studying to grant the deferment up to the maximum age, given the activity age,” Mo Jong-hwa, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, said in parliamentary questioning.
His comment followed after the administration’ statement earlier in the day about amending the military service act to relieve K-pop stars from military duties during their prime age in response to a lawmaker’s questioning whether the military can study exempting BTS from military duties and assign them to alternative state works, given their value to the country.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?
See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com
The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com
Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com  support@wsj.comservice@wsj-asia.com
Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com
The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk
The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk
Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cn kf@people.cn
China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn
GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn
Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com
Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com
Mainichi www.mainichi.jp
Le Monde www.ilemonde.com
Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com
Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de
SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de
Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning 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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