Tuesday, March 9, 2021
 

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

The Korea Post (http://www.koreapost.com/)

40 Korean innovative startups to participate in 'Amazon Launchpad'

Forty Korean startups were selected to participate in 'Amazon Launchpad', a marketing platform for Amazon.com, through the “2021 Korea International Trade Association X Amazon Launchpad Meetup,” the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced.

KITA published “Online Exhibition User Guide” in COVID-19 era

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced on February 22 that it had published the '2021 Online Exhibition User Guide' with a view to helping Korean export companies participate in the online exhibitions.

Korea’s export value rises by 9.5% to $44.8 billion in February

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on March 1 that Korea’s export value went up 9.5 percent to $44.8 billion in February. Imports also increased 13.9 percent to $42.1 billion. The trade balance stood at a surplus of $2.7 billion, staying positive for the 10th consecutive month.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Moon: Housing Supply Plan Must Continue without Glitch

President Moon Jae-in has stressed the need to smoothly carry out the government’s plan to supply some 830-thousand new homes nationwide over the next four years. 

Unification Minister: Inter-Korean Dialogue Should Resume in 1st Half

Unification Minister Lee In-young has stressed that it would be desirable for inter-Korean dialogue to resume in the first half of this year, considering it is in the second half of President Moon Jae-in’s term.

Vatican Proclaims Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground Int'l Pilgrimage Site

The Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground in South Korea's central Chungcheong provincial city of Seosan has been named an international pilgrimage site by the Vatican.
The Seosan city government announced on Tuesday that the Vatican made the proclamation on March 1.

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

Samsung to reclaim No. 1 spot in Q1 smartphone production: report

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to recapture the top spot in global smartphone production in the first quarter of the year, a report showed Tuesday, with the release of its new flagship smartphone.

 Moon calls for speedy housing supply despite LH land speculation scandal

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Tuesday for the government to go ahead with plans to expand the housing supply in spite of alleged speculative land purchases by employees of the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said.

S. Korea to begin memorial wall construction in Washington to honor Korean War veterans

South Korea plans to hold a ceremony to break ground for the construction of a memorial wall in Washington later this year to honor U.S. veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans affairs ministry here said Tuesday.

Seoul has been working on the project to construct the "Memorial Wall of Remembrance" in Washington by 2022 to convey its appreciation to the American veterans' sacrifice and commitment during the war.

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

Inter-family asset inheritances, gifts jump to W113tr

The amount of lineally inherited and gifted assets has reached nearly 113 trillion won ($99 billion), surging about 42 percent in the last five years, according to data compiled by the National Tax Service Tuesday.

Seoul Fashion Week runways to expand to Korea's landmarks, museums

The next edition of Seoul Fashion Week will expand its runway stages to Seoul landmarks and museums, taking advantage of the online platform to move beyond its usual main venue, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where the country’s largest fashion week has been hosted for the last seven years.

Busan to host G-Star through 2028

The Korea Association of Games Industry announced on Monday that Busan will continue to host the G-Star gaming exhibition until 2028.
G-star is the country’s largest gaming exhibition held annually in November featuring games and developers from around the globe. After kicking off in Seoul in 2005, it relocated to Busan in 2009 and has been held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center ever since.

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

Clusters, rising travel drag on virus battle; new infections over 400 again

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 400 on Tuesday as continued cluster infections and increased outdoor activity are feared to ignite another surge in virus infections.

Ministry finalizes guidelines on leafleting ban to clarify scope of application

The unification ministry on Tuesday announced finalized guidelines on a legislated ban on sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea in an effort to ensure better interpretation of the law.
The amendment to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, set to take effect later this month, has raised concerns that it could hurt freedom of expression and undercut efforts to send information into the reclusive North.

Police raid Land and Housing Corp headquarters over land speculation scandal

Police on Tuesday launched a raid on the headquarters of the state housing corporation over allegations of land speculation by more than a dozen of its employees.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) headquarters in Jinju, 434 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to seize material on the transactions based allegedly on insider information.

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

Where does S. Korea stand in terms of gender inequality?

 

How does South Korea rank globally for gender equality? To answer that question, one may look to the gender equality indexes published by major world organizations, but they can hardly be viewed as absolute standards. The gender equality statistics in different countries may be incomplete, and the rankings can be heavily affected by how that is reflected.

Berliners celebrate International Women’s Day in front of comfort women statue

“Today is a day of historic significance. This is the first day we’re celebrating International Women’s Day in front of the Statue of Peace, along with the people of Berlin and particularly the people who are here in Moabit,” said Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, chairwoman of Korea Verband.

BTS named Global Recording Artist of 2020

K-pop group BTS was named Global Recording Artist of the Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The IFPI announced Wednesday the results of its Global Artist selections for 2020 through its official webpage and social media. Since the IFPI first began selecting “Global Artists” from among world pop acts in 2013, this is the first time that a recording act from South Korea — or Asia — has come out ahead of mainstream acts from the Anglophone world.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Provincial Private Universities Struggle to Recruit Students

Many private universities outside Seoul opened their new semester last week amid an unprecedented shortage of students.

Some 162 second- and third-tier universities in the provinces failed to fill their student quotas during regular admissions season that ended on Feb. 19. This was partly because just 493,000 students took the university entrance exam last year, a record low, with the result that an estimated 10,000 places remain unfilled, mostly at provincial universities that are nobody's first choice.

Over 3 Million Workers Earn Less Than Minimum Wage

Some 3.19 million workers in Korea earn less than the minimum wage, the second-highest number on record.

The Korea Employers Federation said Monday that 3.19 million people made less than the minimum wage last year, accounting for 15.6 percent of the total workforce.
 

Nearly 100 Women Killed by Partners Last Year

At least 97 women were killed by their husbands or boyfriends last year, the Korea Women's Hotline revealed Monday to mark International Women's Day.

Some 45 of the 97 femicides were committed by the victim's husband and the rest by their boyfriend. Another 131 women survived murder attempts by men..
 

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

Cost-sharing deal finally reached, amounts not disclosed

Seoul and Washington have struck a deal Sunday (local time) on their defense cost-sharing agreement, which has been bogged down for a long time. The agreement came 46 days after U.S. President Joe Biden was sworn in office, declaring to restore relations with allies.

Food prices in South Korea up by 6.5% in January

South Korea saw its food prices jump in January, the fourth-biggest increase among OECD member countries. In February, which overlaps the Lunar New Year holiday, food prices recorded the biggest jump in the past nine and a half years.

3.19 million workers earned less than minimum wage last year

It was found that as many as 3.19 million workers, 15.6% of the entire workforce in the country, received wages lower than the minimum wage rate last year. It means 15 out of 100 workers did not receive the legal minimum wage of 8,590 won per hour. In particular, nearly half of those, who work in the agriculture, fishing, lodging, and food industries, did not earn the minimum wage.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

“Public Officials Involved in Real Estate Speculation Will Have to Cough Up 5 Times the Amount of Profits and Be Restricted from Employment in Relevant Agencies”

The government is promoting measures to have public officials and employees at public agencies who seek personal profits by taking advantage of inside information in connection to real estate development cough up up to five times the amount of profits they earn.
 

Two Nurses Confirmed COVID-19-Positive After Receiving Vaccines. They May Have Contracted the Virus Before Antibodies Were Produced

Two nurses at the National Medical Center, who received the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19, were found to be positive for the novel coronavirus. They contracted the virus despite receiving the primary dose of the vaccine, because it takes 3-4 weeks after the first shot is administered for the body to produce antibodies, and a second shot of the vaccine is necessary to better produce antibodies.
 

Sexual Minorities Fought by “Being,” While Discrimination and Hatred Drove Them to “Not Being”

Two transgender activists who had publicly confronted hatred of sexual minorities died. On February 24, Kim Ki-hong (38), head of the Jeju Queer Culture Festival organizing committee died and on March 3, Byun Hee-soo (Byeon Hui-su, 23), a former Army staff sergeant--the first transgender professional soldier--was found dead. The two had fought discrimination against sexual minorities in their respective places after voluntarily disclosing their identity as a transgender. A reality in which the government didn’t bother to collect statistics on sexual minorities and the failure to enact an anti-discrimination bill with relevant discussions going around in circles at the National Assembly for a decade are some factors that may have contributed to the tragic deaths.
 

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

Hyundai Motor adds 12 EV lineup by 2025, solid-state battery car by 2030: R&D chief

South Korean auto conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group aims to release 12 new electric vehicle models by 2025, solid-state battery-equipped car by 2030 to achieve a global EV market share of 10 percent by 2040, its research & development head Albert Biermann told the Maeil Business Newspaper.

Korea’s C/A surplus streak stretches to 9th month in Jan on strong exports

South Korea extended a surplus streak in the current account to the ninth straight month in January as exports stayed strong while losses in travel account thinned due to pandemic influence.

Spring retail sales in Korea return to pre-Covid-19 levels on pent-up spending

Weekend spending at Korean top department stores has returned to pre-Covid-19 levels this month on pent-up shopping spree after lengthy stringent social restrictions.

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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 Herald www.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports www.colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet www.bogotafreeplanet.com bfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes www.redaktionstest.net/andes-info-ec/
Ecuador Times www.ecuadortimes.net/
The Jordan Times www.jordantimes.com/
LSM.lv www.lsm.lv/
The Baltic Times www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais https://english.elpais.com/
Philippine Daily Inquirer www.inquirer.net/
Daily News Hungary https://dailynewshungary.com/
Budapest Times www.budapesttimes.hu/
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Morocco: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE
And many other countries.
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