Monay, May 31, 2021

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

 

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

Korea, Indonesia to strengthen bilateral industrial cooperation and investment

Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook met his Indonesian counterpart, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, at a ministerial meeting in Seoul, on May 26, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. They discussed measures to expand bilateral cooperation and investment in the industry and energy sectors. The ministers shared the view that it is important to expand trade and investment, as well as industrial and energy cooperation between the two countries as global supply chain risks, digital transformation, and carbon-neutral movement, are reshaping the global economy. Minister Moon requested continued support from the Indonesia government for the business activities of Korean firms based in Indonesia.

 

Will Junseok Lee win the leadership of main opposition party in Korea?

So say many conservative-oriented major Korean-language news media in Seoul, including popular Korean-language daily Chosun Ilbo (May 29, 2921). They were referring to Junseok ‘Andy’ Lee who is only 36 years old but who is now causing a ‘whirl wind’ in the Korean political arena running way ahead of all the star contenders in the contest for the chairmanship of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). In an opinion survey conducted on May 28, Lee is known to have won the first place with a 41% victory way ahead of runnier-up PPP National Assemblyman Na Kyung-won who won 29%. She is one of the top-rate leaders in the main opposition party. The third place went to Rep. Joo Ho-young (15%), Hong Moon-pyo (5%) and Rep. Cho Kyung-tae (4%). Even in the polls conducted among the members of the PPP, where 50% is reflected, the anticipated difference in favor of the PPP leader Mme Na was only 1%, Lee winning 31%, only 1% less than 32% won by Mme Na. At this time, it might not be amiss to learn a bit more about Lee. Here are excerpts from a Wikipedia account of Lee:

 

Samsung Electronics unveils new mid-power LED package

Samsung Electronics has introduced the LM301B EVO, a new mid-power LED package that has been designed to set the pace in light efficacy and color quality for indoor and industrial applications, the company said on May 27. Samsung Electronics has introduced the LM301B EVO, a new mid-power LED package.

Global regulations and standards for lighting, once centered on light efficacy, are becoming more comprehensive to include strict criteria for energy efficiency and color quality. The LM301B EVO helps to meet the rigorous lighting standards on both energy efficiency and color quality. Built upon Samsung’s proprietary flip-chip design, the LED package features the industry’s highest efficacy of 235 lumens per watt (lm/W), by applying a new reflective material inside the packaging mold and improving phosphor conversion efficiency. Samsung also fine-tuned the red spectrum in the LED’s phosphor mix to enable superior color quality, especially with the red hues which are usually more difficult to render accurately. Our new LM301B EVO offers an unrivaled mix of light efficacy and color rendering that aligns nicely with the changing landscape of LED lighting standards,” said Kim Un-soo, senior vice president of the LED Business Team at Samsung Electronics. He added, “Samsung will continue to provide value-added LED light sources through technological innovation, as we push hard to exceed energy standards across the globe.”

 

 

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

 

S. Korea to Receive Janssen's COVID-19 Vaccine for 1 Mln People from US This Week

South Korea will receive one million doses of the Johnson & Johnson(J&J) COVID-19 vaccine from the United States this week, following Washington's pledge to donate vaccines for Korean troops.Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Sunday that it's nearly double the volume that U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to provide during the recent summit with President Moon Jae-in. At the summit, Biden pledged to provide vaccines to fully inoculate all 550-thousand South Korean service members who work closely with U.S. troops in South Korea on a daily basis. The prime minister expressed gratitude to President Biden and the U.S. government for demonstrating its commitment to the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Kim said that Korean military aircraft will airlift the single-shot vaccines from the U.S., adding the government plans to administer them to military-related personnel, including reserve forces and the civil defense corps.

 

S. Korea, Denmark Forge 'Comprehensive Green Strategic Partnership'

South Korea and Denmark agreed Sunday to upgrade their ties to a "comprehensive green strategic partnership" as part of efforts to enhance cooperation on climate and the environment. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reached the agreement in their virtual summit held just before the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit opened. The two leaders adopted a joint statement announcing the agreement, as the two nations commemorate the tenth anniversary this year of establishing a "green growth alliance" and "strategic partnership." President Moon said that the special cooperative partnership between the two nations is deepening with their joint response to climate change, expressing his expectations for bilateral cooperation.

 

N. Korea Slams End to US Missile Guidelines on S. Korea

North Korea has criticized the United States for lifting "missile guidelines" on South Korea as a "stark reminder" of Washington's hostile approach to Pyongyang. The North's official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Monday carried an article by Kim Myong-chol, who it described as an "international affairs critic." This marks the North's first reaction after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden held summit talks on May 21 and agreed to terminate all missile guideline restrictions on the flight range and warhead weight of South Korean missiles. The North Korean critic slammed the termination as an intentional act of hostility against Pyongyang, accusing the U.S. of applying a double standard as it sought to ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles. Kim denounced the end to the guidelines as a "stark reminder" of the hostile U.S. policy toward the North and its "shameful double-dealing."

 

 

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

 

N. Korea says lifting of 'missile guidelines' on S. Korea reminder of U.S. hostility

North Korea on Monday slammed the U.S. lifting of all restrictions on South Korean missiles as a "stark reminder" of Washington's hostile approach to Pyongyang, saying the recently unveiled U.S. policy on the North is "just trickery." This marked the North's first reaction after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed at their May 21 summit to use diplomacy to resolve the North's nuclear standoff and to terminate all "missile guideline" restrictions on the flight range and warhead weight of South Korean missiles. Still, the North's criticism appeared to be restrained as it was couched in a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) article under the name of an international affairs critic, rather than official government statements. "The U.S., doggedly branding the measures taken by the DPRK for self-defence as violation of UN 'resolutions,' grants its allies unlimited right to missile development. It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue," the article said.

 

Vice justice chief undergoes police probe over assault case

Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu was questioned by police Sunday over allegations that he pressured a taxi driver he assaulted to destroy related evidence and went unpunished. Lee appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in central Seoul to undergo questioning for the November case where Lee allegedly hurled insults at the driver and grabbed him by the collar in an intoxicated state when the man tried to wake him up after arriving at his home. Police were called to the scene and let Lee go home after confirming his identity. But they later closed the case without booking Lee, as the taxi driver did not want him punished. Lee was a lawyer at that time and was appointed vice minister on Dec. 2. But fresh allegations have emerged that Lee demanded the taxi driver delete the footage from his dashboard camera to destroy evidence. He offered to resign Friday, saying the ministry needs a new worker to better support the Moon Jae-in administration for its remaining one year.

 

P4G Seoul summit opens, S. Korea unveils plans to contribute more to global green projects

A major global summit on climate and sustainable growth got underway in South Korea on Sunday, with the host country seeking to play a bigger role in the field. The two-day 2021 P4G Seoul Summit is taking place both online and offline with the theme of "Inclusive Green Recovery towards Carbon Neutrality." President Moon Jae-in is chairing the session, to be joined by more than 60 foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, largely via video links. Speaking during the opening ceremony at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, Moon announced Seoul's plans to expand support for developing nations, including a significant increase by 2025 in its official development assistance (ODA) associated with climate and green projects. "We will also create a Green New Deal Trust Fund worth US$5 million at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)," he said, referring to the organization based in the South Korean capital. He added that South Korea will offer $4 million in new grants to P4G for the sake of its sustainable operation.

 

 

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

 

Korea-US alliance should not take aim at China: Chinese envoy

South Korean diplomacy in recent years has been increasingly complicated by a tough balancing act: Weighing the demands of its security ally the US against its top trading partner China. Seoul’s strategic dilemma was showed again recently when the joint Korea-US statement -- issued following the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart, Joe Biden -- triggered a sharp response from Beijing. Despite relatively toned-down language and no direct reference to China, Beijing took issue with the two countries’ mention of Taiwan in their statement, condemning it as interfering in China’s internal affairs. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming said he was well aware of the difficult balance Seoul had to strike, but warned against forming any grouping or relations that undermine Beijing. There is no problem in Korea’s developing its ties with the US. But it shouldn’t target China,” Xing told The Korea Herald in a recent interview held at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. “China and Korea are strategic cooperative partners, whereas Korea and the US are traditional allies. (Seoul’s) two relations should go hand in hand, and not contradict each other.”

 

Japan's Dokdo claims spark calls for Olympics boycott

The torch relay route map on the Tokyo Olympics website illustrating Korea’s Dokdo as part of Japan’s territory has raised the possibility of Seoul boycotting the Summer Games. Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets, appeared on the official website of the Tokyo Olympics Committee as part of Japan in July 2019. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry immediately urged Tokyo to delete Korea’s islets from the map. Japan then revised the map to make Dokdo less visible, but the islets were still visible if the map was enlarged. Japan’s latest claim of Dokdo has led to mounting calls for Korea to withdraw from the upcoming Olympic Games slated to begin July 23. Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun wrote on Facebook on Sunday that Japan’s inclusion of Dokdo on its Olympic map was a clear political provocation. He said he opposes Seoul’s participation in the Summer Games that “undermine Korea’s sovereignty and pride.” If the demands for political neutrality raised at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics three years ago do not apply equally to the Tokyo Olympics, it would be a violation of equity and damage to the Olympic spirit based on fairness,” he said.

 

P4G climate summit opens in Seoul

The P4G summit kicked off in Seoul on Sunday, bringing together top government officials and heads of international organizations around the world to discuss climate change and ways to achieve green growth at a critical time when there are growing calls for a sustainable, green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is hosting the two-day event, vowed to take on a larger role in fighting climate change as he attended the opening ceremony held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. This year’s event, which was originally planned for last year but was delayed due to the pandemic, is being held in a hybrid format, featuring a mix of live and recorded addresses. It is the first multilateral conference on the environment hosted by the Korean government. In his opening address, Moon pledged to significantly increase the amount of Official Development Assistance that goes to climate- and green-related projects by 2025. He also said the government will bolster support for developing countries to implement green growth policies, through a new $5 million fund established by the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute. Moon also expressed Korea’s intent to host the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties slated for 2023.

 

 

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

 

Korea to unveil higher target of carbon emissions reduction in Nov.

President Moon Jae-in pledged Sunday to strengthen Korea's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for greenhouse gas reduction for 2030 as the country's intermediate goal ahead of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Also, the President unveiled Seoul's plan to host the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023, while promising to expand the nation's official development assistance (ODA) focused on developing countries' climate actions and green growth as well as joining international regimes for biodiversity. The pledges came from Moon's opening ceremony speech for the P4G Seoul Summit, which kicked off its two-day run online to pursue international cooperation for stronger environmental actions. P4G stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030. "Korea will additionally raise its national greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030," Moon said. "As an intermediate goal for last year's declaration that Korea will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Korea will strengthen its NDCs for 2030 and present it at COP26 slated for November." The NDCs specifically delineate how each country will reduce national carbon emissions and meet the common climate goals within the global framework. Korea presented its NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change last December, pledging to cut the country's carbon emissions by 24.4 percent by 2030 from 2017 levels.

 

Joint military drill likely to be downsized

An annual combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States, scheduled for the second half of the year, is likely to be once again staged in a scaled-back manner, with President Moon Jae-in remaining skeptical of conducting a large-scale drill, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During a luncheon meeting with the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, to share the results of the Korea-U.S. Summit in Washington, Wednesday, Moon said it may be difficult to carry out a field exercise involving a large number of military personnel, due to the current pandemic situation. Moon added that the two countries will decide on how, when and at what level to hold the joint exercises in a prudent manner, but he did not comment on the possibility of normalizing the South Korea-U.S. joint drills this year, even after the U.S. vowed to supply vaccines for Korean soldiers. During the Korea-U.S. summit earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to provide full vaccinations for all 550,000 Korean troops "both for their sake, as well as the sake of the American forces." Biden's remarks sparked hopes of normalizing the joint drill in the second half of this year, if the vaccines are distributed and Korean soldiers are inoculated quickly.

 

North Korea continues activities at Yongbyon but no clear sign of spent fuel rods transfer: report

North Korea appears to be continuing activities at its Yongbyon nuclear complex but no clear evidence has been detected to determine if spent fuel rods have been transferred from the storage facility to produce plutonium, a U.S. think tank has said. The monitoring website 38 North made the assessment Friday, based on recent satellite imagery, also noting that minor activities have been spotted at the site's uranium enrichment plant while construction of a new wing of a lab building continued. "The coal-fired Thermal Plant, which supplies steam to the RCL, has remained in continuous operation since early March, although the smoke plume is somewhat diminished on the most recent satellite imagery," 38 North said. RCL stands for the Radiochemical Laboratory. The think tank said the provided information is "insufficient to definitively determine whether a new reprocessing campaign is underway or whether the activity is simply related to the processing of radioactive waste from previous campaigns." Still, the North's continued construction of a new wing of one of the laboratory buildings and expansion of other facilities demonstrate Pyongyang's "determination to continue their research and improve their capabilities at the Yongbyon complex," it said.

 

 

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

 

N.Korea Wipes Moon from Diplomatic Record

North Korea has pointedly left pictures of recent summits with President Moon Jae-in out of a book celebrating the alleged diplomatic achievements of leader Kim Jong-un. The North seems to feel duped by South Korea after several summits with the U.S. that Moon brokered led to no easing of international sanctions. The book pictures Kim rubbing shoulders with world leaders like Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump. It describes the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit as a "miraculous" meeting that "wrote a new history" in bilateral relations. Pictures show Kim and Trump shaking hands, sitting face-to-face at a meeting, signing a joint statement as well as the meeting hall, commemorative coins, stamps and foreign press clippings. It even describes the abortive 2019 U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi as the "historic second reunion." And although Trump's brief meeting with Kim at the border truce village of Panmunjom four months later is celebrated over 10 pages, none of them show Moon, who was also there.

 

Moon Is Desperate to Weasel out of Joint Drills with U.S.

President Moon Jae-in is clearly terrified of resuming joint U.S.-South Korean military drills, telling political leaders Wednesday it would be "difficult" for soldiers to engage in "face-to-face training" amid the coronavirus pandemic. There were hopes that large field exercises can resume after U.S. President Joe Boden promised to send vaccines for some 550,000 Korean soldiers who work closely with American troops here. So what is Moon so scared of? The annual joint military exercises were halted when Biden's predecessor Donald Trump jettisoned them as an unexpected and unwarranted gift to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018. It seems Trump was duped into the concession under the illusion that Kim would reciprocate by scrapping his nuclear weapons. Thereafter the government here used the pandemic as an excuse to duck out of resuming them. The next commander of the U.S. Forces Korea said in a hearing that the joint military exercises are "extremely important to build readiness" and "live training is a lot better than the virtual and the constructive." He added that a pint of sweat in training saves a gallon of blood in battle. That shows why Biden chose to give valuable vaccines to Korean troops. Moon's decision to accept the U.S.' position on Taiwan and the South China Sea and support the anti-China Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to some extent has generated a lot of speculation. Some believe Moon is still only interested in staging more feel-good photo ops with Kim, and in return for accepting the U.S. demands, he would have wanted to include in their joint statement a commitment to agreements that Trump and he himself had signed with Kim in Singapore and Panmunjom.

 

Moon to Meet Tycoons Next Week

President Moon Jae-in will have lunch with the leaders of Korea's four largest business groups Samsung, SK, LG, and Hyundai Motor at Cheong Wa Dae next week. Moon is expected to thank them for pledging a total of W44 trillion in the U.S. to sweeten his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden last weekend and discuss with them ways to secure global supply chains of key materials (US$1=W1,117). A Cheong Wa Dae spokesman on Thursday said Moon invited SK chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG chairman Koo Kwang-mo, who accompanied Moon on his recent trip to the U.S. Samsung vice chairman Kim Ki-nam will attend the meeting on behalf of his jailed boss Lee Jae-yong. Moon and Biden decided to strengthen cooperation in core industries like semiconductors and batteries as well as technologies such 5G and 6G mobile networks, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum technology. The tycoons played a vital role in boosting Moon's standing. They attended a Korea-U.S. business roundtable event hosted by the Commerce Department on May 21, where they announced U.S. investment plans worth a total of US$39.4 billion.

 

 

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

 

S. Korean athletes are anxious about Tokyo Olympics

According to the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, 186 Korean athletes in 23 events had passed various qualifiers and earned a spot in the Tokyo Olympics as of Thursday. The number of South Korean Olympians is expected to increase to 200-210 once qualifiers are held at the end of June. Most of these athletes are wrapping up a strenuous training regime at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province. But it’s hard to feel at ease when the situation is so volatile. Surveys show that nearly 80 percent of Japanese want the Olympic Games to be canceled and delayed, and the US recently warned its citizens not to travel to Japan. I feel nervous, but the games will definitely take place,” said a South Korean ballplayer in the final stages of training for the Olympics. “While I don’t have a television in my room, I see bits of pieces of the news in the cafeteria, and it fills me with dread.”

 

Voices opposing Tokyo Olympics grow louder in, out of Japan

Concerns about the Olympics are growing both inside and outside of Japan. Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, a sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics, ran a special editorial calling on Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to call off the Olympics. An expert who advises the New Zealand government on COVID-19 measures said it would be “absurd” to hold the Olympics. And Taiwan’s baseball team has pulled out of a qualifying round for the Olympics. The Asahi Shimbun’s editorial Wednesday was titled “Prime Minister Suga, please call off the Olympics this summer.” The newspaper typically runs two editorials, but in this edition the Olympics editorial filled the entire space. This is the first time a major newspaper has explicitly called for the Olympics to be called off. The COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be brought under control, rendering it inevitable that the government will have to declare another extension of the state of emergency currently covering Tokyo and other prefectures,” the newspaper said, arguing that the Olympics could threaten “the lives, health, and livelihoods of citizens.” We demand that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga evaluate the situation calmly and objectively and decide against holding the Olympics and Paralympics this summer.”

 

Biden gets what he wants without twisting anyone’s arm

The summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden that concluded Friday offered an illustration of Biden’s brand of diplomacy four months into his term. In a sense, summit diplomacy is providing him with an opportunity to truly show the foreign affairs and national security expertise and beliefs that he established over a 36-year history in the Senate — including four years as its Foreign Relations Committee chair — and eight years as US vice president. To begin with, the South Korea-US summit showed Biden’s skill at guiding other parties in his direction without twisting their arm. In contrast with predecessor Donald Trump’s heavy-handed approach of attempting to bully allies into paying more, Biden has elevated the two sides’ level of integration through an approach that shows respect for allies as equal partners — while also sharing rights and responsibilities accordingly. In the latest summit, Biden recognized South Korea as a global partner in regional security, economic matters and climate change, accepting its independent role while expressing support for inter-Korean dialogue, engagement and cooperation.

 

 

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

 

Pres. Moon expresses concern about marine plastic at P4G Summit

If I can start my life all over again, I wish I could become a tree expert and lead a carefree lifestyle, tending my farms.” outh Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday in a special video message for the 2021 Seoul P4G Summit (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030), responding to actress Park Jin-hee’s remarks when she called him a forest commentator. Pundits say that the president’s comment reflects his candid thought, wistful for the rest of his tenure which will be over in less than a year. President Moon, who has a small plot of farm inside the presidential residence, is known for his keen interest in farming and plants. The South Korean president said a single day where he could walk his dog Maru, water his plants, remove the weeds, and read books while drinking rice wine with his feet dipped in the stream in front of his house would be “his perfect day.” In this 37-minute video, President Moon took a stroll around the official residence with Park and Tyler Rasch, talking about the meaning of the summit and the small actions one can take in their daily lives to protect the planet.

 

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee earns power and support day after day

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung and former ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan made a rare joint appearance at the 2021 DMZ Forum held at KINTEX, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. It was the first time for the former DP chairman to join an official event along with Gov. Lee since he endorsed the governor behind the scenes. Public attention was attracted by a lineup of not only pro-Roh Moo-hyun political leaders including former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook but also former and incumbent diplomatic and national security figures who support former President Roh and incumbent President Moon Jae-in. Gyeonggi Province has since 2019 been home to the DMZ Forum on a yearly basis. This year’s event was jointly held for the first time by the provincial government and the Northeast Asia Peace Economic Association where former DP Chairman Lee serves as chief director.

 

People want new conservatives

Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old former member of the Supreme Council, won the most votes in the race to determine the finalists for the leadership of the People Power Party. The result is based on the combination of the opinion polls of 2,000 party members and 2,000 non-party members conducted by two agencies with the equal weight given to each poll. Lee won 41 percent, while Na Kyung-won in second place won 29 percent, which means there was a gap of more than 10 percentage points between the most popular candidate with no experience in the National Assembly and the next in line with four elections wins. Others selected as finalists include Joo Ho-young with five wins, Hong Moon-pyo with four wins, and Cho Kyoung-tae with five wins in the order of popularity. Even though it is a preliminary result, it proved that Lee in his 30s has a significant following. In the survey of non-party members, Lee was twice as popular as Na, but Na was the winning candidate in the survey of party members, though with only about one percentage point ahead.

 

 

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

 

People Who Receive the First Vaccine Shot Can Go Without Masks Outdoors Beginning July

Starting June, people who receive the first COVID-19 vaccine shot can see their families without any restrictions on gatherings of immediate family members (fourteen days after receiving the first shot). From July, they can enjoy outdoor activities without masks and without keeping a distance of two meters from other people. People who have received all two shots will have more freedom in attending various gatherings and using public facilities (fourteen days after receiving the second shot). On May 26, the government announced that it would grant such incentives to people who have been inoculated. It was a means to encourage people to get vaccinated in order to achieve the goal of administering the first vaccine shots to 13 million people in the first half of this year, but some experts voice concerns that the excessive incentives could actually be a risk factor in disease control. In a press briefing, Kwon Deok-chul, first assistant director of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced, “Based on the effects of vaccination, we will gradually adjust the disease prevention guidelines in order to provide incentives for vaccination and to restore our daily lives, which has suffered from COVID-19.”

 

Careful Not to Cause Sparks in Relations with China: Cheongwadae, “The U.S. and China Are Both Important Countries”

After a summit with the U.S., the Moon Jae-in government now has the heavy task of managing its relations with China. In the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, President Moon Jae-in expanded South Korea’s alliance with the U.S.--previously centered on defense--in all directions including semiconductors, batteries, next-generation mobile communications (6G), and the space industry. However, these are all areas in which the U.S. is fiercely competing with China, so for South Korea, which has a unique and complex relationship with China, this means a heavier diplomatic burden. In particular, the latest joint statement by the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. mentioned the issue of Taiwan for the first time and it also mentioned a number of sensitive issues for China, such as the South China Sea and QUAD (a strategic dialogue of four countries initiated by the U.S.). South Korea barely managed to restore relations with China, which had frozen after the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, but the latest summit results could once again have an adverse effect, deepening the government’s concerns over a diplomatic solution. On May 24, Cheongwadae focused on minimizing the diplomatic ripples by calming concerns about South Korea’s relationship with China. A senior Cheongwadae official met with reporters and said, “The U.S and China are both important countries to us,” and added, “The government has consistently held the position that we can harmoniously develop our strategic partnership with China based on a firm R.O.K.-U.S. alliance.” He stressed that despite the expansion of the alliance with the U.S. this did not mean that South Korea had leaned toward the U.S. in its stance between the two super powers. The official also said, “We have engaged in necessary communication with China through the foreign ministry in connection to the latest visit to the U.S.”

 

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

 

Seoul to extend tax breaks on car purchases till the year-end

The South Korean government is pushing back sunset date on sale tax cut incentive for new car purchases to year-end as not to spoil the fledgling sign of improvement in domestic consumption. Hong Nam-ki, finance minister and deputy prime minister for economy, at an emergency economic council meeting on Friday said the government will extend the temporary tax breaks for car purchases by another six months to the end of this year. The government temporarily has cut the tax on domestic car purchases from 5 percent to 3.5 percent, which has the effect of saving sale tax by 30 percent, to boost domestic demand. The program was due to expire on June 30. The government will also expand support in the job market, especially to bolster youth employment.

 

Income-led growth policy architect Hong Jang-pyo appointed as new KDI chief

Hong Jang-pyo, economics professor at Pukyong National University who held roles as President Moon Jae-in’s first senior secretary on economic affairs and chairman of income-led growth committee, has been appointed as the new head the state think tank Korea Development Institute (KDI) for a three-year term. Hong, 61, studied economics at Seoul National University and earned master’s and doctorate there. The appointment of Hong, architect of Moon’s income-led growth policy, in the final year of Moon’s term has met criticism as the policy is partially blamed for the battered economy.

 

President invites chiefs of four top groups to thank their near $40 bn US invest

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has invited chiefs of the country’s top four conglomerates Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and LG, for a luncheon meeting at presidential house Cheong Wa Dae on June 2 to express gratitude for their pledge of $39.4 billion investment in U.S. that has helped to strengthen vaccine and business alliance with the world’s biggest economy.

 

 

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://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@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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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

 

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