Wednesday, January 18, 2023


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

 

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

Leaders of the two countries have strong interest to a higher level”
Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tung of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in Seoul said, “The Presidents of the two friendly countries discussed and agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership,’ which is a new framework that will serve the goal to bring the cooperative relations between the two countries to a higher level.” It appears that the two countries are now in good hands, especially at this time when Korea is led by President Yoon Suk-yeol who is very international cooperation-friendly.

 

26,000 Soviet troops invaded Baku and Sumgait in Azerbaijan
On the night of January 19 to 20, 1990, by order of the USSR leadership, 26,000 Soviet troops invaded Baku and Sumgait, as well as other cities of Azerbaijan. As a result of this military intervention, 147 civilians were killed and 744 were seriously injured. This event went down in the history of modern Azerbaijan as “Black January”. Before these tragic events, the groundless territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, as well as the violent and brutal deportation of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from Armenia spurred the expansion of the movement against the Soviet Government in Azerbaijan.

 

Ildong Foodis’ eating protein, “Himune”, emerges as a hit product
Ildong Foodis, a milk powder company that suffered from a deficit in the aftermath of the low birth rate, is writing a reversal drama with 'eating protein'. In a situation where the food trend cycle is shortening and hot selling products are rare, it has grown “Himune” into a mega brand with annual sales of 100 billion won. Ildong Foodis announced on Jan. 16 that the sales of its protein supplement 'Himune Protein Balance' exceeded 300 billion in three years after its launch. After posting sales of 30 billion won in the first year of its launch in 2020, it surpassed 105 billion won in 2021 and 165 billion won last year, maintaining the No. 1 position in the domestic protein market.

 

                                                            


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

Southeast Asia Tops Lunar New Year Holiday Destinations

Southeast Asia is Koreans' favorite holiday destination for the upcoming Lunar New Year. Korea's No. 1 travel agency Hana Tour on Monday said 15,000 people have booked package tours for Jan. 20 to 24, or about 52 percent of levels seen before the pandemic began in 2020. Southeast Asia accounted for 54 percent of bookings, Japan for 30 percent and Europe for seven percent. Within Southeast Asia, Vietnam topped the list with 36 percent of bookings, followed by Thailand with 17 percent, and the Philippines with 12 percent.


Yoon Says Nuclear Power Essential for Carbon Neutrality
President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday said nuclear power is an integral part of Korea's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Yoon was speaking at the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in the UAE, where he is on a state visit. Korea's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality will largely depend on a reversal of the previous government's nuclear phaseout, he added. Yoon also applauded the UAE's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as the first country in the Middle East to commit to the goal. He singled out Masdar City, a planned city that will be run on sustainable energy and resources.

S.Korea, U.S. Practice Attacking N.Korea's WMD Facilities
South Korea and the U.S. are staging massive combined drills to practice seizing North Korea's weapons of mass destruction facilities. The Defense Ministry here said Thursday that South Korea's armored brigade in the Army Capital Mechanized Infantry Division and the Stryker brigade of the South Korea-U.S. Command Forces have been conducting massive winter drills since Monday. They end on Friday. They mobilized some 1,200 troops and 158 armored combat vehicles to practice discovering and infiltrating a mock-up North Korean WMD storage facility in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

                                                                                    

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

Former SBW chairman is whisked to questioning from Incheon airport
The former chairman of SBW Group arrived at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday morning and was whisked to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office to face questioning on a string of corruption accusations. Kim Seong-tae, 55, who was nabbed on a golf course in Thailand last week after eight months on the lam, denied any wrongdoing when confronted by reporters at the airport and said he would prove his innocence.

 

Yoon wraps up UAE trip, calls for science and tech cooperation
President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up a four-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tuesday, an opportunity to deepen relations and seal a series of energy, business and arms deals. On the last day of the UAE trip, Yoon focused on science and technology cooperation during an event in Dubai. "Through solidarity and cooperation based on science and technology, we must now overcome common crises that face humanity such as climate change, pandemics, an aging population and low economic growth," said Yoon in an address at the Future Vision Forum in Dubai on Tuesday.

 

Yoon Suk Yeol visits Korean-made Barakah reactors in the UAE
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the Barakah nuclear power plant on Monday during a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Yoon was accompanied by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to attend a ceremony to mark the completion of the construction of the third reactor at Barakah in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi and check on the progress on Unit 4. The nuclear power plant built by Korean companies in Abu Dhabi's far western desert is a key symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries.


                                                               
 

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

Finance ministers of U.S. and China to meet in Switzerland
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu He, in Switzerland on Wednesday for the first time. Amid rising concerns over the grim outlook for the global economy, the world is counting on meeting the finance ministers of the world’s two largest economies, where they will seek cooperation despite the strained bilateral relations.

 

Samsung unveils 200-megapixel image sensor for Galaxy S23
Samsung Electronics has introduced a new image sensor called ISOCELL HP2 (pictured), which will be equipped in the Galaxy S23 smartphone model, which will be unveiled this year. Samsung’s latest technology will allow for a brighter and more vivid capture of an image. On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics announced it rolled out the 200-megapixel image sensor, the “ISOCELL HP2,” which contains 200 million pixels each in the size of 0.6μm (one-millionth of 1m).

 

Lunar New Year holiday traffic expected to reach over 26 million
The average daily traffic during South Korea’s Lunar New Year holidays is expected to increase by more than 20% from last year. The worst traffic jams are expected on the morning of Jan. 21 and the afternoon of Jan. 23, the two days before and after the Lunar New Year. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Korea Transport Institute, 26.48 million people will be moving across the country during the 5-day holidays (Jan. 20 to 24), an average of 5.3 million each day. The estimate of daily traffic went up 22.7% from last year thanks to the lifting of the lockdown.

 

                                                                   
 

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

South Korean companies to sign $6 bn project deals in UAE
Major domestic companies and institutions will cooperate with the United Arab Emirates on energy, defense and new industry projects worth $6.1 billion during South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the country. Governments and companies from the two countries signed a total of 24 memoranda of understanding and agreements at the South Korea-UAE Business Forum held at the Rixos Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi, according to the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) on Monday local time.


Mortgage loan rates may approach its peak as benchmark rate falls
Interest rate of mortgage loans may be approaching its peak as the Cost of Funds Index, or COFIX, a benchmark lending rate for mortgage loans in Korea, dropped for the first time in 11 months. According to the Korea Federation of Banks (KFB) on Monday, COFIX for new loans at the end of December was 4.29 percent per year, down 0.05 percentage point from the previous month.

 

LG, Hanwha to work jointly on batteries, urban air mobility
LG Group and Hanwha Group have agreed to work together to seek opportunities in the growing global energy storage system (ESS) market and will expand the partnership to cover battery manufacturing equipment and urban air mobility (UAM) area. LG Energy Solution Ltd., Hanwha Solutions Corp.’s Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Hanwha Corp. and Hanwha Aerospace Co. signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and will form a task force to pursue business together.

 

                                                     
 

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

Ex-President Moon Jae-in’s next career move? Bookshop owner
As early as next month, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to open a “neighborhood bookshop” in Pyeongsan, a village in southern Korea, where he has been living since leaving office. A voracious reader who recommends books every chance he gets, Moon aims now to do even more by creating a setting from dialogue and interchange through books. He shared his bookshop vision in an interview with the publishing company Hangilsa’s CEO Kim Eon-ho in Pyeongsan on Dec. 13 of last year. This interview was jointly organized by Hangilsa and the Hankyoreh.

 

Prosecutors summon Lee Jae-myung for questioning in Seongnam FC case
Prosecutors have issued yet another summons for Lee Jae-myung, the head of the Democratic Party. Lee is being accused of providing preferential treatment to private companies in the Daejang neighborhood development case, among other charges. After investigating Lee, prosecutors plan to decide whether to request an arrest warrant by adding the charge related to Lee soliciting support funds for Seongnam Football Club. Lee already had to appear before prosecutors on Tuesday in connection with the Seongnam FC allegations.

 

Democrats decry Yoon’s comments on UAE-Iran relations as “diplomatic disaster”
President Yoon Suk-yeol has sparked controversy by saying that the “security of a brother nation is our security,” and calling Iran the “enemy” of the United Arab Emirates. The Democratic Party slammed Yoon’s comments as a “diplomatic disaster,” saying his statements could sound like he was calling Iran — a nation with which Korea has maintained friendly ties since Seoul and Tehran established diplomatic relations in 1962 — an enemy. Yoon made the comments Sunday (local time) while meeting soldiers of Korea’s Akh Unit, which is deployed to the UAE.

 

                                                  

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

Another Diplomatic Disaster” Democratic Party Attacks President Yoon’s Comment, “Iran is the Enemy of the UAE”
President Yoon Suk-yeol stirred controversy by referring to Iran as the enemy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during his trip to the UAE on January 15 (local time). The Democratic Party of Korea criticized, “It was a risky comment that could fuel tensions with Iran,” and attacked it as a “diplomatic disaster.” President Yoon met with the troops of the Korean Akh Unit deployed in the UAE on Sunday and said, “The security of our sister country is our own security,” and claimed, “The enemy of the UAE, its greatest threat is Iran, and our enemy is North Korea.” He made the comment when he emphasized the UAE as our sister country to encourage our troops.


Cracks in the Ceiling: Business Suspended at NC Yatap Store for Safety Inspections
The Yatap branch of the NC Department Store in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi finally shut down after continuing normal operation with cracks in the gypsum board ceiling. A representative of the NC Department Store announced on January 17, “We decided to suspend business for some time and to conduct a close safety inspection after considering the safety of our customers and partners.” He explained, “After consulting the Seongnam-si government and related authorities, we will select a professional safety inspection firm outside the company and conduct a thorough inspection.” NC Department Store will reopen after safety is ensured, according to the representative.


Police Arrest Head of Real Estate Consulting Firm, the Figure Behind the Dead “Villa King”
The police caught the head of a consulting firm and accomplices in fraud, who were the masterminds behind Jeong, the “villa king” who died in Jeju in 2021. This group cheated tenants out of their rent deposits by making gap investments with no capital in the greater Seoul area. The Financial Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on January 13 that they arrested 78 people including Shin, the head of a real estate consulting firm, and Gim, a rental property businessman, who schemed frauds in the Seoul metropolitan area from July 2017 to September 2020.

 

                                                            

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

Pres. Yoon Arrives in Switzerland for World Economic Forum
President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. The presidential plane carrying Yoon and his entourage arrived at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday at Zurich Airport after departing from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to make the first appearance at the forum by a South Korean president in nine years. Yoon’s is set to have a luncheon meeting with CEOs from major global companies on Wednesday to present Seoul's market-based economic policy.


Pentagon: Defense Secretary Austin to Visit S. Korea in Coming Weeks
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is set to visit South Korea in the coming weeks. In a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed earlier media reports that Secretary Austin will soon travel to South Korea and the Philippines to meet with senior government and military officials in both countries. Ryder said the trip represents a reaffirmation of the U.S.’ deep commitment to joint efforts with its allies and partners to pursue the shared vision of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.


South Korea's Homegrown Fighter Jet Passes Supersonic Flight Test
South Korea's homegrown fighter jet, the KF-21 "Boramae," successfully conducted a supersonic flight test for the first time. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Tuesday, the KF-21 prototype accomplished this feat at 3:15 p.m. at the 3rd Air Force Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. This comes six months after it successfully completed its first test flight and some 22 years after then President Kim Dae-jung declared a bid to make the nation an aviation powerhouse that can develop its own fighter jets.

 

                                                                        
 

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

Fugitive ex-Ssangbangwool chief returns home to face probe linked to opposition leader
A fugitive underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand last week in connection with the prosecution's ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations returned home Tuesday. Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 8:20 a.m. via an Asiana Airlines flight from Bangkok. He was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok a week ago, roughly eight months after he fled the country amid several high-profile corruption investigations.


Air traffic rises 16 pct last year but still below pre-pandemic levels
South Korea's air traffic rose 16 percent in 2022 from a year earlier on unleashed pent-up demand for travel amid eased COVID-19 virus curbs, the transport ministry said Wednesday. Airlines, domestic and foreign, made a total of 539,788 flights over South Korea last year, up from 465,469 flights a year ago, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The ministry said the 2022 number of flights still stood at 65 percent of the pre-pandemic levels. Air traffic in the country had gradually increased in recent years from around 739,000 in 2016 to 842,000 in 2019 before plunging to around 421,000 in 2020 due to the pandemic.

 

PPP requests effective operation of emergency medical system during Lunar New Year holiday
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has asked the government to make sure that emergency medical facilities will open around the clock during the Lunar New Year holiday, the party's chief policy maker said Tuesday. Rep. Sung Il-jong said the party asked the health ministry to ensure there is no hole in the emergency medical system during the holiday set for Saturday through Tuesday, and over 500 emergency medical facilities are expected to operate around the clock during the period.

 

                                                    


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

Yoon heads to Davos after business-focused summit in UAE
Touting himself as the “salesman of South Korea,” President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up his four-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, sending home $30 billion of business agreements with the lucrative economy, before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to talk international affairs. The presidential office viewed Yoon’s visit to the UAE as “the first step toward the first year of the new Middle East boom,” and an opportunity to overcome a complex crisis through exports and entry into overseas markets.

 

State-run body to start fleshing out compromise on forced labor
South Korea’s state-run foundation established to help Koreans forced into labor by Japanese companies during World War II is preparing to reach out to Korean companies as early as next week to compensate the victims, sources said Tuesday, as part of a compromise deal Seoul believes will help settle the longtime historical dispute with Tokyo. Last week, the Korean government essentially endorsed a plan to have the Korean government or companies compensate the victims while awaiting Japan’s “sincere response.”


Ex-Ssangbangwool chief arrested in Thailand while fleeing
The former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who had fled the country in the wake of several high-profile corruption investigations, has been arrested in Thailand, according to legal sources Tuesday. According to the sources, Kim Seong-tae, the former chairman, was apprehended by local police at a golf club Tuesday evening, roughly eight months after he departed for Singapore ahead of a raid by the prosecution in late May.

 

                                                   

 

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

Yoon arrives in Switzerland to attend Davos forum
President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday on a four-day visit that will include his attendance at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Yoon met with South Korean residents over dinner and will travel to Davos on Wednesday to meet with a group of CEOs from South Korean conglomerates and other leading multinational companies before delivering a special address at the WEF. The president is on the second leg of a two-nation tour that earlier took him to the United Arab Emirates for a state visit.

 

First lady discusses cultural exchanges with UAE sheikha
First lady Kim Keon Hee met with a sheikha of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and discussed cultural exchanges between the two countries, the presidential office said. A sheikha is a female member of a ruling Arab family, according to the office. Kim met with Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, at the Museum of the Future in Dubai while accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on a state visit to the UAE. The sheikha is a daughter of UAE Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

 

US defense secretary likely to visit South Korea this month
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to visit South Korea later this month as the allies seek to bolster deterrence against evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said the two countries are in talks to arrange his possible visit to Seoul, but declined to reveal details. The comment comes after the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, reported that the Pentagon chief will hold a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup in the capital following the Lunar New Year holiday (Jan. 21-24).

 


                                                                                                                   

 

What’s ticking around the world at this second?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gwangmyeong Daily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

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

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

Mainichi www.mainichi.jp

Le Monde www.ilemonde.com

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

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

SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

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

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

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

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

Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en

Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net

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

LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en

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

El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

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

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
                                                                                                               

 

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

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

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

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

And many other countries.
 

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