Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )
Uzbek chefs in the Turkish city of Gaziantep cook pilaf and other hot national dishes
A group of Uzbek chefs who arrived the day before from Uzbekistan in one of the regions of Türkiye most affected by the natural disaster - the city of Gaziantep, began their duties. The best chefs from Uzbekistan, led by a well-known pilaf master Bakhriddin Chustiy, voluntarily arrived in Türkiye to help the fraternal people in difficult times. Recognized masters of their craft work around the clock to help the fraternal people in difficult times. Every day they cook the well-known Uzbek pilaf and other national dishes in at least 6 large cauldrons and distribute it to people.
Korea and Turkey are ‘blood-forged allies’ of the Korean War
On Feb. 10, 2023, Korean Cartoon illustrator Myung Min-ho presented two pictures. One showing Turkish soldier caring for a Korean War orphan and other with Korean earthquake worker comforting a Turkish child. The Turkish soldier in the painting is stroking the child's head kneading down in a war-torn place. He also has a drink in his other hand. Similarly, South Korea's emergency rescue worker is kneeling at a site in Turkey collapsed by the earthquake and giving drinks to the child.
Rediscover the seasonal vibrancy of Korea and Japan with Four Seasons this winter
As Japan and Korea open their doors to visitors once again, the warmest welcomes and most reassuring care awaits with Four Seasons. Known as the ‘locals’ favourite season’, winter reveals a new perspective of East Asia that’s perfect for rediscovering the buzzing Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, soaring Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, on-trend Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, and tranquil Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto – plus all the exciting seasonal perspectives each city has to offer.
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Universities Struggle to Integrate Foreign Students
Private universities in Korea often struggle to integrate students from China and other countries who do not speak the language. Sogang University has set up two new classes for Chinese students in the new semester in March. Taught by Chinese professors, they are only open to students from China who have trouble following Korean lectures. Hyun Dae-won, a professor at the university, said, "We hired two Chinese lecturers and opened two new classes for students from China. We hope that they'll serve as mentors for the students."
Universities Struggle to Integrate Foreign Students
Private universities in Korea often struggle to integrate students from China and other countries who do not speak the language. Sogang University has set up two new classes for Chinese students in the new semester in March. Taught by Chinese professors, they are only open to students from China who have trouble following Korean lectures. Hyun Dae-won, a professor at the university, said, "We hired two Chinese lecturers and opened two new classes for students from China. We hope that they'll serve as mentors for the students."
More Koreans Profited from Overseas Stocks in Pandemic
Koreans snapped up overseas stocks while they were cooped up at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Koreans who were taxed on profits from overseas stock investments increased more than seven times compared to before the pandemic. According to the National Tax Service on Monday, 243,000 Koreans reported gains from overseas stock investments in 2021, up 7.1 times from just 34,000 in 2019.
Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )
Lawmakers pass resolution to support Turkey, donate salary
The National Assembly adopted a resolution in support of recovery efforts for earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria on Tuesday. Lawmakers also agreed to donate 3 percent of their salaries in the month of February to support quake victims. The resolution passed with an overwhelming 228 of 229 seated lawmakers, with one abstention.
Travelers pay cancellation fees for nixing visits to Turkey
Travelers who canceled planned trips to Turkey in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquake are facing a dilemma: go on their trips despite the disaster or pay exorbitant cancellation fees. Kim Min-ju, a 31-year-old office worker who planned to go on a package tour on Feb. 19, had to cancel the trip after hearing about the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Kim contacted the travel agency to make the cancelation but was told she would receive only a partial refund due to cancelation fees.
Education must make entrepreneurs, not workers: Yunus
People should not be job seekers, but should be entrepreneurs themselves, a Nobel laureate told the mayor of Korea's capital city. That's what 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and chairman of the Dhaka-based think tank Yunus Centre, told Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon when they sat down for a discussion on Seoul's future at Seoul City Hall on Monday.
The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Quake survivors in Turkey and Syria are facing secondary disaster
“I can’t think of feeding myself; I just struggle to find any food I can give my children.” Mr. Zanief Omak, a survivor of the quake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, said to the New York Times. He was digging through the rubble in search of clothes and food with his 9 and 14-year-old children to survive the cold. When a strong earthquake struck the city late at night a week ago, Omak’s family evacuated the apartment building in their nightgown and pajamas.
S. Korea saw record-high nuclear power generation last year
Last year, South Korea’s nuclear power plants generated record-high nuclear power. The proportion of energy generated from nuclear power plants was the highest in six years, which is equivalent to that of the pre-nuclear phase-out policy of the former Moon Jae -in administration. According to KEPCO's “December Electric Power Statistics Month” on Tuesday, last year's annual nuclear power generation was 176,054 GWh (Gigawatt hours), up 11.4% from the previous year (158,015 GWh).
Photos of Korean War heroes to be restored by AI technologies
Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is carrying out a project to restore faded black-and-white photos of the South Korean and U.N. forces in the Korean War to high-resolution color photos using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It aimed to commemorate the vivid images of heroes who safeguarded freedom and peace in Korea 70 years ago. On Tuesday, the ministry will hold an agreement ceremony for the project “Immortal Heroes of the Korean War Return as Young Men” at Sungkyunkwan University’s 600th Anniversary Hall in Jongno-ju, Seoul.
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Korean fashion startups to take steps to stamp out online counterfeits
Independent fashion startups have set up a group to prevent counterfeits from being sold online via open markets offered by platform giants like Naver Corp. as the country’s electronic commercial law does not hold them legally responsible for flow of lookalikes. According to multiple sources from the fashion industry on Monday, about 50 startups that manage small and mid-size brands held a promoters’ event in Seoul and established Korea Brand Fashion Association.
Oasis calls off IPO plan due to market slump
Oasis Corp., operator of South Korea’s dawn delivery platform Oasis Market, decided Monday to scrap its plan to go public on the Kosdaq market as it will be difficult to receive the right valuation amid a continued slump in the market. “We held a book-building session to finalize the offering price but we canceled the remaining procedures after considering various conditions such as not being able to be valued adequately,” Oasis said.
Trade deficit hits nearly $5 billion during first 10 days of February
South Korea is expected to suffer a trade deficit for 11 straight months this month due to a continuous decline in exports of chips and outbound shipments to China, data showed on Monday. The country’s exports gained 11.9 percent on year to $17.6 billion in the first 10 days of February, driven by stronger shipments of automobiles and more working days, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. But the daily export volume fell 14.5 percent on year because the number of working days was 8.5 days, up by two from a year ago.
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Vietnamese massacre survivor hopes her court victory is only the start
From the early morning that day, time seemed to go by very slowly. She woke up quite early, she said, but her “mind was not at ease at all.” Nguyễn Thị Thanh, 63, watered the garden at her home in the Vietnamese city of Đà Nẵng. She stopped by the market to buy some groceries and then went home to cook. But by around noon, she could no longer concentrate on her work. Over in South Korea at the same on Feb. 7, the Seoul Central District Court was holding a hearing to deliver its ruling on a suit that she had filed claiming damages from the South Korean government as a survivor of a civilian massacre by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War.
Korean first lady’s accounts used in Deutsch Motors stock manipulation, court rules
New developments in the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation case reveal that accounts belonging to first lady Kim Keon-hee and her mother Choi Eun-soon were used to manipulate market prices during a time period in which the statute of limitations is still in effect. On Monday, a court ruled that suspicious transactions made from the accounts of Kim and Choi were made after Oct. 20, 2010, which was during the second stage of the stock price manipulation process. These transactions are suspected of violating the Capital Markets Act, according to the court’s ruling.
In Korean politics, partisanship acts as pretext for hatred
There are no media channels devoted to badmouthing different races. There are also no media channels dedicated to denigrating people of various genders. Well, those sorts of channels do exist, but there are no mainstream media channels that draw their audiences by talking about such issues out in the open. However, there are some media channels that focus openly on belittling opposing political parties and people with different political opinions. In fact, it’s more accurate to say that there are many, not just some. They also happen to be very influential. We don’t think that this is strange.
The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Court, “Three of Kim Keon-hee’s Accounts Were Used in Second Market Manipulation Scheme”
On February 13, the court overseeing the market manipulation of Deutsch Motors concluded that a number of first lady Kim Keon-hee’s accounts, mentioned several times in the ruling, were “used to manipulate market prices.” The court acknowledged that Kim’s accounts were used during the so-called “second scheme,” for which the statute of limitations is still valid. Thus, the latest court decision supports voices calling for an investigation into the first lady’s involvement in the market manipulation.
Prosecutors Appeal the Acquittal of Kwak Sang-do on 5 Billion Won Bribery Charge and Pledge Their Utmost in Appellate Trial after Coming Under Fire from the Public
Public criticism intensified after the court acquitted former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do of receiving 5 billion won in bribes. In response to the criticism, Prosecutor General Lee One-seok said, “We are well aware of the people’s wishes and concerns,” and instructed his prosecutors to respond strictly. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced that the prosecutor general received a report on a review of the first court ruling on Kwak along with future prosecution plans from Song Kyung-ho, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office,
Quick to Remove Directors of General Administration, Yet 70% of Those Positions in National Universities Remain Vacant
Five months have passed since the Ministry of Education suddenly removed a large number of directors overseeing the general administration of national universities claiming to remove ministry officials from the position, but the office of the director of general administration still remains vacant in seven out of ten schools. By hastily promoting a policy, the education ministry created a vacancy in a position that oversees the overall management of a university at a crucial moment in seeking solutions to challenges faced by local universities.
KBS(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)
US Inflation Slows to 6.4% but Higher than Expected
The U.S. inflation rate eased for the seventh straight month in January, but exceeded analysts' predictions to indicate continuing upward pressure. The U.S. Department of Labor said on Tuesday that the U.S. consumer price index(CPI) rose six-point-four percent in January from a year earlier, falling for the seventh consecutive month after peaking at nine-point-one percent in June of last year.
Import, Export Prices Fall for Third Month in January
The country's export and import prices fell for the third consecutive month in January. According to the Bank of Korea on Wednesday, the export price index stood at 114-point-28 in the first month of the year, down three percent from a month earlier. The decline slowed from a drop of six-point-one percent in December, but logged the third consecutive month of downward movement since November. The fall was attributed to sluggish global demand for chips and the won's appreciation against the U.S. dollar.
VOA: UNSC Fails to Adopt Presidential Statement on N. Korea's ICBM Launch
The UN Security Council has reportedly failed to adopt a presidential statement condemning North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November last year. According to the Voice of America on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said that the Security Council could not pursue the statement as two members "refused to engage" in working-level negotiations. Although the official did not specify the two members, the statement appears to have referred to China and Russia, which have been opposed to such statements or new sanctions against the North.
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Import prices down in Jan. on stronger local currency
South Korea's import prices fell for a third straight month in January despite oil price hikes, largely due to the local currency's rise against the U.S. dollar, central bank data showed Tuesday. The import price index stood at 134.95 in January, down 2.3 percent from a month earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index dropped 5.5 percent in November and 6.5 percent in December. Compared with a year earlier, the January index rose 1.7 percent, growing at a slower pace than in the previous month that posted an 8.7 percent rise.
S. Korea to hold interagency meeting on additional assistance to quake-hit Turkey
The South Korean government will hold an interagency meeting this week to discuss plans to send a second batch of rescue workers and additional humanitarian assistance to earthquake-hit Turkey, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Park Jin will preside over the meeting scheduled for Wednesday, according to ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk. On Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the government to mobilize all available resources for the country's emergency relief and reconstruction efforts.
China's defense chief sends congratulatory message to N. Korea over army anniversary
China's defense minister has sent a congratulatory message to his North Korean counterpart on the occasion of the North's 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces last week, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday. In the letter to North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam, China's defense chief Wei Fenghe pledged efforts to promote the ties of the two nations' armies and defend regional peace, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
S. Korea, NATO carve out path to step up military cooperation
South Korea and NATO held their first military staff-to-staff talks in Seoul to pave the way to strengthen military exchanges and cooperation, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. South Korea's Director for Strategy and Plans Maj. Gen. Kim Su-kwang and Staff Maj. Gen. Francesco Diella, director of the Cooperative Security Division of the NATO International Military, participated as the chief delegates in the two days of meetings that began Monday.
Three-way talks back checks on N. Korea, China
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and his US and Japanese counterparts reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing North Korea while countering China to curb its “destabilizing activities” at a meeting in Washington on Monday. The gathering, which last took place in October 2022 in Tokyo, chiefly addresses North Korea and China. Pyongyang fired off a record number of missiles last year and Beijing has recently been accused of sending what Washington says is a spy balloon over US airspace, though China claims it was meant for weather research.
‘Ahn would get Yoon impeached’: In ruling party chair race, campaign speech goes awry
The ruling People Power Party candidates for the leadership role embarked on a joint tour across the country on Monday with Jeju as the first stop. With the March 8 convention less than a month away, the top contenders’ allegiance to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is becoming a major talking point in the leadership race. Although the presidential office has officially espoused no particular candidate, as is the norm, the candidate most widely supported by Yoon’s base is Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon. Kim has touted his loyalty to Yoon and his ability to work smoothly with the president as one of his main appeals.
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Outpouring of help deepens Korea-Turkey ties after devastating quake: ambassador
Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the Korean people for his country, which was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week. Tamer added that the outpouring of help has "reopened the pages" of their shared history. The ambassador said the recent earthquake made him truly recognize the brotherly bond between Korea and Turkey. "Prior to coming to Korea, I know that there's a brotherhood between our two nations, but I thought it was just lip service for what happened 70 years ago. But when the earthquake happened, our brotherhood relations reached the second phase," the ambassador said during his visit to The Korea Times, Tuesday.
Korean battery makers to compete with Chinese rivals in US, despite IRA
Ford Motor and China's CATL have thwarted the plans of Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers to dominate the North American market by capitalizing on the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), according to industry officials, Tuesday. The U.S. carmaker announced, on Monday local time, that it will build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in the state of Michigan by licensing technologies from the Chinese battery maker, which has the world's largest market share.
Seoul mayor takes cue from Nobel laureate on helping the poor
Bangladeshi social entrepreneur Muhammad Yunus, who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the concept of microcredit and microfinance, met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at city hall, Monday. Oh had requested the Nobel laureate, whose Grameen Bank offered loans to entrepreneurs who are too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans, to teach him how to help the economically vulnerable groups in Seoul. The lesson from the Bangladeshi economist was both straightforward and challenging for Korea, a country that emerged from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War to become one of the world's representative success stories of capitalism lifting a country out of extreme poverty.
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