Monday, March 27, 2023
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today
The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )
President Yoon moves forward to improve, increase ties with Japan
"The Korea-Japan relations should not be permitted to dwell on the unfortunate past and, in fact, Japan has made an apology over the unfortunate past between the two countries on many different occasions.” So, has indicated President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea in his statement on the relations between Korea and Japan—as reported by major Korean and international media reported including Yonhap TV on March 21, 2023. This is a reflection of views shared by many people in Korea, especially those who are forward-looking and who support increased cooperation between Korea and her allies and friends such as the United States, Japan and all the countries of the Free World and those others outside the controlled-economy block of countries.
SK On, EcoPro, and GEM of China to make battery precursors in Saemangeum
SK On will build a battery core material production facility in Saemangeum, Korea, with Korea’s largest cathode material company EcoPro, and Chinese battery materials producer GEM. It is expected to contribute to strengthening the raw material supply chain as well as creating job opportunities and revitalizing the local economy. The three companies’ joint venture will sign an investment agreement on March 24 at Ramada Gunsan Hotel, South Korea.
"Boseong-gun is rapidly developing as it becomes backbone of the southern coast through co-prosperity"
"When I took office, Boseong-gun had the lowest integrity level of fourth grade, but it went up one level every year, ranking first in Jeollanam-do last year. This year, our province won the honor of the first grade nationwide," said Governor Kim Cheol-woo of Boseng-gun. In an interview with The Korea Post Media, which has been publishing English and Korean media for 38 years since 1985, Governor Kim said, "Boseong-gun is the green tea capital of Korea in name and reality. In line with the name, we will strive with a sense of mission and responsibility to lead Korea's tea culture and tea industry, promoting Korean tea in the world, and enhance its status."
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Seoul Backs UN Resolution on N.Korean Human Rights
South Korea is co-sponsoring the UN Human Rights Council's annual resolution on North Korea's human rights violations for the first time in five years. The previous South Korean government abstained on the resolution since 2019 as part of doomed attempts at rapprochement with the North Korean regime. But the new conservative government has firmly aligned itself with the U.S. on democracy. "South Korea has returned as a co-sponsor of a UNHRC resolution on North Korean human rights for the first time in five years and actively participated in discussing the draft," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk told reporters Thursday.
End of Lockdown Frees Koreans from Loneliness
The end of lockdown has lifted feelings of profound loneliness for many Koreans who were cooped up at home alone for nearly three years. But it has not brought a resurgence in the desire to get married and have children. According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the proportion of Korean who felt lonely dwindled three percent last year to 19.2 percent. That was also a whole 10 percentage points lower than 2013, when the government began tallying such statistics. A Statistics Korea official said, "The number of people saying they feel lonely declined due to social interaction resuming again after lockdown ended last April.
N.Korea Claims Test of 'Nuclear Attack Drone'
North Korea tested a new underwater nuclear attack drone designed to create a "radioactive tsunami" on enemy coasts, state media claimed Friday, unveiling a weapon that appears to share some features with Russia's Poseidon super torpedo. The test of the previously unknown North Korean drone, dubbed "Haeil," came during three days of military drills guided by the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
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Joongang Ilbo (https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com )
Another missile fired by North Korea lands on the East Sea
North Korea fired another ballistic missile that landed on the East Sea on Monday, according to the Joint Chief of Staff. The details of the missiles including the traveling distance has yet to be announced. Pyongyang has been firing ballistic and cruise missiles as well as testing missiles that blows up in midair and underwater since South Korea and the U.S. has started the joint military exercise Freedom Shield.
Phillips CEO bullish on Hong Kong, Korean art scenes
Phillips, one of the world’s leading art auction houses, expanded and relocated its Asian headquarters in Hong Kong right next to the city’s new art destination, M+ museum, in West Kowloon Cultural District last week. Phillips CEO Stephen Brooks said that Hong Kong “is going to continue to flourish as an art hub," despite concerns about the recent change in its political atmosphere, in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Samsung Electronics chief attends global forum in China
Business titans including the chief of Samsung Electronics and Apple's CEO are flocking to China for the first major international forum in the country since it lifted its Covid-19 restrictions. Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong arrived in Beijing on Thursday to attend China Development Forum (CDF) 2023, which runs from Saturday to Monday in the capital. The trip is Lee’s first to China in three years since the Samsung chief visited Samsung Electronics’ chip plant in Xi'an in May 2020.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
First-borns record new high of 63 percent of last year’s births
The rate of first-borns in the country’s births surpassed 60 percent for the first time last year. While fewer young people have been in a rush to walk down the aisle, more families are reluctant to have two or more children due to financial burdens including education fees. According to a report on births and deaths recorded in 2022 issued by Statistics Korea on Sunday, 156,000 newborns turned out to be the first baby to their parents, taking up 62.7 percent of the total births recorded last year.
‘Japan says it can arm itself with nuclear weapons in six months,’ says Yoon
“South Korea can own its own nuclear weapons within a short period of time based on its scientific technologies. Japan says it can do so in just six months,” said South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a January briefing by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the then-public sentiment surrounding nuclear armament in South Korea and other countries. “Tactical nuclear weapons may be deployed to South Korea, or we may own our own nuclear weapons if North Korea’s nuclear issue gets worse,"
2 Kazakhs run away from Incheon Airport after denial of entry
Two Kazakh nationals who were denied entry to South Korea have run away by scaling the fence at Incheon International Airport. Critics raise concerns that the airport may have serious loopholes in its security system as the two people who were subject to repatriation ran away this time after three bullets were found in an airplane and at the airport. According to the Incheon International Airport Police, its immigration office of the Korea Immigration Service under the Justice Ministry on Sunday, a 21-year-old man and an 18-year-old man from Kazakhstan crossed over the exterior fence north of Runway 4 at the airport and disappeared around 4:20 a.m. on the day.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
More than half of Korean Inc. consider activist funds a threat: survey
More than half of Korean companies regard activist funds as a threat to management activity, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by Maeil Business Newspaper, Korea Listed Companies Association and Kosdaq Listed Companies Association of 123 listed companies, 62 said they see activist investor attacks as a “threat.” Only 28 percent, or 35 companies, said they pose no threat to management. More than 60 percent of the companies also said the request by the activist funds to increase dividends is excess.
Former Ourhome Vice Chairman Koo Bon-sung demands $234 mn in dividends
Koo Bon-sung, former chief executive officer and vice chairman of South Korean food company Ourhome Co., has demanded dividends worth up to 300 billion won ($234 million) from the company amid a years-long sibling feud over management control. According to multiple sources from the retail industry on Thursday, the board of Ourhome on Monday adopted a shareholder proposal made by Koo that demands 296.6 billion won in dividends.
Korea to take steps to firm supply chain tie-up in new chip cluster with Japan
Economy and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho Friday announced plans to solidify the supply chain cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the proposed semiconductor cluster to be established near Seoul as well as began work to increase flights between the two countries. The government will also actively promote and support cooperation with Japan in the areas of new industries, joint investment and supply chain, and plans to activate a council of relevant ministries to materialize bilateral supply chain cooperation in the semiconductor cluster to be created in Yongin, Choo said while presiding over an emergency ministerial meeting on economic affairs in Seoul.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
A president fanning the flames of Korea’s political polarization
In the world of sports, a match between equally skilled players is a sight for sore eyes. A yearly rugby game is held between two of Seoul’s most prestigious private high schools, Paichai and Yangchung. Graduates of Paichai High call it the Pai-Yang game, while Yangchung High alums call it the Yang-Pai game. I fall in the former camp, being a Paichai High graduate. The Pai-Yang game is a worthy sporting event in its own right, but what makes it even more remarkable is the cheering contest that unfolds. Students from both sides sing songs, do dances, hold up posters, and pull off card stunts and body stunts throughout the game.
How much credit does Japan really deserve for the Miracle on the Han River?
“Thanks to President Park Chung-hee’s decision to normalize diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan in 1965, Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and Posco were able to grow into world-class companies and become the driving force that allowed for the extraordinary development of the Korean economy.” President Yoon Suk-yeol’s comment came on Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting, where he went on to say that his “solution” to compensate victims of Japanese colonial era forced mobilization through third-party reimbursement would be a “huge benefit to our people and businessmen.”
An era of new McCarthyism
“We will fight for Communism for the rest of our lives!” declared Chinese President Xi Jinping as he raised his arms. The phrase was repeated by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party in the row behind him. In video footage that followed, Xi described Karl Marx as being “the greatest thinker of all time.” These scenes were screened on Feb. 28 during the first hearing of the US House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, which aired during prime time.
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The KyungHyangShinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/ )
Constitutional Court “The Authority to Investigate and Prosecute Is Not Granted Exclusively to the Prosecution Service”
On March 23, the Constitutional Court reached a decision on the rights dispute following the amendment of the Prosecutors’ Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, which reduced the investigative authority of the Prosecution Service. What was most significant about the decision was that the court affirmed the fact that the authority to oversee investigations was not granted exclusively to the Prosecution Service.
The Resident Who Hung the Japanese National Flag on March 1 Was a PPP Member, But Not Anymore
The People Power Party (PPP) confirmed that A, who stirred controversy after hanging the Japanese national flag in his apartment in Sejong-si, was a party member and asked him to leave the party. At present, A’s party membership has been withdrawn. Lee Chul-gyu, the PPP secretary-general appeared on Kim Jong-bae’s Focus (MBC radio) on March 24 and confirmed that A was a member of his party. He then explained, “We immediately held a meeting to discuss party matters and the Sejong-si party office took disciplinary action and demanded he leave the party. He immediately withdrew his party membership.”
“Truly Uncompromising. Too Much Is as Bad as Too Little.” Cho Eung-cheon Speaks on the Decision to Keep Lee Jae-myung as Party Leader
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon said, “Too much is as bad as too little,” after the party’s committee on party affairs decided to retain Lee Jae-myung as party leader on the day he was prosecuted in connection to the Daejang-dong case and argued there was a problem in the decision-making process. In an interview on Kim Jong-bae’s Focus (MBC radio) on March 23, Cho criticized the meeting of the committee on party affairs held the previous day--the day Lee was prosecuted--and said it was “truly uncompromising” and that overall, it showed that “too much is as bad as too little.”
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KBS(http://world.kbs.co.kr/service)
JCS: N. Korea Fired Ballistic Missile toward East Sea
The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Monday that North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea earlier in the day. The South Korean military is working on analyzing the details of the launch, including the site of the launch, as well as range, speed and altitude. The latest missile launch comes eight days after the North fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Tongchang-ri area in North Pyongan Province on the country’s west coast, which the regime said was part of a nuclear warhead midair explosion test.
Firefighting Efforts under Way to Contain Wildfire on Mount Mani
Firefighters are trying to contain a wildfire that broke out in Mount Mani on Ganghwa Island in Incheon on Sunday. According to forest conservation authorities on Monday, eleven helicopters were dispatched to the scene at 6 a.m. to put out the blaze that is presumed to have ignited at 2:44 p.m. Sunday. A total of 43 vehicles and other anti-fire equipment, as well as over 14-hundred personnel were also mobilized to contain the fire on Monday.
Vice Chief of Presidential Committee: Past Policies Fail to Reverse Trend of Low Birthrate
The vice chief of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy has assessed that the government's previous policy to boost childbirth has failed to reverse the seriously low birthrate. Kim Young-mi presented the assessment in the March edition of a monthly published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Kim said that due to the unprecedented prolonged ultra-low birth rate and accelerated aging, the imbalance in the population structure has become a major issue that determines the survival of the country.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr )
N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Monday, Seoul's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is analyzing related details, including the missile's flight distance and apogee. The North has strongly protested the Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise of South Korea and the United States that started last week. The drills are scheduled to end next Monday.
Senior police official recommended as National Office of Investigation chief: sources
A senior police official has been recommended as the new chief of the National Office of Investigation in charge of commanding police investigation forces nationwide, informed sources said Sunday. The National Police Agency recently recommended Woo Jong-soo, commissioner general of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, to President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to the sources. The presidential office is expected to announce his appointment Monday.
N. Korean propaganda outlets slam S. Korea-U.S. amphibious exercise
North Korean propaganda outlets continued their criticism of an ongoing South Korea-U.S. amphibious landing exercise Sunday, blaming the allies for heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Seoul and Washington kicked off their first large-scale Ssangyong (double dragon) exercise in five years last Monday to sharpen deterrence against growing North Korean threats. It runs through April 3. Uriminjokkiri, a propaganda website, rejected the allies' argument that their combined drills were defensive in nature.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com )
N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Monday, Seoul's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is analyzing related details, including the missile's flight distance and apogee. The North has strongly protested the Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise of South Korea and the United States that started last week. The drills are scheduled to end next Monday.
Top court finds Jehovah's Witness guilty of evading civilian service
The South Korean Supreme Court revealed Sunday that it recently found a religious man guilty of failing to fulfill his alternative military service as a social service agent, which exempts him from active duty as a soldier. The case to decide whether the 31-year-old Jehovah's Witness, whose further personal identity remains undisclosed, committed a crime has been remanded to a district court in Daejeon for further proceedings.
Samsung chief travels to China first time in 3 years, meets with key officials
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is making the most out of his first trip to China in three years, inspecting the affiliates’ production facilities, meeting with key Chinese officials and attending a high-profile summit with global business leaders. Samsung Electronics said Lee attended the China Development Forum, a three-day forum that kicked off Saturday in Beijing. There, Lee met with heads of major tech giants to exchange opinions on various agendas, including global management issues and future industry trends and discussed on mid- to long-term cooperation, the tech giant said.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr )
Busan aims to win hearts of developing nations in Expo 2030 bid
Not all nations have something to boast about at an Expo world fair. When Joseon, the last dynasty of Korea, participated in the event for the first time in Chicago in 1893, it displayed traditional garments, kites and pottery among other small items in a tiny exhibition space that was less than 85 square meters in area. Wealthier countries, meanwhile, showed off their latest inventions such as the world's first moving walk and the original Ferris wheel, an 80-meter structure intended to rival the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the previous Paris Expo in 1889.
Families of foreign construction workers can receive retirement pay: court
Korea's Constitutional Court ruled Sunday that it is illegal to exempt foreigners from the legally entitled retirement funds of family members who died while working at Korean construction sites. The court said the exemption is unconstitutional and violates the country's conditional principles of equality. The court decided unanimously that clause 2 of article 14 of the Act on the Employment Improvement of Construction Workers, which excluded bereaved foreign families who were not in Korea at the moment of their kin's death, from receiving retirement payments after the death, is unconstitutional.
Putin says Russia will station tactical nukes in Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans on Saturday to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine. Putin said the move was triggered by Britain's decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium. Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for use on the battlefield and have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles. Russia plans to maintain control over those it sends to Belarus, and construction of storage facilities for them will be completed by July 1, Putin said.
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
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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
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