Friday, April 7, 2023
Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

 

The Korea Post ( www.koreapost.com )

Senegal marks her important Independence Day on April 4, increases cooperation with Korea”
Ambassador Abdou Salam Diallo of the Republic of Senegal said, “The 4th day of April is a particularly important moment in the history of Senegal celebrating the anniversary of its accession to international sovereignty.” In an interview with The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985, Ambassador Diallo said, “For Senegal, this date represents its full sovereign status as a member of the international community and it is also the occasion to celebrate national heroes and strengthen the sense of national unity.”

 

President Yoon stresses 'innovation, freedom, solidarity to revive democracy'
President Yoon Suk-yeol on March 29 said, "Korea, as a host country of the next Summit for Democracy, will do our part to further consolidate democracy that guarantees freedom and parliamentary democracy, which is represented by rule of law and representative democracy." He said in his opening speech at the first plenary session held online of the second Summit for Democracy at Yeongbingwan, the guesthouse of Cheong Wa Dae, presidential spokesperson Lee Do Woon said in a news release.

 

Hainan free trade port in prosperous development
In April 2018, China announced the decision to support the southern province of Hainan in developing the whole island into a pilot free trade zone and gradually exploring and steadily promoting the establishment of a free trade port (FTP) with Chinese characteristics. Five years on, the construction of the Hainan FTP has achieved fruitful results and significantly boosted the development of the province. Hainan's GDP expanded 5.3 percent annually on average in the past five years, while the province's trade in goods and services surged 23.4 percent and 17.7 percent each year averagely during the same period.


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

Japanese Anime Sweep Korean Box Office

Japanese anime are sweeping the box office in Korea. According to the Korean Film Council, 34 percent or one in three of the 26 million people who went to movie theaters so far this year were attracted by "The First Slam Dunk" (4.45 million viewers), "Suzume" (3.86 million) and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" (530,000). This trend is expected to continue. "The First Slam Dunk" is now being shown in IMAX theaters, and a Korean-dubbed version of "Suzume" will be available next month.

 

Yoon to Address U.S. Congress

President Yoon Suk-yeol will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress during his state visit to Washington later this month, the presidential office said Wednesday. The last Korean president to address both houses of Congress was President Park Geun-hye in 2013. Yoon was invited to speak by U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who visited Seoul with a bipartisan congressional delegation. Yoon said he was "pleased to be able to deliver an address on the podium of the U.S. Congress on a special occasion marking the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance with the U.S.," according to presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon.

 

AliExpress Most Downloaded Shopping App in Korea
Cheap-and-cheerful Chinese retailer AliExpress was the most downloaded online shopping app in Korea last month, pushing flea market Daangn Market into second place. According to big data analysts Mobile Index on Tuesday, AliExpress was downloaded 682,332 times on Google's Play and Apple's App Store in March, twice as many as a month earlier, while Daangn Market was downloaded 585,541 times. The shopping site's hiring of movie star Ma Dong-seok as its official advertising "face" may have had a part to play. Since entering Korea in 2018, AliExpress has been boosting its market share here especially among younger consumers.

 

 

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

BIE visit ends on a positive note with praise and enthusiasm
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation ended its visit to Korea on a positive note, saying that the country has what it takes to bring the World Expo to its southeastern city of Busan. Busan has everything that it takes to hold the World Expo,” said Patrick Specht, who led the BIE delegation on its six-day on-site inspection to evaluate Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Thursday.

 

Busan explains expo financial plan, holds fireworks festival
Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation wrapped up its on-site inspection in Busan Thursday after hearing a final presentation emphasizing the city's financial wherewithal to hold a world expo and with a grand-finale fireworks festival. Korea delivered its fourth and final presentation Thursday, mainly discussing strategies to promote the expo and its financing for the event.

 

Yoon orders use of controversial weirs to fight drought
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday ordered the government to make use of reservoirs along Korea's four major rivers to supply water and fight the severe drought that southern areas of the country have faced since last year. We are experiencing an unprecedented severe drought and floods due to the climate crisis,” Yoon said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The disused weirs on the four major rivers should be used actively.”

 

 

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

U.S. house speaker: U.S. to sell more weapons to Taiwan
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met up with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is third in command in the country, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Wednesday (local time). It became the first instance for a Taiwanese president to meet the house speaker on U.S. soil in 44 years since 1979 when the U.S. government forged diplomatic relations with China while severing its relations with Taiwan. The news was met with uneasiness from the Chinese government, which consequently announced that it would take resolute and stringent action.

 

Trump pleads not guilty after being indicted on 34 felony
Donald Trump, who became the first former American president to face criminal charges, appeared at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on Tuesday. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts related to his alleged hush money payments charged by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Trump arrived at the Manhattan criminal court, accompanied by NYPD officers and Secret Service agents. He did not have a mugshot taken and was only fingerprinted without handcuffs and walked into the courtroom for the arraignment.

 

Hyundai Motor releases video to promote Busan as World Expo host city
Korean companies are joining efforts to promote Korea as the host for the 2030 World Expo as the Bureau International des Expositions’ inspection team arrives in Korea. On Wednesday, Hyundai Motors Group released a video campaign highlighting Busan’s competitiveness from the perspective of foreigners living in Korea. Foreigners from 17 BIE member states were featured in the “Busan is ready!” video. In the video, the foreigners explained Busan’s competitiveness as a host city for the event.

 

 

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

Korea to invest $121 billion in chip, display, battery sectors by 2027
South Korea will facilitate state and private sector investments totaling 160 trillion won ($121 billion) in research and development of three key technology sectors - semiconductors, displays and next-generation batteries - by 2027, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday. Under the plan released during a government meeting, the funding jointly created by the government and the private sector will be used to encourage local companies and research centers secure advanced technologies and create new markets in the three sectors.

 

Court makes Korea’s first verdict in anti-industrial accident law case
A South Korean court has handed down the country’s first verdict in a case involving a violation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. The Uijeongbu District Court Goyang Branch Thursday sentenced a small local construction company to a fine of 30 million won ($22,800) and its chief executive officer one year and six months imprisonment and suspended prison term for three years.

 

Samsung Display to invest $3.1 billion in advanced OLED panels
Samsung Display Co. will spend 4.1 trillion won ($3.1 billion) to establish a mass production system for advanced organic light-emitting diode panels in South Korea as demand for high-end displays is expected to grow. On Tuesday, Samsung Display held a ceremony to invest in advanced production lines for OLED panels to be used in laptops and tablets by 2026. The display manufacturer plans to establish the world’s first mass production system for Gen 8.6 OLED panels for IT devices, going beyond the production of Gen 6 OLED panels for smartphones.

 

 

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

Yoon offers no plan to tackle economy, N. Korea except by partnering with US, Japan

At a policy review meeting on Wednesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol failed to propose a plan to manage the current situation on the Korean Peninsula in a stable way that would establish peace. This is despite rising tensions on the peninsula that continue to exacerbate the situation day by day. In addition, in the midst of the US-China hegemonic and strategic competition and ongoing supply chain restructuring issues, Yoon put forth no new economic foreign policy strategies to turn around Korea’s trade balance, which has recorded a deficit for 13 consecutive months.

 

Dictator’s grandson recalls seeing wads of cash in walls of Chun Doo-hwan’s home
The grandson of the late Chun Doo-hwan recalled seeing multiple bags stuffed with money envelopes in the bedroom wall of the former dictator’s home when he was a child, while describing how it was a “routine practice” for Hanahoe members and other visitors to provide spending money. For a second straight month, 27-year-old Chun Woo-won shared revelations about the illicit cash that his family was rolling in. His remarks came during an appearance Tuesday night on the KBS program “The Live.”

 

Top SK, US and JP envoys on N. Korean nuclear issue to meet in Seoul this week
The senior South Korean, US, and Japanese representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue plan to meet in Seoul this Friday to discuss response measures to the North Korean nuclear program. During the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Seoul on April 7, the three countries’ senior representatives plan to share their assessment of the grave situation on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s recent provocations and to discuss response measures,”

 

 

 

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

Progressive Jinbo Party Kang Sung-hee Wins 39.07% of Votes to Represent Jeonju District 2, Jeollabuk-do in the National Assembly
On April 5, Kang Sung-hee, a candidate from the Jinbo (progressive) Party, was elected as the legislator representing Jeonju District 2 (eul), Jeollabuk-do in the only by-election held nationwide. Kang defeated the independent candidate Rym Chung-yeap, who obtained 32.11% (14,288) of the votes, with 39.07% (17,382) of the votes after all the ballots were counted on April 6. An Hae-wuk, another independent candidate who raised the so-called “Julie allegation” claiming that first lady Kim Keon-hee once worked in a bar came in third with 10.14% (4,515) of the votes.

 

Penalty Points for Causing Trouble,” Kim Gi-hyeon Warns Members on Words and Actions Tarnishing the Party Image
People Power Party (PPP) leader Kim Gi-hyeon spoke on the recent controversy triggered by a series of inappropriate remarks by senior members of the party on April 6. He said, “As the party leader, I am giving you a strict warning,” and announced, “From this moment onwards, if anyone engages in words and actions that embarrass the party and tarnish our image, then regardless of his position, I will exercise the authority granted the party leader according to the party’s constitution and regulations even more strictly.”

 

Is a 69-hour Work Week Okay? Far More Deaths from “Overwork” Recognized as an Occupational Hazard When Workers Work More than 52 Hours a Week
The rate of workers whose death from an excessive workload is recognized as an occupational hazard significantly jumped when they were forced to work an average of 52 or more hours a week. Even a government agency concluded that a work week of 52 or more hours increased the risk of death from too much work. If the government’s new work hour policy allowing up to 69 hours of labor a week (based on a six-day work week) is passed, workers can be forced to face bigger threats.

 

 

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

Current Account Posts Deficit for Second Month in Feb.
The country's current account posted a deficit for the second straight month in February due to sluggish exports. According to tentative data released by the Bank of Korea on Friday, the country's current account balance logged a deficit of 520 million U.S. dollars in February, compared to a surplus of five-point-87 billion dollars a year ago. The balance of goods posted a deficit of one-point-three billion dollars in February, logging a shortfall for the fifth consecutive month as it plunged by five-point-65 billion dollars from a surplus of four-point-35 billion dollars a year earlier.

 

US Treasury: N. Korea Using 'DeFi' Services to Fund WMD Program
The U.S. Treasury Department has assessed that North Korea is abusing decentralized finance(DeFi) services to fund its program to develop weapons of mass destruction(WMD). The Treasury presented the assessment in a report titled "Illicit Finance Risk Assessment of Decentralized Finance" published on Thursday. In the report, the Treasury said that illicit actors, including ransomware cybercriminals, thieves, scammers, and North Korean cyber actors, are using DeFi services in the process of transferring and laundering their illegally acquired proceeds.

 

Yoon Declares Special Disaster Zones for 10 Wildfire-Hit Areas
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday designated ten areas hit by wildfires as special disaster zones. The ten regions are the South Chungcheong counties of Hongseong, Geumsan, Buyeo and cities of Dangjin, Boryeong and Daejeon's Seo District, the North Chungcheong county of Okcheon, the South Jeolla city of Suncheon and county of Hampyeong as well as the North Gyeongsang city of Yeongju. President Yoon instructed acting interior minister Han Chang-seob to support residents in the affected areas to quickly return to their daily lives, and to put every effort into restoration projects and safety measures to prevent landslides in the areas during the summer monsoon season.

 

 

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

Samsung Electronics Q1 profit likely drops 96 pct as demand plunges
Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday said its first-quarter operating profit likely nose-dived nearly 96 percent from a year earlier due to a sharp drop in demand for chips and home appliances amid recession fears. The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its January-March operating profit at 600 billion won (US$454.9 million), sharply down from 14.12 trillion won a year ago.

 

U.S. congressional leaders say Yoon's address will provide vision for future of alliance

U.S. congressional leaders have invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to address a joint session of Congress, noting it will provide an opportunity to share his vision for the future of U.S.-South Korea alliance, an invitation letter to Yoon released Thursday showed. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also said the historic event will highlight the progress made by the allied countries over the years.

 

N. Korea slams UNHRC's adoption of resolution on its human rights as 'document of fraud'
North Korea on Thursday condemned the latest adoption of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that denounced the North's human rights violations as "the most heavily politicized document of fraud." Han Tae-song, the North's permanent representative to the U.N. office in Geneva, said his country "categorically" rejected the U.N. resolution as an "intolerable act of political provocation and hostility," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

 

 

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

Busan has everything it takes to host World Expo: BIE delegation
The eight-member delegation of the World Expo organizing body said Busan is a viable candidate to host the World Expo in 2030, and its successful bid could be a starting point to build an inclusive global community as the team wrapped up a five-day on-site inspection of the city. Patrick Specht, president of the Bureau International des Expositions Administration and Budget Committee who led the BIE Enquiry Mission, said Busan's bid to host the quinquennial event is more than viable.

 

From pansori to K-pop, Busan boasts culture, heritage
Celebrating the visit of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation to Busan, the southeastern port city held a variety of cultural events including a "K-Culture Night" concert featuring Soprano Jo Su-mi and singer Rain. Held on Wednesday evening at the Busan Cinema Center, the concert was attended by thousands of people, despite chilly weather and rain. From classical music to K-pop performances by Oh My Girl, the show was designed to showcase the wide and diverse spectrum of Korean culture, according to organizers.

 

US working with allies, partners to supply ammunition to Ukraine, also backfill US stockpile: Pentagon
The United States continues to work with its allies and partners to help Ukraine secure ammunition for use in its war with Russia but also to replenish its own stockpiles, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday. The spokesperson, Sabrina Singh, however, declined to comment when asked if ammunition secured from South Korea would be supplied to Ukraine. "We are, of course, focused on our military readiness and our stocks and that's why we have a whole division here focused on our acquisitions and continuing to contract to not only supply Ukraine but to also backfill our own stocks," the deputy spokesperson for the Department of Defense told a daily press briefing.

 

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

Busan has everything required to host 2030 Expo: BIE delegation chief
Representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) affirmed Busan's readiness to host the World Expo 2030, as they concluded their inquiry mission, Thursday, to evaluate the Korean port city's ability to host the global event. Speaking at a press conference, delegates of the World Expo organizing body said they were especially impressed by and grateful for the enthusiasm demonstrated by citizens on the streets. Busan has everything that it takes to host the World Expo," Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, said. "In terms of hospitality, Busan is excellent."

 

S. Korea, US vow full cooperation against N. Korea threats
Top nuclear envoy of the South Korean government Kim Gunn held bilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, respectively, where they reaffirmed full cooperation against North Korea's rising nuclear provocations. On Thursday morning, Kim, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, held talks with Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul. "The two sides reaffirmed that North Korea will pay a price for its unlawful provocations, which pose threats to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community," the ministry said in a statement.

 

NK says US-South Korea drills push tension to 'brink of nuclear war'
North Korea on Thursday accused the U.S. and South Korea of escalating tensions to the brink of nuclear war through their joint military drills, vowing to respond with "offensive action," state media KCNA reported. KCNA released a commentary by Choe Ju-hyon, whom it called an international security analyst, criticizing the exercises as "a trigger for driving the situation on the Korean peninsula to the point of explosion." "The reckless military confrontational hysteria of the U.S. and its followers against the DPRK is driving the situation on the Korean peninsula to an irreversible catastrophe ... to the brink of a nuclear war," the article said.


 

 

 

 

 

What’s ticking around the world at this second?

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

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

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

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