Tuesday, April 2, 2019

States Ambassador Lalablavu of Fiji in Seoul at an exclusive interview with The Korea Post

Fiji, Korea have good trade ties and excellent prospect of increased cooperation

President Moon Jae-in (left) shakes hands with Ambassador Peniana Lalabalavu of the Republic of Fiji in Seoul after presentation of credentials at the Presidential Mansion of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul as the new Ambassador of Fiji to Korea.

Ambassador Peniana Lalabalavu of the Republic of Fiji in Seoul said, “Fiji and Korea share modest trade relations with trade in goods making up most of the trade element of Fiji-Korea’s trade relations, Fiji importing cars and electronic goods from Korea.”

Speaking at a recent interview with The Korea Post media, owing and managing 3 English and 2 Korean news publication business, Ambassador Lalabalavu said, “In this regard, the Trade and Tourism Promotion Project would greatly add to the promotional effort of Fiji and this is one of the major projects for formal economic cooperation between Fiji and Korea as well as the Pacific.”

Ambassador Lalabalavu discussed a wide range of topics at the interview which included an introduction of the Head of Government of Fiji, bilateral economic cooperation and tourist attractions of Fiji.

President Moon Jae-In is flanked on the left by Ambassador Peniana Lalabalavu of Fiji in Seoul and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-Wha.

(For further details, visit:http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=8778)

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

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

Fiji, Korea have good trade ties and excellent prospect of increased cooperation

Ambassador Peniana Lalabalavu of the Republic of Fiji in Seoul said, “Fiji and Korea share modest trade relations with trade in goods making up most of the trade element of Fiji-Korea’s trade relations, Fiji importing cars and electronic goods from Korea.” Speaking at a recent interview with The Korea Post media, owing and managing 3 English and 2 Korean news publication business, Ambassador Lalabalavu said, “In this regard, the Trade and Tourism Promotion Project would greatly add to the promotional effort of Fiji and this is one of the major projects for formal economic cooperation between Fiji and Korea as well as the Pacific.”

Moon reaffirms cooperation with civic groups to reform society

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his support for civic activist groups Monday, calling them "important partners" in efforts to reform the nation. "Making laws, regulations and distributing national resources is up to the government and the political sector, but the civil society demands, spearheads and creates the power to improve laws, regulations and ensure proper distribution of national resources," the president said in a meeting with some 80 officials and representatives from various civic organizations.

Presidential officials of S. Korea, U.S. meet ahead of summit

Senior presidential officials from South Korea and the United States met in Washington on Monday to discuss planning for next week's summit between the countries' leaders. Kim Hyun-chong, the new No. 2 deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, held talks at the White House with U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kupperman. The South Korean official's visit came ahead of President Moon Jae-in's April 11 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, which is expected to focus on ways to revive nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S.

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

Parties Adopt Confirmation Hearing Report for Oceans Minister Nominee

The National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee adopted a confirmation hearing report for fisheries minister nominee Moon Seong-hyeok on Tuesday. Moon was the second nominee after culture minister nominee Park Yang-woo to have his report adopted among the seven nominees for Cabinet posts that President Moon Jae-in unveiled on March eighth.

Naver to Feature Revamped Front Page on Wednesday

The domestic online portal Naver will actively overhaul its mobile Web page for the first time since the page was introduced ten years ago. With the modification starting on Wednesday, Naver will take out news stories and words that are trending in real time from the front page of its mobile Web. Instead, the front page will carry the search engine and shortcuts. Users will be able to check news stories from the media source of their choice and receive customized news based on artificial intelligence from the second page.

N. Korean State Media: Russia's Interior Minister Arrives in Pyongyang

North Korea's state media reported that Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrived in Pyongyang on Monday. However, the Korean Central News Agency didn't mention on Tuesday the duration of the Russian delegation's stay or the purpose of their visit. News of the visit by the Russian minister in charge of security issues comes amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might be preparing to visit Russia for his first-ever summit with President Vladimir Putin.

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

S. Korea, U.S. reaffirm commitment to support inter-Korean military accord

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to closely coordinating to support last year's inter-Korean military accord aimed at reducing border tensions and building trust, their offices said. During their talks in Washington on Monday (local time), Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan also reiterated their will to closely cooperate to expedite the fulfillment of conditions needed for Washington's envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul.

S. Korea's consumer price growth hits nearly 20-year low in March

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in nearly 20 years in March on a drop in petrochemical products and a stabilization of prices of vegetables, government data showed Tuesday. The consumer price index rose 0.4 last month from a year earlier, marking the third straight month that the consumer price index has hovered below 1 percent, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Gov't to draw up extra budget in April over fine dust, economic slowdown

The government plans to draw up an extra budget in April to cope with fine dust and boost the slowing economy and job creation, officials said Tuesday. The decision was made at a meeting among senior officials from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) to discuss ways to tackle an economic downturn and other issues.

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

Men in 30s withdrawing support for Moon, liberals: poll

Since the latter half of 2018, the support ratings for President Moon Jae-in among male South Koreans in their 20s have continued to drop sharply. A large portion of young men have expressed their discontent toward the Moon government and the ruling Democratic Party in online communities. They are complaining about “adverse gender-discrimination” compared to the female youth or “disadvantages” in the job market. When Moon was a candidate in February 2017, he said he would become a “feminist president” in a speech at a forum in Seoul.

Fire in Suncheon burns 5 hectares of forest

A forest fire that broke out in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Monday was put out Tuesday, after burning through 5 hectares of forest in two days. The fire started near a hillside road in Seungju-eup, a small town in Suncheon, at around 4:09 p.m. Monday. The fire soon spread through the mountain, fanned by strong wind.

S. Korea to begin repair work for video reunions of separated families

South Korea will begin repair work this week on video reunion centers set up across the nation for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, a unification ministry official said Tuesday. The government will launch the renovation of 13 video reunion venues in the country Wednesday with a plan to complete the work by the end of this month, the official said. Efforts to arrange video reunions for the separated families gained traction last month after the UN Security Council waived sanctions for video conferencing equipment to be sent to the North.

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

Russian minister arrives in Pyongyang amid speculation over Kim's trip to Moscow

Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrived on an unannounced visit to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency (KSNA) said on Tuesday. "Russia's Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and persons accompanying him arrived in Pyongyang on April 1," the agency said. There has been no information about the duration of the visit or its agenda. The trip by Kolokoltsev, who is known to be in charge of security issues, came amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preparing to visit Russia for his first summit with Putin, which could take place as early as this month.

Moon faces calls to sack aides over nomination fiasco

President Moon Jae-in is facing growing calls to sack aides who are deemed responsible for the recent minister nomination fiasco. The opposition parties are demanding the dismissal of senior secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk and senior secretary for personnel affairs Cho Hyun-ok after two of seven people nominated to Cabinet posts withdrew Sunday over alleged ethical lapses Of the remaining five, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) rejected the nominations of Kim Yeon-chul as unification minister and Park Young-sun as SMEs and Startups minister, citing their ideological bias and lack of qualifications.

Court calls rejection of permanent residency for alcohol sales 'unfair'

A Seoul court ruled Monday that it was unjust for the immigration authorities to deny permanent residency status to a Chinese migrant only because he had a record of selling alcohol illegally which occurred due to his ignorance of regulations. The man, who settled here in 2015, applied for permanent residency in 2016. Two years later, the justice ministry rejected his application for "bad conduct," pointing to his 2017 record of illegally selling alcohol inside a karaoke bar in the Guro district of Seoul.

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

N.Korea Sends Army of Workers to China to Make Quick Cash

North Korea is sending tens of thousands of workers to China on temporary visitor visas to make quick cash for the regime now international sanctions ban countries around the world from employing North Korean workers. The move seems to be a desperate attempt to raise hard currency for the increasingly cash-strapped dictatorship after February's summit with the U.S. collapsed. One source said the North "is engaging in guerrilla-style cash raids by sending workers to China on two-month visitor visas." China needs cheap labor and the North is more than willing to supply it, with an estimated 70,000 workers heading across the border in search of jobs.

U.S. Marine Jets Train in S.Korea

Fourteen U.S. Marine Corps aircraft including state-of-the-art vertical takeoff and landing planes based in Hawaii trained in the skies over South Korea last month. The drill came after the two sides in early March cancelled an annual joint marine exercise dubbed Ssangyong slated for April. Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, the commander of the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, in a pre-released statement for an international security forum in Seoul on Tuesday said, "Speaking as a force commander, I know my Marines' readiness improves every time they come to train with your Marines and Navy."

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

Will the S. Korea-US summit lead to the resumption of N. Korea-US dialogue?
South Korea and the US are moving forward with coordinating the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump that’s scheduled for Apr. 11. Following a meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, DC, on Mar. 29, when the two top diploamts discussed methods of “post-Hanoi” cooperation, Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy chief of South Korea’s National Security Office, arrived in the US on Mar. 30 and is planning to meet with White House Deputy National Security Advisor Charles Kupperman on Apr. 1 to coordinate the agenda of the South Korea-US summit. The arrival of April coincides with a frenzied effort to salvage North Korea-US dialogue, which is at an impasse.

Commander of special operations was in Gwangju when helicopter fire on civilians
A newly released military document confirms that Jung Ho-yong, 88, then commander of special operations in the South Korean military, rode a helicopter into Gwangju on May 21, 1980, the very day that martial law troops fired on demonstrators around Geumnam Street, in front of the South Jeolla Provincial Office, during the Gwangju Democratization Movement. This flatly contradicts Jung’s claim that he was in Seoul when troops opened fire on civilians in front of the provincial office. The 3rd, 7th and 11th Airborne Brigades, which were under Jung’s command, had been deployed to Gwangju at that time, but this is the first military document to emerge that shows that Jung himself was in the city on May 21.

Trump demanded transfer of NK’s nuclear weapons and fuel to US during Hanoi summit
US President Donald Trump demanded that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un transfer the North’s nuclear weapons and bomb fuel to the US during their Hanoi summit, Reuters reported on Mar. 29. In a move reminiscent of the so-called “Libya model” that provoked an extremely negative response from the North, Trump appears to have devised a comprehensive set of demands from the time he departed for Hanoi, anticipating the possibility that no deal would be reached. Citing an anonymous source, Reuters reported that Trump delivered Korean- and English-language versions of a document containing the blunt demands while meeting Kim on Feb. 28 in their summit at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

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

Moon says both Koreas and the U.S. will never go back to the past

“Together with U.S. President Donald Trump, I will find ways to establish peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, an aspiration of people at home and abroad,” President Moon Jae-in said at a meeting with his top aides on Monday. “We will never and cannot go back to the past.” President Moon made the remarks 10 days before the scheduled summit with President Trump, showing his willingness to resume Washington-Pyongyang nuclear negotiations through “top-down” diplomacy.

Samsung releases world’s first 5G smartphone on April 5

Samsung Electronics has chosen South Korea as the first market to introduce the Galaxy S10 5G, the world’s first 5G smartphone. Samsung announced Monday that the Galaxy S10 5G will be launched in Korea on Friday through telecoms operators or with a self-sufficiency mobile plan. The 235GB-model is priced approximately at 1.39 million won, and the 512GB-model at 1.55 million won.

Sarira reliquary at Wangheungsa to join national treasure collection

The Sarira reliquary of Wangheungsa Temple in Buyeo, the oldest sarira artifact preserved in Korea, will be upgraded to a national treasure after being renamed the Sarira Reliquary Excavated at the Site of Wangheungsa Temple in Buyeo (Treasure No. 1767), according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday. A sarira reliquary is a container of pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters.

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

Unsuccessful Nominations to the Cabinet: Two Things Cheong Wa Dae Should Know

On March 31, President Moon Jae-in withdrew his nomination of Cho Dong-ho, his ministerial nominee for science and ICT. This is the first time that the president has withdrawn his nomination of a ministerial candidate. Choi Jeong-ho, ministerial nominee for land, infrastructure and transport voluntarily stepped down. Two of the seven ministerial nominees for the president's new cabinet have failed to enter office.It seems the government and the nominees could not withstand the public criticism that the nominations went against the government's philosophy in state administration and that they were based on double standards--lenient to oneself, strict to others.

Constitutional Court to Decide on Abortion: The Court Should Listen to the Voice of the People

It is April and the eyes and ears of women are directed toward the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court is expected to make a judgment on the constitutional appeal for abortion before justices Seo Ki-seog and Cho Yong-ho retire on April 18. This will be the first time for the Constitutional Court to make a decision on abortion, since the court upheld abortion as a crime after a four (constitutional) to four (unconstitutional) vote on the issue in 2012. The legal provision that the court is reviewing at present is Article 269, Section 1 of the Criminal Act, which punishes women getting an abortion and Article 270, Section 1 of the Criminal Act, which punishes medical practitioners who conduct the abortion. On March 30, over 1,500 people gathered at a rally organized by "Joint Action to Legalize Abortion for All," a union of civic groups, and called for the court to decide that the articles in question violated the Constitution. Participants demanded the government to fully legalize abortion for the safe termination of pregnancy, to expand comprehensive sex education and access to contraceptives, to completely revise the eugenic Mother and Child Health Act, and to guarantee reproductive rights without stigma and discrimination.

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

Mirae Asset Group chair keeps up dividend donation for 9th year

Park Hyeon-joo, founder and chairman of Korea’s leading financial conglomerate Mirae Asset Group, will donate his entire 1.6 billion won ($1.4 million) dividend earnings from fiscal 2018, a philanthropist tradition he has kept up for nine straight years. Park owns interests in Mirae Asset affiliates including Mirae Asset Global Investment (60.2 percent), Mirae Asset Consulting (48.6 percent) and Mirae Asset Capital (34.32 percent). He is rewarded with cash dividend for 2 to 4 percent stake just from Mirae Asset Global Investment.

CJ Group chairman paid the most among Korean CEOs in 2018

CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun was most generously compensated among South Korean CEOs with his annual paycheck reaching 15.99 billion won ($14.1 million) last year. According to the Financial Supervisory Service and Seoul-based financial data provider FnGuide on Monday, Lee Jay-hyun collected 15.99 billion won in annual income including compensation last year, becoming the highest-paid registered executive in the country. He took 7.18 billion won from CJ Group’s holding unit CJ Corp., 6.49 billion won from food manufacturing unit CJ CheilJedang, and 2.32 billion won from entertainment unit CJ ENM.

Korea’s inflation at below 1% for 3rd month, weakest Q1 data since record

South Korea’s headline inflation stayed before 1.0 percent for the third consecutive month in March, showing the weakest for the first quarter since quarterly data became available from 1965, as softening oil prices coupled with stubbornly sluggish domestic demand. According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, the country’s consumer price index (CPI) in March added 0.4 percent from a year ago after a 0.5 percent gain in the previous month. The last time price gain was so weak was in July 1999 with a 0.3 percent rise amidst recession following the 1997-1998 financial crisis.

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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 Herald http://www.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
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And many other countries.
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