South Korea
North accuses US of hostility for S. Korean missile decision
North Korea said Monday the U.S. allowing South Korea to build more powerful missiles was an example of the U.S.’s hostile policy against the North, warning that it could lead to an “acute and instable situation” on the Korean Peninsula.
It’s North Korea’s first response to the May 21 summit between the leaders of the United States and South Korea, during which the U.S. ended decades-long restrictions that capped South Korea’s missile development and allowed its ally to develop weapons with unlimited ranges.
Read: South Korea mulls dropping masks for vaccinated
The accusation of U.S. policy being hostile to North Korea matters because it said it won’t return to talks and would enlarge its nuclear arsenal as long as U.S. hostility persists. But the latest statement was still attributed to an individual commentator, not a government body, suggesting North Korea may still want to leave room for potential diplomacy with the Biden administration.
“The termination step is a stark reminder of the U.S. hostile policy toward (North Korea) and its shameful double-dealing,” Kim Myong Chol, an international affairs critic, said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. “It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue.”
“The U.S. is mistaken, however. It is a serious blunder for it to pressurize (North Korea) by creating asymmetric imbalance in and around the Korean Peninsula as this may lead to the acute and instable situation on the Korean Peninsula now technically at war,” he said.
The United States had previously barred South Korea from developing a missile with a range of longer than 800 kilometers (500 miles) out of concerns about a regional arms race. The range is enough for a South Korean weapon to strike all of North Korea but is short of hitting potential key targets in other neighbors like China and Japan.
Read:South Korea, US discuss joint responses to falling Chinese rocket debris
Some South Korean observers hailed the end of the restrictions as restoring military sovereignty, but others suspected the U.S. intent was to boost its ally’s military capability amid a rivalry with China.
The commentator Kim accused Washington of trying to spark an arms race, thwart North Korean development and deploy intermediate-range missiles targeting countries near North Korea.
The South Korean government said it “prudently watches” North Korea’s reaction, but Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo wouldn’t comment otherwise, since the remarks were attributed to an individual, not an official statement from the North Korean government.
The North Korean statement comes as the Biden administration shapes a new approach on North Korea amid long-dormant talks over the North’s nuclear program. During their summit, Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in said a new U.S. policy review on North Korea “takes a calibrated and practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy” with the North.
Read:China: US should push North Korea diplomacy, not pressure
U.S. officials have suggested Biden would adopt a middle ground policy between his predecessors — Donald Trump’s direct dealings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Barack Obama’s “strategic patience.” Some experts say Biden won’t likely provide North Korea with major sanctions relief unless it takes concrete denuclearization steps first.
The North Korean statement criticized the Biden administration’s review indirectly, saying the new policy was viewed by other countries “as just trickery.”
South Korea mulls dropping masks for vaccinated
South Korean officials say they plan to allow people to drop their masks from July if they have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, as they mull incentives to promote inoculation.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-choel said Wednesday the plan is contingent on the government succeeding in its goal of administering first doses to 13 million people by the end of June. Officials say people will continue to be required to wear mask indoors or at outdoor gatherings where it’s difficult to maintain distance.
Read:Vaccine inequality in India sends many falling through gaps
Other incentives include providing vaccine-takers with discounts at public parks and museums and allowing them to participate in larger private gatherings. The country is currently clamping down on social gatherings of five or more people.
South Korea has wrestled with a slower vaccine rollout than many other developed economies.
Around 3.9 million people so far have received their first doses since the country launched its mass immunization program in late February, which represents less than 8% of the country’s 51 million population.
Health officials have lamented what they describe as excessive public fear of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been linked to rare blood-clotting side effects.
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— Vaccine inequality in India sends many falling through gaps
— Countries eager to reopen to travel as pandemic recedes
— UN official: Conflicts make controlling COVID more difficult
— A growing number of public schools in the U.S. are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to encourage students to get vaccinated before summer vacation.
Read:Japan opens mass vaccination centers 2 months before Games
— The British government is facing accusations of reintroducing local lockdowns on the sly after it published new guidelines for eight areas of England that it says are hot spots for the coronavirus variant first identified in India.
Expatriate Bangladeshis in South Korea urged to come forward to build "Sonar Bangla"
Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Abida Islam has said Bangladesh has been making significant contribution to the establishment of peace and conflict resolution following the ideology of peace propagated by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She also mentioned that Bangabandhu’s effort to promote peace, cooperation and peaceful co-existence is best reflected in his foreign policy formulation that is based on the principle of friendship towards all, malice towards none.
The Ambassador, while addressing a virtual discussion on Sunday, called upon the expatriate Bangladeshis to provide combine efforts to build a hunger and poverty-free, happy and prosperous "Sonar Bangla" as envisioned by Father of the Nation.
Read: S Korean envoy shares historical documents with FM Momen
The Embassy of Bangladesh, Seoul celebrated the 48th Anniversary of the Bangabandhu’s receipt of Juliot-Curie Medal of Peace on Sunday with due fervor and festivity.
To observe the occasion in a befitting manner, the Embassy held an online discussion programme chaired by Ambassador Abida Islam and participated by expatriate Bangladeshis living in South Korea.
At the beginning of the programme, a documentary on Bangabandhu’s receipt of Juliot-Curie Medal of Peace was screened.
Ambassador Abida Islam paid rich tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She touched upon the background of Bangabandhu’s receipt of Juliot-Curie Medal of Peace and his great contribution in establishing lasting world peace.
Implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord by the Prime Minister in 1996 and submission of model of world peace at UN General Assembly in 2011 by empowering people and ensuring development are the shining examples of that.
Read:Rohingya Crisis: Korea provides $4 mn to support 2021 JRP
Moreover, as a leading troop contributing country at the UN peacekeeping missions, Bangladesh continues to contribute to the world peace.
During the discussion session, the participants remembered with great respect the contribution of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in establishing lasting peace in the world.
Also, they discussed on Bangabandhu’s vision, philosophy and his tireless efforts to promote world peace and non-violence and peaceful co-existence.
Rohingya Crisis: Korea provides $4 mn to support 2021 JRP
South Korea has decided to provide $4 million this year to international agencies having presence in Bangladesh with a view to support the Rohingya refugees and their host communities.
The contribution will be used for the humanitarian activities of UN agencies and other international organizations to support the Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh under the recently announced 2021 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis.
This year’s $4 million contribution has been allocated to the UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, IOM and IFRC.
An amount of $1 million had already been disbursed to IOM to assist the emergency response to the massive fire in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in March, said the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Supporting the host community, addressing gender-based violence, supporting children and girls, and responding to emergencies and disaster relief are among the priority areas for Korea in its support for the Rohingya refugees and the host community.
In addition to the financial contributions, the Republic of Korea, through KOICA, has also implemented a number of humanitarian projects to support the Rohingya refugees and host communities in partnership with other international organizations and international NGOs.
Read: JRP 2021: Dhaka seeks permanent solution to Rohingya crisis
In cooperation with UNFPA, KOICA is implementing a project to support the menstrual health of women and girls in Cox’s Bazar which is worth $3 million for the period of 2021-24.
KOICA is also working with NGOs such as Adi, World Vision, and Concern Worldwide in Cox’s Bazar on various projects supporting the refugees and the host community.
As a trusted partner of Bangladesh, the Korean Government has been closely working with the international community to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis since the outbreak in 2017.
Korea has provided the international community with around $20 million between 2017 and 2021 for Rohingya refugee-related activities in Bangladesh.
This humanitarian assistance will help protect the displaced persons and host communities.
The Republic of Korea said they will continue to work closely with the international community as well as the Bangladeshi Government to address the humanitarian crisis and search for durable solutions focused on the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar.
Samsung thrives as Seoul mulls pardon of corporate heir
Pressure is mounting on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, who is back in prison after his conviction in a massive corruption scandal, even though business has rarely looked better at South Korea’s largest company.
Lee is just the latest South Korean corporate boss to run his business from behind bars, communicating decisions through visiting company executives. But his imprisonment is causing national handwringing over the future of the technology giant in the country sometimes called the “Samsung Republic.”
Many people — from business leaders and editorial writers to even Buddhist monks — have urged Moon to release Lee for the sake of an economy heavily dependent on Samsung’s technology exports. They worry Lee’s imprisonment could compromise Samsung’s speed and decisiveness, hindering its competitiveness in the fast-changing technology business.
Lee has been in prison for nearly four months and few expect him to serve his full prison sentence through July 2022. There’s speculation Moon could free him on Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Wednesday.
Read:Samsung Galaxy A72 Full Review: Is it worth buying?
There’s also Liberation Day in August, which celebrates Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II. That also has often brought presidential pardons of high-profile politicians and businesspeople.
Moon’s office said he will consider both the intensifying competition in the semiconductor market and public feelings about fairness before deciding whether to pardon Lee.
Lee runs Samsung as vice chairman. He’s also the country’s richest person. He is serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for bribing then-President Park Geun-hye and her close confidante, who are serving lengthier prison terms, to win government support for a 2015 merger between two Samsung affiliates that tightened his control over the corporate empire.
Samsung’s latest results suggest it is doing just fine.
The company posted a near 50% jump in operating profit and its $58 billion revenue was the highest ever in the first three months of the year. Demand for its mainstay computer memory chips, TVs and other products has surged as the pandemic has forced millions to stay home. And Samsung’s sleek Galaxy smartphones and tablets are the biggest competition for Apple’s iPhones and iPads.
Samsung has announced ambitious plans to expand its computer chip manufacturing. Last week it said it will invest 171 trillion won ($151 billion) through 2030 in higher-margin logic chips and its foundry business for contract chipmaking as it expands beyond its dominance in memory chips. The company expects demand for advanced chips to soar in coming years, lifted by emerging technologies such as fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.
Still, analysts say Samsung is increasingly falling behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in the race for high-tech chips. The world’s biggest contract chipmaker, TSMC controls 55% of the global foundry business versus Samsung’s 17% share, according to South Korea’s Trade Ministry.
Both could be threatened by U.S. efforts to reduce American dependence on Asian supply chains and rebuild the declining U.S. chip industry in response to chip shortages that have hobbled American auto manufacturing in recent months.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Samsung said Lee’s role is to “contribute to the company’s overall strategic direction, and make decisions related to the future growth through his insights and global network of business leaders.” The company declined to comment on calls for Lee’s release and also would not say how often company officials are visiting him.
“It’s not difficult for Lee to manage the company from prison through his visitors, and it’s not like he had ever run Samsung like an omnipotent king,” said Chung Sun-sup, chief executive of corporate analysis firm Chaebul.com. Even though Lee is the grandson of Samsung’s founder and is the family’s third generation helmsman of the company, important decisions are still weighed by the board, he noted.
Read:Facing $11B tax bill, Samsung heirs donate mass art trove
“But who knows what Samsung is missing when Lee isn’t visiting business sites or traveling abroad for new opportunities?” he said.
Lee’s imprisonment comes at a time when Samsung should be pushing for a major reshaping of its semiconductor business, said Lee Seung-woo, a senior analyst at Seoul-based Eugene Investment and Securities.
Samsung’s rise as a global technology powerhouse drew from its dual strength in parts and finished products. But that’s proving a disadvantage in its competition with TSMC as major clients like Apple shift orders to TSMC to avoid relying on chips manufactured by a competitor.
Samsung should be considering bold moves, such as splitting its foundry business into a separate company and listing it on the U.S. stock market to ease the concern of clients, Lee said.
“Lee Jae-yong clearly has a role to do,” he said. “Lee could be meeting (Apple CEO) Tim Cook asking Apple to invest in the new foundry company.”
Samsung’s daily operations are mainly handled by co-CEOs who each lead its semiconductor, smartphones and consumer electronics divisions. Samsung reaped robust profits during Lee’s earlier stints in jail, in 2017 and 2018, when it finalized a deal to acquire American auto electronics firm Harman. That assuaged jitters about a possible void in decision making.
Legal troubles have long dogged the company. Lee’s late father, its former chairman Lee Kun-hee, received suspended sentences in 1996 and 2008 for crimes including bribery and tax evasion.
The scandal that snagged Lee Jae-yong again underscored traditionally cozy ties between “chaebol,” or South Korea’s family-owned conglomerates, and the government. Park was ousted and jailed in 2017 following months of protests by millions.
Moon has been sidestepping the pardon issue for months, having taken office vowing to curb the excesses of chaebol families after winning the presidential by-election following Park’s ouster.
South Korea has long been lenient toward white-collar crimes, letting convicted tycoons run their businesses from prison. Officials say that’s best for the economy even though the crimes committed by chaebol bosses usually put their personal interests ahead of corporate concerns.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won held nearly 1,800 meetings with his lawyers and other visitors in 17 months through July 2014 while serving a four-year prison term for embezzlement and other crimes, according Justice Ministry comments to lawmakers.
Read:Samsung reports profit jump driven by strong chip deman
Hyundai Motor Corp. reportedly set up a “liaison office” nearby to receive guests and staff visiting its former chairman Chung Mong-koo after he was arrested in 2006 on charges of embezzling company funds to bribe officials.
Chey and Chung received presidential pardons, as did Lee’s father.
The calls for Lee’s release show Samsung still holds excessive influence, said Park Sang-in, a professor of public enterprise policy at Seoul National University. He believes pardoning Lee would damage public trust.
“Was there ever a time when pardoning a chaebol boss really helped a company or the Korean economy? No, not even once,” Park said.
PM wants to take partnership with S Korea to new height
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has extended her warmest congratulations to Kim Boo-Kyum, newly elected Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, saying she looks forward to working together to take the partnership between the two countries to a new height.
In a message on Monday on behalf of the people and the government of Bangladesh, she wished that Kim will lead his country successfully towards greater peace and prosperity with his political acumen and stewardship and extended an invitation to Kim to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.
Read:Developing Bangladesh: PM says the glory came through struggles
Prime Minister Hasina reiterated that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and South Korea are evinced by shared values of mutual trust and respect, commonalities of history, conviction to peace, security, and prosperity for all.
She stressed that Bangladesh deeply values its close, friendly and multifaceted ties with the Republic of Korea which has further strengthened in recent years.
“I sincerely believe that our friendship and collaboration have vast potentials to be realised through greater trade, investment, human resource development and technical cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples,” said the Prime Minister.
She is encouraged by the increased Korean investment in the infrastructure and socio-economic development programmes of Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to express deep appreciation for the continued participation of the government of the Republic of Korea in the development initiatives of Bangladesh as Bangladesh strives to build the “Sonar Bangla” – the Prosperous Bangladesh, as envisioned by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She expressed the willingness of her government to continue to work closely with Korea on regional and global issues.
In this regard, she underscored the importance of early, safe and sustained repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar which is vital for the peace, stability and security of the region.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that this protracted crisis has potential to destabilise the entire region.
Read:PM Hasina greets Assam’s new CM Dr Sarma
Bangladesh appreciates Korea’s continued engagements in various fora, including the UN, in resolving the Rohingya crisis, Hasina said.
She extended her firm belief that the existing friendly relation between our two peoples will further consolidate our cooperation during your term in the office.
The Prime Minister concluded by conveying her best wishes for Kim’s good health and happiness, and for continued peace, progress and prosperity of the friendly people of the Republic of Korea.
South Korea, US discuss joint responses to falling Chinese rocket debris
South Korea and the United States on Friday discussed ways to jointly respond to remnants of a Chinese rocket expected to crash into Earth this weekend, the Air Force said.
According to Yonhap news agency, the Long March 5B rocket was launched last week carrying a module of China's first permanent space station into orbit. But a large piece of debris is expected to plunge back in an uncontrolled re-entry on around Saturday (U.S. time), according to the U.S. Space Command.
To explore ways to jointly deal with the case, South Korea's Air Force and the US-led Combined Space Operations Centre (CSPOC) held a video conference and shared their surveillance data and analysis.
The conference was also attended by military members from Germany and Japan, according to the Air Force
"We cannot completely rule out the possibility of rocket pieces falling onto the Korean Peninsula," Lt Col Choi Seong Hwan of the Korea Space Operations Centre said.
"We maintain a staunch readiness by maximising our space surveillance capabilities and working closely with the SpoC and other related agencies to be fully prepared for any scenarios," he added.
The US command said that the rocket's exact point of descent cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its re-entry." Experts said debris would fall into the sea but they might reach populated areas.
Activist says he flew 500K leaflets across Koreas’ border
A South Korean activist said Friday he launched 500,000 propaganda leaflets by balloon into North Korea this week in defiance of a contentious new law that criminalizes such actions.
If confirmed, Park Sang-hak’s action would be the first known violation of the law that punishes anti-Pyongyang leafleting with up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($27,040). The law that took effect in March has invited criticism South Korea is sacrificing freedom of expression to improve ties with rival North Korea, which has repeatedly protested the leafleting.
Also read: North Korea fires missiles into sea, criticized by South
Police stations in frontline Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces said they couldn’t immediately confirm if Park sent balloons from their areas, which Park has used in the past and said he used in two launches this week. Cha Duck Chul, a deputy spokesman at Seoul’s Unification Ministry, said the government would handle the case in line with the objective of the law, though police and military authorities were still working to confirm Park’s statements.
Park said his organization floated 10 giant balloons carrying the leaflets, reading materials critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s government, and 5,000 one-dollar bills over two launches from frontline areas this week. He would not disclose the exact locations in the two border provinces he used, citing worries police would stop future attempts.
“Though (authorities) can handcuff and put me to a prison cell, they cannot stop (my leafleting) with whatever threats or violence as long as the North Korean people waits for the letters of freedom, truth and hopes,” said Park, a North Korean defector known for years of leafleting campaigns.
Park called the anti-leafleting legislation “the worst law” that “sides with cruel human rights abuser Kim Jong Un and covers the eyes and ears of the North Korean people that have become the modern-day slaves of the Kim dynasty.”
Video released by Park showed him releasing a balloon with leaflets toward a dark sky and showed him standing in the woods with a sign that partly reads, “The world condemns Kim Jong Un who is crazy for nuclear and rocket provocations.”
Also read: North Korea flies out foreign diplomats amid virus fight
The anti-leafleting legislation was passed in December by Parliament, where lawmakers supporting President Moon Jae-in’s engagement policy on North Korea hold a three-fifths supermajority. It went into effect in March.
It’s the first South Korean law that formally bans civilians from floating anti-North Korea leaflets across border. South Korea has previously banned such activities only during sensitive times in inter-Korean relations and normally allowed activists to exercise their freedom of speech despite repeated protests from North Korea.
Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, last year furiously demanded South Korea ban the leafleting and called North Korean defectors involved in it “human scum” and “mongrel dogs.”
Despite the law, ties between the Koreas remain strained amid a standstill in broader nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington. North Korea has made a series of derisive statements against Seoul, including Kim Yo Jong calling Moon “a parrot raised by America” after he criticized the North’s recent missile launches.
KEPZ Hi-Tech park will attract huge FDI, hopes Palak
The Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) Hi-Tech park will play a significant role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Bangladesh, said State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday.
"Korea is a pioneer country to invest in Bangladesh and has extended and enhanced its cooperation beyond textile to ICT, energy, blue economy, climate change and infrastructure development for over 45 years," he said.
Palak made the remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the KEPZ Hi-Tech Park mentioning that the collaboration between Bangladesh and South Korea goes a long way.
The Hi-Tech Park was jointly inaugurated by State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun with the physical presence of Kihak Sung, Chairman & CEO of Youngone Corp & KEPZ.
It was a remarkable day for KEPZ in the field of Hi-Tech industrial development, said the Youngone Corp adding that the vision of the company to establish a state-of-the-art Hi-Tech park is coming to a reality.
Also read: S Korea sees brighter ties with Bangladesh with multifarious success stories: Envoy
South Korea suspends visas for Bangladeshis to curb Covid-19
South Korea has suspended visas for Bangladeshis as there has been an upswing in Covid-19 cases among the citizens of the South Asian nation visiting the southern half of the Korean Peninsula recently.
Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul confirmed this on Friday – the day when the ban came into effect.
Read S Korea gives 95,000 Covid-19 rapid test kits to Bangladesh
Many Bangladeshi passengers who entered South Korea have tested positive for Covid-19, said the embassy.
The withdrawal of the restriction will depend on the Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh, said an embassy official.
Also read: Hopeful of starting tourist visa soon: Doraiswami