Day: May 21, 2023

South Korea’s land minister left for Poland on Sunday to explore ways for Seoul to take part in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction projects, his office said.

During a three-day stay, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong will meet with senior officials of Poland and Ukraine and discuss South Korea’s envisioned participation in projects to rebuild Ukraine after its war with Russia, according to the ministry.

The minister is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry, which calls for South Korea’s sharing of know-how and development platforms regarding a smart city, IT-based traffic network and advanced industry complexes.

Ukrainian officials have voiced expectations for South Korean companies’ major role in various recovery projects, such as building two new nuclear reactors, and infrastructure for hydrogen and electric power generation. Those envisioned reconstruction projects are forecast to cost around US$900 billion.

South Korea has pledged to extend humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in coordination with the international community.

In February, South Korea announced a plan to provide additional assistance worth US$130 million to Ukraine following last year’s humanitarian aid worth $100 million.

Last week, Seoul’s Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho signed a preliminary agreement with Ukraine to offer low-interest loans to the country under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund project.

On Sunday, President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, as Zelenskyy is there to rally international support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae unit participated in a counter-piracy operation with armed forces from 13 other countries earlier this month, the military said Sunday.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the Cheonghae unit joined the likes of the United States, Italy, Japan and Canada in the May 14-20 operation organized by the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151.

Codenamed “Hanul,” the operation involved conducting maritime patrolling and issuing anti-piracy warnings in the Middle East waters, including the Gulf of Aden, according to the JCS.

The Cheonghae unit’s Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin destroyer and the Italian frigate Luigi Rizzo were deployed Wednesday, as the forces looked to establish interoperability for anti-piracy missions.

The CTF 151 also carried out a command post exercise with the CTF 465 under the European Union Naval Force, United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations and Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa.

South Korea took command of the CTF 151 from Brazil in February, with R. Adm. Ko Seung-bum at the helm.

Under the 34-member Combined Maritime Forces, the CTF 151 was established in 2009 with a focus on counter-piracy missions. The CTF 151 has previously been led by the United States, Britain and Japan, among others.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Sunday to upgrade trilateral cooperation to a new level, Yoon’s office said.

The three leaders reached the agreement during talks held on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, noting their meeting followed Kishida’s visit to the U.S. in January, Yoon’s visit to Japan in March, which opened a new chapter in South Korea-Japan relations, Yoon’s state visit to Washington in April, and Kishida’s visit to Seoul earlier this month, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

“They agreed to develop three-way cooperation to a new level,” he said in a written briefing, adding the leaders agreed to further strengthen trilateral strategic cooperation to bolster deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threat, and reinforce the free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Yoon, Biden and Kishida last held a three-way meeting in Cambodia in November, during which they agreed to share missile warning data in real time to cope with the growing threat of North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

During Sunday’s meeting, they agreed to deepen detailed cooperation in various areas, including in the sharing of missile warning data, in their Indo-Pacific strategies, and with respect to economic security and engagement with Pacific Island nations, Lee said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok captured his first international title of the season Sunday in Japan.

Woo won the men’s high jump by clearing 2.29 meters at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix at International Stadium in Yokohama.

Joel Baden of Australia also jumped 2.29m but needed two attempts to do so, while Woo only required one attempt.

Woo is the first South Korean athlete to win gold at a Golden Grand Prix event on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold circuit.

It’s the latest “first” of many for Woo, who in 2022 became the first South Korean to win a Diamond League title and also a world indoor gold medal. He finished second at the world outdoor championships last year, the best showing by a South Korean athlete.

Woo had finished in second place at the Asian indoor championships in February and again at the Diamond League season opener earlier in May.

In Yokohama, seven of the nine jumpers began the competition at 2.15m. Woo’s first attempt came with the bar set at 2.20m, and he cleared that easily.

Woo then moved the bar to 2.29m and needed just one attempt to clear it. By that time, only Woo and Baden were left standing.

Woo took three futile cracks at 2.32m. Baden went for 2.35m to topple the South Korean, but he, too, failed in all three tries to settle for second place.

Woo’s personal best is 2.36m.

Woo’s next competition will be the Diamond League stop in Firenze, Italy, on June 2.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol promised additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine in his first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, Yoon’s office said.

Yoon made the promise after Zelenskyy thanked South Korea for its humanitarian assistance and asked for additional non-lethal aid, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

“The president said he would work to promptly provide items needed by Ukraine, including demining equipment and ambulances,” Lee said in a written briefing.

Yoon reaffirmed South Korea’s support for Ukraine, saying Seoul values an international order based on freedom, international solidarity and rules.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, a day after Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima to rally international support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

It also came only days after Yoon met with Zelenskyy’s wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, in Seoul and pledged to provide active assistance to her country in close coordination with the international community.

South Korea has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine but rejected Kyiv’s requests for lethal weapons.

During her meeting with Yoon, Zelenska made a request for additional aid in areas where South Korea is able, saying she understands its difficulties in providing lethal weapons, according to Yoon’s office.

The Yoon-Zelenskyy meeting was arranged at Ukraine’s request, it said.

Yoon and Zelenskyy agreed on the need for bilateral cooperation for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, including for the participation of excellent South Korean businesses that can help accelerate its recovery.

Zelenskyy emphasized the growing importance of international support amid the prolonged war, and Yoon responded that South Korea will stand with the Ukrainian people until peace is restored, Lee said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up a three-day visit to Hiroshima on Sunday after taking new steps to improve relations with Japan, pledging to do more for the global community and holding his first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Yoon was invited to Hiroshima to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit as the leader of one of eight guest nations, making him the fourth South Korean president to attend a G-7 leaders’ gathering.

The three-day summit set the stage for a flurry of diplomacy, as Yoon held bilateral summits on the sidelines with leaders from Australia, Vietnam, India, Britain and other countries, and also held his third summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in two months.

Relations between South Korea and Japan have warmed significantly since March, when the Yoon administration offered to resolve a row over wartime forced labor by compensating the Korean victims without asking for contributions from Japanese firms.

The solution led to the resumption of “shuttle diplomacy” between the two countries’ leaders after 12 years, with Yoon visiting Tokyo in March and Kishida reciprocating with a visit to Seoul earlier this month.

In Seoul, Kishida said his “heart aches” over the suffering of the wartime forced labor victims, who were made to work in Japanese factories when Korea was under Tokyo’s 1910-45 colonial rule, in what was seen by some as an expression of remorse long sought by the victims and other Koreans in generals.

Yoon took the unprecedented step Friday of meeting in Hiroshima with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing and on Sunday visited a cenotaph for the victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The visit to the cenotaph was unprecedented for a South Korean president. Yoon was joined by Kishida, making it also the first joint visit by leaders of the two countries.

At the G-7 summit, Yoon attended three expanded sessions involving his counterparts from the bloc and the seven other invited countries.

During the sessions, Yoon pledged an additional US$24 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this year, an amount nearly triple what South Korea has contributed to CEPI so far.

Yoon also announced plans to expand the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, a partnership involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and South Korea, China and Japan, and help strengthen rice production capacity in at least seven sub-Saharan African countries.

Moreover, Yoon announced South Korea’s decision to join the Climate Club established by the G-7 and actively push for carbon neutrality policies while fostering new low-carbon industries.

The series of actions was in line with Yoon’s commitment to expanding South Korea’s role in the international community and increasing aid for developing nations.

One of the highlights that received the most coverage, however, was Yoon’s first-ever meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday to rally support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid, including demining equipment and ambulances, while reaffirming South Korea’s support for Ukraine, according to his office.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed Sunday to quickly establish a military secret protection agreement to help strengthen supply chains in the defense industry.

Yoon announced the agreement after holding a summit with Scholz, saying the two leaders agreed to boost bilateral cooperation to match the changing environment of the times.

“We agreed that it is important to expand cooperation between the two countries in defense and arms,” he said during a joint press conference at the presidential office.

“We will quickly establish a military secret protection agreement between South Korea and Germany, and work together for the smooth operation of supply chains in the defense industry,” he said.

The two leaders also agreed to expand the strong trade and investment relationship to cutting-edge industries, such as in hydrogen, semiconductors, bio and clean energy, Yoon said.

In the face of global economic instability, geopolitical conflicts and the realignment of global supply chains, the two countries will strengthen their supply chain partnership, he added.

South Korea and Germany mark the 140th anniversary of bilateral ties this year. Scholz is the first German chancellor to make a bilateral visit to South Korea in 30 years.

The two leaders agreed to work together also on the climate crisis, Yoon said, noting his government’s decision to join the Climate Club established by the Group of Seven and led by Scholz.

On North Korea, Yoon said Germany understands and relates to Korean Peninsula issues as a country that experienced reunification 33 years ago.

“We will make clear that North Korea has nothing to gain from its unlawful provocations, send a consistent message to the international community and work closely together for North Korea’s denuclearization,” he said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Chiang Rai, May 21 – Police overlap plans to raise gangs. The movement claimed to be in front of the deputy commander of the police, both threatening and bribing the superintendent of Chiang Saen Police Station to release 4 Chinese VIPs accused of fleeing into the city.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Woraphong Kamlue, commander of the investigation of the Provincial Police Region 5, and Pol. Arrested four suspects: Mr. Soonchai, 34, Mr. Peeraphon, 34, Ms. Nattida, 54, and Mr. Ratchataphong, 50, along with 350,000 baht in cash, mobile phone 9 device, 1 car, 1 radio, brought the prosecution on 3 charges, namely

1. Joint bribery of officials which is an offense under section 144 of the Criminal Code

2. Identify yourself as an official and act as an official By himself not being an official

3. Having and using radio communication equipment without permission

This arrest was due to the 18 May Investigation Division 5 and investigating the Chiang Saen Police Station arrested 1 Thai and 4 Chinese at the Mekong River. Golden Triangle, Ban Sop Ruak, Wiang Subdistrict, Chiang Saen District, smuggled into the city before taking them into legal proceedings But on May 19, there was a phone call from Ms. Natthida and asked to talk to someone who claimed to be “Rong Tong” in front of the room “Pol. Gen. Torsak” Deputy Phor The Royal Thai Police ordered the Superintendent of Chiang Saen Police Station to release the four Chinese accused because they were VIPs. But the director was skeptical. therefore contacting investigators in Region 5 until the said person calls again Said he’d give the money to get released

Superintendent of Chiang Saen Police Station therefore planning to arrest this gang because it is believed to be impersonating the name of a high level commander By making an appointment for Ms. Natthida to meet at Chiang Saen Police Station, where Ms. Natthida came to meet with the officers while the other 3 people were waiting in the car. Four Chinese nationals who were arrested on May 18, offered to pay 350,000 baht in cash. which claims to be Lt. Col. Sarawut Mekphat, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, Kor. 3, came to meet the police. The police inquired about the rank, position, and searched the system, but could not find it. and is not related to the Deputy Commissioner of Police as claimed

The officer called all 4 people into the interrogation room. Claiming to have traveled from Bangkok to contact and ask to help 4 Chinese aliens who were arrested on May 18, the authorities therefore arrested them all. Ready to search in the car, found 400,000 baht in cash in a brown envelope. Inside the car, 1 radio, 2 police emblem vests, 1 black police emblem cap, 9 mobile phones and 50,000 baht in cash were in Mr. Peerapol’s body. .-Thai News Agency

Source: Thai News Agency

Ang Thong, May 21- Rampage again Stone throwing gang at Ang Thong A shocked woman was thrown into a car window with a stone, hurting her face while driving home. Rescuers reveal that the villain has been causing the crime for two days in a row. The police rushed to hunt him because the villagers were terrified.

The incident happened yesterday evening (May 20), the police at Pho Thong Police Station, Ang Thong Province, received a report of a car being thrown with a stone into the front glass until it broke and someone was injured. in the area of Pho Thong-Sawaeng Road Near Pho Thong Pittayakom School, Pho Thong District, Ang Thong Province After being informed, he coordinated the Ang Thong rescuers to the scene. Found a car parked on the side of the road. The glass in front of the right side of the car had a large hole cracked. Inside the car, Ms. Nantaya was found sitting inside the car on the driver’s side in a shocked state. There was a wound on the face on the right side of the nose and cheekbone. first aid rescuer Before taking him to Ang Thong Hospital, in addition, inside the car, one large stone was found, so the staff kept it as evidence.

while the sister of the injured told me that Before the incident drove back from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province to return home in Sawai District, not far from the scene of the accident Upon arriving at the scene, a middle-aged man drove a motorcycle on the opposite side. and throwing stones at glass before driving away Turning to look at her sister, she saw that her face had been injured. In shock, he hurriedly notified the police to come and help.

In addition, in the area close to each other Another victim was found stoned in front of the car. Appears a video clip from the camera in front of the van. was thrown by the villain with a stone until it was damaged Came to report to the police investigator, Pho Thong Police Station, as a picture of a tall man with a veil on his face. Driving a motorcycle on the other side in the middle of the road and threw stones at him with great force. The front of the car was damaged Inside the car there are both women and children. As for the spar, the car drove away. While the van driver did not park the car for fear of danger Therefore drove to send young women and children to Sing Buri Province and returned to bring the clip to report to the police

Pol. Col. Saichon Phokhom, Superintendent of Pho Thong Police Station, revealed that the police initially mobilized to inspect the area and check the CCTV in the area. to find the culprit to prosecute because it is very dangerous to the public Including having a patrol to check every hour. to prevent misfortune If anyone has a clue, you can report 24 hours a day.-Thai News Agency

Source: Thai News Agency

Chonburi, May 21- Boom Sanan, an oil tanker exploded while two workers were repairing it. The explosion killed the worker. The body was thrown several meters away. Dozens of surrounding rooms and shops were destroyed.

CCTV footage of the explosion of an oil tanker on a tanker truck boom The explosion caused the CCTV camera to shake. In the clip, two loud explosions are heard. The incident occurred around 10:00 p.m. inside a tanker truck repair shop in Sriracha District, Chonburi Province, after the accident, police rescuers, including the Laem Chabang Municipality Fire Department. inspect the scene

At the scene, dozens of oil tankers were found parked. Each car has a large fuel tank of about 50,000 liters. The garage area was damaged by the explosion. shattered glass The office room was damaged. Things are scattered all over the floor. In addition, the brick wall of the room. Including the shop was damaged as well. and it was reported that Two of the fatalities were welders.

From the inquiry, it was known that At the time of the accident, two welders were repairing an empty fuel tank on the car. But during that time, two fatal explosions occurred, killing one of the welders who were repairing the tank. The body was thrown to the ground about 100 meters from the fuel tank, while another was thrown about 10 meters from the scene.

Mr. Winai, the man who was eating in the CCTV footage, revealed that he and his wife were eating grilled pork in front of the audio equipment shop. which is adjacent to the scene Hear the sound of explosions up to 2 times, so frightened he ran away for his life. At first I thought it was a falling tree or lightning. But when looking at the smoke behind the oil car workshop When I went to look, I found that the tanker exploded.-Thai News Agency

Source: Thai News Agency