Category: General

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appeared before prosecutors Saturday for questioning over allegations that he was involved in a company’s alleged illegal money transfers to North Korea.

Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), showed up at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:18 a.m., marking his fifth appearance for prosecution questioning. He was last questioned on Aug. 17 over a separate case.

Lee has been under investigation over a series of corruption allegations that he claims were fabricated.

The latest probe centers on allegations that Ssangbangwool Group, an underwear manufacturer, unlawfully remitted US$8 million to North Korea between January 2019 and January 2020 on behalf of Gyeonggi Province.

Prosecutors suspect that $3 million was intended to facilitate Lee’s planned visit to Pyongyang, while the remainder was meant for Gyeonggi’s smart farm support program in North Korea.

Upon arriving at the prosecutors office, Lee told reporters that the truth cannot stay covered up forever, although the government may be able to fabricate the case using what he calls the “political prosecution.”

He urged President Yoon Suk Yeol to apologize to the people for his acts of “destroying democracy” and “denying the sovereignty” of the people. He also called on the Cabinet members to resign en masse for a complete change of government affairs.

Lee also uploaded a written statement on social media shortly after his appearance for questioning, flatly denying the charges against him.

“I tried to do business with the North for humanitarian support and exchanges when I was Gyeonggi governor but did not provide, or ask to provide, money and goods to the North in violation of South Korean laws and the United Nations’ sanctions,” Lee said.

Lee left the prosecutors office after some 11 hours of questioning. He told reporters the investigation team “failed to produce even a single piece of evidence” that incriminated him.

The questioning came amid his indefinite hunger sit-in against the Yoon administration. He launched the strike on Aug. 31, calling on the president to apologize to the people for “destroying” their livelihoods and democracy, express opposition to Japan’s release of radioactive water into the ocean and thoroughly shake up the Cabinet to improve state affairs.

The prosecution had medical staff and an ambulance on standby at its Suwon office in case the politician’s health worsens due to his hunger strike.

The DP chairman was already indicted in two corruption cases in March.

He currently faces charges of breach of duty, bribery and other counts related to an apartment development project in the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

He was also charged with third-party bribery over allegations that while serving as the head of Seongnam FC during his Seongnam mayorship, he secured 13.3 billion won in corporate donations for the football club from four companies in exchange for administrative favors between 2014 and 2016. Lee served as Seongnam mayor from 2010 to 2018.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Saturday expressed condolences to the people of Morocco affected by a devastating earthquake that has reportedly claimed hundreds of lives in the North African country.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to those who are affected by the devastating earthquake in Morocco which occurred on the night of September 8,” Park wrote on social media.

“We stand in solidarity with you and wish a quick recovery from the damage,” the minister added.

According to media reports, the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday has claimed at least 632 lives and left over 300 people injured.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged an additional US$300 million to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on Saturday as part of the country’s efforts to help counter climate change.

Yoon made the announcement during the first session of the Group of 20 (G20) summit under way in New Delhi, which was held under the theme “One Earth” to address climate change and the environment.

The GCF is an international organization based in the South Korean port city of Incheon and tasked with assisting developing nations fight climate change.

“The Republic of Korea will play the role of a ‘green ladder’ to assist nations vulnerable to climate change,” Yoon said, referring to South Korea by its formal name.

“We plan to additionally contribute $300 million to the Green Climate Fund, and help developing nations’ adaptation to climate change and reduction of greenhouse gases,” he said, calling for the G20’s active contribution to the fund.

South Korea has contributed funding twice — $100 million in 2013 and $200 million during the 2020-23 fundraising period — making this the third time it will contribute to the fund.

Yoon said South Korea will also lead international cooperation for the transition to clean energy, such as by using its world-class nuclear power technology to assist countries seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen energy security.

Furthermore, South Korea will step up its development of small modular reactors, and work with the international community to develop hydrogen technologies and establish related standards, he said.

According Seoul’s presidential office, South Korea is currently the leading nation in the world in terms of the number of hydrogen vehicles in operation.

In addition, Yoon presented a vision to build a green shipping corridor, a term referring to the reduction of carbon emissions from vessels and ports, through the development of low-carbon and carbon-free vessels as well as environment-friendly port infrastructure.

The presidential office said the move to build a green shipping corridor will help maintain the competitiveness of South Korea’s exports and provide a boost to the nation’s shipbuilding industry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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Source: Yonhap News Agency

This agreement is an extra effort by the management of Java 9 and 10 power plant to address the challenges of creating green ammonia demand and supply chain in Indonesia. Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Java 9 and 10 Ultra-Selective Catalytic Reduction (USCR) power plant is preparing to be the first hybrid power plant to use green ammonia and green hydrogen in its production process to support net-zero emissions. memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed by PT Indo Raya Tenaga (IRT), the owner and operator of the Java 9 and 10 power plant, and Doosan Enerbility during the ASEAN Business Roundtable Meeting on September 7, 2023. The MoU signing was witnessed by the government representatives of Indonesia and South Korea. The power plant, along with its counterpart in Korea, is expected to use green ammonia and green hydrogen to support the net-zero emission policies of both Indonesia and South Korea, president director of IRT, Peter Wijaya, said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday. “Why did Java 9 and 10 power plant initiate the use of green ammonia? Because, as we know, Java 9 and 10 is the only power plant in Indonesia that uses SCR technology. Thanks to this technology, Java 9 and 10 can be considered a hybrid power plant that uses ammonia as a fuel, up to 60 percent of its energy input. This has been reviewed with PLN engineering, and the results are satisfactory,” he explained. Wijaya said that the agreement pertains to conducting a joint study to develop a road map and plan for the supply chain of green ammonia in Indonesia. It has been acknowledged that, until now, there have been no power plants using green ammonia and green hydrogen for commercial purposes, he added. However, a review conducted by IRT with several stakeholders in South Korea found that the boiler used in the SCR technology-based power plant can indeed run on green ammonia and green hydrogen for up to 60 percent of the energy input for electricity production. “This agreement is an extra effort by the management of Java 9 and 10 power plant to expand its capabilities as a hybrid generator, while, at the same time, addressing the challenges of creating green ammonia demand and supply chain in Indonesia. It also confirms its seriousness in developing the green ammonia and green hydrogen market in Indonesia,” Wijaya informed. Meanwhile, the vice president of Doosan Enerbility, Shin Dongkyu, said that the company has so far developed a variety of advanced technological innovations aimed at creating environmentally friendly products and supporting the achievement of the net-zero emissions target. “We strive to create high-tech products that are environmentally friendly,” he added. Earlier, IRT and PLN Engineering also agreed to study the maximization of green ammonia usage for possible use as a fuel for the Java 9 and 10 power plant. The agreement was manifested in an MoU inked during the Group of 20 Summit in Bali in November 2022. reen ammonia and green hydrogen are fuels that do not produce carbon emissions in their production and use. The use of these fuels is one of the energy-transition solutions that have already begun to be adopted by advanced countries for power generation and electric vehicles.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan accompanies President Joko Widodo to echo Indonesia’s commitment to global stability and peace at the G20 Summit that takes place in India on September 9-10, 2023.”I accompany Mr. President in India to attend the G20 Summit that is being held this weekend. As said by Mr. President, Indonesia will voice its commitment to stability and peace at the Indian G20 Summit,” he noted in a statement received here on Saturday. India holds the presidency of G20 this year, succeeding Indonesia that had successfully organized and hosted the previous G20 Summit in Bali Province in November of 2022. Minister Hasan said that earlier, he had attended the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting that was held in Jaipur, India, on August 24-25 this year. ccording to Hasan, participating ministers in the meeting had managed to finalize most agreements in the trade sector. He expressed hope that the agreements reached would soon benefit Indonesia.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – All partner countries, including China and the United States, attended the 2023 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta this week to support and respect ASEAN centrality.Southeast Asian countries emphasized the centrality of ASEAN when regional and global dynamics require this bloc to embrace a common mechanism to achieve common interests. The ASEAN Charter clearly states that ASEAN’s main goal is to maintain the bloc’s centrality and a proactive role as the main driver of relations and cooperation with external partners in an open, transparent, and inclusive regional architecture. The concept of ASEAN centrality, as stated in the ASEAN Outlook in the Indo-Pacific, must become the dominant regional platform for addressing common challenges and interacting with forces outside the region. Since taking on the position of chairman of ASEAN 2023, Indonesia has emphasized this concept strongly, and it is indeed increasingly vital, given that Southeast Asia is striving to be pulled back and forth by the world’s dominant powers, especially China and the United States. Ironically, the two superpowers accuse each other of trying to co-opt ASEAN. The two countries even appear to be attempting to prevent ASEAN from leaning towards one of them. China appears to be dominant in wanting to see the ASEAN disengage from the United States in order to get rid of the influence of its main competitor country, even though its method is quite gentle through an economic approach. On the other hand, the United States is seemingly keen to make the ASEAN a stronghold against China’s competition on various fronts, from politics and security to the economy. In Jakarta, during the series of the 43rd ASEAN Summit this week, the stance of the two countries became increasingly tough in spite of wrapping up the tough stance with a commitment to a stronger relationship with the ASEAN. This can be seen, among other things, from China’s strong message that reminded ASEAN to not be provoked by external actors so as not to turn Southeast Asia into a new area of conflict. Chinese Premier Li Qiang even reminded Southeast Asia to avoid a “new Cold War” in this region. At the ASEAN-China Summit yesterday, Li stated that all countries must deal with differences and disputes properly. “At the moment, it is imperative to reject taking sides, bloc confrontation and new Cold War,” Li stated at the ASEAN-China Summit, Wednesday (Sept 6). Li’s remark is an affirmation of the equally strong statement by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a conference organized by an Indonesian think tank on September 3. At that time, Wang reminded ASEAN to not be made a pawn by external forces.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with China and South Korea to encourage effective exchanges and cooperation in the industrial field.The MoU signing between Indonesia and China was carried out by Indonesian Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Jin Zhuanglong in Jakarta on Friday. “The industrial cooperation between the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and China’s MIIT aims to develop cooperation in the manufacturing industry sector for a period of five years, and this can be extended,” Kartasasmita remarked here on Friday. In addition, Minister Kartasasmita inked a cooperation agreement in the industry sector with South Korean Minister for Trade Ahn Dukgeun on the same day. Indonesia’s cooperation agreement with China is related to policies and regulations, aircraft raw materials, solar photovoltaic systems, electronic components, home appliances, the freight industry, small and medium-sized industries, as well as industrial parks. Meanwhile, the scope of industrial cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea includes industrial policies to analyze bilateral cooperation in responding to industrial developments. The cooperation also aims to intensify bilateral cooperation and increase investment and organize joint projects in the industrial sector. “South Korea is one of Indonesia’s main trading partners. Investment from South Korea also grows in accordance with President Joko Widodo’s policy direction on (industrial) transformation to the downstream industry,” Kartasasmita remarked. He noted that investment from South Korea in Indonesia is dominated by leather goods and footwear, motor vehicles, electronics, basic metal, and chemical and pharmaceutical industries. With the MoU signing, he is upbeat that cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea would continue to grow and both countries would remain committed to encouraging economic growth, especially in the processing industry sector.

Source: Antara News Agency