The Nation Newspaper

Tag: South Korea

  • NNPC, Sahara gas vessels leave South Korea

    The  liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels, MT Africa Gas and MT Sahara Gas,   jointly acquired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Sahara Group have left South Korea to begin  operations.

    The vessels will berth in Houston, United States, to convey their first consignment of gas expected to be delivered to the West African coast next month. The vessels’ operations are expected to actualise NNPC’s vision, which harps on boosting the availability of the commodity in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

    According to Sahara Group spokesman, Bethel Obioma, the two vessels will address the lingering challenges of supply, affordability and fraudulent activities of individuals and organisations seeking to adulterate cooking gas due to scarce supply.

    MT Africa Gas has already taken the lead, commencing its maiden voyage by sailing towards the Caribbean/US Gulf Region. Sahara Gas is due to follow suit in the coming weeks. He said industry stakeholders have commended the Dr. Maikanti Baru led NNPC for taking bold steps at tackling the scarcity of cooking gas nationwide.

    The stakeholders lauded Baru’s giant interventions towards ensuring sustainability, safety and reliability for millions of consumers, who depend on the commodity for their daily energy needs.

    Considered as a cleaner, much safer and more affordable alternative to firewood and kerosene, the acceptability of LPG in the sub-region has been affected by some challenges over the years. These hiccups include low supply, poor logistics and lack of LPG vessels in the region.

    According to him, with the recent unveiling of two LPG vessels, being acquisitions of West Africa Gas Limited, a Joint Venture of NNPC and Sahara Group, there is a renewed optimism for what is popularly referred to as cooking gas in the country.

    The Joint Venture is run by two companies, NNPC LNG Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NNPC and Sahara Energy’s oil and gas trading arm of Ocean Bed Trading Limited.

    Working through the JV, NNPC’s LPG policy will, in addition to improving supply within West African states, check the menace of deforestation in the sub region. “It is expected that in the long run, the growing negative impact of climate change across the globe will be drastically reduced,” Obioma said.

    The NNPC’s chief had at the inauguration of the LPG vessels in South Korea, said it was “an outstanding achievement” for Nigeria, considering the fact “that the Joint Venture between NNPC and Sahara is already recording success stories within a short period having been established in 2013”

  • Ki-moon won’t vie for South Korea’s presidency

    Ki-moon won’t vie for South Korea’s presidency

    Former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, once considered the front-runner to be next president of South Korea, ruled out running for the top job on Wednesday, disappointed at the “selfish ways” of some politicians in his home country.

    The 19th South Korean presidential election is scheduled to be held on or before Dec. 21, 2017.

    Ban said at an unscheduled news conference at parliament, after meeting leaders of conservative parties, that it was “meaningless” to join them.

    “I have decided to give up the pure intention of trying to lead political change and accomplish national reconciliation,” he said.

    Ban returned to South Korea on Jan. 12 after serving 10 years as UN chief but had been unable to capitalise on his much-anticipated homecoming, cutting a sometimes-irritable figure in public and mired in a series of perceived PR gaffes and a scandal involving family members.

    Even without announcing his intention to run, his support ratings in opinion polls had slipped to second place behind the presidential candidate for the main opposition Democratic Party, after peaking at nearly 30 percent last year.

    Conservative President Park Geun-Hye has been impeached by parliament amid a wide-ranging corruption scandal, complicating any run by Ban.

    He had been expected to run as a conservative but was unable to secure any party affiliation.

    If the impeachment vote against Park is upheld by the Constitutional Court, she will have to quit and an election would be held two months later.

    A ruling is expected as soon as late this month.

  • S/Korea: Samsung leader quizzed in corruption scandal

    S/Korea: Samsung leader quizzed in corruption scandal

    Samsung Group leader Jay Lee left the South Korean special prosecutor’s office early on Friday after more than 22 hours of questioning on bribery suspicions in an influence-peddling scandal that could topple President Park Geun-hye.

    Lee left the special prosecution office without answering reporters’ questions and headed to a waiting car.

    Prosecutors have been investigating whether Samsung provided 30 billion won (21 million pounds) to a business and foundations backed by Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil.

    Tthat it was in exchange for the national pension fund’s support for a 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.

    The special prosecutor’s office said it would decide by Sunday whether to seek a warrant to arrest 48-year-old Lee, the third-generation leader of South Korea’s largest conglomerate, or chaebol. There were no plans to bring him in for further questioning.

    Lee denied some of the suspicions against him but had admitted to others, said Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecutors’ office who declined to elaborate.

    A Samsung spokeswoman declined to comment.

    The corruption scandal has engulfed the highest reaches of South Korea’s elite, with Park impeached by parliament in December, a decision that must be upheld or overturned by the Constitutional Court.

    Park, who has been stripped of her powers in the meantime, has denied wrongdoing.

    Lee was named as a suspect on Wednesday and summoned for questioning.

  • South Korean president accused of violating people’s rights

    South Korean president accused of violating people’s rights

    A South Korean lawmaker accused President Park Guen Hye of violating“people’s basic rights’’ on the first day of oral arguments in the leader’s impeachment trial on Thursday, local media reported.

    Park, who is accused of corruption, abuse of power and violating constitutional duties, again failed to appear at her trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, according to an agency report.

    She was also absent at the opening of proceedings on Tuesday though her attendance is not mandatory.

    Kwon Seong-dong chairman of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee told the judges Park had given confidential documents to her close friend Choi Soon Sil and extorted large amounts of money from South Korean companies to help Choi.

    “This amounts to abusing one’s position to violate the people’s basic rights and warrants losing one’s authority to oversee state affairs.

    “Dismissing the president is aimed not only at recovering the national loss and vacuum in the running of state affairs but at restoring the constitutional order,’’ he said.

    South Korean lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to impeach Park, South Korea’s first female president last month following weeks of protests which saw hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets.

    Park has repeatedly apologised over the scandal but denied committing any criminal offence.

    Her lawyer denied that she had pressured Samsung to make sizable donations to foundations run by Choi in return for her support of a merger between two of the electronics giant’s affiliates.

    Choi appeared at the Seoul Central District Court, pleading not guilty to a string of charges including abuse of power and attempted fraud.

  • South Korea: Parliamentarians vote to impeach President Park

    South Korea: Parliamentarians vote to impeach President Park

    South Korean lawmakers on Friday voted overwhelmingly to impeach President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal.

    Members of parliament voted by secret ballot with 234 in favour and 56 opposed, meaning dozens of members of Park’s own conservative Saenuri Party backed the motion to remove her.

    No fewer than 200 members of the 300-seat chamber needed to vote for the motion for it to pass.

    Parliament speaker said seven votes were disqualified, two members abstained and one member did not participate.

    Reports say the Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days.

    The Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, immediately assumed Park’s duties on an interim basis.
    Park, 64, is accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide, both of whom have been indicted by prosecutors, to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations.

    The two foundations were set up to back her policy initiatives.

    Park, who is serving a single five-year term that is expected to end February 2018, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

    Park has been under heavy pressure to quit but this week said she would await the court’s ruling on the impeachment vote.

    Mass rallies have been held in Seoul every Saturday for the past six weeks to press her to quit.

    Opinion polls show overwhelming public support for her impeachment.

    Parliament was closed to the public on the orders of the speaker.

    Hours before the vote, anti-Park activists scuffled with police as they tried to drive two tractors up to parliament’s main gate, where over 1,000 protesters were gathered.

    Police subsequently shut down traffic on a 10-lane highway in front of the parliament’s grounds and blockaded a bridge leading to the area.

  • World’s first Genesis Studio opens in South Korea

    Genesis, the luxury automotive brand, over the weekend, opened its first dedicated brand space inside a newly built cultural complex ‘Starfield’ in Hanam, 30km east of Seoul, South Korea.

    The Genesis Studio embodies the brand directions of Genesis and its core characteristics. Being located in the high traffic area, the space is expected to attract lots of visitors, evoking their curiosity around the brand.

    “We are very excited to open the Genesis brand’s first dedicated brand space, Genesis Studio. Visitors can easily drop by the Studio, and get a chance to know about Genesis. This space, located in a busy area, will serve to introduce our brand, and raise visitors’ curiosity around it. We have also developed diverse concepts of brand spaces that fit for different objectives, so you will see more exciting brand spaces to come in the near future,” said Manfred Fitzgerald, Head of the Genesis brand.

    As a design-focused brand, Genesis focuses on making the space embrace the brand’s unique design directions. Located on the second floor of the complex, the Genesis Studio will host the range-topping G90 limousine, G80, and G80 Sport.

    In particular, visitors can have an opportunity to experience the G80 Sport ahead of its official launch scheduled later this year in Korea.

    Visitors will also experience the luxury and attention to detail of the materials and technologies through hands-on exhibits. For example, the doors of the G80 and G90 are displayed in Genesis Studio in all available combinations of exquisite exterior colors and artisan interior materials.

    Moreover, the Genesis Studio provides a one-stop, stress-free customer experience where brand experience, test drives, purchases and consultation are conveniently offered to each customer. Genesis experts will deliver interesting stories and values behind the Genesis brand along with detailed information on Genesis vehicles. Visitors can also experience the comfortable yet dynamic driving performance of the Genesis range by test driving the vehicles, even at high speeds, on a range of specially-planned routes.

    Starting from Genesis Studio in Hanam, Genesis plans to open diverse concepts of brand spaces in major markets. As the first dedicated brand space for Genesis, the site in Hanam will inspire other Genesis brand spaces around the world.

    Following the flagship G90 and G80, its variant G80 Sport, which was unveiled at the 2016 Busan International Motor Show in early June, will start selling in Korea later this year.

    With the launch of G70 scheduled next year, the Genesis brand’s fascinating product line-up will keep expanding

     

  • S. Korea, U.S., Japan set for 1st joint missile defence exercise

    South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are to hold their first trilateral missile defence exercise against North Korea’s ever growing ballistic missile threats, a report said on Monday.

    According to the Ministry of National Defense, the antimissile drill set for Tuesday in waters around Hawaii will revolve around a hypothetical missile launch by North Korea.

    The three countries would each dispatch one Aegis Combat System-equipped warship to the trilateral antimissile drill, the first of its kind to be held among the three close-knit nations.

    According to the ministry, a 7,600-ton guided-missile destroyer, Sejong the Great, will join the exercise from the South Korean side.

    It noted that the exercise would mainly involve sharing information needed to detect and track the enemy’s missile launch, including the trajectory of a launched missile.

    The ministry said that the countries would use the U.S. ground command centre to share the intelligence gathered by the Aegis destroyers.

    However it noted that the latest exercise would not involve the actual firing of an interceptor missile.

    “There will be no such drill,’’ a ministry official said after being asked whether the trilateral antimissile exercise would cover the final interception phase.
    “The three-way exercise will also reportedly involve the U.S.’ latest high-altitude surveillance drone, the MQ-9, which is capable of antimissile detection and tracking,’’ it added.

    According to the ministry, during the exercise, South Korea and Japan will not directly exchange information but use the U.S. as a middleman.
    The first joint antimissile exercise reflects the countries’ accelerating efforts to counter North Korea’s advancing missile capabilities.

    The ministry noted that on Wednesday, North Korea fired off its Musudan mid-range ballistic missile.
    North Korea claimed one was successful of the two missiles fired.

    It said before Wednesday’s launch, Pyongyang unsuccessfully fired off four Musudan missiles in April and May.

    South Korean officials said the launch demonstrated that the missile could fly some 3,500 kilometers, which could hit any targets in Japan and as far as the U.S. territory of Guam. 

  • Nigerian woman defies death in South Korea

    Nigerian woman defies death in South Korea

    A Nigerian woman, Precious Onyii Enyioko, defied death last Sunday by first throwing her three children, then herself, from the window of the fourth floor of a burning storey building.

    She had been trapped in the building in South Korea as the fire coursed through it, cutting out any other means of escape but through the window.

    Pilots from a U.S. Osan military base in nearby Pyeongtaek County of South Korea spotted the black smoke and the kerfuffle as a crowd watched the burning building where the helpless woman was trapped with her three children.

    They soon obtained a blanket from the locals and held it below the window, encouraging her to jump.

    Initially, she was too terrified to throw her children, one of whom was a five-month old baby. But egged on by the pleas of MSgt Daniel Raimondo to throw the children, she eventually threw them, screaming: “I love you” as their bodies sailed through the air onto the safety of the blankets below.

    By the time she took the leap from the window, she could not be seen anymore: the thick billowing smoke had overwhelmed the building. Locals had also provided cushions below the blanket to reduce the impact of her weight on the blanket.

    Also, her husband, Prince Enyioko, who had returned home to meet the inferno that still had his family trapped, was exceedingly grateful for the assistance of the military men.

    He said: “I really appreciate what happened that very day. I do not know how I can explain my thanks. Without them I do not know what I would do. I am so grateful for the wisdom of the military men and women. I tried to help my family but I could not. I was so surprised to see people gathering here to rescue my family, especially the military. I felt so helpless.”

    Nwoko, from Aba in Abia State, and a graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, was immediately rushed to a nearby salon where she was united with her husband, who she married in 2010, and her children.

     

     

  • South Korea rejects return of 13 defectors to DPRK

    Seoul’s Unification Ministry on Wednesday said South Korea rejected the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s demand to return its 13 nationals, said to have defected to South Korea, back home.

     

    The ministry said in a statement that the group defection of DPRK nationals to South Korea was made in a sheer accordance with their free will.

     

    It, however, urged Pyongyang to stop unreasonable insistence and threats of provocations.

     

    It called for the DPRK to give up its nuclear and missile programmes that provided no benefit for DPRK people.

     

    The DPRK demanded that South Korea return 13 DPRK nationals who Seoul claimed were defectors to the South, saying that Seoul’s spy agency lured and abducted the 13 individuals who worked at a state-run restaurant in China.

     

    Seoul’s unification ministry said on Friday that the group defected to South Korea, marking the first time that a group of DPRK citizens working at the same overseas restaurant fled to South Korea.

     

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, confirmed on Monday that 13 DPRK nationals entered and left China legally with valid passports last week.

     

    He made the remarks at a briefing when asked to comment on a report.

  • Vietnam reports two cases of Zika virus

    Vietnam reports two cases of Zika virus

    Two women in Vietnam have been infected with the Zika virus

     

    According to report, a 64-year-old woman from the popular beach resort of Nha Trang became the country’s first casuality of the case after being admitted to hospital complaining of fever, headache and a rash on her legs, while a 33-year-old woman with eight weeks pregnancy became the second victim of the virus.

    An online newspaper,  Vnexpress reported that 1,215 samples have been sent for testing for suspected Zika in 32 provinces throughout the country.

    It is not clear if either of the women have recently travelled abroad, or whether they were infected with Zika in Vietnam.

    However, health officials have quarantined the living areas of the patient’s families and taken samples from others living nearby for further tests.

     

    There have been a smaller number of cases in countries closer to Vietnam such as Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea.

     

    The Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes and transmitted to humans, is thought to cause microcephaly.

    Characterised by unusually small heads, microcephaly can result in developmental problems in babies.