K-News Bulletin

Covid-19 vaccines left over after people didn't show up to get them will be available for anyone interested starting Thursday — and you can sign up to receive alerts about leftover vaccine at neighborhood clinics and hospitals.
 
Foreigners covered by Korean health insurance and over the age of 30 are included.
 
The Covid-19 Vaccination Task Force announced Tuesday that it will test-run a leftover reservation system via Naver and Kakao for two weeks starting Thursday, when AstraZeneca vaccinations for people aged between 65 to 74 will begin.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/25/national/socialAffairs/Vaccine-Leftover-Naver/20210525173300350.html

BTS nabbed the Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Social Artist, and Top Selling Song awards at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards (BBMA) held on Monday, Korean time, setting a record for not only itself but for all of K-pop.
 
The 2021 BBMA was broadcast live from 9 a.m. on cable channel Mnet in Korea. This year’s event took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, hosted by actor Nick Jonas.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/24/entertainment/kpop/Billboard-Music-Awards-BTS-Butter/20210524092800442.html

President Moon Jae-in ticked off promised investment in the United States by Korean corporations and suggested that more incentives will equal more investment.
 
“If the U.S. government provides a wide variety of incentives for battery production facilities, there will be more investment to come,” Moon said during a visit to SK Innovation’s electric vehicle (EV)  battery plant in Commerce, Georgia on Saturday.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/23/business/economy/SK-Innovation-Georgia-Korean-companies-investment-incentives-semiconductor-war/20210523155700518.html

A gradual but steady increase in power consumption is the latest indication of economic recovery, along with healthy indicators in manufacturing, making President Moon Jae-in's goal of  4-percent growth for 2021 more possible.
 
According to a report by the Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco), power consumption in March increased by 0.5 percent compared to a year earlier, the fifth consecutive month of positive growth. 


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/19/business/economy/electricity-Recovering-manufacturing-industry-Covid19-recovery/20210519153800471.html

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that his upcoming trip to the United States will be used to make Korea a global hub of vaccine production. 
 
“I will use the upcoming trip to the United States as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the field of [Covid-19] vaccines and make Korea a global hub of vaccine production,” Moon said in his opening remarks for a senior secretariat meeting at the Blue House. 


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/17/national/politics/Moon-Jaein-summit-vaccine/20210517184500414.html

The National Assembly on Thursday approved President Moon Jae-in's nomination of Kim Boo-kyum as prime minister.
 
At a voting session arranged by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, a motion to approve Kim's appointment was passed by the ruling Democratic Party (DP). Lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who have protested other cabinet nominees, attended the session but did not vote. 


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/13/national/politics/Kim-Bookyum-prime-minister/20210513195900376.html

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are being hurt by the coronavirus crisis in India as partial lockdowns affect their production lines there.
 
The Korean electronics makers could also see shrinking demand for electronic gadgets and home appliances in one of their biggest consumer electronics markets, as India suffers the world’s highest daily infection rates and death tolls from the pandemic.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/12/business/industry/Samsung-Electronics-LG-Electronics-Covid19/20210512192900482.html

Kakao Entertainment will acquire two U.S.-based start-ups that run platforms for webtoons and web novels to expand in English-speaking markets.
 
The companies being bought are Tapas Media, a webtoon service based in San Francisco, and Radish Media, which runs a web novel service headquartered in New York. Both have larger user bases in the U.S. and provide platforms for amateur creators to profit from their work. 


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/11/business/industry/webtoon-novel-kakao/20210511170500441.html

Even auto parts makers in Korea are feeling the pinch from the global chip shortage.
 
The Korea Automobile Industry Association (KAIA) on Monday said that 66 out of 78 auto parts makers in Korea, or 84.6 percent of the respondents to a survey, said that they were having trouble due to an auto semiconductor shortage that has hit the industry since February.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/10/business/industry/auto-chip-shortage/20210510191700420.html

Department stores are emerging as a new Covid-19 vector after workers in major department stores in Seoul tested positive in recent days.
 
Two cashiers from the food hall of Shinsegae Department Store's branch in Seocho District, southern Seoul, tested positive, the company said Wednesday.


Full Article: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/05/05/national/socialAffairs/Covid19-Department-stores-Shinsegae/20210505185500403.html