Jeong-Hwan Guard Of Honour

South Korea Chief Of Staff Park Jeong-Hwan Receives Guard Of Honour In Delhi

Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korean (South Korea) Army General Park Jeong-Hwan was presented with a Guard of Honour at the majestic South Block Lawns in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Prior to the event, the Korean Army General laid a wreath at the National War Memorial.

The South Korean Chief of Staff is in India to take part in the biennial Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference set for a three-day run in New Delhi, and discuss military and arms cooperation with his counterparts.

The armies of India and the US hosted the 13th biannual IPACC, the 47th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), and the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum in the national capital from September 25-27.

The gathering was notably the largest conference for land forces (army, marines, etc.) in the region.

The objective for these meetings is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. Senior land commanders will have a venue to share opinions and ideas as well as grow and deepen their connections through this, the official release of the US embassy said.

This year’s conference’s theme is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.”

The both larger plenary sessions and more intimate break-out sessions at the conference.

Participants took part in vibrant conversations on subjects including peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid/disaster relief, leadership development, and women’s emancipation as well as hear from eminent guest speakers.

Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017.

IPACC is now held every two years and is co-hosted by the United States Army and the hosting country.

IPAMS is the longest running land forces conference held every year. In 2014, the SELF was added allowing senior enlisted members to experience the same fellowship, discussion and sharing opportunities, but from a different perspective, the US Embassy release read.

An opening ceremony kickstarted on September 26 at the Manekshaw Center, preceded by a joint press conference at 9 am with the Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande, and General Randy George, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff. (ANI)

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Nuclear attack on north korean

Any Nuclear Attack Will Be The End Of The North Korean Regime: South Korea

South Korea has warned North Korea that any nuclear attack from the latter’s side would mean an “end” of the Kim Jong Un-led regime, Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

Seoul’s warning has come after Pyongyang had said the deployment of a US nuclear-capable submarine and other strategic assets here could meet the conditions for its use of nuclear arms.
Seoul’s defence ministry renewed the warning after Pyongyang’s Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam issued a sharp-tongued statement the previous day, criticizing the arrival of the USS Kentucky, an 18,750-ton Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), in South Korea and the inaugural meeting of the South Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) this week, Yonhap news agency reported.

“In the event of any North Korean nuclear attack against the South Korea-US alliance, it will face an immediate, overwhelming and decisive response from the alliance, and (we) strongly warn again that through this, (the attack) will result in the end of the North Korean regime,” Yonhap news agency quoted the Seoul ministry as saying.

The USS Kentucky arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday. Its arrival coincided with the first NCG session aimed at strengthening the credibility of the extended deterrence commitment by the US to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The ministry defended the NCG gathering and the SSBN’s deployment as a “rightful” defensive measure against North Korea’s “continued nuclear and missile threats”, dismissing the North’s claim that they posed a nuclear threat to the recalcitrant country, Yonhap news agency.

It also said Pyongyang’s nuclear program and missile provocations are “clear” violations of UN Security Council resolutions and “illicit activities,” noting the country is the “only” one that repeats threats of a nuclear attack against the South Korea-US alliance.

“North Korea will never gain any concessions from the South Korea-US alliance through its nuclear development and threats, and (we) urge it to recognize its isolation and destitution will only deepen, and to come out swiftly to the path of denuclearization,” the ministry stated.

The first US SSBN’s visit to the South since 1981 came after the US pledged to enhance the “regular visibility” of its high-profile military assets, including the strategic submarine, in the Washington Declaration that Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden issued during their summit in April, Yonhap news agency reported.

Tensions have heightened as Pyongyang has continued its ‘sabre-rattling’, such as its launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12 and two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday. (ANI)

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South Korea Mahatma Gandhi Memorial

South Korea FM Visits Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Pay Tribute

South Korea Foreign Minister, who is on a 2-day state visit to India, paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial in Rajghat in New Delhi on Saturday.

After laying a wreath, Park Jin also signed visitor’s book at Rajghat.

Calling Mahatma Gandhi’s spirit of Satyagraha “noble”, the minister said he had always cherished his teachings, advocating democracy and human rights. He added that it was 27 years ago when he visited India for the first time.

“I visited India 27 years ago, it was my first to India. I always cherish his (Mahatma Gandhi) noble spirit of Satyagraha,” the Foreign Minister of South Korea said.

“I hope we can pursue contributive diplomacy together with India, which is Korea’s special strategic partner to contribute to freedom, peace and prosperity to the world,” he added.

South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin’s visit to India comes as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi, on Friday welcomed Park Jin to India, saying his visit will help strengthen India-South Korea Strategic Partnership.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his South Korean counterpart on Friday held discussions on taking forward India-South Korea Special Strategic Partnership.

“Glad to welcome @FMParkJin of Republic of Korea on his first official visit to India,” Jaishankar tweeted on Friday.

“Our discussions today will take forward our Special Strategic Partnership,” he further wrote.

Park on Friday said South Korea would like to upgrade its existing successful partnership with India and focus on trade, investment and supply chain stabilisation in manufacturing sector and also critical minerals.

The South Korean Foreign Minister on Friday also called on Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar.

In an exclusive interview with ANI in which he dwelt on a range of subjects — from India as a ‘soft powerhouse’ to the viral ‘Naatu Naatu ‘song from the movie ‘RRR’, which won as Oscar this year, Park Jin on Friday said he was happy that the Korean embassy here has paid special attention to the movie and that both the countries need much wide cultural exchange.

“Naatu Naatu dance is really popular in Korea. I saw the movie myself which is a fantastic movie and story. I think it was extraordinary and I am very glad that our embassy has given special attention to Naatu, Naatu and the movie. They demonstrated music, singing and dancing to the Indian public which I think is a great way to communicate with each other,” the Minister said.

“I love Bollywood movies, I saw 3 idiots and Chennai Express. I think we need a wider cultural exchange between the two countries especially among the young generation to understand each other and to appreciate India’s culture and vice versa,” he added.

On the strategic partnership between the two countries, Park said that it is mutually beneficial.

“Korea and India have a special strategic partnership. This is very special relationship through which we can work together with the same vision towards the future and I think that we should make full advantage of this special relationship for our mutually beneficial relationship in the future”.

Expressing optimism about India’s G20 Presidency, the visiting Foreign Minister said that South Korea would be very happy to work with India. (ANI)

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4 Cases Of Omicron Sub-Variant BF.7 Reported In India In 6 Months | Lokmarg

4 Cases Of Omicron Sub-Variant BF.7 Reported In India In 6 Months

India has in the past six months reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving the current surge of infections in China.
Sources said BF.7 cases were reported in India in July, September, and November and there are four cases so far added that three cases were reported from Gujarat and one from Odisha. They said more cases have not been reported and the infection has not been found to be strong.

“There are currently ten different variants of Covid-19 in the country, with the latest variant being BF.7. At present various variants of Omicron are spreading in the country and the Delta variant can still be seen in the country,” a source told ANI.

A sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States, China, Brazil, and South Korea has prompted the Union Health Ministry to review the pandemic situation in India.

As a precautionary measure, the government has from Wednesday restarted random sampling of international passengers at airports across the country for Covid.

“Random sampling of international passengers for Covid19 has started at airports in the country from today,” a source told ANI.

Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said a woman with a travel history to America was found BF.7 variant positive on November 18 in Vadodara.

“She recovered after home isolation and her condition is normal. There is no need to panic, situations are under control,” the official said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya conducted a high-level meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the country and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment, and management of COVID-19 in view of the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in some countries. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar was also present besides Dr. K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, and senior officials and public health experts.

The Union Health Minister was briefed on the global COVID-19 situation and the domestic scenario.

Underlining the challenge posed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in some countries across the world such as China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States, Union Health Minister noted the importance of being prepared and remaining alert against new and emerging strains of COVID-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season.

Mandaviya also said that Covid-19 is not yet over and directed officials to be alert and strengthen surveillance amid a surge in coronavirus cases globally.

He urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behavior and get vaccinated”

“The surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples will track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country. This would facilitate the undertaking of appropriate public health measures. States and UTs have been requested to send samples of all COVID-19 positive cases to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any,” he said.

In a presentation, the Union Health Minister was briefed that India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases with average daily cases falling to 158 in the week ending December 19, 2022.

However, a consistent rise in global daily average cases has been reported in the last six weeks, with 5.9 lakh average daily cases reported in the week ending December 19, 2022.

“A new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant has been found to be behind a wider surge of COVID infections in China,” an official release said.

Dr. VK Paul said only 27-28 percent of people have taken precautionary doses. “We appeal to others, especially senior citizens, to take the precautionary dose. Use a mask if you are in a crowded space, indoors or outdoors. This is all the more important for people with comorbidities or those of higher age,” Dr. Paul added. (ANI)

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4th Industrial Revolution Modi

Cannot Miss 4th Industrial Revolution: Modi

India cannot afford to miss the fourth industrial revolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, while stressing that such “repeated opportunities” would not come again.

Addressing a gathering after launching developmental projects in Maharashtra, PM Modi said India had already missed out on making the most out of the industrial revolutions in the past.
“When the first industrial revolution came, India could not take benefit from it. We lagged behind in the second and third industrial revolutions, but today when it’s time for the fourth industrial revolution, India cannot miss it. A long-term vision is pivotal for stable growth and development. India cannot miss the fourth industrial revolution, opportunity won’t come again,” PM Modi said.

Mentioning the need for permanent solutions to problems, the Prime Minister stated that the country cannot move ahead with shortcuts and highlighted that the “base of permanent development is infrastructure”.

“No country can run with shortcuts. A long-term vision is necessary for permanent development and solution. The base of permanent development is infrastructure. South Korea was a poor country once, but it changed its fate through infrastructure. Today the Gulf countries are so progressed also because they have also modernized their infrastructure and future-ready in the last 3-4 decades,” he said.

The Prime Minister also mentioned Singapore’s infrastructure and said that the country made investments in infrastructure and made the right economic policies, and consequently it has become a “big center of the economy” for the world.

“A few decades ago, Singapore was also a normal island country. Singapore invested in infrastructure and made the right economic policies and today it has become a big center of the economy of world. These countries would not have been able to reach the height which they have achieved now if they had followed shortcut politics and looted the taxpayers money,” he said.

“But India has got this opportunity. In the earlier governments, the tax-payers who paid taxes, either it was used for corruption by the earlier governments or for strengthening the vote bank,” PM added. (ANI)

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National Mourning Over Seoul Stampede

South Korean’s Yoon Declares National Mourning Over Seoul Stampede

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday announced a period of national mourning and ordered the lowering of flags over a deadly Seoul stampede during Halloween celebrations that killed at least 151 people, including 19 foreigners, media reports said.

At least 151 people were killed and 82 others were injured in a deadly stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing authorities.
A day after the stampede, Yoon in a live address to the nation from the presidential office, said, “It’s truly horrific.” He said that this tragedy should never have happened.

“As president, who is responsible for the people’s lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief,” he said adding, “the government will designate the period from today until the accident is brought under control as a period of national mourning and will place top priority in administrative affairs in recovery and follow-up measures,” reported South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

He also ordered all government offices to lower their flags to half-mast, according to his office.

Expressing condolences over the deaths, Yoon wished the injured a speedy recovery. During his address, Yoon said the government will ensure support for the funeral preparations of the people who lost their lives in the deadly incident.

Speaking further, he said that the government is committed to fully mobilizing emergency medical services to treat patients, including by assigning public servants individually to those requiring assistance, the South Korean agency reported.

“The most important thing is to determine the cause of the accident and prevent similar accidents,” he said. “We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and make fundamental improvements so that similar accidents do not happen again in the future.”

The country’s interior ministry and other relevant ministries will do an emergency review of all Halloween celebrations and other local festivals in a bid to ensure safety, he added.

Moreover, Yoon visited the site of the accident and later headed toward central Seoul to preside over a government response meeting.

During a briefing, Choi Seong-beom, the head of the fire department in Yongsan, said the nationalities of the foreigners who were killed in South Korea include those from Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway.

The agency also reported that the victims in their 20s accounted for the age group most affected by the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede. Moreover, the agency, citing the Seoul metropolitan government, said on Sunday it has received about 270 reports of missing persons related to the deadly stampede during Halloween parties in the Itaewon district.

The incident reportedly occurred when a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity was visiting there, Al Jazeera reported citing the local media. Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and many rescue officials performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets.

The packed Halloween festivities in South Korea’s capital of Seoul took place after Covid restrictions were removed, the local officials said. The festivities marked the participation of more than a lakh visitors and the number of casualties is only expected to rise.

Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people with breathing difficulty, “South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said.

Numerous people had trouble breathing when the chaotic stampede occurred as dozens were seen giving CPR to people lying lifeless on streets post-incident. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol presided over an emergency response meeting Sunday over the deadly stampede, as per the officials.

“Shortly after the accident, Yoon came to the presidential office in Yongsan and presided over a response meeting related to the Seoul Itaewon Halloween accident,” the presidential office said.

“The top priority is transporting and rescuing the patients and providing prompt medical treatment for the affected people,” local media reported quoting Yoon as saying. Authorities are still looking into the exact cause of the accident as the investigation is underway.

Emergency forces were dispatched following the crowd surge which resulted in fatalities. Firefighters and police officers also reached the Itaewon neighborhood in Seoul to bring the situation under control. (ANI)

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Cardiac Arrest At Halloween

50 People Suffer Cardiac Arrest At Halloween Stampede In South Korea

About 50 people suffered from cardiac arrest on Saturday in a stampede in Seoul as a huge crowd flocked into the central district of the South Korean capital to celebrate Halloween, reported Yonhap news agency, citing Reuters.

Fire authorities were administrating CPR to at least 50 people in the Itaewon district as of 11:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Saturday, according to the news agency.
Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people with breathing difficulty, ” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency

Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene.

A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said.

He also instructed the Health Ministry to swiftly deploy disaster medical assistance teams and secure beds in a nearby hospital to treat the injured.

Authorities are still looking into the exact origins and the cause of this accident. (ANI)

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Jaishankar about China LAC

Jaishankar Reiterates India’s Interest In Joining UNSC As Permanent Member

Reiterating that a permanent seat, as well as reforms of the UN Security Council, remains India’s main priority, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday asserted that India voices the interest and aspirations of a broad set of countries and added that the contemporary global issues cannot be solved by few countries only.

While addressing Auckland community business Jaishankar said, “There is a widespread acceptance that the problems of today cannot be solved by one, two, or even five of the countries in the United Nations Security Council. When we look at the reforms at the United Nations Security Council, we have an interest in becoming a permanent member of the security council.”
Currently, United Nations Security Council, also known as the Permanent Five or P5, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and India have been reiterating its bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

Over the multilateral Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) grouping, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar reiterated that not joining RCEP was the “right decision.”

During Jaishankar’s address to Auckland Community business, he noted, “When it came to the RCEP, we took a decision in 2019 not to proceed in joining the RCEP. We weigh the pros and cons. We did an evaluation and many of the critical issues were not addressed in the final outcome.”

He continued saying, “India went back to the other 15 countries and shared some of its anxieties with them but they collectively took the view that they had gone as far as they could. So we decided that it was not in our interest.”

India joined the 15-nation ‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations in 2012. In 2019, 15 nations, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand among others, signed the free trade agreement. However, India walked out of the negotiations, citing national interests.

He also emphasized that climate change also remains one of the top issues in today’s time.

Pointing to the discriminatory approaches adopted in the world in responding to the COVID pandemic, Jaishankar said that the pandemic has revealed to us “how iniquitous and how selfish this world is.”

“I am not taking a moral position. There were several discriminatory policies. If you go to South Africa there is a strong sense of anger and how they were treated during COVID,” Jaishankar added.

Moreover, Jaishankar said Thursday that India is one of the biggest manufacturers of vaccines, and even while vaccinating Indians, the country has helped others.

Addressing the Auckland community business here, Jaishankar said, “During Covid, we were one of the biggest manufacturers of vaccines. We still are. And even while we were vaccinating our own people we took a very conscious decision to help others and we prioritized countries that don’t have access to the free vaccines.”

Jaishankar also said that the entire world is suffering from the Russia-Ukraine war and mentioned the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan as also a big issue.

Responding to a question about the existence of a binary view in the world and India’s position in that, Jaishankar believed that the binary view is “outdated” and said, “One of the changes we have seen in the last few years is the US itself much more open to working with countries outside the traditional alliance or treaty or relationship.”

“So, you have mechanisms like the court, which involves some traditional alliance for the US but also a country like India, which has historically stayed away from alliances and treaties,” he added.

“You know my sense of why we should really pit the binary framework to rest if you look at the distribution of power which are the major economies of the world. Economies large enough to have an impact on global decision-making,” he added.

He also said that in the 1970s and 80s the decisions were mainly taken by G7 countries but with time the decisions’ centrality shifted to G20.

Jaishankar said that India is the fifth-largest economy in nominal terms and is expected to become third largest by the end of the decade.

The External Affairs Minister recalled that India was requested to press the Russians on the issue regarding the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant when the countries increased their fighting near the nuclear facility.

Jaishankar said, “When I was in the United Nations, the big concern at that time was the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant because there was some fighting going on very proximate to it.”

“There was a request to us to press the Russians on that issue which we did. There have been other concerns at various points in time, either different countries have raised with us or the UN has raised with us. I think at this time whatever we can do, we will be willing to do,” the EAM added.

Earlier, Jaishankar held talks with his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta and took up visa issues being faced by Indian students due to Covid-19 measures imposed by the country.

In Auckland, EAM will participate in an event on October 6 along with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to felicitate members of the Indian community in New Zealand for their exceptional achievements and contributions.

After wrapping up his New Zealand visit, the EAM will be visiting Canberra and Sydney. (ANI)

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