Latest news with #Choe
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
North Korea slams Macron's ‘shocking claptrap' about its ties with Russia
An analyst said it is a mistake if Mr Macron thinks that he can cloak Nato's wicked intention to deploy the military in the Asia-Pacific region by taking issue with North Korea-Russia relations. PHOTO: AFP North Korea slams Macron's 'shocking claptrap' about its ties with Russia SEOUL - North Korean state media slammed French President Emmanuel Macron on June 5 over 'imprudent' comments on Pyongyang's ties with Moscow, calling them 'shocking claptrap'. In a commentary shared by North Korea's state news agency KCNA, analyst Choe Ju Hyun took aim at comments by the French leader during the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Mr Macron suggested that the Nato defence alliance could become involved in Asia if China did not do more to press North Korea to stop sending forces to help Russia's war in Ukraine. 'It is a mistake if Macron thinks that he can cloak Nato's aggressive and wicked intention to put dirty military shoes on the Asia-Pacific region by taking issue with the DPRK-Russia cooperative relations,' the commentary said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Mr Macron, Mr Choe wrote, was 'publicly recognised as a politician who loves to demonstrate his existence by making a series of shocking claptrap and unrealistic assertions unmindful of consequences'. 'France is obsessed with extreme self-assurance and is unable to properly judge the situation,' Mr Choe added. The analyst urged France to 'realise as early as possible that its contradictory behaviour keeps it from being recognised as a representative of Europe'. North Korea has become one of Russia's main allies during Moscow's more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from its Kursk border region. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Standard Chartered's corporate bank wants to power Asia's next growth chapter
[SINGAPORE] Asia's rapid innovation in recent years is the foundation upon which its future will be built, said Standard Chartered's Stella Choe. As global head of corporate coverage at StanChart's corporate and investment banking arm, Choe believes that recent developments in key sectors are set to position the region as a leader in the global economy – and corporate banking has a large part to play. To StanChart, enabling Asia's growth means combining sector-specific knowledge with local insights to create strong strategic partnerships with clients. 'Today's clients aren't just seeking financial products,' said Choe. 'They want forward-thinking partners who can help them navigate volatility, evolving regulatory landscapes and structural shifts within their industries.' She believes this shift represents an opportunity for banks to redefine their value propositions. For StanChart, this approach places emphasis on offering solutions across a range of sectors. Asia's next big sectors Certain sectors – such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology – have accelerated the pace of innovation in Asia in recent years, Choe explained. These sectors have attracted demand for both capital funding and deeper knowledge-based solutions, prompting banks to evolve to meet these needs. 'We support these high-growth sectors with end-to-end solutions,' Choe said. The bank's offerings include structuring financing solutions, risk management and helping clients enter new markets. 'What's important is not just the capital we provide, but the connectivity and insights that come with it. We're also delivering intellectual capital, helping our clients make informed, forward-looking decisions in fast-moving environments.' A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up In other sectors such as electric vehicles and new energy, she said Asia's capabilities already stand out as global leaders, as the region witnesses strong investment into infrastructure building. Such investments range from battery value chains to renewable energy projects, she added. However, the future of Asia truly lies within technological and digital transformation, Choe said, driven by cross-border flows and foreign direct investment across economies. Artificial intelligence and robotics, for instance, have the potential to surge within the region's economies as various governments and corporations continue to spend heavily on innovation. 'In China, for example, we are already witnessing the integration of humanoid robots and autonomous drones in areas such as logistics, public services, healthcare and more.' As high-tech innovation becomes widespread, its accompanying infrastructure is likely to experience high demand, Choe believes. For instance, she noted that advanced manufacturing will become an important growth driver within Asian economies, as the sector is critical to the development of industries such as electronics, automotives and telecommunications. Likewise, an increasing demand for data centres due to the rise of cloud computing has witnessed corresponding growth in countries such as Singapore, which stands out as a key hotspot in the global data services industry. Strong growth in these sectors is likely to define the longer-term future of the Asian economy, Choe believes. 'Asia is set to not only be a major consumer of these technologies, but also a leader in their development and deployment on the global stage. The next decade will undoubtedly see the convergence of these sectors to shape a more connected, digital and efficient future for Asia and the rest of the world.' Cross-border investments in a fragmented world Still, uncertainty surrounding the changing dynamics of the global economy has taken its toll on supply chains. US trade policy continues to remain unpredictable, with US President Donald Trump's tariffs and the threat of weakening trade flows sparking fears that the world economy is becoming less globalised and more regionalised. 'There's been a clear shift towards repositioning supply chains,' Choe noted. 'Clients are looking at having operations closer to end-markets, or creating parallel supply chains across Asia, the Middle East and even parts of Africa.' Nevertheless, she believes that such changes in cross-border investment patterns merely represent corporations taking more targeted approaches to such investments – instead of signalling a decline in globalisation. 'Clients still need access to global markets, talent and capital.' As investors seek to rebalance between efficiency and resilience in volatile markets, Choe noted that StanChart's ability to provide solutions can become even more critical to its clients. 'Our role as a trusted banking partner is to help bring clarity amid uncertainty, and to support clients as they navigate complex – and sometimes fragmented – global dynamics, without losing scale or opportunity.' One such opportunity lies along the China-Asean corridor, where foreign direct investments from China have increasingly flowed into markets such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent years. 'Chinese companies are deepening their presence in South-east Asia, using Hong Kong and Singapore as gateways to access Asean markets.' StanChart has chosen to align its 'corridor strategy' with such shifts in trade patterns, leveraging its strong networks within Asean markets to enable clients to capture opportunities as they arise. This approach typifies how the bank has offered value to its clients, Choe noted. Whether through sector specialisation or network expertise across Asian markets, StanChart has sought to create value for clients in response to changing business environments. 'As a network bank, we ensure that wherever a client operates, we're there with them, providing consistent support, insights and value-added solutions.'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Korea vice minister to travel to Alaska for gas project talks, Yonhap says
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's vice industry minister Choe Nam-ho is planning to travel soon to Alaska as part of working-level negotiations between the United States and South Korea over Alaska's liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday. Still, no decision has been made on whether South Korea will join the project and whether its participation will be included in negotiations with the U.S. over tariffs, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry's statement was released after media reports cited Choe as saying that participation in the project could be part of a negotiation package.
Reuters
15-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
South Korea vice minister to travel to Alaska for gas project talks, Yonhap says
SEOUL, April 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's vice industry minister Choe Nam-ho is planning to travel soon to Alaska as part of working-level negotiations between the United States and South Korea over Alaska's liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday. Still, no decision has been made on whether South Korea will join the project and whether its participation will be included in negotiations with the U.S. over tariffs, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry's statement was released after media reports cited Choe as saying that participation in the project could be part of a negotiation package.
Korea Herald
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Parties clash over opposition's 'abuse' of impeachment process
Ruling party, Yoon's office hail verdict that overturned opposition-led impeachment motions Rival parties clashed over speculations about the opposition party's impeachment abuse, following the Constitutional Court's ruling Thursday that overturned opposition-led motions to impeach a state auditor chief and three prosecutors. The ruling bloc hailed the court's decisions, claiming they were proof that the opposition-led parliament had abused political power through a series of impeachments against innocent officials. The main opposition party, however, denied claims that it had been abusing the parliament's impeachment rights. "The historic ruling struck down the Democratic Party's politically-motivated impeachment abuse," ruling People Power Party interim leader Rep. Kwon Young-se told reporters at the press conference at the National Assembly after the ruling. This followed the Constitutional Court's unanimous 8-0 decision to overturn motions by parliament to impeach Choe Jae-hae, chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and three senior public prosecutors, including Lee Chang-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Kwon also described the impeachment motions as "attempts to stubbornly push ahead (with impeachment) based on the interests of the majority power, instead of the Constitution and law." "Impeachments should not be abused for the sake of political interests, although the Constitution provides the grounds for impeachments and people endowed the impeachment power (to the National Assembly)," he added. The presidential office also said in a note to reporters that the court's decision "rings the alarm on the opposition party's impeachment abuses." Yoon's legal team, which represents the suspended president in both his criminal and impeachment trials, also noted that Thursday's rulings affirmed that the opposition party had sought to destroy constitutional order through legislative abuse, adding that its impeachment motion against Yoon should be struck down as well. The parliament's impeachment motion against state audit chief Choe "led to Yoon's emergency martial law declaration" last December to shed light on the existence of anti-state forces, claimed Yoon's legal team. However, the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds 170 out of 300 parliamentary seats at the National Assembly, denied power abuse claims, while blaming Yoon for lingering political uncertainties. Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said Thursday that the court had dismissed claims of impeachment abuse by the opposition-led parliament. This was in line with the court's rulings on the three prosecutors, which acknowledged legal violations on their part but did not determine whether the parliament had overstepped its impeachment authority. All motions to impeach the four figures passed the parliament's plenary session on Dec. 5. The motion to impeach state auditor Choe passed in a 188-4 vote, while motions to impeach the three prosecutors won 185 votes out of 192 lawmakers present. Choe was accused of deliberately targeting Yoon's political opponent in a state audit. Lee and the two prosecutors — Cho Sang-won and Choi Jae-hun, both senior prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office — were accused of giving first lady Kim Keon Hee preferential treatment by failing to indict her for alleged stock manipulation. All 108 ruling party lawmakers boycotted the voting sessions in a show of protest against the opposition party's "irresponsible" moves. Since Yoon's inauguration in May 2022, the opposition-led National Assembly has impeached 29 public officials. This has drawn backlash from the ruling bloc, which claims the opposition party has been attempting to paralyze the government. The Constitutional Court has issued rulings for eight of the 29 impeachments. So far, none of the impeachments have been upheld. Two days before the opposition-led impeachment, Yoon, in an address to the nation on Dec. 12 argued that the opposition parties were employing "bulletproof impeachments" to cover up their own corruption.
