Latest news with #Hong
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Picture of S.Korean politician 'supporting rival' is doctored
"Mr. Hong Joon-pyo, I'm disappointed. Go ahead and live together with others," reads a Korean-language Facebook post shared on May 29, 2025. The phrase "together with others" is wordplay on the Democratic Party's Korean name "Deobureo Minjudang". The first word means "together with" while the second means "Democratic Party". Hong, a five-term lawmaker, ran for president in 2017 but lost to Democratic Party nominee Moon Jae-in. He made another bid in 2022, but Yoon was chosen instead as the presidential candidate at the People Power Party (PPP) primary. After resigning as mayor of southeastern Daegu city earlier this year for another run for the presidency, he was again defeated and quit the party, departing for Hawaii (archived link). The post features a screenshot from messaging app KakaoTalk that includes an image of Hong apparently wearing a white jacket printed with "Lee Jae-myung now" and "1" -- Lee's candidate number. "A photo showing Hong Joon-pyo in the United States wearing a campaign outfit for candidate Lee Jae-myung," an accompanying message reads. Text overlaid on the image reads: "This beast? A person?! A dog?" South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 triggered by Yoon's disastrous martial law declaration, with the two-day early voting period beginning five days prior (archived link). All major polls have placed Lee as the clear frontrunner in the race, with conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo of the PPP trailing far behind (archived here and here). The picture of Hong sporting a pro-Lee slogan circulated across platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X and Threads. "The face of a human, but the heart of a beast. How can you be like this? Traitor to the conservatives. Quit politics," a misled user wrote in a comment. Another said: "Hong Joon-pyo, why are you so petty and sly. Good luck getting along with Lee Jae-myung." The image, however, is edited; Hong's jacket did not show a political message in the original photo. A reverse image search on Google revealed Hong posted the photo featuring him and his wife on Facebook on May 15 (archived link). He added that the picture was taken at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. While in Hawaii, Hong has remained active on Facebook. At one point, he changed the colour of his tie in his profile picture to blue -- the symbolic colour of the Democratic Party -- before switching it back to the PPP's colour red (archived here and here). This prompted speculation he might switch sides and join the rival camp, but he later rejected such rumours and expressed support for Kim, according to local news reports (archived here and here). AFP has previously debunked misinformation surrounding the upcoming presidential election in South Korea.
AFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Picture of S.Korean politician 'supporting rival' is doctored
"Mr. Hong Joon-pyo, I'm disappointed. Go ahead and live together with others," reads a Korean-language Facebook post shared on May 29, 2025. The phrase "together with others" is wordplay on the Democratic Party's Korean name "Deobureo Minjudang". The first word means "together with" while the second means "Democratic Party". Hong, a five-term lawmaker, ran for president in 2017 but lost to Democratic Party nominee Moon Jae-in. He made another bid in 2022, but Yoon was chosen instead as the presidential candidate at the People Power Party (PPP) primary. After resigning as mayor of southeastern Daegu city earlier this year for another run for the presidency, he was again defeated and quit the party, departing for Hawaii (archived link). The post features a screenshot from messaging app KakaoTalk that includes an image of Hong apparently wearing a white jacket printed with "Lee Jae-myung now" and "1" -- Lee's candidate number. "A photo showing Hong Joon-pyo in the United States wearing a campaign outfit for candidate Lee Jae-myung," an accompanying message reads. Text overlaid on the image reads: "This beast? A person?! A dog?" Image Screenshot of the Facebook post taken May 30, 2025 South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 triggered by Yoon's disastrous martial law declaration, with the two-day early voting period beginning five days prior (archived link). All major polls have placed Lee as the clear frontrunner in the race, with conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo of the PPP trailing far behind (archived here and here). The picture of Hong sporting a pro-Lee slogan circulated across platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X and Threads. "The face of a human, but the heart of a beast. How can you be like this? Traitor to the conservatives. Quit politics," a misled user wrote in a comment. Another said: "Hong Joon-pyo, why are you so petty and sly. Good luck getting along with Lee Jae-myung." The image, however, is edited; Hong's jacket did not show a political message in the original photo. A reverse image search on Google revealed Hong posted the photo featuring him and his wife on Facebook on May 15 (archived link). He added that the picture was taken at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. Image Screenshot comparison of the image shared in false posts (L) and the original photo While in Hawaii, Hong has remained active on Facebook. At one point, he changed the colour of his tie in his profile picture to blue -- the symbolic colour of the Democratic Party -- before switching it back to the PPP's colour red (archived here and here). This prompted speculation he might switch sides and join the rival camp, but he later rejected such rumours and expressed support for Kim, according to local news reports (archived here and here). AFP has previously debunked misinformation surrounding the upcoming presidential election in South Korea.
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Proposal to give State Bank in Vietnam special lending authority
A woman rides a motorbike past the State Bank of Vietnam in Hanoi on February 25, 2025. - AFP HANOI: The National Assembly continued discussions on May 29 on the draft to amend and supplement the Law on Credit Institutions, with a notable proposal to grant the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) expanded authority to issue special loans, including those without collateral and at 0-per-cent interest. Under the proposed amendments, the SBV would be authorised to make rapid lending decisions to credit institutions in urgent situations of systemic risk or liquidity crisis. This marks a shift from previous legislation, where such authority resided with the Prime Minister. State Bank Governor Nguyen Thi Hong explained that the changes are necessary in light of rapid technological advancements and the increasing ease of banking transactions, which have made sudden mass withdrawals more likely. In emergencies where there's a risk of systemic collapse, the State Bank must act swiftly, Hong said. Lending without collateral and with a 0 per cent interest rate is extremely rare and only applies in very specific circumstances. These special loans would be reserved for cases of having mass withdrawals that could destabilise the banking system, or for institutions under special supervision as they work on restructuring plans. Typically, such loans still require collateral, often in the form of highly liquid assets or debts owed to the banks. Loans without collateral would only be issued in exceptional cases, when no suitable assets are available. Deputy Tran Thi Thu Dong supported the regulation for its potential to enable rapid intervention during liquidity crises. However, she also voiced concerns over the absence of oversight mechanisms when collateral is not required, raising the possibility of misuse. To address this, she proposed that the SBV be required to periodically report to the Government and National Assembly on all special loan activities, including borrowers, loan amounts, terms and outcomes. She also called for clear criteria to determine eligible recipients of these loans to prevent abuse and ensure the support targets institutions genuinely in need. Lawmakers also discussed the proposal on legalising the right for banks to seize collateral assets under clearly defined conditions. The SBV argued that formalising this right would reduce risks and costs associated with bad debt resolution, thereby encouraging more lending at lower interest rates and boosting capital accessibility for businesses. The draft law explicitly states that asset seizures must not be unilateral or unconditional. Instead, they must comply with strict procedures ensuring fairness, transparency, and the protection of all involved parties. Another major proposal came from Deputy Huynh Thi Phuc, who highlighted the urgent need to foster the development of a debt trading market. 'In the current environment of rising non-performing loans, creating legal provisions for debt trading is essential,' Phuc said. 'This would encourage the formation of investment funds specialising in distressed assets and streamline large-scale debt transactions.' Phuc also pointed to persistent legal and procedural barriers in transferring real estate projects used as collateral. She urged lawmakers to clarify the legal effect of such transfers and set clear responsibilities and deadlines for coordination among relevant agencies. - Vietnam News/ANN
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Independence fighter's bust to remain at military academy after relocation row
The Korea Military Academy has decided to retain the bust of a revered South Korean independence fighter on its campus, a lawmaker said Monday, reversing an earlier relocation plan that had sparked a heated public debate. The bust of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a leader of Korean independence forces from the time of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, will stay at the Chungmu education facility inside the institution, the academy said in response to a query by Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the Democratic Party. In 2023, the defense ministry announced plans to relocate Hong's bust to the Independence Hall of Korea in the country's central region and the busts of four other independence fighters erected at the academy to a third location. The ministry had cited Hong's controversial ties to Soviet communist forces. The move sparked fierce debate over its legitimacy and drew strong protests from liberal political groups and advocates for independence fighters. The busts of the five independence fighters were originally installed in 2018 at the academy under the previous liberal Moon Jae-in government. The relocation plan was therefore widely seen as an attempt by the conservative government of then President Yoon Suk Yeol to reverse Moon's initiative. According to Jung, the academy said it also plans to keep the busts of the four other independence fighters. Hong is known for leading Korean independence forces and spearheading major victories against Japanese troops in 1920. He moved to Russia the following year to seek refuge from Japanese forces. He was forced to relocate to current-day Kazakhstan in 1937 under then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's policy, along with many other ethnic Koreans before his death in 1943.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Malaysia must work with neighbours to scale up new energy vehicle ecosystem: Stellantis
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must work closely with regional partners to scale up its new energy vehicle (NEV) ecosystem, said Stellantis deputy general manager Adrian Hong. Hong, who specialises in NEV deployment and mobility strategy across the Asean region, said Malaysia does not have the market size and infrastructure needed to support the widespread development and adoption of electric vehicles. 'We cannot act alone. We don't have enough scale or volume to drive those 100% subsidies. We need to work with neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia to recognise them as one of the local content,' he told SunBiz in an interview. Local content refers to components or production originating within a specific region that qualifies products for tax incentives and subsidies. Drawing lessons from China's NEV success, the key lies in the government's clear direction and a well-defined strategic roadmap, Hong said. 'China's battery giant CATL is now global number one not because they built it on their own, but because the government supported them with heavy subsidies during their early stage. Once they matured, the subsidies were gradually removed. That's how you grow new energy,' he added. Hong stressed the need for the government to take the lead in bridging the infrastructure gap. Right now, he said, Malaysia is seeing broad plans being introduced, but most of the execution is driven by the private sector. 'Take charging stations, for example. While a task force exists, there's no clear, unified strategy. Public awareness is also lacking. People don't know, for instance, that you need to use a specific app to access everything,' he added. While Malaysia has set an ambitious target of 10,000 EV charging stations by year-end, Hong believes the country is unlikely to hit the mark. 'In my opinion, we won't hit that target. I think we'll achieve 55% to 60% by the end of this year.' Hong said the issue is not the number of public chargers, but the lack of affordable and accessible home charging. 'Most EV owners in Malaysia charge at home. That's the only way it makes economic sense. 'If you rely entirely on public charging, it could cost you up to 90 sen per kilowatt-hour. From personal experience, my EV bill was higher than if I had just used RON95,' he pointed out. Hong said many high-rise buildings lack shared charging infrastructure, which makes EV ownership not practical for a large segment of urban dwellers. 'There's currently no regulation that requires high-rise buildings to install at least two or three public chargers. If we had that, we could reduce ownership costs by avoiding reliance on public charging.' Stellantis recently established a centralised call centre and is launching a regional parts hub in Malaysia this year. 'Previously, we did have a very challenging supply chain supply. Which was all based on the source from Europe, China. And sometimes it took a long lead time. 'For example, if we didn't keep a part in the Malaysian warehouse, we had to order it, and it would take time to arrive. 'Now, we use predictive data to place advanced orders with suppliers based on trends. It's not a magic solution, but it helps reduce vehicle downtime and shortens part lead times.' Currently, he said, Stellantis has only begun its presence in Kuching, Sarawak, with one dealer and has yet to establish representation in Sabah. However, Hong said price sensitivity is a major hurdle. 'Stellantis models start above RM100,000. Our only EV model retails at RM149,000. The market there is still dominated by local brands like Proton and Perodua, which are more affordable.' Hong said the company is now focused on Leapmotor EVs as Malaysia pushes for greater EV adoption, with more brand updates expected soon. 'So we're starting with Leapmotor, an accessible EV offering, to reach as many users as possible. But I'm not in a position to talk about Jeep and Citroen.' Hong said the Gurun plant will focus on local needs first by assembling Leapmotor EVs and launching the STLA Medium platform, but regional exports are also being considered. 'Our first priority is the Malaysian market. But we're also looking at Asean countries that offer tax incentives based on country of origin. Many still accept CBUs (completely built-ups), so CKD (completely knocked down) is not always necessary,' Hong said.
