Thousands of people took to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday to call for immediate action to tackle climate change, joining millions of protesters around the world in the global movement.

An estimated 4,000 people, according to organizers, gathered in Daehakno in central Seoul to criticize the government for its lukewarm response to climate change and to call for more drastic change in energy policies – such as shutting down coal-fired power plants, shifting to renewable energy and cutting other emissions.
“I take individual action, but what is the use when coal-fired plants and steel mills are still in operation and big corporations are producing an unimaginable amount of greenhouse gas emissions?” said Kim Do-hyeon, 15, who co-heads a students’ group campaigning for action on climate change in Korea.

Kim Do-hyeon, a 15-year-old student, holds a placard reading “Answer, Korea. School strike for climate on Sept. 27” with a fellow campaigner. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)

“Adults always tell us to go to a university first. It would be too late by then. We are the ones who have to live in this environment,” she said. “I hope adults stop gambling our future.”

Millions of people from some 185 countries took part in Friday’s global general strike, where students skipped school and workers walked out of their jobs to join the biggest climate protest in history.

Kim Gi-hun (first from left), who teaches the first graders in middle school, holds a placard reading “Climate, don’t change. I will change” sitting next to two students. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)

Adults, who felt guilty about the burden and responsibility they were passing onto the young generation, also joined the Saturday’s demonstration.

“I came here because I felt that we should do whatever it takes to address the problem,” said Kim Gi-hun, who teaches first graders in middle school. “I feel sorry that I have not done anything to pressure the government and politicians to tackle the problem.”

Led by some 330 environmental civic organizations, labor unions, left-wing political parties and religious groups, protesters chanted “If not now, there is no tomorrow” and “Speak now, and take action right away.”

“Justice, rather than growth, and survival, rather than interests, are our priorities,” they said in a statement. “We should choose whether to sit back and accelerate the disaster or fight against the wrong system.”

Following the rally, they marched some 5 kilometers from Daehangno to Boshingak Bell.

The demonstrations around the globe took place on the eve of a UN climate summit. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the meeting to inject urgency into government action to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius under the 2015 Paris treaty.

President Moon Jae-in is set to join the summit.

Korea, the world’s seventh-largest greenhouse gas emitter, still heavily relies on coal-fired power plants and nuclear reactors, which generate about 65 percent of electricity combined as of 2018.

The Moon Jae-in administration laid out a road map to raise the proportion of renewables from the current 6.2 percent to 20 percent by 2030  and to phase out coal and nuclear energy, despite strong opposition from businesses and people who fear a hike in electricity bills. But the plan also involves increasing the use of another polluting fossil fuel: gas.

Some 4,000 people gather for a demonstration calling on the government for action on climate change in Daehangno, central Seoul, Saturday. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)

Environmental activists say the plan is not enough, demanding the government declare a “climate crisis” and take bolder actions right now.

“The government turning a blind eye to climate crisis and staying silent on it is pushing citizens and the whole society into a bigger threat,” said Lee Ji-eon, an activist from Korean Federation for Environmental Movement. “People’s actions will continue for the big shift we want in society.

Another demonstration is planned on Friday near Gwanghwamun Square, where some 1,000 students are expected to skip their classes and turn up to join in.

The special administrative region is in a fourth month of anti-government protests that started with opposition to the now-withdrawn extradition bill.

All photos are taken by China Daily staff.

Interior Minister Chin Young presided over a meeting of related ministries and provincial governments to make the decision and discuss ways to minimize potential damage from the typhoon, this year’s 17th, Yonhup news agency reports.

The officials decided to check vulnerable areas, such as steep slopes, and ensure that measures are well in place to prevent flooding, power outages and other problems that could occur as the typhoon approaches.

“I ask citizens to refrain from going outside when the country is under the influence of the typhoon and ensure their safety when there are concerns about the possibilities of landslides or flooding,” Chin said.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that Typhoon Tapah is expected to pass through the waters east of the southern island of Jeju during daytime Sunday and then move past the Straits of Korea and toward the East Sea at night on the day.

In its 5 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the weather disturbance slightly intensified and left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 2 a.m.

Nimfa was last spotted 705 kilometers northeast of Basco, Batanes while moving at 25 kilometers per hour (kph) north northwest.It is packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gustiness of up to 135 kph. 

Pagasa said Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will experience scattered rain and thunderstorms.

He said he did not believe that the trade war would adversely affect ties between Asean member countries as relations among them tended to be acceptable, although there were challenges.

“The best way forward for us (Asean) is to engage with both nations for our own survival and economic success.

“We need to maintain good cordial relations with both the East and the West, ” he said at a dialogue at the Milken Institute Asia Summit on Thursday.

The Port Dickson MP was asked about Asean’s future as the regional grouping faces potential division due to the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

Expressing his optimism, Anwar said there were opportunities and that “we have to look beyond the immediate problems and see whatever benefit we can obtain”.

“I’m more optimistic if you can garner the best brains within the countries… with international support, we can drive this problem.”

On the current haze situation, Anwar said: “We in Asean need to deal with the whole idea of governments.

“I’m optimistic because in the sense that you can get the governments in Asean to look at it. If they don’t, then there must be a sense of outrage among the public because it is affecting millions of people.”

Anwar stressed that the three affected countries – Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – must partly shoulder the responsibility and “do something”.

“It is not a blame game between (the three countries)… some say Indonesia’s at fault but Malaysia’s companies are involved and Singapore has a lot of shares there.”

He also expressed his hope that the companies involved be held accountable for their actions.

“I want fresh oxygen. I want no pollution. I want people to love recycling, ” she wrote on a piece of paper.

The SJK (T) Sungai Ara pupil in Penang was among those who participated in the Global Climate Strike in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“I am so worried about my future, ” Sasirani said.

She said she was very worried about climate change and how human action led to forest fires and the stifling haze.

“Adults are so selfish. They never think about nature and about our future. They think it is more important to use plastics and are not working to stop climate change, ” she added.

Malaysia kicked off its participation in the Global Climate Strike yesterday with dialogue sessions, speeches and mini workshops.

About 200 people, including schoolchildren and families carrying placards, attended the gathering at the Publika Shopping Gallery.

Eugene Chang, 15, said the education system is not doing enough to teach students about climate change.

“Whether or not schools want to pick up this responsibility, it is important for schools to educate students about climate change. If we don’t do anything about it, we will suffer, ” he said.

Gurpreet Singh, 32, said Malaysians needed to correct the defeatist attitude that they could not influence change by contributing their bit.

“When we talk about the environmental crisis, the knee-jerk reaction is ‘will that make a difference?’”

“This behavioural change is the first step we need to take. If we don’t believe we can affect change, change will never be a reality in Malaysia, ” the CEO of Me.reka said.

Spearheaded by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the global campaign demanding urgent government action to address the climate crisis is taking place ahead of the UN Emergency Climate Summit on Monday.

A big rally is planned today in Kuala Lumpur, with over 250 people expected to gather and march from Sogo KL to Dataran Merdeka from 4.30pm.

Pressure group Klima Action Malaysia, which is leading the rally, has joined hands with Greenpeace Malaysia and Amnesty International Malaysia on the initiative.

Their four demands are to “smash” the wall of political and media silence on the climate crisis, declare a climate emergency for financial and policy mobilisation, raise awareness among Malaysians about the climate crisis and increase visibility on climate narrative from developing countries.

The strikes calling for climate justice, taking place around the world, have seen an unprecedented turnout.

In Australia, The Guardian reported that over 100,000 people picketed in Melbourne while hundreds and thousands showed up in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

Photos of people marching for climate justice in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and more are also being shared on social media.

Power consumption in the first eight months rose 4.4 percent year-on-year to 4.7 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to data from the National Energy Administration.

Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University said that the growth rate slipped from 9 percent in 2018, mainly due to the structural changes in China’s economy, with the government shifting more focus to the tertiary sector amid growing uncertainties from international trade relations.

Power consumption in the first eight months rose 4.4 percent year-on-year to 4.7 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to data from the National Energy Administration

“Even among secondary industries, which took up nearly 70 percent of the total power consumed, a growing number of businesses are embracing energy-efficient and low-carbon production processes to achieve high-quality development. That may have an influence over power consumption in the sector,” Lin said.

Lin added that the lingering trade tension in global markets also had an impact over businesses in the secondary sector, which was reflected in the total power consumption in the sector.

In the first eight months of this year, power consumption in the secondary sector edged up 3 percent to 3.2 trillion kWh. The growth rate was down from 7.3 percent in the first eight months of 2018.

China’s power consumption is likely to see steady growth during the rest of 2019, according to an industry report by the China Electricity Council, a nonprofit association of power companies and institutions.

According to the report, China’s total power consumption will increase 5.5 percent year-on-year in 2019 from 6.8 trillion kWh last year. It was also pointed out in the report that the actual growth rate might be lower than the prediction if the average temperature this summer is lower than that of last year.

Total installed capacity is likely to reach 2 billion kilowatts by the end of this year, a year ahead of the goals set to be met by 2020. Installed capacity of non-fossil electricity will account for 42 percent and reach 840 million kilowatts, according to the report.

Yu Chongde, a spokesman for the CEC, said that by the end of this year installed capacity for solar power will surpass 110 million kilowatts across the country, a goal that was originally set for 2020.

“That marks a great step in China’s efforts to achieve green production and sustainable economic development,” said Lin.

The Goldlion Group confirmed Tsang’s death in an announcement on Friday evening, adding that the company will always remember him.

Tsang founded the famous manufacturer of menswear in 1968, and has steadily invested in the manufacturing industry on the mainland since the early days of the country’s reform and opening-up.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, in expressing her “deepest condolences”, said the successful entrepreneur was a trailblazer among overseas Chinese who contributed to the country’s economic reform that started 41 years ago.

Tsang was devoted to contributing to the country’s development, dedicated to serving the public, and made important contributions to Hong Kong’s smooth transition in 1997, Lam said.

He was among the first batch of people in Hong Kong to have been awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 1997 — the highest award under Hong Kong’s honors and awards system.

Tsang was a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, from 1994 to 2008

During a grand gathering in Beijing on Dec 18, Tsang was one of 100 Chinese awarded a medal as a “reform pioneer” for outstanding contributions to the country’s advancement. The ceremony was held to mark the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up.

Tsang was recognized for his support to the development of education, aviation, sports, science and healthcare on the mainland, with donations of more than HK$1.2 billion ($153 million) since the 1970s.

Tsang was a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, from 1994 to 2008. He was appointed a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee in the 1980s.

Choy So-yuk, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, said she was sorry to hear of Tsang’s death. She spoke highly of the philanthropic entrepreneur’s patriotism, noting that when NPC members visited areas of poverty on the mainland, Tsang would donate to the construction there.

Albert Au Yeung, a senior Hong Kong journalist who interviewed Tsang over 10 years ago, recalled that Tsang was an easygoing person, very friendly to journalists, and often invited journalists to gatherings at his home. Though at that time Tsang already had some health problems, the tycoon continued his charity for the country, Au Yeung said.

Tsang also organized many media tours to the mainland to promote Hong Kong journalists’ understanding of the country’s development, Au Yeung added.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Vietnamese week has been organised in the city.

Themed “Taste of Việt Nam”, the five-day event has attracted the participation of 45 Vietnamese businesses, with the main purpose of promoting Vietnamese commodities in Thailand as well as creating export opportunities for Vietnamese suppliers in the Thai market.

The event is a project in the framework of ‘Promote Vietnamese enterprises’ direct participation in foreign distribution networks up to 2020’ which was endorsed by the Prime Minister in his Decision No 1513/QĐ-TTg dated September 3, 2015.

At the fair, co-organised by Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Central World, Vietnamese businesses introduced their products with high export potential such as phở (noodles), tea, coffee, snacks, fresh fruits and spices.

The total exhibition area spans nearly 1,000 square metres of CentralWorld shopping centre. The event is expected to welcome 500,000 visitors over five days.

“In recent years, Việt Nam’s Government has encouraged Vietnamese suppliers to engage in international retail systems including in Thailand. ‘Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2019’ is an important event held annually since 2016,” said Đỗ Thắng Hải, deputy minister of Industry and Trade of Việt Nam at the opening ceremony.

In order to promote and export Vietnamese products to its retail system, Central Group Vietnam has recently co-operated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to conduct market research, select potential products which are suitable for the Thai market, as well as organise practical training courses to improve the capacity and quality of Vietnamese suppliers and develop the unique products for Thai market, Hải said.

In his remarks, Thai Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanavisit said the event showed the vision and determination of Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Central Group in strengthening economic relations, connecting investment and business by exchanging products and services.

“The relationship between Thailand and Việt Nam is not merely co-operation between two countries but it is also connected with the community of ASEAN countries, so we need to closely collaborate with each other and with our ASEAN pals to develop more together,” Laksanavisit said.

Jariya Chirathivat, executive vice-president of business development at Central Group, said: “Vietnamese Goods and Tourism Week is one of the activities that Central Group attaches great importance to. After each year of organisation, our enthusiastic staff have tried to closely follow the instructions and suggestions of the Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade to execute the programme with increasing scale and quality.”

“This activity helps realise Central Group Việt Nam’s vision of contributing to the prosperity of Việt Nam and improve the quality of life of Vietnamese people. We are happy to be a part of Việt Nam.”

Nguyễn Lâm, sales manager of Vietnamese Gia Lai-based cashew nuts processor Hải Bình Gia Lai Co Ltd, told Việt Nam News this was the second year his company had brought products to the event.

“We tried to renovate our design to make it more eye-catching, hoping to connect with Thai partners in the business matching session,” Lâm said.

In the first seven months of 2019, the total import and export turnover between the two countries reached US$10.2 billion, up 6.6 per cent over the same period in 2018. In particular, Việt Nam’s export turnover to Thailand reached approximately $3.2 billion, up 1.5 per cent. Việt Nam’s import turnover from Thailand reached $7 billion, up 9.2 per cent over the same period in 2018. — VNS

Rakuten became the first foreign company to purchase or run a team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).

The Rakuten-sponsored new team will participate in CPBL starting from next year.

Since La New Corporation started to sponsor and manage the baseball team, named Law New Bear then, the team has won six CPBL championships, including the season 2017 and 2018.

The popularity of Lamigo Monkeys is the top in CPBL. Since 2014, every year, the team has the highest amount of audience entering the arena to support the team.

Lamigo Monkeys General Manager Justin Liu (劉玠廷) said, “Thanks Rakuten a lot for recognizing our efforts in the past 16 years.”

Rakuten completes the deal of purchasing Lamigo Monkeys today (PHOTO: Yeh Cheng-hsun | 葉政勳攝）

Rakuten is known for sponsoring Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League since 2005. Therefore, Rakuten said they would utilize what they’ve learned from past experiences in managing the Japanese team to support the Taiwanese team.

Baseball is not the first business that Rakuten has in Taiwan. Started from 2008, the Japanese company has expanded its business in various sectors in Taiwan, such as e-commerce and digital books. They even have obtained approval to run online banking in Taiwan starting next year.

Liu revealed that Rakuten would continue managing Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium, where the Lamigo Monkeys is based, adding that the Rakuten would invest more and hold on to most of the employment.

The team’s new name, uniform and logo will be published afterward.