Mongolian chief justice referred to prosecution for probe over alleged groping

INCHEON, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean police on Friday referred a sexual assault case involving the chairman of Mongolia's Constitutional Court to the prosecution recommending indictment.

The justice, Dorj Odbayar, is alleged to have touched the buttocks of a South Korean female flight attendant and intimidated a Mongolian crew member on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 31.

Legal experts said the prosecution is most likely to ask the court to summarily fine the suspect, given the degree of seriousness of his alleged crime and that he is a foreigner.

"In the case of a simple indecent act by compulsion that is not so serious in nature, most of them are sentenced to fines," a judiciary expert said.

"The prosecution is expected to seek summary procedures to fine Chairman Dorj Odbayar between 1 million won (US$864) and 5 million won," he said.

Odbayar, who returned to South Korea on Wednesday, has been prohibited from leaving the country until Nov. 15.

The prosecution could lift the travel ban if it seeks summary procedures and if he deposits money equivalent to an estimated fine with the court, as was the case with a Hungarian swimmer who was charged with sexual harassment in July.

The chairman has been charged with indecent act by compulsion and violation of the aviation security act, which could result in punishment of up to 10 years in prison or up to 10 million won in fine, and 10 million won or less in fine, respectively.

Odbayar and an official accompanying him who is also suspected of sexually abusing a flight attendant were apprehended by Korean Air staff on the plane and turned over to airport police on Oct 31.

Odbayar initially denied all charges when questioned by airport police the following day. Immediately after the probe, he headed to his destination of Bali, Indonesia, to attend a meeting of Asian constitutional court chiefs.

He returned to Korea Wednesday and underwent a second questioning, during which he appeared to back down. He told investigators that he did not remember what happened because he was drunk at the time of the incident, according to Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency.

He also admitted to making threatening remarks to the Mongolian staff, but only after police showed him video footage of the scene, police said.

jjhwang@yna.co.kr
(END)

Source:Yonhap news agency

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S. Korean police slap travel ban on Mongolian chief justice

Head of Mongolia’s Constitutional Court accused of sexually harassing Korean flight attendant

The South Korean police have barred the chief justice of Mongolia’s Constitutional Court from leaving the country. Dorj Odbayar, 52, is charged with sexually harassing a female flight attendant while onboard a Korean Air flight.

The women and youth investigations department at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency disclosed that Odbayar was arrested on Nov. 6 at Incheon International Airport on charges of sexual harassment and intimidation. He was released around midnight on the night of Nov. 6, following 11 hours of questioning.

But the police are open to the idea of more questioning and consulted with prosecutors to slap a travel ban on Odbayar.

Odbayar was placed under arrest after arriving at Incheon International Airport at 8:29 am that morning. His interrogation about the events in question began at 1 pm and was conducted in the presence of an attorney.

Out of concern for diplomatic repercussions, the police didn’t disclose what was discussed during the interrogation, including whether the judge acknowledged the charges against him.

This was the second time that Odbayar was interrogated. On Nov. 1, the day after the incident occurred, he was questioned for an hour and a half in a police interrogation room in the secure section of Incheon Airport

Odbayar is accused of harassing a flight attendant by groping her buttocks on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, bound for Incheon Airport at 8:05 pm on Oct. 31.

During the questioning on Wednesday, the judge was also reportedly asked about allegations that he made threatening and abusive remarks to another flight attendant, a Mongolian national who served as an interpreter during the incident.

In his first interrogation, Odbayar reportedly said that he’d apparently been confused with another passenger and threatened to lodge a diplomatic complaint about his treatment.

The police have also secured an arrest warrant for a 42-year-old Mongolian individual who accompanied Odbayar on the flight and are in consultation with the Mongolian Embassy in Seoul about a time for him to be called in for questioning. He is accused of sexually harassing another female flight attendant by wrapping his arms around her shoulders. The individual in question was released without being questioned on the day of the incident and continued on to Singapore.

A spokesperson for the police explained that they imposed a 10-day travel ban on Odbayar, after deliberation with prosecutors, because of the possibility of further questioning. The police are exploring the possibility that the judge may also have violated the Aviation Security Act.

By Lee Jung-ha, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

Source:http://english.hani.co.kr/

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Police: Mongolian official accused of sex assault claims memory loss

By

Darryl Coote

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A high-ranking Mongolian official accused of groping a South Korean flight attendant last week appears to have backed down from his initial denial of charges during new questioning, police said Thursday.

Dorj Odbayar, the chairman of Mongolia's Constitutional Court, is alleged to have touched the buttocks of a female flight attendant and intimidated a Mongolian crew member on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 31.

During an interrogation by airport police last Friday, he flatly denied the charges, saying he'd been mistaken for another Mongolian man who. He left the country immediately after the probe.

Odbayar returned to South Korea on Wednesday and was detained for a second round of questioning by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency. He told investigators he doesn't remember what happened because he was drunk, police said.

"If the victims made such claims, [I] might have done so under the influence of alcohol," Odbayar was quoted as saying during the nine-hour interrogation. He was released at midnight.

Odbayar had planned to depart for Mongolia in two days, but the authorities banned him from leaving, pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Police also requested Interpol put on its wanted list a Mongolian official accompanying him, who has been accused of molesting another stewardess, including wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

Odbayar was on his way to Bali, Indonesia, to attend a board meeting of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions. The two were apprehended by security staff on the plane and turned over to airport police, but released after claiming diplomatic immunity.

Police later found their immunity claims unwarranted after consultations with the foreign ministry. They probed the top justice in the airport security zone for 1 1/2 hours the following day and then let him leave for Bali. Police failed to question his colleague because he had already left for Singapore.

Before Odbayar returned to Incheon, police secured a court warrant to detain him for two days. The agency said it secured the same warrant for his companion and is consulting the Mongolian Embassy in Seoul over its plan to summon him.

Source:https://www.upi.com/

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Mongolian judge accused of groping flight attendant

South Korean police on Wednesday again questioned a senior Mongolian official accused of groping a Korean flight attendant during a flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon on Oct. 31.

The Incheon Metropolitan Policy Agency arrested Dorj Odbayar, the head of Mongolia’s Constitutional Court, who made a stopover at Incheon Airport on Wednesday morning en route to the Mongolia capital from Indonesia.

The Incheon District Court issued an arrest warrant for Odbayar on Tuesday.

Odbayar and his colleague, who has an arrest warrant issued against him for alleged sexual harassment of another member of the Korean flight crew, were initially turned over to police on Oct. 31 by the flight crew, who had detained them on the plane. Upon their release a day later, Odbayar flew to Indonesia to attend a scheduled conference, and his colleague departed for Singapore.

Police released the two suspects without consulting relevant authorities after the suspects claimed they were entitled to diplomatic immunity.

“By convention and custom, heads of states enjoy diplomatic immunity, and yes, foreign diplomats stationed in South Korea, too, qualify for that privilege,” the Foreign Ministry said. “But the full exercise depends on each circumstance.”

The ministry added, “But by any standard, the Mongolian judge qualifies for no such immunity.”

Odbayar was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time, and he is said to be shifting blame to someone else aboard the plane.

Odbayar is also alleged to have verbally abused another member of the flight crew, a Mongolian national, during the Oct. 31 flight.

Police said they will apprehend Odbayar’s colleague upon entry to South Korea. They added they are coordinating with the Mongolian Embassy here to facilitate his return.

The Mongolian Embassy could not be reached for comment.

Source:http://www.koreaherald.com/

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Release of Mongolian judge creates stir

By Kang Seung-woo
The police's release of a high-ranking Mongolian official, accused of sexually assaulting a flight attendant, is sparking controversy.

According to the Incheon International Airport Police, Monday, Mongolia's Constitutional Court Chairman Dorj Odbayar allegedly groped a flight attendant's buttocks and one of his colleagues put his arm around another attendant's shoulders.
The alleged harassment occurred on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon Thursday night. Flight attendants detained them and reported them to the airport police upon arrival.
The police officers went to the arrival area of Terminal 2 that night to question the Mongolian officials. However, the Mongolian Embassy in Korea said Odbayar and the accompanying officials had diplomatic immunity in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, according to the police.
The international treaty, adopted in 1961, ensures diplomats are given safe passage and are not subject to prosecution under the host country's laws.
As a result, the police released them without questioning and his colleague left for Singapore the same day.
The police explained their decision to release them was made after comprehensively considering all the circumstances, including their impending transfers.
However, the foreign ministry said the release was unwarranted, raising questions over his qualification for diplomatic immunity.
"Diplomatic immunity is applied to the top levels of a state, including the head of state, the head of an administration and the foreign minister," a ministry official said. "The Mongolian Constitutional Court chief is not eligible for immunity."
Based on the foreign ministry's judgment, the airport police questioned Odbayar, who was at the transfer area of the airport heading for Bali, Indonesia, where he was supposed to attend an Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions meeting.
After about one-and-a-half hours in the police detention room within the airport on Friday, the court chief flew to Indonesia.
Amid escalating public anger and the gravity of the issue, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency has taken over the case and they interviewed the two flight attendants, Saturday.
According to the police, the attendants told the investigators they found the experience unpleasant and wanted Odbayar and his colleague to be punished.
Meanwhile, the Mongolian Constitutional Court denied the allegations surrounding its chairman, saying they are "groundless and false."
"An attempt was made to blame the chairman of the Constitutional Court in the act of misconduct possibly committed by another citizen of Mongolia, who was sitting in the row behind him during the flight to Korea. Chairman of the Constitutional Court Dorj Odbayar has turned to corresponding organizations concerning the wrongful accusation," its spokesman said in a statement via Mongolia's Montsame News Agency.

Source:https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

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S. Korea, Mongolia ink customs deal to facilitate trade

SEJONG, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Mongolia on Monday signed a customs deal meant to facilitate bilateral trade, South Korea's customs agency said.

The Mutual Recognition Arrangement for authorized economic operators was inked between Kim Yung-moon, commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, and his Mongolian counterpart in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar, according to Korea Customs Service.

The arrangement calls for each of the respective sides to speedily clear products from the other country and give priority in customs processing, as well as to set up dedicated contact points to deal with complications in clearance.

Currently, South Korea has a Mutual Recognition Arrangement with 21 countries, including the United States, China and Japan.

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Seoul-based Rhinos Asset Management launches Mongolian subsidiary

Seoul-based investment company Rhinos Asset Management said on June 4 that it had opened a wholly owned overseas subsidiary in Mongolia a day prior.

This marks the first time that a foreign entity has begun to operate an asset manager in Mongolia. 

The company was established in December last year and obtained a regulatory license in March, with capital of 526.9 million Mongolian tugrik ($196,100).

Rhinos Asset Management Mongolia during the opening ceremony announced a corporate debt fund of $11 million to invest in debt issued by Mongolian financial technology startup AND Systems. The startup raised $2.8 billion funding from Rhinos in November 2018. Rhinos created Mongolia’s first corporate debt fund in April.

Rhinos said in a statement that the new Mongolian unit aims to lay the groundwork for deal-sourcing capabilities in Mongolia, Russia and Central Asia.

Since 2017, Rhinos has sold Mongolian high-yield products such as funds investing in US dollar-denominated certificate of deposits issued by the Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia, as well as short-term bond funds and exchangeable bond funds.

Chief Executive Chun Myung-ho currently heads Rhinos Asset Management. Founded in 2014, the company has 7.1 billion won ($6 million) in capital as of end-March and invested in global mezzanine equities and derivatives with some 400 billion won in assets under management. 

Rhinos Asset Management CEO Chun Myung-ho (third from left) along with representatives of Mongolian financial authorities and AND Systems, poses at an opening ceremony held at Ulaanbaatar Shangri-la Hotel on June 3. 
Rhinos Asset Managemment

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S. Korean Ambassador to Mongolia Accused of Collusion, Power Abuse

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a probe into allegations that the country's top diplomat in Mongolia developed collusive ties with a visa broker and abused his authority by harassing subordinates.

According to the ministry on Tuesday, it obtained a transcript of the alleged broker mentioning encounters with Ambassador Chung Jae-nam while explaining the details of procuring a visa to South Korea, including associated costs and likelihood of obtaining the document.

Chung is suspected of colluding with the broker and illegally intervening in the South Korean government's visa application review process.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions representing workers at overseas missions also requested the ministry probe allegations that Chung verbally abused embassy employees, including an incident where he screamed at employees while questioning the whereabouts of leftover food from an event in March.

The incident apparently led to Chung forcefully reassigning the employee in charge of the event.

The diplomat is also accused of misappropriating the embassy budget for personal expenditures.

Source:KBS World Radio

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S. Korea, Mongolia to push for elevating ties to strategic partnership

ULAANBAATAR, March 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Mongolia agreed Tuesday to push for elevating their diplomatic ties to a strategic partnership as next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their relationship.

The agreement was made during a meeting between South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Ulaanbaatar.

Lee embarked on an official three-day visit to Mongolia on Monday as part of his weeklong trip that will also take him to China.

South Korea and Mongolia established their diplomatic ties in 1990 and promoted them to a comprehensive partnership in 2011.

"Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the two nations setting up diplomatic ties. We hope the current comprehensive partnership could be promoted," Lee said.

He also expressed hope that the presidents of South Korea and Mongolia could visit each other's countries in an effort to strengthen cooperation.

The prime ministers also discussed ways to tackle air pollution and seek cooperation in health and consular services.

Lee appealed for Mongolia's cooperation in South Korea's efforts to push for a cross-border power grid system and railway linking projects under its New Northern Policy.

Mongolia is one of the key countries in South Korea's New Northern Policy, President Moon Jae-in's diplomatic policy of improving strategic ties with Russia, Mongolia and other northern countries.

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (L) and his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaa Khurelsukh shake hands before a meeting in Ulaanbaatar on March 26, 2019. (Yonhap)

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Another Korean Carrier to Operate Flights to Mongolia

Another domestic airline will be allowed to operate flights to Mongolia, ending Korean Air's three-decade monopoly on the route.

Korean and Mongolian aviation officials agreed after a series of meetings on Wednesday and Thursday to allow multiple carriers to fly between Incheon and Ulaanbaatar.

The existing bilateral agreement signed in 1991 allows only one airline from each country -- Korean Air and MIAT Mongolian Airlines -- to operate six flights a week on the route.

With the new agreement, flights to Ulaanbaatar will be increased to nine times a week, starting from late March.

Source:Digital Chosun Inc

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Three Korean organizations to launch reforestation project in Mongolia

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's overseas aid agency said Wednesday that it will join hands with a domestic bank and a nongovernmental organization in working to prevent desertification in Mongolia, one of the origins of fine dust particles that flow onto the Korean Peninsula.

Heads of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), KB Kookmin Bank and Green Asia, a Seoul-based NGO fighting against climate change, signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding on cooperation over climate change in Mongolia, KOICA officials said.

The MOU came after KOICA adopted Green Asia's proposal for reforestation of Mongolia's desert areas and income increases for local victims of desertification.

KB Kookmin Bank joined the effort to maximize the effects of the anti-desertification project, the officials explained.

Under the MOU, the three Korean entities will plant 100,000 fruit trees in seven areas around Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, for five years from 2019, they said.

In addition, the fruit produced from the new trees will be processed and sold to help increase the incomes of about 600 residents in the areas.

Lee Mi-kyung, president of KOICA, said at the signing ceremony that the MOU is a new milestone that combines the government agency with expertise, creativity and financial resources of private partners.

ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)

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S. Korea seeks longer legal stay for citizens in Mongolia

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has asked Mongolia to extend the legal term of stay for its nationals there, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Lee Sang-jin made the offer during the 10th bilateral talks on consular affairs in Ulaanbaatar, formerly known as Ulan Bator, on Tuesday, and Mongolia responded positively, it added. His counterpart Batmunkh Battsetseg, Mongolia's deputy minister of foreign affairs.

Currently, South Korean citizens are allowed to stay in the country for three to six months, which the ministry said is "excessively short" and makes a stable stay there difficult.

"The Mongolian side agreed to actively consider whether it can expand the stay period in accordance with domestic law," the ministry said.

lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)

Source:Yonhap news agency

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South Korean company Yuhan-Kimberly assists reforestation in Mongolia

Yuhan-Kimberly, a South Korean manufacturer of sanitary products, said it was joining forces with the Mongolian government to restore a forest and open an observatory tower there.

According to the company, the work to restore deforested areas of Mongolia’s Tujin Nars forest began in 2003. The forest had sustained severe damage after two fires before the local government formally asked Yuhan-Kimberly to take part in the project in 2001.

Since that time, over 10 million trees have been planted. 

The company said the project would not only prevent desertification in Mongolia but would also reduce the amount of fine dust blowing toward the Korean Peninsula.

Yuhan-Kimberly is leading environmental conservation efforts in and outside of Korea through its corporate social responsibility program.

Since 1998, the company has planted trees in government-owned forests, also offering opportunities for people to participate in various environmental activities by working closely with domestic and foreign forest-conservation organizations.

The company has been planting trees in Korea’s metropolitan areas since 2005, including Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, and has helped create 12 small forests in residential areas across the country.

Last year, the company opened a forest-cultivation center in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. The center can produce 45 million seedlings per year, which will facilitate reforestation on the Korean Peninsula, Yuhan-Kimberly said. 

Source:Koreaherald.com

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S. Korea to sign MOU with Macao, Mongolia on protecting consumers

By Kim Kwang-tae

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's consumer protection agency will sign a memorandum of understanding with its counterparts in the Chinese territory of Macao and Mongolia soon, its head said Friday, in the latest move to better protect locals who use overseas online shopping malls.

Lee Hee-sook, president of the Korea Consumer Agency, said the agency is pursuing similar MOUs with European countries, without elaborating.

Lee Hee-sook, president of the Korea Consumer Agency, speaks in a meeting with reporters at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul on Sept. 7, 2018. (Yonhap)

Currently, the consumer protection agency has MOUs with its counterparts in the United States, Great Britain, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.

The latest move is meant to help address complaints that local consumers often face when they purchase goods directly from online shopping malls abroad.

Complaints related to foreign goods bought directly from online shopping malls abroad totaled 3,981 cases in the first six months of the year, up 186 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Consumer Agency.

Clothing and shoes accounted for 26.5 percent of total complaints, followed by accommodation reservations with 20.7 percent and airfare with 18 percent.

The agency said 37.8 percent complained about either delays or refusals to cancel purchases. Others claimed there were problems with refunds and exchange of goods.

The Korea Consumer Agency plans to make public a list of online shopping malls, freight forwarders and purchasing agent service firms that have been cited by South Korean consumers as being the most problematic companies.

entropy@yna.co.kr

Source:Yonhap News Agency

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Police: Mongolian citizen helped South Korean thief to steal golden Buddhas from homes of Mongolia’s famous and rich

Mongolian police said a Mongolian citizen Kh…who lived and worked in South Korea illegally for 7-8 years met with Pak, the South Korean thief. It appears that Pak is a very experienced thief who knows how to disable alarm security system and CCTV surveillance of homes and burglary.

Pak allegedly confessed he came to Mongolia to steal golden Buddha statues dating 1800s and didn’t worry about leaving his finger prints in the homes he entered to steal as he thought Mongolian police don’t have his fingerprints.

It appears Kh provided information about rich and famous of Mongolia who have Golden Buddha statues and traditional snuffing box and other precious relics to Pak and he came to Mongolia. Notes with list of Mongolia’s rich were found during arrest of Kh and Pak.

The police report said the duo began to enter and steal from homes of the rich and famous from December last year up to Jan 8, 2017 coinciding with New Year festivities in Mongolia where people usually attend parties and celebrations in evenings.

The duo were arrested after stealing more than 1 billion Tugrug (400 thousand US dollars) worth golden Buddha statues, snuffing boxes and other relics from 5,6 family houses belonging to Mongolia’s rich and famous including former lawmaker Gundalai and Chinbat, gold magnate and other businessmen in closed-gated communities of Nukht and Zaisan areas of Ulaanbaatar.

Park confessed he shipped some of the stolen items to South Korea by cargo.

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Korea, Mongolia agree to seek increase in flights, bolster development cooperation

President Park Geun-hye (R) shakes hands with her Mongolian counterpart, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (L), before their talks at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on May 19, 2016. (Yonhap)

The leaders of Korea and Mongolia agreed Thursday to seek an increase in flights between the two nations and expand cooperation in the latter's infrastructure construction and overall economic development.
President Park Geun-hye and her Mongolian counterpart, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on strengthening bilateral economic cooperation and another on cooperation in the sports sector.
One of the MOUs concerns joint efforts to "actively" discuss ways to increase the number of flights between the two nations. 
Currently, there are 12 weekly passenger flights between Korea's western port city of Incheon and the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar despite a recent increase in the number of passengers. 
Last year, some 190,000 people traveled between the two cities.
Since 2013, there has been no increase in flights between the two nations due mainly to opposition from Mongolia fearing a potentially negative impact on its airline's competitiveness. 
Under another MOU, the two sides will seek to bolster cooperation in Mongolia's urban development project. The MOU will help South Korea export its "smart city" model to the Central Asian state, Seoul officials explained.
The two countries also signed an MOU to enhance cooperation in the quarantine process for Mongolia's livestock products. Korea has been struggling to cope with illicit livestock imports from Mongolia, which could pose health risks here.
To expand Korea's support for Mongolia's development projects, the two sides, moreover, inked an MOU to enhance cooperation in various areas, including energy, education, urban development, environment and public administration reform. (Yonhap)

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Mongolian media delegate visits Yonhap to promote cooperation

By Chung Joo-won

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's No. 1 newswire Yonhap News Agency and top representatives from Mongolia's media agreed Friday to enhance media content for global readers by strengthing cooperative ties.

A Mongolian delegation of 10, including Confederation of Mongolian Journalists vice president Khurelbaatar Batkhishig and Undesnii Shuudan chief editor Dashtseren Zayabat, visited Yonhap headquarters in central Seoul.

A Mongolian media delegation visits the headquarters of Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, on April 29, 2016. (Yonhap)

The guided tour kicked off with a presentation on Yonhap's domestic and overseas operation.

"I was particularly impressed with Yonhap's global newswire services in six different languages," said Batkhishig during the group tour of Yonhap's news rooms and broadcasting studios.

Batkhishig welcomed active exchange of media insight between Yonhap and Mongolian media outlets. Mongolian broadcasting media Contents & Gogo.com is particularly positive about such exchange, he added.

A Mongolian media delegation visits the broadcasting studio in the headquarters of Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, on April 29, 2016. (Yonhap)

Yonhap began providing news content since 1980 as the country's leading newswire agency, employing some 590 reporters.

The South Korean media company played a leading role in covering the Seoul Olympics in 1988, an economic milestone for Asia's fourth largest economy.

With 50 correspondents operating in 33 cities of 25 countries, Yonhap currently provides newswire services to 83 news agencies around the world in English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabian, Spanish and French.

A Mongolian media delegation visits the broadcasting room at the headquarters of Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, on April 29, 2016. (Yonhap)

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South Korean company signs MOU with Mongolian government to build electrical grids

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

18 December 2015 - 11:00am

Jung Min-hee

The Hyosung Corporation has become the nation’s first company to establish an electrical grid in Mongolia, which shows more than 10 percent growth every year.

The company signed a 142 billion won (US$120.29 million) memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Mongolian Government at Shangri-La Hotel in Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia, on Dec. 16 to set up two 220 kV substations, transmission lines approximately 315 km-long, and 975 transmission towers. The signing ceremony was attended by Hyosung Vice Chairman Lee Sang-woon and Dashzeveg Zorigt, minister for energy of Mongolia.

With the latest MOU, Hyosung has succeeded in becoming the first mover into the Mongolian power infrastructure construction market. Accordingly, the company now has an advantage over winning the Mongolian government’s power projects, which will be carried out in earnest in the next two to three years. Hyosung is also able to target the Mongolian electricity market, which will have a capacity of 3,090 MW in total by 2030, in earnest.

The company will complete the construction of transmission lines that cross from Ondorhaan in eastern Mongolia to Choybalsan and two substations by as early as 2018, contributing to power industry development and power supply stabilization in Mongolia.

Thanks to mineral resource exports and foreign investments, Mongolia is considered to be a rapidly developing market with annual growth of more than 10 percent. The country has abundant energy resources, such as coal, uranium, solar power and wind power, but the energy industry is generally underdeveloped due to a lack of electrical technologies and infrastructure. Therefore, it really needs social overhead capital investments.

To do so, Hyosung plans to reduce power losses and address the imbalance of power supply and demand by using a static synchronous compensator, of which the company succeeded in the development and commercialization for the first time in the domestic industry, and energy storage system (ESS) technologies for stable and efficient power supplies.

Hyosung Corporation Vice Chairman Lee Sang-woon (2nd from right) poses for a photo with Dashzeveg Zorigt, minister for energy of Mongolia (2nd from left), after signing a 142 billion won MOU at Shangri-La Hotel, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Dec. 16. - See more at: http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/english/news/industry/13338-electrical-grids-mongolia-hyosung-signs-mou-mongolian-government-build#sthash.dpeL4PDQ.dpuf

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S. Korean PM leaves for Mongolia

SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn left for Mongolia Tuesday to discuss enhancing bilateral ties after wrapping up a three-day visit to Laos, his office said.

This marks the first time in 14 years that a South Korean prime minister has made an official visit to Mongolia.

Hwang will hold talks with his Mongolian counterpart, Chimediin Saikhanbileg, and President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj on how to boost cooperation in trade and infrastructure, according to the Prime Minister's office.

Hwang will also discuss South Korea's possible participation in constructing a power plant in the Central Asian country, according to the office.

This overseas trip is Hwang's second since taking office in June. In September, he traveled to France.

khj@yna.co.kr

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Mongolian theater to perform opera

The Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet will stage operas by Rossini, Verdi, Mozart and Puccini for their first Seoul performance in a concert on Dec. 6 to mark the 25th anniversary of Mongolia’s diplomatic relations with Korea.

The Mongolian Gala Concert, hosted by the Mongolian embassy, will feature Mongolia’s traditional music and dance and feature 60 instrumentalists and six singers, including Mongolian opera singer Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who was recently recognized as the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2015.

Artists from the Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. Mongolian Embassy

Founded in 1963, the theater has performed 57 operas and 57 ballets by Mongolian and foreign composers around the world. It hosts over 100 performances a year, including some 80 operas and ballets and 20 classical and special performances. 

The event is sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hyundai Motor Group, POSCO Energy, Mongolian Airlines, Korean Air, Halla Group and Dongkwang Construction. 

The concert is free and begins at 5 p.m. at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul. For more information, visit www.mongolembassy.com or call 010-2892-4652 or 010-2825-7371.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)

Artists from the Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. Mongolian Embassy Source:http://www.koreaherald.com/

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