NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Energy ministers of the Group of 20 nations will hold a special conference call later today at the request of Saudi Arabia. Korea's Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo will also take part as well as a representative of the International Energy Agency as participants will discuss ways to stabilize global energy markets amid the coronavirus pandemic.
An event to mark the 101st founding anniversary of the colonial era Korean provisional government, and a ground breaking ceremony for a National Memorial commemorating the provisional government will take place Saturday at the Seodaemun Independence Park in Seoul. Some 100 guests will attend including key officials and bereaved family of freedom fighters. Authorities said strict social distancing rules will be applied.
Market researcher IC Insights has projected the global chip market for integrated circuits(IC) will shrink　by 4 percent to around 346 billion dollars this year. Other industry pundits believe IC will suffer a smaller impact of COVID-19 compared to other sectors　based on the forecast that demand for memory chips used in computer servers will continue to rise　due to increased online traffic.
Vice Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Friday that it's most important to resolve challenges faced by numerous small-sized companies and venture capital firms, in order to achieve successful development of Korea's 5G industry. He made the remarks during a meeting held with civic experts and think tanks on the topic of promoting open innovation through the use of 5G. Koo asked for active cooperation from related agencies.