NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has presented directions for the government's Korean version of the "New Deal." According to the new plans, the government will establish solid infrastructure for information technologies, such as AI and the 5G wireless system, and it will also foster industries that don't depend on conventional person-to-person contact.
Starting from June first, Korean Air will resume 32 of its 110 international routes, ending months-long operation suspensions amid the coronavirus pandemic. The to-be-resumed routes include those linking Incheon to Washington D.C., Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto as well as European cities like Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
South Korea will provide one million masks to 22 countries that fought alongside it in the Korean War. The government said that the move is to thank them for the sacrifices made during the war, The government will first send 500,000 masks to the U.S. and the remaining half will be distributed among the 21 other countries.
South Korea has seen a jump in its exports of COVID-19 testing kits this year. According to the Korea Customs Service, the nation shipped testing kits worth 200 million U.S. dollars last month, which is a surge from 24 million dollars in March. The amount stood at mere 3,400 dollars and some 640,000 dollars each in January and February.