The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Your Excellency:

Here are The Korea Post notices and a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea today:

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

Korea Post Media

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The Korea Post notice:

Your Excellency:

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What’s ticking in Korea today? Here is a quick roundup of important news stories from the major Korean news media today:

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

Trump should seek Xi's agreement on denuclearizing N.K.: senator

U.S. President Donald Trump should use his visit to Beijing to underscore that North Korea's denuclearization is in both countries' interests, a Republican senator said Wednesday. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) made the call hours before Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were to meet over North Korea's nuclear weapons threats and other issues."President Trump should continue to impress with President Xi that a denuclearized Korean Peninsula is in both nations' fundamentally long-term interests and that the United States does not seek regime change in North Korea," Gardner said at a forum.

Ex-U.S. diplomat slams Trump over golf course remarks

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called out President Donald Trump Wednesday for promoting one of his golf courses during a speech before South Korea's legislature. While praising South Korea's achievements, Trump told the National Assembly Wednesday (local time) that Korean golfers are "some of the best on Earth." "In fact, and you know what I'm going to say, the Women's U.S. Open was held this year at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and it just happened to be won by a great Korean golfer," he said, referring to Park Sung-hyun.

S. Korean bourse fares 3rd-best worldwide this year

South Korea's main stock market has been the third-best performer among bourses in major advanced and emerging countries this year despite its recent drop, data showed Thursday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell for the second session to close at 2,545.44 on Tuesday on profit-taking after touching an all-time high on Friday, according to the data by the Korea Exchange. Yet Tuesday's close was up a whopping 25.6 percent from the end of last year, posting the third-highest gain among major stock indexes in the Group of 20 nations.

CJ Cheiljedang's Q3 net jumps 17.6 pct on strong revenue

CJ Cheiljedang Corp., South Korea's leading food manufacturer, said Wednesday its net profit rose 17.6 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier on the back of brisk sales of its processed food products.

Net income came to 263 billion won (US$236 million) on a consolidated basis in the July-September period, up from 117 billion won posted a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating profit soared 10.7 percent on-year to 269 billion won, and sales grew 19.9 percent to 4.4 trillion won over the cited period.

N.K. slams Trump's visit to S. Korea

North Korea condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea on Wednesday, saying that the move is aggravating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, igniting the risk of a nuclear war. But the North's state media has yet to make official comments on the summit between President Moon Jae-in and Trump that was held a day earlier amid Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats. "Trump has flown to South Korea as he seeks to strengthen military threats against us and has an intention to light the fuse for a nuclear war," the Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper, said in a commentary.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Leaders of S. Korea, Indonesia to Hold Summit

President Moon Jae-in will meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for summit talks on Thursday to discuss ways to improve relations between their countries and other regional issues. The presidential office said that Moon, who arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday on a state visit, will begin his second day with a trip to the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery which houses the resting places of Indonesia's independence fighters and national leaders.

Arrest Warrant Sought for Ex-Defense Chief Kim Kwan-jin

The prosecution has sought an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin over his alleged involvement in illegal cyber activities to influence public opinion under the Lee Myung-bak government.

Prosecutors also requested on Wednesday a warrant for Lim Kwan-bin, former deputy defense minister on charges of illegal intervention in politics. The Cyber Command under the Defense Ministry has been a target of prosecutors' investigation over its alleged online smear campaigns against liberals during the 2012 general and presidential elections.

Three US Carriers to Conduct Drill near Korean Peninsula

Three U.S. aircraft carriers will reportedly conduct a joint exercise with the South Korean Navy in waters around the Korean Peninsula in a show of force against North Korea. A South Korean military official said on Wednesday that the three carriers, currently in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation in the Western Pacific, will conduct a joint drill with South Korea in the coming days near the peninsula. The three carriers -- the USS Nimitz, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan -- are reportedly traveling toward the region for planned drills.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

U.S. efforts for talks with N.K. 'discouraging': official

North Korea has shown a "discouraging" response to U.S. efforts to begin talks on the regime's nuclear weapons program, a senior U.S. government official said Wednesday. The official spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Seoul to Beijing as U.S. President Donald Trump continued his Asia tour, focusing largely on the North Korean threat. "I think that our administration has made clear from the start that the door is open to dialogue," the official said on the condition of anonymity, "and efforts to sort of probe have been rather discouraging.

Trump softens tone on N.K. but seen falling short of producing breakthrough: experts

U.S. President Donald Trump avoided harsh rhetoric and references to military options during his two-day visit to South Korea. Despite his unusual carefulness, experts here said Wednesday the trip fell short of producing a much-expected breakthrough in the nuclear standoff. "I really believe that it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and to make a deal that's good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world," Trump said in a news conference on Tuesday after his summit with President Moon Jae-in.

Regulator to tighten rules on public disclosure of corporate governance

Financial authorities plan to tighten rules on public disclosures of corporate governance in a bid to improve transparency for investors and shareholders, the head of the top financial regulator said Thursday.

Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), made the remarks during a meeting with foreign institutional investors. Currently, listed firms are advised to voluntarily make public disclosures of their corporate governance structure, but Choi indicated that they will be gradually required to do so.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Trump tells NK: Don't try us

In South Korea, US President Donald Trump sent a direct message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, warning him not to “try” the US, while rallying the international community to raise the pressure against the “twisted” regime. In his address to South Korea’s National Assembly, Trump highlighted the need to end Pyongyang’s nuclear program, saying “the time for excuses is over” and that he sought “peace through strength.”

What if Trump had made it to the DMZ

Since the Ronald Reagan administration, almost every US president who visited South Korea has gone to the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified border dividing the two Koreas, to get a firsthand look at the division and lingering tension of the unfinished Korean War. Wearing bomber-style jackets, visiting commanders have often gazed through binoculars toward the barren strip of the northern land. There, they could visualize what it would be like if another war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula -- for which there is the existence of 28,500 US soldiers in the South.

Intuitive Surgical opens new da Vinci surgical robot training center in Korea

Intuitive Surgical, the world’s top surgical robot maker best known for its da Vinci surgical robot system, opened a new surgical innovation and training center in South Korea on Tuesday. Located inside the Sangam DMC High-Tech Industry Center in northeastern Seoul, the 3,624-square-meter facility features five training stations equipped with seven da Vinci systems and lecture rooms with audiovisual equipment for hosting live video meetings. It also provides two open demo rooms where anyone, including nonsurgeons, can learn how da Vinci works and get hands-on experience running the device.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Trump stresses 'peace through strength'

U.S. President Donald Trump stressed "peace through strength" in his speech at the National Assembly, Wednesday, giving a stern warning to North Korea. "The regime has interpreted America's past restraint as weakness," Trump said referring to North Korea. "Do not underestimate us. Do not try us. We will defend our common security, our shared prosperity and our sacred liberty." The U.S. president cited the country's military assets deployed around the peninsula ― the world's three largest aircraft carriers, loaded to the maximum with F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, in addition to nuclear submarines.

Korea's last bar exam passes 55 people

The results of South Korea's last state bar exam were announced Tuesday. The Ministry of Justice posted the list of 55 successful candidates on its homepage. There will be no more opportunities to enter the legal profession through the written test, known as "sasi," that has nurtured more than 20,000 lawyers, prosecutors and judges in the nation since 1963. "Sasi" is a compound word with "sabeob" (judicial) and "siheom" (exam).

Moon begins 8-day Southeast Asia trip

President Moon Jae-in embarked on a trip to three Southeast Asian countries, Wednesday, for regional summits and bilateral talks. This tour is expected to raise momentum for Moon to spur his drive to diversify the country's diplomatic horizon. He arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday evening. It was Moon's first state visit to a foreign country since taking office in May.

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DongA Ilbo (http://english.donga.com)

‘Do not try us,’ Trump says to North Korea

“Do not underestimate us. Do not try us. I want peace through strength,” U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Wednesday. In his speech to South Korea’s National Assembly, he has made himself clear that he will not allow nuclear provocation by Pyongyang. Trump has become the first U.S. president to speak at the South Korean National Assembly since 1993 when former President Bill Clinton visited South Korea.

Apple’s iPhone X to arrive in Korea on Nov. 24 with heftiest price tags

The iPhone X, Apple Inc.’s 10th anniversary edition of its iPhone, will arrive in South Korea on November 24. Apple said that it will start sales of its top-of-the-line smartphone on the day in 13 additional countries including South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Malaysia, following its initial launch in some 50 countries on November 3. The announcement came amid expectations that the iPhone X will not be available to customers in Korea until December or early next year.

Tug of war over child care benefits

The government said in August that children aged under six would receive 90 dollars a month starting July next year. At meetings by the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly running through this week, heated discussions between the ruling party members and their counterparts are taking place. The ruling party says that the government’s program should be immediately approved in order to ease the burden of child-rearing, while the opposition parties’ members say that the benefits of the program seem uncertain and the amount of bonus should differ according to parents’ income. If the budget is cut due to the opposition parties’ disagreement, implementation of the program would be delayed from July.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Moon, Trump Reaffirm Alliance

President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump offered no new proposals for dealing with North Korea in their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday but reaffirmed their strong alliance. Moon reassured a reporter that he is not trying to pivot away from America and toward China. "So on bringing balance in our diplomatic approaches, this is not about our stance vis-à-vis the United States and China," he said. "We would like to promote peace, stability and prosperity of the Northeast Asian region. So we would like to expand our diplomatic efforts in this regard."

UNESCO to Set up Documentary Heritage Center in Cheongju

UNESCO will build its new International Center for Documentary Heritage in Korea. The center will sit near the site in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, where the world's oldest surviving metal-printed work, the Jikji Simche Yojeol, was created. The decision was made in a general conference at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Monday. It had already been approved unanimously by the UNESCO Executive Board in October.

Living Close to Bus Stations Doubles Risk of Lung Cancer

Living close to bus stops and other places with highly polluted air can increase the risk of lung cancer by up to two times, according to a study by Inha University Hospital, Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center. Researchers studied 908 lung cancer patients and a control group over a period of 20 years and released the findings on Tuesday. They analyzed the levels of fine dust and nitrogen dioxide in the areas where the study subjects lived between 1995 and 2014 and concluded that every 10 ㎍/m³ increase in fine dust levels led to a 1.09-fold rise in the likelihood of developing lung cancer.

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Smooth start to Trump’s South Korea visit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump’s third summit on the afternoon of Nov. 7 went off without any major incidents. Trump avoided making any provocative, hardline remarks about North Korea, and no issues were raised about the “three no’s” recently announced by Seoul while patching things up with Beijing. The South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) matter was addressed in relatively mild terms, with no mention of “renegotiation.”

South Korean purchases of US weaponry set to sharply increase

With South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreeing to “step up our collaboration to enhance Korea's self-defense capability to unprecedented levels” on Nov. 7, it is expected that the two countries will soon be developing more concrete plans for military cooperation and weapons purchases. The three areas of cooperation with the US that Moon disclosed during the joint press conference can be summarized as follows: immediately initiating deliberations to acquire and develop state-of-the-art military reconnaissance assets; completely eliminating the limit on the weight of missile warheads; and expanding and strengthening the rotational deployment of strategic assets in the US military on the Korean Peninsula and in the surrounding areas.

Presidents Trump and Moon emphasize “steadfastness” of South Korea-US alliance

During the third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump, which was held at the Blue House on the afternoon of Nov. 7, the word that Moon and Trump emphasized several times was the “steadfastness” of the South Korea-US alliance.“President Trump and I met and communicated with each other numerous times, building deep trust and consolidating our friendship. Today we had candid discussions about [the] steadfastness of [the] ROK-US alliance,” Moon said during the joint press conference that was held after the summit.

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JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)

Trump tries to reason with North

In unusually eloquent and restrained language, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday, offering the young dictator “a path to a much better future” in return for the ending nuclear and missile brinkmanship.“The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer. They are putting your regime in grave danger. Every step you take down this dark path increases the peril you face,” Trump said in a speech at the South Korean National Assembly, directly addressing Kim, who inherited power to rule the reclusive communist state in 2011. “North Korea is not the paradise your grandfather envisioned. It is a hell that no person deserves.”

President’s tour of DMZ prevented by weather

A surprise visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) bordering North Korea was aborted at the last minute due to heavy fog Wednesday morning. Korean President Moon Jae-in was waiting for him at the DMZ, the heavily-armed narrow strip of land separating the two Koreas, in Paju, Gyeonggi, according to the Blue House. Moon proposed to Trump a trip to the DMZ the previous day during their bilateral summit in Seoul, according to a Blue House spokesman.

Rhetoric shows softening of stance on FTA

U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the word “trade” three times in his 35-minute speech at the National Assembly on Wednesday, but did not criticize the bilateral trade agreement between his country and Korea - which he has long criticized as “unfair” and responsible for the U.S trade deficit with Seoul. Trump’s going easy on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement on his two-day visit led to speculation that he has softened his stance on the five-year-old deal, which he seriously considered terminating earlier this year.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

President Moon, "Balanced Foreign Relations Does Not Mean a Balance Between the U.S. and China"

In a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Moon Jae-in drew attention with a new explanation on "balanced foreign relations." He explained that balanced foreign relations did not refer to maintaining a balance between the U.S. and China, but that it was expanding South Korea's diplomatic horizon by equally distributing the nation's diplomatic capacity to other countries including the U.S. and China. The new definition may have been intended to lower the tone of calls for balanced diplomacy in South Korea, an issue on which the U.S. has reacted quite sensitively.

Cheong Wa Dae Invites Yi Yong-su to Remind Trump of the Comfort Women Issue

Yi Yong-su (Lee Yong-soo) (90), an elderly comfort women victim of the Japanese military, attended a state dinner at Cheong Wa Dae on November 7 along with President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump, and the two first ladies. This is interpreted as a special message from Cheong Wa Dae to President Trump.A Cheong Wa Dae official explained, "President Trump visited Japan and also came to South Korea, and our president could not remain silent about the comfort women issue and the historical issues between South Korea and Japan. I think the president invited Ms. Yi to ask President Trump to have a more balanced perspective on this issue."

Excerpts of Former President Roh's “NLL Abandonment” Statement Written and Reported to MB Upon Orders from Won Sei-hoon

On November 6, it was confirmed that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) edited, with malicious intent, and delivered to Cheong Wa Dae the excerpts of the transcripts of the 2007 inter-Korean summit upon orders from the agency's director Won Sei-hoon in May 2009 at the time of the Lee Myung-bak government. At the time, the intelligence service edited the excerpts with the purpose to criticize and release the details of the inter-Korean summit attended by former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.

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The Korea Economic Daily (http://english.hankyung.com/)

Tourism and Duty-free Industries Hopeful about Improving Korea-China Relations

AsKorea and China are set to improve their relationship that was rocked by thecontroversy over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballisticmissile system, Korea's tourism and duty-free shopping industries are raisingtheir hopes of better days. Thetourism industry believes that the Chinese government's group tour ban to Koreawould be relaxed soon. A travel agency in Hebei posted an Internet ad recentlyfor a group tour program to Korea in November at the price of 1,480 yuan(US$223). China's largest online travel agency Ctrip also put out group tourprograms to Korea for the first time in seven months.

Gov't Decides to Give $8 Mil. Aid to North Korea...Timing to Be Announced Later

The government has decided to give support to North Korea worth US$8 million in programs helping its vulnerable people including children and pregnant women indirectly through international organizations. It, however, has not decided when to start sending money and exactly how. This is interpreted as a choice to deflect criticism that it is undertaking an aid project at a time when North Korea is causing an international storm by launching a series of missile tests.

Oil Refiners See Good Times ahead due to Rising Oil Prices

International oil prices have hit a record high in seven months as they went up over US$50 a barrel. The domestic oil refining sector raised its hopes of improving their profitability in the third quarter after suffering poor results for two consecutive quarters. The spot price for Dubai crude as compiled by the Korea National Oil Corp. was $53.64 a barrel on September 16, up by 7 cents from the previous day. This is the highest level since February this year when the figure was $54.39.

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AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)

World Bank regards climate change as crucial development issue

The World Bank regards climate change as a very important development issue as many developing and poor countries are vulnerable to disasters, requiring more sustainable and greener growth than advanced countries."Climate change is a very important development issue. We are interested because poor people and poor countries are going to be one that suffers most," Marianne Fay, a chief economist of the World Bank's sustainable development vice-presidency, said in an interview in Seoul.

Putin calls for economic cooperation system

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for efforts to establish a system of comprehensive economic cooperation encompassing the Asia Pacific and Eurasian regions, asking South Korea and other countries to actively join the vision. Putin made the appeal in his op-ed piece to Yonhap News Agency ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Vietnam on November 10 and 11. "As a major Eurasian power with vast Far Eastern territories that boast significant potential, Russia has a stake in the successful future of the Asia Pacific region, and in promoting sustainable and comprehensive growth throughout its entire territory," the Russian president said.

Trump slams N. Korea as 'hell', urges global efforts to isolate it

U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up his rhetoric against North Korea, slammed it as a "hell", and warned that its push for the development of nuclear weapons and missiles would put the regime "in great danger". Speaking at South Korea's parliament, Trump urged every nation, and even China and Russia, to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions and sever trade and other ties with North Korea to isolate the brutal regime. "It is our responsibility and our duty to confront this danger together," he said. "Because the longer we wait, the greater the danger grows and the fewer the options become," he said before leaving for China.

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

Seoul agrees to up purchase of U.S. weapons, start talk on nuke submarines

Seoul will no longer have a limit in its missile payloads and initiate discussions with Washington to introduce nuclear submarines and purchase advanced weapons from the U.S. to reinforce independent defense and deterrence capabilities against nuclear-armed North Korea, according to an agreement from a two-day state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

S. Korea’s LG Chem invests $897,000 in local nickel sulfate supplier

LG Chem Ltd. has invested 1 billion won ($897,000) to obtain a 10 percent stake in Kemco, a South Korean supplier of nickel sulfate to secure a stable supply of the core raw material for a high-performance lithium-ion battery, the company said on Wednesday. The latest stake investment will allow LG Chem, one of leading electric vehicle battery manufacturers in Korea, to have priority over its peers in receiving nickel sulfate from Kemco starting next year, an unnamed official at LG Chem said, adding that it would help the company cope well during a time of shortage of the material in the future.

Celltrion’s Q3 operating profit nearly doubles on year

South Korea’s top biosimilar manufacturer Celltrion Inc. on Wednesday reported that operating income for the third quarter nearly doubled year over year to 140.1 billion won ($125.7 million), beating market expectations thanks to brisk sales of its rheumatoid arthritis biosimilar Remsima in Europe. Celltrion said in a regulatory filing that it raised 140.1 billion won in operating income on a consolidated basis in the July-September period, up 89.3 percent from a year ago. Sales also jumped 37.9 percent to 232.1 billion won over the same period, and net profit surged 94.4 percent to 113.9 billion won.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?

See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com,service@wsj-asia.com

Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com

The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk

Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cnkf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn