The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the Excellencies and Madams who might have been on leave, and have not received the invitation to the Lotte World Tower rour, There are only TEN DAYs left to the Tour on Fri. 19 Jan.
Please scroll down to the bottom for Inviation.
Scary? Yes, right down below your feet sprawls the downtown Seoul as you stand
on the Observation Room on the 123rd floor of the Lotte Tower.
(For reservation of seat, please call 010-3388-1682 (Korean) or 010-5201-1740 (English, Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post meda)
For details of invitation, please scroll down to the bottom of this Headlines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USFK chief sounds cautious note on N. Korea's peace overture
The commanding general of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Wednesday remained cautious about North Korea's motivation behind its decision to hold talks with the South as part of its recent peace offensive.
"The fact that (the inter-Korean talks) happened, I think, is notable, and that such a step has not been chosen before by North Korea," the USFK commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks said during a luncheon meeting organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) in Seoul.
(Read on at: www.koreapost.com.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Round-up of important news stories from major Korean dailies today:
The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.
S. Korea's jobless rate edges up in December
South Korea's jobless rate rose slightly in December due to seasonal factors, government data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate stood at 3.3 percent last month, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the report compiled by Statistics Korea.
Consumer group to file 1st local lawsuit against Apple over iPhone slowdown
A consumer activist group said Wednesday it will file for a compensation suit with a Seoul court this week against Apple Inc. and its local headquarters for a reward of 2.2 million won (US$2,056) per plaintiff.
S. Korea's Marine Corps gets first multirole choppers
South Korea's Marine Corps received the first two multirole helicopters from the country's arms agency Wednesday, moving a step toward its aim of creating an independent aviation unit.
IOC hails N. Korean participation in PyeongChang Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has welcomed North Korea's participation in the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, saying it represented "a great step forward" in the Olympic spirit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
US Welcomes Inter-Korean Talks on Olympics
The United States has welcomed high-level inter-Korean talks in which North Korea agreed to participate in the Winter Olympics set to open next month in South Korea. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Tuesday that Washington welcomed the inter-Korean meeting "aimed at ensuring a safe, secure, and successful" Olympics in PyeongChang.
N. Korea Agrees to Send Athletes to Winter Olympics, Hold Military Talks
North Korea has agreed to send athletes, cheerleaders and journalists to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea next month. South and North Korea also agreed to hold inter-Korean military talks to ease military tension on the Korean Peninsula.
World Bank Upgrades Global Economic Growth Outlook for 2018 to 3.1%
The World Bank raised its growth outlook for the global economy this year to three-point-one percent from two-point-nine percent. The bank attributed the upgrade to a recovery in investment in the U.S. and other advanced countries and increasing exports of raw materials from countries such as Brazil and Russia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Koreas set for military talks on easing border tension
South Korea began preparations Wednesday for what would be the first military talks with North Korea in more than three years. The move is a follow-up to a deal at their high-level talks a day earlier on the North's participation in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
S. Korea's squid catch falls to five-year low in 2017
South Korea's squid catch fell to the lowest level in five years in 2017, dented by Chinese boats' overfishing in the East Sea, a report showed Wednesday. South Korean boats caught a total of 12,082 tons of squid in coastal waters and the open sea last year, which was down 20 percent from a year earlier, the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) said.
ICT firms make inroads into overseas markets helped by gov't program
More than 500 South Korean firms in information and communications technology (ICT) successfully made inroads in countries in the southern hemisphere supported by a government program last year, the ICT ministry said Wednesday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Koreas agree to military talks, NK confirms PyeongChang participation
North Korea on Tuesday confirmed its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and agreed to hold military talks with South Korea. The agreement came in the first inter-Korean talks to be held in more than two years.
Moon set to hold New Year's press conference
President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a press conference Wednesday to personally explain his administration's policy objectives for the new year. The press conference will be held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae from 10 a.m. and will involve over 200 journalists from local and foreign news outlets.
Sony presents new products, robot, car image sensors
Sony is set to present its lineup of new products for 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as well as initiatives that use new technology, such as the entertainment robot aibo and automotive image sensors designed for self-driving cars, the company said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Moon holds New Year's press conference
President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a press conference Wednesday to personally explain his administration's policy objectives for the new year. The press conference will be held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae from 10 a.m. and will involve over 200 journalists from local and foreign news outlets.
Worst jobless rate for 15 to 29 - young being cheated out
The jobless rate for young people ― those aged between 15 and 29 ― was 9.9 percent for all of 2017, marking the worst figure since the government started compiling the annual data.
Overall jobless rate rose slightly in December due to seasonal factors, Statistics Korea said Tuesday.
Faces of four who allegedly battered girl exposed on SNS
Personal information about four suspects in the recent outrageous beating of a high school girl is spreading fast through social network services (SNS), raising concern about their safety and triggering debate about privacy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
N.Korea Agrees to Send Athletes to Olympics
North and South Korean officials met in the border truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday and agreed that North Korean athletes will take part in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Court Delays Sentencing of Choi Soon-sil
The Seoul Central District Court on Monday postponed the sentencing of ex-President Park Geun-hye's crony Choi Soon-sil from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13.
"We made the decision because we need more time to review the case as it involves many issues and huge amounts of records," the presiding judge said.
14 Koreans Earn W1 Billion a Month
There are 14 people in Korea who make W1 billion a month (US$1=W1,069). The highest-paid is a company CEO who makes W2.7 billion a month, a whopping 810 times the W3.33 million average monthly salary of office workers in Korea.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Inter-Korean talks are opportunity to move peninsula toward peace
High-level talks between South and North Korean government authorities took place on Jan. 9 at Panmunjeom’s Peace House, with North Korean lead representative Ri Son-gwon terming them, “a New Year’s gift to the entire nation.”
South Korean Trade Minister: “No deal better than a bad deal” for KORUS FTA
Minister for Trade Kim Hyun-chong, who is currently directing negotiations on amendments for the South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), said on Jan. 8 that South Korean would adopt a negotiation principle of “no concessions that would hinder our technology development or hamstring future generations.”
Former comfort woman’s biographical listing changed after outpouring of complaints
The job section on Google’s biographical listing about the late Mun Ok-ju, former comfort women for the Japanese imperial army, listed her as a “prostitute” until a number of complaints caused the search engine to delete the listing altogether.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
North Korea will join Olympics, military talks planned, another hotline between countries restored
Seoul and Pyongyang agreed Tuesday night to hold working-level meetings in the near future to discuss North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next month, boost inter-Korean cooperation in various fields, have military officials meet to diffuse tension on the Korean Peninsula, solve bilateral issues among themselves without relying on outside forces — and continue to hold high-level talks.
Samsung’s Q4 operating profit grows 64% to 15 trillion won
Samsung Electronics projected a record 15.1 trillion won ($14.9 billion) in operating profit for the fourth quarter of 2017 in an earnings guidance released Tuesday, below analyst expectations as a strong won and one-off bonuses dragged down earnings.
Moon gov’t won’t walk away from 2015 sex slave deal
Seoul will not scrap or renegotiate the 2015 bilateral deal on the so-called comfort women, announced Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha Tuesday, though she underscored that the agreement is not a true resolution of the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Letting the Controversial UAE Envoy Issue Quietly Fade Away
The controversy surrounding the dispatch of a special envoy to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) appears to be quietly fading out without any clear explanation. Khaldoon Khalifa, chairman of the UAE Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, who holds the key in this controversy visited South Korea on January 8, but the Liberty Korea Party, which had cried of a nuclear power plant scandal took a step back saying, "The diplomatic disaster now seems to be under control."
No Tricks or Expedient Measures in Raising the Minimum Wage
Attempts to interfere with the minimum wage hike are going too far. Not even ten days have passed since the minimum hourly wage was raised to 7,530 won, yet business owners are resorting to tricks and expedient measures to keep from properly paying their workers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
Hyundai unveils hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle at CES
Hyundai Motor has unveiled its next-generation hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Hyundai said "NEXO", an FCEV with the maximum driving range of about 600 kilometers (372 Miles) with a full single charge, was showcased at the show.
N. Korea reopens military hotline in middle of talks with S. Korea
North Korea reopened a military hotline, which was closed nearly two years ago at the height of cross-border tensions, as the two Koreas were locked in high-level talks Tuesday on the North's participation in next month's Winter Olympics and a possible thaw in frozen ties.
S. Korea rules out renegotiation with Japan on former 'comfort women'
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha ruled out negotiations with Japan on a deal forged by Seoul and Tokyo in 2015 to end a diplomatic row over Japan's wartime sex slavery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Samsung C&T to more than triple dividend payout for fiscal ‘17-‘19
Samsung C&T Corp., the de facto holding company of South Korea’s Samsung Group, will more than triple its dividend payout over the next three fiscal years, a move that is expected to help lift its underperforming shares.
Hyundai Motors unveils latest hydrogen car Nexo at CES 2018
South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motors Co. revealed its next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 in Las Vegas, a platform that has become favored by automakers as their debut stage for future mobility.
S. Korea’s real estate fund assets exceed $56 bn last year despite regulations
South Korea’s real estate fund market exceeded 60 trillion won ($56.3 billion) for the first time as investors turned to alternative assets for returns amid prolonged low interest environment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com
Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com
Mainichi www.mainichi.jp
Le Monde www.ilemonde.com
Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com
Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de
SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de
Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en
Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com
LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.comlithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net
Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com
Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.
Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM
Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s
Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE
And many other countries.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO ERR ON THE SAFER SIDE!
I trust that Your Excellency may be aware that we are ready to fully meet ALL the information dissemination-acquisition requirements of the Embassies—free of charge.
Please visit the following URLs and order us:
Real time-updated Korean Internet news http://www.koreapost.co.kr/
Real time-updated English Internet news http://www.koreapost.com/
20-page Korean-language newspaper http://www.koreapost.co.kr/pdf/list.php
English E-daily http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5504
English monthly magazine The Korea Post http://www.koreapost.com/cover/coverList.html
To satisfy your information dissemination-acquisition requirements, please drop a line at edt@koreapost.com, pub@koreapost.com or yeskoreapost@gmail.com
The publisher-chairman of The Korea Post media is serving the Diplomatic Community for more than 40 years, 32 years with The Korea Post and 10 years with The Korea Herald as the Cultural Editor who covered the Diplomatic Community.
For quick response, call Chairman Lee directly at 010-5201-1740 or reporters at 010-3388-1682 or 010-7584-5873.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France
Time is running out, and there are only 9 days left to the Lotte Tower tour.
Has Your Excellency made reservation yet—for the Ambassador Tour of the Lotte World Tower on Friday 19, January 2018?
As we have already informed the Excellencies, the Host (President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company) has included in the list of ‘What to See’ that day the treasured Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France (1808-1873).
Lotte World recently won a bidding for it for nearly 2.6 billion Won, and puts it on display for the Ambassadors
To see on Friday 19 January 2018!
President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company cordially invite Your Excellency and Madam, together with other Ambassadadors and Madams, to a Special VVIP Tour of the famed Lotte World Tower on the morning of Friday 19 January 2018.
The exhibits on that day include the Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France. Please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5725
The Tour is orgaized by The Korea Post media at invitation of President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company.
The tour schedule is as follows:
09:30 hours Friday 19 January 2018: Meet at the Cartier of the Avenuel Hall on the 1st Floor of the Lotte World Jamsil builing. (Cars may be parked at the Parking Lot of the Lotte World Tower Building.)
09:40-10:10 hours: Vivit the Public Information Center, view video presentations.
10:20-11:00 hours: Tour the Lotte World Tower Observation hall.
11:00-12:00 hours: Vivist the 123 Lounge and attend a snack-beverage meeting hosted by President Park and the other leaders of the Lotte World Tower.
12:00 hours: Leave the Lotte World Tower.
Note: The Visitor's Car may be parked at the Parking Lot of the Lotte World.
To make reservation, please call Ms. Kim Jung-mi at 010-3388-1682 or Ms. Shin Eugene at 010-6589-4378.
Very Resepctfully Yours
/s/
Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman
The Korea Post media
Scary? Yes, right down below your feet sprawl the downtown Seoul as you stand on
the Observation Tower on the 123rd floor of the Lotte Tower.
Picturesque garden and surrounding areas of the Lotte Tower Building.