The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Friday, January 19, 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
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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.
Seoul vows support for N.K. Olympic participation within sanctions regime
South Korea said Friday it plans to financially support North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Games in a way that doesn't weaken tough international sanctions on the North.
The two Koreas agreed in a meeting Wednesday to conduct joint training for skiers at Masikryong Ski Resort on the North's east coast as they discussed details about the North's participation in the Feb. 9-25 games.
Employees of Samsung Electronics, SK hynix to get huge bonuses: sources
Employees of South Korea's two major semiconductor manufacturers are set to receive big bonuses this month for their strong performance last year amid the global boom for chip industries, industry sources said Friday.
Samsung Electronics Co. workers in the semiconductor sector will receive annual bonuses, called the Overall Performance Incentive, amounting to up to 50 percent of their annual salary, on Jan. 31, a Samsung official said.
IIHF welcomes unified inter-Korean ice hockey team
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has expressed support for the creation of a unified inter-Korean women's ice hockey team for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a U.S. broadcaster reported Friday.
The two Koreas agreed at their working-level talks on Wednesday to field the joint squad at the Feb. 9-25 Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will review the agreement and determine the size of the unified roster on Saturday. South Korea hopes the roster will be expanded to as many as 35 from the already-set 22, after adding some North Korean players.
Trump builds global consensus on N.K. pressure, sows confusion over policy
U.S. President Donald Trump's first year in office established a global pressure campaign to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Many have credited the new administration with coordinating the international sanctions regime against Pyongyang.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Unification Ministry to Seek Regular High-level Talks with N. Korea
South Korea's Unification Ministry will seek to hold high-level talks with North Korea on a regular basis and pursue the provision of humanitarian aid to infants and pregnant women in the North.
In a 2018 policy briefing to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday, the ministry said it would restore inter-Korean relations by regularly holding high-level talks and resuming inter-Korean exchanges and humanitarian programs.
S. Korea to Enhance Communication, Cooperation with Four Nations
The Foreign Ministry plans to enhance strategic communication and cooperation with four major countries -- the U.S., China, Japan and Russia -- this year to pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The ministry explained the plan on Friday during its 2018 policy briefing to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon at the government complex in Seoul.
Gov't to Reduce Troops to 500,000 by 2022
The government plans to reduce the size of its armed services from roughly 610-thousand to some 500-thousand by 2022.
The Defense Ministry revealed the plan on Friday during a joint policy briefing in Seoul by five government agencies on current diplomatic and security conditions and improving inter-Korean ties. The session also saw the attendance of Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Seoul vows support for N.K. Olympic participation within sanctions regime
South Korea said Friday it plans to financially support North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Games in a way that doesn't weaken tough international sanctions on the North.
The two Koreas agreed in a meeting Wednesday to conduct joint training for skiers at Masikryong Ski Resort on the North's east coast as they discussed details about the North's participation in the Feb. 9-25 games.
Prosecutors launch probe into iPhone slowdown scandal
Prosecutors said Friday they have begun an investigation into suspicions mounting over the slowdown of older iPhone models, which consumers worldwide have accused Apple Inc. of deliberately causing to make users want to buy a new version.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it has formally assigned the case to the intellectual property-related crime unit.
N.K. offers to send advance team for Olympic art performance in S. Korea
North Korea informed South Korea on Friday that it will send an advance team over the weekend for a trip by its art troupe to South Korea during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Seoul officials said.
The North said it will send a seven-member team Saturday to check the venues for its proposed art performances in Seoul and Gangnueng, located some 260 kilometers east of the capital, according to Seoul's unification ministry.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
NK offers to send advance team for Olympic art performance
North Korea informed South Korea on Friday that it will send an advance team over the weekend for a trip by its art troupe to South Korea during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Seoul officials said.
The North said it will send a seven-member team Saturday to check the venues for its proposed art performances in Seoul and Gangnueng, located some 260 kilometers east of the capital, according to Seoul's unification ministry.
Moon, Macron discuss NK, PyeongChang games
President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation Thursday and discussed ways to work together on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and for a successful PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games
According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders spoke for about 30 minutes from 7:20 p.m. during which Moon gave a detailed account of inter-Korean talks.
Samsung, LG dismayed at Trump’s remarks despite overtures
South Korean washer manufacturers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics on Thursday expressed dismay at US President Donald Trump’s latest remarks describing the Korean firms as “dumping washers into the US.”
Trump’s comments came a few days after Samsung started operating its washing machine plant in South Carolina on Saturday, as part of its efforts to localize its products in the US amid an antidumping battle and tariff pressures.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Kim Jong-un in PyeongChang
So far, there has been little to divert from our familiar North Korean playbook. Leader Kim Jong-un has switched to conciliatory tactics. South Korea has jumped at the chance to achieve anything close to a more stable form of lasting peace.
The result is the first high-level inter-Korean contact since the Moon Jae-in administration's May inauguration. Now Pyongyang is expected to send a large cheer squad and a token number of athletes to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The two Koreas are likely to march under a common flag and have a joint women's hockey team.
50% of South Korea against unification flag at Olympics
Half of South Koreans are against South and North Korean athletes using a "unification flag" at the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a survey showed Thursday.
According to a poll by RealMeter, 49.4 percent of 500 people aged over 19 voted against athletes from the two Koreas marching under the flag symbolizing a unified Korea for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics set to begin next month. They said South Korean athletes should hold the South Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi, and North Koreans should hold their country's flag.
107 yaks plunge into frozen river, die
More than 100 yaks were killed after plunging into a frozen river in northwest China, according to Chinese media reports.
A total of 107 yaks died after two herdsman were trying to herd 180 of the beasts across a river in Gade county in Qinghai province last week, China News Service reported.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
N.Korean Media Fudges Cross-Border Olympic Deal
North Korean media on Thursday broadcast only part of a joint press release issued after the latest cross-border talks about the North's participation in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The two Korea met at the truce village of Panmunjom on Wednesday and agreed to hold a celebration in the North's Mt. Kumkang resort on the eve of the Olympics and have skiers from both sides train in Maskiryong Ski Resort. But those were the only points the North Korean state media focused on.
Watchdog Staffer Used Inside Info for Bitcoin Speculation
A Financial Supervisory Service staffer made a 50-percent profit by selling off all of his Bitcoin holdings two days before the government announced a crackdown on the virtual currency last month.
The staffer worked in the department that oversees policies on cryptocurrencies.
Will N.Korean Players Hobble S.Korea's Women's Ice Hockey Team?
An inter-Korean women's ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang will include all 23 South Korean players plus extra North Korean ones, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-whan told the National Assembly on Monday.
Some five to eight North Korean players are expected to join the team. The government says the South Korean athletes will not suffer any disadvantages, but some will have to sit out the Olympic matches since any match can only have 22 players on each side and adding new ones reduces playing time on rotation.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Inter-Korean cultural event to be held at Mt. Kumgang prior to Olympics
South and North Korea seem poised to send an even louder message of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The two sides agreed to hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang prior to the Olympics opening ceremony and to have their skiers train together at the Masikryong Ski Resort, two sites located in North Korea.
Celebration at Mt. Kumgang to be an unprecedented symbol of “Peace Olympics”
The celebration at Mt. Kumgang and the ski training at the Masikryong Ski Resort that South and North Korea agreed to hold during their vice-minister level talks on Jan. 17 about the North’s delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are likely to be remembered as unprecedented events symbolizing the “Peace Olympics.” It is also symbolic that both Mt. Kumgang and the Masikryong Ski Resort are located in the North Korean half of Gangwon Province, which is divided between the two Koreas.
Overland routes linking South and North Korea to reopen during Pyeongchang Olympics
All three of the blocked overland routes between South and North Korea are expected to open during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. During the vice-minister inter-Korean talks held at the House of Peace on the South Korean side of Panmunjeom on Jan. 17, the two sides reached an agreement about the size of the North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the route that it will take.
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JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
Terminal 2 opening overshadowed by forgotten baggage
A Korean Air flight bound for Manila departed leaving roughly 1,000 pieces of luggage on the ground Thursday, overshadowing the grand opening of Incheon International Airport’s new terminal, which launched on the same day.
But Korean Air and Incheon International Airport were at odds over who was at fault for the forgotten baggage.
Moon vents ‘fury’ over Lee’s accusations
President Moon Jae-in said he was furious that former President Lee Myung-bak accused him of pursuing a vendetta over the death of his longtime friend and mentor, Roh Moo-hyun.
The Blue House issued a brief but strongly worded statement Thursday morning to respond to Lee’s accusation the previous day that the Moon administration is pushing investigations into his associates on trumped-up charges of corruption as political payback for the 2009 suicide of former president Roh.
South, North agree to joint Olympics team, common flag
North and South Korea agreed to form a joint women’s ice hockey team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next month and march side-by-side during the opening ceremony on Feb. 9 behind a white flag with a blue Korean Peninsula in the middle, a big step toward reconciliation after a year of rising tensions over missile and nuclear tests.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Lee Myung-bak, “Political Retaliation for the Death of Roh Moo-hyun”
On January 17, former President Lee Myung-bak said, “Many people see the prosecutors’ investigations conducted in the name of eradicating long-established bad practices as a political scheme aiming to destroy the conservatives and as political retaliation for the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun.” Some people argue that the former president attempted to incite the conservatives to come together by defining the government’s efforts to root out long-established irregularities as a “political scheme” and “political retaliation.” Lee remained silent on the various allegations that have surfaced, including the alleged bribes received by his close aides from the National Intelligence Service’s special activities expenses.
North and South Korea to Enter and Cheer Together Holding the Korean Peninsula Flag at PyeongChang
North and South Korean athletes will follow the Korean Peninsula flag and enter together at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. The two Koreas will also form one team Korea in women’s ice hockey. North Korea will send a cheering squad of over 230 people and will also send over 150 athletes and representatives to the Winter Paralymic Games. North and South Korea held a vice-ministerial meeting at the Peace House on the South side of Panmunjom on January 17 and released a joint press release on eleven items including these details.
Senior NIS Official Requested Private Meeting with MB and Reported, “Special Activity Expenses Could Cause a Disaster”
On January 16, it was confirmed that former President Lee Myung-bak (77) was aware of the fact that the special activity expenses of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) were delivered to Kim Baek-jun (78), the former official overseeing general affairs at Cheong Wa Dae and also one of the former president’s closest aides often referred to as the “butler.” This has some people arguing that a prosecutors’ investigation of the former president will be inevitable. In particular, the NIS agent who delivered the money at the time is a close acquaintance of former President Lee, and he personally reported to the president that the whole thing could become a problem (legally).
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AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
President Moon voices anger at defiant remarks by his predecessor
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Aju News) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in voiced anger Thursday at provocative remarks from his conservative predecessor over a prosecution probe that spawned a political showdown.
Moon told a meeting of aides that he "cannot hide his anger" over what ex-president Lee Myung-bak said in a televised statement on Wednesday, according to the president's office. Lee slammed a widening investigation by state prosecutors into alleged wrongdoing under his tenure as political retaliation targeting him.
Cryptocurrency prices surge on expectations of futures trading
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Aju News) -- Cryptocurrency prices surged Friday partly on expectations that South Korea is considering introducing a U.S.-style futures trading system to stop an outflow of capital, according to government and financial industry officials.
The Chicago Futures Exchange (CME) allows transactions of derivatives such as futures and options. To introduce a similar system in South Korea, a related law should be revised first to recognize virtual currency as a financial product for legalized transactions.
N. Korea expected to compete in four Winter Olympic events: chief organizer
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Aju News) -- The two Koreas have reached a tentative agreement on the participation of North Korean athletes in women's ice hockey, figure skating pairs, alpine and cross-country skiing at next month's Winter Olympics, the chief organizer said Thursday.
However, the size of a North Korean Winter Olympic team should be determined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), chief organizer Lee Hee-beom told reporters before leaving for Lausanne for a final round of talks with IOC and North Korean officials this weekend.
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Maeil Business News Korea ( http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
S. Korean pharmaceutical firm CKD to issue bonus stock in 1:0.05 ratio
South Korea’s drug maker Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corp. (CKD) said it will share its robust earnings over the last two years with shareholders, awarding them with free additional stock of 0.05 per each share they hold.
The 47,186 bonus issues in common shares will be doled out Feb. 6 to bump up the number of its outstanding shares to 9,879,236 when they go listed on March 2.
Kakao sells part of stake in car maintenance start-up Cardoc for business strategy
Kakao Corp., South Korea’s top mobile platform company, has sold a 28 percent stake in its car maintenance service start-up Cardoc to private equity fund Keistone Partners for about 6.2 billion won ($58 million). With the sale, the total shareholding of Kakao came down to 29 percent, but it remains as a majority shareholder in the company, according to sources on Thursday.
Mercedes-Benz premiers new EV brand in Korea
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its new electric vehicle brand EQ for the first time in Korea, aiming to roll it out in the market during the first half of this year.
Mercedes-Benz Korea said on Friday it began to display two models of The New GLC 350 e 4MATIC plug-in hybrid SUV under the new sub-brand at the second terminal of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, which was open on Thursday.
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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
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
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And many other countries.
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