The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Your Excellency:

What’s ticking in Korea and around the world today?

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

The Korea Post media

P.S.: If the Headlines are no longer desired, please advise us at: edt@koreapost.com or pub@koreapost.com.

Moon says U.S.-N. Korea summit moved world back from brink of war

South Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed the outcome of the recent U.S.-North Korea summit Thursday, calling it a great success that moved the entire world away from the possibility of a war. "There are many different views on the outcome of that summit, but what is most important is the fact that it has allowed the entire world, including American, Japanese and Chinese people, to escape from threats of a nuclear war and long-range missiles," Moon said while meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. "I believe this alone was a very meaningful development," the president added, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6913)

Koreas set to hold military talks to discuss easing tensions

South and North Korea are set to hold their first high-level military talks in more than 10 years Thursday to discuss ways to ease cross-border tensions. The meeting will be held on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom from 10 a.m., according to Seoul's defense ministry. It will be the first such talks since they met last in December 2007. South Korea's five-member delegation will be led by Major General Kim Do-gyun. The North's delegation will be led by Lieutenant General An Ik-san, who will be accompanied by four other officials. "(We) plan to discuss such issues as easing military tensions between the two Koreas and arranging a defense ministerial meeting as part of efforts to implement what was agreed upon in the military sector under the Panmunjom Declaration," Kim told reporters before leaving for the talks.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6912)

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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.

National Leader Aliyev, architect of modern Azerbaijan, devotes entire life for independent, strong Azerbaijan’

Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov of Azerbaijan in Seoul and Madam Teymurova hosted a reception at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on May 21, 2018 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic Day of Azerbaijan. There were many important guests attending the party. They included Chairman Mr. Lee Myoung-su of the Korea-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, Ambassador Moon Duk-ho for International Security Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Chungwon Choe of the World Taekwondo Federation, and Rep. Madam Park In-sook.

S. Korean firms required to overhaul top-down, drinking culture

South Korean companies need to improve their strict top-down management structure and culture of frequent after-work drinking if they want to hire talented workers in China, a local trade association said Thursday. In a survey of 465 applicants for jobs in Korean firms operating in China, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) found more than 27 percent of the respondents picked the after-work drinking culture and top-down management style as two major things that should be improved, KITA said in a statement.

Gov't agencies request 6.8 pct budget increase for 2019

South Korea's government ministries and agencies have requested a 6.8 percent hike in their budgets for next year as they want to spend more on welfare, education and defense, the finance ministry said Thursday. Ministries and state agencies have asked the government to set aside a combined 458.1 trillion won (US$423 billion) for next yearmfja rm qnqnsr, up 29.3 trillion won from this year's budget of 428.8 trillion won, according to the ministry. The rate of increase is the biggest since 2012, when the comparable figure was 7.6 percent, it added.

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

Ruling Party Sweeps Local Elections

The ruling Democratic Party has swept the local elections as well as by-elections. According to exit polls and the vote count by midnight Wednesday, the party clinched 14 of 17 governor and mayoral posts. The conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP) managed to win in just two areas in its traditional strongholds of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

Pompeo Expects N. Korean Denuclearization in Trump's First Term

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he expects North Korea to take steps toward major disarmament over the next two-and-a-half years, during President Donald Trump's first term. Pompeo told reporters his prediction in Seoul on Wednesday, adding there's a lot of work left to do. He also sought to quell criticism that the joint statement Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed in Singapore on Tuesday lacked the term "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization."

Parties React to Election Results

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party(DP) says that the party's landslide victory in the local elections is a victory for the people and vowed to faithfully fulfill the DP’s duties as the governing party. As the party was poised to win an overwhelming victory in the local elections as well as by-elections on Wednesday, chairwoman Choo Mi-ae said that the DP will do its best to return the strong support of the voters.

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

S. Korea, U.S., Japan to discuss post-summit strategy over N. Korea

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold talks in Seoul on Thursday on ways to keep the momentum of the Pyongyang-Washington summit talks, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the capital Wednesday for a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and a trilateral session involving Japan's Minister Taro Kono, who landed here the same day.

N.K. news outlet reports Kim's return from Trump summit

North Korea's state media said Thursday that its leader Kim Jong-un has returned to Pyongyang after "successfully" completing his landmark summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore. Kim and Trump held their first-ever summit meeting on the Singaporean resort island of Sentosa on Tuesday and signed a joint statement in which they vowed to build "new" relations, and Kim committed to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Denuclearization talks may give momentum to new economic road map for 2 Koreas

President Moon Jae-in's "new economic road map" for the Korean Peninsula may get its needed momentum once North Korea's denuclearization gets on track, with details getting added to the unified market and economic cooperation belts that he envisioned, according to watchers here Thursday. Prospects of improved and even new economic tieups with the North brightened after the historic North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore on Tuesday. The premise is that the international sanctions imposed on the North would fade out as Pyongyang moves toward getting rid of its nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction programs.

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

Ruling party scores sweeping victory in June elections

Taking place in the sophomore year of the Moon Jae-in administration and at the height of pivotal peninsular dialogue, the June 13 local and parliamentary by-elections -- dubbed the “mini-general election” -- ended in a landslide victory for the ruling progressive party, reflecting the political sentiment here. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea grasped 14 of the 17 metropolitan mayor and governor posts in Wednesday‘s local elections, while the main opposition Liberty Korea Party secured only two, the conservative strongholds Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

Turnout rate records second highest at 60.2 percent

The tentative voter turnout at this year’s local and gubernatorial elections is 60.2 percent, recording the second highest figure ever for local elections, the election watchdog said on Wednesday. As of 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, about 22.7 percent of the ballots were counted. If the figure surpasses 60 percent, it will be the first time the turnout rate has passed the 60 percent mark in 23 years. The highest turnout rate was recorded in the very first local and gubernatorial election in 1995, at 68.4 percent.

US hopes for ‘major’ N. Korea disarmament by 2020: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the US hopes to see “major disarmament” of North Korea before the end of US President Donald Trump’s first term in 2021. Speaking the day after a historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pompeo also said that “complete” denuclearization encompasses “verifiable” and “irreversible” amid criticism over the result of the summit.“Major disarmament... We‘re hopeful that we can achieve that in the two and half years,” he told reporters in Seoul, adding that there is “a lot of work left to do”.

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

Sweeping victory gives boost to Moon's North Korea policy

The overwhelming victory of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the local elections shows high public support and approval for the Moon Jae-in administration, especially amid the ongoing reconciliatory mood with North Korea which eclipsed other political issues. With the victory, Moon's reform drives and peace overtures are likely to gain momentum. On the other hand, the conservative opposition bloc will face an even harder time winning back public support. The fall of the current party leaders, including Chairman Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), is inevitable and some parties may seek mergers.

Mayor Park cruises to third term

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon won his third term in an overwhelming victory, Wednesday, becoming the first Seoul mayor to serve three straight terms. The former lawyer and civic activist first won the post in the 2011 by-election. Newly mandated, Park will seek to transform the capital into a "smart city" in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution as he pledged on the campaign trail. To this end, Park designated six strategic initiatives the metropolitan government will focus on, including the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.

Conservative parties desperate for survival

The results from the local elections and by-elections, Wednesday, are expected to serve as a wakeup call for conservative parties. Most of all, the elections will give a reality check to the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) as it lost in the fiercest of battlegrounds. The Bareunmirae Party, which claims to be the "true" conservative party, lost the Seoul mayoral election after fielding former presidential contender Ahn Cheol-soo.

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

N.Korea Sanctions Likely to Fizzle out Despite Trump's Pledges

The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has raised fears that international sanctions against the regime will weaken immediately, leaving the international community with no leverage should the North fail to denuclearize. "In the meantime, the sanctions will remain in effect," Trump promised in a press conference after the summit. "The sanctions will come off when we're sure that the nukes are no longer a factor."

Trump Wants to Pull U.S. Troops out of S.Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump gave South Korean a shock on Tuesday with throwaway promises to end joint "war games" and by expressing hopes of pulling U.S. troops out altogether. "I want to get our soldiers out," Trump told reporters in Singapore. "I want to bring our soldiers back home. We have, right now, 32,000 soldiers in South Korea, and I'd like to be able to bring them back home. But that's not part of the equation right now. At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now."

N.Korea 'Destroying Missile Engine Test Site'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed North Korea is destroying a missile engine test site without even being asked. "North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site," Trump said. "We agreed to that after the agreement was signed." Trump also reported the development to President Moon Jae-in in a phone conversation he had on his flight back home. He claimed Kim reaffirmed "his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula... He wants to do that."

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

President Moon hails Singapore summit as historic event ending “world’s last Cold War”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in hailed the June 12 North Korea-US summit in Singapore as a “historic event that brings the world’s last Cold War to an end” and a “great victory achieved together by the US and South and North Korea.”In an official statement issued after the summit that day, President Moon expressed “warm congratulations on the success of the historic North Korea-US summit.”

Trump indicates willingness to halt South Korea-US joint military exercises

US President Donald Trump said he believes North Korean leader will start the denuclearization process “right away,” adding that he plans to halt joint South Korea-US military exercises now that the process is under way. Trump’s remarks came in a press conference shortly after the first-ever North Korea-US summit in Singapore on June 12. Beginning at 4:16 pm and lasting for an hour and five minutes, the press conference saw Trump offering his reflections on the summit and answering questions from reporters at the Capella hotel summit venue on Sentosa island.

End of Korean War may be in sight

The successful summit in Singapore on June 12 between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump suggests the declaration of an end to the Korean War by the two leaders and South Korean President Moon Jae-in may be in sight. Speaking at a news conference shortly after the summit, Trump clearly stated that a declaration of the war’s end would be coming “soon”, while President Moon declared in a position statement on the summit that the parties would “put the dark times of war and conflict behind us and a write a new history of peace and cooperation.”

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

Ruling party wins elections by landslide

The Democratic Party (DP) won all but three of the country’s biggest races in Wednesday’s local-level elections, delivering a strong mandate for President Moon Jae-in and his party. The landslide victory means liberals now control 14 out of 17 major provincial and mayoral seats. Among the provinces, only North Gyeongsang and Jeju did not go to the DP. In the country’s major cities, Democrats only lost Daegu, a staunchly conservative stronghold, to incumbent Kwon Young-jin of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

Summit raises hopes for Kaesong reopening

After the first-ever summit between a North Korean leader and U.S. president ended on a positive note Tuesday, expectations are growing that the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex will reopen, two years after it was shut down. Shin Han-yong, the chairman of the Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex, said on Wednesday that he and the association’s members have requested approval from the South Korean government to visit the North.

Hyundai, Kia develop partnerships in China

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are teaming up with Chinese tech companies to bolster their presence in China’s fast-growing auto market and develop futuristic cars. Hyundai Motor announced its partnership with Chinese artificial intelligence developer DeepGlint at the Consumer Electronics Show Asia 2018, Asia’s largest electronics exhibition, which started on Wednesday in Shanghai, China. DeepGlint, founded in 2013, specializes in AI-powered computer vision technology. While humans use their eyes to see things, computer vision enables machines to visually sense the world around them. Such technology is vital for autonomous cars that need to adapt to various road conditions in real time.

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

Women's Voices Erupt: The Power of Unorganized Direct Action

"My daily life is not your porn!" The slogans shouted by women in red clothes and masks filled the area near Hyehwa Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul on June 9. This day, over 30,000 women filled Daehangno demanding that people stop the illegal filming of women’s bodies, the largest ever for a single-gender rally. The following day, pro-choice women took to the streets. The women all called themselves an anonymous woman not in an organization or a member of any particular group.

NK and US Stand Before an Epochal Turning Point in 70-Year History of Antagonism

The summit between North Korea and the United States, which will be held in Singapore on June 12, is a ground-breaking event that can become a turning point in the relations between the two countries, which have engaged in confrontation and conflict for seventy years. Ever since the Korean Peninsula was divided, with the North and the South each establishing an independent government in 1948, the relationship between Pyongyang and Washington has remained hostile. The two countries also experienced tragic encounters in direct physical clashes.

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

N. Korea highlights importance of 'step-by-step' denuclearization

A day after the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, Pyongyang's state media highlighted the principle of "step-by-step and simultaneous action", which is reminiscent of North Korea's give-and-take strategy used often in previous nuclear negotiations. The summit in Singapore and an agreement signed by Trump and Kim were widely covered by North Korea's state media, including the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), on Wednesday.

N. Korean media reports leader's safe return home

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has returned home safely after his historic summit with U.S President Donald Trump in Singapore, according to the country's official news agency. The Chinese plane carrying Kim touched down at an airport in Pyongyang at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, unveiling his arrival belatedly. KCNA reported earlier that Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister of Education Ong Ye Kung sent off Kim at Changi International Airport Tuesday night.

Alibaba unveils 20-year blueprint for future growth

Alibaba, the largest e-commerce company in China, has disclosed a blueprint to expand its tourism and logistics business and use its platform to support South Korean companies seeking to enter Southeast Asia. Alibaba vice chairman Angel Zhao, who serves as president of the Alibaba Global Business Group, introduced the group's core strategy at a seminar Monday in Seoul. Alibaba plans to build a global retail network through five strategies -- global purchasing, sales, payment, logistics and tourism. The global purchasing strategy is closely related to the import-oriented policy of the Chinese government.

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

Korea’s top 500 companies reshuffled, 9% replaced

Fourty-five of South Korea’s top 500 companies were replaced last year with retail and IT players making strong moves while food companies retreated. According to Seoul-based corporate evaluation website CEO Score on Wednesday, fourty-five or 9 percent of the country’s top 500 companies based on revenue either newly entered or left the top 500 club. By industry, seven retailers and six IT firms newly joined the country’s top 500 club while nine food and beverage companies were dropped out.

Real estate prices of S. Korea’s border towns soaring on peace mood

The news of U.S-North Korea summit ending in a success is driving up the real estate prices in northern Gyeonggi Province, South Korea with speculators rushing to grab a piece of land bordering North Korea. According to real estate industry sources on Wednesday, telephone calls are flooding in the real estate agencies in Paju and Munsan, two of the northernmost towns of South Korea, to purchase houses and lands in the region. Those towns are located close to the border between South Korea and North Korea, and just about 30 kilometers away from Seoul.

NK to start “denuclearization process” very soon, war games will end: Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his “firm and unwavering” commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and U.S. President Donald Trump in return vowed security guarantees to North Korea, according to the joint statement released after the first-ever summit between heads of the two states. Trump indicated the security concessions could include ending the regular combined military exercises with South Korea, which Pyongyang repeatedly protests as a threat to its regime.

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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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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.

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