Thursday, July 12, 2018

Round-up of important news from major Korean, international dailies, other news sources today:

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.
S. Korean president set to hold summit with Singaporean leader Lee
South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to hold a bilateral summit Thursday with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for talks largely expected to focus on ways to improve the countries' economic and trade cooperation and boost their joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea. The Moon-Lee summit follows a historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12. Moon arrived in the island nation Wednesday following his four-day state visit to New Delhi. He is currently making a three-day state visit to Singapore, the first of its kind by a South Korean president in 15 years, according to his office Cheong Wa Dae.

S. Korea's AI speaker market forecast to grow sharply this year
South Korea's market for artificial intelligence (AI) speakers is expected to grow sharply this year to rank fifth in the world, a global industry tracker said Thursday. The number of AI speakers installed across the world is projected to reach 100 million units at the end of the year, 2.5 times the figure posted a year earlier, according to Canalys. The number for South Korea is estimated at 3 million units, which will account for 3 percent of the total global market and rank fifth worldwide, outstripping Canada.

Regulator to hold fifth review on suspected accounting breach by Samsung BioLogics
The financial regulator is set to hold its fifth review session on a suspected accounting breach by Samsung BioLogics Co., officials said Thursday. The Thursday session, which aims to decide punitive measures financial authorities could take against Samsung BioLogics over the alleged breach, is likely to pave the way for the Financial Services Commission (FSC) to make a final ruling by next Wednesday.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Moon: Declaring End to War Will be Milestone toward Permanent Peace

President Moon Jae-in says that declaring a formal end to the Korean War will be a milestone toward permanent peace. In an interview with The Straits Times published Thursday that took place before his first state visit to Singapore, Moon said that it is the Seoul government's goal to declare an end to the war as was agreed in the Panmunjeom Declaration after April's inter-Korean summit. Moon said that discussions are under way between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the U.S. on when and how to declare it.

Pompeo: N. Korea’s Denuclearization is 'Decades-Long Challenge'
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that getting North Korea to dismantle its nuclear and missile programs will be a "decades-long challenge." Pompeo made the remarks to reporters on Wednesday after arriving in Belgium for the NATO summit. The U.S. top diplomat said that it is a "decades-long challenge" to get the North Koreans to make a fundamental strategic decision that their nuclear weapons present a threat to the regime and do not offer security.

Air Force Colonel to Spearhead Probe into Alleged Military Misdeeds under Park Gov't
The Defense Ministry has appointed an Air Force colonel as the head of a military investigation team tasked with inspecting the military’s suspected abuse of power under the previous Park Geun-hye administration. Jeon Ik-su, the head of the Air Force’s judicial affairs office, assumed theposition on Wednesday. Jeon will lead investigations, without directions from the Defense Minister,into allegations that the Defense Security Command(DSC) drew up plans inpreparation for the possible declaration of martial law during last year's antigovernmentcandlelight protests.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Pence: U.S. won't be sidelined in N. Korea negotiations
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has said the United States will not be "sidelined or sidetracked" in negotiations to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Pence made the remark in an interview with Fox News Channel late Tuesday as skepticism about North Korea's willingness to denuclearize has grown following last month's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

U.N. aid chief: 'clear evidence of humanitarian need' in N. Korea
The top U.N. relief official said Wednesday he sees "clear evidence of humanitarian need" in North Korea during his rare trip to the North. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock arrived in Pyongyang on Monday and met with Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's nominal head of state and president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, earlier in the day, according to the North's state media. In a video posted on his Twitter account, Lowcock said, "One of the things we've seen is very clear evidence of humanitarian need here."

Hyundai seeks gov't approval to visit N.K. for memorial service
Hyundai Group on Wednesday asked the government to allow its senior management to visit North Korea next month to mark the anniversary of the death of its former chairman, company officials said. The memorial service for Chung Mong-hun, who spearheaded the now-suspended inter-Korean tour program in the North, had been held at Mount Kumgang every year since his death in August 2003. Hyundai, however, did not seek approval for the visit in 2016 due to rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. For last year, the company received the green light from Seoul, but Pyongyang rejected the request.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Korean exporters may find new chances in US-China trade war

Korea’s manufacturing exporters need to set their sights on new business opportunities that would stem from an escalating trade war between the US and China, experts here say. Protracted trade friction between the world’s two biggest economies might also give them more room to prepare for the fallout from China’s ambitious plan to become a global power in major advanced industries by 2025.

Moon begins second leg of trip
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday headed to Singapore following a state visit to India. Moon is scheduled to hold a summit with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong on Thursday. Following the summit, Moon and Lee are scheduled to attend a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between the governments and other organizations of the two countries, and hold a joint press event.

Concern mounts over delayed repatriation of US war remains
With North Korean and US delegates scheduled to meet Thursday to negotiate the return of US war remains from the Korean War, the focus is now on whether the two sides can make progress on the issue. During their first summit last month in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump committed to recovering US war remains, including the “immediate repatriation of those already identified.” North Korea holds about 200 sets of remains from among the some 5,300 US military personnel believed still lost in the country, according to Department of Defense estimates.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Doctors, pharmacists clash over hypertension medication in South Korea
A common, off-patent drug that had often been used to treat high blood pressure but which was banned in Korea after it was revealed to contain a chemical that poses a cancer risk has become the center of heated debate among doctors and pharmacists. Valsartan is commonly used for heart and high blood pressure medications. It is manufactured in a number of different locations worldwide, and it was recently revealed that those manufactured in China have been contaminated with a potential carcinogen.

More than 200,000 Koreans sign petition against upcoming queer festival
More than 200,000 Koreans signed an online petition asking the presidential office to disallow the upcoming queer parade, which is scheduled to be held in central Seoul on Saturday. The petition, which was first filed on June 14, asked the authorities to ban two queer events -- the upcoming parade in Seoul and another event that was held in Daegu on June 23.

Asiana Airlines shareholders move to sue embattled chairman
Following Asiana Airlines’ latest inflight meal fiasco, a group of shareholders of Asiana Airlines are moving to file a lawsuit against the Kumho Asiana board including Chairman Park Sam-koo, industry sources said Wednesday. According to the sources, an unconfirmed number of shareholders are reviewing ways to submit class action to hold company board members and Chairman Park responsible for damages from causing inconvenience to passengers and hurting the brand image.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Suspension of Joint Drills Saves U.S. $14 Million

The U.S. Defense Department will save US$14 million by suspending joint South Korea-U.S. drills in August, Newsweek quoted Pentagon spokesman Robert Manning as saying Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump has cited the high cost as one excuse for suspending large-scale joint drills with South Korea. Manning did not reveal how the cost was calculated. Some 17,500 U.S. troops were expected to take part in this year's two-week Freedom Guardian drills. The $14 million is a mere 0.002 percent of the U.S.' annual defense budget of $686 billion, AFP reported.

Trump Insists He'll Get 'Rocket Man' CD to Kim Jong-un One Day
U.S. President Donald Trump's devotion to trivia was much in evidence after his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, failed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last weekend. To Trump, what mattered more than Pompeo's failure to make concrete progress on denuclearization was that he did not manage to hand over a CD of Elton John's "Rocket Man" to his rotund new friend.

Economic Recovery Weakening
The state-run Korea Development Institute on Tuesday warned that the pace of Korea's economic recovery is generally slowing. Although exports are generally brisk, domestic consumption growth is weakening, it said. Just last month, the KDI said Korea's economy was "maintaining steady growth." But now it points out that the biggest problem is slowing private consumption and investments. The consumer composite sentiment index for June stood at 105.5, meaning optimists still outnumber pessimists, but the figure has been falling steadily since late 2017.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Lee administration made Samsung to pay US litigation costs for DAS

Samsung received a request from the Blue House asking it to pay US litigation costs for the company DAS during the Lee Myung-bak presidency, former Samsung Group vice chairman Lee Hak-soo claimed in testimony recently disclosed in court. According to Lee Hak-soo, Samsung’s support for the US lawsuit was reported to group chairman Lee Kun-hee, with around 6.8 billion won (US$6.1 million) in legal costs paid for the sake of Lee Kun-hee’s special pardon.

South Korean government postpones Ulchi Exercise
The South Korean government has decided not to proceed this year with the Ulchi Exercise, a drill to prepare for a war or other states of national emergency. For next year, the government made plans for South Korea to hold the “Ulchi Taeguk” exercise on its own rather than joint exercises with the US as a gesture of consideration for inter-Korean relations. “We have made the decision to provisionally defer the Ulchi Exercise government drill planned for this year,” the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced in a joint briefing at Seoul Central Government Complex on the morning of July 10.

Supreme Court exercises authority to grant release of conscientious objector
The Supreme Court invoked its authority to grant the release of a conscientious objector to military service placed in court custody in his second trial, it was confirmed on July 10. With the Supreme Court scheduled to hold open arguments on Aug. 30 on the punishment of those refusing military service on grounds of religious convictions or conscience, many are watching for a possible change in the court’s ruling on the issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
Moon to discuss end-of-war declaration with N. Korea, U.S.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on for a three-day state visit to Singapore said Wednesday that it is his administration goal to declare an official end to the Korean War within this year, 65 years after a truce agreement was signed. In an interview with The Straits Times on Wednesday, a major Singaporean daily, President Moon said he will closely consult with North Korea and the United States regarding the timing and formality of the proposed declaration, adding that there are additional discussions going on between the two Koreas and between Pyongyang and Washington.

LG Electronics sues Wiko over LTE patent infringement
LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it filed a lawsuit against European smartphone maker Wiko at the district court of Mannheim, Germany, over alleged violation of its patent rights in the long-term evolution (LTE) technology. Wiko sold more than 10 million smartphones in Europe last year. The litigation marks LG’s second legal action against an overseas smartphone producer, after it sued a U.S.-based BLU Products in March 2017.

Dongdaemun History& Culture Park Station to close transfer passageway
The Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station will close the passageway from Seoul Metro Line 2 and 4 to Line 5 for the next three months starting from Tuesday next week. The closure of the passageway is to replace the three old escalators, which are about 20 years old, according to Seoul Metro. They got out of order 4.97 times a month on average, much higher than 0.9 of other escalators. Seoul Metro considered a partial closure of the passageway, but decided not to for passenger safety reasons. A research by Seoul Metro found that a partial closure of the passageway would degrade the level of congestion to “Grade F,” which means normal walking is impossible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
Independence promised for martial law probe

An Air Force colonel will lead a month-long independent probe into allegations that the military’s intelligence unit, under the former administration, drew up plans for a declaration of martial law in case the Constitutional Court decided not to oust Park Geun-hye from the Blue House and chaos broke out, the Ministry of National Defense announced Wednesday. Col. Jeon Ik-soo, chief of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Office, will lead a group of some 30 military prosecutors, all of whom are unrelated to the Army and Defense Security Command, to investigate the case until Aug. 10, said the ministry.

New jobs disappoint at 106,000
The employment situation in Korea continued to deteriorate in June. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, Korea’s economy added a total of 106,000 jobs last month compared to a year ago with the total number of employed standing at 27.12 million, continuing the very sluggish growth of earlier months this year. “This is the first time that the number of new jobs added remained at or below 100,000 for five straight months,” said Bin Hyun-joon, director of the employment statistics division of Statistics Korea. “It’s hard to predict how things will turn out in the second half, but based on the data of the first half, the employment condition in Korea does not look good.”

Moon still working on declaration to end war
President Moon Jae-in said he is looking into declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War this year and discussions are underway among the two Koreas and the United States. “As agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration, my government’s goal is to declare an end [to the Korean War] this year, the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice,” said the president in a written interview with The Straits Times conducted before an overseas trip to India and Singapore that kicked off Sunday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
MB Received Consulting Services on Foreign Affairs with Samsung's Money
The lawyer in charge of the U.S. lawsuit involving DAS, an automobile parts maker believed to be owned by former President Lee Myung-bak (77) disclosed to prosecutors details suggesting that he also provided the former president with advice on foreign affairs, such as responses to the South Korea-U.S. summit, on several occasions. Reportedly, the lawyer's advice included very specific diplomatic actions, such as the former president personally mentioning the issue of the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea to former U.S. President Barack Obama at the G20 summit in Canada. Prosecutors believe that Samsung funded these consulting services.

President Moon Tells Lee Jae-yong, "Invest More and Create More Jobs in Korea"
On July 9 (local time), President Moon Jae-in, currently on a state visit to India, attended a ceremony celebrating the construction of a new Samsung Electronics plant in Noida, near New Delhi, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Moon met Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics for the first time, since Lee was released on a suspended sentence after an appellate trial in February. This was also the first time that President Moon attended an event related to the Samsung Group. The president appears to have attended the latest event based on a judgment that cooperation with large companies is necessary to achieve the government's economic policy goals of creating more jobs and achieving innovative growth. Some experts suggest that the distance between the president and large businesses may grow closer with the latest event.

More Voices Call For Major Reforms at the Defense Security Command: Politicians and Defense Minister All Speak in One Voice
There is a growing consensus that drastic reforms similar to a dismantling are necessary for the Defense Security Command (DSC). This follows after it was confirmed that the Defense Security Command kept an eye on civilians including the families of the Sewol victims during the Park Geun-hye government and established plans for a garrison decree and martial law in case the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye just before the court announced its decision. Politicians and people from inside and outside the military are calling for strong reforms to end the political intervention of the Defense Security Command, as well as an investigation on how the command came to establish plans for a garrison decree and martial law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
Southern port city receives unexpected welcome from elderlies who wish to quit driving
The local government office of the southern port city of Busan is receiving unexpected positive reaction among elderlies of more than 64 years of age by persuading them to surrender their driver's license by choice. More than 500 people have given up their licenses during the last two months. Although there is no clear evidence that elderlies are likely to cause a car accident, People all over the world are debating over whether governments should restrict older people from driving. Same debates took place in South Korea, where the society is aging rapidly, especially after a 2016 incident which a 76-year-old driver toppled over a tourist bus, killing four people, on an expressway when he tried to change lanes excessively and got in front of the bus.

LG Electronics files patent suit against French firm Wiko
LG Electronics has sued French smartphone maker Wiko at a German court for violating patent rights related to long-term evolution (LTE), a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile devices and data terminals. LG, the country's second-largest smartphone maker, said in a statement Wednesday that the suit, filed at the district court of Mannheim, Germany, is designed to actively protect intellectual property rights and strictly deal with the unfair use of patents by competitors.

SK Telecom combines AI voice assistant platform with LED lighting
South Korea's top mobile carrier, SK Telecom, unveiled NUGU Candle, a bedroom device that combined its artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant platform with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. The company said Wednesday in a statement that NUGU Candle emits 17 colors of light and provides optimized lighting for specific uses such as breastfeeding, sleeping and reading.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
LG Display gets go-ahead from China for OLED TV plant
South Korea’s LG Display Co. has been cleared by the Chinese government to create a joint-venture manufacturing facility on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, cementing its leadership in TV display in both capacity and technology. The Korean panel maker said Tuesday it would own the majority 70 percent stake in the entity based on initial capital of 2.6 trillion won ($2.32 billion), with Guangzhou Development District to hold the remaining 30 percent.

Samsung Electronics launches Bixby-applied smart refrigerator in Singapore
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. has launched its latest Family Hub refrigerator that integrates voice assistant Bixby in Singapore with hopes to tap deeper into Southeast Asia’s premium refrigerator market. The latest release is a follow-up of the previous launches of the smart home appliance Family Hub operated by the Internet of Things (IoT) technology in Korea and the United States for the first time in the industry in 2016. Before hitting the Singaporean market, the IoT-controlled appliance had been gradually introduced in Europe, Central and South America, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Hyundai Asan seeks permit to visit North Korea next month
South Korea’s Hyundai Group is hoping to visit North Korea early August to capitalize on the momentum of reconciliatory mood between the two Koreas to keep up the ritual of commemorating the late chairman Chung Mong-hun at Mt. Kumgang and tap the possibility of reopening its ventures there. According to Hyundai Group on Wednesday, it will apply for a permit to visit North Korea with the Ministry of Unification, timed with the memorial day for the former son of North Korea-born and Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung. The fifth son had succeeded his father`s business legacy in North Korea until his death on Aug. 4 in 2003.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.cn kf@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 Herald www.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.com lithuania@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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지