Headlines, March 22, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, March 22, 2019

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

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

U.S. sanctions 2 Chinese firms for helping N.K. evade sanctions

The United States on Thursday sanctioned two Chinese shipping companies for helping North Korea evade sanctions, demonstrating its resolve to keep pressure on the regime until it dismantles its nuclear weapons program. The Department of the Treasury said it is sanctioning Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd. It also said it is updating its advisory on North Korea's illicit shipping practices to name dozens more vessels suspected of exporting North Korean coal or engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum.

Twitter focuses on 'public conversation' in S. Korean society: CEO

Global online social networking service (SNS) Twitter Inc. aims to make more people participate in "public conversation" in South Korea, the company's chief said on Mar. 22, 2019. "We believe public conversation influences and drives society," CEO Jack Patrick Dorsey told reporters in Seoul, adding that the company is focusing on making the platform healthier. The Internet entrepreneur, who is in the country as part of his three-nation Asian "TweepTour," which includes visits to Singapore and Japan, also celebrated the company's 13th anniversary.

SK hynix expects tough times for memory chips in 2019

South Korean memory chip maker SK hynix Inc. will beef up efforts to enhance the semiconductor manufacturing process and cut costs in the face of tougher times ahead, its chief executive said on Mar. 22, 2019. SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee expected challenges for its memory chip business amid rising uncertainties in the global economy and falling prices of DRAM and NAND flash chips following a two-year "super cycle."

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

Gov't Commemorates Soldiers Killed While Defending Yellow Sea

Anchor: A government ceremony was held at the Daejeon National Cemetary on Friday in remembrance of the soldiers who lost their lives while defending the Yellow Sea. The South Korean government has vowed to repay their sacrifices by bringing lasting peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula. Choi You Sun reports. Report: The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong between the two Koreas in 2002, North Korea's torpedo attack on the South Korean warship Cheonan in 2010 and its shelling of Yeonpyeong Island that same year sacrificed the lives of 55 South Korean soldiers.

Liaoning Danxing Suspected of Shipping N. Korean Benz Limousines Seen in Singapore

One of the two shipping companies listed on the U.S. Treasury Department's latest blacklist is suspected to have been involved in North Korea's illicit procurement of Mercedes-Benz limousines. The Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd. was singled out in an earlier report by the UN Panel of Experts(PoE), which monitors the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea. The annual PoE report issued last week stated that the company was investigated by the panel on suspicions of shipping Mercedes-Benz limousines to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

S. Korea Withholds Approval for Visits to Gaeseong Industrial Complex

The South Korean government has again withheld a decision on a request by a group of South Korean businesspeople to visit the shuttered inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea to check up on their equipment and facilities. Unification Ministry spokesperson Baik Tae-hyun said on Friday that the situation surrounding the two Koreas has not changed much since the last time the request was withheld in January.

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

S. Korea offers military talks with N. Korea

South Korea has proposed holding military talks with North Korea on implementing a bilateral accord signed last year, but there's no reply from Pyongyang yet, an official here said Friday. "Recently, (we) suggested South-North military talks and are currently waiting for a response," the defense ministry official said, requesting anonymity. Attending a National Security Council (NSC) session last week, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo reported to President Moon Jae-in that the military plans to have talks with North Korea on concrete ways to follow up on the Sept. 19 Comprehensive Military Agreement aimed at easing tensions and building mutual trust.

Only one in five single women want to tie the knot: report

Only one in five single South Korean women said they want to get married, data showed Friday, underscoring the tough social challenges facing Asia's fourth-largest economy amid a record low fertility rate. The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 22.4 percent of single women are looking to tie the knot in 2018, a dramatic decline from 46.8 percent in 2010. In comparison, 36.3 percent of single South Korean men are in favor of marriage, down sharply from 62.6 percent in 2010.

S. Korea mulls drawing up extra budget over fine dust

South Korea's finance minister said Friday that the government is considering drawing up an extra budget to deal with fine dust challenges. Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, made the comments to reporters in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, where Hong visited a vocational school that provides vehicle maintenance programs. Earlier this month, President Moon Jae-in called on officials to draw up an extra budget, if necessary, to counter fine dust air pollution, which can cause various health problems.

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

S. Korea honors victims of N. Korean attacks in 2002, 2010

The South Korean government held an annual ceremony Friday to commemorate more than 50 victims of North Korea's naval and artillery attacks in 2002 and 2010. Addressing the West Sea Defense Day event at the national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon underlined a budding peace mood on the peninsula driven by inter-Korean summits last year. The West Sea is South Korea's name for the Yellow Sea.

NK media urge Seoul to take active role in implementing inter-Korean deals

North Korean propaganda outlets on Friday called on Seoul to play a more active role in implementing inter-Korean agreements amid a stalemate in its nuclear talks with the United States after the breakdown of last month's summit. Meari, one of the North's propaganda websites, slammed South Korea for failing to push forward with the agreements reached between their leaders, saying Seoul is preoccupied with not upsetting Washington.

Samsung Biologics claims legality of accounting, vows future growth
Samsung Biologics President and CEO Kim Tae-han on Friday reiterated the legality of the firm’s accounting practices at an annual shareholders meeting held in Songdo, Gyeonggi Province. “We deeply regret the supervision results of the Financial Services Commission. We believe our accounting was done within all legal boundaries. We apologize for any concerns the investigations have caused our shareholders,” Kim said.

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

'Baltic, stupid!': Latvia tells Korean Foreign Ministry

"Until now, the absence of ROK diplomatic missions in the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Estonia in the Balkan region has caused difficulties in providing consular assistance and services…" You may laugh at this thinking it is a prank, but it is actually the work of professionals ― the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The extract was part of its press release March 19 until the Latvian Embassy in Seoul protested that its country belonged to the Baltic region, not Balkan, and the ministry changed it.

Three nabbed for killing 30 dogs with poisoned meat

Three people have been charged for allegedly killing 30 dogs with poisoned meat, according to Busan Gangseo Police, Thursday. A woman, 49, allegedly hired two men to kill stray dogs with meat lined with agricultural pesticide in a village in Busan from August 2018 to February. She did so after some stray dogs damaged her farm. She offered them 150,000 won per kill.

US sanctions 2 Chinese firms for helping N. Korea evade sanctions

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

N.Korea Complains of 'Severe Hardship'

North Korean state media on Thursday complained that it is suffering the "most severe hardship in its inglorious history" amid international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs. "We have gone through post-war ashes and the 'arduous march,' but the challenges that we have been facing in recent 10 years of the century are in effect the most severe hardship in our republic's history," the official Rodong Sinmun daily said.

Marriages Hit Record Low Last Year

Korea's marriage rate hit a 46-year low last year, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday. Only 257,622 couples got married in 2018, the fewest since 1972, when 244,780 couples tied the knot but the population was much smaller. The number of marriages per 1,000 people was in fact the lowest on record at a mere five. It has been declining since hitting 10.6 in 1980. The number of first marriages, which are the likeliest to produce children, dropped by a whopping 61,000 on-year to 200,000.

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

Kim Jong-un's de facto chief of staff reportedly visits Moscow

The de facto chief of staff of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly on a trip to Moscow. Multiple sources told the Hankyoreh on Mar. 21 that Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the North Korean State Affairs Commission secretariat, had traveled to Moscow by way of Beijing, arriving on Mar. 19, and that he was still there. As one of the North Korean leader’s closest aides, Kim Chang-son has paid visits to foreign locations that Kim Jong-un was planning to visit, including the sites of the first and second North Korea-US summits, to carry out an advance inspection of the summit venues, accommodations and the route of travel. Because of this, Kim Chang-son’s visit to Russia is prompting speculation that Kim Jong-un will soon be visiting Russia.

S. Korea to pay for repairs of N. Korean equipment for video reunions

The South Korean government has decided to invest 3.09 billion won (US$2.73 million) from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to pay for video conferencing equipment in North Korea and to repair and maintain South Korea’s video reunion centers before attempting to arrange video reunions for Korean families who have been divided since the Korean War. South Korea’s Unification Ministry announced on Mar. 21 that “during the 303rd meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee, the government gave written approval of a plan to support video reunions for the divided families with the inter-Korean cooperation fund.”

A senior prosecutor may be dismissed by Justice Ministry after 3 occasions of driving under the influence

South Korea’s prosecutors have asked the Ministry of Justice to dismiss a prosecutor who was caught driving while intoxicated on three occasions. “Kim Hun, a senior prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, drove while under the influence despite having already been disciplined twice for doing so. Following a review by the internal affairs board, we asked the Ministry of Justice to discipline Kim by dismissing him,” the internal affairs office at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said on Mar. 20.

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf comes to Korea next Monday

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) National Security Cutter Bertholf will arrive in Korea next Monday, which is the first time for a U.S. maritime security cutter to enter a Korean port since 2007. The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf has been stationed in the Japanese port of Sasebo since early March to monitor illicit ship-to-ship transfers that violate North Korea sanctions. The measure reflects the Trump administration’s strong determination to enforce North Korean economic sanctions until North Korea accepts an all-in-one approach to denuclearization.

LG releases the G8 ThinQ flagship phone Friday

LG Electronics has debuted its strategic smartphone G8 ThinQ in Korea on Friday. It will also launch the latest flagship smartphone in North America and Europe soon. According to the company, the G8 ThinQ's all three cameras are safety under the back glass, while the “Z Camera” on the front allows biometric recognition using fingerprints, veins, and the face. The new mobile phone model also incorporates an “Air Motion” function so that users can answer the phone or start an application with just a gesture.

Korean chamber to be set up in India's Tagore Museum

The first Korean chamber will be installed in the museum of the legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) in Kolkata, eastern India. According to the Korean Cultural Service, the Tagore museum announced that it will open a Korean room as early as at the end of this year. This marks the first time that a Korean exhibition space has been officially set up in any major museum or at memorial in India.

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

The Number of Marriages Drop to the Lowest Level in 46 Years

The number of marriages last year recorded the lowest since 1972 due to the population decline, employment challenges faced by young people, and housing expenses. The number of marriages has continued to fall for seven consecutive years since 2012. According to the “2018 Marriage and Divorce Statistics” released by Statistics Korea on March 20, there were 257,600 marriages last year, 2.6% (6,800 cases) lower than the previous year. This is the lowest since 1972, when there were 244,780 marriages. When we remove the demographic factor, the crude marriage rate (number of marriages per 1,000 population) was 5.0, the lowest since the statistics were first recorded in 1970.

Result of the Pohang Earthquake Analysis: The 2017 Pohang Earthquake Was "Man-Made"

There is a great possibility that the nearby geothermal power plant caused the 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Pohang on November 15, 2017. This official conclusion by a government research team confirmed that a policy implemented without sufficient preparation was the reason for the second largest earthquake in the history of South Korea. The government announced it would conduct a strict investigation to see if there were any problems in the process of promoting the project. The announcement this day is expected to have a major impact on the compensation for damage claims that the citizens of Pohang filed against the government, which promoted geothermal power.

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

Korea’s population may have peaked in ’18 at 51.6 mn

South Korea’s population may have peaked in 2018 at 51.6 million, up a marginal 0.37 percent from a year ago, as the country faces a rapidly aging population with the senior age group outnumbering the youth and the fertility rate hovering in the zero territory. The median age in Korea was 42.6, with seniors aged 65 and older making up 14.3 percent of the total population compared with 12.9 percent for youth aged 14 and younger, according to Statistics Korea`s census report on Friday.

Samsung Bio CEO eases jittery shareholders with ambitious business goals

Samsung BioLogics Co., a biopharmaceutical business arm of South Korea’s top conglomerate Samsung Group, vowed stronger performance to appease jittery shareholders as the stock recently took fresh beating from renewed raid from authorities over accounting irregularities. It promised to bump up the number its contracts to 39 from 27 this year, and eventually occupy half of the global CMO market by 2020.

Korea’s Ticket Monster fueled with fresh funding of $500 mn from PEFs

Korea’s e-commerce service provider Ticket Monster drew additional funding of $50 million from foreign shareholders Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Anchor Equity Partners, gaining fresh fuel to strengthen its operational efficiency amid intensifying competition. The capitalization is a third from the two private equity firms owning a combined 80 percent stake in the online retailer after investments in 2015 and 2016.

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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com