Headlines, May 10, 2019

Special Message of the Publisher

Friday, May 10, 2019

Today, we have a special report to Your Excellency and Madam!

Chief Abbot Venerable Park Seung-eok of the Cheonman-sa Buddhist Temple in Ulsan is inviting all the ambassadors and madams to his Temple in Ulsan to celebrate the Birth of Buddha in a one-night, two-day trip on May 31-June 1, 2019. Here is the cordial invitation:

Your Excellency:

Good news! A tour of Ulsan and Gyeongju for the Ambassadors, Spouses.

I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that The Korea Post organizes a tour for the ambassadors and spouses to visit the Cheomman-sa Buddhist Temple in Ulsan and meet the mayor and the governor in a one-night, two-day program on May 31-June 1, 2019 in celebration of the Buddha’s Birthday in May.

Please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=8996

The Ambassadors’ Tour will be fully covered by all five media outlets of The Korea Post, including www.koreapost.com (English) and www.koreapost.co.kr (Korean).

The schedule is as follows:

Day 1 (May 31, 2019)

0930 hours: Meet at the VIP Guest Room at the Seoul Railroad Station
10:00~12:06 hours: Move by deluxe train from Seoul to Sin-Gyeongju Station
12:06~12:40 hours: Arrive at the Cheonman-sa Temple by Limousine Bus
12:40~13:40 hours: Attend a luncheon co-hosted by the Mayor of Ulsan and the Chief Abbot Venerable Park Seung-eok
13:40~14:40 hours: Presentation of Plaque of Appreciation to each Ambassador followed by a tea party
14:40~15:10 hours: Move to the Gyeongju City Hall.
15:10~16:00 hours: Meet with the Mayor of the Gyeongju City and the Governor of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province
16:00~17:00 hours: Tour the tourist attractions of the Gyeongju City.
17:00~18:00 hours: Attend dinner hosted by the Mayor of the Gyeongju City.
18:00~20:00 hours: Attend the Gyeongju World Culture Heritage Festival.
20:00 hours: Check in at the Commodore Tourist Hotel for the night.

Day 2 (June 1, Saturday)

08:00~09:00 hours: Breakfast at the hotel, and check out.
09:00~12:00 hours: Tour the tourist attractions of the Gyeongju City.
12:00~13:30 hours: Luncheon with the Mayor and other city dignitaries.
13:30~14:00 hours: Move to Sin-Gyeongju RR Station.
14:00~14:50 hours: Brief farewel greetings by the Mayor and free time.
14:50~16:54 hours: Move by deluxe train from Sin-Gyeongju to back to Seoul.

Please RSVP Your Excellency's convenience at 010-5201-1740, 010-3388-1682, 010-4847-3414

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman
The Korea Post media

Special Notice:

Please advise us Your Excellency’s Convenience on the trip at your earliest convenience for timely reservation.

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The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, May 10, 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.

N. Korea says it conducted long-range strike drills under oversight of leader Kim

North Korea has conducted long-range strike drills, state media reported Friday, a day after the communist state launched what were presumed to be two short-range missiles into the East Sea. "At the command post, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un learned about a plan of the strike drill of various long-range strike means and gave an order of start of the drill," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in English.

S. Korea, U.S. to hold 'working-group' meeting on N.K. projectiles, food aid

South Korea and the United States were set to hold a "working-group" meeting in Seoul on Friday to discuss North Korea's missile launches, humanitarian assistance and other issues, officials here said. Lee Do-hoon, the ministry's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, will preside over the meeting aimed at coordinating the allies' approaches on the North's denuclearization, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations.

U.S. seizes N.K. cargo vessel over sanctions violations

The United States has for the first time seized a North Korean vessel suspected of transferring coal and machinery in violation of sanctions on the regime, the Justice Department announced Thursday. The 17,061-ton Wise Honest, one of the North's largest bulk carriers, was intercepted by foreign maritime authorities in April last year after being loaded with coal in Nampo, North Korea, the department said in a press release. The ship is currently in U.S. possession.

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

KCNA: N. Korea Conducted Long-range Strike Drills Thursday

North Korea's state media says that the country conducted long-range strike drills with defensive units at its forward and western fronts on Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un learned about a plan to test various long-range strike capabilities and gave the order to start the drill. Kim reportedly expressed satisfaction over the drill and stressed that a country's peace and security is guaranteed by a strong physical power that can defend its sovereignty.

Trump Says N. Korea 'Not Ready' to Negotiate

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States is monitoring North Korea "very seriously," describing projectiles launched by the North earlier in the day as "smaller, short range missiles." Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. is looking at the situation very seriously and that nobody's happy about it.

Seoul Bus Drivers Vote for Walkout Plan

Bus drivers in Seoul have voted to strike to demand better working conditions. More than 90 percent of around 17-thousand unionized bus drivers in the capital cast ballots on Thursday with almost nine out of ten voting in favor of a walkout plan. The union plans to wait until next Tuesday for the result of mediation by the regional labor relations commission before joining a planned general strike by the nationwide bus driver union. The plan would see around seven-thousand bus drivers in Seoul joining the strike from next Wednesday.

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

Pentagon says N.K. launches were of ballistic missiles that flew over 300 km

The Pentagon said Thursday that North Korea's launches earlier the same day were of ballistic missiles that flew more than 300 kilometers. North Korea is banned by multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology. The Pentagon's assessment came after the South Korean military characterized the projectiles as two short-range missiles that flew 420 km and 270 km, respectively.

Moon warns N. Korea to stop rocket firing

South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned North Korea on Thursday that its apparent missile launches could make the resumption of dialogue difficult. He was speaking in a special live interview with public broadcaster KBS, hours after the North's firing of two rockets. South Korea and the United States believe that they were "short-range missiles," based on an analysis of flight distances, according to the president, who is to mark the second anniversary of his inauguration on Friday.

Parties offer mixed views on S. Korean response to N. Korean projectile launches

Rival political parties gave differing opinions on how South Korea should respond to North Korea's launching of what are believed to be short-range missiles on Thursday. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) condemned North Korea's firing of two apparent missiles, which came only five days after the communist regime sent a barrage of projectiles into the East Sea.

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

North Korea launches two projectiles, assumed to be short-range missiles: JSC

North Korea fired two projectiles that appeared to be short-range missiles on Thursday, less than a week after it conducted what it claimed was a “regular military drill.” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said launches of what appeared to be short-range missiles took place at 4:29 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. in Kusong, North Pyongan Province. It had initially said they were launched at Sino-ri, some 40 kilometers below Kusong in the same province.

Food aid to Pyongyang unlikely to fuel Seoul’s nuclear diplomacy

The South Korean government is ramping up efforts to send food aid to North Korea in an attempt to thaw relations and revive stalled denuclearization negotiations between the US and the North, but it remains unclear how Pyongyang will respond. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry are moving swiftly to clear obstacles in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, after a call between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. During the conversation, Trump had expressed support for the food aid plan.

Korean markets tumble on US-China trade tensions

South Korean markets were rattled Thursday, along with other markets in the region, after US President Donald Trump claimed that Beijing “broke the deal” in the ongoing trade talks with Washington. Trump’s remarks made at a rally in Florida early in the day, dragged down major indexes by further dampening investor sentiments.

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

US seizes North Korean ship amid tense moment in relations

The U.S. said Thursday that it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was used to violate international sanctions, a first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes amid a tense moment in relations between the two countries. The ''Wise Honest,'' North Korea's second largest cargo ship, was detained in April 2018 as it traveled toward Indonesia. It's now in the process of being moved to American Samoa, Justice Department officials said.

Moon urges parties to OK food aid to North Korea

President Moon Jae-in urged the political parties here to reach a consensus, Thursday, and stand behind the government's plan to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea. "The government planned to provide food assistance to North Korea. As North Korea has launched additional missiles, this plan needs to get a consensus from the public. A meeting of the political parties is needed," President Moon said in a televised event, "Special Talk with President Moon Jae-in," aired to celebrate the second anniversary of his inauguration.

North Korea fires two projectiles speculated to be missiles: ROK JCS

North Korea launched two suspected missiles Thursday, five days after firing off multiple "projectiles" including its new tactical guided weapon, widely agreed by experts to be a short range ballistic missile (SRBM). The launches took place at 4:29 p.m. and 4: 49 p.m., respectively, from around Kusong in North Pyongan Province and landed in the seas off its east coast, according to the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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

Gov't Persists in Failed Economic Policy

Friday marks President Moon Jae-in's second anniversary in office, and the government in a meeting on Wednesday celebrated the event with a glowing review of its economic policies despite some of the worst indicators in recent history. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, presiding over the meeting, said, "In spite of tough conditions, we've worked hard to bring about an economic paradigm shift, and these efforts have led to the stabilization of the macroeconomy and creation of innovative spirit."

Gov't to Offer Food Aid to N.Korea Despite Missile Provocation

The government is looking into possibility of providing food aid to North Korea despite the North's firing of a short-range missile last weekend. "I will make an announcement after considering the matter comprehensively," Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told reporters Wednesday. The comments came just a day after Cheong Wa Dae said President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed the issue in a telephone call on Tuesday.

N.Korea 'Wants Entry Ban Lifted Before Summit with Abe'

North Korea wants Japan to lift an entry ban for North Koreans as a precondition for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Wednesday citing a North Korea source. The demand comes after Abe said he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without any strings attached.

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

Will the US change its policy on humanitarian aid to N. Korea?

On May 8, South Korea’s Unification Ministry officially announced it would move ahead with providing food aid to the North Korean people. The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said he supports South Korea providing the North with food aid during a telephone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The next question is whether the South Korean government will carry out the promise it made 20 months ago to provide US$8 million to North Korea through the World Food Programme (WFP) and other organizations.

Moon and Trump agree on providing food aid to N. Korea during telephone call

After the leaders of South Korea and the US agreed on the need to provide humanitarian food aid to North Korea, the Blue House and the South Korean government started working on a specific plan to accomplish that on May 8. These moves appear to reflect the determination of the South Korean and US leaders to use food aid to restart North Korea-US dialogue, which has been at a standstill since the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi this past February.

S. Korea’s new unification minister meets with N. Korea officials

Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-chul met with North Korean officials in his first visit to the inter-Korean joint liaison office at Kaesong since taking on his position. Kim reportedly underscored the need to “normalize” the office’s functions, while the North Korean side was described as showing a “firm commitment” to honoring the terms of inter-Korean agreements.

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

Samsung launches world’s highest resolution image sensor

Samsung Electronics has put the first step forward to become the “No. 1 system semiconductor producer by 2030” by unveiling a 64MP image sensor for smartphones for the first time in the industry. A mobile image sensor developed by Sony Corporation, the current No. 1 player in the field, has a 48MP resolution.

The name of British royal baby revealed

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, broke the royal tradition in unveiling the name of their newborn son. On Wednesday, the royal couple announced that they named their royal baby “Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor” on their official Instagram account. The couple also posted the photo of Queen Elisabeth and her husband Prince Philip meeting their great-grandson for the first time.

Seoul section of Gyeongchun Line Forest Park to open Saturday

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the 6-kilometer section of the old Gyeongchun Line located in Seoul is revamped as a forest park for pedestrians. It has been about eight years for the abandoned site of the railroad to reopen as a park after its suspension in December 2010.

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

Decades-old Urban Forest Turned into a Forest of Apartments

"An apartment compound surrounded by a forest and a park as big as fifty football fields (350,000m2) as its front yard." This was written in an advertisement for an apartment compound in Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, which was sold recently. Four apartment compounds with a total of 2,656 apartments will be built in Central Park in Wonju, designated as a neighborhood park in 1985. An area of 112,636m2has been set aside for the compound, which will occupy 24% of the entire park. An urban park where residents had relaxed and enjoyed leisure activities for decades due to restrictions on private development will turn into the "front yard" of an apartment compound overnight. It all began with the "special private projects" that the government permitted.

Democratic Party's New Floor Leader Lee In-young Should Focus on Resuming Normal Parliamentary Activities

Lawmaker Lee In-young was elected as the new floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee is a third-time lawmaker and a representative of the "86 group" (a group of politicians who were in college in the 1980s and who were born in the 1960s). After a vote during a meeting of the party's lawmakers on May 8, Lee became the last floor leader for the ruling party in the twentieth National Assembly after obtaining 76 of the 125 votes. Unlike expectations for a close race between Lee and Kim Tae-nyeon, a pro-Moon lawmaker, Lee was well ahead of Kim (37 votes) in the first round of votes with 54 votes, and also beat Kim by 27 votes in the final round. The result seems to reflect the lawmakers’ wishes for Lee, who advocated innovation and integration, to voice the party's opinions in its relationship with Cheong Wa Dae, support reforms based on principle in the president's third year in office, and break away from factions and achieve innovation in the party.

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

Korea’s Hanwha Group officially denies interest in taking on Asiana Airlines

Hanwha Group, a Korean conglomerate name repeatedly cited as a strong candidate to go after cash-strapped Asiana Airlines Inc., officially denied interest in branching out to passenger flight service through the purchase of the country’s second flag carrier. “We never had any interest in Asiana Airlines or considered its acquisition,” said Hanwha Chemical Corp. during first-quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday on behalf of the group.

Hyundai Motor to develop hydrogen-powered ships

Hyundai Motor Co. that pins high hope on hydrogen fuel-cell technology as the next-generation green technology has embarked on the development of hydrogen-powered vessels, broadening the application of its hydrogen fuel-cell technology beyond cars. Hyundai Motor on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Gangwon Province to cooperate on development of a hydrogen fuel-cell system for a 5-ton small-size vessel. It is the first time for Hyundai Motor to develop a fuel-cell system that can power mobility applications other than cars.

Koreans’ investment in U.S. stocks up 40% on yr in April

South Koreans’ investment in U.S. stocks jumped nearly 40 percent year over year in April as they sought out higher-return alternatives to local equities that have remained lackluster unlike bullish U.S. peers. Korean investors traded $2.07 billion worth of stocks in the U.S. in April, up 29.9 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to the Korea Securities Depository on Thursday. Their purchases of U.S. stocks reached $1.12 billion, up 38.8 percent over the same period.

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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koeapost.com