Headlines, September 11, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Thursday, September 11, 2019

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

EXTRA

Invitation to the Cheonan World Dance Festival on Sept. 25, 2019

I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that Mayor Koo Bon-young of the Cheonan City invites Your Excellency and Madam to attend the Cheonan World Dance Festival on Sept. 25, 2019, and experience the interesting traditional dances, songs and costumes of Korea. The most comfortable 28-seat Super-deluxe Limousine buses will be used on the way to and from Cheonan.

To see the details of the Festival, please visit: http://cheonanfestival.com/_eng/

The schedule of the day is as follows:

09:20 hours, Wed. Sept. 25, 2019: Meet at the Grand Hyatt Seoul at the Fountain Site.
09:30-11:00 hours: Move from Grand Hyatt Seoul to the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan by 28-seat Super-deluxe Limousine Buses
12:00-13:30 hours: Luncheon (Traditional Korean Set-menu table plus buffet)
13:30-16:30 hours: Visit the Famous and Regional sites such as Coreana Cosmetics Factory, Walnut Cookie Factory and Gakwonsa Temple.
16:30-17:00 hours: Move to the main site of the Festival and experience the traditional open market and performances
17:00-18:20 hours: Attend the Welcoming Reception at the Walnut Tree Stage
18:20-20:20 hours: Participate the Opening Ceremony at the Main Stage
20:30-21:40 hours: Move from Cheonan back to the Grand Hyatt Seoul by 28-seat Deluxe Limousine Bus

Dress: Casual

Note: Please advise us of Your Excellency’s convenience at 010-5161-0350 (VC Madam Cho Kyung-hee), 010-5201-1740 (Chairman Lee), 010-5739-7087 (Reporter Paul Kim)

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman

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Thursday, September 11, 2019

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

Jobless rate hits 6-year low in August, job additions largest in nearly 3 yrs

South Korea's jobless rate hit a six-year low in August, and job additions increased the most in 29 months, government data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate fell 1 percentage point on-year to 3 percent in August from a year earlier, also marking the lowest level for any August since 2013. The number of employed people reached 27.3 million in August, a rise of 452,000 from the same month in 2018, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Trump fires Bolton, citing strong disagreements

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has fired National Security Adviser John Bolton due to strong disagreements and will name a replacement next week. The announcement comes after months of rumors that Trump and Bolton clashed on policy, including on how to denuclearize North Korea. Some of their disagreements were exposed in public, with Trump playing down North Korea's short-range ballistic missile tests but Bolton calling them out as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Pompeo wishes Koreans happy Chuseok holiday

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday extended his best wishes to the Korean people on the occasion of the upcoming Chuseok holiday. This year's Chuseok, Korea's equivalent of Thanksgiving Day, falls on Friday, with the holiday period extending from Thursday to Sunday. "On behalf of the United States Government and its people, I would like to wish the people of South and North Korea, and Koreans around the world, a happy Chuseok holiday," Pompeo said in a statement. "During this time of homecoming and gift giving, of food and family, we are all reminded to pause and give thanks for the many blessings of this life."

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

N. Korea Says it Tested 'Super-large' Multiple Rocket Launcher Tuesday

North Korea said on Wednesday that it tested a "super-large" multiple rocket launcher the previous day under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un. According to the Rodong Sinmum, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, Kim said the latest test has finally verified aspects related to the weapon’s combat operation, characteristics of trajectory, accuracy and precise homing functions.

Trump Fires Hawkish National Security Bolton

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has fired National Security Adviser John Bolton due to "strong disagreements." Trump said in a pair of tweets that he informed Bolton the previous night that his services are no longer needed at the White House and that he disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the administration. Trump said he asked Bolton for his resignation on Monday and that it had been received the following morning. The U.S. president added that a new national security adviser will be named next week.

KTX, SRT Attendants Launch Strike Ahead of Chuseok Holiday

Cabin crew members of South Korea's high-speed KTX and SRT trains launched a strike on Wednesday ahead of the Chuseok holiday. The cabin attendants plan to strike until next Monday after holding a rally marking the walkout at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The attendants are currently hired by a subsidiary of Korea Railroad Corporation(KORAIL), while officials in charge of train safety are directly employed by KORAIL.

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

Three foreign workers dead, another in coma after accident

Three migrant workers were found dead, and another one is in a coma, following an accident inside an underground tank at a fishery products processing factory in the eastern county of Yeongdeok on Tuesday, local fire authorities said. The four -- three Thais and one Vietnamese -- were found at the bottom of the tank at 2:30 p.m., according to the North Gyeongsang Province Fire Service Headquarters. The workers, whose names have yet to be made public, are believed to have suffocated while doing maintenance work inside the tank at the factory in Chuksan Port in Yeongdeok, some 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Unheralded midfielder responds to coach's faith with timely debut goal

It all happened so quickly. But when the opportunity came, Na Sang-ho didn't miss it. Na, a 22-year-old midfielder for South Korea, netted his first international goal in the team's 2-0 victory over Turkmenistan in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifying tournament here on Tuesday. The goal came in the 13th minute of a match that South Korea dominated from the opening kickoff. Before the goal, the visiting side had already threatened a few dangerous opportunities, including one by Na in the 10th minute from a tough angle.

Seoul files complaint with WTO over Tokyo's export curbs

South Korea filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday over Japan's export curbs, upping the stakes in the unprecedented trade row between the two Asian neighbors. The move came more than two months after Tokyo started restrictions of exporting three key industrial materials to Seoul, which are essential for the production of chips and displays, potentially dealing a harsh blow to Seoul's backbone technology industry. "South Korea decided to file a complaint with the WTO on Japan's export curbs against the three vital materials for chips and displays," Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said during a press meeting.

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

Seoul files complaint with WTO over Tokyo's export curbs

South Korea filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization on Wednesday over Japan's export curbs, upping the stakes in the unprecedented trade row between the two Asian neighbors. The move came more than two months after Tokyo started restrictions of exporting three key industrial materials to Seoul, which are essential for the production of chips and displays, potentially dealing a harsh blow to Seoul's backbone technology industry. "South Korea decided to file a complaint with the WTO on Japan's export curbs against the three vital materials for chips and displays," Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said during a press meeting.

Young, moderate voters show signs of turning away from ruling party

The impact of the government’s appointment of Cho Kuk as justice minister is likely to be seen at next year’s general election, as the younger generation and moderate voters are showing signs of turning away from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, political analysts said Wednesday. Amid fierce resistance from opposition parties and the public’s disapproval, President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho as justice minister Monday. Cho had been portrayed as a figure on the front line of progressive policies despite his elite background.

KDB-Eximbank merger needed for better policy financing: KDB chief

Lee Dong-gull, chairman of the state-run Korea Development Bank, suggested Tuesday that the government should consider merging the country’s two policy finance institutions -- KDB and the Export-Import Bank of Korea -- for state budget efficiency. “It is about time that we reshuffled the government’s policy finance functions so as to keep in step with the fast-changing market trends,” Lee said in a press briefing to mark two years in office in his three-year tenure. “(As part of this direction), I will suggest to the government the plausibility of merging KDB and Eximbank in the near future.”

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

Trump fires Bolton, citing strong disagreements

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has fired National Security Adviser John Bolton due to strong disagreements and will name a replacement next week. The announcement comes after months of rumors that Trump and Bolton clashed on policy, including on how to denuclearize North Korea. Some of their disagreements were exposed in public, with Trump playing down North Korea's short-range ballistic missile tests but Bolton calling them out as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions. "I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,"

North Korea tested super-large multiple rocket launcher under Kim's guidance

North Korea said Wednesday that it tested a super-large multiple rocket launcher the previous day under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un. On Tuesday, South Korea's military said that the North fired two short-range projectiles from its western region toward the east, saying both flew about 330 kilometers. Kim "gave field guidance to the test-fire of super-large multiple rocket launcher again on Tuesday," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Apple reveals triple-camera iPhone

Apple Inc caught up with hardware rivals on Tuesday by revealing a triple-camera iPhone, and it rolled out a streaming TV service priced at $5 a month, undercutting Disney and Netflix. The announcements came at the company's biggest marketing event, where it unveils its top products for the year ahead, and showcased an aggressive Apple ready to battle on price. The long-awaited Apple TV+ streaming television service will be available in over 100 countries, starting in November. The service will not be available in China when it launches, nor will the Apple Arcade video game subscription.

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

GM Korea Workers Down Tools Despite W8 Trillion Bailout

Unionized workers at GM Korea have downed tools despite a massive bailout only a year ago that secured most of their jobs. It is their first full strike since GM Korea rose in 2002 from the ashes of the Daewoo Group's corporate implosion. GM Korea was resuscitated a year ago with an W8 trillion capital infusion from U.S. headquarters and state-run Korea Development Bank, but sales and productivity have not improved (US$1=W1,194). Now the union is demanding higher bonus payments than at vastly more successful Hyundai. Last year, GM Korea closed an assembly plant in Gunsan and laid off around 3,000 workers, suffering an operating loss of around W600 billion.

Chuseok Travelers Should Avoid Roads Before Thursday Afternoon

Travelers will find it most convenient to take to the road after 4 p.m. Thursday as Chuseok starts, analysis of traffic flows by SK Telecom's smartphone navigation app T map suggests. It will take homebound travelers five hours and 10 minutes to travel from Seoul to Busan if they start at 9 a.m. Wednesday, but four hours and 40 minutes if they leave at 7 p.m. Thursday. Heavy congestion is expected between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Travel between Seoul and Busan will take more than seven hours during that time, and between Seoul and Gwangju more than six hours.

Cho Kuk Appointed Justice Minister Despite Scandal

President Moon Jae-in on Monday appointed Cho Kuk as justice minister despite a snowballing scandal involving nepotism and shady financial dealings that have divided the whole country. The president in an unusual address to the public claimed Cho's confirmation hearing in the National Assembly, which concentrated on the nepotism scandal, was flawed for political reasons. "Candidates who have strong reformist tendencies face more difficulties in confirmation hearings," Moon said. "I would like to voice my frustration that this is posing an obstacle in selecting talented candidates and pursuing national unity."

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

Moon’s reasoning for pushing through Cho Kuk’s appointment

The biggest factor in President Moon Jae-in’s decision to appoint Cho Kuk as Minister of Justice on Sept. 9 despite heavy controversy, fierce objections from opposition parties, and negative opinion from over half the South Korean public was his commitment to following through on one of the administration’s top priorities in prosecutorial reforms, analysts are concluding. According to this argument, Moon used the absence of any allegations of illegality by Cho himself – even as an investigation of unprecedented scope by prosecutors led to the indictment of his wife – as a basis for pushing ahead with a direct approach.

Can Cho Kuk really push through prosecutorial reform?

Even as his family members are facing a massive investigation by South Korea’s public prosecutors, Justice Minister Cho Kuk was newly appointed yesterday and chosen to lead the drive for prosecutorial reform. But considering that Cho is the first justice minister to assume the post in the shadow of an investigation, it’s unclear how effectively he’ll lead that reform. Furthermore, the fact is that the justice minister has few means at his disposal to carry out those reforms.

N. Korea and US to hold working-level negotiations in late September

North Korea and the US announced that they will be holding working-level negotiations toward the end of September. “We have willingness to sit with the US side for comprehensive discussions of the issues we have so far taken up at the time and place to be agreed late in September,” North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement issued by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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

A hydrogen charging station installed at the National Assembly

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy held a ceremony in front of the National Assembly building on Tuesday to mark the completion of the hydrogen charging station in the presence of National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, and Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo. The charging station has a capacity of 25 kilograms an hour, supplying hydrogen to about 70 vehicles a day. The National Assembly’s hydrogen charging station is the nation’s first case of a regulatory sandbox, which allows a grace period or waiver of regulations for new products or services.

Pyongyang launches projectiles 7 hours after offering Washington negotiations

North Korea abruptly launched two short-range projectiles on Tuesday morning, just seven hours and 21 minutes after it suggested resuming working-level negotiations with the United States in late September. It demonstrated military power right after North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on a threatening note on Monday that Washington should present acceptable (new) calculations. It is likely that both sides will engage in a power struggle regarding the resumption of their working-level talks.

Princeton tops U.S. national university rankings for 9th consecutive year

Princeton University has kept its No. 1 spot in college rankings released by U.S. News and World Report for nine consecutive years. According to U.S. News’ rankings announced Monday (local time) based on data from around 1,400 universities and colleges in the United States, Harvard University ranked second, followed by Columbia University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Yale University, which tied for third place. Stanford University, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania tied for sixth, while Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University ranked at 10th.

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

President Moon to Have Cho Kuk Reform the Prosecution Service

On September 9, President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho Kuk as the minister of justice. It followed the judgment that the appointment of Cho was inevitable in order to achieve one of the government’s key state tasks--reforming the Prosecution Service. It was also based on the fact that Cho was not involved in any of the allegations raised against his family. The conservative opposition party fiercely opposed claiming, “The rule of law has died in the Republic of Korea,” and the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties has entered the worst ever state. The conflicts between Cheong Wa Dae and the Prosecution Service are also expected to enter a full-scale war.

Ahn Hee-jung Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months in Prison for Sexual Assault

Ahn Hee-jung (54, pictured), former governor of Chungcheongnam-do was found guilty of sexually assaulting his secretary (sexual assault using official powers). This was the court‘s final conclusion after a year and six months since the victim, Kim Ji-eun disclosed the incident to the press on March 5, 2018. On September 9, the second division of the Supreme Court (led by Justice Kim Sang-hwan) confirmed the ruling in the second trial and finalized the sentence of three years and six months in prison for Ahn. Ahn will serve his tern in prison until August 2022.

Cho Kuk “Caught” by the “Special Investigation” He Supported for the Investigation of the Abuse of State Authority

Justice minister nominee Cho Kuk (54) had insisted on maintaining the “special investigations” of the Prosecution Service when he served as the Cheong Wa Dae senior secretary for civil affairs, and experts argued that this boomeranged back to him. The argument was voiced after prosecutors of the Special Investigation Division of the Prosecution Service carried out a massive search and a relentless investigation of Cho and his family, leading to charges against Cho's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, a professor at Dongyang University.

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

Posco reaches wage agreement for the first time with two labor unions

South Korea’s leading steelmaker Posco settled collective bargaining agreement with unionized workers on Monday, the first labor-management deal with two unions under its house. Posco announced Monday that the workers and management agreed to a deal after 23 meetings since May 24 to raise base salary by 2 percent, adjust working hours to 8 am to 5 pm and pay 95 percent of the salaries against peak wage to employees aged 57 under the wage peak system. The company said 86.1 percent of its unionized workers voted in favor of the plan, and it will hold a signing ceremony on Tuesday at its headquarters in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

Korea’s top court confirms $2.3 mn fine on Mercedes-Benz Korea for emission violation

Mercedes-Benz Korea, the Korean sales unit of German automaker Mercedes-Benz, was fined 2.7 billion won ($2.3 million) for violating the country’s emissions-related laws in a final court ruling. Korea’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld the lower court’s ruling to impose 2.7 billion won fine on Mercedes-Benz Korea that was indicted on charges of importing and distributing some 7,000 cars with uncertified emission parts in the country from January 2014 to July 2017. Also, a former Mercedes-Benz Korea employee, surnamed Kim who had been in charge of related documents, was sentenced eight months in prison and two years in probation as ruled in the lower court.

Samsung Venture invests in U.S. microLED tech startup iBeam Materials

Samsung Venture Investment Corp., an investment affiliate of South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., has invested in iBeam Materials Inc., U.S-based micro light-emitting diode (LED) display technology startup that is expected to help Samsung bring forward the mass production of the next-generation, self-emissive display technology. According to industry sources on Monday, Samsung Venture Investment has invested an undisclosed amount in iBeam Materials, becoming the U.S. startup’s strategic investor. The other terms are not disclosed, either.

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