Headlines, October 2, 2019

Finally, it is TOMORROW!

The impressive tour of the Holy Eden Church final is TOMORROW!

For the last-minute applicants, here is FINAL re-run of the Inviation—cum the prestigious Plaque of Citation:

Plaque of Citation (obverse side [left] and reverse side [right])

Invitation to the World's Largest Cultural, Religious Center in Gagpyeong

10:20 hours, Friday October 4, 2019: Meet at the Grand Hyatt Seoul at the Fountain Site.
10:30-12:00 hours: Move from Grand Hyatt to the Holy Eden Church by 28-seat Super-deluxe Limousine Buses.
12:00-13:30 hours: Attend a prestigious welcome Luncheon (Korean and international buffet).
13:30-14:00 hours: Visit and tour the Algok Seongjeon Palace and various other facilities of the Church.
14:00-15:00 hours: Visit and tour the world-famous Temple White Stone.
15:00-16:30 hours: Move from Hotel White Stone to Grand Hyatt Seoul by 28-seat Super-deluxe Limousine Buses.

Please advise us of Your convenience at 010-5201-1740 (Publisher Lee Kyung-sik), 010-4541-1974 (Ms. Shin Jin-sun) or 010-3388-1682 (Ms. Kim Jung-mi)

Special Note: If Your Excellency should find it difficult to make it, just for the country of Your Excellency, Madam (without Children if desired) could beautifully represent Your Excellency and Country. The Country of Your Excellency is very important to Korea!

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman

The Korea Post media

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Headlines:

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

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

N. Korea fires short-range projectiles toward East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired unidentified short-range projectiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, ahead of the envisioned resumption of the stalled denuclearization talks with the United States. The projectiles were launched from an area in the eastern coastal town of Wonsan earlier in the day, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said without providing further details, such as their type, flight range and maximum altitude.

N. Korea, U.S. agree to resume nuke talks on Oct. 5

North Korea and the United States agreed to resume their working-level nuclear talks this week, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, citing a statement from a senior diplomat. First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said that Washington and Pyongyang agreed to hold "preliminary contact on Oct. 4 and hold working-level negotiations on Oct. 5," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Choe did not mention the venue for the upcoming talks.

S. Korea confirms 10th African swine fever case

South Korea on Wednesday confirmed the 10th case of African swine fever (ASF), sparking concerns of a massive spread of the fatal animal disease from the country's northern areas. It marked the first confirmed case since Friday. The latest case came from a farm in Paju, north Gyeonggi Province, bordering North Korea. It was the third ASF case from the town.

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

'US to Hold Defense Ministers' Talks with S. Korea, Japan to Help Resolve Disputes'

A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday that the United States will hold defense minister-level talks with South Korea and Japan next month to help resolve disputes between its two Northeast Asian allies. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver made the remarks at a forum in Washington when asked about the U.S.' role in mediating disputes between Seoul and Tokyo.

JCS Chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan Hold Talks

The heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) from South Korea, the United States and Japan held a meeting in Washington on Tuesday to discuss security issues and trilateral military cooperation. According to Seoul's Defense Ministry, JCS Chair Park Han-ki met with his respective U.S. and Japanese counterparts Mark Milley and Koji Yamazaki at the U.S. JCS chief's office. The JCS heads are thought to have discussed South Korea's decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan.

Japan: N. Korean Projectile Landed in Exclusive Economic Zone

The Japanese government said that one of two projectiles launched by North Korea on Wednesday morning appears to have fallen inside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ), assessing the projectiles as ballistic missiles. According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a news conference that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles at around 7:10 a.m. Wednesday. Suga said that one of the missiles fell outside Japan's EEZ at 7:17 a.m., but the other landed in waters east of Shimane Prefecture at 7:27 a.m. inside the EEZ.

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

Household loans extended by 5 major banks near 600 tln won

Household loans extended by five major lenders here have been growing at a steady pace, nearing a record high of 600 trillion won (US$499 billion) for the first time in history, industry data showed Wednesday. As of end-September, outstanding household loans extended by the five local banks came to 599.38 trillion won, up about 43.6 trillion won from the end of 2018. From a month earlier, the reading marks an increase of 2.59 trillion won. But the September growth marks a sharp slowdown from 4.56 trillion won and 4.98 trillion won on-month increases in July and August, respectively, according to the data.

Pitching regains foothold as home runs, attendance drop in S. Korean baseball

After years of seeing video game offensive numbers in South Korean baseball, fans finally got to see some semblance of pitching in 2019. But as the number of home runs fell in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), so did attendance. The KBO regular season wrapped up Tuesday in a nail-biting finish, as the Doosan Bears walked off the NC Dinos 6-5 to secure the top seed for the playoffs. The Bears finished with the same record as the SK Wyverns at 88-55-1 (wins-losses-ties) but took the top spot by virtue of winning the season series, 9-7.

S. Korea, Australia to expand joint research on hydrogen, rare earth

South Korea and Australia will expand cooperation in the fields of hydrogen charging stations and rare earth processing, the science ministry said Monday. During the bilateral science and technology joint committee meeting held in Canberra on Friday, the two countries agreed to conduct research to extract hydrogen from liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas so the resource can be effectively used in charging stations.

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

Samsung BioLogics wins patent suit against Lonza

Samsung BioLogics said Tuesday it has won a lawsuit against Switzerland-based Lonza that is critical for manufacturing antibody agents in South Korea. Following the court ruling, domestic contract development pharmaceutical firms will be able to employ a more efficient method for cell culture production to boost their performance, a company official said. Cell culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment.

Suspect in Hwaseong serial murder case confesses to killings: police

The suspect in decades-old serial murders committed south of Seoul has admitted to killing the victims, police said Tuesday. The 56-year-old man, who has been in prison for raping and killing his sister-in-law in 1994, was identified in mid-September as the suspect in the murders of nine women in Hwaseong, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, between 1986-91.

Moon highlights peace through strength on Armed Forces Day

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday stressed the need for strong defense capabilities at the 71st Armed Forces Day celebrations. “Peace is not something that is defended, but created. Our military’s iron-clad security supports dialogue and cooperation, and enabled (the country) to boldly walk toward permanent peace,” Moon said. He went on to list achievements such as the removal of guard posts from the Demilitarized Zone, the recovery of the remains of Korean War dead and the inter-Korean military agreement, crediting the South Korean military for making them possible.

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

North Korea fires short-range projectiles toward East Sea

Moon vows firm response to potential security threats

President Moon Jae-in stressed his resolve to protect national security during a speech marking the 71st Armed Forces Day at Daegu Air Force Base in North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. "Our military will take the initiative to promptly respond to any potential threats to our national security with stronger and more accurate missile defense systems, new submarines and light aircraft-carrier landing ships, as well as other state-of-the-art defense systems including military satellites," he said in a nationally-televised speech.

Renault Samsung, GM, SsangYong hit by falling output

Renault Samsung, GM Korea and SsangYong Motor are all expected to produce their least number of cars in a decade this year as they grapple with labor unrest, deteriorating competitiveness and other downside risks, according to industry officials, Tuesday. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA), together the three firms manufactured 487,809 vehicles from January to August this year, down 9.4 percent from the same period last year. GM Korea produced 287,265, followed by Renault Samsung with 110,446 and SsangYong Motor with 90,098.

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

More Older Koreans Die Unattended

More and more elderly Koreans die alone without family or friends to tend to their bodies, often because they are poor or are found dead on the street. According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and National Health Insurance Service last week, 2,447 older people died alone last year and had no family or friends to take care of their funeral arrangements. That was a rise of 437 from 2017, the biggest rate of increase since the government began tallying such statistics in 2012, when the number was 1,021. It has since grown 2.4 times.

Nat'l Assembly Condemns N.Korea's Violation of Military Pact

The National Assembly in a full session on Monday passed a resolution condemning North Korea's recent missile provocations as a violation of the inter-Korean military pact signed in September 2018. The resolution, which was adopted by agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, calls the North's recent tests of missiles and multiple rocket launchers a direct violation of the spirit of the military pact. It denounces the North for military provocations aimed at perfecting nuclear weapons and missile technology and developing a submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles, and urges the regime to stop them immediately.

Big-Money Gifts to Minors Skyrocket

The value of wealth given to minors as gifts increased from W684.8 billion in 2016 to W1.28 trillion in 2017, according to data from the National Tax Service on Monday (US$1=W1,199) A total of W411.6 billion was gifted to minors in three affluent districts in southern Seoul -- Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa. They account for only three percent of all minors in the country, but the amount gifted to them accounted for about 40 percent.

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

Prosecutor-general threatened to resign ahead of Cho Kuk’s appointment, inside sources say

Shortly before Cho Kuk was appointed Minister of Justice, Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl indicated to the Blue House that Choi shouldn’t be appointed because of the complicated scandal he was facing and that Yoon would tender his resignation if Cho was appointed anyway, the Hankyoreh has learned. President Moon Jae-in was grappling with the question of whether to appoint Cho when he received Yoon’s message, which apparently struck the president as insubordination and influenced his ultimate decision to go ahead with the appointment. The prosecutors strongly denied the claim, which they dismissed as a “scheme by politicians” to obstruct their investigation into Cho and his family.

Moon indicates he plans to personally oversee prosecutorial reform

During a briefing by the Ministry of Justice on Sept. 30, South Korean President Moon Jae-in indicated that he means to personally shepherd reform of the country’s public prosecutors, while calling on Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl to come up with a plan for reform. Moon’s remarks suggest that he means to take full advantage of the momentum provided by the huge candlelight rally held this past weekend in support of his reform drive. “The president has probably concluded that he mustn’t let this opportunity go by,” said a key official at the Blue House. Another senior official predicted that “more measures will likely be taken going forward.”

Suspended comfort woman exhibit in Japan set to resume in as early as Oct. 6

An exhibition in Japan featuring a statue representing comfort women victims, which was previously suspended abruptly after just three days, appears set to resume as early as Oct. 6.

On Sept. 30, an agreement was reached between Aichi Prefecture, which hosts Japan’s biggest international art festival in the Aichi Triennale, and executive committee members for the feature exhibition “After ‘Freedom of Expression?,’” which includes the statue of a young girl, to resume the exhibition as early as Oct. 6 and no later than Oct. 8. The triennial closes on Oct. 14, and the two sides plan to continue discussions on the specific exhibition resumption schedule and its content.

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

‘No force can shake China,’ says Xi Jinping

China showed off its national power on Tuesday by hosting a large-scale military parade that reminded of a weapon exhibition at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. “No force can shake China,” emphasized Chinese President Xi Jinping targeting the U.S. He enthusiastically spoke about patriotism, unity, and nationalism by mentioning “one country, two systems” for Hong Kong and peaceful unification for Taiwan.

Pres. Moon inspects military assets on Armed Forces Day

A ceremony to mark the 71st Armed Forces Day was held at an Air Force base in the southeastern city of Daegu on Tuesday with President Moon Jae-in in attendance. It was the first time that the annual event took place at the Air Force’s 11th Fighter Wing base with F-15K fighter jets.

World-famous soprano Jessye Norman dies at 74

Majestic American soprano Jessye Norman died at the age of 74 at a New York hospital on Monday. She was widely loved by classical music fans for her excellence in interpretation and solemn and rich voice tone. It was reported that the cause of her death was complications from a spinal cord injury she sustained four years ago.

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

"Relative" Privileges at the Seoul Metro?

Last year, the Seoul Metro changed the status of 1,285 employees to regular workers, but an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection revealed that 15% of these workers were relatives of existing employees. The Board pointed out that the company failed to properly verify the workers in the process of converting non-regular workers to regular workers.

What the Massive Candlelight in Front of the Prosecution Service Signify

On September 28, a massive candlelight demonstration calling for reforms in the Prosecution Service was held in front of the main gate of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. People from Seoul and throughout the nation filled a 1.6km stretch of Banpo and Seocho-daero. Saturday night at the "legal town" was illuminated with candlelight and LED lamps, and an estimated 800,000 to 1.5 million people filled a long stretch of the roads triggering mobile telecommunication problems in the Seocho Station area.

Big Companies in Yeosu that Fabricated Air Pollutant Emissions Exceed the Limit Again

Factories of conglomerates in the Yeosu National Industrial Complex violated emission standards and were ordered to make changes again, immediately after they were caught for fabricating measurements of air pollutants. These factories had previously stirred controversy for discharging dust and sulfur oxides, the cause of fine-dust, while releasing false measurements of air pollutant emissions after scheming with contractors that oversaw the measurement.

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

Korea hits negative inflation in Sept, authorities deny deflation will stay

South Korea’s inflation fell deeper into the negative in September after testing sub-zero territory for the first time in August, while authorities took pains to argue against a deflationary risk. The country’s benchmark consumer price index (CPI) in September was 105.2, down 0.4 percent from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea Tuesday. It is the country’s first negative inflation, claimed the authorities as they saw the August fall of 0.038 percent as more of a zero growth.

SK Holdings shares rally on $598 mn worth buyback plan

Shares of SK Holdings Co., the holding company of South Korea’s SK Group, soared more than 9 percent on Tuesday thanks to the company’s announcement to buy back 3.52 million own shares to boost shareholder value. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on Tuesday, SK Holdings disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will buy back 3.52 million shares worth 718.1 billion won ($598.2 million) to enhance shareholder value and stabilize stock price. The company will repurchase its stocks during trading hours from Oct. 2 to Jan. 1, 2020.

Samsung Electronics to provide $2 bn 5G equipment to Japan`s KDDI

Samsung Electronics Co. will supply $2 billion worth of 5G equipment over the next five years to Japan’s second largest telco KDDI Corp., a feat achieved amid ongoing trade conflicts between Korea and Japan. KDDI announced on Monday it has started sending out frequencies with its first base station for 5G commercial services ahead of its official launching in March, 2020. Samsung Electronics will be the primary supplier behind KDDI’s deployment of 53,626 base stations across Japan until 2023.

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