December 27, 2013

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, December 27, 2013

  
Good morning, Excellency!
Here are The Korea Post news, African proverbs, humor from Korean-language economic dailies, and a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media this morning:
/s/
        
Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman
Korea Post Media
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The Korea Post news

'One of Seven Wonders of Winter' for a 22-day run

Hwacheon Mountain Trout Ice Festival opens Jan. 4 

Ambassadors and families are invited to attend the Festival on

Thursday January 17, 2014. (Further details and photos are toward the end of this Headlines.)

A recent poster introducing some of the events at the Hwacheon Mountain Trout
Festival on January 4-26, 2014. Ambassadors and senior diplomats are invited with
Their spouses and families to attend the Festival on Thursday January 17, 2014.
Individual invitation has already been transmitted to the Ambassadors and the senior
Diplomats.
In the event of our transmission failure, please contact Ms. Kim Jeong-mi

At Tel 2298-1740/2, 010-3388-1682 or edt@koreapost.com. English-speaking callers
Please call David Chung at the same number and email address.
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Ambassadors and other senior diplomats with the children of the Sunmyung-hoe Children’s Choir at the United Pharma Cultural Center last night (Dec. 26, 2013)

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Dr. Sang-Ki Hahn's African wise-sayings:

However big a stranger’s eyes, he cannot see enough with them. The stranger is like a flood.
- A Ghanaian proverb

If you have no master, anybody can sell you into slavery.
- A Ghanaian proverb

If your part of the battle-field is covered with thorns, you do not leave your position and go to stand where the ground is good.
- A Ghanaian proverb
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Humor from Korean-language economic dailies this morning:

Seoul Kyungje

A worried father confronted his daughter one night. "I don't like your new boyfriend, he's rough and common and bloody stupid."
"Oh no, Daddy," the daughter replied, "Fred's ever so clever, we've only been going out nine weeks and he's cured me of that illness I used to get once a month."

Hankuk Kyungje
Enraged Old Man
An old man gets on a crowded bus and no one gives him a seat.
As the bus shakes and rattles, the old man’s cane slips on the floor and he falls down. As he gets up, a kid, sitting nearby, says, “If you put a little rubber thing on the end of your stick. It wouldn’t slip.”
The old man asks the kid, “How old are you?”
“I’m seven years old.”
Then the old man snaps back, “Well, if your daddy did the same thing seven years ago, I would have a seat today!”
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

S. Korean Gov't, Parties Denounce Abe's Visit to Yasukuni Shrine
Anchor: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went to a shrine in Tokyo on Thursday where visits by Japanese politicians often heighten tensions between South Korea and Japan. The South Korean government responded later that day with outrage.

KORAIL, Union Resume Talks; KORAIL to Hire Substitute Workers
The state-run Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and its union resumed negotiations Thursday on the 18th day of the union's strike.

Seoul Embarrassed over Tokyo's Intent Behind Ammo Transfer
Anchor: Frayed diplomatic ties between Seoul and Tokyo took another hit this week after South Korean peacekeeping troops in South Sudan received ammunition from Japan’s ground Self Defense Forces.

S. Korean Biz Sentiment Remains Negative
South Korean firms apparently remain wary about economic recovery at home despite signs the global economy is improving.

N. Korea Unveils Law on Developing Economic Zones with China
North Korea has belatedly unveiled contents of its law enacted two years ago on jointly developing with China special economic zones in Hwanggeumpyeong and Wihwa island.

China, US Unhappy About Abe's Visit to Yasukuni

Chinese Media Condemn Abe's Visit to Yasukuni

S. Korean Gov't Outraged by Abe's Visit to War Shrine

Seoul Embarrassed over Tokyo's Intent Behind Ammo Transfer

Sony, Panasonic to Stop Making OLED TVs Together

1/3 Koreans Place Highest Priority on Job Creation

Annual Foreign Tourists to S. Korea Set to Top 12 Mln
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

U.S. response to Abe's Yasukuni visit re-examined
Amid speculation about how the Obama administration has responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a highly controversial war shrine, the State Department reiterated Washington's explicit disappointment Thursday.

Korean manufacturers' confidence for Jan. inches up
Business sentiment among South Korean manufacturers inched up for January from a three-month low in December as the local economy shows signs of improvement, the central bank said Friday.

Striking rail workers resume talks with management
Labor and management of the state-run railway operator resumed their working-level negotiations on Thursday to end a strike that has dragged on for 18 days, both sides said.

Prosecution demands 9-year sentence for Hanwha chief in retrial
The prosecution on Thursday demanded nine years in prison and 150 billion won (US$141 million) in fines for Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn for embezzlement.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Abe’s war shrine visit enrages Japan’s neighbors
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the country’s first leader to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in almost eight years on Thursday, prompting strong condemnation from Korea and China.

News ListRail workers join talks
Korea Railroad Corp. and its union resumed talks Thursday, raising hopes to resolve the railway...

Top financial group split for sale
Woori Financial Group, Korea’s first holding firm-owned financial services company, has embarked on a full-scale process to dispose of its businesses within a year.Under policymak...

Period blockbusters to fill silver screens next year
The Korean film industry attained a meaningful achievement this year by selling more than 200 m...

Pope prays for Christians persecuted for...

Samsung SDI, LG Chem to benefit from ESS...

Shipbuilding industry to pick up next ye...

Korea’s tourism growth may slow next ye...

Minister reiterates position on new KTX ...

N. Korea struggles to stem flow of defec...

Amazon.com to enter Korean market: repor...

Ahn bristles at DP criticism over plan t...

‘Comfort women’ seek injunction agains...

Constitutional Court throws out large re...

Protest against shrine visit

Seoul urges N. Korea to choose between t...

Ex-KT chief summoned again over alleged ...

Brand resilience

Hydraction leads spread of ‘hydrogen w...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Seoul condemns Abe for Yasukuni visit
South Korea condemned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, Thursday, warning Tokyo of diplomatic consequences. The hawkish politician made the trip to the controversial shrine in Tokyo exactly a yea...

NK restarts N-fuel fabrication at Yongbyon Nuke Complex
Commercial satellite imagery has identified facilities at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center that may produce fuel for North Korea’s recently restarted 5MW plutonium production reactor and the Experimental Light Wat...
Rail workers' strike affects tour trains 
The prolonged strike of unionized workers at the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) is increasingly aff... 

OB appeals to NTS's penalty taxes 
The sole shareholder of Oriental Brewery (OB) has made an objection to the Korean authorities’ imp... 

KB misses big opportunity 
KB Financial Group Chairman Lim Young-rok may feel uneasy as he came up empty handed after his bid... 

LG's 'HomeChat' controls appliances using online chat  
LG Electronics has introduced a new line of user-friendly home appliances registering commands fro...

 

NK on high alert over defectors  
North Korea is struggling to curb a growing number of defections in the wake of the execution of J... 

Rail union to unveil position today  
Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) union president Kim Myong-hwan plans to address the future of the ra... 

Number of cancer patients doubles over past decade  
The chances of survival for cancer patients have risen sharply although the number of people diagn... 

Former KT CEO summoned for 3rd time over slush fund  
Former KT Chairman and CEO Lee Suk-chae appeared before the prosecution for a third time Thursday ... 

Korean toy, Tobot, defeats Lego 
Lee Jeong-mi, a mother of a 4-year boy, had to search all the big shopping centers and department ... 

'HallyuWorld' project in limbo 
The ambitious project to build a Hallyu World in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, has made little progre...
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Dong A (http://english.donga.com)

8 million PCs in Korea may turn into zombie PCs
As Microsoft (MS) has announced it will stop supporting Windows XP from April 8 next year, the Internet security industry in Korea points out increasing risks of a potential computer security crisis because over 8... 

D-100 day to Sochi
Two sisters and a brother took a commemorative photo in front of Taeneung Athletic Village in Gongneung-dong, Seoul on Oct. 30, 100 days ahead of the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia. From left: second daughter Park...

Obama’s betrayal?
Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States, has triggered domestic controversies by naming people disapproved by African Americans as a federal judge. President Obama nominated 8 people...

KORAIL to hire 660 substitute workers
The Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) started to hire contract workers who will substitute its union members who are on strike. The move is to respond to the current rail strike, which may be protracted to the next year. ...

Ahn lashes out at Democratic Party for being `obsolete`

First Korean FIVB referee retires 

Mother drives distance of 10 circumnavigations to nurture skaters 

Let us help the new address system take root

What people say about the first year of Park administration

Obama’s betrayal?

8 million PCs in Korea may turn into zombie PCs
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Chinese Troops in Search Drill Near N.Korean Border
A mobile battalion in the Chinese city of Dandong on the border with North Korea is engaged in a winter tactical exercise, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. The exercise will continue for 15 days until early next year.

N.Korea's Old Guard Sidelined
The old guard in the North Korean military appears to have been replaced by a younger generation of officers loyal to leader Kim Jong-un since the execution of Jang Song-taek. Several elderly hardliners from the days of former leader Kim Jong-il were conspicuously absent from a ceremony in Pyongyang on Tuesday.

Men in Their 30s Most Unhealthy
Men in their 30s have the most unhealthy lifestyles since they are the most obese, smoke the most and take the least exercise. According to the 2012 data released by the National Health Insurance Service on Wednesday, 41.1 percent men in their 30s are obese, 52.8 percent smoke and only 5.7 percent engaged in physical activity at least 30 minutes a day.

Kim Jong-un 'Torn Up Over Uncle's Execution'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been seen weeping and showing other signs of psychological turmoil since the execution of his uncle Jang Song-taek, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun claimed Wednesday.

Political Violence Escalates in Thailand
In Thailand, fresh clashes between police and anti-government protesters Thursday left at least one police officer dead and dozens of people wounded. The violence prompted the...

UN Presses for Urgent Peacekeeping Reinforcements in South Sudan
The United Nations says it hopes to put peacekeeping reinforcements in South Sudan within 48 hours, as government forces battled rebels Thursday for control of the Upper Nile town...

Russia Drops Charges Against Greenpeace Activists
The environmental group Greenpeace said Russia has dropped criminal charges against most of its activists arrested in a September protest against Arctic oil drilling. Greenpeace...

China Marks Mao's 120th Birthday with Muted Celebrations

To keep a leather or fur jacket wet by snow in shape
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Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr)

To cling to power, Park administration resorts to force
The Park Geun-hye administration, which has maintained an “uncommunicative and proud of it” approach on contentious social issues, is ramping up its use of force and rejecting dialogue. In the latest development, police stormed the offices of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on Dec. 22, the fourteenth day of an ongoing strike against railway privatization. It was the first time authorities had been sent into the KCTU since it was legalized in 1999.

The point of conflict in the debate over railway privatization
As part of the government’s response to the controversy over the privatization of the railroad, various officials - including the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport; the Minister of Strategy and Finance; and the Prime Minister - have stepped forward to reiterate that the separation of the Suseo KTX Line does not represent privatization. But the Korean Railway Workers’ Union and civic groups refuse to believe the government’s claims, insisting that this is the first step toward privatization.

pment, police stormed the offices of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on Dec. 22, the fourteenth day of an ongoing strike against railway privatization. It was the first time authorities had been sent into the KCTU since it was legalized in 1999.

New insight into how children succeed
Paul Tough, 46, has continuously emphasized that the key in helping children find success in their lives is neither their academic results nor their parents’ wealth, but the strength of their own characteristics. The former editor for the New York Times Magazine claimed he could well come to such conclusion after tracking back history of the children for long period of time and putting together the trend of those children.

In landmark ruling, court recognizes work stress as cause of suicide
A court has ruled to recognize a worker’s suicide as an industrial accident in a first-ever case using a “psychological autopsy” to establish a connection between his workload and his death.
A psychological autopsy is a process that attempts to ascertain the cause of a suicide by interviewing and questioning family members and colleagues, rather than simply examining documents.
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Joong Ang (conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

Two rounds of talks on Korail strike
Negotiations have finally restarted over Korea’s longest rail strike ever. Choi Yeon-hye, president of the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), met yesterday afternoon with Park Tae-man, deputy Korail union leader, at the Buddhism Culture and History Museum in central Seoul, with Monk Dobeop of the Jogye Order serving as an intermediary…

Abe’s Yasukuni visit puts relations in greater peril
Diplomatic ties with Japan, which were already in a deep freeze, seemed certain to bottom out after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine…

Assembly passes more than 70 bills
In the plenary session yesterday of the National Assembly - one of just two remaining this year - lawmakers passed more than 70 bills…

Korail is managed in a lax way, claims gov’t
The government has belatedly launched an operation to sway public sentiment against the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) strike, the union’s longest ever…

Corporation to advise Philippine airport plan
Incheon International Airport Corporation announced yesterday that it had obtained a $2.5 million deal to serve as an adviser to the Philippines for its airport development plan…

Chinese tourists double since 2011
Despite the cold winter weather in Seoul, about 20 Chinese tourists gathered around the statue of King Sejong yesterday as part of their visit to the city…

Gov’t to start cracking down on energy waste
The shutdown of six nuclear reactors has triggered concerns over potential energy shortages this winter; but despite the uncertainty…

Contracted teachers fret over job security
Mrs. Kim, the mother of a second-grader in Seodaemun District, in northwestern Seoul, recently heard something curious from her son…

BOK admits low inflation a threat
The Korean central bank for the first time has acknowledged the risks low inflation might pose to the economy next year…

More bankers like the odds of risk management
In the financial world, employees in charge of risk management are often compared to defenders in football because their major responsibilities…

Corporate bonds in won take a nosedive in 2013
Offerings of won-denominated company bonds in Korea plunged by the most on record as corporate failures from Tongyang Group to STX Corp…

LG, Samsung cooking up kitchens
Local electronics companies are expanding their kitchen business, zeroing in on a growing “smart home” market…

Recalls affect Ssangyong Korandos and BMW 7 Series
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said yesterday that Ssangyong Motor should recall more than 29,000 vehicles due to transmission…
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Edaily (http://eng.edaily.co.kr/Stock/)

[US the closing price]The U.S. Dow Jones Index, 122.33p( 0.75%) slightly up.
The U.S. Dow Jones Index Closing (At 2013.12.26) The Dow closed at 16,479.88p, slightly up 122.33p( 0.75%...

[Table]Exchange Rate Quotation
This is Exchange rate Quotation offered by Korea Exchange Bank. [table] Exchange Rate Quotation Offered by KEB ...

[Table]Exchange Rate Currency Crossrate
2013.12.27 08:10(Korean time), this is Currency Crossrate of major 12 countries. [table] FX Cross Currency ... 
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Maeil Kyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)

KORAIL labor union builds up $7.7 mn for strike
South Korean state-run rail operator Korean Railway (KORAIL)’s union workers are found to have piled up 8.2 billion won ($7.7 million) or 60 percent of the total union dues last year in a bid to buttress their endeavors for strife. With such liquidity, the unionized workers are going on illegal, groundless strike for 18 days in a row . KORAIL’s unionized members amassed 8.25 billion won in the name of ‘strife budget’ in the fiscal year 2012, accor...

SK Hynix develops world’s first TSV-based memory chip
SK Hynix delivering record earnings this year since its foundation, succeeded in developing a next-generation, high-speed memory chip embedded with a new technology called Through Silicon Via (TSV) for the first time in the world. The chip operates four times faster than the current highest speed chip DDR5 and consumes over 40 percent less electricity and is expected to be a next-generation cash-generating DRAM.

Poll: S. Korean manufacturers’ business sentiment bleak for early next year
A business environment for the South Korean companies is likely to remain stagnant into early next year. The nation’s business sentiment index for the first quarter in 2014 came to 92, according to the survey of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on 2,500 manufacturers Thursday.

Constitutional Court rules restriction of discount store operations is constitutional
The Constitutional Court has ruled that a local government ordinance forcing large discount stores or super supermarkets to cut down on operation hours and close for business on Sundays to protect small-sized retailers is not in violation of the Constitution. The ruling is expected to work in favor of local governments in lawsuits filed by large discount stores against local governments in administrative courts nationwide.

Prosecutors’ economic investigation awards nuclear plant corruption, joint securities crime teams
"I will lead at the forefront with the determination to uphold the last bastion of the market economy.”

Gov’t to develop promising materials, components for next generation
Special wristbands with biometric identification capability tell the user of their health condition every morning by checking it up during night time. In addition, daily weather and news pop up on the glass of bedroom.

Hanbit unit reports no more gunfire near base in South Sudan: Joint Chiefs of Staff
South Korea’s peacekeeping unit Hanbit dispatched to South Sudan said Thursday (local time) no extraordinary movement has been detected since two mortar rounds struck the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) Tuesday.

Hyundai Motor Group a potent candidate to take over Hyundai financial units, Dongbu Hitek
Eyes are on Hyundai Motor Group led by chairman Chung Mong-koo ahead of a set of merger and acquisition deals in the first half of next year as the business group is seen as the most likely candidate to acquire Hyundai Group’s three financial units including Hyundai Securities and Dongbu Group’s Dongbu Hitek.


'One of Seven Wonders of Winter' for a 22-day run

Hwacheon Mountain Trout Ice Festival opens Jan. 4

Named one of the 'even Wonders of Winter' by CNN and Lonely Planet, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo (Mountain Trout) Ice Festival is probably the most famous winter event in Korea. During the month of January every year, more than 1,000,000 people swarm Hwacheon in Gangwon province hoping to catch mountain trout bare-hand or ice fishing.
(Mayor Chung Gap-cheol invites the ambassadors and families to attend the Festival on Friday 17, 2014.)

1.4 million persons reportedly visited Hwacheon Mountain Trout Festival last year having their fill of the joys of the winter--ice-fishing mountain trouts and treating their eyes to the colorful lanterns of the angels at the Seondeung Candle Light Festival that takes place in the night.

Who said Hwacheon offers only ice-fishing? You can land mountain trouts also from the water standing on the river bank (top left). Koreans, expats, young and old, all enjoy various events of the Festival.

Left: Visitors pass through the colorfully lit ice tunnel. Right: You can also enjoy a 'sky ride' down the river.

Nestled between the town of Hwacheon and the mountains, the Hwacheon River is not only covered by a thick layer of ice, but also by thousands of festival participants.

The Hwacheon Mountain Trout Ice Festival will be taking place in Hwacheon County in Gangwon-do province on Jan. 4-26, 2014. This virtually untouched region is known as the first area in Korea that freezes over in winter, and the river is covered with a thick layer of ice.

Visitors can try out ice fishing, and those who are feeling brave can try to catch mountain trout with their bare hands. Along with fun activities and performances, there is also an exhibition of ice sculptures that usually take 20 weeks to prepare. Visitors can sample raw and grilled mountain trout, both of which are delicious.

A foreign visitor said: “Unlike some Korean festivals I have been to, there is a lot to do at this festival. You can ride an ATV or go kart on the ice, go sledding, ice skating, push a metal cart on the ice, or do some regular reel fishing.”

The events that are most popular are ice fishing and bare-handed fishing. For the ice fishing, you are provided with a hole in the ice and a bag for putting your catch for 10,000 won of which you get 10,000-won Love Gift, money you can spend around the festival grounds on food and souvenirs. “If you aren’t Korean, make sure to head to the foreigner only section. It is not only less crowded, but there is English-speaking help and you are given a free fishing pole,” said the foreign visitor.

When you get on the ice, pick a hole, let out enough line to get your lure to the bottom of the river. Then, quickly flick your wrist upwards and let it float back to the bottom. Some persistence is required, he stressed.

Hwacheon is considered a “clean region” where mountain trouts and otters live. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is opened in every January under the slogan of “Unfrozen Hearts, Unforgettable Memories” at Hwacheon that has geographical features of the fastest ice freezing in the country because of cold valley wind and clean water.

This is a unique theme experience festival full with good shows and 40 or about various experience programs, such as ice sledding, snow sledding, snow sculpture and ice soccer, Sancheoneo experience programs combined with the image of Hwacheon that has clean natural environment with the first grade clean water in Bukhangang (river) for catching Sancheoneo by hand, Sancheoneo fishing on the ice to catch the fish easily and enjoy the fishing by everybody, breaking the ice with 40cm thickness and above and looking at Sancheoneo in the deep water for your exciting play available for experiencing at Hwacheon only and heart-warm memory in winter.

Winter Sancheoneo! Sancheoneo Fishing! To mention about ice fishing, you need to catch at least one Sancheoneo. It is an elegant fish underneath ice out of comparison to the other fishes due to moderate size and beautiful shape.

Sancheoneo is hard to catch as it is rare but everyone can catch one or two Sancheoneo at Hwacheon with somewhat good luck and knack since 32 or 3 tons of fresh Sancheoneo are being put just under the fishing place every day for visitors for Sancheoneo festival. It is just the reason why a child or young girl without fishing experience is indulged in Sancheoneo ice fishing. K
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