The Korean daily media headlines and humor

These famed Korean artists are also famous for their landscapes, figure painting (including nudes) and still life works. Please visit the following sites of The Korea Post Internet for sample paintings.

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

Death is only sleep.
- A Ghanaian proverb

Your neighbour’s (of death) is your own day (of death).
- A Congolese proverb

If the iguana comes out of the river to say that the crocodile is ill, nobody doubts it.
-A Ghanaian proverb

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Humor from Korean-language economic dailies this morning:

Seoul Kyungje

A man walks into a store to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter.
"How much is that Barbie in the window?", he asks the shop assistant.
She responds, "Which Barbie? We have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $395.00."
The guy asks, "Why is Divorced Barbie different from all the others?"
"That's obvious," the assistant states, "Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture…."

Hankuk Kyungje
Ninth Month of Pregnancy
The woman was in her ninth month of pregnancy and feeling very uncomfortable.
On top of everything, her pleas for sympathy seemed to go unnoticed by her husband.
One day she told him, “I strongly hope in your next life you get to be pregnant!”
Her husband replied, “I strongly hope in your next life you get to be married to someone who’s pregnant!”
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

S. Korean Gov't Worker Kidnapped in Libya
Seoul's Foreign Ministry says a South Korean was kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Tripoli.

Pres. Park Orders Ministries to Maintain Tight Security Posture
President Park Geun-hye says South Korea needs to be thoroughly prepared for North Korea's provocations at times when the communist state engages in charm offensive.

Ducks at Farm Suspected of Being Infected with AI to be Culled
North Jeolla Province quarantine officials say they decided to cull some 65-hundred ducks at a farm in Buan as a precautionary measure after a suspected case of bird flu was reported there.

Obama Signs Bill with Attachment on Japan's Sex Slavery
U.S President Barack Obama signed a bill on Friday that includes a document asking the State Department to urge Japan to address its wartime sex slavery.

Pres. Park Concludes Visit to India, Begin Trip to Switzerland
President Park Geun-hye wrapped up her four-day trip to India and headed to Switzerland on Saturday.

RFA: UN to Provide $6.5 Mln to UN Agencies in N. Korea
Radio Free Asia says the UN will provide six-and-a-half million dollars in emergency funds to its agencies operating in North Korea.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Park warms up for 'sales diplomacy' in Switzerland
South Korean President Park Geun-hye warmed up Sunday for a flurry of economic diplomacy meetings set to kick off in Switzerland this week, including a summit with the European nation and an annual gathering of political and business leaders from around the world.

Second case of bird flu also of highly pathogenic strain: gov't
The second reported case of bird flu this year is of the same highly pathogenic strain as the first case, the agriculture ministry said Sunday.

Korea's producer prices fall for 15th straight month in Dec.
South Korea's producer prices declined for the 15th straight month in December as the local currency's ascent to the U.S. dollar cut import prices, the central bank said Monday.

Consumer group to demand regulator investigate data leak
A customer advocacy group said Monday it will ask the financial watchdog to probe banks and credit firms over a recent massive leak of customers' personal information.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Bird flu scare spreads
The government on Sunday confirmed that poultry from two duck farms in Buan, North Jeolla Province were infected with av...

15 million clients’ personal data believed to be stolen
The victims of a recent information leak from three credit card companies are believed to number about 15 million, officials and sources said Sunday. The prosecution announced on J...

Bumpy road for Tong Yang
Faltering Tong Yang Securities is likely to be offered up to the merger and acquisition market ...

Roh nostalgia shakes up box office
Choi Yoon-jeong, an office worker in her 20s, has never considered herself someone who is “int...

Second case of bird flu also of highly p...

Chinese police find 790,000 fake ID reco...

First magazine for gays, lesbians launch...

Ahn calls for ban on party nomination of...

Obama clips surveillance wings

China opens hall honoring Korean indepen...

Park calls for tightend security against...

Poster movement expands to gender discri...

Government sets up task force on history...

Park arrives in Switzerland for summit, ...

Voters overwhelmingly back new Egyptian ...

Attack on Afghan restaurant kills 21

Ukrainian opposition eyes new protests

Seven militants killed in southern Russi...

Obama tells Germans spying won’t damage...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Data theft hits top regulators
Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Shin Je-yoon and Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Choi Soo-hyun are among the millions of people whose personal information was recently leaked. Besides Shin and Choi, oth...

China-born fine dust on 3k-times magnification
Fine dust magnified 3,000 times has revealed the lethal airborne particle’s true “shocking” image, raising public concerns, sources said Saturday.
Ahn takes jab at President  
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo criticized President Park Geun-hye, Sunday for retreating on her campaign promi... 

'Old hero' to make 6th Olympic try  
Lee Kyou-hyuk was once regarded as Korea’s greatest speed skater. Now Lee is an over-the-hill 36-y... 

Park calls NK offer 'ploy'  
BERN, Switzerland - President Park Geun-hye is showing few signs of changing her position on North...

Billboard puts YG head on leaders' list  
Yang Hyun-suk, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment, has been selected as one of the International ... 

Park to have summit with Burkhalter 
BERN, Switzerland - President Park Geun-hye is scheduled to hold a summit with her Swiss counterpa... 

Mahindra pulls out all stops to meet Park 
NEW DELHI - Mahindra & Mahindra, India’s automotive group, is said to have pulled out all the stop...

NK expected to make more conciliatory moves  
North Korea watchers said Sunday that Pyongyang’s series of conciliatory offers are aimed at solid... 

Bird flu threatens to spread  
An avian flu outbreak is feared to be spreading with a second case confirmed in Buan, North Jeolla... 

Workforce on fast aging path 
The economy is losing vitality, with its working population getting older and older as a result of... 

Hybrid car market to rebound 
Will the domestic hybrid vehicle market gain a momentum to grow this year? This is one of the ques...  
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Dong A (http://english.donga.com)

Seoul refutes ‘Pyongyang’s fake rhetoric to pursue peace’
Two Koreas are intensifying "2014 tug of war" to gain the upper hand in their rivalry. They are snubbing the other side’s offer, and instead making counteroffer, a practice resulting from mutual distrust. The second... 

Quarantine authorities cull ducks following AI outbreak
A quarantine official culls ducks at a farm in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province on Friday following an outbreak of avian influenza (AI). Around 20,000 ducks were culled in Gochang on the same day. North Jeolla...

Cap system on corporate regulations to be enacted
In a bid to ensure effectiveness of the “system restricting the total volume of regulations” that President Park Geun-hye announced in her New Year’s press conference, the government has decided to revise related laws...

Park to discuss Swiss vocational training for Korean students
President Park Geun-hye holds a summit with Didier Burkhalter, the president and foreign minister of Switzerland, on Monday. Leaders of the two nations will mainly discuss bilateral cooperation in the area of science...

Dried persimmon at gold winter night
Persimmon trees are usually cultivated in the temperate climate of East Asia.

YG CEO named as Billboard`s first Korean int`l power player 
YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk has been selected as one of the International Power Players by Billboard Magazine.

More companies to offer bonuses for Lunar New Year
More companies are likely to dole out bonuses to their employees for the Lunar New Year holidays this year than last year. 
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Most S.Korean Men Would Marry N.Korean Women
Seven out of 10 single men in South Korea are open to the idea of marrying a North Korean woman, but no South Korean woman would marry a North Korean man, according to a straw poll.

N.Korea Calls for End to 'Mutual Denunciation'
North Korea on Thursday called for an end to mutual denunciations between North and South Korea. North Korea's National Defense Commission on Thursday in a statement called on the two sides to stop irritating each other as Lunar New Year's Day approaches at the end of this month.

Demand for W50,000 Bills Still Soaring
Due to explosive demand for W50,000 bills, the amount of new bills printed exceeded W9 trillion for the first time last year. The Bank of Korea on Thursday said total bills in circulation at the end of last year were worth W63.37 trillion, up 9.03 trillion or 16.6 percent from the previous year.

Ji Dong-won Pledges Next Four Years to Dortmund
Ji Dong-won has signed a four-year deal with Dortmund and will begin training with the club on July 1, the German top-flight outfit posted on its official website on Friday. His...

U.S. Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Poisoned Letters to Obama
A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and other officials. The U.S. Justice Department says James Everett Dutschke, a former...

West Virginia Chemical Spill Company Files for Bankruptcy
The company blamed for a chemical spill that left hundreds of thousands of West Virginia residents without safe drinking water has filed for bankruptcy. Freedom Industries filed...

Obama Signs Government Spending Bill
U.S. President Barack Obama has signed into law a $1.1-trillion budget bill that funds the federal government through Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year ends

Dennis Rodman Enters Alcohol Rehab
Retired American basketball star Dennis Rodman has checked himself into an alcohol treatment program after returning to the United States from his latest trip to North Korea, where he played an exhibition game for the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Blasts Injure 28 Protesters in Bangkok
A daytime grenade attack on an anti-government rally site in Thailand has left more than two dozen wounded, pointing to an escalation in violence as political tensions rise. The bloodshed has led to senior army commanders calling for negotiations amid fears of further attacks by armed groups.
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Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr)

More and more babies with disabilities being abandoned
After abandonment, disabled infants placed in care facilities that lack the capacity to deal with all of them
Joon-hoo cried as needles pierced both of his legs. On Jan. 6, he had just had his first birthday and was laid on a bed in an infant intensive care unit in Seoul Metropolitan Children’s Hospital, where he had been for 11 months. Injections may now be somewhat bearable, but not the hunger Joon-hoo had to deal with: he couldn’t eat because of his high fever. Joon-hoo, who was born with a rare congenital disease, seemed fine for a while after being transferred to the rehabilitation ward from the intensive care unit (ICU) last July.

One man’s dream of shoe business turns into a corporate nightmare
There is only so much that can be done to predict and avoid risk. When building a house, you can take precautions against floods and blizzards, and you can even design it to be earthquake-resistant. But these efforts will go to waste if the entire town is swept away by a lava flow or a tidal wave.

Seoul snubs North Korea’s “important proposal”
The South Korean government dismissed the “important proposal” of North Korea’s National Defense Commission on Jan. 17 because of doubts about Pyongyang’s sincerity. Seoul believes that the North is waging a camouflaged “peace offensive.” In fact, government officials even disparaged North Korea’s proposal, labeling it as “distortion of the facts and absurd claims, intended to manipulate public opinion.”

Court rules in favor of dismissed MBC reporters
A court has decided to invalidate MBC’s (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) decision to fire and take disciplinary measures against striking union members. MBC’s duty to guarantee the fairness of broadcasting also applies to working conditions, the court ruled. As such, the company’s abuse of its authority over personnel decisions interfered not only with working conditions but also with fair broadcasting. The court also acknowledged the legitimacy of the unionists’ strike.

South Korea dealing with a new outbreak of bird flu
There has been another outbreak of avian influenza, the fourth in South Korea since 2003. The government is taking urgent preventative measures to halt the spread of the disease. After close examination of ducks suspected of being infected with bird flu on a farm where baby ducks are kept in incubation in Gochang County in North Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs announced on Jan. 17 that it had isolated the H5N1 strain of the flu, which is capable of being transmitted to humans and is feared to be highly pathogenic.
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Joong Ang (conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

Farmers locked down to stop spread of avian flu
In an all-out effort to contain the spread of avian influenza (AI), authorities imposed a 48-hour ban on the movement of poultry farmers and their vehicles in the Gwangju and Jeolla regions effective from midnight Saturday through midnight tonight.

Personal data leaks snowball to 104 million
The leaks of personal information from credit card companies were much worse than previously thought and victims include CEOs of financial companies…

Park orders extra vigilance against North attack
President Park Geun-hye ordered the Ministry of National Defense and other foreign affairs and security branches to strengthen the national security posture…

For insurance executive, Korea a land of opportunity
Daniel Costello, chief executive officer of AIA Life Korea, sees huge potential for growth in the Korean insurance market while others see it as “saturated.”…

The Dream Project nurtures Olympic aspirations
With the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics just four years away, the Alpensia Resort in the host city of Pyeongchang, Gangwon, remains largely devoid of visitors…

Some heady competition on tap for brewers
Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Lotte Chilsung Beverage CEO Lee Jae-hyuk and other executives met recently for some “beer time.” In front of each executive…

Top jobs don’t pay like they used to
Even the most prestigious jobs have not been able to escape the prolonged economic slowdown that has hit Korea and many other countries…

‘Family days’ give workers needed time at home
Twice a week, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, located in Jongno District, central Seoul, turns off its lights immediately after official working hours…

Prober of Sungnyemun restoration kills himself
A university professor investigating the flawed restoration of the Sungnyemun, or Namdaemun Gate, took his life Saturday, leaving behind a suicide note saying…

Boeing sued for Asiana 777 crash
Boeing was sued by more than 80 passengers on an Asiana Airlines jet that crashed in July who claim the airplane maker is liable for their injuries due to an inadequate…

Employment rate is low for Park’s $40,000 goal
Korea needs to boost its rate of employment if it wants to reach the $40,000 per capita gross domestic product level, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said yesterday…

Civil service sees rise in applicants
With civil servant positions expected to significantly increase this year, the number of people applying for the posts has surged…

Azerbaijan remembers historic ‘Black January’
Twenty-four years have passed since “Black January,” when the Central Soviet Authorities perpetrated an atrocious crime against the people of Azerbaijan…
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Edaily (http://eng.edaily.co.kr/Stock/)

[Table- Weekly Market] Weekly Fluctuation of World Index
01.13~01.17 this is the weekly fluctuation of world index. [table] Weekly fluctuation of world index ...

[US the closing price]The U.S. Dow Jones Index, 41.55p( 0.25%) slightly up.
The U.S. Dow Jones Index Closing (At 2014.01.17) The Dow closed at 16,458.56p, slightly up 41.55p( 0.25%)...

[Table- Weekly Market] Weekly Fluctuation of Interest Rate
01.13~01.17 this is the weekly fluctuation of interest rate. [table] Weekly fluctuation of interest rate ...

[Table]Exchange Rate Quotation
This is Exchange rate Quotation offered by Korea Exchange Bank. [table] Exchange Rate Quotation Offered by KEB ...
[Table- Weekly Market] Weekly Fluctuation of Exchange Rate
01.13~01.17 this is the weekly fluctuation of exchange rate. [table] Weekly fluctuation of exchange rate ...

[Table]Exchange Rate Currency Crossrate
2014.01.20 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/)

S. Korea’s PV industry to resume growth
South Korea’s second largest polysilicon producer Hankook Silicon with its annual polysilicon production capacity of 15,000 tons will resume operations as early as February. The manufacturer has stopped the whole operations since December 2012 when the international polysilicon prices dropped to $15 per kg. Meanwhile, Hanwha Chemical finished construction of a 10,000-ton-capacity polysilicon plant in Yeosu late last year and is scheduled to begin com...

Another case confirmed as AI infection in S. Korea
The South Korean government confirmed that the birds from two duck farms in Buan, North Jeolla Province, were infected with avian influenza (AI) virus after the first case reported in Gochang in the same Province was found to be highly pathologic AI.

S. Korea’s PV industry to resume growth
South Korea’s second largest polysilicon producer Hankook Silicon with its annual polysilicon production capacity of 15,000 tons will resume operations as early as February. The manufacturer has stopped the whole operations since December 2012 when the international polysilicon prices dropped to $15 per kg.

Hyundai-Kia enjoys surging growth in China with mid-sized models
South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai and Kia Automotive Group boosted its sales in China, driven by profitable mid to large-sized models.

Nonghyup to set up 200 units for exports
South Korea’s farm co-operative Nonghyup will create new units fully responsible for exporting the Nonghyup foods for its 200 branches nationwide.