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:

The ears of a chief are as big as those of on elephant.
- A Ghanaian proverb

The whole world burns but little patch to survive.
- A Kenyan & Tanzanian proverb

The creator created death, but becomes a victim of death.
-A Ghanaian proverb

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Humor from Korean-language economic dailies this morning:

Seoul Kyungje

Q: How does a Russian commit suicide?
A: He smells his armpit.
Q: How does an American commit suicide?
A: He tells this joke to a Russian.

Hankuk Kyungje
Wilful 7-Year-Old
The seven-year-old daughter had grown her thick, blonde hair all the way to her waist.
Her mother had been coaxing her to have it trimmed so it would be easier to care for.
While working on her older daughter’s hair one day, the mother renewed her cajoling. “Come on, Sally, doesn’t your sister’s hair look nice? How would you like your hair cut?”
She glanced at the job her mother was doing on her sister, looked the mother in the eye and replied, “By a professional.”
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Head of Korea Biz Center in Libya Kidnapped
The head of the Libya office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has been kidnapped in Tripoli.

N. Korea's Soccer Teams to Compete in 2014 Asian Games
North Korea’s state-run media says the country’s men's and women’s soccer teams will compete in South Korea this fall.

S. Korea Mired in Massive Information Leak Scandal
Anchor: South Korea is now mired in an unprecedented, massive information leak scandal. The personal information of almost all economically active people in South Korea was leaked...

Memorial Hall Honoring Ahn Jung-geun Opens in Harbin, China
Anchor: A South Korean man ultimately gave his life for his country in the early 1900s when he he shot to death the first leader of Japan's colonial government in Korea. China is now honoring the Korean patriot at the site of the assassination in Harbin.

Pres. Park to Hold Summit with Swiss President Tuesday
President Park Geun-hye will hold a summit with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter early Tuesday, Korea time

N. Korea Found to Conduct Nighttime Infiltration Drill
The government says North Korea has carried out a nighttime parachute infiltration drill. South Korean military authorities on Monday quoted North Korean media as saying the drill...

Financial Sector on High Alert Amid Info Leak Scandal
New reports suggest there could be more victims of the latest personal information leak of major South Korean credit card companies and...

Comfort Women Resolution Monument Built in New York
A monument has been erected in New York to remember the suffering of the so-called comfort women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War Two.

No. of Foreign Residents Exceeds 1.5 Mln
The number of foreigners living in South Korea has more than doubled over the past ten years to top one-point-five million
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

S. Korea, Switzerland agree to forge close partnership in vocational education
South Korea and Switzerland agreed Monday to build close partnerships in vocational education and science and technology and to work closely together to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

Bank officials quit en masse over massive data leak
Top executives at a bank and credit card firms tendered their resignations on Monday as the finance industry tried to rein in havoc from the latest massive leak of client data that regulators say may have affected roughly half of the country's 50 million people.

U.S. hopes to send envoy to N. Korea for detained man
The U.S. government voiced concern Monday about the fate of an American man detained in North Korea, reiterating it wants to dispatch a special envoy for talks on his release.

Iran sanctions eased, relief for S. Korean economy
South Korea is apparently pleased with the easing of sanctions on Iran, which has taken initial steps toward implementing its nuclear deal with global powers, diplomatic sources here said Monday.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Top executives resign over massive data leak
Top executives of KB Financial Group, NongHyup Card, and Lotte Card -- all three companies involved in the recent fina...

Korean official abducted in Libya
A South Korean official at a state-run trade agency was kidnapped in Libya by unidentified armed men, and his whereabouts remains unknown, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday. Ha...

Ex PM Kim denies reports, leaves ruling party with few options
The outlook for the ruling Saenuri Party in the Seoul mayoral race was clouded further Monday, ...

Online retail giant Amazon steps up Korean penetration
With a new chief aboard, Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, is set out to enter the ...

Weak security for Korean credit cards
The country’s credit cards firms are facing their worst crisis on record with people rushing to cancel a...

CJ Mall user info hacked, too

North Korea football players to compete ...

UN watchdog confirms Iran nuclear freeze

Fears of AI spread escalate

SK, LG eye 4 times faster LTE service

China dismisses Japan’s protest over me...

Shares close higher on China’s Q4 figur...

Fears grow over safety of Koreans in con...

Jailed American appeals for release in N...

Korea, Myanmar to boost agriculture coop...

N.K. says its football teams to compete ...

Ukraine protests turn into fiery battles

Afghanistan’s president again demands U...

Seoul hardens line amid N.K. peace offen...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

4 CEOs offer to step down
CEOs of four financial services companies offered to resign Monday over the massive consumer data leaks that have hit the local financial sector. They are KB Kookmin Bank CEO Lee Kun-ho, KB Kookmin Card CEO Shim Jae-oh, NH NongH...

Migratory ducks to blame for outbreak
Some 60 migratory birds, identified as Baikal teal, died of bird flu, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Monday. The birds were found dead in a reservoir in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, and sent to a lab...

KOTRA employee kidnapped in Libya  
A Korean trade agency employee was kidnapped in Libya with the abductors and their motive yet to b... 

Unrest in emerging markets set to affect Korea's exports 
A number of emerging countries will hold elections this year, which may lead to unrest and affect ... 

Jumpers vow to go out with bang 
The greatest moment in Korea’s modest history in ski jumping came in the 2002 Winter Olympics in S... 

Rep. Ahn asks Mayor Park to yield  
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo is pressuring Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and the main opposition Democratic Part... 

Lee Min-ho invited to China TV festival 
Korean actor Lee Min-ho, 26, will become the first Korean artist to be invited to the Chinese Cent... 

'Lesbian' Ugandan denied refugee status  
A Ugandan woman who claims to be a lesbian lost a lawsuit through which she sought to gain refugee... 

Collection of ID numbers to be banned from August  
Both public institutions and private companies will be fined up to 500 million won from August for... 

Memorial stone for former sex slaves erected in NY  
A monument commemorating the victims of Japan’s military sexual slavery during World War II was er... 

NK footballers to play in Incheon Asiad 
North Korean athletes will participate in the football competition at this year’s Asian Games, whi...   
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Dong A (http://english.donga.com)

Card firms vow full compensation for damage from illicit use
The financial regulators and credit card companies claim that since the personal information leaked from the firms have not be been handed over to a third party, and the original file containing the leaked information...

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...

Gov`t mulls over imposing fines to 3 card firms for data leaks
On leaks of personal information from three credit card companies, Prime Minister Chung instructed the government to “give stern punishment to prevent anyone from committing such wrongdoing again.” The government is...

A Korean trade official kidnapped by gunmen in Tripoli
Han Seok-woo, head of trade relations at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), has been kidnapped by unknown gunman in the Libyan capital Tripoli. It is the first time that a Korea is kidnapped in Libya. ...

University enrollment quota to be reduced starting this year
Starting this year, Korean universities will cut enrollment quota in line with the government`s university structure reform plan. According to the Presidential Office and Education Ministry Monday, the government will...
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

N.Korea Fortifies Border with China
North Korea has been building concrete machine-gun pillboxes along the border with China since December as the Chinese staged massive military drills in the area. It claims that all South Korean businessmen and workers in the Chinese cities of Dandong and Yanji are camouflaged South Korean soldiers.

China Opens Memorial for Korean Independence Fighter
China has opened a memorial in Harbin honoring Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun. The memorial was built by remodeling the former VIP room of Harbin Railway Station.

Most Int'l Parcels Now from Online Shopping Sites
Parcels from overseas shopping sites multiplied by 40 percent last year as more Koreans became aware of better deals online. Incheon airport customs on Sunday said over 10 million international parcels from online shopping sites abroad were received in 2013, up 40 percent from 2012.

Kim Ji-soo Draws on Personal Heartache in Adultery-Themed Soap
Actress Kim Ji-soo is drawing female viewers from their 30s to 60s to the SBS drama "One Warm Word," which airs twice a week. As the soap approaches its halfway point, it is...

U.S. Observes Holiday Honoring Civil Rights Icon
Americans across the country pause Monday to observe the annual federal holiday marking the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The holiday was created...

Japan Protests Chinese Memorial to Korean Assassin as Ties Fray
Japan on Monday protested against a Chinese memorial to a Korean who assassinated a Japanese official over a century ago, branding him a terrorist and saying the move did not help repair deteriorating ties.

Obama Says Marijuana No Worse Than Alcohol
U.S. President Barack Obama says he thinks using marijuana is less dangerous than consuming alcoholic drinks, but has told his daughters he does not advocate pot smoking.

Militant Islamist Video Threatens Winter Olympics
Two men said by Islamist militants to have carried out suicide attacks in south Russia appeared in a video donning explosive belts and warning Vladimir Putin to expect a "present" at the Sochi Winter Olympics from fighters following after them.
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Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Smash film The Attorney passes 10-million viewer mark
Story based on former president Roh bases its success on multi-generational appeal
On Jan. 19 - only 33 days after its release - The Attorney passed the 10 million viewer mark, making it the 10th film released in South Korea to be seen 10 million times or more. Though it hasn’t hit the mark set by Avatar (13.62 million tickets), which holds the South Korean box office record, The Attorney is now the ninth most popular Korean film of all time.

Highly pathogenic bird flu discovered at a second farm
A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been detected in samples taken from a duck farm in Buan County, North Jeolla Province. This was the second duck farm where suspicious signs were reported on Jan. 17. The South Korean government placed a temporary ban on transportation by poultry and livestock workers and their vehicles in North and South Jeolla Provinces and Gwangju. The standstill will last until the end of today.

Pres. Park calls for tight security stance as N. Korea makes peace overture
In response to repeated proposals from North Korea on Jan. 16 and Jan. 18, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said that the South should take even more precautions about provocations from the North at times like this. Park’s words have been criticized as pouring cold water on the possibility of improving inter-Korean relations and in fact are giving the North an excuse to make a military provocation.

US expert questions ‘provocation-negotiation-reward’ cycle of N. Korea
Both the South Korean and US governments have pointed out a cycle of ‘provocation-negotiation-reward’ as the main reason for rejecting talks with North Korea. This means that North Korea extracts whatever benefits it can from South Korea and the US, then does not honor the commitments it made during the negotiation. However, Robert Carlin, who is currently a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, makes a different suggestion.

New body formed to fight harsh rulings against organized labor
staff reporter Under growing criticism that the slew of damage lawsuits brought by the Korail and the government against the Korean Railway Workers’ Union for its strike is threatening workers’ livelihoods and their right to organize, a body for civic dialogue is being ...

Asiana passengers sue Boeing for damages
Passengers on the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport in July 2013 are suing Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft.Around 80 passengers filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for damages at Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois on Jan. 17, CNN reported.
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Joong Ang (conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

Data leaks claim top executives
Head of KB Kookmin Bank and CEOs of two card companies resign
Public fury over the mass leakage of personal information from credit card companies has forced two of the companies’ CEOs to resign in shame.It is the worst breach of personal data in Korea’s history, involving some 104 million accounts…

Avian flu in North Jeolla found in seasonal ducks
The government yesterday confirmed that avian influenza (AI) killed a flock of migratory birds at a reservoir in Gochang County.If the birds were…

Teams from North will go to Incheon for games
North Korea announced it would participate in the Incheon Asian Games this autumn, as the reclusive state continues to make conciliatory gestures toward South Korea…

New ways to judge universities on the cards
The Ministry of Education will announce the outline of a new college restructuring plan at the end of this month in an effort to factor in more qualitative assessments…

Toughest job market for new Korean lawyers
Illustrating the intensifying competition for jobs for lawyers, fewer than half of the graduates of the prestigious Judicial Research and Training Institute had landed…

With lax security and laws, a flood of leaks
Japan is on the move - and it’s taking some surprising turns. After succeeding in turning around market sentiment through bold quantitative easing and government spending…

Militants kidnap Kotra’s Libya rep
The head of a branch of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or Kotra, was kidnapped in Libya on Sunday, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday…

China opens a memorial for Ahn Jung-geun
China opened a memorial hall to honor Ahn Jung-geun, the Korean independence fighter who, on Oct. 26, 1909, assassinated Hirobumi Ito, the first Japanese…

Remembering Operation Dawn three years later
Last Thursday, Korea dispatched its 15th rotation of troops to the Gulf of Aden as part of global efforts to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia…

Teachers offend but maintain jobs
A 29-year-old primary school teacher, identified only by his surname Lim, was caught having paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for 110,000 won…

Tensions need not derail economic cooperation
Han Ki-won, commissioner of Invest Korea Japan is on the move - and it’s taking some surprising turns. After succeeding in turning around market sentiment through…

On the job, it’s a question of balance
Kim Woo-kyung, a 35-year-old employee at SK Innovation, has a 2-year-old child, and one of the many worries she has is about child care…

Samsung Group launches video series starring its people
Choi Young-ha, a Samsung Electronics manager, is captured in this video introducing the company to students in Latvia.Choi Young-ha, a Samsung Electronics manager…
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Edaily (http://eng.edaily.co.kr/Stock/)

[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]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
2014.01.21 08:10(Korean time), this is Currency Crossrate of major 12 countries. [table] FX Cross Currency ...

[Closed] Domestic rate of return of final bid closed. 3-year government bond up 1bp.
This is the rate of return of final bid. Quoted by Korea Financial Investment Association, domestic rate of return of final bid of 3-year government bond recorded at 2.90%, up ( 1bp) from yesterday. ... 
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Maeil Kyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)

Gov’t proposes revamping wage system
The South Korean government presented its new wage system proposal whereby the portion of basic pay in monthly average wage given to workers will expand from the existing 20 to 50 percent to over 70 percent and wages will become commensurate with workers’ performance and expertise. The government proposed a more reasonable wage model for the reorganization of the current wage system amid growing call to overhaul the unreasonable wage structure in whi...

S. Korea semiconductor market share likely outstripped Japan’s for first time last year
The South Korean semiconductor sector likely grabbed the second largest share in the global market last year, surpassing Japan for the first time.

S. Korean trade official kidnapped in Libya
A South Korean trade agency employee was kidnapped in Libya as he was returning home from work in the afternoon of Jan.19, local time, by unidentified, armed men, the Foreign Ministry here said Monday.

AB InBev to reacquire Oriental Brewery for $5.8bn
The world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) struck a deal to buy back South Korean brewery Oriental Brewery (OB) for $5.8 billion (6.1 trillion won). The price is well above the market estimate of $4.5 billion, making the deal the second biggest acquisition in the liquor industry this year after the $16 billion buyout of Beam, the US maker of whiskey by Japan’s Suntory.

Bird flu strain detected in carcasses of Baikal Teal
Avian influenza (AI) that infected ducks at farms in Gochang-gun and Buan-gun in north Jeolla province was likely to have originated from Baikal Teal, a type of wild migratory bird, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Monday.

“Tving” to feature home shopping on smartphones
CJ HelloVision’s N-Screen service “Tving,” which allows users to watch TV on smartphones and tablet PCs, opened a shopping service ‘Smart Shopping’ in partnership with home shopping channels such as CJ O Shopping, GS Home Shopping and NS Home Shopping, said CJ HelloVisiion Monday.

No report of more deadly bird flu cases in 5 days after outbreak
There has been no report of another avian influenza (AI) other than the previously reported three cases, in five days since the outbreak of highly pathologic AI in Gochang, north Jeolla province.