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.

Humor from Korean-language economic dailies this morning:

Seoul Kyungje

Manager for his subordinate:
"What are you doing here?"
"Executing your command."
"But I haven't told you anything."
"So and I do nothing."

Hankuk Kyungje
Breach of Promise
The traveling salesman stopped at a farmhouse for the night.
“We have no vacant room. But I could let you sleep with my daughter” the father said, “if you promise not to bother her.”
The salesman agreed.
The next morning, he asked for his bill. “It’ll be just five dollars, since you had to share the bed” the farmer said.
“Your daughter was very cold” the salesman said. “Why, you promised not to bother her, didn’t you? We’re going to bury her today.”
-------------------------------------------
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Kidnapped S. Korean in Libya Rescued
The head of the Libya office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has been rescued three days after he was kidnapped in Tripoli.

Gov't Toughens Regulations to Protect Personal Info
Anchor: The government has introduced a policy package to better protect personal information in the wake of a massive data leak at credit card companies. Financial firms will be banned from holding an excessive amount of personal information or sharing it with other companies. If a company fails to protect its database, it will be suspended for three months.

Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Avian Influenza Also Detected in Dead Geese: Gov't
The government has discovered bean geese in South Korea have also been infected with bird flu.

Seoul Introduces Rule to Compensate Overcharged Tourists
Anchor: Foreign travelers weary of getting ripped off in an unfamiliar country may have less to worry about now in Seoul. The Seoul Tourism Association introduced a new rule this month to compensate foreigners who can prove they were overcharged for a hotel, meal or even a package of seaweed.

Seoul, Washington Boosting Collaboration on N. Korea
South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met in Seoul on Tuesday and discussed North Korea issues.
-------------------------------------------
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Park champions 'creative economy' as solution to global economic woes
South Korean President Park Geun-hye championed her "creative economy" vision Wednesday as a solution to global economic woes such as low growth, high unemployment and widening inequalities at an annual meeting of global political and business leaders in Switzerland.

S. Korean man freed by Libyan gunmen
A South Korean national was released by gunmen in Libya Wednesday, three days after being captured, according to an embassy official.

S. Korea's economic growth slows in Q4
The South Korean economy grew at a slower pace in the fourth quarter than in the previous quarter as construction investment contracted, the central bank said Thursday.

IMF urges Korea not to slow structural reforms
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday South Korea needs to continue structural reforms to balance between exports and domestic demand in its economy.
---------------------------------------------
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

U.S. to send over 80 mine resistant vehicles to Korea
The Eighth U.S. Army is seeking to deploy more than 80 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to South Korea in the co...

News ListLotte Duty Free may pull out of Guam amid bribery scandal
Lotte Duty Free is on the verge of losing its business in Guam because of a legal battle over a...

DP, Ahn to form united front on candidate nomination rules
Democratic Party chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil and independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo will meet on Frid...

Prosecutor indicted for illegally helping celebrity girlfriend
A prosecutor was indicted Wednesday for allegedly playing favors on his girlfriend’s behalf, raising concerns over the prosecution service’s integrity amid a series of recent sca...

Korea's economic growth slows in Q4

Korean man freed by Libyan gunmen

Pope may visit S. Korea in August: repor...

Park calls Korean unification 'jackpot' ...

KAI aims to win 7.7 tln won in orders in...

Abe attends Park's speech at Davos Forum

‘Xi’s relatives stash riches in tax ha...

Property market changing course

Data-leaking financial firms face suspen...

‘World’s rich undermine democracy’

Ex-spy chief gets 2-year prison term for...

Park promotes corporate Korea in Davos

English teacher extradited from Armenia ...

Capital to compensate overcharged touris...

Good education a minus for women seeking...
------------------------------------------
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Park proposes 'Davos Consensus'
DAVOS, Switzerland - President Park Geun-hye suggested Wednesday that the world adopt the “Davos Consensus,” which will replace the strongly market-oriented approach called the “Washington Consensus.” In a keynote speech at the ...

KB, Lotte, NH to be suspended for 3 months
KB Kookmin Card, Lotte Card and NH NongHyup Bank’s credit card division will be suspended for three months beginning February for their involvement in the country’s worst-ever consumer data theft case, regulators said Wednesday....

Samsung, Apple unlikely to reconcile  
A leading intellectual property expert said Wednesday that Samsung Electronics and Apple are not l... 

Overcharged tourists to get compensation  
Tourists overcharged in seven special tourist zones in Seoul can be compensated for their losses b... 

Banks, brokerages also exposed to security risks 
Fears over personal-information leaks are spreading as a series of data-leak incidents indicate th... 

Card firms may see over W1 tril. in losses  
More than 1 trillion won in losses are forecast for three credit card companies where customer inf... 

Child porn suspect extradited from Armenia  
A former English teacher who allegedly filmed having sex with a 15-year-old girl and distributed t... 

Saenuri hit over nomination stance  
The ruling Saenuri Party is failing to deliver on a campaign pledge to abolish the practice of pol... 

Park pledges to remove unnecessary regulations  
DAVOS, Switzerland - President Park Geun-hye stressed innovation and entrepreneurship to deal with... 

Ex-spy chief sentenced to two years in prison  
The Seoul High Court sentenced former spy chief Won Sei-hoon Wednesday to two years in prison and ... 

Parties remain split over N. Korean human rights bill  
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Wednesday that they ag... 

Bird flu virus found in wild geese  
Three migratory wild geese found dead at a reservoir in avian influenza-stricken North Jeolla Prov... 

Kim confident of successful PyeongChang Winter Games 
The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, is just a little more than two weeks away, but Kim Jin-sun a... 

Poor response to data theft fans consumer panic 
Card users here are gripped by fear amid warnings that a massive quantity of consumer data recentl...   
-------------------------------------------                                   
          
Dong A (http://english.donga.com)

State firms` labor agreements infringe managerial rights
KEPCO KPS, a state-run energy company, has a personnel regulation that guarantees all of its workers` employment even when the company closes temporarily or permanently. A clause in the company`s collective bargaining...

Audit agency to probe into interest on U.S. burden-sharing account
U.S. shared defense expense burden-sharing account incurred interests It was confirmed Wednesday that during the negotiations on defense cost sharing that were recently agreed on between South Korea and the U.S., the...

Ex-spy chief gets 2 years in prison for taking bribes from businessman
A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced Won Sei-hoon, a former spy chief, to two years behind bars and a fine of some 160 million won (149,953 U.S. dollars) for accepting kickbacks from a businessman while in office. Won,...

`Black Widows` pose threat to safety at Sochi Olympics 
They hide themselves in dark, closed places such as basement, car garage, or shed. They remain in hiding mostly indoors during winter. Attack is fatal. It has poison 15 times lethal than that of the rattlesnake. Only the female bites.

World Economic Forum: Income inequality is biggest global risk
Worsening income inequality is the biggest risk to the world, the World Economic Forum said at its annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland. Attended by executives of the world`s top business executives and heads of states, the Davos forum is a meeting of the richest and powerful people with membership fee at 25,000 U.S. dollars.
-----------------------------------------------
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Kim Jong-un's Elder Brother Surfaces in Malaysia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's elder half-brother has been spotted in Malaysia. The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday quoted sources as saying Kim Jong-nam left his home in Singapore earlier this month and was spotted in Kuala Lumpur.

More People Prefer Brief Lunar New Year Trips
Traffic from Seoul to the provinces is forecast to peak on the morning of Jan. 30, and traffic back to Seoul on the afternoon of Jan. 31, Lunar New Year's Day. In a telephone survey of 9,000 households nationwide by the Korea Transport Institute on Jan. 2-6, 40.6 percent of respondents said they will leave for their ancestral hometowns on the morning of Jan. 30.

Builders Set to Win $7 Billion in Overseas Orders
Korean builders could win an estimated US$7 billion worth of orders this month alone from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, boding well for the construction industry. The only time so far that overseas orders topped $7 billion in the month of January was in 2010 due to an $18.6-billion nuclear power plant contract in the United Arab Emirates.

NSA Leaker Snowden Rejects Charges He Spied for Russia
Former U.S. national security contractor Edward Snowden is rejecting suggestions he is a Russian spy, saying he acted alone in leaking details about the American government's...

China Smog Drifts Across Pacific to U.S. Skies
Roughly one quarter of the air pollution choking China comes from factories supplying the rest of the world with shoes, electronics, toys, and almost everything else, according to...

'Red Shirt' Leader Shot in Thailand as Unrest Continues
A well-known pro-government leader has been shot and wounded in northern Thailand, as Bangkok comes under a state of emergency to deal with simmering political violence. Police...
-----------------------------------------------
Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Pres. Park says N. Korea will have to change
In Switzerland, Park discusses bringing about circumstances that induce change in the North
President Park Geun-hye came out with another provocative statement on Jan. 20 during a summit in the Swiss capital of Bern.
“North Korea may need to change by itself, but if it can’t do that, then we need to create an environment where it has no choice,” Park said at the summit with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter. Terms like “change,” “openness,” and “reforms” are seen as taboo in North Korea, since they hint at the possibility of regime change.

N. Korea describes importance of developing its economy
North Korea stated a position that it sees establishing a peaceful environment to grow its economy and improve its population’s standard of living as an important goal.
Analysts said the column showed economic issues to be the key reason the North has been actively calling on South Korea to improve relations and halt hostile military actions since the beginning of 2014.

Family of disappeared man loses another court battle for remains
“It’s devastating. But I’ve resolved to just keep going, even if these are the rulings we get.”
Im Il-bin lost yet another court battle on Jan. 17. The 57-year-old was appealing a first trial ruling denying her request to claim the remains of her older brother, who was executed by firing squad after training as a “Silmido unit” member when she was just a child.

Canadians naturalized to join S. Korean ice hockey team
When the reporter asked who invented Hangul, the Korean alphabet, the hockey player pulled a 10,000 won (US$9.39) bill out of his pocket and pointed right at King Sejong. “King Sejong made Hangul, and Yi Sun-sin made the turtle ship,” he said. His pronunciation was a little rough, but his face was beaming with pride.

The Nut Job proves a hit in North American theaters
Feature animation The Nut Job is attracting attention after soaring to the second spot at the North American box office. The film was funded by Korean studios, with Korean animators taking the lead in its production.
On Jan. 20, Box Office Mojo, an American movie website, said that The Nut Job had earned US$25.26 million in revenue in 3,427 theaters across the US since its release on Jan. 17.
-------------------------------------------
Joong Ang (conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

Ahn pooh-poohs Seoul mayoral run
Maverick lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo denied rumors yesterday that he is considering running for Seoul mayor in June - challenging sitting Mayor Park Won-soon, whom Ahn was instrumental in getting elected two years ago...

Gov’t tackles data leaks but panic still continues
The nation’s financial watchdog will step up regulations on the sharing of customer information by financial companies within business groups…

Parties agree on rights law about North
Both ruling and opposition politicians agreed to discuss a law dealing with human rights in North Korea, an unprecedented U-turn for the opposition party…

White House says it’s learned lesson on provocations
The White House’s point man on Korean issues said in Washington Tuesday that the best way to prevent further provocations from North Korea is to not reward…

In Davos speech, Park talks entrepreneurship
President Park Geun-hye told global corporate and political leaders in a speech yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos…

After memorial, Seoul wants Ahn’s remains
A group of senior Saenuri Party lawmakers called for the remains of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun to be repatriated to Korea…

Saenuri debates its party nomination system
The ruling Saenuri Party yesterday held its first general meeting of party members this year and came close to formerly reneging on its presidential campaign promise…

An end to texts using false numbers
The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said yesterday that phones will be blocked from sending text messages listing a false return phone number…

Sister of Bae implores U.S. gov’t to intervene
The sister of an American tour guide operator detained for more than a year in North Korea echoed her brother’s apology to the nation for crimes he committed…

Model students in English speaking contest
Scott Wightman, the British ambassador to Seoul, left, poses yesterday with Park Jae-hyun and Koo Yeon-woo, the winners of the high school division…

Education affects marriage: Survey
The number of well-educated women with master’s and doctoral degrees continues to increase, an indication of the rising status of women in modern society…

Prosecutor indicted for threats and blackmail
A prosecutor was indicted yesterday for threatening a plastic surgeon in an attempt to help a celebrity settle disputes with the doctor…

Two ice hockey players obtain Korean passports
Michael Swift, 27, and Bryan Young, 28, are professional ice hockey players for High1, a Korean team in the Asia League Ice Hockey…
---------------------------------------------
Edaily (http://eng.edaily.co.kr/Stock/)

[US the closing price]The U.S. Dow Jones Index, -41.10p(-0.25%) slightly down.
The U.S. Dow Jones Index Closing (At 2014.01.22) The Dow closed at 16,373.34p, slightly down -41.10p(-0.2...

[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
2014.01.23 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 2.92%, up ( 1bp) from yesterday. ... 
-----------------------------------------------
Maeil Kyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)

FSC announces tough measures to root out data breaches
From now on, South Korean financial companies that have been found to be negligent in keeping customer data secure, including leaking of confidential information, may have to close business while their top executives could face dismissal. According to a set of measures unveiled by the government on Wednesday, financial companies which do business using illegally leaked data will also face fines of up to 1% of their sales. Punitive measures against top..

Park says entrepreneurship motivates creative economy at WEF
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said at the 44th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland Wednesday (local time), “the Davos Forum pinpoints that entrepreneurship is the sole driving force behind sustainable and across-the-board growth.”

LG to hit Chinese LTE market through ties with China Mobile
LG Electronics, which is fiercely vying for the world’s third place with the Chinese rivals including Huawei and Lenovo in the global smartphone race, will be betting on China.

Bean geese infected with bird flu strain hitting S. Korea
The South Korean government confirmed that a series of wild migratory birds were infected with the same virus strain that was the most probable cause of the recent outbreak of highly pathologic avian influenza (AI) detected at four duck farms in North Jeolla Province.

Doosan Heavy Industries wins $2.8bn order in UK
Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction will sign a 3 trillion won ($2.80 billion) contract to offer management services for 14 nuclear power plants in the UK through its overseas subsidiary Doosan Power Systems (DPS).