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

A car was involved in an accident in a street. As expected, a large crowd gathered.
A newspaper reporter anxious to get his story, could not get near the car.
Being a clever sort, he started shouting loudly, "Let me through! Let me through! I am the son of the victim."
The crowd made way for him.
Lying in front of the car was a donkey.

Hankuk Kyungje
He vs. She
Curious when she found two black-and-white negatives in a drawer, the woman had them made into prints.
She was pleasantly surprised to see they were of a younger, slimmer herself taken on one of her first dates with her husband.
Very proudly the woman showed the photographs to her husband.
The minute he saw it his face lit up. “Wow! It’s my first Ford car!”
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Park Returns from Trip to India, Switzerland
President Park Geun-hye has returned from state visits to India and Switzerland.

More Dead Birds Found in South Chungcheong
The government has discovered more dead birds in a central region of the country amid a growing bird flu scare in South Korea.

S. Korea's Sochi Olympic Teams Holds Inaugural Ceremony
South Korean athletes have vowed to perform well next month at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Financial Authorities on Emergency Mode in Wake of Data Leak
Financial officials are working around the clock under an emergency mode to minimize damage caused by a massive data leak at credit card companies and banks.
Kidnapped S. Korean in Libya Rescued
A South Korean trade agency employee kidnapped in Libya has been rescued by local forces three days after his capture.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Regulator reaffirms stolen data not circulated
Struggling to dispel rising public concerns over a massive leak of personal data, South Korea's financial regulator reasserted Thursday that the information stolen from several credit card firms has not been circulated.

Park returns home after 'sales diplomacy' trip to India, Switzerland
South Korean President Park Geun-hye returned home Thursday after a weeklong trip to India and Switzerland to enhance economic cooperation under her "sales diplomacy" drive.

In 'open letter,' N. Korea urges inter-Korean dialogue
North Korea called again for inter-Korean talks Friday, this time in the form of an "open letter." "It is our determination to create an atmosphere of reconciliation and unity, completely halt hostile military acts, realize the reunion of separated families and relatives, resume the tour of Mt. Kumgang and reenergize multi-faceted north-south cooperation and exchanges," the powerful National Defense Commission said in what it says is an open letter to South Koreans.

Virginia Senate passes bill on East Sea name
Virginia's state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill supported by the Korean-American community endeavoring to publicize the name East Sea for the body of water between Korea and Japan.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Hyundai Motor’s profit falls despite strong sales
Hyundai Motor’s global operating profit slid by 1.5 percent in 2013 to 8.31 trillion won ($7.75 billion) as the carmake...

News ListAbducted KOTRA Libya chief freed
A Korean trade official abducted in Tripoli was released after Libyan authorities arrested the ...

Wage guideline sparks backlash
Feuds between labor and management escalated Thursday as the government said it would exclude regular bonuses paid only to employees currently at work from ordinary wages.The Minis...

Over 500 artifacts discovered in undersea trove near Jindo
Off the southern coast of Korea near Jindo Island, a team of Korean archaeologists have discove...

S. Korean athletes vow winning performan...

Regulator reaffirms stolen data not circ...

Seoul slams Abe for defending shrine vis...

China tries three anti-graft activists i...

U.S. urges China's efforts to obtain 'ea...

Lenovo to buy IBM's low-end server busin...

Toyota keeps world No. 1 title with reco...

Foreign visitors to Seoul exceed 10 mill...

Technology leaders at Davos warn of U.S....

Shares fall on Chinese manufacturing woe...

DP concentrates fire on president over c...

Gangnam clinic under fire for displaying...

Park’s overseas trip shows economy matt...

Celebrities lose ‘publicity’ suit agai...

Man keeps dead girlfriend’s body in roo...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Minister Hyun under fire for slip of tongue
Deputy Prime Minister and Strategy and Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok is under fire for a slip of the tongue, in which he gave the impression that customers are partially responsible for the worst-ever leak of their data at three...

Korea plans business lobbies overseas
Korea will set up chambers of commerce in 10 countries to support companies doing business in overseas markets and protect their interests, the government said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled the pl..

Abe exacerbating regional conflict  
Japan’s hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe likened his country’s current tensions with China to the... 

Pastor plans to open 'baby box' for foreigners 
An organization in Seoul plans to open a “baby box” where foreigners can relinquish infants, its p... 

FA-50 deal to improve Korea-Iraq ties 
Iraq signed a deal last month to purchase 24 FA-50 light attack aircraft, manufactured by Korea Ae... 

Ancient, 'medieval' treasures found at sea  
Hundreds of artifacts, including pottery believed to be 2,000 years old, which lay hidden on the s... 

Ahn increasing political clout  
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo is demonstrating that he can influence the political landscape ahead of the Jun... 

Unions against 'normal wage' guidelines  
Unions have criticized the government’s new guidelines on “normal wages” that they claim only bene... 

Cheong Wa Dae denies resignation of chief of staff  
Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday denied media reports that Kim Ki-choon, the presidential chief of staff,... 

Pope may visit Korea in August 
Pope Francis may visit Korea in August, according to The Associated Press Wednesday. 

Economy facing uneven recovery 
The economy still has a long way to go to fully recover from its slump, with fourth-quarter growth... 

Fast online culture caused info leak 
Koreans focus on fast and efficient credit card use and online transactions, and that is one of re...    
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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...

Finance minister under fire for holding consumers responsible for stolen data
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok is under increasing fire for making remarks blaming consumers for the worst financial data leak in Korea while explaining his controversial remarks that held...

Annual parliamentary audit to take place twice from 2014
The annual parliamentary audit, which has taken place once a year during the regular session of the National Assembly in fall, will be divided into two separate sessions from this year. Yoon Sang-hyun, a deputy floor...

New online hacking steals money from bank accounts unnoticed
A crime ring who embedded a malicious code in computers of bank account holders and snatched tens of thousands of won from their accounts by faking receiving accounts and falsifying transfer amounts, have been caught by...

Number of foreign visitors to Seoul exceeds 10 mil. milestone
The number of foreigners who visited Seoul has exceeded the 10 million milestone for the first time ever. Among a total of nearly 12.17 million foreign tourists to Korea last year, an estimated 10 million-odd people... 
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

N.Korea Sends Defectors' Families to Remote Camps
North Korea is sending the families of defectors to remote internment camps near the border with China. A source on Wednesday said the State Security Department has set a target of exiling all families of defectors to collective villages.

Egyptian Telecom's Investment Frozen in N.Korea
Egyptian telecom service provider Orascom, which provides mobile services in North Korea, is unable to send back around US$400 million of its investments, Voice of America reported Wednesday. Orascom started offering 3G mobile services in North Korea in a joint venture with North Korea's postal service in 2008.

Pope Mulling Visit to Korea
Pope Francis may visit Korea, the Vatican said Wednesday, making him the first pontiff to visit the country in 25 years. Francis was elected pope in March last year. The last pope to visit Korea was John Paul II in 1989. The pope has been invited to a meeting of young Asian Catholics in Korea in August.

Bundesliga Points to Defender Ryu Seung-woo as Rising Star
Ryu Seung-woo of Bayer Leverkusen has been named a rising star in the German Bundesliga in the second half of the 2013/2014 season. The league introduced five young players to...

T-ara's Hyo-min Stars as Love Messenger in Japanese Flick
The Japanese film "Jinx," starring Hyo-min of T-ara, is set to be released here in February. Hyo-min is the first member of a Korean girl group to star in a Japanese film, while...

Russia Says Ignore 'Provocative' Messages Threatening Olympics
Russia urged other countries on Thursday to ignore letters threatening an attack on next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi, dismissing the warnings as a hoax. The host nation...

Bieber Charged with Drunk Driving, Drag Racing
Teen pop star Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach early on Thursday on a drunken driving charge after he was caught drag racing on a main thoroughfare in a rented yellow Lamborghini, police said.

Texas Executes Mexican National Despite International Pressure
A Mexican national has been executed in Texas, despite appeals from the Mexican government and Secretary of State John Kerry.
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Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Ssangyong’s majority shareholder suspected of technology leaking
Indian company acquired Ssangyong on the cheap in 2011, now could be looking to use it to develop tech for the Indian market
Mahindra & Mahindra, majority shareholders in Ssangyong Motor, are looking to produce the S102 compact SUV in their home country of India. The move is already igniting controversy, with critics worried that Ssangyong’s technology for the model’s X100 platform - set for an early 2015 launch on the global market - could end up leaked to the Indian company.

Google-backed AltaRock signs up for geothermal energy project in Gwangju
Representatives from AltaRock Energy Inc. - a company whose investors include Google and the US Department of Energy - visited Gwangju on Jan. 22 to sign an investment agreement. That day, the city announced that the American company was planning to invest 82 billion won (US$76.83 million) in the construction of a 3.5MW deep geothermal power plant.

Court finds salaryman’s panic attacks caused by his work at Samsung
He started work at Samsung Life Insurance in 1989. For the next ten years, the man, identified by his surname Jeong (now 50), had an uneventful working life, earning promotions to office and eventually branch manager. Things changed in 1998, just after South Korea was wracked by the foreign exchange crisis. Concerned about cutting costs, the company began encouraging workers to retire voluntarily. What ensued over the next three years was large-scale restructuring.

The history of municipal elections in South Korea
Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, who had pledged to start a new political party in Mar. 2013, promised that the Jun. 4 local election would be “every man for himself, with no alliances,” increasing chances that the election will pit a unified ruling party against a fractured opposition. Ahn’s comments are renewing interest in the results of the 2010 local elections, which the ruling party faced a united opposition, and the 2006 local elections, when each party fielded separate candidates.

N. Korea objects to US nuclear weapons being brought to Korea
The battle of nerves between North and South Korea that started when Pyongyang made its “important proposal” on Jan. 16 is now entering its sixth day. North Korea asked that the US not bring tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula, while South Korea’s Unification Ministry brushed aside the North’s proposal as “propaganda and rhetoric.”
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Joong Ang (conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

North practiced a raid on Incheon airport: Source
JoongAng Ilbo’s gov’t source said night drill was held on Jan. 19
North Korea secretly carried out military exercises simulating an attack on a civilian airport in South Korea, mobilizing special jet fighters designed to infiltrate Southern territory, a source told the JoongAng Ilbo.A South Korean government official who is engaged in North Korean affairs said…

China opens mission to Myeong-dong neighbors
China flung open the doors of its new embassy to locals and store owners in the surrounding neighborhood of Myeong-dong…

With growth of 2.8%, local economy is on a rebound
The economy, which has been on a downhill slope since 2010, finally turned around and reported a mild rebound as various indicators ranging from exports…

Abe snubbed at economic forum
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was put on the cutting board on Wednesday regarding his visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine last month…

Rescue of abducted Kotra official confirmed
Han Seok-woo, the 39-year-old head of the Libyan Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) office who was abducted by a group of gunmen four days ago…

Park’s diplomatic successes slowly emerging
As she enters her second year in office, the results of President Park Geun-hye’s diplomatic efforts are slowly beginning to take shape…

Finance minister rejects criticism
Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok yesterday said he did not intend to blame the public for massive leaks of personal financial information…

Ahn makes pledges to liberal base in Mokpo
First-term independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo paid a symbolic visit yesterday to Mokpo, South Jeolla, a long-time stronghold of the major opposition party…

Pope may visit Korea in August, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis may go to South Korea in August, 20 years after Pope John Paul II last visited the Korean Peninsula…

Tourists to Seoul to exceed 10 million: Study
Seoul will see a record number of tourists visit the capital city in 2013, with more than 10 million travelers coming here for the first time…

SK Telecom trumpets new T Phone, B Box
SK Telecom introduced the next-generation All-IP-based integrated platform T Phone and home appliance B Box yesterday…

Court upholds compensation ruling
A Seoul court upheld a lower court’s ruling asking the government to pay compensation to the bereaved families of two former democracy activists…

Russia and Korea share musical bond
JINDO, South Jeolla - On a recent day at a state-run traditional music center in Jindo County, South Jeolla…
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Edaily (http://eng.edaily.co.kr/Stock/)

[US the closing price]The U.S. Dow Jones Index, -175.99p(-1.07%) down.
The U.S. Dow Jones Index Closing (At 2014.01.23) The Dow closed at 16,197.35p, down -175.99p(-1.07%) from...

[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
2014.01.24 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 down -2bp.
JThis 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%, down (-2bp) from yesterday. ...
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Maeil Kyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)

Large companies wade into Korean food business
South Korea’s retail and food giants are vying each other to gain an upper hand in the ‘Korean food’ market. Following CJ Group franchise restaurant operator CJ Foodville’s successful attempt to spark Korean food buffet fever last year with the introduction of Korean buffet restaurant ‘Seasonal Table,’ Shinsegae Group is following the trail. E-Land Group, which emerged as a dominant player in the food service industry with salad bar buffet ‘Ash...

Salaried people with monthly income of $5,600 to pay more tax
Salaried employees who are paid six million won ($5,586) per month will be slapped with increased withholding tax -- an increase of 30,000 won from 370,000 won to 400,000 won each month.

Rival parties agree to conduct parliamentary audit into gov’t offices semiannually
South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties tentatively agreed that annual inspection of government offices will be conducted twice every year in the first half and second half, said sources Thursday. So far, the inspection has been carried out once a year at the regular session of the National Assembly.

S. Korea economy expands 0.9% qoq in Q4
South Korea’s economic growth for the fourth quarter (Q4) was estimated at 0.9 percent quarter-on-quarter (qoq) buoyed by rising exports, data showed.