Dec. 24, 2015

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015

Your Excellency:

Here are a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea this morning:

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

Korea Post Media

P.S.: 1. To see the desired site, press down the Control key and click the blue URL of the media.

2. If received by a person other than the intended recipient, please kindly convey the mail to His/Her Excellency.

A round-up of the latest news published by the Korean media:

KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Transport Ministry to Test Fuel Efficiency of Volkswagen Models

Anchor: The Transport Ministry has found a meaningful link between emissions and fuel efficiency in some of...

S. Korean Civilian Aid to North Doubles

Baltimore Orioles Officially Sign Outfielder Kim Hyun-soo

PM: Intellectual Property Key to National Competitiveness

S. Korea to Send Safety Inspection Team to Countries at Risk of Terrorism

'N. Korea May Revive Post of President'

Transport Ministry to Test Fuel Efficiency of Volkswagen Models

Transport Ministry Finds Link Between Volkswagen's Emissions, Fuel Efficiency

Consumer Sentiment Deteriorates due to US Rate Hike

S. Korean Civilian Aid to North Doubles

Women from Two Koreas Hold Joint Cultural Event in N. Korea

'There are 750 Unofficial Marketplaces in N. Korea'

Japanese Media: N. Korean Envoy Apologizes to China for Moranbong Cancellation

Uriminzokkiri: Korean Canadian Pastor Convicted for Criticizing Regime

Kyodo: S. Korean Suspect in Yasukuni Blast Had Gunpowder in Luggage

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

S. Korea to probe fuel efficiency of emission-faked Volkswagen cars

South Korea will launch a probe into the fuel efficiency of Volkswagen vehicles that have emissions that have been manipulated to meet tightened environmental regulations, a government official close to the matter said Thursday.

Baltimore Orioles announce signing of S. Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo

A decade after going undrafted out of high school, South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo has signed his first major league contract.

For S. Korean TV, China, web platforms to bring opportunities, challenges

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- As with this year, South Korean producers will continue to try to crack the Chinese code in 2016. But the growing market for web content will likely complicate that process, as the benefits conferred by the web's far-reaching capabilities are offset by poor copyright protections in the world's second-largest economy.

U.S. presidential election key focus of 2016 amid questions about Korea policy

Americans go to the polls in November to choose the successor to President Barack Obama in a transition carrying significant implications for U.S. foreign policy amid questions about how much change the new president will seek with policy on the Korean Peninsula.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Korea's consumer sentiment worsens in Dec.

The overall sentiment of South Korean consumers slightly worsened from a month earlier in December apparently due to a g...

Petition against Japan normalization treaty dismissed

The Constitutional Court refused Wednesday to review a petition by a Korean woman who challenge...

Oil price likely to sink even lower

Oil prices, which have already hit the lowest mark in a decade, could fall further in the first...

Ministry to monitor absent students

Following a high profile child abuse case this week reported in Incheon, where a father confine...

Kakao in spotlight for fat paychecks

Kakao, Korea’s fast-sprawling mobile empire built on the omnipresent phone messaging service KakaoTalk, ...

Streaming music boon to music industry’

Often touted as a game changer in the music industry, growing streaming music services are a bo...

Korean start-ups still in need of seeking trailblazers’

PALO ALTO, California ― After 20-year-old Pak Se-ri triumphed as the youngest winner of the 19...

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

MLB Baltimore signs Kim Hyun-soo

Left fielder Kim Hyun-soo signed a two-year, $7 million contract with Major League Baseball (MLB)’s Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Kim, 27, the former slugger from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO)’s Doosan Bears, is the f...

Korea declares end to MERS outbreak after 218 days 

The government declared the end of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, more than... 

Samsung seen as intelligent; Hyundai Motor masculine 

Korean college students tend to associate the nation’s top conglomerates with conservative and aut...

Samsung denies withdrawal from digital imaging business 

Samsung Electronics has denied market speculation that it will withdraw from the digital imaging business and sell its imaging sensor technologies to Japanese...

NK exploits 'slave workers' abroad 

The regime in North Korea has taken 90 percent of total monthly wages earned by 2,600 of its citizens working in Mongolia and Poland, according to human right... 

Evidence of NK's Cheonan attack damaged 

A propeller of a North Korean torpedo, which has been regarded as conclusive evidence proving the ...

Gov't to inspect homes of absent students 

In the wake of a child abuse case that rattled the nation last week, the government said Wednesday it will tighten monitoring of children who drop out of scho...

Generals caught misusing military vehicles 

A total of 10 generals and other high ranking military officers have been caught using military vehicles for private purposes, the state auditor said Wednesda... 

Hyosung sets up sculpture for soldiers injured from landmine attack 

Hyosung Group held the opening ceremony on Wednesday for the sculpture commemorating the soldiers ... 

Movies for the Christmas holidays 

For those planning to visit cinemas during the Christmas holidays, here are some recent releases a... Universal Studios comes to Korea in 2020

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DongAIlbo (http://english.donga.com)

Samsung bets big on biotechnology

Samsung BioLogics held a groundbreaking ceremony of its third plant on Monday at its headquarters in the Incheon Songdo Free Economic Zone. The plant will start commercial operations in September 2018, and is expected... 

Ahn Cheol-soo officially declares to form a new party on Monday

Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo officially declares on Monday that he will form a new party. It has been two years and a month since November 2013 when he declared to found a new party. Ahn plans to reveal that he...

Star Wars sets box office records in U.S. after 10-year hiatus

Star Wars that has made a comeback for the first time in 10 years is rocking the entire U.S. continent. As the movie has returned as ‘classic’ created by America, rather than a Hollywood blockbuster for the year-end...

Shenzhen landslide caused by mountain of garbage

A massive "landslide" that occurred on Sunday at a site near Shenzhen industrial complex in Guangdong Province China, the origin of China’s reform and opening, is found to have been a man-made disaster rather than...

Yoo Il-ho chooses to complete reform drive instead of parliamentary seat

The highlight of the cabinet shuffling announced on Monday was Yoo Il-ho, the candidate for the deputy prime minister and finance minister. Yoo resigned from the position as minister of land, infrastructure, and...

Golden Culture of Shilla’ exhibition opens in Chuncheon

A special exhibition dubbed "Golden Culture of Shilla," which will showcase glory of gold culture in the Shilla Kingdom, recently opened at the Chuncheon National Museum, and will continue through January 24. The...

Ambassador Lippert attends KCRC event to keep promise 

Breach of trust is more dangerous than anthrax spores

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ChosunIlbo (http://english.chosun.com)

More Koreans Spend Christmas Alone

A growing number of Koreans are spending their time off alone. Statistic Korea data for 2015 showed that 56.8 percent of people over 15 or above usually spend their time off work alone, up more than 12 percentage points from 44.1 percent in 2007. >> Full Text

Time Erodes Evidence of N. Korean Torpedo Attack

The debris from a North Korean torpedo that sank the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March 2010 has corroded so badly that the evidence is barely recognizable, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. >> Full Text

How the CIA Got Korea's Future Wrong 15 Years Ago

The CIA predicted in 2000 that the two Koreas would be unified by 2015, with South Korea emerging as a military heavyweight in Asia. The wildly inaccurate projection was part of a 70-page report in 2000 that tried to predict the near future. >> Full Text

Court Refuses to Review 1965 Korea-Japan Pact

Coffee Chains Charge Wildly Different Prices

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HankyorehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)

OECD stats paint dismal picture of South Korean working environment

Total working hours, retirement age, gender inequality, and percentage of temp workers all among highest among member nations 

The fate of South Korean workers is to eke out a meager living while hopping from job to job and working late into the night. Compared with other countries who are members of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), the plight of South Korea’s workers becomes even clearer. On Dec. 22, South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor published a pamphlet that compiles a number of statistics about the country’s labor market.

Chinese companies aggressively targeting South Korean businesses for M&As

Chinese companies are snapping up South Korean businesses at a rapid rate -- part of a bid to boost their own competitiveness by absorbing the latter’s state-of-the-art technical ability and acquired knowledge.“Chinese investments in Korean companies soared 119% this year to US$1.9 billion [2.23 trillion won],” noted Bloomberg on Dec. 22. .

Daegu court hands man suspended sentence for defaming President Park

A man received a suspended prison sentence on Dec. 22 for defamation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye with critical leaflets he printed and passed out to people. Park Seong-su, 42, had been detained for around eight months before receiving the sentence of one year in prison suspended for two years. His attorneys had argued for his innocence on the grounds that the content of the leaflets constituted “personal expression” .

Unable to pay fines, disabled activists have no choice but to do hard labor

A man received a suspended prison sentence on Dec. 22 for defamation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye with critical leaflets he printed and passed out to people. Park Seong-su, 42, had been detained for around eight months before receiving the sentence of one year in prison suspended for two years. His attorneys had argued for his innocence on the grounds that the content of the leaflets constituted “personal expression”

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JoongAngIlbo(conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)

Country welcomes 22 refugees

When Kh Too landed on domestic soil Wednesday at Incheon International Airport, one of his first messages to local media was as modest as wishing to “be ordinary.” For a man who fled Myanmar in 1993 and had spent the past two decades living in a refugee camp, it was perhaps the best he could possibly hope for...

Google tax’ on firms from 2016

Foreign and local businesses with annual sales of 100 billion won ($85 million) or more, and over 50 billion won in transactions with overseas…

11-year-old with a battered soul

An 11-year-old girl held captive in a house in Incheon and starved for two years suffered more than physical harm.…

Constitutional Court dismisses conscript suit

The Constitutional Court dismissed Wednesday a complaint, filed by the descendant of a man conscripted into forced labor during the Japanese colonial period…

LG launches new brand to attract affluent buyers

LG Electronics plans to launch a new “Signature” brand next year to switch its focus to high-end consumers in Asia and key markets such as the United States and Europe…

Hyundai Motor’s EQ900 wins an award

Hyundai Motor’s new luxury sedan, the EQ900, has been honored with the 2015 Good Design Award, the company said on Wednesday…

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MaeilKyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)

LG Electronics to roll out premium lineup LG SIGNATURE

South Korea’s electronics giant LG Electronics Inc. will launch a new premium lineup to buttress its presence in the premium home ...

SC Private Equity selected as preferred bidder for Doosan’s machine tools

Standard Chartered (SC) Private Equity Ltd., an affiliate of Standard Chartered financial group, was selected as the preferred bidder ...

Hanwha Chemical enhances business prospects through vertical integration

South Korea’s Hanwha Chemical is expected to get a boost in business prospects after retooling the company to better focus in ...

KB Financial Group sets going mobile and global as next year agenda

Korea’s KB Financial Group Inc. will strengthen non-banking sector and online services to keep abreast of the financial trend that ...

Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors to buy GE Capital’s stakes in Hyundai Capital

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister company Kia Motors Corp. will acquire a 23.3 percent stake in Hyundai Capital ...

Korean credit card spending up two months in a row

Credit card-serviced spending rose sharply last month against a year ago with a large sum owed to spending for overseas trips - ...

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The KyunghyangShinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)

After Replacing the Head of Nation's Economy President Park Claims, "Concerns of Credit Rating Fall"

The ruling party is taking advantage of "predictions of an economic crisis" more and more. After requesting the chairman of the National Assembly to bring up ···

"Economy and Distribution Are Unfair" Answers 72% of Respondents: Republic of Korea Already a Society of Distrust

More than half of the citizens of Korea think various areas in society such as the distribution structure, employment, welfare and political activities are "un···

[In the Eyes of Kyunghyang] Why So Lenient on Kim Moo-sung?

Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung once again stirred controversy. On December 18, while volunteering to deliver coal briquettes, he made a racist remark at a st···

How Much Longer Must We Witness Ad Hoc State Administration and Reshuffles with No Principle?

Yesterday, President Park Geun-hye carried out a cabinet reshuffle, replacing the heads of five ministries including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and th···

President Park Intervenes in Next Year's Elections Calling for 'Sweeping Changes' and Acts as 'Governor' of Ruling Party Calling for Lawmakers to Pass Bills

President Park Geun-hye is standing at the front line of politics as she celebrates the third anniversary of her presidential victory (Dec. 19). This is indeed ···

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The Korea Economic Daily(http://english.hankyung.com/)

U.S. Rate Hike Doesn't Mean Same Immediate Move by Bank of Korea...BOK Governor

Lee Yu-yeol, Governor of the Bank of Korea, said on December 23, "The rate hike by the U.S. monetary authorities doesn't necessarily translate into the same immediate move by the Bank of Korea." This is the first official opinion of the central bank governor since December 16 when the U.S. Fed raise...

[Market Insight] Doosan Machine Tools Finally Sold to Standard Chartered PE

Standard Chartered Private Equity, a private equity unit of Standard Chartered, will finally acquire Doosan Infracore's machine tool unit. According to investment banking sources on December 23, Doosan Infracore and its underwriter Credit Suisse have selected Standard Chartered Private Equity as the...

Competition Gets Fierce to Preempt Smart Factory Standards

The global market for smart factory is likely to expand to US$246.0 billion by 2018 from $155.2 billion in 2012. As the smart factory market gets bigger, manufacturing powerhouses like Germany and the United States will fight hard to preempt the smart factory technology standards. Preempting standar...

 

Gyeonggi Province Ranks First in 2014 Regional Economic Growth Rate

Gyeonggi Province was ranked No. 1 in terms of economic growth rate in 2014, the first time in eight years, largely thanks to a boom in the construction sector as well as manufacturing. According to a report "2014 Regional Income Trend (Preliminary)" published by the National Statistical Office on D...

SK Chemical's Hemophilia Drug Breakthrough to Contribute to Its Growth

Good news has arrived again in the pharmaceutical industry following a breakthrough only a few days ago of Hanmi Pharmaceutical in a lung cancer treatment drug. This time, it was SK Chemical that announced it has filed an application for its new hemophilia drug with European drug regulators. Stock a...

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AJU Business Daily(http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)

Korean gov’ declares ‘MERS free’ after battle of seven months

The South Korean government declared the end of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak after seven months of fierce battle against…

President Park steps up rhetoric on labor reform bills

The controversial bills aimed at overhaul South Korea’s labor market is considered a top priority for President Park Geun-hye. But they are still stuck in parliame…

Bank of Korea wary of worsening household balance sheet

The Bank of Korea is wary of the worsening fiscal health of the country’s household sector as household debt soars on increased activity in the housing market. …

Nearly 70% of cancer patients survive more than five years

69.4 percent of Korean people who are initially diagnosed with cancer from 2009~2013, survived or are in good condition to expect at least five years. Accordin…

South Korea’s incoming finance minister calls for structural reforms

Yoo Il-ho, South Korea’s incoming finance minister [Photo by Yoo Dae-gil=dbeorlf123@ajunews.com] South Korea’s incoming finance minister said there will

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ETNEWS(http://english.etnews.com/)

Huge Corporations Cancel LED Businesses One after the Other

Huge corporations are reducing their LED businesses one after the other due to bad profitability that is caused by oversupply. It seems that LED businesses are faced ...

Samsung Pay Looks for 50% in Market Shares in Asia

As Samsung Pay is about to take 49% shares in Asian markets next year, it is predicted that it will emerge as major service in global Smartphone payment gateway market. Hyu...

Samsung Electronics Does Toll Manufacturing for AMD’s Next Chip

Samsung Electronics secured AMD as its toll manufacturing (foundry) customer for semiconductor chip and will produce AMD¡?s next graphic processing unit (GPU) ...

Samsung Electronics Will Face Against SK Hynix in Ultra-Fast HBM2 D-RAM Market

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are facing each other in HBM2 (High Bandwidth Memory2) D-RAM market. HBM is a standard for fast D-RAM that uses TSV (Through Silicon Via) technology and increases bandwidth greatly. It is predicted that HBM D-RAM will be used for next-generation¡?s GPU, Super-Computer, server, and network devices and is expecte...

Samsung Will Use Its Success in Semiconductor Business for Bio BusinessDec 22, 2015Share

Samsung Biologics will try to repeat Samsung¡?s success in semiconductor business in its bio markets. It will try to make $1.70 billion (2 trillion KRW) and

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Special Notices:

Photo shows President Soon-Heung Chang of Handong Global University (fifth from left, front row) with ambassadors and other visiting members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps (SDC), including Ambassador Mme Natallia Zhylevich of Belraus (dean of the visiting members of the SDC), fourth from left the same row With Ambassador and Mrs. SylvestreKouassi Bile of Cote d’ Ivoire (third and second from left, front row).

And Ambassador Roballo of Argentina (sixth from left, same row) and Ambassadors Mohamed Abdi Gello of Kenya (on the right of the rear row).

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“Why not try to change the world?”

Ambassadors, senior diplomats visit Handong Global University in Pohang

Ambassadors NatalliaZhylevich of Belarus, Kouassi Bile of Cote d’Ivoire, Jorge Roballo of Argentina and Mohamed Abdi Gello of Kenya and 20 other senior diplomats, including the charges d’affaires, visited Handong Global University in Pohang City on the Southeast Coast of Korea on Nov. 12, 2015 at the invitation of President Soon-Heung Chang of the University.

The tour, organized by The Korea Post, included also a visit to POSCO and a cruise ride around the harbor of the Pohang City.

The Korea Post has been organizing tours for the ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps for the past 30 years, but it must be said that the one hosted by Handong Global University is one of the most impressive in terms of the interest on the part of the host who met the guests with a true heart and warm welcome.

President Soon-Heung Chang of the University made such an excellent arrangement out of respect and special regard for the distinguished international guests by asking his Vice President Simon Kang(Administrative Affairs) and Professor JinwonAhn (School of Management and Economics) to come all the way from Pohang to Seoul to welcome and escort the ambassadors and other senior diplomats to comfortably visit his University.

The tour of the Handong Global University was a truly memorable one where many outstanding features of the University continuously surprised the visiting ambassadors and the other senior diplomats. For further details, visit:

/news/view.html?section=161&category=181&no=1119.

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