Dec. 31, 2015
The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Thursday, Dec. 31, 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:
Ahn party overtakes main opposition party in polls
Korea’s new political party to be formed by Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo won the second place with a 26.9% support in a popularity rating, which represents a very small margin with 29.4% won by the ruling Saenuri Party.
The Deobureo (Together) Democratic Party of Moon Jae-in scored only 17.7%--losing 9.2% to the Ahn party.
This was disclosed by independent Korean-language daily paper, Munhwa Ilbo, published on Dec. 31, 2015.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
President Park to Focus on Reform, 3-year Economic Innovation in 2016
President Park Geun-hye says she will place her top priority for the next year on successfully completing...
[Full Text] President's New Year Address
UN Chief Vows to Contribute to Peace on Korean Peninsula
38 North: Excavation Continues at Nuclear Test Tunnel in N. Korea
[Full Text] President's New Year Address
President Park to Focus on Reform, 3-year Economic Innovation in 2016
UN Chief Vows to Contribute to Peace on Korean Peninsula
Local Stock Market to Resume Trading Jan. 4 at 10 a.m.
Consumer Price Growth Hits Record Low at 0.7%
100 Richest S. Koreans Hold More than 100 Trillion Won in Stock
South, North Buddhist Leaders Exchange New Year's Letters
Top N. Korea Official Charged with Inter-Korean Relations Dies
Seoul Offers Condolences to N. Korea
38 North: Excavation Continues at Nuclear Test Tunnel in N. Korea
Japanese Official Denies Reports on 'Precondition' of Comfort Women Deal
Chinese Media: Sexual Slavery Accord Made under US Pressure
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
BOK chief vows to keep easy money policy to fuel growth
South Korea's top central banker said Thursday he will seek an easing monetary policy to boost growth while guarding against any financial instabilities.
Park vows to boost economy through structural reforms in New Year's message
President Park Geun-hye pledged Thursday to accomplish structural reforms in four major sectors of the society to revive the economy and create more jobs next year.
S. Koreans mixed on 'comfort woman' deal: poll
South Koreans are split nearly equally over the recent deal between their country and Japan regarding Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, a local survey showed Thursday.
'The Himalayas' to be released in Screen X theater in LA this week
"The Himalayas," a South Korean box-office hit about mountaineers, will be released in a panoramic screen format in Los Angeles for the first time this week, its distributor said Wednesday.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Seoul government faces sex slavery deal backlash
Two days after the breakthrough on the sex slavery issue, Korea faces a double whammy of mounting Japanese efforts to di...
Song Young-ki, the 28-year-old CEO of start-up DLighter, has a chic office in the business dist...
Chairman’s divorce plan casts clouds over SK’s future
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won’s unexpected public plea for a divorce from his wife Tuesday dr...
Corporate restructuring rises to highest level in recent years
Companies placed under creditor-led restructuring has reached the highest count in recent years...
Top N.K. official in charge of Seoul ties di...
Kim Yang-gon, a top North Korean official in charge of cross-border affairs, was killed in a car accident...
Specter of collusion
The Constitutional Court has recently ruled that the Political Funds Act banning political p...
A year of frustration
When it comes to domestic politics, President Park Geun-hye had a frustrating year in 2015. ...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
North Korean leader pays respects at Kim Yang-gon's funeral
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid his respects Wednesday, offering "profound" condolences over the death of Kim Yang-gon, the North Korean Workers’ Party secretary and the key man on Korean affairs as head director for the Un...
Park faces mounting criticism over hasty deal
President Park Geun-hye’s leadership and diplomatic prowess are being put to the test, as Korea’s ...
'Can spend one year in prison if given 1 billion won'
Half of Korea’s high school students appear ready to commit a crime and spend one year in prison if they can earn 1 billion won ($854,700) from it, a survey s...
Tesla plans to sell budget models in Korea
Tesla Motors plans to sell its latest budget electric vehicles (EVs) in Korea from next year to offset the effects of its sluggish sales in China.
Gov't guidelines set for easier layoffs
The government released a draft of guidelines Wednesday that will allow companies to fire underper...
Police launch crackdown on porn website operators
Police are cracking down on porn website operators, including a member of the nation’s largest online porn provider, Soranet.
2015 sports tainted with illegality
Despite titles, feats and records this year, Korean sports stars had more apologies and regrets th...
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DongAIlbo (http://english.donga.com)
Why did Pres. Park push for early settlement of Japanese comfort women issue?
Why did President Park Geun-hye push strongly for early settlement of Japanese comfort women issue even as it has placed heavy pressures on her shoulders? President Park has shown particular attention on the comfort...
A brief survey on Korean baseball league of 2015 season
# `Things that already passed also have certain meanings of their own` Sixty-two days have passed since the final game of this season’s Korean professional baseball was held. Fortunately, ‘the saddest day of the year’...
Japanese bullet train makes inroads into the U.S.
Japan`s Shinkansen bullet train is likely to make inroads into the U.S. market for the first time. The Kyodo News said Wednesday that the 400 kilometer long high speed rail that runs between Dallas and Houston in Texas...
Court gives `red card` to violent tradition within sports sector
The court took side with a national team player who was physically and institutionally abused by his coach and the athletic group that he belonged. The court`s decision raised an awareness of the dark side of Korean...
Asiana`s `Air Seoul` expected to improve profitability
Asiana Airlines made an announcement to its executives and employees on Wednesday that it would normalize its management by changing routes, slimming their structure, and upgrading their flights. Asiana will transfer...
Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo heads for Baltimore
Kim Hyun-soo (27) seems very determined Tuesday at the press conference on his joining the Baltimore team.“I want to retire from Major League rather than going back to the K-League. Going back means a loser to me," he...
Korea’s National Assembly stalled
Luxury express buses to start test runs in March
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ChosunIlbo (http://english.chosun.com)
790,000 Graduates to Be Out of Work Over Next Decade
Four out of every 10 workers in their 30s at building sites across the nation are university graduates, according to a study. That reflects the worrying surplus of highly educated workers in a nation that places top priority on university degrees. >> Full Text
Top N. Korean Official Dies in Car Accident
A senior North Korean official who handled inter-Korean affairs died in a car accident on Tuesday, the North's state-run media announced Wednesday. Kim Yang-gon, who was in his 70s, appears to have been a counterweight to the unruly military in the days of former leader Kim Jong-il. >> Full Text
MERS Scare Casts Blight Over Domestic News of 2015
Korea's already shaky economy was rattled by the MERS scare in the first half and despite isolated good economic news crawled out slowly from under the wreckage. The old Draconian adultery law has gone and people newly embrace a less consumerist culture. >> Full Text
Islamist Terror, Refugees Dominate Headlines of 2015
Amore Pacific's Sulwhasoo Garners W1 Trillion in Sales
More Than 10,000 Santa Fe SUVs Sold in December
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HankyorehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Park administration’s approach to comfort women agreement riddled with flaws
Former officials and experts point to a lack of strategy and of cooperation with survivors, among other problems
“President Park Geun-hye kept putting the pressure on to resolve the comfort women issue before year’s end, and she ended up being put on the defensive by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I can’t fathom why she rushed things like this.”This was the view shared with the Hankyoreh on Dec. 29 by a former senior official in response to the Park and Abe administrations’ announcement the day before of an agreement to “fully and irreversibly resolve” the issue of women forced into sexual slavery under imperial Japan.
Comfort women statue’s sculptor defends its place in front of Japanese embassy
The sculptor of a statue symbolizing the comfort women fired back on Dec. 29 over the South Korean government’s controversial agreement to “make efforts to resolve” Japan’s issues with its location in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. .
US, China show markedly different reactions to comfort women resolution
Park administration’s approach to comfort women agreement riddled with flaws25 years of progress on comfort women issue “wiped out” by new agreement US, China show markedly different reactions to comfort women resolution. While the US government welcomed the settlement reached by South Korea and Japan over the comfort women issue, emphasizing the fact that it is “final and irreversible,” Chinese state-run media and experts complained that the settlement was influenced by the US drive to counter China. .
25 years of progress on comfort women issue “wiped out” by new agreement
“Overnight, the South Korean government erased the progress that the former comfort women and civic groups had made over the past 25 years toward settling the issue of the comfort women,” said Yoon Mee-hyang, co-representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop).
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JoongAngIlbo(conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)
Tokyo’s take on comfort women deal stirs anger
Public rage came to a head on Wednesday, following a landmark deal between Seoul and Tokyo regarding the Japanese military’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, as Japan boasted a diplomatic victory in a series of provocative media reports. The right-wing Sankei Shimbun quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this week…
FSS forces firms with large debt loads to get a grip
About 20 trillion won ($17 billion) in bad corporate debt has weighed down the Korean economy since the 2009 global financial meltdown…
North reports top official’s death in car accident
Kim Yang-gon, the top North Korean official in charge of handling inter-Korean policies has died following an early morning car accident…
2015 was just fine for some industries, awful for others
The year 2015 was marked by the stellar performance of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics companies…
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MaeilKyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)
Samsung Electronics to up investment in consumer electronics production site
Samsung Electronics Co. won approval from the Vietnamese government to rev up investment in Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) in Ho Chi Minh ...
Asiana Airlines to close branches in restructuring plans
Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea’s second-ranked flag carrier, announced Wednesday it will consolidate branch offices and carry out ...
Hahn & Company outbids rivals to buy Ssangyong Cement
South Korea’s private equity fund Hahn & Company has been named as the preferred negotiator to buy the country’s largest cement ...
SC Private Equity and Apollo Global Management join up to buy Doosan
Standard Chartered (SC) Private Equity Ltd. joined hands with global buyout firm Apollo Global Management to share the risk of ...
S. Korean department stores plans mega New Year’s sales events
South Korean department stores will stage nation-wide bargain sales early next year to offset poorer than expected sales during the ...
SK Telecom to separate T Store to set up joint company in partnership with NHN
South Korea’s largest wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. will push ahead with a plan to separate T Store, its mobile app store, from ...
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The KyunghyangShinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Government Signs Agreement Behind Closed Doors and Asks for Citizens' 'Understanding': Government Has the Order Mixed up
The South Korean government is busy these days due to public opinion against the agreement on the comfort women in the Japanese military. The president and ···
'Grab the Heart of the Honam Region' Three Opposition Parties Seek Support in Honam
The main opposition, Deobureo Minjudang (formerly the New Politics Alliance for Democracy), and independent lawmakers Ahn Cheol-soo and Chun Jung-bae, who are b···
South Korea-Japan Reach 'Final Agreement' after 24 Years: Japan Apologizes for Military's Involvement in Comfort Women Issue, But Free from Liab
The South Korean and Japanese governments reached an agreement on the comfort women issue on December 28. South Korea was able to draw an apology and remorse fr···
Pushed ahead with the Agreement without Prior Consultation with the Victims: Whether the People Will Accept the Agreement Is Uncertain
The South Korean government stressed that the agreement on the comfort women issue reached on December 28 in the South Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting w···
Comfort Women Cannot Be Resolved Without Japanese Government Acknowledging 'Legal Responsibility'
South Korea and Japan are reportedly seeking a "creative solution" to the issue of Japan's "legal responsibility" concerning the comfort women. This is the···
For a Decent Job: One out of Four College Graduates Are 'NEET'
One out of every four college graduates are NEET, not receiving any formal education or training and not employed. This is a different landscape from advanced c···
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The Korea Economic Daily(http://english.hankyung.com/)
November Industrial Output Dips for 2 Straight Months Industrial output in November has fallen for two consecutive months.
According to a report "November 2015 Industrial Activity Trend" published by the National Statistical Office on December 30, the total industrial output for the month fell 0.5 percent from October. This is the second month of decli...
China's Sinotrans Becomes Part of China Merchants to Create Giant Logistics Player
As Sinotrans & CSC is absorbed into China Merchants, a behemoth logistics group with assets over 700 billion yuan (US$108 billion) has been born. The China Daily reported on December 30 that Sinotrans has become a subsidiary to China Merchants after approval with the State Council. With this transac...
Car Market Outlook for 2016
A forecast was presented that said Korea’s domestic car demand would fall by 3.1 percent next year to 1.76 million units. The demand for domestic cars is expected to fall 5.4 percent next year to 1.49 million units, while that for import cars would likely to grow 7.5 percent to more than 260,000 un...
Vietnam’s Theater Industry Grows at Blistering Pace
Korea’s multiplex movie theater chains such as CGV and Lotte Cinema are actively expanding their business in Vietnam. According to the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, Vietnam’s movie theater market size is forecast to grow to US$100 million in 2020 from $80 million in 2015. The number of m...
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AJU Business Daily(http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
Top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jung Un dies in car crash
North Korea leader Kim Jung Un will lead a funeral on Thursday for his close aide Kim Yang Gon who has died in a car crash, the North’s state media KCNA reported on Wednesday. "Comrade Kim Yang Gon, a Workers' Party secretary and the member of…
South Koreans’ prefer beer over hard liquor
Student at a craft beer class prepares for a tasting session [Courtesy of mcwyvern] Ordinary South Korean drinks an average of 148.7 bottles of beer ad 62.5 bottles of soju a year, a research…
South Korean opposition party changes name
The main opposition party formerly known as New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) chose to change its name to get rid of any resemblance or memory relate…
South Korea-Japan reach accord on ‘comfort women’
South Korea and Japan reached a breakthrough agreement on Monday on the thorny issue of so-called ‘comfort women’, forced to work in Japanese b…
MERS suffered Asiana to cutback, seeking to survive
South Korea’s no’2 airline, Asiana Airlines plans to cut back after suffering from loss of sales after Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in June.…
1 out of 4 graduates experiencing ‘life stall’
[Job seekers gathered in a job fair held in front of the parliament building=AJU NEWS CORP DB] 24.4 percent of South Korea’s university graduates are "Not in Education,
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ETNEWS(http://english.etnews.com/)
Samsung Electronics to Introduce Mobile ‘Smart UX Center’ in 2016
Samsung Electronics made an announcement on the 30th that it will be releasing mobile ¡®Smart UX Center¡? using Smartphones. Printing ecosystem t...
South Korean Government Eliminates Import Tariffs on Display Equipment...
To recover exports that are struggling, South Korean Government has greatly reduced import tariffs that are levied on display equipment, semiconductor¡?s subsidi...
Samsung and LG Preparing to Strengthen Audio Businesses in 2016
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are preparing themselves to strengthen audio businesses in 2016. Unlike TVs, businesses that specializes in audios must have many ex...
LG Electronics to Introduce Open-Type Smart Home Hub
LG Electronics made an announcement on the 30th that it will implement IoT environment using normal household appliances without Smart functions through ¡®Smart ThinQ Hub¡? that it has developed separately. It is planning to introduce open-type Smart environment by linking it with ¡®Smart ThinQ Sensor¡? that was release...
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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:
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