The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Your Excellency:

Here are The Korea Post notices and a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea today:

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

Korea Post Media

Time schedule of the Constitutional Court on President Park Geun-hye

Many Excellencies have asked The Korea Post when there will be Presidential elections.

Here is The Korea Post information on the matter:

If the Constitutional Court decides before March 13, 2017 to impeach President Park Geun-hye, the Presidential elections will take place on or about April 26, 2017. This is because there are so many holidays in the following month of May.

The Constitutional Court has set January 3 and January 5 to hear the position of President Park on the case. The Court already disclosed on Dec. 27 that it will handle the case twice every week.

Constitutional Court Judge Lee Jung-mi is slated to retire on March 13, 2017 and there are strong indications that the Court will reach a conclusion on the case before the date of her retirement.

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Humor from a kind-hearted former ambassador from a Middle East country

This morning again, we have a generous donation of humor from one of Your Excellency’s former colleagues from one of the Central Asian countries, who are still ‘in love with Korea’ and all his incumbent and former colleagues. Here they are, and enjoy them.—Ed.

Intelligent husband
Wife was busy in packing her clothes.
Husband - Where are you going?
Wife - I'm moving to my mother.
Husband also starts packing his clothes.
Wife - Now where are you going?
Husband - I'm also moving to my mother.
Wife - And what about the kids?
Husband - Well I guess ... If you are moving to your mother and I'm moving to my mother ... They should move to their mother.
Clothes unpacked.

Short facts

Wife: "Why are you home so early?"

Hubby: "My boss said go to hell!"

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The Korea Post News

What’s ticking in Korea today? Here is a quick roundup of important news stories from the major Korean news media today:

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

S. Korean Watchdog Fines Qualcomm More than 1 Trillion Won

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission(FTC) has imposed record high fines on U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm for violating antitrust laws.

The FTC said Wednesday that it was slapping one-point-03 trillion won, or some 850 million U.S. dollars, in fines on Qualcomm and its two affiliates for taking advantage of its dominant market position and exercising unfair patent licensing practices.

Independent Counsel Looks into Choi Soon-sil's Wealth

The independent counsel team investigating the Choi Soon-sil scandal is looking into how Choi and her family came to accumulate their massive wealth presumed to amount to at least tens of billions of won.

Opposition Chief Criticizes Gov't Over Sex Slavery Agreement

The chief of the main opposition Democratic Party has criticized the Park Geun-hye government over an agreement it signed with Japan on December 28th last year over Tokyo’s wartime sexual slavery.Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae blasted the government on Wednesday while attending a weekly street protest by victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Constitutional Revision Impossible if Presidential Election is Held Earlier

National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun says a constitutional revision will be practically impossible if a presidential election is held before next June.

The parliamentary speaker made the remarks on Wednesday at a forum hosted by an association of veteran journalists at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul.

Constitutional Amendment Panel to be Composed of 36 Lawmakers

The ruling and three opposition parties have agreed to form a special parliamentary committee on constitutional amendments with 36 lawmakers.

The senior deputy floor leaders of the main opposition Democratic Party(DP), ruling Saenuri Party, minor People's Party and a newly created conservative party reached the agreement during a meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

S. Korea to Evaluate All State-funded Projects Annually

The government will evaluate the results and progress of all state-funded projects every year.

The Finance Ministry said on Wednesday that it will make the evaluations along with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Presidential Committee on Regional Development starting January next year.

No. of Venture Firms in S. Korea Tops 30,000

The number of venture firms in South Korea surpassed 30-thousand last year.

According to data by the Small and Medium Business Administration and the Korea Venture Business Association on Wednesday, there were 31-thousand-260 venture firms at the end of last year, up four-and-a-half percent from the previous year.

Abe Makes Historic Visit to Pearl Harbor, Offers No Apology

Leading U.S. media have reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a historic visit to Pearl Harbor, however, he did not apologize for his country's attack on the harbor.

CNN said Abe made the historic visit and offered condolences to the thousands killed in the Japanese sneak attack 75 years ago, but pointed out that as expected, he did not offer an apology.

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

S. Korea's industrial output rebounds in Nov.

South Korea's industrial output rebounded in November snapping the second consecutive month of decline on the back of a gain in semiconductors and cars, government data showed Thursday.

S. Korea cuts 2017 growth forecast to 2.6 pct from 3 pct

South Korea on Thursday cut its economic growth forecast by 0.4 percentage point to 2.6 percent for next year, as a slight recovery in exports will be offset by a slowdown in domestic demand.

Gist of S. Korea's 2017 economic policy plan

The following are key economic policy measures planned for next year aimed at propping up growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The South Korean government slashed its 2017 growth forecast to 2.6 percent from 3 percent, citing a slowdown in domestic demand and rising uncertainties at home and abroad.

S. Korea's business sentiment for Jan. mildly lower: BOK

South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment for next month is slightly lower than that of December amid concerns about sluggish domestic demand and uncertain economic conditions, the central bank said Thursday.

S. Korea's biz sentiment remains sluggish for Jan.

A majority of South Korean companies expect their business conditions to remain sluggish in the upcoming month, while a majority of local firms also forecast sluggish conditions for their exports, a survey showed Thursday.

State Department withholds comment on Japan minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday withheld direct comment on a Japanese cabinet minister's visit to a war shrine honoring war criminals shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor, only saying historical issues should be resolved through dialogue.

People's Party to pick new floor leader

South Korea's minor People's Party is set to elect a new floor leader Thursday, with incumbent Park Jie-won stepping down to run for the chairmanship slated for next month.

Memorial hall to open for Navy warship sunk by N. Korea

The Navy said Wednesday it will open a memorial hall next week for a warship sunk by a North Korean torpedo attack in 2010.

The Cheonan Memorial Hall, located at a security park inside the Navy 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, will be open to the public from Monday, the Navy said in a statement.

Pyongyang University of Architecture spearheads designs for N. Korea's construction projects

Pyongyang University of Architecture, whose honorary president is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is taking the lead in making designs for the North's major construction projects, a North Korean broadcaster has reported.

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

Pension fund chief detained for favoring Samsung merger

The National Pension Service’s head Moon Hyung-pyo was brought into custody Wednesday by the independent counsel team on suspicion of having pressured the pension fund to support the Samsung merger deal last year when he was the welfare minister.

‘Court receivership was right decision for Hanjin’: FSC chief

The government strictly maintains that principles regarding industrial restructuring and its decision on Hanjin Shipping’s court receivership were reasonable, according to South Korea’s top financial regulator on Tuesday.

New party sways between reform and conservatism

The New Conservative Party for Reform, the tentative name for the splinter group from the ruling Saenuri Party, may be seen as reflecting the new political entity’s two-pronged challenge: proving its reformative spirit, while holding on to its conventional support base.

Political awakening of teens

Based on South Korea’s current legal standards, Yoon Kyeong-ah is considered too immature to form a political opinion or vote in elections. But the 18-year-old high school senior from Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, believes otherwise.

US, Japan seek absolution from war at Peark Harbor

The leaders of war-time enemies America and Japan made a poignant joint pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor Tuesday, issuing symbolic declarations about the power of reconciliation and warning against the drumbeat of conflict.

New IBK CEO pledges to ramp up bank profits

Kim Do-jin, the new CEO of the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea, pledged to ramp up profits to better support small and medium-sized enterprises Wednesday.

At an inaugural ceremony held at the bank’s headquarters in central Seoul, Kim emphasized IBK’s role as a public financier for SMEs amid harsh economic conditions.

Beloved bookstore opens after 14 years, but it isn’t the same

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907.

It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.

Panel rejects controversial cable car on Mt. Seorak

A government panel on Wednesday rejected a proposal to set up a cable car on a popular mountain range near the country's eastern coast, a plan that has been criticized for its potential harm to the regional environment, government officials said.

Youngjae-oh nurtures gifted children

For South Korean parents, education is a top priority for their children and there is often keen interest in nurturing their talent.

The Afternoon School for the Gifted, or Youngjae-oh in Korean, is an education center that is a key player in the development of education for the gifted.

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

1 year later, sex slavery deal on shaky ground

The agreement between Korea and Japan over compensation for women forced into sexual slavery before and during World War II is now on shaky ground with the opposition calling for its renegotiation or abolishment.

Seven foreigners booked over hashish

Police have caught a group of foreigners who were allegedly selling or buying hashish - a potent f...

Sochi doping scandal might give Kim Yu-na gold medal

Korea’s leading figure skater Kim Yu-na could be awarded the gold medal from the 2014 Sochi Olympi...

Norovirus strikes Korea

Norovirus infections that cause food poisoning, or stomach flu, are sharply increasing alongside K...

Dongkuk Steel heir booked over bar fight

Dongkuk Steel, one of Korea’s top steel producers, is facing criticism after police booked company...

Hospitals raided over '7 missing hours'

Members of the investigative team led by special prosecutor Park Young-soo raided Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) as well as other medical instituti...

Cho Yeo-ok's trip to US was 'unusual'

The military is facing suspicions that it rushed to send former presidential nurse, Capt. Cho Yeo-...

KAI signs $520 million chopper deal

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country’s sole aircraft maker, has signed a 630 billion won ($520 million) deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Adm...

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Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com)

Korea's antitrust regulator fines Qualcomm USD 850 million

Korea's antitrust regulator slapped Qualcomm on Wednesday with a record fine of more than 1 trillion won (850 million dollars), a…

Japanese minister visits war-linked shrine

Japan’s disaster reconstruction minister Masahiro Imamura on Wednesday offered prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan…

Moscow admits to ‘government-orchestrated doping of athletes’

A Russian government official has admitted to doping of Russian athletes with banned substances for the first time. In an intervi…

Multiple relics found in Princess Hwahyeop’s tomb

The tomb of Princess Hwahyeop (1733-1752), a daughter of King Yeongjo and elder sister of crown prince Sado Seja, has been found …

President Xi to prolong one-man rule

The Chinese Communist Party is seeking a measure to depower the Politburo Standing Committee, the framework of China’s collective leadership system, and thereby concentrating power on one leader ahead of reshuffle of the supreme leadership for the 19th Party Congress in November next year. President Xi, who will mark the 10th anniversary of his inauguration in 2022, is thus moving to pave the way for a prolonged one-man rule by breaking the practice in which the Chinese leader is replaced every 10 years.

Pyeongtaek Vessel's retirement ceremony to be held in Jinhae

The Navy said Tuesday that the retirement ceremony of the Pyeongtaek Vessel, which has served as a rescue ship in territorial waters for the past 20 years, will be held at the Jinhae Port in South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday. The Pyeongtaek is the last vessel that the Korean Navy adopted from U.S. Navy.

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Chosun-Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Quack Clinics Raided in Park Scandal

Investigators on Wednesday raided the homes and clinics of doctors who are suspected of providing unsupervised treatments to President Park Geun-hye.

Lee Byung-hun Wins Best Actor at Daejong Film Awards

Lee Byung-hun took home the award for best actor for his role in the crime flick "Inside Men" at this year's Daejong Film Awards in Seoul on Tuesday.

Gov't Drops Plan to Foist History Textbooks on Schools

The Education Ministry has scrapped a pet project of President Park Geun-hye's to foist official history textbooks on schools.

Korea Air Vows to Taser Rowdy Passengers

Korean Air has toughened its policy for managing passengers who get abusive on board.

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HanKyoReh-Shinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)

[Reportage] The old folks in city elderly centers who hunger for attention as well as food

On the morning of Nov. 8, there was a bit of a crisis at the elderly community center at the “P” apartment complex in the Jamsil No. 4 neighborhood of Seoul’s Songpa District. The helper who was supposed to cook lunch had not shown up for work. She did not answer the phone, and when she finally arrived after 11 am, she apologetically explained that she had been delayed by “family issues.”

Elderly people living alone in poverty: 1.7-fold increase over ten years

The number of elderly people living alone in poverty increased by 1.7 times in the last ten years to account for almost half all impoverished seniors, a study has found.

Comfort women survivors aren’t giving up; we shouldn’t either

At the age of 16 in 1939, she went to the beach to catch seashells and ended up being taken away by the Japanese military. She had never set foot outside her home village of Gwandang (part of Gohyeon township in Namhae County, South Gyeongsang Province). For six years, she was shuffled between “comfort stations” in Manchuria and Shanghai. Her youthful dreams were shattered. A cousin carried off with her was shot dead by a Japanese soldier.

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JoongAng-Ilbo(conservative) (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)

FTC fines Qualcomm $851M

Qualcomm, the San Diego-based smartphone chip developer, on Wednesday was slapped with the heaviest fine ever levied by the Korean antitrust agency - 1.03 trillion won ($851 million) - for bullying smartphone manufacturers and violating antitrust laws.

Counsel arrests a former minister

Former Minister of Health and Welfare Moon Hyung-pyo was arrested early Wednesday morning on charges that he coerced the National Pension Service…

Assembly committee formed to change charter

The ruling Saenuri Party and three other main political groups in the National Assembly agreed Wednesday to form a 36-member special parliamentary…

Home-loan interest rates reach highest since January

After a brief dip midyear, mortgage rates in Korea are rising again, as the latest data from the central bank show…

Food items will feature GMO labels

Food products that contain even the slightest amount of genetically modified organisms will carry a GMO label starting in February as the Ministry of Food and Drug…

High-income earners continue to rise but at a slower rate

The number of Koreans who earn more than 100 million won ($82,802) a year continued to climb but at a slower rate. Their salary accounts for 15.8 percent of the total amount…

Korean firm unveils giant manned robot

Method-2 is the biggest robot made in Korea. A short video of the manned robot moving was released on Instagram on Dec. 16 and attracted 900,000 viewers…

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The KyungHyang-Shinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)

A “Super” Opposition with 201 Seats, Enough for Constitutional Amendments: Expectations for Legislation on Reforms

With the division of the Saenuri Party, the National Assembly has now become a four-party system (based on bodies with bargaining power) for the first time in twenty years since 1996. After the lawmakers passed the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, the weight of state administration has moved toward the National Assembly, and with the birth of a “super” opposition with over 200 seats, the requisite for constitutional amendments, the opposition‘s dominance in politics is expected to grow.

[Questionable Postponement of State-Published Textbook] Hwang Kyo-ahn‘s Plan? Last-Minute Change from 1-Year Postponement to “Partial Introduction”

The education ministry’s “Plan to Introduce the State-Published History Textbooks in Schools” was handed out to the reporters just two minutes before the press conference. Usually, press releases are distributed at least half an hour before the conference, but this day, it was obvious that they had struggled over this issue up until just before the announcement.

Ban Growing Stronger and Stronger: Despite Various Allegations Leads in the Polls

More and more attempts are being made to verify UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (72) as a presidential candidate. Also a series of allegations have been raised starting with the suspicion that he received $230,000 from Park Yeon-cha, former chairman of Taekwang Inc. The Minjoo Party of Korea is considering launching a task force that will focus on the verification of Ban and strengthen its aggressive verification of the candidate.

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

Fair Trade Commission Imposes 1 Tril. Won Penalties to Qualcomm

The Korean Fair Trade Commission has slapped a record-high penalty to Qualcomm, a U.S. communications chipset maker, in excess of 1 trillion won. As grounds for the fines, the competition regulator explained that the San Diego-based company forced mobile device manufacturers to sign unfair contracts while refusing to hand over standard patent licenses to rival chipset makers for seven years.

550 Tril. Won National Pension Fund Shaken up after Arrest of Its Chairman

As Moon Hyung-pyo, CEO and chairman of the National Pension Service and former Minister of Health, was arrested on December 28 by the special prosecutors investigating the Choi Soon-sil scandal, the National Pension Service is in disarray. The operations of the state-run enterprise with assets of more than 550 trillion won (US$454 billion) under management have been in virtual paralysis since its investment management office head Hong Wan-sun was under investigation over embezzlement charges in relation to approving the Samsung C&T-Cheil Industries merger case.

Loans to Self-employed Business Owners Surpasses 460 Bil. Won...BOK

The balance of loans made out to self-employed business owners has surpassed 460 trillion won. Of this, the loans for non-business purposes accounted for more than 35 percent, implying that self-employed businesspeople borrow money in order to survive and buy homes. In a situation where the economy is unable to get out of the recession and interest rates are set to increase, it is likely for these self-employed entrepreneurs to suffer more in paying back their debts.

Samsung's Foundry Business Increases Its Sales by More Than 10% This Year

The foundry unit of Samsung Electronics has grown more than 10 percent this year in terms of sales revenue after overcoming a shock from severing ties with Apple Inc. Samsung is currently preparing to spin the unit off based on the judgment that it is now strong enough to stand on its own feet.

NHN's Payco Reaches 1 Tril. Won in Cumulative Payment Volume in 15 Months

NHN Entertainment said on December 28 that its mobile payment service "Payco" has logged more than 1 trillion won in cumulative payment volume for 17 months since launch. During the months, the service's monthly payment volume was more than 100 billion won and the total subscriber number hit 6.1 million.

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

Fans blame abusive online users for Kim Yoo-jung's hospitalization

Kim Yoo-jung, a rising K-pop star, was hospitalized after collapsing this week. Her agency blamed her tight schedule for causing a stress-induced shock but many fans cited senseless online criticism pointed at the 17-year-old.

Cosmic Girls unveils teaser video for upcoming mini-album

Cosmic Girls, also known as WJSN comprised of 13 Korean and Chinese members, has released a special "SECRET FILM" that played a prelude to the group's comeback on January 4.

'No Matter Where' by M.C the MAX selected as most popular karaoke song

M.C the MAX is not a shining K-pop star like boy groups BIGBANG and EXO which enjoy widespread popularity at home and abroad. Yet, it is respected widely in South Korea's music scene as a long-running rock ballad group with a solid fan base.

Girl group AOA releases another sneak peek video for 'Excuse Me'

Girl group AOA released another teaser clip Thursday, tantalizing fans with a sneak peek at the new track "Excuse Me". The girls have unveiled a series of teaser images and videos this week ahead of their comeback.

'Star Wars' characters resurrected in real-time mobile strategy game

Iconic Star Wars characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader or Princess Leia will be resurrected in a mobile strategy game to be unveiled by South Korea's top mobile game developer in collaboration with Lucasfilm, the creator of the popular movie series.

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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

What’s ticking around the world at this second?

See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today: www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

The New York Times: www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journal: www.wsj.com support@wsj.com ,service@wsj-asia.com

Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com

times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk

Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cn kf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

Gwangmyeong Daily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com

asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com

mainichi www.mainichi.jp

lemonde www.ilemonde.com

Italy rarepupeul Rica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com

Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de

SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Sydney Morning Herald www.smh.com.au

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