The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, February 17, 2017

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

‘Samsung heir arrested on bribery charges in

corruption probe‘

This photo, taken on Feb. 16, 2017, shows Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. in a car taking him to a detention center, south of Seoul.

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's de facto leader, was formally arrested Friday on charges of bribery in connection with a high-profile corruption scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her friend. With the Seoul Central District Court issuing the arrest warrant, Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., became the first leader of the country's largest business group to be detained in a criminal probe. The investigation team, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-soo, requested the writ for a second time on Tuesday -- less than a month after its first request on Lee's charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury was turned down.

At last Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested

Visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2945

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‘Opposition parties welcome arrest of Samsung head‘

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., enters the independent counsel's office in Seoul on Feb. 16, 2017.

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party on Friday welcomed the arrest of the de facto head of the country's No. 1 conglomerate Samsung Group, expressing hope it will help in eradicating corruptive ties between businesses and the government. Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of the world's largest technology company Samsung Electronics Co., was arrested early in the day on charges that included bribery in connection with the high-profile scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her confidante. "Chaebol groups, including Samsung, which provided large sums of money to the president and those who exerted powers behind the scenes in return for various benefits must receive stern judgment in court," Rep. Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman of the Democratic Party said.

Here is follow-up on Lee Jae-yong arrest.

Visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2946

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/)

Independent Counsel Arrests Samsung Heir Lee Jae-yong

The heir of Samsung Group, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics, has been arrested in the investigation into the Choi Soon-sil scandal. He will face trial while detained in a detention facility. Lee is suspected to have provided bribes to President Park Geun-hye's longtime confidante Choi, in a bid to facilitate his inheritance of the 305-billion dollar business empire. Kim Bum-soo has more.

Foreign Ministers of S. Korea, US, Japan Denounce N. Korea's Missile Launch

Top diplomatic envoys from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch during their trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Germany, Thursday. They denounced the launch in the strongest terms, emphasizing the North will face an “even stronger” international response for violating UN resolutions. Alannah Hill has more.

Court to Hold Final Impeachment Hearing on Feb. 24

The Constitutional Court says it will hold the final hearing in President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial on Friday, February 24th. Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi asked the legal teams on both sides to submit a comprehensive preparatory statement by the 23rd and be prepared to make closing arguments the next day.

Moon Warns Against Politicizing Security Matters

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in warned Thursday against using national security matters for political purposes. At an event to launch his diplomatic and security advisory group, he specified North Korea's latest missile launch and the murder of the North Korean leader's half brother as incidents that merit particular caution.

Ruling Party Unveils Support for Traditional Markets

The ruling Liberty Korea Party, formerly known as Saenuri, says it plans to invest nearly two trillion won in modernizing traditional markets. The plan ranges from simple infrastructure improvements like the creation of parking spaces to lowering the burden of credit card fees for self-employed businesses with 300 to 500 million won in annual sales.

Finance Minister: Exports Expected to Continuously Post Growth in Feb.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho has projected that exports will continue to see growth for a fourth consecutive month in February. During a meeting with economy-related ministers in Seoul on Thursday, Yoo said that exports continue to witness recovery into this month.

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

Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S. agree to develop joint strategies to deal with N. Korea

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson agreed Thursday to put together joint strategies to deal with North Korea based on an understanding that the communist nation has reached the final stage of nuclear armament, officials said.

Trump calls North Korea 'really really important' subject, pledges to take care of it

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he will take care of the problem of North Korea, calling the communist nation one of "really really important subjects." Trump made the remark during a news conference announcing his new pick for labor secretary, arguing that his administration "inherited a mess" at home and abroad, including North Korea, and complaining about leaks of sensitive government information to the press.

Samsung Group says will do best to ensure truth in court

Samsung Group said Friday it will do its best to ensure that the truth is revealed in future court proceedings after its de facto leader Lee Jae-yong was arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. "We will do our best to ensure that the truth is revealed in future court proceedings," the group said in a brief statement.

FKI board meets over new chief, upcoming assembly

The board of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) was set to meet Friday for discussions on ways to reform the organization now facing a series of departures by its key members that are threatening its very foundation.

Samsung heir arrested on bribery charges in corruption probe

S. Korean skier hoping to dedicate Winter Asiad gold to injured brother

South Korean alpine skier Kim Hyeon-tae won't just be competing for himself at this month's Asian Winter Games here in Japan; he's hoping to dedicate a gold medal to his skier brother, who suffered a serious injury during a recent race.

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

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong arrested for bribery

Samsung Group’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong was arrested with physical detention early Friday morning on charges that include bribery to President Park Geun-hye and her friend Choi Soon-sil. The arrest of Samsung Electronics vice chairman came shortly after a court issued a warrant in the second attempt by the special counsel to arrest him.

2 more arrested over death of NK leader’s brother

Malaysian authorities said Thursday they have detained an Indonesian woman and a Malaysian man in connection with the murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother, one day after arresting a woman with a Vietnamese passport.

Counsel requests extension of probe into scandal

The independent counsel team looking into the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil on Thursday officially requested an extension of its investigation.

Court refuses to allow prosecutors' search of presidential office

A Seoul court on Thursday refused to allow special prosecutors to search the presidential office, casting a cloud over an ongoing corruption probe of President Park Geun-hye and her associates. The special counsel filed the lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court last Friday after its attempt to enter the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to collect evidence was halted by her aides earlier this month for security reasons.

South Korea has OECD's second-worst air quality

South Korea has nearly the worst air quality among advanced economies, with its level of fine dust soaring over the past 25 years, a report revealed Thursday. According to the “State of Global Air 2017,” a report by nonprofit environmental group Health Effects Institute in the United States, the nation’s average population-weighted concentration level of PM2.5 -- which refers to ultrafine particles or particle matter with a diameter of at least 2.5 micrometers -- was 29 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015, above the average 15 micrograms for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

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

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong arrested on bribery charges

Samsung Electronic Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was put behind bars as a Seoul court issued a warrant early Friday morning on bribery charges involving the influence-peddling scandal that has rocked South Korea and led to impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

Kim Jong-nam's assassination may be linked to North Korea's secret funds

Speculation is rampant on why North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, was killed in an apparent assassination suspected of having been ordered by the young leader.

Grammy-nominated British DJ convicted of drug smuggling

A Grammy-nominated British DJ was found guilty of smuggling drugs into South Korea last year. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the DJ, 53, to a year in prison, suspended for two years. A Korean-American was fined 20 million won for buying and using the drugs.

Korean-Briton becomes Queen's Counsel

A Korean-born British lawyer has been appointed a Queen's Counsel (QC) for the first time in the country's history.

Rhee Deok-joo, a 43-year-old barrister in London, was one of 113 lawyers appointed as QC. The appointment ceremony was held at Westminster Hall, Monday.

Vinyl makes comeback from near-extinction

Placing a needle in the groove of a black vinyl record and listening to the scratchy analog sounds was common a few decades ago when vinyl was the major distribution vehicle of popular music. Vinyl records were ousted by the rise of smaller and more convenient cassette tapes, then CDs and then digital music.

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Dong-AIlbo (http://english.donga.com)

Mattis starts demanding allies to increase military contributions

The Washington Post made this comment after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis remarked, “If your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals needs to show support for our common defence,” in a meeting of defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance that took place in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday.

Ichiro Suzuki, the presumptive Hall of Famer

This was what Ichiro Suzuki (44·Miami Marlins·pictured) said at an interview before the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Motivated by this bold comment, ironically, Korea did beat Japan several times afterwards. However, the remarks show how confident he was. He could say so because he was in his prime time both physically and mentally.

War films with curator’s explanations

The War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul will screen Korean and foreign war movies every day free of charge starting Friday to the end of December. The movies will be shown at Cinema Theater located on the third floor of the Memorial every 2 p.m. every day. A Memorial official explained that the theater can accommodate up to 100 people on a first-come-first-served basis without reservations.

Korean bag brand debuts in London Fashion Week

Decke, the bag brand of Handsome, a member of the Hyundai Department Group, will tap the global market. Handsome said that it will showcase DECKE in the London Fashion Week on Feb. 17 through 21.

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

Kim Jong-nam 'Grew Depressed After Uncle's Execution'

No one would talk on Wednesday at the eight-story apartment in Macau's old quarter where Kim Jong-nam lived with his family and at a high-rise condominium in another part of the territory where he also had a unit.

Park Made Scores of Phone Calls to Crony on the Lam

President Park Geun-hye talked to her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil on the phone twice every day even after Choi went on the lam as the corruption scandal engulfed them both. In a discovery that could fatally undermine Park's defense that she was an innocent dupe of Choi's shenanigans, investigators on Wednesday said the two exchanged no fewer than 573 calls between April and October last year as the media still largely glossed over the first stirrings of the scandal, and another 127 times once Choi hotfooted it to Germany.

Press Gets Peek at Lotte World Tower's Top Features

The 123-story Lotte World Tower, the capital's tallest building, is awaiting its grand opening on April 3. But on Wednesday, some of the more exclusive parts were unveiled for the first time, including the royal suite in the hotel, which costs a cool W20 million per night, and the ultra-fast elevator (US$1=W1,141).

S.Korea to Blast News of Kim Jong-nam Killing Across Border

The South Korean military will blast news of Monday's assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother across the border via the giant sound systems it has set up in the demilitarized zone.

Woman Held Over Death of Kim Jong-nam

Malaysian police on Wednesday arrested a woman suspected of assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam. The 29-year-old traveling on a Vietnamese passport under the name Doan Thi Huong was arrested as she was roaming around Kuala Lumpur International Airport and has been positively identified from CCTV footage, police said.

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

Pres. Park and Choi Sun-sil used burner phones to talk three times a day

Investigators disclosed on Feb. 15 that President Park Geun-hye spoke to Choi Sun-sil an average of more than two times a day using a phone registered under someone else’s name after Choi fled to Germany in the wake of her influence-peddling scandal in Sep. 2016. The investigative team led by Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo suspects that Park and Choi may have tried to coordinate their stories in a bid to destroy evidence. In a trial reviewing the legality of executing a search warrant for the Blue House, the investigative team argued that the search is necessary to acquire the burner phone that Park was using.

Disabled declare their humanity, in real-life Korean version of “I, Daniel Blake”

Ten or so people were pushing themselves in wheelchairs, each with a sign around his or her neck.“I’m not lazy or a beggar. My name is Choi Yeong-eun.”“I, In-hyeon, am not worthless or useless. Please do not insult me anymore!”In all cases, their demands were listed alongside their name. Those names were symbols, proof of their unique dignity as human beings.

Malaysian police arrest two suspects in killing of Kim Jong-nam, one with an Indonesian passport

The Malaysian police, who are currently investigating the killing of Kim Jong-nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, announced on Feb. 15 that they had arrested a woman holding a Vietnamese passport as a suspect. Japan’s Kyodo News reported that there is a total of six suspects implicated in the killing, including a woman with an Indonesian passport who was arrested.

Supreme Court with first ruling on state responsibility in abuses of Hansen’s patients

The Supreme Court has made its first-ever ruling acknowledging state responsibility in forced abortions and sterilization of Hansen‘s disease patients. It was the first final ruling since 539 Hansen’s survivors began filing class action suits in Oct. 2011.

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

Samsung heir arrested on bribery charges in corruption probe

Second suspect is held in killing of Kim Jong-nam

Malaysian police arrested a second suspect Thursday morning in the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam. Officers identified the suspect as a 25-year-old woman with an Indonesian passport. It is not yet known whether she is actually an Indonesian national. Police said she was alone at the time of her arrest, Thursday at 2 a.m., but did not reveal where she was nabbed.

China tries to sell pricier phones

Chinese phone makers, who started off at the lowest end of the market, are eyeing the high-end dominated by Apple and Samsung. According to a report from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) on Thursday, the average price of Chinese phones almost doubled from between 1,500 yuan ($219) to 2,000 yuan in 2015 to roughly 3,000 yuan in the second half of last year.

G6 will have unconventionally bigger screen

LG’s latest smartphone will come with an unusual screen size. Unlike the company’s previous smartphones, the G6 will have a display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 instead of the 16:9 ratio commonly found on the market.

Yakult set to start sales of desserts on demand

Korea Yakult, the company famous for its eponymous yogurt drink and the so-called Yakult ajumma who sell them on the street, will soon offer dessert sets in partnership with Korean confectionery Orion.

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

Death of Kim Jong-nam Confirms Pyongyang's Reign of Terror: A Calm Judgment Is Required

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea was poisoned by two women, suspected as North Korean agents, in a Malaysia airport. This incident is creating quite a stir.

Kim Jong-un's "Standing Order" Executed in Malaysia away from Chinese Eyes

A number of interpretations have been voiced concerning Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, who was killed in Malaysia on February 13.

Perhaps a Direct Order from Kim Jong-un to Remove Half-Brother, a Potential Threat to the Regime?

If Kim Jong-nam was assassinated, it was likely the result of direct orders from Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, who had perceived his half-brother as a potential threat to his rule. Although Kim Jong-nam wandered overseas, unable to enter the hermit state, there is no one in North Korea who would kill a bloodline of the supreme leader without an order from Kim Jong-un.

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

Samsung's Lee Jae-yong Finally Arrested for Bribery Charges

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Electronics vice chairman, has been arrested at 5:35 am on February 17 in relation to charges of bribery handed over to President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil. This is the first time for Samsung Group to have its chief arrested in its entire history.

Arrest of Samsung's Lee: Worst Thing That Can Happen to a Business Group

As vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested in the early morning of February 17, Samsung Group is in panic. Samsung officials who had been confident only a day ago that Lee would escape arrest this time again were speechless.

Korea's Fine Dust Level One of Worst among OECD Members...Study

A study said the number of deaths from fine dust and other air pollution in Korea is the highest among all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries.

LG Set Factory Price of G7 at 890,000 Won

LG Electronics set the factory price of its premium smartphone G6 at 890,000 won. LG is scheduled to show off the G6 in Barcelona, Spain, on February 26. This price is about 50,000 won higher than the price of its previous model G5 (836,000 won) and similar to that of the V20 (899,800 won) which was released last year.

SK Hynix Faces Unexpected Chance to Acquire Whole of Toshiba’s Chip Business

An unexpected situation is evolving for SK Hynix which joined the bid to acquire part of Toshiba’s computer chip business. In a situation where Toshiba is delaying the announcement of a prime negotiator which was expected to be made by early this week at the latest, Toshiba abruptly announced intention to sell even the management control of its semiconductor business.

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

Samsung group in shock over arrest of de facto head

Samsung, the world's leading microchip and smartphone maker, was in shock after its de facto head was arrested on bribery and other charges over his role in a corruption scandal that has fueled widespread public fury.

Samsung's actual head arrested for his role in corruption scandal

The de facto head of South Korea's top conglomerate, Samsung Group, was arrested Friday on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement over his alleged money-for-favor exchange with President Park Geun-hye.

S. Korean golf star Park Sung-hyun hopes to compete in next Olympics

Park Sung-hyun, a star player on the South Korean female golf tour, expressed her desire Thursday to compete in the next Olympics after she signed a major sponsorship deal with a local bank for her LPGA Tour debut this season.

S. Korea develops stun guns to replace expensive imports

South Korea will develop home-made stun guns to replace expensive Tasers which are getting popular due to tight restrictions on the use of fatal weapons to control criminals.

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

Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee arrested on bribery charges

Jay Y. Lee, the de facto leader of Samsung Group, headed for detention center early Friday after the court endorsed the second arrest pursuit from independent counsel that came with additional criminal charges on top of bribery associated with President Park Geun-hye and her friend Choi Soon-sil in return for support for smooth hereditary succession at Korea’s biggest corporate empire.

Hyundai Heavy Industries’ breakup plan gets ISS endorsement

South Korea’s largest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. gained traction in its plan to break up into six entities to leave just shipbuilding operation after the spinoff in April with the world’s largest corporate governance adviser giving its thumbs up for the move.

Korean four major banks reduce outlets by nearly 500 and staff more than 7,000 in 5 years

Increasing use of online and mobile banking has reduced brick-and-mortar outlets at Korea’s four major banks by nearly 500 and staff of more than 7,000 over the last five years, a survey by Maeil Business Newspaper showed.

Korea’s MBK Partners named preferred negotiator for Daesung Industrial Gases

South Korea’s private equity firm MBK Partners LP won the exclusive right to negotiate terms to buy Daesung Industrial Gases Co., the nation’s leading industrial gas supplier.

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 Timeswww.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journalwww.wsj.com support@wsj.com ,service@wsj-asia.com

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

The Timeswww.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

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

Chinese People's Dailywww.people.com.cn kf@people.cn

China Dailywww.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDailywww.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

Japan's Yomiuriwww.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com