The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, March 10, 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

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3200

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3199

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3196

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time is running out and there are less than a month to the impressive Tour of the Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival.

This year again, Mayor and Mrs. Jeon Dong-pyung of Yeongam County of Jeollanam-do Province are hosting the impressive Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival on April 6-7, 2017, and invite ambassadors and madams to attend the opening ceremony and enjoy various interesting events of the Festival in a one-night, two-day tour.

The Festival was designated as the Most Promising Culture & Tourism Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism for the third consecutive year.

(Please scroll down to the bottom for additional information. For participation in the tour and inquiries, please directly contact the Publisher at 010-5201-1740 or email edt@koreapost.com.--Ed.)

Wangin Culture Festival parade in Yeongam County in the southern region.

It marks the visit of Dr. Wangin of the Baekje Dynasty to Japan transferring Hanja

(Chinese characters) to Japan for the first time in the history of Korea, Japan and China.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice:

Whoever might have missed the humor from a kind-hearted former ambassador of a Middle East country, please scroll down to the bottom for the juicy jokes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 President Park Geun-hye Impeached

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been impeached. The Constitutional Court of Korea on Friday rendered its final verdict, upholding the parliamentary impeachment of President Park in December. Delivering the unanimous decision, the Acting President of the Constitutional Court, Justice Lee Jung-mi, said that the court recognizes Park's grave violation of the nation's highest law in the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

Trade Minister Meets with US Commerce Secretary

South Korean and U.S. trade ministers held talks in Washington and agreed to establish a bilateral channel on trade and industrial cooperation. Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Joo Hyung-hwan met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Wednesday and assessed how the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement has contributed to expanding trade and investment, serving as the basic frame in the two nations' economic cooperation.

Presidential Office in Shock over Impeachment

The presidential office is in shock following the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove President Park Geun-hye from office. The top office’s staff is busy devising follow-up procedures for Park’s impeachment. Shortly after the court verdict came out, the top office convened a meeting of senior presidential secretaries which was chaired by Presidential Chief of Staff Han Kwang-ok.

UN Report: N. Korea Tried to Sell Nuclear-Weapons Material Last Year

The Wall Street Journal reports North Korea tried to sell a form of lithium metal to unidentified international buyers last year. Citing a UN report, the Journal said Pyongyang attempted to sell the material to undisclosed buyers last year. Lithium-6 is a key material for making miniaturized nuclear weapons. A UN panel of experts that track North Korea's weapons programs said a front company run by a state-owned North Korean corporation attempted to sell the lithium online.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Court upholds impeachment of Park, removes her from office

The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye Friday, removing her from office after a 92-day leadership crisis and triggering a presidential election in the weeks to come. The ruling, which was announced by the court's acting chief and televised live, made Park the nation's first democratically elected leader to be ousted. She was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9 on charges of letting a close friend meddle in state affairs, colluding with her to extort money from conglomerates, and neglecting her duties during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300.

Park finishes grim chapter in history of S. Korean politics

Park Geun-hye, the nation's first female leader, finished a tumultuous chapter in the history of South Korean politics Friday with the Constitutional Court's ruling removing her from office -- a grim coda to her 20-year political life. After three months of grueling deliberations, the court upheld the impeachment resolution that the National Assembly passed in December over a massive corruption scandal involving Park and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. The highly charged verdict forced Park out of office, setting the stage for a rare presidential by-election in May. Had she been reinstated, Park would have been able to serve out her five-year term until next February.

Regulator urges 'emergency response' to household debt

South Korea's state financial watchdog on Friday announced a shift to an "emergency response mode" to the household debt problem dogging the key Asian economy. Outstanding household credit here jumped to 1,344.3 trillion won (US$1.15 trillion) in the final quarter of 2016, up 11.7 percent from a year earlier, despite the government's aggressive efforts to curb the growth. The authorities admitted to growing risk from the rapid expansion of loans by nonbank lenders, although banks' lending has shown clear signs of being brought under control.

N. Korea shows activity at nuclear test site in possible preparation for new test: 38 North

Fresh satellite imagery shows continued activity at North Korea's nuclear test facilities in what could be an effort to prepare for its sixth nuclear test, a U.S. website monitoring the North said Thursday. Commercial satellite imagery taken March 7 of the North's Punggye-ri test site indicates activity at the North Portal, the main administrative area and the command center, the website 38 North said in a report.

Investment advisory firms shift to losses on less contract

A majority of investment advisory companies in South Korea suffered losses in the third quarter of their fiscal 2016, hit by a decrease in contract amount, data showed Friday. A total of 159 full-time investment advisory firms were registered with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) last year. They posted a combined loss of 2.1 billion won (US$1.8 million) during the September-December period, versus a net profit of 14.6 billion won in the previous quarter, according to the data compiled by the watchdog.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Park Geun-hye ousted

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled unanimously to remove President Park Geun-hye from office, the capstone of a sweeping corruption scandal that has consumed South Korea for months.

“The Constitutional Court on March 1, 2017, rules to uphold the parliamentary impeachment of President Park Geun-hye,” acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi said in a nationally televised ruling on the country‘s second presidential impeachment trial.

rexit bill to go before MPs from Monday

British MPs will meet on Monday to discuss amendments made to a bill empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Brexit, with further debate possible on Tuesday and Wednesday, the government said.

The legislation is a requirement from the Supreme Court, which said that May needs lawmakers' approval to be able to invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the formal procedure for leaving the bloc. The House of Commons will discuss changes to the bill made by the House of Lords, particularly for granting permanent residency rights to EU nationals living in Britain and giving parliament a final say on Brexit.

KOGAS sues construction firms over price fixing

The state-run Korea Gas Corp. has filed a compensation suit against 13 construction companies over allegations they fixed prices for building its storage tanks, the companies said Thursday. The world's largest LNG importer filed the some 200 billion won (US$172 million) suit with the Daegu District Court on Feb. 16, according to the announcement made by Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. and Daelim Industrial Co.

Cyberattacks open new front in Korea, China THAAD spat

Korea and China are on the verge of a cyberwar as Chinese hackers that crashed the website of Lotte Duty Free are reportedly seeking to expand their attacks to more Korean public and private websites. Around 30 Korean public and company websites have so far been hacked by Chinese hackers, according to local news reports. These included relevant sites for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics and the 2017 WTF World Taekwondo Championships webpage, alongside homepages of private firms such as English-language learning company Leaders Edu.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Koreans' anger toward China simmers

South Koreans' sentiment toward China is worsening quickly amid the ongoing conflict between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U.S. advanced missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, according to data released Thursday. The finding was part of a big data study by Daum Soft covering 4.1 billion Twitter posts and 80 million news reports from Jan. 1, 2016, to March 6 this year. The company said the study was to look into public sentiment about the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here and China's protests.

Hyundai Marine accused of ignoring customers

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance is being accused of negligence in its consumer protection, drawing criticism that the company cares only about profit. According to data from the General Insurance Association of Korea, Thursday, the number of consumer complaints filed against Hyundai Marine stood at 5,304 throughout last year, up 10.4 percent from the previous year. The sharp increase is compared to its larger rivals of business bellwether Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and No. 2 player Dongbu Insurance, which saw their complaints rising 5.61 percent and 0.8 percent last year, respectively.

Gov't to offer housing support for 1.11 mil. Households

Over 1 million low-income households will receive financial support, the government announced Wednesday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport released a public housing plan containing details on the government's housing policy for this year. The entire scheme is worth 22.1 trillion won ($19.26 billion) and will support 1.11 million households. The government will provide 120,000 rental homes at low prices and offer "residential allowances" to 810,000 low-income households. While leasing the homes, the government will give favors to households whose rent-to-income ratio surpasses 30 percent.

4th industrial revolution may not lead to massive job losses in Korea: minister

South Korea will not likely suffer from massive job losses with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution -- which will bring production automation and a streamlined governance system -- due to preemptive investments, a report said Thursday. Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said recently his government will pursue state-run R&D funds and deregulation to improve the country's economic and social systems and make them more suited for the fourth industrial revolution.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

'Kim Jong Un is not a rational person,' says US ambassador to UN

“All options are on the table in reviewing how to deal with North Korea,” said Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, on Wednesday, adding, “We are not dealing with a rational person.” On Wednesday morning, Ambassador Haley attended the UN Security Council emergency meeting to discuss the issues over North Korea’s missile capabilities at the New York UN headquarters and had a joint press conference with South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul and Japan’s UN ambassador Koro Bessho, where she said, “They (North Korea) said that their goal is to be able to reach U.S. bases in Japan. This is not something we can take lightly.” The American ambassador further stressed that “Every country needs to respond to the action of North Korea.”

PAC-3 batteries to be deployed near presidential office

It has been reported that new batteries of the PAC-3 missiles, which are designed to intercept North Korean ballistic missiles targeting South Korea’s presidential office, are going to be implemented near the office as quickly as in two years. This is a measure to respond to a series of threats from the North, which has disclosed a video of their drills to strike the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae and declared to set the office on fire.

Gravitational waves scientist dies aged 85

Ronald Drever, a Scottish physicist and professor emeritus at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) who was mentioned as a strong candidate for the Nobel Prize in Physics, has died at 85. According to the BBC and other media outlets, he suffered dementia and recently had a deterioration of his health. He died in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday. Drever founded the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the U.S. in 1992 with Kip Thorne, a theorist at Caltech, and Rainer Weiss, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Team Israel secures 3 victories at 2017 World Baseball Classic

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft with a ranking of 317th. This was the only big league record for professional baseball pitcher Josh Zeid of Israel. From 2013 to 2014, he made 48 appearances as a relief pitcher of the Houston Astros, with a 0–1 record and a 5.21 ERA.

2-hour non-stop express train to cover Seoul-Busan line

Starting this August, “non-stop express trains” will operate to serve passengers from Seoul to Busan and Gwangju. In addition, a “one-stop” express train will be introduced for Gyeongbu Line, stopping at either Daejeon or Dongdaegu. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced its basic plan on railroad distribution on Thursday. Once non-stop trains operate, passengers from Seoul can arrive in Busan within two hours and arrive in Gwangju within 1 hour and 25 minutes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Constitutional Court Ousts Park

The Constitutional Court in a unanimous decision announced Friday morning upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, who was immediately stripped of office. Park, the country's first democratically elected leader to be forced out of office, must presently leave Cheong Wa Dae, where she has been holed up since the National Assembly voted to impeach her in December.

Debt Surges Among Well-Paid 30, 40-Somethings

People in their prime productive years from 30 to 50 are largely responsible for the dramatic surge in household debt to W1,300 trillion, a majority of them on high incomes (US$1=W1,160).

People in their 30s and 40s accounted for around 80 percent of the W74 trillion increase in household debt in 2014 and 2015. And those in the top 20 percent of the income bracket accounted for 51 percent.

Malaysia Rounds up N.Korean Illegals

Malaysia has arrested 140 illegal North Korean workers in an apparent bid for leverage in a diplomatic row over the Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Immigration officials and police in Sarawak on Tuesday and Wednesday rounded up some 140 North Koreans who were working at a construction site, the Straits Times reported. They had no work permits but worked on visitor visas.

Chinese Tourists Cancel Korea Trips Amid THAAD Row

Ill will between China and Korea is deepening over Seoul's decision to let the U.S. station a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here.

Many Chinese package tours to Korea are being canceled. Korean Air saw reservations on flights between the two countries from earlier this week until April 30 plunge 10 percent compared to the same period a year ago. "We need to monitor the situation further, but we're considering using smaller planes or cutting the number of flights," a Korean Air spokesman said Wednesday.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Constitutional Court decides unanimously to oust Park

Choi Sun-sil made the difference. Even while the Constitutional Court concluded that President Park Geun-hye’s responsibility for the Sewol sinking did not constitute grounds for impeachment, it unanimously decided to uphold her impeachment because of her involvement in Choi’s government interference.

China limited in its self-appointed role as mediator for Korean peninsula affairs

Beijing continues to call on South Korea to “halt the THAAD deployment and not to go further down the wrong path.”

After China announced its willingness to serve as a mediator on the North Korean nuclear issue, the big question is whether China can bring about a turning point on the Korean Peninsula, given the recent heightening of tensions there.

China’s economic retaliation for THAAD could cut S. Korean growth by 0.5%

Once deployment is complete, the damage could be even greater, as China could even target exports

As China’s economic retaliation against the THAAD deployment start to have a direct effect on South Korea’s real economy, multiple experts are concerned that THAAD could erode South Korea’s economic growth rate by about 0.5 percentage points.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JoongAngIlbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)

Park Geun-hye becomes first Korean president to be removed from office

Park Geun-hye became the first president in Korean history to be dismissed from office Friday, as the Constitutional Court made a historic ruling upholding the National Assembly’s impeachment of the scandal-plagued leader.

Constitutional Court removes Park Geun-hye from presidency

President Park Geun-hye was removed from office Friday as the Constitutional Court made a historic ruling upholding the National Assembly’s impeachment of the scandal-plagued leader.

Constitutional Court to declare decision

The Constitutional Court will make a ruling this morning to decide the fate of the presidency of Park Geun-hye and subsequent political future of the country. The impeachment trial of President Park took 92 days to reach a verdict. The National Assembly passed a motion to remove her from office on Dec. 9, 2016 for 13 criminal and constitutional violations, including a charge that she allowed her secret inner circle to influence state affairs for their private gains. The final session to announce the ruling is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. today.

Thaad row reaches realm of sports

China’s retaliation against South Korea for its acceptance of a U.S. antimissile shield has expanded into a new realm: sports. An official from the Korea Football Association said Beijing recently rejected its proposal to fly South Korea’s national team to Changsha, Hunan Province, on a private plane for an upcoming match against China there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

China Seizes Hallyu Products Including Albums of Idols: THAAD Sparks Also Hit SMEs

The impact of China's economic retaliation due to South Korea's placement of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles has spread to the nation's export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.

Legal Protection for Officials Who Refuse to Follow Unjust Orders

Regulations will be established to protect civil servants from disadvantages when refusing the illegal or unjust orders of a senior official in order to prevent irregularities such as the “blacklist” of cultural figures. After all, public officials at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism along with the employees of agencies supporting artists had obeyed orders to draw up a blacklist fearing disadvantages they would have to suffer in their careers.

Prosecutors' Office, "An Investigation According to Principle, Regardless of the Impeachment Decision"

The team of special prosecutor Park Young-soo handed the “Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil case” over to the Prosecutors' Office, and the prosecutors announced that they would conduct the investigation according to principles regardless of the outcome of the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. However, it will take days for them to just review the records; thus they are not expected to embark on a full-scale investigation within this week.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

President Park Goes Home without Completing Her Term...Impeachment Motion Approved Unanimously

Korea's Constitutional Court has finally handed over the verdict of approving the impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye. In a 22-minute statement, Lee Jung-mi, acting chief Justice of the court, found the President's negligence in the handling of the Sewol ferry boat sinking incident may be reproachable morally but it was not within the scope of the constitutional court to impeach her.

Deloitte Anjin to Highly Likely Face Business Suspension

Financial regulators said it may be inevitable for accounting firm Deloitte Anjin to be ordered for suspension as it was implicated for the window dressing of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. According to financial regulatory sources on March 9, the audit committee of the Securities & Futures Commission held an emergency meeting on the same day and concluded that it would penalize Deloitte Anjin for its negligence in relation to Daewoo Shipbuilding.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Phone Can Recognize Its Owner’s Face

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S8, scheduled to be released at the end of this month, is appointed with the face recognition technology as a way to complement the iris recognition feature. Apple also decided to fully introduce the face recognition technology starting from the iPhone 8 which will be available from the latter half of this year.

Five Social Insurance Schemes to Raise Alternative Investment Shares This Year

The government is set to increase the share of alternative investment in five social insurance schemes and pension funds including the government employees pension fund as a way to boost the return on investment. It will also strengthen the support system for the funds' management. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced on March 9 a 2017 plan for managing social insurance assets.

Hanwha E&C's Bismayah Project Under Way Smoothly

Hanwha Engineering & Construction said that the new city project in Bismayah in the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, is getting good reviews from early residents. That's largely due to the good quality of housing units and amenities in the surrounding areas that are taking shape gradually. The Bismayah New City project, worth US$10.1 billion, is building 100,000 housing units, with the current progress ratio of 32 percent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

S. Korea court endorse Park's impeachment in unanimous decision

President Park Geun-hye came to a disgraced end Friday after South Korea's constitutional court endorsed her impeachment in a unanimous decision for betraying the confidence of voters.

Creditors agree to sell controlling stake in Kumho Tire to Chinese firm

Creditors agreed to sell a controlling stake in Kumho Tire Co., the world's 12th largest tire maker with an international product base, to Chinese tire maker Doublestar Tyre.

The state-run Korea Development Bank said that creditors would sign a deal with the Chinese company on Monday to sell their combined 42.1 percent stake. The price was not known, but there have been reports that the stake would be worth 955 billion won (827 million US dollars).

Court decision to oust Park puts US missile shield in question

The deployment of an advanced US missile shield was put into question after its staunch supporter, Park Geun-hye, was ousted in a landmark court ruling to uphold her impeachment, setting the stage for an early presidential election.

Two elderly Park supporters dead during violent protest

Two elderly supporters of South Korea's ousted president Park Geun-hye died after being hurt in a violent protest sparked by a landmark court decision to endorse Park's impeachment, police said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

South Korean president Park Geun-hye ousted after unanimous Constitutional Court ruling

The eight-member bench of the South Korean Constitutional Court on Friday unanimously voted Friday in favor of a Dec. 9 legislative motion to impeach President Park Geun-hye, making her the country’s first president to be impeached and dismissed from office before termination of a five-year tenure largely for disregard for constitutional duties and laws.

Korea’s presidential election to be pulled up to May from Dec after Park’s impeachment

South Korea gears up to elect the next president in a by-election in May instead of original December after the Constitutional Court ruling on Friday removed President Park Geun-hye before her term ends in February next year, unanimously upholding the legislative charges against her for impeaching her in December.

BBQ aspires to humble KFC and even McDonald’s with expansion in U.S., CEO

South Korea’s chicken franchise group Genesis BBQ will open 10,000 stores in the United State and 50,000 stores across the world over the next four years with the ambitious goal of outranking McDonald’s to become the world’s top fast-food franchising brand, said Genesis BBQ Group Chairman Yoon Hong-geun.

Hanwha Q Cells opens local R&D center for lucrative module production in Korea

Hanwha Q Cells Co., a solar power unit of South Korea’s conglomerate Hanwha Group, opened a new research and development center in the country that will aid in mass producing advanced photovoltaic (PV) modules that are expected to generate higher profits within this year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invitation to Wangin Culture Festival on Thurs. 6 April 2017

To celebrate the birth and outstanding achievements of Wangin, the great scholar of the Baekje Dynasty, the Yeongam County has been hosting the Festival in April since 1992.

Born in the Yeongam County, Dr. Wangin went to Japan to teach scholastic knowledge and culture to the leaders of Japan including the Crown Prince at the time. Major programs of the Festival consist of an exhibition of artifacts and rituals related to Dr. Wangin, and performance of traditional folk arts, including spring rites, performance of folk music and dances, folk games, parades, shamanistic ritual, and fashion show of the Baekje costumes. The designation as the most promising culture and tourism festival for the third consecutive year is more significant as it was selected when screening processes got more rigorous in fiercer competition since 2015.

Ambassadors and leaders of the Yeongam County officially open the 2016

YeongamWangjinBaksa Culture Festival.

Notably, the Festival demonstrated potential of evolving into a global event as it has been visited by ambassadors and senior diplomats of many foreign embassies in Korea, including Russia and Poland, as well as delegations from Hirakata and Kanzaki, Japan. In addition, the Festival largely expanded programs that can easily be participated in and enjoyed by tourists and regional residents.

For example, a musical entitled, ‘Scholar Wangin Leaves for Japan,’ enhanced the degree of enjoyment and understanding by the tourists through re-enactment activities of Dr. Wangin who helped Japan create and flourish the Asuka Culture.

The musical provided over 1,000 local residents and foreign tourists with excitement and invited them to join the subsequent street parade. Moreover, colorful folk games and programs aroused strong interest among international visitors, evaluating the event as a premium and safe festival.

Mayor and Mrs. Jeon Dong-pyung of Yeongam County (seventh and eights from left,

front row, respectively) pose with Amb. and Mrs. Majka of Poland on their right and

other ambassadors and spouses visiting Yeongnam County .

Invitation to YeongamWangin Culture Festival on April 6-7

I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that Mayor Jeon Dong-pyung of the Yeongam County, near Gwangju, invites Your Excellency to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Wangin Culture Festival on Thursday-Friday April 6-7, 2017, and tour the historical and cultural sights in the area. Asiana Airlines will be used on the way to and from Yeongam.

Please visit:

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2559

http://www.koreapost.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=19568

Noted Korean scholar of the Baekje Dynasty of Korea, WanginBaksa, visited Japan at the invitation of Emperor Ojin of Japan (15th Monarch of Japan) in the 17th Year of King Asin of Baekje (AD 392 to 405), and spread in Japan the Confucian Classic (including Chinese characters), Calligraphy, Blacksmith, Pottery, Weaving and various other forms of art and craftsmanship. This year marks the 51st anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan and it is all the more meaningful to host the WanginBaekje Culture Festival. The schedule:

DAY ONE:1310 hours, Thurs. 6 April 2017: Meet at Youngsan Station

1335-1523 hours: Move from Seoul to the Gwagjusongjeong Station.

1523-1623 hours: Move from Gwagjusongjeong Station to Yeongam Country by bus.

1623-1800 hours: Welcome dinner hosted by Mayor and Mrs. Jeon

1830-1930 hours: Attend Opening Ceremony

1930 hours: Check in at the Mokpo Hyundai Hotel for the night.

DAY TWO: 0800-0900 hours breakfast at the hotel.

1000-1030 hours:Wangin Art Festival.

1030-1200 hours: Tour Dogap-sa Buddhist Temple.

1200-1330 hours: Luncheon.

1330-1500 hours: Tour GichanLand.

1500-1702 hours: Move from Yeongam to Gwangju.

(A slight change could occur to the schedule depending on the traffic situation of the day.)

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

RSVP:

Yes, I will attend______. Regrets:_______.

Mobile phone of Korean secretary____________________ or Driver______________________

The Korea Post phones numbers are: 010-3388-1682 (Korean) or 010-5201-1740 (English), or regular phones 2298-1740/2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

Mainichiwww.mainichi.jp

Lemondewww.ilemonde.com

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

Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitungwww.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de

SüddeutscheZeitungwww.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

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

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

ANDES http://www.andes.info.ec/en

ECUADOR TIMES http://www.ecuadortimes.net

The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com

LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en

The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com , estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com

El Paishttp://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER https://www.inquirer.net

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Again, we have humor contribution from one of the Middle East country ambassadors.

Thank you, Excellency, we will share them with your former and incumbent colleagues:

A hot girl

A couple sees a hot girl.
Wife: So big, aren't they?
Husband: Yes.
Wife: Are they artificial?
Husband: I think natural.
Wife: Ear-rings are natural?
Total silence.

A joking store clerk (please present your opinion)

A woman walks into an upscale departmental store. She looks around, spots a beautiful diamond bracelet and walks over to inspect it.

As she bends over to look more closely, she unexpectedly farts.

Very embarrassed, she looks around nervously to see if anyone noticed her little woops and prays that a sales person was not anywhere near.

As she turns around, her worst nightmare materializes in the form of a salesman standing right behind her: Good looking as well as cool as a cucumber, he displays all of the qualities one would expect of a professional in a store like Harrods.

He politely greets the lady with, ‘Good day, Madam. How may we help you today?'

Blushing and uncomfortable, but still hoping that the salesman somehow missed her little ‘incident', she asks, 'what is the price of this lovely bracelet?'

He answers, "Madam, if you farted just looking at it you're going to shit when I tell you the price!"

(Please advise us of your opinion of the attitude of the salesman by leaving a note at edt@koreapost.com.—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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지