The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Tuesday, March 21, 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
Special Notice:
Last night, some ambassadors asked me if I had received video clips from them.
I checked with my people, and they said they had not received any.
Please send them to edt@koreapost.com.
And I am always available at 010-5201-1740 for any inquiries.
The Korean people really appreciate the video clips sent by the fast-growing number of embassies.
Seeing is believing and the pictures really do wonders!
Why not visit and personally see?: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38m7LSEw-TkTcV5P-MoD3Q/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0
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Invitation:
I hope Your Excellency and Madam will not miss the most interesting
The Gala Gaya Culture Festival of Gimhae City on Sunday April 9, 2017!
--Chairman Lee of The Korea Post media
Ambassadors and Madams are invited to the famed 2017 Grand Gaya Culture Festival of the Gimhae City on Sunday April 9, 2017.
As the suzerain state of six Gaya Kingdoms and royal capital of Geumgwan-Gaya founded in 42 A.D., Gimhae is the cradle of the Gaya culture. These small ancient states include Ara Gaya, Goryeong Gaya, Dae Gaya, Seongsan Gaya, Bihwa Gaya and Geumgwan Gaya, which formed a confederation dominated by Geumgwan Gaya. With a 500-year long history, Gaya Kingdoms created ingenious and brilliant pottery and ironware culture based on affluent iron products and outstanding iron-making technology. Taking geographical advantages, these Gaya Kingdoms actively traded with China, Japan and Nakrang as the center of international trade in Northeast Asia. Active international marine trade and exchange of these ancient states with foreign countries can be well explained by the international marriage between King Suro, the founding king of Geumgwan-Gaya, and Princess Heo Hwang-ok of Ayodhya Kingdom in India. (Scroll down to the bottom for more information and invitation.)
Royal procession of King Suro of the Gaya Kingdom
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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/)
Park to Release Message before Entering Prosecution Tuesday
Impeached ex-President Park Geun-hye is expected to deliver a statement before entering the prosecution's office Tuesday morning. Park's attorney Sohn Beom-kyu told reporters on Monday that his client will release a message around the time of her planned appearance at the prosecutions Tuesday morning. Sohn said, however, that he is not aware of the details of Park's statement and he is not sure where she will deliver the message.
Nuke Envoys of US, China Discuss N. Korean Nuclear Issue
Top delegates to the six-party nuclear talks from the U.S. and China have met in Beijing to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday confirmed during a regular news briefing that U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Joseph Yun held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei on Monday.
Seoul Notifies WTO of Chinese THAAD Retaliation
The South Korean government has notified the World Trade Organization(WTO) of issues related to China's economic retaliation to the THAAD deployment. Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan on Monday told the parliamentary Trade, Industry and Energy Committee that the issue was officially brought to the WTO’s Council for Trade in Services on Friday for possible violations of international law.
Gov't to Attempt to Lift Sewol Ferry Wednesday
The government will attempt to lift the sunken Sewol ferry from the ocean floor as early as Wednesday. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it plans to conduct a trial if weather permits, and immediately start the lift process if the test results are good. Vice Minister Yoon Hag-bae told reporters at the government complex in Sejong City on Monday that the government will decide whether to conduct the trial lift after checking weather forecasts at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Park faces multiple criminal allegations in prosecution questioning
Former President Park Geun-hye faces allegations of bribery, abuse of power, coercion and leak of government secrets in 13 difference cases involving her close friend and former aides.
Park, Korea's first leader to be ousted by impeachment, is scheduled to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul on Tuesday morning to undergo questioning.
White House expresses concern about N. Korea's rocket engine test
The White House expressed concern Monday about North Korea's weekend test of a high-powered rocket engine amid concern the communist nation could use the engine to carry out a threatened test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. "We continue to be concerned with North Korea's activity. That's why not only have we continued to have conversations with officials in Japan and South Korea, but continue to urge China to step in and play a larger role in deterring both the ballistic and other missile threats that North Korea plays,"
Former President Park to be grilled in corruption scandal
Former President Park Geun-hye is set to be questioned by prosecutors Tuesday over a string of corruption allegations that removed her from office earlier this month.
Park is scheduled to arrive at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul at around 9:30 a.m. She will undergo a day-long interrogation over allegations of bribery, abuse of power, coercion and leak of government secrets in 13 difference cases.
N.K. engine test likely for satellite rocket, rather than ICBM: U.S. expert
The high-powered rocket engine that North Korea carried out a ground test on over the weekend appears to be for a satellite launch vehicle rather than an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. aerospace expert said Monday. John Schilling, known for his expertise on the North's missile program, released the assessment in a report carried by the website 38 North, saying the combination of a core engine and four vernier engines is too big to fit on any known North Korean ICBM prototypes.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Lotte’s founding family denies all in first trial
The founding family of Lotte Group stood trial Monday, denying their charges of embezzlement and corrupt management of their businesses. It marked the first time that the feuding members have appeared in court together. The trial came five months after prosecutors first charged Chairman Shin Dong-bin and four other family members in October last year. Following Monday’s opening trial, the court plans to hold hearings three times a week regarding the charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.
Park braces for tough questioning on bribery
Former President Park Geun-hye will deliver a message in public before undergoing questioning by state investigators Tuesday, addressing the public directly for the first time since her impeachment. “Former President Park has prepared a message, which she will deliver on her way to the prosecutors’ office,” her lawyer Sohn Beom-kyu told reporters Monday, claiming to have no further knowledge of the content of the message.
NK’s Kim ‘acting very, very badly’: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Monday issued a fresh bout of criticism against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he was “acting very, very badly” in light of the communist state’s recent test of a new rocket engine. Pyongyang’s state media said it tested a new high-thrust rocket engine Saturday, a step seen as part of its efforts to build an intercontinental ballistic missile, for which Kim has said a test is in the final stage of preparations.
Korea appeals China’s possible violations to WTO: trade minister
South Korea has complained to the World Trade Organization about China’s moves against the country’s companies, which are apparently in retaliation against Seoul’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system on the Korean Peninsula, trade ministry said Monday. “We raised the issue to the WTO Council for Trade in Services on March 17 on whether or not China’s measures against South Korea’s tourism and retail companies are in violation of trade agreements,”
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Park to deliver message before being questioned
Former President Park Geun-hye will give a speech today before being questioned as a key suspect in the corruption scandal that led to her impeachment. Her lawyer Son Bum-kyu told reporters Monday that Park will clarify her position about the scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil at around 9:30 a.m. before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning.
Anti-China sentiment rising over THAAD row
Beijing's economic retaliation against Seoul's decision to allow the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system here has prompted anti-China sentiment among Koreans. According to the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Monday, China has become Koreans' least preferred country after North Korea. Until last year, Japan had been awarded the dubious honor due to disputes over its wartime sexual slavery of Korean women.
Seoul alienated from talks over N. Korea
South Korea is unlikely to be given a say in upcoming talks between the United States and China over North Korea because it has little leverage over the North, analysts said Monday.
Their analysis reflects pessimism that Seoul has no choice but to wait for a possible big deal between the U.S. and China in handling the North's nuclear brinkmanship. Seoul has virtually used up all its cards on Pyongyang by shutting down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in 2016 and cutting all inter-Korean dialogue channels in line with U.S.-led sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime for its nuclear and missile programs.
KOMSCO supplies electronic ID cards to Kyrgyzstan
The Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (KOMSCO) has begun supplying national electronic identification (e-ID) cards to Kyrgyzstan, the company's first exports of such cards. "Korea has been exporting its advanced systems such as electronic government (e-government). The export of the e-ID cards is meaningful since we have been diversifying our export items," KOMSCO CEO Kim Hwa-dong said at a delivery ceremony held at the company's plant in Daejeon, Monday.
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DongA Ilbo (http://english.donga.com)
Chinese hackers attack S. Korean military websites
Experts said the recent hacker attacks are in continuance of China’s retaliations over the deployment of THAAD system on the Korean Peninsula as the attackers were heavily concentrated on the Defense Ministry and the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), which involved on working level with the implementation of the missile defense system.
It has been reported that among the 132 cyberattacks against South Korean military this year, roughly one fourth (32) is zeroed in on the Ministry of Defense.
Composer Jean-Baptiste Lully who died of baton
Musicians have their own instruments. Conductors also have their own tools but these tools don't emit noise. Conductors don't need these tools if they chose not to use them. Their tools are batons. Today's batons became spread between 1810 and 1840 when it was early Romanticism period. German composer Fanny Mendelssohn is known to have played a huge role in the distribution of baton. If a conductor uses a baton, musicians can see the conductors' instructing of beats and dynamic marks under dim lightings.
Green Cross wins largest ever flu vaccine export deal
Green Cross has won the largest order of flu vaccine as Korean pharmaceutical companies. Green Cross announced on Monday that the company secured a contract worth 37 million dollars (41.8 billion won) from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) under WHO in a bid to supply medicines in the southern hemisphere for 2017. The deal recorded an increase of 15 percent from flu vaccine exports to PAHO last year's 32 million dollars.
Fire broke out in Sorae fish market on Saturday
As if bombed by a missile, the fish market located at Sorae Port in southern Incheon was in a devastating state after the massive fire on Saturday. Since the initial incineration at 1:36 a.m., the fire which lasted for around 150 minutes burnt down around 220 street stalls built as makeshifts in vinyl tent and approximately 20 sushi restaurants. The fire left the scene with only steel pipes and iron bars, which used to serve as buttresses. Water tanks scattered here and there were filled with dead marine products, and the floor was in chaos with half-burnt stalls mixed with ashes.
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Security Beefed up as Prosecutors Gear up to Grill Park
Security has been beefed up around the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office as ex-President Park Geun-hye’s first appearance for questioning looms.
Security staff were busy on Sunday checking the route Park is expected to take on her way to questioning Tuesday. Access will be restricted to all outsiders, with only authorized reporters with entry passes allowed into the premises before 8 a.m.
N.Korea Tests New Rocket Engine
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched the combustion test of a new rocket engine at a launch site in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, state media reported Sunday.
Kim hailed the success as a "new birth" for the country's rocket industry and added, "The development and completion of a new-type high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development," according to the [North] Korean Central News Agency.
Korean Parents Spend Less on Tuition Overseas
Koreans spent less on tuition overseas last year than at any time in the past 11 years amid a weak won and an ongoing recession. The Bank of Korea on Friday said Koreans paid US$3.52 billion for tuition overseas last year, down from $3.74 billion in 2015. Overseas tuition spending peaked at $5.03 billion in 2007, just before the global financial crisis, and the amount has declined gradually since then, plunging below $4 billion in 2014.
China Refuses to Meet Korean Finance Minister at G20
Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie refused to meet his Korean counterpart Yoo Il-ho on the sidelines of G20 talks in Germany on Friday and Saturday. Yoo had hoped to mend fences amid economic retaliation from Beijing over Seoul's decision to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery from the U.S. here. "We were informed that it won't be possible due to scheduling issues," Song In-chang, an assistant deputy finance minister, told reporters Sunday.
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HanKyoRehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)
US Secretary of State softens rhetoric on China visit
After calling on China to play a bigger role in the North Korean nuclear issue during his visit to Japan and South Korea, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson toned down his strident rhetoric considerably during his visit to China on Mar. 18 and 19. In South Korea, he sharply criticized China’s retaliatory measures against South Korea in regard to the THAAD missile defense system, but in China he barely touched the subject.
57% of S. Koreans want a “progressive/reformist-leaning administration”
Data show a decline in the number of self-identified conservatives and increase in voters who don’t support any party with the presidential election 50 days away in May, survey results show an overwhelming percentage of South Koreans hoping to see a progressive/reformist administration take office - but also strongly held views on social unity as an urgent priority for politicians.
Samsung semiconductor worker is first case of female infertility recognized as industrial accident
Data show women who handle toxic chemicals at work more likely to suffer reproductive difficulties, including miscarriages a female worker‘s infertility has been recognized as an industrial accident for the first time in South Korean history. The decision recognizing the worker’s infertility as an “occupational disease” was significant in coming amid widespread attention to the protection of mothers in response to South Korea’s low birth rate, as well as growing interest in the use of reproduction-toxic substances in workplaces.
Tillerson says he wasn’t invited to dinner while visiting South Korea
US Secretary of State had official dinners while in both Japan and China during three-country East Asia tour there’s an ongoing debate about why South Korea was the only country in which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not have dinner with high-ranking officials during his tour of Japan, South Korea and China. While Tillerson is accused of having discriminated against South Korea by having dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Mar. 16 and with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi on Mar. 18 but not with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Mar. 17. Tillerson claimed that he did not receive a dinner invitation from South Korea.
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JoongAngIlbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
Lotte founder removed from court after outburst
The 95-year-old Lotte Group founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, was tried on Monday for embezzlement, gift tax evasion and breach of trust, but was forced to leave the court within 30 minutes after shouting at the judge and banging his cane on the defense table. “I am the master of Lotte Group, who can possibly indict me?” he shouted in Japanese as he was pushed out of the court in his wheelchair at the request of the judge.
Seoul says it has reported Beijing’s actions to WTO
The Korean government announced it has officially reported to the World Trade Organization the Chinese government’s apparent economic retaliations against Seoul’s decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in the country. In the past few months, the Chinese government has imposed various trade restrictions in the tourism and retail sectors in apparent retaliations against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad.
Trump’s hard-line stance against Pyongyang takes shape
The Trump administration, which has been taking a hard-line stance against Pyongyang, has completed a preliminary review of its North Korea policy, which could be gleaned through U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing last week. After Pyongyang announced Sunday it tested a new high-thrust engine using its own technology, President Donald Trump, while on Air Force One returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, told reporters that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “acting very, very badly.”
3 Korean start-ups make list of unicorns
Three Korean companies are among research firm CB Insights’ list of 186 top start-ups by corporate value. To improve Korea’s presence in the global venture scene, the Korea International Trade Association suggested that Korean start-ups should boost efforts to adopt new business models and reach out to develop its global network. Called unicorns, these 186 start-ups aren’t on the stock exchanges but have corporate values estimated at more than $1 billion.
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The KyungHyangShinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)
How Long Will Moon Jae-in Maintain His Lead? How Big Will Be the Anti-Moon Camp?
With the nineteenth presidential election just fifty days away, the battle between the leading candidate and those trailing behind desperately trying to turn the tide is growing fierce.
Moon Jae-in, Ahn Hee-jung and Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidates in the Minjoo Party of Korea's primary share a basic goal new government centered on the Minjoo Party. However, they each claim to be the best man for the job, going "all in" in a ruthless primary.
G20 Diplomacy for the Economy: Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho Returns Empty-Handed
A meeting of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 nations held at Baden-Baden, Germany closed yesterday after a two-day schedule. This meeting was the first gathering after the launch of the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. Perhaps, it was due to pressure from the U.S., but an existing sentence denouncing protective trade was left out in the final joint declaration, suggesting change in the direction of world trade.
South Korea North Korea Rocket Engine Test
A man watches a TV news program showing an image, published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the country's Sohae launch site, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 19, 2017. North Korea has conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong Un is calling a revolutionary breakthrough for the country's space program.
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The Korea Economic Daily (http://english.hankyung.com/)
Make Military Service Opportunity for Young Men...Pay Soldiers 1 Mil. Won Monthly Salary
The situation in the Korean Peninsula is highly volatile given the series of missile tests by North Korea and the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea. Nonetheless, major presidential candidates for the upcoming May election are offering populist promises such as shorter mandatory military services for young men without proposing clear visions on security and defense issues.
Semiconductor and Display Investment Effect Expected to Last for 2-3 More Years
Industry analysts predicted that the trickle-down effect from investment in the semiconductor and display industry would last for at least few more years. The time it takes for current construction projects to be completed would be more than two years, including one in Chungju under construction by SK Hyunix to be completed by June 2019. It usually takes 8-12 months to build a large chip-making plant whose size is more than ten times that of a soccer field. After this, it takes another three to eight months to fill the interior.
LG Display to Continue Its Upward Move due to Strong Panel Prices...Eugene
Eugene Investment & Securities said on March 20 that the first-quarter financial results for LG Display will far exceed the market consensus due to the strong panel prices and the improvement in organic LED cost structure. It, however, kept the stock's investment rating and target price unchanged at "buy" and 38,000 won. The stock's quarterly sales estimated by Eugene was 7,192.8 billion won, down 9.4 percent from the same period last year but its operating profit was 1,045.5 billion won, up 15.6 percent year on year.
Daelim Industrial Joins Bid to Acquire America's Largest ECC Plant
Daelim Industrial took steps to acquire America's largest ethane cracker plant by investing about 2 trillion won. If the attempt ends in a success, Daelim would become Korea's largest ethane cracker center producer overtaking Lotte Chemical. According to industry sources on March 19, Daelim Industrial joined the main bidding to acquire the ECC business of America's largest natural gas developer Williams Partners. Williams is now trying to sell an 88.5-percent stake in the Geismar Olefin plant in Louisiana.
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AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
Lotte Group founder, two sons and wife appear in court for trial
The ailing founder of South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, Lotte Group, appeared in court with two sons and his common-law wife in the first hearing of trial on charges of alleged tax evasion, embezzlement, and other irregularities. Prosecutors indicted Shin Kyuk-ho, 94, and his two sons in October last year -- group chairman Shin Dong-bin and his brother Shin Dong-joo. They were not detained physically.
S. Korean embassy in China issues safety warning to football fans
South Korean embassy in Beijing has issued a safety warning to football fans planning to attend an upcoming World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, scheduled amid a wave of anti-Korean sentiment here over the deployment of a US missile defense system. According to sources privy to the matter, the embassy's consular department delivered the message on Monday, three days before South Korea and China are to clash in Changsha, Hunan Province, south central China.
Samsung Galaxy S8's official rendering leaked online
The official rendering image of Samsung's new flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 has been leaked online, showing the front and side of each purported color variations of S8 – Sky Black, Orchid Gray and Artic Silver. The image was leaked through a Twitter user Evan Bliss. Bliss is well known for his accurate predictions on to-be-released smart devices and leaked information. In the image, all color variations of S8 are shown. All variations have black space on the top and bottom parts.
S. Korea's messenger giant joins 'delivery service app' industry
South Koreans are famous for their love for delivery services which offer everything -- from fried chicken to fresh sushi created by master chefs. Previous delivery orders were made through telephones, but now smartphone apps are used widely so that all food that customers want can be delivered straight to their doorsteps with a few touches. The domestic mobile delivery ecology has been trisected by three major services -- Baedal Minjok, Yogiyo and Baedaltong.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
Netmarble pricing set for April 24, eyes $2.4 billion
South Korea’s top mobile game developer Netmarble Games Corp. announced on Monday it will put new shares worth up to 2.7 trillion won ($2.41 billion) on sale next month, kicking off the official process of its much anticipated initial public offering. The company said in a regulatory filing that it will sell 16,953,612 new shares (20 percent of total listing stocks) at a desired price band of 121,000 won and 157,000 won apiece on Apr. 25 and 26, which is expected to help the company raise from 2.1 trillion won to 2.7 trillion won. Final pricing will be determined after its book-building session planned from Apr. 11 to 20.
Seoul Motor Show to become a contest of fuel cell vehicles
The upcoming Seoul Motor Show running from March 30 to April 9 will allow drivers to consider their future fuel choices for motor vehicle as the event would show off all possible electric vehicle options - from hybrids to full EVs. The event at Kintex, Ilsan, north of Seoul, will exhibit over 300 cars from 27 automakers. Hyundai Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. will use the stage to unveil their fuel cell EVs. Many believe fuel cell will be the ultimate consumer choice to power EVs as it takes only three minutes for a charge.
Lotte Group’s 5 owner family members stand on trial
While its Chinese operation has fallen under a barrage of retaliations from Beijing for yielding a site for a U.S. weapons system, Lotte Group at home is entirely preoccupied with a court trial involving five members of the founding family over various management irregularities that came to be known during the sibling power struggle.
SK Telecom to provide PokeStops and battle gyms in retail stores
South Korea’s SK Telecom Co. announced Monday it has entered into a joint marketing agreement with Niantic, Inc. and The Pokémon Company to provide an environment for location-based augmented reality game and boost their marketing campaigns on the game app that surpassed 650 million downloads worldwide. Under the joint marketing agreement, SK Telecom’s approximately 4,000 authorized retail stores will become PokéStops to provide various items to catch Pokémon or Gyms for a battle between players.
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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
The 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
GwangmyeongDaily 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
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 Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER https://www.inquirer.net
Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com
Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
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To preserve the local culture as an outstanding world cultural asset
Gimhae City hosts a gala Gaya Culture Festival on April9
Invites Ambassadors and Madams to grace the Opening Ceremony on April 9, 2017
As the suzerain state of six Gaya Kingdoms and royal capital of Geumgwan-Gaya founded in 42 A.D., Gimhae is the cradle of the Gaya culture. These small ancient states include Ara Gaya, Goryeong Gaya, Dae Gaya, Seongsan Gaya, Bihwa Gaya and Geumgwan Gaya, which formed a confederation dominated by Geumgwan Gaya. With a 500-year long history, Gaya Kingdoms created ingenious and brilliant pottery and ironware culture based on affluent iron products and outstanding iron-making technology. Taking geographical advantages, these Gaya Kingdoms actively traded with China, Japan and Nakrang as the center of international trade in Northeast Asia. Active international marine trade and exchange of these ancient states with foreign countries can be well explained by the international marriage between King Suro, the founding king of Geumgwan-Gaya, and Princess Heo Hwang-ok of Ayodhya Kingdom in India.
Royal procession of King Suro of the Gaya Kingdom
In an effort to preserve the Gaya culture as one of world cultural heritages and widely publicize excellence of the ancient culture, the Gimhae City government has been hosting the annual Gaya Culture Festival since 1962 on the occasion of the memorial service for King Suro in spring. As ever, the municipal government will host the 41st Gaya Culture Festival for 5 days from April 7th to 11th, 2017 to include the memorial service for the King set to be held on the last day of the Festival. With the concept of ‘Gaya in the World and United Gimhae’, the Festival will be highlighted by the ‘tug-of-war’ game and ‘procession parade of King Suro’.
Different teams of the Gaya farmers’ bands are reading to present demonstrations.
Colorful programs will be provided during the Festival at the Daeseong-dong Ancient Tombs, Gimhae National Museum and Tomb of King Suro. In addition to the tug-of-war game and king’s procession parade, programs will include folk art performances, experiences of ancient ironworks, voyage routes sailed by King Suro and Princess Heo Hwang-ok, excavation of historical relics and riding on rare horses, as well as art installation events, performance of martial arts on horseback, wish lamps with Gaya patterns, and multi-cultural social gatherings of youths. Among others, visitors will have an exotic experience of boarding a traditional Indian boat ‘Dhoni’ by sailing the voyage routes taken by King Suro and Queen Heo.
A tug of war joined by hundreds of citizens.
In connection with the Festival, a number of other events will also be held simultaneously, including a local foods fair, international conference on Gaya history, contest of native foods, and folk arts festival of Gyeongsangnam-do region. The regional folk arts festival will include performances of intangible cultural property holders and performances of traditional art troupes from sister cities in Korea and other countries.
Gimhae Stone Fight is now a favorite game of merriment.
To help visitors have more enjoyable and exciting experiences, the festival organizing committee will deploy advanced information and communication technology installations in the venue. Using their smart phones or tablet PCs, visitors and tourists can get access to detailed information, statistical data, publicity materials and results of survey on the Festival by searching its QR code at information centers. It will also introduce an augmented reality (AR) game ‘Royal Capital of Gaya GO’, similar to ‘PocketMon Go’ game. If any visitors find out various historical treasures or relics through the game, they will be rewarded with due gifts.
Grand Rite of Chaste Woman Chunhyang offered to King Suro of the Garak State and his Queen Heo.
The 40th Gaya Culture Festival held in April last year attracted as many as over 1.45 million visitors from Korea and other countries, and the Festival in this year is expected to attract even more visitors thanks to addition of varied new programs. The Gimhae City government seeks to register these cultural heritages as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritages.
Night view of the Old Tombs in Daeseong-dong Village and the Daeseong History Museum. A grand opening ceremony is held at a special stage at the Daeseong-dong Tumuli.
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INVITATION
Your Excellency and Madam are cordially invited to the 2017 Grand Gaya Culture Festival on Sunday April 9
Your Excellency areMadarm are cordinaly invited to the above festival.
For details of the Festival, please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3007.
It is a bit far, but a deluxe KTX Train travel is much more comfortable than bus ride. Here is the schedule:
0845 hours: Meet at the Seoul Railroad Station VIP Room, 3rd Floor of the Main Building.
0905-1147 hours: Move by Deluxe KTX train from Seoul to Gimhae.
1200-1230 hours: Move to the Ice Square Hotel for luncheon.
1230-1400 hours: Attend welcome ceremony, presentation of Plaques of Appreciation.
1400-1430 hours: Watch mounted Gaya Warrior performances, have personal experience in horse-riding.
1510-1700 hours: Join the Gimhae Tug-of-War match
1700-1800 hours: Watch traditional Korean music-dance performances based on Intangible National Cultural Properties
1800-2040 hours: Move from Gimhae back to the Seoul Railroad Station.
(A slight change could occur to the schedule depending on the traffic situation of the day.)