The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, March 23, 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

Major topics on The Korea Post website (www.koreapost.com) today:

Sunken ferry Sewol emerges from water in massive salvage operation

The sunken ferry Sewol began emerging from the water in a massive salvage operation early Thursday, nearly three years after the ship sank and left more than 300 dead or missing in one of the country's worst maritime disasters. Officials said that part of the ship was seen above the water at 3:45 a.m. as two salvage barges lifted the 145-meter-long, 6,825-ton ship that had been lying at about 40 meters under water off South Korea's southwest coast near the island of Jindo.

Families of victims pray sunken ferry is successfully hoisted

As giant barges were gearing up to lift the sunken Sewol ferry from the sea off South Korea's southwestern coast on Wednesday, family members of its deceased and missing passengers, mostly students from Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul, were nervously waiting for news. The grief-stricken families said they have waited more than 1,000 days in anxiety and frustration for the moment the Sewol ferry appears above the water.

Park's arrest will be decided only based on 'law and principle': top prosecutor

South Korea's top prosecutor on Thursday the prosecution will decide whether to seek the arrest of former President Park Geun-hye only on the basis of the law and principle and the result of the investigation.

The former president returned home Wednesday after a 21-hour interrogation at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as she faces allegations of bribery, abuse of power, coercion and leaking government secrets.

LG Uplus to apply IoT tech on ventilator

South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. said Thursday it has clinched an agreement with a local ventilator maker to apply its Internet of Things (IoT) technology to the products.

LG Uplus said it plans to release two ventilators for restrooms using the technology in cooperation with Himpel, the top local player in the area. IoT is a concept in which all tangible objects are connected to the Internet and can identify themselves to other devices in order to exchange necessary data for improved efficiency and convenience.

Director Park Chan-wook to receive cultural honor in Florence

South Korean director Park Chan-wook will receive an award from Italy's Florence city government in recognition of his contribution to the development of culture-arts, film industry officials said Thursday.

Park will be given the Key of the City by Florence Mayor Dario Nardella in a ceremony to be held on Saturday, they said. The filmmaker is in Italy to attend the 15th Florence Korea Film Festival that opens on Thursday.

For up-to-the-minute Korea-language news, please visit www.koreapost.co.kr. there major topics on The Korea Post website (www.koreapost.com)

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Special Notice:

Please send your video clips 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 tell and do wonders!

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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/)

Sewol Emerges from Water after 3 Years

The government has lifted the Sewol ferry from waters off the southwestern coast three years after it sank with hundreds of passengers still inside. Tied to large cranes on two barges, the ship is slowly emerging.

The starboard side of the Sewol was badly scratched and rusted three years after it sank off the southwestern coast, taking the lives of over 300 people. The South Korean Oceans Ministry and its subcontractor Shanghai Salvage on Thursday retrieved the sunken ferry in waters off Jindo Island. At 3:45 a.m. Thursday, the stabilizer of the six-thousand-825-ton ferry emerged out of the water between the two hydraulic pressure jacks on two barges lifting the vessel.

London Terrorist Attack Leaves 5 Dead, 40 Injured, including 5 S. Koreans

Five people are dead and at least 40 people injured following a terrorist attack near the parliamentary building in London on Wednesday. Five South Korean tourists are among the injured. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley said the attack began when a man drove a car over the Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring several pedestrians and three police officers.

US Defense Chief Reaffirms Security Commitment to S. Korea

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has reaffirmed Washington’s security commitment to South Korea. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said that Mattis gave the assurance as they met during the meeting of foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS held in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Yun quoted Mattis as saying that the U.S. will stand by South Korea as it goes through a difficult time.

Prosecution Deliberates on Arrest of Ex-President Park

The prosecution is deliberating as to whether to arrest impeached ex-President Park Geun-hye following its interrogation of her earlier in the week. An official of the prosecution said on Tuesday that nothing has been decided on which step it will take next, and when. The official added the prosecution will carefully review the result of the interrogation and make a judgment in accordance with laws and principles.

The prosecution will take into account the questioning as well as the records of evidence and the testimonies by witnesses to decide whether or not to call for a court warrant to arrest her.

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

Sunken ferry Sewol emerges from water in massive salvage operation

U.S. treasury secretary promises to play key role in N. Korea sanctions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin promised to play an important role in cranking up sanctions on North Korea, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Wednesday.

Yun said he met with Mnuchin during a foreign ministers' meeting of 68 countries that the State Department hosted to discuss the fight against the militant group Islamic State.

"Secretary Mnuchin stressed that the Treasury Department will play an important role in North Korea sanctions," Yun told reporters.

S. Korea to face Honduras, Zambia, Ecuador in prep for FIFA U-20 World Cup

South Korea will host an international football tournament featuring Honduras, Zambia and Ecuador this week to fine-tune their preparations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup at home. The U-20 national team was assembled on Sunday and has been training at the National Football Center in Paju, just north of Seoul, for the four-nation invitational tournament slated from Saturday to March 29. South Korea will also host the FIFA U-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11 in Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeju, Jeonju and Suwon. The four-nation tournament is a test event for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and will allow both the U-20 team and the local organizing committee to check their readiness ahead of the 24-team FIFA competition.

Park's arrest will be decided only based on 'law and principle

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

Salvage operators raise Sewol ferry

South Korea on Wednesday took a long-awaited step to salvage the sunken Sewol ferry, as the wreckage began to be lifted from the seabed. About 300 people, mostly high school students, died when it went aground and capsized in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province, nearly three years ago. Nine are still unaccounted for. Salave operators said they began to raise the sunken ship and part of its structure was revealed above the water around 3:45 a.m. nearly three years after the disaster took place.

5 Korean tourists injured in London terror attack

Five South Korean tourists were injured, one of them seriously, in Wednesday's terror attack in London, a tour agency official said. "Four South Korean tourists sustained light injuries and another serious injury," said the official, identified by his surname Han. "They are now being treated at two hospitals." At least four were killed and 20 others injured in the terror attack in which the suspect drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer near the Houses of Parliament. London police have declared it as a terrorist attack.

US blasted China’s THAAD reaction, warned of secondary sanctions

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised strong objections to China’s escalating economic retaliation against South Korea over advanced missile defense assets to be deployed here during his recent visit to Beijing, a US envoy said Wednesday. The secretary also boosted pressure on Beijing to ratchet up efforts to thwart Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, warning of further sanctions on Chinese businesses engaged in illicit dealings with the communist state, Seoul officials said.

Hyundai launches another Genesis sedan in Russia for premium niche

Hyundai Motor Co. has launched a Genesis premium sedan in Russia to gain a share in the emerging market, the company said Wednesday. The country's biggest carmaker by sales introduced the G80 sedan, an upgraded version of the second-generation Genesis (DH) unveiled in 2013, at an exhibition hall in Moscow. The prices range from 49.5 million won (US$44,000) to 66 million won depending on features, a company spokesman said.

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

Sewol seen above water after 1073 days

The ferry Sewol will be finally brought to the surface today, 1,073 days after it sank off the southwestern island of Jindo, government officials said Wednesday. "We started work to raise the Sewol at 8:50 p.m., and if everything goes well, we expect parts of the ship to be lifted 13 meters above the surface at around 11 a.m., Thursday," a spokesman for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said. "The salvage team will work overnight. The weather is fine and the currents are not strong."

Employers, labor apart over shorter working hours

Labor unions and companies here are locking horns over the latest political decision to reduce working hours. The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee recently reached a bipartisan agreement to reduce working hours from 68 to 52 hours per week. Lawmakers have yet to come up with a detailed outline for a bill. The government said it needs to reach a social consensus before shorter working hours become legally effective.

Tax burden stifles corporate sponsorship for PyeongChang Olympics

The organizing committee for the PyeongChang Olympics is having a hard time attracting corporate sponsorship as businesses are reluctant to donate merchandise due to tax, according to officials, Wednesday.
When donating cash, companies give an additional 10 percent to the organizing committee as value-added tax. This places no tax burden on corporate sponsors because they will get the 10-percent tax back later.

Brokerages compete to raise target prices of Samsung share

Analysts are raising their target prices for Samsung Electronics' shares which have been soaring to record highs during the past few days. Some expect it to rise above 2.7 million won ($2,409) on improving performance and generous dividend payout plans. The tech giant closed at 2.13 million won, Wednesday, continuing the rally. As it rose to record high for five consecutive days last week, brokerages are suggesting new target prices.

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DongA Ilbo (http://english.donga.com)

U.S. Congress seeks new N. Korea sanctions legislation

U.S. Congress is taking an hardline approach to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats in line with the Donald Trump administration’s tough stance. U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, who leads the Republican Party’s North Korea policy, on Tuesday introduced new legislation including sanctions that failed to make it into the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions resolution due to China’s opposition.

Independence fighter An Jung-geun’s calligraphic work on first exhibition in 107 years

Calligraphic writing by anti-Japanese independence fighter An Jung-geun (1879-1910) will be on public display after it returned to Korea for the first time in over a century. His writing of words emphasizing the importance of education is cited from Mingxin baojian, an ancient Chinese book containing a collection of aphorisms and quotations form the Chinese classics and other works. The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History will exhibit the calligraphic work from Thursday to mark the 107th anniversary of his passing.

SK E&C wins a 4 trillion won contract in Iran

SK Engineering & Construction has won a 4 trillion won project to build gas-fired power plants in Iran, becoming the first Korean construction company to be engaged in Iran’s private energy project. As Korean constructors continue to clinches projects in Iran, Turkey, and other countries recently, local builders begin to pin high hopes on overseas projects. SK E&C said on Sunday that the company acquired a 30 percent stake in UNIT International S.A. in Istanbul, Turkey as of March 17 (local time).

Apple unveils red iPhones in 10th year of AIDS campaign

Apple is launching a red version of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones to commemorate its partnership with fighting AIDS. “Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s line-up of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook says. This is the first time in its history that the U.S. tech giant is introducing an iPhone series in red.

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

Air Pollution at Record Levels as Haze Blows Over from China

Seoul was blanketed with toxic haze on Tuesday morning, with air pollution at one point reaching the second worst in the world. The density of ultrafine or PM2.5 particles reached over 100 ㎍/㎥ per hour in the capital. The air quality in Seoul has hovered between 51 and 100 ㎍/㎥, or even worse for four days. Skies in most parts of Gyeonggi Province were also obscured by toxic haze all morning.

3,000 Tour Guides Left High and Dry by Chinese Boycott
Tour guides here are taking the brunt from a Chinese boycott and ban on "zero dollar" shopping tours to Korea. According to the Korea Tourist Guide Association, an estimated 3,000 Chinese-speaking tour guides or 40 percent are without work over the Chinese measures, which come in retaliation for Korea's decision to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery from the U.S. here. Some have taken on other part-time jobs to make ends meet. One 52-year-old tour guide on Jeju Island says he has been helping out in his friend's restaurant after his monthly assignments dwindled to one or two groups.

Smartphone Makers Bet More on Color Choices
Smartphones are getting ever more colorful with phone materials becoming diversified and paint and metalizing technologies advancing. Phone manufacturers are now using color as a key marketing tool to distinguish their products over others. "A smartphone is increasingly regarded as a fashion item, so color has become a very important means of marketing," an industry insider said Samsung plans to launch its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, which will be unveiled at the end of this month, in six or seven different colors.

China Denies Green Light to Fresh Jeju Air Flights
China has denied Korean budget carrier Jeju Air a license for new flights to two Chinese cities amid a spat over the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery from the U.S. here. Jeju Air on Monday said its application for regular flights from Inchoen to Jinan and Yantai from late March to October have been rejected. But the airline said its existing flights from Incheon to Weihai and Qingdao and to Sanya were approved again.

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HanKyoRehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)

In 14 hours of questioning, Park Geun-hye vehemently denies charges

Park still hasn’t made a genuine apology for Choi Sun-sil scandal, saying only she feels “regretful”. Former President Park Geun-hye underwent 14 hours of intensive questioning by Prosecutors on Mar. 21 over charges of accepting 43.3 billion won (US$38.5 million) in bribes, including 29.8 billion won (US$26.5 million) from Samsung. The questioning came 11 days after Park was removed from office, and half a year - 183 days - after a Hankyoreh report first broke the Choi Sun-sil government interference scandal. Park is now the fourth former president in South Korean history to be questioned by prosecutors in connection with improprieties during his or her term.

On N. Korea, Trump administration considering “some form of ‘all of the above’”

The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering various ways to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, including cyberattacks and sanctions, such as a secondary boycott, and once Trump has decided on his policy, all of the chosen methods will be used simultaneously, a senior US official said on Mar. 20. “These options are not done as stand-alones,” Reuters quoted the US official as saying. “It’s going to be some form of ‘all of the above,’ probably excluding military action.”

North Korea has doubled its uranium enrichment facilities at Yongbyon, IAEA says

In recent years, North Korea has doubled the size of its uranium enrichment facilities, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretary-General Yukiya Amano, warning of the severity of the situation. 90% enriched uranium is used in the production of nuclear weapons. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Mar. 20, Amano said that this conclusion had been drawn from satellite imagery and that North Korea was achieving rapid progress on its nuclear weapons manufacturing capability on the two fronts of plutonium production and uranium enrichment at its Yongbyon nuclear facility.

South Korea’s electric car market growing, but still in infancy

In 2016, more than 1.54 million automobiles were sold in South Korea, 5,914 of which were electric cars. If all the electric cars currently in operation in the country were added up, there would be fewer than 10,000. Considering that there are more than 500,000 electric cars being driven in the US, it’s no exaggeration to say that the South Korean electric car industry is still in its infancy. When the South Korean government announced the ambitious policy of putting one million vehicles on the market in 2010, it seemed as if the electric car market was imminent, but the reality has turned out to be far different.

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

Sunken ferry Sewol emerges from water

Park returns home after 22 hours of questioning

The prosecution completed Wednesday a nearly 22-hour questioning of former President Park Geun-hye about her abuse of power and corruption allegations and began reviewing whether to detain the country’s first leader to be ousted by impeachment. Park left the prosecution at around 6:55 a.m. and returned home in southern Seoul. She is facing 13 charges, including receiving bribes from conglomerates in collusion with her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, and leaking secret information to Choi.

Korea moves to get more young people jobs

The Korean government has devised additional measures to help young Koreans find jobs as the youth unemployment rate continues to be high. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday that it will give 3 million won ($2,669) to up to 5,000 young Koreans from low-income households and those who find jobs through state-run job counseling centers. The government, however, said that it hasn’t decided if it will distribute the payments at once or over a period of time.

Samil Spinning buys U.S. yarn manufacturer

A Korean cotton spinning company acquired an American yarn manufacturer in a move to tackle recent threats stemming from the protectionist stance of Donald Trump, signaling other Korean companies may also follow suit. Samil Spinning signed an agreement to acquire Buhler Quality Yarns, an American subsidiary of Switzerland’s 205-year-old yarn maker Hermann Buhler, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) said Wednesday.

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

Since First National Statement, Park Apologized Seven Times Without Mentioning Why and for What
It was a stream of regrets and apologies, without acknowledging any of the allegations. That summarizes former President Park Geun-hye's statements to the nation and remarks from when the "Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil scandal" first surfaced to when she appeared at the Prosecutors' Office for a questioning. On October 25, 2016, former President Park addressed the nation for the first time after Choi Soon-sil's involvement in state administration was revealed. This was the day after the press reported how Cheong Wa Dae documents, such as details of the president's overseas trips and government personnel data were found in a tablet owned by Choi Soon-sil.

No Good Solution to North Korea's Nuclear Program
U.S. President Donald Trump claims he inherited a mess from the previous administration. The only area in which Trump's excuse can be relevant is probably North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea's nuclear and missile capacity has gradually improved as the U.S. passed through the leadership of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. For Americans, North Korea's nuclear arms have now become an imminent threat. For the Trump administration, seeking a new approach to resolve North Korea's nuclear issue is an urgent task.

Park Chung-hee's Three Children All Disgraced as Suspects
Former President Park Geun-hye (65) will appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as a suspect of fourteen charges on March 21, which will mean all three children of former President Park Chung-hee will have been disgraced, having been interrogated by the prosecutors as suspects. The youngest, Park Ji-man (59, left photo), chairman of EG was booked six times in the past for taking drugs. He was first arrested for taking cocaine in 1989, after he was discharged from the military as an Army captain in 1986. He was arrested for the fifth time in April 2002 for habitually taking Philopon (methamphetamine) from August 2000 to November 2001.

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

Korea Finds Ways to Overcome Tourism Crisis in the Wake of THAAD

Even though the Chinese government banned group tourists from visiting Korea in response to the latter's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the impact has so far been limited at best. That's because the slack left off by Chinese tourists is nicely picked up by those from Southeast Asia and Japan, with more domestic tourists visiting major attractions in places like Jeju Island.

Brazilian Rotten Chicken Scandal Spreads to Korea's Fast Food Franchisers

The Brazilian "rotten chicken" scandal is spreading fast to Korea's fried chicken franchise industry. That's because some of the fried chicken chain stores have relied on frozen chicken imported from the South American nation. According to foodservice industry sources on March 22, Mom's Touch, a fried chicken franchiser with about 1,000 locations across the country, has used Brazilian chicken for its chicken breast, crispy chicken, and chicken sandwich patties. In all, it has relied on Brazilian meat for about 15 percent of its needs including the chicken meat from BRF SA.

IP TV Subscribers Hit 14 Mil. Level...Soon to Catch up with Cable TV Subscribers

The number of subscribers of Internet protocol TV services has exceeded 14 million. In contrast, the number of conventional cable TV subscribers has stagnated at 14 million, which is likely to be surpassed by that of IP TV subscribers within this year. According to industry sources on March 23, the number of IP TV subscribers has increased from 13.92 million at the end of December last year to 14.02 million as of the end of January this year. This is up 11.2 percent (1.41 million) from 12.61 million estimated at the end of 2015 by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning and the Korea Association for ICT Promotion.

Share of People Aged over 60 Reaches 20%

One out of five Koreans (19.8%) turned out to be aged over 60, an age group which, in general, is categorized as "old people" according to public polls. According to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs on March 21, Korea's total population numbered 51,712,221 as of the end of February 2017, up 0.02 percent or 7,889 from a month ago. By age group, the people in their 40s accounted for the highest share of 17 percent, followed by those in their 50s with 16.4 percent and those in their 60s with 10.5 percent. The number of those aged over 60 was estimated at 10,235,951, taking up 19.8 percent in total population.

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

Sewol ferry raised above sea surface three years after it sank

Chinese salvage workers stepped up their work to lift a passenger ferry above the water, three years after it sank with the loss of more than 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren in a disaster that revealed inefficiency in South Korea's safety control system. TV footages and pictures showed workers standing on parts of the corroded vessel just above the sea surface. Government officials said they would try to raise a large part of the vessel above the surface during the day if the weather allows.

Remains of Chinese war dead repatriated amid row over US missile shield

Amid a bitter diplomatic row fueled by the deployment of a US missile shield, South Korea showed a conciliatory gesture Wednesday with the repatriation of the remains of Chinese soldiers killed during an inter-Korean conflict more than six decades ago. In a solemn ceremony at Incheon International Airport west of Seoul, South Korean honor guards turned over 28 boxes containing the remains to their Chinese counterparts, watched by military officials and diplomats from both sides. Qiu Guohong, the Chinese ambassador to South Korea, personally covered each box with Chinese flags.

US B-1B bomber holds attack drill targeting N.Korea

A US strategic bomber trained with South Korean fighter jets Wednesday over the peninsula, sending a strong warning message to North Korea, according to the allies. They said the B-1B conducted an immediate deployment and simulation-based bombing drill in case of any emergency on the peninsula. Initially, two B-1Bs were scheduled to be deployed but there was a "mechanical" problem with one, an informed source said.

KEPCO interested in buying into nuclear power joint venture in Britain

The head of Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), which produces home-made nuclear reactors, expressed a strong interest in buying into a nuclear power project involving Japan's Toshiba to build reactors in Britain. Toshiba owns 60 percent of the joint venture named NuGen with the remainder controlled by French utility company Engie. The venture plans to build three reactors on the coast of Cumbria. KEPCO president Cho Hwan-eik said his company is interested in taking part in the project. "We will make a quick jump into the sale of Nugen" if terms such as debt and equity are fixed through talks between Britain and Japan, he said.

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

KEPCO confirms interest in joining the U.K Moorside nuclear plant after Toshiba pullout

South Korea’s state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) confirmed on Tuesday that it was interested in participating in the U.K government-led Moorside project of building a nuclear power plant with capacity of up to 3.8Gigawatt that is on the brink of falling apart due to pull-out of its biggest stakeholder Toshiba Corp. “It doesn’t mean we are buying the Toshiba stake, but once debt and asset conditions are reorganized (as the result of Toshiba’s withdrawal), we would be first to join the consortium,” Cho Hwan-eik, KEPCO’s chief executive officer, told reporters.

Hyundai Motor Group under brewing market expectations for reorganization

South Korea’s top automaking conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group received investors’ attention amid expectations that the family-run business may be next to pursue a major reorganizing into a holding and separate multi-operating entity structure as Hyundai Heavy Industries had done and Samsung Group is working on. Shares of the group’s major unit Hyundai Motor Co. jumped 8.63 percent in intraday trading Tuesday to finish at 170,000 won ($151.3). They fell 0.29 percent to 169,500 won on Wednesday from bargain-hunting.

Cafe24 and Japan’s Yamato partner to strengthen cross-border delivery

South Korea’s global e-commerce platform provider Cafe24 has partnered with Japan’s leading logistics company Yamato Global Logistics (YGL) Japan to expand delivery networks from Korea to Japan. Cafe24 announced on Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with YGL, a subsidiary of Yamato Holdings, to enhance cross-border delivery service between Korea and Japan. The two companies aiming to initiate the delivery service at convenience stores across Japan on October 4 have been establishing a system to share order and shipment information. In Japan, about 30 percent of online shopping mall customers use convenience stores to pick up their orders.

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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.com bfp@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

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 41^st Gaya Culture Festival for 5 days from April 7^th to 11^th, 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 40^th 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.)

Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com