The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Monday May 29, 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

N. Korea fires 'Scud-type' ballistic missile: S. Korea

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, dealing another blow to efforts by South Korea's new government to improve inter-Korean ties.

The missile, presumed to be a Scud type, was launched eastward from the vicinity of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:39 a.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"The flight distance is around 450 kilometers," it said.

The North's latest action was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, who ordered related government officials to convene a National Security Council meeting, said the JCS.

The session started at 7:30 a.m., presided over by Moon's national security adviser Chung Eui-yong.

North Korea launches a mid-range ballistic missile in this undated file photo. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)

U.S. President Donald Trump was also briefed on the North's provocation, a White House official said.

The Japanese government strongly denounced the North as the missile appears to have landed in waters near its territory. (Visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3988)

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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:


The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapsot.co.kr) in Korean.

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

N. Korea Fires Scud Missile into East Sea

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said that the launch took place Monday at 5:39 a.m. from a location near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan in Gangwon Province. The JCS said that the projectile appeared to be a variation of a short-range Scud missile and it flew around 450 kilometers. The U.S. Pacific Command said that the North’s short-range ballistic missile flew some six minutes before landing in the East Sea. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the projectile was presumed to have dropped in the Japanese exclusive economic zone.

Pres. Office Persuading Opposition Parties to Approve PM Nominee

The presidential office is working to persuade opposition parties to confirm Prime Minister nominee Lee Nak-yon, amid a deadlock among rival parties over Lee’s confirmation. Lee drew criticism for his wife’s false residence registration during his parliamentary confirmation hearing. A Cheong Wa Dae official told KBS on Sunday that the top office is contacting opposition leaders individually to convince them to approve the prime minister designate. The official hinted that the presidential office has no plan to issue additional statements regarding the confirmation hearings, saying that Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok has already offered an apology for past irregularities such as false residence registration by some of the nominees.

S. Korea to Fully Compensate Firms Hit by Shutdown of Gaeseong Complex

South Korea has reportedly decided to fully compensate companies that were forced out of the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex following its shutdown. It will also seek compensation for companies which suffered losses from the government’s economic sanctions against North Korea and suspended tours to Mount Geumgang in the North. A Unification Ministry official in Seoul said on Sunday that the government compensated part of the losses that companies operated out of Gaeseong incurred, but it is now moving to fully compensate documented losses.

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

N. Korea fires ballistic missile: S. Korea

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, which flew about 450 kilometers, South Korea's military said. The missile is believed to be a Scud type, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It was launched eastward from the vicinity of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:39 a.m., it said, adding South Korea and the United States are analyzing more information."Our military is keeping a close watch on the possibility of an additional provocation by North Korea and is maintaining full preparedness," the JCS said. The North's latest action was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, who ordered related government officials to convene a National Security Council meeting.

White House: Trump briefed on N. Korea missile launch

U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on North Korea's latest missile launch, a White House official said Sunday. "The United States government is aware. The president has been briefed," the unidentified National Security Council official said, according to White House pool reports. South Korea's military said the North fired what appeared to be a Scud-type missile off its east coast and the missile flew about 450 kilometers before landing in the East Sea. It marked the North's ninth missile test this year and the third in about a week. The North fired a mid-range missile, known as the Pukguksong-2, on May 21 and conducted a KN-06 surface-to-air guided missile test Saturday.

U.N. chief's office rejects Japan's claim about his support for 2015 'comfort women' deal

The office of U.N. Secretary-General Antonia Guterres on Sunday rejected Japan's claim that he expressed support for a 2015 deal reached between Seoul and Tokyo over the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. According to press reports, Japan's Foreign Ministry made the claim that Guterres backed the deal, which is deeply unpopular in South Korea, when he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Italy on Saturday on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations. But Guterres' spokesman said the U.N. chief never expressed support specifically for the 2015 deal.

War with N. Korea would bring danger to China, Russia too: Mattis

A war with North Korea would turn out to be "the worst kind of fighting in most people's lifetime" and would also bring danger to Russia and China as well, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Sunday. Mattis made the remark in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," referring to the threat of massive artillery the North amassed on its border with South Korea and stressing the importance of finding a diplomatic solution to the problem."A conflict in North Korea would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people's lifetimes. Why do I say this? The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range of one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, which is the capital of South Korea," Mattis said.

Electric car registration exceed 13,000 in April

South Korea's electric vehicle (EV) registration exceeded 13,000 units last month helped by improved infrastructure and government subsidies, industry data showed Monday. As of the end of April, EV registration reached 13,812 units, an increase of 27 percent from 10,855 units at the end of December, according to data from the transport ministry and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA). In regards to the vehicles registered, 92 percent of the environment-friendly vehicles were produced domestically and the remaining 8 percent were foreign brands, the latest data showed.

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

N. Korea apparently fires ballistic missile: S. Korean military

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, which flew about 450 kilometers, South Korea's military said. The missile is believed to be a Scud type, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It was launched eastward from the vicinity of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:39 a.m., it said, adding South Korea and the United States are analyzing more information."Our military is keeping a close watch on the possibility of an additional provocation by North Korea and is maintaining full preparedness," the JCS said. The North's latest action was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, who ordered related government officials to convene a National Security Council meeting.

Swedish comedy 'The Square' is surprise Cannes winner

Swedish satire "The Square", a send-up of political correctness and the confused identity of the modern male, won the Palme d'Or top prize at the Cannes film festival Sunday. In a stunning upset, the nine-member jury led by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and including Hollywood stars Jessica Chastain and Will Smith awarded the trophy to director Ruben Ostlund. "Oh my God, oh my God!" Ostlund shouted from the stage after besting a raft of favourites for one of global cinema's most coveted honours with a rare comedy. It was the first-ever Swedish winner.In a 70th edition marked by raging debate over sexism in the movie industry.

Parties gear up for nomination hearings

The parliamentary confirmation hearings on the new administration’s first batch of ministerial-level candidates are to kick off Monday as opposition parties step up the offensive on President Moon Jae-in’s choices. Staring with the hearing on Suh Hoon, who has been tapped to head the National Intelligence Service, on Monday, Moon’s Cabinet choices including Kang Kyung-hwa and others will come under scrutiny in the National Assembly. Suh already faces a host of allegations. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party is focusing on Suh’s past statements regarding North Korea, and taking issue with his stance on national security.

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

N. Korea fires another ballistic missile

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, which flew about 450 kilometers and landed in Japan's so-called exclusive economic zone, the South Korean and the Japanese government said. The missile is believed to be a Scud type, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). President Moon Jae-in called a security council meeting for later Monday morning to discuss the matter, while Japan's cabinet secretary condemned the launch, coming a week after the reclusive state last tested a ballistic missile as a provocation.

American teens assault Korean for 'not knowing nightclub location'

Three teenage children of U.S. forces in South Korea have been arrested for assaulting Koreans, including a 50-something taxi driver, while drunk, police said Sunday. One victim was reportedly assaulted because he did not know the location of a nearby nightclub, according to Mapo Police Station. The alleged incident happened at 2 a.m. of May 23 near Sogang University in Mapo, northwestern Seoul. According to police, the teenagers picked a fight with two adult Koreans after they bumped shoulders accidently. The teenagers were then involved in a fight with a Korean man near Hongik University at around 3 a.m. after he failed to answer their question about the nightclub. A taxi driver who tried to intervene was also assaulted.

'I'm happy because I'm not born Korean,' writes Japanese diplomat in memoir

The former Japanese ambassador to South Korea has stirred controversy with his book titled "I'm happy because I'm not born Korean." The book written by Masatoshi Muto will hit Japanese shelves on June 1. It's uncertain why Muto, once regarded as a pro-Korea Japanese diplomat, penned the controversially titled book, in which he reportedly describes South Korean President Moon Jae-in as "the worst president ever elected in South Korea." Recollecting his meeting with Moon, apparently before his May 9 election, Masatoshi wrote, "North Korea was the only thing he (Moon) had in his head," according to South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, which reviewed the book.

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DongAIlbo (http://english.donga.com)

Kim Jong Un looks depressed over the anti-aircraft missile test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the test of anti-aircraft (ground-to-air) guided weapon system developed by the Academy of National Defense Science on Sunday. It was the second time that the North fired the ground-to-air missiles since April 2016 and it appears that the country improved the capability of its missiles. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, reported on Sunday that some defects of the weapon system detected last year were completely overcome, its precision was enhanced, and the weapon system was eval‎uated to pass the criteria.

'I will sing louder in response to violence,' says Ariana Grande

American pop star Ariana Grande said she would hold a charity concert to benefit the victims and their bereaved families of terror attacks at her concert in Manchester, the U.K. The Manchester terror attack reminds people of the horrors of the attacks at the Bataclan theater and café in Paris, France in November 2015. This reporter, who was covering the Bataclan attack as Paris correspondent at the time, still has vivid memories of the shocking and gruesome scene full of bloodstains blanketing the street and red shoeprints of citizens who had scrambled to escape.

Google's Alpha Go defeats world No. 1 Go player

The reddened eyes of world No. 1 Go player Ke Jie of nine dan rank were in tears. When the cameras took a close up of his face, he covered his face with the hands. He was obviously sobbing inside. At around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Ke Jie had his third match against AlphaGo, AI-powerd Go program developed by Google’s DeepMind. While he has displayed different facial expressions and gestures during his go matches in the past, this time his face hardened as a statue when his defeat was almost decided. Before Ke showing tears, he suddenly disappeared from the closed-door go playroom in Jiaxing, Zhejiang.

Some 140 golfers caught for insurance fraud

A person took out a “Hole-In-One” insurance policy. If the insured makes a hole- in-one during the insurance period, the policy pays back all the cost spent for making the hole-in-one. In golf, a hole-in-one is when the ball hit from a tee shot finished in the cup while albatross refers to when a golfer scores three-under-par on a single hole. In general, the insurance products sell as special contract for golf or long-term insurances. The person named "A" made a hole-in-one on the fourth month on the insurance period and received some 5 million Korean won (approx. 4,469 U.S. dollars). Then the person bought new insurance and made another hole-in-one along with albatross.

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ChosunIlbo (http://english.chosun.com)

More Koreans Take Summer Holidays in June

A growing number of Koreans are taking their summer holidays in June rather than July or August to avoid peak-season crowds and take advantage of cheaper tickets. Jeju Air analyzed departure data from the Korea Tourism Organization and found that the number of people heading overseas in June increased 12 percent every year from 2012 to 2016. And last June 1.78 million people went overseas, up 29 percent compared from the same month in 2015. At Hana Tour overseas package tours were up 45 percent on-year with 238,000 customers.

Park's Quack Doctors Won't Appeal Sentence

Beauty doctor Kim Young-jae, who was convicted of providing clandestine treatments to ex-President Park Geun-hye, has decided not to appeal against his three-year suspended sentence and W3 million fine (US$1=W1,119). Another doctor, Kim Sang-man, who was formerly employed by the luxury Chaum clinic in Gangnam and prescribed rejuvenating injections for Park under a soap-opera alias from 2011 to 2014, also gave up taking the case to an appeal court. He was fined W10 million.

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

One Korean-American author tells the story of comfort women

Nora Okja Keller is a Korean-American author who received the American Book Award in 1998 for “Comfort Women,” a novel dealing with the women forced to provide sexual services for the Japanese imperial army. Born to a Korean woman and a German-American man and raised in Hawaii, Keller published a second novel, “Fox Girl,” in 2012, which focuses on biracial children and women working at “camp towns” near US military bases in South Korea. “For my third novel, I’m planning to write the back story to ‘Fox Girl,” which will be set in Hawaii in the 1980s,” Keller told the Hankyoreh in an interview on May 25. She is currently in Seoul to participate the Seoul International Forum for Literature, which is being organized by the Daesan Foundation.

Police announce plans to cease use of police bus barricades and water cannons at demonstrations

South Korea’s police are establishing a new policy of not using police bus barricades and water cannons at demonstrations as a rule. It’s the first measure taken by the police in response to the Blue House’s calls for them to adopt more of a human rights focus. The National Policy Agency (NPA) announced on May 26 that it was “considering establishing a rule of not using police bus barricades or water cannons at the scene demonstrations apart from exceptional cases in order to maximally guarantee freedoms of assembly and demonstration.” Lee Dae-hyeong, the NPA’s officer for human rights protections, said at a Busan Metropolitan Police Agency workshop on human rights the same afternoon that the police would “report on assemblies, demonstrations, and police human rights issues at an NPA operational report tomorrow [on May 27] before the governance planning advisory committee.”

After nearly a decade of freeze, Moon admin. working to reopen inter-Korean relations

After receiving its first briefing from the Unification Ministry on May 26, President Moon Jae-in’s governance and planning advisory committee urged the Ministry to take a more active role in improving inter-Korean relations. On the same day, the Ministry approved an application by a private-sector organization for contact with North Korea for the first time in a year and four months and launched the new government’s efforts to reestablish inter-Korean relations, which are currently severed. “The Unification Ministry has fallen on hard times, and inter-Korean relations have deteriorated over the past nine or ten years. I have very mixed emotions,” said Lee Su-hoon, chair of the advisory committee’s diplomacy and security subcommittee, on the morning of May 26 before the briefing at the advisory committee’s office in Seoul.

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

Inside the ordeal that inspires Kenneth Bae

When North Korea announced the arrest of two Americans, a researcher and a teacher, earlier this month - bringing the total number of Americans it detains to four - Kenneth Bae’s phone started ringing. Bae had no personal connection with Kim Hak-song, an agricultural researcher at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, or Tony Kim (aka Kim Sang-duk), an accounting teacher at the same school. But few people knew better what they were going through - and journalists wanted Bae to describe it. Bae was a captive of North Korea, part of the “hostage diplomacy” it has conducted for decades.

North fires ballistic missile

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, which flew about 450 kilometers, South Korea's military said. The missile is believed to be a Scud type, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It was launched eastward from the vicinity of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:39 a.m., it said, adding South Korea and the United States are analyzing more information. "Our military is keeping a close watch on the possibility of an additional provocation by North Korea and is maintaining full preparedness," the JCS said. The North's latest action was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, who ordered related government officials to convene a National Security Council meeting.

Moon’s push to upgrade workers sparks tensions

Tensions are rising between Korean businesses and the Moon Jae-in administration over promises that the president made during his campaign. Businesses have argued that many companies, particularly small and medium-size operations, will face immense financial burdens to keep the Moon administration’s employment vows, including converting irregular workers to permanent employees. However, the president has said that businesses should be more aggressive in trying to solve the Korean youth unemployment problem while taking responsibilities for their role in creating the current issue.

North reports test-fire of new guided missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was quoted by Pyongyang’s state-run media Sunday to have ordered the mass production of a new type of antiaircraft guided weapon system after observing its successful test. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not disclose the date or location of the test in the dispatch, but ran photos that it claimed to be scenes from the operation. One photo featured someone who appeared to be Kim watching the test from far away with his aides behind him in military attire.

Democrats urge cabinet approvals

The presidential office and the ruling Democratic Party swung into action over the weekend, persuading opposition parties to approve the nominations of three cabinet members embroiled in a controversy over fake residential addresses. Jun Byung-hun, senior presidential secretary for political affairs; Jin Seong-jun, a presidential secretary for political planning and other aides mobilized over the weekend to talk the opposition parties into helping the three cabinet nominees pass their confirmation hearings despite an ongoing controversy over them falsifying their residential addresses on documents. They called chairmen and floor leaders of the opposition parties asking for their cooperation on Sunday.

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

President Will Personally Pay for His Toothbrush and Toothpaste

On May 25, President Moon Jae-in decided to cut special activity expenses allocated to Cheong Wa Dae. The Cheong Wa Dae staff will transparently spend the questionable budget referred to as special activity expenses and use the money saved to create more jobs for young people. President Moon also decided to pay for his private necessities including toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as his meals, which had been paid for with the special activity expenses, from his own paycheck. With Cheong Wa Dae setting an example, the transparent spending of special activity expenses and budget cuts are expected to spread throughout public office including the National Intelligence Service and the Prosecution Service.

President Moon, "It Is the Duty of the Staff to Question the President's Orders"

On May 25, President Moon Jae-in presided over his first meeting with his senior secretaries and advisors. The president, who has made surprising attempts to communicate with the people after his inauguration, encouraged casual discussions this day saying, "Questioning the president's orders is not something to seek permission for; it's your duty." This day's meeting was conducted with three things left out: note taking, hasty conclusions, and ranks. In his opening remarks in the meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae this day, President Moon said, "The meeting of senior secretaries and advisors is not a meeting where the president gives orders. I want it to be a meeting where we share, discuss and decide on many issues."

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

Samsung Electronics to Release Galaxy S8 in Japan Early June

Samsung Electronics announced on May 28 that it will release the Galaxy S8 series in Japan through the nation's No. 1 and 2 network operators, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, in early next month. The Galaxy S8 is set to be released there in three colors including midnight black, orchid gray and coral blue, while the Galaxy S8 Plus in two colors--midnight black and Arctic silver. The Japanese version of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus would be mounted with 1 Seg and Full Seg, the mobile TV services that are popular among Japanese consumers, plus a simple payment service Felica. Samsung Electronics opened a Galaxy S8 series experience zone "Galaxy Studio" within the Bank Gallery in Omotesando in Tokyo on May 25.

Shopping Outlets Became Tourist Destinations...120 Mil. Visitors Attracted Last Year

Previous governments came up with a variety of regulatory measures against large retail stores such as the ban on new store locations, obligatory store closing for two days a months, and so on. Current President Moon Jae-in also promised in his election campaign that he would introduce measures to protect small mom-and-pop stores and strengthen regulations against anti-competitive practices of large stores. Despite the heavy-handedness of the government, the nation's retail industry has grown by leaps and bounds. According to a survey by the Korea Economic Daily, the number of employees with Lotte, Shinsegae, and Hyundai Department Store has increased more than 100 percent. This is more than twice that of the growth rate of large business.

Samsung Slashes Executive Promotions

Samsung's annual executive-level reshuffle which came in about five months later than usual is reaching its final stage. The annual executive-level personnel announcement, which came after Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group, was placed under arrest, was carried out under the principle of focusing on performance and minimizing the number of promotions. The number of Samsung executives who got promotions this year was slashed to about 60 percent of the 2016 level. Samsung Group's annual executive-level promotions started from Samsung Electronics' mobile and consumer electronics division on May 11, with other subsidiaries following suit.

SMEs Lead Korea's Exports of Promising Consumer Goods

Small- and medium-sized enterprises turned out to have accounted for 84 percent in Korea's exports of promising consumer goods last year. According to a report released by the Institute for International Trade, a policy think tank of the Korea International Trade Association, the nation's exports of promising consumer goods are led not by large companies but by SMEs. The country's shipments of five promising consumer goods, including cosmetics, drugs, fashion apparels, agro-fishery products, and living and baby goods, amounted to US$23.53 billion last year. Of the total, SMEs accounted for $19.8 billion or 84.1 percent of the total, while large companies took up only for 15.9 percent or $3.73 billion.

No. of Air Passengers between Korea and China Falls 47% in April

The number of air passengers for flights between Korea and China stood at 897,000 in April, down 47.0 percent from a year ago. The sharp decline is blamed on China's retaliatory measures against Korea's THAAD deployment. The Chinese government has banned the country's tour groups from visiting Korea. This put a brake on the growth of air passengers in Korea but it still remains in a positive territory. Thanks to the increase in the number of air passengers using domestic flights to Jeju and the flights to and from Japan and Southeast Asian countries, the number of total air passengers in Korea rose 3.8 percent to 8.68 million in April. The growth rate, however, slowed from 12.6 percent in January, 8.7 percent in February, and 8.9 percent in March.

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

N. Korea test-fires ballistic missile into sea

North Korea launched a ballistic missile Monday that landed in the sea after flying about 450 kilometers (279 miles), South Korean military authorities said. It was the North's ninth missile test this year and the third since a new government took office in Seoul. The suspected Scud missile was launched in a place near the northeastern port city of Wonsan at around 5:39 am (2030 GMT), the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. North Korea test-fired a new medium-range ballistic missile called "Pukguksong-2" on May 21 in an exercise supervised by leader Kim Jong-un who called it a "perfect" strategic weapon with high accuracy in hitting targets and ordered its field deployment.

'Do not die!' says unread text message from restored smartphone

"Do not die!. Surely, you should stay alive," says an unread text message restored from a smartphone found in the wreck of a South Korean ferry which was raised from the seabed in March three years after it sank with the loss of more than 300 lives. The unidentified user had checked messages until 9:29 am (0029 GMT), although his or her smartphone ceased operation at 10:01 am on April 16, 2014, when the Sewol sank off the southwestern island of Jindo. A committee of state investigators said Friday that digital forensic experts have restored media files and other data from two mobile phones retrieved inside the ferry which has been transported to the southwestern port of Mokpo for the search of nine victims listed as missing.

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

S. Korean President Moon expresses regrets over Employers Federation’s criticism of his job policy

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed regrets over Korea Employers Federation (KEF)’s criticism of his policy to switch contract jobs into full-time regular positions, his spokesperson said.

“The KEF is one of the main parties that caused the social polarization with temporary jobs and it should self-examine and be remorseful (before criticizing the government’s job creation policy),” Moon was quoted by his spokesperson Park Soo-hyun on Friday. KEF Vice Chairman Kim Young-bae during a forum held on the previous day bashed the new government’s policy to convert temporary jobs to permanent ones, stating “if the government seeks the job switch in a uniform manner, it would only deepen the conflict between the labor and the management.”

Samsung gears up to regain strength in Japan with Galaxy S8

Samsung Electronics Co. has opened “Galaxy Studio” product experience center in central Tokyo prior to releasing its latest flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 series in Japan in a bid to revive its reputation in the neighboring country where it has a pitiful presence. The Korean electronics giant said Sunday that it opened the Galaxy Studio in downtown Tokyo for the public to have hands-on experience of its latest products ranging from its new Galaxy S8 series smartphones to Gear VR (virtual reality) headset.

Hyosung, Kolon ups investment in China despite THAAD row

South Korea’s two major conglomerates Hyosung Group and Kolon Group have expanded investment in China early this year despite widespread retaliation against Korean businesses and goods in the world’s second largest economy due to Korea’s deployment of United States’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system. According to Financial Supervisory Service data on Friday, Korea’s leading chemical and textile company Hyosung in the first three months of this year has invested 327.4 billion won ($292 million) in its businesses in China, nearly 80 percent of its total investment of 410.8 billion won over the same period. Four out of seven new projects have been initiated in China, data showed.

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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 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

Le Mondewww.ilemonde.com

Italy LaRepubblica 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 Reportshttp://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planethttp://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universalhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

Andeshttp://www.andes.info.ec/en

Ecuador Timeshttp://www.ecuadortimes.net

The Jordan Timeshttps://www.jordantimes.com

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

The Baltic Timeshttp://www.baltictimes.comlithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com

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

Philippine Daily Inquirerhttps://www.inquirer.net

Daily News Hungaryhttp://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Timeshttp://budapesttimes.hu

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INVITATION

Chairwoman Ryoo Hyun-mi of the World Culinary Culture Exchange Association with the support of The Korea Post media, cordially invites the Madam and Family Members of Your Excellency, as well as Your Excellency, to participate in the 2017 World Cooking Festival at the Gwanghwamun Square in front of the Central Government Building Complex in Seoul

On Tuesday May 30, 2017. (Basically, a tent booth, one table and three chairs are provided.) Details follow:

1. Each Embassy is invited to display ready-made food and beverage and other national items of interest at its own Country Booth at the above venue for the visitors to buy and enjoy.

2. All proceeds from the sale belong wholly to the providing Embassy.

3. For related details and photos, please visit:

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3736 or

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3568

5. For inquries, please call 2298-1740, 010-9206-0200 (English), or 010-3388-1682 (Korean)

6. Ambassadors, Peers and Spouses attend the opening ceremony

10:40 hours, May 30, 2016: Arrive at the venue of the opening ceremony

11:00-11:30 hours: Attend Opening ceremony.

11:30-12:00 hours: Opening ceremony and performances

12:00 hours: Ambassadors and Madams invited to Luncheon at Sejong Hall hosted by Chairperson Madam Ryoo Hyun-mi of the Organizing Committee.

Note: Luncheon will be followed by presentation of Plaques of Citation for the winning teams and a tour of the different booths.

Drivers of the ambassadors may park their cars free of charge at the Public Parking Lot of the Sejong-no at the Sejong Daero 189.

*Free parking support (only for embassy vehicle) at the Public parking lot in Sejong-ro(189, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu)

7. Booth participation by each country

Traditional food and traditional goods can be put on exhibition and for sale possible from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Booth for each country is 3 meters by 3 meters, which is offered free of charge together with a long table, three chairs, electricity, potable water.

Each participating Embassy will be presented with gifts worth 150,000 won.

8. Traditional cooking contest

Ginseng will be distributed to each participating Embassy free of charge in advance which the participating Embassy can use in the preparation of their traditional foods to be displayed and sold at their booth.

At 2 p.m., there will be an awarding ceremony for the outstanding country booths and they will be offered in the name of the National Assembly Speaker, the Seoul City Mayor, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister of Women and Family, the National Assembly Standing Committee Chairman’s Award, and the Festival Organizing Committee Chairman’s Award.

Personnel of the Embassy at the National Booths are encouraged to wear their traditional clothes for the promotion of their culture to the Korean people.

Offer of the Ginseng to each Embassy for inclusion in the preparation of the traditional foods of the participating countries will be offered at an appropriate time to insure freshness of ginseng.

Ginseng offered to each participating Embassy to be used in mixture of their traditional foods for display and sale at their booth will consist of raw ginseng, red ginseng, ginseng powder, and ginseng liquid.

9. Traditional cultural performances

Each cultural performance team from the Embassy presenting performances from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. will be paid 300,000 won in preparation and performance cost.

For any inquiries, please call Mr. Kim Sung-min at 010-9205-0200 (English) or Ms. Kim Jung-mi at 010-3388-1682 (Korean).

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

The Korea Post media

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