The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, June 28, 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

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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.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

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

4 Parties Agree to Normalize Parliamentary Operations

The floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party(DP), main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP), minor People’s Party and Bareun Party have agreed to normalize activities of the National Assembly. The floor leaders announced the agreement after a meeting at the National Assembly on Tuesday. The four parties agreed to convene an extraordinary session next month and begin going over a bill on seeking revisions to the law on government organization. However, the floor leaders failed to reach an agreement on reviewing the government’s extra budget plan due to opposition from the LKP.

Moon to Embark on Trip to Germany Next Week for G20 Summit

President Moon Jae-in is set to discuss North Korea, free trade, climate change, and a range of other topics at the G-20 summit in Germany next week. Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun says Moon plans to travel on Wednesday of next week in order to arrive ahead of the summit set for next Friday and Saturday in Hamburg. First he plans to stop in Berlin for a two-day official visit and talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

'N. Korea Has Ability to Produce Element for Hydrogen Bombs'

An American nuclear scientist says that North Korea appears to have the ability to produce a key element in making hydrogen bombs. Stanford University Professor Siegfried Hecker attended a Seoul forum on the North Korean nuclear issue Tuesday, after which he told reporters there were indications that North Korea attempted to sell lithium-6, one of the key ingredients of tritium, last year. He says that shows the North clearly knows how to make tritium.

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

U.S. congressmen take to floor to welcome Moon

A series of U.S. congressmen have spoken on the floor to welcome South Korean President Moon Jae-in's first official trip to the United States and to call for further strengthening the alliance between the two countries. Moon is scheduled to visit Washington from Wednesday to Saturday for his first summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump as well as meetings with other top government officials and leaders of the House and the Senate. "President Moon's trip comes at a critical time -- a critical time for America's strategic relationship with South Korea. And I look forward to welcoming him to Capitol Hill," Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a floor speech Monday.

Pence praises India for commitment to increase pressure on N. Korea

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised India on Tuesday for its commitment to use its growing economic clout to increase pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. Pence made the remark at a meeting of the US-India Business Council, a day after President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi pledged to work together to hold accountable "all parties that support" the North's nuclear and missile programs. "The greatest threat facing the peace and prosperity of Indo-Pacific region is the brutal regime in North Korea. President Trump and I are grateful for India's leadership in fully implementing the United Nations' sanctions and for its commitment to use its growing global leverage to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea," Pence said.

Satellite imagery shows signs of N. Korea's rocket engine test: 38 North

Recent satellite imagery shows indications supporting media reports that North Korea carried out a rocket engine test last week, a website monitoring the communist nation said Tuesday. Reuters reported, citing an unidentified U.S. official, that the North conducted the engine test on Thursday that could be for the smallest stage of an intercontinental ballistic missile rocket engine. On Tuesday, 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea analysis, said that commercial satellite imagery taken of the North's Sohae long-range rocket launch site on Thursday last week shows signs the report is correct.

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

Importance of FTA to be highlighted at Korea-US summit

President Moon Jae-in is embarking on his first overseas trip as Korea’s leader, attending a critical two-day Korea-US Summit with President Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday. During the summit, Moon is slated to spearhead delegations that are to highlight the importance of the five-year Korea-US Free Trade Agreement as well as address looming uncertainties regarding the US’ attempts to renegotiate it -- a crucial economic issue here since Trump took office in January.

Moon nominates justice minister, anti-corruption chief

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday tapped a reformist scholar with a civic activism background to lead the Ministry of Justice and push one of his top priorities -- judicial reform. Moon also named another law professor, Pak Un-jong, to lead the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. Park Sang-ki, the justice minister nominee, is a professor of law at Yonsei University and serves as a co-chair of the nongovernmental organization Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice.

Japan diplomat’s ‘paid prostitutes’ claim draws ire

A senior Japanese diplomat was found Tuesday to have portrayed the victims of wartime sexual slavery as “paid prostitutes,” drawing the ire of South Korea and adding to perennial historical tension between the countries. Takashi Shinozuka, the Japanese consul-general in Atlanta, made the comment during an interview with a local newspaper last week as he criticized the Brookhaven City Council’s plan to raise a statue in commemoration of the “comfort women.”

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

'US should not ban travel to North Korea'

DALLAS ― Amid the possibility of a ban prohibiting all Americans from traveling to North Korea, a prominent political scientist and North Korea expert claims such a measure is an ill-advised idea that will penalize the basic human rights of Americans. "What can we achieve from a travel ban?" Dr. Han Park, director and professor emeritus of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia, said in an interview with The Korea Times. "It is simply taking away the American people's basic human rights to travel and go wherever they want to go."

Obama to visit Seoul next week

Former U.S. President Barack Obama will visit South Korea next week with his wife Michelle Obama and two daughters, to attend an international forum. He will be a keynote speaker at the Vista Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu on July 3. It will be his first visit to South Korea since he finished his term as U.S. President in January. Obama will reportedly meet former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

1st Moon-Trump summit

President Moon Jae-in will leave for Washington today for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The summit will be an occasion for the two countries to reaffirm their steadfast alliance and determine its future course. The results of the summit could change the overall tone of their bilateral relations and affect the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

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

Chinese civil rights campaigner paroled from prison with late-stage cancer

“(He) can’t undergo an operation, radiation therapy, chemo anymore….”

Liu Xia, wife of Chinese civil rights campaigner Liu Xiaobo, cried when she told her close friend on the status of her husband via a video call on last Saturday. Patrick Poon, former journalist of Deutsche Welle, posted the video clip on Twitter at Monday night after the news that Liu Xiaobo has been granted medical parole with terminal liver cancer. The short clip that lasted for 10 seconds was long enough to feel the despair of his wife for his fading life.

Tokyo expresses regret for Moon’s remarks on Fukushima nuke disaster

The Japanese government expressed regret to the Korean government for what President Moon Jae-in commented on the number of deaths due to the Fukushima nuclear power accident, calling it “factually inaccurate,” the Jiji Press reported on Tuesday. “We regret (President Moon’s remarks) because they are not based on accurate understanding of facts,” the Japanese foreign ministry told a senior diplomat at the Korean embassy in Japan on Thursday last week.

U.S. senators urge solutions for early THAAD deployment

Ahead of the upcoming Seoul-Washington summit, U.S. Senators have urged President Donald Trump to seek early full deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in South Korea.

Nineteen senators including Republican Senator Cory Scott Gardner, and Democrat Senator Robert Menendez of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, former U.S. Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio sent an open letter to President Trump to make the suggestion on Friday (local time).

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

Cheong Wa Dae Briefed on Progress in Troop Control Handover
The Defense Ministry has briefed Cheong Wa Dae on progress in the epically delayed handover of full operational control of its military from the U.S. and relocation of U.S. Forces Korea headquarters.

One of Moon's campaign pledges was to complete the handover before his single, five-year term ends. A government source said Monday the ministry recently delivered a report on the issues, which had been put on the back burner in the previous conservative administration.

Choi Soon-sil Gets 1st Jail Sentence in Epic Trial

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday sentenced ex-President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil to three years in jail for obstructing official duties. The sentence, for a minor charge of pressuring Ewha Womans University to admit her daughter by trading on her connections, bodes ill for Choi in core charges in her epic trial alongside Park. It was the first ruling since prosecutors began investigating the massive corruption scandal last October.

USFK Deploys Precision Cruise Missiles

The U.S. Forces Korea has deployed a dozen long-range air-launched precision-guided cruise missiles in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is capable of hitting major facilities in Pyongyang with pinpoint precision from skies south of the military demarcation line.

It is to be used in "decapitation" operations against the North Korean regime and has a range of 370 km and a range error probable of a mere 2 m. It will be carried by F-16 fighter jets.

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

At summit in US, Pres. Moon to focus on building trust

President Moon Jae-in said that he plans to focus on “building trust between leaders and strengthening the South Korea-US alliance rather than generating specific outcomes” at the South Korea-US summit in Washington DC in four days. Moon‘s remarks came during a roundtable at the Blue House on June 26 with former South Korean ambassadors to Washington. Also present at the roundtable was Blue House National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong, who said the summit would “affirm the US’s strong Korean Peninsula defense posture, including expanded deterrence against North Korean threats, and include frank discussions toward joint solutions to the North Korean nuclear and missile issues in a broader framework.”

Before US summit, Moon seeking advice from advocates of dialogue with N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in recently had dinner with former Minister of Unification Lim Dong-won and special aide for unification, foreign affairs and security Moon Chung-in, it was belatedly reported. The meeting may be an attempt by President Moon to seek advice from two leading advocates of dialogue and negotiation with North Korea on the eve of a South Korea-US summit. According to accounts on June 26 from Blue House insiders and observers, President Moon summoned Lim and Moon Chung-in to his official Blue House residence on the evening of June 22 for a dinner and conversation lasting around two hours.

Foreign Minister says environmental assessment can build public support for THAAD

“Securing democratic and procedural legitimacy through an environmental impact assessment of the THAAD site will further strengthen public support for the THAAD deployment and ultimately strengthen the South Korea-US alliance.” The remarks about the THAAD missile defense system made by South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during a forum organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on June 26 have made an unusual impact.

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

People’s Party admits dirty tricks

The People’s Party is facing its biggest political crisis after it was revealed that it used a fake audio tape at the height of this year’s presidential campaign to smear the candidacy of Moon Jae-in. The tape claimed that the son of Moon, who won the election, received special treatment to land a job at a state-run entity.

Moon names law scholar as new justice minister

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday tapped Park Sang-ki, professor at Yonsei University’s law school, to become the new justice minister, 11 days after his former nominee, Ahn Kyong-whan, withdrew in disgrace over questions about his ethical conduct. The Blue House also appointed Pak Un-jong, professor of law at Seoul National University (SNU), as the new head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, a ministerial-level position, and Lee Jin-gyu, a career bureaucrat, as the first vice minister of science, ICT and future planning.

Union protests crowd Blue House road

On the first day in nearly 50 years that the road in front of the Blue House was open to the public for 24 hours on Monday, passersby could be seen taking photos with the presidential office in the background, while some union members on strike came into light scuffles with police in their attempts to rally on the road. “Please step back, you are holding a rally here illegally,” a police officer said into a megaphone on the road in front of the Blue House on Monday.

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

President Moon Launches His First U.S. Trip with a Visit to the Chosin Few Battle Monument: A Step Highlighting "Blood Alliance"

People’s Party Apologizes for False Recording of Moon Joon-yong

The recording and a captured image of a mobile chat room, which the People's Party presented during the presidential election as proof of allegations that President Moon Jae-in's son, Joon-yong used his father's position to join the Korea Employment Information Service, were revealed to have been fabricated. The People's Party released this fact and officially apologized, but the issue is expected to stir controversy, for it can be interpreted as an attempt to manipulate the presidential election. Park Joo-sun, chairman of the People's Party's emergency committee held a press conference at the National Assembly on June 26 and said, "On May 5, the People's Party announced the alleged involvement of President Moon Jae-in in Joon-yong's joining the Korea Employment Information Service based on the statement by his colleague from Parsons School of Design in the U.S.

Freezing Nuclear Developments and Denuclearization

President Moon Jae-in personally shared his plans to resolve issues with North Korea including its nuclear program, for the first time in interviews with the U.S. media, such as CBS and the Washington Post released on June 21. And now all eyes are on the bilateral discussions at the South Korea-U.S. summit scheduled in Washington D.C. on June 29. Whether or not the Moon Jae-in government will be able to form a consensus with the Donald Trump administration on the direction for resolving North Korea‘s nuclear issue is expected to be the key topic at the upcoming summit.

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

Fate of Shin-Gori Nuclear Reactors No. 5 and 6 to Be Determined by Citizen Jurors

SK E&S to Develop Shale Gas Projects in the U.S. Jointly with Continental Resources

SK Group will sign a memorandum with Continental Resources, the largest gas producer in the United States, to undertake shale gas projects jointly. The deal is seen by many as a leverage to assuage the pressure mounted by the U.S. Trump administration to open markets for U.S. suppliers.

According to industry sources on June 27, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and SK E&S president Yoo Jeong-joon will sign an agreement with Continental at the end of this month in the United States. Continental Resources is headed by Harold Hamm, the "godfather" of the American energy industry.

Foreign Investors Want to Meet IR Managers of SK Hynix, LGD

Foreign Investors Show Keen Interest in Having Meetings with IR Managers at AmorePacific, SK Hynix, LGD and LG Household & Health Care Foreign investors showed higher interest in contacting AmorePacific, SK Hynix and LG Display. This is a result of the survey that a global investment bank UBS carried out in Seoul last week with 130 foreign companies during the Korea Conference 2017.
According to UBS, the foreign investors who participated in the Korea Conference 2017 showed higher interest in having meetings with AmorePacific, SK Hynix, LG Display, LG Household and Health Care and Naver in this order.

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

Moon seeks separate talks with leaders of China, Russia and Japan in Germany

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will seek a series of bilateral talks with the leaders of China, Japan and Russia on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany, his office said. Moon will leave for Germany next Wednesday following his trip to the United States where he would hold a summit meeting with President Donald Trump. The president will stay in Berlin for two days to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Cabinet approves temporary shutdown of two reactors under construction

In his first cabinet meeting, South Korean President Moon Jae-in approved the temporary shutdown of two nuclear reactors under construction pending public hearings and debate for three months. The decision, announced by Hong Nam-ki, who heads the Office for Government Policy Coordination, takes effect on Tuesday, and construction of the two reactors, slated for completion in 2022, in South Korea's largest Gori nuclear complex near the southeastern port city of Busan came to a halt.

Satellite imagery shows N. Korea's small rocket engine test: 38 North

Satellite imagery revealed evidence that North Korea appeared to have conducted a small rocket engine test, the website of a US research institute said amid international concerns about an intercontinental ballistic missile being developed by the nuclear-armed country. North Korea has technical and logistical capabilities to conduct such tests with little or no advance warning, but it's not possible to confirm whether the recent test at the North's Sohae base on or about June 22 was for an ICBM engine, according to 38 North.

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

Korea’s Naver buys AI-strong Xerox Research Center Europe

South Korea’s top web portal operator Naver Corp. announced Tuesday it will acquire Xerox Research Center Europe (XRCE), a future technology research house of U.S.-based Xerox Corp. Established in 1993, XRCE is a research unit located just outside Grenoble, France, focusing in breakthrough technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language processing. The acquisition process will be completed by the third quarter and the center will be rebranded to Naver Labs Europe. The current 80 XRCE staff will continue their research under Naver.

South Korea’s President Moon names law professor as new justice minister

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday nominated Park Sang-ki, professor at Yonsei University’s law school, as new justice minister. The nomination came 11 days after former candidate Ahn Kyong-whan, professor of law at Seoul National University, resigned from the nomination in a parliamentary confirmation hearing amid growing controversy over personal conducts. Park - who is from Muan, South Jeolla - is a criminal law expert who served various positions in the field including head of the Korean Institute of Criminology.

KEPCO to run paid EV charging stations from July

South Korea’s state-run utility company Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has decided to charge for the use of its electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, which is currently free, in a move to seek new profit-generating business models. The company said on Tuesday that it will begin paid services of its 1,560 EV charging units on July 13. The charging stations that have been installed across the country including at KEPCO office buildings, public parking spaces, large discount stores, and residential areas have been offered free of charge for electric car owners since January as part of test operations.

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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