The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, July 5, 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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moon heads to Germany for G-20 summit, talks with leaders

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=4267.)

S. Korea, U.S. hold joint missile drills against N. Korea

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=4264.)

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

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/)

Moon Orders Missile Strike Exercise against N. Korean ICBM Launch

Presidential chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan told reporters that the unscheduled exercise came at President Moon Jae-in's order the previous night. Moon instructed his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong to conduct the precision strike drill, saying that the latest North Korean missile provocation calls for more than just a statement. Chung on Tuesday night called his White House counterpart Herbert McMaster to get U.S. President Donald Trump’s concurrence on the plan. Trump was cited as highly evaluating Moon's resolute position against the North Korean threat.

No Negotiation Unless US Threats Removed

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says he will not negotiate about his nuclear and missile programs unless U.S. threats are fundamentally removed. The North's state-run Korea Central News Agency(KCNA) on Wednesday reported about the regime's ballistic missile test the previous day. It said that the latest experiment successfully tested warhead reentry technologies and stage rocket separations and claimed that the regime now possesses an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North Korean media said that Kim was at the launch site. He was cited as saying that his regime will not place the ballistic missile and nuclear programs on the negotiation table unless the U.S. withdraws its hostile policies and nuclear threats against North Korea.

President Moon Leaves for Germany

"We expect the visit will serve to solidify cooperation with the world’s leaders so that they can jointly deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations.” During his six-day official visit to Germany, Moon will first hold bilateral summits with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss bilateral ties, North Korea issues as well as global trade and climate change. On Thursday, Moon is scheduled to deliver a speech on establishing peace on the peninsula, and inter-Korean relations at the invitation of the Körber Foundation.

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

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

Moon heads to Germany for G-20 summit, talks with leaders

South Korean President Moon Jae-in departed for Germany on Wednesday for the upcoming Group of 20 summit where he was expected to discuss ways to rein in North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile technologies with other global leaders. His departure came one day after North Korea claimed to have had a successful test launch of its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Moon earlier told his security officials to seek cooperation with the United States and other allies to have the U.N. Security Council take necessary measures to condemn the North's latest provocation.

S. Korea, U.S. hold joint missile drills against N. Korea

South Korea and the United States staged a massive combined ballistic missile exercise Wednesday aimed at sending a warning message to North Korea, the South's military said a day after the communist country claimed a successful long-range missile test. The allies fired a barrage of missiles, including the South's Hyunmoo-2 and the U.S. Eighth Army's ATACMS, into the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Hyunmoo-2 is a ballistic missile, and the ATACMS is a tactical surface-to-surface missile.

S. Korea's current account surplus almost halves to US$5.94 bln in May

South Korea's current account surplus narrowed in May from a year earlier due to a hike in oil prices and an increased deficit in the travel balance, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's current account surplus reached US$5.94 billion in May, compared with a surplus of $10.49 billion a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure represents a surplus for 63 months in a row. The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade. The BOK said the widened deficit in the travel balance and increased imports of machinery were to blame for the narrowed current account surplus.

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

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

S. Korea, US hold joint missile drills against NK

South Korea and the United States staged a massive combined ballistic missile exercise Wednesday aimed at sending a warning message to North Korea, the South's military said a day after the communist country claimed a successful long-range missile test. The allies fired a barrage of missiles, including the Hyunmoo-2 and the ATACMS, into the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It came in response to the North's assertion that it has mastered the atmospheric re-entry technology for intercontinental ballistic missiles

Samsung kick-starts new NAND chip plant in Pyeongtaek

The world’s biggest memory chip provider Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday the company had officially started operation of its newest semiconductor fabrication line in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, along with 37 trillion won ($32.2 billion) worth of investment plans by 2021. The new line is the largest single fabrication line in the entire industry. It took about two years of construction after breaking ground in May 2015 with a total of 15.6 trillion won worth of investment. The facility will focus on the production of Samsung’s fourth-generation 64-layer V-NAND chips, adding to the company’s capacity for cutting-edge memory products, the firm said.

Moon names nominee for new prosecutor-general

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday nominated an incumbent prosecutor as the country’s top prosecutor, completing the lineup to push for making the prosecution more transparent and politically neutral.

Moon Moo-il, the incumbent head of the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office, has been designated for the prosecutor-general post, which has been left vacant for nearly two months, to lead the reform of the prosecution as well as stabilize the law enforcement body.

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

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

N. Korea claims successful launch of ICBM

North Korea claimed Tuesday that it had successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the continental United States. This marked the first time for the North to launch such a missile, believed to be able to fly more than 10,000 kilometers. The "special" announcement made by Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central TV came hours after South Korea and the United States as well as Japan detected the launch of the missile.

Moon will tackle N. Korea issue at G20

President Moon Jae-in will seek reinforced cooperation with the international community in resolving the issue of North Korea's nuclear program during his visit to Germany for the G20 summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, after the North allegedly test-fired an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM). In the G20 summit to be held in Hamburg July 7 and 8, Moon will have a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, July 7, and a trilateral dinner with Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump, July 6. He is also seeking to have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China slams N. Korea's ICBM launch as violation of UN resolutions

China slammed North Korea's claimed launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. "Related UNSC resolutions have clear rules on North Korea's ballistic missile technology and activities of (ballistic missile) launches," China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a press briefing. "China opposes North Korea's continuation of (ballistic missile) activities in violation of these rules," he said.

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

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

'Resolving South-North issue through sports is a naive idea'

Jang Woong, North Korea's delegate to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), criticized the South Korean government's sports exchange efforts with North Korea. "It is a naive thinking to try to solve North-South relationship through sports before solving political and military issues first," he said. "(The thought of trying to lay a bridge on inter-Korean relations through sports), is either naive or a desperate thinking, though I'm not saying that it is a skeptical idea," Jang told an interview with U.S. media Voice of America on Saturday. "Political obstacles can't be eliminated just through sports." When he was visiting South Korea for the first time in 10 years to attend the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships on June 26, Jang also said, "Politics stands atop sports. Political environment has to be solved first."

Do you know why church murals in Korea and Italy look the same?

There is a soaring green-colored bronze plating metal dome on the hill of residential area near Aeogae station of Seoul Subway Line 5. It is St. Nicholas Korea Orthodox Church and built based on the design of Korean architect Cho Chang-han in 1968. An event to celebrate the release of a book titled, "The Story of Art that I Studied for the First Time Vol 3, 4 (Sahoepyeongron)" was held on Tuesday morning at the head church of Korean Orthodox Church that has about 10,000 followers. In the meeting, Yang Jung-moo (50), the author and professor of art theory department at Korea National University of Arts, said that his book contains an overview of art in medieval times centering on the architecture of cathedrals and great churches. He also said that he visited this place that reproduces the Byzantine essence of Orthodox art and cheered himself up whenever he had trouble in writing the book.

Four and a half months pregnant Mandy Minella plays at Wimbledon

Four and a half months pregnant Mandy Minella, a Luxembourgish tennis player, has displayed strength in the Wimbledon Championships, the third major tennis competition this season. The 82bd world ranker played at the first round in women's singles at the All England Club near London wearing a loose white one-piece skirt. She apparently had a pregnant belly but Minella didn't make public of her pregnancy until the game ended. Minella married her coach Tim Somer in 2014 and will be giving birth at the end of this year.

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

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

Chinese Boycott Takes Toll on Hyundai-Kia, Suppliers

An unofficial Chinese boycott of Korean businesses over the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in Korea is taking its toll on Hyundai and Kia and their suppliers in China.

One Korean parts supplier has been running its factory at only 40 percent capacity since April. "We invested heavily to build a plant in Chongqing to supply parts to Hyundai's factory that is scheduled to open there later this year," an executive said. "At this rate, we will end up losing all the money we invested."

Park's Lawyers Push for Fewer Hearings Again

Ex-President Park Geun-hye's lawyers on Monday again requested fewer court sessions per week in her corruption trial, citing concerns over her health. Park complained of dizziness in one session in the Seoul Central District Court late last month and laid her head on the desk, prompting the presiding judge to halt proceedings and send her back to her prison cell. When presiding judge Kim Sei-yoon asked Park how she was feeling on Monday, Park nodded silently.

Unfriendly Work Environment for Women Limits Dual-Income Households

The proportion of dual-income households with young children in Korea is way below the OECD average, while Korean husbands put in just half as much time helping out around the house as their OECD peers, according to a study released Monday, which suggests a link between the two. The Ministry of Employment and Labor analyzed the employment status of couples with children aged 14 or younger in Korea and other OECD members. It found that only 29.4 percent of Korean couples in this category have two incomes, compared to the OECD average of 58.5 percent.

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

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

Trump and Xi talk on the phone, confirm areas of mutual dissatisfaction

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone on July 2 leading up to a meeting that will take place during the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, at the end of this week, but they apparently did little more than confirm their mutual dissatisfaction on key disputes such as the North Korean nuclear program, trade and Taiwan. The US rattled China’s nerves by carrying out a “freedom of navigation” operation in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China.

Blue House official’s humorous crack lightened mood at S. Korea-US summit

During a tense moment about trade in the “expanded summit” between South Korea and the US on June 30, the serious mood was reportedly relaxed by a remark made by Jang Ha-sung, Blue House Policy Chief of Staff and an alumnus of the Wharton School, along with US President Donald Trump. According to a Blue House official’s account on July 3 of what happened behind the scenes at the South Korea-US summit, the Americans started by expressing their hope that Trump would focus on trade issues, and American participants including US Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross made a series of remarks that put pressure on South Korea. Representing South Korea, Jang and economic advisor Kim Hyeon-cheol countered by providing specific trade figures.

At meeting in Seoul, Pres. Moon gets Obama’s advice on strengthening alliance with US

On the afternoon of July 3, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with former US President Barack Obama at the Blue House and asked for Obama’s help and advice on strengthening South Korea’s alliance with the US. Blue House spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said that Moon told Obama during the meeting, which lasted for over 40 minutes, that his summit with Trump had exceeded expectations and that the two leaders had agreed to further strengthen the South Korea-US alliance. Moon also asked Obama to give him some more advice about further developing the alliance. Moon was quoted by Park as telling Obama that Moon and Trump had agreed to keep using sanctions and pressure to resolve the issue of the North Korean nuclear and missile programs while also engaging in dialogue. Moon reportedly said that this was North Korea’s last chance to engage in dialogue.

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

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

Pyongyang claims to successfully test an ICBM

North Korea claimed Tuesday that it successfully conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and can now target “any place in this world,” prompting South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in to say he wasn’t sure how either Washington or Seoul will react if Pyongyang crosses a “red line.” Moon’s Blue House, which favors more engagement of the North, has never specified its definition of a red line and the Donald Trump administration has hesitated to draw a figurative point of no return for the North as well. But in an interview with “The Fox News Specialists” in May, Trump said, “I don’t like drawing red lines but I act if I have to act,” adding that nobody was safe in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile weapons.

Samsung is investing $32 billion to keep lead in chips

Samsung Electronics is investing 37 trillion won ($32.2 billion) to expand its semiconductor and display factories as demand grows with digitization. The Korean electronics giant announced investment goals at a ceremony held Tuesday to mark commercial production of 64-layer vertical NAND flash memory chips at its newly established semiconductor fabrication line at Godeok Industrial Complex in Pyeongtaek. The new line adds to Samsung’s production capacity for the advanced chip, which started being produced in the company’s Hwaseong plant in Gyeonggi from December last year. Vertical NAND (V-NAND) chips refer to chips with multiple layers of memory cells stacked vertically in a three-dimensional structure. More layers mean more chip capacity and productivity, and 64 layers is the latest breakthrough by Samsung.

Xi, Putin meet, gripe about Thaad

Days before President Moon Jae-in flies to a Group of 20 meeting in Germany, President Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed Monday to oppose the deployment of a U.S.-led advanced antimissile system in South Korea. Moon will meet Xi and Putin at the G-20 meeting in Hamburg. A summit with Xi is being planned for Thursday in Berlin, and a meeting with Putin will take place on Friday in Hamburg, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office of the Blue House, said Monday.

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

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

Trump Continues to Push for New FTA Negotiations: Refused to Use Term "Free Trade," Used "Fair Trade" Instead

Reportedly, U.S. President Donald Trump and his staff strongly pressed President Moon Jae-in with trade issues throughout the South Korea-U.S. summit on June 30. On July 3, a Cheong Wa Dae official conveyed, "President Trump set the mood saying that he would focus on the trade issue during the summit since the two had already discussed North Korea in depth at the (White House) dinner the previous day." At the time, President Trump said that he wanted to sign a new trade agreement that was "fair" to both South Korea and the U.S. and gave his staff, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn, an opportunity to speak. Secretary Ross argued that the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea had doubled since the FTA took effect and specifically mentioned the problem concerning automobiles and steel.

South Korea Secures Initiative on the Korean Peninsula

The Moon Jae-in government was successful in gaining general assent from the U.S. on its foreign policy including those concerning North Korea's nuclear program and inter-Korean relations in the South Korea-U.S. summit on June 30 (local time). Thus the government has successfully taken its first step in bilateral relations with the U.S. The joint statement on six items, the fruit of the summit, mentioned a stronger ROK-US alliance, cooperation on North Korea policies, fair trade, and global cooperation.

Eyes on the Possibility of President Moon's "Berlin Declaration"

President Moon Jae-in obtained the support of U.S. President Donald Trump on his plans to resolve the issues on the Korean Peninsula, particularly the resuming of talks with North Korea, in the South Korea-U.S. summit meeting, and this is expected to add momentum to the government's future North Korea policy. Now, all eyes are on what message the president will send to the North when he visits Germany for the G20 summit and when he speaks at the August 15 National Liberation Day celebration.

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

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

Doosan Heavy Industries Expected to Win Nuclear Reactor Order Worth 1 Tril. Won from India

It is likely that Doosan Heavy Industries will be able to win the nuclear power plant construction project in India. According to power generation industry sources on July 4, Doosan Heavy Industries may benefit from a deal reached in a summit meeting on June 26 between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The Indian government decided to import six "AP1000" nuclear reactors from Westinghouse. The 1,150-megawatt reactors will be installed in the eastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Samsung Electronics to Invest 40 Tril. Won to Cement Current Semiconductor Leadership

Samsung Electronics has announced a plan to invest almost 40 trillion won (US$34.8 billion) in 3D NAND flash memory chips (30.4 trillion won) and OLED chips (9.0 trillion won). With this investment which will be made by 2021, as many as 440,000 new jobs will be created. Samsung revealed the plan on July 4 when it held an event to celebrate the first shipment of wafers in its No. 1 production line in the Pyeongtaek plant. Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman, said, "We have successfully completed the construction of the chip-making plant in Pyeongtaek, a monumental challenge for our company." With the completion of the production line, the company will be able to produce 300,000 3D NAND wafers a month from current 200,000 wafers.

Hyundai Motor on Track to Regain 40% Domestic Market Share

Hyundai Motor is on track to boost its domestic market share up to 40 percent again, thanks to the new car effect of its brand-new Grandeur and Sonata models. Kia Motors expect the Stinger and Stonic to contribute to increasing its domestic market share in the latter half of this year. According to industry sources on July 3, domestic car sales reached 738,730 units in the first five months of this year, down 1.4 percent from 749,189 units a year ago.

SKC Haas Makes New Start as "SKC Hi-Tech & Marketing"

SKC Haas Display Film, the No. 1 player in Korea's film processing industry, changed its corporate name to "SKC Hi-Tech & Marketing." After acquiring Dow Chemical's 51-percent stake in SKC Haas Display Film, making it incorporated as a 100-percent owned subsidiary, SKC announced on July 3 that it changed the corporate name of SKC Haas Display Film to SKC Hi-Tech & Marketing. SKC Hi-Tech & Marketing plans to expand the scope of its business toward a variety of processing materials for use in IT and display-related convergence products, electric cars, and semiconductors by processing SKC's state-of-the-art films.

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

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

Vandalism on Californian couple as many Californian transplants drove up Real Estate price

A Southern Californian couple, Preston Page and Jessica Faraday, who moved to Portland, Oregon in February this year was shocked to find their property vandalized and a target of hate crime on Sunday morning. The couple's home and car were discovered with gold-colored graffiti and with messages that said, "Go back to California" and "Get California OUT of Portland", Oregonian reported. Their car was also keyed and scratched.

1,800-year-old ruins accidently discovered during subway construction in Rome

Rome, Italy - The construction crew working hard at an underground subway project for new Metro Line C accidentally found 1,800 years old ruins in Rome, Italy again. All work had to be halted and a team of archeologists was called to the work site to examine the ruins. It was well preserved despite the fact that the house was burned down from fire and was frozen in time due to the collapsed ceiling that kept the part of the interior of the house safely. An archeologist Gilberto Pagani working at the site presume that the house may have belonged to a senior Rome army officer.

Aztec tower of skulls unearthed in Mexico, shocking scholars with its secrets

There was a story of the Aztec skull tower that was passed down for hundreds of years in Mexico. The Tzompantli or skull tower was said to be the ceremonial display of defeated warriors. It brought fears among Spanish invaders and motivated them to conquer Mexico to not have their heads on the skull tower as the war trophies. A team of archeologists started to dig in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, and current Mexico City, hoping to unearth the secrets of the skull tower two years ago. As of July 4, 2017, the team dug up 676 skulls and countless skull and bone fragments.

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

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

Samsung Elec completes Pyeongtaek expansion to roll out 64-layer flash

South Korea’s largest chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co. said on Tuesday that its new-generation fabrication line at Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, is fully ready to roll out cutting-edge three-dimensional vertical non-volatile storage (V-NAND) flash memory chips. According to Samsung Electronics on Tuesday, the fab would be turning out 3D VNAND flash memory of 64-layer die in a capacity of 256-Gb (gigabit per second) to meet consumer demand for superfast and super-performing storage to power mobile devices and PCs with a goal to make the version its mainstream along with 48-layer flash by the end of the year.

Hyundai-Kia U.S. auto sales see double-digit falls in June

South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister company Kia Motors Corp., whose sales in China took a 63-percent on-year plunge, continued to struggle in the world’s second largest market with sales sinking by double digits last month. Hyundai Motor’s U.S. car sales in June, excluding the independent luxury brand Genesis, fell 21.7 percent to 52,894 units from 67,511 units a year ago. Kia Motors’ shipments slid 10.3 percent from 62,572 units to 56,143 units.

North Korea claims successful launch of farthest-yet ICBM

North Korea said on Tuesday that it has successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICMB) and if proven it would have had made another major stride towards mastering a technology to fly a missile beyond the U.S. territory of Alaska. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that it has successfully test-launched Hwasong-14, a newly-developed ICBM at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The missile was fired from the northwest area and flew for 39 minutes according to the planned flight orbit before reaching target waters in the East Sea, it said.

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

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