The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday, July 11, 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

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

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/)

S. Korea, US Discussing Secondary Boycott over N. Korea

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha says Seoul is in talks with Washington about imposing a possible secondary boycott on third-country companies doing business with North Korea. Kang revealed the move on Monday to the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, during a hearing on the government’s possible measures to sanction the North following its recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch. She explained the way she sees it, the U.S. is seeking the strongest possible economic sanctions on the North, whether it be implemented by the UN Security Council(UNSC) or on its own.

US Aims to Put New Sanctions to Vote Within Weeks

The U.S. is reportedly seeking to put to a vote within weeks a UN Security Council resolution to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea over its recent ballistic missile launch. According to Reuters on Monday, several senior UN diplomats said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley revealed the timeline late last week. Washington is said to have given China a draft resolution last week, which reportedly includes tougher sanctions such as cutting off oil supplies to North Korea.

S. Korea, US, Japan Nuke Envoys to Discuss N. Korea in Singapore

Chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are set to meet Tuesday to discuss coordination on North Korean issues, including its alleged first intercontinental ballistic missile launch. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said chief nuclear envoy Kim Hong-kyun will hold a three-way meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, on the sidelines of the 27th Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Singapore.

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

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

N. Korea's ICBM, if fully developed, would reach San Diego with nuclear warhead, multiple decoys

North Korea's recently tested intercontinental ballistic missile, if fully developed, would be able to strike the U.S. naval base at San Diego with a nuclear warhead and multiple decoys designed to penetrate missile defenses, a top American missile expert said Monday. John Schilling, an aerospace engineer with expertise on North Korean missiles, presented the analysis in an article to the 38 North website, noting that the North's Hwasong-14 ICBM could fly as far as 9,700 kilometers with a 500 kilogram payload if fully developed. Moreover, the missile has a detachable "payload shroud" that can house multiple payloads or a single warhead and a number of decoys and penetration aids designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses, the expert said.

U.S. aims to put N.K. sanctions resolution to vote within weeks

The United States aims to put to a vote a U.N. resolution imposing stronger sanctions on North Korea within weeks, a news report said Monday. According to Reuters, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told some U.N. diplomats about the plan late last week, after North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday. It was the North's first test of an ICBM apparently designed to hit the mainland U.S. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, Washington has been pushing to draw up a new sanctions resolution against Pyongyang. But it is unclear whether Russia, another permanent member with veto power, will agree. Last week, the council failed to adopt a press statement condemning the launch due to opposition from Russia, which argues the launch was of a medium-range missile.

S. Korea's tax revenue remains upbeat through May

South Korea continued to enjoy an overflow in tax income through the first five months of the year on a steady hike in corporate and value added taxes, the government said Tuesday. The government collected 123.8 trillion won (US$93.1 billion) in dues in the January-May period, up 11.2 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The amount is equal to 51.1 percent of the 242.3 trillion won in tax revenue the government expects to bring in for 2017. Taxes collected so far are 2.7 percentage points higher than numbers tallied for the same period last year. Corporate taxes totaled 31.4 trillion won, up 4.3 trillion won from a year earlier.

Entry of echo boomers threaten youth employment

Some 1.3 million youths may end up jobless in 2021 if the job market cannot accommodate the outflow of echo boomers, the finance ministry said Tuesday. Based on population and employment estimates provided by Statistics Korea, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said there were 3.232 million people in the 25-29 age group last year, with 2.329 million of them employed. This would mean that some 95,000 people in the group were without jobs. The ministry expects the age group's population to increase to 3.377 million this year as the echo boomers enter the job market. Unless job availability improves, more than 1 million of them won't be able to find employment, statistics indicate.

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

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

Central regions hit by torrential downpour

Heavy rain dampened the commutes of Koreans across the country as the work week began Monday. Early in the morning, commuters in the capital city of Seoul were hit by a sudden shower of between 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, accompanied by strong winds. Over 150 millimeters of rain was expected for the rest of the day in parts of the region. Around midday, the Korea Meteorological Administration released a heavy rain advisory in over 20 regions including Seoul and its satellite cities.

RB Korea under fire for ‘partial’ compensation plan in disinfectant case

Household products company Reckitt Benckiser Korea, which has been blamed for the largest number of victims from the use of toxic humidifier disinfectants since 2011, came under fire for its compensation plan that only covers victims classified as categories 1-2 by the government. Victims, their families and civic groups remain opposed to the plan, as it neglects victims classified under categories 3-4, whose suffering was deemed less directly connected to the problematic products. They denounced the plans, accusing it of being “for show” prior to a trial on an appeal case of RB Korea’s former CEO Shin Hyun-woo next week. In January, Shin was convicted for skipping the due safety tests for the disputed products and for using false advertisements.

Can Korea successfully ditch ActiveX once and for all?

Despite being known for cutting-edge tech hardware, South Korea has long been held back in the area of software by an outdated security requirement that almost every user loves to hate -- ActiveX plug-ins.

Like the previous administration, Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in has pledged to abolish ActiveX downloads from all government websites to improve user convenience and catch up with global cybersecurity standards. But the solution proposed by the government -- EXE extensions -- is a similar system that fails to address many of ActiveX’s flaws.

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

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

S. Korea, US mull secondary boycott option for N. Korea

South Korea and the United States are discussing a "secondary boycott" option in their effort to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday. Speaking before the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Kang said the two allies have been mulling over the measure, which imposes penalties on companies or individuals in China or other countries doing business with the North, as part of countermeasures to Pyongyang's launch of an alleged intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The secondary boycott is considered one of the last-remaining, effective measures against the Kim Jong-un regime. It was used in dealing with Iran's nuclear issue and the country eventually accepted a deal.

Scrapping HIV test for native English teachers 'unacceptable'

A Christian group has blasted South Korean government's decision to scrap the mandatory HIV test for native English teachers, saying the decision was made "without public consent." "How can this crucial decision be made by some public officials without the consent of the public?" Anti-Homosexuality Christian Solidarity said in a statement. "We demand the Ministry of Justice overturns its decision." The criticism came two days after the ministry announced it would drop the mandatory HIV test for native English teachers, a controversial regulation that prompted a native English teacher to file a petition with the United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2012.

New US visa rules unnerve Korean visitors

Kim Ki-beom, a graduate student in Seoul in his late 20s, must get a U.S. visa for his Ph.D. studies in the United States. He has many things to worry about from finalizing his work in Korea to preparing for a new life on the opposite side of the Pacific. With so much to do every day, he "wasted" half a day navigating through his social media sites -- not for fun -- but out of concern that he may not be able to get the visa under toughened rules. Kim's woes are caused by the recent moves by the Trump administration, which approved plans to ask US visa applicants for details of their social media history.

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

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

N.K. people starve to death in local areas even during potato harvest season

North Korea held a large-scale general festival of music and dancing to commemorate the successful test launch of the ICBM-class Hwasong 14 missile in Pyongyang on Sunday. With North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seated in a red couch at the center of the performance hall, all of the North’s leadership and developers of the missile took part in the event en masse. The event featured Moranbong Music Band and Chongbong Music Band that performed "March of the Republic’s Rocket," and "Toast of Victory," and "Envy Us" in succession to help elevate the mood.

LG to unveil mid-priced Q6 to expand product line-up

LG Electronics, a South Korean smartphone maker, announced on Monday that it will unveil the Q6, the first model of the Q line-up on Tuesday and launch the sale of the product as early as next month. The Q6 is similar to the G6, the company’s flagship smartphone released earlier this year, in terms of design and functions. The Q6 has adopted the screen ratio of 18 to 9, the same as the G6. The size of the screen has shrunk slightly from 5.7 to 5.5 inches. The new phone also features a multitasking function that separates the screen in two squares, enabling the simultaneous use of video plays and internet searching. The Q6 comes in three different colors and priced at around 500,000 to 600,000 Korean won.

'U.S. is pushing Korean Peninsula to brink of nuclear war ,' says Pyongyang

As North Korea has test-fired its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), tension has been heightening on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. sent the B-1B, a supersonic heavy bomber, to the peninsula to conduct a live-fire exercise for the first time on Saturday when Pyongyang was honoring the 23rd anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s death. Pyongyang immediately backlashed by calling it a treacherous military gambling, which is intended to light the fuse of nuclear warfare. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that the Korean Peninsula is currently faced with the most serious crisis since the Korean War.

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

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

Samsung's Profits Overtake Apple's

Samsung Electronics' profits overtook Apple's for the first time in the second half of this year. Samsung announced tentative second-quarter earnings on Friday with sales of W60 trillion and operating profit of W14 trillion (US$1=W1,155). Both were record amounts. Apple had been the most profitable company in the world for eight years, but now analysts estimate Apple's second-quarter sales at US$45 billion and operating profit at $10.5 billion. Next-ranked Walmart and Toyota's operating profits amount to less than half of Samsung's.

Choi Soon-sil's Daughter Refuses to Testify in Samsung Chief's Trial

The daughter of ex-President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil has refused to testify in the bribery trial of de facto Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong. The reason Chung Yoo-ra gave for refusing was that she herself faces trial on charges of taking bribes from Samsung. Lee is accused of giving W43.3 billion in bribes to Park and Choi, and at least W21.3 billion of that was used to buy a purebred horse and stables for Chung in Germany. She is also accused of being a main beneficiary of other slush funds her mother and Park allegedly extorted.

Surgical Strike on N.Korea 'Could Have Catastrophic Results'

Experts have warned that any U.S. surgical strike on North Korea's nuclear and missile sites could have catastrophic consequences and lead "to the worst kind of fighting," the New York Times reported last week. A study by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability in 2012 "concluded that an initial artillery barrage by the North focused on military targets would result in nearly 3,000 fatalities, while one targeting civilians would kill nearly 30,000 people," the daily said. U.S. military experts told the paper that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "would only turn to such weapons if he needed to repel a full-scale invasion or felt a nuclear attack or other attempt on his life was imminent."

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

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

Samsung Electronics Set to Produce AI Speakers

Samsung Electronics is working on an initiative to develop its own voice recognition artificial intelligence speaker using its AI service "Bixby." According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on July 4, Samsung has engaged in the development of its own AI speaker for about an year under the code name "Vega." Once Samsung releases its own AI speaker, it would compete with Amazon, Alphabet (Google), and Apple in the same product category.

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.

Hitachi Elevator Makes Comeback to Seoul

In 18 years after withdrawing from the Korean elevator market, Japan's Hitachi, the world's fifth largest player in the elevator market, has made a comeback. The latest comeback is based on the judgment that Korea's ultra high-rise elevator market is expanding fast. Competition is expected to flare up further in the Korean elevator market as a string of global elevator giants such as Otis of the United States, Mitsubishi of Japan, and Thyssenkrupp of Germany are expanding their investment here.

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

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

Bus driver dozes off and kills two

A bus accident on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Seoul involving eight vehicles killed two and injured 16 on Sunday. The bus driver told police he dozed off while driving. A bus carrying three passengers was driving on the Gyeongbu Expressway, in a middle lane of a five-lane highway on Sunday afternoon. The inter-city bus, the M5532, travels every half hour from Osan, Gyeonggi to Sadang Station, southern Seoul. Black box footage from the bus obtained by police shows the bus crashing into a white car ahead of it at around 2:40 p.m., and then hitting at least two more cars ahead of it before coming to a halt in the far right lane of the highway.

U.S. digs in on tough sanctions

The United States is aggressively pushing a new UN Security Council resolution that may include an oil embargo on North Korea, while also dangling the possibility of tougher unilateral measures that may target Chinese entities supporting the regime. “We’re going to push hard not just on North Korea, we’re going to push hard on other countries who are not abiding by the resolutions and not abiding by the sanctions against North Korea,” Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday. “And we’re going to push hard against China,” reiterating that it is responsible for 90 percent of the trade that goes on with North Korea.

Abuse of franchisees gets attention of FTC

The revelations of predatory business practices by Mr. Pizza CEO Jung Woo-hyun last month has put a spotlight on the gapjil culture in Korea’s franchise businesses. Gapjil refers to abuse of power by someone in a dominant position in a business relationship. It turns out, Mr. Pizza wasn’t the only company that treated franchisees badly. And the Fair Trade Commission says it plans to tighten regulations to crack down on the abuses. Pizza Etang, a pizza franchise with some 300 outlets in Korea, discreetly lowered the price of cheese being supplied to its stores by 6.2 percent after Jung was accused of gouging his small store owners on cheese prices.

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

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

Everyone Wants a "Peaceful Solution" to the NK Nuclear Issue, But Pressing Pyongyang to Approach the Negotiation Table Is Not That Simple

On July 9, President Moon Jae-in concluded his six-day trip to Germany for the G20 summit. In his debut on a multilateral diplomatic stage, President Moon focused on creating an international environment to deal with North Korea and its nuclear program, the biggest diplomatic challenge for South Korea, in a manner suited to the situation in South Korea. The president sought consensus for a peaceful resolution of North Korea's nuclear problem and persuaded the international community of how important South Korea's role and intentions were.

Key Witnesses in "Samsung Bribery Trial" Refuse to Appear or Testify in Court

Former President Park Geun-hye (65), Choi Soon-sil (61) and Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong (49), each standing trial for their involvement in the Samsung bribery case at the center of the “Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil scandal,” are being summoned as witnesses in each other's trial, but they are either refusing to stand in court or even if they do, they are exercising their right to refuse testimony.

Chung Yoo-ra (21), the daughter of Choi and also a key witness, has followed in the footsteps of her mother and former President Park and has refused to testify in Lee's trial. On July 10, Lee will appear in the trial of former President Park, but is expected to refuse to testify. The key figures involved in the abuse of state authority are obstructing the court from getting to the truth of the matter.

Country Responsible for False Accusation in “Suicide Note Case,” Court Orders State to Pay Kang Ki-hun’s Family 850 Mn Won

The court ruled that the state should compensate Kang Ki-hun (54, photo) for damages, after he served an unfair prison sentence for having allegedly written a suicide note for another person, a typical case involving the abuse of state authority in an authoritarian government in the 1990s referred to as the "Suicide Note (Ghostwriting) Case." The court acknowledged the government's responsibility in this case for the first time, but made a controversial judgment claiming that they could not hold the prosecutors in charge of the investigation at the time responsible.

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

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

Former Sampyo Remicon Site to Turn into Public Park

The former site of the Sampyo Ready Mixed Concrete factory in Seoul's Sungsoo-dong will turn into a 28,000-square-meter public park. Just like Millennium Park in Chicago, it will combine a nature park with cultural centers. The Seoul metropolitan city government said on July 10 that it signed a tentative agreement with Hyundai Steel, the current owner of the site, Sampyo Remicon, the tenant, and the Sungdong District Office. The city government will complete the park's construction by 2020 including the demolition of the plant and the connection of water streams with the Han River and its tributaries.

Nonghyup Financial Sets Goals to Earn 1.65 Tril. Won Net Profit by 2020

Nonghyup Financial Group announced that it plans to bring up its net profit to 1,650 billion won by 2020 from 320 billion won as of the end of last year and become one of the top-three financial groups neck and neck with Shinhan Financial Group and KB Financial Group. Nonghyup held a 2020 management reform discussion session on July 7 in Jeju with its chairman Kim Yong-hwan in attendance and decided reform measures that included the net profit five times more than now. The chairman stressed, "We need to strengthen our business in banking and credit card units that are weaker than any other financial groups."

Won-Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast to Reach 1,200 Won by Year's End

The won's weakness is forecast to accelerate due to a string of factors, including the heightened geopolitical risk resulting from the North Korean provocations and the strength of the US dollar caused by the tightening of monetary policies in major countries. The decline in won's value can help improve Korea's exports but contribute to promoting the outflow of foreign capital, thereby increasing the uneasiness of the financial market.

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

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

Epic Games aims to expand base in VR market by helping developers

At the center of a maze of booths occupied by local firms at an exhibition hall sits EPIC Games, a major American game maker known for a "Gear of War" series, crowded with visitors wearing virtual reality headsets. The booth for Epic Games, which created Unreal Engine, a popular game engine used for the development of PC and mobile games, is far bigger than that of any other exhibitor. It has spearheaded the VR gaming industry, actively expanding its business by helping developers with its graphic engine.

LG unveils images of cheaper, smaller G6 brother

LG Electronics revealed images of "Q6", the cheaper and smaller brother of its latest flagship G6, saying it would be available for purchase in August. LG said that Q6, the first model for LG's new budget smartphone lineup "Q", would be priced at around 500,000 won (435 US dollars). Its images were unveiled through Smart World, the website for LG smartphones and accessories. Unlike G6 with a dual-lens camera, Q6 had a single-lens camera and missed a fingerprint scanner. The company did not disclose exact specs.

S. Korea discloses plan to build museum for 'comfort women'

South Korea's cabinet member in charge of female rights promised to set up a museum for "comfort" women sexually enslaved by Japan's imperial army, in a move that could fuel a row between the countries over one of their most sensitive diplomatic issues. Under a 2015 deal, Japan agreed to donate one billion yen ($9 million) to a foundation dedicated to supporting the victims of sexual slavery. In return, Tokyo wanted Seoul to tear down the "comfort woman" statues erected by civic groups outside Japanese legations.

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

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

Hyundai Motor Group launches emergency team to recoup sales in China

Hyundai Motor Group has recently assembled a massive task force to tackle what it believes is a crisis after combined sales of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. in the first six months of this year plunged more than 60 percent on year in China, which represents the lion’s share in its worldwide market. The 150-strong emergency team is composed of officials from R&D, product and marketing departments at Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, and it was set up last month with aims to analyze and assess how their brands are performing and what can be improved in the world’s largest auto market, according to the business group on Monday.

Hanwha Q Cells’ Q.ANTUM CELL mass production hits 1 bn units

South Korea’s Hanwha Q Cells Co. succeeded in producing 1 billion units of Q.ANTUM CELL solar modules for the first time in the industry, the company announced on Monday. The Q.ANTUM CELL is one of Hanwha’s solar cells that convert solar energy into electrical power. It is made using the company’s proprietary Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar technology that provides better power efficiency and prevents the module from overeating.

SK Hynix launches foundry subsidiary SK Hynix System IC

SK Hynix Inc., South Korea’s second-largest memory chipmaker, officially opened its wholly-owned foundry subsidiary SK Hynix System IC on Monday. The company opened its first day as a semiconductor foundry based in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, where SK Hynix facilities are located. Foundry refers to the business of fabricating the semiconductor designs for fabless companies. SK Hynix expects that splitting the foundry business into a separate entity would strengthen its capacity in system-on-chips designed to perform specialized tasks on top of general-purpose computations.

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

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