The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Monday, August 14, 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

Special notice:

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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/)

Trump, Xi Urge N. Korea to Stop Provocative Behavior

The leaders of the United States and China have urged North Korea to stop provocative actions amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula with a war of words between the U.S. and North Korea.

After a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, the White House said in a statement that the leaders agreed that North Korea must stop its “provocative and escalatory behavior” and reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. However, China’s state media including the CCTV network reported on Saturday that Xi, during the phone call, urged all sides to avoid words or actions that raise action. Xi reportedly urged Trump to avoid aggressive remarks and called for restraint regarding the North Korean issue.

Chief of US JCS Due in South Korea

The chairman of the United States Joint Chief of Staff will visit South Korea to check the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture. The South Korean military Friday said that Marine General Joseph Dunford will arrive on Sunday from Japan to meet with Seoul’s top defense officials including his South Korean counterpart Lee Sun-jin and Defense Minister Song Young-moo. The U.S. JCS chief will reportedly pay a courtesy visit to President Moon Jae-in during his two day trip to Seoul.

Gov't Says THAAD Radar Won't Cause Damages to Environment

The government said the United States THAAD antimissile system deployed in Seongju, Gyeongsang Province will not cause any adverse effects on the health of local people and the local environment.

The Defense and Environment Ministries on Saturday conducted a joint environmental survey of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju.

The defense ministry said that the radiation level from the radar was measured at point-000886 watt per square meter and the momentary maximum was point-04634, both far below the regulatory standard of ten.

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

No indication of imminent nuclear war with N. Korea

U.S. intelligence does not indicate an imminent nuclear war with North Korea, the chief of the Central Intelligence Agency said Sunday, after a week of bellicose rhetoric between the two sides. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," CIA Director Mike Pompeo said he would not be surprised if North Korea carried out another missile test to advance its missile and nuclear programs. But he rejected talk of the U.S. being on the "cusp of nuclear war." "I've seen no intelligence to indicate we're in that place today," Pompeo said.

N. Korea seems to be prepared for fresh ICBM test

Recent satellite photos suggests that North Korea is preparing for fresh submarine-based missile tests, an expert has said, amid heightened tension between the U.S. and North Korea over the communist state's successful launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile. Referring to photographs posted on Aug. 11 on 38 North, a U.S. website specializing in North Korea analysis, Joseph Bermudez, a North Korea specialist, claimed that they could indicate preparations for a new test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

THAAD protesters refuse to accept gov't survey on environmental impact

Local residents and activists campaigning against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system said Sunday they will not accept the outcome of a government survey that ruled out the possibility of its serious environmental damage. On Saturday, the government announced the result of a survey of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The defense ministry said the radiation level was far below the regulatory protection standard and the noise level in the residential areas is also on par with the maximum regulatory threshold.

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

5G smartphones likely to emerge in 2019

Smartphones that run on the fifth-generation network are predicted to emerge starting from 2019, while current 4G network smartphones are likely to remain mainstream until 2022, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics on Sunday. “We predict 5G enabled smartphones will emerge from 2019, but it will start to ramp up volumes from 2021 onwards,” said Yiwen Wu, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, in a report, adding “4G has replaced 3G as the world’s dominating smartphone air-interface in 2015, the trend will maintain by 2022.”

Group pushes to erect statue honoring forced laborers near Japanese Embassy

A South Korean civic group is pushing to erect a statue to honor forced laborers under Japan’s colonial rule of the country near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Consisting of civic activists and descendants of the forced laborers, the group plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, which is National Liberation Day, marking the 72th anniversary of South Korea’s independence from Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization.

Trump again cites ‘military’ option on N. Korea

US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart pledged Saturday to work to denuclearize North Korea, but Trump again invoked the grim possibility of “military measures” if other steps should fail.

Trump’s latest warning came amid a flurry of international calls -- from China, the North’s key ally, as well as Russia, Germany, Britain and the United Nations -- for the president to show greater rhetorical restraint.

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

Unlike before, Americans are worried about N. Korea

For most Americans, North Korea's routine provocations and threats have been all too familiar, yet distant news happening far away. But this time, things are different. With the rogue nation's specific threat of dropping missiles on the U.S. territory of Guam, many Americans, put on edge, are reacting with a heightened level of anxiety and concern. ''This is getting very serious,'' said Rob Gonzales, 42, who works at a cellular phone retailer in the suburbs of Dallas. ''I usually don't follow much international news, but this isn't international news anymore. It's become very local for Americans.''

Faulty air analysis fails China-Korea links on fine dust

While China and Korea experience some of the world's worst air pollution, they are yet to develop credible technological methods to monitor and analyze what is in the harmful particulates. Scientists and policymakers from the two countries have met over the issue since the early 2000s. But without precise readings on the pollutants ― from total suspended particles such as fine dust and ultrafine dust to chemicals like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide ― the experts haven't progressed further than sharing damage reports and reminding each other of the problem's gravity.

THAAD deployment may gain momentum

The Moon Jae-in government is expected to accelerate the tentative deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in the southeastern county of Seongju, following positive interim results of a small-scale environmental impact study Saturday. The defense and environment ministries conducted a joint on-spot survey of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the battery that showed both levels were within legal standards, they said.

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

Independence fighter's monument damaged by Russian extremists

The monument established in the Maritime Province in Russia (or Yeonhaeju) for remembering the independence activist Jang Do-bin (1888-1963) was ruined four years ago. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs was not aware of such incident until now. As a historian and an anti-Japanese colonist fighter who sought asylum in Yeonhaeju, Jang was the first to argue that the remains of the ancient Balhae Kingdom was found there.

'Soldiers will become combat heroes in event of N.K.’s provocation,' says defense minister

“The defense of northwestern Islands and the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea is the core of national defense,” Defense Minister Song Young-moo said. He has ordered Sunday the military units in the area to engage in combat confidently if and when North Korea makes a provocation. According to the South Korean military authority, Song made the remarks while visiting the Yeonpyeong Unit in Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on the day to check combat preparedness. After paying tribute at the memorial monument for the fallen soldiers in the Second Yeonpyeong Naval Battle and the memorial tower for the fallen heroes in the North’s artillery attacks on the island, Song held a videoconference with commanders in charge of respective military subunits in northwestern islands at the island's command center.

Loitering kids near concert halls

"Loitering" is the slang often used among idol k-pop fans wandering around the concert halls on the day their celebrities hold events. Fans who failed to reserve tickets due to fierce competition or cannot afford those expensive seats are left with no choice but to "loiter." These fans wander around the venue hours before the concert begins, buying celebrity goods and taking pictures. There are even some who try to watch their idols rehearse.

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

Regional Craft Beers Catch on in Korea

Regional craft beers are starting to enjoy the same popularity in Korea as they do in other hipster parts of the world. "It lends uniqueness and an air of luxury to a beer if it's produced in small batches, and it stimulates the curiosity of consumers over mass-produced mainstream beers," an industry insider says. Global craft beer maker Brooklyn Brewery is due to launch Jeju Beer in Korea next month, which is allegedly made with pure spring water from the resort island. Local patriots are enthusiastic customers. Superstore chain Homeplus sold 7.7 times more Haeundae Beer in its Haeundae store in Busan than elsewhere, while sales of Gangseo Beer in its store in Gangseo, Seoul, were 3.2 times higher than the national average.

Trump Says 'Fire and Fury' Threat Wasn't Tough Enough

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday reacted with his familiar scattergun approach to North Korea's threat to blast the American territory of Guam with "enveloping fire." Trump told reporters that perhaps his earlier, widely criticized threat of "fire and fury like the world has never seen" was still too mild. "Maybe it wasn't tough enough," Trump said at his golf course in New Jersey, where he has been holding forth for several days. "They've been doing this to our country for a long time, for many years, and it's about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries."

Nearly 40% of SMEs Have No Hiring Plans for 2nd Half of Year

Nearly 40 percent of small and medium-sized businesses have no hiring plans for the second half of the year. Of 291 companies polled by job portal Saramin, 109 were not looking for new recruits.

Some 39 percent of SMEs had no plans to recruit. The most common reason (cited by 47.7 percent) was sufficient staff. Other reasons were poor business conditions (30.3 percent), no additional need for new recruits (13.8 percent) and the need to reduce payroll (11.9 percent).

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Tragic death of a Nepali migrant worker

Early in the morning on Aug. 7, a letter was found in the factory dormitory of a parts manufacturer in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. It was a suicide note written by Keshav Shrestha, a 27-year-old Nepali migrant worker who was found hanged on the dormitory’s roof that same morning. In crooked Nepali script across the pages of a spiral-bound notebook, Shrestha had written his farewell to the world.

“Hello, everyone. I am saying goodbye to the world today. I’ve had health problems and I can’t sleep. I’ve been receiving treatment, but it hasn’t gotten better. This time has been so difficult for me, and today I decide to leave this world. I’ve had to deal with stress at work, I don’t want to go to another factory, and even though I’ve tried to go to Nepali for treatment, I haven’t been able to.”

Employed or not, 8 out of 10 young S. Koreans “exhausted”

South Koreans aged 19 to 34 rate their life satisfaction at a mere 50 or so points out of 100 regardless of their employment status, a survey shows. The findings showed 8 out of 10 reporting “exhaustion” due to stress and fears about the future, while 26.2% of employed young people and 51% of job-seekers reported having “no direction.” The Korea Employment Information Service and the Youth Hope Foundation released findings on Aug. 10 from a quality of life survey conducted for young South Koreans by the team of Sookmyung Women’s University professor Lee Young-min. The survey looked at eight categories, including job-seeking/employment, physical/psychological health, and dating/marriage. A total of 1,578 participants aged 19–34 were classified into employed, job-seeking, and university student categories.

Japanese military directly administered comfort stations, unearthed US documents show

New documents have surfaced showing the Japanese military was directly involved in the administration of “comfort women” and comfort houses in war zones. The National Institute of Korean History (NIKH) revealed four documents on Aug. 11 that had been found at the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as part of a project to collect and compile data on Japanese military comfort women and war crimes.

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JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)

Moon to meet top U.S. general amid tensions

President Moon Jae-in will meet with Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Blue House on Monday amid heightened tensions on the peninsula aggravated by the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington over the past week. Moon’s meeting with the U.S. four-star general is expected to focus on reaffirming the bilateral alliance in the face of North Korea’s bellicose rhetoric, especially with its warning issued last Thursday that it could surround U.S. territory Guam, home to U.S. Navy and Air Force bases, by firing four missiles into the waters 30 to 40 kilometers (18.6 to 24.8 miles) off the island’s coast, in a direct warning to the Trump administration.

Residents suspicious of Thaad study findings

Residents of Seongju County, North Gyeongsang, said Sunday they cannot trust the government test results which deemed safe the level of electromagnetic waves emitted from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system, and said they will ask an independent expert to conduct another environmental test on the U.S.-led antimissile defense system. The Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Environment conducted an environmental test on the Thaad system in Seongju on Saturday, and announced that the level of electromagnetic waves emitted from the system is safe.

Fair Trade Commission confronts bully retailers

Large retailers could soon face tougher penalties for engaging in unfair business practices against their small and medium-sized suppliers. The Fair Trade Commission, which regulates economic competition in Korea, proposed on Sunday a set of stronger penalties on retail conglomerates that take advantage of their suppliers. They include a fine of up to three times the amount of damage caused to small companies.

“Existing regulations and policies have been deemed insufficient to curb unfair activities by large retailers and protect and provide damage relief to small and medium-sized suppliers,” the commission said in a statement.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

North Korea Releases Korean-Canadian Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim

The Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea's Central Court released Korean-Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim (62, photo), who was sentenced to hard labor for life for engaging in hostile activities, on “humanitarian” grounds on August 9. The news agency relayed, "Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian citizen who was sentenced to life of hard labor for conducting hostile actions against our republic has been released on health issues after humanitarian consideration." Lim had visited North Korea several times from 1997 and carried out humanitarian aid projects. In January 2015, he was arrested in North Korea and in December that same year, a North Korean court sentenced him to hard labor for life on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government. Lim will return home after 31 months.

"Not Another Film Portraying Our Neighborhood as a Criminals' Den!" Angry Residents of Garibong-dong, Seoul

The residents of Garibong-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul are fiercely protesting the shooting of a crime film set in their neighborhood. They argue that the film spreads a distorted image of the neighborhood with improper portrayals of Garibong-dong as a criminals' den. The Guro Police Station in Seoul received an official letter from the producers of the film, Crime City, asking for cooperation with traffic control so they could shoot the film on an overpass in Garibong-dong. However, on August 9, the police station announced that it informed the producers that they could not cooperate with the shooting after hearing the opinions of the residents. An officer at the police station said, "The residents have put in every effort to improve the image of the neighborhood, and they told us that having the neighborhood exposed as the backdrop of another crime film put a heavy burden on their shoulder."

A Korean’s 10-year attempt to block the source of yellow dust in Inner Mongolia

“I think I’ll have some tangible results to show next year,” said Park Sang-ho, 49, director of the China office of Ecopeace Asia, on Aug. 8. As Park looked at the dry bed of Baoshaodai Lake in Zhenglan Qi, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, he let out a deep sigh. He has been working with the Hyundai Motor Group for 10 years on a project to prevent desertification at the lake, which measures 30 km2, but the bed of the lake was bone dry despite a spattering of rain that morning. Even so, Park looked confident.

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

Auto Industry Interest Group Warns Moving Operations Overseas If Kia Loses Lawsuit

Ahead of the lower court decision on the definition of ordinary wage involving Kia Motors as a defendant, the nation's car makers warned that they would move their plants overseas if Kia loses the lawsuit. The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association whose members include Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung, and Ssangyong Motor, said in a statement, "If Kia Motors must pay an additional labor cost of 3 trillion won after the ordinary wage litigation, we have no choice but to consider moving our operations overseas."

Seoul's Average Home Price Moves down First Time in 17 Months

The average apartment price in Seoul has declined for the first time in 17 months due to the government's measure announced on August 2 to rein in runaway housing prices. According to the Korea Appraisal Board on August 10, the average selling price of apartments within Seoul fell 0.03 percent during the first week (August 1-7) of the month. This is an abrupt turnaround from a 0.33-percent rise in the previous week. This is the first time for the city's selling price growth rate to move to the negative realm in 75 weeks since February 29 last year (-0.01%).

SK Energy Set to Import Crude Oil from the U.S.

SK Energy has decided to import U.S. crude oil for the first time in a bid to diversify its crude import sources. This is the first instance of a Korean oil refiner to buy American oil after the U.S. Trump administration asked for more energy purchase in the Korea-U.S. summit meeting. According to SK Innovation on August 9, its subsidiary SK Energy signed a deal to import 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland crude last month. The company will receive the shipments at Ulsan Port in October this year along with 1 million barrels of crude from Mexico.

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

President Moon's watches for gift bear different design concept

To enhance his image as a humble national leader, President Moon Jae-in has endorsed a new design in a presidential gift set of wrist watches featuring his autograph, an emblem of phoenixes and his election catchword "People First". The tradition of handing out wristwatches as a presidential gift dates back to Roh Tae-woo, an ex-army general who served as president from 1988 to 1993. In 2014, jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye handed out a limited edition of watches engraved in gold with her autograph and a pair of phoenixes, the presidential emblem, to ruling party legislators as Lunar New Year gifts. But her watches sparked a political scandal as they were traded away for political influence.

Wife stabs husband's head when he said he wants mistress

A husband from Malaysia learned the hard way to never say the word, "mistress", in front of his wife after getting stabbed by the angered wife. The World of Buzz, an online media, reported the incident on Tuesday that a couple living in Kelantan, Malaysia got into a huge fight involving a knife after the husband joked about wanting to have a mistress. The wife, a 58-year-old woman who is three years older than her husband, was always nervous that her husband may cheat on her with a younger woman. The extremely jealous wife did not even allow her husband to look at or talk to other women.

Disney World honors 2-year-old boy killed by alligators in the park with lighthouse monument

Walt Disney World installed a lighthouse monument in the memory of Lane Thomas Graves, a 2-year-old boy from Nebraska. Graves was playing in the sand building a sandcastle by the lagoons in the theme park resort in June 2016 when an alligator dragged him into the water. Graves' father, Matt Graves, immediately jumped into the water to save his boy from the alligator. He tried to pry its mouth open to release Lane, but the reptile "thrashed and broke Matt's grasp and went under the water", according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report.

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

Ohio man plows car through protesters in Charlottesvile, Virginia

A white nationalist rally happened in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday turned deadly when a car plowed through an anti-racism protesters following the rally. Earlier that day street brawls broke out between the white supremacists and anti-racism demonstrators. The authorities responded with full riot gears to break the fights and shut down the event after officials declaring the incident, a state emergency.

Visiting majestic Melk Abbey in Austria

There are many monasteries and Catholic churches in Austria and most of them are beautiful architecturally. However, if you want to see the epitome of Austria Catholic architecture, you can go visit Melk Abbey stands on a rocky cliff majestically overlooking Danube river. Melk Abbey is one of the most majestic, extravagant, and elaborate Catholic monasteries in Austria. From the moment, you walk up to the building, you are charmed with its Baroque architecture that has been carefully taken care of.

Hot Water Challenge inspired by YouTube videos killed one kid and injured two

There have been so many challenges circulating ever since the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral internationally. However, some twisted individuals have been creating destructive challenges injured or killed people, especially vulnerable pre-teens and teenagers. Recently there was a story of the Blue Whale Challenge that killed about 130 people in Russia, where the challenge began and one kid from Texas, US. Isaiah Gonzales, a 15-year-old Texas teen, partook in the Blue Whale Challenge that killed himself in July this year. His friends who knew what Gonzales was doing did not notify his parents and the authorities.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?

See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com,service@wsj-asia.com

Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com

The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk

Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cnkf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com

Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com

Mainichi www.mainichi.jp

Le Monde www.ilemonde.com

Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com

Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de

SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en

Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net

The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com

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

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

El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu

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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.

Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM

Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s

Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE

And many other countries.

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