The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, September 01, 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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National Day of Viet Nam

Here is our story and photos on the National Day reception of Viet Nam:

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=4648

Soon, we will also have a Korean-language version of the above article and photos with expanded details.

Is the National Day of the country of Your Excellency coming soon?

Then order us to cover it as we did Viet Nam.

All that has to be done is just drop a few lines to edt@koreapost.com or pub@koreapost.com.

Or call Chairman Lee Kyung-sik at 010-5201-1740 or Reporters Sean Kim at 010-9205-0200, Ms. Sua Kim at 010-7584-5873.

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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/)

President Moon Calls for Fundamental Solutions to Low Birth Rate

President Moon Jae-in is calling for urgent and fundamental solutions to the country’s chronic low birth rate, warning of a national crisis if current trends continue. Despite 100 trillion won over the past ten years to boost the birth rate, Moon says there is no visible sign the problem is being solved. The total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, is expected to fall from one-point-17 last year to a record low one-point-03 for this year, with the lowest number of baby births in the first half since 2008.

S. Korea's Consumer Prices Up 2.6% in August

South Korea’s consumer prices rose two-point-six percent in August from a year earlier. That’s the largest on-year gain since April 2012, when prices also hit two-point-six percent. Statistics Korea said on Friday that vegetable prices surged 22-point-five percent last month, driving up the consumer prices by point-37 percentage points. The prices of agricultural and fishery products jumped 12-point-two percent, pulling up the consumer prices by point-96 percentage points. Prices of industrial products also increased by one percent last month due to the rise of oil product prices.

National Assembly Begins Plenary Session Friday

The National Assembly on Friday will begin its first regular session since the inauguration of President Moon Jae-in. The 100-day regular session will include speeches by leaders of the four negotiating blocs from Monday to Thursday, an interpellation session from September eleventh to 14th, and a review of bills by parliamentary committees from September 15th to 27th. The parliament will hold a plenary session on September 28th to pass bills the rival parties agree on, and conduct a parliamentary inspection of government offices for 20 days from October 12th.

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

S. Korean economy grows 0.6 pct on-quarter in Q2

South Korea's economy grew at a slower pace in the second quarter from three months earlier on decreased manufacturing and construction, central bank data showed Friday. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.6 percent in the April-June period from the previous quarter, decelerating from a 1.1 percent on-quarter expansion three months earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). From a year earlier, the local economy grew 2.7 percent in the second quarter, compared with a 2.9 percent on-year expansion in the previous quarter.

S. Korea's consumer prices rise at fastest pace in more than 5 yrs in Aug.

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than five years in August due mainly to a sharp increase in food prices, government data showed Friday. The country's consumer price index advanced 2.6 percent last month from a year earlier, up from the previous month's 2.2 percent rise, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The August inflation marked the highest gain since April 2012, when it also hit 2.6 percent. From a month earlier, the index went up 0.6 percent in August. Core inflation, which excludes volatile oil and food prices, also increased 1.4 percent on-year.

S. Korean football captain says crowd noise disrupted on-field communication

One of the advantages of competing on home soil is having the support of partisan fans in the stands. The biggest of athletes thrive in the most pressure-packed moments, and they are able to feed off the energy of the spectators, rather than wilt under the burden of expectations. South Korean men's football captain Kim Young-gwon, on the other hand, had difficulty playing before a massive crowd Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the World Cup qualifier against Iran. And he had some practical reasons.

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

Talk of tactical nuclear weapons resurfaces

Talk of South Korea’s nuclear armament resurfaced Thursday, after Seoul’s defense chief raised the issue in a meeting with his US counterpart. Meeting US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday, Seoul’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo floated the idea of South Korea manufacturing indigenous nuclear-powered submarines and bringing back US tactical nukes that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in 1991. The proposal was discussed in the context of the allies’ efforts to enhance their deterrence against escalating threats from North Korea, which hurled an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday and had fired short-range missiles two days earlier.

Court orders Kia to pay W422b in ordinary wages suit

A local court ruled bonuses and lunch allowances paid to workers at Kia Motors as part of “ordinary wages” Thursday, ordering the nation’s second-largest carmaker to pay 422.3 billion won ($375.5 million) as compensation. The Seoul Central District Court was partially upholding the demand by workers from Kia Motors, the nation’s second-largest automaker, who had claimed 1.09 trillion won, or about 110 million won per worker in compensation. However, the court ordered that they be paid around one-third of the demanded amount.

US sends B-1Bs, F-35s to Korea as warning against Pyongyang

Four F-35B stealth jets and two B-1B strategic bombers from the United States trained with South Korea‘s F-15K fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday in response to North Korea’s continued ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons development, the South‘s Air Force announced. The unprecedented combined maneuver involved the F-35Bs from Japan and the long-range bombers based in Guam as well as a squadron of four F-15Ks, it said.

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

Why dialogue is only viable option for Trump?

"All options are on the table," U.S. President Donald Trump said, following North Korea's provocative launch of a long-range ballistic missile Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted, "The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer." Then, what other options are left for Trump? There are growing calls in America that Trump should consider using the military option but experts say such unilateral action would not be viable because it could hurt the U.S.'s relations with its East Asian allies and damage its status in the region.

FTC chief urges chaebol to institute 'self-reform'

Samsung, Hyundai Motor and other top family-controlled conglomerates should institute "self-reform" and create a fair, prosperous business ecosystem that also benefits subcontractors and workers who are socially vulnerable, the head of the nation's antitrust agency said. Kim Sang-jo, since stepping up as chairman of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in June, has repeatedly pressed large business groups to reform themselves. In particular, he urged them to voluntarily make their governance structures more transparent, stop undue inter-subsidiary dealings and treat small business partners better. If not, Kim, nicknamed the "chaebol sniper," has warned the FTC and other government bodies will take the necessary steps to force them to correct their business practices.

Foreigners account for 2.8% of population

Foreigners now account for 2.8 percent of the nation's population, with half of them being Chinese including ethnic Korean-Chinese. According to the 2016 Population and Housing Census released by Statistics Korea, Thursday, the country's population stood at 51.3 million, up 0.4 percent from a year ago. It increased 1.76 times from 50 years ago when the recorded population was 29.19 million. Among the population today, 25.7 million are males while 25.57 million are females. Nearly half of them live in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.

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

S. Korean, U.S. officials discuss strengthening Seoul’s defense capabilities

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo discussed the proposed redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korean at a series of talks with U.S. National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis during a visit to Washington on Wednesday (local time). A senior South Korean government official told reporters in Washington that the South Korean defense chief explained to the U.S. defense officials about calls from South Korea’s opposition parties and media for the tactical nuclear weapons redeployment and about Seoul’s nuclear policy.

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin suffers loss against Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Dodgers' starter Ryu Hyun-jin on Wednesday (local time) failed in his attempt to have a sixth season win and leave a strong impression during his competition for his team’s post-season starter position. Ryu suffered his fifth defeat of the season after allowing eight hits, including three home runs, and six earned runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With a 4-6 loss, the Dodgers lost four games in a row for the first time this season. The Diamondback’s offense, which earned five scores in the first inning alone on the previous games, was fiery from the beginning of the game, ambitiously swinging bats at Ryu’s first and second pitches. After two strikes, Diamondbacks hitters cut out-course pitches or waited. Having outed the leading hitter with a routine grounder at the bottom of the first, Ryu hurled a hanging curve ball at Adam Rosales, the second batter of the game, only to allow a homer that flew over the center fence.

Disneyland Paris apologizes to boy for 'Princess for a Day' ban

Disneyland Paris finally apologized to a boy who wants to be a princess after rejecting his hope. According to the Guardian on Thursday, Hayley McLean-Glass asked if Noah, her three-year-old boy, would be able to participate in the “Princess for a Day” experience with a “real princess make-up and styling session” in Disneyland Paris, on Wednesday. Unlike boys, Noah likes princesses. Noah, who is a “superfan” of the Disney film Frozen and loves to dress up as Elsa, one of its lead characters. He knows every single word to Let It Go and all of the other Frozen songs and wears his beloved Elsa dress all day until he sleeps.

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

Defense Chief Raises Redeployment of U.S. Nukes in S.Korea

Defense Minister Song Young-moo brought up possible redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here as he met with his U.S. counterpart James Mattis and White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Wednesday. The U.S. withdrew its nukes from South Korea in 1991, but now the prospect of North Korea developing its own nuclear-tipped missiles is becoming increasingly real.

A senior government official here quoted Song as telling McMaster that opposition parties and the media here are calling for re-deployment of the nukes. How the U.S. officials reacted is not known. Cheong Wa Dae said Song did not mean that the government wants the U.S. nukes to return, but just reported these opinions.

N.Korea Can Fire Missile from Anywhere Now

North Korea seems capable of firing missiles from pretty much anywhere now, having fired them from 21 sites between 1984 and this Tuesday, according to a report. Tuesday's ballistic missile that flew over Japan was the first to be fired from a commercial airport, which brought the total to 21, VOA quoted the report from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Most ballistic missiles were fired from two sites -- the missile bases in Wonsan and Gitdaeryong, both in Kangwon Province -- with 20 missiles launched from each. Missiles were launched in Wonsan from May 2013 until April 2015, and the base in Gitdaeryong has been in use since July 2006, with the last missile fired from there only last week.

Gov't Panel Dismisses Activists' Study of Sanitary Pads

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday dismissed tests carried out by a consumer group that showed Klean Nara's Lilian sanitary pads emitting large doses of volatile organic compounds.

A ministry panel set up belatedly to test all sanitary pads available in Korea amid a growing contamination scare reviewed the result of a test carried out by Prof. Kang Man-goo at Kangwon National University for the Korean Women's Environmental Network. "There is lack of detailed records of the experimental method, and there was no peer review," the panel said in a statement. "Therefore we find it difficult to trust the result of the test from a scientific perspective. It is our view that the government or companies cannot take actions based on this alone."

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

President Moon nominates ambassadors for US, China, and Japan

On Aug. 30, South Korean President Moon Jae-in entered the final stage of choosing the envoys to the four most powerful states surrounding the Korean Peninsula by nominating Cho Yoon-je, a visiting professor at KAIST’s Graduate School of Finance, as ambassador to the US; Noh Young-min, a former lawmaker, as ambassador to China; and Lee Su-hoon, a professor of international relations at Kyungnam University, as ambassador to Japan. A few candidates are also being considered for ambassador to Russia, with the final decision to be made soon.

North Korea hints at further missile launches to follow

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was on site to personally oversee the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile, the North Korean media reported on Aug. 30. This confirms that the missile that flew through Japanese air space and fell into the waters of the northern Pacific Ocean the day before was the Hwasong-12. Kim “provided on-the-spot guidance of a launch drill for an intermediate-range strategic ballistic missile,” North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. “The drill involved the Hwasong-12 intermediate range strategic ballistic missile and Hwasong artillery units from the Korean People’s Army Strategic Force, which is responsible for striking bases of the invasion forces of the American Empire in the Pacific theater of operations in the event of a crisis.”

Moon, Abe discuss joint response to North Korean missile launch during phone call

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in a telephone conversation on Aug. 30 to raise pressure on Pyongyang “to the extreme” so that it “takes the first step toward dialogue.” The conversation came one day after a North Korean-launched ballistic missile passed through Japanese airspace. Blue House spokesperson Park Soo-hyun explained that the two leaders “had a 25-minute telephone conversation at 9:30 this morning in which they agreed to pursue a UN Security Council sanctions resolution with more concrete and effective countermeasures against North Korea, and to spearhead South Korea-US-Japan discussions in the process while working together to solicit cooperation from China and Russia.”

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

Seoul asks for ‘strategic assets’ from U.S.

Defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States discussed a wide range of sensitive military issues, including growing demands in the South for redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to counter North Korea’s threats, a Korean government official said. Defense Minister Song Young-moo, currently visiting the United States, met with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis for one hour and thirty minutes on Wednesday. Song had another 70-minute talk with White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Korea plays Iran to 0-0 draw, keeping World Cup hopes alive

Korea inched closer to a World Cup berth after a scoreless draw with Iran on Thursday. Korea failed to get past 10-man Iran in their World Cup qualifier at Seoul World Cup Stadium, but remained in position to secure their ninth consecutive trip to football's showpiece event with one match remaining in the final Asian qualifying round. Despite the draw, Korea is still in second place in Group A, thanks to Uzbekistan's loss to China also on Thursday. Korea now has 14 points, two clear of Uzbekistan before their crucial showdown in Tashkent next Tuesday. Korea only needs to avoid a loss next week to secure their ninth consecutive World Cup ticket.

Change to CSAT stalled to get Moon administration input

An overhaul of the national college entrance exam will be delayed by one year and the new system will be introduced in 2022. Kids currently in the eighth grade will be the first to take the new test. The Ministry of Education announced Thursday it will conduct additional research and solicit more public opinion before presenting a new set of college admission policies next August. “We did our best to create a revision plan to reflect the education philosophy of the Moon Jae-in administration, but there was a limit to establishing a national consensus during such a short period of time,” Kim Sang-gon, deputy prime minister for society and education, said in a press conference.

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

“North Korea‘s Reckless Act Against Neighboring Countries···Exert Maximum Pressure on North Korea”

On August 30, President Moon Jae-in announced that he would join efforts by the U.S. and Japan to seek further UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea for Pyongyang’s test launch of a mid-range ballistic missile. This morning, President Moon spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the phone and defined the North‘s missile launch of the previous day as “a reckless act against neighboring countries” and said, “We deeply sympathize with the fear and threat felt by the Japanese people and we extend our words of comfort,” according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Soo-hyun.

Continuing Provocations by the North: Are They an Opportunity for Abe to Turn the Situation Around at Home?

On August 29, when North Korea’s ballistic missile passed through Japanese airspace and dropped into the North Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood in front of the TV camera three times.

At around 6:23 a.m., just 25 minutes after the missile launch, he appeared at his residence and said, “We will do our utmost to protect the lives of our people.” He stood before the press again after presiding over a meeting of the National Security Council at around 7 a.m. He then spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone and personally delivered President Trump‘s words, “We are 100% with Japan, our ally,” to the media.

President Moon, "Don't Be a Soulless Official Trying to Please the Government"

On August 22, President Moon Jae-in said, "The public officials should be alert along with the people and not become soulless officials trying to please the government." This day when the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission made a report at the government office in Gwacheon, President Moon said, "Public officials should serve the people, not be loyal to the government."

The president pointed out the fact that many officials from government ministries, without much sense of guilt, cooperated with the abuse of state power, rampant in the Park Geun-hye government, including the blacklist of cultural figures.

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

SK E&C Wins $210 Mil. Petrochem Plant Project in Thailand by Outbidding Japanese Consortium

SK Engineering & Construction has won a large-scale petrochemical plant project in Thailand. The company said on August 29 that it clinched a deal worth US$210 million to build polyol plant within the Hemaraj industrial zone in Thailand's Rayong. This followed news that the company signed a $1.6-billion project to modernize an oil refinery in Iran earlier this month. The plant, located 150 kilometers southeast of Thailand's capital Bangkok, is commissioned jointly by PTT Global Chemical, an affiliate of the country's state-run oil company PTT Group, Japan's Sanyo Chemical, and Toyota Tsusho.

IKEA to Open Stores in Giheung, Geryong, and Busan
Global furniture and home furnishing company IKEA has earned 365 billion won in sales for the past one year in Korea. The company said that it would open a total of six stores in Korea starting with a second store in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, followed by Yongin (Gyeonggi) and Gyeryong (South Chungcheong) by 2020. Andre Schmidtgall, president of IKEA Korea, said on August 29 in a press briefing held in Bread Comma in Seoul's Yeonnam-dong that his company's sales revenue for the 2017 fiscal year (September 2016 to August 2017) was 365 billion won.

R&D-to-Sales Ratio of Most Korean Petrochem Companies Below 1%

Despite the record-high results, the R&D investment level of the nation's petrochemical industry is still miserably low. According to industry sources on August 28, the amount of R&D investment of Lotte Chemical, which achieved a record-high sales revenue of 7,849.4 billion won in the first half, fell short of 44.5 billion won. This is only 0.57 percent of the total sales. Even last year when the company posted the highest operating profit (2,547.8 billion won) among all petrochemical companies, the R&D investment sum and its share were paltry 63.6 billion won and 0.48 percent each. This is even lower than the large-company average of 1.4 percent. Hanwha Chemical barely surpassed the 1.0-percent level in the first half by spending 25.2 billion won (1.3%) in R&D.

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

LG Innotek develops world's first 2nd-gen communication module for connected cars

LG Innotek, a South Korean chipmaker, developed a second-generation communication module for connected cars for the first time in the world. V2X (Vehicle To Everything), is a module used by a connected car when it communicates with its surroundings such as traffic lights, other traffic and pedestrians. The first-generation of the communication modules were bulky in size but the electronic parts giant minimized the second-generation module's size to one-thirds of the size of a credit card. "By using the second-generation V2X full module, carmakers and parts makers no longer need to assemble separate parts together to make a module," said LG Innotek in a statement on Thursday. "The new module has secured security, product quality and wireless communication performance."

N. Korea's missile fired at half range

In its latest ballistic missile launch, North Korea halved the range to around 2,700 kilometers, South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday. In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry said the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was fired at a "normal" angle but at half range. It means the missile's full range is between 4,500-5,000 km. The missile, launched at the Sunan airfield in Pyongyang on Tuesday morning overflew the northern territory of Japan and splashed into nearby waters. It traveled more than 2,700 km at a maximum altitude of some 550 km, according to the South's military.

BOK holds key rate steady at 1.25 pct in August

South Korea's central bank on Thursday kept its key rate unchanged for August to support the country's growth. In a widely expected move, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) voted to hold the key rate steady at 1.25 percent, extending its wait-and-see approach for the 14th consecutive month. In June last year, South Korea's central bank made a surprise rate cut, citing a need to stimulate the lackluster economy amid a prolonged economic slowdown.

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

Court delivers partial victory for Kia union, redefines base salary

A South Korean court on Thursday partially sided with the union of Kia Motors Corp. in its lawsuit against the management demanding overdue wages by counting in bonuses and other incentives as base salary, a move that could stoke similar legal actions across industrial sites in Korea and deliver a blow to employers who are under multiple whammies under the pro-labor government of President Moon Jae-in.

In the closely-watched court ruling, the bench ordered Kia Motors management to back-pay 422.3 billion won ($374.4 million) in three-year dues to 27,424 salaried workers by identifying regular bonuses and meal allowances as part of the fixed salary, which is 38.7 percent of the 1.93 trillion won demanded by the union.

Hyundai Wia develops electronic coupling system for 4-wheel drive vehicles

Hyundai Wia Corp., an auto parts making unit of South Korea’s auto conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group, has succeeded in developing the country’s first indigenous electronic coupling system that helps evenly allocate driving torque of an all-wheel drive vehicle. According to the company on Thursday, electronic coupling device, which so far has been dependent on imports for supply in Korea, is a key auto system that determines power allocation in an all-wheel drive automobile. When driving up a snowy hill, for example, the device helps equally distribute energy from the front wheels to the rear wheels to improve traction. It also sends power to the rear wheels when reversing around a corner at high speed and helps increase driving safety.

Korea’s July industrial output up 1.9%, fastest in six mos

South Korea’s industrial activity in July rose by the fastest rate in six months thanks to strong exports in automobile and electronics parts sectors and a recovery in domestic demand, government data showed.

According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, seasonally adjusted mining and manufacturing output in July gained 1.9 percent on month. It is the fastest on-month addition since January this year with a 2.8 percent growth. Against the year-ago period, it was up 0.1 percent. Manufacturing activity was largely driven by 9.4 percent on-month gain in electronic components and 6.5 percent in automobiles from strong overseas demand.

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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