The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, November 10, 2017

Your Excellency:

Here are The Korea Post notices and a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea today:

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

Korea Post Media

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What’s ticking in Korea today? Here is a quick roundup of important news stories from the major Korean news media today:

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

S. Korean leader to head for Viet Nam, ending visit to Indonesia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to head to Vietnam on Friday, wrapping up his state visit to Indonesia. Moon arrived here Wednesday on a three-day trip that also marked his first state visit to a foreign nation since taking office in May. In a bilateral summit held Thursday, Moon and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo agreed to further upgrade the countries' diplomatic relations to a "special strategic partnership" that will emphasize greater economic and trade cooperation, as well as exchanges between their people.

BMW stops selling 7 models due to document errors

BMW Group Korea said Thursday it has voluntarily suspended the sale of its seven models in the wake of a South Korean government probe into the carmaker's failure to submit documents for vehicle certification. BMW's voluntary sales suspension comes after the Korea Customs Service (KCS) found that the German carmaker didn't submit additional documents to the customs office from 2012 to early 2015 to report a change of parts in the seven models, the group said in a statement. The seven models are the MINI Cooper S Convertible, the MINI Cooper S, the BMW M4 Convertible, the BMW M4 Coupe, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, the BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW X1 xDrive 18d, it said.

Shinsegae Duty Free to launch membership service for WeChat users

The duty-free unit of Shinsegae, a major retailer here, said Thursday it will provide a membership service for users of WeChat, China's leading messaging app, as it attempts to expand its presence overseas.

Shinsegae Duty Free said it will provide various shopping information and discounts for those who sign up for membership via the messaging platform. The company's move to attract more customers from the neighboring country comes as local retailers are gearing up for a potential inflow of Chinese tourists amid signs of a thaw in Seoul-Beijing relations.

Restaurants expecting better business in fourth quarter

The restaurant business was somewhat stunted in the third quarter this year but is expected to improve in the fourth quarter, mostly for those that serve foreign food, a sentiment survey showed Friday. The Korea Restaurant Business Index, released jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp., measured at 68.91 in the past quarter, lower than the 69.04 of the second quarter. The index is derived based on sales during the current and previous two months and prospects for the coming three months. A measurement of under 100 means a negative sentiment while over 100 indicates improvement.

S. Korea to hold public hearing on KORUS FTA

South Korea will hold a public hearing on the free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States to gather opinions from various circles before it officially takes steps to revise the five-year-old deal, the government said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will host the public hearing on Friday at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul. Policymakers, trade experts and citizens will take part in the talks. The public hearing is a prerequisite process before the government opens talks for amending the trade deal, known as the KORUS FTA, which took effect in 2012.

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

Moon to Head to Vietnam for APEC

President Moon Jae-in will head to Vietnam on Friday after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Indonesia. The president will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit on Friday and Saturday in Danang and explain his government's policy visions. The president will also hold a bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Moon and Xi are expected to discuss ways to normalize their relations and resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in their first summit since the two nations agreed to end a diplomatic row over the U.S. THAAD antimissile system.

Arrest Warrant Rejected for Former MBC Chief

A local court has rejected an arrest warrant for a former chief of MBC who allegedly worked closely with the National Intelligence Service(NIS) to control public broadcasting during the Lee Myung-bak administration.The Seoul Central District Court on Friday rejected the prosecution's request for Kim Jae-chul, who headed MBC from 2010 to 2013, saying that related evidence was mostly collected and he poses no flight risk. The court also said that it's hard to recognize the need to arrest Kim, who is charged with violating the National Intelligence Service Act, given that the act is about punishing violations by NIS officials.

S. Korea, Indonesia Agree to Upgrade Relationship to Special Strategic Partnership

South Korea and Indonesia have agreed to upgrade their bilateral relations to a special strategic partnership. President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday reached the agreement to take the Seoul-Jakarta relationship one step further from the current strategic partnership during their one-on-one and extended summit meetings in Bogor Palace in West Java. The two leaders also agreed to explore the possibility of creating new consultative bodies on diplomatic and security fronts such as “two plus two” ministerial talks, while vowing to further enhance bilateral cooperation in the defense industry. They also agreed to consider creating a communication channel to strengthen cooperation in the automobile industry.

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

Ex-U.S. envoy sees less chance of new Korean war

The United States appears less likely to go to war with North Korea after President Donald Trump softened his rhetoric on the regime this week, a former U.S. ambassador to Seoul said Thursday. Mark Lippert, the last envoy to serve under the Barack Obama administration, said the president signaled an interest in negotiating with Pyongyang during his speech before South Korea's National Assembly Tuesday.

Trump offered the North Korean regime "a path to a much better future" if it put an end to its missile and nuclear development.

U.S., China see 'clear signs' sanctions hurt N. Korea: Tillerson

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday there are "clear signs" that sanctions placed on North Korea over its nuclear weapon program are having an effect. Tillerson, who is accompanying President Donald Trump on a visit to Beijing, told reporters there the two countries discussed the changes they are seeing in North Korea following recent sanctions by the U.N. Security Council. "There are clear signs, and the Chinese side has shared with us some of the signs they're seeing," he said. "We see certain signs of our own through intel and other sources we have that it is creating some stress within North Korea's economy and with some of their citizens, potentially even within some of their military."

U.S. wants S. Korea to introduce advanced reconnaissance assets: envoy

The United States wants South Korea to adopt America's finest military equipment, such as Aegis radar systems and P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, to step up deterrence against North Korea, the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Thursday. Marc Knapper also welcomed Seoul's recent agreement with China to get ties back on track following their dispute over the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system in South Korea. He made the remarks during a news conference to explain the results of the summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump in Seoul Tuesday.

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

Moon hopes to give shape to Southeast Asian vision on tour of region

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held a summit meeting with Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, taking the first step in his plans to strengthen relations with Southeast Asian nations. Moon began his eight-day tour of Southeast Asia on Wednesday with a state visit to Indonesia. In addition to holding one-on-one and expanded summit talks, Moon met with Indonesia-based Koreans, and with the two countries’ business leaders.

Former sex slave, ‘Dokdo Shrimp’ at Trump dinner spark new Korea-Japan row

A fresh diplomatic spat is brewing between South Korea and Japan over the presence of a victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery at the recent state dinner in Seoul for the visiting U.S. President Donald Trump. Japanese officials reacted angrily, saying the invitation of the "comfort woman" breaches the spirit of a 2015 agreement to settle the longstanding dispute between the two neighbors.

Former sex slave, ‘Dokdo Shrimp’ at Trump dinner spark new Korea-Japan row

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

South Korea, Indonesia vow to boost economic, security ties

President Moon Jae-in and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo agreed to strengthen bilateral economic and security cooperation in their summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. They released a "joint vision" statement following the summit, in which they agreed to elevate relations to a "special strategic partnership" by expanding their exchanges. The statement is the first of its kind adopted with a Southeast Asian country. For better security coordination, the leaders agreed to establish new consultative bodies in the foreign and defense sectors and vowed to enhance economic cooperation in various industries including chemical engineering, transportation and infrastructure.

Seoul may develop nuclear-powered submarine

South Korea may develop its own nuclear-powered submarines or purchase then from the U.S. to better deal with North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) threats. President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to begin consultations on South Korea's acquisition and development of cutting-edge weapons that would include nuclear-powered submarines and surveillance assets.

The two heads of state reached the agreement during their summit in Seoul, Tuesday.

South Korea's largest army experience theme park opens

If you want a taste of military life, Sunshine Land theme park is loaded with opportunities. South Korea's premier army experience center opened in Nonsan City in South Chungcheong Province on Wednesday.

Visitors can take part in dynamic combat action at the 32,497-square-meter center that took three years to build and cost 10 billion won ($9 million). Sunshine Land shows what it is like to be in the nation's military through leisure sports. They can be experienced in the combat zone, the virtual reality experience center, the screen shooting range, the multi-purpose stadium and the survival experience center.

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

‘Do not try us,’ Trump says to North Korea

“Do not underestimate us. Do not try us. I want peace through strength,” U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Wednesday. In his speech to South Korea’s National Assembly, he has made himself clear that he will not allow nuclear provocation by Pyongyang. Trump has become the first U.S. president to speak at the South Korean National Assembly since 1993 when former President Bill Clinton visited South Korea.

Apple’s iPhone X to arrive in Korea on Nov. 24 with heftiest price tags

The iPhone X, Apple Inc.’s 10th anniversary edition of its iPhone, will arrive in South Korea on November 24. Apple said that it will start sales of its top-of-the-line smartphone on the day in 13 additional countries including South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Malaysia, following its initial launch in some 50 countries on November 3. The announcement came amid expectations that the iPhone X will not be available to customers in Korea until December or early next year. The iPhone X will be the most expensive smartphone ever in South Korea, as the 64-gigabyte model is priced at 1.42 million won (1,275 U.S. dollars) and the 256-gigabyte version at 1.63 million won (1,464 dollars).

Tug of war over child care benefits

The government said in August that children aged under six would receive 90 dollars a month starting July next year. At meetings by the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly running through this week, heated discussions between the ruling party members and their counterparts are taking place.

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

Most Elderly Couples Work to Earn a Living

Nearly 70 percent of the elderly have to earn their own income without any assistance from their children. According to a survey released by Statistics Korea on Tuesday, a whopping 69.9 percent of elderly couples earn their own living, up 8.6 percentage points from 2007 and an all-time high. Only 20.2 percent, or one in five, get support from children or relatives, down a drastic 14 percentage points from 10 years ago. Most, or 54.2 percent, earn their income from work, followed by pension or retirement payouts (28.1 percent) and property income (10.3 percent).

One-Person Businesses on the Rise Again After Mass Layoffs

The number of self-employed people running their business alone without other staff has shot up by 110,000 in just two years due to massive layoffs at shipbuilders and other manufacturers. Nearly half or 51,000 are small restaurants or guesthouses that are easy to open and run alone. According to August data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, some 5.7 million people are registered as self-employed, up 1.4 percent from two years ago.

Michelin Guide Includes 24 Starred Restaurants in Seoul

The 2018 edition of Michelin Guide Seoul was published on Wednesday with 24 starred restaurants. This year's guide also includes 48 Bib Gourmand value-for-money restaurants – set at W35,000 per person -- and 103 Michelin Plate entries, a new category of "restaurants where the inspectors have discovered quality food."

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

Trump sticks to denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue with North Korea

US President Donald Trump vehemently denounced North Korea in a National Assembly address on the morning of Nov. 8, describing South and North Korea as respectively good and evil. Stressing “peace through strength,” Trump hinted at plans to force North Korea to denuclearize by isolating its regime to a level it cannot withstand through sanctions and international pressure. The DMZ was singled out in Trump’s speech as particularly symbolic. Calling it the “line that today divides the oppressed and the free,” Trump said the “flourishing ends and the prison state of North Korea, sadly, begins” once the line is crossed.

Trump delivers harsh moral criticism of NK regime during National Assembly address

After sending a relatively mild message to North Korea during joint press conferences with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Nov. 6) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Nov. 7), US President Donald Trump abruptly shifted to a hardline stance by bluntly addressing the Kim Jong-un regime’s human rights record during his message to South Korea’s National Assembly on Nov. 8. This is causing interest to turn to the outcome of Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which will conclude his tour of these three countries in northeast Asia.

South Korean companies agree to increased investment, purchases of US goods

“In general, there were a lot of investment plans, as well as quite a lot of US product purchases. South Korean companies also shared solutions for problem areas such as various regulations related to local investment.”At 7 am on Nov. 8, the final day of US President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea, senior figures from the White House and executives from South Korean conglomerates gathered at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul to discuss investment plans and purchases. Representing the US at the meeting were a number of economic and security aides, including Everett Eissenstat, Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council (NEC); Susan Thornton, Acting Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Advisor. The South Koreans in attendance were executives from about 10 conglomerates (including the SK and Hanwha groups) with plans to invest in the US or to purchase its shale gas.

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

Xi tells Trump he’ll enforce all North sanctions

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to strictly implement United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea Thursday during a joint statement with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump, stressing Beijing was committed to cooperation with Washington to denuclearize the regime. The remarks were aimed at satisfying Trump, who, standing beside Xi in the Great Hall of the People, was using the third leg of a five-nation trip in Asia to put greater pressure on Pyongyang.

Moon unveils a ‘southern strategy’

President Moon Jae-in announced Thursday an ambitious vision to expand Korea’s influence in Southeast Asia with a promise to treat the region as a diplomatic and economic partner as important as the global superpowers. Moon made public the plan during a speech in Jakarta at a business forum. He arrived in the capital city of Indonesia for a three-day visit on Wednesday. A summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Moon attended a meeting with 400 Korean and Indonesian business leaders. In a speech, Moon announced a policy to drastically boost exchanges and cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

BMW fined 61 billion won over emissions

Three German carmakers - BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche - came under fire on Thursday after an emission-cheating scheme was exposed by a local customs office in Korea. Seoul Main Customs, a branch of Korea Customs Service, announced on Thursday that the three German auto companies imported 59,963 cars worth about four trillion won ($896.3 million) to Korea from 2012 to 2017 after either fabricating emission test results or replacing emission-related parts without notifying authorities.

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

President Moon's Carefully Planned “Contact” Strategy

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump were scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by helicopter on the morning of November 8, but plans were canceled due to heavy fog. Although the two men were not able to make the trip together, the trip was one of President Moon's efforts to increase casual contact with President Trump. On November 7, President Moon visited Camp Humphreys and received President Trump at the U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, an unexpected gesture, and this is also seen as an effort to increase contact with Trump.

President Trump's Address to the National Assembly and the Ensuing Tasks

Yesterday, President Donald Trump addressed the South Korean National Assembly for the first time in 24 years for a U.S. president. President Trump's speech reaffirmed the strong ROK-US alliance and dramatically compared the contrasting paths that North and South Korea have walked after the Korean War. He praised South Korea's political and economic growth, while fiercely condemning North Korea as "hell" and a "prison state." As for North Korea's nuclear program, he addressed the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and warned, "The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer. They are putting your regime in grave danger." He also said that he would not allow North Korea to threaten the U.S. and its allies and warned, "do not try us." President Trump pointed to China and asked for greater pressure and sanctions on North Korea and also emphasized the maintenance of peace through force.

President Moon, "Balanced Foreign Relations Does Not Mean a Balance Between the U.S. and China"

In a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Moon Jae-in drew attention with a new explanation on "balanced foreign relations." He explained that balanced foreign relations did not refer to maintaining a balance between the U.S. and China, but that it was expanding South Korea's diplomatic horizon by equally distributing the nation's diplomatic capacity to other countries including the U.S. and China. The new definition may have been intended to lower the tone of calls for balanced diplomacy in South Korea, an issue on which the U.S. has reacted quite sensitively.

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

Tourism and Duty-free Industries Hopeful about Improving Korea-China Relations

AsKorea and China are set to improve their relationship that was rocked by thecontroversy over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballisticmissile system, Korea's tourism and duty-free shopping industries are raisingtheir hopes of better days.Thetourism industry believes that the Chinese government's group tour ban to Koreawould be relaxed soon. A travel agency in Hebei posted an Internet ad recentlyfor a group tour program to Korea in November at the price of 1,480 yuan(US$223). China's largest online travel agency Ctrip also put out group tourprograms to Korea for the first time in seven months.

Gov't Decides to Give $8 Mil. Aid to North Korea...Timing to Be Announced Later

The government has decided to give support to North Korea worth US$8 million in programs helping its vulnerable people including children and pregnant women indirectly through international organizations. It, however, has not decided when to start sending money and exactly how. This is interpreted as a choice to deflect criticism that it is undertaking an aid project at a time when North Korea is causing an international storm by launching a series of missile tests.

Oil Refiners See Good Times ahead due to Rising Oil Prices

International oil prices have hit a record high in seven months as they went up over US$50 a barrel. The domestic oil refining sector raised its hopes of improving their profitability in the third quarter after suffering poor results for two consecutive quarters. The spot price for Dubai crude as compiled by the Korea National Oil Corp. was $53.64 a barrel on September 16, up by 7 cents from the previous day. This is the highest level since February this year when the figure was $54.39.

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

Era of strategic cooperation between Seoul and Beijing

An agreement to end a dispute over an American missile shield called "THAAD" represents the recovery of the three basic principles in relations between South Korean and China.First, they acknowledged the 'position' and 'understanding' of the other side and restored the basic spirit of diplomatic ties.Second, the agreement restored the principle of separating politics from economics. In a situation where different systems are in conflict, the success achieved by diplomatic ties has been made possible by this principle which is acknowledged as a best practice of diplomacy. This spirit should be cherished.

Unconscious man saved by commuting firefighters and nurse aboard subway train

A man in his 70s fell unconscious aboard a subway train packed with evening commuters but he was lucky because firefighters and a nurse happened to be riding together. It took place at a subway station in southern Seoul at 06:45 pm (0945GMT) on Wednesday. "A commuter immediately started to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)," Seoul's Fire and Disaster Headquarters said in a statement.

Shrimp fuels prolonged diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo

A rare species of shrimp served at a state banquet for U.S. President Donald Trump and the invitation of an old woman sexually enslaved by Japan's imperial army irked Tokyo, fanning a prolonged diplomatic row that has hampered an American campaign to bolster a trilateral alliance in Northeast Asia.The popularity of "Dokdo Shrimp" surged after it was served at Tuesday's state dinner at the office of President Moon Jae-in. Prices soared due to strong demand among South Korean consumers but dealers reported sellout.

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

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche face $63 mn fine in Korea for false emissions reports

Local units of luxury carmakers Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW), Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche have been hit with a combined 70.3 billion won ($63.1 million) in fine for forging emissions reports and installing random auto parts, the environment ministry said on Thursday. According to the ministry, it has informed three carmakers with administrative measures such as cancellation of certifications and fines for violating the country’s Clear Air Conservation Act. The move comes a day after Seoul’s customs office also reported the carmakers to prosecutors on charges of violating the country’s customs law by generating illicit earnings.

IMF advises S Korea not to waste recovery momentum for structural reforms

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) advised Seoul to accelerate structural reforms, particularly in the labor and service sector, at a time when the economy shows signs of improvement. The international lender predicts the Korean economy to benefit from the pickup in the global economy and end the year with an annualized growth of more than 3.0 percent, but warns the growth momentum could be lost if the government does not implement structural reforms.

KEPCO initiates $2.3 bn coal-fueled generator project in Vietnam

South Korea’s state-run utility firm Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said it will manage 1,200-megawatt coal-fueled power grids in Vietnam for 25 years once it finishes construction in 2021. The deal is a follow-up to a $2.3 billion contract it won in 2013 by teaming up with Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp.

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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