The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, December 1, 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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Still undecided on the Hanbok-Intenrational Costume Show?

Do a favor to the wonderful costumes of your country by showing them to the Korean audience at the following

Fashion parade, or you can show yourself in wonderful Korean costumes!

And a much-coveted Prize!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT AND IT’S NEXT THURSDAY (Dec. 7, 2017).

To appliy: Call 010-7584-5873 (English) or Ms. Kim Jung-mi (010-3388-1682).

Ambassadors, diplomats, families invited to wear and introduce their costumes (and win coveted citations!)

On Thurs Dec. 7, 2017

Why hide the wonderful costumes of your country? Why not show off your personality in Hanbok and make the Korean people love you?

Ambassadors, diplomats and their family members are cordially invited to

Show off the wonderful costumes of their own cotuntry, or

Wear how wonderfully Korean Hanbok fit them!

And WIN the much-coveted Plaque of Citation!

Again the time-date is Dec.7 and the place is Plaza Hotel

Call Sua Kim or Kim Jung-mi at 010-7584-5873/010-3388-1682 for participation and inquiries.

And be fully exposed to the 5 media outlets (3 English, 2 Korean) of The Korea Post!

Schedule:

1800 hours, Thursday 7 December 2017: Presentation of Seodo (Korea’s Western Province) folk songs. Photo session for group photographs

1800-1820 hours: National anthem, declaration of ceremony open, welcome address and congratulatory addresses.

18:20-1850 hours: Presentation of performing art

1850-1940 hours: Dinner amidst with presentation of performing art numbers

1940-2010 hours: Fashion parades of Korean and international costumes.

2010-2030 hours: Presentation of citations and memorial gifts.

2030 hours: Declaration of the close of the Festival.

(For further details and inquiries concerning participation, please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5448.)

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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.

Ruling party chief departs for China for talks on N.K. threats, bilateral ties

Choo Mi-ae, the leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, embarked on a four-day trip to Beijing on Thursday to attend an international political conference and for talks with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping.

Speaking to the press before her departure, Choo said that she would use her trip to underscore the need for stringent sanctions against North Korea that tested yet another long-range ballistic missile Wednesday in a breach of U.N. resolutions.

Hyundai Mobis opens quality control center in Dubai

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker by sales, has opened a product quality control center in Dubai to strengthen services for customers in the Middle East and Africa, the company said Wednesday.

The Dubai center is Hyundai Mobis' fifth overseas quality control facility following those set up in the United States, China, India and Europe. The parts maker has production facilities in the other four regions, although not in Dubai, the company said in a statement.

S. Korean, Japanese foreign ministers have phone talks to discuss N.K. missile

South Korea and Japan's foreign ministers had a telephone conversation Wednesday to discuss North Korea's launch of a new, longer-range ballistic missile early in the day and how to respond to the provocation, the South Korean foreign ministry said. In the 20-minute conversation that began at 4:40 p.m., South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed "deep concern" over the North's resumption of provocations despite repeated warnings from the international community.

S. Korean, Japanese foreign ministers have phone talks to discuss N.K. missile

In the 20-minute conversation that began at 4:40 p.m., South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed "deep concern" over the North's resumption of provocations despite repeated warnings from the international community.

Hyundai to launch all-new Veloster globally in Q1

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker by sales, said Wednesday it will launch the all-new Veloster coupe early next year in global markets. he carmaker said it plans to unveil the Veloster for the first time at the Detroit motor show in January ahead of sales in the key North American automobile market. n the first quarter of 2018, the new Veloster, mated with a 1.4-liter or 1.6-liter gasoline turbo engine, will be available in the domestic market, a company spokesman said, without giving the timetable for the model's launch in the United States.

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

Moon, Trump Discuss Response to N. Korea Provocation

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to maintain strong sanctions and pressure against North Korea until the regime voluntarily gives up its nukes and missiles and returns to dialogue.

Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said that the two leaders spoke on the phone for an hour on Thursday night to discuss their joint response to the North's latest missile provocation.

S. Korean Economy Expands 1.5% in Q3

South Korea's economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly seven years in the third quarter thanks to strong exports. According to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea on Friday, the country's gross domestic product(GDP) reached 392-point-five trillion won in the July-September period, expanding one-point-five percent from the previous quarter. The figure is point-one percentage point higher than the advance estimate released in October and the highest gain since the second quarter of 2010, when it grew one-point-seven percent.

N. Korea Unveils Video of Latest Missile Launch

North Korea has unveiled a video clip of its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, a day after it was test-launched. The North’s official Korean Central Television(KCTV) on Thursday showed what the regime calls a newly developed Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) being moved on a mobile launcher and then fired into the air. In the one-minute clip, the missile is seen launched at a lofted angle and flying, along with the separation of the rocket's first stage.

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

Moon, Trump agree to bring N. Korea to dialogue table thru sanctions, pressure

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to continue strong pressure and sanctions against North Korea to bring the regime back to negotiations as they held their second phone talks in two days after Pyongyang's latest long-range missile test, Cheong Wa Dae said.

"The two leaders agreed on the need to maintain their basic stance of putting strong sanctions and pressure on the North until North Korea voluntarily gives up developing nukes and missiles and comes out for dialogue," Cheong Wa Dae said.

S. Korea's consumer prices up 1.3 pct in Nov., slowest pace this year South Korea's consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in 11 months in November, giving the central bank more room to maintain the current interest rates. The consumer price index advanced 1.3 percent last month from a year earlier, down 0.5 percentage point from October, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Slowing inflation is likely to persuade the Bank of Korea to hold off raising interest rates. On Thursday, the central bank lifted its key interest rate for the first time in more than six years, citing a solid economic recovery.

S. Korean economy grows 1.5 pct on-quarter in Q3: BOK

South Korea's economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly seven years in the third quarter from three months earlier on brisk manufacturing and construction, central bank data showed Friday. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 1.5 percent in the July-September period from the previous quarter, up 0.1 percentage point from earlier estimates, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

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

Decision on LG OLED plant in China likely to be finalized in Dec.

The government‘s decision to approve an organic light-emitting diode plant in China for LG Display is likely to be finalized this year, according to a senior official at the Industry Ministry. On Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy held a closed-door meeting of a committee it had formed of private experts in the display sector to review LG’s plan to build an OLED plant in Guangzhou.

Air Force launches new wing to monitor N. Korea's nuke, missile activity

South Korea's Air Force said Friday it has created a bigger airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance unit in response to growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The aviation intelligence wing is tasked with monitoring the North's related activities around the clock in close coordination with the United States. ISR assets operating on the peninsula.

Seoul sends rescue plane to Bali

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry sent a chartered airplane to Indonesia on Thursday to bring home hundreds of Korean nationals stranded there after airports in Bali were closed due to an imminent volcanic eruption. The Asiana Airline’s passenger carrier that departed from Incheon Airport at 3 p.m. will pick up 276 South Koreans from Juanda International Airport near Surabaya, Indonesia.

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

Jobs of 7,000 English teachers in doubt with axing of after-school classes

Elementary schools will be banned from running intensive English after-school classes for first and second-grade students from March to make them concentrate on learning Korean. The Ministry of Education said it will terminate the temporary approval for the program on Feb. 28, despite opposition from parents and after-school class teachers, many of whom are contract workers.

Trump weights plan to replace Tillerson with CIA chief Pompeo

The White House is discussing a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a major shake-up of President Donald Trump's national security team, administration officials said Thursday. The move would put Pompeo, a former congressman who has grown close to Trump during his tenure atop the CIA, in charge of U.S. diplomacy. Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO, has had a rough first year characterized by tensions with Trump in several foreign policy areas and overwhelmingly negative publicity over Tillerson's planned overhaul of the State Department.

Robot automation to kill 800 million jobs by 2030: McKinsey

McKinsey Global Institute, a think tank of the multinational consulting firm, predicts that up to 800 million workers could lose their jobs by 2030 to robots. In a report titled "Jobs lost, jobs gained: workforce transitions in a time of automation," over 800 occupations in 46 countries were analyzed.

The 800 million workers predicted to be displaced is a fifth of the global labor force. In particular, the think tank said a third of jobs held by workers in their 20s and 30s in the U.S. and Germany will likely disappear.

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

Defected North Korean soldier craves for Choco Pie

Oh Cheong-seong (age 25), the North Korean soldier who was wounded while defecting across the Joint Security Area and currently hospitalized at Ajou University Hospital, was recently transferred from the ICU to the general ward. “I would like to eat Choco Pie,” said the soldier to the medical team. When asked how he knew of the snack, he replied that he had heard that there were plentiful in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The popular snack first introduced to the North during the early 2000s via the industrial zone that was jointly operated by South Korea and North Korea.

SK Innovation to invest 1 trillion won in electric car batteries The SK Innovation plans to pour 1 trillion won (919.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the electric vehicle (EV) battery business. The South Korean company will invest 840.2 billion won (772.2 million dollars) to build a battery plant in Europe and 200 billion won (183.8 million dollars) to expand its domestic battery plant. SK Innovation’s new European plant will likely be the largest EV battery plant in the continent. Currently, another South Korean battery maker LG Chem’s plant built in Poland earlier this year is considered the largest EV battery production facility in Europe.

Special visa waiver imposed for Chinese during PyeongChang Olympics

Chinese visitors will be given up to 15 days of non-visa entry to Korea, a temporary measure that will be imposed in celebration of the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It is the first time the Korean government has offered a visa waiver to a certain country to promote an international sports event. The Ministry of Justice will permit no-visa entry up to 15 days for Chinese visitors that meet certain criteria, starting from December through end March next year, the ministry stated Thursday.

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

N.Korean Missile Was Entirely New Type

The Hwasong-15 is about 21 m long, 2 m longer than the Hwasong-14. That means it can hold more fuel, which translates into stronger engine thrust, longer flight time and extended range. The Hwasong-15 was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 4,475 km, which means it could travel up to 13,000 km if launched on a normal trajectory, around 3,000 km more than the Hwasong-14.

Maritime Body Slams N.Korean Missile Launch

The International Maritime Organization on Thursday issued a statement denouncing North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch into waters off Japan. The IMO is the UN agency responsible for regulating international shipping. The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee issued three prior statements denouncing the North's previous missile launches, but this time the warning came from the body’s entire Assembly.

Won Keeps Rising Despite N.Korean Missile Launch

The South Korean won continued to strengthen on Wednesday despite North Korea's latest missile launch. The won closed at W1,076.8 against the dollar, the highest in two years and seven months. The South Korean currency has risen W73 against the dollar since late September. It seems investors have gotten used to North Korea's provocations, and market sentiment was also affected by optimism over the South Korean economy and a buying trend among foreign investors in the stock and bond markets.

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

North Korea declares completion of state nuclear force

After the launch of a long-range missile believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the early morning of Nov. 29, North Korea claimed that its “state nuclear force is complete.” The international community, including South Korea, the US and Japan, declared that they would continue the policy of “maximum pressure” by further intensifying their economic and diplomatic sanctions against the North.

Relocation of ROK-US Combined Forces Command under consideration

A plan is being deliberated that would relocate the ROK-US Combined Forces Command from its current location in the middle of the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to the building of the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, next to the Ministry of National Defense. If this plan is implemented, Combined Forces Command would be based outside the park that will be built after the US military relinquishes control of the Yongsan base.

OECD raises projection for South Korean growth rate to 3%

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has adjusted its projection for South Korea’s economic growth rate for next year up to 3.0%. In June, it had projected a growth rate of 2.8%, reflecting the contraction of spending caused by China’s retaliation for THAAD. But the OECD believes that South Korea can sustain a growth rate of 3% thanks to the recovery of world trade and an expansionary fiscal policy.

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

Trump asks China to cut all oil to North

Following Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump called on China to cut all oil supplies to North Korea, as the United States urged the international community to sever all diplomatic and trade ties with the regime. Trump threatened “major sanctions” on the regime Wednesday, following Pyongyang’s launch of an ICBM that can strike the United States, tweeting that he had just spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping “concerning the provocative actions of North Korea.”

Line No. 9 descends into chaos with six-day strike

The strike by employees on subway line No. 9 in Seoul on Thursday resulted in rush hour havoc in the morning as people stood in unending queues to get on trains that came already packed. Many blamed the subway corporation, which had announced that trains would run on time despite the strike. “We are very sorry to be inconveniencing you with the strike that will take place from Thursday to Tuesday,” said Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation in a notice it posted throughout subway stations on Line No. 9 and on its website on Thursday.

Korea, U.S. to hold joint air drills on heels of new launch

Washington’s military response to Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test will unfold next week when it joins Seoul for a five-day aerial exercise known as Vigilant Ace.

The annual drill, which kicks off next Monday, will include nearly 90 military airplanes from the South Korean Air Force and 150 from the United States Air Force. Some 12,000 American soldiers are also expected to take part.

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

Pyongyang Rushes to Declare Its Nuclear Power Status, South Korea and the U.S. at a Turning Point

Lotte could On November 29, North Korea launched a Hwasong-15 long-range ballistic missile and declared the completion of nuclear armament, and this is expected to have great significance in the future of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea announced that it had at last completed nuclear armament, a goal it had stubbornly pursued, despite fierce sanctions by the international community, with the United Nations (UN) Security Council adopting nine resolutions in eleven years since Pyongyang's first nuclear test in 2006.

Lotte "Surprised" After Being Excluded from China's Lift of Anti-Korean Measures, "Expectations on South Korea-China Summit"

Lotte could not hide its surprise when China partially allowed group tourism of South Korea, but continued to ban the use of Lotte hotels and duty free shops. Lotte, which was hit directly by China's retaliatory measures for having provided the site for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, had eagerly looked forward to China's lifting of its ban on South Korean companies, but THAAD continues to grab at its ankles despite that China has resumed group tours to Korea.

Income Tax to Be Imposed on Religious Occupations Next Year, But “Activity Expenses” Will Be Exempt

Expenses for religious activities, such as pastoral activity expenses in Protestant churches, will be exempt from the taxation of religious occupations. In addition, accounting books recording expenditures for items other than the money and goods given to a person engaged in a religious occupation will also be excluded from a tax investigation. This has some experts concerned that the taxation of people in religious occupations beginning next year will end up as an incomplete measure.

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

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

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

Korea's MBI to Establish EV Plant in Vietnam

MBI, a Korean manufacturer specializing in making transmissions, will build an electric car plant in Hanoi, Vietnam, jointly with local firm N&G Group. The two companies will invest a total of US$1 billion for the next seven years.The companies said on September 21 that the heads of the two companies signed an agreement to establish a joint venture called Viko Motors in South Hanoi next month. Earlier in June this year, MBI was promised by the Vietnamese government and the Hanoi city government for a 20-year free land lease, high-tech investment incentive, preferential tariffs, and designation of MBI-held patented technologies as Vietnamese standards.

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.

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

Postal service considers using electric vehicles for postmen

To improve the work efficiency and quality of postmen, South Korea's postal service will consider replacing gasoline-fueled mail delivery motorbikes with single-seated electric vehicles. "EVs will greatly improve the quality of work and ease the workload of postmen," a Korea Post official told reporters on Friday, adding a test run would be carried out next year. Postmen carry up to 35 kilograms (77 pounds) of letters and parcels for each delivery using motorbikes. EV would help them deliver about 100 kg.

Prime Minister urges watchdogs to look into S. Korea's Bitcoin craze

Digital currencies, including Bitcoins, have become a controversial issue in the world's financial industry this year. South Korea is no exception as it became a hotbed for speculative investments with the daily trading volume of Bitcoin surpassing that of China's in September. South Korea's cryptocurrency trading market was very small last year, but it became the world's third-largest market in September with 65 billion won (60 million US dollars) in daily trading volume, according to data released by Coinhills, a cryptocurrency market index group.

S. Korea launches state project to develop painkiller from sea snake venom

South Korea will launch a state project next year to develop painkillers and other drugs using the neurotoxin component of venomous sea snakes, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Two species -- yellowbelly and Chinese sea snakes -- were selected for the project involving researchers at the state-run National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the ministry said in a statement. "We will start research on the development of medicinal materials using the neurotoxin component of sea snakes."

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

LG Group Chair’s son Koo Kwang-mo to lead LG Elec’s ID division

Koo Kwang-mo, the only son of LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, will head LG Electronics’ Information Display (ID) division under a new business-to-business (B2B) unit in charge of new growth engine businesses. Although he was not included in the group’s latest management reshuffle on Wednesday, he moved to LG Electronics and will lead the ID division that is responsible for providing B2B solutions such as producing displays incorporated with Information Communication Technology (ICT) and commercial displays. Koo will replace Kwon Soon-hwang who was named president of B2B unit on Wednesday.

Mercedes-Benz to build AMG-branded race track in S. Korea

Mercedes-Benz has tapped South Korea to host the world’s first speedway branded with its high-performance label AMG as it seeks to expand its presence in Korea’s rapidly growing luxury car market. The German carmaker has agreed with Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. to rebrand Everland Speedway to AMG Speedway, said Dimitris Psillakis, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Korea, at a press conference on Thursday. The two companies aim to open the speedway with the new name and added facilities early next year.

S. Korea’s Q3 GDP revised up to 1.5% gain, GNI up 2.4% on qtr

The South Korean economy proved to have performed ever better than the surprise pace of 1.4 percent in the third quarter, expanding by the fastest rate in seven years as robust exports helped to lift consumer and corporate spending.

According to revised data released by the Bank of Korea on Friday, the country’s real gross domestic product totaled 392.5 billion won ($360.7 billion) in the third quarter ended September, up 1.5 percent on quarter in the biggest quarterly expansion since 1.7 percent of the second quarter in 2010. Against the same period last year, the economy expanded by 3.8 percent.

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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