The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday, December 26, 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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The Lotte World Tower where the ambassadors and madams are specially invited by President and Mrs. Dongki

Park of the Lotte World on Friday January 19, 2018

Ambassadors and Madams are cordially invited to visit the Lotte World Tower on Friday 19 January 2018.

President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company cordially invite Your Excellency and Madam, together with other Ambassadadors and Madams, to a Special VVIP Tour of the famed Lotte World Tower on the morning of Friday 19 January 2018.

Please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5725

The Tour is specially orgaized by The Korea Post media at invitation of the Management of the Seoul Lotte World Tower Company.

The Tour schedule is as follows:

0930 hours Friday 19 January 2018: Meet at the Cartier of the Avenuel Hall on the 1st Floor of the Lotte World Jamsil builing. (Cars may be parked at the Parking Lot of the Lotte World Tower Building.)

0940-1010 hours: Vivit the Public Information Center, view video presentations.

1020-1100 hours: Tour the Lotte World Tower Observation hall.

1100-1200 hours: Vivist the 123 Lounge and attend a snack-beverage meeting hosted by President Park and the other leaders of the Lotte World Tower.

1200 hours: Leave the Lotte World Tower.

Note: All the visiting diplomats’ cars that day will be provided with free parking at the Parking Lot of the Lotte World.

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Round-up of important news stories from major Korean dailies today:

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

N. Korea defends space development as 'legitimate right'

North Korea on Monday defended its push for space development as a "legitimate" exercise of its rights, sparking speculation that it may continue to stage missile provocations under the disguise of satellite launches. The Rodong Sinmin, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, claimed that with its launch of the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite in February last year, Pyongyang has "in earnest" entered the stage of developing application satellites.

S. Korea's exports to grow 4.8 percent in 2018: KOTRA

South Korea's exports are expected to grow by 4.8 percent on-year in 2018, fueled by strong demand for semiconductors and petrochemical products, a state-run trade promotion agency said Monday.

According to a report by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), outbound shipments could reach US$606.4 billion in the new year.

Gov't to earmark 1.09 tln won to support SME innovation in 2018

South Korea will earmark 1.09 trillion won (US$1 billion) to support innovation and growth among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the new year, the government said Monday.

The fund to be set aside represents a 13.7 percent increase compared to 960.1 billion won allocated to help smaller businesses this year, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said.

Fire at construction site of apartment complex claims one life, injures 14

A fire occurred at the construction site of an apartment complex in Suwon, south of Seoul on Monday, claiming one life and injuring 14 people, firefighters said. The blaze, which occurred

at around 2:46 p.m., is presumed to have started by welding being done by construction workers at the site, they said.

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

Churches Celebrate Christmas with Services, Masses

Churches and cathedrals across the country are holding worship services celebrating the Christmas holiday. The Roman Catholic Church in Korea held a Christmas mass at the Myeongdong Cathedral in downtown Seoul on Sunday night at midnight..

S. Korea Ranks 3rd in 3Q GDP Growth Rate among Major Economies

South Korea ranked third among major economies in gross domestic product(GDP) growth in the third quarter. According to statistics by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) on Monday, South Korea's third-quarter real GDP growth rate stood at one-point-five percent from the previous quarter to rank third among 18 members of the Group of 20 economies whose data were available.

N. Korea Claims Right to Launch Satellites

A North Korean newspaper has made a fresh call for the world to recognize Pyongyang’s rights to space development. In an article on Monday, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers' Party, the Rodong Sinmun, said peaceful space development is a legitimate right for any sovereign country.

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

Moon vows on Christmas to protect people's safety

President Moon Jae-in vowed Monday efforts to secure the safety of people after a recent blaze at an eight-story building in the central city of Jecheon claimed 29 lives. "We cannot change everything overnight, but let's make efforts to build a country where people's lives and safety are secured," Moon said.

U.S. senator calls N.K. sanctions 'major accomplishment'

A Democratic senator said Sunday that the United Nations' new sanctions against North Korea are a "major accomplishment" for the U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was speaking about the U.N. Security Council's unanimous adoption of toughened sanctions Friday, which came in response to the North's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile last month.

North Korea rejects U.N. sanctions

North Korea on Sunday rejected the latest U.N. sanctions resolution on its intercontinental ballistic missile launch, threatening to further strengthen its "self-defensive" nuclear deterrence. The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously passed the toughened sanctions, including further restrictions on its imports of oil.

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

Will PyeongChang act as a breather amid escalating tension?

With about 50 days left to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, questions remain on whether North Korea will come to the games. The Moon Jae-in administration has been struggling to reopen a solid inter-Korean dialogue channel in a bid to patch up ties that have been strained for nearly a decade.

Presidential office admits importing anthrax vaccines, only for treatment

The presidential office on Sunday confirmed it imported anthrax vaccines this year, but denied claims that it has only vaccinated its officials against the disease. Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said in a press release that the purchase was planned by the former administration in early 2016 and that this was reflected in the budget this year.

New rules, regulations bring changes in 2018

The new year will usher in a slew of new rules and regulations. From public toilets to schools and churches, the changes will affect South Koreans’ daily life. Here is a look at some of the new rules to come into effect in 2018. Starting from Jan. 1, all public bathrooms are required to do away with trash bins and provide rapid dissolving toilet paper, hopefully resolving one of the most common complaints of foreign visitors here.

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

'Rage room' flourishes, reflecting overstressed society

People smash things in room to vent stress. Seoul Rage Room near Hongik University in western Seoul is an unusual place welcoming people seeking to vent their stress. Entering a room sealed off with barriers made of wood, customers receive ceramics, appliances, hammers and baseball bats.

Minimum wage hike to squeeze job market tighter

Small companies forced to slash workers against wage hike next year. Businesses are showing signs of slashing jobs before the minimum wage hike next year as they struggle to afford the steep pay rise.

1 killed, 13 injured in construction site fire in Suwon

One construction worker was killed and twelve were injured in a fire at an apartment construction site in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. One firefighter was slightly injured while putting out the fire.

More than 100 firefighters and 40 fire engines were sent to fight it.

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

Year-End Parties on the Way out

Christmas and New Year's office parties and other formal gatherings are becoming less common as more and more Koreans resent the enforced conviviality. One 35-year-old office worker in Gyeonggi Province got married in May this year and has been facing pressure from his boss to hold a house-warming party for coworkers.

Married Couples Forge Stronger Ties with Wife's Parents

Married Korean couples are developing stronger ties than in the past to the parents of the wife, not least because of a growing dependence on their help with childcare. Statistics Korea in a report last week said 3.4 percent of married couples now live with the parents of the wife, up from 2.5 percent a decade ago, while the proportion who live with the husband's parents has shrunk from 12.6 percent to 10. 5 percent.

Korea Doesn't Need Chinese Tourists

China's National Tourism Administration summoned travel agents from Shandong Province this week and informed them that it has again banned package tours to Korea effective January next year. The same seems to be happening in Beijing.

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

Prosecutors request prison time for unconverted political prisoner

Kang Yong-ju has refused to honor his Security Surveillance Act obligations. Prosecutors requested a one-year prison sentence for Kang Yong-ju, an unconverted long-time political prisoner submitted for trial over failure to honor his Security Surveillance Act obligations.

Number of working foreigners in South Korea drops from 2016

Restructuring in the shipbuilding industry given as reason for the decline. The number of employed foreign residents in South Korea declined from last year amid restructuring in the manufacturing industry, statistics show.

Chinese tour groups face new restrictions for travel to South Korea

Authorities in Beijing and Shandong Province have withdrawn permission that was granted just last month. South Korean group visits by Chinese tourists are facing new restrictions after previous ones were lifted ahead of President Moon Jae-in’s China visit, sources report. According to accounts on Dec. 22 from travel industry sources in China, authorities in Beijing and Shandong Province plan to withdraw permissions granted on Nov. 28 for group tours to South Korea and impose another temporary halt as of January.

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

Owner arrested over deadly fire at fitness center

Police raided the residences of the owner and custodian of the multistory fitness center that caught fire last week in Jecheon, North Chungcheong, after arresting them for involuntary manslaughter.

The raids, carried out Monday morning, were made a day after police arrested the duo and four days after the Jecheon blaze killed 29 people, mostly women, and injured 37 others.

UN sanctions squeeze North’s oil supply

Pyongyang complains of ‘economic blockade’ and vows revenge. North Korea slammed a United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution as an “act of war” tantamount to a “complete economic blockade” - and warned that every country that voted in favor will pay a “heavy price.”

Blue House denies that it administered anthrax drug

The Blue House denied Sunday a local report that it imported anthrax vaccines for President Moon Jae-in and his aides to guard against a biochemical attack by North Korea, saying the purchase was planned by the previous government to be used as an emergency cure, not as a prophylactic.

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

Modesto man affiliated with ISIS charged for planning terror attack on San Francisco Pier 39

San Francisco, California, Dec. 22 (Aju News) -- It was a sunny Friday in San Francisco. The chilly coastal air was buzzing with holiday excitement. Tourists and locals were leisurely walking around picturesque piers of San Francisco, doing last minute holiday shopping and sightseeing.

TWICE sets new record for taking most wins on S. Korean music shows

Girl band TWICE, which spent the most successful year of its career in 2017, has set a new record for winning the most wins on weekly music shows in a single year.

Merry Christmas

It is chilly in San Francisco, California, very fitting for Christmas season. It is perfect weather for a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallow and for sitting by the roaring fire in the fireplace with your loved ones.

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

Samsung C&T wins $420 mn worth land reclamation deal in Hong Kong

South Korea’s Samsung C&T has successfully clinched a 455 billion won ($420 million) worth land reclamation deal in Hong Kong. Samsung C&T said on Monday its construction unit won a 455 billion won worth deal from Hong Kong’s Civil Engineering & Development Department to reclaim land for housing in Tung Chung on the north-western coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

Korea’s Halla to pay out cash dividends of $3.3 mn this year in 5 yrs

South Korea’s Halla Corp. will pay out a yearly cash dividend of 3.55 billion won ($3.3 million) on common shares this year for the first time in five years since 2012, the company said on Sunday. Its shareholders of record as of December 31 will receive 100 won per common share, and the dividend yield ratio of Halla amounted to 2.61 percent as of December 21.

Lotte Group chairman gets suspended sentence for embezzlement

A South Korean court found Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin guilty of breach of trust and embezzlement but sentenced him to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, enabling the country’s fifth largest conglomerate to avoid a leadership vacuum for the time being.

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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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TO ERR ON THE SAFER SIDE!

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To satisfy your information dissemination-acquisition requirements, please drop a line at edt@koreapost.com, pub@koreapost.com or yeskoreapost@gmail.com

The publisher-chairman of The Korea Post media is serving the Diplomatic Community for more than 40 years, 32 years with The Korea Post and 10 years with The Korea Herald as the Cultural Editor who covered the Diplomatic Community.

For quick response, call Chairman Lee directly at 010-5201-1740 or reporters at 010-3388-1682 or 010-7584-5873.

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