The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, December 29, 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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Has Your Excellency made reservation yet—for the Ambassador Tour of the Lotte World Tower on Friday 19, January 2018?

As we have already informed the Excellencies, the Host (President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company) has included in the list of ‘What to See’ that day the treasured Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France (1808-1873).

Lotte World recently won a bidding for it for nearly 2.6 billion Won, and puts it on display for the Ambassadors

To see 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.

The exhibits on that day include the Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France. Please visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5725

The Tour is orgaized by The Korea Post media at invitation of President and Mrs. Dongki Park of the Lotte World Tower Company.

The tour schedule is as follows:

09:30 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.)

09:40-10:10 hours: Vivit the Public Information Center, view video presentations.

10:20-11:00 hours: Tour the Lotte World Tower Observation hall.

11:00-12:00 hours: Vivist the 123 Lounge and attend a snack-beverage meeting hosted by President Park and the other leaders of the Lotte World Tower.

12:00 hours: Leave the Lotte World Tower.

Note: The Visitor's Car may be parked at the Parking Lot of the Lotte World.

To make reservation, please call Ms. Kim Jung-mi at 010-3388-1682 or Ms. Shin Eugene at 010-6589-4378.

Very Resepctfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

The Korea Post media

Hat of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France

Scary? Yes, right down below your feet sprawl the downtown Seoul as you stand on the

Observation Tower on the 123rd floor of the Lotte Tower.

Picturesque garden and surrounding areas of the Lotte Tower Building.

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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.

Police find body of missing girl on hillside in Gunsan

Police on Friday found the body of a 5-year-old missing girl on a hillside in the western coastal city of Gunsan following her father's confession to killing her, officials said. The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency said that the body of Koh Jun-hee was wrapped in a towel under a tree on the hillside, about a 50-minute drive from where she stayed..

Pope gives pep talk to activists in S. Korea, worldwide fighting for abolition of capital punishment

Pope Francis has sent a message of encouragement to the South Korean Catholic community and other activists worldwide fighting for the abolition of capital punishment, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea said Thursday.

Domestic stock funds draw huge money over past month

South Korean domestic stock investment funds have attracted more than 3 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) over the past month amid expectations for a market rally in January, a market tracker said Friday.

S. Korea's consumer prices rise 1.5 pct in Dec.

South Korea's consumer prices growth accelerated in December on a rise in prices of industrial goods and financial services, government data showed Friday. The country's consumer price index climbed 1.5 percent this month from a year earlier, compared with the previous month's 1.3 percent on-year gain, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

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

5-Year-Old Missing Child Found Dead, Father Dumped Body

A five-year-old girl who has been missing from Jeonju, North Jeolla Province for almost a month has been found dead. The North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency said on Friday that the body of Koh Jun-hee was found at 4:45 a.m. Friday on a hill in Gunsan City during a six-hour police search.

S. Korea Bans Opening New Virtual Accounts for Cryptocurrency Investment

People in South Korea will no longer be allowed to open new bank accounts for cryptocurrency transactions. The Finance Ministry and local financial watchdogs on Thursday unveiled a slew of pan-government measures to contain the potential fallout from a bubble forming in the rapidly expanding virtual currency market.

Gov't to Abolish "Special Activities" Fund of Spy Agency

The government has decided to abolish the controversial “special activities” fund earmarked for the National Intelligence Service(NIS). The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Thursday that it informed the spy agency of the 2018 budget guidelines including the measure.

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

Gov't to set up rare disease control system by 2021

The government said Friday it will establish medical centers specializing in the research and development of early diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, as well as medicines, in the coming years.

Market rates forecast to rise in Jan.

South Korea's market interest rates are likely to trend higher in January due to a rise in U.S. Treasury sales, a report said Friday. The yield on South Korea's three-year government bonds is projected to continue its uptrend next month due to overseas factors, ranging from 2 percent to 2.3 percent, according to the report by the Woori Finance Research Institute.

Budget smartphone manufacturers eye S. Korean market

Budget smartphone manufacturers are strengthening their model lineup in the South Korean market, industry sources said Friday, in a bid to attract consumers seeking cheaper options in the new year.

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

Apple faces legal suits in Korea for slowing down iPhone

Apple faces multiple lawsuits in South Korea after admitting to slowing down iPhones as the batteries aged. This is to be the first class-action suit in Asia on the issue after iPhone owners filed at least nine class-action lawsuits in the US and Israel.

Moon decries 2015 Korea-Japan ‘comfort women’ deal as flawed

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the 2015 South Korea-Japan agreement on Japan’s wartime enslavement of Korean women does not resolve the “comfort women” issue. He also stressed it was a “political agreement” that did not take the opinions of victims and citizens into account and urged the government to swiftly take follow-up measures.

Kaesong shutdown unilaterally decided by Park: unification panel

The closure of the inter-Korean Kaesong industrial park last year was a unilateral decision made by former President Park Geun-hye, a civilian panel tasked with reviewing unification policies said Thursday.

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

Moon hints at renegotiating sex slavery deal

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the 2015 Seoul-Tokyo agreement on Japan's wartime sexual slavery was "gravely flawed," indicating that his administration may push for a renegotiation of the controversial deal.

1 killed, 15 injured in crane collapse

A crane collapsed onto a bus in western Seoul, Thursday, killing one passenger and injuring 15 others, according to police and firefighters. The crane, set up at a construction site near the Gangseo District Office, suddenly collapsed at around 9:40 a.m. onto a city bus (No. 650) waiting at traffic lights, police said.

South Korea names 59 countries 'disease prone'; inbound travelers must submit health report

South Korea has designated 59 countries as plagued by infectious diseases. Travelers from the countries will be required to report their health condition to authorities on arrival here from Jan. 1. Violators will be fined up to 10 million won ($9,350), according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

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

Top Domestic News of 2017

◆ Park Geun-hye Ousted as President ◆ Moon Jae-in Elected President ◆ N.Korea Edges Closer to Building Intercontinental Nuclear Missile ◆ 5.4-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Pohang ◆ Bangtan Boys Lead Global Resurgence of K-Pop

Top International News of 2017

◆ Trump's "America First" Doctrine ◆ Xi Jinping Begins Second Term as China's 'Emperor' ◆ Lone Wolf Terror Attacks Strike New York, London, Barcelona ◆ Bitcoin Bubble Bursts and Rises Again ◆ #MeToo Anti-Sexual Harassment Movement Spreads

Organizers Offer Preview of Olympics Award Ceremonies

The organizing committee of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang gave reporters a preview of the award ceremonies on Wednesday. The design of the podium reflects the shape of a traditional Korean tiled roof, and the main color will be white.

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

American journalist seeks to pull back the curtain on “Samsung Empire”

Geoffrey Cain’s book, which talks about the company’s growth and corporate culture, will be published in February. Back in 2009, when Geoffrey Cain first arrived in South Korea as the senior correspondent for GlobalPost, a US-based current affairs news website, he was planning to focus on the North Korean issue, like other foreign correspondents.

Court assigns refugee status to Nigerian man and his family

The Ministry of Justice was found to have been negligent in rejecting the initial application. “K,” a 44-year-old Nigerian national, arrived in South Korea for a short-term stay in Feb. 2015 and applied for refugee status with [his] two children.

Liberian woman wins defamation judgment after being harassed by elderly Korean

“It’s illegal for this girl to be here,” remark costs Kim $1,840 and a criminal conviction. “T,” a Liberian-born resident of Gyeonggi Province married to a South Korean, had an unpleasant experience while riding a bus in Nov. 2016.

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

Moon criticizes 2015 Japan deal

President Moon Jae-in declared Thursday that the 2015 agreement between Korea and Japan is highly flawed and doesn’t settle the issue of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, hinting strongly that he will call for renegotiations.

Korea considering ban on trading of bitcoin

The Korean government officially warned Thursday that it may shut down local cryptocurrency exchanges, causing a large tremor in the market. Hong Nam-ki, the minister of government policy coordination, said Thursday after a meeting with high-ranking officials that the Ministry of Justice made a suggestion to close down the exchanges in Korea completely, the most drastic form of control of cryptocurrency trading in Korea.

Park misled on Kaesong shutting, says panel

The shutting of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in February 2016 was unilaterally decided on by ousted President Park Geun-hye, according to a panel of experts, and not by the National Security Council, as her government claimed.

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

Park Geun-hye Government Hid Secret Agreement to Remove the "Girl of Peace" Statue

It turned out that the Park Geun-hye government did not release important details at the time it signed the agreement with Japan on the comfort women in the Japanese military on December 28, 2015.

Strengthening Public Responsibility of Childcare, It Cannot Be Delayed Any Longer

On December 27, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released the "Mid and Long-term Basic Plan on Childcare," which will be implemented for five years from 2018 to 2022.

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

President Moon vows support for scientists, new research (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in promised to double support for young scientists and their research projects Thursday, also vowing to nearly double government investment in independent research and development (R&D) programs.

Tower crane collapses onto bus, kills 1, injures 15 passengers

A tower crane collapsed onto a bus in eastern Seoul, killing a passenger and injuring 15 others. The tragic accident took place at 09:40 am (0040GMT) nearby a demolition site in eastern Seoul when the tower crane fell on to the road, collapsing over a bus waiting for the lights to change.

YG addresses rumors about PSY setting up his own label

South Korea's entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment spoke about recent rumors which claimed that rapper PSY would break up with his agency and set up his own label. "Nothing has been decided yet," said a YG official on Wednesday.

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

Prosecutors re-pursue 12-year jail term for Samsung Group heir, ruling due on Feb.5

South Korean special prosecutors on Wednesday re-pursued a 12-year jail term for Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee in an appeals trial over a corruption case that delivered a five-year sentence to the heir of the country’s largest conglomerate in the first ruling in August.

Seoul, Washington to hold first FTA revision talks on Jan. 5

South Korea will hold its first formal talks with the United States next week under the agreed procedure to revisit and amend the 2012 free trade agreement (FTA) at the request of Washington.

BOK vows to be “discreet” in additional rate hikes next year

The Bank of Korea is upbeat about next year’s economy, but will nevertheless “discreetly” move with additional hikes in interest rates. The economy will continue to grow in a steady pace, and inflationary pressure from demand side won’t be that big, said the central bank in its monetary policy outline for 2018 after a meeting of the monetary policy committee on Thursday..

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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!

I trust that Your Excellency may be aware that we are ready to fully meet ALL the information dissemination-acquisition requirements of the Embassies—free of charge.

Please visit the following URLs and order us:

Real time-updated Korean Internet news http://www.koreapost.co.kr/

Real time-updated English Internet news http://www.koreapost.com/

20-page Korean-language newspaper http://www.koreapost.co.kr/pdf/list.php

English E-daily http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5504

English monthly magazine The Korea Post http://www.koreapost.com/cover/coverList.html

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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