The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, February 8, 2018

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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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.

‘We welcome steady progress in bilateral cooperation, Korean investment in Sri Lanka’

Ambassador Manisha Gunasekera of Sri Lanka said, “We welcome the steady progress made in collaboration between Korea and Sri Lanka under the Western Region Megapolis Plan in the context of the MOU signed with Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and we also welcome Korean investment in key sectors and projects in Sri Lanka.”

Ambassador Gunasekera made the remarks in her welcome speech at a reception she hosted at the Atrium of the Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel on Feb. 7, 2018 to celebrate the 70th National Day of Sri Lanka. (See text of speech toward the end of this article.)

Presidents of S. Korea, Germany agree to increase cooperation

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier agreed Thursday to enhance their countries' cooperation on bilateral and global issues, including climate change and the North Korean nuclear standoff. The agreement came in a bilateral summit held at Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

Ex-President Lee decides to attend Olympic opening ceremony

Former President Lee Myung-bak will attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics as scheduled, an aide said Thursday, despite a prosecution investigation he has denounced as political retaliation against him. Lee decided to attend the ceremony "out of a wish that the global festival, which South Korea won the right to host in its third attempt, will become a success," his office said in a statement. The country won the right to host the PyeongChang Games in 2011 when Lee was in office.

N.K. to send leader Kim Jong-un's sister to S. Korea this week

North Korea has offered to send the younger sister of leader Kim Jong-un as a member of its high-level delegation for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Seoul officials said Wednesday.The North informed the South that Kim Yo-jong, the first vice director of the ruling party's propaganda and agitation department, will be included in the high-level delegation led by ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam, according to South Korea's unification ministry.It would mark the first time that a member of the Kim family, from the Mount Paektu bloodline, comes to the South.

N.K. team, cheering band draw intense coverage at village welcome event

A welcome event for North Korea's Olympic team was held Thursday at the athlete's village for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, one day before the opening of the first Winter Games in South Korea.

The ceremony for the 46-strong North Korean team, which features 22 athletes, was held at the Gangneung Olympic Village at Gangneung, a sub-host city of the Winter Olympics. About 30 members of the delegation, led by Pyongyang's vice sports minister and former weightlifter Won Kil-u, attended the event.

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

Opening Ceremony for PyeongChang Winter Olympics to Kick Off Friday

It's the second Olympic Games that Korea is hosting since the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics 30 years ago and also the third-ever Winter Games held in Asia following the Nagano Games in 1998 and the Sapporo Games in 1972.

For the following 17 days, the world’s athletes will be going all out to win medals to make their countries proud.

UN Allows Sanctioned N. Korean Official to Attend Olympics

The UN Security Council(UNSC) on Thursday cleared a blacklisted North Korean official to visit South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The UNSC Sanctions Committee on North Korea granted the temporary exemption for Choe Hwi, the chairman of the North's National Sports Guidance Committee.

N. Korean Parade Shows ICBMs, N. Korean Leader, Family

North Korea has unveiled video footage of its massive military parade held in Pyongyang on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of its military.

The edited clips broadcast by the North’s state-run Korean Central Television later in the day showed a host of intercontinental ballistic missiles that are believed to be able to strike the U.S. mainland, including the Hwasong-15, Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-12, all of which the regime successfully test-launched last year.

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

Men's hockey forward thinking defense first at Olympics

Left winger Kim Sang-wook is one of the most skilled players on the South Korean men's hockey team. He has scored some big goals in big moments over his international career.

But ask him how he'd like to become the first player to score for South Korea in the Winter Olympics, and the 29-year-old will instead talk about defense.

Pence still open to meeting with N. Koreans

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday he would be open to meeting with North Korean officials in South Korea, although he would have to "wait and see."

Pence was speaking to reporters before leaving Japan en route to South Korea, where he will lead the U.S. official delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

U.N. clears N.K. official's visit to S. Korea

A United Nations committee on Thursday cleared a blacklisted North Korean official to visit South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, according to diplomatic sources.

Choe Hwi, chairman of the North's National Sports Guidance Committee, was temporarily exempted from a U.N. travel ban at the request of the South Korean government.

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

ICBM shown at NK military parade

A day before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday, with intercontinental ballistic missiles displayed in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

ICBM-class Hwasong-14 and -15 missiles – which were successfully test-fired last year – were shown alongside Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missiles and Pukkuksong-2, solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missiles, according to footage of the parade, which the South Korean military said it believed started at 11:30 a.m.

World gathers for peace, fair play at PyeongChang

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games formally kicks off in the mountainous county of PyeongChang in Gangwon Province on Friday.

The event will usher in 17 days of unrivalled competition and fraternity on snow and ice, temporarily allaying tension on the Korean Peninsula, which has been plagued by North Korean nuclear and missile tests.

Cold weather ‘no challenge’ for athletes

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Even the icy chill of PyeongChang’s temperatures comes as no shock to athletes who have been training for years under freezing conditions, according to officials of teams from abroad just a day before Friday’s opening ceremony.

“I think we’ll be okay for the Olympics as well as at the opening ceremony. We’re strong and the weather is not problematic,” John Van Vliet, press attache for Dutch athletes told The Korea Herald.

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

How about promoting acting US ambassador?

With Victor Cha out and nobody in the offing for the job of U.S. ambassador to Korea, perhaps the current one in Seoul as charge d'affaires ad interim could be a rather good choice.

I am not advocating his candidacy for personal reasons, of course. But an encounter with him at a Wednesday night diplomatic function presented that idea.

Defectors want to tell Mr. Pence …

Two defectors, who are not included in the list of North Korean defectors to meet visiting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, say that it is not time to let up pressure on Pyongyang.

"North Korea believes that it has never lost to the United States," said Lee Ae-ran, who defected in 1998. "In the 1968 kidnapping of U. S spy ship Pueblo, the U.S. yielded. During the 1976 ax killing at the truce village of Panmunjom, it was the U.S. who first blinked. Or so the North thinks."

Moon will meet Kim Yo-jong on Saturday

President Moon Jae-in will have talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, and other high-level North Korean delegates Saturday on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Cheong Wa Dae officials said Thursday that after Kim Yo-jong and the North's nominal head Kim Yong-nam arrive in the South Friday afternoon via a "private" plane, they will attend in the opening ceremony of the Games. Only Kim Yong-nam will attend the reception hosted by Moon in the evening, as the reception is for heads of states.

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

N.Korea Shows off Intercontinental Missiles at Scaled-Down Parade

North Korea held a military parade in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of its Army, just a day before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in South Korea.

During the parade, it displayed the Hwasong-14 and -15 intercontinental ballistic missiles that are thought capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

Gov't to Shell out More Than W2.9 Billion for N.Koreans at Olympics

The government has set aside around W2.9 billion from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to cover the accommodation of North Korean athletes and performers who are visiting the South for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (US$1=W1,086).

According to a National Assembly source on Wednesday, the Unification Ministry in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday afternoon agreed to set that amount aside. "The ministry will set aside more money if necessary," the source said.

Kia Makes Inroads into Indian Market with Small SUV

Kia unveiled its new concept car at an expo in India on Wednesday, making its debut in the world's fourth largest market with a population of 1.3 billion.

Unveiled at the Auto Expo in Noida, India, which runs until next week, the SP is a small SUV exclusively targeted for Indian customers, and will be the first car to be produced in Kia's plant there, which will be completed in September next year.

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

Kim Yo-jong’s visit to SK may lead to significant developments in inter-Korean relations

The decision for Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the central committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) and younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, to visit South Korea as a member of the high-ranking delegation to celebrate the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics comes as a major surprise. One possible interpretation is that Kim Jong-un selected his sister to be the messenger who can most accurately and clearly convey his intentions, suggesting that the high-ranking delegation’s visit to South Korea could have a major impact on future developments on the Korean Peninsula.

GM International President to meet with South Korean officials

GM International President Barry Engle plans to visit South Korea shortly to meet with officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Financial Services Commission (FSC), and the Korea Development Bank (KDB). Engle’s visit is drawing particular attention for coming at a time of renewed speculation that GM plans to withdraw from South Korea.

“We’re here to bring about unification”

When the North Korean cheerleading squad emerged from South Korea’s customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) office at Dorasan, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of Feb. 7, South Korean reporters asked the cheerleaders what kind of routines they had prepared. A woman who appeared to be the leader of the squad was ready with a clever response: “You’ll have to wait and see. It wouldn’t be any fun to spoil the surprise!”

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

North’s delegates fly in today on a private plane

The high-level delegation coming from North Korea, including Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, will take a private plane today from Pyongyang to Incheon International Airport and arrive at 1:30 p.m.

After participating in the Winter Olympics opening ceremony tonight in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, the delegation will have lunch with President Moon Jae-in on Saturday. The Blue House on Thursday did not specify the precise venue or participants of the lunch meeting.

North scoffs at meetings with Americans in PyeongChang

North Korea said Thursday it has no intention to engage in talks with the United States on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics as President Moon Jae-in started an aggressive diplomatic campaign to broker dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

“We have never begged for dialogue with the United States and will be the same in the future,” Cho Yong-sam, a director of the North’s Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Thursday. “We clearly state that we don’t have a willingness to meet with the U.S. side during our visit to South Korea.”

Pyongyang holds parade but keeps it low-key

North Korea held a military parade Thursday on the eve of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to mark its 70th army founding day, but South Korean military officials thought the regime made efforts to keep it low-key - and no new weapons were rolled out.

The North didn’t give prior notice of the event through its state-run media, leaving authorities and reporters wondering whether the parade had been called off at the last minute. Instead of airing it live as in previous cases, the North broadcast scenes from the parade in a special segment of the state-run Korean Central Television at 5:30 p.m., Seoul time.

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

North Korea's Kim Yo-jong Is Coming to PyeongChang: Will She Be KIm Jong-un's Messenger?

Kim Yo-jong (photo), the deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea will join the senior-level delegation of North Korea, scheduled to visit South Korea on February 9-11 to attend the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. On February 7, the Ministry of Unification announced that North Korea informed them of the names of the high-level delegation led by Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly.

Military Officially Acknowledged "Helicopter Shooting During the May 18 Democratic Uprising"

The May 18th Democratic Uprising investigation committee (special committee) in the Ministry of National Defense confirmed on February 7 that the military had fired shots at citizens from a helicopter. This is the first time that the defense ministry acknowledged the "helicopter shooting" at the time of the May 18th Democratic Uprising. The special committee announced that they uncovered circumstances suggesting that the Army, Navy, and Air Force tried to conduct a joint operation to suppress the people.

Bitcoin, the Mirage Appears to Be Vanishing

At one time on February 6, the value of the bitcoin fell to the mid six million won level. The value has crashed to nearly a quarter of its peak value last month, and with nearly no new funds flowing into the virtual currency market, analysts believe that the "orderly exit" that the financial authorities had intended has begun.

At Bithumb, a virtual currency exchange, the price of the bitcoin fell to 6.6 million won at 2 p.m. this afternoon. The price of the bitcoin rebounded after it fell to 7.6 million won on the afternoon of February 2, which turned out to be a "black Friday," but on the morning of February 6, the value crashed below 7 million won. Given that the value of the bitcoin had exceeded 25 million won early last month, the value has dropped 73% in a month.

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

N. Korea rules out dialogue with U.S. during Olympic Games

North Korea on Thursday ruled out any dialogue with the United States when its high-level delegation attends the Winter Olympics, throwing cold water on efforts by South Korea to set the stage for an unforced get-together.

A high-level delegation including the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit South Korea purely for the successful hosting of the Winter Games and has no willingness to talk with U.S. officials, a senior foreign ministry told Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Moon urges China's active role in pushing for inter-Korean rapprochement

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for China's active role in bringing about inter-Korean rapprochement, saying a cross-border thaw caused North Korea's participation in this week's Winter Olympics should lead to dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

At talks with Han Zheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of China's Communist Party, at the presidential office, Moon stressed that Chin should help the two Koreas maintain the current momentum for dialogue, according to his spokesman.

Samsung starts production of storage chip for cars

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest chipmaker, has embarked on the mass production of a new storage chip for driver assistant systems and next-generation infotainment systems.

The tech company said in a statement Thursday that it has started mass producing the storage device, "256GB embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS)". Samsung said its 256GB eUFS is being shipped to auto firms preparing for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), next-generation infotainment systems and new-age dashboards in luxury vehicles.

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

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard builds world’s first ballast-free vessel

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. is building world’s first ballast-free vessel for delivery in September, becoming the first industry player to apply environmentally-friendly technology that enables ships to operate on minimized ecological damages.

The company said on Thursday it has been building a 7,500 cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel that does not require ballast water at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard’s shipyard since November. The ship will be delivered to Germany’s Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Ltd. in September.

Samsung Electronics starts mass production of upgraded 256GB flash storage for vehicles

S. Korea’s service account deficit expand to highest in 2017

South Korea’s service account deficit in 2017 widened to its largest due to the sharp fall in Chinese visitors amid the diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over Korea’s deployment of a U.S. anti-missile battery.

But the current account surplus extended its 20-year-long winning streak last year thanks to robust exports amid the global economic recovery.

According to preliminary data released by the Bank of Korea on Monday, the nation’s service account deficit widened to a record high of $34.47 billion, breaking records for three consecutive years from $14.92 billion in 2015 and $17.74 billion in 2016.

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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.com bfp@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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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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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com