The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, February 21, 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.

U.S. says N. Koreans canceled Pence meeting at last minute

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence had an opportunity to meet with North Korean officials during his recent trip to South Korea, but the North Koreans pulled out at the last minute, the State Department said Tuesday.Pence was planning to meet with North Korean delegates to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to "drive home the necessity of North Korea abandoning its illicit ballistic missile and nuclear programs," Heather Nauert, the department's spokeswoman, said in a statement."During the Vice President's recent visit to South Korea to demonstrate allied resolve and support American athletes, the possibility arose of a brief meeting with the North Korean delegation leaders," she said. "At the last minute, DPRK officials decided not to go forward with the meeting. We regret their failure to seize this opportunity."DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Slovenian president strongly supports S. Korea's push for dialogue with N.K.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor has expressed strong support for South Korea's push for dialogue aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear stalemate.He, however, worried that North Korea might not easily give up its nuclear weapons, which must be its "only leverage," saying global cooperation is very important to put more pressure on the reclusive state to abandon its nuclear ambitions."I do recognize some skepticism and criticism about (President Moon Jae-in's) decision to try (to have talks), but let me also say that I do recognize his courage to take such a decision. It's a difficult one, but I think it is a right one," Pahor said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Tuesday. "I am very supportive of his policy. I would like that he ... would be a strong inspiration for the international community that it is worthy to take the risk to get into dialogue, not to get deeper into the conflict," he added. Pahor was visiting South Korea in time for the ongoing PyeongChang Winter Olympics that run through Sunday. He held a summit with Moon earlier in the day and also toured the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

Samsung ranked India's most trusted brand for 2 years in row

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has been rated the No. 1 trusted brand among consumer durables manufacturers in India for the second year in a row, a recent survey showed.Samsung Electronics is trailed by LG Electronics Inc., according to the rankings released Tuesday by Brand Equity, an initiative of India's Economic Times.India's Usha came in third in the consumer durables category, with American appliance giant Whirlpool taking the eighth spot.Brand Equity said sales, social buzz and media visibility data were used to shortlist winners of the most trusted brands before finalizing its list.The survey was conducted with 6,059 respondents in 12 Indian cities, including the financial hub of Mumbai. A total of 342 brands were reviewed, according to Brand Equity.

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

Washington Post: Pence was Ready to Meet N. Korean Delegation, N. Korea Cancelled

The Washington Post reports that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was ready to meet North Korean representatives at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, but the North canceled last minute. Quoting Pence's office, the Post said Tuesday that the vice president departed for South Korea having agreed to a secret meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong and the North's nominal head of state Kim Yong-nam, but the North pulled out. According to the Associated Press, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pence was ready to take the opportunity and the U.S. regrets North Korea’s failure to seize the chance. She said Pence would have used the meeting to emphasize the U.S.’ concerns about the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

GM to Invest in Kansas after Deciding to Close Plant in S. Korea

U.S. automaker General Motors(GM), which decided to shut down one of its four plants in South Korea by the end of May, has announced that it will invest nearly 300 billion won in the United States.GM said on Tuesday that it will invest 265 million dollars in its plant in Kansas City to build the first-ever Cadillac XT4 crossover SUV.The automaker said that the new investment will create some 500 jobs, after about 700 people lost their jobs at the Kansas plant last year. This announcement comes after bad news for manufacturing jobs in Kansas City. The Harley-Davidson plant plans to close in 2019, eliminating about 800 jobs and the Procter & Gamble plant also has plans to close, affecting 280 full-time employees and 350 contractors.

S. Korea Wins Gold Medal in Women's Short Track 3000M Relay

South Korea has won a gold medal in the women's short track three-thousand-meter relay final at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In a competition held at the Gangneung Ice Arena in in the sub-host city of Gangneung on Tuesday night, a team of Shim Suk-hee, Choi Min-jeong, Kim A-lang and Kim Ye-jin brought South Korea its fourth gold medal of the Games. The silver medal went to Italy and the bronze to the Netherlands. Choi won the gold medal in the women's one-thousand-500-meter race earlier on Saturday. Shim anchored Team Korea to a gold medal in the three-thousand-meter short track relay at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

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

Slovenian president strongly supports S. Korea's push for dialogue with N.K.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor has expressed strong support for South Korea's push for dialogue aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear stalemate.He, however, worried that North Korea might not easily give up its nuclear weapons, which must be its "only leverage," saying global cooperation is very important to put more pressure on the reclusive state to abandon its nuclear ambitions."I do recognize some skepticism and criticism about (President Moon Jae-in's) decision to try (to have talks), but let me also say that I do recognize his courage to take such a decision. It's a difficult one, but I think it is a right one," Pahor said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Tuesday. "I am very supportive of his policy. I would like that he ... would be a strong inspiration for the international community that it is worthy to take the risk to get into dialogue, not to get deeper into the conflict," he added.

Emotional hockey coach 'couldn't be prouder' of players

After his team suffered a hard-fought loss against Finland to get knocked out of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday, South Korean men's hockey coach Jim Paek said he "couldn't be prouder" of his players.South Korea battled back from a 3-0 deficit to cut the gap to 3-2 in the second period of the qualification playoffs at Gangneung Hockey Centre. But Paek's charges ran out of steam and ended up losing 5-2, when a win would have sent them to the quarterfinals. Paek praised his players for their effort, saying he hoped the game was on national television so more people outside the arena could see this "fantastic game.""It was a great experience for everybody here," Paek said. "The way they've played and acted, they're true professionals. I couldn't be prouder of these guys."Paek had unabashedly said the objective of his 21st-ranked team was to win the gold medal at PyeongChang 2018. His point was: Why go into the Olympics if you're not trying to win?

Samsung ranked India's most trusted brand for 2 years in row

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has been rated the No. 1 trusted brand among consumer durables manufacturers in India for the second year in a row, a recent survey showed.Samsung Electronics is trailed by LG Electronics Inc., according to the rankings released Tuesday by Brand Equity, an initiative of India's Economic Times.India's Usha came in third in the consumer durables category, with American appliance giant Whirlpool taking the eighth spot.Brand Equity said sales, social buzz and media visibility data were used to shortlist winners of the most trusted brands before finalizing its list.The survey was conducted with 6,059 respondents in 12 Indian cities, including the financial hub of Mumbai. A total of 342 brands were reviewed, according to Brand Equity.

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

South Korea clinches gold in women’s 3,000m short track relay

South Korea won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 meters short track speedskating relay finals on Tuesday. Shim Suk-hee, Choi Min-jeong, Kim A-lang and Kim Ye-jin competed in the women’s 3,000 finals against the Chinese, Italian and Canadian teams at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, one of two cities in Gangwon Province hosting the Winter Games. Choi, already a gold medalist in the women’s 1,500 meters on Saturday, finished the race in 4:07.361, closely trailed by China’s Qu Chunyu. The Italians, who collided with the Canadians and fell, came in third at 4:15.901.Shim, Choi and Kim A-lang participated in the women’s 1,000-meter heat events on the same day, all of them finishing first in their heats. They will not race against each other in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

North Korea making progress on new nuclear reactor

The future of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula appears uncertain, despite an Olympic detente that has been feeding hopes for improved relations, and even an inter-Korean summit. On Monday, 38 North -- the North Korea analysis website operated by US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University -- reported that North Korea’s latest experimental light water reactor appears to be nearing completion. Citing satellite imagery of the North’s Yongbyon nuclear facility, 38 North reported that “steady progress” had been made on the reactor the North began constructing in 2010. According to the report, the reactor appears “externally complete” and a plutonium production reactor at the site may recently have been in operation. The 38 North report follows on the heels of a US senator’s comment that a military conflict between the US and its allies and North Korea would be brief, but cause destruction of “biblical proportions.”

Pentagon to release details on resumption of allied drills after Olympics

The Pentagon said Tuesday that details on currently suspended South Korea-US military exercises will be released after the Olympics end next month.South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said earlier in the day that the allies will announce the dates of the exercises once both the Olympics and Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, are over on March 18. The announcement will come before April, he added."The United States and the Republic of Korea deconflicted the start of our annual US-ROK joint exercises until after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics," Lt. Col. Chris Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, told Yonhap by email. "The focus during this time is ensuring the security and success of the Games. Additional information will be released after the Olympics."

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

South Korea signs free trade deal with Central American nations

South Korea and five Central American nations signed a trade deal to lower tariffs and other barriers on a wide range of areas to expand business ties, Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday.South Korea inked the free trade agreement (FTA) with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama to ease duties on over 95 percent of goods and open up the service and investment market.Talks on the pact started in June 2015 and covered 24 chapters addressing goods, service and investment, non-tariff barriers, trade remedies and dispute settlement system."South Korea is the first Asian country to strike a trade deal with five Central American nations, paving the way for Korean companies to expand their foothold in the market ahead of their Chinese and Japanese rivals," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a statement.

Korea at war with Samsung: butchering golden goose

Korea is at war with Samsung Group with a ferocity that sometimes shows as if it won't be over until one of the two is done away with.The irony is that Samsung is the lifeline of Korean Inc., being the biggest employer, exporter, taxpayer, charity giver and the single largest pillar to support the stock market, possibly all at once.If it were the firm of another country, it would be treated like a goose laying a golden egg. By extension of this logic, are Koreans getting greedy enough to kill the goose and get all the gold inside immediately? From Samsung's perspective, it is only natural to ask why it is the victim of its own success.Instead of answering these questions, let's look at three battles the nation and its biggest corporation are fighting, because we pretty much know the stock answers to these questions ― historic collusion between the state and Samsung and other chaebol, and the people's sense of ownership to chaebol on the belief that the corporate behemoths have grown on the sweat, blood and tears of taxpayers.

Is GM withdrawal a fixed game?

A senior union leader of General Motors (GM) Korea said Tuesday he suspected the Detroit-based automaker was arranging to restructure its Korean operations when it named CEO Kaher Kazem midway through last year. The previous GM India President took charge of the ailing Incheon-based automaker on Sept. 1, replacing his predecessor, James Kim, who resigned after suffering low sales for years.In less than half a year after Kazem came on board, GM decided to shut down its Gunsan plant 180 kilometers south of Seoul. Hinting at a possible full-scale pullout, the company said that it will decide about the remaining three factories here soon."When Kazem took the helm, many became worried, as he is known as Mr. Downsizing at GM. Although GM Korea denied it back then, the concerns are now becoming a reality," said a senior union leader who asked not to be named. "Now I suspect that former CEO James Kim was pressed to step down so that GM could appoint Mr. Downsizing as the new chief of GM Korea. All this add up. I suspect GM might have given up its Korean unit last year."

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

GM Demands Gov't Bailout to Keep Korean Factories Open

Carmaker GM has demanded a sweeping bailout from the Korean government to keep its two remaining factories here open.It has asked the government and state-run Korea Development Bank for subsidies in return for swapping W3 trillion in loans to the Korean subsidiary into equity and investing another US$2.8 billion over the next 10 years (US$1=W1,074). It is not clear how much money GM is demanding from the government.The government will decide after a due-diligence study and a pledge for long-term investments from GM headquarters in the U.S.Barry Engle, the head of GM's international operations, met with lawmakers at the National Assembly on Tuesday and said the U.S. automaker wants to continue operations in Korea. He said the company has prepared a rescue plan that includes a significant investment but needs the cooperation and support of "all concerned parties."

Kim Yo-jong Pregnant with 2nd Child

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong is apparently pregnant with her second child, according to sources on Tuesday.The sources said Kim Yo-jong told government officials of her condition when she was here for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics earlier this month, but officially the government says it has no knowledge of this. Gimlet-eyed observers spotted Kim Yo-jong's slightly rounded belly during her three-day visit and noted that she sat down cautiously. One North Korean defector said, "It seems the reason Kim Jong-un's household steward Kim Chang-son accompanied the North Korean delegation was because Yo-jong is pregnant and required special care."

Purged N.Korean Apparatchik Reappears in Public

The former chief of North Korea's Army politburo, who was believed to have been purged late last year, has appeared in public again. North Korea watchers believe Hwang Pyong-so completed an "ideological re-education" course and was reinstated.Hwang was spotted in footage shown on North Korean state television on Thursday during a ceremony marking the birthday of nation founder Kim Il-sung. Hwang was also standing in line with other senior officials during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, which houses Kim's embalmed corpse. A government official here said Sunday, "Judging by the ranks of the officials next to him, Hwang Pyong-so appears to have been stripped of his military status and reinstated as a Workers Party official."

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

President Moon responds forcefully to Trump’s imposition of trade tariffs

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is making a sharp turnaround in the face of the US Donald Trump administration’s onslaught of tariffs on South Korean steel, with hints that he is willing to risk a trade war with Washington. Speaking at a meeting of Blue House secretaries and aides on Feb. 19, Moon called for an “assertive and resolute response to [the Trump administration’s] unreasonable protectionist trade measures,” including “a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and examination for possible violations of the South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).”His unusually forceful remarks appeared rooted in a conclusion that the Trump administration has been crossing the line with its recent string of retaliatory trade measures against South Korean imports, which reached its peak when the Commerce Department cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act in announcing a recommendation concerning the “security effects of steel imports.” Trade industry observers have suggested Moon’s response have been triggered by serious concerns about “Korea bashing” after the US singled out South Korea by including it in its Commerce Department’s second recommendation of a minimum 53% tariff on 12 countries – while exempting other allies and friends such as Japan, Germany, and Taiwan from steel import regulations.

Famous Korean playwright issues public apology for decades of sexual misconduct

The fall, when it came, was a piece of theater in itself. Lee Youn-taek, the 66-year-old former artistic director for the Yeonhee Street Theatre Troupe, took the stage on the morning of Feb. 19 at 30 Studio in Seoul’s Myeongnyun neighborhood. A leading light of South Korean theater who has been dubbed a “master” and “cultural guerrilla” in the past, Lee was facing the heaviest spotlight ever in his decades-long theatrical career – but the camera flashes were taking in his final moments in the field. Facing an onslaught of sexual misconduct accusations, Lee delivered a public apology that day.“I sincerely apologize to those who have been harmed by me in the past. I am ashamed and mortified,” he said.“I intend to submit to any punishment, including legal responsibility,” he added.

Prosecutors conclude that Lee Myung-bak is the real owner of DAS

Prosecutors have concluded at last that DAS belongs to former president Lee Myung-bak. During an investigation that lasted for more than 50 days, they learned that Lee is the “real owner” of DAS and exerts effective control over the company, which contradicts public information about the share structure. While Lee himself holds nearly half (47.3%) of shares in DAS, his older brother Lee Sang-eun and Lee’s sister-in law Kwon Yeong-mi (23.6%), the second largest shareholder, are apparently only proxies for Lee or custodians of his shares.The significance of the DAS team of investigators’ findings goes beyond merely identifying DAS’s real owner. The conclusion that DAS belongs to Lee Myung-bak lays the groundwork for arguing that Samsung and Hyundai Motor Company’s payment of DAS’s legal fees (which is currently being investigated by the first high-tech crimes division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office) constituted bribery. Even if these companies paid millions of dollars to an American law firm, the prosecutors would have faced an uphill battle if they could not prove that there was a “special relationship” between DAS, which was the plaintiff in these lawsuits, and Lee Myung-bak.

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

Visiting GM exec says pulling out can be avoided

Barry Engle, executive vice president at GM, said it plans to maintain its ailing Korean unit, but remained vague on whether that depends on support from the government. “It is our preference to stay here in Korea and to fix the business and make it healthy,” Engle told reporters after a closed-door meeting Tuesday with lawmakers at the National Assembly in western Seoul. “In order to do that, there is a turnaround plan that we have developed and that plan includes significant investments, new products and also restructuring activities,” he added. Engle was ambiguous about specifics of the turnaround plan.“We require cooperation and helpful support from all stakeholders,” Engle said when asked what the U.S. headquarters expects from the Korean government.

Seoul preps for Ivanka’s trip to Games this week

Korea will receive another important guest later this week as part of President Moon Jae-in’s Olympics diplomacy, with Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the international sports event.According to sources at the Blue House and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to her father in the White House, is expected to lead the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which is scheduled for Sunday. No official announcement has been made by the two countries as of Tuesday regarding her travel itinerary. The Blue House is coordinating her travel plan with the United States through the Foreign Ministry, sources said. Expectations are high that she will arrive on Friday and leave Monday.

Hyosung to make spandex in India

Hyosung Chairman and CEO Cho Hyun-joon agreed to build a spandex factory in Maharashtra, western India by 2019, the company said Tuesday.The decision came after a meeting with Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, on Sunday in Mumbai. Cho has been expanding his presence in the global business scene and the meeting with the Indian Prime Minister came only about ten days after Cho met with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.It will be the first spandex factory Hyosung has built in India. The company is injecting $100 million for the first phase construction of the spandex factory to be built on a 40-hectare (100-acre) space in an industrial complex in Maharashtra. More capital will be injected over the course of the construction, but the company did not disclose the exact amount.

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

President Moon Tries to Resolve a Trade Issue which the U.S. Should Resolve

On February 19, President Moon Jae-in mentioned the trade pressure by the United States and said, "We will fairly and decisively respond to unreasonable protectionism by taking the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and by checking to see if there are any violations of the free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the U.S." He added, "I ask our officials to raise an issue with any unfairness in the negotiations to revise the South Korea-U.S. FTA." This is the first time that the president has voiced his thoughts on the repeated trade attacks by Washington. This shows that the president takes the situation seriously. In fact, the U.S. has continued to heighten its pressure in trade. It introduced a safeguard imposing the highest 50% tariff on South Korea-manufactured washing machines and solar panels last month, and the U.S. Department of Commerce recommended that President Donald Trump install strong import regulations on our steel exports. President Moon's request for an aggressive response hints at the president's determination to fight fire with fire against President Trump, who is dealing with security and trade as two separate issues. President Moon appears to have determined that if South Korea ignores such offensive approaches by the U.S., they could become a stumbling block for the overall South Korean economy.

Foreign Executives at GM Enjoy War Zone Danger Money in Addition to High Salaries Amidst Piling Deficits

The international service personnel (ISP) working at General Motors (GM) Korea after being dispatched from GM headquarters are under fire for receiving high living expenses in addition to hefty salaries despite continued losses at the company. On February 19, GM Korea announced that almost a hundred ISP, including the company's president, Kaher Kazem, were dispatched from GM headquarters. Among them sixteen of the executive-level personnel with positions of executive director or higher receive living expenses including rent and education expenses for their children. The related costs are estimated to be an annual 500 million to 1 billion won per person. One member of the GM Korea labor union said, "Some of them live in luxury houses with a monthly rent of 20-30 million won. If we add the living expenses to their salaries, an annual cost of about 2 billion won per person is being spent on the executives from GM headquarters." According to the union, the living expenses and salaries of the sixteen executives from GM amount to nearly 32 billion won. When we add the non-executive international service personnel, it is estimated that the company pays about 50 billion won a year for the living expenses and salaries of the nearly one hundred employees dispatched from GM headquarters. Hong Young-pyo (Bupyeong 2, Incheon; Minjoo Party), chairman of the parliamentary Environment and Labor Committee said, "At one time, there were nearly three hundred international service personnel dispatched from GM headquarters. There is no other multinational company anywhere else in the world that dispatches so many of its employees to a local affiliate."

Sexual Assault Spreads to Theaters, "Me Too" Against Lee Youn-taek

The "#MeToo" movement was hot in the theater industry during the Lunar New Year holidays. Testimonies poured out from former members of the Yeonheedan Street Troupe who said they were victims of sexual assault by Lee Youn-taek, the famous director who once led the troupe. There was even a shocking accusation that Lee went beyond sexual harassment and even raped one of the victims. Posts revealing sexual assault cases by perpetrators other than Lee also continued to pop up on online communities of people in the theater industry and on social network sites (SNS). The victims shared details of sexual assault incidents, which included sexual harassment during classes and acting tutoring, and sexual assault in afterparties. The sexual assault incidents involving Lee Youn-taek are too shameful to even mention. According to the victims' statements, Lee forced actresses to give him inappropriate massages after calling them to the Hwangtobang, an annex of the Yeonheedan Street Troupe, late at night when he was the director of the troupe. Behind such incidents lied omnipotent power that could control the future of the individual actresses. It is outrageous how the perpetrator rose to become the top director representing the South Korean theater industry, while the victims suffered from the pain and the wounds. If it were not for the courageous "Me Too" of Kim Su-hee, the leader of Miin Theater Company, it would be likely for the number of victims to increase.

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

Posco ready to regain reputation as top global player through restructuring

Posco, which used to be credited with spearheading South Korea's miraculous economic growth, is ready to regain its reputation as a top player in the global steel market after revamping its structure through years of painful restructuring, cost reduction and a strategic shift to higher-value products.Posco has good reasons to remain upbeat. Its consolidated net profit last year rose to 2.97 trillion won (2.78 billion US dollars) from 1.048 trillion won a year earlier. Operating profit soared 63 percent on-year to 4.62 trillion won and sales rose 14 percent to 60.65 trillion won.The company attributed its gains to brisk performances at its non-steel business and steel subsidiaries abroad. This year, Posco promised to invest 4.2 trillion won in new facilities in steel and non-steel businesses and set sales target at 61.9 trillion won.Posco has sold non-core assets and reorganized its workforce and businesses amid a prolonged slowdown caused by oversupply and weak demands that have driven many steel makers to the corner.

Prominent stage director announces permanent retirement for sexual abuse

Lee Youn-taek, a prominent stage director, announced his permanent departure Monday from South Korea's theatrical world, admitting he has been involved in habitual sexual abuses for 18 years.Lee, 65, apologized and said he would accept "any punishment including my legal liability for my sins". "I will not be able to play anymore," he said, adding he feels "very shameful and terrible" because he could not suppress his libido.He became the victim of South Korea's #MeToo movement sparked by a female prosecutor's revelation that led to an inspection of sexual harassment in one of South Korea's most closed and hierarchical public organizations.As head of his theatrical company called Yeonhuidan georipae (Yeonhee Street Theatre Troupe), Lee has proved his talents many times over through his production of movie scenarios, TV drama scripts, dance and musical stagings, and theatrical programs for international events.He came under fire after Kim Su-hee, a former Yeonhuidan member, said on Facebook last week that she was forced to massage Lee's penis about 10 years ago, followed by other sexual abuse allegations. One former actress claimed she was raped twice.

Electric vehicles replace delivery motorcycles for S. Korean postal workers

In a state program aimed at reducing air pollution and improving the work quality of deliverymen, compact electric vehicles made their debut for a test run in Seoul to replace gasoline-fueled motorcycles.The Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement that it would gradually replace some 10,000 postal delivery motorcycles with compact electric vehicles (EVs) by 2020. Dozens of compact EVs were showcased in the streets of Seoul on Monday and the ministry will use three types of EVs for test-runs by postmen in March.An electric cycle type, a tricycle type and a single-seated four-wheeler type will be provided to match the working environments of postal workers.The heavy workload of postmen has long been a social issue. South Korean postmen work more than ten hours a day on average, according to the state-run Korea Labor Institute. City mail deliverymen normally travel about 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) a day, while those in rural towns and remote areas move around more than 100km.

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

GM proposes investment for new car releases in Korea in return for govt aid

General Motors which has been pressuring Seoul for fresh aid to its Korean operation proposed to keep alive jobs in Korea by investing in two factories responsible for new models of the American car brand.Barry Engle, executive vice president of General Motors (GM) and president of GM International, has been in Seoul since Monday for last-minute negotiations after having given the Seoul government to agree to its demands for a bailout program for money-losing GM Korea till the end of this month. He told Korean legislators the Detroit-based carmaker was willing to invest in the plants in Bupyeong and Changwon to assign them as production lines for new models.

Lotte Corp. to hold shareholders meeting to seek approval for merger with 6 affiliates

Lotte Corp., the holding company of South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate Lotte Group, will hold an extraordinary shareholders meeting next week to seek approval for its merger with six unlisted companies to streamline the group’s complex cross-shareholding structure. The company said on Tuesday a shareholders meeting will be held on Feb. 27 as initially planned despite a leadership vacuum at the conglomerate after the group’s chairman Shin Dong-bin last week was sentenced to 30 months in prison for bribery charges in an influence-peddling scandal that ousted the country’s former President Park Geun-hye last year. Merging the six unlisted affiliates - Lotte GRS, Lotte International, Lotte Logistics, Fuji Film Korea, Daehong Communications, and Lotte Data Communication - under Lotte Corp. is aimed at ending Lotte Group’s complex cross-shareholding chains, a regulatory requirement for the conglomerate to completely turn into a holding company system under Lotte Corp. that was launched as the retail giant’s holding company in October.

Philippines, India agree to buy satellite images from S. Korea

South Korea will export images taken by its indigenous low-orbit observation satellites to the Philippines and India, gaining recognition for its highly reliable satellite technology, the government said on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Satrec Initiative Imaging Service (SIIS), an agency handling the sale of national satellite images, signed a contract with the Philippines’ and India’s government bodies to export multi-purpose satellite images to respective countries. Under the deal worth 100 million Philippine peso ($1.9 million) with the Philippines, SIIS will provide satellite images of the Southeast Asian country taken by Korea Multipurpose Satelilite-3 (Kompsat-3), also known as Arirang-3, and Kompsat-5, for one year. The deal comes after the Philippines imported satellite image reception antennas and a reception processing system from Korea in 2015 - devices that will allow the Southeast Asian country to directly receive images from the satellite. It is the first time for Korea to ink an export deal involving direct reception from Kompsat-3 and Kompsat-5.

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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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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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