The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Monday, February 26, 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Ivanka Trump says visit to S. Korea was wonderful, hopes to come back soon
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Monday that she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea and hopes to visit the country again in the near future.Ivanka, an advisor to the president, made the remarks as she was preparing to board a plane back to the United States at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, wrapping up her four-day trip here for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony."It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautiful," she told reporters. "I look forward to returning back. Thanks for the warm hospitality."She didn't say anything in response to a question about North Korea saying it is willing to talk to the U.S.
N.K. high-level delegation to arrive in S. Korea Sunday morning
North Korea's high-level delegation will arrive in South Korea as scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the government said Saturday.Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, will cross the border via a western land route Sunday morning for a three-day stay, leading an eight-member delegation, according to Seoul's unification ministry. Kim stands at the center of a controversy here as he is accused of having masterminded the sinking of a South Korean warship in March 2010 that killed 46 sailors.Conservatives in the South have strongly protested Seoul's decision to accept the delegation, arguing that Pyongyang's inclusion of Kim, a controversial figure who is under domestic and international sanctions, appears intended to sow discord among South Koreans, drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington and weaken the current sanctions regime.
S. Korea's energy minister visits UAE for nuclear project
Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Paik Un-gyu inspected South Korean firms' construction of a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the ministry said Sunday.Korea Electric Power Corp. and other companies are constructing four reactors at the Barakah nuclear power plant under a US$20 billion deal signed in 2009."The Barakah plant will be the world's first nuclear power plant in a desert," Paik was quoted as saying during the visit on Saturday. The construction also serves as huge opportunity for South Korea to export nuclear plants to other countries, including Saudi Arabia, he added.
S. Korean SMEs have harder time getting loans compared to others in OECD
South Korean small and medium-sized companies have a harder time borrowing from lenders than companies in other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies, official data showed Saturday.According to the Paris-based economic organization and the National Assembly Budget Office (NABO), the loan request rejection rate stood at 40.9 percent for local firms in 2015, which is 3.7 times higher than the OECD average of 11 percent.By country, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Canada and France had rejection rates in single digits, with only 3 percent of requests for funds being turned down by Finnish lenders.The latest findings showed that from 2007 to 2015, the rejection rate for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reached 43.4 percent, again much higher than the OECD average of 12.1 percent.In addition to having a higher borrowing threshold, South Korean banks charged more for the loans they did offer companies.The latest data showed that in 2015, lenders' rates for loans taken out by small businesses stood at 3.9 percent annually, 0.2 percentage point higher than the OECD's 3.7 percent average.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
White House Says Will See if N. Korea is Serious about Talks
The White House says it "will see" if North Korea's stated willingness to hold talks is a commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Sunday that the U.S. will see if Pyongyang's message that it is willing to hold talks represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. Sanders added the U.S., South Korea and the international community broadly agree that denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea, stressing the maximum pressure campaign must continue until North Korea denuclearizes. She also said that there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization. Sanders said that the U.S. State Department is in close consultation with South Korea, adding that inter-Korean relations cannot improve without the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue as South Korean President Moon Jae-in noted.
17-Day PyeongChang Winter Olympics Came to Grand Finale
The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games has come to an end after a 17-day run.Before the closing ceremony that began at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, a total of more than two-thousand-900 athletes from 92 countries competed for the prestigious Olympic medals. Norway topped the medal ranking table with a total of 14 gold medals, 14 silvers and eleven bronzes Germany came second with a total of 14 gold, ten silver and seven bronze medals, and Canada were third with eleven gold, eight silver and ten bronze medals.South Korea won five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals for a seventh place finish.
Chief Delegate Says N. Korea is Willing to Talk with US
A senior North Korean official says that Pyongyang is willing to hold talks with the United States.Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said that Kim Yong-chol, the chief of a high-level North Korean delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics' closing ceremony, made the remarks during a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Sunday.The top office said that President Moon met with the eight-member delegation at an unknown location in Pyeongchang at 5 p.m.In the one-hour meeting, the president said that dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea should be held at an early date to help improve inter-Korean relations and realize a fundamental resolution of the issues of the Korean Peninsula. In response, the North's chief delegate agreed that North Korea-U.S. relations must develop along with the South-North Korea relationship, saying that Pyongyang has willingness to have talks with the U.S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S.Korean female hockey players bid teary farewell to N. Korean teammates
South Korea women's ice hockey players on Monday bid a teary farewell to their North Korean teammates on the unified Korean team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a day after they marched in together at the closing ceremony.The historic joint hockey team -- the first unified Korean squad in any sport at any Olympics -- was assembled on Jan. 25, five days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved an inter-Korean agreement on its formation. The South Korean team of 23 players was joined by 12 players from North Korea, with the South's head coach, Sarah Murray, in charge. Murray and some of the South's players had reservations about bringing a dozen new players into the fold only weeks before the start of the Olympics. But the players became fast friends, dining and spending more time off the ice together.
Ivanka Trump says it was wonderful visit to S. Korea, hopes to come back soon
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Monday that she had a "wonderful" first visit to South Korea and she hopes to visit the country again in the near future. Ivanka made the remarks to reporters as she was preparing to board a plane back to the United States at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, wrapping up her four-day trip here for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
Samsung spends record sum on U.S. lobbying in 2017
South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group spent a record amount lobbying U.S. politicians and officials in 2017 to counter Washington's growing protectionism and other negatives, market sources said Monday.Last year, the Trump administration stepped up its protectionist policy, and Samsung Electronics Co., the group's crown jewel, was implicated in a series of patent disputes over smartphones and chips.
Samsung Group, the No. 1 family-controlled conglomerate in Asia's fourth-largest economy, spent US$3.5 million lobbying lawmakers and government officials in Washington last year, according to local industry sources and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a non-profit, nonpartisan U.S. research group that tracks the effects of money and lobbying on elections and public policy.Samsung Electronics, the world's leading smartphone and memory chip maker, took the lion's share with $3.41 million, with the remainder forked out by Samsung C&T Corp., the group's construction unit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
PyeongChang draws curtains with messages of peace, progress, perseverance
After more than two weeks of cutthroat competition and chivalrous camaraderie among the world’s top athletes, the PyeongChang Winter Games on South Korea’s wintry slopes and ice came to a genteel close Sunday evening. The quadrennial event from Feb. 9-25 in PyeongChang and subhost cities Gangneung and Jeongseon in Gangwon Province attracted nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 countries, making it the largest Winter Olympics in history. The athletes competed for 102 gold medals across 15 disciplines. South Korea, hosting its second Olympics, following the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, entered 144 athletes across the 15 sports, capturing five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals for an overall finish of seventh place.
Chief delegate says NK willing to hold talks with US
North Korea has “ample intentions” to hold talks with the US, a senior North Korean official leading the North Korean delegation to the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics told President Moon Jae-in, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. Moon had held an hourlong meeting with Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee, in PyeongChang ahead of the closing ceremony of the Olympics, according to the presidential office. “President Moon pointed out that US-North Korea dialogue must be held at an early date even for an improvement in the South-North Korea relationship and the fundamental resolution of Korean Peninsula issues,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said of the meeting.
'Garlic Girls' sweep Korea with curling sensation
No one expected it, but they’ve done it. South Korea’s women’s curling team has made Olympic history at PyeongChang by clinching silver. Never considered a medal contender in the sport, the team crushed the world’s top curling powerhouses to arrive at Sunday’s final match, where it lost to Sweden 8-3 to take home silver.Having won its first-ever Olympic medal in curling, South Korea is more excited than ever for its “Garlic Girls” who have emerged as the surprise stars of the 2018 Winter OlympicsThe story of the Garlic Girls, nicknamed after their hometown famous for its quality garlic, and their surprise run toward an Olympic gold medal has ignited a frenzy from Korea’s internet community as well as the local and global media.From the start, the tale of the Garlic Girls has had all the right ingredients for an Olympic hero in the making.Ranked eighth coming into the Olympics, they defeated some of the world’s biggest curling teams including Canada, Switzerland and Great Britain, racking up eight wins and just one loss in the preliminary round-robin tournament.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Team Korea finishes 7th with 17 medals
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics completed its 17-day run Sunday with a dazzling closing ceremony that mixed traditional Korean imagery with modern aesthetics.Titled "The Next Wave," the closing ceremony highlighted the Olympic spirit of challenge and presented a vision of the future and a message of peace.President Moon Jae-in and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attended the ceremony. Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Kim Yong-chol, a senior officer of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party in charge of inter-Korean relations also joined the event.After spectators counted down together, the Korean national flag was carried into the stadium by children from Heonggye and Daegwallyeong Elementary Schools and singer Jang Sa-ik sang the Korean national anthem with the children.Two Korean athletes, who marched together at the opening ceremony on Feb. 9, entered separately at the closing ceremony but later met up to march together.
Why did North Korean delegation choose Walkerhill Hotel?
North Korea again chose Seoul's Walkerhill Hotel for its high-level delegation's lodgings during the delegates' three-day visit. The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, and other delegates stayed there three weeks ago. A question then arises: why does the North prefer the hotel out of numerous luxury five-star hotels in Seoul? An irony lies in the hotel's name. It was named after U.S. Army general Walton Harris Walker, who died in an unfortunate car accident during the 1950-53 Korean War. Walker was credited with crushing North Korean troops in many battles, paving the way for the ultimate victory of the combined forces of South Korea and the United Nations. Experts cite security as the first and foremost reason.
Samsung Galaxy S9 coming soon
Samsung Electronics is set to release its new flagship Galaxy S9 smartphone with camera upgrades, Sunday (local time).According to the world's largest smartphone maker, the Galaxy S9 will be unveiled here one day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Based on many leaked images, Samsung is expected to stay with the same design as the Galaxy S8: curved edges and near bezel-less Infinity Display.But as it stressed in the press invitation last month: "The Camera. Reimagined," the camera is highly anticipated to take center stage. In addition, three teasers also highlighted super slow motion, super low light and three-dimensional emoji -- the same technology introduced on the Apple iPhone X, last year.The camera is likely to switch between F1.5 and F2.4 apertures depending on conditions. The lower the f-stop number, the sharper the picture will appear.The 6.2-inch S9 Plus may feature dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, which would be a first for the Galaxy S lineup, while the smaller S9 standard model, at 5.8 inches, will have a single-lens camera as did its predecessor S8. The front camera on both models will be eight megapixels.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Pyeongchang Olympics Come to a Close
The Olympic flame went out in Pyeongchang on Sunday night as the 23rd Winter Olympic Games came to a close. The winter sports festival attracted about a million spectators to the venues since it opened on Feb. 9 and ended with a promise to meet again in Beijing in four years. It was the biggest winter Olympics in history with 2,920 athletes from 92 countries competing for 102 gold medals. Neither gale-force winds nor severe cold prevented them from giving their best.Korea finished seventh with five gold, eight silver, and four bronze medals. Although it failed to achieve its goal of ending in fourth place, Korea expanded its horizons in winter sports and laid the groundwork for further growth thanks to athletes' stellar performance in the sledding, snowboarding and curling events.Norway won the most medals for the second time after the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
Sanctions Deal Harsh Blow to N.Korean Economy
International sanctions seem to be dealing a hard blow to the North Korean economy, which may have acted as a spur to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's charm offensive toward South Korea.The sanctions have left the North short of hard currency just as a degree of marketization was starting to improve the lives of some ordinary North Koreans. Kim's slush funds are being rapidly depleted, which means that regular handouts to the elite to buy their loyalty are also drying up, and even some in the ruling class are turning to open-air markets for their basic needs.Even just a couple of years ago, the predominant views was that sanctions were mostly toothless because North Korea's economy is closed, but that underestimated the progress of marketization and dependence of goods imported mostly from China. The North's trade-to-GDP ratio has risen significantly since 2010 and is now close to 50 percent, compared to the global average of about 60 percent. Its trade dependence on China is near-total at over 90 percent. "This shows how rapidly Pyongyang has increased coal and iron ore exports to China since sales of agricultural and fishery products to South Korea were banned in 2010," a researcher with a government-funded think tank here said.
Ivanka Trump Arrives in Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka arrived at Incheon International Airport via a Korean Air flight on Friday to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Sunday.
Ivanka is accompanied by Republican hawk James Risch and others. "It is a great honor to be here in [Korea] with the U.S. delegation. We are very, very excited to attend [the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang] to cheer for [U.S. athletes] and to reaffirm our strong and enduring commitment with the people of [Korea]," she said upon arrival. "So thank you for the kind welcome. We are excited to be here and are looking forward to several wonderful days," she added.She then headed to Cheong Wa Da for dinner with President Moon Jae-in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Pyeongchang Olympics closing ceremony offers opportunity for diplomacy
The closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Feb. 25 is shaping up to be another important stage for diplomacy, following the Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 9. The American delegation led by Ivanka Trump, eldest daughter of US President Donald Trump and an advisor in the White House, arrived in South Korea on Feb. 23, and a high-ranking North Korean delegation led by North Korean Workers' Party (KWP) Central Committee vice chairman Kim Yong-chol is scheduled to arrive on Feb. 25. Conditions on the Korean Peninsula are expected to be greatly influenced by the way diplomacy plays out during the closing ceremony.The biggest question during the Pyeongchang Olympics has been whether there will be a meeting between North Korea and the US. There is a period of two days (Feb. 25 and 26) when the North Korea and American delegations will both be in South Korea. The Americans have flatly said they have no plans to meet the contingent led by Kim Yong-chol, and the Blue House has also said it is not planning to arrange a meeting between North Korea and the US.
Window of opportunity widens for improving inter-Korean relations
A scheduled South Korea visit on Feb. 25 by a second high-ranking North Korean delegation attending the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closing ceremony is focusing attention on what kind of “package” it will bring. Prior to returning to North Korea on Feb. 27, the delegation’s members, led by North Korean Workers’ Party vice chairman and United Front Department (UFD) director Kim Yong-chol, are expected to meet with President Moon Jae-in, National Intelligence Service director Suh Hoon, Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, and others to exchange views on follow-up measures to senior-level inter-Korean talks and issues concerning inter-Korean relations. With Pyongyang signaling its hopes of carrying on “indirect dialogue” between the South and North Korean leaders by sending Kim Yong-chol – a close associate of leader Kim Jong-un – as a representative, observers are predicting the window of opportunity for improving ties could open wider after the Olympics.
South and North Korea to continue holding high-level discussions after Pyeongchang Olympics
North Korea’s decision to send a second high-ranking delegation headed by Workers’ Party Central Committee vice chairman and United Front Department director Kim Yong-chol to visit South Korea on Feb. 25–27 is being viewed as an attempt to continue using representatives to hold indirect dialogue between the two sides’ top leaders. With Pyongyang sending what amounts to a second special envoy, there is speculation that South and North could carry on the momentum from dialogue beyond the Pyeongchang Olympics closing ceremony, increasing their opportunities to actively resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula.One of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s closest associates, Kim Yong-chol holds key positions throughout the regime in Pyongyang, including membership in the party politburo, Central Military Commission, State Affairs Commission, and Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium. His visit for the closing ceremony, which comes after Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong visited as a special envoy for the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony, is raising hopes that in-depth discussions could take place on a range of Korean Peninsula issues, including inter-Korean relations and denuclearization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
North says it is willing to talk with U.S.
An eight-member high-level delegation from North Korea told South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in Sunday afternoon before attending the Olympics closing ceremony that Pyongyang was interested in talking with the United States.According to Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, the comment was in response to Moon’s remark that North Korea-U.S. dialogue must be held as early as possible in order to improve South-North relations and “essentially resolve the Korean Peninsula issue.” It is not known whether the left-leaning president mentioned North Korea’s nuclear development program, but the topic wasn’t included in Kim’s summary of the hour-long discussion held at an undisclosed location in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon from 5 to 6 p.m. Kim continued that the North Korean officials, who entered South Korea on Sunday morning for a three-day trip, agreed with Moon that inter-Korean relations and North Korea-U.S. relations had to “develop together.”
U.S. levies heaviest-ever sanctions against North Korea
Washington revealed its latest sweeping sanctions on North Korea on Friday, targeting 27 entities, 28 vessels and one individual. U.S. President Donald Trump described the package as its “heaviest” measures to isolate the regime to date.The new unilateral sanctions further the United States’ maximum pressure campaign on the North and were revealed as Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, leads an American delegation on a trip to South Korea for the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in Gangwon on Sunday.“We imposed today the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before,” said President Trump in an address to conservative activists in Maryland. “And frankly, hopefully, something positive can happen.”
Gov’t sends envoy to argue against steel tariffs
Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong left for Washington on Sunday where he will be meeting politicians and industry officials throughout the week in the hope of persuading U.S. President Donald Trump not to impose higher tariffs and an even stricter quota on Korean steel and aluminum imports.Feb. 16 the U.S. Commerce Department released a report that recommended imposing a 53 percent tariff on steel imported from 12 countries including China and Korea as well as limiting the quota by 63 percent of the previous year’s imports under Section 232 of its Trade Expansion Act.According to a Bloomberg report on Sunday, Trump is in favor of imposing a 24 percent tariff on all imported steels unilaterally, which he considers the most severe option, in addition to a 10 percent duty on aluminum imports. The Korea Iron and Steel Association estimates Korean steel exports to the United States at $3.2 billion last year. This is nearly triple the size of washing machine exports to the United States, at roughly $1 billion in 2016, and more than double the $1.3 billion worth of solar energy modules exported to the U.S. in 2016.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
Kim Yong-chol to Come to PyeongChang: Will North Korea Come Across the United States?
On February 22, North Korea announced that it would dispatch a high-level delegation to the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics led by Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of intelligence in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) cum director of the WPK United Front Department. Pyongyang announced that it would send a delegation to the closing ceremony following its delegation to the opening ceremony led by Kim Yo-jong, first deputy director of propaganda at the party. U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest daughter and his senior advisor, Ivanka Trump will lead a U.S. delegation to PyeongChang including Allison Hooker, a National Security Council (NSC) official specializing in Korean affairs, so all eyes are on whether or not North Korea and the U.S. will meet in PyeongChang. Hooker accompanied James Clapper, director of national intelligence, on a visit to North Korea in 2014. At the time, she met with Kim Yong-chol, who served as the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau.The unification ministry announced that North Korea sent a notice in the name of the senior North Korean representative to the inter-Korean senior-level talks and notified Seoul that they would send a high-level delegation led by Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol for a three-day trip beginning on February 25. The North Korean delegation will include Ri Son-kwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and six officials and the team will travel to South Korea on land via the Gyeongui Line.
Will This Blueprint Be Enough to Revive GM Korea?
Barry Engle, president of the overseas business division at General Motors (GM) met with Ko Hyoung-kwon, first vice minister of strategy and finance and Yi In-ho, vice minister of trade, industry and energy and discussed measures to restore normal management of GM Korea. On February 21, he met with Lee Dong-gull, chairman of the Korea Development Bank (KDB), the second largest shareholder of GM Korea, and discussed the scope of the company’s due diligence. According to the press coverage, General Motors has presented four major measures to restore operation of the company. First, GM Korea will provide collateral for the $580 million (approximately 620 billion won) loan, which will be due at the end of this month. The company is asking the government to accept this. GM Korea will swap $2.7 billion (2.9 trillion won) debt borrowed from GM headquarters to equity and is asking that KDB also contribute an amount befitting the percentage of shares it owns (17.2%, approx. 500 billion won). The company also asked that KDB make new investments in its plan to attract new investments of $2.8 billion (approx. 3 trillion won), and asked the government to designate the location of the Bupyeong and Changwon plants as foreign investment zones. All in all, the decision to shut down the Gunsan plant remained unchanged, but the company asked for over 1 trillion won of investments and tax benefits on condition of maintaining the Bupyeong and Changwon plants.
Kang Yong-ju, Free from the Shackles of "Security Surveillance"
Kang Yong-ju (56, photo), the youngest long-term prisoner who refused to renounce his personal philosophy, stood in trial for failing to make a mandatory report according to the Security Surveillance Act, but was acquitted by the court. The court said there was no danger of Kang repeating his past crime of violating the National Security Act, for which the state had found him guilty in the past, and said that extending the security surveillance of Kang violated the law. However, the court judged that the Security Surveillance Act itself did not violate the Constitution.On February 21, Judge Jo Gwang-guk of Criminal Department 4 of the Seoul Central District Court said, "Given his residence and his occupational activities, Kang has led a stable social life as a member of our society. The state's decision on three occasions to extend the security surveillance period of Kang, who lacks any risk of repeating his offense, is illegal." Thus the court acquitted Kang claiming that he had no obligation to report his personal information to the state.According to the Security Surveillance Act, the government can decide to keep a person with a prison sentence of three years or longer for violating the National Security Act under security surveillance after a review. If a person is subject to security surveillance, that person must report major activities to the police chief with jurisdiction over his case every three months.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
S. Korea says N. Korea expresses willingness to hold dialogue with U.S.
North Korea expressed its willingness to hold dialogue and develop relations with the United States Sunday when South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with a high-level delegation from Pyongyang ahead of the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, according to the president's office.At talks with North Korean officials including Kim Yong-chol, head of the United Front Department (UFD), Moon called for the quick resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States for the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the "fundamental resolution of Korean peninsula issues", a presidential spokesman told reporters.North Korea has "enough willingness" to hold dialogue with the United States and hopes that the development of inter-Korean ties will go together with North Korea-U.S relations, Kim was quoted as saying. The UFD head also said North Koran leader Kim Jong-un supports Moon's views that there should be "broad expansion and progress" in inter-Korean relations, the spokesman said.
Ivanka Trump expresses joy during surprise meeting with EXO
Ivanka, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, returned home with a happy memory about her trip to South Korea and a gift box from K-pop idol EXO for her children.Before boarding a plane back to the United States Monday, Ivanka told reporters, "It was a wonderful first visit and just exciting and beautiful." Of course, her suitcase contained EXO's gifts including albums, aromatic candles and souvenir photos for her kinds. During her four-day trip in South Korea, Ivanka has expressed her interest in K-pop, saying at a dinner last Friday with President Moon Jae-in that her three children were dancing to K-pop music every day.Her "incredible" moment came on Sunday night when Moon invited EXO members and CL, a former 2NE1 member, to a surprise private meeting with Ivanka, after they performed at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in the eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang. The meeting took place in a reception room, attended by Ivanka, Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook.
White House says Ivanka had no interaction with N. Koreans
Ivanka Trump has had no interaction with North Korean officials during her visit to South Korea, a White House official said amid keen interest in whether the two sides will resume dialogue.Ivanka, daughter and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, led the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics the same day. She was seated close to the North Korean delegation, led by senior ruling party official Kim Yong-chol.Shortly before the ceremony, Kim told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Pyongyang is open to talks with Washington, according to Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae."There was no interaction with the North Korean delegation," the senior White House official said in a statement, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The U.S. Presidential delegation's attendance at the closing ceremonies was the culmination of a successful trip where we celebrated the Olympic Games, U.S. athletes and our strong alliance with South Korea."The U.S. and North Korea have been in a standoff over the communist regime's pursuit of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles capable of striking the American mainland. The first daughter's trip raised the possibility the two sides could meet to begin a dialogue on the issue.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maeil Business News Korea ( http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
GM extends loan for South Korean unit without collateral
General Motors Co. has decided to extend the loans of its troubled South Korean unit while dropping its request to take a local plant as collateral for the debt. At GM Korea’s board meeting on Friday, the Detroit-based automaker agreed to extend the 722 billion won ($669.4 million) of debt maturing in February until due diligence is completed. The Korean government earlier said it will decide on the scope of its financial support for the money-losing Korean unit after due diligence is over. The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), GM Korea’s second largest shareholder and main creditor, had reportedly called for lower interest rates on the debt, which currently run at 5.3 percent, but was turned down. An additional 988 billion won of debt is also due in early April.
Samsung Elec starts building EUV semiconductor line in Korea
Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday has begun building extreme ultra violet (EUV) lines at an investment of $6 billion at its semiconductor plant in Korea, a move that is expected to enable the South Korean chip giant to produce more powerful semiconductors. According to Samsung Electronics on Friday, it has embarked on the process to install new lines dedicated to EUV lithography process, which is considered a next-generation semiconductor fabrication technology enabling the production of smaller, but powerful chips, in its semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province in Korea. The company aims to begin operations at the new lines in 2020 after their construction is completed in the second half of 2019. The Korean chip maker believes the EUV line could be a key to future nanometer process technology amid growing industry demand for high performance and power efficient chips that need application of finer circuits.
Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand Genesis tops U.S. Consumer Reports
The luxury sedan brand Genesis under South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. was rated as the top brand by Consumer Reports, a U.S.-based consumer magazine, beating out German rivals Audi AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW). According to Consumer Reports on Thursday (local time), Genesis earned top place for the best car brand with a score of 81, edging out Audi and BMW to second and third spots, respectively. Among 34 brands tested, Audi received a score of 80 and BMW 79. Hyundai Motor’s sister company Kia Motors Corp. ranked sixth with a score of 76, bumping U.S. Tesla Inc. and Japan’s Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Shares of Hyundai Motor ended at 159,000 won ($147.9) on Friday, up 1.27 percent or 2,000 won from the previous session, while those of its affiliate Kia Motors rose 1.04 percent or 350 won to finish at 34,000 won.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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=6232
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------