The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Your Excellency:

What’s ticking in Korea and around the world today?

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

The Korea Post media

Trump, Kim eye win-win denuclearization solution

Ahead of a potential summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, their negotiators are trying to hash out details over an array of hitherto intractable issues, including denuclearization methods, timelines and security assurances for the isolated regime. A flurry of working-level talks over the past few days have raised cautious optimism for a denuclearization deal, which would also significantly affect the leaders' political fortunes at home and their images abroad. But it still remains uncertain whether the longtime foes will find common ground ahead of their historic summit likely to occur on June 12 in Singapore. "Trump and Kim may strive to craft a win-win solution that would not compromise the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and would satisfy them in light of their domestic political gains," Nam Chang-hee, a diplomacy professor at Inha University, told Yonhap News Agency.

This image, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6818)

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Top N. Korean official heads to New York for talks with Pompeo

A high-ranking North Korean official left Beijing for New York on Wednesday apparently to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea, took the Air China flight, CA981, according to diplomatic sources here.His entourage includes Choe Kang-il, acting director-general for North American affairs at the North Korean foreign ministry.The U.S. confirmed earlier that Kim will visit New York this week and announced that Pompeo is also traveling there.They are expected to hold last-stage discussions on whether to press ahead with the unprecedented summit between the two sides in Singapore on June 12.

The North Korean delegation, led by Kim Yong-chol, boards a plane bound for New York at an international airport in Beijing on May 30, 2018. (Yonhap)

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6819)

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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.

Pompeo, N. Korean official to meet in New York: White House

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with a senior North Korean official in New York this week, the White House said Tuesday, as the two sides ramp up preparations for a potential summit between their leaders.The visit by Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, raises expectations the June 12 meeting in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will go ahead as initially agreed upon.Kim, known as the young leader's right hand man, will become the highest North Korean official to visit the U.S. in nearly two decades.He plans to leave for New York from Beijing later Wednesday (local time), according to diplomatic sources in the Chinese capital."Vice Chairman Kim bought a ticket for a flight to New York to depart at 1 p.m. today," a source said.He arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as there's no direct flight between North Korea and the U.S. amid speculation that he might have met with Chinese officials.Another source said Kim had planned to make a trip to Washington, D.C., but he changed the destination apparently due to its sensitivity.

Japan to push for high-level talks with N. Korea in August

Japan plans to push for a foreign ministers meeting with North Korea in August should the North make progress toward denuclearization after the summit between the United States and the communist country, the Japanese news agency has said.Citing multiple government sources, Japan's Kyodo News reported Tuesday that its government is considering ministerial talks with North Korea on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum slated for Aug. 1-4 in Singapore.

If held, Ri Yong-ho from Pyongyang would sit down for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toro Kono.After the inter-Korean summit held last month, Japanese officials met with the North Korean side and have expressed the country's will to hold such a high-level meeting, according to the news agency, adding that Tokyo is not known to have received a response from the North yet.

Trump, Abe agree to meet before N. Korea summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Monday to meet ahead of the president's planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the White House said.Trump and Abe spoke by phone after the U.S. leader canceled his June 12 meeting with Kim, citing "open hostility" from the regime, and then put it back on track.They "confirmed they would meet again to continue close coordination in advance of the expected meeting between the United States and North Korea," the White House said in a statement. "The President and Prime Minister affirmed the shared imperative of achieving the complete and permanent dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and ballistic missile programs."If held, the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore will focus on dismantling the North's nuclear weapons program. Tokyo has urged Washington to also address the issue of North Korea's short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, which pose a direct threat to Japan, and the unresolved abductions of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang decades ago.

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

White House: Pompeo to Meet Top N. Korean Official in New York

The White House says that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with a senior North Korean official in New York this week ahead of a potential summit between their leaders.White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday said in a statement that Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, the vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party, will meet "later this week." State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added that the secretary plans to make a two-day trip to New York starting Wednesday.Sanders said that the U.S. continues to actively prepare for President Donald Trump's expected summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.Kim Yong-chol, who is considered to be a member of the North Korean leader's inner circle, will reportedly arrive in New York on Wednesday afternoon via Beijing.Kim and Pompeo are expected to hold extensive talks on big deals related to the North's denuclearization roadmap and security assurances for Pyongyang.

Gov't to Invest 9 Tln Won in 13 Growth Sectors

The government plans to invest more than nine trillion won over the next five years in 13 key industries, including drones and artificial intelligence(AI). Specifically, the goal is to grow the drone sector by twentyfold and triple the number of firms specializing in AI. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday it has finalized a plan on fostering new growth engines for the country which was jointly drafted by a special committee on future growth engines and other related agencies.The blueprint contains a concrete action plan on crafting mid- to long-term road maps on the 13 innovative industries that will lead the fourth Industrial Revolution.The plan also includes ways to improve regulatory hurdles and uncover core technologies. The government designated the 13 growth sectors in December. They include drones, AI, big data, new drugs, self-driving vehicles, customized health care and next-generation mobile communications.

Key N. Korean Official Heading to US Amid Summit Preparations

Anchor: A member of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's inner circle is reportedly heading to the United States as preparations continue for a possible U.S.-North Korea summit. Our Bae Joo-yon has more. Report: Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at ten a.m. Tuesday aboard an Air Koryo flight. His name was found to have been on a list of passengers who will board a flight to New York at one p.m. on Wednesday. Initially, Kim and his delegation were said to have booked a flight bound for Washington that was scheduled to depart later on Tuesday but changed that flight shortly after arriving in Beijing.During his stay in the U.S., Kim is highly likely to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, following Pompeo's two visits to Pyongyang as both intelligence chief and Secretary of State.His visit comes as U.S. and North Korean officials engage in working-level talks both in Panmunjeom and Singapore to prepare a possible summit on June 12th.

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

Right-winger arrested for slandering over evidence in Park scandal

A well-known right-wing commentator was arrested Wednesday for slandering a television news anchor and reporters who revealed a massive corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye.The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant against Byun Hee-jae, 44, citing the risk of him destroying evidence and harming the victims. Prosecutors filed for the arrest warrant last Friday. He is accused of spreading false information through his online media outlet and recent book, stating that cable channel JTBC manipulated content of a tablet PC owned by Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime friend at the center of the scandal. The device obtained by JTBC contained confidential government documents and was used as key evidence in the conviction of Park and Choi. Park was ousted in 2017.

Nat'l football team likely to see sold-out crowd in final World Cup tuneup at home

South Korea will likely play their final World Cup tuneup match at home before a sellout crowd, a national football team official said Wednesday.South Korea will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province on Friday. The friendly is South Korea's last match at home before they depart for their pre-World Cup training camp in Austria with 23 players. South Korea will cut three players from their current preliminary roster to confirm the final 23-man roster this weekend.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said that, after playing the match with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the national football team will have a ceremony at the stadium, where players and coaches express their goals and resolutions for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea are in Group F along with Sweden, Mexico and Germany.Considering advance ticket sales, the KFA said the national team is likely to see a packed home stadium."Among 39,700 tickets available for sale, 30,000 of them are already sold," a KFA official said. "Ticket sales are increasing and we expect 3,000 to 4,000 tickets to be sold on-site and to see a sellout crowd."

Seoul still in talks with GM over future of Korean unit, minister says

The South Korean government is still closely working with GM on how to revive its Korean unit as the U.S. carmaker is set to shut down one of its four plants in Asia's fourth-largest economy, Seoul's commerce minister has said.The Detroit-based company announced a restructuring plan for GM Korea in February, including the shutdown of a plant in Gunsan, southern South Korea.After wage concessions with GM Korea's labor union and intense negotiations with the Korean government, GM and the state-run Korea Development Bank agreed earlier this month to take steps to keep the carmaker afloat."Things related to the Gusan plant have yet to be finalized and more should be done for GM's further investment (in its Korean unit)," Paik Un-gyu, South Korean minister of trade, industry and energy, told reporters Tuesday."Our demands are that GM should invest for the future ... and that GM should take advantage of skillful Korean engineers," Paik said. The policymaker said in terms of future cars, South Korea is actually the best market for GM.

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

Pompeo, N. Korean official to meet in New York: White House

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with a senior North Korean official in New York this week, the White House said Tuesday, as the two sides ramp up preparations for a potential summit between their leaders.The visit by Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, raises expectations the June 12 meeting in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will go ahead as initially agreed upon.Kim, known as the young leader's right hand man, will become the highest North Korean official to visit the US in nearly two decades.He plans to leave for New York from Beijing later Wednesday (local time), according to diplomatic sources in the Chinese capital.

Top NK official heads to US as summit negotiations continue

North Korean spymaster Kim Yong-chol was confirmed to be headed for the US, adding another dimension to ongoing summit negotiations between the two countries. Kim, vice chairman of the North’s ruling party, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, and his name was confirmed to be on the manifest of a New York-bound flight scheduled for Wednesday. US President Donald Trump later confirmed in a Twitter post that Kim was on his way to New York to discuss the summit, describing Kim's trip as "solid response to my letter."It remains unclear who will meet Kim in New York, but speculations have risen that he will meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Shipbuilding cities to get emergency assistance

South Korea has designated Ulsan, Geoje, Mokpo and other cities reeling from the ailing shipbuilding business as emergency industrial zones, in line with its economic drive to boost employment and growth, the country’s chief economic policymaker said Tuesday.The designation is a follow-up measure, as the cities were already subject to government subsidies and incentives due to the prolonged slump of the country’s once-prosperous shipbuilding industry.“The newly designated areas will be subject to additional support measures such as a public sector employment initiative and a special warranty program for shipbuilding materials businesses,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said in a meeting of economy-related ministers.

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

Top North Korean official to meet Pompeo

A senior North Korean official was bound for New York for high-level talks with US officials on Tuesday as preparations for a historic nuclear summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un gathered pace.General Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the central committee of the Workers' Party and right-hand man to Kim, will meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York on Wednesday or Thursday, officials said.Trump confirmed the general was on his way in a tweet and boasted that Washington would have a "great team" for the talks on resolving the old foes' nuclear standoff. The president still hopes the meeting will take place on June 12 in Singapore."Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!" Trump wrote.

Wife of Korean Air chief questioned for second time over assaults

Lee Myung-hee, the wife of the Korean Air Lines Co. chief, appeared for police questioning for a second time on Wednesday over multiple assault and abuse allegations.Her appearance at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency comes after she underwent a 15-hour interrogation by police on Monday.Police said the second questioning is to mainly supplement the ongoing investigation, as she has denied most of the charges and witnesses' statements show inconsistencies with hers.
Police indicated Tuesday they could seek an arrest warrant for Lee and the decision will be made before the end of this week.The director of Ilwoo Foundation is accused of shoving and cursing at construction workers hired for the expansion of a hotel owned by Hanjin Group, which includes Korean Air, in 2014. She may face a charge of aggravated assault as a witness testified she hurled scissors at them.

Activists welcome dog farm prohibition bill

Animal rights activists have welcomed lawmakers' moves to ban dog farms in Korea.The Animal Liberation Wave has expressed support for the bill that, if it passes the National Assembly, would remove the legal basis for factory-style mass breeding of dogs.The bill, which was proposed by Rep. Lee Sang-don of the minor Bareunmirae Party earlier this month, aims to exclude dogs from what the Livestock Industry Act defines as livestock."There are more than 3,000 dog farms where a million dogs get slaughtered every year," the group said. "We hope the bill will become a law to take the first step to end the dog meat industry in Korea."The legal status of dog is complicated. Under the livestock industry law, farmers can pursue profit with livestock, which includes dogs and many other animals. But according to the Livestock Processing Act, dogs are not categorized as livestock ― a reason why dog meat cannot be traded through major distribution channels like other meat.

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

N.Korea 'Kept Nuclear Scientists Out of Foreign Reporters' Way'
North Korea hid nuclear scientists at the test site in Punggye-ri in a hospital before foreign reporters arrived to cover its demolition, Radio Free Asia reported Tuesday. RFA quoted a source in North Pyongyang Province as saying he was told by a high-ranking official that a large number of nuclear scientists were sent to a hospital run by the General Bureau of Atomic Energy. "I was unable to assess how many were admitted," the source said. "The hospital treats technicians and staff at nuclear research facilities, is guarded by armed soldiers and only authorized personnel can enter. The fact that some technicians are staying there with their entire families shows that they are not there to be treated as officials claim, but are being isolated there."The source said locals think it is a tuberculosis hospital, "but they are not allowed even to pass by the facility, and there is a common awareness that it is a classified military installation."

U.S. Negotiators Seek to Specify Denuclearization in Written Document
A U.S. negotiation team led by Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, wants to lay out three steps toward North Korean denuclearization in talks with North Korea while discussing the agenda for a U.S.-North Korea summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.Joseph Yun, a former senior diplomat, told the New York Times on Sunday that the U.S. negotiators want to lay out the process in a document."The goal... was likely to be developing a set of documents, agreed on by both sides that detail the three steps that North Korea is willing to consider taking toward elimination of its nuclear weapons program," Yun told the daily.He said the first step "is a declaration of how far the North Koreans are willing to go in unwinding their weapons program. The second is deciding how and when the North Koreans would provide an accounting of that process to the United States. And the third is determining how the United States would verify those claims."

Deaths Far Exceed Births
The rapidly aging society is causing the number of deaths to outstrip the number of births. The number of deaths in Korea remained at around 200,000 per year from 1970 until last year but is expected to surpass 300,000 this year and reach 420,000 in 2030 and 570,000 in 2059. In contrast, the number of births each year fell from 1 million in 1970 to around 300,000 last year and is expected to fall even further to 240,000 in 2040 and 170,000 in 2059, according to Statistics Korea.Some 2.86 million deaths occurred in Korea last year to reach the highest level since statistics began in 1970, while the number is forecast to surpass 300,000 this year. The number of deaths reached 81,800 during the first three months of this year, up 12.1 percent compared to the same period of 2017. Lee Ji-yeon at Statistics Korea said, "The number of people in their 70s and 80s is rising steeply, so it seems obvious to see the number of deaths surpass 300,000 next year."

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

President Moon has Blue House aides prepare for routinization of inter-Korean summits

On May 28, South Korean President Moon Jae-in remarked that “there could be more meetings in the future that are similar [to the second inter-Korean summit]” and asked his Blue House aides to prepare for frequent inter-Korean summits. This raises the possibility that President Moon will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjeom on a more routine basis.“The most significant part of this inter-Korean summit was that it was easy and almost routine for the two leaders of South and North Korea to contact each other, make plans and meet to discuss urgent matters, while omitting all the fussy formality and protocol,” Moon said while presiding over a meeting of his senior secretaries and aides at the Blue House on May 28.“Holding regular and formal inter-Korean meetings like the previous summit in Panmunjeom or the summit in Pyongyang scheduled for this fall is very important for developing inter-Korean relations. If technical meetings can be held frequently between these regular meetings when the urgent need arises, alternating between the South and North Korean sides of Panmunjeom, it will help us develop inter-Korean relations even more quickly,” President Moon said.

Two-track talks between North Korea and US crucial to summit success

North Korea and the US picked up the pace on their two-track working talks on May 28, sending negotiating teams to Panmunjeom and Singapore to prepare for the their “resurrected” bilateral summit in Singapore on June 12.Due to the tight schedule, the two sides appear to have opted to speed up the negotiation process by establishing a separate “agenda team” and a “working-level preparation team” to discuss transportation, security, and protocol.At Unification House (Tongilgak) on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom, current US Ambassador to the Philippines and former Ambassador to South Korea Sung Kim held negotiations on the summit agenda for a second straight day with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. The meeting, which is scheduled to continue through May 29, was also attended by White House National Security Council director for Korea Allison Hooker and assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs Randall Shriver.

Shinzo Abe agrees to hold bilateral summit with Trump before North Korea-US summit

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he “very much look[s] forward to realization of the North Korea-US summit” amid discussions between Pyongyang and Washington to coordinate the upcoming meeting. It is the latest in a series of remarks from Abe that have gone back and forth with the changing outlook for the summit.“US President Donald Trump has stated that he is proceeding toward the holding of a North Korea-US summit on [June] 12th, and my understanding is that discussions are currently taking place between North Korea and the US,” Abe said at a May 28 Budget Committee meeting at the House of Councillors.“It is important to make the North Korea-US summit an opportunity to achieve progress with the nuclear and missile issues, and the paramount issue of abduction [of Japanese citizens to North Korea],” he added.

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

North’s envoys fly to U.S. for meetings

Gen. Kim Yong-chol, a high-ranking North Korean general who oversees inter-Korean policy, was set to fly to New York Wednesday, possibly bringing a message from Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong-un to U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of an anticipated summit. The influential Kim, director of North Korea’s United Front Department, which is responsible for inter-Korean relations, landed in Beijing Tuesday morning en route to New York. His visit comes amid a rapid succession of meetings between U.S. and North Korean officials in Singapore and at the truce village of Panmunjom at the demilitarized zone to prepare for a summit between their leaders. The visit comes just two weeks before a possible June 12 summit between Kim and Trump, which was abruptly called off last week through a letter, but appears to be back on track.

Former Supreme Court chief justice faces additional probe

Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Meong-su on Tuesday left open the possibility of investigating his predecessor Yang Sung-tae, amid allegations that Yang tried to curry favor with the former Park Geun-hye government to get support for his agenda to make major changes to the court.Yang is also suspected of ordering the administration of the judicial system to classify judges according to their political and ideological leanings and monitor activities of judges who were not supportive of his leadership.

Work culture in Korea must be improved, says Moon

President Moon Jae-in stressed the need to improve Korea’s working environment during a cabinet meeting, with emphasis on the shortened workweek that will go into effect in July. “[The new working hours] will become an opportunity for workers who have spent long hours at work to spend more time with their families and to enjoy their evenings, to live a life worthy of a human,” Moon said Tuesday. “For companies, it will be a turning point in which productivity will improve through creativity and innovation.” He added that a shorter workweek will also create new job opportunities. Starting this summer, maximum working hours will be reduced from 68 hours per week to 52.There have been concerns about the effect on companies, particularly small and medium enterprises that can’t afford to add staff to make up for the working hours lost. While the new workweek will apply to conglomerates with more than 300 employees in July, the regulation will be extended to smaller businesses by July 2021.

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

Supreme Court to Review Criminal Charges Against Yang Seung-tae for Trading "Trial Outcomes"
Allegations that the National Court Administration tried to strike a deal with Cheong Wa Dae during the Park Geun-hye government and secretly investigated the philosophy and tendencies of the judges when Yang Seung-tae (70) served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court are stirring controversy and a prosecutor's investigation of relevant figures including Yang and Im Jong-heon, former deputy director of the National Court Administration, appears likely. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Kim Myeong-su announced that he would review making a personal request to the Prosecution Service for an investigation into the allegations. On his way to work on the morning of May 28 at the Supreme Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, Chief Justice Kim told reporters, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern and disappointing the people for the latest incident. I also have been greatly disappointed." When a journalist asked if he planned to request a prosecutor's investigation, Kim said, "We will consider everything, including that."

A Declaration of the End of War Is Necessary to Promote Nuclear Disarmament in North Korea
The declaration of the end of war is gaining momentum once again with the second summit between President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission. At a press conference where President Moon announced the results of the May 26 inter-Korean summit on May 27, the president said, "When the North Korea-U.S. summit ends successfully, we hope to promote the declaration of the end of war with a trilateral summit of North and South Korea and the United States." On May 28, a key Cheong Wa Dae official explained, "North and South Korea and the U.S. could work on the declaration of the end of war as a way to guarantee the safety of the North Korean regime." When asked if Cheong Wa Dae was preparing to go to Singapore, the official left the door open saying, "It is an issue connected to the results of the summit between North Korea and the U.S." meaning that if the working-level talks between North Korea and the U.S. are successful, President Moon could join the two leaders in Singapore, where the summit is to be held on June 12, and the three leaders might declare the end of war.

High-Interest Loans Surge: Debt Burden Gets Heavier for Those Vulnerable to Interest Rate Hikes
The increase in household debt has slowed thanks to tighter government regulations, but other loans, such as overdraft and unsecured loans or loans on credit, continue to increase. This is seen as a "balloon effect" due to tighter regulations on mortgage loans. As the United States and other major economies continue increasing their base rates, the vulnerable groups using other loans, the majority of which have variable interest rates, may find their debt burden growing heavier.
According to the Bank of Korea on May 27, other loans from deposit money banks (200 trillion won) and institutions handling non-bank deposits (201 trillion won) reached 401.8 trillion won (based on balance) in the first quarter of this year, a 9.5% increase from the same quarter last year. Other loans increased due to tighter government regulations on mortgage loans. The government tightened regulations on real estate loans at a time when the sale of housing increased. Thus the demand for money headed toward other loans including unsecured loans. The nationwide housing sales volume was 233,000 in the first quarter, which is a 17% increase from the same quarter last year (199,000).

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

Young woman given suspended jail sentence for in-flight drunken rampage

A 25-year-old female soaker received a suspended jail sentence Tuesday for assaulting a stewardess of South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet in an onboard drunken rampage that began when she was barred from smoking in a toilet.A court in the western city of Incheon sentenced the woman to four months in prison and a fine of one million won ($929), but her sentence was suspended for one year. She was found guilty of smoking and beating a female cabin attendant during her flight from an airport west of Seoul to Vietnam in August last year.The woman, who was drunk at the time, went rampage when the stewardess stopped her from smoking in a toliet and tried to film the scene using her smartphone to take evidence. The stewardess was kicked in the stomach and fell to the floor. The court said it handed down a relatively light sentence because the defendant suffering from depression acted under the influence of alcohol.

Pompeo to meet N. Korean official in New York: Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with a senior North Korean official in New York this week, the White House said, as the two sides ramp up preparations for a potential summit between their leaders.Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, is traveling to New York and will meet with Pompeo "later this week," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.Trump tweeted earlier that the senior North Korean official was en route to the U.S., calling the visit a "solid response to my letter." Kim is scheduled to arrive in New York Wednesday afternoon.Trump and the North Korean leader agreed to meet in Singapore June 12 to discuss the dismantlement of the regime's nuclear weapons program. But Trump canceled the summit in a letter to Kim, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility." Soon after he reversed course to suggest it could go ahead as planned.

Is Chairman Kim Jong-un in Singapore?

With the world awaiting a historic summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders, a version of the North's reclusive leader Kim Jong-un who turned up early in Singapore has been thrown into the spotlight.The Australian-Chinese man, who goes by the name of Howard X, was seen posing as Kim and walking along the streets of central Singapore on Sunday.Kim's doppelganger was definitely a head turner. The man had been making rounds near the Marina Bay Sands hotel, a potential venue for the summit, and the Esplanade. Armed with a box of chicken rice and Singapore's famous Durian, he began posing for pictures as a crowd gathered in front of him, bewildered by his entertaining act.

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

GM Korea follows through on recapitalization via $4 bn rights issue

GM Korea will recapitalize by allocating new issues worth 4.29 trillion won ($3.99 billion) in preferred shares to parent group General Motors and state-run Korea Development Bank according to their stake ratio as part of the bailout agreement signed earlier this month. GM Korea said in a disclosure on Monday it plans to raise 4.29 trillion won by issuing 126.2 million preferred shares that lack voting rights as a follow-up measure to the business normalization agreement between the Detroit carmaker and KDB, the lead creditor and major shareholder of the Korean unit. The two sides agreed on a $7.15 billion rescue package, which includes a $2.7 billion equity swap in the debt GM Korea owes to its U.S. parent. They also agreed to invest a combined $4.35 billion in the local unit over the next 10 years, with GM to finance $3.6 billion in loans and KDB to inject $750 million based on its 17 percent stake in the company.

CJ Cheiljedang claims dominant 60% share in global valine market

South Korean food and bio giant CJ Cheiljedang Corp. has emerged as the world’s largest manufacturer of valine, an essential amino acid additive for animal feeds, after three years of extended push into this lucrative market. The Korean company said Tuesday its market share by sales volume in the global valine market topped 60 percent last year. It first started producing the feed additive in 2014 at its plant in Shenyang, China. Valine is one of the key amino acids added to the diets of poultry and swine to help animal growth. While lesser known than lycine and tryptophan, it has recently gained recognition as a premium animal feed additive.

Posco buys land to build 2nd cathode materials plant

South Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco Group will embark on the construction of its second cathode manufacturing facility in the country next year, which will produce 6,000 tons of cathode a year, to meet growing demand in the burgeoning electric vehicle market. Posco said it signed a land purchase and sale agreement with Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority, South Jeolla province, on Tuesday to build a factory dedicated to producing cathode, a core lithium-ion battery material that determines the battery’s trait. Earlier this month, Posco’s board of directors approved a 113 billion won worth capital increase to enable Posco ESM Co., a manufacturer of active materials of secondary batteries, to build the additional plant.

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Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com

El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english

Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en

Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net

The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com

LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en

The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.comlithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com

El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html

Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu

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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.

Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM

Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s

Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE

And many other countries.

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TO ERR ON THE SAFER SIDE!

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

Please visit the following URLs and order us:

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

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

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

English E-daily http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6774

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.