The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Monday, June 11, 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

N. Korea, U.S. meet for last-minute summit preparations

Senior North Korean and U.S. diplomats held last-minute talks in Singapore on Monday to come up with a draft agreement to be presented to the leaders of the two countries, according to officials. Ambassador Sung Kim, the State Department's top Korea expert, met Choe Son-hui, the North's vice foreign minister, at the Ritz Carlton hotel in the morning. It came a day before a historic summit between the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump. Choe and Kim already had several rounds of discussions at Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border that were reportedly focused on summit agenda items, including denuclearization and security assurance measures.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6888)

North Korean media reports Kim-Trump summit

North Korea's state media on Monday reported leader Kim Jong-un's arrival in Singapore, saying he and U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss issues of denuclearization, permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and other matters "required by the changed era." Kim and Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday for what will be the first-ever summit between incumbent leaders of the longtime foes set for Tuesday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the summit meeting will be held "under the great attention and expectation of the whole world."

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6889)

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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.

Retail fuel prices in S. Korea up for 7th straight week

Retail fuel prices in South Korea rose for the seventh consecutive week despite a fall in global crude oil prices, data showed Saturday.

The average gasoline price was 1,609.7 won (US$1.49) per liter nationwide in the first week of this month, edging up 4.7 won from a week earlier, according to the data compiled by the state-run Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC).

The figure is the highest price tallied since 1,620.0 won per liter recorded in December 2014, it said.

S. Korean cosmetics firm Innisfree taps Australia

Innisfree Corp., a subsidiary of South Korean cosmetics giant AmorePacific Group, said Saturday it has opened its first outlet in Australia as local cosmetics firms move to diversify their sources of income after being hit hard by China over a missile defense system row last year.

The launch of the new store, which opened at a shopping complex in Melbourne on Friday, raises the number of overseas countries with Innisfree outlets to 12, including China, Thailand and the United States, it said.

20.14 pct of voters cast early ballots for local elections

More than 8.64 million South Koreans cast ballots during the two-day early voting for the June 13 local elections, the election watchdog said Saturday.

The final turnout stood at 20.14 percent, as 8.64 million out of 42.90 million eligible voters participated in the early voting that ran through Saturday for the upcoming local elections slated for next Wednesday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).

Up for grabs are 4,016 local administrative, legislative and educational posts, including 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors.

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

Kim, Trump Arrive in Singapore for Historic Summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday for their historic summit set for Tuesday. Kim arrived at Changi International Airport at around 2:30 p.m. local time on a Chinese private jet from North Korea. He was welcomed by Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and headed straight to his hotel, the St. Regis Hotel.

N. Korean Media Reports Kim's Trip to Singapore for Summit

North Korean media has covered Kim Jong-un's trip to Singapore for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers' Party, reported on Monday that the North’s leader departed Pyongyang on a Chinese flight to Singapore on Sunday. The paper said that Kim was accompanied by his aides, including Vice Chairman of the Central Committee Kim Yong-chol, Workers' Party International Affairs Vice Chairman Ri Su-yong, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong.

Rival Parties Go All-out for Local Elections

With just three days left until the June 13 local elections and parliamentary by-elections, party leaders are going all-out to gather support in key areas on Sunday. Ruling Democratic Party Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae will stump in Gwangju, Icheon, Gunpo and other cities in Gyeonggi Province, garnering support for her party's candidates for the region. Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo will canvass Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province in support of the party's candidates.

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

Temp salaries at small businesses down for 11th straight month

Low-income nonregular workers at small businesses in South Korea have seen their wages drop steadily for nearly a year despite the minimum wage hike, mainly due to the decline in working hours, data showed Monday. The monthly wages of temporary workers in such establishments as restaurants and bars with five to nine employees declined on-year for 11 straight months from May 2017 to March this year, according to the data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS).

Chinese plane from Pyongyang headed for Singapore: flight route tracker

A Chinese private jet that discreetly landed in North Korea has departed Sunday en route to Singapore about an hour after its arrival in the communist state, a flight route-tracking website showed. The takeoff by an Air China airplane was detected at the airport in Pyongyang at 8:30 a.m., according to Flightradar24. Initially, the plane reported it was flying to Beijing but suddenly changed its flight number to CA61 from CA122 with its heading set for Singapore, the website showed.

N. Korean leader to meet Singapore's PM ahead of summit talks with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loon as part of his visit to the city-state before his historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Singapore's foreign ministry has said. The ministry said Lee is scheduled to hold talks with Kim later Sunday and meet Trump the following day, without disclosing the venues of the meetings. It is likely that Lee will host Kim at the Istana, considering many heads of states were invited to the presidential palace in the past.

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

Singapore: multicultural ‘little red dot’ with S. Korea, NK ties

The outcome of the US-North Korea summit on June 12 remains to be seen, but Singaporeans have offered their own cheeky take on the matter with memes that poke fun at the two leaders. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hobnob in the rooftop infinity pool of Marina Bay Sands against a backdrop of the Singapore skyline. They pose awkwardly for a picture together near a statue of the Merlion -- a creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish. Such edited images have been making the rounds on social media since the announcement the country would host the summit.

Seoul tops world’s carbon footprint list: Norwegian researchers

Seoul’s carbon emissions are the worst in the world, according to researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology who surveyed the carbon footprints of global cities. In carbon emissions data that Daniel Moran’s research group gathered from 13,000 cities worldwide, Seoul and the population of the surrounding metropolitan area, where about half of South Korea’s 52 million population resides, had extremely high carbon emissions. The city came in No. 1, with an output of 276.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year as of 2015, data show.

Singapore expels KBS reporters

Two reporters from South Korean state-run broadcaster KBS returned to Korea on Saturday night, after being accused of criminal trespassing into the residence of the North Korean ambassador in Singapore. According to the Singapore Police Force, “Two South Korean men, aged 42 and 45, who were representing the Korean Broadcasting System News were arrested in relation to the case,” which occurred at about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday. Apart from the two arrested and expelled, a 31-year-old South Korean man also representing KBS and a 29-year-old South Korean man who served as a guide and interpreter for the group have also been placed under investigation.

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

Trump may open US embassy in Pyongyang: report

U.S. President Trump is considering establishing official diplomatic ties with North Korea and eventually opening an embassy in Pyongyang, American media outlet Axios reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with preparations for Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday. "It would all depend what he gets in return," Axios quoted a source close to the White House as saying. "Denuclearization would have to be happening."

Korea urged to reap benefits of blockchain and cryptocurrency tech

Korea has traditionally not been a major player in the international financial market but things are different when it comes to trading cryptocurrencies. Korea has been rather active in digital money as it is the world's third-largest cryptocurrency market by volume. In the blockchain and cryptocurrency world, Korea has been at the center of attention. Last week, the country's top court recognized cryptocurrencies as an asset with measurable value.

LG CNS tops Asia in energy storage ranking

LG CNS, an LG Group information technology service unit, is recognized as one of the world's top five energy storage system (ESS) providers. The company placed fifth in the global ESS rankings issued by industry research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance. For five years from 2013 to 2018, LG CNS has won orders for a total of 95-megawatt ESS projects around the world. ESS technology is used to store excess energy that can be supplied later when required. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy estimates the global ESS market will grow to $15 billion by 2020 and $29.2 billion by 2025.

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

Kim Jong-un's Flight to Singapore a Precision Maneuver

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's flight to Singapore was a tightly planned maneuver using a decoy to throw attackers off the scent. Three planes took off in North Korea at about an hour's interval on Sunday -- an IL-76, an Air China Boeing 747 and an ancient Ilyushin IL62 – leaving watchers in the dark about which one Kim was on. One diplomatic source in Singapore said, "Tension was very high in North Korea, hence the secrecy." Kim's own aging Soviet-era aircraft carrying Kim's sister Yo-jong and other officials followed later.

Korea Joins Countries Using Trans-Eurasian Railway

South Korea became a full member of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways on Thursday, enabling it to run trains on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Trans-China Railway. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the 46th OSJD Ministers Conference in Kyrgyzstan unanimously accepted Korea as a full member. The OSJD was established in 1956 as a cargo transportation agreement among 12 countries including Russia, China and North Korea. It now has 28 full members.

Over Half of Government Workers Are Women

Women account for more than 50 percent of all government workers for the first time ever. Kim Pan-suk of the Ministry of Personnel Management at a press conference on Thursday announced that the proportion of women in the public sector stands at 50.2 percent. The figures do not include workers hired by some local governments and courts of justice. As of last year, the total number of public-sector workers including teachers and police officers stood at some 650,000.

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

Trump departs for G7 Summit in Canada ahead of historic summit with North Korea

US President Donald Trump departed the White House on the morning of June 8 for a journey that will take him first to Canada, site of the G7 Summit, and then on to a historic North Korea-US summit in Singapore. Reports also indicate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be arriving in Singapore on June 10, two days ahead of the summit. The world is now watching to see whether the three-month long drama – which began on Mar. 8 when Trump abruptly accepted Kim's proposal for a summit passed along by members of a South Korean special envoy delegation – will have a happy ending.

Blue House says chances of trilateral declaration ending Korean War through summit are low

On June 7, the Blue House said that the chances are decreasing that the North Korea-US summit in Singapore on June 12 will be followed by a summit among the leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the US aimed at formally ending the Korean War.“The more time that passes, the less likely it is that President Moon Jae-in [will visit Singapore]. But at the current moment, we can’t say for sure whether or not [a trilateral summit] will be held,” Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum said during a meeting with reporters.

South Korean officials visit Kaesong complex in preparation for inter-Korean joint liaison office

South and North Korea took their first steps toward implementing the Panmunjeom Declaration from their Apr. 27 inter-Korean summit as a joint liaison office advancement team visited the Kaesong Industrial Complex on June 8 for a facility inspection. It was the first visit to the Kaesong complex by South Korean figures in the two years and four months since then-President Park Geun-hye shut it down in Feb. 2016 in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test and long-range missile test launch.

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

Trump, Kim land in Singapore

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump both arrived in Singapore on Sunday, setting the stage for their historic summit in the Southeast Asian nation on Tuesday. The leaders were each scheduled to meet separately with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released on Sunday. Kim met with Lee on Sunday evening. Trump’s meeting was scheduled for Monday.

Self-employed are hit hard by tanking profits

Korea’s self-employed are facing a tough environment amid shrinking domestic consumption, the rising minimum wage and dwindling numbers of tourists. The earnings growth for the self-employed hit a six-year low in 2017, increasing just 1 percent over 2016, according to the Bank of Korea and Statistics Korea on Sunday. The figure is the lowest since 2011, when it dipped to 0.7 percent. The latest data shows a steep drop, as the growth rate hovered above 2 percent for the past two years.

Samsung building sale could set a new record

Competition to buy the Samsung C&T building in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, is heating up, with market experts projecting the sale will break the record for the most expensive office building in Korea. The sale of the C&T building marks the first time that Samsung has put one of its Seocho offices on the market. According to sources in the real estate and investment bank industry on Sunday, around 10 institutional investors including private equity fund Blackstone, Egis Asset Management, Koramco REITs Management and Trust, NH Investment & Securities, KB Securities and Shinhan REITs Management have submitted bids for the Seocho office building on Thursday.

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

Lodge Accusations, Cooperate with the Investigation, or Withhold Comments: What Will Kim Myeong-su Choose?

June 7 marks a week since Kim Myeong-su (photo), chief justice of the Supreme Court began collecting opinions on whether or not the court should take criminal measures, such as press charges or request an investigation with the Prosecution Service concerning the people connected to the alleged abuse of judicial authority and the blacklist of judges by the National Court Administration when Yang Seung-tae served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Kim has three options to choose from.

"The Supreme Court Made Rulings Favorable to the Government and Capital... Can't Return to Work Since Workers Have Passed the Retirement Age"

It was a lawsuit filed by the executives of the Valeo Mando branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union claiming that a decision made in a general meeting by some union members who had withdrawn from the Metal Workers' Union to change the organization into an individual corporate union was invalid. The courts sided with the union executives in the first and second trials, but at the time, the National Court Administration used this case to strike a deal with Cheong Wa Dae before the Supreme Court made a judgment, and eventually the Supreme Court overturned the judgments in the previous trials.

A Number of State Issues Pop Up, But Where Is the Cabinet?

On June 7, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon presided over a meeting to review current state affairs and said, "It is not in our best interest for Cheong Wa Dae to step forward and explain and defend every little detail (concerning the effects of a higher minimum wage)," and added, "I ask the individual ministries to be more active, so Cheong Wa Dae won’t have to step forward." He also instructed related ministries, such as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to explain to the people the changes in the government's labor policy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Police launch investigation into graffiti over Berlin Wall monument

A crucial monument made of concrete pieces from the Berlin Wall has been damaged with illegal graffiti, sparking an investigation by police. The monument, which was made of three linked concrete pieces donated by Berlin to Seoul in 2005, has been placed in a park near Cheonggyecheon, a stream that flows through the heart of Seoul and was restored as a modern public recreation and popular tourist spot.

President Moon to visit Russia after Trump-Kim summit in Singapore

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will make a three-day state visit to Russia this month following a historic summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders in Singapore. Moon's trip to Moscow will begin on June 21 and his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin will include denuclearization, peace on the Korean peninsula and economic cooperation between Seoul and Moscow, the president's office said Friday.

N. Korean state media breaks silence on Kim's 'historic' trip to Singapore

North Korea's state media began publishing the arrival and activity of leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Monday, breaking silence on his rare foreign trip, saying he used a Chinese plane for his "historic foreign tour" to hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. After a ceremony in an airport in Pyongyang, Kim left by a Chinese plane for his personal use on June 10 to visit Singapore, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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

Ssangyong Motor suspends truck licensing project in Saudi Arabia

South Korea’s fourth largest automaker Ssangyong Motor Co. has suspended its pickup truck licensing project in Saudi Arabia due to the difficulty in collecting payment from a local partner amid mounting uncertainty about the country’s political situation. Industry insiders also are flagging the possibility that Ssangyong Motor would give up the project due to the shaky political situation in the Middle East after Washington walked out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

DSME wins $370 mn deals for LNG and crude carriers in Greece

South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) said Thursday (local time) it has clinched two orders worth $370 million to build one unit of LNG carrier for Greece’s Alpha Gas S.A. and two units of crude carriers for an undisclosed client in Greece. The LNG carrier capable of transporting 173,400 cubic meters of gas is eco-friendly and high fuel efficient vessel that can reduce the emissions of pollutants by more than 30 percent. The delivery is due in the first half of 2021.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to spearhead Korean nuclear exports: CEO

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), South Korea’s operator of nuclear reactors, will spearhead exports of Korean nuclear power generation and transform into a world leading nuclear power consulting firm, said Chung Jae-hoon, president and chief executive of KHNP.“KHNP will be in front in nuclear reactor exports based on its independent export capacity and project financing capacity,” Chung said in a press conference on Thursday. Until now Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has mostly led Korean nuclear exports, but from now on, KHNP will take the lead in promoting nuclear exports, he emphasized.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?

See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com

Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com,service@wsj-asia.com

Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com

The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk

The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk

Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cnkf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn

Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com

Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com

Mainichi www.mainichi.jp

Le Monde www.ilemonde.com

Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com

Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de

SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de

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

Sydney Morning Heraldwww.smh.com.au

Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com

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

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

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

Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net

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

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

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

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

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

Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com

Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu

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

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

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

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

And many other countries.

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For quick response, call Chairman Lee directly at 010-5201-1740 or reporters at 010-3388-1682 or 010-7584-5873.