The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, June 22, 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

P.S.: If the Headlines are no longer desired, please advise us at: edt@koreapost.com or pub@koreapost.com.

Ambassador Abdulla Saif Alnuaimi of the United Arab Emirates in Seoul

UAE not involved in running local prisons in Yemen

Efforts by the Coalition in Yemen are for the good of the Yemeni people’

Hodeida is one of the most important provinces in Yemen. It has the second largest port in the country after Aden. Most of the imports of foodstuffs, oil and other supplies enter the country through this port. It is the second province in terms of population after Taez. In its recent history, Hodeida has been an influential center in Yemen’s economy and politics. Hodeida has been under the capture of the Houthi militias for more than three years. The Hodeida port located in this province has been exploited by the Houthis to prolong the war and the suffering of the Yemeni people. The port is been used for smuggling conventional arms and ballistic missiles as well as other supplies to the rebels. Instead of reaching the targeted people, regional and international aid found its way to the black market. This has had a devastating impact on humanitarian situation in the country.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6975)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev shake hands before the start of their meeting in Moscow on June 21, 2018, the day before Moon's scheduled bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)

Moon, Putin set for talks on economic cooperation, N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to hold a bilateral summit Friday to discuss ways to enhance their countries' cooperation and joint efforts to peacefully denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The South Korea-Russia summit follows Moon's two historic meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in which the leaders of the two Koreas declared there will never be another war on the Korean Peninsula while affirming their commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Moon has stressed the importance of Russia's cooperation in efforts to rid the North of its nuclear weapons. Russia has been part of six-nation negotiations on ending the North's nuclear ambition.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6974)

Koreas set to hold Red Cross meeting to discuss family reunion, humanitarian issues

The two Koreas are set to hold a Red Cross meeting on Friday to discuss a set of humanitarian issues, including holding a reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, amid a thaw in inter-Korean relations. The inter-Korean Red Cross talks will begin at around 10 a.m. at a hotel on Mount Kumgang on the North's scenic east coast, according to the unification ministry. Earlier in the day, South Korea's four-member delegation led by Park Kyung-seo, head of the Korean Red Cross, left for the meeting venue using the eastern land route to the North. The North will also send a three-member delegation headed by Pak Yong-il, vice chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.

(For further details, visit: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=6972)

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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.

Financial firms urged to do more to protect customer data

The financial regulator on Friday called for financial firms to make more efforts to protect customers' personal data and pay more attention to issues related to the handling of such critical information. Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), made the remarks at a meeting with chief executives of financial firms earlier in the day. The FSC chief said South Korea has tough data protection laws, but he was "skeptical" about whether financial firms were doing enough to protect customer data.

Self-employed biz owners feel pinch of rising rents, saturated market

South Korea's self-employed business owners, who make up roughly 21 percent of the nation's workers, have come increasingly under pressure as rents continue to rise amid a saturated market. The self-employment rate has been on a steady rise in recent years, with the country's some 7 million baby boomers -- those born between 1955 and 1963 -- opening or preparing to open mom-and-pop stores in the services sector after retirement. Since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to tender their resignations and "retire earlier" than most anticipated, according to an industry estimate.

Pompeo to meet with N. Koreans at earliest possible date: State Department

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with North Korean officials at the "earliest possible date" to follow up on last week's nuclear deal between the countries' leaders, the State Department said Thursday. Pompeo is expected to travel to North Korea within days to flesh out the agreement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their summit in Singapore. "Secretary Pompeo will be meeting with them and talking with them at the earliest possible date to try to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a regular press briefing, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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

Moon Stresses Trilateral Cooperation with N. Korea, Russia

President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of cooperation between South Korea and Russia, calling it the cornerstone of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. The president made the remark on Thursday in his historic address to Russia's State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. In the 20-minute speech before about 400 Russian lawmakers, Moon said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's "New East Policy" has a vision of an era of peace and co-prosperity among Eurasian nations, and South Koreans also hope for peace and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia.

Inter-Korean Red Cross Talks Set for Friday Morning

Red Cross talks between the two Koreas are set to take place from 10 a.m. Friday at Mount Geumgang in North Korea. The two sides will discuss a set of humanitarian issues, including holding a reunion of families separated by the Korean War around Independence Day on August 15th. A Unification Ministry official in Seoul said that at around 2 a.m. Friday, North Korea conveyed the names of its three-member delegation for the talks, headed by Pak Yong-il, vice chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.

Trump: N. Korea's 'Total Denuclearization' Started

U.S. President Donald Trump has said a process of North Korea's "total denuclearization" has already started and the North has destroyed four of its big test sites. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday, Trump said that the "number-one statement" in the document he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed in Singapore was that the North will begin total denuclearization right away.

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

Some 125,000 jobs lost yearly from investment outflow, report says

Some 125,000 jobs have been lost yearly at home since 2001 due to overseas investment that is much larger than foreign direct investment coming into South Korea, a think tank report said Friday. The estimate comes from the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), with the study carried out by Prof. Choi Nam-seok of Chonbuk National University. According to the report, US$305.5 billion of investment money, excluding in mining, went overseas in the 2001-2017 period. The amount is more than double the $150.6 billion that came into South Korea.

Gov't softens eligibility rules for welfare subsidies

The underprivileged will be eligible for state a housing subsidy starting in October even if they have immediate family members who have enough income or assets to be able to support them, the welfare ministry said Friday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will carry out a phased softening of standing regulations that disqualify people from various government subsidies because they have parents or children who are financially capable of helping them. Such rules will be lifted for housing fund as one of the early changes, ministry officials said.

Pompeo to meet with N. Koreans at earliest possible date: State Department

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with North Korean officials at the "earliest possible date" to follow up on last week's nuclear deal between the countries' leaders, the State Department said Thursday. Pompeo is expected to travel to North Korea within days to flesh out the agreement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their summit in Singapore. "Secretary Pompeo will be meeting with them and talking with them at the earliest possible date to try to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a regular press briefing, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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

Moon vows to enhance trilateral economic cooperation with North Korea and Russia

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged to enhance trilateral cooperation between the two Koreas and Russia, expressing hopes that the Trans-Siberian Railway will link to the southern tip of South Korea. During his speech at the Russian parliament in Moscow, Moon said if the two Koreas replace the current armistice agreement with a peace treaty, the Northeast Asia region will be able to establish its own “collective security system.” “I have always hoped for permanent peace and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and Eurasia. I’m hoping the Russian lawmakers will join that journey,” Moon said in a special speech delivered at Russia's State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

FTC meets archnemesis – prosecution

The prosecutors’ latest search and seizure of the Fair Trade Commission was purportedly to look into its suspected backscratching ties with top-tier business groups and to check on potential power abuse by the antitrust watchdog. But the abrupt action was also viewed as a chronic power struggle between the prosecution and the FTC -- often dubbed “prosecutors in the economic realm” -- over the latter’s expansive range of rights concerning fair trade rule violations.

Government, ruling party agree on having grace period for shorter work hours

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the government and the presidential office agreed to a six-month grace period for the revised law on shorter work hours, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday. Under the revised law passed in February, companies with 300 or more employees are required to reduce the maximum work hours to 52 hours per week, from the current 68 hours, starting July 1.

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

'Russia, important partner in security, economic development'

President Moon Jae-in has expressed gratitude for Russia's role and support in bringing the current detente to the Korean Peninsula, and wants economic cooperation between Russia and the two Koreas if a peace regime is established in the region. Moon said his economic cooperation policy with neighboring countries resembles those initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech at the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Thursday, the first day of his four-day state visit to the country.

Empowered police will have prosecution in check

Police will be able to open, lead and close investigations without the prosecution's supervision, a major change that will grant more autonomy to them in a much-anticipated reorganization of investigative prerogatives, which is designed to rein in the power of prosecutors. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and presidential secretary for Civil Affairs Cho Kuk, as well as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior and Safety, which oversee the prosecution and police, respectively, announced the reorganization, Thursday. It redefines the relationship between the prosecution and the police as cooperative, not authoritative. The measure largely seeks to empower the police which will limit the prosecution in exercising its authority and discretion to unrestrictedly intervene in investigations.

South Korean military halts own exercise after UFG suspension

South Korea has delayed an independent military exercise slated to begin later this month in efforts to ensure the smooth progress of the ongoing denuclearization and normalization talks with North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense. This is the first time the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has decided to postpone the annual Taegeuk command-post exercise, held in May or June each year, since it started in 1995. The decision came in response to a recent agreement between Seoul and Washington to suspend their large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill in August. On Tuesday, both sides agreed to suspend the joint exercise in return for North Korea's ongoing pledge to realize complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

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

N.Korea-China Exchanges Blossom at Alarming Rate

North Korea and China are rapidly boosting exchanges that could significantly blunt international sanctions against the rogue regime. North Korea's Air Koryo will launch a direct flight to Xian, the capital of China's Shaanxi Province next month, bringing regular flights to China to five. It already flies to Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, and a Chengdu route will open on June 28.

Korea's Oldest Stone Pagoda Unveiled After 20-Year Restoration

The Mireuksaji Seoktap in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, the biggest stone pagoda in East Asia, was unveiled on Wednesday after 20 years of restoration. The project sets the record as the longest restoration in Korea of a national heritage. Structural safety inspections in 1998 found the pagoda, which was built in 639, unstable. The restoration process consisted of a dissection of the structure, reinforcement, and a preservation process. It cost W23 billion, the second largest amount after the restoration of the Sungnyemun or South Gate in Seoul (US$1=W1,107).

Gov't Grants 6-Month Grace Period for Shorter Working Week

The government has caved in to pressure from big business to grant a six-month grace period for the implementation of the shorter working week, which goes into effect next month. The decision came as business with more than 300 workers claimed the government guidelines are confusing and they need more time to put into practice the measure which reduces maximum working hours from 68 a week to 52.

"The Korea Employers Federation proposed the six-month grace period for the mandatory shortened work week and we believed it was worth considering," Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon said Wednesday.

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

Prejudice and lack of policy leave Yemeni refugee applicants in stateless limbo

On June 19, one of the students in a Kakao Talk group for freshmen at a high school in central Jeju City spread a rumor that Yemenis “attack any women walking near city hall.” “OMG, really?” read one reply. “That’s scary,” another student wrote. “My mom tells me not to go around alone at night,” wrote a third. The group was far from the only example of hatred and fear of refugees.

North Korean media highlights Kim’s third visit to China before it ends

On June 20, North Korean state-run media including the Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency gave considerable attention to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s third visit to China. The first four of six total pages in the June 20 edition of the Rodong Sinmun were dedicated to the news from the first day of Kim’s visit to China, including 28 photographs. While this is Kim’s third visit to China this year, it was the first time that the North Korean media broke the story before his visit was even over.

Experts warn of South Korea’s semiconductor boom

South Korea’s semiconductor boom is a bubble, and the current supply shortage is set to become a glut once Chinese companies finish building their own semiconductor plants in the second half of 2018, experts are warning. The warning is draw attention for going a step farther than previous arguments that the semiconductor boom has resulted in an “optical illusion” giving the impression that the South Korean economy is performing strongly as a whole.

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

U.S. Forces’ new headquarters opens in 7 days

The U.S. military’s main command in South Korea will officially open its new headquarters next Friday in Pyeongtaek, 40 miles south of its current home in Yongsan District, central Seoul, marking a major milestone in the relocation of the U.S. Forces Korea. Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense announced Thursday that the opening will be celebrated with a ceremony at the new headquarters compound, in which South Korean and U.S. military officials will participate.

Smartphones become Korean sunset industry

Korea’s days as a smartphone powerhouse may be numbered. With powerful rivals on the rise and stagnating demand for smartphones globally, Samsung is losing sales and market share. Global market share and sales for Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi - Samsung’s biggest rivals - rose in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous year.

208 businessmen fly to Russia

Two hundred and eight business figures from 101 companies joined President Moon Jae-in on his four-day state visit to Russia with the aim of stepping up cooperation in manufacturing, cutting-edge technologies, medicine and energy.

According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), which is leading the business delegation, a Korea-Russia business forum is slated to take place on Friday local time attended by 130 businessmen from Russia. KITA and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a business lobbying group, alternate in hosting business forums each time President Moon visits a foreign country.

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

Conservatives Fall Before the Ruling Party’s Landslide Victory

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea won a landslide victory in the nationwide local elections and parliamentary by-elections on June 13. The latest election was, in fact, an assessment of the first year of the Moon Jae-in government. So the Democratic Party's apparent victory is expected to boost President Moon Jae-in's handling of state affairs. On the other hand, the Liberty Korea Party, which has shriveled to a "United Liberal Democrats" of the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do (TK) region after a record-breaking defe

NK-US Leaders Stand before the Start of the Deconstruction of the Cold War Order

The meeting of the century between Kim Jong-un, chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission and U.S. President Donald Trump will be held at 9 a.m. on June 12 (10 a.m. Korean time) at the Capella Singapore on Sentosa Island, Singapore. If the two leaders successfully reach an agreement, it will mark a turning point ending the longest hostile relationship in the world. The two men will stand side by side at a grand starting line to end the last remaining Cold War order in the world.

Wind of Change Among Mayors, County Chiefs, and Local Council Members: Regionalism Falters

The regional and ideological framework that had defined South Korean politics for the past 28 years is shaking from the ground up due to the June 13 local elections. That the ruling Democratic Party of Korea swept the three gubernatorial and mayoral positions in the Busan, Gyeongsangnam-do (PK) region, regarded as the home ground of the Liberty Korea Party, is evidence of this, but signs of groundbreaking changes are more apparent in the election results of the lower-tier local governments, the capillary vessels of local autonomy.

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

JAL stops using controversial Rising Sun flag pattern for in-flight meal

Japan Airlines (JAL) has promised to stop using the Rising Sun Flag pattern on the plastic cover of its in-flight meals, bowing to protests by a South Korean activist who argued the pattern is a reminder of cruelty by Japan's imperial army before and during World War II. Its meaning is little known to the western world. For Koreans, the flag depicting the red sun with rays stretching out from it on a white background symbolizes Japan's harsh 1910-45 colonial rule and wartime atrocities like the Nazi swastika flag.

State mint to establish S. Korea's first public sector blockchain

South Korea's state mint promised Thursday to establish the country's blockchain-based open platform for public sectors. The platform will simplify the complex process of social welfare payment by providing services such as digital voucher coupon transactions. The Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation said it would introduce "KOMSCO", a cloud-based blockchain platform, saying social welfare payments are possible in the form of mobile vouchers through the blockchain. "We have served as a public company by manufacturing money and identification cards," a mint official told reporters.

S. Korea links reopening of Kaesong industrial zone to progress in denuclearization

The reopening of a joint inter-Korean industrial zone just north of the heavily armed border depends on progress in North Korea's denuclearization, a senior South Korean official said Thursday, citing U.S.-led international sanctions.

Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung told a forum in Seoul Thursday that South Korea would consider lifting a cross-border trade ban only after the international community sees "visible" progress in denuclearization.

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

LS Cable wins largest-ever $40 mn high voltage cable project in India

South Korea’s leading cable manufacturer LS Cable &System Ltd. said Thursday its Indian unit LSCI signed a $40 million deal to supply extra-high voltage cables to the power authority of India’s Andhra Pradesh state. It is the company’s largest order in the segment.

The latest order was placed as part of the Indian government’s plan to improve the country’s outdated power infrastructure and add more grids for new town development.

S. Korean President Moon Jae-in heads to Russia for first state visit in 19 years

South Korean President Moon Jae-in embarked on a four-day state visit to Russia on Thursday, becoming the first sitting president to head to the Eurasian country in 19 years since late President Kim Dae-jung in 1999. Moon will hold his third summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office in May, last year, on Friday, where he is expected to seek Russia’s strong support towards achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and peace regime.

Samsung QLED vs LG OLED showdown at British TV shootout

Samsung Electronics Co.’s QLED TV and LG Electronics Inc.’s OLED TV face showdown over the title of this year’s best TV at the upcoming Crampton & Moore / HDTVTest 2018 TV shootout that will take place in Britain next month.

According to industry sources on Thursday, three OLED TVs made by LG Electronics, Sony and Panasonic and QLED TV by Samsung Electronics will compete during the annual TV shootout held by British TV reviewer HDTVTest and retailer Crampton & Moore on July 15. They are all latest in 65-inch.

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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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