Monday, August 20, 2018
Round-up of important news from major Korean, international dailies, other news sources today:
The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.
“Do not ever forget me, for I will carry your love to the Heaven”
Ambassador Juan Pablo Rodriguez Barragan of Colombia and Mrs. Elsa Patricia Calderon Carmona hosted a reception at the Crystal Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on July 26, 2018 in celebration of the 208th Independence Day of Colombia. At the meeting, Ambassador Pablo Rodriguez read a passage of a letter sent by a Korean War veteran to his sweetheart during the Korean War (1950-3), which read in part, “…Directed not even to my mother since you know they would break her, but to you, my beautiful and distant Colombian, to you, who were my one and only love all my life: Do not ever forget me, for I will carry your love to the Heaven.”
S. Koreans head to North for family reunion
South and North Korea will begin their weeklong reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Monday. A total of 89 South Koreans will hold the first session of meetings with their families living in North Korea at a Mount Kumgang resort on the North's east coast at 3 p.m. They left for the venue early in the day from Sokcho, South Korea's northeastern town, where they spent the night.
China beats America as biggest market for Samsung
China accounted for more than 30 percent of Samsung Electronics Co.'s overall sales over the January-June period, industry data showed Monday, emerging as the company's largest market and outpacing the American continents for the first time. The South Korean tech giant, which posted sales of 83.9 trillion won (US$74.6 billion) over the first six months of 2018, raked in 27.4 trillion won or 32.7 percent from China, the corporate data showed. It marked a sharp rise from 18.5 percent tallied in 2013.
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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Reunions for War-Separated Koreans to Begin Monday
War-separated Korean families will meet at North Korea's Mount Geumgang on Monday. South Korean participants of the inter-Korean reunions gathered at the border city of Sokcho in Gangwon Province on Sunday and will head to a resort on the mountain early Monday. The first round of reunions will be held between Monday and Wednesday, when 89 South Koreans will meet with their families in the North. For the second round of the reunions, 83 North Koreans will be reunited with their loved ones from Friday and Sunday at the same venue.
Bolton: Pompeo will Make his Fourth Visit to N. Korea Soon
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Sunday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will make his fourth visit to North Korea soon. In an interview with ABC's This Week Bolton said that Pompeo has done extraordinary follow-up diplomacy after the Singapore meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea, adding that he expects Pompeo's diplomacy will resume in the near future.
Ruling Camp Vows to Use Expansionary Fiscal Policy to Increase Jobs
The government, presidential office and the ruling Democratic Party(DP) have pledged to use all possible measures including an expansionary fiscal policy to deal with the nation's worsening employment conditions. The ruling camp on Sunday reached the agreement during an emergency meeting held at the National Assembly to discuss measures to cope with the dismal job situation.
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Ex-U.S. soldier convicted of sexually abusing two S. Korean orphan boys
A former U.S. senior airman is serving a 15-year jail sentence for sexually molesting two South Korean male orphans and possessing dozens of child pornography videos, court records showed. Robert Keldgard, who was stationed at Kunsan Air Base, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, between 2012 and 2013, was convicted by a court-martial in April 2016, Col. John Bosone, the commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at the base, confirmed the information last week in a response to questions from Yonhap News Agency.
Policyholders to receive monthly report on product profit rate
Insurance companies will provide monthly notifications to policyholders on their product profit rates so that they can act more quickly if they want to make any changes, the Financial Supervisory Service said Monday. The notifications currently are provided quarterly in paper form, which has raised complaints that policyholders are not given the needed information promptly enough for them to make any desired changes in their insurance policies.
Biz sector 'gapjil' survey getting low response
Responses to yearly surveys on unfair business practices have become lukewarm, especially from franchisees and subcontractors who were expected to use the poll to report mistreatments, according to the National Assembly Budget Office on Monday. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) conducts a poll every year on both parties of business contracts, the franchisers and franchisees, as well as companies and their suppliers. The purpose is to provide a way for the parties, especially the weaker partners, to report any unfair and unilateral practices, locally known as "gapjil."
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Typhoon Soulik alert for Korean Peninsula
Typhoon Soulik is expected to pass through the Korean Peninsula as early as Wednesday, bringing with it a chilling respite to the draught-stricken land but also the potential for storm damage. If Soulik lands in Korea as forecast, it will be the first typhoon to directly hit the Peninsula since Typhoon Sanba did six years ago in 2012. Soulik formed off the coast of Guam on Thursday as a small storm, but as it travels northward it has gradually grown to a medium-sized typhoon with the intensity of a category 4 storm.
“South Korea is no country for women”: Women’s groups protest acquittal of top politician
Some 20,000 South Korean women gathered in central Seoul on Saturday to protest the court’s recent decision to acquit a powerful politician of sexual abuse charges, claiming the judiciary is now complicit in gender-based violence that has prevailed in the country. An Hee-jung, the former South Chungcheong Province governor and a onetime presidential contender, was found not guilty of sexual assault through abuse of authority Tuesday. An’s trial had been considered one of the highest profile cases to have emerged from the #MeToo campaign in South Korea, which began to spread in February this year.
Dismembered body found in bushes at Seoul Grand Park
A dismembered body was found in the thickets near Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, just south of Seoul. The torso, presumed to be a man’s, was discovered Sunday morning at around 9:40 a.m. by a park worker in the bushes close to its parking lot. The body was wrapped in black and white plastic bags, decomposition had progressed while clothing still remained. Police found the severed head not far away, also inside a black plastic bag.
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Powerful typhoon on course to hit Korea this week
Powerful typhoon Soulik is on course to strike the Korean Peninsula this week, the state weather agency said Sunday, warning people on Jeju Island and in southern coastal areas to prepare. Soulik, classified as "strong" with maximum gusts of 144 km/h and central pressure of 955 hPs, was 830 kilometers east-north-east of Guam at 9 a.m. Sunday, and was moving northwest at 34 km/h, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Finance minister signals major policy shift to revive sagging job market
The finance minister said Sunday that the government will consider modifying economic policies if necessary to cope with the deteriorating job market figures. "The job market condition seems to have worsened due to multiple factors including structural and economic problems as well as policies. Since diverse problems are comprehensively emerging, it won't be easy to find a solution in the short-term," Economy and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said at the emergency meeting on the job market.
Soldiers allowed to leave military bases on weekdays
Soldiers here will be able to leave military bases on weekdays after finishing their daily tasks and return before bedtime roll call, according to the defense ministry Sunday. The Ministry of National Defense plans to run a two-month pilot test with 13 military units ― including the Army, Navy and Air Force ― and then to expand the test. "The decision came because the ministry aims to make sure soldiers have enough rest to carry out military missions and drills," the ministry said in a statement. "Commanders of the units will control the number of soldiers who enjoy the benefits to maintain their military readiness."
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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)
U.S. Warns of Sanctions Violations at Cross-Border Liaison Office
The U.S. government on Friday warned that a planned inter-Korean liaison office in the shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex "could violate not only United Nations but U.S. sanctions against North Korea." "If the [South] Korean government opens a liaison office in Kaesong, [South] Korea will risk violating sanctions that have drawn North Korea back to the negotiating table," a U.S. official told the Chosun Ilbo on condition of anonymity.
Pentagon Assesses Chances of China's Military Intervention in Korea
The Pentagon believes China could intervene militarily in North Korea in a war on the Korean Peninsula, but it is unclear whether it would really come to the aid of the regime, Voice of America reported on Saturday. VOA quoted the Pentagon's annual report on Chinese military developments submitted to Congress last Thursday. In a chapter titled "China's Approach to North Korea," the report says, "Should a crisis or conflict occur on the Peninsula, China's leaders could order the [People's Liberation Army] to engage in a range of operations. These could range from securing the China-North Korea border to prevent the flow of refugees to a military intervention into North Korea."
Samsung, LG Phones Among Top Six for Battery Life, U.S. Magazine Says
Samsung and LG were selected among the phones with the best battery life by U.S. magazine Consumer Reports. According to test results by the magazine, Samsung smartphones were ranked second and third, while LG took sixth place in terms of battery life among the top six smartphones. Samsung's Galaxy S8 Active, which was released last year, ranked second with 30.5 hours of battery life. The Galaxy S7 Edge, launched in 2016, took third place with 30 hours, while LG's V35 ThinQ, came in sixth with 27 hours.
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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)
What makes younger people’s hardline stance on North Korea conservative?
How should the chilled reaction of the younger generation toward the unified Korean women’s ice hockey team at the Pyeongchang Olympics be interpreted? Should it be viewed in accordance with the commonly held view that young people are conservative and their national consciousness has weakened? Bae Jin-seok, a research professor at Korea University’s Peace and Democracy Institute recently presented a paper entitled, “Generational and Ideological Factors in North Korea and Security Policy Evaluation,” in which he criticized the partisan approach of viewing the young generation’s perceptions toward North Korea and unification as a deviant attitude or as a failure of unification education in the aftermath of 10 years of conservative government in South Korea.
Study finds South Koreans overwhelmingly associate the dove with peace
The dove. Everyone says that it is a symbol of peace. Recent findings confirm this. In a recent study conducted by the Korea Institute for National Unification, “Peacebuilding: The Psychology of Peace”, 1,000 South Koreans were given a word association test, where they were asked to list three words that came to mind when they thought of peace. Upon examination of the frequency of certain words that can be found among the 3,000 responses, “dove” was the first and most frequent word people thought of, at 13 percent.
China tells South Korean delegation that it must be allowed to partake in end-of-war declaration
China reminded a delegation from South Korea’s National Assembly that China must be allowed to take part in formally declaring the end of the Korean War. It also turns out that China has presented a proposal to the US about a four-party end-of-war declaration that would involve South Korea, North Korea, the US and China. Ranking members of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee met with South Korean foreign correspondents in Beijing on Aug. 17 and related what they had heard in a meeting with Zhang Yesui, Chair of the National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, during an Aug. 15-17 visit to China.
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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)
N. Korea cracks down on fashions and haircuts
North Korea has reportedly stepped up a crackdown on “non-socialist behavior,” including unapproved hairstyles and clothes, ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country on Sept. 9. Youth groups affiliated with the regime’s ruling Workers’ Party are said to have been sent around the country to keep tabs on fashions and hairstyles, in an apparent effort to send a message to foreign countries that the North’s residents have a strong sense of socialism, according to The Washington Post, Radio Free Asia, and the Telegraph Friday (local time).
Korea seeks to build energy self-sufficient city
Korea plans to construct a "pilot energy self-sufficient city" that supplies the necessary volume of energy within the city in order to ease abnormal weather conditions including climate change and extreme heat wave. “We are reviewing a plan on a ‘pilot urban power generation project’ in which small quantities of energy are generated at various locations in a city by using renewable energy sources, and all of the energy is supplied and consumed within the city,” the Science and ICT Ministry said on Sunday.
Inha University in Tashkent celebrates first graduates
Inha University in Tashkent (IUT) in Uzbekistan held its first commencement ceremony on Tuesday. Ninety students of the departments of computer and information engineering and information and communication engineering graduated the IUT at a ceremony held Tuesday (local time), said Inha University on Sunday. IUT has been growing into one of the leading universities in Central Asia since its establishment in 2014. According to the school, around 90 percent of its graduates have landed a job at IT companies or government agencies.
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JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)
Families gather ahead of South-North reunions
South Koreans separated from family members in North Korea gathered in the coastal city of Sokcho, Gangwon, on Sunday to prepare for a trip to North Korea’s Mount Kumgang resort where the first family reunion in nearly three years will be held starting Monday. A group of 89 South Koreans checked into the Hanwha resort in Sokcho. They will meet their North Korean family members at the North Korean resort from Monday through Wednesday. After the first reunions end on Wednesday, a second group of 83 North Koreans will meet their South Korean family members from Friday to Sunday at the same venue.
Finance minister, Moon’s policy chief butt heads
Korea’s chief economic policymaker and President Moon Jae-in’s top policy adviser are at odds again over the administration’s income-led growth strategy. During a government and ruling party meeting on Sunday, Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon hinted at the need to redirect the Moon government’s economic policy.“If it is needed, we will consider either improving or making changes [to past economic policies] in working with related departments,” Kim said during the meeting. “We would have to review the effects of the economic policies that have been implemented.”
Xi could make first visit to Pyongyang in Sept.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make his first visit to Pyongyang since assuming power next month to attend celebrations of the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, according to a news report Saturday. Without citing a source, the Singapore-based Strait Times reported that it understood Xi would visit Pyongyang for the anniversary at the invitation of the North Korean leader. The Kim Jong-un regime is said to be preparing a large parade to mark the occasion. The report did not specify the date Xi will land in Pyongyang or how long he will stay there, but the celebrations are set to take place on Sept. 9.
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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)
"Accessory to the Manipulation of Online Comments" Special Prosecutor on Druking Case Requests Arrest Warrant for Governor Kim Kyung-soo
On August 15, special prosecutor Heo Ik-beom requested an arrest warrant for Kim Kyung-soo (51), governor of Gyeongsangnam-do. He made the request nine days after he first called in and questioned Kim as a suspect on August 6. This day, the special prosecutor summoned and questioned as a witness Baek Won-woo (52), Cheong Wa Dae secretary for civil affairs, who met with an acquaintance of Druking Kim Dong-won (49, arrested and charged), whom Druking had asked to be appointed as the consul general of Osaka, Japan.
President Moon to Meet Chairman Kim for Third Summit Next Month in Pyongyang
On August 13, North and South Korea agreed to hold the third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September. The two Koreas did not release the specific date, but the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un is likely to be held in mid-September. The focus is on whether the upcoming summit will be able to provide a breakthrough in dialogue between North Korea and the United States, which has been in a deadlock on the issues of denuclearization and the declaration of the end of war.
Ruling and Opposition Parties Opt to Remove Special Activity Expenses for Lawmakers
On August 12, ruling and opposition party lawmakers reportedly opted to eliminate the special activity expenses of the National Assembly. On August 8, the Democratic Party of Korea and the Liberty Korea Party had agreed to maintain the special activity expenses, while improving transparency by obligating lawmakers to submit receipts of their spending. But as the controversy intensified with the Bareun Mirae Party and the Justice Party refusing to accept the special activity expenses and the public growing more critical of the parties’ decision, lawmakers seem to have decided to remove the budget item.
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AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
S. Korea's Navy launches project to research whether new landing ship can load stealth fighter jets
South Korea's navy will kick off a research project to see if its new landing ship is capable of loading a variant of American stealth multirole fighters on its upper deck, citing similar moves by Japan and other countries. F-35B, the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35A new generation stealth fighter created by Lockheed Martin, can takeoff vertically up into the air without the need of a runway. Because of its characteristics, the United States and other countries like Australia are modifying their existing landing ships to carry "hopper" jets.
Amazon ties with Hyundai Department to establish future retail outlets
Amazon, an American e-commerce and cloud computing company, forged strategic ties with Hyundai Department Store, one of South Korea's three major department store chains, to set up future retail outlets that would provide a new shopping experience by applying advanced technology. Hyundai Department said Monday that it signed a strategic cooperation agreement (SCA) with the South Korean branch of Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon's cloud systems. Amazon's technology will be adopted at a new Hyundai Department store that will open in 2020 in Yoeuido, a main financial district in western Seoul.
State gas company to set up 100 hydrogen fuel charging stations by 2022
To boost the distribution of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles, (FCEVs) South Korea's state gas company unveiled a project to establish a nationwide network of charging stations. FCEVs are still not popular in South Korea mainly due to the lack of charging stations. The Korea Gas Corporation said Friday that as part of its broad plan to switch South Korea's main source of power from fossil to clean energy, it will set up 100 hydrogen fuel charging stations and distribution centers by 2022.
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Maeil Business News Korea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)
KEPCO signs $37.8 mn power project in Dominican Republic
South Korea’s state-run utility company Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has won a $37.8 million project to replace and newly build power distribution facilities in the Dominican Republic. KEPCO said on Sunday that under the agreement, it will upgrade power management systems including 8,969 units of power poles, 3,042-km long electric wire, 1,570 units of transformers and 68,890 units of electricity meters in the eastern and southern areas of the country over the next two years. It also expects the new project would result in $3.2 million exports of equipment from Korea.
U.S.-based Capital Group ups stake in SK Hynix to 3%
Capital Group, an American asset manager, has upped its stake in SK Hynix Inc. to 3 percent through an additional share purchase, becoming the second biggest foreign investor in the world’s second largest memory chipmaker amidst ongoing selling spree in Korean chip stocks amid warnings of cyclical slowdown. According to the Financial Supervisory Service and industry sources on Sunday, Capital Group has become the second-largest foreign shareholder of SK Hynix following Blackrock Inc., the world’s largest fund operator who upped its stake holding in the company to 5.08 percent in May.
Samsung Heavy Industries wins $370 mn order to build 2 LNG vessels
South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries Co. has secured a $370 million order from Celsius Tankers, a unit of Danish owner Celsius Shipping, to build two 180,000 cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, the shipbuilder said on Friday. The latest deal also includes an option of two additional shipbuilding orders that would be placed later. The Korean shipbuilder will deliver the two LNG vessels to Celsius Tankers by 2020, it added.
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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.cn kf@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 Herald www.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.com bfp@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.com lithuania@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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